The forest was breathing again.
Not with wind. But with tension.
Hari stood at the edge of the ruined temple, eyes half-lidded, body relaxed, yet utterly still. The world around him was silent. The birds had long stopped singing. The animals were gone.
Only five killers walked this stretch of trees now.
> [Warning: Hostile Unit Approaching]
Target Group: Ash Talons
Rank: Team A-Class Assassination Guild
Status: Engaged
Recommended Action: Flee or Negotiate.
Hari smiled.
> "System… override that."
> [Override Registered.]
[Custom Objective: Exterminate.]
---
The first to appear was fast — a woman cloaked in wind, dual blades humming like wasps.
She didn't speak. Just vanished the moment she locked eyes with him.
Hari didn't move.
> [Passive: Predator Sense – Triggered]
Threat Level: High
Anticipated Strike: 0.4s (Neck, Left)
His hand snapped up before she struck.
A dagger pierced her wrist — her weapon dropped.
> "Too slow."
He spun — kicking her chest hard enough to shatter ribs. She slammed into a tree and didn't get up.
One down.
---
Two more came from the flanks — a brute wielding chained axes and a rogue mage cloaked in plague smoke.
Hari rolled under the chains, letting the poison mist swirl around him.
> [Resistances Applied]
[Blood Filter – Status Effects Nullified]
He dove into the brute's shadow.
And emerged behind him — claws extended.
> [Eclipse Fang – Activated]
Critical Damage ×3
The axe-wielder didn't even scream as his back split open like paper.
Hari turned to the mage — but the man was already running.
> [Blood Branding Opportunity: Failed]
Target has disengaged.
Hari let him go.
> "Tell the rest what you saw."
---
Only two remained now.
One — a sniper perched high above, camouflaged into the trees.
The other — their leader.
A tall man with a black coat and emotionless expression. His arms bore runes — cursed ones. His presence warped the air.
> "I underestimated you."
Hari tilted his head.
> "Everyone does. Once."
The sniper fired.
But the bolt never reached him.
> [Skill: Blink Step – Used]
Repositioned behind the sniper
→ Throat Severed.
One shot.
One kill.
The leader flinched. "...You're not supposed to exist."
> "Neither are monsters. But here we are."
---
The man drew a forbidden relic — a blade made of chained bone and living eyes.
It screamed as it was unsheathed.
> [Relic Detected: Hellbone Saber – Class: S]
Caution: Soul Damage possible.
Hari's body ached.
But he smiled through it.
> [Predator Instinct: Engaged]
→ Target Class above current threshold.
→ Evolution Acceleration Unlocked if Victory Achieved.
---
The fight was brutal.
Blade against claw. Void curses against blood sigils.
The world blurred.
Trees burned. Ground split. Shadows bled.
But Hari — changed.
Mid-fight, his system evolved again.
> [Eclipse Mutation Progress: 92% → 100%]
Mutation Unlocked: Eclipse Predator Form – Phase 1
→ Strength +40%
→ Agility +50%
→ Eclipse Aura: Fear Pulse Unlocked
The battlefield froze as his body erupted with a glowing, deep violet aura. His veins pulsed like rivers of starlight. His eyes — eclipses.
The leader fell back in horror.
> "W-what are you?!"
Hari stepped forward.
> "I was weak."
He appeared behind him.
> "Now I'm evolution."
And the final strike ended him.
---
> [Ash Talons – Eliminated]
[New Title Acquired: Reaper of Rankers]
[New Evolution Path Fragment Acquired: Hellbone Affinity – Locked]
Hari stood alone, surrounded by blood and fire and ruin.
He exhaled slowly.
The night was silent again.
---
Far away, in a kingdom throne room, multiple system beacons flared red.
High nobles stared at the screen in disbelief.
> "...He killed an S-Rank wielder."
"And took no bounty for it."
"He's not playing our game."
One woman whispered:
> "He's writing his own."
---
To be continued in Chapter 16: The Birth of the Reaper
---