The sword's tip flashed cold in the firelight, swelling rapidly in Colin's deep blue pupils.
Death was no longer distant—it was breathing down his neck.
The scar-faced soldier's cruel grin, the young man's detached gaze—it all slowed, stretching into a frozen moment carved into Colin's mind.
No…
Fear surged—but alongside it, something else surfaced. Lin Yue's calm, alien composure overlapped with Colin's terror in a strange, dissonant harmony.
I can't die. If I die, everything ends.
"Die, you half-breed!" the scar-faced man roared.
The blade plunged down.
At the last possible instant, Colin's hand—pressed into the dirt—snatched up a fistful of ash and burning embers. With the last of his strength, he hurled it forward.
"AH! My eyes!"
Blinded and unprepared, the man screamed. His sword faltered, grazing Colin's scalp before stabbing uselessly into the ground.
Now!
No thought. No plan. Only instinct.
The instinct of a cornered beast.
Instead of retreating, Colin lunged forward. His teeth bared, he clamped down savagely on the man's exposed throat.
Crunch.
Bone gave way.
Squelch.
Flesh tore.
Hot blood burst forth, splashing across his face and into his mouth—thick, metallic, suffocating. His stomach twisted in revolt, but the will to live crushed the nausea. He held on, shaking his head violently like a wolf tearing prey apart.
The man's screams dissolved into wet gurgles. His fists pounded weakly against Colin's back—then slowed… then stopped.
Silence.
Colin released him, gasping. The corpse collapsed at his feet, its throat a ruin of torn flesh.
He stared.
I… killed someone…?
His thoughts fractured—Lin Yue's clarity clashing against Colin's lingering fear, as if two minds were tearing at the same body.
Then—
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his head.
[Killed: 1 human soldier. Kill Points +10][Critical condition detected. Spend Kill Points to repair injuries?][Newbie Bonus: 1 Kill Point = 1 Attribute Point. Available: Strength, Agility, Stamina, Spirit]
The messages flooded in, overwhelming.
Kill Points? Attributes?
Is this… a system?
A Golden Finger?
"Bastard! You killed Jack!"
The shout shattered his thoughts.
The young soldier—once indifferent—now burned with fury. Shock twisted his expression as he drew his blade and lunged.
Fast. Precise. Deadly.
There was no time to think.
"Exchange! Strength—all of it!" Colin roared inwardly.
It was a gamble.
It was everything.
[Confirmed. 10 Kill Points consumed. Strength +10]
Power exploded through his body.
Warmth surged into his limbs. Muscles that had been weak and failing suddenly brimmed with force, like steel drawn tight. Pain dulled beneath the overwhelming strength.
As the blade neared his chest—
Colin moved.
His legs drove hard into the ground, his body twisting sharply—far beyond what his battered frame should allow.
Rip!
The sword tore into his arm, carving deep—but missed his heart.
The young soldier faltered, stunned.
How…?
Colin didn't give him the chance to understand.
Ignoring the pain, he surged forward and seized the man's wrist.
"You—!" Panic flashed across the soldier's face.
His arm wouldn't move.
It was like being caught in iron.
Colin's other hand shot down, yanking the dagger from the man's waist.
Then—
He stabbed.
Thuck!
The blade sank into the man's abdomen.
The soldier froze, disbelief flooding his eyes.
Colin didn't stop.
He pulled the dagger free—and drove it in again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike clumsy. Brutal. Relentless.
Until the body went slack.
Until the eyes lost all light.
[Killed: 1 human soldier. Kill Points +10]
The voice returned.
Only then did Colin stop.
The corpse slipped from his grasp, collapsing into the dirt.
Colin bent forward, bracing himself on his knees, gasping for breath. Blood dripped from his arm, from the dagger, soaking into the dust below.
Two bodies lay before him.
One with its throat torn apart.
One stabbed beyond recognition.
He had lived.
Not cleanly.
Not nobly.
But undeniably.
Relief surged through him—twisted with nausea, shock, and the lingering echo of violence. Yet beneath it all, something new stirred.
Power.
Hope.
And change.
In the distance, the sounds of slaughter still raged—a grim reminder that this nightmare was far from over.
Colin lowered his gaze to his bloodstained hands.
He understood now.
From this moment on—
there was no going back.