The first few years of his life were boring; to give it some credit, he ate, slept, did his business, and repeated.
Until he started to walk, he tried reading books like other novel protagonists, but everything just went over his head.
'What the hell is this?!'
He closed the book and sat down in a corner, feeling a little sad.
He opened the interface of the system by calling on it telepathically.
'System!'
[ Cosmic Horror Maker System ]
User: Royce Valemont
Current Body: Toddler (Lv 3)
Energy: 100/100
Available Actions: Create Horror, Horror List, Observe, Manifest
He began laughing inwardly, rubbing his tiny hands together frantically. His fingers tapped gently on the holographic screen.
[ Cosmic Horror Maker System ]
Horror Name:
Theme:
Form:
Effects:
The little boy's eyes widened, stars glowing in them with excitement and enthusiasm.
He sat there for a while, frantically typing on the holographic screen, giggling aloud for the first time.
[ Cosmic Horror Maker System ]
Horror Name: Fear Eater
Theme: One's Deepest Fear
Form: Shifting Shadow of the Mind
Effects: Morphs into the target's deepest fear, inducing hallucinations and creeping dread, leaving an unsettling impression that lingers even after it disappears.
Energy Cost: 30/100
"Royce?"
He stopped fiddling with the screen and looked toward the voice.
His mother stood in front of him, arms crossed.
"Look at the mess you made, young man."
He slowly looked down, thinking his cuteness might save him from scolding—but it failed.
Still, it was worth it; he had created his first horror, and now he just had to try it.
In the following days, Royce waited patiently for permission to go outside, eager to test his creation.
Finally, his father took him for a walk. As they strolled, he saw many people, but he focused on simple creatures called children.
He noticed a group of kids bullying a boy. He pointed at them to get his father's attention.
"Hey! Kids, why are you picking on him?!"
The bullies scattered, and the father-son duo approached the boy. The boy flinched, quickly thanked them, and ran off, bruised and covered in dirt.
"I think that was our neighbour's boy I will go ahead and talk with them about this"
'First Target Found!' Roy thought in his mind.
---
Later that night, after dinner, Royce returned to his room and opened the system.
[ Cosmic Horror Maker System ]
User: Royce Valemont
Current Body: Toddler (Lv 3)
Energy: 100/100
Available Actions: Create Horror, Upgrade Horror, Observe, Manifest
[ Horror Manifestation ]
Horror Name: Fear Eater
Manifestation: 0%
Objective: Scare the target
Target Options:
1. A Child - {10 metre radius} - Energy Cost: 30
2. Four Adults - {10 metre radius} - Energy Cost: 50
3. Multiple Targets - {5 metre radius} - Energy Cost: 70
Royce selected the child as his target.
[ Successfully Targeted. The Horror Is Manifesting! ]
---
In the opposite house, a young boy was being scolded by his mother for bullying another kid.
The boy stormed to his room, crying, and tucked himself under his blanket.
"So what if that kid was weird? Why should I care if it hurts his feelings?" he muttered, sniffling. His eyes grew heavy, and soon he fell asleep.
It was now the middle of the night, and all the family members were asleep.
A faint shadow crept across the room, moving closer to the sleeping child.
"Wake up!"
The boy jolted awake, heart racing.
"What? Who—who is there?!"
He looked around frantically, but nothing was there. Panicked, he covered himself with the blanket.
Suddenly, the blanket was violently ripped away. A massive creature stood before him, its hidden face dripping with viscous saliva, jagged teeth glinting, and red eyes glowing in the darkness.
The boy froze in terror.
"Mo...mom!!!"
His parents rushed into the room, checking the source of the commotion.
"What happened?!" they both shouted at the same time.
"Monster..." the boy whimpered, tears streaming down his face.
They looked around for a while but couldn't find anything—the monster had disappeared into the shadows.
"There is nothing here?"
"It seems you were scolded a little too much. How about you sleep in our room tonight?"
The boy nodded. They calmed him down and took him to their room.
But they didn't notice the lingering shadow in the corner.
The parents hugged the child tightly as they slept. After some time, the boy felt something strange. He turned to his parents, and the giant monster's mouth loomed toward him.
"Hel...help me!"
Then the monster disappeared. His parents looked at him in confusion.
"What is it now?"
The child didn't speak. He quivered and trembled, his eyes swollen from crying. Fear had taken root deep in his heart.
They finally helped him sleep, watching carefully—but nothing happened for the rest of the night. It seemed Royce had canceled the manifestation of the horror.
---
"Yawn!
"What is this? My reward is here."
[ First Manifestation was a success! ]
[ Horror Manifestation ]
Horror Name: Fear Eater
Manifestation: 1%
[ 5 Fear Points Gained! ]
"What is this?"
[ User can exchange fear points for upgrades and other items! ]
Roy's eyes widened as he had a huge grin on his face.
He got up from the bed and looked outside at the neighbour's house.
He smiled a little and murmured to himself,
"Hope you had a good night, neighbor."
A soft and calm voice called out to him.
"Royce come downstairs breakfast is ready"
"Okay!" He said with his childish voice since he still couldn't speak properly.
Then the boy's father came out, greeting Roy's father.
He had eye bags and his eyes looked extremely tired.
'I feel bad for him should have thought that he would also get affected'
The boy then changed his clothes and rushed downstairs to eat.
After a while, his father also came in.
"Good morning Royce!"
Roy smiled and said while his mouth was stuffed with food, "goo' mornin!"
"Speak after you're done eating"
He looked at the boy, then got closer to his wife, and they began whispering something to each other.
"I heard that the neighbour's boy got hunted by a monster"
"Really? Maybe he was having a nightmare?"
"No, the boy woke up and went back to sleep and again got hunted."
"We should keep an eye on our son too, what if he also gets hunted?"
She worriedly looked at Roy, who was enjoying his breakfast, devouring it.
'They should know that I can clearly hear them but a normal kid wouldn't really listen to these kinds of things'
Roy again started to eat his breakfast then the holographic screen appeared in front of him.
[ Horror Manifestation Increased To 1.5%! ]
His eyes widened as he saw the screen.
'What?'