Sami looked at the man while enduring the burning pain caused by the wound in his arm. The glass broke, and the venomous liquid fell on the man, but what happened was the complete opposite of what he expected. The liquid didn't burn through the man's clothing, didn't penetrate it; instead, it slid off and fell to the ground. It wasn't because the venom was ineffective—as soon as it touched the ground, it began to burn it, creating a small, sizzling pit.
Sami was in complete turmoil; he had never expected this outcome. The venom was extracted from a Rank Three creature, and no ordinary armor should have withstood it. Unless it was armor of Rank Four or higher, which Sami didn't want to believe, because that meant the man before him wasn't an ordinary human, wasn't human at all, but a Demon with armor of Rank Four or higher. And that simply meant a death sentence for Sami.
The man sighed as he looked at the venom dripping on the ground, then spoke in a disdainful tone: "I suppose you have quite a few interesting tricks up your sleeve... but it's pointless. Now, just calm down and let me kill you quietly... I don't have time for this farce..."
"...."
The man moved his head in surprise and began looking around. The boy, who had been lying wounded before him moments ago, had completely disappeared, as if he had never been there at all.
The man grabbed his sword in a defensive move and began stepping back. He was disturbed and cautious, suspecting that someone else had intervened and taken the boy, as it wasn't logical for a newly Awakened of his age to possess such speed. As he searched for the intruder or any trace of him, the light in the hall disappeared. As soon as the Awakened noticed this, he moved swiftly towards them and sighed in anger: "Fine, I can't lose everyone for the sake of one rat... It seems he's lucky enough."
---
But Sami was far from lucky. He was still lying in the same spot, blood still dripping from his arm, which he had hidden under his belly, while his body pressed against the ground and he began to crawl.
He looked behind him as the massive man headed towards the door, then muttered words that made Sami's blood boil: "Lucky? What luck is this? While I'm pressing my body down and crawling like a worm with blood covering the ground? What kind of luck is this, you bastard?!"
Sami had to admit he hadn't expected the skill he gained from killing ordinary creatures in the ordeal to be this useful.
Because as soon as he realized the venom had no effect on the man, he activated his ability:
[Viper Slayer]: You can conceal your presence and sneak quietly as long as you are crawling on the ground.
The man went inside. Sami breathed a sigh of relief and continued crawling silently, unsure of his destination.
When he took in his surroundings, he realized the extent of the destruction. The Colosseum was completely shattered. The massive, orderly buildings had become mere rubble. The equipped centers had become explosion sites, as if they were the remnants of a horrific war. This wasn't unexpected at all, especially if all the invaders were as strong as that man.
Sami narrowed his eyes from the smoke, tasted blood in his mouth, and many smells assaulted his nostrils.
He continued crawling, trembling, leaving behind a long trail of blood. The pain was tearing him apart, but he focused on one thing: survival. He couldn't think straight. The pain was depriving him of any deep thought. But the pain was also his tool for clearing his mind. And as he crawled, he began to realize how terrifying the situation was.
The Colosseum was under attack, and the lack of support arriving so far meant the Clan itself was under attack. Worse, the attackers weren't just invaders; they were Demons. Sami quickly realized this—the masks they wore belonged to a specific demon clan, not just any clan, but specifically the "Sword Demons" clan.
The clan was the world's largest prison, housing many prisoners, among them the former leader of the Sword Demons. It was strange—the former leader had been handed over to the prison by his own clan on charges of tyranny, so why would the clan now attack the prison to free him? Or perhaps there was a completely different motive. But could Sami really understand the motives of Demons?
Anyway, this wasn't directly related to him. He was in immense pain, just trying to survive.
It seemed Sami's endurance had reached its limit. The "Viper Slayer" skill wore off, and he was now exposed to danger. He leaned against the wall of the destroyed commercial center, his wounded arm tightly wrapped in white cloth. He was chewing on something tasteless.
"Damn, there's only nutritional supplements here. I hate the pharmacy section of the commerce center... In a moment like this, I wish I were at the 'Aspirant' level and had spiritual energy gathering within me. If I were, I wouldn't have run out of energy this fast... Damn it!"
He continued chewing in silence while his mind worked rapidly, analyzing possibilities. Finally, he struggled to his feet and began walking, searching for the communications section. He wasn't sure if signals were still working amidst this attack, but he wanted to know what was happening outside the Colosseum, as it was located several kilometers away from the clan's main territory, so he couldn't know what was happening there. He also wanted to know the time, as it seemed to be approaching midnight.
As he headed towards the devices section, he heard a sound. He froze and listened carefully. At first, he thought it was laughter, but upon focusing, he realized it was more like continuous whimpers. The sound was high-pitched and gentle... the sound of a child grumbling.
Sami approached cautiously and peeked over the crates. There, a small child, about nine years old, dressed entirely in white, was leaning and writhing as if trying to sleep.
It was "Little Eagle".
Sami approached him quietly, trying not to startle him, and spoke in a comforting voice despite the pain: "Hey there, kid, why are you whimpering like that? Can't you sleep?"
Little Eagle looked at Sami in surprise, then smiled gently: "Hello, brother... Can you sleep with me? I can't sleep when I'm alone."
Sami felt sorry for the boy, and he himself was exhausted, so he decided to take a break and give his Bound body a chance to recover.
"What's that, Little Eagle? Are you afraid of the dark? Well, no problem. Yes, I'll sleep beside you; I'm tired too, as you can see."
Sami lifted his wounded arm to show the boy, then sat down beside him under the crates. The child smiled with satisfaction, grabbed Sami's arm, and immediately fell asleep. Sami spent a few minutes sitting beside him, thinking about various things, like what had happened to the old man after his escape, and where Niko was, but none of that really mattered to him in a way, or so he convinced himself.
Then finally, he laid his head on the ground and slept quietly...
To be continued...
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