The forest breathed around him like a living thing.
Instinct—though he didn’t know that was his name yet—opened his eyes beneath a canopy of emerald leaves, golden sunlight filtering through the branches in scattered patches.
His body ached as though he’d been sleeping for years.
Every muscle felt stiff, heavy, and unresponsive.
He pushed himself onto his elbows, drawing a deep breath and filling his lungs with the rich scent of damp earth, moss, and decay.
A voice echoed somewhere in his mind.
Distant.
Familiar.
Calling his name.
But which name?
He reached for the memory.
It dissolved like morning mist before he could grasp it.
Instinct stumbled to his feet, using a nearby oak for support.
He looked around.
The forest stretched endlessly in every direction.
No path.
No sign of civilization.
Only the whisper of wind through the branches and the distant calls of birds.
Then—
A low growl froze his blood.
Instinct slowly turned.
A wolf emerged from the shadows.
It moved with deliberate, almost predatory patience, its silver coat rippling beneath the sunlight.
Its amber eyes fixed on him with an intelligence that was deeply unsettling.
And hunger.
The creature was enormous—easily the size of a small horse.
Muscles shifted beneath its fur with every step, promising a level of strength that could tear him apart in seconds.
Instinct’s heart hammered against his ribs.
He had no weapon.
No training.
No memory of who he was.
Every instinct screamed at him to run.
But something deeper stirred within him.
The wolf lunged.
Time seemed to slow.
Instinct didn’t think.
He acted.
His body moved before his mind could even process the attack.
He sidestepped with surprising grace, his hand snapping toward the ground.
His fingers closed around a fallen branch.
The wolf tore past him.
Instinct pivoted.
He swung.
The branch slammed into the beast’s shoulder with enough force to send it crashing sideways into a tree.
The wolf snarled.
It recovered almost instantly.
Then it came again.
Faster.
All teeth, claws, and fury.
Instinct moved.
Dodge.
Twist.
Step.
Strike.
His body responded to every movement with perfect coordination, as though it remembered something his mind had forgotten.
He ducked beneath the snapping jaws, twisted away from a clawed swipe, and waited.
The wolf overextended.
There.
Instinct stepped forward and drove the branch downward with brutal precision.
The beast’s skull struck a stone.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Silence.
The wolf stopped moving.
Instinct stood over the corpse, chest heaving as adrenaline surged through his veins.
He stared down at what he’d done.
He was alive.
Against all odds, he’d won.
Then the world exploded in light.
For a moment, everything disappeared beneath a cascade of shimmering darkness and silver.
And then—
Something spoke.
Not aloud.
Inside him.
” WELL, WELL, WELL.
”
The voice purred directly into his consciousness.
Feminine.
Amused.
And carrying a hint of approval.
” LOOK AT YOU.
ALL SAVAGE AND INSTINCTIVE.
I LIKE IT.
”
Instinct spun around.
There was nothing there.
“Who—?”
The voice interrupted him.
” I’M YOUR SYSTEM, SWEETIE.
”
” AND YOU?
YOU JUST EARNED YOURSELF SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL.
”
A pause.
The voice sounded almost as though it were smiling.
” CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FIRST KILL.
YOU’VE UNLOCKED THE CLASS: ABSOLUTE TAMER.
”
A cascade of information flooded his mind.
It wasn’t painful.
Just overwhelming.
Words appeared before his eyes, shimmering like golden script suspended in the air.
[CLASS UNLOCKED]
ABSOLUTE TAMER
[PASSIVE SKILLS]
* Absolute Vitality: Immunity to disease, poison, and aging.
* Absolute Stamina: Inexhaustible physical endurance.
* Absolute Recovery: Rapid regeneration from any wound.
* Absolute Sense: Extraordinary perception of his surroundings.
* Absolute Charisma: An overwhelming natural presence and ability to influence others.
Instinct stared at the information.
He didn’t understand any of it.
” YOU’RE WELCOME.
”
The voice sounded unbearably pleased with itself.
” ALSO, YOU’RE GOING TO NEED A NAME.
THAT WHOLE “WHO AM I?” THING GETS OLD RATHER QUICKLY.
”
Instinct looked down at his trembling hands.
Then at the dead wolf.
Then back at the impossible information hovering before him.
Everything he’d just done—the perfect dodge, the instinctive strikes, the way his body had reacted without conscious thought—
It still made no sense.
Whatever had just awakened inside him hadn’t been there when the wolf attacked.
The strange class couldn’t explain why his body had known exactly how to move before he even knew what he was capable of.
His mind remembered nothing.
But his body had known.
He stared at his hands for another moment.
“Instinct.”
He tested the word.
It felt right.
“My name is Instinct.”
The voice immediately responded.
” OOH.
I LIKE IT.
”
” DARK.
MYSTERIOUS.
DANGEROUS.
VERY YOU.
”
There was something almost playful in the System’s presence.
” NOW, ABSOLUTE TAMER MEANS EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE.
YOU CAN FORM BONDS WITH BEASTS, HUMANOIDS, AND HUMANS ALIKE.
HOW THOSE BONDS WORK… WELL, THAT SEEMS TO DEPEND ON WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO BOND WITH.
”
Instinct blinked.
“That sounds dangerously vague.”
A pause.
” YOU’VE BEEN AWAKE FOR LESS THAN AN HOUR, SWEETIE.
GIVE ME TIME.
”
Despite everything that had happened, Instinct almost laughed.