— Gwen?
— Lock, are you home?
— Nope.
— My mom asked me to bring you something as a thank-you, so I was wondering. Or you could just tell me your address, and I'll come over.
— ...Don't bother.
— If you don't tell me, I'll ask my dad to track your phone's location.
— ...I'll be home in half an hour.
— Great, I'll be waiting!
Right in front of the Stark Building, Gwen held two small gift boxes of candies and put away her phone. A pleasant smile graced her face.
Somewhere in rural New Jersey.
Lock let out a deep sigh and put away his phone, shaking his head.
Next to him, the taxi driver was trembling.
Lock turned to look, and sighed.
It would have been good to extract some information.
Well, screw it.
*Boom!*
— A-a-ah!
In the middle of an alley, Lock, wearing sunglasses, stepped out of the taxi and entered a hypermarket. A while later, he was pushing a shopping cart toward his car.
The Audi R8 pulled onto the road, and at that moment, a police car sped past him, its sirens wailing. It turned into the alley where the taxi had stopped.
Twenty minutes later.
Lock rolled down his window and looked at Gwen, who stood in front of the Stark Building wearing a very cute plush hat, and called out to her.
At first, she didn't see the car that had stopped nearby, but upon hearing Lock, she quickly turned around.
A few minutes later.
Lock returned to the twenty-eighth floor of the Stark Building with treats homemade by Helen as a token of gratitude, and other purchased goods.
*Gulp!*
Lock took out a wine glass, retrieved two ice cubes from the fridge, poured bourbon into the glass, and took a sip, his eyes glimmering faintly.
— System!
*Ding!*
Name: Lock Broughton (Sole Player).
Achievement Points: 300 (can be used to acquire items in the [Achievement Store]).
Potential Points: 4300 (can be used to upgrade skills).
Talent: [Endurance] (Level 3): Your physical strength and recovery ability are significantly enhanced.
Skills: Driving (Beginner), English (Grade 9), History (Grade 9), Mathematics (Grade 9), Chemistry (Grade 9), Marksmanship (Intermediate), Sniper Rifle Marksmanship (Advanced)...
Unique Skills: [Pinpoint Marksmanship] (Blue Quality, Intermediate Level): An unusual mastery of weapons, seemingly unremarkable at first glance, but with it, your accuracy will be incredible and extremely lethal!
Current Mission: My Life Depends On Me, But I Can Do Nothing!
Originally, he had 2,800 Achievement Points; he gained 500 from the chemistry test and another two thousand from missions.
And yet...
One [Kidnapping Card] cost him 5,000 Achievement Points. He decided not to use the discount.
Damn.
Is he some kind of rich spendthrift to throw away that much?
He could have used that card when he met the Ancient One to copy [Mirror Magic].
And he still needed to save up for the [Sun God Bloodline]...
Players have it tough.
Lock's lips twitched as he looked at the Achievement Points, which had once again shrunk from four-digit to three-digit numbers, and his heart ached.
But...
It's fine.
It's a necessary investment.
There's no rush.
He'll go slow, but steady.
But...
Why can't you pay to win in this game?... Isn't this just some garbage mobile game?
Fortunately, he still had a little over 4,000 Potential Points left.
— System, how many Potential Points are needed to upgrade the [Pinpoint Marksmanship] technique?
To upgrade the unique skill [Pinpoint Marksmanship], you need to spend 10,000 Potential Points. Do you confirm the upgrade?
— Yeah, I'm just rushing to confirm, damn it!
— I'm too poor...
Thinking about his current savings, he began to wonder if he'd even be able to save up for the [Sun God Bloodline] by the time he was seventy.
Everything costs money.
Damn it!
What's wrong with this world?
By the way...
Is it really that important to just finish off the Brotherhood as quickly as possible?
Lock raised an eyebrow.
Initially, he wanted the taxi driver to take him on a wild ride straight to the textile factory.
But Lock changed his mind; it wasn't worth doing everything during the day; there was still night.
Besides, he originally hadn't intended to rush things in New York — he wanted to at least get on his feet before doing anything.
But...
Reality didn't want to follow his plans.
By the way, his name was on the [Loom of Fate]...
Damn it!
"Hey! It seems you're underestimating me too much. It's as if you're intentionally putting a wolf in sheep's clothing."
Haha!
Lock shook his head slightly and thought of old Sloan. He wondered what expression was on his face right now.
Meanwhile, Lock learned what was happening within the Brotherhood.
Mr. X, an experienced member of the Brotherhood, was killed during a mission to track Cross. He was thrown out of a private plane.
Obviously, Cross did it.
And, obviously, that bastard Mr. X landed on Lock's car!
Lock drained his glass of bourbon: — System, my dear, if we want to finish off the [Brotherhood of the Weavers], isn't the mission a bit small? Do you even know how many assassins are there?
As soon as he said that.
*Ding!*
Mission created.
Mission: [I Won't Let Anyone Trample My Fate!]
Reward: 200 Achievement Points, 200 Potential Points, a shop coupon.
Description: You are a Player. Fate has no right to decide for you, so go and show it who's boss!
Note I: You will receive a reward for each enemy eliminated.
Note II: Here you go! Is this the mission you wanted? Take care of those bastards, prove to them that a Player only cares about rewards!
Note 3: The more spectacular the scene of a character's death, the greater the bonus.
Additional reward depends on the Player.
— ...
— System, I love you.
Lock was a little excited.
He then pondered.
But...
Why didn't the System react when an entire mob attacked him? He was just about to move from Texas to New York back then.
Well, screw it.
Lock shook his head; it no longer mattered.
The main thing was that this time, he had everything.
And now, quiet!
How many assassins are in the Brotherhood?
If each assassin gives 200 points, and there are 100 of them... 20,000 points!
And...
The [Brotherhood of the Weavers] must certainly number more than a hundred people!
There are definitely one hundred and fifty!
Lock had read somewhere that there were exactly 167 people in the Brotherhood.
Of course.
He knew New York was a big city, and while the risks were great, so were the opportunities. But something like this right from the start...
Lock opened the container of cookies from Gwen's mom and took a bite, holding his breath, as he gazed at the sky from the balcony.
The wind gradually picked up, and the sun began to set.
Soon, the moon appeared.
This time...
It's perfect!