Chapter 19 – The Hunt Begins
Metatron toggled off his Frostlink Neural Visor display as he walked through the crowded streets of StoneDragon's Outer District. The visor was just a visual tool—lightweight intel, target outlines, heat scans. The real data lived inside him, where his Ascender interface flickered behind his consciousness.
The city buzzed with life—vendors calling out deals, players bargaining over gear, and hovering courier drones weaving between shimmering mana lanterns. Metatron stopped beside a quest board carved into blackstone, its runes linked to the system. He flicked his fingers, interacting with the floating menu only he could see.
> [Available Quest: Cinder-Ridge Wolf Pack] [Creature Levels: 10 – 12] [Rewards: 300 XP | 25 Ascender Coins | 1x Common Gear]
He accepted it silently.
The visor projected a faint route line in neon-blue along the road ahead. Metatron followed it past the city's threshold, where civilization ended and wild land swallowed everything in shifting crimson.
The molten plains stretched under a burnished sky. He heard the growls before he saw them—heavy paws scraping stone, sulphur rising. Seven Cinder-Ridge Wolves emerged, metal-plated, fangs dripping steam.
His visor scanned their forms: Level 10-12. One of them, bigger and slower, pulsed red—likely the alpha.
Metatron pulled Daylight, its cyan engravings pulsing as he checked his ammo mentally.
> [Ammo: 12/12]
He fired once. The shot echoed as one wolf fell. Another shot—another spray of digital embers.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Click.
Empty.
He cursed silently. His visor flashed a warning, but his interface reoriented around melee instinctively.
> [Primary Weapon Ammo: 0] [Switching to Weapon: Iron Edge]
Metatron drew his sword, baptizing the ash with quick, brutal arcs of steel. Wolves leapt as he ducked under burning maws and countered with precision slashes. A claw scraped his arm—pain jolted through him.
> [HP: 36%]
He stepped back. The last wolf lunged. He pivoted, thrusting up his blade through its jaw and out its skull. Fire dissolved into data.
The system sang in his mind.
> [Quest Complete – 300 XP Gained] [You have leveled up!] [Stat Points Available: 2]
Breathing hard, Metatron wiped the sweat from his brow. His visor dimmed.
Time to invest a little more into survivability, he thought, pulling up his interface and eyeing the pulsing stat options.