Chapter 1: The Soul of a Predator
The rain over the Azure Empire failed to wash away the scent of blood. Instead, it seemed to make it even stronger.
Lonas ran desperately through the forest, gasping for air. His lungs burned with every breath, and his vision blurred from exhaustion and blood loss. Behind him, relentless footsteps echoed through the darkness, drawing closer with every passing second.
Lonas was only a Level 2 Martial Practitioner. In this world, strength determined everything, and the weak had no place. Yet the people pursuing him were no ordinary enemies. They were elite assassins, sent by the very people he had trusted the most—his own family and the woman he had once sworn to protect.
"Why..." he whispered, his voice trembling. "Why would they do this?"
No answer came.
And deep down, he realized it no longer mattered.
Ahead of him stood Devil's Maw, a massive cliff hidden beneath thick mist. Beyond it was only a bottomless abyss.
There was nowhere left to run.
The Last Battle
Five figures emerged silently from the darkness, their black armor glimmering beneath the pale moonlight.
They were elite assassins from the House of Thorne.
The leader slowly drew his sword.
"There's nowhere left to run, Young Master," he said coldly. "Your fiancée sends her regards. She said you were too kind... too weak. She seeks a man with greater ambition."
Lonas remained silent.
Something inside him shattered.
If death was inevitable...
Then he would meet it standing.
The battle began.
Despite being hopelessly outmatched, Lonas fought with everything he had. Betrayal and rage pushed his body far beyond its limits.
Again and again, blades cut into his flesh.
Again and again, he refused to fall.
One assassin collapsed.
Then another.
The remaining killers stared in disbelief.
The gentle young master they had mocked had transformed into a desperate beast cornered by death.
But every victory demanded a price.
When the final assassin fell, Lonas collapsed onto the blood-soaked ground. His body was covered in fatal wounds, and his heartbeat grew weaker with each passing second.
He looked up at the gray sky.
Then...
Everything went dark.
Lonas died.
The King of Killers Returns
Far beyond the boundaries of life and death, a lone soul drifted endlessly through the endless void.
On Earth, no one knew his true name.
The underworld called him The Ghost of Cain.
He was the world's most feared contract killer—a legend who completed impossible missions before vanishing without leaving a single trace.
Then...
Without warning—
His soul was pulled into another world.
Gasp.
Lonas's lifeless body twitched.
His eyes slowly opened.
But the warmth and innocence that once filled them had disappeared.
In their place were cold, emotionless eyes—the eyes of a predator.
The man slowly sat up.
His body was broken.
His bones ached.
Blood covered his clothes.
Yet his expression never changed.
"A new world..." he muttered calmly.
Suddenly, countless memories flooded into his mind.
Lonas's childhood.
His family's cruelty.
His fake fiancée.
The conspiracy to murder him and seize his inheritance.
The Ghost of Cain chuckled quietly.
"Betrayed by family... betrayed by love..."
"Some things never change."
There was no sorrow in his heart.
Only familiarity.
Returning Home
He forced himself to stand.
His legs trembled beneath him.
This body was pitifully weak.
Using a shattered sword as a walking stick, he slowly made his way through Silver-Leaf Forest, a place filled with dangerous beasts capable of killing ordinary cultivators in an instant.
Even while gravely injured, the Ghost of Cain moved with absolute precision.
Every step was silent.
Every movement was calculated.
Like the perfect hunter.
As dawn painted the sky gold, he finally reached a small, weathered estate.
Lonas's home.
He stepped inside and stood before a cracked mirror.
For several moments, he silently observed his new face.
Then he gently touched the reflection.
"Rest now, kid."
"I'll make sure everyone who betrayed you pays the price."
The Beginning of Power
Searching through the room, Lonas discovered an old Martial Arts Manual hidden beneath a wooden chest.
His instincts immediately told him it was no ordinary book.
Without wasting a single moment, he began cultivating.
Three days passed.
By the end of his training, he had completely mastered every technique within the manual.
His body became noticeably stronger.
To test his new strength, he threw a single punch.
Boom!
The stone wall beside him exploded into pieces.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
It was time to grow stronger.
He walked into the jungle.
The Beast Battle
Not long after entering the forest, a Level 3 Demonic Beast suddenly leaped from the bushes.
Although Lonas was only Level 2, panic never appeared on his face.
The beast lunged toward him.
He dodged effortlessly and countered with a powerful punch.
Nothing happened.
His eyes narrowed.
The beast possessed the defensive strength of a Level 4 creature.
Ordinary attacks would never pierce its hide.
A Killer's Method
Instead of panicking, Lonas calmly studied the beast's movements.
He waited.
Patiently.
Silently.
The moment the beast exposed an opening—
He gathered every ounce of strength into one perfectly aimed strike.
Boom!
His fist crashed directly into the beast's skull.
The beast collapsed instantly.
Dead.
Without hesitation, Lonas removed its Beast Core and began absorbing its energy.
A powerful surge of spiritual force flowed through his body.
His cultivation rapidly increased.
Crack!
He broke through.
From Level 2... to Level 3.
His body became stronger.
His senses sharpened.
His journey had only just begun.