The next few days passed smoothly without incident. Arnold continued attending school but refrained from any reckless behavior. He maintained his usual calm and arrogant demeanor, acting as though nothing had ever happened. The fiery humiliation at home still burned in his chest, but pride kept him from showing it.
Steven, on the other hand, settled into a well-balanced routine. Mornings were spent attending school lectures, and evenings found him back at his luxurious villa in Crimson Hill. After a brief rest, he dived into business meetings and strategic decisions with his growing team of assistants.
Though to the outside world he looked like any other student, Steven was silently shifting the gears of the city's future. With precise decisions and relentless ambition, he moved his assets like chess pieces, transforming potential into power.
One of his latest triumphs was Star Power Corporation's first successful production of piezoelectric tiles—revolutionary flooring that converted footsteps into usable electricity. The board members, thrilled by the success, wanted to release the researcher's name to the public. But Steven turned them down flat.
"Credit the company. I don't need my name attached," he said coolly.
After all, he hadn't invented the technology—he had acquired it from the Super Growth System. To him, building the company's reputation was building his own.
It was nighttime, and Steven was exhausted. Craving fried prawns and a soda to end his day, he headed to the refrigerator, only to find it nearly empty. All that remained were a few carrots, capsicums, and some broccoli. Hoping for a quick snack, he searched for packaged treats like chips, cheese balls, or Doritos but came up empty-handed. Ever since mastering advanced cooking skills, Steven had stopped stocking such snacks—after all, the meals he could whip up in minutes were far superior to those bland, processed options.
"Looks, like I have to go to supermarket," Steven grumbled.
There was a shortcut to the supermarket, but it required walking through a dimly lit, eerie alley.
Since there were a lot of hooligans gathered in this alley, Steven usually would not dare to use
that path.
Now that he possessed the system, however, his confidence had significantly increased.
The streetlights in the alley have not been repaired and maintained whatsoever, so they have
already been broken for quite a while. With the entire alley now pitch-black, one could barely see
anything ahead or even around them.
Halfway through the dark alley, Steven suddenly heard an anxious female voice cry.
Could he have found himself in a situation to save a damsel in distress?
Suddenly, a system notification prompted in his mind.
[Super Growth System]
Task: Save the damsel in distress.
Reward: 1000 SP, +10 Charisma, +10 Luck.
[Rich Lord System]
Task: Teach those holigans a lesson without making physical contact.
Reward: 500 Million USD.
Steven's blood surged with fury as he sprinted through the alley. This wasn't merely about playing the hero in shining armor—1,000 SP and five hundred million were on the line.
Not long after, he noticed three young men - each dyed their hair in different colors while wearingthe same black vest on their upper body - surrounding a helpless young girl in a corner of the alley.
She was a striking young woman, her fair skin enhancing the beauty of her delicate features. Dressed in a sleek, form-fitting suit that exuded elegance, she carried a unique allure that was every bit as captivating as Veronica's. It was no surprise that the three hooligans couldn't take their eyes off her.
At that moment, her face was consumed by fear. Her desperate cries for help echoed through the alley, growing hoarser and more frantic with every passing second.
"There was a big promotion at the clothing store where I work part-time. If my boss hadn't offered me triple my usual pay, I wouldn't have stayed so late…"
"Is this how it ends for me, Charlotte? Will my dignity be stolen like this? No… Please… Someone, anyone, help me!"
Charlotte's pale face resembled that of a terrified rabbit. Her delicate and fragile appearance made her seem as though she might shatter with the slightest touch.
"Hehehe, don't be afraid, beautiful. We just want to have a little drink with you," one of the men sneered.
"That's right! We're just good, honest guys," another added with a smirk.
"Hehehehehe!" The three hooligans leered at her, their eyes filled with sinister intent, as if they were ready to devour her whole.
Charlotte's heart pounded in terror. How could she believe their vile words? With no other choice, she continued to scream, praying that someone—anyone—would hear her cries.
*Cough, cough.*
A sharp cough suddenly broke through the tense atmosphere, echoing down the alley.
Startled, the three men spun around to see who had interrupted them. Their momentary shock quickly turned to amusement when they saw it was just a young boy standing there.
"You little punk! Shouldn't you be at home studying? Do you really think you can play the hero here?" one of them jeered.
"Hahaha! Look at you! You're just a scrawny kid. You haven't even grown up yet, and you think you can stand up to us?" another mocked.
Their laughter rang out, filled with disdain as they dismissed the boy entirely, not seeing him as a threat.
The faint glimmer of hope that had flickered in Charlotte's eyes was extinguished in an instant. Her face turned ashen, despair tightening its grip on her heart
It looks like she won't be able to escape from these monsters today.
On the other hand, Steven - confident in the power of the system - remained rather calm as he declared, "Mark my words, I really will save the lady today. If you bastards know what's good for you, then you better scram before you regret it."
"Wow! This brat actually had quite the guts for someone his age!"
The three hooligans were shocked at first, but soon revealed a vicious expression, "Very good, then let this brother teach you the consequences of meddling in someone else's business!"
After their threat, the three hooligans reached behind them - taking out a sharp, metallic object that reflected the glint of moonlight from its shining surface. At that moment, they had unsheathed three fruit knives and grasped them firmly in their hands.
"God damn it!" Steven cursed in his heart. They had knives, and the system asked him to fight them without getting physical.
He had originally wanted to make use of the system to see if he could awaken other abilities.
But who would have thought that these guys were actually carrying weapons on them!
Finding himself in such a dire situation, Steven could not help but retreat a few steps backwards. His mind was quickly trying to find a method to solve his situation. He knew the system wouldn't give him an impossible mission.
"Are you afraid now? It's far too late!"
"Go, capture that kid!"
The three of them instantly sped up and charged towards Steven. The cold gleam of the fruit knife in their hands reflected that of their thirst for blood.
Steven - in his moment of panic- tried finding something ... anything that he could use in the alley to defend himself.
Scattered on the ground around him were pieces of stones, discarded bottles, glass jars, and other rubbish.
"Forget it! I'll just use whatever I pick up!"
Steven picked up a random stone from the ground and threw it at the three hooligans with his utmost strength.
[Ding! Throwing ability: +1, Current Progress: 1/10, Current Level: Beginner-level.]
Unfortunately, the stone flew past the gaps between their bodies and missed its targets.
Steven's expression softened despite his missed attempt, a peculiar smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. There it was—the glimmer of hope he had been waiting for.
"Try dodging another one of my flying stones!"
Steven steadied his stance, shifting his center of gravity before stomping firmly on the ground. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled another pebble, his determination unwavering.
[Ding! Throwing ability: +1, Current Progress: 2/10 ...]
As Steven retreated step by step, he slowed his movements, engaging the three hooligans by pelting them with small stones. Each throw grew stronger, sharper, and more precise with practice.
"Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!"
Initially, his aim was wildly off-target. Even when a stone managed to strike one of the hooligans, it barely caused any pain—only fueling their frustration and impatience.
But when the eleventh stone left his hand, everything shifted.
[Ding! Throwing ability: +1, Current Progress: 11/100, Current Level: Intermediate.]
A familiar sensation surged through Steven's mind, a vivid intuition whispering that his next throw would not only hit its mark but deliver a searing sting.
Fueled by renewed confidence, he gripped the stone tightly and launched it with all his might. It sliced through the air like a dart, hurtling straight toward the hooligans.
*Swish!*
Unlike his previous attempts, the speed of stone was clearly twice as fast. The stone struck heavily into the eyes of one of the hooligans.
[Ding! Critical Hit, Throwing Ability: +2, Current Progress 13/100 ... New Skill Gained: Rock Bullets]
"Aghhh!"
A gut-wrenching screech reverberated through the long, dark alley. The injured hooligan collapsed heavily to the ground - covering his wounded right eye as blood flowed out from the seams of his hand.
It was obvious that Steven's enhanced attack had injured the hooligan's eye.
"Agh! My eye!"
"Quick, catch him! I will personally dig out his eyes!"
Despite their initial shock, the other two hooligans boiled with rage - to think that the brat actually managed to get one of them, even though they outnumbered him.
With that, the remaining two hooligans pounced towards Steven with their utmost strength.
The current Steven, however, was no longer the same one from before. This time, he did not need to escape.
Instead, he smiled confidently and threw another two stones towards the two hooligans at lightning speed.
As the stones swished past the air, two miserable shrieks rang out once again from the alley.
The faces of the remaining two hoodlums twisted as they held onto their crotches in agonizing pain, bowing down on the ground.
With near-perfect accuracy, the two stones that Steven flung had landed squarely at their crotch - the greatest weakness of a man in various ways.
[Ding! Critical Hit, Throwing Ability: +5, Current Progress: 18/100 ... ]
If the stones landed elsewhere, they might still have a chance to fight against Steven.
However, no man could endure the agony of getting hit in the no-no square.
In less than two minutes, all three lackeys had lost their spirits to fight and were wailing like babies on the ground.
Charlotte, who was standing in the corner, gaped in response and stood dumbfounded as if she had looked in the eyes of Medusa.
Having been captivated by Steven's bravery and ability, she had completely forgotten about her initial escape.
What just happened? How did this youth, who might still be in school, take down those three hooligans with mere stones?
With her initial panic subsided, her mind was now submerged in peace and relief. She felt - even if there were another ten or so hooligans - that it would not be a big deal with this boy around.
From afar, the youth seemed to be emitting a certain light of ... hope that seemed to have excited Charlotte.
On the other hand, Steven was too immersed in exhilaration.
Ever since he was young, he never really had the guts to stand up for himself, much less other people. Even if he was bullied, he would not dare to retaliate - any grievances would be buried deep in his heart.
But this was the first time Steven had actually fought back and defended himself. Furthermore, he had even saved someone's life. Even in that incident with bullies sent by Leon, Steven was first beaten, then went back for payback.
His sense of accomplishment and satisfaction was simply too much for him to handle and process all at once.
[Ding! Saving a damsel in distress, your affinity with the particular female individual has increased ...]
[Ding! Saving the weak lady from hooligans. You did a good deed. Reward: 500 MP]
[Ding! Super Growth System: Task Completed. Reward: 1000 SP]
[Ding! Rich Lord System: Task Completed. Reward: 500 Million USD. Additional Reward for Exceptional Performance: You received ownership of a gold mine in Alaska. You received a Diamond Mine in Colorado. You received ownership of Regalia Spire.]
Eh?
Steven's mind reeled with disbelief. The rewards were beyond anything he could have envisioned. A Gold Mine, a Diamond Mine, and Regalia Spire—the most prestigious corporate office building in all of Baltimore. Generating several million dollars monthly in rental income, and now, it all belonged to Steven.
Steven went out of the alley and to the supermarket, quickly bought all the stuff needed, and returned to his villa.