Thud.
Her body hit the ground.
Blood pooled beneath her, spreading slowly across the dirt floor. She twitched weakly and her fingers clawing at nothing, before going still.
The dark red surface reflected Edsel's face.
It felt strange, this was not a game, not even a scripted event. He had just killed someone for the first time for real.
His hands trembled slightly from the aftermath and his breathing grew uneven for a moment. Strangely enough, he did not feel any ounce of guilt. After all, she had been radiating killing intent, and he could already tell that she was going to set him up for something bad.
In the slums, survival ruled.
This place was crawling with criminals. People disappeared here every day and no one investigated, Killing them would not matter.
"Authority Gluttony : Absorption."
A dark aura surged from his palm, swallowing the lingering death energy from her corpse.
Ding.
[Death energy absorbed.]
[Mana increased by 15%.]
Edsel exhaled slowly.
"HUH MEEERI!"
Six men rushed into the building.
They froze at the sight before them, Edsel standing calmly with blood-stained hands, and Merina lying lifeless at his feet.
Edsel flicked the remaining blood from his fingers. Mana condensed around his body, reinforcing his muscles, the same principle he had used earlier, enhancing his physical speed and strength.
He would have to eliminate all six carefully and absorb everything.
"Tch. Careful," one of the men muttered. "He is alone, but do not falter. We attack together."
They all stared at Edsel like predators while holding their weapons and preparing to kill him.
"How weird," Edsel said while looking at their weapons. "All the weapons I am seeing are a shovel, a stick, and even a kitchen knife. What is this?" He smirked while looking at them. "Don't tell me that you guys are not even real criminals. Well, you are still criminals for trying to kidnap a noble."
They all hesitated while looking at each other with confusion on their faces.
"Listen here, kid. You might be someone important, but circumstances made us like this. You would not understand since you eat with a silver spoon."
"Stop talking," another snapped. "He killed Meri. We are not letting him leave."
The man with the shovel grinned cruelly, resting it on his shoulder.
"I say we cut off his limbs first. Then we send them to his family piece by piece. I am sure they will pay well to get the rest back."
Edsel tilted his head slightly.
"Mmm… you speak with a lot of confidence," Edsel said lightly. "Tell me, how many people have you actually killed?"
They all looked more confused at his calm demeanor. He was not even shaking. He was just talking to them like they were having a normal conversation.
"I can see it in your eyes," Edsel continued. "You threaten and extort. Perhaps you have beaten people half to death. But killed?" He tilted his head. "No. You lack that resolve."
Their grips tightened around their weapons.
"Aren't you even a little shocked?" Edsel went on. "I am not running away, I am not pleading for my life and i killed your comrade in a single move… and yet you still do not understand your position."
"SHUT UP!" one of them screamed, veins bulging from his neck.
Edsel sighed.
"You are not very intelligent. But I suppose I cannot expect much from men with so few brain cells."
"What is he talking abou—"
Before the man could finish—
A small sphere of condensed frost formed at Edsel's fingertip, he narrowed his eyes, carefully controlling the mana density.
Flick.
The compressed shard of ice shot forward and it pierced straight through the man's forehead.
"Urk—!"
The man staggered, choking on his own blood. His body trembled violently before collapsing with a heavy thud.
"W-what was that?" one of the others stammered while stepping backward.
The remaining men froze in shock. Their eyes were wide open, and their weapons trembled in their hands.
Edsel stared at his own hand while examining the new power he had just discovered. This was his first real attempt at using magic in combat. He realized that magic was simply a matter of imagination and concentration. If he wanted to survive in this world, he would have to practice his skills and combat abilities until they became second nature.
They would make useful practice dummies.
"ATTACK HIM!" the man with the shovel roared, trying to suppress the fear in his voice.
He charged recklessly and swung downward and Edsel stepped back half a pace, slightly slower than he intended.
The shovel grazed his sleeve, it was Too close.
He ducked low, circulating mana into his legs and core. He launched a reinforced punch into the man's stomach.
"GAAAH!"
The man's scream echoed through the building as ribs shattered. He dropped to his knees, coughing blood, groaning in agony.
The remaining four lunged at him all at once. Blades and sticks thrust toward him from multiple directions.
Instead of retreating, Edsel moved forward directly into their attack. He grabbed one attacker's arm and muttered under his breath.
"Frost Bind."
Ice spread instantly from his palm. It crawled across the man's skin and froze the entire limb solid in seconds. The weight of the frozen arm dragged the attacker down, and he stumbled forward while screaming in terror.
"Ahh! My arm! What did you do to my arm?" the man shrieked while trying to pull away.
Edsel pivoted and touched another attacker. The same ice spread from his palm and encased another arm in thick frost.
"Aaagh! It burns! It burns!" the second man screamed while his arm became heavy and immobile.
Within seconds, all four men found their arms completely immobilized. Their limbs were heavy, brittle, and crystallized with ice that would not melt.
They struggled against the freezing prison while screaming in panic. Their voices echoed through the empty alley, but no one came to help them.
Edsel did not hesitate.
He punched through the first frozen limb with all his strength.
Shatter.
The ice exploded into thousands of tiny fragments. Along with it, flesh and bone scattered across the ground in pieces.
"AAAAH! MY ARM! MY ARM!" the man howled while falling to his knees. Blood sprayed from the stump where his arm used to be, and he writhed on the ground while screaming in agony.
Edsel moved to the next one.
Another punch.
Another shatter.
Another scream of pure torment filled the air.
"Please! Stop! I beg you!" the third man cried while trying to run away. But his frozen limb was too heavy, and he could barely move.
Edsel caught up to him easily. He touched the frozen arm and watched it shatter like glass under his fist.
"NOOO!" the man wailed while collapsing.
The last attacker tried to flee, but his frozen arm threw off his balance. He stumbled and fell to the ground.
Edsel stood over him for a moment, studying the man's terrified expression. Then he brought his fist down one final time.
Shatter.
The last scream joined the chorus of agony that filled the alley.
Edsel stood in the middle of it all while breathing steadily. Cold mist was rising from his hands, and the ground around him was covered in frozen blood and shattered pieces of what used to be human limbs. The groans of dying men surrounded him like a twisted symphony.
He looked at his own hands and examined them carefully. The mana was still flowing through his body, and he could feel the death energy radiating from the corpses around him.
'Not bad for a first attempt,' he thought while smirking. 'But I still have a lot to practice.'