Chapter 26

[1st POV]

With these damn calls, I can't get a proper night's sleep. I figured that out early in my police career, but now it's even worse.

In the last four days, I've managed to get only three to four hours of sleep a night.

 We've had losses and fewer than we could have expected, but still losses.

I've managed to improve some skills, like "Melee Weapon Mastery," "Accuracy," and others.

I've leveled up half of my skills by one or even two levels, but that didn't make me feel any better.

Fatigue is the source of my troubles.

The worst part is that I can't really complain to the higher-ups.

Sure, I can voice my concerns and even get some honest assurances that they're sorry.

We have understanding people sitting in the police department.

Gordon personally responds to all the important calls, even though he's not technically obligated to.

We're short-staffed.

I have heard that two special units from New York are being transferred here for permanent assignment soon.

There will also be a new recruitment in the police, and we will be getting about a hundred "rookies."

After yet another call about a fight between a couple of drunk guys, Rick Arthur and I cuffed them, and I officially left behind the word "Rookie."

Rick's been temporarily assigned to us.

As patrols have been increased, there are now three officers in each vehicle, and in some cases, four.

I was actually glad about that because Rick is a reliable guy, and we communicate as often as I do with Arthur.

Speaking of Arthur and that mysterious conversation I had with him when he was driving me home, yesterday was his youngest daughter's birthday.

The two older ones were absent.

One was at the academy, and she'll be graduating soon and will work with us, following in her father's footsteps, and the middle one had gone to Metropolis, apparently to be a lawyer.

The youngest turned twelve.

I congratulated her, and then Arthur and I stepped aside to "have a smoke," even though neither of us actually smokes.

During our meaningless conversation about the weather and the latest news, he asked a rather strange question.

"What do you think of the city, Isaac?"

"It could be better."

I joked.

"Ha! Am I imagining things, or do you have more in common with Gordon than I thought? When he first started working in the police, he answered my question the same way."

"Maybe I'm one of his illegitimate sons?"

"I hope not. I can't handle two of you like that."

"We'll see."

"Alright, but if we're being serious..."

"Just tell me what you mean specifically, and I'll give you a specific answer."

"Can it be changed? I've lived here my whole life. I've served in the police for over twenty years. I've seen a lot of cases and people. Honestly, I don't know anymore and I just want to know a fresh perspective."

"Do you want to leave Gotham for good?"

[+1 Intuition]

"You're getting to the root of the matter.

He smirked, "You're not a dumb guy. With a good mind and intuition, I thought I'd consult with you while no one is listening. I don't want my family or any of my colleagues to know about this yet."

"I understand. Katherine left Gotham for good. I don't know where but I'm sure she made the right choice. I can't advise you or decide for you. But if you want my opinion—take care of your family."

"Thank you."

This morning, I learned that he plans to retire and move to Metropolis as soon as this mess with the gang war is over.

However, he couldn't convince his oldest daughter to transfer there and determinedly refused.

In the end, he decided to respect her choice and will stay here.

A couple of hours later, they said we could go home unless something urgent came up, and we wouldn't be called in for another twenty-four hours.

So I could finally catch up on some sleep.

I should ask Pamela for a couple of her potions to ensure I can shake off this fatigue and stay energized during my shift.

As I approached my apartment, where I was living alone, I heard the annoying voice of an old woman.

Pamela had gone to Central City to meet with her former colleagues and try to persuade them to collaborate with Wayne Industries.

"Try your luck with loyalty!"

She proclaimed loudly down the street.

I turned my head and saw a small table in front of her with lottery tickets.

The old woman was poorly dressed, and it was likely her only source of income.

I decided to buy a ticket to support her. I don't consider myself a benefactor, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to get one.

Who knows, maybe I'd get lucky today?

And... I did...

As soon as I got home, I turned on the TV when the city channel announced the winning lottery numbers and matched it with mine.

Luckily, I won a hundred grand today...

After that, I even received a notification that my luck had increased by one point and that I had gained some experience.

Then came another notification:

[+1 Level Up]

[You have crossed the threshold of ten levels. With every tenth level you achieve, all of your skills will increase by one level, and you will receive an additional ten free points.]

Name: Isaac Dinklage

Health: 517

Level: 20

Experience: 100/23,000

Titles: Hot Fuzz, Newcomer (Ordinary), Good Guy, Philosopher, Chakra User.

Attributes:

Strength: 63

Agility: 29

Stamina: 57

Intelligence: 41

Intuition: 45

Luck: 30

AP: 105

Features: Orphan, Lone Wolf, Sociopath, Casanova, Blessing of Aphrodite

Skills:

Stealth - Level 5

Darts Mastery - Level 9

Shooting - Level 11

Hand-to-Hand Combat - Level 21

Regeneration - Level 8

Berserker Mode - Level 3

Cooking - Level 16

Guitar - Level 16

Problem Solving - Level 19

Persuasion - Level 9

Casanova - Level 20

Chuck Norris Kick - Level 12

Melee Weapon Mastery - Level 11

Troll - Level 8

Accuracy — Level 7

Cheater - Level 14

Talk No Jutsu - Level 18

Carpenter - Level 9

Polyglot - Level 4

7% Mental Resilience

7% Mental Resistance

17% Alcohol Resistance

10% chance that the Joker won't want to kill you.

6% chance of encountering a "celebrity." in Gotham

8% chance of surviving in any conditions.

[You have shown courage, dedication, and resourcefulness in a challenging situation and have decided to give you the chance to gain a unique power.]

[You will be able to unlock the ability to manipulate chakra.]

[You have met all the necessary criteria and characteristics. Your stats even exceed the required number to gain the status: "Chakra User."]

…

[Data Unpacking… 43%]

…

[Data Unpacking… 97%]

[Data Complete]

Next, I witnessed a miracle.

The information I gleaned was both exhilarating and slightly disappointing.

Why was it disappointing?

It's because I had hoped to acquire the wondrous eyes of Madara Uchiha. However, that won't happen for the simple reason that I have no genome.

My children, for instance, could theoretically inherit the genome. Our children with Pamela might receive Wood Release, but I won't.

However, the perks I can gain from chakra are still quite enticing.

There are no restrictions for me regarding elements or development directions:

[The Power of Youth.

The Path of the Medical-nin.

Master of Kenjutsu.

Sage Mode.

See the full list of 2,938,388 options]

Next, I saw my affinity with the elements:

[Fire - 20%

Water - 50%

Lightning - 6%

Wind - 6%

Earth - 50%

Light - 10%

Darkness - 5%

Life - 10%

Death - 2%]

As for elements like lava, crystals, or other combinations resulting from one or two of the previously listed elements, I need to have an affinity of over 100% for that.

In theory, this is possible, so I wasn't discouraged.

Additionally, I also gained new stats:

Chakra Reserve: 93

Chakra Control: 10

I decided to add another five free points to my control, bringing it up to fifteen.

There's also a way to acquire techniques because each shinobi path comes with a data package.

As I grow and my skills develop, individual parts of this package are unpacked, granting techniques.

There's also a second method, like purchasing techniques with points.

For example, if I want to learn the Great Fireball technique, I'll need to spend fifteen free points.

Additionally, the system will provide extra tasks related to the speed of learning or success in training that can give either techniques or attribute points.

I read thoroughly and thoughtfully and realized that life is indeed beautiful.

Soon, many things would change.

At that moment, I had no idea just how right I was.

To be continued...