In the capital city of Lugunica—everything was going well. Merchants haggled, carriages moved past, and people went through the motions of their daily lives.
That was how it was supposed to go for the vendor today as well.
Until a strange young man collapsed in front of his store.
He had rested him against a wall and had been trying for the past half hour to wake him up, but to no avail. Deciding it was better to take him to a healer.
The vendor looked at the strange young man once again. At least he didn't look to be in pain, just unconscious.
Though now that he looked again… something seemed off.
Vendor: 'Am I imagining things, or does he look different?'
Vendor: 'I must be… he didn't look—'
Vendor: 'Actually… now that I think about it… I must've been imagining things. He did look like this.'
He reassured himself, wondering why he had thought the kid looked different in the first place.
He shook his head.
Vendor: 'Now's not the time to think about that. Better get this kid to a healer.'
As he prepared to pick the strange young man up, the vendor noticed him stirring. His eyes slowly flickered open.
Seeing him slowly wake up, the vendor felt relieved.
Xeno's POV
Xeno: '...Ugh? My head's spinning. What the fuck.'
I slowly opened my eyes—only to cover them with my arm as sunlight hit me.
I felt exhausted… yet fine. My breathing was shallow.
Xeno: 'What… happened?'
Opening my eyes carefully this time, I found myself in an alleyway. Though… it looked much cleaner than the one I was in before.
Vendor: "Hey kid, you awake?"
At the sound of the familiar voice, I turned my head to the right.
It was the vendor again. He looked at me with concern.
Xeno: "W-what? W-where am I?" I said, my throat dry.
Vendor: "Here, let me get you some water and food."
He went into his store and came back with a bottle of water and an 'apple,' handing them to me.
I accepted it gratefully, then hurriedly drank the water, quenching my thirst, then took large bites of the 'apple.'
Vendor: "Calm down. No need to rush, kid."
After finishing. I felt much better. I got up and stretched my back, then turned to the vendor.
Xeno: "Thank you, sir. I'll repay this favor."
Vendor: "No need, kid. It's on the house." He waved it off.
Vendor: "Now tell me—what happened? One second you wanted to ask me something, the next you suddenly collapsed."
I tilted my head in confusion.
Xeno: "Ummm… what?"
Vendor: "Don't tell me you have amnesia now." He raised a brow.
Xeno: "No, no—I remember everything just fine. I'm just… disorganized, so I don't know what you're talking about."
Xeno: 'Now that I think about it…'
I looked around, noticing the alleyway looked nothing like the one I was in before.
Xeno: 'How did I get here?'
I rubbed my chin with my left hand.
…
Wait a minute.
Xeno: 'My left arm?'
I stared at it. It looked exactly how it should.
Xeno: 'But how? That psycho cut it off…'
Vendor: "Kid… kid… KID!"
I snapped out of my thoughts, turning back to the now annoyed vendor.
Xeno: "Huh? Oh—um, sorry. Could you
repeat that?" I scratched my head nervously.
The vendor pinched the bridge of his nose.
Vendor: "I said, you wanted to ask me a question. Afterwards, you collapsed."
Xeno: 'What? That doesn't make sense. I could chalk me being here up to someone moving me… but this? It makes no sense…'
Xeno: "Umm, I think I'm remembering. If you could just remind me what the context was, I could provide an answer." I adopted a thinking pose, putting a finger on my forehead.
Xeno: 'For us both.'
The vendor nodded, buying my act.
Vendor: "Hmm, let's see… you walked up to my store. I thought you were a customer, but instead you wanted to ask me something. Saying you would buy from me in the future if I did. You looked quite nervous as well."
Hearing that, I froze.
Xeno: 'I-it c-can be—'
Sweat began forming on my face.
The vendor noticed my expression immediately.
Vendor: "What's wrong? Do you remember now why you collapsed?"
Xeno: 'I-i, i-if… then that means…'
I started breathing heavily, a haunting realization dawning on me.
No… it's more accurate to say I was remembering something I had repressed—something I wanted to forget.
I began to shake.
The vendor grew more concerned by my reaction.
Vendor: "Kid, what's wrong? You don't look good. Let's get you to a healer."
Xeno: "NO! It's fine—I'm fine! No need to worry, I just remembered something important, that's all! No need to worry, I'm fine! Now then, I appreciate your kindness and won't forget it—BYEEEE!" I sprinted off.
Vendor: "KID! WAIT!" he tried to stop me
worriedly, but I was too fast for him.
I ran out of the alleyway in a random direction. I didn't know where, I just kept running.
Terrified.
POV Change
Xenophanes ran for several minutes before coming to a stop. He had inadvertently returned to where he was first summoned to this world. Whether it was coincidence or intentional, he couldn't care in that moment.
Panting heavily, he went and sat on the water fountain once again. His heart was pounding.
He Buried his face in his arms.
Xeno: 'I- just b-breathe in… an-and breathe out…'
Xenophanes steadied his breathing, trying to calm his nerves.
Xeno: 'There's o-only one way I-I can th-think of… I c-could have traveled back—'
Xeno: 'I-i di— di— died.'
He shuddered at the thought.
Xeno: '...'
Xeno: '...'
He sat in silence, staring blankly at the floor.
For what felt like hours to him, he let out a heavy sigh.
Xeno: 'Alright, Xeno… this is fine. Absolutely fine. No problem at all. Maybe you should count your blessings. At least you're alive now… hehehe… he…'
Xeno: '... I need to freshen up a bit. Good thing I'm at a water fountain. Though… would it be illegal to wash my face using it? Hmmm… ah, fuck it.'
Xeno got up and turned around, looking into the water fountain.
And the person in his reflection was a handsome young man with snow-white hair, staring back with two empty voids where his eyes should be.
Xeno jump back, stunned.
Xeno: 'W-what? Was that… me?'
He rubbed his eyes, then looked back at his reflection.
And the same white-haired man stared back
Only this time, there were purple pupils in his black eyes.
Xeno: 'I… wow, that's—what the?'
His pupils vanished once again.
Xeno: 'How—'
They came back.
Xeno: 'Oh… I can control that… that's so cool.'
He was fascinated—excited by the discovery. It gave him a distraction from the new problem he didn't want to think about.
Xeno's pupils sparkled. Literally.
Xeno: 'Though… I have to say…'
Xeno crouched and took a closer look at his reflection.
Xeno: 'I vaguely look the same… except I'm much, much more handsome—and I have white hair. And my eyes… my sclera turned black.'
He ran a hand through his white hair.
Xeno: 'And my pupils… well, calling them that is generous. They lack any detail, more like pupil-sized dots.'
He got back up and took a step back.
Xeno: 'And now that I think about it… I feel better. Much more energetic… and fit than I ever felt.'
Though as much as Xeno wanted to check out his own body, he couldn't, not with people already giving him weird looks.
Normally, in a situation like this, he would've been embarrassed and quickly run off—but.
Xeno: "What are you looking at? Mind your own business, ya smucks!"
He snapped at the crowd before walking away, annoyed.
Xeno walked again in a random direction, hands in his pockets.
Xeno: 'Damn… does this mean I finally got my isekai starter pack? Awesome. Were those dark purple chains my power? That's cool… I wonder what else—'
(Save them.)
Xeno: 'Do I have other powers? What other cool things can I do? Can I—'
(They need help.)
Xeno: 'Use magic and stuff… maybe I should test my newfound–'
(They'll die if you don't.)
Xeno twitched.
Xeno: '…power. Probably in an abandoned place so I don't—'
(Stop ignoring your own conscience.)
He began to tremble.
Xeno: '…attract attention. Hehe… I wonder how fun that—'
(Help them. Help them. Help them. HELP THEM. HELP THEM. HELP THEM.)
Xeno: 'Shut up… shut up… I SAID SHUT UP!' He froze, clutching his head in frustration, shaking it violently as if he could drown out the sound of his own conscience.
He gritted his teeth. Scratching his face.
Xeno: 'WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO DO. GO BACK AND DIE AGAIN? I CAN'T FIGHT. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAVE ANY OF THEM. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO PLAY HERO BECAUSE I HAVE POWERS? NO WHO DECIDED THAT? I HAVE NO OBIGATION TO USE MY POWERS TO SAVE THEM. WE'RE STRANGERS WHY SHOULD I RISK MYSELF FOR THEM? '
his breathing was shallow, as he panted.
Xeno: ' I dont wanna die ! Feel pain! Or be uncomfortable! Is that so hard to ask ? So SCREW you, the FUCKER who brought me here, SCREW you morality, SCREW justice,SCREW ALL OF YOU'
Xeno breaths heavily.
Xeno: 'So just leave me alone… I'm scared, is that wrong? I—I'm sorry, Satella… Felt… but I… I can't find the courage to save you.'
He stopped there, sinking into guilt.
???: "Excuse me, sir… are you alright?" A gentle, worried voice called from behind.
Xenophanes jumped slightly in surprise, then hurriedly turned back.
Standing there was a man with blazing red hair and sky-blue eyes, wearing pristine clothes. A sword rested at his hip, its sheath engraved with a dragon claw.
He had a look of concern.
Xeno: "What the? What do you want?"
Xeno was not in a good mood.
???: "I wanted to ask if you were doing alright. Are you feeling unwell? "
Xeno: "N-no… what makes you think that?"
???: "You were causing a commotion—
scratching your face and violently shaking in the middle of the road," the man calmly explained, though the concern in his voice didn't fade.
Hearing that, Xeno looked around—and true to the man's words, people were staring at him, whispering.
He stared back at them with blank eyes.
Then he turned his attention back to the red-haired man.
Red-haired man: 'His pupils … vanished?'
He was surprised, but hid it perfectly so Xeno wouldn't notice it.
Xeno: "...I guess… I'm sorry for causing a scene. Thanks for your concern."
Red-haired man: "It's quite alright. You looked troubled. While I don't want to pry into your personal business… if there's anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask."
The man offered, sensing Xeno's emotions were in turmoil.
Xeno: "...Yes, there is something I wanted to ask."
Xeno hesitated, but seeing the man's genuine offer and his calm, friendly presence he decided to speak.
Xeno: "You see… my best friend is dealing with a very difficult situation. I want to help him, but I don't know how to."
Red-haired man: "Is that so? What problem might they be facing?"
Xeno: "They're about to retrieve something that was stolen from them… but they don't know the thief is someone way beyond their league. They'll get themselves killed."
The man's expression turned serious.
Red-haired man: "Have you considered asking the Knights for assistance?"
Xeno: "Can't. They said they wouldn't, due to personal circumstances. And besides… I don't really have any proof of my claims."
Xeno: "But that aside… I want to help them, but… I'm too afraid. I don't wanna die...I'm scared. I want to help but... i can't bring myself to try.
Xeno looked down.
Red-haired man: "That is quite the heavy choice you're facing. I understand why you're afraid—you have a right to be. But I wouldn't call you a coward."
Xeno looked up at him, surprised.
Xeno: "B-but I'm making excuses not to go help them—to ignore it—because I'm terrified of the fact that I might die. I'm too scared to even try to help them."
The man simply smiled.
Red-haired man: "You're trying right now, aren't you?"
That simple answer completely stunned Xeno.
Xeno: "I-i... do... do you really think that?"
Red-haired man: "Yes, I sincerely do. You're truly a kind man. Even if you don't believe it yourself."
Red-haired man: "It's okay to be afraid. No one expects you not to be."
Red-haired man: "Everyone feels fear… even me."
He looked at Xeno calmly.
Red-haired man: "But you're still trying, despite your fear. That alone proves you're no coward."
Xeno:"I..."
Xeno stood there for a few seconds processing the words of this kind strange.
Xeno: "You're right." He sighed.
Xeno: "I'm not fully convinced, but I feel more motivated to at least try."
The Red-haired man looked satisfied with xeno words.
Red-haired man: "That's enough. You don't need to be fully convinced. Taking the first step is more than most can manage."
Xeno: "Excuse me, but can I get your name? I don't believe we introduced ourselves."
Red-haired man: "Of course, my name is reinhard van astera. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Xeno: 'Reinhard, huh? I'll try my best to remember it.'
Xeno bowed.
Xeno: "I, Xenophanes, thank you for your help, Sir Reinhard." He said in a respectful tone.
Reinhard with a polite smile, waved it off.
Reinhard: "There's no need for that. Anyone in my position would have done the same."
Xeno: 'What a nice guy.'
As Xeno looked at Reinhard with gratitude, Reinhard noticed his pupils were back.
Reinhard: 'They're back? I wonder if they correspond to Xenophanes' emotions?'
Now that was out of the way, Xeno had to find a way to save Satella, Felt, and that old man.
Xeno: 'There's no way I'm fighting that psycho. So I'll do the second-best thing—ask for help. Reinhard looks knightly… I'll just ask him.'
He nodded to himself.
Xeno: 'It may be shameless and hurt my pride… well, that's fine. It's not like I have any pride to begin with.'
Xeno awkwardly scratched his white hair.
Xeno: "Umm, Reinhard… I know we just met and all, but… can you, umm, help me?"
Xeno looked away.
Xeno: "If you want, I mean… you don't have to."
Reinhard: "It's no problem at all, Xenophanes. I would be happy to help."
He said with a charming smile.
Reinhard: "Could you describe the situation in detail?"
Xeno: "Are you sure? I mean, that psycho is a monster in combat. I don't want to put you in danger because of me."
Xeno: 'Damn you, kindness. I just got help, and now you're trying to push him away.'
Xeno felt annoyed at his conscience once again.
Reinhard looked surprised by that.
Reinhard: 'He's concerned about me?'
Reinhard closed his eyes and smiled at the thought.
Reinhard looked back at Xenophanes.
Reinhard: "Is that so? Worry not—hunting monsters happens to be a specialty of mine."
Xeno: "...I'll just take your word for it."
Xeno: "But before I tell you the situation, how about we move this to an alleyway and not stand in the middle of the road?"
Xeno looked around, seeing that they were quite literally standing in the middle of the road, forcing people to walk around them.
Reinhard noticed this too, then nodded.
Reinhard: "Of course."
He then led Xenophanes to a secluded alleyway.
Xeno: "Alright, here's the deal. If you're helping me, it's better to come clean. I lied about some details."
Reinhard: "And what's the real situation then?" he asked calmly.
Xeno: 'Seriously, he's not even surprised? Am I that bad at lying?'
He decided to ignore it for now and moved on.
Xeno: "You see, a silver-haired lady's insignia was stolen by this thief named Felt—a kid who lives in the slums. There's a loot house there, owned by some guy named Old Man Rom, where she plans to sell it."
Xeno: 'At least that's what I think she plans to do.'
Xeno: "But get this—I, umm, got informed by a trusted source that a psycho lady plans to kill everyone there. And unfortunately, I have no way of proving my claims."
Xeno: "That's what I'm dealing with."
Reinhard digested the information seriously.
Reinhard: "This is slightly more dangerous than what you originally told me."
Reinhard: "May I inquire more about this silver-haired woman and the dangerous lady in question?"
Xeno: "Umm… about that, I don't really know either of them. I don't even know their names."
Xeno: "But I can describe that psycho lady."
Xeno: 'Better be safe and not describe Satella. Who knows if her personal circumstances might interfere with him helping.'
Xeno: "That psycho was a beautiful woman with long black hair. She wore revealing clothes, used short blades, and umm… right! From what I could tell, she had a weird fetish for people's guts."
Reinhard was visibly shocked by this information.
Reinhard: "Are you sure this information is accurate?" he questioned firmly.
Xeno was taken aback by this.
Xeno: "I… umm… yeah, I'm 100% sure about this."
Xeno: 'Like I'll ever forget her.'
Reinhard: "This just become even more dangerous than I originally thought."
Xeno: "What?"
Reinhard: "Xenophanes… the lady you just described is the Bowel Hunter—Elsa Granhiert."
This revelation stunned Xeno—but for a different reason.
Xeno: 'What kind of edgy title is that? The Bowel Hunter? Seriously, what's next—the Ass Smasher?' He kept the thought to himself.
Xeno: "The Bowel Hunter? That doesn't sound good at all. But you can handle her, right? Right?"
Reinhard: "She is not an easy opponent. Underestimating her would be unwise."
Xeno: "But you can win."
Reinhard paused for a brief moment, then nodded.
Reinhard: "Yes… I would be able to."
Xeno: "...Great. Then here's the plan—well, calling it a plan is generous. Basically, you go there, wait for her, and preferably take her out before she reaches the loot house."
Xeno began explaining the idea he came up with in a few seconds, hoping for the best.
Xeno: "But just in case, I'll go to the loot house and evacuate everyone there. So even if you somehow miss her, nobody dies."
Reinhard: "Of course. Did your source tell you where or when she's coming?"
Xeno paused at that. He didn't actually know.
Xeno: "W-wait a second… let me think."
Reinhard: "Take as much time as you need."
He waited patiently.
Xeno closed his eyes, holding his chin.
Xeno: 'Think, Xeno… think…'
...
...
...
Xeno's eyes shot open.
Xeno: 'I know. When I arrived, it was night—and judging by the fact Elsa was still there, she must have come recently.'
Xeno: 'So it's better to be there a few hours before that happens, so at sunset.'
Xeno: "By sunset… she'll be there."
Reinhard: "Is that so? Then I suppose we should hurry—time is of the essence."
Xeno: "After you, Rein—"
Xeno was interrupted by the sound of footsteps—three, to be exact.
Xeno: 'Footsteps? This oddly feels familiar.'
Coming out of the shadows were the thugs from before.
Thin thug: "Look what we have—"
Xeno: "YOU ASSHOLES!" Xeno aggressively pointed at them.
This reaction from Xeno surprised both the thugs and Reinhard.
Xeno: "Change of plans. Reinhard, you go ahead. I have some unfinished business with them."
Thugs: "R-Reinhard?!"
All three thugs exclaimed in shock and fear. They hadn't even noticed the person standing next to Xeno was the Sword Saint.
Reinhard ignored the thugs for now and turned back to Xeno.
Reinhard: "Are you certain? They don't—"
Xeno: "100% sure. You go ahead. This will only take a few minutes."
Before Reinhard could protest, Xeno quickly gave him the rough location of the loot house.
Reinhard listened carefully. While he wanted to make sure Xeno didn't do anything reckless, he could tell—despite Xeno's impressive physique—he was no warrior.
Reinhard: "I—"
Xeno: "Look, I know you're worried, but trust me. I'm not recklessly putting myself in danger."
Seeing how brightly Xeno's pupils were glowing, Reinhard judged that he was determined to handle this on his own.
Reinhard: "If that is what you wish, then I won't interfere… Just be careful, Xenophanes."
He turned to leave the alleyway, but not before subtly glancing back at Xeno, worried.
As he disappeared from sight, the three thugs let out a sigh of relief.
Short thug: "That was close…" He wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Thin thug: "I almost thought we were going to be history."
The three regained their confidence and looked at Xenophanes, drawing their weapons.
Thin thug: "You just made a big mistake, brat… letting him leave."
Xeno: "You're right. It was a big mistake letting him leave… because—"
His pupils vanished, leaving his eyes hollow.
Xeno: "He won't be here to save you."
A chilling, inhuman smile spread across Xenophanes' face, sending a shiver down the thugs' spines.
He raised his palm towards the three of them.
Then, from the depths of his soul, he reached out to the mysterious power within him. He could feel it responding to his will.
Dark purple fog began seeping from his arms and shoulders.
A stream of dark purple gathered in his palm. The thugs took a step back, raising their guards to the max, nervous about what this creepy man was about to do.
The dark purple mass finally formed into a… sunflower-sized orb… that slowly floated toward the thin thug.
…
…
…
Laughter suddenly echoed through the alleyway as Xenophanes clutched his stomach, completely amused by their dumbfounded expressions.
The thugs, seeing the tiny orb inching closer, combined with Xeno's howling laughter, grew visible irritated.
The three glared at Xeno, readying themselves to attack. Fueled by rage, they threw caution to the wind.
Xeno: "Haa–c-come on guys, pfff—can't handle a little joke?" He said, wiping a tear from his eyes, amused again.
Xeno: "I'm trying to brighten up your day. Being thieves must be hard. So I'm sharing a little... friendliness pellet with you in these trying times."
Thin thug: "The fuck is a friendliness pellet?" he snapped.
The little pellet hovered near the thin thug.
It suddenly gained speed and impacted his chest.
He dropped his weapon and fell to the floor, screaming in pain while clutching where it had hit.
Xeno: "Friendliness."
Fat thug: "Rachins!" The fat thug rushed to check on his friend.
Short thug: "You bastard. You'll pay for that." He pointed his weapon at Xeno.
Xeno: "Awww… you both are feeling left out, aren't you? Don't worry."
Xeno spread his arms out.
Numerous dark purple pellets surrounded the three.
Xeno: "I have lots to share."
He clapped, and all the pellets struck the three, making the other two join the thin one on the floor, screaming in pain.
He snapped, creating more pellets, then striking them again afterwards, created new pallets. Creating a continuous bombardment.
It's important to note: the pellets didn't injure them… they just hurt. A lot.
Xeno: 'Is this what bullying the weak feels like…?'
Xeno smiled at the thugs writhing in agony.
Xeno: 'Hehehe… careful, Xeno. Your sadist is showing… hehehe… though I… wonder…'
Continuing his assault, he formed a pellet in front of him.
He curiously reached out and touched it—
Pain shot through his finger instantly.
Xeno: "AAAHHH FUCK! That stung like a bee!"
He jerked his hand back, shaking it and blowing on his finger.
As he did, he looked at the pellets
bombarding the three and immediately stopped.
...What remained afterwards was silence.
Seeing the pain he was causing to the three. He instantly regretted his actions.
He wanted revenge, but he had recklessly used his ability on people… and caused them immense pain.
Xenophanes just stared at the unconscious thugs for a moment… then blankly at his own hands.
Taking a deep sigh, he began moving the three with surprising ease to a more secure location—somewhere in the alleyway where they wouldn't be robbed.
Setting them against a dark corner where seeing them would be difficult.
Looking at the thin thug.
Xeno: "Rachins... and the other two—"
Xeno: 'Damn it, I wish I knew the other two names as well. So I could make a proper apology.'
Xenophanes was frustrated by his actions and by the fact he didn't know their names to make it up to them in the future.
Though it appeared Xeno was in luck today, as he felt another pulse from the depths of his soul calling out to him.
Xeno: "What the?"
Xeno: 'This sensation… is this another ability?'
He closed his eyes, focusing on the strange sensation.
And when he opened his eyes again, they were revealed to be red in colour.
Xenophanes clenched and unclenched his fists.
Xeno: 'I don't feel any different. Damn, if only there were instruction manuals to help me.'
It was as if his thoughts were acknowledged, as he heard a voice in his head.
Gluttony
[Ability: Soul Feast
Description: Scan the existence of anything and acquire information about it.
Xenophanes' pupils disappeared in shock as he frantically looked around, trying to locate the voice.]
Xeno: "What the heck? Gluttony? Soul Feast? The fuck?"
It didn't take long for his confusion to be replaced with excitement again.
Xeno: "Another ability, huh? Let's test it out."
He rubbed his hands in anticipation.
If he heard the voice correctly, he turned to look at the fat thug.
And lo and behold… it worked.
[ Name: Gaston
Age: 25
Relation: terrified of you
A member of the Tonchinkan trio. ]
Xeno's red eyes turned to stars in wonder and awe.
Xeno: "That's so cool."
He tested it again on the short one this time.
[ Name: Camberley
Age: 23
Relation: terrified of you
Has the Divine Protection of Bedroom Wiles. It makes him very skilled in bed =) ]
Xeno: "..."
And Xenophanes' excitement immediately died.
Xeno: "...Right, cough—Gaston, Camberley, and Rachins. I know you're unconscious, so this doesn't mean anything to you. But I'm sorry… and will make it up to you in the future."
Xenophanes bowed to the three.
...
Xeno: "Now then, it's time to move on."
...
Xenophanes left the alleyway. He still had a job to do.
By the time Xenophanes had reached the slums, the sun had begun to set. If he had to guess, it would be sunset within an hour.
In that time, he didn't stay idle. He used it to figure out a bit more about how his abilities worked.
Crossing a bridge, Xenophanes recounted what he had learned.
And he had concluded that—
Xeno: 'Both of my abilities are completely broken. It's almost unfair.' He used Gluttony on his first ability.
Envy
[Name: Point of Obsession
Allows you to perceive, store, and use Envy to make constructs. Its power relates to how much envy was used.]
Xeno: 'With this description alone, I could tell how powerful it is… and for the perceiving envy part—'
His purple pupils looked around and saw a very dark purple aura radiating from the residents of the slums. Their envy was so thick he could barely see their bodies.
The same dark purple aura was drawn to him like magic, flowing in streams from the people into his heart, where it disappeared.
Xeno: 'With this, even if things don't go smoothly, I'll be able to defend myself and run away… along with the others.'
As Xeno neared the loot house, he stopped in his tracks.
The entire plan led to this moment. Their lives might depend on it.
He activated both Gluttony and Envy, which resulted in his eyes changing colour—one for each.
He walked up to the door of the loot house. He took a deep breath, taking a few seconds to mentally prepare himself.
After a few moments, finding himself ready, he gently knocked on the door.
...
...
...
???: "Who's there?"