2025-08-05 20:18:26Max’s heart was blazing as he darted into the burning building, cloth wrapped over his mouth, adrenaline pounding in his chest.
“EMILY!! I’M COMING TO SAVE YOU!” he shouted like a battle cry. Only to pause a few steps in. PSSSSSSHHH. A fire extinguisher hissed. Emily calmly doused the last of the flames. Max stood there, heroic pose frozen, blinking through the steam. Grimm, floating behind a half-charred couch, burst into uncontrollable laughter. “PFFFT—You looked so cool for a solid five seconds!” Max lowered his arms, coughing awkwardly. “Seriously?” Just then, the boy with glasses—the Bully Council’s tactician—walked past, dragging a half-conscious Jacob. “Congratulations, Max,” he said coolly. “You’re now the official representative of Bloomfield High. Try not to die.” Then he left. Outside the building… Max walked quietly alongside Emily. “…Thanks,” he said, glancing down. “For saving me. If I hadn’t known what the Council was planning… I’d be toast.” “You’re welcome,” Emily replied, eyes forward. Max reached into his backpack and pulled out the plush toy he never got to give her. “Here,” he said, holding it out. “For back then. You never got it.” She looked at it, surprised. Then took it with a smile. “Thanks.” Max stared a second too long at the smile. [SYSTEM MESSAGE: Calculating Quest Rewards…] [Quest Chain "A Boy Becoming a Man" COMPLETE.] [REWARD: +50 to All Stats | Skill Slot Unlocked | Passive Title: "Underdog Hero"] “Let’s GOOOO!” Max cheered, fist-pumping the air. The Next Day… Max limped out of the pharmacy again, bandages wrapped tightly around his arms and ribs. His stomach growled loudly. He pulled out his wallet. Just a couple of crumpled bills. “Not enough for real food… and no way I’m calling Aunty again.” He sighed and wandered toward a cheap snack store. Just as he reached for a meat bun, Grimm suddenly yelled: “MAX! The girl! The one who saw the two souls—she’s being kidnapped!” Max dropped the snack. “WHAT?!” He turned and saw her—the mystery girl—being dragged into a bus by a group of men in suits. Max reached for his phone. “I’m calling the police—” [SYSTEM QUEST: “Rescue the Fragile Princess” – Failure will result in painful punishment.] [Punishment: Snip-Snip (illustrated with a gleaming pair of scissors)] “OH, COME ON!” Max screamed. [Stats Check: Agility – 55] His feet exploded into motion. Flashback – Yesterday: "ALL STATS +50" He’d been too distracted to check the numbers—but now they were saving his life. Max reached the intersection just as the kidnappers' bus stopped at a red light. He sprinted forward— CRACK! A metal bat hit him square in the face. Max collapsed. Then the gang piled onto him, kicking him as he groaned on the pavement. He grabbed one of their legs and muttered through gritted teeth: “Soul Link – Muhammad Ali.” BOOM! A shockwave of fists. The gang flew back one by one, struggling to keep up with Max’s evasive footwork and explosive counterpunches. Two kidnappers panicked and got back into the bus, taking off with the girl. Max grabbed one of the groaning thugs by the collar. “WHERE ARE THEY TAKING HER?!” “Th-The warehouse! Across the street!” Max delivered a final boxer’s cross that knocked the man cold. But pain slammed into his muscles like bricks. He collapsed to one knee. His body shaking from the soul strain. “Grimm,” he hissed. “I’m not done yet…” He looked around—and saw a skateboard. “Soul Link – Dylan Rieder.” Max flew across the street, weaving through traffic like a blur. At the warehouse gates… The kidnappers rolled up—only to see Max standing in the road, bruised and bleeding. “GET OUTTA THE WAY!” the driver shouted. CRASH. They ran Max over. The car screeched to a halt. “Check if he’s alive—throw him in the back,” one muttered. A thug approached. WHAM. A fist decked him clean. Max rose, head tilted forward, face in shadow. [Soul Link: Brandon Lee – Activated] “I’m taking the girl,” Max said, his voice low, deadly, and ice-cold. More gangsters rushed him—but Max moved like a phantom. Spin kicks. Fluid strikes. Elbow counters. Every move was beautiful and brutal. The last kidnapper hit the ground hard, groaning. But a massive man in sunglasses and a white blazer stepped out from the shadows inside. He cracked his knuckles. “So. You’re the one messing with our deliveries.” He smirked. “Who are you? Her new bodyguard?” Max stepped forward and took Brandon Lee’s pose, hands loose, stance ready. “…No,” he said. [SYSTEM MESSAGE: Quest Response Confirmed.] “I’m just a guy doing a side quest.”
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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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