Chapter 4: The South Side's Rite of Passage
Lip's question sounded casual — like idle small talk —
but in truth, he was testing William.
He wanted to see what this guy really wanted with his sister.
William didn't answer him.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward the two redneck punks who had been harassing Fiona earlier.
Right then, his system chimed again.
Ding!
[New Mission Detected: Teach a lesson to the two rednecks who insulted Fiona — in front of her.]
[Reward: Firearms Mastery.]
Now that was a nice reward, even if not immediately useful.
But beating up a couple of loudmouths?
That was something William was born to do.
Without replying to Lip's probing question, he stood up, hands in his pockets, and walked straight toward the two men.
---
Behind the counter, Fiona was taking orders,
but her eyes kept flicking toward William and her brother.
When she saw the stranger heading for the two men who'd just made those filthy jokes about her,
her heart skipped a beat.
"No way… this kind of drama can't actually be happening to me, right?"
"Still... kinda feels nice."
---
"What the—? You got a problem, buddy?"
One of the rednecks looked up, eyeing William from head to toe.
He sized him up, and confidence returned to his face.
William might've been taller, but he was leaner — not bulky like them.
If it came to a fight, the redneck figured he had the upper hand.
William smiled faintly.
"Didn't your mothers ever teach you to talk to women with some respect?"
He spoke calmly, almost pleasantly —
then, before either of them could respond, he reached out and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"What the hell are you—"
Crack!
William slammed their heads together with a sharp, brutal motion.
The dull thud echoed through the restaurant.
Both men reeled backward, dazed, clutching their foreheads.
The whole place went silent for half a second—
then erupted into a wave of gasps and startled whispers.
---
Lip stared in disbelief.
Fiona froze mid-motion, her eyes wide.
"What the fuck…?" Lip muttered. "This guy's actually serious about Fiona?"
For all his arrogance and cynicism, Lip noticed things.
He remembered how those guys had harassed his sister earlier —
and he knew exactly what this was about.
He thought William's move was reckless, immature even…
but deep down, something in him warmed to it.
"He did it for my sister."
Rationally, he knew it was dumb.
Emotionally? He couldn't help but approve.
It was the classic Gallagher contradiction —
mock what you secretly admired.
---
As for Fiona, her mind wasn't half as complicated.
She just stood there, lips parted,
watching this strange, handsome man stand up for her without hesitation.
Her heart pounded.
All she could think was—
"...He did that for me."
And for the first time in a long while,
someone had made Fiona Gallagher forget her endless exhaustion, her broken pride,
and the meaningless grind of surviving the South Side.
There was only one thing running through Fiona Gallagher's head at that moment—
Tonight, she was going to sleep with that man.
It had nothing to do with love.
No romance, no delusion — just pure, unfiltered chemistry.
A raw hormonal impulse she hadn't felt in a long time.
---
Meanwhile, the two redneck punks William had just taught manners were still groaning on the floor.
They hadn't been seriously hurt — William had held back.
But in their minds, they'd just been attacked for no reason.
Rage twisted across their faces as they got up, red-eyed and swearing.
They charged at William like two bulls seeing red.
Too bad for them, they weren't fighting a regular guy.
They were fighting someone with [Freestyle Combat — Mastery].
In William's eyes, they were just free sparring dummies.
Before Fiona could even step out from behind the counter to intervene, it was over.
A blur of movement.
Two dull thuds.
Both men hit the floor again, groaning louder this time.
---
"Wow…"
Fiona couldn't help it — the word slipped out under her breath.
Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at the handsome stranger who'd just floored two grown men like it was nothing.
---
"Fuck! Cops are coming! Let's move!"
Lip came running from outside, waving his arms like a man on fire.
He grabbed William by the sleeve and bolted.
William didn't argue. He followed without hesitation — half-running, half-smiling.
As they darted through the back alley, the system chimed in his head again.
Ding!
[Mission Complete: Teach a lesson to the two rednecks who insulted Fiona — in front of her.]
[Reward: Firearms Mastery.]
And suddenly — his mind was flooded with knowledge.
How to field-strip a Glock in twenty seconds.
Reassemble it in fifteen.
Reload blindfolded.
Clean, jam-clear, and double-tap in motion.
Every bit of it was instinctual.
By the time they'd hopped two fences and cut through a few backyards, William felt the skill settle into his bones like it had always been there.
He and Lip bent over, hands on their knees, gasping for air.
The early January chill bit hard.
Running in that kind of cold wasn't kind to the lungs.
William recovered fast — strong, steady, only a little winded.
Lip, though, looked like he'd just sprinted a marathon. His face was red, breath ragged.
William didn't comment.
He knew Lip's type — proud, volatile, and always one insult away from a fight.
Telling him to "work on his cardio" would do nothing but piss him off.
So William just clapped him on the shoulder.
"Take it easy, man. I've got something to take care of."
Then he left.
---
He'd already made an impression on Fiona.
Later tonight, when he intercepted her little "date" with Jimmy Lishman, things would be much easier.
But first, there was another mission to handle.
The South Side's favorite extracurricular activity —
Karen Jackson.
---
William arrived at the Jackson residence and rang the doorbell.
Inside, Sheila — ever the nervous wreck — nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Who on earth could that be at this hour?"
"I'll get it, Mom!"
Karen called as she came down the stairs, school bag slung over her shoulder.
She opened the door — and froze for half a second.
A tall, blond man stood on the porch, snow dusting his shoulders, eyes sharp and calm.
"Hi there. Can I help you?"
Her tone softened instantly — sweet, flirtatious. Karen had a weakness for handsome faces.
William looked her up and down — the infamous South Side rite of passage.
He knew the reputation.
Dozens of guys. God knows how many stories.
And yet, looking at her now, she still had that innocent, almost angelic face that could fool a saint.
"Karen Jackson?" he asked.
"That's me. Have we met?"
She tilted her head, smiling, trying to recall where she'd seen him before.
She hadn't, of course.
William's gaze flicked to the books sticking out of her tote.
"Heading to school?" he asked casually.
"Mind if I walk with you?"
"Sure," she said, shutting the door behind her without a second thought.
---
Snowflakes drifted around them as they walked.
Karen hugged her arms for warmth, rubbing them briskly.
But her mind wasn't on the cold.
"What is with this guy?" she thought, sneaking glances at him.
"I'm freezing my ass off, and he hasn't even offered to hold me? Is he seriously this dense?"
No, she wasn't cold. She was calculating.
And William — having seen Shameless — knew exactly what she was doing.
Otherwise, he might've actually believed she wanted warmth.
---
Ding!
[New Mission Detected: Interrupt Lip and Karen's intimate encounter.]
[Reward: Metal Manipulation (Level 3).]
William blinked.
"...Metal manipulation?"
As in — Magneto's power?
His heart skipped.
Level 3 wasn't the full "rip-the-Golden-Gate-Bridge-in-half" kind of Magneto power,
but it was still ridiculously strong.
He hadn't even come here for that.
He'd just wanted to block Lip's hormones before they led him into another life-ruining mess.
And now the system was handing him magnetic superpowers.
He could hardly believe his luck.
William smiled faintly, turning to look at Karen.
"Karen," he said smoothly, "let's not waste time."
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out.
"You want this, don't you?"