Now I was being hunted by something I couldn’t even see.
My body tensed as shock settled in. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing upright, my instincts screaming danger, but I had no idea where it was coming from.
This made defeating the beast that much harder.
Not only was it stronger and faster than me, but it also had an ability that let it vanish—completely like a ghost slipping through the trees.
I was already outmatched. Strength-wise? Outclassed. Speed? Not even a competition—if we don’t take into account my ability.But then it went and pulled this.
Like it wasn’t already a nightmare on four legs. Now it wanted to be invisible too? That was like giving a shark wings and saying, "Have fun in the sky, buddy."
Now that... that was unfair.
I knew I was being hypocritical—my own ability was arguably just as broken, maybe even more so, and the mooncat was 7 levels higher than I was, thus the advantage in stats—but still, I couldn’t help being pissed.
The Mooncat had tilted the odds again, and now the only logical choice was to either retreat or risk dying here.
"You forced my hand, vermin," came a voice—deep, sharp, and chillingly calm. It echoed from nowhere and everywhere at once.
I froze, whipping my head around.
I didn’t know where it was. Left? Right? Above? I spun in place, eyes darting around the trees like that would help. It didn’t.
"No beast in this forest has ever pushed me this far. But..." the mooncat continued, the tone of its voice dropping a few degrees colder. "Your advantage ends here."
The moment the words ended, I felt it. A bone-chilling sensation crawling up my spine. I blinked—instinctively using my ability—and vanished from where I stood.
A savage whoosh of claws tearing through the air sliced through the space I’d just left. If I’d hesitated even a second, I’d have been torn in two.
The chill surged again, and I blinked once more—this time landing on a branch deep in the forest canopy. I didn’t stop. I shot forward, leaping tree after tree with practiced ease.
Branches whipped past me. The wind stung my face. But I could feel it behind me—the Mooncat was pursuing. I had humiliated it by landing that hit earlier, and now it was out for blood.
Speaking of that hit...
My chest tightened as doubt crept in.
Hadn’t I slashed it good?
I’d felt it connect. A clean arc across its flank, deep enough to draw real blood. I remembered the tension in its body, the way it recoiled.
That wasn’t a graze. That was a hit.
So why the hell wasn’t it slowing down?
It was still as fast as ever, still as relentless.
I glanced at Gravefang—my blade. Did I misunderstand its description? Was the venom too weak?
"Don’t be a coward, vermin! Stay and fight!" the Mooncat’s voice roared behind me, more guttural now—desperate, even.
That was rich coming from a beast that relied on stealth to launch ambushes.
But he wasn’t entirely wrong. I was running, wasn’t I?
I was regrouping. Thinking.
I wasn’t scared of the Mooncat. Okay, maybe a little. But I wasn’t going to back down. If I wanted to beat this thing, I had to face it. Outthink it.
My mind whirled with options. Escaping would be easy with my blink ability. But I didn’t want to escape.
Something told me this beast wasn’t just a challenge. It was a turning point. If I could defeat it, I knew I’d gain something rare, maybe even game-changing. And more than that, if I ever hoped to lead my clan one day, I needed to be stronger—stronger than anything in this forest.
The Mooncat’s attacks were invisible. I could only dodge by relying on my danger sense, and that was far from foolproof. One mistake—one blink too late—and I was dead.
So what was the play?
Keep dodging until it slips up? Try another blind counter?
None of those felt right. None of them felt sure.
I hated playing the odds when I didn’t control the board.
I pushed on, thinking through my next move, when suddenly I heard it.
A sharp grunt behind me, short, clipped, like it slipped out without meaning to.
I halted mid-stride and crouched on a thick branch.
There, a few dozen meters away, I saw it—really saw it. Not in its glassy, camouflaged form, but in its physical body. No shimmer. No cloak.
Its head was lowered, golden eyes narrowed in pain. Blood poured from its side, trailing down its sleek, dark fur, right where I had slashed it earlier.
Come to think of it, the cold sensation I had learned to associate with the Mooncat’s stealth attacks...had been gone a couple of blinks ago.
I let out a shaky breath, half-laughing under it.
"So that’s what it was..." I muttered, a grin tugging at my lips.
Relief washed over me.
The venom had finally kicked in.
All this time, I thought I’d screwed up—that I’d missed my shot.
But no.Gravefang’s Venomous Slash was working.It just needed time.
The Mooncat must’ve had incredible regeneration to resist it this long, but the constant movement had made the wound worse.
Running, slashing, even yelling—it had only deepened the injury.
Now, its movements were sluggish. Its speed... nerfed.
I could turn the tide.
I crouched lower, ready to spring—but then the Mooncat locked eyes with me. Its pupils narrowed, gaze flicking away as a grimace tightened its face.
Then it clenched its jaw and, in a flash, vanished using stealth mode again.
But this time... it wasn’t attacking.
The mooncat had recognized the shift, understood it no longer had the upper hand, and instead of risking death, it chose to flee.
But I wasn’t going...