Impurity. The mission from my lifeline had arrived. The price was paid and now it was time for me to cash in. And what did I do in the face of such a momentous occasion? I stood there like a green rookie, unable to tear my eyes away from the horror show unfolding beneath me.

“So!” The girl said, facing the rest of the gang. She spread a hand across her handiwork, that same genial, disgusting smile plastered on her human-like face. “Who wants to be next? Don’t be shy!”

That broke Mack’s trance. He howled and drew a handgun from his belt. Tears fell from his eyes as he aimed the barrel at the girl. “You’ll pay, you fucking monster!”

“No!” One of his lackies cried. “Don’t, boss!”

Too late. Mack unloaded his entire magazine into the girl. The bangs echoed throughout the hallway, overpowering the roar of the flame. Plaster from the wall around me exploded into pieces as I threw myself to the floor. Five of the shots came up short. Four of them hit their target. Flesh squelched and splurted as the rest of the shots tore through the girl’s body. I scrambled to my feet and took position back at the corner of the corridor.

The girl stumbled, a liquid dripping from her mouth. It shone like molten gold and flowed like raw magma. More bulged out from the holes in the torso. As an organ fell out of her body with a thud, I thought Mack had actually won.

But the girl crushed my hopes. The fire from the two dead boys twisted upwards like a coiling snake and rushed towards her. It fell into her wounds and through her body, sealing them up like fresh flesh implants. Embers crawled up and down on her skin.

The girl stood up and wiped her cheek. “Wow.” She said. “That was incredibly rude of you. I was going to let my friends teach you some manners, but I’ll think I’ll do it myself!”

“Run, boss!” Another ganger screamed. He and another ganger grabbed Mack’s frozen form and dragged him backwards.

“Oh no, you don’t!” The girl said, in a chipper tone. She crossed the gap in a flash, her flag swinging backward. Mack was caught like a fish in a net. To his credit, he roared and launched himself at the girl while caught, fists swinging. It almost connected even, and then his entire body was immolated in a pillar of fire just like his lieutenants.

The flag was withdrawn. The fire swarmed around the other two poor bastards. One of them wailed for his mother as they joined their comrades on the floor. Smoke draped across the ceiling like a thundercloud. More heat sallied forth and smashed into me like a fist from god. The cloth covering my mouth dried in an instant.

Status Effect Acquired: Smoke Inhalation! -2 to ENDURANCE and AGILITY.

The girl turned out. My stomach dropped. “Hello, mister Kyle!” She gave a cheery wave. “Would you like to join us.”

“What…” I began, “The absolute fuck is your problem?” It ended with a shriek. My frame shook the same way it had on my first mission as a green. The girl simply laughed.

“There is no problem.” The girl said. “Remember I said I was doing charity work? This is part of it. All this grief and agony among young men and women these days…I couldn’t bear it, so I joined a service that would provide them relief.”

“What relief? They’re dead!” I screeched. “You killed them, you mad bitch!”

“I know it must be shocking. All my friends said it was for them. But look at those young men now.” The girl said. She gestured to the wall of flame. “They’re happy now. Can’t you hear the relief lifted off their shoulders? It’s just a distant memory.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, I forgot. You cannot understand your language. Apologies, mister Kyle!”

I stared at her. A wide-eyed blistering face, screaming and suffocating as the fire rushed down his throat. The last memory of pure agony carried to the grave, leaving not even the faintest pile of ashes for the family. Nausea rose in my throat, only battered down by the sheer heat assaulting my skin. I wasn’t going to pretend the gangers were kind boys who met an unlucky turn of fate, but to die like that wasn’t right. It wasn’t human.

Oh. The last rational part of my mind said. That’s what those screens were talking about. That’s what my lifeline wants me to do.

“Have you changed your mind? No?” The girl sighed. “You were so kind to me, mister. You really helped me out. We could make a good team That’s why I’ll give you the privilege of something special!”

Instead, she ducked as I unloaded the baton from my Inventory and threw it at her face. A second’s worth of opportunity.

I turned around and ran for my life, away from the smoke and fire, the empty gun in the ground, and from the Impurity girl whose name was not Lisa.

My lungs burned as I ran through the darkened hallways. My footsteps made large thump-thump noises as I scrambled for any door or window that led out of the nightmare. None did. No matter how hard I kicked or shoved them, they refused to open. It was the same with the wall. Whatever the girl had done, she had sealed off any possible exit.

TIP: Impurities distort the environment around them (without exception). You cannot escape an impure zone until the corresponding Impurity/Impurities have been suppressed.

Throughout my frenzy, the girl strode through the hallways, singing to herself. She came across a ganger, set him on fire and converted him into one of her ‘friends’. Their hollow screams echoed amongst the crackling of the fire, soon followed by more of the same.

The truth I had desperately tried to avoid settled upon me. If I wanted out, I would have to beat the girl. Or suppress her, in that case.

I skidded to a stop where the heat and smoke were less prevalent and crouched to the floor. It gave me time to think.

Hey, INTERFACE-OS! What does suppress mean?

TIP: To suppress an Impurity means to halt its anomalous effects. Try damaging its main body for a start!

I summoned my knife. The instant it came into being, the handle began to heat up. Holding it without gloves made it liability. The edge was still sharp and wouldn’t melt in the fire, assuming those were non-anomalous.

That’s right. The fire got smaller when she healed from it. What if I inflicted enough wounds onto her to offset it?

It sounded nice, but how was I supposed to get close to the girl in the first place?

Water? Small amounts would evaporate the moment they came close. A large blasting hose could spray her down, a gang hideout wouldn’t have one on standby. Wait, that gang leader had called for their lackies to get fire extinguishers. Did they succeed? Judging by the girl’s continued singing, I doubted it. It was all I had to go on, so I picked myself and ran some more until I came across a few surviving gangers. They were crowded around a window.

“HEY! ANYONE OUT THERE? HELP!” One of them banged on the frame. A futile effort. “IEHAR? POLICE? ANYONE? WE’RE DYING IN HERE!”

“We’re in an Impure Zone. It’s not possible…just save your effort, man…”

“They’re not gonna come. They’re not gonna come. Oh god, why didn’t I listen to Mom. I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”

That last one belonged to a kid. He couldn’t be older than fifteen, at most. His form was gangly and thin, arms like branches. His tattoos weren’t as pronounced or colorful as his fallen peers’, either. Must be a hanger-on. They were used for the grunt work and were forced into dangerous initiations for the orientations.

“Kid!” I shouted. I snapped my fingers in front of the ganger’s face. “I’m talking to you, kid!”

“Whuh?” The kid said, my tone blank. His eyes darted side by side like flashing lights on the advertisement boards. “Who are you?”

“New guy. Fire extinguisher. Where is it?”.

“You’re not gonna fight her, are you?” The kid whispered. He made a jerking motion and cowering further, pressing my hands against his head and curling up. “Oh god, Ben, Jerry, Mack…all dead...”

“Focus! Tell me if you have one or not.”

“They tried! You think they didn’t have the same idea?” The kid shrieked. “They tried to put out the fire. But the Impurity rushed forward with her flag and…and…”

“And what?” I pressed.

“She blocked the spray with her flag!” The kid cried. “It didn’t work.”

Shit. Now I have to ambush her.

“Are there any more on this floor?”

“Y-you’re going to fight her too?”

I grabbed his shoulders and shook him, patience gone. “Just tell me!”

“Storage room!” The boy sobbed. Of course. The one place the item I needed was back the way I came, right where the girl was.

Wonderful.

I ran another loop through the fkiir, checking every open door I found. The ground was beginning to scorch. The moment I found the storage room, I dived in and slammed it behind me.

Various chemical products were on display across shelves and tables. Store-brand bleach, illegal packets of white powder, a minty-smelling sludge and more. The arrangement was haphazard at best. Vitamin supplements from Mercer Medicals, hair gels from ThreadFair, store-brand painkillers and more. I dug through shelves and drawers as fast as I could. Anything that didn’t work was thrown promptly into a corner.

I eventually found what I was looking for behind a bench. A fire extinguisher spray, consisting of a small tube connected to a nozzle. The fire retardant was compressed inside. If I managed to spray its contents onto the girl, would I be able to suppress her flames?

No, the flame extinguisher alone wouldn’t be enough. I needed something else. A tool that could stagger the girl just for a moment and let him unleash the fire extinguisher! Another weapon.

I quickly flipped through Interface-OS. The inventory had nothing. Allies, Assistant and the rest were all locked. I then noticed a mail icon with a notification flashing dot at the bottom. Desperately, I chose it.

Welcome to the MAILBOX.

You will occasionally receive messages from other entities. They will be stored and archived in the MAILBOX for future reading.

There was already one entry.

Title: Welcome, new User!

Welcome to INTERFACE-OS, user Kyle Licht. We hope you will find the application fruitful throughout your new journey. To celebrate, we have provided you with some freebies. Check them out!

Attachment: 1500 Alexandrite, 1000 $NF, 10x Item Gacha Ticket, 10x Unit Gacha Ticket

Yes! This was exactly what I was looking for. I tapped on the attachment icon and got a notification stating I had received the items.

After evaluating feedback, it was decided to implement a luck-based system as a means of acquiring new items and units, in order to maximize Player suspense and subsequent euphoria. You may know it as a ‘gacha’.

“What.” I said. “What the fuck?”

Gacha? As in, a luck-based system? One in which it was completely possible for him to get fucked over by the invisible god of numbers. The system wanted to use that because it was more fun?

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

The item gacha is where you can obtain new items through the use of Item Gacha tickets or Alexandrite (AX). 1 roll costs 150 AX and 10 rolls cost 1500 AX. If you perform a 10 roll, you will be guaranteed an SR Item!

In front of me was a splash screen, consisting of a colorful banner with various items dotted across it, highlighted in sparkles and lights. They cycled through a half-minute intervals, each one a tantalizing image of the possibilities I could. There was also a menu pointing to the rates, but I didn’t care. Beggars couldn’t be choosers.

FRESH NEW ITEM GACHA! GET RARE WEAPONS, MEDICINES AND ARMORS! A GUARANTEED SSR FOR NEW PLAYERS!

Yes! This is exactly what I’m looking for?

“Roll the gacha!” I shouted. “Use my tickets!”

Used up 10x Item Gacha Tickets!

Rolling the item gacha…

Rolling the item gacha…

Rolling the item gacha…

Out of nowhere, a metallic box dropped in front of me. It was a standard shipping crate, small-sized and oft used by megacorporations to transport their goods across countries. I grabbed the lid and wrenched it open. The lid instantly was flung open, sailing in arc into the smoky air before landing on the ground with a loud clang. The four sides collapsed and items began to fall out of it.

Obtained Beer Can (N)!

Obtained Instant Noodles (N)!

Obtained Raincoat Jacket (R)!

“No, no, no…” I growled to myself from my makeshift wet cloth. “I need something useful, damn it!”

Obtained Basic Medical Kit (R)!

Obtained EMP Grenade (SR)!

Obtained Paper Cutter (R)!

Obtained Portable Torch (R)!

Better, but still not good enough! If only that EMP Grenade had been a regular grenade instead…

Obtained Weapon Repair Kit (SR)!

Obtained Silver Ingot (SR)!

The final item came out with rainbows and sparkles. I prayed to all the gods and then some that it would be something useful.

A real handgun, to be exact, complete with a set of ammunition. It wasn’t one of those rubber-fakes, either. It was the real deal. I picked it up. Cold, metallic and heavy. Hell yes.

ITEM NAME: MONO-III Machina 10mm Handgun

Rarity: SSR

DESCRIPTION: Advancements in ammunition and firearm technology have shrunken the once-unwielding monolithic bullets down to handgun level. Comprised of a singular piece of material, monolithic bullets can perform massive damage onto organic materials. This new handgun from Machina Inc. will surely find a use in your arsenal against impure entities! Be careful of the recoil, though! Scales with STRENGTH and DEXTERITY.

All items have been sent to your MAILBOX for pickup. Acquire them at your leisure. Once you take them out of the MAILBOX, they cannot be put back in, meaning you will have to store them yourself!

Perfect. This was perfect. Monolithics were overkill, but that was exactly the type of firepower I needed against that monster!

The crate disappeared into thin air. I ignored it. A plan was already formulating in my mind. There were a dozen ways it could go wrong and get me killed, but it was all I had.