Walking through the dimly lit streets, I felt the city's cold wind biting at my exposed arms. My steps were calm, but my senses sharpened with every passing second.
Ahead, a group of six men lounged on the cracked sidewalk, laughing loudly and pointing.
"Hey, look at this clown," the tallest called out, his eyes scanning my outfit. "Think you're some kind of big shot?"
"Yeah," another sneered, cracking his knuckles, "let's see if he's all talk."
My gaze hardened behind the silver-rimmed sunglasses as I stepped forward, my metal bat resting with quiet confidence on my shoulder.
Before they could even react, I swung it with brutal precision.
Crack.
The bat collided with the first thug's skull as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious or worse.
The others scrambled, pulling knives and pipes from their pockets.
But I didn't hesitate.
Swinging again, I caught another thug across the ribs. He screamed, stumbling backward.
The third one lunged forward with a rusty knife, but I sidestepped him, bringing the bat down on his knee. A sickening crunch echoed as he collapsed to the ground in agony.
Two more rushed towards me at once.
I twisted, striking one in the temple and the other in the windpipe as I sent them both flying into a nearby brick wall.
The last thug tried to flee, but I caught him with a powerful swing to the back—then I swung the bat again as he began to fall to the ground.
Silence fell.
All six men lay broken and bleeding on the cold pavement.
I took a slow breath—my eyes cold and calculating—as I finished them off.
"Holy shit, man... I can't even go out for a walk without people coming to annoy me. I really need to devour someone significant—this bad luck is really starting to annoy me."
I thought as I knelt beside the nearest body and activated my unique ability.
"Devour."
A black mist oozed from my palms, slithering like smoke. It wrapped around the corpse and consumed it whole, leaving nothing behind—not even blood.
I repeated the process for each body.
---
[You have devoured: Human (Low Quality) x6]
[+0.4 Strength]
[+0.2 Dexterity]
---
◆ Strength: (+)1 (+4)
◆ Dexterity: (+)0.6 (+2)
◆ Constitution: (+)0.6
◆ Spirit: (+)1
◆ Luck: (-)10
---
I stood up, now noticeably more imposing.
My black tank top was streaked with blood, but my eyes gleamed with ruthless satisfaction.
From the shadows, the girl I saved earlier stepped forward, her face a mixture of concern and awe.
"You okay?" she asked softly.
I wiped the bat on the ground, then glanced down at my bloodied top.
"Not exactly," I replied dryly. "Got any way to clean this mess?"
She smiled faintly. "Follow me. I know a place."
I followed her silently through narrow alleys and flickering streetlights, my bloodied bat trailing behind me. I didn't speak—there was no need to. Trust was a luxury I couldn't afford.
She walked with steady purpose, her eyes occasionally glancing at me with a mixture of curiosity and something else—fear, maybe. I barely noticed.
Finally, we stopped in front of a small, rundown laundromat nestled between a shuttered convenience store and a graffiti-covered wall.
The neon sign buzzed faintly: "Clean & Go."
She pushed open the door, and a soft chime echoed inside.
"I saw that… smoke," she said quietly, breaking the silence. "When you… devoured those guys. I've never seen anything like it. You need to clean that blood, but also… you need to control it."
My cold eyes flicked to her. "What do you want?"
She shrugged, a faint smirk playing on her lips. "Call it curiosity. Or maybe I'm tired of this city's bullshit. You're dangerous, sure, but you might just be useful."
Without waiting for an answer, she stepped inside and motioned toward the washing machines.
"Come on. I know how to handle tough stains."
I dropped my top onto the floor and peeled off my bloodied gloves, folding them neatly.
She handed me a pair of thick rubber gloves, her gaze steady.
As we loaded the clothes into the machine, she glanced up at me again.
"You should be careful with that power. It's not normal. You could attract the wrong kind of attention."
I met her gaze, my voice low and sharp. "I don't care who sees me."
The machine whirred to life, drowning out the tension between us.
For a moment, I let my guard drop just slightly—not out of trust, but because even predators need to keep their armor clean.