Excluding the unlucky man who had fallen off the cliff, Henry had collected the bodies of 95 men and 95 horses, taking up about 44 cubic meters of his storage space.
Adding the nine he'd killed the night before, plus the five gate guards and four sentries, he had now "released" a total of 123 of the McKinley's men.
And yet, there were still nearly a hundred guards left in the factory, along with at least two Gatling guns. This was not going to be easy.
He took advantage of the remaining twilight to search for his horse. Luckily, it hadn't run far. It was a trained warhorse, accustomed to the sound of gunfire, and the hill had muffled the worst of the explosions.
He mounted up and considered his next move. He could ride back to Frisco now; he was sure the men at the factory wouldn't dare launch an ambush tomorrow. But this was a fight he had started, and it was his responsibility to finish it. He couldn't risk them launching a retaliatory strike on the town in his absence. Besides, his goal had always been to shut this mine down.
He would be working overtime tonight.
He rode for a few kilometers, back toward a fifty-meter-high hill he had noticed on his way in. Tucked into its side was a small cave, just deep enough for him and a horse.
He dismounted and set up a temporary camp, using the granite blocks from his space to create a three-sided barricade. He led his horse inside and tied its reins to one of the massive stones. He lit a lantern and placed it on top of the front rock, casting a pool of light that illuminated the area for a dozen meters.
He then sat down at the mouth of the cave with a bowl of hot water from the copper kettle in his space and finally took the time to study his new upgrades.
His progress bar now read: Level 3, 1.34%.
He had 100 grey pearls, 64 white, and 3 green. His defensive husks numbered 203 grey, 71 white, and 4 green. Tonight's battle had yielded 1 green pearl, 45 white, and 69 grey. It seemed the man who fell off the cliff had been counted. But of the 115 new pearls, only one green and one white pulsed with a skill or talent.
He would need ten thousand grey pearls to reach Level 4. That was a long way off.
The biggest change was a new section on his panel.
Talents: Precognition LV 1; Super Vision LV 1; Super Reflexes LV 1; Enhanced Vitality LV 1; Agility LV 1
He focused his mind on each talent in turn, and the information flowed into his mind.
Precognition LV 1: Provides a one-second warning of incoming danger and a basic prediction of its source. Upgrade Cost: 1000 Grey Pearls.
Super Vision LV 1: Vision and dynamic sight are five times that of a normal human. Grants vague night vision. Upgrade Cost: 400 Grey Pearls.
Super Reflexes LV 1: When focused, reaction speed is five times that of a normal human. Duration: 1 second. Cooldown: 1 hour. Duration halves with each subsequent use. Upgrade Cost: 400 Grey Pearls.
Enhanced Vitality LV 1: Doubles natural stamina and virility. Upgrade Cost: 200 Grey Pearls.
Agility LV 1: Provides a twenty percent bonus to agility and movement speed. Upgrade Cost: 400 Grey Pearls.
All of his talents except for Precognition were blinking, indicating they could be upgraded with the 646 grey pearls' worth of energy he currently had stored. He dismissed the idea of upgrading his Vitality; he was already far stronger than a normal man.
He finished the now-cool water in his bowl, then focused on his pearl husks. A new piece of information surfaced: by touching a non-human creature and infusing it with a husk, he could now store it alive. The cost in husks would be determined by the creature's constitution and spirit.
Overjoyed, he immediately walked over to his horse and touched its neck. He knew instantly: one grey husk could store the horse for 2,160 hours. The timer would pause whenever the horse was taken out. He infused the horse with a husk, untied its reins, and watched as it vanished into his storage space, the lantern still hanging from its neck.
He then fortified the entrance to the cave with the granite blocks and a stack of ammo boxes, leaving only a few small gaps for air.
He sat down in the pitch-black darkness of the cave and focused his mind.
Use thirty white pearls and fifty-four grey pearls. Upgrade Super Vision.
A milky-white light flowed from the panel and into his eyes. It felt as if they were being bathed in a cool, soothing balm, followed by a strange, tingling warmth.
He didn't know how much time had passed. He opened his eyes, and it was as if two bolts of lightning had flashed in the darkness. He could see the ammo boxes and the stone barricade with perfect clarity, as if it were broad daylight.
His panel now read Super Vision LV 2. His vision and dynamic sight were now ten times that of a normal human. And he now had true night vision.
He checked his pocket watch. The upgrade had taken two minutes.
He unblocked the cave entrance, summoned his horse—the lantern still glowing at its neck—and swung into the saddle. He rode back toward the smelting plant, a hunter cloaked in the absolute darkness of the night.