The Hunter

The summons appeared without fanfare, yet its weight pressed on Aria’s chest like an executioner’s hand.

+++
Guild Summon – Immediate Attendance Required
Issuer: Guild Silverfang, Officer Sebastian
+++

Her stomach knotted. Of course—it had to be him. Their duel in the city square hadn’t ended; it had only written the first act.

Ren leaned casually against the wall, but Aria noticed the twitch in his jaw. His voice carried a cautionary note:

“They want you. When Silverfang wants something, they don’t ask twice…”

Aria’s fingers clenched around her twin swords.

“What If I refuse?” She asks instinctively.

“They’ll drag you out regardless,” he said. His gaze softened, but his words cut deep.

“If it were me… I’d run. But running… never really works, does it?”

She swallowed the knot in her throat. Protection under a guild meant chains. Freedom meant being hunted.

“This is gonna be hard… But I won’t wear their collar!” She whispered.

Ren gave a humorless chuckle.

“Then keep your blades sharp. Wolves don’t let prey walk away!”

+++++++

The Silverfang Guild Hall rose ahead, stone and banners sharp as fangs. Silver wolves snarled from stitched tapestries, eyes glinting like living predators. Guards flanked the entrance, predatory, synchronized.

Inside, Officer Sebastian waited. Arms crossed, expression unreadable, he studied her like a hawk studies a rabbit.

“Level fifteen,” he said, eyes flicking to her stats hovering above her head.

“And you think you can defy a summon?” His tone was calm but heavy with judgment.

Aria straightened. “I’m not here to kneel. I’m here to survive!”

Sebastian’s smirk deepened imperceptibly.

“Defiance… or desperation? Either way, amusing. Go on, see how long you last outside my shadow…”

Ren exhaled slowly when they left.

“That smile? Those are not a goodbye. It’s a leash! Wolves never let their prey go—not without a chase!”

+++++++

The streets were alive with motion, yet every shadow seemed too close. Every step felt measured by predators.

Then, a strike came without warning. An armored figure dropped from rooftops, its boots shattering the cobblestones. A wolf insignias glinted across chests. And its eyes locked on Aria with predator precision.

+++
[Ambush Detected]
+++

Pain flared as a blade grazed her shoulder. Shock stole her breath.

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[Adaptive Protocol Triggered → Survive Ambush]
[Reward: Temporary Agility +5 | Skill Unlocked → Ghost Step Lv.1]

[….Because apparently you attract rooftop assassins now]
+++

Her body responded before thought. Her feet feel light and movements became fluid, she slid through attacks like water through rocks.

Ren dove in beside her, his dagger flashing, it cut tendons and deflected blows aimed at her blind spots. Their rhythm clicked: Aria’s speed and his precision.

“Go left!” he barked. She obeyed instinctively.

“I can’t keep running,” she panted.

“If you keep running, you’ll never stop,” he countered.

“Then stand and bite back!”

+++++++

The ground trembled as a new figure pushed through. A mercenary commander, towering, wolf insignias etched deep into his armor, eyes faintly glowing red.

A Level 85.

With a massive greatsword rested casually on his shoulder.

“A little fifteen, already turning wolves restless? Let’s see if you survive a real hunt!”

Aria gripped her swords, with her heart hammering with adrenaline.

“Real hunt? This is not… because I am not running. I’m surviving!”

The greatsword descended like a guillotine.

With that, Aria’s Ghost Step triggered; she slid under the lethal arc. Sparks flared as her blades deflected the strike, a faint blue light blooming along the edge.

+++
[Skill Growth → Ghost Step Lv.2]
[Adaptive Reflex Enhanced]
[Comment: Look at you—dodging like you’ve actually read the tutorial.]

+++

+++++++

“Did you see that?” whispered one of the agents, who pressed against a rooftop.
“She… she’s moving like she can read him,” another murmured. Eyes wide, hands tightening around the crossbows they weren’t using.

“That was not a bug,” a third hissed.

“That was ether bleed. The guild hasn’t classified this. She’s tapping into something… A hybrid.”

+++++++

“Keep moving!” Ren shouted, cutting down a flanking mercenary.

The plaza became chaos. Aria vaulted carts, darted through alleyways, each near-death sharpening her body, syncing her heartbeat with the Adaptation System.

Her lungs burned. Legs quivered. Fear coiled tight in her chest—but beneath it, exhilaration thrummed. Each close call made her sharper, faster, more precise.

+++++++

At last, she was cornered in a narrow alley. The commander loomed, its greatsword raised high.

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[Adaptive Quest Updated → Survive Certain Death]
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By then, the time slowed. Her Ghost Step activated. She slid under the arc, twisted, her twin swords finding gaps in wolf-etched armor. Sparks exploded as ethereal energy bled faintly from her blades, giving her a split-second edge.

The commander roared, staggering, crimson light flickering in his eyes.

+++
[Reward Granted → Ghost Step Lv.3 | Survival Instinct Lv.1 | Agility +5]
[Hybrid Note → Ether bleed detected. System analysis ongoing.]

[Note: Congratulations, you are officially harder to kill. Silverfang hates this update.]
+++

The commander collapsed with a crash that shook the alley. Dust billowed. The mercenaries froze. Then, one by one, they melted back into the shadows, abandoning their fallen leader.

+++++++

Then silence followed.

Aria leaned against a fountain, chest heaving. Sweat, blood, dust—her body trembling but alive.

Ren dropped beside her, grin half admiration, half disbelief.

“Damn, Aria! I didn’t think you’d pull that off. But we have to be careful, the Silverfangs won’t stop here. Next time, they’ll send the whole pack…”

Aria lifted her head, exhaustion mixing with exhilaration.

“Then let them be.” Her lips curled into a grim smile.

“Survival is my progression!”

+++++++

“Hmmn… This level fifteen,” the figure mused, fingers steepled.

“She’s defiant, adaptive and dangerous… Good. Let her run into the Wolves’ Den. If she survives… she’s worthy of attention!” The faintest chuckle echoed into the night.

+++++++

+++
[Observation Detected → Guild Silverfang]
[Status: Recruit or Erase (Spoiler: probably not recruit.)]
+++

Aria exhaled slowly, eyes tracing the shadowed rooftops. She felt every muscle hum with adrenaline and latent power. Fear still lingered, but curiosity and exhilaration coiled tight behind it.

She wasn’t just surviving. She was evolving.