Victor approached on silent feet, following the faint voices he could hear.
He could distinguish at least three of them, maybe more.
He needed to be careful—there was no way to know how strong these people had become after spending several days in this merciless new world.
Victor reached the end of the hallway and leaned his head through the half-open door where the murmurs originated.
Four men were sitting around a table, all appearing to be in their forties. Their clothes were nothing but rags, probably torn apart through countless fights.
They hadn't noticed Victor yet, so he simply listened.
« Yeah, I know, I know, but we always get stuck with the worst missions. »
« So what? If you're not happy, go see the boss. »
« You think I'm an idiot? If I wanted to die, I'd rather get torn apart by those brainless beasts. »
« Heh… just a suggestion. »
Victor had learned what he needed.
All that remained was to find the location of their group.
And he had a far more efficient method than eavesdropping.
Victor walked casually into the room, making all four heads snap in his direction.
« Where the hell did that kid come from? »
« Shit, did you see his face? You sure he's not a monster? »
All four stood up instantly, hands gripping the holsters at their belts.
« Don't take another step. »
Victor stopped, looking each of them in the eyes.
« I want to join your group. »
It wasn't a request. It wasn't even a suggestion.
The four men exchanged looks before bursting into laughter, showing yellowed teeth from lack of hygiene.
« You think it's that easy? We're already struggling to feed everyone. Just because you're a kid doesn't mean we'll save your ass for nothing. »
« Yeah, times have changed, kid. Figure things out on your own and stop being a pain. »
The men sat back down, dismissing him entirely.
But Victor remained where he was, evaluating each one of them until he reached a conclusion.
They were weak.
Not as weak as those he had slaughtered in the coliseum, but close enough.
They were nothing but pawns without value.
« I think you misunderstood. »
He took one step forward, making the men frown.
« Kid, I said— »
The man didn't get to finish. His head was slammed onto the table with overwhelming force.
« The next time someone interrupts me, those will be their last words. »
All of them widened their eyes, pupils trembling violently.
Unlike the man whose face was now crushed into the wood, they had seen Victor's speed.
Or rather, they hadn't seen anything at all—as though the boy in front of them had simply teleported.
They knew what that meant. They had seen such speed before.
So they stayed perfectly still, forcing their frantic heartbeats to quiet.
Victor was mildly surprised by their compliance. He had expected more resistance.
Or… had he hoped for it?
He didn't know.
« Good. As I said, you misunderstood. »
He released the man, who shakily lifted his head.
His face was pale as death, cold sweat trailing down his temples as he tried to look at Victor without trembling.
He knew that boy could have crushed his skull effortlessly.
« I want the location of your group. And all the information you have. »
Victor paused, his smile stretching far beyond anything natural, sending chills through every man present.
« And if you dare lie… well, I really hope you try. »
They swallowed hard, sharing one look.
There was no escape.
*
« That's all? »
The graying man nodded quickly toward the boy seated lazily on the chair, legs crossed.
« Yes! I swear, that's all I know! »
Victor nodded absently. He had learned what he needed from the beginning.
The fact that they were terrified but not surprised told him enough—they had already seen something like him before.
He also now knew they had a boss, whoever that was.
All that was left was their group's location, which they had kindly provided.
Their heartbeats had remained steady. Victor didn't think they had lied.
That being said…
« Thank you for the information. I no longer need you. »
A cold dread began to spread in their chests.
« S-So… we can go then? »
Victor's smile was glacial, merciless.
« Funny. I don't recall saying I would let you leave. »
Their eyes widened, breathing growing frantic as the harmless-looking boy stood up, the chair creaking beneath him.
« But we answered your questions! You're going to kill us? »
Victor wasn't listening. Their words were just noise. He simply clenched and unclenched his right hand. His stumps had only just finished healing.
Not feeling that constant tearing pain anymore put him in a good mood.
But that had nothing to do with sparing them.
Before any of them could move, he snapped the closest man's neck.
Crack
[You have slain Human (Lvl 7)]
The others froze in horror.
One fell to his knees, forehead pressed to the ground, begging in broken sobs.
His head was crushed into the floor, blood spraying across Victor's shoe.
[You…]
Another stared blankly, whispering about his wife and children he would never see again.
His ribcage was crushed, bone fragments shredding his organs.
The last man drew a gun—a simple pistol—but his arm was broken to pieces before he could even aim. He collapsed, screaming.
Between screams, he managed one word.
« Why? »
Victor wasn't in a hurry. He gave him a reason that wasn't one.
« Simply because I feel like it. »
The man gave a hollow laugh, twisted by despair.
« You're no better than the monsters out there… You'll face the consequences someday. »
Victor's mutilated jaw twisted into a grin, his dark, still eyes fixed on him.
« And? Just like you died because you were weak, it's only natural that I die one day to someone stronger. That is the law of nature. I don't see what part of that confuses you. »
The man had no answer.
The boy's logic was as ruthless toward others as it was toward himself.
Absolute. Unquestionable.
He closed his eyes, thinking of the family waiting for him.
He could only hope they would never meet this boy whose appearance was as monstrous as his heart was black.
The man's heart was torn from his chest, resting in Victor's pale hand, beating a few final times before going still.
The familiar system chime echoed briefly, then faded.
The organ hit the floor with a wet sound, leaving silence behind.
Victor exhaled slowly.
He could feel it much more clearly now.
The sensation he felt when taking a human life.
At first, he thought it was just something temporary—the shock of killing someone for the first time.
But he had been wrong.
The feeling he couldn't name at first, he finally recognized as he pulled out that man's heart.
It was pleasure.
Why did he feel pleasure doing something so twisted?
He didn't know.
Maybe it was because his mind had been beaten, twisted, violated, again and again until his perception warped.
Maybe it was the influence of his sadistic mother who took joy in tormenting him.
Maybe that damned Beelzebub had something to do with it.
Or maybe Victor was simply born this way.
But did the answer matter?
Not in the slightest.
All that mattered was the pleasure that began to bloom each time a life faded under his hands.
It was intoxicating.