Ch 1 : The First Kill

The rain hammered against the pavement like war drums, a rhythmic chaos that mirrored the storm in Renji Kuroya's mind. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself, the cold seeping through his already soaked clothes. The neon signs of the city flickered, their glow distorted in the puddles forming along the empty streets. He barely noticed.

Today had been the worst day of his life.

"Renji… you're a good person, but I can't do this anymore."

Mikasa's words still rang in his ears, each syllable cutting deeper than any physical wound. He had begged, pleaded even, but she had looked at him with the cold detachment of someone who had already moved on. She had always been practical—too practical for someone like him, who had spent years dreaming of a better future.

And then, as if fate wanted to rub salt into the wound, he had received the call.

"We're downsizing. Your performance was… adequate, but we need to let people go. You understand, right?"

That had been it. No severance, no apologies—just a polite dismissal into the void of unemployment. Everything he had worked for, gone in a matter of hours.

Now, as he wandered through the streets, his stomach growled in protest. He had spent his last few yen on a vending machine sandwich, which tasted like cardboard. His body ached with exhaustion, but he had nowhere to go. Rent was due tomorrow, and without money, he'd be out on the streets soon enough.

A pathetic laugh bubbled up in his throat.

Maybe this is what I deserve.

But before he could sink too deep into self-loathing, the air shifted.

It was subtle at first, like the moment before a thunderclap, but his instincts screamed at him to pay attention. The city noises seemed to fade, leaving only the sound of rain and… something else. A low, guttural growl.

Renji stopped. His breath caught in his throat.

A shadow moved between the alleys up ahead.

The streetlights flickered erratically, as if struggling to stay lit. The rain blurred his vision, but he could make out the shape—a hulking mass of muscle, fur, and claws. Its glowing yellow eyes locked onto him, unblinking.

A monster.

His blood turned to ice. Monsters weren't supposed to appear in the city. They were confined to dungeons, mysterious structures that had begun appearing across the world six months ago. The government and various organizations had been working around the clock to contain them, deploying Hunters to eliminate any threats.

But this one had escaped.

And it was staring directly at him.

Renji's body refused to move. His mind screamed for him to run, to do anything—but his feet remained rooted to the spot. The creature, a twisted mix between a lion and a tiger, prowled forward, its muscles tensing. Rain dripped from its matted fur, steam rising from its body like heat from freshly spilled blood.

I'm going to die.

The realization hit him like a freight train.

The monster lunged.

Adrenaline surged through his veins, finally breaking his paralysis. He threw himself to the side, barely dodging the beast's razor-sharp claws. The impact of hitting the pavement sent pain jolting up his arm, but he ignored it, scrambling backward as fast as he could.

The monster growled, turning to face him again. Its fangs glistened under the flickering lights.

No weapon. No backup. No chance.

Renji's breaths came in short gasps. There was no way out. The alley behind him was blocked by a chain-link fence, too high to climb in time. The beast advanced, its growl rumbling like distant thunder.

And then, he saw it.

A broken metal pipe lying near a dumpster. It wasn't much, but it was something.

With a burst of desperation, he lunged for it, fingers closing around the cold steel just as the monster struck.

Pain exploded across his back as claws raked through fabric and flesh. He screamed, vision flashing white, but his grip on the pipe tightened. Fueled by sheer terror, he twisted around and swung with everything he had.

The pipe slammed into the beast's face with a sickening crack.

The monster roared in pain, staggering back. Renji didn't hesitate—he struck again, aiming for its eye. This time, the impact caused a burst of dark blood to splatter across the pavement.

The creature howled.

Renji gasped for air, his own blood mixing with the rain. His back burned, but he forced himself to stand.

The monster snarled, but something had changed. It was injured now, hesitant.

I can win.

The thought was ridiculous, but he clung to it. If he ran, he'd die. If he fought, he might still die—but at least he had a chance.

The monster lunged again.

Renji dodged left, swinging upward in an arc. The pipe connected with its throat, causing it to choke. Seizing the opportunity, he drove the jagged end of the pipe straight into its exposed neck.

The monster thrashed violently.

Renji held on, ignoring the pain in his hands, his arms, his entire body. The beast's struggles weakened. Blood poured from its wound in thick rivulets, pooling around them.

And then—silence.

The monster's body slumped to the ground. Its glowing eyes flickered once… then dimmed.

It was dead.

Renji stood there, panting. The rain washed away the blood staining his skin, but the scent of iron still clung to the air. His heart pounded like a war drum.

And then—it happened.

A searing pain erupted from his core.

He gasped, clutching his chest as his vision warped. The world tilted, shadows stretching unnaturally. An invisible force poured into him from the monster's corpse, something raw and primal.

Memories not his own crashed into his mind.

Flashes of hunting in the darkness. The thrill of the chase. The scent of prey.

His body convulsed as the knowledge burrowed deep inside him. He could feel his muscles tightening, his senses sharpening. The cold rain was no longer just water—it was a series of individual droplets, each distinct against his skin.

His vision adjusted, and suddenly, the darkness of the alley wasn't dark at all. He could see everything—the faint glow of neon reflecting off wet concrete, the tiny ripples in puddles as raindrops struck the surface.

The monster's instincts had become his own.

His breathing was ragged. He could still feel the beast's hunger, its ferocity lingering beneath his skin.

Renji stumbled back.

"What… what the hell just happened to me?"

He looked down at his hands, his fingers trembling. His nails had darkened slightly, the edges sharper. His wounds were already closing, steam rising from his skin as his body adapted.

The pain faded, leaving only a terrifying clarity.

He had changed.

And deep within his mind, something stirred.

A voice—distant, ancient—whispered in a language he didn't understand. It was neither hostile nor welcoming. Just… watching.

The storm continued to rage around him, but Renji barely noticed. His thoughts spiraled.

The dungeons. The monsters. The infected—people who had been exposed to dungeon corruption. He had heard rumors of them, of how they were hunted down by the government and organizations alike.

He had become one of them.

A sharp, cold realization settled over him.

They'll come for me.

If the government found out, he'd be captured. Experimented on. Killed.

His survival instincts roared louder than ever.

He had to disappear.

Taking a shaky breath, he turned and vanished into the shadows of the city.

Tonight, Renji Kuroya had died.

And something else had taken his place.

---

The city stretched before him like a maze of flickering neon and shadows. Rain slithered down his skin, washing away the blood but not the weight pressing on his mind.

Renji Kuroya had killed a monster.

And something inside him had changed.

Each breath he took felt sharper, like his lungs had been reforged in fire. His senses roamed over his surroundings with unnatural clarity—the sound of distant sirens, the smell of oil from a nearby food stall, the faint scuttle of rats in the gutters.

But the most disturbing thing was the hunger.

It coiled deep within his gut, gnawing at his insides like a starving beast. It wasn't the simple emptiness of an empty stomach. No, this hunger was different—deeper, more primal. It whispered to him, urging him to hunt again.

He gritted his teeth and shoved the feeling down.

He needed to think.

The alley behind him was already being swallowed by the darkness, the lion-tiger monster's corpse steaming as it decayed unnaturally fast. Renji knew about this phenomenon—dead dungeon monsters didn't remain in the world for long. Within minutes, the body would dissolve entirely, leaving nothing but black dust.

He couldn't stay here. The Hunters would be patrolling soon.

Adjusting his soaked jacket, Renji forced his shaking legs to move. Each step felt foreign, like his body was still adjusting to its new state. He clenched and unclenched his fingers, noting the subtle changes—his grip felt stronger, his movements smoother, more instinctive.

As he walked through the streets, avoiding the more crowded areas, his mind churned through the facts.

One: He had absorbed something from the monster.

The moment it died, a force had rushed into him—knowledge, instincts, power. His wounds had begun healing instantly, his senses had sharpened, and even his perception of time felt altered.

Two: He had become infected.

There had been rumors of it before. Some Hunters whispered of people who survived encounters with dungeon creatures and came back… different. Stronger. Faster. But unstable. Those infected were hunted down, either killed or taken by the organization for research.

Three: He couldn't go back to normal.

His old life? Gone. His job? Lost. His ex-fiancée? She had left him long before this nightmare even began. The moment he absorbed that monster's essence, he had stepped onto a different path—one with no way back.

A shiver ran down his spine.

No, not a shiver.

A warning.

He stopped.

The street ahead was eerily empty. No pedestrians. No cars. Just the hum of distant neon signs and the faint crackle of rain against pavement.

But something was watching him.

Slowly, carefully, he turned his head.

There, standing at the mouth of a side alley, was a man.

At least, that's what Renji thought at first.

The figure was clad in a ragged coat, his face obscured by shadow. But his posture was wrong—his head tilted too far, his shoulders twitching in erratic movements. And then, the figure sniffed the air, like a predator catching a scent.

Renji's pulse spiked.

Not human.

The realization struck like a lightning bolt. He didn't know how he knew, but he could feel it. This thing wasn't like him—it had fully transformed into something else.

And it had noticed him.

The creature tilted its head, eyes gleaming in the dim light.

Then, it moved.

Too fast.

A blur of motion—Renji barely had time to react before it was upon him. Instinct screamed, and he threw himself backward, rolling across the wet pavement as claws slashed through the air where he had been standing.

The thing hissed, baring jagged, inhuman teeth. Its hands—no, talons—twitched with anticipation.

Renji tightened his grip on the broken pipe he had taken from before, his heart hammering.

Fight or die.

The creature lunged again.

This time, Renji was ready.

He sidestepped, swinging the pipe with all his strength. The impact cracked against the creature's ribs, sending it stumbling. But it didn't scream—it barely reacted, as if pain was a foreign concept.

Renji cursed under his breath.

Not enough.

The monster recovered instantly, its lips peeling back in a grotesque grin.

Then, it did something unexpected.

It spoke.

"You… smell like us."

Renji froze.

The creature's voice was warped, as if multiple voices were layered on top of each other. It took a step forward, tilting its head.

"Newborn. Fresh. Unstable."

Renji clenched his jaw. His grip on the pipe tightened, but the thing laughed—a dry, rasping sound.

"You don't even know what you are yet, do you?"

Something deep inside Renji stirred, responding to the words like an itch he couldn't scratch.

The creature lunged.

This time, he didn't dodge.

Instead, he moved forward.

His body reacted on its own, muscle memory that wasn't his guiding him. The moment the creature's claws came within reach, he ducked low, pivoting on his heel. The beast's momentum carried it forward, and before it could recover, Renji drove the jagged end of the pipe straight into its throat.

The reaction was instant.

The creature screeched, thrashing violently as black ichor poured from its wound. Its clawed hands grasped at the pipe, but Renji didn't let go. He twisted the metal deeper, feeling the vibration of its dying spasms travel through his arms.

And then—just like before—it happened.

A rush of heat surged through his veins, an invisible force pouring into him like wildfire. His vision darkened at the edges, his senses flooding with new information.

Memories that weren't his. The feeling of hunger. The sensation of hunting in the night.

His muscles tensed.

And for a brief, terrifying moment—he wanted to tear something apart with his own teeth.

But he fought it.

Gritting his teeth, he stumbled back as the monster's body twitched one last time before disintegrating into black dust.

The power settled within him.

His breathing was ragged. His fingers trembled.

The hunger had grown stronger.

Renji exhaled sharply, running a hand through his rain-soaked hair.

The reality was clear now.

He wasn't the only infected.

There were others out there. Some had already lost themselves. And if he wasn't careful, if he didn't learn how to control this…

He'd become one of them.

The neon lights buzzed overhead, their flickering glow casting distorted shadows on the wet pavement. The city felt different now.

He was different now.

And somewhere in the depths of his mind, the ancient presence that had stirred before whispered again—just a single word, but filled with chilling amusement.

"Soon."

Renji clenched his fists.

No.

He wouldn't let this thing control him.

He was still himself.

For now.

But if he wanted to survive, if he wanted answers—he needed to find out exactly what he had become.

And fast.