Riley looked at the woman who was now fighting the hellhound. The women used fire-like spells.

[Hell’s Overture]

Riley’s eyes widened as a giant fire beam was summoned under the beast’s paws. Riley’s eyes twinkled as the fire completely demolished the beast; his eyes panned back to the woman. He noticed that she had a sword holstered; Riley’s mind was processing this information. It finally clicks; he knows who this person is. This is Charlie Rutherford, the fiery swordswoman. Charlie was a mage genius; she quickly rose to S-rank due to her magic and diligence as a swordswoman. This was known as ‘Magical Swordsman.’ Charlie turned her gaze back to the young man beneath her. She crouches down at his level and reaches her hand out.

“You’re okay, right?” She smiles; Riley takes her hand and stands up. He swabs the clouds of dust off his clothes. “Are you the... leader?” Charlie asked; Riley shook his head. “I am a ‘Crystal Miner;’ all my members are dead; here’s my license,” Riley answered as he took out his mining license. He hands it to her; she analyzes it. “Ah, well, it’s an unfortunate accident... I should’ve arrived sooner. Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Whitlock; let’s get you out of this musty cave,” Charlie said as she led Riley out of the cave.

They exit the cave; Charlie gestures for Riley to enter the car. Riley stands there for a few seconds before he finally enters. The long car ride home was silent—so quiet that if you dropped a pencil. That’s the only noise you’ll hear. They finally reach the agency; Riley steps out of the car. His injuries are still prominent; he looks at his bloody and bruised arm. “This is my agency, the ‘Phoenix Guild.’” Charlie said as she entered the agency; Riley followed after. He looks around and sees many hunters that seem high-ranking. They arrived at a private clinic; the doctor healed Riley’s injuries by using healing magic.

“You should tell the agency about this situation. They will reimburse you; good day, Mr. Whitlock,” Charlie said as she wrote a note. “No. How much was the contract?” Charlie suddenly asked; Riley stood quiet. “200 dollars,” Ryan replied; Charlie looked into Riley’s eyes. “What’s your bank account? I’ll wire you the money,” Charlie asked; Riley nodded and gave her the bank account. “I’ll be sending it shortly, Mr. Whitlock. Go home and rest,” Charlie said with a hint of authority. “Thank you,” Riley replied as he exited the agency.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Riley arrived at his apartment; life was weird without having the system. Almost everyone has a system, and why is he stuck without one for one stupid mistake? He laid down on his air mattress; he stared at the ceiling. He felt a vibration inside his pocket; he took out his phone. His eyes widened at the notification. He had received “1,000 dollars” wired from the ‘Phoenix Guild; his lips curled into a smile. He can finally order something without worrying too much about the price. He can finally eat something that’s not noodles.

“That man... smells quite nice. He doesn’t have that foul stench that most hunters have. He doesn’t reek from blood. I hope we meet in the future once again... Riley Whitlock.”

Riley picked up the inside of his ear; he blew it off. “Is someone talking about me?” Riley jokingly said; he had ordered some pepperoni pizza; he was eating well. Riley takes a bite of the cheesy pizza—a taste that he hasn’t felt in a few months. A few hours had passed; it was now nighttime. Riley lay on his mattress, looking up at the ceiling. His eyes came down to a shut.

Bzzz! Bzzz!

A fly buzzed around Riley’s room; the sunlight seethed from the window. Riley swatted the fly away; he sat up and ran his hand through his black locks. Another day to be a ‘Crystal Miner.’ It’s a pain, but he needed the money. He thought about his past; he had the system, money, and power. Now he has nothing. He almost died yesterday; good thing that woman saved him. His plan was simple: get money and buy a sword. However, he can’t do this if he doesn’t have a Hunter's license; he needs to be awakened.

He dressed up and headed outside. He walked through the bustling streets; his eyes widened as he heard growls and screams. The sky’s hue turned to a darkish red; he turned around and saw a ‘Portal Leak.’ A ‘Portal Leak’ is when a portal cracks through the world; monsters leak out of the portal. He clenched his fist; he remembered this vividly from his childhood. This is how his parents died, but why now? This didn’t happen in his past, so why is it happening now? Is this what they call the butterfly effect? An alarm blared throughout the S-district. He saw goblins, trolls, orcs, dire wolves, and kobolds. Blood stanched the air; blood marked the floors.

Riley instinctively tried to pull out his sword; he had none. There’s nothing he can do but watch this bloody massacre. “What the hell are you doing?! Run back, civilian!” Riley snapped out of his thoughts as he heard some hunters telling him to run back. He turned around and ran like hell.

Clink clank!

He turned his head around and saw a bloody sword rolling towards him. He looked at the hunters who were now dead; the goblins tore them apart. “Warning! Warning! A B-rank portal has leaked! Please evacuate the scene!” The alarm kept saying as people ran; he looked at the worn crummy sword. He picked it up; it was bad quality, but it worked. He looked at the goblins who were snickering. The goblins approached Riley; Riley closed his eyes and steadied his breath.

[The Threads of Life]

Riley opened his eyes; he was behind the goblins. The horde of goblins’s bodies was cut in half; blood stained the sword. He looked at the stains; he laughed maniacally; this was the best feeling. This is why—why’s he the ‘Mad Swordsman.’ He heard more screeching; he bolted toward the sounds, clenching the handle tightly.

“I am back! You sonnavabitches!”