[Somewhere in the Azure Borders]
The moon hung full and daunting in the dark sky this night, casting a luminescent glow on the world below. Flickering through the twilight of the darkness was a monster torn between man and beast, its thick-coated fur drenched in crimson. It had just escaped a fearsome battle, its injuries substantial.
It desperately needed to find something to consume. Only then could its natural recovery process speed up enough to prepare it for the fights that were destined to ensue.
But what was there to eat in this desolate part of the Azure Borders??
Absolutely nothing!
"Damnit!" the werewolf roared, flames of anger rising in its savage eyes. "Everything here is already dead! Why is my luck so bad!?"
It didn't have much time before its pursuers caught up to it, and the ones chasing it were not known for their mercy, especially not to its kind. Unless it found something to replenish its health—and soon—all that awaited it was certain doom.
Just as the werewolf was about to give up all hope on making it out of its perilous predicament in one piece, it spotted something.
Off in the distance, some half a mile away, a humanoid figure stood. Upon closer inspection, the werewolf determined this figure to be a human, and an unprotected one at that. The werewolf practically jumped up in joy at this sight, unhesitatingly altering its course so as to catch the jump on this delectable prey.
A golden meal had come in its time of need—wouldn't it be just outright criminal to pass it up!?
A similar thought formed in Sylas's mind as he sensed an unbridled murderous intent being directed at him. He pretended not to notice it, yet was already in the process of determining his next course of action.
'Foreign entity. By the vibrations on the ground, it weighs roughly half a ton. Human in stature, but possesses similarities to a wolf. It can't properly control its bloodlust. Strength and speed are both higher than my own.'
'Threat level: Moderate.'
With thousands of years spent honing his battle instincts and senses, Sylas didn't need any special ability or System to read his enemy like an open book. He only needed them to let their guard down.
The werewolf had been stalking Sylas for the last ten seconds or so. It may have been impatient, but it still felt the need to make sure it wasn't being fooled by some sort of expert playing the pig to catch the tiger. However, after so long with the black-haired human doing nothing other than wander the battlefield, the werewolf could all but be assured that he wasn't a strong one in disguise. He was just an idiot.
Thus, it wasted no time, and with both its sharpened claws, it slashed out at the seemingly unaware Sylas.
"Die, human!!"
'What weak prey!' it thought after noticing no reaction from the human; he was still just standing there, as if in a daze, about to receive the full brunt of its attack. 'Is this actually God giving me a saving grace??'
However, no matter if this was an act of God or just a fortunate encounter, the werewolf honestly couldn't care less anymore. It just wanted to fill its stomach, recover, and slaughter the bloodsuckers that injured it—
Lost in its own thoughts, the monster failed to notice when its vision suddenly split in two.
"W-What…"
It wasn't even allowed to fully comprehend its situation before the grim reaper came to retrieve its lost soul, making way for a fountain of blood that gushed out of its bisected corpse.
Even with its sneaky approach and all its cautiousness, it still met the same end as any other battlefield dweller that had dared to attack Sylas in the last few hours. None of them could compare to even his little toe, no matter if their stats were higher than his or not.
"I just want to make it home to my sister and mother. Why do all you pests insist on bothering me?" Sylas spoke in a chilling tone, his right hand clasping a scythe nearly as tall as he was. Blood trickled down its razor-sharp black-steel edges, its surface humming to the tune of death, a harrowing object gleaming under the guise of the night.
This was his very first Soulkon Ability, known only as [Reaper's Scythe]. When activated, it consumed no energy of his own and boosted his [Strength] and [Dexterity] stats by 15%. Furthermore, it could be summoned at any time, capable of catching opponents off guard. Oftentimes, this led to their demise, as shown with the werewolf.
[You have reaped the life of a Level 6 Werewolf]
[Obtained 28 Souls]
[Souls: 125/125] - [Breakthrough!]
[You leveled up!]
[Strength +3]
[Dexterity +3]
[Defense +2]
[Spirit +5]
[Free Stat Points +3]
Sylas witnessed similar such digital spectacles several times over the last few hours, so they no longer surprised him. However, it was still a very pleasant feeling when receiving the boons from these level ups, as his power would always jump up a notch or two.
"Open Interface," he ordered, no longer bothering himself with the werewolf or its carcass; the thing could rot on the battlefield for all he cared.
BLING!
A gold-edged crimson screen opened up before Sylas, showing him just how much he improved in just a single night.
[Grim Reaper System]
[Name: Sylas Skyfall]
[Rank: Level 5 (Fledgling Reaper)]
[Souls: 7/250]
[Strength: 15 → 23]
[Dexterity: 16 → 22]
[Defense: 14 → 19]
[Spirit: 21 → 34]
[Free Stat Points: 13 → 22]
[Soulkon(s): Reaper's Scythe (F-)]
"My stats as they are should put me roughly at the same level as a strong Rank 1 Warrior," Sylas mused.
In the world of Star Drift Continent, there was a strict power ranking system that all the living beings adhered to. It was structured in such a way that no one weaker in rank would ever foolishly disrespect someone of higher rank, with the power suppression behind each Rank practically engraved into their bloodlines.
However, that wasn't to say that the ranking system was all black and white, as there were specializations. These included, but were not limited to: Warriors, Mages, Priests, Necromancers, and Knights.
Each specialization had extremely high potential, capable of birthing even legendary Rank 7 powerhouses: country-level existences, singular entities possessing enough might to intimidate whole nations.
For Sylas to go from zero to equal in power to a strong Rank 1 this early on demonstrated to him the true horrifying potential of his [Grim Reaper System]—an overwhelming advantage he lacked in his first life.
"With this System and my own Supreme cultivation techniques, what happened in my first life won't happen again. No harm will befall my family—not anymore; I won't allow it."
Something dark and ancient swept the area around Sylas, originating from his pitch-black heart. Death weaved itself into his sight, everything around him becoming a potential casualty—an utterly terrifying scene to behold.
After a couple of seconds, the ominous phenomena faded into obscurity. Sylas then returned his focus back to his original objective: returning home.
He had to see them.
He had to see whether they were still the same as he remembered…
[On a lone cliff 10 miles away]
FWIP!
A suited figure with slicked-back hair and pale skin appeared out of thin air. He kneeled in front of a woman on the cliff's edge.
"My Lady, that mangy mutt's vital signals have flatlined," the suited figure reported, respectfully keeping his gaze down. "Should we recall the Hunters—…"
"No," the woman interjected, her long silky black hair wildly blowing in the wind. "The dog was killed, but I still need to bring back a trophy for Lord Father. Let's have the dog's killer be this trophy."
"…My Lady, is it truly wise to switch targets? The one who killed the wolf helped us out; shouldn't we be thanking them instead of huntin—…" Noticing the deadly aura seeping out of the woman, the pale suited man quickly shut his trap.
The woman slowly turned around, revealing a pale face so beautiful that it looked like it didn't belong to this world. Her body was equally unreal, as she redefined the standards of an exceptionally attractive female. However, when her luscious red lips began to move, the suited man's attention was immediately taken away from her otherworldly appearance:
"The killer is a… human."
"!!!"
This announcement changed everything.
There was no longer a need to hold back. In fact, the moment he heard the word human get spoken, the suited man's fangs revealed themselves, shining in the depths of the night.
"I'll carry out your will without fail, My Lady!" he loudly declared, failing to conceal the wide, voracious grin that stretched from one ear to the other.
His stance on attacking the werewolf's killer was the complete opposite of what it was just a second ago. And for good reason; after all, they were Vampires, and if there was anything they hated just as much as their archenemies, the Werewolves, then it had to be the hateful humans that populated the world like the plague.
Whenever a human entered the picture, it was kill on sight!
"The Imperials and Oathbound have taken their war farther north, toward the Abyss Ridge, but there could still be some of those bloodbags lingering in the Azure Borders. You understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
It took a second before a flash of realization passed through the suited man's slitted eyes. "Yes, My Lady, this servant understands. The vermin will be brought back as a lifeless head within the hour; no more time than necessary will be wasted!"
The breathtakingly beautiful woman merely nodded before turning back around, returning her gaze to the boundless expanse of desolation that stretched out for as far as the eye could see.
FWIP!
The suited man vanished from his place on the cliff, leaving the woman alone with her thoughts, her expression an unreadable mystery.