The world slowed.
Not metaphorically—literally. Ren felt time stagger in its pace as the system flooded his vision with data, all condensed into a single glowing line tracing the arc of his rusted sickle. The air was thick with copper and char. The howls of the villagers beyond the collapsing hut faded to muffled echoes.
[Target: Plague-Horn Boar (Lesser Spirit Beast – Rank 1)][Vitality: 32%][Soul Fracture Detected – Extraction Possible][Reap Probability: 86.5%]
Ren's feet slammed into the ground, kicking up a wave of straw and ash. The sickle—so corroded it should've broken—dragged through the air like a blade dipped in night itself.
The boar reared back with a screeching snarl. Its molten eyes met his own.
Then the sickle struck.
A flash.A howl of agony.
Black ichor sprayed across the room as the blade buried itself just beneath the beast's armored rib. For a moment, Ren thought the sickle would bounce off the thick spirit-bone plating—but then it sank deeper, as if pulled forward by a force beyond physics.
[Reaper Point +5][Soul Severance Initiated…]
The boar's body twitched violently. A high-pitched spiritual scream burst into the air—a sound no mortal ears were meant to hear. Ren nearly collapsed as his nerves lit up like firecrackers.
A swirling mass of lightless flame tore free from the beast's chest. The soul. It struggled, its form vaguely shaped like the boar, yet thinner, more human in its agony. Ren felt it calling to something—someone—but the system didn't let it escape.
The vortex appeared.
A spiraling black spiral tore open midair, lined with jagged, silver sigils. The soul was dragged inward like a ragdoll in a tornado.
And then it was gone.
[Soul Reaped.][Basic Reaper Core Fragment Acquired.][Skill Unlocked: Death Sense Lv. 1][Current Reaper Points: 5]
Ren gasped and staggered back. The sickle hissed, now humming with residual soul energy—its rust partially flaked away to reveal glinting obsidian metal beneath. The weapon pulsed again as if alive.
The corpse of the boar collapsed with a thud that rattled the hut's foundations. Smoke curled from its mouth.
Outside, the screams were still ongoing—but now mixed with wailing. A shrill whistle rang through the air, followed by the unmistakable crunch of timber and bone.
The healer woman from earlier gaped at Ren, eyes wide, lips trembling. She clutched her prayer talismans so tightly her knuckles turned bone-white.
"You… you just killed a Spirit Beast."
Ren wiped ichor from his face. "Yeah. And I'll kill the rest too if I have to."
She took a step back. "A Mortal Soul can't—no, that shouldn't be possible. That blade… that aura. You're not just possessed, are you? What are you?"
Ren glanced at her—and saw her differently now. His Soul Vision hadn't deactivated. He could see the threads of karma around her—a heavy tangle of grief, pain, and protective intent. She had lost children. Many.
And yet, in this moment, she chose to save another.
He felt his lips twist. Not quite a smile, but something like respect.
"Someone who wants to live. And maybe… someone who doesn't deserve to."
Before she could respond, the system chimed again.
[Mission Update: Survive the First Night – 1 Beast Eliminated (Estimated Raid Total: 17)][Time Remaining: 00:09:54][Sub-Objective Unlocked: Defend the Village Shrine – Optional][Reward: Reaper Core Fragment ×1, Weapon Evolution Chance]
"Seventeen?" Ren muttered, tightening his grip on the sickle. His body still ached. His breath was shallow. This wasn't like a game. His stats didn't level up just for killing something. He could still die.
But the system had given him power—and a direction.
He turned to the woman. "Where's the shrine?"
She blinked. "East side of the village. By the Reaper Tree. But it's—"
The wall exploded.
A second beast—this one wolf-like and covered in rotting bone plates—tore through the hut like parchment. It landed with a snarl, its eyes glowing blue with hate.
Ren's heart stilled. Time fractured.
[Target: Gravehound (Spirit Beast – Rank 2)][Vitality: 91%][Warning: High Threat Detected][Combat Advised: Only if Soul Boost Activated]
[Would you like to consume Reaper Core Fragment ×1 to unlock temporary boost?]
[Y/N]
Ren didn't hesitate. "Yes."
The shard pulsed in his chest. It burned. Not with heat—but with clarity. The sickle gleamed, and lines of black light etched themselves across his arms like spectral tattoos. His veins glowed. His senses flared.
[Temporary Skill Activated: Reaper Form – Phase 1][Strength +30%, Speed +50%, Soul Perception Enabled][Duration: 90 seconds]
The Gravehound lunged.
Ren stepped into the blow—too fast for the beast to adjust. His sickle sang.
Clash.
He didn't just swing; he cut through the spiritual core beneath the beast's throat. A perfect slice, surgically aimed.
[Critical Hit – Vital Core Severed][Soul Reaped][Reaper Point +12][Skill Progression: Soul Vision → Lv. 2]
[Title Earned: First Night Reaper][Effect: Increased Soul Drop Rate from Weakened Targets]
Ren's chest heaved. Sweat and soul energy poured from his skin. Two kills. Two points of data. One terrifying realization:
He was built for this.
The healer stared again, now with something more than awe.
"…You really are a Reaper."
"No." Ren turned toward the open hole in the wall where more shrieks echoed from beyond the smoke. The map in his vision flashed—ten more beasts inbound.
"I'm the beginning of one."
And he ran.