And me—armed with nothing but my two short swords.
Broad at the base, mid-length, their edges honed sharp yet built sturdy enough to take punishment. Jet boots strapped on, armor locked tight—thick iron plates that weighed me down but gave me a fighting chance.
Not that I earned them clean.
No, these weren't gifts. I lifted them straight out of Victor's shop. If he ever found out I was using his gear to raid hunting grounds in the C.O.S.M.O.S. sector? He'd gut me alive himself. And honestly, could you blame him? Who in their right mind arms a lunatic about to pick a fight with the world's biggest military organization—the one that trades blows with the Hammer Saints themselves?
Right. I didn't tell you about the Hammer Saints, did I? Well… pinky promise, I'll explain later.
For now, just know this: I'm outnumbered, everyone thinks I'm a fool, and yeah—I am a fool. Because who else but a fool charges at C.O.S.M.O.S. head-on, dies, and then comes back with something called the Black Lotus pulsing inside him?
So let's see what this cursed flower can do.
Ten copperhorns. Ten copperhorn boars. That's the herd I walked into.
Did I know their hunting pattern? No. Just scraps of rumor and half-baked tavern guesses. Prepared for the worst? Not even close. Because if I let the "worst" crawl into my head, it would eat me alive before the first horn ever hit.
The first boar charged.
I aimed for the eye—perfect kill shot. But it swerved last second, faster than a slab of meat that size had any right to be.
The second slammed me from behind.
Air gone. Chest burning. And before I could breathe, another copperhorn rammed me like a battering ram. Then another. Then another.
I was tossed across the dirt like a ball at a drunken festival, horns clanging against my armor until I skidded to a halt, armor cracked and chest screaming.
I looked down. Plates split. One more direct hit and I'd be meat paste.
The herd pawed the earth, hungry for round two.
And then—my opening.
Their rhythm broke. Their unity scattered. Just a second, but enough.
And that's when I realized something.
I'd been wrong.
They weren't brainless. They weren't stupid.
They adapted.
The first came at me again. Same angle. Same fury. But this time? I kicked the jet boots, heat roaring beneath me, and launched.
Steel pierced its eye. The beast shrieked, thrashing, rolling in blind agony.
Another roared, charging. I slid sideways, sparks spitting from my boots, vaulted over its head, and plunged my blade down.
Both eyes gone.
It screamed, blinded, still swinging, its head thrashing wildly. A blind beast was still deadly—but predictable.
So I repeated it. Again. And again.
Every boar that charged—I blinded. Every set of eyes—I carved out. Their cries bled into the night, metallic, tortured, until ten copperhorns lay scattered across the dirt, twitching and silent.
And with each kill—
[ SYSTEM: Defeated "Copperhorn Boar." Reward: +100 Black Essence Units ]
[ SYSTEM: Defeated "Copperhorn Boar." Reward: +100 Black Essence Units ]
Over and over, the windows stacked. Ten kills. Ten rewards. A thousand Black Essence Units in total.
When the silence finally settled, the battlefield was nothing but blood, shattered tusks, and steam rising from corpses.
And then—
[Mission Completed]
Unlock 1st Petal of Black Lotus? – Yes/No
"Definitely yes," I muttered, stabbing the confirmation without hesitation.
Another prompt blinked:
[All Black Essence Units will be consumed. Confirm? Yes/No]
I sighed, irritated. "Why ask me twice? What the hell was the point of all this?" My finger slammed yes.
At once, the corpses exhaled. Ten rivers of black fumes snaked upward, writhing like serpents before plunging into me.
My chest ignited. My skin crawled. My veins burned until I thought they'd burst.
And then—
Gone.
[SYSTEM: 1st Petal of Black Lotus Unlocked]
Activate? – Yes/No
I grinned. "That's why I fought. That's why I bled. Yes."
And the world shattered.
Color drained away. The sky, the earth, the blood, even my hands—bled into shades of black, grey, and white.
I stared at my fingers. They looked hollow. Not mine. Like shadows pretending to be flesh.
"What the fuck is this…?"
My heart slammed in my chest. I forced the command out: "Status. Open."
A window appeared before my monochrome eyes, the only thing still shining in color.
[ Combat Stat ]
[ Offensive Power ]
[ Defensive Power ]
[ Essence & Ability Growth ]
I didn't have patience for the rest. I chose Essence and Ability Growth.
And there it was:
[SYSTEM: Essence Absorption rate: 0.02 BEU/s]
[SYSTEM: Lotus Synchronisation: 4.16%]
[SYSTEM: Ability Unlocked — Void Eyes]
I tapped it.
[Void Eyes: The ability to perceive the flow of Black Essence in all living and non-living things. Reveals vital points and structural weaknesses.]
I almost whistled. "Holy shit… That's not an ability. That's cheating."
But before I could revel in my new toy, the ground trembled.
Twigs cracked. Leaves rustled. Squeals echoed—low, guttural, hungry.
And then the mist broke.
Nearly thirty copperhorns stepped out, their bodies a sea of dull grey shades in my Void Eyes. Their muscles flexed, their hooves shook the earth, their breath poured in heavy clouds of steam.
And then it came.
The giant.
Ironhide Copperhorn Boar. Its hide layered in plates of stone, its horns cracked but massive. A deeper grey shade pulsed off it, heat steaming from its nostrils with every breath.
And as usual window popped before me:
[SYSTEM]
Defeat D-rank Interstellar Beast – Ironhide Copper Horn Boar
Rewards:
+400 Black Essence Units
Ironhide Second-Grade Copper Horn ×10
Ironhide Copper Horn Boar Meat
My pulse hammered.
And then my Void Eyes flared.
Every single beast—every normal copperhorn, even the colossal Ironhide—glowed with faint marks.
Vital points.
The gap between their neck and front leg.
I grinned. Savage. Hungry.
And window popped up with something that i didn't expected.
[SYSTEM: Bonus: Copperhorn Boar Meat ×10]
[SYSTEM: Surprise Bonus — +10 points in all Combat Stats for unlocking 1st Petal of Black Lotus]
I clenched my fists, blood boiling with thrill.
"So this is it, huh? The real hunt begins now."
I cracked my neck, stepped forward, and smiled like a bastard.
"What's next? Let's harvest.... because this is my season."