The rooftop sagged under the weight of silence. The beaten Rust Vipers groaned where they had fallen, but none dared rise. Pike crouched behind a chimney, face pale, lips twitching between rage and fear. The crowd below had fallen quiet, merchants clutching counters and children peering wide-eyed from behind skirts. Everyone was watching.
Evan Sharp stood with his fists raised, Echo Step smearing ghost-images across the night air. His body thrummed, blood hot, lungs burning—but the burn only sharpened him. Ten Burst Steps chained in one battle. The system was alive inside him, his speed surging like a tide that would never recede.
The captain of the Rust Vipers studied him with pitiless eyes. His shaved head gleamed in the lantern light, his jaw sharp as the blade in his hand. Unlike his men, he didn't grin. He didn't swagger. His steps were slow, measured, each one carrying the weight of experience.
"You're fast," the captain said. His voice was calm, steady. "But speed without fangs is nothing."
[DING] Quest: Survive the Rust Viper Captain. Reward: +50 Speed, Skill: Velocity Veil. Failure: Death.
The captain lifted his blade in a single smooth motion. Steel whispered. The air between them tensed.
Evan didn't wait. He moved first.
Quickstep blurred him forward, Burst Step cracking the tiles under his feet. His fist darted toward the captain's chest—
Steel hissed.
The captain's blade slashed down, not at Evan but at the air itself. Sparks erupted as speed met steel. Evan's fist skimmed along the flat of the blade, redirected, harmless. He twisted aside an instant before the return slash could split him open.
The man was faster than the others. Not as fast as Evan—but fast enough to read him.
The captain lunged, blade weaving arcs. Evan's system painted ghost-lines, a deadly web. He ducked under one, slid around another, Burst Stepped backward. The blade still kissed his arm, cloth tearing, blood beading hot on skin.
Warning: Minor Injury.Speed: -1 (temporary).
Evan hissed. Pain flared, sharp, but it only fueled the fire in his legs.
The captain's eyes narrowed. "Better than the Dogs. Better than half the Vipers I've cut. But you bleed like anyone else."
He pressed forward. His blade became a serpent, striking again and again, every thrust a test, every slash a promise. Evan weaved between them, Quickstep chaining into Echo Step, afterimages multiplying. The captain's blade cut through ghost after ghost, never quite finding flesh.
The crowd below gasped with each strike, each dodge. Pike's laughter broke sharp and wild. "Cut him! Cut the rat!"
Evan ignored him. His world was only speed.
He Burst Stepped to the side, Momentum Shift catching the angle of the captain's swing and turning it into propulsion. He spun around his opponent, fist snapping toward the ribs. The captain twisted, blade flicking down. Steel met knuckles with a spark. Evan staggered back, breath harsh.
This wasn't like Pike. This wasn't like the Dogs. This man wasn't prey.
The system pulsed.
Micro-Objective: Execute 5 consecutive Burst Steps against the Captain. Reward: +10 Speed.
Evan grinned despite the blood on his arm. "Fine. Let's run."
He Burst Stepped forward—one. His fist grazed the captain's chin. The man grunted, slashed in response, and Evan was already gone. Two. His elbow clipped the captain's ribs. Three. A spinning kick snapped against his thigh. Four. He blurred behind him, fist hammering shoulder.
Five.
[DING] Objective complete.+10 Speed. Speed: 183 → 193.
The captain staggered, breath harsher now, blade wavering for the first time. His lips peeled back in a snarl.
"You're not just fast," he growled. "You're dangerous."
He planted his feet and slashed downward with both hands. The blade howled, heat rising off the steel as if the air itself burned. Evan leapt back, but the strike tore a groove into the rooftop, splinters flying. The roof groaned beneath them, ready to collapse.
Evan couldn't let the fight drag. He needed to end it.
His system answered with a new pulse.
Threshold Unlocked: Technique — Velocity Veil. Effect: Cloak yourself in afterimages for 5 seconds. Enemies perceive multiple targets; true position hidden. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Evan's lips curved into a smile. "Let's see you cut a shadow."
He stepped. Echo Step smeared into Velocity Veil, afterimages multiplying until five Evans surrounded the captain, each moving, each attacking.
The captain's eyes widened. He slashed left—his blade cut only smoke. He stabbed right—his steel pierced an illusion. A fist hammered his gut from the front, a kick cracked against his knee from behind. He swung wild, blade a storm, but none of the blows found the true Evan.
For five seconds, the rooftop was a blur of shadows, fists, and steel.
When the Veil broke, Evan stood behind the captain, chest heaving, fist drawn back. His knuckles drove into the man's jaw with the force of ten chained Burst Steps.
The captain's head snapped back. His body lifted from the rooftop and crashed into the street below, wood and tile collapsing around him.
Silence followed, deep and ringing. Then the crowd erupted. Shouts, cheers, laughter—Hook Street roared.
[DING] Quest complete: Survive the Rust Viper Captain. +50 Speed. Skill acquired: Velocity Veil (E). Level Up: 6 → 7. Speed: 193 → 243.
Evan staggered, chest heaving. His arm burned where blood dripped, but his body thrummed with victory. He had survived the Dogs. He had humiliated Pike. And now he had beaten the Rust Vipers' captain in full view of the market.
He raised a fist. The crowd roared louder.
Pike's face twisted, rage and terror mingling. He scrambled backward, pointing with shaking fingers. "IMPOSSIBLE! HE'S NOT HUMAN!"
Evan met his eyes calmly. "Run, Pike. Run as far as you can. It won't be far enough."
Pike fled into the alleys, shrieking curses. The beaten Vipers crawled after him. Merchants laughed until they cried.
The system pulsed one final message.
Status — Evan Sharp Level: 7 Speed: 243 Skills: Quickstep (F), Burst Step (F), Momentum Shift (F), Echo Step (F), Velocity Veil (E)Titles: [Uncatchable I], [Swift Claimant] Path: Velocity — Tier 1 (Acceleration Passive) Overflow: 8%
The Registry was coming. Bronze enforcers were moving. Syndicates were stirring. But Hook Street was his. And with every step, Evan Sharp was leaving the boy who had bled in an alley further and further behind.
The city wasn't ready for his speed.
But it would learn.