"Stats," Isaac muttered as he sat on his bed.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Isaac
Class: (Corrupted — Cannot Decide)
Class Rank: ??? (Cannot Decide)
Sanity Index: 21%
Strength: 70
Dexterity: 60
Vitality: 78
Perception: 89
Willpower: 100
Skills:
Blood Mist – Your blood can now take complex forms and animate briefly. Mist is denser, stronger, and can harden like steel.
All-Seeing Eye – Grants total environmental awareness, magical energy detection, and weak point identification.
Crimson Aura – Releases a red aura that enhances physical power.
Insanity – Power further amplified. Sanity drop + blood loss unlock new abilities... but risk full mental collapse.
The Forgotten – Skill has chosen to reveal its name.
[System Alert]
Skill is unstable.
Further usage may lead to the host losing his body.
Items:
Familiar Egg – Dormant. Status: Awaiting Bond.
Titles:
The One Who Holds the Key
Second Chance
Disciple of Calamity
The blue window hovered in front of him, casting its faint glow over the dim room. Isaac leaned forward, inspecting every line carefully.
"Hmmm… it seems thanks to that battle, I got stronger," he thought, tapping his chin. His gaze fell on [The Forgotten]. Slowly, he lifted a finger and tried touching it.
At first—nothing. Then, another window flickered to life.
[System Alert]
Entity refuses to talk.
Isaac narrowed his eyes. "The hell is this now?" he muttered.
He tapped again. And again. The words never changed. His jaw tightened.
"What happened at that time?" he whispered to himself. "...The last thing I remember is using the Insanity skill."
He sighed and closed the status window with a wave, letting his body fall back against the mattress. His arm draped over his eyes.
"This won't work. I need to understand what that skill is… or what that thing is."
His attention shifted to the vine-like ring on his finger. Sitting up cross-legged, he focused, peering into its storage space.
A Normal Looking Mask
Effect: slight protection against airborne poison.
Metallic Gauntlets – B-rank weapon.
Effect: slight increase in Strength.
Hundred Face Mask – A-rank.
Effect: change the appearance of the wearer.
Isaac froze. His eyes widened.
The normal mask—he got it from the trader.
The gauntlets—taken from Blade after killing him.
But the Hundred Face Mask… he had no idea how it ended up there.
His pulse quickened. He remembered who it belonged to. The man in the suit.
He strained to recall… claws slashing across a pale face, the mask tearing free—
Pain stabbed his skull like a blade. Isaac hissed, clutching his head. It was as if the memory itself rejected him, refusing to belong to him despite being locked inside.
Then, laughter bubbled from his lips—low at first, then sharp and eerie.
"Hehehe…"
Despite the pain, his grin stretched wide. "Wasn't expecting this… but this is definitely useful." His eyes gleamed darkly. "I'll consider this you paying rent."
He pulled the mask out and slipped it over his face.
In the mirror, the mask shimmered, then slowly turned transparent until it vanished. His features began to twist—hair shifting shades, cheeks filling slightly, eyes narrowing. Within seconds, another reflection stared back.
Kaine.
Isaac studied the false face with fascination before focusing, bringing the mask back into visibility. He removed it carefully, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"This… will be really handy."
The mask disappeared back into his ring. Isaac's gaze drifted to the sword-shaped mark burned into his hand. He traced it with a fingertip, voice soft.
"...Teacher."
For a moment, his expression faltered—sadness flashing in his eyes. If it wasn't for this mark, he might have believed his meeting with his teacher had been nothing but a dream. But with it… maybe, just maybe, he could see him again.
"Isaac… there's… a guest for you."
Jake's voice came from the living room—awkward, uneasy, and touched with confusion.
Isaac opened his door, stepping out. He found Maya peeking from behind Jake, who stood stiffly, pointing toward the doorway.
At the threshold stood a man with silver hair, tall and calm.
Isaac's eyes narrowed. Yeah… I thought this would happen.
He walked past his uncle and sister, voice casual. "Jake, Maya—I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back soon." He didn't give them the chance to stop him.
Pulling the door shut behind him, he faced the man.
"Should we go get some cake?" Isaac said lazily.
"...Yeah. Sure. This might take a while," replied Mark—the Silver Slasher—as he gestured toward his car.