XXXIV
The beach had transformed under the night sky, its familiar sands and surf now cloaked in a soft, eerie glow. Starlight shimmered on the dark ocean, casting rippling silver trails that seemed to stretch endlessly toward the shore. A salty breeze brushed against my face, carrying a chill that made the place feel less like a tropical paradise and more like the stage for something foreboding.
Everyone had gathered at the beach again, but the mood was anything but festive.
Around me, hunters stood in full gear, their figures sharp and alert. Gone were the swimsuits and carefree laughter from earlier in the day; now, it was all polished armor, reinforced fabric, and weapons that glinted faintly under the moonlight. The dim glow of distant resort lights made them appear as dark silhouettes against the shoreline, shadows poised for battle.
Bob stood on a makeshift podium, his voice cutting through the tense silence.
"It's time for the sixth stage," he announced, his grin wide and mischievous. "Let's call this test Read the Stars."
A few heads tilted in curiosity. I leaned in slightly, intrigued.
"Kaliya Beach Resort isn't exactly what it seems," Bob continued. "This island wasn't funded by the Hunter's Association just so hunters could get discounted vacations."
I noticed a ripple of confusion pass through the crowd. Bob's grin widened, and he looked as though he were savoring the moment.
"You see, there's a peculiar celestial phenomenon that only occurs here. Starting tonight, and lasting for nine days, this entire resort will be trapped in eternal night."
The announcement sent a wave of murmurs through the hunters. I glanced at Selena, who stood to my left, her expression alert. On my right, Black crossed his arms, scanning the surroundings with a calm intensity.
Bob's voice rang out again, this time laced with mockery. "So, what are you going to do? Simple: Escape! There will be a teleportation box waiting at the other end of the island. Arrive there before the ninth day, and you pass this test. But be warned—the night has ways to distort perception, not to mention the wild beasts that the darkness ushers forth to hunt. Oh, and one more thing…"
His grin vanished, replaced by a cold, steely expression. "The resort will be closed down for the rest of the test. No harassing the staff, okay? Or I will kill you."
A suffocating wave of killing intent washed over us, sharp and cold like a blade pressed against the throat. Even the most hardened hunters shifted uneasily. Bob's words weren't a threat—they were a promise.
And then, with a flash of light, he was gone, likely teleported away as abruptly as he'd appeared.
The hunters wasted no time, dashing toward the darkened treeline in groups. I stayed where I was, watching as they disappeared into the shadows. Selena and Black turned to me, clearly waiting for guidance.
"If Leora were here," Selena said with a pout, "she'd breeze through this."
Unfortunately, I wasn't Leora.
"Let's hold back and strategize," I said, scanning the forest edge. "Rushing in without a plan won't help. Bob didn't specify cryptids, but that doesn't mean the creatures out here are any less dangerous. This is the sixth stage—there's got to be more to it than just animals."
Selena raised an eyebrow, her skepticism clear. "Hopefully, you're not overthinking it," she said, crossing her arms.
"Better to overthink than to be caught off guard," I replied, my gaze following the hunters who were already vanishing into the trees. "Besides, nothing about Bob's tests has been straightforward so far."
"Good point," Black said, relaxing slightly. "So, what's the plan? My spiders aren't great for exploring—they're built for surveillance, and they're way too small to cover much ground out here."
I gave him a reassuring nod. "No worries. I've got navigation covered."
While everyone else had been partying the night before, I'd been quietly working, spreading my Soul Links throughout the area like webs during the party. These Soul Links served as anchor points, allowing me to build a rough mental map of the forest. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than wandering blindly.
Thanks to my non-stop training, I could now manifest my Soul Links in a longer period of time… of course, at the expense of my mental energy…
I focused, bringing up the list of attributes I could borrow through my Soul Link. One caught my attention: "Homing," an ability from Gerry—the same guy who'd tried to kill me earlier in the exams. His attribute was designed to guide projectiles to their targets, but I could adapt it to lead us toward the teleportation box.
Borrowing the attribute, I felt a faint sense of direction solidify in my mind, like an invisible arrow pointing forward.
"Got it," I said with a small smile.
Even as I spoke, a creeping unease settled in my chest. The exams had been almost too easy for me so far, and I couldn't shake the feeling that the real test was still waiting—the one that would knock me back on my heels and leave me scrambling to survive.
I glanced at Black. "Mind if I borrow that pendant you got from the fifth stage?"
He raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
The items we'd earned in the last exam weren't just rewards; they were high-quality, semi-finished Maker products—essentially blank slates ready to be shaped into artifacts tailored to our aura. For most hunters, they were rare luxuries.
I held up a hand, reassuring him. "Don't worry—I'm not going to steal it or change anything about it. I just need it as a medium for something."
Black hesitated for a moment, then handed over the pendant. "Fine, but don't mess it up."
Taking the pendant, I turned my attention back to the forest.
I wrapped my fingers around the cool metal chain and focused intently. Carefully, I imbued it with the homing attribute I'd borrowed. The pendant began to tremble in my hand, and then, slowly, it floated upward, pointing in a specific direction like a compass drawn to its true north.
Selena let out a low whistle. "Now that is convenient."
Black's curiosity deepened into intrigue. "How does it work?"
I glanced at him, deciding that honesty wouldn't hurt—especially since the homing attribute wasn't technically mine. "I used a borrowed attribute—homing—to make the pendant point away from this area. It can only do that because I've scattered my Soul Links as anchor points. They give me a rough sense of direction."
Both of them nodded, impressed. I could see the idea being mentally filed away for future use. The pendant's steady pull guided us forward, and we fell into formation: me at the front, Selena right behind, and Black flanking my left. Every step was deliberate, our movements synchronized and purposeful. We'd honed this strategy for stealth, efficiency, and survival.
Selena couldn't cloak us entirely in invisibility while we moved, but she'd done something clever with her aura technique. She'd disguised each of us to look like someone else in our group. I was disguised as Black, Black as Selena, and Selena as me. It was a solid countermeasure, one that would confound anyone trying to track or ambush us. If an attack came, the aggressor would likely target the wrong person.
It was disconcerting, seeing each other in swapped guises, but I trusted the strategy. It weaponized deception itself, giving us another edge in this unpredictable test. That said, it wasn't foolproof. Hunters could spring an ambush regardless of what information they had, but at least we'd made their job harder.
The island was unlike anything I'd ever seen. As the chairman had warned, the celestial phenomenon wreaked havoc on my perception. The landscape seemed to shift subtly, shadows flickered and stretched unnaturally, and a constant feeling of disorientation gnawed at my senses. Trees loomed darker, paths twisted and looped back on themselves in ways that defied logic, and even the stars above seemed to sway and distort, turning the night sky into a surreal mosaic.
Still, with the techniques I'd prepared, we stayed on course. The pendant, imbued with the homing attribute, led us steadily forward, while my Soul Links acted as a personal compass, recalibrating our bearings whenever the island's tricks tried to throw us off.
Occasionally, cries and howls echoed from deeper in the forest, mingling with the sounds of scuffles and shouts from the hunters ahead of us. They were clashing with the beasts the island had unleashed. Their decision to charge ahead had turned them into bait, drawing the creatures' attention and clearing the way for us. It wasn't cowardice on our part—it was strategy. By the time we reached those dangers, they'd either be neutralized or distracted.
Even so, I couldn't shake a sense of unease. This was almost too easy, just like the last tests. Was I actually overpowered? It felt strange, adapting so quickly to this world, to aura, to everything. My progress should have been gradual, fraught with struggle. Instead, I was mastering advanced techniques and executing complex strategies with alarming ease. It scared me, if I was being honest.
I exhaled softly, pushing the thought aside. Dwelling on it wouldn't help. I had a purpose here, a reason that drove me forward. My family depended on me, and I couldn't afford to let doubts slow me down. Every step I took brought me closer to eliminating the threats looming over us.
Black's hand shot up suddenly, signaling us to halt. He leaned forward, squinting into the darkness. Even though scouting wasn't his primary skill, Black's aura beasts made him the best scout we had. In a low whisper, he said, "There's something up ahead. Be ready."
We went silent, instinctively tightening our formation.
Black's signal brought us to a halt, our breathing shallow as we strained to see what he'd noticed. The forest ahead was shrouded in a dense, unnatural darkness, the kind that swallowed light and blurred the lines between reality and illusion.
Selena crouched low beside me, her hand resting on the hilt of her weapon. "What do you see?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Black didn't respond immediately. His gaze remained fixed ahead, his body tense as if ready to spring into action at any moment. Finally, he muttered, "Movement. Can't tell if it's hunters or something else."
I glanced at the pendant still floating before us, its chain trembling slightly as it pointed forward. Whatever was ahead, it was in our path.
"We need a plan," I whispered, shifting my stance. "If it's hunters, we might be able to negotiate—or at least avoid conflict. If it's something else…" I trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.
Selena smirked faintly, though her eyes stayed sharp. "Something else is more likely, given how quiet it's been. No way this test lets us stroll through without a fight."
I nodded. She wasn't wrong.
The night sky stretched out like an endless canvas, the stars and moon offering just enough light to guide us through the darkness. The eerie glow of celestial light played tricks on the mind, making shadows twist and dance like living things. The air felt heavier, each breath tinged with the primal tension of being hunted.
The moment it happened, it was almost too fast to process.
A creature burst from the underbrush with a feral snarl, its form illuminated by the faint light. It leapt toward me with all the ferocity of a wolf, yet its humanoid shape gave it an unsettling edge. Standing upright on powerful hind legs, its sinewy muscles rippled under coarse, matted fur. Its face was a grotesque amalgamation of human and wolf—long snout, sharp fangs, and glowing red eyes brimming with unbridled rage.
A werecreature. Not quite a true werewolf, but something close. Its aura wasn't as subdued or cunning as a full cryptid, but what it lacked in subtlety, it made up for in sheer berserk energy.
I didn't hesitate. My instincts kicked in, and I leapt back, flicking my right hand to unleash a Soul Chain. The shimmering chain shot out like a streak of silver light, wrapping around the creature's torso in a fluid motion.
As my Soul Chain made contact, my disguise dissolved, exposing my true aura in a radiant burst. The wolf-man faltered mid-lunge, its snarling maw snapping shut as hesitation flickered in its bloodshot eyes. It wasn't much, but the pause was all I needed.
Selena didn't waste the opportunity. Moving in front of me with practiced precision, she raised her hands, and a pair of uzis materialized in her grip. The sleek weapons glinted in the moonlight as she pulled the triggers.
The staccato roar of gunfire shattered the quiet of the night. A hail of bullets tore through the wolf-man's body, each shot precise and merciless. Blood sprayed in every direction as the creature let out a guttural howl, its once-feral energy reduced to a gory heap at Selena's feet.
But the danger wasn't over.
"More incoming!" Black's voice cut through the tension, sharp and urgent.
I turned to see him raise his hand, his shadow stretching unnaturally beneath him. The dark silhouette writhed and contorted, taking on a monstrous form. It grew until it resembled a shapeless beast, its edges flickering like flames but with an unsettling solidity. Black's shadow beast bristled with dark energy, a menacing presence that seemed to defy the light of the stars.
The forest erupted with movement. Shapes darted between the trees, their glowing red eyes piercing through the gloom. More wolf-men emerged, circling us in wide, predatory arcs. Their low growls and snapping jaws formed a sinister chorus, their hunger palpable.
"Selena, cover the flanks!" I shouted, pulling my weapon free from its holster.
Selena nodded, spinning on her heel to unleash another volley of bullets at the encroaching pack. The muzzle flashes illuminated her fierce expression, her movements a deadly dance of precision and speed.
Black's shadow beast lunged forward, slamming into one of the wolf-men with a force that sent it sprawling. The creature writhed under the weight of the shadowy mass, its snarls muffled as Black's beast smothered it with dark tendrils.
I focused on the wolf-men closing in from the front. Channeling my aura, I sent out another Soul Chain, aiming to snare the nearest attacker. The chain wrapped around its legs, yanking it off balance and sending it crashing to the ground.
Selena's bullets found their mark, tearing through another wolf-man as it lunged for her. Black's beast tore into a third, its dark tendrils slicing through flesh like a blade.
But for every one we took down, it seemed like two more appeared from the shadows. The pack was relentless, their numbers growing with every passing second.
"Too many," Selena hissed, her uzis smoking as she paused to reload. "We can't hold this position!"
She was right. If we stayed here, we'd be overwhelmed.
"Fall back!" I ordered, my voice firm despite the chaos. "We'll regroup deeper in the forest!"
Black's beast retreated at his command, forming a protective barrier between us and the advancing pack. Selena and I moved in tandem, covering each other as we pushed toward a narrow path that veered away from the main trail.
The wolf-men howled in frustration, their cries echoing through the trees as we disappeared into the darkness.
We didn't stop until the sounds of pursuit faded into the distance. Only then did we pause, catching our breath in the oppressive stillness of the forest.
Selena wiped blood from her cheek, her expression grim. "That was too close."
Black nodded, his shadow beast retreating into him as his aura stabilized. "They're not just animals," he said, his voice low. "Something's driving them, coordinating them. This isn't random."
I clenched my fists, my mind racing. He was right. The werecreatures were more organized than they should've been, their movements too deliberate for a mindless pack.
Whatever was behind this, we'd have to figure it out—and fast.
~034