“Where are you going?” Lian Hua’s voice cracked with urgency as she hurried after Jun-Hyuk, her footsteps barely audible over the rising chaos.

  He didn’t stop. He didn’t even slow down.

  She reached for his arm, but he shrugged her off with a nonchalant flick, though the way his fingers twitched betrayed his nerves.

  “Don’t worry about me,” he said, forcing a smirk that was probably more convincing in his head than in reality. “I’m totally not being an idiot right now. Just taking a nice, relaxing stroll into the jaws of death for fun.”

  Lian Hua stared at him as if he had grown another head. “What? You’re not actually planning on—”

  One look at his face was enough to shut her up. The seriousness in his eyes sent a cold chill down her spine. He wasn’t joking.

  Jun-Hyuk exhaled and tried again, this time with a grin that felt paper-thin. “I’ll be back in two hours.” He tapped Dawnfire’s hilt at his waist. “Or sooner if I get scared shitless.”

  Before she could protest, he turned and marched through the city dome’s protective barrier, stepping into the open wasteland beyond. The moment the air changed around him—the safety of the city giving way to the eerie, blood-red sky of the outside world—he felt it. That creeping sensation of vulnerability. Like the world was holding its breath, waiting for him to mess up.

  And then came the growl.

  Jun-Hyuk’s bravado cracked as he locked eyes with five of the creatures—wolf-like snouts, moth-like wings, their fur matted with something dark and sticky that he really hoped wasn’t human blood. Their eyes glowed a sickly gold, their massive bodies shifting as they took slow, predatory steps forward.

  “Oh.” He swallowed hard. “Five at once.”

  His voice was barely above a whisper, but the words tasted bitter.

  Wasn’t it just yesterday that the top martial families—warriors who had spent their entire lives honing their craft—had nearly gotten their asses handed to them by one of these things?

  And now here he was. Alone. With five.

  “Great,” he muttered. “Just fantastic.”

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  One of the creatures inched closer, saliva dripping from its fangs, and before Jun-Hyuk could think twice, his body acted on sheer survival instinct.

  Activate Level 7 Energy Manipulation.

  A surge of power rushed to his fingertips, and in the next heartbeat, a burst of orange energy erupted from his palm. The blast hit one of the creatures dead in the chest. Its agonized howl was cut short as it burst into flames, the body collapsing into ash.

  Jun-Hyuk blinked.

  “That’s… one hundred points?” He let out a breathless chuckle. “That was easier than I thought.”

  The remaining four creatures flinched, their glowing eyes darting between their fallen pack member and him. He could feel their hesitation. They weren’t expecting that.

  Good.

  Sliding Dawnfire back into its hilt, Jun-Hyuk raised both hands and fired again—two simultaneous blasts, one from each palm. The attacks connected, and two more creatures fell, their bodies reduced to smoldering heaps.

  Adrenaline surged through his veins. He was actually doing this! He could—

  A shadow passed overhead.

  Jun-Hyuk’s blood ran cold.

  The sky above him was moving.

  It took him half a second too long to register the sound—hundreds of wings buzzing, like an oncoming storm.

  And then he saw them.

  A swarm. A horde. A death sentence.

  Fifty. At least fifty of them, circling above him, their soulless eyes locked onto their next meal.

  His stomach flipped. “Oh… shit.”

  So much for confidence.

  This was officially the moment to panic.

  Jun-Hyuk forced himself to think, his mind scrambling for solutions. If there was ever a time to see what his accumulated points could get him, now was that time.

  [Skill Menu Opened.]

  The shimmering blue window flickered to life in front of him, listing his current balance:

  — 50 points to level up a skill.

  — 200 points to buy a new one.

  His heart pounded. He had more than enough.

  Upgrade Energy Manipulation. Immediately.

  The screen asked for confirmation.

  “YES,” he gritted out, his thumb practically punching the floating button.

  A new surge of energy coursed through him as his ability jumped from 7/100 → 11/100.

  The creatures above let out an ear-splitting screech.

  And then, all at once, they dove.

  Jun-Hyuk barely had time to react before the first set of claws slashed toward his face.