Chapter 157: Taking Care Of Criminals
The Runic Chroma ink, a chaotic blend of shifting colors, flowed from Ethan’s wrist and spread outward from beneath his coat.
Two bowling ball-sized spheres of hardened ink took shape and shot forward toward the approaching gang members, striking both men directly on the head.
Both bodies crumpled to the ground, knocked unconscious instantly.
Inside the room, the rest of the gang members froze for a second, processing what they had just witnessed through the windows.
"What the hell was that?!" one of them shouted.
"He just dropped Ferg and Vin!" another yelled, scrambling backward.
In that exact moment, a massive ink ball the size of a person, bashed straight through the door, splintering it into pieces. The door frame shattered, and debris scattered across the floor.
Ethan walked inside calmly through the destroyed entrance, and right one person yelled, "Light him up!"
Several gang members didn’t hesitate to draw their guns as multiple gunshots rang out in rapid succession, all aimed directly at the half-masked figure.
However, every single bullet froze to a halt the moment they entered within a five-meter radius of Ethan.
This was the effect of the Stillbind spell, which sealed even the movement of fast-moving projectiles.
Ethan could have easily applied the Ars Levavius spell to reverse the trajectory of these bullets and send them straight back into the shooters.
But he hadn’t come here to spill their blood.
Instead, he simply let the bullets drop to the ground.
The ink that had been hovering by his side in the form of two large black spheres suddenly split apart into multiple smaller balls, each one about the size of a fist.
Then they shot forward at blinding speed toward every person in the room.
CRACK. THUMP. CRASH
The ink projectiles struck them in different places depending on where they stood. Some gang members were hit directly in the head and knocked out cold on impact.
Others got struck in the gut and were sent flying backward into walls or furniture. And a few sustained heavy wounds, crying out in pain as they collapsed.
Within seconds, the entire room had been cleared of conscious threats.
In that instant, a figure appeared in the doorway of an adjoining room.
He was massive, about six feet tall, with the unmistakable face of an orc. His skin was a dull green-gray, and his lower jaw jutted forward to reveal a row of devious-looking teeth that protruded upward like tusks. Strange metal piercings ran through his ears, nose, and eyebrows.
He wore a torn leather vest over a stained white tank top, with multiple chains hanging from his belt loops, and his arms were covered in crude tattoos of skulls and daggers.
This was Sharkteeth.
His face darkened into a furious frown as he took in the scene before him. His men were either unconscious or groaning in pain on the floor.
Without a word, Sharkteeth blitzed toward Ethan in one explosive dash, with his katana already drawn as he closed the distance in a second.
The attack came from Ethan’s right side in a straight-line thrust aimed directly at his torso.
But instead of turning to face the swordsman immediately, Ethan simply took a single step backward and the blade thrust passed harmlessly through the space where his body had been.
Being able to channel up to 70% battle aura now put his perception and reflexes as a saber at such a heightened level that he barely had to look at anything coming his way.
His body moved on instinct, reading the trajectory of the attack before it fully committed.
Sharkteeth’s momentum carried him forward slightly past Ethan’s position, then he quickly pivoted on his back foot, repositioning his entire body to face Ethan again while simultaneously raising his katana overhead in preparation for a downward slash.
But Ethan was much quicker.
His left hand shot out and caught Sharkteeth’s wrist mid-swing, stopping the blade before it could fully descend. The orc’s eyes widened in shock at the iron grip holding him in place.
Then Ethan rammed his right clenched fist directly into Sharkteeth’s gut, three times in rapid succession.
The first punch lifted Sharkteeth’s feet off the ground, and his body jerked upward as the air was driven out of his lungs in a single violent exhale.
In a split second, before gravity could pull him back down, Ethan’s fist struck again in the exact same spot.
And the punch sent him even higher, his feet now a full meter off the floor, with blood and spit flying from Sharkteeth’s mouth as his eyes bulged.
Then the third and final punch came with a bit more extra strength added to behind it.
CRACK.
Sharkteeth’s entire body was launched upward like a rocket, slamming into the ceiling above with such devastating force that his body frame carved directly into the plaster. Cracks spread outward from the impact point, and chunks of debris rained down.
For a moment, Sharkteeth’s body was embedded in the ceiling itself, then slowly his limp form fell back toward the floor.
But before he could hit the ground, Ethan’s hand shot out and caught him by the neck, holding the massive orc up with one hand, and suspending him in the air effortlessly.
Over the last month, Ethan had opened two more meridians as a warrior, bringing his total to four.
The strength boost from having four meridians active simultaneously was staggering, even without having to use any further enhancements.
There was no need for identification. The captured goblin had already given Ethan a detailed description of their boss, and this orc matched it perfectly.
"You’ve been diverting Clustervayne’s permits," Ethan said in a cold voice behind the mask. "Give me a name. Who’s putting you up to it?"
The orc struggled to speak through the grievous wounds and the blood trickling from his split forehead. His breathing was ragged, and his voice came out in a hoarse, broken whisper.
"Harold... Lowther..."
It sounded like a whisper on the verge of fading entirely, but due to Ethan’s enhanced hearing, he didn’t have to strain to catch the name.
In the next instant, Ethan released his grip.
WHOOSH.
He blurred out of the room in a burst of speed, leaving Sharkteeth to crash onto the broken table behind him.
Ethan had just climbed into his vintage sedan and closed the door as head tilted back slightly on the headrest.
He removed the mask, closing his eyes for a moment as he let out a sigh.
Reward screens appeared before his vision, and his head came back down. The reddish-amber glow from earlier had vanished from his eyes as he stared at the screens
[You have completed self-imposed objectives]
[-Discovered the identity of the one diverting Clustervayne’s permits: +4,000 XP]
[-Dealt with the Fallen Vipers gang without causing fatalities: +5,000 XP]
[Total XP Gained: 9,000]
[Experience Points Balance: 300,000]
Ethan stared at the total for a moment, then a small smile appeared on his face.
This was what he had been grinding for over the last month.
"I’m ready for another mass advancement," he muttered to himself.
Then another notification appeared.
[The System has granted you a Special Reward]
Ethan’s expression became less enthusiastic. "Is this another summon?" he asked, not sounding particularly excited about the prospect.
[Special Reward - Culling Rite]
[Culling Rite - This perk allows you to sacrifice summons to increase the potential rating of another summon]
[Warning: Sacrificed Summons cannot be re-contracted, except when all key fragments are acquired]
Ethan’s eyes widened just a bit as he read that line. Then his mind immediately went to a few of the fodder summons he had never really found use for, then he smiled again.