"Bro? Bro, are you listening?" Fat Ray noticed Cloud's eyes had gone distant, like he was spacing out, and asked cautiously.
"Shut up!" Cloud snapped back to reality and shot him a vicious glare.
Dammit, can't keep dwelling on this. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.
Priority one: deal with this problem, then find somewhere safe to properly study this "smart-ass system."
Cloud's gaze turned cold again. He moved the gun barrel slowly down from Fat Ray's forehead, eventually stopping at a certain... indescribable location.
Fat Ray's pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks. A chill shot up from his tailbone straight to the top of his skull.
He felt his manhood facing an unprecedented existential crisis.
"Bro... calm down! Acting on impulse is the devil's work!" Fat Ray's voice had taken on a sobbing quality.
"Two choices," Cloud said, his voice dropping to a demonic whisper.
"One: I cripple you and leave you here to fend for yourself. Two: You hand over everything valuable on you, including your pants, and then get out of my sight. Forever."
Fat Ray blinked, stunned—then looked like he'd been granted amnesty.
Dignity versus the family jewels? Dignity wasn't worth shit!
With speed that completely contradicted his body type, he stripped off his leather jacket and watch, emptied all his pockets in seconds flat.
Finally, under Cloud's "encouraging" stare, he trembled as he unbuckled his belt and removed a pair of pants printed with little yellow ducks.
"Bro, that's everything! I swear on my life!" Fat Ray stood there in nothing but soaked underwear, shivering in the cold rain.
"Scram." Cloud kept it brief.
Fat Ray fled like a man reborn, scrambling on all fours down the other end of the alley, running faster than Usain Bolt.
Watching Fat Ray's pathetic retreating figure, Cloud let out a long breath. The tension finally drained from his body.
He leaned against the cold, wet wall, feeling like every ounce of strength had been sucked out of him.
This was his first time getting so close to death. And his first time personally deciding another person's fate.
The alley returned to silence, filled only with the sound of rain.
Cloud looked down at the spoils in his hands: a leather jacket that would barely fit, a heavy revolver with six rounds, and over a hundred dollars scraped off Fat Ray.
"Starting with nothing but a life—equipment? Rob it..." Cloud laughed self-deprecatingly and tucked the gun into his waistband before pulling on the jacket, still warm from Fat Ray's body heat.
The process had been harrowing, but at least he'd survived his first night in this godforsaken world.
He found a relatively clean spot under an awning and began carefully studying the mysterious system.
...
[System Shop]
He opened it to find a dazzling array of goods. Everything from "Vita Lemon Tea (restores small amount of stamina)" to "Marvel Universe Super Soldier Serum (Price: 1,000,000 Source Points)" was available.
Cloud's eyes went wide, drool practically forming at the corners of his mouth.
But when he saw his pitiful balance of 100 Source Points, his heart sank.
That amount couldn't even buy the shop's cheapest item: [Brick (comes with "Guaranteed Stun on Back-of-Head Hit" effect)].
"Poverty is the original sin..." Cloud sighed dramatically toward the heavens.
...
Next was the [Quest List].
Currently, only one main quest hung there:
[Main Quest: Hyena of South Town]
[Description: In the dog-eat-dog world of South Town, weakness is a sin. Host must rapidly increase strength—at minimum, enough to walk freely through this city without being treated as easy prey.]
[Requirements: Within one month, raise Constitution, Strength, and Agility to 10 each.]
[Rewards: Source Points x1000, Skill "Basic Combat Mastery."]
Cloud looked at the requirements and felt the pressure crushing down on him.
Double his stats in one month? Training alone wasn't going to cut it. The only way was to keep "plundering."
Clearly, this system was dead set on making him sprint down the path of "outlaw extraordinaire."
...
Finally, there was the [Gacha Wheel]—the part he'd been most looking forward to.
The wheel was divided into countless segments, each labeled with various prizes. There was "Thanks for Playing" and "Try Again," but also "Iori Yagami's Purple Flame Trial Card" and "Mai Shiranui's Original Battle Outfit"... and one segment that simply read "Host Gains 20 Pounds Instantly."
Cloud's eyelid twitched.
This gacha was way too intense. Basically a random toggle between heaven and hell.
"System, use the draw!" Cloud took a deep breath and thought the command.
The wheel began spinning rapidly, its colorful pointer a dizzying blur.
Cloud's heart leapt to his throat. He pressed his palms together, muttering under his breath: "I, your humble believer, vow to eat a balanced diet for life. Please grant me a golden legendary..."
The pointer gradually slowed, passing "Blood of Orochi," missing "Fist of Kusanagi," and finally...
Ding!
The pointer stopped firmly on an unremarkable white segment.
Four characters were written there: [Starter Pack].
[Congratulations, Host! You've hit the hidden reward: Good Samaritan Starter Pack!]
[Pack Contents:]
[1. Source Points x500.]
[2. Item: Brick x1 (Quality: Common. Note: The legendary Holy Sword of Physics. Essential equipment for street brawls. With this, you ARE the protagonist!)]
[3. Skill: Language Mastery (Basic). Host can now communicate seamlessly with this world's primary intelligent species.]
[4. Passive Talent: Tenacity. Host's damage resistance and recovery are slightly improved. At least you won't die from a single punch now.]
...
Cloud stared at the pack contents, torn between joy and sorrow.
The good news: 500 Source Points was a lifesaver. Language Mastery and the passive talent were desperately needed bonuses.
The bad news: ...this starter pack was a bit too down-to-earth, wasn't it?
Other people's starter packs came with divine martial arts manuals and legendary bloodlines. His came with a brick?
And it was Common quality!
System, are you looking down on me?
[System Notice: Host, please do not underestimate this brick. According to System big-data analysis, in South Town street conflicts, bricks achieve a 73.4% victory rate—far exceeding fists and feet. Practicality is king.]
Cloud had no words left to argue. He could only retrieve the legendary "Holy Sword of Physics" from system storage.
It was an ordinary red brick, edges slightly chipped, seemingly still carrying the lingering essence of some construction site.
He hefted it. Solid weight. And the grip... surprisingly comfortable.
"Fine, a brick it is." Cloud sighed and carefully stowed the brick away.
Now he had money (600 Source Points), skills, and weapons (revolver plus brick). Finally, he had a sliver of confidence about surviving in this city of sin.
The rain gradually stopped.
Cloud walked out of the alley and gazed at South Town's nightscape—lights blazing in the distance, yet danger lurking in every shadow. He took a deep breath of the humid air.