Emotion Hunter: System Awakening.

The rocks behind the child detonated in a burst of flame and shrapnel.

Riven's ears rang.

Dust clouded the air. The child vanished in the blast....seemed to be either bait or casualty...but riven couldn't tell.

[Rank E entities located]...it wasn't just him that got the notification...

Goblins poured from the ridge, shrieking.

The Rank E.

There were at least six.

One of them, was a larger, hunched goblin, with a jagged blade and wore a red sash.

It was a leader...

A leader.

Riven's system pulsed violently.

---

[Emotion Detected: Panic (Squad)]

[Convert to Reflex Surge? Y/N]

---

He slammed "Yes" with his mind.

The world sharpened.

Time slowed. His vision locked onto the goblins movements.....the goblins were already flanking left, one with a sling already winding up.

"Lisa, down!" Riven tackled her behind a crate.

Jack started firing wildly, missing every shot.

While the always bubbling Claire froze, trembling, her rifle dangling uselessly beside her.

But, Vale was already moving.

Her eyes glowed amber.

---

[Chrono Lock: Time Snap Activated]

[Target: Hostile – Rank E Goblin]

[Duration: 1.4 seconds]

---

The goblin mid-leap froze in the air...suspended like a glitch in reality.

Vale blurred forward, her boots kicking up dust.

She spun, slammed her elbow into its throat, and sent it crashing into the dirt just as time resumed.

"Positions!" she barked. "Riven, your left flank!"

Riven moved, adrenaline surging. But his system pulsed again.

---

[Emotion Detected: Desperation (Self)]

[Emotion Detected: Rage (Goblin Leader)]

[Emotion Manipulation Available]

[Loot Multiple? Y/N]

---

He hesitated. His body was still recovering from the last overload.

But Claire was exposed.

Jack was panicking.

And Vale couldn't cover everyone.

"…Yes," he growled.

---

[Emotion Manipulation Activated]

[Desperation Looted: +Survival Instincts]

[Rage Looted: +Strength Boost]

[Warning: Dual Emotion Stack Detected]

[Body Condition: Strain Level 1 – Neural Feedback Risk]

---

The muscles all over his body tightened.

The world seemed to have narrowed in Riven's eyes....but that didn't stop him from sprinting to the enemies.

He charged the goblin with the sling. His speed was unnatural....his fist collided with its jaw, sending it spinning into the rocks.

Another goblin lunged at him...but unfortunately for it. Riven ducked, and slammed his elbow into its gut....

-----

[New Skill acquired]

<<Gut-check>>

[Immediate cause]

This bypass a target's armor or defense and lands a direct strike that temporarily 'knocks the wind out of the them' causing "stun" or"silence"Debuffs.

[Passive cause]

It also has a 20% chance of reducing stamina of your opponents...or causing the "stamina damage"if stacked properly the opponent may get the "crippled "stats.

-----

But his vision blurred with the system notification....'what??...this skill rocks!!!, can't wait to try it out again'

He got fired up again....but unfortunately he couldn't test it out the goblin he gut-checked before....it seems to have died.

'I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that...damn, I almost felt pity for it'.

He couldn't help the thoughts running through his mind when he saw the goblin sprawled on the ground....it's face contorted into a grimace into pure agony...there was even a stream of drool on its chin...or maybe bile??

Ugh, but I can't pity something this disgusting .

He turned his head in the direction of commander to find her beating up a poor goblin that seem to have been frozen on the spot....'rest your poor soul'.

The goblin's head got smashed like a watermelon on the next attack.

His muscles spasmed.

"Ugh, what's this, system?" An intense pain overwhelmed him like a heavy blanket.

---

[Warning: Strain Level 2 – Emergency Shutdown Imminent]

---

Vale also noticed him...and saw him falter....and worse there was a goblin behind him.

She activated her system again.

---

[Chrono Lock: Temporal Anchor Activated]

[Target: Riven]

[Duration: 5 seconds – Damage Immunity]

---

Riven froze mid-motion. The goblin's blade scraped harmlessly across his shoulder.

Vale tackled the attacker, her blade flashing.

When the anchor released, Riven dropped to one knee, panting.

"System… I'm not ready," he muttered.

---

[Emergency Emotion Ejection Initiated]

[Body Condition: Minor Muscle Tear / Neural Strain]

---

The goblins shrieked, regrouping behind their leader. The ambush wasn't over.

Riven clenched his fists, ignoring the tremor in his arms.

He wasn't done yet....he needs the exp after all.

---

The goblins regrouped behind their leader, snarling.

The red-sashed brute pointed its jagged blade at Riven and screeched...

"*Sigh*, what did I do...can't I hunt your brethren in peace?"

Riven's system flared again.

---

[Emotion Detected: Fear (Goblin Leader)]

[Emotion Detected: Satisfaction (Self)]

[Emotion Manipulation Available]

[Loot Multiple? Y/N]

---

Fear??...shouldn't it the other way...am the little guy after all...to make it worse...am at my limit.

He hesitated.

His body was already screaming. But the fear the system says it has...has be leveraged if used properly..

And the satisfaction?..I don't know why it said am satisfied though...there's no satisfaction here...is there?

----

[Satisfaction is indeed one the host current "Emotion "]

-----

One of the current ones??...I've others right now along with it??

------

[That's correct....they're other emotions felt my the host...all what 'I' the system does is : I select the most prominent ones.]

-----

I see.

While the system and Riven were having an internal debate on how the Emotion looting works, the goblin leader was barking out other to attack....but its minions were afraid...afraid of the"S-ranked"aura that descended on them.

But....what riven felt was different...

That dark thrill pulsing in his chest?

He clenched his jaw. "Yes."

---

[Emotion Manipulation Activated]

[Fear Looted: +Reflex Surge Extended]

[Satisfaction Looted: +Focus Boost]

[Warning: Triple Emotion Stack Detected]

[Body Condition: Strain Level 3 – Emergency Shutdown Threshold Breached]

---

Riven didn't care... about the pain...he didn't care about the strains...

I NEED STRENGTH!!!

I HAVE TO SAVE THEM!!

He dashed forward, faster than before.

The goblin leader raised its blade...but Riven was already inside its guard.

His fist slammed into its jaw, giving it a clean upper cut. *Bang* It's Bone cracked.

The goblin staggered, and shrieked, it tried to swing...but Riven grabbed its arm and twisted.

Then came a right hook, *Bang*.

Then a left, *Bang*.

Each hit were precise. Each movement fueled by rage, fear, and the twisted satisfaction of dominance.

The goblin leader collapsed, skull caved in.

The remaining goblins froze.

Riven turned to a burly 6ft goblin"You're next."

He dashed again, his fist colliding with its gut.

-----

[Gut-check activated ]

-----

The goblin folded, vomiting blood.

The last one squealed, dropped its dagger to scramble away....but its too late.

Riven blurred behind it, grabbed its head, and slammed it into the dirt.

Silence....all that was left was that.

---

[Emergency Emotion Ejection Initiated]

[Body Condition: Critical – Fracture Risk / Neural Overload / Muscle Collapse]

---

Riven staggered. His knees buckled. He dropped beside the goblin corpses, panting.

His vision swam. His chest felt like it was caving in.

Vale appeared beside him, eyes scanning his vitals. "You idiot."

He coughed out blood. "I won."

"You nearly died."

"Still counts."

She didn't smile. "You're burning up....why did you use your system like that??"

"I'm not used to limits."

"You'll learn."

She knelt, pressed a vial to his lips. "Drink."

He did.

It was Bitter....really bitter....he couldn't help but have a strong sense of Déjà vu when he swallowed it down.

Ahh, sweet ol memories.

---

[Vitality Restored: +20]

---

Lisa approached, eyes wide. "You… you crushed them."

Jack stared at the corpses. "I thought we were dead."

​"Dead??...We have the commander right here with us, remember??" The soldier at the back hissed at jack with annoyance....

"You almost shot us you know!!!" Another one snort, clearly very displeased.

Claire didn't speak. She just looked at Riven, then at Vale, then back at the blood....

Riven leaned against the crate, his system flickering.

---

[Emotion Detected: Guilt (Self)]

[Do you wish to Loot?]

---

Guilt....why guilt??

He dismissed it. I can't with you now.

Vale stood. "Tomorrow, you train with me. No excuses."

Riven nodded. "Yes ma'am."

---

The moon hung low over the Scar Zone, casting long shadows across the broken rocks.

Riven stared at the horizon, his body aching, his mind buzzing.

'*Sigh, what a day" He slumped down on the bed in his tent.

-----

[Exp distribution ready]

-----

The system interface blurred across his vision.

"I forgot..."