The two yellow eyes, burning with a predatory light in the encroaching darkness, were fixed on Kael. The low growl vibrated through the flimsy walls of his shelter, a primal sound that bypassed his debuffed INT and spoke directly to his most basic survival instincts: Danger. Run. Hide.
Fear, cold and sharp as a shard of ice, pierced through the fog of his exhaustion. His STR was a pitiful 1, his AGI a mere 2. Running was not an option. Fighting was even less so. He was small, weak, and cornered. The memory of the puzzle box, of being trapped in that hospital room, flashed through his mind, unbidden. "The fear… it makes you want to smash things. Or just freeze."
He was freezing. His breath hitched, his muscles locked. This wasn't a puzzle box; this was a predator, and he was prey.
But then, another fragment of the memory surfaced: "It wasn't about forcing it... It was about looking at it differently... patiently search for the key, even if it's hidden in plain sight, disguised as part of the problem itself."
The creature outside growled again, a sound of impatience. It took a hesitant step closer, its silhouette a low, muscular shape against the dying light. A wolf? Some kind of forest cat? The system didn't offer an immediate analysis, perhaps because he wasn't directly focused on it or it was too dark.
Kael forced his mind to work through the haze of the Exhausted status and the terror. Smashing things, or in this case, a blind panic, would get him killed. He couldn't fight it physically. So, what was the "key" here? What was "part of the problem" that could also be a solution?
His eyes darted around his tiny, cramped shelter. The moss. The damp leaves. His pathetic, sharpened stick. Nothing there seemed like a weapon against those glowing eyes.
The creature sniffed the air, its head low. It was cautious. That was something. It hadn't just charged in.
Perspective.
He wasn't Kael the twenty-five-year-old man, relatively strong before his illness. He was Kael, the eight-year-old boy, physically insignificant. But he still had his INT and WIS, diminished as they were. And he had the System.
"System," he thought, his focus desperate, "analyze creature." He tried to get a better look through the tiny peephole.
[System Analysis: Insufficient visual data due to low light conditions and partial obstruction. Preliminary scan suggests: Canis Umbra (Shadow Stalker Pup). Level: 3. Threat Level: Moderate (High for weakened target). Traits: Keen Senses (Smell, Hearing), Pack Hunter (currently solitary), Cautious Aggression.]
A pup? Level 3. That was still significantly stronger than his debuffed Level 1 self. But "pup" and "cautious aggression" were crucial pieces of information. It wasn't a fully grown, relentless killing machine. It was young, possibly exploring, and clearly wary.
The key. What did young, predatory animals respond to?
His gaze fell upon the few remaining beetle larvae he'd collected, lying on a leaf near his feet. Food. He was starving. The pup was likely hunting because it was also hungry.
An idea, desperate and perhaps foolish, sparked. It was a gamble. A huge gamble.
He took one of the larvae. His hand trembled, not just from cold and weakness, but from the sheer audacity of what he was about to try. He couldn't outrun it. He couldn't fight it. Could he... negotiate? Or, at least, distract it? Offer a less risky meal than a struggling, noisy child?
The Shadow Stalker Pup whined softly, a sound that was less aggressive and more… questioning? It took another step. Its glowing eyes never left him.
Kael took a slow, deliberate breath, trying to channel the calm he'd forced upon himself with the puzzle box. He very slowly pushed one of the larvae through a small gap at the bottom of his leafy shelter wall, out into the open. It lay there, pale and wiggling slightly in the gloom.
The pup froze. Its head cocked, its glowing eyes flickered from Kael to the offered grub. It sniffed the air again, a low rumble still present in its chest, but the aggressive edge seemed to lessen.
Silence stretched, thick and heavy, broken only by Kael's ragged breathing and the pup's occasional soft whine. It was an eternity compressed into seconds.
Then, with a sudden, swift movement, the pup darted forward, snatched the larva, and retreated a few steps, its eyes still warily on Kael's shelter. It devoured the offering in a single gulp.
Kael's heart was hammering against his ribs. He slowly pushed out another larva.
The pup watched, then repeated its quick snatch and retreat.
He had its attention. He was no longer just "cornered prey"; he was "source of easy food." It was a subtle shift in perspective, both for him and, hopefully, for the creature.
He had two larvae left. He pushed out the third. The pup took it, a little less hesitantly this time.
One larva remained. This was it. His last offering. He held his breath, pushing it out.
The Shadow Stalker Pup approached, took the final larva, and then, instead of retreating immediately, it sat down, just beyond the reach of his shelter. Its glowing yellow eyes still watched him, but the intense predatory focus had softened into something more akin to curiosity. The low growl had subsided completely.
Kael didn't move. He barely breathed. The pup sat there for a long moment, then it let out a small, almost sigh-like sound, licked its chops, and with a final, lingering look, it turned and melted silently back into the deeper shadows of the forest.
He was alone.
The immediate threat was gone.
Kael sagged against the wall of his shelter, a wave of dizziness washing over him as the adrenaline ebbed, leaving him even more aware of his profound exhaustion. He had faced a predator, not with strength, but with observation, a change of perspective, and a desperate gamble based on understanding its nature.
He had found the key, hidden within the problem itself.
The forest was still dark and dangerous, his debuff still active. But for the first time since failing the quest, a genuine, if fragile, sense of accomplishment warmed him. He had survived more than just the night; he had survived a direct encounter.
And as he finally allowed his eyes to close, a new system notification appeared, its light a soft, welcome blue.
[System Notification: Successfully deterred a moderately hostile creature (Shadow Stalker Pup Lvl 3) using non-combat methods while under severe duress (Exhausted status). Reward: 25 XP. Bonus XP for ingenuity: 15 XP.]
[XP Gained: 40 / 100 for Level 2.]
[Due to repeated successful application of intellect and wisdom under pressure, passive skill 'Keen Mind' (Rank F) has been partially awakened. Effect: Slightly increased mental clarity and problem-solving speed when INT and WIS are critically low or under duress.]