They were currently in the hotel, inside their room, with the door closed and the curtains drawn, prepared to review everything Liam had obtained from the mission and from killing Art the Clown. The silence was comfortable, broken only by the low hum of the air conditioner and the heavy fatigue that lingered in the air.
They had decided it was better to look for the Shine user tomorrow; they were already too tired after the last fight of the day, and they preferred to rest in case the Shine user turned out to be dangerous. Being fully recovered could make all the difference.
Liam sat on the edge of the bed and, taking a deep breath, selected the mission reward without hesitating any longer, his gaze firm and focused.
[CLAIM YOUR REWARD]
In the next instant, a skill appeared before his eyes, causing Liam to raise his eyebrows with a clear expression of surprise as he leaned slightly forward, as if to make sure he was seeing it correctly.
[Abnormal Resistance]
This skill was the second best one Art the Clown had. From firsthand experience, Liam had seen how Art reacted very little to pain and fought as if his muscles, tendons, and everything else were not damaged, even when they clearly were.
Liam recalled every movement the clown had made during the fight, mentally analyzing the skill. He could tell that Art did feel pain, but as long as he could endure it, this ability allowed him to fight as if his body were unharmed. To Liam, this skill was necessary for Minor Immortality to be truly functional, because even if he couldn't die, if his brain were damaged he wouldn't die—but he would fall into a coma, since the brain controls the body and all its functions. In the end, that immortality did not come with regeneration.
Likewise, if important tendons or muscles were severed, he would lose part or all of the mobility in the affected area. Now, with this skill, that wouldn't be a problem as long as he could endure the pain.
Liam couldn't help but smile with clear happiness upon obtaining this skill; his breathing quickened slightly with excitement. Now, if he also obtained the Minor Immortality skill from killing Art the Clown, it would be perfect.
With that, Liam opened the system to see what his new abilities were, straightening his back and focusing completely.
[ENTITY DEVOURING SYSTEM]
Host: Liam
Age: 15 years
[SKILLS]
OBSERVATION [LVL 1]
PROTECTION OF MEMORIES [LVL MAX]
PSYCHIC SENSITIVITY [LVL 1]
TELEPATHY [LVL 1]
DREAM DOMINION [LVL 1]
[ABNORMAL RESISTANCE] [LVL 1]
[MINOR IMMORTALITY] [LVL 1]
[SYSTEM SYNCHRONIZATION 28%]
[MISSIONS]
[GUIDE]
"Yes!" Liam couldn't help but shout happily when he saw Minor Immortality among his abilities, clenching his fist tightly as a wide smile spread across his face. With these two new skills, he no longer had to worry as much about dying easily with the kind of enemies that could exist in such a chaotic world.
He also noticed that his synchronization had increased to 28%. It wasn't much, but Liam appreciated every bit of progress; he knew that now that he would start actively hunting, it wouldn't take long to obtain another upgrade.
[MINOR IMMORTALITY] [LVL 1]: Cannot die unless decapitated.
[ABNORMAL RESISTANCE] [LVL 1]: Can ignore damage and move as if unharmed.
Liam carefully reviewed the new abilities, reading each line to see if anything had changed or if there were any additional effects, but to his relief, they were exactly the same as when he had seen them on Art the Clown. He knew that when the system granted a skill, it was usually weakened, but it seemed that only happened when the skill was too powerful and the system was not yet capable of copying it at the level of its original user.
Liam believed that would change as synchronization increased; just imagining what kind of improvements he would gain at 100% filled him with impatience and anticipation.
With that, Liam went to sleep. He lay down slowly, finally allowing the exhaustion to catch up to him. He was still drained from everything that had happened that day; without a doubt, it had been the hardest day since he had this new life.
…
On the second day, Liam and Carrie were walking through this new town, moving along the quiet sidewalks as they searched for the Shine user. The sun was high in the sky, illuminating the streets and giving the feeling that it was a good day—almost deceptively normal.
"Over there." Liam said as he sensed the Shine user within the range of his ability, slightly turning his head and indicating the direction with his gaze.
"Mmm." Carrie nodded as she took Liam's hand, interlacing her fingers with his naturally as they walked together.
After a few minutes of walking, they found themselves in front of a middle school. The distant sound of voices and footsteps echoed faintly from inside the building. Just by seeing it, they already knew that the Shine user wouldn't be something malicious like the psychic vampires. They decided to wait for the person to leave the school, more out of curiosity than necessity, wanting to see the Shine user with their own eyes.
They spent an hour sitting in front of the school, resting on a concrete bench under the shade of a tree. During that time, they barely spoke; the distant sound of classes ending and the murmur of the building filled the atmosphere. Finally, the bell rang, and students began to leave the school in small groups, laughing, talking, or looking at their phones.
They watched the students come out one by one until Liam, with just a glance through the crowd, knew who the Shine user was. His gaze locked onto her immediately, as if something invisible were pulling his attention.
She was with what seemed to be her friends, and one of them was Allie, the girl they had saved the day before. Allie recognized them as well; her eyes widened slightly when she saw them, and after saying something quickly to her friends, she began approaching them along with the others.
Out of curiosity, and with a focused expression, Liam used Observation on the Shine user.
[Sienna Shaw]
Titles: ?????
[ABILITIES]
[DEMONIC SENSE]: Can sense when beings related to demons or demons themselves are nearby. (This can manifest through dreams or as a feeling that something is wrong).
[High-Speed Regeneration] [Locked]: Allows regeneration from fatal injuries within minutes.
[Power Channeling] [Locked]: Can channel the Shine into a weapon to deal additional damage to demonic beings.
Liam couldn't help but be surprised by those abilities; his expression became serious and analytical. They were all very strong and clearly specialized for fighting demons—something rare even among Shine users.
"Hi, did you come looking for me?" Allie asked as she reached where Liam and Carrie were sitting, tilting her head slightly with curiosity.
"Hi, we didn't come for your friend." Liam replied, pointing clearly at Sienna.
That surprised the group of three girls; they looked at each other in confusion, since they had assumed Liam had come for Allie, the one she had told them about being saved the night before.
"Why are you looking for me?" Sienna asked doubtfully, lightly crossing her arms in a defensive posture.
Liam looked at her silently for a moment before responding, evaluating her reaction. "You have the Shine, just like my girlfriend Carrie." As he said that, he pointed at Carrie, who greeted them with a calm smile and gently waved her hand. "Have you felt that something strange has been happening these past few days?" Liam asked.
"What Shine are you talking about? I'm just a normal girl, I don't have anything strange." Sienna couldn't help but become defensive upon being told she had something she didn't understand; her voice sounded tense.
In response, Liam simply looked at Carrie. She understood him without needing words and, while still seated, began to float slightly above the ground—just enough for the three girls to see, while making sure no one else around noticed.
The girls, except for Allie, reacted in shock; one took a small step back, and another's eyes went wide.
"They're supernatural abilities that some children have, and depending on the person, they can be different. Carrie has telekinesis." Liam said calmly, as if explaining something ordinary.
"It's an ability that can be inherited." Carrie added with a gentle smile as she slowly descended back to the ground.
Hearing this, Sienna—who had been afraid to talk about what had happened to her—stopped trying to deny it and finally spoke. "I had a nightmare a few days ago where Art, a killer clown who committed a massacre a year ago, was killing people and almost burned me alive, but I survived and woke up when, somehow, I pulled out a sword my dad had left me in the dream. When I woke up, my bedroom started to catch on fire."
Liam listened carefully, frowning, and then spoke. "Then Art the Clown was probably targeting you. That's why he wanted to kill your loved ones first."
Allie became frightened when she heard that; her face paled as she realized she had almost died just for being Sienna's friend. If it weren't for Liam, she wouldn't be alive now.
Sienna saw Allie's reaction and couldn't help but feel guilty; she lowered her gaze for a moment before speaking again.
"When my father was still alive, he drew the clown and an image of me dressed like a valkyrie, holding his severed head in my hand with the sword he left me." Sienna said, remembering what her brother had shown her the day before.
"Then you inherited your father's Shine. It seems like he had an ability to see the future or something similar." Liam said as he heard this, crossing his arms thoughtfully.
"Could I see that sword and the drawings your father left you?" Liam asked.
"My mom probably won't allow it. She gets really angry when we talk about my dad." Sienna said hesitantly, clenching her hands slightly.
"Don't worry, we just need to show her Carrie's abilities so she can believe that your dad wasn't crazy." Liam said calmly.
"If you take us, I'll tell you something very important for the good of your family." Liam added when he saw she was still hesitating, looking at her directly but without pressure.
"Alright." Hearing that, Sienna agreed out of concern for her family.