The First Death
So… what the hell did Soul Leech even do?
Black narrowed his eyes and focused on the glowing [Talent] tab in front of him. As soon as his thoughts touched it, a line of faint text appeared beneath the title.
[Soul Leech: Can be activated on any target. Outcome varies. Effects are unpredictable.]
That was it. One vague-ass line. No clear rules. No explanation.
He frowned.
Unpredictable effects? Great. So he'd just have to test it to figure out how it worked.
But now he was curious—what about everyone else?
He flipped back to the Public Chat Group. The moment the chat loaded, it was already blowing up with messages, the entire feed buzzing with excitement.
"Haha! I awakened! Loki's talent is Strength Boost—E-Rank! Doubles my power when I activate it!"
"Same here! I got Wind Step. My speed goes double when I use it!"
"Mine's not bad either! Physique enhancement—doubles my defense. I feel like a tank!"
"No way! I actually got D-rank—Flame Control!"
"Whoa, I can control ice! I'm not just a regular guy anymore. I'm basically a superhuman now, haha!"
"This world is insane. And I love it."
"Bro... my talent only boosts my sense of smell. It's F-rank trash. Ten times stronger nose? Who gives a fuck!"
"Same. Mine's just better vision. Useless F-rank garbage. I wanna cry."
Thousands of people, all unlocking something new. Some were ecstatic. Others were pissed. Most just didn't know what to feel yet.
Black stayed quiet, scrolling, eyes scanning every message. He wanted to see if anyone else had mentioned awakening something high-level. Anything S-tier or above.
Then, just like before, the Will of Heaven returned—calm, booming, absolute.
[Announcement: Talent awakening for Starter Village 777 is now complete.]
[787 players have awakened F-rank talents.]
[194 have awakened E-rank talents.]
[17 have awakened D-rank talents.]
[Only 2 players have awakened talents C-rank or higher.]
Black's breath caught.
Only two. Out of a thousand.
Most people didn't even break past F or E. Seventeen made it to D. And just two reached C or beyond.
His eyes lit up.
That meant one of those two… was him.
But who was the other?
He scrolled the chat again, heart drumming, waiting for someone to out themselves.
"Holy shit! Only 17 people out of a thousand got D-rank talents? What are the odds of someone getting SSS-level, then?"
"Dude, forget SSS. Even S-rank is probably damn near impossible. We're talking one in a billion."
"You think anyone in the entire world has awakened SSS?"
"Doubt it. Probably not even one. That shit's myth-tier."
"It's already hard enough to get C-rank, let alone anything higher."
"Hey, didn't they say two people in our village got C-rank or better? Where's the other guy?"
"Yeah! Come out, you two C-rank bosses! Let us worship you!"
Right on cue, one of the avatars lit up. A guy named Vir.
Vir: "Yo. I'm one of them. Awakened C-rank talent—Magnetic Manipulation."
The chat instantly exploded again.
"Holy crap! Magnetism? That's awesome!"
"Wait—is that like Magneto powers?!"
"Big bro Vir! Take me with you, I'll be your sidekick!"
"Oppa Vir, I'll follow you forever!"
It was chaos. Vir was getting flooded with praise, half-flirting, half-begging.
"But wait... there's still one more, right? Who's the other C-rank boss?"
"Yeah, come out already! We wanna see you!"
Black read the chat, then quietly closed it.
No chance in hell he was stepping forward right now.
His SSS talent was too rare—too dangerous—to reveal. Especially in a world like this, where survival was the name of the game and envy could get you killed in your sleep.
He was still just a one-star rookie. No skills. No defense. No backup.
Soul Leech was his one and only trump card. Until he knew exactly how it worked, he wasn't showing his hand to anyone.
And right then, another system message echoed through every player's mind.
[Announcement: You are now free to leave your Beginner Cabin and enter the village. In ten seconds, the Novice Assessment will begin.]
[Assessment Objective: All players must reach Level 10 within 7 days. Failure to do so will result in immediate elimination. Top performers will receive generous rewards.]
[Leveling Method: Hunt beasts, monsters, and demons. Absorb their energy to grow stronger.]
Om—
A soft hum filled the room.
Suddenly, a flash of light beamed down from the sky—and a short, rusted knife dropped straight into Black's hands.
[Rusted Knife: Attack +2. Basic short blade for all new players. Tier 0 item.]
[Note: Attack is determined by Strength. Each point of Strength adds +1 Attack.]
Black held the knife by its hilt, gave it a few test swings.
Not bad. For trash gear.
And then, a wild thought hit him.
What if...
He placed his palm against the blade and activated Soul Leech.
Om—
A quick flash of white.
The rust flaked off in a heartbeat, dissolving like dust in the wind. The blade beneath was polished steel, sleek and deadly. Cold shimmered across the edge.
His hand came away coated in flakes of iron and dust.
[Soul Leech successful! Rust and debris removed. Rusted Knife upgraded to Refined Steel Blade.]
[Refined Steel Blade: Attack +5. Tier 1 item.]
He stared at it.
Holy shit.
He could upgrade gear.
His face lit up.
He tried again, running his palm along the newly-refined weapon. One more time—just in case.
[Soul Leech failed. Target quality too low. Leech limit reached.]
So, there was a cap. Made sense.
Still... going from +2 to +5 attack in one move? Not bad for a rookie. He gave the blade a few more swings—smooth, clean, balanced.
Definitely better than what everyone else was probably stuck with.
Just then, noise broke out outside his cabin.
Black stepped forward, pushed open the creaking wooden door, and looked out.
All around him, identical cabins were opening. One by one, people emerged—men, women, teens, even older folks. Eyes wide. Faces full of nerves and curiosity.
He scanned the village.
The Starter Village was simple—a grid of cabins, surrounded by forest. On the far side, a wide stone square. Beyond that: the barrier.
The protective shield.
Past that? The killing world.
People gathered slowly in groups, talking as they made their way toward the square.
"If we don't hit Level 10, we get wiped. Heaven's forcing us to fight."
"Only seven days! No time to waste."
"I'm already panicking."
"Hey, bro—team up with me?"
"Yeah. Let's stick together."
Black blended in with the crowd, keeping quiet. Everyone else was still holding that same shitty rusted knife.
He walked with them toward the square. Hundreds of people now. Murmurs and nervous chatter filled the air.
He looked ahead—at the edge of the village.
A glowing barrier shimmered, faintly humming. That was the outer limit.
Beyond it… was where the real game began.
No one dared to cross it.
Not yet.
"Hey… what the hell's even out there?"
"No clue. Beasts, monsters... who knows how strong they are."
And then it happened.
Boom—!
A loud crack echoed across the square. Heads whipped toward the noise.
Black turned too—and saw a mountain of a man standing over a shattered boulder.
He recognized him instantly.
Kael.
The one-star peak combat power guy from the chat.
"Holy shit. He just smashed a boulder with one punch!"
"That's Kael! The one with crazy stats!"
"Kael, man—what's your talent?!"
Kael blinked at the debris, like even he was a little surprised. But when people started cheering, he gave a grin.
"I've got D-rank talent—Power Madness. When activated, my strength triples."
Another wave of gasps.
"Triple?! Damn, no wonder you're a beast."
"D-rank is so OP. I only get double from my E-rank."
"I'd kill for a D-rank. I'm stuck with F-tier garbage."
"Honestly, D-rank is already top-tier. Less than 2 out of every 100 get that."
"True. I envy the two people with C-rank even more..."
"Yeah, Vir and that mystery guy. So lucky..."
Black heard them and smiled to himself, silent.
Let them think he was a C-rank. He preferred it that way.
"Kael's already the strongest 1-star. With his talent? He'll go even higher."
"He's basically a boss already."
Kael seemed to bask in the praise. Chest puffed. Eyes scanning the crowd. No one had stepped out of the village yet, and the hesitation made him feel bold.
"Alright! I'll be the first to head out. I'll check how strong the beasts are and report back!"
With that, he grabbed his dull rusted blade, puffed his chest, and strode toward the barrier like a king.
No one said a word. Everyone just watched.
He passed through the glowing veil, leaving the village.
Ten seconds later—
A blood-curdling scream ripped through the air.
And then, a system message burned across every player's mind:
[Announcement: Novice player Kael has been killed by Level 1 Beast — Bloodfang Rabbit.]
The square fell completely silent.
Eyes wide. Mouths open.
Stunned.
Welcome to the game.