The dawn crept into the slums like a thief, gray and hesitant. Izuku Arashi awoke curled beneath a collapsed awning, his breath visible in ragged puffs. Frost clung to his lashes, and his fingers, numb and cracked, trembled as he clutched a threadbare scrap of burlap to his chest. The system's voice pierced the silence, cold and mechanical.
[Daily Quest: Secure Sustenance]
[Objective: Consume 250 calories before sunset.]
[Reward: +0.01 Vitality | +0.01% Pain Resistance]
Izuku pushed himself upright, his joints screaming. The curse amplified every ache, every shiver, turning the cold into needles beneath his skin. He scanned the alley, his amber eyes dull but alert. The trash heap three alleys over had been picked clean yesterday. Today, he'd need to venture deeper into the East Sector's underbelly.
The market's stench hit him first—rotten meat, unwashed bodies, and the metallic tang of blood. Vendors hawked maggot-ridden grain to hollow-eyed buyers, while gangs of older children prowled like jackals. Izuku moved like a shadow, his small frame slipping between stalls. He'd learned to avoid the butcher's gaze (the man liked to throw rotten entrails at "trespassers") and the River God Cult's recruiters (their pamphlets promised food for converts—and a knife in the back for deserters).
A flicker of movement. A rat, plump and greasy, darted into a crack in the wall. Izuku lunged, his fingers closing around its tail. The creature writhed, teeth snapping, but he slammed its head against the stone. A quick, merciful kill.
[+90 calories.]
He devoured the meat raw, ignoring the bile rising in his throat. The system's counter ticked upward.
[Calories Consumed: 90/250.]
The cistern was his next stop—a crumbling stone basin collecting rainwater and sewage. Izuku dipped his hands into the green-tinged water, drinking deeply. The system pulsed a warning:
[Contaminants Detected: Fatigue +15% | Nausea +10%]
He ignored it. Contaminated water was better than none.
[Hydration: 300ml/500ml.]
As he turned to leave, a hand seized his collar.
"Look what we've got here," sneered a voice.
Two boys loomed over him, their faces gaunt but their eyes sharp with malice. The taller one, missing a front tooth, brandished a rusted shiv. "Hand over the rat, little ghost."
Izuku's grip tightened on the half-eaten carcass. The system flickered:
[Suggestion: Surrender. Compliance reduces injury risk by 70%.]
He spat blood onto the dirt.
The shiv slashed. Izuku ducked, the blade grazing his shoulder. Pain erupted—300%—but he pivoted, driving his elbow into the boy's ribs. A gasp, a stumble. The second attacker lunged, but Izuku dropped low, sweeping his leg out. The boy crashed into the cistern, his head striking stone.
[Combat Summary: Minor Laceration | Bruised Ribs.]
[Quest Progress: Calories Consumed: 90/250.]
The taller boy fled, dragging his unconscious ally. Izuku sank against the cistern, his breath ragged. The rat's remains lay trampled in the mud.
By dusk, he'd scrounged moldy bread crusts and a handful of beetles.
[Calories Consumed: 248/250.]
The system's countdown pulsed red. Izuku stared at the last beetle in his palm.
[2 calories required.]
He crushed it between his teeth.
[Quest Complete.]
[Vitality: 0.22 | Pain Resistance: 0.08%]
In the alley's shadows, a girl watched him—smaller than him, her face smudged with ash. She held out a shriveled apple core.
"For the rat," she whispered. "You fought good."
Izuku hesitated, then split the core in two.
[Calories Shared: -15.]
The girl vanished into the dark.
That night, the cold bit deeper. Izuku curled beneath his awning, replaying the fight. His ribs ached, his shoulder burned, but his mind dissected every move. Duck faster. Strike harder. Survive longer.
The system's final alert glowed:
[Adaptive Resistance: 0.08%]
[Effect: Pain duration reduced by 0.2 seconds.]
A fraction of a fraction.
But as Izuku closed his eyes, he smiled.
To Be Continued in Chapter 6 – The Calculus of Trust