The first punch caught me square in the jaw. Pain exploded through my face, but alongside it came something new—a translucent blue notification hovering at the edge of my vision.
**[Pain Endured: 7 points]**
The second punch broke my nose. I heard the cartilage crunch before I felt it. Blood streamed down my face, metallic and warm on my lips.
**[Pain Endured: 15 points]**
"Had enough, freak?" Marcus towered over me, his knuckles slick with my blood. His two friends snickered behind him, their silhouettes dark against the setting sun at the mouth of the alley.
I spat crimson onto the dirty concrete. "That all you got?"
I wasn't brave. I was desperate. Ever since the System had integrated with Earth three months ago, people had been Awakening with all kinds of abilities. Super strength. Telekinesis. Elemental manipulation. Me? I'd gotten what everyone called the "masochist build." The more pain I experienced, the more points I accumulated. Those points could be spent on abilities, stats, or skills.
Marcus kicked me in the ribs. Hard enough to crack something.
**[Pain Endured: 23 points]**
**[Total Pain Points: 1,045/2,000]**
**[Level Up Progress: 52.3%]**
Almost there. The level up threshold was getting higher each time. Level 1 had only required 100 points. Level 2 needed 500. Now I was grinding toward Level 3.
"You think you're tough?" Marcus grabbed me by the collar, lifting me up. "Everyone knows your power is pathetic. What are you going to spend those points on? A Band-Aid?"
What he didn't know was that my power wasn't just accumulating pain points. With each level, I gained access to more abilities in the Pain Manipulation skill tree. At Level 1, I'd unlocked Pain Resistance. At Level 2, Pain Transfer. And at Level 3...
Well, Marcus was about to find out.
"Hit me again," I whispered through bloody teeth. "Make it count."
Confusion flickered across Marcus's face, quickly replaced by cruel determination. He reared back for another punch, putting his full weight behind it.
The impact sent stars across my vision.
**[Pain Endured: 31 points]**
**[Critical Hit! Pain Doubled: 62 points]**
**[Total Pain Points: 1,107/2,000]**
Still not enough. I needed more. I thought of Anna, my little sister, lying in the hospital bed. Her Awakening had been different—a healing ability that activated by taking on others' wounds. She'd saved a busload of people after a terrible crash, absorbing their injuries into herself.
Now she was in a coma, her system registering her as "Overloaded."
The doctors said there was nothing they could do. But I'd heard rumors of high-level abilities that could transfer status effects, reset system integrations, even manipulate life force itself.
I just needed to reach those levels.
"My grandmother hits harder," I mumbled, though it came out garbled through my swollen lips.
Marcus's face contorted with rage. He threw me against the brick wall and began pummeling me in earnest. Each impact sent shockwaves of agony through my body, and each burst of pain translated to more points.
**[Pain Endured: 27 points]**
**[Pain Endured: 18 points]**
**[Pain Endured: 22 points]**
**[Critical Hit! Pain Doubled: 56 points]**
**[Total Pain Points: 1,230/2,000]**
Still not enough. I needed more...but my consciousness was fading fast. If I passed out, I wouldn't be able to use the points I'd earned.
Marcus and his friends were saying something, but their voices sounded distant. The edges of my vision darkened. I struggled to stay awake, focusing on the pain. I'd learned that focusing on the pain, rather than trying to escape it, actually increased the points gained.
I felt myself sliding down the wall, leaving a smear of blood. As I hit the ground, I landed awkwardly on my already injured arm. The snap was audible.
**[Pain Endured: 45 points]**
**[Critical Hit! Pain Doubled: 90 points]**
**[Total Pain Points: 1,320/2,000]**
"Hey! What the hell are you kids doing?" A gruff voice echoed down the alleyway.
Marcus and his friends scattered like cockroaches. Through my one eye that wasn't swollen shut, I saw the approaching figure of Officer Reyes, one of the few cops who still patrolled this neighborhood after the System's arrival.
"Jesus, kid. They really did a number on you." He knelt beside me, already calling for medical assistance on his radio.
"No..." I croaked. "No hospital."
"Are you crazy? You need—"
"Please." I grabbed his wrist with what little strength I had left. "I need to reach the threshold."
Understanding dawned in his eyes. Everyone knew about the different Awakened abilities now. "You're one of those pain-collectors."
I nodded weakly.
He sighed heavily. "These damn System abilities are going to be the death of society." He looked at me critically. "How close are you?"
"About... seven hundred points short."
He shook his head. "Not worth dying over, kid."
"My sister..." I managed, before a coughing fit overtook me. I tasted more blood.
**[Internal Bleeding Detected: 35 points]**
**[Total Pain Points: 1,355/2,000]**
Officer Reyes's expression softened slightly. "The one in Metro General? The healer who saved those people?"
I nodded again, surprised he knew.
He checked his watch, then the mouth of the alley. "What happens when you level up?"
"Healing," I whispered. "Partial healing. Enough to... keep going."
He considered me for a long moment, then made a decision. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small taser. "This is officially for my protection only," he said grimly. "What I'm about to do could cost me my badge."
I understood what he was offering. "Do it."
"I'll set it to the minimum charge. It'll hurt like hell, but shouldn't cause permanent damage." He positioned the taser. "Ready?"
I nodded. He pulled the trigger.
Every muscle in my body contracted at once as electricity coursed through me. My back arched off the ground. I couldn't scream; my jaw was locked tight. The pain was unlike anything I'd experienced—clean, pure, all-encompassing.
**[Pain Endured: 120 points]**
**[System Shock! Pain Tripled: 360 points]**
**[Total Pain Points: 1,715/2,000]**
When it ended, I collapsed back to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
"Still not enough?" Officer Reyes asked, looking worried.
I shook my head weakly. "Close... but not there."
He hesitated, then said, "I can't do that again. It's too dangerous."
I understood. Even with my Pain Resistance ability, my body was at its limit. But I was so close. I needed just under 300 more points to level up.
That's when I heard it—a soft beeping coming from my battered wristwatch. The medication reminder.
Anna's medication. I'd been on my way to get her prescription refilled when Marcus and his goons had cornered me. The doctor had been clear: the medication helped stabilize her System integration. Without it...
I wouldn't make it to the pharmacy in this condition. And I couldn't level up without more pain.
There was only one option.
"My arm," I said, gesturing to my left forearm, which was already bent at an unnatural angle from the earlier break. "Break it again. Clean snap."
Officer Reyes looked horrified. "Kid, I can't—"
"Please," I begged. "My sister's medication... I need to get to her. I won't make it unless I level up."
I could see the conflict in his eyes. Finally, he set his jaw. "This is a one-time thing. And you get proper medical attention afterward. Deal?"
I nodded.
He positioned my arm against the edge of the concrete step, then looked me in the eye. "On three. One—"
He brought his boot down hard before reaching "two."
The pain was blinding, immediate, and overwhelming.
**[Pain Endured: 85 points]**
**[Critical Hit! Pain Doubled: 170 points]**
**[Compound Fracture! Pain Bonus: 50 points]**
**[Total Pain Points: 1,935/2,000]**
So close. Just 65 more points.
Through tears of agony, I saw Officer Reyes's stricken face. "That should have been enough," he said hoarsely. "I can't do more, kid. I'm calling an ambulance."
As he reached for his radio, I steeled myself for what I needed to do. With my good hand, I grabbed my broken arm and twisted.
The world went white with pain.
**[Self-Inflicted Pain: 35 points]**
**[Sacrifice Bonus: 30 points]**
**[Total Pain Points: 2,000/2,000]**
**[LEVEL UP ACHIEVED!]**
A wave of blue light washed over me, and I gasped as the System's energy flowed through my broken body. Bones knit back together, cuts sealed, and swelling reduced. It wasn't complete healing—my ribs still ached, my face was still bruised, and I could feel that my nose hadn't been set properly. But I could move. I could function.
And most importantly, I had unlocked a new ability.
**[Pain Manipulation Level 3 Unlocked]**
**[New Ability Available: Pain Amplification]**
**[Description: Amplify pain felt by targets who have caused you pain in the past 24 hours]**
Officer Reyes stared at me in amazement as I slowly sat up. "That's some ability you've got there," he said quietly.
I checked my watch. If I hurried, I could still make it to the pharmacy before closing time.
"Thank you," I said, my voice stronger now. "I won't forget this."
He helped me to my feet. "What will you do now?"
I stared at my hands, feeling the new power thrumming beneath my skin. Pain Amplification. A way to fight back. A way to progress faster.
"I'm going to get my sister's medication," I said. "And then..."
I thought of Marcus and his friends, who would surely come after me again. I thought of the other Awakened who abused their powers, preying on the weak. I thought of how the System had changed everything, creating new hierarchies, new predators, new suffering.
"Then I'm going to learn how this world really works," I finished. "One painful lesson at a time."
As I limped out of the alley, I pulled up my status screen, invisible to everyone but me:
**[Name: Ethan Cole]**
**[Level: 3]**
**[Pain Points: 0/3,000]**
**[Abilities: Pain Resistance (Level 2), Pain Transfer (Level 1), Pain Amplification (Level 1)]**
**[Quest: Save Anna - Ongoing]**
The price of power was pain. And I was willing to pay it.
No matter what it cost me.