School felt like a different planet.
The lockers and fluorescent lights and kids complaining about homework, none of it felt real anymore, like he was walking through a movie set while the actual world happened somewhere else.
He sat through first period without hearing a word, second period was worse, by lunch he stopped pretending to pay attention and just stared out the window tracking the blips at the edge of his Scan.
[Entity detected: Distance 3.2km]
[Entity detected: Distance 4.1km]
[Entity detected: Distance 2.8km]
Three dots, not counting the one he killed yesterday.
They weren't getting closer, just sitting there, watching.
'They know their scout is dead. They're trying to figure out what happened.'
Some kid bumped into him in the hallway, muttered an apology, kept walking, he barely noticed, two days ago that might annoy him, now it just seemed small.
'None of these people have any idea. They're worried about homework and I'm out here killing things.'
The disconnect was giving him a headache.
---
He found a quiet corner of the library after school and pulled up the System interface.
[Query: Identify hostile entities]
[Analysis: Hostile entities in local area are classified as mercenary units]
[Affiliation: Multiple independent contractors]
[Target: "Dr. Bet's Legacy"]
[Bounty Value: 50,000 galactic credits]
Fifty thousand, he had no idea what that meant in real terms but it sounded like a lot of money.
[Query: What is "Dr. Bet's Legacy"?]
[Definition: Technology and knowledge created or acquired by Dr. Bet during his 30-year collection operation. Primary target is the Neural Interface System (current designation: User's bonded device)]
'They're not after me. They're after the System. I'm just the idiot it's attached to.'
That should make him feel better, it didn't.
[Additional Information: Bounty placed by unknown entity. Current claimants include 7 registered mercenary operatives in local area.]
Seven total, he killed two, five left.
---
Walking home he tried to think it through.
Five mercenaries, all of them stronger and faster and more experienced than him, he was Level 3 with one skill and stats that barely qualified as superhuman, against professional killers that wasn't much.
'Can't go to the police. What would I even say? Can't run forever. Can't fight them all at once.'
Two options.
One was to hide, stay low, move whenever they get close, keep running until he graduated? Got a job? He'd be running for the rest of his life.
Two was to find them before they find him, take them out one at a time before they can coordinate.
Running meant fear forever, fighting meant probably dying.
But he already killed two of them.
[Hidden Quest Activated: Eliminate all Tech Hunters in the city]
[Progress: 2/7]
[Reward: 500 XP, Rare Skill]
'Even the System thinks I should fight.'
He stopped walking, watching the three blips on his Scan, 2.8km, 3.2km, 4.1km, close enough to be a threat, far enough that they weren't attacking yet.
'They're waiting. Testing. Trying to figure out what I am.'
He started walking again, faster.
'If they want to find out, I'll show them.'
---
His mom was making dinner when he got home, pasta with sauce from a jar, she cooked more lately, not because she was hungry, just because it gave her something to do.
"How was school?"
"Fine."
"Learn anything interesting?"
'Yeah. There's a bounty on Dad's tech and five aliens want to kill me for it.'
"Nothing special."
She nodded stirring the pot without looking up, her eyes were red but she wasn't crying anymore.
He sat at the table and watched her cook feeling the distance between them grow with every lie.
'I'll tell her eventually. When it's safe. When I can actually keep her safe.'
That was the excuse, the truth was simpler, he didn't want to see her face when she found out what her son was becoming.
---
That night he explored the Store.
[Store Function - Level 3 Access]
[Categories:]
[Weapons (12 items available)]
[Armor (8 items available)]
[Skills (15 items available)]
[Items (23 items available)]
[Upgrades (5 items available)]
[Current Store Points: 0]
[SP can be earned through missions or by selling collected items]
Zero points, great.
He scrolled through the weapons anyway, energy blades, plasma pistols, something called a neural disruptor that sounded terrifying, prices ranged from 50 SP to 500 SP.
[Tip: Defeated enemies may drop items that can be sold for SP. Salvaged materials from compatible technology are also valuable.]
'So I kill aliens to get points to buy stuff to help me kill more aliens. It's a grind.'
The Scan updated, new blip at the edge of his range.
[Entity detected: Distance 5.8km]
[Entity detected: Distance 6.1km]
The last two were moving into the city.
[Entity count: 5]
[Assessment: Full hunter team now deployed]
[Recommendation: Prepare for coordinated assault]
All of them were here now, and eventually they were going to stop watching and start hunting.
'Better to find them first. Before they find Mom.'
He closed the Store interface and started thinking.