Lucius had no choice but to obey. The system's commands had become inescapable, and now it pushed him toward a task he felt would break him. The Hammer of Hercules was a massive thing, an ancient weapon forged from cursed iron. The weight of it felt like an anchor to his soul. Every swing sent a jolt of pain through his body, the vibrations reverberating in his bones. His arm was sore, his wrist ached, but still, the system insisted.
Fling the Hammer of Hercules 2000 times.
With each swing, Lucius's heart grew heavier. He could barely hold the handle as his hand trembled from the exertion. Sweat soaked his brow, dripping into his eyes. His mind screamed for rest, for an escape. But the system was relentless, its demands pushing him forward, forcing him to throw the hammer again and again.
"One... two... three..." Lucius muttered to himself, counting the swings as though that might somehow ease the burden. Each count felt like a small victory — one more closer to completion, but the distance between him and a normal life grew further with every pull of his muscles.
By the time he reached 500 swings, the pain was unbearable. His hand felt like it was about to snap from the pressure. His arm burned, and his legs were shaking, but the system did not care. It had no mercy. It only wanted results.
"Why?!" Lucius cried out in frustration, his voice hoarse. He dropped the hammer on the ground, its weight thudding with an ominous finality. "Why is this happening to me? Why does it have to be me?!"
His body screamed for respite, but his mind was clouded with the weight of his family's legacy, the bloodline he never asked for. He thought of his father — the King of Hell — a figure whose death had shaped his destiny. He thought of the Hell Prisoner, who had told him the truth, the whole truth, and how that truth weighed heavily on him.
"I just want to be normal," Lucius whispered. "Why can't I just be normal? Why can't I live a life like everyone else? This isn't what I wanted. I didn't ask for this... for any of this!"
He sank to the ground, his body trembling from exhaustion. The system's pulse seemed to mock him, its silent presence looming over him like a dark cloud. Every swing of the hammer, every ounce of pain he endured, it was all part of some grand design that he could not control.
"Is this what you wanted, Dad?" he whispered, the words coming out broken and raw. "Is this what you wanted for me?"
A deep, aching sadness settled in his chest. His father, the King of Hell. He had never known the man. All he had were fragments — whispers of a bloodline that was as dark and twisted as it was powerful. Lucius had always longed to understand the man who had given him life, but now... now he wondered if knowing would bring him peace or only further torment.
He clenched his fists, the pain from his hands shooting up his arms, but it didn't matter. The anger was too strong now. He was furious, at himself, at the system, at the world that had chosen him for a fate he never asked for. And most of all, he was furious at the truth — the cruel, undeniable truth that his father's death had thrust him into this path.
"Why couldn't I just live a normal life?" he muttered again, his voice full of desperation. "I don't want to be the King of Hell. I don't want to be the son of fire. I don't want any of this!"
But no matter how loud he screamed, no one would answer. The system had no compassion. The world had no mercy. Lucius was trapped in a web of fate that he could not escape.
He reached for the hammer once again, his hand trembling as he lifted it from the ground. His muscles screamed in protest, but he pressed on. He had to finish it. The system wasn't going to stop. It never stopped.
With a deep breath, he flung the hammer once more.
One... two... three...
It felt as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Every swing, every throw, felt like an eternity. His hand was swollen, raw, and the pain was unbearable, but Lucius refused to quit. He couldn't let it break him.
By the time he reached 1000 swings, Lucius felt like his entire body was breaking apart. His hand was almost unrecognizable, bruised and swollen from the strain. His arm felt like it was on fire, and every muscle in his body screamed in agony. But there was no stopping now. There was nothing else he could do. The task was finished, but it had come at a cost.
Lucius collapsed to the ground, his breathing ragged as tears of frustration filled his eyes. The pain was so intense that he could barely move. His vision blurred from exhaustion, and for a moment, he thought about quitting — just giving up and allowing the system to take whatever it wanted from him.
But then, a strange voice echoed in his mind.
✧ You have completed the task. Task Successful: 1000 swings. New Quest Unlocked.
Lucius clenched his jaw, gritting through the pain. He didn't care about the next quest. He didn't care about any of it. His body felt like it was going to shatter, and the truth of who he was, of what his legacy meant, made everything feel even worse.
"I just want to be normal..." he whispered, his voice cracking. "I want to escape all of this."
But the system didn't care. It didn't care about his desire for a normal life. It didn't care about his pain. It only cared about the power within him, about the fire that coursed through his veins, and about the throne he was destined to inherit.
Lucius felt a cold chill sweep over him as the system pulsed again.
✧ @ ✧ -- Warning: The Hellbound System is displeased. Task completed, but no further progress will be allowed until a higher level of compliance is achieved.
The words felt like a slap to his face. No matter how much he ached, no matter how much he longed to escape, there was no getting away from this. His bloodline, his father's legacy, had chosen him, whether he wanted it or not.
The tears that had been threatening to fall now spilled freely. He wanted to run. He wanted to be anywhere but here, anywhere but the son of a dead king, the heir to a throne of darkness. But the world had other plans for him.
"Why couldn't you just let me be normal?" Lucius whispered again, his voice full of heartbreak. "Why couldn't you just let me live?"
The system did not respond. It didn't need to. It already had its answer. It had always had its answer.
And so, Lucius lay there on the cold, hard ground, exhausted, broken, and filled with a deep, aching emptiness. His dreams of a normal life had been shattered, replaced by a fate he could never outrun.
He cursed the system .
then he thought of his dad and uncle...
he imagined his dad Demonic ruler , red faced demon having a tail ...
and his uncle egoistic uncle , thinks he is the best ?