"Heh, in theory, if the human is strong enough, they would be able to return to their normal selves after your [Essence Reap]. However, the chance of such a thing happening is less than zero. Are you not curious?"
It would be a lie to say that he was not.
Right now, all Skylar could see was chaos. With his blood-stained scythe and the cracked skies endlessly raining motes of lights, the place has already looked like a world utterly consumed by the apocalypse.
"Besides, my dear World Savior, do you not notice something around you?"
Now that Skylar got some time to truly examine his surroundings, he realized that although he could still see, everything has a slight blueish tint to them, as if he was viewing the world from a stained glass.
He had noticed before that the buildings looked dark as well. Normally, a city would look bright at any time of the day thanks to the many supporting technologies for the current developed world, yet now, everything was devoid of life.
It felt as if every life has been absorbed and destroyed.
With hurried movements, he rushed to touch the implant on his ear, touching it to confirm something.
[Net Communication has been disabled]
[Peer-to-peer communication available. Would you like to try it instead?]
[Yes]
[Friends list:]
[Amelia Velouchior – OFFLINE]
For a moment, Skylar stared at the sole item in the friends list of his device. Amelia was his childhood friend that he hadn't seen in years. Back then, most of his peers treated him way less than dirt for getting his Potential assessed as zero. A nobody, a trash human without a purpose to serve in their highly efficient society.
A human without merit would be discarded.
Skylar, of course, was incensed by the assessment. He had spent his whole life forgoing both sleep and self-care from then on, prioritizing his own survival. Perhaps, he was desperate to escape the fate, to claw his way out from the abyss of uselessness he was condemned to spend his life in since the moment of his birth.
Unfortunately for him, the shackles binding him to his predestined future weighed his ankles way more than he realized.
Despite the countless hours he had spent poring over learning materials even into the early hours of twilight, attempting to join clubs to broaden his horizons, or even doing menial jobs in an attempt to attain approval, all he had managed to get was looks of disdain and pity, with no one even willing to trust the simplest tasks to him for fear of the zero Potential ruining everything by butterfly effect.
It may sound irrational, but at the end, it only confirmed that all people were the same. All stuck in their own preconceived notions.
Skylar gripped his scythe tight until his knuckles turned white from the strain. Then, with a determined grin, he spoke to Agrippina, confidence radiating from his crimson eyes.
"You ask about me noticing what is going on in the world?" Skylar replied back, "Of course. But, first, tell me, how do I become stronger?"
Agrippina grinned. She was far too pleased considering her current situation, yet there was an unmistakable radiance in her smile. Her cloak fluttered, as if expressing her feelings, and in that moment, she looked nothing less than radiant.
"Then, let's search for more essences."
--
They moved silently through alleys. Skylar decided to mostly stick to the dark and avoid crowds that are too large, only emerging to kill what he was able to, and leave when the situation got far too dire.
[You have taken 10 low-quality soul essence!]
[You have taken 15 low-quality soul essence!]
[You have obtained a total of 321 soul essence!]
A few hours passed, and the two of them decided to head to a nearby mall.
Only a few hours ago, the mall was still filled by people, either window shopping, purchasing gifts, or even some truants hanging out with their friends. Now, the place was empty. Even though the disaster only struck a mere few hours ago, it was like the place has been long abandoned.
The only proof that there was life was the broken glass pieces littered all over the floor, mixed with bags, personal belongings, and other luxury devices with functions not covered in the device embedded in their earlobe.
A part of Skylar thought to take the time to loot. However, he could sense that something lurked here. Distracted by his thoughts, he stepped on a sheet of paper.
Skylar took the paper, finding it to be a flyer for today's event.
"RE: DReaM MiRRor Concert Tour"
The poster featured three women wearing skimpy clothing with a fantasy flair, along with the time and the place.
"Start Time – 15:00, Lieron Mall Rooftop"
"On the rooftop? Well, there is our meal ticket," Agrippina quipped with a playful tone. "If you go there, there should be a concentration of soul essences for you to collect."
"How do you know for sure?"
"Heh. How adorable," Agrippina muttered with a smirk. She then floated up, her face coming so close to him, "Why would I mislead you, my dear? Everything will be fine, and I will swear on our life, the essences you can reap here will be enough for you."
For a moment, Skylar was wary again. Agrippina has never presented a truly trustworthy front, nor does she seemed to care about such things. However, he still has no clue on how the system works, forcing him to at least trust her for a bit to survive.
"Fine, then,"
She floated back a bit to give him some space, and Skylar started to ascend through the stilled escalators. The instant capsules to bring people to any floor instantly has long stopped, unable to be used thanks to the seemingly city-wide blackout. As a result, they had to ascend slowly.
Every so often, electricity fizzles in the distance, creating a rhythmic buzzing sound that breaks the utter silence. Skylar's footsteps echoed in the silence, only broken by the occasional screams from outside.
If it wasn't for the enhanced sight given by his system, perhaps he wouldn't be able to see anything at all.
Before long, he reached the escalator leading to the rooftop. Silver moonlight shone through the door leading outside, bathing the puppet-like moving zombies in a white glow.
"There are around a thousand in there. Show me your mettle, dear," Agrippina said.
"Still no intention to help, huh?" Skylar mused.
"Of course. If you desire my help, you have to pay the price," she replied in a teasing tone, the ever-present smirk gracing her lovely visage only enhanced the effect, "Is the little cool, all-powerful fighter afraid of a little loss of control? If you need a demonstration of the things I am capable of, then all you need is to say yes,"
"Not now then, lady. For now, let's deal with a more pressing matter here, should we?"
He grabbed the air, materializing the scythe before running at full speed out to the rooftop. Upon emerging, he slashed in a diagonal arch, killing a dozen or so zombies who were unfortunate enough to be caught in the vicinity.