Ken was walking home when he suddenly heard distant screams—shrieking voices filled with panic.
His eyes narrowed. That's not normal... someone's in trouble.
Scene Shift — The Park
The once peaceful park was in chaos. Parents were sprinting with their children clutched tightly in their arms, faces pale with fear. Strollers were left abandoned. Juice bottles rolled on the grass.
Ken rushed to the scene, weaving through the panicked crowd. Near the center of the park, he spotted a woman on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Her hands trembled as she dug into the soil, searching desperately.
"Ma'am!" Ken called out, skidding to a stop beside her. "What's wrong?!"
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she choked out, "My daughter—she was just here! And then... th-those creatures—they came out of nowhere! I can't find her!"
Ken placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Stay here. I'll find her—I promise."
Without another word, he bolted into the depths of the park.
---
Deeper Inside the Park
Ken slowed as he entered the dense trees, his senses on high alert.
Then he saw them.
Small, hunched creatures with grey-green skin and twisted limbs—goblins. About six of them. Each carried a crude weapon: rusted axes, jagged swords, broken spears.
Ken's eyes narrowed. I've seen these things on the news. Low-ranked monsters… but still dangerous in packs.
One of the goblins snarled and lunged forward, swinging its axe. Ken instinctively opened his mouth and let out a blast of acid—but it wasn't enough. The axe deflected it, and in a flash, slashed across Ken's face.
SLASH!
Pain erupted as a deep scar tore from his lip to his forehead. Blood poured down his face.
"AGHH!" he screamed, collapsing to the ground, dazed and gasping.
The other goblins howled with excitement and charged. One swung a sword, aiming straight for his chest.
Ken barely managed to grab the blade with his bare hands—burning acid dripped from his lips onto the goblin's arm. It screeched, but the damage was minimal.
Ken gritted his teeth. My acid… it's not strong enough. I can't beat them like this…
He looked at his bleeding hands. My powers are weak… but that doesn't mean I am.
With a roar of defiance, Ken stood back up.
If I can't rely on poison—I'll fight with everything else I've got.
As Ken struggled to get back on his feet, another goblin rushed at him—this one wielding a spiked mace.
CRACK!
The mace slammed across Ken's face, tearing open more flesh. Blood sprayed as fresh scars joined the brutal wound already marking his face.
Ken's vision blurred, but something inside him snapped.
Rage.
He grabbed the goblin by the neck—his fingers tightening like a steel trap. The goblin thrashed and clawed, but Ken didn't loosen his grip.
"You messed with the wrong human," he growled.
With a final squeeze, the goblin's body went limp, choking to death in his grasp.
Ken turned, his blood-covered face twisted in fury, locking eyes with the axe-wielding goblin that had first scarred him.
He pointed at it. "Now it's your turn, you scam."
Before it could react, Ken charged and brutally smashed his leg into the goblin's face. Bones crunched. The creature dropped, unmoving.
Ken stared down coldly. Goblins may be weak to a toximancer like me… but they're still brutal monsters to normal people.
But something's different…
He looked at his hands, still dripping with acid and blood. My physical strength... it's increased since becoming a toximancer.
Without hesitation, he picked up the fallen goblin's axe. Its weight felt perfect in his hands. With a cold expression, he lifted it high—and cleaved off the goblin's head in a single, clean motion.
The remaining goblins froze… then snarled in rage, their eyes glowing with fury.
Ken met their stares with a serious glare of his own.
The battle raged again—but the deep wounds on his face continued bleeding. His vision swam. Pain screamed through his body. During the clash, his arms were slashed over and over—scar after scar adding to the damage.
Still, Ken gritted his teeth.
No. I won't give up.
With a blood-soaked yell, he spun the axe in a wide arc—SLASH!—cutting down two more goblins. Another followed. Headless.
Only one remained.
But it didn't run.
Instead… it began to grow.
Its muscles bulged. Its eyes burned red. Bones cracked and stretched as it grew to nearly triple the size of a normal goblin.
Ken stumbled back, heart pounding.
His breathing grew shallow as he whispered, terrified,
"W-What the hell is this...? A leader...? A boss…?"
Scene shift – Toximancer HQ
Tachibana come to the room where the man was seating in a chair and obesvering Monsters by computer
Tachibana: "Sir, some people are claiming they've gained poison-related powers. Should we recruit them?"
The man: "Yes, yes, of course. Our country needs more Toximancers. Bring them in."
---
Scene shift – Outside Toximancer HQ
A boy approached the towering building. His cyan hair shimmered under the sunlight, and his eyes—a strange blend of brown and gold—glinted with determination. As he stepped forward, the massive doors of HQ slid open automatically.
---
Scene shift – Back to the Park
Ken faced the monstrous goblin. It roared, shaking the ground beneath its feet. Blood still dripped from Ken's scars, but he clenched his fists.
"Wait... I can feel something. After fighting those goblins... my power—it grew. That means... Toximancers can power up in battle?"
A green glow began to pulse through the veins in his hands.
"I can feel poison surging inside my blood... Alright then..."
Ken roared and unleashed a stream of acid-like poison from his palms, aiming at the giant goblin's glowing red eyes. The creature screamed in agony, stumbling back.
Ken didn't wait—he grabbed the axe from the fallen goblin, charged, and with a powerful swing, ripped the goblin's head clean off. The monstrous head rolled onto the grass, steaming with poison.
Suddenly, shadows appeared behind Ken. Several Toximancers arrived and were stunned by what they saw.
Ken turned around. Among the team stood Kanji Mitsuragi.
Ken: "Mr. Mitsuragi…"
Kanji: "You defeated them all? You... you might've awakened! You're showing signs of poison power!"
Kanji turned to a teammate.
Kanji: "Tachi, feed him healing poison. Quick."
A man with red hair and sharp black eyes stepped forward.
Tachi: "Alright, kid. Open your mouth."
Ken hesitated, then opened wide. Tachi poured a glowing green liquid into his mouth. Ken's eyes widened as a warm sensation spread through his body. His scars slowly began to fade.
Ken: "I'm... healing? Through poison? This is... marvelous."
Kanji: "Now, kid... you're coming with us."
Ken: "Where?"
Kanji: "HQ."
Ken: "Wait—I came here to help a woman find her daughter!"
Kanji: "We've already located the little girl and reunited her with her mom. So stop worrying. No more talking. You're coming with us."
---
Scene shift – Toximancer HQ
Ken walked through the giant HQ doors with Kanji and the rest of the team. The facility looked futuristic—filled with glowing tubes, armored figures, and advanced machines. Everything screamed power and mystery.
Ken looked around, nervous.
"Can I really become a good Toximancer...? Damn it..."
---
Narrator (final line):
Will Ken be able to become a strong Toximancer or fall under the pressure of this mysterious world? The journey has just begun...