# Chapter 2: First Taste of Gold
The rain hasn't stopped.
Greyvale's streets are slick.
Dark. Alive.
Every shadow feels like teeth waiting to bite.
Every puddle reflects danger.
I clutch the black book.
It hums softly.
Hungry.
> "Mission: Infiltrate. Take at least 100 coins worth. Fail… and die."
Easy to say. Hard to do.
I step into the alley.
Heart hammering.
Fingers numb. Teeth chattering.
The mansion looms ahead.
Gold glinting faintly through the windows.
So close… I can almost taste it.
But I'm not alone.
City patrols. Soldiers of Greyvale.
They don't care about hunger.
They don't care about life.
Step wrong… and I die.
> "Stealth: 35/100
> Dexterity: 43/100
> Luck: 50/100
> Hunger: 70/100"
The system feeds me numbers.
Cold. Precise.
No mercy.
But… it gives me power.
A chance.
I creep along the walls.
Rain soaks through my hood.
Mud sticks to my boots.
Each step is a gamble.
A guard rounds the corner.
Freeze.
Breath catches.
I drop flat.
Wet mud. Sharp stones. Pain bites my knees.
The guard passes. Oblivious.
I… survived.
Step. Step. Step.
The mansion gates. Iron. Locked.
Black book whispers:
> "Pick the lock, Kael. Fail… die."
Hands shaking.
Sweat mixes with rain.
Click.
Success.
Inside… treasures beyond belief.
Chests. Rings. Gold.
My fingers twitch.
My stomach roars. Hunger is fire.
> "Take. Take. Take."
I stuff coins into my coat.
Jewels. Rings. Pockets full.
Heart racing.
System whispers:
> "Coins acquired: 50/100. Halfway there."
I freeze.
Movement.
Shadow.
Another guard. Faster than I imagined.
Step wrong… it's over.
System whispers:
> "Decide: fight… flee… deceive."
I do neither.
I freeze.
Heart in my throat.
Wait… watch… learn.
The guard moves on.
I exhale.
Coins. Rings. Jewels.
Weight of survival in my coat.
First taste of gold.
And it tastes… like fire.
I hear it — the system humming.
> "100 coins acquired. Level up. Rewards: Stealth +3, Dexterity +2, Hunger +5
> Next mission: survive the night without being noticed by patrols."
I grin.
Cold. Sharp. Hungry.
The first victory… tastes like power.
I slip into the shadows.
Patrols are everywhere.
Breathing shallow.
Feet silent.
Puddles reflecting the moonlight.
I see a patrolling soldier.
Step lightly.
He hums a tune.
Oblivious.
I nearly smile.
Hunger gnaws.
Fear gnaws harder.
But fire… fire burns inside me.
I am alive.
For the first time, I am more than nothing.
I move to the mansion's back door.
Another chest.
Another pile of coins.
Jewels glimmering.
> "Take. Take. Take."
But then… a sound.
A floorboard creaks.
I freeze.
System whispers:
> "Decision point: fight… flee… deceive…"
I scan.
Two guards this time.
Close. Too close.
My heart screams.
I grab a loose rug and toss it.
Clatter.
Guards turn.
I duck behind the chest.
Pockets jingling with coins.
They pass.
I exhale.
Rain outside is heavier.
I glance at the black book.
It glows faintly.
> "Mission complete: 100 coins. Level up."
I grin.
The first step into power.
The first step into survival.
And then… I notice it.
A small, strange mark on one of the jewels.
System whispers:
> "Warning: not all treasure is yours to take."
I feel it in my gut.
Danger… real danger.
But excitement too.
The world is cruel.
But hunger… hunger is mine.
Outside, the rain is relentless.
I step into it.
Coat heavy with water and coins.
The city smells like fear… and opportunity.
I will survive.
I will grow.
I will rise.
The poor die easy.
But the clever… rise.
I am clever.
I am rising.
And this… is only the beginning.