With both men in front of him, Ray could not even let out his voice as he stood there petrified in fear that he would be the one to die next.

For some time they were shrouded in silence. It was but a few moments of silence, but it felt like an eternity to Ray which he passed by staring at the two men.

⌈You lookin pale there kid, are ye eatin properly⌋ (Bald man)

With a tone as if to mock the kid who had frozen in fear, the Bald man asked with a scornful smile on his face. But Ray had no words to answer him.

⌈You've got bags under yer eyes and ya look to be starving, want my help to get yerself a good meal.⌋ (Bald man)

For a moment there, Ray did not understand the meaning behind his words. Even when he came to understand, he tried to reject his offer, but the hellish hunger in his stomach had other plans. Out of nowhere a grumbling sound came. For a moment, Ray became confused, but after realising it was his own stomach, he could not oppose the temptation any longer and nodded.

⌈Hahahahaha! Good answer kid! A real good answer! But know what? I ain't gonna help ya! hahahaha!⌋ (Bald man)

Hearing the man laughing at his answer, Ray felt anger surging up from withing his body. He lost his sense of reason altogether and looked at the man with a fiery glint in his eyes.

Perhaps, having seen his anger or having gotten bored of laughing, the man stopped. And said it to his face, the thing that Ray had been avoiding all the while

⌈If ya want food, take it from others, if ya want money, rob others of it, if somebody refuses or tries to be a pain in the ass, kill'im. Become strong enough that nobody can take from ya once ya've taken from them. Only the strong have the right to live.⌋ (Bald man)

Ray felt his anger calm down a little and thought of the man's words, but, still found himself unable to follow them as they he had been taught that they were bad deeds.

⌈What? Think it's wrong to hurt others? Tell me what kid, if ya were hungry as'ell, which'll be quicker, to beg for it or to steal it?⌋ (Bald man)

His words started to sink in and Ray started to loose his will to oppose. Perhaps, it was because he had been living too peacefully with his mother that he still managed to show some resistance.

The man seemed to notice Ray's dilemma as he watched with an amused smile on his face.

⌈If ya were strong you'd never go hungry, if ya were strong, no one would speak against you, if ya were strong, ya can have it all, money, women, food, people, everything ya could think of in the world.⌋ (Bald man)

The way he skillfully said those words to persuade him was very similar to the coaxing of the devil. Ray could feel his resistance breaking and a desire to follow the man's words welling up inside him.

Seeing Ray, the man understood, he needed to give him one last push, so that he can be made to fall. That's why he used very persuading words to break his resistance completely.

⌈Ya don't have ta steal and kill always ya know, ya could become an adventurer or somethin when ya grow old enough to earn honestly. Why don't ya hunt for game only when ya don't have any other way of obtaining food? It ain't a bad deal, don't ya think? Right now ya're weak and don't have a way to obtain food, steal and kill now so that ya could grow strong in the future so ya don't have to steal again.⌋ (Bald man)

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These words nearly broke his will, but somehow he managed to hold on.

⌈Let's go.⌋

Suddenly the voice came out from beside Ray. He looked to his side and got startled as he had completely forgotten the existence of the Black man.

⌈We don't have time to keep playing around.⌋ (Black man)

⌈Tch, comeee onnn. Can't we help him a little?⌋ (Bald man)

It was clear from his tone of voice, that the Bald man was enjoying it and had no intention of really helping Ray. But maybe the Black man had a little different intentions, he looked at Ray and spoke

⌈Why don't we leave it to the boy? Kid, if you feel unable to handle your hunger anymore, then don't hesitate to do anything, because once you are dead, no one is going to care.⌋ (Black man)

Those words triggered a memory in Ray. The memory of his mother dying in front of the town gate, the guards as they dragged her dead body and separated Ray from her. He felt at a loss for what to do.

⌈If you decide to take action in our way, use this⌋ (Black man)

Saying that, he threw a dagger in the ground.

⌈Use it to take from others and to keep what you already have. If somebody is stronger than you, attack him from behind. Use trickery, betrayal and any means necessary to survive. Now, let's go, this is enough help for him.⌋ (Black man)

The Bald man seemed to be in bad mood, but still followed the Black man and soon they disappeared in the disordered streets of the slums.

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Ray did not know what to do, he just stood there looking at the dagger stuck in the ground. He still felt hesitant to use it, but perhaps because of his resistance having considerably weakened, he took the knife and walked away from that place.

He kept wandering about the slums for who knows how long but eventually his strength left him and he staggered. Supporting himself against a broken wall, he heard the sound of dogs barking in an alley a little ahead of him.

When he looked inside, he saw four dogs fighting each other over what seemed like raw meat. Seeing that meat, his stomach started to ache for hunger.

At that time he felt the dagger in his hand, and the final dam of his will broke against the flood of hunger.

Out of nowhere, he felt strength come back to his body as he gripped the knife in both hands.

He knew he would not be able to win against four dogs, that's why

⌈YAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH⌋

he rushed at the dogs at full speed and drove the dagger in the dog. Fortunately, the dagger slid in the neck of the dog, killing it right away.

⌈Grrrr, WAAAH⌋ (Dog)

A dog leapt at him, Ray felt fear from having a dog jump at him and by reflex he swung his dagger at him.

The dagger sliced at the mouth of the dog from which he stopped. The dog opened his mouth, and in a frenzy, Ray rushed at him and thrust the dagger in the mouth of dog. The dagger came out from the back of dog's head killing it.

The third dog leapt and bit his leg.

⌈AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh⌋

Feeling the pain in his leg, Ray cried out and using the dagger repeatedly stabbed the dog's neck, killng it.

In the meanwhile the fourth dog leapt on the dog whom Ray was stabbing. Seeing the dog leap, Ray changed his target to the fourth one and started stabbing the dog's side. The dog cried out in pain but because of repeated stabbing, lost his life.

Ray kept stabbing the dead dog for a little while. When he saw that the dogs were not moving at all, he threw the dagger away and leapt at the meat in front of him. Eating it like no tomorrow.

<< Your level has increased from 1 to 2! Every basic stat increased!>>

<>

Name: Ray

Level: 1→2

HP: 10→12+1 VIT:5→6+1

Race: Human

Age:5

Class: Undecided

Subclass: Undecided

STR: 2→3+1 DEF: 2→3+1 AGI: 2→3+1 DEX: 1→2+1 MP: 1→2+1 INT: 1→2+1 MIND: 1→2+1 END: 2→4+1

Skills:

Acquired Skills: None

Inherent Skills:

* Kienetic Vision Lv 1

* Magic Perception Lv 1

Unique Skills:

* Growth

Gifts: None