The morning sun tried to burn through the thick city smog.
It failed.
The sky looked like dirty concrete.
Quinn Carter walked through the giant glass doors of Harrington Academy.
She wore her white uniform shirt and dark skirt.
Her dad’s heavy black leather jacket hung on her shoulders.
Her black sneakers squeaked slightly on the shiny marble floor.
The school was buzzing with loud gossip.
Students huddled near their lockers holding expensive phones.
Chloe Winters walked up to Quinn really fast.
The blonde journalist looked completely shocked.
She hugged her digital tablet tightly against her chest.
“Quinn did you hear the news.” Chloe whispered loudly.
“Marcus Reed is in the hospital.
Somebody smashed his knee with a metal pipe last night.
The doctors say he might never play basketball again.
The whole school is freaking out.”
Quinn felt a heavy rock drop into her stomach.
Marcus was a good guy.
He just wanted to play the hero and it ruined his life.
She hated the Gamemaster so much right now.
“That is terrible Chloe.” Quinn kept walking down the hall.
She didn’t stop.
Chloe jogged to keep up.
“Where are you going.
First period is starting.”
“I have a meeting with the principal.”
Quinn left Chloe behind in the hallway.
She walked toward the fancy administration office.
The air smelled like expensive floor wax and old books.
Noah Brooks leaned against the wall outside the principal’s door.
He wore a sharp black suit and a dark red tie.
He looked like a rich vampire waiting for a snack.
He looked at Quinn’s blank face and smiled a toxic little smile.
“You look like a girl on a mission Solo Queen,” Noah murmured.
He stepped directly into her path.
“I heard about the dumb basketball player.
A broken knee is a tragic thing.
I guess he wasn’t strong enough to protect you after all.”
Quinn grabbed Noah by his expensive red tie.
She pulled him close.
Noah didn’t fight back at all.
His dark eyes actually lit up with pure excitement.
“If you ever make a joke about Marcus again I will break your jaw.” Quinn let go of his tie and shoved him backward.
“Get out of my way Noah.”
Noah laughed his rich dark laugh.
He fixed his tie and stepped aside.
He loved watching her get angry.
Quinn pushed open the heavy wooden door to the main office.
The secretary started to yell at her.
Quinn ignored the lady and kicked open the door to Principal Sterling’s private office.
The room was huge.
It had tall windows and thick red carpets.
Principal Sterling sat behind a massive mahogany desk.
He was a tall thin man with gray hair and cold eyes.
He was not alone.
Two giant men stood in the corners of the room.
They wore cheap gray suits that barely fit over their huge muscles.
They had thick scars on their necks.
They were not parents or teachers.
“Miss Carter,” Principal Sterling said coldly.
He didn’t look surprised to see her at all.
“You are interrupting a private meeting.”
Quinn closed the heavy door behind her.
She locked it with a loud click.
“The meeting is over,” Quinn said.
She walked right up to his desk.
“I know about the five million dollars.
You sold my life to The Gamemaster.”
Principal Sterling sighed.
He took off his silver glasses and rubbed his eyes.
He looked annoyed.
“You are a very annoying little girl,” Sterling said flatly.
He nodded his head at the two giant men in the corners.
“Deal with her.
Do not make a mess on my carpet.”
System Alert: Boss Combat Started!
Enemies: 2 Elite Enforcers (Level 9)
Threat Value: Very High
The two giants rushed at her from both sides.
They didn’t pull out guns.
They just raised their massive fists.
Quinn didn’t even blink.
“Boom.”
The thick red carpet exploded into torn fibers as Quinn dashed forward.
She activated Shadow Step.
The world went pitch black for one split second.
The freezing vacuum sucked her through the air.
“Whoosh.” She teleported ten feet to the left.
She appeared perfectly behind the first giant man.
He swung his massive fist at empty air and stumbled.
Quinn planted her black sneakers firmly on the floor.
She twisted her hips and threw a brutal uppercut right into his kidneys.
“Bam.”
A visible shockwave exploded from the impact.
The huge man gasped as a terrible force shattered his lower ribs.
He dropped to his knees.
Quinn didn’t stop.
She jumped up and delivered a flying knee strike directly to his chin.
The crack sounded like a gunshot.
The first giant hit the floor and was completely knocked out.
The second giant roared in anger.
He charged at Quinn and threw a wild heavy punch at her face.
Quinn activated Iron Skin.
Her flesh hardened into steel.
She raised her left forearm to block the heavy blow.
The punch hit her arm with a loud thud.
It barely hurt.
She grabbed his thick wrist.
She pulled him forward and dropped low to the ground.
She executed a lightning-fast spin sweep.
Her heavy shoe smashed into his ankles.
The giant lost his balance and fell forward.
Quinn stood up and channeled the System energy into her right fist.
The air vibrated with a high-pitched hum.
She threw a massive hook punch right into the side of his head.
Skill Activated: Sonic Strike (Lv.
1)
“BAM.”
The sonic boom rattled the tall glass windows in the office.
The sound wave distorted the air itself.
The giant man’s eyes rolled completely back.
The blast threw him sideways over a leather couch.
He crashed into a wooden bookshelf.
Heavy books rained down on his unconscious body.
System Alert: Enemies Defeated!
EXP + 800
Total EXP: 1600/1500
Ding!
You leveled up!
Level 9 Reached.
All Stats increased by 3!
Remaining EXP: 100/2000
Current HP: 265/265
New Skill Unlocked: Adrenaline Rush (Lv.
1) – Increases speed and strength by 50% for 10 seconds when health is below half.
Steam drifted off her warm skin.
The warm golden glow of Level 9 washed over her muscles.
She turned around and looked at Principal Sterling.
The tall thin man was completely frozen in his expensive leather chair.
His face was pure white.
He just watched a teenage girl destroy two elite killers in five seconds.
Quinn walked slowly around the desk.
She grabbed Principal Sterling by the collar of his nice suit.
She yanked him up out of his chair.
“Talk,” Quinn ordered fiercely.
Her dark eyes looked like black fire.
“Why did The Gamemaster pay you to trap me here.
What is the game.”
Sterling swallowed hard.
His whole body was shaking.
“He wants your bio-chip.
He knew you loved basketball.
He used the scholarship to put you exactly where he wanted you.
He owns this entire school.”
Quinn tightened her grip on his collar.
He gagged slightly.
“Where is he.”
“I don’t know.” Sterling pleaded weakly.
“I swear I don’t know his real identity.
But he is coming here tomorrow night.
The school is hosting the city basketball championship.
Hundreds of people will be in the gym.
The Gamemaster ordered a complete lockdown of the building during the game.
He is bringing his private guards.
He is going to trap you inside with everyone else.”
Quinn let go of his collar.
Sterling collapsed back into his fancy chair.
He gasped for air.
Tomorrow night.
The championship game.
Marcus couldn’t play anymore because his knee was broken.
The Gamemaster was going to turn a high school basketball game into a slaughterhouse.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her secret encrypted phone.
Noah gave it to her.
She looked at the blank black screen.
Quinn turned her back on the terrified principal.
She unlocked the heavy office door and walked out into the busy hallway.
The school bell was ringing loudly.
Teenagers were laughing and walking to class.
They had no idea they were walking into a death trap tomorrow.
She had twenty-four hours to prepare for a war.
She walked out the front doors of the school and into the cold gray morning.
Current Status
Name: Quinn Carter
Level: 9
Class: Solo Fighter
HP: 265/265
EXP: 100/2000
Strength: 30
Agility: 32
Perception: 28
Intelligence: 30
Skills: Basic MMA (Lv.
3), Eagle Eye (Lv.
1), Iron Skin (Lv.
2), Healing Factor (Lv.
1), Sonic Strike (Lv.
1), Shadow Step (Lv.
1), Adrenaline Rush (Lv.
1)
Active Quest: The Gamemaster’s Secret