Ascendancy: The System’s Chosen

Eleanor barely had time to think—her body moved on instinct.

She twisted sideways, the direwolf's fangs snapping shut just inches from her throat. Adrenaline surged through her veins as she rolled across the damp grass, landing in a crouch.

Her mind should have been overwhelmed by fear. But instead, a strange clarity settled over her. Every breath of wind, every movement of the wolf—it all slowed, as if the world itself had become more defined.

[Skill Activated: Adaptation]

A rush of information flooded her mind.

The wolf was faster. Stronger. But it had a pattern—a split-second pause before lunging, a slight weight shift before it turned. She knew how it would move before it even did. this was her skill. Adaptation.

The wolf snarled and leapt again.

Not this time.

Eleanor dodged with precision, her body reacting faster than she thought possible. Momentum. Weight shift. Timing. It all clicked together like a puzzle.

She reached for a rock. A simple, jagged stone, but in her hands, it felt like a weapon.

The wolf lunged—she sidestepped—and drove the rock into its skull.

A sickening crunch.

The beast yelped, staggering. Its crimson eyes flickered, and in that moment of weakness—she struck again.

This time, she didn't hesitate.

A savage strike to its temple. Another. And another.

Until it stopped moving.

[Nightfang Direwolf Defeated.]

[+50 EXP Earned.]

Eleanor stood there, panting, staring at the bloodied rock in her trembling hands.

She had just killed something.

A creature. A monster.

And yet… she didn't feel horror. She felt alive.

Another notification appeared.

[Level Up!]

[Level 1 → Level 2]

[Stat Points +5]

And beneath that—

[New Skill Acquired: Predatory Instincts]

(You have tasted battle. Your body now learns from combat, refining your instincts to react faster in life-or-death situations.)

Eleanor exhaled.

This wasn't a dream.

She was in a world where the strong survived. Where power wasn't given—it was earned.

Her fingers curled into a fist.

If she wanted to live, she couldn't hesitate.

She had to become stronger.

And this was just the beginning.