Swish, thwack!
"Rooaar!"
To Ruin, who had melted into the shadows, the frenzied movements of the rampaging ogre seemed as if they were playing out in slow motion.
'Is this the effect of
Everything around him felt amplified—at least five times, no, ten times sharper than usual. It was as if the world had been transformed into streams of information, seamlessly flowing into his mind.
Because of this heightened perception, the ogre's actions seemed agonizingly slow compared to his own swift movements.
'At this rate, it's not just extreme speed—it might even reach the realm of sound itself.'
In his previous life, the shadow martial arts he had mastered relied heavily on speed. But human speed had its limits. Even at its peak, without the additional element of blending into the shadows, it was impossible to escape the human eye entirely.
But now, with the power of
And what was even more terrifying?
'I haven't even properly trained in shadow martial arts yet.'
He was merely relying on the memories of his past life, mimicking the forms of movement he recalled. He hadn't even begun to channel the mana required for true shadow martial arts.
And yet—
Pssht!
"Kwoooar!"
At the tender age of seven, Ruin was effortlessly overwhelming an ogre, the so-called king of the forest. The creature was already battered and wounded, but as time passed, the number of its injuries grew, and the blood it spilled only increased.
Finally—
"Kraaagh!"
Thud!
With a thunderous crash, the ogre collapsed to the ground.
Tap.
Standing atop the ogre's head, Ruin clenched and unclenched his fist, muttering to himself, "So this is the power of
At that very moment—
Ding.
You have achieved an unbelievable feat of hunting at such a young age.
You have earned an achievement.
This achievement is classified as 'Normal.'
You have gained the title 'Hunter of the Forest.'
Effect: Grants additional abilities in combat against wild animals and monsters in the forest.
Bonus: All training effects are amplified while in the forest.
Through the status window, Ruin had gained quite a bit. The amplification of training effects in the forest, in particular, was like a lifeline sent from the heavens for him.
'I need to find a way to go hunting with Father every day.'
With a new goal in mind, Ruin resolved to accelerate his growth with
And then—
"Ruin!"
Sylvia, who had been waiting alone at the base camp, ran toward him with tear-streaked cheeks and threw her arms around him.
"What's wrong? Were you crying?"
"Hic… Ruin, are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
Sniffling, Sylvia checked him over with concern. Ruin gave her a faint smile and gently patted her head.
"I'm fine. Not a scratch on me."
"Thank goodness."
Relieved, Sylvia let out a soft sigh and looked at him. Then, with a slightly trembling voice, she asked, "But… what about that green monster?"
"Oh, I gave it a good thrashing, and it ran off in a panic," Ruin said, exaggerating his gestures for effect.
Sylvia burst into giggles but shook her head. "Really? No way, you're lying."
"I'm serious! I went roar! and it got so scared it bolted. Man, you should've seen it!"
"…"
As Ruin recounted the story with enthusiasm, Sylvia suddenly lowered her head. Caught off guard by her unexpected reaction, Ruin called out urgently, "Huh? Sylvia, you okay?"
At that moment—
"Ruin."
"Yeah?"
Sylvia softly called his name and slowly lifted her face.
"…Thank you."
She beamed at him, her smile radiant.
"Uh? Oh, yeah."
For a moment, Ruin stammered, nearly stepping back.
'What's with that pure, radiant smile…?'
It felt as though no one he'd ever met could compare to the innocent, unblemished warmth of this girl's smile. A strange sense of warmth washed over him.
'This feeling… it's so unfamiliar.'
In his past life as Number 1872, had anyone ever sincerely thanked him? His existence had been a cold one, driven solely by missions and objectives, met only with curt acknowledgments of "good work" upon success.
'Tch, pointless thoughts.'
Shaking his head to dismiss the memories, Ruin looked at Sylvia and spoke. "Hey, Sylvia, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Yeah, a favor? What is it?"
"…Don't tell anyone about what happened today. Let's keep it our little secret."
"Huh? A… secret?"
Sylvia looked slightly startled, but Ruin nodded with a gentle smile. "Yeah, a special secret just between us."
"Sweetheart, we're back!"
"We're home."
Returning from the hunt, Kabel and Ruin called out to Daisy. As always, their mother greeted them with a bright, welcoming expression.
"Good work, everyone. Ruin, everything go okay?"
"Yeah, no problems," Ruin replied with a nod.
Daisy's eyes flickered with a strange glint. "Hmm, really? Nothing happened at all?"
"Yeah, why?"
Her oddly sharp question put Ruin on edge.
'What's this? Does she know something?'
But then—
"Oh, nothing. So, dear, did you catch anything?"
"Haha, well, luck wasn't on our side today. Didn't see much out there. But I did manage to bring back this rabbit," Kabel said, conveniently omitting that it was actually Brion who had caught it and shared it with him.
"You both worked hard. Go wash up—it's time to eat."
"Got it."
"Okay."
As Kabel headed to the bathroom to shower, Ruin quietly watched Daisy's back.
'Something's off.'
Despite his meticulous cleanup, Daisy's repeated questioning about whether anything had happened left him with a nagging sense of unease.
'Is she having me watched?'
But he quickly shook his head. If someone had been tailing him, the razor-sharp senses of
'Then… Sylvia?'
The most likely possibility was that Sylvia had let the secret slip. But—
'No, that's not it.'
Sylvia's behavior, both during and after the incident, didn't suggest she'd betrayed their secret or was hiding anything.
That left only one possibility.
A mother's intuition.
'Wait. That's actually kind of terrifying.'
A shiver ran down Ruin's spine as he dismissed the thought. No one had witnessed him using
Still, just to be safe—
'I need to be more careful from now on.'
With that resolve, Ruin steeled himself.
Time flowed like a river, and before long, it was Ruin's tenth birthday.
"Happy birthday, son!"
"Happy birthday, my dear Ruin."
A modest birthday party was held with Kabel and Daisy, soon joined by Brion and his daughter, Sylvia.
"Happy birthday, Ruin!"
"Happy tenth birthday, Ruin. Here's your gift," Brion said, presenting a finely crafted leather belt.
"I made it from the hide of a fire bear I caught recently. It's high quality, so use it well."
Ruin smiled, genuinely pleased with the sturdy, durable belt, and bowed. "Thank you, sir."
"Heh, no problem. When you become my son-in-law someday, I'll give you even more—"
"Brion, what was that?" Daisy interjected, her eyes narrowing sharply.
"Oh, uh, nothing, Daisy," Brion stammered, avoiding her gaze.
'He really needs to tone down the jokes.'
Sylvia, now accustomed to her father's teasing, ignored it and eyed the food on the table with a hungry expression. At twelve years old, she was beginning to shed her girlish demeanor, hints of a budding feminine charm starting to show.
'She must be starving.'
To Ruin, though, she was still just an adorable village girl.
Then—
"Ruin, I have a gift for you too!" Sylvia said, holding out a bracelet woven from flowers, as she always did.
"Thanks, Sylvia. I'll treasure it," Ruin replied with a soft smile.
"Oh my, a flower bracelet? It's so pretty!" Daisy exclaimed.
Sylvia bashfully lowered her hand before pulling out another bracelet. "Here, I made one for you too, ma'am."
Daisy's eyes sparkled. "Oh, Sylvia, I'm so touched!"
"Hey, what about me?" Kabel chimed in, oblivious.
"Uh…" Sylvia froze, empty-handed.
Daisy quickly elbowed Kabel. "Alright, let's eat!"
"Time to dig in!"
"Let's eat!"
Brion glanced at Daisy and muttered, "You really went all out today, Daisy. The spread looks amazing."
"Of course! It's a special day," Daisy said, smiling at Ruin.
Ruin returned a faint smile. For someone like him, who had lived as Number 1872, far removed from words like family, love, or affection, the concept of "family" had once seemed utterly foreign. But now, it felt indispensable.
At the same time—
'The others probably had families like this too.'
He thought of the comrades, juniors, and other shadows who had fallen by his hand or at the hands of Roben Paterion. They, too, must have had families—people who were irreplaceable to them.
"…"
Suddenly, Ruin felt as though an endless abyss of darkness yawned beneath his chair, with the vengeful spirits of those he'd killed reaching out to drag him down.
'I'm sorry.'
For the first time, he offered a heartfelt apology.
'I won't make excuses like "it was orders" or "I had no choice." I was a reaper who drove you to your deaths.'
And so—
'One day, I'll likely fall into that same hell. But…'
Swallowing the food Daisy had prepared, Ruin whispered to himself, 'Not yet. I still have things to do.'
His eyes gleamed.
Roben Paterion, the mastermind behind all this misery and hell—his sole target.
'Once I kill him, I'll gladly pay for my sins.'
"Ruin, try this too."
"This is so good, Ruin!"
Daisy and Sylvia piled more food onto his plate. Ruin gave them a bittersweet smile. "Thanks. I'll eat well."
As he chewed the food they'd given him, he did so with more gusto than ever.
Crunch.
"Delicious!"
'When will I ever feel this again?'
The simple act of being reborn had granted him this unfamiliar, blissful luxury. Gazing at the shrinking abyss, he whispered inwardly, 'So please, wait just a little longer.'
At that moment—
Knock, knock!
A knock echoed at the door of their home, where no more guests were expected.
"Hm? Who could that be?" Kabel muttered, tilting his head.
"No one else was supposed to come," Daisy added, puzzled.
Instinctively, Ruin extended his senses to check outside.
'A dozen or so people… and they're strong?'
He quickly realized the group outside was armed.
Moments later, Kabel and Daisy seemed to sense it too, their expressions shifting subtly.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Is anyone home?"
The knock came again, accompanied by an unfamiliar voice piercing through the door.
Brion, still oblivious, looked at Kabel. "What's the holdup? Sounds like a guest. Aren't you going to check?"
At that, Daisy spoke with a meaningful tone. "Dear, go see who it is."
"Right."
Kabel rose and approached the door slowly. Amid the tension that only those aware of the situation could feel, the door creaked open.
Thud!
A loud sound followed as the dozen or so people outside dropped to their knees in unison.
"We greet Young Master Kabel."
"Who are you?" Kabel asked, his face betraying confusion.
Daisy, however, stood up with a cold, resolute expression and moved to his side. "Are you from Linegrim?"
At her question, one of the kneeling figures spoke in a respectful tone. "We greet Lady Daisy. We have come on the orders of the family head."
Though his voice was polite and subdued, it carried an undeniable strength and discipline.
"Linegrim's swordsmen?" Brion muttered, trembling slightly in surprise.
"Dad?" Sylvia, sensing the tension, looked frightened.
"What business do you have here?" Daisy asked, her voice icy.
"Indeed, I left the family behind. You should know my father has no reason to seek me out, Lord of the Snow Tiger," Kabel added, his tone unusually sharp and firm.
The man called the Lord of the Snow Tiger, still kneeling, continued, "We have come here, despite the discourtesy, not for the two of you."
"What?"
"…"
At his words, Kabel and Daisy's gazes turned to Ruin.
If the swordsmen of Linegrim had come all this way, and it wasn't for them, there was only one possibility left.
"Ruin?"
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T/N:
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