Rin Hale stared at the ceiling of his tiny apartment, the newly crafted Bone Spear #1000 propped against the wall like a silent sentinel. Outside, rain pattered against the cracked window, rhythmically, almost like a metronome marking his heartbeat. The city beyond shimmered under the neon haze of the night, a world oblivious to the little chaos brewing in a single, dim room.
He stretched, rubbing his wrist. "Alright," he muttered, voice hoarse from two weeks of selling spears, "I made the deal. Big whoop. Nothing changed yet. I'm… still me."
[System Notice]Class: Bone SmithSkills: Bone Crafting Lv. 1
The words blinked cheerfully, annoyingly bright against the shadows. Rin swallowed a laugh. "Bone Smith," he whispered, turning the title over in his mind like a joke. A real necromancer would laugh at him—or at least roll his eyes.
He looked at the pile of spears. Nine hundred ninety-nine of them. Each one painstakingly crafted, each one a testament to a life spent grinding in a graveyard rift. And now this. The thousandth. Number one thousand.
A strange unease tickled at the back of his neck. He shook it off. "Just nerves. Deal's done. Nothing bad happens immediately, right?"
He tried to focus on mundane things—counting the spears, polishing the newest one, checking his forum posts—but the silence of the apartment pressed in. The usual hum of city life outside felt muted, as though the world itself was holding its breath.
Then, a whisper.
It was soft, almost a hiss, but unmistakable.
"You have done well, little smith…"
Rin froze, spine prickling. His eyes darted across the room. "Hello? Who's—"
Nothing. Just shadows pooling in corners, stretching unnaturally along the walls.
[System Notice]Unauthorized presence detected.
The words appeared on his interface, but Rin didn't move. He couldn't. The air shifted, heavy and wet, carrying the faintest scent of sulfur. It wasn't the smell of fire or smoke—more like the absence of warmth itself.
A shape materialized in the corner of the room. Not quite shadow, not quite flesh. It stood taller than any man should, thin but somehow imposing, the edges of its form flickering like static. Its face… Rin couldn't describe it. A smile, yes, but wrong. Teeth too sharp, expression too calm.
"You've signed, haven't you?" The voice slithered through the air. "Little things like contracts are… so binding, aren't they?"
Rin stumbled backward, tripping over a crate of spears. His heart thumped, loud and irregular. "I… I—I don't know what you mean!" His voice cracked, and even he knew the lie.
The figure tilted its head, amusement radiating from it in waves that made Rin's skin crawl. "Oh, but you do, Rin Hale. Every word you agreed to. Every click, every keystroke. All of it binds you to me."
Rin swallowed, trying to steady his shaking hands. "I—I just wanted to… you know… be better at crafting, make some SP, get out of the gutter for a little while. That's all. I didn't—"
"You didn't think, yes," the figure interrupted softly, almost tenderly. "That is precisely why you called me. That is why you made your choice."
Rin backed toward the window, muscles stiff, his mind racing through every possible escape: run, fight, hide, plead. None of it would work. He knew it in a bone-deep way that made his stomach twist.
The figure drifted closer. Not walking, not running—gliding, unnervingly quiet. The edges of its form brushed against reality, pulling at it like wet cloth. The air grew colder. Rin could see his breath, ghosting in front of him.
[System Notice]Contract Execution Initiated.
Rin's stomach dropped. "Wait. What? No! That's not—"
The figure's smile widened, impossibly calm, almost casual. "Payment is due. You offered, I accepted. Balance must be settled."
Every hair on Rin's body stood on end. He looked at his hands, shaking. The spear leaned against the wall, glowing faintly as if sensing the tension. He wanted to throw it at the figure, scream, run—but his body refused to obey.
"What… what is it you want from me?" Rin whispered.
The figure leaned slightly closer, and Rin felt a pull—not physical, but deeper, in his chest, in his mind, in the very shape of his soul. His vision blurred at the edges. He felt… light. His weight, his presence, his self, being tugged at by something invisible and cold.
"You offered me everything you had… and I am here to collect it," the voice said, smooth as silk. "Do not struggle. It is unnecessary."
Rin's knees buckled. Sweat and fear mingled on his skin. "No! Please! I didn't mean—"
The room seemed to stretch, time folding over itself. One second, his apartment was the same—spare, messy, filled with bone spears. The next, it felt impossibly large, impossibly empty. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
The figure's smile remained. That smile. Too calm, too knowing. "Soon, little smith… soon, everything will be as it should."
And then… the edges of reality flickered again, and the room seemed to inhale. Rin felt the first tug at his essence, subtle but undeniable, and a scream built in his throat.
[System Notice]Contract Payment in Progress…
Rin's eyes widened. He knew, finally, fully, that whatever came next was out of his hands. The deal he had thought so clever, so innocent… had just begun to demand its price.
He swallowed hard, trembling, staring at the shadow that waited with that unholy, patient smile.
And the rain outside continued its steady, pitiless rhythm.