…
With his newfound strength, Kane kicked off the ground, launching himself at the last bandit who had been about to kill him earlier.
"...?!"
The bandit barely had any time to react, hastily swinging his sword in desperation when he saw the incoming threat. Kane, now seemingly unstoppable, deflected the strike with a casual swing of his own sword, then, without hesitation, delivered a brutal punch to the bandit's face, sending him hurtling several meters away before he hit the ground.
The three remaining bandits who had entered along their now-defeated companion hesitated. They surrounded Kane but didn't dare approach. Their instincts screamed at them to keep their distance from the feral, blood-soaked young man before them.
But hesitation proved fatal.
-Slash!-
"Urgh…!"
Kane spotted one bandit falter and lunged. His sword, wielded like a battering ram, tore through the man's chest despite the bandit's feeble attempt to counterattack. Blood spattered the ground as Kane's victim fell, lifeless.
"This fucker—!"
"Die!"
The other two remaining bandits didn't stay put, striking in unison, and slashing deep into Kane's back. The pain would have felled most, but Kane merely staggered, his enhanced body dulling the sting.
Though, as it was mentioned, it still hurt. "AAARGH, you damn—!"
-Bang!-
Fueled by anger, Kane turned and grabbed both bandits by the throat, before slamming them into each other with bone-cracking force.
-Slash!-
Then, as they crumpled to the ground, barely conscious, Kane finished the job with swift, brutal slashes of his sword to their downed bodies.
From a safe distance, Sair, the leader of the bandits, who had initially been uninterested in the trouble one of their prisoners was causing, watched in horror as Kane dismantled his men.
"EVERYONE! TAKE HIM DOWN!" Sair roared, his voice tinged with panic.
At his command, the remaining bandits surged forward, rushing toward the jail en masse.
Kane, though battered and bloodied, stood firm, his sword held tightly in his grip.
"Huff…"
He took a deep breath, steadying himself as his vision blurred for a moment. Once he recovered, he walked towards the bandit he had sent unconscious with a punch earlier, and delivered a swift strike with his sword, eliminating the possible threat before having to deal with the incoming bandits.
After that, he walked to the jail entrance. The narrow door acted as a bottleneck, forcing the bandits to funnel in one at a time.
The first to enter faced Kane's blade head-on, attempting to block the attack as soon as he saw it.
The youth in front of him was inexperienced in sword-wielding, and although he wasn't exactly a master himself, the bandit felt confident in being able to overpower the youth after parrying his attack.
-Clang!-
"Wha—"
However, the bandit underestimated Kane's raw strength. The instant both swords met, his defense shattered as Kane's sword cleaved through his shoulder, then his neck in a follow-up strike.
Kane's attack didn't end there, however. Using the bandit's corpse as a projectile, Kane suddenly kicked it into the advancing mob of bandits, knocking them down like bowling pins. As soon as the lines of bandits waiting for him to come out collapsed, he dove into the fallen ranks, swinging his sword recklessly.
Each strike either ended a life or left the victim critically wounded.
However, being the inexperienced fighter that he was, he still caused some errors through his slaughter.
As a result, several bandits managed to stay on their feet, lunging at Kane while he was distracted by others.
-Slash!-
"Fuck!"
Soon, several swords met their objective, plunging into his flesh and forcing Kane to one knee.
However, as the pain was becoming too much to bear, Kane's voice echoed on the confused Bandits around him.
"Put all the points I've gained into body!" Kane commanded the system, his voice strained but resolute.
Without saying anything, the system did as ordered. Jumping his originally 120 base body stat to a whole 300.
That, plus his temporary bonus of 500 points, gave him a whole 800 points in that stat.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Name: Kane Hunt]
▸Body: 300 +500 (8:29 remaining)
▸Magic: 100
°°°
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
"Aaaaargh!"
Kane roared, his body surging with newfound strength. The bandits clinging to the swords on his flesh were thrown off as he rose.
"Let's see how you like this!" Kane muttered, charging into the fray.
With even more strength than before, he began cutting through their ranks without much issue. Still, due to his inexperience in using a sword, not all of those he struck died; some just ended up being heavily injured or sent flying away due to his sheer strength.
Despite his raw power, his lack of technique showed. Kane's swings were wild and uncoordinated, driven more by adrenaline and rage than skill. Some bandits managed to dodge his blows or deflect them, before then counterattacking and adding more injuries to his already battered body.
Still, despite that, they couldn't completely avoid his relentless assault.
It simply didn't matter to him. The pain only fueled his anger.
-Slash!-
-Thud!-
As one more bandit fell to his feet, Kane paused for a brief moment to catch his breath. Blood dripped from his blade, pooling around his feet. He glanced at the remaining bandits, now reduced to a mere seven. Their faces were pale, their earlier bravado all but gone.
Among them was Sair, the leader, standing at the back. His expression remained calm, but his grip on his weapon betrayed his unease.
Still, he decided to continue with his bravado, opening his arms welcomingly to Kane as he took a step forward.
"You're strong, I'll give you that. Why don't you join us? With your strength, we could rule the region. No one would stand a chance against us, not even those pesky mages that come every now and then to try and hunt us."
Kane scoffed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Join you? After this?" He gestured at his bloodied body and the corpses littering the ground. "What do you think my answer is?"
Sair's smirk faltered as Kane took a step forward with evident determination to finish what he'd started. The remaining bandits looked at their leader, waiting for his command.
Sair sighed, raising his weapon. "Fine, have it your way punk. Everyone, take him down!"
The bandits hesitated, but their leader's sharp glare forced them into action.
Plus, the thought that now their boss would be fighting alongside them gave them some peace of mind amidst all that fear, allowing them to charge ahead. Maybe they had a chance now?
""Aaaaaah!!"" With that, they charged as one, yelling to mask their fear.
Seeing them come, Kane gritted his teeth and readied his sword, his muscles screaming in protest.
The clash that came after was brutal.
Kane fought like a man possessed, his blade a blur of motion as he swung wildly at his attackers. The bandits came at him from all sides, their weapons clashing against his. Sparks flew as steel met steel, and blood splattered as steel met flesh, the sound of the battle echoing through the forest.
"DIEEEEE—!!!"
-Schlk-
"—Ugh"
One bandit aimed a thrust at Kane's chest, but he sidestepped and drove his sword into the man's side. Another swung an axe at his head, and Kane barely managed to duck in time, retaliating with a vicious slash that almost and split the man in half.
One by one, they fell, their cries of pain echoing across the battlefield. Their numbers were simply no match for his sheer power.
Until, eventually, none were left.
"Haah… haah…" After the fierce battle, Kane scanned the area, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps. His gaze swept over the countless bodies sprawled around him—bandits either dead or writhing in agony.
However, his focus quickly shifted when he realized there was still one lingering threat he had yet to take down.
Sair, the Bandit Boss.
As soon as that guy's face returned to Kane's mind, he turned around in a hurry and prepared for one last fight.
…
..
.
Only for his eyebrow to twitch at what he saw next.
"That bastard…" Kane muttered, his voice low with disbelief. His eyes locked on a distant figure sprinting through the forest. "He just ran away?"
Kane stared speechlessly as the final boss just ran with the tail between his legs without any semblance of pride.
For a brief moment, Kane considered chasing after him, a part of him demanding to finish the job. However, the adrenaline that had fueled him through the battle was rapidly fading, and with it came the full weight of his injuries.
-Thud-
Soon, his knees buckled, and he collapsed onto one knee, his body trembling under the strain.
"Haaah… haaah…" He struggled to catch his breath, the metallic taste of blood lingering in his mouth, even as he spit the excess of crimson liquid. "Holy fuck, I feel like I'm about to pass out."
▸[There's still some alive. Kill them.]
Kane shot the screen a venomous glare. "I'm on the verge of falling unconscious here, can't you fucking wait?"
The system, of course, didn't answer him. But the flicker of movement from the corner of his eye reminded him of the injured bandits he'd left behind. As he turned to look at them, he saw some were struggling to rise, their eyes filled with desperate malice.
"Persistent assholes…" Kane muttered under his breath. Forcing himself to his feet, he gritted his teeth and staggered toward them.
The fight from then on wasn't elegant, nor frenetic as it had been until then. Without the rush of adrenaline, every step was agony, every swing of his sword a test of will. Still, despite the pain he was going through, he managed to dispatch of the three or four remaining bandits, who weren't really able to put up much of a fight.
However, with his adrenaline gone, the indifference he had gained for a moment to what he had just done soon began disappearing as well, leaving him to deal with the sight of dozens of bandits dead, all at his hands.
Soon, his vision blurred, and bile rose in his throat.
As he delivered a final, clumsy stab to the chest of the last bandit, ending his life, Kane groaned and covered his mouth with a sick expression. "Urgh—I feel like I'm gonna throw up."
▸[Pathetic]
"What the fuck do you mean, pathetic?!" Kane groaned, glaring at the screen with irritation.
▸[I just can't believe how you are reacting to a little bloodshed.]
"Dude, I just committed mass murder, there's blood everywhere, it smells horrible, and I feel like I'm about to pass out from blood loss! How the fuck do you want me to not throw up?"
▸[Pussy.]
"Urgh—Forget it." Kane shook his head and waved the screen away. "Instead of running your mouth, show me my status points."
The system complied without a word.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Name: Kane Hunt]
▸Body: 300 +500 (3:14 remaining)
▸Magic: 100
▸Unassigned Status points: 320
°°°
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
He gave a small, bitter laugh at the still-running bonus he had gained after committing his first murder. "Three minutes left, huh? Guess that's why I'm still standing."
Turning his attention to the carriage where the prisoners were kept, Kane limped toward them. The villagers, now freed from their uncertain destiny at the hands of the bandits, stared at him in a mixture of awe and fear.
They had just watched this lone man—injured, barely standing—wipe out an entire group of bandits. What's more, he didn't seem entirely sane, muttering and complaining at the empty air
Their wariness was understandable in front of such an unpredictable stranger.
As they just continued watching him approach, Kane stopped in front of them, his body swaying slightly as he proceeded to unbind every single one of them from the ropes restraining them.
-Rustle…-
Once everyone had been freed, Kane sat on the ground, his back hunching as exhaustion dawned heavily on him.
"You're free now," he said simply, his voice hoarse.
Despite his words, the prisoners remained wary, exchanging uncertain glances as they glanced at their now free hands.
However, despite their lingering wariness, Kane was still the one who had freed them from ending up as slaves or worse. So, once the feeling of actually being free finally settled down on everyone there, they turned to him, silently awaiting further instructions.
Kane blinked at them, confused by their hopeful gazes. He was as lost as they were, if not even more considering his special circumstances. So, of course he couldn't help but get confused when he felt like he had become a leader of sorts from one moment to another.
"..."
As he was considering what to say to them, the system once again began butting in.
▸[Before you go to sleep, kill these guys too. Who knows what they will do to you once you fall unconscious?]
Kane's head snapped toward the screen, his face a mix of exhaustion and exasperation. "Are you crazy?"
▸[Human greed always shows itself when opportunity strikes. If you fall unconscious, they could easily—]
Kane dismissed the screen with a wave of his hand, his patience long since worn thin. Turning to the group, he asked, "Do you know where the nearest village is?"
"I do," a woman spoke up hesitantly from the crowd.
"Well…" Kane gestured vaguely in her direction. "Please bring me there so a doctor can patch me up. I'll be counting on you."
▸[You fool.]
The system's words were the last thing Kane registered before his vision went dark. His body crumpled to the ground, finally succumbing to the exhaustion and pain.
The freed prisoners exchanged glances, their expressions shifting. Slowly, smiles crept across their faces—dark, unsettling smiles.
…
°
°
°
|Hours later…|
…
Or maybe not.
Turns out, they did bring him to a nearby village to get patched up after all.
"Ugh… Fuck," Kane groaned groggily as he woke, hissing from the pain that radiated through his battered body.
A nearby doctor, noticing Kane's stirring, approached with a smile. "You're awake? Incredible vitality… I expected you to be out for at least a few days. Well, considering you took on an entire gang of bandits by yourself, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised."
"Where am I?" Kane muttered as he took in his surroundings, noting his body wrapped in bandages like a mummy.
"We're in Clover Town. The people who brought you here told us about your brave act and even paid for your treatment. I have to say, your body is remarkably strong... Are you a mercenary by any chance?"
"Mercenary?" Kane asked confusedly before he shook his head. "No, I was—" He stopped himself mid-sentence.
The screen. The bandits. The inhuman strength he acquired. Everything screamed not normal. And now that the immediate danger had passed, snippets of memories—albeit very short ones—of the moment of his death began resurfacing.
'A plane, a fucking plane crashed into—!' Kane stopped himself mid-thought as he massaged his temples, deciding that this was not the moment to dwell on that. Maybe later.
The evidence piled up: his death, the annoying system's existence, the mention of mages, and a world with actual bandits running around. There was only one explanation.
As much as Kane wasn't a fan of the genre, this was classic Isekai nonsense.
So, not wanting to waste time explaining something otherwordly to a man who would probably think he had early dementia, he decided on a safer approach.
"I think... I've lost my memory. Sorry."
Not the most creative lie, but it worked for him. With it, no probing questions and no awkward conversations about his origin would be sent his way.
"Is that so?" The doctor frowned, stepping closer to examine Kane's head. "Strange. There wasn't any significant trauma… Hmm, maybe I overlooked something."
After a moment of scratching his chin, the doctor sighed and shrugged. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. You're healing incredibly fast, so maybe it'll heal on its own. Just rest in bed for about a week, and you'll be good to go. If you need anything, call for me."
With that, the doctor left, leaving Kane alone once again.
…
Now alone, Kane sat silently for a moment, scanning the room before muttering, "Hey, you. Screen or system, whatever—where are you?"
As if on cue, the screen appeared before him.
▸[I'm here.]
Kane wasted no time. "What the hell is going on? Where am I? And don't tell me you don't know, because you fit way too perfectly into this insane mess."
▸[Ahem. Following your unfortunate death due to a God's mistake, you were transmigrated into a body with a similar universal fingerprint in another world. I was given to you as compensation.]
"Compensation? You're annoying as hell! How are you even considered compensation?!" Kane shot back.
▸[I don't expect a loser like you to appreciate my greatness.]
"I wish I could punch you." Kane swung a fist at the screen, only for it to pass through harmlessly.
He winced, pain shooting through his injured body. "Figures…" he muttered, scowling at the screen. "Fine. What is this new world? Any context?"
▸[You are in a world called Earth Land. As you might've guessed from your Magic stat, things like magic are real here. So are many of the fantastical races you'd consider fictional.]
"Earth Land? That's the lamest name I've heard."
▸[It is indeed a terrible name.]
"Glad we agree on something," Kane snorted, leaning back on the bed. He closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them to glance at the screen. "So, you said something about being fused with my soul and all that jazz. That means you'll be stuck with me forever? Or are you here for a limited time?"
▸[I'll be here until you die, but—judging by what I've seen—that won't take long.]
"Funny guy, huh?" Kane groaned, rolling his eyes. "Well, since we'll be together until death sets us apart, we might as well get acquainted. Do you have a name?"
▸[I possess many names, millions even.]
"Such as?"
▸[...]
"So you don't have one."
▸[... You are quite the annoying host, I'll give you that…]
"How about I give you a name? Got any preferences?"
The system took a bit to answer as if it was taking it very seriously.
▸[There's a being I greatly admire—Anos Voldigoad. A true sigma among sigmas. If you must name me, use that.]
"Too long. How about Bob?"
▸[Absolutely not.]
"Alright, Bob it is. Or maybe Bob Uchiha, since you're such an edgy little thing."
▸[You will not refer to me as that—]
"Whatever you say, Bob."
▸[...]
Kane grinned smugly.
"I feel like this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
▸[Kys.]
…
────────────────────────
-To be Continued…-
────────────────────────
(A/N: The violence is over—for now.
Now, with some status points extra in his pockets, and no longer in mortal danger, Kane's adventure in the Fairy Tail world finally begins.
By the way, spoiler, he will join Fairy Tail.
Shocker.)