His blood-soaked hands shook, mindlessly reaching out and clicking the accept tab. The blue notification vanished with a soft chime, leaving the room in near darkness, the only light filtering through the bedroom window.
James swallowed hard. The gun slipped from his grasp, hitting the ground with a weighty, metallic thud. The noise felt deafening in the silence that followed. He barely registered it, his gaze locked on the body beneath him.
The man's skull was caved in, dented like rotten fruit, one eye bulging grotesquely from its socket. Blood leaked freely onto the cheap floorboards, spreading in dark rivulets around the man's head. The smell was thick, metallic—clinging to the back of his throat.
His arms trembled as he forced himself backward, away from the corpse. His palms slipped in the pooling blood, smearing red across his skin as he scrambled to his feet, pressing a hand to the wall for balance.
His pulse hammered in his ears. He'd just—
Ding.
A blue window flickered into existence, shattering his spiraling thoughts. James stiffened, breath still ragged.
Title awarded – Murderer!
When equipped, grants the skill: Predator Instinct.
• When tracking or watching a target, heartbeat slows, breath steadies, and time perception slows by 5%.
• Enemies, allies, and civilians may hesitate upon meeting the user's gaze.
Equip?
[Yes] [No]
James just stared, unblinking. Had he gone mad?
But the window remained, glowing faintly in the dim room. And, deep down, past the cold knot of fear curling in his gut he felt it was real.
This 'system' warned him of the man in his home, his eyes briefly dropped to said corpse, flicking away just as fast as bile raised in his throat. He shook his head, attention back onto the glowing box.
His crimson-slick hand hesitated, then slowly reached forward. His finger hovered over the glowing option for a moment too long.
Then, he tapped Yes.
—-
He sat on his sofa, back pressed against the cushions, knees drawn up slightly, as if curling in on himself. His bedroom door was closed, a chair wedged tightly beneath the handle. A weak barricade, but enough to make him feel like he had some control.
Just in case.
Just in case the man came back.
The thought was ridiculous. He'd seen the body. Felt the skull give way beneath his hands. There was no coming back from that.
And yet—
James' shook his head, dislodging those thoughts as his gaze flicked to the now wide-open balcony door.
That's how the man had gotten in.
The curtains fluttered slightly in the breeze, the city lights casting long shadows into the room. His stomach twisted. He hadn't even heard the guy enter.
He clenched his jaw, thinking back to the warning that saved his life. His gaze flicked around the room, looking for the blue box, he needed a distraction and the Cyber System, was a perfect one.
As he thought the words 'Cyber System' a blue box showed up,
Name - James Buckley
Title - Murderer
Age - 19
Eddies - €3,000
Level - 14
STR - 14
END - 11
DEX - 17
INT - 9
WIS - 9
8 Attribute Points!
Skills
Inventory (!)
Missions
Store
Settings
His widened eyes ran across the page, reviewing his 'stats' they made sense. He was a speed based boxer, his slips, footwork and quick jabs were a step above the rest of his game, so the increased 'DEX' was most certainly accurate.
He ignored the lower INT stat, he didn't want to think about that as he eyed the alert next to 'Inventory'
He clicked it, a large window popping up, an icon with an odd mechanical item, shaped almost like a large spinal vertebrae held within, it was glowing with an exclamation mark hovering over it.
James clicked it, a brief description of the item showing it.
Kerenzikov
Increases DEX by 3
Can slow time perception for user by 30% when activated, can be used for 10 seconds with a 90 second cool-down.
Excessive use can cause dizziness and slight neural lag.
Equip
Exit
James' eyes ran across the item in wonder, his breath slightly unsteady. The glowing 'Equip' tab pulsed, waiting.
Could he just…put this thing on? Like a glove?
The thought was almost ridiculous, but excitement flickered in his chest. If this system was real—if it had just dumped a superpower into his lap—then he had to test it.
His finger hovered, then pressed the tab.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—
White-hot agony.
It felt like a thousand scorching needles were being driven into his spine, burrowing deep into his nervous system. James jerked violently, his entire body locking up as if a live wire had been shoved into his back.
He couldn't breathe.
A scream clawed up his throat, but his jaw was clenched too tight to let it out. His vision blurred, a piercing whine ringing in his ears as the cyberware latched onto his vertebrae, nerves rewriting themselves around the foreign tech.
His body wasn't built for this. The system forced the adaptation.
Pain crashed over him in waves, drowning out everything else. His nails dug into his palms, his muscles spasming so hard it felt like they might tear.
Then, just as suddenly as it started—
It stopped.
James collapsed forward, gasping, sweat dripping from his forehead. His fingers twitched against the couch fabric, still trembling. The pain was gone, but a lingering burn curled through his spine
What the fuck!
A new notification blinked into view.
Kerenzikov installed.
• Reflex boost active.
• Neural synchronization complete.
• Warning: Minor system lag may occur.
James let out a shaky, breathless laugh. His hands still trembled, but beneath the aftershock of pain, something else stirred.
He felt faster.
It was subtle, but he could feel it—his body felt…smoother, more in sync with itself as he pushed himself to his feet. His hand ran along the back of his neck, fingers brushing over the smooth, hardened material beneath his skin.
He moved swiftly to his bathroom, flicking the light on with a click. His eyes met his reflection in the mirror as he pulled his bloody shirt off, exposing his back.
The Kerenzikov was barely visible—sleek, sharp metallic lines tracing down between his shoulder blades. It was about the size of his palm, seamlessly implanted into his upper back. The edges were smooth, almost blending into his skin, like it had always been there.
A shaky breath escaped him as he thought back to the item description. How the hell was he meant to activate this thing?
Mission - Chromed Up!
Goal - Activate the Kerenzikov!
Rewards - Kerenzikov Mastery (Level One)
Failure - Never learn how to activate cyberware!
He exhaled, unsure how to even begin. Did he need to say something? Think something? Maybe it was all in his head.
Without realizing it, he took a step back and dropped into a loose stance, like he was preparing to throw a punch. His fists clenched, his body shifting naturally into the movement. He imagined his muscles moving faster, his limbs snapping with more power and precision.
Activate, he thought.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then—
A shudder raced down his spine, sharp and electrifying. His body hummed with something new, something alive. A sudden clarity surged through him, his thoughts sharpening, the world around him slowing just a fraction.
Without thinking, his hand shot forward in a typical jab.
It was as if time itself had stretched, yet his limbs moved quicker. The punch, though slower in the sense of how the world felt, was fast. Too fast. His own perception had slowed down, but his body had accelerated.
His breath caught in his throat as the world suddenly snapped back to normal. His muscles were on fire with the effort, but his body—his body felt like it was in the best shape of his life.
James exhaled sharply, a breathless laugh escaping his lips. He couldn't believe it. He had just activated it.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. It was real. The Kerenzikov was real.
This was all real.
Congratulations! Mission accomplished!
Reward - Kerenzikov Mastery (Level One)
James eagerly clicked on the reward tab, a description of his reward popping up with a chime.
Kerenzikov Mastery (Level One)
Quick Reflexes - Increases reaction speeds by 10%!
Precision Strikes - When Kerenzikov is activated, do 10% extra damage!
Enhanced Movement - Increases mobility and agility.
He eyed the rewards with wide eyes. This was an amazing upgrade. No wonder he felt so…powerful.
And this was just the beginning.
He clenched his fist, the dead body, brutally sprawled on the floor of his bedroom, already fading from his thoughts.
His focus was now entirely on his newfound strength.
He felt superhuman, almost like Captain America, as his gaze snapped back to the mirror. His reflection stared back at him—dark hair falling over his blue eyes, a new kind of intensity behind them.
Mission - Legend
Goal - Carve your name into the annals of history and become a legend, no matter the cost.
Rewards - ???.
Failure - Death.
James Buckley looked at his reflection, a glint of steel in his blue eyes, his hands clenching around the porcelain sink as an eager grin raised to his face.
A fire lit in him, the flames of ambition roaring with fury and intensity.
—
Thoughts so far? Where do you want the story to go? Etc etc