[Current Location: The Black Market - Sector 4]
[Time: 11:45 PM]
[Status: Wanted Level - 5 Stars]
The alarm sirens wailed like banshees. Red emergency lights bathed the underground market in blood-colored hues.
"STOP HIM!"
"HE HAS THE EGG!"
Ryan sprinted across the rooftops of the market stalls, his [Agility: 15] making him move like a blur.
Below him, dozens of Black Market guards and angry mages were firing spells.
BOOM!
A fireball exploded right behind his heels, singing his Shadow Cloak.
SWISH!
An ice spear grazed his mask.
Ryan laughed maniacally into his microphone.
"Chat! Do you see this cardio? This is better than a gym membership!"
User_RichKid: "Run, Clown, Run! I bet $1000 you don't make it to the exit!"
User_Slayer69: "Behind you! A Griffin Rider!"
Ryan glanced back. A guard riding a magical Griffin was diving towards him, spear aimed at his back.
"Bob! Intercept!"
From Ryan's shadow, the massive Shadow Butcher surged upwards. He didn't have a body to fly, so he extended his shadow-axe like a whip.
Hook.
He snagged the Griffin's leg and yanked it down.
CRASH!
The Griffin and rider slammed into a potion shop, exploding in a cloud of pink smoke.
"Good job, Bob!" Ryan shouted. "No overtime pay though!"
He saw the exit elevator ahead. It was 50 meters away.
"Almost there!"
But suddenly, the air grew heavy.
It wasn't magic. It was pure Gravity.
Ryan felt like an invisible mountain had been dropped on his shoulders. The wooden roof beneath him cracked.
He was forced to stop.
Standing in front of the elevator was a young man.
He didn't wear a mask. He wore the pristine white uniform of the Academy, adorned with gold epaulets. He had golden hair that defied gravity and eyes that looked like molten gold.
He stood with his arms crossed, floating a few inches off the ground.
His aura was suffocating.
[System Warning: EXTREME DANGER.]
[Target: Leo Sterling.]
[Title: The Golden Lion.]
[Rank: Student Council President (S-Rank Potential).]
[Level: ???]
The chat went silent. Even the trolls stopped typing.
Everyone knew Leo Sterling. He was the "Hero" of the Academy. The strongest student in history.
Leo looked at Ryan with boredom.
"A clown mask?" Leo sighed. "The quality of criminals has really dropped lately."
He extended one hand.
"Hand over the egg. And take off the mask. I want to see the face of the idiot who robbed my market."
Ryan stood up, fighting the gravity pressure. His [Nerves of Steel] skill was working overtime to keep him from kneeling.
"Hey, Leo!" Ryan said, his voice cheerful despite the danger. "Big fan! Can I get an autograph? Or maybe a selfie?"
Leo narrowed his eyes. "You have 3 seconds."
"3 seconds? That's plenty of time."
Ryan reached into his inventory.
Leo prepared a spell, expecting a weapon.
Instead, Ryan pulled out... a Camera.
CLICK.
FLASH!
Ryan took a picture of Leo's confused face.
"Thanks! This will go viral!" Ryan laughed.
Leo's face turned icy cold.
"Die."
[Skill: Gravity Crush]
BOOM!
The gravity around Ryan intensified by 100 times. The roof collapsed instantly. Ryan was smashed into the debris. Dust filled the air.
"Hmph. Weak," Leo muttered, turning away.
But then...
"Cough! Cough! Is that it?"
Leo spun around.
In the dust, Ryan was standing. He was holding the [Butcher's Bloody Apron] over his head like an umbrella. The apron was glowing red, absorbing the magical pressure.
[Item Effect Activated: Damage Reduction.]
[Item Sacrificed: The Apron is destroyed.]
Ryan threw the tattered apron away.
"That was a rare item, you jerk! Do you know how hard it is to farm bosses?"
Leo looked annoyed. "You are like a cockroach. Persistent."
Leo raised his hand again. A massive ball of golden light formed. [Sun Flare].
This wasn't gravity. This was pure destruction. Even Ryan knew he couldn't tank this.
"System! Shop! Buy [Swap Token]!"
[Cost: 1,000 Points]
[Purchased!]
"Catch!" Ryan shouted.
He threw the Dragon Egg (Wait, no!) towards Leo.
Leo's eyes widened. If the egg broke, the Dragon inside would die.
He cancelled his spell instantly and lunged to catch the egg.
"You fool!"
Leo caught the egg gently in his arms.
"I got it..."
Then, the 'egg' in his arms turned into smoke.
It wasn't the egg.
It was a Smoke Bomb painted red.
[System Notification: You scammed the Student Council President.]
[Fear Points: +2,000]
[Humiliation Bonus: +500]
"What?!" Leo roared, the red smoke covering his face.
Ryan waved from the elevator door. He had used the Swap Token to switch places with a piece of debris near the exit while Leo was distracted.
"The real egg is safe, Goldilocks!" Ryan shouted as the elevator doors closed. "Thanks for the lift!"
Ding.
The doors shut just as a beam of golden light incinerated the spot where Ryan stood a second ago.
[Location: Viper's Office]
[Time: 01:00 AM]
Ryan stumbled into the office and collapsed on the leather sofa.
He was bruised, his cloak was burnt, and he had lost his Butcher's Apron.
Instructor Viper was sitting at her desk, drinking wine.
"You're late," she said. "Did you get it?"
Ryan reached into his inventory and pulled out the pulsing red Dragon Egg.
He placed it on the table.
"One Dragon Omelette, coming up," Ryan panted. "I had to fight the Golden Boy for it."
Viper's eyes widened. She touched the egg gently.
"You faced Leo? And you escaped?"
She looked at Ryan with a new expression. Not just as a tool, but as a... prodigy.
"You are crazy," Viper whispered. "But you are good."
[Mission Complete: The Teacher's Request.]
[Reward 1: Viper's Favor (She won't kill you... for now).]
[Reward 2: 5,000 Fear Points.]
[Reward 3: New Skill Book - 'Poison Resistance (Intermediate)'.]
Ryan grabbed the skill book and learned it instantly.
Then he stood up.
"Now, about my 50% cut," Ryan said seriously. "I saw a Mystery Box in the market before I left. I swiped it."
He pulled out a small, black box covered in chains.
He had looted it from a stall while running away.
Viper looked at the box.
"That..." Viper frowned. "That is a Cursed Pet Box. It contains a monster that was too dangerous to sell. Open it at your own risk."
Ryan grinned. "Dangerous? I love dangerous."
He took the box and walked to the door.
"I'm going to sleep. Grog is probably worried I left him with the chicken."
As Ryan left, Viper stared at his back.
"Ryan..." she murmured. "You have started a war with the Student Council. I hope you are ready."
[Location: Dorm 666]
[Time: 01:30 AM]
Ryan sat on his bed. Grog was asleep (again).
Ryan placed the Mystery Box on his lap.
"System, what's inside?"
[System Scan: Unknown.]
[The box contains a 'Dark Attribute' creature.]
[Do you wish to open?]
Ryan hesitated.
He had a Shadow Soldier (Bob).
He had a Sidekick (Grog).
But he needed a Pet. Something fast. Something scary.
"Open it."
CLICK.
The chains fell off. The lid creaked open.
Inside... was not a dragon. Not a wolf.
It was a Doll.
A small, porcelain doll with a cracked face, wearing a gothic black dress. She had button eyes.
Ryan blinked. "A doll? I risked my life for a toy?"
Suddenly, the doll turned its head.
It looked at Ryan.
A small, sharp knife slid out of its sleeve.
"Hello, Papa," the doll whispered. Her voice was terrifyingly sweet. "Do you want to play hide and seek?"
Ryan looked at the doll.
Then he smiled. A wide, twisted smile.
"A possessed murder doll?" Ryan chuckled. "Oh, we are going to have so much fun streaming."
[System Notification: New Pet Acquired.]
[Name: Annabelle (Rank: A)]
[Ability: Assassination / Curses.]
Ryan patted the doll's head (carefully avoiding the knife).
"Welcome to the family, Annie."