Somewhere in Johannesburg; South Africa, in a small room that was no better than a dumpster, a young man typed furiously on a keyboard as if his life depended on it.
His hair was long and unkempt, and dark circles under his eyes were a testament to his lack of sleep. His eyes remained glued to the monitor as he typed, for a long time only the sound of keyboard could be heard.
You could see discarded instant noodle cups scattered everywhere. Cockroaches and rats scurried around as if they owned the place, their noises was ignored by the young man, who was completely absorbed in his work.
"I can do it. I can reach the deadline. I can still make it," he muttered, his voice raspy, he seemed not to have spoken in ages.
This young man, who couldn't have looked more pathetic, was me. My name is Miles Ethan Chase. I'm twenty-eight years old, a university dropout, and an avid reader who turned to writing. As you can see, I wasn't a successful one. I was a contracted author with a deadline I couldn't seem to meet. Making a real income was a struggle; the competition was fierce, with thousands of new books appearing every day. To make matters worse, I was plagued by writer's block, which made my situation desperate. I had no other choice but to continue working like a slave. I hadn't slept in days. I continued to type until my vision blurred and darkness consumed me.
"I should have done better," I thought, my last words before darkness claiming me. A starving author who ran away from home with aspiration of grandeur. I thought it was the end.
But it wasn't. Some mysterious force at work decided my story wouldn't end this way.
I woke in another world.
•••
Somewhere, in a spacious, and diverse forest. Its canopy was contested by rowan, redwood, and hawthorn, allowing dancing beams of sunshine to reach the flat, fertile ground below, where a range of shrubs thrived.
Thick branches covered every tree, and a variety of flowers, dispersed sparingly, added color and scent to the otherwise unvaried landscape.
A cacophony of wild sounds—mostly from foraging beasts—reverberated through the air, underscored by the roars of larger animals fighting for dominance.
There was, a sudden flash of light that could momentarily blind someone. The light subsided revealing a man in plain clothing. He had short black hair, black eyes, and a boyishly cute face.
That man was me. I couldn't believe I had just experienced reincarnation—something I used to only write about.
I spread my arms wide and inhaled a long mouthful of sweet, natural air.
"I'm alive!" I shouted excitedly. Having no idea that my early appearance had drawn some unwanted attention, this could be attributed at bad luck.
[Ding! Binding the system to the host!]
A sudden notification rang in my head, sending my excitement over the top. My golden finger is here.
[System initialization 1%...40%…..70%….90%…]
I waited patiently for the installation to finish, but that's when it happened.
"Boss, I've found another one!" someone yelled. I didn't have time to turn around before I felt a sharp impact on the back of my head.
Bonk!
"What the-"
I lost consciousness immediately leaving my sentence unfinished.
I don't know how long I had been out for, however, when I opened my eyes, I was inside a moving cage, a slave cart.
"What the actual fuck?" I muttered, staring at the chains around my wrists and ankles. For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating, but the cold metal felt too real to believe this is an illusion. I quickly accepted reality.
Glancing around, I saw others people chained like me. Their ages varied, but they were all around twenty at best: five men and seven women. Their eyes were lifeless, as if they had all given up all hope. I was about to check my system, my golden finger when I saw her.
A woman of otherworldly beauty—the kind every avid fantasy reader dreams of seeing once in their life. An elf. Her face was pale and streaked with dirt, but beneath the grime was a beauty that made my breath catch. The blindfold should have made her seem vulnerable, but it only added an air of untouchable mystery. It was a love at first sight, I want to make this woman my wife, a burning desire I never knew I had in me. I had to talk to her, strike the iron while it was still hot, however, first, I needed to check my system for a better plan.
[Welcome, host, to the Conquest System!]
[Conquer women, share their fate and form strong bonds to earn rewards. The stronger the bond, the greater the reward will be. Let's the conquest begin!]
I immediately understood how it worked.
"System, there should be a starter gift, right?" I asked mentally, no need to voice this out like an idiot. The system responded flatly.
[Starter Gift Granted: Item Box, a Magic Gun, Teleportation Skill, Foods, and Coins!]
[Teleportation Level 1: Teleport to any location within 20 meters of your sight. You can take one person with you. Consumes 200 Mana. Skill range and efficiency improve with level.]
I was overjoyed. This was it! I could use this to escape my current predicament. There was no way I would stay here to be sold to some perverted bastard. Fortunately, we were newly caught and hadn't received a slave seal; that would have made the situation truly hopeless.
I checked my chains hoping I wasn't unlucky. They were normal, rusty iron—different from the others, especially the blindfolded elf's. Her chains were dark red and etched with runes; they were mana-suppressing chains. She must be powerful if they took such a precaution, I thought. I let out a small sigh of relief. They must have run out of the special chains, which is why they used normal ones on me. I guess Lady Luck hadn't completely given up on me.
"System, show me my status window!"
[Miles Ethan Chase
Human
Age: 20
Class: Conqueror
Rank: One
Mana: 2000
Skills: [Teleportation Lv1], [Item Box] (Size increases with level. Current limit: 100kg)
Items: Magic Gun, Foods, Coins
Targets Conquered: 0
Conquest Points: 0]
[Ding! New Mission: A woman of great destiny is near you. Set your eyes on her and conquer her. Great rewards await.]
[Rewards: 1st Stage: Reach 20 Favorability to receive: Level Increase, a Random Skill from your target, and 100 Conquest Points.]
[More rewards will be unlocked as you progress. Conquest Points can be used to upgrade skills, buy new skills, and purchase items from the shop. Shop unlocks at 50 Favorability.]
I celebrated inwardly. It was time to act.
I moved toward the blindfolded elf.
"Hello,miss, I'm Miles! I have a proposal for you!" I said. I hadn't spoken to a woman in ages, but that didn't mean I was a virgin loser. I'd had my fair share of relationships, even if none lasted more than five months. Some might complain that what I'm about to do was idiot but I don't care I do what I want.
As I expected, she didn't respond, her face still lowered.
"I have a way to escape, and I want to take you with me."
Finally, a response. She raised her head. I couldn't see her eyes because of the blindfold, but her long, snow-white hair danced in the wind as the carriage bumped along the road.
"What do you gain from this?" she asked, her voice was melodious and pleasing to the ear.
I could have lied, but that wasn't my style.
"I won't beat around the bush, I want to make you mine, the moment I laid eyes on you I had this desire. I want to travel the world with you and experience many things together, so I'm taking this risk, making this proposal." I stated, hiding nothing. My honest answer seemed to surprise her, because her body froze. Silence hung between us for a moment before she spoke again, her voice barely a whisper.
"You may come to regret this. Even so, do you still want to take me with you?"
"I do. I would regret it even more if I didn't follow my heart. So, take my hand. Let's escape!" I extended my hand. She hesitated for a moment before taking it. Her hand was soft, and I wanted to hold it forever. I shook my head to focus on the task at hand.
Just as I was about to activate my skill, I heard her introduce herself.
"I'm Elaria."
"I'm Miles. Nice to meet you. Now, let's leave this hellhole." I squeezed her hand and activated my skill. "Teleport!"
The world shifted, and the next moment, we were twenty meters away.
"Shit! Someone have escaped! Two of them—the elf and the new guy! After them!" a guard shouted.
We heard their cries and knew they would give chase. I activated my skill again, and we teleported deeper into the forest. I teleported again and again, putting a considerable distance between us and our captors.