Chapter 338:Ambushed.

Chapter 338: 338:Ambushed.

Silver had barely finished half of the emergency meal when something inside him tightened.

It was instinct, that same ugly little warning that had kept him alive through gunfire, ambushes and more than one situation where noticing something a second late would have meant dying.

Silver stopped chewing. His eyes moved toward the entrance of the alcove but saw nothing. Only darkness beyond the reach of his headlamp.

He remained still, his right hand slowly moving toward the handgun lying beside him.

A sound came from somewhere outside, so faint that Silver almost convinced himself he’d imagined it.

It was a scrape, then silence. Silver’s fingers closed around the grip.

He didn’t immediately stand. If something had followed him, announcing that he’d noticed it would only force the encounter sooner.

He swallowed the food in his mouth and lowered the meal packet beside him without making unnecessary movement.

His own breathing suddenly seemed too loud as he listened.

He narrowed his eyes.

He had checked this place. Spatial Sense had shown nothing nearby and that had been several minutes ago. Something could have entered his range afterward, or... it could have been outside the range the entire time.

Silver slowly activated the skill.

[Spatial Sense Lv2 Activated.]

His awareness spread outward only to find a wall of stone, a narrow entrance and a larger tunnel beyond but no creature.

He pushed farther, still nothing. His brows drew together.

Then something fast moved at the very edge of his detection. His head snapped toward the entrance. A dark shape suddenly exploded from the tunnel.

The system warning appeared at the same moment.

[Warning!]

[Hostile Beast Detected!]

Silver barely got his handgun up before the creature hit him. The impact ripped him from the alcove and threw him across the stone floor.

His shoulder struck first the floor first, pain flashing white through his vision.

Silver lost the gun.

Before he could recover, claws tore across his upper back. His clean shirt was ripped open again.

Silver shouted and rolled instinctively as a massive paw slammed down where his head had been, cracking the stone.

He kicked upward almost instinctively. His boot hit something solid but the beast barely moved. He scrambled backward in shock and a little bit of fear.

His headlamp spun wildly across the cavern. For one fraction of a second, the light caught the creature fully.

Silver saw a body shaped vaguely like a large feline, but longer and leaner than any cat he knew. Its hide was nearly black, not fur exactly, but short dense hair that seemed to absorb the weak light.

Its front legs were disproportionately long, ending in curved claws designed for gripping stone, while its head was narrow with a flattened muzzle and pale eyes adapted to the darkness.

His breathing tightened.

"Insight."

[Insight Activated.]

The information appeared as the beast lowered itself.

[Cave Stalker]

[Tier: Four]

[Type: Subterranean / Predator]

[Primary Traits: Exceptional Scent Tracking, Silent Movement, Low-Light Vision, Burst Acceleration, Ambush Instinct.]

[Secondary Trait: Patient Pursuit.]

[Primary Weaknesses: Neck, lower chest, hind-leg joints.]

[Threat Assessment: High.]

[Warning: Target exceeds Host’s current Rank.]

Silver stared at one particular line.

Patient pursuit.

"You fucking followed me."

The Cave Stalker lunged as though answering him. Silver threw himself sideways but it was too slow. Its claws raked across his thigh; the same leg already injured by the Ironclaw Burrower.

Silver hissed through his teeth.

The beast turned immediately and attacked again. He reached for his sword but the Cave Stalker was faster. It crossed the distance before he fully drew the blade.

Silver lifted his forearm.

[Iron Bones Lv2 Activated.]

The creature’s forelimb struck him. Silver’s arm didn’t break but the rest of him still flew, his back slamming into the wall. Air left his lungs from the impact.

The Cave Stalker came after him. Silver thrust his sword forward but the beast twisted with startling agility. The blade cut across its side instead of entering its chest.

The creature recoiled the moment it noticed the blood. Silver used the moment to move. He pushed himself off the wall and ran for his handgun.

He only managed to take three steps before the Stalker recovered. Silver heard almost nothing behind him.

That was the worst part. An animal that size should have sounded like a charging horse; instead, there was only the faint scrape of claws.

He dove, his fingers touching the handgun but the beast hit him from behind. He slid across the stone, pain tearing through his ribs.

His fingers tightened around the weapon and he rolled onto his back. The Cave Stalker was already above him.

Silver fired.

[Phantom Draw Lv3 Activated.]

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The first shot struck its shoulder, the second went through the loose skin along its neck and the third missed when the animal twisted.

It retreated instantly, just beyond the strongest beam of Silver’s headlamp. He pushed himself up while blood ran beneath his shirt.

His back burned where the claws had opened him. His injured thigh felt worse.

The Cave Stalker disappeared into darkness. He aimed but saw nothing.

"Come on you coward."

Silver activated Spatial Sense.

[Spatial Sense Lv2 Activated.]

There, it was fast moving along the edge of the tunnel. It circled around him.

Silver turned but the animal changed direction. He followed it with Spatial Sense.

Then it stopped, he also stopped too. Seconds passed of this stand off. His head started aching since he couldn’t keep the skill active indefinitely.

The creature understood patience better than he did. He deactivated it. Immediately, the darkness felt more dangerous.

He backed toward the wall. At least nothing could attack from behind.

The headlamp swept left found nothing, then right, still the same. Silver’s breathing remained controlled.

A tiny pebble clicked against stone to his left. He turned towards it but the Cave Stalker came from the right. It had deliberately displaced something on the opposite side.

Silver realized the trick half a second too late. The beast slammed into him, its claws tearing across his shoulder.

He fired wildly in retaliation.

Pfft!

The bullet struck the wall.