The lock on the cell door clanked with the sound of keys twisting the lock open.

Bruno’s eyes met the gaze of the angry guard.

“Get out,” the man said, scowling at him.

He got up and started walking towards the door. As soon as he stepped a single foot past the guard, the man slapped him full force on the back of his head. Bruno didn’t react.

“We get many complaints about you,” the guard said, angrily smacking his head again. “If I hear about you making trouble one more time, I swear I’ll have you shipped to the city, have I made myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Bruno answered.

The guard smacked his bald head again, far harder this time, nearly tipping him over. “Have I made myself clear!?” he shouted.

“Yes, sir!” Bruno growled, gritting his teeth.

“Now get the hell out,” the guard insisted, pushing him forward.

Bruno happily obeyed.

Today had been… unproductive.

He made his way out of the guard post, stepping out into the streets. The sun was already far past the horizon, nothing but a distant, orange afterglow as proof of its existence. It was already nighttime. And he got no sacrifices for today.

Days had slipped out of his grasp, passing by one by one as he failed to keep up with his quota. The damn guards were getting more vigilant, and now he came across some damn pipsqueak who got him detained!?

Gods above how angry the image of that soft little shit made him. He hated himself for getting so swept up, but he couldn’t help it. That young man had been infuriating to look at, and he didn’t even know why.

Growling angrily, he turned down the street. That stupid little shit ruined everything. Now, he was down to a single day left to fulfill his quota. There would be no sleep for him tonight.

His fingers twitched, and involuntarily, his arm rose to scratch the back of his head. But who the hell would he even find out on the streets these days? The people were hyper-vigilant due to all the disappearances, and the odds of finding someone outside at this time were negligible.

Suddenly, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Once he turned to look, he frowned.

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There was no way.

The pipsqueak that provoked him early that day… was heading down the street not to far from him, his back turned in Bruno’s direction.

For a long moment, he thought he was imagining it. There was no way such a perfect opportunity would present itself. But it was true. That little cunt was right there, moving during the nighttime, entirely alone, and just when Bruno thought it couldn’t possibly get any better, his quarry turned right, off the main street and into the tight alleys behind the buildings.

A grin on his face spread from ear to ear. Hurriedly, he glanced around himself, ensuring that no guards or passersby would spot him as he ran toward the alley and entered. Before long, he spotted the young man, and with the same unnatural hostility he felt earlier that day, leaped at him, arms reaching to grab his target by the neck and silence him before he could scream.

His hands reached their target. He tackled the boy, his arms bulging as his strength worked to choke the boy’s neck just long enough to knock him unconscious. After a few seconds of struggling, the boy went limp.

Bruno pulled a rope out of his inventory and prepared to tie it around the boy’s mouth to keep him from screaming in case he woke up.

Just as he was about to start tying it—

The young man’s arm shot up, grabbing Bruno’s throat. For a fraction of a moment, Bruno was ready to sneer at the desperate attempt, but—something was wrong.

His vision was going dark. His strength was leaving his body. And his throat felt so, so numb.

***

I gripped the kidnapper’s throat for a few seconds, squeezing and extracting heat until the man passed out. Once his eyes closed, I got off the ground and picked him up by the scruff of the neck the way you’d grab a kitten.

Then, I ran. I leaped up to the rooftops, scurrying along as I carelessly let the man’s body flop around. He slammed into surfaces, breaking several limbs, and the skin on the back of his neck bled under my tight grip.

Before long, I reached the outer wall. It took two leaps, one halfway up the wall and a second all the way to the top, and I bounced off the surface like some sort of video game character. Once I was past the wall, I hurried forward, rushing through the darkness as my feet carried me to the forest.

It took only a few minutes of dashing, and I found myself in the woods before long.

I threw the man on the ground, and excitement rushed through my veins. What would I do with him? He was evil. Even the blessing told me that this man deserved only the worst.

But as I gazed at the man’s form… I realized that… he was already dead.

“Damn,” I said, cursing as I realized that I had been too rough with him.

The scene before me was unreal. Yet again, the darkness of the night could not impede my vision, and I looked upon the corpse before me. I stared at the figure below my feet for a long moment. A curious idea flashed in my mind.

I’d take some backlash for doing it, but I didn’t care at that moment. I bent over and placed my hand on the man’s lukewarm body.

And used [Resurrect].

Evil soul detected.

This individual can not be given a [Second Chance].

Huh?

Initiating punishment.

You have acquired a new skill!

[Soul Prison]