The evening sky hung over the forest like a blood-red curtain torn by time. Fallen leaves couldn't mask the stench of death clinging to the air. In the midst of the rotting, silent wilderness, a lone figure moved swiftly—like a shadow that refused to be acknowledged by light.
She was Sylvia.
And at this very moment… she was hunting.
"Level 21…" she whispered, eyes fixed on the corpse of a gorilla-like mutant lying before her.
Her claws—black, long, and sharp like divine blades—still dripped with the creature's blood. In her deep red eyes reflected her own image a being between life and death, who kept climbing… and climbing… and climbing.
The mutant animals of the forest had become nothing more than fodder for her EXP. A three-eyed dog, a metal-antlered deer, even a twelve-meter-long snake that devoured the undead—all had fallen to her within minutes.
Nothing could match her speed.
Nothing could withstand the void-infused slashes of her claws.
Her level climbed rapidly. In the first three days, she had already reached Level 25. But like a curse, the higher she rose, the rarer her prey became.
Were they hiding? Or had the forest itself begun to fear her?
Day four.
Silence.
No tracks. No scent of blood.
The forest seemed to hold its breath. Sylvia stood atop a tall branch. She looked down and murmured, "I can't wait."
She stepped into the air.
Void Steps.
Her body vanished, swallowed by empty space, only to reappear thirty meters away on another branch. Then again. And again. Every time she activated the step, the world felt frozen. The air itself was drawn into the void.
And finally, in an untouched part of the forest—its northwest, where thorny plants grew thick and black swamps festered—she found them.
A two-headed mutant bear.
Level 2.
Its body rivaled a military truck in size, with claws that could rip steel and venomous fangs that melted flesh.
But Sylvia only gave a thin smile. "Perfect…"
She leapt down from the tree. Before the bear could even grunt, Sylvia's black claws had already slashed out one of its eyes.
The beast roared. Its counterattack came fast—two massive paws sweeping the earth, gouging deep trenches. But Sylvia was gone again.
Void Step.
Suddenly, she appeared on its back, slashing until the creature's spine showed. Thick blood sprayed everywhere like a storm of death.
The bear rolled wildly, trying to crush her. But Sylvia gave it no chance. One claw slashed at the neck of the right head.
Crack!
The head dropped with a thud, and the body trembled. The remaining head screamed, snapping its jaws—but missed.
Sylvia jumped back to create distance. Her eyes glinted.
"Now…".
Shadow Piercing.
Ding!! [Level Up: 28]
She exhaled, eyes on her left hand that now trembled. Not from exhaustion—but from time.
Only two days remained.
Day Six.
Only 24 hours left and Sylvia was still at Level 29.
Just one more level until Rank 3. But the mutant animals had nearly gone extinct in her hunting grounds. The smell of blood and rot was too strong, terrifying even the wildest creatures.
Sylvia sat at the base of a tree and closed her eyes.
"Still… not enough…"
There was no panic in her voice—only frustration. She knew… if she failed, evolution would be delayed. And the Chain of Abyss—a weapon perfectly suited for her—would be lost forever.
She clenched her fist.
No… I won't fail just because these beasts are hiding…
Void Steps once again activated her body, propelling her like a black flash toward the southeast. Each step devoured distance, the sounds of the forest fading behind her.
And within her heart, a single thought flowed quietly.