My Class Is Serial Killer and the System Wants Me to Embrace

The Weight of a Week

Day One felt like waiting for an execution. Ironic, considering I was the executioner.

I woke up before dawn, drenched in sweat from another Killer's Dream. This one had been different—more structured, more detailed. The System had shown me exactly how to approach Raymond Booker. Optimal timing, ideal weapon choice, escape routes, even how to position the body to minimize blood spatter.

It was a tutorial. A goddamn murder tutorial playing in my subconscious.

I grabbed the journal from under my mattress and wrote furiously, trying to purge the images from my head.

Day 3 Post-Awakening. One week until I kill someone. The dreams are getting worse—or better, depending on how you look at it. The System is teaching me. Preparing me. Making it feel inevitable.

Met with Han yesterday. He's treating this like a military operation. Clean. Efficient. Professional. Like Booker isn't a person, just a target.

Maybe that's the only way to do this. Stop seeing him as human. See him as a problem that needs solving.

God, listen to me. I'm already thinking like a killer.

I hid the journal again and checked my Status window.

[SERIAL KILLER - Level 2]

[Experience: 0/200]

[Quest Timer: 26 days, 18 hours, 33 minutes remaining]

[Preparation Quest: 6 days, 18 hours, 33 minutes remaining]

The Preparation Quest sat there like a helpful reminder that I was actively planning to commit murder. The System had even broken down sub-objectives:

[Preparation Objectives:]

Reach Level 3 [0/1]

Acquire a proper weapon [0/1]

Scout the target location [0/1]

Practice killing strikes on training dummies [0/100]

Mental preparation exercises [0/7 days]

Practice killing strikes. The System wanted me to rehearse murder like it was a dance routine.

My phone buzzed. Jake, already up and messaging the group chat.

Jake: Morning grind squad! Who's down for another dungeon run? We need to hit Level 5 before the Cascade Mall dungeon outbreak gets cleared by the pros.

Tyler: I'm in. Need to farm more Strength gear.

Sarah: Can't today. Family stuff. Tomorrow?

Lisa: Same. But I want to come next time!

Jake sent a series of flame emojis, then: Marcus? Raven? You guys in?

I stared at the message. A dungeon run would help with the Preparation Quest—I needed experience to hit Level 3. But spending the day killing monsters with my friends while secretly planning to kill a human felt wrong on multiple levels.

Then again, what didn't feel wrong anymore?

Me: I'm in.

Raven: Give me an hour. And we're doing the Riverside dungeon, not Cascade. Better loot tables for our level range.

Jake sent a thumbs up, and we made plans to meet at 9 AM.

I spent the next hour going through the motions of normal life. Shower. Breakfast with Mom, who was concerned that I looked tired. Lies about staying up late studying Class mechanics. More lies about how excited I was about "Rogue stuff."

The lies were definitely getting easier. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

The Riverside dungeon was a Level 2-4 instance that had manifested in an old subway station. According to the wiki, it was populated by Sewer Rats (giant, mutated, horrible) and culminated in a boss called the Rat King.

"Fair warning," Raven said as we descended the stairs into the abandoned station. "Rat King has a disease-based attack. Lisa, you're going to earn your keep today."

Lisa clutched her healing staff nervously. She'd bought it yesterday with money from selling our Goblin Warren loot. It was a basic starter weapon, but it boosted her healing output by 15%.

"I've been practicing," she said, trying to sound confident. "I unlocked Cleanse yesterday. It removes debuffs."

"Perfect. You'll need it."

The dungeon portal shimmered at the far end of the platform—sickly green instead of purple-black. The air around it smelled like rot and standing water.

[Warning: Entering Riverside Catacombs (Level 2-4)]

[This dungeon contains environmental hazards and status effects]

[Recommended party size: 4-6]

[Bring antidotes if possible]

We didn't have antidotes. We barely had proper equipment. But we had Lisa's Cleanse and youthful overconfidence, so we stepped through anyway.

The other side was exactly as unpleasant as advertised. We materialized in a tunnel that looked like every horror movie sewer ever—water dripping from moldy pipes, questionable puddles on the ground, and the overwhelming stench of decay.

"I hate this already," Sarah muttered, covering her nose.

A chittering sound echoed through the tunnels. Multiple sources, coming closer.

"Formation!" Jake called out.

We barely got into position before the first wave hit—six Sewer Rats, each one the size of a medium dog, with matted fur and eyes that glowed with unnatural hunger.

[Sewer Rat - Level 2]

[Threat Assessment: Low individually, dangerous in groups]

[Special: Rabid Bite - 30% chance to inflict Disease]

[Weakness: Fire, blunt trauma to skull]

Tyler charged forward with a roar, catching the lead rat with a haymaker that sent it flying into the wall. Jake's fireballs were more accurate now—he caught two rats mid-leap, and they fell to the ground as charred corpses.

I moved along the flank, Silent Steps making my approach nearly soundless. My new skill was already proving its worth—the rats didn't react to my presence until my rusty dagger was buried in their backs.

[Sewer Rat defeated!]

[Experience gained: 8 XP]

The fight was over in under a minute. We'd gotten better at this. More coordinated. More efficient.

More deadly.

"Everyone check for bites," Lisa commanded, already scanning Tyler with healing magic. "The wiki said the Disease debuff is nasty."

Tyler had taken a bite to his forearm, and sure enough, a status notification appeared above his head.

[Diseased: -2 to all stats, slow HP drain]

Lisa's hands glowed green as she cast Cleanse. The debuff vanished.

"Nice," Tyler said, flexing his arm. "Okay, this dungeon officially sucks, but at least we have a counter."

We pushed deeper into the catacombs, fighting rats in increasingly larger groups. The experience came faster than in the Goblin Warren—these monsters were higher level, and there were more of them.

After an hour of grinding, a notification appeared:

[Congratulations! You have reached Level 3!]

[Stat points available: 5]

[Skill point available: 1]

I'd hit the first Preparation Quest objective. The System helpfully highlighted this with a cheerful notification.

[Preparation Quest Updated: Reach Level 3 ✓]

[Progress: 1/5 objectives complete]

Thanks, System. Really appreciate the reminder that I'm one step closer to becoming a murderer.

I allocated my stats quickly this time—three to Agility, two to Intelligence. Keeping the Rogue pattern consistent. The Killing Intent stat sat there at 1, and I could almost feel the System's disapproval at my refusal to invest in it.

For my skill point, I had three options:

[Option 1: Backstab]

[Active: Deal 200% damage when attacking from behind]

[Option 2: Evasion]

[Passive: 10% chance to completely avoid physical attacks]

[Option 3: Weak Point Mastery]

[Passive: Critical hit damage increased by 25%]

All three were good. All three fit a Rogue build. But Backstab made my skin crawl—it was too on-the-nose for what I'd be doing to Raymond Booker in six days.

I chose Evasion. Defensive. Neutral. Safe.

[Evasion acquired!]

[You now have a 10% chance to completely avoid physical attacks]

[Note: This skill synergizes poorly with Serial Killer playstyle. Recommend more aggressive skill choices in future.]

The System was judging my build choices now. Fantastic.

"Boss room ahead," Raven called out, pulling me from my thoughts.

The tunnel opened into a larger chamber—what looked like it had once been a subway platform but was now completely overrun with rats. And in the center, sitting on a throne made of bones and trash, was the Rat King.

It was grotesque. Easily the size of a bear, with multiple rat bodies fused together into one writhing mass. Dozens of eyes blinked independently. Multiple tails whipped the air. When it opened its collective mouths, the screech was deafening.

[Rat King - Level 4 Elite Boss]

[Threat Assessment: Extreme for current party level]

[Special Ability: Plague Aura - All party members within 20 feet take continuous disease damage]

[Special Ability: Summon Swarm - Calls reinforcements every 30 seconds]

[Weakness: Fire damage, decapitation of primary head]

"Oh, that's nightmare fuel," Sarah whispered.

"Tyler, you can't tank this one," Raven said immediately. "That Plague Aura will melt you even with Lisa's healing. We need to kite it."

"I'll keep it burning," Jake said, already charging a spell. "Marcus, Raven, you two focus on add control when it summons. Tyler, protect Lisa and Sarah. Lisa, spam Cleanse on whoever's closest to that thing."

It was a solid plan. Too bad it fell apart within thirty seconds.

Jake's first fireball hit the Rat King dead center, and the creature exploded into motion. It was fast—way faster than something that size should be. It covered half the distance to Jake before he could finish his second spell.

"Shit! Tyler, intercept!"

Tyler moved to block, but the Rat King's tail whipped out and caught him across the chest, sending him crashing into Lisa. They both went down in a tangle of limbs.

[Tyler Moss has taken 52 damage]

[Lisa Park has taken 31 damage]

The Plague Aura activated, and suddenly everyone within range started taking damage ticks.

[You are affected by Plague Aura]

[Taking 5 damage per second]

[-1 to all stats while in aura range]

"Everyone back!" Raven shouted, already throwing knives at the Rat King's eyes. Several hit, but the creature had so many eyes that losing a few didn't seem to matter.

I circled around, using my enhanced Agility to stay just outside the aura's range. Predator's Eye was working overtime, analyzing the boss for weaknesses.

[Primary weakness identified: Cluster of nerve endings at base of largest head]

[Secondary weakness: Joint connections between fused bodies]

[Optimal strategy: Sever nerve cluster, then systematically dismember fused segments]

The analysis was cold. Precise. Exactly what I needed.

The Rat King summoned its first swarm—a dozen smaller rats that poured out of tunnel openings. They immediately rushed toward Sarah and Lisa, who were the most vulnerable.

"On it!" I sprinted toward the adds, my dagger flashing. Silent Steps kept me nearly invisible in the chaos. One rat, two, three—they fell before they could reach their targets.

[Combat proficiency increasing]

[Predator's Eye efficiency improved]

I was getting better at this. The movements came more naturally. The kills more efficiently.

Just like the System wanted.

Jake managed to get some distance and launched a sustained flame stream at the Rat King. The creature shrieked and tried to charge him again, but this time Tyler was ready. He grabbed one of its tails and actually managed to swing the massive creature off-balance.

"Now!" Raven yelled.

She appeared on the Rat King's back—I hadn't even seen her move—and drove both her knives into the nerve cluster Predator's Eye had identified.

The Rat King's scream was deafening. Its body convulsed, and the Plague Aura flickered.

"Hit it while it's stunned!" Jake poured everything into one massive fireball.

The explosion rocked the chamber. When the smoke cleared, the Rat King was still standing, but barely. Its health bar was deep into red territory.

It summoned another swarm—desperation move. But we were ready this time.

Tyler and I handled the adds while Jake, Raven, and even Sarah (who'd been hiding in the back) concentrated fire on the boss. Lisa kept everyone alive with clutch heals, Cleansing the Disease debuffs as fast as they accumulated.

Finally, with a last, pathetic screech, the Rat King collapsed.

[Rat King defeated!]

[Dungeon cleared!]

[Bonus experience awarded!]

[Total experience gained: 143 XP]

Everyone collapsed, exhausted. The fight had pushed us to our limits.

But we'd won.

[You have reached Level 4!]

The notification felt hollow. Yes, I was getting stronger. Yes, I was progressing.

But every level brought me closer to what I'd become.

The loot was better this time—actual useful gear instead of vendor trash. I got a pair of Silence-Woven Boots that boosted my Silent Steps skill by another 25%. Tyler got better gauntlets. Jake found a staff that improved his fire spell casting speed.

We divided everything fairly, then staggered out of the dungeon. The transition back to the regular world felt even more jarring this time—from nightmare sewer to ordinary subway station in the span of a heartbeat.

"That was intense," Lisa said, still catching her breath. "I thought we were going to wipe when Tyler and I went down."

"We almost did," Raven agreed. "We got lucky that Marcus and I could handle add duty."

Jake clapped me on the shoulder. "Seriously, man, your combat awareness is insane. You were everywhere at once."

I forced a smile. "Just doing my part."

But internally, I was analyzing the fight. Calculating what had worked and what hadn't. Noting how my kills had become cleaner, more efficient.

Practicing for what came in six days.

My phone buzzed. A message from Director Han: Surveillance update on Booker. He'll be alone at his gym next Tuesday night, 11 PM. Security cameras will be handled. This is our window.

Tuesday night. Six days from now.

I showed the message to Raven when the others weren't looking. Her expression tightened.

"You okay?" she asked quietly.

"No," I said honestly. "But I will be. I have to be."

She squeezed my hand briefly. "We'll talk later. Private."

The group decided to grab food and celebrate our successful boss kill. I went through the motions—ordering a burger I didn't taste, laughing at jokes I barely heard, pretending to be a normal teenager who'd just cleared his second dungeon.

All while counting down the hours until I became something else entirely.

[Preparation Quest Progress: 2/5 objectives complete]

[Time remaining: 6 days, 4 hours, 17 minutes]

Six days until everything changed.

Six days until Marcus Chen, the kid, became Marcus Chen, the killer.

I just had to survive them first.

To be continued...