Chapter 36
Early in the morning, Ray was already packing his belongings, getting ready to check out. He didn't want to be late and cause his mother to worry. Despite sending short messages, he believed that genuine human interaction was more reliable than mere text messages. Ray also didn't forget to conduct business with the thin youth. The young man seemed a bit stunned by Ray's unexpected arrival, but the transaction went smoothly, just like the previous week.
On the bus, Ray gazed out the window with a melancholic expression.
"Sigh, have I become a serial killer now?" Ray questioned, lost in thought.
Back on Earth, he had never imagined that he would take someone's life. But after only a few weeks in this new world, he had already stained his hands with blood.
"...Sigh," Ray sighed once again.
He wanted to justify his actions and blame others for interfering, but he knew deep down that he couldn't escape the fact that he had been killed. Even though he still felt discomfort when taking a human life, he couldn't deny that he was becoming more accustomed to it. He was afraid of turning into a bloodthirsty psychopath.
Lost in this inner conflict, Ray remained deep in thought until the bus came to a stop. He then headed home as usual.
As Ray entered the house, his mother rushed over to ensure that it was indeed her son who had returned. Seeing Ray, Yuvra felt a sense of relief.
"Alright, have you been running around and seeking danger again?" Yuvra asked, narrowing her eyes.
"No—" Ray intended to refute, but remembering the previous ambush incident, his words caught in his throat.
"What is it?" Yuvra asked suspiciously.
"No, Mom, I was just choked up. It's hard to breathe because of my injuries..." Ray cleverly found an excuse.
"Really? Take off your clothes!" Yuvra commanded.
"Why should I undress?" Ray asked, feeling uneasy.
"What's the problem? Hurry up and take off your clothes! Do you have many wounds on your body? Have you been in another fight?" Yuvra urged urgently.
Ray felt overwhelmed by her persistence. He sensed that his mother had changed. Where was the quiet and calm mother he knew?
"Is it because of me? Is that why Mother has changed?" Ray pondered to himself.
Under continuous pressure, Ray reluctantly removed his shirt.
Yuvra's gaze fell upon Ray's slightly athletic body, which was marked with scars. She felt a tinge of sadness seeing those scars, wanting to scold her son. However, as she couldn't find any reasonable excuse for her anger, she could only let it go.
"Mom, could you please stop? I might get sick if this continues..." Ray helplessly pleaded.
"Alright, hurry up and put your clothes back on and have breakfast now."
...
In the afternoon, Ray returned to the location where he had left the two collected bodies. With the addition of these two corpses, Ray now had a total of four bodies in his possession. He had wanted to dispose of them for a while, but he hadn't found the right time and place, and he feared the consequences if someone discovered the bodies. Thus, he had no choice but to store them until the opportune moment arrived.
The two storage rings he obtained from the deceased were as random as the previous one. However, inside one of the rings, Ray discovered a significant number of martial arts books. This brought a small sense of satisfaction to Ray. At least this time, the killings weren't entirely in vain.
Ray also came across the same black market token as before, indicating that these people were part of a group involved in looting activities.
"Phew! It seems I have to be more careful in the future..." Ray complained while taking out several martial arts books to examine.
Among the hundreds of books that appeared, Ray was only interested in a few of them. Nevertheless, he decided to go through each book meticulously because knowledge is valuable. Every bit counts.
After carefully reading the introductions of each book, Ray stored all of them in his storage ring, except for the one book that caught his attention.
"Aura Vision Eye Technique? Isn't this similar to the White Pupil Eye Technique in Japanese anime?" Ray's enthusiasm ignited.
Ray began absorbing the knowledge contained within the technique book with great focus. Unbeknownst to him, he became deeply engrossed in the technique, losing track of time. Although it wasn't an advanced technique, Ray felt that it could unlock his potential in future combat.
At precisely four-fifty in the afternoon, Ray finished reading the martial arts book. Restless, he decided to head to the attic balcony to continue his craft.
The red sky evoked mixed emotions within Ray. Despite trying various methods to adjust his mood, he still felt somewhat dazed. Remembering how ancient people poured their emotions into works of art, Ray decided to paint in an attempt to calm his mind.
Sitting on the attic balcony, a neatly processed bearskin lay in front of him. After a long process of washing and scraping, he created a painting medium from the bearskin. Ray used almost all of the bear skin to make the same-sized painting medium, resulting in a large surface area.
Taking a deep breath, Ray started stroking the brush in his hand. Initially stiff and unstable, Ray persisted without backing down. The more he stroked, the more lines he created. The initial awkwardness gradually transformed into comfortable dexterity.
Ray's tangled emotions started to unravel, calming down like a small stream of water. His hand movements followed suit, slowing down while becoming more stable.
Unbeknownst to Ray, the Tesseract within his sea of consciousness began to glow. Little did he know that the strange images projected by the cube were affecting his brain and his entire body.
The peculiar phenomenon continued, but it didn't seem to harm Ray as he painted. Ray's movements, initially slow, gradually accelerated. His light mood increased, flowing like a passionate river.
Hours seemed to pass by unnoticed as Ray continued to paint. He was entranced, as if in a trance-like state.
The once-red sky had turned dark, and it was at that moment that Ray suddenly woke up, surprised by his exclamation. The young man appeared disheveled. His body was parched, lips chapped, sweat drenched his body, and his eyes were sunken, reflecting the pain he had endured.
"Kriuk kriuk…" The rumbling sound from Ray's stomach indicated his extreme hunger. He was still perplexed by what had just transpired, and the more he pondered, the more bewildered he became.
Ray began to readjust himself while gazing at the darkening sky. "Eh, is it already dark? How long was I painting?" he asked, both confused and instinctively clutching his stomach.
Not receiving an answer and driven by his growling stomach, Ray packed up his belongings and headed downstairs for dinner. As he descended, he noticed his mother engrossed in watching TV with his younger siblings, causing Ray to furrow his brow slightly.
"Isn't it late? Why are these little ones still awake?" Ray wondered to himself. Lost in thought, he was snapped back to reality by his mother's voice.
"Why did you just come down, Ray? Have you had dinner yet?" his mother inquired.
"Oh, um... I was painting, and I haven't had dinner yet," Ray replied, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Yuvra promptly headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. "Alright, just wait a moment. Mom will make noodles for you," she assured him.
Ray settled on the sofa where his younger siblings were lying. "Hey, you two!" he called out, catching their attention. He then retrieved a bearskin frame from his storage ring, presenting it to them.
Excited by the prospect of new "toys," the two little ones rushed over to Ray. "What is this, brother?" Haruza asked with sparkling eyes.
"This is a painting I made. Look, there's a deer, and there's a bear. Every week, I visit these places..." Ray explained enthusiastically.
Esubi, who had been silent, suddenly exclaimed, "Wow, cool, brother!"
Hearing this praise, Ray's pride swelled. "What's this place, brother?" Haruza pointed to a specific area in the painting.
Ray was momentarily puzzled as he tried to explain. Haruza was referring to the black market, but how could he explain that to such a young child? Answering that question would only lead to more inquiries.
Just as Ray was pondering, a cry came from the kitchen. "Ray, the noodles are ready!"
Hearing this, Ray felt a sense of relief. "Ah, you see, Mom called us to eat. You guys can play for a while. Don't get too close to the painting, the paint isn't dry yet. Make sure Mom doesn't get angry if you soil your clothes," he advised them.
"Okay, got it!" they responded.
As Ray entered the kitchen, Yuvra returned to the front of the TV. She couldn't help but notice the peculiar black-and-white painting. Perplexed, she asked, "Where did this come from?"
"Oh, this is the painting I made!" Ray replied.
Yuvra found it rather strange. How did her son still possess this talent? Wasn't he disinterested in painting before? Moreover, the artwork appeared to be professionally done, emanating a lifelike quality even in black and white.
Numerous questions began swirling in Yuvra's mind. She yearned to refute her son's artistic achievement, but she couldn't. Besides, she had recently been frequenting the attic to complete the remaining renovations, and she had noticed a leather frame that perfectly matched this painting.
Contemplating these thoughts, Yuvra could only cast a complex gaze upon Ray. Day by day, her son became increasingly enigmatic and mysterious.