[Your soul points are critically low.]
[Consume a soul to restore points before the countdown begins.]
Ss bolted upright, his eyes wide. "What the hell?"
The notification he had desperately hoped to avoid now hovered ominously before him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"What the hell does this mean? I still have 30 soul points left. I''ve been careful not to drop below that, so why is it considered low?" Ss voiced aloud, his tone a mixture of frustration and shock.
During his battle with the God of the Realm mutant, he had realized that without using the skill he''d unlocked, he would undoubtedly perish. Engaging such a powerful mutant in his weakened state, especially armed with a broken de, was a death sentence. That''s why Ss had resorted to using his active skill, *Lightning Dash*.
*Lightning Dash* consumed 10 soul points per use, but Ss had calcted that as long as he didn''t deplete all his points, he wouldn''t lose control.
Or so he had thought.
Now, however, the system had proven him wrong. Even though he still had 30 soul points remaining, the dreaded notification had appeared.
"System, exin to me what''s happening—right now!" Ss demanded, his face slick with sweat and his heart pounding in his chest.
The system responded with silence.
"Of course. Just as I thought. What a useless piece of crap!" Ss snapped, getting off the bed and beginning to pace the room. His gaze remained fixed on the translucent window screen before him, his fingers absently rubbing his chin.
"I''ll have to figure this out myself," Ss muttered, scrutinizing the notification carefully. "It seems like this is just a reminder… A warning about the countdown. And when that countdown ends, I''ll lose control if I haven''t consumed a soul."
He furrowed his brow. "If it''s a reminder, I wonder how much time I have left before the countdown starts."
The idea of draining someone''s soulpletely repulsed him. Worse, he had no idea how to even go about it. Thest time he''d consumed a soul, he hadn''t been in control of his body, so the memory was hazy at best.
"Maybe when the timees, the system will guide me through the process," Ss mused, his expression contemtive. "Either way, there''s no escaping this. It''s part of me now. I''ll have to find a scapegoat, lure them somewhere isted, and do what needs to be done. Because if I go berserk, I might end up killing hundreds of students, and the academy would send me to the Iron Barrows for cleansing.
It''s safer to absorb a soul now, to prevent that from happening."
Ss concluded grimly, dismissing the screen and falling back onto his bed. Hey there, staring up at the ceiling, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts.
Faces of those who had bullied him and treated him like garbage shed through his mind. Using one of them as a scapegoat would almost be poetic justice. Perhaps taking out those who tormented him would even make him feel better—it would be doing the world a favor, after all.
"Now, who should I choose from my list of tormentors?" Ss''s expression darkened as he pondered his options, but eventually, sleep imed him, and he drifted off.
---
The next morning arrived, and the sunlight streamed through the small window of Ss Griswold''s room, flickering across his face, rousing him from his slumber.
He stood up from the bed, stretching his body. For someone carrying such a heavy burden, he had slept soundly.
The exhausting battle with the God of the Realm mutant had drained everyst bit of his energy, and that exhaustion had granted him a restful night.
[Your daily quest has arrived.]
[Complete 20 push-ups.]
As Ss made his way toward the bathroom, a holographic screen materialized before him, halting him in his tracks.
"Daily quests, huh? I was hoping to see something like this earlier since it was a feature in the games I used to y. When I didn''t find it, I figured the system didn''t have such a function. But here it is," Ss mused, ncing at the notification.
Without a second thought, he dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups on his knuckles. Being a martial arts specialist, 20 push-ups were effortless. Now that his strength had grown significantly, the task was even easier—almostughably so.
*Pushing himself for thest rep.*
[Daily questplete.]
[Reward: 5 attribute points.]
As Ss finished the final push-up, a notification appeared. He rose to his feet and eyed it with satisfaction.
"Five attribute points. Not bad. I''ll save them forter," he said, stepping into the bathroom.
After a quick shower, Ss dressed in his uniform,bed his hair, and left his room, shutting the door behind him.
The hallways were already filled with students making their way to the cafeteria for breakfast. After eating, they would head to their respective sses for training and lessons.
Ss walked through the bustling hallway until he reached the cafeteria. He joined the line of students waiting to be served their food.
The academy provided meals for students who couldn''t afford to buy their own. While the free meals weren''t as good as those purchased with tokens, they were still better than nothing.
Ss usually relied on these free meals, despite earning a few tokens from odd jobs. He preferred to save his tokens for weapons rather than spend them on food.
But today, Ss decided to try something different. He stepped out of the queue and headed toward the section where students paid for their meals.
As he approached the vendor, the man behind the counter red at him, clearly surprised to see Ss standing there.
Ss was well-known for relying on the academy''s free food, so his presence in the paying line was unexpected.
"Well, well… What''s a piece of trash like you doing here? Lost your way?" a familiar voice sneered from behind him.
Ss turned slowly, locking eyes with three students standing with their arms crossed. He recognized them immediately.
A grin spread across Ss''s face.
"Well, guess who''s going to be my scapegoat?" Ss muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on Caleb and hisckeys.
"""
A/n: You can vote with Golden tickets now for a mass release.