Hunter woke to the sound of birds singing and someone groaning nearby.
He opened his eyes. The twin moons had set. Early dawn light filtered through the trees, painting everything in shades of gray and gold.
His head felt like someone had used it as a drum. His body ached in places he didn't know could ache. And his mouth tasted like he'd licked a ashtray.
But he was alive.
More importantly, he could feel the Shadow Step technique settled in his mind like it had always been there. Muscle memory for movements he'd never made. Understanding of concepts he'd never studied. It was disturbing and amazing in equal measure.
"Master?"
Hunter turned his head. Tao was sitting up, looking confused and disgusting. Black sludge covered his entire body. His hair stuck up at weird angles. But his eyes were different. Sharper. More aware.
"You look terrible," Hunter croaked.
"You look worse, Master." Tao pointed at Hunter's reflection in a nearby puddle.
Hunter looked.
He looked like death had tried to take him, decided he wasn't worth the effort, and left him in the discount bin.
"Fair point."
One by one, the others woke up. Xuan. Then Lex. All of them covered in impurities, all of them looking like they'd gone ten rounds with the universe and lost.
"Did it work?" Lex asked, his voice hoarse.
Hunter checked his spiritual sense. All three of them now registered as cultivators. Weak ones. First level of Body Refining. But cultivators nonetheless.
"Yeah," Hunter said. "It worked."
"Why do I feel like I died?" Xuan whimpered.
"Because you basically did. Welcome to cultivation."
All three groaned.
Hunter tried to stand. His legs wobbled but held. Progress. He extended his qi experimentally, reaching for the shadows cast by the morning sun.
They responded.
Holy shit. They actually responded.
The shadow beneath a nearby tree stretched toward him like a living thing. Not much. Just a few inches. But it moved.
Level One: Shadow Enhancement.
I have magic shadow powers. I'm a cultivator with magic shadow powers. This is insane.
[LUNA] TRY THE SPEED BOOST! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
Hunter focused on the shadow beneath his feet. Following the technique burned into his brain, he channeled qi through his meridians in a specific pattern. The shadow wrapped around his legs like smoke.
Then he stepped forward.
He didn't walk. He glided. Like the friction between his feet and the ground had disappeared. Like he was skating on darkness itself.
"Whoa."
He took another step. Faster. The shadows enhanced his movement, made everything smooth and effortless.
This is so cool. This is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me.
"Master?" Tao stood up, wobbling. "What are you doing?"
"Testing something." Hunter tried to stop. Overcompensated. His feet flew out from under him.
He fell flat on his back.
Okay. Cool but also I have no idea how to control this.
[LUNA] PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT! (◕‿◕✿)
Hunter stared at the sky. "I hate everything."
"Master, you're glowing," Xuan said helpfully.
Hunter looked down. Faint wisps of shadow qi still clung to his body, dissipating slowly in the morning light.
"I'm not glowing. That's shadow qi."
"It looks like glowing."
"It's not glowing."
"Definitely looks like—"
"ENOUGH ABOUT THE GLOWING."
All three bandits shut up.
Hunter took a breath. "Alright. New plan. Everyone go wash. Now. Before the smell achieves sentience."
They all looked at each other. Seemed to reach a silent agreement. As one, they bolted for the lake.
Well. Tried to bolt.
Tao took three steps and punched through a tree trunk by accident. The tree fell with a crash that sent birds scattering.
"I didn't mean to!" Tao stared at his fist in horror.
Xuan tried to run and immediately face-planted going what had to be Mach 2. He skidded across the ground, leaving a trench, and crashed into a bush fifty feet away.
"I'm okay!" His muffled voice called out. "Everything's fine!"
Lex stood perfectly still, too afraid to move. "Master, what if I break something?"
"You will definitely break something. Just try not to break yourself."
Lex took one careful step. The ground cracked beneath his foot. He froze.
"Master, the ground broke."
"I can see that."
"Should the ground break?"
"Probably not."
"What do I do?"
Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just... walk normally. You're cultivators now. You'll figure it out."
Twenty minutes later, they'd all made it to the lake through various combinations of crashing, breaking, and accidentally destroying parts of the forest. Hunter watched them scrub impurities off with a mixture of pride and despair.
Pride because they'd successfully broken through.
Despair because they were somehow even more incompetent with power than without it.
My elite fighting force, everyone.
[LUNA] THEY'RE TRYING THEIR BEST (ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ ♥
Their best is terrible.
[LUNA] BUT IT'S BETTER THAN BEFORE!
That's a low bar.
[LUNA] STILL COUNTS! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
Hunter sat down on the shore and watched his three bandits try to figure out how to wash themselves without accidentally punching holes in the water. Which shouldn't be possible but Tao was somehow managing it.
"Gentler!" Hunter called out. "The water isn't your enemy!"
Splash. Tao had punched the water. A geyser erupted ten feet into the air.
"Sorry, Master!"
This is going to be a long day.
Two hours later, they'd all cleaned up and gathered around the fire. Hunter had managed to catch some fish using his shadow powers, which was both impressive and slightly disturbing. The shadows had grabbed the fish right out of the water like dark tentacles.
I'm definitely not thinking about the implications of that.
They ate in silence. The fish was bland but edible. Nobody complained. After everything they'd been through, food was food.
"Master," Lex finally spoke up. "What happens now?"
Good question.
Hunter looked at his three newly-minted cultivators. They were still figuring out basic motor control. Still covered in bruises from running into things. Still basically useless in a fight despite their new power.
But they were alive. And they were his.
"Now," Hunter said slowly, "we train. You three need to learn how to control your strength before you accidentally destroy everything within a mile radius."
"And then?" Tao asked.
"Then we figure out our next move. We can't stay here forever. The raid on Clearwater Village will attract attention. Other bandits. Cultivators. Maybe worse."
"What's worse than cultivators?" Xuan asked nervously.
Hunter thought about Luna's warning. About Core Formation experts. About sects and politics and the fact that he'd basically painted a target on his back by quoting action movies at terrified farmers.
"Trust me," he said. "You don't want to know."
[LUNA] SPEAKING OF WHICH
[LUNA] YOU SHOULD PROBABLY CHECK THE PERIMETER
[LUNA] YOUR SPIRITUAL SENSE HAS BEEN PICKING UP SOMETHING
What? Since when?
[LUNA] LIKE... THE LAST TEN MINUTES?
[LUNA] I THOUGHT YOU NOTICED
[LUNA] YOU DIDN'T NOTICE DID YOU
Hunter closed his eyes and focused on his spiritual sense. Extended his awareness outward. One mile radius. Scanning for threats.
There.
Something big. Something powerful. Something moving directly toward their camp.
His blood went cold.
"Luna," Hunter said quietly. "What's Core Formation feel like?"
[LUNA] LIKE FOUNDATION BUT MORE?
"That's not helpful."
[LUNA] WHY DO YOU ASK? (・_・ヾ
"No reason."
Except there was a reason. A very good reason. Because whatever was coming felt like Foundation Realm, but multiplied. Compressed. Refined into something that made Hunter's cultivation look like a candle next to the sun.
[LUNA] ...
[LUNA] HUNTER?
[LUNA] HUNTER WHAT DO YOU SENSE?
"Core Formation," Hunter said. "Heading straight for us."
The three bandits froze.
"How long?" Tao asked, his voice tight.
Hunter checked again. "Five minutes. Maybe less."
"Can we run?" Xuan was already standing.
"No point. They're too fast."
"Can we fight?" Lex's hand moved to his weapon.
Hunter laughed. It came out bitter. "We'd die in seconds."
"Then what do we do, Master?"
Good question. What do we do?
Hunter's mind raced. Options. He needed options. Fighting was suicide. Running was impossible. Hiding wouldn't work against someone who could probably sense them from a mile away.
Which left talking.
I'm going to have to bullshit my way out of this. Again. Because apparently that's my life now.
"We prepare to negotiate," Hunter said, trying to sound confident. "When they arrive, let me do the talking. Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't make sudden movements. And for the love of all that's holy, try not to accidentally punch them."
All three nodded nervously.
Through his spiritual sense, Hunter felt the presence get closer. Three minutes away. Two. One.
The air pressure changed. Hunter's ears popped. The fire flickered despite no wind.
Then she emerged from the tree line.
A woman. Tall, beautiful in the way glaciers and lightning storms were beautiful. Dangerous. Untouchable. Her robes were pristine white with blue embroidery that glowed faintly with qi. Long black hair flowed down her back, held in place by jade ornaments that probably cost more than everything Hunter had ever owned combined.
And her eyes. Cold. Calculating. The eyes of someone who'd killed before and wouldn't lose sleep over doing it again.
[LUNA] OH
[LUNA] OH NO
[LUNA] THAT'S BAD
What level is she?
[LUNA] CORE FORMATION
[LUNA] PEAK CORE FORMATION
[LUNA] HUNTER SHE COULD SNEEZE AND KILL YOU
Great. Wonderful. Fantastic.
Hunter woke to the sound of birds singing and someone groaning nearby.
He opened his eyes. The twin moons had set. Early dawn light filtered through the trees, painting everything in shades of gray and gold.
His head felt like someone had used it as a drum. His body ached in places he didn't know could ache. And his mouth tasted like he'd licked a ashtray.
But he was alive.
More importantly, he could feel the Shadow Step technique settled in his mind like it had always been there. Muscle memory for movements he'd never made. Understanding of concepts he'd never studied. It was disturbing and amazing in equal measure.
"Master?"
Hunter turned his head. Tao was sitting up, looking confused and disgusting. Black sludge covered his entire body. His hair stuck up at weird angles. But his eyes were different. Sharper. More aware.
"You look terrible," Hunter croaked.
"You look worse, Master." Tao pointed at Hunter's reflection in a nearby puddle.
Hunter looked.
He looked like death had tried to take him, decided he wasn't worth the effort, and left him in the discount bin.
"Fair point."
One by one, the others woke up. Xuan. Then Lex. All of them covered in impurities, all of them looking like they'd gone ten rounds with the universe and lost.
"Did it work?" Lex asked, his voice hoarse.
Hunter checked his spiritual sense. All three of them now registered as cultivators. Weak ones. First level of Body Refining. But cultivators nonetheless.
"Yeah," Hunter said. "It worked."
"Why do I feel like I died?" Xuan whimpered.
"Because you basically did. Welcome to cultivation."
All three groaned.
Hunter tried to stand. His legs wobbled but held. Progress. He extended his qi experimentally, reaching for the shadows cast by the morning sun.
They responded.
Holy shit. They actually responded.
The shadow beneath a nearby tree stretched toward him like a living thing. Not much. Just a few inches. But it moved.
Level One: Shadow Enhancement.
I have magic shadow powers. I'm a cultivator with magic shadow powers. This is insane.
[LUNA] TRY THE SPEED BOOST! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
Hunter focused on the shadow beneath his feet. Following the technique burned into his brain, he channeled qi through his meridians in a specific pattern. The shadow wrapped around his legs like smoke.
Then he stepped forward.
He didn't walk. He glided. Like the friction between his feet and the ground had disappeared. Like he was skating on darkness itself.
"Whoa."
He took another step. Faster. The shadows enhanced his movement, made everything smooth and effortless.
This is so cool. This is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me.
"Master?" Tao stood up, wobbling. "What are you doing?"
"Testing something." Hunter tried to stop. Overcompensated. His feet flew out from under him.
He fell flat on his back.
Okay. Cool but also I have no idea how to control this.
[LUNA] PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT! (◕‿◕✿)
Hunter stared at the sky. "I hate everything."
"Master, you're glowing," Xuan said helpfully.
Hunter looked down. Faint wisps of shadow qi still clung to his body, dissipating slowly in the morning light.
"I'm not glowing. That's shadow qi."
"It looks like glowing."
"It's not glowing."
"Definitely looks like—"
"ENOUGH ABOUT THE GLOWING."
All three bandits shut up.
Hunter took a breath. "Alright. New plan. Everyone go wash. Now. Before the smell achieves sentience."
They all looked at each other. Seemed to reach a silent agreement. As one, they bolted for the lake.
Well. Tried to bolt.
Tao took three steps and punched through a tree trunk by accident. The tree fell with a crash that sent birds scattering.
"I didn't mean to!" Tao stared at his fist in horror.
Xuan tried to run and immediately face-planted going what had to be Mach 2. He skidded across the ground, leaving a trench, and crashed into a bush fifty feet away.
"I'm okay!" His muffled voice called out. "Everything's fine!"
Lex stood perfectly still, too afraid to move. "Master, what if I break something?"
"You will definitely break something. Just try not to break yourself."
Lex took one careful step. The ground cracked beneath his foot. He froze.
"Master, the ground broke."
"I can see that."
"Should the ground break?"
"Probably not."
"What do I do?"
Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just... walk normally. You're cultivators now. You'll figure it out."
Twenty minutes later, they'd all made it to the lake through various combinations of crashing, breaking, and accidentally destroying parts of the forest. Hunter watched them scrub impurities off with a mixture of pride and despair.
Pride because they'd successfully broken through.
Despair because they were somehow even more incompetent with power than without it.
My elite fighting force, everyone.
[LUNA] THEY'RE TRYING THEIR BEST (ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ ♥
Their best is terrible.
[LUNA] BUT IT'S BETTER THAN BEFORE!
That's a low bar.
[LUNA] STILL COUNTS! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
Hunter sat down on the shore and watched his three bandits try to figure out how to wash themselves without accidentally punching holes in the water. Which shouldn't be possible but Tao was somehow managing it.
"Gentler!" Hunter called out. "The water isn't your enemy!"
Splash. Tao had punched the water. A geyser erupted ten feet into the air.
"Sorry, Master!"
This is going to be a long day.
Two hours later, they'd all cleaned up and gathered around the fire. Hunter had managed to catch some fish using his shadow powers, which was both impressive and slightly disturbing. The shadows had grabbed the fish right out of the water like dark tentacles.
I'm definitely not thinking about the implications of that.
They ate in silence. The fish was bland but edible. Nobody complained. After everything they'd been through, food was food.
"Master," Lex finally spoke up. "What happens now?"
Good question.
Hunter looked at his three newly-minted cultivators. They were still figuring out basic motor control. Still covered in bruises from running into things. Still basically useless in a fight despite their new power.
But they were alive. And they were his.
"Now," Hunter said slowly, "we train. You three need to learn how to control your strength before you accidentally destroy everything within a mile radius."
"And then?" Tao asked.
"Then we figure out our next move. We can't stay here forever. The raid on Clearwater Village will attract attention. Other bandits. Cultivators. Maybe worse."
"What's worse than cultivators?" Xuan asked nervously.
Hunter thought about Luna's warning. About Core Formation experts. About sects and politics and the fact that he'd basically painted a target on his back by quoting action movies at terrified farmers.
"Trust me," he said. "You don't want to know."
[LUNA] SPEAKING OF WHICH
[LUNA] YOU SHOULD PROBABLY CHECK THE PERIMETER
[LUNA] YOUR SPIRITUAL SENSE HAS BEEN PICKING UP SOMETHING
What? Since when?
[LUNA] LIKE... THE LAST TEN MINUTES?
[LUNA] I THOUGHT YOU NOTICED
[LUNA] YOU DIDN'T NOTICE DID YOU
Hunter closed his eyes and focused on his spiritual sense. Extended his awareness outward. One mile radius. Scanning for threats.
There.
Something big. Something powerful. Something moving directly toward their camp.
His blood went cold.
"Luna," Hunter said quietly. "What's Core Formation feel like?"
[LUNA] LIKE FOUNDATION BUT MORE?
"That's not helpful."
[LUNA] WHY DO YOU ASK? (・_・ヾ
"No reason."
Except there was a reason. A very good reason. Because whatever was coming felt like Foundation Realm, but multiplied. Compressed. Refined into something that made Hunter's cultivation look like a candle next to the sun.
[LUNA] ...
[LUNA] HUNTER?
[LUNA] HUNTER WHAT DO YOU SENSE?
"Core Formation," Hunter said. "Heading straight for us."
The three bandits froze.
"How long?" Tao asked, his voice tight.
Hunter checked again. "Five minutes. Maybe less."
"Can we run?" Xuan was already standing.
"No point. They're too fast."
"Can we fight?" Lex's hand moved to his weapon.
Hunter laughed. It came out bitter. "We'd die in seconds."
"Then what do we do, Master?"
Good question. What do we do?
Hunter's mind raced. Options. He needed options. Fighting was suicide. Running was impossible. Hiding wouldn't work against someone who could probably sense them from a mile away.
Which left talking.
I'm going to have to bullshit my way out of this. Again. Because apparently that's my life now.
"We prepare to negotiate," Hunter said, trying to sound confident. "When they arrive, let me do the talking. Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't make sudden movements. And for the love of all that's holy, try not to accidentally punch them."
All three nodded nervously.
Through his spiritual sense, Hunter felt the presence get closer. Three minutes away. Two. One.
The air pressure changed. Hunter's ears popped. The fire flickered despite no wind.
Then she emerged from the tree line.
A woman. Tall, beautiful in the way glaciers and lightning storms were beautiful. Dangerous. Untouchable. Her robes were pristine white with blue embroidery that glowed faintly with qi. Long black hair flowed down her back, held in place by jade ornaments that probably cost more than everything Hunter had ever owned combined.
And her eyes. Cold. Calculating. The eyes of someone who'd killed before and wouldn't lose sleep over doing it again.
[LUNA] OH
[LUNA] OH NO
[LUNA] THAT'S BAD
What level is she?
[LUNA] CORE FORMATION
[LUNA] PEAK CORE FORMATION
[LUNA] HUNTER SHE COULD SNEEZE AND KILL YOU
Great. Wonderful. Fantastic.
The woman's gaze swept across the camp. Took in the three terrified new cultivators. The stolen goods from Clearwater Village. The bloodstains on Hunter's clothes that he hadn't fully cleaned.
Then her eyes locked onto Hunter.
"You," she said. Her voice was smooth, cultured, and absolutely devoid of warmth. "You are the one they call the Demon of Clearwater Village?"
Hunter's mind raced. Deny it? Run? Beg for mercy?
No. She's too strong. She'd catch me. And begging would just make me look weak.
He straightened his spine and met her gaze. Tried to channel every action movie protagonist he'd ever seen. Fake it till you make it, or fake it till you die trying.
"That's me," he said, surprising himself with how steady his voice came out. "And you are?"
The woman's eyebrow raised slightly. Like she was surprised he dared speak to her at all.
"I am Liu Mei," she said. "Core Disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. I've been sent to investigate reports of a demonic cultivator terrorizing the Northern Wilderness."
Oh shit.
[LUNA] OH SHIT INDEED
Hunter felt his three bandits tense behind him. Through his spiritual sense, he could feel their hearts hammering. They wanted to run. To hide. To be literally anywhere else.
He couldn't blame them.
Liu Mei took a step closer. Her presence pressed down on them like a physical weight. The fire flickered and dimmed as if it too was afraid of her. Frost began to form on the ground around her feet, spreading outward in crystalline patterns.
"The villagers said you killed their guard with a single blow." Her eyes narrowed. "That you danced over his corpse. That you threatened to hunt down and kill anyone who defied you."
I didn't dance. I stumbled around in shock trying to put him back together. And I quoted a movie because I had no idea what else to do. This is so unfair.
"They also said," Liu Mei continued, her hand moving to rest on the sword at her waist, "that you took everything they had and left them to starve. That you showed no mercy. No remorse."
The temperature dropped further. Hunter's breath came out as mist. Ice crystals began forming on the nearby trees.
"So tell me, Demon of Clearwater Village." Her voice went even colder, if that was possible. "Why shouldn't I execute you where you stand?"
Hunter looked at Liu Mei. At her hand on her sword. At the frost spreading across the ground like a disease. At the absolute certainty in her eyes that she could and would kill him without breaking a sweat.
Then he looked at his three terrified bandits. At Tao, who'd just learned to walk properly a few hours ago. At Xuan, who was visibly shaking. At Lex, who looked like he might pass out again.
They were useless. She was peak Core Formation. He was barely Foundation Realm.
This is it. This is how I die. Killed by a cultivator who's probably the protagonist of her own story, here to rid the world of evil. And I'm the evil.
[LUNA] HUNTER...
I know.
[LUNA] I'M SORRY
Me too.
Hunter took a breath. Tightened his grip on his sword. And prepared to die fighting.
Because if there was one thing he'd learned in this terrible, horrible, awful world, it was that sometimes you didn't get to choose your fate.
You just got to choose how you faced it.
"Well?" Liu Mei's sword began to slide from its sheath. The blade glowed with blue qi, so bright it hurt to look at. The air around it froze solid, ice particles dancing like snow. "I'm waiting for an answer, demon."
Hunter opened his mouth.
And then, because his life was apparently a cosmic joke with the punchline being him, a system notification appeared in his vision.
[SYSTEM] ◈ EMERGENCY QUEST ALERT ◈ [SYSTEM] MISSION_ID: M-0044 [SYSTEM] TITLE: "FIRST BOSS BATTLE" [SYSTEM] TARGET: LIU_MEI (CORE_FORMATION_PEAK) [SYSTEM] OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE 5 MINUTES [SYSTEM] DIFFICULTY: S_RANK [SYSTEM] REWARDS: ??? [SYSTEM] FAILURE_CONSEQUENCE: DEATH (OBVIOUSLY) [SYSTEM] ACCEPT? (Y/N)
[LUNA] OH COME ON
[LUNA] FIVE MINUTES?!
[LUNA] AGAINST HER?!
[LUNA] THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!
Tell me something I don't know.
Hunter looked at Liu Mei. At her glowing sword that radiated cold like a physical force. At the absolute confidence that she would end this quickly.
Then he looked at the notification.
Survive five minutes.
Not win. Not fight. Just survive.
Five minutes.
A terrible, stupid, absolutely insane idea formed in his head.
I'm going to regret this.
[LUNA] WHATEVER YOU'RE THINKING, DON'T
Too late.
Hunter pressed YES.
And smiled at Liu Mei with way more confidence than he felt.