“Lord Ryze, I have my own family to take care of. My brother’s debts start and end with himself. My wife and I have nothing to do with his actions. Please be magnanimous, my lord.” John politely requested.

The strapping farmer’s head was bowed with his forehead touching the dirt ground. In front of him stood the haughty Lord Ryze and his family’s knights. Lord Ryze looked down on the pathetic worm before quickly focusing his gaze on the true reason for visiting this peasant. His eyes met the beautiful, homely woman peering from the door of the shack they call a house out here. Her body was filled out in all the right places with a youthful face that could satisfy him for years to come.

“Magnanimous, huh? I wonder where a pitiful oaf like you heard of such a word. It's insulting to me that you would think that I'm being anything but magnanimous!” Lord Ryze spat.

“Please be magnanimous, my lord!” John raised his voice.

Not too far away, various villagers began to crowd together and come toward John’s home. A twisted look of disgust appeared on Lord Ryze’s face as he realized the peasant’s purpose in raising his voice. In a moment of uncontrollable rage, Lord Ryze kicked John in the head and sent him on his back.

“Teach this fool a lesson for daring to scheme against this Lord.” Ryze ordered his guards.

Without any words or remarks, the two knights began to violently stomp and kick the downed farmer. The nearby villagers watched in horror and confusion. What could have John done to upset the Lord? Lord Ryze turned to the watching crowd and gained their attention.

“This is the punishment for failing to uphold the values one should have as a human being!” Lord Ryze said nothing more than that.

His words only sowed deep bewilderment through the village of farmers. While John was not close to the other villagers on account of his cursed wife, it wasn’t as if they believed he or his wife were evil people. Just bad luck to be around. Perhaps even this reason was enough to be beaten for...

In the middle of John’s punishment, his wife came running out of the house. She tried to use her body to protect him from getting hurt further but how could a young woman stand against two soldiers in their prime? With little effort, she was kicked away as they continued to stomp and beat John into a crumpled mess on the ground. Her mouth seemed to be screaming something with all her heart but the only thing that came out of it was saliva.

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John’s wife was mute! Lord Ryze’s interest in the woman peaked upon this realization. A woman as attractive as this that wouldn’t be able to nag or scream at him? Ryze must absolutely take this woman!

“Stop.” Ryze commanded his guards. “On account of your wife’s selflessness and good character, I'm willing to compromise with you, farmer. I’ll borrow your wife as a temporary... servant. When I'm finished with her, you’ll have her returned and your brother’s debts will be no problem of yours going forward. Guards, grab her.” Lord Ryze ordered.

John didn’t get the opportunity to reply, speak, or argue. Lydia was captured kicking and struggling. As she was being taken away, John’s eyes narrowed into a furious glare despite his body’s heavily injured state. A glare that wished it could kill just through sight. Seeing his wife being taken by the lord with a perverted look on his face as he looked at his wife, John didn’t care about the social hierarchy anymore. He let his emotions reign free as he contemplated murdering Lord Ryze.

None of the villagers moved to help at all but continued to watch as uninvolved bystanders. John took notice of this as he pushed his broken and bruised body off the ground. It took several seconds and attempts to rise back to his feet but eventually he did it. He limped his way back into his home and left the door open behind him.

On the kitchen table, there was a purple fruit. A type of fruit that John has never seen or heard of before. John received this fruit through means he couldn’t explain even if he was asked with a sword at his throat. This fruit was given to him as a reward from the x100 Feedback System. John didn’t name it that but that was what the strange voice in his head named itself.

Without hesitation, John bit into the fruit like a ravenous animal. This fruit was the result of a 100x reward from the system! He was intending to grow it in his field to sell for money but his wife needed him right now. John didn’t have the time to wait.

In an instant, John dropped to the floor, clutching his heart. He tried to scream as the pain attacked him from inside and out, but no sound came as his limbs flailed around without control. In mere seconds, John’s body was being remade in a horrifying manner. Protruding veins, the sounds of bones breaking and mending, blackish blood leaking from multiple orifices, and nothing but the sound of John’s rapidly beating heart could be heard by him.

Just as soon as the torture came, it was over. John mindlessly stared at his ceiling as his newly reformed brain was trying to process the experience he just went through. Until he remembered his wife. With a jump, John got back to his feet as he went to grab one of his tools. He certainly couldn’t face Lord Ryze’s soldiers without a weapon to defend himself.