"System, when you say subdue 20 individuals, do you mean killing them, defeating them, or manipulating them?"
"'Here, it means defeating 20 individuals, regardless of their category." "Hmm, that's good luck for me," Jack said as he looked at the clock and prepared to go to school. If his thinking was correct, he should find a group of older students seeking revenge on him for what he did to their friend. That means he can benefit from them financially, and now he can also obtain a free skill. He just hopes there are plenty of them.
"Are you sure he will come?" one of the older students spoke. "Yes, he told me to bring the whole group," another replied. "Has he lost his mind? What a lunatic! Hey, leader, I don't understand why you gathered us to deal with that brat." "It's simple," the leader spoke. "Because it will show every single dog among these brats that we don't spare anyone who dares to disrespect us." They laughed. "As you wish, leader, but will he actually come? Most likely, he's scared to death..." Just as he said that, Jack's figure appeared in front of the school gate. "Huh? He really came." "He doesn't value his life. Listen up, you..." Unfortunately, Jack didn't have time to listen to their words as he had a busy day ahead of him. So he decided to take action.
The student who spoke earlier received a blow to his stomach and a punch to his face, causing him to immediately lose consciousness. "You!" Jack took his cane and stabbed another student in the leg, tripping his friend who was behind him. Then, with a powerful punch, he dislocated the first student's jaw, knocking them both down and continued stomping on them with his uninjured foot before moving on to the next student, and then the next.
Jack, who had mastered the art of self-defense 300 times in 300 different worlds, would have no problem getting rid of some kids, even if he was injured and in a weak body. In just two minutes, the fight was over, with Jack bullying those students and making them spend their pocket money for information before allowing them to leave, half broken and devoid of willpower. Jack glanced at the reward tasks window. "Subdue 20 individuals: 10/20." Unfortunately, there were only ten, so he needed to find ten more students to bully. He quickly found some crawling students and completed the task with them. "Subdue 20 individuals: Task completed! Reward preparation in progress... Random skill acquired." "I obtained the Stealth skill!"
Stealth skill? Well, that's good luck. Maybe I can sneak into some places after gathering information about them. Amid his thoughts, Jack felt something moving inside him, or rather, within his soul. That was the first time he felt his soul withering away, although a more accurate description would be that it was devouring itself. But soon, the feeling of consumption faded, replaced by a sense of comfort and ecstasy. However, Jack didn't experience it. He held his heart tightly and gasped for breath.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
What was that? Perhaps if someone else went through this situation, they wouldn't think much of it and assume that this feeling was the price of power. But Jack didn't. He had lived for a long time and had been exposed to various forms of psychological damage, such as curses or cursed objects, all of which harm the soul, especially if it's weak. However, Jack, who had endured countless instances of such damage, had developed an unbreakable soul. For 500 lifetimes, he had not suffered any spiritual damage, thanks to the strength and resilience of his immortal soul. That's why it was unimaginable for him to feel that his soul was not only damaged but also devouring itself. The body dies and decomposes, but the soul goes to the other side, disappearing from the material world. It doesn't die but ceases to exist. So what fate awaits those whose souls die? They cannot reincarnate or live in the realm of spirits. They become non-existent...
This realization terrified Jack greatly. What kind of entity could devour his soul? After calming himself down, Jack decided to focus on the reward.
Name: ???
Curse Level: Observed
Skills: Stealth - Skill Description: You will be able to hide your presence from this world's entities, including appearance, scent, sounds, and memories. Duration of disappearance: one hour. Cooldown time: one week.
Main Mission: Discover the truth of this world.
Side Mission: Retrieve memories.
Reward Mission: Currently unavailable.
To hide my presence from the world? To hide memories? What does that mean, oh system?
"When this skill is used, you become no longer a part of this world. The entities of this world will not sense your presence and will forget that you ever existed."
So... when the disappearance period ends, will I return to being present for people?
"Yes."
Wonderful, this skill is useful. Let's see how best to use it. Jack sat in a quiet corner while all the students were engrossed in their trivial studies. Alright, let's see... a government facility where money cards are issued and citizens are monitored, a secret facility conducting experiments for the government, but unfortunately, no information about those experiments. Finally, extremist terrorist organizations with radical beliefs that operate in various countries, aiming to cause destruction and spread their corrupt ideas. Hmmm... that's what I have to start with. Using my new ability, I'll go to one of the government facilities to find a loophole in their financial system. Then, after thorough preparation, I'll search for the terrorist base in this country. I believe finding one of the secret facilities will be harder than the terrorist base, and I'll find a way to gather information about events in other countries as well. Looking at his wristwatch and his current state, Jack decides that he can start his small journey now without wasting any time.