System Anomaly: The Sin of Greed[LitRPG/Prog Fem/Anti-Hero]

The stench of burnt flesh and thick blood infested the ash ravine. 

Two hours had passed since Diana’s first victory. Two hours of pure, methodical carnage.

The girl no longer looked like a high school student. Her school uniform was torn at the sleeves and legs, stained with soot, black dirt, and the dark blood of the Ash Rats. Her dark hair was unkempt, stuck to her forehead by the cold sweat of continuous effort, but her eyes… her eyes shone with a cold, terrifying clarity.

CRUNCH!

Diana drove the black steel dagger straight into the nape of the last rat in that pack. The monster didn’t even have time to squeal. It twitched twice and turned to dust, leaving behind a small bone fragment and a bronze coin.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[Enemy Defeated: Ash Rat (Level 2)]

[Experience Gained: 100 EXP (+20 Bonus EXP from System)]

[You Leveled Up!]

[Current Level: 2 -> 3]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

A soft golden light wrapped around her body once more. The accumulated exhaustion in her leg muscles vanished instantly, her ragged breathing returned to normal, and the small scar on her thigh finished closing up.

Diana closed her eyes for a second, savoring the sensation. It was almost addictive. Every level gained felt like stripping away a layer of weakness from her body, replacing it with a dense, palpable strength.

—Unbelievable.

The System’s voice resonated, the golden block of text floating lazily before her face.

—You killed seven of them. Seven. In two hours. Without taking a single direct hit after that initial stupidity. I should give you a prize for persistence, or call a psychiatrist for your soul.

”I learned how they move.” Diana said, opening her attribute panel without hesitation. ”They’re stupid. They only attack in straight lines and rely on agility. If you anticipate the leap, they become easy targets.”

—Yeah, so that hollow head of yours is actually good for something besides accumulating arrogance. But look at your stats, brat. You’re starting to look like a real living being.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[STATUS PANEL]

Name: Diana

Level: 3 (10 / 450 EXP)

Strength: 6 (+3) -> 9

Agility: 7 (+2) -> 9

Vitality: 5 (+1) -> 6

Intelligence: 8

Luck: 1

HP: 60 / 60

MP: 30 / 30

Free Points: 0

[LEARNED SKILLS]

- [Predatory Strike - Level 1]: Increases critical damage by 15% when attacking vital spots of unaware or fallen targets. (Cost: 5 MP).

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Diana observed the new skill with the corner of her lips turned up. Predatory Strike. The System had automatically generated the skill after noticing the brutal way she finished off monsters with thrusts to the skull and nape.

In addition, beside her foot lay a small pile of loot accumulated during the hunt: four sharp teeth, two claws, five bronze coins, and three small fragments of ’Ash Core’, dark stones emitting a faint heat that seemed like they might be worth some money to city traders.

—I noticed something interesting…

The System commented, the interface giving an irregular flickering glow.

—The item drop rate for these rats is around 15% for normal low-level hunters. You got loot from ALMOST ALL OF THEM. It’s one of two things: either you have the buggiest luck in Hell, or your soul is literally ripping resources out of reality by brute force.

”I don’t care about the reason.” Diana crouched down and gathered every piece of bone, stone, and coin, stashing it all into the leather pouch that now seemed about to burst from being so full. ”If it’s dropping, it’s mine.”

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

”Well, well… What do we have here?”

The harsh, raspy voice cut through the silence of the ash ravine.

Diana snapped her head up instantly, her right hand gripping the black steel dagger with trained reflex.

Three figures emerged from the shadows of the soot hills, blocking the only path back to the Dust District.

The one in the middle was a lesser demon with reddish skin, pointed ears, and a pair of small black horns on his forehead. He wore a filthy leather vest and carried a rusted machete on his belt. Beside him, a tall, burly guy with grayish skin that looked like a miniature orc held a wooden club studded with nails. The third, scrawnier, held two dull daggers in his hands.

Diana quickly used [Analysis Vision] on all of them:

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[Scavenger Leader - Vex] -> Level 3 (HP: 80/80)

[Ash Brute - Gor] -> Level 4 (HP: 110/110)

[Blood-Spitter - Kiri] -> Level 2 (HP: 45/45)

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Three against one. Level four, three, and two.

—Yikes…

The System emitted a dramatic static sizzle.

—The party’s over, brat. That one with the club over there has Strength 14 at least. If he lands a blow on you, you’ll turn into strawberry paste instantly. These aren’t dumb rats this time.

Diana didn’t answer the System. Her mind began calculating variables at a breakneck speed.

The leader, Vex, took a few steps forward, sporting a disgusting grin that exposed rotten, sharp teeth.

”A human bitch roaming free in the disposal zone…” Vex looked at the heavy leather pouch in Diana’s left hand and then at the black steel dagger. ”And it looks like you worked hard tonight. Gathered up the whole harvest for us, did you? How cute.”

”Vex, look at her shirt…” The smaller one, Kiri, gave a screeching laugh. ”It’s still intact. We can sell the fabric and her body at the lower sector market. An easy ten silver.”

”Shut your mouth, Kiri.” Vex spat on the ground. He stared at Diana with disdain. ”Put that toy knife down right now, girl. Hand over the pouch of resources and get on your knees. If you don’t fight back, we’ll keep you alive to serve as a slave in the coal mine.”

Diana stared at the three of them in silence. 

The rage surging through her chest was not the panic of a cornered victim. It was the pure, absolute hatred of someone who was about to have HER TREASURE stolen by inferior worms.

I spent two hours bleeding.

I fought, I dragged myself through filthy trash, I earned every coin and every level through my own fucking effort.

And these three idiots think… they can just come here and TAKE IT FROM ME?!

—Diana…

The System warned, its tone losing its usual sarcasm and turning strangely serious.

—The stat gap is real. The Brute can knock you out in one hit. You need to back off or hand over part of the haul.

”Hand over…?” Diana murmured, her voice so low it barely crossed the ravine’s wind.

She took a step forward. Not backward. FORWARD.

”Aha! The bitch has guts!” The leader Vex cackled, unsheathing his rusted machete. ”Gonna try me, you piece of human shit? Gor, break her legs first!”

The tall grayish guy, Gor, took two long strides forward, raising the heavy wooden club with a grotesque bellow. He swung a downward strike with all his force, confident he would crush the human girl in a single second.

Diana didn’t try to block. It would be stupid.

With her new 9 points of Agility, fueled by the adrenaline of her rage, she threw herself to the left in a fast roll across the ash ground. 

BOOM!

Gor’s club hit the ground with devastating force, raising a curtain of black dust and carving a small crater into the ash. The blow was powerful, but brutally slow. The weapon’s weight pitched the big guy’s body forward, leaving his back and the back of his knee completely exposed.

Diana came out of the roll like a rabid feline.

Level 4? Strength 14?

It doesn’t matter how strong you are if you’re dumb and slow!

”PREDATORY STRIKE!” Diana shouted.

She activated the newly acquired skill, feeling 5 points of her MP flow into her arms. The black steel dagger glowed with a faint reddish tint. 

With all the Strength 9 she possessed, Diana drove the blade deep into the crease of the Brute’s left knee.

STAB!

The steel sliced through the muscle and tendons of Gor’s leg.

”AAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!” 

A staggering roar of agony echoed through the ravine. The big guy lost his balance instantly, crashing to his knees with a heavy thud, the club slipping from his hands as blood gushed from his leg wound.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[Critical Strike! (Predatory Strike)]

[Damage Dealt: 38!]

[Enemy [Ash Brute] Inflicted with Status: Maimed (Mobility Reduced by 70%)]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

”What?!” Vex’s eyes widened, in shock at seeing his Level 4 ally fall howling in pain within three seconds. ”You miserable bitch!”

Before Gor could recover from the shock of the pain, Diana didn’t back off. She scrambled onto the fallen Brute’s back like an insane demon, grabbing his horns with her left hand to yank his head back, exposing the monster’s throat.

”You wanted my pouch of coins, didn’t you?!” Diana screamed in Gor’s ear, her eyes wide, her face covered in soot and blood. ”TRY AND TAKE IT NOW, YOU PIECE OF TRASH!”

STAB! STAB! STAB!

She plunged the dagger into Gor’s throat three times in a row with frantic, terrifying violence. The Brute’s hot blood splattered onto her chest and face. The giant’s body shuddered violently before slumping completely limp under her weight.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[Enemy Defeated: Ash Brute - Gor (Level 4)]

[Experience Gained: 250 EXP (+50 Bonus)!]

[You Leveled Up!]

[Current Level: 3 -> 4]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The level-up light bathed Diana once more amidst the blood and dust. Her spent MP was restored, and her stats rose yet again.

She hopped off Gor’s corpse, turning toward the other two scavengers.

Gor’s blood dripped down the blade of her black steel dagger, falling slowly onto the ash. Diana’s gaze upon Vex and Kiri didn’t hold a single shred of humanity. It was the gaze of a predator that had just tasted the flesh of a stronger enemy and found that she liked the taste.

.

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The smaller one, Kiri, took two steps back, his hand trembling so hard that he dropped one of his dull daggers in the dust.

”V-Vex…” Kiri stammered, his face pale with terror. ”She… she killed Gor… in three seconds… This girl is a monster!”

Vex took a step back, the rusted machete faltering in his grip. He looked at Gor’s corpse, then at Diana, who was walking slowly toward them.

She wasn’t running. She was simply walking, her dagger held out to her side, a bizarre, cruel smile shaped on her blood-stained lips.

”Where are you going?” Diana asked, her voice soft, yet laden with a terrifying promise. ”Didn’t you come here to take my things? Come and get them.”

—Sweet Jesus…

The System whispered in rapid text.

—I take back what I said. You don’t need a psychiatrist, you need a straitjacket. But look… the scrawny one’s guard is wide open. If you strike now, his panic will do the job for you.

”Wait!” Vex shouted, raising his free hand in surrender, cold sweat running down his horns. ”Wait, girl! It was a mistake! We didn’t know you were… that you were an Elite Hunter!”

”A mistake?” Diana stopped two meters from Vex, tilting her head slightly. ”You tried to steal what is MINE. There is no ’mistake’ in that.”

She took a swift step forward.

Kiri, in utter panic, turned his back and tried to bolt down the ravine. 

”PREDATORY STRIKE!”

Diana gave no quarter. She hurled the black steel dagger with all her level-four boosted Strength. The blade flew through the air and embedded itself deep in Kiri’s back. The small demon let out a muffled scream and dropped face first into the ash, his HP hitting zero almost instantly.

Vex dropped to his knees right then, throwing his rusted machete away.

”Mercy! Don’t kill me! Please!” Vex begged, slamming his forehead into the dirty ash, shaking like a leaf. ”I’ll give you everything! I’ll give you everything I have! Just let me live!”

Diana walked over to Kiri’s body, yanked her dagger out of the corpse’s back with a wet squelch, and walked slowly toward Vex.

She stopped before the kneeling scavenger leader. With the tip of her dagger, she lifted the demon’s chin, forcing him to look into her dark eyes.

”Everything?” Diana asked.

”E-Everything! I have silver coins! I have a pass to the District’s Central Market! I have supplies!” Vex fumbled at his belt with trembling hands, pulling out a leather pouch far nicer and heavier than the one Diana possessed, along with a polished bone amulet. ”All yours! All yours!”

Diana took the leather pouch and the amulet from his hand.

Upon touching the items, the System interface flashed in an extremely bright, dark golden hue.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[Looting Successfully Completed!]

[You obtained: 3 Silver Coins, 25 Bronze Coins.]

[Special Item Obtained: Trickster’s Bone Amulet (Increases Drop Rate by +5%)]

[Access Pass: Dust District Central Market (Level 1 Entry Permission)]

[EXCEPTIONAL EXTRACTION ACTIVATED!]

[Due to the target’s absolute terror, the target’s Luck stat was permanently absorbed into your soul record!]

[Luck: 1 -> 2!]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Diana froze upon reading the last message.

Absorbed… an attribute point from a living enemy?!

She looked at the System, then at her own hands. The bone amulet glowed faintly in her palm. The sensation of having stolen not just Vex’s physical belongings, but a PIECE OF HIS VERY EXISTENCE, made Diana’s heart race with an almost sickly euphoria.

—…

The System remained in absolute silence. The golden text window shuddered violently before displaying a single hidden sentence that vanished in under a second:

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[Ancient Record Detected: Greed Does Not Merely Take. It Devours.]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Diana didn’t have time to read the hidden sentence, as it vanished too quickly.

She looked at Vex, who remained curled up on the ground, weeping in terror.

”Get out of my face.” Diana said, her voice cold. ”If I see your face in the district again, I won’t just take your money. I’ll take your life.”

”Y-Yes! Thank you! Thank you!” Vex scrambled to his feet in a leap and ran desperately down the ravine, stumbling through the ash until disappearing into the dark horizon.

Diana was left alone in the middle of the corpses of the two demons and the remains of the rats.

She opened the new leather pouch. Three silver coins. Twenty-five bronze. A magic amulet. A pass to the Central Market. And an extra point of Luck.

She was Level 4. She had enough resources to buy real clothes, real food, lodging, and decent weapons in the center of the city.

Diana raised her face to the purple sky of Hell, the ash rain falling gently onto her blood-stained cheeks. She let out a loud, clear, arrogant laugh that echoed throughout the deserted ravine.

”The Dust District is way too small for me…” 

She wiped the dagger’s blade on her torn uniform and tucked it into her makeshift sheath. 

”Tomorrow… we go to the Central Market.”

Final Notes:

And the first group of smartasses tried to rob the wrong person! Gor thought Level 4 and a club could beat Diana’s madness... poor guy, he lasted three seconds against her, lol.

Thank you so much to everyone following along! What did you think of her first fight against a living being more on her level?