The silence in the room felt heavy.
Three boys stood frozen near the doorway, their confident sneers gone, replaced by confusion and unease. The black mist curling around my feet wasn't thick—but it was enough.
Enough to make them feel it.
"W-What is this?" one of them muttered, stepping back.
Their leader recovered first. He scoffed, though his voice lacked its usual edge.
"Trying to scare us, Kai?" he said. "You think a trick like this—"
I moved.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just one step forward.
The air shifted.
Their expressions changed instantly.
Fear.
Pure, instinctive fear.
"Despair detected."
"Synchronization increased: 5%."
So that's how it works.
The blade wasn't feeding on blood—not yet.
It was feeding on emotion.
I spoke calmly. "Leave."
They stared at me, stunned.
The leader clenched his fists. "You've got some nerve—"
He rushed me.
A stupid decision.
I sidestepped easily. This body was weak, but my experience wasn't. I grabbed his wrist, twisted, and used his momentum to slam him into the wall.
The room shook.
He collapsed to the floor, gasping.
The other two panicked.
"Kai—wait—we were just joking!"
I looked at them.
In my past life, I had believed words like that.
Now?
I lifted the sword.
The chains rattled.
"No," I said quietly. "You weren't."
I didn't swing wildly.
I struck once—clean and controlled.
The flat of the blade hit the second boy's shoulder, releasing a burst of dark force. He screamed as he was thrown backward, crashing into the door before sliding down unconscious.
The third tried to run.
He didn't make it far.
I appeared in front of him, my eyes meeting his trembling gaze.
"P-Please…" he whispered.
I hesitated.
Just for a moment.
Then the blade pulsed.
"First kill condition available."
"Do you accept?"
My heart tightened.
This was the moment.
In my previous life, my first kill had been on a battlefield—surrounded by screams, justified by war.
This time, there would be no excuse.
Just choice.
I remembered the sword in my chest.
The smile on my ally's face.
The words you're no longer needed.
I answered calmly.
"…Yes."
The blade moved.
One precise strike.
The boy collapsed, eyes wide, breath gone.
The room went silent again.
I stood there, breathing slowly, staring at the body on the floor.
No triumph.
No thrill.
Only a strange calm.
"First blood consumed."
"Synchronization increased: 10%."
"Skill unlocked: Shadow Reinforcement (Low)."
A faint warmth spread through my limbs, easing the strain on my body.
So this was the path.
I looked down at my hands.
"They won't come after me anymore," I said softly. "But others will."
The blade didn't argue.
Outside, distant bells rang—morning announcements for the academy entrance exams.
I sheathed the sword.
"This world hasn't started burning yet," I murmured, stepping over the fallen bodies.
"But it will."
And this time—
I would be ready.