The taste of copper filled his mouth as consciousness crept back like a predator stalking prey. Alex Chen knew that metallic flavor intimately—blood. His own, judging by the way his chest felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to his ribs.
*Three bullets,* his mind catalogued automatically. *Center mass. Lung puncture. Should be dead.*
The fact that he was thinking at all meant someone had fucked up badly.
Alex opened his eyes to find himself staring at a ceiling that definitely wasn't the warehouse where Triad bastards had turned him into Swiss cheese. This ceiling was cracked plaster, water stains spreading across it like abstract art painted in poverty. The air smelled wrong too—less urban decay, more... medieval filth mixed with something he couldn't identify.
*What the hell?*
The memories hit him without warning, flooding his consciousness like a dam bursting. But they weren't his memories—or rather, they were and weren't simultaneously. Another life, another Alex, seventeen years old and pathetically weak. An orphan scraping by in the slums of something called Kronos City, dreaming of escaping through magical talent he barely possessed.
The original Alex had died three hours ago. Mana exhaustion from attempting a Level 15 spell with a Level 8 body. Desperation had driven the kid to try proving himself worthy of the Crimson Tower Academy's charity program. The magical backlash had stopped his heart.
Alex—the real Alex, the one who'd clawed his way from street rat to mid-level enforcer in Chicago's underground—sat up slowly. This body felt alien: too young, too soft, unmarked by the scars that mapped his real life's violence. But it was his now, apparently.
*Transmigration.* He'd read enough web novels during boring stakeouts to recognize the tropes. Death, second chance, probably some kind of cheat ability incoming.
As if summoned by his thoughts, blue text materialized in his vision.
**[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]**
**[LIMITLESS UPGRADE SYSTEM BOUND TO HOST]**
**[HOST: ALEX CHEN]**
**[ANALYZING HOST SOUL...]**
**[FOREIGN SOUL DETECTED]**
**[COMPATIBILITY: 100%]**
**[INITIALIZING ENHANCED PROTOCOLS...]**
Alex didn't flinch. In his old life, staying calm when the unexpected happened was the difference between collecting payment and becoming a statistic. He watched the text with the same detached interest he'd once reserved for police sirens in the distance.
**[WELCOME TO THE LIMITLESS UPGRADE SYSTEM]**
**[HOST STATUS PANEL UNLOCKED]**
**[SPECIAL BONUS FOR TRANSMIGRATOR: ALL RESTRICTIONS REMOVED]**
*Now that's more like it.*
"Status," Alex said quietly, testing whether voice activation worked.
**[STATUS PANEL]**
**Host:** Alex Chen (Transmigrator)
**Age:** 17 (Physical) / 24 (Mental)
**Level:** 8 (Commoner Rank)
**Profession:** Magic User
**Talent Limit:** ∞ (Previously: Rare)
**Health:** 67/100 (Recovering from magical backlash)
**Mana:** 15/80
**Strength:** 12
**Agility:** 14
**Intelligence:** 16
**Wisdom:** 11
**Luck:** ???
**Skills:**
- Basic Fireball (Level 2)
- Mana Manipulation (Level 3)
- Street Fighting (Level 6) *[Inherited from previous soul]*
- Intimidation (Level 8) *[Inherited from previous soul]*
- Criminal Networking (Level 5) *[Inherited from previous soul]*
**Available System Functions:**
- Limitless Upgrade: Can upgrade any item, skill, or ability without restrictions
- Experience Absorption: Gain EXP from defeating leveled beings
- Status Analysis: View detailed information about targets
- Inventory: Dimensional storage space
Alex's lips curved into what might generously be called a smile. The system had retained his old skills—useful. More importantly, it seemed to understand what he was. Not some noble-hearted hero looking for redemption, but a predator recognizing opportunity.
He examined his surroundings with fresh eyes. The room was barely large enough for the straw mattress he'd awakened on. Rough stone walls, no windows, a single door that looked like it hadn't been oiled in years. The original Alex's possessions were pathetic: a few copper coins, a rusted iron dagger, some moldy bread, and a worn spellbook.
"Let's see what you can do," Alex murmured, picking up the dagger.
**[IRON DAGGER DETECTED]**
**[CURRENT STATS: Attack +2, Durability 15/30, Quality: Trash]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
**[WARNING: UPGRADE MULTIPLIER IS RANDOM (RANGE: 10x TO 1,000,000x)]**
**[PROCEED? Y/N]**
"Yes."
The dagger began to glow with soft blue light. Alex felt a strange tingling sensation, as if the system was drawing something from his very essence—not painful, but noticeable. After thirty seconds, the light faded.
**[UPGRADE COMPLETE]**
**[MULTIPLIER ACHIEVED: 1,247x]**
**[IRON DAGGER → SHADOWSTEEL ASSASSIN'S BLADE]**
**[NEW STATS: Attack +2,494, Durability 18,705/18,705, Quality: Epic]**
**[SPECIAL ABILITIES UNLOCKED:]**
- Shadow Strike: Ignores 50% of target's defense
- Bleeding Curse: Wounds refuse to heal naturally
- Stealth Enhancement: Wielder gains +30% concealment in shadows
Alex hefted the transformed weapon. What had been a piece of scrap metal was now a masterwork that seemed to drink in the dim light. The blade was midnight black with veins of silver running through it like frozen lightning. The grip felt perfectly balanced in his hand.
*Now we're talking.*
"Upgrade the fireball spell."
**[BASIC FIREBALL SPELL DETECTED]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 2]**
**[DAMAGE: 15-20 Fire Damage, Mana Cost: 12, Range: 15 meters]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
**[PROCEED? Y/N]**
"Yes."
**[UPGRADE COMPLETE]**
**[MULTIPLIER ACHIEVED: 78,543x]**
**[BASIC FIREBALL → HELLFIRE ANNIHILATION]**
**[NEW STATS: Damage 1,178,145-1,570,860 Fire/Void Damage]**
**[Mana Cost: 12, Range: 1,178 kilometers]**
**[SPECIAL ABILITIES:]**
- Planar Burning: Damage ignores all conventional defenses
- Soul Sear: Targets cannot be resurrected if killed by this spell
- Reality Fracture: Spell tears temporary holes in dimensional barriers
- Auto-Targeting: Spell will pursue target across dimensional boundaries
Alex stared at the description. With his current 15 mana, he could cast this exactly once before passing out. The spell was powerful enough to level a city—possibly an entire kingdom.
*Too much, too fast.* In his old life, drawing attention before you were ready to handle the consequences was a rookie mistake that got you killed. Or worse, disappeared.
He needed to be smarter about this.
Alex picked up one of the copper coins—worthless currency even by this world's standards.
**[COPPER COIN DETECTED]**
**[VALUE: 1 Copper]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
**[PROCEED? Y/N]**
"Yes."
**[UPGRADE COMPLETE]**
**[MULTIPLIER ACHIEVED: 234,891x]**
**[COPPER COIN → CELESTIAL FORTUNE COIN]**
**[VALUE: 234,891 Divine Gold]**
**[SPECIAL ABILITIES:]**
- Luck Manipulation: Holder can influence probability within 1km radius
- Wealth Generation: Generates 100 gold daily
- Merchant's Blessing: All purchases cost 90% less, all sales earn 500% more
- Fate's Favor: Holder cannot be killed by bad luck or coincidence
One coin was now worth more than most kingdoms' annual tax revenue. Alex pocketed it carefully.
The system was broken—beautifully, wonderfully broken. But power without wisdom was just another word for suicide. He needed information before he started reshaping the world.
A commotion outside his door interrupted his planning. Rough voices, getting closer.
"—told you the brat was faking it! Nobody survives mana shock like that without help."
"Boss wants to know who's backing him. Kid's got no family, no connections. Where'd the healing come from?"
"Maybe he's got hidden talent. Could be worth something to the right buyer."
Alex moved to the door, pressing his ear against the rotting wood. Three voices, maybe four. Heavy footsteps suggested they were equipped for trouble.
In his old life, when multiple hostiles approached your safe house, you had two options: run or eliminate the threat. Running meant leaving everything behind and starting over. Elimination meant sending a message that you weren't prey.
The original Alex would have tried to hide, maybe attempted negotiation. That Alex was dead.
"Time for a field test," Alex whispered, drawing his transformed dagger.
The door exploded inward as a boot connected with rotten wood. Three men pushed through the opening, weapons drawn. The leader was a scarred brute in leather armor, flanked by two smaller thugs carrying clubs.
"Well, well," the leader sneered. "Look who's finally—"
His words died as Alex's blade opened his throat in one fluid motion. The Shadowsteel dagger sliced through leather armor like paper, and the Bleeding Curse ensured the wound gaped wide, refusing to clot.
**[LEVEL 12 HUMAN SLAIN]**
**[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 240]**
**[LEVEL UP! 8 → 9]**
The other two thugs froze for a critical second, staring at their leader's corpse. In that heartbeat of hesitation, Alex moved.
Street fighting wasn't pretty. It wasn't honorable. It was about ending threats as efficiently as possible. Alex grabbed the second thug's club-wielding wrist, twisted until bones cracked, then drove his elbow into the man's temple. The thug dropped.
**[LEVEL 10 HUMAN SLAIN]**
**[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 200]**
The third thug finally reacted, swinging his club in a wide arc. Alex ducked under the swing and buried his dagger between the man's ribs, angling upward toward the heart.
**[LEVEL 9 HUMAN SLAIN]**
**[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 180]**
**[LEVEL UP! 9 → 10]**
The entire fight had lasted less than thirty seconds. Alex wiped his blade clean on the leader's clothes, then searched the corpses methodically. Seventeen silver coins, two crude daggers, a set of leather armor that might fit after some adjustments.
More importantly, he found a letter in the leader's pocket.
*"The kid survived mana shock that should have killed him. Find out who's protecting him and report back. If he's alone, bring him to the usual place. Marcus wants to see if he's worth selling to the academies. —V"*
So the original Alex's "accident" hadn't been an accident. Someone had been watching him, waiting for him to either die or reveal hidden backing. Now they thought he had a mysterious patron.
Perfect. Let them think that. Fear of unknown enemies was often more useful than raw power.
Alex looked at the aftermath of violence and felt nothing but satisfaction. This world operated on familiar rules: the strong took what they wanted, the weak suffered what they must. The only difference was that here, strength came from levels and magic instead of guns and connections.
He could work with that.
**[STATUS UPDATE]**
**Host:** Alex Chen
**Level:** 10 (Commoner Rank Peak)
**Experience:** 420/500
**Health:** 100/100
**Mana:** 90/90
The system had healed him completely with the level-ups. Alex smiled—not the predatory expression from before, but something genuinely pleased.
He had a weapon that could cut through almost anything, a spell that could level cities, a coin that manipulated luck itself, and unlimited potential for growth. More importantly, he had enemies who thought they understood the rules he played by.
They were about to learn how wrong they were.
Alex stepped over the corpses and walked toward the door. Time to explore his new world and find more interesting things to upgrade.
After all, he had a reputation to build.