SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling

The white fox stared at the spot where the human disappeared into the trees, its body was completely still.

'What? What just happened? Did that human… run away from me?'

It was an unbelievable situation, the fox could not process it correctly. It was a Beast King, a supreme being that ruled over the entire forest. Other monsters would tremble just from sensing its presence, and powerful hunters would avoid its territory with great caution. But this human, this weak, mana-less human, had simply turned his back and ran away.

This was the greatest disrespect the fox had ever felt in its long life. Its fur bristled, and a low growl escaped its throat, a sound that made the very air in the clearing tremble.

"Unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable."

Its form began to shimmer and distort, and a moment later, the small white fox was gone. In its place stood a woman with long, snow-white hair and piercing golden eyes. She wore a simple white kimono, and nine fluffy white tails swished angrily behind her.

Her voice was cold, filled with a fury that could freeze fire.

"I will catch you, human. And then I will personally teach you the meaning of true despair. You will beg me to let you become my pet."

She vanished without a sound, leaving the clearing completely silent once more.

---

Luthra ran through the Woods at his top speed.

'Tch. Ten of them at once was just too much. That crazy fox is completely unreasonable.'

He was not just running in a panic, he had a clear objective in his mind. He needed to get away from the immediate threat so he could properly prepare.

'System. I have the points now. Let's do it.'

"Buy the skill, [Negative Weapon Forging]."

[Acknowledged. 100 NP has been deducted from your account. The skill [Negative Weapon Forging Lv. -1] has now been acquired.]

He quickly checked the details of the new skill.

[Negative Weapon Forging Lv. -1] 

[A unique skill that allows the host to infuse a non-magical weapon with negative energy and compatible materials in order to evolve it. This process is highly unstable.] 

[Current Effect: For every 1 level this skill is below zero, the probability of a successful forging increases by 5%.]

'A five percent increase is terrible, but it is much better than nothing. Now I just need the materials for the evolution. Ten F-Rank cores and one E-Rank core.'

That was the main problem. The ten shadow wolves that were currently chasing him were all E-Rank. He could not get the F-rank cores he needed from them.

'This is so inefficient. I have to find some weaker monsters first, and I need to get rid of these shadow wolves that are following me.'

He glanced behind him. The ten shadow wolves were flowing through the trees, keeping a steady pace behind him. They were not attacking, they were just herding him.

[Retreating from a designated test is a suboptimal course of action. The probability of proving your value has now dropped to zero.]

'You were just as useless, giving me a 0.0001% survival rate. What kind of support is that?'

His running suddenly stopped, because a woman had appeared in front of him out of nowhere.

Before he could even process who she was, her hand moved, and he was sent flying backward with a casual backhand slap. He slammed into a large tree so hard that the trunk cracked.

'Shit…'

He felt his jaw.

'It's broken. A simple slap broke my jaw.'

He slid down the tree and looked up at the woman who was standing over him. She had long white hair, golden eyes, and was wearing a simple white kimono. But behind her, nine fluffy white tails were swishing back and forth, and he could see two fox ears on top of her head. Her face was very angry.

'The white fox… was a woman?'

He opened his mouth, the broken jaw making it difficult, and the only words that came out were, "You are a woman?"

The woman's golden eyes narrowed, and her nine tails twitched behind her.

"My gender is the thing you are concerned with right now, human?"

She took a step forward and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, lifting him off the ground with one hand as if he weighed nothing.

"You ran from me. No one has ever run from me. For that insult, I should tear you into a thousand pieces."

'Ah, I definitely said the wrong thing. My jaw hurts too much to think properly.'

He tried to speak, but only a mumbled sound came out.

The fox woman just tightened her grip.

"You are my property now. You are an interesting toy, and I have decided to keep you. You will call me Master, and you will do exactly as I say. Do you understand, my little pet?"

He just stared at her, then shook his head.

"Hoh? You are refusing me, even now?"

She threw him to the ground, and he landed hard, coughing. The ten shadow wolves that were still standing in the trees began to slowly circle him.

'This is bad. Arguing is not the correct choice here. I need to change her objective.'

He pushed himself up, his jaw screaming in protest.

"A test."

She tilted her head, her fox ears twitching.

"What was that, pet? Speak clearly."

He took a slow breath, forcing the words out through his broken jaw.

"Another test. To prove my value. I am not worthy to be your pet yet."

She let out a small, sharp laugh.

"we are done with tests. I have decided. I will brand you as my property, so you will never forget your place." Her right hand began to glow with a strange, golden light. she walked toward him.

She plunged her glowing hand directly into his chest. It went through his skin and ribs as if they were not there at all, and all Luthra could do was stand there, completely paralyzed.

'What is happening? I cannot move my body at all.'

She pushed her arm deeper inside him, her expression focused, until her fingers touched the very center of his being, the place where his soul was.

The instant she tried to grasp it, a presence of absolute nothingness swallowed her. Her entire body began to shake uncontrollably, and she collapsed to the ground, the golden light in her hand vanishing. 

Her breath was ragged, as she stared at him, her voice trembling, "W-what... what are you?"

Luthra had no idea what she was talking about. 'What just happened now?'

A message appeared from the system.

[Hostile entity is currently incapacitated. This is a critical opportunity. Eliminate the target immediately.]

The system did not have to tell him twice. He immediately wrapped the remaining length of his chain around her neck and pulled with all of his strength.

But it was strange, she did not move at all. It was not that she was resisting, it was like she was not even there. 'Why isn't she moving?'

Then, her golden eyes snapped back into focus. She looked down and saw the chain wrapped around her neck, then she looked at him.

She blasted him with a wave of white energy that sent him flying backward, and tore a large hole through his stomach. It was a serious injury, but it was not fatal.

She looked at the hole in his stomach, then at her own hand. "I see. I will figure out the truth of what you are."

She then vanished, leaving him alone in the woods, bleeding.