Frizz, now content after his substantial dinner, unlocked his electric bike and mounted it. Just as he was about to roam the city, a pop-up appeared.
[System]
New Objectives for New Name.
Follow the objective marker.
Stop the carjackers: 0/2
Rewards: 150 experience.
"Two carjackers! What the hell!?" Frizz exclaimed, covering his mouth in dismay. He couldn't believe what he just read; carjackers in this city are known to be armed and dangerous. He spent some time thinking about his next move but ultimately made up his mind.
For him, the risks weren't worth it. He didn't have a good handle on his powers, noting that acting recklessly would get him killed.
He steeled himself, hoping that there would be no consequences of neglecting an objective. His perks were lackluster, and his combat ability was almost non-existent; this was a situation that he shouldn't find himself in. "The rewards are nice, but is it really worth the danger?"
"System, abandon quest!" Frizz declared.
[System]
« Are you sure you want to abandon the objective? »
« You won't receive any new objectives for three days.»
[Yes] or [No]?
Frizz stared at the system prompt in disbelief. (Well, when you put it like that, never mind.) The wait for three days to get a new objective deterred him from abandoning the objective.
Frizz clicked his tongue, scratching his head. "There are only two of them; maybe it's doable if I catch them off guard." He hesitated. "But I've never been in a fight. I don't think I have it in me to hurt someone, even if they're bad people."
Shaking his head, Frizz pushed the thought aside for now. In the distance, he noticed a small, floating, diamond-shaped marker—his objective. A trail of dotted lines guided him to the nearest path.
He followed the path for six minutes, arriving at the outermost section of a hospital parking lot. (Well, at least if I hurt them, medical help is nearby.) Scanning his surroundings, he spotted two people huddling over a small car in a dimly lit area.
He observed the two; they were in a hurry. "Are they trying to pry or pick it open?"
(That's a shitty car to target too; it doesn't look like its owners are loaded.)
Frizz parked his electric bike near a tree and picked up a sturdy fallen branch as he slowly approached the two, sticking to the shadows and freezing whenever they glanced around. When he was about twelve feet away, he hid behind a truck, listening to their conversation.
"Hurry up, we're losing time," grumbled the shorter carjacker, nervously looking around.
"This is why I prefer motorcycles. Stealing cars is too much trouble," retorted the other, wearing a red shirt, fiddling with the lock with a screwdriver. Frizz scanned the parking lot for possible lookouts but found none, only people in the distance.
(It looks like it's just the two of them.) He made the sign of the cross, whispering a quick prayer for safety.
[System]
[In Good Faith] perk is active.
(Once I engage, the 'Reckless Approach' perk should activate automatically. I should probably turn it off, though. I don't like the downsides.) He mulled; the side effect of his reckless approach perk was dangerous if he failed to blitz his opponent. Peeking out from his hiding spot, he observed the tools the carjackers carried.
"A crowbar, screwdrivers... and those bulges in their pockets are probably knives."
Frizz's hands trembled. He had never been in a fight before, and despite the element of surprise, the thought of getting hurt and severely injured terrified him. He considered himself non-confrontational, passive, and reserved.
However, that has to change if he wants to use his system's full potential, and he knows about it.
"Deep breaths." (Reading about fights is one thing; being in one is another.)
Gathering his courage, Frizz burst from hiding and charged at the two carjackers. Startled by the sudden noise, they looked back and brandished their knives. His grip on the branch tightened, and he threw it at the shorter carjacker, striking him straight in the face and causing him to stagger and fall to the floor. *Thud!*
"Shit!" The other carjacker exclaimed, hurriedly pulling out a gun.
Frizz was about to roar; however, the sight of a gun instantly closed his mouth. (A snub-nosed revolver!) His heart skipped a beat and froze in place, eyes widened and terrified with the possibility of death.
"That's right, stay back," the carjacker with a gun growled, helping his partner up as he then picked up the fallen tools on the ground while still training the gun on him.
Frizz stepped back, deciding to run away as fast as he could and call for help, but the carjacker noticed his intentions. "Stop moving, goddamnit! Stay the fuck there!"
"I'm not moving, just don't shoot," Frizz stammered. "Just take the car and go."
The shorter carjacker held his face as blood streamed down his nose and mouth; Frizz's throw was strong enough to inflict an open wound. "Shoot him, shoot him now." The shorter carjacker demanded, afflicted with severe pain.
"No, we're already hot. There's no need to add another murder to our names." The other carjacker reasoned, stepping forward and pulling the pin. "Give us what you have now. Drop it!"
Frizz complied, hurriedly emptying his pockets. Dropping his wallet, phone, and even his electric bike keys on the ground. "That's all I have," he weakly muttered, stepping back out of fear.
The shorter man hastily pocketed the dropped items. "Let's get out of here. Screw the car; people are watching." The other carjacker reasoned, looking around and spotting several spectators.
The both of them then ran away in the opposite direction as fast as they could, hoping to evade the inevitable authorities. Frizz watched their backs fade in the distance.
People slowly approached and encircled Frizz, looking at him with sympathy and offering token support. Several of them asked if he was okay and that there was no need to worry since the authorities were already called.
One woman was holding a phone; she recorded the entire encounter and was giving commentaries. She was live on social media. "Are you okay, sir? Those robbers will be caught soon; I have their faces recorded on this phone. I will turn this over to the police," the woman assured, smiling.
Frizz politely smiled at the woman. "Thank you, that makes me feel somewhat better." He lied, hiding his true feelings had become a habit.
"Here you can have this and take deep breaths." An older gentleman offered a can of cold soda, trying to ease his fears from the mugging.
"A lot of people are recording; don't worry, they got their faces." The older gentleman assured him. Frizz accepted the soda and smiled at the older gentleman, nodding in approval and gratitude as he opened it.
*Wail!* The wails and sirens of a police car could be heard; the police had arrived.
Frizz stared into the distance with a blank look on his face. He couldn't care less about losing his phone, his keys, and his money. He received a miraculous system; nothing could top that sort of luck.
However, what he cared about was that he was humiliated by two carjackers. He noted that dying to their hands, just NPCs, was one of the worst ways to go. A single revolver was able to stop him; despite the abilities he had received, it wasn't enough to stand against a cheap pistol.
(Whoever you are, you two, I will get you.) He promised to himself despite not feeling any better about his declaration and the support of the people around him.
"Wasn't I the main character?" Frizz murmured to himself, a pang on his chest and damage to his ego.