The blue line led Kin to the back of the estate.
A wall. High. Brick. Topped with broken glass and razor wire. Standard security for a man who had ruined thousands of lives.
How do I get over that?
[Jump. You have the strength.]
Kin blinked. Jump?
He backed up. Ran. Pushed off the ground with everything the legacy had given him.
He cleared the wall by a foot.
Landing was rough—he rolled, shoulder hitting dirt, the chainsaw digging into his ribs. But he was inside.
The estate was large. A main house, two stories, lights on in three windows. A garage. A pool. And a garden that stretched between him and the back door.
[Target is in the study. Second floor, east corner.]
[Guard patrol: Two men in the garden, four inside, six in the barracks behind the garage.]
[Recommendation: Stealth approach. Avoid alarms.]
Stealth, Kin thought. I can do stealth.
He crept through the garden, katana in one hand, Glock in the other. The chainsaw was slung over his shoulder—heavy, awkward, humming faintly even when off. Battery, he guessed.
The first guard was easy. Kin came up behind him, wrapped an arm around his throat, squeezed. The man went limp in three seconds. Kin lowered him to the grass.
One.
The second guard was near the back door. Kin waited until he turned to light a cigarette, then moved. Same motion. Same result. The cigarette fell into the dirt.
Two.
Inside. A hallway. A staircase. Voices from a room to the left—cards, laughter, the clink of glasses. Kin ignored them. He went up.
The study door was closed. Light under the door. A shadow moving inside.
Target.
Kin reached for the handle—
A growl.
Behind him.
He turned.
A dog. But not a normal dog. Too big. Too lean. Its eyes glowed red. Its fur was matted and dark, like smoke given shape. It stood in the middle of the hallway, blocking the stairs.
[Guardian Hound – Magical construct. Immune to conventional blades. Vulnerable to sustained trauma or fire.]
[Recommendation: Use chainsaw.]
Chainsaw? Kin's hand went to his katana. I can kill a dog with a sword. I've killed a general.
He stepped forward, katana raised.
The dog moved faster than anything that size should. It lunged. Kin swung.
The katana bit into the dog's shoulder—and stopped. Like cutting stone. The blade didn't draw blood. It didn't even draw a whimper.
The dog snapped its jaws. Kin jerked back, lost his balance, hit the wall. The dog's teeth missed his throat by an inch.
[Warning: Katana ineffective. Switch to chainsaw.]
Fine.
He dropped the katana—it clattered on the floor—and grabbed the chainsaw. His thumb found the starter. The engine roared to life, loud as a scream, shaking in his hands.
The dog lunged again.
Kin swung the chainsaw.
The blade caught the dog across the ribs. This time, it cut. Smoke poured from the wound. The dog howled—a sound like grinding metal—and dissolved into flames.
The flames vanished.
The dog was gone.
[Guardian Hound eliminated.]
[Alert: Noise detected. Guards are moving.]
Kin heard boots on the stairs. Voices. Shouting.
Stealth is over.
He kicked open the study door.
***
Elias Vane was not what Kin expected.
He was small. Thin. Grey hair combed over a bald spot. He wore a silk robe and held a glass of whiskey. Behind him, a fireplace. Above it, a painting of himself.
He looked at Kin. At the chainsaw. At the blood on Kin's shirt from the dog's smoke.
"Who the hell are you?" Vane said.
[Target confirmed. Begin.]
Kin didn't answer. He stepped into the room.
Vane dropped his glass and ran.
Not toward the door—toward a panel in the wall. A hidden exit. Kin moved. His legs were faster than they should have been. He caught Vane by the collar and threw him across the room.
Vane hit the bookshelf. Books fell. He scrambled up, reaching into his robe.
[Gun detected.]
Kin dodged left. The first shot cracked past his ear. The second hit the wall behind him. The third—
The third hit his thigh.
Kin felt the impact. A punch. A burn. But no pain. The System had cut it off, like flipping a switch.
[Pain suppression active. You can still move. Do not stop.]
He didn't stop.
Vane was backing toward the fireplace, gun raised, hands shaking. Kin closed the distance. The chainsaw was still running, still screaming. He swung it at Vane's arm.
Vane screamed. The gun clattered to the floor. His hand—still attached, but bleeding—hung at a wrong angle.
Then Vane did something unexpected.
He dropped to his knees.
"Please," he said. "Please. I have money. I have—"
"Money?" Kin's voice was cold. He didn't recognize it. "You think I want money?"
Behind his eyes, the System played scenes. A woman begging Vane for more time. Her son, twelve years old, taken by soldiers. A man in a uniform that wasn't his, standing in front of a firing squad. A child, no older than five, sold to a broker.
Kin saw all of it.
Vane saw none of it. He only saw the chainsaw.
"What do you want?" Vane whispered.
"This is for all the people who have died and killed because of you," Kin said.
That sounded cool, he thought, even now. Like a movie.
He stepped closer.
"The only way to be forgiven," Kin said, "is to kneel."
Vane was already kneeling.
He bowed his head. He began to pray—words Kin didn't recognize, a language he'd never heard. His lips moved. His eyes were closed.
Kin raised the chainsaw.
Then he stopped.
No. Not the chainsaw. The katana.
He dropped the chainsaw. Picked up the katana from where he'd dropped it at the door. Vane was still praying. Still begging some god for mercy.
Kin swung.
One clean strike.
Vane's head hit the floor. His body stayed upright for a second, then toppled.
[Target eliminated.]
[Mission complete.]
***
The house was chaos now. Guards shouting. Footsteps pounding up the stairs.
Kin grabbed Vane's head by the hair—why? habit?—and dropped it. He didn't need trophies.
He ran.
Down the stairs. A guard appeared at the bottom. Kin kicked him in the chest. The man flew backward into the wall and didn't get up.
Three.
Another guard, this one with a rifle. Kin threw the katana. The hilt hit the man's temple. He crumpled.
Four.
The front door. Open. Kin stepped outside—
A shot.
His shoulder exploded.
No pain. But his arm went limp. Blood soaked through the grey shirt Lina had given him.
[Shoulder wound. Muscle damage. Pain suppressed.]
He turned. A guard was lying on the ground near the garage, propped on one elbow, pistol raised. The one Kin had choked earlier. He'd woken up.
Kin walked over. The guard tried to fire again. The gun clicked—empty.
Kin knocked him out with the katana's handle.
Five.
Then he ran.
The blue line guided him back through the streets. His leg was wounded. His shoulder was wounded. But the System kept him moving, kept the pain away, kept him upright.
He ran for twenty minutes.
When he was far enough—miles from the estate, in a neighborhood he didn't recognize—he stopped. Leaned against a wall. Breathed.
[Mission Summary:
Target: Elias Vane – Eliminated (decapitation).
Guardian Hound – Eliminated (chainsaw).
Guards – Incapacitated: 5. Killed: 0.
Wounds sustained: Thigh (gunshot), shoulder (gunshot). Pain suppressed.
Rewards:
· 230,000 SN
· Legacy Transfer: +2.3% (Total: 65.3%)
· New Skill: Pain Suppression Toggle (you may now suppress or feel pain at will)
· New Item: Chainsaw (permanent addition to armory)
· Mental stability: +8% (mission success)
Remaining time until next mission: 167 hours.
Kin stared at the numbers.
Two hundred thirty thousand.
He could buy the changeable mask now. Twice over.
He started walking home.
The streets were empty. 2 AM. The moon was high.
Kin limped. The pain suppression was still active, but his leg didn't move right. His shoulder was a dead weight. He'd need to bandage both before the System turned the pain back on.
He turned onto his street.
And stopped.
Lina was standing by the gate.
She was in a coat—thrown over what looked like pajamas. Her arms were crossed. Her hair was messy, like she'd been running her hands through it.
She looked angry.
Kin's heart stopped.
She saw me leave. She woke up. She waited.
He was still wearing Jan Koval's face. The disguise hadn't worn off. But his clothes were torn. His shoulder was dark with blood. His thigh was soaked.
Lina stared at him.
She didn't say anything.
She just stood there, blocking the gate, her eyes burning.
[Warning: Lina is awake. She has been waiting. Emotional confrontation imminent.]
[Recommendation: Prepare explanation.]
Kin had no explanation.
He took a step forward.