Unstoppable Fist
– Tier 1
– A punch that ignores the defense of an enemy of equal or lower level.
– Tier Two Requirement – Kill 10,000 Fallen with this technique.
The skill inside the book was nailed into my brain; after a sharp sting, it was as if I had known how to use it since the day I was born. When I looked at my right hand, I saw it had involuntarily formed a fist; if you looked closely, a faint glimmer caught the eye on its surface.
I slowly unclenched it and tossed the two copper coins in my hand into my pocket. At the same time, a voice echoed in my ears.
"You have gained two copper coins!"
A panel appeared before my eyes once again. At the very bottom of this panel, which had ten empty slots, was a section where the two copper coins were listed.
"Alright, the inventory is unlocked too. Looks like the pockets are limited to ten items!"
The pants I was wearing might not have served as armor, but they had given me ten slots. Even though I knew this wouldn't be enough as I progressed, for now, it was better than nothing.
The zone with the alcoholics was going to be my point of progress, so I observed this area for a while longer to see if anyone else possessed the same immunity.
Since I had solved the time problem, I felt so relaxed. Ten hours had passed, but I felt neither hunger nor thirst; I realized that worldly needs like these had no meaning anymore.
With the hope that maybe one more person would emerge so we could form a party, I kept my eyes on the people suffering among the mobs for quite some time. But to no avail; without exception, they were all vanishing under various effects.
"Skill is set, I can access my stats, I can go take a look at the other zones!"
I was walking with relaxed steps, as if I wasn't the one running around like a madman an hour ago. What fear of torment? I could go and kill a Fallen whenever I wanted.
I had no intention of approaching the neighboring zone, and I didn't want to watch the ones dancing like maniacs either. The best thing was to go to the place with those Social Media mobs.
"Hello guys, welcome to my channel!"
"Now I'm gonna pop a firecracker in my ass for you!"
"The Annunaki, the immortal race who were the architects of unknown civilizations!"
This place was devoid of violence. The mobs' attacks were based on clowning around, but after a while, they stressed you out real bad.
They had held groups of people outside the shield captive to their freak shows. These people, who had lost their consciousness, would even cheer for them from time to time.
"I love you so much, Big Bro Torkun!"
"Brother, you're a ten out of ten!"
I was going to start looking for something around me to serve as earplugs; the visuals might have been tolerable, but there was no way I could listen to the weird sentences they were stringing together.
"Today, me and my babe are going to the supermarket!"
"Right, babe?"
My search came up empty. Even though I wasn't getting hit with the lockdown effect inside the shield, I felt like I had no strength left to endure it.
"Time to hit the road, ain't nothing holding me back!"
Dropping my exit line, I took one last look at the Social Media Zone. My intention was to get away immediately, but I noticed someone running in a panic among the crowds.
At first, I hesitated, wondering if I saw wrong, but when I gave it my full attention, I saw it was indeed a person running around unconsciously.
Her long hair reached almost down to her waist. I couldn't be entirely sure, but I think she also had horn-rimmed glasses. Judging by her unique running style, this person was definitely a girl. She was swinging her arms, bent outward at the elbows, in a totally uncoordinated way.
"Come here, run toward the inside of the shield!"
She had lost control. Someone from the outside needed to bring her to her senses, or else I was afraid she would keep running until she dropped from exhaustion and passed out.
When she heard my voice, she seemed to snap out of it for a second. When she turned her head toward me, I made a "come here" gesture with both hands and guided her toward me.
She barely managed to throw herself inside. As I guessed, she was a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old. With her hair in two braids falling down her shoulders, she was panting heavily.
"Little sis, why are you running around in the middle of everything? Come inside the shield!"
I started speaking in a tone that was a bit harsh but also offering advice. The girl, however, had no energy to listen to me. Since she couldn't control her body as she fell, she toppled headfirst like a sack of potatoes.
'I have no idea how long the poor thing has been running like this. It's best if I leave her here until she comes to and take a trip to the other zone.'
When I arrived at the place I dubbed the Hood Zone, I didn't see anything different. The youth were going wild to the tune of "crank that shit up" and other bangers. It was as if they had organized a synthetic-themed music festival in The First Layer of Hell, and all the Sinners had won weekend tickets with camping included.
I watched for a short time, but even that was enough for me. I was certain that if I stepped outside, I'd be completely wrecked within five minutes and find myself in the arms of the eight-hour torment.
"It's best to check out that Hardware Store Zone. If I can't find people like me, I'll start slowly leveling up my skill!"
The Hardware Store Zone got its name from the mobs inside it. The Hardware Store Owners Chamber had to be the main sponsor of the Fallen using glue, thinner, and lighter fluid.
"Welcome, brother!"
"Toraman, what's up? Have you been sitting in the same spot since you got here?"
I ran into an old acquaintance on the way. The kid who asked me my name in the first hours after I fell here was sitting right where we first met.
"It's too crowded around here, everyone is running in every direction. Honestly, I couldn't be bothered, so I just slumped down here!"
What kind of apathy is this? The guy died, fell to Hell, and he's still chasing comfort. I couldn't hold back; I told him everything I knew.
"Oh my god, what are we gonna do? You mean if I just sit around doing nothing like this, there's an eight-hour torment every day? I value my comfort, I can't handle trouble like this!"
'Look at this junkie bastard..!'
I was about to lash out, but then I suddenly came to my senses. I killed a Fallen, I got my skill. Whether he panics or sprawls out like a lazy slob all day, what do I care?
"Suit yourself, Boss. I'm going to check out the zone nearby. You can come with me if you feel like it!"
He was probably bored of staying in the same spot too. Moving in slow-motion mode, he tagged along behind me. Fortunately, the distance was short, or else I would have had to carry the sluggish bastard on my back.
"Toraman, look, this is a zone with the Fallen we need to kill. Take a good look, we'll be clashing with these a lot in the future!"
When I turned to the kid following behind me, I found his face frozen pale. His teeth were chattering, and his hands were trembling slightly.
I was stunned. He was clearly like this because he was extremely pissed off at something. I was curious about this state that contrasted so much with his appearance. After all, the sluggish kid looked exactly like the idle son of a village headman, with a head that looked like a carelessly sculpted bust resting on his thick neck, medium height, and looking barely twenty years old.
"Toraman, what happened?"
"Brother, these... these are the ones who ruined me. The kid I beat up was the exact same type as that guy with the plastic bag in his hand over there!"
Toraman's voice was trembling as he spoke. Even the tips of his hair, plastered to the side with a massive cowlick, were standing on end. It was weird; it was as if he was reliving those moments.
"Hold on, hold on, calm down. Tell me everything right from the beginning!"
I approached him and gently sat him down on the ground. Considering he reacted this intensely, he must have a lot to tell.