SHINE!!
Sunlight pierced through the blast proof glass of the Roppongi penthouse, casting long, sharp shadows across the empty room. Ren Hanshin opened his eyes. He didn't stretch. He lay perfectly still on the cold hardwood floor, his breathing slow and measured.
Directly above his head, the Omni-View camera hovered silently in the air. The tiny red recording light was unblinking.
A crimson screen appeared in his field of vision.
[God of Fate]: Good morning, my love.
[God of Fate]: You slept six hours and fourteen minutes. Your heart rate was elevated during the third hour. Were you dreaming of me?
[God of Fate]: I watched your chest rise and fall all night. You are so beautiful when you are helpless.
Ren ignored the freezing chill that crawled up his spine. He pushed himself off the floor, his muscles feeling alien to him. There was no ache, no fatigue. The lingering pain from three years of brutal porter work had vanished.
He stood up and looked at his hands. He felt an explosive power coursing through his veins.
"System," Ren commanded. "Open Status Window."
A sleek, blue translucent screen replaced the crimson chat box.
[Name: Ren Hanshin]
[Age: 21]
[Class: Sovereign's Executioner (Mythic)]
[Title: S-Rank Anomaly Slayer]
[Level: 45]
[Stats]
Strength: 150 (Previous: 12)
Agility: 165 (Previous: 14)
Vitality: 140 (Previous: 10)
Mana: 500 (Previous: 5)
[Exclusive Skills]
- Severance of Destiny (Lv. 1): A Mythic-tier attack that ignores physical defense and severs the target's connection to reality. Cost: 50 Mana.
- Void Step (Lv. 1): Allows the user to traverse short distances by walking through the shadows. Cost: 10 Mana.
[Sponsor: The God of Fate]
[Karma Points: 18,500,000]
Ren stared at the numbers. It was absurd. A standard A-Rank Hunter, someone who had trained for a decade, usually peaked at around 100 in their main stats. Ren had surpassed the human limit in a single night. His mana capacity alone was monstrous. He closed the window. Power was useless if he didn't know how to wield it.
He walked into the pristine kitchen. Another Omni-View camera silently followed him, tracking his every movement like a mechanical predator. Ren pulled out his cracked Association-issued phone. He had one thing he needed to confirm before he did anything else. He dialed the number for the Tokyo Medical Institute.
The line rang twice before a receptionist answered. "Tokyo Medical Institute, how may I direct your call?"
"This is Ren Hanshin," he said, keeping his voice neutral. "I'm calling to check on the status of patient Akari Hanshin."
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK…!
There was a brief pause, followed by the furious clicking of a keyboard. "Ah! Mr. Hanshin! Yes, of course. Your sister was transferred to the secure VIP ward on the top floor late last night. The anonymous wire transfer cleared her balance, and her new specialized treatment has begun. She is resting comfortably."
Ren let out a slow, quiet breath. "Is there any Association presence near her room? Any Guild Hunters?"
"No, sir. The VIP ward has private security. Only authorized medical staff are allowed on that floor."
"Keep it that way," Ren said. "Thank you."
He hung up the phone. A heavy weight lifted off from his chest. Akari was safe. She was finally getting the medicine she needed. For the first time in years, he didn't have to worry about her being thrown onto the street.
The crimson screen flashed in front of his face.
[God of Fate]: She looks peaceful in the new bed. The machines are beeping rhythmically.
[God of Fate]: I am keeping her heart beating, Ren. I am holding her fragile little thread of life in my fingers.
[God of Fate]: As long as you belong to me, she will live a long, healthy life. Do not ever make me angry enough to let go.
Ren crushed the cracked phone in his hand. The plastic shattered into tiny pieces, cutting into his palm. He didn't feel the pain. He just felt an overwhelming, burning hatred.
The power dynamic was absolute. She was holding a knife to his sister's throat from a dimension away.
"I understand," Ren said to the camera, his voice dripping with venom. "I am yours."
[The God of Fate is trembling with delight.]
[The God of Fate has donated 1,000,000 Karma Points!]
Across the city, inside the tall glass skyscraper of the Azure Dragon Guild. The atmosphere in the Guild Master's private office was suffocatingly tense. The massive screen television on the wall was playing the morning news on a loop.
"...The F-Rank porter, now identified as Ren Hanshin, emerged from the A-Rank Gate unharmed, carrying an S-Rank Abyssal core. The Association is launching a full investigation into the Azure Dragon Guild's field operations..."
Guild Master Kaito pressed a button on his remote, turning the television off. He was a massive man, an S-Rank Berserker sponsored by the God of Wealth. He wore a tailored suit that barely contained his bulging muscles.
He slowly turned his gaze downward. Ryuichi, the Golden Boy, was kneeling on the expensive Persian rug. His silver armor was still stained with dried mud. He was shaking. Mei, the A-Rank Healer, stood in the corner of the room, her head bowed, terrified to even look at the Guild Master.
"Ryuichi," Kaito said, his voice seriously quiet. "Explain to me how an F-Rank piece of garbage survived an S-Rank anomaly."
"I... I don't know, Master!" Ryuichi stammered, his forehead pressed against the floor. "He was bleeding out! I cut his leg myself! He didn't have any mana! The dungeon must have glitched, or he stole a relic! It's impossible!"
CRACK!
Kaito moved faster than the eye could see. His boot slammed into Ryuichi's face, shattering the swordsman's nose and sending him sprawling across the room. Ryuichi screamed in agony, clutching his bloody face.
"Shut up," Kaito snarled. "I don't care if he found a relic. I don't care if a Constellation took pity on him. Do you know what you've done?"
Kaito grabbed Ryuichi by the collar of his armor, levitating him off the floor. "You embarrassed this Guild on national television. The stock prices plummeted this morning. The God of Wealth is furious with me, and worst of all, you let an S-Rank Abyssal core walk away."
Kaito threw Ryuichi back onto the floor in disgust. He pulled a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood off his hands.
"An S-Rank core is worth enough to buy a seat on the National Awakened Council," Kaito said coldly. "We are not losing it to a rat who used to carry our bags."
"W-What do we do, Master Kaito?" Mei whispered from the corner, tears welling in her eyes. "He was so strong outside the gate. His aura... it was terrifying."
"An aura is just an illusion," Kaito scoffed. "He's a rookie who got lucky. He doesn't know how to fight a real war."
Kaito walked over to his desk and hit an intercom button. "Send in the Shadows."
CRANK!!
The doors opened. Three figures walked into the room. They wore tight black combat suits and featureless black masks. They emitted zero mana. They were the Guild's elite squad, unregistered with the Association. Assassins sponsored by the God of Death.
"Find Ren Hanshin," Kaito ordered, pointing at the television. "I don't care how many security measures his new penthouse has. Rip out his eyes, cut off his hands, and bring me that S-Rank core. Make sure he screams before he dies."
The three assassins bowed silently and vanished into the shadows of the room.
****
Back in the Roppongi penthouse.
Ren walked into the massive, empty living room. He needed clothes. His porter gear was destroyed, and the midnight black coat, which the Goddess had given him during his awakening had vanished when he deactivated his combat state. He opened the System Shop interface, intending to browse the 'Armor' section.
WEE-WOO!
Suddenly, a deafening siren echoed inside his skull. The blue system screen shattered like glass. The room flashed into an emergency crimson red.
[GLOBAL ALERT!]
[A Mandatory Main Scenario has been triggered by the Sovereign Pantheon!]
[Scenario Name: The Blood Moon Labyrinth]
[Difficulty: S-Rank]
Ren's eyes narrowed. 'A Main Scenario? Already?' Main Scenarios were massive, forced dungeon breaks that pulled thousands of Awakened into an alternate dimension. Refusing to participate resulted in instant death by the system.
[Scanning for eligible participants...]
[Host 'Ren Hanshin' is within the designated zone.]
[Forced Teleportation will begin in 5 minutes.]
Ren cursed under his breath. He had no armor. He had no potions. He was about to be thrown into an S-Rank warzone naked.
The crimson chat box of his sponsor overrode the system warning.
[God of Fate]: They are trying to kill you. The other Gods triggered this early just to trap you.
[God of Fate]: I will not let them touch you. You are mine.
[God of Fate has forced a Mythic Item Delivery!]
A dark, whirling vortex of red energy formed in the center of Ren's living room. From the vortex, a garment hovered down into his hands. It was a long, sweeping trench coat. It was pitch black, but upon closer inspection, the fabric wasn't leather or cloth. It was woven from thousands of crimson threads that thumped like living veins.
[Item Name: Embrace of the Weaver]
[Grade: Mythic]
[Description: An armor woven from the hair of the God of Fate. It provides immunity to all physical attacks below S-Rank.]
[Hidden Curse: The Jealous Guardian. Anyone who touches this coat with romantic intent, or anyone the host feels affection for, will immediately suffer from severe, incurable flesh necrosis.]
Ren stared at the coat. The defense stat was utterly broken. It would make him invincible against normal Hunters and monsters. But the curse... it was horrifying. She was literally weaponizing her jealousy. She was ensuring that he could never be hugged, never be touched, and never be loved by anyone else in this world. If a female hunter even brushed against his shoulder in the dungeon while trying to flirt, her arm would rot off.
"You really don't leave any loopholes, do you?" Ren muttered, a dark chuckle escaping his lips.
[God of Fate]: Put it on, Ren. Let me wrap my arms around you.
[God of Fate]: Kill everything in that maze. Show the other gods what happens when they look at what belongs to me.
Ren swung the coat over his shoulders. The moment the crimson threads touched his skin, they tightened slightly, adjusting to his physique. It felt warm. He summoned the Severance of Destiny into his right hand. The blood red scythe hummed with anticipation, resonating with the coat. He looked at the Omni-View camera hovering in the corner of the room. His crimson eyes shimmering with ruthless determination.
"Five minutes," Ren said. "Let's go hunting."
A tall pillar of blue light crashed through the ceiling, swallowing him whole. The teleportation had begun.