PHOENIX RISING (Book One In The Phoenix Hunter Series)

★CHAPTER 7★

   

    
      An hour had passed, and the grassland had become a blur of motion.  I’d already taken down four Gem Bunnies.  I felt stronger, my movements quicker, my senses sharper.  But I still felt a long way from the awakened hunters I’d seen on the streets of the city.  Their movements had been fluid, effortless, almost like a dance.  I was still clumsy, my movements rough, but I was getting better.

I had hunted one blue gem bunny and three red ones. The gold bunny's are not that common, with one amongst fifty.

Now, I was facing my fifth bunny.  It was a small one, a young one, barely bigger than a regular rabbit. It seemed to sense my hesitation, its ears twitching nervously.

This time,  I felt a pang of guilt.  It wasn't the bunny’s fault that it was born into this world. It had no idea about the system, the hunts, the dangers of this place.

I hesitated, my hand hovering over my sword.  The thought of my first skill, my system activation and finding my true path, was exhilarating.  But this bunny… it looked so innocent.

“You’re holding back,” a voice startled me.

I turned, my eyes widening in surprise.  It was Shadow, his face still obscured by his cloak.  He was the only one who hadn’t spoken to me so far.  He rarely spoke, and I thought he was just going to be a silent observer, a part of the background scenery.

“It’s a good thing you’re starting to develop some empathy,” Shadow said, his voice low and gravelly.  “But in this world, you can’t afford to be sentimental.  You need to be ruthless, efficient.  Every moment counts.”

“If you keep looking at all the monsters you hunt like regular animals, you may end up dead. It's not a person, it has no families, it is a construct of this world, killing it should not make you feel guilty. Trust me when I say you are too young for that”

His words shook me.  He was right.  I needed to focus.  This was a world of survival, of constant struggle.  I needed to be strong, to be ruthless.

I took a deep breath and tightened my grip on my sword.  I wasn’t going to hesitate anymore.  This was my journey, and I needed to embrace the path ahead, no matter how difficult it may be.

I lunged forward, leaving no space for escape. The bunny didn’t even have time to squeak before it was over.  It felt like a blur, my movements instinctive, driven by a primal urge.

[Notification: You have killed a level one monster. Loots have been condensed +1 Exp]

I felt a surge of energy course through my body.  A wave of heat washed over me, and a loud ringing sound filled my ears, making me wince.  A blinding light filled my vision, and my knees buckled.

“Hey, Lucas! You alright?” Kaito’s voice sounded distant.

I tried to move, but I was frozen in place. it was beginning to hurt so bad.

I screamed, the sound muffled, trapped in my throat.

“Lucas!” Luna shouted, her voice laced with concern.

I could see the others rushing towards me, but they were suddenly flung back, as if an invisible force was pushing them away.

I felt myself falling.  My vision blurred, and the world around me has black spots all over.

Before I lost consciousness, I heard another sound, a muffled thud.  Then everything went dark.

[Notification: System Online. System Updated.]