[You are Now Damon Malum!]
As soon as the message resounded, Damon felt it.
He was now part of this world and free to save it, conquer it, or both. Still, that would come later. For now...
[Ding! New Quest! Hide Your Dirty Deeds!]
[You Are Now a Murderer!... Or Does This Count As Suicide?]
[In Any Case... Do Your Best Not To Be Discovered! Good Luck!]
The System actually had a point. After all, in this world, there were countless beings with shapeshifting abilities, from Awakened to Magical Beasts. Being misunderstood as a villain would be too easy. Thus, Damon hurriedly grabbed his body, heading inside.
"Let's see our new dwelling, shall we? Hehe, this will be our new base of operation from now on!"
"Miaow?" (W-What's with that smell?! Did someone die in here?)
"You mean besides just now, right?"
As soon as they entered, they were confronted with a sea of trash. The desolate-looking facade? It was a heavenly gate compared to this! Apartment? It looked more like a one-room garbage dump.
The dirty floor could barely be seen, and rubbish was lying all over: ramen cups, used tissues, and empty energy drink cans. But even if one averted one's gaze, it was still bad.
The walls and ceiling had obviously seen better days, and a wet, acrid smell came from them— the mold obviously thriving. No matter where one looked, it screamed of Poverty! There was even something rustling in the trash…. rats, and not just a few.
The cat's whisker moved from side to side in disbelief as it glanced at the scene...
"Miaow?!" (Is this an apartment or a rat farm?! Was this guy even human?!)
Human? Yes, very. He had been the epitome of human: no talent, no aspiration, and no prospect. But things would completely change now that Damon was here. He'd pick up the piece and fix this train wreck of a life, that he could 100% do, and even without superpower.
"Hehe. Isn't that almost a good thing? We won't ever starve! Roasted Rats, Rats in butter, Pot Rats, and Buffalo Rat Meatballs- can you imagine all the possibilities? It'll be super tasty, too! But first, we gotta catch them all! "
Smiling, he expertly manipulated the System's interface...
The nearby cat suddenly jumped in awe, its eyes wide as bowling balls. What was this?! A floating window had just appeared in front of its face... and it could understand it too?!
[Ding! New User Issued Quest!]
[Those Who Do Not Work Do Not Eat! Hunt the Rats!]
“MIAOW?!” (M-Master, what’s that?!)
"Merely a parlor trick,"
It was a "parlor trick" that had taken humanity decades to figure out in the future, but that detail was irrelevant. Instead of explaining more, he made a claw with his hand, swiping at a nearby trash pile... and grabbed a fat rat by the tail. Thus, the hunt began!
Then, before long...
— Squeak! Squeak! Terrified squeaks resounded in the apartment, a certain cat enjoying itself way too much as it lorded over its new prey. Hunting those fat and juicy gray rats was so much fun!
“MIAOW!” (Hehe, Run if you want; this Lord will still catch you all!)
The cat proudly towered over its victims, pouncing on them with extreme enthusiasm. It enjoyed not just the hunting but also the notifications! Thanks to Damon's shenanigans, the system congratulated it for every kill.
[Congratulations! Killed a Rat!]
[Killed Another Rat! Double Kill!]
[Killed Yet Another Rat! Triple Kill!]
....
The rush that came with it was so exhilarating. Thus, in no time at all, the place was pest-free. Victorious, the cat turned toward its Master, expecting praise, only to have the shock of its life. W-What was he doing?!
While his pet had gotten busy, Damon had somehow found an old TV. Was he watching a show? NOPE! He had turned it into the perfect research station.
On the screen, hundreds and hundreds of small windows appeared. Those were countless News Videos!
"Silver Rank Dungeon next to Ruby City! Three Villages Destroyed!"
"Increased Dungeon Activity, the Institute Sternly Warns!"
"The Guardians Furious. Warns? Help us fight, you #@!"
"Flightless Murder Birds Migration! Emerald City at War!"
"Sea Leviathan spotted near Sapphire City. Truth or Hoax? Mystery!"
"Author of 'How to Tame Your Twin-Headed-Dragon' Devoured by his pet!"
"The Awakened Union Contesting Guild Budget Cuts. Tamers too favored?"
"Viewers, vote now! Which of the five great Taming schools is the best?"
"Dark side of Taming... Rise of Demonic Cultivators?! Scary!"
And those were just the ones the cat managed to understand! There were so many news anchors, Blue-Tubers, and even Awakened/Tamers on the screen that the entire thing turned into tortuous cacophony. But even with that going on, Damon seemed undisturbed.
He was by the side, in a trance and staring daggers at a wall. Then again, could it even be called a wall anymore?! The entire surface was blood red, filled to the brim with red threads. Under every thread were notes that were equally red. Red, red, red, RED!
Two in particular stood out...
Ascend → Save HER
But that was only the beginning. Each note diverged into hundreds of small notes etching his plans for ascension. Then each of those small plans had even smaller plans that ramified even more. It seemed to form a tree so vast it engulfed the universe!
Credits (shitload) > Trade Ressources > Demonic Rituals > True Magical Beasts > Power > Hunt > Great Taming School > Grow Even Stronger > Hunt Even More > .......
Then, at the very end of the Line, there was Ascend to the Green Zone.
Seeing this, the cat couldn't help but gasp in shock.
Green Zone. Did it actually exist?!
"Miaow?!" (OMG!)
That's when Damon turned his head. Seeing it, a poor cat almost puked from fright. Those eyes, they were inhuman! This was the gaze of someone prepared to sacrifice everything to accomplish his goals! But then light returned in his eyes, madness rescinding.
"Wow, you're already done? Hehe, you sure had fun, didn't you?"
At this moment, Damon showed a benevolent smile and the glow of a new homeowner. With a wave of his hand, the 'Mastermind Thread Board' instantly disappeared. Then, he gazed at the rat corpses strewn all over as if treasures.
"Now, killing those rats was just the start...."
He chuckled, adorning a greasy shirt as if an apron while equipping the sharpest knife he could find. This sure brought back memories, albeit back then, he would have used a sword instead.
"Here's what you want to do. Watch carefully." He happily started humming as he worked on the bodies- the rats' and his own- peeling the skin, removing the bones, tearing out the flesh, and slicing it all neatly.
He was so fast that it became VERY evident that this wasn't his first time doing it. But, he didn't just stop there as he pensively gazed at the meat. "If there were so many rats just in our apartment...We'll have to check something."
Before the cat could react, Damon snapped his fingers, a large pile of gory loot disappearing in thin air just as if a magic trick. Except, the System made the real happenings clear as day.
[Congratulations! Unlocked Butchering!]
[Added Ingredients Section to the Inventory!]
[Rearranging Storage to Maximize Holding Capacity!]
....
[ERROR! ERROR! Inventory Used Pre-Awakening?!]
[Compiling Data! Please Stand By for Update!]
Inventory: a magical space that one gained ONLY from Awakening.
Damon still remembered the countless scholars back in his world who had explained in great detail how the entire thing worked. Those "great minds" were all dead, their theories even deader than their creators.
All anyone knew for sure, was that the System had appeared alongside the Nightmare that had brought Mana to this world. As for Damon, he realized they were merely tools, sentient tools that just happened to hate one another. Luckily, it seemed the System was unbugging...
[Ding! Obtained Slightly-Used Human Skin!]
[Ding! Obtained Shiny Human Bones!]
[Ding! Obtained Human Flesh!]
"M-Miaow!" (Master, that was so cool! It all went poof!)
"Of course. Could you imagine if Awakened had to carry all their loot?"
Not only did the Inventory ensure they didn't look silly, but it was also perfect for cleaning up crime scenes like this one! Nodding at his handiwork, Damon briskly exited the apartment. There was something he wanted to verify.
He started strolling down the hallway, stopping shortly before every apartment door. Then he repeatedly banged on a couple of walls, perking his ears up. – Rustle! Rustle! – It came from inside them!
“Yep, just as I thought. Good, great even. We can make money with this. Let me tell you, Amber City’s one expensive place to live in, and we’ll soon need LOTS of Credits.” Damon already had a plan to grow stronger fast, but it would be super expensive.
"Miaow!" (Don't worry, Master, I'm the most hardworking cat ever!)
"Good, 'cause I'll definitely need you. Now, follow me!"
Damon rushed toward the apartment complex's entrance. There lay the first step of his money-making plan. What was special about the entrance? The nice ornate plaque that would welcome the visitors...
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
— Apartment Complex 637B —
Property of Liyung Manufacturing.
For Employees only. Managed by Boss Zhang.
Please Contact 1-800-6666 for any and all Inquiries.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
“Miaow!” (We’ll steal ornated plaques, melt them and sell em!-- Wait, that’s a bad idea.)
Chuckling, Damon dismissed the suggestion, grabbing his cell phone instead. Then, using his most customer-friendly voice, he quickly composed the number that appeared on the plaque. It took a while of back-and-forth with the receptionist, but eventually…
“Boss Zhang? It’s about 637B! Yes, Yes, I’ll be quick! Don’t ask me my sources, but the Health Department knows about the rats. Yep, you’re royally screwed! Gloating, me? No, I have a solution!”
The cat couldn’t help but feel doubtful. If the rats were actually an issue, why wouldn’t the owner just take care of them directly? The guy wouldn’t actually need them to help, right?
It wasn’t the only one wondering, the voice on the other side clearly was too..
“Hehe, why choose us, you ask? Because we’re offering Awakened-level service at affordable rates! It’s all part of a new training program for fledgling tamers! Yes, for real! Yes, I’ll send you the payment info!” Damon happily lied through his teeth.
Before long, he was ending the call, showing a victorious grin. “Good news. we got a new job. We’ll be collecting rat meat for ourselves, and getting paid to do it. Do you know what this means?”
“M-Miaow!” (That Master is the best businessman ever!)
“Concretely, it’s time to play Fortune Neko again.”
Then a second later….
[Ding! New User Issued Quest!]
[Ding! New User Issued Quest!]
[Ding! New User Issued Quest!]
[Ding! New User Issued Quest!]
This had to be exploitation, right? Yet, instead of feeling despair, the poor cat’s eyes actually lit up with joy. Was there anything higher than a Pentakill?
It would soon find out…
