The shadow monster let out a shriek that made his ears ring. It dove, talons outstretched, and Noah threw himself to the side, rolling through the underbrush. The thing missed, its stinger slamming into the ground where he’d been, leaving a spreading black spot that was withering everything around.

  What the hell is that thing?

  He scrambled up, backing away, eyes locked on it. It hovered, wings beating, its tail twitching. Its cunning eyes fixed on him, and he felt a chill. It’s not just attacking. It’s sniffing? The meridians pulsed, and the creature shrieked again, louder, its beak snapping.

  It can sense the mana. It wants it. It wants me. He glanced at the tree-monster, still lurching toward him, then back at the shadow-thing.

  I’m trapped. I can’t outrun both of them. I need to fight. But how?

  He clenched his fists, feeling the energy in his meridians, warm and steady.

  Okay, System, you gave me this. Let’s see what I can do with it. He focused, trying to push the mana outward, and felt it respond, faint, lines, like rivers glowing, spreading from his heart to his torso, biceps, forearms, his hands.

  The shadow-thing shrieked again, hungry, diving, and he swung, the mana flaring into a burst of light. It hit the creature, knocking it back, but it recovered fast, its tail lashing. The tree-monster swung a branch, and Noah ducked, feeling the air whip past his head.

  This isn’t working. I need a plan. I need—

  The shadow-thing lunged, and he dove, rolling under its talons, his mind racing. I can’t fight both. I need to use them against each other. The tree’s slow, but it’s strong. The shadow’s fast, but it’s focused on me. If I can get them to hit each other I could escape.

  He glanced at the tree, its branches still thrashing, and made a decision.

  Okay, here goes nothing.

  He sprinted toward the tree, the shadow-thing shrieking behind him, and at the last second, he dropped, sliding under a branch. The shadow-thing followed, too fast to stop, and its stinger slammed into the tree’s trunk, embedding deep.

  The tree roared, its branches whipping around, and one caught the shadow-thing, slamming it to the ground.

  Yes! Noah backed away, watching as the two monsters turned on each other, the tree’s branches crushing, the shadow-thing’s stinger stabbing.

  I need to get out of here. Now.

  He turned, running, his meridians pulsing, his breath ragged. Behind him, the forest shook, the sounds of the fight echoing, but he didn’t look back.

  Keep moving. Don’t stop. Just keep moving.

  Noah’s legs pumped beneath him, the forest floor a blur of green and brown as he sprinted, his chest burning with every breath. The meridians hummed, pushing him faster. Relief bloomed in his chest.

  Ah, it worked—

  A sharp, searing pain stabbed through his calf, like a hot knife slicing through muscle, and his leg buckled. He pitched forward, hands flailing, and hit the ground hard, his face slamming into the dirt. Pain exploded in his nose, his cheek, but it was nothing compared to the fire in his leg.

  He gasped, rolling onto his back, and looked down at his torn pants. His left calf was a mess. A jagged, black wound gaped where the pain was, the edges spreading outward, like ink seeping into water. The skin around it was turning gray, veins darkening, and he could feel it—the poison spreading in his body.

  No, this can’t be happening.

  He tried to move, to drag himself backward, but his leg wouldn’t respond. It was heavy, useless, like it wasn’t even part of him anymore.

  I can’t run. I can’t—

  A shadow loomed over him, and he froze, heart pounding. The shadow creature was there, hovering, its tattered wings flapping weakly, its body ruined. One wing was shredded, hanging half limp, and its side was crushed, black blood oozing from where the tree-monster had smashed it. But its eyes—those glowing, sickly yellow eyes—were locked on him, and its beak snapped, its tail twitching, stinger dripping with more of that disgusting poison.

  The shadow creature was still grappling with a long root of the monster tree. The root lashed fiercely against the shadow creature, which lunged back, trying to strike with its stinger. The root twisted and dodged.

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  It’s hurt, but it’s not done with me.

  He scrambled backward, dragging his useless leg, his hands clawing at the dirt. Somehow, the shadow-thing managed to get rid of the root. The shadow shrieked, the sound piercing, and dove, its stinger lashing out.

  Noah rolled, barely dodging, the stinger slamming into the ground beside him, leaving another blackening crater. He gasped, and tried to focus. The meridians pulsed, but they weren’t enough.

  They helped me climb, they made me faster, but they didn’t stop this thing before. I need something else.

  The shadow creature lunged at Noah again, its broken wings thrashing wildly, claws raking across his arms and bare torso. He fought to hold it at bay, using his arms and his one good leg. He shoved against the snapping beak and the stinger oozing venom, his muscles screaming under the strain. He twisted constantly, dodging the razor-sharp claws slashing at him. Desperate, he drove his elbow into the creature’s mangled side, hoping to force it back, but the blow only unleashed a spray of warm, black blood that covered him, leaving him reeking like a corpse rotting under a July sun.

  He glanced at his leg, the black spreading faster now, his toes going numb.

  If I don’t do something, I’m dead. The poison’s going to kill me, or that thing will. Think, Noah. Think.

  He clenched his fists, feeling the mana flowing through him, but it felt directionless. Like water in a pipe with no valve. I need to use it, but how? The shadow creature shrieked again, circling, its tail twitching, and he knew he didn’t have much time.

  Okay, okay, focus. What do I know? This thing’s after my mana. It can sense it. It wants to eat it. He froze, a memory flashing through his mind—the robbers, back when he’d first woken up in this world. They’d been terrified of him, shouting about “fists” and “eating them alive.” I thought they were crazy, but, what if they weren’t? What if the System turned me into one of those fists?

  He stared at the shadow creature, its glowing eyes, its snapping beak.

  They thought I could eat them. Drain them. Like this thing’s trying to do to me. Is that what a fist does? Drain life energy? Mana?

  He had to try it.

  He swallowed, his throat dry. He closed his eyes, trying to focus, ignoring the pain in his leg, the shrieks, the shadow looming closer.

  Okay, visualize it. Imagine it. Draining it. Taking whatever’s animating it, whatever’s keeping it alive. Pulling it into my meridians.

  The mana in his body flared, brighter, hotter, and he felt something shift, like a window opening in his mind. And there it was—a glowing blue box hovering in his vision, the System’s familiar text across it:

  Skill unlocked: [Mana Drain] (rare+)

  Warning: Use without a warrior bond might collapse your meridian network.

  Do you wish to activate this skill?

  Noah stared at the prompt, his breath catching.

  [Mana Drain]. That’s it. That must be what the robbers were afraid of. He glanced at the shadow creature, its stinger raised, its eyes glowing brighter, hungrier, and made his choice. I need to do this. I don’t have any other options. I’ll worry about the consequences later. He focused, willing the skill to activate.

  Skill activated: [Mana Drain] (rare+)

  Noah sensed the meridians shift, the mana coursing through them in a new way—reaching, hungry, alive. He pressed one hand against the creature’s center, where its mana core pulsed faintly. Threads of white energy flared beneath his skin, glowing along his arms and hands, stretching toward the creature like tendrils. They latched on, and he felt it—a sharp tug, as if pulling on a taut rope. The creature stiffened, its wings stuttering mid-flap, and Noah saw it: shimmering energy rippling along the threads, flowing into him. It hit like a gulp of ice water—cold, biting, but invigorating. The creature’s movements slowed, and Noah’s meridians pulsed, glowing brighter, stronger.

  It’s working.

  He noticed that the pain in his wounded leg was decreasing. He looked, and the black tendrils were no longer spreading.

  But it wasn’t enough. The creature thrashed, its stinger whipping out in one last desperate strike. Noah ducked but the connection snapped with a jolt. He felt a sharp pain in his bad leg. He gasped, and glanced at the leg. The black corruption was creeping upward again, slower now, but relentless.

  I need more.

  He gasped, gritted his teeth, and focused again. The thread shot out once more, latching onto the creature, and this time he pulled with everything he had.

  Mana surged into him, a torrent of power. The creature let out a feeble shriek, its body crumbling, and Noah felt it—the last of its energy flooding his meridians with radiant power.

  The monster collapsed atop him, a lifeless heap pinning him to the ground. Noah scrambled back, shoving the corpse aside with a grunt. His leg throbbed, and he glanced down, the black wound wasn’t spreading, but it wasn’t healing either.

  Did I stop the poison? Or just slow it down? He couldn’t tell. What now?

  Noah paused, catching his breath, his mind churning. Maybe the System has something I can use.

  Closing his eyes, he pictured it, willing it into existence, a second later bright blue words flared across his vision:

  [Mana Drain - level 1]

  Congratulations: Skill [Mana Drain] acquired

  Congratulations: Tier 1 achieved

  Skill slots used: 1

  Skill slots remaining: 9

  He blinked, then he waved it away with a flick of his hand, though the words lingered in his mind. Oh well, it wasn’t what I hoped for, but at least I’ve got the System working and I’m gaining skills. One skill down, nine slots left. It was a generous allowance with enough room to grow.

  Thick, rancid black blood splattered his bare torso and clung to his tattered pants, the stench making his nose wrinkle. Noah tried to focus his exhausted mind.

  One step at a time. Find the necklace. Figure out how to heal this wound. Get shelter. I can do this.

  He moved slowly. Have my meridians collapsed? Is that why I feel so tired? he wondered. But it wasn’t just fatigue weighing him down—he was on edge, worried about another attack.

  Out here, he was a mana beacon, he was sure that more creatures would come. He didn’t have much time. He needed to find shelter, somewhere to hide, in his current state, he wouldn’t survive another fight.

  Suddenly, Noah felt compelled to turn toward the lifeless body of the shadow creature, drawn by an inexplicable pull. But before his exhausted, pain-racked body could react, a voice cut through the forest.

  “How did you kill it?”