Zain rolled to the side just as his father's fist came to him.
BOOM!
The wall cracked under the impact.
"Aaargh!"
His father staggered back, shaking his bleeding hand.
Zain's eyes narrowed. He crushed a knife with his grip but hurt himself punching a wall.
His ability... it's in his hands. His grip strength is monstrous, but the rest of his body isn't as durable.
His father growled, his rage boiling over. "Damn you, you little mongrel!"
He glared at Zain. "How dare you dodge?! You ungrateful brat! I raised you! Fed you! And this is how you repay me?"
Zain didn't respond. He had already moved.
He looked around the room to find some weapons.
There.
He took several empty glass bottles from the floor.
He then threw all of them straight toward his father's face.
His father's reflexes were quite good.
He caught a few mid-air, crushing them in his grip.
But the rest smashed against his head and shoulders. "You bastard!"
He stumbled as shards of glass nicked his skin. His fury was unhinged now. "You think you can kill me?! Me?!"
Zain smirked. "No, I already have."
Before his father could recover, Zain lunged, swinging his leg up.
CRACK.
His father's eyes bulged. His body went rigid. His breath caught in his throat.
Zain's kick landed directly between his legs.
His father silently screamed as he collapsed to his knees.
His hands instinctively went to clutch himself, his mind failing to realize anything else.
That was Zain's opening.
He snatched up a sharp, broken bottle from the ground.
He used it to slashed across his father's throat cleanly, spurting out some blood.
His father's eyes widened in shock, his mouth opened, wanting to curse.
But no sound came.
His body shook for a moment before collapsing face-first onto the floor.
Only a final, pitiful gasp escaped from his mouth before silence.
Zain stood over his corpse, smirking. "Lesson learned, old man."
---
Zain slumped onto the worn-out sofa, sighing.
His muscles ached, his body drained from the brief but intense struggle.
He had spent every ounce of energy just to kill that bastard.
But it was done.
He looked at the corpse of his father on the floor. A pool of blood appeared beneath it.
He didn't have any guilt about killing him.
He was instead satisfied after killing him.
Then, his mind drifted to something else. His father's ability.
To think... without cultivating, a man like him could crush a metal knife like it was nothing.
Zain frowned, deep in thought. Supernatural abilities.
A world without cultivators but people still possessed inhuman strength.
And if that drunken fool had power, one that was likely low-tier, then what about the stronger ones?
He tapped his fingers against the armrest. "Interesting…"
If I can awaken my own ability, I'll have a new, interesting path to walk.
A smirk slowly appeared in his lips, thinking about the possibility.
This new world might not be so bad after all.
---
Zain rubbed his temples as another problem appeared on his mind.
His sister. She would be home soon and when she saw their father's corpse...
"What the hell am I supposed to explain?"
He considered making up a story. Maybe say a thief broke in?
No, that wouldn't work. We're too poor for anyone to bother robbing us. Even a thief wouldn't waste their time here.
Damn it. He needed a plan.
But just as he was thinking, something flashed in front of him.
"What the—?"
---
[Welcome to the Hero Hack System]
[Use Hack Points to manipulate, modify, and control heroes as you see fit.]
[Turn them into loyal followers, strip them of power, or reshape their very existence.]
[Current Hack Points: 0]
[Absorb Materials = Gain Hack Points]
---
Zain stared at the screen and confused. "The fuck is this?"
New knowledge soon appeared in his mind. His other memories had this kind of information.
"A system... like in those comics?"
His heartbeat quickened. Was this his supernatural ability? A system?
He narrowed his eyes, reading through the instructions again.
"So, a system for modifying heroes... and to use it, I need Hack Points… which I get by absorbing materials?"
He thought for a moment and realized something.
"System, absorb this bottle."
---
[Absorbed D-Rank Material: +10 Hack Points]
[Current Hack Points: 10]
---
The bottle vanished into the air.
Zain smirked. "So I could get hack points by absorbing materials."
He looked at the living room.
It was filled with trash and broken furniture.
"If I can absorb all this... I can rack up Hack Points fast."
He stood up and grinned.
"Time to clean up."
---
[Absorbed D-Rank Material: +10 Hack Points]
[Absorbed D-Rank Material: +20 Hack Points]
[Absorbed D-Rank Material: +30 Hack Points]
[---]
[Total Hack Points Gained: +140]
[Current Hack Points: 150]
---
Zain exhaled, crossing his arms as he glanced at the clean room.
"Huh, these useless pieces of trash actually had some worth after all. Better than just throwing them out."
He looked at his current credits. 150 Hack points.
"Is this a lot, or just the bare minimum?"
He frowned, tapping his fingers against his arm.
"And just how much can I really hack a hero with this?"
Before he could dive deeper into his thoughts—
The door suddenly creaked open.
His breath hitched. Shit.
His sister had just come home.
---
Zain froze as his sister's voice echoed from the doorway.
"Zain? You home? I can see your shoes, you know."
Shit.
Zain's eyes darted toward the corpse still lying on the floor.
"What the hell do I do?"
Acting fast, he grabbed his father's corpse by the arms, trying to drag it away before she could enter.
His muscles strained, sweat forming on his brow. Damn, even dead, this bastard's heavy.
But then, he heard her footsteps quicken.
She had noticed something was off.
"Zain? What are you doing?"
Her voice carried suspicion now.
Zain gritted his teeth, still dragging the body toward the nearest corner. Almost there—
Too late.
The door was opened.
His sister stood frozen in the doorway.
The room fell silent.
She stared at Zain, dragging their father's bloodied corpse.
"What the... Zain... what the hell are you doing?"
Zain's grip tightened. His mind raced.
Shit.