As Erik ascended the stairs, a sudden noise jolted him from his thoughts. It was a soft sound, almost indistinguishable from the ambient noises of the slums, but to Erik's finely tuned senses, it was as clear as a bell.
He stopped in his tracks, heart pounding, and peered cautiously around a corner to identify the source of the disturbance.
To his surprise, he found Rebecca standing there, her eyes wide with curiosity and her posture tense. Erik quickly stopped channeling mana through the Chameleon Veil's neural links, allowing his form to become fully visible once more. He stepped out from behind the door, his expression a mixture of relief and curiosity, and showed himself to the woman.
"Rebecca? What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice betraying a hint of frustration. This was not part of the plan, and Erik was not one to appreciate surprises in the middle of a delicate operation.
Rebecca's face flushed slightly, and she looked down momentarily before meeting Erik's gaze.
"The owner went to a garage and took a car," she explained, her voice tinged with disappointment. "I couldn't possibly follow him, so I came back here. I thought you might need help."
Erik's annoyance softened at her explanation, and he nodded, understanding her reasoning. "Did you find anything useful?" she asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.
Erik's lips curved into a thin smile as he recounted his discoveries. "I found a secret lab under the building," he said, his voice low and serious. "And I took every document from there. They might hold valuable information about Catrina's whereabouts or her ties to this whole mess."
"Good job!" Rebecca exclaimed, her eyes widening with excitement. She seemed genuinely impressed, but her enthusiasm quickly gave way to curiosity. "But how did you manage to enter inside the shop?" she asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Erik's smile turned down; of course, it was hidden behind his mask, so she couldn't see it. He shook his head, a finger raised to his lips. "That's a secret," he replied, his tone teasing but firm. "Every mercenary has a hidden ace up his sleeve. Some things are better left unsaid."
Rebecca looked at him for a moment, her eyes searching his masked face, but she seemed to understand that he was not going to reveal his methods. She sighed and nodded, a smile tugging at her lips. "Fair enough," she said, her voice filled with a mixture of respect and amusement. "I guess I'll have to accept that."
Erik's smile widened, and he clapped her on the shoulder, a gesture of camaraderie and trust. "Let's get out of here," he said.
Rebecca's face lit up at his words, and she nodded, her expression filled with determination. "Yes, let's go," she said, her voice filled with resolve.
However, as Erik and Rebecca turned to leave, an unexpected sound froze them in their tracks. The shop owner had returned, his face contorted in surprise and rage as he took in the scene before him.
He must have forgotten something in the shop and come back to retrieve it, only to find two intruders in his domain.
"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" he roared, his voice filled with fury and shock. His eyes locked on Rebecca, the closest one to the door, and without a moment's hesitation, he charged at her, his body a lethal weapon of anger and strength.
Rebecca's reaction was immediate and graceful. With a quick somersault, she avoided the man's lunge, her body twisting in the air as she unsheathed a sword in one fluid motion. Her eyes narrowed, and her stance shifted into a defensive position as she faced her attacker.
The shop owner was not to be outdone. With a snarl, he drew his own blade, his eyes wild with anger. But he was outnumbered, and Erik was not one to stand idly by while his partner faced danger alone.
<Analysis.>
_____________________________
Name: Unknown
-Brain Crystal Power: Mana Poison. The man's Brain crystal power allows the man to create poisonous mana that he can use to coat items to fight.
-Physical Characteristics:
Size: 1.8 meters tall. Lean build.
Age: 57
Hair: Bald, brown to the sides.
Eyes: Brown
[Attributes]
-STRENGTH: 63
-INTELLIGENCE: 20
-DEXTERITY: 52
-ENERGY: 295
[Others]
-Power Level: 194
-Brain Crystal Rank: Cξ3E
-Estimated Experience by killing him: 2
_____________________________
<Bald fucker. He is only a Cξ3E and he dares to attack us…>
Erik and Rebecca circled the shop owner. The young man's eyes narrowed as he observed the man move against Rebecca while she gracefully, as a dancer, avoided the owner's lunges and parries, her strength equal to that of a 57-year-old man. That alone was impressive since Rebecca was only 17, and she was already on par with a ξ3-ranked fighter.
The woman knew Erik was stronger than her, based on what she knew about the young man, but she didn't know how much stronger he really was.
With a swift movement, Erik led the offensive, aiming a punch at the man's face, he didn't even need to take his weapon or use his brain crystal powers.
The shop owner didn't even have time to react when Erik's fist collided with his face and he fell to the ground unconscious.
"Are you ok?" Erik asked Rebecca, who looked at him as if he was a monster.
"How did you do that?" She asked.
"What do you mean how? I punched him," he sarcastically replied.
"Not that. How were you able to go that fast?" she asked inquisitively.
"My brain crystal power, of course."
"But I didn't feel mana coming from you," she replied. She wasn't stupid.
"I'm good at managing mana, but aside from that I think you simply didn't notice."
Rebecca immediately understood Erik didn't want to talk about that, so she refrained from saying anything else.
She then looked at the unconscious man. "What do we do about him? If he really is implicated in all of this he will surely call the target."
"Let's call Ms. Bannon; she can for sure take care of him," Erik firmly replied.
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