They moved through the forest together, the fog thick but manageable.

  “My dear husband, I heard something,” Charlie said.

  She possessed an extremely useful skill.

  [Enhanced Senses (Uncommon)]: All five senses are heightened. Vision and smell reach absolute precision within a radius of up to 2 km.

  She had learned to control it, filtering and narrowing the range. Otherwise, speaking near her would be unbearable, every sound amplified to an overwhelming level.

  Charlie wore her familiar armor, this time without the helmet. “Master Luke, footsteps in that direction. Medium-sized creature.”

  A figure dropped down from a branch above Luke. It was Angie. The gray, winged woman descended smoothly, spreading her wings wider to soften the landing.

  “And how does it feel to fly freely now, Angie?” Luke asked.

  “It was quite comforting, Lord Luke,” she replied, touching down beside him.

  Angie could now fly without worrying about being seen.

  Luke opened her interface.

  Name: Angie

  Level: 0

  Race: Stone Angel

  Rank: F

  Class: Valkyrie (Lvl 0)

  Title: Servant of the Dark Lord

  Health Points (HP): 90/90

  Mana Points (MP): 100/100

  Stamina: 63/90

  Stats:

  Strength: 9

  Lethality: 4

  Agility: 5

  Dexterity: 6

  Endurance: 9

  Vitality: 9

  Toughness: 7

  Perception: 6

  Wisdom: 10

  Intelligence: 7

  Willpower: 8

  Free Points: 2

  Class Skills: Basic Polearm Handling (Common)

  He closed the interface.

  In Angie’s hands was a simple spear, something he had purchased before leaving.

  [Iron-Tipped Spear (Common)]: A basic spear suitable for beginners of any compatible class.

  It had cost him 1,200 crowns.

  “I consume one stamina per second while flying,” Angie explained. “If I increase my speed, the stamina drain rises.”

  That matched Luke’s expectations. With her current stamina, she could fly for about a minute and a half. But because she had the Valkyrie class, every level-up would grant Endurance, extending her flight time as a result.

  “We’re getting close,” Charlie said, quickening her pace.

  They had left the trail some time ago.

  Charlie led them to a pack of wolves that looked more like monstrous dogs.

  [Wild Wolf-Hound – Lvl 8]

  [Wild Wolf-Hound – Lvl 9]

  “At least they’re weak,” Luke commented.

  Weak for him. For an ordinary level-one traveler, these wolves would mean death.

  The creatures began to growl, baring their teeth. Luke raised his palm and channeled mana through his ring. Not to form a mana sphere with Mana Infusion, but to activate the Witch skill he had unlocked at level two.

  [Curse (Common)]: The witch conjures a curse through her palm, dealing curse damage to whoever she touches. A single touch is enough to cause intense pain in the target’s flesh.

  Energy surged through the ring, and Luke’s palms glowed with a deep purple light. With one hand, he grabbed a wolf and lifted it, the curse already active. The creature began to scream as Luke walked forward, holding it effortlessly. The curse tore through the beast, and its howls echoed through the forest. Luke quickly realized the skill was anything but quiet, not because of raw power, but because of the agony it inflicted.

  Ahead of him, Angie tested her aerial combat. She beat her wings and thrust her spear downward, striking a wolf that couldn’t reach her.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  [You have slain a Wild Wolf-Hound – Lvl 8]

  It worked. Her attack finished it.

  Luke pointed his hand toward the ground and activated another skill [Corrupted Plant Growth].

  Roots erupted from the earth, binding the remaining wolves. Angie pierced them one by one with her spear, killing them cleanly.

  **The [Valkyrie] class of Angie has reached Level 1! (+5 Strength, +4 Endurance, +3 Vitality, +3 Toughness, +2 Wisdom, +2 Free Points)**

  ***

  Jonathan walked through the underground of Rain City. Even beneath the earth, the sound of rain was still audible, though what echoed down here was actually the rush of water being funneled beneath the city. It fed subterranean rivers and waterfalls that plunged into deep chasms below. People said that worm-like creatures lived down there, feasting on corpses, trash, and whatever waste was thrown away. It was the city’s sanitation system.

  “The person you’re about to meet is very important, Jonathan,” Grand Master Dmitri said as they walked. “Remember what I taught you about this group. You must not show disrespect toward the church’s main benefactor.”

  “Yes, I understand,” Jonathan replied evenly. “I memorized everything you forced me to read and everything you explained.”

  Jonathan wasn’t foolish. He knew respect mattered. There were figures in this world whose power was overwhelming. He had seen a dragon himself, back in the village after leaving the tutorial. That level of power dwarfed him completely.

  For now.

  With his new backers, Jonathan knew it was only a matter of time before he grew stronger. He would gain access to powerful dungeons, rare items, and deeper revelations about his vampiric skills. He had struck gold in that tutorial. More and more, he reinforced the belief that destiny truly had a Chosen.

  And that Chosen was him.

  “This man is the reason we’ve reached our current position,” Dmitri continued. “Even though he isn’t an official member of the church, he is just as important as I am.”

  The church’s primary sponsor was one of the twelve high-ranking members of the criminal organization known as the Reaper Court. Jonathan had learned that the Court consisted of twelve seats, ranked strictly by power from weakest to strongest. Even the twelfth seat alone could bring down an entire nation if they chose to. They were walking calamities.

  A Reaper had no public name. Each was known only by their seat number, a symbol of their rank. The seats themselves defined the hierarchy. The closer one was to the top, the more powerful the Reaper.

  Below them were the Scythes, assistants to the Reapers. Tools in both meaning and function. They handled lesser matters, the kind a Reaper wouldn’t waste time overseeing.

  Above them all stood the Reaper King, one of the first generation of system-integrated individuals. The organization had existed for a very long time, though it had only been officially registered fifty years ago. For half a century before that, it had operated in total secrecy.

  “This sponsor… is he the Reaper of the seventh seat?” Jonathan asked.

  In all recorded history, no Reaper had ever been defeated in battle. Many powerful individuals had hunted them over the decades, all without success. But a few years ago, the Reaper of the seventh seat had been killed.

  And the one who killed them had taken their place.

  That was how a seat was inherited. A Reaper could only be replaced by death.

  The woman who claimed the seventh seat was stronger than every Reaper ranked below her. Internal conflicts over advancement were common within the Court, and according to Dmitri, she was considered one of the most dangerous rising forces among them.

  “I’ll let the sponsor introduce himself to you,” Dmitri said.

  They stopped before a massive door. The place lay deep underground, a structure that felt like a castle carved into the heart of a cavern. As they approached the double doors, they opened on their own.

  Dmitri and Jonathan stepped inside. The interior was dark at first, but light gradually seeped in. Through tall openings in the stone, Jonathan realized the structure overlooked something like a colossal underground waterfall. Countless streams of water plunged together into a vast, shadowed abyss. High above, crystals embedded in the cavern ceiling glowed faintly, illuminating what was clearly a privileged chamber, vast and solemn.

  When they reached the center of the hall, Grand Master Dmitri dropped to one knee. Jonathan hesitated, confused, but followed suit. Instinct told him this had nothing to do with courtesy alone. It was about hierarchy. About power. About the Reaper. That was when he saw him. A figure stood with his back turned, leaning against a stone railing, gazing out at the cavernous falls. The Reaper turned and began walking toward them. His face was swallowed by shadow, the light refusing to touch it.

  “Lord Tobias,” Dmitri said reverently, his head nearly touching the floor.

  “L-Lord Tobias,” Jonathan echoed, clumsily mimicking the posture.

  A soft, amused chuckle slipped from the obscured figure. “Dmitri, you are a dear friend. There’s no need for that.”

  The man stopped in front of Jonathan, who remained kneeling, head bowed. All he could see was the gray, time-worn robe brushing against the stone floor. Then came the presence.

  The air changed.

  Jonathan tried to lift his head and failed. An invisible pressure crushed down on him. His neck bent further without his consent until his forehead struck the ground. A primal fear erupted inside him. Run. Escape. Every instinct screamed danger. His heart hammered wildly, his thoughts scattered, his soul felt like it was trembling inside his chest. Bile rose in his throat.

  I’m going to die.

  Every fear he had ever known surged at once. He wanted to flee, to crawl away, but he knew that even the slightest movement would mean death.

  “Chosen Jonathan,” the deep voice said from above. “You may look at me. Do not be afraid.”

  Jonathan forced himself to raise his head, fighting against the crushing pressure radiating from the being before him.

  “I rarely appear before others,” the voice continued calmly. “I usually let my Scythe handle such matters. Consider yourself fortunate to stand in my presence, Chosen Jonathan.”

  Jonathan looked up.

  Light from the cavern entrance finally illuminated the figure before him.

  “My name is Tobias. I occupy the Twelfth Seat of the Reaper Court.”

  In that instant, Jonathan felt as though his soul had left his body. Because when he truly saw what the Reaper was, a single thought echoed through his mind, loud and undeniable.

  This is not human.

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