[Soul Fragments: 4/100]
"When did I get four fragments?"
His expression darkened. He had only killed two people since escaping the well.
That thing he received wasn't a blessing but a reminder of the atrocity he committed, something he can't undo.
'They all deserved it, every single one of those bastards.'
"You think so? Then why do you sound so unsure?"
The voice didn't reply. It went quiet.
That empty feeling he felt after killing his parents crawled right back in, sharp as an old scar, reminding him he had no one left, nowhere to return to.
Just a wanderer, drifting through a world with a made-up name.
Noticing how broken he looked, Ari popped her head out of his pocket and rubbed her nose against his cheek.
He chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'm not alone."
That snapped him back, easing that irritating feeling. And all it took was a cute little snake.
Feeling the mana pulsing through his veins, he didn't want to waste it feeling down, so he pushed himself up before that feeling returned, and next thing he knew, he was writing sad poetry.
Sneaking out was easy since the hunters were fast asleep.
Those useless bastards couldn't even keep their eyes open.
From the camping area to the dense treeline, it had taken them thirty minutes last time, but Shiro covered the distance in ten.
The air felt lighter, his steps sharper. Every muscle moved with purpose.
Once he reached the dense forest, instantly feeling cold shivers running down his spine, he gulped. "Damn it, why does everything get ten times scarier at night?"
It wasn't fear; it was just awareness. But it wasn't his fault. Things had been going fine until those damn hunters started telling scary stories about the monsters that roamed the land—how the three other people who had been traveling with them were killed because they didn't listen.
But he couldn't care less about any monster, he was feeling rather confident. Too confident.
Both his daggers reacted perfectly after coming into contact with his mana. They looked sharper and had a dark glow along the edges. It was magnificent.
He remembered the first time he had used them against his father. They seemed dull, like something was missing, almost like they were asleep, but now they feel alive, vibrating with a faint black glow.
While waiting for boars to show, he muttered, "Black Knight, entry," and just as he expected, the weird thing popped up. Something caught his eye.
He thought for a moment, wondering why it had no soul fragments.
[Entity: Black Knight]
[Rank: Dormant]
[Shadow Fragments: 0 / 100]
He'd seen the beast massacre his entire clan, yet not a single fragment. Just then, a boar wandered beneath the tree he was dangling his feet from, snapping him out of his thoughts.
With one Clean swipe, its head rolled off its body.
Lifting the blade up, he whistled. "Sharp."
A black ember rose from the beast and drifted into his chest.
[You have acquired 1 Soul Fragment]
[Your Black Knight has acquired 1 Shadow Fragment]
"Just one?" he muttered. He wondered if the amount of fragments he received depended on the level of the beast.
"Let's hunt."
Instead of letting the question linger, he went on a hunting frenzy. Every boar he saw roaming through the forest, he slew without hesitation. He hid in the shadows, striking before they knew what hit them.
With every kill, the voice would let him know, making sure he knew he killed it, like its lifeless body under his foot didn't tell him enough.
The beautiful daggers cut clean, leaving no resistance. Without any trouble, he killed fifteen.
[Soul Fragments: 20 / 100]
[Shadow Fragments: 16 / 100]
He frowned. "So what happens when I collect them all?"
'Not sure, but it looks like it'll take a while.'
"We'll figure it out when the time comes, I guess."
Glancing at the dim horizon, he figured he had enough time to hunt a few more boars before heading back.
He knows the shards were useless to him, but from what he'd seen, they held a lot of value in this world.
People only had two uses for them. One could use them to grow stronger, which was the most important use, and the second was as payment. Therefore, people had to choose how they wanted to use those shards. Except him, he was built different.
Because of his wonderful passive, he couldn't consume them even if he wanted to, which made decision-making easy.
While moving from tree to tree, he noticed the forest had gone quiet, like every creature was hiding from something. He could feel it too. His instinct kicked in, urging him to turn back.
The feeling was like someone grabbing his heart and squeezing it like a stress ball, but he didn't bother to listen.
It wasn't just the quietness that made it worse, but the sudden drop in temperature and the faint metallic scent drifting through the air.
He wandered for a while, but nothing came into view, so he started heading back toward the camp.
Because his senses were so sharpened, a sudden growl pierced his ears, throwing off his footing. His hand shot out, catching a branch before gravity could do its part.
Yanking himself up, he shot toward the sound. He knew it was idiotic, but like always, curiosity got the better of him.
He stopped at the sight of a massive, humanoid-like giant. Its skin was dark and coarse, like charred stone. Two massive tusks curved up from its jaw, catching the pale light. Each breath came out as a low hiss, thin trails of steam curling from its mouth. On its back, it carried several boars, biting into one still clutched in its hand.
He took a step back, remembering what the gentle lady and her husband had said, right after those idiots told him the story of how the other members died. The way they'd described it, every detail vivid and cruel, was completely unnecessary.
But she'd also said something that almost made him view this world differently.
In a soft whisper, she confessed that those cowards had gotten those people killed, used them as bait just to save themselves.
He glanced at the monster one last time. What he felt wasn't fear, that was nothing compared to what he had encountered in the sea.
Confidence wasn't the issue either. He could easily take it down with his Ebony Knight, but that wouldn't really be him. It would be his shadow, and that bothered him.
As he turned to leave, a thought stopped him cold.
Realizing they would have to pass by this area before crossing the lake, if they ran into that beast, it was going to be a disaster. He knew for sure those idiotic hunters wouldn't be able to take it on without sacrifice, and it would force him to intervene, and that was something he didn't want.
Him hiding his strength just a little longer was the only advantage he had over them.
So, seeing no other option, he gulped, swallowed his remaining pride, and charged for the beast. Using the forest to his advantage, he slipped between the trees, darting from shadow to shadow, striking with each blade as he passed.
The creature dropped his precious hunt and bellowed, a sound that made the branches tremble. Blind with rage, it tore through the trees, smashing everything in its path, desperate to drag him into the open.
But he kept moving through the darkness, using the trees to propel himself faster and faster, cutting the beast little by little.
Gritting his teeth, he hissed, "Damn it, its muscles are too thick."
From the shadows, he shouted in frustration, "Go on a diet, you stupid beast!"
His poison didn't even slow the thing down, but the other blade cut deep. Every time its flesh tried to knit itself back together, the wound popped open, wet and twitching.
Throughout the relentless assault, he kept carving into the same wound again and again. His poison couldn't pierce through its thick muscles.
Therefore, striking the same wound only widened it, letting his poison seep deeper through the flesh.
The beast didn't slow down a single bit. If anything, it got faster and more destructive. It crashed through the forest, splintering trees like they were twigs. Each step shook the ground, driving him back until he stumbled into a clearing.
He gritted his teeth. He'd underestimated that bastard.
He lifted his hand and waved at the beast. "Come at me."
Their red eyes met, but the beast's ones were burning with fury. The creature stomped once, then twice, and the ground quivered under its weight before it lunged, its arm crashing down hard enough to split the earth.
He dove to the side, narrowly dodging the blow.
Shiro circled around it, slicing again and again, trying to bleed it out, and it was working. Until steam began rising from its body. Its dark skin flushed red, glowing faintly beneath the surface.
'So we're just going to wait and let it do its thing?'
"Hell no."
His Ebony Knight burst from the dense trees, driving its black blade straight through the back of the creature's head and out through its mouth.
[You have acquired 3 Soul Fragments.]
[Your Black Knight has acquired 3 Shadow Fragments.]
"Oh, so I was right."
As he turned to leave, something caught his eye, a black shard, almost identical to his Ebony Knight. He picked it up and cursed softly under his breath.
"Not bad."
[You have obtained a new shadow: The Great Ogre.]