2025-04-08 18:04:25Leo stood frozen, the dense forest air heavy around him as he glanced nervously in every direction. The thick mist slithered between trees like silent ghosts, and every rustle of leaves made his nerves jolt. "Come on then! You think I'm scared? You ugly piece of oversized furball! I dare you to show your face!" he shouted into the trees, his voice trembling despite his attempt at bravado. "Yeah, I eat monsters like you for breakfast!" he added, waving his hands around. "You're just a glorified oversized raccoon!"
As if summoned by his taunts, the ground beneath his feet quaked slightly. A low, guttural growl echoed through the forest, causing birds to scatter in panicked flight. Branches snapped. Leaves rustled violently. Then—
BOOM!
From the dense underbrush, an enormous beast pounced out and landed a few feet from Leo, shaking the ground. Leo's legs nearly buckled under him as his eyes widened in horror. The creature was massive—easily three times the size of a bear, with rough, obsidian-black scales, yellow slit eyes that gleamed with hostility, and tusks that jutted from its lower jaw like jagged swords. Its drooling maw reeked of blood and rot, and Leo's gaze accidentally caught on the sight of his own torn shirt snagged between two of the beast's serrated teeth.
"Oh hell no! My shirt?! You wanna die, you dragon-faced flea pig?!" Leo shouted, flailing his arms, though his bravado cracked as his voice rose to a shriek.
Internally, Leo was spiraling. "This system... whoever's running it really wants me dead. First accident, now this kaiju-looking son of a bitch?! I take it back—I want to be broke and miserable in my old world, not dead in this one!"
The beast roared, a thunderous sound that sent a shockwave rippling through the trees. Then it lunged at Leo.
Leo screamed and covered his face, bracing for death. But death never came.
Instead, he heard a sickening squelch and the heavy thud of something large hitting the ground. Trembling, Leo peeked through his fingers.
The monster’s decapitated body lay sprawled in front of him. Its head was cleanly severed, and from its open neck, a shimmering green orb floated upward, pulsing with energy. Leo blinked in disbelief.
"What in the... did I do that? I mean, unless I’ve got ninja reflexes I don’t know about, that’s not me. Maybe I’m some kind of magical assassin now?" he muttered, watching the orb glow.
Cautiously, he stepped forward and reached out to touch the orb. But before his fingers could make contact, the orb floated higher, just out of reach.
"Hey! Come back here! I’m the one who screamed the loudest, I earned that!" Leo yelled.
Suddenly, laughter broke through the silence. He turned to see three people emerging from the mist, clad in sleek, high-end hunter gear that sparkled even in the dim light of the forest. Two young men flanked a woman with striking red hair tied into a tight braid. Her emerald green eyes were narrowed with disdain as she sized him up like he was a piece of gum stuck to her boot.
"Leonis Ardent. Still trying to claim other people's kills, huh? You're as pathetic as ever," she spat, her voice sharp and clear.
Leo furrowed his brows. "Leonis? Who the hell is Leonis?" he murmured as he pointed at himself. "Wait—you mean me?"
One of the guys beside her scoffed. He had slicked-back hair and a permanent sneer etched into his face. "Wow, not only did he survive a beast attack, but he also forgot how pathetic he is. Maybe the hit to your head knocked out the only brain cell you had."
Leo winced. "You know, that’s real lame. Did you come up with that yourself, or do you have a book of ‘Insults for Losers’ on standby?"
The second guy, stockier with a thick jaw and arms the size of Leo’s torso, took a step forward. His voice boomed. "Don’t get cocky, Leonis. You’re an orphan, a bottom-rung F-rank hunter who barely made it through the last trial. Whatever plan you have for getting close to Liora, forget it. You don’t belong in our world."
"Ah. So the girl’s name was Liora."
Leo glanced at her. She was glaring at him like he’d tracked mud into her palace.
"Listen," Leo said, scratching his head awkwardly, "I don’t know what your deal with Leonis is, but I’ve got bigger issues. Like what the hell just happened here."
The three exchanged glances. Liora stepped forward and smirked. "This orb is my kill. I’m a D-class hunter, and you're barely existing. Stay in your lane, Leonis."
With that, she plucked the orb from the air and turned, her two lackeys following her.
Leo watched them disappear into the mist. His fists clenched. He didn’t care about the orb. But being talked down to like garbage lit something in him. "Damn… the old Leonis must’ve really been a loser," he muttered.
Just then, a digital chime rang in his ears.
DING!
[System Notification: You have 4 days, 23 hours, and 11 minutes remaining to complete the First Mission.]
Leo groaned. "Oh come on! I just survived a kaiju! Can I catch a break?!"
He sighed and muttered, "System..."
Nothing.
He tried again. "System interface. Pop up. Open sesame. Show me the money. Siri? Cortana?"
Still nothing.
"Goddamn it."
Frustrated, he began walking through the forest, hoping to find a way out and back to Leonis’s home. He needed information—fast.
But just as he turned toward what looked like a footpath, the system chimed again.
DING!
[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.]
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
INTO THE RIFT
The morning air hung heavy over Cinder Valley, thick with fog and the iron-scent of distant magic. The sun had barely crept over the jagged horizon, casting long shadows across the group of armed hunters that stood like sentinels on the rocky edge. Clad in a chaotic medley of armor, robes, and reinforced suits, they ranged in power from battle-hardened D-class to the almost mythical S-class. And amidst them, like a drop of ink in a vat of steel, stood Leo—the sole F-class hunter.Leo swallowed, adjusting the strap of his light pack and wondering, not for the first time, how the hell he’d been roped into this suicide mission. His hood shadowed his face, and his fingers flexed around the dagger at his side—a pitiful weapon compared to the arsenal carried by those around him.A man stepped forward from the group. Tall and broad-shouldered with a cruel scar coiling from wrist to bicep, the leader’s presence silenced murmurs before he even spoke. His voice, when it came, rolled like thunder
Task
Leo sat heavily on the now manageable bed. The now thick sci-fi walls of the cottage did little to block out the forest's ambient noise: crickets chirping in rhythm, the distant hoot of an owl, and the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. With a sigh, he dismissed the creaking around him and focused his gaze forward. The moment of truth had arrived."System interface," he muttered.A familiar blue screen shimmered into existence in front of his eyes. Its glow softly illuminated his face as line after line of data scrolled past. He leaned in, eyes narrowing with anticipation. At the top of the interface, nestled between his basic info and the experience bar, was a glowing box labeled [Mission Rewards]. A grin began to tug at the corners of his mouth.He tapped it.A cascading list unfurled in the center of the window:+25 Stat PointsNew Passive Trait: EndureNew Skill: Level SenseTitle Earned: Unlikely SlayerItem: Skill Orb (Uncommon) His eyes caught the last item—Skill Orb. The
A mess
The air outside the Central Government Guild office was sharp with the scent of steel and city grime, the late afternoon sun bleeding orange across the concrete sidewalks. The hum of engines, chatter from passing hunters, and the distant whistle of automated transports painted a symphony of civilization's pulse. Amid the chaos, Leo tucked his hands into the pockets of his worn hoodie, shoulders slightly hunched, eyes fixed on the ground.His thoughts spun in quiet disarray. How did the system manage to block out its own traces from the memory extraction? The Rift data had been partially preserved, yet every moment the system had intervened was a complete void. Not even a flicker. It was as though the system had slipped through reality's fingers.Leo sighed, kicking a stray pebble. "Well, it’s not my headache," he muttered to himself. "As long as the system stays hidden, I should be fine."His eyes flickered with realization."Oh right!" he said out loud, snapping his fingers. "The mis
No complaints
"Sir, something’s jamming the signal!""Stabilize it!" Haruki barked."We can’t! It’s like... it’s like part of his memory is actively resisting extraction!"On the screen, Leo's figure blurred.The Rift twisted unnaturally, and the final moments of the fight were shrouded behind a veil of static and darkness.No matter what the technicians did, they couldn’t pierce through it.Leo, meanwhile, gritted his teeth against the pain pounding inside his skull.He could feel the System inside him — awake, furious, shielding him.{INTEGRITY MAINTAINED. SENSITIVE MEMORY SEALED.}Another surge of static rolled across the monitors.Haruki raised a hand calmly. "End the extraction."The machines powered down with a dying whine. The humming circlet unlocked itself from Leo's forehead with a click. The restraints loosened.For a moment, Leo sat there, gasping for air, drenched in cold sweat, his head swimming with nausea. Every nerve ending felt raw, exposed.A couple of technicians hurried forward
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: MEMORY LANE
Two heavily armored guards escorted Leo down a narrow, dimly lit hallway. The walls were a sterile white, but the flickering overhead lights cast long, eerie shadows along the floor, making every step feel like a march toward execution.At the end of the hall stood a thick, metallic door — massive, imposing, humming faintly with energy.One of the guards stepped forward, pressed his hand against a glowing blue panel.With a hydraulic hiss, the door slid open, revealing the Memory Analysis Chamber.Leo’s breath hitched.The room was like something out of a science fiction nightmare.Cold. Metallic. Inhuman.Banks of monitors lined the far walls, displaying static-ridden images and streams of unreadable data. The scent of disinfectant was so strong it stung his nostrils. At the center of the room was the chair.It wasn’t just any chair — it looked like a mechanical throne, dark steel with thick leather straps dangling ominously from the armrests and footrests.Above it, a spider-like ar
CHAPTER TWELVE: ECHOES OF TRUTH
Leo stared at the man in front of him, his mind whirling with disbelief.The resemblance was uncanny—broad-shouldered, only that this version of Chef Chu was quite muscular, but with the same sharp brown eyes, the same thin lips that quirked when amused."Chef Chu." The name slipped out before he could stop it, like a reflex from deep confusion.The man said nothing at first. His face remained an impassive mask, betraying no emotion. Then, in a slow, calculated gesture, he motioned for Leo to sit.Director Varnes stood rigidly at attention beside him, and to his right, Kale smirked with barely concealed disdain. The sterile office, illuminated by thin bands of light from the ceiling, felt colder with every second that passed.Without wasting time, the man straightened his stance, folding his arms neatly behind his back."My name," he began, voice low and authoritative, "is Haruki Chuu. Acting President of the Central Government Guild."Leo’s brows twitched. "Haruki Chuu? So Chef Chuu w
CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE GUILD'S GRASP
At exactly one hour past Kale’s departure, the silence outside the infirmary shattered with the synchronized thud of boots. Five men dressed in pitch-black uniforms approached Leo, each one towering over him like walking tanks. Their suits shimmered faintly in the sun, armored yet seamless. Black combat gloves, steel-toed boots, and dark shades that masked their expressions — the complete image of elite enforcement.Compared to Leo’s lean frame, they were gargantuan, with shoulders so broad they could cast shadows over him. The emblem of the Central Government Guild was etched in silver on their left shoulders. One of them motioned, and without a word, Leo fell into step, flanked on all sides as they guided him toward a waiting black van. The same emblem was displayed boldly across the doors — a silver eye encased in a circle, watching everything.Leo felt their aura — steady, cold, suffocating. These men were far above his level. He could sense the difference, even if he couldn’t quan
CHAPTER TEN: VISITOR
The first thing Leo felt was the stiffness in his limbs. Then the soft humming of fluorescent lights. The antiseptic scent of the hospital wafted into his nostrils, grounding him in the present. His body was oddly light, and his chest didn’t hurt as much as he expected. He blinked groggily, his vision sharpening just in time to catch sight of Captain Draegon and Vice-Captain Nyx standing at the foot of his bed.“You’re awake,” Draegon said, voice calm and composed.Leo opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a low groan. His throat was dry, and his head still felt like it had been through a war zone.Draegon stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Leo’s shoulder, keeping him from sitting up too quickly. “Easy. You’ve been out for two days.”Leo frowned. “Two days?”Nyx gave a curt nod. “We found you in the inner floor of a Rift in Darkvale Forest. Barely breathing. Your vitals were a mess, but… now?” She narrowed her eyes slightly. “It’s like your wounds vanished overni
CHAPTER NINE: Did He Take Them Down?
The air was thick with tension as the team of D-class hunters approached the source of the unstable energy. The team halted in front of a small opening, eyeing the swirling, unstable void that stretched open before them. It was a mysterious phenomenon, one that none of them had encountered before, and the air felt charged with danger.Captain Alexander Draegon stood at the front, his sharp green eyes scanning the Rift. At 6'2", he was a tall, imposing figure with short-cropped dark brown hair and a chiseled jawline that hinted at his no-nonsense attitude. His combat specialization was swordsmanship, and he wielded a long, sleek blade that hummed with an ancient aura."I don't like this," Captain Draegon muttered, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, instinctively ready for a fight. "There's something off about this Rift."Beside him, Vice-Captain Nyx frowned, her piercing amber eyes flicking to the swirling Rift. Elara was young but capable—quick-
You may also like
Rise of the Revenge System
Qin Li18.9K viewsRoyal Harem System
Red Phoenix.32.8K viewsThe Legendary System
KazuhiroSeijuro41.4K viewsMastering the fates with Role-play system
De_law1717.6K viewsAwakened The Strongest Talent
Yeshua Yin8.5K viewsThe Elderien Chronicles
Rholle Petz4.8K viewsUnparalleled Demon System: Tales of the Lost Demon
Dark Crafter19.8K viewsSystem Activated: Rise Of The Bullied Student
Mage Writer3.6K views