"What's that?" Joe asked, keeping his gaze on the window. He tensed, this place was still unfamiliar, and he wasn't ready for trouble.
Carrie squatted by the hearth with a smooth movement that clearly defined her as a seasoned hunter.
"Some rich bastard's thugs, I guess not from Grid. Probably from Forked," she said warily, her fingers traced on the thin glowing threads that she wove into something.
Joe's gut tightened. Forked? Grid?
He knew that Forked was a small town not far from Bracken, based on the fractions of memories he got from Zeon. And Grid was the ruling party of Carja.
"Who's sending them?" he asked, ready to help her if it came to fight. She wasn't helpless, but no one deserved to be hunted.
Carrie's eyes narrowed, her hands now weaving a faint mana shield which made Joe's eyes widened. She exhaled and shook her head.
"Some creep with too much coin and zero sense. Carja's full of these jerks, lords and tycoons who think they can buy anything, even people. This one's been snooping around here, wanting me for his damn harem." She answered with disgust, still threading her shield.
Joe nodded slowly, understanding the girl's situation. From Zeon's memories, he knew the dark side of wealth and riches in Carja, especially when it involved a sexy girl like her.
Suddenly Carrie glanced at him with a hint of suspicion, her brows furrowed. "You're too calm under pressure, Zeon."
Realizing her suspicions, Joe flexed his hands. "I can help you. I will back you up if they get close. We can work together."
"You told me you don't know how to use mana well," Carrie grinned half-playfully, half impressed. "That's brave. How can you even fight magic with just your fists?"
Joe exhaled, a bit lost for words on how to explain to her about his ability. He was sure he could handle the thugs easily with his Taekwondo black belt.
Before he couldn't even think on how to reply to her further, the heavy footsteps crunching through the underbrush grew louder. "Three, maybe four thugs." Carrie muttered, her blue transparent shield was fully formed now.
She stood, her night gown swaying, revealing some parts of her thighs, and Joe forced his eyes to the floor. While he was not in his right mind, a violet beam lanced through the closed window, shattering the woods into splinters.
"Down!" Carrie yelled, her shield flaring to block another attack from the unknown mages. The front door suddenly flung open, and two men with animal skin cloaks barged inside.
Joe sprang forward, charging at the nearest one, but from the second thug unleashed a wave of shimmering force that hit him like a truck. Pain exploded in his chest, and his vision blurred. He fought to hold on, but his body crumpled to the cabin floor.
Through fading consciousness, Joe heard Carrie's shout as she fought both of the thugs. "You're gonna regret this, you Forked scum!" she snarled.
Joe's last glimpse was of Carrie's struggling and shouting, as the thugs dragged her into the forest, toward Forked. Then the cabin lay silent, the only sound was the sound of fire burning the woods on the hearth.
*******
His eyes fluttered open, seeing the cabin blurry at first, his head throbbing. His body felt heavy, like his energy was drained, and his chest ached with every breath he took.
The fire in the hearth was barely alive, just a few glowing embers. The cabin walls scorched black in some spots, one of the parts splintered, and the night wind blowing through the busted window, splinters were scattered on the floor. The air smelled like burnt wood and something sharp, like lightning had struck inside.
Carrie. The first person he knew in this new world. She was gone, dragged off to Forked by that rich creep's thugs.
Guilty feelings washed over him. His instinct as a law enforcement in the previous world screamed on his failure. Nobody should have been taken on his watch, not if he could help it. But he'd failed.
Suddenly, the female voice sounded inside his head.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[You have not accessed your system interface. It is highly recommended to open your system dashboard to monitor your current levels and available abilities. Ignorance of its functions may lead to unforeseen penalties.]
[Access your Sin System now by issuing the command: OPEN SIN SYSTEM.]
'Dashboard?'
Joe was momentarily stunned. He didn't trust this thing, especially with its name, SIN SYSTEM. He believed the system would influence him to do some things that were not aligned with his morals.
But the words 'available abilities' sparked his curiosity. He needed power to survive in this new world.
"OPEN SIN SYSTEM…," he muttered hesitantly, half-expected nothing.
A glowing panel popped up in his vision, like a phone screen floating in the air. It showed his name—this world's name—Zeon Von Alexander. And below it, the texts and the numbers were lined up.
[SIN SYSTEM]
Host: Zeon Von Alexander
Overall Sin Level: 0
Current XP: 0/300
Level: 1
Rank: F
Vital Stats:
Current Mana: 50/200
Mana Regeneration: 1 Mana/Min
Strength (STR): 9
Agility (AGI): 11
Intelligence (INT): 10
Stamina (STA): 9
Willpower (WP): 13
Unlocked Abilities:
[Mana Perception] - Passive
Description: The ability to sense and perceive Mana flow in the environment, distinguishing between natural Mana and Mana constructs.
Joe read the texts and the numbers carefully, trying to understand the meaning of those. The numbers and stats were laid out like a video game interface, but the labels were what chilled him to the bone. 'Sin Level? Sin Meter?'
His eyes turned into slits, feeling his anger started to rise. He had been so overwhelmed by temptation of lust when he first met Carrie, a reaction was so strong and so fast he never had before.
This irritated him deeply. The cursed system had been watching and measuring every flicker of his desire, and it was not possible that the system multiplied it. And it would include all the sins, all seven of them.
"God damn it…" he muttered, his hands trying to grasp the hovering screen before him, but it was no use. The screen was translucent, his hands caught nothing but air.
Joe hurled a woven bamboo basket at the screen in frustration, and of course, it passed right through the transparent display. He snorted, then slumped into the chair, his eyes fixed on the screen as it slowly faded away.
How could he not be angry? That damn system was going to monitor him—his every move, every breath, everything. How was he supposed to make love with that cursed thing watching and observing his every dirty thoughts and moves?