NOVPUB'Why the hell are these trees so dark?!'
A figure sprinted at a measured pace through the blackness of the dark forest.
With messy hair and a frightened look, Renlo moved through the twisted trees surrounding him like a nightmare he was desperately trying to escape.
His eyes trembled. He clutched his spear tightly.
'Get a grip, Renlo! You can't fail a second time!'
This was Renlo's second time participating in the hunt. And it went without saying, the first time had been one of the most embarrassing three hours of his life.
Instead of hunting darkness creatures, Renlo had spent that time trying to stay far away from them.
Even the forest itself had terrified him, and it had truly been a miracle that he'd been able to move at all with how badly his legs had shaken.
Still, Renlo had moved. He had run from every creature he came across. But eventually, he ran into one of the other participating youths.
The screens outside had flickered to life, displaying the confrontation.
The youth had been older, but from a random clan no one would bother remembering.
Renlo had been smaller. That youth had been bigger. Renlo was a Sanguine, a grandson of one of the Scarlet Ten, and yet, he'd lost. To a nobody. And the entire region had watched it happen.
He had been taken out of the hunt.
When he returned to the clan, he was met with silence. His father. His grandfather. Disowned him without a second thought. He was thrown out. Discarded. Word spread quickly.
And because of his family's influence, no one in the clan lent him a hand.
He was left with nothing. No home. No means of survival, except for the little he could forage. He had painstakingly carved out a place for himself atop a tree in the fortress. He survived on fruits and wild crops scattered around the outskirts of the forest.
It had been hell. But he survived.
He kept pushing himself, holding onto one thought that he wanted to be strong. He wanted to be brave.
And after years of suffering, he met the one who changed everything.
Malakai.
A boy who stood against the Sanguine clan on his own and lived to tell the tale. Malakai made him realize the world wasn't as hopeless as it seemed. That a single person could stand against it all.
That he could be better.
Renlo inhaled deeply, trying to steady his heartbeat. He exhaled, and the trembling in his gaze faded, sharpened into focus.
Every shred of fear vanished from his body as he entered a calm state of mind.
A beep from his life guard rang in his ears.
—Grade One Darkness Creature Nearby—
Renlo's grip on his spear tightened. His eyes darted around.
'There!'
He spotted a large, wolf-like creature cloaked in darkness, muscles like steel, prowling up ahead.
Without wasting a second, he surged forward, vita exploding through his legs as he blasted toward it.
The creature's head snapped toward him, fangs bared as it unleashed a piercing howl that banged against Renlo's ears like a blaring horn.
But Renlo didn't flinch. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
He had faced that monster of a Ninth Vein countless times and survived. This beast… It looked like a puppy compared to that monster.
The creature lunged, claws tearing through the air toward the boy who dared to approach.
But Renlo didn't slow. His figure dipped beneath the incoming swipe, slipping under the beast. His eyes locked onto its exposed underside, and his hand shot upward.
His spear screamed into the creature's flesh, piercing through in a sickening crunch.
A burst of black ichor spilled down, drenching Renlo.
Only when the creature stilled did Renlo yank his spear free, ichor pooling at his feet.
"I did it."
He stood there, drenched from head to toe, but he didn't care. He had killed a darkness creature during the hunt!
No words could describe the elation that filled his chest.
Inside the Sanguine Hall, while most of the higher-ups were focused on the veins displayed across the many screens, killing darkness creatures with terrifying efficiency, one man's gaze didn't stray.
A man with a massive beard, seated on one of the seats reserved for the Scarlet Ten, narrowed his eyes on a single screen. On it, a boy stood, drenched in ichor, spear in hand, elation clear on his face.
'He has changed,' the man thought, his expression unreadable.
…
'I better check the rankings!'
Renlo was excited. The last time he participated, he hadn't even been able to kill a single darkness creature, so he hadn't bothered checking the rankings.
But this time… this time was different.
Now, he could proudly check and see where he ranked.
'Hehe, I killed a grade one… surely I should be at the top!' Renlo had a sheepish grin on his face as he began scrolling down the ranking list.
However, the further down he went, the more that grin began to fade.
'What the hell…?'
He'd thought killing a grade one darkness creature so early into the competition would at least place him high. But forget being high, he was low.
Renlo stared at his rank in disbelief.
1032. Renlo Sanguine - 17 points.
He was ranked over a thousand! He had killed a grade one, and he was in one fucking thousand!?
'What the hell are these youths eating!?'
He couldn't help but wonder.
'I have to gain more points. Fast.'
Before he moved, he decided to scroll to the top of the rankings, to see just how far he still had to go.
When he reached it, his gaze trembled in disbelief.
'Of course…' A wide grin stretched across his lips as his heart started beating faster.
'I wouldn't put it past that monster.'
…
Elsewhere in the dark forest, a figure zipped through the trees at high speed, eyes flickering left and right as she searched for prey.
Two daggers with blades gleaming crimson were gripped tightly in her hands. Her entire body was coiled, ready to strike at the faintest sign of movement.
Suddenly, beep.
Her gaze darted to her life guard. A message glowed on the screen.
— Grade One Darkness Creature Nearby —
