John woke up from a rejuvenating sleep, stretching and yawning. He rose from the bed, took care of his needs, and stood before the sink after splashing his face with water.
'GOD, I wished all of that had been a dream. But it looks like it wasn't.' He sigh, then return to the bed to retrieve the tablet.
"Oh, I just remembered. It told me I can check the monster stats after killing five of them. There wasn't any notification, even though I've killed more than five," John muttered while unlocking the tablet.
(Time remaining in the safe house 2 hours 30 minutes)
"I slept for 9 and a half hours, hah! I thought I would sleep more, given I fought 6 monsters yesterday." He started to check his injures, "Oh right, I didn't feel any pain when I walked just now! Did I heal already?!"
"Nice" John exclaimed in elation, "all the superficial wounds and bruises healed. My back wounds almost healed. I love having superpower, if only I don't have to fight anything."
With nothing better to do, he turn on the tablet, "The shop, status screen, mo—wait a second, that wasn't here before. Monster data. Let's see."
He pressed on the icon, and the next screen showed:
(Monster data: You get data on the monsters you observed or killed.
Note: The required number of kills or observations varies depending on the monster species.
-- Wild-Fury.)
"So that's why there is no notification, it updated into this registry.
Let's see Wild-Fury stats. I won't lose anything" John murmured.
(Wild-Fury:
type: normal
level: 1
status:
Strength: 10
Agility: 7.5
Vitality: basic
intelligence: instinctive
skills: None)
"WAIT A SECOND!! WAIT A FREAKING SECOND!!" John's voice echoed in the empty room. "My stats are better, way better with my talent than this ugly thing. But I am still struggling so much?! It does not make sense."
"Let's calm down and think," John took a deep breath. "First, my stats or attributes or whatever—they are my physical qualities. It's like a person could have a lot of muscles but doesn't know how to use them properly. It's similar to how every human has more muscles in their legs than other parts of their body, but not all people can kick powerfully or fight using their legs without losing balance."
He scratched his head, thinking," If I think about it that way—then yes, it makes sense that I'm struggling."
John muttered in contemplation," With the frequent shifting of my attributes— and I just discovered that I have these talents—it's understandable that I'm clumsy and finding it super hard when fighting those monsters. I'm not utilizing my body and my talents fully."
He shrugged his shoulders, smirking. "It's been less than two days since I discovered I have a superpower-like talent. So, I should be excused—I think."
His stomach growled, ending his pondering time. 'I have 3 points left. Should I buy the 'Nutritious meal' with it, or buy an energy bar with 2 points and leave one for later? Mmm... Nah, I might die tomorrow for all I care. Let's buy the Nutritious meal,' John decided.
After finishing the delicious meal, he checked the remaining time and asked himself, 'What can I do now?' (time remaining is 1 hour 40 minutes).
'Theoretically, I can increase my basic stats by training, but I don't want to train physically now. I need my stamina and strength ready. So, do I need to solve algebra problems to increase my Intelligence stat?' John pondered in amusement.
As John's thoughts began to wander aimlessly to pass the time, a sudden notification flashed on the screen, abruptly cutting short his contemplations.
(A new mission is being issued ….)
His heart skipped a beat as soon he saw these words, exclaiming "WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!! Time is not up yet, why? "
The screen flickered, and the portal device whirred to life. The air in the room grew stifling and tense. Without warning, a bound, unconscious man was hurled from the portal onto the floor. Text appeared on the tablet.
(Mission: Kill the human.
Reward: Escape from the jungle.
Penalty: Five minutes of electric shock. The mission will repeat until completed.)
John's eyes widened reflecting both bewilderment and fright. 'What?!! Who is he?!! And why?'
(Time limit: 1 minute.)
"YOU MANIACS!" John roared, his voice hoarse with rage. "You don't expect me to kill a stranger without any reason."
The room suddenly pulsed with red light. A cold, mechanical voice echoed through the room:
(50 seconds remaining.)
John shouted, "Count all you want. I'm not moving."
The timer continued ticking, the second passed, but John appeared nonchalant about it.
(3 seconds remaining)
(2 seconds remaining)
(1 second remaining)
(Enforcing the penalty)
'AGHAAAA!' a scream escaped John as the electric shock passed through him. Twitching and convulsing on the bed, every second felt like an hour. His screams reverberated throughout the room.
He dropped to the ground while rolling and screaming his lungs out. The five minutes of torture finally ended. Gasping for breath, he cursed, "You inhuman bastards."
The robotic sound echoed again.
(Mission: Kill the human.
Reward: Escape from the jungle.
Penalty: Six minutes of electric shock. The mission will repeat until completed.)
"I WILL NOT DO IT, YOU BASTARDS!" John roared with defiance.
The countdown started anew.
(58 seconds remaining)
John stumbled as he tried to rise, moving toward the sword as time slipped away.
Holding the sword, John approached the door, declaring, "I will hack this door open and get out. I am not killing anyone."
He raised his sword as he shifted his attribute to strength (vitality 15 -->10, strength 9 -->14).
"HAA" With a forceful cry, he unleashed a powerful hack, but all he got was knockback from the force, leaving no trace of damage.
(32 seconds remaining)
'What is this door made of?' He stood up once more, hacking the door again, only to be knocked back again.
He repeated the same action again and again, his sweat and clenched jaw portrayed his determination.
(2 seconds remaining)
(1 seconds remaining)
(Enforcing the penalty)
"Aghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"
He shifted his attributes to vitality, hoping it could alleviate some of the pain. (strength 14 --> 9, vitality 10 --> 15)
Minutes passed as he spasmed on the cold ground screaming. After what felt like an eternity, the shock halted, but John's twitching did not.
"I kill you, bastards" John whispered, his voice trembling as he struggled to regain his strength.
The robotic nightmare was heard once again.
(Mission: Kill the human.
Reward: Escape from the jungle.
Penalty: Seven minutes of electric shock. The mission will repeat until completed.)
"I will not kill an innocent soul, you demons" John cursed as he tumbled to stand up.
(50 seconds remaining)
He held the sword tightly as he started to slash the door open again.
Hacking the door, dropping down, standing up, and hacking again. This cycle was repeated until the shock struck again.
(Enforcing the penalty)
He endured the excruciating pain again and again.
(Mission: Kill the human.
Reward: Escape from the jungle.
Penalty: Eight minutes of electric shock. The mission will repeat until completed.)
…
(Enforcing the penalty)
(Mission: Kill the human.
Reward: Escape from the jungle.
Penalty: Nine minutes of electric shock. The mission will repeat until completed.)
…
(Enforcing the penalty)
'I will not let them control who I am. I will not kill an innocent person, even if I die today.' That was the only thought that lingered in John's mind as he endured the pain, alone and hopeless.
An unrecognizable cold voice echoed in the room—different from the robotic sound— asking: "why are you refusing to get out? You already killed monsters, what the difference will it make if you had one more kill to get out?"
John's rage boiled over. "Are you the sicko behind this? You bastard! If you want him dead so badly, do it yourself!"
The voice calmly answered "What if I told you he killed a whole family of four?"
Skepticism filled John's voice, "And why would I believe anything you say? Maybe he got dragged here like I did, screw you."
The voice remained cold. "Then enjoy the shock."
Once more, the robotic sound issued the mission again.
(Mission: Kill the human.
Reward: Escape from the jungle.
Penalty: Ten minutes of electric shock. The mission will repeat until completed.)
John couldn't even muster the strength to stand as he lay there, waiting for the shock.
'Every millimeter of my body is in pain. Will this be my end?'
(Enforcing the penalty)
"Agaaaaaaaa"
(Mission: Kill the human.
Reward: Escape from the jungle.
Penalty: Eleven minutes of electric shock. The mission will repeat until completed.)
Quivering and convulsing from the excruciating experience, John thought 'Mom, Dad, your son's life is coming to an end. Thank you for everything you did for me. '
(Enforcing the penalty)
"Aghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" inhuman scream escaped john throat with every tissue of his body screaming in agony.
The indifferent voice, like a demon from hell, spoke again. "This is the last and final warning, do the mission or die"
The voice disappeared as quickly as it came, but it left lingering doom behind.
(Mission: Kill the human.
Reward: Escape from the jungle.
Penalty: DEATH.
Time limit: Five minutes.)
As John lay there, waiting for his doom, his mind, in a desperate attempt to find solace, wandered back to a memory etched deep within him.
Time seemed to slow as John's eyes blurred, a memory from his childhood surfaced. It might not sound like much to some, but for John, it was a lifelong lesson.
In middle school, a boy with autism had transferred to John's school. John didn't know what autism was back then, but he knew the kid was different. The kid was smart, his head was filled with knowledge even teachers didn't some of the staff he knew.
That was very impressive for John, who considered himself smart as well. However, the kid seemed awkward and different in anything else that have no connection to knowledge which made him an easy target for bullies.
At first, John kept his distance. He didn't join in their bullying, but he also didn't step in to stop it. But one day during lunch, a group of boys started shoving the kid around.
John was among the spectators, just as usual. He stood there, not saying anything. Until the group started saying they saw the kid undressed in the toilet while laughing and jeering at him.
That was when something snapped inside John. He rushed forward, planting himself between the kid and the group. They stopped. Shocked, confused, but clearly not deterred. "What do you think you're doing, John?" one of the bullies sneered.
John's fists clenched tight. "Leave him alone!" he shouted, his voice shaking with rage. The bully laughed, stepping closer. "What? You gonna hit me?" He was confident John wouldn't.
And he was right. No matter how angry John got, he never hit anyone. But that day, he throwed his caution to wind and hit the bully in the face.
In the ensuing fight, John endured several blows and insults. Despite his injuries, he felt a strange sense of relief. When John got home, he told his father what happened, expecting his father to scold him.
He looked John in the eyes and said, "Son, you have to do what is right, always. even if everyone around you is doing the opposite. Don't follow the crowd. be the person who does the right thing, whether others are doing it or not. No matter what happens, never do evil just because others are doing it. You are responsible for your actions; engrain this value in your heart."
John's father stretched his hand and gently ruffled John's hair as he continued with eyes full of love, "If you become a friend with this kid, it will be even better. So, stop fearing those fools and always do what is right."
The memory ended with the last line engraved in John's brain.
(10 seconds remaining).