The First Target
Morning came too soon.
I squinted at the light seeping through the broken blinds of my apartment, the heaviness of fatigue resting on me like an old affliction. My body throbbed from years of strenuous work, joints tight, muscles painful. For a brief instant, I thought about shutting my eyes again, drifting back into the blissful emptiness of slumber.
But then I remembered.
The system.
I sat up so fast my vision blurred. It wasn't a dream. The glowing interface still hovered in the corner of my vision, a faint pulse of energy that felt almost alive. My heart pounded. I forced myself to take a breath, grounding myself in reality. This was real.
I swung my legs off the edge of the bed and stood up, my bare feet touching the chilly, worn tiles of my inexpensive apartment. The soft murmur of morning traffic outside scarcely registered as I made my way to the tiny bathroom, my fingers gliding across the rough contours of the sink.
I turned the faucet. Rusty pipes groaned in protest before cold water finally splashed into my hands. I splashed it over my face, letting it chase away the remnants of sleep.
Then, I looked up.
A tired man looked back at me from the broken mirror.
I was in my late 30s—early 40s, maybe. I had stopped counting a long time ago. A thick, unkempt beard covered my jaw, streaks of premature gray hiding in the black. My cinnabar-colored eyes, once sharp and filled with ambition, were sunken, framed by dark bags that never seemed to fade.
This was the face of a man the world had beaten down.
But today… there was something different.
A spark. A purpose. A power simmering just beneath my skin.
[Ding!]
The notification pulled me back to the present. I focused on the system window, my heart hammering as I explored the new interface.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
Name: Reynard Vale
Job Title: Jobmaster (Rank SSS)
Job Skills: [Empty]
Jobs: [Unskilled Laborer (F)]
Special Skill: [Scan, Absorb, Destroy] (?)
I frowned. My job title remained the same—Unskilled Laborer, Rank F. But now, there were additional features.
A new column titled Job Skills, still empty for now. And next to it, a section simply labeled Jobs, listing my current profession.
Then there was the extra skill. "Scan, Absorb, Destroy."
A small question mark hovered beside it. Without hesitation, I clicked it.
[Skill: Scan, Absorb, Destroy]
- Scan: Allows the user to analyze individuals and acquire knowledge of their professions.
- Absorb: Enables the user to learn a job, gaining partial skill proficiency and a rank boost.
- Destroy: Removes a profession from an individual and transfers it to the user. The individual permanently loses the job.
Warning: Destroyed professions cannot be restored.
I exhaled slowly, absorbing the implications.
This wasn't just a profession upgrade.
This was power.
True, absolute power over the very structure that ruled this world.
With Scan, I could see every job out there. With Absorb, I could rapidly improve myself. And with Destroy…
I could take.
I could erase people from their own professions. Strip them of their livelihood. Reduce them to nothing.
For the first time in my life, the world wasn't an immovable wall. It was a playground.
I clenched my fists.
But I couldn't afford to get ahead of myself. Not yet. Right now, my rank was still F. No skills. No strength. If I revealed my SSS-Class title too soon, I would paint a target on my back before I even had a way to defend myself.
I needed to be smart about this.
I needed to test my ability.
And I knew exactly who to start with.
I glanced at the time.
"Shit."
No matter what kind of godlike system I had, I still had a job to get to.
I threw on my usual worn-out clothes—faded jeans, a plain shirt, and steel-toe boots that had seen better days. The old world still had its grip on me, but that would change soon. I was done being a disposable worker.
Today marked the beginning of something else.
The Construction Site
The sun blazed over the urban landscape, the atmosphere heavy with dust and perspiration. In the distance, machinery rumbled, metal colliding with metal while workers yelled above the din.
I walked into the site, keeping my head down. The familiar weight of eyes landed on me almost immediately.
Then came the voice I was expecting.
"Well, well, if it isn't the bottom-feeder himself."
I stopped in my tracks.
There he was—Nathan Crowley.
A smug, arrogant bastard with a profession far above mine.
[SCAN]
Name: Nathan Crowley
Profession: Construction Worker (A-Rank)
Skills:
Structural Reinforcement (Lv. 7) – Enhances durability and stability of constructed buildings.
Heavy Lifting (Lv. 8) – Greatly increases physical strength for carrying materials.
Precision Engineering (Lv. 6) – Improves accuracy when measuring and assembling structures.
Endurance Boost (Lv. 9) – Significantly reduces fatigue from manual labor.
Material Efficiency (Lv. 5) – Optimizes use of building resources to minimize waste.
A-rank. In this world, that was practically a step right under nobility. While a CEO received more status based on their job, the true social hierarchy was determined by rank.
An A-rank construction worker like Nathan earned more than most C-rank office workers. And because higher-rank jobs demanded more respect, people treated him like he was better.
And he loved it.
Nathan's uniform was crisp, unlike the sweat-stained rags the lower ranks wore. His muscles were thick, his posture screaming entitlement.
Behind him, several other workers chuckled. Most of them were B-rank, some D-rank. None of them wanted to be on his bad side.
Except one.
A single woman stood nearby, her expression neutral but her eyes filled with quiet disapproval.
[SCAN]
Name: Sienna Locke
Profession: Construction Worker (B-Rank)
Skills:
Structural Reinforcement (Lv. 4) – Enhances durability and stability of constructed buildings.
Heavy Lifting (Lv. 5) – Increases physical strength for carrying materials.
Precision Engineering (Lv. 4) – Improves accuracy when measuring and assembling structures.
Endurance Boost (Lv. 6) – Reduces fatigue from manual labor.
Team Coordination (Lv. 5) – Enhances efficiency when working with others on large-scale projects.
Sienna. The only one on this site who wasn't a complete coward.
Nathan stepped forward, grinning. "What's wrong, laborer? You look tired. Is it because your pathetic body can't keep up with the rest of us?"
The laughter grew louder.
I said nothing. I let him talk. Let him think he had all the power.
"Man, I don't even know why they keep you around," Nathan sneered. "You're just dead weight. No skills, no talent. You'd be better off quitting."
I met his eyes.
"I have bills to pay," I said flatly.
He scoffed. "That's not my problem." Then, before I could react, he shoved me.
Hard.
I staggered back, barely catching myself before hitting the dirt. Nathan laughed, his voice full of amusement. "See? Weak. Pathetic. You should be grateful I'm even talking to you."
The other workers laughed again.
Except Sienna.
She stepped forward as Nathan walked away, her brows furrowed. "You okay?" she asked.
I nodded, dusting myself off. "Don't worry about it."
She hesitated. "You don't have to take that."
I forced a small smile. "I know."
I turned my gaze toward Nathan's retreating figure, my fingers curling into fists.
I wasn't going to take it.
Not anymore.
The system had given me power. And I had just found the perfect first target.
Nathan Crowley was going to lose everything.
And I was going to take what was mine.