I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun - Chapter 17: No Easy Day

Heavy rain poured down from above the dark clouds up in the night sky, filling the sky with droplets that splatter on the muddy ground of a narrow road. Thunder and purple lightning roar resounded over the clouds.

This was a night that would forever be remembered.

Bernard was a poor young man with a dream just like any normal human would have, he wanted to survive and make ends meet.

However, he was rendered hopeless when he realized just his certificates and hard work alone, wouldn't be enough to climb up the ladder in the society, he needed connections as well.

Putting his frustrations aside, Bernard decided to work harder, however on his way home something that would forever change his life happened.

Bernard was bitten by a strange Cat in his dark room and entered a strange world...the Symbiote world, with this strange twist of fate, Bernard soon realized the hope to fulfill his dream was rekindled once again.

[Daily Quest: 'Meow Meow five times]

“As a firearms modifier, it’s normal for me to have better marksmanship, right? John Wick?” —— “The John Wick Series”

“As a private detective, it’s weird to solve the case faster than you, and better than you can fight? Zhou Xingxing?” – “Play Back To School”

“As a psychiatrist, shouldn’t the patients in Arkham Asylum listen to me? Bruce?” – “Batman”

“As an archaeological expert, a little knowledge of Feng Shui and tomb chambers, isn’t this a basic professional quality? Wu Tianzhen?” – “Tomb Raider Series”

“As an animal breeder, is it too much to keep some Godzilla and King Kong?” – “Monster Series”

 …

One world, one profession, let ordinary professions glow with new brilliance in the heavens.

- Description from novelbuddy

“When the old gods are forgotten, they do not die—they wait.”In the year 1025, the Viking Age wanes.Iceland bows to Christ. The Althing governs by law. And the gods of old fade to whispers.But in the far Westfjords, something stirs.Vetrulfr, a former Varangian captain and exile, returns from the East with foreign gold, forgotten warcraft, and a hunger no man can name.He comes not in peace, but to raise Ullrsfjörðr from ash and ice; building walls, carving runes, and waging war on behalf of a dying faith.From Reykjavík to Aachen, rumors spread: a ghost walks the North once more. Some call him the son of Ullr. Others, a wolf-cloaked demon.But all will know his name.and when the Valkyries call, he will answer.

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.