Chapter 75 — The Five Predators

The Blackwater Expanse was no longer quiet.

Kael stood beside the river, watching the five enormous signatures displayed on his System.

[High-level creatures detected.]

[Target 1: Level 44 — Lord]

[Target 2: Level 45 — Lord]

[Target 3: Level 46 — Lord]

[Target 4: Level 46 — Lord]

[Target 5: Level 48 — Lord]

Kael stared at the last number.

Forty-eight.

Only two levels beneath the minimum threshold he had set for himself before confronting a Legendary Beast.

But he wasn't going to fight the Level 48 creature yet.

Not directly.

A battle against an enemy that far above him, after everything he had already endured, would be reckless.

Kael looked at the map in his mind.

The five signatures were separated.

That was good.

It meant they weren't a pack.

Each one controlled its own territory.

Kael took out his notebook.

He drew five circles.

Then he wrote beneath them.

44.

45.

46.

46.

48.

He looked at his damaged weapons.

PR-02 was still functional.

AR-04 had several damaged sections.

HW-02 was nearly unusable.

GL-02 was intact but low on ammunition.

His katana remained dependable.

Kael closed the notebook.

“Before I fight the strongest one…”

His gaze moved toward the nearest signature.

“…I need to understand the others.”

The First Target

The Level 44 signature belonged to a region called the Drowned Forest.

Kael entered slowly.

The trees there grew directly from the water.

Their trunks were pale.

Their branches stretched across the surface like bridges.

The water was only knee-deep in some places.

In others, it dropped suddenly into deep pits.

The entire region was covered in fog.

Kael stopped.

He activated Network Sense.

Nothing obvious.

He activated Mana Detection.

Hundreds of tiny signatures.

But the Lord itself—

nothing.

Kael frowned.

“Stealth.”

He immediately lowered his presence.

The Drowned Forest became even quieter.

A drop of water fell from a branch.

Drip.

Kael didn't move.

Another.

Drip.

Then—

his danger sense triggered.

Kael jumped.

A pale branch shot through the space where his head had been.

CRACK!

The tree itself had attacked.

Kael landed on the water.

The tree's branches twisted toward him.

Then the entire forest began moving.

Kael's expression changed.

“Not a tree.”

A pale creature emerged from the trunk.

Its body was long and thin.

Its limbs resembled branches.

Its head had no mouth.

Only two glowing blue eyes.

[Drowned Mire Wraith]

Level: 44

Grade: Lord

Potential: Overlord

Traits:

Mire Camouflage

Waterform

Root Manipulation

Life Drain

Regeneration

Forest Synchronization

Territory Authority

Kael immediately understood the danger.

“The whole forest is part of its body.”

Branches attacked from every direction.

Kael created metal blades.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The blades intercepted the branches.

But every severed branch regenerated.

Kael fired PR-02.

BANG!

The round struck the Wraith.

Its body turned liquid.

The bullet passed through.

Kael frowned.

“Waterform.”

The Wraith reformed behind him.

A branch struck his shoulder.

Kael staggered.

Another attacked.

He blocked.

Another.

He ducked.

Another.

He jumped.

The Wraith was attacking from every direction.

There was no fixed body.

Kael activated Network Sense.

The entire forest appeared as a web.

Hundreds of mana lines.

But one was different.

A single thick line ran beneath the water.

Kael's eyes sharpened.

“There.”

He fired into the water.

BANG!

The Mana Disruption round struck.

The Wraith froze.

Its liquid body flickered.

Kael immediately understood.

“The body is a projection.”

He moved toward the center.

Branches erupted.

Kael cut through them.

One.

Two.

Three.

He wasn't trying to reach the monster.

He was following the mana line.

The Wraith realized what he was doing.

The entire forest erupted.

Water surged upward.

Roots tore from the ground.

Kael was surrounded.

He activated Metal Control.

A rotating metallic sphere formed around him.

Roots struck it.

BOOM!

The sphere dented.

Another attack.

CRACK!

Another.

Kael's mana began draining rapidly.

He couldn't hold it.

The sphere shattered.

A branch struck his chest.

Kael stumbled backward.

The Wraith appeared directly in front of him.

Its hand reached toward his chest.

Kael felt his strength draining.

Life Drain.

His vision blurred.

He immediately grabbed the creature's wrist.

Metal Control activated.

CLANG!

Metal spread around its arm.

The Wraith tried to turn liquid.

Kael prevented the transformation by flooding the metal with disrupting mana.

For the first time—

the creature remained solid.

Kael smiled.

“Got you.”

He pulled.

The Wraith was dragged forward.

Kael drove his knee into its chest.

Then—

katana.

SLASH!

A crack appeared.

The creature screamed.

Its entire body started breaking apart.

But the core wasn't exposed.

Kael didn't stop.

He attacked again.

SLASH!

Another crack.

The Wraith dissolved.

Kael looked around.

Nothing.

Then—

a giant root burst beneath him.

Kael jumped.

The Wraith reappeared twenty meters away.

It was healing.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“Not enough.”

He looked at the ground.

The thick mana line.

The true body wasn't the Wraith.

It was buried beneath the forest.

Kael suddenly understood why physical attacks were so ineffective.

He wasn't killing the monster.

He was fighting its avatar.

Kael reached into his Space Ring.

He pulled out six metallic stakes.

He threw them into the water.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

The Wraith attacked.

Kael ran.

It pursued.

Kael deliberately led it toward the center.

Then—

he activated the stakes.

WHUM!

A metallic field formed beneath the water.

The buried mana line became visible.

The Wraith screamed.

Its body destabilized.

Kael raised PR-02.

One round.

BANG!

The disruption round entered the water.

The buried core was struck.

The entire forest shook.

The Wraith appeared directly above the water.

This time—

it could not become liquid.

Its true body had been forced into a physical form.

Kael rushed forward.

The Wraith attacked.

Kael blocked.

The force sent him backward.

It attacked again.

Kael stepped aside.

A branch struck.

He cut it.

Another.

He ducked.

The Wraith was adapting rapidly.

Kael changed his approach.

He stopped trying to outfight it.

Instead—

he stepped backward toward the metal field.

The Wraith followed.

Kael activated the remaining conductors.

The monster's feet became trapped.

Kael rushed in.

Katana.

SLASH!

Chest.

SLASH!

Shoulder.

The Wraith tried to regenerate.

Kael fired PR-02.

BANG!

The disruption round stopped it.

Kael reached into his Space Ring and pulled out a physical round.

He loaded it.

The Wraith lunged.

Kael sidestepped.

The creature's body twisted.

Kael placed the muzzle of the rifle directly against its core.

BANG!

The shot exploded through the center.

The Wraith froze.

The Drowned Forest became still.

Its body slowly collapsed.

[Drowned Mire Wraith defeated.]

[Territory Lord defeated.]

[Territory Core obtained.]

[Experience acquired.]

Kael breathed heavily.

No level-up.

He wasn't surprised.

The experience requirement was increasing rapidly.

He looked at the core.

Another lesson.

Enemy problem.

Study.

Solution.

He wrote it down.

Drowned Mire Wraith

Problem: Intangible body and environmental regeneration.

Solution: Locate true mana core and force physical manifestation.

Key discovery: Network Sense can identify hidden territory anchors when ordinary perception fails.

Kael closed his notebook.

“One.”

The Second Target

The Level 45 signature belonged to a canyon several kilometers north.

The terrain became dry.

The river disappeared.

Huge cliffs surrounded a narrow valley.

Kael stepped inside.

The System immediately warned him.

[Territory Authority detected.]

Kael stopped.

The cliffs moved.

Not physically.

The shadows moved.

A figure appeared on the cliff above him.

Four arms.

Black fur.

Two horns.

And a massive stone hammer.

[Blackhorn Ravager]

Level: 45

Grade: Lord

Potential: Overlord

Traits:

Stonebreaker Strength

Shadow Step

Four-Armed Combat

Kinetic Absorption

Predator's Instinct

Territory Authority

The Ravager smiled.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

This monster looked intelligent.

Very intelligent.

The creature stepped forward.

Then vanished.

Kael's danger sense activated.

Behind him.

He turned.

Too late.

BOOM!

The hammer struck his metal barrier.

The barrier exploded.

Kael was thrown across the canyon.

He rolled.

The monster was already there.

Two arms attacked.

Kael blocked.

The other two struck.

He twisted.

One fist hit the ground.

The canyon shook.

Kael jumped.

The Ravager vanished again.

Shadow Step.

Kael activated Network Sense.

The creature disappeared from its network signature.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“Interesting.”

The monster emerged from his shadow.

Kael jumped.

He barely avoided the attack.

The hammer struck his leg.

Kael stumbled.

His body almost collapsed.

He retreated.

The creature followed.

Kael fired AR-04.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The rounds struck.

The Ravager absorbed the impact.

Its muscles tightened.

Then it attacked faster.

Kael immediately stopped firing.

“Kinetic Absorption.”

The same mistake again.

He had given the enemy strength.

The Ravager charged.

Kael used the terrain.

He climbed a cliff.

The monster followed.

Kael jumped across a gap.

The Ravager followed effortlessly.

Kael fired a single physical shot.

The creature caught the bullet.

Kael's expression changed.

It had learned.

The Ravager crushed the bullet between two fingers.

“You rely too much on your weapons.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

It spoke.

The monster smiled.

“You're predictable.”

Kael smiled back.

“Then you should be confident.”

He dropped the rifle.

The Ravager stared.

Kael drew his katana.

For several seconds—

they simply watched each other.

Then both moved.

The Ravager struck with four arms.

Kael parried the hammer.

Blocked a fist.

Dodged another.

The fourth arm caught his shoulder.

Kael spun.

The katana cut across the creature's side.

It barely reacted.

The Ravager swung the hammer.

Kael ducked.

The attack shattered the canyon wall.

Kael kicked its knee.

Nothing.

He attacked again.

Nothing.

The Ravager's physical strength was absurd.

Kael changed tactics.

Instead of fighting four limbs—

he attacked the ground.

His katana struck a crack beneath the monster.

The stone collapsed.

The Ravager dropped.

Kael jumped after it.

The creature used Shadow Step.

Kael anticipated it.

Metal Control formed a ring around his own shadow.

The creature emerged.

Its foot struck the metal.

CLANG!

Kael attacked.

SLASH!

One arm was cut.

The Ravager roared.

It attacked faster.

Kael retreated.

The battle continued.

One minute.

Two.

Three.

Kael was beginning to understand its rhythm.

Four arms didn't mean random attacks.

The creature had a fixed sequence.

Hammer.

Left fist.

Right fist.

Rear strike.

Then Shadow Step.

Repeat.

Kael smiled.

“You do have a pattern.”

The Ravager's smile disappeared.

Kael began exploiting it.

Hammer—

step aside.

Left—

duck.

Right—

block.

Rear—

jump.

Shadow Step—

metal barrier.

Attack.

Again.

Again.

The monster became increasingly frustrated.

It changed the pattern.

Kael adapted.

Then it changed again.

Kael adapted again.

The Ravager suddenly stopped.

Its body became covered in black energy.

The entire canyon darkened.

Kael's expression changed.

[Territory Technique detected.]

[Shadow Dominion.]

The monster split into five shadows.

Kael looked around.

Five identical signatures.

He couldn't determine the original.

One attacked.

Kael blocked.

Another attacked.

He dodged.

A third.

A fourth.

Five.

All at once.

Kael was overwhelmed.

He retreated rapidly.

Then—

he remembered the Drowned Forest.

Find the real structure.

Not the projection.

Kael activated Network Sense.

Four shadows disappeared.

One remained connected to the territory.

Kael smiled.

“There.”

The real Ravager attacked.

Kael charged toward it.

Their weapons collided.

Kael redirected the hammer.

The Ravager attacked with its other three arms.

Kael activated Darven Forge.

Metal formed around his left arm.

He blocked.

The pressure crushed him backward.

Kael gritted his teeth.

Then—

he let the hammer hit the metal arm.

Kinetic energy was absorbed by the metal.

Kael redirected it.

Metal Control released the stored force sideways.

The Ravager lost balance.

Kael stepped in.

One slash.

Second.

Third.

He targeted the same joint repeatedly.

The Ravager tried Shadow Step.

Kael's metal ring prevented it.

The creature's eyes widened.

Kael attacked.

SLASH!

The arm fell uselessly.

The Ravager roared.

Kael attacked again.

The other arm.

Then the leg.

The creature became slower.

But not defeated.

It released Shadow Dominion again.

Kael expected it.

He closed his eyes.

Network Sense.

One signature.

He turned.

The real one.

Kael fired a physical round directly into its chest.

BANG!

The monster staggered.

Kael rushed.

The Ravager raised the hammer.

Kael didn't block.

He stepped inside its range.

The hammer passed behind him.

Kael's katana struck the creature's chest.

SLASH!

A deep crack appeared.

The creature tried Shadow Step.

Kael slammed his palm into the ground.

Metal sealed its shadow.

The Ravager couldn't move.

Kael stared into its eyes.

“You were right.”

The monster looked confused.

Kael raised his katana.

“I was predictable.”

The blade came down.

The battle ended.

[Blackhorn Ravager defeated.]

[Territory Lord defeated.]

[Experience acquired.]

[Level Up.]

[Level 37 reached.]

Kael fell backward onto the stone.

He laughed quietly.

“Finally.”

Five points.

He allocated:

+1 Strength

+2 Agility

+1 Vitality

+1 Intelligence

[Strength: 35]

[Agility: 45]

[Vitality: 41]

[Intelligence: 40]

[Mana: 41]

Kael stood.

Two more Lord-class victories.

One level gained.

And three dangerous signatures remained.

Level 46.

Level 46.

Level 48.

He looked toward the remaining territories.

The nearest Level 46 signature was already moving.

Kael's expression became serious.

“It's coming toward me.”

He opened his notebook.

Then closed it.

He didn't have time to prepare a battlefield.

This hunt was changing.

The enemies were no longer waiting for him.

They were beginning to hunt him.

Kael slowly drew his katana.

The air behind him grew cold.

A shadow appeared between the canyon walls.

Then another.

Something enormous was approaching.

The System activated.

[High-level creature approaching.]

[Level: 46]

[Grade: Lord]

[Potential: Overlord]

[Classification: Unknown Variant]

[Estimated distance: 900 meters.]

[Velocity increasing.]

Kael's eyes sharpened.

Nine hundred meters.

Eight hundred.

Seven hundred.

The monster was coming fast.

Kael stepped into a combat stance.

He had fourteen levels to go.

Now—

the hunt was coming to him.

And the next battle would begin without preparation.