The young man's breath hitched as Reon leaned in slightly, his gaze dark and unreadable.

  "You said my sword had no io kill, right?"

  Reon smiled.

  But to the man, it was not the smile of a human. It was something far worse—a demon's grin, a cruel, merciless expression that emerged straight from the depths of hell.

  The once-proud assassin was nothing more than a mutited sb of flesh, his body a ruin of severed limbs, blood pooling around him like a grotesque to death itself.

  His lips quivered. His soul shook.

  "D-D-Devil…" His voice cracked, pure horror dripping from every sylble. "Please… someone… anybody… help me!"

  Reon tilted his head, feigning fusion. "Your voice is as irritating as ever. Asking for help, are you? But I'm right here." His voice was mogly sweet, dripping with cruel amusement. "Of course, I'll help."

  His smile deepened.

  "I'll make sure you leave this world quickly… without too much pain."

  The young man stared at him, his face frozen ierror. He had no words left. Only the crushing realization—

  This was the end.

  His lips trembled as his final thought surfaced.

  "Fuck! Is this really the same coward who seemed afraid to kill before? Now, he looks like killing is in his very blood—like it's nothing more than a daily routine for him to torture and murder."

  "I thought I had escaped death after fleeing from Yang Lie… but instead, I walked right into the hands of a DEVIL… only to die an even more torturous death!"

  SWOOSH!

  A single, ssh.

  The young man's head rolled across the forest floor, tumbling a few meters before finally ing to a stop, his wide, lifeless eyes staring into nothingness.

  Silence—

  Then—

  "Hahaha… So this is the feeling of killing someo's…amazingly... incredible."

  Reon's ughter broke through the eerie stillness.

  It started as a chuckle—then grew.

  "Hahahaha!" His shoulders shook as he tilted his head back, ughing like a madman.

  His bloodstained sword trembled in his grip. He lifted it to his lips.

  And then—

  He licked it.

  he metallig of human blood spread across his tongue.

  "Hahahaha! this is the taste of human blood? It's… intoxig… incredible!" His ughter echoed into the air, deranged and wild.

  But then—

  A soft touch.

  Cloudia, now in her small form, his leg, her warm fur brushing against him. Her tail curled around him, wiggling in a soothing motion.

  A moment ter, Little Tiger followed suit, pressing against him, her body warm and grounding.

  Huh?

  Reon blinked.

  "What… what's wrong with me?"

  His breath hitched.

  Then—realization struck.

  His gaze darted to the blood-streaked bde still h near his lips.

  And in the instant—

  BLUURRGGHHH!

  He doubled over and vomited, everything he had eaten earlier spilling onto the ground.

  His body trembled, his breathing ragged. His fingers still gripped his sword—but his mind reeled from what he had just done.

  "What… what just happeo me?" Reon thought, his breath still unsteady. "For a moment, I felt like airely different person… like something else had taken over."

  His fingers curled around his sword hilt as a cold chill ran down his spine.

  "Was that… the real Xue Taiyang? Or… is there something deeper, something lurking inside me that I don't uand?"

  "I guess… I o kill more people to get used to it," he thought, wiping his mouth, his expression dark and unreadable.

  [Ding! The Host did not seley options, but has successfully fulfilled the objective of the third option. As a result, the System has automatically chosehird option. Please wait a moment for your reward.

  [Ding! The Host has successfully pleted the automatically selected option. Host has received the Ialent Awakening Card (Unknown Grade).]

  [Ding! The reward has been stored in the System Iory. Please check your Iory for further details.]

  Reon blinked, a sense of disbelief washing over him. "Woah... this is possible too? I thought I had failed the task, especially after charging in blindly and sying that bastard in a fit e, without even cheg the objective."

  His voice was filled with a mix of surprise and relief, as his eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Guess the system had other pns."

  [Ding! The Host ot ignore or forfeit any tasks, or the system will be sealed for a week.]

  [Ding! This time, Master was fortunate, as the option pleted aligned with the objective of ensuring your own survival. However, please exercise more cautioime.]

  Reon furrowed his brow, his expression turning serious. "Is it really that severe? I guess I'll have to be more careful ime."

  He paused, a thought striking him. "Wait… what's with this 'Master' all of a sudden?" Reon asked, his curiosity piqued.

  [Ding! Oops! My mistake... I 't let anything slip to the master just yet. (Whisper) My apologies, It will be Host, of course.]

  Reon's eyes narrowed. "There's definitely something fishy about this system."

  He sighed, shaking his head. "Well, whatever. First, I o heal myself—then I'll check the reward."