INTERSTELLAR ERA: MY MIND IS A LIBRARY

Chapter 91: DAMIAN

I strolled through the street, my halberd tucked into a strap behind me as I gazed at the chaos unfolding before me.

As I walked, a crazed person lunged at me.

He raised his sword up, his mouth wide open as he neared.

I sighed.

Over ten other people had attempted this before and I was already bored by it.

With a calm step, I avoided the blade.

I kicked forward, coating my leg with aether.

Pop.

His head exploded into a mess of brain matter, bones, and blood.

I continued walking.

My eyes constantly scanned for anywhere my comrades were having trouble.

Well, calling them my comrades was a bit off since I had never met them before.

But we fought for the same cause, which made us brothers in arms.

Seeing a sword coming for my comrade’s head, I remained calm.

With a thought, a dagger formed beside me, firing toward the attacker at a speed that anyone below my level would never be able to catch.

The attacker’s blade hung in the air for a moment before his body fell to the floor.

My comrade opened his mouth, looking around for whoever had saved him.

I had already gone, walking toward the next place.

"With enough time, they should end this battle," I said with a sigh.

With a casual tap, I leapt onto a nearby building.

Gazing around, I saw what I was looking for.

I sprang again, my body drifting through the sky over the riot.

Calmly, my feet hit the floor in front of the store.

"Thank goodness, they did not attack the potato chip store," I muttered as I entered.

"I was waiting."

I heard someone say from inside the store but I was so focused on the new chip flavor that I completely ignored them.

"Are you deaf?"

The person yelled again.

Finally, I looked up.

"What do you want?" I asked slowly.

"Can’t you see me?" The person asked, his eyes narrowing as he walked closer.

"I can see you. Aren’t you the shopkeeper? My question is what do you want?"

I replied, my voice already rising as I got annoyed.

"I am a member of the Crimson Fang and I will kill you now, Damian."

I shook my head in mild disgust.

"You are but a frog in a well," I said as I looked back at the new chip.

"Since you want to kill me, can I take this?" I asked, pointing at the chip with my index finger.

The shopkeeper roared in anger, his sword lashing forward.

"I will take that as a yes," I said, leaping backward calmly while yanking the chip from the shelf.

I watched the air split before me as the sword passed through without resistance.

But I did not pay it too much attention. My fingers moved in desperation, tearing the bag open.

Seeing the golden brown crispy chips inside, I lost focus momentarily.

The shopkeeper was not going to waste that moment.

He lunged again, this time slashing toward my neck.

I ducked beneath the attack, letting it slice through the space my head had occupied a few breaths ago.

Before he could pull back, I kicked him in the ribs, hard enough that a crunching sound echoed through the entire shop.

His ribs cracked as his body was sent crashing into one of the nearby shelves.

I did not pay him any attention though. I dipped my fingers into the bag in my hand, pulling out a chip.

I threw it into my mouth and began to munch.

At one point, a tear dropped from my eye.

The taste was just too divine for me to hold back.

I looked at the shopkeeper, struggling to get up from the heavy load over him.

"Hey, do you have more of this anywhere?" I asked.

He did not reply.

I did not care. While he tried to get up, I continued to munch on the chips.

"Hey, I am halfway through and you are not up yet. Don’t tell me all Master ranks are like this these days," I said with a smile.

Although I said this, I knew the real reason he could not get up was my skill.

I noticed blood trickling down his head.

After a minute of inactivity, I finally finished the chips and made my way toward the shopkeeper.

"Okay, so, I am done now," I said, my hand moving to draw my halberd from my back.

I walked closer to his barely conscious body.

"Tell me, why shouldn’t I kill you?" I asked, stopping in front of him, the tip of my halberd an inch from his throat.

I released the effect of my skill at that moment, allowing him to talk and move normally.

Well, at this point, he could not move. With my halberd brushing against the skin of his neck, even talking came with its own risk.

"I can give you the remaining chips in the store."

I stared at him with furrowed brows.

"I can take those if I kill you."

"You don’t know the way to the storage. It is hidden."

I nodded for a moment before pulling my halberd back.

"Okay, where is it?" I asked.

"I know you don’t lie, so I trust you will keep your word," the man said to me.

I looked at him with a smile.

Funny how our roles had reversed so quickly.

"Okay," I replied.

Then he pointed at a shelf at the far end of the room.

"That is a door. Just push to open."

I nodded and walked toward it, not caring whether it was a trap or not.

Boom.

A sudden sound caught my ear.

I looked back, my head whipping sideways, narrowly avoiding a thrust aimed at my head by the same shopkeeper.

I looked at him with a smile.

I grabbed him by the leg and shot out of the store.

Looking around, I spotted a sword swinging down at one of my comrades.

The shopkeeper looked at me with dread but I did not care.

"At least I kept my promise. I am not the one killing you."

Before he could speak, I hurled his body into the blade’s path.

The sound of tearing fabric cut through the air and the shopkeeper’s body fell in two clean halves.