It was silent. So silent that the only thing one could hear was the sound of someone breathing. Surrounded by trees and the corpses of fifteen defeated foes, Lucien had emerged victorious — but it had been far from an easy fight.
He dropped to his knees, unconsciously letting go of his Sinbearer, then collapsed face-first onto the ground as his eyes closed in exhaustion.
The fifteen defeated shadow creatures disintegrated. Lucien was still a child, not even Rank 1 yet, but thanks to the experience and abilities from his past life, he was likely superior to any normal human. What held him back was the fact that, as a Rank 0, he was using a Rank 1 Sinbearer — meaning its side effects were greatly intensified.
In his previous life, he had gained plenty of combat and weapon training, allowing him to counteract the side effects just enough to survive.
Three days passed before he regained consciousness.
The moment his eyes opened, his hand instinctively reached for his Sinbearer — the only thing that mattered in this world. Without it, one was naked, powerless, unable to survive. In this world ruled by the law of "survival of the strongest," there was only one thing you could rely on: your Sinbearer.
Once again, he was reminded how weak he had become. His former self would have wiped out fifteen shadow creatures in mere seconds without breaking a sweat — yet here he was, on the brink of death after a single encounter.
I have to become stronger... In this world, the weak are the first to die.
Floating in the air nearby was a simple, old-looking ring, hovering as if waiting for Lucien to hold out his palm. It was a Rank 1 Sinbearer known as the Curse Ring. On touch, it could slow down enemies — but only for a short moment, and its cooldown was painfully long.
At first glance, it might seem powerful, but Lucien knew better. It was mediocre — he could've gotten something far better.
From this battle, he had earned about 30% Sin Progress. The first shadow creature had given him 5%, but the remaining fourteen only yielded 25%. It was always like that — the further one advanced, the harder it became to progress.
He wandered through the trees and fields until he found a sandy path cutting through the forest. From there, he followed the trail. When hunger struck, he hunted animals and ate their raw meat.
In times like these, I miss my old Sinbearers the most...
He had owned many Sinbearers — some for combat, some for pure survival. But he had learned how to survive, no matter how inconvenient. Days and weeks passed with nothing but solitude. No one came to sin, and he couldn't commit any either.
That's how it worked. To rise in Rank, one had to be patient. And besides... he wasn't exactly in a hurry to return. That was something he'd think about later.
The days dragged on. He returned from a hunt, stomach filled. He always buried the carcasses — something he had learned the hard way in his past life.
Then he heard a voice.
"Damn it, I'm going crazy out here. Not a single thing in sight. This isn't how I pictured it."
Lucien spotted the speaker: a man with glasses.
"Stop whining. It was your idea," came a second voice — this time, a woman. She held a whip in her right hand. Most likely her Sinbearer.
"Quiet, both of you. There's something out there," the third voice said sharply, going into a defensive stance as a rustle came from the bushes.
Tension filled the air. Then, out from the bushes came a small boy — Lucien, only about 1.5 meters tall.
The three of them were stunned.
What was a child doing in this place?
Lucien was visibly trembling, his expression unsure and distrusting, yet filled with fear.
"W-who are you?" he stammered. "P-please don't hurt me…"
They exchanged glances, stunned by his presence.
The leader of the group stepped forward.
"I'm Mark." He gestured to his right. "This is Darren," then to his left, "and that's Claire. We're not here to hurt you. What's your name?"
"L-Lucien," he said in a shaking voice.
"Lucien, would you like to join our group? We'd be happy to protect you."
"You serious? We can barely protect ourselves," Darren said skeptically.
"How can you say that? Look at how adorable he is. Of course we'll protect him," Claire insisted.
"I-is that okay…?" Lucien asked softly.
Mark nodded.
"You got a Sinbearer from the system too, right?" Mark asked. "Hand it over. It'll help us protect you better."
So that's what you're after… Darren shot Mark a suspicious look.
"S-sorry... M-my father told me never to give it away. Please understand," Lucien said, bowing deeply in respect and apology.
"O-oh. I see…" Mark hesitated. That was... strange. Why would his father say such a thing?
"Big sister, you're very pretty," Lucien added.
"…"
"…"
Mark and Darren were speechless — but then quickly brushed it off. He was just a kid.
"Aww, thank you! I knew you were a little sweetheart," Claire said, hugging Lucien tightly.
Disgusting piece of trash… I'm starting to regret being brought back to life…
They began moving as a group of four, Lucien always trailing at the back. Mark kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure the boy was still there.
"Lucien, that's your Sinbearer, right? What does it do?" Darren suddenly asked.
Lucien flinched, caught off guard, but answered.
"I think… it doesn't really have a benefit. Every time I use it, I take a bit of damage myself…"
Naive, Darren thought.
Poor kid… Not only is he just a child, he got stuck with a terrible Sinbearer, Claire thought.
"M-may I ask what your Sinbearers do…? And the drawbacks?"
Though such things were usually kept secret, after Lucien had been so open, they couldn't help but return the favor. Besides, what could a little kid possibly do with that knowledge?
"As you can see, I use a whip. When it hits, it slows the enemy. But I suffer intense recoil with each strike," said Claire.
"My glasses help me see an enemy's weak spot. But prolonged use gives me migraines, disorientation, and hallucinations," Darren explained.
"Now it's my turn." Mark pulled out a thin white needle made of bone. Lucien recognized it instantly — a worthless Sinbearer. "I can paralyze targets briefly, but it needs very precise hits."
A short silence followed.
Days passed with them traveling together. Lucien stopped hunting — the others brought him food, always giving him enough.
"Let's take a break," Mark suggested. The others agreed. "I'll take the first watch. Rest well, Lucien."
Lucien nodded.
Mark sat alone.
It had been nearly two months in this forest, and they couldn't leave. It was like going in circles. Who knew what lay beyond these trees? But worse — they hadn't encountered anything in weeks. No enemies. Just one useless little boy.
At first, Mark had wanted to steal Lucien's Sinbearer — then kill him. But for some reason, Claire had taken a liking to him and wouldn't allow it.
A full moon hung overhead. The wind howled. And suddenly — Mark felt something.
Enemies…?
"Wake up! Everyone, get up!" he shouted.
Howling. Wolves.
But not quite.
From the shadows leapt a creature — a wolf's head, but a humanoid body. It wore pants but no shirt.
In the forest, there were two types of animals:
Normal animals, easy to kill and eat. Killing them wasn't considered a sin — after all, it was necessary to survive.
Monsters, like this. They almost always had Sinbearers, making them far more dangerous — but they also left behind their Sinbearers when killed.
These particular monsters were called Fleshgnashers. Their Sinbearers were their claws — three black, curved talons.
Mark dodged the first one just in time.
"Stay calm! Darren, find their weakness!"
"After attacking three times, they stop thinking clearly and act on pure instinct!" Darren shouted. "That must be the effect of their Sinbearer!"
"Darren, protect Lucien!" Mark ordered. "Claire, get ready — we strike on my signal!"
The Fleshgnasher didn't attack right away. It was waiting.
Then five more appeared — each with a different color. First one was brown then yellow, blue, red, green, and gray.
Now, it wasn't a 1-on-2.
It was a 3-on-1.