The sound of a man grunting echoed down the alleyway.
One foot launches its way to a boy's stomach as the blunt scream appeared once more, "I told you to get me the money by today, you piece of shit." A man, blonde hair with a fade, aggressively reminded the four-eyed boy laying on the ground.
The blonde man held down the four-eyed boy's hair as he forced him to stand up in pain; and as they closed in their faces, the blonde man whispered, "Same time, tomorrow. Bring it, if you don't want to see your deadbeat dad lose his job."
The blonde man lets go of his hair as the four-eyed boy fell down like a puppet in the smelly alleyway. Gasping for air, cracked glasses, and a dirty school uniform; he stares blurrily in the wall facing him as he had no strength to spare for expressing his putrid emotions.
Only tears came down as, knowing he's just a walking corpse, saw his life flash before his eyes.
[Candidate Located!]
[Arius Uriel has become the 1st candidate for the System — Mode "Sociopath"]
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Arius Uriel - Level 1
5 Points
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Strength - 1
Instincts - 1
Charisma - 1
Intellect - 1
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[Pain Resistance Acquired]
[Regeneration Acquired]
[Skills: 'Pain Resistance Lv. 1', 'Regeneration Lv. 1']
He thought he was about to die.
The excessive pain that he felt towards his body from all the beating, the shard of glass from his glasses stuck to his eyebrow, and the wound from his mouth when they punched his chin.
Considering that Uriel was someone frail, who never really training his body; the beating earlier was absolutely fatal.
... but for some reason, "What's... happening?" He could feel his strength come back.
Slowly but surely, he stood up.
Even though he was gaining his strength back, his body still hurts like hell.
The gasping for air disappeared and the purple bruises visible to his eyes lowered its opacity, showing the skin's natural color a little more, "A... system?" He muttered.
The echo from earlier, he thought it was just his imagination.
Yet, when he tried to call out "Status" that kept ringing in his head, the letters and numbers from earlier that were floating in front of his face showed once more.
He wanted to believe it but it was too hard to do it.
He had to process all of it slowly.
"Hmm, what's this?" Uriel muttered as there seems to be another panel below the 'status' that was floating...
[Mission: Kill Marcus Leylamp — Reward: 20 Points (Time Limit: 24 Hours]
"Huh... kill?" He asked himself, quite obliviously.
To kill means to take one's life, to return them to the soil where it originally belongs. It means to steal someone's future, and change the flow of time.
Uriel knew this all too well as he has read various books of different genres since all he could rely on was his brain. it is also his form of a hobby because their family is poor, he had no money to buy smartphones or computers.
Yet... something inside him was calling out to him.
The back of his consciousness to "Agree" with the system, but Uriel was thinking logically. He could deem that this system is just a form of his imagination, maybe a sign that he's starting to go crazy from the constant beating.
But... that time limit.
"Oh, Uriel, what do you want for dinner—" Her mom called out for him but Uriel ignored her and continued on his way upstairs, into his room, and covering himself with a blanket to shelter himself.
To make a secure box for himself, and only himself.
"I... must be going crazy." Uriel muttered as he stared down to nothingness.
An hour later, he stood up and opened his drawer. He saw his cash that was meant for Marcus that he was supposed to buy a phone for himself.
He looked at it like it was something he could never give away. He doesn't want to burden his family into buying him a liability but for him, it's an asset to make friends in a world where no one knows how much of a loser he is.
He thought that if his room wasn't enough to hide, or he wasn't in the room — The internet would be a good place to hide.
Nonetheless, he could never really fight Marcus, both physically and mentally.
Trapped like a bird, inside a box that he does not own. Captured without his consent, forever slaved to do a giant's bidding.
He could never beat a wealthy family's son.
... "Except," Uriel looked at the system once more as he was tempted, but he held back, knowing that his humanity would disappear.
His mind was in constant clash with one another, in a war whether to accept this weird phenomenon's mission or not.
Tired, he took out his jacket and ran down the stairs, "Uriel, wait!" His mother couldn't stop him as he left the house at 7 PM, where the dusk stands.
He always walks to the park at night where few are around. Hiding his face so no one will recognize him, and feel the cold breeze to calm himself from the problem he calls himself.
He looked in the sky, with a stare that felt dead.
The hope to kill himself always floated in his mind, but even at that, he lacked the strength and courage to do it.
"Hey you, aren't you Uriel?" Someone called out to him as Uriel's eyes widened.
The familiar voice echoed in his ears and back as he looked to reveal one of Marcus' pawns — Ralpho.
A man that wears his hat backward, acting all cool, all hunched and shit. He sucks up to Marcus like some leech so he could get some benefits from being a thug and order people however he likes.
"Ey, yo, didn't you hear me? Come here!"
Uriel's mind rang as he instinctively turned around and went to Ralpho.
Pay no mind, it was not Uriel's intention. The trauma from being punched from the smallest mistake lingered in his mind.
"Aren't you a smart dog, come with me, "Ralpho said as they went towards a dark alleyway.
Curious, Uriel looked at Ralpho's back as he asked, "Why are we here—"
Without even a single word, Uriel finds his cheek in pain as he fell to the ground from Ralpho's punch, "Did I tell you to speak, fucker?!" He asked aggressively as Uriel was confused as to why he was suddenly punched.
"What did I—" Cut again, Ralpho kicked him at the side of his stomach as Uriel's eyes ringed like a bell.
"I told you to shut up!" Ralpho said as he stared down at Uriel aggressively, like a God looking down on the mortals, he continued, "You piece of shit, Marcus told you to give the money! We were supposed to use that so I can treat my girl but because of you, we're in a fight!"
"I'm sorry—"
"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Ralpho started to beat Uriel senselessly as he shouted, "This. Is. Your. Fucking. Fault!" with every word containing a punch.
[Emergency Mission: Kill Ralpho before you die! — Reward: 8 Points!]
Like a weird instinct of his, Uriel saw a rusted pipe at the wall he was cornered on as he didn't hesitate to grab it and forcefully hit on Ralpo's head, "Arghh!" Ralpho shouted as he fell to the ground.
Uriel kneeled but he kept his strength.
He stood up like a lifeless body as it suddenly started rain, "I've had enough..." Uriel muttered as the God that he once feared suddenly became an insect, and the mortal that feared the God smiled upon him.
"So... all I have to do is kill, right?" Uriel muttered as he saw Ralpho's head with a bent on the side as Ralpho was seen crying.
"No, please! Forgive me!" Ralpho begged as he saw the blood dripping down the rain-poured alleyway. He immediately knew that when he was hit, he was about to die if he was going to fight.
"Forgive? You?" Uriel asked as he came closer to Ralpho, walking like a limp from all the bruises in his body, "Why would I forgive you?" Uriel asked once more.
Ralpho was looking upon a man shadowed as thunder appeared, showing how brightly Uriel was smiling, "Why would I stop when I am finally the one enjoying?"
"No... No!!!"
[You have earned 8 Points!]
[All evidence leading to you will now be exterminated!]