Fear of Not Knowing

The life-sucking vines are everywhere just like I have been warned. They are embedded into the earth, the grounds, the walls, and every building within sight. They are also spreading at an insane speed due to all the nutrients and bloods they sap from their countless victims.

I stare at the mummified remain of an elderly man. Or maybe not that elderly, considering his clothes and ornaments. It appears that his extreme age is due to his lifeforce being sucked dry. And just from the sight alone, I believe getting sucked to death by a Succubus is much better way to die.

At least the victim would go to delightful Heaven before being sent straight to agonizing Hell.

"Please… kill... kill… me…" the corpse moans, surprising me that he is not exactly dead. I immediately give him his mercy, freeing him from his torment with a nice chop of my butcher-knife polearm to the neck, severing his head from his body.

And even though the man has died because of that, the vines refuse to let his corpse go and continue to drain it of all of its nutrients. Only bones will remain once it is done.

This is one of the monsters that guns will not work against. A flamethrower is better, and while I don't have a flamethrower, I do have plenty of incendiary bombs. They should be quite effective against this sort of monster.

It also grants much needed mercy to a lot of people.

As such, lots of houses around me go up in flames, and once the flames engulf the entire house as well as the surrounding area, the vines retreat and cut themselves off from the source in order to prevent the flames from spreading towards its actual body.

Even with setting half the neighborhood in fire, the System still does not acknowledge me. Not a single title. Like Insane Arsonist for example. Titles grant bonuses, so having one is always better than not.

And since I have not heard a single scream, all of the victims are too gone to be saved. They are happy to be released into the blissful arms of death. It is the least I can do for people that I know.

I eventually reach my home, and it is covered in vines. What I have feared has finally come, and instead of setting the house on fire without a second thought, I cut through the vine in order to enter it.

With the Death Crystal in my hand, radiating eerie black light, the vines retreat and allow me passage.

"Mum! Where… Where are you!? Please call out if you can here me! Please! Please!" I shout and shout and shout, and yet, no one response.

Only silence. Dreadful silence.

I check every room of the house several times, finding they all covered in vine with no one to be seen.

That gives me hope. A slither of hope. Perhaps my mother is still alive, but where can she be? No one can answer me, as everyone within the neighborhood has died or fled. Perhaps my mother too. I have to know. I must know. Whatever it takes!

"Wealth of Knowledge," I request, but it fails to give me an answer due to my lack of Wealth and Fame. I need to have a lot more Wealth and Fame to be able to use an SSS-rank Skill.

It is impossible to gather the necessary amount of Wealth and Fame within the Life Zone. And as such, I set up a Headquarter within my room and begin to work towards taking down the Black Tower.