The crimson lightning faded, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than steel. The air itself trembled. The plains—once neutral and empty—now pulsed with faint red patterns, as though blood vessels had awakened beneath the soil.
Rio stood in the center of it all.
His newly formed scythe hummed with a low, living vibration in his grip.Not metal.Not magic.Something in-between.Something that felt… aware.
Players around him stared—some in awe, others in terror.
"Dude… what race is that?!""I've never seen that option!""He has a scythe—who gets a scythe in the tutorial?!""Is he a GM favorite? A chosen?"
Rio ignored the whispers. His heart was still racing from the transformation. Shadows coiled around his arm, slipping beneath his skin, making his veins glow faintly violet before fading.
He took a shaky breath."How… how do I even start using this?"
Elyria stepped forward again—but this time, she bowed slightly.
Not as a guide.But as if acknowledging something far greater.
"Revenant Rio Javier… you have undergone the First Binding. As a scythe-aligned soul, your journey diverges from all others."
Rio swallowed. "Diverges as in… harder?"
Elyria did not soften her tone.
"Harder. Crueler. And watched by the Hollow itself."
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
A New Interface Forms
On instinct, Rio focused inward.His HUD flickered, then stabilized.
[RACE: REVENANT][ALIGNMENT: SCYTHEBOUND][TITLE: Marked by the Scythe (Special)][WEAPON: Shadow-Reaper Scythe – Bound]
New tabs appeared… ones no ordinary human or elf player would have at Level 1.
— NEW UNIQUE MENUS —
• Soul Vein System• Death Gauge• Hollow Instinct
Rio tapped the first one mentally.
[Soul Vein System]– Soul Veins: CLOSED– Unlock Requirement: First Kill using Scythe– Warning: Revenant growth depends on balance between LIFE and DEATH– Warning: Corruption % must not exceed 30% at early stages– Current Corruption: 2%
He blinked."That… doesn't sound safe."
Elyria nodded softly."To wield death is to invite it upon yourself."
The Plains Begin to Collapse
The Game Master raised his hand.
"THE TUTORIAL FIELD HAS SERVED ITS PURPOSE.""LET THE HOLLOW REVEAL ITS TRUE FORM."
The ground shook violently.Cracks split open.The safe, neutral tutorial plains tore apart like fabric.
The once stable platform crumbled into floating shards suspended in midair.Players screamed.Some fell into the abyss below.Others clung to fragments of land that drifted like broken islands.
Rio staggered back at the edge of a cliff."What—what is happening?!"
Elyria's eyes glowed.
"The real world is emerging. The Hollow Plains were only a shell… a cage."
A massive structure rose from the void—a dark citadel with spires twisting upward like skeletal fingers.
Above it floated a colossal glowing sigil representing the entire game world:
HOLLOW DEATH ONLINETRUE MODE ACTIVATED
The First Quest Appears (Mandatory)
A global system notification blasted through every player's vision.
[MAIN QUEST 1 UNLOCKED: SURVIVE THE DESCENT]Difficulty: DeadlyObjective: Reach the Citadel of Starting Souls within 10 minutesFailure: DEATH
Players panicked.
Ten minutes?The world collapsing?Monsters emerging?
Impossible.
Rio gripped his scythe tighter.His instincts urged him to run—but shadows around him curled with an odd warmth.
As if saying:
Do not flee.Cut your path.
Shadows Stalk from Below
The cracks in the earth widened, releasing creatures born from the abyss.
Twisted wolves.Amorphous shadows with too many limbs.Floating masked spirits whispering for blood.
Rio's heart pounded."There's no way… I can't do this alone—"
A wolf lunged straight at him.
His body moved on instinct.
The scythe arced through the air—smooth, elegant, deadly—and cleaved through the monster in one swift motion.
Black mist exploded from the creature as its body dissolved.
[FIRST SCYTHE KILL ACHIEVED]Soul Vein Slot 1: OPENEDCorruption Rate Stable+2 STR | +3 AGI | +5 Soulforce
Rio gasped."That… felt natural?"
As if the scythe had guided his hand instead of the other way around.
Elyria nodded from behind him.
"A Revenant does not fight with strength. You fight with instinct… with the echo of death."
The Descent Begins
Chunks of land collapsed rapidly, falling into the abyss.Players screamed as the world turned into a deadly obstacle course.
Rio sprinted forward, scythe trailing behind him like a shadow.
"Ten minutes… I have to reach that citadel!"
Floating platforms formed and crumbled beneath him.Rio leapt from one shard to another.
A shadow-beast leaped at him—He spun, slashing diagonally—The creature was cut clean in half.
Rio landed on another fragment, breath heavy but focused.
More system messages flashed:
[Scythe Proficiency +1][Hollow Instinct Level 1 Activated]A new passive appeared:
Hollow Instinct (Lv. 1):– Gives momentary danger sense– Slight aim correction for scythe strikes– Effect strengthens with kills
He felt a strange clarity wash over him.
As if the world slowed for a heartbeat.
Elyria's Warning
Just as Rio reached a larger floating platform, Elyria appeared beside him, stepping through light like a ghost.
"Rio, listen," she said. "Your Revenant nature gives you power early… but you must be careful."
"Careful? The world is literally collapsing!"
"No," she pressed urgently. "I mean careful with yourself."
She pointed at his arm—the veins were glowing darker, faintly violet.
"Every scythe kill strengthens you… but also increases your corruption. If your corruption exceeds 30% this early, your soul will break."
Rio's blood chilled.
"So I can… die from leveling up?"
"No. You will not die."She looked at him sadly."You will become something worse."
He clenched his jaw."I'll control it. I have to."
The Citadel of Starting Souls
Finally, Rio saw it.The structure rose like a colossal fortress floating above the dark abyss.
Massive gates glowed white.Players were sprinting toward it with everything they had.
But dozens fell before reaching it—Taken by monsters, falling platforms, or the void itself.
Rio leaped onto the final bridge leading to the citadel—
—but a massive roar shook the air.
A gigantic Hollow Beast—twenty feet tall, made of bones and darkness—landed in front of the entrance.
Players screamed.
"A boss?! Now?! Here?!""That's impossible! We're level 1!"
The boss's name appeared:
[HOLLOW TITAN – LV. 10 – Tutorial Executioner]
Rio froze."…Executioner?"
Elyria whispered, "It exists to kill those unworthy."
The Titan raised its massive arm—ready to cleave dozens of players in one swing—
Rio stepped forward.
Not because he was brave.Not because he felt strong.
But because his scythe pulsed again.Alive.Calling him.
Cut him, it whispered.Or perish.
Rio inhaled sharply.
He tightened his grip.
"Fine… Let's see what this Revenant thing can really do."
He charged.