Reign Of Loner

The digital glow of the system panel cast a faint, almost sickly green light across my face. Isabel had just left, leaving behind a lingering scent of her floral perfume and a whirlwind of confusing thoughts. I was trying to make sense of my life, then i started exploring the system.

Status:

Name: Adam Wilson

Strength: 75

Agility: 70

Endurance: 65

Mentality: 92

Intelligence: 90

Mana: 50

Potential: Undetectable

Skill: [Normal Close Combat], [Boxing Proficiency], [Weapon Expertise], [Expert Massager]

Passive skill: [Great Leader]

Coins: [Prayer Coin: 40], [Fear Coin: 0]

My focus shifted to the missions. A gentle green screen popped up first, a side mission. Then , i remember that system issued the side mission earlier.

Side Mission: [Recruitment] Recruit ten people to form your own guild.

Reward: [Taekwondo Proficiency]

Duration: [2 days left]

"Ten people in two days?" I muttered to myself, rubbing my chin. "That's… ambitious. And 'Taekwondo Proficiency'? Sounds cool, but how am I supposed to find ten people willing to join a 'guild' that currently only exists in my head and this weird system?" The mission seemed relatively easy compared to some of the other nightmares I'd faced, but the "how" was a giant, blinking question mark. I decided to table that thought for later. My brain was already feeling like scrambled eggs.

Then, the calm green gave way to an alarming crimson. Two red screens, practically screaming for attention, materialized before me. These were the "love missions" the system had so kindly bestowed upon me earlier. And they were, to put it mildly, beyond bizarre.

"Love Mission [Childhood Lover]: Date your stepsister, Isabel.

Time Limit: 2 Weeks Reward: 100 Prayer Coins, 3 Random Skill Vouchers, +200 Stat Points

Penalty: Castration"

"Love Mission [Comforting Embrace]: Make your stepmom fall in love with you, Joyce.

Time Limit: 1 Month Reward: 200 Fear Coins, 200 Prayer Coins, 2 Mysterious Skill Vouchers, 2 Random Combat Skills, +100 Stat

Penalty: Castration"

I stared at the screens, my jaw probably somewhere around my ankles. "Seriously?" I finally managed to croak out, my voice barely a whisper. "Why is the penalty for every love mission castration? And why, for the love of all that is holy, are my potential 'harem candidates' my own family members?"

The system, ever so helpful, responded with its usual detached, robotic tone. "Host needs to understand a few things. Everything the system does is for you to become a capable and powerful king. And for a king, his consorts or queens are very important. Thus, you need to put extra effort into building your harem. And in an empire, the most powerful and influential figures after the king are always his queens. Now, regarding your family as your lovers… I think you have noticed by now that all the missions the system issues are your deepest desires. Some desires that even you don't know or don't want to accept. This includes the kiss with Stacy Brooklyn and your family as your lovers. The system cannot generate a mission when you don't want it. The side missions, main missions, love missions, and even daily missions are what you want to do or have a desire for doing them. The missions are custom-made for you based on desire, circumstance, and scenario."

My mind reeled. Deepest desires? Was the system actually telling me that, deep down, I harbored romantic feelings for my stepsister and my stepmom? The thought alone made my brain short-circuit. I tried to self-introspect, to really dig deep and see if there was some hidden, twisted corner of my psyche that harbored such thoughts. But the moment I even considered it, my mind felt like it was doing a backflip without a safety net. It was too much. Way too much.

"Nope. Cannot compute," I mumbled, giving up on the introspection. My head started to throb. Even if the system was right, which I highly doubted, the punishment was just too cruel. Castration? That was a hard pass. At the end of the day, I knew I'd probably have to complete these missions eventually, but before that, I needed to figure out what I truly felt for them. Was it just a protective instinct, or was there something more?

The idea of seeing Isabel and Joyce, the people I'd lived with as family for years, as potential lovers… it was all thanks to this ridiculous system. "Oh, God," I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "What kind of sin did I commit in a past life to deserve this scenario? Mom and sis as my lovers? That's morally so wrong."

But then, a fleeting thought, a tiny, unwelcome spark, flickered in the back of my mind. On second thought, I do feel attracted to them, especially Mom.

"Huh?! What the hell am I thinking?!" I snapped, pulling my hands away from my face as if I'd just touched something scorching hot. "This is highly inappropriate, you scumbag system! I should just die!" My brain was officially dizzy. I decided to table all these thoughts for later. Much, much later. Right now, I just needed to get to school.

The school entrance was a chaotic symphony of student chatter, locker slams, and the occasional burst of laughter. It was just another Tuesday, or so I thought. I was navigating the usual morning rush, trying to blend into the background, when a familiar voice cut through the din.

"Hey! Bro, how's everything going?"

I turned around, and there he was, my best friend, Jack Mullar. Jack was a short guy, a little on the chubby side, with short, messy hair and a perpetually rumbling belly. He wasn't exactly a picture of athletic prowess, but he had a heart of gold and was, quite frankly, the only friend I had.

"Hey! Wait, I'm coming, buddy!" he yelled, practically bouncing as he ran toward me.

I stopped at the entrance, waiting for him to catch up. But in his usual clumsy fashion, Jack stumbled. And of course, he had to stumble into him.

Joey Karl. A senior, a walking mountain of muscle, easily six feet tall with a physique that screamed "don't mess with me." He even had a nasty scar slicing through his eyebrow, adding to his already intimidating aura. Joey was the kind of guy who probably ate nails for breakfast and intimidated freshmen for fun.

Jack, still off-balance, bumped into Joey. The air instantly thickened. Joey's eyes narrowed, and he grabbed Jack by the collar, lifting him slightly off the ground.

"You fatty pig, how dare you attack me?" Joey's voice was a low growl, laced with fury.

Jack, pale as a ghost, stammered, "I'm sorry, senior. I tripped. It was an accident. Please forgive me."

Joey looked at Jack like a lion sizing up a particularly plump gazelle. "You're dead, you filthy pig," he snarled, his fist clenching, muscles bulging. He was about to swing.

Just then, a new system notification flashed in my vision, green against the red backdrop of my impending doom.

Side Mission: [Saviour] Save your friend Jack.

Reward: [Unknown]

Unknown reward? I didn't have the luxury of checking. My priority was clear: save Jack. In an instant, I was moving. My seventy-five strength might not let me lift a car, but it certainly let me cover the distance to Joey in a blink.

Just as Joey's fist began its descent, I lunged forward, my hand shooting out to intercept his. My fingers wrapped around his clenched fist, stopping it dead in its tracks. The impact sent a jolt up my arm, but I held firm.

Joey's eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of disbelief crossing his menacing face. Before he could react, I twisted his arm, a sharp, sickening crack echoing in the surprisingly quiet hallway. He cried out, a loud, guttural sound of pure pain. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground, clutching his arm. I didn't waste a second. A swift kick to his belly, and he crumpled, knocked out cold.

I turned to Jack, who was still frozen, eyes wide with shock and a hint of awe. "Are you fine, buddy?" I asked, trying to sound casual, despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

"I'm okay. N-no, bro," Jack stammered, still processing what had just happened.

As we were talking, a blur of motion caught my eye. "Look behind, Adam!" Jack shouted, his voice laced with urgency.

But it was too late. Before I could even turn my head, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist. Joey. He was back. And he was furious. He lifted me clean off the ground and performed a back suplex. My head slammed against the hard floor, sending a blinding flash of white light through my vision. A loud cry of pain tore from my throat. My back and neck screamed in protest, an intense, searing agony.

He didn't stop there. Two rapid-fire punches landed on my face, one after the other, merciless. I was dazed, my vision blurring. Jack, bless his brave, chubby heart, tried to help. He lunged at Joey, grabbing at him. But Joey, with a snarl, shifted his attention. He bit Jack, hard, until my friend cried out and collapsed, knocked out cold. Then, with a vicious kick to the belly, Joey sent Jack rolling across the floor like a football.

He turned back to me, a cruel grin spreading across his bloodied face. I was still on the ground, pain radiating through every fiber of my being. He grabbed my waist again, intent on another back suplex. He started to lift me.

No. Not again. A surge of defiance, fueled by pain and anger, ignited within me. This time, his suplex backfired. Before he could throw me, I wrapped my arm around his neck, my grip surprisingly strong. Then, with a small, desperate jump, I pulled him down with me, executing a diamond cutter. His neck struck the ground with a sickening thud. The force of the impact was concentrated entirely on his lower jaw of his face. I slammed his jaw on the floor.

He was out. Instantly.

I pushed myself up, wincing at the protest from my back. I stumbled over to Joey, wanting to check on him, to make sure he was really unconscious so we could get out of here. But as I leaned over him, a crushing blow landed on the back of my head. It felt like a baseball bat, or maybe a metal rod. Something hard, something heavy.

A blinding white light exploded behind my eyes, followed by an immediate, all-consuming darkness. The world tilted, spun, and then vanished. I hit the ground, instantly unconscious.