I let the hot water scald the scent of blood and the lingering musk of Kourtney's perfume off my skin. As the steam filled the bathroom, the day replayed behind my eyelids like a fever dream. The raw, unfiltered heat of the stream. The way Abby's eyes had nearly glazed over with reflected lust.
Then, the alley. The way my sword had hissed through bone.
I fucking murdered them, the thought surfaced.I shivered.
No, I countered, gritting my teeth as I leaned against the tile. They weren't men. They were parasites who fed on the weak. It was them or me, and they weren't planning on leaving me alive. They got exactly what they deserved.
Mercy was a luxury I couldn't afford. Not if I wanted to stay at the top of the food chain.
I killed the water, dried off, and sat on the edge of my bed. The room was quiet, but my mind was buzzing. I swiped my hand through the air, summoning the translucent glow of the System.
------------------------
[System Interface: Erik Glynn]
Soul: Andrew Simmons
Title: The Goddess's Proxy (Hidden)
Level: 12
Power Rank: E-Tier (Lower)
Potential: [INFINITE]
[Core Stats]
Strength: 110
Agility: 110
Stamina: 110
Endurance: 110
Mana: 116
[Stream Points: 100]
Note: 1 Point = +1 to any attribute. Use them wisely.
---------------------------
I stared at the numbers. I needed to be faster, harder, and stronger if I was going to survive the Evaluation. I didn't hesitate, dumping 20 points each into my primary physical stats.
----------------------
[Distributing Points...]
Strength:130
Agility: 130
Stamina: 130
Endurance: 130
-----------------------
"Seems like I need to hit 200 across the board to break into D-Rank," I muttered, my eyes narrowing. "One or two more successful streams and I'll be there."
I scrolled down to the [Skill Set]. The familiar combat skills were there, but at the bottom, a new entry caught my eye.
-------------------------
Basic Sword Mastery (Evolvable)
Body Reinforcement (Passive)
Combat Perception
Echo Step
System Eye (Active)
------------------------
"Skill number five. Let's see what the Goddess gave me."
[Skill Activated: System Eye]
"Skill number five. Let's see what the Goddess gave me."
The air in front of my face rippled like water, and a small, metallic sphere no larger than a billiard ball materialized out of thin air. It was a matte, charcoal grey, etched with the same pulsing red ley-lines as my sword.
"What the fuck is that?" I muttered, leaning closer.
Suddenly, a shutter clicked inside the device. A central lens, dark and deep as a black hole, dilated and it blinked.
"No way... that thing just blinked," I whispered, pulling back instinctively.
[System Eye: Activated]
An explanatory tab flickered into existence, hovering right next to the hovering orb.
---------------------------
[System Eye (Rank 1)]: A high-fidelity streaming interface that syncs with the Host's neural network. It captures every action, sensory detail, and angle, feeding the raw data directly to the Multi-Dimensional Stream.
--------------------------
"Wait," I said, my brain starting to whirl. "Does this mean the viewers see exactly what I see? Total POV integration?"
As if responding to my thought, the small sphere began to vibrate with a low, satisfied hum. Then, with a series of sharp, mechanical clicks, the single orb split. It divided like a cell, multiplying until three identical spheres were orbiting my head like miniature moons.
-------------------------------
[Multi-Angle Capability]:The System Eye can be fragmented based on the Host's creative will. Modes available: First-Person POV, Third-Person Cinematic, Aerial Drone, and Macro-Close-Up.
------------------------------
A grin spread across my face. This changed everything. No more propping my phone up on stacks of books. No more worrying about the framing while I was trying to drive into a girl or gut a monster.
"Sweet. Goodbye, hardware," I thought, watching the orbs adjust their height to get a perfect cinematic profile of me sitting on the bed. "So, next time I'm fucking Kourtney or Jane, the fans are going to see it in 4K HDR, straight through my eyes."
The orbs pulsed red in agreement.
"I can be the star, the director and the camera crew at the same time," I whispered. I stood up, feeling the weight of my new stats and the invisible eyes of my future millions. "The next stream isn't just going to be a show. It's going to be a masterpiece."
My moment of triumph was cut short by the flickering blue light of the television.
The screen showed a shaky, wide-angle shot of the alleyway I had just vacated. It was taped off with a yellow tape, the flashing lights of police cruisers bouncing off the damp brick walls. A news anchor was speaking with a forced, grim professionalism.
"...reporting live from District 11. Authorities have confirmed the discovery of eight Peacekeeper enforcers, all victims of what lead investigators are calling a 'brutal and surgical' mass murder. While the Peacekeepers are often at odds with the law, the sheer scale of the violence has sent shockwaves through the local sector..."
I watched the screen as they blurred out the bodies or what was left of them. Even through the pixelation, I could recognize the scorched red ley-lines where my blade had passed through bone.
"Investigations are underway," the anchor continued, "but the police have yet to identify a single lead."
I let out a slow, steady breath.
Of course they don't.
The residents of District 11 didn't talk to the police. Information was the only currency that mattered in the slums, and no one gave it away for free. Unless the Association was prepared to offer enough credits to buy someone a one-way ticket out of the gutter, the witnesses would stay as silent as the graves I'd just filled.
A cold shiver tried to crawl up my spine, but I crushed it.
"Don't panic," I whispered to the empty room, my eyes reflecting in the dark glass of the TV. "Relax. Play it cool."
I reached out and clicked the power button, plunging the room into darkness. The only light left was the faint, pulsing red glow of the System Eye hovering silently at the foot of my bed.
"Clear your head," I told myself, lying back against the pillows. "Tomorrow is the re-evaluation. Tomorrow, you stop being a ghost and start being a Hunter."