Tyler gritted his teeth, his features twisting into a deep frown as he forced himself back up. The system panel hung in the air before him: HP:15/36.

  The brown Hexhorne exhaled a heavy, huffing breath. Tyler winced, the movement sending a jolt through his leg. He summoned his spear and gripped the shaft with both hands, leaning on it like a cane to keep his balance. *It felt like my leg was broken, but it's fine,* he thought.

  He narrowed his eyes at the beast. *I don't think I can walk. I can't run away from it. Even if I tried, it's too fast. I just have to fight it.*

  He shifted his weight, his left leg held slightly off the ground as he leveled the spear toward the Hexhorne. The beast launched into another charge. Tyler let out a grunt of effort, thrusting the weapon forward. As he moved to strike, his eyes widened and a sudden realization hit him.

  A small panel manifested beside the weapon: DURABILITY: 28%.

  The spearhead collided with the Hexhorne's forehead. Instead of piercing the bone, the wood snapped, splintering apart in multiple places. Tyler’s mouth went agape, his muscles locking as he tensed his body for the impact. The Hexhorne struck him squarely in the abdomen.

  The force sent him spinning through the air, his body as limp as a ragdoll. A scream tore from his throat, followed by a wet cough that sprayed blood. He tumbled across the dirt until his back slammed into a tree, his body coming to a sudden, jarring halt in an upright position against the trunk.

  He immediately tried to steady himself, his breath coming in ragged, painful gasps. *Ugh... it feels like my ribs have been broken,* he thought as he struggled to pull air into his lungs. *If I don't get out of here, I'm going to die.*

  The system panel flickered directly in front of Tyler’s eyes:HP 9/36.

  "Nine," he wheezed, the number sending a jolt of panic through him.

  The notification flashed: HEXHORNE ACTIVATED SKILL: CHARGE.

  The beast lunged. Its speed had increased, and its eyes pulsed with a faint, earthy brown light. Tyler’s abdomen muscles tensed as he tried to throw himself aside, but the effort forced a sharp groan from his throat, the pain in his gut stealing his breath.

  *It’s so painful, but I have to move. I have to get out of the way.*

  The Hexhorne was mere meters away when Tyler threw his body into a desperate roll. He felt the rush of air as the creature missed him by a fraction of an inch. The Hexhorne slammed into the tree with a massive, bone-jarring impact. The bark splintered into shards, and half of the beast's snout was buried deep within the solid wood.

  Tyler scrambled backward on all fours, his hands shaking as he put distance between himself and the tree. He stared at the damage to the trunk; he knew if that impact had hit his abdomen, he wouldn't be breathing.

  *This is insane,* he thought, his pulse thundering. *My weapon broke. I didn't consider the new ones. I have to use them.*

  With a forceful, violent pull, the Hexhorne wrenched its snout from the wood. It snorted, tossing its head to clear the splinters, and locked its yellow eyes back on Tyler.

  Tyler’s eyes narrowed as a plan took shape. *Right. This thing doesn't know what I can do. I'll use the mechanics of the skill against it.*

  The Hexhorne shrieked and charged again, its hooves tearing up the forest floor. Tyler braced himself. *I’ll use the inventory. Just like before.*

  When the creature was only a few feet away, Tyler mentaly triggered the summon. A fresh spear materialized in his hands, the base of the shaft snapping into place under his armpit and digging firmly into the dirt. He jammed the butt of the weapon against the ground, creating a solid pike.

  The Hexhorne’s eyes widened as it realized the trap. It tried to skid to a halt, but its own momentum was too great. The spearhead driven into the ground met the creature's nose with a sickening crunch.

  Tyler felt the massive pressure travel through the spear and into his shoulder. He grunted, using the ground as a fulcrum. With a final, explosive surge of power, he lifted the end of the spear. The Hexhorne was hauled into the air, its own weight and speed flipping it over Tyler’s head like a heavy javelin.

  The wooden shaft groaned under the strain before it snapped in two. The beast crashed onto its back behind him.

  Tyler breathed in heavy, jagged gulps as he forced himself to stand and turn around. The spearhead and a portion of the broken shaft were buried deep inside the creature's snout. It squirmed and shrieked in a high-pitched, piercing tone before its body went still.

  "It's dead," he panted, a wave of relief washing over him.

  He stumbled, his balance wavering. *But my HP...*

  The system interface manifested again: LEVEL UP.

  Tyler’s eyes widened. A faint blue glow radiated from his skin and eyes. He felt the white-hot agony in his leg begin to recede, and the throbbing heat in his abdomen faded into a cool, calm sensation. The heavy exhaustion that had pinned him down evaporated like mist under a morning sun.

  He inhaled a sharp, surprised breath and exhaled slowly as the light dimmed.

  "Whoa," he said, pressing a hand against his stomach. "I'm healed again."

  Tyler looked down at the fallen Hexhorne. A small, translucent bar hovered over the creature’s still body, bearing the word: EXTRACT.

  "I barely survived," he muttered under his breath, his voice still tight. *This thing was stronger and faster than me. If I hadn't used that trick again, I would have died on the spot.*

  "Extract," he said.

  The brown hide of the Hexhorne immediately shimmered with a faint blue light. All six of its jagged horns caught the same glow before they disappeared, leaving the creature’s muscle and bone exposed to the dark air.

  *This light...* Tyler thought, looking at the lingering motes. *Every time I level up and extract monsters, this light appears. It's going to attract more of them.*

  "I should move away from here. I should run," he said. He turned and broke into a sprint in the direction he had been going. *I'm glad I'm healed, but I need to reach that camp as soon as I can. I can't miss this chance.*

  As he ran, his mind turned to his growth. *I wonder how my stats are.*

  The interface manifested, floating steadily in front of him and keeping pace with his stride:

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  SPECIES: Human

  NAME: Tyler Evans

  RANK: G

  LVL: 5

  CLASS: Craftsman

  HP: 38/38 MP: 38/38

  STR: 18 AGI: 19

  DEF: 16 STM: 19

  SKILLS: Weapon Craft-Lv1

  PASSIVE SKILLS: None

  *Just like I thought,* he noted, his eyes scanning the numbers. *Every time I level up, my HP refills, the capacity increases, and so does the MP. They all increase by two points.*

  He watched the panel as he ran, but as it began to fade from his sight, he noticed something peculiar. "The system," he muttered. "It’s glowing too."

  The interface was clearly made of light, like a hologram, but it didn't seem to emit any actual illumination. Despite its brightness, the forest around the edges of the panel remained dim and shadowed. The light didn't even seem to bounce off his clothes as he moved through the dark.

  *Now that I think about it,* Tyler thought as he moved through the darkness, *why is it that the monsters aren't reacting to the panels at all?*

  He recalled the slime from earlier, how it had passed right through the translucent interface without a second of hesitation. *The system warns me every time they activate a skill. The panels show up right in front of me, but the creatures... they don't even care. They’re 100% focused on attacking me.*

  He skidded to a halt, the dirt shifting under his shoes as he stopped. He looked around, his eyes straining against the gloom. *Am I still going the right way?*

  It was completely dark. In every direction, the smooth-barked trees stood like silent pillars. He looked up, seeing the massive, patterned moon illuminating the sky, but the dense canopy above acted as a screen, painting the ground in deep, jagged shadows.

  *Maybe I should just look for a tree to climb,* he thought. *Now that it's dark, if it’s a camp, they must have lights on. I should be able to see them.*

  He began to walk cautiously, his feet picking their way over the uneven floor. He approached a tall tree, then paused, tilting his head back to gauge its height. *Nah, that's not tall enough. I still won't be able to see over the others.*

  As he stood near the trunk, he noticed several branches within his reach that met the specific criteria for his skill. He reached out and snapped three of them, watching as they vanished into his inventory.

  He continued to walk, but as he moved deeper into the woods, the silence of the forest began to fill with a faint, familiar sound. It was a single, repeated rhythmic noise, a high-pitched vibration similar to the call of a grasshopper. The sound was not coming from a single point; it seemed to be coming from everywhere around him.

  To his far right, near a tree with thick, stilted roots, a sudden light flickered. Tyler spun toward the source, his heart hammering against his ribs.

  *What is that?*

  His spear manifested in his grip, and he held it with both hands, dropping into a defensive stance. His breath hitched, coming in a sharp, dragged gasp as the shadows began to transform.

  Small, glowing entities began to emerge, first a few, then hundreds. They looked like fireflies, drifting out from behind the tree trunks and rising from the underside of the leaves. They were everywhere. The forest floor and the air itself filled with a spectrum of colors: brilliant blues, deep reds, stark whites, pinks, greens, and yellows. The variety of hues felt endless.

  The darkness was suddenly replaced by a vibrant, shimmering glow. Tyler stared at them, his eyes wide. *Are these fireflies?* he wondered. A sense of dread prickled at his skin. *Will they attack? What if they bite like mosquitoes? If they swarm me, I'll be in trouble.*

  A single purple entity drifted toward him. Tyler backed away, his gaze fixed on it until it drew close enough for him to see its shape. It wasn't a firefly; it possessed the rounded, spotted shell of a ladybug, though it radiated a bright, steady purple light. It moved through the air with a fluid, innocent motion before settling onto the shaft of his spear.

  Tyler watched as it released a small, glowing purple excretion onto the wood before taking flight again. A small system panel manifested briefly near the creature: LUCENT

  The bug flew off into the canopy. Tyler looked around as the rest of the swarm continued to drift in every direction. *They aren't attacking,* he realized. The sight was beautiful; the countless points of light made it feel as though he were walking amongst a sea of floating stars.

  He took a few steps forward, momentarily captivated, before a new realization clicked. The collective light from the swarm was incredibly bright. Even as they began to drift apart, the sheer number of them had turned this part of the forest into a beacon.

  *These things are too bright,* he thought, his jaw tightening. *If I don't get out of here, something else is going to find me. Predators will be attracted to this light.*

  He broke into a run, pushing himself forward. As he put distance between himself and the swarm, something strange happened. The glow of the creatures began to dim. The farther he ran, the more the lights seemed to simply turn off.

  He stopped and looked back over his shoulder. Behind him, the forest had returned to total, suffocating darkness.

  *They turned off,* he thought. *They probably started glowing because of me. That part of the forest was dark before I got there.*

  He let out a deep, heavy sigh, the sound quickly swallowed by the silence of the woods. As he continued to move forward, his eyes scanned the trunks for any sign of the materials he needed. *I hope I can find those trees,* he muttered.

  A sudden movement shifted in the growth behind him. He heard a sharp displacement of air, a sound like a heavy branch being swung with too much force. He spun around, searching for the source of the noise, only to hear it again, this time, it was directly behind his back.

  Tyler lunged forward and pivoted, his heart hammering against his ribs. *What the hell was that? It was right behind me.*

  The sound returned, but this time it was accompanied by a faint, physical pressure. Something brushed against the heel of his shoe. Tyler leaped, spinning in mid-air, a panicked yelp escaping his throat as he landed. His chest rose and fell at a frantic, rapid rate, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

  *Something just touched me. I felt it.*

  His eyes darted between the trees, searching the darkness. *I can't see it. Damn it. No matter how much I look, I can't see it.*

  He pivoted back toward his path and bolted. His feet struck the forest floor in a desperate, rapid rhythm as he ran without stopping. He pushed himself until a sharp heat flared in his chest and his lungs began to burn.

  He finally slowed to a halt, a fit of coughing racking his frame. He crouched slightly, resting his hands on his knees as he struggled to pull air into his lungs. After a moment, he straightened himself, his pulse still thundering in his ears.

  *I managed to get away,* he thought, glancing back at the path behind him. *That should put enough distance between me and whatever the hell that was.*

  He swallowed, his throat rasping as he took in nothing but dry air. The constant running throughout the day had left him parched; it was a deep, persistent thirst that even his multiple level-ups hadn't managed to quell. A hollow ache sat in his stomach, a mix of hunger and a cold, gnawing tension born of fear and caution. He felt his appetite vanish entirely, replaced by that heavy, internal pressure.

  *I need to find water,* he thought, his mind racing as he moved. *Can I even drink from the river?*

  As he took his first step forward, a system panel manifested in the gloom:

  SHADOW CLAW LV 12HAS ACTIVATED SKILL: SHADOW STEP.

  Tyler froze, his eyes widening. A second panel flickered into view:

  SHADOW CLAW: LV12 HAS ACTIVATED SKILL: SHADOW STRIKE.

  A high-pitched, piercing cry erupted from his right. Suddenly, a violent force carved across his back. A horizontal slash tore through his jacket and bit deep into his flesh, moving from right to left. Tyler gritted his teeth, a sharp grunt of pain escaping him as he stumbled forward from the impact. He gripped his spear, spinning around and swinging the weapon through the empty air, but he found nothing.

  His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps. *I got hurt. It's another monster... but where is it?* His eyes darted from one shadow to the next, searching the darkness. *A Shadow Claw. It's a higher level than me, a level 12.*

  He felt a spreading warmth against his back as blood began to soak into his white shirt, the liquid hot against his skin. He hissed, the air catching in his throat. *I'm bleeding. It's too dark, I can't see it... maybe I just need to run away.*

  He spun and bolted, desperate to put distance between himself and the unseen threat. A dark blur of black fur streaked across his chest, a shallow cut opening over his ribs. The sting of the strike forced him to stop immediately, and he stumbled backward into the shadows.

  *That was close. What the hell is this thing?* Tyler thought, his pulse thundering.

  A shape leaped from the deep shadows to his left, landing only a few meters in front of him. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he processed the creature's appearance. It looked like a small bunny with fur that appeared remarkably soft and black as ink. Its eyes were a stark red, marked with thin, vertical slit pupils. A system panel hovered over it: LEVEL 12 SHADOW CLAW.

  "The monster," Tyler said, his gaze locked on the small form.

  Without a second thought, he charged. He lunged forward, thrusting his spear in a sudden strike, but a panel manifested in his line of sight:

  SHADOW CLAW: HAS ACTIVATED SKILL: SHADOW STEP.

  The bunny launched to the right with explosive speed, its body becoming a dark, flickering blur. Tyler’s spearhead slammed into the dirt, missing the target entirely.

  "Damn it, I missed," he muttered, wrenching the wood from the ground. He spun toward the direction the creature had vanished. *It’s so fast. It keeps activating its skill... Shadow Step.*

  A high-pitched, piercing shriek erupted from behind him. Before he could pivot, the sound repeated, right at his back. The creature streaked past his head, its teeth snapping with a sharp force as it tore a chunk from the edge of his ear.

  Tyler screamed, his hand flying to the side of his head as he instinctively sidestepped. He clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached, staring into the dark. He couldn't see the monster.

  *My ear,* he thought, as a sharp, pulsing heat radiated from the side of his head. He felt the hot wetness of blood covering his palm and the jagged gap where a piece of his earflap had been.

  The Shadow claw manifested in front of Tyler once more, its ink-black fur almost indistinguishable from the surrounding dark. He pulled his hand away from the jagged, bleeding gap where his ear had been and gripped the spear near its head. The wood became warm and slick, stained by the dark red coating his palm.

  *If I don't focus, it's going to attack again,* he thought, his vision beginning to swim.

  He lunged toward the bunny, forcing his weight forward, but a sudden whistle of air passed behind his joints. A sharp, biting cold carved through the back of both knees, slicing into the muscle. The tension in his legs snapped, and Tyler crashed onto his knees in the dirt, the impact jarring through his frame.

  In that instant, the Shadow Walker launched itself directly at his face. The system panel flashed with a sudden, sharp light:

  SHADOW CLAW HAS ACTIVATED SKILL: SHADOW STRIKE.

  Tyler tried to jerk his head aside, but the movement felt sluggish and heavy. A razor-sharp force tore through his right eyelid and drove deep into the socket. There was a sickening, wet sensation of pressure, the orb was crushed instantly. Viscous, warm fluid and a heavy rush of blood spilled out from the deep rift, pouring over his cheek and through his fingers as he clutched at the ruin.

  A raw, jagged scream tore from his throat. The pain was excruciating, a white-hot explosion that made the right side of the world vanish into a pulsing, agonizing blackness. He twisted on the ground, his body racking and thrashing as the liquid continued to seep through his hand.

  Through the red haze in his remaining eye, a new panel manifested, its text stark against the gloom:

  LEVEL 20 SHADOW CLAW HAS ACTIVATED SKILL: SHADOW STEP.

  Tyler saw the panel, and a fresh surge of panic hit his chest. He threw his body into a frantic, clumsy roll. A vertical blur streaked past him, starting at his feet and moving toward his head. A shallow line of fire carved across his forehead, sending a fresh stream of blood down into his good eye. This strike was even faster, the movement nearly impossible to track.

  He pushed his hand against his brow, trying to clear his vision as he scrambled to stand. His balance faltered, his depth perception shattered; he stumbled and landed hard on his backside, the ground jarring his spine. He quickly threw himself into a roll and forced his trembling muscles to push him back up again, his hand still clamped tightly over the blood-soaked right eye.

  Tyler felt the sharp, stinging heat in the back of his legs as he fought to gain his footing. He clamped his teeth together, the pressure in his jaw a desperate anchor against the pain that threatened to buckle his knees. More than the injuries to his legs, the agony in his face was a crushing, excruciating weight that made every breath a struggle.

  *My eye,* he thought, the reality settling into his mind as he felt the empty, pulsing ruin of the socket. *It’s... it’s gone.”*