The next day started with me hunched over the Supercomputer, eyes burning as I scrolled through encrypted files. My Predator's Instinct nudged me every time I was about to make a mistake, but the damn thing still gave me headaches. (Predator's Instinct will still activate as it will warn him about danger anytime, from a banana to the god of this world, so I think it would work here.)[WIS +1. New stat: 18.]"Finally, some progress."
After hours of digging, I uncovered fragments of a shipping manifest—coded, but clear enough to see "Pier 47" and "midnight." Weapons, lots of them. Fisk wasn't playing around.
I spent the afternoon preparing. Knuckle dusters? Check. Supercomputer? Running a background trace on any known Fisk associates that I could find with my 18 WIS. The fit? As amazing as always. By the time the sun was going down, I felt ready—or at least as ready as someone who barely survived the last fight could be.
Night fell quickly. The streets hummed with distant traffic as I slipped through alleys, every step silent under the cloak of my Stealth skill. The closer I got to Pier 47, the thicker the air felt, like tension itself was waiting to snap.
Containers were stacked like a labyrinth. Armed guards patrolled the area, their radios crackling softly. I ducked behind a crate and whispered, "Clockbreak."[Forget Me Why? Activated]
Time slowed. I darted between cover, weaving through blind spots like a ghost.
When it ended, I found myself above the shipment area, perched on a container. Below, crates were being unloaded from a truck—each marked with Fisk's insignia. I activated Observe on the lead guard.[Target: Gang Lieutenant – Lv 20]HP: 600/600Notes: Commands the shipment. Avoid unless you like dying.
"Yeah, nope. Hard pass on fighting him."
Snapped some pics, recorded video, easy-peasy. I was about to sneak out when a voice floated out of the darkness:
"You're getting better at sneaking around."
I almost fell off the container. "Jesus! Do you have to do the creepy voice-in-the-dark thing?"
Daredevil stepped out of the shadows like the drama king he is. "I wanted to see if you could do this without getting killed. Looks like you managed."[Side Quest completed: Get more information about the shipment.]Reward: 500 EXP.
"Yeah, survived. Gold star for me." I waved the drive like a prize. "Got all the intel—Fisk's moving a crap-ton of weapons, and he's trying to rule Hell's Kitchen, and while that's not where I live, it's where you work."
Daredevil's jaw tightened. "I've heard whispers that he wants to start by ruling the gangs, as you can see."
"Awesome. Because my life wasn't already full of sunshine and rainbows."[Stop whining, Liam.]
I glared at the invisible text box. Daredevil continued like he didn't hear me arguing with myself. "Tomorrow night, we stop that shipment. You're reckless, but I could use the help."
The System dinged.[Active Quest: Ally with Daredevil.]Objective: Assist Daredevil in stopping Fisk's shipment.Reward: 1500 EXP + Strength-Boosting Gloves.
"Sure. But let me guess, I'm the bait?"
"You're loud. It suits you," Daredevil said, smirking like he just told the funniest joke ever.
"Wow, love the confidence boost. Keep it up and I'll cry."
He ignored me and stepped back, falling off the container and disappearing like a discount Batman. One second there, the next gone.
I looked at the pier and the intel. "Well, this'll either go great… or I'll die horribly. Either way, Fisk is gonna have a bad night."
The wind whipped my scarf dramatically, and I grinned. "Time to cause some chaos."
The following day, I treated myself like the protagonist I am: breakfast of champions (which was just leftover pizza). "I need to get a better place to sleep in; this place sucks."
Some light training. Light training meaning some push-ups, which are easy since my 25 STR is way above most people. I'm not getting any stats from it; it's just to get me ready.[Reminder: Actual training might help you not die.]
"Wow, thanks, System. Always my biggest fan. Just show me my stats."[STATUS]
Name: Liam Vale
Level: 8 (750/800)
HP: 250/250
MP: 250/250
STR: 25
DEX: 28
VIT: 25
INT: 25
WIS: 18
CHA: 17
Points: 0
Skills:
Gamer's Mind (Passive)
Gamer's Body (Passive)
Basic Combat (Passive Lv 4)
Forget Me Why? Because I Wanted (Passive)
Predator's Instinct (Passive Lv 1)
Limit Break (Passive Lv 1)
Brutal Momentum (Passive Lv 1)
Stealth (Active, Lv 3)
Observe (Active, Lv 3)
Clockbreak (Active, Lv 2)
Gravity Crush (Active Lv 2)
"Not bad, but it's not enough."
At exactly 10:00 PM, I perched on a rooftop overlooking Pier 47. Daredevil was already there, crouched like a gargoyle, probably listening to the heartbeat of every rat in the city.
"You're late," he said without looking at me.
"Fashionably late," I corrected. "It's part of my charm."
He sighed like an exhausted dad. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be to run screaming into a firefight while you do all the cool ninja stuff."
He almost smiled. Almost. "We stick to the plan. You create a diversion, draw them out. I'll take down their leaders while you keep the others busy."
"Perfect. I love being human bait."
We moved in. I climbed down to the pier, blending into the shadows while Daredevil disappeared into the container stacks. My heart was pounding. The System chimed.[New Objective: Create a diversion.]Bonus: +300 EXP if no civilians are harmed.
"Alright, showtime." I grabbed a small crate, lobbed it across the pier, and jumped down with my arms spread. "Yo guys, we are having a party here or what?"
Immediately, alarms blared and thugs swarmed out like angry bees. Guns aimed at me. Perfect.
"Gravity Crush!"
The air bent, slamming them to their knees. Some groaned, weapons clattering to the ground, while others just froze, the skill still chewing through my MP.
"Clockbreak!"
Time slowed as I dashed forward, knuckle dusters glowing faintly as Brutal Momentum stacked with each punch. One, two, three—bam! My STR skyrocketed, and every hit landed harder than the last.[Brutal Momentum: +9 STR][STR temporarily: 34]
As the Clockbreak ended, behind me the sound of chaos erupted—Daredevil was already a blur, dismantling thugs with precision strikes while I played whack-a-mole.
Then the Lieutenant showed up. Big guy. Mean face.[Target: Gang Lieutenant – Lv 20]HP: 600/600Notes: Strong. Don't die.
"System, I need more of his stats."
Name: Gang Lieutenant
Level: 20
HP: 600/600
MP: 0/0
STR: 35
DEX: 12
VIT: 60
INT: 8
WIS: 10
CHA: 5
Points: 0
"You have got to be kidding me."
The guy was a mountain with a gun the size of a small cannon. He growled, "You've made a big mistake, kid."
I swallowed hard. "Yeah, well, I make those a lot. You're not special."
He charged like a bull. I barely dodged, the shockwave from his swing rattling my teeth. I countered with a quick jab, but it felt like punching a brick wall.[Brutal Momentum: +12 STR][STR temporarily: 37][You are about to die.]
"Thanks for the pep talk, System!"
The Lieutenant swung again, this time clipping my side. Pain flared, my HP dropping. I rolled back.[Brutal Momentum: reset][HP: 225/250]
And then—THWACK!—a baton whipped through the air, cracking against the Lieutenant's jaw. He stumbled.
Daredevil landed beside me, calm as ever. "You look like you needed help."
"Needed? Nah, I had him right where I wanted him," I panted.
He smirked. "Sure you did." I grabbed his hand and got up.
The Lieutenant roared, charging both of us. Daredevil rolled to the side, striking nerves in the man's leg, while I slammed an uppercut into his gut.
He wheezed, staggering. Daredevil moved like water, flipping over the brute to land a strike to the back of his neck. I followed up with a haymaker to the face.[Brutal Momentum: +6 STR][STR temporarily: 31]
The Lieutenant spat blood, eyes glowing with rage. He slammed his foot down, sending a tremor through the ground that almost knocked me off balance.
"Alright, new plan," I muttered, clutching my side. "You dance around him, and I… I'll try not to die."
Daredevil cracked a grin under his mask. "Stick to that plan."
The giant swung wildly, forcing us apart. Daredevil dodged with ease, his billy clubs snapping against the Lieutenant's ribs in a rhythm like a drumbeat. I darted in, aiming for his side, but he caught me mid-charge and hurled me across the alley like a sack of potatoes.[Brutal Momentum: reset][HP: 110/250][Warning: Critical condition approaching.]
"Okay, fuck this. Clockbreak." Now that the cooldown is done, I can get my Brutal Momentum up more.
Time seemed to slow with my speed. Even if it's just for a few seconds, I can still use my max speed to get hits in. An elite athlete can get around 5–7 hits in a second, and I've got 5 seconds.
I start swinging at max force from his jaw to his ribs, every hit doing more and more damage.[Brutal Momentum: +105 STR][STR temporarily: 130]
Each impact shook my bones, but as Clockbreak ended, I made the big man stumble back—right into Daredevil's final strike, a spinning baton crack across the back of his head.
The Lieutenant swayed, groaned, and collapsed like a felled tree.[Target defeated: Gang Lieutenant – Lv 20][XP gained: 600][Level Up! Lv 8 → Lv 9]
I flopped onto the ground, breathing hard. "So… what do you call that move? The hit-him-until-he-stops-moving technique?"
Daredevil smirked faintly. "Works every time."
Daredevil offered me a hand up. "Come on. We're not done yet."
"Define 'done,'" I said, groaning as I stood. "Because I was kinda hoping for pizza after this."
He just started walking toward the shadows of the alley. "We'll talk on the way. There's more where he came from."
"Great," I sighed, limping after him. "Because nothing says 'fun evening' like nearly dying… twice."
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