Chapter 35: Ambush

The sun had completely dipped below the horizon, and night was closing in.

Luke stood near the entrance of the house, his back resting against the wall, eyes fixed on the vast stretch of dark sky.

Inside his inventory were two weapons, both repaired by the system. A spear rested at his side, and a knife his father had forged for him long ago lay secured within reach.

He was contemplating his next moves and the Gamma points he had already spent.

Currently, his stats looked like this:

[Stats:

Str: 13

Spd: 11

Def: 8

Int: 11

Gamma: 12]

[Attribute Points: 0]

[Gamma Reserve: 350]

[Inventory:

Toras: 1202

Throwable Knife: 1

Massaging Oil: 1

Dildo: 1

Mantis Claws: 1]

For a moment, he felt poor seeing how few Gamma points remained. Nearly five hundred had gone into setting up electrical traps around the house.

He did not regret it.

Those traps were necessary. Not only for Monica’s safety, but for his own peace of mind.

From now on, he had to be careful with every point he spent. As things stood, he could not rely on leveling up mid-crisis if the situation turned desperate.

[The host will gain a faster and more self-reliant method to earn G-points in the future. That method is trading.]

Luke hummed softly, surprised. “Really? I can trade items for G-points?”

[Indeed, host. That is why you must focus on increasing your physical stats and completing quests to earn more Gamma points.]

Luke nodded. It had not even been a week, and he was already close to level three. That was insane progress.

He stepped forward and scanned the perimeter. No movement. The streets were empty.

The villagers had extinguished the lamps outside their homes, as if even the faintest flame could invite predators.

It felt unnatural. Luke was the only one walking outside in the entire village.

Well, him and Dart.

Luke turned his gaze upward toward the roof.

There, tied firmly to the spire, was the same man serving as their living alarm.

Larry.

His torso was bound tightly to the structure with thick cloth, secured down to his chest so he could not slip.

Luke let out a quiet chuckle at the sight.

He was about to raise his hand and wave, to check if Larry was still alert, when suddenly—

“Huh?”

Luke’s eyes widened.

Something was lodged in Larry’s forehead.

The man’s upper body went slack.

And then he hung there, completely still.

His mind froze for a fraction of a second, but the next instant, his thoughts snapped into place.

’Transfer Defense and Strength into Intelligence. Make it 20.’

The command was accepted.

And in the very next moment, he thanked himself for it.

Luke sensed the arrow before he properly saw it. His body moved on instinct, reacting just in time as the projectile tore through the air and slammed into the wooden gate behind him.

Right where his head had been a heartbeat ago.

His senses sharpened in real time. The world felt clearer, more defined. Every sound, every shift in the air registered with startling precision. It shocked him. This was the first time he had enhanced his Intelligence.

“You are quite quick,” a voice came from his left.

Luke turned.

A moment ago, that stretch of street had been nothing but darkness. Now, he could make out the faint outline of a man cloaked in black, a bow in his hand, the string drawn lazily with another arrow ready to fly.

’System, appraise him.’

[Command accepted.]

[Stats:

Str: 15

Spd: 20

Def: 9

Int: 20.]

’He is strong… and fast.’

The only clear weakness was his defense.

But he was a ranged fighter. He would never allow Luke to close the distance so easily.

“Who are you?” Luke asked, his gaze locked sharply onto the ambusher.

“Hmm? Just a man trying to make a living. My job requires me to kill the two women inside that house. Do not resist, or you will die in a far crueler way than they will.”

Luke chuckled and summoned his claws.

Silver steel slid over his knuckles, gleaming faintly in the dark. The ambusher hummed in mild surprise at the sight.

The conversation ended there.

The man drew another arrow and aimed directly at Luke. “Well, your wish.”

Wisss

Luke saw the arrow tear through the air toward him. His reaction speed lagged behind his sharpened perception, but he still twisted his body just in time.

The arrow grazed past him by a hair’s breadth.

The man nodded lightly. “Nice dodge. Care to try a few more?”

In one smooth motion, he pulled out three arrows.

Instead of firing them one by one, he released all three at once.

Luke barely managed to dodge the first two arrows.

The third grazed his cheek before burying itself deep into his shoulder.

“Guh…” A sharp grunt escaped his lips as pain shot through him.

[Poison detected.]

The notification made his muscles tighten.

But then—

[Gamma particles are resisting the poison from spreading.]

Luke exhaled slowly, tension easing just a fraction. ’So this is the benefit of being awakened?’

[Indeed, host. Commonly found poisons and venoms struggle to spread through the body due to Gamma interference.]

Squelch.

Luke grabbed the arrow shaft, yanked it out in one brutal pull, and snapped the stick in half before tossing it aside.

The ambusher narrowed his eyes. The boy was far younger, yet he stood there without retreating, even after taking a poisoned arrow.

Interesting.

Luke clenched his fist. His claws gleamed under the moonlight as he muttered, “Here I come.”

He had not altered his speed stat, but even so, he was faster than any ordinary man.

The cloaked attacker reacted instantly, leaping back while firing another arrow in the same motion.

Luke slashed downward.

Clang.

Steel met wood and iron as he intercepted the arrow mid-flight, splitting it apart before it could touch him.

The ambusher did not panic. He calmly slung the bow over his shoulder and drew a dagger instead.

Luke skidded forward, momentum carrying him into range. His left steel claw arced downward toward the man’s shoulder.

Clang.

The cloaked man parried cleanly with his blade. The force of the impact made him release the dagger mid-air.

For a split second, it seemed like a mistake.

But Luke’s sharpened senses caught the movement.

The man’s hand flashed forward, reclaiming the falling dagger in a reverse grip, thrusting it straight toward Luke’s stomach.

“Hup!”

Luke kicked off the ground and jumped back just in time.

The blade pierced nothing but empty air.

Both of them stared at each other.

’This is getting dangerous…I need to be careful.’ Luke muttered as he prepared for round two.

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