Darkness.
Then pain.
Your eyes opened to a cold, starless sky. The wet asphalt below clung to your back like it wanted to keep you there. Sirens wailed somewhere in the distance. New York—still the same.
But you weren't.
"Welcome, Player. Initializing Gamer System..."
A screen blinked into view, hovering above your vision. Translucent. Blue. Unmistakably digital.
[Tutorial Complete. You have died. Respawn successful.]
[New Objective: Survive.]
You sat up, heart pounding. You remembered the alley. The mugger. The gunshot. Then—black. Now? Not even a scar. Just damp clothes and a strange new sensation vibrating under your skin.
[Skill Unlocked: Observe (Active)]
[Allows you to view basic stats and information of targets. Mana cost: 5 MP/sec]
You looked at a nearby stray cat digging through trash.
[Name: Whiskers]
[Level: 2]
[Species: Feline]
[Disposition: Neutral]
You shook your head, muttering under your breath. "Okay... either I'm crazy, or this is real."
No one around. Just neon lights, cold wind, and the faint hum of the city.
Another notification popped up:
[New Skill Acquired: Street Brawler – Lv. 1]
You've lived through enough rough nights to know how to fight dirty.
+5% damage with improvised weapons and unarmed attacks. Increases chance to stagger.
That explained the rusted metal pipe you were gripping—probably grabbed on instinct after respawning. You gave it a quick test swing. It felt... right. Like muscle memory you didn't have before.
You opened your status panel:
⸻
[Status]
Name: [Y/N]
Class: Gamer
Level: 1
HP: 100/100
MP: 100/100
STR: 10
| DEX: 12
| VIT: 10
| INT: 15
| WIS: 14
| LUK: ???
Points Available: 5
Perks: None
Skills:
• Observe (Lv. 1)
• Street Brawler (Lv. 1)
Inventory:
• Basic Clothes
• Wallet ($20)
• Phone (Cracked)
• Metal Pipe (Common)
⸻
You slipped the pipe into your belt and pulled up your hoodie.
The news on your cracked phone buzzed:
"Avengers handle alien threat in downtown..."
"Stark Industries faces criticism over drone incident..."
"Masked vigilante breaks up gang in Hell's Kitchen..."
You looked up just in time to catch a Quinjet streaking through the sky.
You weren't ready for all that. Not yet.
But you would be.
This system? It was power. A silent weapon. And no one could know.
You turned into the shadows of a side street and disappeared into the night.
[Quest Added: Level Up – Reach Level 10]
[Reward: Unlock Class Specialization Path]