Arashiyama's entertainment district writhed like a beast with a thousand painted faces. The stench of sweat clung high in the air, punctuated by the occasional whiff of stale beer. Neon signs flickered, their garish colors reflecting off the sea of identical clown masks below.
The masks leered at Ned from every direction. Their fixed grins spoke volumes of what a nigh impossible feat his quest had quickly turned out to be. The sheer sight of it was bewildering, he'd seen nothing like it before, in both his old and new life.
'Whoever managed to pull this stunt, must have a lot of influence over Arashiyama. It could only be one group - SWARM.' He thought.
"What do I do now?!" He breathed, and as a response, a new notification popped up. Ned squinted at the blinding system interface hovering in his field of vision, its cheerful tone at odds with the sinking feeling in his gut.
'Is it even possible to reduce brightness?!' The brightness toggled down at the mere thought of it. 'That's better...'
[Quest Update: Difficulty level increased to "Absurdly Impossible"]
[New Description: Find a needle in a haystack... while blindfolded...]
[Helpful Hint: Maybe try using a magnet? Or just burn the whole thing down?]
[Pro Tip: Next time, try not losing the needle in the first place!]
"Dimwit," Ned muttered, his words lost in the cacophony of the crowd. He stumbled as someone shoved past him, their clown mask inches from his face. The stench of cheap liquor on their breath made him gag. "This is a haystack of needles, genius. A magnet will just pull them all"
Another notification popped up, only to be distorted and reappear as another clowned figure walked through it.
[Will you accept or decline this quest?]
[Accept: Prove you're not a quitter!]
[Decline: Confirm you're a sore loser who deserves to remain a splattered gum on the sidewalk of life]
[Accept]
[Decline + Forfeit your awakening!]
"Sometimes I wonder if I awakened with an ally or an enemy...!" Ned sighed as his fingers twitched, hovering over the accept option. His mind raced, weighing the consequences. Meanwhile, the crowd pressed in like a suffocating mass of identical faces.
"Damned if I do, damned if I don't," he growled. With a resigned sigh, Ned mentally tapped 'Accept'.
The system's response was immediate and infuriatingly chipper.
[Quest Accepted: Your fate is sealed!]
[New Reward: Full system/skill unlock + 10 bonus rewards]
[Failure Consequence: Lose your Awakening, become impotent, and go bald]
[Good luck! You're gonna need it!]
Ned's stomach churned, bile rising in his throat. He swallowed hard, forcing it back down.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Ned snarled, his fists clenching at his sides. "What kind of sadistic piece of shit programmed this system? Impotent and bald? Why don't you just cut off my balls and be done with it, dickwad?"
He glared at the notification, half-expecting it to respond. When it didn't, he wondered "Is every Awakened like me? Do we all have some snarky bastard in our heads, playing puppet master with our lives?"
The idea was almost enough to make him laugh, if it wasn't so goddamn depressing. "If so, then all this, the awakened gangs, their shitty dealings, all of it is a big mind control stunt by the Prometheus virus."
'This makes ponder the question, is this the freedom Barton bought us? Giving people power to control entire cities? Threatening people with impotence?
'The way I see it, Barton was a spiteful and petty bastard.' He thought, glancing at the controlled chaos unfolding all around him. He thought back to what his deceased Director said about Barton doing all what he did to liberate the game and it's players. 'No, he didn't do it for anyone but him. If I can't own my creating, then no one can. This is a real dog-in-a-manger attitude.'
He pushed through the crowd, mind racing. He had to level up, become stronger, find the limitless wielder and put a stop to this madness. But, how the fuck was he supposed to find one specific clown in this mess? It was like trying to find a specific grain of sand on a beach... while drunk... and blind.
As if reading his thoughts, another notification appeared.
[Helpful Suggestion: Try social media sleuthing!]
[Monitor local feeds for suspicious denials or sudden lifestyle changes]
Ned snorted. "Yeah, because criminals are known for their social media oversharing."
But as the words left his mouth, he paused. A memory tickled the back of his brain.
"Wait a sec," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "The Swarm app. That's gotta be it. Every goddamn lunatic in this city is obsessed with leveling up and rankings on that thing. And if the killer's using it..."
He trailed off, his mind racing.
"There's gotta be a Swarm fandom site. Some kinda underground forum where these psychos jerk each other off about their scores. But fuck me, I surely can't access it without registering."
Ned's frown deepened as he sifted through his recent memories.
"Hold on. That waitress at the café the other day. The one with the nice... nevermind. She was using the Swarm app. I saw it clear as day."
A plan started to form in his mind, each piece falling into place like a jigsaw puzzle of questionable morality.
"If I can get her to log in... maybe sneak a peek at her account... it's not much, but it's a start. Better than becoming bald, impotent and drowning in this sea of grease-painted masks."
With a grimace, Ned turned towards the direction of the cafe which was just around the block. He began his slow and steady march towards to establishment.
He walked past rows of quaint storefronts that lined the bustling city street. Among them was a small comic book stall, its dusty windows adorned with stacks of comic books that he would have loved to read if it was any other day.
As he turned the corner onto a bustling side street, Ned was greeted by the faint but unmistakable sound of espresso machines whirring to life.
"Time to see if I've got any charm left," he muttered, straightening his shirt.
"Or if I'm just another fool in a city of clowns."
***