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.
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Leo barely had time to enjoy the comfort of warm fur on his chest before Vrax’s ears perked up. The wolf pup’s pupils narrowed, and a low growl vibrated through Leo’s ribcage.Leo groaned. “No. Absolutely not. I refuse. I’m off-duty. Whatever is out there can kindly explode.”The growl deepened.Leo sighed and lifted Vrax’s head by the cheeks. “If this is another intern who got lost on the way here, I’m feeding him to the gargoyles.”Vrax wasn’t joking, though. His fur bristled, and his tail stiffened like a drawn blade.A second later, the system chimed.[SYSTEM ALERT: Unknown entity attempting to breach your Territory Perimeter.][Threat Level: Undetermined.]Leo sat up instantly. “Undetermined? How about you determine it then?!”Vrax leapt off the bed, whining urgently.Leo dragged himself to his feet. “Fine. Fine. But if this is a socially awkward neighbor dropping by to welcome me to the mountain, I’m moving.”He swung open the bedroom door.The atmosphere outside had shifted.A
Chapter 67: A very tired future menace
Vrax was snoring.Not ordinary snoring, no.This was the type of thunderous, earth-rattling snoring that made nearby low-level mobs commit suicide because they thought a dragon was coming.Leo found him curled beside the destroyed wall of Crimson Fang HQ, paws tucked in, massive fluffy murder-beast tail twitching every few seconds as he dreamt of—judging by the happy rumble in his chest—eating someone.“Of course,” Leo muttered, hands on hips. “I nearly died, killed half a guild, committed a hostile takeover, and you were taking a nap. Fantastic teamwork, buddy.”Vrax lifted his head lazily, blinked once, yawned like a lion, and nudged Leo with his big wet nose.Leo sighed dramatically. “Yeah, yeah, I missed you too.”Ren hurried over, adjusting his cracked glasses. “Sir Leonis! Are you alright? Should we start—”“Yes.” Leo cut him off with a tired wave. “Start rebuilding immediately. The earlier the better before other guilds hear what I did and either try to steal me or assassinate
Chapter 66: Doesn’t take No
Leo barely had time to enjoy the stunned look on Sammy’s face before the blue light swallowed him whole. One second, he was riding Vrax down from the 21st floor like a king descending from heaven, and the next—Nothing.Silence. Cold air. Blinding blue light. The world folded, stretched, reversed, then blinked.Leo hit the ground on one knee, bracing himself as he skidded across cracked pavement, boots scraping sparks. His ears rang. His vision flickered. His heart hammered once—hard.And then the system chimed:[NOTICE: TEMPORARY SEPARATION FROM CONTRACT BEAST. SKILLS REMAIN ACCESSIBLE. DURATION—UNKNOWN]Leo blew out a breath. “Of course. Sure. Why not. Let’s make my life harder for no reason. Fabulous.”He stood up, brushing dirt off himself, and looked around.He was in a different part of the city—abandoned industrial district, metal pipes jutting from ruined buildings like snapped bones. Shadows moved between broken machinery. The sky above was hazy, cracked with light from the r
Chapter 65: Tactical Vacation
Sammy, Gareth, and the others had finally arrived, the Central Government Guild’s reinforcements storming in like they owned the place. Only… they didn’t. Not really. Their jaws collectively dropped as they saw the carnage: half the Crimson Fang Guild building gone, bodies strewn like broken dolls, blood running in rivulets across shattered marble floors, shards of glass and frozen light shards littering the rubble, and sitting atop a pile of destroyed furniture, with one leg lazily crossed over the other, was Leo.Therese’s corpse lay twisted beside him, her neck snapped like a brittle twig. The scent of ozone, blood, and frost lingered heavily.Sammy blinked. “Is… is he really… an E-class?”Gareth’s face was pale enough to make the sun feel warm. “He… he just took out Therese. The S-Class Level 9 guild president. Single-handedly. What the hell are we dealing with?”Leo yawned, stretched, and flicked a speck of blood off his dagger like it was dust. “Ah, morning, boys. Nice of you to
Chapter 64: The Guild Mistress’s Wrath2
“Let’s dance,” Leo said, flipping his light dagger lazily in his hand.Therese’s eyes narrowed. A banshee scream erupted from her throat, a shrill wave of sound that slammed into Leo’s ears like a battering ram. Pain lanced through him, burning deep in his skull, and his vision blurred. He staggered, clutching his head. Damn it, he muttered. This wasn’t just a light-affinity skill—it was high-tier AoE sonic damage.He activated Level Sense. S-class. Level 9. Every detail radiated raw killing intent, precise and refined. He tried to check her skills again. The system pinged:[WARNING: SKILLS ABOVE D-CLASS CANNOT BE ACCESSED]Figures. She had more tricks up her sleeve.Therese lunged, hands blazing with light energy. “Apologize and agree to be my nephew, or die!”Leo sidestepped, feeling the wind of her strike tear past. “Never. I’d rather be a dog’s nephew than yours.” A blast of light smashed into the wall a heartbeat after he moved. Wood splintered, debris rained down, and a shard cu
Chapter 63: The Guild Mistress’s Wrath
The moment Leo tightened his grip around Kael’s throat, a ripple of shock swept across the entrance of Crimson Fang Guild. Hunters gathered, whispering loudly enough for Leo to hear every syllable.“That’s Madam Therese’s nephew!”“He’s dead. That kid is dead. He’s touching Kael—KAEL—right in front of her guild?!”“He must have a death wish!”Leo raised one brow, unimpressed by their trembling awe. He yanked Kael closer and asked casually, “So your aunt is the president of this guild, huh?”Kael, feeling the shift of attention and believing Leo had finally realized how doomed he was, grinned smugly. “Yeah! Now you understand, don’t you? You’re finished! Even the Central Government Guild won’t be able to save you!”Leo tilted his head as though Kael had just said something fascinating.“Even better.”Kael blinked. “Eh?”Before he could piece together the meaning, loud footsteps thundered behind them. Hunters rushed to the entrance, weapons drawn. Standing boldly at the front were a few
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