Jayden exhaled sharply, yanking his knuckleclaws free from the thick, armored hide of the Tremor Gator beneath him. The beast gave one last twitch before falling completely still, its lifeless bulk slumping into the snowy earth. Steam rose from the fresh wound as blood seeped out, staining the ground crimson.

He stood tall, shoulders heaving with steady breaths as he surveyed the scene. Around him, strewn across the frost-hardened earth, were the corpses of nine more Tremor Gators. Their massive bodies, once terrifying predators of the forest, now lay broken and silent at his feet.

Jayden flexed his claws once before retracting them with a metallic snap. He rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck, then crouched to touch the fallen beasts one by one. Their bodies shimmered faintly before vanishing into his inventory, stored neatly away as loot.

Straightening again, he glanced deeper into the dark stretch of trees. The forest was quiet... unnaturally so. The usual chorus of distant howls, rustling underbrush, and beastly snarls had been absent for most of the night. Only the sound of his boots crunching against the snow followed him.

He pushed forward, weaving between the frost-coated trees. It had been an hour since he'd entered the forest, and he'd been relentless, having killed thirty beasts in total. All E-ranks.

But he wasn't satisfied with that, he needed higher ranked beasts so he could get better exp rewards. But unluckily, tonight the forest was devoid of D-Rank beasts, which was strange. It was as if they were all hiding somewhere away from him.

Jayden pulled up his system screen with a thought, the glowing interface hovering before his eyes.

[Exp: 3000/5000]

He sighed through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck. "Still a long way to go."

The hunt wasn't over. Not even close.

The trees thinned until he stepped into a wide clearing, moonlight pouring down unobstructed, painting the snow in silver. His eyes narrowed immediately... something sat in the middle of the clearing.

It was a Tremor Gator. But bigger. Much bigger. From the sheer mass of its body and the jagged ridges along its spine, Jayden knew instantly that it was D-rank. His pulse kicked up a notch.

"Finally." He grinned, relief washing through him. At last, something worth the effort.

He stepped forward eagerly, muscles coiled for the strike—

Then froze.

His brows furrowed. Something wasn't right. The beast was still. Too still.

He narrowed his gaze, Dragon Eye activating with a faint golden shimmer. The Tremor Gator's status bar appeared before him, confirming its rank... but the HP bar was flat. Zero.

Jayden's grin faltered. "...It's dead."

He tilted his head, staring harder at the unmoving body sitting like a statue in the snow. His mind reeled.

What killed the beast and why leave its corpse posed like that?

His instincts prickled, sharp and uneasy. "Unless... it's bait."

A trap.

He immediately stepped back, eyes glowing faintly as he quickly activated his heat vision. The world bathed itself in shades of red and orange, the snow dim, the trees dark... but the bushes? The shadows just beyond the clearing? They were alive. Dozens of heat signatures, crouched low, waiting.

Beasts.

Jayden counted them one by one, his lips curving into a smirk. Twenty-five in total.

They were all sitting still. Watching. Waiting for him to take the bait.

"Well, isn't that cute," he muttered, taking a step forward having decided to walk right into the trap without a care in the world.

[Jayden] Luna's voice rang in his head, cool and concerned. [What do you think you're doing? Walking into a trap like that. Are you crazy?]

"Relax." He shrugged with a grin, already stepping forward. "It'd be rude not to honor the stage they set up for me."

Snow crunched beneath his feet as he strolled casually into the clearing. He reached the tremor gator's corpse, crouched beside it, and examined the body.

There were jagged claw marks and brutal bite wounds on its body. It hadn't just died.. it had been torn apart by its own kind.

He chuckled under his breath. "So you killed one of your own just to lure me in. I'm flattered." He stood, cracking his knuckles. "But you really shouldn't keep me waiting. Let's keep this over with."

Right on cue, the forest moved.

Figures burst from the bushes, snow scattering in sprays as beasts emerged from every direction. They circled him in seconds, closing the clearing into a living wall of fangs, claws, and muscle.

Jayden turned slowly, surveying them with a predator's calm. He counted them as they emerged.

Eight Tremor Gators, jaws snapping. Five Wolverine Stalkers, their yellow eyes gleaming. Seven Howlers, fur bristling as they growled. Two Serpenthis, their serpentine bodies coiling, venom glistening. And three Razorbacks, their armored spines quivering with anticipation.

All D-rank. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel✦fire.net

Every last one.

Jayden whistled low, shaking his head in mock admiration. "No wonder I couldn't find a single D-rank tonight. You were all busy throwing a little surprise party for me."

The beasts growled, circling closer, their breaths misting in the cold air.

[Jayden] Luna's voice cut in again, more serious now. [I think I understand what's happening]

"Oh yeah?" His smirk widened. "Do tell."

[These isn't a random attack. These are most of the D-rank beasts in this forest] she explained. [When you killed the Winter Wolf, you became the automatic Alpha here. All beasts below her fell under your dominance. And they've feared you ever since]

Jayden chuckled darkly. "And now?"

[Now it looks like they don't want you as their Alpha anymore] she said. [They've gathered together, staged this trap, because they want to overthrow you and crown a new Alpha among themselves]

Jayden laughed outright, tilting his head back with amusement. "So this some kind of coup?"

[Something like that, yes] Luna replied.

Jayden's grin sharpened, eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. "You know what? I couldn't have asked for anything better." He cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders. "Twenty-five D-ranks all lined up for me. Saves me the trouble of hunting them down one by one."

As if responding to his glee, the system flared to life.

[New Random Quest Available]

"Your position as Alpha of the forest is being threatened. The beasts have staged an uprising against you:

[Eliminate all traitorous beasts and secure your title as Alpha]

*Reward: 1500 EXP, +50 Stat Points.

Jayden's smirk widened into a feral grin. "This couldn't get any better."

The beasts tensed, claws scraping against the frozen ground, muscles rippling with barely contained aggression. The clearing vibrated with the growls and hisses of predators ready to tear him apart.

Jayden only planted his feet firmly in the snow, claws sliding free with a metallic hiss, golden eyes burning with anticipation.

"Alright then," he said softly, almost to himself. "Let's dance."