Rain poured harder as Ren Akuro stood frozen in the alley.
The glowing system interface hovered before his eyes, its crimson light reflecting in the puddles beneath his feet.
The target marker pulsed slowly ahead of him.
A man in a dark suit walked toward the end of the alley, completely unaware.
Ren's heart pounded.
He had imagined leveling up countless times before. Imagined walking back into that classroom stronger than everyone who laughed at him.
But imagining it and actually killing someone were two very different things.
The red orb floating above his palm pulsed again.
The system window refreshed.
TARGET IDENTIFIED
Name: Daisuke Morita
SIN LEVEL: 64%
CRIMES DETECTED:
• Embezzlement
• Fraud
• Physical Assault
MISSION: HARVEST
REWARD:
+100 EXP
+1 LEVEL
+5 STR
+5 AGI
+5 INT
+1 SKILL POINT
Ren swallowed.
The system was judging people.
And it had already decided this man deserved death.
A whisper echoed inside his mind.
"Hesitation is the privilege of the powerful."
Kuroshin's voice.
Cold.
Ancient.
Watching.
Ren clenched his fists.
"Easy for you to say," he muttered.
The demon king chuckled softly in his mind.
"You asked for power, Ren Akuro. Power demands action."
"When?"
"Your thoughts"
Ahead of him, Daisuke Morita stopped beneath a flickering streetlamp and pulled out his phone.
Ren's vision suddenly shifted.
Another window appeared.
SIN HUNTER SYSTEM
Level: 1 → Pending Level Up
Class: Novice Hunter
Stats
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Intelligence: 5
HP: 100
Stamina: 100
Available Skill: NONE
Ren exhaled slowly.
The numbers looked pathetic. It reminded him how easily he can be eliminated from the system and how pathetic his life currently is.
Even the target's stats appeared next to him.
TARGET STATS
Strength: 12
Agility: 10
Awareness: 8
The man was stronger, stronger than he is.
Ren frowned.
"So I'm supposed to kill someone stronger than me? How am I supposed to do that?"
"You are not alone," Kuroshin replied.
The red orb pulsed brighter.
Energy flowed into Ren's hand like a living heartbeat.
A new notification appeared.
NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED
Sin Sense
Allows the user to perceive wicked intent and weak points in corrupted targets.
Ren blinked.
Then suddenly—
The world changed.
Dark red veins of energy appeared around the target's body, revealing his movements before they happened.
It was like watching a prediction.
Ren's breathing slowed.
So this is what the system means…
He stepped forward.
Quiet and careful not to allow target notice him yet.
The rain masked his footsteps.
Morita was still focused on his phone, grumbling about something.
"…idiots. If those investors knew what I did with their money…"
Ren's eyes narrowed.
Sin energy surged around the man.
The system highlighted the target again.
WEAK POINT DETECTED
Neck / Spine
SUCCESS RATE: 68%
Ren hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then the memory of the classroom flashed through his mind. The laughter and humiliation.
The whispers of Level 1 like he was useless and pathetic to think pursuing education would better his ranking or level.
Something inside him snapped.
Ren moved, faster than he ever imagined he would in his entire life.
Morita turned too late.
"What the hell—"
The red orb exploded with energy.
Ren slammed his palm into the man's chest.
The system reacted instantly.
HARVEST INITIATED
Dark red energy surged from the man's body into the orb.
Morita screamed.
The sound was cut short.
His body collapsed into the wet pavement.
Silence returned to the alley.
Ren staggered back, breathing heavily.
His heart hammered like it might burst from his chest.
Then the system erupted with notifications.
TARGET ELIMINATED
EXP GAINED: 100
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL 2 ACHIEVED
Ren gasped.
Power surged through his body.
His muscles tightened.
His senses sharpened.
Even the rain felt clearer against his skin.
More messages appeared.
STAT INCREASE
Strength: +5
Agility: +5
Intelligence: +5
NEW STATS
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 10
Ren flexed his fingers.
The difference was immediate.
He felt stronger and faster.
More alive.
"SO this is what level 2 feels like". He thought.
Another notification appeared.
SKILL POINT AVAILABLE
SKILL UNLOCKED:
Shadow Step
Short-distance burst movement. Excellent for stealth attacks.
Ren laughed quietly.
A single kill…
And he had already doubled his power.
"This system is insane…" he murmured
"It is efficient," Kuroshin corrected.
Ren looked down at the lifeless body.
For a moment, guilt tried to surface.
But the system interrupted.
SIN CONFIRMATION
Target classified as Wicked.
Elimination justified.
The guilt vanished almost instantly.
Ren exhaled slowly.
"So this is how I rise…"
Above him, on a distant rooftop, unknown to him, someone watched.
A girl stood beneath the rain, her dark hair blowing in the wind.
Reina Kurotsuki.
Her sharp eyes focused on the alley below.
She had seen everything.
The glowing red energy.
The man collapsing.
And the strange boy standing over the body.
Her expression didn't change.
But her curiosity ignited.
"…interesting." She whispered nodding her head.
Below, Ren turned and walked into the shadows of Shinkai City.
His system interface glowed softly before him.
Level 2.
And for the first time in his life…
Ren Akuro felt like he was finally climbing the Kizuna Hierarchy.