-Huff. Huff.
Marfin tore through the forest's narrow veins, his body slipping through spaces that barely seemed wide enough to exist.
He vaulted over tangled roots, slid beneath low-hanging branches, then twisted mid-stride, dashing forward, snapping back.Never breaking rhythm.
The forest blurred.
His breath hitched.
Floating just ahead of him, unwavering despite the chaos, a translucent interface kept pace with his sprint.
───────────────────────────
🧩 SUB-MISSION
───────────────────────────
Objective: Reach 2 kilometers north
Time Remaining: 2 minutes
Rewards:
▸ Stat Points ×2
Penalty:
▸ Destruction of the Tree House
───────────────────────────
The more he drifted forward, the more familiar the plain seemed to him, even though his only source of vision was the moonlight of the two moons hanging in the night sky.
As he neared his intended destination, he could hear screams of different depths—sounds of swords slashing through flesh, followed by the uncanny cries of monsters.
-Halt.
He barely stopped near a thick bush, its leaves brushing against his arms.
Catching his breath, he stared at the floating interface, the numbers glaring at him under the dim moonlight.
[Time Remaining: 20 seconds]
He exhaled deeply,and muttered, "M-made it in time… huff… huff."
Then a shrill cry ripped through the night, jerking his head toward the sound.
There,a sturdy man's head was being mercilessly smashed under the weight of an oversized orc's blunt weapon. Blood splattered across the dirt under the twin moon's radiance.
Several corpses of beast-people lay not far from the scene, their twisted limbs tangled among the broken bodies of countless goblins.
A few orc corpses, massive and mangled, were scattered across the blood-soaked ground.
'What a bloodbath.'
Marfin's eyes swept over the carnage, taking in the gore and ruin which visibly shook him to the core.
[Ding! Sub-mission completed. Do you want to see the details?]
-> Yes
-> No
The notification pulled his attention back. Without hesitation, Marfin selected -> Yes. Almost instantly, the interface shifted, glowing faintly as the details appeared.
─────────────────────────
✅ SUB-MISSION COMPLETION ✅
─────────────────────────
🧩 Objective: Reach 2 kilometers north
⏱ Time Taken: 9 minutes 40 seconds
🏁 Status: Success
💎 Rewards:
▸ Stat Points ×2 → Added to your pool
─────────────────────────
While he was scanning through the interface, another shrill cry resounded through the air.
Turning toward the source, he saw a tightly equipped man standing in front of a fat man.
With his only remaining hand, the man drew his sword and pointed it at the dominant orc.
"Mr. Elfrez! S-stay back!!"
They retreated step by step until the fat man Elfrez felt his back hit a moderately large, lavish cart.
The orc did not retreat. It stomped the ground with its heavy legs and swung its mace toward the man.
-Clank!
A cold echo of steel rang out as the mace struck the sword.
Gradually, the equipped man began to be overpowered.
'He's going to fall.'
Marfin thought as he watched the scene unfold. He couldn't understand why the system had led him here in the first place.
Was it trying to show him the heroic end of a protector?
Or was it simply messing with him?
Either way, he had no intention of sticking around.
'I'd better scram before that orc senses my presence.'
Having made up his mind, he turned around and started walking away.
-Step. Step.
After walking only a short distance, he stopped abruptly. His free hand curled into a clenched fist, trembling.
'Wh-why the fuck are you trying to screw me over?'
He cursed inwardly, staring at the interface hovering in front of him.
───────────────────────────
⛓ CHAINED SUB-MISSION DETECTED ⛓
───────────────────────────
Trigger Condition:
▸ Witnessing an active conquest conflict
New Objective: Intervene
───────────────────────────
🧩 CHAINED SUB-MISSION
───────────────────────────
Objective: Prevent the death of the target
Target: Unknown (Designation Pending)
Time Limit: Until target death
Rewards:
▸ Stat Points ×4
▸ Relationship Data: Unlocked
Penalty:
▸ Permanent Mark: Coward
▸ Future mission difficulty increased
───────────────────────────
"Take a deep breath, Marfin. Take a deep breath."
He muttered the words under his breath, exhaling slowly, forcing his nerves to settle.
Why is the system doing this to me?
Let's trace it back first.
I was dragged into an unknown Void—forcefully—and then, as if that wasn't enough, this system was shoved onto me without consent.
It had its benefits. Plenty of them.
But what stood out the most was the mission privilege.
Its purpose was clear.
To make me conquer an entire world.
But why?
Why would they need someone like me—someone with no influence, no backing, no affiliation with anyone powerful?
I might be naïve in some areas, but even I can understand this much: conquering anything requires support, strength, and wit.
Even taking over a small village would demand a competent mastermind.
Raw strength alone wouldn't be enough.
Neither would backing without strategy.
And speaking of strength, backing, and wit…
Even that goblin I encountered earlier seemed more capable than me. Stronger. Smarter.
Hell—maybe it even had backing.
So why not it?
Why not let something like that conquer the world?
Why me?
A complete nobody?
"Tsk."
He clicked his tongue, irritation surfacing.
I'm drifting away from the main problem.
Thinking about the system right now won't help me survive.
Focus on the present.
The current situation…
The system wants me to fight an orc.
And save… someone.
The target is labeled as unknown, but let's be honest.
If I had to guess...
It's probably the fat man hiding behind the equipped man.
The one being protected.
Why?
Because he looks… influential.
"Ahhh."
Realization struck him mid-thought, sharp and bitter.
Now I get it.
This damned system isn't trying to save them.
It's trying to move me.
Somehow, it wants to drag me into a city.
After all, staying in the forest won't push the mission forward. No influence. No leverage. No growth.
So that's it.
This is my leeway...
a forced entry point into a demiplane city.
A stepping stone.
A starting board.
"Cheeky little bastard…"
His lips curled, irritation bleeding into something colder. Calculated.
"Fine," he muttered. "If it wants me to play this game… then I'll play it."
His gaze hardened.
"I'll play it so damn well that even those with real experience will stop and think...
....What the hell is this kid?"
Atleast once!!