The largest among them — the leader — stepped forward with confident strides until he pierced Aiden's sensory field.
Aiden's eyes widened in shock.
"What is that thing doing here?!"
He jumped to his feet and rushed up to the rooftop.
Standing on the edge, he focused on the location he had sensed… the same feeling he recognized from before.
Before his eyes stretched a wide patch of green, surrounded by withered, broken trees and crumbling fences. Once it had been a garden, but now it had lost all its charm and familiar warmth.
The giant wolf advanced with steady steps that carried its colossal weight.
Their eyes met — one single look was enough to plant an indescribable sense of threat deep inside him.
The wolf stared at him with arrogance, as if seeing prey before it. And even though Aiden stood at a higher place, he felt as if he were the one below.
"Damn it… why now of all times?"
He cursed silently, trying to think of what to do.
Questions crowded his head, but one thing was certain: he was the reason this creature had come.
"It must've caught my scent when I spied on it…"
He cursed his luck again, confusion knotting his thoughts.
"Should I run?
No… what about the others?
Why do I even care? I already got Fate Points from them; they're nothing but dead weight now…
No… how can I abandon them after they entrusted everything to me?
Can trust save lives?
Ugh… damn it…"
He was completely torn. He was the only one capable of surviving, and the rest were nothing but extra weight. And yet, his pride refused to let him leave them — especially after they had surrendered themselves to him entirely.
As he drowned in his inner conflict—
"Awooooooo!"
The massive wolf howled, its roar like thunder. The building trembled under its force, jolting every sleeping survivor awake in indescribable terror.
But the howl wasn't for that alone.
Awooo!
Awooo!
Awooo!
…
Answers came from multiple directions surrounding the building. Bodies moved swiftly, breaking into his sensory field, heading toward his location.
"Damn… of course it's coming with its pack."
He moved quickly, grabbing a few kitchen tools as makeshift weapons: knives, forks, spoons…
The awakened survivors gathered around him, bombarding him with questions:
"Sir, what's happening?"
"Why are you taking the kitchen tools?"
"What was that sound?"
"Sir, why do you look so serious?"
"Sir…"
"Why…"
Aiden cut through the noise with a sharp shout:
"Silence!"
The room froze for a moment, though everyone's breath still shook with fear. Outside, the wolves' voices crept closer — the heavy thuds of paws and the scrape of claws on pavement growing clearer.
Aiden lifted his head and looked into all their faces. Fear filled every pair of eyes… utter helplessness. They didn't know what was coming for them — but he did.
He spoke in a cold but steady tone:
"Everyone, go to the basement. Now. Shut every window and door, and don't make a single sound until I return."
One man dared to ask:
"And you, sir?"
Aiden answered without hesitation:
"That is none of your concern."
Some hesitated, but there was something in his voice they weren't used to — the weight of command. One by one, they moved, pulling children with them, sealing everything they could in the lower floor.
Soon, only Aiden remained — and the cold wind rushing through broken windows.
He took a deep breath and opened his skill page in his mind. The glowing text appeared before him:
> [Strength – Lv. 3]
[Light-Speed – Lv. 4]
[Summon Skeleton – Lv. 2]
[Healing – Lv. 2]
[Rabbit Leap – Lv. 7]
[Piercing Thrust – Lv. 4]
A faint smile tugged at his lips — tension mixed with resolve.
He whispered:
"Tonight… I'm either the hunter, or the prey."
He raised his hand, and the ground cracked open. Two skeletons climbed out, their hollow eye sockets glowing with cold blue light.
Thanks to the increased skill level, the number of summonable skeletons had doubled — something that pleased Aiden more than anything.
"Guard the door. Tear apart anything that gets inside."
A golden light seeped from his fingertips into his body, restoring his energy. He sharpened his senses, scanning the outside.
The alpha wolf now stood in the center of the yard, surrounded by its pack. The scrape of claws on stone grew louder. A shiver crawled up Aiden's spine — but his heart had gone perfectly calm.
He leaped onto the rooftop in a single bound using [Rabbit Leap], landing like a shadow in the wind.
In his hand was a makeshift spear — a staff he'd found inside the building with several knives tied to its end.
Below, the skeletons guarded the entrance, holding rusty swords that were far deadlier than they looked.
Another roar shattered the silence.
The wolf leader lifted its head and saw Aiden on the roof.
This time, it wasn't the gaze of predator toward prey…
It was the gaze of equals.
Aiden tightened his grip on the spear, ready to activate strength and speed at the perfect moment.
The air grew heavier.
Time itself seemed to slow.
He breathed:
"Come on… let's see who survives the night."
And the moment the alpha moved—
the entire pack surged toward the building like a raging tide,
while the leader launched itself upward in a massive leap straight toward the rooftop where Aiden stood…