I collapsed onto bed in my little container. It hadn't even been a hard day, just tiring. Ishimaru had been as… entertaining… as always when I passed back the tools and my findings. He shared the same sentiment; it was a frame.

I dunno much more than that, nor did I want to be involved further. I could smell a storm coming a mile away, and I didn't want to be any closer than I had to. Unless they paid me more I guess… Money, the ultimate compromiser.

Well, now that I was back home, I could take a look at the interface again. I realized on my way back to the Ryu Container Yard that I'd been pretty dismissive of the whole thing.

Maybe it was a defense against the unknown? Maybe it was because of how absurd the whole thing was? Regardless, I couldn't exactly deny its existence anymore. Quick Healing had fixed my wrist in a single night. Insight had helped immensely during this latest job.

Only Fox's Grace seemed to lag behind a bit, but maybe it just hadn't had time to shine quite yet? Chek chek. Definitely not going to call it useless again… that was a dangerous thought according to the actually useful Insight.

Okay, so I established it was real, and did work as advertised. The ad may've been lost in the wind, but nothing I could do about it now. So what now? How should I move forward knowing I could gain abilities just as easily as putting in a point.

It was a very clear path to power. A rather easy one at that assuming I got the hang of acquiring these points. It was far cheaper than magical enchantments, cybernetics, or biotech. Way more accessible too. I didn't need a full lab of dedicated doctors and mechanics.

If I game it right, heh, this could potentially be my path to accomplish whatever I wanted. Which was… I dunno? I'd always been more focused on surviving than anything else. What did I even want in the first place?

…

..

.

Nothing came to mind. This was a bit concerning. What had my parents wanted? Surely that's a good place to get inspiration… Maybe have a family? But… Did I really want one? Did I want to find a spouse, only for this cursed world to rip them away when I least expected it? Or worse, have a kid only to watch them deal with this tainted world? Besides, I was still far too young for all of that.

Maybe a long-term goal could wait until I more naturally found one. How about the short term then? That should be much easier. Something easy to accomplish if I was just given the chance.

Hmm… I- I want a shower of my own… How embarrassing. What a weak goal to have. It was a start though! Not like I wanted to take over the world or break the corporations or anything like that.

So, I needed money. And the best way to get money, other than selling my soul to a corporation, was to become a merc. One with ties to a good fixer. That might be a bit troubling though.

I already had an in with a fixer in the vein of Ishimaru. Maybe I should try to find a non-gang-affiliated one? What about that Athena lady? I could have an in with her through Nael if I really needed to. I knew next to nothing about her though…

Besides, my skills were sorely lacking compared to standard. So now it boiled down to git gud… I could do that. Probably. I mean, now that I had the interface? I should be able to get get just a bit quicker.

First things first though; I really needed to check out that Perk Point for Stealth. Oh, and show my other skills off to this weird interface thingy! That'd get me other Skills, right? Wasn't a bad idea.

I'd like to spend my Perk Point- what did I even call this thing? Maybe I should just keep calling it interface. Or maybe System would work better? Or Great Leader? Maou-sama? Something?

Whatever, a name would probably come to me naturally later. I'd like to spend my Perk Point!

「Spend a Perk Point?

Warning! Only use Perk Points. in a safe, well ventilated environment!」

Yes! This place was probably as best I could get to safe and well-ventilated anyway. Oh- what's happening? My vision blacked out and I felt my entire body collapse.

…

Where am I? It's so dark here. I waved my hand in front of my face, barely catching its movement. What happened?

Damn! Did that thing fry my brain?! I died, didn't I!? Stupid Shiro using something you have no understanding of! Now you went and got yourself killed! Just like that- wait, something's changing.

The darkness receded slightly. I found myself standing in front of an aged bookcase. At the top, in big bold letters, read "Stealth". The bookcase was filled with books of all shapes and sizes. Different names spread across each of the titles, and over half of them were grayed out. I shot the thing with a speculative glance.

Do I just… pick a book? Was that how this worked? Insight tingled gently in response. That might be right. Oh, what would I do without you holding my hand, my dear Insight?

In all seriousness though, why books? This was the 21st century! Books were dead and gone. Who even reads anymore? I'm sure only deeply intelligent and charming people… but still. Nael's clinic was the only place I'd even seen a book.

The space suddenly faded away and a glitched screen effect blinded me. Before I could even follow what was happening, I stood in a massive server bank. Hard drives with labels across their spines stuck out toward me. In the distance, electricity cracked and hummed.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

It was a slight improvement, I guess. So… could it change to anything? Something that might fit me a bit better? Oh! Change again! Something that perfectly fits me!

The space distorted once more into an ancient looking cave. Water dripped somewhere in the distance and pure darkness encapsulated everything. Everywhere except where I stood, that is. "Stealth" was engraved into the cave wall with fire, and below it were tiny orbs, each with a different name.

Why was it so dingy? Shouldn't it be something nova? Like a throne room or something, not- not this. I wasn't a gremlin, damnit! Change again! Something better! Maybe a bit more relaxing, even?

My entire surroundings combusted into flame and I found myself in darkness once more. A second passed and soft light surrounded me, illuminating my surroundings.

I stood in an ancient looking pavilion. Paper walls caged me, and a shelf holding even older-looking pieces of jade was the only thing in the room. A flickering fire sat in mid-air, burning above the bookshelf. Was this still the Stealth shelf?

A window off to the side gave me a nova view of the moon. A lone sakura tree basked in the silver light, dropping its petals into the wind. A small courtyard, similar to the one at the Dragoon Saloon, sat just outside the window.

It was so very peaceful here. Way more peaceful than the bookshelf standing in the middle of darkness and the dark dingy cave. Even the scent here was refreshing. It was as if I were breathing in the cleanest air like some kind of corpo exec.

Enough messing around. This worked. It was close enough to what I wanted. Rolling the dice again might just put me back in something like the dingy cave.

I still needed to pick a perk anyway. I looked at the available list of jade slips. Hmm… can just these change to something else? It's kinda hard to read them.

As if my wish was the command for this place, the jade slips melted into ancient scrolls. Nova. How did this work anyway? Was this place even real? Or was it all in my head?

Regardless, the slips were much easier to read. The black ink was far better on the eye than the engraved jade slips. I glanced through the expansive list, checking through my options.

The grayed-out scrolls seemed to all have some kind of requirement I hadn't yet met. For instance one of them required I have two other perks and my Stealth to level twelve before I could take it. Most of the greyed-out ones simply required further levels though. A bunch unlocked at eight, and even more at twelve.

So should I just pick one that's immediately effective? Or should I pick one to unlock another down the line? Hmm… I could see the argument for both. It was probably better to plan for the future, chek? So, what looked good? Actually, what was the hardest one to get?

The ones near the top of the shelf were blurred as if smoke smothered them. They also seemed to gleam and shine with a light promising their power. It was like looking at a legendary in a game, and yet I didn't meet the stat requirements to even see its effects.

I looked through the list, passing by quite a few perks. There was only one thought in my mind: which would be the best? After a long time of looking, I finally settled on one.

「Illusive - At will, become like a shadow.

Stealth 12

Fox's Paw

Cold-blooded」

Its requirements weren't too high compared to some of the others on the shelf. It stood out, not only because it sounded badass; all its requirements were reachable. Fox's Paw and Cold-blooded were both unlockable right now.

Between the two? Fox's Paw was much more interesting.

「Fox's Paw - Move with the silence and grace of Fox.」

Maybe that hobo heard me moving, so that's how he knew I was there? If I could just move silently, such a thing wouldn't repeat, right?

Um… now what, though? I picked up the scroll. Do I need to do something with it? I looked around, noticing an easel in the middle of the room that definitely hadn't been there before. Was that it? I placed the scroll on the easel.

As if by magic—which probably wasn't far off from the truth considering how surreal all of this was—the scroll unrolled all by itself. It revealed a beautiful painting of a sleeping fox curled up on a rock. The moonlight, shaded pink by the nearby Sakura leaves, graced the fox's fur with a brilliant glow that made the creature seem ethereal and divine.

I blinked, my eyes twitching uncomfortably. It wasn't just a painting. No idea when, but I'd been transported at some point. I now stood a ways off from the fox, matching the perspective of the painting.

The fox blissfully basked in the light of the moon on the other side of a rock garden. Six fluffy tails coiled around the rock like some kind of mythical creature. The fox itself seemed completely unaware of my presence. So fluffy.

Long extinct plants and flowers bloomed under the moonlight. Silky grass surrounded the rock garden, making the rocks all the more evident. I stood on the complete other side of the garden from the fox, on top of a wooden deck overhanging the area.

「Reach the other end without her hearing you!」

Well… that didn't sound ominous. And it can't be that hard right? I stepped off the deck into the rock garden, careful to not make a sound. I just had to get across? Not sure why, but it shouldn't take me that long.

"Agh!" Almost immediately, an uncomfortable burn spread across my foot from where I stepped. My balance was completely thrown off, and I slipped onto the ground. The warmth spread all over me-

The fox on the other side turned and met my eyes as she gloatingly laughed as if to mock me for being a failure-

And then I was back standing on the deck as if nothing happened. I shakingly checked myself for injuries, but nothing showed. Not even a patch of red skin. Not even the ground where I fell was red. Even the damn fox looked as though she hadn't twitched.

Can I- can I go back to the pavilion? I don't want to be here anymore. The space stayed the same, not reacting at all. Please? Send me back. I want to go back. Nothing's keeping me here…. Should I just leave?

I walked off the deck, intent on doing just that. Insight pulsed a useless warning against my current actions.

Just as my foot touched the soft grass, the sky above rumbled. I couldn't even react before a bolt of lightning struck me, seeming to settle in my body as pure electrical agony-

And then I was back on the deck, staring at the snoozing fox. Nothing changed. The space was exactly the same. I took a jittery step, going a different direction; back towards the pavilion. The same sense of danger hit me again. I'd learned my lesson though. I immediately backstepped toward the center.

A shudder wracked my body. I could still feel it- the pressing electricity burning through my body. Do I just- just try again? I stepped out onto the rocks slowly. My first step was absolutely silent, perfectly placed and pressure managed. My second step-

I winced, holding back a shout. Burning coals press up into my foot as I stepped just slightly off. The third step, thrown off by the second, was even worse. I only managed five before I tripped.

My head slammed into the rock garden. The fiery brands of the rocks pressed up into me-

And then I was back on the deck. My legs gave out underneath me, phantom pains spreading throughout. I- I didn't know if I could do this. I curled up into a ball and literally tried to pull it together. The pain had vanished- but the memory? It still seared. I could feel it arcing-

Tears leaked from my eyes. I tried to calm down- it was difficult. Every breath leaned into a near sob. Near the end, I wasn't just crying from the pain either. My emotions, bottled up for years, spilled out at first opportunity. It felt good almost, in a twisted way. Therapeutic. To just let it all out.

I lifted my head and met the sapphire eyes of the mythical fox sitting on the rock. She had a slightly guilty look in her gaze, though it vanished just as I looked up. The next moment she harrumphed and settled back onto the rock to take a nap. Her tails flicked before resettling down.

That- that bitch! I felt renewed vigor. This was all that damn animal's fault! The perk was named Fox's Paw; why hadn't I noticed before?! I stood up and marched towards her. When I get my hands on around her fluffy neck-

I slipped, midthought, into the searing coals-

And then I was back, shaken anew.

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