Carrick floated in darkness, his mind filled with painful memories. He thought about what had happened, and his emotions swirled with regret, anger, and sadness.

He couldn't believe his father was behind it all. But deep down, he knew it might be true. Edgar, the driver, didn't deny it. He said he was just following orders.

Carrick's mind was filled with questions. Why did his father want him dead? Was it because his mother was a mistress? Because he was powerless in the family? Or because his mother used to be a maid?

Carrick felt angry and hurt. He had never fought back against the family's abuse. He had always stayed quiet. So why did they want to kill him?

He screamed into the darkness, "Why!?" His anger grew with every thought.

If only he had been given a chance to live, maybe he could have become a powerful Mafia Lord one day. But now, he was left with only anger and sadness.

«Ding!

Data collection complete!

Fusion successful!

Host's health is currently in a critical state. Injecting revitalization serum!»

Carrick heard a female mechanical voice. He immediately turned around but saw nothing except infinite darkness.

«Ding!

Host's emotions are a mess! Injecting Ever-Calm serum!»

Carrick felt his mind calm as a cool sensation ran over him. He began to rearrange his thoughts, but first thing first, what exactly was that mechanical voice earlier.

«Welcome Host, I am Erebus. Earlier I detected an attempt of brainwashing on the host, thus I made use of the Ever-Calm serum on the host.» the voice spoke again.

"Erebus, huh? Who or what are you?" Carrick asked.

"I am an Artificial Intelligence System, you can think of me as your personal assistant. Needless to say, I am not of this backwater world of yours. I was soaring through the data airspace when I felt a pull to you. I felt your unbridled desire to make a change in your life, thus I am here to help.» the mechanical voice said with a hint of glee in its voice.

"And how will you be able to help me?" Carrick questioned the system. In the past he would have been fretting, but now his mind was as calm as the sea.

«I can grant the Host sets of skills and monetary rewards should the host walk in the path of accomplishing his goal.» the mechanical voice replied.

"Like those Systems in Light Novels that make their protagonist so OP? Hmm, fine. But where exactly I'm I?"

«You are in the void, an airspace between the Living and Purgatory. Host should awaken in ten minutes.» the system replied.

"Alright. Since you said you're a system and I'm the host, can you show me my stats?"

«Ding!

STAT (System for Transfer and Analysis of Tactical data):

Host: Carrick Gale

Age: 18

Status: Comatose

Attributes:

Strength (STR); 10

Intelligence (INT); 25

Agility (AGI); 10

Vitality (VIT); 25

Endurance (END); 25

Charisma (CHA); 15

Combat stats:

Attack power (ATK); 10

Defense (DEF); 10

Health points (HP); 100%

Mana points (MP); 100

Accuracy (ACC); 0

Evasion (EVA); 0

Performance metrics:

Experience points (XP); 0

Level; 1

Skills:

Revitalization (passive, upgradable)

Ever-Calm (passive, non upgradable)

Gold or currency; $0

Kills or deaths; 0 kills, 1 death

Win-loss record; 0

Goal: To be a Mafia Lord.

(System suggests the host will level up ASAP or the host's goal will just be nothing but a pipe dream).»

Carrick was stunned by his stats, he didn't know he was this weak. But when he saw the Mana point and the skills, he got a bit confused.

"Hey system, what's with Mana point? Isn't that part of a game-like stat for mages and spellcasters? Why is it amongst my stat?"

«Host is correct. But in this case, the Mana point helps you to perform certain active skills which you will acquire in time. With the Mana point, you can perform some skills that can enable you to dodge bullets, shoot in a curved manner, read lips and other excellent active skills.»

"That's really cool. What about the two skills there, Revitalization, what does it do and why is it upgradable?"

«Ding!

Revitalization will aid the host to recover from any wound, illness, or poisonous state. Also when upgraded to a certain level, the host can even regrow a severed limb and recover from even a bomb attack. Nevertheless, that will cost lots of Mana points.»

WHAT!?

"Hold on! Are you saying that with the right amount of Mana points and revitalization level, I can be said to be immortal!?"

«You could say that.»

"This is so damn OP, I feel like I'm a protagonist in a light-novel."

«Ding!

Host will awaken in sixty seconds. Host is currently in a facility. System detected traces of attempted brainwash earlier but terminated it by injecting Host with the Ever-Calm serum. System suggests Host to act brainwashed as Host is currently too weak to defend himself against whatever the unknown individuals will do. Again, System urges the Host to find a way to level up quickly, otherwise the host's goal will never be achieved.»

"Huh!? What!?"

«Host to awaken in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1..»

*

"He's coming around!"

"He's regaining consciousness!"

"Quick, get Doctor Ambrose!"

"Get some guards in case he goes berserk!"

Carrick could hear a cacophony of voices as his brain and eyes tried to adjust to the new surroundings. He felt he was laying on a soft bed and wearing a strange helmet on his head, also there was a lot of tubing attached to needles that had been inserted into him.

He didn't know where he was, but he had a feeling this was exactly where the system told him about, and he remembered the system telling him to act brainwashed in order to stay alive.

Sigh!

"Even after being revived and given a second chance in the same world, I'm still weak. It won't be long though."

Soon Carrick heard hurried footsteps, he could tell there were more than ten persons coming. Then he saw a clean shaven middle-aged man in a white medical coat that came and stood near him.

"Welcome back son, from now on, your name is X, and you serve Rambosia."

Carrick, now called V5, pretended to be brainwashed. He stared blankly at Doctor Ambrose. The doctor smiled, happy with Carrick's condition.

"You're doing well, V5," Doctor Ambrose said. "You'll be a great asset for Rambosia." He nodded to the guards.

One guard, a tall man with a scar, stepped forward. "Sir, may I talk to you?" he asked quietly.

Doctor Ambrose frowned. "What is it, Victor?"

Victor looked at Carrick before speaking. "I think we should be careful. He's not as brainwashed as we think."

Doctor Ambrose laughed. "That's impossible. The treatment always works. V5 will do what we say."

Carrick's mind raced, remembering the system's warning to level up quickly. He knew he had to play along, but he also needed to find a way to escape and start his journey to become a Mafia Lord. He knew if he remained here, he would be nothing but an experimental subject, a guinea pig for this mysterious organization.

As the guards closed in, Carrick noticed a small, almost unnoticeable nod from Victor. It was a signal, but from whom? Carrick could not help but wonder. He had spent enough time with his family to know when a conspiracy was going on.

Suddenly, alarms blared, and the room shook. "What's happening?" Doctor Ambrose shouted in confusion. The Rambosia hideout was unknown to Major Mafia families, so who would dare attack them?

Victor reacted immediately and drew his gun. "We're under attack. Get V5 to safety!"

Carrick saw his chance. What just happened made him understand that this Victor wasn't loyal to Rambosia, perhaps Victor could be his way out of this sick place. He pretended to stumble, falling to the ground. As the guards rushed to help him, Carrick whispered to Victor, "Who are you working for?"

Victor's eyes locked onto Carrick's. "Meet me in the east wing tonight. Come alone."

With that, Victor dragged Carrick away, into the chaos. Carrick saw a new group of people dressed in a different uniform shooting at the guards.

*

Disguised as a Rambosia guard, Victor pulled Carrick through the winding corridors of Rambosia's secret facility. They dodged bullets and leaping flames, the sound of shattering glass and screams filling the air.

"What's happening?" Carrick shouted above the din.

"Rebellion," Victor replied, his gun firing at unseen targets. "We have to get out, now!"

They burst through a door, slamming it shut behind them. Carrick found himself in a cramped, dimly lit room filled with computer screens and wires. The room seemed like a tech storage room.

"Who are you?" Carrick demanded, his eyes locked on Victor. Before he could decide on anything, he needed to know who Victor was.. what if he was working for his father and was here to finish the job those men couldn't.

Victor ripped off his mask, revealing a scarred face and piercing blue eyes. "I'm Victor Alistair, former helmsman of the Alistair Family. My family was almost wiped out by the joint forces of the Gale family and Giovanni family. And you, V5, might just be the key to our survival."

"What do you mean I'm the key to your survival?" Carrick questioned, but suddenly a ding sounded in his head.

«Ding!

<<System suggests Host should make use of the individual 'Victor' and escape Rambosia.>>

"I will tell you all you want to know, but for now. I have infiltrated Rambosia's mainframe," Victor said as he lifted his face from the computer screen, his voice urgent. "We must escape now. The facility will self-destruct in five minutes."

Carrick's heart raced. "How do we get out?"

Victor handed Carrick a small device. "This is a neural disruptor. It will disrupt any brainwash action that may have been taken against you, and it will also disrupt the aim of those guards, in other words, they won't be able to land a single bullet on us as their aims will be way off. Press the red button to also neutralize their weapons as they are making use of electrical powered laser guns."

Carrick took the device, his mind racing. "What about you?"

Victor smiled grimly. "I'll draw off Rambosia's forces so as to lessen the attention on you. You don't have to worry, I'll be right behind you."

The countdown began, echoing through the room. Carrick and Victor shared a nod before bursting into action.

Carrick charged into the corridor, neural disruptor in hand. The Rambosia guards closed in, aiming their guns at him, they didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Carrick dodged and weaved, the disruptor emitting a high-pitched whine as it neutralized the guards' mental sense as well as their weapons. The guards pulled the triggers but only the clicking sound was heard.

"You're a dead man, V5!" a guard snarled, charging at him with a knife. The guard was quick to realize something was wrong with his gun, but instead of panicking, he decided to first take out Carrick

Carrick sidestepped, using the guard's momentum against him. The guard crashed into the wall, unconscious.

<<Ding! Congratulations to host for neutralizing a level 3 hostile individual. 200 XP awarded to Host. System suggests the host to kill hostile forces in order to reap maximum XP and level up quickly>> the mechanical voice sounded in his head.

Carrick stared at the unconscious guard, he had never killed a fellow human before. He was about to refuse when he felt his emotion calming down, he realized it was the Ever-Calm passive skill taking effect. He slowly walked over to the guard, picked up the knife that was on the ground and calmly slit the guard's throat. The guard twitched a few moments before becoming still.

«Ding! Congratulations to Host for killing a level 3 hostile individual. 500 XP and 250 gold coins awarded to Host.»

Carrick stared at the small blood puddle in front of him. For someone who just killed a fellow human for the first time, he was awfully calm as if nothing happened.

"Well, it's either them or me, and besides, a weak hearted person can't become a Mafia Lord." He said to himself and smiled.

At the moment, he was seeing the guards as XP points and a stepping stone. A smile played on his lips.

More guards came and surrounded Carrick. He stood strong, holding his disruptor tightly.

One guard sneered at him. "You're trapped. Give up now and we might go easy on you." The guards had seen the previous experiments of previous subjects, they were always so weak. This guard couldn't see the reason the doctors wasted so much money and time experimenting on such useless people. Now facing against Carrick, he believed Carrick will be the same as the previous subjects.

Carrick on the hand, remembered all the times he had given in to the Gale family. He had always stepped down and tried to stay quiet just to stay alive.

But what did he get for being quiet? His brother hated him. His own father had tried to kill him.

Carrick's eyes narrowed. He made a promise to himself: he would never give in again.

"I'd rather die," Carrick said, his voice firm and his smile cold.

«Ding!

New skills acquired!

Undying Resolve (non upgradable)

Description: In desperate times, Host's resolve to persevere will give all attributes ×2 boost.»

'Hehehe, things just keeps getting better and better.' Carrick chuckled inside.

The guards opened fire, but Carrick's disruptor rendered their laser guns useless. Seeing them shocked at the fact their guns weren't working, he rushed at them with the knife he used to kill the previous guard. With his strength and agility boost now both at 20 each, he found it easier to take down the guards.

Suddenly, a guard landed a lucky blow, sending Carrick crashing to the ground. The disruptor flew from his hand, sliding across the floor, broken to pieces.

"No!" Carrick shouted, scrambling for the device.

The guard raised his gun, ready to deliver the final blow. Carrick rolled aside, avoiding the bullet by mere inches.

With a loud shout, Carrick launched himself at the guard, tackling him to the ground. They wrestled, punching each other. Carrick kicked away from the guard, then picked up the knife which lay beside him, just as the guard made one more jump at him, Carrick made it his last.

Puchi!

«Ding! Congratulations to Host for killing a level 4 hostile individual. 700 XP and 300 gold coins has been awarded to Host. Host is now a few points away from leveling up.»

As he stood up, Carrick realized he was bleeding - the bullet had grazed his arm. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain, but soon, he saw the wound healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. In no time, the wound had scabbed.

'This revitalization skill is no joke.' Carrick inwardly rejoiced.

The disruptor lay nearby, now trashed. Carrick picked it up, but it was now just a piece of junk.

Fortunately there were no more guards heading his way, it seemed that Victor and his team had drawn all the attention to themselves. The corridor was silent, except for the sound of his own ragged breathing.

Carrick leaned against the wall, catching his breath. He had won, he was very proud of himself. His first battle and he had emerged victorious. Although he knew it was with the help of the system, still..

«Ding!

Host, you're clear to escape.» The system's voice echoed in his mind.

Sigh!

"It seems from now on Rambosia will not stop haunting me."

«Host is correct. Host is therefore advised to lay low while he continues to level up and amass skills and wealth»

Carrick nodded, wincing in pain. "I'm ready."

'It seems I have to really make use of Victor and his fallen Mafia family. With their help, I can lay low and grow at a steady pace.

Carrick made his way through the deserted corridors, his eyes looking for any signs of danger. He knew that Rambosia wouldn't give up easily, sooner or later more guards would be here, but he had a head start. Although he didn't know what part of the city he was in right now, he had a feeling he was in a place that could easily link him back to the Gale family.

As he turned a corner, he saw Victor waiting for him, a hint of a smile on his face. There was blood all over him.

"Well done, V5," Victor said, clapping him on the back. "You're a natural."

Carrick grinned, feeling a sense of pride and belonging. "Thanks to you and your team. I owe you one."

"I know this isn't the time, but I'm curious, how did you manage to break through the brainwash? That had never failed before." Victor asked and Carrick saw pure curiosity in his eyes, although Victor just escaped the Rambosia, that didn't mean he could trust him with the secret of the system.

"Luck I guess." Carrick shrugged.

Victor's expression turned serious. "We need to get out of here, now. My team has bought us some time, but Rambosia will regroup soon."

Carrick nodded, following Victor through the narrow corridors. They reached a secret exit, and Victor handed Carrick a new device.

"This is a secure comms device. Use it to contact me when you need help."

Carrick took the device, feeling a sense of gratitude. "Thanks, Victor. I won't forget this."

Victor smiled, but didn't move away from Carrick, he stared long at Carrick which started to creep the teenage boy out.

"Where will you go now V5?" Victor asked even though he had already guessed the answer.

"Well, I don't know. I guess I can just find a motel and you know, get a job if I can."

"That only established the fact that you have nothing in mind. Why don't you come join my family? You can offer your services to them."

With that, Carrick slipped out into the night, ready to start his new life as a fugitive. But he knew he wouldn't be alone. He had Victor, Erebus, and his own determination to drive him forward.

«Ding! Host has reached level 2. Attributes have been boosted.»

Carrick smiled, feeling a sense of excitement. He was just getting started.