~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~[DING!][Host Located.]Xavier's fading eyes widened.Another line appeared.[Xavier Reed Found...][Identity Confirmed.]A pause.Longer than it should have been.Then...[Synchronization beginning...][Welcome back, Xavier Reed.]Xavier's pupils contracted."Welcome back?"The words made no sense.Then another message appeared.[I have finally found you.][DING!][Synchronization Complete.]Silence.The world remained frozen.The monster's claw hung motionless an inch from Xavier's face.Then...[Host's current physical condition: Critical.]A brief pause.'Wha... what's going on?' Xavier wondered as his eyelids began to fall again.[Survival probability: 0.03%.][...Unexpected.][Initiating Emergency Protocol.][Initiating One Time Use Ability: Restoration.]Golden light erupted from Xavier's body.His limp body slowly rose from the ground.Then something impossible happened.The blood beneath him began to move.It crawled backward across the stone floor, rising

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ [Special Mission: Avenge the Betrayal.][Mission Objective: Make Them Regret What They Did to You.][Reward: ???]Xavier stared at the floating screen.His fingers slowly tightened.Those words kept replaying in his mind.The portal closing.The hunter's smile." Hold it back a while, porter. "He could still remember the monster's claws tearing through his stomach.He should have died.Yet here he was.Alive.And somehow, he now had a System.Xavier exhaled."Fine."[Mission Accepted.]The screen disappeared.For several seconds, Xavier remained beneath the bridge staring into space.Then reality suddenly caught up with him."Where am I supposed to go?"He couldn't return to the hospital.Those hunters had already come looking for him.And going home wasn't an option either.If they were willing to track him down at the hospital, his house would be the first place they'd search.Xavier rubbed his temple."Great."He had no money.No guild.No a

~ ~ ~ ~ ~An important personality arrived without fanfare.A black limousine rolled to a stop outside the dungeon entrance.The front passenger door opened.A woman in a black suit stepped out and walked around the vehicle. Her expression was stern, her posture straight, and one hand rested near the weapon concealed beneath her jacket.She opened the back door.A young woman stepped out.She was beautiful.Not the kind of beauty that demanded attention.The kind that drew it without effort.She wore a long white garment beneath golden armaments that covered her shoulders, forearms, and parts of her chest. Her pale skin seemed to carry a faint radiance beneath the morning light.But it was her eyes that drew attention.Golden.Clear.Unnaturally bright.Her fine blond hair fell around her shoulders, though most of it was hidden beneath a white scarf wrapped loosely around her head.The men waiting outside immediately straightened."Welcome, Holy Maiden."They bowed.The young woman

The Holy Maiden's gaze remained fixed on the boy crawling across the blood-soaked floor.He barely moved anymore.One hand dragged weakly against the stone.Then stopped.His fingers twitched.His body went still.“He's unconscious,” Alexandria said.She stepped forward.“I'll apprehend him.”The Holy Maiden finally looked at her.“Apprehend?”Alexandria nodded.“He entered a dungeon reserved for your party without authorization. Judging from the state of this place, he is responsible for...”“Alexandria.”The guard stopped.The Holy Maiden's eyes returned to Xavier.“Can't you see he's wounded?”Alexandria glanced at the boy.His clothes were torn apart.Blood covered nearly every inch of him. His sword lay several feet away, and his shield was cracked almost completely through.For a moment, Alexandria said nothing.“My lady, I only meant...”“I know.”The Holy Maiden's voice remained gentle.“There is no need to apologize.”Alexandria lowered her head.“Yes, my lady.”The Holy Mai

~~~“Have you ever killed anyone?”Xavier froze.His mind immediately returned to the dungeon.The goblins.The blood.The countless bodies scattered across the stone floor.His hands tightened against the sheets.“Y..yes.”The Holy Maiden’s eyes widened slightly.Alexandria’s expression changed as well.“...Yes?” The Holy Maiden asks.Xavier nodded hesitantly.“I think so.”The Holy Maiden stared at him for a moment before asking,“How many?”Xavier thought about it.He hadn't exactly kept count.“I'm not sure.”He lowered his gaze.“Fifty something, maybe.”The moment the words left his mouth...SHING!Alexandria's sword left its sheath.Xavier barely had time to react before the blade was already moving toward his neck.“Alexandria!”The Holy Maiden's voice stopped her.The sword halted inches from Xavier's throat.Alexandria's eyes were cold.“My lady, he just admitted to killing more than fifty people.”“He did.”“He is a serial killer.”Xavier's face paled.‘What the hell is hap