They were circling.
Not beasts. Not men.Something between.
Shapes flickered between the trees—thin limbs, hollow eyes, twitching with unnatural rhythm. Their pale bodies slithered and crawled between the roots like phantoms. Their red eyes glowed with dim, hungering malice.
The same as the Wretch I'd already killed.
But this time, there were six of them.
[System Notice: Entities Identified – Graveborn Wretches (Feral x6)]Threat Level: Moderate[Cursed Pack Behavior Detected: Circle Form Initiated]
I stepped back, heart pounding.
They weren't attacking. Not yet. They moved slowly, closing in, patient like wolves in the snow. The trees shifted as they passed, leaves falling without sound. Every gap I could have used to escape was already closing behind me.
They were herding me—into the center.
'It's a formation. A trap.'
[System Objective: Survive the Hunter's Circle]"The cursed gather to consume what rose from death. You must endure."
I clenched my fists.
'No escape. No backup. Just me.'
I didn't feel fear. Not exactly.
It was something deeper—colder. The memory of being trapped beneath dirt, unable to breathe, waiting for death to take me again.
I would not go back to that.
"System," I whispered, "status."
Level: 1
Race: Unknown (Undead-Linked)
Class: None
Title: [Revenant]
HP: 35 / 110
MP: 10 / 55
Strength: 8
Agility: 4
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 5
Charisma: 1
Luck: ???
Recent Gains: +1 AGI, Skill Gained: Clawing Swipe Lv. 1 (via Soul Echo)
"Clawing Swipe," I said aloud.
A surge of heat rushed down my arm. My fingertips shimmered faintly with red-black light.
The first Wretch lunged—its mouth unhinging like a beast. I sidestepped and dragged my hand through its midsection.
A sharp arc of energy sliced through it.
The Wretch let out a guttural gasp and collapsed, twitching in the dirt.
[Enemy Defeated – Graveborn Wretch]+22 EXP[Soul Echo Triggered][STAT INCREASED: Agility +1][Skill Fragment Acquired: Feral Reflex Lv. 1]
Status Update
HP: 30 / 110
MP: 10 / 55
Strength: 8
Agility: 5
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 5
Charisma: 1
Luck: ???
Recent Gains: +1 AGI, Skill Gained: Feral Reflex Lv. 1 (via Soul Echo)
Another two came in together from opposite sides.
My new agility saved me. I ducked low, spinning between them. One claw grazed my side—but I drove my elbow into its throat and smashed its head into a rock with a sharp crunch.
The other tackled me from behind.
I hit the ground. Fought for breath. My ribs screamed.
But I twisted, grabbed a nearby bone shard, and stabbed it up into the creature's eye.
It shrieked—and fell still.
[Enemy Defeated – Graveborn Wretch]+24 EXP[Soul Echo Triggered][STAT INCREASED: Endurance +1][Clawing Swipe Lv. 2 – Skill Rank Increased]
Status Update
HP: 22 / 110
MP: 10 / 55
Strength: 8
Agility: 5
Endurance: 6
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 5
Charisma: 1
Luck: ???
Recent Gains: +1 END, Clawing Swipe Lv. 2 (via Soul Echo)
My arms trembled. My vision swam. But I wasn't falling.
I was fighting.
Another came at me—this one more cautious, its movements jerking like a puppet. I let it get close, feigned a stumble—and then struck with everything I had.
Clawing Swipe carved through its chest like a blade of force. Blood sprayed across a cracked grave marker.
Three down.
Three to go.
But my legs were heavy now. My breaths shallow. I could feel the bruises blooming beneath my skin.
And that's when I felt it.
Pressure.
Not from the Wretches. From… above. Or maybe behind. Or from everywhere at once.
A hum in the air, like the world was vibrating just out of sync with itself.
The Wretches froze. Their heads turned in unison. They looked not at me, but toward the forest—toward something I couldn't see.
Then—
[System Alert: Unknown Signal Detected – "Bound Watcher" Identified]"The cursed answer to a greater command. It has turned its eyes toward you."
A shiver ran down my spine. I wasn't imagining it. Something else was here.
Watching.
Studying.
Waiting.
The remaining Wretches hissed—and vanished into the trees without a sound.
I collapsed onto one knee, clutching my side. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. The clearing was still again.
But the air remained heavy.
The Bound Watcher had seen me.
And I had no idea what that meant.