Darkness... was devouring everything around me.
The gunfire had quieted, the screams vanished... but inside me, the hell was rising more and more.
The red screen was still before my eyes:
> [ First mission: Survive... or Die ]
I gripped my trembling hand, feeling the cold blood drying on my fingers.
I was weak... just an ordinary person, had never lifted a weapon, never shouted at anyone... but now?
Weakness meant death.
And suddenly...
Footsteps.
A heavy sound approaching.
I turned slowly, my heart about to burst.
A black shadow emerged from a dark alley... red eyes glowing in it like embers.
A new line appeared on the screen:
> [ Enemy: Hunter's Shadow ]
[ Level: Unknown ]
[ Mission: Defeat the enemy or escape before time runs out ]
[ Time remaining: 10 minutes ]
I swallowed my saliva, my whole body sweating.
Me? Fight? Impossible...
But the shadow lunged at me.
Boom!
I was thrown to the ground by the force of its impact, my chest burning, my breath cut off.
I screamed, "Get away from me!!!"
But no one heard.
The screen lit up suddenly:
> [ Temporary weapon activated ]
[ Dark Dagger ×1 ]
I looked at my hand, and a black dagger formed from nothing, cold as ice.
I hesitated for a moment... then gripped it with all my strength.
The shadow charged again.
I raised the knife wildly, and the black blade pierced its chest.
A deafening scream filled the street... its body crumbled into black ash.
I stood, breathing hard, my eyes wide... I had killed.
For the first time in my life... I pulled a soul from a body.
But there was no time for regret.
> [ Mission completed ]
[ Reward: +10 Strength Points ]
[ +1 Special Ability: Eye of Darkness ]
I screamed, still not comprehending. My whole body trembled... but inside me?
There was something else.
Something... strange.
I felt energy flowing in my veins, my muscles shaking with power.
Then my eye... yes, my right eye ignited with heat.
> [ Eye of Darkness: Reveals an enemy's intent through their aura ]
I lifted my gaze, and the city I used to live in looked different...
People passing in the streets, some walked with a faint white aura... others with a dense... dirty black aura.
The shock hit me like lightning.
These... the killers, the true monsters, are not always with frightening faces.
They are among us... smiling, speaking, hiding.
I muttered as I shivered:
"My God... what world was I living in?"
But there was no time to think.
A new voice came from the screen:
> [ Congratulations... you have entered the path. ]
[ From now on... your life will not be as it was. ]
[ World One: City of Shadows ]
[ Objective: Uncover the secret of the 'Black Ruler' ]
I felt the ground sway beneath me.
City of Shadows? Black Ruler? What is happening?
And suddenly... the whole street began to crack... buildings trembled... the ground swallowed me in a black vortex.
I screamed, reached out to grab anything, but it was useless.
The darkness consumed me again...
And when I opened my eyes, I was not in my city.
I was in another world.
A dark city, its streets soaked in blood, cries and wails filling the air.
The sky was red as blood, the moon split in two.
I rose slowly, the dagger still in my hand.
My eyes scanned the place...
And I knew in my core:
This is only the beginning.
My path to vengeance... has begun now.