The First Mission

Dante found himself face to face with the thugs he had tried to avoid. His heart raced, and fear mixed with the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The thugs approached slowly, cruel smiles on their faces.

"There he is! Get him!" one of them shouted, pointing with a sadistic grin.

Suddenly, Dante felt a strange vibration in his arm. The bioluminescent mark began to glow more intensely, and a hologram appeared in front of him. The words floated in the air, clear and sharp:

[Activation Mission: Eliminate your pursuers 0/2]

[Reward: System Activation]

[Punishment: Death of the bearer]

[Time remaining: 15 minutes]

Dante froze for a moment, unable to comprehend what was happening. Pain and confusion overwhelmed him, but the message was clear. The hologram showed the countdown, already starting to tick away.

"What... what is this?" he murmured, but there was no time for questions. The thugs were too close, and he had to act fast.

Using the little energy he had left, Dante spun on his heels and started running. The thugs chased after him, but this time he felt something different inside, an urgency that pushed him forward. He slipped through the alleys, using the shadows and the noise of the rain as cover. But escaping wasn't enough; he had to complete the mission. Something inside him told him he would truly die if he didn't, remembering how the substance had entered his body.

[Eliminate your pursuers 0/2]

The message flashed before his eyes, urging him to act. He found a dark corner and hid, trying to control his breathing as he listened to the thugs approaching. The two men stopped and started talking.

"Damn it, we lost him!" one of them said, frustrated.

"He can't have gone far," the other replied with a mocking smile. "He's just a scared kid. You go that way, I'll check over here. He can't hide forever."

Dante watched from the shadows as the thugs split up, clearly underestimating him. The bioluminescent mark didn't seem to affect his body in any way, but the countdown kept advancing. He had to act fast.

Dante looked at the hologram showing the remaining time: [12:30]. Urgency coursed through him, and he knew he couldn't waste another second. He grabbed a rusty piece of metal from the ground, his only improvised weapon. He waited until the thug was close enough. With a quick, nervous move, he jumped out of the shadows and attacked. He ran towards the thug, wielding the piece of metal with both hands, and stabbed him in the neck. Blood spurted, and the thug fell to the ground, choking on his own blood.

[Eliminate your pursuers 1/2]

The message updated, and Dante felt a mix of horror and relief. He had never killed anyone before, and his hands trembled with adrenaline and fear.

The other thug, hearing the noise, turned and started looking for his companion. "Where are you, damn it?" he shouted, his voice full of frustration.

Dante, still nervous and with the clock ticking against him, moved silently behind the debris, approaching the second thug. He knew he had to act quickly and decisively. The countdown kept decreasing, and he couldn't afford to fail. The hologram showed [08:45], and Dante's heart pounded harder as he watched the time pass.

When he was close enough, the thug still hadn't seen him. Dante lunged forward desperately, trying to replicate his earlier success. The thug turned at the last moment, dodging the blow, and struck Dante in the side, making him stagger. In the struggle, the thug knocked him down and started hitting him repeatedly, with a contained fury that spilled over in each blow.

"Did you think you could escape so easily?" the thug mocked as his fist slammed into Dante's face over and over. Each punch was like an explosion of pain, making Dante's vision blur.

"You're nothing but a worthless brat!" the thug yelled, his voice full of contempt. Dante tried to protect himself with his hands, but the blows were relentless. He tasted the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth and felt the sharp pain in his ribs.

Five minutes passed like this, with Dante enduring the blows, each second feeling longer than the last. He looked at the hologram, which now showed [03:00]. Desperation filled him; time was running out, and he saw no way out.

The thug, tired of hitting him, started dragging Dante across the ground, trying to take him away. "Come on kid, someone wants to see you" he said with a cruel smile.

Dante, struggling to stay conscious, knew he didn't have much time. He looked at the hologram, which now showed [01:00]. With the little strength he had left, he tried to fight back. He grappled with the thug in a last attempt to at least escape. Grabbing onto the thug's leg, he caused him to lose balance and fall toward an exposed electrical panel. Sparks of electricity quickly spread through the thug's body, making him convulse violently while screaming in pain.

Dante, surprised by his luck, didn't waste any time. He took advantage of the thug's vulnerability, who was still writhing on the ground. Without a second thought, he stood up, and despite the pain in his body, grabbed the rusty piece of metal he had used before. He plunged it into the thug's chest with all the strength he had left. The thug's screams were silenced instantly, and his body went still.

[Eliminate your pursuers 2/2]

The message on the hologram disappeared just as the countdown hit [00:26]. Dante stood, panting, over the bodies of the thugs. The horror of what he had done mixed with a strange sense of relief. Whatever had guided him had fulfilled its mission, and he had survived.

As the rain continued to fall, a new message appeared on the hologram:

[Mission completed]

Dante realized that his life would never be the same. He still didn't understand what this power or device was, but he knew something very real had happened. He felt overwhelmed and surprised by the luck he had had to survive.