I saw three figures.
Even with my eyes, I could not make out their appearances clearly, but at the very least, I could see the mana flowing within them and the auras they emitted.
"Two at the -E rank… and one at E."
I muttered to myself as I began walking toward one of the darker alleys.
A short while later, I entered the narrow passageway. This time, I felt them quicken their pace.
They did not make me wait long. Within seconds, the three figures stood before me.
"You're a smart one, stopping your escape."
The first to speak was a short man who resembled a rat. He had black hair, and his small eyes were filled with greed.
"Stop that, Mark. Maybe he wanted to play with this older sister instead."
The one beside him was a woman with black hair and dark blue eyes. Heavy makeup covered her face, and the revealing clothes she wore only made her look more vulgar.
Disgusting.
Those two were the -E ranks I had sensed earlier.
Standing beside them was a large man.
Not as massive as Markus or Mouse, but still huge compared to me. His skin was dark, and a heavy sword rested on his back. Though he remained silent, the greed in his eyes—and the killing intent hidden within them—could not be concealed.
"Haa…"
I exhaled slowly.
They were troublesome, but not truly a problem.
The real problem was something else.
Do I kill them?
Yes. Their greedy eyes and the fact that they had followed me here meant two things.
First, they had overheard my conversation with Markus about the core's rank and guessed I had sold it to Marcella. Which was true.
Second, greed had taken hold of them. They planned to rob me… and kill me if necessary.
I hesitated.
Though they deserved death, I had never killed a person before.
"Stop thinking."
A voice suddenly entered my mind.
It was cold. Young. Familiar.
…My own voice. Raven's voice.
"Leave everything to me."
It spoke slowly, and calmness began to spread through me. Along with it came a chilling coldness.
The confusion and hesitation in my eyes vanished.
Only killing intent remained.
"What's wrong, kid? Too scared to speak?"
"No, no. Clearly, he was stunned by my beauty."
They really were third-rate villain extras.
I remained calm. Rather than standing there like an idiot, I used the moment they were distracted.
Bang.
I raised my pistol and fired two shots toward the woman's head.
Yes. The gun had fired.
My mind felt as cold as ice as I watched the bullets move almost slowly through the air toward her skull.
Pierce.
Her eyes widened in shock. Yet her disgusting smile remained on her face, frozen there even as she had been speaking to the rat-like man called Mark.
"Huh?"
The rat-man let out a confused sound.
Even the large man could not process what had happened.
Their eyes moved from the pistol in my hand to the woman as she staggered and collapsed to the ground.
"Lucia!"
Mark tried to catch her, but he was too late.
I watched blood pour from her shattered head as he grabbed her body.
"Hey! Lucy! Wake up!"
He roared while shaking her corpse, tears already spilling from his eyes.
Chance.
The coldness in my mind deepened when I saw both men confused and stunned.
Whoosh.
With no bullets left, I did not bother reloading. Instead, I transformed my ring into my usual black katana.
With a shrill gust of wind and terrifying speed—
Slash.
I appeared before the large man like an afterimage and swung my blade at his neck without warning.
"Huh—?"
He never finished.
His head was suddenly facing the moon.
Was the moon always this close?
Those were his final thoughts before the light vanished from his eyes.
Both Mark and I watched his severed head fall slowly to the ground.
I remained calm.
But something inside my mind began to crack.
"He's dead."
"Yes. You killed him." Violent emotions surged through me.
The cold calmness was replaced by fear. Horror. Denial.
"Why do you feel that way?" The voice returned.
"I killed them! They were human!" I screamed back within my own mind.
"But does that matter?"
Its tone was colder than mine. Calmer than mine.
"Yes! Aren't they like us?" I shouted in confusion.
"Like us?"
The voice laughed softly.
"These things? They are animals fit for slaughter. Think of them as beasts—like the rhinoceros monster whose skull you crushed and whose brain you pierced, even though it had done nothing to you."
This time, anger seeped into its words.
"No…"
I could not finish.
A roar exploded beside me.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!"
Mark screamed, tears streaming down his face as he gripped his weapon.
"Do not act like a hypocrite."
That was the last thing I heard before something inside me evolved once again.
I abandoned useless thoughts.
I had already killed two. What did it matter now?
I had spilled enough blood today to make a pond.
And I was the one who had done it.
The fear withdrew. Calmness returned.
Right. I don't need to be a hypocrite.
I swung my sword again, blocking Mark's desperate strike.
"Huh?!"
His large body staggered backward from the force alone.
I watched him silently as the rage in his eyes was slowly replaced by fear. His body began to tremble.
"Only +F strength?"
I looked at him with mild curiosity. Though the mana inside him was E-rank, his physical strength was barely +F.
"Drugs?"
There were substances that could artificially enhance certain abilities or even rank—but they were expensive.
Which meant…
"How many?" I asked, anger creeping into my voice.
That meant he had robbed many before. And judging by his aura… killed them too.
"What are you talking about?" he asked in a trembling voice while slowly backing away.
"How many have you killed and stolen from?"
I stepped forward. He stepped back.
Mana pressure surrounded me, warping the air. My killing intent rushed toward him like something monstrous.
Purple aura mixed with crimson intent. The ground beneath us cracked slightly.
"I—I didn't—"
His face twisted in terror.
I felt no pity.
Yes. I wanted to kill him.
So why keep pretending?
It no longer mattered.
"Shut up."
I cut him off and kicked him in the chest.
"Gah!"
He crashed onto the cold ground, striking his head.
"Please…"
He begged—but when he looked into my eyes, the rest of the words died in his throat.
To him, I was a monster.
I could see my own reflection in his trembling eyes.
Black clothing. Silver eyes visible beneath the hood. A blood-covered katana in hand.
Yes. I looked like a nightmare.
He turned and began crawling away. Blood ran down his head from the impact, but it did not stop his desperate need to flee.
Whoosh.
He tried to stand and run.
He failed.
My katana had pierced through his foot, pinning him to the ground.
"AAAAAH!"
He screamed. Spit flew from his mouth. Tears, mucus, and panic ruined his face until he looked utterly pathetic.
I walked toward him slowly, ignoring his shrieks.
Then I raised my foot.
Crush.
Like stepping on an insect
.
Like smashing a melon.
I brought my foot down.
And crushed his head