With the creature lying on the ground, Evan soon found himself collapsed next to it, his body completely exhausted from the precise movements needed to avoid being shredded by the creature’s rapid claws.
After so long, so many deaths, the stress finally bore down on Evan's mind and body.
His hands trembled, and his heart beat like an engine.
As Evan caught his breath and processed everything that had happened so far, he had only a brief moment to rest before something else demanded his attention.
|CONGRATULATIONS!!!|
Once again, the spectral messages appeared before his eyes, congratulating him on something he had done. Would he ever have a moment of peace from now on? He wondered as he continued reading the new message.
|You defeated an enemy ten times stronger than you using your determination and intelligence!!!! The Writer grants you the right to be rewarded!!!|
“Hm… So that’s how the reward system works,” said Evan, realizing that whatever this Writer was, they could only offer rewards after Evan overcame extraordinary situations where he was at a disadvantage or made decisions that put his life at risk.
At first glance, these conditions seemed strange to Evan, but upon thinking a bit more, the Writer's interventions and rewards felt like character progression you'd see in a book after the protagonist goes through a dangerous situation or at the end of a “Narrative Arc.”
Before his mind continued to burn neurons trying to make sense of this completely nonsensical situation, the spectral messages changed, announcing the new reward given by the Writer.
|The author revokes your Temporary Immortality and offers two new permanent rewards to the protagonist.|
|(Protagonist's Sword) Any respectable fantasy story contains a moment where the Protagonist acquires a unique weapon, especially compatible with their character. This weapon stays with them throughout the story and eventually becomes a symbol of their Journey. You will receive a sword that cannot break, can only be wielded by you, and, like the great legendary blades, can cut through absolutely anything.|
Suddenly, all of Evan's accumulated anxiety was completely overtaken by a strange excitement…
After all, who hasn’t wanted to wield a special magical sword? Excalibur and other fictional blades always seemed so cool! How could Evan not be excited knowing one of his first rewards would be so incredible?
In his hands, where Evan held the old man's cane, the object began to change. Its metal tip started to extend, and its wooden base transmuted into a rigid black material.
In Evan's mind, it felt as if someone guided him to visualize the perfect sword for him.
Evan closed his eyes, and suddenly, various lessons from history class began flashing through his mind. So many weapons used by past warriors, so many different armaments. For a moment, Evan thought of visualizing a katana (often used by protagonists in mangas and other media). However, Evan knew he knew practically nothing about swordsmanship, and in his mind, using a katana might not be the best option.
Then Evan remembered something…
“The bastard sword,” he said as he visualized images of it in his head, a common sword in fantasy stories and other tales. Also known as the “one-and-a-half-handed sword,” the bastard sword was neither long enough to be considered a longsword nor short enough to be considered a shortsword, hence the name “bastard sword.”
Evan always felt a sense of empathy with this sword. A feeling he considered childish, after all, he was getting emotional over a sword that simply didn't fit into any of its peers’ categories.
Perhaps, deep down, that’s how he felt nowadays. At his job, he wasn't influential or skilled enough to hold a high position, but he did his work the best way he could, and because of that, he never managed to interact with colleagues in lower positions.
When he opened his eyes, they shone in awe at seeing a beautiful sword with a shimmering red blade, a black hilt, and a small red cloth tied at the end, adding a charming detail to the sword.
Excited, Evan began to swing it with one hand, feeling its weight. Though he didn’t know much about swords, he knew the balance and weight of the blade were perfect for him.
Evan looked at the trash can he had used to trap the creature in the alley during his battle with it.
With a vertical movement, Evan tried to test the blade. His movement was terrible, worthy of someone who had never held a sword before.
However, even so, the blade sliced the metal can in half with an ease that startled Evan.
“My God! I didn’t even put that much force into it!” Evan said, astonished, realizing that as he cut, there was no resistance from the structure when the blade moved.
There wasn't even the sound you hear when cutting paper with a sharp knife. It was like cutting through the wind, and regardless of his skill in swordsmanship, Evan knew using this on any living being would be extremely dangerous.
“This is too serious… I’m like a baby given a pistol as a gift. If I’m not careful with this, I’m going to hurt myself.” Evan said as he sheathed his sword at his waist, loosening his belt a bit to keep it secured.
“All right! What’s the next reward?” Evan said, now more curious to know what his next rewards would be.
|(Story Climax) During moments considered the story’s climax, the protagonist gains an increase in all their physical and mental abilities for 30 minutes. Strength, speed, reflexes, endurance, and other aspects of your person will be multiplied by 10!!! However, only the Writer decides the story’s climax, so the protagonist has no control over this ability’s activation.|
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Unlike his previous reward, Evan found himself more confused than excited by the description of his new ability.
Certainly, the part about having his physical and mental aspects enhanced seemed promising, but the condition for its activation was extremely vague. What would the Writer consider a climax? Could this narrative concept even be applied in a real-life context?
In any case, Evan let it go and decided to ignore this ability for now, at least until he had a more solid understanding of it.
Evan then, with his rewards received, turned back to analyze his current problem and realized he was still in the middle of the city during an attack by creatures from another world.
He remembered the creature he defeated and could only imagine the entire region being overrun by these monsters.
In times like this, RUNA Agents should be defending civilians while the Protectors executed the attack’s leader.
It was common knowledge what should happen during such a situation: RUNA Agents and people with RUNA abilities should protect city residents from the creatures until everyone reached shelters located in each city block, leaving the three Protectors responsible for killing the leader, who, when killed, would take all other creatures back to the dimensional rift.
But unfortunately, that’s not what had been happening…
The power some people were born with went to their heads, and many RUNA Agents no longer had the will to protect city residents. They only wanted to fight alongside the big shots and leave a mark on the world, even if, by doing so, many unprotected people ended up dying in the process.
Thinking about this, Evan clenched his fist in anger, imagining how many people could have died due to the agents’ irresponsibility! And in this line of thought, a dreadful realization suddenly struck his mind.
“If the people who entered the bunker are all those who made it to the shelter within block 5… That means-”
His pupils contracted as he grasped the terrible implications of the current situation. Evan realized that among all the people from block 5 he encountered during the evacuation, none were his friend Juan.
Realizing this, almost reflexively, Evan began running towards his friend’s shop.
“Please, don’t do anything stupid, old man! PLEASE, OLD MAN, BE SAFE!!!” Evan shouted in the middle of the street, drawing the attention of other creatures in front of him, very similar to the one he defeated, but with teeth appearing in other parts of their bodies, like the chest, hands, and arms.
At that moment, while running desperately to find his best friend, the creatures advanced on Evan. What they found was not a scared man desperate to avoid death. They encountered someone willing to go through hell to reach his destination.
“Get out… OF MY WAY!!!” Drawing his sword from his waist, Evan made a single diagonal move that, in one strike, easily cut two creatures at once.
Evan knew these monsters' attack patterns and how they liked to act with their victims, after all, he had been one, dying dozens of times.
Between dodges and attacks, an unbelievable image formed in that block 5 neighborhood.
A trail of monster bodies and orange blood amid the catastrophe, a scene created by a single 24-year-old man trying to find his friend.
|The protagonist is approaching the story's climax, initiating temporary evolution.|
Evan, completely ignoring the system’s message, continued running as if nothing else mattered.
For many years, the only person who comforted him after his hard and sad workdays was Juan. He could not forgive himself if something happened to his dear bar companion, who had given him so many life lessons.
Evan reached the corner where Juan’s shop was located, only to find it completely destroyed and ruined.
But before Evan could fall into despair, his eyes landed on what seemed to be Juan, standing in the middle of the road with his arms stained with the creature's orange blood. Around Juan, many fallen monster bodies could be found.
Seeing his friend alive and apparently victorious over many creatures, tears formed in Evan’s eyes. – “JUAN!!! I can’t believe it! You’re alive!!!” – Juan, hearing his friend’s voice, looked around and, seeing Evan, couldn't contain a smile. – “You too, you old idiot!!” Evan said, smiling with joy at seeing his colleague safe and sound.
“I tried, but out of nowhere many of these-” Before Juan could finish his sentence, his body was thrown violently against a building wall.
“W-what?” said Evan, not believing what he had just witnessed.
In the spot where Juan had been standing before being brutally thrown against the wall, a creature now stood.
The creature didn’t seem like the others. It was taller, its eyes were red, and its posture much more rigid than the monsters Evan had seen so far.
“I thought I missed someone,” said the creature in a horrifically deep and distorted voice.
Evan, still in disbelief, felt his heart gripped by fear at seeing one of those creatures speaking his language. He then had yet another realization that horrified his mind.
The creatures that were usually more numerous during attacks could be called minions, and aside from the difference in strength, one of the things distinguishing minions from attack leaders was that leaders could communicate.
Evan ran towards his friend lying amidst the debris.
When he arrived, he found Juan with a metal rod, used in the concrete structure, piercing his intestine. His prosthesis was also completely crushed, and his head had a severe wound.
“Juan, please get up!!! I need to get you out of here, that guy over there is a leader!!!” Evan said this while trying to pull his friend from the rubble.
“Cough cough… kid, please run…” said Juan with blood trickling from his mouth. “That being isn’t a leader, but he’s just as dangerous… he’s a sub-leader.” Evan, hearing his friend, replied – “What are you talking about at a time like this? Come on, we can evade him until the three Protectors arrive!”
Using the little strength he had left, even in his worst moment, Juan continued to teach his colleague and share knowledge from his time as an agent:
“Sub-leaders are minions with powers that match a percentage of the leaders’ total abilities. Which means the three Protectors are still fighting the main leader and won’t show up to deal with that guy over there…” Placing his hand on Evan’s shoulder, Juan continued – “You still have much to live for, my friend. You’ve always been a good-hearted kid…”
Evan, shedding tears in anticipation of what was about to happen, said – “Please, don’t do this to me! I only have you and no one else. We can still sit and drink together! We can still complain about life insurance prices!!! We-”
Juan, amid his friend’s crisis, pulled Evan close and gave him a hug.
“That’s why you’ve always been a good kid… But now, I need someone else to carry the Desire of Humanity.”
|The protagonist has reached the current story climax. Temporary evolution process complete.|
After Juan's words, Evan felt his colleague’s arm slip off his back and fall to the ground.
“J-Juan?” Evan looked at his friend and, on his face, only a faint smile and two lifeless eyes could be seen.
The creature, who had until this moment only observed the situation out of curiosity, finally spoke up.
“That old man seemed quite special to you Ha Ha! And strong too, managed to stay conscious until now…”
“Shut up…” whispered Evan as the creature continued to approach and speak to the poor man holding his friend in his arms – “As a reward for surviving until now, and as a mercy since I ended such a beautiful friendship… I’ll do you the favor of killing you and burying you together!!!”
“I SAID SHUT UP!!!!” Evan screamed as a purple energy in the form of lightning began to emanate from his body, pushing back the sub-leader, who reflexively raised both arms to block whatever it was.
“Well, well… Looks like my day won’t be so boring after all!” said the monster, forming a menacing smile.
The creature prepared and watched as Evan stood up and emerged from the rubble, wielding his blood-red sword, now, like its wielder, bathed in this mystical purple energy.
With a fierce look, gritting his teeth, and desiring another being’s death like never before, Evan said:
“For the Desire of Humanity… I’LL KILL YOU!!!!”