Adam carefully stepped out from the thick bushes he'd used for cover. He moved cautiously toward the riverbank, which was quiet now.
The soft rustling sound of the leaves he brushed past faded quickly behind him, as if the forest itself had gone silent.
His simple leather boots sank a little into the soft, wet dirt near the water. Small puddles reflected the gray morning sky that showed through the trees.
The faint tracks he and the wolves had made during the fight were already starting to disappear, blurred by the damp ground and the thin mist rising from the river. It made the place feel strangely calm after the violence.
But the air still felt heavy. It smelled strongly of damp plants, mud, and underneath that, the faint, sharp smell of blood – the leftover scent from the recent battle.
Spread out in front of him, scattered across the muddy bank and partly in the shallow water, was the clear proof of the tough fight he had just won. His victory was plain to see.
The bodies of the Fang Wolves – all eight of them, the adults and the pups – lay sprawled out in unnatural, awkward positions near the gently flowing river.
Their smooth gray fur, which had looked shiny and alive just minutes before, now seemed dull and lifeless, stained dark in places. Some lay partly underwater, the river gently washing around them.
Others were crumpled on the bank, their legs twisted weirdly. The playful energy of the pups was gone, replaced by a sad stillness. The fierce strength of the adults was gone too.
An almost creepy silence settled over the area as Adam stood over them, looking down at what he'd done. He wasn't breathing hard; the fight had been fast and smart, using surprise and good aim instead of a long struggle. Every move he made now was careful and planned.
Every step he took around the dead wolves was thought out. His heart beat steadily in his chest, a calm rhythm. It wasn't the excitement of winning, but more like the cool satisfaction you feel after a plan works perfectly.
He felt a bit separate from it all, looking at the scene not with pride, but like someone studying a necessary step towards a bigger goal.
Suddenly, something strange started happening. The bodies of the dead wolves began to glow faintly. It started as a soft light, hard to notice in the gray morning, seeming to come from inside the wolves themselves.
Adam's eyes narrowed slightly, his focus sharpening. He watched closely as the light grew stronger, brighter, quickly becoming a noticeable bluish glow that surrounded each dead wolf.
In just a few moments, the light pulsed and got super bright, almost blinding. The solid shapes of the wolves started to shake, then dissolve, breaking apart like smoke in the wind.
Their physical bodies seemed to melt away. The ghostly images of fur, bone, and muscle were sucked into the bright blue energy.
Where eight wolf bodies had been just seconds before, there was now nothing but shimmering light that quickly faded, leaving behind small, neat piles of loot glowing softly on the ground.
It was the game's way of cleaning up dead monsters and giving players their rewards.
The forest, which had been filled with growls, yelps, and snarls just minutes ago, was now spookily quiet again. The only sound was the gentle flowing of the river. The quick change from violence to peace felt strange, almost unsettling.
A message window popped up cleanly in front of Adam's eyes. The sharp, computer-like text appeared against the forest background, breaking the quiet moment:
Congratulations, Player AlphaBoss!
You have successfully defeated 5 [Level 5 Adult Fang Wolves].
Reward: 2,500 XP.
Adam barely looked at the experience points he gained. It was a good amount, definitely helpful, but getting XP wasn't his main goal right now. He got rid of the message with a quick wave of his hand through the air where it floated, like swatting away a bug.
His attention immediately went back to the scattered piles of loot glowing softly on the damp ground in front of him. That was the real prize he cared about.
With smooth, practiced movements, like someone who had done this thousands of times before, Adam went to get back the daggers he had thrown during the fight.
He found them quickly – two stuck in the heads of the pups near the water, two more stuck deep in the fallen adult wolves. He pulled them free with firm tugs. The blades made soft shluk sounds as they came out.
He took a moment to wipe each steel blade clean on a patch of green moss growing on a nearby rock.
The shiny metal gleamed briefly in the soft morning light coming through the trees before he carefully slid each dagger back into its proper sheath on his belt.
His movements were neat and careful – everything had its place. Every weapon, every piece of gear, he kept track of in his mind. Wasting supplies or losing equipment wasn't part of his careful plan.
Once he was sure his weapons were put away safely, Adam turned to the glowing piles of loot left behind by the vanished wolf bodies.
Each pile looked like a small treasure chest made of glowing blue light. Their soft light pulsed gently, a clear sign from the game that this wasn't just useless junk but valuable stuff dropped by the monsters.
As Adam walked up to the first glowing pile, the lid of the light-chest popped open automatically with a soft clicking sound.
He didn't even have to touch it. He watched as the items inside – pictures representing meat, fangs, and coins – shimmered and then flew directly into his personal game inventory screen.
The light from the pile faded and disappeared. He moved quickly to the next pile, and the next, the same thing happening each time without him doing anything.
His knowledge from the future told him this auto-loot skill was basic, but doing it so fast on the first day saved important seconds.
Getting all the loot took only a few seconds. Once the last pile had vanished, Adam opened his inventory window – a mental command that brought up another see-through screen only he could see.
He looked over the list of new items, checking out what he got from his victory:
Items Acquired:
Raw Fang Wolf Meat: 125 kg
Fang Wolf Fangs: 12
Copper Coins: 145
Adam read through the list, his eyes pausing on the numbers. 125 kilograms of meat, 12 fangs, and a nice bonus of 145 copper coins dropped right from the monsters.
He nodded slowly, satisfied. A very tiny smile touched his lips for just a second before disappearing. "Not bad," he mumbled quietly to himself, his voice barely making a sound in the quiet air. "A good amount from one pack."
The loot didn't completely finish the big mission Mister Being had given him – he still needed another 75 kilograms of meat and 28 more fangs – but it was a lot. He had made good progress in a short time. He was definitely on the right track.
His focus changed for just a moment. His eyes swept over the riverbank again, the place where the fierce battle had happened just minutes ago. Now, it was empty and peaceful.
There were no signs left of the messy fight. The bloodstains were already fading into the dark dirt, being washed away by the river and the mist.
A quick feeling of accomplishment washed over him, the satisfaction of doing a hard job well. But he didn't let himself enjoy the feeling for long. There was no time to pat himself on the back.
This game world was always changing, other players were getting stronger, and his own journey was nowhere near finished. Feeling too proud or relaxed was dangerous; he couldn't afford it.
Just as Adam mentally stored the loot information and turned to walk deeper into the forest to find more wolves, a low, deep growl suddenly broke the stillness.
It wasn't like the sounds the other wolves had made. This sound was deeper, rougher, filled with a raw power that seemed to make the air vibrate and echoed weirdly in the quiet woods.
It was definitely the sound of a big predator, and it was close. The unexpected noise sent an instant shot of adrenaline rushing through Adam's body, like getting shocked.
His carefully controlled calmness disappeared right away, replaced by sharp alertness.
His instincts, sharpened by years of virtual battles in his past life, kicked in immediately. He froze where he stood, every muscle tightening up. His senses went into overdrive.
He strained his ears to figure out exactly where the sound came from, and his eyes darted around, scanning the nearby trees and bushes for any sign of movement.
The forest, which had felt calm just moments before, now seemed full of hidden dangers lurking in the shadows.
The growl came again, a bit louder this time, definitely from behind him, back towards the riverbank area he was just about to leave.
Adam quickly looked around the area, his eyes moving fast through the trees, searching for a safe place to watch from.
Running away blindly wasn't his style; he needed to know what he was dealing with first.
He spotted a strong-looking oak tree nearby, different from the one he'd hidden behind earlier. This one was taller, with thick branches reaching high up, offering possible cover and a good view down below.
Without thinking twice, using practiced skill that seemed almost too good for a level 1 character, Adam moved towards the tree. In one smooth, quick motion, he found places to grab onto the rough bark and climbed up fast.
He pulled himself onto one of the thickest branches about ten feet off the ground. He settled himself carefully, making sure he was balanced and partly hidden by the leaves.
From his new spot up in the tree, he had a much clearer view of the area below, looking down towards the riverbank where he'd collected the loot.
The deep growl echoed again, much closer now, sounding like it came from right at the edge of the clearing. Peering carefully through the thick leaves that hid him, Adam's eyes found the source of the scary sound.
There, stumbling weakly near the riverbank where the other wolves had died, were three Fang Wolves. But these weren't part of the pack he'd just killed. These wolves were clearly hurt, badly injured.
They moved slowly, limping, unsteady on their feet. Their gray fur, usually smooth, was now messy and caked with dark, dried blood. Fresh blood dripped slowly onto the ground from various wounds.
They breathed in ragged, difficult gasps, sending puffs of white steam into the cool morning air. They looked totally exhausted and beaten.
At first, Adam thought they might be survivors from the pack he had just killed, somehow still alive.
It seemed unlikely because he thought he'd killed them all cleanly, but maybe he had made a mistake.
But as he watched them more closely, noticing how painfully they moved, a huge shadow separated itself from the deeper darkness of the forest behind them.
A massive shape emerged slowly, carefully, from between two very old trees.
The creature's presence alone was intense, sending a new wave of alarm through Adam. It moved with a feeling of power and total control that made the air feel heavy.
This beast was totally different from any normal Fang Wolf Adam had ever seen, either now or in his past life. It was gigantic, easily twice as big as the adult wolves he had just fought.
Its fur wasn't gray, but a deep, pure black that seemed to suck in the light, making it look like a creature made of shadows.
Its eyes weren't the normal dark color of wolves; they glowed with a scary, fiery red light that seemed to burn through the bushes, scanning the area with smart evilness.
Its jagged fangs, which he could see clearly even from the tree, were super long and sharp, looking like they could rip through his leather armor easily.
A strange, faint mist seemed to hang in the air around the creature's huge body, swirling a little when it moved, making it look even more terrifying and threatening. This was definitely not a regular monster.
Adam's breath caught in his throat as his game system reacted instantly. A sharp, urgent message flashed right in front of him, this one outlined in bright, warning red:
Warning: Boss Monster Detected!
[Fang Wolf Alpha]
Level: 10
Threat Assessment: Extreme Danger.
Recommendation: Player Level 1 should avoid fighting at all costs. Leave the area immediately.
His hand automatically tightened its grip on the thick branch under him. The rough bark creaked quietly under his fingers as he read the serious warning.
A Level 10 Boss Monster. The system's message was perfectly clear – this was a fight he was definitely not ready for right now. Fighting this creature would be instant death.
Adam's heart started beating faster, pounding against his ribs, a basic fear kicking in. But he forced himself to stay absolutely still, fighting the urge to jump down and run away immediately.
He needed to think, to figure things out. Panicking would get him killed.
Adam crouched even lower on the branch, pulling himself closer to the tree trunk. He tried to make himself as small and hidden as possible among the leaves and shadows.
The intense feeling coming from the Fang Wolf Alpha below was overwhelming, like a heavy pressure in the air, a constant, scary reminder of the huge danger lurking just feet below him.
He watched the three injured wolves. Their bodies were low to the ground, shaking noticeably as they stood in front of the giant Alpha.
The way they cowered, whining softly with their tails tucked tightly between their legs, told him everything.
They weren't here to challenge the Alpha or fight with it. They were survivors, looking for protection from their leader, hoping for safety after the horrible fight they had somehow lived through.
They looked completely broken and scared.
The Fang Wolf Alpha let out another low, rumbling growl. The sound seemed to vibrate in Adam's chest even though he was up in the tree.
Its burning red eyes swept slowly across the clearing, stopping for a second on the spots where the other wolves had died and disappeared.
Adam could almost feel the power coming off the creature, a real feeling of strength and control. This was no normal monster, not just a tougher version of the regular wolves.
This felt like a true force of nature, smart, powerful, its every slow move filled with threat and purpose.
The three injured wolves below it seemed tiny and unimportant in comparison, their lives completely depending on what the Alpha decided – whether it would show mercy or anger.
The huge creature paused for a moment, tilting its head slightly. Its red eyes scanned the trees around the clearing, stopping for a heartbeat on the area where Adam was hiding. It was like it could sense something, feel that someone unseen was watching.
Adam's heart jumped into his throat. Did it see me? Did it smell me? His instincts screamed at him louder than ever: Run! Get out of here now! Get away from this massive threat! The system warning flashed in his mind again: Leave immediately.
But cutting through the rising panic, another part of his mind spoke up – the cold, logical part that was always weighing risks against rewards. This situation was dangerous, yes, extremely dangerous. But it was also… an opportunity. A rare one. Boss monsters often guarded valuable treasure or dropped unique items you couldn't get anywhere else.
The Alpha was incredibly strong, way above his current level. But it was also distracted, paying attention to its injured pack members and looking over the scene of the earlier battle. The situation was messy. Adam's mind worked fast, thinking about the possibly deadly risks versus the amazing possible rewards.
"If I leave now, I lose this chance," Adam thought. He forced his breathing to stay slow and even, fighting the rush of adrenaline. His heartbeat started to slow down as he began to make a decision.
"The Alpha might leave, or other players might find it later. This moment, while it's distracted, might be my only shot." He stopped, thinking about the other choice. "But attacking it now, straight on? That would be totally suicidal. It would kill me in seconds."
The Alpha's gaze finally moved away from his general direction. It looked back at the injured wolves and let out a soft snarl at one that whimpered too loud.
Adam crouched even lower on the branch, pressing himself flat against the wood. He tried to blend in completely with the shadows and leaves, hoping he hadn't been seen.
The next move he made would be incredibly important. Every natural instinct screamed at him to run away, to survive.
But the calculating gamer inside him saw a possible opening, a huge risk for a potentially huge reward.
He could run now, follow the game's smart advice, and live to fight another day. Or, he could stay, watch, wait, and try to somehow use this messy, dangerous situation to his advantage.