The God-Level Scavenger

Turning the Tables

The bright beam of a flashlight cut through the dark cave, splashing directly across my face.

I stood perfectly still in the middle of the broken rocks, holding Amina’s crushed letter tight in my left fist. In my right hand, the heavy dragon scale blade rested against my leg. My heart beat steady and slow. The fear that usually made my knees shake whenever these guild guards walked by was completely gone.

"What the look at that," the first guard said, stopping in his tracks.

The two men wore the thick leather armor of Tariq's private family guild. They were D-rank fighters, the kind of mid-level bullies who took pleasure in forcing poor sector workers to give up their daily food coins. The guard on the left had a heavy metal club on his shoulder, while the one on the right held a long steel spear.

They looked past me, their flashlights moving over the giant pile of dusty bones where the skeleton boss used to be. Then they looked at the dead Shadow Wolf lying in a pool of dark liquid nearby.

"How are you still breathing, garbage boy?" the second guard asked, his eyes widening. "And where did you get that sword?"

I did not answer them. My mind was focused entirely on Amina’s letter. She was trapped in the inner city with Tariq, acting like a traitor just to keep my family from being wiped out by the high-ranking guilds. Every second I wasted standing in this hole was a second she spent in absolute danger.

"I asked you a question, loser," the first guard said, stepping forward. He lifted his heavy metal club, his face twisting into an ugly expression. "It does not matter how you survived the wolf. We are here to finish the job anyway."

He swung the metal club straight at my ribs.

A few hours ago, his speed would have been too fast for my eyes to follow. But now, with my agility points boosted to forty-seven, his movements looked like they were happening underwater. I stepped to the side by a few inches, and the heavy club passed by my shirt, hitting nothing but empty air.

Before the guard could pull his weapon back, I thrust my elbow straight into his chest.

A loud thud echoed through the stone room. The force of my new strength sent the large man flying backward. He crashed into the stone wall of the cave, dropping his club as he slid down onto the dirt, gasping for air.

The second guard froze, his mouth falling open. "What kind of magic is this? You are an F-rank trash collector!"

He lunged forward in a panic, thrusting his steel spear toward my throat.

I did not use my sword. I reached out with my bare left hand, grabbed the metal shaft of the moving spear, and pulled it hard toward me. The guard was dragged forward by his own momentum. I used my right hand to strike the side of his neck with the flat side of my dragon blade.

The man dropped to his knees instantly, his eyes rolling back before he tumbled sideways into the mud, completely knocked out.

The first guard was still on the floor, coughing and trying to reach for a small black radio attached to his belt.

I walked over slowly, my heavy boots clicking against the stones. I placed the tip of my dark dragon blade right against his throat, just close enough to touch his skin.

"Touch that radio, and you will never move your hand again," I said. My voice sounded deeper, calmer, and colder than it ever had before.

The guard stopped moving immediately. His hands began to shake, and he looked up at me with absolute terror in his eyes. "Please... Kofi... we were just following orders. Young Master Tariq told us to do it. He said if we did not bring proof of your death, he would kick us out of the guild."

"Tell me about Amina," I demanded, leaning closer. "What is Tariq doing with her right now?"

"She... she is at the central estate," the guard stammered, his teeth clicking together. "They are planning a big binding ceremony next week to join their family powers. Tariq is keeping her close because her light magic makes his fire skills twice as strong. He does not let her leave his sight!"

My grip tightened on the hilt of my sword. She was a prisoner in a golden cage, using her mind to stall for time while I grew stronger.

"Give me the radio," I said.

The guard quickly unclipped the communication device and handed it over with trembling fingers. I took it, along with the keys to their armored truck.

I reached down and touched the guard's shoulder.

[Activating SSS-Class Extraction System.]

[Target is alive. Extracting non-lethal attributes...]

[Extracting Skill: Iron Skin (Rank D). User defense increased by 10 points.]

[Extracting Agility. Agility increased by 4 points.]

A faint light passed from his body into mine. The guard gasped, suddenly looking pale and weak, as if he had just run a marathon. He rolled over, fainting from the sudden loss of energy.

I held the small black radio up to my ear. Suddenly, the device static-hissed, and a familiar, arrogant voice came through the speaker.

"Hey, idiots," Tariq’s voice spoke from the radio. "Is the trash boy dead yet? Bring his torn shirt back to the hall. Amina is sitting right next to me, and I want to show her what happens to people who try to touch my things."

I looked down at the radio, my thumb pressing the talk button.

"Tariq," I said directly into the microphone.

The speaker went completely silent on the other end. I could hear the faint sound of music from the inner city party in the background before the music suddenly stopped.

"Kofi?" Tariq’s voice came back, sounding completely shocked. "How are you speaking on this channel?

"Tell your father's guards to stay away from the slum sector," I said, my voice steady. "Because I am coming out of this hole, and I am coming for everything you own."

Before he could answer, a loud, high-pitched alarm started blaring from the radio. At the exact same time, a red light began to flash on the cave ceiling near the iron gate. A heavy steel emergency barrier began to slide down from the rock above, sealing the entrance completely.

Tariq laughed over the speaker, his voice full of sudden madness. "You think you are tough because you survived some ants? I just locked the entire sector gate from the central tower. You are buried alive, trash boy."