Dawn crept over the eastern horizon as the Ashen Wings entered the thick mist of the Whispering Woods. Dew dampened the broad leaves, creating a soft rustle with each step.
Kai Ardent stood at the forefront, his chest pounding not with fear but with anticipation. Today, he and his companions would face a real low-level predator, not a simulator at the base and the true test of their adventurers.
Beside Kai, Luna Selene frowned, bracing herself against the morning chill. She raised her ice staff, lighting the crystal at the tip so that it radiated a soft blue aura.
"Keep your distance," she said softly, her voice almost drowned out by the wind.
"Mist Panthers can glide from shadows."
Rowan, the archer, tapped his silver bow, a gleaming arrow ready to be released. Maia carried a medicine pack, her eyes watching her surroundings carefully. Ragnar Blackthorn walked a few paces ahead, wielding a greataxe, a symbol of both protection and threat.
Step by step, they made their way along the moss-covered path. Large hoof prints and dark tufts of hair dotted the damp ground,the mark of a Dire Boar, a notoriously vicious boar. His tracking elf, Serin, gave a silent signal with a raised hand, two large tracks moving south.
Ragnar paused. "Remember the order, attack from the sides, not directly at its snout and fangs. Focus on its legs to cripple its movement."
He turned to Kai. "You've just learned Bone Breaker, use focused blows to its knee joints."
Kai nodded, swallowing. "Ready." He gripped his small wooden staff, his arm muscles tensing.
On his chest, Blank Points were 1/1, ready to be redistributed if necessary.
Serin gave a signal. Slipping through tall brush, they came to a small clearing. In the center, a Dire Boar stood, its body covered in prickly pimples, its eyes glowing red. It roared the vibrations were bone-chilling and charged at a nearby tree.
"Now!"
Ragnar pounded the ground with his axe. Rowan let loose, one, two, three arrows lodged in the boar's back, only making it roar louder.
Kai darted, dodging the root trap and bouncing to the side. He channeled Bone Breaker into the boar's right knee.
CRUNCH!
The sound of cracking bones shattered the silence. The boar staggered, unable to lift its right leg. In an instant, Ragnar lunged from behind, his axe slicing into the creature's shoulder. Thick black blood spurted, branches swaying.
Before the boar could fall completely, the Mist Panther emerged from the undergrowth, a form of gray mist, its claws spraying frost. In an instant, it grabbed the boar's fallen back, holding it in its icy teeth. Its ice-attack spread, freezing the ground and the boar's wet fur.
Luna twirled her staff, summoning a flash of ice to break the frozen chains. With a measured movement, she channeled Ember Shatter, a combination of fire and ice she had learned as a unique variant, melting the ice on the boar's body and forcing the Mist Panther to retreat.
Ragnar ended all anxiety with a final axe blow to the boar's skull. Its limbs split, the boar fell, its rumbling body shaking the ground.
---
Walking steps brought them to the side of the roaring Mist Panther, strong, agile, and vengeful. The panther spun, clawing at the air between them. Rowan drove two poison-laced arrows into the creature, sending it reeling, but it did not fall.
Kai raised his staff.
"I… will try something."
A brief silence fell as the silver screen appeared:
[Kai Ardent]
[Level: 0]
[XP: 30/100 → 50/100
[Blank Points: 1/1]
XP had surged as the Dire Boar fell; now he had to decide. Kai's eyes flashed silver, an instinctive urge to allocate his Blank Points:
[✓] Combat Tree – +1 to Agility
His body felt light. In an instant, Kai leapt high, circled the Mist Panther in midair, and unleashed a Charged Bone Breaker attack right into the creature's back.
BOOM!
The shockwave shattered the frozen mist, sending the Mist Panther stumbling before it fell, its frozen fur melting slowly.
Luna stepped forward, finishing with a single gentle ice strike, not fatal, just enough to render the panther helpless. Rowan deployed a chain, securing the creature so it wouldn't weaken them further.
Ragnar let out a long breath, a faint smile on his face.
"Well done, Kai. You've not only learned the skill, but you've also utilized Blank Point perfectly."
---
As the end of the hunt was announced, the group of adventurers stared at the two monster carcasses, a Dire Boar and a Mist Panther as proof of their success.
Amidst the praise and gasps of admiration, Kai felt something more: a growing sense of confidence, a hardening of resolve. He turned to Luna, who handed him a bottle of warm potion.
"Congratulations, Ardent," she said.
"You've brought the name of a pure Level 0 to this first trial."
Kai took a sip of the potion, warmth creeping up his body. "We're just getting started."
Night fell as torches and campfires flickered in the forest. The carcasses of the Dire Boar and Mist Panther had been neatly tied up, marking the success of the first hunt.
Kai Ardent sat cross-legged at the edge of the fire circle, his face still sweaty, his breathing erratic, but his eyes sharp, he continued to scan the darkness of the pine trees around him.
Beside him, Luna Selene ladled warm soup into a wooden bowl, then handed it to Kai.
"Here," she said.
"Drink slowly, the heat seeps into your bones."
Kai took a sip, the taste of boar broth and forest herbs filled his mouth, warming every cell.
Ragnar Blackthorn stood by the firewood, cleaning his axe. Every now and then he glanced into the shadows of the trees, something felt different tonight.
"You did well," he murmured to those in the fire circle.
"But remember our duty is not just to hunt. We protect the village of Crestfall from the threats that come from the darkness of this forest."
Rowan leaned against the firewood, his arrow still nocked. "I catch the scent of… something that is neither a Dire Boar nor a Mist Panther. An older, deeper stench."
His voice was barely a whisper. All who heard it pricked up their ears.
Maia the Healer raised an eyebrow. "That giant monster?" Kai asked, taking another sip of his soup.
"Is it the legendary Rootcrawler?"
Ragnar shook his head slowly. "Not that old," he said gravely.
"But I sense it too: the magical pulse of an old creature. So different from a regular hunt."
At that, Luna gasped. She ducked as a sudden spark shot high, illuminating the center of the circle. Everyone shuffled back in an instant, weapons raised.
From behind a tree, a black fox gleamed, not an ordinary fox, but a creature with firefly-like glasses, its gaze piercing the darkness. It stopped a few feet from the fire, staring at Kai as if it understood more than it could explain.
Luna held her breath. "That's… a Spirit Fox," she whispered, her voice filled with awe and fear.
"They only appear to… warn."
Ragnar straightened, gripping his axe more firmly. "What warning could come from a poor thing like you?"
His voice was firm, but with a touch of caution.
The fox groaned softly, a sound like twigs scraping together, and leapt away, into the darkness of the forest. Before he could forget, he turned once more, looking at Kai with his golden eyes that glowed faintly, as if to say.
"Don't be careless."
The atmosphere froze for a moment, then Kai stood. "What does that mean?"
Everyone turned to him.
Ragnar took a deep breath, relighting the lantern on his axe.
"The Spirit Fox never comes on regular hunts. It's a sign that… something greater is lurking. Something that might challenge the 'emptiness' that is within you."
The campfire was blazing, the night wind carrying the scent of wet earth and rotting leaves. In the distance, the rustling of leaves indicated that the night in the Whispering Woods was not over yet.
Kai swallowed, feeling his heart race. He looked at his friends one by one, Luna, Rowan, Maia, and Ragnar, and made up his mind.
"Very well," his voice was firm. "If this is the true test, then we face it together. The 'Absolute Nothing' is not just an anomaly, it is hope."
Luna nodded slowly. Rowan patted Kai on the back. Maia smiled faintly. Ragnar raised his axe, swinging it above his head in readiness.
That night, by the flickering campfire, the five adventurers united to face a much deeper darkness, where forest spirits, ancient whispers, and visions of the future would test the limits of Kai Ardent's empty.