When I woke up, the first thought in my head was, Wow, I'm still alive? Neat.
The System pinged annoyingly.[Good morning, Liam. You slept for 10 hours, which is—wow—actually healthy for once.]
"Wow, thanks, System. Didn't know you were also my mom."
[Reminder: You have an unopened reward from last night.]
"Oh yeah, the loot box! Please tell me it's something cool and not, like, socks."
[Opening Random Item Box...][Congratulations! You received: Super Computer.]
I stared at the digital text for a second. "That will come in handy eventually."
[You're still not smart enough to use it correctly.]
"Okay, rude. But fair."
"Hey, System, do… do you think that I can beat Fisk?"
[No… eventually maybe, but as you are now? Not a chance.]
"Wow, thanks for the confidence. Just show me my stats."
[STATUS]
Name: Liam Vale
Level: 8 (150/800)
HP: 190/190
MP: 180/180
STR: 23
DEX: 28
VIT: 19
INT: 18
WIS: 17
CHA: 17
Points: 15
Skills:
Gamer's Mind (Passive): Congratulations, you're now immune to mental breakdowns.
Gamer's Body (Passive): Pain? What pain? Just sleep it off.
Basic Combat (Passive Lv 4)
Forget Me Why? Because I Wanted (Passive)
Predator's Instinct (Passive Lv 1)
Stealth (Active, Lv 3)
Observe (Active, Lv 3)
Clockbreak (Active, Lv 1)
InventoryShop: LockedQuests: 1 Active
"Put 7 into INT, 6 into VIT, and 2 into STR."
[STATUS]
Name: Liam Vale
Level: 8 (150/800)
HP: 250/250
MP: 250/250
STR: 25
DEX: 28
VIT: 25
INT: 25
WIS: 17
CHA: 17
Points: 0
[New Skill: Brutal Momentum (Passive Lv 1) – Each consecutive hit increases STR by 3 until you are hit, then it resets.]
[New Skill: Gravity Crush (Active Lv 1) – Creates an area of crushing gravity. Enemies up to 10 levels above you freeze; those below your level kneel while taking damage. Cost: 50 MP to activate, 25 MP per second after 3 seconds.]
[New Skill: Limit Break (Passive Lv 1) – Temporarily exceeds natural vitality limits, multiplying VIT stat by 10 when below 20% HP. Causes severe fatigue after battle.]
The new skills popped up on the interface, and my eyes widened."Holy shit… these are insane."
[Try not to die before using them.]
"Gee, thanks for the encouragement." I stretched, feeling the surge of energy coursing through me. My new stats made me feel unstoppable—or at least less likely to get instantly murdered by Fisk.
My phone buzzed. Unknown number.Meet me at Pier 19. Midnight. Alone.
"Nope. Not suspicious at all," I muttered.
[New Quest: Unknown Contact]Objective: Meet the unknown contact at Pier 19.Reward: 300 exp
"Well, that's probably a trap, but I might need this to get more information about Fisk right now."
I opened my inventory.
[Inventory]1200$Pistol x5KnifeKnuckle DustersSupercomputer
I spent most of the day tinkering with the Supercomputer. Even with my WIS at 17, it was complicated, but Predator's Instinct kicked in every time I almost fried the circuits. Eventually, I got it online. The specs were off the charts—way faster than anything I had in my past life.
"This is perfect. I can use it to track Kingpin's operations… maybe."
[First, you need to get more WIS to be smart.]
"Did you just call me stupid?"
By the time I finished arguing with the System, night had rolled around. I suited up, the trench coat swishing behind me as I moved through the empty streets, the white scarf fluttering lightly.
The docks were quiet. Too quiet. The water lapped against the wooden posts, and the salty breeze carried the faint stench of oil and fish.
[Predator's Instinct Activated.]
My senses sharpened. I could hear faint heartbeats, footsteps shuffling behind stacks of containers. Someone was here.
"Clockbreak," I whispered.
The world slowed, giving me just enough time to slip behind a container and peek out. Three figures stood near the pier's edge—one smoking, the others armed. They weren't the ones who texted me.
As the skill wore off, a figure stepped from the shadows."Well, you actually came," the stranger said, his voice low and gritty.
Observe.[Target: Daredevil – Lv ??]HP: ???Notes: ???
"…System, why can't I see his level?"
[Because he's way above you.]
The figure stared at me, as if he knew what I was thinking."Relax, kid. I'm not here to kill you. Name's Daredevil. I see you've been stirring up Kingpin's nest."
"How did you find me?" My Forget Me Why? skill should have stopped most things.
"After the first night it was harder, but the first day you took out one of the gangs, you weren't as careful."
No wonder—back then, I didn't even have the skill.
"You're reckless. But you've got potential. Why are you doing this? Are you trying to take Kingpin down, or is it something else?"
"You don't need to know that."
[Stop trying to be edgy, Liam.]
"Daredevil, do you want to help me take down Kingpin?"
Before he could answer, the armed thugs noticed movement and raised their weapons.
[New Objective: Survive the ambush.]Reward: 100 EXP
"Oh, great." I cracked my neck. "Let's see what this new skill can do."
"Gravity Crush."
The air around me warped, pressing down with invisible force. The thugs dropped to their knees, weapons clattering to the ground. One screamed in pain, his bones creaking under the pressure.
[Gravity Crush: Lv 1 → Lv 2][Effect: Increased damage and radius. MP cost reduced to 45.]
Daredevil smirked slightly, stepping forward like the gravity didn't even tickle him. The man was built different.
"You've got power, kid. But power without control gets you killed."
"Wow, thanks, Master Yoda. Next you gonna tell me 'with great power comes great responsibility'?" I said, dropping Gravity Crush as my MP bar screamed at me. The thugs collapsed like cheap folding chairs, and Daredevil casually knocked them out like he was swatting flies. Show-off.
[Defeated Random thug 1,2 and, 3] 200 exp gained
[Quest Complete: Survive the ambush.]Reward: 100 EXP
[Ques Completed: Unknown Contact]Objective: Meet the unknown contact at Pier 19.Reward: 300 exp
Daredevil crouched next to one of the thugs, tying him up."Kingpin has eyes everywhere. You can't just brute force your way through his empire. You'll need intel, allies, and a plan."
"Intel, allies, plan… pfft, I was just gonna run in screaming and hope for the best, but sure, we'll do it your way."
[New Quest: Form an Alliance with Daredevil]Objective: Gain Daredevil's trust and help him.Reward: 1500 EXP + Strength-Boosting Gloves
"I'm listening, Sensei." My tone immediately changed—the reward was a must-have.
"There's a shipment coming in two nights from now. Weapons. If Kingpin gets his hands on it, things will get worse for everyone. You help me stop it, maybe I'll let you help me with Kingpin."
"You've got until tomorrow night."
Then, like a discount Batman, he melted into the shadows.
As I stood on the pier, the salty breeze hitting my face, I muttered, "Well, guess I have to decide whether to buddy up with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen or go full solo lunatic."
[Side Quest: Get more information about the shipment.]
Reward: 500
The System chimed again, probably just to annoy me.[Hint: You're going to need more than stats for this one.]
"Awesome. Thanks for the anxiety, System."
I stretched, letting the trench coat flow dramatically behind me because hey, if Daredevil could act cool, so could I."Time to make a plan… or at least a really bad idea that looks like one."
(1255 word)