The gang leader dismounted his bike, a smirk spreading across his face. "Wow, you're a feisty one, aren't you? Think you can take me on, sweetheart? Surrender now, and maybe I'll consider making you my personal attendant," he said, leering at her.
"Boss, don't hog her all to yourself," one of his cronies called out, and others chimed in with crude suggestions.
A raw surge of anger erupted within Hazel. His aura flared, an invisible pressure building in the small room, causing the survivors to gasp and clutch at their throats. A young boy tugged frantically at Hazel's sleeve. "Sir... please... stop..."
Hazel blinked, the haze of his rage dissipating. He looked around, horrified to see the distress he was causing. "I... I'm sorry," he stammered, his control returning.
Blossom remained silent, her intense gaze fixed on the gang leader. His arrogance grew. He strode towards Blossom and grabbed a handful of her pink hair, yanking her head back. The elder, witnessing this blatant aggression, lunged forward, grabbing the gang leader's arm.
"Please, sir, let go of her," the elder pleaded, his grip surprisingly firm.
"How dare you, you filthy old man!" the gang leader roared, raising his free hand to strike the elder. In that instant, Blossom moved. Her katana flashed, severing the gang leader's hand at the wrist in a clean, swift motion.
The gang leader shrieked, clutching his bleeding stump, his bravado dissolving into terrified sobs. His gang members scrambled off their bikes, ready to avenge their leader. But then Hazel emerged from the building, his face set in a grim, almost demonic expression. His dark clothing and hair seemed to amplify the menacing aura that now radiated from him.
The remaining gang members saw the deadly intent in Hazel's eyes. They knew they were outmatched. Without a word, they leaped back onto their bikes and sped away.
Hazel summoned his scythe, the black metal gleaming ominously. Fueled by his rage, he hurled it after the fleeing gang.
The scythe returned to his hand, seemingly without having touched the bikers. For a moment, Hazel thought he had failed. But then, one by one, the bikers' heads detached from their bodies, their motorcycles veering wildly before crashing and exploding in fiery bursts.
[Player has killed 5 other players]
[Player has gained 500 EXP]
[Player has leveled up ×5]
[Player has gained 5 soul points]
[Soul Summon has leveled up]
[You can now summon a total of 3 warriors]
Wow, you can get EXP from killing other players, Hazel thought, a dark smirk twisting his lips. A strange, monstrous energy seemed to thrum within him.
"I don't know what soul points are, but I can check later," he mused. More subordinates... maybe I will become a ruler one day.
The gang leader, miraculously still alive despite his severed hand, witnessed the gruesome end of his crew. His bravado was completely gone, replaced by whimpering terror. He began to beg for his life, offering anything for their mercy.
"Prove your worth, or die," Hazel said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion, his face an impassive mask.
"I... I have a thousand monster cores stashed away! And I know a core exchange station! I can take you there!" the gang leader stammered, his eyes wide with desperation.
"Okay," Hazel replied flatly. "Take us there."
The gang leader, his remaining hand clutched tightly to his bleeding stump, led Hazel and Blossom towards an abandoned police station. The building was dilapidated and half-destroyed, a testament to the chaos of the new world.
"Where is it?" Hazel asked, his tone still hard.
"It's inside, sir," the gang leader replied, his voice weak.
"Lead the way," Hazel commanded.
They entered the decaying building, eventually reaching a room containing a dusty, non-functional computer and a bag filled with golden, spherical objects.
"Where is it?" Hazel repeated, suspicion lacing his voice.
"Here, sir," the gang leader said, pointing to the bag of golden balls. "These are the monster cores. And that," he gestured to the broken computer, "is the core exchange station."
"How does it work?" Hazel asked, his curiosity battling his distrust.
"You just... place your palm on it, and it turns on," the gang leader explained nervously.
Hazel's skepticism was evident. "Try it yourself. Let me see."
The gang leader, wincing, placed his remaining hand on the computer. To Hazel's surprise, it flickered to life. "It depends on how many cores you put in," the gang leader continued, "that determines what you can get in return."
"Every player has their core storage in another dimension within the system," the gang leader elaborated, "It depends on how many monsters you've killed. You can access and withdraw them whenever you want."
Intrigued, Hazel focused his thoughts. "System, show me my core storage."
A notification appeared before his eyes: [Player Core Storage: 1050]
"Wait a minute," Hazel exclaimed, surprised. "How do I have so many? I haven't killed that many monsters."
"Well," the gang leader mumbled, "it's probably because of my gang... the ones you killed. They had cores too."
"How many cores do you have, Blossom?" Hazel asked.
"Mine is 1500," Blossom replied, her voice as even as ever.
"That makes sense, I guess," Hazel mused. "She's been doing most of the killing."
Suddenly, a bright flash erupted from the computer screen. In that same instant, the gang leader pulled out a small pistol with his remaining hand, aiming it at Hazel. But Blossom reacted with inhuman speed. Before the gang leader could even squeeze the trigger, her katana flashed again, severing his other hand.
"You should have thought twice before trying to double-cross me," Hazel said, his voice chillingly calm. "Finish him, Blossom."
Blossom complied without a word. Her blade ended the gang leader's life. A new notification appeared in Hazel's mind:
[Your subordinate has killed a player. You have gained 1 soul point.]
Hazel turned back to the elder, a bag of golden cores now in his hand. He offered it to the old man. "Here. This should help." Without waiting for a response, Hazel and Blossom turned and left the abandoned police station, stepping back into the uncertain dawn of the ravaged world.
"Do you think it's best the way we left them alone?" Blossom asked, a hint of concern in her voice as they walked down the desolate street.
"Yeah, we can't let them slow us down," Hazel replied, his tone flat. "People like that don't plan to adapt; they're waiting for things to go back to normal, which isn't going to happen."
"When did you become this heartless? You're nothing like the boy I knew," Blossom said, sadness evident in her expression.
Hazel didn't like seeing her sad. He hugged her impulsively.
The unexpected embrace surprised Blossom, but she couldn't deny the warmth and comfort it offered.
I think I'm regretting hugging her, Hazel thought wryly.
She doesn't want to let go now, he realized before saying, "Can you please let me go?"
"Oh, sorry," Blossom murmured, releasing him slowly, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.