NOVPUB— Grade One Darkness Creature Nearby —
Aurelia's eyes sharpened. Her body came to a sudden halt. The forest fell utterly silent.
She listened, closely, unmoving… until…
Movement.
She spun, legs tensing as she blasted forward, the ground cracking beneath her feet.
In the next instant, her eyes locked on a massive, baboon-like creature up ahead. She surged forward, closing the gap in a flash.
The creature grunted, spinning to face her. It raised its massive baboon like fists high and slammed it down toward her.
But Aurelia's gaze didn't even twitch. Her speed exploded, she slipped under the attack, straight into the space between its arms.
The creature's eyes widened in realization, but it was too late.
Her blade flashed.
Steel met flesh.
The creature staggered forward, took a few heavy steps, and then, its neck split.
Black ichor sprayed out in waves.
It dropped to its knees… and then the ground, unmoving.
Outside the forest, the scene drew a wave of cheers from the spectators.
"WE LOVE YOU SIXTH VEIN!"
"BRING THIS HOME!"
"I BET MY ENTIRE FORTUNE ON YOU!"
They screamed from the top of their lungs. It went without saying, Aurelia, as the oldest and supposed strongest vein currently participating in the hunt, was the most favored to win.
Because of that, the majority had their eyes on her.
However… due to the rising exploits of a particular vein, a few had already begun to change their minds.
And when the periodic appearance of the rankings flashed on the screen, the people's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
…
Back in the forest, Aurelia's brows furrowed deeply as she stared at her life guard.
To be more specific, the rankings. And the results… were baffling.
She stared at her rank.
2. Aurelia Von Sanguine - 290 pts.
Her eyes narrowed.
Second.
Second place.
She couldn't understand it. She had done everything perfectly, efficiently, and yet…
Aurelia stood silently for several seconds, staring at the number, unmoving. Then, she shut her eyes and exhaled, steadying her breath. Slowly, she scrolled up and looked at the first rank.
Her gaze turned cold.
'He became a problem.'
She wasn't surprised. Not in the slightest. She wasn't angry either. If anything, she was glad her suspicions had been right.
Ever since he had caught her off guard at the training camp and had almost killed her, Aurelia knew he was different. That he would only grow stronger. That one day, he'd become a problem.
And now, that day had come.
Normally, she'd keep to herself and focus on racking up kills. That had always been her purpose for entering the hunt, kill darkness creatures, rack up points, and grow stronger.
But she had a score to settle.
And this hunt… was the perfect place to do it.
Flash!
Suddenly, a bright light flared at the edge of her vision.
Aurelia turned, her gaze rising to the sky. In the far distance, an explosion of light had erupted in the air.
Her eyes narrowed.
'So that's how it is.'
She turned fully, tightening her grip on her daggers before shooting off in the direction of the blast.
…
"No way."
In another part of the dark forest, Octavia, the Tenth Vein, murmured in disbelief as she stared at the rankings on her life guard.
Shocked couldn't even begin to describe what she was feeling.
She was seated atop the still form of a massive bear-like darkness creature, black ichor pooling beneath its corpse.
Her breathing was a little heavy, which wasn't surprising. Octavia was only twelve years old, and having evolved for less than a year, the fact that she could battle and defeat a grade one darkness creature was already astounding.
Still, her focus wasn't on the beast she had just killed. Not at all.
Her gaze was locked on the rankings. Specifically, the name at the very top.
'How…?' she wondered, eyes twitching. But before she could dwell on it any further, something bright flared at the edge of her vision.
She turned. Her eyes sharpened.
'A flare.'
She recognized it instantly.
'They're planning something.'
Her mind swirled, and somehow, she knew who would be at the center of it all.
'Still… I can't miss it.' Her eyes gleamed. Chaos made her heart race. And she was never one to turn away from a good show.
She rose from the corpse beneath her, then burst forward, dashing straight toward the light.
…
Elsewhere in the dark forest, the Seventh Vein, Maximus Von Sanguine, shifted his gaze from the rankings and stared into the sky, where a flare of bright light had just erupted.
'How is he first…?'
Maximus was stunned.
He had expected that his only rival in this hunt would be Aurelia. No one else. Not even Julius had entered his eyes.
He didn't care for the politics of the clan, especially when his father had warned him numerous times to steer clear.
Maximus lived for battle. For the thrill of combat. He was competitive to his core.
His father, despite being a supposed cold blooded Sanguine Pulse, had instilled discipline and honor into him from a young age. Maximus had been raised to pursue strength the right way.
And now that this unexpected variable had turned up, he was finding it hard to believe it.
'I have to see it myself.'
His eyes narrowed as he locked onto the flare in the distance.
Then, with a burst of speed, he launched himself forward, heading straight for it.
…
In another part of the dark forest, the expression of the Eighth Vein, Julius, had twisted into pure anger as he stared at the rankings.
His eyes were locked on one name at the very top, and if it hadn't been his own arm, he would've smashed the life guard into bits.
'How!? How the hell is he the first!?'
The words thundered through his mind, his fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked.
"Fuck!"
He slammed his foot into a tree, causing a massive chunk of bark to cave in and explode into splinters.
Julius took a sharp breath.
'Shit. Time is running out.'
He had planned to deal with Malakai before the bastard had a chance to make a name for himself. But not only had he been late, now, his name could be seen by the entire fucking region!
Julius was pissed. But he forced himself to calm down.
'These fools are late!'
His eyes shifted upward toward the sky, but it was still clear. No signal.
His frown deepened.
'They couldn't locate him?'
Just as he was about to start wondering what the hell was going on…
Flash.
A bright light exploded into view at the corner of his vision. A flare.
A wicked smirk instantly curled on his lips.
'Finally.'
Julius didn't waste a second. With a burst of speed, he launched himself toward the light, his gaze cold.
