Removing The Trash
"I see... I knew it was bad, but I didn't think it was this bad," remarked Misaki. Having absorbed Yuji's detailed explanation about the tower and the system, she grasped the immense pressure players had during these events.
The players weren't merely engaging in fun activities; their participation was a matter of life and death.
"Yuji, will you be alright?" inquired Yuji's mother, expressing genuine concern for his safety.
"Don't worry, both of you. As I told Misaki, my death won't be due to soemthing so tiny. It will be a death remembered by everyone."
After offering reassurance, Yuji turned his attention to his sister, puzzled by her expression.
"What's wrong?" he queried.
She didn't respond immediately. While their mother might not have detected Yuji's change in demeanor, having been bedridden for two years, Misaki had.
Although Yuji had never exposed this information to avoid causing worry, given their precarious financial situation with bills and hospital expenses, he had faced bullying both in high school and later during university from the same bullies.
The bullies targeted him for his money, fully aware of Yuji's circumstances and how he would never tell a soul no matter what they did to him. So, they demanded payment even though he never yielded. This, in turn, became a pretext for physical assaults.
He kept this ordeal to himself to avoid complications. If his mother discovered the bullying, she would spare no effort to seek justice for Yuji, even if it jeopardized her medical treatments.
After a brief pause, Misaki responded with a bitter smile, "It's nothing…"
Yuji understood her thoughts; this wasn't the first time he found himself in this exact situation.
"Well, I need to go out and get somethings. We need food and weapons for you both. Since everything is in chaos, I should be the one to go," declared Yuji.
They naturally disagreed. "That is exactly why you shouldn't go! Everything's chaotic now. Wait a few days and let it die down before you go," suggested Misaki.
Yuji shook his head. "That isn't a good idea. In this chaos, normal people will seize the opportunity to stockpile food and water. Since no one knows how long this will last, they'll plan to stay home for a while. This is the best time to do so, especially for us, given our limited money," he argued persuasively.
His mother, Masumi, though reluctant, acknowledged he was right. If she were in his shoes, she would also gather as many essential supplies as possible to ensure her family's safety until normalcy returned.
"Misaki, he's right. And if what Yuji said about the stats making him stronger and faster is true, he will definitely come back."
Despite her reluctance, Misaki finally relented and agreed to let Yuji go.
With their approval, he went to his room and put on a blue hoodie, concealing his face under the hood.
Before leaving the house, he opened his status window.
| Yoshida Yuji (22) |
| Level: | | 7 |
| Title: | | Last Life (+1) |
| Class: | | Locked |
| Rune: | | Regression Rune |
| Strength: | | 62.3 | +
| Agility: | | 70.1 | +
| Intelligence: | | 5 | +
| Luck: | | 0 | +
| Stat Points: | | 10.5 |
From his 1,324 kills, he gained 0.1 agility or strength per kill, totaling 132.4 random stat points.
The 10.5 stats available for distribution came from his 7 levels and the rewards for 1st place.
He pressed the plus symbol near agility and put all his stat points to it.
In the upcoming floors, speed would be the most important factor.
| Yoshida Yuji (22) |
| Level: | | 7 |
| Title: | | Last Life (+1) |
| Class: | | Locked |
| Rune: | | Regression Rune |
| Strength: | | 62.3 | +
| Agility: | | 80.1 | +
| Intelligence: | | 5 | +
| Luck: | | 0 | +
| Stat Points: | | 0 |
With his stats now invested in agility, he sensed a significant power boost surpassing the feeling of the incremental 0.1.
'I didn't necessarily need to put my stat points to any stats. I'll easily defeat anyone. But just in case I forget before the next event, I did it now.'
Yuji bid farewell to Misaki and Masumi, then left the house.
The stuff he told them about going to buy food, he was using it as an excuse to confront individuals who would pose a threat to his family in the future.
On his 99th regression, Yuji became so powerful that he believed no one would oppose him regardless of his actions or requests.
Yet, these four individuals he sought had united, despite lacking significant power or distinction, conspiring to kidnap Yuji's family for ransom.
Upon learning of their actions, even the most powerful players deemed them reckless. Yuji was willing to pay any price for their lives, but his family didn't want to risk him losing everything, choosing to fight back, resulting in a deadly outcome.
The kidnappers eventually took their own lives, leaving Yuji, the strongest player, to mourn without the chance to avenge his family's death.
Yuji blamed himself for what transpired. His overconfidence in his power caused him to overlook the fact that there were people out there wishing for his downfall.
His 99th regression stood out as his best, with powers so potent that even the sum of all his previous regressions couldn't compare.
It was all thanks to his hidden class, the reason for his unwarranted comfort. In one regression, he surpassed the combined strength of all his previous ones.
Gaining such immense power in a short time provided a false sense of security, making him forget about family members who weren't players and enemies who sought his demise.
In this regression, he aimed to eliminate the threat against his family and finally achieve the revenge that would lift the burden from his shoulders.
A couple of minutes later, Yuji arrived at a small town and stood outside an undoubtedly empty home. He settled down, waiting for their return.
After a few hours, he heard chattering and laughter.
"Haha! Did you see the way he tried begged for his life?!"
"I love this new world! We can finally be free! We can have anything we want, and no one can stop us!"
"I'll kill all those rich bastards and take their money!"
"I just want to enter the tower and fight those monsters again! The adrenaline feels so amazing!"
Yuji noticed four familiar faces approaching the home he was waiting outside.
He hadn't expected to find all four kidnappers together, saving him considerable time and effort.
"You guys are finally here. I didn't expect to find all four of you here. Guess today's my lucky day."
The four turned to the voice's location, spotting a hooded figure walking towards them with a dagger in hand.
They didn't know what this feeling was, but it hinted at something ominous crawling up their spines, compelling every fiber of their being to run.
"W-Who are you?" stammered one of the kidnappers.
"A future colleague who has been waiting a long time for this day."