The forest was silent, blanketed by moonlight and snow.
The air felt sharp enough to cut skin.
Avner crouched atop a rocky ledge, breath slow, knife held in a reverse grip. His eyes—enhanced by Void's Gaze—cut through the darkness with unnatural clarity.
He could see far beyond normal human range.
Through the fog.
Through the trees.
Even faint outlines behind boulders.
Not power.
Just sight.
Enough to survive.
The cold forest felt endless.
Avner's breath shook every time he inhaled. Not because of the temperature… but because of the creatures he could see with Void's Gaze returning faint outlines through the fog.
Four Snowlurkers.Awakened-rank beasts.
He swallowed hard.
Why did I think hunting first was a good idea? I don't even know how to fight…
His fingers trembled around the knife.It felt too small to protect him.Too light.Too useless.
And he had never killed anything bigger than a mosquito.
But if he didn't get System Points… he'd die anyway.
A Snowlurker prowled near the narrow cliff path.
Okay… okay… the trap. The tripwire. Just breathe.
He crouched and waited, heart hammering painfully.His palms were sweating despite the cold.
The beast stepped forward—
Snap.
The slab of frozen ice he placed earlier trembled—
—then slid down.
It didn't smash the beast's skull like he hoped.
Instead it hit its shoulder.
The Snowlurker let out a furious screech and began thrashing.
"Shit—shit—no—NO!"
Avner panicked, grabbed a heavy rock, and—smashed it down.
Once.Twice.Three times.
Each hit shook his arms and made his stomach twist.
The beast finally collapsed, twitching once before going still.
Avner fell back, panting, hands shaking violently.
He felt sick.
But the notification still came.
[You have slain an Awakened Snowlurker.][System Points +10]
Void's Gaze flashed—another Snowlurker creeping around the boulder.
Avner tried to ready himself…But he slipped on the snow.
The noise echoed loudly.
The beast immediately lunged.
"AH—!"
He threw himself sideways, rolling clumsily.His elbow slammed into the ground, sending pain up his arm.
The Snowlurker pounced again.
Avner held up his knife out of pure instinct—
—and the beast's throat ran straight into the blade.
Hot blood splattered his face.
The Snowlurker collapsed on top of him, its weight pinning him down.He struggled desperately, gasping for air.
He barely shoved the corpse aside before vomiting beside it.
[You have slain an Awakened Snowlurker.][System Points +10]The Third and Fourth — Pure Desperation
The remaining two let out warning growls.
Avner's legs trembled so hard he almost couldn't stand.
"No no no
But they were already charging.
He bolted toward the half-dug pit—Tripped—And fell directly into it.
The Snowlurkers, unable to stop their momentum, leaped in after him.
One landed awkwardly on broken ice and twisted its leg.It howled in pain.
The other tackled him.
He screamed.
The beast clawed at his chest, tearing through his jacket.Avner shoved the flashlight in its mouth—It bit down, shattering it—He stabbed wildly, not even looking.
The knife sunk into its eye.
The creature convulsed and collapsed.
The second Snowlurker limped toward him.He could barely lift his arms now.
When it lunged—
He rammed his knee into its snout, sending it crashing into the wall of the pit.
The collision dislodged sharp ice from above—
—and it fell onto the beast's neck.
It stopped moving.
Silence.
Only Avner's ragged, panicked breathing remained.
[You have slain an Awakened Snowlurker.][System Points +10][You have slain an Awakened Snowlurker.][System Points +10]
Avner crawled out of the pit using shaking arms.His vision blurred.His legs felt numb.
But he was alive.
Somehow.
He looked at the corpses.
It didn't feel like victory.It felt like he had survived by accident.
"F-Forty… points…"
He wiped blood—his and the beasts'—from his face.
"I… don't know how long I can do this…"
His breath misted weakly in the cold air.
But deeper inside the Nightmare woods…More silhouettes waited.
Watching.
Hunting.
Avner forced himself to stand.
"…But I have to try."