It was early morning, and he jumped out of his small bed and ran towards the kitchen, where the delicious smell of omelets wafted. His mother was at the counter preparing freshly squeezed orange juice, while his father was placing omelets on the plates. As they sat down at the table, his father said with a cheerful voice, "Enjoy your breakfast today, Xu, because today is the day of a future star!" Xu Liangchen joined in their joyful laughter, unaware that the ordinary flow of his life was about to change forever.
After breakfast, his father put little Xu, dressed in his school uniform, into the car. They turned on the radio, sang songs, and Xu had a genuine smile on his face. When they arrived at the school gate, his father hugged him and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "See you later, son, listen well in your classes," he said. Xu Liangchen watched his father wave as he drove away. However, these beautiful moments gave way to shadows the moment he stepped through the school's iron gate. Xu noticed the fearful eyes of the school bullies, the stocky and sneering Zhang Kuang and Shan Hei, waiting for him.
School life was a nightmare for Xu. His weak and frail body had always been an easy target for bullies. During every school dismissal or break, Zhang Kuang and Shan Hei, along with their cronies, would block his way, forcefully take the allowance his father gave him, and insult him with vulgar words. Xu Liangchen harbored a deep grudge during every moment of this bullying. The grudge was a dark seed that quietly grew within him, taking root with every kick and every insult. That day was no different. When he entered the classroom, everyone looked at him with disdainful eyes, keeping their distance. During the break, he was sitting alone by the window where he always sat when he heard those mocking voices from the door: "Let's see what this loser brought us today."
Zhang Kuang was laughing as he looked at Shan Hei. The others were giggling among themselves. They approached Xu and pushed him to the ground. Another kick came, and then another. "How much money are you going to give us today, you whore seed?" Zhang Kuang shouted. Xu's wallet lay on the ground next to the scattered coins. They picked up the wallet, and out fell a photo of his mother. Zhang Kuang examined the photo mockingly. "Oh, so your mother's a whore, huh? I'm not surprised." Shan Hei took the photo from his hand, tore it, and threw it on the ground. At that moment, Xu's heart ached. The insults to his mother, the curses to his father, were a blow heavier than anything else. Looking at the torn photo, Zhang Kuang said, "Your mother's a whore, your father's a scumbag, and you're a piece of shit!" As they turned to leave with the money, the trembling body of little Xu Liangchen, who was lying on the ground, slowly got to his feet. In his eyes, a bloodthirsty rage that no one had ever seen before was gleaming.
Xu Liangchen slowly rose from the ground on trembling legs. Next to the scattered coins and the shredded photo, his silent resentment suddenly turned into a suffocating rage. At that moment, a digital screen appeared before his eyes: "EMERGENCY QUEST: Defeat the enemies. Remaining enemies: 7."
Xu didn't understand what was happening, but an energy he'd never felt before surged through his body. A deadly aura radiating from his eyes instantly changed the atmosphere of the classroom. When Zhang Kuang and Shan Hei turned to look at him, the person standing there wasn't the timid and fearful boy from moments ago. What gleamed in Xu's eyes was the essence of pure, primal hatred.
Xu Liangchen spoke in a low voice, yet one that the entire class could hear: "I will torture you so badly, you will beg me to let you die."
The bullies didn't take his words seriously at first. Zhang Kuang laughed, "What's wrong, did this loser grow a spine?" Shan Hei and the others joined in his mockery. However, the expression on Xu's face instantly froze their sneering smiles.Suddenly, Xu moved like a shadow. With an agile leap, he lunged at Zhang Kuang. It was a move no one would have expected from a weakling. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, Xu grabbed a knife from the ground—one that had been in Zhang Kuang's bag—and sliced the nerves in his leg, shredding them. Zhang Kuang collapsed to the floor in agony. Xu then pressed the knife against his throat and made a slow, deliberate cut with his trembling hands. To silence Zhang's screams, he then cut off his ears. All the bullies were frozen in shock and terror at the horrifying scene. The boy they had just been mocking had instantly transformed into a demonic executioner.
The other bullies panicked and tried to attack Xu. But Xu's speed and agility were far superior to their brute force. With the grace of a ballerina, he dodged their attacks, using the knife to sever the nerves in the arms and legs of each one. All of them lay on the ground, bleeding. They began to cry in fear, pleading, "Please, forgive us, Xu! We beg you!"
But Xu's eyes were clouded with fury. The word "mercy" no longer held any meaning for him. With a devilish smile, he sneered, "You despicable whore seeds, taste death at my hands!" and he transformed into a demon himself. He dismembered the organs of the screaming, begging bullies, flayed their skin, and ripped off their heads. The classroom instantly became a pool of blood, the whispers replaced by horrifying screams. This cruelty was not enough for the rage-filled Xu Liangchen.
Just then, an electronic voice echoed again. "Quest Complete ✅. Enemies defeated: 7. Enemies remaining: 7✅."
"Do you wish to claim your rewards? Yes/No?"
Xu Liangchen, with his bloody hands, answered, "Yes."
After Xu Liangchen said "Yes," a screen-like tab appeared. His eyes were fixed on the notifications that came one after another.
Notification: Misty Depths Dungeon key acquired.
Notification: Skill Points collected.
Notification: Crimson Dagger added to inventory.
All these notifications flashed in Xu's mind like lightning. Although he didn't fully understand what was happening, he knew he was now in a game and had to play by the rules. When he opened his palm, a sharp, crimson dagger, cold to the touch, appeared. The weight of the weapon gave him a sense of power he had never felt before. His blind thirst for revenge was replaced by a cold determination that came with this new power.
As he was about to burn the bullies' lifeless bodies, another warning appeared: "WARNING: Corpses cannot be burned."
While Xu Liangchen was questioning the reason for this warning, another tab opened: "Skill: Soul Eater: Activated." Immediately after, another notification appeared: "Heir of Darkness Bonus +50."
He didn't understand anything, but he instinctively decided to use the skill. When he extended his hand toward the bodies, transparent, hazy souls flowed from the lifeless bodies toward his fingertips. As he absorbed each soul, he felt an incredible power spreading through his veins. His body was becoming stronger, faster, and more resilient. He was no longer just a boy seeking revenge; he had transformed into a mighty being who set his own rules.When he got home, he took out a paper and pencil and decided to make a list of everyone who had bullied him. Next to each name, he wrote small notes, imagining the tortures he would inflict on them. The innocent and timid boy was gone, replaced by a cold-blooded killer. The next day, as he entered the school gate, he held the Crimson Dagger in his hand. Every gleam of the dagger reflected Xu's dark resolve. That day was the last day for the students at that school.The classrooms, corridors, and yard became silent witnesses to Xu's brutal revenge. Students screamed and fled, but no one could escape Xu's speed and the sharpness of his dagger. Each time he defeated an enemy, another notification appeared: "Notification: Enemies defeated. Notification: You have gained skill points." Xu allocated all his points to strength and speed. With each point, his body became more muscular and his movements deadlier.It was an extraordinary power for a thirteen-year-old boy. After turning the entire school into a bloodbath, he was satisfied with the destruction he had caused and detonated the bombs he had placed. As he watched the school go up in flames, his face was expressionless. A notification that appeared next to him caught his attention: "Warning: Misty Depths Dungeon can be entered." His next target was clear. As he grew stronger, his cruelty also increased; on his way to the dungeon, he mercilessly defeated and dismembered anyone who looked at him strangely or blocked his path. He was experiencing a power high. He no longer just wanted revenge; he also wanted to test this new power.
Leaving the school building in flames behind him, Xu Liangchen began walking in the direction pointed to by the mysterious key in his hand. Power intoxication was now a feeling he experienced with every step. Everyone who looked at him strangely became part of this dark journey. In his eyes was only the reflection of power and revenge. Like a hunter, he mercilessly overcame every obstacle in his path until he found the dungeon's entrance, a mossy gateway shrouded in mist. When he held out the key, the gateway trembled and opened, and Xu stepped into a dark tunnel.At the end of the tunnel, he found himself in a colossal chamber that looked like a temple of ancient gods. The air was heavy and humid. In the center, a large and dark god-figure stood, surrounded by seven statues. The statues stood like armored guardians, each with a defiant stance, challenging Xu. The silence of the room was suddenly broken by a notification echoing in his ears:
WARNING: If the dark guardians are not defeated within the designated time, the player's heart will stop.For the first time in his life, Xu felt genuine panic. This was different from the fits of rage he had experienced at school. This was a real threat of death. But as he clutched the Crimson Dagger tightly, his fear was replaced by a cold resolve. He didn't want to die; he wanted to complete his revenge.
Just then, a dark gateway opened at the edge of the room, and five dark goblins emerged from it. They were unlike the bullies he had faced before. Their eyes were blood-red, and their claws were long. Xu was determined; to live and to get his revenge, he had to defeat these creatures. He gripped his dagger and swiftly attacked them.However, these goblins were not simple. Each of them possessed surprising agility and could parry Xu's attacks. After a long and bloody fight, Xu managed to defeat them all, but his body was covered in blood and wounds. He was out of breath and felt his strength draining. For a moment, his knees trembled, and he felt as if he would collapse.
Just then, a second gateway opened, and from it emerged hundreds of dark elves and dark mammoth soldiers carrying swords made of ice. Xu was barely breathing, lying on the ground in a pool of blood. He didn't know how he could stand against so many enemies. But at that very moment, another notification appeared:
Notification: You have leveled up 3 > 5.
The exhaustion in his body vanished for a moment. He felt himself growing stronger. The pained expression on his face was replaced by that devilish smile again. He got to his feet, gripped his dagger tightly, and charged toward the new wave of enemies. Another bloody battle began.
The attack from the second wave felt like being in the middle of a hellscape. A hundred Dark Elves and Dark Mammoth soldiers wielding ice swords flooded toward Xu like a torrent. The battle was, in a word, bloody. Even though he had leveled up and felt his power, his body was utterly exhausted. His arm muscles screamed as he swung his dagger, and his wounds deepened. It was almost impossible to avoid getting hurt. Blood poured from the deep cuts on his chest, legs, and arms. He exerted incredible effort to take down each mammoth soldier, their ice swords leaving a coldness that seeped into his very bones. But Xu was single-minded; he kept fighting for revenge and survival. Finally, when he took down the last soldier, he collapsed where he stood, covered in blood and wounds.
He could barely breathe. He sat on one of the mammoth corpses and let himself rest, utterly weak. He used a healing potion from his inventory to treat his wounds. The cool liquid of the potion burned his injuries, providing a moment of temporary relief. Meanwhile, he quickly allocated the skill points he had collected to his strength and speed attributes. His body was once again filled with a surge of energy. However, this relief didn't last long.
The system chimed once more: "WARNING: EMERGENCY QUEST ASSIGNED."
He wearily opened his eyes. The final quest stunned him.
QUEST: DEFEAT KHARON, GUARDIAN OF THE UNDERWORLD RIVERS.
Xu could hardly believe what he was hearing. He was about to face a figure he had only read about in mythological stories. He looked toward the opening gate and was met with a terrifying figure. A massive, dark figure, covered in moss and swamp residue. Its body, seemingly made of water and shadows, flowed like a constant river. On its back, it carried a gigantic oar, which seemed to control the rivers and shadows. Its face was masked, with no light flowing from its eyes; there was only a deep void. Behind the figure, a current of water began to fill the room.
The system chimed again: "WARNING: If the quest is not completed, the Player will die."
This was the final act of a one-way journey. Xu felt his heart race with dread, but he had no intention of giving up. At that moment, another notification appeared: "Bonus: You have acquired the Wolf Fang Dagger."
Though Xu didn't understand what it was, he gripped the second dagger that appeared in his hand. He now held the Crimson Dagger in one hand and the Wolf Fang Dagger in the other. His body was filled with the combined power of the two different daggers. He got to his feet, casting aside his exhaustion, and prepared to attack Kharon. There was no turning back. To live and to get his revenge, he had to defeat this last monster