A Battle Royale for World Domination. Only one man standing with all the cards will be the winner. And the winner gets to rule the world of the living.
"Yes.. It is time... It's time to begin the game.."
"Even if I have to kill everyone who stands in my way, I'll collect all the cards and rule over the world. My righteous world."
"I will trample all the scum and create a new world!"
Kael Clarkson is a model university student, a genius in arithmetic and reasoning, with top grades in the country. Born into a wealthy family in upstate California, Kael has everything a man could want. Money, fame, and status mean nothing to him.
"Nothing ever happens." Kael sighed, sitting in his bedroom with all the lights out. Kael's family and friends only care about him for the material value he carries. Everyone who meets him tries to win over his favour for their own gain.
"No matter how much I give them, they never show genuine emotion to me." Kael looked out the window, and the white lavish curtains danced gently to the rhythm of the night. The moon is bright in an odd, disdainful colour. "I wish they all die.. I wish I could actually have fun for once in this life."
[System search for the candidate status: COMPLETE]
[Kingsmen user chosen: Kael Clarkson, 21, male, righteous personality]
[Beginning to merge with the user]
[Approaching at optimal speed]
"What the?" Kael got closer to the window. A glowing golden object is getting closer, directly towards his window.
The object crashed into the window and pushed Kael towards a dresser closet, breaking the mirror in its doors from the impact, leading to Kael going unconscious.
[System has injured the player. A small mistake in calculation.. Apologies, User]
[Recovering User's psyche]
[Healing process undertaken]
The shining object turns into a golden card, resembling a king with a sword and orb with floral medieval pattern frames. Kael wakes up and sees the card in his hand. He shrugs and throws it away.
"Where are you, thief?.. I've got a shotgun in the closet and I'm not afraid to use it!" Kael shouted at the empty room, apparently looking for the person responsible for knocking him down.
[My analysis revealed that this user is a genius in reasoning. Did I miscalculate again?]
"Who is that?? What are you saying?" Kael got up and looked for the sound. He picked up the golden card. "It can't be you, is it? How is this even possible?"
[My apologies for crashing into you. I'm the Kingsmen system. We'll begin with the merging]
The card liquidated into Kael's skin and travelled into his heart, forming a barbed golden wire circling it like the planets revolving around the sun.
[The system has merged with the user]
A fiendish creature of long arms, brazen hair and wings appeared before Kael.
[Hello, Master Kael. I'm Ruan, a magical system used by ancient cultivators to conquer the world. I've chosen you after evaluating billions of mortals. I'm here to assist you.]
Kael ran to the closet and picked up his gun. "How can I believe you? You look like a monster."
"My physical form only mimics the innermost vision of the user's own perception of themselves. You like monsters, Master Kael".
Kael couldn't believe his eyes. He never thought he would get one of these things that he had read in the web novels, much less this one can see everything that he feels.
"So you're a system that will help me conquer the world? Give me a break. That's so vague, state your powers and I'll think about accepting you." Kael replied, putting his shotgun back to its place and sitting on his desk. He began eating some slices of butterscotch caramel cake that he bought on the way back from university.
"The King card gives the ability to manipulate reality by the user for a short period of time, Master Kael", replied Ruan, who is a bit surprised by Kael's nonchalant manner of speech. Nobody in history has been so uncaring as when Ruan had met them.
Kael didn't respond. He kept eating, and a status window popped up in front of his face.
[You have the right to begin the game.
Proceed / Cancel]
"What is this about?" Kael asked, pointing at the window. "What's the 'game' ?"
Ruan sat on the bed facing Kael. Ruan's body is wrapped in black and bandages all over his face and body. It resembled the portrayal of a demon, with its skin dried off. A grotesque creature of darkness. But Ruan's tone seemed mild and soft. "The User of the King card has the right to host the Kingsmen game. A battle royale with the end reward of ruling the world. The cards are scattered all over the world at the start of the game, each choosing its own user where it deems fit. The goal is simple: Collect all the cards by any means possible."
Kael leaned back on his chair and thought about what Ruan said for a couple of moments. "I suppose the king card will remain with me even after I start the game. Is that correct?"
"... Yes, that would be right, Master Kael", replied Ruan.
"Stop calling me master kael. You're a system that chooses its own user, so that means you don't actually think of me as your master. It's more like a partner contract. I hate meaningless titles.. Just call me Kael."
[System will now address the user as Kael]
"And change your appearance, I don't like the way you look. Become something elegant." Kael said while putting the cake box in the trash bin.
"Would you like me to look like a beautiful woman?" Ruan asked.
"Oh god, please no. I've read enough gooner novels about that. Just be a good-looking person." Kael replied, with a bit of disgust in his eyes.
[Information is insufficient. Please be descriptive.]
"Hmm.. how do I show you?" said Kael while looking through his bookshelves. "There should be something here.. Kael looked through magazines for a moment and picked up a volume of Vogue.
"Here, become this man." Kael showed Ruan a picture of a lean guy in a suit. "It's the actor Gosling. You'll be called as Ruan Gosling from now on!"
Ruan looked at the picture for a while and replied, "Understood. But I refuse the name change, Kael."
"Why??" Kael asked in disappointment.
"Ruan is a name that I desire to never be changed or tainted. My apologies."
"Alright, whatever.. You choose something from this magazine yourself if you're that bent on your choices," said Kael, dropping the magazine in Ruan's hands.
Ruan glanced at the magazine and transformed into a tall man in tattered clothes and black, spiky boots. He wore no shirt. The wings disappeared, and his face became pretty; his right hand had a black and red luxury watch.
[System changed the visuals.
Are you okay with the changes? Yes | No]
"This is much better." Kael closed the status window and looked at Ruan's new form.
"Say, Kael. Do you want to view your stats?" Ruan asked.
"Huh? Sure. I already know that I'm in good health, though. But, proceed anyway." Kael replied while he fixed his curtains and sat down by his desk again.
[Kael's stats]
Level: 1
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Health: perfect condition. But symptoms of diabetes have begun. Avoid sweets.
Strength: 5
Agility: 8
Defence: 1
Intelligence: 13
Mana: 6
Inventory: +1 Starter pack.
No quests are currently active.
Remarks: The user is in perfect condition. Only a few minutes of exercise and sunlight are advised.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Kael picked the status window and observed it closely. "I don't have any diabetes! And what with these garbage stats? I have little to no strength and defence"
[The system only displays facts]
"Can you talk without showing these messages? You're right there, just open your mouth" Kael closed the status window and stood up.
"I can help you level up. That's why I'm here with you." Ruan replied, lying on the bed casually.
Kael opened the status window again and examined it.
"I can alter reality, which means I could theoretically make my opponents disappear before they even attack me," Kael whispered to himself.
Ruan picked a book off the shelves and started looking through it.
"But with this terrible mana, I don't think I'll be able to keep up the ability for long. With my calculation, I'm sure that 6 mana will only last for 0.3902233 seconds of usage if compared against the speed of light divided by x mana %, exponent to the nth of time."
Kael walked slowly around the room, lost in his own thoughts. "This could only work if I maxed out my strength and agility to withstand high mana usage... I could ignore the defence. It's a gamble, but I have to take the risk."
"Can I ask something, Ruan? Why did you choose me out of all the people in the world?" Kael asked Ruan, who was looking at the pictures in each book and setting them aside.
"That's simple. You have an ego and talent to become a conqueror with enough cultivation guidance." Ruan said while he sat back up. "This world has turned into a place for rotten worms who live their life with no ambition.. This isn't how this world looked when I was last activated 600 years ago."
Kael looked straight into Ruan's eyes and laughed.
"I know, right? I thought I was the only one who thought this world is heading in the wrong direction." Kael replied and looked outside his window at the full moon. Its light cast a ghastly glow into the room.
"Oh?" Ruan looked at Kael with curiosity in his eyes. "What are you going to do about it, though?"
"I'll exterminate the scum. the worms who don't deserve life and food, the parasites who eat from others' hard work." Kael replied, with no remorse. "I'll kill the criminals.. I'll kill the people who never keep their promise.. I'll do a favour and kill the good ones who don't have a will of their own as well.."
"When it's all done, I'll rule the world as I see fit," Kael said in a serious tone and looked at Ruan.
"I'm sick of uninteresting people who cling to their lives like four-legged beasts.. I'm sick of the world."
Ruan didn't say anything; instead, he stared at Kael. Never has he met a man who is determined to commit genocide with no hard feelings.
Kael Clarkson is a monster. He is the omen of death itself.
"Shall we begin the games, then? The king card's power only activates after you begin the game. And I must warn you, there are 5 other cards and their users waiting for every chance to kill you. And you wouldn't survive, just because you are the host of the game." Ruan said and stood up from the bed, facing Kael.
[Shall we begin the Kingsmen Game? - Proceed | Cancel]