As Morris searched frantically for Seth, scanning the smoke and embers that lingered from Peaches' flames, it was already too late.
A wet, sickening sound echoed through the forest.
Seth's hand had pierced straight through Morris's back, his fingers bursting out from the front of his chest, slick with blood and pulsing energy.
Morris froze, his body trembling in disbelief. Slowly—almost unwillingly—he turned his head. His eyes met Seth's darkened crimson gaze. Those slitted pupils glowed faintly, like embers that refused to die, and the expression on Seth's face was no longer human.
It was the face of someone who had crossed the line between man and monster.
A being born from pain, vengeance, and something far more sinister now stirring within him.
For the first time, Morris—the mercenary who had walked through countless battlefields—felt genuine fear.
Seth's voice was low, almost a whisper, yet it carried the weight of something ancient.
"Your grief ends here."
And with that, the forest once again fell into a dreadful silence.
Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, Seth withdrew his hand—ripping Morris's heart clean from his chest. Blood splattered across the ground, warm and vivid against the cold forest air.
He stared at the pulsing heart in his grasp, his expression unreadable. For a brief moment, the world seemed to still.
Crunch!
The sound echoed through the silent forest as Seth's fingers tightened, crushing the heart into a mess of blood and flesh.
The look on his face was chilling—half satisfaction, half awakening hunger. His eyes gleamed with the primal thrill of a predator who had tasted his first true kill.
This wasn't just survival anymore.
It was instinct—dark and raw.
Peaches floated beside him, eyes wide and flickering between fear and awe, the crimson glow of its scales reflecting the monstrous aura now radiating from Seth.
[Ding.]!
{The Administrator has killed.}
{Unique Skill — Necromancy — has been activated.}
{ — Predation — acquired after minor slaughter.}
A deep, guttural hum filled the air as a wild red energy erupted around Seth, twisting and spiraling like a living creature. The aura took shape—jagged, chaotic, resembling the open maw of a beast made of pure hunger.
It descended upon the fallen bodies of the assassin and Morris. Flesh, blood, and even fragments of their souls were devoured by the crimson void, dissolving into streams of energy that flowed directly into Seth's body.
The forest shuddered. The air thickened with the stench of death and power.
Seth's silver-white hair swayed violently in the crimson wind, the faint red glow tracing along every strand. His eyes remained cold, unwavering, as the last remnants of the bodies vanished into the energy storm.
When the light finally faded, only silence remained.
No bodies. No trace. Only Seth—standing amidst the red mist, his aura darker and heavier than ever before.
"Kuuur!!"
Peaches squealed in delight, fluttering excitedly around Seth's head.
Master, we won!!
Seth froze. The words weren't spoken aloud—no sound touched his ears—yet they echoed clearly inside his mind.
He blinked, momentarily breaking from the haze of power and bloodlust that had consumed him moments ago. His crimson eyes softened in confusion.
Did… did you just speak? he asked silently, unsure if he was losing his mind.
Peaches twirled happily, its tiny wings shimmering with a faint red hue from the lingering energy in the air.
"Yes, Master! It's me—Peaches!" the voice chirped again, bright and innocent, so at odds with the carnage that surrounded them.
Seth couldn't help but stare at the little dragon, a puzzled expression twisting his face. It was almost absurd—he had just torn out a man's heart, and now he was having a telepathic conversation with a dragon named Peaches.
A small, breathless chuckle escaped him. "You really are full of surprises…"
The forest was quiet again, save for the soft beating of Peaches' wings. In that eerie calm, Seth realized just how far he'd already stepped from humanity—and how much deeper this world would pull him.
The silence between Seth and Peaches was suddenly shattered by a familiar chime.
[Ding.]!
Lines of glowing text appeared before Seth's eyes, their light reflecting against his crimson pupils.
{Due to the administrator's connection with Peaches, one of the Seven Deadly Disasters...}
{She shall now evolve — and so shall the Administrator.}
Before Seth could react, a brilliant red light burst from beneath their feet. The glow intensified, swirling around him and Peaches like a vortex of living flame. The air trembled with raw energy as the forest itself seemed to recoil from the power rising in front of it.
Seth clenched his fists as waves of heat and force surged through his body, rewriting something deep within his very being. Beside him, Peaches floated in the air, her small body wrapped in crimson energy, her eyes glowing like molten gems.
They were evolving—just as the system had decreed.
And as that wild light illuminated the forest, one truth became painfully clear:
their evolution would bring change.
Not for Seth and Peaches.
But for their enemies.
Because whatever emerged from that crimson glow would not be prey.
It would be the beginning of a nightmare.
Then, as if born anew, Seth began to rise. The red light surrounding him pulsed violently—then exploded outward in a shockwave that swept through the forest like a storm.
When the light faded, a completely different figure stood at its center.
Seth hovered above the ground, draped in deep crimson garments. His pants were loose-fitting yet stylish, their fabric shifting subtly like flowing flame. The outfit suited him perfectly—dark, elegant, and dangerous.
His silver-white hair had grown long, cascading down his back, shimmering faintly in the glow that lingered around him. A few strands framed his sharp face, accenting the small piercings that now adorned his ears. His physique had changed as well—taller, lean, and athletic, every line of his body carrying quiet power.
He looked like someone reborn—not the timid outcast from before, but a man marked by chaos and authority.
Then, beside him, the red light around Peaches began to change. Hints of blue and gold threaded through it, filling the forest with a divine shimmer. Her small draconic body was lifted into the air, wings folding inward as her shape began to twist and shift.
The light flared—bright enough to blind—and when it shattered, what emerged wasn't a dragon anymore.
A girl stepped out of the glow. Her hair was long and black, flowing like silk in the breeze, and her eyes gleamed with that same deep crimson as before—ancient, powerful, yet oddly gentle. She wore sleek red clothing that matched Seth's, her presence both regal and wild.
Peaches looked human—no longer the tiny dragon from moments ago, but a teenage girl with an aura that made the entire forest tremble.
Seth stared at her, speechless. "Peaches…?"
She smiled faintly, the corners of her lips curling with familiarity and warmth.
"Yes, Master. It's still me."