“You are that archer. I repaired your blade, right?”

  The man paused mid-step.

  A crooked grin crept across his face as faint light finally revealed his features.

  The same short blade hanging loosely at his waist.

  “Yeah… yeah…” he said lazily. Then his grin widened. “But why aren’t you calling me ‘Sir’ anymore?”

  He tilted his head, mockingly offended.

  “Where are your manners? Is this how you treat a customer?”

  The silver revolver in the man’s hand gleamed faintly under the streetlight.

  “What do you want?” Jimin asked in a nervous tone.

  The man chuckled and slowly drew out his short blade. He raised it to his mouth, dragging his tongue along the edge.

  “You didn’t repair my blade very well… So I’d like some compensation.”

  The gun tilted upward slightly.

  “How about all your money?”

  This motherfucker…

  Jimin was pissed but he didn’t react.

  But this guy is for sure, way higher-leveled than me. A high E-rank. I am at a disadvantage. Can’t attack head on…

  He forced his shoulders to slack.

  Gotta act vulnerable for now.

  “I’m sorry, Sir,” Jimin said, keeping his voice shaky. “But… aren’t guns ineffective against Manaborns? Threatening me with a gun…”

  The man burst into a hysterical laughter.

  It echoed down the alley, sharp and ugly.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he spat. “It’s ineffective against Rifters like me…”

  His eyes narrowed.

  “But against pathetic new support dipshits like you?”

  He tapped the gun.

  “This is more than enough to crack open your fucking skull.”

  This bastard is getting more psychotic by the second.

  It was true. Low-level E-rank supports weren’t much tougher than regular humans.

  “I’ve been watching you since morning,” the man continued, “It’s not every day that I find easy prey.”

  His eyes lit up, “You really did a blast of a business today.”

  What the hell… Has he been stalking me all day? I didn't even notice him.

  “Hey… By the way…” the man added, tapping his chin. “I was noticing that you don’t have any baggage on you.”

  His eyes gleamed.

  “Your shop vanished. And you don’t look like you’re carrying that much cash.”

  He smiled slowly.

  “You’re not stuffing all that into your pockets, are you?”

  Jimin slowly moved his right hand behind his back.

  His smile twisted.

  “You bastard… You even have a storage-type skill, don’t you?”

  Jimin clenched his jaw.

  A dagger slid into his palm as he pulled it from his inventory.

  The man shouted, his forehead veins bulging, “YOU PIECE OF SHIT! GIVE ME ALL OF YOUR MONEY OR I WILL SHOOT…”

  Jimin threw the dagger at the man, “No… Please don’t shoot!”

  The throw was as sloppy as it could get.

  The man didn’t even flinch.

  He casually deflected it away with his short blade. The dagger clattered to the ground several meters away in front of the man.

  He glared at Jimin for a second.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Then burst out laughing, “Hahaha! What was that?”

  He wiped a tear from his eye.

  “What was that pathetic throw? It was like the last resistance of a dying prey. Futile and funny.”

  Shit… I threw it sloppily on purpose. But his counter was damn fast… He is a ranged-type. That means he is built for agility; his defence should be low… Can only bet on my tested strategies for now.

  “HEY!” the man barked. “No need to think so hard.”

  He waved the gun lazily.

  “Take out the cash. Give it to me and go home.”

  “Yes, Sir…” Jimin said, forcing panic into his voice. “Please… give me a moment.”

  He wants the money. So he won’t shoot me.

  Jimin closed his eyes. Seconds passed.

  “HEY!” the man snapped. “I don’t have all day. Take it out now... I’ll count to three… One-”

  “Please don’t shoot!” Jimin said.

  A medium-sized sachet appeared in his hands, “Here… here it is.”

  The man grinned.

  “Good… Put it down and walk back with your hands up.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Jimin did exactly that.

  The man advanced slowly, gun pointed at Jimin’s head.

  He bent down, grabbed the sachet with one hand.

  His grin widened.

  “That’s one heavy load of money.”

  Then, Jimin finally spoke in his normal tone.

  “You’re not hiding your face.”

  The man froze.

  “You’re an archer… but you’re using a gun. You’re trying to erase traces. aren't you”

  Jimin met his eyes, “You never intended to let me go, did you?”

  The man raised an eyebrow. Then, he laughed in a loud and unhinged manner.

  “You’re sharp,” he said, “But late.”

  He shrugged.

  “What’s the point now? You won’t be going home tonight.”

  He licked his lips.

  “Sorry… But can’t let you call home… Hahaha.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Jimin asked.

  The question awakened something primal inside the man, as he burst out,

  “WHY? You talk too much for a prey that’s about to die!” His face twisted with hatred.

  “WHY?! I’ll tell you why!” Spit flew as he ranted.

  “Because I fucking hate you. I awakened at level two! I thought my life would be better than you supports!” his eyes burned.

  “But I was wrong!” he laughed bitterly.

  “I busted my ass trying to level-up and earn good money. Why? Because every time I try to join a D-rank party, they say…”

  He said in a mocking voice, “Sowwy, we don’t need an archaw righ now.”

  He snickered, “Bloody Motherfuckers”

  His grip tightened on the gun, “But you fucking supports? You’re always welcome!”

  He showed the sachet, “Look at you! First day of business… But you earned this much money!”

  His voice cracked, “That’s almost my monthly income!”

  He glared, “You motherfuckers hog all the money. I fucking hate your ass.”

  “Calm down… Don’t be crazy” Jimin said carefully. “You’ll get caught, if you kill me here.”

  The man burst out laughing again.

  “You think this is my first time?”

  He leaned closer.

  “I enjoy hunting weaklings like you. It gives me relief and cash as a bonus. I also happen to have a knack for removing traces and hiding bodies.”

  He grinned, “Nobody ever found out. Nobody ever will. Nobody cares about weaklings like you. Hahaha…”

  Then, his expression twisted.

  “You know what? Fuck you… Fuck this system. I’ll open your damn skull right here right now.”

  He immediately pulled the trigger to shoot Jimin.

  But his gun changed its direction in his hand at the last moment, missing Jimin by a metre; slamming into a wall.

  As there was an unknown force pulling at his gun.

  At the same time, the sachet in his hand started moving slightly. The man felt it. “What the f…”

  Suddenly, a dagger pierced through the sachet and shot toward his neck.

  But the man sensed it and moved his neck immediately. But it still grazed his neck.

  Consequently, the invisible force pulling at his gun weakened slightly.

  So, he grabbed the opportunity and overpowered it with his full might and shot at Jimin.

  But the bullet stopped right in front of Jimin’s face.

  Just as I expected, Jimin grinned.

  Telekinesis? This bastard even has telekinesis.

  “Just what the fuck are you?” said the man as he reached for his blade.

  But suddenly, his eyes shot open. His body froze and the revolver dropped on the ground. He couldn’t move.

  What the…

  A dagger flew in at once and stabbed into the man’s back. Blood gushed out and he fell down on his face.

  Jimin immediately dashed in and kicked him in the face. More blood splattered.

  His face was covered in blood.

  "You were right. A gun would be enough for me... If I didn't have telekinesis that is."

  —---

  Earlier when the man asked Jimin to take his cash out-

  What should I do… What should I do?

  A plan suddenly came across his mind.

  He closed his eyes and entered his inventory’s pocket dimension.

  There was his sachet of money. He took out a bit of cash from it.

  Then, he looked at the Poison Toad’s gallbladder.

  This is the answer.

  He cut the gallbladder with his blade and spread the poison around its edge.

  Then, he put the dagger in his sachet.

  Finally, he took it out as he heard the man’s countdown.

  —---

  Back in the alley-

  Jimin recalled the other dagger near him.

  What do I do now? I can't just leave him here and run. The paralysis only lasts 30 seconds. I can't even take him to the authorities. Not only can I not prove anything but I will also get under their radar… I will just cut his joints first.

  Meanwhile, the man was lying on the ground.

  He used his tongue to crack an ampule hidden in his teeth and swallowed it.

  I’ll kill you.

  As Jimin was about to slit the man’s joints, the man suddenly grabbed his blade and jumped at him like a wounded beast.

  He was so much faster than Jimin that he couldn't even have a second to think or use his barrier.

  He was out of dash as well.

  The man’s blade stabbed almost halfway, right under Jimin's left shoulder.

  It was clear that he was aiming for Jimin's heart.

  As the blade started sinking in, out of panic, Jimin's survival instincts kicked in.

  He shot his dagger right at the man’s neck. It pierced right through.

  Blood had gushed out from the body of both. They were bathed in each other's blood.

  Jimin jumped back and fell down on his butt.

  The blade was not stuck in his body, as it fell on the ground during the act.

  Everything happened so fast that Jimin couldn't comprehend what just happened.

  “What the hell?” Jimin was in immense pain.

  He had been beaten, bruised and cut before. But it was the first time that he had been stabbed.

  He quickly checked his status.

  [HP: 267/360 ]

  Shit… That took 93 from my HP.

  He used up all of his reserves.

  [HP: 339/360 ]

  His wounds began to heal faster and pain started to subside.

  He felt a little better. But then, a notification suddenly popped up.

  —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  【Achievement: First Manaborn Kill】

  You have successfully killed a fellow Manaborn for the first time.

  Reward: +500 LP

  Total LP: 680

  [A one-time reward. Killing humans or Manaborns doesn't increase LP]

  —--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Note: Sorry if it feels stretched. I used to this incident to show various aspects of this world, character motive, consequences and how danger lurks everywhere. Which I admit, breaks the pacing of the fight a bit. But I believe it's for the greater development of the world.

  Read Chapters (44 - 47) early on my patreon.

  Thank you everyone.

  What is opinion about the action sequences?