Fred continued to stand on the wall taking in the sight of the burning town. bodies strewn carelessly throughout the streets. From the biting smoke in his lungs to the scent of dead fear. It was nothing but nostalgic. Okay. Almost done. All I need to do now is take the walls down. Fred slammed his foot into the stone wall he was standing on. Collapsing it. He noted that the wall was hollow. He ran through the inside of the wall, destroying all the small columns that spread throughout the middle of the inside of the wall. Just moving fast enough so that the wall did not collapse on top of him. In a matter of minutes the wall was destroyed leaving nothing but a pile of rubble and ruins where a village once was.

Village destroyed. 10,000 xp gained.

Level up! Please invest attribute points.

As soon as the screens appeared in his vison Fred froze in place, his eyes losing focus as he stared off into the distance. Show me status screen.

Name: Fred Frederickson

Level: 3

Stats:

Strength 52

Dexterity 52

Constitution 52

Perception 32

Magic 14

Wisdom 0

Attribute Points: 4

Fred nodded. Good. Very good. My stats are increasing speedily. With this de-level and my current stats I’m going to get a lot of easy strength. And I even have that trait I got a few months ago which buffs all stats per level. Let’s see. Today I’m feeling two into dexterity and two into Strength.

Error: Insufficient training to invest stats.

Error: No body cultivation technique.

Fred’s eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets. As he stared at the error messages, No. A small whimper escaped his throat. NO! I can’t increase my stats. Fred fell onto the ground, looking at the sky in fear. But I have to get stronger. Pricking his skin, pumping ice into his veins was death. I have too! A howl whipped through his mind. WAIT! I can still gain strength with the feral trait. All I have to do is obtain this. ‘Body cultivation technique.’ And figure out how to get training. First thing I need to know. System what is a body cultivation technique?

?

Oh, so you won’t tell me that to! “AHHH!” Fred slammed his foot into the ground displacing a large cloud of dirt. We’ll do that later, I guess. Right now, I still need to get stronger. Always stronger. Fred walked out of the rubble of the village and into the forest. He looked at the barrier where the Forest began, and the village ended. Here I go. He walked into the forest with nothing but his birthday suit. There was no sound in the forest. Fred paid it no mind just walking at a leisurely pace not doing much of anything. I’m far enough in. I should start the killing now. Fred looked at the trees his face mired with rage. He raised his fist getting ready to rend. Only to lower them, I don’t want to destroy this forest. I guess I’ll just leave it be. He flew back first into a tree, causing it to shake with his impact, a gash across his chest. Fred glanced up at the source of the wound, A large tiger the size of a small house stood Infront of Fred. Glaring at him with its red eyes.

New stat discovered. Karmic luck.

Fred didn’t have the time to pay attention to the notification his gaze locked with the tiger. Fear covered his body as the beast looked at him. Run! With not a thought in his head Fred ran in the opposite direction of the tiger. His breathing heavy, “Run! Run! This thing will kill you run!” Said a voice in the center of Fred’s mind. The branches above Fred rustled. He was crushed under a mountain of weight pushed face down into the leaves. He glanced above to look for the source of the pressure but found nothing but air above him. His skin began to prickle. A familiar thing spinning in his mind clawing at his thoughts. I’m going to die.

“The fact that you would commit such sin without a demons assistance baffles me.” Echoed a harsh guttural voice above Fred. The tiger lowered down to be eye level with him. “You survived my first strike. Tell me how you are so strong without an aura.” Commanded the tiger. And there it is. The out.

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“If you let me live, I’ll tell you.” Said Fred.

“HA! With a karma as low as yours you’ll die no matter what you do. Seriously who just up and destroys towns for no apparent reason. You’re a monster.” Fred’s vison flashed red briefly.

“I’M NOT A MONSTER!” Fred said while bucking against the weight holding him down.

“Last I checked people that weren’t monsters did not cause pointless destruction. Aren’t you humans supposed to have a motive for all your kind’s crimes. That’s how legends say you little rats slipped by the worlds judgement.” Said the tiger. I’m not a monster. I could never be a monster. I’m good! I swear I’m good!

“I’m normal alright! I had to get stronger, and they were weak. They were all so old! Some of them were even in their fifties and yet they were weak! People like that don’t deserve to live!” Screamed Fred his face growing red with indignation.

“What!” The tiger slammed its paw onto the ground, its face contorting with fiery rage. “So, you killed all those people! Just because they were weak! Just because you gained some twisted sense of power from it!” The tiger put its paw of Fred’s back his bones cracking from the pressure. “I don’t even want to know where you get your strength! Die!” The pressure increased. Fred’s spine was ground to powder from the force on his back. As the tiger stared down at him.

“Die.” And old and gravelly voice echoed through the forest. Fred was drenched in blood. “AHHHH! BLUGHH! AHHHH!” red acid covered Fred’s skin, melting through it. His vison grew blurry. Through his blurry vison Fred saw a vague humanoid silhouette plop itself onto the ground. It waved. “Let’s see if you can live through this.”

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Fred stood atop a mountain. The burning remnants of a kingdom Displayed before him. I’m the only survivor. Death. destruction. They both meant power. The moment this realization echoed through the kingdom heads fell, first the small nobility they were the weakest and the closest. Then the barons they held it all together. And finally the top. the royal family. They were all dead now. All gone, like blood in the wind.

“Always the last one standing. To weak, to do anything. A fool that’s what you are Fred! What you always will be.” Fred turned his head to the voice. A humanoid shape cloaked in shadows, looking at Fred with a smile. I don’t forget.

“But I was the last one standing. I was the one to walk those blood ridden sands.” The shadow grinned.

“You did what. Walked on some sand? And now you’re here. Getting stronger? You took the lives of thousands. All you have to show for it is some measly few attribute points. Now you can barely even do that!” The shadow began to drum its fingers on its forehead “You’re an animal. You don’t even remember it do you? The reason. The drive.”

Fred jumped forward and punched the shadow in the face. His fist passed right through. Causing Fred to fall onto the ground.

“Damn.” Fred looked up at the shadow a grin on his face, “the drive is to get stronger. I know that much.” The shadow put its hand Infront of its mouth.

“Hahahaha! Get stronger. That’s not a drive! It’s barely a habit.” The shadow vanished, reappearing Infront of Fred. It leaned forward their breaths intermingling it traced its finger around his neck. “The drive is something that you don’t seem to understand.” It whispered. “Your nothing. You are a weak human being that fails every time it matters.” Fred fell to his knees. Looking ahead with an empty stare. He kneeled on a cold floor. Abruptly he was somewhere else. He kneeled with chains around his arms and legs in a throne room constructed from pure light, with columns holding the ceiling to, skins covering the floors. Like the designer of this place decided to replace carpets with welcome mats. Sitting on a throne was a man covered in a white fur coat. He had white hair with black stripes on his head and predatory eyes, he looked down on Fred with a disdainful sneer.

“How was the shadow?” He asked.

“Horror-” Fred’s mouth was slammed shut by some invisible force.

“Did I say you could speak! You are yet to be judged so just sit there like a good little rat! Or I will end you!” He reached his hand into his fur robes, pulling from it a little red gem. “When I crush this gem the will of my karmic divinity will be unleashed. We’ll see how you measure up to your past lives.” The man squeezed his hand and the gem vanished in a puff of red dust. What was that guy talking about? I don’t feel anything. Fred slammed headfirst into the ground, the world going silent, as his bones began to crackle and pop. Blood streamed from his eyes and nose, pooling up on the floor and wetting his hair. He stared with dark eyes at the shattered remains of his tongue wiggling on the ground like some undead snake. Bit it off. When.His thoughts broke as his mind shifted all its weight pushed into his forehead. His heart fell into his cracked ribcage pulling his veins taunt. There were no words to describe it. His body didn’t scream with agony. it was agony itself, pulled apart in the most literal sense. Screams filled the shards of his mind. Burning them with the grief of every person he killed in this world. Tearing through something that Fred could not describe. “YOU THINK I AM EVIL! THIS WILL NOT BE A REDEMPTION STORY. I WILL NOT BOW TO YOUR STANDARDS!” The man smiled his disdainful gaze locking onto Fred.

“You speak even when your soul is being shredded. You have quite the will I’ll give you that.” The soul. That’s it. This thing might die. But it’s not real anyways. I’ll just get rid of everything that isn’t me. Fred reached inside himself with frail tendrils of will. A chop resounded through his body. Rob had no eyes no legs no brain. Nothing but himself. Nothing…. I won’t die. Behind the throne. It called. The rabbit hole, Fall.

Fred sensed nothing he saw nothing. He just was. “I still have things to do with you young man. Let’s see if you really are one of those fools.” A voice echoed through Fred’s being.

Skill gained: Soul shaving.

I Almost died. Again. I found I way out again. Although he didn’t know if he had a face Fred was certain he grinned. This is what I live for.