2025-04-08 18:39:10[System Update Complete.]
[New Feature: Punishment Protocol.]
For every hour that passes without accepting and progressing the first mission, host will suffer internal backlash. First symptom: coughing blood.]
Leo stopped in his tracks.
"Wait—what?! What kind of messed up RPG is this?!" he yelled.
His chest suddenly tightened. His vision blurred. Then—
SPLAT!
A spray of red splashed the forest floor.
Leo stared at his hand, covered in fresh blood from his mouth.
"Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me."
The clock was ticking. The system was serious. And Leo was now racing against time in a world that already seemed determined to chew him up.
He gritted his teeth. "Fine. You want me to complete a mission? Then tell me what it is!"
And the forest remained silent.
Until the system responded with a low hum.
[First Mission: Investigate the Rift in Darkvale Forest.]
Time Remaining: 4 days, 22 hours, 56 minutes.]
Leo groaned. "Darkvale? That doesn't sound ominous at all."
But with no better options—and a literal death countdown hanging over him—Leo took his first step deeper into the unknown.
He trudged through the dense underbrush, each step heavy with exhaustion. Darkvale Forest stretched endlessly before him, its trees towering like ancient sentinels beneath the orange hues of a dying sky. Shadows twisted across the ground, dancing in the mist that rolled low through the brush. It felt like the forest was alive, watching him.
His throat burned, and his limbs ached from walking aimlessly for hours without food or water. He stumbled against a mossy trunk, panting. "Damn, I'm thirsty."
As if summoned by his desperation, the system’s holographic interface flickered to life.
[Inventory Unlocked.]
[Note: Level 1 consumables (Water, Wheat Bread) available. Requirement: Complete sub-mission – Eliminate an F-Class Beast.]
Leo blinked. "You mean I’ve had an inventory all this time, and you didn’t bother to mention it?!"
The system chimed again with its usual mechanical calm.
[Sub-missions are essential for stat progression. Resources can be earned.]
He threw his hands up. "So now I’ve got to fight just to drink water? Fantastic."
As he groaned and leaned back, another window opened.
[Stat Display – Current Level: 1] Agility: 0 Speed: 0 Strength: 0 Stamina: 0 Vitality: 0 Intelligence: 1 Charisma: 0 Luck: -1
[Note: Daily Tasks will be assigned, including: Basic Physical Training, Mental Challenge, and Combat Simulations. Completion increases stat points.]
Leo exhaled deeply. His thoughts drifted back to Liora and her minions, the way they’d stared at him with disdain, calling him “barely existing.”
“Guess it’s time to prove I’m more than that.”
Another interface bloomed in front of him, this one glowing crimson.
[Sub-Mission: Initiate?] Objective: Defeat 1 F-Class Beast Accept: [YES] [NO]
Leo didn’t hesitate. He slapped the [YES] button.
[Target Identified: F-Class Beast – Spiketail Howler]
[Description: A low-tier predator that prowls Darkvale. Roughly the size of a large boar, with porcupine-like spikes on its back and a blood-curdling screech that can momentarily paralyze prey. Aggressive but predictable.]
[Reward: Access to Level 1 Consumables + Basic Skill – "Quick Strike"]
A sudden growl echoed through the trees. Leo’s head snapped up.
Branches rustled to his right. The creature stepped into view.
It was hideous—about three feet tall with dark matted fur, wicked yellow eyes, and jagged spikes protruding along its spine. Its front limbs were thick and clawed, dragging slightly as it walked, and its jaw twisted unnaturally to one side.
Leo’s heart pounded. He grabbed a sturdy branch from the forest floor, his only weapon.
The Spiketail Howler locked eyes with him. Its mouth curled back, revealing rows of sharp, uneven teeth. It screeched—a bone-rattling, guttural sound.
For a split second, Leo froze. His limbs trembled, muscles locking involuntarily from the beast’s screech.
"Shit—paralysis," he muttered.
The creature charged.
With effort, Leo forced his body to move, stumbling sideways just as claws slashed the air where he'd stood.
He swung the branch, striking the Howler’s side. It yelped, then spun and lunged again. Leo dodged, barely. The beast’s claws grazed his shirt, tearing fabric but missing skin.
He scrambled backward, panting, keeping the branch raised.
"Come on, come on... Think!"
The system interface blinked in again.
[Combat Tip: Aim for the soft belly. Avoid direct contact with the spikes. Use Quick Strike when prompted.]
"I don’t even have Quick Strike!"
[Quick Strike unlocked for emergency use – 1 time only. Trigger: Mental Command.]
The Howler lunged again.
Leo tightened his grip. “NOW!”
His body moved with unnatural speed. The branch whipped forward in a blur, striking the Howler’s midsection. The beast shrieked, stumbling back.
He didn’t let up. He rushed forward, swinging again and again, each hit faster, more precise. The creature tried to retaliate, but Leo ducked low, slamming the branch into its skull.
With one final blow to its neck, the Spiketail Howler collapsed.
Silence.
Leo stood, panting hard, sweat dripping from his brow. His arms trembled, and the branch was now splintered and bloody.
Then came the chime.
[Mission Complete.]
[Reward Unlocked: Level 1 Consumables Accessed. Weapons: Snarltwist dagger. Skill Obtained: Quick Strike (Cooldown: 4 hours).]
[Stat Update – Strength: +1, Stamina: +1.]
A new panel opened, showing a modest loaf of wheat bread and a clear bottle of water.
He didn’t hesitate—he downed the water in one go, gasping as the cool liquid soothed his parched throat. The bread was dry but edible.
[New Sub-Mission Available: Investigate the Echoing Shrine]
[Objective: Locate and activate the shrine’s core.] [Reward: +1 Intelligence, +1 Luck. Skill Unlock Opportunity: “Spirit Link” (Passive).]
Leo squinted at the map. A glowing pulse now blinked faintly on the interface, showing the shrine’s location just a kilometer north.
As he began the trek, something shifted in the air—like static before a lightning strike.
He emerged into a clearing. At its center stood a crumbling, moss-covered monument etched with glowing symbols. The shrine.
As Leo approached, whispers filled the air, curling like smoke into his ears.
“Who dares disturb the Echo?”
His pulse spiked. “The hell?!”
[Alert: Spirit Guardian Detected – “Mourning Wisp”]
[Warning: Mental Resistance check in progress...]
Leo’s vision flickered. The shrine erupted in ghostly blue light as a translucent figure took shape above it—skeletal, robed in vapor, hollow-eyed.
The wisp raised a clawed hand. Leo staggered as pressure mounted in his skull.
“Not... worthy...” it hissed.
“I’ll show you worthy!” Leo shouted, gripping his new dagger.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 33: Mansion
Leo sat lazily on a stone bench outside what had once been his ramshackle hut, a cold can of soda hissing faintly in his hand. The carbonation tickled his throat as he took a long gulp, eyes fixed on the translucent screen hovering before him.Through the system’s projection, he could see the chaos unfolding inside the rift — Gareth and his squad locked in a desperate struggle with the mutated hybrid. To Leo, it looked less like a battle and more like a particularly bloody play staged for his entertainment.Inside the gargoyle ring, Mira’s sigh carried into his mind. “You’re cruel, Master. Sitting here drinking soda while they bleed out in there?”Leo smirked, tilting the can back. “Cruel? No. Call it… entertainment. Besides, I don’t see why that Kale guy has had it out for me for so long. He’s practically obsessed.”Mira’s weary voice dripped with exasperation. “Obsession or not, you don’t have to keep controlling the corpse of that demon. You already proved your point when you dropp
Chapter 32: Guests 2
Sammy—” Gareth turned toward the assassin. Her eyes gleamed sharp beneath the hood. “You’re my shadow. Flank, eliminate, and report back. Nothing escapes your sight.”Sammy bowed her head slightly. “Understood.”Then Gareth’s eyes landed on Kale, who had been smirking the whole time. His jaw tightened. “And you…”Kale raised a brow. “What about me, Commander?”“You’re here to supervise. So do just that. Stay. Out. Of. Trouble.” Gareth’s voice cut like steel.Kale’s smirk twitched. He wanted to spit back an insult, but the coldness in Gareth’s eyes silenced him. His teeth ground together, but he said nothing.Sammy, watching from the side, gave Kale a single, dismissive glance before vanishing into the shadows.Just then, Yuto’s voice buzzed through Gareth’s comm.“Commander! The readings inside the rift just changed! Mana surge has dropped. Movement inside has… ceased entirely.”Gareth frowned deeply. “Seized? As in—whatever was fighting in there… stopped?”“Yes,” Yuto replied, voice
Chapter 31: Guests
The cavern reeked of blood and burning ichor. Leo’s breath came in sharp rasps, sweat dripping into the open gash along his ribs. Each movement sent lances of fire through his side, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on.A towering brute—the ogre-bat hybrid—swung its massive claw.[Skill Activated: Quick Step]Leo blinked sideways, but pain slowed him just enough—the edge of the strike clipped his shoulder, sending him sprawling. His dagger skittered across the stone floor.“Leo!” Mira snarled, swooping low. Her wings lashed like whips, striking back two wolf-spine hybrids. She slammed into the brute, her claws digging into its throat. But the monster’s hand clamped around her wing, wrenching it at an unnatural angle.Crack.Mira screamed—a sound that tore through the cavern. Her stone hide held, but the joint bent grotesquely. The wing twitched, half-crippled, forcing her to the ground.Leo pushed up, coughing blood. His dagger answered his call, flashing back into his palm.[Skill
Chapter 30: The battle had just begun.
“Meat! Meat! Meat!”Leo’s jaw clenched. He leaned toward Mira just enough for her to hear him. “We’re not food,” he whispered, eyes narrowing. “They just don’t know it yet.”The hybrids surged closer, claws clacking, teeth gnashing—preparing for the feast.The system’s warning blared again in his head:[Warning: Time remaining to clear Rift—10 hours, 57 minutes]Leo groaned. “I get it, System. You’re training me, but seriously, throwing me into this hellhole with monsters that look like they crawled out of a dumpster fire? A bit extreme, don’t you think?”Still, the thought of wealth and power pulled a smirk from him.Mira, pale and clutching her stomach, caught sight of that smile. Her lips trembled. “Master… I hate when you smile like that! It means you’re about to do something reckless! Let’s just get out of here!”Leo chuckled. “Of course.”But “out of here” wasn’t going to be so easy.The hybrid creatures—half rotting humans fused with reptilian scales and insect-like mandibles—c
Chapter 29: Dispatched.
Meanwhile, in the Central Government Guild Headquarters, the atmosphere was unusually heavy. The marble floors gleamed beneath the golden chandeliers, and guards stood rigid at every doorway. The president’s office, however, was quieter, though tension rippled in the air like a bowstring drawn too tight.A man in a white lab suit, his glasses slightly fogged from his hurried pace, burst into the room. His breathing was uneven, but his voice carried urgency.“Mr. Chu!” he exclaimed, “We detected a strange energy from an area off the eastern coast!”Mr. Haruki Chu who was in a virtual meeting with few subordinates regarding expanding the hunters library and providing free access paused. His pen stilled above the documents he was reviewing, and he lifted his head slowly, frowning.“Jasper,” he said evenly, “give me the coordinates.”The man, Jasper, fumbled through his datapad and handed it over. “Until this morning, the energy was stable, neutral even. It seemed dormant, like it had bee
Chapter 28: Dangling Skulls
The system directed Leo and Mira towards a red pulsing rift that loomed in the distance; beating like a living heart within the depths of the forest. The closer Leo and Mira walked toward it, the thicker the air became. The atmosphere was heavy, charged with something unnatural, as if the woods themselves were trying to push them back.Leo’s body stiffened. His chest tightened until each breath burned his lungs. The pressure weighed him down, making his veins bulge beneath his skin. His vision blurred at the edges, and his lips parted desperately, gasping for air that refused to come.“D–Damn it!” Leo cursed under his breath, clutching at his throat. “The system’s trying to kill me!”Mira, alarmed, reached for him. But to her shock, she was breathing normally, unaffected. She blinked in confusion, her foxlike ears twitching as if sensing the abnormality in the air. “Master? Master! What’s wrong? I’m fine!”Before panic could fully take over, the familiar blue interface of the system ma
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