The Rift Beast hit the village like a falling boulder.

  Wood shattered as the creature crashed through a storage shed. Splinters exploded outward. Villagers screamed and scattered, tripping over carts and baskets in blind panic.

  Vale forced himself to breathe.

  Think.

  In his previous life, it took five trained soldiers to kill one of these. And several died doing it.

  Right now?

  He had a knife.

  And memories.

  The monster’s massive head swung left and right, sniffing. Its hide was thick gray armor, muscles bulging under scarred skin. Its claws gouged deep trenches in the ground as it moved.

  Searching.

  Hunting.

  A child froze in the road.

  Vale swore.

  His body moved before fear caught up.

  He sprinted.

  The beast lunged.

  Vale tackled the boy out of the way as claws tore through the dirt where they’d stood.

  Pain flared in his shoulder as they rolled across the ground.

  “Run!” Vale shouted.

  The boy scrambled away, crying.

  The monster turned toward Vale instead.

  Wrong move.

  Now its attention was focused.

  He stood slowly.

  Heart racing.

  Mana weakly trickled through his veins.

  Not enough for real spells.

  But knowledge mattered more.

  Rift Beasts were simple predators.

  Fast.

  Strong.

  But stupid.

  And Vale had killed hundreds.

  “Come on,” he muttered.

  The monster charged.

  Vale ran.

  Not away — toward narrow alleys between buildings.

  Heavy footsteps thundered behind him. The beast smashed through obstacles rather than avoiding them, tearing apart fences and carts.

  Perfect.

  Vale slid between two buildings barely wide enough for him.

  The Rift Beast slammed into the gap, shoulders wedging between walls.

  Wood and stone groaned.

  It forced itself forward anyway, roaring in frustration.

  Too big.

  Too trapped.

  Vale spun, knife ready.

  This was the only chance he’d get.

  He leapt forward and stabbed upward into the creature’s eye.

  The blade sank deep.

  Hot blood exploded across his face.

  The Rift Beast shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly.

  Vale ripped the knife free and dove aside as claws smashed through the wall where he’d stood.

  Not dead.

  Not even close.

  Rift Beasts could survive losing eyes.

  But now it was blind on one side.

  And stuck.

  Vale’s breathing quickened.

  His body screamed to run.

  But the village was behind him.

  He couldn’t let it break free.

  The creature tore itself loose from the alley, collapsing half the buildings around it.

  Vale staggered back into the open street.

  Villagers watched from hiding.

  Frozen.

  Helpless.

  He clenched his jaw.

  Fine.

  Then he’d show them how monsters die.

  The Rift Beast roared and charged again.

  Vale forced mana into his legs.

  Pain shot up his nerves.

  Too much.

  Too early.

  But he pushed anyway.

  His body surged forward unnaturally fast.

  The beast overshot as Vale slid under its swinging claw.

  He slashed across the back of its knee.

  Blood sprayed.

  The creature collapsed onto one leg, momentum sending it crashing through another building.

  People screamed again.

  Vale’s vision blurred.

  Mana exhaustion already.

  He couldn’t keep this up.

  He needed a kill.

  Fast.

  The monster staggered upright again, furious, injured, desperate.

  And desperate creatures made mistakes.

  Vale picked up a broken spear from fallen guardsman equipment nearby.

  Too heavy.

  Too unbalanced.

  Didn’t matter.

  The Rift Beast charged in blind rage.

  Vale waited.

  Waited.

  Waited

  Then stepped aside at the last second and drove the spear with all his weight into the creature’s open mouth.

  Wood splintered.

  But the broken shaft punched through soft flesh inside.

  Deep.

  Straight into the brain.

  The monster’s momentum carried it forward.

  Vale barely escaped being crushed as the Rift Beast collapsed, sliding across the dirt before finally going still.

  Silence fell.

  Dust drifted slowly through sunlight.

  Villagers stared.

  No one moved.

  Vale’s legs gave out.

  He dropped to his knees, lungs burning.

  He felt it then.

  A pulse in the air.

  Blue light appeared before his eyes.

  FIRST KILL REGISTERED

  RIFT CREATURE DEFEATED

  SYSTEM DESCENT PROTOCOL ACCELERATED

  EXPERIENCE GAINED

  Pain flooded his body.

  Heat surged through his veins.

  Cells strengthening.

  Senses sharpening.

  The System had acknowledged him.

  And something else awakened.

  GODSLAYER AUTHORITY RESONANCE DETECTED

  BONUS REWARD GRANTED

  Vale’s breath caught.

  Bonus reward?

  That wasn’t normal.

  New text appeared.

  SKILL ACQUIRED

  Predator Instinct — Level 1

  You sense killing intent and lethal threats nearby.

  Vale slowly stood.

  Villagers whispered.

  Some stared at him in awe.

  Others in fear.

  Captain Rellan pushed through the crowd, stunned.

  “You… killed it?”

  Vale wiped blood from his face.

  “Yes.”

  Rellan looked at the corpse, then back at him.

  “How?”

  Vale met his gaze calmly.

  “Luck.”

  But inside, his thoughts raced.

  The system reacted differently to him.

  Rewarded him.

  Accelerated descent.

  Something was pushing events faster.

  And then—

  A new message appeared.

  GLOBAL NOTICE

  FIRST RIFT CREATURE SLAIN

  SYSTEM DESCENT: 35 DAYS REMAINING

  Vale froze.

  Global notice?

  That never happened before.

  Meaning everyone…

  Every regressor…

  Every future survivor…

  Now knew someone just killed a monster early.

  He looked toward the horizon.

  Somewhere out there…

  Someone else just learned his existence.

  And might come looking.

  Vale exhaled slowly.

  Good.

  Let them come.

  This time…

  He was the hunter.