Chapter 8: I Became the successor of a constellation.
A slender body covered in black fur. A snout revealing sharp fangs. Muscular legs and keen claws.
“A variant… wolf….”
A trembling voice escaped Minho's lips. It was back when he had just started working as a Dungeon cleaner.
His colleagues had already finished their work and left. As usual, he was the only one left, conducting the final inspection of the area.
‘This place is creepy. Let’s finish up quickly.’
That’s when it happened. The thing that appeared from the darkness. It was this very variant wolf.
The moment its red eyes stared at him, his entire body froze. His legs trembled. His mind went blank.
“Ah, ah….”
He couldn't even form proper words. The cleaning equipment in his hands rattled.
With every step the variant wolf took toward him, Minho took one step back.
He had to run. Right now. He turned his back. And ran for his life.
A low growl sounded from behind him. The variant wolf didn't even give chase. As if a fleeing coward wasn't worth hunting.
***
“Hoo… hoo….”
Minho let out a ragged breath. The fear and shame from that day were still vivid.
‘Why did it have to be this one?’
His hands trembled slightly. Then, a system message appeared.
[Simulated combat in the soul space generates an enemy based on the Successor's deepest fears]
[This is to overcome past trauma and facilitate the Successor's growth]
Minho clenched his fists as he read the message.
‘Oh, now that I think about it,’
At some point, the surrounding scenery had become identical to that Dungeon from that day. He finally understood why the system had created this particular simulated combat.
He lifted his head and looked at the variant wolf. Its red eyes were still staring him down. But it was strange. His legs weren't trembling like they did back then.
‘It wants me to... overcome my trauma on my own?’
It meant he had to overcome his past—the time he ran away, the fear he felt as an F-Rank cleaner—and be reborn as the Successor of a Constellation.
Minho glanced behind him. King was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he couldn't enter the simulation space, even if he wanted to fight alongside him.
Just like back then, he had to face this variant wolf all by himself.
‘But I’m not alone anymore.’
The thought that King was watching him from beyond this space was strangely reassuring. He had a partner who believed in him now. He didn't want to disappoint that trust.
Minho slowly lowered his stance. As he activated the ability in both hands, the familiar sensation of enhancement washed over him.
At the same time, a system window appeared.
[Simulated enemy: variant wolf]
[Specialty: Agility and sudden charges]
[Weakness: Lacks stamina]
A faint smile touched Minho's lips as he confirmed the information.
‘So it has a weakness. Then I can win.’
The variant wolf let out a low growl and lowered its body. It was a preparatory stance for an attack.
Minho raised both fists to chest level, taking a defensive stance. He could feel the solid weight in his enhanced arms.
“Bring it on.”
A calm but defiant voice.
The variant wolf's eyes burned even redder. It finally kicked off the ground and began to charge at Minho. The reckless rush was faster than he'd expected.
‘Damn it!’
Minho quickly crossed his enhanced arms to block.
Thump!
A tremendous impact shot up his arms. But surprisingly, he held his ground. No bones broke, no flesh tore.
“This thing really works!”
Confidence in his ability surged. The performance of his ‘Body Enhancement’ skill was undeniable.
The variant wolf also seemed surprised, hesitating for a moment. It must have been unexpected for prey it thought it could take down in one blow to be standing firm.
Grrrrr.
Growling, it quickly circled to the left. Its frontal attack blocked, it seemed to be aiming for his flank.
Minho turned, following the wolf's movements. It was an instinctive judgment that he couldn't let it out of his sight.
This time, a claw attack aimed for his side. He leaned back, narrowly dodging it. The sharp claws grazed past his nose.
‘That was close.’
He couldn't just defend passively. While dodging, he looked for an opportunity to counterattack.
The moment the variant wolf landed after its attack, his enhanced right hand shot toward its side. His fist struck true, right between the wolf's ribs.
Kyaaaak!
The variant wolf shrieked and staggered back. It was clearly a solid hit.
[Hit! variant wolf HP: 80%]
A system message appeared. It meant he had actually dealt damage.
‘Still a long way to go.’
But just knowing his attacks could connect was hopeful enough. Before, he wouldn't have even dared to fight.
The variant wolf's eyes glowed an even deeper red, as if enraged. It began to unleash a flurry of attacks with even greater ferocity.
Claws! Fangs! Headbutts!
Minho desperately blocked them.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A series of impacts slammed into his arms. Even in his enhanced state, the strain of continuously blocking was considerable.
‘At this rate, I’ll just keep getting pushed back.’
Minho calmly assessed the situation. If he kept defending passively like this, he would only exhaust his stamina.
‘I have to read its patterns.’
Variants each have their own attack habits. Minho focused on defense while carefully observing the wolf's movements.
‘When it circles to the left, the claws come out first.’
He blocked another attack.
‘When it’s at the right... it bares its fangs and tries to bite.’
He blocked the second attack too.
‘Before a frontal attack, it always scrapes the ground with its hind leg!’
He had figured out the third pattern.
The variant wolf took its attack stance again. It was scraping the ground with its hind leg.
‘It’s coming from the front!’
The wolf leaped, aiming for his throat. Just as he'd predicted.
‘Now!’
He timed it perfectly and threw an upward punch with his enhanced fist. A clean uppercut.
“Kyaaaaaak!”
The variant wolf twisted wildly in mid-air and crashed to the ground. It seemed he'd landed a solid blow right under its jaw.
[Critical Hit! variant wolf HP: 50%]
‘Yes! I’ve got the hang of it now.’
He was certain he could win. As long as he read its patterns correctly, it was an opponent he could handle.
As he looked at his enhanced fists and smiled in satisfaction, the wolf got up from the ground and stared at Minho. Its gaze was different from before.
It wasn't simple caution. He could feel a more ferocious and dangerous aura.
Grrrrrrrrr….
It was the most menacing growl he had ever heard. At that moment, a system warning window popped up.
[Warning: The variant wolf has entered an enraged state]
[Attack power and speed will increase by 2x]
“What?!”
Doubled? It was already fast enough, and now it's getting faster?
A red aura began to rise from the variant wolf's body. He could see its muscles bulge all over. Its claws grew sharper, and saliva dripped from its fangs.
‘This... is going to be really dangerous.’
Minho tensed and retook his defensive stance. He thought he'd been fighting well until now, but it felt like the real battle was just beginning.
The variant wolf lowered its body. It was preparing to attack.
But something was strange.
“Huh?”
In the blink of an eye, the wolf had vanished. No, to be precise, it had blurred like a shadow. Its outline was faint, like a reflection on water.
And then something incredible happened. Wolves appeared from all directions at once.
Left, right, front, and back. Four variant wolves had completely surrounded Minho.
‘W-what? Are those clones?’
No matter how fast he turned his head, he couldn't tell which one was real. All the afterimages looked equally vivid and menacing.
The four of them bared their fangs and growled in unison.
Grrrrr….
Even the sound came from all directions. It can use a skill like this when it's enraged?
‘What should I do?’
If I choose wrong, I'll be left defenseless against the other three. But I can't just stand here. All four are already charging.
‘I have to choose. Quickly.’
Just then, the wolf on the left looked slightly clearer. Its shadow felt darker than the others.
‘That’s the one!’
He threw his enhanced fist at that wolf with all his might. A desperate blow into which he poured all his strength.
But
Whoosh.
His fist cut through empty air. It was an afterimage. There was no sensation of impact, just the brush of cold air.
‘I was wrong!’
The moment he muttered in despair, he felt a chilling presence behind him. The real variant wolf was right behind him.
A cold killing intent brushed the back of his neck. He tried to turn quickly, but it was too late. He was off-balance from throwing the punch.
Sharp claws were flying toward Minho's back.
‘Damn it!’
Minho gritted his teeth and tensed the muscles in his back, hastily focusing his Body Enhancement there. With a tearing sound, the claws raked across his back.
“Aargh!!”
A searing pain shot across his back. Even with the enhancement, he hadn't been able to block it completely. The enraged variant wolf was just that strong.
Minho rolled forward in pain to put distance between himself and his opponent. He could feel a warm liquid trickling down his back. It was blood.
‘Damn it... I fell for it.’
Seeing Minho on the ground, the variant wolf let out a low cry, as if certain of its victory. But it was too soon to give up.
He pushed himself up from the ground quickly. The wound on his back throbbed, but he couldn't let it show.
‘I can’t lose momentum.’
He took his defensive stance again and glared at the variant wolf. His body was injured, but his spirit was not broken.
“I get your ability now. Afterimage attacks, right?”
Minho's voice held not fear, but a cold composure. The wolf paid him no mind and began to split into multiple bodies again.
Minho closed his eyes. He couldn't break through this trick with sight alone.
‘There’s a limit to what I can see. I have to use my other senses.’
A brief silence fell.
He focused all his nerves on his hearing. The faint breathing that would only come from the real wolf, the pressure of its claws on the ground, even the sound of its heartbeat.
‘There!’
That's when he heard it. The faintest sound of breathing from behind him to the right. Minho’s eyes flew open as he spun in that direction.
“This time, I won't miss!”
His enhanced fist shot like lightning toward the variant wolf's jaw. But in that instant, Minho saw it. A peculiar glint flashing in the variant wolf's eyes.
A cunning gaze, as if it had anticipated this entire situation.
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