The Two-Star hunter towered above him, its bone armor fused with jagged stone.
Every step it took cracked the floor beneath, sending shards skittering across the corridor. The sound echoed endlessly, rattling the nerves of the humans behind him.
Rudo didn't flinch. Not even when a chunk of ceiling fell meters away, dust choking the air.
Special Hunter: Two-Star
Objective: Eliminate Starless Candidate
The humans screamed, stumbling over one another in panic. Some tried to run. Most froze.
Good. They weren't part of this equation.
Rudo crouched, eyes scanning. The hunter was fast, but predictable in rhythm. Each swing of the femur-blade followed a pattern. Right, left, forward—three beats, pause. One second pause. That one second was enough.
He stepped forward. Not away. Forward. Into the hunter's strike.
The bone blade missed his torso by inches. His shoulder grazed the edge, slicing fabric and skin. He didn't flinch.
Predator's Instinct Progress: 47%
The creature adjusted instantly, faster than expected. Its armored fist slammed the ground where Rudo had been. Shards of stone sprayed like deadly confetti.
Rudo rolled to the side, landing low, and grabbed a jagged piece of rubble. He swung it. Metal and bone screeched. The hunter staggered. Not badly, but enough to notice. Rudo could feel it analyzing him now.
Step One: Testing Limits
Rudo crouched, low and silent, calculating every detail.
The hunter lunged again, faster, stronger, more deliberate. Its femur-blade aimed directly at him.
He didn't move backward. He moved sideways, exploiting the microsecond delay in the hunter's calculation.
Minor Evolution Unlocked: Tactical Exploitation
A glint of light caught his eye—the hunter's shoulder joint, slightly exposed. Weakness.
He stored the information. Not yet attacking fully.
From the corner of his vision, the humans behind him were crying, some shaking violently. One man whispered,
"He… he's going to die!"
Rudo allowed a small smirk.
Fear was power. He could manipulate it. He observed how humans overestimate weakness and underestimate ruthlessness.
Step Two: Precision Kill
The hunter swung faster. Rudo rolled, then shot forward. He caught its arm mid-swing. Crack. Bone shifted. It roared—a sound of recognition, not pain. Recognition that he was not a normal human.
Rudo moved in closer. Fast. Calculated. No hesitation.
Blood splattered across the stone floor. Dark, sticky. Warm.
Kill Confirmed
Predator's Instinct Progress: 65%
Level-Up Pending
The hunter staggered. Not dead. Not yet. But incapacitated. Enough.
Rudo wiped the blood from his hands. Looked at the humans. They didn't dare breathe.
He didn't care. Humanity was fading. That was fine. Survival was all that mattered.
Step Three: Psychological Edge
Rudo crouched again, watching. Every movement was deliberate, every action designed to test the hunter.
The hunter growled, spinning its blade. Its red eyes locked on him, and for the first time, it hesitated. Not fear—but calculation.
Rudo smiled faintly.
Good. It is learning to respect me.
He didn't rush. Humans behind him cowered, thinking he had no choice. He let the hunter make the first move, studying its patterns like prey stalking prey.
Then he struck.
A low sweep at the hunter's knee, a quick stab at the elbow, twisting bone and armor. The monster staggered.
Predator's Instinct Progress: 74%
Rudo's senses were sharper than ever. Every micro-movement, every shift in weight, every subtle twitch gave him advantage. He felt… detached. Empty. Perfectly focused.
Step Four: Human Interference
One Level 1-Star human from the group tried to interfere. A ten-year-old, trembling with a small dagger, probably thinking he could help.
Rudo didn't flinch.
The dagger barely scratched his arm before he swiped it away.
"You're in the wrong place," he muttered. Cold. Ruthless. Not a trace of warmth.
The human fell backward, terrified.
Humanity Integrity: 78%
It dropped again, as expected. Every choice, every killing, every suppression of empathy slowly erased what he had once been.
The hunter roared, spinning, trying to regain initiative. Rudo didn't panic. He stepped closer, analyzing its joints, waiting for an opening.
Step Five: First Starless Evolution Test
Rudo's instincts screamed at him. The hunter's left shoulder was slightly unarmored under the fused stone. One strike there could topple the creature.
He struck. Quick, precise. Bone cracked. Flesh tore. The hunter stumbled, losing balance.
Kill Confirmed
Predator's Instinct Progress: 86%
Minor Level Advancement
Rudo felt the familiar surge—the Starless evolution pushing him further. Not enough to be full demon, but enough to remove hesitation.
He was no longer a child in a dangerous world. He was the predator.
Step Six: Escalating Danger
The floor trembled. Dust fell.
A new system window flickered.
Hidden Condition: Floor Instability Detected
Monster Reinforcement Incoming
Rudo's eyes narrowed.
The remaining humans screamed again. Some tried to flee. Others froze in terror.
A louder, heavier footstep echoed. A new monster appeared—a hulking, shadowed figure with glowing blue eyes. Not a hunter. Something elite.
Special Entity: Elite Spawn
Star Rank: 2-Star
Rudo didn't flinch.
Humanity Integrity: 72%
The humans behind him didn't matter. Never did.
He crouched, ready, muscles coiled. Every lesson from his previous life, every betrayal, every ruthlessness, every calculated strike—it all became instinct.
Step Seven: Calculated Brutality
The Two-Star hunter tried to rise, swinging feebly. Rudo didn't hesitate.
A single precise strike tore through its unarmored left knee. Crack. Pop. The hunter screamed—a sound more of disbelief than pain.
He followed up, slashing through its elbow joint, twisting bone. The hunter fell. Incapacitated, bleeding, helpless.
Predator's Instinct Progress: 95%
Level-Up Ready
Rudo wiped his hands. Calm. Silent. The humans stared at him, eyes wide, pale.
He ignored them. He didn't need them. Not now. Not ever.
Then he saw it.
The elite spawn had moved silently, observing. Calculating. Waiting. Not attacking yet.
Special Hunter: Elite Two-Star
Objective: Starless Candidate Termination
Rudo smiled faintly.
Perfect. Finally, a worthy challenge.
He crouched, ready. Every muscle tense, every nerve alive.
The elite spawn lunged, faster than thought possible.
Rudo didn't move backward. He stepped forward, into the strike.
The floor trembled. The ceiling cracked. Dust rained down.
Blood. Stone. Fear. Silence.
Rudo's eyes were empty. Calm. Ruthless.
Humanity Integrity: 68%
He was ready.
And the first blow landed.