World of Rules

"De" moved swiftly through the forest, effortlessly passing trees and rocks, ignoring the sounds of insects and the wind rustling through the branches. He walked lightly, vanishing into the shadows as if he were a specter.

He had no idea how long it would take to reach the city, but he wasn’t in a hurry. This was his chance to explore this new world and understand the rules that governed it.

After a while, he suddenly stopped.

Looking at the ground, he noticed non-human footprints—deep claw marks dug into the soil, and scratches covered the nearby trees.

"A beast?"

This wasn’t surprising. In a world where the strong devoured the weak, humans weren’t the only ones struggling to survive.

Moving cautiously, De followed the tracks until he reached a small clearing among the trees, where he saw a massive creature before him. It resembled a wolf, but its body was covered in black scales, and its eyes glowed with a cold blue light.

"What is this beast…" De muttered as he observed it calmly.

He didn’t know what exactly this creature was, but it was a type of wolf—a first-tier beast, yet highly dangerous to ordinary humans.

The wolf suddenly lifted its head as if it sensed something, and its sharp eyes locked onto De’s.

Without hesitation, the wolf lunged toward him at a speed beyond an ordinary person’s expectations, but De didn’t move.

The moment the wolf’s fangs reached his neck, De vanished and reappeared behind it, extending his hand covered in black smoke.

"This ends here."

De unleashed his energy, and the black smoke rapidly spread, devouring the wolf’s body, piercing through its tough scales as if they were mere brittle paper.

The wolf howled in terror, its body trembling violently before collapsing, leaving behind only decayed remains and blackened bones.

"My power isn’t what it used to be, but this will do for now," De muttered as he looked at his hands.

After killing the wolf, he felt a surge of primitive energy flow into his body. This wasn’t unfamiliar to him—killing other beings could help strengthen his foundation and enhance his body.

By devouring and plundering, his strength would continue to grow.

However, he wasn’t interested in staying here to hunt weak creatures. He needed to reach the city and learn more about this world.

Taking a deep breath, he continued north, determined to take his first real step in this new world.

---

De moved north through the forest when he suddenly stopped.

"Humming voices... People?"

He turned his head toward the source of the noise and hid behind a massive tree, observing the scene ahead.

In the middle of the forest, a group of five armed men stood, wearing ragged leather armor with swords strapped to their belts. They surrounded another person—a skinny young man with brown hair, who looked like he had been beaten recently.

"Tell us, where did you hide the goods?" one of the men demanded, his voice dripping with menace.

"I told you… I don’t know! I’m just a messenger!" the young man stammered, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Thieves? No, bandits."

This wasn’t unexpected. In a world ruled by chaos, the presence of such people was only natural.

But De wasn’t interested in their affairs. He wasn’t the type to meddle in things that didn’t concern him. However, just because he didn’t care didn’t mean he wouldn’t kill them if they stood in his way.

He turned to leave, but suddenly, the situation changed.

"Wait… Someone’s watching us!" one of the men shouted, pointing toward De.

"Good instincts, but you’re still trash."

The men all turned toward him, immediately drawing their weapons.

"Who are you? Are you working with this rat?" one of them asked, approaching cautiously.

De sighed in boredom. He wasn’t in the mood to talk, nor did he have time to waste on weaklings.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

"He disappeared?!" one of the men cried out.

Before they could comprehend what was happening, De appeared behind them.

"Wha—"

The man couldn’t finish his sentence before De’s hand pierced through his chest, ripping out his heart with brutal force. His lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

"He's a Base Master!" one of them shouted in panic.

In an instant, another man lunged at him with his sword, but De simply tilted his head, effortlessly dodging the attack. Then, he raised his hand and released a wave of black smoke.

The man screamed as his body slowly disintegrated into ash.

The remaining men began to tremble, sweat pouring down their foreheads.

"L— Let’s run!"

But De had no intention of letting them escape.

He vanished again, and when he reappeared, his hand was buried in one man’s throat, while another had already fallen to the ground, his head severed.

Only one man remained, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"W— Wh— Who are you?!" the last survivor stuttered, barely able to stand.

De gazed at him indifferently and raised his hand.

"W— Wait! I can give you information! Please—"

De wasn’t interested.

In an instant, black smoke engulfed the man’s body, reducing him to nothing more than a dark stain on the ground.

Silence returned to the forest.

"Haa… Haa…"

The brown-haired young man was still there, staring at De in terror, unable to speak a word.

De slowly approached him, his expression unreadable.

"You’re just a messenger, right?"

The young man quickly nodded, his body still trembling.

"Good. Where is the nearest city?"

"N— North… After crossing the river… You’ll reach it…"

De didn’t say another word. He simply turned and continued on his way, leaving the young man behind, still struggling to process what had happened.

After a moment, a sudden scream echoed through the forest, only to be cut off abruptly.

"Leaving him alive might cause trouble later. Silencing him with death puts me more at ease."

De continued walking, heading toward the city, already forgetting what had just happened.

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