Ape of the Wilds

The ruins had let go of him.

For the first time since stepping into this ancient place, Kuro felt lighter—as if something that had been pressing into his bones, wrapping itself around his mind—had finally loosened its grip.

The preserved body was gone.

The whispers had faded.

The jungle had tested him, tried to reclaim him, tried to remind him of what he had once been.

And he had refused.

Now, there was only the path ahead.

Kota was the first to break the silence, rolling his shoulders, his golden eyes sharp. "I don't like this."

Sia exhaled slowly, adjusting her bow, her fingers tracing the worn string. "It's over now."

Boru let out a low grunt, cracking his knuckles. "Is it?"

Ruka crossed his arms. "The ruins don't feel the same anymore."

They were right.

The air had changed.

The weight of the past was gone, but in its place was something else.

Not emptiness.

Not freedom.

Expectation.

The ruins had acknowledged him.

Now, they were watching to see what he would do with it.

Ahead of them, the next passage had opened, but unlike before, this one was not lined with ancient carvings, not guarded by stone figures or hidden mechanisms.

It was just a path.

Because the trial was over.

The ruins were no longer holding him here.

They were letting him leave.

But something in Kuro's gut told him—this was not the end.

Whatever he had done here, whatever he had chosen by refusing his past—it had set something in motion.

And it would not be forgotten.

The jungle would not forget him.

Ever again.

They moved through the final corridor without speaking, their footsteps soft against the stone.

The air was thicker now, not with magic, but with the return of the world outside.

And then—they stepped into the jungle.

The sun was low, casting the sky in deep oranges and purples, the humid air wrapping around them like a living thing.

Kuro took a slow breath, feeling the weight of the real world settle back onto his shoulders.

They were back.

But they were not the same.

None of them.

The jungle was not silent.

The moment they emerged, the sounds of the wild returned—chattering birds, rustling leaves, the distant roars of creatures moving through the dense undergrowth.

It should have felt normal.

It didn't.

Because the jungle had changed too.

The moment Kuro's feet touched the earth, he felt it.

The trees watched.

The wind carried whispers.

The jungle had recognized him again.

And that meant everything would be different now.

Sia's ears flicked suddenly, her head turning sharply toward the distance. "Do you hear that?"

Kota tensed. "I hear it."

Kuro listened, his instincts sharpening.

Not the sounds of the jungle.

Not the movements of beasts.

Something else.

Then—he saw them.

Figures moving through the trees, their armor glinting in the fading sunlight, their weapons held ready.

Humans.

More than before.

Not scattered adventurers, not a small hunting party.

This was a group, a force, organized, moving with intent.

And they were searching for something.

For him.

Kuro held up a hand, signaling the others to stop. They moved behind cover, their bodies blending into the jungle with the ease of creatures born to this land.

The humans did not see them.

But Kuro saw everything.

Their armor was different, heavier than the ones before, their weapons sharper, polished, enchanted.

These were not normal hunters.

These were human warriors.

Sent here for one reason.

To find him.

The lead human spoke, his voice low, his words unknown to Kuro—but he understood the intent.

They were tracking something.

Checking the ground, reading signs, following trails.

And one of them lifted a piece of broken stone—a fragment of the ruins, fresh from where Kuro had walked.

Their leader nodded.

Then they moved deeper into the jungle.

Toward him.

Kuro's claws flexed, his tail low, still, his breath even.

They had known he was here.

Somehow, the humans had figured it out.

Not just that he was a Maw'Tanu.

But that he was something more.

A rare hunt.

A target.

A prize.

And now, they were coming.

For him.

For all of them.

Sia glanced at him, her voice low. "Do we run?"

Kuro's golden eyes narrowed.

"No."

He turned toward the jungle.

Toward his home.

"We hunt them first."

The jungle held its breath.

Kuro watched the humans move through the dense undergrowth, their armor glinting in the dying light, their weapons ready, their eyes scanning every shadow.

They were organized, moving like seasoned warriors—but they were not of the jungle.

And that meant they were not prepared for what was coming.

Kuro signaled with his hand, and the others moved silently into position.

No words.

No sound.

Because the Maw'Tanu did not need words to hunt.

Kota was the first to disappear, his golden eyes vanishing into the foliage, his movements light, silent, natural.

Sia nocked an arrow, but she did not draw it fully yet—she was waiting, measuring.

Boru and Ruka spread wide, moving through the trees, their massive forms too large to be truly hidden, but their steps controlled, practiced.

Varek moved last, his spear angled downward, his eyes reading the humans' formation, their weaknesses.

They had done this before.

And this time, they were not the prey.

The humans were too confident.

They moved with the certainty of people who thought they were the most dangerous things in the jungle.

They weren't.

Kuro saw their formation clearly now—three at the front, scanning ahead, two in the middle checking the ground for tracks, and one at the back, slightly slower, watching for ambushes.

They were tracking him.

They had come for him.

And now, they had found him.

But they didn't know it yet.

Kuro didn't wait.

The jungle was his.

He moved, his knuckles grazing the dirt as he surged forward, his body low, fast, a blur between the trees.

By the time the humans heard him, it was already too late.

His claws sank into the throat of the rear scout, the human barely having time to choke before Kuro twisted his body, snapping the man's neck with brutal efficiency.

+100 XP (Human Warrior Killed!)

Total XP: 360/700 XP

The moment the body hit the ground, the jungle exploded into motion.

Sia's arrow found another warrior's chest, slipping through a gap in the armor, the human barely managing a gasp before he collapsed.

Kota emerged from the shadows, his daggers flashing, slicing tendons before vanishing again, his movements as fluid as the wind.

Boru and Ruka crashed into the fray, their sheer strength sending humans flying, their massive arms turning armor into nothing but dead weight.

The humans never had a chance.

They had come prepared for a hunt.

But they had never been the real hunters.

One human—a larger one, with heavier armor—managed to twist his weapon toward Kuro, his blade flashing with runes, with magic.

Not a normal sword.

A weapon made for creatures like him.

But Kuro was faster.

He dropped low, avoiding the swing, his tail snapping out, curling around the man's ankle, yanking him off his feet before he could even react.

The moment the warrior hit the ground, Kota was on him, his daggers slipping beneath the helmet, ending the fight before it could even begin.

+120 XP (Human Elite Killed!)

Total XP: 480/700 XP

Three left.

They had realized their mistake now.

They weren't hunting a beast.

They were being eliminated by an apex predator.

One of them turned to run.

But Sia's arrow was faster.

The man fell, twitching, choking on his own blood.

Kuro didn't look back.

The final two humans tried to fight back.

One raised his shield, stepping toward Boru, but the massive Maw'Tanu simply crushed him against a tree, his ribs snapping like dry wood.

The last one—the leader—knew he was already dead.

Kuro could see it in his eyes.

There was no fear.

Only understanding.

And yet, he did not beg.

He simply raised his blade, gripping it tight, preparing for a final strike.

A warrior's end.

Kuro respected that.

So he gave him one.

He lunged forward, his claws catching the warrior's wrist, twisting the weapon aside, his knee slamming into the man's chest, breaking armor, bone, flesh.

The human staggered, but did not fall.

Not yet.

Not until Kuro's claws found his throat, ending it cleanly.

+150 XP (Human Commander Killed!)

Total XP: 630/700 XP

The fight was over.

The jungle was silent again.

The bodies of the humans lay scattered in the undergrowth, their weapons broken, their hunt ended.

But Kuro did not feel satisfaction.

Because he had learned something.

These humans were not random hunters.

They had been sent for him specifically.

And that meant—someone knew.

Someone knew he existed.

Someone knew he was not just another Maw'Tanu.

And now, they would send more.

Kota wiped his blades clean, frowning. "That wasn't a normal patrol."

Sia nodded, crouching beside the dead commander, her fingers tracing the mark on his armor.

A symbol.

One Kuro had never seen before.

Boru exhaled sharply. "More will come."

Ruka cracked his knuckles. "Then we kill them too."

Kuro didn't respond immediately.

Because he knew this would not stop.

The jungle had changed.

The humans had noticed.

And now, they had marked him.

He wasn't just another creature to them anymore.

He was something rare.

Something worth hunting.

A trophy.

A boss to be defeated.

And that meant his next fight would not be against hunters.

It would be against an army.

Kuro's golden eyes narrowed as he turned toward the depths of the jungle.

If they wanted to hunt him…

Then he would hunt them first.

And this time—none of them would leave alive.