Within Draven's mindspace,
Vernon said “Kid, why are you holding back? Just go and punch that brat in the face until he cries for his mommy!”
Draven said “hey it's not that simple he has powers and I don’t! It was unfair from the start.”
Vernon disagreed, he said “Stop making excuses! He isn't as strong as he looks.”
'Not strong?' Draven scoffed. “Are you blind? He is definitely stronger than me!”
“Well not anymore, check your stats” Vernon said and displayed his stats.
Strength: 27
....
....
Overall Power level: 0.6
Power: Invisibility (Awakened)
Skills: Misdirection.
Verdict: Strength and intelligence above average human. Still extremely weak.
Vernon said "Look your invisibility is awakened but you can’t use it yet?”
“Why?”
“It is still at level zero! If you want to use it then you can upgrade it to level 1. But don’t!”
Draven quickly added the remaining 5 points to his stats.
[Stats]
Speed: 13
....
....
Dexterity: 15
He clicked the storage icon. Inside the storage tab, was an old scroll. He read the description.
It was level one fire manipulation skill written by Master Xixi Huang. To teach fire users, how to channel and develop the fire element in their souls. And then manifest the fire element physically. It had a fragment of Master Huang's power, his basic skills and his unique interpretations which was a bonus for Draven.
In a few seconds, Draven read through the skill. Following his piratic look Vernon said "Hey, if want a learning boost or a mastery cheat, you can buy one from the System' store."
Draven took his advice and searched for cheats and learning boosts from the system.
[Store]
Exp: 115
[Basic Cheats]
Novice 40exp
Intermediate 80exp
Expert 160exp
Master 320exp
Grandmaster 640exp
[Basic Boost]
Study boost 20exp
Writing boost 15exp
Enlightenment boost 100exp
Skill boost 40exp
Muscle boost 25exp
Speed boost 40exp
Strength boost 40exp
Draven bought a novice skill mastery and a study boost.
Exp: 55
Draven pondered and purchased a speed boost for emergency, leaving him with 15 exp.
With the novice skill mastery and the study boost, he was able to raise his mastery of the Fire element to the peak of the novice level.
Draven then bought a fire-berry leaf from the store for 15exp. to temper his body and increase his fire output.
The leaf materialized in his fist, crushing it; he swallowed it. Once, the fire energy seeped from his tongue to his brain. He was ready to fight.
The bracelet vibrated.
[Mission]
Beat Osborne Greenfield and his gang using all of the arsenals and powers at your disposal.
Rewards:
50exp for defeating 50% of his gang.
100exp for defeating 100% of his gang.
200exp for defeating Osborne Greenfield
260exp for defeating Nolan Ashford.
Fail to defeat Osborne Greenfield -100exp
50exp escape from Nolan Ashford
[Bonus 400exp, condition: none standing]
Draven asked the system "Why is Nolan worth more exp than Osborne?"
Vernon answered "Because he is more difficult to defeat? His a speed user recently promoted to level two. It will be a tough fight for you, but with my help, you can win for sure!"
------
Like a pompous young master, Osborne said "Thank you guys for handling my dog for me. Tonight, all you guys will get free V.I.P passes to my club."
The guys cheered. Osborne showing his authority, he raised his hand and the boys quietened. The air grew hostile and sparks flew between Draven and Osborne, they both snared.
Osborne clawed his hands and out came electricity, displaying his power. He scratched the air on the right and a few electrified claw marks appeared on the wall, making a hissing sound.
Osborne had an evil grin plastered on his face. He took a few steps forward as he stared into Draven' eyes full of malicious intent. He crackled and the boys snickered.
A pale youth dressed in black approached Osborne and loudly suggested "Young Master, instead of getting your hands dirty why not let these freeloaders earn their keep?".
Osborne waved his hands in disagreement, said "Nah! How about we some fun?”
Osborne said "Let's play a game! without using your feet, you must hit him from where you are! Whoever hits his head will get 100 points! His chest 50 and his stomach 25 and…"
A crisp sound of fire cracking in the room. He turned to the noise.
Draven' s eyes turned green. The muscles on his arms cracked and his veins glowed red in anger. As his veins bulged; red ropes of fire travelled around his arms and spread; circling his whole body. Raising the temperature of the washroom. Draven said "The fun time is over, it's payback time"
Seeing Draven’s horrid look, the boys unconsciously took a step back. Nolan and Osborne were struck speechless. Surprised by these developments. “Don’t worry guys! He will still be a weakling even if he has awakened his powers” Osborne said, dissipating the worry in their hearts.
Draven manipulated the fire around him and centred the flame into his hands; forming a fireball. He pitched a fast one and hit an unguarded boy and dashed forward. Remembering the combat lessons of his grandpa, he swiftly threw a feint, sidestepped to his right and punched the boy squarely in the gut. Like a bat whacking the baseball for a home run, his head hit against the ceiling.
Unrestrained, Draven dodged a stray leg and with the same move, he reproached him; sending him across the room.
Draven with no hesitation, he showed no mercy and brutally hit them. On a roll, Draven charged, strikes fear into their hearts. His face darkened and twisted into a crazed expression.
Osborne maniacally laughed, said "Draven thanks for the surprise!"
Osborne ran and reached in front of Draven in a flash. With his hands covered in electricity, he punched. A blue fist tore through air, electrifying everything in its path.
Draven flipped to the side; sparks grazed his shoulder. Draven clutched his numb shoulder. ‘Shit! This isn’t good!’ Draven thought and threw fireballs from far.
Osborne stepped forward and turned his neck avoiding the attack.
Osborne chuckled "I don't know how you got powers but you are still too weak" Osborne waved his arm and created an electric field and fended off Draven's attack and crumbled into pieces.
"Oh my, looks like I have underestimated you. But you are still too weak" Osborne said.
Internally Draven said to Vernon "Activate the speed boost"
Under the effects of the speed boost, Draven left a streak of light. He appeared an inch away from Osborne. Catching him off guard, he hit him in his chest with a flaming fist. Osborne skidded a meter away and gained his footing.
"Haha, this is way more fun than I expected!" Osborne said.
Draven covered himself in flames, said "You have seen nothing yet"
“Surprise me buddy, Hehe!” Osborne stood waiting for his attack.
The fire on Draven's body intensified and he drew his hands back and released fire from his hands.
Sweat ran down Osborne's neck, he frowned and jumped into the air.
Draven directed the fire up. Like a jet, Osborne skirted across the air.
Unable to hit him, Draven swirled the fire in his palms; turning into rings of fire. A large ring swirled around Osborne; forming rings of fire.
Draven squeezed his hands, the rings shrunk and locked him in mid-air. Osborne shot bots of lighting in his struggle. The rings tightened around; he screamed, as it charred his waist, he fainted.
Draven gripped his knees, feeling the strain on his body.
Nolan teleported under Osborne breaking his fall with his super speed. Nolan gently put Osborne on the ground and avoided the incoming fireball.
Nolan calmly said "Don't you know it's rude it is to attack without warning? Where is your etiquette?"
Unfazed, Draven said "In the face of true strength, your etiquette is nothing! Take this!" forming a huge fireball above his head.
Nolan pushed his hair back, said "Very Good, Good. Then take this"
Nolan ran in circles, forming a mini tornado. The tornado formed a vacuum sucking fire. And like a candle, his flames flickered, losing its lustre.
At that moment, an idea popped in his head. He picked an unconscious body on the ground and flung them to Nolan's path. Nolan paused to dodge, reducing his speed. The tornado wavered.
In a brief moment, Draven gathered the flames from the inside and breathed fire. Out of his mouth, the flame spread like a wave; swallowing the space between them.
Nolan suffocated under the heat and he fainted, before the stream of fire could consume him, it fizzed out and dispersed.
Draven out of energy, collapsed to his back and panted. The exhaustion brought waves of drowsiness. Draven grinned in victory "Haha, I finally defeated that Rat's ass! OMG! I can't believe it. Haha".
Vernon came out of the bracelet, said "Congratulations for completing your first mission. Do you want to see the rewards?"
Draven replied "Nah, I have to hurry back to class otherwise I'm in deep trouble."
Vernon said "By the way, for completing your first mission you have received a bonus of 100exp."
Draven struggled to his feet and staggered to the mirror; his pupils widened in horror. His clothes were beyond saving; charred black, full of holes. ‘OMG! MY HAIR!!!’ His hand trembled, running through his sooty hair.
Discarding his burnt clothes, his back was charcoaled grey. Draven clicked his tongue. As a fashionable person; it was an insult for him, to wear rags.
With five minutes remaining in his speed boost, he quickly washed the soot off his body and stripped one of the boys to his underwear. Unsatisfied with the clothes, Draven sighed. 'Like they say beggars can't be choosers!’
‘It will just have to do for now' Draven rummaged through their bodies, searching for his compensation. ‘I definitely can’t leave with a loss! He might have some good stuff!’
Under her questioning gaze, his throat went dry. Abby leaned against the wall with crossed arms.He stuttured "I... I was in the toilet...had a really bad one....Sorry I .... I took too long"Abby stiffled her laugh within her petite hands.Sternly, she said "I still won't excuse you for this! So, you better stay behind!"Draven nodded and dragged his feet to his seat.He picked his brush and began painting. While he was painting, a soft voice caressed his earbuds. "Hey, what happened? And happened to your clothes?"With shifty eyes, he said "I wasn't feeling well and I somehow had ruined them... And borrowed my friend's spare clothes."Karisa gave a sincere smile, said "Oh! I didn't know, sorry for asking. Are you feeling better now?"Breathing in her rosy fragrence, suddenly his heart leaped, viewing her through flowery lens. Surpressing his emotions, he replied "No worries. It's OK. I am fine."Draven smiled int
Daven was late. Knowing his Maths teacher’s temperament, he would be in for a scolding. He took a deep breath and knocked, before walking in. Draven apologized, informed her of his reason behind his tardiness. Mrs. Winchester for a wonder said the strangest things. “Next time, be on time and take your seat.' Draven took his seat at the back of the class and flipped his notebook open. Swirling a Ten between his fingers while listening to her lecture. Time passed like a blur. When half of the day was over, the lunch bell rang. The students rushed through the halls, either to chat with their buddies outside or the school cafeteria. Draven carried his sorry ass out of the class with a bag over his shoulder, heading to the rooftops. With a dazed expression, he slowly climbed the stairs. But internally, he was chatting with Vernon in the system. Vernon said "Do you want to see the stats now?" “Okay” ---Legend's Scroll---
Draven lethargically climbed up the stairs. He could have taken the elevator but there wasn't one in this crummy building. He could complain for hours, about this rundown, paint-peeled apartment but sadly it was the only one which fitted perfectly with his budget. In the beginning, it was hard for Draven to digest the word ‘Abandoned’ while sitting on the roadside for hours, the freezing cold was enough to pinch him back, to the reality of his circumstance. Moving on, Draven swallowed his pride and begged for a job, sometimes he threw himself out for the alms of the beggars or dumpster-diving for the crumbs to satiate himself. With his new identity, as a street kid, he sloged like an ox for a meagre wage doing odd jobs; at desperate times, even the offer to humiliate himself for money seemed enticing. A slave to money. When his pockets were full, his stomach wasn’t. It always manged to take fight by its
Today school was closed for the weekend, out of habit; he went for an early jog. Instead of going down his normal routine, he jogged further to the next street. Draven heaved, leaning against the brick wall, to catch his breath. He cussed, wiping the sweat on his chin. 'I certainly didn't expect it to be this far! Damn that old fart!' A green thread of light, buzzed from the bracelet, he popped to the size of a little fairy. Vernon shouted "Hey, quit whining! This is just a warm-up!" Draven said "But, I could have easily warmed up on the gym's treadmill." Vernon replied "Running outside and inside aren't that different. But they make a big difference. Athletes of my generation, preferred training outdoors, making their bodies resistant to the temperature and the conditions of the track." Draven stayed silent and continued running. Moments before daybreak, in a small corner of the street. People in their sports apparels went in an
The room glowed; numbers flashed. 3…2…1 Go! Draven climbed up and hid within the tree leaves, gripping the daggers. A couple of robots trudged through the wilderness, while they carefully scanned the area with loaded guns, ready to fire. Catching a lead of his footprint, on a caterpillar track, they waddled to his tree. Like a dart, the dagger cut through the air, it stuck straight to its optical sensor. Aligning his sword, he jumped down, and with the gained momentum, it sliced through the robot in half. And casually swung his sword horizontally, chopping off the head of the robot. Draven strolled out. A second later, they went boom, sending the lit scraps in all directions, attracting the others. He leaned his back straight to the trunk, as a drone flew above. He rolled and took cover in a nearby bush. Pensively looked around. 'Hmm, last time I used the rings. But they are too taxing for my current level. I need to figure out a way to
In the midst of his battle, he ducked his head from the incoming heat ray. He dashed in the middle, two robots flanking him from the both sides, swinging their blades, forming an x. With a horizontal parry, he deflected back their combined attacks. They skidded back; pulling his fingers back like a gun, he shot fire bullets which was soon blocked by its forcefield. Based on his previous fighting patterns, the bots were prepared. From the middle, a machine gun. Draven rocketed himself back with a flip, he struck its chest with the teeth of his whip and destroyed the source of his trouble, leaving the bot with only a sword to defend itself. When Draven fought the robots, he heard a mechanical movement. Acting on his instincts, he changed the grip of his sword and preformed a reverse roundhouse; kicking the robot's sword away while ducking his head narrowly from the incoming sword at the front. After depleting his fire energy, he was soon stuck in a dead
[Mission]Defeat Misty Eyes thugs and the hidden boss.Defeat the gang of Misty eyes 350expDefeat Hidden Boss 300expBonus: level 3 power scrollFail to complete mission - electric shock for two minutes or deduct 300exp from the host.Vernon said "They aren't that strong only a few are level 2 and the tattooed dude is a level 2.5 superhuman. And the boss is at level 3. It shouldn't be too hard for ya!" Draven spent 80exp for one speed boost and stamina boost, giving a temporary boost of five stats each. Blood rush through his heart, epic music replayed in his mind. Draven laughed, and plotted 'It will be much easier to surpress them, once I defeat their leader' Draven dashed to the leader. An inch away, Draven covered his fists with fire and punched. The leader activated his ability, turning his arm into iron and blocked Draven's punch.Before the enemy could counterattack, Draven stepped back and front kicked him in the gut. It rebounded.
Pushing through the sea of people and from a slit, he caught a sight of her back. He thought 'Hmm, why do I feel she looks familiar... to someone?' The thug roughly grabbed her hips with a lecherous gaze, she slapped him. His face darkened and frisked her to the floor, she closed her eyes tight and curled her head expecting the blow. And before the man could strike her, Draven jumped over with a flying kick in the face; kicking a meter away. *Bang*The spectators gasped. Slowly her eyes fluttered open, bewildered by the events. As a man bleed on the ground. Her earthen eyes widened, seeing her saviour. With a light chuckle, Draven gazed into her eyes and softly mouthed 'Hi' The man rubbed his face in pain, stood on his feet and spat blood. They supported him and drew out their knives. He shouted "Yo punk! How dare you kick me? Don't you know who am I? Draven snickered "Do I look like I care?" A ball of fire crawled around his hand. <