I felt the cold air hitting my face, even with the ski mask on. Most of the houses had their lights turned off, and silence reigned over the streets.
My improvised outfit was ridiculous: sweatpants, a black hoodie, and the same-colored ski mask I had pulled out of a drawer. I looked more like a thief than a hero, but it was a start.
I pressed the rough fabric against my skin and wondered if I was making the biggest mistake of my new life. I had no superpowers—just enhanced martial arts skills and a pair of nunchucks. I had already died once, and I definitely wanted to live well at least in this second chance. But if I didn't move forward now, when would I? Especially with alien threats looming in the future.
I leapt from my rooftop to the neighboring house and landed silently. The system had made me stronger, faster, and tougher.
I walked across the rooftops, watching life unfold below me: just a single patrol car, a couple of drunks staggering around, and some taxis.
My first mission came after ten minutes. A woman carrying shopping bags was being assaulted by two men in an alley. One ripped her purse away while the other covered her mouth. It was obvious they wanted more than just the bag.
I jumped down; my landing was quieter than expected, and I approached them.
"You'd better let her go and give back the shopping bag," I said; my voice was deep and rough behind the mask or at least I tried to make it sound that way.
The men laughed. One of them, bulky and wearing an earring, pulled out a switchblade.
"What do you think you are, Batman? Get lost, kid," he said.
The system reminded me of the task it had given me:
[MAIN QUEST: THE FIRST STEP!]
Improvise a vigilante outfit, patrol the streets of Queens, and stop your first crime
[2/3 completed]
The one with the knife attacked first. His slow movements made dodging easy. I punched him in the stomach; he doubled over in pain and dropped the weapon. At that moment, his partner kicked me in the side of the stomach. I grunted in pain. I wasn't used to taking hits. I staggered but recovered and struck his jaw, knocking him unconscious.
I grabbed the knife just in time before the first one tried to punch me; I dodged, and his fist slammed into the wall.
"Grah! Damn it!" he yelled through gritted teeth in pain.
I answered with a high roundhouse kick to his nose, knocking him out as well.
I panted a bit; for my first fight, it wasn't bad.
"Thank you… thank you, sir," the girl said with a trembling voice.
"Don't worry, just be more careful," I replied, leaving the knife on the ground. "You'd better call the police; here's the weapon as evidence."
Good thing I had decided to wear gloves so my fingerprints wouldn't stay behind.
The woman nodded, and I left.
A blue screen appeared before me:
[MAIN QUEST: THE FIRST STEP!]
Improvise a vigilante outfit, patrol the streets of Queens, and stop your first crime
[3/3 completed]
[COMPLETED]
[REWARD: 100 EXP, 100 SHOP POINTS]
"Not bad at all," I muttered.
The fear I felt at first dissipated, replaced by a pulsing euphoria. I walked down the street, my heart pounding hard, ready for more.
A few hours passed without anything until I saw a group of men selling drugs in a dark alley. They were about to close a deal with a young guy. These weren't two muggers—there were six.
[QUEST: SAY "NO" TO DRUGS!]
Defeat the drug dealers
[REWARD: 100 XP, 100 SHOP POINTS]
I jumped off the roof, doing some parkour on the fire escape.
CRRREEEAK!
I didn't expect the damn thing to creak from rust.
The thugs turned instantly.
"Who are you? A cop?" asked one, pulling out a gun.
"I'm not a cop. But you're going to wish I was," I said, my voice trembling slightly.
For a few seconds, no one spoke, though it felt like minutes. I knew he was going to shoot, and I wasn't faster than a bullet. So I threw my nunchucks at him.
BANG!
The first shot rang out and, luckily for me, the bullet bounced off the nunchucks.
PING!
CLANK!
The projectile ricocheted and hit one of the men in the shoulder. He screamed in pain, crashing against the wall. The nunchucks kept going and smacked the gunman in the face.
The other four rushed me. I needed a weapon. I remembered when Captain America used a trash can lid. I looked around, and to my surprise… there was a damn green dumpster nearby.
"Seriously?" I thought.
Before I could react, someone grabbed my head and smashed my face against the dumpster lid.
CLANG!
They tossed me to the ground, and I hit my back hard.
This time, I remembered something useful: the damn Plank was in my inventory.
I didn't hesitate and pulled it out. I felt the man who had hit me approaching. I turned and...
WHAM!
I smacked him right in the face with Plank. He went down instantly. Another one came at me with a knife; I held Plank horizontally and slammed it low, making him collapse, clutching his groin. I got up and snatched the knife from him.
SMACK!
With my free hand, I punched the fifth thug. The sixth landed a punch in my stomach.
"What is it with these guys and my stomach?" I thought, falling to one knee.
I took advantage of my position to stab his thigh, then landed an uppercut that lifted him off the ground.
I leaned against the wall for a few seconds. I noticed the gunman slowly getting up, a bruise swelling on his head. I approached and didn't let him recover. I sat on his chest and pummeled him until he was unconscious.
He'd definitely need surgery for that nose.
I got up, picked up my nunchucks, and felt a gaze: the young buyer was staring at me. He didn't look older than me, nor like a regular user.
"Call the police, and don't touch any of this, okay?" I said, and the kid nodded, trembling.
Still aching in the stomach, I picked up Plank. On my way out of the alley, I stopped in front of the guy with the bullet wound. I stared until he opened his eyes in fear.
"Did you really think I'd buy that you were unconscious? It's just a bullet in your shoulder."
I raised Plank; the moon glinted off its wood before I brought it down fast on his head.
THWACK!
Finally, the blue screen appeared again before my eyes.
[QUEST: SAY "NO" TO DRUGS!]
Defeat the drug dealers.
[COMPLETED]
[REWARD: 100 XP, 100 SHOP POINTS]
I checked the system menu: my points had risen to 2000, and my progress was at 22%. Apparently, real fights leveled me up faster than training in the dojo and doing sparring.
"The system is giving me exactly what I need to be a vigilante," I said, smiling.
I felt a bit overwhelmed, but at the same time, incredibly excited.
I sat on a rooftop, gazing at the city. The moon was shining, and I felt like the king of the world.
Suddenly, I heard a noise nearby: an alarm blaring. I ran across the rooftops, ignoring the pain screaming in my body.
When I arrived, I saw it was a jewelry store. What caught my attention was a figure standing on the roof. I got closer to the silhouette and recognized her immediately: a woman with platinum-white hair and icy blue eyes. She wore a black leather suit with a zipper down, revealing a daring cleavage.
It was Felicia. But this wasn't the Felicia from earlier today. This was… Black Cat.
"I didn't think I'd go from fighting dealers to facing a… what are you, some kind of dominatrix or something?"
Felicia flinched at my presence but quickly regained her composure and smirked. "Looks like the wind brought a cute little snack for this kitty."
"Kitty? Listen, sweetheart, how about you just give up already, yeah?" I said playfully.
"Oh really? And what if you give up?"
Claws pressed against my neck. Someone else was behind me, and judging by the voice, it was definitely an older man.
My heart pounded hard. Apparently, I had stumbled upon a kitty and maybe… ¿Dad Cat?