Chapter 7: A Vow of Vengeance

The dawn broke over the town, bathing it in a soft golden light. Karma woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in weeks. His stay at the **Stardust Inn** had been restful, and with his new skills of **Miniaturization** and **Synchronization**, he was starting to feel like a real adventurer. But something stirred deep within him. After handling smaller quests and dealing with minor challenges, Karma was ready for more—ready to push beyond the boundaries of his comfort zone.

As he stood at the window, watching the world come to life outside, Shiro, his white-furred monster rabbit, sat on the bed beside him, alert as ever. The newly tamed grey fox cub, Kuro, playfully darted around the room. But Karma's mind wasn't on his companions at that moment; it was on the next challenge that awaited him.

"I need to step up," Karma muttered to himself. "I can't stay at this level forever. It's time to take on something bigger."

With that resolve, Karma quickly gathered his things and headed straight for the Adventurer's Guild. Today, he was going to make a leap forward. He needed to prove to himself—and to the world—that he was ready for the next stage of his journey.

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**At the Adventurer's Guild**

The familiar sight of the guild greeted him as he pushed open the large wooden doors. Maria, as usual, was at the front desk, sorting through the paperwork of the morning. When she looked up and saw Karma walking in, there was something about his presence that made her pause. His eyes were sharper today, his stride more purposeful.

"Karma," Maria greeted him, though she immediately sensed something was different. "What brings you in so early?"

Karma wasted no time and walked straight up to her. "What's the most difficult quest on the board today?"

Maria blinked, her brow furrowing. "Difficult quest? Karma, are you sure about that? You've been doing fine with the D-rank and C-rank quests. Maybe you should ease into the harder ones..."

Karma shook his head firmly. "No. I'm ready to step further. I want the hardest quest today."

Maria hesitated, her eyes studying Karma for a moment. She had seen many adventurers come through the guild, many of them too eager, too ambitious for their own good. But Karma's determination wasn't reckless—it was steeled with a sense of purpose she couldn't quite place. Still, the concern was clear in her voice.

"Karma… you're sure about this?"

He nodded. "I'm ready."

Taking a deep breath, Maria turned and pulled out a parchment from the back of the board. The paper was marked with a bold **Rank B** symbol, and the title at the top immediately caught Karma's attention:

**Quest: Annihilation of Troublesome Ogres**

- Rank: B

- Objective: Eliminate 3 ogres that have been sighted near the outskirts of town

- Reward: 200 silver coins

- Time limit: 24 hours

Karma's hand tightened around the quest notice as a flood of memories crashed through his mind. His breath hitched, and his heart pounded in his chest. It had been three years since that night. The night his village was destroyed.

He could still see the flames, smell the smoke, and hear the screams. Hundreds of ogres, brutal and savage, had descended on his home. Karma had watched as those monsters—group after group of them—laid waste to everything he had ever known. His fists clenched as the image of his family flashed in his mind, their faces twisted in pain as they were slaughtered.

Karma's eyes darkened, a cold, vengeful look overtaking him. His body tensed, the rage boiling under his skin.

Maria noticed the sudden change in him. She had never seen Karma like this. His usual calm, playful demeanor was gone. Instead, he stood there like a man on the edge of losing himself to his past.

"Karma... are you okay?" she asked softly.

But Karma didn't respond. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the guild, leaving Maria standing there with her mouth slightly open, her concern growing deeper.

---

**The Hunt Begins**

Karma moved through the town with a singular focus, his mind consumed by thoughts of revenge. His heart thundered in his chest as he made his way to the nearby forest where the ogres had been sighted. Shiro followed closely at his side, while Kuro darted in and out of the shadows, both monsters sensing the tension in their tamer.

As he entered the thick woods, Karma spotted movement in the distance. Three towering figures were slowly making their way toward the town—**ogres**, each over eight feet tall, their skin a sickly green, their bodies rippling with muscle. They carried large, crude clubs, their guttural grunts carrying through the trees.

Karma's blood boiled at the sight. His eyes narrowed as his hand instinctively moved to his sword.

"These monsters..." he muttered through gritted teeth, "they took everything from me."

With a quick gesture, he cast **Synchronization** with Shiro. Immediately, his body underwent the transformation: his ears lengthened into sharp, white rabbit ears, and his vision turned crimson, matching Shiro's. His muscles surged with agility and power, and his heightened hearing picked up every movement of the ogres, every rustle of the forest.

He crouched low, his heart pounding, before leaping forward in an explosive burst of speed. The ogres didn't even see him coming.

Within seconds, Karma had closed the distance, his blade gleaming in the morning light. He leaped into the air, his sword cutting through the neck of the first ogre in one clean motion. The monster's head fell from its shoulders with a sickening thud, and its massive body collapsed to the ground.

The remaining two ogres roared in anger, their eyes wide with fury. But Karma wasn't done. Not even close.

His body landed gracefully on the corpse of the first ogre, his blood-red eyes locked onto the other two. They charged at him, their heavy footfalls shaking the ground, but Karma's focus was absolute.

With another burst of agility from his synchronized power, Karma leapt again, this time soaring between the two ogres, his blade slicing cleanly across the stomach of one. The beast howled in pain, clutching at its belly as blood gushed from the wound, but before it could react, Karma had already turned on the last one.

"Shiro, now!" Karma shouted.

The monster rabbit, using its **High Jump** ability, propelled itself into the air, its small but sharp horn aimed directly at the ogre's eye. The creature let out a bellowing roar as Shiro pierced its skull, and with a final swing of his sword, Karma drove the blade through the back of its head, ending its life in an instant.

The forest was silent once again. Karma stood in the middle of the carnage, his breath heavy, his body trembling from the surge of adrenaline. Blood dripped from his sword, and the bodies of the ogres lay in a heap around him. Shiro landed lightly beside him, its red eyes gleaming with pride, while Kuro trotted over, nuzzling against Karma's leg.

It was over.

Karma's chest heaved as the adrenaline slowly faded, but the cold, vengeful look in his eyes remained. For the first time in three years, he had spilled ogre blood with his own hands. But it wasn't enough. His thirst for vengeance hadn't been quenched. Not yet.

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**Back at the Guild**

Karma returned to the guild within two hours, his body stained with the evidence of his battle. As he stepped through the doors, Maria's eyes widened in shock.

"Karma…" she whispered. "You did it?"

He nodded, his face emotionless as he handed her the quest notice. "Job done."

Maria could hardly believe what she was seeing. Three ogres—beasts that typically required a full party of adventurers to defeat—had been taken down by Karma alone. And in under two hours.

She quickly scribbled a note and handed it to a passing guild attendant. "Send this to the guild master immediately. Karma deserves a rank promotion—two ranks."

The attendant hurried off, and Maria turned back to Karma, her mouth opening to speak—but before she could say anything, Karma's legs buckled beneath him.

"Karma!"

His vision blurred, and the world around him spun. His body, still reeling from the intense synchronization and the brutal fight, couldn't take any more. Darkness encroached at the edge of his vision as his body collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Maria rushed to his side, but Karma had already passed out, leaving the guild in stunned silence.

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**To be continued...**

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**Author's Notes:**

And there we have it—**Chapter 7: A Vow of Vengeance**! This chapter was an intense one to write, but I really wanted to explore Karma's past and how the tragedy that befell his village fuels his desire to get stronger. He's now starting to take on tougher challenges, and as you can see, that quest triggered some deep emotions for him.

The fight with the ogres was definitely the highlight of the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed the intensity of it! Synchronization is really becoming a key part of Karma's combat style, and it's allowing him to push his limits—but as we saw at the end, it takes a toll on him too. What will happen next? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to

find out!

Let me know what you think in the comments, and thanks for reading!