Eli sat there in a daze for about 10 minutes, Before his stomach rumbled. He checked the time with his phone and saw it was now 18:23. He ate a whole pizza just an hour ago. Why was he hungry again? "Is it because of the Evolution? Did it consume the nutrients in my body?" His stomach growled in agreement.

"It's a bit early, but might as well go for some tacos. This is the best place to get them in New York after all. Besides, I miss those..." Eli didn't get to eat them since he was in the military. He really did miss them.

Eli locked up the apartment and went out to search for an open taco shop. On the way, an ugly hooker tried to solicit him. Naturally, he just ignored her and kept walking. He also saw a little beggar boy, Holding a can filled with some change. He did not donate anything to the kid. He knew it was not going to help the kid, but the guy controlling him.

Eli soon found a taco shop and ordered 3 tacos. 2 extra spicy, 1 normal. After 15 minutes, the tacos were ready. He ate the 2 spicy tacos and left the normal one in a bag.

Walking back, when he was about to walk past the beggar boy, he gave the taco to the kid. Sure, he can't give the kid money, Since it would be taken away by the so-called guardian. However, He can still give the kid food. At least he won't sleep on an empty stomach.¹Something to remember next time you meet a beggar child, real shit right there

The kid thanked him profusely. This taco was worth half the money he got from all the others. And the best part, he can actually eat it! All his hard earning were taken away by his 'guardian' leaving him starving.²This is what really happens IRL, Please do remember it

Eli continued walking back, ignoring another 2 prostitutes, 1 Black, and a rare white one. Although this time, they looked more like a 6 and 7, which was rare for a street hooker, he wasn't interested. Not that he didn't want sex, or was scared now from an STD or STI, but more like too much on his head right now.

Ignoring the 2 middle fingers directed at him while calling him 'asshole', he went back to his apartment. Finally sated, he started contemplating on what to do now...

Looking at the options on hand, he needed to decide.

Option 1, he ignores the skill upgrade and focuses solely on upgrading his body, and with the leftover 7 points, use 3 points for the evidence collector, and another 4 for lvl 0 gear, to hide handprint, shoeprints, and the face. That way, he can maximize his killing potential. But doing so, he will need to kill, at the very least, 100 people to just get enough points for the skill upgrade. That does not sound like good min-maxing in the long run...

Option 2, ignore body upgrades completely, use the 7 points, and then kill 10 people and get the skill upgrade. This, on paper, sounds like the best move. But doing so will incur more risk. Besides his superhuman immune system, he is a fragile human. He didn't know what will happen if he gets shot in the head. Would he just die? Can he even use Back? He really, really, REALLY did not want to find out. He needed a safety net. And so...

Option 3, A compromise between the 1 and 2. Upgrade Instinct, allowing him to sense danger ahead of time. Also, get a lvl 1 helmet. After that, get an evidence collector, lvl 0 gloves, and boots. Also, get a storage ring, and a lvl 1 knife. It should total about... 10+10+7+5+ 5=37... Oh right, wasn't there that Stealthboy thing? Might be useful, if he buys the lvl 0 version, it should total at 40, leaving 97-40 = 57 points. While it will delay the time needed to get the time-stipend upgrade by a bit, it will at least ensure a safety net. Also, the items can be used continuously later.

Of course, there is also the option of getting random skills like a maniac, but that seemed redundant, at least for now. He did not have the points to waste on shit like that...

"Let's check the Stealthboy thing..."

Stealthboy lvl 0: Refracts light off of you, in a way that turns you almost transparent to the naked eye. It does not block sound, however. Has a battery life of 3 hours, and will need to recharge with sunlight or mana. It is shaped like a belt. Vulnerable to mana detection, and lvl 0 detection skills.

Stealthboy lvl 1: Now, it can prevent infrared and heat detection. It can also muffle the sound by a certain degree. However, the smell is still a problem. It is suggested to use special deodorants. Has a battery life of 3 hours, and will need to recharge with sunlight or mana, It is shaped like a belt. Vulnerable to mana detection, and lvl 1 detection skills.

"Hmm... Might as well buy the lvl 1 variant. While the lvl 0 one sounds useful, the lvl 1 variant is just too good a purchase."

"That would leave me with 50 points. But now that I think about it, cant I really go on a killing spree with all this? I can just invisibly go around, cutting everyone's throats. No one will hear me, or see me. The Stealthboy can also be used to protect my alibi. If I use it while inside a building, and they don't see me enter and exit, who can say I was even at the crime scene in the first place? The investigation team might just run in circles, not knowing who did it."

Eli contemplated for a bit, before thinking aloud, "But who will be my first target... Hmmm... I don't know the morality of that purple skull gang. If it is a peaceful gang, just getting small protection fees while preventing the meaner gangs from entering, I will feel bad about killing them. But if they are drug dealers or human traffickers... Hehe..."

"Ok! Let's start!"

Eli took about half an hour, designing 200g lvl 0 gloves and boots, as well as a 200g lvl 1 military knife that can also double as a bayonet. He bought the evidence collector, space ring, and a thin lvl 1 helmet, like some bikers helmet with super reinforced tinted glass. It can apparently cover his face from even security cameras, that can see through Tinted glass.

Customized Weapon lvl 0: Can buy a premade weapon or customize it yourself,  whether a firearm or cold weapon. All the types of equipment are as hard as Carbon steel on average, depending on how flexible you want it to be. 

Customized Weapon lvl 1: Like the lvl 0 variant, but 5 times as tough, can get sharper, and has better shock absorption. Can now channel mana to increase toughness and sharpness.

The armor variant was the same. It also had a special tinted glass that could block facial recognition and handprint-proof gloves. It was, however, mentioned that it was slightly weaker than the weapon variant since it needed extra flexibility.

From the descriptions, lvl 0 equipment is as tough as Carbon steel, but it isn't all that powerful, however. If made too thin, It is like putting on aluminum paper on you, making it practically useless. lvl 1 equipment though, is approximately 5 times as tough, from the description. While it far from being as tough as diamonds, it is far better, since its rigidity is low, and flexibility high. A lvl 0 sword can definitely shatter a diamond sword!³The reason why Minecraft is bullshit lvl 1 equipment can also get sharper and has more shock absorption than lvl 0 equipment, making them far better. A 400g lvl 1 helmet can be considered as more bulletproof than reinforced glass. A lvl 1 knife can cut through Carbon-steel like cutting wood with a Carbon steel knife.

The reason he bought the storage ring, was so that he can store the "Evidence". His weapon, armor, and clothes. If he was about to go close and personal, he was bound to get splashed by blood. His gloves in particular. Therefore, he was going to keep them inside the storage ring after he was done killing, and cleaning them when it was safe. That way, nobody can find any traces leading to him. While the police are busy doing the blame game and going in circles, he can just waltz in on another victim. It's perfect!

Now, all that was left was to wait until the cooldown on the evolution upgrade is off, and get the instinct evolution, and then he will be unkillable!

Eli now had nothing to do, so he went back to the bedroom and did some exercises. He needed to maintain his fitness now, he knew how easy it was to lose it.

After many power exercises and going on a jog, he came back to the house and went to take a shower. The bathroom doubled as a shower, and while it was a bit dusty, it was also the easiest place to clean, 10 minutes later it was clean enough to operate. After taking a clean shower with some soap he brought with him and taking care of other necessities, He browsed a bit on the phone before he went to bed at 20:30 and slept like a log.

The next day, he woke up at 5 in the morning. He slept for a bit more than 8 hours. Eli was used to sleeping for only 7 hours a day, he was probably mentally exhausted yesterday.

Eli just decided to do his daily routine, morning exercise. Jogging, power exercises... It lasted until 6:30. He then went to prepare breakfast. Eggs and bacon with some salad. When he was done, it was 7 now. He then went for a quick shower, changed into fresh clothes, and started cleaning the house again. Even if the apocalypse will happen in a year, he still needs to live like a human being in a healthy environment.

As he continued cleaning, suddenly, there was a knocking sound at the door. The cleaner he asked for is here. Opening the door, he saw what can be described as a solid 9. Long black flowing silky hair tied in a ponytail, light brown glossy skin, thin eyebrows, cherry lips, a small nose, light makeup, long eyelashes, big and shiny black eyes, clean trimmed nails, an hourglass figure, and large D cup chest and butt. She was 1.7m wearing sport shoes, had long blue jeans, and a shirt that definitely showed off her rack and perfect stomach. And judging from the nipple showing, she didn't wear a bra. She had golden butterfly earrings, a piercing on her lip, and a shiny piercing on her revealed naval. A black butterfly tattoo was below her naval. She looked 18-19.

The first thought that crossed his mind was, "How the hell did this girl survive inside the Bronx until now? Are the human traffickers here blind?".

The girl let out a shy smile, cheeks slightly red while checking him out. After 10 seconds of silence, the girl said, "Hi I'm Vivian, your Eli right?" "Yep" "My friend Emma said that you have a cleaning job for the whole day for 300$ right?" "That's right!" "Is it still valid? I really need this job!" She said, leaning forward a bit, revealing some cleavage, making Eli's eyes wander before snapping awake. "Ahem* Yes it's valid, come and help me clean this house, and I might even add a bonus if it is satisfactory!" To which Vivian smiled brightly with a glint, her trick successful.

What can Eli say? He was a sucker to pretty girls. Especially since he was backed up for over a month...

bignt

Now, what will happen in the next chapter? Is the purple skull gang really evil? Will he go on a killing spree? Will he bang Vivian in the next few chapters? Take a guess!