- Cutting Off Distractions
Several hours later...
Frizz hovered several meters above the convenience store, arms outstretched and eyes closed, letting the cold wind wash over him.
He smirked, finally grasping what Divine had meant by freedom through flying.
The wind, though cold, felt welcoming. He embraced the night sky as he gazed at the bright full moon. His mind was blank, focused solely on the calming moment.
The astounding feeling he captured upon being able to look down on people, to be separated from the rest, made his problems seem miniscule.
"Frizz?" Mina called from below, her voice barely reaching him. He slowly descended, intending to converse with her.
"You can fly?"
"Yeah, only recently."
Mina stared, fear and excitement warring within her. "You promised me that we'd spend some time together after our shifts..." she reminded, shifting anxiously.
"Yes, I did," Frizz replied, remembering his words. "Let's go to the ocean then; I can fly you there." He offered despite craving peace and quiet. (I'll spend twenty minutes, then I'll bring her home.)
"What!?" Mina blurted; she had a fear of heights. "No! I can't deal with flying!"
"MINA!" A loud voice barged in, surprising the two and turning toward the source. The voice was a man, slightly older than both of them, who then sprinted forward and snatched Mina's hand.
"Who is this guy?" the man shouted, causing Mina to shy away, like a child caught in the act.
(Wait a minute. This guy is Mina's boyfriend. I saw his face a couple of times in her phone.) Frizz mused, shocked. (No wonder he looked familiar.)
The boyfriend wore casual clothing, wasn't physically imposing, and stood a foot shorter than him.
Mina tried to calm his boyfriend. "He's a coworker; his name is Frizz," she introduced, grabbing her boyfriend's hand. "There's nothing here; we were just talking about what had happened last time."
Her boyfriend glared daggers at Frizz, warily scanning him. Frizz awkwardly smiled, understanding the man's actions. (He looks jealous and very protective. Mina's way too flirty sometimes.)
Mina darted her eyes between the two men, nervous, not expecting this confrontation.
(I had one too many encounters lately; I deserve some me time, not some drama about to boil.) Frizz mused, thinking of an excuse. "We were just talking about our experiences; we still can't forget the time we almost died. This town is very dangerous, you see."
Fritz walked away, causing Mina's face to frown and her boyfriend's face to somewhat relax.
"I have some better things to do. See you tomorrow, Mina."
He continued to walk away, hearing mutters and murmurs behind. The two were in an argument.
"She's a cheater." A voice rang out beside him, near the entrance of the convenience store. It was Yani; she'd been eavesdropping. "Even when she has a boyfriend, she still makes moves on you."
Frizz turned to Yani with an exhausted yet polite face. (I just want some quiet time.)
Yani smiled, looking away and catching his thoughts. "I won't bother you anymore, and thank you again for what you did for my sister. It was a miracle."
"She's feeling better because of you," she remarked, slightly bowing her head in appreciation and walking away.
Frizz cracked his neck, stretching his body and heading towards a secluded spot and instantly flew upward, disturbing the leaves and trash beneath. (Now, time to gather some experience.)
One hour later...
Frizz hovered a hundred meters above a compound, observing it and noting the lack of personnel. "This has to be that criminal group that shared territory with Baron back when he was active." He muttered, rubbing his chin.
[System]
New Objectives for New Name.
Clear the compound from hostiles: 0/10
Rewards: 100 experience.
Frizz shrugged his shoulders. His question was answered by the sudden notification. He didn't expect any objective but nevertheless accepted it.
He slowly descended into the compound, staggering slightly upon landing before approaching the entrance. (Need better landing techniques.)
*Knock!* *Knock!*
Inside, ten men were surprised about the sudden knock, not expecting company. They all picked up weapons, aiming them at the entrance as two guards slowly approached the door and opened it.
Finding absolutely nothing...
The two men, confused, went outside and looked around. "There's nothing here."
"I can't see anyone on my side too." The other one added as his rifle was instantly removed, like someone pulled it away, and was struck with it. *Thwack!*
"What the shit!?" *Thwack!*
The two men fell.
The loud thuds from their bodies echoed inside. The remaining eight men trained their weapons on the door, itching to fire at the first sign of movement.
But no one charged in...
For seven minutes they remained tense, weapons aimed at the door, but no one appeared. Growing restless, the leader gestured at the one closest to him to go outside.
The whole building's atmosphere was tense, anxiety slowly creeping in as they feared either a police or a rival gang raid.
"Surge plus dash plus lesser power plus guard." Frizz whispered, already inside the building and blending in the background.
[System]
[Wind Dash] perk is active.
Frizz's perception of time slowed, his eyes glowing; he charged forward and delivered a liver shot at the leader of the group. *Thwack!* The leader fell, collapsing onto the table and catching the attention of the rest.
"Shoot him!" "There he is!" "Kill him!" They all shouted, firing a barrage of bullets.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
Frizz dashed forward, noting his opponent's sluggish and slow movements.
The bullets were still imperceptible, too fast to follow. However, his battle sense perk had made up for it, allowing him to dodge each shot with little to no effort.
(It's like watching a MeTube video in 0.5 speed!) He thought, seeing their late reactions and grinning widely as he dispatched them one by one.
[System]
Objectives Completed.
Clear the compound from hostiles: 10/10.
Rewards: 200 experience.
Frizz looked around, admiring his work and ignoring the groans of his enemies. "Let's see here."
"This is a lot of meth," Frizz remarked, seeing the several kilos of meth displayed on another table. "I wonder if that blue version exists in real life."
He looked around, scanning the building. "This doesn't look like a meth laboratory or a drug manufacturing one."
"I guess this is where meth is distributed," Frizz concluded.
The leader, struggling to rise after the liver punch, managed to pick up his pistol. "Disarm," Frizz muttered, half-looking.
[System]
Target disarmed.
The pistol dropped. Frizz then willed the pistol to fly upwards. *Thwack!* Delivering a pistol-uppercut to the leader and knocking him out.
He searched the body for a phone and called the police.
Ten minutes later...
[System]
New Name is now level 17.
Select a perk: [Iron Frame II], [Desperate Defense], [Parallel Processing], [Friendliness], [Tough].
"Ah, I knew something was missing," Frizz commented, pondering. "Friendliness sounds nice."
[System]
New name received: [Friendliness].
Displaying descriptions: A friendly aura emanates within the perk user, causing people to have a slightly positive perception of them.
"Hm. I should've picked a better perk, but whatever."
[System]
Fighter perk upgrade: [✬Efficient Recovery II✬]
Description: Significantly reduces the time it takes to recover stamina and fatigue.
Fighter skill upgrade:
Description: Forces three weaker or equal targets to drop their weapons. (10)
"Another disappointing upgrade," Frizz remarked, heading out as he heard the wails of a police siren. "System."
[System]
Name: New Name
Level: 17
Experience: 60/600
Health: 66/66 (+21) [RF+2] [IF+7] [HM✬+12]
Mana: 63/63
Fatigue: 30/100 (peak)
Class: [Fighter]
Subclass: [White Knight]
⬬ [Prowess Minimized] … >>
Perks: [Serene Life], [Righteous Fury], [Gluttonous Approach], [Telekinetic Bulwark II], [Mark of Decrepitude], [Iron Frame], [Adaptive Predator], [Survivor], [Soothing Touch II], [Venomous Presence], [Wind Dash], [Friendliness], [✬Efficient Recovery II✬], [✬Single Minded Fool✬], [✬Unique Battle Sense II✬], [✬All About Me II✬], [✬White Knight's Resolve II✬], [✬White Knight's Constitution II✬] … >>
Talents: 『Icarus』, 『Borrowed Time』
(Prowess is minimized? I must've clicked something or willed it. I wonder if I can minimize my perk list.) Frizz thought, surprised. "Ah, well, it was never that useful to know." He muttered, soaring into the sky as he watched the authorities storm the compound.
(You're lucky I'm doing your job for you guys.)
He was about to fly home until he felt a strong presence, causing him to instantly guard himself. "Another leveler!?"
Frizz scanned below, hastily looking for someone to stand out but found nothing. (This feeling... are they invisible or just good at hiding?)
(If they're keeping an eye on me, then I shouldn't head home; they might know where I live.) He reasoned, heading in the opposite direction and producing a sonic boom.
The police officers below glanced upward, startled by the sudden explosion.
(I have to get away, but what if they've marked me via a skill or talent!?) Frizz cursed, paranoia settling in. (That presence was something else. I know for sure it wasn't that flying woman or barrier guy.)
"Sorry dad, you're going to have to worry for a while."