[HP regeneration: -30% because of Blood Loss]
…
Kai got thrown backward, flying through the corridor like a twig amid a storm. His entire body ached, skin torn, and tiny squirts of blood kept bursting out. It felt to him as if he was blowing up from inside out. He could sense it, the taste of Death.
Hard to forget such a taste once experienced before.
The door at the end couldn't stop him either. A creaking boom took over the entire shop as he broke the door and finally landed on the floor.
Cough! Cough!!
Blood and spit came out in a quick burst of endless coughing. The corridor had been dark, but this room was darker. The pain made Kai shiver, the cold of death creeping over him, trying to take over his mind.
I must not close my eyes, Kai swore. He could feel the wetness in his ears, the thick liquid thinning as it ran down his face, reaching his neck. His vision was blurry, but he could see her. The light highlighted her kneeling figure in front of the stairs. She was vomiting.
I can't die here, Kai told himself, struggling for breath, seeing the red HP bar flashing, dwindling like a dying candle's flame.
Hisssss!
The sudden familiar sound jerked Kai's dwindling concentration. There was a time when he understood this sound. Now it was just an animal's snarl.
A snake?! Where? Kai used whatever strength he had left to lift his head and look around.
To his left, a tall box of glass was leaning against the wall, and something was slithering in it. An instinct told Kai to approach the cage, urging him to hurry.
Kai felt his toes pressing against the floor as he turned towards his left. He pushed, and sometimes he pulled using his chin, crawling over the floor.
Blood never stopped abandoning him.
He could feel his attacker rising, and he could feel her anger, which was hidden from him before.
Time was running out!
The notification appeared out of the blue, brightening his eyes with that dull-gray color.
…
[
Beast Proximity: 3 meters
Glitch Condition matched
Contestant Kai Stormborn is qualified to awaken his Glitch
Do you want to awaken it now?
]
…
Kai mumbled something. It must have been a Yes, for the notification changed.
…
[
Calculating Worth…
Glitch is now awakened for 30 minutes in this World
…
Glitch: Blood Devour
Specification:
1. Devour a beast's Blood Essence upon contact (Limit: 3 Beasts)
2. Regenerate HP based on the size of the devoured beast. If HP is full, give a temporary boost in Strength, Agility, and Stamina
3. Imitate Natural Abilities and Skills of Devoured Beasts (with constraints and requirements)
4. Only one Blood Essence's Skills can be used at a time for 30 seconds with a cooldown of 5 minutes
]
…
A sudden hotness took over him, originating from his chest. Kai felt as if there was something alive, buried deep there. His blood boiled, and his skin became scalding hot, vaporizing the thin liquid all over his body.
The sound of approaching steps came through the door.
Kai stood up, injected with this sudden hotness. The burning sensation took over his senses like a drug.
The longsword was still in his hand, like a drowning man's last straw. Kai tightened his grip over it, ignoring the stats hovering above the Item. One quick slash and glass rained down, broken in hundreds of tiny shards.
Hisssssss!
The beast hissed and lunged. Kai felt dozens of sharp needle-like teeth digging into his neck, and its thick muscles wrapping around his torso, squeezing him, trying to break his ribs.
Kai… felt alive. "Blood Devour."
The hotness exploded like a volcanic eruption. A crack appeared over his chest, unseen to Kai, and something wriggled inside. It was starving, raving for the beast outside.
The snake sensed danger. Too late. A force, unimaginably stronger than the creature, broke it down into tiny pieces until it became a bloody paste and entered Kai's chest.
Only a hissing sigh lingered when Kai opened his eyes.
His round hazels had become slits once more.
…
[
Blood Essence: Blue-tailed Boa Constrictor (rare non-magical beast)
Grade: E
Abilities: Elementary Snake Instinct (Proficiency: 10%), Elementary Snake Language (Proficiency: 0%)
Skills: Light Neurotoxin (Grade: E-), Heat Sense (Grade: E)
]
…
Kai's sight was occupied by the words as the red HP bar started to refuel.
10, 20, 40… Up to 70.
The heinous wound on his shoulder healed first, then the tears of skin vanished, along with the pent-up tiredness.
"What… What are you?" A tired voice came from behind.
Kai turned and faced the woman, the sword still in his hand. It felt too long for his taste, but it was more like a saber than a dagger.
She lifted the wand, but Kai disappeared out of her sight, the instinct of a snake taking over his senses.
Elementary Snake Instinct!
Something moved in the corner. The wand followed.
A crunch of broken glass on the opposite, and the witch couldn't hold on any longer.
"Confringo!"
Whatever was left of the glass cage got blasted in the dust. The witch paled, her face becoming the color of a rotten lemon.
Death slithered down from above.
Kai pressed the longsword against her chest. Her skin was tough, but she was weak and defenseless. He looked into her eyes as he kept thrusting the sword into her, slowly, taking his time.
Muffled words came out of her mouth with foaming blood.
"You… He lied."
Kai only replied with a goodbye through his eyes.
Blood was seeping out of the witch's mouth in two distinct trails. Her heart had stopped, but her last words rang, bouncing off the mild darkness.
It was as if her ghost was crying a song.
Kai took out the sword, slowly. Her blood turned into a puddle, drowning her figure in no time.
So, this is Glitch, Kai thought, still drunk in the after-effects of using the Blood Essence. A single non-magical beast has given me two Abilities and two Skills.
Kai found it hard to imagine what would happen if he were to devour a magical beast. His eyes returned to their original shape.
Kai touched his chest and then noticed his right hand. There was a green-colored tattoo there, spotted with brown patches. It had the shape of the snake he had just devoured. The mouth of the snake was like an arrowhead, coiling around his arm, reaching his elbow. Its tail was blue, ending at the tip of his middle finger.
His nail looked devoid of blood, deep blue, bordering violet.
Now that he wasn't actively using the Ability, the tattoo vanished, too.
…
[Elementary Slither Footsteps: Proficiency 40% (+13%)]
…
This?! Kai remembered this Ability hadn't changed when he had used it before against Sonia, and the two Order's Contestants. He couldn't help but relate this progression to his Elementary Snake Instinct.
…
[
You have killed 3 Order's Contestants
…
Congratulations…
You now have the option to loot the dead Contestant's Inventory
]
…
A Treasure Chest hologram appeared over the dead witch's body. Kai looked up and found no such thing on the other disfigured bodies laying in the corridor. A queer feeling rose in his heart, and he snapped his mind towards the woman's right hand.
The wand was gone.
Damn it! Kai cursed, finding out what was happening. The yellow-toothed man, Kyle, must have only one Item on him. That's why it didn't return to Inventory, but the witch had quite a few.
Kai focused on the treasure chest, and another notification appeared.
…
[
You can either opt to get a random Item from Contestant's Inventory
Or…
You can opt to get a collective value of Mission Credits, calculated based on the dead Contestant's Worth, her Floor, and her Stats.
The choice is yours.
]
…
It was Luck that decided the probability of obtaining an Item from Treasure Chest.
To be on the safe side this once, and with his heart aching for the lost wand, Kai chose the second option.
…
[
Calculating collective remuneration…
Reward: +100 Mission Credits
]
…
The number soothed Kai's heart. The Treasure Chest disappeared, and whatever secrets the woman might have hidden there along with it.
The notification, though, didn't give him time to think about anything
...
[
Congratulations Contestant Kai Stormborn
You have unlocked 1 Title
…
Title: Murderer
Specification: Kill 10 Contestants in a single Random World. The Contestants must be from the same or higher floor than yours.
Status: (3/10)
Effect: Perception +2, Worth +1
…
Note: Only 1 Title can be equipped at a time
]
…
Seeing the 1 Point increase in Worth, that too temporarily, Kai could see how hard it was to increase it.
Kai felt the heaviness of the sword when the flood of notifications had gone dry. A good look at it, and he could see it was dented from many places. Most of the blade's edge had been blunted from frequent use, but it was still sharp enough for a newbie.
Kai's gaze landed on its stats, then.
…
[
Item: Castle Forged Longsword
Grade: Common
Specification: A sword discarded by Castle's Apprentice Blacksmith
Requirement: Strength 11, Stamina 9
Attributes: Base Damage 25 Points
Skill: Not Applicable
Effect: Strength +1 Agility - 1
Quality: 60%
]
…
Kai gladly put the Item within his Inventory. Then he searched through the woman's clothes, stripping her naked.
Nothing.
Kai looked at her face and the events that had happened replayed through his mind. He was sure now that she and Kyle were already here when Desmond and he had come. The only thing out of place was why he couldn't sense these two's presence.
Then it hit him.
Perception, yes, she must have a quite higher Perception than me, Kai analyzed.
After half an hour, Kai found himself again in the same dark alley.
He looked up and saw the shattered timber of the window. It was dark, and it became darker as Kai kept walking ahead, the moonlight finding it extremely difficult to follow him.
A deep sniff. The smell of blood hit Kai's nose.
Someone was there, wounded, and profusely bleeding to give the smell of death to the air.
His shoulder was gone. What tissue or strands of muscles were keeping his left hand attached to his body; a profound mystery.
"… Water…" the dying man muttered.
Kai looked in the direction as pointed by Desmond's right hand.
Sellsword's Water Pouch!
Kai could scarcely believe what he was seeing. Why would Sonia give Desmond her Item? Why would anyone part from such a precious life-saving thing? Two different questions, but they had the same answer.
Kai picked it up and put the water pouch's mouth against Desmond's and let gravity do its work. The entire content got emptied into his stomach in no time. His face flushed.
Kai took a deep breath and then scooched over to Desmond's ear. "Desmond," he whispered, "I have something to tell you."
"First… tell me… how are you still alive?" Desmond asked, catching his breath.
"I ran," Kai admitted. "The moment that hooded figure darted for you, I ran for the main door."
Kai wanted Desmond's trust. So he needed to tell a good story.
"How many were there, aside from her?" Desmond meekly asked.
"Her?!" Kai feigned surprise. "There were two. One was a newbie. The other was stronger than Shae but weaker than Sonia."
By now, Kai had confirmed that both Desmond and Sonia had gone easy on him during their light fight. Kai remembered the pale appearance of the witch, even though she was completely fine before going up.
Desmond shows simple-mindedness, but he is a scary opponent, Kai noted.
"He must be from the 1st floor then!" Desmond said, revealing the surprise in his voice. "You killed two of them, single-handedly?"
"No, I didn't kill anyone. I couldn't kill anyone," Kai replied, not falling for Desmond's obvious trick. "The stronger one had a longsword Item, I barely survived using my Elementary Ability."
Silence took over their conversation then.
Kai gave Desmond enough time to toss and turn on the things he had said to him. Anything other than that couldn't have made any sense, either. Kai could have never killed the two Order's Contestants, not before facing the injured witch. And she was certain death for Kai.
If I didn't have the Glitch, Kai added.
"Sigh," Desmond seemed to have given up on thinking more about it. "So, what were you going to say?"
"When we entered the shop, the witch and the guy from the 1st floor were already inside," Kai said coolly.
"Impossible!" Desmond almost roared. "We were on time. They couldn't have come before us unless…"
Desmond couldn't complete the sentence, Kai had already said his sentence for him.
"Unless they knew we were coming."
"How…" Desmond whispered, but the words dared not come out.
"Only Captain knew of our plan," Kai snared. "And Sonia."
"NO." Desmond rejected it with all the force he could muster. "Sonia would never do this."
"There you have it then," Kai shrugged.
Kai let Desmond mull over things this time. This course of events made much more sense than Kai surviving all three Contestants, including a witch as powerful as Desmond. Moreover, Kai was just a newbie. It wasn't a status high enough to strike a deal with the enemy.
"I will kill him," Desmond said, his teeth grinding almost in powder.
Hidden from Desmond's burning, murderous gaze, Kai let out a demonic smirk.