Chapter One – The Beginning
My name is Karion, Karion Bruce.
I was born in the slums, fighting and growing up there. You could say my life hasn't been the easiest—well, of course not. But I persevere, like one of my friends once said,
If you want to live, you live! Simple, right? But I woke up to find he had died next to me next day. Lol.
But that simple phrase helped me many, many times.
I grew up watching how every adult earned money. You could say it wasn't the cleanest way to get your hands on cash, but hey, it allowed me to live, didn't it? And by doing what the adults told me to, I lived.
I did many things. I watched how they treated and extracted money from the poor. They used pistols, pointed at their heads, voices rising, eyes often shining with savagery that made others tremble in fear.
When I asked why they did that, they said,
One without strength to keep what they have is trash.
It was like a firework booms inside my tiny head. Then I understood why other bigger kids often bullied me and stole my hard-earned food—because I was thin, short, and weak.
So, I trained. I worked my scrawny body to the bone every day. It felt like hell, but I kept going.
There was also this: I saw how they punished one of their own people. They'd kneel, head bowed low until it touched the ground, sweat trailing down their face. I saw someone usually fierce and proud tremble in front of some old geezer.
I asked him what they were doing.
He said, One without royalty is useless.
I tried to listen to them more, so they would allow me to live and teach me how to grow up to be a cool adult.
They asked me to kill, so I killed.
I still feel the sickness creeping up inside me when I think about how warm the blood felt as it dripped down my hands.
They asked me to infiltrate other organizations, so I did. I pretended to be a clueless slum kid, begging for food. Pathetic, right? But it allowed me to get the job done.
By the time I was old enough to realize, I was already knee-deep in the underworld. You could say I was body deep already. Lol.
And here I am, on the run from it. Hahaha.
"That old man's not gonna give up, is he?!" I grumble, my mood sour as I open my game controls.
My blood-stained hand snatches the potato fries. My butt sinks into the human's cushion—I mean, really human. Bodies of men and women in black suits scatter around my shabby apartment room, most beaten to a pulp, some alive but mostly dead.
I then notice movement from one of them. I ask casually,
"Hey, you're not dead, right?"
My monitor lights up as I press the play button. I look at him out of the corner of my eye.
I can see his body shaking, trembling as he tries and fails miserably to play Death.
"Hey, wanna die that much? hehehe." I burst into laughter, pulling out the knife still warm with blood.
"I'm asking when the old man will give up on me?"
The man startles, struggling to push himself up. His reply is raspy and huffing so loud it hurts my ears. Annoying.
"Ku! But Karion-sama, Boss say we have to get you back at all costs! He said if we fail, our family will—"
"Brah brah brah~" I roll my eyes, my hand moving frantically to control my character on the screen.
"I don't really care. I don't have a one anyway. So what I want to know is, I mean, there are many tools for him to use, right? Why me?"
I feel him try to swallow the curse he reflexively tries to spill. His Adam's apple bobs.
"You are his favorite knife, Karion-sama! You're the most talented there is. It was also you who brought us to stand here we are today!!"
His eyes light up as he sees what—not a boy, no older than twenty—but a monster, a legend, a hunter.
So troublesome. I know all too well if that old man wants something, he's not going to let it go easily.
My eyes move back to the game I'm currently playing. It's the same game that opened my eyes to the world. It's just some romcom fantasy RPG dating game.
This game is based on a romcom novel, it seems. The story revolves around the main stage: the Hunter Academy. As players, we have the role of acquiring the heroes who roam around the Academy and developing relationships with each one. Each hero has different potentials, personalities, and skills.
You must form a party with them, like assembling a deck, to pass each arc.
Another unique quality of the game is its vast map you can explore. It doesn't even end at the Academy—you take missions and roam around the world as much as you want, acquire ingredients, and help your companions grow. Each one requests unique artifacts for their development.
When I play, each playthrough gives me feelings I never, ever felt while working as a hitman for them.
"Tell him I'm busy playing a game."
His mouth gapes, eyes wide as he looks at me and then at my monitor, unable to believe what he sees.
"Game?"
My character on the screen swiftly dodges the boss's attack as I saw the guy move.
Despite his pale face, tired body, and blood loss, the man manages to stand up.
"You escaped from us to play... a game?"
I roll my eyes. Are you deaf or something? This is the popular game we're talking about! Teenagers all across the country are playing this!
I just... want to feel what it's like to spend a day like a normal teenager.
And sex! I want to have spicy sex like the porn I once watched!
"Yeah? And—"
My voice cuts short as I hear the Tik Tok sound.
I look past my shoulder at the guy's body again.
Bomb.
Crazy bastard.
"Boss say if we can't get you back—"
My body moves on instinct.
My feet carry me easily, like a ghost. My steps make no sound, only the thud of my controller hitting the floor echoes off the walls.
In the blink of an eye, I'm behind the man's back. Knife slices his neck.
"He said we just desto—Gruwk?!?"
Slick~
Clean.
I grab his heavy body and toss it out the window.
And BOOM!
I know that old man is up to no good, but I don't think he's crazy enough to do this.
I exhale the breath I was holding as I hear neighbors waking up, screaming.
The police are going to come here real quick, aren't they?
My face falls as I go back to sit in front of my monitor.
My eyes narrow as I see what I did not expect.
"You passed?"
The screen looks like time has stopped. My character is still dodging the boss mid-air, but red text with an eerie font appears in the center.
"What is this? I haven't even beaten it yet?"
My breath hisses as I feel the air around me vibrate. My senses scream to run, but my body won't even budge.
What is this? Some of that old man's plot again? It's no joke now!
And before my eyes, the screen lights up with black flames as my consciousness cuts short.
"Fuck... I haven't even been able to have sex..."
Darkness embraces me.