After rising to his feet and inspecting the sausage roll, Stare was abruptly startled, instinctively taking a few steps back upon seeing a tall, pale man dressed in white chef's clothes and staring dead into his eyes.
Stare remained motionless, his attention solely fixed on the peculiar tall and pale man, who also stood motionless with his eyes locked onto him.
Stare was quite stunned by the man's unexpected entrance and how he managed to get so close without alerting him. This was particularly surprising as Stare had been extra vigilant the moment he walked through the building's door.
Despite feeling suspicious and alert about the man's presence, Stare decided against acting rashly. The man appeared very human and could easily pass as completely normal if he didn't keep staring in that unsettling manner. Moreover, he hadn't shown any hostility yet.
Awkwardly clearing his throat, Stare cautiously approached the man.
"Sorry to ask, sir, but are you by any chance…human?"
Unfortunately, the man remained silent, his eyes fixed on Stare, as if he didn't comprehend the question.
Exasperated, Stare took a few steps back.
Though it seemed foolish, a small part of him hoped for some response, anything that could help him determine if the man was friend or foe.
Stare could only think of two reasons for the man's odd behavior and consistent silence. One, he wasn't human anymore. Two, whatever caused the massive destruction around this area might have affected his mental health.
Either way, both reasons warranted maximum caution when dealing with the man.
As Stare pondered his next move, the man, who had remained motionless and fixed his eyes on him, suddenly lunged toward him. His fingers on both hands were outstretched like claws, aimed directly at Stare.
The man's swift attack was quick, but Stare, alert since the beginning, easily dodged by leaping in the opposite direction.
Quickly grabbing a nearby fork from the floor, Stare skillfully stabbed at the man's wrist of the hand that had swiftly come at him after the man's initial launch.
The man paused, staring blankly at his right wrist, now bearing a deep wound with blood gushing out, staining both the ground and his clothes.
Stare quickly used this moment to distance himself from the man, gripping the fork tightly, unfazed by the blood dripping from its tip.
Considering whether to continue his attack to incapacitate the man, Stare hesitated. He wasn't comfortable getting too close yet, unsure of the man's capabilities or the reason behind his actions. It was possible he had been infected by a virus with intentions to spread it to Stare.
While Stare contemplated these events, the man's gaze suddenly shifted from the wound on his wrist back to Stare's face. His eyes, as lifeless as from the beginning, showing no sign of pain or any other emotion for that.
Just as Stare was about to step back, the man launched himself at him once more, even faster than the first time. In a matter of seconds, he was less than a foot away from Stare, fingers on both hands ready to slash.
The man didn't seem to mind his wound or the blood splattering from it as he forcefully swiped his fingers toward Stare.
Luckily, Stare reacted swiftly, skillfully using the fork in his hand to stab every time the man's fingers came at him. Throughout this exchange, Stare continuously moved backward, creating distance between them.
After several minutes of the clash, the man's hand, and other parts of his body, bore stab marks, each oozing blood. His right wrist barely held on to the rest of his hand after the repeated assaults by the fork. The left hand had been hit in spots that rendered it incapable of fluid motion. Despite this, the man didn't relent and continued his attacks, this time relying mostly on his teeth.
Stare swiftly thrust the fork in his hand into the right eye of the rapidly approaching man, seemingly slowing him down.
His breathing was heavy, and he was now mostly covered in blood, though not his own. The tines of the fork he had been using were either bent or broken off, leaving only one intact and making it less of a fork and more of an unsuitable stabbing tool.
At this point, Stare was certain the strange man was anything but human.
Despite inflicting deep, painful, and deadly injuries on the man, his speed and eagerness to harm Stare seemed to increase exponentially with each wound. This realization prompted Stare to reconsider his approach.
Initially planning to incapacitate the man to learn more about his condition, Stare now knew that such a plan was nearly impossible. The man's relentless attacks, combined with his speed, inability to feel pain, and the deteriorating state of Stare's weapon, made the original plan unfeasible.
Without hesitation, Stare skillfully dodged another attempt by the man to attack him and swiftly hurled the fork towards the man's right eye, the easiest target in that moment.
This granted Stare a few seconds of breathing space and a prime opportunity for a decisive attack, free from the worry of the man suddenly slashing his fingers or teeth.
Advancing a bit closer, Stare propelled the fork at the man's neck, creating a small, deep cut that quickly grew wider, blood spilling uncontrollably.
After numerous stabs, the man, who had struggled throughout the process to reach Stare with his teeth or fingers, abruptly ceased moving. His lifeless eyes grew even more vacant as he collapsed to the ground with a resonant thud.
Stare observed the lifeless body with an unreadable expression.
"Killing... can't remember the last time I did that," he muttered in an almost inaudible manner, his tone sounding somewhat somber.
Back at the VR Training Hall…
The attention of everyone in the hall had been focused on Stare and his struggle with the strange man.
After witnessing him stab the man to death, there appeared to be a shift in the expressions of most people in the hall, albeit briefly.
Guy, however, wore a wider smile on his face.
"It almost felt like this wasn't his first time taking a life," Lagertha remarked suddenly. She then grew quiet, her expression turning into one of intrigue as she continued to concentrate on Stare, seemingly lost in thought.
After observing him for a while, she added, "He's good, possesses some skills for someone that noisy, and surprisingly adapts well to the current situation. However, he's not yet on a level to be compared with the likes of Eleanor."
No one responded to Lagertha's words, but their expressions suggested that most agreed with her.
"Is that it... is that all the test will involve, an attack from a mindless human?" Imma asked Lok Withsworth with a dissatisfied tone and a frown.
Lok remained silent for a moment, then spoke with slight annoyance, "If you think this is all, then you insult me and my work."
He didn't elaborate further, refocusing on the screen displaying Stare and the lifeless body behind him.
Imma was stunned by his response but decided to continue watching.
At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then the supposed dead man's eyes shot wide, completely black, his injuries began healing visibly at a pace the human could see, and a wide smile adorned his face—a wide eerie smile.