NOVEL WEB Chapter 10 : The Weight of Guilt
...
Meanwhile, Cale continued to run, weaving through the remnants of what had once been a bustling city. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. He couldn’t shake the image of his family. “They must be scared,” he thought, guilt gnawing at him. “I won’t let anything happen to them.”
As he neared his neighborhood, he slowed down, scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger. The streets were eerily quiet, the usual hustle and bustle replaced by an unsettling silence. He could feel a heaviness in the air, an impending sense of doom, making him feel more anxious than ever.
Then, in the distance, he spotted his house. Relief washed over him, but it was short-lived as he noticed Hounds moving near the entrance of his cracked house. Panic surged through him. 'No!' he thought, adrenaline pumping in his veins, sending his heart racing.
Cale dashed instantly, cutting down the two Red Hounds in rage, their forms barely registering in his mind as he sprinted. He sprinted toward the house, ignoring the system's notifications that flashed in his vision, his heart pounding as he called out, “Mom! Brother!” His voice echoed through the stillness, desperation lacing every word, each syllable filled with urgency.
He reached the front door and slammed it open. “Where are you?!” he shouted, his voice booming with authority, filled with an unyielding need to find them.
Cale heard shouting from nearby. He quickly dashed in that direction. He saw his mother on the floor with purple veins spreading across her skin, and his little brother was protecting her, wielding a kitchen knife while crying and shouting at the Hounds. One was larger, clearly the boss.
Cale was enraged like never before. The fury that coursed through him was unlike anything he had ever felt.
Ding!
[Not possible]
Ding!
[Not accessible]
Ding!
[Trait Monarch's Blood has been activated: incomplete]
[Temporary increase in all stats has been applied] [Use with caution!]
System: Reality Breaker System
Host Name: Cale Roth,???
Age: 18 (Male)
(New) Status: Enraged!
Level: 30
Title: Courier, ???
Trait: Monarch’s Blood (Active), ???
Stats:
Strength (STR): 30
Agility (AGI): 30
Intelligence (INT): 12
Endurance (END): 30
Perception (PER): 30
Vitality (VIT): 30
Luck (LCK): 10
Mana (MANA): 30
Charisma (CHA): 10
Wisdom (WIS): 30
???: ?
???: ?
Points Available: 0
Inventory: Click to see...
(New) Skills: Immunity to Madness (D++-rank), ???
Under Cale's right eye, a dark tattoo stretched across his cheek as he exuded an eerie dark and crimson aura. He appeared in front of his little brother instantly, slicing the heads off the two Red Hounds with his dark scythe, now glowing crimson.
Cale turned toward the Red Boss Hound, slicing off its legs with swift, precise movements. He approached the Hound, which shrieked in pain, a sound that pierced the air and made his blood boil.
Ding!
[Error] [Error]
[Loading...]
Ding!
[7 possibilities of saving Host's mother found]
Cale didn't listen, as he was half-conscious, his mind had become a haze of anger and determination.
Ding!
[Skill: Immunity to Madness (D++-rank)]
Cale regained full consciousness, but the dark aura and stat boosts remained the same. He immediately turned toward his mother, forgetting the Hound's existence. "Mother!" Cale shouted.
"Tell me! What are the possibilities?!" he asked the system.
[Buy the Madness Healing Potion from the System Shop (Not yet available)]
[Defeat the Boss of the Dragon's Lair Fracture "Karsas" (available) (Difficulty: S-Rank, possibly SS-Rank) (Right now A-Rank) (in one year, it will be S-Rank)]
[Make the Madness Healing Potion (Not possible yet) (Requirements: Incredible mastery at healing and alchemy, plus precious herbs)]
[Become a High-Class Healer]
[Hire a High-Class Healer (Your world has none yet)]
[Use points to recover her (Host doesn't possess enough)]
[Use the Healing Potion gained from completing the Quest: Save your family from danger (Healing Potion only saves her life for 2 years) (Accessible)]
Cale gritted his teeth and quickly approached the dying Hound, cutting off its head. “I would have loved to torture you,” he said coldly, his face twisted in disgust.
Ding!
[Sudden Quest completed: Save your family from danger]
[Reward: 1000 EXP, (One-Time use) Special Healing Potion (B-A Rank), 5 points]
Cale pulled out the Special Healing Potion and gave it to his panting mother. As soon as she drank it, the purple veins on her skin disappeared, and her complexion returned to normal. Cale exhaled a deep, relieved breath and fell to the floor. "Mom!" his little brother cried out.
Ding!
[Trait: Monarch’s Blood (Incomplete) has been deactivated]
[All stats, skills, and levels returning to normal]
'I forgot about this,' Cale thought as the dark-crimson aura dissipated, and a sharp pain shot through his body, causing him to cough up a mouthful of dark blood. The pain in his bones and veins was unbearable.
“This is even worse than when I was in the Eldritch Horror Fracture!” Cale said gravely as he looked down. He pulled out a healing potion and drank it.
Ding!
[Congratulations to the host for being the first in the world to use a "Trait"]
[Reward: 1000 EXP and 10 points]
Ding!
[Host has gained 10 Prestige]
Ding!
[Skill: Immunity to Madness has advanced to (D++-rank)]
'System open,' Cale thought.
A yellow and blue panel flickered into existence before him, displaying the information he needed to assess his current state:
System: Reality Breaker System
Host Name: Cale Roth ,???
Age: 18 (Male)
(New) Status : Relived and calm
Level: 17
Title: Courier, ???
Trait: Monarch’s Blood (2% usable), ???
Stats:
Strength (STR): 15
Agility (AGI): 15
Intelligence (INT): 11
Endurance (END): 15
Perception (PER): 8
Vitality (VIT): 9
Luck (LCK): 9
Mana (MANA): 7
Charisma (CHA): 2
Wisdom (WIS): 9
(New) Prestige (REP): 10
???: ?
???: ?
Points Available: 15
Inventory: Click to see...
Skills: Immunity to Madness (D++-rank), ???
Upgrade the system and Synchronization further to unlock more features.
Synchronization: "2%" completed.