"Damn it..." One of them spat. "Out of nowhere, monsters started appearing everywhere."
"We should thank those constellations for choosing us," replied another, wiping dried blood from his face. "Without them, we'd be dead by now."
Five men walked together down the destroyed street, covered in blood: some of the stains did not belong to the monsters.
They moved forward calmly, as if the chaos surrounding them were nothing more than a stage set up for their amusement.
"Now that there are no rules..." said one with a crooked smile. "We can do whatever we want."
"Hahaha, this world suddenly got interesting."
[The "Blood Lover" constellation smiles contentedly.]
One of them pointed ahead.
"Hey, look at that. A convenience store."
Through the windows, the place looked untouched. Shelves full, lights off, absolute silence.
"Damn, what luck," said another. "No one's here yet. We can take everything... food, alcohol, whatever."
"Ha, free beer after a massacre. Not bad."
As they were about to enter, the one in front raised his fist.
"Wait."
He narrowed his eyes.
"There's someone in there... No."
"Looks like someone's coming out."
One of the men licked his lips slowly, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"Perfect."
"Then it won't just be looting."
[The constellation "Blood Lover" laughs, eagerly awaiting what is about to happen.]
Then they saw the beautiful man emerge from the convenience store.
Large black eyes, thick eyebrows. Black, slightly wavy, short hair. Prominent nose and pronounced jawline.
"He seems to be alone."
"Kakaka, we're not worrying about anything, he's just a lucky bastard."
One of them smiled amusedly when he came up with a brilliant idea.
"Mathias, I just had a great idea."
Mathias, a man with brown hair, black eyes, and a muscular body, seemed to be the leader of the group. He turned around curiously.
"It's just one, why kill him so easily? Wouldn't that be a little boring?"
"Oh~, what do you have in mind?"
"Why don't we bring a few monsters for them to eat while we enjoy the show?"
[The constellation "Iron Lady" smiles broadly at your great idea.]
...
"Looks like they're just trash."
Liam, who had just come out of the store, saw the group staring at him with nasty smiles and knew what kind of people they were.
Trash.
[Several constellations look on with curiosity.]
[The constellation "Lady of Retribution and Balance" says that if you kill the group, she will send you 500 coins.]
Liam looks at the notification; although it was something he had planned from the beginning, a few extra coins were no problem.
He looks up at the starry sky with an indifferent expression, then smiles.
"Well then, enjoy the show."
Liam approaches the group.
Mathias, seeing this, bursts out laughing: "You're pretty arrogant to come straight at us."
"Hahaha, looks like he's crazier than us. So, how do you want to die?"
Liam frowns.
"You guys are too noisy; just attack already. Don't tell me you fell in love with my face."
"Bastard!"
Mathias's expression twisted with rage, and he launched himself forward with a powerful punch.
[The skill Hardening Lvl. 1 has been activated]
A dark aura enveloped Mathias's body, and his grin widened.
Liam took a step back, moved to the side, then twirled the dagger in his hand and slashed him throat cleanly.
Blood spurted out.
Mathias stood there for another second, his eyes wide open, as if his body still didn't understand that he was already dead. Then he fell to his knees, clutching his neck, gurgling.
The dark aura dissipated.
The silence lasted less than a second.
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
Liam ignores the notification.
"Mathias!"
"That bastard killed him!"
One of the men instinctively stepped back, while the other two reacted with fury.
[The "Blood Lover" constellation leans forward, excited.]
The first to move pulled out a metal bar covered in dried blood and lunged at Liam with a savage cry.
Liam didn't back down.
He twisted his wrist and let the momentum of the attack pass him by. The bar struck the air. In that same movement, Liam plunged the dagger under the man's armpit, right where the makeshift protection didn't cover.
The scream turned into a wet gasp.
Liam pushed the body forward and let it fall.
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
'Two.'
"Surround him!"
The third tried to flank him while the fourth raised both hands.
[The skill Muscle Reinforcement Lvl. 1 has been activated]
The man's muscles bulged unnaturally. His veins stood out like ropes about to burst.
Liam clicked his tongue.
"Annoying."
The man charged with brute force, breaking the pavement beneath his feet. Liam threw the dagger.
Not in the chest.
Not in the head.
In the eye.
The bullet sank in with a wet, dry sound. The body continued forward two more steps before collapsing like a sack of meat.
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100...]
'Three.'
The last one hesitated.
He was sweating. His hands were shaking. He looked at the corpses and then at Liam.
"W-Wait... we can talk about this..." he stammered. "This is a misunderstanding..."
Liam walked calmly toward him.
"You had already made your decision," he said. "But cheer up, at least you get to die; I wish for eternal rest."
The man screamed and pulled out a small knife, desperately trying to stab him.
Liam grabbed his wrist.
A sharp twist.
Crack!
The bone snapped.
Before the scream could escape, Liam picked up the dagger from the floor and plunged it under his chin, piercing his brain.
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
'Four.'
Blood fell like heavy rain onto the asphalt.
Liam stood still for a second, breathing calmly, while the sounds of distant chaos continued.
[The constellation "Lady of Retribution and Balance" is pleased with your demonstration and has sponsored you with 500 coins.]
[Several constellations remain silent.]
Liam cleaned the dagger with the clothes of one of the corpses.
"How boring..."
Then he heard a growl.
From the corner of the street, two shadow wolves emerged, drawn by the scent of fresh blood. Their red eyes glowed in the darkness.
Liam twisted his neck, relaxing his muscles.
"Just in time."
One of the wolves leaped.
Liam ducked, let it pass overhead, and plunged the dagger into its abdomen, slashing upward. The second tried to bite his neck.
Liam pushed the first corpse against him, using the body as a shield. The wolf bit into dead flesh.
One more twist.
One cut.
Silence.
The bodies lay motionless.
Liam looked up at the starry sky.
"If you're going to watch..." he muttered. "At least send something interesting."
[Several constellations react with interest.]
Liam shook the dagger and returned to the convenience store.
"Arlene, you can come out now; there's no danger."
She steps away from the cash register, and her expression darkens when she sees the blood.
"I-Is this... okay?"
"Don't worry, this blood isn't mine; let's get out of here. You have to get used to fighting monsters."
Arlene hesitates for a moment, but it's something she has to do sooner or later; she swallows hard and follows her boyfriend, Liam, outside the store.
They make their way through the debris-strewn streets, where the corpses of monsters and people lie, creating pools of blood.
Arlene stared at Liam's back, wondering: How can he be so calm?
[The constellation "Fire Judge Dragon" looks at you with sad eyes.]
She continues walking forward, still nervous, drinking water she had taken from the store, until they reach a group of goblins.
Liam turns and looks Arlene straight in the eye.
"Arlene, you know this is like a game, right?"
She nods. From the window showing her abilities, she quickly associates it with a game.
"Well, then, to improve your strength, you have to kill monsters and thus improve your stats with coins."
Arlene now understands, even better, when she realizes that Liam had killed so many monsters at the beginning of the stage.
"So you need to use your skills to make yourself stronger."
Liam approaches and hands him his dagger.
"You don't have to worry; I'm here. Those monsters' weakness is the same as ours: their heads and hearts."
Arlene nods nervously and walks toward the group of goblins.
[The constellation "Fire Judge Dragon" sends you strength.]
"Kriiirirk!"
"Kriiirirk...!"
"...Kriiirirk!"
The goblins, who are feasting on the flesh of some people, turn and run toward Arlene.
She grips the dagger tightly, her hands trembling.
[The exclusive skill Demon Hunter Lvl. 1 has been activated]
Arlene's eyes began to glow an intense red, while a bloody aura emanated from her body.
And she lunges at the goblins with a cry.