When the scrying spell failed to show the recruits' location, Lucen knew something had gone wrong.

He informed Harlik of the location and told him to quicken the pace of Thornefang. After giving his order, Lucen darted forward ahead of the group.

When he got near the area, the smell of blood hit him first, thick, metallic, choking in the cold air. The forest was too quiet, the kind of silence that swallowed even the wind.

Lucen moved faster, and when he got to the place, he saw two monsters that he immediately identified.

Wendigos, or in this case, dire wendigos. These monsters were based on a similar being with the same name, back in his past life.

Still, those things were different from the malevolent spirit in his past life, but flesh-and-bone nightmares that wore hunger like armor.

In the game, these things were mid-boss-type monsters with high health and regeneration. Lucen created his favorite revolver in his hand and shot at the two monsters right at their heads.

He then stood in front of Thrall and Daniel, who seemed to be fine for now. He then scanned the area and saw some ashes and the body of another Dire Wendigo on the ground.

The smell of blood was heavy. There were many trails of blood on the snow. The white snow had turned red, making it clear how much blood had been shed.

When Lucen got a good look at the two Dire Wendigo before him, he understood that they had entered their final phase. This was their strongest form. It would have been easier to kill these things if they hadn't eaten anything.

This was a monster you needed a full party to defeat. Still, despite the situation, Lucen stood before Daniel and Thrall with confidence.

"Sorry for being late," he said, cocking back the hammer with a click that cut through the quiet. He also took out his sword, the Crimson Lord Mk IV, which was loaded with gunpowder. "Leave this to me now."

Thrall's voice was raw, jagged like the air in his lungs. His fingers flexed, claws still wet with black ichor. "You think you can just come here and make this hunt yours?!"

"If you wish to continue fighting, then be my guest. How about you, Daniel?" Lucen shrugged his shoulders.

"Since you're here, I think I'll rest now," Daniel answered while sitting down.

The two Dire Wendigos had recovered from the shot to the head and started making an irritating sound as they charged at Lucen and the others.

"These are Dire Wendigos. They are weak to fire and blunt force." Lucen spoke as he evaded the Dire Wendigos' strike while pulling the trigger on his sword, making the blade burn crimson. "Of course, because of their powerful regeneration, it seems like they're invincible, but if you're able to penetrate through their heart, they die like any other monster."

Lucen shot the wendigo that was about to hit Thrall, stunning the wendigo, giving Thrall enough time to counter. As he did this, he also swung his sword at the other incoming Wendigo, cutting one of its hands.

The Wendigo screamed an eerie scream; its hand, which would have normally regenerated, was unable to do so due to the heat from the cut.

The two Dire Wendigos now understood that the greatest threat on the battlefield was Lucen. They kicked up the snow on the ground, making a smokescreen.

The world went white. Snow hissed up in a choking wave, biting cold and blinding. Thrall snarled, sweeping his claws through the haze like it would cut the fog itself.

Daniel was not bothered by the snow, as he was not part of the fight. He went back to position himself further away so that he wouldn't get in Lucen's way.

Lucen didn't move; he waited patiently like an experienced hunter. Dire wendigos weren't dumb beasts. They were predators. They'd vanish from sight, let your own pulse betray you. His revolver hovered loosely in his grip, not ready to fire, but ready to snap the second instinct screamed.

From within the mist created by the snow, a claw appeared. Lucen's battle instincts had already warned him of the incoming attack.

Despite the Wendigos being able to hide their presence and even their bloodlust and killing intent could be hidden, Lucen's battle instincts skill does not care for any of that.

The two Dire Wendigos then started attacking Lucen in coordinated ways. Lucen could only dodge at the moment. He would also block some attacks, but he was starting to slowly accumulate a few scratches here and there.

"Don't you dare ignore me!" Thrall punched one of the Dire Wendigos, giving enough time for Lucen to back away and start shooting at a distance for now.

Even with Lucen's battle instincts, gun kata, and marksmanship skills, it was hard to fight the Dire Wendigos.

He was lucky at the beginning to be able to take one hand, since they were caught by surprise, but now the monsters were actually acting cautiously, making it difficult to get a hit in.

While Thrall was engaging in combat with the two Dire Wendigos, Lucen gave support fire. He was waiting for a chance to attack, but the Dire Wendigos were not giving any more openings.

It was a stalemate for a while when Thrall was hit in the abdomen and flew back. This time, unlike before, he was unable to get back up. His body had finally reached its limit.

"Daniel, take Thrall away!"

"No!"

Thrall, who could not stand up, shouted. Unfortunately, even though he had the energy to shout, he could not do anything else.

Daniel did as he was told and picked up Thrall, who tried to resist but was unable to do so.

Lucen, who was now once again evading the continuous attacks of the two Dire Wendigos, was now wondering how long he needed to hold out before the reinforcements arrived. As he was wondering about that, one of the Dire Wendigos was able to smash its palm on Lucen's back.

Lucen was pushed forward and needed to stab his sword into the ground to stop his body.

'Tsk, I guess trying to be the hero backfired on me.'

Lucen coughed, the metallic taste of blood rising in his mouth as his vision sharpened from the pain. His back screamed, his Aura dampened from the impact, but his hands still held firm on the Crimson Lord's grip.

The Wendigos circled now, slow, deliberate. They'd tasted his weakness. Snow hissed under their claws. Their breaths came out in short, steaming bursts. They didn't rush. They stalked.

Lucen stood up and snapped his neck side to side. "I guess you give me no choice but to use this." There was no fear in Lucen's voice; in fact, there was a tone of excitement. He was about to use his new skill, RELEASE.

Lucen activated the skill, his heart beat grew faster and louder. It now sounded like a revving engine.

His veins bulged as blood rushed faster through his body, pounding in sync with his accelerating heartbeat.

Lucen's muscles expanded a little and then suddenly compressed. There was steam radiating from Lucen's body. He now looked like something akin to a raging demon.

Lucen could feel incredible power flowing through him, but the same as the first time, there was also pain, but not as intense as before.

'I don't know how long I can use this technique, so I need to make the most of it.'

***

The Wendigos froze for a heartbeat, heads tilting like hounds catching a scent they did not understand. Their hollow eyes narrowed. Hunger wavered into wariness.

Lucen's next step cracked the snow like breaking glass. He suddenly vanished from everyone's sight.

No flash, no smoke, just raw acceleration tearing through the frozen air. The first Wendigo barely shifted before Lucen's revolver barked point-blank against its jaw. Bone shattered, ichor sprayed, and the monster was hurled sideways, carving a trench through the snow.

The second swung wide, claws slicing the air where Lucen had been. Lucen's blade, wreathed in fire and the raw recoil of gunpowder, slammed upward, severing an arm at the shoulder. The Wendigo screeched, black steam pouring from the cauterized wound.

Despite that damage, it kept moving. Its flesh pulsed, writhed, trying to re-knit even through the heat. Its remaining claws lashed out with frantic precision, forcing Lucen to skid back, boots digging furrows in the frozen ground.

Pain spiked in his chest. His heart hammered against his rib cage like it wanted out. He could feel RELEASE chewing through him, every second like a fuse burning too fast.

"Tch, stubborn bastards..." Lucen spat blood into the snow, brought his revolver up again, and fired twice, straight into the first Wendigo's chest. Both rounds sank deep, but neither slowed it for long.

***

Daneil and Thrall, who were watching the battle in the distance, were amazed by Lucen's overwhelming performance.

Daniel could sense that Lucen's body was being empowered not only by his heart but by the power of his aura and mana merging.

Thrall felt excited watching Lucen fight. The technique he was using that made his body look like it was burning red seemed similar to when he uses his spirit tattoos, but the quality was different.

****

Lucen adjusted his grip on the Crimson Lord, the barrel glowing faintly from overuse. His breath came out in ragged bursts, each one steaming like a furnace in the cold.

The Wendigos slowed their advance. They'd felt pain, real pain, for the first time since the fight began. They'd learned that their bodies and minds were now screaming. The human before them was not simple prey, not simple at all.

But their hunger didn't waver. They began circling again, black ichor dripping onto the snow, hissing as it ate shallow pits into the ice.

Lucen's vision blurred at the edges. The world tilted for a heartbeat.

'Damn it, not yet.'

He forced his focus back into a razor point, every nerve screaming at him to move. The monsters lunged, one high, one low, a perfect pincer.

Lucen stepped forward, twisting between them, steel and flame carving through tendon and bone, but their weight crashed into him, claws raking across his coat.

Pain tore through his ribs. He bit down on a scream, fired upward into the taller Wendigo's jaw, sending bone and ichor splintering skyward. It staggered, but only for a heartbeat.

'This is getting f*cking hard.'

As he was thinking of his next move, the forest trembled.

A low, distant whine cut through the night, a sound no beast in this world had ever made. The Wendigos paused, heads jerking toward the treeline, nostrils flaring.

Hearing that sound was like music in Lucen's ears as he smiled.

"F*cking finally..."

The Wendigos stiffened, feral instincts spiking. Their empty, starved eyes turned toward the treeline just as the night lit up.

The metal ball that came out of the Thunderspear tore through the forest like the wrath of a god.

The solid steel shot slammed into the nearest Wendigo's flank with the sound of a mountain collapsing.

The creature's chest and shoulder vanished in a spray of bone shards and black ichor. Its body was hurled sideways with so much force it caved in a tree, snapping it in half, before the beast crumpled into the snow, twitching and howling, but not dead.

The second ball screamed through next, low and fast, gouging a trench through the snow as it skipped once, twice, then collided with the other Wendigo's legs.

Both limbs were caught in the way of the metal ball, in a wet, bone-cracking mess, the creature collapsing mid-scream, clawing at the ground, dragging itself forward even as regeneration fought to rebuild what the sheer kinetic trauma had pulped.

Lucen stopped using RELEASE as he staggered upright, a savage grin carving across his bloodied face.

"Nice shot," he rasped.

The first Wendigo was already trying to stand, chunks of rib and lung writhing like worms beneath its skin.

Lucen didn't hesitate. He stepped in, Crimson Lord blazing red, and plunged the blade straight into the creature's chest, forcing it through the thrashing cartilage and muscle until it pierced the heart.

He pulled the trigger. Gunpowder ignited, and the heated blade became even hotter, burning the monster from within. It convulsed once, then went limp, steam rising from the hole in its chest.

The second Wendigo, mangled but crawling, hissed like a cornered animal, jaws opening wide in a last desperate lunge.

Lucen met it halfway, despite his body aching all over. He vaulted forward, evaded the attack, and countered with a clean slice. He was able to cut the monster in half.

Lucen, who had finally killed the monster, let himself fall backward into the snow, chest heaving, every heartbeat a hammer blow against cracked ribs.

He then heard the sound of the system notification as a transparent screen appeared before him, telling him that he had leveled up. Seeing that level-up notification made Lucen unconsciously smile.

***

From the treeline came the groan of wheels, the hiss of cooling barrels, and the clatter of Thornefang's boots breaking through the icy crust. The Thunderspears were being wheeled into a defensive line, muzzles still smoking.

Harlik jogged ahead, eyes wide as they swept over the carnage, two Dire Wendigos torn apart like butchered cattle, Lucen sprawled in the snow, still gripping a sword that dripped black blood and steam.

"Little leader," Harlik said, his voice filled with relief. "Glad to see that you're alive," He joked.

Lucen spat blood, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and smirked up at the sky.

"Is that all you have to say? You're f*cking late."

"Well, we arrived before you died. So I think we came just right in time."

The two looked at each other for several seconds, their smiles widened, and they started laughing.

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