He was a "veteran" who had already survived two Mission Worlds. Yet, he knew next to nothing about the thing inside his head. Its name, its purpose, its origin—all blank. Even the reason he was chosen remained a mystery.
He brushed his teeth, washed his face, went to bed, and woke up with a cold, synthetic voice echoing in his head.
No exploding computers, no freak meteor strikes, no mysterious old beggar selling cursed trinkets. He had simply... become the Chosen One.
Russell had tried to interrogate the System. But the System offered no explanations. It only stated that he was currently a "Trial User" with insufficient clearance. Only after surviving three Mission Worlds would he become a "Full User." Then, and only then, would the truth be revealed.
Another thing that ground Russell's gears was the scheduling. The timing of the Mission Worlds was erratic. The gap between his first two missions—Subway Surfers and Temple Run—had been a month and a half. This time? Less than two weeks.
He felt like a marionette, dancing to a rhythm he couldn't hear. But until he secured Full User status, he had to suck it up.
He had survived twice. One more run, and he'd know if this was a blessing or a curse.
Russell took a drag of his cigarette and mentally commanded the System to open. A holographic interface shimmered into existence before his eyes.
[USER PROFILE]
User: Russell
STR (Strength): 10 (7+3)
VIT (Vitality): 8 (6+2)
INT (Intelligence): 9 (8+1)
Level: 2
EXP: 150/500
Credits: 400
Below these stats, everything else was greyed out. According to the System, the Item Shop was locked due to "Insufficient Clearance." His 400 Credits were currently useless monopoly money.
The three base attributes—STR, VIT, INT—looked simple, but covered a wide range of biological metrics.
STR was a composite of explosive power, speed, and agility.
VIT covered constitution, immune system, toxic resistance, physical endurance, and "HP." Pump this stat, and you might live to be a hundred.
INT wasn't IQ. It was more like "Spirit". It governed coordination, sixth sense, and mental resistance.
The three attributes were interconnected. You couldn't just dump all your points into STR and become the Hulk. Without VIT to support the muscle mass, or INT to coordinate the movement, you'd just be a fragile glass cannon that shattered its own bones with a single punch.
Russell had distributed his 6 Stat Points evenly to maintain balance. In his current state, with a little training, he could rival Olympic athletes... at least in track and field.
Points came from leveling up—3 points per level. Before the System, Russell's police training had already put his STR and VIT at a solid 6 (above the civilian average of 5).
His INT, however, started at a whopping 8. This wasn't from hitting the books; it was his freakish Sixth Sense. He had a natural talent for reading people—spotting the weak, the nervous, the guilty.
Russell stared at the Level 2 marker. A question gnawed at him: If this was just a "Trial," why was he leveling up? Was this like a game beta where his save file would get wiped at launch?
Pushing the doubt aside, he tabbed over to the Skills & Equipment list. This was where things got interesting.
[SKILLS]
[Tactical Linguistics (Passive)]: You now speak Russian. (Note: It's not just "Cyka Blyat" and "Vodka" anymore).
[Marathon Runner (Passive)]: You can literally run your opponents to death.
[Police CQC (Passive)]: Not bad. Better than nothing.
[Toxic Tongue (Passive)]: Conversations always seem to end when you start talking.
[EQUIPMENT / CARDS]
[Character Card: The Sprinter]: Based on Usain Bolt. Top speed 27.8 mph. Basically, one press of the gas pedal.
[Character Card: Subway Cop]: A middle-aged man with a dog. Even a jetpack cannot escape him. Rumored to be ex-Delta Force.
[Item: Herbal Ointment (3 jars)]: Cures arthritis, rheumatism, and muscle pain. Dissolve in hot water and inhale steam to cure a runny nose.
[Item: Vampiric Bandage (3 rolls)]: Contains hundreds of micro-absorbent pads. Guaranteed to accelerate blood loss.
The skills and items came from the post-mission Gacha Draws aside from his innate CQC and Toxic Tongue.
Skills came in two flavors: One-time Use and Permanent. Tactical Linguistics and Marathon Runner were permanent keeps. He had once drawn a one-use skill called [Flamethrower] during the Temple Run world. It worked great—turned the Temple Beast into a fireball.
Unfortunately, the fireball then chased him for the entire run.
Character Cards were a total crapshoot. According to the System, using a card granted the character's ability, but they were timed. Duration was random—could be 10 minutes, could be 10 seconds.
Sure, he could extend the time by burning Credits (charged by the second), but since the Item Store was locked, he couldn't top up. It felt like a Pay-to-Win game where he couldn't find the "Deposit" button.
As for the Item Cards... the System kept its mouth shut, and Russell didn't bother experimenting. Based on the descriptions of the Herbal Ointment and the Vampiric Bandage, they were likely useless.
Russell closed the interface. His cigarette had burned down to the filter. He stubbed it out and stood up to stretch.
[Attention User. The Third Mission World is about to begin. Entering final minute countdown. Please prepare!]
One minute left. Russell stopped stretching, took a sip of water, and sat back in his chair. He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the scenery had shifted instantly.
He was standing on the roof of a skyscraper.
Surrounding him were four men. Like him, they were dressed as a maintenance crew. But if you ignored the jumpsuits and focused on the loaded weapons in their duffle bags and the cold, predatory look in their eyes... the disguise fell apart.
Russell looked down at the Mk 11 Sniper Rifle in his hands, then at the black-and-white photo of a target pinned to the floor.
"Great," he muttered, checking the scope. "I said it before, I hate assassins."
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