Chapter 3
“Shiinng!”
[Bloody Machete – Common]
[Effects: +2 STR and +2 DEX]
[Skill: None]
“…It’s not bad, but that pelican was huge. I thought bigger and badder monster size equals bigger and better rewards?” Peter couldn’t help but complain
Peter’s face soured as he examined the machete, but he didn’t let that get him down because he still had one more human-sized treasure trove lying next to his feet.
[Raymond’s Final Curse (COOLDOWN: 23:11) – Rare]
[Effects: +8 CHA]
[Skills: Upon activation, there is a 70% chance the target is mesmerized for 3 seconds. Once per day and only applicable to humans.]
[Cloth Boots – Common]
[Effects: +2 CON]
[Skills: None]
Peter fished out a skeletal index finger and a pair of boots from her corpse. Peter loudly exhaled and whistled, “Luckily, she couldn’t activate this, or I might’ve really died. I wonder who was the poor victim.”
His happiness from escaping a certain fate didn’t last long because he felt several pairs of eyes on his back. His ears also picked up two or three animalistic snarls. Without turning back, he bolted up the block. However, contrary to his expectation, the creatures dashed towards the corpse while attacking potential competitors. Since the creatures didn’t pay any attention to Peter, he continued exploring the unfamiliar part of town.
Soon, he found himself approaching the more affluent part of the city.
“Wow, these rich guys really live up to their wallets,” Peter whispered under his breath as he toured around the 30 floor condos and assortment of luxury cars parked along the way. Along the way, he found several suitable vehicles for the trip but couldn’t bypass the keyless electronic locks. Unwittingly, he circled back to the pelican and woman earlier.
“Beep! Beep!”
Attracted to the noise and flashing lights, he turned his attention toward a surprisingly untouched and an older model Mercedes Benz. With a glimmer in his eye, he approached the car, praying that it wasn’t upgraded with an electronic lock.
Odd, why did the alarm-
An anxious and dry voice interrupted his thoughts, “Stay away, I’m warning you!” The windows were tinted, so he couldn’t get a good look at the man in the car. Once again, he donned his most polite smile and gently said, “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Don’t lie to me! I saw you kick that woman earlier, and now she’s dead. Go away! Last warning!”
Peter’s face involuntarily twitched as he nervously laughed, “Look, she tried to kill and rob me. No other way around it. Hey, how about we make a deal. Your voice seems somewhat weak, so you’re probably thirsty and hungry. I’ll get you some food and supplies, and in exchange, you’ll let me use your car for a quick trip to Jersey. How about it?”
The man in the car remained silent for 30 seconds before Peter heard a click. The door swung open, and Peter’s gaze met a pair of puffy blue eyes. The man’s loose strands of golden hair had ruined his slicked-back hairdo, but his brown cashmere overcoat and tailored business suit were in perfect condition. Glancing down, Peter also found no traces of blood either on his well-trimmed nails.
Before Peter could speak, the man nervously chucked and held up his palms facing towards Peter, “You can have the car after you take me somewhere safe. First, let’s go get food, alright?”
Peter smiled. “Sure.”
Hopping inside, Peter adjusted the driver’s seat while asking the man for the keys and time. The man passed the keys over and softly uttered, “Its 12:51am.” Peter softened his expression when he noticed the man’s trembling shoulders, “It’s okay, everyone is probably confused right now. Monsters came from nowhere and attacked us. If you’re not scared, then no one is.”
The man took a couple deep breaths before extending his right hand towards Peter, “My name is James.”
Grabbing James’ hand, Peter squeezed and replied, “Peter.”
James sported a smile and asked, “Hey, are you from this area?”
Peter shook his head, “No, I’m about 10 or so blocks north.”
“That’s pretty close. Anyways, let’s head over to Hole Food Markets. It’s not too far from us. About 3 blocks that way,” he replied and pointed west.
“No, we’re heading toward the pier. I have a place in mind.”
James turned towards Peter, but before he could open his mouth, he swallowed back his saliva. Peter saw the man’s dejected expression but didn’t bother explaining any further.
The disappointment soon turned into pondering. James changed the subject,
“Hey, are you a family man?”
Peter replied with a neutral face, “No.” Seeing the path of this conversation, Peter answered each question with platitudes rather than sharing any personal information. As the car drove past dozens of ruined apartments and shops, the man became more nervous.
The mood continued the get worse, so Peter decided to silently drive and take in the hell on earth.
“He..ey, hey, can you tell me where we’re going?”
“Trader Foes.” Peter curtly replied. With his eyes peeled to the road, the headlights revealed a crowd of goblins up ahead. Peter swerved to the sidewalk and managed to avoid the group of goblins.
“What the hell did you do that for?!” James shouted.
Turning towards James, Peter shot a frosty look with a scowl on his face and replied, “I was afraid the system would confiscate the car. Now shut up before I throw you out this car.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just scared.” James whimpered.
This nouveau rich attire is definitely compensating for his real personality. Cowardly dog!
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Keeping his negative thoughts to himself, Peter retorted, “It’s fine, just be quiet.”
The ride came to an end when Peter parked the Mercedes by an alleyway behind a flower boutique store clear of monsters. Turning to face James, Peter gestured with his finger, “Don’t move and don’t let anyone except for me in the car. I’ll be back with supplies.”
“Wait! Can I have one of your knives? Please?” James asked, with both hands crossed together.
“No. End of discussion” Peter quickly replied without any emotion
After making a couple turns, Peter found himself staring at a familiar Trader Foe’s supermarket. The green logo was in place, but the glass windows by the entrance were completely shattered. Tilting his head forward, he scanned inside the store. Despite the pitch-black darkness, Peter could make out the tossed shelves and scattered food with his partially functioning dark vision. Shutting his eyes, he concentrated his ears and nose to form a mental image. In his head, he identified at least four dozen monsters in the market.
Going in from the entrance was obviously a no-go unless he wanted to become a midnight snack. How should he approach? He quietly thought about Jamar. More specifically, Peter recalled his friend’s complaints about working in this millennial garbage dump.
Jamar was a habitual smoker and needed a cigarette to function every 2 hours. Peter knew there had to be a place where Jamar could freely enter and exit for his smoke breaks. After another two minutes of snooping around, Peter found the employee garage door connected to the employee break room. Peter gently pushed the door.
Unfortunately, the door sang like a fat lady.
“Hiss!”
Peter crossed his machetes and faced the incoming enemy. Listening carefully, he heard soft taps approaching from his right side and struck down his [Bloody Machete].
Leaping out of the darkness, a 2-meter tabby cat sidestepped Peter’s upper strike and then jumped onto his left machete. Using Peter’s machete as a stepping stone, the cat pounced towards Peter’s face.
Despite moving his head out of the way, he felt blood trickling down his cheeks. Cursing the cat under his breath, Peter turned around with lightning speed and cleaved down his [Bloody Machete]. This time, he didn’t miss. The cat let out a loud screech and fell to the ground lifeless.
“Scroowl! Scrowll!!”
Thanks to his [Mind’s Eye], he felt a burst of light tremors approaching his direction. Peter firmly clutched both weapons and retreated back to the garage. Finding a suitable position, he pressed his back against a red Toyota.
He couldn’t see clearly in the dark anyway, so he decided to rely on the mental image in his head. He activated [Mind’s Eye] and closed his eyes.
“Hiss! Hiss! Shrowl! SHROWLL!”
Focusing on his senses, Peter knew there were a dozen extra-large cats en route, a mix of British long hairs, ragdolls, Bengals, and Siamese cats. Emerging from behind the Toyota, Peter threw his left hand forward and made a kebab out of the first Siamese cat. Stepping back, Peter rotated his right hand horizontally with the [Bloody Machete], while dislodging the prey on his left machete.
Two dead. The cats stared viciously at Peter and encircled its prey. Feeling their murderous stares, Peter feinted left and swiped both machetes towards the two Bengal cats approaching on his right. Four dead.
Unlike the blue goblins, the cats took full advantage of their environment, were faster, and more tactical in their advances and retreats. Hacking upwards, Peter dissected another ragdoll but exposed himself in the process. Gaining another bloody wound, he became more determined to end these cats as quickly as possible. As the battle progressed, the cats began ignoring their fallen and clawed without allowing Peter any room to breathe.
7 wounds, 12 deaths, and 3 minutes later, Peter emerged victoriously. The bulletproof vest kept his vitals safe, but he paid a steep price for his victory. His arms and thighs were marked with minor cuts, and two severe lacerations decommissioned his calf and right arm.
Peter opened his eyes and noticed a glowing treasure box.
“Shingg!”
[Panacea – Uncommon]
[One-Time-Effect: Heals HP, Mana and Stamina loss.]
“Potion?” Peter tiredly murmured as his eyes began to droop.
Starting to feel woozy, Peter immediately tilted his head back and downed the green-colored elixir in a glass tube the size of a finger. Despite not having a cap, none of the green liquid flowed out until the tube reached his lips. Tears began to form in the corner of his eyes as a sour smell overpowered his taste buds.
Ignoring the rancid taste, his minor wounds began shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye. He felt the thin green glow encasing his body mending together his lacerated skin and muscles. After several seconds, all his wounds closed and turned back to a healthy white color leaving behind no scars. Finally, the energy circled back to his brain and relieved some of the fatigue.
“Holy Cow…Thanks for the timely assist stepdad.” Peter whispered.
Although his wounds were healed, Peter felt troubled. He was overconfident and nearly paid the price. “It seems I’m still not strong enough,” Peter wistfully sighed.
Walking up the garage to the first floor, Peter observed the cats and noted that the cats generally traveled alone. Thinking back, the cats only colluded after the first cat screamed. With this in mind, he stealthy approached the lone cats one by one and slit their vocal cords with a dagger or directly hacked their brains apart with his [Bloody Machete] before going back into hiding. After killing two dozen cats by the same method, the cats started traveling in groups of two and three.
It looks like they finally caught on. Is there an intelligent boss behind the scene directing their actions?
While Peter was cooking up a new strategy, he recalled the white treasure box sitting in his bag.
Shing!
[Major HP Potion – Uncommon]
[One-Time-Effect: Restores 1050HP]
He smacked his lips with annoyance and stored the potion away. With one hand on his chin, he began racking his brain for ideas again. Suddenly, his eyes glimmered with enlightenment and he curled his lips into a devious smile.
Soon, a distinct spirit-y oak aroma quickly attracted a group of cats. Chuckling to himself, Peter ducked under the shelves and watched the curious cats circling around the pan of whiskey.
Wait… that’s a Macallen I just poured!! No wonder they all came running so quickly! Wait, stop drinking!
His hands began deforming the iron support as he watched on with red-rimmed eyes. Each lick took away a chunk of his sanity. Soon the pan was emptied, and two dozen cats were haphazardly walking and loudly meowing.
Suppressing the flames burning in his heart, he began stealthily approaching each cat. After finishing off the drunk cats, he stared again with reddened eyes at the empty pan. Breathing heavily, he mentally screamed.
My whiskey, my whiskey… Damn! I really should’ve held back! Whatever, what’s done is done!
SCRROOOWL!
The noise snapped him out of his daze. He reacted immediately, throwing himself again the aisle on the left. The cold metal on his face helped to process the shock. He didn’t sense it coming at all, even with his heightened senses.
He quickly picked himself up and glanced down at the three deep wounds on his ribs. The bulletproof vest was shredded from his right torso down to his waist. Fortunately, no bones were broken.
“Ding!”
[Elite Monster: Wild Bengal Cat]
[Level: 15]
[Skills: Fury Claws, Savage Appearance, Ghost Walk]
Sure, the skill [Savage Appearance] sounded silly, but Peter warily eyed the huge 5-meter Bengal cat.
That’s definitely a freaking tiger! Look at those stripes! System, are you positive this is a cat?
Straining his [Mind’s Eye] to the limit, Peter felt the atmosphere around him slightly shift. Although he still couldn’t see trace the cat’s movements, he intuitively knew from the slight noises and wind distortions which direction it would come from.
Left.
Up.
Left again. Peter dodged with exaggerated motions hoping to avoid the lethal claws.
“Huff, puff”
After several close calls, Peter’s felt his body aching mentally and physically.
So that’s the cost of overusing mind’s eye. I can vaguely sense where it’s coming from, but my body can’t react to it.
Continuously dodging by a narrow margin, he decided to take a gamble. Activating the [Ring of STR], he felt strength surge from his heart to every part of his body.
SHROWL!
The cat had jumped up and swiped downwards. But before the cat could reach him, Peter jumped into its exposed belly and hacked with full power.
MEOOOW
Feeling a sharp pain in its gut, the cat retaliated and wildly clawed away at the human. In an instant, Peter’s back was ripped to shreds. The claws tore through the vest and muscle tissues on his back. This time, the gashes were bone-deep.
After unleashing its rage, the cat quickly retreated back to the shadows.
Peter fell forward and hit the ground. The bag strapped to his back also split into nylon and polyester strips. Luckily, the treasure box containing the potion landed by his right hand. Groaning, Peter forced himself to move his hand and push the box upwards to his mouth. However, after pushing the box to his face, his arm went completely numb.
The box was so close. He just had to open the latch on the box. Fighting through the agony, he continued to push his chin forward millimeter by millimeter. Finally, he felt nothing from the waist down.
COME ON! A little closer!
MEEOow
Guess I’m going to die.