After calming down, Ângelo finally lowered his voice. He couldn't afford to be that loud.
Quickly, he checked the window, making sure there were no other goblins. The streets were empty, so he was in the clear, for now.
It didn't mean those were the last ones in the neighborhood, but he was safe for now.
Looking back at the room, it hit him. He had taken another life, without a shred of hesitation.
There was a strange feeling that took over his body, a good one. No, he wasn't some sadistic psycho, this was different. Like sipping a good coffee, energy filled his body, making him want to move around.
"Is this somehow related to my Tale?..." It still felt strange saying it so naturally.
It was a good theory. He couldn't be sure, but being full of energy after killing a creature surely was not normal.
"I can't really confirm anything either." Ângelo let out a sigh. Even if he had theories, there was no way to be sure.
Walking up to the bleach bottle, he picked it up, throwing it out the window. The smell really made his head spin and, oh well, making more noise wouldn't matter after the ruckus he caused.
Now, he was left with a room filled with bodies. Their smell was not that good, but at least the chemicals masked it.
One by one, he searched them thoroughly. They didn't have much, but the two knives and the short bow were nice, even if they looked like toys.
Grabbing the quiver from the goblin's back, it had ten arrows, eleven with the one he hadn't shot. Without wasting time, he put it on.
Nodding, Ângelo also grabbed both knives, putting one in each pocket. They were smaller, easier to hide.
A fleeting thought did cross his mind about eating the goblins but... He wasn't that desperate for food.
"Are those even edible?" Ângelo let out a faint laugh.
Well, now, there was only the rest of the house... And the neighborhood.
...
The sun was shyly making its way down the horizon, shadows creeping in from buildings covering the street. Soon, creatures would step out of their hiding places.
Closing the gate, Ângelo felt at least somewhat safe, the key clicking in the lock before he turned his back to the wall.
He was back home, well, his home now. Both his bags and pockets were packed full after exploring around the neighboring buildings.
"Such bad luck..."
The bulk of the loot was food and water. There were also some useful tools and amenities, like toilet paper. In the end, he found what he was looking for. But Ângelo did "waste" a day, since most of the buildings were empty...
He was happy no monster appeared after the first group, grateful even. Even still, there was something bugging him.
"I could have been seen and not noticed..." Ângelo gulped, that sent chills down his spine. "Let's hope not." Putting those thoughts aside, he quickly made his way inside the house, closing the door.
Now, there was only one thing to do.
Pushing a couch against the door, Ângelo made sure it would be difficult to open. He pondered placing more things on top of it, but that would make it bothersome to open later.
Going to the kitchen, Ângelo put the bags down, opening both of them.
Storing everything neatly, his resources were quickly organized. He didn't have time to check the water supply on top of the house, another thing to do tomorrow.
Now came the time to organize his belongings.
Blades, a bow, some building tools. It wasn't much, but there was an outlier.
Shining in the dim light coming from outside the room, Ângelo had an axe in hand. He had found this beauty inside someone's room, better not to question why it was there.
All in all, he had the tools he needed to fortify his base and defend himself, but...
Why would he bother?
Ângelo didn't plan to stay there at all, it wasn't the safest place. He wanted a sturdier home, maybe some type of warehouse or skyscraper.
"I also have to find more people..." It wasn't his first priority, but it was on the to-do list. Humans were social animals, being alone for too long could wither his mind.
He was fine for now, Ângelo never considered himself an extrovert. But in time, even his will could be watered down by loneliness.
There was also the Tale. He didn't know anything about it, nor did he know how it worked. For now, all he could do was survive normally. It wouldn't bring much thinking about that floating screen.
"Unless... System?" He waited some time.
Well, it was worth a sho—
[ Opening... ]
With a jolt of golden light, a golden interface soon opened in front of him, making Ângelo jump back.
[ A tale about survival ]
Name - Ângelo
Race - Reborn
Class - Survivor
Title - The One That Defied Death
Talent - Mediocre, but is that really it?
Trait - Innate Instinct
Ordeal - No More Luck
[ "One's worth is measured in feats" ]
It was the same screen as before, nothing had changed.
"At least I'm not hallucinating... I think." Ângelo said with a hollow laugh. Looking at the interface, he scratched his head.
Now what?
Ângelo went through all the options again, reading them carefully. He didn't have the time to check it all out, but now? Time was on his side.
Getting a better picture, he could now see why his body was different, somewhat. This also explained why it was easier killing and defending himself.
"It probably has something to do with instinct... But I can't really trust that." Ângelo sat on a chair, placing a hand on his chin.
Was that really it? He couldn't do more with this system?
He pondered, but then, an idea appeared in his head. It looked like a screen, so maybe...
He swiped it to the left, making the contents of the system change. Now, it was like some sort of ranking, but all the spots were empty.
[ No legend has been carved in the hall of myths ]
[ Not enough Karma has been saved up to open the hub ]
Right, this was new but didn't say much. More words he didn't recognize were thrown his way, and again, it didn't seem to have any practical use.
"Jeez... No status window, no shop, no inventory... You're the bare minimum, huh?" Ângelo commented with a frown, clearly annoyed.
This system seemed to have given him some supernatural abilities, but that's about it.
For now, there wasn't much more Ângelo could gain from using it.
Sighing, he swiped down, making the screen vanish again. Getting up, Ângelo got close to the window, looking at the sky.
The sun was setting, soon, there would be no light for him to see. Darkness was scary, Ângelo couldn't grasp what lurked there.
"Bigger monsters, probably." The rays of light grew fainter by the minute. "I have ten... Maybe fifteen before it's dark."
Well, all he could do was at least prepare for tomorrow.
Grabbing his staff, Ângelo took some tools along, making his way to the bedroom. Closing the door, he sat down on the floor, holding a knife in hand.
Slowly but surely, he started carving away at the wood. Light faintly vanished, soon, there was only darkness, the sounds of the blade chipping away at wood being the only thing filling the room.
It took some time, but it was finished. Crude and improvised, but now, he had a spear.
Outside, Ângelo could hear sounds he didn't want to hear. Inhuman screams and howls that made his skin crawl.
"It's more precise to call it a long stake, but yeah." Ângelo said, feeling the point, satisfied with his own work.
He had never done something like this, so being successful made him smile. He often thought happiness was in the small victories.
Sighing, the only thing left was going to sleep. Ângelo was not comfortable, but there was nothing more he could do.
Getting a good night of sleep would be great, if that was even possible.
Placing the spear by the bed, Ângelo laid down, facing the pauldron he had brought along.
He hadn't used it at all...
"It's useless, isn't it?..." With a hollow laugh, Ângelo closed his eyes, starting a silent prayer.
There was no way to know if his prayers would reach something, but... It helped calm his mind. Without realizing it, he quickly fell asleep.
Not even catching wind of the eyes in the corner of the room.