While Eden was staring at the system screen that suddenly appeared before him, a mix of emotions churned inside him. However, this was neither the time nor the place to explore the functions of the system that had surfaced unexpectedly. Despite the exhaustion weighing down his body, his thoughts raced like a machine that refused to stop. He stood up with difficulty.
He glanced at the three corpses lying before him. A cold smile spread across his face, masking a blend of mockery and contempt. He whispered softly to himself:
"I'll make good use of every drop of your blood."
Leaving the alley, he looked toward the small village, which consisted of barely thirty scattered homes surrounding a modest dirt square. Most of the villagers were poor, surviving on farming and animal husbandry. The quiet of the night began to settle in with the sunset, occasionally interrupted by the barking of dogs or the rustling of light winds through the trees.
Behind one of the houses, he found an old cart, where he gathered the three corpses and started devising a plan. He decided to dump the bodies in the forest outside the village, allowing wild beasts to devour them, while also luring the children's families into the forest to eliminate them. Then, he would steal their money and leave this dreary place. He was preparing to enter the Academy of Light, where enrollment began at the start of the year when children turned twelve and awakened their mana. Only four months remained until the start of the year.
Though he lacked a clear purpose in life, he resolved to keep living in the hope of meeting "Ena" and "Zane" again. Yet, he was certain they would be furious with him for not seizing this chance at a new life.
Eden immediately set his plan into motion. He collected the children's blood in a bucket, dragged the corpses toward the forest after stripping them of their clothes, and threw them into the woods, confident the blood would attract monsters. Upon returning, he used the children's clothes to create a trail for their families to follow and spread blood in various places to further lure the beasts.
As he carried out his plan, fatigue threatened to overcome him, but he forced himself to push through. Inside him, a silent conflict raged. For a moment, he wondered:
"Do I really have to do all this?"
But the coldness in his heart quickly drowned out any doubt.
"If I'm going to survive, there's no place for weakness or mercy in this world ruled by power."
When everything was ready, Eden hid in an alley amidst trash and dirt, concealing his breath as he watched the scene unfold. He didn't have to wait long before the villagers started to notice the missing children.
Under the moonlight and the glow of torches, the villagers spread out, their voices echoing through the night.
A fat man, the village butcher, suddenly shouted:
"I found part of my son's clothes!"
The villagers gathered around him.
"Where did you find it?" one of them asked.
"Over there, in that direction!"
Many villagers began heading toward the trail Eden had left. When he saw that more than half of the villagers had ventured into the forest, Eden emerged from his hiding spot. His eyes glinted with cold, murderous intent. He murmured:
"Now, I'll turn this place into a living hell."
Without hesitation, he moved swiftly toward the fat man's house. The butcher owned a set of knives, and Eden smashed open the door, entering the empty home. He quickly devoured the hot food left on the table to regain some strength. Then, he searched the house, found a pouch of copper coins, and took it. Next, he headed to the adjacent butcher shop, where he grabbed a set of long, sharp knives.
Afterward, Eden targeted the tall child's house, whose father was a baker. He broke into the house and stole all the money inside. As he prepared to move on to the freckled child's home, he heard a noise. Quickly hiding, he discovered it was merely a black cat cautiously entering the house. Confirming it was no threat, he continued toward the freckled child's house.
This house belonged to the village chief, meaning it likely contained silver coins. This time, Eden didn't break in but stealthily sneaked inside. Unbeknownst to him, the black cat kept a close watch on him.
Inside the house, which was more luxurious than the others, Eden searched thoroughly. He found a chest containing copper coins, a pouch of silver coins, and some jewelry and accessories, all of which he took. He also discovered a concealed iron chest plate and a sword, which he grabbed as well.
After ensuring he had everything, Eden decided to leave. But before departing, he planned to burn the village to ashes, leaving his final mark. He grabbed a torch and set the chief's house ablaze, followed by the butcher's, the baker's, and several others. The fire quickly spread as the wind carried it further.
Before leaving the village, Eden carved into a flat stone:
"Here passed the Black King, Lord of Death."
The villagers, both those inside and outside the village, noticed the raging fires consuming everything. The sounds of monsters grew nearer, announcing a double calamity for the village.
Standing atop a cliff after escaping, Eden watched the villagers as they tried in vain to extinguish the flames or flee from the beasts. Despite their weakness, they had taken pleasure in tormenting him during his first life, relishing in humiliating him because he was weaker than them.
Raising his hand toward the sky, Eden declared:
"If someone brought me back to this world, they'll regret it. Yes, they'll regret it because I know everything about this world. I'll plunge it into chaos greater than it already is and rewrite its fate with my own hands."
The wind picked up, tossing his hair as the roars of forest beasts echoed around him. The night sky darkened with storm clouds, illuminated by flashes of lightning and thunder, as if nature itself approved of his resolve.
With that, Eden disappeared into the forest, heading toward the road that led to the city.
After he vanished, the black cat leapt onto the path he had taken. Suddenly, it spoke in a human voice:
"I've never seen a human like him before. His heart is darker than a devil's… He's just my type."
The cat then vanished with the wind. But had Eden been there to hear her words, he would have recognized her. How could he not? She was never part of the original story, only the author's notes. That black cat was the "Leader of the Eternal Night Guild," an organization the author had planned to add but later decided against.