# CHAPTER 2: NIGHT PREDATORS

  Night fell on the "Bright Forest" not gradually, but instantly, as if someone had thrown a heavy black shroud over the world. But the darkness was not absolute. The forest began to stir with a new, sinister vitality. The moss on the trees glowed a pale, ghostly green, mushrooms pulsed with violet light, and in the bushes, hundreds of pairs of hungry eyes ignited.

  ***

  ### [PERSPECTIVE: REN] — THE EXECUTIONER

  Ren moved through the thicket without hiding. His steps were heavy, confident. He felt power surging through every muscle fiber of his new avatar.

  Suddenly, the silence was broken by a pitiful, rasping groan.

  "...help... over here... please..."

  Ren stopped. A predatory grin spread across his face.

  He pushed aside a giant fern and saw **Victor**. The former "logistics manager" lay in a pool of his own blood. His leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, white bone protruding through the torn trouser leg, gleaming in the moonlight.

  Victor raised his head. His eyes, filled with tears and pain, widened with hope.

  "Ren! It's you!" he wheezed, reaching out with a trembling hand. "Help... I can't walk... I need a doctor... I'll pay you, you hear? I have money, connections..."

  Ren walked closer silently, resting his heavy, knotted club on his shoulder.

  "Money?" he asked, tilting his head. "Do you still think we are back there?"

  "We'll get out... I promise... Just help me get to the barracks..."

  "You're screaming, Victor," Ren interrupted calmly. "You're screaming very loudly. You're attracting monsters. And I don't like competition."

  In Victor's eyes, hope was replaced by primal terror.

  "No... wait... we're people... Ren, don't!"

  "There is no place for the weak here," Ren said coldly.

  He raised the club. Victor tried to crawl away, whining like a beaten dog, but the pain anchored him to the earth.

  "Please!" he screamed one last time.

  The strike was vertical and brutal. The sound was wet and sickening, like a watermelon hitting pavement. The screaming cut off instantly.

  Ren wiped a splatter from his face and looked down at what remained of Victor. He felt nothing. No regret. No disgust. Only a strange, dark satisfaction.

  *Ding!*

  > **[Killed: Human (Player Level 1)]**

  > **[Experience Gained: +60 XP]** (First PK Bonus)

  Suddenly, the interface flashed a deep crimson.

  > **?? WARNING! ALIGNMENT SHIFT!**

  > You have crossed the line. The System acknowledges your choice.

  >

  > **[Acquired Passive Skill: AURA OF MALICE (Level 1)]**

  > *Effect:*

  > ?? **+2 to All Attributes.**

  > ?? **+1 to Luck.**

  > ?? **[Dark Diplomat]:** Unlocks interaction with Negative Alignment NPCs (Demons, Bandits, Cultists). They will no longer attack you on sight.

  Ren laughed. The laugh grew into a loud cackle that echoed through the night forest.

  "Ha! Aura of Malice? Interaction with monsters?" He clenched his fist, feeling the new strength flooding his veins. "I thought this was just survival... But this is a game made for me."

  He moved on, hunting for a new victim.

  Ten minutes later, he found **Neil**—the guy who had failed to craft a spear earlier. Neil was hiding in a hollow log, shivering from the cold.

  Ren didn't hesitate. He dragged the boy out by his leg and snapped his neck with a single blow.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  > **[Killed: Human (Player Level 1)]**

  > **[Experience Gained: +40 XP]**

  On his way, two **Forest Badgers** jumped him. Ren didn't even stop. He tanked their claw swipes with his body, ignoring the pain, and crushed their skulls.

  A golden light bathed him, brighter than before.

  > **?? CONGRATULATIONS! LEVEL 3!**

  > **[Global Leaderboard Unlocked (Hidden)]**

  "Level 3..." Ren licked a drop of blood from his lip. "I am a God here."

  ***

  ### [PERSPECTIVE: ALEX] — SHADOW ON THE TREE

  Alex heard that first scream. And he heard how it was cut short.

  He sat on a high branch of an old oak, about three hundred meters from the slaughter.

  *The scream stopped instantly. That's not a monster. A monster would tear and eat slowly. That was a single strike,* he analyzed. *That means it was one of us. Ren? Most likely. I need to be careful.*

  He shifted his gaze to his hands. In the dim light, he turned over two long, sharp teeth from the Horned Rabbit. They were hard as steel.

  *Resources: Check. Tools: None. But the System should compensate.*

  As soon as he formulated the query, the crafting window popped up.

  He could make a spear or a knife.

  *A spear provides distance. But where do I get a straight shaft up here? A knife is compact. A knife is silent.*

  He tore a strip of fabric from the hem of his tunic.

  "I choose the knife."

  His hands began to work, guided by a system algorithm. The fabric wrapped tightly around the base of the tooth, forming a comfortable grip.

  > **[Crafted: Hunter's Knife (Rabbit Tooth)]**

  > **Quality:** Common (Grey)

  > **Damage:** 5-8 (Piercing)

  > **Trait:** +20% Crit (Backstab).

  Alex weighed the weapon. Light. Deadly.

  Next, he wove a crude cloak from vines and ferns.

  *Ding!*

  > **[Item Obtained: Herbal Cloak]** (+5% Stealth in forests).

  > **[Skill: CRAFTING increased to Level 1]**

  "Ready," Alex exhaled.

  He carefully parted the branches. In the distance, he saw the flicker of a campfire.

  *Idiots. Fire is a beacon.*

  He looked down. Right below his tree, a **Tree Python** was sliding up the trunk.

  "Dinner delivered itself."

  Alex silently moved to a lower branch. The strike was instantaneous—the knife plunged into the base of the python's skull.

  **[-18 HP! CRITICAL HIT!]**

  The snake tried to coil around his arm, but Alex severed its spine with a second motion.

  He hauled the carcass up the tree. His stomach cramped with hunger.

  "No fire."

  Alex sliced off a piece of raw meat and, forcing down his disgust, ate it.

  > **[Raw Food Consumption]**

  > **[Energy: +5. Poison Resistance: +0.1%]**

  "Fuel obtained. I can survive."

  ***

  ### [PERSPECTIVE: LEO'S GROUP] — LIGHT IN THE DARK

  Tension reigned in the shallow cave. Leo had allowed a small fire.

  "Fire scares away beasts," he said confidently.

  He was wrong.

  Shadows dove from the darkness. **Vampire Bats**. Five of them, and the light didn't scare them; it annoyed them.

  "Bruno, shield! Sarah, rocks!"

  The fight was chaotic. The bats dive-bombed the humans. One latched onto Mira's hair, making her scream. Bruno swatted another with his log, and Leo skewered a third with his spear.

  When the bats retreated, the group was panting heavily.

  "Put out the fire!" Leo shouted.

  "You idiot!" **Oliver** exploded, clutching Mira. His eyes burned with fear. "You almost killed us! We're sitting ducks!"

  **Bruno**, despite his wounds, stepped forward, shielding Leo.

  "Oliver, shut your mouth. Leo made a mistake. But Leo fought while you screamed."

  Leo raised a hand, stopping the giant.

  "You're right, Oliver. It was my mistake. I admit it. Put out the fire. We learn from our mistakes."

  The group obeyed, but the trust had cracked.

  ***

  ### [PERSPECTIVE: TINA] — WARMTH

  Tina found a cozy hollow beneath the roots. It was cold.

  Beside her, the **Forest Cat** stirred. It stretched and shimmied closer to the girl. Its body was hot like a furnace.

  It laid its heavy head on her legs and purred quietly.

  "Thank you..." Tina whispered.

  Suddenly, the cat growled into the darkness. A rat tried to approach, but seeing the guardian, it fled.

  Tina smiled through her sleep. She had found the best ally.

  ***

  ### [PERSPECTIVE: ALEX & SVEN] — DANCE WITH WOLVES

  Alex was just about to rest when the silence was shattered by furious growling and a loud shout:

  "BACK! GET BACK, YOU FILTH!"

  Alex froze.

  *That's the big redhead, Sven. Judging by the sounds, there are many enemies.*

  He could stay in the tree. It was safe.

  But he checked his status. Level 3 was far away. He needed XP. And he needed a tank.

  "An investment," he decided.

  He descended and ran silently toward the noise.

  In the clearing, Sven stood with his back to a boulder. His bark shield was splintering. A pack of **Grey Wolves** surrounded him. Four normal ones and a massive **Alpha** with a white stripe down its back.

  "BACK!" Sven roared, swinging his club.

  The Alpha snapped its jaws, nearly tearing Sven's throat. Claws raked the giant's shoulder.

  **[-12 HP]**

  Sven was bleeding out. He wouldn't last.

  Alex assessed the situation. *The Alpha coordinates them. Remove it, and the pack crumbles. Sven holds the aggro.*

  Alex activated **[Dash]**.

  He flew out of the bushes like a shadow. The Alpha, focused on Sven, started to turn too late.

  Alex jumped. His bone knife drove perfectly under the beast's jaw, severing the artery.

  *Shh-lik!*

  **[-45 HP! CRITICAL HIT! BLEEDING!]**

  The Alpha fell, gurgling blood. The pack froze.

  Alex landed next to Sven.

  "Two are mine, two are yours. Keep that shield up, Viking!" he shouted.

  Sven, stunned but happy for the help, nodded.

  "Got it!"

  Two wolves lunged at Alex.

  He didn't block. Agility 26. He dove under the first wolf's leap, slitting its belly open. The second tried to bite his leg, but Alex jumped back, smacked it on the nose with his rusty iron bar to stun it, and finished it with a knife to the eye.

  Meanwhile, Sven simply put his entire weight behind his shield, snapping the third wolf's neck, and clubbed the fourth one to death.

  Silence returned to the clearing.

  > **[Combat Concluded]**

  > **[Killed: Alpha Wolf (Level 3) x1]** -> 60 XP

  > **[Killed: Grey Wolf (Level 2) x4]** -> 160 XP

  > **[Total Group XP: 220 XP]**

  > **[Your Share: 130 XP]**

  Alex checked his status.

  > **[XP: 240/300]** (Level up soon).

  Sven slumped against the rock, breathing heavily.

  "How are you?" Alex asked dryly.

  "Alive..." Sven rasped. "You killed the Alpha in one hit. That was cool."

  "That was anatomy. You held them. Without you, they would have torn me apart."

  Sven looked at him seriously.

  "I'm Sven."

  "Alex."

  "Listen... I can see you know what you're doing. I just know how to take a beating. Maybe... we team up? I'll be your shield. You be the damage."

  Alex nodded. He needed a wall.

  "One condition: I plan the tactics. You listen and execute. No heroics."

  "Deal, commander!" Sven grinned, revealing bloody teeth.

  > **[Party Created: Alex & Sven]**

  ***

  ### [SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]

  Suddenly, the sky above the forest erupted in blood-red text.

  **╔══════════════════════════════════════════════╗**

  **║ ?? REPORT: FIRST 6 HOURS ║**

  **║ Location: Bright Forest (Sector 7) ║**

  **║ ║**

  **║ ?? Initial Count: 25 ║**

  **║ ?? Confirmed Deaths: 11 ║**

  **║ ?? Survivors Remaining: 14 ║**

  **║ ║**

  **║ ?? LEVEL LEADER: [Hidden] (Level 3) ║**

  **║ ?? KILL LEADER: [Hidden] ║**

  **║ ║**

  **║ ADVICE: Survivors below Level 2 by dawn ║**

  **║ will receive the "Exhaustion" debuff. ║**

  **╚══════════════════════════════════════════════╝**

  Alex read the message.

  "Eleven people dead. Victor, Neil... they're gone."

  He looked at the Leaderboard row.

  "Level 3? Already?"

  Alex tightened his grip on the knife.

  "Someone isn't just surviving. Someone is hunting. And maybe not just beasts."

  Natural selection was entering a new phase.