Rey left his mother's room and headed upstairs, his body finally demanding rest after everything that had happened.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
When he entered his room, he shut the door behind him.
Click.
The lock turned on its own.
Rey glanced back, unsurprised.
"Aiden," he muttered. "Figures."
He turned around.
Aiden, Zero, and Victor were already standing there, having emerged from the white space inside him.
The room suddenly felt crowded.
"So," Rey said, pulling the small black box from his pocket, "what's so special about this thing that you almost caused a disaster in my mom's room?"
Aiden stared at the box, eyes sharp.
"Kid," he said slowly, "you almost lost a one-in-a-billion chance to turn from ordinary trash into a heavenly-grade existence."
Rey stiffened.
Aiden didn't look like he was joking.
Rey placed the box between them.
"…Explain."
Aiden folded his arms.
"This isn't a normal box. It's an Inheritance."
That single word made the air heavier.
"Based on what your mother said," Aiden continued, "and based on your origin law, death law, and soul structure, whatever is inside this box is comparable to our current existence."
Rey's breath hitched.
"You are the keyholder. The only one in the entire world who can open it. Not even a ninth-rank being could force it open."
Rey swallowed.
"Then where's the key?"
Aiden glanced at the box.
"First, check your status. Something changed while you were rushing home."
Rey opened the system without hesitation.
And froze.
======
--} Name: Rey Shadowthrone
--} Age: 18
--} Race: Human [100%]
--} Physique: Shadow Physique (Upgradable)
--} Title: Self-learner, The Psycho, The Killing Manic
--} Class: None
--} Subclass: None
--} Level: 01[0/1000]
--} Rank: 0th Rank
--} Core: Mane Core [F-] (Rank 0) {Not formed}
--} Talent: None
--} Trait: None
--} Law: DEATH {.00001}, SOUL {.0000001},
--} Intent: None
*************************************************************
<
Health Points (HP): F- <1020/1020> [1:20 of Vitality]
Mana Points (MP): F- <975/975> [1:15 of Intelligence]
Strength (STR): F- [63/100] (↑0)
Agility (AGI): F- [73/100] (↑5)
Stamina (STA): F- [68/100] (↑6)
Intelligence (INT): F- [65/100] (↑0)
Vitality (VIT): F- [51/100] (↑0)
Endurance (END): F- [59/100] (↑9)
Luck (LUK): F- [Dependent on core]
Free Stat Points: 0
Attack Power (ATK): 272 [STR+AGL*2] | Magical Power (MGL): 130 [INT*2]
Defence (DEF): 190/191 [END+STA*1.5]
*******************************************************
SKILL(S): -
Active: Stealth (D) {Tier 0}, Dash (D) [↑] {Tier 0}, StrengthBurst (F) {Tier 0}.
Passive: Itemrepair (C+) {Tier 0}, Parkour (E-) {Tier 0}.
ABILITY(/IES): - None
======
His stats had risen.
Not massively.
But noticeably.
Agility. Stamina. Endurance.
And one skill stood out.
Dash (D).
Rey remembered running like his life depended on it, forcing the skill again and again.
"…So that's how it works," he muttered.
While Rey was inspecting his status, Victor and Aiden exchanged looks.
Victor stepped forward.
"We figured out the seal."
Rey snapped his head up.
"You did?"
"Yes," Victor said. "A Blood Lock. It can only be opened with the blood of the designated person."
Rey looked down at the box.
"So… my blood."
"Yes. And we found no danger tied to it."
Rey chuckled softly.
"Funny. That's how I met Aiden, too. Blood and a box."
He stared at the black surface.
"For some reason, this thing gives me goosebumps. Like whatever's inside… isn't simple."
Aiden smirked.
"Then stop talking and do it."
Rey sighed, poked his finger with a pin—
"Ow. How do people casually cut themselves in novels?"
Blood welled up.
He smeared it across the box.
Nothing happened.
Seconds passed.
Then—
The light dimmed.
Darkness flooded the room.
"Aiden?" Rey called out. "Victor? Zero? This isn't funny."
No answer.
Everything except Rey and the box vanished.
From the void, something appeared.
Chains.
Black chains, etched with strange words, radiating a pressure far heavier than their thin forms suggested.
They wrapped around the box.
Rey's blood lifted on its own, flowing across the chains as if judging them.
Then—
Hiss.
The blood burned through them like acid.
Cracks spread.
The chains shattered and dissolved into nothing.
Light returned instantly.
Rey stumbled back, heart pounding.
He turned to the trio.
"You saw that, right? The chains? The darkness?"
Victor blinked.
"…Kid, nothing happened."
Rey stared.
"What?"
"You blanked out for a second," Victor said. "That's it."
Rey clenched his fists.
"That wasn't imagination. The seal broke right in front of me!"
Victor laughed.
"Sure it did."
Before Rey could argue—
"…Wait," Aiden said slowly.
Victor turned.
"I didn't see anything," Aiden continued, "but I felt something. Zero did too."
Zero nodded.
"A distortion. Extremely subtle."
Victor's expression changed.
"…So he saw something even we couldn't?"
Aiden nodded once.
Rey grinned smugly.
Victor snorted.
"Wipe that look off your face before I make your blood boil."
Heat surged through Rey's body instantly.
"Okay—okay! Sorry!"
The pressure vanished.
Rey exhaled, then placed his hands on the box.
This time—
Click.
The lid opened easily.
Everyone leaned in.
And froze.
"What the hell…" Rey whispered.
"What is that?"...