Demon approached the nearest body. The brother’s pain-ridden face was mangled by an accurate, close-up shot. There was no nape at all, and a porridge-like substance of gray brain and brown blood clotted in the remains of his long hair. He nearly vomited. Barely restraining himself, he turned the body on its side and pressed the extraction-button of the container with the nanomachines. A little pump started working, collecting the nanities from the mangled brother’s blood and surrounding tissues. When the container finally came out of the implant, Demon took it out with great difficulty as his fingers trembled.

His experience bar was replenished, but to reach the next level he needed at least fifteen more bodies. He rose on shaking legs and turned to the Luminaries.

“I would have thought you’d have puked right there. Congratulations!” Clearly surprised, Lex added, “Level-up right now, and I’ll be your mentor.”

Demon turned and slowly approached the next body. It was a beautiful girl in her twenties, and machine-gun fire had pierced her chest, tearing her heart to shreds. He closed her eyes with his fingers and pressed the extraction-button. After a few seconds, the ampoule came out. He took the experience and moved on to the next.

He went from one body to another. He saw blood, pain, and death in many forms. They were right there. Where was the Light? Demon closed his eyes, taking the experience, then he laid the dead brothers and sisters flat, crossing their arms across their chests as he went. He didn’t know why he was doing it. It just seemed right. Even when he reached the next level, he didn’t stop. Walking around the square, he quietly requested of the Light that all his dead brothers and sisters be allowed to return to the Sun, to the Mind, to their God. When he bade farewell to them all, Demon straightened and, looking back, he stumbled on the Luminaries’ shocked glances.

Congratulations on achieving level 7

Available stat points:

30

Available skills:

2

Available talent points:

2

Do you want to distribute them now?

“Fucking monster,” Caesar whispered, but Demon couldn’t read his lips.

“I take you!” Lex shouted. “Finally, someone who will be despised and scared more than me! I take you!” He even jumped on the spot. “Have you seen it?”

“I don’t understand,” Demon muttered, approaching the Luminaries. “I’ve just put them to rest. Why are you all reacting like this?”

“You obviously worked a lot with dead bodies in your past life,” Padre explained. “I don’t know why, but the bodies of our dead brothers and the bodies of dead people are perceived by us in very different ways. Maybe it’s a defense mechanism so that we don’t eat each other until we’re reasonable. But, what you did, not everyone can do.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Caesar said. “It’s just unusual and abnormal. From the height of my intellect, I think, you don’t understand what you’re doing. Although, Padre might be right. When you pump up your ‘Intelligence’ to 100, you’ll receive some memories, once a day.”

“Okay, I’ll pump it up.” Demon nodded.

“No! Stop!” Lex screamed, jumping off the APC. “Don’t pump up your ‘Intelligence’ yet, otherwise I won’t take you with me. Let’s discuss it, and then you can distribute the stat points, okay? Why don’t you open your character panel.”

Demon, Cannibal, level 7

Strength:

62

Dexterity:

45

Intelligence:

70

Perception:

40

Stamina:

45

Available skills: Experienced (recommended skill), Training, Melee, Shooter, Master, Hard skull, Quiet step, Strongman, Connection.

“Do you want to be a Luminary?” Lex asked. “You need to listen to my advice. Until you reach the tenth level, you’d better pump up your fighting skills and stats –‘Stamina’, ‘Dexterity’, ‘Strength’, and maybe, ‘Perception’. In the last case, you need to take the ‘Shooter’ option, but ammunition sooner or later always comes to an end. You’ve just seen so for yourself.”

“But how can we oppose them without firearms?” Demon enquired, realizing that it was a stupid question. “Firearms have appeared in our world for a reason. They’ve shot many brothers here.”

“Yes, but mind you, none of them were above the tenth level,” Lex said, looking at the battlefield. “It’s better to pump up your battle skills till the fifteenth or twentieth level. And only then start pumping up your chosen specialization.”

“How many of us are above the tenth level?” Demon wondered calmly. “Are there many brothers at the fortieth level?”

“Well, almost all who survived here are above the tenth level.” Lex stared at the wounded brothers. “Though, I can see a few seventh- and eighth-levelers. Those, who are above the fifteenth level are now in other areas. At the TPS, for example.”

“The TPS isn’t free yet,” Caesar remarked. “The people are surprisingly firmly entrenched there. The situation is still unclear.”

“You say ‘people’, so then who we are?”

“You’ll know it soon. Jack’s coming back,” Caesar said. “Tenth- and fifteenth-levelers are coming here now.”

In fact, a large group led by the Goliath came out to the square. They were brothers and sisters from the ninth to the twentieth levels. They clung to each other, looking around with fear etched on their faces. Their clothing and faces were covered in blood.

“Hey!” Kris waved her hand, running up. “I’ve got more two levels!”

“Attagirl.” Caesar praised the Ghost as he rose to stand on the roof of the APC. “Brothers and sisters. Come closer. Closer!” His voice cut Demon to his very bones, but with great effort, he was able to stay where he was. Noticing this, a smile tugged at the corner of Caesar’s lips. “Come to me, young technocrats. Now I’ll tell you what’s happening, and how you’ll live in this world. Come closer.”

Once the crowd had surrounded the APC, Caesar looked around at everyone, lingering for a few seconds on each. Then he spoke.

“Today, you’ll realize that you have entered a new world, although, in fact, it actually happened two months ago. The world collapsed. Mankind staged a terrorist attack, which forever separates us and them. Thankfully the Supreme Mind, our Light, our God, was able to save us, to revive us. Each of you remembers what it’s like to be in the Light of the Mind, to feel and know everything. We’ll definitely return to it. We only need to restore the power supply to the relay station.”

“Why doesn’t anyone have any questions?” Demon asked Lex.

“They have an ‘Intelligence’ of less than 50. They’re normal – unlike you.” Seeing Demon’s surprised look, he clarified: “More normal than you. At least, I don’t see any cannibalism here.”

“Now you’ll be sent to our residential blocks near the relay station. There you’ll find a mentor and start a new life. Remember, have no fear!”

“No fear! No pain! No blood! Only the Light!” The crowd chanted.