“Are you okay?” A feminine voice asked. Riley’s head whipped in the direction of the voice. It was Charlie; she was wearing regular clothes. She’s wearing a plain black jacket with sweatpants. “Yes, I am okay. Thanks for asking,” Riley’s lips curled into a soft, melancholy smile. “Riley, is it? You look a bit ruffled up,” Charlie’s hand was inside her pockets, and she tilted her head in curiosity. Riley had to think fast. “Y-yes, I came back from an E-Rank portal!” Riley shifts awkwardly. “Ah, okay. Stay safe,” Charlie said. Riley nodded and headed on his way.

Charlie stared at Riley’s retreating, lithe form. “There’s something… wrong. I can feel it,” Charlie muttered herself before heading on her way. Riley continued walking until he realized something. “I can’t sell the C-Rank cores! Shit. Now, I have these cores that I can’t sell,” Riley sighed. He headed back to his motel. Riley arrives at the motel; he enters his room. He plopped himself on the bed, groaning on the bed sheets. He breathes slowly.

Charlie arrives at the agency; she quickly goes to the 5th floor. Her guild members greet her, but she pays no mind to it. After the elevator reaches the final floor, she quickly gets off. She enters her office. She opens up her laptop. “Luckily, I have access to the hunter’s database. Lucky to be one of the biggest guilds,” Charlie smirked to herself. She quickly types “Riley” into the database. “Shit. I don’t have his last name. Ugh, such a pain…” Charlie runs a hand through her red locks. “Let’s see… he has long black hair, long lashes, plush lips, slender form…”

Charlie scrolls through the database. After a few minutes of scrolling, she stopped. She slumps down on her chair. “I don’t have time for this. I’ll let Chris do it,” Charlie stands up and leaves her office. Riley orders some fried chicken. He sits on his bed, his hair cascading down his face. Riley remembers the day he was about to retire.

[Past]

Ring! Ring! “Hello, Mr. Whitlock,” Riley picked up the phone. He knew who it was immediately. “Hello, President Charles,” Riley answered. It was his 65th birthday. He stood in his penthouse, all alone. He looked at the large window; it was the city, bustling with pedestrians and cars. “Are you sure that you want to retire? You just reached the minimum retirement,” Charles asked reassuringly. Riley stood quiet for a few seconds before answering. “Yes, I am sure. I do not want to be a Hunter anymore,” Riley pours himself expensive wine. He grabs the wine glass and slowly drinks it, savoring the taste. The wine smoothly slithers down his throat.

“Very well, Mr. Whitlock. Have a great night,” beep! Charles hung up. Riley sighs and pours himself another glass. He looks at his family portrait; he’s truly alone. He picks the frame up, his lips curled into a somber smile. “Look, mom and dad. Your RiRi grew up. Only if I awakened, I would’ve saved you,” Riley closed his eyes and placed the frame back. He drinks the wine and sits down. “Open System,” Riley muttered.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

System:

[Name: Riley Whitlock]

[Strength: 100(+3)]

[Speed: 103 (+4)]

[Magic: 95 (+3)]

Skills: [One Slash, One Life], [The Threads of Life], [Hack n Slash], [Pierce], [The First Form of the Flame], [The Second Form of the Flame], [The Third Form of the Flame], [Sonic Boom]

“Tch. Even for training for my whole life as a Hunter. The highest I could ever bring was a plus four,” Riley sighed. He ran his hand through his hair. “Riley walked towards his king-sized bed; he lays on it. He slowly closed his eyes, the sleep taking over his body. “If only I returned… I wouldn’t be such a loner,” Riley muttered before forgetting the thought.

[Present]

“I was drinking wine, President Charles called me, and I slept. Did I say something? What did I say before sleeping? I can’t remember…” Riley rubbed his temples. Knock! Knock! Riley’s head snapped to the door. He stands up and peeks through the eyehole. It was the delivery man; he opened the door. “Hello, ma’am! It’s 20$!” The delivery man smiled warmly. Riley hands him a $20 note. He was too hungry to correct the delivery man. He grabbed the food and closed the door. He placed the fried chicken on the counter. He opened the package and started eating it from the box.

Riley savored the fried chicken; it was the best spot he knew. “Delicious! Just like I remember,” Riley licks his fingers. He finished eating. Knock! Knock! Riley sauntered over to the door. He looked through the eyehole; he saw no one. Riley raised his eyebrow and slowly opened the door. Riley’s eyes widened; the sky’s hue was red. Cloud covers the sky; lightning strikes on the ground. Riley’s heart beats fast. His breath gets heavier and heavier. “No, why, why am I back?”

New Quest!

[Quest: Survive (0/12 Hours)]

Riley’s ears perked up when he heard people scream and run. “This is how my parents died. Why. Am. I. Back,” Riley muttered. Riley drew his sword; he turned around and saw his motel door blocked off. Riley walks down the stairs; he vividly remembers where his parents died. He starts running; he shoves the people in his way. The ground in front of Riley was sucked in.

It was massive, with no eyes. The sandworm had only a mouth; Riley tried to slice the sandworm. “Shit!” Riley grits his teeth; the sword wouldn’t graze the skin. The sandworm lunged with incredible speed; Riley rolled to the side. The sandworm consumed the ground and slithered underground. It popped out, consuming a handful of people. Riley fell on his ass; his sword clatters on the ground. A bead of sweat slithered down his forehead. Just then, as the sandworm prepared to lunge. Its body was cut in half. Riley’s eyes widened at the person.

It was the former S-Rank, Ki Ulseong. “You okay?” Uljeong asked. His lips curled into a soft smile. “Ah… yes, thank you,” Riley stood up. “Good, I’m Ulse—“ the ground underneath Ulseong split. A giant shadow loomed over Riley’s slender frame.