=Infinite Wardrobe=
->Description: An indestructible wardrobe that can contain an infinite amount of clothing, armor, and miscellaneous items. The wardrobe has the following enhancements:
->Indestructable: All items are impervious to damage.
->Automatic Size Regulation: All items automatically adjust to the user’s size and shape.
->Automatic Cleansing: All items are clean and fresh while stored in the wardrobe.
*Note: The Wardrobe comes pre-stocked with an initial set of items based on the owner’s history.
=Enhanced Health=
->Description: An increased ability to maintain good health in all situations.
->Rapid Healing: Increased passive healing rate.
->Detoxification: Immunity to poison and disease.
->Pain Nullification: Complete removal of the sense of pain.
=Resource Generation=
->Description: The ability to generate essential resources.
->Water Creation: Create fresh, clean water.
->Food Production: Summon nutritious food.
->Material Conjuration: Produce basic materials such as wood, stone, and low-tier metals.
At a glance, all of them seemed to have good parts about them, but the best choice was incredibly obvious:
Enhanced Health was the worst option, since Detoxification was half-useless with Nick’s Immortality passive, and Pain Nullification was a good way to get himself killed.
Resource Generation would be better in the short term, but it had a few key terms that limited its ability to scale, such as ‘basic materials’ and ‘low-tier metals’. There was no guarantee that he would ever get a chance to improve this ability, so, while tempting, resource generation was not the way to go.
“I choose Infinite Wardrobe.”
The skill window flashed and then his status window updated, replacing Reincarnator’s Privilege (1) with Infinite Wardrobe.
Wasting no time, he activated the skill.
A massive wardrobe appeared instantaneously. There was no rush of wind, no dramatic entrance, or any other indicator. With a simple command, the wardrobe was there.
“This is even better than I expected…” Nick said, a mischievous grin making its way onto his face.
The wardrobe was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, standing at least ten feet tall and equally wide. It was made of dark, polished wood that gleamed softly as if reflecting firelight, intricate carvings of mythical creatures and swirling patterns adorning its surface. The carvings seemed almost alive, their details so fine that they appeared to move as he studied them. The doors were reinforced with ornate, golden hinges and handles, each handle shaped like a dragon’s head with gleaming ruby eyes. Above the doors, a cornice inlaid with shimmering gemstones caught the light, casting a subtle, enchanting glow around the wardrobe.
Nick pulled on the doors and they swung smoothly and silently, revealing an interior that seemed far larger than would be possible without magic. The inside was illuminated by a soft, ambient light that emanated from nowhere in particular, giving the space a warm, inviting atmosphere.
There were rows upon rows of clothes, all of them familiar.
He let out a slow breath, his fingers grazing the fabric of a suit jacket. It was as though time hadn’t passed—each item looked exactly as it did when he first owned it.
Along the left, there were several tailored suits in classic colors: black, charcoal grey, navy blue, light grey, and cherry red. Alongside them hung a selection of ties in solid colors, stripes, and subtle patterns, made from silk and wool for different seasons and reasons.
In another section, he found a range of casual, everyday wear. Jeans, chinos, and various shirts were folded on shelves. Sweaters were stacked beside comfortable hoodies with varying gaming logos or graphics. Further down, he saw his jackets and coats. Another compartment held combat and tactical gear.
He recognized every single item. They were all his…
Most of them were destroyed a long time ago. Some when his house was bombed, some worn down by years of use. He let his hand hover over a hoodie, the material soft under his touch, and felt a wave of nostalgia crash over him.
“This was… before everything.” He could almost feel the weight of it on his shoulders like it used to be when things were normal.
“Hah…haha…” He couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief as he spun slowly, taking in all the old memories.
These weren’t just clothes. They were a reminder of everything that he once had—everything that was taken away.
A flash of pink caught his eyes.
“That’s…”
His breath caught in his throat. The soft light illuminated a row of clothing that didn’t belong to him. Delicate dresses, small shoes, and tiny jackets were neatly arranged. A familiar scent drew his attention to a floral dress—sweet, like lavender, and warm. It reminded him of a moment he could never forget…
Next to it hung a small hoodie… one that she was wearing when…
Nick’s chest tightened, his breath growing shallow as he reached out. He didn’t touch the dress—he couldn’t. His hand hovered there, trembling.
“Damn it,” he cursed. He whirled around and stormed out of the wardrobe. His mind reeled as he stumbled, feeling like he’d been punched in the gut. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. What kind of sick bastard thought that was funny?”
Outside the wardrobe, he stood staring up at the darkening sky, his fists clenched at his sides. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to steady his breathing. The pain gnawed at him, a constant reminder that no matter how far he’d come, he still wasn’t free. Even death wasn’t a reprieve.
Everything was taken from him in his previous life, ripped away by forces that he couldn’t control.
But he wasn’t in that world anymore. The past could haunt him, but it didn’t have to define him. Not here.
He could be whatever he wanted to be.
This world wasn’t without its threats. From the little he’d seen, it was probably more dangerous than the place he came from. He couldn’t shake the memory of that massive rabbit-bear, the way its flesh ripped apart and surged toward him.
He survived, but it wasn’t because of any preparation or achievement on his part.
Luck.
The thought of it made his stomach turn.
Once again, luck had given him another chance, but it was the last handout that he would accept.
Luck was a fickle thing. It couldn’t be relied on, yet it was addicting. There was a primal comfort in it—humans clung to the idea that luck would get them through, even when the odds said otherwise. Some would call it by other names—God, Karma, Fate— but, no matter what they called it, the nigh-universal human addiction to luck doomed them to suffer.
But not him. Not anymore.
This new resolve settled like iron in his veins. He wasn’t going to wait around, hoping for a chance to survive. If this world was going to throw monsters at him, he’d push back. All he had to do was carve out a place for himself in it.
The next week passed like a blur.
The first few days were brutal, a constant battle against the wilderness and the unfamiliar terrain. His muscles ached, and his nerves were frayed as every sound sent a jolt of adrenaline through his system. The new ‘Execute’ skill didn’t see any use—the few times he tried to cast it, nothing happened.
After killing his tenth vampiric rabbit-bear, he finally leveled up:
*Ding*
=You have defeated (1) Vampiric Rabbit-Bear.=
=You gain 0.03 skill points=
=Current skill points: 0.3=
-Level up! Fireball is now Rank 9/-. Power and speed slightly improved.-
The creatures no longer scared him all that much—they had become routine. They were good experience for leveling, but their presence was also a regular reminder that a vampire was somewhere nearby.
He found a freshwater stream that he could use to bathe himself and some wild berries to add a little color and variety to his dinner plate.
On the seventh day, he noticed a change as he was out scouting. The air felt different, heavier, as if something was watching him from the shadows. Nick froze in place, his body instinctively tensing. His hand hovered near his side, ready to summon a fireball at the first sign of danger. A chill crept up his spine as he scanned the dense undergrowth.
“Is it the vampire?” he muttered to himself under his breath.
A smooth, melodic voice echoed around him, filled with cold amusement. “Go away, human.”
Nick spun around, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow, but he saw no one. His pulse quickened. The presence felt overwhelming like the air itself was pressing down on him. “Show yourself,” he demanded, trying to keep the unease from creeping into his voice.
“You think you’re worth that?” the voice replied, haughty and dripping with disdain. “Why should I waste even a glance on a human, of all things?”
Nick’s brow furrowed. “If you aren’t coming out, then are you just going to sic your rabbits on me?”
There was a pause, then the voice let out an irritated hiss. “My rabbits? My rabbits? And why would you assume that I own these rabbits? Because their racial modifier is ‘vampiric’?”
Nick blinked. “Well, it seemed like a fair guess.”
“You think every monster with ‘vampiric’ in its name is a vampire? Seriously? Humans have to be the dumbest race ever created!”
“Well shit, I wasn’t expecting you to be a racist,” he shot back, crossing his arms.
“Racist?” The voice spat the word like venom, each syllable dripping with disdain. The air around him got impossibly heavier as if the forest recoiled at the vampire’s fury. “You slaughtered half my race, desecrated our holy lands, and spread false rumors that we sparkle in the sunlight. Duh, I’m a fucking racist!”
Nick flinched at the intensity in her words. He took a deep breath, trying to keep the mood light despite the tension crawling over his skin.
“Hey, I didn’t do shit to you.”
“You killed my rabbits!”
He was momentarily thrown by her indignant response. “Wait, so they are your rabbits? ”
“Yes, but that’s not the point!”
Nick couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at his lips. “I’m starting to think it might be the point. You’re really worked up about these rabbits.”
The voice growled in frustration, and the oppressive atmosphere thickened even more. “If you weren’t so disgustingly human, you might understand. You come into my territory, kill my pets, and expect me to just let it go?”
Nick raised his hands, palms out. “Look, I didn’t know they were your pets. They looked like any other monsters out here, and they were kind of… aggressive, y’know? A man has to protect himself from danger.”
A brief silence followed, and for a moment, Nick thought maybe he’d struck a chord. But then the vampire’s voice slithered through the air again, her tone mocking. “They’re rabbits! Danger? They weren’t even fully grown!”
His smile faltered. “Not… fully grown? How big do those things get?”
“Bigger doesn’t always mean ‘stronger’,” she sneered. “Not that you’d understand.” There was something beneath her statement that he was starting to sense. A hidden layer of… pride? Sadness? His gut told him that this was the most dangerous time to push, so obviously it was time to push.
“Well, maybe if you’d come out and talk face-to-face, I’d get a better sense of it. Hard to understand when your conversation partner is all mystical-like.”
Another pause, this one longer. He thought he detected the faintest hint of movement in the shadows, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, but his instincts told him it was no less dangerous.
“Why are you here, human? Why don’t you run when I could kill you with a thought?”
His hand tightened around the hilt of the knife strapped to his belt. He knew she was powerful—he could feel it in the air, pressing down on him, making every muscle tense and every instinct screaming at him to run.
He took a deep breath, keeping his voice steady, yet intentionally laced with irreverence. “You could try, but I’m betting you won’t. Not yet, at least.”
“Oh? And why’s that?”
Nick took a step forward, scanning the trees, still unable to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. “Because you’re talking to me instead of, y’know, killing me? Either you’re toying with me or you’re curious.”
The silence that followed was thick, stretching long enough that Nick wondered if he had pushed a bit too hard. Then, without warning, a figure materialized from the shadows, stepping out of the dark like it was a door she’d been standing behind all along.
In a single word, she was beautiful.
Her pale skin practically glowed in the dim moonlight, and her long black hair cascaded down her back in waves. But it was her eyes that caught him off guard—cold, calculating red eyes filled with uncountable years of disdain.
“You’re right,” she said, her voice now smooth and icy in the open air. “I am curious. But that doesn’t mean I won’t kill you.”
He fought the urge to take a step back as her gaze bored into him, weighing him like prey. He met her stare head-on. “Well, I’d appreciate if you’d keep holding off on that for now. I already tried dying a week ago and it wasn’t very pleasant.”
The vampire circled him slowly, her movements graceful. Predatory.
“Why are you here, human?”
“Just passing through. Scouting, really. Trying to get the sense of the area before I decide where to go.”
She raised a single eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. “Scouting? And you just so happened to stumble into my territory?” Her gaze lingered on him for a long moment, and then she let out a low chuckle. The air around them seemed to lighten, just a fraction.
“You’re either very brave or very stupid,” she said, her voice still cold but now carrying a hint of amusement.
“I can say with confidence that I am both,” Nick agreed.
The oppressive air shifted again, the weight lifting ever so slightly more, and he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. His gaze followed her as she circled, but his mind was racing, searching for anything else that might tip the scales in his favor.
“Y’know, for someone so keen on killing me, you sure seem invested in keeping this conversation going.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t flatter yourself, human. I simply find this conversation amusing.”
“Amusing, eh?” He tilted his head, trying to match her intensity. “So you’re bored?”
Her lips twitched, the movement barely noticeable. “Well, you’re not entirely wrong.”
His smirk widened. “I can live with being a distraction. I’ve had worse roles, to be honest.”
The vampire’s eyes glimmered with faint amusement. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re like a fly buzzing too close to the web.” She stopped circling. “You remind me of a human I fought once. He was much stronger than you, of course, but the way you present yourself…”
She pursed her lips, a hint of annoyance entering her voice. “Now I get it. You act just like the Hero.” She spat out the term ‘hero’ like an expletive.
Nick grinned. “Fucking heroes, am I right?”
Her gaze sharpened, and for a moment, Nick thought he’d pushed too far. But instead of striking, she tilted her head, studying him with newfound intensity. “You speak of heroes so lightly. You think you’re different?”
He shrugged. “I’m not exactly in the market for heroism. Been there, done that. Not worth it.”
Her lips twisted into a sneer. “Good. Heroes die. The last one who stood where you are now thought he could change the world.”
“And I’m guessing that didn’t end well for him,” Nick replied sardonically.
Her eyes flashed with irritation. “Are you mocking me? He won, obviously, and he ruined everything!”
Nick shifted, still keeping his posture relaxed. “Well, if I remind you of him then it’s not because he was a hero. I didn’t win, for one. Maybe we share a rugged charm? I bet he was a handsome guy.”
She took a step closer, her voice lowering. “He was a fool. Brave, but foolish.” She took another step. “He was strong. Too strong. Nobody could fight against him, and so his will became law. A broken law.”
“Broken how? You’re not exactly painting this guy as a villain. It’s supposed to be a good thing when a guy called the Hero wins.”
“You don’t understand. He set things in motion that cannot be undone. All races suffer for it. Even humans are suffering. It’s an endless cycle of death and slaughter.”
His grin faltered, but he forced it back. “Well, that does sound pretty bad,” he admitted.
Her sneer deepened. “You couldn’t even begin to understand the damage he caused. And you… you’re weak now, but I can sense a strange, latent power in you. It’s disgustingly similar to those parasites. If I leave you be, it’s almost certain that you will become far more powerful than he ever did. History will merely repeat itself.”
The weight of her words pressed down on him. There was something here—something bigger than just their banter. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he felt a ringing truth in her words.
“History repeating itself…” He kept his tone light. “Well, the future isn’t written yet. I don’t want to be a hero again, so maybe it’ll be different this time?”
Her expression was unreadable. She turned away, her voice cold. “No. You won’t have a future. I wasn’t sure before, but now I know that I can’t let you go.”
Before Nick could respond, a low, unnatural growl rumbled through the trees, freezing the words on his tongue. The air grew impossibly heavier. Nick’s body tensed and he instinctively drew the knife from his belt.
The vampire’s head snapped toward the sound, her posture stiffening. “No,” she whispered under her breath. “It’s too soon.”
Nick’s brow furrowed. “What’s too soon?” What the hell is that?”
The growl grew louder, closer now, accompanied by the sound of something massive crashing through the underbrush. The vampire took a step back, her eyes filled with intensity and… fear? “This is your lucky day, human. If you run now, you might survive.”
Nick studied her. What was she so afraid of? His grip tightened on his knife. “I’m starting to think that you’re more scared than I am.”
She didn’t spare him a glance. Her gaze was locked on the dense trees where the sound originated. “Feel free to stay if you want to die.”
His heart hammered in his chest as a massive creature burst into the clearing. His eyes widened, taking in the sight of the beast. It was an enormous, twisted monstrosity, its equine form warped and unnatural. The creature’s eyes were wild, glowing with fury, and its jagged horn pulsed with an eerie light.
“What the hell is that thing?” Nick muttered, taking a step back.
The vampire’s voice was low and tense. “He’s completely lost control. I’ll have to subdue him…”
Nick shot her a look. “You know that thing?”
Her gaze flicked to him, frustration and fear mingling in her expression. “Don’t ask questions you aren’t prepared to learn the answer to, human.”
The creature let out a monstrous roar, its hooves tearing into the ground as it prepared to charge. Nick barely had time to react as the beast lunged forward, barreling toward him with terrifying speed.
Project Knightfall 