[That was the most cringe line I have ever heard.]

A bitter, pained laugh escaped me, tasting of blood and dust. It hurt my ribs, but I couldn't stop.

Cringe?

Please spare me the ignorance.

I leaned against a chunk of broken wall, my body one giant, throbbing ache.

That cringe line belongs to heroes, right? All their speeches about hope and justice and never giving up.

They get to have their moments. They get the swelling music.

And whatever belongs to villains? Sneers and monologues about power.

But guess who ends up being defeated? The one who stops to enjoy the sound of their own voice. The one who thinks style is more important than survival.

[...]

So what's next?

I pushed off the wall, my legs feeling like over-cooked noodles.

I needed a goal. A direction. Something to focus on besides the symphony of pain my body was playing.

[You actually survived this]

The words appeared, but they felt flat. More an observation than a celebration.

Surprised?

I asked inwardly, a thread of smugness weaving through the agony.

After all that talk of little to no probability of making it alive and dead man walking.

[No, I am not. It just happened just as I planned it to.]

I stumbled, my grip on the katana's hilt slipping. I almost dropped my katana.

The world, which had already been knocked off its axis, did a complete somersault.

Planned?

[Can't you leave little details alone?]

No.

My mind was reeling, connecting dots I didn't even know were there.

The system not telling me anything except the location were the technique is. The system allowing me to come here without warning me that I would get caught. The system's constant, nagging pessimism that had only made me more determined.

Now answer.

[Yes, I planned everything, and I knew it would happen, so what?]

The admission was bold, unapologetic.

A cold fury, sharper than any physical pain, lanced through me.

And you didn't tell me.

[If I had told you, would you have agreed to receive the man's blow just for the plan? Would you have willingly let him break half the bones in your body on a calculated risk?]

I gritted my teeth.

Frankly, the answer was simply no. I wouldn't have. I would've either tried to think of something else other than following the plan.

Or i would've just given up and face whatever punishment I was going to face, at least it was better than gambling with my life.

The system knew me. It knew I wouldn't trust a plan that involved me being at a huge disadvantage.

But it knew, somehow, that I could take the disadvantage and that it would create an opportunity.

The anger was still there, hot and bright, but it was now mixed with a grudging, terrifying respect.

So... now, if you really did plan all of this that happened… You must have a solution, right? A way forward. A payoff for this insane gamble.

[Yes.]

The single, stark letter was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. What's it.

[*Sigh* well it's quite simple. It would help you.]

The system was dragging it out, enjoying this.

Can you just talk fast?

I snapped, my patience, unlike my ribs, completely shattered.

[... Collect the ability core.]

The words hung in the air. My heart instantly skipped a beat, the sudden lurch sending a fresh wave of nausea through me.

Collect the ability core? Are you crazy? I can't really do that again.

[...]

You know that whoever just invaded this building is after this right? That's the whole point of this attack. They're not here for the décor.

[Yes, and that's why you have to collect it first.]

The system's logic was maddening. Steal the prize from the thieves while the guards and the thieves are busy fighting each other.

It was a suicide mission on top of a suicide mission.

But what if the person now switches target to me?

I'd be a glowing beacon of stolen power, and every single person in this building, guard and invader alike, would turn their weapons on me. I'd be the new main event.

[You would find a way to deal with that by then. For now, steal it.]

Stealing an ability core was the kind of audacious, suicidal plan that belonged in a comic book, not reality.

My mind raced, trying to find the flaw, the escape hatch, the logical reason why this was a terrible idea.

Why? If getting only stronger is my reason to steal it, I don't think I would need it.

Strength was a means to an end, not the end itself.

What good was ultimate power if you got killed for it?

My philosophy had always been clearer, simpler. It's better to be alive than dead before you can even use the ability.

A living villain can fail, learn, and try again. A dead one is just a story, and stories get forgotten.

If I am alive I can get other things, loot other vaults, find other paths to power.

But if I am dead, I am useless. A corpse can't be great at anything.

[It's not only for getting stronger]

What do you mean?

[Collecting the ability core at your current situation will make you to level up and will catalyze your body's natural healing. It will mend all your broken bones and repair your internal damage. It will make you stronger at the same time. It is the solution to your immediate problem and a long-term investment.]

I just stared into the middle distance, my mind working.

It was a compelling argument. A two-for-one deal: a miracle cure and a power-up.

But it still felt like using a star to light a cigarette. The risk was astronomical.

My thoughts turned to the simpler, safer alternative.

I can argue with you again on that, I have quite some money now, and I can buy a potion from Blue Ice now.

A high-grade healing potion would hurt my current wallet, and it wouldn't also potentially attract the powerful being that is right outside.

[You are wrong. Check your phone. It's already dead.]

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