"You’re learning," Grey whispered with a faint smile when he noticed Ruk following his gaze toward the unstable rocks without needing an explanation.
They carefully circled around the stream until they reached the higher section of the bank, where Grey used his weapon to cut through several of the smaller roots holding the largest rock in place while Ruk loosened the packed soil around it with the metal tip of his spear.
Neither of them rushed the process, keeping their movements controlled and quiet enough that the two Redfangs drinking below remained completely unaware of what was happening above them.
By the time they finished, only a single thick root prevented the largest section of rock and soil from collapsing into the stream.
Grey positioned himself on one side while Ruk raised his spear on the other, and after making sure his companion was ready, he silently counted down with his fingers.
Three.
Two.
One.
They struck the remaining root together, severing it with enough force that the enormous rock immediately shifted forward. Nothing happened for a fraction of a second, but then the weakened soil beneath it gave way and sent an entire section of the bank collapsing toward the stream.
Both Redfangs finally realized something was wrong when the first rocks began falling, but by then it was already too late.
The Level 5 creature disappeared beneath hundreds of kilograms of earth and stone almost immediately, while the Level 6 Redfang managed to leap away from the main collapse only for a smaller boulder to slam into its rear body and send it tumbling violently into the shallow water.
Grey was moving before the injured creature could properly recover, using Silent Step to descend the uneven bank without having to slow down for every branch or patch of unstable ground beneath his feet.
By the time the Redfang dragged itself upright and released an enraged snarl, Grey had already entered the stream with his weapon prepared.
He attacked before the creature could regain its balance, aiming directly for the exposed side of its neck, but the Level 6 Redfang reacted considerably faster than the one they had killed earlier.
It twisted away before the weapon could penetrate deeply and immediately retaliated with a swipe toward Grey’s stomach, forcing him to retreat several steps through the shallow water.
Ruk descended behind the creature and attempted to take advantage of its attention being focused on Grey, but the Redfang somehow sensed him before the spear could connect.
It spun around with startling speed and knocked the weapon aside with one of its claws before lunging directly toward the temporarily exposed Hobgoblin.
Grey immediately recognized what made this creature more dangerous than the Level 5 Redfang they had ambushed earlier.
It wasn’t merely stronger; its reactions were faster, its awareness extended beyond whatever stood directly in front of it, and it seemed capable of adjusting to multiple attackers without becoming confused.
Unfortunately for the Redfang, Grey had no intention of giving it enough time to take advantage of those differences.
Before the creature could reach Ruk, Grey rushed forward and slammed his entire body against its exposed side, using his momentum to knock the predator away from the Hobgoblin.
The collision sent both of them crashing into the stream, and Grey barely had enough time to orient himself before the Redfang twisted beneath him and snapped its jaws toward his face.
Grey instinctively jammed his weapon sideways between its jaws, stopping the rows of bloodstained teeth only a short distance from his throat. His arms immediately began trembling beneath the pressure as the Redfang forced its head closer, making the difference in their raw physical strength painfully obvious. This chapter was taken from novelping dot com without permission.
"Ruk!" Grey shouted through clenched teeth while pushing against the weapon with everything his enhanced body could manage.
The Hobgoblin recovered his spear and rushed toward them without hesitation, driving the metal tip deep into the Redfang’s exposed side. The creature jerked violently from the impact, and the moment its jaws loosened around Grey’s weapon, he twisted his body away and rolled through the water before quickly regaining his footing.
Grey didn’t give the wounded creature an opportunity to recover.
He closed the distance again while Ruk kept its attention divided, then drove his weapon upward into the softer flesh beneath its jaw and immediately followed the first attack with another strike into the same wound.
The Redfang released a broken snarl as its legs finally gave way beneath it, collapsing heavily into the stream and sending water splashing around Grey’s knees.
He remained close enough to attack again if necessary, breathing heavily while watching for even the slightest movement until the familiar system interface finally confirmed the result.
[Redfang Stalker has been defeated.]
[Experience acquired.]
[Evolution Energy acquired.]
Before Grey could properly catch his breath, another series of notifications appeared and confirmed that the Level 5 Redfang buried beneath the collapsed bank had died as well.
[Redfang Stalker has been defeated.]
[Assisted kill registered.]
[Experience acquired.]
Grey turned toward the pile of earth and stone, where a single claw protruding from beneath the rubble provided the only visible evidence of the creature trapped underneath.
A satisfied smile gradually appeared across his face as he raised three fingers toward Ruk and gestured between the corpses.
"Three."
Ruk followed the gesture and seemed to understand what Grey meant almost immediately.
The Hobgoblin raised three fingers of his own before repeating the unfamiliar word with a rough grin. "Three."
"Exactly," Grey replied, unable to stop himself from smiling at how quickly Ruk was beginning to understand him.
He climbed out of the stream and approached the Level 6 corpse while already wondering whether a stronger member of the species might provide better traits than the Redfang he had consumed earlier.
Grey had barely taken a few steps, however, when Predatory Instinct suddenly surged through his body with enough intensity to erase every other thought from his mind.
This wasn’t the subtle discomfort that usually warned him about nearby danger.
The skill was practically screaming at him to move.
Neither of them spoke as something shifted among the trees on the opposite side of the bank, drawing Grey’s attention toward a large figure partially concealed beneath the shadows.
A Redfang stood there watching them, but even at a distance Grey could tell that this creature was different from the ones they had killed.
It was considerably larger, with dark crimson fur covering its shoulders, numerous old scars running across its muzzle, and one ear missing entirely, while the exposed teeth extending from its jaws were noticeably longer than those of the ordinary members of its species.
The system identified it almost immediately.
[Redfang Pack Leader]
[Level: 7]
[Threat Assessment: Severe.]
Grey remained completely still while Ruk slowly tightened his grip around the metal-tipped spear beside him, neither willing to make the first sudden movement. The Pack Leader didn’t attack either, instead lowering its head toward the two dead Redfangs before returning its attention to Grey with an awareness that made him increasingly uncomfortable.
There was intelligence behind those eyes.
It wasn’t human intelligence, and Grey doubted the creature was capable of sitting down and discussing strategy, but there was enough understanding in its expression for him to realize that it knew exactly what had happened here.
Two members of its pack lay dead in front of it, another was buried beneath the collapsed bank, and two goblins were standing among their corpses.
The Pack Leader released a low growl that rolled across the stream, and several quieter growls answered from somewhere deeper within the surrounding forest.
Grey’s expression tightened as he finally understood just how badly the situation had changed.
He and Ruk had spent the morning separating members of the pack and hunting them individually because that allowed them to control each fight, but somewhere along the way, the rest of the Redfangs had begun hunting for them as well.
"Ruk," Grey said quietly without taking his eyes off the Level 7 creature, "I really hope you’re good at running."
Instead of moving, the Hobgoblin adjusted his stance and tightened both hands around his spear as though preparing to fight.
Grey glanced sideways at him and immediately understood the problem. "That wasn’t a suggestion."
Before Ruk could react, additional movement appeared among the trees behind the Pack Leader, followed by pair after pair of glowing red eyes opening within the shadows.
Grey counted five before another two appeared farther away, and when even more growls began spreading through the forest around them, he decided knowing the exact number probably wouldn’t improve their situation.
His grip tightened around his weapon as the Pack Leader stepped toward the edge of the bank, while the Redfangs behind it slowly spread through the trees as though preparing to surround them.
Only a few hours earlier, Grey had entered this part of the forest believing he and Ruk were the hunters, carefully choosing isolated targets and killing them before the rest of the pack could respond.
Judging from the numerous red eyes watching them from the darkness, that advantage was gone.
The hunt had changed direction.