Ten violet eyes gleamed in the dark. They slowly advanced, piercing through the alleyway's shadows. Akito stood firm, gripping the bat so tightly his knuckles cracked.
He knew — something was about to happen.
The first rat emerged from the darkness. Massive — at least a meter long — with white foam dripping from its fangs. Then another. And another. Soon, the entire pack crawled into view.
"This looks like rabies…" Akito muttered. "System, what the heck are these things?! How am I supposed to fight them?"
As always, no reply came.
"Alright… let's do this." He shifted into a ready stance. "Come at me one by one!"
The rats charged. One of them leapt — Akito jumped too, smashing it midair with his bat. It crashed into a trash bin. He even allowed himself a smile…
Too soon.
"Aaah!!"
Another one sank its teeth into his leg. A notification blinked before his eyes:
[-20 HP]
"That hurts!" he screamed. "I thought this was one of those games where you're immortal by default!"
He struck the rat with the bat again and again — but it wouldn't let go.
Then — bam — a second one pounced straight at his face. He threw up his arm just in time.
[-20 HP]
"How much health do I even have?!" he shouted, slamming the rat into a wall.
A third one latched onto his other leg.
[-20 HP]
"Get off me already!!" he roared, spinning and knocking two rats away at once.
He fell, coughing from the stench, and spotted a metal pipe under some trash.
There it is…
He dropped the bat, lunged forward, and grabbed the pipe.
The last rat jumped — and with one clean strike, Akito slammed it into the pavement. It stopped moving.
[Enemy eliminated (1/5)]
"Let's go!" he exhaled. "Time to get serious."
He dashed forward. In a quick series of swings, he took down three more rats.
[Enemy eliminated (2/5)]
[Enemy eliminated (3/5)]
[Enemy eliminated (4/5)]
The final one lay near the dumpster — the same one he'd struck first. It weakly twitched on the ground, unable to rise.
Akito slowly approached, looked into its frightened eyes… and without hesitation, crushed its skull.
[All targets eliminated (5/5)]
[Level Up: 1 → 4]
[Stat Points Gained]
[Quest Reward: 250 eni | Dagger]
[Debuff applied: "Rabies Lv.1" — You will die in 2 hours]
"What?!" Akito clutched his head. "System, are you kidding me?!"
Silence.
"Okay… calm down. Every game has a shop. There has to be one here…"
He swiped through the interface — and to his relief, found a tab: [Shop].
"Mmm… swords, armor… potions… There!"
[White Capsule Lv.1]
Description: Removes all debuffs of Lv.2 or lower.
Price: 200 eni
"Buy it!" he shouted.
A flash of light — and the capsule materialized at his feet, rolling dangerously close to a sewer grate. Akito snatched it just in time and swallowed it.
[All debuffs successfully removed]
He slumped against the wall, breathing heavily.
"Finally…" he whispered. "What a nightmare of a first quest…"
He picked up his bat, pulled up his hood, glanced at the map, and limped home with determination in his eyes.
Time to see what comes next…
The apartment door clicked shut — Akito stepped inside, leaving muddy, bloody footprints behind him.
He turned on the lights. Same tiny apartment. Same dim bulbs.
Only now — he was covered in bruises, dirt, and reeked of sewage and rotten meat.
"Lovely…" he muttered. "Shower first. Then I'll deal with the rest."
He dragged himself into the bathroom and groaned as he pulled off his clothes.
The hot water stung his wounds the moment it hit.
"Argh… dang it…" he hissed through his teeth. "Burns… but I'll live."
His body ached all over, but his mind was buzzing.
He survived. He killed mutants. He completed the quest.
⸻
Half an hour later, wearing a clean t-shirt and sleep shorts, Akito lay on his bed, staring at the translucent system window still floating in the air.
[Stats]
[Inventory]
[Shop]
"Let's see what we've got…" he tapped on [Inventory].
Inside, he saw:
•Dagger (Common)
•50 eni
He tapped on the dagger. A new window appeared:
[Sell] [Inspect] [Discard]
"Hmm, how much is it worth?"
He carefully pressed [Sell].
Do you want to sell this item?
Price: 550 eni
[Yes] [No]
"Not bad… but I think I'll hang onto it. Might come in handy."
He tapped [No], and the window disappeared.
Next, he opened [Stats].
⸻
Name: Akito Kurosawa
Level: 4
Rank: D
Role: Warden of the Guardians
[Expand]
He tapped it. The full screen opened:
•Attack: 60
•HP: 100
•Mana: 0
•Height: 182 cm
•Weight: 78 kg
•Age: 18
•Skills: None
•Strength: 0 / ∞ [+]
•Speed: 0 / ∞ [+]
•Endurance: 0 / ∞ [+]
•Vitality: 0 / ∞ [+]
•Energy: 0 / ∞ [+]
Bonus Points: 4
"I'll boost Vitality for now," Akito thought. "Save the rest for later."
[Vitality: 1 / ∞]
[HP increased: 100 → 120]
"Nice," he nodded with satisfaction.
He glanced at the clock — 11:38 p.m.
"…Dang it. I have work tomorrow."
He closed the interface, stretched, and rolled over onto his stomach. Hugged his pillow. Closed his eyes.
For the first time in a long while, he fell asleep with the feeling that something truly strange had just begun in his life.