"W–what do you mean by that?"
With a voice devoid of emotion, Clark replied lowly, "I would’ve never been able to cause someone to bleed so much...especially if my life wasn’t on the line, but now...now I need to know if I experience the feeling of taking someone’s life, I’ll somehow have my old life back."
Matthew’s face turned pale in fear as he watched the bloodied fist of Clark come crashing down on his face once more.
Dull thuds filled the heavily damaged room and drowned out the footsteps heading towards them.
"Please...I’ll give you anything you want..."
Matthew’s pleas fell on deaf ears, and the continuous punching continued.
’I feel nothing.’
My hands continuously crashed against Matthew’s unrecognizable face, and I could feel pieces of broken teeth and torn flesh in between my fists, yet apart from the continuous pleas that increased the frequency of my punches, I felt nothing.
’Aren’t I supposed to be some maniac with a thirst for blood? Then why don’t I feel anything?’
My fists monotonously punched Matthew’s face as I fell deep into thought.
"Clark, what are you doing?!"
A familiar voice exclaimed, forcing me out of my thoughts.
Taking advantage of my slight pause, Matthew used whatever strength he had left and kicked me off his body.
"The patriarch will hear of this!" He exclaimed.
Before I could stop him, he had jumped out through one of the broken walls, and my system notifications halted any thoughts of going after him.
*******
[Ding!]
Skill: [Rank Ascension] has been forcefully deactivated
Reason: Time limit reached
Cool-down time: 54:32:01
[2 new notifications!]
********
’A little above two days, not too bad.’
Before I could check my notifications, a voice tinged with fear, anger, and disbelief traveled to my ears.
"Who are you?!"
I turned my head slowly and activated a skill I hadn’t used in a while due to moral restrictions.
******
[Ding!]
Skill: [Liar] is in use!
********
"What do you mean? It’s me, Clark."
My voice sounded less hoarse and flat, the smile on my face felt slightly genuine, and my stiff face twitched with every word.
’This skill is more impressive than I expected.’
Nodding inwardly, I wanted to explain why the room was...no longer a room but was cut short by a cold voice.
"You think I could be a head receptionist and not be able to differentiate lies and truth? You’re a skilled liar, though; I’ll give you that. Makes me wonder how long you’ve been lying and which is the true you."
Dropping the act, I spoke with a flat tone, "Enough, I’ll—"
A white-hot surge of pain exploded through me, ripping the words from my mouth. Every muscle convulsed at once, my body screaming as if it were being torn apart from the inside. My vision blurred, my bones felt like they were grinding against each other, and fire burned through my veins.
But I didn’t collapse. My knees buckled for a moment, sure, yet I forced myself upright. Compared to the hammering, bone-shattering torment I had already endured... this was nothing more than another scar waiting to form.
"Are you okay?" Rose asked worriedly.
Taking deep breaths and focusing on painful sensations coursing through my body, I answered:
"...I’ll pay for the room."
"...Oh, yeah, we could handle the paperwork anytime, but..."
Rose’s voice trailed off as her gaze flitted between me and the shattered floorboard.
"What do you want to say?" I asked flatly.
Patting her black dress by the sides with a discomforted expression, she replied, "Your face is...."
My hands slowly reached for my face at her gesture, and I immediately felt the coarse and uneven piece of flesh.
Some spots were brittle and flaked beneath my touch, while others oozed faintly, tender and wet. Blisters had burnt and hardened into ridges, making the surface jagged and warped.
My once handsome face was nothing short of a horrifying jigsaw puzzle, but despite my best efforts, I didn’t feel any regrets.
The figure of a yellow-haired woman with a teasing smile flickered through my mind as I leaned back against the wall. Laura. For a moment, the warmth of her presence almost drowned out the pain gnawing at my body.
"A necessary sacrifice..." I muttered under my breath, forcing the thought to anchor me.
Uncorking a potion from my storage ring, I downed it in one go. The bitter liquid burned down my throat, spreading heat through my veins as the worst of the pain dulled.
’I Guess it doesn’t heal wounds of this level, huh?
Staring at my disfigured reflection in a cracked mirror, I reached for a vial hidden in my storage ring and poured its whitish contents over my charred face.
The burn marks knit together in real time, skin shifting and repairing until only faint traces remained.
Rose’s shocked voice broke the silence almost immediately.
"Th—that’s a Divine-class potion! H–how did you get your hands on it?!"
"A... friend gave it to me."
"Oh wow, then you must have a really rich friend."
I turned away, walking toward the corner of the room where my scythe lay. Picking it up, I glanced at Rose, who was sweating buckets.
"...If you’re uncomfortable, you can leave. I’m not going to kill you."
But my flat tone, paired with those words, only made it worse.
Rose’s knees buckled. She collapsed onto the floor, wood splinters digging into her skin as she pleaded, face pale and eyes wide.
"P—please... I know something must’ve happened to you, but don’t take your anger out on me."
My brows furrowed. I took a step forward to help her up, but that too seemed to terrify her even more.
"Is it the room? Forget it... I’ll pay for it with my own money. It’s not that expensive anyway."
Extending one bloodied palm, I tried again, my voice steady.
"I’m not going to hurt you. You can leave. I’ll handle the cost of the room, and... we can talk later if the need arises."
Her eyes flickered with doubt, but she didn’t linger. She scrambled to her feet, rubbed her reddened knees, and bolted out of the room as if the walls might collapse any moment.
....
’I survived!’
Rushing back to her office, Rose slammed the door shut and locked it behind her. Her ragged breaths filled the room as her thoughts spun back to what she believed were her last moments.
What she saw standing before her was death itself. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novèlfire.net
Those hollow blue eyes—bottomless and cold—were like staring into a grave. The scythe draped across his shoulder still wet with blood. And that black cloak, flowing behind him, gave him the visage of the reaper come to claim her soul.
And worst of all... his voice. It wasn’t angry or loud. It was flat, stripped of warmth—yet it chilled her to the bone more than any threat could.
’He’s definitely the one who suffered from soul dissonance. And if he beat Matthew Virsch into that state... then he’s something far worse than human’
Stumbling to her chair, Rose collapsed into it and buried her face against the desk.
"Maybe... I shouldn’t investigate anything. I like my life too much to go against that... shell of a man."
Sleep eventually took her, though her restless, shifting expression betrayed the nightmares clawing at her dreams—each one replaying the image of hollow eyes and a reaper’s scythe.
"What was that about?" I mumbled
Clearing my mind of unnecessary thoughts, I decided to activate my system fully to see how much I had grown after that incident.
*****
Name: Clark Thompson
Rank: F
Class: Battle mage
Level: 19 (+14)
Exp points: 500
Mp: 240/250 (+50)
_________________
Strength: 195 (+50)
Agility: 100 (+25)
Vitality: 100 (+26)
Intelligence: 100 (+5)
______________
Weapon in use: Aether scythe
Weapon rank: Mythril – touched
Weapon proficiency: 91%
______________
Skill(s) in use: [Liar] [Masseuse] [Calculative] [Stealth]
Skill proficiency: 100% (masseuse)!
• 96% (Calculative)
•70% (Desperation)
Skills possessed: Liar lvl. 3, Masseuse, Calculative, Magic fingers lvl. 2, Rank nullification lvl. 3, Desperation lvl. 5, Eagle’s Eye lvl. 4, Reaper’s Descent lvl.0, Stealth lvl. 5, Rank Ascension lvl. 6, Weapon prodigy (New!), Iron fist (New!), Mana circulation (New!), Strong mind (New!), Blood reckoning (New!), Killer’s calm (New!)
_______________
Weapon prodigy: A passive skill that grants natural affinity with all weapons. Proficiency gain is doubled, and accuracy improves significantly when switching between weapon types. Increases adaptability in combat.
Iron fist: When fighting barehanded, strikes are reinforced with hardened mana, dealing blunt-force damage comparable to metal weapons. Passive resistance to pain in fists and arms.
Mana circulation: A passive skill that improves the efficiency of mana flow throughout the body, reducing skill cooldowns and minimizing internal damage caused by chaotic elements. Boosts stamina regeneration.
Strong mind: A passive skill that grants resistance to mental attacks, illusions, and fear inducement. Sharpened focus allows for stable spellcasting under pressure.
Blood reckoning: Converts a portion of received damage into strength for the next 10 seconds. Risk of physical backlash after use.
Killer’s calm: In combat, emotions dull, granting increased accuracy and focus at the cost of empathy
_______________
Remark: ...For your troubles.
********
I couldn’t hide my shock as I saw the numerous skills the system gave me and the massive jump in stats.
’For my troubles?...Is this some kind of compensation?’
’Tsk, forget it. I have questions that need urgent answers so I guess this is the best time to use the exp points I’ve been saving up.’
My thoughts reaching this point, I called out, "System."
The blue interface popped up and I continued, "I would like to make some inquiries."
******
[The host is allowed to make inquiries within acceptable boundaries.]
**********
Not wasting any time, I asked, "Why can’t I see the skills I’ve learned in the system interface?"
*******
[The host has asked a plausible question]
[3/5 free trials used]
[The skills the host has learnt are within the confines of his mind and cannot be extracted]
********
"Well, this only raises more questions, and time is all I have"
Sitting on a the shattered floorboard, I prepared to clear all the doubts and inconsistencies in my power system.