Approximately two years ago, a killer codenamed 'Unrivaled' emerged within the US assassin underworld.
In just two years of his operations, he successfully completed over fifty missions.
His targets ranged from smugglers to fanatics. The only common thread connecting all these killings was that they were executed in Texas.
Fifty missions and not a single failure!
And what's even more astonishing...
To this day, no one has ever seen Unrivaled's true face, but anyone taking a contract from him was certain of one thing: the target would be eliminated.
Locke...
He was simply unrivaled!
In this life, he was an orphan, and one shouldn't assume that all the child protection laws in the US meant children lived in paradise.
That's absolute rubbish.
The so-called 'children's paradise' was entirely built on the well-being of middle and upper-class families.
Meanwhile, what about orphans?
Orphans were treated even worse than children from the absolute bottom of society. At least children with families didn't often encounter predators or other unsavory characters.
Locke decided to take matters into his own hands.
If one isn't old enough or educated enough, the only path to easy money lies solely in breaking the law.
Locke never viewed killing as something inherently evil.
Moral principles?
Good and evil?
Everyone mewled about how wrong it was, but Locke himself didn't believe that humans alone had the right to decide who lived and who died, who was worthy and who was mere societal refuse. The greatest evil in this world is humanity itself, and they have no right to judge their own kind.
And most importantly...
Murder was an excellent way to quickly accumulate [Achievement Points] and [Potential Points].
Isn't that profitable?
Indeed, it was.
So why shouldn't he do it?
Moreover, Locke only carried out the contracts he wanted to. Although Locke sometimes viewed the entire world as a playground, simply because this world wasn't his native one, he still retained some moral principles.
No killing of good people.
Furthermore, the [System] itself didn't encourage the killing of good or ordinary people. He only received [Missions] from the [System] if the person was far from 'good'.
*Puff!*
*Ding!*
[Mission Successfully Completed]!
[Assassination Mission]: Allan Wood.
[Reward]: 300 [Achievement Points], 300 [Potential Points].
Locke, wearing sunglasses produced by the [System], shot his target, pinned against the wall. After the successful kill, he took a small business card from his pocket and slipped it into the target's pocket. Nothing else held him in the alley he'd wandered into, so he calmly walked away from the crime scene.
A short while later.
From the alley came the loud scream of a girl, who had been waiting for her boyfriend to emerge from the alley, where he had gone to "settle matters" with someone else.
Star Building.
Locke took out his mobile phone, connected it to his computer, and uploaded proof of the target's demise to the [Continental Hotel]'s system.
A short while later.
The page on the laptop screen changed.
A line appeared on it.
[Order completed]. A payment of 100,000 dollars will automatically be transferred to your account.
— My pleasure, haha.
The corners of Locke's mouth lifted slightly, and closing his computer, he took a sip from the glass of bourbon before him.
Not bad for a big city.
Truly an ideal place for completing [quests].
In Texas, whether [daily quests] or [assassination quests], there were pitifully few, whereas in New York, on his very first day, he immediately landed a [daily quest] and noticed several [assassination quests], even completing one.
If it weren't for the fact that he was new here.
Locke believed he could accept all the hundreds of contracts posted by the [Continental Hotel].
The day after the contract was completed, the promised 100,000 dollars from the [Continental] was paid, but by the time the now legal, laundered funds reached Locke's card, only 80,000 remained of the original 100,000.
After all...
The reward amount did not include money laundering fees.
Midtown High School.
In the hallway.
Locke greeted Gwen, who had arrived before him: — Good morning, Gwen.
Yesterday, he ran a check on Peter Parker.
A match came up.
But...
This Peter Parker attended high school in Queens, not Midtown High School.
But that was even better.
For a moment, Locke thought he had made a mistake, but the information, which even included photos, proved otherwise — there could be no mistake.
Could Peter Parker also be a transfer student?
Gwen greeted Locke, then closed her locker and headed for the stairs.
Locke smiled.
He had come to New York with one goal.
To complete as many [missions] as possible.
He aimed to acquire the [Sun God Bloodline] and the [Superman Bloodline], and then simply bask in the sun and enjoy himself.
But now?
Women would only hinder his progress in completing [missions].
As Locke entered the English classroom, the teacher followed right behind him, and the bell rang. Then he received a notification about yesterday's [mission] completion.
[Mission Successfully Completed]!
[Daily Mission]: Practice Exam.
[Mission Reward]: Grade A+ (reward tripled), 1500 [Achievement Points], 1500 [Potential Points].
— Heh-heh!
Name: Locke Broton ([Unique Player]).
[Achievement Points]: 3800 (can be used to acquire items in the [Achievement Store]).
[Potential Points]: 2800 (can be used to upgrade skills).
Skills: Driving (Beginner level), English Language (Grade 9), History (Grade 9), Mathematics (Grade 9), Marksmanship (Intermediate level), Sniper Rifle Marksmanship (Advanced level)...
[Current Missions]: None. ([Player] must find a trigger to generate a [mission]).
[Note]: A gamer's life is a happy life. We wish the [Player] a pleasant game!
Locke looked at the paper in his hand, which bore an A+ grade, and raised an eyebrow.
Gwen, who was sitting next to Locke, propping her forehead with one hand and casting a bewildered glance at the paper from Locke's side, was slightly surprised.
Locke felt the gaze on him and turned his head.
Just in time...
To meet Gwen's surprised gaze.
A pair of eyes was fixed on him.
Gwen looked at Locke, who was strikingly handsome, effortlessly charming, unusually distinct, and carried an air of surprising maturity, and a flicker of panic crossed her eyes before a small smile appeared: — Congratulations on the good grade.
Locke smiled: — I've always been lucky.
Gwen chose to remain silent.
He knew the difference between himself and Gwen.
Gwen had earned her A-grade fairly.
Locke, on the other hand, only received an A+ because he had improved his skills with the help of the [System].
If he hadn't relied on the [System], the best grade he could have gotten on the test was a C.
After classes.
Locke turned to Gwen and asked with some curiosity: — Gwen, what prerequisite courses did you take?