บท 20: Chapter 20: The Mastery

Julia could not understand what just had happened. It seemed to her that in one moment the revolver appeared right in his hand.

Moreover, she didn`t even see two shots, so powerful that her two limbs were immediately torn off. While she was trying to endure the agonizing pain, Stroph's voice was heard: "Don't worry, you won't die, at least if you are accommodating. If you understand everything, throw the blade under my feet."

After his words Julia kept silent for a while and then, frowning out of her last strength threw him one of the blades. The second one had flown away with her hand.

Even though she had terrible injuries she wouldn`t die from them. An ordinary man would have died from a painful shock or a great loss of blood, but a fighter of the third rank was much stronger than an ordinary man. If no more addition injuries were inflicted on her, she would survive quietly.

When he saw the flying blade under his feet, Stroph smiled slightly. He thought for a while and then asked: "Who are you? Why do you need me? And where is Anthony's person?" He was speaking very briefly and harshly.

Julia took a breath and said: "I am an agent of the organization from the "Inner Circle", your talent in shooting is incredible, the man like you couldn`t be missed out, and I killed Anthony`s person". Her voice was intermittent and her every word was accompanied by pain.

Stroph was looking at her in silence for about two minutes. Julia became nervous and couldn`t stand the pressure, she said: "I will do whatever you want, don`t kill me, I beg you!

"Well, tell me how to get to the slums by passing the outpost "Barrier", I don`t really want to appear there, especially after you. Tell me and I will let you go." Stroph spoke calmly and confidently, he seemed really to be ready to spare her.

Julia answered without thinking: "There is my personal tablet in the car, 2BT4 password, there is also a map with secret underground routes, everything is described in detail. Is it all?" She was worried if Stroph would change his mind, her heart was beating fast while she was waiting for his decision.

Stroph didn`t answer her anything and went to the car. He found the tablet, checked if the password was suitable, if all the cards and the necessary information were available. Stroph wanted to take the money from her bank account, but it was too dangerous.

Seeing that everything was okay, Julia began to smile and felt some relief, as at that moment the possibility to survive was the only and the most important goal for her.

Just when a smile appeared on her face, there was a terrible voice, coming as if from Purgatory itself.

"Boy...are you really... serious... I can get angry..." It was the "Snow White Darkness". He was clearly not happy that Stroph spared Julia. It was speaking without using the telepathy so that the woman could hear it.

Hearing this terrifying voice, Julia got goose bumps on her skin, and she saw the straps on Stroph's coat swaying arbitrarily, as if they were expressing their dissatisfaction. Because of blood loss she didn't understand if it was an illusion or a reality.

Stroph didn`t immediately respond to the words of his companion, but after some time replied: "Don`t mumble, I am not of good people, you know, I absolutely don`t want whether to spend ammo on her or to get you dirty". He sighed as if he was saying obvious things and then lifted a small stone from the ground, several times tossing it in his hand as if checking its weight.

A few seconds later, he threw a stone at the building behind Julia. The building was old and dilapidated and part of the wall collapsed right on Julia's body, she had no chance to survive.

After Julia's death, the "Snow White Darkness" calmed down, it was also a little surprised by Stroph`s precaution, to get dirty in the blood wouldn`t be quite good at all.

Immediately after the woman's death, several notifications appeared before him.

[Received the story of the common level - "The first human murder", the effect - the damage to people increased by 3%].

[1 common point and 5 history coins was received].

["Last Light" revolver`s mastery was increased by 0.1%].

< Just one point and 5 coins... well, in the future I will become stronger and be able to kill stronger opponents. With the history everything is clear, but what is the mastery of the weapon?> Stroph saw a new term and he had to learn what it exactly was.

[Each weapon has a mastery scale, it is filled in at killing with a certain weapon, or as in this situation, when contributing to the murder, when reaching 100% mastery it will be ???]

Stroph read everything several times and then nodded satisfactorily, the question marks didn`t embarrass him, he saw them not for the first time, and if the Bookmark did not say at once what would happen, then he had no chance to know it right now.

At the moment, when he wanted to check the maps again something strange happened. From the wreckage under which Julia's body was resting, a dark gray haze began to emerge, slowly merging into the "Snow White Darkness". And, when Stroph was about to ask what was happening a notification appeared in front of him.

[Mastery of the coat - "Snow White Darkness" was increased by 0%].

<А? Why zero? Is it some kind of error?> Stroph didn`t understand why for to show 0%.

[The values below 0.0001% are not shown, but you can see them if you want].

Stroph answered <Show it> without thinking.

[Okay, the mastery was increased by 0.000001%].

<Fuck... that's how much I have to kill to get at least 1%? > Stroph was terrified by the number he saw, it really wasn`t different from zero.

Having sorted out the system, he decided to ask the "Snow White Darkness" about it.

<Hey, what`s just happened?>

The answer sounded immediately: <Did you really think that the energy you saw in that room could only be obtained in a long and long time? Much faster and much more it can be obtained by killing other creatures, the more we kill, the more stronger I will become, however, if we limit ourselves with such speck of dust like this creature we will not have enough even eternity> Saying this, he pointed by one of the straps to the pile of rubble that covered Julia.

<Will I be able to learn using this dark energy? > Stroph was impressed when "Snow White Darkness" had changed the memory of three people in just 10 seconds.

<Yes ... it is not a problem ... I will teach you ... but such particles aren`t enough at all, the target was terribly weak.> In his creepy voice there were notes of sadness. Apparently, he was a little upset because the haul was so poor.

<So that's why it was so angry when it thought I wanted to spare this woman> Stroph was pleased with what he had heard and also understood the recent irritation of his companion.

"So... Where should we go?" Stroph mumbled something under his nose. Having checked the maps several times, he chose the path of his destination. It was the entrance to an abandoned subway and it was very close to their location, about a couple of hundred meters.

Before going to the abandoned subway he checked things in Julia's car, but found nothing interesting. He wanted to take the blades but he had only one cell of inventory, after thinking for a while he made a decision.

<Bookmark, how much is the 2nd and 3rd cells of the inventory?> He needed to increase his inventory, even if he had to pay.

[The 2nd cell - 2000 history coins, the 3rd cell - 4000 history coins, would you like to buy something?]

Stroph took a slight breath and said slowly: "Well, I guess I'll have to become poor again."