Chapter 68

**- Xenon -**

The days I had spent training were not wasted. I was right in thinking the correct way forward is through learning how to consciously manipulate that energy I've been feeling flow through my limbs whenever I used [Empowered Strike]. The progress was slow at first, painfully so, even. But perseverance eventually paid off.

I was able to forgo the system's help to some degree and summon it to one of my arms, an action that, by my estimate, should have taken a hellishly long time of training to achieve. It is only a feeling I had, based on my early progress, yet I am certain the system was the unseen hand guiding me through the process. It made me both glad and worried that the system could have such a subtle yet powerful impact on me, but I dismissed those worries based on how unreasonably stupid they were. The thing could freeze the whole world... My very existence is of no consequence to it. Funnily enough, I've gotten a free WIS point coming to that conclusion...

The skill eventually mutated, generating a new one in its stead.

[Empower (Active)] LVL 1

Variable Cost : 10 SP/s - 50 SP/s

Temporarily boosts your body.

( Based on DEX and STR )

<>

I know what you're thinking: what a ripoff, right?

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated. I was livid. All that time, wasted just so I could destroy a perfectly fine skill to get something worse in return. The expenditure on the new one was unreasonable. I could obviously not use it in combat without quickly running out of juice. And let's not forget that cost is PER SECOND. And I doubt a single second is all I'd need to get the equivalent of the [Empowered Strike] I had permanently lost access to.

It took me some time to calm down and collect my thoughts. I started seriously thinking about the way the system works, and I came up with some interesting revelations.

First off, I had to consider that the system is designed for multiversal travel, ergo, the skills had to stay useful no matter the universe. A skill that hit its level cap does not fall into that category. Why? The damage output would be constant; my foes won't be.

Secondly, I pondered over the changes in its costs. The thing is, my Stamina is constantly getting better. Just by leveling up, I get a substantial amount of stamina each time, and that's not considering my passive recovering ability, which allows me to recover ALL of my SP over 20 minutes at most. This means that overall, I wasn't paying that much in return for a rather OP ability.

And finally, I considered the sheer potential of the new skill. Using [Empowered Strike] only boosted one of my attacks. But now, there were no limits to the way the skill could be used. Now I could boost my legs and increase my running speed, my jumps...

I obviously wasn't able to do such things at first, but I knew it was nothing I couldn't achieve with some training. And most importantly, I already had something to work with... my [Sprint] skill.

[Sprint. (Passive/Active)] LVL 3

*Passive:

-10% Stamina consumption while running.

*Active:

Cost : 1.8 SP/sec

Increases your sprinting speed by 15%.

<>

For some reason, I still had access to it, and I quickly found out that it works almost the same way as [Empowered Strike]. I could feel the very same energy coursing through my legs, albeit at an extremely attenuated level compared to the former, which explains why it only increases my speed by 15%. So, I tried to mimic the feeling with [Empower], and it paid off. I increased the level of [Empower], yet there were no changes to its description or cost. But I knew what improved: my control over whatever that energy was.

The results were definitely worth it... I could dash small distances with almost superhuman speeds now, an increase of about 50% speed. That's nothing to scoff at.

But let's not forget the most important part... The skill was still at its base level. Just how much more powerful would it get when it reaches its final form? I guess only time would tell. In the meantime? I will be grinding it as much as I can, and that's exactly what I've been doing since we came to the prison. And I was looking forward to coming to this place, not only because it would provide a safe environment for me to up my skills, but also because of the quests I had gotten.

< Quest Received ! >

<Title: Secure the prison.>

Description: Kill enough walkers to make it inhabitable.

*Requirements:

->Secure a cellblock.

*Rewards:

-> [Detect Bloodlust (Passive)]

<>

I don't need to elaborate on how overpowered that skill is... It's straight-up magic. Also, something that would allow me to deal with our current problem. Namely, the two "intruders" we have in our midst. I am uncertain if they are trustworthy, but the truth is, there is absolutely no way for me to know just by looking at people. There is a chance everything they told us is true, that they are only here out of necessity, not because of some nefarious plan to kill us all... Which when said that way, sounds rather childish. I don't see why anybody would admit to stalking us if they want our trust. Except for someone smart enough to expect our thought process. Someone smart enough to send two harmless-looking people: a teenager and an old 'history' teacher that DOES look like a history teacher...

The truth is, there is no right answer. We can either kill two people that could be innocent out of paranoia, a potential member of our group. Or we give them a chance to prove themselves and judge them based on their actions and behavior. Both of them have risks, though the latter is the safest. But if we do that, we will never be able to grow as a group.

As soon as we secure the cellblock, I received my new skill.

< Skill Gained! >

[Detect Bloodlust (Passive)] LVL 1

Range: Variable.

Detects Bloodlust targeting you.

<>

I only had speculations about the skill so far, but it needed a field test before I could draw any conclusions. The discussion that ensued was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Dave was clearly trying to play the "you're just a kid" card, but I shot it down as soon as it started. The whole reason I was wearing the mask was to make people ignore that particular fact.

His reaction to my rebuttal was interesting, to say the least. I immediately felt an intense feeling of malevolence wash all over me, and I could tell where it came from. Dave's face had twisted in rage and was it not for his delicate situation, I'm sure he would've jumped on me without hesitation. I instinctively knew that was the effect of [Detect Bloodlust], which confirmed to me that he was not to be trusted.

But that feeling soon ended, as he school his expression somehow, but was still glaring daggers at me. Which made me think: is that feeling of Bloodlust only related to that particular moment of rage, that only at that moment, out of anger, wished to physically harm me, which I couldn't exactly blame him for. I would feel the same way if somebody said that to me. Humans rarely react positively to threats. Though because of how little information I have at the moment, I can only assume the worse. Dave and Randall are not to be trusted and should be eliminated or questioned under questionable means as soon as *possible*.

But it seems today was my lucky day. As I was explaining my plan to them on how to deal with the prisoners, Dave was giving me a cold calculating look under the guise of disgust. What made me think so was the Bloodlust I momentarily felt from him, which can only mean one thing: he was thinking of killing me, confirming my earlier worries.

I smiled at my discovery. 'The unseen blade is the deadliest'. And now, our friend Dave was in the open. Now, I knew what to look out for. I was quite confident I could deal with them. I was not bulletproof just yet, but my stats are nothing to scoff at.

< Status >

Name : Xenon

Age : 16

Level : 12 | Progress : 0/500

-

Stamina (SP) : 320/320

-

STR : 20

DEX : 15

CON : 5

END : 16

CHA: 24

WIL : 6

INT : 25

WIS : 15

LUK : 11

Unused Stat Points: 11

<>

**- Narrator -**

"Finally!"

"Damn the sun feels good!" One of the prisoners said as he stretched his body. They had been locked in that cafeteria for over a month, with only each other for company. Their excitement didn't last for long, as they noticed the state the prison was in. The dead bodies littered the place, blood and gore as far as their eyes could see.

"How'd you get here in the first place?" Andrew, a short black man, asked Daryl.

"We cut a hole through that fence over there."

"That easy, huh." Daryl shrugged.

"So what is this, like a disease?" Big Tiny, a very tall and imposing man, asked with a deep voice.

"Yeah." Shane answered him. "Once you're bitten, you turn into one of those." He pointed to the corpses on the ground.

"Ain't no way these Robin Hood cats responsible for killing all these freaks." Tomas, who seemed to be the leader of the prisoners, glared at everything in sight maliciously. His small revolver was secured in his belt, which would explain why the other prisoners gave him so much respect.

"Must be fifty bodies out here." Andrew commented.

"Doesn't matter." Xenon interjected. "You're all free men now, so how about you go back to your families, friends... Do some sightseeing maybe, whatever suits you."

"Hohoho, I don't think so, my friend." Tomas shook his head with a smile on his face. "A bunch of civilians breaking to prison, killing freaks left and right? It got me thinking, maybe there ain't much to go back to."

"Why don't you go out and find out?" Daryl said, getting closer to him menacingly.

"This is our prison. We were here first." Tomas said angrily.

"Locked in a broom closet?" Xenon scoffed. "We killed the walkers, we took it, we set you free. It's ours."

"We're moving back into our cellblock." Tomas sneered.

"You're gonna need to get your own."

"It is mine. I've still got some personal artifacts in there." Tomas was waving his gun randomly, accentuating the fact that he was indeed mad. "That's about as mine as it gets!"

"Maybe let's try to make this work out so everybody wins." Axel, a short man with blond hair, tried to defuse the situation as he noticed everybody was getting their guns out. Xenon was amused more than anything; it didn't take a genius to understand that they were ridiculously outgunned.

"I don't see that happening." Tomas glared daggers at Xenon.

"Neither do I."

"There are other cellblocks." Axel suggested helpfully. No one said anything, setting for glaring at each other instead.

"If these pussies can do all of this, the least we can do is take out another cellblock." Tomas finally said after much thought.

"With what?" Big Tiny asked him.

"Our friend here will get us some real weapons." Tomas gestured to Xenon. "Won't you, boss?"

"How stocked is that cafeteria?" Xenon asked him instead.

"There's only a little left." Tomas said sadly.

"We'll take half then." Xenon smiled, though he couldn't tell under his mask. "In exchange, we'll help clear out a cell block."

"Didn't you hear him?" Andrew said angrily. "There's only a little left."

"And you'll have our gratitude." Xenon said nonchalantly. "I'm sure you understand we'll need some compensation. Half your food for sharing the prison we cleared sounds as fair as it gets, what do you say?" Tomas narrowed his eyes. He did not like the idea of sharing the food, but it didn't seem like he had much choice in the matter.

"Alright." Tomas said with a smile. "You've got yourself a deal."