The rain in Gotham didn't wash away the filth; it just made the blood run thinner.
I stood on a rusted fire escape overlooking a warehouse in the Bowery, the headquarters of "The Skulls." These mid-tier smugglers were the perfect training ground. Behind me, five pairs of red eyes flickered in the dark. My Shadow Warriors. They didn't breathe or make a sound; they just waited for my command.
The Raid
I didn't sneak in. I walked through the front door, the Glock-17 heavy in my hand.
"Who the hell are you?" a guard shouted, reaching for his shotgun.
BANG.
I wasn't a marksman yet, but at ten feet, I didn't need to be. He went down. Suddenly, ten more men flooded the floor, rifles raised.
"Kill this arrogant brat!"
A hail of bullets tore through my chest. It was a white-hot, searing pain that lasted only a second before the world flipped into a familiar, cold void.
[DEATH REGISTERED]
Gains: +1 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Defense, +1 Spirit.
Current Status:
Strength: 12
Agility: 12
Defense: 11
Spirit: 11
Respawning...
The Respawn
I blinked, and suddenly I was standing in a park in the Diamond District, exactly ten kilometers from where I'd just been turned into swiss cheese. I looked at my chest. The holes in my shirt remained, but my skin was smooth and unmarked. I felt heavier. More solid.
"Again," I whispered.
I sank into my own shadow, entering the Shadow Kingdom. It felt like walking through cold oil. Seconds later, I emerged from the floorboards of the warehouse, rising like a ghost behind the man who had just pulled the trigger.
The gang members were staring at the spot where I had collapsed. My "corpse" had already dissolved into black, wispy smoke.
"Where'd he go?!" one yelled, his hands shaking.
"Behind you," I said.
I didn't use the gun this time. I raised my hand, and the floor exploded with darkness. Five Shadow Warriors lunged out, their blades gleaming. They moved with unnatural speed, their limbs stretching like rubber as they dismantled the gunmen with surgical precision.
The Message
I walked toward the boss—a man named Vinny—who was cowering behind a mahogany desk. He fired a revolver at me in a blind panic. One bullet caught me square in the shoulder.
I didn't even flinch.
My skin had toughened just enough that it felt like a dull bee sting. I reached out and grabbed him by the throat. My grip was tightening, my muscles humming with a strength that was beginning to surpass any Olympic athlete.
"This territory belongs to the Shadows now," I growled. "Tell everyone. The man who can't die is coming for Gotham."
I dropped him and turned away. I could feel my limits expanding. Dealing with street trash was giving me crumbs—barely a single point per death. To truly ascend, I needed a bigger predator.
I looked at the simple, flickering screen in my mind one last time before it faded.
[OBJECTIVE UPDATED]
Target: Meta-human or Tier-1 Villain.
Potential Gain: +50 to +500 Attributes.
Maybe it was time to go find Killer Croc in the sewers. One bite from him would give me the power of fifty men in a single heartbeat.