I cautiously peered around the corner of a building, before stepping out and heading forward. There are no other people around this area, it’s a spot with several demolished buildings around, and looking at how dusty and rundown this place is, it seems like it’s been this way for a while.
Seems like a waste of land, they should really renovate this area...but then, there’s no real pressing reason to do that.
In terms of population, the Sanctuaries are all at less than half-capacity right now, they’re each big enough to house about a hundred million people, but there are currently somewhere between forty to fifty million people in each one.
The total population across the entire world crossed four hundred million about a year ago, and it’s been steadily increasing over the last decade or so.
When I died, I’m pretty sure the world’s population had gone above eight billion, or was at least close to it.
Not sure, I didn’t really have any interest in keeping up with current events during the latter part of my previous life.
Anyway, it’ll probably take at least a few centuries before that number is even close to being reached again.
Now, then, time to focus up...it looks like my target has reached his destination.
As he approached an old, decrepit building, he glanced around for the first time, looking to make sure no one else was around.
I was crouched behind a large pile of rubble, so as his gaze turned this way, he didn’t see me, before he began making his way towards the entrance of the building.
I swiftly and silently crept out from behind the pile of rubble and headed towards him, drawing closer as he strolled through the entrance and started to enter the building, right as I chanted...
"<Lethargy>."
"H-Huh? What the...?" Muttered the man as he stumbled slightly, shaking his head.
"<Drain>."
As the jaws of white energy manifested and zipped forward, I began draining his Mana rapidly as the jaws engulfed and snapped around him, before he spun around, his eyes widening in alarm as I entered the line of his sight.
"Wh-Who the hell are you?!" He exclaimed, before raising his hand towards me, "[Ice Arrow Scattershot]!"
I swiftly sprang back and retracted Drain, raising it in front of myself and consuming his ice arrows as they came shooting towards me.
While ice may be solid, ice made using Magic purely consists of Mana, so I can swallow it up with Drain without a problem...I can likely consume this Magical ice with Devour too, but there wouldn’t be any point since I won’t get a boost to my MP that way.
"Damn it, [Ice-...]...!" He began as a cold mist erupted around him.
"<Command: Bow Down>!" I swiftly chanted, his legs suddenly buckling before he collapsed onto his hands and knees, straining against the effect of my Skill.
I sprinted forward as fast as I could, manifesting a copy of my short-sword using my Treasury Skill, before I leapt towards him as I closed in, driving my knee forward and slamming it against the middle of his face, breaking his nose upon impact as his head jerked straight up, blood streaming down, a dazed look on his face as he let out a pained gasp.
Before he could reorient himself, I whipped my blade across with a rapid swing of my arm, slashing his eyes before he could react, an excruciating scream of pain ringing out as I blinded him, before I placed my hand on top of his head and chanted...
"<Slumber>."
He collapsed onto the ground with a weak groan as the effect of my Skill set in, barely holding onto his conscious as he frantically tried to get back up, but to no avail.
My second Sloth Skill, Slumber.
Unlike Lethargy, it requires direct physical contact to activate, and at the cost of 25 MP, it adds fatigue equal to twenty-four hours without sleep.
And since I already used Lethargy on him, he’s currently experiencing thirty-four hours of fatigue, on top of any existing exhaustion or stamina loss he would’ve already had.
I extended out Drain again, consuming all his remaining Mana, ensuring that he wouldn’t be able to cast any more Spells.
"Wh-Who...who are you...?" He uttered shakily, right as I chomped his head off using Devour.
"I’m the last thing you’ll ever see," I replied with a smirk, as I proceeded to consume the rest of his body.
<It seems pointless to respond after killing him>
<Why did you not reply before killing him?>
Who cares? It doesn’t really make a difference. Either way, he’s dead.
Now, then, that caused a fair bit of commotion, and this building has quite the echo...if the others are here too, they surely heard his screams. It shouldn’t be long before they come down here to check out the situation.
I surveyed the space surrounding me, before heading over towards a nearby pillar and hiding behind it, peering out and keeping an eye on the staircase several meters ahead.
I don’t see any other entrances, so if there are other people here, they’ll have to use those stairs to come to this spot.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the sound of footsteps echoed out, a pair of legs coming into sight. Good, looks like just one person came down to check things out...I only have 20 MP left, which means I can’t use too many more of my Skills right now.
"<Appraisal>," I chanted under my breath.
Hm, a Brawler with the Wind Attribute, his stats are almost double what mine are. Hey, Ai, just to confirm, his name, is he one of the rogue Hunters too?
<Yes, he is>
Alright, then.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around, he frowned as he spotted the puddle of blood that was left of his comrade, before walking towards it with a curious look on his face.
Looks like he can’t tell that it’s blood from his current distance...he’ll walk right past this pillar before long, that’ll be my chance.
"Now...<Command: Don’t Move>," I muttered as he closed in on the pillar, his eyes widening as his body suddenly stiffened up, before tensing further as I came zipping out from behind the pillar.
He gritted his teeth as he strained against the effect of Command, breaking free of it right as I closed in on him from the right and leapt forward.
I twisted my body across as he swung his fist out towards me, one of his knuckles grazing the tip of my nose, before an agonized, gurgling wheeze rang out as I plunged my short-sword into his throat, the blade bursting out the left side of his neck.
I pulled it back out with a sharp twist, blood gushing out of his neck and streaming down his shoulders and chest as I backed away and got some distance, before I swiftly manifested Drain with a quick, quiet chant, extending it out towards him and consuming his Mana as the jaws engulfed him.
As he clutched at his throat and shakily began to run away while gasping for air, I flung my sword out like an arrow, the blade slicing through the air before piercing through his calf, a cry of pain ringing out as flecks of blood sprayed out of his mouth.
He collapsed onto one knee, his eyes rolling back as he suffocated on his own blood, before I swiftly consumed the rest of his Mana with Drain, before he could die.
"There we go, think that’s all of it. And now...<Devour>."