Chapter 2: Jungle King

Verdant hills are as far as the eye can see. Wisps of clouds hanging above with the sun shining brightly for a beautiful day. The sounds of the wind blowing by, ruffling the grass, and making music were broken when a young boy of age 4 was finishing his last run of the month.

He kept his eyes focused in front of him, unflinching and focused. One might say that he's looking at nothing and simply move on but what the boy, Felix, was looking at was instead the screen in front of him.

And at long last...

[3K Run: Completed!]

"Finally!" At long last, Felix dropped to the ground and lay on the cool grass beneath him. He was shirtless, revealing some muscles defining within him but not noticeable to the naked eye. He panted heavily, after what felt like days of non-stop running just to simply complete a check mark.

As Felix was taking his lost deserved break, the one who came up with this grueling regiment appeared in his head once more. The name is still in the workshop.

["Well, I'll be. You actually survived it all. Good job."] The voice applauded Felix for his tenacity. This training was never meant for someone as young as Felix but this would undoubtedly become the strong foundation for his future self later on. ["Normally, you'd get an increase on your template for this job well done. But I decided to throw you a bone here so be grateful for this."]

Before could ask what he meant, an unknown energy surged from within him. It felt mildly uncomfortable but relaxing, as though a missing part of himself was slowly integrating itself with himself.

[Demonic Energy inherited. DE amount equals the percentage unlocked.]

[Devil Slayer Template: 10%]

[Becoming a Devil Hunter: Complete.]

[Receiving Rewards: +5% Template, Demonic Energy, Regeneration]

"Was that... the energy... I received..." Felix asked with bated breath, constantly slowing down his rapidly beating heart. "I feel... odd..."

["I'm not surprised. Demonic Energy is something not meant for humankind so it's bound to feel awful by simply having it. I'm sure you'll get over it and get accustomed to it."] The voice explained to Felix. ["Well, now with the Regeneration skill, small injuries, and exhaustion will be non-existent now. But with that small training done, I think it's time for some real practice."]

"What do you mean?" Felix got up from the ground and swiftly changed clothes. "Am I fighting someone?"

["Well, more like something but yeah."] Felix raised an eyebrow. ["Head to this place on your mini-map. You'll need to keep your wits about you, boy. Too much confidence can kill a man."]

A pin appeared before Felix's eyes as he made his way there.

Over the past month, Felix was constantly on the verge of life and death with how spartan the training was. Every morning, he'd go out to the fields and complete a set before running until his body couldn't take anymore. Rinse and repeat until today that is.

Normal people would quit after the first few days but Felix wasn't normal people. The initial value of 5% in his template wasn't much but Felix felt the power when exercising. This pushed him far above any human can strain himself to do, much less than a 4-year-old child.

Now with the 10% on his template, Felix's power doubled, and can feel himself getting stronger.

And the odd energy seemed to mix well with him, even if he had chills every now and then.

There weren't all hills though. There was also a jungle on the island Felix stayed on. Sundrew Village was on the far side of the local kingdom, Pankrewe, which was similar to the Goa Kingdom in East Blue. And that included its own fauna living in the jungle.

Felix stood at the entrance of the massive jungle before him. Trees towered over him as the leaves and branches blocked out the sun from within. Sounds of animals were heard, roaring against something which produced a shockwave that blew the grass underneath Felix's feet.

Felix looked above him, the pin from the system was at the center of the forest he would venture into. "This is the place. Why am I here?"

["This is the place where you'll spend a couple of months here."] Felix's eyes widened. "WHAT?! Why am I going in there? There are tons of animals in there that want to kill me? Are you trying to kill me?"

["Not yet anyway."] The answer made Felix want to punch him. ["Listen kid. If you want to get stronger then you'll need experience. You trained to get stronger but you also need experience. To know how an animal thinks and what move it will make. Because in the real world, humans are a lot smarter than animals. If you can't beat the predators lurking here then you can't handle pirates at all."]

Felix was reminded yet again of his own powerlessness. He gritted his teeth as his memories resurfaced once more, fueling his ambition and revenge. "Alright. I'm ready."

["Good lad. Don't worry, you won't do this for nothing. When you kill the king of this forest, I'll give you a weapon."] Felix's interest was now peaked. A weapon from the system? Sounds interesting.

[King of the Jungle]

[Assert your dominance over the beta-prey in the nearby forest. Defeat or kill the strongest predator in the jungle and receive the weapon from the Devil Slayers.]

[Kill the Blood-Soaked Snake]

[Kill the Mad Deer]

[Kill the Blue Monster]

With a nod, Felix ventured inside the forest. Ready to become the alpha predator.

___

One mistake travelers make when venturing into the forest is the position of the food chain. Unprepared, humans are caught by the jungle trap of predators, diseases, and pits from the unending change of mother nature.

Felix kept his senses and eyes focused, ears listening for the most subtle of noises. His lessons from his father about hunting in the jungle come to mind and his mother's words about a calm head kept his cool.

With his power doubled, so too did his senses. Felix kept walking deeper and deeper into the forest to find the strongest predator his system asked him to kill.

Kill. They were killed by pirates who held no remorse for them. The pirates have killed before and yet they laugh at it. They had no fear of death or consequences. They became a simple killing machine.

Is that what he would become? Would Felix also become a killing machine like those pirates? And those before him? Does he want to kill?

["DODGE"] A second too late as Felix jumped away but received a long slash across his chest. He landed and quickly saw who had attacked him. A Silver-Pelt Wolf.

Blood was already staining his clothes but his regeneration made the cut close itself up slowly. "Damnit. I wasn't paying attention." Had not his guide warned him, he would have been 6 feet under right now.

Felix stood up and got into position. He stood opposite of the wolf who nearly took his life and clenched his fist. The wolf took notice and growled menacingly.

A second later, the two were at each other. The wolf once again pounced at Felix with its claws confident to take down the child with one strike. What the wolf failed to notice was that the child was a lot faster than it and cocked his arm back.

"HAA!" With a rising uppercut, Felix smashed his fist on the wolf's stomach and delivered enough pain to make the animal vomit out blood and also pass out.

The unconscious body of the wolf lay there in front of Felix as he breathed heavily from the one-sided fight. "I... I did it. I took down a wolf by myself, with one punch."

["Yay, good job you screw up."] The voice made him flinch at how cold it sounded. ["If it weren't for me, that fight would have taken longer and made you more tired and made you prey. What were you thinking of letting that mongrel get the better of you?"]

Felix bowed his head in shame. He looked at his chest, freed from the scar, and thought back on what he messed up on.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again." A response born from his past accidents with his parents formed in his mouth.

["... Sigh. What's wrong kid? It's not like you lose focus like that. The entire training was made to keep your head in the game."]

Felix continued to look down, but he made a slight gesture towards the wolf's body.

["... I see. You didn't want to kill, did you?"] Felix nodded. ["You didn't want to become like the pirates who took your parents life."] He nodded again.

["Look kid. Death is... natural. People die every day whether it be natural causes like death or sickness or unnatural causes like pirates or predators. It's completely natural for everyone."]

"Except for pirates," Felix said angrily. "They don't care about who they kill. They just laugh about it and drink!"

["Well, that's how they cope. You shouldn't be like that."]

"Then what can I do?! My parents are dead by those killing monsters called pirates! My village is destroyed and everyone is dead! What should I do? Tell me! TELL ME!"

At this point, tears were streaming down Felix's face. He was angry at the pirates. He was angry with the system. He was angry with himself. Doubt and fear fueled his anger to the point where his energy spiked rapidly.

[Devil Slayer Template: 12%]

With the sudden surge of anger and power, Felix couldn't contain it any longer and punched the ground he was on with all of his might in his fist. "RAAAAAAAGH!"

*BOOOOM!*'

The ensuing explosion kicked up a massive dust storm and pressure that the nearby birds and small animals left the angry child to himself at the center of impact.

When the dust settled, Felix kneeled at where his fist made contact with the earth as a large crater was made, with him at the center. The surge of power had dissipated and so did the anger, but all it did was fill up Felix's heart with fear.

"Mom... I miss you so much. Dad... where are you? I want you back." The small child asked no one in particular. Around him was simply the silence of the forest.

And the system that had been with him simply waited. The emotional turmoil this child has been through is one no one should ever feel. That feeling of uselessness against the world. How one is always subjected to the whims of fate and the consequences are too much to bear.

["... The answer you may seek... is one you have to find yourself, Felix."] The voice, for the first time, said his name. ["This journey you are making. The path that you walk. It is not an easy one by any means. You will fall, break, bend, and all manner will attempt to make you stop walking."]

"Then why do you keep pushing me? What can I do? I'm just a child."

["Exactly. You are a child. A child that has a loving mother and a doting father."] Felix's eyes began to water again. ["A child with his memories of his mother and father. I want you to keep close to those memories you have of each other. If you feel like you are now, remember the good times. Negate the negativity and have positive thoughts."]

Felix's mind began to wander. Back when he was still with his parents. As young as he was, his memories with them were the best he ever had. The love they showed, how they caringly love him in every sense of the word.

The more he thought of those memories, the more he calmed himself. The anger had diminished as he took several deep breaths.

"Thank you. Really, thank you." Felix thanked the system with a smile.

["I'm a guide. I guide those to their proper path and help them achieve everything they are meant to have. Including love."]

Felix nodded and said. "You know... I actually have a name for you."

["Oh yeah, what is it?"] Felix smiled.

"Your name is..."