The night had come when a boy covered in blood walked out of the eerie forest. Blood flowed from the numerous wounds on his body creating a trail behind him.
His steps were visibly growing weaker and the town was still some distance away. What should've been a minute walk now seemed to take an eternity. He began to doubt if he could make it. He looked at the demonic wolf in his hands. If he dropped it, then he might be able to reach the town before he bled out. But that would mean that all his effort would be meaningless.
He couldn't accept that, so he continued walking while carrying the demonic wolf.
His willpower, unfortunately, wasn't enough to keep him alive.
Halfway there, he fell and no matter how much effort he put in, he couldn't get up. He tried screaming to get the guards' attention. But that didn't work. Everyone knew to stay away from the forest, especially at night.
So, unless they saw him dying, no one would risk entering the forest because of a scream.
The boy could only look at the town's gate as he bled. His body quickly lost all its remaining blood as life faded from his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Lilly," he muttered, before finally giving up his ghost.
The footsteps of animals, drawn by the scent of blood drew closer.
Then suddenly, a beam of light from the cosmos hit the body. All the boy's wounds started closing and his body shone with a red light. When the red light disappeared the boy looked brand new.
The boy, who should have been dead, opened his eyes. A wide smile formed on Kael's face.
"I'm back," he muttered in delight. He had doubted the lady's words, but it seemed that she hadn't lied to him. She had really sent him back.
Kael stood up and inspected his new body for a second.
The body was a young one, but surprisingly strong. He wondered what type of work this boy had to do to get such a good physique.
He stretched his new body for a few minutes before shifting his focus to the transparent screen in front of him. As a former demon hunter, Kael knew what it was.
The interface was still initializing. This meant that the previous owner of the body had awakened the system a few minutes ago.
Kael's attention was caught by the dead demonic wolf beside him. He looked at it in surprise.
I can't believe this kid actually killed a demon all by himself.
The Hunter system could only be activated by killing your first demon and looking at the freshly killed wolf. Kael could guess what had happened. Although he wondered why someone so young would go demon hunting all by himself.
Kael tried digging into the boy's memories to further understand his situation, but they were too foggy and disconnected to make any sense.
Just as Kael was still thinking, the system finished Initializing and showed his stats.
The familiar words evoked a feeling of deep nostalgia in him. He could only give a bittersweet smile.
Name: Kael Vance.
Age: 15 years.
Class: Undefined.
Tier: (unlock class first).
Contracts (1)
(Get a class to fully unlock the System).
____
The kid was only fifteen and his body was already this strong. It seemed there was something special about this body.
His gaze lingered on the Contract, and after a few seconds, the interface changed.
_____
Contract with Maiden Samsara.
Details:
Maiden Samsara grants you new life. In exchange, you now bear the fate of her father.
Perks
You gain a random ability of the divine rank (unlock class to awaken abilities)
Status
Completed
______
So that's what she gave me.
A talent of the divine rank was something Kael couldn't even begin to imagine. In his previous life, he had a talent of pseudo-divine rank. That alone had given him the right to be called the protagonist of an era – in his world at least.
Kael furrowed his brow. He had no idea what the fate of her father meant, but hopefully, as life went on, he would figure it out.
Although in this life, he didn't plan on taking things too seriously.
His previous life had been spent on revenge. He had achieved his goal, so he was now free to do as he pleased.
This time he would make sure to enjoy his life to the maximum. He would try his best to be happy, after all, that was what she had asked him to be on her deathbed.
He hadn't listened to her then, but now that everything was over he could finally fulfill her dying wish and be happy, or at least try to.
A few minutes later, the memories had gotten clear enough for Kael to go through them. He closed his eyes searching for the background of the boy.
The boy whose body he was currently occupying was also named Kael.
He lived in the small town of Troken with his stepsister. He had been adopted by his sister's parents when he was ten, and a year later, his parents had disappeared. Everyone knew they were most likely dead but the Kael didn't think so.
He and his sister lived together; she has a job at the town's council. And it was barely enough for both of them to survive.
Kael had recently finished the compulsory educational course. His goal was to become a successful demon hunter and take his sister out of this damned village. That wasn't possible now, considering he was dead, but as thanks for the body, Kael decided to help him accomplish this goal.
Another information fragment appeared in his mind.
During the period that Kael had been adopted, the sightings of demons near the village had increased.
Most people thought it was a coincidence, but there were a few fanatics who blamed him because he was an outsider. He made a mental note to avoid those people.
Kael's sister was currently ill, and the medications she needed were too expensive. This was what motivated him to go on and court death by trying to hunt an actual demon as a normal human.
Although he had died on his quest, he had also killed the beast because of his level of bravery; the new Kael made a note to never forget the original owner of the body.
After that, he walked towards the town carrying the demonic creature on his back. His clothes were in tatters and he was covered in dirt.
In honor of the original owner of the body, he made a promise to take care of his sister.