After severing the head of the first family he sought revenge against, Renjiro found himself lying in his own warm blood.
He had killed an important figure who worked under the royal family; he desired more to sate his thirst for vengeance, but he knew it was impossible.
The wounds he had sustained were too severe for him to continue, so he called upon someone and said, "Come out and do it."
The unknown entity replied, "You knew it was impossible without my help."
Renjiro believed that even for just a moment, if he did it by himself, the pain he was feeling would be reduced—but he was wrong.
Eradicating not even half of his enemies brought him only more frustration.
Frustration he felt because of how weak he was.
"Memory or skills?" the unknown entity asked.
"Memories. I need my skills."
"Got it. Give it to me."
Renjiro, feeling heartbroken, handed him Yamihana, a pendant his mother had given him the day before the Kurotani massacre.
Now, in accordance with the contract, the unknown entity extracted Renjiro's memory and then proceeded with the reset.
What Renjiro witnessed that day would haunt him for the rest of his life: the destruction of the Kurotani family.
The Kurotani family, to outsiders, was granted civil servant status by the retainers of the Royal Family.
The people knew that the Kurotani family was neither rich nor poor, basically middle class—or so the Kurotani family led them to believe.
For centuries, they had served as the royal family's unseen protectors—masters of shadow manipulation.
Their powers, granted by Nozuro, allowed them to wield shadows as weapons, barriers, and tools of espionage.
Nozuro, a god whom the Kurotani worshipped, gave them the power to control the shadows. The Kurotani family was bound by an ancient pact with this god, known as the Veiled One.
With these powers, they served under the royal family of Getsurei.
The Kurotani family resided in a quiet, isolated area just east of the royal palace—a perfect place to be able to react to threats against the royal palace.
One day at dusk, Renjiro went out to run an errand his mother had given him. Since the nearest village was a hundred meters away, when he returned from the errand he saw smoke rising in the sky, only to realize it was near his home.
What he witnessed that day would be engraved in his heart forever.
His family was massacred before his very eyes.
Even as a mere teenager, Renjiro braved the risk and went in to save his family.
Despite the danger, he wanted to at least save his mother or anyone he could. Desperate, he encountered one of the enemies.
"Kill him. I think he's one of the descendants!" one soldier screamed.
"Young master! Please leave this place!" one of the retainers screamed in horror.
"It's hopeless—everyone is dead, young master. So please, save yourself!"
A soldier slashed the retainer to clear a path to kill Renjiro.
Renjiro, conflicted, was confused.
He closed his eyes and wanted to just end it all here by surrendering.
The pain he felt was so great that he didn't want to live anymore.
The retainer's screams woke him up, and he decided to get his revenge.
He picked up a sword from one of his family guards lying on the ground and used what his father had taught him.
He blended into one of the biggest shadows he could find and appeared behind a soldier to slash him in the neck, killing him instantly.
He stared into his retainer's dying eyes and found both pleading and relief in them—probably from realizing that the young master was going to live.
Trying to escape from the hell he had witnessed, he encountered multiple enemies whom he killed, sustaining injuries from them. He hid in the secret hideout he and his brother had made.
One of the soldiers chasing Renjiro shouted in a low, guttural voice, "Fast! Find the last member of the family and kill him!"
The voice, imprinted and still ringing in Renjiro's head, made him gather himself and swear to survive.
A day after the massacre, he found himself bedridden while hearing people outside gossiping about what had happened to the Kurotani family.
"What is the purpose of this narration?" Renjiro asked in a frustrated tone, as if his life were some sort of entertainment for others.
Renjiro, bedridden from the injuries he had sustained, looked at the unknown entity in front of him. He was unrecognizable from all the bandages wrapped around his whole body.
"It's in accordance with the system I built for you. Now just shut up and let me proceed."Renjiro could only grit his teeth.
After a few minutes of introduction and lip service, the unknown entity said, "Now, let me introduce myself again. I'm Xero, a god who designed this system for you to gain strength. I know you may be wondering, what is a system? Don't worry—you'll know what it is over time. You may also be wondering who I am and whether you can trust me, so here—a pendant from your future self." Xero handed him Yamihana.
Renjiro, visibly shocked that he had Yamihana, could only glare at the stranger.
"How could you have this? Did you steal it from me while I was sleeping?"
"You know nobody could steal that from you the moment your mother gave it to you."
Yamihana was imbued with a spell that only a member of the Kurotani family could see, as it would hide itself in every shadow it could access—not even the retainers knew or could see the pendant. It was impossible to steal it.
'Future me?'
"Yes, your future self," said Xero after reading Renjiro's thoughts.
"Your future self failed on his quest for revenge. Don't worry—it's all in the past now."
"Want revenge?"
After a few seconds of silence, Xero continued,
"How about a quest? Fulfill a quest, and rewards will be waiting for you. Rewards that can certainly help you in your revenge." Xero excitedly continued yapping.
In front of Renjiro, there was a weird box floating. He couldn't touch it or smell it.
"Quest: Complete annihilation of the enemies that conspired against your family." Renjiro read carefully and continued, "Complete the quest, and rewards will be given."
Renjiro, in rage, clenched his hand so hard it started to bleed.
"Killing them is its own reward." Renjiro ignored the rewards of the quest and pressed the 'Yes' button.
The door opening interrupted their conversation.
"Young mas—no… what can I call you, sir?" the man at the door asked warily.
After a moment of silence, Renjiro responded, "Yamihana."
"Sir Yamihana… the whole Kurotani family is dead," the man said, crying.
The whole room fell silent. The man whispered to Renjiro, "I'm so sorry for your loss, sir."
"Sir, as you don't have any money with you, you need to get out of town—far away from here," the man, trying to compose himself, said to Renjiro.
"There are guards searching every nook and cranny for a wanted man named Renjiro. So I need you to get out of here. Sir?" The man was confused as to why Renjiro was staring at a wall.
"It's no use; only you can see me," Xero said.
"Sir?"
"Hmm… sorry."
"Here—money. Please, you need to get out of here and survive, sir," the man said while holding Renjiro's hand, crying.
"Get out of here, young master. You need to survive—for your family."
Renjiro could only stare at the man, holding himself back from crying. Feeling so exhausted, he got up and said, "What is your name, kind sir?"
"It's Tanjiro, sir. I'm a retired Kurotani servant from ten years ago."
"I see. Thank you."
"Go to Kagemichi Street, then leave the town and follow the eastern road. You'll find a place beyond the reach of Getsurei's control—a mercenary town called Ghisun. You can start a new life there, Sir Yamihana. Once again… good luck, and please survive, young master," Tanjiro whispered the last part, barely audible, afraid the guards might overhear.
Without looking back, Renjiro departed.
But before Renjiro could tread the path out of Getsurei, he heard rumors about a gathering in the town plaza regarding the Kurotani family massacre, set up by the head of the Ishinari family—the royal advisor.
"We are currently tracking down each of the assassins involved in this tragic incident. Rest assured, we are doing everything in our power to bring them to justice as swiftly as possible," Ishinari Nobutsuna, head of the Ishinari family, announced to the gathered crowd. He then added firmly, "The Ishinari will not let this crime go unpunished."
"We are saddened to say that none of the Kurotani family survived. In the reports, there is one who was adopted, who survived, and who is also suspected of betraying the Kurotani family by allowing assassins into the house without them noticing."
Renjiro almost vomited from what he heard. They were talking about him. Rage almost consumed him.
"We are currently searching for him, hoping that he is still alive to tell us about the incident. Sir Inazuki." A hunting dog for the Ishinari family disguised as a head soldier, is the head of the search party. "Sir, please do your best to find him before the assassins find him first."
"Yes, sir!" the soldier replied.
Renjiro, as pale as a ghost, looked like he had seen one. 'That voice… I recognize that. I had my suspicions, but it really was them!' Renjiro thought, connecting the soldier to the one who ordered his search and execution.
"The man's name is Renjiro, an adopted son of the Kurotani family. He is suspected of aiding the assassins in this incident. So please, if you find any clues regarding his location, inform us. Getting to the bottom of this incident is the top priority of the Ishinari family—to deliver justice to this tragedy," Ishinari Nobutsuna exclaimed without a hint of hesitation.
'They probably want to finish this with my death.'
So many questions ravaging inside his head to the point of hurting him, but he continued walking to Ghisun.
Though slow because of his injuries, he managed to get to the mercenary town—not to start a new life, but instead to begin his revenge.
"So, what should I do?" Renjiro asked Xero.
"The system itself will guide you. Since you gave up your previous memories this time, some skills will be available to you. Just a reminder—the power you're using is a fraction of what the previous Kurotani head possessed. Since you're a half-blood Kurotani, the power from the god Nozuro might prove hard to integrate into you. But don't worry—I designed the system so that even though you're a half-blood, there will come a time when you can fully assimilate its power. Just trust me and listen to my advice." Xero smiled.
Despite Xero helping him, Renjiro remained suspicious of this unknown god. He didn't want to give even an inch where he could be taken advantage of. Just seeing Xero smile made his whole body shiver. He knew that Xero was hiding something, but despite knowing that, Renjiro planned to follow all of Xero's advice and the system.
Consumed by rage and hatred, it left Renjiro with no choice but to follow this unknown god.
"For your first quest—and the reward of unlocking Nozuro's initial power for your revenge—you must hunt down a wolf known as Kurogitsune. This creature cloaks itself in moonlit shadows and uses them to stalk and kill its prey under the cover of night. You'll need its essence to advance."
Despite his body not being fully healed yet, he said, "Okay… and after that, will I finally be able to kill those bastards?" An enraged aura seeped out of Renjiro's body; remembering the massacre gave him a boost to move despite the pain.
"Not yet. Don't worry—soon you will have the power to deliver your revenge, just like your future self. Though… he died because he didn't trust me. This time it's going to be different."
"Let your path to revenge start," Xero declared menacingly.
In the first week, Xero forced Renjiro to hunt smaller-level monsters to heal some of the deeper wounds Renjiro had sustained—monsters like slimes, goblins, giant rats, and especially low-level dire wolves, to get him used to hunting the first quest boss.
Slowly but surely, Renjiro's body recovered, and he became accustomed to the system. The levels he reached by hunting monsters provided him with good physical prowess, boosting his body. STR, AGI, and INT increased with every level he gained.
Now Xero upped the quest, making Renjiro fight against higher-level monsters like skeleton warriors, kobolds, and ghouls.
Ghouls became a problem for Renjiro; one of their attacks could infect a wound, delivering excruciating pain for days, making recovery difficult for him.
'God damn… this hurts so much,' Renjiro thought while tending to his wounds from the ghouls' attacks.
Renjiro, wobbly from the pain, stepped out of the cave he was staying in to look for herbs to help alleviate the pain.
"What the hell?" He found a basket of herbs and food outside the doorstep.
Still vigilant, he grabbed a stone from the ground to defend himself.
"Who are you!?" he shouted, panic in his voice. 'If I get found out now, my revenge will fail.' Renjiro tried calling for Xero, but Xero only responded, "I can't help you with everything, kid. Deal with it yourself."
'I need to get out of here,' Renjiro thought—and then it dawned on him.
'No… wait. If this entity wanted to kill me, it wouldn't have been hard.'
Renjiro was pretty much in the same state as after the Kurotani tragedy. Killing him now would be as easy as putting out a candle with a stone.
'I have no choice but to recover as fast as I can and confront this entity.'
He recovered from his injuries in no time. Each day brought him surprises, as the unknown entity kept leaving all the necessary things he needed every time he was injured or sick.
Despite all those generous actions, Renjiro still remained vigilant, planning to capture this entity to ask questions.
After a month of grueling fighting and surviving, the day to hunt the Kurogitsune finally came. He failed to confront the entity, as it was so elusive and hard to communicate with.
He started his search for the Kurogitsune. After quite a few hours of walking, he finally found the place marked on Xero's map, where the Kurogitsune resided. It was a lush forest; the Kurogitsune was sleeping in a secluded area of the forest, surrounded by many dead trees.
The Kurogitsune was perfectly hidden between the shadows of the large trees.
Renjiro would have missed the Kurogitsune if he didn't have the Kurotani's power in him. Nozuro users are sensitive in the darkness.
They can see even in the dark.
Renjiro followed Xero's instructions to observe the Kurogitsune. What he saw was a wolf, three feet tall at the withers. It was large enough to loom over him without difficulty. Its fur was gray with black streaks of darkness along its legs. Red eyes glowed under the moonlight.
"Why is it like that?" The Kurogitsune seemed to be on high alert, as if it was scared of something.
"I don't know, but one thing's for certain—look at its hind legs. They're bent in an unnatural way; seems to be injured," Xero responded nonchalantly.
'Now's the perfect time to hunt it,' Renjiro thought.
After both of them carefully devised a plan, Renjiro carefully approached the half-asleep Kurogitsune.
Slowly approaching the Kurogitsune, in an instant he channeled mana into his feet and blended with the nearby shadow by using the skill he had gained in exchange for his memories—a skill named Kagekō or Shadow Path, a skill that let him travel through shadows.
Combining those two skills, he managed to close in as fast as he could before the Kurogitsune noticed him.
The ambush was almost perfect—sadly, the Kurogitsune was also sensitive to darkness and shadow, hence its name the black fox because how it uses the shadows and fox like reflexes.
It noticed Renjiro at the last second and managed to dodge, only grazing its neck.
Renjiro clicked his tongue; he had almost gotten the wolf without consuming too much time.
The Kurogitsune, calm despite nearly dying, swiped its claw to kill the intruder.
Renjiro blocked it, but it almost incapacitated him due to the force behind the attack.
It was just one attack, but it nearly killed him.
The Kurogitsune, sensing familiarity with the attacker, didn't pursue another attack—instead, it only glared at Renjiro.
'Okay… I can't afford to block that attack again.'
Renjiro took a deep breath and gathered mana into his feet again, planning to overwhelm his opponent with speed. But before he could take a step forward, he noticed something wrong.
'Jump,' Xero calmly instructed.
Renjiro, noticing mana gathering in the ground, jumped.
Black tendrils had tried to ensnare him—a surprise attack from the Kurogitsune.
'It almost got me.'
'That right there—that skill is what you need and the reason why you need to kill the Kurogitsune. Its essence will help you improve one of your three skills,' Xero explained.
'What you have is Kageashi—the lesser version of Kagehaba.'
Renjiro grabbed one of the branches midair to fully escape the skill. He continued circling the enemy, since it couldn't move properly due to its injuries.
Renjiro threw Kagezutsu or Shadow Shot—a skill that lets the user launch small bolts of shadow energy that, when passing through shadows, slightly dim the enemy's vision and cause minor shadow-inflicted damage.
It was a lesser version the Kurotani family used, and he knew it wouldn't work against the Kurogitsune, but he threw it only to cause a distraction for his next attack.
Renjiro cast Kageashi or Shadow Step Snare—a skill that temporarily hindered enemy movement by binding their feet with faint shadow tendrils, briefly immobilizing them, but only when they were within close range and surrounded by still shadows. It was the lesser version of the skill Kagehaba from the Kurogitsune, which allowed Nozuro users to summon creeping shadow tendrils to ensnare and immobilize enemies, with the strength of the bind depending on the abundance of nearby shadows and the proximity of the target—distant foes or those in weaker shade were less restrained.
Renjiro boosted Kageashi with mana to make it look like Kagehaba, betting that in its weakened state the Kurogitsune would dodge instead of tanking it.
The gamble worked—the Kurogitsune raised its forefoot, only to stumble and roar in pain. The Kurogitsune had forgotten its injured hind leg.
Not wasting the chance, he cast Kageashi again on the injured hind leg and squeezed his hand to tighten the grip of the skill, causing the Kurogitsune to fall onto its side from the pain.
Renjiro threw a Kagezutsu dagger straight into its eyes to blind it.
The Kurogitsune tried to get up while blinded.
Renjiro once again poured less than half of his remaining mana to cast Kageashi again on its neck, intending to drag it into the ground once more. The Kurogitsune used its forefoot to resist the pull, only to fall into the trap set by Renjiro.
The trap pit with spikes—the spikes pierced into its forefoot because of its heavy weight. The Kurogitsune screamed in pain once again.
Renjiro, despite his heavy breathing and exhaustion, dashed in and severed the Kurogitsune with one strike, finally killing it.
'Hurry and put your hands near its heart, or else the power will disperse and return to its owner, Nozuro. You need to concentrate on extracting it. Imagine conversing with Nozuro that this power might be a little late returning, since you will use it for the meantime.'
Renjiro followed Xero's advice and managed to fully extract the essence of the Kurogitsune.
'Congratulations—you gained Kagehaba. I don't think I need to explain its abilities,' Xero added.
Exhausted, Renjiro didn't even bother to reply; he simply trudged back to his temporary shelter to finally rest.
Renjiro woke up again with food and herbs to help recover mana, left at his doorstep.
Confused and still vigilant, he took them and tried to recover as fast as he could.
"Congratulations on completing the first part of the quest. The quest reward is a boost to your physique to be able to use the upgraded version of your skills," the system announced.