"My first experience with self-defense taught me that killing people is easy if you have enough power and prestige.
And Vincent Lawrence Maxwell is [people].
So I took the first opportunity I could get to come to Lexicon to level up early.
That opportunity came almost immediately.
A mercenary group called Scar's Revenge offered me the job.
They used to know dad when he was a Scythe and reached out after learning mom died."
——
When Ryker reached home, he smiled when he saw Vincent's name above the code box.
The reminder of what was to come was a soothing feeling. Cathartic. Liberating.
He walked through the door with a smile that hid the satisfying rage in his heart.
The second he got through the door, his interface popped up.
—
Your recent actions and mindset intrigue us and satisfy the requirements to participate in Revenge Games.
Participating will give you privileges and a hacked system, allowing you to operate from the shadows.
You must complete a task to participate.
-
Mission: Travel to Lexicon and Accept The Offer to Participate in Revenge Games.
Requirements:
1. Take the anonymous ticket and mask sent to you and go to Lexicon.
2. Participate in the qualification exam for Revenge Games.
Rewards:
1. Temporary access to a team of hackers who will alter live footage, allowing you to level up without detection until orientation.
2. The ability to alter your stats and blessing to obscure your power.
3. Temporary 24/7 support establishing alibis and covering your tracks.
4. A weapon.
5. A full health recovery potion.
Do you accept? [Yes/No]
—
Ryker stared at the offer with a wide grin. "Well, I'll die or fail without it, and there's nothing to lose."
He chose [Yes] without the slightest hesitation; consequences be damned.
Then he picked up the package, opened it up, and grinned.
The next morning he boarded a spacecraft bound for Lexicon wearing the suit that Maxwell sent him. It was as ironic as it was stylish, making it perfect for his entrance to Maxwell's funeral site.
Ryker befriended an older woman with grey pixie-cut hair layered with fashionable hazel highlights. Her name was Lyna, and she had a charming smile. They spent the time telling each other stories about their lives.
"I kicked it. CRACK! And then, again and again, desperately trying to break through. Every kick took time, and the fire was spreading rapidly.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!" Ryker's noises were steady and melodic, building the story like a drum beat.
"Then POP! The windshield came popped out, and I swear to God….." He paused for dramatic emphasis.
"It was extremely embarrassing to watch it crash into her face."
After a stunned silence, ten women burst into laughter.
"I didn't have a choice! This was my future wife, and a wife with a crooked nose was better than me being a widower before I married the woman!"
Laughter rang in the ship. Ten women were listening to the story about how Ryker met his wife Marie, an advertising professional, during a business trip in Alco.
His story was so engrossing that no one except Lyna realized he was seventeen! As he told it, the madness in his eyes explained that he almost convinced himself.
Ryker was lying for the first time in his life—and he loved it. He was practicing recreating his identity but soon realized he was a natural and decided to make it a hobby.
"So anyway, that made things worse because she was now wearing a shield for a seatbelt—"
"Attention, all passengers! We're approaching the warp gate. Warp acceleration will begin." An attendant announced, cutting the story short.
Many women groaned when the haloscreens popped up around every passenger, showing the neon purple swirl in the distance.
A few seconds later, the ship sped up, pushing people against their seats.
In a blink of an eye, the ship traveled through the gate, and a vibrant, colorful world exploded from everyone's haloscreens.
Ryker had finally made it to Lexicon, where his journey would begin.
——
"That's why I'm in Lexicon early. As for a reason I have the strength already, it's because Scar's Revenge helped me get started.
When I landed in Scaroh and checked into my room, I got a mission requiring me to level up, and they provided me with a weapon to do it.
Of course, the weapon was a butter knife, but if you haven't caught it yet, it does the trick.
They sent me to the Cragov Forest with the requirement to hit Level 7 before returning. I quickly learned it was a suicide mission at Level 0, but the payoffs were generous."
——
Ryker walked into his hotel room and laid down on the white mattress, staring at the ceiling in anticipation of his orders. They came immediately.
Ding!
—
Welcome to Lexicon, Revenger. We're sending you your first mission. You have one hour to begin. Good luck.
—
Ding!
—
Mission: Revenge Games Qualification Exam
Duration: Midnight | [13:17:35]
Requirements:
1. Go to the Cragov Forest and kill monsters.
2. Reach Level 7
3. The participant cannot use the knife on anything but monsters until one monster is dead. That includes their own body.
Note: The participant does not have to use the weapon. They may barter, steal, buy a weapon, or use loose items in the forest.
Resources:
1. Weapon
Rewards:
1. Temporary access to a team of hackers who will alter live feet and communications footage, allowing you to level up without detection until Scythe Corps orientation.
2. The ability to alter your stats to hide your power.
3. A full health recovery potion.
4. A minor resource request.
Do you accept? [Yes/No]
—
Ryker smiled and chose [Yes] without the slightest hesitation.
Ding!
—
You've received a new item from an anonymous gifter.
Gift: Butter Knife
Type: ???
Details: ???
Gift Note: Just an ordinary butter knife. Have fun ;)
—
Ryker's eyes swirled with madness as he rolled around his bed with a delighted expression.
"Perfect. Just what I need!" He laughed in amusement.
After taking a few breaths to control his breathing, he sat up and pulled out the butter knife.
It looked like a butter knife. Just an ordinary silver butter knife with rounded edges.
Ryker's grin couldn't get any wider. "Well then. Let's see what type of people you are."
Perhaps they were waiting to see the look on his face when he tried killing a monster, only to find out it was a normal butter knife.
They might want to see how he would barter, steal, or earn a weapon if it were a "common sense" test.
Or maybe the knife had intent.
If it did, the knife [could] be 10,000 times more powerful than a plasma cutter. Or it could be a butter knife that could barely leave a scratch on tree bark. It was unknown!
Ryker didn't know what they gave him or why they did it, but he was thrilled!
It made his heart pump and his breathing shallow.
The teen put the butter knife back into his item storage and unzipped his bag after pulling out the black box Amusement Society sent him in Milton City.
He opened it carefully and stared at the black mask with a wonder-filled expression.
"I know you're lonely in there, so do you want to come out and play?" Ryker asked in a voice reserved for babies.
"You do? I'm glad. Let's go get some sunshine."
Ryker burst into maniacal laughter as he tucked it under his shirt and walked out the door.
As if he were a local, he strode through the main lobby and casually put his mask on as he walked out the door.
—
The Revenger's feed is cut, and footage of them walking around before reentering their hotel from the back door will be shown.
They can update their stats, God's Blessing, and God's Intent in the [Displayed Stats] setting. Blessing and Intent are emulated to prevent detection.
Their alibi will be updated regularly in the [Alibi] tab.
Instructions to exit the city without detection have been added in the [Route] tab. It will update when they return to their real body as well.
Check them periodically, Revenger. Best of luck.
—
Ryker smiled as he pulled up the Displayed Stats menu to get a feel for it and test it out on people passing down the street.
Once satisfied, he stepped into the multi-colored street, paved with blue cobblestones, toward the entrance.
Humanoids of every race and description watched him with interest in their eyes. Ryker was casually heading to the checkpoint, where people can't wear masks!
The teen didn't even check the Route tab. He was walking straight into a head-on confrontation with the Scythe Corps.
Multiple humans and humanoids followed behind him, waiting to watch him face possible execution while snickering.
Ryker ignored them and walked to the neon pink fortress gate without a care in the world.
When he could see the forest in the distance, a muscular bald man with a battle scar on his face called out.
"OUI! You can't wear a mask through the checkpoint!" He yelled while walking up.
"The fuck I can't." Ryker growled, loud enough for the other three guards to hear.