The Mutant System

Chapter 1

Pass the level.

"You are late!" A deep male's voice said as he puffs out smoke from his mouth.

Four huge teenagers could be seen on the rooftop surrounding a skinny boy.

The skinny boy fell on his knees as tears rolled down from his eyes as he began to plead.

"Please Draco" the boy pleaded while grabbing onto Draco's legs "When the teacher Kent found the jelly weed in my backpack, he punished me real bad, I had to go to the clinic."

The skinny boy is known as Ajax Hart. A 17 years old boy goes through hell every day of his life just because of his poor background.

His father ran away when his mother delivered his kid sister. Everything turned upside down for Ajax's family ever since that day.

His mother did a double job so she can gather enough money to buy Ajax's little sister a skill slot since you need to have at least a higher grade skill slot to survive in the current world.

Ajax didn't want the load on his mother's shoulder to be too much, so he decided to enroll in the Mutants Academy.

The Mutants Academy is a school where they help teenagers rank up their mutant skills and also train them on how to survive without a skill.

Ajax enrolled there in hopes of training and getting stronger and in the future, he'll use his power to provide for his family.

But Ajax's little dream was cut short when he arrived at the school and was being treated like trash and a slave.

He quickly realized he was only being delusional and you can never survive in this world without a good graded skill slot.

"First you didn't deliver the jelly weed and now you're showing up late with some stupid excuse!" Draco shouted as he swung out his fist aiming for Ajax's face.

Pah!

A loud slap was heard as Draco's fist connected to Ajax's cheeks.

Ajax fell on the floor with a red swollen cheek and blood trickling down his mouth.

"I promise it won't happen again" Ajax pleaded with fear written all over his face. But it all fell on deaf ears.

Pow! Pow! Pah! Pah!

Draco sent out a barrage of punches toward the helpless teenage boy, and Ajax couldn't do anything but take the hit.

"I don't pay you 20 tokens to disappoint me," Draco said as he wipes the blood off his fist with a wiper "Hope it doesn't happen next time" Draco added before he walked away with his remaining minions, leaving Ajax beaten on the floor.

'Curse this current government. Curse those mutants that shared their powers. Curse the day the mutants showed up on earth' Ajax cursed internally while laying on the floor.

The whole world changed after a reckless scientist known as Gilbert Manchester mistakenly creates a portal that led to another world.

Powerful creatures known as Mutants crawled in through the portal and began to wreak havoc on the human race.

The few good Mutants who didn't have any bad intentions towards the humans decided to share their power among them.

To harness the mutant's powers, they extracted the power from the mutants and did some work on it to create something called a skilled coin.

The Mutants wield different kinds of powers, fire, water, ice, air, lightning, telekinesis, transformation, and many more.

But it would be dangerous to bestow the raw power upon a human, so they created a skill coin and a skill slot.

The skill slot is like a belt that's tied around the waist with a hole in the middle and a switch.

Once the coin is inserted and the switch is flipped, the human will now have the power behind the coin whether water, fire, or the rest.

After the war was over, the government decided to create more of the skill coin and slot but is being sold at a high price.

And now those who aren't able to afford it are considered useless.

'Only if I can just get powerful enough to teach those people at the top a lesson' Ajax thought as he clenched his fist.

Now that the pain is starting to reduce, Ajax lifted his body off the floor and wipes the blood on his face with his sleeves.

'I guess I'm just going to continue that game, maybe truly there's a power behind it once you pass level 1' Ajax thought as he made his way down from the rooftop and inside the school building.

___

Minutes later he arrived in front of a room with the signup front 'Mutant Game'.

Ajax pushed the door open and walked in.

Among the Mutants who remained on earth, one of them that's the strongest decided not to share his powers.

He was the strongest Mutant and he wields all the powers a Mutant could ever have.

But before he died, he created a metal doll that was not more than 4 feet tall.

He said anyone who could defeat the doll and get past level one will instantly receive his powers.

So for years everyone has been trying and trying but with no luck, it seems to predict all their moves and even if they manage to land a hit on it, the level won't change from one.

So they concluded it was all a lie and the Mutant was only messing with them.

But Ajax didn't give up, he still had hopes that there might be some sort of power behind the doll.

"Ok, let's try again today," Ajax said as he stood in front of the metallic doll.

The doll had a round big head with a little body and two thin legs. In the middle of the doll was a green button.

"You just wait and see what I have planned for you," Ajax said as he clenched his fist and made his fighting stance.

Ever since he got to the academy, Ajax has been coming down here to try and defeat the doll but he couldn't.

So with every defeat, Ajax will return to make calculations on why he lost.

"Level one activated" a robotic voice was heard.

Ajax wasted no time, he charged in and swung out his fist towards the doll's head.

Woosh!

The doll moved backwards and Ajax ended up punching the air.

Ajax leaped two feet in the air and swung out a kick heading towards the doll's body.

But this time the doll crossed its two arms to protect its chest.

'That's strange' Ajax thought.

During all the trials and attempts to defeat the doll, never for once has its hands moved to dodge any attack.

All it does is move around.

Ajax sent a weak punch towards the chest area again and the doll raised its arm to block it.

'Does that mean I'm close to completing it? If my theory is right then this should do the trick' Ajax thought as he swung out his fist again towards the doll's head.

The doll moved backward to dodge the attack, but it was too slow, for Ajax already sent a kick aiming for the button in the chest.

Bam!

A metallic sound was heard as Ajax's leg hits the button.

"Level one passed" the robotic voice was heard again.

'Wait, I did it' Ajax thought with a big smile on his face.

"Scanning winner of the level," the robotic voice said again as it began to scan Ajax from head to toe

"Scanning completed, powers will now be transferred to the winner"

After Ajax heard those last words, he fell on his knees as he began to feel dizzy and his vision was now becoming blurry.

"What's...ha..pe..ni.." Ajax finally passed out and when he did, a green window screen appeared in front of him.

[TRANSACTION COMPLETED]

[AJAX HART HAS NOW RECEIVED THE MUTANT SYSTEM].

What is this?

Ajax slowly began to regain consciousness as his eyelid lifted open.

"Ugh, what happened," Ajax said as he stood up from the ground and glanced around the room.

The last thing he could remember was defeating the metallic bot, and then he blacked out.

'Where did the doll go?' Ajax thought with a confused look as he noticed the doll was no longer in the room.

'How long was I asleep? And what the heck was that screen I saw earlier?' Immediately Ajax thought about it, the same window screen from the earlier pop-up

_________________________________

>>Name: Ajax Hart<<

>> Level: 1 <<

>> Race: Human <<

>> Exp: 0/100 <<

>> Hp: 100/100 <<

>> Soul point: 50/100 << ]

_________________________________

Ajax stared at the status screen in front of him with a look of confusion and disbelief.

' what the hell is this?' Ajax thought rubbing his chin while examining the screen from top to bottom.

' Is this the reward for defeating the doll? It looks like those games and system that the main character usually have in novels' That was Ajax's thought as his eyes moved around the screen.

'If it's like those novels then I should have skills and attributes, right?' Ajax thought and the current screen changed to a whole new one.

_________________________________

[Attributes]

>> Strength: 1 <<

>> Agility: 1 <<

>> Reflexes: 1 <<

>> Speed: 1 <<

>> Bravery: 1 << ]

[ Attributes points : 0 ]

_________________________________

'So it truly is like those rpg novels' Ajax thought as a smile appeared on his face.

'Skills and abilities' Ajax was now getting how it works so he called out in his mind.

________________________________

[ Abilities ]

Time freeze: Lvl 1

[ description: the user can freeze time of the area he's currently in, for a total of two seconds. - 10 soul points per use]

??

??

??

??

??

??

_________________________________

'Time freeze sounds cool, but the number of soul points required for use is too high, and just for two seconds? What the hell is a soul point, to begin with,' Ajax thought as he rubs his chin

'But why only one Ability? Maybe if I level up I'll unlock more Abilities. I think the universe just sent me a gift

Never have any human used a Mutant ability without the Skill coin and Skill slot.

The scientist who creates the equipment made it clear that the human body couldn't handle the raw Mutant power energy.

If one was to bestow the power on him or herself directly, it'll only lead to death.

And also, every Skill Slot shouldn't have more than one Slot. Meaning you get to use only one mutant ability of your choice.

While the Skill Slot and coin are further graded into 5 grades. Grade 1 is the lowest and 5 the highest.

If a person comes from an affluent family, then it's guaranteed the person will get a high-graded coin.

But the poor are left with scraps and ruins.

Ajax on the other hand just got something that doesn't need a skill slot or coin to use an ability. It's all programmed into the system.

Maybe that's why the Mutant never shared his ability with the public, he knew the wrong person might get his or her hands on it.

That's why he created the game and the worthy opponent shall come out victorious

Ajax stood there scrolling through the status screen until a new screen pop up again

________________________________

[ Daily tasks]

1: ten pushups a day: reward: 5 exp

2: run 10 km a day : reward: 5 exp

_________________________________

'Ten pushups? ' Ajax's eyeballs nearly fell from his sockets

'I don't even know how to do two let alone 10' Ajax lamented.

'But at least there's a reward, exp. If truly this is like those online novels, then once I hit 100 exp I'll level up to level 2 and maybe unlock an ability or two' Ajax thought with amazement about his theory.

Kachum!

The entrance door of the room opened snapping Ajax out of his daydream, and a girl walked in.

She had sporting blonde hair that reached her waist and a nice body every guy would call 'hot'. Her name was Raya Blair

Ajax on the other hand forgot where he was or what day it was. He was too focused on the system that he forgot to check the time on his cube.

"Err..who are you?" Ajax asked as he scratches the back of his neck. Ajax has always been the shy type when it comes to talking to ladies or associating with people, he just likes staying on his own.

But people won't just let him 'stay on his own', they just push him around and bullies him.

"What do you mean?" Raya replied with a question.

"I come here every day" Raya added.

"Err..isn't it a little too late? It's past midnight you know" Ajax said with a nervous laugh.

Raya took her time to examine Ajax from head to toe, trying to figure out if he was high on jelly weed.

"What do you mean? It's one in the afternoon" said Raya with a baffled look.

"Huh?" Ajax quickly took out his small cube from his back pocket and checked the time and date.

'I was asleep for three days?' He thought with a surprised and worried look.

"I haven't been down here for some time because I had the stuff to take care of, I just decided to give it a shot today" Raya added noticing the strange boy in front of her was lost in thoughts.

'Darn it, I haven't carried out Draco's assignment let alone report back to him. Sh*t he's going to kill me' Ajax thought as he dashed out of the room with fear written all over his face.

"What a weirdo" Raya shook her head as he turned her head to face the doll and start the level.

But to her greatest surprise, the doll was no longer there.

'I thought no one can move the doll outside unless the level is completed, but there's nothing here' Raya thought as she searched the room.

'Does it mean that strange boy completed the level?' That was Raya's thought

A teenage boy with spiky brown hair could be seen running through the school hallway.

"Hey watch it d*ckhead"

"Out of the way loser".

Ajax kept bumping into people on his way and they keep raining curses on him.

But Ajax wasn't bothered about it at all, he had lots on his mind right now.

Ajax dashed inside his dorm room and sat on his bed breathing heavily.

The dorm room was a small square-shaped room that only has enough space to fit two beds and a little closet.

But Ajax's roommate isn't around most time.

He hardly stays in the dorm, reason because he doesn't want to be seen hanging around the so-called 'loser' of the school.

But Ajax wasn't bothered about his actions at all, he likes to be left alone most times.

[Daily Task status: 1/2]

[Run 10km: completed]

[Reward: 5 exp]

[Exp 5/100]

Ajax didn't even bother to go through the notifications he had just received for completing his task by just simply running around the school

He quickly brought out his small cube-like shaped object and checked the messages he missed.

The Cube also serves as a mobile phone. It's what everyone uses in this current world.

( Hey Ajax where's the delivery?)

( You know how angry I get when you arrive late?!)

( seems you didn't learn your lesson from last time )

(I'll make sure I kill you when I find you ).

Ajax's palm began to sweat as he read all the texts Draco sent him during his three days' sleep.

Ajax had a mission he needed to fulfill.

He was to go over to the Arc Two of the Mutant Academy to go get the jelly weed package for Draco.

Due to the number of teenagers around the world that wishes to train in the way of mutant, the government then further divided the Academy into three Arcs.

Ajax was in Arc one and the other Arcs is just a 30-minute ride to the other.

'What am I going to do? Draco is probably out looking for me' Ajax thought, he was currently sweating like a criminal who's about to go on a trial for a murder case.

'If I delay any longer the case would get worse than it already is. I'll just have to go face him and try to explain to him what happened. He'll believe me right?' Ajax convinced himself as he zoom outside his dorm room again.

_______

Currently, in the abandoned room where the metallic doll was located, Raya was still there trying to figure out just what happened.

'If truly he completed the level, then the powers must have been transferred to him' Raya thought with a curious look. 'I have to find him and ask him

_____

Ajax ran to the rooftop where their usual meeting takes place, but no one was there.

'Where could he be?' Ajax ran down and kept searching around where he thought he might find them but no luck.

Until he went to the football pitch.

It seems like a training section was going on right now, the sides of the pitch were crowded with students as they kept cheering one guy's name.

Draco! Draco! Draco!

Ajax squeezed his way through the crowd until he was finally in front and could see the guy he's been searching for.

Draco stopped what he was doing and turned his head to face Ajax.

Ajax gulped as both of their eyes locked.

'Is he going to punish me here in front of all these people?' Ajax thought as he found himself being drawn towards Draco slowly.

It felt like an invisible hand was pulling him towards Draco.

But everyone knew Draco was only using his Grade 3 Telekinesis ability to pull Ajax.

"Well well, look who finally decided to join us," Draco said with a smile that was not from his heart.

"What does Draco want with That dude?" A female student asked

"Don't know. Check it out. , it's the guy with no Skill slot" Another female replied pointing at Ajax's waist.

"I guess he's in deep sh*t".

Ajax felt a warm liquid wet his pants as Draco spoke.

Last time he only arrived late and he got the beating of his life, what then is going to happen to him now that he's been three days late?

"I-i-i"

Pow!

While Ajax was stuttering, a punch landed on his face which made him spit out blood from his mouth.

Ajax fell on his knees as he held his swollen red cheek in pain.

The remaining students who were watching the football training didn't even step in to save Ajax or even call a teacher.

They all stood there laughing and gossiping.

"Pick him up boys, I'm not done with him" Draco signals two of his huge friends and they both went behind Ajax pulling him up by his hair and holding both of his hands so he won't be able to move.

'Draco won't show any mercy, he's going to kill me right here and now. I have to defend myself by all means' Ajax thought as he saw Draco's fist being swung out again and heading towards his face.

[Time Freeze Activated]

[ -10 Soul point]

Ajax quickly activated Time Freeze, all he needed to do was to call out the name of the skill and include 'Activate'.

Activating the skill, everywhere around him froze.

Draco's arm stopped inches from his face and the whole students spectating the fight just stood there like statues.

Ajax of course found it creepy, but he knew he only had 2 seconds of use.

So he quickly sets his two arms free from the huge guys as they were both frozen.

When his arms were free, he wasted no time in sending out a punch of his toward Daraco's face.

Pow!

The punch connected neatly as Draco was pushed backward centimeters away from Ajax.

[Time freeze deactivated]

The whole crowd was amazed by Ajax's sudden speed and reflex. One second he was being held down by Draco's minions, and in a blink of an eye Ajax was free and then swung out a punch.

"Did you see that speed?" One of the students said

"Of course yes, and he doesn't even have a skill Slot" Another student replied with a look of surprise.

Draco was now fully recovered from the shock and punch, he began to walk forward towards Ajax.

"First you didn't carry out the task I gave you, second you didn't report back to me, and now you just hit me in the face. You're dead meat Ajax Hart" Draco said with a look of hate and pure anger.

He pulled his arm backward and swung out his fist again.

Pah!

The punch was stopped midway by a guy who stepped in front of Ajax.

The guy had messy snow-white hair and a muscular body. If this was a high school movie then this guy would be that hot guy that every girl in school is in love with.

His name was Enzo Sage.

Enzo was still grabbing unto Draco's fist as he began to clench it hard

Crack!

A loud cracking sound was heard and what followed after it was a scream of agony.

"Aargh!" Draco screamed as he felt his bones being broken.

"I think we are finished here wouldn't you agree?" Enzo said in his cool British accent.

Draco wasted time running away after Enzo released his fist.

"Are you okay mate?" Enzo asked Ajax with a look of concern.

Ajax just nodded as he began to run off back to his dorm because he doesn't want the people around him to see him and Enzo talking together.

The girls will just realize how ugly or not good-looking Ajax was if he were to be beside Enzo. At least that's what he thought.

While Ajax was heading back to his dorm, a window screen appeared in his line of sight.

[You showed bravery and stood up for yourself, even if you almost lost]

[Here's something to make you feel better]

[A new ability has been unlocked]

[Super fast healing: description: user will be able to regenerate and heal critical injuries. -5 soul points per use]

[Reward for showing bravery: 50 exp]

[Your soul point is running low]

[User needs to consume a soul to restore points]

[-10 soul points per hour if a soul is not consumed]