According to the game, the characters in this world were all dragged here by the gods against their will at the ages of sixteen to eighteen.
This had Halo bemused. What exactly did that mean in this situation? Was everyone else just like him? Or perhaps he was the only living soul in this world, thrust into a world of NPCs.
He sighed as he weaved between the trees. The massive trunks and towering mushrooms were behind him, replaced by thinner trees and scattered bushes.
"Hmph. I will have to verify that once in the clear. But wait… what's that?"
He moved quickly through the mist until the ground simply… ended. A cliff edge. He froze, peering down into white nothingness. No telling how far it dropped, but his gut said, too far to survive.
After a careful look, he scowled and stared deep into the distance.
"I almost considered jumping, but no, I can see the next land ahead. There's got to be a bridge."
However, the moment he spoke, something shook behind him, making his skin crawl as he turned in its wake.
He didn't know whether to rejoice or be terrified or confused, but his expression remained apparent.
Before him was a roughly six-foot worm-like creature with countless sharp teeth across its body. From the size, brownish color, and sluggish crawls, Halo knew what it was instantly. It was a Sinner.
He hid behind a trunk and took an observant look. The creature lay dormant on the floor, breathing gently as though it was sleeping.
Something struck Halo as awfully peculiar, though. Sinners weren't supposed to be on this land, and so how? Has the game indeed changed?
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
He had been looking forward to killing a Sinner for a while now, and considering he needed two Sin Fragments to summon a clone of himself, he just couldn't pass on such an offer.
He knew exactly how screwed he was. The Sinner had fangs protruding from its skin, and judging by its sluggish movements, its Flaw was probably Sloth or Listless. He had no weapon. No way to know if it had hidden abilities.
He wasn't sure, but he believed to some extent that the creature before him was the weakest among all the Sinners. A Toddler Sinner.
They were nearly harmless since they were practically blind.
But this was his kill, even if not for the Sin Fragment, he wanted to welcome himself into this world. To prove he could actually kill a Sinner.
He began scanning around, keeping his presence quiet as he searched for an effective way to kill it.
Confidence and determination masked his true feelings, but behind the act, he was barely keeping himself together. Anxious.
Many had fallen by his hands, but definitely not something this monstrous. Success would grant him a subtle insight into this world to help him bridge his game experience to the real world.
That is, if the Toddler didn't turn the tables and claim his Coldness Flaw instead.
Even so, Halo arrived at the only plan that seemed both logical and achievable.
While he lacked weapons and raw power, he had one crucial advantage, his ability to think strategically.
The safest bet was to manipulate the Sinner into plunging over the cliff into the fog below.
This plan might cost him the Sin Fragment, but after weighing his options repeatedly, he accepted the risk. At least it gave him a chance to steel himself for the horrors ahead.
Every nerve in his body screamed with urgency, yet he moved with calm precision. To anyone watching, he would have appeared completely fearless.
He hurried to gather two rocks and placed them in his black shirt. Then, the moment he found the right spot to distract the creature, he gripped the cloth bundle with his teeth and climbed to the top.
He wanted to avoid any damage in case his plan went awry.
The plan relied on basic psychology. The Toddler might embody sloth, but they weren't brainless.
Faced with genuine danger, it would lash out in terror or rage. A well-placed rock to startle it, then careful guidance toward the edge.
His heart hammered wildly in his chest while sweat poured down his bare torso. He adjusted his grip on the rocks and shifted into a better position on the branch.
Before fear could paralyze him, he released the first rock. It struck the creature's skull with a sickening thud.
The worm reared up, unleashing a shriek so piercing it sent tremors through Halo's entire body. Fighting his guilt, he hurled the other stones to the left.
The instant the stone met earth, the worm-like beast twisted and launched itself toward the noise, its body rippling in serpentine waves.
Chills surged through Halo as a smile formed on his lips, yet he waited until he heard the Sinner's heavy body fall off the cliff before he let out a scream of relief.
He took a deep breath and exhaled.
"There's… there's no way it can survive that… right?" His tone was light but tinged with concern.
He climbed down from the branch, feeling a strange new energy to press forward on his journey. That's when the bronze screen materialized.
***
[ Congratulations! You've slain a Toddler Sinner. ]
[ You've received a Sin Fragment: sloth. 1/10 ]
[ Your agility has increased. ]
***
The moment the screen appeared, his body convulsed as he felt ice flooding his veins. He trembled relentlessly, then stopped abruptly.
Halo gulped.
He hadn't expected consuming a Sin Fragment to be this cozy and stress-free. Not like the characters in the game showed any signs of torture, but he had expected something painful at least.
However, the screen disappeared, only to snap back into place a second later.
***
[ Would you like to trade Sin Shard for a secret? ]
| Yes | No |
***
He sneered.
If this were a game, he wouldn't have hesitated because secrets were a gamble. You might get something beneficial that could even lead to strength or hidden missions, and sometimes nothing.
He would admit, he was sometimes envious of his best friend, watching him mumble endlessly about his missions.
He smiled once again. He'd just made his first kill in this world. If this was indeed the game, then there was more to come.
It still struck him as strange that he hadn't killed the Sinner with his bare hands but still managed a Sin Fragment.
"I guess what really matters is that it died… because of me."
Without waiting around, he continued his journey in search of a bridge. He couldn't afford nightfall in his state.
This indeed was his life. He could feel it now.