The morning sun slipped between the buildings, painting the streets of Queens in orange.
For anyone else, it was just another normal day. For me, it was the first since the system had given me a mission... in the real world.
The notification still hovered in the corner of my vision:
[Active Side Mission: Shadows in Queens]
Location: Queensboro Plaza
Status: Pending
Reward: Experience + Random Skill (High Probability: Observation or Analysis)
I still didn't fully understand how the system could detect things outside the dungeons, but a part of me had already stopped questioning it. Only one thing mattered now — keep moving forward.
Midtown High
The morning started as usual.
Or at least, that's what I tried to make it look like.
Peter was in his eternal debate with Ned about which metal made the best conductor, while MJ complained about the cafeteria smell. Gwen, sitting next to me in the lab, kept glancing at me between equations.
"You okay?" she finally asked, frowning. "You've seemed distracted lately."
"Just... haven't been sleeping much," I lied, as always.
"You're gonna burn out if you keep that up, Blake," Peter said from across the table. "Not even you can survive three tests in a row without rest."
"Thanks for the faith," I replied with a half-smile.
"Speaking of faith," Ned chimed in, "what would you do if you saw something weird around your neighborhood? Like... gangs stealing tech or Oscorp stuff?"
"Oscorp?" I asked, trying to sound casual. "Why Oscorp?"
"I read an article," Ned said. "Some lab equipment's gone missing. Might be an inside job."
Gwen looked up. "My dad mentioned something like that. The police are investigating, but they've got nothing so far."
A chill ran down my spine. Queensboro Plaza, tech thefts, Oscorp — it all lined up with the mission's description. The system didn't pick locations at random.
On the way home
When the last bell rang, most people rushed out. I stayed behind, pretending to check my notes. Peter and the others left together, chatting. Gwen waved goodbye with a tired smile and wished me luck on tomorrow's test.
As soon as the hallway was empty, I opened the panel in my mind.
[Mission: Shadows in Queens]
Would you like to track the marked location?
"Yes," I whispered.
A thin blue line appeared in my vision — a compass pointing north.
Queensboro Plaza.
My heartbeat quickened. I didn't know what I'd find there, but the feeling was the same as before entering a dungeon.
Only this time, there wouldn't be a safe zone.
Preparations
By the time I got home, the sky had gone dark. I closed the curtains, grabbed my thickest black hoodie, and put on a pair of fingerless gloves. Then I tore up an old T-shirt and cut two holes for my eyes. Crude, but it'd work.
"Back to work," I muttered at my reflection.
The system buzzed softly:
[Operation Mode: Active]
Limited support functions available (map, analysis, energy scan).
Perfect.
I climbed out through the hallway window, down the fire escape, and into the alley.
No one saw me leave.
The city, glowing with streetlights and neon, felt like a different world — a giant chessboard, and I was just another newly placed piece.
Queensboro Plaza
The air smelled of metal and gasoline. Homeless men slept under bridges, trains screeched in the distance. I followed the blue line until I reached an old industrial zone, near a derelict auto shop.
The system pulsed.
[Unidentified energy detected.]
Source: modified technology — probable origin: Oscorp.
"Perfect," I muttered. "Just what I needed."
I moved between rusted containers and abandoned cars. A few minutes later, I heard voices. I crouched behind a wall and peeked out: four men with black jackets and heavy backpacks. One of them was tampering with a metal case sparking with green light.
"You sure this thing's safe?" one asked.
"Relax. The buyer's paying double if we deliver tonight," another replied. "Said it's from some kind of experimental weapons project."
My pulse quickened. I couldn't just jump in blindly. I needed a plan. The system seemed to read my thoughts.
[Tactical Suggestion Available.]
Activate: Instinct Vision.
"Let's try it," I whispered.
The world shifted.
Enemy silhouettes glowed red, and thin prediction lines appeared before their movements. I could see them move before they actually did.
I dropped down from the wall, landing silently behind the first guy, and knocked him out with the hilt of my dagger — the same one from the dungeon. He fell without a sound.
The second turned, but I was already there, twisting his arm and slamming him against a container.
"What the—?!" shouted the third as he raised his gun.
I rolled aside, dodging the gunfire, then swept his legs with a kick. The last one tried to run with the case, but I threw the knife — grazing his leg and sending him sprawling.
The system blinked.
[Threats neutralized.]
+40 XP | +20 $ | Reputation: +1 (Anonymous)
"Phew..." I exhaled. "That was... too easy."
I opened the metal case. The Oscorp logo was still visible, though half-burned. Inside was a cylindrical capsule glowing green — pulsing faintly, alive.
[Item detected: Experimental Energy Core – Classification: Unknown.]
"Another one of these weird things…" I muttered.
Before I could analyze it further, another message appeared.
[Collateral Event Detected: Security Drones Approaching.]
"Great. More company."
I grabbed the capsule and bolted toward the back of the building. Three drones appeared overhead, their blue lights sweeping through the dark.
They fired electric bolts — not bullets, but still painful.
I activated Shadow Step.
Time slowed.
The world blurred into streaks of light as I dashed across the lot, vaulting over a car and rolling under a beam. I hurled my dagger mid-spin — it struck the first drone dead center. Sparks exploded. The other two smashed into a fence just as time snapped back to normal.
"That... was intense."
The system chimed one last time.
[Mission Complete: Shadows in Queens]
Reward: +100 XP | +60 $ | Skill Acquired – Tactical Analysis (Level 1)**
Back Home
By the time I got back, it was almost 2 a.m.
I climbed through the window, tore off the mask, and collapsed onto the bed. My body ached, but regeneration was already doing its job.
The soft blue glow of the system panel lit the room.
[Player Status Updated]
Name: Ethan Blake
General Level: 6
Class (Explorer): Level 3
Experience: 52/400
Credits: 226 $
Strength: 13
Agility: 19
Constitution: 14
Energy: 14
New Skills:
Tactical Analysis (Active): Calculates escape routes, weak points, and attack trajectories during combat.Instinct Vision (Enhanced): Duration increased to 5 seconds.
I stared at the green core on my desk.
Oscorp. Gwen.
Everything was starting to connect — too close to my everyday life.
And if the system could detect this... what else was hidden in the city?
The clock hit three when the final message appeared.
[New Mission Unlocked: Anomaly at Oscorp (Recommended Level: 7+)]
I sighed.
"Great… and here I was hoping to sleep tonight."
I closed the panel and shut my eyes.
But in my mind, the image of that glowing green capsule kept shining.
And deep down, I knew this was only the beginning.