The monster charged.
Its claws scraped against the broken road as it ran toward Rayan with terrifying speed.
Rayan's heart pounded wildly.
"Why me…?" he muttered under his breath.
The creature growled loudly, its red eyes burning with hunger.
GRRRRR!
The system message appeared again in front of Rayan's eyes.
[Mission: Kill the Monster]
Reward: Shadow Skill Unlock
Failure: Death
Rayan clenched his fists.
"So it's either kill… or die."
The monster leaped into the air, raising its claws to tear him apart.
At the last second, Rayan rolled to the side.
SLAM!
The monster crashed into the ground where he had been standing just a moment ago.
"Okay… that was close!"
Rayan quickly stood up and looked around for something he could use as a weapon.
A broken metal pipe was lying near a crashed car.
He grabbed it tightly.
The monster slowly turned toward him again, growling angrily.
Blood dripped from its mouth.
Rayan swallowed nervously.
"Alright… let's try this."
The monster rushed toward him again.
Rayan raised the pipe and swung it with all his strength.
CLANG!
The metal pipe hit the monster's head.
But the creature barely moved.
Instead, it looked even more furious.
"Oh no…"
The monster slashed its claws across Rayan's arm.
SHRRRK!
Rayan cried out in pain as he fell to the ground.
Blood stained his sleeve.
"Damn it…!"
The monster slowly approached him, ready to finish the job.
Rayan's vision began to blur.
But suddenly—
A new system message appeared.
[Host Life Threatened]
[Emergency Skill Unlocked]
Dark energy suddenly burst out from Rayan's body.
Shadows on the street began moving like living things.
Rayan felt a strange power flowing through his veins.
"What… is this feeling…?"
Another message appeared.
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow Strike]
The monster lunged toward him.
But this time—
Rayan didn't run.
He stood up slowly.
Dark shadows gathered around his hand like a blade.
The monster attacked.
Rayan moved instantly.
SLASH!
A wave of dark energy shot forward.
The monster was cut across its chest and thrown backward.
It crashed into a car and collapsed on the ground.
For a moment… everything became silent.
Then the system spoke again.
[Monster Eliminated]
Rayan stared in shock.
"I… I killed it?"
Another message appeared.
[Level Up]
[New Ability Available]
Rayan breathed heavily, trying to understand what had just happened.
But far away… above the broken buildings…
Someone was watching.
A tall figure stood on the rooftop, hidden in darkness.
The figure smiled faintly.
"So the cursed system has finally found its host…"
His glowing eyes stared directly at Rayan.
"This world is about to become very interesting."
And Rayan had no idea that killing this monster…
Was only the beginning of a much bigger nightmare.