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Suvron's Pass

22 nd Mazem, 1092.

Two figures plummeted towards the abyss that was the bottom of Suvron's pass: an area unnaturally darker than a night where souls were robbed of their sight. For creatures facing certain death, the doomed were strangely silent; only the sound of cutting wind pierced the still.

"Have you devised a plan yet?" Kira asked as she sensed the ground draw closer.

Kashi looked to his companion. The rushing air forced her chops upwards, her tongue all but wrapping around her face. He killed a forceful laugh and settled for a cynical smile. "I'm surprised . You aren't panicking."

"Should I be?"

"Well, it's the normal reaction, isn't it?"

"I do not see you in a state of panic, either."

He shrugged. "Well, I'm not normal."

"Neither am I." Kira matched the daeben’s arrogant tone.

Kashi raised his shoulders in surrender. "It's time, grab on..." Even as he said it, he realized the folly of his words. "Sorry about that, how abo- OW!" He winced as she dug her teeth deep into his left hand. "This wasn't what I had in mind."

"It works, doesn't it?" Kira’s voice sounded a bit too elated.

He grimaced. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"What gave it away?"

"You... never mind." Kashi pulled his arm closer to his body, and she dug her claws into his clothes for additional grip. "Hold on tight."

"With pleasure," she agreed and thus sunk her teeth even deeper .

Kashi grimaced, but then formed a hook with his right hand, raised it overhead, and dug it into the cliff . Rumble! Debris scattered over his head as his hand broke through. It didn't stop his descent, but he began to slow down, his hand acting as a makeshift anchor.

Kashi and Kira eventually crossed the dark threshold, and he had to turn on [ Dark Eye s]. Fortunately, by the time Kashi saw the ground, they had decelerated enough. He kicked off against the wall and then completed the rest of the descent in a curve that killed most off the remaining dangerous momentum .

Kashi softly landed, but then winced when Kira reluctantly let go of his arm . “Ugh. You don’t hold back, do you?” Kashi complained as he examined the deep wound that had reduced his Max HP .

Injuries and specific status ailments could permanently reduce a summoned’s HP. Most h ealth potions could only restore a person's health points to the current maximum health points , which meant summoned needed to find healers or use first aid to treat injuries.

O nly one option was available to the daeben .

Kashi took out bandages from his inventory as he sat on the ground. He treated, and then wrapped the injured area, a rare smile spreading across his lips wh en he saw his max HP begin to rise.

Kashi looked at Kira as he tested the arm. F rom the little, he could make of her expression, the direwolf definitely had no remorse. "You might as well have chopped my whole arm off."

"Who said I didn't consider it?" she replied, a deadly glint in her eyes. "But, I would have fallen to my death if I did. Even you are not worth that."

Kashi got to his feet and dusted his backside. "I don't know why . that shouldn't annoy me, but it somehow does."

"Hmmm..."

The pair wandered through the dark in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Kashi?"

"Yes?"

"Tell me, why do humans speak and act differently depending on who you converse with?"

"Why do you ask?"

"To pass the time? Because I’m bored? We do not know where we are headed, nor do we have a way out. Besides, is it not normal for partners to understand each other?"

Kashi raised a brow. "Did you just call us partners? A few minutes ago, you were planning on making a meal of my hand."

Kira snorted. “I said partners, not friends. No one says you have to like your partner.”

He chuckled at her declaration. “If you say so.”

“… Answer the question.”

Kashi sighed. "You don't get distracted so easily. It's because of several reasons. There are social conventions behind most of it, but sometimes, we want to hide our real selves and so pretend to be someone else."

“Sounds exhausting. Why not be yourself?”

“Humanity is exhausting,” agreed Kashi. However, he chuckled and then added, “That said, it does come in handy wh—” He paused when Kira suddenly tensed. Her low growl indicated she had sensed something scary . "What is it?"

"Do you not smell that?"

"No, I can't"

"I smell several beasts ahead and behind us. They are heading in our direction."

Kashi's brows furrowed in concentration. He equipped his last quivers and put on a pair of new gloves. "Which direction has fewer beasts?"

"Behind us."

"Okay then," said Kashi as he adjusted the straps on his gloves. "We're forging straight ahead then."

Kira snorted and cursed her luck. "I should have lied."

"Ha, don't worry. I wouldn't put our lives needlessly in danger. This is the best course of action if we hope to survive."

"Whatever . G et on."

Kashi hopped onto his partner's back. She sped down the path, using smell as her guide through the darkness.

Kashi's vision went black, and he realized he had reached Dark Eyes' time limit. He would not be able to activate it for another fifteen minutes. Kira's muscles tightened, alerting him to the reducing proximity of their adversaries. The monsters should have caught his scent already and would chase them down wherever they tried to flee.

"Kuku.."

"What about this situation do you find amusing?" Kira asked.

"The frailty of human beings. When robbed of the senses we trust, we panic and sink into despair."

"That is a normal reaction, is it not? I did not take you for the philosophical type."

Kashi chuckled softly. "I am not. But the other me witnessed something that really shook him. Well, I find it silly to worry over the limits of the human body."

"Eh? What are you planning?"

Kashi ripped off his sleeves, talking as he blindfolded himself. "If you're so worried about the limits of your body, then overcome them: it's as simple as that... Evolve." He forced his mind to focus on concentrated on the sounds, smells, and wind on his skin. "Did you know? They say a blind man has much better hearing than an average man. Apparently, when one mode of stimuli ceases to exist, the body focuses on others to gain more knowledge."

"...I do not understand a word you are saying. More importantly, get ready: we will be on the enemy in a matter of seconds."

Kashi, unperturbed, continued with, a determined smirk, "I must thank whoever forced us down here. Thanks to them, I can get one step closer to 'him.'" His tone darkened as he pulled out his arrows. "I will be the strongest!"

BOOM!

Growls, shrieks and the smell of blood exploded in the serene pass as the duo crashed into a host of monsters.

Kashi winced as something barrelled into and knocked him off Kira's back. He wrestled with his assailant as they rolled on the rough earth. It smelled like a dead dog, its cries like a crazed bird. He wrapped his hands around felt like its throat to ward off its repeated attempts at biting off his face. Two pairs of claws dug into his abdomen while two others thrashed at his arms. Its crazed hunger was so palpable it threatened to consume the delf; so much so his grip loosened as he found himself fearing for his life.

.

.

.

Wait... What?

Fear? He was afraid?

A low growl escaped the daeben’ s lips. Kashi’s body trembled as rage built from the lowest pits of his belly. Fear? How dare it? How dare a species with an IQ lower than a rock force such emotion upon him.

An incorrigible roar tore across the canyon. The assailant seized its assault er that frozen by the monstrous bloodlust directed at it.

Crack!

Kashi snapped the beast's neck. He pushed the carcass off himself and got to his feet.

Kira's battle snarls reached him, but he could not afford to go to her aid. He had problems of his own; his earlier outburst had attracted a lot of attention. Though blind, he could tell he was surrounded on all fronts.

Kashi took a deep, appreciative breath.

They were beautiful. Those moments before a big fight. The standoff between opponents as they measured each other. The inner battle on whether to attack or hold back.

Kashi's bloodlust had bought him some extra minutes, but he knew it would not last. All it took was one reckless beast, and they would all come charging down. He calmed his quickened breath and focused on his senses.

Kashi could smell them. Their bloodlust pricked his skin. The sounds of claws scraping earth and cautious growls teased his ears. He could almost taste the anxious rage in the air.

Kashi channeled Ferulic’s spirit, which further enhanced his senses. Slowly, images began to form in his mind. They were jagged and blurry, but over time they started filling out. He could ‘see’ rough outlines of monsters and soon understood what was happening. Smiling, he focused even more in-depth on his senses in an attempt to enhance the images.

Passive Skill Learned: Warrior’s Instinct (Lv.1)

Warrior’s Instinct : See the Unseen. Never Have your Back taken. You can now sense danger.

Backstab damage -15%

Can pinpoint the location of enemy bloodlust.

Receive a warning before falling into some traps.

Bonus Dimension Painter: Graphic Memory (Lv.1)

Bonus Chef: Chef’s Nose (Lv.1)

Secret Skill (Sustained): Mind’s Eye (Lv.1)

Graphic Memory

Graphic Memory create s distinct 3-D images in mind. Grants ability to store any scenery permanently in mind. The strength of memory depends on master in Artist skill . Depth smells and sounds added with the increase in skill.

Sound unlocked at Lv.5

Smell unlocked at Lv.10

Chef’s Senses (Lv.1)

Chef’s Nose grants the ability to identify living and non-living by their smell. It also allows you to identify characteristics of wildlife by their taste.

+2% chance to detect poison.

Secret Skill (Sustained) Mind’s Eye (Lv.1)

Your advanced skills in several areas of life have opened you to new possibilities. Smell, Taste, Touch, Sight, Sound, Feel. Through various walks of life, you have improved these skills to new levels. The reward is the ability to survive with only one of these. Smell what you cannot see… Taste what you cannot smell… Sense in your mind what you cannot touch.

Ability to perceive a 360° view of your surroundings when activated.

Consumes 1000 MP for as long as it is activated.

Radius Covered increases with Level.

Current radii: 20m.

Kashi stumbled, overwhelmed by his new range of vision, and the plethora of information that bombarded his overly keen senses. It was weird: He could smell their interchanging emotions, and though blindfolded, he could ‘see’ outlines of the enemy all around him.

This was new. Not even Razznik had achieved this level of vision — not that he needed to . The crazed warrior was so reckless that he would let himself get stabbed from the back just so he could efficiently dispatch slippery opponents.

Kashi disabled [ Mind’s Eye ] . Though it was an outstanding skill, it was far too uncomfortable for a first time user in the middle of a battle.

A sly grin crossed his face as he strung his bow. “Come at me…”

The canyon erupted as blood-crazed beasts charged their small, but terrifying prey…

???

Iron. Everything smelled like cold, unflinching iron, even the blood he was soaked in. In this unforgiving town wiped from the public maps, the world's unwanted struggled to make it through each minute alive. However, even their despair was colorless, unchanging, cold... yes, just like iron.

In such a world, an existence like him was both irregular and dangerous. But not for the same reasons as in a regular society.

"Number 12!"

The young boy, no more than eight at the most, removed his penknife from the throat of the man he just murdered. He pulled out his walkie-talkie and answered the summon. "This is twelve. The target is dead."

"....Were there any issues?"

The boy looked at the limp bodies of two little girls. Both were barely dressed and dangerously skinny. "There were witnesses, but I took care of them."

"Witnesses? Who? Do they have some sort of identification?"

"No. They seem to be orphans. Probably took a shortcut after scavenging in the junkpile. I took care of it."

"Good. Confirm their deaths then return. Boss says it's urgent."

"Got it."

The boy walked over to, then squatted over the girls' bodies. He reached out but then paused midway. His fingers shook erratically, his vision blurry and pained. Large clumps of bile forced their way up his throat, and he had to resist the urge to throw up. His hands felt like they had gained a thousand pounds as he watched the child's hair morph to a dirty gold hue.

Sweat poured down the boy's face, his breaths rapid and shallow as he willed his hand forward.

With the eeriest of creaks, like a lousy screw, or a squeaky door, the girl's head began to turn towards him. He watched as her bones tore through her neck, spraying her blood over his dangled hands.

The child balked at the dead blue eyes drowning in a pool of blood. The unfocused pupils vibrated madly, then fixed on his gaze. The mouth creaked, as an eerie familiar voice condemned him. "... You killed me."

Residential Sector.

16 th May 2043.

Taiga shot up from his bed, his breathing rapid and hard. His eyes darted around the room in a panic and only calm ed when realization dawned. "Fuck, that damned dream again."

Taiga off the bed and grabbed a shirt from the messy pile on his room floor. He donned it as he walked down to 'the hole.'

It was empty.

"Ah that's right. Today's off. They should be down there." He swiped an apple from the fridge then exited the apartment. He nibbled on the fruit as he rode the elevator to the bottom floors.

Taiga walked to the testing room, yawning as he entered. The full-body drives were occupied, with Yukino monitoring their vitals on her tablet .

She looked up at him and smiled. "Are you joining the exercise?"

Taiga clucked. He hated smiles that reeked of false adulthood. "Nope."

Yukino clasped the tablet to her chest and gave him her full attention . "Is there a reason?"

Taiga averted his gaze. "Not really. I already passed this phase ages ago. It would be like re-learning to ride a bicycle."

Yukino closed the distance in one swift motion. She drew her face close to his, a weird smile on her face.

Taiga balked. "Wh-what?"

"Nothing. Just thinking you look livelier now. Did you get yourself a girlfriend?"

Taiga’ s eyes widened in shocked disbelief. "Haa? Are you an idiot?"

"Hmm... Was I wrong?"

"Of course you were!"

Unwilling to admit defeat, Yukino clasped his shoulders. Her eyes twinkled as she said, "I'm never wrong. Say, what about that Ojou-sama* you’ve been hanging out with? Is she your type?”

Taiga turned beet-red. “Wha-wha-what are you talking about!? I have no type!”

“Yes, yes.” Yukino nonchalantly waved his protests away. “You don’t have to deny it so vehemently, you know? Makes you look guilty.”

The young man now knew what it felt like to be a deer caught in headlights. “You know what? You win. She’s totally my type. There, you happy?”

“Che.” Yukino pouted. “It’s no fun if you suddenly agree without meaning it.”

“You ain't supposed to be having fun, to begin with. This is a job , isn’t it?”

Yukino sighed. “Two lectures from my subjects in one day…”

“Two lectures was it?” A voice commented from behind.

Yukino nearly jumped out of her skin in fright.

She turned to see Akari at the doorway, glaring at her. “Ha..ha,” Yukino laughed weakly. Realizing she had no excuses, she bowed her head, clasped her hand together, and apologized in the cutest manner she could conjure up. “Sorry?”

Akari shook his head. “No need to apologize. We’re already used to you r antics .”

“Uh… We?”

“Yes. Most of the staff share my sentiments.”

“I see,” Yukino muttered, unsure whether to be happy or disappointed by how they saw her.

“Well, I’ll be leaving then,” Taiga prompted as he walked to the door.

“See you later, Taiga-kun,” Yukino called.

“Ah, just call me Taiga next time we meet.”

Akari stopped him by the shoulder. “Dr. Yuhi is waiting for you. He says the first Centurion is ready for testing.”

Taiga paused. “It’s working? Then ‘all of it’ wasn’t in vain?”

Akari adjusted his glasses, a solemn look in his eyes. “Definitely not. You did well holding on this far.”

Taiga chuckled. “Don’t you get old on me. I’ve always beat the odds. I don’t plan on losing any time soon. So save your regrets for another fifty years,” He said as he walked past the older man.

“Do not be mistaken. I have no regrets.”

“Che. As cold as ever. You need a woman bad.”

“Hmph. Not as effective coming from a virgin.”

“Shows what you know. I lost mine years ago.”

“To what? Your hand?”

The air grew heavy with years of buried tension as both men stared each other down. A slight chuckle escaped Taiga’s lips, and soon, both men were laughing.

“It is okay, you know,” Akari said. “She is not Henri.”

“Have you forgotten, Seki-tan?” Taiga flashed a sad smile. “I’m the grim reaper.”

Akari watched as Taiga walked away, already back to his false, cheerful self. He whispered. “Ah, but you’re our grim reaper now.” He then turned to Yukino, who was staring at him with curiosity-filled eyes . Unable to handle her intense gaze, Akari quickly said, “I will explain later. We are still on for dinner tonight?”

“Yes!” She replied beaming.

“Uh, good. Um, back to work then. See you tonight.”

“Wait. Just answer this one teeny question.”

“Okay.”

“What did you mean by ‘hanging on this far?’”

Akari turned grim. “This project started long before virtual games were made. Our methods back then were a lot more forceful. We found the strain on the brain to be too much for normal humans to bear, so it was scrapped without a single success.”

“But you said Taiga was the sole success of the project.”

“Not success , survivor. He was the sole survivor . The man called Taiga should have died many years ago . In fact, every day he wakes up alive is a miracle. He could drop dead today, tomorrow , or whenever. To live your life knowing you could be dead any second fate turns on you… There’s nothing crueller .. .”