Chương 26

Ethan watched the approaching enemies with a serene expression as his cloak fluttered in the wind. The afternoon sun reflected off the shiny armor of the tier-4 cultivator riding a horse-like creature. Around him were Nuvian's friends, on foot and trying to keep pace with him. The shiny armor belonged to a human, so there were two humans and two elves. They stopped about 120 feet away from Ethan. The tier-4 dismounted from the creature and called for Ethan.'' Is it true what I was told?''

He looked overly cautious for someone talking to two tiers below him.

''Oliver's team tried to rob you but failed, and you spared their lives?'' Ethan gazed at the others as he tried to pick up clues from their body language.

''That's right.''''Then you'll have to come with us. We will confiscate your belongings and confine you in a residence of the McGregors until they return and confirm your story,'' the shiny one said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.''And what if they changed their story or had already died after I left them there?'' Ethan asked with a frown.

''Then what? I'll just die?''''Do you think this is a negotiation?'' the elf who Ethan punched earlier barked. The shiny one threw a displeased look at the elf before speaking to Ethan, ''Listen, kid, Oliver's father is my captain. If it were him who came to you, you'd be lying on the ground bleeding and explaining everything from the start. Now I'm giving you a choice. If your claims are true, then you might have a chance to live through this.'' Ethan started to walk toward them slowly.

''Listen, Sparky, I spared Oliver's team for a variety of reasons. Do not mistake my actions for weakness. Whether I live or not is not something you or the McGregors get to decide.'' He stopped about 70 feet away and unleashed his [Mana Aura].

''In return for your kindness, let me give you a warning as well; I don't do well with threats.'' The shiny one's frown deepened as the other's pose faltered.

''Then I guess I'll drag you back with missing limbs,'' he said with determination.

''Attac–'' Two [Shadow Spikes] appeared, one at the forehead of the tier-3 elf, the other in front of the tier-4's mouth. With wide eyes, the tier-4 moved his head at the last second, and the shadow spike tore his cheek from the inside. The tier-3 wasn't so lucky; he collapsed to the ground with a confused expression and a hole in his forehead. Ethan sent two poisoned spider legs with [Fabric Tear] at tier-2's and ran for the tier-4 one.

He needed to finish this fight quickly because this man had at least two rank-2 skills, not to mention the stat difference. Just before he [Blink]ed, he saw that the others had somehow deflected the spider legs, but Beet slashed the neck of one like butter and went for the other. Calling his daggers to him, he teleported behind the enemy and struck the nape of his neck. A yellow shield of light appeared, and the dagger ground against it, throwing off sparks.

As Ethan was thinking that Sparky was the perfect name for the man, he saw him turn with gritted teeth, which was all the more clear with his torn cheek. He [Blink]ed 20 feet back to evade the incoming fist, and it turned out to be a good call because a sound wave came after the fist. Ethan now knew that he couldn't dodge his attacks too closely, as even the aftereffect would hurt him. He sent two more shadow spikes, but the same shield appeared, leaving Sparky undamaged. Bullshit, there's gotta be a weakness.

How did I injure him in the first place? Sparky appeared in front of him in just two steps. This time Ethan didn't escape but [Blink]ed next to him. Raising his hand, he sent two spikes from his sleeve to the eyes of the enemy. Sparky closed both eyes, and Ethan took advantage of the opening to stab his dagger through the torn cheek and into his teeth. He shattered Sparky's teeth, but in exchange, Sparky shattered his ribs with a punch.

Taking ragged breaths with agony, Ethan now understood that the shield skill was connected to Sparky's skin. A kick came toward his kidney as he [Blink]ed again, but the sound wave made him stumble and roll to the ground. If he didn't have any internal bleeding before, he certainly did now. Ethan [Blink]ed before Sparky was upon him and kept [Blink]ing around him while sending [Shadow Spikes] at his shield as a distraction.

Once he had the opening he was looking for, he [Blink]ed right in front of him and grasped his throat, tightening his grip. Even when Sparky sent a knee to his thigh, he didn't let go. As soon as he got the right angle, a [Shadow Spike] rose from his sleeve, right into the hole in Sparky's nose, reaching his brain. They both fell to the ground at the same time. Ethan looked at Beet and saw it was also about to end its fight. He checked his health before taking out a potion and drinking it.

Health: 172/700 Mana: 430/1000 Stamina: 488/600'DING! You have leveled up!' The potion gave him 500 health, almost filling his bar entirely. As his ribs and bones started to heal, his rationality returned, and he tried to grasp what had just happened. I should've drunk this potion earlier. Two more hits and I would've died. But with how fast he was, I could've only had the chance after [Blink]ing away more than five times. [Blink]'s range is too short, and I'm too fragile.

There were no defense skills like that shield in the shop. I need to fix those weaknesses somehow. It didn't take long for Beet to kill the last elf. Fingers, a foot, an ear–there were pieces of flesh everywhere. Apparently, Beet killed the guy bit by bit. It looked more like a torture scene than a fight. Ethan was going to give him a potion as well but realized that he was almost uninjured.'' Don't get smug now,'' Ethan teased the tiny beast walking toward him with a swag.

''I didn't see you jumping to the tier-4 Sparky.'' He looked at the four bodies around them before realizing his hands were shaking even after drinking the potion. He almost forgot the last time that had happened. In the VR, he'd killed thousands of people, and after so long, he thought he was used to the bloodshed, but it looked like that wasn't the case. In those games, it wasn't unusual to see someone you've killed just a few days later.

Perhaps that mentality had assured him that this was just a game, that he was doing nothing wrong. He lifted his hand to his eye level and tried to stop the shaking but failed.

''Or perhaps this is not just a psychological reaction but a biological one as well,'' he murmured. Staring at the uncontrollably shaking hand, he let his thoughts wander to the dark times, which he learned to accept rather than forget. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. In the alleys of the crime-ridden city, Ethan carried a basket full of fruit. Turning the corner, he saw three men beating someone with metal pipes. He immediately hid behind the wrecked car next to him.

One of them looked toward him, but thanks to his small body, just the tire was enough to hide him. He was barely ten years old. Even if the men found him, there was nothing on him that would appeal to them except the fruit basket. He found it inside a trash can, and all the fruit was in good condition. If he ate them slowly, they would last him a week. Which meant he was ready to confront even three adults with metal pipes. It had been months since the chaos started, but it only got worse as time passed.

Some people saw this as an opportunity and ransacked police stations, while others even went for army bases. Once people realized that no army was coming to end this shit show and that every day there were more psychos with guns on the streets, doing whatever they wished, they also saw violence as their only salvation. With time, food became a problem even for the adults, not to mention Ethan who was only good at sneaking around.

The kids in the Drains did some jobs together, but his cut was only enough to keep him from starving. No matter what his contributions were, they never gave him more. That's why he started to do solo scavenging. Even if it was more dangerous, it was much better than being dizzy and having a fever all the time. The men turned to leave once they were done. He held his breath as they passed by the car and moved toward the Drains like an anxious mouse.

Using the main entrance with his basket was utterly stupid, so he chose to enter from his favorite spot. It was a narrow opening beneath a concrete embankment where rainwater flowed into one of the larger drainage channels. The sun coming through the metal railings illuminated half of the opening, but it still looked like a dead-end gap between the concrete walls. In reality, the narrow passage went all the way to the main area of the Drains. Carefully walking through his secret passage, he arrived at the dorms.

It was a name that the kids called for the dry room-like structures, where it was a bit warmer. There lived more than a hundred children, mostly orphans. Just when he was approaching to his room, he heard the incessant coughing sounds. It was the new kid, even younger than himself. Camila and Tom had brought him last week, but he was sick, and it had only gotten worse with time. Camila and Tom might be kind enough to bring him here, but they were definitely not giving him any food for free.

Gritting his teeth, Ethan entered his own room, put the basket down, and took an apple with two bananas before leaving again for the sick kid. At this hour, most of the others were out searching for food. He found the sick kid alone, lying on the ground with some cardboard on him. Waking him up slowly, he fed the kid bananas and helped him drink some water. The half-awake kid did what he was told in a daze. Ethan put the apple in the kid's pocket and whispered, ''Eat this at night.

I'll try to bring more tomorrow.'' He went back to his room and slept almost instantly, only to awaken with a kick to his empty stomach. Opening his eyes with a groan, he saw one of the meanest kids in the Drains in front of him, John Bender. He was 14 years old, and even the bigger kids were afraid of him.'' Good mornin' sunshine!'' John said with a wicked smile, enjoying the high-pitched melody of his tone.

''I heard you have a good haul in hiding?'' Ethan tried to get up, but John gave another kick to his nose.

''No, no, no. Please, keep lying down. I'll do the labor,'' John said and began digging through the pile of scavenged junk Ethan had stashed away, quickly uncovering the fruit basket buried beneath it. With a big smile, he walked to Ethan and grabbed him by the neck with his free hand, ''Good job! Next time, come directly to me, and maybe I'll give you a taste without any hassles.'' He smashed Ethan's head into the wall and left the room while popping a grape into his mouth.

Ethan lay on the ground with a loud buzzing in his ears, blood leaking from his head. He knew this wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last, but it was what it was; he had passed the point of caring long ago. Even when he realized that he had pissed himself, he didn't move a muscle. He simply sought comfort in the cold stones of the Drains until he heard someone's voice.'' He's not that dead, right?'' Tom said.'' No. Just passed out,'' Camila replied.'' How did you know about the fruit?''''

I found an apple in Adrian's hand. Who else but him would feed a dying kid?'' Camila sneered. Taking Ethan's worn-out blanket, she covered herself with a blissful expression and sighed happily. They left after taking a last look at his stuff, but Ethan still didn't move. He kept lying as he had merged with the dusty floor. Only hours later, he sat up with a blank look in his eyes and remained there until nightfall.

Then, he got up with effort and dragged himself to the corridor of the entrance, blending into the shadows with a rock that was bigger than his fist. He had never even once thought about going against kids like John, but somehow, that blanket was the last drop. Ethan waited for more than an hour, and when he heard the voice of the laughing John, his heart started to beat like it was going to explode while his grip on the stone got even tighter. As John passed him with his friend, Ethan jumped with a scream.

He bashed the stone on the back of his head. The tighter he held the stone, the more he released everything he had held inside until then. He remembered every beating he got. He remembered his father's hanged corpse. He remembered the face of his panicked mother when she left the house. And he remembered the satisfied sigh of Camila when she donned his blanket. When he stopped remembering, he realized that he had hit John many, many more times than he'd intended.

John's friend was already running toward the central area. Ethan dropped the stone and got up, turning to walk toward his favorite spot with faster and faster steps until he was running with tears running down his face. At his favorite spot, under the moonlight, he wept for an hour, clutching an old watch. He really, really wanted to find his mother. But what would she think of him now? Would she be scared of him? Repulsed by him? Would she hate him?

The thought of his mother abandoning him was more terrifying than everything else. It filled him with anguish. He had been doing just fine without all these emotions. Why did they have to torment him? Why couldn't they go away like before? What had changed? Ethan focused on how he had lived for the past two months. He just wanted that state of mind back. He wanted to escape, at least for a short time. Slowly, he started to feel the serenity of detachment.

It began in his heart and spread through him, washing over him with relief. His twisted face turned placid as his eyes became dull. Sitting in the shadows like that, he enjoyed the quiet until a thought struck him.'' This changes nothing,'' he murmured absentmindedly.

''They will gossip as they please, and the rumors will vary in every other room.'' Standing up, he picked yet another rock as well as a broken, moldy pipe. He pounded the pipe repeatedly until it barely resembled a weapon and walked back to John's corpse while murmuring to himself, ''I must control the rumors. I must show them what they should talk about.'' He found John's body where he had left it. Taking a deep breath, he got to work and tried to sever his head.

It took much longer than he expected, without even counting the number of times he vomited. Once done, he held the head by the hair and walked toward the center of the Drains with his free hand shaking uncontrollably. Ethan stared at his shaking hand and made a fist with it. In his mind, the images of Alice and Camila overlapped as he looked toward the bodies lying around.

''Whether it's a blanket or a cloak, it always ends the same. It's like life is taunting me to break the cycle,'' he muttered. After storing everything in his ring, he mounted Sparky's horse-like creature and rode it toward his destination with Beet on his shoulder. After riding a griffin for years in VR, riding this tamed beast was a breeze for him. And perhaps it was his stony eyes that made the beast even more docile.