The dim fire crackled as dawn's first light crept through the Forest of Beasts. Kazuki opened his eyes slowly, his body stiff from sleeping on roots and dirt. His muscles still ached from last night's slaughter, yet the sharp pain was mixed with a comforting familiarity — like he had finally awakened something dormant.
A single notification blinked faintly in his vision:
[REST COMPLETE: STAMINA RECOVERED]
Kazuki stretched, wiped dried blood from his clothes, and cleaned himself with rainwater collected in leaves. The branch he used as a weapon lay nearby, hardened now with blood and splinters.
I need a real weapon, he thought grimly.
The system didn't magically hand him equipment. He still had to earn everything: food, shelter, protection. His life depended entirely on his own hands.
As he prepared to leave in search of water and supplies, he heard it—
A scream.
It wasn't a beast's roar. It was desperate. Human—or close to it.
Kazuki snapped to attention, eyes narrowing and heart racing. His hand grabbed the branch instinctively as he sprinted toward the sound.
The trees thickened, and the scream turned to groans. When Kazuki pushed through the brush, his breath stopped.
A girl lay slumped against a mossy boulder, surrounded by three wolves larger than the ones he had fought before. Their fur was streaked with black and gray, their claws long as daggers. They circled her like vultures waiting for a feast.
But she wasn't ordinary.
She was an elf.
Long silver hair spilled over her shoulders, stained with blood. Her emerald eyes glimmered with pain, her ears pointed elegantly beneath tangled strands. Arrows lay shattered around her, her bow snapped in half. Blood seeped from a deep gash across her thigh.
Kazuki had never seen anyone so ethereal, so fragile — yet so fierce, judging from the number of dead beasts around her. She had already killed some, but she was at her limit.
One wolf lunged forward—
"HEY!"
Kazuki's shout distracted it long enough for the elf to turn her head in shock. The wolves turned toward him, recognizing a new threat.
Kazuki felt fear crawl up his spine. These beasts were stronger.
[Enemy Detected: Dire Fang Wolves — Level 10]
Kazuki was Level 7.
They're stronger than me.
He gripped the branch anyway. He knew one truth now: he would rather die fighting than be powerless again.
The wolf leaped at him.
Kazuki rolled to the side, barely dodging its massive jaws. The second wolf charged, aiming for his legs. Kazuki kicked off a rock and leaped backward, his breath ragged.
"Come on… come on…!"
The third wolf lunged at the elf girl's exposed neck. Without thinking, Kazuki sprinted forward and slammed his branch into its side with a crack. The beast whined, its ribs crunching from the force.
The elf gasped, shocked that he had intervened.
The wolves regrouped, circling both of them now. Kazuki panted, sweat dripping despite the cold air.
[TIP: You may use monster materials to craft weapons.]
Kazuki's eyes darted to the corpse of a dead wolf beside the elf. Its fangs were long, sharp, and hard as steel.
He dove for it, broke off a fang with his bare hands — cutting his palm in the process — and wrapped it to his branch using torn fabric from his sleeve.
Crude. Bloody. But a weapon.
The Dire Wolves snarled, charging all at once.
"HYAAAH!"
Kazuki stabbed the first wolf in the eye. Blood exploded across his face as it screeched. The second bit into his arm, teeth tearing flesh— agony ripped through him. Kazuki headbutted it, stabbing viciously again and again until it collapsed.
The last one tackled him to the ground, jaws chomping inches from his throat. Kazuki grabbed its muzzle with both hands, struggling as spit flung across his face.
"DIE ALREADY!"
He rammed the fang into its skull.
Blood pooled over his hands. The wolf's body twitched, then went silent.
◆ YOU HAVE KILLED DIRE FANG WOLVES ◆[EXP GAINED][LEVEL UP!][LEVEL UP!]
Kazuki gasped, collapsing to his knees. His body burned, torn, bleeding — yet he felt stronger. Alive.
◈ STATUS ◈
Level: 9
HP: 180/180
Strength: 21
Agility: 26
Endurance: 19
Kazuki wiped his face, wincing from his wounds. He turned to the elf girl.
She trembled as she pressed a hand to her thigh, blood flowing freely. Even injured, her gaze was sharp, focused on him like she couldn't decide whether he was a savior or threat.
Kazuki raised his hands slowly.
"I'm… not your enemy. You're hurt. Let me help."
She tried to speak, voice weak but melodic.
"W-Why… save… me…?"
Kazuki paused.
He didn't know the answer. Maybe because he understood what it meant to be abandoned. To be left to die. Or maybe because he couldn't ignore someone suffering — not anymore.
"Because… I don't want to watch someone die in front of me."
Her eyes widened faintly. Then softened.
Kazuki tore strips from his ruined shirt, forming makeshift bandages. He wrapped her wound carefully, though she winced with each touch. Her temperature felt cold — too cold.
"You're going to be okay," he whispered.
The elf blinked slowly, her vision blurring.
"Human… thank you… my name is… Lyria…"
Kazuki opened his mouth to respond, but her eyelids fluttered closed and her body slumped forward.
"H-Hey—! Wait!"
He caught her before she hit the ground. Her breathing was faint but steady. She had simply fainted.
Kazuki held her gently, his heart pounding not from fear but relief.
He looked at her peaceful face — dirtied, bloodied, yet beautiful like moonlight on snow.
"Lyria… huh? Don't worry. I'll protect you."
The crimson dawn bathed them both as Kazuki lifted her into his arms and carried her away from death — a stranger, yet the first person he chose to save.
End of Chapter 3