In the gloomy alley, Tang Qi clutched his abdomen, gasping for air with a pale face and a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, his expression helpless as he looked at Sally, who had reverted to her frightened bunny-like demeanor.
Tang Qi was not injured, but merely winded by the excited bump from the girl after intense physical activity.
However, this disruption had slightly lightened the mood in the alley.
On the grimy ground, three corpses still lay.
Tang Qi had killed people.
It wasn't like the first day he was reborn, taking advantage of a loophole in witchcraft to counterattack and trick Old Morgan.
It was a real, physical act of murder.
Everything had happened too quickly, even Tang Qi had little time to think.
He had just caught up and found Sally in deep trouble.
Just by looking at the three thugs, it was clear if Tang Qi didn't step in, Sally's chances were slim.
And if Tang Qi confronted them head-on, his own outcome wouldn't be much better.
One against three, Tang Qi was uncertain.
Even using the newly acquired derivative skill, Molten Furnace Eye, he doubted it could aid him in a three against one fight; the skill was barely mastered, enough to intimidate a high school student but likely ineffective against a frenzied, vicious drug addict.
Seeing the "tragedy" about to unfold, Tang Qi had no choice but to employ the only combat skill he could use from Old Morgan's diary.
A set of simple, brutal, and highly lethal Fighting Skill.
It originated from the barbaric tribes on Saha Continent during wars and hunting excursions.
Originally, Tang Qi only intended to learn it for self-defense, but unexpectedly, its first use was for killing.
In the instant he lashed out, Tang Qi felt as if he entered a special state, with his strength, speed, and reaction capabilities all receiving an unknown enhancement, effortlessly completing originally challenging maneuvers.
However, once stopped, Tang Qi immediately felt a pain throughout his body as if he was pricked by needles, along with a boiling blood sensation so intense he doubted he had killed three men or finished an entire marathon.
There were benefits, though.
While gasping heavily, a special interface emerged in Tang Qi's eyes once again.
Skill category, one more item added.
Skills: Golden Furnace Meditation, Molten Furnace Eye, Chaga Fighting Technique (Beginner, Progress 0.01%)
"Is this… transformed into a skill?"
As he thought, an Information Fragment emerged.
[Information Fragment: This is a Fighting Skill originating from the Chaga Tribe of Saha Continent, derived from war and hunting, distributed among various tribes of Saha Continent. Easy to enter, but rarely mastered to an expert level.]
"Just at the beginner stage, progress at 0.01%, and already capable of sneak attacking and killing three people?"
Initially, Tang Qi didn't highly regard the Fighting Skill noted in the diary, studying it silently only because it wouldn't alert the Old Witch during his Meditation practice.
Now, realizing it was recorded in Old Morgan's precious witchcraft notes, this Fighting Skill clearly was not simple.
Internally elevating the importance of the Fighting Skill, he withdrew his focus.
After a long exhale, Tang Qi finally evened out his breath, the needle-like pain receding.
He glanced at the corpses on the ground, recalling the details of the action, ensuring he hadn't left anything like fingerprints.
"Let's go."
After the soft utterance, without any attachment, he turned and walked away, with Sally quickly following.
As for the three thugs' corpses, Tang Qi neither called the police nor intended to destroy the evidence.
In Messer City, the surface may seem peaceful, but Bronk District is notoriously chaotic.
Here, robbery and murder are as common as eating and drinking.
It is said that every morning, the Blank Police Station dispatches a corpse collection vehicle to haul away bodies that died in dark alleys or gunfight scenes during the night.
Unless they were well-dressed residents, the police would allow forensic examination and investigation.
If it was apparent that they were gang members or thugs, their bodies would be taken directly to the crematorium.
Even if the police later came knocking, strictly speaking, Tang Qi's actions were considered "taking action for justice," without any repercussions.
...
In the dim and dirty street, Tang Qi had Sally lead the way with him following calmly by her side, seemingly unaffected by the previous incident.
However, only he knew the intense turmoil still roiling inside him.
Killing in hand-to-hand combat, and taking three lives at once.
Although the process wasn't bloody or fierce, the Chaga Fighting Technique he used was lethal.
Nevertheless, taking three vibrant lives into his own hands, making them cold and dim, the recent surge of energy, and Skill activation had led Tang Qi into a dangerously calm State. Now that he had awakened, he immediately felt an extreme sense of shock.
If it weren't for this moment, where a warm aura began to slowly emerge in his mind and gently flowed through his limbs, Tang Qi might have completely lost his composure.
After a long time, under the influence of the Melter spiritual power, Tang Qi regained his calm.
It was only then that Tang Qi noticed something very abnormal.
His ability to stay calm after killing was the result of an adult's mindset, special experiences, and the meditation Techniques mixed in his mind.
How could Sally achieve the same?
After all, Tang Qi had killed three people in front of her to save her, but how could an ordinary girl still take Tang Qi back home in such a situation?
"Perhaps, she is not an ordinary girl."
Tang Qi remembered how Sally had remained calm when facing three crazed thugs.
Facing imminent tragedy, she thought not of screaming or begging, but of suicide, something an ordinary girl, especially a high school girl, couldn't possibly do.
Though these thoughts crossed his mind, Tang Qi's expression remained calm.
He asked no questions nor mentioned the earlier events.
Continuing towards Sally's home, the shadows of the two stretched long under the moonlight. The road ahead went smoothly without any more dramatic incidents.
About ten minutes later, they stopped in front of a small building.
It was a cramped blue brick building squeezed between two larger ones, with not even twenty centimeters of gap, mottled walls, an old iron gate, and a rusty fire escape—a typical residence for the poor in the Blank District.
"I—I'm home."
Standing before the iron gate, Sally still looked like a frightened little rabbit, speaking softly.
Despite having decent conditions, unfortunate circumstances regarding her personality and family background relegated her to a role that was often bullied and seemed unsophisticated.
Unlike Tang Qi's role-playing, from various details, Tang Qi could tell that Sally's home life was probably worse than that of an average family, which must have shaped her unique personality.
Her entry into Saint Thorn High School must have only one explanation: the girl was very smart.
Unlike Tang Qi, who used backdoor connections, she likely passed the examinations on her own.
Currently, Tang Qi was trying his best to fit into the role of a high school student, adopting a go-with-the-flow attitude towards everything, such as making friends.
This girl was Tang Qi's first friend at Saint Thorn High School.
A normal boy probably wouldn't choose to be friends with such a bland, strange girl who was also shunned by the popular girls at school.
But Tang Qi didn't mind.
With this thought, Tang Qi gently smiled, reached out to ruffle Sally's messy blonde hair, and said, "Go back. If you need anything next time, just let me know. I can walk you home since you are my first friend at Saint Thorn High School, and I certainly don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Ah~"
As soon as Tang Qi finished speaking, the girl in front of him immediately lifted her head in delight, revealing a radiant smile under her black-frame glasses. Her previously dull eyes, shocked by earlier events, now shone with a moving brilliance.