Kael lay in wait, crouching on the branch of a large tree while using the canopy of leaves as a cover. Stealth was one of the few things that Kael could call himself a master of. His extensive knowledge of the forest's outer perimeter also made his task easier.
During the previous hours, Kael had unlocked the remaining memories of his counterpart. And those memories made him realize something.
Kael's successful hunt of a blood wolf was not some coincidence or lucky accident. It was the result of countless hours of observation. This was something he had to respect.
He had studied all their patterns. He knew all the resting grounds of the blood wolves that called this their territory.
That was why when Kael saw a young wolf coming towards the tree he was sheltered in, he wasn't surprised.
The wolf trod carefully, carrying a smaller creature in its mouth. The previous Kael had studied numerous wolves' routines and after much consideration, Kael decided to go with this one.
He didn't make a sound as he watched the blood wolf sit down under the tree. It looked around but didn't find anything suspicious, before beginning its meal.
Blood wolves had incredible noses, but the strong scent of the tree's flowers masked Kael's scent.
This was something he had also taken into consideration.
He waited patiently for the blood wolf to finish its meal not even moving an inch.
Kael wasn't a patient person, but he suddenly found himself filled with anticipation, an anticipation that he had never felt before. The thought that this wolf had fallen into his trap filled him with a type of euphoria.
Seconds turned into minutes and after the wolf finished its meal, it lay down on the leaf-covered floor to rest.
A vicious smile formed on Kael's face as he started the countdown.
"Three," he muttered under his breath.
"Two." his dagger was in his hand as he positioned himself for the drop.
"One." A hint of red appeared in his eyes as he pushed himself down towards the unsuspecting wolf. His dagger was aimed at its head, to kill it in a single blow.
The wolf opened its eyes noticing something was wrong, but it was already too late. It tried to move away but it couldn't escape the dagger.
Its slight movement however, changed the point of contact from its skull to its neck.
Blood gushed out furiously from the open neck wound. This still didn't stop the wolf from trying to escape. It didn't wait a single second, but fled instantly.
If there was one thing a blood wolf had that made them stand out more than any other demon of the same rank it would be their speed.
Even with a partially severed neck it moved so fast that a normal human would hardly be able to follow its speed.
But Kael was anything but normal. As he watched his prey run away in fear, that feeling of euphoria overcame him and his feet started moving with an unnatural speed.
They traversed the forest as the wolf's speed slowly reduced. It was losing so much blood, that death had become the only outcome for it.
The wolf looked back and stared at the boy chasing him with red pupils. Kael could smell, feel, and see its fear. This made him run even faster.
They passed through different areas in the forest but surprisingly didn't come across any other demons.
The wolf, after losing too much blood, collapsed on the floor, whimpering as Kael drew closer. Kael walked slowly, savoring every ounce of fear the poor animal exuded.
When it was finally ripe, he killed it with a slash of his dagger.
The red in Kael's pupils faded as he looked at himself in surprise.
What just happened?
That feeling… it was euphoric but it wasn't him. Before he could ponder any longer the system manifested before his eyes.
______
You successfully killed a blood wolf.
You have gained 5 common demon points.
______
Energy from the demon's corpse flowed into him as he read the notification. It was a familiar feeling so he wasn't surprised.
He felt his body brimming with power. For some reason, his strength had increased drastically.
The only thing he had done was hunt yet he was growing stronger. Even in his previous life Kael had never seen something like this.
Before he could wrap his brain around what was happening, a loud howl that sounded like a thunderclap echoed throughout the forest.
Kael was shaken as he staggered. The howl was so powerful that although it had come from quite a distance, Kael could still feel the demonic pressure. He looked around and remembered he was in the middle of the forest. Surprisingly, there were no demons here.
The formerly lively forest was empty.
The presence of the powerful demon must have driven away all the other smaller demons. He gulped noticing how dangerous the situation was.
He didn't dare waste an extra second as he turned around and fled.
The howl came again, like another thunderclap. But Kael noticed something off about it. Whether it was him or the previous Kael, they had both experienced this. Although the previous Kael had learned it from normal animals, the logic still applied here.
That was a death howl. Whatever creature made that sound would most likely soon die.
In his previous life, Kael had learned how to identify such a thing.
He paused as a dangerous thought appeared in his mind. What if I just take a look?
He turned in the direction of the sound and contemplated for some time. He doubted he would be in any danger if he only watched from afar.
A powerful demon that was about to die was too alluring for even him. Just the fur of a demon of that rank would be enough to get him and his sister out of that accursed town.
Kael finally made up his mind as his legs began walking towards the source of the sound.
He didn't plan on doing anything stupid, but this might be his opportunity. He marked the trees as he walked down, so he could return to the wolf's corpse later on.
After a few minutes, he caught sight of the demon. It was a blood wolf. Unlike the other common demons, this was a true pack leader. It was twice as big as a normal blood wolf and its fur was completely red.
It emitted such a thick blood aura that it was visible even to an ordinary human.
Kael immediately climbed a tree to get a better look at it. It had a hole in its chest and blood flowed out continuously.
Even if Kael did nothing, it would not survive such a large injury.
Seeing his opportunity, Kael decided to go for the kill. He started the countdown—this was the previous Kael's habit.
"Three." He crouched, observing his prey lying on the floor, helpless.
"Two." He positioned himself for the lunge. He had grown more powerful and he could feel that power coursing through his veins.
"One."