EVIL SYSTEM

Ben bathed in a small stream formed by a tiny waterfall cascading down from the mountain.

His body was marked with many cuts, and the wound on his hand was especially gruesome.

But what truly saddened and angered him were the scars on his face.

Ben wasn't particularly attractive to begin with, and the wounds and burns on his face only made him look like a monster from a horror movie.

"Maybe that's why they were so scared of me," Ben thought, recalling the events of the previous day.

Ben checked the amount of evil points he had.

[344,751]

Ben smiled as he remembered how just 1,000 points had once seemed like a lot.

Browsing through the system store, he found what he was looking for.

[Healing Gifts]

There were gifts that allowed you to heal yourself and others. Gifts that accelerated your healing ability at the cost of your stamina, and many more.

Ben searched and studied several gifts for a while before purchasing one that particularly caught his attention.

[Super Regeneration]

[Evil Points -120,000]

This was a gift that allowed him to heal himself and worked with his own magic.

Ben immediately felt the gift activate as a large amount of magic disappeared, replaced by a warm, pleasant energy coursing through him.

Many of his wounds began to disappear, but what surprised Ben was seeing the horrific wound on his hand and chest heal at an astonishing rate.

In a matter of seconds, all his open wounds closed. The smaller wounds disappeared entirely, while the larger ones, like those on his chest and hand, left behind large scars.

Looking at his reflection in the stream, Ben touched his face, feeling a bit disappointed. A large horizontal scar adorned his forehead, while the aftermath of the burns remained on his cheek.

Though they weren't ugly and were barely noticeable, they made him feel very uncomfortable.

Short black hair, brown eyes, and a very ordinary face. His appearance had never been his strong suit; he had always gone unnoticed.

But now, with these scars, he doubted he could remain unnoticed.

Ben touched his neck, where the pendant his grandfather had given him still hung.

"It's amazing that after everything that happened, you're still intact."

Ben touched the surface of the crystal and felt a small shock.

Ben remembered his grandfather's words.

'The pendant can awaken your most compatible element.'

Having advanced to the intermediate mage rank, Ben had another chance to awaken an element—or in his case, two.

Stepping out of the stream completely naked, Ben placed the pendant between his hands and closed his eyes.

His mind was transported to a space devoid of all light. There was nothing but darkness, and Ben couldn't even tell which way was up or down.

Despite this, his mind and mood were completely calm and serene. He felt like he was floating in a sensory deprivation tank.

He had never been in one, but he imagined this was what it must feel like.

Slowly, particles of different colors began to form in the world, but they were all very sparse and disappeared after a few seconds.

This process lasted for a while until a large, ancient stone gate appeared before him.

On its surface were carvings of various beasts, and in the center was an egg, intricately and realistically carved.

[You have awakened the Summoning element]

Ben opened his eyes and stared at the crystal for a few seconds.

"Summoning."

He wasn't sure how to feel about this element.

It was a rare and volatile element, functioning very differently from the others. Unlike other elements, you couldn't inscribe spells into its stars at each level.

The Summoning element allowed the summoning of one being per level.

This could make someone incredibly powerful if they were lucky enough to summon an especially strong and talented being.

But if the opposite happened, it could become one of the most useless magics.

Ben shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

He searched his system and found what he was looking for.

[You have purchased the Darkness element -10,000 evil points]

As he had learned before, using his system to create stars or enhance his physique could be a bottomless pit.

So, Ben sat on the ground and began to meditate.

Thanks to the pendant, Ben was able to form a star for each of his elements.

This was something he hadn't expected. Based on his initial estimates, it would have taken him 30 to 40 days to form a star. He thought that with the pendant's help, it would only take 3 to 4 days to form one.

But it seemed that his advancement to the intermediate level didn't just come with greater power and magic. His ability to perceive and manipulate the elements had also increased.

Ben checked his status.

[Status]

Benjamin Clay

Age: 16

Physique: 40

Magic: 202

Affinities:

Lightning: Basic Intermediate Level.

Curse: Basic Intermediate Level.

Summoning: No Level.

Darkness: No Level.

Spells: [Lightning Field] [Cursed Space]

Gifts: [Dual Affinity] [Super Regeneration]

Evil Points: 214,751

Ben smiled. Seeing his progress after so much hardship was incredibly rewarding.

If he returned to his city now, he would become one of the most powerful people there.

Smiling, Ben got dressed and continued descending the mountain. He had never thought it would take so long. Even with his new physique, Ben was getting tired of walking down and down without finding a town or city.

"How tall is this mountain? How the hell did they get me up here? In a helicopter?"

Ben started descending the mountain early in the morning, but it wasn't until around 3:00 PM that he finally saw the outline of a large city in the distance.

"Finally," Ben sighed and spent a few minutes admiring the beautiful landscape. "Now I understand why they held their deranged hunt in that place and why they didn't care if we ran beyond 10 kilometers."

"Now," Ben scratched his head. "What city is this?"

...

It took Ben another 30 minutes to reach the city, and as he approached, he realized something very important.

He didn't have a single argen in his pockets, nor did he have his phone.

In fact, he couldn't remember where he had lost his phone. Maybe it was during the fight in the alley, or maybe it was taken from him at the auction.

After asking around, he discovered he was in Bampie.

"Hehehe," Ben sat on a small bench in a park and shook his head in disbelief. "Bampie is on the other side of the country!"

He had to find a way to cross the entire country without a single argen in his pocket!

The first idea that came to mind was, of course, stealing. With his strength, it would be extremely easy, but he didn't want to rob someone in need.

Unless he knew the person was evil and deserved it, he wouldn't resort to that option.

Besides, he could be caught, and he didn't want to leave any evidence of his presence in this city. He wanted to remain unnoticed for safety.

"What a dilemma!" Ben walked through the streets with his hands in his pockets and the hood of his sweatshirt up.

He didn't want people to see his burned face.

Without realizing it, he walked to the subway line and followed the crowd of people down.

People got on and off the train, creating a very crowded and noisy space.

Despite all that, the sound of a guitar could be heard very clearly.

Ben watched attentively as a guy in his 20s played an acoustic guitar in the middle of the subway. The guitar case was on the ground, but there were very few coins in it.

The guy had short blonde hair, earrings, and very disheveled clothes. However, he was very handsome and tall—maybe that's why he had the few coins.

Or maybe it was the big smile that seemed permanently fixed on his face. The guy gave off the impression of being very pleasant and cheerful.

Because, to be honest, although the guy had a good voice... he played the guitar terribly.

An idea came to Ben as he watched the guy.

He searched the system store and found what he was looking for.

[Skill: Guitar Mastery]

[Skill: Singing Mastery]

Ben hesitated for a moment before spending his points on these skills, but in the end, he bought them.

[Evil Points -5,000]

[Evil Points -10,000]

A flood of information poured into his mind all at once. Chords, finger movements, tricks for modulating his voice.

Ben experienced a slight headache as he tried to process all that information.

I never thought both skills would be so complicated.

Ben's idea was simple but effective.

He would use the newly acquired skills to sing a song and receive tips.

Maybe enough to use the subway and get around.

Ben was very confident in his plan, especially since he would be using a song from his world here. It would be seen as original and fresh by the people.

Ben approached the guy, who had finished playing but hadn't received a single coin.

"Hello, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," the guy greeted slowly, raising an eyebrow.

"I know this might sound strange to you, but could you lend me your guitar for a moment?"

"My guitar?" The guy showed him the guitar. "What for?"

"I just want to play a song," Ben smiled as friendly as he could.

He didn't want the guy to think he was trying to steal his guitar.

And though he hesitated for a moment, the guy handed over the guitar.

"My name's Dante, by the way."

Ben took the guitar and began tuning it automatically. His fingers seemed to have a mind of their own.

"I'm Ben."

+++++

end of the first volume: a cruel world