Rivyn hung in the dark, his weight tugging at his wrists, chain eating into skin. It had been weeks-no, a month since this nightmare started. Now it was too much of a blur, and Rivyn had long since given up on counting the days. His body-lean and strong from years of hammering steel-had turned into a hulking husk of a man. Skin was drawn taut over his bones and his hair whirled around his cadaverous face in wild greasy tangles. His flesh stank of corruption and sweat and blood. He had wasted so far that the chains seemed heavier than he could bear; he felt every cut and bruise and broken bone in hot clear detail.
It had all blurred together, more accurately a torture in repetition that didn't end. He at one juncture or another had hoped someone came for him: Toren, one of those adventurers that made it a point to swing by his establishment regularly, perhaps even a random hero passing through town. But as the days dragged on, and the beatings didn't cease, hope long since deserted him.
It was no more awful than anything else by this stage.
And to top it all off, nobody came for him. His blacksmith shop was probably seized by now, as it was; no rent for a month? His landlord would have tossed his belongings out in the street-his precious tools and the weapons he slaved over. Rivyn had no family, no one to care if he disappeared, not even if he did. These monsters would have more than likely used them for leverage by now.
But in the pain, in the hunger, in the desperation, one thought was stronger inside his head: revenge-to take Kelmar down, to make him suffer like he had been suffering. The picture of this man crawling under him, helpless and trembling in front of his revenge, helped him survive. It wasn't until a couple of weeks into his captivity that the System had pulled one over. Halfway through one of those agonizing sessions, Rivyn heard that well-known chime in his ear as the System-which never before had interrupted his beatings-finally stepped in.
[New Skill Unlocked: Pain Resistance (1)]
[New Quest: Increase Pain Resistance to Level 2. Reward: 5 System Points.]
It had just popped into his vision, simply to float there and taunt him, some bad joke. A skill that would help him survive the pain. Not an avenue of escape, not a healing avenue-but something to help him endure the agony a little longer. At the time, it had made him laugh-a mad, bitter laugh that only seemed to amuse his captors more. But as the days wore on, and the beatings continued, Rivyn came to appreciate the skill more than he'd expected. It wasn't to rid himself of the pain, but it took the edge off. Now he could clear his head a little better through the mist of agony.
A few days later, another quest had been forwarded to him by the System, but this time something more physical.
[New Quest: Yank the chains 50 times daily. Reward: 3 System Point every 3 days.]
Impossible was what it had first seemed. He was weak and starved, barely having strength enough to lift his head let alone pull on the iron chains that fastened him. Yet desperation and stubbornness drove him to try. Laboriously, painfully, he had managed to pull the chains-straining against the iron restraints until his muscles screamed in protest. He had done it in days, even when the body screamed ached and even when his captors had beaten him to an inch of his life.
Now, after weeks of torture and suffering, Rivyn had finally gathered 65 System Points. That was a bitter accomplishment since he didn't have any way to spend them. Of what use were the System Points when he was chained up like an animal, body broken and mind teetering on the brink of a complete collapse?
The room fell silent. Today was different; somehow, things were not right. The masked men in their different attires had not turned up.
They came late-if they came at all. Rivyn did not have any way of telling the passing of time, yet his body knew: once every day, give or take a few hours, they came to beat him. He knew for sure that more than one day had passed since their last visit. His stomach growled angrily-the nagging hunger made his head whirl.
He did not remember when he ever had food, and pieces they gave him were barely enough to keep him alive, let alone make him strong.
He also hadn't pulled on the chains today. He was too weak, too tired. It would have been like every day's fight to keep him going but now that just seemed impossible. His vision blurred and his body went limp. He could feel all the exhaustion weighing him down, pulling him toward unconsciousness, his mind slipping in and out of focus. He thought of food, of an escape, of revenge—but mostly he thought of death.
Just as he was about to black out, the unmistakable sound echoed in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Host's life is detected to be in extreme danger.]
[Unlocking System Shop… ERROR… ERROR...]
[Host has not completed First Main Quest. Another Main Quest cannot be issued.]
[Merging two Main Quests. All progress will be reset. Would you like to continue?]
[Yes/No]
Rivyn stared at the screen, a blur to his eyes. He forced himself to laugh; it caught in his dry throat. There it was, the System, as it always did at desperate moments, as if it knew and wanted to offer him a bitter deal: Reset all progress? Cruel was even an understatement after all he went through and after all the work he put into becoming a master blacksmith-to lose it all now. He knew death was the alternative. This was his only chance.
He gave a weak smile, his lips cracking. What was he to do?
With spurt of his last strength, in his mind Rivyn said Yes.
[Host has unlocked System Shop. Anything can be bought with System Points.]
Rivyn blinked, frowning. The System Shop? It was a name he'd never heard before. A spurt of hope, as weak as it was, started to bubble in his chest. Was this it? His way out? To be able to buy his freedom? Healing? Where was the shop, he thought despairingly, even as his mind was racing.
The System spoke for the first time since he'd gotten himself stuck.
[Host only needs to think of the skill he wants.]
His heart skipped a beat. This was it, the moment when he could have anything-but what was he wanting most? His body was shattered, bones broken, muscles torn into pieces. He needed to heal. Angry, his growling stomach reminded him of his starvation, but he cast the thought away. He wasn't going to last much longer without attending to his body's more pressing needs.
Rivyn closed his eyes, centered himself, and concentrated.
[Would host like to fully heal his body? 50 System Points will be deducted.]
[Yes/No]
His breath caught. 50 points-that was nearly all he had. But he didn't fumble.
Yes,. In that moment that he willed it, his body was wracked with a spasm of agony. Every broken bone, every torn muscle, every bruise shrieking as they started to knit themselves back together. His twisted and bent leg - unnaturally - snapped back into its correct position with a sickening crack. His ribs shifted painfully, knitting together. His skin, pale and pulled taut over the sharp planes of his bones, took on a healthier hue; deep cuts and bruises fading.
Rivyn gritted his teeth, the pain almost unbearable as his body healed. He could feel his teeth regrowing in his mouth, hygiene returning as his hair cleaned itself and untangled. His nails restored, which had cracked and broken from weeks of torture. But worst was his leg, he thought, the leg he had given up on long ago. The bone twisted and bent back into its proper shape, and the pain was so bad that Rivyn screamed, the sound echoing off the stone walls.
His body bucked with the utter agony of it all, and just as he felt he could take no more, darkness washed over him. Swooning, he hung limp from the chains.
Other than Rivyn's soft, quiet breathing, the only sounds in the room were silent once more, his body now fully healed yet lying unconscious. His appearance had returned to normal once more, though he still hung from the chains, waiting for the horrors that would be awaiting him when he awoke.