UNLOCK: I CAN SEE MY STATS

chapter 25 : kill or you’ll be killed

"Monster..."

Roa screamed loudly and ran in fear to the corner of the cell, staring at the strange creature that just moments ago had been a boy he thought was weak and easy to bully.

"The monster is you..."

Marcus cursed with a scowl, his yellow eyes with vertical reptilian pupils fixed on the terrified Roa.

The rough-voiced man spoke up mockingly.

"Kid, ignore him, he's just a little brat who’s never seen the world. Actually, in this part of the Open Sea, most people would think you're a monster... after all, users of rare powers are almost nonexistent here."

He paused, staring intently at the hybrid form Marcus had taken, which was now nearly three meters tall.

Tough, dark purple scales covered parts of Marcus’s body, his slim frame gained compressed muscle, his face remained the same except his fangs had grown longer, and his eyes changed to a frightening yellow with vertical pupils.

"But kid, you really surprised me... I didn’t expect you to be one of those Dreambringer users."

Marcus, who was staring at his left clawed hand, lifted his head and looked at the man, startled by his words.

"Hmm... actually, that’s a perfect cover for owning this mysterious bracelet..."

Marcus thought quickly, choosing to play the role of a rare energy user. He opened his mouth and asked curiously.

"Old man, do you know about these energies? You're not from this archipelago, are you...?"

The man who looked to be in his forties shook his head and spoke while smiling, as if recalling something pleasant.

"Hmm, my name’s Elia. I’m from the Open Sea, born and raised. But because of my work in a transport company, I got to travel to many places... including the famous Deep Sea, where there's a decent number of people with strange powers."

Elia looked closely at Marcus’s hybrid form and spoke with an expert tone, "Judging by your current form, I’d say you awakened a transformation-type power..."

Marcus nodded.

"Aside from losing natural balance in water... I’d say you’re lucky, kid..."

He added bitterly, pointing to himself.

"At least you’ve got some strength to protect yourself, unlike this old man. If I weren’t so weak, I wouldn’t have fallen into the hands of these slavers..."

He sighed. "Do you know that inherited energies can be worth millions of silver coins..."

Elia stared at Marcus, who looked bored with his rambling, and asked curiously.

"Anyway, since you’re an energy user, you must be strong. So how did you end up in their hands?"

Marcus shot Elia a dark look, ignored Roa who was still trembling in fear of being killed, and turned to face the metal bars.

He looked at his left claw, then tried to cut through the bars.

Diiing!

A screeching noise sounded and some sparks flew, but aside from slight scratches, nothing happened.

"These claws aren’t sharp enough to cut metal..." he muttered bitterly.

Then he moved to the cell door and grabbed the metal lock that kept it shut.

Marcus gritted his teeth and with all his strength tried to break or at least force it open.

Kraang!

Luckily, he was strong enough, or maybe the lock was just poor quality, but who cared?

He pushed the door open and then looked back, specifically at Elia who stood up, a happy expression spreading across his pale face. Finally seeing freedom after such long despair, his mind raced to thoughts of family until Marcus’s odd voice snapped him out of it.

"Can you help me free the others? I think the cage keys are somewhere around here..." he requested in a rough voice altered by his transformation.

Elia showed no objection. In situations like this, people were selfish, but Marcus added,

"In return, I’ll make sure the people upstairs never see daylight again..."

Then he left immediately after saying that, quickly climbed upward, and pushed open the hatch. The sounds of fighting grew louder.

He ducked out and saw the horrific scene of mangled corpses everywhere. Because of his recent experience with the Promised elites, his resolve had hardened, he didn’t vomit or tremble.

"Tch, they’re killing each other like animals..."

He muttered with a scowl, then grabbed a short sword lying near a corpse, whether it was a slaver or mercenary, he didn’t care.

He gripped it tightly despite his hand trembling, realizing he was about to kill humans.

He couldn’t help but remember what his father once told him after he crushed some ants.

"Remember Marcus, never take the life of another. Every soul is precious... but if you ever find yourself in danger... forget everything I’ve said, because if you don’t kill, you’ll be killed."

"If you don’t kill, you’ll be killed..."

Marcus repeated the sentence several times, took a deep breath, and his eyes grew more determined.

He gripped the sword even harder, then charged at the mercenaries and traders locked in battle. Some of them stopped when they noticed the frightening monster.

Kraak!

The wooden deck cracked beneath his feet from the sheer force of his launch. In his hybrid state, he was hundreds of times stronger and faster. He reached his first target in an instant. Without hesitation, he swung his sword at the neck.

But the pirate stumbled in fear, so Marcus’s slash cut through his skull in a gruesome scene that exposed his fragile brain.

"Damn..." he cursed, but moved again. The fight had started, or more precisely, it was a one-sided massacre.

Bang!

His sixth sense flared. He dodged to the side and heard a whistle pass where he’d been.

"Damn, a sniper!" he cursed, spotting the sniper positioned atop the ship’s mast, who reloaded his rifle and aimed.

"Haah, this is dangerous, I’m not sure I can take a bullet..." Marcus whispered as he dodged shots, relying on his senses.

He swung his sword and cut off the head of a man who had attacked from behind. He looked around. Only four remained on the deck. As for the other ship, the sniper was alone up there, though maybe there were more inside.

Bang!

He avoided another bullet, but behind him was a man with a small pistol. Despite sensing the danger, he couldn’t dodge in time.

Ding!

A metallic sound rang out as the bullet struck his waist.

"Aagh, that hurts..." he cursed, glaring at the man who, despite his fear, fired again.

Bang... bang... bang!

Then he stopped, or rather, ran out of bullets. He started reloading, but when he lifted his eyes he found a monster panting blood right in front of him.

"Are you a pirate or a trader...?" Marcus asked.

"T... trader..." he stammered.

Marcus raised his blood-stained sword, muttered softly, then shouted,

"Then go to hell..."

"No wait I’m a pira..." but his head fell before he could finish.

"Same difference..." Marcus muttered sarcastically, then dropped the sword, pulled the bullet from his waist, and tossed it aside.

"At least this proves a small gun doesn’t kill me outright, though it sure hurts..."

He picked up a cannonball near a shattered cannon, turned, and stared at the sniper on the other ship. He whispered,

"Now... let’s deal with this nuisance."