After that, the two men seated at the front of the van—one tall with a cold expression, the other shorter and round-faced with an uneasy twitch—suddenly exchanged glances.

The tall one muttered, “Initiating the route.”

A faint click echoed inside the armored vehicle.

Then—with a guttural roar—the van lurched forward, tires screeching as it sped down the dusty terrain.

The sudden motion forced Eugene to grip the seatbelt. His heart thundered in his chest, not just from the acceleration, but from the dread that had sunk deep in his stomach.

He looked out the window but saw nothing but wilderness stretching on endlessly.

Vonjo, seated beside him with an almost bored expression, suddenly blinked.

Ding!

A crisp mechanical sound echoed directly into Vonjo’s mind.

A familiar blue screen bloomed into existence in front of his eyes again, this time brighter, clearer, more alive.

Tutorial Mission: Please Show Off That You’re The Strongest, Host!

— Tier I (Low): Show off a little.

Reward: [Protagonist Skill – Archery (Basic)]

— Tier II (Medium): Show off slight.

Reward: [Protagonist Skill – Archery (Medium)]

— Tier III (High): Show the fuck off!

Reward: [Protagonist Skill – Archery (High)]

— Tier IV (Spectacular): Show off and steal the damn show!

Rewards: [Protagonist Skill – Archery (Complete Mastery)] and Unknown gift.

Beneath the tiered missions, a small note glowed in red:

Note: The battles may be assisted by the system. However, the rewards will depend on the host’s own theatrics and impact. The system will not control public reaction—only you can create that.

Vonjo stared at the system screen with a stunned look. There was no doubt. This system—it was his. It had spoken to him. Responded to him. And it wanted a performance.

His grip tightened.

Then, from the edge of his vision, strings of glowing comments began sliding in. Bullet chat. A sea of speculation.

[PlotholePuncher]: No way Eugene survives this, right?? Sutterfouse sent him a Code Zero, man. They’re nuts.

[LolMancer]: Plot armor’s gonna kick in soon. MC’s about to unlock something OP, I know it.

[YandereEnjoyer]: Lmao, they didn’t even explain what Code Zero meant in earlier chapters. This novel is so scuffed.

[DripSeer]: Nah, watch it—mysterious ally gonna swoop in, save MC, and disappear. Classic.

[HeWasJustThere!]: Who the fuck is that guy next to Eugene though? Why’s he acting like he belongs in another novel??

[PlotDeviceNotice]: Bro just sitting there like he’s waiting for his solo arc.

[StillNotTheMC]: I’m telling you this Vonjo guy is background filler. Stop coping.

Vonjo’s eyes sharpened. “So that’s what you all think,” he muttered under his breath, voice laced with dry amusement.

He turned to Eugene, who was now visibly trembling, his phone screen dimly lit in his palm.

A voice was crackling from it—his father’s voice—sharp, commanding, cold that even Vonjo could hear.

“Waiy for me to come there, Eugene. But if you can, get out of there as fast as you can. I don’t care if you already signed the damn thing. The Sutterfouse contract is Code Zero. Do you understand what that means?! They don’t care if you live or die. They would use you as cannon fodder!”

“I… I can’t,” Eugene stammered, almost in tears. “They locked the van. It’s already moving—”

“Then survive,” the voice said flatly. “And wait for me.”

The call ended with a heartless beep.

Eugene’s lips trembled. His pupils shook. His breathing came in shallow bursts.

Suddenly, as everything went twisted, Vonjo’s voice broke the silence.

“Hey, kid.”

Eugene turned toward him, startled, eyes wide.

“You panicking now?”

The words hit harder than they should have. Eugene didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. It was written all over his face. Fear. Confusion. Helplessness.

Vonjo leaned back slightly. Then, his voice became deeper—like a narrator pulling strings from within the story.

“You accepted a contract from the Sutterfouse Family, boy. Do you even understand what that means? Code Zero means they’ve given up on pretending. You’re not a person to them—you’re a disposable pawn. A flesh offering.”

Eugene’s throat dried up.

“They’ll throw you into a pit and smile if something eats you. If nothing eats you, they’ll throw something else in after.”

“Y-You’re exaggerating…”

Vonjo didn’t smile. His voice stayed cold, precise.

“They’ll send you into hell, boy. And if you somehow crawl out of it, they’ll send you again. Over and over. Until something finally kills you. And when you’re dead, they’ll blame your incompetence and erase the records.”

Eugene clutched his seat tighter. “Why… why are you telling me this?”

Vonjo’s golden eyes burned faintly in the dim interior.

“Because you asked. Because I’m the only one here not lying to your face. And because I’ve been thrown away too.”

Eugene blinked. “What?”

“I’m a discarded descendant. A name on a cursed family tree. They think this mission will break their normal descendants like me. They wished that I’d die somewhere out there and save them the paperwork.”

The teen swallowed hard. “Aren’t you scared?”

Vonjo tilted his head. Then, a slow smirk tugged at his lips.

“Why would I be?”

Eugene’s voice cracked. “Because—! You just said it—they’re sending us to hell! That we’re disposable! That no one’s coming to save us!”

“And?” Vonjo’s smirk grew. “You think, I, the strongest, need saving?”

Suddenly—the bullet chat froze. One by one, the scrolling text halted.

[WaitWaitWHAT]: Did he just say strongest???

[ThisGuyCanSpeak??]: WHO TF IS THIS GUY?!

[BroThinkHeGoku]: Cap. Ain’t no way.

[AlternateTimelineMC]: I’m bookmarking this. Something’s wrong with him.

Even Eugene was stunned silent. “S-Strongest? What do you mean…”

Vonjo rose from his seat.

“You still don’t get it, do you, kid?”

His voice dropped like a hammer.

“I’ll show you.”

He lifted his hand and slowly clenched his fist.

BOOM.

A pulse of corrupted energy—dark, primal, ancient—erupted from his body like a ripple in reality.

The van shook violently.

The metallic walls groaned under the pressure as an invisible force slammed into them from within.

Outside the vehicle, deep in the wilds, creatures stirred.

Tall shadows—twisted beasts of mana and fang—lifted their heads. One. Then two. Then more.

They turned their glowing eyes toward the van now speeding across the cracked landscape.

And then they roared.

One beast charged.

Then another followed.

And another.

A stampede of mutated monstrosities began to emerge from the mists of the wasteland—some dragging chains, others flaring mana-infested bone limbs.

The van shuddered again as the chase began.

Inside the vehicle, the round-faced driver yelled, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?!”

The tall one gritted his teeth, watching the radar spike wildly.

“You’ve attracted the hell beasts!”

Vonjo merely smiled, eyes still gleaming with cold confidence. “Be ready,” he whispered. “Le me show you, how the strongest do something like this!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep