What emerged wasn’t the doctor that was supposed to be following him, but a cloaked creature that hovered above the ground. Yet, the sound of footsteps kept coming his way.

Nikolai raised his gun and fired multiple shots, which were muffled by the potion. The bullet cut across the air and reached the creature coming his way. Yet, the bulleted passed through it as if it didn’t exist.

As he was mulling what to do in the split second before it reached him, the monster suddenly stopped moving and hovered idly. He heard a grunt from the tunnel and realized the bullets must have struck the doctor.

Nikolai grabbed the ladder and started climbing frantically. As his head peaked out of the hole, he found the kids waiting for him.

“Run toward the Hunters Union!” He shouted as he jumped out of the manhole. He rolled as soon as he did and the creature passed through the ground beneath as it gave a deafening shriek.

The kids screamed and started running away. The creature ignored them and turned toward Nikolai, who was lying on the ground. He got a glimpse of what was beneath the hoodie and realized it was a ghost skill.

These were rare and the ghost you got is based on the rank of the skill. It was also a powerful skill to have at the expense of being very hard to train. The ghost shrieked again as it dived toward Nikolai but he rolled again to avoid it and started running.

Going into alleys would make things easier for the ghost, not for him. That’s why he ran in a straight line through the slums’ streets. The ghost ran after him as he saw the kids run in the distance.

“Dammit.” He cursed when he saw one of the kids stumble over and fall. Even if he could outrun the ghost because of its slow movements, these kids wouldn’t be able to. ‘Should I ditch them and run?’

This was a genuine dilemma of his but he came back to his senses. He might be a fate thief now but he wasn’t a coward. He racked his brain and remembered something he learned from one of the guild’s seniors.

“Skills that involve spiritual things can be disrupted by the blunt use of mana. For your case, that would be bullets.”

‘Good thing I brought this with me.’

Nikolai pocketed the white crystal from his waist bag. He used three of the five points he got for a guaranteed 2 points. He crushed the crystal and the white light entered his veins.

His head jerked back as his eyes burned. This was the feeling of absorbing the first amount of mana into your body. His vision became wider as colors were enhanced. His body felt lighter than it has ever been before.

Just like a drug, the first time mana enters the body causes a jolt of euphoria and adrenaline rush. Nikolai was a Returner from the future, he didn’t allow the high to get to his head and directed the mana.

[2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

He waved off the notification and grabbed the kid lifted him off. He kept running as he loaded his gun and turned toward the ghost.

“Die,” Nikolai muttered as one unit of mana surged toward his gun. His body’s reserves were rendered half-empty in a single attack, a far cry from his past strength.

The bullet left a blue trail of light as it cut across the street’s darkness. The ghost couldn’t evade in time and the bullet tore through its cloak. It gave a pained shriek as it fell to the ground and began to regenerate.

Nikolai didn’t hesitate to run away with the kid lying on his shoulder. He kept looking back and until they were fled away from the ghost’s pursuit.

Seeing this, Nikolai slumped to the floor as he put the kid down. He realized it was the pickpocket that had his sister imprisoned by the doctor. The kid was breathing heavily, looking ragged from their escape.

“I was doing just fine before you came.” The kid gathered his breath and spoke. “Now, she’s in danger because I escape as well.”

“Both of you were in danger. I know that man, and let me tell you this. No kid, I repeat, no kid has ever survived after being imprisoned by him.”

“My… sister…” The kid’s eyes started to tear up and he began sobbing silently. “She’s sick and he said he would treat her. At first, I thought it was simply a long treatment. Then, he refused to let me see her.” The kid sniffed. “I don’t know where she is, he said he’d let me treat her if I helped him.”

“That’s a lie. The only way to get her back is to find out where she is now. I’ll help you, so keep hiding until then. If you go back to that doctor, he’ll kill you and eat you as he did to the others.”

The kid’s hands began shaking but Nikolai knew it was necessary. He grabbed his shoulder and the kid flinched and looked at him with hollowed eyes.

“Go to the doctor who treated you last time. I’ll come by when I’m ready to help you.”

The kid nodded and stood up. He then fled through the alleys away from Nikolai’s sight. With a sigh, Nikolai decided to make a detour before going back to Rohan Academy.

[Fate has been stolen. 15 Fate Points have been gained.]

[New Character Entry: The Pickpocket.]

[Relationship: Dependent.]

[Fate Meter: 3] [+5]

The last bit made Nikolai pause, he has seen this before when he advised Ash. It signified a changed fate, one having a higher impact on the world than they should have had.

As Nikolai walked into an alley, he felt a twinge of pain from his neck. At first, he thought he has been bitten by a mosquito or any other insect. As he touched his neck, he found a needle inserted in it.

“Ah,” Nikolai fell to his knees as strength left his body. He heard the voice of footsteps coming from behind him. As he fell on his face, he turned his eyes upward to see the cannibal doctor’s face looking down on him.

“Well, well.” The doctor looked at him from behind his thick round glasses. “The smaller fish brought in a big one.” That was the last he heard before he passed out.