[Chapter 5] The Stray's End

He let out a long sigh. "Boring..."

His glowing eyes flickered as he gazed at the small, flickering image before him—a dog he had reincarnated not too long ago.

But then, a slow, eerie grin crept across his face.

"That'll do."

And then, he laughed. A deep, unsettling sound that echoed through the void.

Reiji's eyelids grew heavy.

His vision blurred, fading in and out, like a dimming light.

Then—

Darkness.

For a moment, nothing existed. No sound, no thought—just an empty void.

Until a faint glow appeared in the distance. A small light, growing larger with each passing second.

A warm presence.

Through the haze, Reiji saw him.

A gentle god.

The brown dog—the very same one he had run over—stood before him, its tail wagging softly.

It was smiling.

The light surrounding it pulsed, shifting and warping until a swirling portal formed beneath its paws. The dog did not resist. It simply allowed itself to be carried away, vanishing into the unknown.

Beyond the portal, another world came into view. A dense forest. A pack of wolves. The brown dog had been reborn—a wolf pup now, thriving in its new life.

Hunting. Playing. Living.

It had a family now.

For the first time in a while, Reiji smiled.

The moment passed, and his vision returned. The road. The wheel. The night.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

And he drove forward.

"Everything is set."

The god and his vessel laughed together.

Behind them, a portal swirled, revealing glimpses of the creatures the god had sent to another world. Through it, the truth was laid bare.

The brown dog's fate was not as kind as it seemed.

Yes, it had been reborn as a wolf pup.

But happiness was short-lived.

Human adventurers had found it.

Hunters. Killers.

One man took aim, grinning.

The wolf pup trembled, ears flat against its head. It tried to run—but it was too small. Too weak.

A loud snap echoed through the forest.

An arrow struck its leg.

It whimpered. Crawled. Tried to escape.

Another arrow.

Another whimper.

Another shot.

The adventurer chuckled, knocking another arrow onto his bowstring. He was using it for target practice.

And when he finally grew bored—

He killed it.

Reiji continued his pursuit, scanning the area where he first saw the dog and expanding his search outward.

No sign of the brown dog.

He glanced at his remaining time. 2 hours left.

Stopping the mini truck, he leaned back, biting his thumbnail in frustration. His mind raced, running through every possible location.

Then, a thought clicked.

Could Ayaka have it?

Reiji stepped out of the vehicle, grabbing a cloth from the seat. His hands were stained with blood. I need to clean this up if I'm driving through town, he thought. He wiped away as much as he could, then got back in and headed toward Ayaka's home.

1 hour and 30 minutes left.

Reiji parked in front of Ayaka's house and rang the doorbell. After a moment, her mother answered.

Reiji greeted her politely, masking his urgency. "Is Ayaka awake?"

Her mother shook her head. "She's out with her friends. They went to check out the school explosion."

"I see. Thank you." Reiji nodded and turned away, heading back to his truck.

As he drove past the school where the underground leakage explosion had occurred, he slowed down, scanning the area for Ayaka.

For a split second, his gaze met Itsuki's—but that was all. A brief glance before he continued searching.

Then, he spotted her.

Ayaka and her friend, walking near the park.

Reiji's pulse quickened. Something was following them.

A small brown dog.

His eyes locked onto its ear. Right ear torn.

The target.

His grip tightened on the wheel as he trailed them from a distance, waiting for an opening. Ayaka hadn't noticed it yet.

Then, Ayaka turned to her friend. "I'm hungry. Wanna grab something from the convenience store?"

"Yeah, sure," her friend replied.

Ayaka glanced at the dog, smiling. "What about you? What do you wanna eat?"

Her friend's expression shifted. Her eyes darted toward the mini truck following them.

It was too focused on them.

A thought crept into her mind. Is that truck a kidnapper? Who's their target? Me… or Ayaka?

Forcing a smile, she grabbed Ayaka's hand. "Let's go to the store. Now."

"Sure," Ayaka said, completely unaware.

She left the dog behind.

Reiji's chance had come.

Throwing on his hood, he jumped out of the truck and sprinted toward the dog, covering his face as best as he could.

One swift motion.

He grabbed the dog and dashed back to the truck, slamming the door behind him.

A girl, hidden behind a tree, witnessed everything.

She Checked Her phone.

Hint: First Mission – Target: Stray Dog (Brown Fur, Right Ear Torn).

She smirked, whispering slowly. "F-o-u-n-d y-a."

Inside the truck, Reiji glanced at the dog. It stared up at him, wagging its tail, completely unaware of its fate.

Reiji let out a breath. "You'll be reincarnated. So don't worry, bud."

With time running out, he needed to find a place where no one would see him.

Reiji drove to the nearest trail and stepped out of the vehicle.

With the brown dog cradled in his arms, he walked away from the mini truck, stroking its fur absentmindedly. The little creature wagged its tail, unaware of what was about to happen.

Reiji stopped about twenty feet from the vehicle and crouched down. He gave the dog one last pat on the head, forcing a small smile. "Take care, bud."

Then, without looking back, he turned and walked away.

Back in the driver's seat, he inhaled deeply, gripping the wheel tightly. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

Then, he stepped on the gas.

A dull thud.

[TARGET COMPLETED.]

A notification popped up on his phone, accompanied by a chime. Reward: 1 point (Equivalent to $300).

Reiji exhaled sharply, leaning his forehead against the wheel. He's still alive.

A second notification appeared.

His eyes widened. A new system upgrade?

The screen displayed three options:

Self-Repairing Frame (10 points)

The truck regenerates from any damage, making it nearly indestructible.

Memory Wipe Exhaust (15 points)

People forget witnessing the truck once it drives away.

Route of Fate (8 points)

The GPS leads to its next "chosen" victim, no matter how hidden they are.

Reiji stared at the list, deep in thought.

"Damn... those are some crazy upgrades."

Then, a realization struck him.

He counted on his fingers. Each point was worth $300. That meant—

"That's a hell of a lot of money!"

Shaking off the thought, he continued driving, eventually finding a suitable spot in the woods to park the mini truck—for now. With one last glance at the vehicle, he turned and walked home.

The girl from earlier—the one hiding behind the trees—stepped forward, her eyes glinting with curiosity.

She crouched beside the lifeless dog, tracing a finger along its bloodstained fur.

"Tch. Too late, huh?"

Then, she giggled softly.

Her fingers tightened around her phone, where a single message gleamed on the screen.

[NEW MISSION LOADING…]

She tilted her head, her eerie smile widening. "Oh well... we'll meet again. Hihihi...

Reiji's steps faltered as he walked through the forest, his mind clouded by memories. His father's death, the truck, the faces of the people he couldn't save—they all merged into a suffocating fog.

Why me?

The weight of it pressed down on him. Every mission, every refusal, another disaster. If he didn't fulfill them, more lives would be lost.

His fingers brushed the scar on his wrist, a constant reminder of the night it all began. A truck, a message, a curse.

He stopped, closing his eyes, as the cool breeze rustled the trees.

I can't turn back now.