Kaito stared blankly at the floating blue screen in front of his face.
The cold mechanical voice echoed in his mind once again, completely ignoring the terrifying situation.
[Summoning Mission...]
[Mission Option 1: Run Away!
Reward: 100,000 yen.]
[Mission Option 2: Stare at the Daemon for Five Seconds!
Reward: S Grade Hunter, 'Ice Queen', Autograph.]
[Mission Option 3: Successfully Damage the Daemon.
Reward: Primordial Hunter Body.]
Time seemed to slow down to an absolute crawl. The disgusting smell of the monster invading his bedroom was temporarily forgotten.
Kaito was completely dumbfounded upon learning the gifts.
Was his brain finally breaking down from fear? Was this the legendary moment where your entire life flashes before your eyes?
He looked at the first option.
Run away for 100,000 yen.
That was certainly a lot of money for an ordinary high school student. He could buy a brand new gaming console and a mountain of premium beef with that kind of cash.
But what was the point of being rich if he was going to be digested in a monster's stomach in the next ten seconds?
Could he bribe the grim reaper with Japanese yen? Would the bank even accept blood-stained bills from a dead guy?
Then, he looked at the second option.
An autograph from the Ice Queen?
The Ice Queen was an incredibly famous S Grade Hunter. She was gorgeously beautiful, deadly with a sword, and practically a national treasure.
Half the boys in his school had her official merchandise plastered all over their bedroom walls.
But system, seriously?
Was he supposed to hold up a piece of signed paper and say, "Stop right there! I have an autograph!"
Would the bloodthirsty Daemon suddenly become a crazy fanboy and ask for a picture together? Maybe she would kindly write 'Rest In Peace, Kaito' on the poster.
Both of these options were completely absurd.
However, when he looked at the reward from the third option, he was deeply intrigued.
Primordial Hunter Body.
His breath hitched. His eyes widened slightly.
Would he be able to become a Hunter if he had that body?
Kaito had suffered for years because his physical vessel was just too frail. He possessed absolutely zero Resonance with Daemonic Energy.
He was a broken tool. A useless extra living in this apocalyptic world.
But this reward. This was a direct, golden ticket to his lifelong dream.
If he could somehow survive this horrible night, he could finally avenge his parents.
Kaito clenched his jaw. His eyes filled with an unfamiliar, burning determination.
He was taking a massive gamble.
"Hssss!"
The Daemon perched on his bed finally lost its patience.
The strange blue light from the system panel did not seem to exist in its eyes. It only saw a weak, terrified human boy ready to be eaten for a midnight snack.
Disgusting, acidic saliva dripped from its jagged teeth. It sizzled loudly as it completely melted a hole right through Kaito's favorite blanket.
Kaito desperately forced his weak legs to move.
He scrambled backward toward his study desk. His frail lungs were already burning from the sudden burst of physical exertion.
The monster lunged forward.
Its powerful back legs kicked off the bed frame, snapping the solid wood in half like a dry twig.
Kaito threw himself to the side.
Crash!
The Daemon crashed directly into his study desk. Heavy textbooks, blank papers, and pencils flew everywhere in a chaotic mess.
The sheer force of the impact violently shook the entire room.
Kaito groaned in pain. His shoulder had hit the hard wooden floor heavily. He felt like his collarbone was going to shatter into tiny pieces.
He frantically looked around for a weapon.
Conventional weapons could not penetrate a Daemon's thick hide. Even standard police-issue firearms were completely useless against these monsters.
What could a frail boy possibly use?
His eyes landed on a large, jagged piece of shattered glass lying near the broken window.
It was easily the size of a kitchen knife. The edges were incredibly sharp and gleaming brightly under the moonlight.
Kaito immediately grabbed the glass shard with his right hand. The sharp edge cut into his palm, but he completely ignored the stinging pain.
He needed a distraction.
With his left hand, he quickly grabbed his heavy metal desk lamp that had fallen onto the floor.
The Daemon shook its ugly head to clear the dizziness. It slowly turned its glowing purple eye toward Kaito, letting out a deafening, terrifying roar.
It opened its massive jaw, preparing to bite Kaito's head clean off.
"Eat this, you ugly bastard!"
Kaito gathered every single ounce of pathetic strength remaining in his frail body.
He threw the heavy metal desk lamp straight at the monster's face.
Clang!
The metal lamp smashed right into the Daemon's nose.
It did absolutely zero damage. It was literally like throwing a soft cotton ball at a solid brick wall.
However, the sudden impact made the monster blink. It instinctively closed its giant eye for a fraction of a second.
That was all the time Kaito needed.
He pushed himself off the floor. His weak legs screamed in agony, but the crazy adrenaline rushing through his veins pushed him forward.
He thrust the jagged piece of glass forward with everything he had.
He aimed directly for the center of its glowing purple eye. It was the only soft spot he could see on its entire armored body.
Crack!
The glass shard struck the thick, rubbery membrane covering the monster's eye.
The sheer repulsive force from the Daemon's eyeball traveled violently up Kaito's arm.
The glass shard instantly shattered into a dozen pieces. Kaito's hand was brutally pushed back by the sheer physical rebound.
He fell hard onto his back, panting heavily.
He stared at the monster in absolute terror.
Did it work?
The Daemon let out a furious, ear-piercing shriek.
It quickly raised its sharp claw to its eye.
Right there, in the very center of its glowing purple pupil, was a tiny, insignificant scratch.
It was smaller than a grain of sand. A normal person would need a magnifying glass to even see it properly.
But a single drop of microscopic thick, dark purple blood slowly leaked from the tiny wound.
When Kaito finally successfully damaged the Daemon, he smiled.
He did it! He finally fought a Daemon!
He had actually managed to draw blood from an invincible monster. Even if it was just a tiny scratch, it was a miracle for someone as weak as him.
Then, in an instant, his body was reformed.
A blinding golden light erupted from the deepest part of his soul.
It wrapped around his entire body like a warm, incredibly comforting blanket.
The sharp pain in his shoulder instantly vanished. The burning sensation in his lungs completely disappeared.
He could hear his own heartbeat sounding like a massive war drum.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His frail muscles began to expand, tightly packing with unbelievable density. Every single bone and every drop of blood in his body was being aggressively torn down and rebuilt from scratch.
He could suddenly feel it.
The thick, heavy energy floating in the air. The disgusting, dark aura radiating from the monster in front of him.
He could finally feel Daemonic Energy.
His Resonance level was no longer zero. It was skyrocketing at an impossible, terrifying speed.
[Ding! Congratulations You Have Received: Primordial Hunter Body.]
Kaito slowly stood up from the wooden floor.
He did not stumble. He did not gasp for air.
He stood incredibly tall and perfectly straight.
He cracked his knuckles, feeling a ridiculous amount of raw, explosive power surging rapidly through his veins.
When he looked at the Daemon again, he felt powerful!