Chapter 1: Pass the level
"You are late!" A resonant baritone reverberated, accompanying a plume of smoke exhaled from the speaker's lips.
Four towering adolescents encircled a slender figure on the rooftop.
The lithe figure descended to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks, entreating, "Please, Liu," he implored, clutching at Liu's legs, "when the teacher discovered the jellyweed in my backpack, he punished me severely. I had to seek treatment at the clinic."
This slight figure, identified as Xiao Yang , bore the weight of seventeen years on shoulders hunched by the burdens of a modest upbringing.
His father's abandonment, following the birth of his younger sister, heralded an era of upheaval for Xiao's family.
His mother toiled ceaselessly, striving to amass the funds requisite for a skill slot, a prerequisite for survival in their contemporary world.
Xiao, unwilling to further burden his mother, resolved to enroll in the Mutants Academy.
This institution honed the talents of young mutants, providing them with the means to navigate a world that demanded extraordinary abilities.
Xiao harbored dreams of honing his skills, of fortifying himself for a future where he could safeguard his family.
Yet, his aspirations unraveled upon arriving at the academy; he was met not with camaraderie, but with derision and servitude.
Swiftly, he came to terms with the harsh reality: success in this world hinged on possessing a skill slot of commendable grade.
"First, you fail to deliver the jellyweed, and now you arrive tardy, armed with feeble excuses!" Liu's voice thundered, punctuating the air with a punch aimed squarely at Xiao's visage.
A resounding crack reverberated as Liu's fist met Xiao's cheek.
Xiao crumpled to the ground, cheek aflame, blood trickling from his lips.
"I assure you, it shan't recur," Xiao pled, trepidation etched across his countenance.
His entreaties, however, fell upon deaf ears.
Blows rained upon the hapless teen, each strike an impotent protest.
"I do not remunerate you ten tokens to disappoint me," Liu intoned, wiping blood from his knuckles with a cloth.
"Pray it does not recur," he added, departing with his remaining lackeys, leaving Xiao prone.
'Curse this governing regime. Curse those mutants who bequeathed their powers. Curse the day mutants breached our world,' Xiao's internal monologue seethed as he lay supine.
The world had irrevocably altered when a recklessly inquisitive scientist, Huo Lu, inadvertently forged a portal to another realm.
Mighty creatures, known as Mutants, traversed the threshold, wreaking havoc upon humanity.
The benevolent among them, harboring no ill will, chose to bestow their powers upon humans.
To safely harness these abilities, the power was extracted and refined into what became known as a skill coin.
Mutants wielded a panoply of powers: fire, water, ice, air, lightning, telekinesis, transformation, and more.
Bequeathing raw power to a human was perilous, hence the birth of the skill coin and its accompanying slot.
This slot, akin to a girdle, encircled the waist with a central orifice and a switch.
Inserting the coin and toggling the switch conferred the respective power, be it water, fire, or another element.
Post-conflict, the government augmented production of skill coins and slots, albeit at exorbitant prices.
Those bereft of means were now deemed inconsequential.
'If only I could amass enough power to teach those atop a lesson,' Xiao ruminated, knuckles white with determination.
As the pain ebbed, Xiao gingerly lifted himself, wiping the vestiges of blood with his sleeve.
'I suppose I'll persist in this endeavor; perhaps there is potency awaiting beyond level one,' he mused, descending from the rooftop and into the school edifice.
Minutes later, he stood before a portal emblazoned with the legend 'Mutant Game.'
Xiao pushed the door ajar and ventured within.
Among the Mutants who lingered on Earth, one, the most formidable, elected not to bestow his gifts.
This paragon of strength commanded an arsenal of powers coveted by all.
Before his demise, he forged a diminutive metallic automaton, no taller than four feet.
He decreed that whosoever vanquished the doll and surpassed level one would inherit his powers instantaneously.
For years, contenders assailed the doll, to no avail. It seemed to anticipate their every move, impervious to their assaults.
Consequently, they dismissed it as an elaborate ruse, a jest by the departed Mutant.
Yet Xiao persisted, clutching hope that a latent power lay concealed within.
"Let us make another attempt today," Xiao resolved, standing before the metallic effigy.
The doll possessed a bulbous cranium atop a slight frame, two spindly appendages, and, at its core, a verdant button.
"You shall soon witness my stratagem," Xiao vowed, clenching his fist, adopting a pugilistic stance.
Since his enrollment, Xiao had made this pilgrimage, grappling with the inscrutable doll, to no avail.
"Initiating level one," intoned a mechanized voice.
Xiao surged forward, thrusting his fist towards the doll's cranium.
Swish!
The doll deftly evaded, leaving Ajax to strike naught but air.
Xiao retracted his fist, channeling every ounce of his might and resolve.
With astonishing velocity, his fist hurtled towards the doll's cranium. In a deft maneuver, the doll evaded the strike, leaving Xiao to pummel empty space.
Undeterred, Xiao pivoted, executing a roundhouse kick aimed at the doll's head.
Yet again, the doll spun, expertly sidestepping Xiao's assault.
Xiao vaulted into the air, delivering a kick towards the doll's midriff.
This time, the doll crossed its arms, guarding its chest.
'Strange,' Xiao Yang ruminated.
Throughout all prior trials, the doll's hands had never stirred to deflect an assault; it had merely maneuvered.
Xiao dispatched a feeble punch anew, aiming for the chest, only for the doll to raise its arms defensively.
'Might this imply proximity to victory? If my hypothesis holds true, this shall be decisive,' Xiao conjectured, lashing out towards the doll's head once more.
The doll recoiled, but too sluggishly, for Xiao had already sent a kick towards the button.
Thunk!
A metallic reverberation resounded as Xiao's limb struck true.
"Level one: conquered," proclaimed the robotic voice.
'Wait, I have prevailed!' Xiao exulted, a wide grin adorning his face.
"Identifying level one victor," the robotic voice announced, commencing a thorough scan of Xiao Yang.
"Scan complete. Powers now transferring to the victor."
Upon hearing these final words, Xiao crumpled, dizziness descending and vision waning.
"What's... hap...ening..." Xiao faltered, succumbing to unconsciousness, as a verdant window materialized before him.
[TRANSACTION COMPLETED]
[ XIAO YANG NOW POSSESSES THE MUTANT SYSTEM].
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone