Day 15. As Ethan and Mary are eating.
"I see you still haven't used the system." Mary suddenly spoke up, breaking their silence.
Ethan took a bite, chewing thoughtfully before responding, "You mean the shop?"
Mary perked up in anger. "How many times did I tell you that it's not a shop?"
Ethan did not respond. He just kept eating with a look on his face that said "Well?"
Mary sighed, as if giving up. "No, I am not talking about 'THE SHOP'." She said sarcastically. "I am talking about the Predator system, the ability stealing stuff."
"Oh that?" Ethan said, coming in realization. "No. I did not use it yet. The man I'm targeting is not here yet, so I did not have the chance to use it yet."
"When will the chance come?" Mary asked, taking another fish.
Ethan looked above and started thinking, just like my awesome self when I try to do mental calculation. "If I counted right, the chance will come just as I finish my mission."
Her eyes shone as her interest piqued. She shifted her posture, leaning forward slightly. "Can I finally ask about him now? I'm tired of the suspense. You refused to ell me before."
Ethan reached for his waterskin, its leather cracked and worn from years of use. Taking a slow sip, he exhaled before answering. "Fenric Dreadstorm. One of the business warlords of City B."
Mary's brows lifted slightly. "Never heard of him."
"Well, that's not how it is for most people." Ethan leaned against his arm, stretching out his legs. " He is a very well known public figure. He has built a bunch of businesses, started many orphanages and charity house, earned the public's respect with his so-called generosity, and is praised for his supposed humanitarian efforts."
"Sounds like a saint," she mused. "But I'm guessing there's more to the story?"
"Why do you think so?" Ethan asked.
"Well, you would not target him otherwise. You are not so ruthless to just steal someones ability without a reason, right?"
Ethan gave a small chuckle. "You trust people way too much. You really are like a little lady who never stepped outside."
Mary turned red. "Shut up! Just tell me the whole story."
Ethan stopped for a while, then leaned a bit forward as he put his hands together and answered in a very serious and scary tone. " Whether he is good or bad doesn't matter to me. I have targeted him just for his ability, that's it."
Mary's eyes flickered in horror. "You mean to say that you-" She could not even finish her sentence. The words just would not come out of her mouth. She could not believe that Ethan was such a person.
Ethan, on the other hand let out a huge laugh unable to contain his amusement. "Hahahahahaha."
It took Mary a while to understand what was going on. Her face was gradually filled with anger instead of horror as she understood what was going on.
"You-" she hit ethan with all her strength but in a mocking way. "You were joking? When we were having a serious conversation? Just how twisted is your sense of humor?" She asked.
"Hahaha. Sorry sorry. It's just that you have been gone for almost a week now and I really missed teasing you."
He then picked up another fish and started explaining. "The goody two shoes part? That's just his public image. In reality, he runs the largest underground slave market in the city."
"Ah. That explains a lot." Mary said, her expressions having a weird mix of emotionless and sadness.
"Yeah. The orphanage is just a front. He grooms children to be sold as high-value slaves in that place. It's also what made him powerful in the black market. His 'merchandise' was always of the highest quality." His voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
Mary's expression darkened. "Then... is that why you are targeting him?"
Ethan shaked his head as he picked another fish.
"I was half serious about what I said before." He said taking a bite from the fish.
"I am not some embodiment of justice that I will choose him just because he is societies cancer. I choose him because his ability is well-suited for me and just what I needed for a jumpstart. That's it."
Mary leaned in as she spoke in a teasing voice. "Aw, how cute. You are actually embarrassed."
Ethan didn't say anything and just kept eating.
Mary sits upright as she say. "Well, you should just kill that bastard outright. Scums like them should not live."
Ethan laughed in a small manner. "Don't worry. He was destined to die here from the start."
"Really?" She asked, a bit shocked.
Ethan again nodded. "That's right. He was killed by his enemies here."
"Because of his black businesses?" She asked.
"In a way, you could say that. But it was not for justice." Ethan glanced at the sky. "He got greedy. He wanted more than to be just a slave trader. He tried to expand into other sectors of the underworld, the arms business in particular."
"Let me guess. That didn't sit well with certain people?" Mary remarked, tearing a fish.
"That's right. So they set him up. They lured him out under the pretense of negotiation. Then tipped off his enemies."
Mary crossed her arms. "So they used someone else's blade to kill him. Classic."
"Exactly. Fenric was too arrogant to see the trap. He walked right into it, thinking they really wanted a partnership." Ethan smirked. "Even when he had doubt that it was an ambush, he still believed he could escape. And for a moment, he did."
Mary's brows furrowed. "Wait, what do you mean?"
"His enemies sent an entire squad of A-rank assassins after him. He fought his way out." Ethan's voice held a hint of reluctant admiration. "His S-rank ability, Elemental Overdrive, lets him control any elemental-based ability to the extreme levels. It gave him enough firepower to escape."
Mary tilted her head. "But he still died."
"Because the black market warlords sent their own hunters. Their best ones. He hid in a cave for three days, before they finally cornered him." Ethan exhaled. "When they found him, he begged for his life, practically groveling. It's said that it was such a shameful sight that the murderers were ashamed that they had to waste so many days to look for him. Not that it mattered as he was still brutally killed."
Mary looked away, processing it all. "So they made an example out of him."
"They did more than that." Ethan's gaze flickered with something unreadable. "They made sure everyone knew the details. Where he died, how he died, how long it took to find his body. They even revealed how they killed him. It was a warning to anyone else with too much ambition."
"If they revealed so much info, did they not get arrested? I mean, just where is the local authority?" Mary wondered.
"No, they did not get arrested. Mainly because of two reason."
"Those two being?"
"Well, for one, while it is true that they revealed everything, they still did not say who they were outright. It was just obvious who did it even without anyone saying anything." Ethan took a bite from a fish as he paused. "The second reason is that, while it is true there are authorities like city lords, they are just for show. They only bully the weak and do not resist the strong."
"So, a corrupt system?" Mary asked.
Ethan simply nodded. "Besides, they knew that it was just another filth that was dying. So even though there were some public protests from some normal people who were oblivious to this fact, not much investigation was done."
"That's why they say karma is a bitch. Because they themselves are a bitch." Mary smirked.
Then, her expression stiffened. "Wait… if so many A-ranks couldn't kill him, how will you? No offense, but you hide at the mere sight of a B-rank beast. As you are right now, he could snap his fingers and you'd be dead."
"None taken," Ethan said dryly.
Mary suddenly started pacing or rather, hovering erratically in the air. "Am I seriously going to lose my host this soon? I barely got to enjoy this world! I haven't even started visiting the places my sisters told me about!" Her voice grew more frantic. "Grandma's gonna ground me forever if my host dies this early!"
She was talking to herself now, her flight turning into a chaotic blur.
"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?"
Her panic wasn't just about losing him, she was afraid of something else. A consequence.
"Calm down," Ethan said, though even he was starting to get a bit annoyed by how she was acting.
Mary froze midair. "Oh! That's right." Then, without warning, she dived straight at him.
Ethan flinched. His instincts screamed at him to dodge, but she stopped just short, grinning.
"You don't have to go!" she blurted out like she had just cracked the code to life itself. "Why didn't I think of that sooner? I really am a genius! If you just don't go, you'll live, and I won't get punished! Problem solved!"
She looked at him expectantly. It looks like Ethan was trying to say something, but she just kept going.
"You only have one life, you know? I mean, technically, it's your second, but you get my point, right?"
She kept talking, her words pouring out nonstop, barely letting him breathe.
"WILL YOU JUST LISTEN FOR A SECOND?!" Ethan finally yelled, his voice echoing through the trees.
Mary stopped mid-rant, blinking like she had only now realized he had been trying to talk.
"I never said I was throwing myself into certain death," he exhaled. "Just because he escaped doesn't mean he's at full strength. He's badly injured. He won't be able to fight properly."
"Oh." She blinked again. "Ohhh. You should've said that earlier! Scared me for nothing. So, you know where he'll hide, right? You can just use your explosives to kill him, and then steal his ability! Nice thinking!"
"That was the plan." Ethan paused. "But I'm not going to ambush him. I'm going to face him head-on."
A moment of silence passed, the winds sound could be heard.
"WHYYY?!" Mary practically shrieked. "Why would you make an easy job harder?! Are you an idiot? Did I pick a host with no common sense?!"
"You already know why," Ethan said, covering her mouth to stop any more outbursts. " My goal in coming here wasn't just to collect skills and loot. I need to get stronger. My instincts have gotten dull. I need to sharpen them again."
Mary wiggled out of his grasp and flailed her arms. "Then get a sparring partner! A mentor! Join the underground fight rings if needed! That's a thing, right?! Every world has those!"
Ethan gave her a side glance at the "every world" comment but answered, "Yeah, they exist. I plan to join them soon too."
"So you'll drop this stupid idea, right? Right?!" she pressed, eyes wide with expectation.
Ethan gave a long, drawn-out pause, rubbing his chin as if seriously considering it. Mary perked up, eyes practically sparkling.
Then—
"No."
A simple, final answer.
What followed was an hour of Mary listing reason after reason why he shouldn't do it, and Ethan rejecting every single one.
The next day.
The sun barely peeked through the thick, gray clouds, casting a gloomy light over the base. The air felt heavy, as if even the sky was mourning something. Ethan was inside, sharpening Nightbane, his trusted weapon. He moved with purpose, but his expression was distant.
Suddenly Marys voice rang out .
"Why don't you just drop the idea?" she shouted, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear. "Is it really worth dying for, Ethan?"
Ethan let out a deep breath, already tired of having the same argument for a gazillion time. "How many times do I have to tell you? I—"
"Yes, yes, I get it," Mary snapped, cutting him off. "You need to get stronger, right? But you're already strong enough! You can already kill C-rank beasts. Isn't that pretty much your prime? I mean, I thought you said that the highest monster you can go against is a C-rank as your innate ability is C-rank. So why are you acting like that's not enough?"
Ethan clenched his jaw, wanting to speak, but Mary raised her hand to stop him again.
"Look, I know the system can help you grow stronger over time, I do. But not now. You're not ready yet. Fenric is an S-rank ability user. Injured or not, you can't just charge in headfirst in a situation where multiple A-rank user failed. Use the explosives. They're your strongest weapon. Get it over with and come back alive. Then train. Then grow. Then take risks. But not now."
Ethan finally looked up, his eyes sharp. "The number of things wrong in what you just said is… honestly amazing. First of all, my strongest weapon isn't the explosives. It's Nightbane."
He held up the blade. As if to emphasize his point, the weapon shimmered faintly in the dull light, like it was proud of its title.
Mary crossed her arms. "Fine. But it is true that you cannot fight against anything above C-rank, right?"
Instead of answering directly, Ethan just sighed. A long, tired sigh that made Mary frown.
"If you have something to say, just say it," she pressed. "Why are you suddenly acting like some mysterious warrior with a dark past?"
Ethan took a moment, then finally spoke, his voice quieter. "There are different types of C-ranks, Mary. A monster with a C-rank classification isn't the same as a beast with the same rank. Monsters are… crueler. Smarter. Stronger."
He paused, then added, "And as for my prime… Yes, While it is true that I fought mostly C-rank beasts during my last days, if you're talking about prime, I was capable of defeating Even S-rank monsters. Though I could not go above that."
Mary's eyes widened. "What? How? You told me you couldn't go beyond your natural limit. That your ability was capped."
"It is," Ethan nodded. "But only in the conventional sense. In my last life, I had two secret techniques. One I discovered, and one I created. Both of them allowed me to push past the limits of human strength."
Mary stared at him, completely silent. Her lips finally moved. "Then why haven't you used them now? Why haven't you even told me about them?"
Ethan's eyes darkened. "Because those techniques, while gave me inhumane strength, almost killed me."
She took a step back, the shock in her eyes were unmistakable. "Killed you? What do you mean?"
He turned away, his voice barely more than a whisper. "It's nothing."
For a long moment, silence hung between them. Mary wanted to ask more, to pull the truth out of him, but something in Ethan's expression told her it wasn't the time.
Instead, she simply followed him as he left the base. The clouds above thickened, and rain began to fall.
That day, Ethan fought exactly ten D-rank beasts. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Done so soon?" Mary asked as he returned, his clothes soaked and dirty.
"Yeah," he said quietly, brushing past her.
She watched him go, feeling the weight of everything he hadn't said. Ethan was hiding something—many things. And no matter how close they may have become, these secrets seemed like something that he did not want to share anytime soon..