INSIDE THE BLOOD MOON ASSASSIN GUILD - MIDNIGHT.
Ren can be seen carrying a cat girl on his back and extracting some bodies that Luna killed.
"Hey Luna, should I store some bodies for you, or will you handle it?" Ren called out, eyeing Luna, who had a firm grip on a man's neck.
"Master, I'd appreciate your assistance," Luna replied, her tone polite, and she dispatched the unfortunate man with a swift, brutal motion.
Ren sighed, glancing at the growing pile of bodies. "Feels like I'm Luna's personal assistant." He looked at the lifeless man. "Can't blame me; blame the guys who rang the alarm, giving away our location. Let's hope your boss doesn't slip through our fingers."
He murmured as he tapped into his abilities, and a blue energy entered his mind, a notification appearing in front of him.
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[DING...]
[SUCCESSFULLY EXTRACTED. YOU HAVE +0.9 STATS IN STRENGTH, SPEED, STAMINA, AND MANA. YOU HAVE GAINED THE RECENT MEMORIES OF THIS MAN.]
[YOU HAVE GAINED ALL THE KARMA POINTS THIS MAN HAD, A TOTAL OF 9000 K.P.]
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"Even this guy's memories are a dead end. Guess it's time to get answers the old-fashioned way," Ren muttered to himself, about to request Luna's intervention when he suddenly noticed her hurtling towards him.
"What? What's going on?" Ren exclaimed, scanning the scene. His eyes widened as he spotted over a hundred lifeless Monsters advancing, led by a hooded figure.
"Who are you?" Ren inquired, his anger flaring at Luna's injury. Though she was immortal, seeing her harmed infuriated him.
"Hehehe! The question is, who are you? You can't be that cowardly James," the hooded figure chuckled sinisterly.
"Tch! If you won't talk, I'll make you!" Ren growled, setting the cat girl down and advancing, his dagger ready.
"Oh, you're eager to fight? Do it with my puppets!" The hooded man retreated, and the horde of lifeless beings charged at Ren with alarming speed.
Ren was taken aback by their swiftness; their pace was easily 80 on the speedometer, possibly explaining Luna got knocked out. But instead of panic, a wicked grin played on Ren's lips. Activating his Chaos control, he fortified his body, making him a match even for those with peak level 19 strength.
In the blink of an eye, he was among them, slicing through their ranks like a hot knife through butter.
"Swoosh!" One monster's head fell.
With another fluid swing, another lifeless being met its end.
The hooded man grew increasingly anxious, witnessing Ren's unimaginable strength, a level of power unheard of on the first floor.
"What are you? Did that guild send you to rescue that girl you were holding? They shouldn't know by now that we were the ones who kidnapped their guild master's daughter," the hooded man spat out in frustration.
Ren was momentarily speechless, not expecting the high-profile background of the girl he'd rescued. But he continued his onslaught, dispatching two more lifeless beings.
"Why should you care? You're already dead," Ren retorted with a smirk.
"Hehehe, just because you're strong doesn't mean you should underestimate your opponent," the hooded man sneered, conjuring a purple magic circle behind the fallen lifeless beings. Suddenly, they began to detonate, one by one.
"Shit!" Ren cursed as events spiraled out of control.
"Hehehe! Hahahahahahahaha!" The hooded man laughed maniacally as the smoke veiled the battlefield. However, when the smoke cleared, the once-laughing hooded figure was now gripped by shock and fear.
Ren stood unscathed, not a scratch on him, and not only that, even his puppets that had hidden in the smoke lay on the ground with their heads severed.
---
Just moments before the explosions...
"Shit!!!" Ren cursed but swiftly employed his Telekinesis ability, fused with his Assassin skill, creating a protective barrier by making a shockwave that barely kept the explosions at bay.
Seeing that he was fine, he didn't waste any more time and dashed towards the mindless beings. As he got close, they didn't even react; he then realized that they can't do anything without the hooded man's orders. Within minutes, he had wiped them out, finding it a good opportunity.
As the smoke dissipated, the hooded man seemed dazed.
"Hahaha, your trick failed, you fool. Now you're finished," Ren declared with a grin and charged towards him.
"No, no, stay away from me!" The hooded man screamed in terror.
"Hehe, let's see what you do against my abilities," Ren said, unleashing a shockwave that sent the hooded man crashing into a wall.
"Boom!" The impact reverberated through the room.
"ARGHHH! I don't want to die! HELP, Leader!" the hooded man cried, glancing desperately toward a nearby room.
"Do you really think your leader will save you?" Ren taunted before lunging at the hooded man, pushing him to the brink of unconsciousness.
"Master, may I?" Luna interjected after fully recovering.
"Of course," Ren replied, stepping back. Luna approached with a sinister grin.
"No, no, please, Leader, help!" the hooded man wailed. Without a word, Luna struck him with full force.
"ARGGGHH!"
Thus, the hooded man succumbed, and Ren ensured his permanent demise by slitting his throat with his dagger. As the life left the hooded man's body, a blue energy emanated from Ren's hand, causing the body to vanish.
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[DING...]
[SUCCESSFULLY EXTRACTED. YOU HAVE GAINED +4 IN MANA AND ACQUIRED THE 'PUPPETEER' AND 'CORPSE EXPLOSION' ABILITIES.]
[YOU HAVE GAINED ALL THE KARMA POINTS THIS MAN HAD, A TOTAL OF 20,000 K.P.]
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"Hmm, it's been a while since I acquired a new ability. Let's move on and confront their boss. He's likely behind that door; this was the last place the hooded man gazed before his end," Xian suggested, sporting a smirk.
"But Master, the door seems locked," Luna observed, pondering a solution.
"Haha, no worries. Let's test my new ability," Ren said, placing some lifeless bodies by the door before stepping back.
"CORPSE EXPLOSION!" Ren chanted, summoning a colossal purple circle beneath the bodies.
"BOOM!" The door flew open, granting Ren and Luna access to the room beyond.
Inside, they found a man writhing in agony. As Ren locked eyes with the suffering figure, he realized this was the guild manager of this floor. He activated his berserker skill, transforming into a formidable, monstrous figure.
**********(TO BE CONTINUED)**********