CHAPTER 27: 27: WATER - ABILITY USER

The man took a daring step forward, and in that instant, Caelan’s reflexes snapped into action.

His hand shot into his cargo pants pocket, yanking out a water bottle, and then he hurling it into the air.

Water sprayed in a sparkling arc, and all eyes followed it.

In an instant, with a swift flick of his wrist, the droplets hardened into blade-like shards, slicing through the air with deadly precision.

Three water blades struck the man’s neck, cutting cleanly before he even had a chance to react.

Blood spurted across the scene as the man clutched his neck.

He fell to the ground, his body shaking

uncontrollably.

The move was too fast, too unexpected.

The stunned men were a second too late to react.

By the time they raised their hands to their guns, the water blades had already struck.

One pierced an eye, another sliced a neck, others cut fingers and even grazed lips.

Screams and curses.

They blended perfectly into the chaos of the fight.

The male lead launched his attack, and the others tried to shoot him.

But he moved faster than their bullets, and the water droplets had turned into deadly blades that struck fear into everyone.

They were completely wrong.

They had mistaken this man for a weakling.

He was an ability user!

Not just level one, but nearly level three or four.

They could not stand against him.

Bullets kept flying at them, and water blades tore through flesh, drawing blood with ease.

Some had already fallen. Others tried to flee, but the male lead was ruthless.

He did not stop until every last one of them lay crumpled on the ground.

One fool even attempted a sneak attack on the car.

A single water droplet formed over the car, creating a shield that deflected the bullet.

Before the person could react, the male lead’s bullet struck him in the head with a bang.

The body dropped lifelessly to the second floor.

The fight didn’t last long.

One by one, the men around them fell to the ground.

Caelan stood outside, victory his alone, while the groans of the few still breathing echoed in the air.

Inside the car, Aria and Lolo watched in awe.

It was... incredibly amazing!

That was all Aria could think as her heart pounded with excitement.

For the first time, she had seen how the male lead fought, not just against mutant monsters but against men.

Caelan truly deserved to be the main male lead!

After making sure there was no more threat outside, Aria decided to step out.

Each of her movements was deliberate and cautious, afraid that someone might ambush her.

Caelan knew Aria was approaching him from behind.

He subconsciously reached for the small towel in his pocket, wiped a streak of blood from his face, and put it back.

"Caelan, are you okay? Are they all...?"

Dead.

Aria hesitated, feeling the question was too harsh to ask aloud.

"Not all."

Caelan crouched beside a man who was no longer breathing.

Then he continued doing what he always did.

He stripped the dead of their outer clothes, gathered their valuable belongings, and took their guns.

"Then... it’s good, I guess."

Aria wasn’t sure whether the male lead’s decision to spare the men who had clearly meant them harm was really a good thing.

Still, she felt a bit thankful.

Perhaps the male lead wasn’t as cruel as she thought.

He still showed mercy, even toward those with bad intentions.

On second thought, when Aria saw Caelan stripping the clothes from the unmoving bodies, leaving them almost naked.

She couldn’t help staring.

There wasn’t the slightest bit of shame or hesitation in his actions.

Aria thought to herself, maybe the male lead wasn’t all that bad... just a little bad.

"Are you getting their things for supplies?"

"Mnn."

"Let me help you then. What should I get?"

Aria offered, bending down behind the male lead to watch what he was doing.

When she saw him slip his hand into the pocket of the dead man, a faint blush crept up her neck, her face turning slightly red.

It was just that, only if she didn’t have to touch a man’s lower body.

The idea of doing it made her feel shy and flushed.

As she had no courage to try, even when the body wasn’t moving.

"Get their guns, but don’t pull the trigger or grip anything other than the body. Put them in the car."

Caelan stopped to explain to her, and when he turned his head their faces almost met.

It was so close it felt as if a kiss might happen by accident.

Both were silenced by surprise.

After a moment, Aria stepped back first, smiling a little awkwardly. "Oh... okay, sure."

Caelan looked away after staring for a second, then returned to his business.

Aria also moved on to the next dead person, the one she had seen struck by a sharp water blade across his throat.

It was crazy to think how short life was.

Just a while ago this one had been alive, and now it wasn’t at all.

How pitiful and sad.

Perhaps that was life, Aria thought as she lamented this person’s death.

Then she caught a glimpse of the red liquid.

It instantly made her stomach churn, a wave of discomfort rising as if chaotic butterflies were trapped inside.

Blood. So much blood.

Aria wasn’t afraid of it, but she was no fan of it.

The sight always made her whole body feel weak.

Still, not knowing where the strength came from, she didn’t dare back down.

Slowly, whispering to herself as if in conversation, she managed to push through it.

"Tada~ Look, we collected it all." Aria presented the pile of guns taken from the eleven men who had dared to ambush them.

Caelan only nodded, and Aria didn’t look too happy about it.

"Are you not going to say thank you?"

A basic etiquette of gratitude. Where’s yours, male lead? Aria complained in her head.

Caelan merely gave her a cold look and said nothing.

"..."

Seeing the male lead’s lack of reaction, Aria forced herself to think positively as she approached him.