Ether: Pulse of the Forgotten

The system didn't hand out pity levels. But taking down something that shouldn't have been possible?

Yeah, it noticed.

System Notification: You have leveled up.

System Notification: You have leveled up.

System Notification: You have leveled up.

The aftermath of the Thunderbeast fight had been brutal, but the rewards were undeniable. Over the next few days, the world slowed down for once. The numbers climbed. Every fight, every effort—small as it seemed in the shadow of what they'd already survived—stacked up.

System Notification: Level 10 Achieved.Class Advancement Available.

Kai exhaled slowly, leaning back against a tree. For the first time in days, the air felt a little lighter. Or maybe that was just the system dangling a reward in front of him.

"Finally," he muttered, swiping the screen open. "Let's see what you've got for me."

The options slid into view, crisp and glowing, as if they'd been waiting.

_____

Available Classes:

Brawler – Straightforward. Hit things hard. Take hits harder.

Wind Striker – Channel the wind. Move fast. Strike faster.

Ether Initiate (Hidden) – Manipulate Ether through your body. Control the field. Strike with space itself.

_____

Kai tilted his head, reading the last option again.

"Ether Initiate… huh," he whispered. It felt familiar, somehow. Like the system had been watching him figure out the Force Palm and decided to nudge him in the right direction. He didn't know exactly what it meant yet, but it felt... right.

Class Selected: Ether Initiate

Passive Skill Gained: Ether Manipulation (Minor)

New Skill Unlocked: Air Palm Release a concentrated blast of compressed air from your palm, capable of staggering enemies and disrupting attacks at mid-range.

Skill Upgrade Available: Force Palm – Evolution in progress...

Kai flexed his fingers, feeling the faint hum of energy moving through them like static beneath his skin. Whatever was coming next, he knew this was just the start. He wasn't sure what ether was exactly but could guess that it was the energy that danced with mana in his eyes.

"Alright," he said, glancing over. "What'd you two get?"

Sasha leaned back on her elbows, looking smug. "Sharpshooter," she said, like she'd been waiting her whole life for that exact title. "Turns out putting arrows exactly where I want them has its perks."

Kai smirked. "Oh good. I was worried you might start missing once in a while."

She rolled her eyes. "Not a chance."

Talia tugged the hood of her cloak over her head, grinning. "Rogue," she said simply.

"Of course you did," Kai laughed. "Sneaky, stabby, and stylish."

"Somebody's gotta keep you two alive," Talia said, flashing a wink.

And just like that, the heaviness of the last few days started to lift. Level 10. Classes. Real upgrades. New Skills For the first time since the tutorial started, they felt like actual people with actual futures—like they were becoming something more than just survivors. Sasha's shots came faster and sharper. Talia's steps, lighter and quieter. And Kai... well, his strikes started leaving dents in trees without even meaning to.

They'd started to feel like actual contenders in this place

_____

A few more days passed, the quiet kind. The rare kind. They gathered supplies, sharpened their weapons, and adjusted to the new power humming beneath their skin.

The leveling had done more than make them stronger. It made the silence feel heavier. Longer. Like the world was holding its breath.

And just when the forest had started to feel too empty...

Voices.

Human ones.

Kai slowed as they crested a hill, holding a hand up for the others to pause beside him.

Six figures waited below, gathered loosely around a small clearing. No one had weapons drawn. No one looked ready to pounce. They just stood there, relaxed, like they'd been expecting this.

A man at the front spotted them and lifted a hand.

"Well, this is a surprise," he called out with a grin. "Didn't expect to run into anyone else out here. Feels like we've been walking alone for days."

Kai felt the tension in his chest ease just a little. Actual people. Not monsters. Not shadows. People.

"Yeah," Kai called back, his grin breaking through before he even realized it. "You're the first group we've seen since this all started."

The man jogged up to meet them halfway. He was tall, wiry, with dark hair and a sharpness in his eyes that said he paid attention to everything.

"I'm Reed," he said, extending a hand. "Behind me are Lira and Brant," he added, motioning back toward a silver-haired woman resting a spear on her shoulder and a solid, brick-shaped guy who looked like he could fold steel with his bare hands. "We've passed some groups here and there, but most kept their distance. Been nice to finally meet people who aren't pointing weapons first."

Kai shook his hand. "Kai. That's Sasha, and that's Talia. And yeah, can't tell you how good it is to see faces that aren't trying to kill us."

Reed gave a short laugh. "Yeah, I hear that. Thought we were going to spend the whole tutorial staring at trees and dodging whatever wanted to chew our legs off. You three been holding it down out here on your own?"

"For now," Sasha said, casually flicking some hair out of her face. "We manage."

"With just the three of you?" Lira asked, her gaze sweeping over them in an assessing, almost curious way. "That's impressive. Most groups we've crossed paths with were bigger... or, well, they were."

Brant just gave a grunt and nodded, watching them without saying a word.

"Well," Reed said, gesturing back toward their side of the clearing. "We've got some supplies, and we were just about to stop for the night. You're welcome to join us if you want. Company sounds good after the week we've had."

Kai glanced over his shoulder at Sasha and Talia. Neither of them needed to say anything.

Real people. Real conversation. Maybe even a moment to remember what normal felt like.

"Yeah," Kai said. "We'd like that."

_____

The fire burned hotter that night, and for once, it wasn't just for survival.

Food got passed around—basic stuff, but no one cared. The real comfort was the conversation, easy and light in a way none of them had felt since this nightmare started.

"So what's the worst thing you've run into so far?" Reed asked between bites, tossing a stick into the flames.

Kai didn't even hesitate. "Thunderbeast."

Reed coughed. "Wait, seriously? I thought that was just some system scare tactic. That thing's real?"

"Oh, it's real," Talia groaned. "Biggest thing I've ever seen. And meaner than you'd believe."

Lira tilted her head slightly. "And you three handled it?"

"Barely," Sasha said with a smirk, poking at the fire. "Wouldn't recommend it."

Brant actually chuckled—a short, dry sound. "Guess we picked the right camp to crash."

Kai shrugged. "Don't give us too much credit. Half the time we hang on the edge of death."

That got a round of quiet laughs.

After that, the conversation drifted to the little stuff. What they missed from home. Dumb things they never thought they'd crave.

Talia would have given anything for a real shower.Sasha swore she'd trade a limb for coffee.Kai... Kai just missed silence that didn't feel like a warning.

"Feels good, though," Reed said after a while, staring into the fire. "Being around people again. Feels... normal."

"Yeah," Kai agreed, leaning back and watching the sparks drift into the night. "Yeah, it really does."

For the first time since the tutorial started, the world didn't feel like it was trying to kill them.

Not safe, exactly. But almost normal.

And for now, that was more than enough.

_____

The next morning was almost… peaceful.

For once, no one woke up to snarls in the dark or the system screaming about imminent death. Just birdsong, soft wind through the leaves, and the quiet crackle of a fire someone else had already stoked.

When Kai sat up, Reed's group was already moving. One of the others—someone Kai hadn't caught the name of—was sharpening a blade by the fire. Another was working on reinforcing the camp's edge with some makeshift spikes, his focus entirely on the task. The third kept an eye on the treeline, pacing slow laps around the perimeter like he was waiting for something.

If it weren't for the fact that Kai knew this was a survival tutorial, he might've thought they were all just friends out on a hike.

Reed handed out strips of dried meat, cheerful as ever. "Eat up. No telling when the next break like this is coming."

Kai accepted his portion. "Appreciate it. You've been... more than generous."

"Hey, can't have you falling over on us," Reed replied with a grin. "Besides, it's nice to share with people who've survived this long. Kinda feels like we're finally finding our rhythm out here, right?"

"Yeah," Kai said, though something in the back of his mind tugged at the words.

Across the fire, Brant sat silently, chewing through his meal like the conversation was beneath him. Lira watched the group from where she lounged nearby, her spear always within reach. But Kai noticed she wasn't watching the forest.

She was watching him.

And when he met her gaze, she just smiled.

The others kept their distance, busy with small tasks—fixing gear, adjusting packs, chatting quietly between themselves. But they glanced over often. Watching. Measuring.

The air didn't feel heavy. Not yet. But it wasn't as light as last night.

Later, while filling canteens at a nearby stream, Sasha leaned closer.

"They're too... helpful," she said under her breath.

Kai arched a brow. "Didn't realize that was a bad thing."

"It is when they're watching everything we do like hawks," she said. "Food, water, gear. They clock every move."

Ahead of them, Talia stooped to rinse her hands. Without looking up, she added, "Brant's been eyeing my pack since we left camp. Like he's counting what's in it."

Kai smirked. "Maybe he's just jealous of your cloak."

"Yeah, that must be it," Talia muttered.

Still, they didn't press it. There wasn't exactly a rulebook for what normal looked like out here anymore. Maybe Reed's group was just cautious. Maybe they were just tired.

Or maybe they were waiting for something.

_____

By midday, the forest was restless.

The wind had been wrong all morning. Sharp. Tense. The kind of wind that didn't move the leaves—it shredded them.

Kai walked at the front of the group, feeling it tug at the edge of his awareness. Something was coming.

And when the first shriek cut through the trees, it all made sense.

The Zephyrfang Stalker burst from the brush in a blur of silver and green, moving so fast the air itself seemed to tear apart in its wake. One moment the forest was still—the next, it exploded into motion. The creature was lean and deadly, its narrow, almost serpentine body gliding low to the ground with impossible speed. Elongated limbs whipped out in precise, fluid strikes, each tipped with curved, razor-bladed claws that gleamed like polished steel.

Wind wasn't just part of it—it answered to it. Blades of air howled around the creature as it moved, carving deep gouges into the earth, splitting branches mid-sway, and slicing through the trees as if they were paper. It struck like a storm given form—silent until the moment it wasn't, and by then, it was already too late.

Kai barely had time to react before the thing was in their midst, the rush of wind so sharp it bit into his exposed skin, leaving shallow cuts across his arms and face. There was no roar. No warning. Just the low hiss of air being ripped apart and the cold, relentless speed of something that had been built to kill.

One of Reed's nameless teammates barely managed a scream before the wind cut him down, leaving a smear of red in the grass.

"Positions!" Reed shouted, spear jerking toward the beast. "Kai, left side!"

Kai nodded but held back. Just enough.

Sasha and Talia moved with him, falling into their practiced rhythm. But they stayed measured. Careful. This wasn't the time to reveal everything—not with Reed's group watching their every step.

For the first few minutes, the fight felt manageable. The creature circled them, slashing wide, keeping them on edge but not fully committing.

Brant lunged at it, fists glowing with dull energy, but the Zephyrfang slipped right past him, the wind peeling strips of fabric off his shirt as it passed.

Lira jabbed forward with her spear, missing by a breath. "Damn thing's too fast!" she snapped.

"Work together!" Reed ordered. "Cut off its angles!"

But something was wrong.

Every time Kai's group shifted to flank the creature, Reed's team drifted with them—subtle at first, slipping into the same lanes, bodies falling right into the spaces they needed most. Blocking sightlines. Forcing them wide. Making sure the Zephyrfang Stalker always had room to breathe.

Once? Could've been coincidence.

Twice? Strategy.

But the third time—when Sasha had a perfect shot lined up, arrow drawn tight, the Stalker exposed—and Brant just happened to step directly into her path, forcing her to jerk the bow aside at the last second?

Yeah. That wasn't an accident.

Kai felt his pulse spike, the pieces snapping together all at once.

They weren't helping.

They were stalling.

They weren't trying to win this fight.

They were trying to outlast it.

Kai caught Sasha's eye. She nodded, subtle and sharp.

Talia was already shifting position, watching Reed's group just as closely as the monster.

It all snapped into focus.

They wanted the Zephyrfang to finish the job for them.

Cowards.

Kai exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Alright," he muttered under his breath. "No more holding back."

The Zephyrfang Stalker pivoted midair, slicing toward him in a spiral of wind and claws.

Kai didn't dodge.

He stepped forward.

And unleashed Air Palm.

The pressure burst from his palm like a cannon shot, compressing the wind and slamming into the Stalker's side. It yowled, its spiral thrown wide, crashing into the dirt with enough force to gouge a trench.

Reed's head snapped toward him. "What the hell...?"

Kai didn't answer.

Because that was just the beginning.

The power thrummed beneath his skin now. His Ether wasn't just awake—it was eager. Gale Palm had already shifted, molded by the pressure of battle into something sharper. Faster. It wasn't just about hitting anymore. It was about breaking space itself with the force of the blow.

Kai sprinted after the creature, leaving afterimages in his wake as Ether Manipulation flickered around him.

Sasha moved next. Her bow snapped up, and the shots that followed weren't careful, precise taps anymore—they were blurs of silver, tearing the wind apart as they chased the Stalker through the clearing.

Talia darted between them, shadow-silent, slashing at the creature's legs as it scrambled to recover.

The tide turned so fast it was almost laughable.

Reed's group fell quiet.

Lira barely managed, "Since when—?"

But no one answered her.

Because this wasn't for show.

This was survival.

And Kai was done pretending.

They pushed the Zephyrfang back, cornering it between shattered trees. Its wind blades lost their edge. Its movements slowed.

It knew.

It was done.

Kai leaped, twisting through the air, Ether swirling around his fist.

One strike.

The evolved Force Palm "Gale Palm"—denser, sharper, more focused than ever before—slammed into the creature's skull.

The shockwave flattened the clearing.

When the dust settled, the Zephyrfang Stalker lay still.

[You have slain Zephyrfang Stalker – Level 14.]

And for the first time since they'd met, Reed's group wasn't smiling.

Not even a little.

Kai dusted off his hands, eyes meeting Reed's across the quiet.

"Guess we're stronger than we look," he said, voice calm, even.

Reed just stared.

And in that moment, Kai knew.

They weren't allies anymore.

Not really.

Now they were a threat.