Rain fell in whispers over Sector 13.
Renji sat on the depot roof, shirt torn, eyes locked on the city's glowing skyline.
He hadn't slept in days.
Since unlocking Echo Pain, everything had changed.
He wasn't weak anymore.
But he still wasn't safe.
A new bounty had been posted in the underworld:
> "Renji Kurobane – Alive. 30,000 Credits. Deliver to Dark Core Facility."
Everyone wanted him now. Not for who he was.
For what they could use him for.
Pain had value.
---
That evening, as thunder crawled across the sky, Renji heard footsteps near the depot gate.
Not loud.
Not threatening.
Soft. Barefoot. Familiar.
He dropped down silently, crouched in the shadows.
Then he saw her.
Yua.
The girl who had once prayed for him.
She stood in the rain, soaked, clutching a thin cloth bundle.
"Renji… are you here?" her voice cracked. "They… they came for me. Because I helped you."
His eyes widened. "Who?"
"The Fang Bloods. They found out I spoke to you. They burned the orphanage."
His chest twisted.
Not with fear.
With rage.
---
Yua fainted in his arms from exhaustion.
Her body was cold, her skin bruised.
He laid her near the depot fire, eyes full of silence.
Then turned to the shadows.
"System."
> [Yes, Host?]
"How many targets can Echo Pain hit at once?"
> [Skill Upgrade Required. Current Limit: One Target.]
However, you may unlock new nodes via Curse Tree.
Would you like to access the Curse Tree?
"Yes."
---
[Curse Tree - Tier 1 Active Branches]
1. Echo Pain – (Unlocked) Transfer 50% pain to one target
2. Revenant Skin – (Locked) Temporary pain immunity for 5 seconds
3. Blood Vow – (Locked) Bond pain with an ally – share damage equally
4. Soul Flare – (Locked) Turn 10% of total pain into pure energy burst
> Unlock Cost: Trial Points or Blood Pact
"How do I earn Trial Points?"
> Complete Trials, survive assassination attempts, or embrace higher suffering.
Renji clenched his fists.
"Then bring on the pain."
---
The next night, Renji went hunting.
He didn't wait for the Fang Bloods to find him.
He found them.
Ten men, drinking in a scrapyard bunker.
The leader, a man with silver hair and a bionic arm, laughed:
"That cursed brat? We'll chain him and sell him to the highest—"
"You're looking for me?"
The door creaked.
Renji stepped into the room.
Alone.
Bleeding.
Smiling.
---
The fight was brutal.
He let them hit him.
Each blow fed Echo Pain like fire on dry leaves.
Then he activated it — again, again, again.
Bones broke. Men screamed.
Blood flew like ink from a shattered bottle.
By the end, Renji stood alone.
Half-dead. But victorious.
> [Assassination Survived: +1 Trial Point]
System Notification: Curse Tree Node - "Revenant Skin" Unlocked.
---
Back in the depot, Yua woke up.
Renji sat beside her, bandaged, silent.
She looked at him, tears in her tired eyes.
"Why… are you doing this?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then whispered:
"Because… even a cursed soul deserves one person worth bleeding for."
---
But deep inside…
Renji knew the real war hadn't even started.
Because that night, a new system message arrived:
> [WARNING: Host has been marked by a Hidden Faction.]
Incoming: Class A Hunter Squad - ETA: 3 Days
They don't want to capture you.
They want to erase you.