The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary - Chapter 313: Prologue: From Opening to Contact

The world ends in a single moment.When the Mass Outbreak Event shatters reality, portals tear open across the globe, unleashing monsters that drive civilization to collapse. As cities burn and order crumbles, a game-like System activates across humanity, granting survivors levels, skills, and abilities, and forcing the world into a brutal new set of rules.Eighteen-year-old Jagger Ashton is dragged into this new reality where monsters are only part of the danger. Humans, twisted by power, fear, and desperation, prove just as deadly. Every encounter pushes Jagger closer to the edge, testing his sanity and the fragile line between control and corruption.Jagger begins to uncover a terrifying truth.The Outbreak was not just an invasion. It was a selection process.The System is preparing the world for something far worse.And whatever is coming… it wants strong survivors.To survive what lies ahead, Jagger must confront the power festering inside him and choose whether to master it or surrender to it entirely.

To care for her ailing sweetheart, college student Lu Chenchen gave up her white-collar office job and chose the higher-paying caretaker profession instead. Going around in circles, she ended up at the Mao family’s home.

The Mao family background was complicated. Old Madam Mao was not her son Yanning’s birth mom, but his young aunt. His wife was Old Madam Mao’s first love’s daughter, spoiled and pampered. Despite over ten years of marriage, husband and wife were distant.

To repay Old Madam Mao’s kindness in raising him, and for the sake of his three children, Mao Yanning endured again and again – not just a loveless but outright destructive marriage.

Lu Chenchen walked on eggshells among these people – carefully serving young and old, currying favor with the lady of the house without offending the man of the house, while also worrying about his sweetheart’s illness and missing “his” elders and children back home. Her heart was like a cookie flattened between the pages of life, living a difficult and cautious existence.

However, as the saying goes, “You reap what you sow.” A life that has been polished will eventually shine with a brilliance that ordinary years cannot compare.

Every hero starts with power. He started with dust.One moment, the classroom buzzed with teenage chatter. The next, silence fell. Students blinked—and opened their eyes in an ancient hall carved from gold and marble. The air shimmered with divine magic. And at its center stood a goddess—flawless, proud, unbelievably beautiful and wrapped in flowing white.It was a divine summoning performed by a divine goddess.Among them was Vritra… and his stunningly beautiful mother.While others received blessings, powerful physiques and grand titles, Vritra was given a skill so pathetic it made even the goddess wrinkle her nose. An ability—so pitifully weak that it drew laughter, scorn, and even disgust. But that wasn't the worst part.Betrayed and cornered inside the labyrinth, Vritra had two choices: die… or fall into the death trap.A death canopy with no exit and no chance of survival, the only option was to slaughter the demons endlessly for months.Finally!! He forced his dormant skill to awaken, after killing thousands and hundreds of thousands demons and devouring them, becoming a broken ability.******White robes. Cold arroganceA sinful revenge.White robes can stain. And in the dark, even divinity can moan.And then there was his mo— guilt in her breath, shame in her eyes, whispering apologies between gasps in her son's ear, doing what had to be done… for both their sakes.

I, Mukouda Tsuyoshi, was caught up in a summoning circle into a different world where sword and magical skills are the norm.

However, when the summoners cast ‘Status Appraisal’ on us, the three other people who were summoned with me had [Heroes from Another World] in the occupation box, whereas I was the [Random Guy Caught Up in the Summoning Spell].

As for our ‘Skill Set’, the three Heroes had outrageous sounding skills rolling after their names like [Holy Sword Technique], [Holy Spear Technique] and [Sacred Magic].

In fact, I too have a skill you know? My one skill is called… [Net Super]…

Because it’s clearly not a combat skill, I am automatically treated like garbage.

Furthermore, the King of the country who had summoned us looked really shady.

As a veteran lightnovel reader, I can read the atmosphere well enough to come to the conclusion that ‘This is a bad world to be summoned into’.

Thus, it is decided. No matter what, I must get out of this castle as soon as possible and escape from this rotten country!