Okay. So. Just to recap real quick:
I punched a shadow demon debt collector in the face (don't ask why, I blacked out), absorbed his cursed coin like some bootleg gacha system, and now I'm literally glowing red.
Awesome. Great. Love that for me.
[System Notice: Debt Assimilation Complete.]
New Power Unlocked – Blood Mark: Collector's Strain.
Status effect: ???
Duration: unknown.
Mental stability: questionable.
"Bro… why am I vibrating?"
I was legit standing in my messy hostel room, arms slightly shaking, heart racing like I'd just dry-scooped pre-workout. The cursed ledger floated in the air like it was judging me.
[You now hold the Collector's Strain.]
Strain?? Bro that sounds like a disease.
I walked to the mirror and—okay wait no. Bad idea.
Because now my reflection? Smiling.
But I'm not. I'm not smiling. My face in the mirror is like:
"AH NOPE," I yelled, slamming the wardrobe shut.
I turned around and kicked a shoe at the ledger like that'd fix anything.
It didn't.
The ledger just phased through it, like, "lol nice try dummy."
I paced. I panicked. I pace-panicked.
"Okay so like, what do I even do now? Am I possessed? Cursed? Do I need an exorcist or a therapist or both?"
[New Objective: Learn to Control the Collector's Strain.]
Reward: Mental clarity. Survival. Possibly snacks.
"Why is snacks in there?? That's not even—"
Before I could finish arguing with a literal demon notebook, a sharp knock hit the door.
Three knocks. Heavy. Fast.
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK…
"Nope. Nope nope nope—" I backed away slowly like I was in a horror movie. "I'm not opening that. I've seen enough YouTube analog horror. Not today, Satan."
[System Ping: The visitor is not hostile.]
Still not opening it.
[Ping: Visitor is a Debtbound.]
WAIT WHAT.
My brain fully lagged.
Another… Debtbound?
I didn't even know that was a thing. I thought I was like the one sad soul in this messed up blood contract MLM.
Against every cell in my body screaming "do NOT do this," I cracked the door open.
And standing there was this tall, pale guy wearing a wrinkled black hoodie, holding a half-eaten samosa in one hand and a literal glowing briefcase in the other.
"...Yo," he said.
"...Hi?" I said.
"You the newbie?"
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Dude, your cursed aura's leaking like crazy," he said, pointing at me with the samosa. "I could smell you from the fourth floor."
"...Ewww???"
He pushed past me and walked in like this was his Airbnb.
"Name's Zian. Don't worry, I'm not here to eat your soul or whatever. I'm the guy who stops people from blowing up after their first absorption."
"...That's a job?"
"More like a community service. You owe me a samosa now, by the way."
I just stared. This man had crusty eye bags, dried ketchup on his hoodie, and the vibe of someone who hasn't blinked since 2022.
He flopped on my bed and started rummaging through my cupboard like he lived here.
"You got tea or anything?" he asked.
"I—what even IS happening right now??"
Apparently, Zian had been Debtbound for three years.
Said he made a pact by accident during a "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" sale at a haunted antique store. I didn't ask questions.
"Anyway," he said, biting into my last biscuit, "your aura's glitching. That strain you absorbed? It's like corrupted system data. You don't stabilize it soon, your personality might start splitting."
"Bro, I already talk to myself. How much worse can it get?"
Zian gave me a very long look.
Like he was trying to figure out if I was already too far gone.
[System Ping: New Tutorial Available – "How Not to Die: Collector Mode"]
Would you like to begin?
"...Yeah," I muttered. "Might as well."
A sudden red circle lit up under my feet.
"WAIT WHAT IS HAPPENING—"
I almost slipped and fell but Zian just sipped tea like this was normal.
"Relax, it's a training domain. You'll be fine. Probably."
[Initiating Basic Combat Simulation.]
Opponent: Debt Wraith Lv. 5
Your current level: 1 (and suffering)
"Bro I can't fight anything right now, I haven't even had breakfast!"
But before I could finish whining, a humanoid shadow figure formed in front of me, its eyes glowing like dying WiFi routers.
[Tip: Focus. Use your Collector's Strain.]
"Focus? FOCUS??? I'm having an actual nervous breakdown, you want me to focus?"
I clenched my fists. Something inside my arm twitched, and the glowing blood-like threads wrapped tighter around my veins.
And then I felt it—
A rush of heat. Like adrenaline and regret had a baby and fed it pre-workout.
[Ability Unlocked: Collector's Lash]
Description: Your blood forms a whip. Yes, seriously.
"...what the hell kind of cursed Indiana Jones moment is this?"
I swung my arm and CRACK—the blood whip sliced through the air and smacked the Wraith across its glitchy face.
BOOOOOM!
The thing let out a glitchy screech and vaporized into pixels.
I blinked.
"…I did that?"
Zian gave me a slow clap.
"Congrats. You've now officially done more damage than half our department."
"There's a department?!"
[Tutorial Complete.]
You survived. Somehow.]
Reward: 1 Skill Point | 20 Blood Tokens | Emotional damage
I collapsed on the floor, arms shaking, vision kinda blurry but like... also proud?
Zian offered me a cup of tea.
"You're gonna need this. That was just Level 5. Next up's 10."
"…Bro I hate this game."