"Crap, crap, crap. What is going on? I know Jolly and the others wouldn't betray me, so what's happening? Why is the section chief here?"
The situation was not looking good, and Kell had not spoken again; it was just silent. But Yenna knew she was still there, waiting for the door to open.
"Should we run? Should I run away? Y-yeah, I barely know him, so I can just turn him in. It's my life or his."
She hesitantly lowered her weapon and began approaching the door. "I'm sorry, Vell. I just can't risk my life for you. I'm sure you understand."
She didn't look back; looking him in the eyes would be too painful. But this was her fatal mistake.
"Yeah, I understand."
His voice was too close, and the tone was off. She tried to turn around, but it was already too late. A sword pierced her stomach from the back, and she fell to her knees. Vell stood before her, sword covered in blood and a blank expression on his face. She looked up at him; her emotions were all over the place. She wanted to rage at him for betraying her, but she knew she had no room to talk.
"…I'm sorry. I got scared... I can't go back to that life; I just can't."
She gave up, looking down at the floor as her vision began to blur due to blood loss.
"I guess I'm going to die, huh? But I'm not angry. For the first time in a long time, I felt connected to someone. I know this says more about me than the interaction, but I still had fun... I truly hope you survive, Vell."
She fell to the floor, blood flowing in all directions, and he just stood there looking down at her without saying anything. This was the same as before; she lay dying in front of him, and yet he felt nothing.
"I know you probably have your own sad backstory, but I can't allow my life to get ruined here. I'm sorry for that."
He picked up her fancy sword, looked at it for a bit, and threw it away, along with the one he used to stab her.
"I guess expensive doesn't mean good, or she got scammed."
He walked over to the door and opened it, coming face to face with Kell. Her first instinct was to look past him, and she saw Yenna lying on the floor, covered in blood.
"Enough with the cat-and-mouse game. Come in and let's have a talk."
She stared at him for a few seconds, shoved him aside, and walked in. She pulled out a small fancy bottle with a red liquid inside, which she then poured all over Yenna.
"Okay, now for you."
She walked towards him and, in a split second, was holding him by the throat. She pinned him to the floor and got closer to his ear.
"Now then, special guy, you are coming with me."
She tapped him lightly on the head, knocking him out, and then proceeded to put him on her shoulder. She gave one last look at Yenna and then began walking out of the house. But she didn't even reach the door before his point of view changed. She was looking back, but her body was facing forward.
It was then that Vell casually got off and landed like a beast, wasting no time in delivering a kick that sent her crashing into the wall.
"Hah, why are players so dumb? What's the use of strength if you don't get the chance to use it?"
He stretched his arms and closed his eyes, concentrating until the symbols that had sunk beneath his skin began to glow for a brief moment, and then they stopped. He opened his eyes, and Wren came running from the living room, jumping onto his shoulder and rubbing her face against his.
"Haha, it's thanks to you! Without your skill, I would have been in big trouble. Right, I forgot the system went through a change too. Hey, are you awake?"
[Waking up... Morning, master.]
"Look who finally decided to join us. Did you sleep well?"
[I wasn't sleeping, just evolving.]
"You literally said 'waking up.'"
[It seems your ears need to be fixed.]
He gave up; going back and forth would not solve anything. What was important now was the evolution that had happened to the system and whether it would be of any help.
"So what new features do you have?"
[It's nothing special, just a profile for you to keep track of your stats, skills, and slots.]
"Ah, I've been meaning to ask, what do you mean by slots?"
[The evolution forge has rooms, or slots in this case. Each slot is given to a beast when it's tamed; it's also how they are connected to you, as the forge, or in other words, me, is fused together with your soul.]
"So it works like that. How many slots do I have?"
[At your current level, only 3.]
"That's bad. Looks like I still need to find my way into dungeons."
He looked down at Yenna, noticing that her wound had closed up.
"I was planning on helping her after I killed that woman, but it seems that won't be necessary."
[I am not sure what happened, but I am assuming you killed her in a sneaky way because her mana readings are off the charts. But what if that plan failed?]
"Then Yenna would be dead, and I would be held at the association, being questioned like an alien."
[It's scary how you say that with a straight face.]
"Anyways, the profile."
[Right, here it is.
Name: Vell
Age: 21
Title: Beast Tamer
Rank: Human Rank
Forge slots: 1/3
Overall stats: F++
Skills: Taming, Resonance
Magic: None]
"Okay, not bad, though I am pathetically weak. No wonder I broke my arm when I snapped her neck."
[...you are really reckless.]
"There was no other choice. High risk for the best result, right? Now what should I do about her? Seems her friends got found out and put the blame on her....she is so naive."
[Master is acting like a veteran when he has only been a player for a few days.]
"Yes, but I have experienced the pain of being betrayed. It's not something easy, and it can lead many to death. I am curious to see what path she will take."
[.....]
He picked her up and placed her on the sofa. Now it was time to visit her friends and sort things out. He left a note beside her: _I will be back; stay here._