A strange red flame curled around it—no smoke, no heat… as if it had emerged straight from hell itself.
The man holding it was massive, with bloodshot eyes and smoke dripping from his mouth from a short cigarette. Behind him stood two others. One was extremely skinny and held in his hand a yellow roll—thick adhesive tape.
"Debt?"
What did they mean by debt?
Had the owner of this body truly found no one else to borrow money from except these people?
"Salmon," I tried to defuse the situation calmly.
The three men froze in place for a moment.
"What did you just say?"
asked the massive one, his face scowling.
I tried again, with all the strength I could muster:
"Tonkatsu."
His face twisted instantly, anger blazing in his eyes.
"Are you mocking us, you bastard?! Grab him!"
I didn't move.
No—I couldn't move.
Ever since I was reincarnated here, I felt this immense weight on me.
The skinny man lunged forward with surprising speed. Before I could react, he wrapped the tape tightly around my body—around my arms, then my chest, and finally down to my legs.
"Tsssshhhk!!"
I heard the sound clearly.
I collapsed to the ground, bound and helpless.
The massive man approached me with a mocking grin.
"Three months you've been telling me you'd pay your debt, and now you try to mock us? 'Salmon'? You've really lost it, haven't you?"
He raised the bat high.
I couldn't scream.
No defense.
No escape.
No words to save me.
Then—
"BOOM!"
A powerful kick—or rather, a direct hit to my stomach—so strong it forced the air from my lungs in one violent rush.
I felt it reach all the way to my spine.
"Aaaargh!"
A muffled scream escaped—mixed with pain and humiliation.
I tried to move, to speak a word of destruction like Toge from anime… but all that came out was:
"Mackerel… curry… salmon…"
The man leaned closer, staring into my face.
"Still want to play games, huh?"
He gestured to the skinny one.
"I won't hit you with this bat… but I do know something that might cheer you up."
He pointed at his friend.
"Bring it."
The skinny man disappeared for a few seconds… then returned.
In his hand was a small knife.
But it wasn't ordinary.
It was glowing red—its edge pulsing like it had just come out of a furnace. The heat radiated from it, vibrant and dangerous.
He knelt by my feet… then reached for my face, grabbing my eye and bringing the blade dangerously close to my pupil.
"You know what we do to people who delay payments, right?"
My mind started to spin.
I felt something inside me trying to emerge, like a trapped power, but it was bound.
Yet my body remained frozen, as if fear had locked me in a block of ice.
The blade was nearing death.
Closer… closer…
I felt the heat of the knife sting the air separating it from my eye—
Then, unintentionally… unconsciously… a word slipped from my lips.
A faint whisper, its origin unknown. I didn't realize what I had said until it was too late:
"I wish you'd be crushed to death…"
[Warning: Daily attempt limit is five]
[Remaining attempts: Four]
Time stopped.
The eyes of the man holding the knife widened.
Then, in a single split second—
"TSSSHHHHHHK!!"
A brutal tearing sound ripped through the air.
Something… something invisible, like a monstrous hand from nothingness, grabbed the skinny man's body suddenly—
Then began to crush him.
His face contorted.
His mouth opened wide, trying to scream… but no sound came out.
His bones began to snap and crack, shattering under an unstoppable force.
Blood spilled from his nose, his eyes, his ears—
"CRAAAAK!!"
The sound of his shoulder breaking, like a dry twig under a monster's foot.
His limbs shuddered violently, then bent inward like a folded sheet of paper.
His chest collapsed.
His skin tore.
Even his stomach exploded like a watermelon crushed under a wheel.
The big man stumbled backward in horror, dropping the bat from his hand.
The third man ran—without so much as a glance back.
Me?
I was still lying on the floor, bound…
But the terror in my heart wasn't only from witnessing that gruesome death—
It was from the word that escaped my mouth, and the power that answered it.
"What… just happened?"
My eyes trembled as I stared at the mangled remains before me.
A pile of meat… unrecognizable.
This was insane.
How could simply saying something make it come true?
But what really caught my attention… was the screen floating above me.
You might wonder—why didn't I recoil or try to flee after seeing a man turned into minced meat?
But I didn't.
For two reasons:
First, I was still bound.
Second: I didn't care.
Why should I mourn someone who tried to kill me just moments ago?
I'm sorry, but I'm not a fan of justice.
I'd rather be a villain instead.
"Are you a system?"
I couldn't help but ask.
But what came out of my mouth was:
"Salmon."
[Yes. My primary goal is to help you survive in this world.]
"So how can I use my ability?"
I asked in my mind.
[You simply have to think it. But beware—if you wish for something too powerful, it will cause severe damage to your body.]
I glanced at the number of attempts left… then thought internally that I wanted to use the fourth attempt.
"Cut the tape."
The words came out of my mouth so naturally—
And the tape binding me instantly tore into shreds.
So I just need to think about what I want… and it'll activate.
But the number of attempts is seriously low.
Is there a way to increase it?
[Yes. And there's even an ability that would allow you to speak freely—but it's extremely valuable.]
"Can I know the mission?"
[....]
I could do nothing but stare in shock.
"Oh my god "
End of chapter