'Remove these distractions!'
Vio ordered in his mind the moment the soldier rushed in to cut off his head.
Vio dove, bending low to evade the gleaming sword, slipping past the soldier.
His target wasn't the assailant but the person behind him. One of the man's legs was still outside the tent, his face frozen in panic as he tried to retreat further, only to be stopped by Vio's iron grip on his face.
With all the strength he could muster, Vio yanked the soldier backward, slamming him into his companion. Both men hit the ground with groans of pain.
Turning quickly, Vio blocked their exit.
"Damn it!" one soldier hissed, pulling himself and his friend to their feet.
As they adjusted their stances, Vio marveled at his own speed. The moment their eyes locked, his instincts screamed to stop them from escaping, and his body reacted instantly to the decision.
It didn't take a genius to figure out he was in some sort of camp. His top priority was to prevent them from calling for reinforcements. If surrounded, he wasn't sure he could escape unscathed.
'What now?'
One of the soldiers grabbed a sword lying nearby, while the other unsheathed his weapon. They raised their blades, adopting combat stances.
"What is that thing?" one soldier asked.
"I don't know," his companion replied, tightening his grip on sword. "But I do know its head is coming off by our blades."
'What language is this?'
To Vio, their words sounded like incomprehensible gibberish. Yet, in this situation, words were unnecessary. Their expressions conveyed enough intent to keep him on high alert.
The two soldiers sidestepping, moving apart to divide Vio's focus between his right and left sides.
Vio felt like prey being surrounded by experienced hunters. Their movements were deliberately confusing—taking one step to the side only to retreat and step in the opposite direction. Their synchronized breathing, an odd inhale and exhale rhythm, added to the tension.
'What are they waiting for? Why aren't they attacking?'
If Vio made the first move, he'd risk leaving an opening for escape or exposing his back to them.
"Crack, crack."
Narrowing his eyes, Vio noticed strange ripples surrounding their swords. These ripples grew more distinct with a faint buzzing sound, sparking into visible streaks of electricity along the edges of their weapons.
Without any wasted words, one of the soldiers lunged with a vertical slash. Vio raised his forearm to block it.
"Shink!"
At the impact, a searing heat coursed through the metallic surface of Vio's arm.
'Why can I feel pain?'
Fragments of metal scattered from his arm amidst the electrical sparks. The other soldier joined the attack with a horizontal slash, leaving Vio no choice but to block again in the same manner.
"Shink!"
The blades dug into Vio arms, sending waves of excruciating pain that he had never experienced before.
"How long can you last, Rat?" one of the soldiers sneered, pressing harder on his sword. His companion followed suit, their pressure synchronized.
The electrical sparks transformed their blades into serrated saws, grinding into Vio's arms with unbearable intensity. His knees began to tremble under the escalating pressure.
Gritting his teeth,his shoulder joint rotated, summoning enough force to shove the soldier on his right away violently.
"Impossible!" the soldier shouted, rolling across the ground.
Regaining some control, Vio stepped back, raising his arm that still bore the other soldier's sword.
"Faster! Help me!" the attacker shouted to his companion, unaware that Vio's free arm was already moving.
With a powerful punch to the jaw, Vio disoriented the soldier, causing him to lose balance. Vio pushed the arm upward, leaving the soldier vulnerable. Although his companion rushed to help, it was too late.
Vio's movement wasn't just an escape attempt—it created the opening for a counterattack. With a thunderous crack of his shoulder joint, he delivered an upward punch to his enemy's face.
"Boom!"
Vio had poured everything he had into the attack, but he hadn't expected the soldier's head to explode, blood spurting from his body like a fountain.
"Hazan!" the remaining soldier screamed, charging directly at Vio.
Grabbing the lifeless body still in his grasp, Vio threw it forward. The soldier instinctively caught it, before noticing the punch that made him let go and fall backwards.
Vio also stepped back, raising his fists and scanning his opponent, whose face was twisted in rage.
"You're dead!" the soldier roared, his sword glowing brighter with crackling electricity.
"It's clear we won't understand each other with words," Vio said, tightening his fists. "But we can communicate with punches. Let's not waste time."
Adrenaline flooded his mind, bringing a grin to his face. He was eager to test new body.
The sight of Vio's grin drove the soldier into a frenzy. He charged with a slash, which Vio sidestepped. In less than a second, the soldier mirrored the slash in the opposite direction, but Vio's body rotated just as quickly, avoiding it again.
Vio noted the increasing speed of the soldier's swings, which seemed to match his breathing.
As the soldier continued his mindless swings, Vio kept dodging, analyzing each move. Several openings revealed themselves, and a single well-placed punch could have ended it all. Yet he held back, remembering something he'd read before they entered the tent.
For reasons he didn't fully understand, an overwhelming sense of reverence overtook him.
Deciding it was the right time, he resolved to experiment. There might never be another opportunity like this to test on someone who had lost their mind.
In the midst of the soldier's wild sword swings, Vio extended his arm and grabbed the man's head.
For a brief moment, the soldier was mentally stunned, but the physical shock that followed was far worse.
Just as lightning had coursed through their swords, it now began to crackle over Vio's metallic hand.
"Crack, crack."
"Aaaaahhh!"
Though the current lacked the same intensity, it was far more effective. The soldier's entire body convulsed, and his knees buckled under him. Sensing he was about to collapse, Vio tightened his grip on the man's head, lifting him off the ground.
Vio's eyes glowed with a bright blue light that synchronized with the illuminated tubes spread across his body.
'Can I increase the intensity of the lightning?'
It only took a thought for the electricity to surge louder and brighter.
'It worked!'
Foam appeared at the soldier's mouth. He stopped screaming a while ago, but Vio, entranced by the lights before him, didn't notice until his arm began trembling from the excessive energy flow.
Stopped himself, causing all the electricity to disappear instantly, leaving behind the soldier's lifeless body. It now resembled something charred on an open flame, with parts of his hair burned and his skin darkened.
The clamor that had filled the tent suddenly vanished, replaced by the nerve-soothing silence that often follows intense moments.
What does this mean?
"Ahhh!" Vio cried out, his voice breaking the fragile stillness, as the effects of the adrenaline wore off, allowing the pain in his arms to resurface, sharp and unrelenting.
'Holy filth and rot, what is this? Is such pain even possible?'
He made the soldiers feel worse than this, but as the saying goes, ignorance is sometimes bliss.
Falling to his knees, Vio groaned, cradling his hands against his chest as struggled to steady himself.
'Why do I feel pain? Aren't my arms supposed to be artificial?'
The question was directed at the system, though no response came.
"Hey, you! I'm talking to you!"
Still no reply.
"System!"
[The system is here to assist the hero on his journey. How may I help?]
Gritting his teeth, Vio opened a dialogue with the system, hoping it would distract him from the unbearable pain.
'I spoke to you earlier—why didn't you answer?'
[At the hero's command, the system was set to silent mode.]
'I… when did I give such an order?'
[Immediately before the hero's first battle in the world of Alam.]
Vio recalled the moment when shouted in frustration as a window popped up, distracting him during a critical moment.
'I was in a fight, and the random pop-ups were distracting, so I—'
He spoke to the system as if afraid it might get angry with him—a manner that reminded him of how he used to speak with Sarah. Her image suddenly formed in his mind, drawing him into a brief moment of memories.
[The system recommends establishing a customized interaction method.]
The cold voice brought him back to reality.
'What I am doing now? I'm still in danger.'
[The hero remained kneeling on the ground, doing nothing.]
The system, of course, failed to differentiate between Vio's internal monologue and the words meant for it. He didn't bother correcting it, deciding to focus on the important matter at hand.
'What do you mean by 'customized interaction'?'
[Customizing a method the hero finds suitable for interacting with the system.]
[For example, the system can be set to respond only to spoken words.]
[Note: The above example is not recommended to avoid external suspicion.]
The mix of voices and words had been annoying at first, and though it still bothered him, Vio was slowly becoming used to it. It wouldn't be long before it felt natural.
'Fine. From now on, only respond when you hear the word 'System' before the command.'
[Saving settings... Settings have been saved.]
Vio wouldn't be satisfied until he tested it.
'Show me the important messages now.'
There was no sound, and nothing appeared.
'System, show me the important messages now.'
The familiar voice filled his mind, followed by a stream of information:
[The battle resulted: HP dropping from 100% to 68%.]
[The battle resulted: EP dropping from 50% to 29%.]
[The skill 'Surge Strike' consumed approximately 15% EP.]
[Injuries detected. Should the hero activate the 'Micro Repair' ability?]
[EP dropped below 30%, triggering automatic 'Energy Efficiency' mode.]
[Please review the remaining health levels.]
[Mission 'Kill or Be Killed' completed successfully.]
[Calculating hero's performance evaluation...]
[Secret mission 'First Battle in Alam' completed successfully.]
[Calculating hero's performance evaluation...]
[Story mode activated.]
[Main mission: 'The Hero's Journey.']
[Mission #1: 'The Hero Must Survive']
"Wait, wait," Vio muttered. "Doesn't this seem like a video game or something?"
[Slowed thinking detected.]