Nyxfall 7: The Veilbreakers

Kai was dragged along by the NPC uncle of his character into the nearby forest. From their conversations, he had grasped tidbits about his situation. They were going to hunt the rare Chwinpakas, creatures seen only once every season. His character was an orphan, and since his uncle and aunt had no children of their own, they had raised him as their son.

He was tasked with basic movement exercises—walking, sprinting, jumping—all the usual tutorial mechanics to get him accustomed to the game. But Kai already knew all of that and had mastered them to the best of his abilities. Some tasks rewarded him with simple materials, like additional arrows or herbs that restored HP.

The wooden toy sword he had obtained wasn't a real weapon, he tested it. The only weapon he had right now was a bow—the most basic one he had ever used.

Nyxfall 6 had a class that used bows, but Kai had never played it before. He had always been a close-range melee Stonebinder Mage-Swordsman hybrid. Still, the target practice between tasks helped him accumulate experience with the bow.

If he had to guess, he would need to grind through the early levels in this region before he was strong enough to leave. Technically, he could leave right now—there were no movement restrictions—but staying was the smarter choice. The village offered more opportunities for quests, leveling, and loot than the massive forest surrounding them. He had already heard unsettling voices echoing from the depths of the forest—dangerous and eerie. Even though this was just a game and revival was guaranteed, the sound still made his skin crawl.

The nanobots, however, made the game so realistic that it was hard to remind himself that this wasn't reality. The system interface in his view helped with that. Another detail had appeared on his screen since the NPC had mentioned the Slenshalan event:

[Time until Slenshalan: 167:20:39]

The event was in a week. It was universal—whether he was online or not, it would happen. Such events always came with great rewards, and Kai had no intention of missing out. He also needed to prepare in case he was up against other players instead of NPCs. That was a possibility.

For human players, this was just a game, but aliens, who were likely mixed into the player base, weren't here just to play. He confirmed that the game was cross-species by checking the leader-board names in his system, there were two:

[The Human Server's Leaderboard]

[Common Leaderboard]

That was the same as last time. People had assumed it referred to humans and different races within the game, but that wasn't the case.

"Be prepared and use light steps. We're getting close..." Uncle Liam warned once they were far from the village, having walked for about an hour.

Kai couldn't see or hear anything unusual, but he trusted the hunter NPC's instincts. He dug deep into all his stealth knowledge, keeping his bow ready. His quiver was well-stocked with arrows from the tasks he had completed.

Suddenly, a notification flashed across his screen:

[Story Progression: First Chapter - The Beginning Crash 5%]

[Skill Points Rewarded: 3]

'Ah! The skill system is the same... Nice!'

If he displayed expert movement patterns and successfully executed them—fulfilling the game's hidden conditions—he would gain the option to acquire those movements as permanent skills. That way, he wouldn't have to manually perform them every time; the system would automate the execution with flawless precision. Not to mention they remained with the player even offline when they were invited to play the game for real.

However, learning skills required Skill Points (SP), and different skills had different costs. A beginner character in Nyxfall 6 could only hold two specific skills at a time. The skills a player chose also affected what kind of quests they could unlock later. Needless to say, skill selection was crucial for building a strong character.

The best way to learn skills, however, was to...

Kai silently followed his NPC uncle, mimicking his every movement and trying to understand why he moved the way he did.

At first, he just copied the motions—crouch, touch, scan. But the more he moved, the more he understood. The hunter's pace, the way he avoided stepping on prints, the way his eyes flicked between details. It wasn't about looking harder—it was about seeing.

His knees ached from crouching, but he stayed low, mirroring the hunter's movements. He pressed his fingers into the dirt, feeling the weight left behind by whatever had passed through. The hunter wasn't watching him, just moving. He had to keep up.

A snapped branch ahead made him shift his path instinctively. Moving like the hunter—low, slow, careful. Small details he would've missed before now stood out. He adjusted his steps, walking beside the prints instead of on them.

After twenty minutes of shadowing the hunter, a notification popped up:

[Skill Available: Tracking]

[Learn (2 SP)]

There it was.

Kai didn't rush to learn it. Instead, he continued studying every single movement of the middle-aged hunter NPC.

He followed the hunter's steps carefully, placing his feet heel-to-toe, rolling them down slowly. Each shift in weight had to be controlled—no sudden movements, no crunching leaves. His breath stayed steady, his body low.

A snapped twig underfoot earned him a sharp glance. Too loud.

He exhaled, adjusted, and tried again.

At last, Kai saw what the NPC had been tracking for the past half hour. Hidden behind a bush, they peeked through the foliage, staying downwind from the herd.

The creatures moved in an awkward, jerky rhythm, their clawed feet scratching at the dirt as they foraged. Their bodies were a bizarre fusion—feathered torsos like oversized, scruffy turkeys, but with long, sinewy arms ending in dexterous fingers that plucked at the ground. Their heads were small and twitchy, with beady eyes darting in every direction. Their hooked beaks clacked softly as they muttered strange, guttural noises.

"Use your bow..." Uncle Liam whispered.

Kai nodded, following the hunter's lead as he adjusted his bow and nocked an arrow. He had practiced the motion quite a bit, yet the difference between his skill and the hunter's was like the gap between the heaven and the earth.

"Now!" the NPC commanded, moving without hesitation—nock, pull, release.

The arrow flew before the string's hum faded. No wasted motion, no second-guessing. In one breath, he was already reaching for the next shot, his hands a blur of practiced efficiency.

Kai's fingers fumbled with the arrow, his movements still clumsy. The hunter made it look effortless—nock, pull, release—all in one smooth motion. His shot missed. He tried again. This time, he focused—fingers steady, breath controlled. The arrow slid into place, the bowstring tensed, and in a blink, it was gone. 

Faster. Not perfect, but better.

The herd scattered within seconds of the first arrow's release. The NPC had already downed three. Kai barely injured one and had to chase it for several minutes before getting another shot.

[2 Levels Gained.]

[Loot Available:

Twisted Talon (Common)

Echoing Core (Rare, Magic-infused)

Chwinpakas Meat (Common)]

When the beast finally died, another string of notifications filled Kai's screen.

[Skill Available: Silent Movement]

[Learn (1 SP)]

[Skill Available: Quick Draw]

[Learn (1 SP)]

"That was quite good for your first time," the NPC said, standing next to Kai. "You copied my movements—that was smart thinking. You always played around in the village. I didn't know you had such talent for hunting."

[Achievement Unlocked: First Blood.]

Kai simply nodded, focusing on the skills he had unlocked. Skill points were rarely awarded by quests. In Nyxfall 6, there was a 50-point limit, even if a player reached max level and completed every quest. Yet, barely any character had ever reached that cap. The highest known skill point count among professional players was only 37. Kai himself had only 35 on his level 100 character.

He wouldn't waste them—but without acquiring skills, he wouldn't be able to perform at his best either. Before the Slenshalan event started, Kai needed to level his character as much as possible if he wanted to win.

Before he could decide which skill to choose, an earth-shaking boom echoed in the distance.

Something massive streaked across the clear blue sky, crashing violently near the village. Smoke billowed into the air. The impact was so loud that Kai winced, covering his ears.

'The hell is happening? A hidden boss monster appeared or something?'