NOVEL WEB Chapter 5: Do not fail this time
Huff! Argh! Damien's face twisted slightly in a tight frown. His breath came in ragged bursts, his body screaming in agony. It felt as though fire licked at every muscle, burning him from the inside out.
Around him, dozens of corpses lay scattered, their bodies twisted at unnatural angles. Their eyes—frozen wide in shock—seemed to still reflect the last moments of their terror. The scent of blood was thick in the air, mixing with the sweat rolling down his forehead. A single drop fell, splattering onto the ground like ink on parchment.
Jasmine, her face pale, her hands trembling, took an unsteady step forward. Her voice, hoarse and uncertain, cut through the silence.
"B-big brother, are you okay?"
Hearing her warm concern, Damien's indifferent expression softened slightly, a smile forming on his lips.
"Ahhh! What could happen to me? Worry about yourself, little girl."
At that moment, a cascade of blue screens flooded his vision.
[Negative Karma completely negated.]
[Ranking updated: 08.]
[You are ready to begin your next journey. Hope you don't fail this time.]
Damien had expected this. His gaze skimmed over the windows, uninterested—until he saw the last message. His pupils contracted.
"Don't fail this time…"
A cold, creeping sensation settled in his chest.
What do you mean by 'don't fail this time'? Isn't this my first time here?
He asked the question in his mind, but the system remained silent. No answer. Just an eerie weight pressing down on his thoughts.
Shaking off the unease, Damien took a deep breath, forcing his heart to steady. His eyes flickered across the remaining survivors.
Of the original thousand, only ten remained.
Six men. Four women. And one girl.
Some sat on the ground, exhausted. Others let out long, weary sighs. But none of them looked shocked—not in the way he had expected.
"Could it be that I'm the only one…?"
The sound of slow, deliberate footsteps echoed through the bloodstained ground.
A middle-aged man approached, his aura calm yet oppressive. His every step carried an air of practiced grace. The longsword in his hand—eerily similar to a katana from Earth—dripped with fresh blood, the crimson liquid trailing behind him like ink bleeding into water.
He stopped a few meters away from Damien.
All eyes turned toward him. Silence stretched, heavy and expectant. Even Jasmine flinched, instinctively shrinking back. Her small hands gripped Damien's sleeve, her body trembling.
Damien finally turned his gaze to the man. His face was devoid of emotion, his expression so empty it was as if he didn't even see the man standing before him.
The swordsman coughed lightly, then spoke in a voice filled with quiet authority.
"Surrender." His words carried a weight that demanded obedience. "Seeing how you protected this young girl, I will grant you a painless death."
A bitter chuckle nearly escaped Damien's lips.
Killing without blinking…
The swordsman's eyes were unreadable as he continued, his voice as steady as ever.
"Young man, you are a natural-born demon. People like you deserve no second chances."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the remaining survivors. They had seen it firsthand—the way Damien had cut down his fellow reincarnators with chilling efficiency.
No hesitation. No remorse. Only supreme indifference.
"Yeah, he's too dangerous. If someone like him is allowed to reincarnate, countless lives will be lost!"
A noble-looking woman with a curvaceous figure crossed her arms, her expression hard.
"Monsters like him don't deserve to be reborn."
Her words acted as a spark. Others followed.
"Right! He's a lunatic!"
"If this bastard leaves, no woman will be safe!"
Damien's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't give a damn about their accusations. If anything, he felt like laughing.
A bunch of hypocritical bastards.
But beneath their words, he sensed something deeper. A whispering current in the darkness, guiding their emotions, nudging them toward a single conclusion.
Someone wanted him dead.
And it wasn't these self-righteous fools.
A shadow flickered in his thoughts—the towering figure of the Master of Reincarnation.
For a brief moment, suspicion crept into his mind.
Could it be…?
No. He dismissed the idea immediately.
If an entity like that wanted him dead, he'd be dead. Simple as that.
A sudden, razor-sharp instinct screamed in his mind.
Danger.
Before he could think, his body moved. He twisted to the side—just barely dodging a dagger aimed at his throat.
A familiar voice slipped from his lips, filled with quiet disbelief.
"Jasmine…?"
His gaze locked onto the attacker.
The girl who he had treated as his little sister. The girl he had protected.
Jasmine stood frozen, her eyes wide, her face twisted in confusion. As if even she didn't understand why she had attacked him.
Then, something shifted. Her pupils trembled, and the cold, emotionless glaze vanished from her expression.
Her lips parted. "Brother, it wasn't me! I don't know what happened!"
Damien didn't respond. He simply took a step back.
Something was very wrong with these people.
A gut instinct, raw and undeniable, screamed at him.
Run.
He turned on his heel and sprinted.
A flurry of voices rose behind him.
"Don't let that demon escape!"
The chase began.
---
Damien didn't know how long he had been running.
His lungs burned. His legs screamed. But the footsteps behind him never stopped.
His pursuers—they weren't stopping.
"Dammit…"
His vision blurred. His body reached its limit.
His steps faltered.
Then—he collapsed.
In the next instant, the remaining survivors surrounded him.
Their faces were wrong—twisted, unnatural. Some ran with their eyes closed, as if moving purely on instinct.
The oppressive feeling deepened.
Something unseen… something watching…
And Damien, lying on the ground, gritted his teeth.
"Just you fucking wait…"
Hatred burned in his chest. Not for these puppets.
But for the entity pulling the strings.