The wolves circled him.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Like predators toying with wounded prey.
Blood dripped from Noah’s shoulder.
The wound burned.
Every breath sent pain through his body.
Yet his attention wasn’t on the injury.
It was on Shadowfang.
The black dagger pulsed within his grip.
The crimson runes covering its blade glowed brighter and brighter.
The weapon felt alive.
Hungry.
Waiting.
The voice echoed once more.
"Stop surviving."
"Start fighting."
Noah clenched his jaw.
Easy for a god-killing weapon to say.
He was the one getting ripped apart.
The alpha wolf growled.
A deep, thunderous sound.
Its crimson eyes locked onto him.
Then it attacked.
The moment its muscles moved—
Predator’s Instinct activated.
Time seemed to slow.
Not literally.
But Noah could see it.
The wolf’s path.
The angle of attack.
The position of its claws.
For the first time...
The skill wasn’t simply warning him.
It was helping him.
Noah moved.
The wolf’s claws sliced through empty air.
Shadowfang flashed.
SLASH!
Blood sprayed.
The wolf landed several meters away.
A shallow cut ran across its side.
The beast froze.
So did Noah.
He had hit it.
Actually hit it.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
The wolf looked offended.
Then furious.
The rest of the pack immediately attacked.
Noah’s grin vanished.
"Shit."
The forest exploded into motion.
A wolf lunged from the left.
Another from behind.
A third from above.
Noah twisted.
Dodged.
Rolled.
Barely surviving.
Claws tore his jacket.
Fangs grazed his neck.
Death brushed past him repeatedly.
Yet something was changing.
Each second.
Each movement.
Each near-death experience.
He was adapting.
Learning.
Growing.
Fast.
Very fast.
The System suddenly reacted.
[Skill Growth Detected]
Predator’s Instinct: 5% → 7%
A wolf lunged.
Noah ducked.
Its claws missed.
Shadowfang struck upward.
CRACK!
The blade pierced the creature’s jaw.
The wolf screamed.
Noah immediately kicked it away.
His breathing became heavier.
His body screamed for rest.
But the wolves weren’t slowing down.
Then the alpha attacked again.
This time faster.
Much faster.
Predator’s Instinct exploded with warnings.
Danger.
Danger.
Danger.
Noah moved.
A fraction too slow.
The alpha’s claws slammed into his chest.
Blood erupted.
Noah crashed into a tree.
Pain exploded throughout his body.
His vision blurred.
The alpha advanced.
One step.
Then another.
Its crimson eyes gleamed with victory.
It knew he was finished.
Noah coughed blood.
His body refused to stand.
The alpha lowered itself.
Preparing to pounce.
To end everything.
The countdown appeared in Noah’s vision.
[43:21:18]
Still ticking.
Still counting down toward death.
Something inside him snapped.
No.
Not here.
Not now.
Not after everything.
He hadn’t survived getting hit by a truck.
He hadn’t survived transmigrating.
He hadn’t survived an impossible system.
Just to become wolf food.
"No."
The word escaped his lips.
The alpha lunged.
Noah moved.
Not with speed.
Not with strength.
With instinct.
Pure instinct.
Everything slowed.
The wolf.
The forest.
The heartbeat.
The world.
Noah stepped forward.
Shadowfang flashed.
A single strike.
Clean.
Precise.
Perfect.
Silence.
The alpha landed.
Took two more steps.
Then stopped.
A thin line appeared across its neck.
The wolf’s eyes widened.
Its head slid from its shoulders.
THUD.
The corpse collapsed.
The forest fell silent.
Every remaining wolf froze.
Noah stared.
His chest heaved.
His hands trembled.
Then the System exploded with notifications.
[First Kill Achieved]
[Level Increased]
Level 0 → Level 1
[Bloodline Synchronization Increased]
1% → 3%
[New Ability Unlocked]
Blood Sense
[Bonus Reward Granted]
Noah’s eyes widened.
A final message appeared.
One that made his heart pound.
[You Have Been Acknowledged.]
The words lingered.
Mysterious.
Ominous.
Important.
Then every surviving wolf suddenly lowered its head.
Not in fear.
Not in submission.
In respect.
The forest heartbeat echoed again.
BOOM.
This time louder than ever.
And somewhere deep within Blackthorn Forest...
Something ancient opened its eyes.