The system message announcing my revival cruelly dragged me back to reality.
Before I could fully gather myself, the door shattered, sending wooden splinters soaring through the air.
The door tilted and crashed down with a loud thud. Stepping onto the rolling fragments with a crunch, the man I thought had just crushed my head reappeared.
“Hey, kid. Were you sleeping? Sorry if I woke you… what came after that?”
“Hey, kid. Were you sleeping? Sorry if I woke you. I’ll just grab something and go, so stay quiet, alright?”
Even in this moment, my oddly calm mind let out a hollow laugh. A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.
So unless I took this guy down, this scene would repeat forever.
“That’s harsh. Really, really harsh.”
In a game, defeating an enemy takes a single click, but here, I had to kill with my own hands. If I didn’t, I would be trapped in this moment endlessly. Like it or not, I had to follow Sian’s intent.
Lifting my head to face the approaching man, I mentally recited the skills I’d read and memorized earlier.
My survival instinct outweighed any doubt about whether I could pull it off, urging me to act. Resentment toward Sian for dragging me here surged, but I pushed it aside for later. Hesitating again would mean a split skull.
[Entering combat.]
[Shadow Swordsmanship Form 1: Potential Unleash activates during combat.]
A message popped up saying my physical abilities had partially increased, and uncontrollable strength surged through my body.
This must be what baseless confidence feels like, but I took a deep breath and readied myself to move. Then, I activated three skills at once.
Shadow Sorcery
Form 1 - Shadow Spread
Form 2 - Magic Eye Open
Form 4 - Lesser Black Gear Crafting
The shadow at my feet spread wide across the room, my dynamic vision sharpened, and my skin became more sensitive. In my hand, a dagger took shape, practically a longsword for a child, formed from gathered black particles and perfectly balanced.
It was my first time holding such a blade, yet it didn’t feel unfamiliar. My mind stayed astonishingly calm.
No thrill or exhilaration. My rationality remained strikingly clear. The top priority was surviving this and winning without a scratch.
“Hoo.”
Alright, let’s get moving.
I don’t know what this is yet, but let’s get through this moment first/
+++
Yuda launched off the ground toward him. All he’d learned in my original world was taekwondo.
So, he had no clue how to swing a sword to effectively subdue or wound an enemy.
He didn’t know where to stab to land a critical hit or disable a body part.
Yet some sharp, inexplicable instinct guided this first-time sword wielder, his body responding naturally to his thoughts. The man scoffed and swung the axe from his shoulder. Ducking low, he heard the heavy blade whistle sharply over his head.
“It’s fine, I dodged it.”
Cold sweat trickled down as his breathing grew rough. He pressed forward. Close combat was risky. So what now? A skill for attacking without fully closing in popped into his head. He took exactly two steps forward and pulled the dagger to my chest.
"……."
He glanced at him and saw surprise on his face, but he was already preparing another attack. Frowning as he advanced, he stepped back and swung the axe handle at his head, probably thinking a kid like Yuda would drop the dagger and cry from the pain.
As the handle swung toward me, Yuda thrust the dagger into the air.
The mercenary, Zack, looked puzzled as I stabbed at empty space, even though there was still distance between them.
The black energy that had appeared when the dagger formed now gathered around its blade.
Yuda narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“You messed up.”
“What?”
—Shadow Swordsmanship
—Form 3: Single Point
The black energy surrounding the dagger clung to it, reshaping it into a thick, conical lance—seemingly impossible for a child to wield.
Startled by the sudden shift, Zack flinched. The massive conical blade pierced his solar plexus at the same speed it had stabbed the air.
"!"
Even knowing where the lance was aimed, even thinking to swing his axe to deflect it.
Zack could only stare as the blade plunged straight into his chest.
Squelch!
Zack’s eyes trembled with disbelief before losing focus entirely.
Once the skill landed a solid hit, the lance reverted to a dagger.
The hole where the lance pierced Zack’s chest looked like a bullet had torn through. It was gruesome. Worse, everything inside was seen—muscle, bone, blood, guts. Revolting. Blood spurted everywhere, splashing on the face.
“…It’s hot.”
Unpleasantly hot. He wiped the blood off my face with the back of my hand, but instead of cleaning it, it smeared. Zack’s body soon tilted and fell backward, hitting the ground with a terrifyingly loud thud.
Yuda looked down at the corpse, then at the blood on his hand.
The reality of killing someone for the first time sank in, but no confusion followed.
Instead, seeing Zack’s wide-eyed corpse stirred a strange excitement in him.
Before he could question that excitement, heavy footsteps stomped up the stairs to the second floor.
“Zack! What was that noise?”
The moment someone stepped on the shadow spread across the floor, he could roughly sense their position and size.
So that’s the effect of Shadow Spread.
What he had only grasped mentally, he now understood physically.
Turning his head in awe, he looked at the newcomer.
Compared to the fallen guy, his build was smaller.
Seeing Zack’s body, he instantly drew the sword from his waist, gripping it with both hands.
Yuda could feel his wary glare.
He alternated between staring at the dagger in his hand and Zack’s corpse.
“What? You, a kid, took down Zack?”
He couldn’t believe it. Like I was entranced, Yuda stepped toward him. Fear didn’t hit him at this point. Like a wild beast, he approached and stabbed the dagger into his heart. Literally, walked up and drove it in.
“Wha…t?”
The moment their eyes met—his glowing red—he couldn’t think for a split second.
When he came to senses, a small boy had already climbed his knee and plunged the dagger into his heart.
It felt like being possessed. He wanted to swing his sword and behead the boy, but his body wouldn’t obey.
His legs gave out, and he crumpled to the floor.
“This is cheats.”
Yuda muttered, looking down at his hand.
He had beaten foes whose physical prowess and experience far outmatched his.
He had taken two lives, yet there was still no mental fatigue or shock.
Maybe that’s why he so disjointed.
"……."
He just wanted to sleep. But there was still work to do.
He carried the body of a father—whose name he didn’t know and whose face he’d never seen—to the first floor.
Near the first-floor entrance lay a woman’s body. Probably the mother.
Judging by her position near the door, she’d likely been stabbed the moment she opened it.
Her eyes were wide open, as if her death felt unjust.
Seeing that made his heart heavy for no reason.
He didn’t know what to do with them. He wanted someone's help, but there was no one left to ask—they were all dead. Yuda smiled bitterly and moved the two bodies to the first floor.
The reason they came here was probably one thing.
“The Black Claw secrets I’ve mastered.”
I’d set it up that way, so it made sense.
But aside from Yuda’s initial setup, most details were skipped.
That’s because Yuda wasn’t a player character but an NPC rival, so it was only natural.
From the two mercenaries’ bodies, I got a silver badge and some gold.
Naturally, the badges marked them as guild mercenaries.
The front bore a coffin-shaped shield emblem, while the back listed names and hometowns. I pocketed them roughly and dumped the bodies outside the door.
If I left them like that, someone might spot them and come by when the sun rose.
──────────────────────────────
「Quest」
[Character.Yuda’s tutorial has been completed.]
└Reward: Level up by 3, possessions of the dead mercenaries.
──────────────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Yuda Arshe]
[Title: None]
[Level: 4]
[Class: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden_A)]
[Revival Count: 1]
[Strength: 20(D) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 15(F) / Potential S]
[Agility: 15(F) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 30(D) / Potential B]
[Mana Resistance: 50(C) / Potential S]
[Luck: 75(B) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 3]
──────────────────────────────
Level, huh.
Yuda didn’t feel like dealing with it now, so he skimmed the window and closed it.
He could check later so there was no rush.
Yuda sighed and sat in a chair in the living room. The drying blood on his body felt gross. Plus, being a kid, the chair was too high and uncomfortable.
Leaning on the table, I gazed at the cold bodies of my parents on the floor and thought simply, I’ve really changed. In such a short time, I had changed this much.
Back in my original world, I wasn’t this cold.
I couldn’t even look at roadkill animals properly, and when fishing, I couldn’t handle seeing a fish swallow the hook so deep its guts came out with it.
Blood used to give me inexplicable chills.
Now, my body reeked of blood, and I was surrounded by corpses, yet I felt calm.
A fleeting fear hit me—had I gone mad from focusing too much on making the game? But that passed quickly. I was confused.
This calmness might be essential for surviving this world, but…
“I don’t know.”
Yeah, that was my honest feeling.
What to do from here…
………
……
…
Ironically, that night, I dreamed of eating dinner with my original world’s parents, laughing together.
* * *
──────────────────────────────
Tip 3: Mercenary badges are divided into copper, silver, white silver, gold, and platinum.
Copper badges are for novice mercenaries starting as apprentices.
Silver badges are for skilled mercenaries.
Platinum silver badges are for the elite among skilled mercenaries.
Gold badges are given to those among the elite who possess leadership, character, and honor, qualifying them to form mercenary bands. Most gold badge holders lead their own groups.
However, the highest rank, the platinum badge, is a true badge of honor, only attainable by becoming a 〈Spirit Sword Bearer〉.
Though nobles and knights tend to look down on mercenaries, it’s a different story if they hold a platinum badge. Some might even curry favor with such a holder through gifts or kindness.
──────────────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Yuda Arshe]
[Title: None]
[Level: 4]
[Class: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden_A)]
[Revival Count: 1]
[Strength: 20(D) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 15(F) / Potential S]
[Agility: 15(F) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 30(D) / Potential B]
[Mana Resistance: 50(C) / Potential S]
[Luck: 75(B) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 3]
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
***Author’s Note***
Oh, the first question came in. Cool.
Does potential mean a limit? Or will there be quests to break through it and go higher?
I accidentally overwrote something I’d originally written, so a part got left out.
──────────────────────────────
[Stat Ranking Table]
0-19 F
20-39 D
40-59 C
60-79 B
80-89 A
90-99 S
100-109 SS
110 SSS
──────────────────────────────
Here it is. Potential is the limit your stats can naturally reach through specific actions or achievements without using points.
For example, if your potential is A, your stats can rise to 89 somehow. But to go beyond to 90, you need points. From 100 onward, points won’t work—you’ll need special achievements to increase stats.
Also, stats marked as “Special” can’t be raised with points.
If your potential is high enough, you could raise stats naturally without points, but that’d be tough. Once you hit the A-rank potential cap, normal efforts barely budge it.
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