Loud music filled the dark, sweaty room.
Hundreds of angry people yelled and cheered around the giant metal fighting cage.
Quinn Carter stood near the red metal door.
She looked straight through the dirty wire fence.
Jax Vance, the dangerous underground boy, was looking right back at her.
Jax wiped a small drop of blood from his lip.
He smiled a very handsome, dangerous smile.
He opened the heavy metal door of the cage and stepped out.
The loud crowd moved away from him because they were very scared of him.
But Quinn did not move at all.
Jax walked slowly right up to Quinn.
He was very tall.
He looked down at her with dark, cold eyes.
He smelled like sweat and cheap soap.
“You are the little school girl from the warehouse,” Jax said softly.
His voice was deep and rough.
“You beat up three big guys yesterday.
And tonight, you beat up the front door guards.
You hit very hard for a rich school girl.”
Quinn crossed her arms over her father’s leather jacket.
She did not act scared.
“I am not a rich school girl.
I am on a scholarship.
And I am looking for answers about a silver puzzle coin.”
Jax raised an eyebrow.
He looked very surprised and very impressed.
“The Cipher Coin?
You are playing a very dangerous game, little girl.
The Gamemaster owns this club.
If his real guards find you here, they will break your pretty bones.”
“They can try,” Quinn said coldly.
Suddenly, a loud buzzer rang through the big room.
The loud music stopped completely.
“Hey!
We have an intruder!” a loud, angry voice yelled.
A giant man pushed through the crowd.
He was the manager of the fight club.
He had a thick black beard and wore shiny brass knuckles on both of his huge hands.
Two massive bouncers walked right behind him.
They looked very angry.
They saw the beaten guards near the red door, and they stared right at Quinn.
“Lock the doors!” the manager yelled angrily.
“Nobody breaks into my club and hurts my men!”
[System Alert: Boss Combat Started!]
[Enemies: Fight Club Manager (Level 6) & 2 Bouncers (Level 4)]
[Threat Value: High]
Jax sighed softly and put his hands in his dark hoodie pockets.
He took a step back and leaned against the metal cage.
“Well, this looks fun.
Let us see what you can do, Solo Queen.”
Quinn cracked her knuckles.
She needed fifty more EXP to level up.
This was the perfect chance.
The two giant bouncers ran toward her first.
The first bouncer threw a heavy, wild punch at her face.
Quinn used a quick shoulder roll recovery.
She rolled smoothly under his big arm and popped right back up on her feet.
“Boom!”
She planted her shoes firm on the dirty floor.
She twisted her hips and threw a massive uppercut.
“Bam!” Her fist hit the bouncer exactly under his chin.
A visible shockwave exploded from the hard hit.
The giant man felt a terrible force run through his bones.
He flew backward into the crowd and was knocked out cold.
The second bouncer swung a heavy kick at her legs.
Quinn jumped up high into the air.
While she was floating in the air, she performed a perfect Aerial twist kick.
Her heavy shoe hit the man right in the chest.
“Smack!” The man gasped for air and fell flat on his back.
Now, only the manager was left.
He was Level 6, and he looked very dangerous.
The shiny brass knuckles on his hands could break a brick wall.
“You are going to pay for that!” the manager roared.
He charged at her like an angry bear.
He threw a super fast punch.
Quinn leaned her head back just in time.
The heavy brass knuckles missed her nose by one inch.
But the sharp wind from the punch left a tiny, thin cut on her cheek.
A tiny drop of blood fell down her face.
Quinn’s eyes turned bright, glowing blue.
The bio-chip inside her body pumped warm energy into her muscles.
She felt incredibly fast.
“My turn,” Quinn said bravely.
The manager tried to punch her again.
But Quinn dropped low to the ground and did a fast spin sweep.
Her leg hit his thick ankles with a loud crack.
The manager lost his balance and stumbled forward.
Before he could stand up straight, Quinn ran two quick steps up the metal cage wall.
She did a perfect wall run and pushed off the hard wire.
She flipped upside down in the air and did a powerful backflip kick.
Her heel hit the manager right in the back of his neck.
“Crash!”
The giant manager hit the dirty floor face-first.
The ground trembled slightly.
He did not move again.
The whole fight club was completely silent.
Everyone stared at the teenage girl in total shock.
[System Alert: Boss Defeated!]
[EXP + 200]
[Total EXP: 650/500]
[Ding!
You leveled up!]
[Level 4 Reached.
All Stats increased by 2!]
[New Skill Unlocked: Iron Skin (Lv.
1) – Reduces physical damage by 10%.]
Quinn smiled brightly.
She felt the warm System energy heal her tired muscles.
But the tiny cut on her cheek was still there.
Jax walked slowly toward her.
He looked at the knocked-out manager, and then he looked at Quinn.
His cold eyes had a new look in them.
He respected her.
“You fight like a wild animal,” Jax whispered.
He reached out his hand and gently wiped the tiny drop of blood from her cheek.
His fingers felt very rough.
“You want a clue about the Cipher Coin?
Stop looking in the dirty streets.
The Cipher Killer is hiding inside your fancy high school.
Look at the chemistry teacher’s computer.”
Before Quinn could ask him any questions, Jax pulled his dark hood up.
He turned around and disappeared quickly into the scared crowd.
Quinn breathed deeply.
The Gamemaster and the Cipher Killer were connected to Harrington Academy.
She had to go back to school.
The next morning, the bright sun shined over the beautiful green grass of Harrington Academy.
Quinn walked down the clean marble hallway.
She felt great because her stats were higher, but she had a small white bandage on her cheek from last night’s fight.
She walked past the tall metal lockers.
Suddenly, a giant arm blocked her way.
It was Marcus Reed, the star basketball player.
He wore his expensive team jacket.
He smiled his big, handsome smile when he saw her.
But then, he noticed the white bandage on her pretty face.
Marcus stopped smiling instantly.
His dark eyes became very angry and very protective.
“Who did that to you?” Marcus asked in a deep, serious voice.
He gently touched the edge of her bandage.
“Tell me exactly who hurt you, Quinn.
I will find them right now and break their legs.”
Quinn pushed his big hand away.
She did not like boys trying to save her.
“I am perfectly fine, Marcus.
I just bumped into a door at home.”
“Doors do not hit like that,” Marcus said softly.
He stepped closer to her.
He was so tall that he blocked the light.
He looked down at her with deep care.
“You know you can trust me, right?
I am not just a dumb jock.
I want to keep you safe.”
“I told you before, I keep myself safe,” Quinn said firmly.
Suddenly, an idea popped into her smart head.
Jax said the clue was on the chemistry teacher’s computer.
The chemistry teacher’s office was locked, but the basketball team had special master keys to the gym and the science hallway.
She could use Marcus to get inside.
Quinn looked up at Marcus.
She changed her voice to sound a little bit sweeter.
“Actually, Marcus…
maybe you can help me with something else.
Just a small favor.”
Marcus smiled brightly.
He looked like a happy puppy.
He loved that she was finally asking him for help.
“Anything you want, Quinn.
Name it.”
“I left my important notebook inside Mr.
Harrison’s chemistry office,” Quinn lied perfectly.
“But the door is locked.
Do you have your master gym key?”
“Of course I do,” Marcus said proudly.
He pulled a shiny silver key from his pocket.
“Come on.
I will walk you there.”
They walked together down the quiet science hallway.
Students stared at them.
Marcus was the most popular boy in school, and he was walking with the new scholarship girl.
Noah Brooks stood by the water fountain.
He watched them walk by.
Noah narrowed his dark eyes.
He did not like seeing Quinn with Marcus at all.
He felt very jealous.
When they reached the chemistry office, Marcus unlocked the heavy wooden door.
“Here you go,” he said gently.
“Do you want me to come inside and help you find it?”
“No, thank you,” Quinn said quickly.
“I will only take one minute.
You go to class, Marcus.
I really appreciate it.”
Marcus smiled and winked at her.
“See you at basketball practice, Solo Queen.”
He walked away down the hall.
Quinn stepped into the quiet office and locked the door behind her.
The room was dark.
Mr.
Harrison was not there.
Quinn walked over to his large desk and sat down in front of his computer.
The screen asked for a password.
Quinn reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver Cipher Coin.
She placed it right next to the keyboard.
“System,” she whispered.
[Skill Activated: Eagle Eye (Lv.
1)]
Her eyes glowed bright blue.
She looked closely at the keyboard.
Because of her skill, she could clearly see which keys Mr.
Harrison pressed the most.
The keys had tiny smudges of finger oil on them.
She typed the letters carefully.
C-I-P-H-E-R.
The computer screen flashed green.
It unlocked.
Quinn gasped softly.
Mr.
Harrison, the boring science teacher, was connected to the serial killer.
She opened a secret folder on the desktop.
Inside were hundreds of pictures.
But they were not pictures of science projects.
They were pictures of her dead father, Detective Carter.
There was also a new picture.
It was a picture of Quinn, taken yesterday outside the diner.
Ding!
[System Alert: New Clue Discovered!]
[Quest Updated: The Gamemaster’s Secret]
[Warning: The Cipher Killer knows who you are.
The hunt has officially begun.]
Quinn felt a cold chill run down her arms.
The killer was watching her.
But she did not feel afraid.
She felt angry.
She closed her hand into a tight fist.
“You want to hunt me?” Quinn whispered to the empty room.
“Let us see who dies first.”
[Current Status]
Name: Quinn Carter
Level: 4
Class: Solo Fighter
HP: 160/160
EXP: 150/600
Strength: 16
Agility: 18
Perception: 14
Intelligence: 16
Skills: Basic MMA (Lv.
2), Eagle Eye (Lv.
1), Iron Skin (Lv.
1)
Active Quest: The Gamemaster’s Secret