Thorna clung desperately to the root of the tree, burning alive but still fighting to survive. Watching him struggle reminded me of myself just the day before.
I stepped closer to the edge of the cliff and sat down, resting my dagger on my shoulder as if trying to recall a distant memory.
"Doesn't this… remind you of something?"
Dangling below, Thorna let out a pained roar, as if someone were ripping the soul out of his body.
"Sorry, my memory's a bit hazy," I said with a sinister smile.
"But if I'm not mistaken… someone did this to me once. Not you, of course."
I raised the dagger and placed it just above the root he was clinging to.
The creature's eyes bulged in panic. He screamed louder — truly fearing for his life.
"When someone hurts me… I never forget," I whispered in a cold, threatening voice.
The moment the blade touched the root, it snapped, and Thorna plummeted with a final death scream — still burning — into the abyss.
I watched him fall for a moment, waited until he vanished from sight… then turned and began walking back toward the forest.
"Man… I'm exhausted."
Just as I said that, a translucent screen appeared in front of me.
[You have killed Thorna.]
[You have acquired the Sephir of Forest Terror.]
[You have obtained Thorna's Mask.]
I blinked, stunned by the sudden notifications.
'Two rewards at once?' I opened the descriptions in surprise.
[Sephir Rank: Awakened]
[Forest Terror: Enhances the user's sensory perception and aura. All forest creatures instinctively fear this aura.]
I stared at the words for a moment, processing.
'Enhanced senses…?'
Before I could fully grasp it, my body reacted. I began to hear every sound in the forest — rustling leaves, crawling insects — and smell every scent in the air. My eyes adjusted, and I could suddenly see in the dark as clearly as in broad daylight.
"What the hell is happening?" I shouted, overwhelmed.
Even the softest rustle of leaves now rang in my mind like crashing waves.
The sensation was unbearable at first — nauseating — but after a few minutes, it all settled. I adapted.
Once I'd fully grown accustomed to Forest Terror, I decided to test my new abilities.
I closed my eyes, focused my ears and nose, and searched for Thorna's presence.
I immediately sensed him lying below the cliff. The fire had already died out.
'This is… actually useful. But I'll need time to fully master it.'
I turned my attention to the second screen.
Just reading the words Thorna's Mask made my stomach churn. But once I saw its properties, my opinion changed entirely.
[Artifact Rank: Awakened]
[Thorna's Mask: Grants the wearer complete invisibility and undetectability for a limited duration. Duration: 20 minutes.]
My mouth nearly dropped open.
Without hesitation, I picked up the mask. It resembled Thorna's grotesque face, complete with two sharp horns protruding from the top.
'Ugh… just looking at it makes me sick.' I winced.
Still, I forced myself to wear it.
Nothing changed at first.
Then an idea struck me.
I placed the dagger on the ground, removed the mask, then picked up the dagger again while wearing the mask.
According to my logic, any object I wore while putting the mask on would also become invisible. Items picked up afterward might not.
"Let's test that." I lifted the dagger and inspected it.
Sure enough — no reflection of myself appeared on the blade's surface.
I repeated the test, this time picking up the dagger after wearing the mask.
I could clearly see my reflection.
So the invisibility extended only to what I had equipped while activating the mask.
While examining the two reward windows, one thing made me pause —
both the Sephir and the Artifact were marked Awakened.
'What does that mean? What exactly is an Awakened rank?'
I had no answer. So I gave up for now.
'Fine. I'll figure out how it works later.'
As I resumed walking, another screen appeared in front of me.
[Status Window]
Name: Rayan Velion
Rank: Warrior of Darkness
Core Type: Sephir Core
Core Status: Active
Sephirs:
Forest Terror
Unique Sephir: Core Devourer
Rank Fragments: 2 / 100
Core Fragments: 1 / 1000
Title: None
Mark: Lord of Darkness
Seeing my new status stunned me.
Something had changed.
'Yesterday, Rank was still ??? — now it says Warrior of Darkness. I've acquired a Sephir… and somehow I have 2 rank fragments. And 1 core fragment…'
I stared at the screen, trying to figure out what mattered most — what was essential and what was secondary. But I still didn't know enough about this world to fully understand.
After staring for a while, I came to a few conclusions:
'First, Rank represents my current level. Rank fragments are probably what I need to level up. Sephirs are my abilities. But I still don't get one thing… Core Fragments. What are they? Do they enhance my core? Do I absorb them each time I kill a monster? If that's true…'
I turned toward the edge of the cliff and looked down at Thorna's scorched body.
"I might need his core…"
With that conclusion in mind, I descended the cliff.
'If I can strengthen my core using others'… then that means I'll always have to kill. And the stronger the creature, the stronger the core — and the more rank fragments I'll gain.'
When I reached the bottom, I approached his charred remains.
His body was blackened and turned to ash.
The ashes still radiated heat, so I used my dagger to sift through them.
Even with my heightened senses, it was difficult. The stench was so vile, I nearly gagged.
Still, I kept going.
And finally, I found it.
'Ugh… finally.'
I pulled out a small, green, glass-like orb buried in the ash.
It had come straight from fire, so I didn't dare touch it with bare hands.
I removed my shirt, wrapped the orb inside it, and carefully carried it back to my camp.
There, I laid down and fell asleep.
The next morning, the sun rose and warmed my face, waking me.
I sat up, walked to the river, and washed my face and hands.
'The water's really cold…' I thought as I walked back.
Then my gaze landed on the orb I'd taken from Thorna.
Enough time had passed that it must've cooled. I unwrapped it from the shirt and held it in my hand.
Suddenly, a window appeared.
[Unique Sephir Activated.]
[Core Devourer has triggered.]
The moment I finished reading, my vision darkened. My body lost all strength.
"What's… happening to me?"
My eyes closed. I collapsed to the ground.
I fell into unconsciousness — and then, into a dream.
Except… it wasn't really a dream.
I was Thorna — walking through the forest in his body.
These weren't dreams… they were memories. His memories.
At first, they weren't so bad.
But soon, everything changed.
I began to witness his nightly hunts.
The way he slaughtered humans.
Their cries. Their pleas.
I watched it all.
I pitied them.
I came to — and the moment I opened my eyes, I leaned over and vomited.
After a few minutes, I steadied myself, grabbed my flask, and took several gulps of water. Then I sat in silence, staring at the ground.
I sat there for a while, pulling my scattered thoughts together.
Eventually, I stood up.
"I saw… it all…
Now I know what I have to do."