Without wasting a second, I opened the store while sliding into a crack amidst the rubble, a space so narrow that no adult could have followed me.

  "Buy: Automatic Scout Drone + Industrial Adhesive (850 Gold)."

  The items materialized in my hands. I grabbed the small drone and rubbed its surface with the strong glue. I took the GPS out of my pocket and pressed it against the device until it was welded fast.

  I took the drone controller, which looked like a small tactical tablet, and my fingers flew over the options.

  [Drone Configuration] Mode: Scout. Coordinate: Others -> Search nearest University. Altitude: Low flight (1 meter). Flight Condition: Safe (Avoid collisions).

  "Fly," I ordered.

  The drone buzzed softly, rose, and shot out through the twisted iron, moving away from my position. On my map, I watched with satisfaction as the soldiers' red dots turned and began chasing the GPS signal in the opposite direction.

  I gave myself a breather, letting myself fall against the cold concrete.

  I brought my hand to my left shoulder. It was burning. Feeling something wet and hot, fear hit my stomach. I looked at my fingers: they were bathed in bright red blood.

  I quickly scanned the ground where I had entered. "Shit, the trail..."

  But there was nothing. Not a drop on the floor. My clothes seemed to have absorbed the liquid before it hit the ground. And then, I saw something fascinating: the blood on my hand began to change. The intense red turned milky, then translucent, and finally disappeared.

  I caressed the mask on my face. "Incredible," I whispered. "You erase even my DNA."

  But the bullet was still inside. I gritted my teeth. "Inventory... Extraction."

  I didn't use tweezers. I used system logic. I visualized the bullet inside my flesh as a foreign object and ordered to store it. I felt a nauseating tug in the muscle, an internal pop, and the lead bullet appeared floating in a slot in my mind.

  The pain was sharp, but clean. I spent 50 gold coins on a Hemostatic Spray. I sprayed the open wound; the foam hissed, sealing the flesh instantly.

  Seeing my counter plummet to a critical balance of 10 Gold hurt more than the bullet itself. I was absolutely broke. If I didn't manage to complete this, it would be the end of my story before it began.

  I looked at the mask's counter: 3 minutes remaining. I had to move.

  But then, the world stopped. It was as if the System sensed my panic and delighted in it, withholding the reward until the last possible second to test my nerves.

  Ding! [Quest Completed: The Looter's Ambition (Rank: Perfect)] You have stolen from and humiliated the future criminal genius, Lex Luthor. Rewards: Skill [Dual Inventory] (Matter / Living Beings). Upgrade [Inventory 10x10]. Function [Threat Radar] installed. 2,500 Gold Coins.

  [Hidden Quest (Completed): "Challenge the Villain"] Achievement: You wounded Luthor, leaving him a mental scar difficult to forget. Reward: Passive Skill [Accelerated Brain].

  The blue text flickered and transformed, vibrating with a new energy.

  [...Recalculating...] [You demonstrated a worth exceeding the "Villain System"] [Updating Firmware... Installing SUPERVILLAIN SYSTEM]

  I felt as if lightning struck my spine. It wasn't pain; it was pure energy rewriting my biology, weaving muscle over bone and optimizing my neurons.

  [Installation Complete] Recovery Bonus: Health and energy restored to 100%. Physical Restructuring: Your Stats have increased to the level of an "Elite Teenager with Perfect Genetics". Destiny Warning: Your path as a supervillain will be constantly crossing with the variables of this world... the system wishes you luck.

  [Base Stats Update] Agility: Level 4 ? Level 5.3 (Elite Teenager). Perception: Level 3 ? Level 5.3 (Elite Teenager). Strength: Level 2.1 ? Level 5.3 (Elite Teenager). Intelligence: Level 5 ? Level 6.4 (Tactical Genius - Boosted by Accelerated Brain).

  Ding! [Skill Synergy] Your body has evolved. Physical Skills have been recalibrated to match your new physiology, although technique must be perfected with practice.

  1. Parkour: Level 1 (Basic) ? Level 4.2 (Advanced Urban Athlete). New Ability: [Light Gravity]. Your strength-to-weight ratio is perfect. You can run up vertical walls for 3 steps, jump 4-meter gaps, and land from a second-story height without rolling or taking damage. Your body flows with the urban environment, it does not fight against it.

  2. Stealth: Level 3 (Normal) ? Level 3.8 (Technical Expert). System Note: Technique doesn't increase with muscles alone, but your body control is now absolute. New Ability: [Null Presence]. You no longer make involuntary noise. Your joints don't crack, your clothes don't rustle. You can control your heartbeat to fool basic proximity sensors and stay motionless for hours without cramps. You are a few steps away from Professional level.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "World variables?" I mentally repeated the warning, feeling a shiver of excitement. "Does that mean I'll be a magnet for trouble? Perfect."

  A big smile formed under my mask. The infernal pain in my wrists disappeared as if it had never existed. The swelling went down in seconds. I felt my muscle fibers tense, tear, and rebuild denser, stronger.

  I waited to grow. I closed my eyes expecting to stretch... but nothing happened.

  I looked at my hands. They were still small. But when I lifted my shirt, I saw the truth: my child body now had the muscular definition of an Olympic gymnast.

  It was a strange aesthetic, almost unnatural for my age, a "sleeper physique" ready to explode with lethal force. My skin had cleared up, losing any scar or imperfection from the orphanage.

  "I'm not taller," I murmured, clenching my fist and feeling hydraulic strength, "but I'm much more dangerous."

  Without a mirror to see if my face had also changed, and not wanting to spend gold on vanities, I focused on the next step. I didn't plan on traveling in a bus trunk again. Now I had capital.

  I opened the store and went straight to the premium section.

  "Buy: Mask of Darkness."

  [Item Acquired: -1,100 Gold] Description: A smooth black mask. When equipped, it releases ghostly black fabrics that cover the entire body like a suit. Alters voice, erases biological traces, and is undetectable by thermal vision or cameras.

  The item appeared in my hands. I took off the disposable mask that was fading away and put on the new one.

  Immediately, tendrils of solid darkness sprouted from the mask, wrapping around my limbs, my torso, and my old sneakers, creating a suit of living shadows.

  I felt light. Powerful.

  But I was still in hostile territory. I activated my Stealth and slipped back into the underground darkness. The manhole cover closed over my head, hiding the chaos I had left on the surface.

  I traversed the damp, stinking tunnels at a speed that would have killed me with exhaustion before. Now, my upgraded lungs barely struggled. I followed the system map underground, crossing beneath the A.R.G.U.S. security perimeter, until I found an exit connected to the neighboring city's drainage system, far from prying eyes.

  I pushed the metal cover aside and stepped out into the fresh air of the urban night.

  Standing on the asphalt of a lonely alley, I felt the real difference. With my new upgraded body and the Parkour Skill integrated into my reflexes, the city no longer seemed giant or threatening.

  The world had become my playground.

  Without thinking, I ran toward the nearest wall. My feet found purchase on imperceptible bricks. I vaulted two-meter walls, climbed pipes like a cat, and bounced between building walls to gain height.

  I landed on a rooftop without making the slightest sound.

  As I watched the quiet streets from the heights, I felt a bit disheartened remembering my sonic weapon.

  "I had to leave it behind..." I thought with pain. "It was good loot."

  But I looked back, toward the smoke and chaos I had caused in Lex Luthor's zone. I had survived, I had gotten rich, and I had evolved.

  I smiled. "It was worth it."

  In the quiet of the night, I continued jumping between rooftops, testing the limits of my new body. Flips, precision jumps, rolling landings... every risky move I remembered from my previous life now flowed naturally.

  In my peripheral vision, system messages appeared like soft digital rain: [+0.003 Parkour Mastery] [+0.04 Parkour - Perfect Execution]

  I vaguely remembered seeing similar flashes in Ground Zero with my Stealth, but the tension of dying made me ignore them at that moment. Now I understood the mechanics: real effort paid dividends, even if they were pennies compared to gold.

  I was about to open my menu to review my Stats in detail, when the tranquility was shattered.

  I heard the roar of an engine and an argument in the alley below. Voices. One of them sounded strangely young, but not scared. Wasting no time, I peeked over the edge of the building.

  Below, a man on an old motorcycle had cornered a girl against the brick wall.

  She wasn't an adult woman. She was a girl, maybe one or two years older than me. She had platinum blonde hair, almost white, shining under the moonlight. She wore designer clothes that cost more than my entire orphanage put together, but they were dirty and torn, as if she had been running away.

  The guy on the bike let out a greasy laugh, reaching out to touch her. "Lost, princess? This isn't the Upper East Side."

  The girl didn't scream. Her green eyes gleamed with fury, not fear. She had one hand tucked in her pocket, probably clutching pepper spray or a small knife. She was ready to fight, even though the odds were stacked against her facing an adult.

  Interesting.

  In a single motion, boosted by my new Stats, I dropped from the second floor. I landed beside the man with a faint thud.

  The guy, sensing a presence, turned around angrily. "What the h—?"

  He shut up abruptly when the cold barrel of my pistol pressed against his cheek.

  "Sorry to interrupt, but I need a taxi," I said, pressing the weapon harder.

  Thanks to the Mask of Darkness, my voice didn't sound like a child's. It came out deep, distorted, and metallic, like that of a magnanimous demon.

  That, added to the unnatural strength with which I twisted his face with the barrel, turned the thug into an obedient servant instantly.

  I looked at the girl. Something about her seemed familiar. I expected a trembling "thank you" or a cry of relief, but her reaction was different.

  Her emerald green eyes analyzed me up and down with dangerous curiosity.

  "Nice mask," she said, crossing her arms and relaxing her stance.

  At that moment, a blue window floated in front of me.

  [System: Contact established with key character: Felicia Hardy]

  Reading the name, a wide smile formed beneath my mask. Bingo.

  "And nice luck on your part, rich girl," I replied with a slightly amused tone, though the distortion made it sound macabre. "Go home before your daddy, Walter Hardy, has a heart attack."

  The girl's eyes went wide with surprise. Her facade of confidence cracked for a second. "You know who I am?"

  "I know you smell like money and trouble," I replied, hopping onto the back of the bike. "And I prefer money."

  I slapped the driver's helmet and fired a bullet into the air as a warning. The recoil, which minutes ago would have broken my wrist, now barely felt like a light tap.

  "Drive!" I ordered. "Take me to Queens Boulevard and don't stop."

  The bike sped off, disappearing into the night. The thug was too terrified to ask why a masked demon wanted to go to Queens.

  I looked in the rearview mirror. Felicia was still standing there, in the middle of the dirty alley. She wasn't scared.

  A strange, almost feline smile appeared on her face as she watched me ride away. There was no fear in her eyes; there was fascination.

  I smiled inwardly.

  The night had been perfect. I had the resources, I had the power, and now, without looking for it, I had placed the first piece of my future team.