Smoke curled gently into the morning air, carrying with it the rich, mouthwatering scent of sizzling meat.
With his heightened senses, Tave could pick up every nuance of it, the savory fat crisping, the subtle sweetness of charred flesh, the earthy undertone of wild boar.
He sat at the edge of the forest, worn out and dirty, his face smudged with grime, his clothes carrying the scent of blood, sweat, and ash.
In front of him, a small campfire crackled quietly, flames licking beneath a spit where thick cuts of boar meat were roasting slowly.
A well-earned breakfast.
Fang darted back and forth through the grass nearby, yipping loudly, his energy boundless now that the sun was up.
During the night, he had moved like a silent predator, true to his Shadow Wolf lineage.
But in the daylight?
He was every bit the playful, loud, and reckless pup he still was inside.
"Happy, buddy?" Tave asked, smiling as he glanced over.
Woof woof!
Tave chuckled and tossed him a chunk of boar thigh.
The little wolf pounced, catching it mid-air and tearing into it with feral glee, shaking his head violently like he was taking down prey in the wild.
Tave watched with amusement.
Yeah, this little guy would grow strong.
As for him… Last night had been productive. Three wild boars down.
He had come across more, actually, but most had been too close to other monsters or looked stronger than he wanted to deal with in the dark.
So he'd picked his battles carefully, only engaging when he was confident he could take down the target fast and clean.
And yet… only one monster core.
He reached into his waist bag and pulled out the crystal.
Just one.
He stared at it for a long moment.
One night. Three kills. His life on the line the entire time… for one core.
He sighed.
This job, this path, wasn't something his old self would've ever chosen.
Back then, he had just sat at a desk, clacking away at a keyboard, building this world from the safety of a screen.
Now? He was living it. Bleeding for it. Fighting to survive in it.
And somehow… He was starting to understand it more than ever.
Tave kept his eyes on Fang, who was still busy tearing into the meat with sharp, eager little bites. The pup's cheeks puffed slightly as he chewed, tail wagging, making his entire body sway with excitement.
It was… entertaining, honestly.
In a strange way, Fang's presence gave Tave a sense of comfort, like he wasn't truly alone out here.
With a content sigh, Tave picked up his own slice of roasted meat. The aroma hit him hard, rich, smoky, salty, and mouthwatering despite the fact that it was only seasoned with salt and whatever basic herbs he had on hand.
He blew on it briefly to cool it down, then tore into it with his teeth.
"Hah! Hot!" he winced, but forced himself to chew through it. His eyes fluttered shut.
Delicious.
Nothing like the instant, over-processed meals from his old life that barely had any flavor. This?
This was real. Fresh. Primitive. And amazing.
He let out a soft laugh, cheeks full. "Hahaha… Fang, enjoying the meat?"
Woof woof!
The pup barked cheerfully in response, still bouncing in circles, occasionally stopping to munch on his chunk of meat before running around again like the little whirlwind he was.
Then, a notification blinked to life in front of Tave.
[ Bond with Shadow Wolf has been established. ]
[ Current Bond Level: 1 – Early Phase. ]
[ Tamer is now able to access the status of the bonded beast. ]
Tave's eyes lit up.
Already? That was fast.
[ Name: Fang – Shadow Wolf ]
[ Grade: Elite ]
[ Level: 9 ]
[ Element: Dark (High) ]
"Wait… what?!"
Tave blinked hard, jaw halfway open.
Elite-grade?!
For a second, he just sat there, trying to process what he was seeing.
In the monster ranking system, there were several tiers. Common-grade monsters were the weakest, the ones found everywhere. Rare-grade were stronger, more intelligent, and tougher to kill, with better chances of dropping monster cores.
But Elite-grade…
They were in another league.
Territory bosses. The top predators of their environment. Usually, there was only one of them per region, and they were feared for a reason.
And Fang…
Fang was still just a pup. But if he was already Elite-grade? That meant his potential was immense.
If this little wolf survived, trained, and absorbed enough Gaia Force… He wouldn't just grow strong. He could one day become a monster worthy of commanding the entire forest.
"Fang, come here!" Tave called out.
The little wolf, still munching on his chunk of meat, perked up and bounded over, mouth full and both big eyes round and gleaming.
Tave lifted him with both hands, grinning as Fang stared up at him with his cheeks puffed from chewing.
"You're going to become a powerful monster, Fang. You need to eat a lot."
And yeah… eating a lot, in this case, meant literally a lot, and it wouldn't come cheap.
Tave sighed at the thought. Because the truth was, monsters could absorb monster cores. That meant he was going to have to part with the only core he had managed to get from the previous night's hunt.
He set Fang down gently on the grass and, with a bit of hesitation, pulled the core out from his waist pouch.
Heavy in his hand. Glowing faintly with its earth-colored hue.
If this helped Fang grow stronger faster, then it was worth it. It was an investment.
Who knew? Maybe one day Fang would evolve beyond Elite-grade… If that happened, he wouldn't just be a loyal companion. He'd be a force of nature.
Tave placed the core on the ground in front of the little wolf.
Fang hesitated, sniffing at it, ears twitching.
"You've never absorbed a core before, huh?" Tave smiled. "Go ahead. It's yours. A gift for being a good hunting partner."
Fang let out a quiet, soft woof, then leaned down, sniffing again with more focus.
The core suddenly gave a faint crack.
Energy burst free, rippling through the air. The dark orange glow shimmered, then coiled like vapor around Fang's small body.
The light wrapped around him, pulsing gently, until the glow faded, and the core crumbled to dust, falling into a dull, useless stone.
The energy was gone. Fang had absorbed it all.
Woof woof!
Fang lifted his head, tail wagging energetically as he licked his lips, clearly pleased with himself.
"You like it?" Tave asked, raising an eyebrow with a small smirk.
"Woof woof," the pup barked again, full of enthusiasm.
Tave opened Fang's status once more, just to confirm.
Level 10!
He let out a low whistle. That core really had been worth it.
Fang must've already been close to leveling up, and the monster core had pushed him past the threshold.
Now that he'd reached level 10, it meant one thing, breakthrough.
The next step for Fang was to ascend into Tier 2, and that wasn't something a core alone could do. He'd need more experience, more battles, and real-time survival in the wild. But still, for a single night and one core?
Incredible progress.
Tave leaned back and exhaled. Then paused.
And slowly… sniffed.
He brought his arm up, cautiously sniffed near his armpit. "Huekh… Ugh."
Yeah. That stinks.
Lily had been right. He did smell like a rotting corpse.
After wrestling in the dirt, hacking through monsters, sweating through layers of grime and blood, his body had practically soaked in the entire forest.
Disgusting.
But this… this was life now.
A life filled with blood, dirt, battle, and sweat.
He'd have to get used to it. Used to the smell. The mess. The wildness of it all.
"Hah…" he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
***
After a decent rest, Tave packed up his things and resumed his hunt that afternoon.
Even though nighttime clearly gave him an advantage, he couldn't just lounge around all day doing nothing. At the very least, getting in some hunting during daylight, catching a few small gains, then napping before another night out.
But the day's hunt had been disappointing. No good cores, no notable encounters.
Maybe he needed to venture deeper into the forest. Into places most didn't dare to go. Which meant riskier!
And then… that night.
That night, fate circled back to him.
A thread that had been looming since the beginning, finally wound its way back around.
Because right in the middle of the night, the moon high above, casting a cold, pale light over the trees. Tave froze in place.
His breath slowed. His pulse spiked.
He wasn't alone!
From the shadows between the trees, they emerged.
Silent. Fast. Lethal.
More than before. Much more. Twice the number he had encountered that first night.
He didn't know how they had found him again. Maybe the scent, maybe something more instinctual, a pact's hunger for revenge or justice.
They moved around him like a noose tightening, fangs flashing in the darkness, glowing eyes fixed on him.
Hunters. Real ones.
And this time…
He was the prey.
Tave dared to glance down at his feet. Fang was there, small, tense, low to the ground, his fur bristling.
He was growling under his breath, a deep rumble from his tiny chest.
They were surrounded!