For the next month, Victor followed his daily routine. Every morning, he woke up and trained until his muscles burned.
Once he recovered his energy, he went out to scavenge for his daily bread.
Because the resources near the Inner Area were so rich, the competition was intense.
Victor got into multiple fights with many scavengers. He had obtained many talents, but sadly, they were only of white quality.
One afternoon, while Victor was scavenging, his instincts suddenly screamed a warning.
Without a second thought, he lunged away from his spot.
A heavy metal object crashed exactly where he had been standing. Victor looked up and saw two people hiding in the scrap above.
"Karu, looks like the kid noticed us," one of them said.
Karu, standing beside him, shrugged. "Don't worry, Gaffer. Since he saw us, we don't need to sneak around. We'll just take him out now."
Gaffer looked worried. "Too many strange kids have been showing up in this area lately."
Karu looked at Gaffer with disdain. "You worry too much. I know the faces of the dangerous ones, and this kid isn't one of them."
With that, Karu leaped down to attack. Gaffer hesitated for a moment but followed close behind. The two of them moved in, trapping Victor in a pincer position.
Seeing that the two of them were attacking in a pincer position, Victor pulled out his knife and shifted into a defensive pose.
Seeing Victor ready to fight, Gaffer also pulled out a knife and sneered, "Do you think you're the only one with a blade, brat?"
"Gaffer, finish him!" Karu shouted, lunging his metal rod in a sudden thrust toward Victor.
Victor saw the rod coming and dodged quickly, letting the cold iron strike only the air. Seeing an opening, Gaffer moved into Victor's blind spot and stabbed at his ribs. "Got you!" he hissed.
Victor's instincts screamed a warning. He threw up his left arm to block the blade. The knife sliced into his flesh but got stuck, held in place by his [Robust Constitution].
Despite the intense pain, Victor didn't miss his chance. He lashed out, slashing his own knife across Gaffer's wrist.
The move was so unexpected that Gaffer couldn't block it. As the blade bit into his skin, the pain forced him to let go. His knife remained wedged in Victor's arm.
Taking advantage of Gaffer's shock, Victor slammed his forehead into the man's nose.
Gaffer couldn't dodge. His nose shattered, and blood spurted across the ground as he collapsed, unconscious.
Victor immediately turned his focus to Karu. Seeing his partner down and Victor's cold gaze on him, Karu dropped his rod and turned to run.
Victor didn't let him get far. He gripped his knife and threw it with all his strength.
The blade flew , burying itself in Karu's neck. He dropped instantly.
Victor walked over to the fallen Karu and finished him, before returning to do the same to the unconscious Gaffer.
He looked at the knife Gaffer had used. He picked it up and hid it on his body.
After finishing both of them, Victor received a notification only he could see.
[Dirty Fighting (White)] x2 acquired.[Brute Force (White)] x2 acquired.[Gutter's Edge (Green)] acquired.
Seeing a new talent, Victor opened his status panel to check.
Name: Victor Kross
Age: 12
Talents:
Green : Nen Aptitude: Natural Talent, Brawler's Instinct, Wasteland Adaptation, Robust Constitution, Gutter's Edge.
White : Brute Force [10/10], Vulture's Instinct [5/10], Dirty Fighting [5/10], Scavenger, Pain Tolerance, Language Comprehension [1/10], Iron Gut.
Victor finally smiled as he saw his list of green talents growing. He focused on the new one
Gutter's Edge (Green)
Description: Look at you, finally realizing a knife isn't a spoon. Your stabs and throws now actually hit vitals instead of thin air. You're basically a surgeon of the sewers. Just don't get cocky; knowing where a heart is doesn't help if you're too slow to reach it.
Victor pulled out his knife. Suddenly, he remembered all the mistakes he had made during the fight. If he had possessed this talent earlier, his left hand might not have been injured.
He looked at his panel again and noticed he had finally amassed enough fragments for more fusions.
[Impact Convergence (Green)]
5 x [Brute Force] + 5 x [Vulture's Instinct]
Description: You've focused your meat-headed swinging into a single point. It's surgical, efficient, and almost makes up for your lack of actual technique. Try not to shatter your knuckles on anything smarter than you.
[Explosive Propulsion (Green)]
Fusion Recipe: 5x [Brute Force] + [Dirty Fighting]
Description: You've weaponized your lack of dignity to cheat physics. By detonating your own momentum, you can launch yourself like a faulty firework. A great way to reach the scene of your death at high velocity.
"Fuse" Victor said in his mind.
A stinging heat ignited deep within his marrow, surging through his legs and shoulders. It felt as if his muscle fibers were being unspun and braided back together into tight steel cables.
As Explosive Propulsion kicked in, his legs felt tight and full of pressure, like a coiled spring ready to snap. He had so much restless energy that he felt like he would explode if he didn't move.
At the same time, Impact Convergence made his joints feel locked and solid. His hips, back, and knuckles felt heavier and more connected. His body was no longer made of loose parts; it felt like a single, strong bar of iron.
After two minutes, the sensation faded. Victor checked his body and realized he could now cover short distances instantly and strike with his full body weight behind every blow.
After that, Victor checked the injury on his left hand. Although the bleeding had stopped thanks to his talent, the wound was still fresh and painful. He pulled out a relatively clean cloth and wrapped it tightly around his arm.
Once he finished, Victor started the walk back to his hideout to rest and recover. After walking for fifteen minutes, he reached his hideout, only to see a muscular man standing right outside the entrance of his hideout.
Hearing Victor's footsteps, the man turned around and stared at him. "It took me more than a month to find you," the man said coldly. "You killed three of my men and ran from the outskirts all the way here."
Hearing this, Victor realized that the three people who had invaded his previous hideout were part of a gang and this man was likely their leader.
Suddenly, the man moved toward Victor with terrifying speed. Before Victor could even pull his knife, a punch was already flying at his chest.
Victor hastily raised his right arm to block, but as soon as the punch landed, he realized it was a feint. His instincts screamed, but he was too slow to react. A heavy fist slammed into his face.
The force sent Victor flying two meters through the air before he crashed into the dirt. Utilizing the distance, Victor quickly pulled his knife and forced himself to stand. However, his vision blurred, and his footing felt unsteady. He had suffered a mild concussion.
The Man walked forward calmly with a wide grin. "Looks like you've got a bit of a headache from that one," he mocked. "But you're tough to take my punch head-on, brat. I'll honor you with my name. I am Silas, leader of the Wolf Gang."
Silas narrowed his eyes. "One month ago, you killed three of my men. I'm here to harvest your life."
Silas attacked again. Victor knew this was the hardest opponent he had faced since transmigrating to this world. As Silas charged, Victor tried to stab him, but the blade only hit thin air. Silas moved like a ghost, appearing at Victor's side and kicking him hard in the ribs.
Victor flew another meter and crashed into a pile of garbage.
"You have good knife skills," Silas said, walking closer. "I would have recruited you if you hadn't killed my men."
Victor struggled to stand, but Silas didn't give him the chance. He began to kick Victor ruthlessly. To save his head, Victor covered it with both hands, taking the brutal hits to his arms and body.
Silas wore a sickening smile. "Don't worry, brat. I won't end this quickly. You made my men suffer, so I will return the favor before I finish you off."
Finally, Silas stopped the barrage of kicks. He looked around, spotted Victor's fallen knife, and his grin widened. He stepped toward the weapon, leaving Victor bruised and struggling on the ground.
Victor who was lying on the ground suddenly coughed, spitting a mouthful of blood.
Silas picked up the knife and walked back toward Victor. He stood over him, baring his teeth in a cruel grin. "You killed all three of them with this knife, righ...."
Before Silas could finish his sentence, a flash blurred through the air. His head was separated from his shoulders and dropped heavily to the ground. Victor, who had just delivered the fatal blow, also crashed to the earth, his body trembling from the strain.
One minute earlier:
While Silas was walking away to pick up Victor's knife, Victor had quietly pulled out the second knife the one he had looted from Gaffer and hidden it under his body.
Victor waited. He acted like a weak child so Silas would feel too safe and keep talking. The moment Silas got close enough, Using [Explosive Propulsion] at very close range, he moved so fast that Silas couldn't even blink.
Because they were so close and Silas was so sure he had already won, He couldn't react in time. Victor's knife cut through Silas's neck in one quick, smooth move.
From the beginning, Victor knew he could not win a fair fight. He hid his skills and acted like a weak kid to trick Silas. Because Victor looked like a helpless child, Silas was completely fooled.