"Here's fine."
The thug came to a stop, his voice so low it was barely audible.
Chen Guang swept his gaze around.
Pitch-black.
The alley swallowed the light whole.
A lone bulb buzzed overhead, flickering like it might give up any second.
Even stray cats and dogs wouldn't come near a place like this.
After a brief pause, he shifted his eyes to the three men in front of him.
"You dragged me all the way here just to talk? Make it quick."
Hands in his pockets, he spoke indifferently, his nose wrinkling at the stench rising from the alley.
"You've got quite the mouth on you, you little shit."
"Boss, let's just beat him to death. No one's gonna find out, right?"
A voice came from somewhere in the alley.
"Who said that?! Oh, sorry. Couldn't see you in this damn alley."
Chen Guang looked around.
He could barely make out the outline of a large, dark-skinned man with his hair tied back.
"Boss, don't hold me back. I'm gonna smash his skull in."
"Relax. We're civilized people. Let's talk this out."
The leader raised a hand to stop him, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.
"Hand over fifty million, and I'll let you walk out of here alive."
"Fifty million? You call that not robbery?"
"If it ain't robbery, then what the hell is it? You've got an insect's brain."
The three of them burst into laughter, spittle flying everywhere.
"I don't have money. And I have no obligation to give you any."
Chen Guang shrugged and turned to leave.
"You bastard!! You think you can just walk away? Get him!!"
The leader roared.
The dark-skinned brute lunged, fast enough to blur.
His fist came fast.
Too fast.
Then came a sharp crack.
Chen Guang lunged forward, dodging at the very last moment, barely a centimeter away.
"Strength-type?"
Sweat stung his eyes as he focused.
This kind of place worked in his favor.
At least he liked to show off his strength.
Chen Guang threw a punch into the darkness.
BAM.
Their fists collided.
A sharp crack followed.
"Boss!! My arm—it's broken!"
"What? How the hell did that brat do that?"
"I—I don't know… but he's not normal."
The dark-skinned man grimaced, quickly retreating.
"You. Go."
The leader tilted his head toward the pale brute, who had been silent the entire time.
A metal rod appeared in the leader's hand out of nowhere.
Spatial-type…? Damn.
Cold sweat soaked his back.
He didn't take his eyes off them.
"What's wrong? Scared now?"
Before he could react—
The pale brute was already in front of him.
He was just over there... Speed-type?
The punch slammed into his face.
For a split second, everything went white. Then the ground rushed up to meet him.
Blood ran down his lip.
Thick, metallic, hard to ignore.
A kick slammed into his stomach, sending him rolling across the filthy ground.
The system's quest flashed through his mind.
This mission… harder than I thought.
"Boss, he's down. Finish him."
"Of course. That's my job."
Laughter echoed through the alley.
CLANG—
The sound of metal rang out as the iron rod came crashing down toward his head.
"Huh? How can you—?!"
The leader's pupils shrank as Chen Guang's arm caught the rod mid-swing.
"Shit!! That's steel! That's fucking solid steel!!"
Before he could react, the rod was ripped from his grip.
Chen Guang staggered to his feet.
One eye blurred, his ears ringing.
"That fucking hurts."
His arm trembled, barely under his control.
Each breath hurt.
Sharp.
And deep.
He clenched his teeth and swung.
BAM—
"AAAAARGHHH!!!"
The leader collapsed, writhing.
"My leg!!! It's broken!!!"
Chen Guang stood there, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"What are you waiting for?! Kill him!!"
The leader screamed, completely losing himself.
The pale brute snapped back to his senses and rushed forward.
"Fast. But not enough."
Chen Guang raised his bare arm and blocked.
Just one misstep… and I'll kiss the ground.
His entire body trembled as he forced himself to hold.
"How… how can you do this?!"
"Blocking you? Not that hard."
He squeezed harder.
CRACK—
"AAAAARGHHH!!! MY HAND!!!"
The man's fingers twisted unnaturally as Chen Guang released him.
Chen Guang glanced at the three of them.
"Shit!! You've been playing along this whole time, haven't you?"
The leader's voice trembled with fear.
"You didn't pick a fight with me on your own. Talk. Who sent you?"
Suppressing his ragged breathing, Chen Guang growled like a beast.
"You think I'll tell you? No fucking way!!"
"Not talking?"
Chen Guang stepped forward.
Three quick kicks followed.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
All three collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
[SIDE QUEST: DEAL WITH THE TROUBLEMAKERS]
[STATUS: COMPLETED]
[REWARD: 10 E-RANK CRYSTALS]
[REWARD TRANSFERRED TO INVENTORY]
"Good thing they were amateurs... or I'd be dead."
He dropped to the ground, ears still ringing.
[BONUS REWARD STILL AVAILABLE]
"Bonus reward?"
Closing one injured eye, Chen Guang opened the [MISSION] tab.
"Eliminate?"
His hand clenched, unable to stop trembling.
"This is… killing someone."
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
As his heart pounded loudly, everything else faded away.
Forcing down his ragged breathing, he looked at the three barely conscious figures.
"People who bully the weak like this..."
A memory flashed.
Mockery.
Beatings.
Humiliation.
"...I've seen too many of them."
Their contemptuous gazes filled his mind.
Forcing his shaking legs to move, he stepped closer.
He stopped in front of the leader.
His eyes locked onto the man's throat, where the pulse still beat.
Slowly…
He raised his hand.
And stopped mid-air.
For a brief moment, the entire alley fell silent.
*****
"So… you're saying you just happened to pass by, heard a fight, and when you went in, you found three people lying on the ground?"
The policeman looked Chen Guang up and down.
"Yes, sir."
Chen Guang didn't hesitate.
"Thank you. We'll take them in for treatment."
The policeman reached out and shook his hand.
"Much appreciated."
An ambulance siren wailed in the distance, followed moments later by police sirens.
Good thing I cleaned myself up…
Chen Guang glanced up at the sky slowly turning into a deep orange of dusk.
"Guess I'll head home. Need to train for tomorrow."
He blinked a few times, then covered one ear.
"Hmm… my eye's back to normal. My hearing too."
"Did something just heal me…?"
He paused.
"No. That's not right."
He walked while lost in thought.
[BONUS REWARD HAS EXPIRED]
"Probably for the best."
He let out a slow breath.
He really couldn't do it.
An image flashed through his mind.
A throat ripped open.
Blood spilling out faster than it should.
Those eyes… staring at him.
He shuddered.
His steps slowed without him noticing.
"Let's just go home. Tomorrow's another day."
Chen Guang stopped at a convenience store, staring at the hot food shelf for a moment before picking out a meal.
"Having money… So this is what it feels like."
He lowered his head, chewing slowly.
Somewhere along the way, his vision blurred.
A drop fell into the rice.
"...Tastes a bit salty."
He wiped his eyes.
Then lowered his head again, and kept eating.
*****
"Chen Guang, over here."
Mimi waved when she saw him step into the room.
"Aren't you sitting with Mei Mei today? Why the front row?"
"She said she had something to do. Besides, I like sitting here more."
Mimi smiled brightly.
Chen Guang sat down beside her, glancing at her phone.
"Aren't you afraid of bugs? Why are you watching ants?"
"I am scared, but it's kind of addictive… as long as they don't touch me, I'm fine."
[The Life Cycle of Army Ants]
The title of the video caught Chen Guang's attention.
"…when an ant dies, it releases a special compound, a death pheromone, so that other ants can locate and remove the body…"
"Mimi, rewind that."
Mimi's shoulders flinched, her eyes turning slightly teary.
"Ah, sorry. Could you rewind that part for me?"
"Which part?"
"The one about ants dying."
Mimi hesitated for a moment, then dragged the timeline back.
I didn't hear it wrong.
"Alright, thanks."
She didn't ask anything else, though her gaze lingered on his face a little longer than usual before returning to the video.
When an ant dies…
It leaves something behind.
"That time… the system didn't save me."
He recalled his desperate battle with the Emperor Goblin.
His face turned pale, drained of all color.
"It just marked me..."
"...like something already dead."
His fingers tightened unconsciously, nails digging into his palm.
Something cold slid down his spine.
"Chen Guang… your face looks pale, what's wrong?"
Mimi tapped his shoulder.
The sudden contact snapped him back to reality.
"I'm fine… probably just something I ate this morning."
He forced a smile, without blinking.
"Are you sure? Do you need some medicine?"
"It's fine. Class is about to start anyway… I'm feeling better now."
The classroom door opened.
"Good morning, everyone. Take your seats. We have a guest today."
Liu Zhang walked in, followed by a young woman with jet-black hair so dark it seemed to dim the room the moment she stepped inside.
"Wow… she's so beautiful, right?"
Mimi tugged on Chen Guang's sleeve excitedly, her eyes wide open.
"Everyone, this is Sun Feng."
Liu Zhang gestured toward her, his gaze sweeping across the room.
Sun Feng gave a slight nod.
"Isn't she the actress Feng Feng from Secret Agent Love?"
"She's gorgeous! I loved her in Parting Fragrance."
"No way, Blazing Dance was way better! Even as a supporting role, she stole the show. I thought she was the lead!"
The classroom buzzed with chatter as everyone stared at Sun Feng on the podium.
"She's… famous?"
Chen Guang whispered to Mimi.
"Yeah, I think so. When I was little, I got to visit a TV station once. She hasn't changed at all since then."
She visited a TV station when she was a kid...?
Chen Guang let out a bitter smile.
Sun Feng's gaze swept past him.
His heart suddenly pounded.
For a fleeting moment, he felt as though he'd been seen.
"Your Majesty."
A voice echoed by his ear.
A black ant had somehow crawled onto the back of his hand.
"What is it?"
He lowered his voice to the barest whisper.
"That woman… is extremely dangerous. Please… be cautious."
The static-like voice cut off abruptly.
The ant twitched, then went still.
Chen Guang stared at it.
There was no visible force, no external contact, yet it had simply died.
For a split second, he caught the faint smell of something burning.
Then nothing.
"Burnt?"
He looked up at Sun Feng, who remained calm beside Liu Zhang.
"Sun Feng is an A-rank Vanguard, a senior to all of you. Now, let's give her a warm welcome."
Liu Zhang started clapping.
The room erupted into applause and cheers.
"After the theory session, we'll move on to practical training. Sun Feng will be leading the session."
[MANDATORY QUEST: SURVIVE THE TRAINING SESSION WITHIN THE TIME LIMIT]
[STATUS: IN PROGRESS]
[TIME REMAINING: 71 HOURS 59 MINUTES]
[WARNING: FAILURE MEANS DEATH]
"Her?"
Chen Guang snapped his head toward Sun Feng.
"Three days?"
He stared at the system notification floating before him.
When he looked up, Sun Feng was already looking at him.
So… this is the one?
A faint smile curved her lips.
Her gaze lingered on him for a heartbeat longer.
The target... had been marked.
And the hunt...
Had already begun.