From Zero To Stardom: My Superstar System

Chapter Twelve: Healing Potion

WITH a powerful thrust, Marcus punched the gangster's cheek, and the force behind the blow was enough to send the gangster flying backwards, causing the gangster to collide with a stack of trash cans with a loud crash.

The cacophony of metal meeting metal and the gangster's pained cries filled the alley, creating a terrifying symphony that sent the rats scurrying in all directions.

"Y-You...ugh! bastard," the gangster managed to groan through the pain and attempted to rise, but his body refused to cooperate.

The gangster's vision began to blur, and he slowly lost consciousness beside the clattering trash cans.

"One down," Marcus smirked, his voice filled with a mix of exhaustion and excitement.

Adrenaline courses through his veins as he turns his attention to the two remaining gangsters who stared in disbelief at their fallen comrade.

"Scared? Come at me, fucking bastards!"

Marcus yelled, taunting the gangster on purpose.

The gangster gritted their teeth, and finally snapped out of their shock. They rushed towards Marcus with their faces contorted with rage.

They come running towards them. The taller gangster raised his steel pipe and the gangster with a snarling wolf tattoo took out a pocket knife from his pocket.

"You bastard!" the taller gangster yelled as he raised his steel pipe to strike Marcus again.

The steel pipe whooshed harmlessly through the air, but Marcus swiftly ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding the deadly blow.

The gangster eyes widened in surprise. He was confident he could hit Marcus.

But even Marcus himself is surprised. He wasn't an athletic nor a sporty person but he was able to avoid the attack!

This is the system and Victor Petrov power!

Marcus remembered a move that Victor did. He stepped in close, and he closed the distance between him and the taller gangster.

“Y-You… how–”

And before the taller gangster could finish his words, Marcus had already struck his throat, causing him to gag and struggle for breath.

"You... you son of a bitch..."

The gangster lost his grip on the steel pipe, and the heavy weapon crashed to the ground, the noise echoing through the alley.

The gangster could only glare at Marcus as he coughed and gasped, his hands desperately clutching at his windpipe.

“Don't push your luck, punk!”

Without giving him a rest, the gangster with the snarling wolf tattoo yelled at him and lunged forward with a knife in his hand, aiming to stab Marcus from the side.

Marcus avoided it, but the knife was able to graze his side, leaving a shallow but stinging cut.

"Ah!" he winced, gritting his teeth against the sharp pain.

Gasping for breath, he glanced at the knife the gangster still held, it had now blood on it and the gangster was even more furious than ever, his eyes bloodshot.

Marcus knows that the gangster will not miss again and it would be impossible to avoid the next attack.

He locked eyes with the taller gangster, who was slowly recovering from the earlier blows. With his current level and condition, it would be impossible for him to take two of the gangsters.

He had to hurry. His stamina was running low, and he couldn't afford to let this fight drag on and let his guard down.

Despite the pain, Marcus managed to grab the gangster's outstretched arm, he applied pressure as hard as his strength could to the gangster's wrist joint.

"Fuck! My arm!"

The gangster cried out, releasing his grip on the knife.

Marcus wasn't done, the image from that surreal world flashed in his mind once again as he executed a swift spin, employing his core strength to forcefully slam the gangster's arm and upper body onto the ground.

The gangster crashed to the alley floor with a resounding thud, and his weapon skidded out of reach.

"Ugh!" The gangster could groan in pain.

"Two down," Marcus said and raised his foot to finish the gangster but in a sudden twist of events, the taller gangster had managed to recover faster than Marcus anticipated.

With surprising strength, he grabbed Marcus from behind, and his arms tightly constricted around Marcus's waist, rendering his movements limited.

"Got you now, you little shit," the taller gangster sneered.

Marcus struggled to break free, but the gangster's hold was unrelenting and the pain in his side from the knife and his head didn't help at all.

And to make matters worse, the gangster with the snarling wolf tattoo had recovered from Marcus's earlier attack. He picked up his knife that had fallen on the ground and staggered towards them, cradling his injured arm.

"Your luck's run out, punk," the gangster with the knife grinned menacingly he then aimed it at Marcus' throat.

Marcus' breathing intensified as he looked down at the knife that still had his blood on it.

It had been two minutes and Marcus' stamina had run out. He was in a dangerous predicament, and he needed to act quickly.

"I don't know where you got that move but it's over now, punk," the taller gangster taunted. "You are gonna pay for what you have done to my brother."

Marcus felt helpless but then he remembered another move he had seen in one of the flashes of Victor Petrov's combat skills.

It was risky with a knife pointing not far from his neck, but he had no other choice.

Using every bit of his energy, Marcus stomped on the taller gangster's foot, causing the man to yelp and momentarily loosen his grip.

Marcus used this split-second opportunity to twist out of the gangster's hold.

In a swift and determined move, Marcus delivered a punishing elbow strike to the gangster's face, breaking his nose. Blood spurted from the gangster's injured face as he stumbled backwards, dazed and in pain.

"Argh, my nose!"

The taller gangster howled in pain.

But Marcus didn't pause.

He immediately turned his attention to the gangster with the knife. In a lightning-fast exchange, he wrestled with the armed thug and redirected the blade away from his throat.

Marcus fought with every ounce of remaining energy and delivered a powerful knee strike to the gangster's groin.

"Ahhhh!" the gangster yelled in pain as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his injured area.

The man's eyes widened in excruciating pain, and the knife dropped on the ground.

"Three down," Marcus stated as he stood victorious in the dimly lit alley.

His chest heaving with exhaustion and he was in terrible pain but a smirk rose on his lips as he watched the gangsters laying on the ground.

The taller gangster had also lost his consciousness, leaving only the one with the snarling tattoo still semi-conscious.

Kneeling beside the remaining gangster, Marcus spoke with a mix of exhaustion and triumph, "You guys picked the wrong fight tonight. Remember this night the next time you think about messing with someone's life."

"Fuck you! T-This isn't over yet!" The gangster glared at him and with a groan, the gangster attempted to rise, but the pain sent him back down.

"Ugh! You... you think you've won, punk? The boss will get you himself," he spat out, blood trickling from his split lip.

Marcus, catching his breath, retorted, "Tell your boss I'm coming for him too and that this is just the beginning."

The gangster's eyes widened in a mixture of fear and defiance, realizing that he had encountered someone who should not be messed with.

"I—"

Marcus did not let the gangster finish his words; he punched the gangster's face.

The impact sent shockwaves of pain through Marcus's hand, but he didn't flinch.

The gangster's body went limp, and his eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.

Marcus slowly rose to his feet, every muscle in his battered body aching. However, a triumphant smile graced his face.

Revenge was indeed sweet.

[Mission Accomplished!]

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully completed your mission: "Overcome Your Trauma."]

[You have earned:]

[Experience Points (XP): + 500

The Wheel of Stardom feature has been unlocked!]

[Assessing the Host Condition]

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[Additional Reward: Healing Potion]