65. Will it work?

When you face a dragon in its own lair, it quickly becomes clear who holds the power. It's not the human intruders, but the mighty dragon itself, who reigns supreme in that space.

As Abraham stood tall and activated his dragon aura, his eyes took on a menacing glint and his body seemed to radiate an intimidating aura. The three gangsters, who moments ago were threatening him with violence, suddenly felt a wave of fear wash over them. Their expressions turned from arrogance to terror as they realized they were dealing with someone far more dangerous than they had anticipated.

Dan had never felt such a powerful aura before, and the realization that he was completely outmatched completely broke him.

With every step Abraham took, the gangsters felt death approaching.

Finally, Abraham was standing in front of them. The gangsters looked like they were about to collapse, their faces turning pale.

[Influence skill]

[Dragon truth]

Abraham activated both of his influence skills. He wanted to see if he could use both of them at the same time to have better results. Spontaneously, the gangsters were under Abraham's control. Abraham has created a chance for himself to test some new skills.

"Each of you states your ability and level," commanded Abraham.

"Earth Level 2"

"Earth level 2"

"Earth level 3"

Dan was the level 3 ability user and the other two gangsters were the level 2. Abraham asked one of the levels 2 to come forward.

Abraham lifted his hand and hold the gangster's head.

[Mana Drain]

The moment of truth. Abraham waited for a few seconds but nothing happened. Then he heard a notification from the system.

[Skill failed: Mana Drain]

[Target does not have any mana]

Abraham tried again this time with the other skill.

[Mana Eater]

[Skill failed: Mana Eater]

[No attribute detected]

"I knew it would not work" Even after saying this, Abraham could not help but feel disappointed. After all, mana was almost extinct among humans.

What was allowing humans to have abilities, were the mutated cells(MC). Based on these two skills failed Abraham confirmed that MC and mana were completely different. In a very distant past, humans did not have MC but mana. These people were called mages, and with mana, they could perform similar feats compared to ability. But mana was more than that; a human was able to activate a magic circle by using his own mana.

Mana was also an energy that not every human being had.

But after centuries and centuries, not only the power of mana was lost but also all the knowledge related to it. But like every time, the human body tries to adapt to the situation it found itself in.

The anatomy of humans started to change until the cells evolved into mutated cells. Mutated cells allowed humans to hold ability once again. Compare to mana, MC had two main differences. The advantage was that every human had mutated cells. Even someone with little MC can at least hold a level 1 ability. But the drawback of MC was that only a few humans knew how to activate those cells.

These humans are known as the original. They have stored the knowledge in books to give to their descendants.

If there had been no dalki attack, maybe the knowledge of MC would still be held a secret from the general population. Now, abilities books are tradable allowing mostly every human to have an ability.

Seeing that the skill was ineffective, Abraham started his questioning.

"What are the bad deeds you did?" Their response was going to decide their fate.

The first one to respond was Dan. He was totally different from what Abraham was expecting. He was the leader of the gangsters, and with his big build and high-pitched voice, one would be expected to have committed several severe crimes but it was just some robbing and small blackmailing.

"Maybe there is still hope for you" After asking a bit more questions from Dan, Abraham moved on to the next gangster. Based on the information, the gangster's name was William and he had been by the side of Dan from the beginning. Just like Dan, most of his bad deed was stealing from travelers.

"What about you," Abraham asked the last one of the level 2 earth gangsters. He had recently joined Dan and William due to both parties trying to rob the same person.

The gangster had a bald head, accentuating the rugged contours of his face. His scalp was devoid of hair, giving him a tough and intimidating look. Inked on his exposed skin were various tattoos, each one telling a story of his criminal past and affiliations. Intricate designs covered his arms and neck, depicting symbols of war, crime, and violence.

Under the influence, he spilled everything out and began recounting his dark deeds, each word dripping with chilling nonchalance.

"I've robbed travelers, even from the big four," he boasted, his voice laced with a mixture of arrogance and a twisted sense of pride. "Knocked off rivals without a second thought. Intimidated and extorted innocent people for my own gain. You name it, I've done it."

His words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of his sinister actions. He continued, his voice brimming with a strange mix of satisfaction and detachment.

"I've beaten, blackmailed, and humiliated others. I had also taken the innocence of multiple women."

As he spoke, the gangster's expression revealed a twisted pleasure, relishing in the power and control he had exerted over others. His tales of violence, corruption, and manipulation painted a chilling picture of his dark and remorseless existence. Under the influence of skill, his true nature was shown to Abraham.

Abraham's face remained stoic, his eyes fixed on the gangster as he listened to the litany of crimes being revealed. He saw the exact copy of the minister's son that made his life a living hell in his previous life.

Abraham's eyes burned with anger and disgust. "And did you feel any remorse?" he asked.

"Did you feel any remorse after raping that woman?" Abraham reiterated the sentence a second time.

"No, I didn't care. I plan to do it again. I saw a new target recently in the settlement. A beautiful girl." said the last gangster.

It was the final straw that snapped within Abraham. Abraham felt like the same cold-blooded monster that lived on the street in his previous life.