Morning came way too fast.
Her cheap alarm clock buzzed like an angry wasp.
Quinn slammed her hand on it.
She dragged herself out of bed.
Her muscles ached just a little bit from the docks.
The System’s Healing Factor was good but it didn’t cure being tired.
She put on her white uniform shirt and dark plaid skirt.
She threw her dad’s oversized leather jacket on top.
The leather felt like armor.
She needed armor today.
Jax had warned her.
The Gamemaster was sending his best assassin directly to her school.
The bus ride was a blur.
The city looked gray and wet from last night’s rain.
Quinn walked through the giant front doors of Harrington Academy.
Her eyes darted everywhere.
Every janitor looked suspicious.
Every teacher holding a coffee cup looked like a killer in disguise.
The rich students just laughed and checked their expensive phones.
They had no idea a monster was coming.
She walked to her locker and spun the metal dial.
Someone leaned against the locker right next to hers.
Noah Brooks.
He wore a dark blue blazer today.
Perfect hair.
He smelled like strong mint and expensive secrets.
He held up a shiny black cell phone.
It was identical to the one he gave her yesterday.
“You went to the South Docks last night,” Noah said quietly.
His dark eyes locked onto her face.
Quinn froze.
She slammed her locker shut.
“Are you stalking me now?”
“I put a tiny GPS tracker inside the phone I gave you,” Noah smirked.
He didn’t even look sorry.
He looked proud.
“I told you I have resources.
The police found five unconscious men tied up at those docks this morning.
Men who work for very bad people.
You are playing a terrifying game Quinn.”
Quinn grabbed him by the lapels of his expensive blazer.
She pulled him close.
Noah didn’t fight back.
He actually smiled a toxic little smile.
“Stay out of my phone and stay out of my life,” Quinn whispered fiercely.
“I am not one of your little chess pieces.”
“Hey.
Back off.”
A huge hand grabbed Noah’s shoulder and shoved him away.
Marcus Reed stepped between them.
The giant basketball star glared down at Noah.
Marcus puffed out his massive chest.
He looked ready to break Noah in half.
“Leave her alone Brooks,” Marcus growled.
Noah just brushed the dust off his blazer.
He laughed a dark rich laugh.
“Relax Marcus.
We were just talking about geography.
See you in class Solo Queen.”
Noah winked at Quinn and walked away down the hall.
Marcus turned to Quinn.
His tough face softened instantly.
“Did he hurt you?
I swear I will throw him out a window if he bothers you.”
“I can throw him out the window myself Marcus.” Quinn adjusted her heavy backpack.
“I’m fine.
I need to get to gym class.”
Marcus smiled his bright puppy-dog smile.
“Cool.
We have gym together.
Coach is making us play dodgeball today.”
The school gym was huge.
The wooden floor shined perfectly under the bright lights.
The students sat on the metal bleachers in their gym clothes.
Quinn wore her dark shorts and black sneakers.
She kept her eyes moving.
Searching the room.
Coach Miller was not there.
Instead a new man stood in the middle of the basketball court.
He was incredibly tall.
He wore a gray tracksuit.
His head was completely bald.
His arms were thick like concrete pillars.
He held a clipboard in his massive hands.
“Listen up,” the bald man barked.
His voice was cold and flat.
“Coach Miller is sick today.
I am Mr.
Stone.
We are doing dodgeball.
But we need the balls from the deep storage room.”
Stone pointed a thick finger right at Quinn.
“You.
Carter.
Go to the back storage room and bring out the red bags.”
Quinn stared at him.
The hair on her arms stood up. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Her instincts screamed at her.
This wasn’t a teacher.
She didn’t show any fear.
She just nodded and walked across the shiny wooden floor.
She walked down a short concrete hallway at the back of the gym.
She opened the heavy metal door to the deep storage room.
It was dark inside.
It smelled like old rubber and floor wax.
Huge piles of gym mats and basketball racks filled the space.
She stepped inside.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
Mr.
Stone walked into the room.
He closed the heavy metal door.
A loud click echoed in the dark.
He locked it from the inside.
“System,” Quinn whispered instantly.
`[Skill Activated: Eagle Eye (Lv.
1)]`
Her eyes glowed a faint blue.
The dark room lit up perfectly.
Mr.
Stone threw his clipboard onto the floor.
He reached into his tracksuit pockets.
He pulled out two heavy steel knuckle dusters and slid them onto his huge fists.
“The Gamemaster says hello,” Stone whispered.
`[System Alert: Boss Combat Started!]
[Enemy: Elite Assassin Stone (Level 9)]
[Threat Value: Extreme]`
Level 9.
He was the strongest enemy she had ever faced.
Stone didn’t waste time.
He moved with terrifying speed for a giant man.
He lunged forward and threw a massive steel punch right at her face.
Quinn dropped low.
She used a fast shoulder roll recovery to slide across the dusty floor.
The steel knuckles smashed into the concrete wall behind her.
Brick dust exploded into the air.
If that hit her head she would be dead.
Quinn popped up.
She planted her feet and twisted her hips.
“Boom.” She threw a heavy uppercut into his ribs.
Her fist hit him hard.
But it felt like punching a solid brick wall.
Stone didn’t even flinch.
He grabbed her arm with his free hand.
He yanked her forward and slammed his heavy knee into her stomach.
Quinn gasped.
Pain shot through her body.
The air left her lungs completely.
`[HP: 180/220]`
“You are just a stupid kid,” Stone sneered.
He raised his steel fist to smash her skull.
Quinn gritted her teeth.
She activated her Iron Skin skill.
Her skin hardened instantly.
She raised her left arm to block.
The steel knuckles crashed into her forearm.
The impact sent a painful shockwave down to her fingertips.
Her Iron Skin absorbed most of the damage but it still hurt badly.
She used the momentum to spin out of his grip.
She jumped backward onto a pile of blue gym mats.
“Is that all you got?” Quinn breathed heavily.
She cracked her knuckles.
Stone roared and charged at the mats.
Quinn ran right at him.
She jumped up and planted her left sneaker directly on his massive chest.
She used his body as a ramp.
She ran two steps up his torso and launched herself into a high backflip.
While floating upside down she swung her leg in a brutal arc.
An aerial twist kick.
Her heel slammed directly into the back of his bald head.
“Smack.”
Stone stumbled forward.
He crashed into a metal basketball rack.
Baseballs and basketballs scattered everywhere across the floor.
He groaned and touched the back of his head.
He looked very angry now.
“I am going to break your legs,” Stone growled.
He rushed her again.
He threw a wild flurry of punches.
Left.
Right.
Left.
The steel knuckles sliced the air.
Quinn dodged backward.
She weaved left and right.
Her Level 6 Agility was the only thing keeping her alive.
She needed to end this right now.
She needed her new skill.
Stone threw a massive right hook.
Quinn ducked cleanly under the steel fist.
She stepped forward and planted her lead foot firmly on the concrete.
She focused all the System energy into her right arm.
The air around her fist began to vibrate.
It hummed with a strange high-pitched sound.
She twisted her entire body.
She threw a devastating hook punch directly into Stone’s jaw.
1)]`
“BAM.”
The punch landed.
A massive visible shockwave exploded from her fist.
The sound was deafening.
It sounded like a bomb going off inside the tiny closet.
The glass windows on the storage room doors shattered instantly.
Stone’s eyes rolled back into his head.
The sonic blast rattled his brain inside his skull.
He froze completely stunned by the two-second system effect.
Quinn didn’t stop.
She jumped into the air.
She spun her body like a hurricane and delivered a perfect tornado kick right to his temple.
The giant assassin collapsed.
He hit the concrete floor like a felled tree.
The ground actually shook.
He didn’t move.
Quinn landed softly on her feet.
She was breathing hard.
Sweat dripped down her face.
Her forearm throbbed where the steel knuckles hit her.
`[System Alert: Boss Defeated!]
[EXP + 600]
[Total EXP: 1100/1000]
[Ding!
You leveled up!]
[Level 7 Reached.
All Stats increased by 3!]
[Remaining EXP: 100/1200]
[Current HP: 235/235]
Warm golden light washed over her.
The pain in her stomach and arm vanished.
Her breathing slowed down.
Level 7 felt like raw power.
She walked over to the giant unconscious man.
She checked his tracksuit pockets.
She pulled out a small black phone.
The screen was cracked but it still worked.
There was exactly one text message on the screen.
The Gamemaster: Bring the girl’s body to Cranston Manor tonight.
Do not fail.
Quinn stared at the screen.
Cranston Manor.
That was Elijah’s house.
His family really was at the very center of everything.
Suddenly the heavy metal door was kicked open.
Marcus Reed rushed into the dark room.
He looked totally panicked.
He saw the shattered glass on the floor.
He saw the giant bald man lying unconscious at Quinn’s feet.
“Quinn.” Marcus ran over to her.
He grabbed her shoulders and looked her up and down.
“We heard a huge explosion.
I broke the door handle to get in.
What happened here?
Who is this guy?”
Quinn slipped the black phone into her pocket.
She looked up at Marcus.
His dark eyes were full of pure terror.
He really cared about her.
But she couldn’t drag him into this war.
“He slipped and hit his head on the rack,” Quinn lied smoothly.
Her voice was cold and calm.
“The basketballs fell on the glass.”
Marcus looked at the giant man.
He looked at the shattered glass.
He obviously didn’t believe a single word she said.
“You are lying to me Quinn,” Marcus said softly.
“You are in deep trouble.
Let me help you.”
Quinn pulled away from his hands.
She walked past him toward the gym.
“I don’t need help Marcus.
I play solo.”
She walked out into the bright lights of the gym.
She had a new destination tonight.
She was going to break into a billionaire’s mansion.
She was going to find out exactly what Elijah’s father was hiding.
[Current Status]
Name: Quinn Carter
Level: 7
Class: Solo Fighter
HP: 235/235
EXP: 100/1200
Strength: 24
Agility: 26
Perception: 22
Intelligence: 24
Skills: Basic MMA (Lv.
2), Eagle Eye (Lv.
1), Iron Skin (Lv.
2), Healing Factor (Lv.
1), Sonic Strike (Lv.
1)
Active Quest: The Gamemaster’s Secret