EXQ walked away from the dying man without a second gnce. The weak had no pce in his path. He had gained what he needed—information. Now, his next goal was clear: reach the nearest settlement and begin his true ascent.

  The journey was harsh. His body, still unfamiliar, ached with every step. Hunger gnawed at him, a reminder of his human limitations. But he endured. Pain was nothing compared to what he had already suffered.

  As he moved through the barren wastend, his senses sharpened. He wasn’t alone.

  A rustle in the distance. The feeling of being watched.

  Then, an ambush.

  Figures emerged from the shadows—bandits. Five of them. Their clothes were tattered, their eyes filled with greed. One of them, a scarred man holding a rusted bde, sneered.

  “Lost, are we? Hand over everything you have, and maybe we’ll let you live.”

  EXQ’s expression remained unreadable. These men… they were no different from the wolves he had killed before. Predators who preyed on the weak.

  He clenched his fists.

  “Try and take it.”

  The bandits ughed, mistaking his defiance for foolishness. The scarred man lunged first, bde fshing under the dim light. EXQ sidestepped with ease—his body still sluggish, but his instincts sharp.

  His counterattack was brutal. He seized the man’s wrist, twisting it with enough force to snap the bone. A scream echoed as the bde cttered to the ground.

  The others hesitated.

  EXQ did not.

  He moved with ruthless efficiency, exploiting their hesitation. A stolen knife, a precise strike to the throat, another bandit fell. The remaining three panicked, realizing too te that their prey was the real predator.

  Within moments, it was over.

  The ground was stained with blood. EXQ stood among the bodies, unscathed but breathing heavily. His grip tightened around the stolen weapon.

  This was survival. This was the path to power.

  With nothing left to slow him down, he continued toward the settlement.

  He would grow stronger.

  And he would never be weak again.