[ ] = the main character's thoughts

The First Breath Before Battle

The first breath before battle is always the most important.

 A breath that separates life from death, success from failure.

 I learned this lesson in the hardest possible way, and last time was nothing short of a miracle.

[Every breath could be the last. Remember always.]

The hunting portal is a cauldron of conflicting emotions:

 Fear.

 Excitement.

 Determination.

 Survival. 

Faces covered by iron masks, eyes hiding stories of past battles, of lost companions, of exterminated monsters.

Around me, warriors move like precise machinery.

 Each has a destiny, a story, a goal. 

Some are veterans, their patched armor telling of countless battles. 

Others are young, their eyes still bright with hope that the portal will soon extinguish. 

I see this for the second time in this world - some families will celebrate their loved ones' return, while others will weep for those lost.

My memories swirl like fragmented images. 

The last time I went. Was a nightmare.

 Goblin.

The warriors.

The arrow.

The pain.

The dessperation.

The will to live.

The meeting with the mage and barbarian.

I remember everything.

 Everything happened there, that adventure was more than just an adventure - it was a map. A map of battle, of pain, of survival.

[I don't want to relive that experience.]

The guard commander's voice cuts through the air like lightning. "Prepare! The portal is about to open!"

A collective shiver runs down the hunters' spines.

 The most experienced grip their weapons with mechanical precision. 

The young tremble, hiding their terror behind masks of supposed courage.

I adjust my dagger meticulously, close my eyes, and thank Thorin. 

I check every detail with watchmaker's precision. 

The blade is perfectly sharpened. 

The handle fits my hand like a natural extension of my body.

[Precision is life. Detail is survival.]

The portal opens.

 A vortex of dark energy that devours hunters one after another.

 It's not a simple passage.

 It's a threshold between worlds, between life and death.

When it swallows me, I respawn again in the goblin's lair.

[Better for me.]

[What mission do I have this time?]

 [The mission is clear: 450 monsters.] 

[Good, I'll try to kill more to get a better bounty.]

The forest welcomes me again with its ancient whispers. 

Millennial trees stand as silent witnesses.

 Leaves that tell stories of hunting and death.

 The air is dense with anticipation, with hidden threat.

I begin walking, carefully observing everything. 

This time I encounter traps, well-hidden under leaves. 

If I don't avoid them, serious problems can occur. 

So I move carefully and dodge everything.

After a while, I find some goblins.

[But this time is different.]

Now I don't just see goblins. 

My eyes have changed. 

Where I once saw only shapeless silhouettes, now I discover hidden details. 

A barely pulsing vein. An almost imperceptible breath. A movement that betrays a weakness.

[I must wait for the right moment, and then when I find it, I'll finish these goblins.]

When an isolated goblin presents itself.

[Good, it's time.]

My attack is a flash of deadly precision.

 "Chhak!" 

The blade slides across the neck with surgical precision.

 So fast that even the sound of death is suffocated. 

I am like a shadow, lethal and silent.

My speed and precision had improved.

I killed those goblins with extreme ease, working like a thief who carries his prey into darkness and, once the right moment comes, removes the head from the body.

After a while, I see a group of goblins gathering.

 Numerous. Threatening.

[I'll show them the meaning of hunting.]

[ I want to use my skill, to see what will happen ]

I use my skill.

Like a storm of steel and blood. 

My movements are those of a perfect predator.

 Boom! 

Like a night owl - silent, deadly.

In their eyes, I read only pure terror.

 They cannot comprehend the death devouring them.

Heads fly away, one after another, in a mechanical dance of death. Void stars scatter before me, silent witnesses to a carnage.

Even the largest goblins fall under my blows.

 When a monster as tall as a tree stands before me, I study it first.

 Every muscle of its body is an open book to me.

With surgical precision, I climb on a tree.

when I find the exact moment.

I jump on his gigantic body.

I identify the weak point. 

With extreme stealth.

I cut the main nerve of his neck. 

A choked scream, then silence.

I keep hunting like this for a while.

[Hunting becomes easier.]

So i decide to go to the next portal level.

In the second portal there are two worlds:

1) The Void Prairie

2) Frozen Mountains.

[I can do this.]

I enter the portal.

Perpetual darkness envelops this realm. 

[Seems I've spawned in the Void Prairie.]

[The conditions are difficult. But I am ready.]

Here, it's constantly night. 

The monsters here are very different from the goblins.

 One of them is a werewolf - fast and agile, with attacks primarily using their fangs. 

They're also larger than the average human.

[Not good for me.]

[Luckily, I brought material to light a fire.]

I light a torch to see better.

In these parts, there's more silence compared to the goblin's lair.

 But silence is not a good thing. Often, silence here represents that something is about to happen.

Suddenly - movement! 

A werewolf launches itself at me, trying to pierce my chest.

 For a millisecond, I move. I roll instinctively. 

The beast soars over me, barely touching me.

I quickly rise and take position.

 Its eyes burn with a crimson red, full of primordial rage. 

The teeth shine like sharp daggers.

Without waiting, it starts running towards me.

[ it's fast.]

I try to dodge its attack.

 [Will the dagger do anything?]

Once I get a clear path, I cut its left hand.

It begins to howl, and then I throw my dagger into its throat and it falls.

[Oh dear!, that was tough.]

[Although still a low-level monster like the goblins, it's more powerful. I must avoid them in groups, or I'll meet a bad end.]

I collect the void star, seeking temporary shelter. 

Exhaustion assails me, but sleeping is a luxury I cannot afford.

[If only I had a companion to watch my back...]

A cry tears the silence. A familiar voice.

Lillia - the mage! - is running? From whom? Tears streaming down her face.

Our gazes meet. 

She approaches quickly.

"Doruuk!"

 [ she cries! ]

"Help us!"

Chapter-End.