'I guess years of anger management are finally paying off huh? That's right Lloyd, tense the muscles in your body, breathe in, breathe out and start releasing. Ata boy Lloyd.'

He plays over that mantra in his mind until the shock and awe in front of him is gone. It takes him the better half of an hour to fully calm himself into thinking straight.

'Nope not weird at all, just another day in Lloydsville. Deep breaths and say yes, all you gotta-'

[Great! We're glad you decided to accept the tutorial. We shall start with the UI, or User Interface. Say or think "Full Status"]

So it can read thoughts? That's handy. Full Status!.'

What came up was not what he expected. Three large screens appeared out of thin air.

On the left, had all his information, like age, race, sex and more.

[Lloyd Angsley Age: 23 Speciation: Human Male Current Titles: None Affiliations: None. Affinities: None Talents: None]

And below that was a section that displayed stats.

[Stats:

Strength:11

Control: 12]

After looking at the first screen, the system began to explain.

[As you can see, the first half is for basic information, such as age and sex. It also has basic information for identification, such as titles and affiliations. Titles are what you are known as. Think 'your reputation precedes you'. Titles provide actual benefits and can influence the way skills and perks work. Next is Affiliations. This section is for organizations that you are a part of. Affinities are elements that you are in tune with and talents are the things you are good at. Both, you can gain through effort and the system.]

[The next half is for Statistics, or Stats. Stats are physical, mental, emotional and spiritual statistics that are calculated based on the complete average of a physically fit adult human male. All users of the System, no matter the species, will be graded on this scale as humans were the reigning species in the time before the system. As there are many varying statistics, the system only shows them after a certain threshold has been passed. Once a Stat has reached 10, it will appear under the Stats screen, this is also known as a known stat. 10 is used because then you are at the level of the average physically fit adult human male.]

He looked at the second screen, and the system continued. The second screen was divided in half as well, with the top half labeled as Skills and the bottom half as Perks, with a bar underneath the title.

[The first half is dedicated to skills. Skills are active or passive abilities the user has in their arsenal. There are many types of skills, knowledge based, martial arts, mechanical, even magical based skills. Skills are categorized into Ranks, from F to S with F being the lowest. The higher in rank the skill is, the stronger it is. But, that also means the stronger the negative effect it will have on you.]

[Now look at the bottom half. This is your Perks screen. Perks are upgrades for your skills, body and mind. You can't level them up like skills, however. That bar underneath the word Perks is your Perk Bar. It fills up when you level up skills.]

[One thing to remember is that your Stats, Perks, and Skills are all connected. You raise your stats by leveling up your skills, and your skills become stronger when you raise your stats, but there are cases where if your stats are not high enough, you can't learn or level a specific skill. Same way with your perks. Your perks can affect Stat gain and the way your skills work, but they are also limited by your stats and skills.]

There was a pause as if the system was taking a breath, and then continued onto the third screen.

The third screen showed Lloyd's naked body, with all areas of interest pointed out. Below that was a few lines of text.

[The third screen is your body's data. It shows every abnormality, from pre-existing conditions, to parasites or poison traveling in your bloodstream. The main use of this screen is to get an idea of how certain skills affect your body.. Below that shows Curses, sicknesses, and even your current mood.You can open this screen by saying Data screen]

[Current mood: Confused, stressed, suppressed anger, excitement. Curses: None Sicknesses: None]

[The system recommends the user to play around and try out different features of the System. The tutorial is completed. Grow strong, and you the Gods' Eyes look down on you.]

PLINK

And like that, it disappeared. And silence followed. But it didn't last long before another screen came.

[Due to your emotional patterns and past violent outbursts, the System has rewarded you with the skill [Anger]!]

[Due to your ability to control your anger through various techniques, the System has awarded you the skill [Anger Suppression]!]

'Did this Goddamn robot just say I have anger issues!?'

After a few deep breaths he checked just to be sure. He shook his head and read the skill descriptions.

[Anger lvl 1: While everyone gets angry, you embody it, and with the system's help, weaponized it! When you have the [Angry] status effect, all your known physical stats are increased by 20%. When in an [Angry] state, the body moves faster than the mind and you become more impulsive. With this skill you are more prone to violent outbursts that will give the user the [Angry] status. Mental attacks and debuffs are 10% more effective on you. You can forcefully make yourself angry at the cost of mental energy. Rank C]

[Anger Suppression lvl 1: Since you know how to weaponize your anger, you must also learn how to control it. This skill allows you to remove the [Angry] status at the cost of mental energy. If not removed after some time, the [Angry] status can become [Rage]. Rank E]

[Stat increases are as follows:

Control: 12→ 13]

There were many questions in Lloyd's mind. And the less answers he had, the harder he clenched his fist. He kept getting madder and madder at the lack of answers.

[You have become [Angry]!]

His breaths became more labored, his heart beat faster and he started sweating! He felt an immediate change in his body. It was a feeling of power! Something he never felt before when he was angry. This anger was different. This power was addictive. He grinned, then dropped it.

'I can't do this now. I got shit to do. With how things are going, I'll probably have time for this later,, but I have to get home.'.

With that as his motivation, he suppressed his anger quickly, although feeling the power leave him made him feel a little sad.

He made his way to his phone. Even in the dark, he knew where it was. After he turned it on for the second time, he checked the signal, shook his head then turned on the flashlight so he could see.

He gathered the things he brought in and made his way to the front desk. There was a scent in the air, but he couldn't place his finger on it. It didn't take long to find the source. It was the pretty receptionist, she was skewered with glass. There were pieces in her face, neck and a relatively large one in her eye. Blood was oozing out, her body appeared cold. The rigor mortis had already set in.

Lloyd, who had never seen a dead body before, felt his heart race. His eyes were wide, taking in every detail. The way the blood dripped down, to her slightly open mouth, how her body was slammed backwards in her chair. He reckoned she didn't even register what went on before it happened. He walked a little closer and saw her name tag. It read Debra.

The reaction you think you'd get from seeing a dead body would be screams and fear, but most of the time there's just a cold lifelessness brought on by the shock of seeing another person in that state.

Lloyd felt sick, he felt like he would throw up any second, but that second never came. Instead, there was a growl behind him. He turned around, and walking through the used-to-be-glass doors was a large black and white dog. Could have been a border collie, but in the moonlight he could only make out the basic shape. It continued to growl at him.

'That your person? I'm sorry, let me get out your way.' He stepped aside and let the dog walk past. And as he made to walk out, he heard whimpers and cries. Even with the difference in species, he could tell the dog was in pain.

He stepped through the hole in the door, and looked to his old pick up truck. The windows and windshield were busted to hell, but he could make do.

He cleaned the glass out of the driver's seat, got in and put the key in the ignition. He smiled at the thought of getting back on the road again, and as he turned the key….

CLICK

It wouldn't start…..

"GODDAMMIT"