Arthur, realizing that the voice echoed in his own head, was gripped with fear.
The voice resonated within him: "You are assignated to the faction of lust, your insatiable desires binding you to its seductive embrace."
Overwhelmed by terror and shame, Arthur gathered his courage and asked aloud, "Am I in hell ? What is this faction of lust you spoke of?" He struggled to maintain his composure, feeling exposed and vulnerable.
Ignoring Arthur's inquiries, the voice continued, its tone unwavering: "The system will now initialize. Prepare yourself."
With those ominous words, Arthur braced himself for whatever awaited him.
A message flashed before him:
His heart skipped a beat as the words seared into his consciousness. Another supernatural occurrence, another shock to his senses.
After a few seconds, the message shifted to
The voice echoed in his mind: "The synchronization has not been successful. You lack the necessary qualities to access the system."
Arthur, seizing the opportunity, responded "That's fine. Can you please just take me back to campus?"
"The path to activation lies in enhancing your charisma," the voice resonated within Arthur's head. "Only when you reach the level of an average man will the system be unlocked."
Frustration boiling within him, Arthur couldn't contain his anger any longer. "First, I get kidnapped and labeled a pervert of a strange lust faction, and now you're telling me I'm inferior to an average man?" he exclaimed with indignation.
As Arthur contemplated the supernatural events and the potential power of the voice, his indignation dissolved.
He murmured, "please, I beg you, take me back to where I came from."
"Gain more charisma attributes and activate tte sytem," the voice resumed. "To aid you in this journey, you have access to your attribute panel and the Seal of Eloquence."
Arthur exclaimed, "An attribute panel?" Suddenly, an attribute panel materialized before him, floating in the air.
**Name: Arthur**
- Strength: 10.5
- Agility: 10.2
- Endurance: 12.2
- Intelligence: 8.2
- Charisma: 2.2
*Special Bonus:*
- Seal of Eloquence: Allows Arthur to gain attribute points in charisma by persuading and charming other creatures.
Arthur muttered under his breath, "It's like a video game."
As he processed that 10 must be the average attributs for a man, a sense of disbelief washed over him.
His strength, agility, and endurance surpassed the average, each exceeding a value of 10.2.
However, his intelligence and charisma fell short, the latter barely registering at 2.2.
Observing the special bonus, Arthur couldn't shake the feeling that the Seal of Eloquence might not be the most suitable for survival—it only enhanced his charisma.
However, he felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that it would enable him to evolve supernaturally, a prospect that would have been unimaginable before these events unfolded.
Arthur's attention was suddenly drawn to his left hand, where he noticed a tattoo depicting a mouth with thin, smiling lips. Surprised, he wondered if this symbol represented the Seal of Eloquence.
Arthur turned to the voice for guidance. "What should I do now?" he pleaded, but to his dismay, the voice remained silent.
Arthur decided to seek a vantage point.
He noticed the ruins of what could have been a skyscraper, its metal structure appearing sturdy.
With determination, he cautiously made his way towards it.
As Arthur passed by the carcass of a car, he heard a noise and instinctively stepped back. To his surprise, an squirrel with milky, vacant eyes emerged from the wreckage, missing one of its arms.
The squirrel's fur bore numerous holes and oozing wounds. Despite its decrepit appearance, the creature's movements were strangely agile as it stared at Arthur with its vacant gaze.
"Go away!" Arthur shouted, waving his hands frantically as he tried to ward off the unsettling squirrel.
Surprisingly, the creature seemed to regard him as a potential predator and fled into the shadows. Relief flooded over Arthur as he watched it disappear.
A message flashed before Arthur.
+0.05 Charisma.
Arthur was satisfied ans resolved to scare off any animals he encountered.
Continuing his march, he found himself in an area where the ground was ruptured in places, as if by past earthquakes.
One spot revealed a rusted reinforcement bar protruding from the earth.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and delivered a powerful kick to the base of the reinforcement bar. At first, it resisted, but under the persistent force of his repeated kicks, the bar began to slowly twist. With each blow, the rust crumbled away, and the bar yielded a little more.
With caution, he knelt down and grasped the twisted part of the reinforcement bar with his hands.
Then, with a combined twisting and constant pressure motion, he exerted force directed towards the weak point where the bar was bent.
With a metallic creak, the bar began to crack at the twisted spot.
Arthur doubled his efforts, concentrating all his strength on the breaking point.
Finally, with a loud snap, the bar cleanly split apart.
Arthur's face lit up with satisfaction as he held the split bar in his right hand.
He had a weapon now.
As he continued walking, he stumbled upon two squirrels similar to the first one, emerging from a pile of rocks.
Seeing them as an opportunity to gain charisma points, he wasted no time in commanding them to depart. "Leave this place!" he commanded, as he waved his bar and struck it against the ground.
Startled, the squirrels scurried away into the safety of the shadows.
As Arthur chuckled, two new notifications appeared before him.
+0.1 Charisma.
A pleasant sensation spread through his body, and Arthur felt more comfortable in his own skin, as if he had just emerged from a warm bath. The eerie atmosphere of this strange place seemed less daunting. He had the impression that he could accomplish great things.
"So, this is the effect of charisma," Arthur mused to himself.
Arthur found that being in this strange world wasn't as daunting as he had initially thought.
As Arthur advanced, the desolate landscape stretched out before him, a barren expanse of jagged rocks and crumbling structures. The air hung heavy with an eerie stillness, broken only by the occasional rustle of dead leaves or the distant cry of a creature. Dark clouds loomed overhead, casting ominous shadows across the bleak terrain.
As Arthur cautiously made his way towards the skyscraper, his bar held tightly in hand, he heard the unsettling sound of claws scratching the ground behind him.
Turning around, he was met with a chilling sight: a dozen Necrotic Squirrels advancing towards him with menacing intent.
"Damn," Arthur murmured under his breath, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination as he prepared to face the approaching horde.
"Leave!" Arthur commanded, his voice trembling slightly as he shook his bar at the advancing Necrotic Squirrels.
Despite his authoritative tone, the creatures continued to advance, their milky eyes fixed on him.
One of the squirell lunged toward him, and Arthur reacted instinctively, swinging his metal bar with precision.
The blow connected with a sickening thud, shattering the squirel's left's eye and droving into its skull, instantly killing it.
Without hesitation, he charged towards the horde, crushing one squirrel underfoot as it emitted a dying shriek.
He then hurled his bar at two more squirrels, breaking the spine of one and severely injuring the other.
As another squirrel attempted to climb up his jogging pants, Arthur swiftly stomped on it with his left foot, ending its life.
The remaining squirrels scattered, fleeing from him.
A notification appeared.
+ 0.7 Charisma.
Arthur laughed with joy, hoping that more squirrels would come his way.
At this rate, his charisma would soon transcend mortal limits, far surpassing the 10 points of an average man, required to activate the system.
Arthur's joy was short-lived as he noticed movement coming from a hole in the ground about ten meters away.
Creatures, seemingly drawn by the commotion, emerged from the depths of the hole.
He quickly stepped back, never taking his eyes off the approaching creatures as they stood up.
"I'm in deep trouble," Arthur muttered to himself as he continued to back away, pointing the tip of the steel bar in the direction of the creatures.
He recognized the creatures; he had seen them in numerous cinematic representations.
They were two zombies.