Chapter 108: Thief vs. Thief
Moon was helplessly fed up with the cat smacking his head, knowing too well he would turn into a blood smear if the fluffy mass of murder got any angrier.
Still... he was getting bullied by everyone these days.
His list of grudges was already long and would take maybe a lifetime to settle.
Smack~
With another hit, Moon felt the last strand of reason in his head snap. He refused to die a stupid death without having the ability to fight back.
Especially now that he would die for good, unlike the first trial.
But right now... it meant nothing.
"You bully," he said. "You’ve lived for centuries, but you’re here to steal food from a kid."
’Ah, fuck... I’ve really said it.’ Moon felt the pent-up stress release off his chest all of a sudden. He, in his heart, recognized himself as a kid for the first time.
Not to mention, he suddenly felt reborn, but also... in grave danger.
As for Mishu, he didn’t look too pleased with what was just said. Now, that playfulness on his face had completely disappeared.
Ding
Fate Alert
30% -> 31%
Without a moment for Moon to comprehend the alert, see the value, or trace the attack, he instinctively tried to retrieve his Echo, but—
Slap~
A loud, slapping noise echoed.
The watching crowd winced at the sound, unsure if anyone would survive such a hit.
Basil, who came running once he heard the commotion, arrived at the exact moment Moon was slapped.
Thud~
He staggered and fell to his knees.
"BOSS, NO, PLEASE BOSS, DON’T DIE!" he screamed.
As for Moon, he just watched the world spin around
before—
Whack~
He spun and fell onto the ground, face up, facing the bright golden sky of the second floor.
Moon blinked a couple of times. ’Am I dead?’ he questioned his current state.
The attack felt too powerful, but the pain didn’t match... which meant his body failed to comprehend the pain of the damage he was suffering now.
Probably...
Moon felt primary pain, a sharp stinging on his cheek where he was slapped.
Further away, on a random building, Ed stood side by side with Samuel.
He pursed his lips. "Since when did that orange bastard steal food?" he asked.
"You’re the one who’s closest to him; ask yourself." Samuel had his blank face and hands clasped behind his back.
Ed shook his head. "That cat has been loitering around the kid for a while."
Samuel grunted in approval.
"Do you think the kid will get that attribute with that cat around?" Ed asked again.
"I do not know."
"Then, can the kid even get that attribute at all?"
"I don’t know."
"Remember that guy whose arm we blew off? He tried his entire life to get that attribute." Ed’s face looked blank as well, remembering the past.
"He didn’t have the talent for it?"
Ed pursed his lips once again, setting his eyes back on Moon, who was still staring with eyes wide open, swollen, and now his cheek had a cat’s-paw-shaped bruise.
He was starting to calm down and assess the situation.
Crunch~
Crunch~
Nom~
He heard eating noises, someone eating his own food.
Moon lowered his gaze to the bench where he was sitting until recently. There, the orange cat sat comfortably on the backrest.
His paws moved leisurely into the bucket, fishing a piece out between his claws.
The piece was then placed right below his mouth, where he turned his head to the side to crunch the crust between his molars.
Moon watched the cat, who wasn’t bothered in the slightest by him anymore.
’Did... did I just get my food stolen?
I, who fed countless slaves... who stole food from all.
Cooked and raw, dirty and clean.
Stole food left and right...
Always tasteless crap-like food.
I just got my food, my damn tasty-as-fuck food...
stolen?’
Moon was having a mental breakdown, refusing what his life was turning into.
Back on the first floor, he was restrained by the seal and only the seal... nothing else for the last few years could look him in the eye if the seal wasn’t used to control him.
Yet, since he finally became free, he’d been constantly meeting people, or a cat, who were unreasonably strong.
Beyond fighting.
’Why, why am I suffering this?’ Moon cursed, refusing this outcome to the core, but still.
He felt the helplessness, the meaninglessness.
Fighting what, a cat that could turn him into a bloody smear with a slap?
’Am I supposed to be thankful you let me live, you orange bastard?’ he cursed in his heart. ’Like hell I am, dammit!’
Further away from Moon and the weeping Basil,
Ed suddenly raised his eyebrow. "Samuel, look at this."
Samuel focused on where Ed was looking, his eyes sharpening.
"The kid is adapting well, faster than expected," Ed added.
"Let’s wait and see," Samuel reacted subtly.
Below, Moon, who had his teeth gritted to the point of creaking, was staring daggers at the nonchalant cat.
The chicken popcorn bucket suddenly started floating.
"What’s going on?"
"Is it flying?"
"Did Mishu do that?"
The cat looked at the bucket as well with wide, big and curious eyes, as it started to elevate suddenly and slowly.
It started floating in the direction where Moon was lying on the ground, a little higher so everyone could see it.
A round lump of Echo was fixed at the base of the bucket, balancing it in the air.
’Heh, heh, heh, I managed to retrieve it even if I got hit!’ Moon smiled inwardly while finely operating his Echo.
Once it was directly above him, Moon suddenly jumped off the floor, taking his Echo back into his body and taking off his shirt.
He swiftly sealed the bucket opening with his shirt before any of the precious and tasty golden chicken popcorn fell on the ground.
Losing even one was unacceptable to him by any means.
’My muscles!’ He hugged the bucket and started running madly like a true food-stealing expert. "Get the fuck out of my way!" he shouted, and started running under the bewildered gaze of the cat who was still chewing on the last piece.
Further away, Ed chuckled. "Haha, did you see it, Samuel?" He smiled widely. "He’s naturally doing tangibility and intangibility shifts without being told about it!" he laughed.
"He’s done it once before, but through his body," Samuel commented.
"Yeah, he diffused it out of his body through the ground and stealthily made it pass through the bench but not the bucket." Ed smirked while moving his hand like a bird up and down.
Samuel didn’t answer; he only watched Moon running around with the food bucket among the crowd.
Those who got out of his way instantly not to fall in the crossfire as collateral damage, and those who came rushing to watch the commotion.
There was also Basil screaming in joy, cheering for his beloved boss for the win.
As for Mishu, he was also done chewing his piece and starting to get moving as well, ready to steal back the food he stole.
Samuel had overseen this facility for very long years, but everything was completely unfamiliar to him.
"Edmond, here we’ve seen students kill each other, bully the independent, and be forced to break the rules for their masters." Samuel exhaled. "But what am I looking at right now?"