The eyes of the injured cat flickered with madness and viciousness. The stubborn prey had not died yet. Ignoring the blood pouring out of its body with every step, it continued inching towards the faintly glowing treasure box on its trembling and shaky limbs.
Blood poured down his back, seeping through his jacket. The crusted green and blue blood on his coat was now doused red. He could no longer feel anything from his shoulder down, and his body felt like it was attached to 50 kilos of lead. However, he didn’t feel despair.
Peter spat, “Stare at me like that, and I’ll gouge your eyes out.” The cat seemed to understand Peter’s words and retaliated with a feeble hiss.
The claws inched closer and closer to Peter. Finally, when he noticed that the cat was less than a foot away, Peter began to squirm towards the box with whatever remaining strength he could muster.
After 20 seconds of squirming, a thud reverberated in the aisle. The two locked eyes again now six-inches apart from each other. Except, this time, Peter didn’t have to tilt his head up to stare. Landing on its stomach, the cat’s body weight created a tremor nudged the box ever so slightly forward. The latch on the treasure box now sat an inch away from his face. Stretching his tongue out, Peter’s tongue pushed up against latch.
“Kacha!”
The treasure box disappeared, and the potion rolled onto Peter’s lips. Finally, all the secret folders on his laptop and adult mags in the corner of his teenage room came full circle. This was no time to feel embarrassed – he had to use his mouth.
“HAHAHAHA I live, I’m the final one standin’!” Peter cackled like a madman, who had just found water in the middle of the desert. His wounds regenerated at breakneck speed. The bone-deep laceration gradually disappeared as muscle and skin tissue were being reconnected. Feeling movement in his legs again, Peter grinned with his teeth bared at the dying cat.
“I guess lady luck is on my side.”
Pushing himself up, Peter grabbed his [Bloody Machete] on the side and walked towards dead cat limping on the floor. Peter curled his lip upwards and brought his [Blood Machete] to its neck. Unwilling to accept its fate, the cat thrashed and attempted to pick itself back up twice.
“Even PETA can’t save you from me now.”
It was a quick death – a full-powered swing to the brain.
Eyeing the white glow underneath the corpse, Peter wasn’t polite and flipped the cat over. The cat weighed at least three hundred pounds, but surprisingly Peter only felt a slight strain lifting it.
Hmm, I really have to find a way to test my limits. How much power does 13 STR really add?
“Shing!”
[Ghost Walk – Rare]
[Passive: Minimize noise during movement.]
[Active: Become transparent and masks all odor for 5 seconds. 25 mana.]
Reading the skill description, Peter was confident that the cat had used this skill to sneak up on him. The skill also countered his [Mind’s Eye] because it blocked sight and smell while reducing sound.
With a delightful glee in his eye, Peter squeezed the book in his hands and waited. Similar to his first experience with Mind’s Eye, a rush of information flooded his brain. Prepared for the pain this time around, he winced for several seconds before categorizing his new memories.
Opening his eyes, he tried using the skill [Ghost Walk].
I don’t feel any different.
After the time expired, Peter felt a slight tug. The transition from incorporeal to corporeal felt like emerging from a pool.
“Well, considering how its pitch black in here, I guess there’s no way I would’ve noticed that I was invisible.” Remembering that James was still waiting in the car, Peter stuffed all the still intact plastic-wrapped food and canned food he could find into plastic bags.
“This is neat. And this, ooh this too.” Peter began dumping everything edible into his bags. It wasn’t long before he found aisle 19, and his eyes glittered with sheer joy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Peter?”
“Open up James, I have your dinner.” After Peter threw the plastic bags in the backseat, James looked at Peter in amazement and asked, “That was fast. Were there any monsters in there?” Peter replied with a smirk, “Probably four dozen jungle cats and one big bad one.”
“Jun-jungl..e cats?” James stuttered. “Yeah, ferocious cats as big and strong as tigers. Sharp teeth and long claws. The biggest cat was 5 meters long. Super jacked, it definitely knew which supplements and creatine to use for its pre-workout.” After hearing Peter narrate his cat-genocide, James’ face turned pale as he looked at Peter with a horrified expression.
“Really?”
“Of course! What, were you hoping that I died in there James?” Peter replied with an exaggerated deadpan face.
James gulped and replied with a sheepish smile, “No. I’m so glad you are alive!” Peter reached into the back of the car.
“Here’s the real treasure I found,” Peter said with excitement in his voice. He pulled out the only 2 bottles of Jack Daniel he found intact in the store. Eager to share, he offered James a glass of whiskey.
“No, I don’t drink.” James rebuffed. “Well that’s disappointing.” Peter put the glass cup back and drank from the bottle. As Peter was drinking, James started stuffing his mouth with canned beans and pre-cooked rice from the market. Seeing James shove food into his mouth like a beast, Peter mocked, “What happened to your manners, family man?”
Flushed with embarrassment, James complained, “I had to work late! And, I only had coffee on my way back until this all happened.” Pointing at the coffee cup sitting on the cup holder, James’ became more confident in his excuse.
“Thou shall be holy” Peter mocked again before starting up the car.
“Wait! Wait! You just drank!” Ignoring James’ tense facial expression, Peter laughed, “Yeah, just a sip relax.” Putting the cap back on, Peter carefully set the bottle in the cup holder and pulled the car out the alleyway.
“Where are we going now?”
“Jersey.”
“Why..? Jersey?”
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
“Cuz I said so.”
“But… but…”
“No buts James, I got you food already and fulfilled my end of the bargain. Now, we do what I say.”
Driving back to the neighborhood, Peter saw complete chaos. Roaring flames could be seen on nearly every block, and monsters had turned the streets into their private playgrounds. There were even some humanoid beasts that resembled orcs. Seeing no way to drive past the goblins, Peter pulled the Mercedes over and parked it by an alleyway out of sight.
Peter took out his phone and turned it on. After the jingle, Peter decided to finally read that last message.
Message Time: JAN.1st.2020 (12:00.00AM)
Welcome to YOUR New World!
Your planet’s Pantheon of Gods has fallen and left no contingency plan for you all. Therefore, this planet will be officially managed by the SYSTEM until further notice.
1. Status windows will be implemented in 12 hours.
2. All non-system weapons will be confiscated in 12 hours.
-No Other Messages-
Well at least I know what the hell is going on now.
“HELLLP! HELP US PLEASE!”
From a distance, Peter saw a group of teenagers in ragged clothing running out from an apartment chased by a pack of green goblins holding small daggers and some with a bow and arrow. The screaming teenager had tears running down his eyes and was covered in green blood. Looking at the rest of the group, they weren’t much different. However, there was one teenager that stood out.
She had raven black hair tied into a ponytail, sharp black eyes, and a delicate nose. Although she wasn’t the tallest in her group, her fearlessness and deft sword maneuvers gave her an aura that overshadowed the rest. Forging a path for the group, she shouted, “RUN! Hurry up!”
“She’s pretty brave.” Peter felt conflicted. Given the message he just read, he could feel that the situation was going to get worse very quickly. His first priorty was to make sure that he was in Jersey before things were out of his hands. There was someone he absolutely had to see.
“Peter, aren’t you going to help them? They are kids!” James nudged
“Shut up, not my problem,” Peter rebuffed
“Wait, I think I see my son! Peter that’s my son!” James cried repeatedly
“These kids could become liabilities… but then again, when did I become so cold-hearted? She could be worth the trouble. Alright, let’s do it.” Peter mumbled as he calculated the pros and cons in his head.
Deciding against his better judgment, Peter turned to James, “James, stay near the car no matter what. Kill anything that gets close, got it?”
Before James could respond, Peter circled around the pack of goblins and flanked them from the side. He lured away groups of four or five goblins in the backline away from the main group and dispatched them to hell.
Hearing fewer shrieking noises, the leading teenager looked to the backline on her left and noticed a figure hacking away at the goblins. The pack of goblins reduced from almost three dozen to a dozen in 6 minutes. At this point, the teenagers, tired from running, turned around and started punching and kicking at the goblins. Their fear turned into war cries.
Watching the teenagers fight back, Peter stood on the sidelines and nodded.
Hmm, maybe I was wrong. They could come in useful. Traveling in a team will be safer.
With that mindset, he only acted when they were in trouble. After the dust settled and the teenagers caught their breath, they finally noticed the man standing on the sideline.
“Sir… Thank you for saving my friends and me!”
Peter looked at the blonde teenager and nodded. He counted seven teenagers, four boys, and three girls, each exhausted and ragged.
“My name is Olivia Chan. Thank you for helping us.” Peter looked at Olivia, the Asian teenager who bravely wielded the sword from earlier and replied, “Its fine. I just didn’t want to see a group of brats die.”
Olivia inched closer to Peter and looked up with a squint in her gaze. Her neck craned back as she looked up at Peter who was almost a head taller.
“Why are you so close to me?”
Olivia blushed and then scurried back to apologize. “Sorry, I wanted to get a good look at your face. I’m nearsighted, and I lost my glasses earlier.” Peter found this situation amusing. A nearsighted girl wielding a sword.
Choking out a laugh, the group’s atmosphere eased a bit. Olivia flushed red as everyone else in the group also joined in the playful banter.
Before Peter could react, a pole exited straight through Olivia’s chest with the end of the pole nicking Peter in the chest. Olivia’s eyes bulged, but she didn’t even have time to cry before she fell down dead. The group gasped, and everyone looked at the direction where the pole came from. The flames surrounding the creatures holding the upper ground across the street revealed their hideous figures. The two creatures were almost twice the size of a goblin, packed on more muscle, and had pointed sharp ears.
[Hobgoblin LV: 10] [Hobgoblin LV: 11]
The group had been running for the past ten minutes away from the pack of goblins and they were exhausted. To make the situation worse, their leader was now also dead. The group’s morale was crushed.
“O..li..via…” “Oli..via?” “OLIVia!”
The group panicked and two of the teenage boys broke down, crying on the floor. The hobgoblins smirked at the group until they locked eyes with Peter. His expression slowly warped into one of wrath as his brain began to process Olivia’s death.
Peter’s eyes never left Olivia from the moment she got struck by the pole. His mouth agape in shock, and his eyes blazing furiously. Even though the pole only nicked him in the chest, he felt the air in his lung escaping his body.
She died right in front of me. She’s not even an adult, this shouldn’t… RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!! HOW DARE YOU?!?
His pupils dilated as he gazed into the pale face warped by fear and sadness from an untimely death. The whites of his eye turned bloodshot. His body trembled with rage, and his arms began to bulge with veins squirming. The [Ring of STR] filled his body with STR and sapped away his stamina.
“Die!” he growled
His image flickered, and he was gone. The concrete beneath his original spot shattered with a spiderweb-like pattern left behind. The two laughing hobgoblins saw a shadow appear a second later. Their laughter came to a shrieking halt as they attempted to raise their hands to block the blade. The blade vanished again.
Puchi!
Blood spattered everywhere. The two hobgoblins clasped their necks only to feel despair, watching their green blood gush out through their fingers. Peter’s figure suddenly reappeared in front of the two hobgoblins as he watched the life drain from their eyes.
As the two hobgoblins dropped to the floor, one of the girls from the group picked up Olivia’s sword. Her short black hair bobbed in the wind as she ran towards Peter. Turning his head, Peter noticed a maddening pair of brown eyes and petite frame running towards him with a sword in hand.
Puchi! Puchi!
“That’s for my best friend! That’s for my sister! That’s for my mom! That’s for my dad!”
She repeatedly stabbed at the hobgoblins despite being out of breath. She didn’t stop until Peter put his hand over her shoulder. The girl finally slumped to the floor, crying with uneven breaths. Peter also felt his chest become lighter as the girl vented her emotions. The rest of the group quietly sniffled and looked on with sympathetic looks at the girl on the floor. Peter frowned at the haggard teenage group.
“Brats. If you want to live then you all better adapt to this new world. Quickly.” He said in a slow, but firm voice.
Peter turned around, but before he could move, the girl with the bob-cut tugged his jacket. “Can… can we come with you?” Peter tipped his head and shot a profound look at her eyes that burned with fury and pain.
~Flash Back~
~2009 – Basra, Iraq – Sinbad’s Port (Military Base) ~
“First Lieutenant Karr, for your heroism in Basra you will be pardoned for your crime of insubordination, but you will still be relieved of your post.”
With his jaws tightly clenched and his heart smoldering with rage, he stared at the four older men across the table inside the improvised tent. The soles of his boots dug into the dirt floor, but he couldn’t ignore the military uniform fastened with badges of higher rank.
“You are relieved of any further duty. Pack your stuff and get out.” A gruff voice spat.
~Flash Back End~
His eyes had a cloudy look. He didn’t care for the group but the anger and fear in their eyes changed his mind.
Fear and anger go well together. They’re also young, so if properly guided, they can become good mercs.
Peter mentally noted. At the same time, Peter calculated the food consumption of such a large group and the fact that there were only 2 people that would fit in the backseat, 3 if you crammed.
“The car has 2 spots. Decide amongst yourself who will come.” Peter said coldly. He wanted to test them. Those who would take the leap of faith were worth investing in.
A small, feminine voice from the back spoke up, “No. Olivia would’ve wanted us to stay together. Survive together.” The blonde teenager with a thumb-sized wound on his right eye added, “That’s right. That’s what she would’ve wanted.” Then he looked at the girl with the bob-cut and made a pleading expression.
One of the two teenagers who fell earlier muttered, “No, no please! Please sir! I want to go with you!”
Seeing the resemblance between James and this boy, Peter smiled.
The group split into two factions, one led by the girl with the bob-cut and the other by the blonde teenager. Peter was rather pleased with how decisive the girl with the bob-cut split from the group.
Now we need to temper that anger and transform the fear into courage.
He understood how much pain she was in. He knew that she needed to find a goal; otherwise, the anger would fade quickly. The former group that decided to stay as a team bid the other two goodbyes. The girl with the bob-cut and the sniveling teenager stood behind Peter.
Turning around, he put on his most polite smile and asked, “My name's Peter. What's your name?”