I jolted awake, gasping for air. Cold sweat drenched my entire body. My heart pounded so hard that my ears were ringing.
"A dream... just a damn dream," I muttered, trying to steady my breathing.
I reached for the glass of water on the table, but my hand froze mid-air. In the darkness of my room, illuminated only by the moonlight filtering through the window slits, a notification screen appeared. But this one was different. It wasn't the usual system blue. It was deep red—like clotted blood—as if written in the ink of death.
[Eschaton Authority System: Initializing...]
[Soul Synchronization Successful: 100%]
Name: Aiden Cross
Level: 0
Class: Harvester
"What is this?" my voice trembled. "Aiden... Cross? I never even knew my last name."
And that class... Harvester? Had I just been assigned the role of a gardener at the lowest point of my life? The screen flickered, emitting a crimson glow that filled the room.
[Class Achievement Reward: Harvester]
Open Reward? (Y/N)
The red light dimmed, leaving a line of text that left me stunned.
[Item Obtained: Black Sickle]
A small black hole opened in the air right in front of me. An old wooden handle wrapped in black cloth emerged, followed by a curved blade of pitch-black metal that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. There was no aura of power, no glimmer of Mana. It looked like nothing more than a worn-out weed cutter.
I gripped the sickle. It felt cold—freezing—yet it fit perfectly in my hand. It was as if this object was a part of me that had been missing all this time.
"WHAT IS ALL THIS?!" I suddenly screamed. The frustration I had suppressed for three years exploded instantly. "DAMN SYSTEM! ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!"
I threw the sickle to the floor, but there was no sound as the metal hit the wood. The sickle stood upright, its tip embedded in the floorboards.
"FIRST, YOU TURNED ME INTO A FALLEN! YOU LET THEM INSULT ME AS TRASH! AND NOW... YOU GIVE ME A WEED SICKLE?!"
I laughed hysterically in the darkness. "YOU WANT ME TO BE A GARDENER INSIDE A DUNGEON?! FILTHY SYSTEM! ANSWER ME, YOU BASTARD!"
The system did not answer. It simply continued to blink with that eerie red hue, as if waiting for something I didn't yet understand. I didn't realize what was actually happening at that moment. For a while, I stared at the sickle, feeling a strange sensation creeping through me. I began to wonder: what kind of system was this? Was it a new system? And 'Cross'... was that my family name? How did the system know?
The next morning, I woke up after a forced sleep with a mountain of questions. I prepared my gear to move out of this house and into a much worse place. After getting ready, I looked at the sickle again. On second thought, it looked quite cool; it had a sturdy blade and a handle wrapped in worn cloth. But why did the system give it to me? Was it of any use?
"System," I said. The screen appeared again. I was still confused as to why this system was red, unlike the usual ones.
I took the sickle, intending to put it into my Inventory just in case it might be useful later. However, a warning suddenly popped up:
[CANNOT PLACE ITEM IN INVENTORY BEFORE BINDING]
- Give the sickle a small amount of blood so it can recognize its owner.
I had heard that only Tier-S weapons required blood so they couldn't be used by anyone else. Could this be a Tier-S weapon? No, that's impossible. It's just an ordinary sickle. Perhaps this weapon held a secret, or was the system just playing with me again?
Whatever. Let's just try it.
I nicked the tip of my left index finger with the blade. Blood flowed and touched the metal.
[BINDING PROCESS]
Progress: 1/100... 7/100...
The screen flickered until it reached 100/100. When the process finished, I felt a chill pierce through my bones. Strangely, the cold wasn't bothersome; it felt familiar.
[BINDING COMPLETE]
[EMERGENCY MISSION]
QUEST 1: Go to Guangdong Forest.
QUEST 2: Kill 10 Tier-F monsters.
(Locked)
(Locked)
REWARD: 1 Random Black Sickle Skill.
FAILURE PENALTY: One ball will be severed.
TIME LIMIT: 2 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes.
"What?! One ball gets cut off?!" I screamed in shock. "What do you mean my ball? Damn system, what kind of system is this!"
Guangdong Forest
In utter agony, I finally reached Guangdong Forest. This place was one of the vast forests in the East Pangaea region. Guangdong was inhabited by many monsters, but they were generally only Tier-F. There were no Tier restrictions for Hunters here, so it was often used by low-rank Hunters working as dungeon cleaners or party members to cull the Grimrats (rat monsters) found here.
Monsters had a chance to drop items that could be sold or used. The stronger the monster, the higher the chance of dropping high-quality items.
"Excuse me, I want to enter the forest," I told the guard.
"Show proof that you are a Hunter."
I showed my ID card. The guard suddenly stopped and looked at me seriously.
"Are you serious, kid?" he asked. "You're a Fallen. I know you must be stressed facing reality, but suicide isn't the way. There are other paths."
He lectured me, thinking I was looking for a place to end my life. I couldn't answer. Honestly, I was terrified to go in there alone, but the system's threat was too horrifying to ignore. Besides, he wouldn't believe I came here to hunt. Even a Tier-F Hunter with a level would need a party to come here, yet here I was at Level 0, all by myself.
"Suit yourself. At least I've warned you. Here is your access card."
"Thank you, officer."
After walking a few steps, I heard the officer mutter softly, "Kids these days, always in a hurry to die. And yet life is so much fun when you're young."
I walked a few dozen meters until I reached the main entrance. As soon as I tapped my access card, I was instantly teleported to the edge of the forest. I trembled as I saw monsters in the distance. My body froze. A few Grimrats appeared to be gnawing on animal bones. There were at least five of them.
"How am I supposed to kill them?" I whispered to myself as I stood there watching them.
Unfortunately, the five Grimrats stopped gnawing. They turned their heads left and right, and their glowing red eyes locked onto me. My heart felt like it stopped beating.
"Damn, I have to run!"
I turned around and tried to run as fast as possible, but the rats were much faster than me.
"Argh!" A Grimrat almost bit me. Dammit, I don't want to die! But if I don't kill them, I'll become a eunuch. Dammit!
I immediately pulled my sickle from my Inventory. I racked my brain for a way to kill them. If I was going to die, I at least wouldn't die without putting up a fight. No, I wouldn't die this pathetically!
If the Grimrats ran at that speed, I was sure they couldn't stop abruptly. I started running while dodging those rats, struggling to dodge their attacks even as my steps faltered.
"NOW!" I shouted as I spun around quickly. I looked at the rats, closed my eyes, and swung the sickle with all my might.
CLAK!
I opened my eyes when I heard the sound of a slash. I did it! One rat was dead, but suddenly the dead rat emitted a white aura.
[DORMANT DEATH SOUL OBTAINED]
LEVEL 0 [EXP 1/100]
The white aura entered my sickle and instantly my EXP increased. Does this mean I can level up? I can become stronger! Ambition surged within me as I saw the number. I would slaughter these damn rats.
I looked at the other rats that had stopped, perhaps shocked to see their companion dead. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I swung the sickle forward. The rat dodged, but I slashed again.
CLAK!
[DORMANT DEATH SOUL OBTAINED]
LEVEL 0 [EXP 2/100]
So, these souls give 1 EXP. Fine, come here, all of you! My fear was gone; instead, it was the rats who now looked terrified.
CLAK!
[DORMANT DEATH SOUL OBTAINED]
CLAK!
[DORMANT DEATH SOUL OBTAINED]
CLAK!
[DORMANT DEATH SOUL OBTAINED]
The rats were all dead. I did it! I successfully killed them. I slumped to the ground in exhaustion. I felt something strange within me; a pleasant sensation I had never felt before. A sense of satisfaction because I had succeeded, rather than constantly failing.
I will fight to become strong. I clenched my fist, promising myself with a burning determination to keep moving forward.
"Krrsk—krrsk..."
What was that sound? I turned to my right, and instantly my pupils dilated at the sight of the figure now standing before me.