[System Interface: World Hopping]
[Number of worlds the Host currently can access:
Revealing Shadows (Extremely Recommended).
The World Hopping function will automatically start after the Host selection, placing the Host under deep sleep until the mission is finished or the Host is forcefully ejected from the selected world]
''... Well, that's quite simple.'' Zhou Heng stared blankly at the system words, after he finished reading it a few times Zhou Heng decided to solve his doubts first.
''Deep sleep you said, but, how much time will I spend on that sleep? Could it be that I will enter a comatose state for hours, even more than that if I cannot accomplish the mission you give me?'' Zhou Heng couldn't help but feel concerned about this, after all, the reason he is interested in the system is to improve his situation, to find a way to help his grandfather, and relieve most of the burdens his family is suffering right now, but if the system aggravates the situation then without a doubt he will ignore it, no matter how impressive it sounds.
If Zhou Heng is unable to wake in a short time, who will take care of his grandfather? It will be even worse than him being weak or unable to work, after all his grandfather will surely take all the savings and rush to find a medic without caring about himself. Of course, since the start, Zhou Heng knew that the system will come with risks, he was confident about his mind even after reading the records section, he is willing to suffer as long as remarkable rewards come, but if only the entry is already threatening what he wants to protect, then is just bullshit that wasted his time.
[The Host needs to worry not, no matter how much time the Host expends using the World Hopping function the Host real body will only feel as if a long dream has passed, the Host will naturally wake up the normal time the Host uses to sleep.]
''You mean, if I use the function right now, after everything is finished, no matter how much in-dream time I pass on it, in the end, I will wake up in a few hours at morning?'' Zhou Heng muttered with a dumbfounded face.
[The Host is correct.]
''...'' This was simply amazing for Zhou Heng, could it be that he will complete missions as an illusion? or in a space like a dreamland? how much time will expend there, while doesn't know exactly how the missions will be, expend conscious days, maybe even weeks in just a few hours, doesn't that mean that the World Hopping allows him to stop time in his world, and enjoy 'extra time' to do whatever he wants while doing the mission? he could prepare for situations in his world when the time is tight, also with the name of the function, he will go to other worlds, so he surely will find in those worlds new useful knowledge and he will have time to learn different skills that can help him in his current situation. With that thought, Zhou Heng remembered the Mall function, ''So that's the meaning of experience in the form of skills...''
With every new theory about the use of the system the shine in Zhou Heng's eyes bright more, after a few minutes of running his thoughts, Zhou Heng breathed deeply and calmed himself, no matter how stable he is, the shock of the system was too much.
''All right, I'm with this doubt since the name of the system and the currency appeared, but, why is the word 'Villain' on it?'' This was something that Zhou Heng has on his mind since the second message of the system appeared on his sight after 'wishing' for his birthday. 'Why Villain?' no matter how much Zhou Heng thought about it, he couldn't reach an answer, he had lived a very upright life until now, except for a certain incident when he was a kid, he never broke rules or did something that could be called villainous act.
''Could it be that the being that gave me the system has sadistic motives of twisting the personality of the host? by temptation, slowly corrupt the host?'' With narrowed eyes Zhou Heng started speculating inwardly, after all, the one that is behind the system should have his reason to give him the system, he didn't believe that he is the most pitiful person in the world, not even in the zone he lives, but the system came to him, maybe there are other systems, but for now, he is a selected one so he needed to consider. So the motive of that being is just entertainment or he has a deeper motive... Zhou Heng keeps silent waiting for the system to answer.
[The 'Villain' is the identity the Host will take with the World Hopping Function.]
''... What kind of missions will I have to do?''
[The missions will have different restrictions every time, but the objective will remain the same, no matter the world. That is going to be 'Kill the Hero'.]
After finishing reading the words of the system, Zhou Heng frowned a little. What is a Hero for the system? What is a Villain? the system is tasking him to become a villain and hunt heroes, so shouldn't be called more 'Hitman System'? Why use the words villain and hero? The more he reads, the more he feels that the whole thing about the system is only entertainment for someone, a show. Also, this show is about the struggle between two people, after all, if the system's purpose was to twist his character and make him a malevolent fiend that commits heinous acts, the missions won't be centered on killing a 'Hero'.
With this in mind, Zhou Heng wanted to clap his hand to congratulate the being behind the system, after all, he offered incredible rewards, he looked for someone in a desperate situation, even used the word 'World Hopping' to indirectly tell him ' Hey, is in another world, your actions won't affect your life and no one will know about it '. It's just one life, the Hero's one, a stranger, really a devil temptation.
''Cough, cough...'' It was just at this moment that happened as if the final trump card of the devil to tempt him, Zhou Heng was pondering about everything in silence even his respiration was suppressed when he was interrupted by a coughing sound, he wasn't a stranger to this, it was the cause that he will wake up every day and work hard, his grandfather, every night while sleeping the condition he tries his best to hide during the day, appears, and even in that state the coughing was muffled, if one wasn't focused and in extremely silence it won't be heard.
Zhou Heng smiled bitterly and asked one last question to the system
''What kind of person is a Hero?'' A stupid question, heroes are allies of justice, that live upright lives and help people right? But...
[A person with skills that are destined to reach great heights.]
It wasn't like that. At the end of the day, they were humans, just that they have the biggest role in the show. But it was this answer that satisfied him, after all, what the system was doing was indirectly telling him 'Kill one and enjoy the rewards', what's the difference between that and just solving his problems by stealing from others? If he could do that, why has he never done it before? The reason was simple, he did it once, he stole two apples from a market, he was just seven years old, and his grandfather quickly discovered him when he made illogical lies to give his grandfather one of the apples.
Grandpa Zhou took the apple and looked at him with narrowed eyes for a few minutes as if pondering what to say, how to teach him, Zhou Heng was a bit scared, he understood by the look of his grandfather that he did something wrong but his grandfather was just silent, in the past whenever he did something wrong he would be scolded, beaten or punished, that was the way of his grandfather, but this time, it feels far worse, for the young him it was a face of Grandpa Zhou that he never saw in the past, just two apples, he just wanted to help, soon minutes passed, the young boy body was starting to shake, then Zhou Qiang opened his mouth and said.
''Don't do this again until you understand what it means.'' With that, Grandpa Zhou took the apple to his mouth and bite it, then walked away without giving another glance to Zhou Heng. For the boy it was mind-blowing, his little action carried more meaning than he could possible thought at the time, it was a memory that will accompany him after years passed, he never stole and followed the rules after that, he also never talked about the incident with his grandfather, even for the other apple, he didn't give it a bite, he watched it for a few days until it was rotten trying to understand the incident.
At this age, and looking at the system Zhou Heng understood, his action back then meant that he took from another person, Grandpa Zhou was a soldier, he took from many in worse ways than with the apple, that's why he couldn't scold his grandson, he also couldn't teach him about the truth with his young age and could only leave after saying those few words. Now Zhou Heng with this answer coming from the system understood another truth, lives had value, and he feels less bitter knowing that the Hero is just a winner of life, not someone that will save the world.
He smiled really bitterly, he feels that is okay as long as the hero isn't a saint, someone that doesn't deserve death. How ugly of himself, he wanted to laugh, it was as simple as, 'My family is far more important than the lives of outsiders, but I still hope that the lives I take, are ones that don't make me feel that guilty.'
With all of this, Zhou Heng decided to take the last step, even when he had many other questions about the system. Why there is only one world? What mean to be forcefully ejected? The restrictions, the way to fill the Mall... At this moment he forgot about all of that, he just didn't want to lose his resolution, he did it on an impulse.
''I select Revealing Shadows, start the function'' Zhou Heng said and closed his eyes.
[Understood.]
With that, a wave of sleepiness attacked Zhou Heng and he fell asleep.