The night was cold enough to make me regret not stealing a jacket. I shoved my hands deep into my pockets. Neon signs flickered above, the wind blowing icy air against my face.
Observe became my new favorite game.
[Taxi Driver – Level 2 – HP: 70/70 – Currently questioning his life choices.][Pickpocket – Level 3 – HP: 90/90 – About to ruin someone's day.][Police Officer – Level 5 – HP: 120/120 – Doesn't care about this neighborhood.]
I smirked. "Wow, Queens, you're just oozing with optimism."
The pickpocket slipped a wallet from some poor guy's bag. I thought about stopping him, but nah—not my circus, not my monkeys.
I stopped at a hot dog cart that smelled like heaven wrapped in bread. "One hot dog, extra everything, please."
The vendor blinked at my glowing red eyes, shrugged, and handed me my food. God, I loved New Yorkers already.
While I ate, I overheard two shady-looking guys arguing quietly near a wall.
"…shipment's moving tonight. Big Man says no mistakes.""…Relax, who's gonna interfere? Nobody's stupid enough to mess with us."
Oh? Shipment? Big Man? My curiosity meter just went through the roof. With no Spider-Man yet, there was nobody to stop them—but why should I?
The System dinged.
[Optional Quest: Investigate the Shipment.]Objective: Learn about the gang's operation.Reward: 200 EXP, Skill – Forget Me Why? Because I Wanted.
A new screen popped up:
[Skill: Forget Me Why? Because I Wanted (Passive)]Effect: People subconsciously forget your face minutes after seeing you. Digital recordings blur your features. Can be turned on and off, doesn't take MP.
My jaw dropped. "Wow, System, do you want me to be a hero? Well, God did give you to me, so why would He want me to be a villain?"
After getting back to the building, I thought about the gang. About the shipment. About the fact that nobody in this city was doing anything to stop them. No cops. No superheroes. Just… me.
The System pinged again, almost like it was encouraging my train of thought.
[New Quest: Take Down a Criminal Operation.]Objective: Shut down a minor gang hideout.Reward: 500 EXP, Skill Upgrade Token.
I stared at it, a grin creeping across my face. "You know, System, you're a terrible influence. And I love it."
"Step one: don't die. Step two: look good while doing it. Step three… profit. But first, let's update my stats."
[STATUS]Name: Liam Vale
Level: 2 (0/200)
HP: 110/110
MP: 110/110
STR: 11
DEX: 11
VIT: 11
INT: 11
WIS: 11
CHA: 11
Points: 5
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 1): You can fight, but you're not even Robin level yet.
Observe (Active, Lv 2): Stare creepily at things and learn about them.InventoryShop: LockedQuests: 3 Active
If there was a Luck stat, I'd go all in. But for now, I'll go with Dex, Vit, and Int.
[STATUS]Name: Liam Vale
Level: 2 (0/200)
HP: 130/130
MP: 120/120
STR: 11
DEX: 13
VIT: 13
INT: 12
WIS: 11
CHA: 11
Points: 0Skills:
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 1): You can fight, but you're not even Robin level yet.
Observe (Active, Lv 2): Stare creepily at things and learn about them.InventoryShop: LockedQuests: 3 Active
After my thrilling night of not dying, I crashed on my sad excuse for a couch, a lumpy thing that smelled faintly of regret—and let Gamer's Body do its magic.
When I opened my eyes, I felt amazing. No pain, no soreness, just the overwhelming need for food.
[HP and MP fully restored.][Buff Applied: Rested – +10% EXP gain for the next 12 hours.]
"Ah, nothing like waking up broke, hungry, and still freezing to death. Truly living the dream."
Still shivering in my same old shirt, I stepped back into the night. The cold bit into me so hard I almost turned around, but the glowing Quest: Investigate the Shipment taunted me like a bad dare.
[Quest: Investigate the Shipment – In Progress.]
"You know what else is in progress? Hypothermia. But sure, let's risk my life tonight."
Before heading anywhere near gang territory, I needed to cover my face till i get that skill at least.
I dug through my pockets. Seven bucks from the thugs yesterday. Fantastic.
After twenty minutes of wandering, I found a bodega that looked like it sold everything from chips to questionable life advice.
The guy behind the counter squinted at me as I grabbed the cheapest black mask they had—one of those plain ones you'd see on a dollar store ninja.
He raised an eyebrow. "Big night planned, kid?"
I smirked. "Yeah, I'm going to a costume party. Theme's 'don't ask questions.'"
He just grunted, took my cash, and went back to ignoring my existence. Gotta love New Yorkers.
The mask fit snugly over my face. I looked in the reflection of the freezer door and sighed.
"I can't wait to get that skill. This mask sucks, but we make do with what we can, I guess. Now then, here we go."
I made my way back to the alley where I'd overheard the thugs yesterday. It was there, still sketchy, and still screaming "stab city." Two guards stood at the entrance, exuding all the brainpower of soggy bread.
Observe:[Gang Thug – Level 3 – HP: 100/100 – Currently debating if his life insurance covers bullet wounds.][Gang Lookout – Level 4 – HP: 110/110 – Thinking about quitting but too scared of 'Big Man.']
I crouched behind a dumpster. "Okay, Liam, Stealth unlocked (Active, Lv 1 – 10% less likely to be seen in shadows or hidden places). You can now hide like an off-brand Batman. My beautiful, sassy System, I love you. Now… step one, move like a ninja. Step two, don't sneeze. Step three, profit."
They were so bored they didn't notice when I slipped past them like the wind. Well, more like a cold draft, but still.
The warehouse was crawling with thugs. They were loading crates into trucks, yelling at each other, and generally looking like the worst organizers I'd ever seen.
I found a broken window and slid through, hugging the shadows. God, if they catch me, at least let me go viral on some security cam.
Crates were stacked everywhere. Naturally, curiosity won.
Observe:[Crate – Contents: Firearms, Illegal.][Crate – Contents: Drugs – Guaranteed to ruin lives faster than a getting caught in 4k.]
"Note to self: don't do drugs and maybe buy socks, because my toes are freezing."
I didn't take any weapons. Guns weren't my thing yet—hopefully not ever.
The door slammed open, and I quickly hid again.
Cue dramatic entrance.
Tall. Black coat. A stare that made him look like he would kick a puppy.
Observe:[Gang Lieutenant – Level 8 – HP: 250/250 – Has anger management issues and a loyalty fetish for 'Big Man.']
"Oh great, it's the mini-boss."
I stayed hidden, watching him bark orders.
"Load it up! Big Man doesn't like screw-ups!"
The thugs scrambled like terrified chickens.
The System chimed.
[Quest Updated: You have learned the gang's shipment route quests combined.][New Quest: Take Down the Criminal Operation.]Objective: Shut down the gang hideout.Reward: 700 EXP, Skill Upgrade Token, Skill – Forget Me Why? Because I Wanted.
Then another message popped up:
[Optional Objective: Eliminate the Gang Lieutenant.]Reward: Bonus EXP + Random Skill.
(1250 words)