Chapter 4: The First Steps to Power

The moment I woke up, my body felt like it had been run over by a truck. Twice. Every inch of me ached, my wounds still throbbed, and I could barely sit up without wincing.

Then it hit me.

I was still here. I was alive. And I had power.

[Wake up, loser!]

A sudden voice boomed in my head, almost making me jump.

[You seriously thought you could just go to sleep after unlocking me and not get nagged? Tsk. Rookie mistake.]

Ah, right. The system.

I groaned. "What now?"

[Now? Now you get to work. I mean, come on, you wanna rule the slums or not?]

I blinked. "...Who said anything about ruling the slums?"

[Oh please, don't act like you haven't thought about it. You fought Scarface, knocked him out, and people are talking. You've got power now. What are you gonna do with it?]

I frowned. The thought had crossed my mind, but ruling the slums? That sounded… far-fetched. Yet, as I sat there in the abandoned warehouse, I realized something: I had nothing. No family, no home, no future. In my old life, I fought just to survive. This time? Maybe I could fight for more.

Maybe I could carve out a place where no one could ever betray me again.

A new notification popped up in front of me.

[New Quest: King of the Rats]

[Objective: Establish dominance over the slums. Prove you are the strongest.]

[Time Limit: None]

[Reward: Title - Slum Ruler, Increased Reputation, ???]

[Failure: You remain weak and irrelevant.]

[Side Note: Get to work, lazy ass.]

I scoffed. "Nice encouragement."

[It's what I do.] The system snickered. [Now, step one: stop being weak.]

That part, at least, I could agree with.

I spent the next few days recovering. Liana came by a couple of times, tossing me food and making sure I hadn't dropped dead. The Doc patched me up again without asking too many questions, though I could tell he was curious.

When I was finally able to stand without swaying, I started training.

At first, it was brutal. My body wasn't used to this world's energy, mana, or whatever they called it. But the system had something that made it easier.

[New Passive Acquired: Efficient Growth]

[You adapt quickly to training. Gains increased by 30%.]

[Side Note: This is the only time I'll ever be nice to you.]

With that, I pushed myself harder.

I started by shadowboxing, retraining my footwork, and strengthening my endurance. Then, I moved on to mana control—something completely foreign to me. It was like trying to grab smoke, but little by little, I felt it responding to me.

At first, I could barely hold a wisp of it in my palm before it scattered. But each time I practiced, I got better. I learned how to guide it, to will it into form. By the end of the week, I could create a small orb of blue light that hovered above my palm for a few seconds before fizzling out.

[Amazing. You discovered the magical equivalent of a flashlight. I'm so proud.]

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

[Nope. Not until you do something actually impressive.]

I clenched my fist. It wasn't much, but it was a start. My power wasn't just physical anymore. I was something more.

And I needed to prove it.

A week later, I was ready for my first move.

Liana wasn't surprised when I told her.

"You're serious?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded. "The slums are ruled by the strong. If I want a place here, I need to be the strongest."

She studied me for a moment, then smirked. "Well, this should be fun."

[Quest Progress: 1%]

Just the beginning.

My first target wasn't a gang leader. It wasn't some big-shot crime lord. It was information.

If I wanted to take over the slums, I needed to know who really controlled it. Scarface was just one thug in a sea of them. There were bigger names, bigger threats. And if I was going to survive, I needed to know exactly what I was dealing with.

Liana led me to a rundown tavern near the edge of the district. Inside, the air was thick with smoke, the smell of cheap booze and sweat clinging to the wooden walls. A few rough-looking men turned to look at us as we entered, but most lost interest quickly.

"Who are we here for?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

Liana nodded toward the far corner. "That guy. Goes by Mercer. He knows everything that goes on in the slums."

I followed her gaze. A thin man with sharp eyes and a knowing smirk sat hunched over a deck of cards. He looked up as we approached, his smirk widening. "Well, well. What do we have here?"

Liana slid into the seat across from him, and I followed suit. "We need information."

Mercer's smirk didn't falter. "Information's expensive."

I pulled out a small pouch of coins Liana had given me earlier. "This enough?"

Mercer weighed the pouch in his hand, then nodded. "Alright, kid. What do you wanna know?"

I leaned forward. "Who really runs the slums?"

His smirk widened. "Now that… that's an interesting question."

For the next hour, Mercer talked. He told me about the different factions that controlled the slums—the gangs, the crime lords, the underground markets. But the name that stuck out the most was one I hadn't heard before.

Velric the Mage.

According to Mercer, Velric was the de facto ruler of the slums. He controlled the black market, the strongest gang, and had enough magical power to make anyone who opposed him disappear overnight. If I wanted to rule the slums, I'd have to deal with him.

I sat back, processing the information. This wasn't going to be easy. But then again, nothing worth having ever was.

[New Quest: Dethrone the Mage]

[Objective: Defeat Velric and take control of the slums.]

[Reward: ???]

[Failure: Death.]

[Side Note: No pressure, right?]

I exhaled slowly. "Alright. Let's get to work."

This was just the beginning.