Growing Hate

'GRANT!'

Woken up from shock upon seeing my best friend get shot multiple times, I quickly noticed the drastic change in surroundings.

My body had laid on a soft, warm mattress and the slick stone brick walls that made this room gave off a feeling of reliability. They looked durable and even glimmered under the moonlight.

Hanging above the ceiling was a small chandelier lighting up the room and the chilly breeze entering the place came from an opened window nearby.

First, shock filled my mind to the brim before confusion slowly settled in.

Can somebody explain to me what the hell happened to me and my friend???

My hands clutched and gripped my head in pain, I could feel and see knowledge seeping into every cell in my brain.

Knowledge of a foreign language. No. Knowledge of multiple languages, how to write and read them.

"Beast language, Demon language, Elven tongue what the hell?" He was even more rattled upon having such knowledge imprinted into his head.

And then it happened. A voice rang inside his head, it was a cold desolate voice that sounded like a child.

No warmth could be found in it as if it didn't care about his existence.

[You have been summoned by the Wynn Emperor to do his bidding.]

-----

[Daniel Mcleon] Human

Lv 1 (Swordsman)

HP: 100/100

MP: 100/100

Stamina: 200/200

Current State: {Disorientated}

Attributes:

Str: 100

Dex: 100

Cons: 100

Int: 200

Wis: 200

Agi: 100

Skills:

[Swordsmanship Lv 1] [Nimble Lv 1] [Willpower Lv 1] [Enhanced Strength Lv 1] [Prediction Lv 4]

Skill Points: 0

-----

Summoned, a semi-transparent crystal blue screen, everything made sense to Daniel now.

He was summoned along with his class. Remembering everyone especially that smug son of a president, veins showed in his face and made his rage visible.

He gritted his teeth while clenching his tightly clenching his hands to the point that the nails dug deep into his skin.

Raising his hands parallel to his face, Daniel was mesmerized by the flowing blood. He shook his head and left the bed.

He felt guilty. Grant was injured and possibly dead due to his stupidity. To be driven by emotions into doing rash things.

'Why can't I be more like Grant?' He chided himself as he compared himself to that friend of his.

He was always calm and mysterious. Like a blade hidden in the darkness.

He walked to the balcony accessible to his room and stared at the bright blue moon hovering up in space.

-----

[Blue Moon]

- An auspicious sign

- A demon lord is born

- The monster lord has awoken

- The world tree is trembling

- The gods are amused

- External influences had arrived in this world

[The system demands justice. Find the truth for it will set the world free. Good luck]

-----

Staring at the bright blue moon and the countless streaking lines of light that crossed the starry sky, Daniel heard the system utter in a voice filled with resentment.

A notification had popped up, informing Daniel of something he had acquired.

-----

[Truth Lv 1]

- Find the truth of the world that is shrouded in darkness

- The truth shall set your mind free of confusion

- Be wary of the gods

- Be wary of the demons

- Learning of the truth can either drive you into [Enlightenment] or [Madness]

-----

Resting his hand unto the stone fence, he was intrigued. Looks like there was more to his circumstances than he had thought.

Daniel smiled amusedly at the blue moon with crescent eyes befitting of a fox. His mind spun as he formulated multiple plans and theories.

Following the cliche scheme, there was a huge chance that Corey Graham would be bestowed with a higher class compared to his mere little swordsman class.

The goddamn son of a president was a lucky bastard after all. Daniel himself had hired multiple assassins back then to kill the son of a bitch only for those assassins to be wiped out and Corey to escape with his life.

'No offense Corey, you really are the son of a bitch. No wonder your father hated you.' Daniel couldn't help but chuckle.

One day he'll reveal that truth to Corey and take joy seeing his expression.

The hand that lightly held unto the stone fence clenched.

Crack!

The fence shattered as a chunk of it had been cracked and fell off. Out of anger, daniel had crushed it.

His friend died because of him.

Corey Graham was still alive and thriving.

How he wishes to avenge Grant's soul by killing Corey in the most humiliating way as possible.

'That bitch...' Daniel suppressed his desire to kill the two that had irked his eyes. He won't be impulsive this time.

"You're a fox, now what would a fox do in this situation." Daniel could nearly hear Grant's echoing voice in the annals of his mind and he turned to his bed. Arriving before it and laying down.

'He would gather information, create opportunities while sowing discord within. And when everything falls into place, he reaps his rewards.' That was his answer to Grant back then. And now, it was time for him to do it.

[You have been summoned by the Wynn Emperor to do his bidding.]

That notification disturbed Daniel who narrowed his eyes. He was curious.

Curious on how long it would take him to kill the two and collapse this Empire.

He wasn't an idiot. Since he was summoned here by strangers he knew they would put on a front, making it sound as if he and his classmates were heroes.

But in reality, they would just be used for war and various purposes. They were tools to them, not beacons of hope.

Until then, he would take his sweet damn time, lining everything up until he was ready to strike.

-----

"We are expecting great things from you heroes. The situation is dire, the demon lord has been born and the sealed portals leading to Terrunn had already been breached."

"The people are growing restless and worried while we... We are powerless in the face of such demonic might."

That loud booming voice echoed through the room. Daniel was kneeling before the Wynn Emperor along with his classmates, listening to his speech.

As he silently observed the others, he was disappointed.

'A bunch of kids.' Daniel mocked his classmates who didn't know better than him. Unlike him, the rest of the class was trembling with excitement, clearly mesmerized by the title of "Hero" or "Champions of Justice" conferred to them by the old looking emperor.

It was a tactic to stroke one's ego and make them think they really were fighting for a great cause. And though faint, Daniel could feel a strange atmosphere befall the throne room.

"If it was back then when I was at my prime then I would've gone by myself to slay the demon kin!" The emperor's tone grew aggressive and his face contorted into rage. Startling the easily deluded senior high school students.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Daniel rose an eyebrow witnessing the old man sitting on the throne to cough up black blood. He took a mental note, staying silent the whole time.

'I could sell this information for a hefty sum.' By then he was already planning how to maximize his benefit. There was no doubt that the Wynn empire had many enemies.

News of the emperor being ill would fetch for a high sum.

"So we could only depend on you summoned ones to fight back. Forgive me for pulling such innocent children into this." The emperor had changed his tone to a more gentle and pained one, he struggled to breathe as life seemingly drained from his face.

"Rest assured your highness. As the one bearing the title of Hero, I will not let you down. We who were summoned here will see to it that the foul demons are defeated."

A blonde-haired handsome man stepped up from his kneeling position and took it upon himself to represent the whole class. Of course, he would do such a thing.

"That's right! We will fight for justice!" Corey roared and everyone followed even Daniel himself. He has to put on a mask to avoid being singled out and eliminated.

"For justice!"

"For Justice!"

"For Peace!"

"For the masses!"

"For beautie- Ouch!" The man who mentioned his true desires had his head smacked by the one behind him.

Everyone agreed and issued out cheers of determination

'You are as arrogant as always Corey.' Daniel's hands trembled. To see Corey step up in the name of righteousness. It disgusted him.

A goddamn hypocrite pretending to be a good man. It nearly made him puke.

And just as he had expected, almost everyone had gotten powerful or unique classes.

Corey was the hero, they had a grand magus, a sword princess and a true berserker in the class.

Four legendary rank classes. The difference was bigger than he expected.

Classes are divided into four ranks. Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Legendary.

Classes offer an attribute growth correction towards their targeted specialties.

A swordsman would focus on Dexterity, Agility, Strength, and Constitution while neglecting Wisdom and Intelligence.

For mages that would be an opposite story. They would only set sights on Wisdom and Intelligence.

Basic rank Classes offer 1.25 growth correction.

Intermediate has 1.50

Advanced gives 2.00

While Legendary offers 2.50 growth correction.

The class rank also strengthens the base attributes. Increasing it and giving better attribute growth per level.

Daniel was at a disadvantage but he didn't care. Class advancement exists and he will rely on that.

Reaching the max level for the class would advance it into a higher rank. An example is a rogue becoming an assassin upon advancement.

"Heroes... We cannot thank you enough for showing such determination to help out strangers who had burdened you with such a heavy task. We... We are humbled..." Emperor Wynn wanted to bow but he was stopped by Corey who immediately appeared before him.

Daniel furrowed his brows.

Corey was as fast as Grant was before.

Everyone was given ten thousand pieces of gold coins and a storage ring, increasing their view of the Wynn Emperor.

Daniel was thinking. He needs to plan his steps carefully or he would be killed. the gold would serve him well.