SPLAT.
"Finally killed you, you disgusting piece of shit."
A deep, smooth voice laced with irritation followed as a black boot lifted off the crushed remains of a roach. Not just any roach, one of the flying ones.
"Y'know, in all my days of living, I've never seen anyone who hates roaches as much as you do."
The response came in a lighter, feminine tone—smooth, teasing, but genuinely amused.
"Sounds like a lie. Everyone hates mosquitoes and roaches. The two banes of existence." he replied matter of factly, brushing the gore off his boot with the edge of a rock.
"Whatever you say, T.." she giggled, shaking her head.
Terrence Danbrose could honestly say that ever since he died and woke up in this new fantasy world, the same one he'd once devoured as pages of his favorite novel 'Rising of the Primordial Mage,' the experience had been nothing like reading.
It wasn't like he was the main character, Kaiser Kons, that plot-armored, overpowered, power steroid-fueled son of a bitch. No. Terrence was just an extra, if you could even call him that.
But that didn't bother him. Not one bit. Because he had something the main character didn't.
Before that though, let him explain the world of Rising of the Primordial Mage.
In Rising of the Primordial Mage, there were seven beings called Primes—entities above SSS Rank, apex predators of existence. Primordials. During the War of Eternity, these Primes fought each other in battles so reality-breaking they altered the very laws of creation.
Who won? No one knew. The Primes vanished, leaving behind scars in existence itself called Rends.
Tears in reality that bled monsters from other worlds. Beasts that didn't want to conquer humanity, but erase it or drag it screaming into their realms.
And humanity? It should've ended there. But the lingering radiation of the Primes' power mutated mankind, awakening something long thought impossible: the ability to fight back. To close the Rends. To challenge the unknown.
Terrence, however, had something different. Something unique.
There was a reason he went out of his way to stomp down every disgusting roach in the Nobody Region, which was a place outside of the 5 great Kingdoms plagued with Rends.
Because every kill meant progress.
[System Log]
+1 Brown Flying Cockroach killed
+0.5 EXP gained
(x10,000 Rewards Activated!)
0.5 EXP → 5,000 EXP
Level Up!
+1 Reward Point
"Nice. One step closer to being strong enough for my first Rend.." he muttered with a satisfied smile.
This ×10,000 rewards system was his trump card, gifted to him by the hidden Author Gods of this world.
Formally? It was called the Infinite Rewards Harem System.
The "harem" part..yeah, he wasn't worried about that yet. Not while he was stuck in the hood version of this world. But the rewards? That, he'd exploit until the world broke.
He flicked his fingers, pulling up his Status Screen. Eiselle—dirty black-white hair hanging in unkempt waves, dulled golden eyes, bare feet pressing against the cracked earth—watched with quiet curiosity. She never said anything when he did this. She couldn't see the screen. But she always stared like she wanted to.
[Status Screen]
Name: Terrence Danbrose
Level: 4
Title: [Hidden]
[Physical]
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Dexterity: 5
Endurance: 10
[Mental]
Focus: 10
Intelligence: 15
Perception: 10
Talent: [Unawakened]
(Unlocks after completing first Rend)
System: [Infinite Rewards Harem System]
All rewards amplified ×10,000
Harem Features: [Locked] (Unlock after completing first Rend)
"Damn, everything's balanced as it should be" Terrence muttered, closing the screen. "Once I hit Level 5, I'm diving into my first Rend. Good shit."
His stomach growled. Roach hunting was hungry work.
"Y'know, I always wondered if you're outright insane for talking to yourself all the time. Were you slow as a child?" Eiselle asked, so bluntly it made Terrence laugh.
"Trust me, I was.." he admitted with a smirk. "But that's another conversation for another time. Let's get something to eat."