Lucas Reign flexed his fingers slowly, staring down at the two bodies lying in the hollow.
The air was still thick with the scent of blood.
For a brief moment, he hesitated—not out of fear, but out of instinct. Something about this felt like crossing a line.
Then again…
That line had already been erased the moment people started dying.
"Sorry," he muttered quietly. "I'll make better use of it."
He crouched beside the young woman first and placed his hand gently on her shoulder.
"Plunder."
A faint warmth spread through his palm. A flicker of white light—
Then—
[Success: Talent acquired — E-Rank Agility Boost]
Lucas eyes widened slightly.
Agility Boost (E-Rank): Doubles movement speed and reaction time.
For a split second, everything around him seemed sharper. Clearer.
He stood up instinctively and took a step—
Too fast.
His foot nearly slipped as his body overshot the motion.
"…Whoa."
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
This wasn't just a small improvement.
This was a multiplier.
Combined with his already increased agility stat…
"Yeah," he murmured, testing a quick side-step. "Running away just became a lot easier."
Survival first. Always.
Without wasting time, he moved to the second body—the man.
Same motion. Same focus.
"Plunder."
A brief pause—
[Success: Talent acquired — F-Rank Enhanced Smell]
Lucas blinked.
"…Really?"
He stood there for a second, unimpressed—
Then his nose twitched.
The world changed instantly.
The scent of blood became layered. Complex.
Earth. Sweat. Iron. Decay.
Even the faint traces of movement in the surrounding grass became noticeable.
Lucas expression shifted.
"…Okay. That's actually useful."
Tracking. Detection. Early warning.
In a place like this, information was everything.
"Doesn't matter if it's F-rank," he said under his breath. "If it works, it works."
He stepped back, taking one last look at the hollow.
Nothing left of value.
Efficient. Clean.
Just how he liked it.
Lucas opened his panel, scanning it quickly:
[Name]: Lucas Reign
[Level]: 1 (30 / 100)
[Strength]: 8
[Agility]: 11
[Endurance]: 9
[Energy]: 27
[Talents]:
Infinite Plunder (SSS)
Strength Surge (D)
Agility Boost (E)
Enhanced Smell (F)
[Combat Rating]: ★
Lucas let out a quiet chuckle.
"Still one star, huh?"
He shook his head.
The system clearly didn't account for talents in its rating.
Good.
That meant his real strength was hidden.
And hidden strength…
Was the most dangerous kind.
Then—
His nose twitched again.
Stronger this time.
Not just blood—
Human scent.
Multiple.
And moving fast.
"…Crap."
Voices followed seconds later.
"Someone killed it already?!"
"Where's the body?!"
"Find them! They can't be far!"
Lucas didn't hesitate.
"Agility Boost."
The world slowed—
—or rather, he sped up.
His body moved like a blur, slipping into the tall grass in a matter of seconds. Each step was controlled, silent, precise.
He didn't run blindly.
He disappeared.
By the time the group arrived, Lucas was already gone.
Hidden. Watching.
"…That was close," he thought, crouched low in the grass.
From his vantage point, he could see them clearly now—three people, tense and angry, scanning the area.
"Our kill's gone…" one of them growled.
"Someone took it while we were regrouping," another snapped.
"We'll find them."
Lucas smirked faintly.
"Not today."
From that moment on, Lucas refined his approach.
He stopped thinking like a fighter.
And started thinking like a predator.
Or better yet—
A scavenger.
He didn't chase danger.
He followed it.
Wherever battles broke out, Lucas stayed just far enough behind to remain unseen.
Patient.
Observant.
Waiting.
And when the dust settled—
He moved in.
A broken body in the grass.
"Plunder."
[Strength +1]
A wolf-like creature, still warm.
"Plunder."
[Endurance +2]
A coiled serpent, its body split in half.
"Plunder."
[Agility +1]
Each time, the same warmth flowed through him.
Subtle. Addictive.
Real.
Lucas didn't rush.
Didn't overextend.
He moved like a shadow—appearing only when it was safe, disappearing before anyone noticed.
After a while, he began to notice patterns.
"…Same species… limited gains."
Three times.
That was the cap.
After extracting value from a type of creature three times, further attempts yielded nothing.
"Good to know."
It meant variety mattered.
Efficiency mattered.
Everything mattered.
At one point, he came across another fresh body.
A young man, likely killed during a failed ambush.
Lucas didn't hesitate.
"Plunder."
[Success: Talent acquired — F-Rank Enhanced Hearing]
A subtle shift followed.
The world grew… louder.
Not noisier—
Clearer.
He could hear distant movement. Footsteps. Breathing. Even the subtle friction of grass brushing against clothing.
Lucas nodded slowly.
"Eyes, nose, ears…"
Piece by piece, his perception was evolving.
Not just stronger—
Sharper.
More complete.
After several hours, Lucas finally retreated into a dense patch of brush to reassess.
He crouched low, steadying his breathing as he opened his panel again.
[Name]: Lucas Reign
[Level]: 1 (30 / 100)
[Strength]: 12
[Agility]: 15
[Endurance]: 14
[Energy]: 27
[Talents]:
Infinite Plunder (SSS)
Strength Surge (D)
Agility Boost (E)
Enhanced Smell (F)
Enhanced Hearing (F)
[Combat Rating]: ★★
Lucas stared at the updated numbers.
Then exhaled slowly.
"Two stars…"
A small increase on paper.
A massive difference in reality.
He clenched his fist lightly.
Strength. Speed. Endurance.
All significantly improved.
Compared to when he first arrived—
There was change
"Yeah…" he murmured.
"I could take on the old me ten times over."
Lucas stood slowly, brushing dirt from his hands.
In the distance, he could still hear the sounds of battle.
People struggling. Fighting. Surviving—barely.
He watched for a moment.
Then smiled faintly.
"They're still trying to survive…"
His grip tightened around his blades.
"But I'm already growing."
There was a difference now.
A clear one.
Others were reacting to the world.
Lucas…
Was adapting to it.
Using it.
Exploiting it.
He looked down at his weapons—both refined steel blades, clean and sharp.
Reliable.
But now—
Not enough.
Scavenging had taken him this far.
But if he wanted more—
He needed to act.
Not just follow.
Not just collect.
But hunt.
Lucas stepped forward, emerging from the brush.
The wind shifted slightly, carrying the distant scent of blood and movement.
His senses locked in immediately.
Tracking.
Locating.
Analyzing.
"…Alright," he said quietly.
His stance lowered.
His grip tightened.
His eyes sharpened.
"Let's see what I can really do."
Lucas Reign wasn't just avoiding danger.
He was walking toward it.