[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
'The blood is warm.'
That was Arlene's first thought.
It shouldn't be like this. In her mind, blood had always been something cold and distant, something that only existed in movies or on the news.
But now... now it was splattered on her hands and face, and it felt real.
Too real.
The goblin screamed as the dagger sank into his neck, and a sharp, animalistic sound pierced her ears.
Arlene felt the blade scrape against something hard before it came out, and the body fell at her feet with a thud.
She took a step back.
Then another.
'What... what did I just do?'
Her hands were shaking so much that she could barely hold the weapon. The dagger slipped in the blood, sticky and heavy.
She wanted to let go, but her fingers wouldn't obey.
Another scream.
It wasn't hers.
The second goblin leaped toward Arlene with claws extended and mouth open, revealing yellow teeth covered in human remains. Her body reacted before she could think.
She didn't remember deciding to do it, but her legs were already spinning, dodging by inches.
Arlene felt the air cut by claws where her neck had been a second before.
A strange heat spread through her chest.
It wasn't fear.
It was... excitement.
A dense, dark excitement that pushed her from within, as if something were screaming at her to move forward, to attack, to kill.
"Kriiirirk!"
The goblin charged again.
This time, Arlene took the first step.
The dagger rose and fell in a clumsy, desperate movement. She didn't aim well. It wasn't clean.
The blade sank into the creature's abdomen, and she felt resistance, flesh slowly giving way.
The goblin scratched her arm.
It hurt.
It hurt so much that she screamed.
But Arlene didn't stop.
She pushed with all her might, hearing a wet, nauseating sound, until the creature fell backward, kicking weakly.
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
Arlene raised the dagger and stabbed again.
And again.
And again.
Until it stopped moving.
She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling uncontrollably.
The world seemed to be spinning.
Her ears were ringing.
'Stop. Stop it now.'
But her eyes moved on their own.
There was more.
Two more goblins were approaching, drawn by the noise and the smell of blood. One of them still had a piece of human clothing hanging from its teeth.
Something inside Arlene broke.
She didn't think about running away.
She didn't think about asking for help.
She thought about eliminating.
Arlene felt as if something had clicked into place inside her head. Her movements became clearer. Simpler.
'Head. Heart.'
Liam's voice echoed in her mind.
The first goblin fell with a crooked cut across its throat. The second tried to bite her leg, but she reacted instinctively, stabbing it in the eye with her dagger.
...
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
...
Silence.
The noise of combat dissipated, leaving only Arlene's gasps and the distant sound of chaos in other streets.
Her legs gave way.
She fell to her knees on the bloodstained asphalt.
The dagger slipped from her hand and fell to the ground with a metallic clink.
She felt nauseous.
Arlene put her hand to her mouth and vomited; her empty stomach contracted violently.
Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and she couldn't stop them.
'I've killed...'
Her body was shaking.
'I've killed something.'
She didn't know how long she stayed there, kneeling, breathing unevenly, until a shadow fell across her.
Arlene looked up.
Liam was there.
Standing.
Calm.
His clothes were stained with dried blood, but his expression was the same as always: serene, almost bored.
For a second, she felt afraid.
Not of the monsters.
Of him.
"Breathe," he said. "It's over."
Arlene wanted to respond, but the words wouldn't come out. She just nodded weakly.
Liam bent down, picked up the dagger, and handed it back to her, placing it carefully in her hand.
"Don't let go of it yet," he added. "The body remembers better that way."
That didn't reassure her at all.
[The constellation "Fire Judge Dragon" has sponsored you with 200 coins.]
[The constellation "Judge of Wisdom" looks at you with interest.]
[Several constellations have entered your channel.]
Arlene stood up with difficulty, her legs still trembling. She looked at the bodies of the goblins on the floor.
Blood formed small dark pools around them.
She swallowed hard.
She looked at her hands.
They were still shaking.
But she no longer felt only fear.
Something else was settling inside her.
Something Arlene didn't know how to name.
And for the first time since it all began, she understood something terrifying:
Even if she wanted to...
She couldn't go back.
Seeing Arlene's condition, Liam made a decision.
"Let's go back to the store; there should be more nerve pills there."
"Than..."
Arlene couldn't finish her sentence before her body began to fall, but Liam caught her.
A small smile appeared on his lips.
"Good job, dear."
[The constellation "Golden Diadem" looks at you with surprised eyes].
[The constellation "Fire Judge Dragon" covers its face in embarrassment].
[The constellation "Wandering Moon" whistles amusedly and waits to see a good show].
'These damn perverted constellations.'
Liam slowly shook his head and, without saying a word, picked Arlene up in his arms.
Then it happened.
Five shadow wolves emerged from the rubble, surrounding him in a semicircle. Their bodies glided like solid smoke, and their crimson eyes glowed with hunger.
"Grr!"
"Grrr…!"
"Grr!!!"
The fangs dripped with darkness.
Liam stopped.
He watched the creatures for a moment... and sighed.
A long, weary sigh.
Like someone who had seen this ending too many times before.
[The exclusive skill Sea Without Light Lvl. 1 has been activated]
The shadow beneath Liam's feet writhed.
It spread like a black ocean, devouring the asphalt.
From that sea of darkness, black tentacles emerged violently, thick and alive, writhing like hungry creatures.
The wolves barely had time to react.
A tentacle pierced one of them through the chest.
Another was crushed against the ground, his body disintegrating into scattered shadows.
Two more were dragged into the dark sea and disappeared without even making a sound.
The last one tried to flee.
The shadow caught up with him.
A moment later, there was nothing left.
The Sea Without Light slowly receded, returning to Liam's shadow as if it had never existed.
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins...]
Liam tightened his grip on Arlene and continued walking, indifferent.
...
Upon returning to the convenience store,
Liam encountered a group of people gathering supplies; among them was a child.
They sensed his arrival and remained still, waiting for an attack, but he entered, took some pills for his nerves and a few bottles of water, and left again.
He knew that place wasn't safe, so he had to find another safe place to spend the remaining time.
Suddenly, he feels someone following him. Liam turns around and sees a child.
Brown hair, honey-colored eyes, with a border collie by his side. He is wearing a dark shirt and shorts. He appears to be 11 years old.
"What are you doing?"
The boy becomes nervous.
"He told me to follow you."
Liam looked at the border collie for eight seconds and turned away.
"Do whatever you want."
The boy looked at the dog and smiled.
"Let's go."
"Woof!"
They continued walking through the destroyed streets littered with corpses until they reached a half-destroyed building.
Liam carefully laid Arlene down on a rug and decided to spend most of the coins he had earned so far.
[2,700 coins have been invested in 'stamina'.]
[Stamina Lvl. 1 → Stamina Lvl. 10]
[Your stamina level has increased dramatically!]
[Your body's durability has significantly increased!]
He felt the change in his body; this was the most important thing now in the early stages, and he went on to improve the following statistic.
[1000 coins have been invested in 'agility'.]
[Agility Lvl. 3 → Agility Lvl. 6]
[Your agility level has increased dramatically!]
"That should be enough for now."
Liam sits down on a luxurious piece of furniture and looks at the boy.
"What's your name?"
"Adam."
The boy replies, standing next to the dog.
Liam does not remember that name, so in his regressions, he had died in this first stage.
"Don't go out if you don't want to die."
Adam nods as he begins to pet the dog, who sticks out its tongue in enjoyment.
Liam sighs and looks at the time remaining until this tutorial scenario ends.
[10 minutes, 45 seconds]