"Upgrade Force Strike."
[Power evolving…]
[Congratulations, your Force Strike (E-rank) has evolved into Force Impact (D-rank)]
[Force Impact: Your palms can shoot out a blue-colored force with enough power to shove any grown men to fall down.]
Rank: D (0/500 EXP)
[Remaining Experience: 30]
Muscle on Blaze's two palms spasms uncontrollably. The fingers move on themselves into weird positions.
The blue haze lights up and covers Blaze's hand. The air surrounding him ripples slightly.
Around thirty seconds pass and the effect disperses, his two palms relax and return to their normal position. There isn't a single discomfort in the muscle.
Instead, it feels fresher than ever. It's like he just went to a massage parlor that specifically deals with hand cramps.
Blaze rotates his wrist, crisp cracking sounds emit from every joint of the bones.
A hollow-faced monster slaps the door of the gas station open. The noise Blaze made has drawn its attention. It wastes no time and charges at him blindly.
Blaze put the bone wand away. His palms light up in blue.
With one thrust forward, a blue shock wave shoots out and shoves the monster into the ground. The power of this ability has truly increased significantly.
Blaze does not give it time to breathe and repeatedly thrusts his two palms, one after another. Waves of faint blue lights discharge relentlessly, a barrage of invisible force crushes the monster's head into a puddle of blood.
[You have gained 10 experience points!]
It is dead, but Blaze does not stop, and he keeps going until his palms constrict and stop producing the force.
Force Strike limits were five consecutive shots and a thirty seconds cool down.
Force Impact is not only stronger, it has much fewer limitations as well. Blaze uses it ten times for each hand before the muscle gives out.
And it takes only around twenty seconds for the palms to relax again.
It may be worse than a gun, but his first superpower is actually useful now, rather than only being a cheap trick.
"There's more to it as well…"
Blaze turns his palm toward a nearby metal cart. The blue force ejects continuously and pushes the cart away for a few seconds before it goes out of range.
Not only does the new Force Impact have more power, it is now able to produce a steady stream of force as well. No longer limited to one short strike.
Blaze restrains his excitement to pull his focus back to the matter at hand.
What's important is still experience. I won't be able to find so many killable targets in the real world.
After testing his new superpower, Blaze enters the gas station. He just wants to check if Eleanor is present.
Blaze does not forget to fade into the darkness for additional safety.
There's no working light in the gas station, and the place is covered in shadow. Blaze can spot three remaining monsters inside.
He wonders why there are so many here.
He goes deeper inside the station, slipping through the monsters in the invisible cloak. At the back of the station is a small section where Eleanor lives.
He can see lights pouring out from the glass of the door.
It seems like there are people here.
Blaze looks through the transparent glass.
There is some girl in a red jacket sitting inside, panting heavily. There's blood on the floor. It seems like she is injured.
Blaze pushes the door open, confidently thinking that he won't be seen.
But then the girl looks up while pointing her gun toward him.
There is a flashlight attached to the gun.
The shadow figure manifests into existence. Its appearance is so unsettling, it makes the girl's heart skip a beat.
She pulls the trigger.
Blaze is faster than her, his palm already aims toward her hand, and a blue haze thrusts forward, snapping the gun to fly away from her hand.
The girl grinds her teeth, mentally ready to fight for her life. She pulls a knife out of her back.
"If you don't want to die, put that knife down."
The shadow figure speaks. Its voice shakes the girl's core.
"You can talk?"
The girl is visibly surprised, her hostile attitude lowers.
If it isn't one of those mindless monsters, maybe I can reason with it.
She thinks.
Blaze does not answer and tilts his head to observe the scene behind her.
A police officer in uniform with a bloody injury on his belly. He has been dead for a while, and the puddle of blood is from him.
Blaze actually knows the guy. Dominic Renly. An Awakened with an actual heart.
He was a good cop, always trying to be just and helpful around the neighborhood. He prevented Phuc from hitting Kana a few times when they were in public together.
Others didn't care if the sufferers were trashies. But he did.
"You killed him?"
The black cloak swirls intensely to match Blaze's emotion, anger.
"No! I tried to save him!"
Blaze calms down and observes more closely. There are bandages on Dominic's wound and all sorts of medical supplies on the ground.
Her hands are covered in blood, but that's probably because she tried to help. There isn't any sign of struggling, either.
She is probably telling the truth.
A pitiful sigh comes out of the shadow figure. A good man but dies so soon.
The girl can actually feel the figure's sorrow. This puzzles her to a great extent.
"What's your power?"
"Precision Aim… D-rank. It helps me aim. I'm very good with a gun."
The girl in the red jacket has brown hair and a round baby face that makes her look very naive. But those eyes are fierce and restless, creating a contrast to her very own being.
A somewhat attractive trait, to be honest. It's like the face of a baby doll but the intention of a warrior.
"Is there anyone left in the building?"
"No. There's only me and Dominic. We tried to get out, but there are a lot of them outside."
"Right. I'll take care of them. After everything calms down, you can go out."
Blaze has confirmed that Eleanor isn't here. He has no other reason to stay.
Blaze turns to walk away.
"Wait!"
But the voice of the girl pulls him back.
"What are you?"
Well. I can't tell her I'm a sixteen year old boy looking like this.
"I'm the Wraith."
"I'm June. June Richmond!"
"Richmond? Are you related to Eleanor?"
"You know my aunt?"
"You could say so."
Better not say anything more…
Blaze leaves to take care of the remaining three monsters.
A fat woman, a tall guy, and a middle-aged man. Images of real people distorted into the hollowed monsters.
Blaze pulls out his wand and with three Lightning Strikes, decimates them in a blink of an eye.
[You have gained 10 experience points!]
[You have gained 10 experience points!]
[You have gained 10 experience points!]
Blaze wastes no more time and leaves the gas station. Continues his journey into the city.
June runs out immediately to find the creature, but it has already disappeared from existence. No figure can be seen around this lonely gas station.
"Wraith! Where are you?" June shouts, but no one answers her.