Chapter 1: The Man and The Spirit
Feeling the refreshing wind pass through him, a skinny young man with porcelain skin and blond spiky hair was lying on top of a leafy house, looking at a dark blue lake from afar.
But that's only under the assumption of the people walking by; they didn't think the young Liam HeartWood right here had a different view from them.
Liam Heartwood, an unknown boy who was discovered inside a hidden cave on the nearby mountain.
When he woke up, he didn't remember who he was, where he was from, or his family. The young boy even forgot his own name, but there's one thing he didn't forget: his age, which the villagers found strange.
In the end, a kind old couple took him in as one of their own and named him Liam HeartWood.
Liam was actually very energetic, intelligent, and very strong, much stronger than those around him, so people usually asked him to help them with certain things or to come with them and hunt some beast.
And each time he accepted it with a kind smile and did it so diligently, the villager slowly started to accept him as one of their own.
That's until after an incident occurred where their house was burned to ash, leading to the death of the two couples that raised him.
Due to grief, the promising boy slowly turned into a skinny man as he wandered around the village and used whatever money remained from the couple to sustain himself through the day.
The villagers pity the man and so many reach out for him for help but he refused and kept on wandering around the village; sometimes they spot him on the rooftop of a house, sometimes it would be inside a bush, and sometimes they even spotted him outside the village.
And most of the time they see him, he was sleeping… even inside a chicken hut or near a wolf cave.
There's no place he can't sleep.
So they slowly called him the Sleeping Man, a person who could be found asleep anywhere.
Though right now, they couldn't care less about it, for today is the day when the son and daughter get the chance to become the Spirit Bearer.
*****
On one morning, just like any other, the sun hung above the sky and shone its brilliance on everything.
Yet on that particular day, all lives heard the sound of the sun roaring like a beast shaking the entire world, followed up with the cries of the sky as it seemed like it had been bitten.
The color of blood slowly dyed the entire sky, and the once brilliant sun had turned to crimson.
But that wasn't all; strange phenomena appeared around the world where motionless objects began to change their form into monstrous things.
They are known as Spirit Calamity.
Some are docile; most are not, as they begin to destroy everything they have their sight on and kill all life.
Their power is incomprehensible and illogical, making all living beings powerless to these magnificent beings and before long, only a handful of living beings will be alive on this world, with humans on the brink of extinction.
What's even worse is that there are less than a hundred at that time!
The situation was hopeless but then a single human managed to find a way to fight back against these spirits by using their own power!
They are known as Spirit Bearer.
There are two ways to gain their power: one is to devour them when they are at their weakest, and the other is to form a contract through a ritual or some sort. Whatever path you may choose, after gaining the ability, you will become a Spirit Bearer.
Many yearn for
Sadly, the chance of becoming one is one in a thousand so it's unlikely the small village he's living in has one, but hope remains within the people.
'Spirit Bearer'
Liam once thought that those who gain such a blessing from the spirit are the luckiest of all, since they could live a life without worry and everything was under their grasp.
Oh, how wrong he was, for he is indeed a Spirit Bearer, but right now, his life is full of pain, unnecessary trouble, and turmoil, and worst of all, he is now even more restricted than any human here!
Though it's wrong to say that it is due to the Spirit Bearer.
No, it's because of this thing in front of him right now.
"I cursed this damn system."
Just the sight of it make him wanted to gouge his eyes out.
"There's no good having such a cursed system!"
*****
| The Path Of Spirit Destroyer |
[Stat]
Title: Blood Axe, Gravemaker.
Age: 18
HP: 100%
Status: Alive
Rank: Apprentice
[Spirits] (7/7)
Spirit Of Suffering (True Spirit)
Spirit Of Foolishness (True Spirit)
Spirit Of Vision (Great Spirit)
Spirit Of Hardships (Grand Spirit)
Spirit Of Achievements: (Grand Spirit)
Spirit Of Names (Grand Spirit)
Spirit Of Spark (Fragment Spirit)
[Ability]
Axe Enthusiast: You are an expert with axes.
Rotting: You could cause things to rot or decompose faster than they should have.
Cycle of Torment: Every week, you will suffer intense pain that may kill you.
Fool Deduction: Deductions on you will be misleading.
Parallel Vision: You could see what happened if the other person were in your situation.
Continuous Missions: You will be given a mission that, when solved, will give you a reward.
Title: Your title gives you ability.
System: The record is there to guide and aid you.
[Quest]
| Defeat the Spirit Of The SadMan Lake | [WARNING]
Reward: Pain relieved, increased in attainment
Failure: Double the pain of punishment.
Deadline: two days left
| Defeat the Spirit Of Four Tusks |
Reward: Pain relieved, received title: Butcher, tendons replacement
Failure: Removal of all teeth and nails
Deadline: Two months left
| Find clues about yourself |
Reward: Restoration of the Spirit Of Spark
Failure: The Destruction of the Spirit Of Spark
Deadline: A year left.
*****
"What a bunch of crap."
From the moment Liam woke up from the dark cave, he already had seven spirits but he didn't get his head exploded or anything, though if there's one thing to note, it's that he couldn't control any of them.
He didn't know how he got it, but he soon grew accepting of the system and tried to use it to his fullest. As time went on and more missions occurred, from just helping the villagers to slaying nearby beasts, he realized the system caused him more harm than good.
It took away his freedom, his life, and his loved ones. Now he is just a broken young man who has no choice but to sleep through the days and scrub whatever is left around in the night.
And what's with those half-ass description, even a toddler could describe better than that!
'Path Of The Spirit Destroyer?'
"Screw it all, I might as well die rather than walk this chained, stupid path!"
But before he dies, he's sure going to destroy this thing first.
That's the promise he had made and he had never broken any promises in his short life.