NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: Death!?
For a 16-year-old teenager, being told that my abilities are destined to be weaker than others since birth is something I refuse to accept. Instead, I train relentlessly to strengthen my abilities and seek out every opportunity to prove that my potential isn't limited by my starting point, no matter the danger.
Today, I stand as the strongest fighter among my generation of warriors, and Kensuke—a skilled strategist—has become a master in the art of spell cards. Together, we've proven ourselves among our peers, but that's not enough.
Our true goal is to prove to the older generation that the strength of a warrior isn't solely determined by bloodline. So, despite our parents' concerns, we came to Shennongjia to join this mission.
"Breakfast in five minutes, and we'll begin the search for aliens ten minutes after that. A signal will be sent as soon as we locate one," Elder Sumier's voice rang out, filling the camp and alerting everyone without startling a bird.
I glanced at the roasted rabbit in my hand and picked up the pace, wanting to finish quickly. Demon hunters are a disciplined group—when they say five minutes, it means five minutes.
Five minutes later, more than 400 of us had assembled in the predetermined position. The team leader began assigning tasks and arranging teams, and Kensuke and I found ourselves in the team of Elder Luo Keyu.
Elder Luo Keyu was a 1.7-meter tall man with a thin body and a stern, angular face. Our team consisted of Luo Keyu, Kensuke, me, and a blonde, long-legged woman named Shiryl, along with a quiet boy named Inoue Togawa who wore glasses.
As a team, we were considered somewhat weaker, and our assignment was to search Shennongjia's C Zone E3. We moved through the dense woods, the air thick with vegetation and vines.
Crossbows in hand, we scoured the area. I kept my eyes open, trying to awaken my hunting instincts.
But after hours of searching, we found nothing. The group was starting to feel fatigued, and when Shiryl suggested a break, we all sensed an unexplainable shift in the air.
This was the signal. Elder Luo Keyu widened his eyes and scanned the horizon before speaking sharply.
"It's coming from the south, in the direction of Area D. We're moving forward at full speed!"
With that, he charged ahead, and we quickly followed. Minutes later, I felt a sharp anger flare inside me.
My instincts were screaming—something was off. I pointed to my right, the hunting instinct reacting strongly.
I stopped and aimed my crossbow, only to see Luo Keyu already release an arrow. A roar echoed through the trees, and a dark figure burst from the undergrowth, charging toward me.
I fired three arrows in quick succession. The creature swatted them away, closing the distance between us.
That's when I recognized its true nature—a werewolf. Without hesitation, I dropped the crossbow and unsheathed my holy silver longsword.
The clash of our weapons rang out as my sword met its claws, golden eyes locking with dark pupils. Behind it, six more figures emerged from the jungle, rushing toward the others.
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The collision of sharp swords and wolf claws, roars and gasping sounds suddenly filled the small jungle. I rolled to the right and narrowly avoided one of the werewolf's claws. The shadowy power attached to its claws easily slashed through a large tree, splitting it in two. I took a deep breath, gripping the hilt of my holy silver longsword with both hands. Concentrating, I focused the magic within my body. A white holy flame spread from my palm, engulfing the entire sword, as the werewolf lunged toward me again.
Elder Luo Keyu had already moved farther away, engaging with two other werewolves. This left the four of us to deal with five remaining enemies. After a brief exchange, Inoue Togawa had his right arm broken, and Shiryl was slashed by the werewolf's claws.
Only Kensuke and I were managing to hold our ground with our precise combat skills and endless spell cards. I teleported behind one of the werewolves, slashing at its head with my sword. Just as it was about to dodge, Kensuke threw three lightning spell cards.
The werewolf froze, and my sword connected, the holy flame cutting through its neck. The beast's blood erupted from the wound. I teleported again, dodging attacks from the other two werewolves, grabbing my crossbow and firing relentlessly. Kensuke seized the opportunity to toss several explosive spell cards, causing the enemies to stagger.
"Good job!" I called out, but before I could finish, a powerful gust of wind slammed into me from behind. I spun around just in time to see a werewolf wielding a thick, one-meter tree as a weapon, sweeping it toward us. "Oh, damn!" The tree smashed into both Kensuke and me, sending us flying through the air for more than ten meters before crashing to the ground.
Seconds later, I groggily got up, pulling Kensuke to his feet. "Are you okay?" I asked. "I'm fine," he muttered, shaking his head. But then he froze, staring at the white wolf's paw sticking out of my chest.
I quickly looked behind him, my heart sinking. The Ancient Silvermoon Werewolf, Ha Mu, was here. Without a word, Ha Mu withdrew his paw from Kensuke's chest, and before I could react, he seized my neck, instantly sealing off my strength.
"The demon hunter won't die if his heart is pierced," Ha Mu muttered, gazing at Kensuke's fallen form. Then, his attention shifted to me. "You two are the 'pathfinders,' right? Let's see how you handle this."
In my mind, I cursed, "Look at Shiryl and the others—they're already dead. So this is why he didn't kill us earlier? It's all about blood, isn't it? Just because of this gap, I couldn't even prevent one of his moves."
Ha Mu gripped both Kensuke and me, quickly dragging us through the jungle. The branches scraped us, an irritating and painful sensation.
I tried to focus on coming up with a plan, but the overwhelming power difference and the blow to my confidence left me in despair. I had always wanted to prove myself, but in the end, all I had proven was how far behind I was. The gap was crushing.
I had no idea how much time passed before Ha Mu stopped. "Here," he said, tossing both of us to the ground. My vision blurred as I saw an orange portal floating a few feet above the ground.
A werewolf quickly lifted us and threw us toward the glowing gate. A sensation of weightlessness overcame me, and I glimpsed the endless expanse of stars, hearing a faint sound as if someone was saying: "The translation plugin is loading..." Before I could process what was happening, I lost consciousness.
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