Xander staggered back, breathing heavily.
His eyes stared at the empty space.
[Stubborn Cockroach — Rank F: ACTIVE]
[Critical damage threshold reached.]
[Pain response: Suppressed.]
[Note: Three fatal wounds to chest. Host is running on something the system does not have a stat for]
This skill—Stubborn Cockroach — It was the skill he had gotten from the Scavenger Boss.
It was the reason he had not died after receiving three stabs to the chest.
Of Course, they were other alerts a lot of them. But right now, he could not think about that.
Cornerstone fell to the ground in a THUD.
"Did... You kill him?" Gato asked, eyes on Xander like he was looking at a monster and not a person.
Xander shook his head. "But I destroyed his spine. He is effectively paralyzed."
Levi gasped.
Both of them turned to the boy across the room.
Immediately they acted. Gato rushed to him, while Xander dove under the already fallen table. He searched through the spilled food.
Luckily, he found it. The bottle containing the Scavenger spit.
Today’s win was only because Xander had left his equipment under the table that night Gato invited him to the forge.
If not facing after an obviously experienced assassin was just a suicide attempt.
Gato pulled Levi close. Seeing his hurt face broke his heart. "He needs medical help."
He tried to lift the boy up, heading for the door.
"Wait." Xander stopped him—rushing over. "I know. But we are too far from town. Before we make it there. He would have died."
"Are you saying we should do nothing and just watch my Grandson die!?"
Xander shook his head. "No, Listen to me. The only reason Levi is still alive is because that sick bastard coated the blade with his mana to prevent blood spill.
But now that he is out cold, there is nothing stopping blood from flooding Levi’s insides. Except this."
Gato stared at the rough dirty leather bottle. "Is that some kind of... royal treasure?" He asked in doubt.
Xander shook his head. "No... But right now, it’s the best bet we have."
He pulled Levi from Gato, setting him chest up on the ground.
Then he ripped apart the remaining clothing on the chest area.
After which Xander removed the cork on the bottle.
Normally, such a life or death task shoukd have made any normal person panic. But Xander’s hands were surprisingly steady—focused.
He could not mess this up.
Gently, Xander’s fingers wrapped around the hilt.
"Mmmm!!!" Levi moshed painfully, and Gato found himself stopping Xander.
However, Xander looked straight into his eyes. "Trust me." He muttered.
Gato nodded gently, although his hand was reluctant to let go of Xander’s.
Gradually, Xander pulled the blade out.
"Urhhh!!!" Levi screamed.
There was no time to waste. Xander emptied the contents of the leather bottle into deep vertical hole on the boy’s chest.
The liquid, viscous as it was, fell in reluctant drops.
As it did, blood slowly filled the hole.
Levi gasped, breathe heavy. No doubt he was struggling to force air into his longs.
After a few seconds, he stopped moving, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
Gato saw this. His mouth opened, but words failed his tongue.
He reached for Levi’s face.
On skin contact, the tears fell from his eyes.
Xander slumped back. His eyes remained on the still boy.
A few seconds stretched, and Xander felt his own tears threaten to fall.
However his eyes noticed something.
The wound on the boy’s chest. Tge bleeding had stopped.
Even more, he could see the stitching of flesh in real time.
Xander turned to the boy’s head. He placed a hand over his nose. He could feel nothing.
Looking at the healing wound, a different idea came to his mind.
He grabbed the boy’s mouth, and blew air into it. Then he went back to his chest—pumping up and down.
He repeated the process again and again.
Gato could do nothing but just watch.
"Come on boy. I know you are still in there." Xander increased the pressure.
"COME ON!"
Couh cough cough...
Levi coughed out blood again and again as his eyes gained life.
"Levi!" Gato excited lean over. "My boy. My sweet boy."
Levi’s breathing was heavy, but he was alive.
"Levi... How are you feeling!?" Xander asked.
The boy raised his drowsy eyes to him, "Erm...does this mean that I don’t have to work on the farm tomorrow?"
Both men could not help but look at each and burst into low laughs.
Xander sat for a while, enjoying the flood of relief in his senses.
He suddenly felt sleepy. Then again, he had lost a lot of blood, and just survived stab wounds that should have killed him.
However, he gritted his teeth in refusal.
There was more that needed to be done.
Gently, he rose to his feet, using the walls as support.
And then gently, he walked forward, stopping before the passed out Cornerstone.
Xander frowned. The man’s face had changed.
Now, it looked much younger. Like a person somewhere in their late teens.
But even more surprising, the gender had changed.
Yes. The person lying helplessly on the ground was a woman.
Xander took the Stiletto in one hand, and then he grabbed her mouth, pried it open with his fingers.
Slash...
The Tongue was sliced off. The pain woke the assassin up, eyes wide in shock, but Xander immediately clamped down on the area of the cut.
Even as she thrashed in muffled screams, Xander’s hand remained clamped down on the wound.
"All I did was take away your speech, and your are already bothered." His gaze was fixed and cold.
"You dare hurt my family. You have no idea what I have in store for you." Xander leaned close to her ear, "I am going to make you curse the day you touched my SON."
[Physical Connection Depth: ▓▓▓░░░░░░░ 35/100]
The alerts continued to come. Xander did not stop.
....
Moments later, After ensuring Levi remained sleeping in the room, Gato stepped out of the house.
Xander just finished strapping the Assassin to a cart.
Gato walked over, "are you really sure about this?"