*Hm, so that's how it is...* The foreign thoughts flowed through the head that once belonged to Reno. The creature was processing all the memories it had just absorbed. *So the people named Kazui and Nova are the targets this child hates the most now? How interesting...*
*No, not just those two.* It continued digging deeper into Reno's memories. *It seems this brat hates so many people. His schoolmates, his neighbors, even people just passing by on the streets. Hahaha...*
*This child truly has a very filthy heart. Filled with hatred, resentment, and deeply rooted anger.*
*But that's good... very good for me.* The monster walked to the cracked mirror hanging on the wall.
*I can only enter and take over bodies that have very filthy hearts like this. If their hearts are too pure, too filled with goodness... that's no good for me at all.*
*I can indeed enter the bodies of those with pure hearts—I can force my way in—but I won't be able to devour souls that have pure hearts. And that's dangerous. They can fight back from within, can reclaim their consciousness, can drive me out. But with this child...* Its smile widened. *With a heart this filthy, his soul vanished instantly when I devoured it. No resistance whatsoever. Perfect.*
The monster turned away from the mirror and gazed out the broken window.
*Alright, now I have a plan.* It clenched its fist, small purple flames dancing between its fingers. *Let's kill everyone he hates. One by one. That way I'll become even stronger. Every soul I devour, every life I take, will add to my power. Especially the souls of those he hated—they'll give me far greater energy.*
*But...*
"But before that..." "I need to adapt to this human body first. This is different from my original form. Very different."
"It seems I must live this human's life carefully," it muttered while touching various objects—table, chair, wall—trying to understand the sensation of touch that was new. "I can't just kill everyone all at once. That would attract attention. That would make the Sages come. And I'm not strong enough yet to fight them."
"I must kill carefully and methodically. One by one, in secluded places, at the right times. Then I'll devour them to strengthen myself. This child's body is still too weak. His fire power hasn't even reached half of its full potential."
Reno—or the creature now controlling Reno's body—raised his right hand and stared at it intently. Slowly, he concentrated his energy.
FWOOOSH!
A small purplish-black flame appeared in his palm, flickering. This fire was different from the normal orange fire that Reno used to produce before. This was fire already corrupted by darkness, fire that could burn not only bodies but also souls.
"With this human body..." He rotated his hand, "I can even use their language perfectly now. I can speak, communicate, blend in. This... is very interesting. Very interesting indeed."
All of Reno's knowledge about language, culture, social interaction—all of it now belonged to him. He could pretend to be Reno. No one would know the difference, at least not at first glance.
He extinguished the fire in his hand and walked to the window, staring at the dark night sky.
"By the way..." He touched his chin, thinking. "Should I start hunting now?"
His eyes gazed at the empty street outside. No one was passing by.
"No... I don't think so." He shook his head slowly. "Better wait until later at night. If I hunt at a time like this, it's still too early. There's still a chance someone might see. Not suitable." He nodded to himself. "Better wait until really late at night, when everyone is sound asleep. When even the stray dogs have stopped barking. That's when it will be the perfect time."
"Patience..." he whispered to himself. "Patience is key. I have plenty of time. And they... they're not going anywhere."
◇◇◇
Several hours later, the clock showed 9 PM.
In the depths of the dark and silent Jungle Forest, the sound of someone's footsteps walking leisurely could be heard.
It was Reno. Or more precisely, the monster controlling Reno's body.
Reno walked slowly among the tall trees. Large roots protruded from the ground.
"So this is the place?" "This forest is quite beautiful even at night, isn't it?"
His eyes, which could now see in the dark, scanned the surroundings.
After walking for about 15 minutes through bushes and crossing a small river, he finally arrived at an open area hidden deep in the forest.
Before him stood five large wooden houses built in a circular defensive formation, connected by small wooden bridges hovering above the ground. The houses looked sturdy and well-maintained—far better than Reno's dilapidated house. Kerosene lamps with yellowish flames were still burning brightly on several porches.
This was the hidden complex of the loan sharks who had lent money to Reno's father in the past.
On one of the porches, several adults were sitting casually, drinking beer, laughing loudly.
"HUH?! YOU!"
A fat man suddenly stood up from his seat. He was Rio—the most senior loan shark among them.
His face was flushed—whether from alcohol or anger.
"What are you doing here, kid?!"
Four others—all middle-aged men with hard faces and greedy eyes—also began standing up from their respective seats. They stared at Reno with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.
"Hey kid!" Rio stepped forward, his chest puffing out arrogantly. "Go home right now! This isn't a place for children to play around!"
"It's already night and besides, all your family's debts are paid off, right? I remember you paid everything off last month! What else do you want from us?!"
"Don't tell me you want to borrow money again now? Still not enough? That can't be, right?! Young people these days really don't know gratitude!"
They all stared at Reno with contemptuous and dismissive looks. But Reno just remained silent. Not moving. Not answering. Not reacting at all.
Then suddenly... he smiled.
Without saying anything—without warning, without threats, without explanation—Reno slowly raised both his hands to his sides like outstretched wings.
The air around them suddenly began to change. The temperature rose drastically within seconds. Leaves on nearby trees began to dry out and curl. Grass on the ground began to turn yellow. Steam became visible in the air.
"What... what are you doing?!" Rio stepped back, "You... you have powers?! Impossible!"
Apparently they didn't know that Reno had powers from the beginning. Although Reno was very rough, he never wanted to kill people, only injure them.
WHOOOOOOSH!
Fire suddenly blazed from both of Reno's palms.
"RUN! RUN NOW!" one of the loan sharks screamed in panic.
But it was already too late.
FWOOOOOOOSH!
The purple fire moved quickly. It formed thick living ropes, coiling around the bodies of all five adults in an instant before they could even run a single step.
"AAAAHHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LET US GO! LET GO!" all five of them screamed simultaneously.
Their hands pulled at the fire ropes, but every touch only made their skin burn worse. Rio tried using his physical strength to pull, but the rope didn't budge at all—it just tightened more.
Their skin began to redden, then blister with large bubbles, then blacken like charcoal.
"HELP! HELP US! IS ANYONE THERE?! HELP!" their screams echoed through the forest, but no one would hear. This place was too far from civilization.
"It seems..." Reno spoke in a calm voice. He wasn't even looking at them. "I need money if I want to live as this human. Living in the human world apparently requires money."
"M-MONEY?!" Rio screamed in a hoarse voice, tears and snot running down his burned face. The skin on his cheeks was already partially peeling off. "I CAN GIVE YOU MONEY! AS MUCH AS YOU WANT! TAKE EVERYTHING IN THE HOUSE! IN THE CLOSET! UNDER THE FLOOR! ALL OF IT'S YOURS!" He screamed desperately. "BUT PLEASE LET ME GO! I BEG YOU!"
"US TOO! WE ALSO HAVE LOTS OF MONEY!" the others joined in screaming with voices growing hoarse as smoke entered their throats. "WE'LL GIVE YOU ALL OUR MONEY! WE WON'T REPORT TO THE POLICE! WE PROMISE!"
"Please..." An older, raspier voice came from one of them. "We... we have families... small children inside the houses sleeping... wives waiting... Please let us go... we'll go far away from here and never come back..."
But Reno just shook his head slowly. "I don't want to."
"I do need money," Reno continued while walking closer to the five dying people. "But I also need to become stronger with this human body. This body is still too weak. Needs... an upgrade."
He stopped right in front of them.
"So..." "You'll all become my dinner tonight."
"NO! DON'T! PLEASE—"
"INCREASE THE HEAT LEVEL!"
FWOOOOOOOSH!
The purple fire suddenly doubled its intensity, the heat jumping from around 800 degrees Celsius straight to over 2000 degrees Celsius—heat sufficient to melt iron.
The screams of the five people became louder, higher pitched.
But they were still alive.
Reno deliberately kept them conscious, controlling his fire with precision to not kill them too quickly. He wanted them to feel every second. He wanted their souls full of pain and fear before he devoured them—because that would make their souls more "substantial," stronger, more nutritious.
"Good... very good..." "You're almost ready. Almost perfectly cooked. Just wait a little longer..."
When the five people were down to their last breaths—their bodies still moving reflexively but consciousness almost gone—
Reno raised his right hand high into the air, his palm wide open.
"NOW, BECOME MY FOOD!"
SSSHHHHHHH...
Five souls in the form of dimly glowing energy began to slowly emerge from their dying bodies. The souls looked like white smoke, moving weakly.
The souls were drawn toward Reno's right palm, spinning above it like a mini tornado.
Reno could only do this when victims were in a near-death state—at a very thin threshold. If already completely dead, the soul immediately released and disappeared, couldn't be captured anymore. If still too healthy and alive, their souls were too strongly bound to the body, couldn't be forcibly pulled out. But at this moment—when they were dying—their souls were weak, vulnerable, easy to pull out.
Reno stared at the five soul energy orbs spinning in his hand. They moved weakly.
"Thank you for this delicious dinner."
Then without hesitation, he put all five souls into his mouth one by one.
GULP... GULP... GULP...
Each time he swallowed a soul, an extraordinary sensation flowed through his entire body. The veins in his neck, arms, and face emerged and thickened momentarily, colored black.
The souls felt like pure energy flowing down his throat, spreading throughout his body.
"AHHHHH... YESSS..." "THIS... THIS IS TRULY DELICIOUS..."
Purplish-black fire began emerging from the entire surface of his body. His power increased.
"Good... very good..." He muttered while looking at his own hands now enveloped in a more concentrated purple fire. "Now I'm stronger than before. But..."
He clenched his fist, the fire condensed into a very dense small ball.
"But this still isn't enough. Still far from enough. I need to become much stronger. I need more souls."
Each soul absorbed increased the power level of the creature nesting in Reno's body. The more souls devoured, the stronger his fire, the greater his energy capacity, the wider the control he had. And if he devoured the souls of people Reno hated intensely—like these five loan sharks—the effect was even multiplied due to emotional resonance.
Reno stared at the five bodies now lying on the ground. They were already dead—eyes open and empty, mouths agape. Their bodies no longer looked like humans. More like fragile charcoal statues.
"Hm..." He remembered something from the memories he absorbed. "They said their children are still inside those houses, right?"
Reno looked toward the row of large wooden houses in front of him. Some lights had been turned off—perhaps the loan sharks' children and wives were already asleep.
He could hear faint sounds—the breaths of sleeping people.
"Too bad for them..." Reno muttered without any emotion whatsoever. "But I can't leave witnesses."
Reno walked leisurely to one of the houses with calm steps. The door wasn't locked—these loan sharks felt so safe in their hidden place that they didn't feel the need to lock doors.
Inside, he found a large black leather bag hidden under the wooden floor—their daily money storage place. He opened it and saw neat stacks of paper money, tied with rubber bands.
Reno counted quickly. "Pretty good amount... Enough for several months."
He put the money in the bag and slung it over his shoulder.
After that, he walked out and stood in the middle of the housing complex. Five houses circled him in a circular formation.
He raised both hands high toward the dark night sky.
"Now it's time to eliminate all evidence and all witnesses."
FWOOOOOOOOOSH!
Purplish-black fire shot from both his hands with much greater force than before.
All the wooden houses immediately caught fire with very hot purple flames.
The wood instantly ignited, no time needed to spread. Within seconds, the roofs of the houses were already consumed by fire. Windows shattered from the extreme heat. Doors burned until destroyed.
"AAAHHH! FIRE! FIRE!"
"MOM! MOM! HELP!"
"GET OUT! GET OUT QUICKLY!"
Panicked screams began to sound from inside the houses. People woke from their sleep—children crying in fear, women screaming in panic looking for a way out. Thick black smoke began billowing upward, filling the interiors of the houses.
Several women managed to open doors and ran out while carrying their crying children. They coughed hard from the smoke. Their hair and nightclothes were scorched in several places.
"HELP! IS ANYONE THERE?! HELP US!" they screamed into the forest darkness.
But Reno just stood there, silent, staring at them with an empty gaze. His face showed no emotion whatsoever.
"Beautiful voices." "But unfortunately, no one will come to save you!"
Reno didn't stop there. He rotated his body 360 degrees while continuing to release purple fire bursts from both hands. The fire spread in all directions—burning all the trees around the housing complex, burning bushes, burning dry grass, burning every plant that could burn.
Within minutes, the entire forest area the size of a soccer field transformed into a sea of blazing purple fire. The fire rose high.
CRACK! CRASH! BOOM!
Large trees that had stood firmly began falling one by one. Their roots burned until severed.
The heat from the fire was so intense—so intense that dry grass 100 meters from the fire's center caught fire spontaneously from the heat radiation. The air around became so hot it was difficult to breathe. Even small stones on the ground began changing color to red and melting into mini lava flowing slowly.
The animals there also burned.
Reno stood right in the middle of that tremendous inferno with an upright and calm posture. The purple fire didn't burn his body at all.
"So beautiful..."
The fire continued blazing for several more minutes.
After making sure everything burned completely until nothing identifiable remained, Reno finally lowered his hands. The fire gradually subsided, though there were still embers glowing here and there.
He turned around and began walking out of the area that was now just scorched earth and ash.
Behind him, purple fire still blazed at several points.
"Alright, now it's finished," Reno spoke to himself while stepping out of the forest.
He looked at the bag of money still hanging on his shoulder.
"I need to go home first now. Tomorrow..." He smiled widely. "Tomorrow I have to go to school, right? Live a normal life as Reno. Pretend nothing happened."
He paused briefly at the edge of the forest and looked back once more, staring at the destruction he left behind.
"I can't wait to meet the humans this child hated most..."