Chapter 3: The Predator Approaches

“Hah!”

I jolted upright, drenched in cold sweat.

“Aaaagh!”

My whole body screamed in pain, like every bone had snapped. My arms and legs throbbed and trembled.

‘Where… am I?’

As my foggy mind cleared, the memory came back—Mishkentul, the cliff, the fall.

The aftershock is brutal. Still… I lived. Guess I got off cheap, considering.

Rubbing my shoulder with shaky hands, I barely managed to steady myself.

I had no idea how I survived. I vaguely remembered seeing something like eyes at the end.

Was that just a hallucination my fading mind made up? Or did someone really save me?

I turned my head and looked around.

It was dark. The surface under my hand felt hard and smooth, and on the right side, a thin beam of light leaked in.

A cave.

But it wasn’t damp. The air smelled like a spring breeze on a sunny day.

Dragging my trembling legs, I moved toward the light.

“O…….”

Wind brushed against me.

A peaceful scene unfolded.

Grass grew up to my ankles, swaying gently in the breeze. Sunlight slipped through the thick leaves, painting the ground in a mysterious glow.

It didn’t feel like a “tower” at all.

This forest felt real, like it truly existed.

‘This reminds me of a weird novel setting…’

Feeling the breeze play with my hair, I drifted into thought.

Back when I was obsessed with fantasy novels, I devoured everything I could find.

Among all those clichés, there was one story with a particularly shocking twist.

The tower where the protagonist lived was actually a tool of invasion from higher-dimensional beings.

And the monsters attacking Earth came from towers in other dimensions.

‘The comment section went insane over that twist.’

Some said it was pointless. Others praised it as fresh and clever.

‘I just felt empty and dropped it on the spot.’

If the foreshadowing had been there from the start, fine—but it came out of nowhere, along with sudden betrayals.

‘After that, it went straight into trash-tier. I was so mad I’d paid for it that I gave it one star. Damn it, why can’t you give negative ratings?’

What was that novel called…?

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember. I just knew it was around the same time I read *SSS-Rank Player Climbs the Tower*.

“Don’t tell me… it’s the same kind of world? No way.”

I tried to laugh it off, but unease crawled down my spine.

Shaking my head, I pushed the thought away.

Once I get the Red Awakening, I’ll know everything anyway.

So first, find the fruit.

I turned to head back into the cave—

And froze.

Something felt off.

I slowly scanned my surroundings.

“Am I imagining things…?”

Just as I was about to move again, I noticed it.

Near a tree beside a massive rock—something strange.

“That’s… an eye?”

What I thought was a glowing insect bent slightly.

A bad feeling flashed through me.

‘Wait. Did I really shake Mishkentul off?’

My body stiffened as I stepped back.

“Eve. Does Mishkentul chase its prey until it dies?”

[Extracting search term: ‘Mishkentul hunting behavior.’

Mishkentul is an intelligent monster. Once it designates prey, it will pursue it relentlessly until death.

However, in the case of tamed Mishkentul, this instinct may be suppressed—]

Long story short—it won’t stop until I’m dead.

“So my Luck stat really is just decoration. Why does disaster keep dropping out of the sky on me?”

A sigh slipped out.

I don’t know if my life is hell mode, or if this tower itself is hell mode—but one thing’s certain.

I’m insanely unlucky.

Still… it’s strange.

Why isn’t it attacking right away?

Is it playing with me?

I remembered the goblin.

Back then, I didn’t feel like I was being hunted by a predator. It even had time to set traps.

Is this because of Mishkentul’s habit of toying with prey?

Or is there another reason?

The yellow eye curved sideways.

Like it was mocking me.

My hand clenched.

“I never thought I’d live like a dog and get toyed with by some mutt beast.”

The aching muscles screamed proof that I was still alive.

I clenched my fist and stared back at that eye.

I won’t die.

I will survive.

The wind blew. My hair fluttered. Long grass brushed my ankles.

A chill ran through me.

“…Grass?”

When I was being chased, Eve said something.

That Mishkentul hated a certain herb.

I hesitated—was it worth using my last search chance here?

Then I spoke.

“Eve. Scan this grass.”

[Scan complete. Official name: <Spirit Herb>.

A plant that grows by feeding on dark energy and possesses purifying properties.

It rarely grows in clusters and emits a scent that certain monsters detest.

It naturally grows in places touched by moonlight—]

“Hah. Lucky, in a twisted way.”

Of all places to fall, I landed where Mishkentul’s weakness grows.

What a joke.

‘So as long as I stay here, I’m safe.’

Leaving the yellow eyes behind, I went back into the cave.

Maybe it was from the fall—my whole body throbbed.

Still, thank god my regeneration here is high.

Otherwise, I’d be bedridden for a week.

“Let’s… rest.”

Using a rock as hard as a sauna brick pillow, I sank into sleep.

—

Crack.

“Ugh—”

Joints twisted with a loud pop echoing in the cave.

Two days had passed since I fell.

I rotated my arms—no pain at all.

“He’s insanely persistent.”

Every time I checked around the cave, those yellow eyes were still there, watching.

‘Why does that cat-like bastard have the soul of a stalker?!’

I wanted to scream at the sky.

“…But it ends today.”

Stalking is a crime.

This wild forest may be beyond the law, and that shameless beast may not fear it—

But I’ll personally deliver justice.

I grinned at Mishkentul glaring at me with its yellow eyes.

Plucking Spirit Herb from the soil, I strode toward it.

Seeing its prey walk over on its own, Mishkentul bared its sharp teeth, wary.

“Hey. You hate this, right?”

Standing at the edge of the herb field, I waved the Spirit Herb.

Each time it moved, Mishkentul’s nose twitched.

When the weak face the strong, they either exploit a weakness—or craft a perfect strategy.

Right now, I had both.

Its massive jaws lunged.

“Ghk!”

With the dagger I’d hidden, I smashed its lower jaw.

Then I immediately let go and jumped back.

“Don’t shove those filthy teeth at me.”

As if it understood, Mishkentul roared in fury.

“Graaaah! Grrrraaaah!”

“You can’t come in, can you? If you’re so confident, try it.”

I plucked more herb and tossed it at it.

A clear provocation.

Spirit Herb carried a scent monsters hated.

Even a child who hates carrots can choke them down under a parent’s scolding.

Dislike isn’t an absolute wall—it can be overcome.

An intelligent monster like Mishkentul could think of a way.

And that’s exactly what I wanted.

Watching me throw daggers from afar, Mishkentul’s muscles rippled.

It took a deep breath.

Then kicked off the ground and lunged.

Because I’d kept retreating, it stepped deep into the herb field.

“Grrrr…”

This is my territory now.

The scent of Spirit Herb filled the air.

The moment it breathed in, instinctive disgust would claw at it.

Now—

I endure.

I hunt.

Whoosh—

A claw sliced past my hair.

I rolled and pulled a dagger from my inventory, throwing it at its eye.

Clang—

It lifted its head and blocked it with its teeth.

“You’re blocking daggers with your teeth? Seriously?”

I hadn’t expected a real hit anyway.

I widened the distance, preparing.

The massive body charged and leapt at me in one bound.

The gap closed instantly.

I can’t dodge.

Mishkentul’s yellow eyes curved—certain of the kill.

I lowered my body.

The moment its right foot touched me, I rolled forward into its space.

As I rose, I slashed its still-airborne leg.

“Graaah! Grrrrraah!”

With its mobility gone, it became manageable.

Those blade-like teeth were terrifying—but its slowed movement made its attacks readable.

Limping, Mishkentul roared.

“What’s roaring gonna do? It only makes things worse for you.”

I sneered and smiled.