Ethan didn't wait for the thugs to decide on their formation. He moved first, a blur of motion fueled by his boxing skill.

He feinted left, drawing the brute with the steel pipe, then dropped low under the swinging pipe and lunged at the man with the switchblade. The thug barely registered the attack before Ethan's fist, precise and brutal, connected with his jaw. The knife clattered harmlessly against the concrete as the man collapsed.

The remaining two roared and charged, swinging their pipes in wide, clumsy arcs. Ethan danced between them, a torrent of practiced punches. A blow to the temple dropped the bulky man; a swift kick to the knee followed by a vicious uppercut finished the third.

All three lay groaning on the ground. The quick exchange was over.

However, the man with the switchblade, now stunned and bleeding from his jaw, wasn't finished. He fumbled in his jacket, pulling out a rusty, old pistol.

"Get on the ground, you piece of shit!" the thug screamed, his voice high-pitched with desperation. "Now! Or I swear I'll blow your brains out!"

Ethan paused, a cruel smile on his face, but his mind raced. Ethan thought: "System, be honest, you son of a bitch. Can 'Harder Than Steel' really stop bullets? Don't you dare lie to me now!"

[Hahaha! Did you really think I was joking, Champion? You're so serious! Yes, I never lie. The name of the skill is literal. Harder Than Steel.] the System mocked him mercilessly.

Ethan sighed with deep, shaky relief, instantly transforming his fear into arrogant contempt. "See, gentlemen? You brought a gun to a knife fight, but you're still losing to an unarmed man. You are pathetic."

The thug roared, screaming insults and threats, ordering Ethan to the ground. Ethan merely laughed, casually walking over and delivering sharp kicks to the ribs of the other two still-groaning thugs.

The killer, seeing his friends being beaten again despite his gun, panicked. He lifted the weapon and fired.

BANG!

The bullet struck Ethan squarely in the stomach.

Ethan froze. His mind went utterly silent, overwhelmed by a flash of scorching, indescribable agony. He stood straight, but the pain was immense, worse than anything he had ever felt. Ethan thought: "YOU FUCKING LIAR! YOU GODDAMN SYSTEM, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

[HAH! I told you! The skill says Harder Than Steel, and I told you you needed to train it! I wasn't kidding when I said jump in front of a car! The more pain you feel, the more damage you receive, the more the skill will increase until you feel nothing. Right now, you are hard, but your flesh still feels, hahaha!]

The killer, seeing Ethan standing but paralyzed, panicked further and squeezed the trigger again. BAM! BAM! BAM! Four more shots struck Ethan—chest, shoulder, arm, and thigh.

Ethan didn't fall. He didn't even bleed, but he couldn't move; he was biting down so hard on his teeth from the immense, shocking pain.

Ethan thought: "SON OF A BITCH! STOP SHOOTING, DAMN IT!" he cursed the System repeatedly in his mind, the pain so intense that not a single word could escape his lips.

The killer, now in full, hysterical panic, emptied the rest of the magazine into Ethan. Ethan took the entire clip, remaining standing, staring at the thug with bloodshot, bulging eyes.

The killer saw the impossibility of the situation—nothing he did could make this monster fall. He knew he was utterly screwed and turned to run.

Ethan finally moved. The sheer rage and survival instinct broke through the pain threshold. He launched himself forward, appearing behind the fleeing thug in a terrifying blur.

Ethan's fist slammed into the man's back. The blow sounded like an aluminum bat hitting a baseball—a metallic CLANG—and the bones in the killer's spine instantly shattered. He fell, rolling limply onto the ground.

The two remaining thugs, watching their leader instantly pulverized by a single punch, soiled themselves literally, their screams dying in their throats.

Ethan looked at them with disgust, but then his attention snapped to his hands. They seemed to shimmer, glowing faintly, as if they were made of polished, seamless metal.

"System, what the hell is happening?" Ethan demanded, his voice hoarse.

[It's very convenient! Your body is always metal, Champion. But unless you desire it or receive damage, it maintains its natural form. That immense pain just activated it for full effect! You don't get to feel that much pain and not get a reward!]

Ethan grinned, a slow, terrifying smile. He walked toward the whimpering thugs, his fists now Harder Than Steel. He smashed the bones of both men, leaving them completely broken and barely conscious.

He sighed, done with the violence. He grabbed the spent pistol from the ground, wrapping it in a piece of one of the thug's shirts. Ethan thought: "I can't leave them alive..." He tossed the wrapped gun into the System's recycling space.

[9mm Gun received +2.5 Lux points reward]

Ethan sighed and spoke to the System. "Give me one of those untraceable guns you mentioned."

[9mm Pistol obtained -25 Lux points deducted]

An identical black pistol, heavy and solid, materialized instantly in his hand. He felt the cold steel, looked at the three men begging for their lives, and took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't be weak now. If it weren't for his ability, he would have twelve bullets in his body.

With a final, terrible sigh, he discharged the pistol, ending the lives of the three men.

A devastating sensation hit him—his body suddenly felt heavier, as if he had lost a fundamental part of his soul.

The System cackled:

[Congratulations! You have obtained the following reward.] [Kill a Human +100 Lux Points] [Kill a Human +100 Lux Points] [Kill a Human +100 Lux Points]

Each notification pierced his mind like a physical spike; his body suffered a violent, somatic reaction. He ran to a trash bin in the alley and vomited uncontrollably, unable to shake the image of the three dead faces from his mind.

[Assassination is never easy, Champion, but at least you earned 300 points!] the System said, unperturbed.

Ethan controlled his breathing and looked at the corpses. He needed to get rid of them. There was too much evidence, even his vomit could incriminate him. He stared at the bodies. "Do you accept corpses?" he asked the System.

[I can accept any living being into the space, even un-lived ones, hahaha!] the System replied.

Without hesitation, Ethan shoved the three bodies into the System space.

[Human Body received +20 Lux points] [Human Body received +20 Lux points] [Human Body received +20 Lux points]

Ethan sighed, the wave of relief washing over him. He staggered back toward his car, limping slightly as the adrenaline receded and the immense pain from the bullet wounds reasserted itself.

He opened the door of his BMW. His old boss, Ray, immediately rushed out of the shop, his face pale as death. "Ethan! Is everything alright? Should I call the police?"

Ethan looked at him, his eyes still red and carrying a hint of the murderous intent he had just unleashed. "You were never here, Ray. They never came. You saw nothing."

The old man flinched, nodding savagely, fear overriding any impulse for help. His last words, though he tried to sound normal, were a trembling whisper. "I'll bring the computer today. Don't worry. Please, take care, Ethan."

Despite his efforts to sound natural, Ray's body looked on the verge of collapse.

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