All debts must be paid

chapter five

A sharp, rhythmic beeping pulled me from the darkness. My eyelids felt like they were heavyweight like stones, my body sinking into the stiff mattress beneath me. The scent of antiseptic filled my nostrils, sterile and suffocating.

I could hear the faint beeping of the machine above my head as I tried to sit up.

I groaned, my head pounding like someone had taken a hammer to it. My fingers twitched against the thin hospital sheet as I tried to push myself up, but a wave of dizziness knocked me back down.

Where the hell was I?

I gently open eyes as my head throb gently.

My vision blurred before sharpening on the white ceiling above me, the fluorescent lights flickering slightly. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor beside me matched the erratic thumping in my chest.

I tried to move my hand—and that’s when I saw it. The gentle glow of the tattoo.

It was glowing again. A deep crimson, pulsing like a living thing beneath my skin. The intricate design twisted and burned, the lines shifting as if it were alive.

I clenched my fist, willing it to stop—Go away. Whatever the hell you are, just go away!

But it didn't. It shown brightly and this time around, I felt it was trying to communicate with me. Pass a message only I could understand to me

The more I tried to suppress it, the more the heat spread through my veins, licking at my bones like fire. My body trembled, my breath coming out in shallow pants. It felt as though something inside me was clawing its way out, something ancient and powerful.

I grit my teeth, suppressing a groan. I could feel the fire coring through my entire body as if it was a poison spreading.

What the hell was happening to me?

Before I could figure it out, the door swung open, and a middle-aged doctor in a white coat stepped inside. His sharp gaze flicked over me, assessing.

"Mr. Derek," he said, his tone professional but laced with concern. "You’re awake. That’s good."

I swallowed, my throat dry. "Where am I?"

"Deleux University Medical Wing. You’ve been unconscious for nearly a day."

I blinked, trying to process. A day?

"How… how bad is it?" I rasped, my fingers instinctively going to my ribs. The pain was dull now, but the memory of Frank’s baseball bat still sent a shudder through me.

The doctor sighed, pulling out a chart. "You suffered a severe head injury. A minor brain hemorrhage, but we managed to stabilize it. However—" he paused, his expression darkening, "—there's a chance you may experience some complications. Memory lapses. Sudden headaches. Possibly even hallucinations."

Brain damage.

My fingers went cold.

"You’re lucky to be alive," the doctor continued. "But you need rest. No stress, no overexertion. Don't worry, we have everything under control all you need to do now is follow simple instructions and always go about right your medicines."

I forced a nod, but my mind was already racing.

Will I be on drugs for the rest of my life?

Rest? No stress? How was I supposed to do that when I had nothing left?

As soon as the doctor left, I reached for my phone on the bedside table, my fingers shaking. The screen lit up, and I immediately wished I hadn’t checked.

The repeated sound of my phone made me realise one thing, they were chatting about me. The Frontale Student Body Chat was in a frenzy mode.

Paul Smith: LMAO did y’all see how Derek got knocked the hell out?

Zack Carter: Dude really thought he was gonna take the exam and keep his scholarship. Guess what? HE FAILED. He’s DONE!

Selena Gomez: Honestly, I always knew he was a lost cause. Sad.

Random Student 1: Damn, imagine getting kicked out and having nowhere to go. That’s tough.

Random Student 2: Should’ve known his place. A beggar can’t be a king.

A lump formed in my throat. My entire body shook with rage.

They were celebrating. Laughing at my downfall. And Selena, the girl I devoted almost my entire student career too was also making fun of me.

Paul. Zack. Selena. Every single one of them.

A sharp DING echoed in my head.

[ SYSTEM INITIAIZING IN 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 ]

[ SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED ]

[HELLISH SYSTEM ACTIVATED ]

[ REGISTERING HOST: Derek ]

[ BLOOD SIGNATURE CONFIRMED.]

I felt a pinch on my hand and blood oozed out of the cut. The phone slipped from my hand. The air in the room felt thickened with tension.

Then, text began flashing before my eyes, written in a language I shouldn’t have understood—yet somehow, I did.

[ HOST PROFILE ]

[ Name: Derek ]

[ Age: 21 ]

[ Status: Unawakened ]

[ Abilities: N/A ]

[ Potential: High ]

[ Current Rank: F-Class ]

I gasped, gripping my forehead as more text flooded in.

[ SYSTEM DIRECTIVE ]

[ SYSTEM MESSAGE; You have been chosen as the Host of the Hellish System.Your downfall was merely the beginning. Now, rise ]

I struggled to breathe, but the words kept coming. I couldn't believe any of it.

Was this even real?

My mind was in a frenzy mode as I tried to process everything that was happening at the moment. It was just too much to bear. The next message flashed right in front of my face again.

[ SYSTEM FIRST TASK ISSUED ; Objective: Spend $50,000 within 14 days.

[ Failure Penalty: Unknown. ]

[ Reward: Hellish Awakening. ]

My breath hitched. Fifty thousand dollars?

I barely had ten cents to my name, and now, out of nowhere, the system was throwing that much at me?

I knew this was too good to be real. How can I be given such huge amount of money without any string attached. " This is not real. It isn't real!" I said repeatedly holding my head.

As if responding to my thoughts, my phone vibrated violently. I grabbed it—and my eyes widened in shock.

[ DING! ]

[ New Bank Account Balance: $50,000.00 ]

I nearly dropped the phone.

This was real. The money was there. The system was real.

But that also meant the penalty was real.

My hands tightened into fists.

Zack. Paul. Selena. Every single person who mocked me.

They thought I was done?

They had no idea what was coming.