The car hummed softly as it glided down the empty road. Neto sat in the back seat, staring at his hands as he flexed his fingers, feeling the faint warmth of energy coursing through his body. The sleek leather seat beneath him was cool, and the faint scent of citrus lingered in the air, a quiet reminder of how clean and perfect everything about the car was.
"I can stimulate my body's growth to suit my fighting style by choosing which stats to increase," Neto thought, his gaze fixed on his hands. "Speed, strength, and flexibility—that's the foundation of my fighting style. But I can't rely on those alone. This body has awakened… it absorbs energy. I don't need to just use stored energy anymore; I can rely on the energy within me. I'll need to increase its capacity."
His brow furrowed slightly. "Intelligence raises my energy pool, so I'll have to focus there too. Defence can't be overlooked either. Vitality… it increases my health, but in what way exactly? Does it mean I can take more devastating attacks?"
Neto's hand drifted to his neck, scraping lightly with his nail as he sank deeper into thought. 'I need my speed now, but I can't completely neglect the others.'
With that, he set the stat distribution in his mind: [1,5,1,3,2,3]—speed the highest priority.
Charisma doesn't really help me in any way aside from looking or talking better.'
-----------
Updated stats now look like this
Str:35
Agi:45
End:40
Vit:35
Dex:42
Int:25
Charisma :22
-----------
A surge ran through his body as he finalized the changes. It wasn't a sharp, overwhelming rush but a gradual amplification of power. His limbs felt lighter, his muscles brimming with coiled strength, and his mind sharper, more alert.
"This body is insane," he muttered, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "With this power, I'll reach the top in no time. And him—"
His fists clenched, his breathing heavier. Thoughts of a face twisted in pain flashed before his eyes. "I'll punch his face in. I'll break him. I'll—I'll—"
His voice dropped into a guttural growl, his body trembling slightly.
"I'LL KILL HI—"
"We're here, Neto."
The words cut through his spiralling thoughts like a knife. He blinked, his vision clearing as the driver brought the car to a smooth stop. Lencho glanced at him, concern flickering across his face.
Neto took a slow breath, unclenching his fists. It happened again… I lost myself.
Outside, Lencho's large, gated home loomed in the dim light. The compound was pristine—an iron gate surrounding well-kept hedges and a stone driveway that stretched to the sprawling mansion.
Lencho turned to Neto as he adjusted his seatbelt. "So… do you have a place to stay?"
Neto shook his head. "No."
"...Do you have any money for a hotel or something?"
"No."
"Uhm ,do you have a phone, at least?"Lencho asked with hope
"No."
Lencho froze, words caught in his throat. "Wait. Do you even know where this city is?"
"No… I don't."
For a moment, the silence in the car was deafening. Even the driver turned slightly, his stoic expression betraying subtle disbelief.
"Okay," Lencho finally said, recovering. "Here. I'll give you some money and my contact number." He fished out a digital card from his pocket and held it up. "Transfer ownership."
The card chimed softly.
Lencho pressed his thumb to the card, the surface glowing faintly.
He handed the card to Neto. "Put your finger on it."
Neto complied, pressing his thumb to the smooth surface.
"There," Lencho said, passing him a small slip of paper with his number on it. "There should be enough money to buy a phone and rent a place for a while. Call me if you need help."
Neto stared at the card, turning it over in his hand. "This is a lot… Thanks."
"It's nothing. You let me and my brother live; it's the least I can do."
Neto tilted his head slightly. "One more question. Your brother's weak… how was he allowed to fight outside?"
"Oh, that? I took him on an awakening trip. He needed to kill a beast to gain experience and absorb a crystal."
"Ah. Did I interrupt that?"
Lencho shook his head. "No. He'd already absorbed a Rank 1 crystal before we ran into you."
"Okay. Thanks again."
Stepping out of the car, Neto slipped the card into his pocket as the quiet hum of the electric engine faded into the night. The sprawling compound behind him soon disappeared as he walked down the street, the bright cityscape sprawling before him.
---
The card's information displayed itself as he examined it:
---------------
| Personal Information |
Name of User: Unknown
Sex: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Account Balance: 100,000 credits
Card Rank: Premium
----‐----------
---
"One hundred thousand credits. That's a lot," he muttered to himself. "Might as well get a phone first."
He began walking around looking for some sort of store whilst testing out his system.
He stored his mask and the piece of paper in the inventory, and a cool effect displayed.
It seemed to vapourize as it was being stored.
And his inventory inputed
| Inventory : <2/10> |
The city streets buzzed with life—holographic billboards flashed advertisements high above, and sleek vehicles zipped past in glowing lines of light. The sidewalks bustled with people moving quickly, their steps echoing against the towering glass buildings.
Spotting a shop with glowing signs that read "Electronics," Neto stepped inside.
A cheerful woman at the counter greeted him. "Welcome! Can I help you?"
"Do you sell phones here?"
"Yes, of course! The phone section is over there. I'll show you if you'd like."
She led him to a display area lit with a soft neon glow. Rows of sleek, shining devices rested on pristine stands.
"Do you have a specific type in mind?" she asked.
"No… which one's good?"
The woman blinked, surprised. "Well, what's your budget?"
"About ten thousand credits."
Her eyebrows rose slightly. "Ten thousand? Okay. How about a OneShot X? It's durable—shockproof, water-resistant, and it has high processing power with an 8,000 mAh battery."
"Sounds good. Can I see it?"
She handed him the phone. It was slick and black, its edges angular and sharp. Neto squeezed it firmly, testing its strength. Surprisingly, it didn't flex, even under his strength.
"I'll take it. And something to eat—maybe doughnuts."
The woman picked out a small bag of ten doughnuts after asking his preference, ringing up the total.
---
| Account Balance: 90,290 credits |
---
Carrying a small black bag crossed across his body.
He held the phone in his hand as he walked toward the supposed hotel while tapping at the screen of his phone.
He never cared to use a phone from small, and with the whole mishap, he didn't really have much knowledge about phones like most people his age would.
But it seemed self teachable to him.
The phone had no Sims. One had to simply open an account on the phone or log in to an old account to access old information when the phone was started newly.
Trying to start up the phone, he chewed on a doughnut with the other hand.
'Still amazes me how 3d printing is this delicious, heard they tasted bad a long time ago.' he muttered, the sweet pastry melting in his mouth.
Focused on the phone, he wasn't paying attention when he suddenly bumped into something.
He looked down.
It was a little girl.