World for the Fittest

First Kill

The resourcefulness of humans when it comes to survival is truly impressive. In just three days, they have managed to create a remarkable campsite. Both factions are displaying their abilities and competing to prove who is the strongest. These individuals have done an excellent job of managing their supplies, particularly the Blue Diamond King faction with their numerous members.

Before finding a secure spot to rest, I decided to take a stroll through the various campsites. As I observed them, I realized that people can find reasons to be happy even in times of uncertainty and adversity. They seemed oblivious to my presence, as no one attempted to approach me. Walking past the unified groups of each faction, I arrived at where the solo and party challengers had settled.

Unlike the other groups with favorable conditions, this particular group appeared different. The challengers seemed weary, dejected, anxious, and hungry. Their eyes reflected a plea for sympathy and assistance. However, some had managed to secure their basic needs to sustain themselves for the day.

To join any of the four groups, individuals had to pay a membership fee of 10 gold coins, which seemed unrealistic to me. Obtaining such a sum was difficult, and it was evident that relying on the initial free gold provided was a fleeting option. Some had already spent their coins, while others were unable or unwilling to go hunting. If they believed salvation would come to their aid, they were surely misguided.

But as luck would have it, a door of opportunity presented itself before me. I noticed someone who was familiar, someone I could never forget. He still had that distinctive loud voice. Seeing him in good health brought me joy, as I had always wanted to repay his kindness. This could be my chance.

Deviating from my original plan, I approached him and his party. His amiable nature had earned him friends, and they were busy preparing for the night by setting up a warm fire and getting ready to cook their food. The sun would soon bid farewell, making way for the night to envelop us.

As they were unaware of my presence, I had to reveal myself to them. I knew he would accept me, just as he always had back in school. He was the one who accompanied me, even in the bathroom, and sometimes shared his food with me. I am grateful for his unwavering kindness.

"Um... hello... I would like to join your party," I stammered nervously, finding it difficult to speak directly. Their faces showed surprise, which was understandable considering I suddenly interrupted their casual conversation.

As expected, when Gab saw my face, he immediately recognized me. You could see the excitement in his eyes, just like when you see your favorite person.

"To think you're here too, how amazing!" Gab responded happily, approaching me and inviting me to join their group. His party members looked puzzled, awkwardly greeting me and extending an invitation to join them. Seeing that their leader knew me, they followed suit.

"Gab, who is this person?" a girl asked Gab with a disapproving expression, wanting to know my identity and my relationship with him. She found my appearance repulsive, especially when she noticed my distinct eyes.

"He's my friend from school. His name is Lucius," he answered, trying to ease their concerns.

"I see, it's nice to have you here," another man replied, making sure the girl didn't cause any trouble. Clearly, the girl had an overwhelming and boisterous aura about her. It was obvious that she had feelings for Gab just by the way she looked at him.

"I'm glad you're okay. What happened to you?" he asked with concern.

"Well, I managed to survive and make it here," I answered, feeling a bit shy.

"There's no need to dwell on what happened. It's incredible that we found each other here. I must have the best luck, right?" His voice carried a tone of happiness, as always.

"I'm glad too," I smiled at him.

After that, Gab introduced me to his party members. There were a total of four, with only one girl. The girl's name was Sheila, and she specialized in the mage job with a focus on healing. The one who spoke up was Carl, a warrior who specialized in tanking. The third member was Harju, an archer skilled in using the bow. Lastly, there was Gab himself, a sword user.

He definitely knows something. He made a wise decision by choosing party members with different roles in battle. Judging from their appearance, it was clear that they were already experienced in this world and knew how to survive in the forest. Seeing him in good health and functioning was a source of happiness for me. Before they decided to accept me into their group, they had an argument without involving me. His members must have believed that I was weak and useless.

"I don't think he'll be of any use to us, Gab," Carl advised him, expressing doubts about the idea.

"I agree with Carl," Harju chimed in.

"I know, but he's a nerd and a pushover. We can make him our personal slave," Gab insisted, assuring them that even though I was useless, I could be of use to them.

Eventually, they all agreed to accept me as their member, although Sheila's expression seemed to suggest otherwise. They approached me and gave me a warm welcome. They mentioned that I needed to pay a subscription fee before officially joining their group, so they asked me how much gold I had. Happily, I showed them the 100 gold coins I had.

"That should be enough. Give it to us so that we can accept you now," Gab said with an eager smile as he quickly took the gold coins from my hands. One thing was evident from their faces—they were genuinely happy.

"I hope this helps," I replied.

They exchanged glances, reaching the conclusion that what Gab had told them about me was true—I was indeed a pushover. Afterward, I was instructed that tomorrow I would be responsible for carrying their belongings as we went hunting.

They had already cooked food to share and eat, but they only gave me an apple. I didn't mind since I liked apples, so I gladly ate it with all my heart.

"What a fool," Gab thought to himself, smiling.

Morning arrived, and the sun illuminated a bright radiance for us. We woke up early to prepare for the hunt and had our morning meal, once again with me being given an apple. Gab had bought an adventure bag capable of carrying a lot of things, and they purposely packed it with their extra equipment and necessary items for me to carry.

I planned to assist them, so I carried the heavy bag without dropping or damaging anything inside.

"You can do it," Gab encouraged me.

"Make sure you don't drop or ruin anything inside that bag. I have my precious things in there," Sheila instructed.

I managed to carry it perfectly, and suddenly, they all burst into laughter. It seemed to be their habit to laugh before going on a hunt. We continued on our path, walking for two or three hours, but we didn't encounter a single monster. They started discussing what to do since it would be a waste of time if they couldn't hunt even a single monster to gain experience points.

As I examined the map, I noticed something intriguing. My lively goblin, who was once small, had now grown stronger and was about 300 meters ahead of us. Since they were eager to kill a monster, I decided to lend a hand. This should be enough to satisfy them.

"Um, may I speak with all of you? Actually, I can sense a monster nearby, even at a distance," I informed them to let them know I could help.

"Is that true?" Gab approached me, wanting to confirm if I was telling the truth.

"Then why didn't you tell us earlier if there were monsters around us?" He grabbed my shoulders, awaiting my answer.

"Yeah... in fact, I can smell a goblin just ahead of us," I suggested.

Driven by their determination to slay monsters, they rushed forward to find the creature. Without a second thought, they believed what I had said. I also started running, but due to the heavy bag I was carrying, my movements were slower. Unaware of my presence, they left me behind.

When I reached the location where my companions were, I was utterly shocked. In a short span of time, Carl and Harju were already dead, while Gab and Sheila were severely injured. Sheila cried, blaming herself for their imminent demise. Her arm was torn and bleeding, and she was filled with regret, screaming in pain. Though seriously injured, Gab managed to escape to save his own life.

"How did we end up fighting an evolved goblin? I shouldn't have rushed in without thinking," he thought, accepting that his foolish mistake would lead to his demise.

The evolved goblin had become a B+ threat, reaching level 30 overnight. Commanded to kill anything it encountered, regardless of its strength, the goblin found ways to defeat its opponents. An evolved goblin resembled a human, devoid of its hunchback, with improved facial features and increased height. Wielding two swords, it had clearly learned how to use them—a desperate evolution born out of necessity.

The goblin made a direct strike, slashing the neck of the woman behind Gab, leaving him speechless and frozen in fear of his own impending death. As he dropped to his knees on the ground, his mind wandered, contemplating the end of his life.

The goblin was prepared to end Gab's life, but I commanded it to stop. No one should kill him before me. He was my plaything, and I alone would decide his fate. The sight of him in that state was worth the trouble of pretending to be foolish with them. I stepped forward, standing before Gab, and observed as he lost his will to live.

"What a fantastic sight to see you like this," I chuckled, mocking him.

He opened his eyes to see who was speaking, only to be met with my derisive expression. "It's you... you're the one who planned this... you psycho creep!" he shouted at me, consumed by anger as he attempted to attack.

"How simple-minded you are," I remarked before my goblin swiftly sliced his arm as he tried to bite me.

"Ah! Ahhhhhhh!" he cried out in a satisfying agony, clutching his severed shoulder as the bleeding showed no signs of stopping. His eyes turned red from the excruciating pain, and it brought me pleasure to witness.

"I thought I had lost the opportunity to make your life suffer when I arrived here, but to my surprise, it seems your fate is to be killed by me. I was delighted when I saw that smile of yours," I spoke, ensuring he understood why his life would end in such a manner.

"I had intended to live peacefully at school, but because of you, there was no peace at all. Living a privileged life, you went on a rampage like a wild dog, treating me as if I were a mere toy. I could have overlooked it, knowing you were nothing more than a spoiled brat. However, your nonsense far outweighs your common sense. Even in the bathroom, you couldn't stop amusing yourself at my expense. Whether I was eating or resting, you took pleasure in making me feel like you were the king. Your brain must be filled with sand for you to have become this way," I continued without pause, relishing this long-awaited moment to repay him tenfold for the burden he made me carry.

"f**k you! I swear I will kill you!" he shouted angrily, full of rage. This was good; he still had enough energy to continue listening to my delightful tale.

"Hahahahaha... Do you really think you can? Originally, I had planned to make your post-graduation life a living hell and let you enjoy it. But circumstances have changed, and I'm bored, so play with me, okay?" I howled like a maniac in front of him, yet he still failed to comprehend the gravity of his situation.

"You're doing this for revenge, hahahahahaha! If that's the case, it was truly enjoyable to torment you, you piece of s**t," he retorted, laughing along. He hadn't changed a bit; he still swore loudly just as before.

"There's no use in chit-chatting. I should savor you now," I muttered.

I transported him inside the cave where I had massacred the goblins. The smell inside was putrid, enough to make anyone vomit incessantly if they stayed for too long. However, such odors no longer affected me, as I had grown accustomed to the stench of rotting bodies.

Gab vomited in disgust from the smell, unable to withstand the odor of decay. Seeing the mixture of his vomit and blood was entertaining, but if I let him die like that, it wouldn't bring me the thrill I desired. So, I decided to heal him first and experiment with his body.

Coincidentally, the cave had a sacrificial altar. I placed him on it, allowing him to lie down as if on a comfortable bed. I bought ten life potions and a sturdy rope, tying his neck, hands, and feet to the five pillars of the altar. He lay there with all his limbs restrained. I poured the life potion into his mouth, and miraculously, his severed arm grew back to its original state.

To prevent him from speaking any words, I used a potion to silence his mouth, ensuring no annoying bickering would occur.

"Now, the fun begins," I declared, noticing his eyes fixed on the knife I held.

As long as I avoided hitting his heart, he wouldn't die easily. So, first, I used my knife to remove his eyes. His body trembled and writhed like a fish out of water, and that was the reaction I desired. His leg moved uncontrollably, so I needed to stop it.

I plunged the knife deep in his leg reaching the stone, piercing his leg, and repeated the action with his other leg. Firmly gripping the knife, I twisted it in circles, causing his body to convulse like that of a person hyperventilating.

The torment continued for hours, with me allowing him to drink a life potion every 10 minutes to prevent his death. Each time I healed him, I mercilessly stabbed every part of his lower body, excluding his heart. The altar was now drenched in blood. This would be the final act. I forcefully administered the potion into his mouth, and it seemed as though his soul had withered away. His eyes held no life, and not even a sound could escape his mouth. I would have liked to continue enjoying this spectacle, but it appeared he could endure no more.

I replaced my evolved goblin with another lifeless body using my switch skill. Stabbing a corpse that lacked vitality held no amusement. Therefore, I commanded the goblin to devour it completely, not leaving a single strand of hair. True to its monstrous nature, the goblin consumed the body bit by bit, starting with the stomach and continuing until there was nothing left. It was a gruesome display of carnivorous feasting.

Having satisfied my desires, it was time to find something else to amuse myself. However, as night fell, I failed to come across anything intriguing to play with and decided to sit in my safe spot to wait for the night.

This night was different from the usual ones. It marked the fifth night when the cursed boss would emerge from its cave, releasing a miasma of curses into the forest. Some might believe that this would be the sole occurrence tonight, but that would lead to their demise, just like the others.

The voice of the cursed boss had the power to induce hallucinations, compelling individuals to either take their own lives, kill others, or venture into the forest to be slain by the abominations within. I discovered that all the challengers were inside the protected zone, unlike the usual nights when some stronger contenders continued hunting monsters even after dark.

It was already eight o'clock, the designated time for her to initiate her actions. A piercing cry resounded throughout the forest and the safe zone. The sound was far from pleasant, and upon hearing it, the effects began to corrupt the mind. Fortunately, I remained unaffected for reasons unknown, allowing me to witness firsthand what was transpiring among those people.

Those with weak minds fell prey to the cursed effects, moving uncontrollably. The unaffected challengers attempted to stop their comrades from harming themselves or others. It was a night filled with chaos as they utilized every ounce of their skill to prevent a m******e.

Their fate was not a kind one. They were unable to halt the misfortune, as 75% of them were ticking time bombs. Left with no other option, they turned on each other. The killing spree persisted until midnight, when the cursed effects finally ceased. Those who survived were now filled with sadness, madness, guilt, self-doubt, anxiety, and depression. They cried and shouted in remorse over their actions. Some had killed their beloved friends, others had slain their remaining companions, and some had taken innocent lives.

The impact of the curse was immeasurable, resulting in lives being taken as if they were inconsequential. I observed the dwindling number of survivors, reduced to only a few hundred.

As the day dawned, the group and functions disbanded, each member embarking on their individual journeys, while some opted to remain with their remaining companions. One would expect that the aftermath would be marked by a loss of hope, but that wasn't the case.

Fueled by hatred and a thirst for revenge, they persevered, determined to discover who was to blame for the suffering they had endured.