Ethan Cole - The Unlimited System

Ethan sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall. The room was quiet, except for the soft hum of the air conditioner. His shoulders were tense, and his hands hung between his knees.

He leaned forward and rubbed his temples. His mind wouldn't stop replaying the rooftop meeting. Lucien LaRue. The threats. The way everything could have gone wrong.

And then Mark showed up, just in time.

'If Mark hadn't come… I don't know if I'm able to face Lucien.'

Then another thought crossed his mind. He had learned from Mark and Maya that the heirs to the Great Families were all Ascendants. That meant only one thing. Lucien was definitely an Ascendant, too.

'I've trained with Mark and Maya... But only Maya used a little bit of the Ascendant's strength. She hadn't use the so called Ascendant Power yet.'

Ethan was simulating a lot of different scenarios. He believed that Lucien wouldn't be as merciful to not use his strongest attack.

Ethan shook his head. He didn't want to imagine it. Things hadn't gone bad. At least not yet. But the fear of how close it came still weighed on his chest.

He thought about what Jessica said before leaving the dining room.

"Don't forget, Monday's the big day," Jessica said before adding, "The new staff starts at Nova Tech. David will give them the tour and a full briefing. Then we begin onboarding for all departments. Two days, tops."

She had smiled while saying it. It was calm and confident. But to Ethan, it felt like another mountain on his shoulders. Monday wasn't just going to be a normal day. It was the start of the real thing.

His company. His vision.

And he had to lead it.

'What if I mess it up? What if they look at me and see someone who doesn't belong?'

He took a deep breath and reached for his phone. The screen lit up as he opened the Unlimited System. His finger scrolled through the menus until he reached the section for skills.

He stared at two of them.

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[+] Leadership (Basic)
[+] Public Speaking (Basic)

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He hadn't really thought of unlocking these kind of skills. But now?

People would be watching him. Listening. Depending on him.

Besides, he believed that every single skill in the system would be something he was going to need. Maybe not now, but somewhere in the near future.

"I've never led a company," he muttered. "I don't even know how to talk in front of a crowd. How am I supposed to make them trust me? This is the only way."

His thumb hovered over the screen.

Then he made his choice. He was going to unlocked Public Speaking and Leadership to the Intermediate tiers.

"Let's hope these skills will make me better."

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Skills Unlocked:

Leadership [Intermediate]

Public Speaking [Intermediate]

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A strange warmth spread through him like a steady infusion of confidence and clarity. Words and ideas he hadn't even considered began forming in his mind.

Phrases that could rally a team, inspire trust, command a room. He straightened slightly, feeling the change settle into place.

"Alright," he muttered. "That's one thing sorted."

But it wasn't enough. His thoughts drifted back to the rooftop, to Lucien's sharp movements and deadly precision. And then to Mark, to his fluid, unshakable, and effortless control.

Ethan had watched them both, realizing just how wide the gap was between him and the world he'd been dragged into.

His jaw tightened. If he wanted to survive, if he wanted to protect his family and everything he'd built, he couldn't rely on others to always step in. He needed to be ready for whatever—or whoever—came next.

No hesitation this time.

"Push all unlocked Combat Skills, Stealth, and Tracking to Master Tier," he said, his voice steady.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The system hesitated for a moment as if processing the enormity of the request before confirming.

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Skills:

1. Krav Maga [Master]

2. Close Quarters Combat [Master]

3. Tactical Firearms [Master]

4. Stealth [Master]

5. Tracking [Master]

6. Heightened Sense [Passive]

7. Eidetic Memory [Passive]

8. Public Speaking [Intermediate]

9. Leadership [Intermediate]

=====

The moment the system confirmed the upgrades, a strange stillness settled over Ethan.

His ears adjusted first. 'What is this?'

Every sound in the room became clearer, each creak of the floor, the faint whirr of the air conditioner, even the distant hum of traffic outside.

But more than that, he began noticing the spaces between the sounds. The moments of silence. The safe pockets where movement wouldn't be heard.

His breathing slowed without him thinking about it.

He stood and took a single step across the room.

No sound. Not even the soft tap of his heel.

He tried again, this time shifting his weight deliberately, pressing down with the edge of his foot.

Still nothing.

It wasn't just that he was quieter. It was that he knew how to be quiet. His body adjusted naturally as his shoulders relaxed, joints loose, and spine aligned. He instinctively avoided floorboards that would creak, shifting through the space like he'd walked it a hundred times before.

No effort. No noise. Just smooth, practiced silence.

'This is Stealth…' he realized. 'Real Stealth. Not just moving quietly, but moving invisible to the senses.'

Then came the second shift. Less physical. More internal.

His attention turned outward, like his mind stretched beyond the room. He didn't just see; he noticed.

The little bit worn spot on the carpet where someone had stood often. The faint mark on the window latch that suggested it had been opened recently. Even the trail of flattened dust near the bookshelf, someone had walked there not long ago.

And more than that, he felt the direction they went.

Ethan stepped back, his eyes scanning without focus. A pattern emerged, a trail made of signs most people would miss. It was like reading a language he had only just learned, but already knew fluently.

'Tracking,' he thought. 'But not just tracks. Signs. Movement. Flow.'

Every corner of the room whispered something now. Where people had been. What they touched. What they avoided. And if he focused hard enough… he could imagine where they were going next.

Ethan exhaled slowly.

He hadn't just gained skills. He had become something else—calmer, more alert, more precise.

And for the first time, he understood the silent power of watching from the shadows.

Not to hide.

But to choose when to act.

Ethan stopped, letting out a slow breath. His hands rested on his hips as he stared at the blank wall, thinking about everything again despite the upgrade he had received.

This wasn't just a fight for survival anymore. It wasn't even about power. It was about responsibility, to himself, to his family, and to the people who believed in him. And to face what was coming, he needed to be better.

Lucien's words echoed in his mind, "You're playing a game far bigger than you realize."

"Yeah," Ethan muttered, his tone grim but determined. "But I'm learning the rules."

He glanced back at the Shop Panel, the glow reflecting in his steely eyes. This was just the beginning. Whatever came next, he would be ready.

He had to be.

***

Inside the parked car on the far side of the Cole residence, Mark sat in the driver's seat with the engine off. The interior lights were dim, casting a faint glow on his face.

Beside him, Maya leaned back in the passenger seat, a tablet balanced on her lap. The high-grade communication device projected a small holographic feed above it, with three video windows arranged in a triangle.

Ezra's feed showed him in a hotel room, the city skyline faintly visible through the glass behind him. He stood near the window, arms crossed. Yamal sat on a couch, half-lit by a nearby lamp, stretching his legs out with casual ease.

The last feed showed Steve outside, the night breeze rustling his coat. He looked to be on a rooftop somewhere, likely one of the buildings near the LaRue storage facility they were watching.

"We've gone over this twice already," Mark said calmly, but his voice carried a tight edge. "There's no time. If we wait, we lose the element of surprise."

"Or we walk straight into something we can't walk out of," Steve countered, adjusting his earpiece. "Mark, come on. We still don't know how big this place is. We don't know how many guards they've got, what kind of tech they're using, or even what kind of freaks they might be making in there."

Maya glanced sideways at Mark but didn't interrupt. Her fingers drummed lightly on her knee.

"That's why we're not dragging the whole team in," Mark said. "I'm not risking anyone else unless we're sure. Maya and I will go in. Quiet. In and out."

Steve looked unconvinced. "You're gambling."

"Maybe," Mark admitted. "But it's a calculated risk. If what the cloaked man said is true, if the LaRues caught his action, they're just minutes or hours away from moving everything out of that facility. We miss that window, and we lose our only shot ."

"They've already moved this far under our radar," Maya added, arms folded. "If they disappear, we'll be chasing shadows."

Yamal snorted softly from the hotel couch. "Do we really need backup for this? It's just the LaRues. They've always had power and money, sure. But this? Sounds like they're just bluffing to stay relevant."

Mark's gaze snapped to Yamal's feed, his voice steely. "Never underestimate an enemy who hides in the shadows. The LaRues survived for decades by letting people believe they were irrelevant. That's the mistake we can't afford to make."

Ezra nodded in quiet agreement, his face unreadable. "Yamal, you weren't there when we raided that compound in Edros. Remember who was funding the tech?"

"Yeah," Yamal muttered, running a hand through his hair. "LaRue."

Mark leaned forward, his voice firm. "If I had more time to think this through, I wouldn't be doing it either. But time isn't on our side. If they're close to launching Artificial Ascendants, then even a few days could change everything."

"Alright. Alright. I got it," Steve let out a sigh and looked away from the camera. "But please go in with eyes wide open. Full recon. If it looks bad, you pull out. I mean it, Mark. I don't care how close you are."

Mark nodded. "Agreed."

"Do you want me to reposition?" Steve asked. "I can get eyes on their outer perimeter from a higher vantage."

"No need," Maya replied. "Just stay with the Coles."

There was a pause before Steve spoke again, quieter this time. "Just… watch each other's backs."

Mark met Maya's eyes for a second, then turned back to the screen. "Always."

The call ended. The holograms faded into nothing.

The car was quiet again, only the sound of the wind brushing against the windows.

Maya looked ahead, thoughtful. "This is reckless, you know."

"I know," Mark said. "But it's the only shot we have."

She gave a faint, humorless smile. "Then let's not miss."

Mark reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a folded copy of the map, now marked with extra notations and estimated guard shifts. He studied it one more time as the shadows outside grew darker.

Dawn would come soon.

And with it, were answers or consequences.