Chapter 2: Rage in the Veins
The silence after the awakening failure haunted Rayden. Days passed, and the village avoided him like he carried a plague. Where once he was just another boy, now he was a symbol of rejection. Even his parents could barely look him in the eye.
But the system in his mind — the Berserk System — didn't remain silent.
It whispered in moments of stillness. It stirred when his heart raced. And at night, it fed him visions — visions of blood, steel, and the feeling of unstoppable rage tearing through enemies.
Rayden tried to resist it. He trained in secret, striking at trees, punching stones until his knuckles bled. Each time the pain set in, the voice inside him grew louder, until his reflection in the stream no longer felt like his own.
The first quest still remained unfinished: Spill blood in rage. It clawed at his mind, a hunger unsatisfied.
Then came the chance.
Bandits descended on the outer hills — raiders who'd stolen from nearby settlements. A group of them had made camp too close to the village. The guards wouldn't risk pursuit, but Rayden saw an opportunity.
He followed them through the woods, alone, wrapped in a cloak of silence. His fists clenched tight, heart pounding like war drums. He didn't bring a weapon — the system was his weapon now.
As night fell, he crept into their camp. The fire flickered. Laughter echoed. He saw them — cruel-eyed men around a spit of meat, drunk and careless. One of them kicked a cage with a young girl inside. Rayden's blood boiled.
[SYSTEM SURGE: Initiating Combat Mode]
[Fury Level: 34%]
He didn't think. He acted.
With a primal roar, he leapt into the firelight and drove his elbow into the nearest bandit's face. Bone cracked. Another turned, drawing a blade — too late. Rayden smashed into him, eyes burning red, body surging with unnatural strength.
[SYSTEM RESPONSE: Quest Objective Met]
[Reward Unlocked: Unchained Fury Lv.1]
[Skill: Rage Spike — Active]
The system pulsed through him. Time blurred. One by one, they fell — screaming, bleeding, broken. The girl in the cage watched, wide-eyed, as the boy with no system became a storm.
When it was over, Rayden stood among the corpses, chest heaving, hands soaked in blood.
He had completed the quest.
But something inside him had awakened.
And it was hungry for more.
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