Systems Made me Lord of the City

Awakened

Chapter 01

The kick came out of nowhere.

Adrian Black was just standing in the street when a boot slammed into him. He flew sideways, crashed into a stack of wet crates, and hit the ground hard. His ribs hurt like hell. Rain mixed with the blood in his mouth. Mud stuck to everything.

“Dog!” someone yelled. “You dare stand in my way?”

A young noble stood over him. Maybe twenty years old. Expensive cloak, gold thread, shiny boots that were now covered in Adrian’s blood and street dirt.

“Crawl, beggar. Bark for me. Maybe I’ll throw you a coin.”

People gathered quick. Street vendors, kids, random folks looking for free entertainment. Their laughter made everything worse.

Adrian pushed himself up onto his knees. He hadn’t eaten in two days. His body shook. He could taste blood. Still, he looked straight at the noble and didn’t look away.

“You paid a gold coin for those boots?” he said. His voice was rough. “Too bad your head’s worth less than the mud on them.”

People gasped. Someone said, “He’s lost his mind.”

Darius Vane, son of the richest merchant in the city, stared for a second. Then he smirked. “What did you just say, gutter rat?”

Adrian forced himself to sit up straighter even though it hurt. His clothes were torn. He was covered in dirt and bruises. He still met the guy’s eyes.

“I said a pig could wear those boots better.”

A few people laughed in shock. Some of the guards looked uncomfortable.

Darius slapped him hard. Adrian’s head snapped to the side. Blood sprayed.

“You dare insult me?”

“I told the truth.”

“Hold him down!”

Two guards shoved him face-first into the mud. Their knees pressed into his back. Darius pulled out a gold coin and tossed it into the dirt right next to Adrian’s face.

“Lick it. Lick the gold and maybe I’ll let you crawl away.”

The crowd went crazy. Someone shouted, “Go on, dog! Show us how low you’ll go!”

Adrian’s hands clenched. He wanted to fight back, but his body had nothing left. He was too weak, too hungry, too beaten up.

Still, he didn’t give in.

“Gold?” he said, lifting his head a little. “Keep it. One day I’ll make you choke on it.”

The laughing slowed down. Even the guards paused.

Darius raised his voice. “What did he say?”

Adrian looked at him. “You heard me. Remember this, Darius Vane. One day you’ll be the one begging. And I won’t care.”

The street went quiet.

Darius’s face twisted. “Dreams don’t suit trash like you.” He kicked Adrian in the ribs again.

Pain shot through him. Blood landed on the gold coin.

Adrian smiled anyway. “Then remember this trash’s name. Adrian Black.”

Something about the way he said it made Darius stop for a second.

“Break him.”

The guards started hitting him. Fists. Boots. Every hit hurt. The world started to blur.

Then a voice spoke in his head. Clear and cold.

[System Activated]

[Host recognized]

[Mission: Rise to Glory.]

Adrian’s eyes opened wider.

[First Task: Endure humiliation without kneeling. Reward: Strength +1.]

His heart beat harder. The pain was still there, but something else came with it. Small, but real.

He smiled through the blood.

The guards kept hitting him. The nobles kept laughing. They thought it was over.

They were wrong.

Adrian lay in the mud, breathing hard. The gold coin sat next to him. He let out a weak laugh.

“Strength… +1, huh?”

For the first time in a long while, things didn’t feel completely hopeless.

People started walking away, talking about the idiot beggar who talked back to a Vane. Darius walked off in his fancy boots, looking proud of himself.

Adrian stayed where he was and the rain washed some of the blood off. The System’s words stayed in his head.

They thought he was done.

He knew better.

This was only the beginning.