"I hate this" are the words that were struggling to come out of Karl's shivering mouth.
Never in a million years had he imagined that he would go through this immense suffering.
For a guy who detested even the faintest mosquito bite, this torment felt like a direct descent into hell.
Just as his focus gradually returned and the blurry fog lifted from his vision, he flinched, feeling the acute agony radiating from his lips.
Karl's trembling fingers brushed against his lips, revealing a thick crimson liquid, the very blood he had never ever witnessed in reality, especially not his own. The sensation was both surreal and horrifying.
Before he could make sense of the situation, a voice sliced through the darkness, harsh and demanding,
"How was that taste of blood, you bastard? Now hand over the necklace before I do anything worse."
Karl, still dazed and confused, feeling like still trapped in a weird dream, looked at his body.
He could totally tell this body wasn't his.
He was sure because it was lean, like ridiculously lean, and the absence of his beloved belly just sealed the deal.
But before he could dive into these details, he realized he had a more pressing issue staring him in the face right now.
In front of Karl stood a man no taller than 4 feet. Even with the height of a dwarf, the guy before him defied all expectations with his bulged muscles.
His attire was very simple, with tunic trousers and a sleeveless jacket of the same material casually draped over his bare skin, exposing his wide chest covered in fluffy hairs.
His hair on the head barely reached half an inch, and his crooked teeth gave him a certain charm that screamed 'typical thug'.
With a casual glance, anyone could mistake him for a weathered 40-year-old vermin, but upon closer inspection, he was just around his late twenties.
'It seems the almighty screwed him royally over the face department,' Karl thought to himself.
But silly thoughts aside, the mini gorilla-like bastard was fuming. His patience was wearing thin, and he was gearing up for another strike.
Not intending to get another blow.
"What's your deal?" Karl inquired, tolerating his pained lips.
Right now, all he wanted was to escape from this goddamn ruffian and find some relief to alleviate the searing pain from his torn lips.
Even understanding his current chaotic situation is only next in the line on his list of agendas.
The man's eyes bore into Karl's, a dangerous glint dancing in their depths
"You looking to get yourself killed, boy? How many times do I have to repeat myself? Hand over the damn necklace before I break your neck," the man growled.
The guy definitely had some anger issues.
But only after processing his demand, Karl took a moment to assess his surroundings.
It was a dark night with half moon smiling brightly in the black sky. He found himself sprawled on the ground, pressed against a wall in what seemed like a narrow alley between two rundown buildings.
The massive leg of the 'mini-gorilla' he was dealing with restricted his movement. One of his hands, specifically his right, was concealed behind his back, clutching onto a cold, chain-like metal object.
It didn't take long for Karl to realize that the guy was referring to this necklace.
Without hesitation, Karl made his decision.
It was clear that whoever had possessed this body before him valued the necklace greatly, evident from his unwillingness to surrender it to a mere thug.
But for Karl, who had no attachment or knowledge of the necklace, if relinquishing it meant escaping this perilous situation, he would do it in a heartbeat.
"Fine, take it," Karl said as he tossed the necklace to the guy.
The guy caught the necklace, a smirk spreading across his face.
"Should've handed it over sooner," the guy sneered, before delivering a brutal kick to Karl's face out of nowhere.
The sudden attack caught Karl completely off guard.
He couldn't understand why the guy would inflict more intense pain on him when he had already given him what he wanted.
Before he could process his confusion, the thick, bark-like leg collided with his face, causing his chin to split open and blood to spatter.
With a sickening thud, Karl's head slammed onto the thick muddy ground, and blood began to trickle down his forehead, adding to the already grisly scene.
"Worthless weasel. Made me run around and wasted my time for nothing. One day, I'll come to your home and bang your mother for wasting my time, Puh!" the guy spat out, tucking the necklace into his pocket.
"The necklace could fetch a few silvers at least if I haggle with that cursed merchant,"
Ignoring whether the boy lived or died, the guy began striding away, dreaming about his potential profit.
-----
As a child, Karl's first taste of real pain came from a fall while playing at the tender age of three.
That early experience left him with a deep fear of pain, causing him to avoid anything that might cause him harm.
Now, facing the pain again, multiple times worse after all these years, it felt like a betrayal of all his efforts.
The guy had already achieved his goal, so why continue hurting him
The question lingered in Karl's mind, accompanied by the increasing agony of his injuries.
Karl didn't even register the insults from the guy regarding his mother.
Slumped on the ground, his face partially obscured by his arms, he appeared as if he was shedding tears from the excruciating pain.
Yet, no tears wet the ground. Despite his aversion to pain, Karl despised shedding tears even more.
Throughout his life, he had never cried. It wasn't that he lacked emotions, but rather a deliberate choice. He simply didn't want to. Even his parents didn't know the exact reason.
Lost in his inner turmoil, a sudden sound pierced through his thoughts.
[Ding]
[System Installed successfully]
[Status Data is Available]
[Does the host wish to access the Status menu?]
[Yes | No]
His gaze drifted slowly toward the floating words before him.
As someone who had lived a life immersed in otaku culture, being transmigrated and having a system installed inside didn't come as a shock.
Yet, at this particular moment, experiencing it firsthand brought a wave of relief; finally, something to lean on.
But right now, he didn't have the luxury of time to scan through his status bar or delve into every detail of the system. His focus was on finding anything that could aid him in his current predicament.
With a mental command, he queried the system,
'System. Do I have any abilities? If so, please access them.'
[Searching for available abilities]
[Ability Detected]
[The Omniscient Existence has been unlocked]
[One skill is available under the Omniscient Existence.]
[Would the host like to utilize the skill?]
[Yes | No]
Without hesitation, he responded,
"Yes"
The rush of excitement caused him to blurt out his response aloud instead of commanding it in his mind, intensifying the searing pain from his torn lips and broken chin.
Wondering if the boy was cursing him, the man who had been walking away paused and turned back to glance at Karl lying on the ground.
"Eh... What was that fu***er? Isn't the beating was not enough?"
He started advancing towards Karl.
"I was going to let you off the hook since I was feeling generous. But it seems you still need a lesson from this Big Brother eh?," the man sneered
"I'll make sure you learn it well this time." he licked his lips crudely having dark thoughts in his mind
However, Karl paid him no attention, as his focus was elsewhere.
[Skill Ultimate Appraisal activated]
"Fuck. An appraisal skill. What good is that in this situation?" Karl cursed inwardly, frustrated by the seemingly useless skill.
Yet, his mindset changed immediately as he looked at the information presented before him.
As Karl lay there, his gaze fixed on the man's feet as he closed in, the system appraised what Karl was focusing on.
[Appraisal completed]
[Appraisal Result]
[Name: Derek Altard]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 28]
[Traits: Cruel, Greedy, Selfish, Dishonest]
[Items: (2)Silvers, (10) Coppers, (2) Low-Grade Healing Potion, Unknown Mithril Necklace, Unknown Map, Crude Dagger]
[Strong Points: Tough Muscles, Sturdy Arms, Sturdy legs]
[Weak Points: Ignorant, Simpleton]
[Current Flaw: Damage to the left knee resulting from a recent altercation.]
Karl skimmed through the appraisal results quickly, his focus specifically on three crucial pieces of information, the guy's current flaw, the crude dagger, and finally low-grade healing potion.
His mind raced as he surveyed the surroundings.
The narrow valley was mostly shrouded in darkness, but the moonlight illuminated the rugged terrain, with numerous hard stones jutting out.
About a meter away from where Karl was lying he could see a pointed stone resembling a mini pyramid slanted slightly, protruding from the ground just inches before the opposite wall.
Karl's eyes then flicked to the man's legs.
The guy was closing in, his tunic lifting slightly from his ankle with each step, revealing a glint of metal in the moonlight tied around his right ankle.
As the man took his final step, Karl sprang into action.