The piercing scream ripped through the quiet evening. Alex's heart hammered as the Gacha System panel declared its new quest: "[QUEST: ELIMINATE STRAY DEVIL]" with a reward of "[1x RANK 2 GACHA TICKET]." He hesitated for a fraction of a second. Run, hide, let the supernatural world deal with its own problems. He'd just refused a Rank 3 ticket to avoid this. But then, a sharp thought cut through the fear: If I want to get stronger, if I want to survive, I can't keep running. This is a Rank 2 ticket. A chance. The scream still echoed—a desperate plea. He might not be a hero, but he wasn't a monster.
With a deep, shaky breath, he pushed past the fear, replacing it with cold resolve. Survival meant power, and power meant taking risks. He clenched his fists, the faint warmth of the Cloranthy Ring a small comfort. He had to try.
He moved towards the abandoned house, his steps cautious. The house loomed, a skeletal silhouette against the dying light, its windows like vacant eyes. A faint, sickeningly sweet scent, like burnt sugar and ozone, hung in the air.
He slipped through a broken window, landing softly on a debris-strewn floor. Dust motes danced in moonlight slivers. The air inside was heavy, charged with a dark, oppressive energy. He moved slowly, his senses on high alert, Earthbending subtly ready.
Then he saw her.
In the center of what was once a living room, a young woman writhed, suspended in the air, eyes wide with terror. Standing over her, a cruel smile twisting her lips, was a tall figure with long, dark hair and eyes that glowed with unnatural, predatory light. Her skin was pale, and from her back sprouted two leathery, bat-like wings, black as night. This was the Stray Devil. She radiated malice, a chilling presence.
"Such a pretty little soul," the Stray Devil purred, her voice a low, guttural growl. "And so much fear. Delicious."
Alex's stomach churned. He had to act. He focused on the Gacha panel, hovering insistently. His finger trembled, then with grim determination, he tapped "ACCEPT." The panel shimmered, then vanished. The quest was active.
Her head snapped towards him, glowing eyes narrowing. "Well, well, what do we have here? A little rat, sniffing around for scraps?" Her smile widened, showing pointed teeth. "You're not one of them, are you? Just... human. How quaint. Did you come to play hero? You'll just be another snack."
Alex felt cold sweat trickle down his back, but forced himself to stand his ground. "Let her go," he said, his voice surprisingly steady.
She laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Or what, little human? You'll stop me?" She flicked a wrist, and a dark, crackling orb of energy materialized. "You amuse me. Perhaps I'll devour you first."
She hurled the orb. Alex reacted instinctively. With a guttural grunt, he slammed his foot down, and a thick, jagged slab of earth erupted from the floor, forming a crude earth shield. The orb struck it with a sickening CRACK, showering him with dust, but the shield held. The force still sent a jolt up his arm.
"Oh?" Her eyes widened, a flicker of surprise. "A Sacred Gear? Interesting" She dropped the suspended girl, who crumpled to the floor, unconscious but alive. "Very well. Let's see what else you can do."
Alex didn't wait. He knew he couldn't face her head-on. She was faster, stronger, and could fly. He needed to use the environment, his wits. As she lunged, wings beating, Alex stomped again. A series of small, sharp earth spikes erupted from the floor in her path, forcing her to twist mid-air. She snarled, annoyed.
He darted to the side, kicking off a crumbling wall. Distract. Maneuver. Don't let her pin me. As she landed, Alex thrust his hand out, and the floor beneath her feet began to ripple, turning into unstable, quicksand-like earth. She cried out, sinking slightly, balance thrown off. She flapped her wings furiously to pull free.
"Clever," she hissed, eyes blazing with fury. She fired another volley of dark energy blasts, faster this time. Alex rolled, ducked, and weaved, raising small, temporary earth barriers to deflect the worst. He was barely keeping up, his stamina draining despite the ring.
He needed a decisive move. He glanced at the Goblin Chieftain's Crude Club he'd brought, still clutched in his hand. It felt unwieldy, but it was solid. An idea sparked. As she charged again, a clawed hand outstretched, Alex didn't dodge. Instead, he slammed the club into the floor, embedding it. As it sank into the softened earth, he channeled his Earthbending through it, focusing all his energy.
The ground around the Stray Devil exploded. Not just a tremor, but a violent, concussive burst of earth, sending fragments of wood and stone flying. It wasn't aimed to kill, but to disorient, to throw her off balance. She shrieked, caught in the sudden eruption, her wings flailing as she was thrown against a crumbling wall, shards of glass raining down.
She hit the wall with a sickening thud, slumping to the floor, dazed. Her wings twitched, but she didn't immediately rise. Now! Alex didn't hesitate. He rushed forward, pulling the club free. He focused his Earthbending on the ground beneath her. With a final, desperate surge of power, he caused a sharp, narrow earth spike to shoot up from the floor directly beneath her heart.
She gasped, a choked gurgle escaping her lips as the spike impaled her. Her glowing eyes dimmed, her body convulsed once, and then she went still, dissolving into a cloud of black particles that quickly vanished, leaving only a faint, acrid smell.
Alex stood panting, the club heavy in his hand, his body trembling with adrenaline and exhaustion. He had done it. He had killed a Devil.
As her last particles faded, the familiar blue Gacha System panel reappeared, glowing brighter than ever.
[QUEST COMPLETE: ELIMINATE STRAY DEVIL][REWARD RECEIVED: 1x RANK 2 GACHA TICKET]
A surge of relief, mixed with a strange, unsettling sense of accomplishment, washed over him. He had faced a supernatural threat and survived. He had earned this. With a shaky hand, he tapped the glowing Rank 2 ticket.
The panel whirred, colors swirling. A moment later, a new notification appeared:
[NEW ITEM ACQUIRED: CROSS TAIL (TEIGU)]
Alex stared. "Cross Tail?" A sudden jolt of recognition hit him. No way. Cross Tail? As in, Lubbock's Teigu from Akame ga Kill? His mind reeled. If it was that Cross Tail, it was incredibly powerful—a weapon made of indestructible, versatile threads!
A small, intricately woven ball of what looked like dark, metallic string materialized in his palm, cool and surprisingly light. It felt alive, humming with subtle energy. The threads were almost invisible unless he focused, shimmering faintly.
He needed to test it. He extended his will, and a single, impossibly thin thread shot out from the ball. It was strong, taut, and almost imperceptible. He tried another, then another, weaving them. He could feel them, sense their tension, as if they were extensions of his own nervous system. He made a simple tripwire, then a small net, then a complex web that seemed to shimmer and disappear as he relaxed his focus. The threads were incredibly sharp, he realized, as one accidentally brushed against a loose floorboard, slicing through it cleanly.
This is amazing! Traps, binding… the possibilities are endless! He spent a few minutes, absorbed, experimenting, feeling their properties. He could make them almost invisible, harden them into sharp blades, or use them to create intricate, undetectable traps. This was a true game-changer, far more versatile than anything his Earthbending could do alone.
Just as he was beginning to grasp the immense power now at his disposal, a sudden, blinding red magic circle materialized on the floor in the center of the room, directly where the Stray Devil had dissolved. It pulsed with powerful, arcane energy, casting eerie crimson light across the debris-strewn room.
Alex's blood ran cold. He knew what that meant. A Devil's summoning circle. Given the context, there were only a few Devils who would show up after a Stray Devil was eliminated. He quickly reeled in his threads, the ball of Cross Tail disappearing back into his palm, ready for action. He braced himself, body tensing. This was it. His first real encounter with the supernatural entities of this world.