Kael stood over the corpse, chest rising slow and uneven.
The valley had gone quiet again.
Too quiet.
No wind. No distant howl. No movement except the slow drip of blood soaking into the snow beneath the beast's body.
* * * *
[Boss Defeated]
[XP Gained: 1,200]
[LEVEL UP]
[LEVEL UP]
[LEVEL UP]
[LEVEL UP]
[LEVEL UP]
* * * *
The messages stacked fast as warmth simultaneously spread through his body, not enough to fully heal him but enough to keep him on his feet. Enough to take the edge off the worst of it.
Kael let out a long breath, head tilting slightly back as he stared at the dark sky.
"…Damn."
Five levels.
From one fight.
That alone would've been enough to make this whole thing worth it.
But the system wasn't done.
[Condition Met]
[Class Advancement Available]
That made him straighten a little.
The pain was still there. His ribs still ached. His shoulder still throbbed. But something about those words made all the pain disappear.
I mean, who doesn't like rewards?
Not to mention that a class advancement seems like a qualitative leap beyond that of casually leveling.
"…Alright. Let's see the goodies."
There was a short pause.
Then—
[Select Your Class]
Three clear and simple options slowly materialized in front of him.
* * * *
1. Feral Vanguard
A swift predator that dominates through speed, positioning, and precision.
Bonuses:
+Agility
+Reaction Speed
Improved stamina efficiency in combat
Skills gained:
Feral Sprint →Quickstep (Active):Short burst dash in any direction. Low cost. Can be chained once.
Pressure Slash (Active): A repeatable claw attack. Low cost. Gains a small damage bonus if used consecutively.
Hunter's Mark (Active):Marks a target, slightly increasing damage dealt to target by 15% and tracking ability for a short duration.
Keen Instinct (Passive):Heightens awareness. Slight increase in dodge timing and reaction to incoming attacks.
* * * *
2. Bloodclaw Berserker
A brutal force that crushes enemies through raw strength and relentless aggression.
Bonuses:
+Strength
+Endurance
Reduced stagger from attacks
Skills gained:
Rend (Active):A heavy claw strike that causes bleeding damage over time.
Battle Roar (Active):Temporarily boosts strength and resistance, but slightly reduces control.
Pain Eater (Passive):Converts a small portion of damage taken into temporary stamina.
* * * *
3. Night Hunter(Locked)
Requirements not met.
* * * *
Kael read through them once.
Then again.
Slowly this time.
"…Alright."
This was different.
Compared to just stat points from leveling up, these were tools.
Actual abilities he could use, combine, build on.
His eyes lingered on the second option first.
Bloodclaw Berserker.
It was straightforward. You hit harder, take more hits and keep going even when you should be down.
He imagined it, standing his ground against that beast earlier, trading blow for blow.
It would've helped.
No doubt about it.
But…
He frowned slightly.
"…Would've died faster too."
That fight wasn't won by strength.
Not his, at least.
It was by movement and timing.
Getting in and out before the thing could crush him.
If he'd stood still, even with more strength—
He'd be dead. That was simple enough. Believing he could've survived that by tanking hits was just foolish.
His gaze shifted.
Feral Vanguard.
That one felt… right.
Quickstep alone would've changed everything.
That last moment where he had to risk it all, he could've used those openings to chain pressure slash.
He wouldn't have had to force it.
Wouldn't have had to risk everything on one burst.
Hunter's Mark…
Tracking and precision.
Not flashy but useful. Very useful.
And the passive—
Keen Instinct.
That was the kind of thing that kept you alive without you even noticing.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"The choice is pretty obvious. 4 skills and 3 skills. Come on system, are you messing with me?"
With no hesitation this time, he stepped forward.
[Confirm Selection: Feral Vanguard]
"Confirm."
It hit instantly.
His muscles tightened painfully and he immediately dropped to the ground writhing in pain.
The process took less than a minute to complete before he felt a rush of warm power coursing though his every cell.
His breathing shifted.
Lighter. Faster.
His senses followed.
They felt clearer and more... responsive.
Kael flexed his fingers.
His claws slid out smoothly.
He pulled them back in, watching the motion closely.
"…That's new."
He took a step.
Then another.
He bent slightly, then triggered it.
[Quickstep]
His body moved before his mind fully caught up.
His body tore forward in a quick controlled burst.
He stopped himself just as quickly, boots digging into the snow before he darted towards a tree again, using the skill in two quick succession.
His claws slid out and ripped the into numerous pieces.
Kael blinked.
"…Okay."
That—
That was useful.
It was not overwhelming or broken. But in a fight? That kind of movement could decide everything.
He glanced at the corpse again.
Imagining it.
Closing distance.
Dodging at the last second.
Getting behind it faster.
"…Yeah. This works."
The system returned.
[Class Acquired: Feral Vanguard]
[Skills Unlocked: Quickstep, Hunter's Mark]
[Passive Skill Acquired: Keen Instinct]
* * * *
Name: Kael
Rank: Werebeast (Next rank unlocks at Lv.20)
Class: Feral Vanguard
Level: 15
XP: 33/200
SP: 5
Skill Points: 8
HP: 120/300
Energy: 35/100
Strength: 43
Defense: 35
Agility: 51
Skills:
Inspect Lv.1
(New!) Quick Step Lv1
(New!) Pressure Slash Lv.1
(New!) Hunter's Mark Lv.1
"The speed increase is totally nuts," he mumbled as he surprisedly went through his stats.
"Since I have speed, the next best stat to develop should be strength..."
With this in mind, he dumped 7 skill points in strength and the last one in defense, bringing their total to 57 and 37 respectively.
Next he turned his attention to his skills deciding to upgrade all three combat skills to Lv.2 and keep the two extra skill points for emergencies.
"It seems like skill points required to upgrade skills increases exponentially. 1 for Lv.2, and 2 to upgrade to Lv.3"
"Instead of making a choice now, it's better to decide according to situation lest I get caught off guard with no preparations"
Quick Step Lv.2: Short burst dash in any direction. Can be chained once.
Pressure Slash Lv.2: A repeatable claw attack. +10% dmg increase on each successive hit.
Hunter's Mark Lv.2: Marks a target, slightly increasing damage dealt to target by 20% and tracking ability for a short duration. Duration: 1hour. CD: 12 hours.
Even at the second level, there was no change to Quick Step. He felt the urge to spend his skill points to raise it just a level more, but he had to play it smart.
Up ahead, a translucent oval shaped portal appeared in front of him.
He turned away from the corpse and gazed at it for a second.
"Guess that's my way home."
The he started walking.
Each step he took, felt… lighter than before.
More certain.
Behind him, the valley stayed quiet.
Still.
But just for a moment amidst all the stillness...
The system flickered.
So faint it almost didn't exist.
[The Hunt Begins Anew...]
....
It was gone as quickly as it appeared
Kael didn't notice.
He just kept moving towards the portal. He needed rest.
He let the portal swallow him whole