Chapter 28: Competence
The crunch of heavy snow fought against their boots as the rift behind them hummed with an unusually distorted frequency.
Terrence looked ahead, taking in the alien landscape. Tall pine trees stretched upward toward the pale sky, their massive roots buried deep beneath a thick blanket of white snow. A sudden, chilling wind swept through the clearing, biting harshly against his exposed skin. He had come completely unprepared for a sub-zero biome.
As if this sudden anomaly wasn’t suspicious enough, the rest of the temporary squad insisted on pushing deeper into the dungeon without checking the perimeter. Slowly, the glowing light of the rift vanished behind their tracks.
Terrence simply followed them from a distance, silently observing each member. He knew that in the near future, he would be forced to team up with strangers far more frequently. It was common knowledge among tamers that ruffians and opportunists often frequented joint dungeon runs.
He could just be overthinking things, but Terrence refused to take unnecessary risks. Continuing through this snowy biome was already a gamble in itself, but his primary goal remained firm.
Maintaining his silence, he gradually allowed his pace to slacken, drifting farther away from the main group. He had no desire to mingle with them. Something about their dynamic felt distinctly uncomfortable. They acted as though they already knew each other before signing up.
Succeeding in his quiet diversion, Terrence eventually reached the edge of a massive frozen lake. Beneath its translucent, solid surface, smooth rocks and tiny aquatic creatures were visible in the murky depths. He recognized a few of them as harmless F-Rank beasts.
"Why did you leave the squad?"
A crisp, young voice called out from behind him. Terrence felt his goosebumps react slightly to the sudden interruption.
He turned around smoothly, his eyes landing on Noli. The boy stared back with neutral, discerning eyes. There was no visible malicious intent in his posture—it was clear he still hadn’t recognized Terrence.
Terrence had zero intention of revealing his identity either.
"I didn’t like them," Terrence answered plainly. "Did you like them?"
Noli shook his head without hesitation. He shifted his gaze toward the frozen lake and crouched down, lightly tapping his gloved fingers against the thick ice.
"They are suspicious," Noli said softly.
Terrence nodded in agreement. "You think so too. But..." He paused for a beat, watching his young cousin closely. "Why did you follow me?"
Noli bit his lip, his eyes stretching across the broad expanse of the frozen lake, where a cluster of B-Rank White Bears rested against a snowy outcrop on the far bank.
"You look competent," Noli admitted, his voice remarkably steady for a sixteen-year-old. "And it’s not like I actually care about clearing this entire dungeon anyway. I just want some practical experience and a credible witness. Since you’re here for rank verification too, how about we vouch for each other?"
Terrence didn’t answer right away.
’Competent?’
This cousin of his—who had no idea he was talking to the disowned "trash" of the Lee Family—thought he looked competent. The concept of competence and his own past reputation felt completely bizarre when paired together in the same sentence.
Still, Terrence pushed those lingering inferiority complex thoughts down. There was no point in underestimating his current strength.
"Alright," Terrence said, his lips curling into a subtle smile. "How about we start right now?"
[Skill Share – ACTIVATED]
Terrence reached deep into his mind, reaching out to pull a small, delicate thread of connection directly from the Shadow Hound resting in his Beast Sanctuary. He was still a bit clumsy when it came to manually initiating the link without System assistance, but he managed to force the bond into place.
He didn’t want to rely solely on System prompts for Skill Share forever. Considering he would be acquiring more S-Rank beasts in the future, he needed to start training his mental control over these shared connections immediately. He couldn’t afford to exhaust his stamina every single time he activates a skill in full scale mode.
Precise control was everything.
[Passive Skill: Light Body]
The moment the skill triggered, Terrence felt his body weight drop significantly. He shot across the frozen surface of the lake, his boots barely skimming the ice as he accelerated to high speed. The freezing wind crashed against his face much harsher now, but his movements remained fluid and light.
Noli didn’t waste a single second either.
With a swift wave of his hand, Noli summoned his contracted beast—a Star Greater Wolf. The creature materialized in a flash of bright blue light, standing over a meter tall at the shoulder. It possessed sleek, luminous fur, its body perfectly built to serve as a mount.
Noli leaped cleanly onto the wolf’s back, and the beast shot past Terrence like a blue streak, effortlessly gliding toward the far side of the lake.
Noticeable disturbance echoed across the bank. At least ten B-Rank White Bears perked their ears up, their massive two-meter-tall frames rising from the snow as the intruders approached.
The Star Greater Wolf leaped high into the air, its sharp front paws driving straight toward the face of the nearest B-Rank beast. Its claws slashed through the air with a vicious tearing sound. The bear roared in panic, curling onto the ground as blood splattered across the white snow.
Terrence arrived a moment later. Noli had already finished off two of the bears, but this wasn’t a competition.
For the very first time since acquiring his System, Terrence felt the unfiltered thrill of the idea of hunting high-rank beasts on his own. Even if his footwork was still slightly sloppy and unrefined—learning combat mechanics completely on the fly—he managed to maneuver himself around a staggering bear.
His gaze grew sharper with every passing second. He deliberately refrained from fully summoning the Shadow Hound onto the field, choosing instead to experiment with his own enhanced body control.
Through the active link, he had access to four distinct skills:
[Iron Skin]
[Triple Slash]
[Dash]
[Transfigure (Locked)]
One remained locked, but he could freely use the other three. What mattered right now was testing his precision under pressure.
As a massive bear lunged toward him with its heavy paw raised, Terrence activated [Dash], ducking smoothly beneath the creature’s guard. Arching his back, he slid across the ice, coming up directly along the beast’s exposed flank.
He raised his hand, channeling his focus into a single point.
[Triple Slash]!
Three dark, sharp arc blades materialized in the air as a violent surge of energy roared through Terrence’s veins. The unique, intoxicating sensation of power flowing directly through his limbs was something he vowed never to forget.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
The strikes cut deep into the bear’s side. The creature staggered violently, losing its footing on the ice before crashing heavily onto its side.
Seizing the momentum, Terrence lunged forward with a short burst of [Dash], blood pumping wildly through his legs. He clamped his bare hands firmly around the bear’s thick neck. Instinctively, his physical body recalled the exact burst of brute strength he had used against the guard back at the currency exchange shop.
CRACK!
A loud, sickening crunch echoed through the quiet snowy landscape as the beast’s neck snapped, its massive body going instantly limp.
Without wasting a single second, Terrence pivoted on his heel to survey the rest of the battlefield—only to realize he was already too late.
Noli stood atop a pile of dead monsters, wiping his obsidian dagger clean as the last B-Rank White Bear collapsed into the snow.