Day five began with an unsettling discovery.
Kaito was checking his hunting grounds near the stream when he found the body—or what remained of it. A Mistwood Wolf, but not one he'd killed. The creature was torn apart, its limbs scattered, its body cavity completely hollowed out.
Whatever had killed it was far stronger than anything Kaito had encountered.
**[Analyzing remains...]**
**[Cause of death: Predation by higher-tier entity]**
**[Estimated rank: D or above]**
**[Warning: Hostile entity may still be in area]**
Kaito backed away slowly, his new stone blade gripped tight. D-rank. That was two full grades above the E-rank Alpha that had nearly killed him. If something that strong was roaming this part of the forest now...
"I need to be more careful," he muttered. "Way more careful."
But careful meant slow. And slow meant he might not gather enough strength before the trial ended.
The warning carved in the ruins kept echoing in his mind: *"The real test comes after."*
What if surviving the seven days was just the bare minimum? What if Integration required strength he didn't have yet?
Kaito spent the morning hunting with renewed urgency. He'd learned the patterns of the F-rank creatures so thoroughly that fighting them felt almost mechanical now. Dodge, strike, absorb. Repeat.
But the Genes from F-rank creatures had stopped providing meaningful benefits. His body was rejecting them, the system declaring them "redundant" or "minimal effect." He needed E-rank Genes or higher.
Which meant finding more Alphas.
He ventured deeper into the forest, past the ruins, into territory he'd been avoiding. The mist here was so thick it felt almost liquid, clinging to his skin and clothes. Visibility was down to five meters, maybe less.
His improved Constitution meant the cold didn't bother him as much as it would have on day one, but the oppressive atmosphere was taking a psychological toll. Every shadow could hide a threat. Every sound could signal danger.
Kaito's heightened Speed and Dexterity kept him moving smoothly through the difficult terrain, but his mind was on high alert, processing every detail.
That's when he heard it: voices.
Human voices.
Kaito froze, his heart suddenly racing. In five days, he'd seen nothing but monsters. The possibility of other people hadn't seemed real until this moment.
He moved toward the voices cautiously, staying low, using the thick tree trunks as cover. His Dexterity of 11 made silent movement almost natural now.
Through the mist, he saw them: three people, maybe in their early twenties, wearing clothes that suggested they'd been office workers before this nightmare began. Two men and one woman, all looking exhausted and terrified.
One of the men was badly injured, his leg wrapped in makeshift bandages that were soaked through with blood. The woman was supporting him, while the other man kept watch with what looked like a metal pipe.
"We can't keep going like this, Takeshi," the woman was saying. "Hiroshi needs real medical attention."
"Where exactly do you suggest we find a hospital, Yumi?" Takeshi snapped back. "In case you haven't noticed, we're trapped in a death forest!"
"I'm fine," Hiroshi said weakly, though his pallor suggested otherwise. "Just need to rest for a bit."
"We don't have time to rest," Takeshi said. "That thing could still be tracking us."
Kaito watched them argue, his mind racing. Part of him wanted to reveal himself, to join them. Safety in numbers made sense. But another part—the part that had grown harder over the past five days—held him back.
These people were struggling. The injured one was barely mobile. If that D-rank creature from earlier found them, they'd be slaughtered.
And if Kaito joined them, he'd be slowed down. Possibly killed trying to protect people who couldn't protect themselves.
"I should help them," he whispered to himself. "That's what a decent person would do."
But was decency enough to survive in this world?
Before Kaito could make a decision, the choice was taken from him.
The D-rank creature emerged from the mist like a nightmare made flesh.
It was massive—easily three times the size of an Alpha Wolf. Its body was covered in scales rather than fur, its head reptilian with rows of teeth like daggers. It moved on four legs but could clearly rear up on its hind legs like a dinosaur. Its eyes glowed not yellow but red, burning with an intelligence that the F-rank creatures had lacked.
**[Mistwood Drake (D)]**
**[Warning: Extreme threat detected]**
**[Survival probability: Extremely Low]**
The three people saw it a second after Kaito did. Yumi screamed. Takeshi raised his pipe, which looked pathetically inadequate. Hiroshi couldn't even stand.
The Drake's head swiveled toward them, tracking the sound of Yumi's scream.
Kaito had maybe three seconds to decide.
Run. Leave them. Survive.
Or stay. Fight. Probably die.
His Luck stat of 1 suggested running was the smart choice. His Intelligence of 8 agreed. Fighting a D-rank creature when an E-rank had nearly killed him was suicide.
But his Will stat of 9—that stubborn, unreasonable part of him that had gotten him through five days of hell—made him step out from behind the tree.
"Hey!" Kaito shouted, waving his arms. "Over here, you overgrown lizard!"
The Drake's head snapped toward him. Its red eyes locked onto his position.
'What am I doing?' a panicked part of his brain screamed. 'This is insane!'
But he was already moving, already committing to the stupidest decision of his life.
The Drake charged, surprisingly fast for its size. Kaito ran perpendicular to its path, leading it away from the three people. His Speed of 11 kept him ahead of the creature, but not by much.
"Run!" he shouted back at the others. "Get out of here!"
He didn't look back to see if they listened. All his attention was on the monster pursuing him.
Kaito led the Drake on a winding path through the forest, using his superior knowledge of the terrain. He ducked around trees, leaped over roots, slid under low-hanging branches—anything to put obstacles between him and the creature.
The Drake smashed through everything, reducing trees to splinters with casual swipes of its claws.
'I can't fight this thing,' Kaito thought frantically. 'I can barely outrun it. What's my plan here?'
He didn't have a plan. He'd acted on instinct, on some buried moral impulse that insisted he couldn't just let those people die.
The Drake was gaining ground. Kaito could hear its breathing, could smell the rank odor of its breath. His lungs burned despite his increased Constitution. He couldn't keep this pace up forever.
He needed to lose it. But how do you lose a creature that could track you by scent?
The stream. Water would mask his scent.
Kaito changed direction, sprinting toward the sound of running water. The Drake followed, relentless.
He hit the stream at full speed, splashing into the cold water and immediately diving behind a boulder. The current was stronger here than near his cave, the water deeper and faster.
The Drake reached the stream bank and paused, its reptilian head swinging back and forth, searching. Kaito held his breath, pressing himself flat against the boulder, the cold water up to his chest.
The creature stepped into the stream, its clawed feet finding purchase on the rocky bottom. It was sniffing the air, trying to locate him.
Kaito's mind raced. He couldn't hide here forever. The moment the Drake spotted him, it would be over. His stone blade might as well be a toothpick against those scales.
But what if he didn't try to fight it?
An idea formed—crazy, desperate, with approximately zero chance of success.
But zero was better than nothing.
The stream here ran fast and deep, carving through rock formations that created something like natural channels. Kaito had noticed them before during his explorations. The water flowed with enough force that even with his improved physical stats, he'd be swept away if he let go of his anchor.
The Drake stepped closer, its head turning in his direction.
Kaito took a deep breath and let go of the boulder.
The current immediately grabbed him, yanking him downstream with terrifying force. He tumbled through the water, smashing against rocks, unable to control his direction. His lungs screamed for air.
Behind him, he heard the Drake roar in frustration.
The world became a blur of water and pain and desperate need for oxygen. Kaito's hands scrabbled for purchase on anything, finally catching a root extending from the bank. He hauled himself out of the water, collapsing on the muddy shore, gasping and coughing.
He'd been carried at least two hundred meters downstream, maybe more. When he finally managed to sit up and look back, there was no sign of the Drake.
He'd survived.
Again.
Kaito laughed, a slightly hysterical sound. "This is insane. I'm insane. Everything about this is insane."
**[Achievement Unlocked: Saved Others at Personal Risk]**
**[Title Unlocked: Selfless Fool]**
**[Effect: +1 to all stats when protecting others]**
**[Note: This title reflects both your courage and your questionable decision-making]**
"Did the system just call me an idiot?" Kaito said incredulously.
His stat screen appeared, showing the changes:
**[Physical: 11]**
- Strength: 8
- Constitution: 10
- Dexterity: 12
- Speed: 12
**[Mental: 8]**
- Intelligence: 9
- Wisdom: 7
- Charisma: 4
**[Will: 10]**
**[Luck: 2]**
Kaito blinked. His Luck had increased. After five days of being stuck at 1, it had finally moved.
"Apparently the system rewards stupidity," he muttered. "Good to know."
He was soaked, bruised, and had no idea where he was relative to his cave. The sun was already starting to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and red.
Two more days. Just two more days.
If he could survive leading D-rank creatures on suicide chases, he could survive anything.
Probably.
Maybe.
He hoped.