2025-08-05 20:11:50The glowing "OPEN" sign of the DragonByte PC Café buzzed softly as Max and Craig stepped inside. Rows of PCs hummed with energy, and the faint smell of ramen and cheap cologne filled the air. Craig led Max toward the back, past the common area, toward a private room he’d booked specially.
Max stepped in. Sitting in the room was a massive figure—broad shoulders, huge arms, and a chest so wide it looked like it had its own ZIP code. A tattoo of a dragon coiled around his arm, and his face looked like it had never once smiled in its life. Max raised a trembling hand, trying to be polite. “Uh… hey.” The giant didn’t react. Instead, Craig casually walked up to him and slapped palms in a heavy handshake. “John Kent, this is the guy I told you about—Max.” The huge dude stood up. Max’s soul almost left his body. “You’re Max?” John rumbled, voice deep enough to shake the chairs. He extended a hand. Max gulped, shook it. “Nice to meet you, kid,” John said, grinning slightly. “Sit down.” Max sat—awkwardly—his eyes nervously scanning the room. Three girls were sitting across from him. Stylish, cold, uninterested. Max smiled at them. “Hi.” No response. Not even a blink. Okay... tough crowd, Max thought. Just then, Craig clapped his hands. “Oi, bring him in!” A frail boy shuffled into the room, wearing only his shirt and… boxers. His eyes were blackened, his lip swollen. Max’s heart dropped. “Stand right there!” Craig barked. John picked up an empty soda can. Craig grabbed a bag of chips. Together, they started throwing things at the half-dressed boy like it was some sick carnival game. Max’s fists clenched. He could hear his own heartbeat. Craig suddenly turned to him. “Drink with us, Max.” Max shook his head. “I don’t drink.” Craig’s grin faded. “What? You scared of me?” Max looked away. “No…” But it wasn’t fear of Craig that made his hands sweat. It was the SYSTEM NOTIFICATION glowing faintly in his vision: [QUEST: Show your manhood. Hit Craig with a microphone.] [REWARD: Silver Key] [PENALTY: Loss of manhood (permanently).] [Time remaining: 5:00] Max’s pupils shrank. “Loss of WHAT?!” he screamed internally. Craig got up, turned to John, and said, “I’ll go check on my guys in the other room.” He stepped out casually, leaving the chaos behind. Max stood up too. “Bathroom. Be right back.” He slipped out and leaned against the hallway wall, breathing hard. “I am NOT doing this. That guy's practically a mob boss!” Max whispered to himself. Grim suddenly appeared over his shoulder. “You should do the quest,” Grim said cheerfully. “Are you CRAZY?” Max hissed. “Did you see the size of John?! That dude eats bricks for breakfast!” [Time remaining: 0:30] Grim blinked. “You better hurry. Or say goodbye to the crown jewels.” “Why is this my life…” Max moaned. He peeked into the hallway. Craig was on a call, laughing, back turned. Max’s eyes narrowed. Then he saw it. A mic stand. With a wireless karaoke mic sitting in the holder. The weapon of destiny. The final seconds counted down. [0:10… 0:09… 0:08…] Max whispered, “Screw it.” He yanked the microphone out, sprinted forward— “HEY CRAIG!” Craig turned around mid-laugh. WHAM!! The microphone smashed into his face with a satisfying thunk, sending Craig sprawling like a broken trash bag. [QUEST COMPLETE.] [REWARD: SILVER KEY OBTAINED.] Max grinned in relief. “YES! I keep my preciouses!” He held up the glowing silver key in victory. Then he noticed… the silence. A large shadow loomed over him. He turned. It was John. And he was furious. “Did you just…” John’s voice trembled with rage, “...hit my friend?” Max looked up slowly. [SUDDEN QUEST TRIGGERED:] [DEFEAT THE ANGRY GIANT.] Grim floated beside Max. “Well… now you’ve done it.” Max’s smile vanished. “…Please tell me that silver key unlocks a tank.”
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Chapter twenty three: Never Give Up
Kael’s grip tightened like an iron vice around Max’s leg. Before Max could react, Kael dragged him across the floor, the tiles scraping his back raw. Then, with a guttural roar, Kael swung him overhead and hurled him into the ground. The impact rattled Max’s bones, forcing the air from his lungs in a choking gasp.Dazed, Max struggled up on trembling arms. His vision swam, but Kael was already there, moving like a predator.WHAM!A fist slammed into Max’s ribs.BAM!An elbow cracked against his jaw.THUD!A knee drove into his stomach, folding him like paper.Each strike tore deeper into his body, leaving him staggering like a puppet barely holding its strings. His breaths came ragged, blood dripping down his lip, his legs unsteady.Kael sneered. “What’s wrong, boy? You slowing down?”Max’s body screamed for rest. His swollen eye barely opened, yet he refused to drop. Step after step, he forced himself forward—toward Kael.Then, with a weak grunt, he threw a punch.It barely grazed Ka
Chapter twenty two: Stun Smash
The sound of splintered wood echoed through the hall as Kael dropped the stick he’d been wielding. The weapon clattered to the floor, forgotten. His face twisted into a cold grin as he seized Max by the collar, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing.“Sticks are useless,” Kael sneered, his breath hot on Max’s face. “Hands are better.”Max clenched his teeth, glaring. The moment Kael loosened his grip just slightly, Max twisted, activating Blind Spot Strike—a skill meant to strike where the enemy couldn’t defend. But Kael’s reflexes were inhuman. With one arm he caught the blow, blocked it like swatting a fly, and hurled Max across the room.Max crashed into the wall, coughing. He staggered to his feet, chest burning.Kael dusted his hands like the fight was already won. “You know,” he said casually, “I did some digging on you.”Max froze.“I learned something… fascinating.” Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Your mother—Amanda Johnson. She wasn’t just anyone. She ran the Moonlight She
Chapter twenty one: The Rising Clashes
“Don’t forget our deal, Max,” Jacob muttered as they approached the half-finished construction site, his voice sharp and arrogant. “Once we’re done here, the representative position belongs to me. You were just keeping it warm.”Max tightened his grip on the metal bat and didn’t even glance at him. “Shut up and do the job.”They pushed open the loose steel door and stepped inside. The stale air reeked of dust and paint, but what caught their eyes wasn’t the smell—it was the twenty students of Swisscom High lined up in formation at the entrance.One of the guards stepped forward, a thick wooden stick in his hand. “Bloomfield trash. Leave now before you regret it.”Neither Max nor Jacob moved. The silence stretched, tense and heavy.“Did you not hear me?!” the boy yelled. He charged forward, raising the stick.“Max—” Jacob started, but before he could finish, the stick came down across his back.The crack echoed through the half-constructed floor. But Jacob didn’t even flinch. Slowly, h
Chapter 20: The Dungeon Party
Max sat on his bed with one hand pressed gently against his swollen eye while the other held the dungeon map. The glowing parchment pulsed faintly with red lines that shifted like veins, as if alive, mocking him with the quest requirements.[Quest Requirement: Minimum of Two Party Members]“Of course… figures I can’t just go solo,” Max muttered, dropping the map on his lap. “Why can’t this system let me breathe for once?”Grimm appeared in his spectral form, arms crossed and expression sly. “Because, partner, it wouldn’t be fun otherwise. Besides… you’re strong, but even you need backup.”“Backup, huh…” Max thought about his classmates. The first name that came to mind was Chris. At least Chris was loyal. Maybe he’d be willing to tag along.The next morning, Max approached Chris near the lockers. “Hey Chris, you free this weekend? I’ve got… something big. Might need your help.”Chris laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Max, you know I’m no fighter. I’d probably faint the
Chapter 19 – The Unlikely Bodyguard
The school break the next day felt heavier than usual. Max leaned against the wall of the courtyard, staring at the ground as though the tiles themselves had answers hidden beneath them. Lois stood in front of him, hands on her hips, repeating his own words from the day before with a sharp look on her face.“So… let me get this straight,” she said slowly, raising a brow. “You lost the check, and now you have no choice but to take up my father’s offer?”Max sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. That’s basically it. Not like I planned for it. But what else can I do?”Lois tilted her head, studying him with that mischievous spark she always had in her eyes. Then, suddenly, she leaned closer. “Max… do you own a suit?”Max blinked. “A suit? What does that have to do with—”“Never mind,” Lois cut him off with a wave of her hand, smirking. “Don’t worry about it. After school, I’ll get you one.”Max frowned. “Wait, what—”The bell rang, cutting off his question. Lois simply winked and
Chapter Eighteen – Weapon Mastery Unleashed
The streetlights flickered weakly above, casting long shadows across the deserted road. Max stood rigid, his fists clenched, glaring at the mountain of muscle in front of him. The man was built like a tank, veins bulging along his arms as if they might burst any second. His cruel smirk only deepened when he saw Max’s stance.“Look at you,” the bodybuilder sneered, his laughter booming like thunder. “Are you seriously planning on fighting me? Don’t make me laugh, kid.”Max didn’t respond. His blood was boiling, his heart pounding against his ribs so loudly it almost drowned out the man’s words. He took the first step forward, then another, and with a sharp breath, he launched a barrage of punches at the man’s chest and jaw.Thud. Thud. Thud.It was like punching a brick wall. The bodybuilder didn’t even flinch. Instead, his grin widened.“My turn.”The man’s massive fist swung with terrifying speed. Max barely had time to react before the blow connected with his side. Pain exploded thr
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