Recoil cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as he assessed the three players before him. The alley behind the apartment block was silent save for the soft hum of their engines cooling and the faint buzz of streetlights.
Athena stepped forward, her boots echoing softly on the concrete. Her gaze was cold, calculating. "Last chance," she said flatly. "Hand it over."
Recoil smirked. "You want the artifact? Come take it."
In a heartbeat, Dark Lord rushed forward, broadsword materializing in his hands with a shimmer of crimson pixels. Recoil didn't even flinch—his hand moved in a blur, and the Phantom Fang spun into his grip. A black, serrated dagger with glowing red etch lines—it pulsed like a heartbeat.
Clang!
Sparks flew as their weapons clashed. " Some how I get the feeling that you were really hoping that this comes down to a fight" Recoil said and ducked low, sweeping his leg under Dark Lord and sending him sprawling onto the pavement.
"Too slow," Recoil muttered, flipping his dagger in his grip.
Neo came next, a short spear glinting with electric charge. He lunged in with surgical precision, jabbing fast and hard. Recoil twisted away, barely dodging, but the tip of the spear grazed his side, nicking 20 HP.
"Cheap shot," Recoil hissed, lashing out with a grenade from his inventory. He tossed it between Neo and Dark Lord.
!
The shockwave threw both attackers backward. Neo slammed into the wall, coughing, while Dark Lord hit a pile of crates.
" Your fighting skills are so awful I'd recommend you change your mentors" Recoil laughed.
"Nova, status?" Recoil said as he backed up, eyes scanning.
"HP: 260. MP: 200. Enemies moderately damaged. Athena not yet engaged," she replied calmly.
"Yeah, she's waiting. Studying."
And she was. Athena hadn't moved, her arms crossed as she observed from beneath the hood of her sleek black tracksuit. Her expression didn't show impatience—it showed intent.
Recoil gritted his teeth. "Let's dance, then."
He rushed at her, blade drawn, but Athena was already in motion.
She slid under his slash, pivoted, and elbowed him square in the ribs. His breath caught—she was fast. Freakishly fast. Before he could retaliate, her boot struck the side of his knee, throwing him off balance.
He teleported with Quantum Leap, blinking five meters behind her to reset.
Name: Recoil Coins: 10350
Height: 6 feet 1inch
Rank: C {Amateur I} XP: 255/400
HP: 246/300 MP: 189/200
Strength: 55. Accuracy%: 45
Stamina: 40. Agility: 30
Luck: 30 Available stats point: 60. Available skill points: 40
**Weapons**
–Backpack capacity–: 4/10
Dual Glock 19cc { -75 points damage,clip size: 9, reload time:15secs, range: 100 metres}
Remington shotgun LV2{ -90 points damage, clip size: 9, reload time:25secs, range: 97 metres}
Saber blade XR { -36 points damage}
Phantom fang { -130 points damage, critical hit damage -150}
Grenades x9 [ -250 points damage, 10 metres blast radius]
N/A…
***Skills***
Basic street fighting ( Lv5)
Quantum leap (Lv 1)
***Accessories***
Dark hoodie, tracksuit bottoms and trainers.
"Nova—she's a counter-fighter," he muttered, circling.
"Correct. Highly reactive. Calculating adaptive patterns... updated."
"Good. Let's push her out of that comfort zone."
He pulled his dual Glocks from inventory. In one swift motion, he spun, firing both at her with precision.
He didn't plan on killing her just probably drop her HP low enough to weaken her for interrogation. Bullets sprayed through the air—Athena weaved like wind, rolling behind a dumpster, rebounding off the wall, and leaping at him mid-air.
He got one shot off—landed a hit. Her HP dropped slightly. But her landing? Brutal.
She slammed into him with her knee, knocked both pistols from his hands, and flipped over him, dragging a short blade across his shoulder.
-35 HP.
Recoil roared, spinning around and landing a clean hook to her jaw. She staggered but recovered almost instantly. The blade came for him again—he blocked with the Phantom Fang, sparks flying with every clash.
"She's reading me," he realized. "Learning with every move."
"Affirmative. Your fighting patterns have become partially predictable."
" Ah well let's see if see can handle a chapter" Recoil said with a cocky grin.
He ducked a slash, swept his foot again—but Athena jumped, twisting in the air and landing behind him. Her heel connected to his spine, forcing him forward.
He hit the wall. Hard.
Pain throbbed through his ribs.
Name: Recoil Coins: 10350
Height: 6 feet 1inch
Rank: C {Amateur I} XP: 255/400
HP: 148/300 MP: 200/200
Strength: 55. Accuracy%: 45
Stamina: 40. Agility: 30
Luck: 30 Available stats point: 60. Available skill points: 40
**Weapons**
–Backpack capacity–: 4/10
Dual Glock 19cc { -75 points damage,clip size: 9, reload time:15secs, range: 100 metres}
Remington shotgun LV2{ -90 points damage, clip size: 9, reload time:25secs, range: 97 metres}
Saber blade XR { -36 points damage}
Phantom fang { -130 points damage, critical hit damage -150}
Grenades x9 [ -250 points damage, 10 metres blast radius]
N/A…
***Skills***
Basic street fighting ( Lv5)
Quantum leap (Lv 1)
***Accessories***
Dark hoodie, tracksuit bottoms and trainers.
"Come on, Recoil," she taunted, circling. "Thought you were tougher than this."
He spit blood, smiling. "I'm just getting warmed up."
He activated Quantum Leap again—reappearing behind Neo and Dark Lord, now staggering back into the fray.
" Boom!" he whispered—and dropped a grenade at their feet.
The alley lit up again in fire and smoke. Both players were launched away, temporarily incapacitated.
Athena didn't flinch.
Recoil used the smoke to charge her. This time, he didn't hold back—he unleashed everything. Rapid jabs, feints, a reverse elbow, then a slash from the Phantom Fang aimed for her shoulder.
She dodged the first two hits, parried the third—and caught the dagger on the fourth.
With her bare hand.
"What the—"
She yanked him forward, kneed him again, and slammed him into the ground.
Before he could rise, she was on him. Her dagger flashed, striking with precise, targeted slashes. Each one chipped away his HP in chunks.
-22
-18
-30
-20
Recoil gasped, rolling just in time to dodge a finisher. " Okay now that just turned personal" He managed. He reached into his inventory—
Nothing. Inventory jam. Cooldowns active.
Athena stood tall over him, breathing evenly. "You're good," she admitted, her voice quiet. "But good's not enough."
Recoil lunged upward in one last attempt, headbutting her and grabbing her wrist mid-strike. He twisted, rolling her into a throw—but she used the momentum to flip him instead.
His back hit the ground with bone-jarring force.
And that was when she pressed her boot down. Right at his collarbone. Not a kill shot—calculated.
HP: 5
His vision flickered red for a split second. The artifact remained intact. Recoil lay still, blinking up at her. "That all you got?"
Athena smirked. "Not even close." and retrieved the artifact key.
She turned, walking back to her allies, who were groaning on the pavement.
Recoil closed his eyes for a moment, catching his breath. Nova's voice pinged softly in his ear.
"Note: Athena is currently 72% more skilled in hand-to-hand combat than previously assessed."
"Yeah no kidding," Recoil muttered.
As he watched her shadow recede, one thought settled heavy in his mind. I've got to get it back.