I needed to level up. The fight with the bear had shown me that—even with my evolution and new titles, I'd barely won. If stronger enemies came, I needed to be ready.
So I went hunting.
The problem was, there was nothing to hunt.
I'd been moving through the forest for hours, using Divine Messenger to scan for monsters. I'd found tracks—horned rabbits, slimes, even what looked like a small pack of wolves. But every time I got close, they vanished. Fled before I could even see them.
At first I thought I was just being too loud. But I was being careful, moving quietly, keeping low. It didn't matter. The moment I got within a hundred yards of any monster, it bolted.
"What the hell?"
I crouched behind a tree, watching a group of slimes bounce away into the undergrowth. They hadn't even seen me. They'd just suddenly changed direction and left, like they'd sensed danger.
Okay, think. What changed? Yesterday I could hunt rabbits and slimes no problem. Today they're running before I even get close. The only difference between yesterday and today was...
The bear.
I killed the demon bear. Became the alpha beast. King of the Forest—that's literally what the title said.
So maybe that was it? These monsters knew I was the new boss somehow. They could sense it. But how? They weren't seeing me, weren't hearing me. What were they picking up on?
I pulled up my status screen, thinking. What would monsters sense?
Sight was out—I'd been hidden behind trees, rocks, staying out of view.
Sound? No, I'd been moving quietly. Way quieter than those adventurers had been, and the monsters hadn't run from them until they got really close.
Smell? Maybe, but the wind had been blowing in different directions. Some of those slimes had run when I was downwind.
So it had to be something else. Something I was giving off just by existing.
Mana. That had to be it. I had 105 mana just sitting in my body. Maybe that gave off some kind of signature, some aura that weaker monsters could detect. Like a pressure in the air or something.
Okay, so if it was mana, could I hide it?
I focused inward, trying to feel my own mana. It was there, a warmth in my chest, flowing through my body like a second bloodstream. Could I... suppress it? Hide it somehow?
I concentrated, imagining the mana pulling inward, compacting, becoming smaller and quieter. For a moment I thought I felt something shift, but then it slipped away. My mana was still there, still flowing normally.
"Okay, not mana then."
So what else could it be? I'd ruled out the physical senses. Ruled out mana. What was left?
Wait. I remembered something from back on Earth. Anime, manga, all those stories about martial artists and fighters. They always talked about "killing intent"—this pressure that strong fighters gave off, this aura of danger that made weaker people freeze up.
I'd always thought it was just fantasy nonsense. But this was a fantasy world. What if it was real here?
But what even was killing intent? Some kind of mental thing? An unconscious signal that you were dangerous? Magic that I didn't understand?
I thought back to the bear fight. How I'd felt during it—focused, aggressive, ready to kill or be killed. That animal part of my brain that had taken over, pure survival instinct and predator drive. That had to be intent, right? The mental state of being willing and able to take a life.
And if that was something I was broadcasting without realizing it, then every monster in the area could probably feel it. Feel that I was a predator. A killer. The thing that had taken down the demon bear.
So to suppress it, I needed to... what? Stop feeling dangerous?
I closed my eyes and tried to calm my mind. Pushed away thoughts of fighting, of hunting. Imagined myself as harmless. Non-threatening. Just another creature in the forest, not a predator.
Something shifted. Just for a second, like a weight lifting from the air around me.
Then it was gone.
But I'd felt it. Whatever killing intent was, I'd touched it for a moment.
I tried again. And again. Each time getting a little closer to that feeling of absence, of becoming invisible to that sixth sense that monsters used.
The sun moved across the sky. Hours passed. I lost track of time completely, too focused on that elusive sensation. My body remained still while my mind worked, reaching for something I couldn't see or touch.
It was like trying to relax a muscle I didn't know I had. Every time I thought I had it, my concentration would slip and the tension would return.
But slowly, gradually, I started to understand. Killing intent wasn't just willingness to kill. It was presence. Dominance. The unconscious broadcast of "I am dangerous, stay away."
And suppressing it meant becoming... nothing. A stone. A tree. Something that existed but didn't threaten.
"Skill Acquired: Killing Intent Suppression"
The notification made me jump, breaking my concentration. But when I pulled up the skill description, I grinned.
Killing Intent Suppression: Allows the user to mask their hostile presence. Reduces detection range by monsters and people sensitive to intent. Higher levels provide greater concealment.
Finally.
I activated the skill and immediately felt the difference. It was like a heavy coat I'd been wearing suddenly disappeared. The air around me felt lighter, clearer.
Time to test it.
I found a lizard twenty minutes later.
It was about three feet long, with scales that looked like tree bark—brown and textured, perfect camouflage against the forest floor. It hadn't noticed me yet, too busy digging at the base of a tree for insects.
"Huh. Haven't seen this one before."
I focused on it, activating Divine Messenger.
Species: Barkscale Lizard
Level: 5
HP: 25/25
Mana: 5/5
Strength: 8
Defense: 12
Agility: 6
Magic: 2
A Barkscale Lizard. Made sense with those scales. Level 5, decent defense, but everything else was pretty low. Should be easy enough.
I crept closer. Ten feet. Five feet. Three feet.
The lizard paused, head lifting slightly. It sensed something, but it wasn't bolting. Just wary, cautious, not sure if there was actually danger.
Close enough.
I lunged. My jaws clamped around its body before it could react. It thrashed for a moment, then went still.
+30 XP
Not much, but it was something. And more importantly, the skill worked. I could actually hunt again.
As I ate, though, I felt a twinge of... something. Guilt? We were both reptiles. Both scaled creatures. In a way, we were kind of related.
"Sorry," I muttered to the corpse. "Survival of the fittest, I guess."
The meat was tough and tasted like wood, but I forced it down. Every bit of energy helped.
While I chewed, my mind wandered back to the skill I'd just learned. Killing Intent Suppression. I'd gotten it by... what, exactly? I'd figured out what the skill should do, practiced until I could do it manually, and then the system just gave it to me as an official skill.
Was that the pattern?
I thought back. Divine Messenger leveled up when I tried to see the adventurers' information and managed to see their skills. I hadn't asked for a level up—I'd just done something new with the ability, pushed it further, and the system recognized that.
Language Translation appeared when I was trying to understand the humans. I couldn't understand the words yet, but I'd been actively trying, focusing on their tones and meanings. The system gave me the skill because I was attempting to do it.
So skills came from... attempting things? Or succeeding at them once? You do something that could be a skill, the system says "okay, you can do that now, here's the official version," and then you level it by using it more.
Which meant, theoretically, I could get any skill if I could figure out how to do it manually first. The system would just formalize it.
Transformation. That's what I needed. If I could figure out how shapeshifting worked, practice it, maybe the system would give me a transformation skill.
But how did you even start practicing something like that? You couldn't exactly will your body into a different shape. Could you?
I'd have to think about it more. Maybe observe how magic worked in this world? In video games back on Earth, you'd use skill books to instantly learn abilities, but that clearly wasn't how it worked here. I just needed to understand the principle behind transformation first, like I had with killing intent. Figure out what transformation actually was at a fundamental level, then practice until I could do it.
"That's actually really useful to know," I said aloud.
The forest didn't respond, but I felt better having worked it out.
I finished eating the lizard and stood, stretching. The sun was getting low. I'd spent most of the day learning that one skill. But it had been worth it.
Tomorrow I'd hunt more. Level up properly. Get stronger.
But for tonight, I needed to rest.
Guild Master Zeta
The paperwork was going to kill her before any monster did.
Zeta stared at the incident report she'd been filling out for the past hour, her hand cramping around the pen. Dragon sighting. Alpha beast transition. Potential threat assessment. Recommended action: monitor and restrict access.
She'd sent the report to headquarters two days ago. They'd respond eventually, probably with more questions and more paperwork.
A knock at her door made her look up.
"Come in."
One of the guild attendants—a young man named Riko—poked his head in. "Ma'am, there are some adventurers here to see you. They're... complaining about the forest restriction."
Zeta sighed. Of course they were. "Tell them I'll be down in a moment."
Riko nodded and disappeared. Zeta finished signing the current form, added it to the "completed" pile, and stood. Her back protested—she'd been sitting too long.
The common room was crowded when she descended the stairs, but a small group near the quest board caught her attention immediately. Three people, all wearing mismatched armor that screamed "D-rank trying to look impressive."
The first was a big man, easily six and a half feet tall, wearing plate armor that looked like it had seen better days. His sword was strapped to his back, far too large for practical use.
The second was a girl in full mage robes and a pointy hat that was so stereotypical it made Zeta's eye twitch. She even had a staff with a crystal on top. Seriously?
The third was a woman with a shield that was bigger than she was, wearing practical leather armor with metal plates. At least one of them had sense.
Zeta walked down the steps and crossed her arms. "Alright. What is it?"
The big man stepped forward. "You need to open up Thornwood Forest. That's prime hunting ground—center point for adventurers and money. You can't just block it off."
"I can, and I did," Zeta said flatly. "There's a new alpha beast in that region. It's dangerous."
"Hah!" The mage girl laughed. "We'll take care of it. Team Shade doesn't back down from a challenge."
Zeta looked at them. Really looked. The big man had calluses on his hands but his armor was barely scratched. The mage's robes were clean—too clean for someone who'd seen real combat. The shielder looked competent, but nervous.
D-rank. Probably fresh D-rank.
"Are you serious?" Zeta couldn't help it—she laughed. Just a little. "That dragon took down a C-rank demon bear. There's no way you could beat it."
The big man's face flushed red. "You don't take us seriously? Fine. We'll prove it to you. Just give us—"
The guild's front doors opened.
Conversations died. Adventurers near the entrance moved aside immediately, creating a clear path.
A man walked in, and Zeta felt the atmosphere shift.
He looked young—maybe eighteen, twenty at most—but he wore armor that screamed expensive. Enchanted plate with gold filigree, polished to a mirror shine. His sword was sheathed at his hip, the hilt wrapped in leather that had seen real use. Behind him, three more people entered: a woman with twin daggers who looked about the same age, an archer who couldn't be older than nineteen, and a mage whose robes looked practical rather than decorative.
The young man walked up to Team Shade and placed a hand on the big guy's shoulder.
"It's okay," he said, his voice calm and confident. "We'll take care of it."
The big man from Team Shade turned, an angry "Huh?" starting to form on his lips. Then he saw who it was and shut his mouth immediately, stepping back.
Zeta recognized them. Everyone in the guild recognized them.
The B-rank party Shatter.
The leader—Ryn—looked at Zeta and smiled. It was the kind of smile that said he knew exactly how impressive this entrance was. "Guild Master. I hear you have a dragon problem."
Zeta's headache got worse.
"Headquarters sent you," she said. It wasn't a question.
"Got the request yesterday. Came as fast as we could." Ryn gestured to his team. "This is Lira, our rogue. Kaine, archer. And Selene, mage."
Each nodded as they were introduced. Professional. Experienced.
"You're trying way too hard to look cool right now," Lira muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.
Ryn's confident smile flickered. "You're ruining my moment."
"Someone has to keep your ego in check."
Despite the banter, Zeta could see the ease between them. These weren't fresh adventurers playing hero—these were people who'd fought together enough times to trust each other completely. Young, yes, but deadly serious when it mattered.
"The report said a juvenile inferno dragon killed a C-rank demon bear," Ryn continued, his tone shifting back to business. "That's concerning. Inferno dragons are rare, and if it's already that strong..."
"It saved my team," Zeta said. "One of my parties was about to die. The dragon intervened, killed the bear, then left. Didn't attack the humans."
Ryn raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Still, we can't leave an alpha beast that close to town. Especially not a dragon. They grow fast."
"So you're going to kill it."
"That's the job." Ryn's smile returned, but this time it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Don't worry, Guild Master. We've handled worse."
Zeta looked at Team Shade, who were watching with a mix of awe and jealousy. Then back at Ryn.
She thought about Aria's report. About the dragon's intelligent eyes. About how it had asked permission before taking the bear's corpse.
"It's not just strong," she said quietly. "It's smart. Don't underestimate it."
Ryn's smile faded completely. "We won't. When we head out tomorrow, we'll be ready."
He turned and headed toward the bar, his team following. The crowd parted for them automatically.
Zeta watched them go and felt a knot form in her stomach.
Tomorrow, B-rank adventurers would go into Thornwood Forest to hunt a dragon.
She hoped Aria was wrong about the dragon being peaceful.
Because if she was, that would make this whole thing a hell of a lot easier.