Chương 6: The First Death
Elion jolted awake, gasping for air as though he had been drowning. His heart raced in his chest, his wide eyes darting frantically around the room.
The sights were both familiar and disorienting: a small, barely usable bed, partially crumbled walls, rubble littering the floor, and a cracked road visible through the large gap in the ruined wall. Thick black smoke hung in the sky outside, turning the world into a gray, lifeless haze.
Elion rubbed his stomach, his trembling hands seeking a wound that was no longer there.
"What… What just happened?" he whispered. His voice shook as he spoke. "Did I… Did I just die?"
He didn't want to believe it. But the memory hit him like a hammer: the sharp needle piercing his back, the gaping hole in his stomach, his blood spraying everywhere as the world faded to black.
"System!" he shouted, panic surging through him. "Where are you?! Explain to me what just happened!"
[Relax. You were just killed by a Dred.]
The system's cold, matter-of-fact response made Elion freeze.
"Killed?" he repeated, his voice trembling with disbelief. "I died?"
He clutched his chest, his breaths shallow and uneven. His mind spun as he tried to process it—the unbearable pain, the feeling of life slipping away. Tears welled in his eyes, though he wasn't sure if they were from anger, fear, or something else entirely.
[Calm down. You still have two more chances to start over if you die.]
The words pierced through his haze of panic like shards of ice.
"Two more chances?" Elion whispered. Then his voice rose, trembling with rage. "Two more chances?! Do you think I want to go through that again? Do you think I want to feel my insides being torn apart? To see my blood pouring out of me like water?!"
He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. His body trembled with anger, fear, and humiliation.
The memory was too vivid. The cold, sharp stab in his back. The sickening sensation of his stomach splitting open. The sound of his blood splattering against the ground.
It wasn't just death—it was violence.
It wasn't just pain—it was helplessness.
And it terrified him.
[If you don't want to experience death again, then become stronger.]
[You've received a new quest!]
[Daily Quest:]
Run: (0/10 km), Push-ups: (0/300), Sit-ups: (0/300), Squats: (0/300), Read Books: (0/10)
Elion stared blankly at the floating text. Then his lips twisted into a bitter smile.
"Do you think this is a joke? Look at me!" he shouted, gesturing to his thin, malnourished body. "You really think I can do all that? And what's with the books? Where am I supposed to find books in this wasteland?"
His voice cracked with frustration as he glared at the system message. It felt absurd. Impossible. He could barely move without fear of being killed, and now the system wanted him to perform some impossible fitness routine?
[Okay, okay. Relax. I'll lower the numbers.]
The text updated in front of him.
[Daily Quest:]
Run: (0/10 km), Push-ups: (0/100), Sit-ups: (0/100), Squats: (0/100), Read Books: (0/10)
"That's the same thing!" Elion snapped.
[Oh, so this is what you're going to do? Cry like a baby while Dred come for your life?]
Elion froze, the system's words cutting through him like a blade.
[Get your shit together and man up! You have to survive!]
The silence in the room was deafening as he stared down at his trembling hands. He wanted to argue, to shout, to blame the system for everything—but deep down, he knew it was right.
He had been a coward.
When his classmates mocked him, he stayed silent. When his mother hit him, he took the blows without a word. When the Dred killed him, he didn't fight back.
He had spent his whole life running away.
Elion clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding together. Slowly, he raised his fist—and punched himself hard in the face.
"Ouch!" he groaned, rubbing his cheek. "That hurt…"
But the pain grounded him. His breathing steadied, and the trembling in his hands began to fade.
He took a deep breath and muttered, "Okay. One step at a time."
Dropping to the floor, he got into position for his first push-up.
---
From that day on, Elion changed.
He became cautious, memorizing every path he took and learning to avoid Dred patrols. He returned to the supermarket, collecting food and water for his inventory, and gathered materials to patch up his broken room.
Each day, he completed the daily quest, pushing his frail body to its limits. The first few days were grueling—his arms and legs screamed in protest, and every movement felt like torture. But as time passed, his body began to change.
Every completed quest rewarded him with stat increases, and every Dred he defeated leveled him up. Slowly but surely, Elion was growing stronger.
But did he have a safe route to jog each day? Of course not. He typically faced at least five or six Dred attacks per day, and each time he defeated them, his level increased by at least two. Elion was getting used to facing them.
Just like yesterday.
As usual, Elion jogged along the city outskirts. Wearing a gray sporty jacket, black athletic pants, and shoes—all created using his [Creation] skill.
He ran, panting heavily, still not accustomed to such strenuous activities.
"S-System... h-how much farther do i have to go?" Elion asked between gasps.
[You've only run one kilometer.]
"What?" Elion stopped, focusing on the robotic voice in his head. "You're lying, right? I definitely ran five kilometers already."
[Tch. If you knew, why'd you ask?]
"Wowww! You see this, guys?" Elion bent down, talking to the grass swaying beside his feet with a bewildered expression. "This system just tried to trick me! I can't believe this!"
Seeing Elion talking to grass, the system couldn't handle the absurdity anymore and said,
[While you're at it, why don't you touch some grass?]
Elion shot the system a glare. But as soon as he noticed something moving in the bushes, he immediately became alert.
[Warning! A dred is coming at you!]
With the system's warning, Elion whispered, "Inventory."
A portal appeared, hovering beside him. He reached into the sub-dimension and pulled out a kitchen knife that he had kept in his inventory.
Taking a deep breath, Elion steadied himself. He assumed a defensive stance, raising the knife in front of his chest. His eyes sharpened as he waited for his enemy.
Strange noises came from the bushes, and within moments, two Dreds lunged at him at full speed. One was a mix of a monkey and a tiger, while the other had a crow's head and a horse's body.
Prepared, Elion deftly dodged their attack, then swung his knife to slice the crow-headed Dred's neck clean off, letting its head roll to the ground.
[You have successfully killed a Dred!]
The other Dred glanced briefly at its fallen companion, then launched another attack at Elion with its claws.
Elion parried the Dred's claw with his knife, making him stumble slightly, but he quickly regained his footing and began sprinting towards the Dred.
The Dred let out an odd growl, its tiger-like face furious. Seeing Elion charge at it, the Dred swung its sharp claws, creating a powerful gust of wind.
But Elion remained unfazed, closing the distance between them. As the Dred's claws swung just above his head, cutting a strand of his hair, Elion spun to the side, avoiding the attack.
He then thrust his knife into the Dred's side, dragging it across its body to its belly, creating a massive gash. Blood splattered, and the Dred's organs spilled onto the ground.
The Dred stopped moving, collapsing into a pool of its own blood.
[You have successfully killed a Dred!]
[You have leveled up] [Lv. 20 → Lv. 21]
System messages popped up on the screen. Elion glanced at them briefly, wiping the blood from his face with his shirt as he whispered,
"Let's go."
He turned around and resumed his jog, leaving the two Dred corpses behind, laying pitifully on the center of the road.
---
Then how about the daily reading quest?
The first time Elion found a book was in the ruins of his own home. Surprisingly, some books his parents had stored in the attic remained in good condition.
When he finished reading all the books at home, he moved on to find more elsewhere. Of course, his first target was the city library.
Unfortunately, most of the books had either burned or were trapped beneath large rubble that Elion couldn't lift on his own. Afterward, he had no choice but to dig through the ruins of various buildings in the city.
One day, while wandering the city looking for books, Elion was about to give up when a collapsed building caught his attention.
It looked like a martial arts dojo.
Elion then curiously lifted the debris around the dojo, hoping to find something. Sure enough, he found an old, dusty book.
Blowing off the dust and brushing it off his leg, he cleaned the book thoroughly. Once the dust was gone, Elion read the title on the cover.
"Beginner's Guide to Taekwondo," Elion whispered. "A martial arts book."
It was the first time Elion had found a book about martial arts. He quickly opened it and began reading. The book contained images of stances in taekwondo.
"This is interesting."
As Elion was immersed in his reading, a sudden system notification appeared above the book, startling him.
[Skill: [Taekwondo Lv. 1] Successfully acquired!]
Elion immediately broke into a wide grin. To him, this was an unexpected reward.
"I can gain skills just by reading books, huh? This system isn't so bad after all."
[5 Months Later]
Elion opened his eyes, still in the same room he had woken up in five months ago. Rising from his sleep, he sat up, gathering his thoughts. After a few minutes, he looked up and called out,
"System, what kind of quest do I have today?"
The robotic voice, now all too familiar to Elion, echoed once again in his mind.
[Still the same thing. But what's with the question? You've been asking the same thing for over a week now.]
"I'm tired of this. This endless cycle… It's driving me insane," Elion sighed, relaxing his shoulders.
[Even though you've only been at it for five months? You think you're tough now, huh?]
"You're missing my point, aren't you? Imagine living in a world by yourself, unable to meet or talk to anyone, and all you do every day is the same workout. Doesn't that sound boring?"
Silence briefly filled the room.
[Well, I guess you're right.]
Elion blinked in surprise at the system's response.
"I didn't expect you to actually understand what I meant," he said, raising one of his eyebrows. "What kind of system are you, anyway? How can you speak as if you have emotions?"
[Alright. If you're feeling bored, I'll give you a new mission.]
"Oh? Now you're just dodging my question. This makes you even more—"
Elion's words were abruptly cut off by the sudden appearance of a flashing screen in front of his face. The light from the screen momentarily blinded the room.
[New Quest: Revenge!]
[Quest Detail: Find and confront the Dred, who previously killed you, and exact your revenge!]
Reading the new mission, Elion's lips curled into a smirk. "So, you think I'm ready now?"
[Believe what you want, kid.]
What a jerk, Elion thought. He smiled as he began preparing, donning the clothes and shoes he had created using his [Creation] skill a few days ago.
"Open status window!" he commanded while turning the door handle and pulling the door open.
A moment later, a large holographic screen appeared in front of him.
[Status Window]
Name : Elion Viro
Level : Lv. 75
Age : 14 years
HP : 7,500/7,500
IP : 7,500/7,500
Strength : 251
Intelligence : 493
Stamina : 254
Agility : 235
Skills : [Creation Lv. 3] [Inventory] [Taekwondo Lv. 1] [Karate Lv. 1] [Sword Lv. 2]
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