Arin crouched beside the woman's corpse and stared at the glowing options floating above her.
[Vanish Body]
[Collect Loot]
[Store in Inventory]
He hesitated, then tapped Collect Loot.
A flicker of light, and suddenly objects materialized in a small pile behind her body.
"…Whoa." His eyes lit up. "That's… a lot."
Necklaces, earrings, and several golden bangles glittered in the daylight. A ruby embedded in one bracelet shone with a deep red gleam, catching his eye instantly. Beside them sat a leather-bound book, a plain ring, and other scattered trinkets.
Like a robber, he scooped up the jewelry first, turning them over in his hand with awe. "Tch, not bad. She was carrying wealth like this?"
When he picked up the ring, the system spoke.
System:[That is a Spatial Storage Ring.]
"A… what? How do I even open it?"
[Just pour a thought into it. Imagine pulling its contents into your hand, or looking inside.]
Arin frowned, but followed the instructions. The ring pulsed faintly, and in an instant, several items appeared at his feet.
Ten gold coins, two hundred and forty silver coins, a rolled-up map, and a few survival supplies—flat loaves of bread and an old-style glass water bottle.
His eyes locked on the coins. "Gold."
He grabbed them greedily, admiring their shine before slipping them into his inventory, then did the same with the silver. Only afterward did he finally look at the map.
Unrolling it, he saw several locations sketched across the parchment. Dozens of towns and landmarks were scribbled in faded ink, but only four spots were marked clearly, a line connecting them like a path.
[Judging by this, she must have come from the Valoria Kingdom. To get there, the path goes through these three areas first. The first is Riverwood Crossing, a riverside settlement.]
"Valoria Kingdom, huh…" Arin muttered, tapping the map.
[But you can't go there. You killed her. If her people find you, they'll kill you.]
Arin's eyes narrowed. But if she carried this much gold, what about her kingdom's treasury…?
He smirked. "If I can take all that gold… I'd be rich."
[…You're not wrong.]
His grin widened. "Looks like my journey's started."
He stored the map back into his inventory, keeping the ring as well. "This ring's not that useful to me—I already have infinite storage. Still… might as well keep it."
[At least now that you're level 9, you can handle traveling further.]
Ignoring the system's tone, Arin picked up the last item—the book. Its worn leather cover was scratched, the pages yellowed with age. He flipped through it and found diagrams of sword forms, notes about knight orders, and even a knight cultivation technique.
Arin raised a brow. "System… what's this 'cultivation technique for knights'?"
[ You already found one, huh… Very well. In this world, there are many paths—knights, mages, witches, and more. Knights cultivate by condensing 'stars' within their body. The first step is to form one star in the heart.]
"And how do I start?"
[Just follow what the technique describes. Focus, meditate, and draw mana into yourself.]
Arin sighed, but sat cross-legged on the ground. He closed his eyes, concentrating as the book instructed. To his surprise, the moment he reached out, he felt it—tiny streams of energy flowing in the air around him. Mana.
It moved easily, almost too easily, gathering in his chest. Within minutes, he felt something ignite in his heart—a small, glowing "star."
He opened his eyes. The world looked the same, but his senses felt sharper, clearer. He could feel mana brushing against his skin, flowing faintly through his veins.
"…That was it? That easy?"
[For you, yes. Your level up strengthened your body and expanded your meridians. Normal people would need years of training to achieve what you just did in minutes.]
Arin smirked, flexing his hand. "Guess I really am built different."I don't feel stronger… but my focus and senses have definitely leveled up."
He flipped to the sword techniques in the book. "Now what's left is the sword technique… but for that, I need a sword."
His mind clicked. "Right. She had one."
Arin searched quickly until he remembered—the sword had fallen outside when he dragged the woman's body inside. He stepped out and picked it up.
It was beautiful. The handle was wrapped in crimson leather, its grip firm and balanced. The blade itself shimmered faintly, so sharp that when Arin swung it lightly, it whistled as though cutting the air itself.
"…Damn, this feels good."
He pulled out two wooden blocks from his inventory and stacked them one on top of the other, forming a crude pillar. Then, mimicking the diagrams in the book, he raised the sword.
His stance was sloppy, his swing clumsy—but when the blade came down, it sliced the wooden pillar clean in half, the sword burying itself deep inside the block.
"Huff… huff… looks like I'm not that good yet." Sweat beaded on his forehead as he yanked the blade free with some effort.
He stored the book into his inventory. "I'll practice later."
Feeling his throat dry, Arin reached for the old glass water bottle he had pulled from the spatial ring. He uncorked it and took a long sip.
The cool water slid down his throat—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Arin's eyes snapped open. His body stiffened.
The cubic world vanished in a blink, and he found himself back in his real-world bedroom.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A harsh voice came from the other side of the door.
"Wake up,you shit!"
The tone was rough, dripping with hatred, like a man who found joy in spitting venom.
"Bastard's sleeping peacefully after taking money from others and living like shit," the voice growled, each word carrying the weight of contempt.
Arin's eyes snapped open. His gaze darted around the dim, cracked walls of the room. Sweat clung to his forehead. What… was I dreaming? I thought I had been reincarnated into some kind of cubic world…