POV: Zai
That night, I didn't sleep.
I couldn't.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the blue tether pulling me back from that fall. I felt the rush of Falcon Dash still buzzing in my legs, and my fingertips tingled from the flicker of flame that left my hand.
This wasn't just a one-time thing. This was real. The system was evolving me. Testing me.
And I was only Level 2.
I stared at the crack in my ceiling, hoodie wrapped around me like armor.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]Your recent actions have impressed the system. You are now eligible for a Personal Challenge.Challenge Type: Combat and ControlName: "Combo Trial I"Description: Perform a 3-Hit Combo using any combination of unlocked abilities.Difficulty: D-RankReward: +20 EXP | Combo System Unlocked | Hidden Bonus if Combo ends with a Smash Variant attack.Time Limit: 48 HoursAccept Challenge? (Y/N)
I hovered over "Y" in my mind.
And then tapped it.
[CHALLENGE ACCEPTED – COMBO TRIAL I]
THE NEXT DAY – LUNCHTIME
School was buzzing again, but not for the usual reasons.
Apparently, someone caught me landing that dash on DeShawn with a shaky phone camera. The clip made its way around school overnight. No sound. No fireball. Just a blur of me lunging into DeShawn like I was an NFL linebacker.
I wasn't famous, but people noticed. Even teachers gave me weird looks, like they were trying to figure out what was happening.
"Yo, Zai!" Evan waved me over at lunch like we were best friends now. "You got that… what, anime power or something? You on creatine or—?"
"I just trained," I lied, sitting down across from him.
Evan lowered his voice. "You know DeShawn's older cousin goes to East High, right? That school's wild. You should lay low."
I just nodded and stabbed my fork into some mystery meat.
The truth? I couldn't afford to lay low. Not if I wanted to level up. Not if I wanted control.
AFTER SCHOOL – BACK ALLEY, 4:12 PM
The system had a funny way of guiding me.
I didn't even plan on going behind the corner store. But my body just moved like it knew. I followed this invisible pulse until I ended up in a cracked alleyway behind an old laundromat where broken shopping carts and empty chip bags lived.
Then I saw them.
Three street kids maybe a couple years older than me. One was swinging a chain like it was a toy. Another had brass knuckles. The third?
Just big.
They were circling this tall, skinny dude wearing a UPS uniform—must've been a delivery guy who took the wrong shortcut.
[SYSTEM SCAN ACTIVATED – Threat Level: Medium]You may intervene. Successful combat counts toward challenge objective.
I stepped forward.
"Yo."
The chain guy turned first. "What? Who're you?"
I cracked my knuckles. "Zai."
That was all I had to say.
[COMBAT MODE INITIATED – CHALLENGE: COMBO TRIAL I]
I moved fast.
Step 1:I jabbed the first guy in the ribs. BASIC PUNCH – Smash Variant.He doubled over.
Step 2:I rolled forward under the chain swing. SHORT DODGE ROLL.
Popped up.
Step 3:FALCON DASH activated mid-step, and I shoulder-checked the brass knuckle guy straight into a trash bin.
[3-HIT COMBO COMPLETE][BONUS CONDITION MET: Combo Ended with Smash Variant]+25 EXPCOMBO SYSTEM UNLOCKED
The delivery guy stared, mouth open.
The big one lunged at me in blind rage.
"Let me try something," I muttered.
[FIREBALL THROW – ACTIVATED]
The orange ball smacked him in the chest—not much damage, but enough to throw him off.
Then—
[NEEDLE SHOT – ACTIVATED]
Thunk.
The needle hit his thigh, and he staggered before faceplanting into the alley wall.
I looked down at my hands. I felt ready now.
[LEVEL UP!]Zai – Level 3New Ability Unlocked: Combo Chain (Lv. 1)→ You can now chain up to 3 different attacks for bonus damage and effects.→ Successful chains reduce cooldowns and increase EXP gain.→ Can be trained for fluidity and increased count.
All stamina and cooldowns reset.
The delivery guy nodded fast, backing up. "Th-thank you! Thank you!"
I just waved and walked away.
On the way home, the system gave me one final ping:
[NEXT SYSTEM TRIAL: "Edge of Power" – Available at Level 4]
Hint: Sometimes the best way forward… is off the edge.
Whatever that meant, I knew one thing for sure.
I wasn't just surviving anymore.
I was leveling up.