[KURT'S POV]
Everything felt fuzzy, and when I opened my eyes, my whole body felt like it was smashed and crushed.
I was in a tight space and it was dark, so I couldn't see a thing in front of me.
I breathed slowly, trying to handle the pain, and when I tried to move one arm, I saw stars.
Shit, it was broken...
When I focused a bit more, I could hear the sound of the outside. It sounded muffled, like I was underwater or something.
'A tight space, muffled sounds outside... Does Quintus think that we're in a mafia novel or something?'
I was certain of it when I came to my senses.
Quintus had put me in a barrel, and thrown me underwater so I could die, whether by suffocation or drowning.
The system once gave me a quest to survive a match against him and earn his respect.
Some respect, huh?
I hurt everywhere, but couldn't even stretch out.
What the fuck happened to the system back then?
I tried opening my stats window to see what my state was.
NAME: KURT BLAKE
LVL: **
AGE: **
CLASS: *****
STAMINA: ***/***
HP: ***/***
MP: ***/***
BASIC STATS
Undistributed stat points: *
Strength: ** (+10)
Dexterity: ** (+20)
Agility: ** (+20)
Perception: **
Intelligence: **
Vigor: 88
INVENTORY
***
CONSUMABLES
*** ******** **
****** **** *** *-**** – *****'* *******
EQUIPMENT
Midnight Ballad
Midnight Sisters
Midnight's embrace
***
SKILLS
Steal LVL 1
Invisible hand LVL 5
Prying eyes LVL 1
Shadow walk LVL 2
I looked at my stat window, shocked, and sighed in frustration, letting out a painful grunt.
Fuck! It hurt just by merely breathing...
And now I couldn't even check my stats?
"Come on, what the fuck is wrong with you?"
I knew that the system wouldn't reply. It never did, but I was so frustrated and in pain, that I was probably going crazy.
But I couldn't be completely helpless in this situation, right?
'Come on, think... You have to think of something..."
But nothing came to mind other than mind-wrecking pain.
"WHY WON'T YOU LET ME CHECK ON MYSELF, FUCK!?"
I was going to die, sooner or later, so screaming underwater in a tight space wouldn't make any difference.
"Come on... You came to me for a reason, right?"
I don't know what I was expecting to happen, but I kept speaking, even though the air began feeling rarer by the minute.
"I know that you wouldn't allow me this second chance, if there wasn't anything for you in it... So I know you won't just let me die here."
But nothing happened.
I felt the bitterness of despair growing inside me, the madness about to take over and make me do something stupid.
I still had my skills, but I knew that if I used [INVISIBLE HAND] to break out from the barrel, I'd be instantly dead, unable to swim to the surface.
"I fucking swear on my life. On my past one and the current one that you allowed me to have, that if I die here, I'll do whatever it takes to reincarnate or some shit, and I'll destroy you... Trust me."
But only silence.
"No... Matter... What... I'll fucking destroy you..."
I knew I was going to die, and when the full brunt of the realization hit me, I just accepted it.
I would keep my promise, and do whatever it takes to come back in any way possible.
I would destroy that fucking system, even if I had to tear it with my own teeth.
"I WILL KEEP THAT PROMISE NO MATTER WHAT!"
I shouted, I yelled and I screamed for what felt like hours.
And suddenly, something felt warm in my chest.
Comfortably warm, despite the cold and the pain.
[WARNING]
[EXTERNAL FORCE TRYING TO INTERFERE WITH THE SYSTEM]
The system's notification sounded with a blaring in my head, but the warm sensation kept on flowing through me.
[WARNING]
[EXTERNAL FORCE TRYING TO INTERFERE WITH THE SYSTEM]
"What do you want me to do? Even I don't know what's going on, and why's it that you're saying something just now?"
I was pissed, and I can't deny that I was crying.
But somehow, that warm feeling inside me made me feel gradually better.
Little by little, the pain subsided, and I was able to breathe more easily.
I didn't know what was happening, until the system sent a message that made my world turn upside down.
[DUE TO THE PLAYER'S AWAKENING, THE PLAYER'S STATS HAVE DRASTICALLY INCREASED]
[DUE TO THE PLAYER'S AWAKENING, THE PLAYER'S SKILL LEVELS HAVE REASONABLY INCREASED]
[DUE TO EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE, THE SYSTEM WILL BE REBOOTED IN A FEW SECONDS]
[3...]
[2...]
[1...]
[SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE]
[WELCOME BACK, PLAYER]
I... I awakened?
But... Wasn't the system, kind of, like, my awakening?
I was speechless, but the warm feeling was still there, and even before I read the messages, despite the damages dealt by Quintus, I could feel that something had drastically changed within me.
But I would still die anyways if I didn't do something about the situation I was in.
My arm was still broken, but at least now, it seemed that the system was functioning properly again.
NAME: KURT BLAKE
LVL: 15
AGE: 16
CLASS: Rogue
STAMINA: 86/500
HP: 53/600
MP: 500/500
BASIC STATS
Undistributed stat points: 5
Strength: 130 (+10)
Dexterity: 200 (+20)
Agility: 200 (+20)
Perception: 300
Intelligence: 250
Vigor: 200
INVENTORY
***
CONSUMABLES
Full recovery x2
Hidden Nest Key A-rank – Blake's library
EQUIPMENT
Midnight Ballad
Midnight Sisters
Midnight's embrace
***
SKILLS
Steal LVL 10
Invisible hand LVL 10
Prying eyes LVL 10
Shadow walk LVL 10
I thought I wasn't seeing right, but the way my body felt, even though I was pretty beaten, couldn't deny the data I was looking at.
But my stamina and HP were pretty low, which meant that Quintus did a good job in beating me to a pulp.
But not enough to kill me.
And I was going to repay him with interest, as soon as I got to the surface and found out where I was.
But first things first.
I knew that the [FULL RECOVERY] would come in handy, so I opened the inventory and took it from there.
Immediately, there was an delicately crafted crystal flask in my good hand.
I opened it, and chugged it down in a single sip.
The effects couldn't even be compared to that of a drug's.
I felt my whole body being put together again, and as my bones mended, and my wounds healed, I could feel the entirety of the effects of my increase in power.
I felt invincible.
So I used [INVISIBLE HAND], and as I felt the mana enveloping my body, I reinforced it to make me able to breathe underwater, until I reached the surface.
After that, I focused a little harder, and immediately the barrel around me exploded like it was made of paper, and the water revolved around me, like a godly hand, trying to reach me.
But my [INVISIBLE HAND] wouldn't let it.
I used mana like a propulsion to get me out of the water faster, and when I emerged, breaking out several meters high from the water, I instantly knew where I was.
I was in the port side of town, a almost half a day from home by foot.
But it wouldn't take that long for me now.
I fell, almost in a landing, right at one of the docks, and immediately began to run, the landscape passing by me like a streak of colors.
The sun was still halfway towards the horizon, and I didn't get any notification about a new daily quest, so I wasn't out for long.
When I got home, I stopped one of the guards, and asked.
"Is Quintus still at home?"
"No... Sir." He answered, surprised by my looks. "He went straight to the Shadow Guild, and ordered us to let Mr. Octavius know."
Shit!
He probably was holding a grudge against the old man Rodrick, and if he went there, things would probably escalate, judging by the way he acted when we fought.
So I sprinted hard towards the Shadow Guild's building.
Only to find the lobby completely wrecked.
And Quintus holding Evellyn, the Red Oracle, by her throat, with his telekinesis.
He was killing her, and Rodrick was behind her, probably unable to do anything, or else Quintus would just kill her more quickly.
My blood boiled in my veins as I watched it.
"HEY! QUINTUS!" I shouted, hoping to get his attention.
Which I did quite successfully.
He immediately looked at me, letting go of Evellyn, who was about to hit the floor, if it wasn't for the old man Rodrick.
"How... HOW DID YOU..."
And the mana around him began swirling wildly, just like last time.
"KID, WATCH OUT!" Roderick shouted through the noise of the wind.
Quintus instantly moved closer to me, his eyes glowing in that dark red tone, and his fist packed with mana, ready to hit me.