No joke, it actually zoomed, like my eyes decided to borrow a scope.
Names and stats started flashing beside the dots before I even thought about it.
[Name: Lin Qiao]
[Bloodline: Earthshatter Simian]
[Skills: Terra Grip / Earthen Fortify / Ground Splitter]
[Rank: F-5]
[Name: Wen Zhihao]
[Bloodline: Steelback Ravager]
[Skills: Spine Barrage / Rampaging Rush / Ironhide Burst]
[Rank: F-5]
I couldn't hear them, but I could already guess their genius plan.
"Don't lose him!"
"He's fast!"
"Split up!"
Yeah, real tactical geniuses.
I grinned to myself, watching them stumble through the dirt like it was personal.
"Keep running, you two. I need good bait that can move."
I didn't know who they were. Didn't recognise the names either. Never seen their faces before — probably some other school's wannabes thrown into the same test.
But then I saw it.
F-5.
I blinked and checked again. Still F-5. Both of them.
"What the hell…" I muttered. "F-5s? In a newbie zone?"
This place was supposed to be locked to fresh awakeners — F-1s only, one-day limit. That's how they sold it, anyway.
My pulse kicked up a little. Something about it felt off.
Either the rules didn't mean shit anymore, or someone wanted them here.
And honestly?
Both options sounded bad.
My cat of curiosity wanted to know how the hell two F-5s ended up in a newbie zone —
before I accidentally killed them.
Maybe I could hold back a little.
Not end them right away.
Take my time with it — watch their eyes first, that tiny spark of hope when they think they might live…
and then see it fade, slowly.
The way their hands tremble, reaching out for something that isn't there, still trying to hold on to hope even when it's gone.
Yeah… how beautiful they'll look like that.
Why does that thought feel so good…?
Wait—no.
Yes.
Yes, I could almost hear it already — the begging, the crying, the cracks in their voices when they try to say "help".
I could picture myself there, raising my arms toward the sky, eyes narrowing, that eerie grin stretching across my face.
Just sitting there in front of them, listening, watching every second of it.
The thought just stayed in my head, moving slow, pressing down like a weight I didn't want to shake off.
It whispered yes… yes… with every heartbeat.
I could almost feel it smiling with me.
And then it happened.
Something inside me just clicked open.
My chest felt tight, my mouth dry — too dry.
My tongue brushed against my teeth, and all I could think was—
Need blood.
The words didn't sound like mine.
But they came from me.
No whisper, no voice from somewhere else — just… me.
I blinked. The thought didn't go away.
I needed blood.
Their blood.
To devour them.
To find out why two F-5s were sent here for me.
My grin stretched wider, slowly, until I could feel the skin pull at the corners.
That line between thrill and hunger… It wasn't there anymore.
It felt right.
I didn't like when Trash tried to kill me.
Not anymore.
So what now? Wait here like some rabbit and let those two crawl their way back to me?
No. That's not how this ends.
That smell still lingered in the air — thick, sharp, and alive.
And maybe… maybe it wasn't a threat.
Maybe it was a gift.
I could use it.
Let the beast do the work.
Two F-5s walk in thinking they're hunters, and all they'll find is teeth waiting for them.
The thought settled in my head, calm and clean, like it belonged there.
Curiosity twisted into something else — a steady pulse in my chest, warm and dark.
If I could find the creature first, I wouldn't even need to lift a hand.
Just stand there and watch how good they were at dying.
My steps grew lighter as I moved through the trees. No rush, no noise. Just breath, heartbeat, purpose.
I walked slowly, letting the quiet stretch. Every step gave them more time to believe they were hunters. The silence just made it better when they'd start screaming.
The smell got stronger, burning at the edge of my nose.
Then I rounded the trunk—
and stopped.
Found it.
A slow grin crept across my face as my eyes narrowed, sharp and cold.
I could feel it — that steady focus, the way my gaze locked on like I was already tearing it apart in my head.
[ Name: Echo Wraith ]
[ Classification: F-5 Otherworldly Wraith-Type ]
[ Skills: Sonic Pulse / Distortion Field / Resonance Drain / Echo Step ]
[ Trait: Resonant Hunt – Detects prey through sound and vibration frequencies ]
[ Combat Style: Stealth Pursuit (Sound Mapping) ]
[ Weakness: Sound Overload / Fire / Resonance Disruption ]
Perfect. Perfect.
I could almost feel my pulse sync with those words. A small laugh slipped out — quiet, sharp. "Perfect," I said again, softer this time, like I just wanted to hear my own voice.
I couldn't describe what I had in front of me.
An absolute masterpiece for my bait.
My heartbeat jumped faster, not from fear, but pure thrill. Just thinking about how perfectly this would end for them made me want to laugh.
I raised both hands to the sky, biting my lip to stop the grin that wouldn't fade.
Wait — heartbeat.
I needed to calm it.
It could hear that.
I tried to slow it… breathing in and out, jaw tight, teeth gritted — but it only made it worse.
It just kept getting louder.
… Ah, screw it.
"Go ahead," I whispered, my grin stretching, voice low and teasing. "Hear me. Hear my heart. Tell me how it sounds to you, Wraith. Does it make you hungry?"
My pulse thudded harder. I let it. Each beat calling it closer.
"Come then," I said, eyes half-closed, breath steady, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. "Let's see whose hunger is stronger — yours or mine."
So it decided to answer me.
My hunger — it wanted to test it, wanted to see whose was stronger.
I could tell from the way it moved, slow and heavy, like it was trying to make a point.
"Really?" I muttered. "Even with two legs, you crawl? I don't have all night. Run, you pathetic ghost."
It just kept walking, arms dragging in the dirt, grey body flickering like smoke trying to hold itself together.
I could see the trees right through it.
"I don't need to see the scenery behind you," I said, half-laughing. "Come on, pick up the pace."
It didn't react — obviously.
"I know, I know." 'I went,' my voice was low with a little bit of teasing. "You can't hear me, can you? Oops… right. No ears. No mouth either. Tough life."
The grin crept back across my face. "Fine. Then listen to my heart instead."