The fire had long turned to ash when Kairo woke.
His body ached, muscles screaming from the previous battle. Dried blood clung to his tunic, and the metallic scent of death still hung in the air. Yet the forest was silent. No birds. No insects. Just the wind and the occasional creak of unseen branches.
He had survived another day.
Barely.
As Kairo stood, the chains loosely slithered from his limbs, almost alive—like serpents satisfied after feeding. He didn't know whether to feel grateful or terrified.
> [System Alert: New Daily Quest Available]
Objective: Hunt and eliminate three corrupted entities.
Reward: 50 EXP | 1 Attribute Point
Penalty: Curse Level increase (Minor)
"Another day, another test," he muttered, brushing his fingers through messy hair.
But before he could take a step, a soft voice echoed from the shadows.
"You're making quite the noise for someone marked by death."
He turned swiftly, chains rising instinctively.
Nyra stepped into view again, calm as ever. Her hood was down this time, revealing sharp emerald eyes and short raven hair streaked with silver. A dagger spun between her fingers casually.
"You always sneak up on people like that?" Kairo asked, half-annoyed.
"I do when the person I'm watching radiates more cursed energy than a demon hive," she replied.
He eyed her carefully. "What do you want this time?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she crouched beside the remnants of his campfire, poking at the embers.
"You impressed me yesterday," Nyra said. "Not just because you lived. But because you fought the curse instead of letting it own you."
Kairo crossed his arms. "That's not a compliment. It's survival."
"In this world, that's the same thing."
She looked up at him, suddenly serious. "There's a group. The Black Fang. Outcasts like you. Some cursed, others condemned for other reasons. We operate from the shadows, but our influence stretches far."
"And?" Kairo asked warily.
"And we want to offer you a deal."
He blinked. "Just like that?"
"No. You'll have to earn it."
She reached into her cloak and pulled out a black insignia—an emblem shaped like a fang, stained in crimson.
"If you take this and survive the next three days without losing control of your curse, you'll earn an invitation."
"What happens if I lose control?"
"Then you'll be hunted. Like all the others who did."
Kairo stared at the emblem. It pulsed faintly with dark magic. Not cursed like his chains, but not normal either.
"What's the catch?" he asked.
Nyra smirked. "The catch is that we're not heroes. We don't fight for kingdoms. We fight for power, for freedom, for the right to choose our fate. You want redemption? That's not our business. You want revenge? Then we might get along."
He hesitated. The memory of the Princess's cold gaze flashed through his mind.
Revenge…
His hand closed around the emblem.
"I'll take your test."
"Good," Nyra said, standing. "Then your trial begins now."
"What trial?"
She pointed into the woods. "You'll find a forgotten village half a mile north—Hollowmere. It was abandoned after the Scourge. Something moved in recently. Something old. Corrupted."
"A corrupted entity?" Kairo asked, already feeling the chains stir.
"Not just one. It's nesting ground. Your chains will scream. Your system will beg you to run. But if you survive… the Black Fang will know your name."
Without another word, she vanished again—leaving only the emblem and the weight of choice behind.
---
The path to Hollowmere was quiet.
Too quiet.
Kairo's every step felt heavy, like the forest itself was watching him. The trees grew denser, their roots twisted like bones beneath the earth. Shadows danced unnaturally across his vision.
When he arrived, the sight froze him.
The village was ruined—burnt homes half-swallowed by moss, well water turned black, and a thick red mist clinging to the earth like bloodied fog.
Then came the whispers.
> [System Alert: Area Designation – Hollowmere, Corruption Zone Lv. 2]
Caution: Entities in this region possess adaptive curse resistance.
> [Warning: System stability compromised. Curse syncing… 63%]
Kairo took a shaky breath.
He stepped into the fog.
The chains immediately reacted—tightening around his wrists, glowing faintly as if sensing something near.
The first creature emerged from a crumbled hut—tall and skeletal, its face hidden beneath a rotting shroud, limbs like daggers. A cursed wight.
It hissed and lunged.
Kairo dodged left, barely avoiding the talons, then countered with a chain whip across its chest.
> [Parasite Chain Lv. 2 – Curse applied]
Black energy burrowed into the wight, causing it to shudder—but it didn't fall. Instead, its body expanded grotesquely, adapting to the curse like the system warned.
Kairo gritted his teeth.
So they adapt.
Then he'd overwhelm.
Two more wights emerged. Then four. Then six.
The battle spiraled into chaos—chains whipping, claws slashing, black blood spraying across stone and soil.
One grabbed his shoulder. He twisted and invoked [Grave Pull], slamming it into another.
Another bit into his leg. He activated [Pain Mirror], the reflected damage bursting its head open—but not before pain flooded his veins.
He stumbled, gasping.
> [Cursed Resilience triggered. Health restored: 6%]
[System Integrity: Holding]
He forced himself up.
"Not yet…" he growled. "I'm not falling here."
Using [Bind], he immobilized three wights at once—then spun, using the full weight of both chains to crush their skulls in a single sweeping arc.
Silence returned.
Eight bodies lay still, slowly turning to ash.
Then came the last one.
A malformed beast unlike the others—larger, armored, crowned with rusted metal and wielding a twisted spear. A Scourged Knight.
> [System Alert: Elite Corrupted Detected – Scourged Knight Lv. 12]
Caution: Curse Inversion Ability Possible
Kairo didn't hesitate.
He lunged first.
The battle was a blur—spears and chains, blood and steel, curses screaming in both directions. Kairo fought with everything—[Parasite Chain], [Grave Pull], even raw strength.
The Knight countered each move with precision, even turning one of his own curse attacks back at him.
But in the end…
Kairo stood above its broken body, chest heaving, arms trembling.
He was bleeding, spent, burned from the inside—but victorious.
> [System Alert: Trial Complete – Elite Defeated]
Reward: +150 EXP | +2 Attribute Points
Skill Upgrade: [Grave Pull Lv. 2 Unlocked]
Bonus Skill Unlocked: [Chain Mastery Lv. 1]
He fell to his knees, laughing weakly.
"I did it…"
The Black Fang would know.
---
Far away, Nyra watched from a spectral orb.
She smiled.
"He survived Hollowmere. Barely."
From the darkness beside her, another voice spoke—gravelly, amused.
"Then the rumors were true."
Nyra nodded. "He's not just cursed. He's something more."
"Good," the voice said. "The war to come needs monsters who can bleed gods."