[Essence Reap successful, acquired D-tier skill: Berserk]
[Description: Increases strength by 2x the user's stats. Effect doubles again when engaged in intense combat]
A talent that could take another's power and weave it into his own. That thought alone sent a ripple through Eryon. The guilt he had felt stabbing Wyatt moments earlier was gone, swallowed by the satisfaction of proof. His choice had value.
It had been only an hour since leaving the village. He hadn't faced a single monster, yet he already possessed a new skill. For a first step, it wasn't bad.
His eyes swept the clearing. Blood painted the ground. Five human corpses sprawled with grotesque wounds, the aftermath of a massacre. But Eryon's attention fixed elsewhere.
A single blood-soaked sword jutted from the dirt, half-buried. He stepped toward it, yanked it free, and weighed it in his hand. Then an idea struck, a small experiment.
If Essence Reap isn't bound to the living…
He lifted his spear, the tip hovering close to the blade, and focused his intent.
[The sword's sharpness essence has been transferred to the spear tip. Sharpness +25% for 10 minutes]
It worked.
A faint smile touched his lips. Ten minutes of enhanced edge wasn't much, but it was enough to prove the potential of his gift. An SSS-tier talent could never be ordinary, it was a key waiting for the right locks. He just had to learn how to turn it.
Then a wilder idea took root.
"Why not," Eryon muttered, crouching beside a corpse.
The sight of human remains still unsettled him. Faces twisted in fear, lives ended brutally, it wasn't something he could simply accept. But acceptance was a luxury. In a lawless world, there were no judges, no police, no rules. You killed, or you were killed. He pressed his hand forward.
[Reap failed]
He exhaled, steady and measured. So it was true: his power demanded involvement. He couldn't harvest from what wasn't his to claim.
Eryon stood, leaving the corpses behind. Before he stepped away, he stooped once more, this time retrieving a dagger scattered among the debris. Its edge gleamed faintly, catching what little light remained. He slipped it into his belt and moved on.
---
Ten minutes later, the spear's sharpness buff faded. Eryon walked deeper into the forest, irritation building. For all the system's talk of monsters, the woods were too quiet. Too empty.
Then...a rustle. A foul, musky stench hit his nostrils. Not human.
His body tensed. He turned toward the noise, spear angled forward.
From the bushes, a white blur burst forth. A creature lunged and clamped down on his weapon shaft, jaws locking with terrifying force.
It lunged and sank its teeth into the shaft of his spear, a giant white rat, roughly the size of a small child. Its crimson eyes burned with bloodlust, and its jagged fangs locked onto the wood with shocking strength. Eryon nearly lost his footing, his arms straining to keep the weapon steady against the wild attack.
But his trained body held firm. With a sharp tug, he broke the deadlock and created several meters of space between them.
At that moment, Eryon raised a hand and activated Reap.
A faint shimmer, like wisps of mist, drifted out from the rat's body, not enough to kill, but enough to weaken. The creature staggered, a portion of its vitality drained. Simultaneously, Eryon's body felt lighter, his reflexes heightened.
[Essence Reap active. Absorbed partial vitality from target]
[Effect: +5 Agility for 10 seconds | Target -20% movement speed and reaction time for duration]
Eryon's eyes sharpened. He moved laterally with a speed hard to follow. The rat tried to adjust, but its movements were sluggish now, its ferocity dulled.
With lethal precision, he drove the tip of his spear into the creature's upper body. A sharp squeal split the air, followed by a spray of blood, then the beast collapsed, lifeless.
[You have slain a Blood Rat | +15 EXP]
Eryon exhaled, chest rising and falling, blood still dripping from the blade. His first monster kill. And it felt… good. Gratifying.
He crouched, palm brushing the rat's still body.
[Reap successful. Acquired E-tier skill: Heightened Smell]
[Description: Enhances the sense of smell tenfold]
The system's voice faded, but the change was instant. His lungs filled differently, sharper, cleaner. Scents layered themselves in his mind, the damp bark, the iron tang of blood, the faint musk of other creatures hidden in the undergrowth.
An E-tier skill. Modest, but deceptively valuable. With it, he could smell monsters before they struck. Or track prey. Or evade ambush. Survival itself had just tilted in his favor.
He allowed himself a grin. This was only the beginning. Greater prey meant greater essence. Greater essence meant evolution.
His gaze lingered on the rat's corpse. Another thought surfaced. He gestured again.
[Reap failed]
He frowned, tried again.
[Reap failed]
A sigh escaped him. It seemed he could only use Reap once per target. Whether that limitation could be overcome remained to be seen.
Eryon turned his eyes forward again. With his new skill in hand, it was only a matter of time before he found his next prey.
---
The system's trial allowed no mercy. No matter who you were, crippled, sick, weak, f you couldn't reach Level 10 in seven days, you were marked for death. Monsters weren't the only threat. The system itself would kill you.
Hours had passed since the village emptied. Now the forest seethed with movement. Some hunted beasts. Some hunted men. Most huddled in groups, shackled by the illusion of safety in numbers.
Dozens, even hundreds, gathered under self-proclaimed leaders. But there were always exceptions, solitaries who trusted no one but themselves.
Independent. Silent. Dangerous.
Eryon was one of them.
THUD!
His body slammed against a tree trunk, the impact driving air from his chest. Pain spread across his back like fire. He rolled instinctively, just as a stone-tipped spear embedded itself where his head had been.
The weapon quivered in the wood, inches from his face.
Eryon's eyes snapped to the source. A goblin.
He seized the opening. With a burst of breath, he twisted, spear flashing. The blade drove into the creature's throat, ripping it open.
Green blood sprayed. The goblin gargled once before crumpling lifelessly.
[Successfully killed a Goblin | +10 EXP]
Eryon rose, breath heavy but controlled. This was the seventh goblin in the past two hours. Small wounds dotted his arms, his side, but none fatal.
As always, he extended his hand.
[Essence Reap activated]
[Acquired +1 Agility (Permanent)]
A small gain. But permanent. And permanent meant power. He smiled, faint but satisfied. In the old world, one point meant nothing. Here, one point could mean survival.
[Name: Eryon Cain]
[Age: 25]
[Level: 1 (85/100)]
[Strength: 21]
[Agility: 15]
[Endurance: 16]
[Constitution: 17]
[Energy Point: 34]
[Talent: Essence Reap (SSS-Tier)]
[Skills: (D-tier) Berserk, (E-tier) Heightened Smell]
Progress. Not enough. Never enough. Somewhere out there, others were rising faster, stronger. His hand tightened on his spear. He couldn't afford to trail behind.
But at that moment, his enhanced sense of smell kicked in, his brow furrowed.
He caught the sharp, musky scent of sweat, human.
And more than one.
Three… maybe four.
And they were coming straight toward him.