Hell Difficulty Tutorial Chapter 3 – Focus

The glass shatters as the wolf thrusts its head through, brushing aside the shards, lunging at the elderly woman close by. Luckily, it snags just the edge of her sweater, the cloth ripping while it drags her toward the exterior. The woman collapses, her screams piercing the air.

I shift a little to the side, clutching an iron pipe and a shard of glass. That's when I spot a man across from the wolf, his hand dipping under his jacket toward his armpit.

Don't tell me…

I edge nearer to the wolf, drawing its gaze instantly. It tilts its head fractionally, utterly disregarding the jagged glass. Its eyes gleam with an eerie glow.

Now that I've captured its focus, the man yanks out a pistol, our eyes locking for a brief moment. I offer a subtle nod and advance another step toward the beast.

Only a meter or two separates me from the wolf now, my heart pounding faster. Heat surges through my muscles, my pulse thundering blood fiercely through my veins, clearing my mind completely.

Nothing else matters—just me, the wolf, and the man holding the gun.

Screams no longer register, nor does the sting from my scraped forearm or the gash in my left palm. I grip the glass shard tighter.

How long since I last felt this alive?

Have I ever felt this alive before?

[Focus - lvl 1 > Focus - lvl 2]

A faint smirk curls my lips as I crouch low, mentally measuring the wolf's reach and previous speed. To err on caution, I inflate its range further and double its velocity.

My muscles tense and burst with power as I sprint straight at the wolf.

It bares its jaws in what looks like a savage grin, fangs as large as my palm flashing.

I halt right on cue, its snapping maw missing me by mere centimeters.

Grasping my dire misjudgment, I mentally amp up its speed and reach even more. My right hand lashes out, aiming the blunt iron pipe at its ear while foreseeing its evasion.

The pipe glances off its brow ridge, drawing a guttural growl as the wolf strikes again without pause.

But I'm no longer in that spot.

Its jaws clash farther away this round, and my left hand slashes across, nicking its upper lip lightly.

I spring backward, the wolf relentlessly shoving its head after me amid the bus's metal panels screeching and bending.

At last, five sharp, booming blasts erupt. Confined inside the bus, they're ear-shattering, forcing the wolf to yelp shrilly for the first time and yank its head back out. Two more shots follow, hurling the wolf rearward in a leap. A limp betrays its movement, accompanied by another pained cry, a thunderous growl, and a deeper crouch.

The beast seems hurt, but far from done.

It retreats step by step, eyes locked on the handgun man. Blood streams down the wolf's muzzle; shots clearly struck its right facial side and leg, explaining the hobble.

My eyes flick back to the text floating over its head.

[Wolf - lvl 2]

The hideous wolf creeps toward the forest edge when...

"Fuck."

I drop the glass and pipe onto the nearby seat, yanking my shirt off swiftly.

"Fuck me.

I wrap the shirt around my left hand securely, reclaiming the glass shard. Now my hold is firm, no more cuts digging into my palm.

I wedge the pipe's end beneath the seat, wrenching and twisting it loose. Then I stomp down repeatedly with all my strength, honing the tip sharper at least somewhat.

My breaths come ragged, blood roaring in my ears.

Never before have I sensed such raw strength and vitality surging through me.

The wolf nears the forest, beginning to turn, when I vault through the window and charge after it.

Torso bare, smeared in grime, makeshift weapons clutched tight.

Trembling.

Terrified.

Electrified.

The wolf whips around to face me, my thoughts sharper than ever.

I ease to a stalk, dropping low, as the monster unleashes a rumbling growl.

I refuse to dial back its speed in my calculations. Underestimating it spells disaster.

Though weaker in appearance, bleeding and fleeing, I won't dismiss the beast's threat.

True, I wouldn't pursue if it weren't shot and likely gravely wounded, but this isn't some Earth beast.

If my hunch holds, slaying these creatures grants levels, skills, stats—power to endure until repatriation kicks in.

Like a game.

A goddamn game.

I'm wagering my life here, yet no better shot will come.

Should the wolf perish untouched by me, credit goes to the gunman alone, so I must land some damage and pray it counts.

It could endure, denying even him rewards, or worst, return with packmates.

Wolves on Earth hunt in groups.

The wolf creeps toward me gradually, forcing me to sidle leftward to the wounded flank. With utmost caution and slowness. Its bleeding grants me a clear edge.

My senses sharpen intensely, heartbeat thundering in my ears. I don't even blink, eyes locked on the wolf's legs and shoulders, anticipating its next lunge.

Now.

I sidestep swiftly left, then again, jabbing with my left hand using the glass shard to pierce its eye. The strike misses the mark, yet carves a deep gash across the eye.

The wolf whips around instantly, snapping to bite me, but I'm retreating while swinging my right hand to smash its nose.

The wolf lunges once more, so I veer right and slash anew, targeting its left eye. Success—it sinks in, eliciting a piercing howl as the wolf leaps back with glass embedded in its left eye.

Knees bending low, I surge slightly left, gripping the pipe two-handed to smash its left eye, shattering the glass and worsening the damage. I evade its follow-up strike to the left—its blind spot—and pound the ruined eye with maximum force.

A agonized yelp erupts from the wolf, its blood spraying onto me.

Backward it springs, yet I charge forward again.

Strength and lightness surge through my body.

No more trembling in my hands; my vision tunnels solely on the wolf. Every twitch of muscle, every telltale sign of its intent. Paws digging into earth as it coils for assault.

With the pipe's tip, I impale the wolf's blinded eye before leaping away.

Fire races through my body, heart pounding wildly.

Swallowing proves impossible; my throat's bone-dry.

A deep breath comes slow and steady.

Defeat seems impossible for me.

Superior in strength, speed, and toughness is the wolf.

Still, I won't lose.

Toward its right side I dash this time. The wolf swipes the other way, likely anticipating another blinded-eye assault, but I hoist the pipe overhead and smash down with full power on its left eye.

Not blind there, though blood streams from the deep cut above, hindering sight.

The blow lands true, and like prior strikes, the wolf shrieks and recoils.

Anticipating this, I'm already bolting to its right side for another hit, fully blinding the remaining eye at last.

I halt.

As the wolf flails wildly, snapping in every direction, I draw a deep breath.

Stay calm.

I inhale.

Concentrate.

I exhale.

Concentrate.

[Focus - lvl 2 > Focus - lvl 3]

Breathing deeply and slowly, I steady my frantic heart. Flames lick my body, muscles screaming in agony. Dizziness swirls in my head, and a nasty gash mars my left chest side.

I hadn't sensed it at all.

Glancing at the injury, mild shock registers.

The wolf ceases its frenzy, emitting soft whimpers while circling and flashing fangs.

Unwinding the shirt from my left hand, I circle to its right. Balling up the blood-soaked shirt, I hurl it rightward. After a beat, I sprint left, pipe clutched two-handed with the honed end aimed down.

Toward the shirt the beast pounces, jaws unleashing a terrifying roar.

Keeping silent as possible, I raise my arms high and drive the pipe downward toward the wolf's left eye.

A monstrous screech bursts as I ram the pipe to its hilt, release it, and vault away. The wolf convulses, snarling, chomping, charging blindly every which way.

Snatching my shirt off the ground, I retreat to the bus, gaze never leaving the wolf beast.

It sniffs the air, then bolts for the woods, growling and hobbling. Crashing into a tree unheeded, it vanishes deeper with the pipe jammed in its eye.

Reality sharpens gradually as the wolf fades from view; voices from the bus reach my ears.

Pain crashes over me in surges.

My injuries.

Muscles ablaze.

Head on the verge of bursting.

Suddenly, my legs buckle strengthless; only sheer willpower props me up from kneeling.

Heartbeat eases, and the world…

Turns mundane once again.