"Since you've seen through me, there's no need to pretend. Just submit and become my meal—it'll make things easier for both of us."
The woman smiled wickedly, her eyes glowing a vivid crimson. From within her body, her kagune erupted, piercing through skin and clothes, while streaks of blood clung to her form, creating a grotesque, almost surreal sight.
This was a ghoul's kagune—both their weapon and a part of their body. As hard as steel and far stronger than any human, it was impervious to ordinary blades. For normal people, encountering a ghoul was a death sentence.
"Kind of like Doctor Octopus," Rokou murmured under his breath.
The woman didn't hear him, as the rain had grown heavier.
"Hehehe… little brother, I'll devour every inch of your flesh, piece by piece," she said, her voice dripping with malicious delight.
In her original form, she could already sense that Rokou's presence made her hunger grow even stronger, and her saliva mixed with the rain as she stepped closer. She was utterly confident he couldn't escape.
Many predators enjoy toying with their prey before the kill, and she was no exception—the struggle of a dying victim made the flesh all the more tender.
Rokou said nothing. He simply withdrew his hand from his pocket.
A faint glimmer appeared, and a silver longsword, shaped like a medieval knight's blade, materialized in his palm.
Though its weight was unknown, he held it effortlessly, expressionless, as his eyes locked on the woman before him.
Rokou wasn't native to this world. He had arrived here carrying his own memories and soul.
His body was the same as before, only now endowed with a new identity.
Of course, he was still an orphan. But when he turned twelve, he had unlocked a golden finger.
Its origins were unknown. Besides providing him a novice's starter gift—manifesting the sword in his hand, the Demon-Slaying Holy Sword, Esther—it also granted him the ability "God Rewards Hard Work."
This ability gave Rokou the genius-level comprehension of a fantasy protagonist. No matter what he practiced, he could continuously improve. Even if a skill reached its limit, he could break through, enhancing abilities beyond what ordinary humans could achieve: physical fitness, swordsmanship, magic, spell power, and even mundane arts like writing, painting, singing, or even sexual prowess could be strengthened.
Since binding with the system, Rokou had been informed that this world was a chaotic mash-up of multiple universes. Accepting this, he gave up most entertainment time and devoted himself entirely to self-improvement.
Ordinary people require months to see results from training.
Rokou, however, could see the fruits of his efforts almost daily thanks to his golden finger. By a young age, he already possessed eight-pack abs and a physique in perfect proportion, standing out in the otherwise short population of the island nation.
Additionally, his golden finger had one more basic function: the Cross-World Gate.
[Cross-World Gate: Allows travel between worlds. Requires full energy to activate. Once activated, energy gradually depletes. When energy is exhausted, it automatically returns from the current world. Early return is possible, but reactivation requires fully replenished energy.]
Rokou's calm in the face of a ghoul stemmed not only from his past training but also from his freshly full energy upon binding the system. His first world-crossing had taken him to God Slayer.
After early setbacks and difficulties, he had successfully become a non-staff disciple of the prestigious Italian magical family, Bronze Black Cross.
Using "God Rewards Hard Work," he learned all the swordsmanship and magic taught in the non-staff magic club within just a few months.
Had his energy not run out, he could have attained the "Grand Knight" rank, a title representing top magicians.
While not unheard of, this rank was extraordinary for a twelve-year-old child.
Across the Southern European Magic Association, only two prodigies—Bronze Black Cross and Red-Eyed Black Cross—surpassed him at that age. Rokou, however, had no contact with them and knew nothing of this.
When his energy approached zero, he staged a perfect fake death on a mission to eliminate cultists. His body vanished completely, ensuring a flawless escape.
After that, Rokou continued to live in the chaotic crossover world, enjoying a second chance at high school life.
The main reason he chose to attend school was its unique nature.
His school, Ku Wang Academy, housed many familiar names: Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima, Issei Hyoudou, Touka Kirishima, Mai Sakurajima, and more.
Of course, this world was also teeming with monsters: ghouls, cursed spirits, evil entities, and even demonic beings who had evolved to magical power.