Free Web NovelChapter 2: First murder
"Where are we?" the girl’s voice echoed through the void, trembling. "Everything is white... endlessly white, as if this place has no end at all."
’We are between two worlds, I suppose,’ Ruthless thought, his analytical mind quickly adapting to the anomaly. ’But why are we standing here? Perhaps we are supposed to be given something. Whoever did this wouldn’t have dragged us here without a solid reason.’
At that exact moment, a massive blue screen snapped open right in front of his face. He turned his head toward the monitor, staring at the glowing text. Within a couple of seconds, his CPU processed the data: he had truly been isekaied.
The blue screen read:
[Congratulations! You have been chosen for transmigration into another world. We wish you to reach great heights in this new universe!
World Assignment: Vorantia. System Rule: Matriarchy Supreme.
In this universe, women are naturally born much stronger and more talented than men. For this reason, women mostly fight monsters on the Unexplored Continent, while men handle domestic affairs.
For a man to gain true power, he needs the seals of the queens of the five continents. If you want to become the strongest and win, we recommend you collect them. However, to this day, no one has ever succeeded. Good luck!]
’Are they fucking kidding me?’ Ruthless’s jaw tightened. ’If everything is turned upside down in that world, is there even a single chance of survival? Sigh... and here I thought I’d end up in some comfortable Victorian era, but they threw me straight under the girls’ boots.’
He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, clearing the useless emotional junk from his mind.
’Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Since I’m in this world now, I need to think about how to survive and get stronger right here.’
"Ruthless... Did you read that message too?"
Ruthless glanced at her. ’So, the notification came to both of us... This is bad. If we get there, there’s a 99% probability she’ll turn out to be stronger than me. She’ll have enough power to kill me. Plus, she knows everything about my past life... She’s a walking security flaw.’
"Look, another message just came in!" she pointed out.
Ruthless shifted his gaze back to the blue window. A new notification was hanging in the air:
[A new message has arrived. Do you wish to open it?] Yes / No
’Yes.’
[Your Current Stats:
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Stamina: 10
Intelligence: 600
Primal Level: 0
Chosen Path: None
Note: Strength, speed, and stamina stats are activated only after you enter the world.]
’My physical attributes are pitifully low... except for intelligence,’ Ruthless noted, his eyes narrowing at the number 600. ’And what even is this "Primal Level"? Or "Chosen Path"? Alright, I’ll deal with that later, once I’m on the ground. Right now, there are far more important variables—the stats of my classmate standing next to me. They must be much higher than mine.’
The screen flashed again, updating its prompt:
[As assistance, you are offered 3 power options. You may choose any one of them. Do you wish to open them?]
’Of course.’
[Assistance Options: 1. Stat Boost: +90 points will be added to every stat below 50. 2. Primal Gaze: The ability to see the stats of almost any creature. (As your power grows, hidden properties will unlock) + Basic Inventory. 3. Elite Reincarnation: Transmigration into a wealthy family.]
’Most people, I think, would blindly choose the first option because it gives a decent initial boost,’ Ruthless analyzed, breaking down the choices like a line of code. ’But thinking strategically, we currently have no idea what the parameters of an average woman in that world are. There is nothing to compare it to. If I take the first option, and the average strength of a local woman turns out to be, say, 1000—this +90 boost will be absolutely useless.’
He dismissed the third option almost instantly.
’A wealthy family isn’t even worth considering. Women rule this world. Whether you are rich or poor, they still stand above you. The only upside to wealth is connections. Everything else is trash.’
His gaze locked onto the second option.
’It follows that I have no other choice but the second option. Of course, it has its downsides: even if I know their strength, I won’t be able to oppose it with anything. In an extreme situation, it’s useless. But compared to the others, this one has the fewest useless sides. Information is the ultimate weapon for a low-stat build. Choosing it is the most efficient solution.’
[Congratulations, you have chosen the second option. "Primal Gaze" has been transferred to your system, along with basic items into your hands. Good luck!]
"Into my hands?" Ruthless muttered aloud.
He looked down. A medium-sized green bag was already resting in his grip. He hadn’t even felt the moment it materialized. Unzipping it quickly, he checked the contents: a dagger, a single bottle of water, and some necessary clothing.
Nothing surprising. Baseline survival kit.
"Ruthless, which option did you choose?"
Suppressing his internal agitation and maintaining absolute, frozen composure on his face, Ruthless turned to his classmate.
’I completely forgot she was even here... By the way, now that I have Primal Gaze, I can see other people’s stats. Let’s run a diagnostic.’
’Primal Gaze!’
[Yara Takasuki’s Current Stats: Strength: 500
Speed: 500
Stamina: 500
Intelligence: 15
Primal Level: 1
Chosen Path: None]
Ruthless’s core temperature seemed to drop. ’Just as I thought. Their physical strength is colossal... but that intelligence. 15? I thought it would be higher, considering she’s a straight-A student. It turns out her mind is just a basic template. On top of that, her Primal Level is at 1, while mine is at 0. That means she already possesses some kind of active superpower...’
"I’ve already chosen..." Ruthless said softly, abruptly shifting his tone, throwing on a friendly, approachable mask. "What about you? Have you picked an option?"
"No, I’m still thinking..." she replied, not even looking at him. The girl was staring intently at her blue screen, its contents completely invisible to his eyes.
’Sigh... If you actually loved me, maybe you could have been of some use,’ Ruthless thought, his mind traveling back to the high school hallways. ’But you don’t love me. Before me, you confessed your "love" to the two most popular and handsome guys from the other class in the exact same way, only to get rejected. Your face was crimson back then, too. But the moment they walked away, you burned with furious rage, as if you had simply missed out on a valuable asset.’
His eyes focused on the back of her neck.
’Now you wanted to use me for some benefit of your own in this new world, you just didn’t have time to voice it. And at this exact moment, we get thrown into a universe where women possess ultimate power... Haaah... Looks like my CPU has generated the only logical conclusion.’
"I see," Ruthless dropped shortly.
In that same split second, his hand slipped into the green bag. His fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt of the dagger. He pulled it out in a silent, practiced motion and took slow, calculated steps straight toward the girl’s back.
"Ruthless, I think I figured out which one I’ll choose!" she said with a bright smile, still looking at her screen.
SHWF.
Before the smile could even fade from her face, the cold steel entered from behind. Straight into the heart area. Smoothly, deeply, and with terrifying speed.
Blood... Dark, crimson blood gushed out, staining the endless white void.
The girl slowly turned around, her body staggering as her system began to fail. Ruthless stood right in front of her. There wasn’t a single shred of emotion on his face—not a drop of pity, not a spark of excitement. He looked down at her with absolutely dead, hollow eyes.
"W-h-a-t...?" she choked out.
