Chapter 93: What… what just happened to me?

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

"You said my sword had no intent to 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 mutilated slab of flesh, his body a ruin of severed limbs, blood pooling around him like a grotesque offering to death itself.

His lips quivered. His soul shook.

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

Reon tilted his head, feigning confusion. "Your voice is as irritating as ever. Asking for help, are you? But I'm right here." His voice was mockingly 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 in sheer terror. 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, clean slash.

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

Silence—

Then—

"Hahaha… So this is the feeling of killing someone? It's…amazingly... incredible."

Reon's laughter broke through the eerie stillness.

It started as a chuckle—then grew.

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

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

And then—

He licked it.

he metallic tang of human blood spread across his tongue.

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

But then—

A soft touch.

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

A moment later, 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 blade still hovering near his lips.

And in the next 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 happened to me?" Reon thought, his breath still unsteady. "For a moment, I felt like an entirely 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 understand?"

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

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

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

[Ding! The reward has been stored in the System Inventory. Please check your Inventory 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 slaying that bastard in a fit of rage, without even checking the objective."

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

[Ding! The Host cannot ignore or forfeit any tasks, or the system will be sealed for a week.]

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

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

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 can'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 need to heal myself—then I'll check the reward."