Plunder

A throaty groan could be heard from deep within the forest, followed by spasmodic coughs. The noise came from none other than Lachlan, who had just awoken on the ground strewn with flora and blood that colored the petals crimson.

He was briefly dazed before he recalled what had just happened. He had been hit with the most heart-wrenching agony he had ever felt in his whole life, which in turn caused him to pass out.

Just the memory of the pain made Lachlan shiver involuntarily but he hastily shook his head to clear his thoughts, and then afterwards, recollected what the voice had called itself and repeated it outwards. "Slaughter System?"

As those words departed from his tongue, what manifested before him out of thin air was a translucent screen with several words and numbers on it.

Lachlan's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the screen, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "What the hell is that!"

He flung his arms towards the screen to feel whether or not it was real, and to Lachlan's surprise, his arms passed through it, leaving nothing more than a slight-bluish trail in its wake.

He gaze shifted towards the content displayed on the screen, and what was therein stunned him.

‹Name: Lachlan Grayford›

‹Level: 1›

‹0/10 EXP›

‹HP: 100/100›

‹Strength: 8›

‹Agility: 9›

‹Stamina: 7›

‹Stat points: 0›

"Doesn't this look like one of those status-screens from the games in the early 21st century?" said Lachlan confusedly. "And wait... why's my name on it?"

Before Lachlan could contemplate any deeper on the existence of the screen and why his name was on it, he saw additional information listed further down the screen he hadn't noticed yet.

‹Skills›

‹Plunder lvl. 1›

‹Skill locked????›

‹Skill locked????›

‹Skill locked????›

"Plund- Plunder?" said Lachlan, which caused the system to display another translucent screen over the other one, albeit smaller in size.

‹Skill: Plunder›

‹Allows the host a chance to usurp an ability after having slaughtered›

‹Restriction apply›

‹Level. 1›

"Wait.. does th- that mean I could get an ability?" said Lachlan to himself as his eyes were fixated on the screen. He knew that there was the off-chance that this was just a strange hallucination, but he couldn't help but feel a slight thrill at the prospect of getting an ability.

After all, abilities were what mattered in this world, and even the slightest chance of getting one for a cripple would make them brim with joy, even if it wasn't set in stone.

His elation only grew with time, and he had a hard time holding in his excitement from leaking out in joyous screams.

"If this is real... then maybe... just maybe... I can finally bring revenge on those vicious people that have treated me unfavorably and also prove to my household that they have made a grave mistake in letting me go…." whispered Lachlan to himself with a glint in his eyes.

As he thought about what he had just said, his face, which had been lively, became solemn.

He knew that he was still too weak to do anything as the system had stated he was level 1, and that his stat points were all under 10, which usually in games indicated that one was weaker than average. With that in mind, he set aside his future ambitions and instead fully concentrated on how to get out of the forest.

Lachlan looked around his surroundings, and on one side, from where he had fallen, was a massive protruding cliff that spanned for miles, and on the other side, there were trees, trunks, flora, and a wide coverage of foliage that spanned over the sky.

Lachlan thought about where he should head yet ultimately decided that the smartest choice was to trail alongside the cliff to prevent himself from losing his direction. As he made his choice, he began walking steadily alongside the tall ridge.

—-—

"The cliff is getting shorter, and the trees are getting more sparse… I must be close to getting out of here!" said Lachlan jubilantly.

He had been walking for the last hour or so, and so he had decided to peruse the system in the meantime, and was met with a pleasant surprise. There was one other tab apart from the status tab that he had overlooked on the upper part of the screen.

After scrutinizing the tab thoroughly, he discovered its purpose. It was called Quests, and it handed out missions and tasks to acquire exp, which, if completed, should help him level up.

The Quest tab showed the following;

‹Main Quests›

‹Plunder an ability: 1000 exp›

‹Daily Quests›

‹Exercise: 10 exp›

Lachlan knew he could do the daily quest yet wasn't so sure about the main one. To steal an ability, you would have to use the plunderer's skill, but that meant killing somebody with an ability, and he wasn't so sure he would be able to do that.

He had no qualms when it came to killing but killing someone with an ability was difficult. Not only did the X-Virus bring about an ability deep within one's cells, but it also strengthened one's body in various ways, making one stronger, faster, and better in constitution. Giving that effect, someone with an ability probably had a higher stat count in strength, stamina, and agility than a non-infused. Which was most likely higher in count the higher the ability level was.

He knew that if he were going to kill someone with an ability, he would have to be smart with it.

Amid his thoughts, he heard a loud noise coming from his front. He dismissed the status screen and began running towards the noise, which was only growing in level the closer he got.

As he dodged the trees and skipped past the last gnarled roots that lined his feet, he was finally out of the forest and was met with a long highway that stretched for miles in each direction. And on the other side of the road stood a plain-looking car recharging station and an accompanying bus stop.

Lachlan looked both ways and then dashed across the highway, then proceeding in waiting at the bus stop.

After a meager time of wait, a bus slowly crept over the horizon, and it didn't take long before it was right in front of Lachlan's eyes. Its speed wasn't surprising; after all, transit had improved heavily over the last 50 years, and modes of travel which usually took days, now took only hours, or even minutes if you were lucky.

Lachlan was ecstatic at the bus's arrival, and stepped on the bus and made his way back to the city.

His bus ride didn't take long, and after 40 minutes, he was already back.

After Lachlan arrived, he decided to go to the orphanage located in the outskirts, because he didn't want his spot to be passed to somebody else. As that's what they usually did if someone didn't show up for a prolonged period of time.

The areas there where dilapidated with trash lining the streets and it wouldn't be odd to see an occasional broken bottle here and there.

When he finally arrived, and walked up the orphanage's front steps and walked inside, he saw a military attired middle-aged man with a buzz-cut greeting a lady who sat at the front desk of the orphanage.

From Lachlan's spot at the doorway, he could faintly overhear their conversation.

"Are you sure he's not here?" asked the military-clad man. "Because if he's truly not, and he's eluding us, then he could face some dire consequences."

"I can assure you, that boy hasn't been in here for two months; he's either run away or killed himself." Replied the lady behind the desk in an indifferent manner.

The military man then bid farewell, turning around to walk out the orphanage, though stopped as as soon as he saw the boy by the doorway.

"Are you… Lachlan?" asked the man skeptically.

"Yeah, why?" replied Lachlan.

"Kid, you almost missed enrollment!" yelled the man.

"Huh, enrollment?" inquired Lachlan, "Doesn't that start after summer break?"

"Are you playing jokes or just stupid?" scolded the man with an irritable expression. "It's August 15th, recruitment day! and you've already had two months to enjoy your vacation; now it's over."

Lachlan choked on his saliva when he heard what the man said and couldn't help but sputter, "What!"

"Kid, I don't have time for this." Said the man angrily. "You're not the only recruit I have to escort today, so let's go!" As the military-clad man finished his words, he shoved Lachlan out of the building and into a reinforced military vehicle that stood on the road outside.

They got inside the car, and the man quickly speeded towards the enrollment hub. During the ride, Lachlan was still confused yet kept his unremitting thoughts to himself.

Soon after they arrived, and as Lachlan stepped outside, he was bombarded with the sight of a bustling plaza crowded with people. Many children were there, and also parents who were waving their children off.

In the plaza's center stood 25 sizeable elliptical frames of metal that each contained a wavy iridescent portal in its centers, all of which were shimmering in the sun.

It was the teleporters, one for each of the 25 military academies that existed.

Lachlan was stunned and couldn't believe it, "I've been unconscious in that forest for 2 months?" he whispered to himself as his face trembled.

The man who had seen Lachlan mumble to himself, jabbered from the side, "Come on kid, don't be shy; follow me."

Lachlan returned returned from his thoughts and followed the escort till he the center of the plaza, where he was directed towards the 23rd portal. There, he stood in a line till it was eventually his turn.

"That's your portal," informed the man.

He then grinned wickedly and continued, "Though I do warn you. That school is one of the worst ones; and you'll find out why soon."

When he finished what he said, he nudged the hesitant Lachlan towards the portal—leaving Lachlan no choice but to walk in, as a line was gradually forming behind him.

As he underwent the teleportation process and popped out on the side, his eyes readjusted to the light and were eventually greeted with a magnificent sight.

It was a massive dome-like structure made of translucent glass that showed the beautiful sky outside. The sky was light blue, and in the northernmost distance, one could see three suns adjacent to each other, almost touching. It was undoubtedly a different planet.

It didn't surprise Lachlan, as he had been taught when he was younger that humanity had expanded their scopes and colonized other planets apart from theirs.

He stopped gawking towards the sky and redirected his gaze downwards. There were numerable children here, most similar to his age, who were all walking towards a tunnel with a hologram above it stating, recruit registration.

"I guess school really started then," said Lachlan wide-eyed, "Wow."

He finished talking to himself, and then blended in with the students till he eventually reached a registration area. When he got there, he stood in line with the rest of the students until he was met with a lady adorned in military attire who sat behind a sleek white desk.

"Name?" asked the military-adorned lady.

"Lachlan Goodridge," replied Lachlan with a half-smile.

He still wasn't used to to using the name Goodridge, as it was a made-up one, because he wasn't allowed to incorporate the Grayford name. Just the thought of his family turned his mood very sour, and he tried his best to wipe them off his mind, but until he could linger on them any longer, the woman in front of him spoke up in an incredulous tone.

"You're an ability cripple?"

Lachlan wanted to keep his identity as a cripple a secret, but it looked like his fate wouldn't allow it.

"Yeah, I am," said Lachlan reluctantly.

The lady looked dismayed yet continued speaking perfunctory, "Okay, that's fine, but you'll still have to wear this watch."

She pointed towards the table, and on it, there laid a plain white-looking watch that had a black screen in its center.

She continued, "The screen in the middle displays the potency of your x-cells. For you, It should always be 0 - with zero change, as you're a cripple. Even so, you'll still have to wear the watch. As it not only displays your ability level but is also instilled with a GPS and a welfare tracker so we could keep track of you."

Lachlan's eyes bulged, and he couldn't help but frown at what the woman had said. He wasn't so concerned about the watch's number, yet more so on the tracking.

If he were to get an ability through his plunderer skill, wouldn't that mean killing someone? How would he arrange that if they spied on him?

Lachlan's head spun in circles, and he couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "fuck."

"What was that?" said the lady whilst she peered upwards at Lachlan's face.

"Oh- Oh nothing, sorry." Said Lachlan with a cordial smile.

"Hmm," hummed the lady as she returned her gaze to her computer.

The lady then proceeded to tell Lachlan his dormitory room and class, and then followed by putting the watch on his wrist and giving him directions to the school. Afterwards, when he was done listening to the lady's directions, he descended from the registration hall and headed toward the academy's gates.

When he finally reached outside, he was surprised by how scenic it was. There were not only trees reaching far into the sky, pests soaring about in the air, but also a bright sunlight casting down a orange luminescence over the entire area.

Though before long, he came to understand why his escort had said this school was the worst one. There were bugs everywhere, a humid temperature, and a intense shine from the sun. Lachlan could already feel the sweat cascading down his forehead from only walking a couple of minutes.

It was nightmarish, until he finally reached the gate of the academy, causing his previous thoughts to evaporate.

It was a massive white alloy gate with various patterns etched onto its surface to signify power. And as one looked past the gate, one could see an even bigger building towering plenty stories high, with verdurous gardens in its surroundings giving it a stately look. In those gardens, paths were constructed that led to other establishments of similar stature in the periphery, making the entire academy a massive complex of buildings connected to one another.

It was a sight for sore eyes, and Lachlan could help but exclaim, "Wow," as he took in the view before him. He had lived in the projects for so long that he had completely forgotten how beautiful architecture could be.

Amid his delight from looking at the architecture, something bumped against his back. Making Lachlan leer backward with an exasperated glare.

When he turned around, he saw a wiry teenager, quite tall with blondish hair and a broad nose. He was adorned in black pants, accompanied by an immaculate white shirt with gold trimmings. He appeared to be very rich and had a handsome face to boot.

The teenager who had bumped into Lachlan looked down, and his glare instantly turned haughty after seeing the person's watch number. "How dare you walk into me, you cripple!" he barked, resulting in spittle to fly from his mouth.

His bark brought the attention of the surrounding students, and they eyed the situation from afar, whispering in between themselves as they anticipated what was going to happen next.

Lachlan didn't pay any heed to the surrounding students and only kept his eyes on the boy.

When the teenager, known as Dion, saw Lachlan's unrelenting glare, he eyed him with contempt and spat out in an even louder bark, "How dare you glare at me like that you cripple, do you wanna die!"

Lachlan's face turned warm, and his smile cordial. "Oh, I'm so sorry about that. I've been so rude to have blocked a person of your statures way," he said in an apologetic tone. "I humbly ask for your forgiveness."

Dion was initially shocked by the response from the boy yet spoke up nevertheless, "I- I'll forgive you this time, cripple. But, If it this happens again, then I'll make sure you regret the day you were born!"

"Thank you, good sir," said Lachlan as he bowed.

The students in the surrounding couldn't help but snicker at Lachlan's behavior. Although little did they know, as soon as Lachlan turned around, his face became grim, and his eyes sharper than daggers as he whispered, "Just you wait, I'll show you what true despair feels like…"