The night was cold enough to make the streetlamps flicker in frost. His breath came out in pale clouds, still ragged from the fight that had pushed him to Level 8.
The familiar chime of the system rang in his head — deeper, heavier than before.
> [Level Up!]
Current Level: 8
Stat Points Gained: +5
New Skill Available: Predator’s Mark (Tier I)
But then… another voice followed. Not the emotionless system notifications he was used to.
“You’re growing too slow.”
It was a whisper inside his skull — cold, inhuman, layered with distortion.
Before he could respond, a map appeared in his vision, marked with a single pulsing red point, miles away from the city center.
> [Directive: Eliminate the Riftspawn Alpha]
[Time Limit: 48 hours]
[Reward: Hidden Class Unlock – Predator Variant]
He stared at the glowing waypoint. A Riftspawn Alpha… he had only heard rumors. Monsters born from fractures between worlds — towering, alien, and endlessly hungry.
The Controller’s voice slithered in again.
“Kill it… or die like the rest.”
A low rumble echoed through the city — not thunder. Something else. Far away, a crimson glow bled into the clouds, and a wave of unnatural cold washed over the streets.
He didn’t have time to think. Already, distant screams were rising.
The ground beneath him trembled as a hulking shape emerged at the far end of the road — easily three stories tall, its skin rippling like molten tar, jagged teeth glistening. Lesser monsters — twisted hounds with bone spikes jutting from their spines — prowled at its feet.
The system pinged again.
> [Combat Area Entered]
[XP Bonus Active: Rift Hunt]
His pulse steadied. This was no alleyway thug. This was war.
And if he survived, Level 9 wouldn’t be far.
The Alpha’s roar split the night. Windows shattered, alarms screamed, and the air itself seemed to bend from the force of it. The smaller Rift Hounds charged first — four of them, black hides glistening, claws clattering against broken asphalt.
He didn’t wait.
> [Skill Activated: Predator’s Mark (Tier I)]
A burning red sigil ignited in his vision, locking onto the nearest hound.
The system whispered:
> [Marked Target: +25% Damage, +10% Movement Speed]
[Mark Duration: 12 seconds]
He darted forward, blade flashing. One clean strike split the marked hound’s neck — it crumpled, twitching.
> [Kill Confirmed: +150 XP]
[Mark Reset: Nearest Target Acquired]
The mark jumped to another hound without him even thinking about it. This time he moved faster, the boost making him blur past the creature’s snapping jaws. He cut low, severing tendons, then rammed his boot into its skull.
Two down.
The Alpha was closing in now, its massive claws tearing chunks out of the road. Each step sent cracks spiderwebbing across the pavement.
The Controller’s voice cut through the chaos:
“You’re wasting time on the small ones. The Alpha’s heart is worth more than all their lives combined.”
He spat blood from a split lip.
“I need room to breathe first.”
“Excuses. You have the stats. Use them.”
The third hound lunged. He didn’t dodge — he caught it mid-leap, using the momentum to spin and hurl it into the Alpha’s leg. The massive beast stumbled for a half-second, bellowing.
That was his opening.
He sprinted — straight at the Alpha. Predator’s Mark switched to the towering monster, its health bar appearing in jagged crimson. It was huge.
> [Riftspawn Alpha – Level 12]
HP: 12,480 / 12,480
His blade bit into its knee, the enhanced damage burning like acid through its corrupted flesh. The Alpha screamed and swung down a claw the size of a car hood.
He barely rolled away — the shockwave still throwing him ten feet. His ribs screamed in protest.
> [HP: 72%]
No time to stop. No time to think. He climbed, scrambling up its leg as it thrashed, jamming the blade into joints, using Predator’s Mark’s speed boost to dodge each attempt to swat him away.
The Controller’s voice again, sharper this time:
“Aim higher. Kill the brain, not the beast.”
With a roar of his own, he vaulted onto the Alpha’s back, sprinted up the ridged spine, and drove his blade down — once, twice, three times into the base of its skull.
The monster’s howl cracked the air. It staggered, crashed through a building, and finally fell still.
> [Boss Kill Confirmed: +2,500 XP]
[Level Up!]
Current Level: 9
The system chimed again — but this time, there was something else.
> [Hidden Class Quest Unlocked: Predator Variant]
[Objective: Choose to Accept]
The Controller chuckled — a sound like knives scraping glass.
“Now you’re worth my time.”
---
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 11 Episodes
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments