Chapter 3

***

"Hey. Hey! You didn't get what I told ya, right?"

What was that? This voice sounded familiar. Who might that be?

"No matter what happens between us, we two will always stay together, yes?"

It was pitch black. I couldn't see anything, my body was stunned, but I could feel how my body was writhing in discomfort. Still, I had recognized her voice, which touched me again and again from the bottom of my heart.

I am sorry. You have to bear it without me for a while. No matter how and what, I will return without a doubt.

What did my grandpa always say? If you have a goal that you really want to accomplish, you will certainly achieve it.

***

"Hngh-" After Dan woke up, he instantly gasped for air as if he had just woken up from a nightmare. His thoughts on her didn't change a bit. The fact that she appeared to his mind once more, was definitely a downer for his motivation but also for his mood.

"Guess I'll start again with trying to overcome my heartbreak. Oh? Did I cry while I was asleep?" The dried but sticky tears that left clear lines from his eye to his cheeks indicated the situation.

"No time to be sickened in love, I have to deal with it!" Thus Dan stood up from his self-made mattress out of leaves, which he placed next to a big tree, not far from the river.

With widened eyes, he checked his surroundings but also up to the horizon. Thanks to his trick, which he learned from school in Geography, he was able to determine approximately how much daylight was left.

"I would guess it's noon to the beginning of the afternoon. Right now, I am level 17. There's still a long way to go. Also, I can't use my spear right now. Isn't it now the time to purchase something from the shop?" Dan put his right thumb under his chin in order to properly think about it.

"System open, shop!"

[Profile][Skills][Magic][Titles][Achievements][Quests][Inventory]{Shop}

>Weapons

| Goliaths Club [Club]

| Thief Dagger [Dagger]

| Slave Whip [Whip]

| Wooden Crossbow [Crossbow]

| Oldschool Reaper [Reaper] *

| .....

>Armor

| Iron Chestplate [Chestplate]

| Destructive Oni [Mask] *

| Maos Golden Gauntlet [Gauntlet]

| Joker Sign [Shoes]

| Darkside Cloak [Cloak] *

|.....

>Potions

| Bloodlust [Potion]

| Brave Of Lion [Potion]

| Rabbits Stubbornness [Potion]

| Holy Water [Potion]

| Old Man's Bait [Potion]

|.....

>Skills

| Japanese Martial Arts Style [Skills]

| Chinese Martial Arts Style [Skills]

| Soulbound [Skills] *

| Mind Observation [Skills]

| Jet To The West [Skills]

|.....

>Miscellaneous

| Uncle Jenkins' Fishing Rod [Misc]

| Mystery Book [Misc]

| Enchanted Rope [Misc]

| Compass [Misc]

| Mystery Egg [Misc]

|.....

"Okay, here we go. It is still the same items that I crossed yesterday. Let's check the "Oldschool Reaper" first, which the system recommended to me. Also, I do have a 10% discount on all the articles related to my elements."

Oldschool Reaper [Uncommon]

Costs: 11000

Quality: C-

Type: Scythe

Additional stats on wear: +3 Vitality

A rusty reaper that is still useful in some situations. Presumably used against non-armored targets.

[BUY] [ABORT]

"A reaper is a two-handed weapon. It's a great weapon to keep enemies at a distance. I can start with a blade attack but also I can push enemies with the end of the handle away. This system surely knows my type but no, I don't think a reaper would be the best choice. For now at least. Meh, forget the discount. Oh, what about a dagger? Let me scroll down a bit..."

[Profile][Skills][Magic][Titles][Achievements][Quests][Inventory]{Shop}

>Weapons

| ....

| ....

| ....

| Thirst Of Beelzebub [Dagger]

| ....

| ....

...

...

"Ah! The thirst of Beelzebub appears to be interesting. Let's check it out" Dan was full of expectations and hope, staring at the name.

Thirst of Beelzebub [Rare]

Costs: 35000

Quality: B

Type: Dagger

Additional stats on wear: +4 Agility

Lost relict of Beelzebub. The son of king Clemens IV. back in 530, who got discriminated against and excluded from society. In immense hatred and desire for revenge, he stabbed his family and others who were involved in the mockery. After his death, he was reborn as a demon.

A part of his bloodlust remained in this dagger.

[BUY][ABORT]

"Short, but deadly. Probably a good all-rounder for me. I'll pick this one as my starter weapon then."

A white charge of sparkles flew in a spiral path on Dan's hands. From the sparks, a black steeled dagger with a red line down the center of the blade appeared in his hands. The handle was somehow comfortable. In addition, the blade of the dagger was formed in a zig-zag pattern.

[Notification]

You've successfully bought "Thirst of Beelzebub"

Since the user hasn't selected any weapon before, the weapon has been selected for the user automatically.

You have 28500 karma now.

"Unique style, but I like it. Now, whenever I have this, I'll get more agility, sense, and strength as a bonus, huh." Dan stared at the dagger and performed some air slashes to check its potential in combats.

"So, let's get to "Destructive Oni" now."

Destructive Oni [Epic]

Costs: 48000

Quality: B+

Type: Mask

Additional stats on wear: +5 Strength, +5 Vitality

Mask creator Arita Kazuki who made this mask for Halloween was tortured by his best friend Yokoyama Kame on an evening on Halloween 1957. What was left was the evil spirit of Arita Kazuki that existed in the mask for eternity.

[BUY][ABORT]

"These lore I've read are pretty dark so far. But what did I expect? Well, I would still appreciate it if these would be less f*cked up. Alright, this item seems to be a good catch. I'll save it up for later." Dan clicked the [ABORT] button and quickly turned his glance to his left and right to make sure no living creatures could attack him by surprise.

"Last but not least, it's the "Darkside Cloak" time to shine."

Darkside Cloak [Rare]

Costs: 20000

Quality: B-

Type: Cloak

Additional stats on wear: +2 Sense, +4 Magic

Typical black cotton but with some magical effect on it. Even though it was kept plain and simple, the cloak was an ideal way to hide most of the identity away.

[BUY][ABORT]

"All right, for someone who was been chosen to be a villain by unfree will, a cloak is the right and proper thing for me. Fine, I'll take that." Dan sarcastically told the sky as he was confident that the gods or whatever he thought it was, would hear it.

[Notification]

You've successfully bought "Darkside Cloak"

Since the user hasn't worn any clothing for his upper body before, the cloak has been selected for the user automatically.

You have 8500 karma now.

Like the same process with the dagger, the white particles were encircling nearby his body. Immediately a cloak appeared outside his body. The feeling of the cotton warmed Dan's skin up.

"Now it is more comfortable to sleep. Sadly it doesn't come with a hood, well it's just me being extra anyways. That's not the deal right now, I will check my stats, and then I will make my way to hunt."

"System open!"

{Profile}[Skills][Magic][Titles][Achievements][Quests][Inventory][Shop]

Da Yin – 17 – Level 17 – Class: Dominator

Title: Novice

Mana: 472/472

Vitality: 6

Agility: 6(*4)

Stamina: 7

Strength: 9

Sense: 10(*2)

Magic: 13(*4)

Skill: 6

Remaining skill points: 0

"Looks promising. Now's the hunt is easier."

With careful thought, he considered where he could best find many animals to hunt. After all, he wanted to level up more quickly, on the one hand, because he desperately wanted to buy the mask, and on the other hand, he had no intention to look like a weakling if he did meet people.

In the end, he had decided to go straight into the deep forest. With the help of the eye of the phantom, the hunt would be less nerve-racking.

Not too long, he could recognize something rustling behind him in the bushes.

"It's time..."

He turned around and what he saw were the same kinds of wolves he killed yesterday. This time they came as a pack of 10 wolves. Apparently, they were alerted by the smell of the wolf's corpse, so they set off to find the one responsible. Their yellow-shined eyes emitted an aura even more frightening than that of yesterday's wolf. They all came out of the bushes, aggressively roaring and pointing their sharp teeth at Dan, walking towards him in a slight crouch as if it was the entrance of a bad ending.

In the middle of the forest's path, all ten wolves were waiting for an opening move, so was Dan. Due to their size and number, an amount of breezy wind had released. The wind was blowing within a radius of 50 meters. Therefore a mass of chaos was caused, which tons of plants were spinning around because of its force.

"Something changed this time. This time, my prey came as a group. Fighting against the pack could be difficult since they are clearly communicating with each other. Smart but not smart enough to eliminate me."

Dan immediately went into his fighting stance, pointing his left leg forward. At the same time, he formed his arms into an X-shape with his right arm as his front, that was the arm where he held his dagger with its blade pointing to his right. At the same time, his left arm should serve as a cover. He saw this fighting position in a fantasy film. Not long after he had adopted this position, the wolves were the first to attack him. He was able to take advantage of their formation, as fortunately, they didn't circle him. Quickly he went to the wolf on his last right. He wanted to prevent him from being forced to move backward from possible attacks to his left and right. Only the left wolf on his target would be his only deal after trying to hit his target. He wanted to use every single possible way to maintain his advantage.

Running towards him to get a boost for his charge on the wolf, he prepared his attack. When it was the perfect moment, he jumped on him, holding his neck tight, and quickly stabbed his throat several times. Out of fright, the wolf tried to hit him with all his leftover power. At the time, Dan had already rolled to his left to maintain a distance. Lastly, he dropped dead on the ground.

[Level Up]

You've reached the next level!

Level: 17 -> 23

As a reward, 12 skill points, the skill "Insight" and 15000 Karma has been given to the user.

"Level Up? As expected. My plan worked out smoothly so far. Since the other wolves who were behind me are rushing onward, my only problem is the wolf directly in front of me." Dan thought out loud while gazing at the wolves behind his actual target.

"You thought I am that dumb to fight against 10 wolves with a dagger? Well yes, I did think about that, but I am not strong enough yet to do it on my own. Let me introduce you to my fellow companions!

Awakening Of The Demon Dogs!"

Suddenly the ground trembled lightly, making the wolves to back off from Dan. It was more a decision out of curiosity than a natural sense of protecting themselves.

At that moment, five demon dogs appeared from the ground, facing the targets in a charging position and waiting for their master's orders. Their appearance was what you would imagine demon dogs would look like. The magnificent hell red fur, bright yellow eyes without pupils that were looking through the souls of the wolves, the magma that the demon dogs always spluttered out in an interval but always were disappearing once in seconds - these were the noblest traits of the proud demon dogs. Although they were the size of an average dog, one shouldn't underestimate them.

The wolves were glancing at each other in pride. They didn't take the demon dogs seriously. In fact, they were sure that they would win the battle. Size alone decides superiority - that was how the wolves thought. In this way, they would choose their leader and mating partners.

"Ho? So, they are underestimating my summons?

Aah, I have to do it quickly otherwise, I will run out of my mana. Demon Dogs, attack them!"

Immediately after his command, the demon dogs charged at the 9 remaining wolves with a battle howl, the light wolves also reacted quickly. It was a 5 against 9 situation, not counting Dan in.

Nevertheless, it was easy-going for the demon dogs. Their plan was to injure every 5 of them, whether it was a bite in their tough flesh or scratching with their paws, the most important factor was that they had to quickly back off and then switch their targets instantly. Over and over again, in order to slow them down through injury. Because their strategy was too effective, the wolves wanted to flee in the direction where they came from.

But Dan quickly dashed in front of the bushes to cut their paths off.

"Ahoo~" It was the last sound of wolves who were living their last moments in this world. Blood spurted out from their cuts, their pupils began to fade out.

[Level Up]

You've reached the next level!

Level: 23 -> 29

As a reward, 12 skill points and 15000 Karma has been given to the user.

"Checkmate." Dan was pleased with the result, it turned out better than he thought. He eliminated each of them in a few moves. While his summons fought against the enemies, he quickly checked his new skill, which he had obtained after targeting the first wolf. He had not expected the skill to come in handy in such a situation, as he had previously considered it as a mediocre skill. As a final goodbye gift, Dan consecutively stabbed in their wounds.

"Did I-..."

***

>Insight [Rare]

Quality: C

Type: Active

Whenever a living being is injured enough to develop a lethal spot over its body, the position will get marked in red.

***