The plains stretched endlessly.
No buildings. No ruins. Just tall grass swaying under a quiet sky that felt… too wide.
Ark walked a few steps ahead, hands slightly clenched, eyes scanning the horizon.
Beside him, Vishal Bora walked casually, his scythe nowhere in sight—but the faint aura around him said it was never truly gone.
The silence between them was… awkward.
Heavy.
Unfinished.
Ark cleared his throat.
"…Hey."
Vishal didn't look at him. "Hmm?"
Ark hesitated.
"…About earlier. During the fox fight…"
He scratched the back of his head.
"…I kinda snapped at you."
A pause.
"…Sorry."
Vishal stopped walking.
Ark stiffened slightly.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—
"…You're making it weirder."
Ark blinked. "Huh?"
Vishal sighed, glancing at him sideways.
"If you just ignored it, I would've forgotten already."
He continued walking like nothing happened.
"Now it feels like you're trying too hard."
Ark awkwardly followed.
"…Right. Sorry—wait—no, not sorry—"
"Exactly."
They walked again.
Silence returned—but lighter this time.
After a while, Vishal spoke again.
"…Still."
Ark looked at him.
"You weren't completely right either."
Ark frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Vishal shrugged.
"I just got there. Didn't know your group, didn't know your history…"
He glanced ahead.
"And you blew up on me like I kicked your dog or something."
Ark winced.
"…Yeah. That was on me."
He exhaled.
"…Sorry."
Vishal gave him a look.
"…You just did it again."
Ark froze.
"…Right. I'll stop."
Vishal smirked faintly.
"Good."
For the first time—
It didn't feel tense anymore.
Just… awkward in a normal way.
---
A rustling sound.
Both of them stopped.
This time—
Their expressions changed instantly.
From casual—
To sharp.
Figures emerged from the grass.
Five… no, seven people.
Weapons out.
Eyes hostile.
One of them stepped forward, a smirk on his face.
"Well, well… look what we found."
His gaze landed on Vishal.
"…You look familiar."
Vishal tilted his head slightly.
"Do I?"
Another man pointed directly at Ark.
"Doesn't matter. Drop your runes. Your items too."
Ark's grip tightened.
Before he could say anything—
A flash.
A blur.
A sound—
Slash.
The man froze.
Then—
His arm slid off his body.
Blood sprayed across the grass.
Upon seeing his own arm gone and on the ground—he screamed loudly.
Pain instantly rushing.
"Fucking hell!..."
Ark's eyes widened in horror.
"W-What—?!"
Vishal stood where he was a second ago—
But his scythe was now in his hand.
Eyes calm.
Cold.
"…You talk too much."
Then—
He moved.
Or rather—
He disappeared.
[Skill Activated: Reaper's Steps]
A skill bound to his Reaper class that he got as the reward at the Fox battle.
One step—
He was behind the first person.
Slice.
A head dropped.
Second step—
Another body fell.
Third—
Fourth—
Fifth—
Five movements.
Five executions.
So fast—each movement was instant, like space folded just to let him pass through it.
Ark couldn't even process it.
"...What... Is that..."
Vishal's voice echoed faintly as he moved.
"…My reward."
His eyes were cold now.
"The skill I chose."
Reaper's Steps.
The remaining players turned to run.
"RUN—!"
Too late.
"Moonlight Slash."
A crescent arc of pale energy cut through the air—following the running players.
Clean.
Precise.
The last bodies collapsed before they even realized they were dead.
Silence.
Only the wind.
And the smell of blood.
Ark stood there—
Frozen.
His stomach twisted.
"…What the…"
He gagged slightly, turning his head away.
"…That was…"
Too fast.
Too brutal.
Too easy.
Vishal simply flicked his scythe lightly—
The blood disappeared from its blade as if it never existed.
Then—
He walked back toward Ark.
Like nothing happened.
"…Here."
He tossed something.
Ark instinctively caught it.
Mana runes.
A lot of them.
Ark blinked.
"…What?"
Vishal shrugged.
"Drops."
He stretched his neck slightly.
"You're the buffer right?"
His eyes met Ark's.
"So you need these more than me."
Ark looked down at the runes in his hand.
Then back at Vishal.
"…Thanks."
A short pause.
Then Ark hesitated again.
"…Hey."
Vishal raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
Ark looked at him seriously this time.
"…Are you a regressor too?"
For the first time—
Vishal stopped moving completely.
The wind passed between them.
His expression didn't change—
But something in his eyes did.
"…Why would you think that?"
Ark tightened his grip on the runes.
"…Because the way you fight and you know I'm the buffer, and I know that nobody could tell you that…"
He swallowed.
"…It doesn't feel like someone new to this world."
Silence.
A long one.
Then—
Vishal smiled faintly.
Not friendly.
Not hostile.
Just… unreadable.
"…You think too much."
He turned away.
"Let's keep moving."
And just like that—
He didn't answer.
But he didn't deny it either.