Kiera_Yanagi

  For days, Yuki had fought without respite, her survival instincts honed to a razor's edge under the unrelenting threat of death. The silver-tail wolves were a relentless pack, their bodies moving as one, the wind sshes they wielded cutting through the air with deadly precision. Their razor-sharp cws and fangs tore at her, each strike testing her endurance, each breath a battle against the inevitable.

  Her only salvation was the dark, unstable power of [Void Resonance]—a skill she dared not overuse but had no choice but to wield. The cracks that formed across her body pulsed faintly, glowing with an unnatural mix of purples and bcks. From these fractures, a viscous bck liquid oozed, slithering and twisting like a living entity before shaping itself into shields, bdes, and writhing tentacles at her command.

  A wolf lunged at her, its silver fur gleaming under the pale moonlight, its fangs bared. Yuki thrust out her arm, and a web of cracks split open along her forearm. The bck liquid poured out, rippling like molten ink before hardening into a jagged shield. The wolf's cws struck with a sharp cng, the force vibrating through her bones as she pushed back with a grunt.

  Another wolf darted in from behind, but Yuki was ready. The cracks along her back fred to life, and tendrils of void erupted forth, their liquid forms coiling and snapping like serpents. They struck with brutal efficiency, wrapping around the beast’s limbs and smming it into the ground with a sickening crunch.

  The pack circled her, their eyes burning with feral hunger, their silver coats shimmering in the dim light as they sought an opening. Her body ached, every movement pulling at the fractures spreading across her skin. Yet she stood firm, her void-forged weapons pulsing with a life of their own, ready to sh out at the next attack.

  The battle reached its peak as Yuki’s bde found its mark, the void-infused weapon tearing through one of the wolves with brutal precision. The creature crumpled to the ground, lifeless. But the pack did not falter.

  A bone-chilling howl split the night, and the air seemed to tremble as the alpha emerged—a massive wolf whose fur shimmered like liquid silver, its eyes burning with savage intelligence. It moved with terrifying speed, the very wind bending to its will. Yuki barely had time to react before a violent storm of wind exploded from the alpha, the force tearing through the forest, sending branches and debris hurtling in all directions.

  She staggered, her void shields cracking under the relentless assault. The other wolves closed in, cws extended, their strikes perfectly timed to exploit her faltering defenses. Yuki clenched her fists, pouring every ounce of her will into the void energy coursing through her body. The cracks along her arms and legs widened, spilling more of the inky liquid that snaked out, forming razor-sharp tendrils.

  With a guttural cry, she shed out, the tendrils slicing through the air like whips, driving back the wolves in a flurry of dark energy. But the alpha was undeterred. It lunged, its massive form a blur of silver and fury.

  Yuki met the attack head-on, her body screaming in protest as she summoned a massive void nce from the fractures along her chest. The liquid surged outward, solidifying into a weapon of pure destruction. She thrust it forward with all her strength, the weapon piercing the alpha’s side and sending it skidding across the forest floor in a spray of silver blood.

  The alpha howled in pain but didn’t fall. It rose, its movements slower but no less determined. Yuki’s vision blurred, exhaustion cwing at her, but she forced herself to move. With a final, desperate surge of power, she channeled everything into her bde, the cracks along her body glowing brightly as the void answered her call. She swung with all her might, the bde cleaving into the alpha’s neck and severing its life with a fsh of dark energy.

  The remaining wolves froze, their courage crumbling without their leader. One by one, they retreated into the shadows, leaving Yuki alone in the aftermath.

  She colpsed to her knees, gasping for breath as the cracks across her body slowly sealed. One of her void tendrils writhed hungrily toward the fallen wolves, its dark form pulsing with insatiable hunger. Yuki clenched her fists, her mind forcing the void back into submission. The tendril recoiled, slithering back into her as if retreating from her command.

  Leaning against a tree, she activated [Harvest], drawing the essence of the fallen wolves into herself. Warmth flooded her veins, her stats soaring as the void within her pulsed with renewed strength.

  A system notification blinked into view;

  [System Notice: You Have Harvested A Skill - Alert TI.]

  Her senses were sharpened, her awareness heightened, it was a bit jarring to suddenly gain a deeper awareness of her surroundings but not enough to be overwhelming. Then another system notice popped into view;

  [System Notice: New Title Gained - Wolf Syer]Wolf SyerDescription: You have sin packs of wolf-type monsters, marking you with their blood. Wolf-type monsters now take double damage.How to Achieve: Kill two packs of wolf-type monsters.

  Yuki blinked, rereading the title. It has an effect? Her other titles didn’t. Was it because of the type of title? Shaking her head, she opened her status window, determined to understand her new power;

  Updated Status

  Name: Race: Void-Infected HumanLevel: 1Status: No Job Css

  Attributes:

  Vigor: 315/586

  Magic: 682

  Strength: 206/478

  Spirit: 312/422

  Skills:

  Rare: [Conversion TI]Unique: [Void Resonance TI], [Harvest TI], [Survivor TI]

  Legendary: [Hero TI], [Celestial TI], [Infernal TI]

  Traits:

  Passive F: [Alert TI]

  Passive A: [Survivor T1], [Easily Forgotten TI]

  Passive S: [Hero’s Charm TI], [Infernal Aura TI], [Celestial Spirit TI]

  Passive X: [Void Infection TI]

  Titles:

  Syer Title: [Wolf Syer]

  Css-Based Titles: [Jobless]Curse Titles: [Touched by the Void], [Death Faded]

  Unique Titles: [System Survivor], [Mortal Celestial]

  Fate Titles: [Discarded], [Survivor]

  World Titles: [Summoned Hero], [Forgotten One], [Celestial], [Infernal]

  Yuki leaned back against the rough bark of the tree as she opened her status screen.

  "{Syer title}?" she mused. Maybe that’s why it has an effect. She let out a long, exhausted sigh. She was tired but also pleased to see how far her stats had improved since the beginning. She didn’t know how her strength compared to the others in her css—she’d never had a chance to check their stats—but she figured she was probably close to their level when they were first summoned. Still, she hadn’t leveled up yet and had no idea how that system worked. For now, she pushed the thought aside.

  A small smile crossed her face as she remembered her first real fight. When she’d first appeared in this forest, it had been against a small pack of wolves. They hadn’t even had any skills, just brute strength and size compared to Earth wolves. Back then, she had been completely unprepared. Growing up in a modern world hadn’t prepared her to fight for her life. Their simple cw and bite attacks had been overwhelming, and she could still recall the sharp snaps of their jaws, the terror in her chest as she dodged and weaved, and the adrenaline coursing through her body as she narrowly avoided becoming their prey.

  When she finally defeated them, her first instinct had been to leave the forest entirely. The oppressive atmosphere and constant sense of being hunted had been too much. Desperation pushed her north, hoping it would lead to safety. But she quickly realized her mistake. The further north she went, the stronger and deadlier the monsters became. They were faster, rger, and far more dangerous than the wolves she had barely managed to defeat. She wouldn’t survive long if she kept going in that direction.

  Turning back, she tried heading west, hoping the forest’s edge was closer there. But the creatures were just as vicious, if not worse. Left with no other options, she ventured east, only to encounter even rger groups of monsters. No matter where she turned, danger hemmed her in.

  Eventually, she tried heading south. At first, it seemed more promising. After some time, she stumbled upon a wide stone bridge spanning a rushing river. Beyond it loomed a towering fortress. Relief surged through her at the sight of the sturdy walls; surely safety awaited her there. With hope in her heart, she stepped onto the bridge—only to have that hope shattered by the whistle of an arrow.

  Archers atop the fortress walls began firing without warning, their arrows cutting through the air with lethal precision. One grazed her cheek, the sting sharp and immediate. She touched the wound and felt her skin burn. The arrows were poisoned. Fear took over, and she retreated, fleeing as more arrows rained down. The fortress wasn’t a sanctuary; it was a death trap. She barely escaped and vowed never to return.

  Her escape routes dwindled further when she discovered strange barriers blocking her way west and east. Shimmering walls of energy repelled her every attempt to pass. The realization struck her hard: the only path left was north—the very direction she’d tried to avoid.

  With no other choice, she steeled herself and ventured deeper into the forest. Every step was a test of her will and determination. The monsters grew stronger, the battles more grueling, but with each fight, she gained something: strength, confidence, and the skills needed to survive.

  A faint smile graced her lips as she remembered a particur battle. She’d faced a hulking beast covered in jagged, obsidian-like scales that gleamed under the sparse forest light. Its curved horns and glowing red eyes radiated menace. That fight had pushed her to her absolute limit, draining her strength and magic until she was nearly empty.

  In that desperate moment, she had gained the [Conversion] skill. It allowed her to transform her dwindling spirit into other attributes—vigor, strength, or magic—replenishing whatever she needed most. With that st burst of energy, she turned the tide, delivering a decisive blow that felled the beast. The victory had come at great cost however causing her to suffer |exhausted| debuff for the next few days due to how much she pushed herself but it was worth it on the long run.

  Now, sitting beneath the tree, that memory felt distant yet comforting. She had been weak, scared, and lost when she first arrived. But those early struggles had forged her into someone stronger. Resting her head against the bark, Yuki smiled faintly. Even if she wished to return home some day and leave the forest for now she would enjoy this small moment of peace the forest seemed to give her. The Gods knew she didn't have many of those tely.

  Kiera_Yanagi