Ryn didn't sleep that night.
He sat by the window, watching the rain hit the glass. The city looked alive again, but it wasn't. He knew better. The real monsters didn't hide in the dark — they walked under the same light as everyone else.
His hand was shaking. Not from fear, but from something else. Something crawling inside his blood.
> [System Notice: Unstable Transformation Detected.]
[Would you like to suppress it?]
He didn't answer. He just smiled a little.
"Suppress? No. Let's see what happens if I don't."
The next second, pain hit him like fire.
His reflection in the glass started to change — eyes turning darker, skin cracking a little, like something under it was trying to get out.
> [Warning: Consciousness drop – 40%]
"Shut up… I said I'm fine."
But he wasn't fine. The voice in his head started talking again, louder this time.
> "You're not controlling it, Ryn. It's controlling you."
He stood up, breathing heavy. "Who are you?"
> "You already know. I was born the same moment you killed that first beast."
Then silence.
The pain stopped, but it left him trembling. He looked down at his hands — the skin around his veins was darker now. Almost black.
---
Morning came too fast.
He walked to the Hunter Center again, covering his eyes with his hood. People moved away from him without saying a word. They didn't need to. The air around him said enough.
He heard whispers behind him — "He's cursed." "He's not human anymore."
Maybe they were right.
---
Later that day, a D-rank gate appeared near the industrial zone. Small, harmless — at least for normal hunters.
But Ryn felt something different about it. Something calling him.
He entered without registering.
No backup. No hesitation.
Inside, there were no monsters. Only fog.
He walked for what felt like hours before he saw it — a mirror, standing in the middle of nothing.
He approached it slowly. His reflection stared back, but this time… it smiled first.
> "You wanted power," the reflection said.
"Now pay for it."
Ryn stepped back, gripping his sword. "You're not real."
The reflection laughed.
Then it stepped out of the mirror.
Two Ryns stood facing each other — one with black eyes, the other with red.
> [Warning: Internal corruption reaching 72%.]
"Guess this is my punishment," Ryn muttered, and charged forward.
Steel met steel. Sparks lit the darkness. Every swing felt heavier, faster.
The fake Ryn moved like a mirror, copying every strike, every breath.
Blood filled the air. His body screamed in pain, but he didn't stop.
> "You think you can control me?" Ryn shouted. "I am you!"
He swung one last time — the blade cutting through the shadow's chest.
The fake version faded into black smoke. The mirror shattered.
> [Synchronization Complete.]
[Skill Upgraded – "Bloodbound Form → Abyss Form."]
Ryn fell to his knees, breathing hard.
His eyes were glowing again, brighter than before.
He laughed softly. "Guess I'm still alive… somehow."
---
When he walked out of the gate, the sun was setting.
His shadow stretched long behind him, darker than any normal man's should be.
> "It's not over," the voice whispered again.
"You're only at the beginning."
Ryn smiled faintly, blood still dripping from his hand.
"Good," he said. "Because I'm not done either."