One day in the middle of summer.
DING!
(Welcome to Battle Royale, inhabitants of Earth. This is the most popular show in the universe, and you are the players!)
(From now on, each of you will receive a Power System through which you can increase your strength by killing monsters. The gains will be five times higher if you kill a human equal to yourself.)
(For those of you who are wealthy or hold power within the government, do not worry. This is not the end of your glory, but the beginning of even greater glory. Anyone who works for you—including their children—will become your absolute slaves in the Battle Royale. You will even receive the results of their labor.)
(Here, only those who do not work for anyone can become free players, whether you are a boss or unemployed.)
(Now, let us begin the game, and remember—you are being watched by the inhabitants of the universe. If someone likes you, they may give you gifts to strengthen yourselves!)
The voice, which sounded like a cheerful robot, appeared inside everyone's head—whether they were newborn babies or old men who would die within the next few seconds.
One of them was Liam, who was playing a mobile game at a café with several of his friends.
Liam, who had been sitting almost half-lying down, instantly straightened his back.
Before he could even digest those words, he was shocked again when a virtual screen appeared in front of his eyes, displaying his personal data.
---
(Name: Liam Hemsworth)
(System Code: YnYy27772LL)
(Status: Free Player)
(EXP: 0/100%)
(Strength: 0.4)
(Defense: 0.2)
(Speed: 0.2)
(Agility: 0.3)
(Visibility: 0.1)
(Vitality: 0.3)
(Stamina: 0.2)
(Intelligence: 0.1)
(Mana Point: 0)
(Body: None)
(Soul: None)
(Bloodline: None)
(Other Part: None)
(Pet: None)
(Skill: None)
(Inventory:
[Weapon: None]
[Artifact: None]
[Other Item: None]
)
(Note: Every time your EXP is full, you will receive points to increase your attributes. You can also obtain other things from the monsters you kill or from the external audience, either by purchasing them or receiving gifts.)
(You can also contact or befriend each other through the System by entering each other's System Codes!)
An explanation appeared beneath the data.
After that, Liam saw a second virtual screen appear in front of him, side by side with the first one.
DING!
(Congratulations to you, Liam Hemsworth. You have become the host of the Daily Reward System, a System that grants you one thing every day, and you may choose whatever you want—such as 100% EXP, Body, Soul, Bloodline, and more. Whatever you desire, simply type it into the search bar!)
(And do not hesitate to use the power of this System, because the System will manipulate all recordings of you that are broadcast to the audience!)
"W-What? What?! I became John's Slave Player, that old devil!"
Suddenly, one of Liam's friends shouted. He even stood up and slammed the table hard.
With his large physique, the punch nearly knocked the table over.
But no one really cared about his action.
Everyone was busy thinking about what was happening.
And for the first time in his life, Liam felt great about never being accepted to work anywhere—places that always forced him to become a street vendor. He was even an orphan, which meant he had no parents who worked for anyone either.
Considering that the majority of humans were workers, this meant that from now on, they were officially slaves.
It was too hard to believe that this was real, yet it seemed to be more than just real.
Liam was still thinking about what the Daily Reward System meant. Did everyone receive it, or was it only him?
The wording of the System itself made it seem as if he alone had received it.
While he was still thinking, he was startled when the TV broadcast suddenly changed.
It showed an enormous press conference table.
The most shocking part was who stood behind it—the leaders of the world.
When had they gathered?
"Ahem…" Suddenly, the President of the United States cleared his throat, exchanging glances with the Presidents of China and Russia before speaking. "Everyone, this must be shocking for you. Here, on behalf of all leaders, I want to say that everything will be fine. We ask you to remain obedient to the law and maintain order. Anyone who breaks the law will face harsher punishment. The world has indeed changed, but as long as we remain united and not selfish, we can still enjoy peace."
"…"
Liam was too lazy to pay further attention to the TV after hearing the President's words.
However, when he looked at his phone, it was already showing the same broadcast, just slightly delayed.
"What exactly is happening?" Jack, the fat man with glasses, muttered.
"What else? Earth has turned into a Chinese online novel world," replied the large man who had slammed the table—Romeo.
"Calm down, didn't you hear what the President said? Everything will be fine…" Emma, the only woman in their group, spoke up.
She was a bookworm with short hair and oversized glasses, her face slightly flushed.
Only Liam remained silent.
Right now, he was staring at the search bar of the Daily Reward System.
Apparently, he could indeed type into it using his thoughts, so he wrote something.
(Sky Knight Armor!)
What he wrote did not merely appear in his mind. It was a skin he had just obtained in his game account.
DING!
(You have obtained an SS-Class Artifact, Sky Knight Armor. The item can be viewed in your inventory and used with your thoughts!)
[Artifact:
Sky Knight Armor (SS-Class)
]
DING!
(23:59 before you can obtain the next reward!)
Liam, "…"
'There's no way everyone has this System,' he thought.
But then… how will life's rules work now?
This was probably everyone's question.
Liam looked outside the café. Everyone was busy watching the press conference, showing all kinds of expressions.
One expression that worried Liam was excitement.
Some people genuinely looked like that—especially the homeless or addicts—as if they had seen hope.
"Hahaha, Alex, don't you work for me? I'm your boss, so does that mean you're my slave now?"
Suddenly, a homeless man burst into laughter at his own younger companion.
The young man looked irritated, his face turning bluish.
Perhaps the homeless man was a dealer or something similar, allowing him to recruit at least one subordinate.
But what was interesting was that the homeless man suddenly gave an order.
"Alex, I just want to see if this System is telling the truth. Do what I say—take off your pants right here!"
That absurd command shocked everyone who heard it.
Yet instead of anger, curiosity filled the air.
Could the young man refuse?
After all, almost everyone here worked for someone else.
At that moment, the young man turned pale.
"No, Smith, stop this. The System says I'll explode in one minute if I don't do what you say," he said in panic.
"What?" Everyone was stunned. Even those who were sitting stood up, including Romeo and Emma, since both of them were workers as well.
"You're not joking, right?" The homeless man named Smith showed a strange expression.
"Do you think I'm joking?" The man named Alex started to get angry.
"Hurry—hurry up and withdraw the order," he said.
However, the homeless man seemed too curious. He shook his head.
"You—?" Alex couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Damn it…" He cursed loudly, then quickly began unbuckling his belt, his hands trembling.
In front of everyone, he actually pulled down his jeans.
Even more shocking, he wasn't wearing any underwear, revealing a large blond-haired shaft.
Even though it wasn't erect, it still looked big.