4.

"However, mana recovery sounds more useful. I might find myself in a fight with a much more powerful foe and I might run out of mana during the battle, meaning I wouldn't be able to use any ability. But if I have the mana recovery, I can fill up the mana points in the blink of an eye."

After several minutes of contemplation, Murphy finally selected one.

MANA RECOVERY HAS BEEN CLAIMED

"I haven't even tested any of the abilities. But that would be later. Now, I shall add my points in strength and see how strong I get."

STRENGTH + 10, STRENGTH IS NOW AT 40 PERCENT.

Murphy wasted no time in placing the points he got from the daily quests in his strength stat.

"Hmm..Still no chance.." While Murphy was busy glancing at his muscles, he began to remember the reason why he had an accident: his father called and was sounding strange on the line, which made him begin to rush down to his place before being knocked down by a truck.

"No, no, something bad might have happened" Murphy muttered before dashing out of the hospital.

He took a transport and was heading straight to his father's house, his father lives alone and was the only parent Murphy had left.

Murphy began to mutter some prayers to himself as he was praying for his father's safety and well-being.

After some hours of driving, the bus arrives at the bus stop, and Murphy storms out of the bus like a madman and rushes to his father's house hurriedly.

He arrived at the house and saw the whole place unkept and strange. It looked like someone had broken into the house, but Murphy went in and walked slowly while glancing around the house carefully.

"Dad?"Dad, where are you? I'm home...you sounded strange on the phone," Murphy shouted in the house,e, but it remained silent.

After searching all over the house for his father, Murphy made his way to the kitchen and was shocked to see his father lying dead on the floor.

"What? Dad...Dad?" Murphy rushed to his body to try and wake him up, but he was long gone, and there was nothing he could do.

After crying for some minutes, something caught Murphy's attention; he saw a videotape lying on the ground. Murphy was curious to know what was recorded on the tape to see if it linked to why his father was murdered.

Murphy took the tape and played the recordings on the tape and was shocked at what he saw in the tape.

On the tape, he saw a man wearing a long black jacket and black trousers and was wearing a black mask. He looked like he was not from this world, he looked like he was sent by the devil or was the devil himself.

"Father!" Murphy exclaimed through gritted teeth as he watched as the strange-looking man grabbed Murphy's father's neck and lifted him off the floor while strangling him.

"Stay away from my son!" Murphy's father managed to speak as the strange looking was squeezing the life out of him.

As Murphy stood in his father's house, still shaken from watching the horrifying footage on the tape, his eye shifted to an envelope on the floor near the kitchen table. He bent down to pick it up and he lost his breath when he saw his father's name on the front. The envelope had been torn open as if his father as if his father had been anxious or disturbed when he first read its contents.

Murphy's hands trembled as he pulled out the letter. The handwriting was clear and precise and the words sent chills down Jacob Murphy's spine.

"Your time is near. A week from now, you will meet your end and no one can escape fate. Don't forget to tell your son goodbye." The message was cold and direct and was signed only with a single symbol at the bottom, a strange, cryptic mark resembling a black crescent moon. The letter was dated exactly one week ago, which meant that the killer had been counting down to this very day.

Murphy was lost in thoughts as he was sure he had seen something like this before just last week on the evening news. There had been reports about a serial killer who taunted his victims with written warnings, days before their murders.

The media had named the killer "THE SHADOW," a name formed from his ability to evade, capture, and strike from the shadows, leaving no trace behind. His method was always the same, he would send an ominous letter in advance, followed by a brutal and precise killing that left investigators baffled and grieving families devastated.

The shadow had already claimed several victims in the last few months, each one receiving a similar letter, the letter warned them of their impending doom. The victims were usually older men living alone or isolated, and Murphy's father fit the profile perfectly, but the truth is that the victims could be anyone.

This realization hit Murphy hard. His father had been targeted, stalked, and executed by this mysterious, cold-blooded killer.

Murphy remembered the news journalist discussing how the authorities were at a loss with no clear notice, no obvious pattern except for the letters and the killings. The shadow operated like a phantom, vanishing into the night without a trace, and the police had no leads.

Murphy's mind raced. If the killer killed his father then maybe there was more to the story. Was his father connected to the other victims In some way? Why had the killer chosen him? The question was much In Murphy's mind, and his heart was filled with an overwhelming urge to get answers.

The letter caught Murphy's attention once again, and it seemed familiar, but Murphy couldn't quite place it. He folded the letter carefully and slipped it into his pocket.

He knew what he had to do now, he wanted to find out more about " THE SHADOW" and track down every detail the police had uncovered and uncover the meaning of the symbol. This wasn't just about revenge anymore, it was about stopping a monster before more lives were taken.

Murphy's grief began to transform into something else, a purpose. He knew that this path would be dangerous but he owed it to his father to find out the truth.