…
▸[It seems I've been unleashed upon a new world… Good, I was itching of boredom.]
The young man stared baffled at the strange screen.
"What the fu—"
▸[So you're my new user, huh? Let's hope you're not some weak-ass loser like the last one.]
The young man, baffled, stared at the floating screen for a few seconds in silence, not knowing what to make of it.
In the end, though, he decided to go straight to the point, massaging his temple as he let out a question.
"... And who the hell are you?"
The other prisoners in the cramped carriage exchanged uneasy glances when they heard him speaking to the air. They had faces that clearly said, did he go crazy out of despair?
"..." After asking that question and gauging the reactions of those around him, the youth quickly realized no one else could see the screen, making him cringe a little when he realized he looked like a lunatic.
Ultimately, however, he decided to shrug off his discomfort, ignoring the awkward looks he was receiving, and focusing back on the rude floating screen that popped out of thin air.
▸[I'm your awesome and incomparable System, a karmic formation given to you and inherently fused with your soul. My mission is to turn you into the ultimate apex predator of this world, the one who stands at the pinnacle of strength, the honored one, or, in simpler terms, the strongest of all... But I'm gonna be honest, you don't look like you're getting that far, even with my amazing abilities at your disposal.]
"Help me become the strongest?" The youth squinted his eyes at the screen, skepticism painted across his face. "Look pal, it's not that I don't trust you… But you're a floating rectangle with letters. What can you even do to help me get stronger…?"
Besides, he was currently trapped in the hands of some evil-looking bunch. Unless the screen started firing lightning or something to get rid of the bandits around, he doubted it'd be of much help in his situation.
▸[My main function is that of assigning you missions in response to certain events that may happen in your surroundings, events that most of the time will involve the use of violence, or solving certain problems. By completing these missions, you'll gain power—strength, magic, skills, etc... Of course, your cooperation is required. Otherwise, even I can't turn a nobody into an alpha.]
"Magic?" The young man's eyebrows raised at that word.
Sadly, the system ignored his question
▸[Additionally, as my new host your body has been genetically and magically modified to be able to adapt to the changes that I'll bring to your body in the future, which already brings you passive benefits such as an enhanced regeneration that will prevent you from dying in most situations unless you sustain lethal damage, a fastened learning process, among other benefits that honestly only come at specific situations, so I won't bother mentioning them you.]
The youth raised an eyebrow before he glanced at his body skeptically. He didn't feel any different.
However, the system didn't explain further, as if ignoring the poor youth's confusion.
Then, the screen expanded, blocking his view entirely.
▸[That being said… Hmph, I've just finished scanning your body, and damn, I was right, I don't think I'll be able to do much with this. It's pitiful.]
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Name: Kane Hunt]
>Body: 120
>Magic: 100
°°°
Skills: None acquired as of yet. Pathetic.]
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
"How do you even know my name?" The young man, now known as Kane, looked at it suspiciously once he saw his name there on the screen.
▸[I analyzed your memories]
"Woah! Privacy, dude!" Kane's face twisted at the thought of this rude screen rooting through his past.
▸[Let's just say I saw enough to know you're barely worth my time, much like all the previous ones.]
"Talk about a stuck-up screen" Kane murmured, rubbing his temples as he tried to not throw a punch at the intangible screen in front of him. The constant demeaning remarks were starting to annoy him.
▸[Enough with the introductions. Time for your first mission]
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
▸[Mission: Kill one bandit, and prove you're worthy of being my host.]
Reward: Temporal increase of +500 points to the body.
On failure: Death or enslavement, whatever happens first.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
"What?!" The young man stared baffled as the mission screen surged in his eyes, making him look back and forth between the screen and the bandits for a good while, before finally pointing at himself with incredulity. "You want me to kill one of those guys? Are you crazy?!"
▸[Typical loser. Chickening out already.]
"No, no, no, that's not the issue here. There are about twenty of them! Armed! I'm alone and unarmed!" Kane gestured wildly at the rough-looking bandits guarding the carriage. "How do you want me to take one of them down when all the others are there?! Unlike some delusional people out there, I don't think losing a limb or getting stabbed will be something I'll be easily able to shrug off as some movies portray! Plus, even though I may not be in a bad physical state, that doesn't mean I'll be able to beat those muscled thugs out there!"
▸[I don't even know why I expected you to be any different from the previous ones… Sigh… It is always spineless punks like you that receive the honor of being my hosts.]
"UGH! What an infuriating son of a bitch…! You're just a damn floating screen. You don't have to deal with getting stabbed, so stop acting as if you could do much against them!"
▸[Hmph, they're just bandits. Bottom-tier scum. If it were me, I'd kill them all with ease if I were in your shoes.]
"This guy is delusional," Kane muttered in dismay as he pushed his hair back.
▸[Stop complaining already. Besides, the mission says you only need to kill one, after that you'll receive a buff of +500 points to your body, so dealing with the rest should be a piece of cake once you're buffed up.]
"Hey… I haven't killed anyone in like, ever… How do you even expect someone like me to do this mission?"
▸[Either you do it, or you get sold or killed by them, I don't care. The less time I have to spend with a spineless punk like you, who doesn't understand the true nature of this world, the better for me.]
"The fuck you mean the true nature of this world?" Kane stared at it speechlessly.
▸[Of course, I meant the law of the jungle, where only the strong will survive in the end… To kill, or be killed, that's the grim nature of this world.]
…
…
…
"...This is like talking to an edgy teen," After a small silence of disbelief, Kane cursed under his breath as he massaged his face in dismay.
However, he had to accept that, in his current situation, the screen—or rather, the system's words had an ounce of truth.
Kane gave the bandits outside the carriage a fearful look. If he didn't do anything, who knew what fate would await him at their hands?
Still, as terrified as he was, the thought of killing another living being was still foreign to him, so he wasn't exactly excited about it.
After musing about it for a while, he gave the screen a side-eye. "Can't you just give me the 500 points now so that I can deal with that one bandit more easily…?"
▸[That's not how I work.]
"Delusional and useless," Kane passed his hands through his face in exasperation.
▸[Says the guy who is scared of killing one measly bandit.]
Ignoring the system's retort, Kane's mind began wondering about what other options he had aside from following the system's mission.
He glanced at the jail's door.
'Closed, great.'
Escaping while they were not looking was not possible.
He then considered just laying back and waiting for the bandits to bring them wherever they wanted to bring them.
'Who knows? It may not be such a bad place, after all.'
"Mommy… Where are they bringing us?"
"To a good place, my dear Sara, don't worry… -Sob, sob-"
"Why are you crying, mommy?"
"Don't worry Sara… Mommy just got a dirt in her eye…"
'...Nevermind.' Kane's face gained a somber look.
▸[The longer you take, the less time there's for you to escape.]
"..." Kane didn't answer at the system's prompting. However, the desperation of his situation left him no choice but to seriously consider the mission.
Twenty men, all armed to the teeth, and looking like they most certainly wouldn't give him a peaceful death if he fought back.
'Shit… I don't think I'll be able to injure even one of them before my head gets chopped off…'
-Clang-
Kane threw his head back and let the back of his head hit one of the bars keeping him prisoner, hopelessness settling in him once he saw no chance of actually surviving this ordeal.
However, after what felt like an eternity of just silence, countless thoughts running in that head of his, he turned to look back at the screen.
"This enhancement in healing you mentioned… How strong is it?"
▸[... Things like dying due to blood loss are out of the question, lost limbs will also regenerate in due time, even if you are left on the brink of death—something that would usually cause anyone to die if left unattended for long enough—it will not mean anything and you will heal to full health eventually… Only by receiving lethal damage to the brain or heart will your healing abilities be rendered useless and you'll die.]
"So I'm practically Deadpool, huh? Just more handsome."
▸[Do you accept the mission, or not?]
Kane drew in a long breath before he looked at the screen resolutely.
"Are you sure you can't give me those 500 poin—"
▸[I cannot.]
"Tsk… Well, whatever then… I'll do it"
[Ding!]
▸[Quest accepted]
Kane sighed as the notification popped off. "Let's see if I can pull this off"
…
°
°
°
|A few minutes later…|
…
As the minutes passed and the carriage surrounded by bandits moved through the forest, the bandits, who were in a cheerful mood until then, paused when a certain sound reached their ears.
-Whistle-
As soon as the sound interrupted their cheerful mood, they turned to look at a certain man inside the jail with confused expressions when they heard him whistling an obnoxious and deliberately out-of-place melody that should not be coming out of the mouth of a prisoner soon-to-be-sold.
The bandits' chatter faltered. One of them—a broad-shouldered brute with a jagged scar across his cheek—snarled, stomping over to the carriage.
-Clang, clang, clang!-
He banged his sword hilt against the bars. "Hey, zip it! One more sound out of you, and I'll carve your tongue out!"
Kane turned lazily to face him, the hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
"Huh? Why's a monkey yelling at me? Oh, wait—it's you. Sorry, you're just so ugly I got confused. A little advice here, try wearing a mask or something, this situation is depressing enough already"
The bandit froze, his face reddening as the other bandits erupted into poorly stifled snickers.
"You little…!" he growled, fists clenching.
Another bandit, perched on a nearby horse, chuckled. "Easy, Ruk. Don't let some shackled runt get to you."
"Shut your mouth!" Ruk snapped, his humiliation only growing. "Give me the damn key!"
The horseman shrugged and tossed it over. "Fine, fine. But remember, boss said not to kill any of them. Useless goods don't sell."
Ruk caught the key and sneered. "I'll just rough him up a little."
The lock clicked, and the carriage door swung open. The other prisoners shrank back, wide-eyed and trembling, as Ruk stepped inside with sword drawn. Kane stayed put, though his stomach churned as the bandit advanced.
"Hey, hey, remember what I said earlier?" Kane started, raising his hands. "It was just a prank bro. No need to get violent, okay?"
Ruk grinned wickedly, the blade in his hand glinting menacingly as he approached. "Oh, is that so? Then I hope you don't mind if I do you a little prank myself."
However, just as Ruk was about to get to him, Kane did the unexpected.
"Actually—I do!!!"
"...?!"
Lunging forward without a warning, he tackled the bandit with all his strength.
-Thud!-
"Urgh—!" As a result, both Ruk and Kane hit the floorboards hard, causing the angry bandit to let out a pained grunt.
"Aaaargh!"
Kane's cry, however, was louder—a guttural howl of agony as Ruk's sword drove under his ribs during the scuffle. Blood poured from the wound, staining his shirt and pooling beneath him.
As was to be expected, he was no Flash for his opponent to not be able to react to his attacks. Although the sudden tackle took Ruk by surprise, the guy was still able to pluck his saber into Kane's flesh in a hurried maneuver.
"Son of a bitch!" Ruk growled as he realized he had just been tackled, struggling to wrestle free.
The feeling of pain in Kane's wound only intensified as the sword pungled in his flesh began moving under Ruk's struggle to free himself.
However, despite the pain, Kane managed to hold the bandit pinned down.
'Come on, where's the fucking adrenaline when one needs it?!' Kane thought, eyes swimming with tears and teeth clenched against the searing pain
However, knowing that he had to act now or he was done for, Kane did his best to tell his brain to ignore the stinging pain and get ready to act.
The next attack was the only chance he had at gaining the upper hand and getting a chance to kill the bandit, after all.
Thus, without hesitation, Kane leaned back in preparation, before he slammed his forehead into Ruk's groin.
-Symbolical bell sound-
"Aaaagh! You bastard!"
Ruk howled, curling in on himself. When they saw that, the prisoners gasped, while the bandits outside snorted in disbelief.
"Dumbass can't even handle a tied-up prisoner," One of the bandits added with a cackle.
"Someone go help him." Another commented, though, his tone was insincere and even after his words, none moved, evidently too entertained by what was happening.
After all, the one with the sword plunged on his side was still Kane, so while Ruk may be having trouble down there, it wasn't anything serious so that they would need to move—or that's what they thought.
After the devastating blow, Kane forced himself to move. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped his trembling fingers around the hilt of the sword still buried in his side and yanked it free.
-Squelch-
"Hngh!" A fresh wave of pain shot through him, but the sight of the groaning bandit below steeled his resolve.
With a sudden surge of strength, he drove the blade into Ruk's throat. Blood spurted out as the bandit gurgled, his hands twitching uselessly before falling limp.
The bandits outside went silent, their laughter dying as they stared in shock.
"He killed him," one muttered.
"That idiot really let himself get offed by a prisoner…"
"Enough gawking!" another barked, unsheathing his sword. "Kill him!"
Soon, four bandits rushed inside the carriage, blades flashing.
-Clang!-
"Aaargh!"
Kane barely managed to block one swing with Ruk's sword, but a second bandit landed a shallow cut near his neck, drawing blood.
Staggering back, Kane raised his weapon shakily. But before he could react, a boot slammed into his stomach, sending him sprawling.
"Uck—!"
-Thud!-
As he crashed on the floor once again, Kane let out a few coughs in pain. His alert eyes immediately setting on the bandit who had kicked him.
Sadly, he was unable to react in the slightest before the bandit planted his foot on his chest and pinned him to the ground.
-Bam!-
"Ack!"
The weight of the man falling upon him only worsened the pain of his earlier injury, causing Kane to falter instead of counter-attacking with his newly acquired sword while he could.
Seeing that, the bandit sneered, before he then raised his sword high, ready to deliver the finishing blow. "Should've maintained your head low—"
However, just as he was about to put an end to Kane's life, he staggered. His balance was thrown as Kane's body suddenly surged upward with great force.
"What the—?!"
"You…fuckers!" With a feral growl, Kane pushed himself to his feet, knocking the man back.
The bandits froze at the surge of what they thought had been a man on the verge of death until then, staring in shock at Kane.
His body was trembling, but not with fear. His muscles seemed to bulge, veins standing out against his skin as raw energy coursed through him.
-Snap!-
Then, as if to cement that image of pure strength he was projecting even further, the pack of ropes that had been binding Kane's wrists until then, snapped.
The moment that happened, a screen popped up on the side of Kane's vision.
▸[Mission completed. You have received a 10-minute boost of +500 points to your Body stat. Use them well.]
"So you were actually real, eh? Thank god I am not schizophrenic…" Kane muttered as he stared into his now free hands, his lips curling into a blood-streaked grin. "500 points, eh? This feels crazy."
Then, a new screen popped up in front of him.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
▸[New Mission: Kill the bandits.
Reward: For each bandit you kill, you'll receive 20 permanent status points to distribute later.]
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
After seeing that, his gaze snapped to the remaining bandits, feral and unhinged.
He might have been averse to killing just a few minutes ago, but now, with an agonizing pain on his side, blood leaking down his mouth, and adrenaline running all over his brain, his thoughts certainly weren't on resolving things peacefully.
It was killing time.
…
────────────────────────
-To be Continued…-
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(A/N: Second chapter, here we see a more violent side of Kane, though not a recurrent one. I just wrote this to show that despite being quite laid back when compared to his edgy companion, he still can get pretty violent when he has to.
Maybe making him talk-no-jutsu the bandits would have been more funny, making a contrast with his system that insists on him taking the way of violence, but I still wanted to show Kane's guts in a dark (Not so much, but still a little bit) world like Fairy Tail is.)