In a remote village buried deep within the mountains — far from cities, politics, and progress — a fierce battle raged.
A warrior in tattered silver armor, wielding a longsword that shimmered faintly with holy light, faced off against a grotesque creature with leathery black wings and crimson eyes. The clash of metal and claw echoed through the pines. Blood stained the snow, and the wind carried the scent of smoke and steel.
Then — space itself trembled.
A ripple, barely noticeable at first, spread from the center of their duel. Within a heartbeat, the fabric of reality twisted, folded, and then tore open with a sound like cracking glass.
And from that tear... a child fell.
No older than an infant, his body untouched, his expression one of quiet confusion — as though he'd awoken mid-dream. He landed between the two combatants with a wet splat, the bloody snow soaking into the cloth around him. The warrior and the demon turned, barely registering his presence before—
The rift exploded outward.
Reality screamed. Matter was erased. Both warrior and demon disintegrated in the blink of an eye, their bodies shredded into glistening fragments that painted the forest red.
Only the child remained.
The snow fell silently again, as though nothing had ever happened. And then — a voice.
[Ding! Entry Plundering System has been successfully loaded.]
[Ding! Random Initial Entries: Descendant of the Brave (White), Demonic Bloodline (Green)]
---
Years passed.
Adrian leaned back against the train seat, watching the fading countryside outside the window. The fields blurred into distant towns, then suburbs, and finally the outskirts of a city — Kuoh Town.
He wore a dark hoodie, the hood pulled slightly down, his silver hair shadowing striking blue eyes that reflected more weight than a teenager should carry.
"It's been... what? Fifteen years?" he whispered, tapping his fingers against the window. "Since that day... since the snow."
The villagers had named him Adrian — a name pulled from an old, forgotten legend. They found him in the forest after the incident, alive and crying amidst the blood and ruin. The Brave Clan, obsessed with bloodlines and legacy, took him in after discovering his unusual heritage. A child with the mark of both hero and demon — a contradiction they thought they could cleanse.
But blood has memory. And five years ago, when the demon within him awakened, their fear overtook their faith.
They exiled him.
Now, the train neared Kuoh — a quiet, unassuming town on the surface, but beneath that stillness… monsters. Ancient bloodlines. Divine weapons. Fated protagonists.
And Adrian.
With a soft chime, he opened his system panel.
---
[Name: Adrian]
[Level: Intermediate Demon]
[Entries: Traveler (Color), Protagonist Killer (Red), Power of Beasts (Blue), Demonic Bloodline (Green), Descendant of the Brave (White)]
Traveler (Color): Anomaly immune to fate; can traverse worlds and generate random red-tier entries.
Protagonist Killer (Red): Slaying chosen protagonists grants their entries, fate, and luck.
Power of Beasts (Blue): Integrates traits from wild creatures and monsters, granting superior physical prowess.
---
Adrian closed the panel, his fingers trembling just slightly.
He'd spent years learning how to use this system. Killing beasts, tracking anomalies, testing fate itself. But the progress bar for world-hopping — for escaping this cage — only moved when he consumed "fate." And the fastest way to harvest fate… was to kill someone destined for greatness.
The thought left a sour taste in his mouth.
"The bar's at 69%," he murmured, stepping off the train. "One good pull away from the next world."
The town was peaceful. Almost... too peaceful.
---
Later that evening, as the sun began to dip behind the western hills, Adrian wandered through a park near his new apartment. The leaves rustled gently in the breeze. Children laughed in the distance. The air smelled of grilled meat and distant sakura blossoms. And yet... something was wrong.
A faint pulse of magic rippled through the air.
Adrian froze.
"A barrier… repelling the public?" he whispered, narrowing his eyes. "That's not amateur work."
He moved quickly, silently, his steps barely disturbing the gravel path. The source wasn't far.
In a shadowed grove, beneath the fading light, a boy was running in circles, panic in his eyes. Adrian recognized him immediately.
Issei Hyoudou.
Destined bearer of the Boosted Gear. The Red Dragon Emperor. The walking disaster magnet who would one day shake the balance of the supernatural world.
But right now, he was helpless.
A man in a coat and bowler hat approached him — and then unfurled a pair of black wings.
A fallen angel. Donasik.
"I'm sorry," the creature said coldly. "But a human like you, hosting a divine artifact... You're a threat to the balance."
A spear of light formed in his hand.
Adrian watched — heart pounding.
He didn't move. Didn't interfere.
The light spear shot through Issei's torso, sending the boy sprawling to the ground with a cry.
Adrian exhaled — slow, conflicted.
His hand clenched at his side. This was the moment. The window of fate.
He stepped out from the trees.
---
Issei's hand weakly reached toward him.
"P-please… help..."
Adrian looked down at the boy, his mind spinning.
He could walk away. Let the fallen angel finish the job. That would be the cleanest way — no guilt, no blood on his hands.
But the system wouldn't activate unless he claimed the kill. The soul, the entry, the fate — they had to pass through him.
"I'm sorry," Adrian whispered, more to himself than to the boy.
He lifted his foot — and hesitated.
He's just a kid.
A pathetic, perverted, loudmouthed kid, sure — but still human.
His hand trembled.
If I do this… there's no going back.
The wind howled gently.
Donasik turned toward him, startled. "Who—"
Too late.
Adrian moved.
His foot came down — and he forced himself not to flinch as bone gave way with a sickening crack.
Issei Hyoudou's body spasmed once. Then went still.
[Ding! Entry obtained: Sekiryuutei's Gauntlet (Red)]
[Ding! Fate absorbed. Progress: 75%]
---
Adrian stood there in silence, blood on his shoe, breath shallow.
He didn't feel victorious.
He didn't feel stronger.
Just… hollow.
The body twitched once more. Adrian turned away quickly, bile rising in his throat.
"I didn't want it to be this way," he muttered.
But he had made his choice.
And now the world — and whatever came next — would answer it