Unholy Player-Chapter 44: First Hunt

If you ask a hundred hunters what the hardest part of hunting is, ninety-nine would give the same answer: waiting.

Waiting for the season.

Waiting for the prey.

Waiting for the right moment.

But if you asked Adyr, his answer would be the opposite—acting.

Moving in silence, he crept toward his prey with the precision only a killer could possess. His short sword was held in a reverse grip, close to his side.

And yet... He didn’t strike.

This was the perfect moment. Still, he waited.

Because waiting was what he loved most, he couldn’t help himself.

So he stood there, watching.

His dark eyes followed the slow sway of the creature’s feathers, worn down by the cruel hand of time, stirred by a passing breeze.

He studied its face, marked by life’s relentless scars, frozen in a moment of perfect ease.

There was a quiet, eerie peace in the way it slept, like even the woods had bowed in tease.

For a moment, Adyr felt like an extra in the frame.

I’m just a beggar of thrill, a thief of life, he thought, as something cold stirred within him.

A living being’s most precious possession was its life. And yet most took it for granted—until the moment it began to slip away.

And that moment... was the one Adyr cherished most.

He shivered as he imagined the look that would cross the wolf’s eyes—peaceful and unaware, just seconds before its life left its body.

And only when the pleasure was enough did he move.

His body shifted forward, weight balanced, short sword held in a reverse grip. With a sharp step, his dominant right foot slammed into the earth—the dry soil cracked beneath his heel as he launched himself toward the target.

The moment shattered the stillness. The wolf’s ears twitched. Its instincts, honed by age and countless battles, surged to life.

Its aged body barely moved, yet its jaws snapped open with brutal timing and caught the blade between its teeth before it could strike.

The sudden impact rang out with a dull, metallic crunch.

Adyr’s momentum halted. He tightened his grip, trying to wrest the weapon free. But the wolf’s jaw, worn by time but strengthened by survival, held firm. The pressure in its bite was heavier than his arm strength.

"So, you’re not giving in easily," Adyr muttered.

Old age had dulled its flesh, but will like this only sharpened with time.

Realizing he couldn’t wrest the sword free, Adyr released his grip and executed a swift tactical retreat, springing backward just in time to evade the wolf’s claws.

He had barely regained distance when the beast launched forward, every muscle in its body firing at once. There was no delay, no warning—just raw force aimed straight at him.

Just before those fangs could reach Adyr, the charge stopped.

The wolf’s nose twitched. Its eyes watered. Then suddenly, it sneezed violently.

"What? You don’t like chili powder?" Adyr muttered with a grin, shaking the red dust from his hand.

Before the wolf could recover, he pulled a small knife from the pouch on his belt and lunged. The blade pierced straight into the exposed eye, burying deep with a sickening snap.

The beast howled, thrashing in a burst of pain, but it wasn’t done yet. Driven by fury and instinct, it lunged at him once more, jaws wide, aiming to rip flesh before death could take it.

But with one eye blinded and the other blurred from the chili powder, its aim faltered.

Adyr slipped to the side with fluid ease, letting the attack pass harmlessly by. In one swift motion, his arms snapped around the beast’s neck, locking it into a crushing chokehold.

His grip barely closed around the wolf’s muscular throat, but it held firm, and he had no intention of letting go.

Suddenly breathless, the creature thrashed violently, trying to break free. But its body was nowhere near as strong as its jaws, and Adyr’s 10 [Physique] stat was more than enough to keep it pinned.

Soon, its body began to lose tension, movements growing sluggish—until finally, it collapsed, dropping all its weight into Adyr’s arms before slumping to the ground.

"Hhhah..." Adyr exhaled, pulling his hands away from the wolf’s neck and taking a slow, heavy breath.

It was the first time he had fought a wolf one-on-one and subdued it by choking it out. He hadn’t expected it to be this exhausting.

Without wasting time, he pulled a rope from his bag and tightly bound the wolf’s legs in a crossed position. Then he secured its jaws shut, wrapping the rope firmly to make sure it couldn’t open its mouth.

Once he was certain the knots were tight enough, he said, "Hey, come out. It’s breakfast time." He reached over his shoulder, opened the leather satchel, and pulled out the Dawn Raven—weak, fragile, and on the brink of starvation.

"Eat slowly. Don’t choke," he said, nodding toward the unconscious wolf lying beside them.

Though it had just stood at death’s door, the moment the raven saw the meal before it, something in it sparked to life. Its beak shot forward with startling speed, tearing into the wolf’s flesh with a swift, effortless bite.

The sudden pain snapped the wolf back to consciousness, and it began to struggle desperately and in vain against the tight restraints.

A life taken... to keep another alive. With a quiet breath, Adyr sat beneath a nearby tree and closed his eyes to rest. He didn’t need to watch the rest.

When he opened his eyes again, the raven had already finished its meal. Its bloody feathers looked bright and healthy once more, full of life and energy.

Just then, it spread its wings, and a soft green light began to radiate from its body. Adyr grabbed it by the neck and lifted it calmly.

"You’re not making new friends," he said flatly.

Then, with practiced ease, he fastened the raven’s beak shut once more and placed it back into the satchel on his back.

"Now, let’s see what you left behind," he muttered, approaching the wolf’s skeleton. Its flesh had been freshly stripped, the bones still warm, and he hoped to find an energy crystal among the remains.

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