Karma Debt System: Payback Time

The Devil's Due

The barrel of the gun looked like a tunnel. Dark. Infinite.

Arlan could see the rifling inside the muzzle. He could see the microscopic scratches on the matte black metal. He could see the beads of sweat trembling on Victor’s upper lip, threatening to drip onto his silk shirt.

Time didn't stop. It stretched. Like rubber about to snap.

"You think I'm joking?" Victor screamed, his voice cracking. The veins in his neck bulged like thick blue cords. "I run this city! You’re nothing! You’re a bug!"

The casino fell into a terrified silence. Even the slot machines seemed to hold their breath. The only sound was the high-pitched whine of the air conditioning and the thumping of Arlan’s own heart against his ribs.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Arlan didn't look at the gun. He looked at Victor. He looked at the man who had spent a lifetime destroying others to build a throne of chips and lies.

[ SYSTEM ALERT: LETHAL THREAT IMMINENT. ]

[ HOST ADRENALINE LEVELS: CRITICAL. ]

[ INITIATING DEFENSIVE PROTOCOLS... ]

A holographic menu flickered into existence, invisible to everyone but Arlan. It wasn't just text anymore. It was a 3D anatomical map of Victor Moretti.

Muscles. Nerves. Blood vessels. All glowing in soft blue light.

[ TARGET: Victor Moretti. ]

[ VULNERABILITY DETECTED: Right Ulnar Nerve. ]

[ DEBT COLLECTION COST: 50 Karma Points. ]

[ ACTION: NERVE SEVERANCE (TEMPORARY). ]

Arlan’s eyes narrowed. He didn't feel fear. He felt a cold, mathematical precision. It was the same feeling he had when he fixed old watches—finding the one broken gear that made the whole mechanism fail.

"Victor," Arlan said softly. His voice was steady, unnatural for a man with a gun in his face. "Drop it."

"Go to hell!" Victor roared.

His finger tightened on the trigger. The hammer of the gun began to pull back.

Now.

Arlan didn't move a muscle. He simply willed it.

[ EXECUTE. ]

A shockwave of invisible energy shot from Arlan’s mind, slamming into Victor’s right arm.

SNAP.

It wasn't the sound of a bone breaking. It was the sound of a biological short-circuit.

"ARGHHH!"

Victor shrieked. It was a high, animalistic sound. His hand spasmed violently, fingers curling inward into a grotesque claw. The gun slipped from his grip.

CLANG.

The weapon hit the table, discharged once, and spun away. The bullet buried itself in the expensive mahogany ceiling, showering dust onto the green felt.

Pandemonium.

"Gun! He's got a gun!" someone screamed.

The bunny waitresses dove under the tables. Patrons scattered like cockroaches when the lights turn on, knocking over chairs, spilling drinks, trampling over each other to get to the exit.

"My hand! My hand!" Victor fell to his knees, cradling his paralyzed arm. He looked up at Arlan with eyes full of pure, unadulterated horror. "What... what are you?"

Arlan didn't answer. He didn't have time for villain speeches.

He grabbed the duffel bag sitting by Victor’s feet. He swept the mountain of chips—hundreds of thousands of dollars—into the bag with a desperate, frantic motion.

Clatter. Clatter. Clatter.

"Get him!" Victor screamed through his tears. "Kill him!"

The two bodyguards in black suits snapped out of their shock. They were professionals. Huge. Fast.

The first one, a man with a nose that had been broken too many times, lunged over the table. He moved like a freight train.

Arlan had never been in a fight. Not a real one. He was the kid who got shoved into lockers. The kid who apologized when someone stepped on his foot.

But Arlan wasn't just Arlan anymore. He was a Level 1 Debt Collector.

[ WARNING: HOSTILE INCOMING. ]

[ COMBAT ASSIST: AUTO-ENGAGE? ]

[ COST: 100 KARMA POINTS. ]

"YES!" Arlan screamed in his mind.

His body moved before he told it to. It was a strange sensation—like being a passenger in his own skin.

As the bodyguard tackled him, Arlan didn't brace for impact. He pivoted. His left foot slid back, his center of gravity dropping low. He grabbed the bodyguard’s lapel and used the man’s own momentum against him.

Swoosh.

CRASH.

The massive bodyguard flew over Arlan’s shoulder, crashing headfirst into a rack of expensive champagne bottles behind the bar. Glass exploded. Golden liquid sprayed everywhere, mixing with the blood on the floor.

Arlan stared at his own hands. I did that?

"You little rat!"

The second bodyguard was smarter. He didn't rush. He pulled out a baton—a telescoping steel rod that hissed as it extended. He circled the table, eyes locked on Arlan’s throat.

Arlan backed away, clutching the duffel bag to his chest. The bag was heavy. It smelled of plastic and greed.

"Exit strategy," Arlan muttered. "System, I need a way out."

[ SCANNING ENVIRONMENT... ]

[ OPTION A: Main Entrance (Blocked by Bouncer). ]

[ OPTION B: Kitchen Staff Exit (High Probability of Capture). ]

[ OPTION C: CREATE DISTRACTION. ]

Arlan looked at the ceiling. Specifically, at the fire sprinkler system directly above the poker table.

He looked at the bodyguard. Then he looked at the overturned table where Victor’s cigar was still smoldering on the carpet.

"Sorry about the mess," Arlan grinned.

He kicked the bottle of high-proof whiskey that had fallen off the cart. The bottle shattered near the cigar.

WHOOSH.

Alcohol meets fire. A wall of blue and orange flame erupted instantly, separating Arlan from the second bodyguard. The heat was intense, singing Arlan’s eyebrows.

The smoke alarm screamed.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

And then, the sprinklers kicked in.

Water. Cold, dirty water rained down from the ceiling, drenching the velvet, the cards, and the fire. It turned the casino into a chaotic, slippery swamp.

"Get him! Don't let him leave with the money!" Victor wailed from the floor, still clutching his dead arm.

Arlan turned and ran.

He sprinted through the main casino floor. It was a nightmare. People were slipping on the wet floor, screaming, dropping coins. Arlan hurdled over a fallen slot machine. His sneakers squeaked on the marble.

He reached the heavy steel doors. Freedom.

But standing there, arms crossed, was the Bouncer. The one with the 'PAIN' tattoo. The slab of meat who had eaten Arlan's watch.

The Bouncer grinned. He cracked his knuckles. "Where do you think you're going, little man?"

Arlan stopped. He was panting. His chest heaved. The duffel bag felt like it weighed a ton.

"Move," Arlan gasped.

"Or what?" The Bouncer took a step forward. "You gonna do a magic trick?"

Arlan looked at the System interface.

[ KARMA POINTS REMAINING: 50 ]

He was almost empty. He couldn't afford another combat assist. He couldn't afford a nerve severance.

He had to do this the hard way.

Or... the smart way.

Arlan remembered the notification from earlier. [Target: Victor Moretti... Debt Collection... Asset: Motor Functions].

Wait.

When he drained Julian’s vitality, he felt stronger.

When he drained the Doctor’s lifespan, his mother got better.

Energy didn't disappear. It transferred.

"System," Arlan whispered. "Where did Victor's nerve energy go?"

[ QUERY ANSWERED. ]

[ Energy Stored in Host Buffer. ]

[ RELEASE AVAILABLE: 'KINETIC DISCHARGE'. ]

[ WARNING: High Recoil. ]

Arlan smiled. It was a bloody, jagged smile.

"Hey, big guy," Arlan said to the Bouncer. "You wanted my watch?"

The Bouncer frowned. "Huh?"

"Here's the interest."

Arlan stepped in. He didn't punch like a boxer. He shoved his open palm right into the Bouncer’s solar plexus.

[ DISCHARGING STORED KINETIC ENERGY... ]

BOOM.

It sounded like a shotgun blast.

The Bouncer’s eyes bulged. His feet actually lifted off the ground. He flew backward—two, three meters—and slammed into the steel doors with a force that dented the metal.

The doors burst open.

The Bouncer crumpled to the sidewalk outside, unconscious, foam bubbling at his mouth.

Arlan stumbled out into the night air.

The rain had stopped, but the streets were slick. He gasped, sucking in the cool, polluted air of Veridian City. It tasted sweet. It tasted like victory.

He didn't stop. He ran down the alley, clutching the bag tight. He ran until his legs burned, until the neon lights of the Golden Viper were just a blurry speck behind him.

He ducked into an abandoned subway station, sliding down the wall into the shadows.

Safe.

His hands were shaking uncontrollably. Not from fear anymore, but from the crash of adrenaline. He unzipped the bag.

Stacks of chips. Bundles of cash. Gold watches.

It was messy. It was chaotic.

But it was enough.

[ QUEST COMPLETE: The Capitalist’s Nightmare. ]

[ REWARD UNLOCKED: 'Combat Arts (Basic)' ]

[ REWARD UNLOCKED: 'System Store (Level 1)' ]

[ BONUS: Host Level Up -> Level 2 ]

Arlan laughed. It started as a chuckle, then turned into a hysterical, sobbing laugh that echoed in the empty tunnel.

He pulled out his phone. The screen was cracked, but it worked. He dialed the hospital.

"Hello? St. Jude's billing department?"

Arlan wiped a smudge of blood—Victor’s blood—off his cheek.

"I want to pay a bill," he said, his voice trembling with exhaustion and pride. "For Sarah Mahendra. And I want her moved to the VIP suite. Tonight."

"Sir, that will be very expens—"

"Just send me the account number," Arlan cut her off. He looked at the bag of stolen fortune. "I'm paying in full."

He leaned his head back against the cold tiles.

This was just the beginning. Victor was a small fish. Julian was a medium fish.

But out there, in the skyscrapers that pierced the clouds, were the whales. The ones who really ran the world.

And Arlan was going to hunt them all.