"Huff, huff, huff—" Atreus exhaled heavily.
His heart was racing.
That was so risky!
Now that the dust had settled, he suddenly felt a pang of fear.
Am I crazy for going after a Boss right after getting my powers?
After a brief hesitation, his gaze grew firm again. This time, he started trembling—not out of fear, but from a growing sense of excitement.
This is a world where DC and Marvel are mixed together. Even if the Flash suddenly appeared, claiming he'd traveled back in time to warn about the end of the world tomorrow, Atreus wouldn't even flinch!
Ordinary people without power are destined to be at the mercy of others!
Afraid? Yes. Regretful? Absolutely not!
A flash of light appeared on his retina, rapidly scrolling. Atreus focused and then burst into excitement.
[Congratulations to the host for killing (Black Mask) Roman Sionis! The system has assisted in successfully consuming and purifying the target's soul.]
[Congratulations to the host for receiving the following attribute upgrades: Constitution +1, Agility +1, Strength +2, Intelligence +2, Perception +1, Willpower +3.]
[Congratulations to the host for the following skill upgrades: Basic Combat Lv10 (2+8), Basic Firearms upgraded to Lv7, Dual Pistols Lv2.]
[The host has unlocked the Firearms System branch skill (Pistol Sharpshooter): This skill significantly improves the host's accuracy with handguns.]
[The host has unlocked the Constitution branch skill (Peak Physical Fitness): The host can maintain exceptional strength, speed, endurance, stamina, reaction time, and agility. Based on the host's current constitution, this effect lasts 30 minutes if uninjured.]
[The host has unlocked a special skill (Disguise): With this skill, the host's disguises will be harder to detect.]
Atreus almost couldn't contain his excitement.
The power Wonder Woman lent him ultimately wasn't his own. It's not that Diana would betray him, but when facing strong enemies, she wouldn't have extra power to spare for him.
Only what's in his own hands is truly his.
Having gained so much already, Atreus felt satisfied.
But there was more.
The system highlighted two items for him.
The first was [Roman's Black Mask (Damaged) (Epic Quality)]:
[Roman Sionis was born into Gotham City's wealthy Sionis family. After murdering his parents, he inherited their billions, but his fiery temper led his company to the brink of collapse. At this time, Wayne Enterprises acquired his company, leaving Roman with nothing. He blamed Bruce Wayne for his misfortune and swore revenge. Roman then exhumed his parents' graves, carving a black skull mask from their ebony coffins, symbolizing his rage. Thus, he became Black Mask, forming his own gang and becoming one of Gotham's most feared crime lords.]
The mask's key feature was its inherent [Mind Control] ability, rated at Lv3.
Atreus immediately saw it as useless.
Not only was the mind control level low, but the mask also came with a debuff: [The Sionis Family Curse].
This curse had two parts:
[Sionis Parental Curse: Enraged by being murdered by their own son, the souls of the Sionis parents reside within the mask, waiting for the right moment to strike their ungrateful child. They will recognize anyone avenging them as the mask's new owner.]
After reading this, Atreus realized why Roman's mind control failed to work on him. His mediocre willpower managed to resist it.
It was all thanks to this "family feud"!
The second part of the curse was even more interesting: [Roman Sionis's Curse: Due to his parents' interference at the time of his death, Roman believed his killer was the Joker. Anyone wearing this mask who sees someone dressed as the Joker must make a mental check every five minutes. Failing the check will result in five minutes of uncontrollable rage, prioritizing an attack on the 'Joker.']
Atreus couldn't help but admire how fitting this was for Gotham.
In addition to the mind control, the mask granted other impressive bonuses: [Wearing the mask provides immunity to mind control, Strength +4, Agility +3, Perception -10, Willpower +7].
The second item was something Atreus found in Roman's pocket—a diamond.
[Diamond (Blood Money): This diamond was stolen by Roman Sionis from the Bettinelli crime family, embedded with their bank account information.]
"Hiss—" Atreus inhaled sharply.
Killing a mob boss and getting his fortune? Atreus had never even considered it. Black Mask had secretly funded all sorts of unknown groups across Gotham and the United States, known as [The False Face Society], made up of street thugs, mercenaries, and armed individuals.
Roman's money was hot to the touch.
But money that Roman had already "cleaned up" might be worth considering.
Even though Atreus appeared to be well off now, he still had no clue who his real father was. What if—just what if—the original owner of this body was Roman's illegitimate son? Then... uh, that could get complicated.
Atreus felt a shiver run down his spine.
Hearing footsteps in the distance, Atreus thoughtfully pushed Roman's body out from another sewer entrance, ensuring his corpse would be found, along with two Joker gang members he left behind.
After handling everything, Atreus quietly disappeared into the dark sewers.
What he didn't know was that at the same time he made his move on Roman, over 300 armed men had gathered in a warehouse in the docklands. These men, some Black Mask's subordinates, some hired mercenaries, were all hardened criminals.
But the sudden sound of automatic gunfire made their nerves tense.
The guards outside were shooting!
Before they could rush out to see what was happening, the massive warehouse door fell with a deafening crash, as if it had been run over by a tank.
Huge spotlights flicked on.
Faced with this "sun," the armed men instinctively took cover and returned fire with wild, panicked shooting.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
The chaotic gunfire was the only sound in the warehouse, but it did nothing.
Finally, one of the gunmen caught a glimpse of their enemy and wailed, "Oh God! It's Batman!"
Indeed, a black four-wheeled Batmobile crouched like a panther at the warehouse door. As the criminals paused to reload, the car revealed its fangs.
Twin Gatling guns unleashed a torrent of fire.
If Batman didn't have a strict no-kill rule, the warehouse would have been a massacre.
Even with the machine guns loaded with rubber bullets, it was still more than any ordinary human could handle.
They wouldn't die, but they'd wish they had.
"Aaaargh!"
The warehouse filled with the sound of agonized screams.
The armed men fell like wheat under a scythe.
One man tried to fire an RPG, but his movements were too slow. The system highlighted him on-screen, and he was swiftly taken down by the Gatling guns before he could even fire.
Some tried to hide behind cover, but they forgot the Batmobile had a 60mm cannon.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion lit up the room.
The survivors scattered like rabbits, but none made it far before being cut down.
If Batman didn't have a no-kill rule, this would've been a slaughterhouse.
In less than five minutes, no one was left standing.
"Patch me through to the GCPD," Batman's cold voice rang out. The smart system complied immediately.
But Bruce Wayne's calm demeanor was soon broken by a call from Alfred.
"Master Wayne, I've just received word—Black Mask's club may have been bombed by the Joker gang. Roman Sionis's body was found less than 200 yards from the club."
"Who did it?" Batman's voice was emotionless, but his eyes gleamed sharply.
"It looks like the Joker gang, but it's hard to say. Anyone in Gotham—or even neighboring New York's underworld—had a reason to kill him."
"Who stands to gain the most?"
"The Joker, and… Atreus."
In a rare moment, Batman's face tightened.
(End of Chapter)