Several hours ago...
The thud of a dropped cudgel broke his trance. For the past few hours, he had been watching his senior colleague and an intimidating enforcer torture a hostage. The hostage's pleas and cries for mercy were ignored as the beating continued. "STOP!" The hostage pleaded, blood splattered on the floor, causing him to recoil and step back in disgust.
"Bong, what's wrong?" Han, one of his colleagues, asked, his voice tinged with concern.
"Nothing, Han, just watching," Bong replied, trying to sound casual.
Han, his senior, raised a brow. "You're not used to this, I can tell. You can step away if you want."
"Thank you," Bong thanked his senior as he stepped outside and exhaled in frustration. This was not how he expected his night to end.
Bong was just recently initiated into this gang; he started as a small-time mule. Delivering small pockets of drugs to small-time pushers. It paid well, and the target on his back wasn't that huge. One day, Han, his senior, vouched for his loyalty after two years of service.
Bong wasn't happy; he was content with being a small-time mule. Nevertheless, he accepted the 'promotion,' and he was now a proper henchman. His first job was to 'intimidate' a woman who was related to their primary target and stole from their designated leader, Baron.
He almost backed out; however his senior persisted since this was his first job and he had to make an impression.
Reluctantly, Bong agreed and traveled with four other experienced men. They gave him a mask and a machete and assured him that since he was new, he wouldn't be doing anything. He was mainly there for the intimidation factor.
Once they arrived at the scene, they hid in the foliage and the trees and focused on the road. However, their orders changed as soon as they spotted a man following a woman from a distance. There, Bong learned that this wasn't the first time that they'd harassed this woman.
"Understood, we will target the man instead," one of his masked colleagues said on the phone. "Job has changed; we are to kill that man."
Bong's heart skipped a beat; he wasn't ready to injure, nor was he ready to watch someone have their lives snuffed out in front of him, but he kept his protests. He prepared for what's about to happen, steeling his heart.
Eight minutes later...
Bong collapsed; something had slammed into his back, right shoulder, and left leg all at once. He fell onto the road, the pain bringing him to tears. Two of his colleagues were uninjured and they immediately charged at their target.
Bong groaned, rolling on the road; the pain was excruciating. The last time he had felt anything close to this was when a coconut had fallen on him.
Eventually, the pain subsided, and two of his colleagues urged him to stand up and attack their target. He clutched his machete and ran forward, seeing two of his senior colleagues on the ground, hurt and reeling from the pain.
"Kill him. Now," his colleague behind him barked. "NOW! Before someone arrives."
Bong averted his gaze, struggling with the idea of execution until he noticed something strange—a machete floating in the air. He and the colleague behind him stared at the levitating blade as it shot forward, embedding itself in the thigh of the person in front of them.
Then another machete floated and flew straight behind Bong, striking the thigh of his colleague. Confused and terrified, he took one last look at their target. (It's that convenience store's cashier!) He recognized, bolting in the opposite direction.
It wasn't until he was picked up that he was informed; apparently, that the five of them had been bait. They were trying to lure the man they'd captured by harassing the woman. Then the five of them would attack their target to gauge their reaction.
"Apparently, that reaction is some superpower." Bong turned to his senior, who explained everything as he struck their restricted and unconscious target with a baton. "Quite durable too."
Bong gulped, trying to maintain a neutral expression, he cleared his head. "Did you have any trouble, Han?"
Han spat on the road. "Nope, however, there was this girl who I think may have seen everything."
"A girl?"
"Yeah, a teenager, no older than you." Han drank from his water bottle. "One of us spotted and called her, but she rode away on a bike and broke off from the main road."
Han paused, fixing his hair. "It doesn't matter; we're wearing masks, and this car has a fake license plate."
"AHHH!" An agonized scream broke Bong from his recollection. He shook his head and drank from his water bottle. He was about to head back in when he heard a rustle from a bush. He squinted but saw nothing.
However, for a moment, he could see the air shimmer, like water. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the shimmer was gone.
"Bong, come inside; you've had your rest." Han hollered from inside, growing impatient.
"Yes, coming." Bong entered the small warehouse, deciding that whatever he saw was due to his exhaustion.
"I think he almost saw me, hahaha." A voice rang from the bushes, and a figure stepped back; the air shimmered for a moment. "I lost focus; I stepped in poop." The air shifted, and it slowly revealed a man; he wore a loose, long-sleeved grey shirt and grey pants.
His above-average face was also revealed; he had black eyes and a tattoo on his neck. He sported a white beanie, a backpack, and thick sneakers.
"Invisible yet noisy, shut up." A gust of air disturbed the leaves as a woman gracefully landed from above. She had a plump, pretty face, long black hair with white streaks, and brown eyes. She wore a fitted white tank top, highlighting her 'heavy' chest, and knee-length shorts.
The man observed the woman, gracefully landing. "I prefer flying; when am I going to get a perk or talent that lets me fly?"
The woman clenched his fists, annoyed. "I said shut up." The man crouched beside her. "What's the plan? Break him out?"
The woman's brows furrowed, contemplating. "Our job is to keep an eye on him; his leveling is different from ours. Let's see how he would react."
"Second-rate system, right? Like your ex?" the man added, a hint of mockery in his tone.
The woman's eyes twitched. "Yes, like my ex," she replied, her teeth gritted together.
The duo slowly snuck forward, easily slipping past the three guards outside, and reached the wall of the small warehouse.
"This warehouse only has a single floor; let's observe from above," the woman ordered. "Let's go," the woman whispered as she levitated into the air and peeked at the upper windows.
The man watched her fly away. "Damn, I wish I could fly." He muttered to himself as he took a few steps back and prepared to jump.
"Hup!" He leaped upward to a considerable height, then as his ascension fell, he kicked his legs downward and jumped in the air.
"Catch me!" the man loudly whispered, soaring far higher than the building. The woman rolled her eyes but held out her arms to catch him.
"Thanks," the man nodded as she put him on the roof, then peering at a wide hole.
"AHHH!" the restrained figure cried out in pain as they were struck in the shoulder with a baton.
"They're really giving it to him," the woman remarked as she crossed her arms. "What is his level again and name?"
"Frizz and an initial assumption were below fifteen; however, that changed," the man added as he swatted a mosquito on his neck.
"Yeah, he didn't use any skills, or if he did, I didn't catch it." The woman agreed.
"AHH!" Frizz yelled in pain. "Stop; I already told you what you wanted."
"He has to be below level ten," the man concluded. "If he had a single talent, maybe even a class, he wouldn't have been captured, or he would have broken out by now."
"Not all classes, perks, and talents are equal." The woman shared her opinion and uncrossed her arms; she focused her gaze on Frizz.
"AHH!" A strike on Frizz's stomach; he slumped, coughing and vomiting.
"Hmmm..." The woman loudly hummed, deep in thought. "Penny for your thoughts?" The man asked.
"He could die from this." The woman reasoned, scratching her head; not knowing how to proceed from here.
The man let out a small laugh. "One less leveler, one less competition," he commented as the woman briefly glanced at him, slightly uncomfortable with his opinion.
The man lay on his stomach as he peeked at the wide hole. "Still, I don't think Hei would appreciate it if we don't intervene," he grumbled.
"Let's wait until morning." Clapping as he decided.
The woman nodded as she witnessed Frizz tank another hit—a kick to the chest.
"Damn, you can actually tell that he is tough," the scarred man added with an odd mix of excitement and curiosity.