Leon Collins.
That's his name now.
In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person, living a normal life like anyone else—regular job, regular life, a regular single guy, and just a bystander in the world.
Now, standing in the moonlight piercing through the clouds, Leon faced two armed men who were trembling in fear.
"Who are you?!"
One of them asked nervously.
*Smack!*
Leon clapped his hands. "Good question!"
Like a clumsy magician, he gave a bow, adjusted his wide-brimmed hat, and strolled forward, saying, "As you can see, I'm essentially a masked man, and it's clear that the face under the mask isn't something I want people to know."
He stopped walking and continued, "That's the whole point of a mask, isn't it?"
Ignoring the two men who were exchanging nervous glances, Leon suddenly spun around dramatically. "Oh! Sorry, I seem to have misunderstood the core of your question."
He pretended to straighten an imaginary bow tie. "You can call me... V!"
"I'm a doctor!"
The two men were baffled: *What?!*
...
This guy must have just escaped from the hospital…
But forget it!
One of the men reached for his gun, trying to shoot the crazy masked guy while he was distracted. Even though their earlier shots had hit him—apparently without doing any damage—this time, they hoped a shot to the face would be different.
He might have been wearing a bulletproof vest, but surely that thin mask couldn't stop a bullet!
Though, deep down, the man had a nagging suspicion that the ever-changing mask might not be ordinary…
But there was no turning back now.
Behind them, poor Susan was still in shock. She had witnessed this strange man descend from the sky in a manner that defied physics, watched him get shot and fall, only to stand up and start rambling about nonsensical things. If her pants weren't still wet, Susan would've believed she was dreaming!
He's going for his gun!
A big, black gun!
From her vantage point, Susan saw the not-so-stealthy movement.
*Be careful!*
She wanted to shout, but for some reason, she didn't.
Maybe she knew why.
Tilting her head slightly, she saw the masked man gesturing wildly, still saying incomprehensible things.
...
*Sorry...*
*Sorry, sorry...*
Susan murmured silently. She shakily stood up, glanced at the masked man, and then... turned and ran!
...
"Huh? I could've sworn that was a dead end," Leon muttered as he watched her flee, puzzled.
Oh well, it's her life; she can choose her own fate. It's none of my business if she dies.
While Leon was distracted, one of the men swiftly pulled out his gun!
Ready to fire!
Then...
Bone, muscle, blood vessels.
A perfect, clean slice.
Though it lasted only a moment before being covered by dark red blood.
"Why do this? What's the point?" Leon sighed.
One man screamed, clutching his severed arm, while the other trembled, sitting on the ground with an empty gun, backing up until his back hit the cold, wet wall.
Kicking away the gun, Leon gave a mock noble bow. "Have you heard of Audi Twin Diamonds?"
"Let me introduce a figure from my childhood: Mr. Spider King!"
Amid the buzzing sound, a toy car, blue-striped over a white base, shot down the vertical wall.
[Spider King RC Car]
- **Grade**: White
- **Quality**: Excellent
- **Effect**: Can emit air blades while moving.
- **Note**: Wheels, motor, tires! Childhood memories!
- **Note 2**: Fully voice-controlled. The faster you shout, the faster it goes! Losing? As long as I can shout, I haven't lost! Charge!
...
Leon might seem foolish at times, but as previously stated, he's cautious.
Even if his actions don't seem cautious, he truly is.
The first sign of caution? Knowing his own strength and assessing and distributing it properly.
Through some self-inflicted "experiments" (?), Leon estimated his abilities after leveling up and guessed that the number 20 likely represented the human peak.
So, with 14 points in strength, he wasn't exactly top-tier.
His best attribute was agility, but even at 16 points, he wasn't unbeatable—some high school athletes might still outclass him.
So, how would he hunt those who lurk in the shadows?
The answer? Tank through it!
Despite mostly receiving junk from the system, Leon discovered that his base physical resistance was 5 points without equipment. But with Rorschach's mask and a trench coat from a certain fishmonger, he gained an additional 20 points of physical resistance!
What does 20 points mean?
Roughly speaking, it's like standing behind four human shields identical to himself! (No joke!)
That said, cautious Leon ran tests (through more self-harm) and confirmed that 25 points of defense was a substantial number.
Street criminals probably wouldn't carry anti-tank rifles or RPGs, right?
So, if he couldn't dodge, he'd tank it! Then strike back using tricks…
Leon had finally settled on his combat style: no style—pure surprise and cheating!
Just charge in!
...
The first victim had fled, and Leon didn't think life was worthless.
Whatever.
It wasn't the first time. Most of the time, Leon acted more like a villain than the actual villains—boisterous, mad, and unpredictably erratic…
As the saying goes: Villains die from talking too much. But Leon? He talked even more than villains.
What a terrible "hero"...
In reality, he wasn't after justice, just survival. He wanted to grow strong enough that dying wouldn't be easy. Simple.
Sure, he could be a typical hero—great, bright, just, self-sacrificing—but he didn't want the burden. That would break him sooner or later.
So, he didn't care. If it weren't for needing to cleanse his karma, he wouldn't have saved these ungrateful people.
Saving people? Just a side effect of deciding who's a villain. If someone insists on dying, he's happy to watch with a bucket of popcorn.
...
"Now, it's just us," Leon said, now acting more like a deranged villain, slowly walking toward the two miserable criminals.
"Please… please!"
"You don't have to do this! The woman wasn't hurt, was she?! I promise I'll never do anything like this again!"
"I... I have a family, I have kids. You… you can't do this!"
...
Three minutes earlier, the aggressors were now sobbing, pleading for mercy, showing no hesitation as they expressed regret.
Even their lines were the same.
Both men realized that this "doctor" had no intention of letting the law punish them…
Placing the Spider King car back on the ground, Leon slid his hands into his pockets. "You're not sorry."
"You're just scared."
"That's all."
"You know how much it hurts to punch someone because you've enjoyed it more than once. You know how to cut down the weak. So, do you know what it feels like to have your legs broken? Or your skull shattered?"
With a short whistle, the car's motor buzzed again.
"As the saying goes: Walk miles with broken legs, keep conscious with brain bleeding!"
With a third exaggerated bow, Leon said, "Take your pick!"
(End of Chapter)