Chapter 4 – The Burden of Survival
The silence was heavy, like a shroud that enveloped the entire building. The boy's eyes shot open, his throat dry, gasping for air as if he had just emerged from a dark ocean. The world seemed suspended in an unreal calm.
The floor was still stained with blood. His clothes were soaked in red, but the wounds were gone. He touched his side with trembling hands, expecting to feel torn flesh, the blade still buried in his skin. Nothing. His skin was intact.
A shiver ran down his spine. The memory of the pain was still there, vivid, like burning embers in his mind. He remembered every stab, the metallic warmth in his throat, the icy void when life slipped away.
—"No… it can't be…"—he whispered, his voice cracking.
The seed. That small green sphere he had forced into his mouth just before losing consciousness. It had brought him back. It had ripped him from death's grasp.
But the proof was right in front of him: two lifeless bodies. One broken on the pavement outside, the other lying in a dark pool of blood, irregular stab wounds marking his chest.
He had killed them.
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🌑 Guilt
The boy dragged himself to a corner, panting, tears mixing with the dirt on his face. His stomach churned and he vomited, bile and dried blood spilling onto the floor. The stench hit him, but nothing compared to the weight crushing his chest.
He had watched the first man die, plummeting with a scream cut short against the asphalt. And the second… he had felt him under his hands, writhing, flesh giving way with each frantic stab.
The image haunted him every time he blinked: his own reflection in the man's terrified eyes. He hadn't been a hero, or even a fighter. He had been an animal cornered, killing out of raw instinct.
—"Is this… what I have to do to stay alive?"—he murmured, voice breaking with fear and guilt.
The silence answered, merciless.
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⚙️ The System Manifests
Suddenly, a metallic sound echoed in his mind. A hollow bell. In front of his eyes, cold red letters unfolded in the air:
[System Notification]
The Shop has been unlocked!
The boy froze. Air caught in his throat. A glowing panel appeared, floating before him like a holographic catalog, slowly unfolding. Each tab shimmered with strange symbols and numbers he barely understood.
With trembling hands, he touched the air. The panel responded, expanding.
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📜 The Shop
Consumables
Senzu Bean – 50 BP
Reinforced Bandages – 5 BP
Basic Energy Rations – 2 BP
Techniques
Martial Arts Manual (Low Rank) – 30 BP
Basic Ki Breathing Manual – 25 BP
Minor Ki Channeling – 40 BP
Items
Reinforced Clothing – 10 BP
Training Gloves – 8 BP
Common Knife – 6 BP
---
The boy scanned the list, eyes wide. It was like a supernatural marketplace, a catalog of power… but with prices far beyond his reach.
His gaze drifted to the bottom corner of the panel.
[Current Balance: 3 Battle Points]
The void in his stomach deepened. He had barely survived, barely earned that reward… and it wasn't enough to buy anything. Not even a bandage. Much less the seed—the only thing that had saved his life.
—"Fifty points…"—he whispered incredulously, staring at the Senzu Bean's description—. "I'll never be able to…"
He cut himself off, swallowing hard. Yes, he could. But it wouldn't be free.
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💀 The System's Cruelty
The message was clear. The System didn't protect him, didn't offer a safe path. It shoved him into the wolf's mouth again and again, demanding risk, blood, and pain. Only if he survived missions would he gain points. Only if he killed. Only if he faced death.
The seed had healed him, but it had also condemned him: there was no turning back.
The boy shut his eyes, breathing raggedly. Every memory pressed harder: the gang members' laughter, their taunts, their words about his "dead family." He had no memory of that family, but their words had cut like poison.
If this was Gotham, if this was the world he had reincarnated into… then it would devour him unless he learned to bite harder.
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🔥 Inner Resolve
He stood, staggering. Dried blood glued his clothes to his skin. His hands still shook, but in his eyes burned a new spark: a mixture of fear and determination.
He glanced at the floating Shop panel once more. He couldn't buy anything now, but the vision of its contents seared itself into his memory.
—"I won't die like a dog…"—he said softly, like a mantra. His voice trembled, but held firm—. "If this world wants me to fight… then I'll fight. But it'll be on my terms."
The System responded immediately, as if it had been waiting for those words:
[New Mission Available]
Objective: Survive the next 72 hours in Gotham.
Conditions: Do not leave the city. Do not die.
Rewards:
Safe Zone Map (basic level)
$100 cash
3 additional BP
The boy clenched his fists. His heartbeat thundered in his chest.
Seventy-two hours. In Gotham.
The game had only just begun.