Waste No Time (III)

[File: The Political Alignment of the next Mayor of Gotham.pdf] [Submit]

[Time turned in | 10:16]

[Grade: Undecided]

_

Price yawned and fell back onto his chair. He was finally finished. After four hours of non-stop research, Price felt he knew the men personally and although it was time consuming busy work, it was nice to finish something difficult for once.

Price checked the time on the computer and saw that it was way past his preferred bed-time. Therefore, he turned off the laptop and put all the working materials away. He then laid on the bed and partook in a tradition solely he could participate in. Checking the bounties.

[Accessing the Universal Bounty Hub...Done]

[Welcome Back Price Baxter | You have two reviews, would you like to check them out?]

The Universal Bounty Hub worked on the will of the living. Those who pray for justice are answered by the assassination of the abuser. Most of the time these prayers aren't answered. And not every being is able to produce a tangible review. One must have a level of power that gives them awareness. But even the weak can subconsciously leave a thank you.

Price agreed without thinking much into it. This wasn't the first time he had reviews.

[Accessing the first review...Done]

Price's body felt a tug and he found himself in a ghastly state. His body has been separated from the mind and taken to the exact time and space when the review was given. Price saw a list of information the moment he laid his eyes on the reviewer.

_

[Name: Loren Grey | Ordinary Client]

[Bounty: Richard Morales]

[Bounty Ranking: Unranked]

[Bounty Reward: 10¤]

[Relation to Bounty: Her son was murdered by her sexually abusive husband. She was forced to cover it up as a drinking and driving accident. As the trophy wife, she had no real power but dedicated the rest of her prayers to her son in attempts to reconcile with him.]

[Will Force: Average]

[Personal Gift: 20 Years of her life] [Accept: Y | N]

_

This was a hit Price took on his way towards the general's condo. He found the man drunk on the sidewalk and saw that a bounty was placed on him. It was such a random act of violence to him that he didn't check the reason the bounty was placed on him. It was like marking off a check list to him.

Price sighed. 'I really need to check the backgrounds before I attack.'

Price hesitated on whether or not to accept the personal gift. He could exchange the personal gift for twenty years in a craft. Twenty years of training that automatically passes through the brain. Twenty years of survival training. Twenty years of medical aid. Twenty years of public speaking.

Price scanned the face of the crying lady. The marks of history left on her wrinkled face. Her hair was bleached and her make-up was messy. Could he take away twenty years of her life?

Why shouldn't he? She not only let the father sexually abuse her son, she also covered it up. So what if she prayed? Does it cover up the trauma for the son? Was she truly sorry or was she praying because she feared judgement day? Price didn't know the system well enough to know what constituted the Will Force needed to make a submission to the bounty list.

Price clamped his teeth together. Twenty years. His finger slowly moved and pressed yes.

He needed those twenty years.

[Personal Gift exchanging with Store Hub...Got 1x Experience Ticket(20Y)]

Price sighed. 'I didn't expect this moral dilemma. Hasn't this always been a heartfelt moment?'

Usually, money or symbolic possessions would be gifted.

Price spent the remainder of the review time just staring at the lady whose beauty was fading away. He saw her hands wither up. He saw her face sink in further. She- she was dying! Twenty years...She only had twenty years left in her life.

The lady saw her state but didn't scream. She let out a relieved expression.

"So God really does punish the wicked. Then my son...he made it to heaven?" Her eyes shed a single tear before closing permanently. Behind her a hazy figure started forming. It had a slender physique with long gothic-style boots. She turned her head towards Price's direction but did nothing else. With a confused expression she turned back to the dying lady.

A light of enveloped the dying lady's body and a spirit version of the lady came out. She was as young and beautiful as her teenager years. She looked at her hands confusedly and looked up to a staring goth-lady.

"Are - are you God?" The lady asked confused. To her, miracles happened to her left and right all day. Her son got justice and she withered away. The only weird part was how un-Christian like the entity in front of her was.

She tilted her head but then shook it. "I am not. I am Death, here to take you to your resting place."

"Resting place? Hell?" The lady sadly asked.

"An after life." Death clarified. "Everyone gets their fair share of years. Not one more, not one less. But how much you've grown Gwen."

"Grown? Do we know each other?" Gwen asked.

"Every thing that lives has met met me at birth. Although you can't remember it." Death said with a vacant expression. "I've se-"

Suddenly the scene ended. The review process ended and Price was left with so many questions. Death, God, Goths?

[Next review?] [Y | N]

Price decided to process everything later. He doubted he'd get some sleep.

[Accessing the second review...Done]

The scenery didn't change. It was still in the same room the lady died.

Price had a puzzled expression. 'Did the Universal Bounty Hunter system bug out?'

Although it was very impressive, surely bugs also happened in this too. Everything has mistakes right? But what would that mean to Price if he was stuck in an alternate time and space from everything else?

Then a string of information flung up.

_

[Name: Death of the Endless | VIP Client]

[Bounty: Sam K. Lucas]

[Bounty Ranking: Earth ⇀ America ⇀ Mortal | #17]

[Bounty Reward: 250¤]

[Relation to Bounty: The general used taboo means to escape death]

[Will Force: -- ]

[Personal Gift: Skeletal-Horse of the Death Traveler] [Accept: Y | N]

_

While Price was occupied with the notification, Death turned her eyes away from the fading Gwen. The familiar presence that disappeared for a second came back. Seeing had faithfully completed her duty, she decided to interact with the peeping tom.

"Hmm?" Death hummed as a pulse of darkness escaped her forehead. The entire room surged with a ferocious energy and swirled towards Price.

Price quickly pressed yes and ended the review before anything could happen. The scene closed and he was brought back to reality. His face was pale and he was sweating. The terrifying energy almost tore through his soul.

Before he could process everything, he got another notification.

_

[Personal Gift exchanging with System Hub...Got a Phantom Horse(Grade 2)]

[Skeletal-Horse of Death's Travelers is equivalent to a Phantom Horse of Grade 2]

[Summon the Phantom Horse?] [Y | N]

_

Still panting, Price closed the pop-ups. That was the most terrifying experience he had ever gone through. Even the multiple years of claiming lives hadn't scared him to this extent. All the close calls in his earlier years hadn't been as dangerous as this simple review.

'Scared?' Price thought while getting an idea. 'Start the Hunt.'

『Hunting Phase Activated - Increased metabolism. Increased sensory receptors. Numb pain receptors. Dense body mass. Numb fear response. Numb emotional stimuli. Activate sixth sense.』

Price's vision instantly turned sharper. The pitch-black room immediately brightened and colors filled his eyes. His ears became more acute. He could hear what everyone in the orphanage was doing. He could feel their movements. He could smell the unfinished food rotting away in the dumpster at the far end of the orphanage. He could hear the rats and cats having a gang war right out front of the orphanage.

His skin started to dense up. The fat on his body instantly was broken down and used to maximize energy output. His breathing rose exponentially. His heartbeat was pounding. His nails grew longer. Oil production on his body stopped. His body started to secure every cell. Cell production stopped.

Not only was there a physical change in his body, his mind became reinforced. His gaze cooled down to the point where they held no emotion. His mind was calculating everything at an unimaginable speed. He was processing the sounds, the smells, and the sights he was seeing. He could control every aspect of his body.

"Better." He said coldly.

He methodically went through the events that happened. His employer Death couldn't identify his presence until the review process allowed her to. She had a sneaking suspicion that something was up but she couldn't put a finger on it. She only attacked when it was her turn to offer the review. That means whatever entity that put this job on him held greater power than Death itself.

"How comforting." He sarcastically muttered.

He couldn't go back to sleep. Not after witnessing something like that. He couldn't waste time anymore. He needed to hunt faster.