Malric Thorn stood frozen in front of the veterinarian, staring at the glowing screen hovering before his eyes as it processed the latest information.
… he muttered, the tension thick in the air.
Okay, he finally said. That went better than expected.
S.I.M.I.O. appeared instantly in front of him, confirming the connection.
The screen suddenly changed.
NEW MISSION AVAILABLE Path: Anti-Hero
Malric frowned, completely thrown off.
What? His voice rose with disbelief.
The mission description unfolded.
Objective: Generate chaos in the city. Time limit: 48 hours.
Malric blinked, struggling to process the sheer absurdity.
…
No.
The screen continued displaying more details.
Rewards: Experience System coins Bonus based on magnitude of chaos
Malric shook his head vigorously.
No.
I'm not doing that.
S.I.M.I.O. responded with its usual calm, almost indifferent tone.
Mission active.
Malric raised his voice.
WHY DO I HAVE AN ANTI-HERO MISSION?
A heavy, tense silence followed. Finally, the System replied:
Due to your previous actions.
Malric frowned, confused.
What actions?
The screen listed them coldly:
Irresponsible use of skills. Chaotic interaction with urban fauna. Pigeon incident.
Malric fell silent, processing the information.
…
That doesn't count.
It counts, S.I.M.I.O. insisted.
Malric brought a hand to his face, exasperated.
I just want to be a hero.
Then stop acting like yourself, S.I.M.I.O. replied.
Malric muttered, a little hurt.
That was unnecessary.
The screen added another line of text.
Prepare yourself.
Malric raised an eyebrow, confused.
For what?
The response was quick and direct.
The Villain mission will be even better.
Malric sighed, resigned.
Of course.
Perfect.
Fantastic.
Just then, something tumbled out of a nearby trash bin.
Malric turned his head and found himself face to face with a raccoon slowly advancing toward him.
Human, the raccoon said in a grave voice.
Malric blinked, alarmed.
No.
No more animals.
The raccoon approached calmly, ignoring his rejection.
Message from Princess.
Malric took a deep breath, knowing he couldn't avoid it.
Of course.
The raccoon continued as if nothing was unusual.
Your presence is required.
Urban faction meeting.
Malric frowned, intrigued despite himself.
For what?
With total naturalness, the raccoon replied.
To rule the world.
Malric stood in silence, processing the absurd request.
…
Of course.
That again.
S.I.M.I.O. appeared once more.
Secondary mission detected.
The screen glowed.
FACTION MISSION Urban Meeting
Description: Coordinate with multiple animal factions. Objective: Develop alliances for territorial dominance.
Malric muttered, feeling trapped.
I don't want to dominate anything.
S.I.M.I.O. insisted.
Automatically accepted.
Malric looked up, horrified.
WHAT?
The screen glowed with a warning.
If you fail this mission: Relationship with Crows will decrease. Increased thefts by crows.
Malric sighed deeply, feeling overwhelmed.
…
I'm going to end up naked.
The raccoon pointed urgently toward the park.
They are waiting for you.
A few minutes later, Malric arrived at the central fountain and stopped dead in his tracks.
…
No.
The place was absolute chaos. Cats and dogs faced off on one side. Pigeons filled the trees. Rats poured out of the sewers. Raccoons lurked in the shadows.
THIS IS OUR TERRITORY! the dogs growled.
IGNORANT FOOLS! the cats hissed back.
TRAITOR! the pigeons screamed the moment they saw him.
Rats squeaked. Raccoons banged on the ground. Insects simply died in the middle of the mess.
Malric brought a hand to his face, overwhelmed.
This is impossible.
S.I.M.I.O. appeared again.
Solution available.
Malric raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
What solution?
The screen showed an option that sent a chill down his spine.
Suggested action: Sing to calm the creatures.
Malric stood speechless, mouth open.
…
No.
Recommended.
He muttered to himself, resigned.
This is going to go badly.
He took a deep breath and, with a mix of fear and determination, began to sing.
…
It was horrible.
Completely horrible.
Absolute off-key notes. Sounds that should not exist.
The park fell silent. Every animal stopped and slowly turned toward him, eyes wide with shock.
One pigeon murmured:
…What was that?
A dog backed away, terrified.
That is not human.
A cat whispered, trembling.
That… is a predator.
Malric stopped singing, surprised by the effect it had caused.
…
I think it worked.
S.I.M.I.O. responded with a hint of surprise.
Unexpected result.
The screen glowed with a new notification.
SKILL UNLOCKED Name: WAIL OF SUFFERING
Description: Your singing causes fear in multiple species.
Malric frowned, incredulous.
What?
The screen continued.
Effects: Creatures perceive you as a superior threat. Interruption of conflicts.
Faction update: Pigeons: Hostility increased +50% Cats: Respect increased Dogs: Active fear Minor factions: Avoid contact
Malric looked around. All the animals were watching him, but none dared to attack.
S.I.M.I.O. added another line.
TITLE UNLOCKED Provisional Urban Ruler
Malric stayed silent, stunned.
…
No.
The description appeared on the screen.
You can request or command one action from a faction once per day.
Condition: Depends on your relationship with them.
Malric observed the now silent and orderly park. All the animals were paying attention to his presence.
…
Did I just…?
Yes, S.I.M.I.O. replied with a tone of satisfaction.
Malric sighed, feeling the weight of responsibility.
I didn't want this.
S.I.M.I.O. responded calmly.
Notable progress.
Malric muttered to himself, feeling completely out of control.
This has definitely gotten out of hand.
The park remained silent.
Absolute silence.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The animals continued staring at Malric…
as if he were something that should not exist.
Malric slowly lowered his arms.
…
Okay.
It worked.
S.I.M.I.O. appeared in front of him.
Result: effective.
Malric muttered.
I'm never doing that again.
Then…
from the side of the fountain…
something began to move.
A figure appeared…
rolling.
Literally rolling.
Tumbling over itself.
Passing between leaves.
Dodging insects.
Bouncing lightly against a stone.
And finally…
stopping right in front of the fountain.
Malric blinked.
…
Of course.
The raccoon slowly stood up.
It shook off the dust with absolute dignity.
As if nothing had happened.
It straightened itself.
And raised a paw.
Allow me to introduce myself.
Dramatic pause.
I am Mr. Thief.
Malric brought a hand to his face.
Of course you are.
The raccoon continued.
Name given by a small human.
I tried to steal his food.
Pause.
I failed.
It lifted its head slightly.
But the name… survived.
S.I.M.I.O. appeared.
Identity registered.
Mr. Thief turned toward all the animals.
He raised his paw.
Comrades.
His voice changed.
Firmer.
More authoritative.
Today…
we have witnessed something important.
Pause.
Unity.
The dogs remained motionless.
The cats watched attentively.
The pigeons… at a distance.
Mr. Thief continued.
For years we have lived divided.
Fighting among ourselves.
Wasting resources.
Defending useless territories.
He lowered his gaze for a moment.
But today…
he raised his paw toward Malric.
a human has done the unthinkable.
Malric muttered.
It wasn't intentional.
The raccoon ignored him.
His song…
Pause.
has stopped the violence.
A dog backed away.
A cat closed its eyes.
It has imposed order.
Not by force.
Not by dominance.
But by something superior.
Malric muttered.
That was auditory pain.
Confirmed, S.I.M.I.O. replied.
Mr. Thief raised his voice.
TODAY THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CALMED!
The echo resonated through the park.
TODAY WE HAVE UNDERSTOOD!
THAT WE DO NOT NEED TO DESTROY EACH OTHER!
Pause.
WE NEED TO ORGANIZE!
The animals began to react.
Little by little.
FOOD FOR ALL!
SPACE FOR ALL!
NO SPECIES ABOVE ANOTHER!
Malric raised an eyebrow.
That sounds dangerous.
S.I.M.I.O. responded.
Ideological system in development.
Mr. Thief continued.
THE CROWS HAVE SHOWN US THE WAY!
AND WE WILL FOLLOW IT!
He raised his paw toward the sky.
A SYSTEM WHERE EVERYONE WILL HAVE WHAT THEY NEED!
WHERE NO ONE WILL BE SUPERIOR!
Pause.
AND WHERE THE WORLD WILL BE OURS!
The animals began to nod.
The rats squeaked.
The raccoons banged the ground.
The cats watched with approval.
The dogs… did not retreat.
Mr. Thief slowly lowered his paw.
And today…
he looked at Malric.
we have a leader.
Malric's eyes widened.
No.
We don't.
It's not me.
S.I.M.I.O. responded.
Evidence contradicts that statement.
The raccoon continued.
A mediator.
A bridge.
A figure of balance.
Malric brought a hand to his face.
This is a bad idea.
Mr. Thief spoke calmly.
Thank you for your song.
Pause.
It has saved the people from themselves.
Silence.
Then…
the animals lowered their heads.
Respect.
Even the pigeons.
From a distance.
One murmured:
…We still hate him.
Malric sighed.
That's fair.
S.I.M.I.O. showed an update.
PROVISIONAL URBAN RULER – ACTIVE
Malric looked at the screen.
Then at the park.
Then at all the animals.
…
This has definitely gotten out of control.
S.I.M.I.O. responded calmly.
Exceptional progress.