"Ugh," I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my head. I took a moment to look around. The slums of the high-tech city stretched out before me. Shabby, worn-down buildings with flickering neon signs leaned against each other like drunkards, while towering skyscrapers with gleaming facades loomed in the distance. Hover-cars zipped through the air above, leaving trails of light, and neon billboards flashed vibrant advertisements that lit up the smog-choked sky.
I dusted off my clothes, grimy from the filthy streets, and was about to explore when I heard footsteps echoing off the nearby alley walls. A group of four thugs swaggered around the corner, their shadows long and menacing under the dull glow of a malfunctioning street lamp. They were laughing, their voices harsh and grating in the quiet.
"Yo, did you see the looks on their faces when we took their stuff?" one of them, a lanky guy with a cybernetic arm, sneered.
"Yeah, man," a stocky thug with a scar across his cheek said, cracking his knuckles. "They were screamin' like babies. Pathetic. Good thing no one heard us, right?" He laughed, a deep, ugly sound that echoed through the alley.
The other two thugs snickered, their voices mixing with the distant hum of the city. I instinctively ducked into the shadows, but a soft ding interrupted my thoughts. A glowing message flashed before my eyes.
Ding!
[Quest: First Time on the Job]
[Take out the thugs: 0/4]
[Rewards]
100 XP
System activation
Summon pack
Starter pack
I stared at the quest and grinned, excitement flooding through me. "This is going to be fun," I thought, adrenaline already pumping. My eyes darted around the alley, and I spotted a rusty steel pipe lying discarded on the side of the road, its metal covered in grime. I picked it up, its weight familiar and reassuring in my hand, and waited for the thugs to get closer.
They were still chatting as they walked into range.
"Man, I can't wait to sell that loot," the lanky one said. "That should fetch us a decent price."
"Too bad those fools didn't put up more of a fight," the scarred thug added. "I was hopin' for some action."
"Well," I said, stepping out of the shadows and spinning the pipe in my hand, "looks like you're about to get some."
The thugs froze, startled by my sudden appearance. "What the—who the hell are you?" the lanky thug barked.
"Your worst nightmare," I replied with a smirk.
Before he could respond, I launched myself forward, swinging the pipe with a wide arc. The stocky thug was closest, and the blow connected with a sickening crunch against his ribs. He gasped, stumbling back with a wheeze as he clutched his side.
"Get him!" the lanky one shouted, and the remaining thugs surged forward, spreading out to surround me. They weren't amateurs—they moved with practiced coordination.
One thug came at me from the right, swinging a heavy chain at my head. I ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as the chain whipped past my face. In a fluid motion, I jabbed the pipe into his gut, driving the wind out of him with a sharp grunt. He doubled over, and I followed up with a brutal swing to the back of his head. He collapsed in a heap.
The scarred thug roared and charged at me, fists flying. I blocked one punch with the pipe, but his other fist slammed into my jaw, sending me stumbling back. My vision blurred for a moment, and I tasted blood, but I shook it off. He swung again, this time aiming for my ribs, but I twisted my body, narrowly avoiding the hit.
I dropped low, sweeping his legs out from under him. He fell hard, but before I could finish him off, I heard the telltale whirr of the cybernetic arm behind me. The lanky thug had drawn a knife, and his metal hand flexed with a mechanical hiss.
"You're gonna regret this," he growled, charging at me with lightning speed.
I barely had time to react. He slashed at me with the knife, the blade a blur in the dim light. I dodged the first few swipes, but he was fast—faster than I expected. One cut grazed my arm, drawing a line of blood.
"You think you're tough?" he sneered, his knife flashing in the low light. "You're nothing!"
I gritted my teeth, ignoring the sting of the cut, and blocked another slash with the pipe. The metal vibrated in my hands from the impact, and I quickly realized I couldn't overpower him in a direct fight. His cybernetic arm was too strong, too fast.
But I didn't need to overpower him. I just needed to outsmart him.
I let him close the distance again, faking a stumble to make him think I was losing my balance. He grinned and lunged at me, confident in his next strike. At the last second, I pivoted, sidestepping his attack. His momentum carried him forward, and I swung the pipe down hard on his knife arm. The blow landed with a loud clang, and the knife flew from his hand, clattering to the ground.
He cursed, trying to backpedal, but I didn't give him the chance. I followed up with a swift kick to his chest, sending him crashing into the alley wall. He groaned, struggling to get back up, but I was already there. One final swing of the pipe to his head, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.
The alley fell silent except for my ragged breathing. The thugs lay scattered around me, beaten and unconscious. I leaned against the wall for a moment, wiping the blood from my mouth as the adrenaline slowly faded.
Ding!
[Quest complete: First Time on the Job]
[Rewards]
100 XP
System activation
Summon pack
Starter pack
I grinned as I dropped the pipe, the weight of victory washing over me. The message flickered out, and I felt a surge of power flow through me as the system activated. My journey had officially begun.