Kai sat in the crumbling ruins, staring at the strange mark on his arm, its faint glow casting eerie shadows. He was used to uncertainty, used to slipping through the cracks to survive another day. Life on the outskirts was brutal—only those who knew how to stay unnoticed or outmaneuver the stronger survived. Kai had always been good at that. No power, no family, just his wits and the ability to read people, to see angles others missed.
The voice in his head was new, though, and unsettling.
"System initialized. User: Kai."
The words lingered, but Kai didn't let panic take hold. He had faced worse—beasts in the night, cutthroats who'd slit your throat for a scrap of food. He knew how to stay calm, how to navigate even when the odds were stacked against him.
"Mission assigned: Defeat the approaching threat. Failure will result in punishment."
Kai's eyes narrowed. Approaching threat? This system was already playing games, and he didn't like it. But he wasn't stupid. He knew better than to ignore a warning, especially when it came from something that had just marked him.
He crouched low, blending into the debris around him. Movement in the shadows caught his eye—a creature, hunched and grotesque, slithered closer, its green eyes glowing with a sickly light. It wasn't like the usual beasts he'd encountered. This one was different, more dangerous.
The system's voice echoed again, urging him to fight. "Engage or face punishment."
Punishment? Kai smirked to himself. He'd lived his whole life dodging pain, sidestepping danger, and if this system thought it could control him with threats, it had another thing coming. But still, he wasn't about to test how serious it was—not yet.
The creature lunged at him, and Kai, always quick on his feet, dodged to the side, his mind racing. He couldn't overpower it, not directly, but he didn't need to. His eyes darted around, finding loose rubble, sharp edges—anything that could be used to his advantage. He grabbed a broken shard of stone and, with a flick of his wrist, sent it flying at the creature. It struck its eye, the creature recoiling with a screech.
Kai didn't waste time. He moved in, his mind calculating every step, every possible outcome. A well-placed kick sent the creature crashing into a jagged piece of metal sticking out of the ground. It struggled, impaled and writhing, before finally going still.
He stood there, breathing hard, but his expression remained cold, calculating. He wasn't celebrating. This was just another day, another threat dodged. The system's voice returned.
"Mission complete. Power level increased. Punishment avoided."
Kai allowed himself a small smile. So, the system wasn't just about orders—it rewarded, too. Good to know. He needed to figure out how this thing worked, and how to use it to his advantage.