The Unlikely Hero
"Berserk... Mode!"
As Ryo finally activated his ace skill, a rush of power surged through his body.
His blood coursed fiercely, a tingling heat spreading to his fingertips, electrifying his senses.
Thump... Thump...
The beat of his heart echoed like a war drum, urging him forward into the chaos.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
Ryo's eyes turned a blazing red, his canine teeth elongating like those of a beast. His muscles swelled, bulging with newfound strength, as a crimson aura enveloped his entire body.
⚔️ """ ⚔️
👟 """ 👟
🔰 """ 🔰
Speed, strength, and defense surged to new heights.
His stance shifted as he dropped to all fours, like a predator poised to ambush its prey. His eyes locked onto the Great Harpy with primal intensity, ready to unleash devastation.
With a sudden burst of speed, Ryo charged forward like a wild beast. His movements, swift and feral, resembled a cheetah chasing down its prey.
The Great Harpy, unwilling to let Ryo close the distance, flapped its massive wings and lifted itself into the air. Its powerful talons gleamed as it raised a massive claw, ready to strike.
As Ryo drew near, the Great Harpy stomped down with devastating force. The impact shook the ground, sending a thick cloud of dust swirling into the air.
For a moment, all was obscured by smoke — but then, a shadow surged upward through the haze.
"Impact Punch!"
Ryo's glowing fist, charged with the full power of Berserk Mode, smashed into the Great Harpy's ribs. The resonating crash echoed through the battlefield, causing the beast to flinch and lose its balance momentarily.
The Great Harpy screeched in pain but quickly spun its massive body, using its wings in a brutal attempt to swat Ryo out of the air.
Reacting instantly, Ryo used the impact from his punch as leverage, pushing off and propelling himself backward. The wing swipe missed by mere inches, stirring a gale that scattered debris around him.
Landing smoothly on the ground, Ryo's eyes burned with raw intensity as he grinned. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."
Kree–eek!
The Great Harpy let out a deafening screech that shook the very ground beneath them. Its wings rose high, and with a single powerful flap, a storm of razor-sharp feathers rained down.
"Feather Barrage!"
Ryo, caught off guard, narrowly avoided being pierced by the deadly projectiles. The feathers sliced through the air with terrifying speed.
Woosh!
The sharp whistle of feathers was followed by heavy thuds as they embedded themselves into the ground.
Woosh! Thud!
Thud! Thud!
Each impact left deep scars on the battlefield, evidence of the feathers' brutal force — sharp enough to slice through bone like butter.
Ryo gritted his teeth. With Berserk Mode enhancing his senses, he quickly deciphered the attack pattern. His instincts sharpened, allowing him to dodge each barrage with precision, narrowly avoiding the lethal projectiles that littered the ground.
"You're gonna need more than that," he muttered with a fierce grin, eyes locked on the Great Harpy.
Then each flap of the Great Harpy's wings unleashed a relentless barrage of razor-sharp feathers.
Even with his enhanced speed and heightened reflexes, the overwhelming storm of feathers proved too much for Ryo to handle.
Gritting his teeth, he slammed his foot into the ground with immense force.
Boom!
The earth trembled, cracks forming and spreading outward as chunks of rubble were torn from the shattered surface.
Ryo quickly lifted a massive pile of debris, using it as a makeshift shield against the deadly onslaught. The sharp feathers embedded themselves into the rubble, but the barrier held firm.
"That should hold for now," Ryo muttered,
However, the relentless barrage continued, causing Ryo's improvised shield to crumble under the pressure.
Crack...
"Damn it, this won't hold!" Ryo growled.
Boom!
The rubble shattered into pieces as the storm of razor-sharp feathers kept coming.
Suddenly, a figure leaped in front of Ryo.
"Bulwark Dash!"
The warrior from the Griffinred Guild, wielding a massive shield, charged forward and braced himself, tanking the onslaught of feathers with unwavering determination.
"Looks like you're having a hard time. Need a hand?" the warrior said with a confident smirk.
Ryo scoffed, brushing off the offer. "Thanks" he said, grabbing chuncks of debris. "But I've got this... mostly."
The warrior chuckled, a bit annoyed by Ryo's response. "Yeah, yeah... sure you can."
Without missing a beat, Ryo grabbed chunks of debris, focusing his strength into his grip.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
He hurled three consecutive projectiles with pinpoint precision at the Great Harpy, each one striking its head.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The monster's head jerked upward from the impact, forcing it to halt its attack.
"Gotcha," Ryo muttered, a satisfied grin forming on his face.
Seeing his chance, Ryo grinned.
"Now's my turn"
Ryo seized the opportunity, rushing forward as the Great Harpy appeared stunned by the debris hurled at its head.
"Urrgh..."
With a powerful leap, he soared high, reaching the same level as the monster's massive head.
Electric sparks suddenly crackled around his gauntlet, surging with raw energy.
Tssh... Tsshh...
A static hum of electricity filled the air.
"Taste this!" Ryo roared.
Thunder Punch!
Crash!
Boom!
His fist connected directly with the Great Harpy's beak, unleashing a powerful surge of electricity. A thunderous strike followed.
Clash!
Zzzzst...
The lightning coursed through the creature's head, leaving a scorched, smoking wound in its wake.
The Great Harpy wavered, falling to its knees, wings splayed limply across the ground as if drained of energy.
Ryo landed heavily, his iron boots thudding against the cracked earth, standing tall with a triumphant smirk. The once-menacing creature now looked as though it were bowing before him.
"You done looking down on us from your high ground?" he taunted.
Just as they thought they had finally defeated it, the Great Harpy slowly struggled to rise, using its arms to push itself up, causing the ground to rumble with each attempt.
Ryo smirked and said, "I knew you wouldn't fall that easily."
Suddenly, sharp earthen spikes erupted from the ground, piercing through the Great Harpy's wings and arms.
Earth Spikes!
Oto, the mage from the GriffinRed guild, had cast a spell to both damage and slow the creature.
"This is our chance! Don't let it get back up!" Oto urged.
"Yeah!" the other players shouted in agreement.
Oto followed up with a rooting spell that entangled the Great Harpy in thick vines.
Overgrowth!
The players unleashed a coordinated assault, taking advantage of the immobilized beast.
Shield Slam!
The warrior, charging forward with a roar, smashed his shield into the Harpy's head, stunning it momentarily.
Piercing Thrust!
The paladin, seeing an opening in the Harpy's defenses, lunged forward with a Piercing Thrust, his spear flashing like lightning.
Threefold Slash!
The swordsman unleashed a flurry of rapid strikes, each one leaving a gash in the Harpy's thick hide.
Clever Swing!
The axeman swung his axe in a wide arc, cleaving through the air and landing a devastating blow on the Harpy's exposed flank.
Flurry of Blows!
The fighter unleashed a rapid series of punches and kicks, each strike weakening the already injured beast.
Headshot!
The rifle marksman shot echoed across the battlefield, hitting the Harpy squarely between the eyes.
Electric Shock!
The mage sent a jolt of electricity coursing through the Harpy's body, making it twitch and convulse.
Rain of Arrows!
The archer's arrows rained down from above, piercing the Harpy's wings and further hindering its movements.
Meanwhile, Ryo stood still, his fist beginning to crackle with surging energy. The crimson aura around him pulsed brighter, and a low hum emanated from his gauntlet as he charged up the air around his fist shimmered and distorted, the energy building to a crescendo.
As Ryo's energy reached its peak, the players around him were nearly blinded by the intense aura radiating from his gauntlet.
They halted their attacks on the Great Harpy, instinctively stepping back to give way, realizing that Ryo's next move could be the final blow to end the beast.
"Are you kidding me? That aura… It's incredible"
"Unbelievable" someone muttered in disbelief.
At that moment, Ryo clenched his fist tightly, the crackling energy swirling around it like a storm ready to unleash destruction.
"Take this—my ultimate punch!"
Seismic Punch!
The air itself seemed to be sucked inward, creating a sudden vacuum before releasing a devastating force straight from Ryo's gauntlet.
As the punch connected with the Great Harpy, the earth trembled violently from the sheer impact.
KABOOM!
The shockwave rippled through the battlefield, causing vibrations that made the ears of nearby players tingle and hum.
A dense cloud of dust and smoke enveloped the Great Harpy, obscuring it completely.
The players cheered, thinking the battle was finally over.
"Wohoo! I finally cleared a dungeon!"
"That attack was insane!"
"I'm going to train until I reach that level!"
However, Oto, the GriffinRed guild's party leader, remained serious. Something didn't feel right.
"I don't think we're done yet," he said grimly.
The warrior with the massive shield from the same guild responded, "The system notification hasn't popped up yet."
Ryo, still catching his breath, stared in disbelief at the cloud of smoke where the Great Harpy had been struck.
Through the thick haze, a pair of menacing red glowing eyes glared back at him.
A cold chill ran down Ryo's spine.
Suddenly, a murderous aura washed over the battlefield, suffocating every player with terror.
"You've got to be kidding... You're still alive?" Ryo muttered, a tinge of fear creeping into his voice. Even his ultimate move hadn't finished the monster.
Then came the ear-splitting screech.
Kree–eek!
The sound was so powerful it cleared the smoke, revealing the battered but still standing Great Harpy. Its body showed signs of damage—bruises, missing feathers, and scorch marks—but it was far from defeated.
The beast flapped its wings slowly at first, then faster with increasing force. The gusts grew stronger with each beat until it finally lifted into the air.
Debris flew wildly as the wind intensified, forming into a powerful whirlwind that soon became a full-blown tornado.
Ryo, unable to withstand the force of the wind, took cover behind a pile of rubble.
The other players, blinded by dust and battered by the relentless gale, were helpless.
Eventually, the tornado subsided, leaving behind only devastation—a desolate wasteland scarred by destruction.
As the wind settled, the Great Harpy was nowhere to be seen.
"It's gone," one player muttered in disbelief.
But Ryo's sharp eyes caught sight of its direction.
"No," he said, gritting his teeth. "It's not gone... It's trying to flee."
The Great Harpy flew away from the battlefield, its flight sloppy and uneven—a clear sign of weakness from the accumulated damage inflicted by Ryo and the other players.
At one point, it lost balance and crashed into a tall building before stabilizing again.
The players tried to chase it down with ranged attacks.
"Electric Shock!"
"Headshot!"
"Fireball!" Oto, the mage of the GriffinRed guild, launched a blazing fireball, but it dissipated before reaching the Great Harpy.
The monster had already flown too far ahead.
Ryo clenched his teeth in frustration, furious that it had escaped.
His thoughts burned with determination.
"Damn it, I need to end this now. The safety of everyone is at stake."
"I swear I'll make this world safe again. I'll slay every last monster, no matter what."
The thought triggered a memory, a day two years ago that felt like yesterday...
The roar of the crowd was deafening, a wave of sound that washed over Ryo as he made his way to the concert hall. He clutched his light stick tightly, his heart pounding with excitement. Tonight was the night! He was finally going to see 12ONE perform live! He'd been a fan since their debut, and this concert was the culmination of years of admiration.
He was almost there when the news broke. A breaking news banner flashed across the giant screens in the plaza: MONSTERS SPOTTED IN SHIBUYA. The festive atmosphere instantly evaporated, replaced by confusion and panic. Screams filled the air as people began to scatter, desperate to escape the encroaching danger. Ryo's stomach clenched, a cold knot of fear tightening in his gut. His light stick fell to the ground, forgotten as he felt a primal urge to flee.
He saw a notice flash across a nearby screen: 12ONE Concert Cancelled. A wave of disappointment washed over him, quickly replaced by a rising sense of dread.
Later that day, Ryo waited patiently for news about his favorite idol group.
12ONE's agency announced their hiatus, explaining that the group needed time to recover. Ryo later learned that the terror of that day had shaken them deeply.
He felt empty, unsure of what to do without the idol group that had always given him strength and inspiration.
As he numbly scrolled through his phone, a video caught his attention—the footage of Player One effortlessly defeating the monster in Shibuya. Ryo's eyes widened as he watched the Player's fluid movements and devastating power.
"That's incredible… how did they do that? he wondered."
A headline flashed across the screen: Local Man Uses System to Slay Monster, Sparks Hope for Humanity. The accompanying article speculated that Player One had used the System to fight the monster, citing eyewitness accounts of strange glowing symbols and bursts of energy.
Finally noticing the floating notification on his vision, which he had been ignoring for a while, Ryo tapped it.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
> You failed to confirm your participation within the designated time limit and were unable to take part in the Dungeon Raid.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
> Due to your failure to manually confirm participation and the lack of an option to decline, you have been automatically registered as a Player upon the expiration of the designated time limit.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
> You are now officially registered in the System.
Designation: Player
While you did not confirm your participation, the System has assigned you a role to ensure humanity's survival.
> Prepare yourself, Player.
Your initial stats and skills are now being generated. Stand by...
Ryo's expression shifted to one of determination as he focused on the notifications.
"I'll become strong like Player One," he said firmly, clenching his fist. "I'll defeat those monsters. I will be a Player."
He looked toward the horizon, where the Harpy had fled, his gaze hardening.
"I won't let that happen again," he vowed silently. "I won't let anyone else experience that fear. I'll make sure this world is safe again—so my idols can be safe and I can watch them perform without worry."
Then, without hesitation, he immediately started chasing down the great harpy.
In a small convenience store in Tokyo:
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
The sound of noisy slurping filled the air.
Slurp~~ slur~~ lu~~ lu~~
A man, his face contorted in a grimace, viciously slurped on a popsicle. He frantically twisted the icy treat, tilting his head back and forth
Lick, lick, thump.
He ran his tongue over the surface, desperate to consume it faster.
Uuurgh... gurgle.
He gripped the popsicle stick between his palms and rapidly moved them up and down, spinning the treat in a dizzying motion."
He winced, a sharp pain exploding behind his eyes.
"Brain freeze!"
The pain was excruciating, but the desire to finish the popsicle was stronger. He gritted his teeth and continued to slurp, his face a testament to his stubbornness.
Finally, with one last desperate slurp, the popsicle was gone. He stared at the stick in his hand, a wave of disappointment washing over him.
"Oh, it sucks. Better luck next time," he read aloud from the stick.
It was another flop.
As he added the stick to a growing pile on the table.
Yuu had been trying his luck to win the latest limited-edition action figure.
"What am I even doing? I could already build a miniature house with these."
He then looked at the popsicle wrapper. The wrapper featured a promotional campaign for a popular game character, Ultiman. The company was running a special event where players could win a limited-edition action figure of Ultiman by pulling the jackpot. The figure was a rare collectible, making the promotion highly enticing for fans.
He crumpled the popsicle wrapper and tossed it into the bin with a defeated sigh.
Shaking his head, he tried to push away the memory of failure. Then, a serious expression settled on his face. His eyes narrowed with determination as he muttered to himself,
"Okay, just one more try. I know I can pull it off this time!"
At the counter, he placed 12 popsicles down.
"I'm positive I can pull the jackpot this time," he thought to himself.
The cashier, a bit confused, slightly worried, yet amazed, commented,
"It seems you really like that popsicle, sir. This is the fourth time you've bought this many."
He replied awkwardly,
"Y–yeah, uhh... I–I actually like this popsicle."
The cashier tilted her head, a knowing look in her eyes.
"Ah, really? I thought you were trying to win the action figure."
He laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.
"Ha–haha... There's no way a grown man would do that. Ha… ha… I just like popsicles. I have a sweet tooth. Haha."
Just as he was about to leave, a small tug on his jacket caught his attention. A kid behind him was trying to get his attention.
Eager to avoid further small talk with the cashier, who kept chatting with him, he tried to simply nod and reply briefly. However, something kept tugging at his jacket. He tried to brush it off and ignore it, but the kid persisted, continuously pulling on his jacket.
His patience snapped.
"What?! What do you w–want?" he barked, turning around, only to see it was a little kid.
The kid's eyes widened in terror, and he burst into tears, crying loudly.
The child's mother rushed over, glaring at him.
"Hey, mister! Why are you yelling at my child?"
He felt a pang of guilt for yelling and stammered,
"I–I didn't mean to. Your kid just kept pulling on my jacket."
The mother crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed.
"What are you talking about? My child didn't do such a thing. Are you making up stories?"
He sighed, feeling cornered.
"Ugh, this troublemaker. Now I'm in another mess to deal with," he thought bitterly.
Forcing a smile, he crouched down and handed a popsicle to the crying child.
"Here, kid. Take this and stop crying."
Then, he bowed slightly to the mother.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to yell at your child."
The mother huffed, clearly still upset.
"Fine."
As he left the cashier and headed back to the table in the eating area, he glanced back at the kid.
"Such a brat," he muttered under his breath.
The kid, as if hearing him, smirked mischievously and stuck out his tongue in mockery.
His eye twitched, and his face twisted in irritation.
"Damnit, you spoiled brat," he growled, his expression radiating pure frustration.
Back to the intense battle of eating the popsicle, he was really suffering from brain freeze.
The other 10 popsicles were already gone, and now only one remained. It was already close to melting, so he kept licking it desperately.
Then he saw a "J" on the stick.
His eyes widened in excitement as he thought, It's probably the jackpot!
Finally, he shouted in excitement and licked it like a madman.
"Yes, this is it!"
But as the letters were revealed, the full message came into view:
"J – Just keep trying, almost there!"
He stared at it blankly, his expression soulless.
"Damnit, am I cursed?"
Suddenly, in the distance, a kid was excitedly jumping around at the counter.
"Yeah! I won! I won the jackpot! Look, Mom!"
"Of course, you are the luckiest, sweetheart."
The cashier smiled and said,
"You're so lucky, kid. You won the jackpot—a limited-edition action figure of Ultiman!"
His jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Damnit," he muttered. That's supposed to be mine!
He sighed, accepting his fate as a total defeat.
His head hanging low, his gaze averted as he walked home, defeated and soulless. A clear sense of failure lingered as he carried a bag of groceries in his hand.
Boom!
A sudden explosion erupted nearby.
Thud...
Kree–eek!
A high-pitched screech echoed as a bird-like monster suddenly landed in front of Yuu.
Its screech was so powerful that it generated gusts of wind with its voice alone.
Yuu, on the other hand, stood casually, his face still soulless and drenched with a sense of failure. As the monster's gust swept over him, his hair flowed in the wind. Slowly, he glanced at the creature.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Raid Boss appeared
[RAID BOSS]
"GREAT HARPY"
[LVL. 35] [RANK D]
"Great. This really is my unlucky day—now a monster just shows up out of nowhere."
He sighed before smirking slightly, a faint spark of menace in his eyes.
"You know what? I should blow off some steam. Good thing you decided to show up."
As he stared at the enormous monster, his killing intent seeped out, a menacing aura shrouding him in pitch-black energy.
The monstrous Great Harpy, meant to be a terrifying and formidable final boss, suddenly froze. A wave of terror surged through it as it faced Yuu's overwhelming presence. The air grew heavy, and the ground beneath the monster cracked under the weight of his aura. It flinched and hesitated, backing away slightly.
And in an instant, a loud and destructive boom erupted.
When the dust cleared, Yuu casually walked away, not sparing the fallen boss a second glance.
"I guess this just isn't my lucky day," he muttered to himself. "Fine, let's just grind all night."