I couldn't see a bloody thing. It seemed even my kidnappers were taken aback by the sudden ambush. They clicked something on the side of their masks; it looked like buttons from where I was. Moments later, black lenses slid over the mask's eye-holes.
"We've got an unknown variable," Martial Gold observed. "No Ki signatures from this one. He's likely hiding his Ki. Stay sharp."
Could these lenses detect Ki? Bloody hell, was it Yeonju? A glimmer of hope sparked within me at the thought. Out of all the folks I'd met so far, only Yeonju seemed a tad normal in a team that otherwise reeked of cold-bloodedness.
"Where are you?" Number Two shouted, sounding a few screws short of a full toolbox. I tried to sneak away, but she caught me, pinning me down with her foot on my neck.
"Come any closer and he's a goner."
A voice, with a hint of a Russian accent, cut through the smoke, "I'd reconsider if I were you."
My heart sank. It wasn’t Yeonju.
"Try me!" she roared, nearly bursting my eardrums. "But if he gets away, no skin off my back."
The Martial Gold looked livid. "Release him. He needs to be in one piece."
Before she could react, a bullet whizzed, finding her leg. She stumbled, clutching the wound. Out of the haze stepped Viktor, guns blazing at the Martial Gold. How the fuck did he survive? Last I checked he was clinging onto dear old life with that kind of wound.
In a blur, the Martial Gold unsheathed his katana, deflecting bullets with an unreal prowess. I struggled to track the movements when another round of gunfire erupted. Martial Gold faltered, missing to slash one that hit Woman One. She gasped, collapsing. Another shot narrowly missed the other woman's foot.
"He's a Gold too. The intel was wrong. Both of you, cycle your Ki. Close that wound. We'll deal with him together," Martial Gold advised.
It seemed the second woman had dropped her dagger, probably too engrossed in 'cycling her ki' to focus on much else. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, I snatched it up. However, before I could make my next move, a mighty kick came out of nowhere and struck my side. Astonishingly, instead of being thrown off my feet, I managed to catch the kick – though bloody hell, it still hurt.
The force behind her attack had dwindled, likely due to her injury, and this gave me the upper hand. I retaliated swiftly, plunging the dagger into her already wounded leg. Blood seeped from the wound, which had begun to reopen.
"You bastard!" she yelled, pain evident in her voice. With all her might, she landed a punch right on my jaw. I stumbled backward. Her attacks felt less potent than before. She was clearly weakening. A rush of adrenaline hit me and I swiftly got up, ready to strike. But before I could make a move, someone grabbed me from behind, primed for a powerful blow.
I braced myself, expecting a hard hit. But, it never came. Tentatively, I peeked open one eye. There she was, Number One, looking absolutely spent, like she'd just run a marathon. Blood was oozing from her midsection.
"These bullets, they're sapping our Ki. We're weakening. We can't heal," she said between breaths.
"We'll make him pay," I muttered.
"We won't kill him, but he'll wish we did."
Clutching the dagger, I swiped at her even though she had a grip on me. Truth be told, I was in over my head. I just thrashed around, praying that one of my wild swings would connect. But they were prepared, evading every move and countering with their own.
Number Two artfully avoided a vertical slash and gave me a cheeky backhand. Then number one yanked me forward, delivering a rapid series of punches that were tricky to parry with just my free hand. I tried hitting her once more, but she simply danced to the side, giving me a fleeting break before they pounced again.
While their attacks were getting a tad sloppy, it was a proper wind-up that they seemed to be landing hits while I looked like a madman flailing about.
Sure, they seemed to have the upper hand, but I could tell they were running on fumes. And then, suddenly, more gunshots rang out. One caught the second lady in the ankle, another the first in the shoulder. My ears were ringing so loudly, I thought I'd gone deaf.
Perception Increased to 10
….
Congrats you’ve completed the quest, Get Stronger!
+5 free stat point.
Quest change Alert!
Escape the Cheomyeon Clan foot soldiers > Kill the Cheomyeon Clan Foot Soldiers.
Reward: +10 free stat point. Uncommon Item.
Without giving it a second thought, it was as if the command was hardwired into my very being. I instinctively channeled 10 stats into my Strength and the remaining 10 into Movement, raising both to an impressive 30. Almost immediately, I could feel the change. My muscles expanded, bulked up, and then formed into a more defined shape. I stretched out my legs, feeling their newfound strength and agility. They felt incredibly light, as if I'd been freed from invisible weights, needing hardly any effort on my part to move.
Turning my gaze to my surroundings, I soon spotted Number Two. She was the first to crumble, her legs no longer supporting her, causing her to sink to the cold ground beneath. All of it seemed to transpire in a mere breath, almost as if time had bent to my will, slowing down for that pivotal moment of decision. Seizing my window of opportunity, I surged forward, the cobblestone path beneath my shoes a blur, making full use of my enhanced agility.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
I drove the knife, its blade gleaming under the faint streetlamp, into her chest. It was met with resistance after just a few inches, halted by her desperate grasp.
“Angie,” her voice quivering with fear and desperation, “help me....”
Yet, Angie gave no response as she lay there.
Taking a deep breath, I muttered, "Die, bitch." Without hesitation, I thrust the dagger in with all my might.
She choked, blood gurgling from beneath her mask, and then silence. There was a rush of notifications. I brushed them off, focusing on the task at hand. Glancing at Angie, she was gasping, her skin pale with green-tinged veins clearly visible underneath. Her every ragged breath echoed the closeness of death.
She weakly removed her mask, revealing dark circles under her eyes and an expression of resignation.
"Please... just finish it."
A smirk played on my lips. "Funny, isn't it? First, you wanted to kill me. Now, you're begging me to end your life."
"Not to kill... to capture. Our leader wants you," she rasped.
Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "Who?"
Coughing up blood, she gasped, "Areum."
Areum? The same name as my new lecturer. It could be a coincidence. Names don’t provide much to deduce from.
With great effort, she clutched my collar. Desperation burned in her eyes, mingled with regret and pain.
"Please," she pleaded. "End it."
I initially wanted her to suffer, but seeing her tears and acceptance of her fate softened me.
"All right," I murmured, much more gently than I had anticipated.
Killing wasn't familiar to me. Today was the first. However, instead of relief, I was flooded with conflict. Her final moments reshaped my perspective of her. I didn’t expect her to ask me, help kill her. It was a twist of events that left me unsettled But my introspection was interrupted. A stream of blue, ethereal smoke emanated from their bodies, entering me. The sensation was unparalleled, like the best high one could ever experience.
Refreshed and invigorated, I hurriedly checked my notifications.
You have killed Leslie ( Level 23)
You have killed Angie (Level 27)
You have received 105 free stat points.
System pull up my profile.
Name: Josh Sanders
Level: 1
Stats:
Movement: 30
Strength: 30
Will: ♾️
Ki: 0 (years)
Perception: 10
105 free stat points left to allocate.
Class: Not selected yet.
I was still stuck at level one, even after offing two players higher up the food chain. Which was weird. In most games, you'd bag some XP and climb the levels, but here? They toss stat points my way.
What if…
I threw 20 stat points into perception, boosting it to 30. Then, a blaring notification echoed in my ear.
Congratulations you have leveled up. You are now Level 3!
So that’s how you level up. System explains the relationship between my stats and level.
The system allocates a certain amount of stats to every organism. It’s a way to measure their evolution. When an organism dies, it loses its evolution. The system can catch a portion of an organism’s evolution before it disappears, quantifying it in Stat Points and absorbing it into the user's DNA.
So how much can you absorb?
This version of the system can absorb 30% of the enemy stats you have killed. Higher versions of the system can absorb higher rates.
I snapped out of my chat with the System, shifting my attention to the epic brawl unfolding before me. With my enhanced vision, I could distinguish the clashes of gunfire against sword strikes, but their swift movements remained somewhat blurry. Fucking hell, they'd become speedier than before. Still, the increase in my perception did wonders; every sense - smell, taste, hearing, vision - was sharper.
Choosing to invest the remaining 85 points into perception to witness the duel in full clarity, my perception skyrocketed to 115. My sensory abilities cranked up another notch. What was once just a blur was now distinguishable rapid movement, something I reckon I wouldn't be able to mimic in my current state. A notification buzzed in my mind, but I disregarded it.
This skirmish was far too riveting. Suddenly, in the thick of the clash, Martial Gold swiped his katana downwards. Viktor nimbly dodged backward, retaliating with a few bullet shots. Martial Gold deflected the bullets, then reached forward without giving Viktor time to react and grabbed his collar and hurled him my way.
Viktor flew toward me. Despite willing my body to dodge, it reacts slower than anticipated. There was a lag between my senses and how my body reacted. Just as I began to turn, Viktor crashed into me, and we both tumbled backwards.
He landed atop me, and the stench of charred flesh invaded my nostrils. Bits of his skin appeared scorched and crispy, reminiscent of a poorly grilled chicken. I mustered the strength to shove him off, and he let out a pained groan, collapsing beside me.
I squinted into the distance, spotting the advancing figure of Martial Gold. About to make my hasty exit, Viktor latched onto my arm, his grip iron-clad. Despite my pitiful attempts to wriggle free, it proved futile.
“Wait, listen to me,” he croaked.
“Why should I?” I retorted, still trying to free myself.
Drawing a deep breath, he coughed up some blood. “Because if you don’t, you'll end up in a far worse state than I'll be in soon.”
I scoffed. “How could I possibly be worse off than you? You’re about to croak.”
“Because those who capture you won't be as lenient as we were.”
Anger surged. “Lenient? You lot kidnapped me, and your boss slapped this collar on me like I'm some sort of slave!”
He sighed. “I get it. By your standards, we weren't exactly ‘nice’. But trust me, we've treated you better than others would, aside from Kira sticking that collar on you. Sorry about that.”
“Sorry won't cut it,” I snapped, still wrestling my arm free. “Now let me go before he gets here.”
Viktor chuckled, "Whether he comes or not doesn’t change the fact that escaping us — or them — is impossible. We can track you with that collar.”
Then his face shifted to a serious expression. “They? They have more sinister ways. Like targeting someone you care about and using... unspeakable methods to get to you. You don't want that.”
Images of Hanul and the Chois flashed in my mind. While I wasn't exactly fond of the couple, the thought of them suffering because of me was unbearable. Especially Hanul, I don’t want anything to happen to her. She was my best friend and probably the only one in this country that felt close, like family.
But could I trust him? Maybe this was just a ploy, a way to stall. How could we possibly escape? He's bleeding out, and I'm hardly a match for this 'Martial Gold'.
Speaking of whom, he was drawing nearer. Panicking, I shifted my attention from my restrained arm to the collar that seemed to tighten around my neck.
“Stop!” he warned. “Messing with it will only hurt you more. Listen, join me against him, and we stand a chance.”
“With you barely alive? And me, with no fighting skills? How’s that going to work?”
“I have a plan. Just trust me,” he insisted.
“Why? Even if I do and you take me to this 'Heavenly Doctor' guy, you'll just off me when he's through.”
Struggling to sit up, he locked eyes with me. “I promise, I'll keep you safe.”
There was an undeniable sincerity in his gaze. Perhaps it was my heightened perception, but I sensed his genuine intention. Amidst the chaos, I took a deep breath and centered myself, readying my mind to make the crucial decision, as I always did.
At pivotal moments in life, you’re presented with choices that can completely alter your course.
This was one of those moments.
I opened my eyes. “Okay, what's the plan?”