As the system began to flood Adam's mind with memories, he started to sink into a state of panic and confusion. All the memories, all the pain, all the experiences came rushing into his mind.
Unable to process all the information, Adam's brain entered a state of coma.
To process everything, Adam's brain began playing Jacob's memories as a dream.
*Huh, what is happening? Fuck, my head hurts. Who the hell is that? Wait, is that Jacob?* Adam thought, looking down. A kid was sleeping on the bed below him.
*Blonde hair and sharp features. Yup, it's definitely Jacob, but why does he look that young?* Adam kept thinking, trying to make sense of the situation.
*The last thing I remember is the system asking if I wanted to experience his memories or take his skills, and I'm sure I picked memories. So, am I living through his memories now? That's the best explanation I have,* Adam thought, looking around, trying to interact with objects, but he couldn't.
*So I can just see? That confirms it. I'm experiencing his memories.* As Adam was thinking, there was a knocking sound on the door.
After a few knocks, the door opened. It was an old man, but his body was still in shape. His hair was white, but his face didn't have many wrinkles.
"Master Jacob, your father is calling you downstairs," the old man said, standing by Jacob's side.
*Why does this guy look so familiar? I'm sure I don't know him. These memories are getting hard to differentiate* Adam thought.
Jacob got up and went downstairs. Adam followed him like a ghost. Jacob exited the big house and finally saw a very tall man, at least 7ft, with a muscular body and arms covered in tattoos, exercising in the garden. He almost looked like a monster.
*Is this guy even human? With a body like that, I wonder what kind of exercise he does* Adam thought, staring at him.
*That's Jacob's father? No wonder he never got punished his father looks like the protagonist* Adam thought, still focused on his body.
"Jacob, didn't I tell you to wake up early every day and practice with me?" Jacob's father said. Even though he was calm, his voice held authority, making Adam flinch for a second.
"Y-Yes, father, but I can't keep up with you, and didn't you say I can wait until I get selected by the system?" Jacob said nervously, very different from how he acted at school. He was scared.
*System? Are they talking about the Killing System? No way I must have misheard something,* Adam thought, finally focusing on the conversation.
"Yeah, I said that, but looking at you, I don't think you'll ever get selected by the Killing System," Jacob's father said, with a hint of disappointment and anger in his voice.
*No way they are actually talking about the Killing System. Is Jacob's father also a player?* Adam thought, as multiple questions flooded his mind.
"But father, I'm doing exactly what you told me to. I bully kids at school. I even pushed my friend from the top of the school building, but nothing showed up," Jacob said, starting to cry.
"Well, I don't know how you get selected exactly, but listen, Jacob, just trust in your father and keep doing that. You should start practicing because even if it never shows up, you need to be prepared to live up to my legacy. Do you understand that?" Jacob's father said, coming closer and wiping his tears.
"Strong men don't cry in public. Didn't I already teach you that?" he said, comforting him.
*I didn't think his father would be this nice to him. His body and personality are completely opposite. Nevermind, I don't know him that well to say that,* Adam thought, looking around for more clues.
"Yeah, father, I'm just scared. What if I don't live up to your legacy? You know I'm not strong like you. I hate hurting people, especially my friends," Jacob said, looking his father in the eyes.
"Don't worry, son. You don't have to be like me. You just have to be the best version of yourself. You don't have to be someone I'm proud of, though that would make me happy you just have to be someone you can be proud of," Jacob's father said, hugging him.
*I never thought I would feel bad for him and I... I was the one who killed him,* Adam thought as he threw up.
*What was I thinking? I took someone's life. They were just as important as me. Why was I thinking of this as a game?* Adam thought, looking at his hands.
But before he could think more about it, he found himself in a different memory.
Adam was standing alone at the entrance of a house. *Wasn't I reliving his experiences? Why isn't he here?* As Adam thought that, Jacob much younger than last time opened the door and entered the house.
*I guess I'm in the past, so there's no real order to these memories,* Adam thought, following young Jacob.
"Mom, where are you? I'm home!" Jacob shouted.
"Strange. Where did mom go? Probably went out shopping," Jacob told himself, shrugging it off.
"Dad, I'm home!" Jacob shouted again, but got no response.
"Even dad's not home... Sweet! I'll just go to my room and play some games today," Jacob said, laughing and running towards his room. "Wait, I should check if they're really away. Mom would beat my ass if she caught me playing again," he said, turning towards his parents' room.
*The more I see these, the worse I feel for killing him,* Adam thought, a pained look on his face.
Jacob excitedly opened the door to his parents' room. It was completely dark. The first thing he noticed was a weird stench, so he turned on the lights.
He was met with absolute horror. His mom was lying on the bed, her head completely severed. The entire bed was covered in blood. The scene was so horrifying that even Adam was shaken.
Seeing this, Jacob was about to scream, but he couldn't a hand covered his face.
"Don't worry, son, it's alright. I was the one who did this," Jacob's dad said, gently removing his hand from Jacob's face.
"B-But wh-why, dad?" Jacob's voice was shaky. His father realized he was really scared, so he held his hand.
"It's alright, Jacob. You know I never do anything without a reason. I had a task to kill someone close, and you know I love you too much to ever harm you, so I had to kill her," Jacob's dad said, looking sad.
Adam was horrified by what he saw, but the thing that made him tear up was hearing Jacob screaming in his mind. Adam could feel his pain and anger.
Before Adam could calm down, more memories poured into him. All the emotions, even the pain and regret Jacob felt before dying Adam experienced all of them in a matter of seconds.
Finally, Adam snapped back to reality. *Fuck, that was a lot. It's crazy, but I think Jacob is pretty similar to me,* Adam thought, crashing onto his bed.
*After getting his memories, I feel like some part of me has become him. I saw a lot of memories, but most of them felt like a dream, and I don't even remember them well. But his mom's death... I could feel all his raw emotions. I can still feel the pain,* Adam thought, closing his eyes, but he quickly got up.
*I don't have time to waste. I already wasted time sleeping and recovering once. It's already been 10 hours since the incident. The cops might be here any minute. I have to make a run for it.*
Adam looked outside to check if the cops had arrived before leaving the house through the back door. *I'm not getting caught at least not until I avenge Clare and get a better understanding of this,* Adam thought.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar pop-up noise. He already knew what it was.
Killing System
Task 2: Kill a cop within a week
Reward: 3 stat points
Penalty: -5 stat points
*I was hoping it wouldn't show up, but the penalty isn't that bad like last time, so I could skip this one... No way. I need those stat points. I guess I'll figure something out along the way,* Adam thought, unsure of what to do, but certain that his life wasn't going to get any better.