Spoils of the First Kill
The last demon collapsed into ash.
The flames around the battlefield slowly calmed, as if the world itself acknowledged the end of the fight.
Garud stood still, chest rising and falling.
His fists were stained black with demon blood—but there was no pain.
Only warmth.
Only growth.
Karan lowered his bow, breathing heavily.
"Garud…"
"Did you see that?"
Before Garud could reply—
A sharp sound echoed.
DING—
A blue translucent screen appeared before Garud's eyes.
System Notification
[Combat Complete]
[Demons Slain: 12]
[Total Experience Gained: 240 XP]
Garud's eyes widened.
"It's… responding again," he murmured.
Something shimmered on the ground where the first demon had fallen.
Garud walked closer.
There—
Lying among the ashes—
Was an object.
The First Drop
A crude weapon.
A jagged blade formed from blackened bone, faintly glowing with red runes.
Beside it lay a crystal—
Dark, pulsating softly like a heartbeat.
Garud reached out.
The moment his fingers touched them—
Another screen appeared.
[Item Acquired]
Demon Bone Blade
Rank: F
Type: Weapon (Melee)
Attack Bonus: +5
Durability: Low
[Item Acquired]
Demon Soul Stone
Rank: F
Garud froze.
"Karan… I think the system is explaining things."
Karan leaned closer.
"I still can't see the screen," he said.
"But I trust you. Tell me everything."
System Explanation
The screen shifted.
New text appeared.
[Weapon Ranking System Initialized]
Weapon Ranks:
F → E → D → C → B → A → S → SS → Divine → God
Garud read aloud slowly.
"F is the lowest… God is the highest."
Another panel appeared.
[Demon Rank Classification]
Demon Ranks:
F-Rank (Lesser Demons)
E-Rank
D-Rank
C-Rank
B-Rank
A-Rank
S-Rank (Demon Lords)
God-Tier (Demon Gods)
Garud clenched his fists.
"Indruth…" he whispered.
The system continued.
Soul Stones & Materials
[Soul Stone Classification]
Soul Stones inherit the rank of the demon slain.
Used for:
Weapon Enhancement
Skill Awakening
Exchange in System Shop
Garud's breath steadied.
"So this is how we grow…"
Karan smiled faintly.
"Looks like killing monsters isn't just survival anymore."
Something Special
Suddenly—
One more notification appeared.
[Unique Drop Detected]
Garud's eyes widened.
From the ashes, another object rose slowly into the air.
A weapon—
Incomplete.
Shapeless.
It looked like a fragment of black metal wrapped in divine light.
[Weapon Type: Growth Weapon]
Status: Dormant
Bound to User: Garud
Garud's heart pounded.
"Growth… weapon?"
The system answered.
[Growth Weapons evolve with the user.]
They increase rank through combat, soul absorption, and divine energy.]
Extremely rare.]
Garud closed his hand around it.
The weapon dissolved into light—
And vanished into his body.
[Growth Weapon Stored in Inventory]
Karan stared.
"Garud…"
"You look different."
Garud exhaled slowly.
"This is only the beginning."
He looked toward the burning horizon.
More demons were gathering.
"Let's move," Garud said calmly.
"The tower won't wait."
Karan raised his bow.
"This time," he said,
"We hunt properly."
They stepped forward together—
Into deeper flames.