Chương 8: Ashes Behind Me

Ch 08 - Ashes Behind Me Zeph had to admit he hesitated for a moment when he decided to swallow that thick cloud of poison smoke. He knew very well it would kill him. He had been trapped inside that room, with no clear way out. The system could have judged what he did as suicide. But no, somehow he managed to rise again. This time, though, there was no level up waiting for him. He had been able to hold a great amount of that poison inside his stomach.

It was not a problem, and he could release it again without much effort.

His stomach still churned painfully, and he let out another loud belch, forcing more poison out from inside him. The knife was still clutched tightly in his hand. Why was he not poisoned again, even after he had already died from it once? Had he become immune to this poison because he had died by it before? Well, he had no intention of testing that theory by letting himself breathe in even more of it. The man in front of him looked like he was struggling with everything he had just to stand.

His body was stiff and trembling as he knelt on the floor.

"Damn you… you sick, twisted bastard!" the man rasped.

"You think you're clever, huh? Acting all calm while you pull this kind of trick? You're nothing but a sneaky rat!"

"You're not human," he wheezed, "You're a damn demon. No normal person would do something like that. Swallowing poison just to spit it back at us? That's madness!" Zeph only gave him a thin smile and tightened his grip on the knife. He had no intention of holding back. He stepped closer, and when the man looked up at him with a terrified face, clutching at his own throat as if trying to force air into his lungs, his bravado finally began to crumble.

Zeph stopped right in front of him and grabbed a fistful of the man's hair, forcing his head back. The man clawed at Zeph's arm, his eyes wide and bulging, foam starting to gather at the corner of his mouth.

"Wait… wait, please…" he choked out.

"I was wrong, alright? We were wrong. Don't do this. I have a family. I have people waiting for me. You don't have to kill me. We can talk about this. I swear I won't come after you again. I swear it." His grip loosened as his strength faded, but he still tried to hold on, as if words alone could save him.

"Please… just let me go. I don't want to die." But the man's words were cut short when something drove straight into his forehead. His mouth fell open, a broken gasp escaping him as blood began to stream down his face. Zeph released his grip on the man's hair, but the knife remained lodged deep in his forehead. The man's body went limp, before he toppled to the side with a heavy thud against the floor. Zeph stood still for a moment, staring down to make sure the man was truly dead. He nudged the body with his foot.

There was no movement at all. He was completely dead. Three people at once. Zeph let out a slow breath. And yet… Why was there not even a trace of regret in his chest? Had he grown numb, to the point where a human life had become nothing more than a passing number? But they were the ones who started it. They had killed him once already. And they had even intended far worse for him. This was nothing more than self defense. Zeph noticed something sticking out from the man's trouser pocket, a small glint of metal.

It had slipped halfway out when the body fell. He crouched down and pulled it free. It was a small locket. The hinge was loose, and it fell open easily. Inside was a faded photo of the man with a young girl, maybe ten years old. She was smiling brightly at the camera, missing one of her front teeth. Zeph tilted his head slightly as he studied the picture.

"His daughter?" He closed the locket with a soft click and slipped it back into the man's pocket. He rose to his feet and slowly scanned the large warehouse again, his gaze sweeping across rows of towering shelves and stacked wooden crates. This place was a private storage facility, filled with sealed packages, metal containers, and tightly wrapped pallets marked with shipping labels. Some bore company logos, others only barcodes and coded numbers.

He needed to take whatever he could use from this place while he still had the chance. Still, opening every package one by one would take too long. There were too many of them, stacked high and arranged in neat categories. It would be smarter to check the inventory markings first, search by labels and codes, and figure out which sections stored equipment, supplies, or anything valuable that could help him. However… he also had to leave this place without leaving a single trace behind.

** If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Two hours passed. Maybe three. Right around three in the morning, the distant wail of ambulance sirens pierced the quiet streets. Fire trucks roared past soon after. Zeph pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, lowering his face as he walked along the edge of the road. In the distance, flames surged high into the sky, devouring the warehouse in a raging blaze. In the end, he had decided to burn it all down.

He only took what he could carry without slowing himself. A small stock of food, a few sets of better clothes that actually fit him, and nothing more. From the dead man's pocket, he had also taken two monster cores he found hidden there. He did not know how valuable those two monster cores were. He would find out later, and maybe exchange them for money if they were worth enough. He also secured a small amount of banknotes. It was not much. A shame, really.

Still, he considered it a small bonus, enough to help him survive for a short while once he reached the next city. There had been weapons there as well. Swords and other melee types, not firearms. But carrying something like that would only make things troublesome when passing through the security gate. Besides, he already had his own weapon. Unfortunately, he did not find any other valuables he could sell for money. There simply was not enough time before dawn approached.

At the very least, the warehouse was now nothing but fire and collapsing steel. No trace would point back to him after this. He paused for a moment and looked toward the far distance. The towering city wall stood tall and cold before him. If he wanted a better life, he had to leave this city. At the very least, he had to reach the next one. He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out an object shaped like a slim card, similar to a phone. It was actually an Awakener Device.

The concept was close to a smartphone, but this one operated using mana and required the user's mana signature as an identifier. It was new, still sealed when he found it. There had only been a few in stock, and he took just one. Not bad. The screen lit up as he activated it with a faint flow of mana and searched for the nearest city.

"The closest city is 102 kilometers away," he muttered softly. That's about sixty three miles. A distance like that, if he covered it by running, would likely take an entire day without proper rest. A faint smile formed on his lips.

"I can do it." He was used to running. And with his stamina and physical abilities already upgraded to this level, a distance like that would not stand in his way. The only problem was this. If he left the city area without using any vehicle at all, the risk of running into criminals, or even monsters out there would be high. Still, at the very least, the main highway that connected one city to another should be relatively safer, patrolled from time to time and used often enough to keep the worst dangers away.

He gave a slow nod and began walking, blending in with the flow of cars and pedestrians heading toward the exit gate in the city wall. There were many people going in and out of the city at this hour. It was nothing unusual. Some of them worked at outposts beyond the walls. Others were traders, couriers, or laborers assigned to facilities built outside the main city zone. A few transport vehicles moved steadily through the gate, carrying passengers between cities. That kind of traffic was normal.

Even though the distance between cities was over one hundred kilometers, this one was still the closest option from here. He could have chosen a different city, somewhere farther away, but it did not matter. As long as it was not this city anymore, that was enough. Zeph soon reached the city gate. The structure was massive, built from reinforced steel and thick concrete that rose high into the sky. The gate itself was open, as it usually was, with only light inspection in place.

Guards stood near the entrance, scanning vehicles and occasionally stopping someone for identification, but the checks were not strict. Unless there was an emergency or a direct threat, the gate remained accessible. In urgent situations, it would be sealed shut, guarded by armed units ready to respond. Zeph passed through without drawing attention.

Once he was far enough from the gate, where the road was lit only by passing headlights and the faint silver glow of a moon sinking low on the horizon, he slowed to a stop. The city wall now stood behind him in the distance. He nodded to himself. Then he started running. A smile spread across his face as cool air rushed past him. There was a strange sense of freshness, of freedom, filling his chest. This was the first time he was truly leaving that city behind.

Zeph could truly feel the difference in his speed this time. It was on another level compared to before. This was the first time he had experienced something like this. It was as if he could handle the pace effortlessly, maintaining it without gasping for breath or feeling his chest burn. Considering everything he had gone through that night, he should have been exhausted. But he was also wearing better shoes now. They looked like Hunter grade footwear. He had found several pairs back in the warehouse.

There were quite a lot of them, actually. It was a shame the place had to be reduced to ashes. He was also wearing high quality innerwear and a fitted shirt underneath his jacket. He recognized the brand from advertisements he had seen before, the kind that promised easy sweat absorption, breathability, and better durability. His backpack could only carry a few spare sets. He had forced himself to hold back his greed. It would have been impossible to take more without drawing suspicion or slowing himself down.

Several vehicles sped past him from time to time, gusts of wind slamming into his body as they overtook him. But he had already been running for several minutes and felt properly warmed up. At this rate, he believed he could run nonstop until sunrise. If he maintained a steady rhythm and managed his stamina carefully, he should be able to reach the next city before night fell. Hopefully, nothing would get in his way. Once he arrived there, he would figure out his next move.

What mattered most was that he needed to keep fighting, keep leveling up, and keep gathering resources. Whatever it took, he needed more power, more assets, more security for himself. Maybe he would consider joining the Hunter Association. That would grant him better access to missions, information, and facilities. It would be a smarter move in the long run. It was not as if he dreamed of becoming some kind of hero for humanity. That idea never even crossed his mind.

What Zeph wanted was, he wanted to become strong. Incredibly strong. Strong enough to protect himself and survive no matter what stood in his way. Whatever threats waited for him in the future, he intended to face them without fear. Having a terrifying ability like the one he possessed would not open an easy path for him. Power like that would draw attention. Suspicion. Maybe even enemies he had not yet imagined. As for the way his body moved in combat, the instinctive flow of his sword after activating his sigil.

He still needed to test it further and make sure it was real, not just adrenaline or blind instinct. Even if it felt natural, he had to train harder from now on. He was fourteen years old. He had killed three people, burned a building to the ground, and felt nothing he could name. The road ahead was long. That was enough.