Sky's stomach growled, but his eyes were burning with excitement. He gripped his scythe, his only weapon and his hope. "Let's see how strong you are."
The system window flashed before him.
[Mission: Eliminate 10 Goblins]
[Reward: Skill – Tormented Reaping]
"A mission already, huh?" Sky smirked. "Perfect test run."
He searched the forest first for food. Rabbits were everywhere, but after catching one, he frowned. "Too small. I want something bigger."
Soon, two wild boars appeared. Sky grinned and sprinted forward. The scythe sliced through the air, forming a glowing X. Both boars dropped instantly.
A system notification rang.
[Skill Acquired: Cross Slash]
Sky blinked. "Wait, I can get skills just by attacking?"
The system replied.
[Only if your body can handle the technique. Limit: 2–5 created skills.]
"You can talk?!" He froze, but the system stayed silent. He sighed. "Figures."
After eating the roasted boar, he stretched his arms. "Alright, time to hunt goblins."
Hours passed as he searched. After fighting a few small monsters, his level rose.
[Level Up: 1 → 2 → 3]
[Stat Points +3]
He added points to strength and agility, then continued through the woods. When he finally spotted smoke in the distance, he crouched low. Beyond the trees stood a small village of crude huts. Dozens of goblins moved around, guarding it.
[Mission Updated: Annihilate the Goblin Camp]
[Rewards: Tormented Reaping, Recovery Ring]
Sky exhaled. "Exterminate the whole camp? Are you kidding me?"
But he knew there was no backing down. "If I run now, I'll never move forward."
He dashed forward. "Time to hunt!"
The goblins screamed as he entered the camp. Sky swung his scythe in wide arcs, slicing two goblins down instantly. But arrows flew toward him. He blocked three, then rolled behind a tree.
Five more goblins rushed him. Sky's movements were sharp, fueled by fear and adrenaline. His scythe spun in circles, blocking and countering. But even so, the goblins kept coming.
Then, the ground shook.
A massive goblin boss appeared from a hut, carrying a thick club. Its body was twice Sky's size, muscles bulging under dark green skin.
The boss roared and charged. The impact of the club hitting Sky's scythe made his arms numb. He slid back several meters, gasping for air.
"Damn... he's strong."
Another swing. Sky barely dodged, the club grazing his side. Blood poured down his ribs. He clenched his teeth. "No choice but to fight."
He feinted left, slashing at the boss's knee. The scythe bit deep, slowing it. Sky tried to strike again, but a goblin from behind smashed him with a blunt weapon. His vision blurred.
His HP dropped by half. His body trembled.
"Why… is this so hard…?"
The boss laughed, a guttural growl that echoed in the night. Sky's frustration burned into anger. "Even a monster's mocking me now?"
He roared and swung the scythe sideways, decapitating the nearby goblin. His breathing grew heavier.
Five goblins left. Two more joined the boss's side.
He stumbled but refused to fall. His entire body ached. He blocked another hit, his hands shaking from the force. He couldn't even feel his fingers anymore.
His mind screamed to run. His body wouldn't listen.
He charged instead. The scythe cut across the boss's legs again, sending it crashing to one knee. Sky's breath was ragged. His vision doubled.
"One more hit…" he whispered.
The boss swung. Sky ducked under it, leaped, and brought his scythe down with everything he had. The blade sliced through the monster's skull.
Silence.
Then the boss collapsed.
The last two goblins screamed and charged. Sky raised his weapon, but his legs wouldn't move. His body felt like stone.
"Damn it… move!"
He forced his legs to push off the ground and swung with everything left. The scythe drew a glowing X through the air. The two goblins fell.
Then Sky dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. His vision faded to black.
[Ding!]
[Mission Complete]
[Level Up: 2 → 5]
[Rewards Acquired: Tormented Reaping, Recovery Ring]
A soft green light enveloped him, closing his wounds. Sky opened his eyes and laughed weakly.
"All that… for three levels…" He smirked. "Still worth it."
He opened the system.
[Tormented Reaping]
Swings the scythe forward while pulling backward, releasing an icy gust that deals [226% Attack] magic damage and freezes enemies for 2 seconds.
Cooldown: 9.88 seconds
Stamina Cost: 100
Sky whistled. "Strong. But that stamina cost… I'd die if I miss."
He checked the next reward.
[Recovery Ring]
Restores 20% HP and 20% Stamina every minute.
"Now this one's perfect." He equipped it, feeling warmth flow through his body.
After checking his stats, he distributed his new points—four into stamina, three into agility, two into strength. His stamina reached 140.
A new message appeared.
[System Function Unlocked: Store]
Sky opened it, finding lists of potions, gear, and items. One caught his attention.
[Enhancement Stone – Raises one skill level. Cost: 500 Gold.]
"Five hundred gold?" He groaned. "Scam."
He closed the window and looked at the night sky outside the cave. The fire crackled softly beside him.
"Still," he whispered, smiling faintly. "Not bad for my first hunt."
He stared at his scythe, its blade shining faintly under the firelight. "Let's see how far this weapon can take me."
After finishing his mission, Sky sat on a fallen log, thinking what to do next. The forest was quiet, only the wind and birds making sound. Out of boredom, he opened his status window again. His eyes stopped on the word Magic.
"What does this even do? And what's mana?" he muttered. "Maybe it's like aura from those novels… but what if I use it with a scythe?"
His curiosity grew stronger. He stood up, gripping his scythe tightly. "If I mix mana with my swing, maybe I'll get something powerful."
With that thought, Sky began exploring deeper into the forest. The air grew colder, and the trees thicker. After a while, he spotted movement—a pack of wolves, three of them, each with glowing red eyes. The system displayed their level.
[Wild Wolf - Lv.7]
Two levels above him.
Sky grinned. "Perfect test subjects."
He rushed forward, his scythe slicing through the air. "Cross Slash!" he shouted, performing an X-shaped strike. The blade cut through two wolves instantly, their bodies collapsing. The last wolf dodged, snarling before running off into the trees.
"Huh?" Sky frowned. "Did that wolf just… run?"
He stood still, realizing something. "It's scared. It knows it can't win. Does that mean these monsters have intelligence?"
The forest returned to silence. Sky lowered his scythe and stared into the dark woods. "If that wolf goes back to its pack… then I might have more trouble coming."
He sighed and checked his mana bar again. "Still full. Guess I'll train this aura thing before more of them show up."
He swung his scythe again, focusing his thoughts, trying to feel mana flow through the weapon. For a moment, a faint black glow appeared along the blade.
Sky's eyes widened. "It worked?"
The glow faded quickly, but a grin spread on his face. "Alright. This world's mana… I'll make it mine."