Blinding light struck Rin's eyes, making them sting. He squinted, blinking rapidly as the world around him came into focus.
His heart thumped as last night's events returned like a crashing wave—the unnatural sleepiness, the activation of Mania, the man in the silver mask, and the chilling words: "I will see you later, villain."
He sat up abruptly.
The forest was still. Quiet. No silver-masked figure. No footprints. No broken branches. Just soft rustling leaves and birds beginning to chirp.
Nariku lay nearby, still asleep, breathing peacefully. Nothing seemed out of place.
Rin exhaled, feeling a wash of relief. So he didn't come back… or if he did, he didn't kill me.
He turned and gently nudged Nariku. "Hey. Time to wake up."
Nariku groaned, eyes still closed. "What time is it…?"
He blinked slowly, then suddenly sat up in a panic. "Rin—I… I'm sorry! I fell asleep. I didn't help with the night watch!"
Rin gave him a soft smile, brushing it off. "It's alright. I handled it."
Nariku stared at him, guilt written all over his face. "Still… I didn't mean to leave you alone."
"It's fine," Rin said again, standing up and stretching. "By my guess, it's around nine in the morning. Let's clean up and get moving."
Nariku nodded quickly, still a little shaken. After cleaning up their camp and making sure there were no traces left behind, they began moving deeper into the forest.
As they walked, Nariku looked back at Rin.
"Hey… Rin?"
"Yeah?"
"Did… anything happen last night?" Nariku's voice was hesitant. "Like, something strange?"
Rin kept walking, face calm. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know," Nariku muttered. "It's just… when I was falling asleep, I felt like something was watching us."
Rin's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're probably just on edge. That's normal."
Nariku nodded, but his expression stayed unsure.
Rin opened his status window mid-step, double-checking everything.
---
STATUS WINDOW – RIN KYOUGI
Name: Rin Kyougi
Age: 23
STR: 1 (+3) [Common]
END: 3 [Uncommon]
INT: 4 (+1) [Hero]
STA: 2 (+2) [Common]
MAGIC: 0 [Common]
MANIA: 1 [Hero]
Traits:
[Shadow Planner]
[???]
[???]
Mastery:
None
Equipped:
[Card of Mania / Appearance: Spear]
---
Still the same, Rin thought. The Mania stat… it changed something in me. I felt it. That rush… the voice in my head telling me to kill. If that masked man hadn't vanished—what would I have done?
He glanced at Nariku, walking a few steps ahead. Rin already knew Nariku had Epic-level Intelligence—impressive, but not unexpected given his quiet nature and quick reactions.
"Status window," Rin said aloud.
Nariku turned slightly. "Mine? Why?"
"Just double-checking everything."
Nariku nodded and opened it.
---
STATUS WINDOW – NARIKU
Name: Nariku
Age: 15
STR: 1 (+2) [Common]
END: 2 [Common]
INT: 2 [Epic]
STA: 3 [Uncommon]
MAGIC: 2 [Rare]
Traits:
[Sleeping Tiger]
[???]
[???]
Mastery:
Beginner Spear Technique: 1.2%
Equipped:
[Spear]
---
Nothing had changed. Rin closed the window.
Then he heard it—a soft rushing sound, faint, but getting louder.
He held up a hand. "Nariku. Hold."
Nariku stopped immediately.
"That sound… water. Probably a stream."
Rin's eyes narrowed. "But it could be a place where monsters gather. Stay alert. Don't rush in."
Nariku nodded, gripping his spear tightly.
They began moving cautiously through the underbrush, the sound of running water growing stronger with every step.