Dawn broke through the darkness, casting pale light over the outpost's courtyard.
What it revealed was chaos.
Blood soaked the ground. The charred scent of burnt wood mingled with the metallic tang in the cold air, refusing to fade.
No one had slept.
Their eyes were fixed on the four corpses lying in the center—night wolves, their bodies still radiating a savage aura even in death. And among them, the massive alpha.
Fear lingered in every gaze.
Until—
They looked at Colin.
Leaning against the wall, calmly tending to his wounds.
Then fear turned into something else.
Awe.
Colin tore open his tattered shirt.
A horrific wound stretched across his torso—from shoulder to abdomen. Flesh split open, deep enough to glimpse bone.
The alpha wolf's final strike.
Had he been even a fraction slower—
He would have been torn apart.
Lena approached, carrying a bowl of steaming medicine. Her hands trembled violently.
"I—I'll help…"
"I'll do it."
Colin took the bowl without looking at her.
Then—
He poured it directly onto the wound.
Hiss—
The pain was instant. Brutal.
His body tensed. Sweat beaded across his forehead.
But he didn't cry out.
Not a sound.
That quiet ruthlessness sent a chill through everyone watching.
Once the wound was roughly treated, Colin leaned back and closed his eyes.
Not to rest—
But to think.
A panel surfaced in his mind.
[Name: Colin][Race: Werewolf (Subspecies)][Strength: 12][Agility: 10][Endurance: 11][Spirit: 8][Kill Points: 72][Skills: Wolf Claw Bite, Basic Injury Treatment Knowledge]
Seventy-two.
His heartbeat quickened.
One night.
More than two weeks of hunting combined.
He replayed the battle in his mind.
A normal night wolf: 5 points.
The alpha: 50.
The wild boar: 15.
Human soldiers: 10.
Small animals?
Barely worth anything.
A pattern emerged—clear and undeniable.
Kill Points weren't random.
They measured threat.
The stronger the enemy—
The greater the reward.
Colin's eyes snapped open.
"Chasing rabbits… is just survival," he murmured.
"It won't make me stronger."
That kind of effort—
Was just an illusion of progress.
If he wanted power—
He had to hunt danger.
Two paths formed in his mind.
First—
The apex predators of the forest. Cave bears. Unknown beasts. High risk… but enormous reward.
Second—
Humans.
Count Raymond's patrols.
Killing them meant more than points. Weapons. Armor. Information.
Real power.
Something inside him shifted.
He was no longer just trying to live.
He was planning to dominate.
Without hesitation, he issued commands.
"Thirty points to Strength."
"Thirty to Agility."
[Confirmed.][Strength +6 → 18][Agility +6 → 16][Remaining Points: 12]
Power surged.
Stronger than ever before.
His wound tingled, itching as if healing accelerated. Muscles tightened, filled with explosive force.
He rolled his neck slightly.
The world slowed.
Goff, directing the others nearby, seemed just a fraction delayed.
Agility.
Sharper reflexes.
Clearer perception.
Colin clenched his fist.
Strength flooded through him.
If he faced the alpha again now—
Three moves.
That's all it would take.
Around him, the others were moving too.
Goff barked quiet orders, directing the young men to process the wolf carcasses—skinning, cutting, preparing the meat for preservation.
It wasn't good meat.
But it was food.
Enough to last.
Nearby, Lena stood frozen, staring at the blood-soaked pelts.
Her face was pale.
Then—
She looked around.
At the others shivering in thin clothing.
At Colin's torn body.
Something in her expression changed.
She stepped forward.
"Grandpa Goff… can I have a wolf pelt? And… a bone knife?"
Goff blinked in surprise.
"For what?"
"I… want to try making clothes," she said softly, but firmly. "My mother taught me how to tan leather. It's getting colder."
Silence.
Goff studied her.
The fear in her eyes was gone.
What remained—
Was resolve.
He nodded.
A pelt was handed to her. A sharp bone knife followed.
Lena moved to a quiet corner and began working.
Clumsy.
Uncertain.
The blade slipped more than once, nearly cutting her.
The smell of blood made her stomach churn.
But she didn't stop.
Because she understood something now—
This place didn't belong to Colin alone.
If it was going to stand—
Everyone had to contribute.
Colin saw it all.
And said nothing.
He rose to his feet.
Then climbed the battlements.
From there, he looked out into the endless forest.
But his focus had changed.
Not just the area around the outpost—
Further.
Deeper.
He searched for signs.
Beast trails.
Human traces.
Anything.
Because he was no longer hiding.
No longer waiting.
From this moment on—
He was the hunter.
And not just any hunter.
The most dangerous one in this forest.
The night wolves' attack?
That was only the beginning.
The real hunt—
Was about to start.