A Real Leader E-Book

JKSManga

• Herausgeber: Podium Publishing
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: My Werewolf System
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 595

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

The action-packed series continues as a young man unwillingly saddled with a Werewolf System attempts to live his life—without killing too many people . . .   Not long ago, Gary was just another punk teenager living in a ramshackle house in a bad part of a ramshackle town. To survive, he worked as a gofer for a brutal street gang—until a simple job went bad, and he ended up paired with a Werewolf System that enhanced his strength, stamina, and attitude.   But as Gary soon learned, this gift could also be a curse, costing anyone who got too close their life. Now, he's trying to figure out how to use his system to make things better for those around him. Unfortunately, before things get better, they're going to get much, much worse.   Because Gary isn't the only werewolf roaming the streets. And he's not necessarily the strongest. And his rivals belong to gangs that would be more than happy to put him down like a mad dog. His only hope is to level up, man up, and let his killer instinct take over.   The second volume of the hit progression-fantasy series—with more than five million views on WebNovel—now available on Audible and wherever ebooks are sold! 

Leseprobe

JKSMANGA

To my wife, Wandong Chen.

After we met, my writing journey began. None of this would have been possible without you buying me a new laptop when we had just met.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from Podium Publishing.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2023 by Kawin Jack Sherwin

Cover design by Husa

ISBN: 978-1-0394-2129-5

Published in 2023 by Podium Publishing, ULC

www.podiumaudio.com

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 SHORTCUT TO POWER

CHAPTER 2 AN IMPORTANT BOND

CHAPTER 3 THE ALTERED ROOKIE

CHAPTER 4 THE SISTER OF THE DEM FAMILY

CHAPTER 5 WHITE POWDER

CHAPTER 6 PERFECT TIME

CHAPTER 7 NO ONE TO RELY ON

CHAPTER 8 200 BPM

CHAPTER 9 JUDGE, JURY, AND EXECUTIONER

CHAPTER 10 FOR FAMILY

CHAPTER 11 FADING

CHAPTER 12 DON’T GIVE UP

CHAPTER 13 DON’T BE A HERO

CHAPTER 14 A REAL GANGSTER

CHAPTER 15 PROTECT HER

CHAPTER 16 BAD NEWS

CHAPTER 17 A FRIEND

CHAPTER 18 RISE TO THE TOP

CHAPTER 19 BEHIND THE ATTACK

CHAPTER 20 ONE WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 21 A GIFT

CHAPTER 22 PAYDAY

CHAPTER 23 ONLY WORTH …

CHAPTER 24 SLIPPERS

CHAPTER 25 A LITTLE TEST

CHAPTER 26 PLACE YOUR BETS

CHAPTER 27 A FAMILIAR FACE

CHAPTER 28 DON’T BE A FOOL

CHAPTER 29 AN EXPERIMENT

CHAPTER 30 SCREW THIS

CHAPTER 31 AN UPGRADE

CHAPTER 32 AN INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 33 NOT ENOUGH

CHAPTER 34 A SURPRISE

CHAPTER 35 A HOME

CHAPTER 36 A BRICK WALL

CHAPTER 37 A HEAVY FIST

CHAPTER 38 YOUR BODY IS SPECIAL

CHAPTER 39 FINDING OUT THE TRUTH

CHAPTER 40 FULL TRANSFORMATION?

CHAPTER 41 NO MORE DRAMA

CHAPTER 42 EVERYONE’S BUSINESS

CHAPTER 43 NOT ENOUGH

CHAPTER 44 A GUILTY TEST

CHAPTER 45 AN ALTERED TEST

CHAPTER 46 THE RESULT

CHAPTER 47 WHAT’S HIS STORY?

CHAPTER 48 HAVING TRUST

CHAPTER 49 THE NEW SKILL

CHAPTER 50 A NEW STATE

CHAPTER 51 AN ENEMY IS A FRIEND

CHAPTER 52 THE GRAND DAY

CHAPTER 53 THE OPENING

CHAPTER 54 A MONSTER

CHAPTER 55 THE HUNTER’S TROUBLE

CHAPTER 56 TRACKING THE OMEGA

CHAPTER 57 BETTER TOGETHER

CHAPTER 58 WHAT NOW?

CHAPTER 59 KAI’S GIFT

CHAPTER 60 SPLIT UP

CHAPTER 61 THE HOWLERS ATTACK

CHAPTER 62 ONE AT A TIME

CHAPTER 63 MEET AGAIN

CHAPTER 64 SECRET’S OUT!

CHAPTER 65 INCOMPLETE

CHAPTER 66 DON’T TOUCH MY GANG!

CHAPTER 67 BLACK BLOOD

CHAPTER 68 LOW ENERGY

CHAPTER 69 A SACRIFICE

CHAPTER 70 A BLOODY MESS

CHAPTER 71 MAIN QUEST COMPLETE

CHAPTER 72 SELECT YOUR CLASS

CHAPTER 73 AN UPGRADE!

CHAPTER 74 A CHANGE

CHAPTER 75 CENTER OF ATTENTION

CHAPTER 76 GROWTH SPURT

CHAPTER 77 A MISSING BROTHER

CHAPTER 78 THE YOUNG HUNTER

CHAPTER 79 WORKING WITH AN ENEMY

CHAPTER 80 OTHERS LIKE YOU

CHAPTER 81 A PAST

CHAPTER 82 BLACK ROCK

CHAPTER 83 SAVE THEM ALL!

CHAPTER 84 THE BIGGER WOLF

CHAPTER 85 A MONSTER I CREATED

CHAPTER 86 TAG TEAM WEREWOLF

CHAPTER 87 FIGHTING LIKE A WOLF

CHAPTER 88 DOUBLE TROUBLE

CHAPTER 89 THE MEETING (1)

CHAPTER 90 THE MEETING (2)

CHAPTER 91 THE PAWN WEREWOLF

CHAPTER 92 DEFEAT

CHAPTER 93 PLEASE REPLY!

CHAPTER 94 IS SHE REALLY SAFE?

CHAPTER 95 CALLING CARD

CHAPTER 96 TO THE GRAVE WITH ME

PREVIEW: ALTERED MASHUP

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER 1

SHORTCUT TO POWER

A lot had happened in such a short amount of time that it was unbelievable for Gary, and there were still countless questions going through his head. What would he do at the next full moon? What was this strange system? And so on. On top of all that, Gary was still a normal teenage boy who was attending high school.

In his class there was one student who hadn’t moved at all from her seat, and that was Xin. She had kept her head down, which was still pounding from lack of sleep. After everything she had experienced that night, the most frightening thing was waiting for her when she got home, because she had been forced to confront her father.

Because he was the mayor, it was impossible for her to keep something of that magnitude hidden from him, especially since the bodyguard assigned to her had been killed on active duty, leaving her no other choice but to tell him the truth. Xin had confessed to everything, though she claimed that she had wanted to celebrate with some of her friends because of the rugby match, before they had been attacked by an Altered.

The news report later revealed this fact, and because of that and the police report, her father believed her. Unlike what she had expected, he had hugged her tightly and had just been thankful that it appeared to have been a random attack rather than someone trying to go after her.

Of course, that hadn’t been the end of it. That morning, having thought things over during the night, he had told Xin about the changes that would happen to avoid such a situation. The increase in the number of bodyguards was the least of her troubles.

The worst part is, I can’t even complain about him changing the rules of this deal. Still, he could at least have allowed me to go home by myself. How am I supposed to make any friends if I have to drive to and from school? I guess the only freedom I have left is when I’m in school. Xin sulked as she heard giggling behind her.

The high-pitched laugh had become annoying, and it was giving her a bigger headache than usual.

How great would school be if Tiffany weren’t around … She has yet to actually do anything since our talk, but I can’t shake this feeling that she is plotting something big.

However, right now Xin was simply too tired to care whatever that banshee was preparing. Her last thought before she fell asleep at her desk was where Gary had actually disappeared to yesterday.

When he returned to class, Gary spent some time talking with his best friend, Tom. During the breaks they were trying to come up with ways to prevent what had happened the first time, and on top of that, Tom was trying to figure out ways to deal with the other omega wolf.

“The only weakness we know of is chocolate. Even that is something we can’t be too sure of. In the worst-case scenario it might be unique to you, but even in the best case, it’s not like we can get rid of him by throwing a chocolate cake in his face. Say, do you think if I smother myself in chocolate, it might act as a repellent, so he won’t eat me?” Tom asked.

“That is the strangest suggestion I have ever heard,” Gary replied; he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Do you want me to wear gauntlets and smear them with chocolate to deal poison damage to him or something?”

“If it works, why not? Although it might be a bad idea for you to be the one to use them. Double-edged sword and everything. Who cares if it sounds stupid? You have to remember that our freaking lives are on the line here! And for some reason that werewolf seemed to have taken a particular liking to Innu,” Tom whispered.

Over to their right, Innu was snoring lightly. Gary had a feeling that he already knew why the other werewolf was after him.

“I don’t think something like chocolate is going to do much. At best it might make him vomit Innu out if he tries to eat him, but it won’t really stop him from killing him. Eating human flesh seems to empower a werewolf. I can only assume it provides either an increase in stats or more stat points to assign, or maybe a direct increase like for hunting down a target. As long as one can actually live like that, the pros seem to outweigh the cons. It really seems to be the easiest and fastest way to get a power boost.”

Later in the afternoon, it was time for club classes again, and when Gary and Blake met they looked at each other and exchanged nods. It seemed that their little talk had improved their relationship.

Instead of their regular training, Mr. Root talked about the game: what went well and what went wrong, but in the end, how it was ultimately not their fault that they didn’t win. Eton High had used an even dirtier method than usual, so not losing was already a huge achievement. Most surprisingly, he actually thanked all the nonregular players for taking up their role, calling them out by name instead of just referring to them as “the benchwarmers.”

All of the regular players gave them a big round of applause, and Gary was starting to think that Mr. Root actually was one of the better adults he had seen in his life. Practice continued as normal after that, but Gary noticed one thing: a certain student hadn’t arrived.

His mark is too faint, so he can’t be in school. Just what is he up to? He seemed fine yesterday … Maybe he isn’t over Barry’s death yet?

Apparently, Gary wasn’t the only one who had noticed Gil’s disappearance; he overheard some of the students talking about it.

“Hey, have you noticed that Gil isn’t here?” a student asked. “I heard that he went to Principal Young this morning to drop out.”

“Seriously? Are you sure he didn’t just plan to transfer to another school? You know, he and Barry were inseparable. Maybe he just wants to be elsewhere to not be reminded of his friend.”

“I thought the same, but someone told me that Gil had actually joined a gang. I doubt he needs to go to school if one of the big gangs accepts him.”

As the students continued talking about Gil, Gary could think of only one gang that he probably had joined: the gray color gang, which was related to the Gray Elephants.

Tomorrow I have that fight with Innu, so we were supposed to do some training today, but if we run into Billy again, there isn’t much chance I can beat him. If I meet Gil again, I wonder if that quest will activate again. I wouldn’t mind farming him for some Exp. At that moment he exchanged a glance with Blake, remembering that there were others out there.

It should be okay. As long as I don’t transform, I’m just a normal high schooler. I can’t avoid taking risks. If I just sit around, my friends and family could all be in danger. I need to get stronger.

As he considered his last remaining hunting target, Gary thought back to the last time he had seen Gil with the color gang, how he had almost killed a defenseless old man. That had just been a test after joining the gang. Now that he had proven that he didn’t shy away from dirty work, he might actually be given worse things to do …

Billy has eaten multiple people already; that’s why he was so much stronger than me. If I did the same thing, I might gain the power to rival him. I can’t bring myself to end innocent lives like Billy does, and Barry was just an accident.

But some people don’t deserve to live in this world anymore, and if I have to kill, if I have to get stronger to protect the people I care about, then I would rather they die instead of my friends.

As he thought about this, saliva was dripping out of Gary’s mouth, without his realizing it.

CHAPTER 2

AN IMPORTANT BOND

After training was over, Innu came to Gary to tell him that there would be no practice today. Although Innu had just joined the school, Kai had advised him to join the rugby club, and when he had arrived the other day, he was not surprised to see Gary there. Kai clearly loved to pull strings and act as the puppet master behind everything.

As for Innu’s reasons for canceling practice, for one, he was still mentally tired from what had occurred the day before; he didn’t want to stay out. His other reason was that he considered it important to rest before an important match, like the one they would have tomorrow.

Too much training was just as bad as no training, and whoever they would face in their match tomorrow, he was confident that they could deal with it. Before leaving, he told Gary that he would update him on anything to do with Billy, but since Innu would be staying home today, it was unlikely anything would happen.

It seemed that Innu hadn’t put together that Billy and the werewolf were the same person, but Gary couldn’t blame him. Were it not for his Werewolf System, even he would find it impossible.

The fact that training was canceled was great news for Gary, who quickly hit the gym on his way back. There was no need for him to consume extra meat; he already had his fill thanks to the generous donation of a certain Altered superstar.

105/628 Exp

I know that my stats have gone up, but training is starting to seem pointless with how long it takes me to increase any of my stats naturally. With a measly 5 Exp per session, it will take me ages to level up even once.

If I want to get stronger, I need a faster way to earn Exp, and for that I’m going to have to take risks. By now, the color gangs should have calmed down, so perhaps I can incite another turf war. I can’t just sit around and allow Billy to get stronger on his own. But first, I need to do something else.

When he got home, Gary pushed the door open and was surprised to see his mother in her work clothes. She wore a plain blue top and a badge with her name on it. He figured that today might have been one of her very rare free days, or perhaps her shift had been moved to later.

“What are you doing here, Mom? Did they call you for a late shift again?” Gary asked as he popped his head into his room, hoping to find his sister, yet she was nowhere to be found.

“Yeah, they have me on the late shift again,” his mother replied while she was texting someone on her phone, with a smile on her face. This worried Gary; she was either talking to one of her friends or talking with a man, and Gary dreaded the thought of meeting another person from Slough.

That and he didn’t like the idea of a new person being introduced into his family; he was the one who would help them out of their situation, not a stranger who didn’t know the struggles they had gone through.

His mother worked as a cashier at a twenty-four-hour supermarket. They called her in for extra work at all sorts of times, and she always accepted. And because they knew she always said yes, they always asked her first.

But Gary hated it; the later the shift, the more likely there would be trouble. The only saving grace was that the supermarket was in the Underdogs’ territory, so no one touched it. If they did, they would be facing the biggest gang in Slough.

Still, that didn’t stop some gangs—or strays—from trying to cause trouble once in a while.

“If you’re looking for Amy, she’s staying over at Stacy’s tonight,” his mother shouted, noticing that her son was looking in every room and even knocked on the bathroom door.

“She went out? Well, as long as she stays indoors, I guess they’re safe, but I really wanted to do something today.” Gary was a little bummed because he had been planning to create a Bond Mark with her.

Although it was unlikely that Billy would go after his sister, it wasn’t impossible, and eventually the Underdogs might unearth his real identity and the people around him. After what Tom had said about protecting him as a full werewolf, Gary was confident that Billy wouldn’t harm them.

Well, I guess I will just have to leave it for next time, then.

There was still one other person he could mark, though. He pulled out a chair and sat down opposite his mother. She carefully turned her phone over, which made Gary even more suspicious that she was talking to a man. However, seeing this gave him an idea.

“Mom … I don’t mind you talking to other people, but … I get kinda jealous sometimes. I know looking after me and Amy can be hard sometimes. It’s just that I get worried that sometimes … you might leave us.” Gary had his face down and was putting on an Oscar-worthy performance.

His mother immediately gave him a big hug.

“Gary, you and Amy are the most important people in my life, and that won’t change. You even saved up all that money for me. I hate to admit it, but you can’t even imagine how much it has helped our situation. I wouldn’t give you two up for anything in the world! I will never leave you!”

“You promise?” Gary asked, holding out his pinky.

“I promise!” his mother replied as her own pinky touched her son’s.

And at that moment, a notification from the system appeared.

A spoken deal has been made.

Would you like to mark “Maya Dem”?

Yes

3/5 Marks have been assigned

Gary was pleased that the system was pulling through for him for once, but then he received another message he never expected.

You have successfully bonded with another person!

The system has decided to reward you for your hard work. Keep going!

At the end of each day, you will receive 10 Exp for every active Bond Mark.

Protect those promises, and the people you trust.

Loyalty is the number one priority for every upright werewolf!

Huh, is the system sick today or is this supposed to be a type of reward for surviving the full moon? Either way, it’s finally giving me some good things for once! With this, I can easily get 30 Exp every day with the Daily Quests!

That’s not all, I still have two free marks … Hey, system, what do I have to do to increase the number of marks?

CHAPTER 3

THE ALTERED ROOKIE

Just when Gary thought the system might have turned over a new leaf, it returned to being as unresponsive as ever. Even though he had leveled up, he realized that either he would have to unlock a way to increase the number of marks, or the system would decide to drop him some tips.

Nevertheless, Gary needed to be careful about the promises he made. According to his system, if the other party broke a promise, then his Bond Mark would automatically turn into a Broken Mark, making the person into a hunting target. While that might not be bad in his daily life, it would lead to disastrous consequences during a full moon. So he wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Fortunately, when he saw his mother on the phone, he came up with a perfect plan. He made her promise that she would never leave him. Gary was convinced that she would never do such a thing. If she had wanted to, she could have left him and his sister ages ago. So her promise created an unbreakable Bond Mark.

“Thanks, Mom.” Gary smiled, elated that he would be able to protect his mother whenever she was in danger. Like Tom’s, the mark that appeared was green, although its smell was different. He would have to try his best to use his nose rather than his eyes more.

Now I just need to think of a promise that I’ll be able to keep with Amy. It would be best if it could be something as foolproof as Mom’s. Right now, nothing comes to mind, at least nothing that she is guaranteed to keep.

A little while later, his mother received a call, and it was time for her to go to work. Gary knew her shifts were long ones, so when he left the house later that night, he would not need to worry about sneaking out.

While he waited for the sun to set, he noticed something odd about Gil’s mark. For some reason it was becoming clearer, leading him to believe that Gil was moving toward him.

What is he doing? The guys at school said that he dropped out to join a gang, but the gray color gang’s territory isn’t anywhere near here. Could he have some sort of personal business in this area?

When it was finally dark, Gary headed out. He wore his trusty hood to cover his hair, and he had made sure to wear something black. At first glance, he looked like just another member of the black color gang.

Curious about Gil’s mark, which had become slightly paler but still seemed to be in the area, Gary followed it. However, even before he saw Gil, he could hear the sound of conflict from a mile away.

Sneaking through some trees and past the roads, he found the source. Underneath a bridge, members of the red color gang and the gray color gang were fighting members of the black color gang.

Initially, Gary thought it was a three-way fight, but after he watched for a while it became clear that the other two gangs had banded together to attack the black color gang.

What is going on? Did the Gray Elephants take over the gang behind the red color gang? No, could it be that the two of them entered an alliance? Shit, if that’s really the case, this could endanger everyone in Slough!

Then Gary realized he could hear even more fighting going on. This wasn’t just a small scuffle between two gangs; there was a war going on. The other two color gangs had clearly invaded the black color gang’s territory.

Crap, why did it have to happen today of all days? If they’re pushing the black color gang this much, it will force the Underdogs to act! Gary started to panic, looking around to see if he could still escape if things went south.

However, another thought crossed his mind.

Wait, there’s chaos; too much for the police to handle. In the past, they would let the gangs take each other out, only coming at the end to arrest the losing side. If that’s the case, can’t I take advantage of all of this? As long as I avoid the members of the real gangs and just go after the color gangs, this might be my one chance to earn big-time!

Just as he had expected, things were about to change. Some distance away, Kirk was walking confidently through the streets. Instead of his iconic red suit from whenever he appeared on TV, he wore a black suit with a yellow-spotted tie, representing the Underdogs’ Cheetah Squad.

Following him were five menacing-looking men. They had received reports from the black color gang members who had called for backup, and they had arrived just outside what looked like a pub.

“Didn’t your superiors warn you to only go so far? We don’t usually involve ourselves with the affairs of color gangs, but you guys have pushed it too far this time. You do know that this pub belongs to the Underdogs, right?” Kirk asked with a smile.

Several injured black color gang members were rolling on the ground in front of him, while members of the gray and red color gangs seemed to have suffered minimal casualties. There were still more than a dozen of them on each side, with the total around thirty. Immediately, the one closest to Kirk ran forward with his baseball bat and swung it with all his strength over his head.

Not wasting any time, Kirk took a stance and threw out his fist. The second the bat and his fist collided, the piece of wood snapped in half.

“What the …” The gray color gang member looked at his bat in disbelief. “Is he a robot or something?”

“You idiot, that’s Kirk Summerfield! He’s an Altered who recently won that rookie tournament!” one of the red color gang members shouted. Kirk was a well-known public figure, yet not many knew that he was also a member of the Underdogs.

The gangs were quick to run away. Alas, they didn’t get far. Kirk had transformed the bottom part of his legs to run past them all and block off the juveniles’ path of escape. He would have been even faster if he hadn’t taken off his expensive shoes beforehand.

“Since you guys are already here, I’ll have you answer a few questions. You didn’t think I would let you go this easily after what you did, right? First, who are you working for? Second, why do your bosses believe that they could just barge into our area and take over? And lastly … have you seen a kid about this height, around sixteen years old, with green hair?”

CHAPTER 4

THE SISTER OF THE DEM FAMILY

Amy Dem and Stacy Turnhell had been inseparable since kindergarten. They had known each other since forever, and they had been lucky enough to be able to always attend the same school.

Unlike Gary, Amy had always received good grades and had even passed the 11 plus, a test students took at age eleven to determine whether they could enter a grammar school.

The grammar schools were state funded and were exclusive for the best of the best, those who the state believed had the most potential. This came as a blessing to the Dem household, as it meant everything would be paid for. Their mother was very happy when she found out that she would not have to worry about school supplies or any other things Amy might need for any club she might choose to join.

Gary hadn’t even come close to passing his test, but Amy and Stacy had both managed to place relatively high, allowing them both to choose which school to attend. Although not the most prestigious one, Amy had chosen to go to Slough’s only all-girls grammar school, so her family wouldn’t have to worry about her.

Now that she was in grammar school, she and Stacy were the only ones from her old school who had passed the test, making the two friends naturally grow closer to each other.

When Amy had come over, Stacy had told her that they would be doing something very special today. After putting on the black dresses Stacy had prepared for them, they left the house.

“I really don’t feel comfortable in this. Are you sure this makes me look slimmer?” Amy complained as she walked. The dress felt far too tight, something she just wasn’t used to. Originally, Stacy had also prepared some high heels, but this was as far as Amy would go. She had tried to slip them on and felt like her toes were being squeezed to death. She didn’t understand why other girls put themselves through such torture.

“Come on, it’s just for today!” Stacy encouraged her, pulling out some red lipstick and a mirror as she masterfully applied a thick coat on her lips, making them seem bigger than they already were.

Stacy was not a natural blonde. In the past she was quite shy, but ever since she entered high school she had become far more outgoing. Amy didn’t know what had caused this seemingly sudden change; her best guess was that Stacy just wanted to create a completely new image in a new school.

At least when it was just the two of them alone, Stacy still acted like always, so Amy hadn’t addressed the change. For all she knew people changed as they got older. Her brother and his green hair were a perfect example of that.

However, lately Stacy had become far more interested in fashion and makeup, and it showed. She had applied her makeup well, as if she had spent hours watching video tutorials to learn it. It was scary how Amy’s best friend could turn a few years older with a couple of steps.

Both of them were merely fifteen years old; Amy was just one year younger than her brother, and usually parents didn’t let girls so young go out, but for some reason, Stacy’s parents didn’t seem to care as long as her grades weren’t affected. As for Amy’s mother, with how busy she was with work, it had been ages since she had last seen Stacy, probably still thinking of her as the shy little mouse she used to be.

“Here, let me help you out a bit,” Stacy offered as she came over. With surprising expertise she applied some of her makeup and lipstick on her best friend. At first Amy had wanted to reject this, but she found it hard to say no when looking at her happy friend. She didn’t want to ruin the mood between the two of them.

“Done. You look amazing. You really should start wearing this more. Just say the word. I got Mom to buy me new makeup after I aced that last test, so I will be happy to share my old stuff. It really brings out your looks.”

Stacy held out the mirror, and Amy barely recognized herself. The person who looked back at her appeared to be a young and very pretty university student. It was definitely something she could get used to … though she would still rather wait a few years for such a change to occur naturally.

The two girls hailed a taxi, something Amy was thankful for. Walking the streets, especially at this late hour and dressed up like they were, seemed to be a guaranteed recipe for trouble.

“Why do we have to dress up, anyway? I thought we were just going to karaoke?” Amy asked.

“Yeah, but we’re meeting someone today. Shoot, did I forget to tell you? Oh, I’m so sorry, I was so excited that I thought I told you already. My boyfriend’s going to be there and he also invited some of his friends. Who knows, maybe one of them has green hair like your brother,” Stacy said teasingly.

Amy wasn’t feeling so great, and it wasn’t just because of what Stacy had insinuated. She had thought it was just going to be the two of them, like it always had. Stacy had mentioned her “boyfriend” a few times recently, but Amy had believed that she had just made him up to look better compared to the girls of their class.

At their age, their only chance of meeting boys was through school, yet at an all-girls school that was impossible. Most of their male teachers were up there in years, but even the youngest one was easily more than double their age. She hadn’t seen Stacy hang out with anyone around school, so just where had she met him?

“I mean … at least we’ll be in a public place, so I guess it’s going to be okay,” Amy mumbled, still a little worried.

Eventually, the taxi pulled up on the main street of Slough. It looked different at night with all the lights, but it was considered a relatively safe area. The general public believed this was due to the mayor, who had promised that the town center was the one place where he would guarantee their safety.

This was another reason why Amy thought it was okay to be here, until she got out of the taxi with Stacy. Immediately Stacy ran up and hugged someone who was more than a head taller than her. The “boy” wore a gray beanie with his hair sticking through slightly. He also had both ears and his bottom lip pierced.

He wasn’t alone either; he had brought along two friends, one of whom was currently smoking. Alarm bells were screaming in Amy’s head at the sight, but mainly because Stacy’s boyfriend was clearly older than them. The three of them had to be either in their last year of high school, repeaters, or most likely university students … unless they worked somewhere else, of course.

“I’ve been sooo looking forward to this! I’m glad that we finally get to meet!” Stacy told him.

Hearing this, Amy just wanted to slap her forehead. The two of them hadn’t even met?

Stacy, please don’t tell me you actually met him on Binder or some other app! Oh, who am I kidding? Given the age difference, where else could they have met? I bet she lied about her actual age and that’s why she was so adamant about putting on that makeup. Amy believed she had seen through the situation.

The next second, the two of them were holding hands, and Stacy turned around.

“Come on, Amy, you’re a great singer! You’re always hogging the mic when it’s just the two of us, so let’s show them what we got!”

Every bone in Amy’s body was advising her not to go inside, yet she couldn’t leave Stacy alone with those strangers. If she made up some excuse like her stomach hurt, then who knows what might happen to her best friend. Three young adults with one naive little girl …

What if they do something to her? … No, I can’t leave her alone. She must have known that it would be dangerous alone; I’ll just have to try to convince her to go home early.

Who knows, maybe it’s all just in my head. There’s always a chance that they might be decent guys … but if not, I’ll just have to tell them that I got a sudden stomachache or something. She shouldn’t mind too much if this is their first meeting.

Amy thought about what to do in this situation. The police would be too slow to respond; they had too much to deal with in Slough. Who knows how fast they would react even if it became an emergency.

Just in case, she typed out a text, noting her current location. She didn’t send it out to anyone yet, but it would only require a tap to send it to the one person she trusted most.

CHAPTER 5

WHITE POWDER

An opportunity was exactly what Gary needed. Billy was far stronger than him, and if Gary wasn’t willing to eat people like Billy was, then there was almost no way for him to catch up, so much so that he had even thought a number of times about just exactly what he might do to Gil.

However, the system was a strange thing, and, noticing that a gang war had arrived, the system had answered him once more.

New Quest received

When Two Fight, The Third One Takes The Prize

As an outsider you have been chucked into the midst of a (color) gang war.

Are you following trouble or is trouble following you?

Either way, show them the strength of an omega wolf that follows no one!

Quest reward: 50 Exp per defeated person

The system was still telling him to get his hands dirty but not too dirty. Seeing the fights on the bridge out in front of him, along with the system screen, he couldn’t help himself.

Gil, you will just have to wait a little longer.

When they entered the karaoke club, the boys rented out the room and were even nice enough to pay for it on their own. At first everything seemed fine, apart from the fact that Amy found herself on the couch, sipping juice, between two guys she had never seen before.

Meanwhile, Stacy was busy brushing her body against her boyfriend, who had introduced himself as “Hawk,” of all things. Amy was convinced that that couldn’t be his real name; no parent would ever subject their kid to that.

The fellow to Amy’s right, whose name was apparently Pierre, was slightly larger on the bottom half, making him look like a pear. The one on her left, who had told her to call him Ben, was in complete contrast to his friend, seemingly nothing but bones. Given their outer appearances, she easily remembered their names.

The room was quite large, with a bench around the back and two microphones. At the moment, Stacy and Hawk were doing a duet.

“So, Amy, I guess you don’t have a boyfriend since you’re here on your own tonight?” Ben asked carefully.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t found the right one yet. It would have to be someone my brother approves of,” Amy replied truthfully. Just like Gary, she also had a hard time lying to others, but she hoped mentioning him might perhaps make them back off somehow.

“A brother …” Pierre murmured. “Who does he wor—I mean, is he still in school? Could he be someone we know, perhaps?”

Pierre seemed to have wanted to ask something else at first, but he had quickly corrected himself. Amy had no clue why, though, as she had almost instantly replied, “He goes to Westbridge.” The next moment she regretted it. Now that she thought about it, it would have been far better to have named a university, to make it seem that Gary was older.

Unfortunately, her answer seemed to have calmed them, and they continued their questioning, but thankfully it looked like Stacy and Hawk had just ended their duet.

“Finally, me next!” Amy quickly jumped up from her seat and almost snatched the microphone out of Stacy’s hand, as she chose a longer song and began to sing straightaway. This was her only saving grace from the other two.

It felt like forever but according to the clock, we’ve only been here for half an hour. I haven’t even had time to speak to Stacy. Why didn’t she pick up on me telling her that I needed to go to the bathroom? Amy was trying to figure out a better excuse, but by the time the song had ended she hadn’t come up with anything better, and she decided to sing the next one as well.

When Amy was singing, she was in her element; it really was something she truly enjoyed doing. She closed her eyes as she hit a high note, but suddenly there was no background music, and the large screen that showed the lyrics had been turned off.

“Hey, everyone, I think that’s enough singing for now, let’s do something more fun!” Hawk suggested. It was clear he was the one who had pulled the plug, and he swiftly pulled out a deck of cards, which he laid down on the table.

Looking toward Stacy, Amy didn’t even try to hide her annoyance. The guy could have at least waited for her to finish her song, and Stacy could only form the word Sorry on her lips, her eyes pleading with Amy to not make a big deal out of this.

Sitting at the table, Hawk dealt out cards while Ben lit up another cigarette. This only further annoyed Amy, as they were all in the same room together. Although smoking was allowed, he could have at least asked them before forcing them to enjoy his secondhand smoke.

A short while later, a waiter entered the room and placed some more drinks on the table, which Ben seemed to have ordered earlier when he had left the room. Judging by the foam, it was clear to the high school girls that they had just been served alcohol.

If they can order alcohol, just how old are these guys? They have to be at least eighteen … This is worse than I thought. Come on, Stacy, even you should see that this is going to end badly! Amy cried internally, but her best friend was too busy flirting with Hawk.

The guys began to drink without any hesitation, and Stacy joined them after her boyfriend talked her into it. Amy had a bottle in front of her, which she just picked up occasionally and pretended to drink from. The smell alone was strong enough to keep her from trying it, and she was definitely not going to start drinking around strangers whom she’d known for less than an hour.

After playing cards for a while, though, Amy was slowly lowering her guard. The guys had talked a bit about themselves and had even managed to make her giggle by telling some jokes.

Maybe I was just being too cautious, judging them based on their appearance too quickly. Living here for too long does that.

Alas, Amy soon discovered that she had been right all along. As the round finished and it was her turn to shuffle cards, Hawk stopped her and brought out a small bag with white powder. He started to use the cards to spread it out into five lines.

“Is this …”

“Yes,” Hawk answered proudly. “My brother is a high-ranking member in the Gray Elephants. Girls like you might not know them, but they are one of the gangs in Slough who have a say in how things are run. It’s easy for me to get my hands on this type of stuff, thanks to him. Come on, try it out. It’s hard to explain just how good this feels!”

A few seconds later, all the boys had snorted their lines, and then they shook their heads for a few seconds. While Stacy had played along with the alcohol, hard drugs crossed even her line. Amy could see that this was far beyond what she had been expecting.

“Thank you very much, but I think I shouldn’t. I haven’t been feeling well for a while. Maybe it’s the alcohol. I think I need to lie down. Stacy, I’m staying at your house tonight, right? Maybe we should go,” Amy insisted.

“I think you’re right,” Stacy instantly agreed, happy that she had dragged Amy along. However, as she tried to stand up, Hawk grabbed her by the wrist.

“Hey, you can’t just leave. We still have so much time left. We paid for this room, paid for your drinks, and we haven’t even done anything yet. Don’t you think we deserve something in return?” Hawk smiled mischievously.

Seeing this, Amy immediately stood up and was planning to grab her best friend and make a run for it, but Pierre grabbed her hand. He had a surprisingly tight grip.

“What are you doing? You’re hurting my wrist! Let go!” Amy shouted. “I’ll scream if you don’t let go now!”

Then Ben went over and plugged the karaoke machine back in before turning it on at full volume. Now even if they did scream, nobody would hear them, or they would just think it was the music.

We’re in real trouble.

Amy put her free hand in her pocket and hit the send button. She wasn’t sure if he could come, but they needed someone who could help them out of this situation.

CHAPTER 6

PERFECT TIME

Gary knew that the smart thing would be to keep on watching, waiting for both sides to weaken each other further, so he could swoop in and finish off the losing side. This way he wouldn’t use a lot of Energy, while still being able to get some Exp.

However, he had decided to take some risks. Given the content of the quest, it seemed wiser to get involved in the fight before any surprise backup could arrive. He didn’t know how long this gang war would last, since it was just a matter of time until the Underdogs sent out their muscle.

If he waited too long, the gang war might escalate to the point where it would be too dangerous for him to get involved. At the moment, Gary was dressed in all black, so he could only help out and pretend to be a part of the black color gang.

It’s two gangs against one, so I have to join in while the black color gang still has some members standing, Gary thought. He ran across the top of the bridge and waited for a few moments. Below him, the group were fighting at an underpass, and the black color gang members were slowly being pushed back, making their way out of the tunnel.

He could see three members still standing. They were hunched up together, obviously hurt but still fighting. It was clear that at this point they were basically running on fumes. Unfortunately, running away wasn’t an option. Turning their back on the other color gangs would just seal their fate. They wouldn’t get far before the other members caught up to them.

Damn, I was hoping they would be in better fighting condition so they could help me grab some last hits. I know my skills have improved, but without the boost from the moon I’m not too sure I can handle all of the others on my own.

In his hesitation, he thought back to his fight with Billy, at least what he could remember of it. Fighting a bunch of humans seemed a lot easier. Just then, he saw multiple people run from under the bridge.

One … two … three … four … five. They just keep coming, and there could be more.

It wouldn’t stop him; he saw that the black color gang members had engaged with the others, and this was his chance. Two more people ran from the bridge, and with no fear, Gary leapt from above.

He was on a trajectory to land directly on them, and that’s exactly what he did; stretching out his legs, he made sure his feet hit the backs of their heads, causing them to fall over and their heads to slam onto the concrete.

Your opponents (2) have been knocked out

100 Exp received

205/628 Exp

Such a move would knock anyone out, yet Gary was also a little afraid that he might have hurt them too much. Just as he considered checking their condition, someone swung a bike chain from behind and struck him across the face. Fortunately, it only cut his cheek, around his mouth.

–4 HP

“There’s another one of those black color fuckers over here!” a young man dressed in red called out. “That bastard knocked out Stan and Kenny! Get him!”

Behind him, Gary saw seven more people, but on top of that he noticed something else that his nose was able to detect. Several gang members had been left on the side of the road, some of them bleeding, while others looked to be in much more critical condition.

If this really was a gang war, then ambulances would be hard to come by today. The police must have already been told about what was happening right now, and they would tell ambulances not to enter the area until things had calmed down. It was very possible that a lot of people would die tonight …

I almost felt sorry for the two that I hurt … but you’re all just the same, Gary thought, as the red color gang member swung the bike chain again.

Skill activated: Charging Heart

All stats have temporarily been doubled

–10 Energy

At the right moment, Gary used his bare hands to grab the chain, and then the next second he pulled on it. The person holding it hadn’t even recovered from the shock that someone had managed to grab his makeshift weapon, yet the next moment, his face connected with Gary’s elbow.

As his head flung back, he let go of the chain. Gary knew he wasn’t done yet, because the system had yet to notify him. Lifting his leg, he quickly spun and hit the red color gang member right on the neck, sending him to the ground.

Your opponent has been knocked out

50 Exp received

255/628 Exp

“Hey. Who is that guy?” one of the black color gang members asked his companion. They were still in the middle of their fight but had noticed what had happened.

“No idea. I can only see the back of his hood, but with him here, maybe we can get out of this thing,” another answered, as he barely avoided the strike of the gray color gang member in front of him.

After taking on that one member and seeing the others back off, Gary noticed something. He had been around gangs for a while, but the person he had taken out appeared to have some authority among them, most likely one of the better fighters out of their group. Since Gary had dealt with him so effortlessly, as well as his imposing entrance, they were afraid of him.

He quickly changed his plans.

“I’m sorry,” Gary said, having overheard the earlier conversation. “I’m on no one’s side. I’ll be taking everyone out!”

Gary had been forced to use another Charging Heart, but with his power boost, he had managed to defeat them all. Innu’s lesson had proven quite effective, allowing him to have an easier time defeating them. It had been easy to tell which ones had trained and which had not, and thankfully all of them had already been tired after fighting beforehand.

It had become clear to Gary that they all were mostly relying on their makeshift weapons and lacked actual skills. After the first three, he had knocked out all remaining ten, granting him an additional 500 Exp, enough to level up.

I’ve finally gained another stat point! Argh, but still no new skill. I don’t get it, do I need to fulfill some special conditions or something? Or are you just a miser, system? I know that you at least have that Hardened Will skill saved up!

Oh well, I will just have to keep grinding today. It’s not every day that I get to beat the shit out of gang members without having to fear any consequences, so I should make the best out of it. Gary checked his status.

Name: Gary Dem

Level 6

Exp: 127/765

Health: 68/100

Energy: 92/120

I got hit way more in that last fight than I needed to. I guess some of my Energy will be used up to heal my wounds while I’m not fighting. Shoot, I should have grabbed something to replenish it. If only I had more money … looks like I might have to grab a bite on the way.

Gary’s enhanced hearing allowed him to hear the sounds of fighting in other areas. Judging by how faint it was, he would probably have to run over to get there in time to actually have anyone left to fight, though. However, before he could even decide between searching for some food and heading toward the sounds, he felt his phone vibrate.

He instinctively grabbed his secret phone. It should be either Kai or Innu who might want something from him, but to his confusion the screen only showed him what time it was. There was no new message or missed call.

It took Gary a moment to put it back into his pocket and grab his regular one. Just as he had suspected, he had received a message, but the most surprising thing was the sender. It was from his sister, of all people.

Me and Stacy are on the main street at the Kobo Karaoke Club. I got dragged along to meet up with her internet boyfriend and he brought two friends along. If you get this message, then we’re in trouble. Please bring help!

CHAPTER 7

NO ONE TO RELY ON

The police station was currently busier than ever, receiving nonstop calls from residents living in a certain part of Slough. All of them reported that they could hear fights, moans, and groans, with some even testifying to have seen teenagers in red and gray beating up others dressed in black on the street.

It didn’t take long for the police to figure out what was going on, but just as Gary had predicted, because of the scale of the gang war, they couldn’t respond immediately. The police force simply lacked the numbers to contain large-scale fighting like this.

Chief of Police Anton Millstun was in charge of the people’s safety. Right now he was sitting behind his desk, grabbing his head in frustration as he didn’t know how to deal with this situation.

“Those damn White Rose agents! They’re only interested in their stupid Altered, yet when we have a situation like this on our hands, the only course of action they’re willing to take is to ‘let things play out,’” Anton complained, though more to himself than to Roo, who was with him in the room. The rookie was nervously standing in the office waiting for his superior to give out orders.

“How is it possible for such a situation to break out without any prior signs? All our informants have been telling us that the black color gang has been getting into more fights with the red color gang, but what does that have to do with the gray color gang?

“We know the black color gang is controlled by the Underdogs and that the Gray Elephants are behind the gray color gang. We still have no clue who is behind the red color gang. Could it be that the Gray Elephants found out before us and took over?” Anton spoke his thoughts out loud. It was one of his tics and his subordinates had gotten used to it. They knew why he did so: in case anyone wanted to chime in on his thoughts.

“I don’t think it has always been the case, sir,” Roo said. “I looked into them, just like you’ve asked, but while not as numerous, there have also been many incidents between the red and gray color gangs, the last one only a few days ago.”

Anton thought this could be due to one of two things. Either the Gray Elephants had approached the red color gang’s backers to pull off this stunt to massively piss off the Underdogs, perhaps some retaliation for something yet to be determined … or there was an even bigger figure behind it all. Someone who the Gray Elephants had no choice but to listen to.

“I just hope that none of those Kings are involved in any of this. If they are, then this town will become a battlefield before it’s all over,” Anton mumbled before he stood up from his seat, ready to move out.

“We might not have enough hands to stop the color gangs from fighting, but we can at least prevent them from going after the other areas. I want every available officer placing barriers around Chavley.

“Call in those who might have taken a day off, and maybe even those who have just retired for the day. Make sure that no one enters or gets out for the time being. As soon as things settle down, that’s when we will make our move, understand?”

Although Roo did understand, he had a concerned look on his face.

“Sir, does that mean we won’t be acting on the reports? What about the public places being attacked? Or the request for ambulances? This is a color gang war we’re talking about, not the big gangs!”

What Roo meant by this was the difference in crimes. The bigger gangs, such as the Underdogs and Gray Elephants, actually acted more like businesses. Of course they both laundered their illegally obtained money through their businesses, but even if the police knew that, it was impossible to catch them without evidence.

At some point, a tacit agreement seemed to have occurred between the two parties. The gangs tended to stay out of the way of the public, not causing them any trouble, and the police didn’t try to make life hard for them.

However, while the big gangs seemed harmless at first glance, the same could not be said about the color gangs. Those were filled with young frustrated teens and tweens who found it hard to get jobs, hoping to prove themselves out on the streets to rise in the ranks and get accepted into one of the bigger gangs.

In the past, when situations like this occurred, the color gangs tended to get a bit wild, drunk on power, and they started to rob stores and plunder and steal from the civilians. They all felt like they were unstoppable in those moments.

“I’m afraid that is a sacrifice we will have to make. Trying to save a few will just risk us getting dragged into this mess and the color gangs spreading throughout the whole town.” Anton slammed the table. He didn’t like that this was the only choice they had, but with their limited power, what else could they do?

“Roo, believe me, I wish it were different, but I have a feeling that this fight will push the Underdogs to act. If that’s the case, this little war will be over far quicker than you might imagine. Let’s just hope they will be the only ones to come out … otherwise, I’m not sure what it will mean for Slough.”

Just as Anton had predicted, after the red and gray color gangs managed to overwhelm the black color gang on multiple fronts, they started to become a little wild. One group in particular was getting particularly crazy. It was full of mostly new recruits, one of them being none other than Gil.

The dropout had just picked up a trash can from the side of the street, which he promptly dunked on a black color gang member’s head before kicking him to the ground. The others were impressed by the new member’s ruthlessness; he seemed to be even better at fighting than before.

I was a little worried about him after what happened last time, but it seems like it just gave him an extra push, the group leader thought.

Around thirty gray color gang members were on a rampage—attacking everyone on sight, no longer differentiating between black color gang members and regular civilians—and that was when their group came across a certain twenty-four-hour supermarket.

Its lights were still on, yet it appeared the employees were in the middle of closing the shutters down for safety. Seeing this, Gil picked up another large trash can and ran toward the supermarket.

That guy looked at me like I was a loser! I’ll show you who the real loser is! Gil thought, reaching the man and swinging the trash can before he could completely close the shutters. Gil didn’t stop there, as he lifted the can and began whacking the man again and again.

“Hey, everyone, the store’s up for grabs!” another member shouted, and soon the other members of the gray color gang were storming the supermarket. Once Gil was done, he entered as well, leaving behind a no-longer-moving man lying in a puddle of blood.

Inside the supermarket, seeing what was going on, the employees immediately ran toward the supply room in the back. Five of them had saved themselves, yet the last one, a frightened large woman, had slammed the door shut behind her, locking out three of her colleagues.

They banged on the door, again and again.

“Let us in, please, they’ll kill us if you don’t!” one of the women begged from the other side.