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Beyond The RIft
Chapter 26: Changing Values

Chapter 26: Changing Values

Ragnar could sense 3 of them above him. And by what he could tell, two Arcanes and one Mutant.

None of them seemed capable of threatening him, but dealing with humans was a tricky thing, since they can be much more versatile with their abilities and fighting styles compared to Shifted.

He thought about whether he wanted to deal with them or not. Then he remembered the fact that he was still naked, and they were not. So, at least one of them had to go.

One of them was quite separated from the other two, which was perfect for Ragnar.

The first thing he did was create some distance from the group. He dumped the Queen’s body at a safe place so he could later collect it. Then he went back into the Earth.

He moved under the ground to appear below that unlucky person and prepared to emerge behind him for a surprise attack.

But he paused.

What was he doing right now?

He was planning to kill these completely random people, because he needed some clothes to wear.

He did not even think about threatening them for the clothes, let alone asking them nicely. Killing them seemed the only plausible option.

Why wouldn’t he, since asking for it seemed beneath him.

Ragnar was baffled by his own reasoning. He was treating these random human lives like cattle instead of someone he shared his species with. He might have more sympathy for animals and plants on Earth than for these people.

Realizing this made Ragnar feel confused. Exactly, because he did not feel anything.

He was completely okay with taking human lives as long as it served a purpose for him. It did not matter in the slightest whether it was right or wrong. As long as killing them was beneficial for him, he could not form any resistance whatsoever in his mind.

They were really equivalent to cattle for him at this point.

Acknowledging this as a fact was kind of weird. It finally hit home for Ragnar. What losing Humanity actually meant. After killing so many creatures, this was what he had become.

He still remembered very clearly how he felt when he got free of the mind hex from the slave trader. The largest blow to his mind then, was the toll of the lives that he had taken.

But looking back, they seemed insignificant. He wondered why he got so agitated before.

Ragnar was a completely different person right now, compared to what he used to be. The Lineage had thoroughly ripped apart his previous values, and made its own for him.

But did Ragnar regret it, even at this point?

He definitely did not. It was true that the lineage was changing his values and morals as it pleased, but he was still himself. Just without the values. The world hadn’t been very kind to him, so why would he still hold on to the previous him who didn’t know any better.

It’s not like he was an unreasonable person even after all this. He was still not a mindless killer; he would only kill when he got a sufficient reason. He just won’t be feeling bad about the kills anymore. It’s a win-win.

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In order to prove to himself and the world that he was still reasonable, he decided on something.

It will be a rule, like a code of conduct.

When killing Random people, in situations like the current one, he would leave their fate in their own hands. He would give them a chance at living. That chance being, dodging his initial attack. If those people somehow managed to survive his initial attack, then he wouldn’t kill them. That was as fair as life gets.

He was finally ready for his debut at taking a human life after the mutation.

The person above him had already moved quite far, creating even more distance with his comrades. They seemed to be looking for something on this mound. But it was none of Ragnar’s business.

It was good for the other two, since if they did not sense him killing their friend and tried to fight back, they might not have to die.

Ragnar caught up with the person and finally emerged from the ground. He had appeared behind the person with less than a hand of distance between them.

He was not kind enough to notify them of his incoming attack beforehand. He had already used up all of his kindness in making that rule.

He raised his hand and pointed his index and middle finger with his thumb raised high at the back of that person’s head.

The guy hadn’t found anything wrong with his surroundings until he felt something poking at the back of his head.

But before he could turn around, Ragnar’s thumb moved down acting as the trigger for his gun. A concentrated ray of waves shot out from his ‘hand’ gun, coming out from other side of that person’s head.

A bloody hole had appeared on his forehead, as he did not even have the time for a change of expression. He looked annoyed.

Ragnar was currently admiring the fact that this concentrated bullet created so little noise, yet it was so deadly. But his thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

“You have Disposed of a Human of the Arcane Rank, Nathan Sylvancrest.”

WHAT?

This was not a development that Ragnar could have predicted. If this meant what he thought it meant, then…

Core Saturation: 438/5000

That’s right. He had guessed it correctly. He actually got Essence charges for killing a Human.

The mad grin returned to Ragnar’s face. Considering the number of points he got from this kill, it was more than what he would get from a Shifted who is an Arcane Primordial. He had no clue as to what was the logic behind it. But killing a human of his Rank had given him the points that a normal human would get from killing a Menace in their own Rank.

Now what was that about letting the other two live if they did not confront him about this kill. Yeah, fuck that Shit. They were deader than dead.

Of course, unless they survived his first attack. He had no plans on changing his rule. They could still be considered random people that Ragnar would kill because it served a purpose. And this purpose was too good to ignore.

He was really satisfied with his Wave Gun that he just tried, since it only created a slight buzz in the name of noise that would not travel very far. And the power hidden behind it was clear to see.

The other two had not sensed his presence even to this point so he was free to get dressed.

This guy who now lay dead, Ragnar had already forgotten his name, was wearing a light leather armour over a white tunic with green outlines and a grey trouser. Ragnar took the trouser along with his leather armour to cover his upper self.

He was already creeping out at having to wear the clothes that someone else had worn but it was definitely better than letting them see him Naked. The people that looked like cattle to him had no right to witness his birthday suit.

That was also the reason why he couldn’t bring himself to also take the top from that guy. He could make do with just the armour.

And also, the shoes. They were white like the tunic. He almost forgot about them since it had been so long since he last wore them. Having something between himself and the Earth was not a good feeling. Yet, he decided to keep them on for some reason.

He was finally ready to deal with the remaining cattle. He might have ignored them if he didn’t get the surprise just now. But now that he knew that they were easy Charges just waiting for him to collect them, he couldn’t ignore them anymore.

Even though it was a good thing for Ragnar, it wasn’t going to last long. The population of walkers among humans was quite high, but the same could not be said as we move up the Ranks. The population of walkers in every Rank saw a steep decline with every step. It was not an easy thing to Rank up. Not everyone could be like Ragnar.

So, while he had the chance, he was not going to miss it.