If Leo had learned anything about the Hellscape, it was this— it never killed you cleanly.
It always liked to do it in the most terrifying way possible.
His clothes were filthy and shredded with several claw marks on it, they were soaked with blood from dozens of shallow cuts. But some dug even deeper that it hurt to even move. His rusted dagger was chipped and warped, its edge dulled from repeated, desperate strikes. Every attempt he had made to wound the awakened beast had only earned him more injuries in return.
When someone entered Hellscape and began consuming beast cores, they were meant to surpass mortal limits. Their bodies hardened, their strength grew and their senses sharpened.
Leo had never been fortunate enough for that.
Despite months of effort, he was still barely different from a dormant human.
He forced his legs to move faster, weaving through trees and snapping branches with surprising fluidity. He wasn't fast, and he certainly wasn't strong— but he was flexible, and more importantly, he knew when to bend instead of break.
His body screamed in protest as he ran. The only advantage he had left was his familiarity with the terrain. And even that was slipping away quickly.
He had noticed it earlier.
The beast wasn't just chasing him— it was herding him, driving him away from the relatively safe, controlled region surrounding Glory Base.
As the weight of his injuries dragged him down, regret flooded his mind.
If he had joined a party, he wouldn't be here...
If he had been stronger, none of this would even be happening...
Leo bit down hard on his lower lip, he used the pain as a stimulant to force the clouding thoughts away.
"Stop thinking like that," he muttered through ragged breaths. "If you want to see Trish again, you need to keep moving."
Pain surged through his body, stealing the strength from his legs. Just as he felt himself reaching his limit, a sound split the forest.
A howl.
It came from several meters ahead and sounded deep, distorted, and utterly unfamiliar.
Fear slammed into him like a freight train forcing him to freeze in his tracks.
The awakened beast behind him skidded to a halt.
Its blood-red eyes flickered, and for the first time since the chase began, Leo saw something impossible reflected in them.
Terror.
The jackal's body stiffened, every strand of fur standing on end as if sensing something far worse than itself.
Leo collapsed to the ground, lungs burning, and barely conscious. He expected razor sharp claws to tear into him at any second.
Instead, the awakened beast trembled.
Its gaze shifted between Leo and the pitch-black distance ahead. Its eyes rolled in their sockets, hesitation clear in their glassy exterior. It was caught between instinct and fear.
Leo could barely breathe. He clasped his hands together weakly, praying silently.
'Mom… just once more.'
A strange pressure washed over him from behind, cold and heavy, like unseen fingers tugging at his spine. He couldn't tell if it was a warning or a summons.
Finally, the beast let out a low, defeated growl.
Then it turned and fled into the darkness.
Leo lay there, stunned.
Relief flooded him but curiosity followed close behind.
"That's… strange," he whispered. "What could scare off an awakened beast?"
It was the first time he had really seen a beast show fear to something that wasn't there. He had never known they could feel fear till that very moment. Leo looked back over his shoulder to see nothing, he swallowed hard and groaned under intense pain as he turned to leave.
If something stronger lurked nearby, staying was suicide. Yet leaving felt just as dangerous, the awakened beast could be waiting, it might have had its pride wounded but that did not mean it would simply return without claiming it's quarry.
Unsure, Leo did the only thing he could at the moment.
He stayed still.
As he struggled to catch his breath, a voice broke the silence.
It came from the same direction as the howl. It was low, gruff and unmistakably human.
"Don't just lie there like an idiot," the voice said.
"I'm dying over here."
Leo's blood ran cold.
'No… I must be hallucinating.'
His instincts screamed at him to run. Yet another part of him—the foolish, curious part— tightened its grip on his heart.
He slowly turned toward the darkness and hesitated for several seconds.
"…Guess it wouldn't be polite," he muttered, forcing a shaky smile, "not to say hello."