Is it Wrong to Copy Abilities in Apocalypse?

He didn't even know Shushant, and even if he did, he had no obligation to help that guy.

But when he heard the next words from the guy's lips—the words about the system penalty—he paused.

Any information related to the system was important, and the ones that could harm him were the ones he rated as the most important.

This system penalty did seem like something that might be useful to him.

So, after thinking for a while, he lowered his arrow, letting the guy speak.

He was giving Shushant hope, even if it was wrong, and even though he knew that it was not the right thing to do.

But he wanted the information, and he wasn't going to waste his coins either, so he just listened to the situation.

<At least we now know that the coin tab in the system window should never be kept empty.

Who knows when the system decided to drop some other surprises like this…>

The AI, who heard Shushant's words, commented, and Alex just nodded seriously.

The compulsory food supply—was it just a one-day thing or was it going to go on forever?

Were they supposed to keep losing 10 coins every day?

Was there something else like this?

Many such questions appeared in his mind, but as he looked at the number of coins he had, he sighed in relief.

[Coins: 6956.] (The number of coins had increased as Alex had hunted both kobolds and gnawfiends.)

The AI, who had always asked for Alex to use his coins to get a boost, was now contemplating whether Alex's being cautious was really bad.

His cautiousness made him alert about anything and everything, but the same vigilance did help him right now.

"What now?!

I already told you everything I could!!"

Alex, however, was pulled out of his thoughts by a frustrated growl.

Alex's gaze shifted to Shushant, who had a vacant look in his eyes. It was clear that he was lost in his thoughts, so Alex just lowered his bow and stored it in the inventory along with the bow.

*Step**Step*

He didn't say anything to Shushant, nor did he give that guy the 10 coins he wanted so much. Alex just turned around, intending to continue on his path.

He got what he wanted, and now there was nothing for him to do here.

But Alex knew that things were far from over.

Alex knew Shushant wouldn't stay passive.

Alex did give him hope, and now he was taking that hope away.

*Step**Step*...

His doubts came true as he heard the steps of Shushant, even though that guy was trying his best not to make a sound.

Alex could feel the intense gaze of that guy on his back. It was as if the guy had already thought of ways to kill him, even though he had never actually killed a person.

The AI questioned Alex.

It wanted to know if this was the reason Alex hadn't yet killed the guy.

Was he waiting for what the guy would do?

Was Alex going to let the guy live if his intentions were different?

'No, I was just waiting for him to make a move.'

Alex's answer, however, was different from what the AI had thought.

He expected Shushant to attack or even try to kill him out of frustration or anger, and that's exactly what he wanted.

At least he won't be killing an innocent person.

*Gulp*

Alex could hear the guy gulping his saliva, and he could also listen to the guy's heartbeats, which felt like distant drumming.

Sushant was right behind him; Alex could tell that the distance between them was probably around 1 or 2 meters, yet that guy wasn't attacking.

From those things, Alex was sure that this guy had never killed anyone, but did it matter?

Not for Alex; he wasn't a saint, and he had his hand stained with the blood of many innocent people who came in the way during his missions as an assassin.

"DIE!"

The next instant, a loud yell was heard; it was as if the one screaming was trying to motivate himself, and Alex, who heard it, turned around with a swift motion.

*Swoosh*

As he turned around, he saw Shushant just a step away from him, ready to smash a stone slab on his head, so he slashed his knife at the guy's arms, wanting to render his attack.

*Slash*

Shushant, however, wasn't fast enough to react to it; even if he could, he wasn't focused enough.

His focus was on something else.

Shushant attempted to pull back his arms and the stone slab.

He did scream 'die', a second ago, but he just couldn't do it.

He had changed his decision; he didn't want to kill Alex. No matter what had happened, he couldn't convince himself to murder a human being.

He tried everything; he even tried to motivate himself by recalling the image of his parents, who were probably out there somewhere, trying to survive on their own.

He did his best to motivate himself as he thought of his wife, who was still pregnant with his child.

He tried to imagine their smiling faces when he finally met them, but all he saw was their horrified expression as they looked at his palms, which were covered in the blood of a human being.

*Slice**Crack*

But, just then, the sound of flesh and bones being slashed was heard, and the next instant...

"ARGHHHHHH—"

Shushant screamed in pain, his eyes finally catching sight of what was happening.

Even with the agonizing pain of his arms being chopped off, there was a tinge of regret in his eyes.

He regretted his actions.

If he was never going to kill Alex, then why did he even come this far?

He wanted to beat himself up for his actions, but his scream was cut short.

*Slam**Splatter*

The stone slab that he was holding in his hands fell directly on his head, crushing his head and causing the blood and gore to fly out.

"..."

Alex, his face and shirt smeared with blood, stood motionless.

*Thud**Baam**Shatter*

He kept staring at Shushant's body as it fell backward with a thud, and the stone slab that was stuck on his head shattered upon contact with the ground.

What was left was a dead body with its head bashed in; the facial features were indiscernible.

Anything above the lips was just bloodied flesh and a cracked skull.

Alex's emotionless eyes, however, kept staring at it for a while until a notification flashed.

[You have gained 10 coins by killing a level 2 human.]

"..."

A long silence followed as Alex kept staring at the notification before he turned around and left the area.

_________________________________________

.gg/m46f3zYZUq

This is the link to my Discord server. Join it if you want to.

I am open to any suggestions you think can improve my book. Just join the Discord channel and give me your suggestions.

Also, I was hoping you could leave some comments or reviews to let me know your thoughts!