[Successfully killed a 2-star Soul Beast. First kill bonus: +100 skill points]
A crisp notification flickered into view, making Noah raise an eyebrow.
Not a new skill like he'd hoped—just a skill point increase. Still, that was enough to spark his curiosity.
"System, what are skill points for?"
[Skill points are used to enhance existing skills]
Noah blinked, caught off guard. That kind of function changed a lot. If he could improve skills without grinding them endlessly, that was a serious advantage.
"System interface," he said, voice laced with anticipation.
A transparent panel appeared in front of him.
[Name: Noah Caine]
[Age: 18]
[Cultivation Base: Human Realm Level 2]
[Special Ability: Starflame (S-Class)]
[Combat Skill: Devil's Covenant (Unique)]
[General Skills: Home Cook, Beginner Cyclist, Speed Reading, Beginner Driver]
[Skill Points: 100]
[Skill Enhancement Tier: Level 1 requires 100 skill points, each following level requires 5× more than the last]
Noah's gaze sharpened. One thing stood out immediately—his skills could be upgraded.
"Interesting… In that case, I want to upgrade Devil's Covenant," he said, grinning.
[Upgrading Devil's Covenant to the next stage requires 1,000,000 skill points]
"…What?" His smile froze. "Didn't you say Level 1 only needed 100?"
[Special skills follow a different tier, depending on their power. If converted to this world's skill system, Devil's Covenant ranks as an SSS-level skill]
Noah exhaled slowly. It made sense. Devil's Covenant boosted every aspect of his combat power—speed, reflexes, endurance—by a thousand percent. The catch? If usage ever hit 100%, his body would be overtaken by the demon bound to it. Under that threshold, the risk was minimal, but the danger always lurked.
In the wrong hands, it could turn someone into an unstoppable nightmare.
Still… it wasn't time to dwell on it.
Cooking? Driving? He snorted. No point wasting precious points there. Better to save them for combat skills that could be enhanced later.
Closing the panel, Noah glanced down at the Soul Beast corpses. Every one of them held something worth taking.
He crouched, plunging a hand into the first beast's chest. Warm tissue and slick organs gave way under his fingers until—
"Gotcha."
He pulled free a fist-sized stone, faintly glowing with soft energy.
A Soul Stone.
Four tiers—Low, Medium, High, Profound—the higher the tier, the purer the energy.
Noah counted his haul: "Four low-tier, two mid-tier, and a wolf's horn. Not bad."
Everything went into his pack. He rolled his shoulders, loosened his limbs, and glanced deeper into the forest.
"All right. Let's keep going."
---
The canopy thickened overhead, turning day into a dim twilight. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Many forests in this world remained untouched, and for good reason—the dimensional rifts that twisted their depths.
Forty minutes passed. Nothing.
Rustle!
Noah froze. A sharp, uneven sound carried from the south—too erratic to be the wind. Branches snapped. Leaves scattered. Something big was moving fast.
He crept toward the noise, each step silent. The sounds grew clearer—heavy impacts, deep growls, ragged breathing.
A fight.
Through a gap in the trees, moonlight revealed the scene.
Two figures battled a towering, black-furred mandrill—easily two meters tall. Thick muscles rippled beneath its coat, and its gaping jaw revealed venom-dripping fangs. Bloodlust burned in its red eyes.
The ground cracked as its fist slammed down, the force rattling the air. Even for a two-star Soul Beast, its raw strength was terrifying.
One fighter—a white-haired old man—was barely standing. Sweat streaked his pale face, and blood still flowed from his shoulder wound.
In front of him, a black-haired girl of about seventeen held her ground. Her ponytail was loose, her arm bloodied, her clothes ripped by claws—but her eyes stayed sharp.
"That mandrill's blind spot's behind the head—hit from the side!" the old man panted.
"I'm trying, Grandpa!"
She darted forward, dagger flashing in the moonlight.
Slash.
Blood sprayed from the mandrill's knee. It roared, staggering, and she slipped behind it. The neck was exposed—perfect.
She leapt.
The mandrill's arm whipped sideways.
CRACK.
The blow sent her flying into a tree, ribs snapping audibly. She crumpled, unconscious.
"Zara!" The old man's voice broke. He stumbled to her side, hands glowing faint green as he tried to heal her—but his own wounds left him too weak.
The mandrill grinned, stepping forward. One more strike and they'd both be finished.
It lunged.
A fireball streaked from the treeline.
BOOM.
Flames erupted across the beast's side. It howled, swatting desperately at the burning fur.
The old man froze, shock in his eyes.
From the shadows, a figure stepped into the clearing—tall, jacket hanging loosely over light combat gear. His backpack lay abandoned at the base of a tree.
Noah Caine.