"You know..." Dante said out loud, speaking as if someone was monitoring him. "I think you're a loser."

Continuing to flee the forest and its wild inhabitants, Dante had come to believe that this was all a test.

The conclusion followed, that if his Summoner, Kell'og, was a lonely hero, then he would be in need of a sidekick.

"Did you get kicked out of some trumped up Justice League? Huh? Did they ban you for playing with that furry tail of yours in public?"

Dante stopped, having found a suitable branch to fashion into a spear. Then he frowned...Will this just keep escalating?

"Look alright, I'm not interested in fighting any demons, or smelling the pungent delight of a zombie hoard. I'm a no one, just like you. So if you send me back now…"

'...ugh this isn't working…'

Dante sighed, rubbing his forehead. Given no response and no crackle of thunder for the insults, he assumed for the time being he would be stuck in this unknown world.

Opening his inventory, Dante spread his hand as a black orb plopped down into his palm.

Lesser Core of a Black Dire Wolf

A Core of a lesser beast that contains the active skill Dark Vision. Do you wish to imprint this skill onto your soul? Yes / No

"Yes." He sighed.

Dark Vision…. Imprinted.

Dante's eyes blinked, then watered. The forest's color had inverted. What was once bright, darkened. The switch was surreal.

Dante stared out at a dark sky, with an even darker sun. A burning void, not unlike that of a black hole.

The colors of the void stood out like a haze of pin art, and their shadows became a warm ray of light, almost welcoming. It was as if he could reach out and embrace them.

"This is probably how a serial killer feels."

Dark Vision: Transmutes mana into a dark spectrum, allowing one to gaze within the void. 

Canceling the Dark Vision skill, Dante returned to his spear. The weapon was crude, more blunt than sharp.

It took a while before he became satisfied with the finished product. Briefly, he thought about starting a fire to harden the tip, then he slapped his forehead.

Opening his status, Dante added all thirty of his essence points into the Affinity of Fire, skill tree.

'Here's to not being generic!'

Mark of the Burning Path and the Affinity of Fire tree have converged.

Congratulations! You now walk the path of the First Sage. Continue to follow his teachings.

Stat unlocked: Fire Resistance.

• +1 to Fire Resistance

• +1 to Fire Resistance

Dante closed out his status, spun his spear, and began to sharpen the other half.

In his heart of hearts, he truly wasn't a nature person. Born in a city, the free range and simplicity of nature had called out to him. But now, when there was no other choice, it definitely wouldn't have been his first option.

Dante tore strips from his shirt, bandaging his feet. 

"Look grandfather." Dante chuckled, "Isn't this what you wanted?"

He shed a tear, reminiscing on his late grandfather that had practically raised him. They had always argued about him playing too many video games, and how he needed to go outside and experience nature.

"Ahh those were the days. Summers spent avoiding the sun, to grind away in virtual reality." He smiled.

Another old memory resurged and Dante found himself on a sailboat with his grandfather. The two males divided by generations, kept each other company on a blistering summer day. They sat in peaceful silence, fishing, as the summer sun tanned Dante's skin a golden brown.

Then the four year old memory ended and he was brought back to his new life, where his new family was missing, and where his four new friends were waiting at his front door.

With one final tear, Dante stood up. "Those were good memories too…"

Unsurprisingly Dante found himself surrounded. Each wolf entered the clearing one after the other. Above their heads floated a white font, with their levels displayed on the right.

Gray Wolf Lvl 3, Gray Wolf Lvl 4, Black Wolf Lvl 4, Dire Wolf Lvl 5 

From a distance they encircled him, licking their fangs with greed and hunger.

"Your stomachs aren't even empty!" Dante shouted, noticing their jaws were already bloody. They had killed...something.

Dante held his makeshift spear at the ready, intending to take at least one down. He tried calming his breath, but even without adrenaline running through his veins, the thought of being eaten alive was simply too hard to shake.

"Come on!"

The rage and confusion Dante bottled up for the past hour, wanted to strike out. He disregarded the idea of making himself seem larger. It wasn't like he could do that anyway. Whatever these wolves fed upon, made them look like wild champions of the night.

Two heartbeats passed before Dante attacked, but the wolves were faster. As if on queue, they all rushed at him. A rehearsed strategy ingrained in their DNA.

Though Dante expected this and returned a slash. Causing the gray mass that bit his calf, to lose an eye.

Then he kicked the wolf's snout, following up with a stab to it's gut. Turning just in time to bash another wolf. However it had fled, making room for the wolf that was next in line.

This time he was outnumbered, the battle would flow differently.

Within seconds his spear became a club, missing each target and hitting nothing but air.

They were toying with him, retreating and attacking as his attention was diverted. Centering his attention on one, had them all at his back. 

"Fuck!!"

Dante charged at the smallest wolf, which came up to his waist, but once again it fled. With all the rushed footwork, his blisters began to reopen, leaving his blood on the fallen leaves and twigs. His left calf throbbed with pain from the first bite.

Dante had enough. Gritting his teeth, he ran towards the gray wolf with the gut wound, swinging the spear down like a hammer.

He felt the wolf's whimpering through his bones, and a deranged smile crossed his face.

Suddenly pain flared across his back, dropping him to his knees. Red streaks ran down, glistening under the meadows twilight glow. If it was any other day, the area he found himself in would have looked beautiful. Undoubtedly smelling like flowers in spring. Now however, all he could smell was iron and anger. And as his mind slipped into insanity, the fresh wounds became an anchor, grounding him to his new reality.

Dante rose, using the spear as a cane, then struck at whatever wolf opened his back. His attacks grew more precise over time, landing multiple strikes on his targets.

With all of the strength he could muster, Dante shot the spear forward. His crude weapon did its job, entering through the wolf's rib cage.

You have slain Gray Wolf Lvl 3. 15 EP absorbed!

Turning, Dante wounded another wolf, thrusting into the shoulder as it charged him. He followed up with the back end of the spear, reverse stabbing the wolf that dared to capitalize on his distraction.

Within a minute two more wolves were wounded, and Dante charged before he lost out on the kills.

You have slain Gray Wolf Lvl 4. 25 EP absorbed!

You have slain Black Wolf Lvl 4. 25 EP absorbed!

A brief pause in the middle of battle displayed the option to loot each corpse. Without hesitation he chose.

"Loot all!"

Gray Wolf fang × 4 added to inventory.

Gray Wolf pelt × 2 added to inventory.

Black Wolf fang × 2 added to inventory.

Black Wolf pelt added to inventory.

A light breeze swept through the clearing as Dante's chest heaved. His focus now locked on the remaining wolf.

The Dire wolf.

It lunged, breaking the distance in half in a split second. This beast was faster, larger, and angrier, then all the rest. Planting his feet, Dante extended the bloody tip of his spear out to meet the charge.

The Dire wolf latched onto the wooden spear, gnawing through it like a bone. 

Dante pulled his weapon free. An unseen error, as the beast flowed with the motion, jumping towards his exposed throat.

It knocked him down, yet at the last second he managed to center the spear above himself, blocking the attack.

As the razor sharp maw of death chomped over him, saliva dripped down onto his face.

Dante shoved, repulsed by the wolf's breath, but his strength was barely enough to repel the beast.

Soon the makeshift spear would break, and Dante conserved his energy, waiting for that exact moment.

When the alarm sounded, Dante kicked up with all his might, stabbing the broken spear into the dire wolf's neck.

It's jugular opened, pouring out it's life essence like a waterfall. The hot liquid burned Dante's mouth and throat. The flavor of iron coated his tongue. And after a few more stabs, he could finally relax.

You have slain Dire Wolf Lvl 5. 45 EP absorbed!

Dire Wolf fang × 2 added to inventory.

Lesser Core of a Dire Wolf added to inventory.

Traces of Beast mana absorbed.