Trial by Fire

Ren hauled Aria to her feet, grime from the city fight smeared across both of them.

“You think that ambush was the end?” His tone was sharp, but beneath it ran worry.

Aria flexed her fingers around the twin swords. Her arms still trembled from the last encounter, but her resolve hardened.

“No. Sebastian won’t let me walk freely. If I stay in the city, they chain me. If I run, they send hunters.

Either way…I’m doomed!”

Ren’s jaw tensed. “So, what’s worse, the wolves in the city, or the wolves in the forest?”

She didn’t answer immediately; her eyes scan the shadowed treeline beyond the area. The forest seemed to pulse with life, it’s like a whisper curling in the gaps between trees. Her stomach clenched. She already knew.

A soft ping inside her head made it official:

+++
[Quest Updated → Wolves’ Den]
[Side Note: Congratulations. You’ve chosen hard mode.]
+++

The Wolves’ Den wasn’t just rumor. It stretched like a living shadow, a wilderness whispered about in taverns and guild halls alike. Parties had entered in this area with banners high, but never to return.

Some said beasts dragged them down; others swore the forest itself swallowed them whole.

For Aria, it wasn’t legend. It was survival.

They left area behind. Ren carved a path through the underbrush, muttering…

“This worse than Bloodborne Frontier’s horror zones. Whew! At least there I had respawns!”

Aria gave a thin, dry laugh.

“Keep talking like that and I’ll start wishing for a logout button!” Then she thinks again her force command before.

But then the system flickered:

+++
[Adaptive Quest: Survive the Wolves’ Den]
Enemy Level Range: 140+
Recommendation: High-level cooperation or extreme caution
[Comment: You are… neither.]

+++

Her gut twisted. At Level 15, she was prey, practically a piece of meat. But the guild expected her to crawl into the Den. Maybe that was exactly the point.

“They’re still watching us!” Ren said suddenly, scanning the tree line.

“Silverfang eyes are everywhere!” Aria muttered. The forest seemed to press closer with every step. A rustle snapped through the underbrush.

Then a Worgs burst forth—fur bristling, eyes glowing ember-red. These are hybrid dire-wolves, above their heads hovered ominous numbers: 140+.

“What the heck! Tutorial bosses on steroids!” Ren cursed his lungs out.

The first beast lunged. Aria rolled just in time. Claws grazed her shoulder, searing pain burning through her.

+++
[Adaptive Reflex Lv.8]
[Skill Unlocked → Pain Resistance Lv.1]
+++

Her blades flashed. Each dodge, each counter, her body adjusted faster than her conscious mind could process. The survival became her instinct.

“Two on your left!” Ren shouted.

Aria pivoted, steel clashing with fangs. Sparks lit the canopy in brief with violent bursts.

Ren darted past, drawing half the pack. He stumbled on a root but recovered midair.

“Totally meant to do that!”

Aria snorted. Even in hell, his humor breathed oxygen into her lungs.

+++
[Counter Instinct Lv.5]
+++

Minutes blurred. Claws slashed, jaws snapped, eyes glowed, and the forest became a frenzy of red, black, and shadow.

The system pinged again:

+++
[Adaptive Event Triggered → Environmental Awareness Lv.1]
+++

The world sharpened. Aria’s senses intertwined with the terrain itself. She lured a Hell-Bear into a curtain of vines, watching it tangle before striking at its exposed flank.

+++
[Skill Evolved → Environmental Manipulation Lv.1]
+++

Her blade hummed faintly with mana bleed—blue-tinged energy coursing through the wood and soil, slicing a fallen branch midair and adding lethal momentum to her strike. Half physical, half arcane. Dangerous, unstable, and exhilarating.

Ren whistled as he dodged another lunge.

“Remind me never to play hide-and-seek with you!”

Before she could respond, the ground trembled. The Hell-Bear froze, whining low. A roar rolled through the trees, shaking loose leaves like rain.

From the shadows emerged the apex predator—far worse than the pack. Black growths streaked its fur; hellish red eyes burned through the gloom. The earth seemed to bow under its weight.

+++
[Boss Identified → Warwick Wolf Lv.160+]
+++

Ren went pale. “Oh great. Because nearly dying to a pack wasn’t enough, we need the deluxe nightmare version.”

“Focus!” Aria barked, heart hammering.

The Warwick Wolf struck like a guillotine. Aria dove; the claws gouged soil inches from her face. Her system pinged:

+++
[Adaptive Reflex Lv.9]
[Survival Instinct Lv.3]
+++

Every attack was a potential death sentence. She twisted between trees, vaulted roots, used boulders as cover. Mana bleed shimmered faintly along her swords, arcs of blue tracing the edges, resonating with terrain.

Ren tried to keep up, shouting between dodges.

“Great plan—stall the demon druid while I… uh… contribute moral support?”

“Ren!” she snapped.

“Okay, okay… I’ll stab it when it’s not looking!”

Despite chaos, his banter anchored her sanity.

She baited the Warwick Wolf toward a ridge, she sidestepped at the last second, then sending it slamming into stone. Its claws stuck for a heartbeat. She slashed deep, sparks shrieking against the corrupted hide.

+++
[Environmental Manipulation Lv.2]
+++

Ren gawked mid-dodge.

“WOW! You’re like Neo, but with knives!”

“Who the hell is Neo?” she shot back, twisting away from another strike.

“Shut up and keep stabbing!”

Blow by blow, the system drove her further. Reflexes sharpened, instincts honed, her body obeying without conscious thought. Her chest burned, adrenaline flooding every vein. She felt alive, terrified, and… unstoppable.

The Warwick Wolf lunged for a killing blow. Aria’s body flowed, her blades flashing across its throat, shimmering faint blue with mana bleed. The monster faltered, stunned.

+++
[Reward Granted → Agility +7 | Adaptive Reflex Lv.10]
[Unique Survival Record Established]
[System Comment: Level 15 humiliates Level 160. Expect angry balance patch.]
+++

It staggered, dissolving into shadow, leaving the forest eerily silent. Aria collapsed, chest heaving, trembling. Pain raked her muscles, yet exhilaration burned brighter.

Ren limped to her side, grinning weakly.

“Ha, ha, ha! A level fifteen… beating back a 160 boss. You’re either terrifying—or the biggest cheater this game’s ever seen!”

Aria exhaled, letting the system’s fading glow wash over her.

“Cheating hurts more than I imagined.”

The shadows pressed closer. Somewhere, hidden, voices murmured:

“That Level fifteen bug adapts faster than expected. It’s too fast. And too unpredictable…”

Her skin crawled; the guild hadn’t abandoned her. The Den itself had not released its grip.

Aria clenched her swords. Pain, fear, and exhilaration mixed in her veins.

Above the canopy, an unseen observer leaned forward, fingers steepled. Their eyes glimmered with interest—and apprehension.

“Defiant… adaptive… dangerous. Let her run into the Wolves’ Den. If she survives… she’ll be ours to watch.”

Aria shivered, sensing eyes on her. The guild hadn’t given up. And the Den wasn’t done with her.

This was just the first trial.