The enormous yellow eye shimmered in the dark.
But this time… the shadows faded and he saw black Fur.
pitch black—absorbing the moonlight.
Muscles thicker than tree trunks.
And then the full creature stepped out, crushing the bushes beneath its paws.
A wolf.
But not any wolf Aiden had ever heard of.
It stood nearly three meters tall at the shoulder.
Its fangs were long as daggers, curved, glistening like polished bone.
Midnight fur rippled across its body like living smoke. Its eyes burned with predatory hunger.
A **Nighthound Direwolf.**
Aiden barely had time to react.
The wolf lunged.
A blur of darkness slicing through the night.
Aiden rolled aside just in time—feeling the wind pressure slam into his ribs as the wolf's claws tore into the earth where he had been. Soil burst upward like an explosion.
He sprang to his feet, panting.
"System—stats!"
**[STATS]**
Strength: 19
Agility: 13
Stamina: 12
Perception: 20
Grit: 9
He grimaced.
Even upgraded, numbers were nothing compared to this monster.
The wolf growled low, the sound vibrating through Aiden's bones. It circled him slowly, yellow eyes locked on him with unsettling eyes.
Its gaze said:
**You're my prey.**
Aiden took a long breath.and said,
"Come at me."
The wolf pounced.
Aiden dodged—barely—its claws grazing across his torso and tearing his fabric. Pain scorched through him. He stumbled, but didn't fall.
The wolf swung again.
This time Aiden ducked under the massive paw and struck with everything he had—
His fist slammed into its jaw.
A shockwave rippled through the clearing. The wolf staggered back one step.
It turned its head slowly, as if insulted.
Aiden's breath hitched.And he said,
"Is that all you got..?"
The wolf lunged again and bit down.
The Wolf bit his forearm.
pain exploded through Aiden's body as giant fangs pierced through skin. He twisted his body, using its momentum to throw himself out of its grip.
His arm dripped blood.
He had seconds.
Aiden's mind raced.
**He couldn't overpower it.
He had to outthink it.**
He waited—heart pounding—for the wolf to leap again.
It crouched low.
Snarled.
And jumped.
Aiden dove sideways, grabbed a broken branch thick as a club, and rammed it into the wolf's open mouth as it closed its jaws.
The branch snapped.
But not before jamming between its fangs and provided long enough time for Aiden to scramble up its back.
The wolf roared, it shook its body violently, tossing him like a ragdoll. Aiden clung to fistfuls of fur, punching toward the eyes, the ears, the neck—anything vulnerable.
The wolf rolled over.
Crushing him.
Air shot out of Aiden's lungs. Bones creaked. Stars burst across his vision.
Aiden barely rolled away before it crushed him completely.
His ribs burned with every breath.
He was losing.
Badly.
But then—
His teammates' screams echoed in his memory.
The mockery.
The laughter.
The hate.
He grit his teeth.
He wasn't dying here.
Not like this.
Not before showing the world what he could become.
Aiden pulled himself up.
"COME ON THEN!"
The wolf snarled and charged.
Aiden sprinted forward too.
They collided—
And Aiden drove his hand deep into its eye.
Hot liquid burst across his arm.
The wolf shrieked—a sound so loud the ground shook.
It flailed, blind on one side.
Aiden didn't stop.
He leapt, grabbing its neck with a burst of desperate strength, and plunged his hand into the damaged eye socket again—farther.
The wolf convulsed.
Aiden roared, die you beast...
Something tore.
The wolf collapsed, shuddering violently.
Then stilled.
Aiden fell to his knees, chest tightned, blood soaking his arm, sweat stinging his eyes.
The system chimed.
**[Monster Defeated: Nightbound Direwolf]**
**[Kill Drop Acquired: Direwolf Fangs]**
A new item floated into view:
**[Direwolf Fangs]**
**Grade: E**
**Description: Fangs of a shadow-wolf born from forbidden mana. Can be forged into a weapon or embedded in equipment for increased Strength and Agility.
Aiden stared at the glowing notification, breathing hard.
"…I actually killed it."
His hands trembled—half from pain, half from adrenaline.
The night passed slowly after that. Aiden found shelter, tended to his wounds, and rested with the glowing wolf fangs resting beside him.
By dawn, the island was quiet again.
And then—
The day of the Academy Exams arrived.
**The Next Morning —In Academy Grounds**
The sun blazed bright.
The plaza outside the Awakener Academy was overflowing with students, instructors, and evaluation officers. Massive portals stood open at the center, each engraved with a rank:
F-Rank Dungeon – Low ThreatE-Rank Dungeon – Moderate Threat
Students gathered nervously in groups, forming teams and adjusting their gear.
Whispers filled the air.
"Did you hear? Team Grayfang is taking an F-rank portal.""Yeah, they're smart. Low risk, easy marks."
There team comprising of an attacker, an archer, and a healer. A simple and stable team
A stronger team gathered around the front:
"They have a tank, an archer, an attacker, a healer, and a mage. Claiming that They'll do the E-rank Portal ."
The crowd murmured approvingly.
Then someone called out loudly:
"Wait… Aiden? YOU applied to enter E-rank?! Solo?!"
A hush fell.
Everyone stared.
Aiden stood alone at the sign-up board, armor scraped, a faint bandage wrapped around his arm, eyes calm.
The instructor raised an eyebrow.
"You understand.. it is a very risky choice? you could die, too?"
Aiden nodded.
"No team. I'll go alone."
Whispers exploded across the crowd.
"What an idiot!"
"F-rank trash thinks he's special."
"Solo E-rank? He's committing suicide."
"He probably wants attention."
A shower of mockery.
A storm of hate came his wasy.
Right on cue, the system chimed.
[Hate Detected: +214]
Converting…
+21 STR
+11 AGI
+8 VIT
Warm power surged through his muscles. His heartbeat strengthened. His skin felt tougher. His senses sharpened until he could hear the faint buzzing of insects by the nearby lanterns.
His lips curled slightly.
These people had no idea how much they were helping him
More whispers followed.
"He's insane."
"Just let him go—if he dies, that's all his fault."
"What a clown."
[Additional Hate Detected: +67]
Converting…
+6 STR
+3 AGI
+2 VIT
Aiden exhaled slowly.
Finally, an evaluator approached him with a clipboard.
"Very well. Since you insist… Aiden Blackwood. Designated for E-Rank Exam. Solo entry."
The crowd gasped.
The examiner stepped aside.
The portal hummed.
Bright blue light swirled inside the gateway like a storm waiting to swallow him.
Aiden looked forward without hesitation.
He wasn't the same weak, scorned boy from before.
He had power.
He had a system no one else had.
And the whole world wanted him to fail.
Perfect.
The head examiner called out:
"All teams, prepare for dungeon entry!"
He stepped toward the glowing gate—
And the final comment he overheard made him pause.
"Forget it. He won't last ten seconds in there."
The system chimed again.
[Hate Detected: +34]
+3 STR
+1 AGI
Aiden smirked.
"Ten seconds? Let's find out."
He stepped into the portal—
And vanished.
Chapter 05 Ends
—To Be Continued..
Hi it's the author of you guys like my novel story please make sure to give it a nice rating and comment your thoughts of what you guys like in this chapter the most