He smashed a bottle of beer against his head. Glass shattered, the liquid started to drip from his temple as the pain exploded through his skull. Vision started to blur out even more than before, colors started to blend with the others. He stumbled backward, barely keeping his balance.

But then, a wide smirk curled up on his lips, like he had got even more dangerous now. His gaze shifted towards Ryan, eyes fixated into his as his voice came cold. "You're not leaving this place in two pieces now, little rat."

He slowly stepped forward, his face twisted in anger as his eyes were filled with bloodshot, veins bulging. His whole body shook with the sudden adrenaline rush and drugs which he took earlier.

Ryan staggered backward a bit, panting hard, chest heaving up and falling down, fists trembling. His head throbbed with immense pain, he could hear his heartbeat pound in his ears.

'System,' he thought, looking at the man, lost in his own thoughts. 'What should we do now? Help!'

[Host, your opponent is beyond your current level. Recommend immediate retreat.]

Ryan gritted his teeth. "You want me to run from the fight once again?"

[Affirmative. You cannot win this fight.]

The man lunged forward towards Ryan, with the intent to kill. Ryan didn't have time to react, his fists crashed into Ryan's guard, creating a loud thud when the impact landed. The aftereffect numbed Ryan's arm. The second strike followed right after that—wilder, uncontrolled. Ryan barely blocked it again, but it pushed him back a bit.

The man wasn't using the right technique to fight back—the swings were full of pure rage and muscle. Every hit of his felt like a sledgehammer.

Ryan ducked under one, twisted aside to dodge another, and countered it quickly with a quick uppercut to the jaw—but the man didn't even flinch. He just kept hitting, swinging his arms wildly, groaning, his blood splattering the floor from the wound on his head from before.

Ryan took a brief moment to catch his breath, every muscle in his body was screaming at him for mercy. The man's next swing tore through the air, missing Ryan by inches but smashing through the wooden table kept just behind them. The impact of it echoed through the entire room.

'System!' Ryan said in his mind, desperate.

[Run, Host!]

Ryan dodged one more punch from his, his legs kept shaking from the exhaustion. The man's foot caught on one of the cracked tiles as his balance shifted for half a second.

Ryan didn't hesitate, without even wasting a second, he took his chance. He slammed his fist into the man's stomach—once, twice—and then shoved him back with all of his weight. The man stumbled backwards, just enough for Ryan to make a run for his life.

Ryan spun backwards and sprinted towards the exit, not even looking back once to see if the man was following behind him or not.

His lungs burned out, his vision started to blur out, heartbeat pounded in his ears. He could still hear the man's voice from before—loud and filled with fury.

"YOU think you can run away from me, YOU LITTLE RAT!" The man shouted, voice filled with raw rage.

Ryan didn't look back, kept running towards the main gate. He reached the broken gateway and then made his way out of there, his shoes slamming against the cracked concrete.

The cool breeze brushed his face slightly, soothing his bruises, the air had the smell of rain and dust buried in it. He kept running like a wild beast—down the alley, past the flickering lights of the street, through the puddles of muddy water, which splashed under his feet.

[DING!]

[Quest Complete: Destroy Hideout — Damaged Building (Cleared)]

Ryan slowed for just a moment, gasping for breath. "What the hell?" he muttered, chest heaving. "How did I clear it? I didn't even—"

[System Response: Objective complete. You were tasked to destroy the hideout, not to capture it. The structure and its members are neutralised.]

Ryan blinked, panting, confused—until he glanced back over his shoulder.

The building slowly started to crumble a bit, and one of its floors fell down. Their fight before had weakened the walls even more than before, and it smashed the support that was holding it upright. Smoke suddenly rose from somewhere inside—maybe from one of the broken lights or spilt alcohol.

"Oh," a soft voice escaped his lips, and a small smile curled up on his lips. "Guess I didn't actually fail my mission, huh?"

He turned back and ran again, this time towards the main city road.

When he reached the crowded part of the city, the world felt different—noisy, alive, safe. People passed him without even glancing, too lost in their own lives to notice the blood and dust on his clothes.

Ryan reached into an alley, removed his mask as he took his hoodie off, and ran his right hand through his hair, brushing it off. He slowly leaned in and wiped the dust off his clothes. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

He looked at himself through a glass mirror and stared at himself for a long time. His hoodie was now torn, his knuckles split, and his hair wet from sweat and rain. He looked like hell. But his eyes were steady, full of dedication.

He wiped the blood from his forehead, breathing hard but calm now. "One down," he muttered. "Two more to go."

[Affirmative, Host. But next time—]

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Ryan cut the system before it could finish, a tired smirk curled up on his lips. "Next time I'll do my best not to die, haha." A small sigh escaped his lips.

The system suddenly went silent. Ryan pushed himself off the wall as he pulled his hood back up to his head, walking toward the light of the street.

The cars passed by, horns honked everywhere, the air filled with the usual noise of the crowded city, and flames flickered on the walls.

Ryan's eyes were filled with dedication as they were locked onto the street. He slowly made his way to his apartment, and when he reached there. He collapsed on the ground, face first, completely exhausted.

[Rest, Host. You did well today, sleep and recover.]

Sleep slowly caught up to him as his eyes shut close.

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