The Climactic Event
Their investigation led them deeper into the forest. Jae-Hyun and Ahri searched for clues among the dense underbrush, their senses sharp as they navigated the eerie silence. Predator’s Insight alerted Jae-Hyun to faint movement ahead, and soon enough, they found a cluster of disturbed soil and broken foliage—evidence of recent activity.
"They’ve been here recently," Jae-Hyun murmured, his eyes scanning the area. Ahri nodded, crouching to examine claw marks etched into the bark of a nearby tree.
“They’re close,” she said.
Moments later, they heard a faint chittering sound growing louder. The ground trembled slightly, signaling the approach of a swarm. The Chitterfang Crawlers emerged from the shadows, their luminous eyes and sharp pincers creating an unsettling sight. Before they could act, the swarm lunged toward them, overwhelming the clearing. The creatures’ sharp pincers and overwhelming numbers made the battle fierce but manageable. Jae-Hyun summoned three shadowy goblins, their forms flickering with dark energy. Ahri’s eyes widened in surprise as she watched the shadowy creatures fight alongside him.
The shadowy creatures unsettled her, their flickering forms and crimson eyes far from natural. But Jae-Hyun’s unwavering focus and his efforts to protect her gave her little room to question his methods—for now.
“What are those?” she asked, her voice tinged with both curiosity and concern.
“They obey me,” Jae-Hyun said firmly, cutting down another crawler. “Focus on the fight.” Ahri hesitated for a moment but nodded, channeling her attention back to the swarm.
The shadow goblins moved with precision, their claws and crude weapons tearing through the smaller Crawlers. Ahri’s agility kept the swarm from surrounding them, while Jae-Hyun’s Predator’s Insight ensured his strikes were lethal and efficient.
Jae-Hyun fought with precision and with his shadowy goblins to assist. His Predator’s Insight guided his strikes, while Ahri’s agility and skill kept the swarm from overwhelming them.
After eliminating a significant portion of the swarm, a deep, guttural screech echoed through the forest. The ground shook as a massive Chitterfang Queen emerged from the shadows, its enormous crystalline body gleaming ominously. The Queen was easily 5 times the size of its kin, its pincers capable of cleaving through trees.
“This is bad,” Ahri said, her voice laced with tension.
The Queen lunged forward with terrifying speed, forcing Jae-Hyun and Ahri to scatter. Jae-Hyun’s shadow goblins attacked but were swiftly crushed by the Queen’s powerful limbs. Ahri darted in to strike but was knocked back into a tree, her body crumpling to the ground.
“Ahri!” Jae-Hyun shouted, momentarily distracted. The Queen took advantage, driving one of its sharp limbs into his left arm, pinning him to the ground. Pain shot through him, and his vision blurred. For a brief moment, memories flashed in his mind—his father’s cold voice calling him a disgrace, his brother’s smug face, and the image of his sister, Mi-Rae, smiling despite everything. I can’t die here, he thought, his nails digging into the dirt. I have to protect her. I have to make them pay.
A flashing red notification appeared in his vision:
System Notice: Body Limit Exceeded.
Jae-Hyun’s body trembled as a surge of power flooded through him. The red notifications flashed in his vision, but his focus narrowed to a singular thought: I have to save Ahri. The dark energy coursed through his veins like molten fire, and for a moment, his thoughts were consumed by a primal need to destroy. Without a word, he tore free from the Queen’s grip, dark energy radiating from his form. His movements became unnervingly precise as he lunged at the Queen, his blade cleaving through its armored body in a single, devastating strike. The creature let out a final screech before collapsing, its massive form crumpling lifelessly to the ground.
He felt a surge of dark energy course through him. His movements became erratic yet devastating, his blade cleaving through the creatures with unnatural force. In his berserk state, he obliterated the remaining Crawlers, but when the dust settled, he turned his gaze toward Ahri. For a chilling moment, he considered attacking her.
“Jae-Hyun?” her voice broke through the haze, bringing him back to himself.
Shaken, he stumbled back, the power receding as quickly as it had come. The sudden loss of strength overwhelmed him, and his vision dimmed.
As the battlefield fell silent, Jae-Hyun staggered back, his body trembling from the surge of power. A new system notification blinked before him:
Level Up! Level Up!
The dual notification confirmed the immense growth he had achieved from the battle, a stark reminder of the gap in strength between him and the Queen. He glanced at Ahri, who stirred weakly against the tree. Relief washed over him as she began to get closer. Jae-Hyun collapses after the berserk state due to exhaustion and awakens later under Ahri's care.
When Jae-Hyun awoke, he found himself lying on a patch of grass, the faint sounds of the forest around him. Ahri knelt nearby, tending to his wounds with makeshift bandages. She noticed his eyes flutter open and leaned closer.
“You’re awake,” she said softly, relief evident in her tone. “How do you feel?”
“Fine,” Jae-Hyun replied curtly, sitting up despite the ache in his body. His cold demeanor remained intact, but he glanced at her briefly. “What about you?”
“I’m okay,” she assured him. “A bit bruised, but nothing serious.”
Ahri’s expression turned serious as she picked up a small, jagged object from the ground. “While you were out, I found this near the Queen. It’s... strange.”
Jae-Hyun’s eyes narrowed as he took the object from her. It was a broken stone, pulsing faintly with dark energy. Its ominous glow sent a shiver down his spine.
“This… this might be what’s drawing the monsters here,” Ahri said, her voice barely above a whisper as she examined the artifact.
Jae-Hyun nodded silently, setting the stone aside as he stood. Despite the lingering exhaustion, he focused his attention on the battlefield. The bodies of the slain Crawlers and the massive Queen lay scattered around them.
“I’m going to finish this,” he said flatly, activating Reaper’s Claim. The familiar dark glow emanated from his hands as he began absorbing the essence of the fallen creatures. Initially, he worked one by one, but after several uses, a new notification appeared:
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Reaper’s Claim leveled up! Skill is now Level 2.
The upgrade allowed him to absorb up to three creatures at a time, significantly speeding up the process. Dark energy flowed into him, and his system displayed a total increase in Reaper Points.
When he finished, he turned back to Ahri. “Let’s head back to the village,” he said, his tone as cold as ever. Ahri nodded, and together, they began their journey back, the broken stone safely tucked away. The weight of their discoveries and Jae-Hyun’s transformation hung heavily in the air, a silent promise of the challenges yet to come.
The Journey Back
The journey back to the village was steeped in silence, though the tension from the battle still lingered. Jae-Hyun walked slightly ahead, his posture steady despite the ache in his muscles. Every now and then, Ahri glanced at him, searching his expression for any sign of what he might be thinking, but his face remained unreadable. The forest around them seemed alive with shadows, the gnarled branches overhead forming an oppressive canopy that filtered the fading sunlight into fractured beams. Every rustle of leaves or distant cry of a bird felt amplified, a constant reminder of the dangers they had just survived.
Ahri broke the quiet. “What happened back there?” she asked cautiously. “You… you weren’t yourself.”
Jae-Hyun didn’t respond immediately. His gaze stayed fixed ahead, scanning the forest for any sign of movement. When he finally spoke, his tone was low, almost to himself. “I don’t know.”
Jae-Hyun’s mind churned as they walked, the memory of the battle replaying in jagged fragments. He could still feel the surge of dark energy coursing through him, like a dam breaking under unbearable pressure. It wasn’t just power—it was raw, unrestrained, and terrifying.
How had he lost control? The sensation of cleaving through the Queen with such ease felt unnatural, as if the blade had moved on its own, guided by something deeper and darker than his own will. The red notifications flashed in his memory, warnings he couldn’t decipher but couldn’t ignore. Was that strength truly his? Or had he tapped into something else entirely—something that demanded a price he hadn’t yet paid?
The memory of almost turning on Ahri haunted him, more unsettling than the wounds on his arm. "I can't let that happen again," he thought, his jaw tightening. But even as he resolved to master this power, a whisper of doubt lingered in his mind. Could he control it, or would it one day consume him?
She frowned but didn’t press further. Whatever he had experienced, it was clearly something even he didn’t fully understand. Instead, she let the conversation drift back into silence, though her thoughts raced. The tension between them felt as thick as the mist that lingered among the trees, and yet, there was a strange sense of security walking beside him. For all his coldness, Jae-Hyun had proven himself an unshakable force, someone who could face the terrors of the forest and survive.
As they moved closer to the edge of the forest, Jae-Hyun opened his system interface, scrolling through the notifications and updates. His eyes lingered on a new entry for Reaper’s Summoning:
Reaper’s Summoning leveled up! Skill is now Level 2. Summons now possess increased strength and durability.
He closed the notification with a flick of his thoughts but made a mental note of the change. The battle against the Queen had been grueling, and he’d relied heavily on his summons. Their newfound strength might be the edge he needed to face even greater threats.
Further browsing revealed another discovery: his shop currency had increased dramatically from absorbing the essence of so many Crawlers. The option to upgrade the shop was now within reach, but the price was steep—far more than he’d expected. The thought of unlocking new features and potentially more powerful equipment tempted him, but he decided to wait. For now, his priority was survival, not experimentation.
As he navigated the interface, something else caught his attention. His Eclipse Domain, the enigmatic stat representing mastery over the strange ★★★★★ energy, had increased. Where it had once read 2%, it now displayed 4%.
He stared at the number, unease curling in his chest. The increase was subtle, yet it felt significant—a quiet shift in the unknown force tied to his abilities. What did it mean? Was this energy connected to his berserk state? Or something darker still?
"The Eclipse Domain," he mused, staring at the faint percentage increase. It felt tied to his berserk state, but probing further might awaken forces he wasn’t ready to face.
“Jae-Hyun?” Ahri’s voice drew him back to the present. They had reached the edge of the forest, and the village gates were now in sight. The wooden walls, though battered, offered a sense of safety, however fragile.
“Let’s keep moving,” he said, his voice steady but distant. Whatever questions plagued his mind, they would have to wait. The village awaited them, along with answers—or more questions—to the strange events that had unfolded.
Ahri’s Reflection
As they walked, Ahri found herself stealing glances at Jae-Hyun. The air between them was heavy with unspoken words, and her thoughts churned as she tried to piece together the enigma that was her companion. His cold demeanor and unyielding focus in battle had been almost intimidating, but she couldn’t ignore the quiet gestures of consideration he had shown—slowing his pace to match hers, shielding her without hesitation. The contrast fascinated her: how someone so ruthless in combat could still exhibit moments of quiet kindness.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Thank you, Jae-Hyun… for helping back there. I know you didn’t have to.”
Jae-Hyun didn’t respond immediately, his gaze fixed on the distant village gates. “I did it for me,” he said finally, though even to himself, the words felt hollow. In truth, he wasn’t entirely sure why he had intervened—not just to survive, but something more.
Ahri tilted her head, her hazel eyes studying him. His response was distant, but the weight in his voice suggested there was more beneath the surface. She decided not to push further. “Either way, I’m grateful,” she said softly.
A Looming Sense of Unease
The forest’s elongated shadows seemed alive, stretching like grasping fingers as they approached the village. Only the occasional rustle of leaves or faint chirp of unseen creatures broke the oppressive silence. The air carried a chill, as though the wilderness itself recoiled from the memories of battle. When they finally emerged from the treeline, the village stood before them, its wooden walls battered and hastily patched, a grim testament to the struggles within. Guards at the gate exchanged wary glances, their postures tense as their eyes scanned the forest edge.
“Looks worse than before,” Ahri muttered, her voice heavy with concern.
Her gaze shifted between the scarred walls ahead and the forest behind, her thoughts pulling her back to the villagers she’d grown up with—the people who had given her a chance to survive when she’d had nothing. Their faces flickered in her memory: weary, yet determined, etched with the hardships of countless attacks. “This village isn’t just a home,” she thought, her fists clenching at her sides. “It’s everything I have left.”
She stole a glance at Jae-Hyun, his cold expression unreadable. His silence had become familiar, yet it left her wondering—what did someone like him fight for? Was it just survival? Did he have something worth protecting? The question gnawed at her briefly before she pushed it aside. “No matter what happens, I’ll protect this place,” she murmured under her breath, a quiet promise to herself.
Still, as she glanced at Jae-Hyun, she couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of gratitude and curiosity. His strength was unlike anything she’d seen, but so was the cold barrier he kept around himself. What was it that drove him so relentlessly? And why had he chosen to help her, a stranger?
Jae-Hyun’s sharp eyes swept over the village, noting the signs of disrepair. Cracked wooden planks formed makeshift barriers, uneven and hastily nailed in place. Near the gate, new barricades had been constructed, their rough edges a stark indicator of desperation. The guards shifted nervously, their hands tightening on their weapons as if expecting an attack at any moment. Even from a distance, he could sense the pervasive tension—a fear that clung to the air like the damp chill of the forest.
As they passed through the gates, the village buzzed with activity, though the mood was far from welcoming. People moved quickly, their faces drawn and weary, whispers of worry trailing them as they glanced toward the forest. The faint hum of life within the village walls was a fragile illusion, barely masking the undercurrent of dread.
Jae-Hyun cast one last look toward the forest, its shadowy expanse feeling closer than ever. His thoughts churned as he considered what lay ahead. “Whatever’s happening here,” he thought, his gaze lingering on the treeline, “it’s only the beginning.”