Player
Cain's POV:
[Daily Quest is now available]—a beautiful feminine voice resounded inside my head.
"Why won't this nightmare end?"—a hopeless, exhausted grumble escaped my lips. A latent anger present in the voice.
[Host, the daily quest is avail-]—before it could continue with its mindless mumble I interjected, "SHUT THE F*CK UP, BI*CH!"
Taking a deep breath, "hnfff-haaa!" I completed my sentence, "Shut the f*ck up. I don't want to hear your unholy voice."
—PLICK!
----------------------------
[Daily Quest: To stay fit.]
Push-ups, 500 times: Incomplete (0/500)
Sit-ups, 100 times: Incomplete (0/100)
Squats, 500 times: Incomplete (0/500)
Running, 10 km: Incomplete (0/10)
※Warning: Failure to complete Daily Quests will result in appropriate levels of punishment.
___________________________
As soon as I got to confirm the contents of the Daily Quest, I began cussing out reflexively.
"Why? Why me?! Why it had to be me?! Tell me, system! What have I done to deserve this punishment?!"
[...]
Daily quest this, daily quest that.
Passive quest: Can't drink for entire life.
Wake up at 4 a.m everyday.
No sex. No cigarettes. Eat healthy. Read 1 book every day.
[...]
Active Quest: Kill this monster, kill that monster, do this, do that... This system controls me like a slave!
[...]
And if I refuse to complete a quest, it threatens me with punishment!
It's been an entire year since this whole thing started.
And the worst part of it all?
I can't level up!
"I give up..."—I muttered softly, my voice almost sounded broken.
"Whatever punishments you deem appropriate, go ahead. Take my life!It doesn't matter anymore."—a tear escaped my eye, trailing down my cheek.
[...]
"I truly don't care anymore, system."—I closed my eyes, trying to summon memories of my life, starting from the very beginning.
Tall, handsome man, well-built muscular body, blonde hair, beautiful face. The protagonist of the story, the one who is chased by the girls. Whom every kid admires and one who is feared by the monster liege himself. That --is not me.
If anything, I am the complete opposite of that. Lonely, ugly.
Now, there is an unsaid rule about us ugly people in this world.
When you are rich and beautiful, you will automatically be perceived as one of the good guys. Ugly people like me are automatically perceived as the bad guys, especially by girls who judge the world based solely on beauty and money (sorry if I hurt any feminist's feelings).
I am just sharing my thoughts at the last moments of my life, since I am sure this system will kill me.
[...]
I remember walking down the steps of a road that sloped downwards in the sacred city of Gistrit.
It was during a funeral procession, carrying my beloved mother's lifeless body.
At the front of the procession was Shyia, my stepmother.
Sly Shyia...heh! She had this peculiar mannerism of rubbing her forearms whenever she experienced joy, as if it were a piece of ginger she was grating to release grins from.
Naturally, at that time, I was unaware of the depths of her darker nature, for she always treated me as her own flesh and blood.
Women and their dirty family politics...
My father, Sir Baron Andree Obolonsky, and my step-brother, Leonid, stood alongside her, supporting the front of the bed made of platinum that held my mother's lifeless body.
Uncle and other relatives stood behind them, providing additional support. She was wrapped in a white lotus silk cloth adorned with delicate rose petals.
The grandeur of her funeral made me realize that her life must have been filled with misery. My family was guilty about something.
On that day, my step-sisters, Anya and Sasha Obolonskaya, offered comforting words to console me.
Little did I know that it would be the last day they would show me any form of kindness.
Huh... Women and their sneaky family politics.
After that day, everything started to change slowly.
My once caring and affectionate father became cold and distant towards me. My stepmother, Shyia, would ignore me, and even my step-siblings began to ignore my presence.
Years later, I realized that Shyia must have done something to manipulate my father, leading to his changed behavior towards me.
My mother was my father's first wife, and I was his eldest son.
Leonid, Anya, and Sasha were the children of my stepmother, Shyia.
As the eldest son, it was expected that I would inherit all of my father's wealth and power when I grew up.
But, it seemed that Shyia had her own plans, scheming behind everyone's back. I even suspected that she might have been involved in my mother's death.
As the years went by, I grew more distant and isolated within my own family.
Leonid, my brother would bully me but my father would turn a blind eye towards me.
Later when all my other siblings became awakened and I didn't awaken as a hunter, my father disowned me. Such a stupid reason to disown your own first born...
My original name was Cain Obolonsky.
But the day I was disowned I also left my family name.
Now, I am only Cain.
Believe it or not, I wasn't upset when I was disowned. No, I was consumed by an entirely different emotion.
Rage. A rage so intense and primal...
My siblings grew older, they became powerful hunters, reaching a high rank of C by the time they turned 19.
In contrast, I remained a regular human, lacking any extraordinary abilities.
But, everything changed last year when I received a very strange message: "[You have acquired the rights to become a Player. Will you accept?]"
Acquired rights? Accept what, exactly?
Little did I know that accepting that message would turn out to be the biggest mistake I ever made.
Oh, and by the way, I am not a hunter.
I am a 'Player.'
The only player in the world.
***
Somewhere in Europia {Europe became Europia after the world changed}
Third person's POV:
In her final moments, an elderly woman lay on her bed, her breath growing faint.
Even though she was in her nineties, she possessed a captivating beauty.
She was none other than Evelyn Agate, the sole (S+) ranked hunter known for her rare Oracle ability. It was a rarity for a support hunter to reach even an (A) rank, let alone achieve the remarkable status of (S+).
Evelyn's name was known throughout the world.
As she took her last breaths, several other (S) ranked hunters surrounded her, paying their respects.
"After the defeat of the monster liege, the world will finally find peace," Evelyn uttered softly. "Remember the prophecies that I shared with you."
She had fulfilled her duty.
With unwavering determination, Evelyn had done everything within her power to protect and save humanity. Despite the toll it took on her life essence, she utilized her Oracle abilities to glimpse into the future, ensuring humanity's survival.
The room was filled with an air of tension as everyone listened attentively to Evelyn's every word.
There was a smile of peace in Evelyn's face, she knew humanity will surv—suddenly.
Strange and unknown visions flooded her eyes.. As her body shaked violently.
-"Miss Evelyn?!" voices exclaimed in concern.
-"What's happening?"
-"Healers! He.. "
But the anxious voices around her went unheard by Evelyn's aged ears. Her attention was wholly captured by something entirely different.
Well not 'something', but by 'someone'.
Within her mind's eye, she was consumed by the vision of a tempest, a tempest unlike any ever witnessed throughout history or time.
But, it wasn't the tempest that caused her unease. It was the figure she saw inside the tempest.
A man.
His lifeless dull grey eyes seemed to pierce into her very soul, sending a chilling sensation down her spine.
His moonlit Ivory complex beautifully contrasted with his dark hair.
Bizarre, strange —almost lifelike steely dust, floated above his left hand.
In his right, however, he gripped a bone machete adorned with jagged teeth.
He donned a magnificent golden armor, his hands glowing with strange runic tattoos.
Despite his outward beauty, this figure instilled nothing but a sense of fear in her.
A pure, palpable dread.
"H-he... Is coming!", Evelyn's voice trembled, her words delivered in a shaky and broken tone, filled with fear.