Ren let out a deep sigh, lying next to the lifeless Razorhorn Boar. His body ached from exhaustion, but at least the fight was over.
He opened his system screen to check his stats:
Name: Ren Kiryuu
Class: Assassin
HP: 120
MP: 100
Level: 37
Attribute Points: 5
Currency Points: 8000
Skills:
Shadow Step: (2/5)
Conceal: (1/3)
Backstab: (3/6)
Camouflage: (0/2)
Poison Blade: (0/4)
Evasive Roll: (0/8)
Ren frowned. Most of his skills were depleted. If another beast shows up, I'm in trouble.
He sighed again, forcing a small smile. At least I leveled up twice... though no new skills yet.
Pushing himself to his feet, Ren dusted off his hands. The wasteland was eerily silent—a bad sign. Deciding not to push his luck, he began heading back toward the settlement to recover and let his skills recharge.
---
Over the next few days, Ren battled two more Beast-Class monsters. Each fight was harder than the last, pushing his body to its limits. The Razorhorn Boar now seemed like a warm-up compared to the challenges ahead.
The first was a Steelfang Wolf, its massive jaws snapping with terrifying speed. Ren used every trick in his arsenal—dodging, striking, and weaving through the beast's attacks, his skills barely keeping him alive.
The second encounter was with an Ironhide Bear. Its raw power nearly crushed him. Its charge left Ren paralyzed for a moment, but he fought back with everything he had, his body screaming with each strike.
Ren pushed himself for days, constantly returning to the wasteland despite the toll it took on him. Finally, after barely scraping by, a glowing prompt appeared in his system.
---
(50/50) Beast-Class Defeated.
Special Skill Unlocked: Destiny Rewritten (One-Time Use)
---
Ren's heart raced with excitement. "System, activate skill," he commanded.
As the skill activated, a brilliant light enveloped his body. The system's voice echoed in his mind:
"Looking for a perfect host that matches this world... 5009 hosts not compatible... Ding! Ding! Ding! Host #127840 found compatible. Memory infusion commencing. Ability of current host transferred to next host with extra... BEEP. Destiny Rewritten completed."
---
"Arrgh, where am I? My head... it hurts..." Ren groaned, his vision blurry. Flashes of memories from Ren Kiryuu—his predecessor in this reality—rushed into his mind.
Wait... What is this? His thoughts scrambled, trying to make sense of the situation. Did someone from a dangerous apocalyptic world switch places with me? No... this can't be real. It must be a dream.
Ren slapped himself hard across the face. Nope, this isn't a dream.
He froze for a moment, breath hitching. Okay, let's say this is real. What time is it? His mind raced, recalling fragments of Ren Kiryuu's memories. If I'm late... it could all go wrong.
Then it clicked—there was a system.
"System," Ren muttered hoarsely.
The system interface appeared, displaying the time: 6:30 PM. His eyes widened. The settlement was four hours away, and if he wasn't back by 10:00, monster spawns would begin. I'm as good as dead.
A calm voice from the system spoke: "Reach the settlement and receive a starting bonus reward."
Ren immediately marked the settlement on the map, the urgency spiking within him. His heart pounded as he turned and began running, each step heavy with the weight of time. Please, let me make it in time... Or let this just be a dream.