LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 5: Subtle Quests
With the way [Aura of Depth] created changes in my surroundings and the subsequent notifications from the system, I realized that the words written on the interface seemed keen on making me tread a certain set of pathways.
I was given a choice despite the lack of concrete questions.
"Indeed," I muttered.
I either walked the difficult path of the hero, changing that which has no hope for change.
Or, I could multiply what already existed, becoming an unimaginable villain.
Somehow, the choice was mine. It was a very subtle way of sending a message. One that required reading between the lines.
Thus, I was quite amused.
Leading me to the question...
'What kind of person do I want to be in this world?'
I had to answer this as early as now. Otherwise, I had a feeling that I would lose myself in the process of trying to find my way.
A conviction was what I needed.
After all, despite their simplicity, all of the characters I created in this world had something they wanted. And they would do everything to get it.
It was then.
—Shove.
It was the sound of the rough rustling of clothes. Shoulders rubbing together. Bone hitting muscle.
A figure stumbled. It was me.
"..?"
Looking up, I saw a man glaring at me. His scarred face was intimidating... However, I knew his stereotype. A third-rate villain who bullied the weak.
"Oi, watch where you're going eh? I think you just injured my shoulder!"
Hearing these words, chuckles came in as an annoying ripple. Third-rate thugs were chuckling behind the man.
It was clear to me then: they were going through the motions.
"Look here, lad." The man pointed at his shoulder, "You tore my suit. For that, I'm gonna have to ask ya to pay up! This is an expensive piece of fabric. I can't have random people ruining my chance at greatness because they just bumped into me!"
—Hahaha.
Laughter continued to echo the man's words.
Unfortunately...
All of my attributes were at F-Rank. What was I supposed to do against a fully grown man?
And yet, I couldn't comply with their demands. A wry smile appeared on my face.
"Oh? What'cha doing smiling in this situation, huh?" The man squared up.
However, my reply was simple.
"...I'm broke, my good sir."
I emptied my pockets for all to see. Other than the cheap clothes I wore and my personal phone card, I had nothing.
"I'm already homeless. What more can you ask of me?"
All I could offer was my phone card, which I indeed offered up with two hands.
Looking at the cheap card, the man looked at me in disdain. He spat at my face.
"Fucking bastard,"
The next thing I knew, the bottom of his boot was rapidly approaching my face.
'Ah, shit,'
The world turned black.
***
I woke up tasting iron, lying in a dark alleyway. Touching my face, I cracked my nose back into place. It was clear that those thugs rummaged through my clothes while I was unconscious.
Bruises littered my body. Luckily, I still had my underwear intact... Had they gone that far, I would've burned the city down.
[ > WIL: F-Rank (0/3) -> E-Rank (0/9) ]
Despite the clear exploitation, my Willpower skyrocketed, and I could only smile sadly in reply. Perhaps much of humanity bore such high Willpower because of situations such as these.
[ Aura of Depth is in effect! ]
[ Changes are being made to the world... ]
[ Changes have been realized! ]
[ Displaying... ]
[]=[]=[]=[]=[]
Faction: Street Thugs
Rank: E-B
Description:
Originally just a tool to further the stories of the main cast, now it has become a tool to make sure the weak stay weak. Should any regular person climb the ladders of power and influence, these thugs are there to take it all away. Humiliating them and stripping them of their dignity.
The higher one climbs, the greater one falls.
[]=[]=[]=[]=[]
Wiping the blood that dripped from my nose, I returned the curse they sent at me.
"Fucking bastards,"
I had decided on my next prey. Their shadows already bore my mark.
It was a time to teach those fuckers a lesson: messing with demons was never a good idea.
***
As a Shadow Demon, I had a few small abilities that the System deemed too basic to mention explicitly. However, they fell under the category of Shadow Assassination Arts.
One of which fell under yet another umbrella skill called [Tracking and Marking].
A vital skill that a Shadow Demon had access to. It was their bread and butter.
Without it, they would amount to nothing.
So, I followed the trail led by the marks I left behind. I moved deeper into the alleyways, melding within the shadows. In the absence of direct sunlight, I felt lighter and less lethargic, despite my ever-present affinity for the Light Element.
Indeed, a Shadow Demon belonged in the shadows.
"Found you, you damn bastards."
Locating the thugs was easy. They were hanging out in a dingy bar, hidden from prying eyes. It seemed like they were able to extricate a few riches from a few sad individuals since the last he saw them.
Unfortunately...
Killing them would be harder. As an assassin, I needed patience. I needed to wait for the opportune moment before I struck.
Otherwise, I would have walked straight into my death.
Despite the desperate wails of the woman bound by their arms, I stayed silent. I did not act. Not now when they had only a few drinks down their throats.
I needed to wait for them to increase the concentration of alcohol in their veins.
So I let the hours pass.
After all... 'I have time,'
And I wanted my revenge.
***
In the dead of the night, my eyes shot open. Despite my apparent thirst and the grumbling of my stomach, I stood up without any inch of weakness.
The night was my friend.
And those thugs had drunk themselves to sleep.
'The opportune moment has arrived,' I told myself, letting a grin spread across my lips.
As I walked, my hand trailed the runes carved into the buildings. Reinforcement runes, weightlessness runes, and a variety of other markings hummed in the wall, powered by an endless energy source.
None of these runes were used for surveillance.
'No wonder they chose this place...'
A laugh escaped my lips as I walked into the rundown establishment.