Chapter 55: Hunt

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Hunt

"Confidence comes from discipline and training." — Robert Kiyosaki

The ink on the new Guild contract was barely dry when Riven walked back out into the chilly twilight of the frontier settlement.

The contract had been pinned near the bottom of the board, marked with an urgent red warning.

F Rank Priority Nocturnal Asset Protection & Extermination

A timber camp situated three miles into the pine covered foothills had reported losing six guard dogs and a watchman over the last three nights. The workers had heard strange noises coming from the surrounding forest, but every attempt to investigate had ended with nothing more than bloodstains and broken branches.

The camp scouts had caught glimpses of the creature responsible.

A Gloom Stalker.

Riven had heard of them before. They were feline predators native to deep shadow rifts, where the boundary between light and darkness was thin. Their fur could bend surrounding light, making them nearly impossible to see in dark environments. They were also exceptionally quiet, capable of moving through dense undergrowth without disturbing so much as a leaf.

Most adventurers refused to hunt them.

Tracking an invisible predator in the middle of the night was dangerous enough. Fighting one without knowing where it was coming from was practically a death sentence.

For Riven, however, the contract offered something valuable.

A chance to test what Garreth had taught him.

He adjusted his heavy wool cloak and checked the short sword secured at his hip. His spatial belt was fastened tightly around his waist, with the Appraisal Ocular tucked safely inside.

He had considered taking another contract, something simpler that would let him earn a little money without risking his life.

But he was tired of fighting enemies who were weaker than him.

If he wanted to improve, he needed to face something that could actually threaten him.

And the Gloom Stalker seemed like a suitable opponent.

Riven folded the contract and slipped it into his belt.

He didn’t return to the inn. Instead, he made straight for the northern timber road, leaving the settlement behind before the sun fully disappeared below the horizon.

The journey took longer than expected.

The road gradually narrowed as it climbed into the foothills. The last signs of civilization disappeared behind him, replaced by thick pine trees and tangled undergrowth.

By the time Riven reached the timber camp, the forest had swallowed the remaining daylight.

The camp itself was little more than a collection of wooden buildings surrounded by a crude palisade. A few lanterns hung from the watchtowers, their light barely reaching beyond the walls.

Several workers were gathered near the main building. They looked exhausted, and more than one carried a weapon.

A middle aged man wearing a thick leather coat approached him.

"You’re the adventurer from the Guild?"

Riven nodded.

"Riven. I’m here about the Gloom Stalker."

The man looked him up and down.

His gaze lingered on the obsidian half mask covering the lower part of Riven’s face before moving to the sword at his hip.

"You’re awfully young."

"I’ve heard that before."

The man frowned but didn’t argue.

"I’m Harlan. I manage the camp. We’ve already lost six dogs and one of our night watchmen. The creature attacked him near the logging trail, just beyond the old cart."

"Did anyone see it?"

"Not clearly. One of the workers saw something moving between the trees. He said it looked like a large cat, but it disappeared before he could get a good look."

Riven listened carefully.

"Has it attacked during the day?"

"No. Only at night."

"Then I’ll look for it tonight."

Harlan hesitated.

"You understand what you’re dealing with, right? We’ve had experienced hunters refuse this job."

"I understand."

"That thing doesn’t make a sound. You won’t see it coming."

Riven glanced toward the dark forest beyond the palisade.

"That’s why I’m here."

Harlan didn’t seem convinced, but he gave Riven directions to the last known attack site.

"Stay close to the trail. If you hear anything strange, come back. There’s no shame in abandoning the contract."

Riven nodded.

He had no intention of running blindly into the forest, but he also had no intention of abandoning the job without trying.

He left the camp shortly afterward.

By midnight, the forest had swallowed him whole.

The canopy of ancient pines blotted out the moonlight, plunging the overgrown logging trails into darkness. Thick roots twisted through the soil, and damp branches hung low enough to catch on his cloak.

The air smelled of pine needles, rotting bark, and the coppery tang of blood.

Riven moved carefully along the trail.

His Silent Step boots muffled the sound of his movements, but he didn’t rely on them completely. He kept his pace slow and deliberate, watching where he placed his feet.

The mask gave him a clear view of the darkness, but he knew that wouldn’t help much against a creature capable of bending light around its body.

He had to rely on something else.

Garreth’s lessons.

Riven stopped beside a splintered timber cart overturned at the edge of the logging path.

This was where the last watchman had been pulled into the brush.

The cart’s wooden frame was cracked, and one of its wheels had been torn loose. Deep claw marks ran along the side, cutting through the thick timber.

Blood had soaked into the dirt beneath it.

Riven crouched and examined the ground.

There were several drag marks leading into the trees. The soil had been disturbed, and broken branches marked the creature’s path.

He followed the trail for several paces before stopping.

Something felt wrong.

The tracks were too obvious.

A predator capable of moving without making a sound wouldn’t need to leave such a clear trail unless it had been injured or was deliberately careless.

Riven slowly stood.

He closed his eyes.

Instead of relying on his physical sight, he let his breathing fall into the slow, rhythmic cadence Garreth had beaten into him.

He relaxed his shoulders and shifted his weight slightly onto his heels.

Then he expanded his awareness.

At first, the forest seemed overwhelming.

The rustling of small animals, the creaking of branches, and the distant hoot of an owl all blended into a chaotic mixture of sound and pressure.

He could feel the uneven ground beneath his boots and the rough shapes of the trees around him.

But there was too much information.

He had to separate what mattered from what didn’t.

Riven took another slow breath.

He focused on the space immediately around him.

The forest gradually became easier to understand.

The trees registered as faint distortions in the surrounding mana. The wind moved between them in slow, predictable currents. Small animals disturbed the undergrowth, creating brief ripples that quickly disappeared.

Then he noticed something unusual.

A patch of air near the overturned cart felt different.

Riven remained still.

He waited.

Nothing happened.

He began to wonder whether he had imagined it.

Then.

Shift.

A tiny disturbance passed through the air ten paces to his left.

It was barely noticeable, little more than a subtle displacement in the surrounding pressure.

But it wasn’t natural.

Riven’s eyes remained closed.

He didn’t turn toward the disturbance or try to locate it visually.

He simply reacted.

His core tightened as he gathered mana.

Shadow Leap.

Space folded around him.

A razor sharp sweep of claws tore through the spot where his chest had been a moment earlier.

The attack struck the overturned cart instead.

Wood splintered as several deep parallel trenches appeared across its surface.

Riven materialized several paces away, landing with his knees slightly bent.

He had avoided the attack.

More importantly, he hadn’t needed to see it.

A low hiss came from behind him.

The creature was surprised.

Riven could feel it shifting its weight, preparing to turn.

He didn’t give it the opportunity.

He raised his right hand and gathered shadow mana into his palm.

The energy condensed rapidly, forming a narrow, solid spike.

Umbral Needle.

The spell formed without a sound.

The Gloom Stalker twisted toward him.

Riven sensed the movement and stepped forward.

He kept his center of gravity low, placing his weight carefully as Garreth had taught him. His feet moved smoothly across the uneven ground, avoiding the roots and stones scattered along the trail.

The creature lunged.

Riven didn’t retreat.

He stepped inside its reach.

A massive paw swept past his shoulder, close enough that he felt the wind from its claws.

He pivoted beneath the attack and drove the Umbral Needle upward.

The spell struck the soft tissue beneath the beast’s jaw.

It pierced deep.

The Gloom Stalker convulsed violently.

Its camouflage shattered almost immediately, revealing a sleek, obsidian furred panther like creature. Its body was larger than an ordinary forest cat, with powerful shoulders, long limbs, and claws capable of tearing through timber.

Its face was the most unsettling part.

There were no visible eyes.

Only empty sockets beneath the dark fur.

The creature staggered backward, its legs trembling as the spell damaged its brain stem.

Riven stepped away.

He kept his stance steady, prepared to move if it managed to recover.

But the Gloom Stalker collapsed into the mud.

Its body twitched once before going still.

For several seconds, Riven remained motionless.

He listened.

He felt the air.

He waited for another disturbance.

Nothing approached.

Only then did he relax.

Riven stood over the carcass, breathing heavily.

His heart was still beating quickly, but his stance remained solid.

He hadn’t panicked.

He hadn’t telegraphed his movements.

And he hadn’t relied on his eyes for a single second of the exchange.

The realization brought a quiet sense of satisfaction.

He had spent the previous evening getting knocked around by Garreth, struggling to sense even the simplest movements. Now, he had used those same lessons to avoid an attack from a creature that most adventurers considered too dangerous to hunt in darkness.

It wasn’t perfect.

He had only fought one opponent, and the creature had made a mistake by attacking from too close.

Still, it was progress.

Riven crouched beside the corpse and retrieved his Appraisal Ocular from his spatial belt.

He held it over his eye and activated the device.

Pale green runes flickered across its surface as it scanned the creature.

The Gloom Stalker’s body was gradually outlined by faint lines of light. The Ocular examined its hide, claws, and internal mana channels before focusing on the dense core within its chest.

Riven watched the runes carefully.

The core was unusually dense, carrying a strong void aspected mana signature. Its quality was higher than that of the ordinary monsters he had hunted around the settlement.

He nodded to himself.

That would make the contract worthwhile.

He deactivated the Ocular and put it away before taking out his short sword.

Harvesting the core took several minutes.

The creature’s hide was thick, and its muscles were tougher than they looked. Riven had to work carefully to avoid damaging the core while cutting through the chest.

Eventually, he managed to remove it.

The core was dark and heavy in his palm, with faint violet patterns running beneath its surface.

He wiped away the blood and stored it in his spatial belt.

Next, he examined the creature’s claws and hide.

The claws were sharp enough to be useful, and the hide might fetch a decent price if he could preserve it properly. He decided to take what he could carry without wasting too much time.

He had no intention of remaining in the forest until sunrise.

There could be other predators nearby.

Riven finished harvesting the most valuable parts and stood.

Before leaving, he looked once more at the Gloom Stalker’s body.

He had expected the fight to be more difficult.

That didn’t mean he should underestimate the creature. If he had reacted a fraction of a second later, its claws might have opened his chest.

He had survived because he sensed the attack in time.

And that was exactly what Garreth had been trying to teach him.

Riven adjusted his cloak and started back toward the timber camp.

The forest remained dark and quiet around him, but it no longer felt quite as overwhelming.

He could sense the trees, the uneven ground, and the subtle movement of the air.

He still couldn’t detect everything.

But he was beginning to understand how to notice what mattered.

As he walked, he thought about Garreth’s words.

The point isn’t to know everything. It’s to notice enough to keep yourself alive.

For once, Riven found himself agreeing without reservation.

He had a long way to go before he could rely on his senses in every situation. But tonight had proven that the training was working.

And that was enough for now.