> "Geh geh geh… I didn't expect a mere human to dodge my attack. You're just making me hungrier!"
A grotesque voice rang out, echoing unpleasantly in Shangguan Binghen's ears and making him frown.
A massive black spider—easily over three meters long—crawled along the high alley wall, its laughter grating like nails on a chalkboard. As it came into view under a flickering streetlamp, Binghen's expression twisted in disgust.
It was hideous.
If it were just a giant spider, he could've dismissed it as some standard fantasy monster. But no—its front half bore the grotesque face of a man, thick with coarse hair, with foul green liquid drooling from its twisted mouth.
> "…I've barely arrived in this world and I'm already running into monsters. Just my luck."
Ding!
> New Quest Issued: Defeat a Low-Class Stray Devil (Reward: +20 Fate Points)
Hearing the prompt echo through his mind, Shangguan Binghen's lips curled into a cold smirk. His eyes sharpened like blades.
He wasn't the type to cower in fear. If he couldn't even take down a low-class stray devil, how could he survive in a world filled with gods and demons?
The spider demon's expression twisted in amusement as it noticed Binghen standing his ground.
Perfect.
He loved prey that froze in fear—easy, obedient, delicious.
> "What's the matter, human? Don't you know this kind of terrain favors me?"
Shangguan Binghen stared calmly at the snarling demon, then reached behind him and unfastened the cloth-wrapped sword case on his back. From it, he drew a slender black sword with silver patterns etched into its sheath—an elegant, deadly weapon.
Clang—!
The sound of the blade being drawn sliced through the silence of the night.
This was his sword, Ice Whisper—a birthday gift from his younger sister Shangguan Yuyan, given two years ago.
> "Enough with the arrogance, human!"
The spider demon shrieked in fury and leapt down, its clawed legs driving it forward like a battering ram.
It closed the distance in an instant. As it lunged, its spiked foreleg lashed out to impale Binghen like a shish kebab.
CRACK—!!
But Binghen merely sidestepped.
The spider's leg stabbed deep into the concrete where he'd been, sending cracks radiating outward.
> "Too slow."
Without hesitation, Binghen gripped Ice Whisper and swung upward in a clean vertical slash aimed at the demon's grotesque face.
Squelch—!!
> "AAARRGH—!"
A sickening slicing sound filled the alley as a deep gash appeared across the spider's humanlike face. Thick green blood poured from the wound.
> "I'll eat you alive!!"
The beast, now wounded and enraged, lunged again, its massive jaws opening to bite Binghen in half.
Swoosh—!
Another dodge. Smooth and effortless.
Then—stab!—Binghen's blade thrust forward, piercing one of the demon's eyes.
> Zzzzt—!
At that moment, his expression shifted slightly.
Something was wrong.
The black hairs on the demon's body suddenly stood on end, just like they had right before it fired those deadly spikes earlier.
> "Body Sense Suppression—maximum output!"
He activated his ability at once.
As predicted, the creature's bristled hairs launched forward like a storm of bullets.
A fraction of a second slower, and Shangguan Binghen would've been skewered. But thanks to his Body Sense Suppression, the spider's perception of his movements was already severely dulled. It couldn't keep up.
It was like trying to hit a ghost with a shotgun.
> Backfire.
Slashed across the face.
Blinded in one eye.
And now wasting its energy wildly.
The stray devil had completely lost the advantage.
With almost casual ease, Binghen weaved through the alley's terrain, dodging spike shots and globs of sticky webbing. His blade danced across the spider's armored body, striking at joints and weak points.
But sparks flew with each strike.
Many blows were either blocked by bristly, iron-hard hairs or deflected by the creature's exoskeleton.
> "So that confirms it… Ice Whisper is sharp, but it's still a regular metal sword. It can't fully penetrate a devil's natural armor."
His gaze sharpened again.
> If I want to stand at the top in this world, I'll need more than cold steel… I'll need power that transcends it.
As the demon flailed wildly in rage and desperation, Binghen's crystalline blue eyes flickered.
> "Ling'er. Scan this stray devil for me."
> "Right away, Master~"
A beat later, a digital window appeared in front of him, visible only to his eyes.
---
[Target Identified]
Name: Anderu
Race: Stray Devil (Low-Class)
Age: 40
Power Level: Low-Class Devil
Fate Value: 15 (Normal Human: ~20)
---
> "Fifteen? That's even lower than a normal person. No wonder he's cannon fodder."
Binghen sneered.
> "Ling'er—use Basic Fate Plundering on Anderu."
> "Understood, Master~"
Ding!
> Fate Plundering Activated.
Target: Anderu
25 Fate Points Plundered.
Current Fate Value: -10
Host Fate Value: 25
A moment later, Anderu's fate value turned blood-red and dropped into the negatives.
Then—
RUMBLE—!
KRAK-KOOOOM—!!
> "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
The clear sky above suddenly twisted into darkness. Thunderclouds swirled violently overhead.
Binghen's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
A blazing bolt of azure lightning crashed from the heavens and struck Anderu dead-on. His massive form spasmed uncontrollably as smoke poured from his body. His screeches echoed into silence.
He didn't even get the chance to scream twice.
And just like that—
The stray devil was reduced to a charred, motionless corpse in the alley.