Roar!
The sudden echoes of a loud noise interrupted the eerie peace of the dark room and halted the steady scribbling sounds of a pen. Startled, a young man in his early twenties twitched his brow, swiveling his neck.
With each passing moment, the study lamp at his table reveals his pitch black hair, abyssal dark pupils, and a face with average features. The dark circles beneath his eyes were evidence of his recent sleep deprivation.
His eyes squinted, and his attention revolved around the sudden noise from the other room.
|Did she sleep again while watching the Animal Planet channel on TV? What should I do about her habit?|
He sighed, staring at his notebook with his name in the corner, 'Tejasv'. Picking up his pen again, he started solving his remaining problems of the day.
Another voice shrieked, but this time, a faint womanly screech mixed in with the monstrous rumble and some low noise of footsteps. The pen dropped from his hands as he glanced back towards the closed door of his room.
His Adam apple rolled.
|Could it be a thief? No! Who the fuck would roar while stealing something? Something's definitely wrong here.|
His mind instantly drifted back to the person in the other room, leaving his body covered in sweat. He muttered, "Mom!" and ran towards the noise source.
When he got there, he was shocked and horrified at the horrendous sight of the room. Crimson blood splattered everywhere, making it look like a scene straight from hell. Even in the darkness, the blood contrasted with the surroundings.
Despite his dizziness from the stench of blood, he glanced at the three green figures covered in blood as he was about to fall. They were around the height of children, and each one carried a sickle in their hands.
However, one of them had a human head in its grasp, and blood was dripping from it, echoing the tapping sound. The creatures were little, goblin-like beings that laughed eerily.
Tejasv's eyes slowly focused on the head the creature was holding. His body became numb, and his eyes became watery. Rage like he'd never felt before filled him from head to toe; his chest burned as if blood boiled within him.
He felt this anguish when he saw his mother's severed head and body with numerous stab wounds.
His eyes turned red as blood, and a shiver passed through every fiber of his body. He grabbed his father's golf stick placed beside the door, and he leaped onto the goblins.
When he attempted the attack, the creature threw his mother's head at him, forcing him to cover his eyes.
"These bastards! You'll pay!" he cried in a rage while gauging the enemy. They tried masking his eyes with blood to divert his attention and attack his blindspot, to kill him quickly without any chance for him to retaliate.
However, he did not waver but instead stood his ground. He glared and groaned while gnashing his teeth.
Among them, the one who had the head of his mother appeared to be the leader.
On his order, they surrounded Tejasv and started swinging their sickles in an orderly pattern, commonly used to corner someone into a bind.
He narrowly avoided being severed by the other two and bashed the head of the leader with his golf stick. He swung his stick until its head was smashed to bloody pieces.
Watching their leader, the remaining two were horrified and backed off a bit. Their bodies trembled like never before when they saw the view.
Tejasv roared at them and jumped on the other one. When he was about to hit the second goblin, the third one lurched its weapon from behind and tried to carve him.
Fortunately, Tejasv reacted with instinct, and it only grazed his back.
He didn't even flinch, as if all his pain receptors had deserted him. Instead, he started hitting them simultaneously until they transformed into a lump of meat.
Slowly, as his strength dwindled, he realized what had happened. Amid this bloody mess, he gleaned at his mother's corpse while reminiscing about his last conversation with her.
--
Just a few hours ago,
"Tejasv! come, lunch is ready", a voice that he had heard since he was born, filled with love and affection, but now the voice was nowhere to be heard.
"Coming Mom!" he replied as he moved towards her.
He still remembered how bright she used to be when his father was alive. His father died while serving in the army seven years ago, and from that point, his mother looked tired and aged, As more and more wrinkles appeared on her elegant face.
Today, he had the same thought about what he was doing with his life as an unemployed common man born into a middle-class family.
For five years, he had been preparing for a competitive exam to become a government official. Unfortunately, destiny had other plans and never crossed paths with him, leaving him to remain a pathetic and useless person for the rest of his life.
His old mother, standing firmly as his last support, was the only ray of light shining through his darkened existence. He never had a girlfriend or a lover, nor did he have the guts to have a crush on someone because of his inferiority complex. The only one he had was his mother.
His only motivation for pushing himself to the limit was to achieve success and give her the comfortable life she deserved. A life filled with happiness, with her proud son.
However, he never realized his mother was content to live a simple life with her lovely son.
Whenever he sounded tired of everything and was about to lose himself, she was there to prevent him from falling. She used to say the same thing, and that was also the last sentence she said today.
"Don't worry! Your diligent work will pay off someday, and stay happy even if you don't achieve something big.
I am always with you, my baby, and Mama loves you. "
She also left him there amid the blood and flesh. As his rage cooled down, he walked toward his mother's lifeless body, and his eyes became wet.
His heart ached with agony and loss. Tears started rolling down his cheeks as he repeatedly cried "Mom".
--
Eventually, he calmed down and began to look around his house to confirm the presence of any other goblins or monsters. He racked his brain about today's events, wondering if all this was a trick his mind played on him due to his exhaustion.
However, he could feel the pain from his wounds, so everything must be a reality.
|How did the goblins come here? They are supposed to be in a fantasy world. Even if they appeared, the doors were locked, right?|
He ventured outside and was shocked to notice a faint glowing barrier blocking his path from leaving the house. He climbed the stairs to the rooftop, and the same could be said for every building in his vicinity.
Each building was surrounded by a faintly illuminated wall. Everywhere in his field of vision was the same scenery of chaos, blood, and fire, resembling the gates of hell.
While he heard the cries of people from their homes, he saw monsters roaming in the streets, but that wall prevented any human from leaving. The buildings were like battlefields for the monster assaults on humans.
Although it was nearly impossible to believe, he composed himself, and his exhaustion forced him to rest for a while in his room.
--
At midnight, Suddenly a window screen appeared in front of him, and a voice rang in his ears:
Beep! Beep!
====
>[Congratulations to the survivors!]
[You have completed your trial for the qualifications to live in this brand-new world.]
[With this, your qualification has been proven, and rewards will be distributed accordingly.]
[Every house is now a separate territory, and its inhabitants will be ranked according to their achievements.]
[Monsters summoned are based on the size of the building and the number of people living in it, so everything has been fair so far.]
[Those who are still fighting can request backup from others via the system by checking their rankings and performance through the uploaded survival videos.]
[Requesting assistance through the chat function. You can also set a bounty and reward them from your share.]
[Killing monsters will provide rewards through the system, but by requesting aid, rewards will be distributed among every participant.]
[The rewards could be a skill, item, territory, stats, coins, and many more].
[Coins are the currency of the system and can be exchanged with each other for anything, so stay alive and the next event will start after 48 hours.]
[Check the system window for any assistance or questions.]
====
Stunned, he watched the screen with his eyes bulging and his jaw-dropping.
Although he never read a lot of webtoons and novels, he could infer that this system screen would be required for survival. To understand everything carefully, Tejasv read over the instructions repeatedly.
He realized now that the world was entering a period of war and chaos. These wars are not just between monsters and humans, but could also be between humans with different motives.
Some people who dreamt that they should have been born during wartime would bare their fangs. Those with power, intelligence, and the instinct to adapt would rule and shape the world according to their wishes.
With a firm resolve, his eyes shined, and he said boldly, "From now on, I won't be the one who gets hunted; I will be the hunter."
The law of the jungle will apply again, and the strong will rule.
These times mark the Dark Ages of Humanity.
After the system announcement, Tejasv started looking at the screen trying to understand its functions. Despite the trauma in his heart caused by goblins, he somehow managed to cope with his grief. Then he remembered the 'Rewards' mentioned in the notification. He clicks the reward column in the corner of the screen: ==== >[Skill-Copy and Paste] [maximum of 5 slots available] ==== |What do copy and paste mean, and what is this limit? Does it mean I can copy something and paste it somewhere, but I have only five attempts?| "Isn't this the shittiest of skills?" Tejasv felt concerned about the future. His attention shifts to the skill window; he taps the system screen, and the skill's function appears in detail. ==== [You can copy and paste others' skills, but you have only five slots to keep them.] ==== "Now this sounds a bit promising,'' he exclaimed, rubbing his fingers on his chin. "What other rewards are there?" He checked them one after another. ==== [You can enhance
Ten hours ago, before the sudden appearance of monsters, At the military camp of Arin: "How's the revised training program working for the new cadets?" A hoarse familiar voice came from behind Sergeant William, who had the responsibilities of camp's needs. Sergeant William noticed a man nearly two meters long, with a large build in his mid-thirties. Short brown hair, a broad nose, a wide mouth, and narrow eyes fit perfectly with the thick mustache on his squared face. Watching this elegant and muscular figure, sergeant William blurted, "Ah! Captain Sam." "They still need time to adjust to life in the camp, but every cadet has potential," Sergeant William replied to the man before him. "Well, we selected them for the new unit, especially since they would go to war; they should at least have some potential," Captain Sam snorted while frisking his mustache. "How about checking yourself once?" As Sergeant William suggested, after a moment's reverie, Captain Sam stared at him and re
When they were preparing for another assault, a system screen appeared in front of them, taking them by surprise.Startled, they could not figure out this situation. Captain Sam hesitantly asked whether others could see some game-like system screen in front of them. With a momentary pause, the cadets responded affirmatively.Captain Sam instructs them to check what is written in each of their status windows and report it to him.Cadets peeked into the system following his command to learn about the situation. Sam, likewise, turns to his screen and taps its functions.Through various videos, he could infer that the monsters had invaded the world. Seeing the same situation of despair and struggle everywhere shocked him.His focus shifts to the rewards, and he clicks on the following column:====[SKILL-MY ZONE][After pointing to a location as a base, all weapons in that location will move on their own to kill approaching enemies. However, the user had to stay still at the designated lo
Silence ...a pin-drop silence shrouds the entire battlefield.Tap! Tap!Razak's head lands on the ground, bouncing twice. Everyone was quiet; no one could believe what they had just witnessed. They kept their focus on the two men standing before them.They felt their hearts stop for a second. There are only two people left standing on the entire battlefield, who brought the enemy general to his knees and rendered him headless. Tejasv and Sam glanced at each other and smiled in pride and satisfaction.Both of them raised their hands to the sky as a symbol of victory. Everyone who was holding their breath during their fierce battle released it at the same time."Whooow...Yaaaaaaay..."They let out the loudest roar, which echoed throughout the base. The cheers shake the entire military base. The soldiers were overwhelmed with their victory.Tears of joy streamed down the faces of every soldier. However, this cheer not only gave new strength to the soldiers, but also left the remaining mo
Beep! Beep! Beep!====>[Next Event]====[Everyone has completed their quests, and now the territory you protected belongs to you.][All territory locks are lifted, and you can go outside. ][But after 24 hours, there will be a siege by monster waves, and you have to protect your territory from them.][Those who think they cannot defend their territory can become someone else's subordinate and transfer their territory rights to them.][people who make necessities and provide other services in their territory can sell them on the system market, and others can buy them on the system market, but remember coins are the only currency accepted.][Remember that the number of monster waves will depend on the territory and personnel within them.]====Tejasv was startled by the unexpected notification. He checks the notification for the next event and finds that he can leave his home. While he was anxious to check his surroundings, he first took a short rest to recover from the fight on the m
After watching his surroundings, Tejasv prepares for the next event mentioned by the system. To face the monster waves, he needs loyal and brave subordinates who can withstand any danger in the future.He reads through the requests, Most of them mentioned the difficulties the person had faced during these difficult times or pleaded with him to save others. Some were showing him the power of money and status.The rest were only begging. None of these strikes Tejasv in mind. He has no greed for money and status, nor does he want to walk the path of a hero.Tejasv organizes the requests based on his criteria, including strong skills, mentality, loyalty, and nothing to lose. If someone filled all these requirements, he would be happy enough to let them join. However, no one covers all these requirements.Many with powerful skills face rejection because skills are only extra limbs. Without a good mindset, it will only hinder the growth of others. To survive in this world, adapting to natur
In a silent room, a small stream of blood slowly makes its way toward the feet of a girl. The girl was sitting on the ground with her face buried in her thighs.Beep! Beep!A voice rang in her ears. She slowly lifts her head to check its source. A notification appears on her system window. There was a message from someone. She clicks the system window to confirm its content.Click===="Come! Let me see if you are a real tiger or a paper tiger. " -Tejasv====She smiles after reading the message. It was a reply she waited eagerly, but she never expected it to arrive so soon.She is Catherine Hills, who requested Tejasv to consider her a subordinate.A pop-up window appears on her screen.====Would you like to proceed to the destination now?-Yes / -No====Two options appear on the screen with a question, she already had the answer in her mind. However, she did not press any option's at this point.She was a veteran in the acting industry and was familiar with neg
Tejasv agreed to all of Catherine's terms when she asked him to accept her under his leadership.Now they were present in the same room, but the atmosphere was awkward. No one knew what to say anymore. How to start a conversation?It was awkward for Catherine to be present with someone who had never heard her name. She was the most famous person in the world just a few days ago, and many people would stand in lines to get a glimpse of her.Tejasv, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned about what was going on in the world and spent his days in this house. Even right now, he is sitting on his chair with the demeanor of a king. He is not even glancing at the beautiful woman in front of him.Meanwhile, Tejasv was in the same awkward position as Catherine. He had never talked to a friend or colleague for many years, so he never expected to initiate conversations. He didn't even know what topic to begin the small talk.Now that chaos has descended on this world, the only topic to discuss is
Tejasv and Daemon both had aloof and nonchalant expressions on their faces as if nothing of concern happened in those few fractions of seconds when some arrows took out those fearsome monsters with ease.Noticing the piercing gazes of the robed duo, Tejasv waved his hands to them smoothly with a soft yet incomprehensible smile. He steps forward towards the duo with his arms relaxed, to drop the tensions in the ambience.The robed duo unaware of the situation cautiously took a stance and firmly fixed their weapons to strike back if necessary to which Tejasv didn't respond either positively or rebelled. He knew his team may seem suspicious to an outsider in such a bloody and ruthless world.On the other hand, Tejasv considered the behaviour and comeback of the duo normal and even better than some blinded people, who would regard others as a saviour after only first glance. To be prepared and counter, these are the basics to survive in most circumstances.Tejasv reigned his steps a few
The robed duo kept an eye on Tejasv to see which direction he was pointing at the snipers. They had their eyes widening at Tejasv’s figure, who was standing still and peering at the robed duo themselves.His eyes weren’t wavering or watching somewhere else, as if his men were around everywhere, prepared to trample them at any moment. The robed duo were shocked by what was happening in front of them.When the robed duo couldn't notice any changes in the area and no one came out from anywhere, they began to be perplexed, and their inner turmoil heightened even more as the seconds passed.Suddenly, when the robed duo rolled their eyes to scrutinise their surroundings, they noticed two silhouettes walking toward them from afar. For starters, they mistook those two for members of another party rather than Tejasv and Daemon's snipers.The only reason for that could be the number of people approaching them and the distance they were from them. It was difficult for the robed duo to imagine th
Tejasv, after a momentary contemplation in his head, blurted out while scrutinising the robed duo. He said, "What is it, now, about that strange behaviour of the spider?"The robed duo stood silently and shook their heads without any word from their mouth. The one with the manly voice stepped up and conversed, "Not here!" He hinted about the surroundings and resumed, "This place is too open for us to talk about anything!"Tejasv’s eyes widen, and a taunting smirk gradually creeps onto his face. He realised the robed duo were wary of the snipers, whom they presumed to be guarding the safety of Tejasv and Daemon from somewhere hidden around the area.Tejasv, on the other hand, remained silent and only glanced at Daemon; both of them understood the robed duo's intentions and concerns. Because Tejasv and Daemon might kill both of the robed men once they have the information they require, they wanted to relocate to a safe and well-known location.Aside from these concerns, Tejasv also saw t
In the end, Daemon finally ended the misery of the spider with his wild and broad muscles. He gradually stood back on his feet and relaxed his breathing while calming his drained state from this sudden, extensive labour.Then he looked to the front and saw Tejasv standing there with a slight distance and a wide gaze fixed on him. Tejasv was peering at him, while the former responded similarly and paused in those moments.Tejasv even had his eyes slightly wet from the last state he remembered Daemon lying before him. He appeared to be dying at any moment because the spider was about to go into a complete frenzy to eliminate him.However, his friend appeared in front of him after counter-eliminating the monster in a frenzy for him. Daemon also had similar feelings leaking from his eyes because he knew what he experienced, and Tejasv just saved him in the nick of time.Both had enough to say, but not even a word was coming out of their mouths. Tejasv and Daemon both nod and step towards
As the battle between Tejasv and the spider continued with Salina’s backing of arrows, the pressure on the monster intensified from the number game played by Team Tejasv with their vigorous strength.Gradually, Tejasv and Salina’s attacks withered the exoskeleton of the spider. It even fell to the floor with no chance to retaliate against those two. When the spider realises it has no choice but to overthrow this situation, it lashes out in a frenzy.The spider swings the rest of its limbs with ferocity and abruptness while thrashing them all over. Its intentions were clear: to land some heavy blows on Tejasv since it had no other plan but to dash away from this situation.Another cause behind such trancelike behaviour could be defending itself from the incoming barrage of arrows. The spider must have thought that by moving around in unpredictable ways, it could avoid the arrows and prevent the archer from marking the spider.However, the spider had no clue about the skill of the arche
Tejasv and Salina had a short conversation when Salina enhanced her skill to a better one, which was able to use the features of both [search] and [chaser strike].That was the moment to mechanise the way Salina may use the skill, which should handle the use of this skill more appropriately and better than Sally. As a result, Tejasv and Salina talked things out, and Tejasv then suggested a method to her, which elevated her talent as a sniper to new heights.Tejasv suggested to Salina that she may aim for a target and mark him with her skills. Then he asked her to act differently than Sally. Tejasv instructed her to strike her arrow in a different direction rather than releasing it to the target she had targeted with her skills.Because her ability would direct and hover the arrow on its own, it will take a curve and strike the target with a different path after releasing the arrow. Even if someone tried to find the location of Salina, these events would lead to a different origin poin
As the spider began to repeatedly attack Tejasv, Catherine and Salina were rather a in relief since Daemon was now out of danger for a few moments, but when they realised Tejasv had no weapons in his arms, they were frightened.Whether the spider was in his straight head or not, its attacks were enough to paste a human with a single blow on the right mark. Tejasv was in definite danger because he had nothing to fend off the strikes of the spider.Not only that the spider was somewhat in a hurry to end Tejasv, and because of these reasons, it used every ounce of strength within him to stomp him on the floor when facing no resistance from him.The spider gradually realised that Tejasv had nothing with him that could threaten or halt its aggression toward him; therefore, the spider was now on a killing spree for Tejasv. It cackled in rage and resumed attacking Tejasv.However here, Catherine, and Salina, along with the robed men, could see Tejasv wisely moving in Daemon's opposite direct
Salina, when she got a permit from Catherine, aimed for the spider’s front legs since its head and the rest of its body was covered by a tough armoured exoskeleton. She intended to put an end to the spider's frenzy of pursuing Daemon.She shot another arrow for the next limb of the spider as soon as she marked it and invoked her skill while releasing the arrow to definitely stop it in that position and give Tejasv more time in that strenuous task.When those arrows struck the spider, it became stuck in that position because two of its limbs, which had previously allowed it to crawl toward the Daemon, were rendered useless by the arrows, which appeared out of nowhere and attached to the floor.Tejasv sighed with relief and smirked slightly. He was drenched in sweat from the intense and laborious task he had taken over. He had to pull a monster whose mouth had been salivating over a certain target.Tejasv tensed every muscle in his body in an attempt to stop the spider from moving any f
The agitated and perplexed ones were not only team Tejasv but also the robed duo. Though they had no dismay for the spider’s strange actions, they had more concern for Tejasv and his companion, Daemon, who was in a hopeless state.When Dameon fell and faced a sudden attack from the spider, they lost all hope of him surviving, regardless of whether Tejasv intervened or someone else struck the spider, because the monster was intent on eating Daemon whether anyone approached him or not.When they least expected it, Tejasv not only disturbed the spider’s balance but also leapt before it to rescue his friend from the spider’s clutches. Tejasv threw Daemon back and stood in his position in these circumstances.Anyone with such a trained body and mind could assess the situation and its severity. The robed duo agreed that the spider's fangs on Daemon would inevitably bite Tejasv instead and that Tejasv could've known about it before jumbling into the fray.Even then, Tejasv leapt to rescue hi