18 First Contact

Over the past month, David and his crew had searched the entirety of Hell's Kitchen to look for clues, but didn't find even a shred of evidence. When they questioned the local shopkeepers, all they said was that they had heard sounds of fighting, but that was it.

On this day, David and his crew were sitting inside the Mulligan. It was past five o'clock on a Saturday, so the bar was open to the public. Usually, it was almost always reserved for the people working under Nico.

Alberto chugged a glass of bourbon and looked at David, who was pensively thinking about something. "David, give up already. If we didn't find anything in a month, chances are we won't find anything later as well."

A lanky blond youth named Emilio tried to cheer everyone up. "Guys, it's not like the past month has been completely fruitless, right?" The others nodded as Emilio continued, "Since Boss has always had a good reputation in Hell's Kitchen, all the shop owners have been very obedient when it's time to pay protection money."

"That's right," a brown-haired man named Sammy replied. "They're all scared of the boss. And not just that, I checked the books and I can say for sure that our revenue from bookmaking has been the highest this year."

Everyone at the table began talking about the increase in revenue from the different jobs that David had inherited from Nico. All the while, they continued sneaking glances at David, trying to cheer him up.

Alas, David still had the same deadpan expression on his face. They thought that the failure of the investigation had led to their boss turning downcast. Everyone felt that he was disappointed in their inability to succeed in the mission given by the capos.

But in truth, David had indeed found something while investigating, but he hadn't told anyone yet. And the reason why he was always stonefaced was because his entire childhood he was punished for having any expressions of emotion at all.

If he showed he was sad or lonely at school, he'd be beaten by bullies. And if he drew any attention to himself at home, he'd be beaten by his drunk father. Hence, his childhood experiences led him to have an expressionless face most of the time.

Well that, and because currently, he was busy looking at his system panel.

[Name: David Watson]

[Age: 17]

[Affinity: XXXX XXXX]

[Strength: 1.7]

[Agility: 1.9]

[Constitution: 1.7]

[All system functions are locked]

'If my speculations about the mortal peak are correct, then my agility is only a decimal point away from maxing out,' David thought to himself in glee as he willed the panel to disappear.

The next moment, he looked up at his team members and said, "Alright boys, I'm heading out. You guys have fun."

With that, he got up and prepared to leave. Roberto tapped his shoulder and asked in concern, "David, are you going to visit that alley again?"

David looked at him and smiled. "Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?"

Roberto couldn't help but sigh, "Just give it up already. So what if you failed a mission given by the capos? Your actions on the night the Buccantis invaded are already enough for others to never find fault with you."

Hearing the concern in Roberto's voice, David's heart warmed. He patted his shoulder and winked. "I'm not disheartened or anything, you know how I am. It's just…. Hah, I just need a few more days." He couldn't tell Roberto about his findings; if he did, his friend would surely think he was a madman.

Roberto raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine, you do you. Just don't overwork yourself."

David nodded with a smile. "I won't. Alright, catch ya later."

With that, he turned around and left. Seeing his departing back, Emilio asked Roberto, "Is the boss gonna be alright?"

Roberto took a swig of bourbon and laughed, "David's one tough son of a bitch. Not even bullets can hurt him, much less failures. Speaking of bullets, did I ever tell you guys about that night the Buccanti bastards invaded us?"

One of the younger associates, Jerry, instantly replied, "Of course, of course, we've heard this story a thousand—"

"Oh, I haven't? Then let me tell you," Roberto said with great passion. "My body was riddled with bullets and I was on the verge of bleeding to death. Right at that moment, David descended from the skies like the grim reaper and…."

He continued narrating the story of how David had slain a dozen men that night in the warehouse. All the other associates at the table had heard it numerous times—who hadn't? But they still couldn't keep Roberto from repeating it practically every time he opened his mouth.

...

David walked into the alley where the woman with red eyes had fought the two men. He agilely climbed the fire escape of a building and reached the roof. He could still see scorch marks in the vicinity.

With his heightened vision, he could also see some cracked areas on the roof and other scorched marks. He turned his head in the direction the fight seemed to have begun.

He saw a giant glass building that was a couple of blocks away and rubbed his chin as he muttered, "The people involved seemed to have come from the Javits Center, it seems."

He jumped off the roof and onto the fire escape platform on the building across the alley. With ease, he scaled down the whole building, jumping from one platform to another until he finally landed on the ground.

After looking around the alley, he continued, "The people fought all the way to here. And this was probably their final battleground."

He looked at a nearby building where an apartment on the first floor had been scorched by fire. That was the storehouse of the family. As he looked at the charred walls, he thought, 'No wonder all the capos are so alarmed.'

They were frightened not because the storehouse had burned down, but because they couldn't find the perpetrator. Over the past month, when David and his team had asked the nearby people and the shopkeepers about the fight, all of them said that they'd heard sounds of intense fighting.

David had told his boys to specifically ask the homeless who lived in the alleys. A few claimed to have seen the fight, but when they were asked about it, they said that it was no gunfight but people throwing fireballs and shooting bolts of lightning.

Naturally, David's men brushed that off as the ramblings of drug addicts who were probably high or drunk at the time. But not David, who believed them!

If there was something as mystical as the existence of his system, why couldn't there be people that threw fireballs and shot lightning? That was the reason he still hadn't given up on the investigation.

After all, if he were right, it could very well mean his first contact with the world of magic! When he thought about the prospect, he was thrilled. He began speculating that perhaps that was what his system was pushing him toward.

However, he still couldn't disclose any of it to the others in the family, otherwise they would view him as being no different from the homeless lunatics on the street.

After confirming the possibility of people with magic being involved, over the past couple of weeks David had been trying to narrow down the places where the trail might have stopped. And he already had a few in mind.

Just as he was planning to head to his next destination, an angry voice drifted into his ears. "David Watson, stop right there!"

David turned around and saw Phil Greyson step out of his black sedan and walk toward him. He had dark bags under his eyes and his hair was unkempt. His expression was fierce as he looked at David with hatred.

Suddenly, he took his pistol from his holster and aimed it at the youth. "Put your hands above your head."

David's eyes narrowed and he coldly muttered, "What's the meaning of this?"

Phil's eyes turned bloodshot as he screamed, "Bastard, what'd you do with Olivia!?"

[Countdown: 292 days…]