Chapter 9: Vengeance and Bloodlust
POV: Narrator
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Akira finished getting ready for school.
He let out a long sigh of boredom as he adjusted the last button of his uniform.
He wasn't in the mood for classes today—but school was school, even if it was a pain.
He stepped out of his house, locking the door behind him.
The cool texture of the metal key lingered against his fingers before he shoved his hands into his pockets.
He started walking sluggishly, dragging his feet, his lazy pace reflecting his lack of enthusiasm.
Kicking a small pebble along the path, he watched it bounce a few times before disappearing into the grass of the park he always crossed on his way to school.
"I wonder if the story's already begun… Well, not my problem. I've got zero interest in dealing with the spirit world. I like being alive, thank you very much."
He thought lazily, watching some kids play on the swings while two old men chatted on a bench nearby.
Suddenly, he stopped.
His entire body tensed up—muscles tightening as if his instincts were screaming that something was wrong.
He frowned, an involuntary twitch forming under his eye.
His fists clenched tightly as his gaze locked onto a figure in the distance… one that made his blood boil instantly.
Standing there, lurking like a nightmare from the past, was that Hollow—
the very same one that had killed him days ago.
"You…"
His voice was low, filled with venom, as he pointed directly at the creature.
"I remember you well, you bastard… It's time for revenge."
A twisted grin spread across his face as he drew Kasaka's dagger.
He could've ignored it and walked away as if nothing had happened—but no.
Not after what that monster had done to him.
He wanted vengeance. He wanted to kill it with his own hands.
Akira's pride demanded blood.
And now that he was stronger—now that he had the power to fight Hollows—he wouldn't hesitate.
He wouldn't let this chance slip away.
Every battle was experience, but this one meant far more than that.
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[Notification]
[Revenge Mission: Kill the Hollow that once killed you. Satisfy your thirst for vengeance and eliminate the target.]
[Reward: Skill "Bloodlust."]
[Failure Penalty: All stats reduced by 40%.]
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Akira chuckled darkly when he read the mission.
This was personal—he hadn't expected any system reward beyond the satisfaction of watching that Hollow vanish.
But if he could get something extra out of it, even better.
"Mission accepted."
In an instant, his body blurred from sight.
He darted toward the Hollow, who still hadn't noticed him.
Thanks to his lack of spiritual energy, Akira was—technically—invisible.
The Hollow didn't even have time to react before feeling a cold sting pierce through its right side.
Kasaka's dagger sank deep into its flesh—
and at that moment, a new notification appeared before Akira's eyes.
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[Notification]
[Kasaka's Dagger Skill Activated: Paralysis + Drain]
[Effect: Target immobilized temporarily.]
[Drain: HP -1% / per second.]
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Akira smirked with satisfaction as the Hollow froze in place, its movements grinding to a halt.
His revenge was now in motion.
He ripped the dagger free and, taking advantage of the paralysis, stabbed the creature again—and again.
Each strike reactivated the paralysis, keeping the monster completely motionless.
He wouldn't give it a single second to recover.
With surgical precision, Akira slashed horizontally, aiming directly for the Hollow's throat—
intent on decapitating it.
And he succeeded.
Kasaka's dagger sliced cleanly through the Hollow's neck, gliding through its flesh as easily as a hot knife through butter.
The headless body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud as Akira turned away calmly.
With a flick of his wrist, he wiped the blood from the blade before smirking smugly.
"That was a high-quality kill," he said with a mocking grin, sliding Kasaka's dagger back into his inventory.
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[Notification]
[Revenge Mission Complete.]
[Reward: Skill "Bloodlust" (Level 1).]
[Skill: Bloodlust]
Bloodlust allows the user to magically intimidate a target, flooding their mind with overwhelming fear.
Additionally, it reduces all of the target's stats by 50%.
Fear effect lasts for one minute before fading.
Mana Cost: 100 MP.
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Akira looked at the glowing panel with a satisfied smile.
His revenge was complete—and he'd gained a powerful new skill in the process.
Definitely worth it.
That was, until he remembered one small but crucial detail:
He didn't have any mana.
Which meant the Bloodlust skill was completely useless to him right now.
"Oh, right…" he muttered, scratching his head in mild annoyance.
"Thanks to the Physical Restriction, I lost all my mana. So this ability is basically worthless since I can't even activate it…"
He stared at the system window for a few seconds, then shrugged.
It wasn't a big deal.
Sure, Bloodlust was an extremely useful ability—being able to cut an opponent's stats in half was no joke—but Akira didn't need it right now.
He'd figure out a way to recover his mana eventually.
For now, there was no need to worry.
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End of Chapter