MTL NOVEL Chapter 9: Thief!
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The System paused. The silence was deafening, like it was actually trying to process my level of stupidity.
[YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT A FLEX, RIGHT? THAT'S JUST A FASTER WAY TO HIT THE GAME OVER SCREEN.]
I jumped up, smirking like I had just outsmarted the world. "Nuh uh, the skill says I'll suffer consequences after deactivation. So, here's the plan: I'll never deactivate it."
The System paused, like it was recalibrating after being hit by the dumbest idea it had ever encountered.
[LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. YOUR BRILLIANT SOLUTION IS TO KEEP A HIGH-RISK SKILL ACTIVATED FOREVER?]
"Exactly," I said, standing up and cracking my neck. "What's the problem? If I never deactivate it, the whole 'consequences' thing is a non-issue. I win. You lose. Simple."
[THAT… IS NOT HOW THIS WORKS, DUMBASS. YOUR BODY WILL COLLAPSE THE SECOND YOU DEACTIVATE IT. YOUR MUSCLES WILL LITERALLY EAT THEMSELVES. YOU WILL BECOME A PUDDLE OF USELESS MEAT. ARE YOU LISTENING?]
I grabbed an energy drink from the table, cracked it open, and chugged half of it in one go. "Sounds like quitter talk to me, System. You just don't get it. I'm built different."
[BRO, YOU'RE BUILT STUPID.]
"Hey, you've stuck around this long," I shot back, wiping my mouth. "Must mean I'm doing something right. Besides, how bad can it really get? Worst case, I die. And let's be real, you'll be out of a job then."
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU'VE OFFICIALLY MAXED OUT YOUR OVERCONFIDENCE STAT. MAYBE I SHOULD ADD A NEW QUEST: 'REALIZE YOUR OWN LIMITATIONS.' REWARD: NOT DYING LIKE AN IDIOT.]
I finished the drink and crushed the can in my hand. "Nice try. But I'm not falling for your scare tactics. This is the meta play, and you're just salty you didn't think of it first."
[OH, I THOUGHT OF IT. THEN I REALIZED IT WAS SO DUMB, I DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER BRINGING IT UP. BUT HERE YOU ARE, MAKING IT YOUR ENTIRE PERSONALITY.]
"Someone's a little cranky today," I muttered, tossing the can toward the trash. It bounced off the rim and landed on the floor. "Alright, fine, maybe not entirely built different."
[FINALLY. SELF-AWARENESS. A RARE OCCURRENCE IN THE WILD. IT IS DANGEROUS OUT THERE, TAKE THIS WITH YOU: +1 Intelligence]
Bastard! I groaned, that was a good one. Well, no matter. I found a loophole. I won't deactivate Limit Breaker, no side effects, no consequences. My body felt strong, my stats carried me forward, and none of that bullshit the System warned me about seemed to be kicking in. I stretched, cracking my neck. My muscles weren't screaming; they were singing. Limit Breaker might as well have been a cheat code.
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU BROKE THE SYSTEM! WAIT, NEVER MIND. YOU ARE JUST STUPID.]
"Keep talking, System. You are starting to sound jealous," I muttered, throwing on a clean shirt. The house was quiet, which meant Izuku had probably passed out upstairs. Good for him. Resting up while I experimented with literal superhuman power. He would need it.
I grabbed another energy drink off the counter, chugged it halfway, and stepped outside. It was late, the streets were empty, and the air was cool enough to keep me from sweating out whatever was left of my dignity. The neighborhood was quiet—not a single sign of a villain exploding something, no old ladies yelling about garbage pickup.
I started jogging down the street, pushing myself just a little. The pavement blurred under me, the world moving slower than I was. It was like I was the only one in fast-forward while everyone else stayed in slow motion. Quickstep had nothing on this.
"Hey, System," I said between sips of the drink. "What is my max speed right now?"
[WITH LIMIT BREAKER ACTIVE, YOU CAN OUTRUN A SLOWEST CAR. TOO BAD YOU STILL CAN'T OUTRUN YOUR BAD DECISIONS.]
I grinned and kept running, the houses and streetlights flying past. "Bad decisions are what make life fun," I shot back. "You would not get it."
The System stayed silent. I guess even it knew when to quit.
As I turned a corner, I spotted a convenience store still lit up in the distance. I sprinted toward it, stopping just short of smashing through the glass doors. My hand caught the handle, and I yanked it open like it weighed nothing. The cashier glanced up from his phone, his face blank.
"What's up?" I said casually, heading toward the snacks. I grabbed a bag of chips, then thought better of it and grabbed two more. Limit Breaker burned calories like crazy, and I was not about to collapse from hunger.
At the counter, the cashier rang me up without saying a word. He barely even looked at me, which was fine. I paid in cash, stuffed the chips under my arm, and headed out.
Outside, I ripped one bag open and started eating as I walked. The chips tasted better than they should have, but that was probably because my metabolism was going haywire. Either way, I was not complaining.
Halfway down the block, I spotted something—or someone—moving out of the corner of my eye. A shadow darting across the rooftops. I stopped, crunching on a chip, and squinted.
"Hey, System," I muttered. "What am I looking at?"
[UNKNOWN. SUGGESTION: EAT FASTER AND RUN.]
I snorted. "Right. Big help." Still, I kept my eyes on the rooftops, waiting to see if it moved again. A second later, there it was—a flicker of motion. Too fast to be a regular person, but not fast enough to outpace me.
I shoved the bag of chips into my hoodie pocket and took off, bolting down the street and leaping onto a nearby dumpster to reach the fire escape. The metal groaned under my weight as I climbed, but Limit Breaker made the whole process feel effortless.
At the top, I crouched low, scanning the area. The figure was up ahead, perched on a neighboring rooftop. He turned slightly, his profile catching the faint glow of the streetlights.
He spotted me.
Before I could say anything, the guy bolted, jumping to another rooftop without hesitation. "Well, not my problem. I am not playing hero," I muttered, yanking the chips out of my hoodie. The System immediately chimed in, its tone dripping with mockery.
[UNLESS IT IS TO IMPRESS A GIRL. THEN YOU WOULD HAVE YOUR CAPE OUT IN SECONDS.]
I shoved a handful of chips into my mouth, chewing slowly. "Cool. Give me a quest if you want me to care. Otherwise, I am clocking out."
[YOU'RE SUCH A BEACON OF HOPE. REMIND ME TO NOMINATE YOU FOR HERO OF THE YEAR.]
The figure paused briefly, crouched on the edge of the next building. He glanced back, like he was sizing me up. Maybe he thought I was going to chase him. Cute.
"Yeah, keep running, Batman," I called out, waving a chip at him like it was a white flag.
The guy turned away, leaping off the roof and disappearing into the shadows. Whatever. If he wanted to do parkour in the middle of the night, good for him. I had chips and enough energy left to ignore his drama.
"System, what are the odds that guy is worth following?" I asked, popping another chip into my mouth.
[ABOUT AS HIGH AS YOUR LUCK STAT. SO… ALMOST ZERO.]
"Exactly," I said, brushing crumbs off my hoodie.
Still, I walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked in the direction he had gone. There was a faint noise in the distance, like something heavy scraping against concrete. The night air carried the faint sound of movement—fast and erratic. He was definitely in a hurry.
"Can you keep tabs on him?"
[DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A TRACKING APP? YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN, CHIEF.]
"Then no thanks." I turned away, making my way back down the fire escape. The metal rattled under my feet as I hopped the last few steps, landing back on the empty street.
As I walked, the faint sound of a struggle caught my attention—metal clanging against something solid, then muffled grunts. My feet slowed instinctively, and I glanced toward an alley up ahead.
[OH, NO. DON'T TELL ME YOU ARE CURIOUS NOW. YOU KNOW WHERE THAT LEADS, RIGHT? PROBABLY TO YOU GETTING INVOLVED IN SOMETHING DUMB.]
"I am just looking," I muttered, leaning slightly to get a better angle. Two shadows moved erratically in the alley—one smaller, struggling to hold its ground against a taller figure.
"System, what's the deal here?"
[DO I LOOK LIKE YOUR LOCAL NEWS? GO IN AND FIND OUT.]
I clicked my tongue, debating whether or not to bother. Then the smaller figure was slammed into the wall, a faint yelp escaping as they crumpled to the ground.
"Shit," I muttered, tossing the chip bag onto a nearby ledge. "Fine, fine. Let's play."
The taller figure didn't notice me approaching, too busy rummaging through the smaller person's bag. He muttered something, but I wasn't close enough to hear. As I approached, I noticed something. Wait! That was a woman. Someone dared to frighten a woman in my neighborhood? Not happening. I kept my steps light, slipping into the alley without the guy noticing. He was too busy rummaging through her bag like some low-tier video game thug. The woman sat slumped against the wall, her hands pressed to her side.
The big guy grunted something under his breath, but I wasn't about to stand there and take notes. I sneaked up behind him, gripping my steel bat tightly. No need for dramatic speeches; this guy wasn't worth wasting words on.
The bat came down hard on his shoulder. He stumbled forward with a yelp, spinning around to face me.
"What the fuck, man?!" he barked, clutching his shoulder.
I twirled the bat lazily, letting it rest on my shoulder. "Didn't your mom teach you not to scare women in alleys? Or did you skip that class in Dumbass School?"
The guy scowled, taking a step toward me. Big mistake. He was tall, sure, but his bulk screamed "slow." I could probably run laps around him without breaking a sweat.
"This ain't your business, kid," he growled.
I tilted my head, pretending to think about it. "Oh, I don't know. A lady getting mugged in my neighborhood? Feels pretty personal to me."
He swung at me, but his movements were as predictable as a cheap soap opera. I stepped to the side, letting his fist sail past. Before he could recover, the bat smashed into his ribs with a satisfying crack.
The guy staggered back, wheezing. "You little—"
"Careful," I cut in, pointing the bat at him. "You're about to get a matching set of bruises if you keep this up."
He lunged again, and this time I didn't bother dodging. Instead, I stepped in close, swinging the bat up into his jaw. The impact made a dull thud, and he crumpled like a stack of wet cardboard.
The alley went quiet except for his groaning. I crouched down next to the guy, tapping the bat against the ground, watching him try and decide if he wanted to keep breathing or make another dumb decision. For now, it seemed like he picked breathing. Smart guy.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the cops, keeping my eyes on him. "Yeah, I have got a guy here in an alley, near the convenience store on Third. Mugging attempt. Yeah, he is still alive. Barely." I hung up and slipped the phone back into my pocket, tapping the bat against my palm now. "The cops will be here soon. If I were you, I would spend that time reflecting on your life choices. Or, you know, practicing your apologies for dropping the soap."
He grumbled something under his breath, but his face stayed firmly planted on the pavement. Not my problem anymore.
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