Chapter 6 - Heavy weapons and the first Hunt

The forest had become Kael's workshop.

For weeks, he had trained without rest.

His Metal Control had improved dramatically.

His mana control was becoming more precise.

And scattered around his small training camp were the results of his work.

A pistol.

A submachine gun.

An assault rifle.

A sniper rifle.

A machine gun.

Each weapon represented another step in understanding his family's bloodline.

But Kael wasn't satisfied.

His eyes fell upon the page he had marked several days ago.

RPG-Type Heavy Weapon.

Kael picked up the book.

Unlike the sections on ordinary firearms, the information here was extremely limited.

The Darven family had deliberately avoided recording detailed information about heavy weapons.

Only their general principles remained.

Kael frowned.

“Even the Darvens were careful with this.”

That made him even more interested.

He closed the book.

“Then I'll figure it out myself.”

The Heavy Weapon

Kael gathered a large amount of iron.

Then he added mithril.

His previous weapons had been relatively small.

This was different.

The amount of metal required was enormous.

Kael closed his eyes.

Metal Control.

Mana flowed through his body.

The surrounding metal began moving.

Instead of controlling everything at once, Kael separated the materials into several groups.

One group formed the main body.

Another formed the internal magical structure.

The mithril reinforced the areas that would experience the greatest strain.

Kael's forehead became covered in sweat.

His concentration was being pushed to its limit.

“Slowly…”

He continued.

Hours passed.

The weapon gradually took shape.

By sunset, Kael finally released his control.

A large, dark-metal launcher rested on the ground.

Mithril lines ran across its body, glowing faintly with blue light.

Kael stared at it.

His breathing was heavy.

Then the System appeared.

[Heavy Weapon Forging proficiency increased.]

[Metal Control proficiency increased.]

Kael smiled.

He had created his first heavy weapon.

But he wasn't going to recklessly test it.

Instead, he created a magical projectile whose destructive force came from condensed mana rather than a conventional explosive.

He carried the weapon far away from his camp.

After finding a distant rock formation, Kael carefully prepared the test.

He stepped back.

Mana flowed into the launcher.

The magical projectile shot forward.

A brilliant flash erupted.

BOOM!

The ground trembled.

Dust filled the forest.

When the dust cleared, a large portion of the rock formation had been destroyed.

Kael stared.

“That's…”

He paused.

“Powerful.”

The System appeared.

[Mana-based heavy weapon successfully created.]

[Heavy Weapon category registered.]

Kael looked at the weapon again.

Then he noticed something strange.

His Metal Control felt different around it.

He placed his hand against the metal.

A strange sensation entered his mind.

For a brief moment—

He saw a battlefield.

Thousands of Darven warriors stood beneath a burning sky.

Weapons covered the ground.

At the center stood a Darven warrior wearing black armor.

Behind him was an enormous metallic beast.

The warrior held a weapon Kael had never seen before.

Then—

The vision vanished.

Kael stumbled backward.

“What was that?”

The System gave no answer.

Kael's expression became serious.

There were still many secrets hidden within his bloodline.

And he had barely begun uncovering them.

An Unexpected Hunt

The next morning, Kael heard a growl.

He immediately grabbed his Darven katana.

Another growl came from behind him.

Then another.

Kael slowly turned.

Red eyes appeared between the trees.

One pair.

Then five.

Then ten.

More continued appearing.

Kael counted them.

Twenty.

His expression became serious.

These weren't the same creatures he had encountered before.

Their bodies were larger.

Black scales covered portions of their skin.

Crimson energy pulsed through their veins.

Kael activated his System's identification function.

[Species: Bloodfang Wolf]

[Level: 3]

[Rank: Common]

Kael's eyes narrowed.

Another creature stepped forward.

It was larger than the others.

Its claws were longer.

Its crimson eyes glowed brighter.

[Species: Bloodfang Wolf]

[Level: 6]

[Rank: Elite]

Kael smiled slightly.

“So there are different ranks.”

The wolves suddenly charged.

First Level-Up

Kael raised his hand.

Metal fragments shot from the ground.

The first Bloodfang Wolf leaped over them.

Kael drew his katana.

CLANG!

The wolf's claws collided with the blade.

Kael was thrown backward.

He landed on his feet.

“Strong.”

He switched weapons.

His Darven M-01 appeared in his hand.

He fired.

The first wolf fell.

[Bloodfang Wolf defeated.]

[Experience gained.]

Another attacked.

Kael moved sideways.

The assault rifle appeared in his hands.

He fired controlled bursts while retreating.

Several wolves fell.

But the Elite Bloodfang Wolf moved much faster.

It charged through the attack.

Kael barely raised his katana.

BOOM!

The impact sent him flying.

He crashed into a tree.

Pain spread through his back.

The wolf charged again.

Kael rolled aside.

The claws smashed into the tree.

Kael's eyes hardened.

“Not bad.”

He grabbed the ground.

Metal fragments erupted upward.

The wolf was trapped for a moment.

Kael switched to his katana.

One slash.

The Elite Bloodfang Wolf fell.

[Elite Bloodfang Wolf defeated.]

[Experience acquired.]

Kael's body suddenly became warm.

The System appeared.

[Experience requirement reached.]

[Level Up!]

[Level: 2]

[Attribute Points received: 5]

Kael froze.

“Five points?”

A new panel appeared.

[Unassigned Attribute Points: 5]

Kael looked at his attributes.

Strength: 8

Agility: 9

Vitality: 8

Intelligence: 11

He thought carefully.

He didn't want to put everything into Strength.

His fighting style relied heavily on speed, mana control, and Metal Control.

Kael allocated:

Strength +1

Agility +2

Vitality +1

Intelligence +1

His status changed.

Strength: 9

Agility: 11

Vitality: 9

Intelligence: 12

Kael clenched his fist.

He could feel the difference.

It wasn't enormous.

But it was real.

His body felt slightly stronger.

His movements felt quicker.

His mind felt clearer.

“So this is what leveling up feels like.”

He smiled.

“Then I'll make every level count.”

The Alpha

The remaining wolves suddenly stopped.

Kael frowned.

They weren't attacking anymore.

Instead, they were looking toward the forest.

A deep roar echoed through the trees.

ROOOOAR!

The wolves lowered their heads.

Something emerged from the darkness.

It was enormous.

Nearly twice the size of the Elite Bloodfang Wolf.

Its body was covered in black scales.

Crimson energy surrounded its claws.

Kael immediately activated identification.

[Species: Crimson Bloodfang Alpha]

[Level: 15]

[Rank: Boss]

Kael's smile disappeared.

Level 15.

He was only Level 2.

The difference was enormous.

The Alpha looked directly at him.

Kael tightened his grip on the katana.

“So this is a Boss-ranked creature.”

The Alpha disappeared.

Kael's eyes widened.

Too fast.

He barely raised his sword.

CLANG!

The impact sent him flying.

Kael crashed into the ground.

His chest hurt.

He rolled away just before another attack struck.

The ground shattered.

Kael immediately switched to his sniper rifle.

He created distance.

The magical scope locked onto the Alpha.

He fired.

The Alpha dodged.

Kael fired again.

The creature moved between the trees.

“Too fast.”

Kael changed weapons.

The machine gun appeared.

He controlled it with Metal Control while moving.

The Alpha continued advancing.

Kael realized something.

He couldn't defeat it through raw power.

So he changed tactics.

He scattered metal fragments throughout the battlefield.

Then he waited.

The Alpha charged.

Kael activated Metal Control.

The fragments moved simultaneously.

The Alpha was forced to dodge.

Kael used that opening.

His katana flashed.

The Alpha was wounded.

But it wasn't enough.

The creature roared.

Kael felt its killing intent.

His instincts screamed.

Run.

But Kael grinned.

“No.”

He poured his remaining mana into his Metal Control.

Every weapon around him rose into the air.

The pistol.

The assault rifle.

The machine gun.

The sniper rifle.

The katana.

Metal fragments.

Everything floated around him.

His head began pounding.

Blood trickled from his nose.

But he refused to stop.

“I'm a Darven.”

The weapons pointed toward the Alpha.

“I don't need to be stronger than you.”

His eyes sharpened.

“I only need to survive.”

The Alpha charged.

Kael released everything.

The forest erupted.

The Aftermath

When the dust settled, Kael was on one knee.

His breathing was ragged.

The Crimson Bloodfang Alpha was badly wounded.

But it was still alive.

Kael looked at it.

Neither of them moved.

Then the Alpha turned.

It disappeared into the forest.

Kael didn't chase it.

He knew better.

He was only Level 2.

That creature was Level 15.

The difference was far too large.

The System appeared.

[Combat experience acquired.]

[Damage dealt to Boss-ranked creature.]

[Metal Control proficiency increased.]

[Multi-Weapon Manipulation proficiency increased.]

[New Skill acquired: Metal Arsenal.]

Kael stared at the notification.

Metal Arsenal.

He slowly smiled.

He had discovered another ability of his bloodline.

He didn't need to hold every weapon.

He could control them simultaneously.

An entire arsenal could fight alongside him.

Kael looked toward the direction the Alpha had disappeared.

“Level 15…”

He clenched his fist.

“I'm Level 2.”

He wasn't disappointed.

Instead, he felt excited.

Because now he understood how enormous the world was.

And somewhere within that world existed creatures far beyond the Crimson Bloodfang Alpha.

Much later, Kael would encounter beings whose levels couldn't even be displayed normally.

Beings that had lived for thousands of years.

Beings whose strength would make a Level 15 Boss look insignificant.

And somewhere inside the pocket world—

Three such beings were waiting.

The Shadow Lion.

The Verdant Serpent.

The Bone Sovereign.

They weren't meant to be Kael's opponents yet.

They were part of a future far beyond his current strength.

Kael picked up his katana.

He looked into the darkness.

“Level 2.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Let's see how far I can go.”

Deep within the forest, something enormous opened its eyes.

Kael couldn't see it.

Couldn't sense it.

And couldn't understand it.

But for the first time—

The forest had begun to notice him.