Despite the confusion swirling within him, a sense of optimism blossomed, this could be a turning point.
Shaking off his thoughts, he returned his focus to his eerie surroundings.
The forest exhaled around Wu Chen, its breath thick with the scent of damp earth and something metallic beneath.
Ancient trees stood like silent judges, their gnarled branches creaking in a wind that shouldn't exist beneath the dense canopy.
Every shadow seemed to pulse with latent menace, every rustle in the undergrowth carrying the weight of unseen eyes.
Wu Chen's fingers twitched at his sides.
He was being tested.
But of what?
Courage?
Cunning?
Or The ability to endure the gnawing uncertainty that wrapped around his throat like a noose?.
The Test had given him no instructions, no markers - just this endless expanse of whispering darkness and the occasional, bone-chilling sound that echoed from the northeast.
he had no idea what was required of him to complete this trial. What path should he take to navigate the challenges ahead.
His instincts warred within him.
The safe path - southward, where the forest lay still and silent - promised survival. But survival had never been enough. Not in the slums. Not in the trials.
The dangerous path - toward those echoing, unnatural sounds - reeked of death... and maybe answers.
Pursuing the path with those unsettling noises could bring him into contact with creatures that could reveal crucial insights about his current location and help him navigate the treacherous landscape.
So the eerie sounds might lead him to essential information.
Even though it came with the risk of encountering unknown horrors.
Wu Chen exhaled sharply through his nose, his breath fogging in the unnatural chill.
"I wish I can choose safety"
The words tasted bitter on his tongue. He'd spent a lifetime running - from hunger, from pain, from the cruel hands of fate. But this? This was different.
He was Sure this Trial wouldn't reward cowards.
With deliberate slowness, Wu Chen turned toward the source of the sounds. The forest seemed to lean in, branches curling like the fingers of a beckoning specter.
It seems like Somewhere in that direction, something waited.
His first step cracked a twig like a gunshot in the silence.
With determination in his heart, Wu Chen pressed onward through the shadow-laden woods.
The night sky above was illuminated by a radiant moon, casting silvery light that danced among the countless stars, making the world seem both enchanting and foreboding.
Just as he began to feel a sense of calm alleviating his tension, a swift and dark figure lunged from the underbrush, colliding with him like a bolt from the blue.
Pain flared as claws raked across his shoulder, drawing blood. Staggering back in shock, Wu Chen lifted his gaze to confront the creature that had attacked him.
His breath hitched in his throat as he beheld a monstrous being.
Before him stood a demonic creature, a grotesque amalgamation of wolf and dog. Its fur black was matted and bristled with a sinister energy, gleaming under the moonlight.
"Shit."
The curse left his lips like a prayer.
The creature's eyes glowed menacingly, revealing both intelligence and ferocity.
Wu Chen's blood turned cold, realizing that he had ventured into a realm filled with unimaginable dangers.
The main reason for Wu Chen's shock wasn't just the ferocity of the demonic creature—it was the intelligence gleaming in its eyes.
Demonic creatures were notorious for their mindless brutality, their actions driven by primal instinct rather than reason.
They weren't supposed to think.
He'd seen their kind before in the wastelands beyond the slums—mindless, ravenous things that tore into flesh without strategy, without mercy. But this?
Yet here it is, a full-fledged demonic beast with a calculating gaze that sent a chill down his spine. Its eyes burned with a predatory cunning, as if it were sizing him up, plotting its next move.
What unsettled Wu Chen even more was how effortlessly he recognized that intelligence.
It shouldn't have been that easy.
It wasn't something he had to deduce or analyze—it came to him instinctively, like a seasoned hunter spotting a trap or a gambler sensing a bluff.
He could feel the creature's awareness, its malice, as clearly as if it had spoken to him. This unnerving realization made his heart pound even harder.
But the intelligence in its eyes wasn't the only thing that terrified him.
From the Aura This was no ordinary demonic beast—it was a Mortal Creature 1 Top Tier, the pinnacle of Level 1 Creatures. Its speed was blinding, its strength monstrous.
Every movement it made was a blur, and the force behind its attacks was enough to shatter stone.
Wu Chen processed all of this in a split second, his mind racing even as his body braced for the inevitable clash.
Their eyes locked for a fleeting moment, and then, without hesitation, the creature lunged.
It moved like a shadow, its form dissolving into a streak of darkness as it closed the distance between them.
Wu Chen barely managed to twist his body, avoiding a fatal blow, but the creature's claws still grazed his shoulder, deepening the existing wound.
Pain shot through him, but he forced himself to focus.
Trying to see how he can dodge and survive the encounter
And then amidst the chaos, something extraordinary happened.
He began to notice the creature's attack patterns.
The way its muscles tensed before a pounce.
The way its nostrils flared an instant before it committed to an attack.
The subtle tension in its hind legs before a lunge.
It all became clear to him, like pieces of a puzzle falling into place.
And this is no easy feat.
Infact it shouldn't be possible!.
Just days ago, Wu Chen couldn't even track the erratic movement of a housefly, let alone predict the strikes of a demonic beast.
Yet now, as if guided by some unseen force, he could see the rhythm of its attacks.
This newfound ability of his doesn't feel like luck; it felt like a part of him, as though the system embedded in his mind had awakened something dormant within.
The creature, however, was not amused. It claws whistled past his face, close enough to part his hair.
It hissed—a sound of pure frustration.
This wasn't how this hunt was supposed to go. Prey don't adapt. Prey don't learn.
It had expected to crush this human in a single blow, yet here he was, still standing after two attacks.
Its frustration turned to rage, and its strikes grew fiercer, each one carrying enough force to obliterate Wu Chen if they landed.