The bright light of the moon reflected off the lake, its glow scattering gently across the rippling surface. On the side of the lake stood a small, modest house.
Inside, a man sat with his eyes closed. The black robe he wore draped down to the floor, its hem brushing against the wooden planks. His pale, handsome face was calm and expressionless. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
> [INFORMATION TRANSFER COMPLETE]
[HUMANITY 70%]
"Two days have passed," he thought to himself. But when he looked at the system window hovering before him and saw the words written there, a faint frown formed on his face.
"Humanity?" he asked inwardly, brows furrowing. He quickly opened his profile, curious if there was anything about humanity mentioned there. From what he remembered, there hadn't been before.
PROFILE
NAME: AMON
AGE: 25
RANK: ?
RACE: HUMAN
TRUE RACE: ORIGIN OF XENTARI
TALENT: SWORDS
ABILITIES: SOUL EATER
HUMANITY: 70%
"System why does it say my humanity is at 70%?" he asked, unsure of what it meant.
> [DUE TO THE HOST'S CURRENT STRENGTH THE XENTARI DEMONIC SWORD WILL GRADUALLY CONSUME YOUR HUMANITY ITS PURPOSE IS TO DRIVE THE HOST INTO MADNESS LEAVING ONLY THE URGE TO KILL]
[ONCE THE HOST'S HUMANITY REACHES 0% YOU WILL COMPLETELY LOSE ALL FEELINGS THE ONLY THOUGHT IN YOUR MIND WILL BE TO KILL]
Amon read the words carefully. The frown on his face slowly faded, and a faint, almost dismissive expression replaced it.
"So that's all it is," he thought. He didn't take it too seriously after all he was the master of the sword. Even if he went insane, there was nothing to be done; the sword was already a part of his body.
Standing up, he ignored the warnings on the system window. He stepped outside into the night. The bright moon hung above, its light shimmering across the lake's surface.
He walked toward the water's edge, his black robe brushing against the ground, his face an image of cold perfection.
When he reached the lake, he knelt down, dipped his hands into the water, splashed his face, and took a drink. Then he sat down quietly.
From what he had learned from the system, this world had people known as Awakeners humans blessed with powers once they reached the age of ten. Some, however, never awakened their abilities and lived as normal people. There were two main kinds of awakened powers one example being elemental powers such as fire and another being weapon-based skills like swordsmanship. Those rare individuals who could combine elemental powers with weapon mastery were far stronger. There were countless other variations.
Awakeners ranked from Rank 1 to Rank 10 with each rank divided into four stages Early Stage, Middle Stage, Late Stage, and Perfect Stage. Very few ever reached Rank 6 or higher it was simply too difficult.
There were also different classifications of beasts in this world Normal-Class Beasts, Mid-Class Beasts, High-Class Beasts, Legendary Beasts, Celestial Beasts, and Mystical Beasts
Normal-Class Beasts were the typical prey for Rank 1 Awakeners
Mid-Class Beasts were hunted by Rank 2 Awakeners
High-Class Beasts were handled by Rank 3 Awakeners
Legendary Beasts were generally only dealt with by Rank 5 Awakeners and above though Rank 3 or 4 Awakeners could kill them with a sealing artifact to suppress their strength
The beast that had attacked him earlier had been a Legendary-Class Beast at Rank 5. Against such a monster, he had no chance.
Rising from where he sat, he began walking toward the dense forest. Thanks to his Soul Eater ability, he could see his path clearly even in complete darkness making travel much easier.
He walked slowly, taking his time to observe his surroundings he hadn't moved about for two days. Then suddenly
[A NEW TASK HAS ARRIVED]
"Oh?" A cold laugh escaped his lips, and his eyes sharpened. His demeanor shifted he was colder now, more emotionless. It was subtle but the sword was already eating away at his humanity.
---
Green Valley Town
Inside a large mansion, a young woman stood wearing a light blue robe. Her white hair shimmered faintly under the light, and her delicate face, paired with striking blue eyes, made her even more breathtaking.
Rue gripped a white sword that gave off a chilling aura. Beside her stood a man in a white and black robe, holding a golden-bladed sword. His brown hair was messy, and there were visible scratches across his face.
"Ready?" Cael asked, his gaze fixed on Rue as though he were staring at a goddess.
As expected from one of the top five beauties of the Elandor Kingdom. What a shame you'll die tonight he thought to himself.
Rue nodded, and they started walking toward the mansion gates. When they arrived, they were stopped by two armored guards wearing dragon-scale armor and holding spears.
"Lady Rue, it's late. Where are you going? We'll inform the lord," one guard said in a hoarse voice.
"There's no need to tell my father. We'll be back soon," Rue replied calmly.
The two guards exchanged glances and nodded. They knew Rue was strong, and with Cael accompanying her, nothing bad would happen.
The gates opened, and Rue walked out, Cael following silently behind her.
Two hours passed.
The moon was now high in the sky, glowing brightly over the forest. Thanks to its light, the path ahead was visible. Rue followed Cael closely he was the one who knew the origin of the tremors they had felt that day.
They walked until they reached the center of the forest, where they saw uprooted trees and cracked earth.
"What kind of monster could have done this?" Rue murmured, her normally calm expression now shadowed by shock and disbelief.
She stepped closer to the center of the destruction, examining it carefully.
Behind her, Cael's lips curved into a sinister smile. Quietly, he drew his sword and lunged to strike her from behind.
"Boom!"
Rue, sensing the killing intent, reacted instantly, drawing her sword to block the ambush. The clash of steel forced them both back.
"Even with a sneak attack, you still managed to block me. You truly live up to your title as the number one genius," Cael said, his tone mocking.
His smile was twisted now, the golden blade in his hands sparking faintly with traces of lightning.
"Why?" Rue demanded, her voice sharp. She had no idea why he wanted her dead.
"Why? No reason just thought that if I killed you I'd take your title as the top genius of the Elandor Kingdom. Hahaha!" His arrogant laughter echoed in the ruined clearing.
Rue's teeth clenched in fury. "I never thought you'd kill me over a title."
Cael wasted no more words and charged at her with blinding speed. Rue parried, and the two exchanged rapid strikes.
Rue leapt back and unleashed her Eternal Frostblades five swords of solid ice appeared behind her each identical to the one she wielded. Instantly, the battlefield turned frigid. The ice swords shot toward Cael, aiming to cut him to pieces.
He blocked each strike, but no matter how hard he hit them, the ice didn't break. Then Rue suddenly appeared behind him, her blade raised to cleave him in two. Just as she was about to land the strike, two flying swords shot toward her back. She was forced to block them instead, but their speed was too great one blow landed, sending her tumbling across the ground.
Her fine clothes were stained with blood, her pale face drawn, and a thin line of blood trickled from her lips. She struggled to rise only for a man in black to appear behind her, sword raised. Rue blocked again, but the force of the impact flung her back, her strength waning.
If I'd known this would happen, I'd never have come, she thought bitterly. Even as a Rank 3 Late Stage, she stood no chance against one Rank 3 early stage and three Rank 2 Late Stages.
While Cael continued fighting the ice swords, he noticed their glow fading. Seizing the moment, he struck rapidly until cracks appeared in the blades, and then finally shattered them.
Landing on the ground, he walked toward Rue, who was coughing blood and struggling to stand. The three black-clad men followed, grinning.
When Cael reached her, he gripped her chin and forced her to look up at him.
"I'll give you one chance to live," he said. "But you'll become my wife, and you'll obey my every word."
Rue spat in his face. "I'd rather lie cold in the ground than live as a servant to a so-called friend who would take what isn't his, even if it means killing someone who once stood at his side."
Cael's expression darkened. He wiped his face, then gripped her neck tightly, ready to snap it when suddenly, he froze.
It felt like cold, merciless eyes were watching him. The same chill ran down the spines of the three men behind him. Cael dropped Rue, and she collapsed to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.
"Lord Cael look by the trees," one of the men whispered, his voice trembling.
Cael turned and saw a tall figure in a long black robe. Only its glowing red eyes were visible beneath the hood.
Rue followed his gaze. An ordinary person? she thought in confusion. She felt no awakened aura from him.
"Hah! What's an ant like you doing here this late at night?" Cael laughed, his arrogance returning. The other two men smirked as well, though the trembling one kept staring at the hooded figure with terror in his eyes, as if seeing death itself.
"Leave before I feed you to my pet," Cael said coldly.
The hooded man Amon did not move.
"I'll handle this Lord Cael," one of the black-clad men said. "Kill the girl and let's leave before the barrier fails and the elders notice."
He began walking toward Amon. Cael simply watched.
"No!" the trembling man suddenly shouted.
The other man turned, frowning. "No? Why" He stopped mid-sentence, assuming his companion had gone mad, and continued forward.
When he looked back again Amon was standing right in front of him.
Without effort, Amon's hand clamped around the man's throat like he was nothing more than a chicken and snapped his neck.