After school.
The sun dipped low behind the city skyline. Shadows stretched, warping the concrete and broken trees into long arms across the street. Everything looked peaceful.
Deceptively so.
Aiden walked alone, blazer slung over his shoulder, earbuds in — but with no music playing. Just the soft hum of the world and the silent presence of the system burning in his peripheral vision.
His boots crushed fallen leaves and empty wrappers as he turned into the park near campus. It was one of the few quiet places left that didn't reek of piss or politics.
A worn-out bench near the edge of a rusted fountain. He sat.
Lit a cigar. (This guy is still dragging his cigar for god's sake)
And exhaled.
The smoke curled upward. Slow. Calm.
His eyes, however, weren't.
They locked on the translucent blue windows flickering to life in front of him.
[Daily Status Update – 16:24 HRS]
▸ Smile Points: 42,680▸ Celestial Subscribers: 5,421,119▸ Titles: - Soldier of the Forgotten Wars - Legend of Dust and Lead - The One Who Returned (Hidden)
▸ Stats: STR – 74 AGI – 70 END – 79 PER – 76 INT – 68 CHA – 67 LCK – 71 WILL – 82
▸ Level: 55▸ Kill Count: 1,032▸ Passive Skills (Lv): Sharpshooter (4), Tactical Movement (3), Pain Resistance (3), Situational Awareness (3), Knifeplay (2), Fear Aura (1), Cold Reading (2), Close Quarters Combat (4)
▸ Active Skills: Adrenaline Spike (2), Stealth Protocol (2), Kill Switch (1)
He whistled.
"Not bad for a first day back in puberty."
[Smile Points +16]The God of Bitter Comebacks appreciates the self-deprecation.A Scholar of Broken Timelines is now watching your growth.
[Side Quests Available]
▸ Scavenge a weapons cache near the industrial district. - Reward: Random Weapon (Rare) - Risk: Moderate - Smile Points: 3,000
▸ Track and eliminate a local gang hideout. - Enemies: 9–12 - Risk: Easy - Base Reward: 30,000 Smile Points - Bonus Reward (Kill all): ???
▸ Assist in quelling a rift anomaly downtown. - Classification: Rift-Crack (Minor) - Risk: Severe - Reward: 90,000 Smile Points + System Favor
Aiden paused.
He squinted at the third option. Rift anomaly?
He clicked.
[Notice: Crack in Dimensional Fabric Detected – Sector 3A]Status: Unstable. Infection energy leakage minor but growing.Origin: UNKNOWN. Similar signature to Global Fall Event, 2033.Recommendation: Avoid unless equipped with Rift-Grade Gear.
He dragged a hand down his face.
"Oh, hell no."
[Smile Points +10]A Curious Being of the Hollow Skies bursts into laughter.A Swordless Warlord is disappointed in your caution.
His system buzzed again. Another quest — this one newly formed.
[Emergency Rift Monitoring Quest]▸ Stay within 200 meters of a growing anomaly for 15 minutes. - Reward: 6,000 Smile Points - Optional: Scan Origin Signature (Risk: ???)
Accept? ▸ Y/N
He hit "Decline" instantly.
"Get that masochist playground away from me."
He lit a second cigar from the embers of the first.
And finally focused.
The gang hideout.
Nine to twelve scumbags. Probably with machetes, one pistol between them, and more tattoos than IQ points.
Perfect for warm-up.
He tapped "Accept."
[Mission Accepted – Target Location: Warehouse District – 2.3 km]▸ Travel Time Estimate: 17 minutes (on foot)▸ Suggested Loadout: Melee & Suppressed Weapon▸ Weapon not yet equipped. —Auto-locating scavenger quest…
[New Sub-Quest Added: Gear Up]▸ Retrieve Rare Weapon from Industrial Cache. - Estimated Completion Time: 10 minutes - Reward: Guaranteed Rare Tier Weapon
Aiden stood up. Pocketed the cigar.His boots creaked.
Time to work.
Time to start building the kind of rep no god — or demon — would forget.
Because three years was both plenty of time…
And not nearly enough.
[Celestial chat]
▸ The Bone-Masked Archangel marks your channel for divine audit.▸ The One Behind the Curtain whispers to you: "Do not waste this life too."▸ A Star-Bound Executioner is preparing a wager.