The first rule of hunting: become less than a shadow.
Asher didn't breathe too loud. Didn't step too hard. The forest didn't acknowledge him—and that was exactly what he wanted.
> [Entropy: 4.0%]
[Kill Points: 110]
[Subsystem: Stealth – XP: 0%]
[Skill: Ritual Echo – Cooldown: 2h 18m]
[Weapon Equipped: Rusted Survival Knife – Durability: 31%]
[Mask Equipped: Civilian Grade – Damage Reduction 5% (Cosmetic Alteration Active)]
The mask clung to his face—white ceramic, red streaked, cracked along the cheek. He barely recognized himself anymore.
Good.
Parasight pulsed faintly behind his thoughts. No instructions. Just pressure. Subtle nudges. Algorithms hungry for entropy.
He moved through the trees with purpose, trailing survivors from the ritual. Some had scattered. Others clung to madness. One by one, he'd find them.
He wasn't sure what he was becoming.
But he was learning how to survive.
---
The first kill came easy.
A feral cultist squatted in a collapsed truck stop, carving symbols into his chest with glass. Asher observed from the shadows, waited for the wind to cover his steps, then moved.
The knife slid across the man's throat in a clean, practiced motion.
> [Kill Confirmed – KP +60]
[Stealth Subsystem XP +12%]
[Entropy: 4.1%]
[Weapon Durability: 29%]
The body twitched. Then stilled.
Asher wiped the blade and moved on.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
---
The second was faster.
She spotted him just before he struck and bolted through the trees. Asher gave chase but veered off her path, calculating angles, terrain, shadows.
When the moment came, he triggered the system.
> [Skill Unlocked: Shadow Flicker – Ready]
A short-range blink through low-light space. Directional. Cooldown: 10s.
He vanished, reappearing just ahead of her. She gasped—too late.
The knife found her heart in a single thrust.
> [Kill Confirmed – KP +65]
[Stealth Subsystem XP +16%]
[Entropy: 4.3%]
[Skill Usage Logged – Shadow Flicker Proficiency: 3%]
[Weapon Durability: 27%]
Her blood steamed in the cold.
Asher stood over her, breathing quietly behind the mask.
---
Later, beneath a rusted billboard, he crouched low and cleaned his weapon with rainwater.
> [Stealth XP: 28%]
[Kill Points: 235]
[Replay Log – New Entries Available]
[Weapon Status: Rusted Survival Knife – Durability: 27% – Near Break Threshold]
His gloves were soaked. His fingers numb.
But his movements were calm. Mechanical.
The system was evolving. So was he.
He opened the shop menu. Scanned possible upgrades. Nothing urgent yet.
But he was close to something—he could feel it.
And somewhere behind the trees, far from firelight, something else watched him.
Something tall.
Still.
Wrong.
> [Observation Detected – Source: Unknown]
[Replay Log Recommended]
Asher narrowed his eyes, then stepped back into the dark.
Hunt wasn't over yet.