Brighting

Chapter 17: The First Kill

Bright's breathing was uneven, his grip on the gun trembling slightly.

The creature twitched at his feet, its body still shifting slightly, as if it hadn't realized it was dead yet.

Even in the dim light, Bright could see it clearly now—and his stomach turned.

It wasn't just some mutated animal.

It stood at 1.5 meters tall, its entire body covered in thick, tangled fur, except for its lanky arms and its face.

Its arms were disturbingly long, too thin for comfort, and ended in sharp, jagged claws.

Its torso was small, almost like an afterthought, awkwardly connecting its stretched-out limbs and a single backward-bent leg—one that eerily resembled a bird's.

But the worst part?

Its face.

Wrinkled, purplish skin. Sunken eye sockets. A twisted mouth, lips slightly open, revealing sharp, uneven teeth.

Bright stared, frozen.

A shiver ran down his spine.

This shit isn't some novel bullshit.

Why didn't I get those goblins or the horned rabbits those shitty protagonists liked to kill so much?

Then… it happened.

A cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his head.

[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]

Bright flinched.

Words appeared in front of him, floating in midair.

[ACTIVATION COMPLETE]

[SYSTEM INTERFACE]

Name: Bright Brooks

Race: Human

Ability: Fire Manipulation (Boosted)

Skills: None

Additional Perks Unlocked:

First Fire Awakened: Your own flames will not burn you, but you will still feel heat.

Early Hunter Bonus: Your initial ability has received a slight boost in power.

Bright blinked.

Then blinked again.

"…Nope."

He shut his eyes. Opened them.

Still there.

"…Nope."

Turned his head left, then right.

Still there.

A low, shaky laugh escaped his lips. "Oh great. I'm hallucinating."

But no matter how much he blinked, the text didn't disappear.

Then—he felt it.

A warmth.

Not from the cave. Not from the body at his feet.

Inside him.

It was small, like a flickering ember deep in his chest.

Not painful. Not burning. Just… there.

Waiting.

Bright swallowed, his gaze flickering between the floating text and the dead creature.

Whatever this was, it was real.

And he wasn't the only thing alive in this cave.

His fingers twitched around the gun.

A deep breath.

Then another.

He forced himself to calm down, suppressing the discomfort that still crawled under his skin. He needed to inspect this thing clearly, understand what he had just killed.

But before he could move—

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The sound echoed from deep within the cave.

Bright froze.

More footsteps.

This time, he was ready.

Gun in his left hand, he raised his right toward the approaching noise.

He inhaled. Held his breath. Then—

"FIRE BALLLLL…."

Nothing.

There was a pause.

Then—

The footsteps accelerated.

"…Fire ball?"

Closer.

"Fire ball. Fire ball. Fire shi—"

Growling.

Bright gave up on his non-existent magic powers and focused back on what actually worked.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He fired into the darkness, his ears ringing.

A screeching noise followed—then something landed right in front of him.

Bright barely had time to react before its clawed hand swiped at him.

Instinct took over.

Instead of stepping back—he closed the gap.

A move Emily had drilled into him over months of sparring.

Standing this close, he got a full whiff of the creature's breath.

Oh. My. God.

This is what hell smells like.

He barely stopped himself from gagging as it snapped its teeth at him.

His body moved on its own.

Grab the wrist. Twist. Step in. Leverage.

A practiced motion.

Bright spun, shifting his weight, and slammed the creature into the ground.

Its body hit the rocky floor hard.

Then—

The sound of rushing air.

Bright's instincts screamed at him.

He dove to the side.

WHAM!

Something crashed down, sending a powerful shockwave through the cave.

The force rolled him across the ground, his gun almost slipping from his grip.

Bright gritted his teeth, groaning.

"Oh, come on. What is this?!"