The oppressive silence of the ancient forest pressed in on Felix, the air heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves.
A lone owl hooted, its mournful cry echoing through the gnarled branches that reached out like skeletal fingers, clawing at the moon-drenched sky.
"Time to see what prey wanders tonight," he whispered, his voice a chilling rasp that barely disturbed the stillness.
He inhaled deeply, savoring the metallic tang of anticipation that lingered beneath the musk of the woods. It had been too long since he'd tasted a true hunt.
He walked alone, his heavy boots crunching on the forest floor, each snapping twig a percussive beat in the symphony of the night.
A low growl rumbled in his chest. "Uhrg, I crave a worthy challenge. A strong monster maybe… something to truly test my limits." The hunger in his voice was more than just a primal need for sustenance; it was a deep-seated yearning for power, for the visceral thrill of the kill.
"It's been a while since I checked but what the heck, it wouldn't hurt, let's see what I've become," he muttered, a flicker of anticipation in his tone. He stopped, the shadows seeming to deepen around him, and with a gesture, summoned his status. "Status Open."
A holographic display shimmered into existence, a cool blue light piercing the darkness.
[Name: Felix Grauss]
[Age: 37]
[Rank: Lower S Class]
[Class: Hunter]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: 700/1000]
[HP: 100/100]
[INT: 450/1000]
[DEX: 657/800]
[MANA: 100/100]
[Blessing: Hunter's Heart: Reduces the effects of fear in combat against monsters.]
[Debuff: Hunter class is unable to use Magic]
[Main Weapon: Hunter's Battle Axe]
Felix dismissed the display with a flick of his wrist, a sigh escaping his lips. "Lower S Class damn… still. I need more. More power. Upper S… that's the goal.", stretching his arms resting them at the back of his head as he pushed deeper into the forest, the darkness swallowing him whole, his mind already awash with visions of carnage.
Then, a scream. Thin and ragged tore through the night, sending a jolt of adrenaline through his veins. He stopped, his head cocked, listening, his senses sharpening.
Another scream, closer this time, a primal shriek of terror that ignited a predatory gleam in his eyes. He wasn't a rescuer, not really, but a good hunt… a good hunt was always welcome.
He sprinted towards the sound, his powerful body tearing through the undergrowth, branches snapping like dry kindling against his relentless advance. The screams intensified, guiding him towards a clearing bathed in the sickly glow of the rising moon.
A scene of carnage unfolded before him. An overturned wagon lay in splintered ruins. The horses, their bodies ripped open, lay in pools of steaming blood. Goblins, their grotesque forms illuminated by the moonlight, feasted on the remains, their snouts smeared with gore, stringy saliva dripping from their pointed fangs.
The stench of blood, offal, and unwashed bodies filled the air. A lone man, his broken legs twisted at unnatural angles, leaned against the wagon, a sword clutched weakly in one hand while the other pressed against a gaping wound in his neck. Crimson blood pulsed between his fingers, staining the ground beneath him.
"Get away from me!" he shrieked, his voice hoarse with pain and terror. Swinging his sword trying to fight the some goblins that were trying to approach him.
Felix paused, concealed in the shadows, a cruel smile twisting his lips as he surveyed the scene. The goblins, oblivious to his presence, continued their gruesome work. Chunks of horseflesh, still glistening, clung to their ragged clothing.
"My, my, a hunt already in progress. How thoughtful," he murmured, his voice barely audible above the sounds of crunching bone and guttural snarls.
He burst from his cover, walking slowly. Moonlight fell upon him a predator announcing its presence. The goblins, startled, turned towards him, their beady eyes gleaming with malevolent hunger. Those feasting on the horses scrambled to their feet, brandishing crude spears fashioned from sharpened branches.
"You guys really know to throw a party hey?. . . ". He pressed forward with a smirk on his face. "And here I thought I would get an invitation". He spoke coldly letting out a threatening laugh.
Felix stopped, feigning surrender, placing his axe on the ground with a calculated clang, and raising his hands in the hair smiling innocently.
The goblins chittered, a mocking laughter that grated on the ears, their guttural sounds echoing in the clearing. One, bolder or perhaps more foolish than the rest, charged, its shrill, ululating cry meant to intimidate. Its ragged makeshift spears scraped against the ground as it lunged.
Felix's eyes glowed a malevolent blue. [Hunter's Heart: Activated]
As the goblin lunged, its spear aimed at his stomach, Felix snatched the weapon from its grasp with preternatural speed. He hurled it back with terrifying force. The spear, a blur in the moonlight, pierced the skull of another goblin with a sickening thud, pinning it to a tree. A dark, viscous fluid oozed from the wound, splattering onto the leaves below.
The first goblin, stunned, looked up just as Felix's boot connected with its face. The sound of crunching bone and splintering cartilage echoed through the clearing. The goblin's head caved in, its face disappearing into a pulpy mass of blood and gore. A wet, gurgling sound escaped its ruined throat as its body crumpled to the ground, its limbs twitching spasmodically.
"Pathetic," Felix muttered, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. "Man, there you go dirtying my favourite boots" he sighed as he shook the blood of his foot.
His glowing blue eyes, now burning with predatory intensity, fixed on the remaining goblins, who shrieked, their cries a mixture of rage and terror, calling for reinforcements.
"Calling for backup? Weren't you laughing just a moment ago?" Felix chuckled, a low, menacing sound, advancing on the remaining goblins. They charged, their spears aimed at his chest, their movements frenzied and desperate. One leaped into the air, its twisted face contorted in a rictus of hatred.
Felix caught the goblin by its leg, the small limb snapping with a sickening crack. He whirled the creature through the air like a macabre flail, its body a grotesque projectile. The goblin's head exploded against the ground with a wet splat, leaving a crimson stain and scattering fragments of bone and brain matter.
"Pop!, goes the weasel!. . .", he shouted out in sadistic pleasure. ". . .And you thought you were clever," he sneered, still holding the twitching leg, the bone protruding at a grotesque angle.
He lunged forward, swinging the mangled remains of the goblin, bisecting another in a spray of blood and viscera. The upper half of the goblin's body landed on the ruined wagon with a wet thud, its entrails spilling out like ropes of glistening meat.
"Ooo, that's gotta sting," Felix grinned, his eyes alight with savage glee, reveling in the carnage, the metallic scent of blood filling his nostrils.
The dying adventurer watched the carnage, his breath catching in his throat, the metallic tang of blood heavy in his mouth. 'He's… enjoying this,' he realized with a shudder.
Felix glanced at him, with a wink and a chilling smile playing on his lips, as if reading his thoughts.
The two remaining goblins, now terrified, began to slowly back away, their spears trembling in their grasp.
"Come now, boys, where's the fun in that?" Felix taunted, dropping the mangled goblin remains onto the blood-soaked ground.
One, fueled by desperation, charged, spinning its spear in a clumsy attempt at martial prowess.
"Ballsy," Felix laughed, meeting the charge head-on. The goblin, surprisingly nimble, slid between his legs, pulling a makeshift dagger from its belt. Quickly turning around it lunged at Felix's back, aiming for his neck.
Felix waited, and at the last moment, and whipped his arm back, catching the goblin square in the face with a brutal backhand.
The force of the blow shattered bone and cartilage, spraying blood and teeth. The creature crumpled to the ground, its whimpers barely audible. As it struggled to regain its vision, it saw Felix crouched before it, a gentle yet chilling smile on his face.
"Color me impressed, little bud, but this is where your story ends." He ruffled the tuft of brown fur-like hair on the goblin's head, then gently patted its shoulder.
The goblin, misunderstanding the gesture, smiled in relief. In that instant, Felix seized its head and shoulder, ripping with savage force. The goblin's head tore away from its body, its spinal cord dangling grotesquely.
Felix stood, admiring his handiwork. "Well done, boy, well done," he whispered, a macabre tenderness in his voice.
The final goblin, witnessing the brutal deaths of its companions, dropped its spear and fled into the darkness.
Felix rolled his eyes. "Really? Running now?" He bent down and picked up a small stone, flicking it between his fingers. "You think you can outrun death?" he called out, his voice laced with amusement.
The stone shot forward with a faint crackle, as if tearing the air itself.
The fleeing goblin turned, only to be struck in the chest. It looked down, seeing only a small trickle of blood. For a moment, it thought it was about to die. It laughed, a mocking sound.
"Wait for it. . ." Felix whispered.
A beat of silence stretched, then the goblin exploded in a shower of blood, bone, and viscera.
"Bang," Felix said, surveying the crater. "Rest in pieces, little friend. The power of an S-Rank… it's beyond comprehension, even for time itself." He chuckled
He turned around and walked a few paces crouching down he retrieved his axe. He caressed the blade lovingly. "To think I'd dirty you with the blood of such unworthy creatures."
The adventurer, now weak and fading fast, stared at Felix with a mixture of awe and terror. 'He's a monster,' he thought, his mind reeling.
Felix turned to him. "Oh shit, almost forgot about you." He rushed to the man's side, kneeling down.
The man weakly waved him away. "Lost… too much… blood…" he gasped, blood gurgling in his throat. "Goblin cave… employers… taken… please… save them…" He pointed weakly towards the forest, his hand falling limp as his eyes glazed over.
"Stay with me! We have a healer!" Felix shouted, slapping the man's face, but it was too late. The bleeding had stopped. The man was dead.
Felix slammed his fist against the man's chest. "Damn it! You held on this long… I won't let your death be in vain." He stood, his gaze fixed on the direction the man had indicated.
"I'll give you a proper burial when I return," he muttered with a sombre smile on his lips. His glowing blue eyes left trails of light as he vanished into the darkness.
Minutes later, he emerged into another clearing. Before him loomed a gray, rocky mountain, its barren slopes stark against the moonlit sky. The sudden shift in the moonlight revealed a cave entrance, guarded by two hulking figures clad in crude leather armor.
'Hobgoblins… in a place like this?' He thought, his still-activated Hunter's Heart causing his eyes to glow, a beacon in the night. The hobgoblins saw the glow and retreated into the cave.
"Don't make me chase you," he called out mockingly, but they were gone. He sighed. "Fine, have it your way." He stretched his arms, then approached the cave entrance.
The stench hit him first. A putrid mix of death and decay, so strong it made his eyes water. He was no stranger to such smells, but this… this was potent.
Inside, the cave walls were slick with moisture, illuminated by flickering torches. The floor crunched beneath his boots – a carpet of bones, human and animal.
He pressed on, deeper into the heart of the mountain. Finally, he reached a large cavern. Two hobgoblins stood guard beside a massive goblin king seated on a throne of skulls.
The goblin king sniffed the air, its face contorting in rage. "You… you smell, me children's blood! Where are they!?"
Felix struggled to contain his laughter. "Your majesty," he said sarcastically, "Me kill them."
The hobgoblins snarled, baring their teeth.
The goblin king slammed his fist against the throne. "Me eat man!"
"Wait, you eat what?" Felix feigned shock.
"Me eat man meat!" The goblin king stood, his towering form revealed as he rose from a depression in the cavern floor.
"Hold on, buddy, at least buy me a drink first…" Felix chuckled, sliding his axe behind his belt, raising his hands in mock surrender.
"Me eat him first! Then you! Then woman… me breed!" The goblin king gestured towards two cowering figures in the corner, previously obscured by one of the hobgoblins.
Felix let out a sigh of relief, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Oh, for a second there, I thought… never mind. Forgot your kind enjoys… consuming male humans and enslaving females for breeding purposes." He shook his head.
"Kill him!" the goblin king roared. The hobgoblins charged.
"Fine, let's dance," Felix laughed, advancing towards them, empty-handed.
The first hobgoblin charged, arms outstretched, attempting to grapple him. Felix waited, and as the creature drew near, he delivered a slap so powerful that the hobgoblin's head practically spun 360 degrees, spinning around with a sickening crack of bone and tearing flesh. As the head spun back into place with a confused and shocked expression. The body, propelled by the force of the blow recoiled also and spun 360 degrees also, violently landing in a heap behind him, its neck a mangled ruin.
"Definitely dead," Felix quipped, glancing at the corpse.
The other hobgoblin, undeterred, charged with a flaming torch.
Felix reached into his pocket, pulling out a small pouch. He emptied the contents into his mouth and spat the mixture onto the torch. The liquid ignited, spraying flames onto the hobgoblin's face.
The burning substance clung to its skin, refusing to be extinguished. The creature screamed in agony, its flesh sizzling and popping as it hit its face with its hands.
Falling to its knees before him it beat its head against the ground in a desperate attempt to end its suffering, the smell of burning flesh filling the air. With a final convulsive jerk, it smashed its skull against the stone floor, silencing its screams.
"Easy kill," Felix muttered, discarding the pouch. He turned towards the goblin king.
The king recoiled, his eyes wide with fear. His best warriors had been slaughtered in mere seconds. "Human… you… dragon witch?"
Felix sighed, visibly annoyed. "No, I'm no warlock. But you now owe me that drink."
"That was some of the most expensive liquor you knos". Shaking his head as he pointed at the discarded pouch.
Enraged, the goblin king grabbed his massive club which was resting beside his throne. "Fury of the King!" he roared.
His bones cracked and shifted, his body swelling with unnatural muscle. He grew taller, broader, his skin bulging with veins, a green aura enveloping him. He raised his now-spiked club which had also evolved towards Felix. "Human challenge me! Me true king! You die!"
The woman in the corner screamed. "Run! Don't fight it! You'll die!" The man beside her echoed her plea. "We're not worth it! Save yourself!"
Felix yawned, unimpressed by the display. He casually drew his axe. "Let's get this over with. I have people waiting for me."
The goblin king grinned, raising his club for the killing blow.
Felix walked slowly towards him, then stopped. He raised his axe with his head facing the ground, his voice echoing through the silent cavern. "Omae wa mou…"
The goblin king paused, confused. "What?"
In a blur of motion, Felix swung his axe and returned to his initial stance.
The goblin king laughed before exploding into perfectly diced chunks of flesh and bone, blood splattering across the cavern floor.
"…Shindeiru… You are already dead," Felix whispered, meticulously wiping a single speck of blood that had fallen on his axe.
The young man and woman stared in stunned silence. Killing an awakened goblin king in a single blow… it was unheard of.
"That was… amazing! Was it a magic spell!?" the young nobleman stammered.
Felix sheathed his axe, approaching them with a reassuring smile. "Nah, it's something the pope says before he kills an enemy in single combat. Transmigrators are weird, I know, but it felt fitting borrowing his words." He knelt before the woman, a look of concern on his face. "Are you two alright? Hurt anywhere?"
"No, we're fine, thanks to you! We don't even have a scratch. We were dragged here… who knows what would have happened if you hadn't come."
"Good, good," Felix smiled, cupping her face in his rough hands, his thumbs caressing her soft cheeks.
"Thank you, thank you so much. I'm Amelia, and this is my brother, Zachary. We're merchants… we can't thank you enough," she whispered, gazing into his eyes. Zachary nodded gratefully, a relieved smile on his face.
Felix's smile widened. "No, thank you… for not getting hurt."
A sickening snap suddenly echoed through the cave.
"What…?" Zachary whispered, his eyes widening in horror as he saw his sister's head twisted at an unnatural angle now looking back at him but her body still facing forward.
Felix stood, dusting off his hands, then turned to Zachary.
"Why!?" Zachary screamed, his voice cracking with grief and disbelief.
Felix's face was impassive. "Hard to explain, really. But I'm sorry."
"Wait! I can pay you! Please don't kill me! It's not worth it! I beg you!"
Felix kicked Zachary in the chest, sending him sprawling. He sat on the young man's stomach, pinning him to the ground. Zachary gasped for air, the weight crushing his lungs.
"You said it yourself, Zachary. You're not worth it." Felix picked up a nearby rock raising it up in the air.
Zachary screamed, raising his hands to protect his head. "That's not what I meant! Please! There's no need for this! We can work something out!"
His pleas were cut short as Felix brought the rock down on his face with a sickening crunch. Bone and cartilage offered little resistance. Blood and brain matter splattered across the cave floor. He lifted the rock, revealing the ruin of Zachary's face, his screams replaced by gurgling moans.
"Ple...ase . . .St. . .op", Zacharys face bashed in tried to speak with a half open jaw.
"Sorry, buddy," Felix whispered, a somber smile on his face. He brought the rock down again and again, each blow met with the wet sound of pulverized bone and flesh. When he was finished, all that remained was a mangled, unrecognizable mess.
Felix stood, walked slowly over to Amelia's corpse, and tore strips of cloth from her dress. He meticulously wiped his hands, then ripped more cloth, stripping her body from chest to groin leaving the corpse naked.
He sighed, shaking his head. "This is… beneath me." He walked over to the goblin king's throne and settled into it, wiggling to get comfortable. A smirk spread across his face.
"Open Hidden Status."
[Password:*****]
"Blue Blood"
[Password: Confirmed]
[Now Displaying Hidden Attributes, the rest can be viewed on the normal status]
[Real Name: Grauss the Blood Fiend]
[Age: 737]
[Rank: Lower S Rank]
[Class: Hunter Fiend]
[Race: Human Variant (High Born Blue Blood)]
[Blessing: Hunter's Pride - Accumulates life points and EXP from solo kills of unharmed prey. All creatures are prey.]
[Forbidden Arts: Create Doppel (Creates a body double, consumes all MP)]
[Debuff: High born blue blood humans cannot use elemental magic]
[Main Weapon: War god's Battle Axe]
He glanced at the bodies, sighing again. "Sorry, guys. Being a hunter… it's a curse, really. You see why I had to do it. This messed up blessing…" He hung his head. "I'll give you a decent burial, at least that much I can do."
A maniacal laughter suddenly erupted from him, echoing through the cavern like the cries of a demon. He looked up, his blue eyes glowing with an unnatural light.
[Six Low Tier Goblins Slain: +12xp]
[Two Hobgoblins Slain: +40xp]
[One Awakened Goblin King Slain: +75xp]
[One Human Male Merchant Hunted: +250xp +15 Life Points]
[One Human Female Noble Hunted: +250xp +15 Life Points]
[Congratulations! You have received an additional +15 years to your lifespan.]
"I will live forever," he hissed, his voice a mix of triumph and madness. "Forever to hunt. Forever to feed." He slapped his face excitedly with both hands like an unhinged mad man. "These paltry EXP gains… they're nothing. My kind needs more. Much more."
A sudden realization struck him. "Yes! Why didn't I think of it before? There might be another one just like me another blue blood!…If I hunt them down imagine the life points I could receive." A cruel grin emerged as he licked his lips.
He extended his hand, a holographic screen appearing without a word. [Forbidden Arts: Create Doppel]
The screen shifted, taking the shape of a human form. An exact replica of Felix materialized, complete with his axe.
He smiled at his double. "You know what to do."
The clone grinned back. "Of course." It vanished in a blur of motion, leaving a faint whisper of wind in its wake.
He stood up from the throne and began to slowly walk towards the exit. He whilsted a twisted melodic tune as he looked at the carnage he had done within the cave, he began nodding his head in twisted aporoval.
"Really got to hand it to myself, really did a number here. . . ." He laughed with a smug expression on his face, "Imagine if I had gotten serious."
Felix stepped out of the cave, taking a deep breath of the night air, the metallic scent of blood barely registering anymore. He gazed at the moon, his eyes burning with a cold fire. "I really hope I'm right about this… if the person I'm thinking of is a blue blood…but hey if they aren't guess I might just kill them all."
He disappeared into the shadows, a predator hungry for more, his laughter echoing through the ancient trees.