Cursed System-Chapter 82: My greatest foe

RAGNA POV...

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[Hidden Quest Completed]

Within the suffocating dark of that night, I felt it—three pairs of dark red eyes lingering on the dungeon cell as it shrank farther and farther from my vision.

The distance stretching not just through space but through something irreversible inside me, and the moment I turned away and left, five other pairs of eyes briefly fixed themselves on Gustav’s lifeless body before sweeping the surroundings with cold indifference, eventually understanding that their master had already departed because the prize had been claimed, the debt settled, the path sealed.

An hour later, I was already back home, slipping into my room like a shadow that had never left, quietly crawling into my bed as though the world had not shifted on its axis, and above me the moon—once dim and withdrawn—slowly reclaimed its glow, pale light seeping back into the sky as if nothing had happened at all.

In the darkness of my room, my three pairs of eyes stared silently at the ceiling, unblinking, while my thoughts churned with a strange, unfamiliar weight, because when I had taken human lives before, when I had killed and fed without hesitation, I felt nothing—no tremor, no regret, no hesitation—so why now, of all times, did my chest feel tight, my mind unsettled, my thoughts refusing to stay still?

Was it because the one I had sent to meet his maker was someone I once called an older brother, someone whose name used to carry warmth before it turned rotten and sharp?

Even as those thoughts clashed inside my head, the chaos slowly crumbled, piece by piece, until a single realization surfaced, quiet yet heavy.

’Is this what it feels like to be a villain in those animes?’

And yet, even with that realization, I saw nothing wrong with what I had done to Gustav, because if I hadn’t killed him then, it was only a matter of time before he became a festering wound in my future, a threat waiting to grow teeth and seek revenge, and even though I knew that when my parents heard the news the next day it would tear them open all over again, I couldn’t allow myself to hesitate—better to uproot the weeds while they were still small than wait for them to choke everything around them.

I had no choice.

Slowly, I adjusted myself on the bed, letting out a silent sigh as I closed my eyes, deliberately ignoring the hidden quests hovering at the edge of my awareness, and before long, sleep dragged me under.

The next morning, the entire village was shaken awake by world-breaking news—Gustav’s suicide.

For the whole day, the announcement caused an uproar that spread like wildfire, whispers crawling through every street and alley, and though some people cast suspicious glances in my direction, the official report was clear.

Gustav had taken his own life, and since only the village head and two patrol guards knew where the prisoners were kept, most villagers found it impossible to believe I could be involved, especially when the night guards—warriors who never slept—had detected nothing unusual.

The devastating news crushed Elina and John with guilt, weighing on them for the entire day before they barely managed to accept that it wasn’t their fault.

As for me and my sisters, we mourned convincingly in front of our parents, tears and sorrow carefully arranged, while behind closed doors we celebrated quietly, because although guilt touched the girls at first, it didn’t last long—after all, they weren’t the ones who killed him, and long ago they had stopped seeing Gustav as an older brother, especially after overhearing how close he had come to killing their little brother.

Ironically, the villagers began treating us with unexpected kindness, all because of their suspicions toward me, believing I might have secretly killed Gustav using demonic powers, and though they didn’t know it, every one of their theories was correct.

Because of those suspicions, Elina and the girls received better food, cheaper clothes at the market, and gifts disguised as apologies from six different families, and even if not all of it came from genuine remorse—some merely masking their ugliness behind smiles—they accepted it anyway, relieved that they no longer had to endure hateful stares or cruel whispers, no longer treated as if they were the source of all misfortune.

The girls, who once had no friends, suddenly found themselves surrounded wherever they went, either because of their beauty or because Elina had effectively become the village’s first lady.

I, however, had no time for anyone outside my family, my only concern resting on my parents, especially my father, because I couldn’t imagine the pain of disowning your own child only to hear moments later that he had died—but I knew one thing for certain: it would hurt like hell.

[Host]

[Attributes] [Bloodline, Abilities, and Skills]

[Quests: Main, Daily, System] [Shop]

I stared at the system panel in silence before summoning my Host Attributes.

{Host Attributes}

»Level (Rank-): 8

»Name: Ragna Ringwood

»Titles: Cursed Child

»Race: Unknown

»Exp: 15,000/32,000

»HP: 100/100

[Attributes]

›Mana: 30

›Strength: 30

›Perception: 30

›Vitality: 30

›Agility: 30

›Mana Sensitivity: 30

›Mental Fortitude: 30

{Attribute Points: 250}

After everything that had happened last week, I realized I hadn’t just survived—I had gained more than I ever expected, including two hidden quest notifications, and if I were given the chance to go back in time, I knew without hesitation that I would do it all over again.

[Hidden Quest Completed]

[Details: Get beaten to the brink of death by a bunch of kids—for being a Fool, Ashole, Motherfckering Host]

»Rewards«

[+5,000 EXP]

[+5 Attribute Points]

When I first saw it, I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, wondering just what kind of twisted sense of humor the system possessed.

[Hidden Quest Completed]

[Details: Kill Your Greatest Foe; Gustav]

As the notification echoed in my mind, I sighed inwardly, already knowing whoever Gustav had angered, he was doomed from the start.

’After everything you put me through... thank you for almost ruining my life—but no thank you. If you were determined to piss off the almighty system, then I might as well accept the request.’

With that thought, I checked the rewards.

[Hidden Quest Completed]

[Kill Your Greatest Foe; Gustav]

»Rewards«

[+10,000 EXP]

[New Skill Unlocked: Silent Walker]