The morning felt different .
Hiroto stood at the edge of the Kingdom of Flaris, his gaze fixed beyond the towering gates as pale sunlight stretched across the land. The memories of his first hunt still lingered, but something inside him had shifted. Fear no longer controlled him the way it had before. It was still there—quiet, persistent—but now it was overshadowed by something stronger.
Determination.
"I can't keep relying on them forever…" he muttered under his breath.
Without informing Alice or Gilbert, Hiroto made his decision. Today, he would go alone.
The guards barely acknowledged him as he stepped beyond the gates. The moment he crossed the boundary, the sense of safety behind him faded, replaced by the vast uncertainty of the outside world. The land stretched endlessly ahead, quiet yet filled with unseen danger.
He walked.
Time passed slowly. Minutes blended into hours as Hiroto ventured deeper into unfamiliar territory. The worn paths near the kingdom gradually disappeared, replaced by uneven ground and thick patches of forest. The air felt heavier here, almost suffocating, and the silence that once felt peaceful now carried something unsettling beneath it.
Hiroto slowed his steps.
"…this feels wrong…"
His instincts whispered a warning.
Then—
A sound.
Low.
Wet.
Hiroto froze.
Slowly, he turned toward it.
And then—
He saw it.
His breath caught in his throat.
The creature stood several meters away, its form twisted and unnatural. It was larger than any monster he had encountered before, its limbs jagged and uneven as though they had been violently reshaped. Dark veins pulsed beneath its skin, and its faintly glowing eyes locked onto nothing—yet.
Hiroto's body refused to move.
"…what is that…?"
His mind struggled to process it.
This wasn't like the creature from his first hunt.
This was something else entirely.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
"…I shouldn't fight that…"
He took a slow step back.
Then another.
"…I need to leave…"
But before he could turn—
The creature's head snapped toward him.
Their eyes met.
In that instant—
Hiroto knew.
He had been seen.
The monster let out a deep, distorted growl, its body tensing as if preparing to strike. Hiroto's heart pounded violently in his chest.
"…run…"
That was the only thought left in his mind.
But just as he was about to move—
Something changed.
His hands moved on their own.
And suddenly—
His daggers appeared.
Resting firmly in his grip.
Hiroto's eyes widened.
"…what…?"
He hadn't drawn them.
He hadn't even reached for them.
Yet they were there.
A strange sensation spread through him—not fear, not panic, but something darker.
It felt as if the blades were pulling him forward.
"…no…"
He tightened his grip, trying to resist.
"This is wrong…"
He needed to run.
He had to run.
But his body refused to obey.
Then—
A voice echoed within his mind.
"…fight…"
Hiroto froze.
"…what…?"
"…fight…"
The voice was low, distant, yet impossible to ignore.
"…who's there…?"
His breathing became uneven.
"…fight…"
The word repeated, colder, more forceful.
"…no…"
Hiroto shook his head slightly.
"I can't…"
But the pressure inside him grew stronger.
The pull from the blades intensified.
"…fight…"
And before he could stop himself—
He moved.
Hiroto rushed forward.
Straight toward the monster.
His mind went blank.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Only instinct.
The creature roared as Hiroto closed the distance, its massive arm swinging toward him with terrifying force. Hiroto reacted instantly, barely dodging as the attack tore through the air where he had been standing. The sheer power behind it sent a shockwave that nearly knocked him off balance.
"…too fast…!"
The monster attacked again.
And again.
Each strike carried enough force to crush him instantly.
Hiroto struggled to keep up, his body moving purely on instinct as he narrowly avoided each blow.
"…I can't win like this…"
His thoughts raced.
"…I need to focus…"
The familiar symbols appeared in his vision, faint yet clear.
Movement.
Pattern.
Weakness.
Hiroto clenched his teeth.
"…I have to trust this…"
The creature lunged once more.
This time—
Hiroto didn't retreat.
"…now…!"
He activated it.
Moonshadow.
For a brief moment, the world shifted. His body felt lighter, faster, as if he had become one with the shadows themselves. He slipped past the monster's attack, his movement almost unnatural.
"…this is it…!"
Without hesitation, he followed up.
Shadow Flicker.
In an instant, his body vanished from where he stood—
And reappeared behind the creature.
Hiroto struck.
His daggers cut deep into its back, drawing a sharp, violent reaction. The monster roared in pain, twisting its body wildly.
Hiroto leaped back, breathing heavily.
"…it worked…"
But the creature didn't fall.
Instead—
It turned.
Its presence grew heavier.
More dangerous.
"…it's not over…"
The monster charged.
Faster than before.
Hiroto tried to dodge—
But he was too slow.
The attack hit him.
Hard.
"—gh!"
His body was thrown across the ground, pain exploding through him as he slammed into the dirt. His vision blurred, his breath caught in his throat.
"…I… can't…"
He tried to move.
His body trembled.
"…this is bad…"
The monster approached, each step shaking the ground beneath him.
"…I'm going to die…"
The thought hit him harder than the pain.
But then—
The voice returned.
"…fight…"
Hiroto's eyes sharpened.
"…I'm not dying here…"
He forced himself to stand, his body screaming in protest.
"…not like this…"
The monster lunged.
And Hiroto moved.
One last time.
Moonshadow.
Shadow Flicker.
Everything he had left.
Every ounce of strength.
Every drop of will.
He pushed himself beyond his limits.
His blades struck.
Once.
Twice.
A final, desperate blow.
Silence.
The monster froze.
Then—
It collapsed.
Hiroto stood there, barely conscious, his breathing uneven and heavy.
"…I…"
His legs gave out.
He fell to his knees.
"…I won…"
But it didn't feel like victory.
His body was covered in wounds.
His strength completely drained.
"…I almost died…"
His vision darkened as he fell forward, the world slowly fading around him.
Yet one thought remained clear in his mind.
This world—
Was far more dangerous than he had ever imagined.
And if he wanted to survive—
He would have to become stronger.