Extraction

A large window lets plenty of moonlight enter. As it shines on the girl, it perfectly shades her proportions. Nox shakes his head to get himself back on his mission. 'Grimmy, she seems to be out cold! How do I use Extraction?'

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['Stand over your target and place your hand over her forehead']

The young man follows Grimmy's directions and, with careful steps, approaches the sleeping girl. He hovers over her and puts his hand above her forehead.

A light turning motion and moan on her behalf makes him shudder and take a few steps back.

She turns towards the window in the middle of the enormous bed.

Nox cannot do the same gesture, so he puts his knees on the mattress and, like a toddler, crawls in her direction.

The mattress is soft and each time he puts his weight on it; it sinks, which pulls the girl toward him.

He takes his time and reaches for her. Once again, he puts his hand over her forehead and closes his eyes to focus. Her distracting figure messes with his head. 'Grimmy, get on with it!'

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['Commencing Extraction']

Like a disk out of pure energy, a dark shield forms on the young man's palm. The disk changes shape to that of a needle and pierces the girl's forehead.

It's thin to where it's barely visible to the human eye. Slight movements on his hand, let the light meet the needle, revealing a black, crystal-like material.

She shrieks from the pain and wakes up.

She widens her eyes when the figure of Nox appears hovering over her. She gasps, but screams cannot escape her mouth. Her hands feel paralyzed when she tries to grab him.

First, the pain in her head, followed by someone invading her room, the girl's shock has her trembling.

It takes a while to control the pain and regain her composure, as she tries to fight off the stranger in her room.

A burst of dark energy sends shock waves across the room, shutting the door, which produces a loud thud. It even cracks a little from the force.

Constant bursts of dark energy shake the room.

The girl manages in grabbing Nox's hand and tries to push it back with all the strength she can muster.

Only by the basis of their levels, the girl is stronger. Even in her weakened state, she fights him off with everything she has.

Nox flinches, and the girl finds the opening she needs to counter. She uses her skill, which manipulates gravity, to put pressure on him.

Unable to withstand it, he pulls back, panting.

Seconds pass and the needle-like dark energy retracts itself into the young man's body. The girl jumps from the bed, holding the white sheet that covers her seemingly naked body.

{Loading…}

[Extraction Unsuccessful]

'Yeah, I can see that!'

The girl holds the sheet and stares at him. "You!"

Nox lets out a dry laugh. "Small world…"

The female hero standing in front of him recognizes the young man from before, where he almost blurted out her name.

"Is this about before? I apologized for that!"

Nox shakes his head. His purple eyes shine a bright glow. "I'm not that petty!"

The girl secures the sheet covering her body and walks closer to him. Nox's mind gets blurry with every step she takes.

{Warning!!!}

[Intrusion detected]

"No shit!"

Nox missteps. Dizziness has him fumbling about. Disorientation makes his head spin and his eyes can't seem to focus.

Before he realizes it, the female hero stands in front of him. Only a breath away from his face. "Why attack me then?"

Nox holds his head as if he's having a headache and tries to find his bearings. Deep breaths don't seem to work, but he doesn't quit. "Y-Your actions… Hurt my friend and her family…!"

The girl laughs frantically. The high-pitch sound coming out of her mouth sends chills down Nox's spine. "You assaulted a girl in the middle of the night, for another girl?"

She stops laughing and stares daggers at him. "Shameless!"

With a swift motion of her hand, she sends him flying out of her room and into the courtyard.

He comes crashing down, spewing fresh blood, painting the ground red.

Struggling, Nox stands up and faces the girl, who looks like she's flying down. She descends like a fairy as if she's elegantly dancing with the wind.

The moment her feet touch the ground, she releases a wave of gravitational pressure onto the young man, who can barely keep his posture, pushing him to his knees.

Pebbles surrounding the young man vibrate in the opposite direction as he's being pushed down by the girl's power. His grunting and groaning form a smile on her face.

While standing over him, she brings her palm to his forehead. A sharp pain shoots through his skull and then to his entire body. The young man's flesh tears apart and warm blood pours out.

Her shrieking laugh ruptures his eardrums and vertigo takes over his body. Unable to hold it in, he vomits a mouthful of blood.

From the corner of his dim, glistening eyes, he glares at her. 'Sadistic...!'

He didn't even have time to finish his thoughts when a kick lands on his chin, flipping him backward.

As he's lying on the cold floor, staring at the night sky with the sparkling silver stars, a shadow moving at high speeds, leaving only a blur behind it, catches his attention.

Nox struggles to stand up. His knees are trembling and cannot hold his weight. His vision is blurry and blood gushes out of his pores, ears, and mouth.

Jenna, the female hero, approaches him. Each step she takes, rings of dust rise, circling her feet.

Nox focuses and touches the ground. Particles of his body detach, as he turns into a shadow himself.

The girl hastens her pace to catch up to him. She's a breath away and ready to strike, when a howl and a growl freeze her blood and halt her.

Umbra stands behind her, showing his teeth, snarling at her.

Nox blends with her shadow.

Jenna takes a step back in the slowest of motions she can move.

'Grimmy, start the extraction!'

{Loading…}

Nox jumps from the girl's shadow and puts his hand on her face.

Umbra, from the other side, bites her shoulder, devouring her mana.

['Commencing Extraction']

Umbra's attack weakens her enough to the point she stops struggling. Her hand simply holds Nox's when dark energy envelops his hand and the needle pierces her forehead once again.

It didn't take long for the needle to return to its previous shape and retract in the young man's body.

A burst of energy shoots out like a shockwave, raising violent winds and clouds of dust.

This continues for a few more minutes. When it settles, Nox and Umbra take a step back. The girl faints and before hitting the ground, a vortex appears under her feet and swallows her.

{Loading…}

[Extraction completed]

[Hero Defeated]

[Bonus Gained]

[Title Deeds Gained]

[Development Skill Unlocked]

[300 Exp Gained]

[Level Up]

[Level Up]

[Level Up]

Nox falls unconscious with sweat and blood drenching the cold stone ground. His panting subsides after a while, but he still sleeps soundly.

Mirena returns after rescuing her family and finds the young man sleeping. With no more enemies lurking around, the silver-haired girl stays by his side and nods off as soon as her exhausted body can't keep her awake.