《Galactic Showdown!》 A White Choker Chapter 01 : A White Choker He knew he was different from other children. While they learned how to crawl, he had started walking. When they spoke their first word, he formed complex sentences. People regarded him as a genius so he did his best to meet their expectations. While other kids played with their friends, he cooped himself up inside his room, reading. When students shed tears of joy getting 80% marks in their tests, he felt aggrieved in scoring 99%. His family was proud of him yet he loathed himself. For a genius such as himself to not obtain a perfect score was an extremely shameful matter in his mind. Therefore, he pushed himself harder and harder until the stress finally got to him. One day, inside his classroom, he suddenly jerked up and yelled at the top of his lungs before dashing outside his university. People were too shocked that they weren¡¯t able to react until he¡¯s quite a distance away. They informed his parents who decided that it¡¯s best if they turned the whole city into a search party. Of course, those who participated would be rewarded properly and the group who found him would be paid more than the others. While others were searching for him, he madly ran towards a forest and after pausing a while at the edge, he sprinted deeper into it. Not knowing how long he had run, he stumbled when his foot accidentally hit a root that protruded from underground. Falling on his back then breaking his nose, he then rolled and fell further into a pit and finally stopping after his head hit a stone. With gasping breath and sore body, he looked around and saw something shining and blinking. With his curiosity piqued, despite his injuries, he went ahead to look at it. It was a white, circular object. There were symbols flickering and changing around it giving it a mysterious vibe. Ignoring all danger, he grabbed at it. Before his hand touched it though, the object jumped at him, taking him in surprise. It split at a part then coiled around his neck before locking itself there tightly. He tried pulling it off but the object didn¡¯t budge. It now seemed as if he¡¯s wearing a high-tech choker. Giving up peeling the choker off his neck, he finally looked around at where he was only to realize that he¡¯s lost so he became a little scared. The fear didn¡¯t last long though since he was surprised by a voice suddenly appearing in his mind. Thinking that he became crazy because of knocking his head, he tried ignoring the voice but it was persistent. Add in the fact that the question the voice asked was quite weird, considering it¡¯s his own mind playing games on him since he thought he turned nuts. He decided to entertain the voice after roaming a few hours in the forest. [Please provide your name.] ¡°Ray¡­ Starlight.¡± He subconsciously replied to the voice. [Registering Ray Starlight¡­ Obtaining coordinates¡­ Scanning holder¡¯s body¡­Registration completed.] [Congratulations! You are now officially a participant of Galactic Showdown!] [Good luck and may you conquer the vast galaxy!] [Time left: 3 years 8 months 23 days] Not knowing what actually just happened, he was in a daze for a few minutes. Waking up, he then tried ascertaining what had just occurred but was unable to produce any result. The voice in his head too had disappeared. This kind of situation was not something that a normal person should experience. Afraid that he really might turn crazy, he forced himself to just forget that part of his life. But Lady Fate for some reason awakened an interest of messing around with him today. Out of the blue, a translucent screen appeared in his vision nearly giving him a heart attack with the earlier voice talking as if reading a script.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. [Scanning completed. Displaying scanned results.]
Status
Name: Ray Starlight Race: Human
Age: 18 Sex: Male
Faction: N/A Guild: N/A
Strength: 8 Agility: 9
Intellect: 50 Dexterity: 20
Stamina: 3/70 Mental Energy: 5/250
[Holder¡¯s natural abilities have reached the requirements and will be turned into usable Abilities.]
New Ability Gained Enhanced Perception (Passive) [The holder¡¯s perception is increased, making it easier to perceive things that are usually unnoticed.]
New Ability Gained Enhanced Reaction (Passive) [The holder¡¯s reaction is increased, making it easier to react during fast-paced actions or sudden changes within self or surroundings.]
New Ability Gained Eidetic Memory (Passive) [The holder can vividly recall images from memory after only a few instances of exposure.]
Bombarded with the screens without having to brace himself, he was scared shitless, afraid that there might be some supernatural beings playing pranks on him. It¡¯s in human nature to be scared of the unknown when facing them. Not to mention that he¡¯s currently inside the forest and the day was starting to get darker. The forest was not a place that you should play around. Though he¡¯d love to go back as soon as possible, with the way things were, he might just get lost deeper into the forest. The least he could do was to wait at one place until helpers arrive lest it made it harder for people to find him. With nothing else to do, he chose a relatively clean spot and sat down. Since he¡¯s going crazy anyway, might as well check out what those screens were saying. ¡°Name, age, race? Hmm¡­ strength, dexterity, and¡­ mental energy? The hell is that?¡± The more he read, the more his mind spun. This didn¡¯t seem like a delusion of someone crazy, probably. Ray was someone who was focused in studying so he never had the time to play games, making it hard to understand these terms properly. Nevertheless, with his intelligence, he could still guess them, though it¡¯s not that accurate, ¡°Aren¡¯t I a bit too weak though? The reason my intelligence is that high is obvious but still¡­ what¡¯s the average value for a human anyway?¡± From denial to acceptance, he denied the existence of the voice earlier but then accepted the appearance of the screens, this was how his mind worked. If he can¡¯t adapt to this little matter, then he was not able to accept his title as a genius. By now, he had already guessed that the voice and screens appeared because of the choker. He became more and more interested in the object and was somewhat grateful that it was now stuck to him. If not, people might want to steal it from him. He¡¯d have to guard it with his life if he wanted to protect it since for the moment; the only way to take it off was to chop the wearer¡¯s neck. ¡°Hm? Eidetic memory? Let¡¯s see.¡± After seeing the last screen, he tried using the ability Eidetic Memory to search his brain for a way out of this forest. After racking his brains for a while, he finally obtained what he wanted. Though it¡¯s not as clear as he expected since he wasn¡¯t really focusing when he was running earlier, he could still find his way back. Following the images in his mind, he finally walked out of the forest after a few hours of walking. By then, the sky had darkened and his body was covered with mud and grime. There were even a few small sticks stuck in his hair. Walking back to the city, he noticed that there were still people searching for him. He knew that they were hired by his parents so he decided that it would be best for him to evade them for a while. Using roads which people don¡¯t usually use, he sneaked his way back towards his house. After a slight hill climb, he finally reached a three-storey mansion which was isolated from the rest of the city. Stealthily jumping over the fence and commanding the guard dog to stay silent, he stealthily made his way towards the window of his room. He even brought a laser pointer to make sure the CCTVs won¡¯t spot his figure. Let them think that it¡¯s a burglar or murderer as long as it¡¯s not him. It¡¯s obvious that it¡¯s not his first time doing this. His room was on the second floor but this was where the huge-ass tree right outside it played an important role in his ¡°mission¡±. Even with his measly 7 points in strength, that was still enough to climb a tree, to say nothing about his ambidextrousness which helped a lot in the process. Pushing himself off a branch, he finally landed safely on his porch. Clapping his hands at his marvellous performance this time, he grandly entered his room¡­ ¡­only to face the scowling faces of a man and a woman. Transported Into Emptiness Chapter 02: Transported Into Emptiness Sitting on his bed with his head lowered, Ray had on a deadpan expression while the two people in front of him were chastising him. The two, for better or worse, were his parents. His father Jason Starlight was a CEO of a virtual reality development company, Star Gear. With the increase of functionality in virtual reality, the world was now in a race to achieve a truly immersive virtual environment. Star Gate was one of the frontrunners in this competition, gaining Jason much popularity and riches. Coupled with his great looks with slick brown hair and chiselled face, he exuded charisma from his blue eyes that compelled people towards him, gaining respect from others. His mother Marissa Starlight was one of the founders of a company that dealt with beauty products. Not besmirching her profession, her figure was an absolute weapon against men and her beauty was said to be unparalleled. Her lush black hair that fell to her shoulders, bright green eyes and luscious lips would make even women jealous of her. Ray never cared much for his mother¡¯s business since he considered them to be unrelated to his life so all he knew was that the company was famous worldwide and she rarely was at home because of countless meetings overseas. Not that his that was ever at home either. Today was a rare day that they were both home which greatly puzzled Ray. Unless there was something really important that happened, these tow wouldn¡¯t be here at this time. Hearing them getting angry at him, there was a conflicted emotion in him. The two who never really pay any attention to him other than when he told him his exam results was now scolding him for something so insignificant in his eyes. ¡°Do you know how worried we were? When the university called, I thought that my heart would stop!¡± barely holding her tears from falling, his mother reprimanded him for suddenly going missing. When she got the call earlier, she immediately dropped everything and drove back home as fast as she can. His father didn¡¯t say much and only put in a few words between his mother¡¯s, but the look on his face showed that he was greatly disappointed in him. Ray could only listen quietly and not interrupt them as he knew that he deserved it. He felt that he had been doing things wrongly and that he should use this as a chance to rethink how he should handle his life here onwards. ¡°Just what happened to you Ray? You¡¯ve never acted like this before.¡± His mother asked him, worry apparent on her face. Avoiding her gaze, he replied, ¡°Nothing really. I was just, kinda stressed out a bit. It¡¯s not worth mentioning.¡± Hearing his reply, her mother¡¯s face relaxed a little. She then suggested, ¡°Do you think you need a little break? We can ask the university for a temporary leave. I know that you¡¯re a smart child but if you don¡¯t take care of your health, then what use would there be in learning all those things?¡± This made Ray realize that despite their constant absence, his parents really did care for him. They just rarely showed it. Ray wanted to decline the offer but when he thought about the choker, he felt that this might be a good time to investigate it so he agreed with his mother, ¡°Sure, maybe some rest for a week or to would alleviate my stress. I can calm my mental state during this time.¡± His mother made a smile hearing him. Knowing her son, she was worried that he wouldn¡¯t take this time to rest. She knew that because of them, he felt pressured and wanted to gain their recognition. He just didn¡¯t realize that as long as he¡¯s happy, she and her husband wouldn¡¯t mind what he decide to do in the future.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. After a few more minutes of talking, the two left Ray¡¯s room, giving him a chance to release a deep sigh. Everything that happened today was too much of a shock to him. He fell into a fit of madness because of stress and right after that, an alien object suddenly got stuck to him, displaying things that shouldn¡¯t be. Then, his usually busy parents had time to care for him and even showed their worry for him for the first time. He needed to take a while to digest all of these things. ¡°For now, let¡¯s check this choker.¡± He got up from his bed and walked towards a mirror hung on the wall. The flickering symbols were no longer there and all he could see was just a plain white choker. He thought back to all those screens that appeared and one instantly appeared again. He then willed it to disappear and it did. ¡°So the screens seem to appear by my will. Though the one just now only indicated my status.¡± He pondered if there were other functions to the choker when the strange voice appeared in his mind again with a new screen. [Current available functions.]
Status Training Simulation Showdown! (3 years 8 months 23 days)
Looking at the screen, other than status, he only knows the meaning of the words for other choices. As for their purposes, he could only investigate one by one. ¡°Training.¡± At the instant he said that, he suddenly blacked out. When his eyes were open again, he was standing upon a vast whiteness seemingly without end. Nothing could be seen in this place other than the lone teenager with slightly long black hair. His usually calm blue eyes revealed apparent confusion as to what had happened. He inspected his body but saw that nothing was wrong and released a sigh. ¡°Training started. Please choose an ability to train.¡± The voice which usually appeared in Ray¡¯s head now reverberated through the whole space. Ray pondered for a bit and remembered that a few screens appeared earlier mentioning that he gained ability. ¡°Let¡¯s see now¡­ enhanced perception.¡± The moment his sentence finished, he felt like there¡¯s something fast moving towards him from behind. Quickly jumping to the side, he saw what seemed to be a wrecking ball flying past him. His eyes almost popped out seeing this and cold sweat started appearing on his back. He gulped a mouthful of saliva thinking what would have happened if he didn¡¯t dodge in time. ¡°Wh-what the heck? I almo-¡°not being able to finish his sentence, the feeling came again but this time from above. He leapt forward without thinking but as if mocking his effort, another one of those balls appeared right in front of him and only then he felt that feeling of danger. Eyes closed, he said his last words, ¡°Fuck me!¡± The expected pain didn¡¯t come and when he opened his eyes again, only emptiness was there. The huge balls were nowhere to be seen despite their large size. ¡°Training completed. Holder¡¯s current Enhanced Perception level is at the beginner¡¯s stage.¡± An evaluation was given by the voice. Shaking his head, he felt scared of what would¡¯ve happened if he weren¡¯t in this place. Even though he was able to sense the danger, when too many came at once, it was hard for him to react accordingly. From the pieces of information he had collected up from the moment he got the choker until now, this place to him was something made by the choker. As for the functions of the other choices in the earlier screen, he had already guessed their uses. Other than Status which showed his status and Training which brought him to this training room, Simulation is probably a place that could simulate an environment for him to use. He didn¡¯t know the specifics but he felt that for now, he might not just want to use it. As for Showdown!, he remembered the voice saying that he joined something called a Galactic Showdown! Then there¡¯s also that timer which likely represented the time until the showdown start. The Training and Simulation is definitely for people to prepare for the showdown. Thinking deeply, Ray wondered just what had he gotten himself into. Because of a random action of his, he got a hold of this alien technology. Why did he conclude that it was alien? It¡¯s because as far as human knowledge goes, this kind of technology was too high-tech for them. Not to mention that he kept having a feeling that this wasn¡¯t reality and yet still real, unlike a dream. From what he had read in his father¡¯s study, virtual reality, even as good as it was in the current era, was still impossible to be this realistic. His current sweating self and his five senses feeling no different from reality was proof enough. Does the detailed texture of his clothes even need to be mentioned? ¡°For now, let¡¯s get out of this space.¡± Simply thinking of what he wanted, his figure then vanished from the white space. An Idle Day Chapter 03: An Idle Day At night, the moon¡¯s splendour compelled people to gaze at it, reminiscing about the good times in life. Ray was one of the people that did this but rather than life, he was thinking about the choker he got. Just who made the choker? What¡¯s the Galactic Showdown!? Why was he chosen to participate in it? Too many questions were raised but nobody could answer them for him. Ray laid motionlessly on the rooftop with excited eyes staring at the moon, ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s anything on it?¡± The word galactic meant that this showdown was held on a scale larger than what he could currently imagine. ¡°If other life forms exist out there, then¡­ I¡¯ll be sure to discover them!¡± He raised his hands upwards and clenched it towards the moon. ¡°What are you doing up there!?¡± ¡°Crap.¡± Hearing a sudden voice shouting that¡¯s probably aimed at him, Ray immediately gripped the roof¡¯s edge and jumped down to his balcony. It sounded like one of the housekeepers so could only hope that the guy won¡¯t report it to his parents. Inside, without anything else to do, he decided to just sleep. He jumped unto his bed and covered his body with a thick blanket. Recently the nights had started becoming colder which meant their continent was about to enter the colder area. A few hundred years ago, Earth had its first ever apocalypse. Volcanoes erupted, earthquakes appeared in quick successions without warning everywhere. Tsunamis swallowed the lands leaving only four continents. Even then, it was as if the Earth wasn¡¯t willing to accept them as a part of itself so these continents were wedged from the Earth, leaving them floating the now water-covered Earth. Mysteriously, rather than sinking or crumbling, these four bodies of land stayed afloat and didn¡¯t even collide with one another. To top it off, they would rotate anti-clockwise as id there¡¯s an axis at the centre. Now that humanity had started developing again, they¡¯ve learned their lessons that it was because of their own doings that the Earth became so. Looking at the silver lining, the effects of pollutions such as thinning of ozone layer and the green house effect caused by the ancient earthlings mysteriously disappeared, as if they never existed in the first place. With this, people of the new generation renamed Earth to Neo-Earth, signifying their desire to start anew in hope that they would not end up like their ancestors. The next morning, Ray woke up and was told that his parents were already off working during breakfast. He simply nodded his head in understanding. Since he had time, he was thinking of a different method to sneak into the mansion again at a later date. His old method was discovered by his parents yesterday, or could it be they already knew from when he did it as a child but simply ignored it because of his age? Now that he thought about it again, the fact that the guards did nothing to prevent his entrance was weird in itself unless they¡¯re incompetent slacking bastards leeching off his family. Around noon, Ray headed out towards the city. The driver wanted to drive him there but he refused with the reason that he simply want to relax during the walk. Passing through the main gate, he suddenly felt that he was being watched by a few people. These gazes didn¡¯t seem to mean any harm as far as he could perceive with his ability. Still, he guessed that his parents set up a few bodyguards to secretly protect him because of yesterday¡¯s matter. Though he¡¯d prefer none of that, he can¡¯t do anything about it now.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. While walking he wasn¡¯t just absentmindedly going along the road. With his eyes closed, he took each step carefully yet naturally so as not to incur any suspicions from his ¡°babysitters¡±. He could feel whether there¡¯s something blocking the way or when he was about to deviate from his path. When cars drove past him, he could measure the distance between them even before the cars were in his view. It truly was an amazing ability. Enhanced Perception was amazing in itself but its true value would only materialize when used in tandem with Enhanced Reaction. If a human only has Enhanced Perception, he might know what to expect but whether he would be able to react, especially in unexpected circumstances, would be another story. When one has these two skills honed to their finest, unless someone with strength unfathomably stronger than oneself, it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that on would be invincible. This simple walk was turned into a training session by Ray. Arriving at the city, his goal was imply to memorize everything he sees. Buildings, people, signboards, everything. This was to test whether his ability Eidetic Memory was truly as it is described. He walked into alleys, entered stores and even visited an orphanage since he had never actually seen one before. He knocked on the door and called out, ¡°Excuse me, is anyone here?¡± though he could clearly hear the sound of people talking from inside the small house, he still asked to be polite. He might come from a rich family but he never once thought that people with less wealth were inferior. In fact, he even felt that some average people were worth respected rather than people with authority. ¡°Yes? Is there anything I could help you with?¡± opening the door, a woman in her mid twenties stuck her head out. Seeing a young man she doesn¡¯t recognize visiting the orphanage perplexed her a bit. Nevertheless, she went out to properly greet him. She had a head of red hair tied into a ponytail. Her similarly red eyes were blinking in askance at Ray who stood straight in front of her. With her smooth skin, she was definitely someone who¡¯d attract a lot of attention. In response to her question, Ray replied, ¡°I¡¯m just here to look around at how things work in an orphanage, a little bit curious about them,¡± to which surprisingly the woman reacted with unreasonable anger. ¡°We don¡¯t want your kind here. Get lost!¡± she slammed the door, making a loud banging sound. Ray stood there stupefied. He wondered whether he did anything wrong in their interaction but with its briefness, what could he even probably do? As he was wondering, the door opened again but instead of the person titled Red Devil earlier, it was a woman in her fifties. Her hair had started greying and the wrinkles on her face could clearly be seen. With a slightly guilty face, she apologized to Ray, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Anna earlier. She can be a bit impulsive sometimes. Many people had come here to make her their girlfriend so that¡¯s why when seeing young people like you here; she¡¯d assume that you¡¯re one of them.¡± The woman said politely to Ray but her tone deepened a bit at her last sentence. Ray guessed what this woman was thinking but didn¡¯t bother to explain. He again told his reason in coming here and asked whether he could take a look inside. The woman agreed since it¡¯s not much trouble anyway and that they rarely had guests outside people coming to adopt. She led him in touring the building and showed him the facilities inside and their purposes. Ray also saw 12 children aged ranging from 3 to 16 years old. For those who reached 18, they¡¯d have to go out and look for work. They can lie inside the orphanage but they¡¯d have to help support the other kids unconditionally. That¡¯s why many chose to live outside. Of course, they¡¯d visit from time to time and help with what they can. At the end of the visit, Ray saw the Red Devil glaring at him with a scowl on her face. He simply smiled at her and left the orphanage. He left a 1000$ cheque in the old woman¡¯s palm which he had prepared earlier when he was leaving which surprised the woman a bit but then thanked him afterward. 1000$ wasn¡¯t considered much when there were a dozen kids to take care of but it¡¯s still helpful to them since they mostly relied on charity and donations. ¡°Administration even at such a small place is still troublesome. As expected, I¡¯m not going to walk that path.¡± Ray had asked the old woman about the management of the orphanage and just listening to it made him feel like it¡¯d be troublesome. If he were to dabble in politics in the future, even though the benefits were amazing, it¡¯s not something that he wanted to do. ¡°Father is already in the VR business and I¡¯m not planning to continue after him. Should I start my own business then?¡± Ray rarely ever thought about his future but now that he had a lot of free time, it can¡¯t be helped that his thinking went towards that direction. ¡°As for the aliens, I could only confirm their existence when the showdown starts and even then, whether I have the ability to see them afterwards is another story.¡± With a heavy heart, he let out a sigh and went back home. Calm Before the Storm Chapter 04: Calm Before the Storm Inside and abandoned house, five people were in a middle of a discussion. Some of these people had scars while others wore piercings so as to look intimidating. At a glance, people would definitely label them as gangsters; and they¡¯re not wrong. Among these people stood a woman with red hair whose beauty would make even models jealous. She, along with the others, had an anxious expression on her face. If Ray was here, he would be able to recognize this woman as the Red Devil, Anna, he saw at the orphanage. Unbeknownst to anyone around her, she was actually the leader of this group of ruffians! People thought that as violent as she was, she wouldn¡¯t go as far as getting involved in criminal activities. Well, they¡¯re as wrong s they could be. However, there¡¯s a reason for why she¡¯s doing this, like all other gang bosses do. Growing up at an orphanage, she thought that she wouldn¡¯t have a chance to see her parents anymore, but once she was of age to leave the orphanage, a group of people in black came to her, telling her that someone who stood at the top of Tech Continent invited her for a dinner. Being shocked at what was happening, she was already in front of those people once she managed to absorb everything in. In front of here were a man and a woman in their late thirties. One look at them and people would be awed by the aura they gave off. The woman was beautiful while the man handsome. They were a match made in heavens and when their identities were considered, they made an extremely terrifying combination. What made Anna didn¡¯t know whether she should be happy or angry was that these two people who stood atop others were actually her parents! Her shocked when told that almost made her faint but her willpower was strong enough for her to control her emotions. The most important thing at the moment was to know why they sent her to the orphanage. Calming her ragged breath, she asked the reason why they called her and their answer really made her want to strangle them to death. It was at this point that Anna¡¯s view was broadened. She learnt about the existence of aliens and other things that were merely fantasies in neo-earthlings¡¯ eyes. She was told about Galactic Showdown!, an event that involved the whole universe. Participants would be treated as someone who lorded over everything in their home planet. As for winners¡­ heh, they can¡¯t even imagine what that signified. The reason she was sent to the orphanage was because her parents wanted her to develop mentally by living outside their protection. There were many candidates for the White Choker of Tech Continent but only one would be chosen and from what they were told, only someone with a strong mentality would be chosen since abilities are only unlocked once someone¡¯s mental strength reached a certain threshold.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Anna really wanted to curse and beat the shit out of these people called her parents but she held the impulse in. When she thought about it again, she thought that if she were to be chosen, wouldn¡¯t her life be much better than even her parents¡¯? The kids and workers in the orphanage too would be able to benefit from her influence if she wanted to. She finally resolved her heart and said that she would accept her position. OF course, to get the White Choker for herself, she would need to best the other candidates. With her age, she¡¯s probably one of the youngest candidates. If she wanted to get her hand on the choker, she¡¯d have to develop her mental ability to an extremely high level or, as suggested by her parents, eliminate the others. Anna closed her eyes to consider her choices. Her age wasn¡¯t that old so her mental ability was a far cry from those older candidates. Even if there¡¯s a method to increase it quickly, who could say that others don¡¯t know of the method too? It¡¯d be too late for her if she only started now. Filled with resolve, she opened her eyes and told her parents that she would take the path of massacre. Contrasting to Anna¡¯s serious face, her parents laughed in joy, saying that her mentality was strong enough for people of her age to be able to consider massacre as calmly as she did, even when she hadn¡¯t even killed before. After calming down, they then told her the first target who¡¯s one of the top candidates for the choker. It was the current boss of the underworld in Tech Continent. People don¡¯t know what his name really was, not even the top brass, but what people do know was that he called himself Black Dragon and the gang he lead was, if you haven¡¯t guessed it yet, the Black Dragon gang. His ranking as a choker candidate was in the top 10 if not top 5. If Anna was able to kill him and possibly eliminate the whole Black Dragon gang, gaining control of the underworld herself, she¡¯d definitely be considered a top candidate for the choker. Back to the abandoned house, Anna was having a meeting with her henchmen. These people were the boss for each group they controlled. Right now, her gang was considered a medium-scale gang with over 500 members. Tonight, they were going to have another turf battle with another gang. This battle would determine whether her gang would rise to a high-scale gang. If they won, the businesses in the enemy¡¯s are would be owned by them and they could increase their capital to enlarge their gang, slowly climbing the steps to conquer the whole underworld. ¡°Pierce, are the weapons ready?¡± Anna asked a woman with piercings on her lower lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry boss. Everything¡¯s in warehouse three. I even got some extra in five.¡± The woman replied to her with an excited smile on her face. ¡°Okay. How about you Shark? Have you assigned people for defence?¡± Anna then asked a man with a scar across his face who was smoking like nothing here involved him. He took the cigarette out, puff out smoke andgave a one-word reply, "Done," before he continued smoking again. ¡°Perfect. Well then, now all we have to do is wait.¡±
Ray went out to the city again on the third day of his off-day but the atmosphere in the city was somewhat different today. It was a bit oppressive but when he looked around, everything seemed normal. There¡¯s nothing worth mentioning that was happening. ¡°Am I just being paranoid? No way. I have an enhanced perception so could it be that it sensed something which made me feel guarded? This means that the current peace is actually the calm before the storm. I wonder what¡¯s going to happen.¡± Ray felt that the thing that¡¯s going to happen was worth his time to investigate and possibly get himself involved in it. He again inspected the city but this time with an anticipating heart and a wide smile on his face. Gang Fight Chapter 05: Gang Fight Two groups of people with various expressions were facing each other in an alleyway. They held various objects that could be used as weapons and some of them you wouldn¡¯t even expect to be possible to be used as weapons, like a spoon. The atmosphere was really heavy and any passerby would immediately run away if they saw these people. ¡°Hey Shark, aren¡¯t you guys being a little bit too suicidal? Out of all groups in this city and you chose us to fight? You should go back and suck on your mom¡¯s tits eyy?¡± a man with tiny eyes wearing a blue bandana said to a man who seemed to perpetually have a cigarette in his mouth. Shark simply stood there unmoving with a hand in his pocket grabbing onto something while the other was holding the cigarette in his mouth. His scarred face was really intimidating that the weaker people in the enemy camp were a bit scared especially with his inaction after the provocation. Jay, the person who taunted him, had a vein bulging on his forehead but he knew that the person opposite him not someone to be belittled. When the cigarette in Shark¡¯s mouth almost finished burning, he flicked it upwards and said a word with a flat tone which prompted the violence that¡¯d soon occur, ¡°Kill.¡± The two groups finally clashed with the other and a bloody battle commenced. A man on Shark¡¯s side swung the pipe he was holding and managed to hit his opponent right in the face but the next instance, he was stabbed at the ribs with a karambit knife and blood started gushing out. Mustering what strength he had left in him, he grabbed the attacker¡¯s hand and pulled him close before biting his neck. On the side of this carnage, two people stood unharmed and stared at each other. It was an unspoken rule in the underworld for other people not to interrupt a fight between leaders hence there were an empty space around the two. Shark, though a quiet person, was never a patient one. Not standing the inaction, he finally took out the knife he had been holding since earlier and dashed towards the bandana guy. The guy smiled as he saw Shark coming but rather than facing off against him, he fled backwards towards where the crowd was fighting. Shark frowned at this but he followed nevertheless. People tried to stay clear of their fight but some just don¡¯t know their place and attacked Shark but he easily took their lives with a slash to the neck or a stab through the heart. When talking about precision in a knife fight, Shark was the best in his gang. Even Anna had to rely on outside factor to win against him head on. Seeing that people were dying one after another after approaching Shark, others who had any ideas on killing him retreated as they knew they stood no chance against him. Shark chased the bandana guy until they reached inside a narrow alley. The place was behind an apartment complex and on the railing leading upstairs stood a few people who were definitely someone from the enemy side. Shark had a feeling that this was a trap but he followed bandana guy nonetheless. As for what might happen, as long as he¡¯s cautious enough, he¡¯s confident in winning the fight. About ten metres away from shark, bandana guy turned around and and smiled widely at Shark. ¡°You¡¯re really confident aren¡¯t you? Well whatever. Makes things easier.¡± in his hands, bandana guy wielded a pair of brass knuckles. He had learnt boxing since he was little so he¡¯s more proficient with fist fighting rather than using other weapons. His attacking range may be short but his lethality was definitely no less than someone using knife or steel pipe. With his cowardly opponent finally meeting him face to face, Shark didn¡¯t give his opponent any chance to run away again and leapt at him. He made a downward slash which was dodged by bandana guy. He moved his body to the left and then used his left fist to punch Shark¡¯s elbow. Having used to fighting, Shark¡¯s senses helped him avoid a fatal blow by pushing to left with his right leg and while he was at it, he raised his left leg and made a back kick to bandana guy¡¯s stomach. Bandana wanted to block it but he was half a step late. ¡°Guh.¡± Bandana guy staggered backward and Shark took this opportunity to make some distance between them. His shoulder was still hurting and was almost dislocated so he twisted them a bit which made cracking sounds to prevent any unwanted injury. ¡°Heh. As expected of someone known as the Combat Demon. It¡¯s really a waste for you to be in the Red Demon gang.¡± The bandana guy held his stomach with one hand but he was still laughing despite the pain. An insignificant pain this won¡¯t make a veteran fighter like him cry like a baby. ¡°Why don¡¯t you join us, Shark? It¡¯s far better than you following that immature little girl who knows nothing about the world. In fact, isn¡¯t it better if you¡¯re the one leading the gang? Why don¡¯t you just kill her off and assume the leader position?¡± Shark, who had a calm countenance during the whole ordeal, was suddenly angered after hearing bandana guy¡¯s insult to his leader. Outsiders may not know this but Shark, the first person who followed Anna, was clear of how much she had sacrificed in order to get this far. She had also told him the reason why she¡¯s doing this and since then, he had made a vow to himself to help Anna until she reach her goal. As a person, she truly was someone to be respected and Shark won¡¯t allow anybody to taint her reputation. Bandana guy who saw Shark¡¯s reaction after his taunt sneered in his heart, ¡®It seems like what boss said was right,¡¯ he felt really nervous since he knew when Shark became enraged, even a hundred men may not be able to stop him, let alone a lone man like him. He may be good at fighting but when facing a monster like Shark; he would be overjoyed if he came out alive. Nevertheless, they were at a place where he had set his trap so he was assured of his life. He raised his hands to as a signal to the people that had been hiding here. Ten men holding handguns suddenly appeared from the apartment¡¯s balconies. Nowadays, the distribution of guns is extremely strict. Even high-ranked policemen wouldn¡¯t necessarily be given one, let alone a normal civilian. All guns production was handled by the government and others that were found making them would be sentenced to death, no exception. After the apocalypse, people deemed that guns were only for those who were worthy of them thus limiting the Yet now, there were ten people with guns at this one place. Even the experienced Shark was shocked at this scene. He knew that bandana guy had brought him to a trap but he didn¡¯t think that there would be guns. He himself knew how hard it was to get a hold of one and even then he didn¡¯t manage to get it. His connections were unable to help procure one for him. This made him think about the bandana guy¡¯s boss, leader of Empty Box. From the stories, he rarely showed himself but when he did, there would definitely be death. Another reason for Anna choosing Empty Box as their current target was because the fear instilled into the masses by the gang leader. Thinking that if they were to eradicate Empty Box now, civilians would not cause much trouble in their expansion. She always said that matters of the underworld should be done in the dark; the masses should not be involved unnecessarily. Even their businesses, only people who were doing something ¡®out of sight¡¯ would get involved with their gang. For things that are in the gray area, she approved some of them and otherwise for others. Faced with ten guns, Shark couldn¡¯t just resign himself to fate, no. He¡¯d been living by relying on himself, winning battles that should have killed him countless times. He¡¯d be damned to give up right now. When there is life there is hope. Seeing bandana guy with a smirk giving the signal, Shark sprung towards him. Bandana guy didn¡¯t expect that and barely managed to retaliate with a punch to Shark¡¯s chest. Ignoring the pain, Shark took hold of bandana guy¡¯s collar and made him into a meat shield. One of the gunners seeing Shark¡¯s action immediately released a shot which was according to Shark¡¯s plan. The bullet hit bandana guy¡¯s arm, eliciting a shriek from him. Being shot was even more painful that being stabbed by a knife. Not only was his body intruded upon, the impact of the bullet when landing felt as if he was hit with a cannonball, not that he had been hit by one. This error made the other gunners hesitate but remembering their boss¡¯ order, they decided to sacrifice bandana guy in order to kill Shark. Things were going smoothly for Shark but he didn¡¯t expect that these people would be so merciless so as to kill a top dog in Empty Box. To think that his life was more important than their own member¡¯s. The only thing that he could do for now was holding on to his meat shield and hope that no bullet would hit him.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A few more shots resounded and three of them hit bandana guy, ending his life in a moment. Blood flowed at where the bullets grazed on his body but a minor pain like that was nothing to Shark. As much as he hate owing anything to luck, he got to admit that he really was lucky that none of the bullets landed. He hoped that this would last while he retreated slowly outside of the alley but life just decided to put a stick in his ass at this moment. Three of ten gunners moved their position so as to hit Shark from behind. They jumped from one balcony to another and one almost fell but grabbed on the railing before starting to move again. ¡°These bastards,¡± Shark cursed at them, his face distorting into a scowl. Just as he was about to attempt a last-minute effort which would leave his back wide open, he heard a youthful voice yelling probably to him, ¡°Scarface, jump right!¡± With him having no more idea on what to do, he decided to just follow it. He might die anyway so why not just do it? Who knows that maybe his life might be persevered? YOLO! Letting go of the body, he pushed himself according to the voice; a bullet hitting the ground right after an exploding sound reverberated. Guessing the trajectory, Shark knew that had he not moved, his head would¡¯ve been splattered by now. He saw that one gunner that was moving earlier already reaching a position ideal for killing him but thanks to the voice, he barely escaped death. He didn¡¯t know who the voice belonged to be he felt that it was not an enemy, hopefully. The gunner was shocked that his shot missed but remembering that someone had warned Shark, he turned towards where the voice came from and roared, ¡°Who¡¯s there! Fucking show yourself!¡± To his frustration, nobody replied and the darkness was not helping either. He was so close to killing the target but because of someone stupidly interrupting, making Shark dodge, he had lost his chance to rise in rank. And it sounded like a kid too! He swore that if he found that bastard, he¡¯d skin him alive and hang it on his wall. Hiding beside a dumpster pinching his nose was Ray. He had been walking around for the whole day and for every moment that passed, the giddier he felt. He knew that something was definitely happening and finally he stumbled upon the scene where Shark was fighting the now dead bandana guy. A feeling of apprehension appeared when he saw the gunners but he composed himself, thinking that he was not the target and so he focused solely on the scene with his head peering out a bit from the dumpster. When the one who aimed at Shark from behind released the shot, Ray experienced a bizarre sensation. It was as if the world was moving extremely slowly. He could see the expression of Shark that was borderline despairing but still persevered until the end. He turned to look at the ground near his feet and could clearly perceive each and every grain of pebble and sand. Thinking that the scarred guy would die if he does nothing, he immediately shouted to warn him before that sensation disappeared. He wondered why that happened. It¡¯s on a different level than when he was in the training room. Was it because he was using his power as an observer rather than for himself? A few more questions popped up but he doesn¡¯t have the time to dwell on them. Shark had escaped the bullet but more were coming and he had now lost his shield. Three people pulled their trigger and everything slowed down again for Ray. He immediately shouted at Shark to leap backwards, and that¡¯s exactly what he did, successfully dodging the bullets. The sensation was now gone again but this time, Ray felt his head throbbing from a headache. He knew that something this convenient would come with a price and this headache was definitely it. He felt that he could trigger the sensation again but not for much more. Not wanting to waste any more time, he started shouting commands to Shark that would hopefully help him escape after activating his ability again, this time with his own will. ¡°Forward! Look out from above, run!¡± his eyes started straining with the headache worsening. Seeing Shark already running towards him, he let out a smile but it stiffened when a bullet shot Shark¡¯s leg, launching his body forward. Now, he was only around ten metres away from Shark though he was currently out of the gunners¡¯ sight, he won¡¯t be able to help Shark unless he revealed himself and the gunners had started getting closer to them, not wanting Shark to get out of range. ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice do I? Fuck it! Let¡¯s just do this.¡± Activating his power one more time, he sprinted towards Shark and tried lifting his body but was barely able to do so with his meagre strength. The gunners were getting closer so he decided to just drag Shark¡¯s body out of the alley. Bang! A shot missed them but it did graze his shirt. He blanked out for a moment but soon realized that he had no time to waste unless he wanted to die. Dragging Shark who was groaning from the pain almost took everything he had. The person who shot Shark in the leg was happy that he would at least get some credit for killing Shark but he didn¡¯t expect that someone would suddenly appear from behind a dumpster and rescue him. That person moved so fast that their shot could at most graze him with none hitting the target. He felt cheated, like he had won the lottery but the money was stolen right after he claimed it. Ray felt the headache worsening and he was no longer able to control that sensation anymore. A screen suddenly appeared but he had no time to read it so he pushed it aside. They were almost out of the alley and though there might be less people outside considering the time, it¡¯s safer to be on the main road rather than in an alley. ¡°Finally. Made it.¡± He dragged Shark into a nearby 24/7 convenience store and finally took a long and deep breather to calm his nervousness. The clerk inside was surprised to see them appearing with one being dragged in. When he saw the bloodied Shark, his face showed terror but he tried and made as small of a reaction as possible. Ray had a feeling that this person might have experienced this kind of thing at least once before. Shark noticed where he was in and said to the clerk while suppressing the pain, ¡°Get me antiseptic¡­ and some bandage too.¡± He then turned to Ray and thought that he had never seen this person before in the gang. If so, why did he save him? Or was it an enemy trap? When this thought came to mind, he immediately guarded himself. Ray seeing Shark glaring at him simply shrugged and took a bottle out from the fridge before putting money on the counter. When the clerk came back to the front, he handed Shark the thing he wanted and resumed his work. Seeing the money on the counter and the bottle Ray was holding, he just kept in inside the cash register, not even bothering to give Ray the balance, he was too scared to think about it. Shark rolled up his pants to dig out the bullet in his left leg. It wasn¡¯t buried deep but doing so would still hurt. Pouring antiseptic on his hands and the place where the bullet was, he then dug it out barehanded. Hissing in pain, the bullet was successfully extracted and he poured another batch of antiseptic before bandaging it. Taking a few breaths in, he then calmed his mind before facing the person who just saved him. He was curious as to why he had done so without any reason, or perhaps there was. The only thing to make sure of it now was to ask, politely or not. ¡°Why did you save me?¡± Shark asked. Ray looked at him for a moment before replying, ¡°Immediately getting to the point I see. Not that it matters.¡± Bringing the bottle closer to his mouth, he took in another gulp. ¡°I did it because I wanted to. No other reason.¡± He smiled at Shark which only made him feel apprehension. Shark stared back incredulously at Ray. In all his life, never had there been someone who involved himself in a gang fight just because. Betrayals were the norm in the underground world so Ray¡¯s words were incomprehensible to him. Nevertheless, this youth had saved him so would first confirm his purpose before deciding what to do. ¡°By the way,¡± Ray started, ¡°why are you guys fighting anyway? I¡¯m not one to bother with this kind of thing until just recently. Mind sharing with me?¡± his eyes looking at Shark sparkled in pure curiosity. Since this matter was pretty much an open secret, Shark told him about his gang, Red Demon, wanting to expand and in order to do so, they must take hold of another gang¡¯s area of influence. They planned to control the underworld and become the top-ranked gang. Ray listened carefully and nodded his head in understanding, becoming more and more interested in the underground world. After his story ended, Ray¡¯s eyes were practically glittering with a wide smile on his face. In his mind, a few choices appeared. First was joining an existing gang which would help him learn more about the underworld bit by bit, though he¡¯d have to start as a grunt which was not something he wanted. Another was to create his own gang and try ruling the underworld like what Shark¡¯s gang was planning but then he¡¯d have to do management work, which he has no interest in. Lastly, he could become a support for an existing gang, like an investment, and help the gang grow. It didn¡¯t take him long to choose and so he decided, ¡°When everything¡¯s over, would you mind bringing me to your leader?¡± he told Shark of his intention. Shark looked at him weirdly but then he just nodded in agreement. They traded their contact info before Shark said he needed to go back to support his gang. When the clerk saw Shark leaving, he breathed a sigh of relief but was still alert since Ray was still there. The conversation of the two scared him shitless but with his professionalism, he kept silent during the whole time. Ray glanced at him and put a finger at his lips while smiling before leaving the shop. Outside, he stretched his body and finally remembered the screen that appeared earlier while he was running away. He focused on it again and what he saw made him surprised, happy and made him nod with understanding.
New Ability Gained Extreme Perception Using the holder¡¯s mental energy, perception would be increased to an extreme level which would enable the holder to see everything in existence in perfect clarity which causes the holder¡¯s sense of time to be distorted.
He now understood the sensation earlier. There was one thing that puzzled him though. The notice didn¡¯t appear during the first time he activated the ability. It appeared when he was going to save Shark. Thinking it carefully, he hypothesized that it would only activate once he had an inkling of understanding about the ability. Then what about the first time he got his abilities? Shrugging, he propped it to the choker showing him what he could do with it. Even if he wanted to research more, it¡¯s not possible with the lack of research subject. He opened his status screen to see how much mental energy the skill used.
Status
Name: Ray Starlight Race: Human
Age: 18 Sex: Male
Faction: N/A Guild: N/A
Strength: 9 Agility: 9
Intellect: 50 Dexterity: 20
Stamina: 14/77 Mental Energy: 83/250
It looked like his walk these few days had been worthwhile. His strength had increased by one and his stamina seven. From the decrease of mental energy, he felt that each activation required 50 mental energy and if he sustained it longer than a certain period, it would drain each mental energy by the second. All in all, this night had been fruitful to him. Not only did he get a new ability, he even got a connection with a rising underworld gang. As for how their relationship will go, he¡¯d have to wait until the gang fight ends. He went back home with his ¡°babysitters¡± following him in the shadows. He wondered why these guys didn¡¯t help him. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t in their contract? Whatever. As long as they didn¡¯t hinder his plan, he didn¡¯t care about his parents¡¯ arrangement. Difference Between A Holder and A Normal Person Chapter 06: Difference Between A Holder er and A Normal Person Anna, along with two of her subordinates with their underlings were on their way to an old abandoned warehouse. The warehouse was used in the past to store metallic goods such as pipes and gates. After the owner was arrested during a corruption investigation, the company went bankrupt and this place became a gathering hub for thugs. When there were too many of these people, one man stood at the front and led them to their current level of strength. They were the Empty Box, lead by a man called Shadow. While Anna was commanding her subordinates to surround the area, a person was calmly sitting on a couch with his subordinates around him with grim faces. One of them approached him and said, ¡°Sir, we just got a notice that the attacking team has already been defeated.¡± He looked at his boss who wore an expressionless face. Never before had he seen the boss making any human expression. Shadow stood still with eyes closed. He had long black hair with sharp black eyes, fitting of his name. He had masculine facial features that added to his manliness which was evident from his toned build. When compared to others in Tech Continent, he was relatively different with his pale white skin and his less than average height. This was because he originated from the Initial Eastern Continent, Culture Continent. Though people didn¡¯t think much about it since it¡¯s not like there were no foreigners in Tech Continent. He had been here for a few years now because of one reason. ¡°The White Choker. Stealing it from this continent is too high of a difficulty for me to achieve. Using the orthodox method is the only way but this is taking too long.¡± Murmuring to himself, he moved a hand to his neck to touch a white metallic object. It¡¯s the same White Choker as Ray¡¯s. In Culture Continent, as its name implied, was a place where cultures from all over the world before the apocalypse were gathered. From proven facts to mythical legends, every available information was here for people to glean at history. Shadow came from a family of a culture called Ninja which specialises in stealth. During their peak era, they were renowned as masters of thieves and assassination. Now, however, the family was declining and many arts had been lost with betrayals and revenge. Shadow was born as a talented genius who was able to recreate some of the lost arts just from knowing its uses. This made people hold him as a messiah of his clan yet at the same time a monster. With such talents, there were people who felt jealousy and envy yet not many were courageous enough to act on those emotions. They were, after all, a clan that demanded mental control. Even so, if one person can¡¯t do anything to him, what about five people? Ten? Thirty? Half the family? In the end, he was forced to run away after being framed of breaking a taboo, murder. All evidence pointed to him and since he was labelled as a murderer anyway, why not make it a reality? After killing those that he knew involved in the framing, he immediately left the family¡¯s grounds. Travelling to the outside world for years, he found out about the White Choker by chance when he was infiltrating a minister¡¯s mansion. Thinking that it might be something amazing, he made his preparations to steal the choker at all costs, feeling that what the minister said wasn¡¯t all there were to the choker. For many people to compete over a stupid choker that usually serves as an accessory, it must be an amazing item, right? It took him a few tries even with his stealth skills to finally get the choker and when he initially got it, he thought that he had wasted his time all along. The choker certainly looked gaudy with those flashing lights but it wasn¡¯t anything worth turning over the world for. He tossed the choker to the air and before he managed to grab hold of it back, it flew towards his neck, locking itself there. [Please provide your name.] ¡°What the?¡± [Registering What The¡­] Hearing what the voice said, he suddenly got a bad feeling so he immediately shouted, ¡°No no no! Stop!!¡± [Cancelling registration.] [Please provide your name.] Phew, he sighed. He didn¡¯t know what was happening and the only thing he could think of right at this moments was that the choker was at work and perhaps this was the reason why the higher ups put much importance to this choker. He chuckled when remembering a scientist¡¯s face when he took the choker that was in his hands. Turning back to the voice¡¯s instruction, he said, ¡°Shadow Bringer.¡± Though it isn¡¯t exactly his name, he didn¡¯t want to use the name of the family that betrayed him after all he had done. ¡®I might as well pay them a visit later on. Karma needs to be reaped once sown.¡¯ [Registering Shadow Bringer¡­ Obtaining coordinates¡­ Scanning holder¡¯s body¡­Registration completed.] [Congratulations! You are now officially a participant of Galactic Showdown!] [Good luck and may you conquer the vast galaxy!] [Time left: 14 years 4 months 7 days.] [Scanning completed. Displaying scanned results.]
Status
Name: Shadow Race: Human
Age: 20 Sex: Male
Faction: N/A Guild: N/A
Strength: 15 Agility: 19
Intellect: 13 Dexterity: 19
Stamina: 140/140 Mental Energy: 65/65
After a while, a screen showed up in front of him, showing his value in numerals. Looking at it and comparing with his own body, he estimated that the values for normal people should be around ten. The fact that he had two statuses almost reaching twenty, he felt great that he¡¯s almost twice as strong as the average people, and he still had room for growth. He clenched his fist, swearing that one day; he would annihilate the family that abandoned him. He then looked at the other screens that appeared after the status screen.
New Ability GainedThis book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Stealth [The holder is able to conceal his smell and sounds that came from him.]
New Ability Gained Camouflage [The holder is able to blend in with the surroundings to make it look as if he is invisible.]
New Ability Gained Cold Heart (Passive) [The holder¡¯s has a heart that can¡¯t be moved by anything be it women or slaughter. He does everything without feeling anything.
Seeing them, Shadow tested the active abilities and grinned from ear to ear. Previously, he had to use external items such as certain liquids, soft cloth or a large sheet when using these abilities. However, after getting the choker, everything happened automatically without him having to use anything and the effects were better than before. He can¡¯t wait to use these skills in live combat. Waking up from his reminiscence, Shadow took a look at his people. They had been with him for almost ten years and he had given them free reign on what to do. As long as the gang expanded, he didn¡¯t care what happened. Since they¡¯re now facing a strong enemy, he would have to step in so that his plans won¡¯t be halted. Sighing, he was about to say something when he felt his spine tingling. After years of having the choker with him, he had gained a few new abilities, one of them being enhanced perception. He would be able to feel when he was in danger and this had saved his life many times in the past. It was one of the most useful abilities that he had in his arsenal. Looking around, he didn¡¯t see, or sense, anyone hostile so he could only think of one thing at the moment. ¡°We¡¯re surrounded!¡± he yelled to his subordinates. He moved his hands inside his coat where he placed his gun.
Right at the entrance, Anna was clenching her fists holding brass knuckles. She got a call from Shark earlier warning her that the enemy was armed with firearms. What seemed like a perfect plan seemed so hard to achieve now. Shark said that he would come to help but what could a person do when the difference in numbers no longer mattered? Nevertheless, since she¡¯s at this stage already, failure was not an option. Strengthening her determination, she gestured to the people with her to bust into the warehouse. Sliding the large door open with three people, the others immediately rushed in. Anna did not tell people other than her direct subordinates of what they¡¯re facing as some might run away. She can¡¯t let herself become more disadvantaged than she already was. Five hundred people entered the warehouse from the main and back entrance surrounding approximately three hundred others in the middle. A man stood out within them as he was the only one sitting with an indistinguishable expression. Anna quickly assumed that he¡¯s the leader of Empty Box, the infamous Shadow. Members of Empty Box were already prepared with their own weapons. Looking around, she did not see anyone holding anything resembling guns yet she kept her vigilance. Just because she didn¡¯t see it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s not there. Though most people used melee weapons, it wasn¡¯t an easy job beating them all despite their number advantage. ¡°Empty Box! From today onwards, Red Demon will replace you as the gang in this area.¡± Jay, Anna¡¯s subordinate whose name belied his huge body, yelled to the member of Empty Box. He was a simple person who was taken in by Anna before Red Demon was formed. He¡¯s the most loyal person next to Shark in this gang. The two gangs were having a stare-off which at this point seemed like an official procedure before any gang fights. When someone from red Demon accidentally hit his pipe with another¡¯s knife, it became the signal for the two gangs¡¯ inevitable clash. Like other fights, the two leaders were the only ones not doing anything but continuing their stare-off. From this alone, Anna felt that attacking the Empty Box might have been the mistake she had ever made in her life. When she looked at Shadow right in the eyes, what she saw was not his dark, emotionless eyes or his stiff face. It was death. She saw herself dying more than once in various ways. In one scene, she saw Shadow taking out a gun and shoot her in between her eyebrows, piercing her brains. In another, she saw him leaping at her from their distance of almost thirty metres and splitting her body at the stomach, her blood and intestines spilling everywhere immediately after. There was also a scene where she saw her own shadow eating herself from her legs to her head, leaving nothing behind. She can¡¯t help but shiver when seeing those scenes. Her face paled and a puddle emitting a pungent smell started forming between her legs. There was even a trace of blood trailing down from her mouth. It was as if her body registered those images as true attacks and was reacting based on it. For the first time ever, she felt the fear of death. Before this, as harsh as her life was, there never was truly anything that she feared. She thought once she got hold of the White Choker, she¡¯d be able to do as she pleased so in order to do so, she¡¯d just crush everything blocking her way with force. Didn¡¯t they say anything that bleeds could die? So why fear them? If they try to kill her, she¡¯ll just kill them before they¡¯re able to get her. However, today she finally met someone who she felt she had no chance of winning against. Someone that could instil fear into her without doing anything. She felt all she did before this was pointless and she should just give up right when she can. ¡°No. I can¡¯t give up now. I still have things that I want to do.¡± She remembered the looks of the caretakers at the orphanage who had been with her until she grew up. Her brothers and sisters that were still there that¡¯s depending on her to live a better life. She can¡¯t just give up simply because of fear towards a person. Taking a deep breath, she could smell the scent of blood, sweat and metal. Her people were screaming and fighting with their all to beat the enemies in front of them. If they can do it, why can¡¯t she? Tightly clenching the weapons in her hands, she fiercely glared at Shadow. Disregarding her shameful condition, she let out a deafening roar and sprinted towards Shadow. ¡°SHAAAAADOOOOOOOOOW! I¡¯ll kill you!!!¡± with her body slightly bent, she let out straight punch towards Shadow¡¯s face. This was a punch that she put her full strength in. This person made her falter in her faith and must be killed. She wouldn¡¯t be able to live facing herself otherwise. If an ordinary person took this punch, the possibility of them dying was quite high. Yet, Shadow was not an ordinary person. For the first time ever, he had a smile on his face. It¡¯s not a slight smile or something that people usually saw from when a stoic people showing slight emotion, no. It¡¯s a full, wide, grin filled with glee. ¡°Haha. Ahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.¡± Shadow who was perpetually stoic-faced had not only smiled but laughed a crazed laugh that would make people feel the creeps when looking at him. He then effortlessly tilted his head and avoided Anna¡¯s full blow and responded kindly with a back fist, eliciting a scream from Anna. ¡°Guaaaah!¡± Anna held in the pain with sheer willpower and charged forward again, which sent her flying once more, this time from a punch to the solar plexus which was so fast she didn¡¯t even see it coming. The air inside her was forcefully pushed out and it took her a few moments to recover her bearings. Even so, she stood up again, the glint in her eyes getting fiercer by the second. At this time, Empty Box was almost loosing but the people near the two bosses who saw that Anna was losing had a quick change in morale. Red Demon feared that even if they won the fight, if their leader died, trouble would definitely come in the future. Empty Box, on the other hand, was elated that their boss was winning. There¡¯s no way they could lose to the demons. Looking at each other in the eyes as if agreeing on something, each member of Empty Box who held guns immediately took them out and started shooting at the Red Demon¡¯s members. Bang. After a few seconds, Red Demon realised that this was no longer a simple fight. ¡°Shit! They have guns!¡± A person from Red Demon yelled and then immediately tried fleeing but was shot before he could get out of the gate. Red Demon members further away who heard the sounds of explosion and the scream immediately ran for their lives. As much as they like living as a member of the underworld, doing as they pleased, they loved their life more than anything. Abandoning a gang wouldn¡¯t affect them if the gang was going to lost to another gang anyway. If the situation called for it, they could just join another gang. Inside, Anna was already grovelling on the ground after being hit a few more times. Despite that, the fire in her eyes never dimmed. It had only become fiercer the more she was sent flying. She realised that despite her current success until now, when compared to a monster like Shadow, she was truly nothing. She just wondered why he hadn¡¯t killed her with the gun he¡¯s holding in his hand. No matter, she¡¯ll just kill him before he could kill her, like always. Trying to stand, she realised that the bones of her left leg had been broken. It was bent at an impossible angle. Though with the adrenaline flowing through her, she felt virtually no pain at all. She snapped the leg back so that she could once again stand which made her scream like never before. All this while, Shadow simply watched her with amusement in his eyes. Right now, other than members of Empty Box and Anna, there was only Jay and another person named Clay inside the warehouse. Clay was another one of Anna¡¯s direct subordinate, though not as loyal as Jay, he still would stand with her as long as she¡¯s alive. The two were nervous, surrounded by Empty Box, but they stood there, watching Anna, hoping that they could help her. If only the Empty Box weren¡¯t blocking their way. They really hoped they were stronger so that they could beat the daylight out of these people. Shadow who looked as if he had his fill of fun turned to Anna and spoke with his gruff voice, while still sitting on his couch, ¡°Today was interesting. To think I could see someone like this, truly an eye opener. Boys, take these three out of here.¡± With a smile still on his face, he repositioned to a more comfortable pose on his couch. He took a look at Anna and said, ¡°This is the difference between a Holder and a normal person. Anna didn¡¯t understand what he was implying and had other things going on in her mind. Three people went towards her while the others were aiming to kill Jay and Clay. Shadow who saw this stopped them. ¡°The fuck are you doin¡¯? Just take them out of here, no need to kill them. These people still have their uses.¡± After saying that, he reclined his body back to his couch. His subordinates were perplexed to their boss¡¯ order but still obliged. When Anna heard this, the anger which was receding after noticing only two of her subordinates were here felt it ignited again. She felt anger not only towards Shadow but to herself too. She was enraged that Shadow was treating her as an enjoyment and even more at herself for being powerless to do anything about it. ¡°One day¡­ I¡¯ll definitely kill you. Remember this, Shadow.¡± Her voice sounded strangely grim but Shadow simply smiled when hearing it, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you¡­ candidate.¡± Anna was shocked when she heard that term but before she could say anything, Shadow¡¯s subordinates bound her and her men then brought them to a van. Driving away from the warehouse, the driver stopped near a river and the others handling the people threw them into the river after releasing their bindings. Jay and Clay weren¡¯t too injured that they couldn¡¯t even swim but Anna fainted while they were on the way so Jay had to go and catch her from drowning in the river which made it harder for him to swim back to dry ground. After getting some help from Clay, they finally brought Anna back ashore. Making sure that her lungs weren¡¯t filled water, they finally look around at where they were. It was a bit further out from the city but not that far from it. It would still take them a few hours to return back by feet, though, but with their wet clothes, staying outside wasn¡¯t a choice so the two decided to walk back while jay had to carry Anna despite his injuries. They lost their Contacts in the river so calling someone to pick them up was impossible. When they finally arrived at the city, they immediately called Shark to get them to the hospital. Anna¡¯s injuries might be worse than what they seem. They weren¡¯t going to take any risk of her dying just to avoid questioning from police.
While things were settling down on the underworld side, Ray was experiencing the worst pain he had ever felt yet. Contemplation Chapter 07: Contemplation Inside his room, Ray laid on his bed face down with his face buried in his pillow. The pillow was damp with his saliva when he bit it to suppress his scream. When he got back earlier and was finally able to truly relax, he felt a sharp pain assaulting his body. He was barely able to walk to his bed and curled his body on it. Its intensity was so great that any tiny movement he made would cause the pain to flare up. After two hours which felt like an eternity to him, the pain finally started receding, letting him move his body with only small jolts of stinging that sometimes appeared when he made sudden movements. Now that his mind had cleared enough to think, he thought of what could have caused the pain. He thought of the ability he had just gained, Extreme Perception. From the nature of the skill, it allows him to perceive his surroundings to the extreme. The question now was, while he could perceive things clearly, it did not mean that his body would be able to immediately react to it. ¡°So it¡¯s probably when I was moving that guy away from there. My body was somehow able to force itself in moving while that ability was in effect, which was something that should be impossible to achieve.¡± Ray crossed his hands and muttered. ¡°The closest thing that¡¯s happened before was on the day I found the choker. But at that time I weren¡¯t any pain, just soreness from the running.¡± He contemplated for a few hours but wasn¡¯t able to think of an answer. ¡°Besides, from what I remember, my mental energy at that time actually decreased, which meant that the reason I was able to support that much strain on my body with the help of mental energy?¡± feeling excited with his new discovery, he tried out his hypothesis immediately but a question popped up right after. ¡°How do I control mental energy?¡± Using Extreme Perception had depleted quite the amount of mental energy he had, meaning that mental energy would be used up each time he activated his ability. Now that he found out that he wasn¡¯t able to control mental energy, he knew that the activation of his abilities up until now was controlled by the choker. ¡°No. In the first place, what is mental energy?¡± It was something that he should have questioned earlier but because of his excitement, he had not noticed it. Mental and energy. Two words that are commonly used but when put together, they became a term seen usually in fiction. When talking about the human brain, studies showed that people only use part of their brain their whole life but when someone manages to tap into the dormant part in certain circumstances, usually during extreme adrenaline rushes, they were capable of performing miraculous feats. Yet for those people, they died in mere hours after they showcased their capabilities. Although humans were able to do these incredible actions, the price needed for it was their lives. Researches were still being done as of today on why this happened and the latest discovery was that during the time when the superhuman abilities were produced, a certain chemical was secreted from the brain, enhancing the human body. Nevertheless, once the secretion was used up, the human body was no longer able to sustain the stress imposed upon their bodies and this inevitably leads to death. ¡°It seems like the choker acts as a type of support, or limiter perhaps? This way, the body is able to tap into the dormant area of the brain and thus allowing access to abilities that defy common sense.¡± Ray kept muttering as his legs started tapping, ¡°The secretion from the brain might or might not be what mental energy is. So if I want to actively control it, I must find its source first.¡± Making up his mind, Ray lid down back on his bed and was about to enter the Training area when a beeping sound came from the small table at his bedside.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Looking at the source, it was a small box with two holes at the top. At one side, there were three buttons labelled voice and holo and the voice button was blinking following the sound. Ray spun the box to look at the other side which displayed the time. It was almost six in the morning yet he did not realise it which shocked him a bit. Looking at the blinking button back, he let out a sighed and said, ¡°Answer.¡± ¡°Is this Ray?¡± a gruff voice came from the box. The speaker was on the other two sides left of the box. Though the tone was a bit different, ray knew that it was Shark calling him. They had exchanged the contact info despite Ray not having on his Contacts. He felt them to be uncomfortable and a source of annoyance. It seemed that for him to continue what he had in mind, he had to keep them with him from now on. Ray put his middle and index finger into the holes and two thin membranes were seen sticking to them. He carefully put those on both his eyes and blinked awkwardly before feeling a bit better despite the uncomfortableness. ¡°It¡¯s me. So have you told your boss yet?¡± The image of Shark leaning on a wall appeared in front of him after he made sure the Contacts were put on correctly. An imperfect projection could ruin one¡¯s eyes after all. He clicked the holo button on the box and Shark¡¯s voice stopped coming from the speaker and was now projected directly into his mind. The inventor of this technology was a real genius whose findings had helped increase the technology standard of Tech Continent by a few decades. The Contacts could not only send visual images when using the Internet or when contacting someone else, it could also send minute vibrations to the brain using the eye as a medium that would decode those vibrations as sound waves, letting the user ¡°hear¡± when using the Contacts. Of course, it was guaranteed that no injuries would be caused by the device. This was a phenomenal invention but Ray personally dislikes using it. ¡®Since I¡¯ll be dealing with the underworld, it¡¯s best to keep things as discreet as possible. My family isn¡¯t the problem, but if those lurking mice happen to get this sort of information, things would get troublesome.¡¯ He bet that his parents had already received the report of his activities yesterday by his ¡°babysitters¡±. Shark¡¯s face on the other side was scrunched up. ¡®Something¡¯s happened,¡¯ Ray thought. If so, a few possibilities came up in his mind. First, his gang had lost the fight and he did not know how to explain it to him. Next is that they had won but lost too many people to function properly as a gang, And lastly, their boss was dead and a gang without its head was simply a lawless mob waiting to be devoured by others. ¡®Was I too hasty in offering my aid to him?¡¯ He decided to wait for Shark to tell him why he had called him before making any other decision. Taking a deep breath, Shark told Ray of what happened to his gang. The fact that they had lost the fight and most of the members leaving to find a better shelter to hide under. It was obvious to them that Red Demon was just a dying dog on the brink of its life. The remaining members were the ones who were loyal to their boss and the other brass. Their boss had survived but their injury was critical, though they would still be hospitalised for two months. Right now, the remaining power of Red Demon was less than a hundred people. The only good news was that their warehouse was still safe and the turncoats weren¡¯t able to take much with them. Ray nodded in silence hearing Shark¡¯s report. Considering its current state, Red Demon was practically starting anew as another low-ranked gang. Another good thing was that the current members were probably ones who would throw their lives for the gang. Ray doesn¡¯t know any other people related to the underworld other than Shark but he knew that these people had faced many hardships. If they could be faithful to something which held almost no value, it must have meant that it meant something to them. Shark concluded his report saying that he¡¯s not expecting Ray to give them any help but Ray proved him otherwise. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll come visit your boss this evening. Give me the hospital name and room number. I¡¯ll come around two or so. Be sure to tell him beforehand or he might get suspicious.¡± Shark was stupefied by what Ray said. He had been honest and told him of his gang¡¯s impending doom and yet he still insisted on giving them help. He felt grateful towards Ray since, at this moment, other people would probably want to seize their gang¡¯s properties while Ray had handed out a helping hand. Though it was still debatable that Ray too was doing it for the quick profits, Shark thought that for someone who was willing to risk his life in order to save him, the chance of him stabbing them at an unexpected moment wasn¡¯t very high. He had seen many types of people after all. If he couldn¡¯t read them even a little bit, what had he been doing all his life? Their call was disconnected and Ray took a look at the time again. He would have breakfast in around two hours and until the time to go to the hospital; he would try his best to gain control of mental energy. Even if he was met with failure he¡¯d just have to try again and again, changing methods if he felt one was unsuitable. Touching the choker on his neck a bit, he lied down on his bed and muttered, ¡°Training.¡±