The pain didn't come right away, but after the blood had soaked through the boy's shirt.
It was in that instant when the young man felt a stabbing pain pierce through him.
"What the fuck? Who...?"
The boy turned around, almost reflexively, and that's when he locked eyes with his attacker, though upon seeing him, he wondered if his eyes weren't deceiving him.
"You?"
The boy couldn't finish his sentence, as he was shoved by his attacker. The push wasn't strong, but the disorientation caused by the wound took its toll; that gesture was enough to make him fall, driving the sharp object deeper into his back.
"Shut up! Don't resist," the attacker growled in a hoarse voice.
'What's happening? Fucking bastard!'
The boy was confused. The one killing him was a mere vagrant, a vagrant he had saved from some thugs.
A crooked smile formed on his face when the vagrant started patting him down. It was clear he'd been stabbed over a few bills and an old phone.
It would've been easy to attack that man, but he was tired. It wasn't the first time he'd been betrayed, it wasn't the first time life had punished him for doing the "right thing." He was so tired that he couldn't accept anything but death.
The boy knew the ambulance wouldn't arrive in time, though his death would most likely be slow; even so, he didn't care.
'No, not this time.'
A frantic feeling washed over him; he'd had enough.
'I'm sorry, Mother, I won't be able to keep my promise.'
His leg flexed. Before the vagrant could react, his leg struck the guy's knee, causing it to bend in an almost unnatural way. A scream came from the homeless man's mouth, a rather satisfying sound.
The vagrant fell, and with a quick movement, the boy got on top of him. The adrenaline had made him forget the pain, and it gave him the strength to punch the homeless man's face with fury. Soon, the homeless man's screams stopped.
So many times he'd been humiliated, so many times he'd forgiven, moved on, done the "right thing," only to end up like this, almost as if fate itself was teaching him a lesson.
The boy's vision started to blur. Had he lost that much blood already?
"HAHAHAHA!" A euphoric yet broken laugh came from his mouth; it was the first time he'd felt this way.
'Fuck, it feels so good... If only I'd hit those who deserved it back then, I wouldn't have ended up here.'
The boy sighed; it was too late now to cry out for revenge, he could only savor the blows he'd given that homeless man.
Maybe the old him would've forgiven him, lying to himself about how the man had a hard life. Now, though, it seemed stupid; he'd been homeless before after all, but he'd pulled through with effort.
'Looks like this is the end. I guess I'll go to hell now for beating that scumbag... It's frustrating. If only I hadn't held back before, if only... I had another chance, I swear I won't let myself be trampled again.'
[Compatible host has been detected: *** takes pity on you]
A metallic voice echoed in his head; perhaps it was a hallucination caused by blood loss.
[Would you be capable of trampling others to survive?]
Yes/No
The boy didn't quite understand the situation; however, even if it wasn't real, he wouldn't waste any opportunity.
'Gladly...'
The darkness grew larger and larger, while the young man felt cold death claiming his soul; it was his end, he knew it.
In the end, no matter what you do, luck always has the last word.
[Notification: you have awakened the system of the demon god of Chaos - Chaos Record]
But sometimes, it's fate that gets twisted.
[You have been chosen as demon king]