“Unravel, Sage System—!”

The moment he called upon it, a verdant energy coalesced around his body, releasing in a sort of supernatural pressure that repelled the bindings around his limbs as a shock wave was released.

“What–?!” Cah-In let out in shock, falling back.

[Good job, Jeong-Hui. You’ve manifested your unique system, at last. Currently, you’re at level 15, the same as the Angel System. These two systems are in no way connected–normally, that is–but the Sage System has latched onto it, causing their experience to be shared.]

[What that means, is that right now, the Sage System is at full strength.]

[The strength of the Sage System awaits in its augmentation of your mind. Allow it to guide your blade forward and carve your way to the path of victory, Jeong-Hui.]

He naturally understood how to use this new system immediately, feeling its innate knowledge flood into his mind seamlessly as he landed on the floor while the chains chimed and dropped to the ground beside him.

Quickly, he was surrounded by a plethora of cultists while Cah-In hid himself behind the group.

He was calm; surprisingly so.

There was something about the “Sage System”–a tranquility that eased his mind, as if bringing him into the optimized mindset for battle.

“Seize him! Break him! Tear his limbs off, if you must–but don’t kill him!” Cah-In commanded from the back in desperation, slurring his words as saliva left his mouth, “He must be sacrificed to the great beast–!”

For a moment, his emerald eyes laid on the broken, torn body of the silver-haired woman towards the back of his room, and even with his optimized mind, a single tear strolled down his cheek.

His sights then moved to Cah-In, who seemed to flinch the moment their eyes met, as he used a [Blink Step] without even moving an inch, aiming past the crowd and directly towards the man._.

–He was intercepted before he could reach the cult leader, however, as an unmet, blindfolded man with a hefty mane of red hair stopped his dagger with his sharpened, inhuman claws.

“Yu-Jin! Good job!–Now tear his arms and legs off! Cut his tongue away! Castrate him–!” Cah-In screamed out.

“…On it…” The one named Yu-Jin whispered with a smile.

He remained silent and focused before flipping back, glancing back to see an array of robed men approaching him swiftly from behind.

With a single press of his sole against the ground–he disappeared.

None of the crazed men could see it, but he [Blink Stepped] multiple times in succession, appearing behind the grouping of hooded cultists.

“Ripper.”

He spoke quietly, slashing his blade against the air as all of the black-robed followers remained frozen behind him before–an uncountable number of slashes embedded themselves against their dozen bodies.

[Spirit: -300. Remaining Spirit: 2050/2700]

Arms were flung off, legs cleaved, torsos chopped, and bodies eviscerated–all in that one moment, with one skill, he slew a dozen.

I’m done. I’m not playing the hero anymore. I’m sick of it. If this is what it brings, then I’ll throw it aside, he thought.

[Cultists slain. New experience gathered: “Assassin Cultivation” +50 EXP.]

[Assassin Cultivation: Level 10 | 10/100 EXP]

It was a new system prompt, this time spoken by the masculine voice of the new system. He immediately understood what was going on with it without having been told: the Sage System functioned directly–rather than gaining experience only through slaying Defects, it was able to cultivate experience through other accomplishments.

Specialized and honed to evolve certain aspects of himself; case-and-point–through using his skills as an assassin-class to kill, it specifically earned him experience with his proficiency as an assassin.

For him, it was as if moving his body was something he had practiced for a century, gruesomely perfecting each movement, tirelessly training his prediction–all afforded to him naturally by the new, mysterious system.

Beyond that, it altered his perception whilst active; his emerald eyes took a certain shine, inhabited by a digital array–for him, he witnessed time at a slowed rate.

“…Huh?” Cah-In let out in shock.

All of his enigmatic followers were cut down in an instant, leaving a mess of eviscerated bodies on the floor.

“You useless bunch! You can’t even handle one boy! Not one! Not one–! Yu-Jin, get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get! Him!” Cah-In rapidly spoke, repeatedly jabbing his finger towards the red-haired man’s direction.

Breaking off in a rapid sprint, running on all-fours, the dog-like man dashed toward him aggressively as he prepared to counterattack.

It was when using this new system did he realize; his skills as an assassin were dulled this entire time–utilizing the proficient nature of the Sage System, he felt the mastery of killing was natural to his movements.

This came when Yu-Jin leapt towards him, aiming for his throat before he swiftly ducked down without batting an eye, countering with an unseen dagger straight to the neck of the animalistic man.

“Hrk…!” Yu-Jin spat out blood.

“Yu-Jin–!” Cah-In shouted.

He only looked at the depraved, dog-like man with his enhanced eyes before drawing his blade from his neck, leaving a gaping hole in which blood poured from.

Yu-Jin was left to the ground, choking on his own blood as he now set his sights on the one and only foe left in the room–Cah-In.

“You…!” Cah-In gritted his teeth in anger, “Die…!”

With a wave of his arms, the pale man summoned a storm of chains, protruding from each wall and chasing after him.

He saw it coming, and was able to predict the movements of the chains through the usage of his new power.

“Sage System”…I understand it. It’s not about obtaining new, crazy magic, but perfecting the human system. My fatigue is optimized, hardly dropping, my reflexes were bolstered, my thoughts were refined…with each new experience, I cultivate something.

Ever growing like a studious sage, I can cultivate every aspect of myself, he thought.

Around the chains, he danced, avoiding their reach as he hopped from spot-to-spot, even using the black chains themselves as footing as he dashed towards the inhuman man with both of his daggers in hand.

“What–?!”

Cah-In was left dumbfounded; it was an unnerving sensation to be faced against somebody who moved optimally, wasting zero movement as every step they took seemed perfectly carved to reach their destination.

As he landed near the man, just a few steps away, out of sheer desperation, Cah-In waved his frail arms, hailing down what seemed to be an endless number of chains towards him.

“Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! D–”

–He was too swift.

A [Blink Step] was used just a fraction of a moment before the ends of the interlinked chains could descend upon him.

Through the temple of the wicked man, he pierced his dagger through flesh and skull.

Such an infliction was enough to instantly seize the cult leader’s functions as his body went limp, with saliva running down his chin.

“Shut up and die already,” he said, pulling the dagger out of the man’s head before letting his body fall to the ground.

As he stood there, wiping the blood away from his face, he held no remorse in his eyes before releasing the amplification of the new system, returning his eyes to their normal, unglowing state.

The moment he released it, his breaths came out heavy before he dropped to his knees.

“Ghh…! This is…?!”

While in “Sage System” his unwanted emotions were suppressed, tucked away while in battle, but now, they came out strong, forcing a flow of tears from his eyes as he brought himself beside the fallen body of his silver-haired companion.

“…Kamou…”

He held his head as it ached.

It didn’t appear until just then: a prompt in response to his actions.

[Congratulations. You’ve reached Level 20.]

“Huh…?”

There were no Defects he killed, but he realized it after another moment, turning back to look at the scenery of death left in his wake within the room: he gained a plethora of experience from massacring all of the cultists, who were in turn players.

But, he didn’t care about that just then.

What sat in his mind, churning in his stomach, was what he had done.

“…I killed them…”

His breathing began to haste, ascending into an uneven, rapid hyperventilation as his eyes shook, looking on at the pile of bodies in the rancid room.

I killed them…I killed them, he thought.

It was when feeling a hot wind brush against his pale, sweat-clad skin did he turn back again, met face-to-face with the abhorrent beast from Hell, still fortunately bound just enough for its jaws to be unable to reach him.

Even in the face of the malicious beast beyond human imagination, he didn’t recognize it as a threat; the sadness in his heart overpowered his fear as his attention went elsewhere.

“…Kamou…”

Again, he said her name, looking down at her blood-covered body for a minute before slowly lifting her body into his arms as he rose to his feet.

“…Let’s go…”

With a shine of tears glossing his emerald eyes, he looked down at her as he carried her in his arms, making his way through the dreadful domain to make his leave.