He finally started moving and it lasted less than two seconds.
A sudden instinct told him to turn around. The moment Orion did, he saw a dog charging straight at him. He immediately cut between two nearby trees and bolted through a narrow opening.
Orion sprinted in zigzags, sometimes even rolling along the ground to keep momentum. As he constantly changed direction, he wasn't just running anymore. His body almost moved without conscious thought.
Barking and growling nipped at his heels. He whipped around a large tree, planted his feet and triggered Thrust.
The sharpened tip only left a shallow scratch. The dog let out a furious snarl.
More sounds echoed from the forest.
"Shit!" He cursed under his breath.
The pack was coming. Panic flared in his chest, but he shoved it down, trusting his new stats.
He spun around and bolted for his tree. As he sprinted at full tilt, he felt, truly felt for the first time just how useful the stat increases were.
A tired, weak human like him was running at nearly the same speed as predators that had lived their entire lives in this forest.
Just like them, he flew over tree roots, branches and uneven soil with shocking speed.
[Congratulations! You have learned a new Passive Ability]
-Running (Basic)
Obtaining a passive ability was shocking. But the change was visceral and showed its effects in seconds.
Orion could feel himself becoming lighter, faster. The new passive ability even adjusted his foot placement without him thinking about it. It was as if, deep down, his muscles instinctively knew the perfect angle for every step.
This was almost addicting.
The first time, he'd relied heavily on his hands, scrambling on all fours like a panicked animal. Now, that wasn't necessary. With just his legs, he could outpace everything.
He nearly fell a few times but quickly learned not to repeat the same errors.
He also realized something new after slamming into a tree during a sharp turn. While the passive handled the basics, he still needed to drive. He couldn't let his body surrender completely to the instinct.
After about a minute, he throttled down. He learned to accelerate only when necessary, conserving energy. He was starting to realize that climbing trees wasn't always the only escape.
Over the next ten minutes, he figured out the rhythm. As long as he stayed calm, weaving between the trees became easy.
By the time fifteen minutes had passed, his mind was cold and clear. All unnecessary thoughts vanished, replaced by pure focus.
"I will level up without exhausting myself." He spoke aloud, his voice flat. His only focus was survival.
After a long but educational chase, he was forced to return to the tree he'd originally hunted from. His stamina wasn't infinite. The sudden bursts of speed had drained him.
Just before arriving at his safe spot, the number of dogs reached four. They almost cut him off.
By the time he scrambled up the bark, he was on the verge of collapsing.
The branch creaked under his weight as he clung to it, his hand trembling around the stick.
"That felt way too close." He gasped but didn't stop thinking.
..
Over the next hour, he climbed down several more times and skirmished with the pack. But he hadn't managed to secure a kill.
At the slightest yelp, these dogs would swarm. Their patterns were predictable. In seconds, one became four. In a minute, four became ten.
Eventually, an hour passed. He found himself repeating the tactic he'd used on his first kill.
As he tried to pierce his second prey's mouth, he put all his weight behind it. Guided by pure instinct, he drove the stick straight into the dog's eye.
It went deep. Too deep.
A stronger body, two active striking abilities and raw strength, the combination made a real difference.
The sight was horrific. The blood-soaked animal writhed on the ground, its agonized screams dark and disturbing. It was enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
Orion knew he shouldn't feel pity for a beast that would eat him alive. Yet his stomach churned violently.
The animal below was moving slower now. Orion realized he didn't even need to strike again. He wedged the spear between the branches to secure it and left it there.
With an eye destroyed and a stick driven into its brain, there was no way it was getting back up.
Orion felt the adrenaline drain from his body all at once.
With his legs wrapped around the trunk, aching badly and a sharp pain in his lower back, he finally gave up trying to care.
The bark scraped his chest as he shifted face-down, hugging the branch tightly. Something as trivial as lower back pain made him wince. He must have strained himself during those sudden, violent turns.
"Lying on the ground right now would feel amazing." His voice was louder this time.
Waiting for the notification, he tried to rest. Watching ants crawl along the tree bark was a good distraction. Without a phone or other people, the silence of the forest was noisy.
His attention gradually wandered while listening to the birds. Orion almost forgot the dying beast below. His eyes fluttered shut few times and was about to fall asleep.
But before he could drift off, a soft voice rang inside his head.
[You have killed 1 Wild Dog. +10 EXP]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 3]
-All stats increased by +1
-You acquired 1 Stat Point
Wide awake now, Orion focused on his profile with intense excitement.
Shifting slightly to ease his aching back, he opened the system panel. He stared at his Strength stat, now showing 8.
He stared at it.
And stared some more.
Ending the internal debate, he tapped the plus button.
[Strength 9 > 10]
He didn't have a choice.
In a different situation, he would've tested Charisma or Wisdom. But not here. Not now.
He waited until the trembling in his muscles subsided. In the meantime, he read the description of his new passive.
-Running (Basic) Passive Ability
Increases body stability and posture while running. Helps the user optimize stamina and breathing, allowing movement at maximum physiological potential.
It was a game-changer. During physical training at the Academy, he could now run without winding himself.
He didn't know what the training or the Academy itself would be like. But he knew humans were at the bottom of the food chain on Midka. He was almost certain he would be running for long periods somewhere, sooner or later.
Orion climbed down. He sprinted straight between the two dogs waiting below and took off.
He ran in a completely different direction, cutting through uncharted brush. Testing the changes in his body felt incredible.
He was stronger. That was undeniable. But there was something else.
A strange sensation he couldn't put a name to yet was there. He was certain it wasn't only about the Strength stat. Having average stats of 8 or 9 had added something else inside him.
Until he could define it, he simply kept baiting, misleading and outplaying the dogs. Running felt effortless. Jumping felt like flying.
Two dogs gave chase. One nearly leaped onto his back. When he swung the stick to counterattack, he finally understood.
The changes kept stacking.
"I'm braver!"
But not just that.
"I'm smarter!"
"More agile!"
He wanted to scream, but then the wave hit him.
Something primitive had awakened. A chemical flood of testosterone mixed with heat and aggression hit him all at once. He wanted to fight more. Hit harder. Run faster.
He still couldn't name it, but the feeling was undeniable. His decisions came instantly, stripped of any hesitation.
Orion felt feral.
In his old life he had constantly suppressed his masculinity, his aggression and brutality. Now that whatever restraint he had left was gone, he stopped holding himself back.
He smiled, his expression turning maniacal as he wrestled two dogs using nothing but rocks he'd grabbed from the dirt.
Orion didn't think.
Everything was automatic. Strike and Thrust pierced the dogs in a blur of motion.
[Congratulations! You have learned a Rare Passive Ability!]
-Hysterical Calculation (Rare)
His vision blurred for a heartbeat. Orion shook his head hard, forcing the notification away, riding the surge of adrenaline.
He ignored the text. He didn't care.
He chained a Thrust and Strike into a single, fluid attack. After injuring one dog and forcing the other to flee, he chased it down and jammed the stick straight into its throat.
Killing them hadn't been clean. But he fought without hesitation or mercy, finishing both in less than a minute.
Judging by the howls echoing through the forest, plenty more prey was waiting.
He started running again. Faster.
[You have killed 1 Wild Dog. +10 EXP]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 4]
[You have killed 1 Wild Dog. +10 EXP]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 5]
[You have killed 1 Wild Dog. +10 EXP]
[You have killed 1 Wild Dog..
[Congratulations! You have...
...
During the first half of the hunt, Orion noticed that every level-up eased his pain and fatigue.
But by the time the hour was up, he couldn't remember when the pain had vanished entirely.
He had stopped thinking about weakness. He felt drunk on power, muttering to himself as he moved.
He laughed constantly, coughing into bursts of manic laughter.
Faces and bodies blurred together in his thoughts. Heat and impulse tangled in his head. It wasn't about one person. It was instinct; simple and ugly.
His imagination shifted to Thalia, the sneaky beauty. Then to the blonde princess from the gate. And even the silent, deadly Kalista.
When the haze of lust finally faded slightly, Orion realized he was holding a dog by its hind leg.
Instead of killing it, he hurled the whimpering animal away and looked down at his school trousers.
"I have an ere*tion."
Even he couldn't believe what he had just said.