Three system windows slammed into my vision in rapid succession.
[SYSTEM: Defeat "Victor"]
[SYSTEM: Defeat "Victor"]
[SYSTEM: Defeat "Victor"]
Bullshit.
Every single one of them felt like a cold spike driving into my skull.
Who in their right mind picks a fight like that?
A losing battle. A permanent losing battle. No respawn. No second chance.
Yet the system just kept taunting me, shoving the impossible in my face.
The real Victor was right in front of me — alive, breathing, and looking at me like I was some pathetic bug squirming under a magnifying glass.
Another notification blinked into existence. I slammed NO without thinking.
Another popped up.
NO.
Another.
NO.
Click. Click. Click.
Like my hand was on fire, swatting them away before they could sink into me.
His voice cut through.
"What's with your hand?"
I froze. Yeah… from the outside, I probably looked like a maniac — just a brat flailing at the air.
"Nothing at all," I muttered, forcing my fingers still.
Victor's stare didn't waver.
"Where did you go last night?"
The question landed like a weight. I didn't want to answer.
"Pass."
His tone sharpened, just enough to slice the air.
"No pass. Just answer."
I said nothing.
Because if I opened my mouth — even one word — that grey-beard would know exactly where I'd been. And that… was a problem I didn't need right now.
Victor let the silence stretch. Then, flatly:
"Leave it. I'll give you a job instead. Find Mint Vashir. He has a piece of information I require."
And then—
[Side Mission: Locate "Mint" Vashir]
Reward: Valuable Information
Bonus: Relationship with Victor +1]
The window lingered for just a moment too long, the letters pulsing like they were breathing.
The side mission notification hovered in front of me, its glow pressing against my vision like a demand I couldn't ignore.
I didn't have a choice.
Not because I wanted to help Victor. Not because I trusted him.
But because I needed to know more about this system.
And saying no to this guy? Yeah, that wasn't an option.
I hit [YES].
[Side Mission: Find "Mint" Vashir — ACTIVE]
The moment I accepted, the world shifted.
A thin, pulsing line appeared in my vision — a trail of light stretching out of the room, cutting through walls and streets, pointing somewhere far ahead.
"What the…?" I muttered, eyes narrowing. "What is this?"
Victor's voice followed, calm but loaded.
"To find him, you have to—"
"I don't need instructions," I cut in. "I'll find him myself."
His voice rose a fraction.
"Just listen to me, for god's sake—"
But I was already walking out, flicking my hand at him in a lazy wave like he was background noise.
The door shut behind me.
Victor stood there for a long moment, staring at a framed photo on the wall. His fingers lingered on the glass.
His voice was quieter this time, almost… human.
"I don't know if I can keep the promise, brother."
I walked.
And walked.
Morning turned into late evening, the sky bleeding into orange before slipping into shadow.
The glowing line in my vision still stretched ahead, never ending, like it was mocking me.
I didn't know where it was leading.
And I sure as hell wasn't following it because I trusted the system I'd gotten last night.
No.
I was following it because I knew Mint Vashir.
A con artist of the highest order.
A man who could change his face like changing clothes.
Who could crawl into people's minds and bend their thoughts until they believed whatever story he fed them.
He could do that because of his Mind Chakra.
And now you're probably wondering — what's a chakra? What's a Mind Chakra?
Well, chakra is—
Wait the glowing line in my HUD suddenly ended. Right in front of an apartment building.
We'll talk about chakras later.
The place didn't look abandoned. The walls were clean, windows intact. But there was something else.
An unease.
Like the air itself didn't want me here.
Then—
[SYSTEM: Someone is watching you]
I froze. My eyes scanned the shadows.
"Show yourself, Vashir."
A laugh answered me.
Not sinister.
Just… irritating.
Like a mosquito buzzing near your ear that you can't swat.
"What is the reason for the great Night Reaper, who used to reap and scavenge in the night, to be here?"
I didn't bother with games.
"Victor needs information from you."
From above, a figure descended — no sound, no strain — and landed softly in front of me.
Mint Vashir.
"But the great reaper knows," he said with a faint smirk, "everything has a price."
I'd expected that line.
"What's your price?" I asked flatly.
No need to let him drag me into circles. The faster this conversation ended, the better.
Vashir scoffed, tossing the words like they weighed nothing.
"Just copper horn. That too—ten."
Before I could even open my mouth, a window burst into view:
Mission: Defeat 10 Copper Horn Boars
Reward: Black Essence Units ×100 each
Bonus: Copper Horn Boar Meat
[ YES ] / [ NO ]
I blinked. "Wait—copper horn? As in, copper horn from Copper Horn Boars? The E-rank interstellar beasts?"
Vashir nodded casually. "Yes."
I stared. "Are you out of your mind? How the hell am I supposed to kill a beast like that?"
"You're a Reaper," Vashir said, almost bored. "Is it really so hard to reap an E-rank interstellar beast?"
I glared at him, wondering if he was mocking me. But then—those words on the window caught my attention: Black Essence Units.
That was what I needed. The main mission required them, and if I could gather enough, I might even unlock the first petal— and I could able to find what this all system and petal stuff.
My hesitation melted away. I hit YES.
The window flickered—and then another line appeared, this one burning bright red.
Vashir's voice cut in.
"Where are you looking?"
"Nothing," I said.
But his eyes narrowed. He didn't believe me.
Then—his irises shifted, the lenses inside his eyes rotating like mechanical shutters.
I knew that ability.
Memory Snatch.
A trick only he possessed—slipping into someone's mind, rifling through their memories, or worse, showing them visions they believed were real.
I watched him closely, but I couldn't see exactly what he found.
All I knew was that he froze, eyes widening, and took two slow steps back.
I'd never seen him react like that.
Then, just as suddenly, his smirk returned.
"Cool," he said softly. "Let's meet again."
He flicked his fingers.
The apartment dissolved around me. Walls bled into rust, ceiling into grey sky. I was standing in an empty, abandoned playground—swings swaying without wind, the creak of chains echoing in the stillness.
Figures. Vashir wasn't going to hand over his location to anyone.
Fine.
I turned and saw it again: the red line in my HUD, pulsing faintly, waiting for me to follow.
But first—equipment.
I headed for the Dharma Bazaar. If I was going to hunt Copper Horn Boars, I needed weapons built for it. After gearing up, I made my way to their habitat.
The territory of E-rank interstellar beasts.
You might think beasts like that only come to Earth through a meteor strike.
You'd be right. But once the meteor hits, the job isn't done—it should be hunted down, burned out, erased before it festers.
If they fail… or worse, if they choose to neglect it… then it settles, grows, and turns into a habitat.
Why?
Because sometimes they want it that way.
If it's an outcast slum, a place they've written off, they'll let it rot. They'll watch from a distance while the people there bleed and scream and die in slow, gnawing pain.
And I know this—because I'm from one of those slums.
Only difference is… mine wasn't the one they abandoned
The world watched, counting bodies instead of helping.
Now, the area was repurposed as a training ground for C.O.S.M.O.S. recruits.
And now? It was closed off.
I slipped past the guards.
Inside, the ground was littered with skeletons and skulls. All of them Outcasts.
I didn't feel sympathy. That's how the world worked.
Further in, the air shifted.
Shadows moved.
Slowly. Deliberately.
I stood still.
One by one, they stepped out—Copper Horn Boars, their eyes locked on me, breath steaming in the cool air.
I smiled, tightening my grip on my weapon.
"Let's fucking dance, ugly."