Without even a second of thought, Kaiser pulled out his bowgun and fired, reloading frantically as he shot in Aron's direction. The girl beside him shrieked and bolted behind his back for protection.

"I told you, I came in peace," Aron said as he tilted his body slightly. The arrow missed him by a hair's breadth.

Kaiser, realizing his attack was useless, suddenly wore a crazed expression. He raised his hand to activate his Talent, but before he could act, darkness swallowed him, and he collapsed unconscious.

Aron, who had been walking at a leisurely pace, sighed. "I really did come in peace," he said, glancing at the unconscious Kaiser, shaking his head.

A ripple of water hovered in the air behind him, the simple trick he'd used to knock him out cold.

The girl, no longer shielded, froze. Her terrified eyes locked on Aron, wide with horror.

Aron ignored her and cast Inspection on Kaiser to check if he really did have a Storage Talent.

****

[Name: Kaiser Smith]

Rank: Awakened Lv.0

Talent: Infinite Storage (Active) – able to store infinite amounts of non-living things. Consumes 5 mana per minute.

Talent Storage:

Water bottles: 799,000

Clothes: 5,574727

Cars: …

Rice: …

Noodles: …

..

...

****

"...Did this guy rob a mall or something?" Aron muttered, stunned by the list.

The list scrolled on endlessly. Weapons, food, prepared meals, enough supplies for ten generations to live like pampered kings. Aron even spotted multiple cars and an alarming amount of Clothes.

No wonder this fool lived so lavishly.

What truly caught his eye, though, was the mountain of fuel reserves. His Inspection ability had clearly been upgraded, revealing far more than just a talent name now.

"D-Don't kill him!" the girl suddenly blurted out. Despite her fear, she gathered the courage to speak. "He'll be more useful to you alive than dead!"

"Oh? And why's that?" Aron asked, his smile returning as her voice drew his attention.

"I-I'm not allowed to tell you," she stammered. "But I think he has a hidden stash of supplies somewhere. Only he has the keys and knows the location. Otherwise, how do you think we're able to afford our current living conditions in this world?"

Aron chuckled softly. What hidden stash? She's clearly trying to hide Kaiser's talent and keep me from killing him.

He looked her in the eye for a brief moment, then turned back to the unconscious Kaiser.

"I-I swear I'm not..."

"Relax," Aron cut her off, not even glancing her way. "I told you, I came in peace. I only came here to strike a deal with him."

The girl exhaled in relief. "O-Okay… my name is El..."

"I don't care what your name is. Go get me the bedsheet from the room," Aron said flatly, interrupting her mid-sentence. He lifted Kaiser effortlessly and placed him on a chair.

[Claimable Talent Detected: Infinite Storage]

At that moment, one of the neighbors walked past and saw Kaiser's wide-open door. His eyes widened before he bolted down the hall in a hurry.

Aron, who had his Sense Talent active, noticed him but didn't bother closing the door. Instead, he turned, his expression annoyed.

"Didn't I tell you to go get me the bedsheet?"

The girl stood rooted in place, shocked by the way Aron had dismissed her. She stared blankly until she saw the irritation in his face, then quickly rushed off and returned with the sheets.

Aron tore them into strips, tying up both Kaiser and the girl securely to their chairs.

Then, without ceremony, he reached into the bathroom, pulled water from the toilet, and hovered it above Kaiser's head. With a flick, the water drenched him.

Unlike thunder manipulation, Aron mused, which could conjure lightning from nothing, water control required actual water to manipulate.

Splash!

"Haaa...!"Kaiser jolted awake, gasping as cold water drenched him. His blurry eyes focused on Aron, who was calmly munching the popcorn they had been eating earlier.

Kaiser struggled against his bindings but eventually stopped when he saw Aron's impassive gaze.

"If you don't release me, I will..."

"Shhh."

Aron pressed a hand over his lips, signaling him to be quiet as he continued eating.

"If either of you cross that door," Aron said calmly between bites, "you will die."

At that exact moment, the mob of neighbors who had been eavesdropping outside finally stepped in, ignoring Aron's warning.

The buffed man from earlier in front sneered. "Kid, for helping us corner this piece of trash, we'll let you walk out alive."

Aron didn't move or even bothered to give a reply. A small blob of water rose from the puddle beneath Kaiser.

Swish

Thud

Thud

Thud

Before the intruders even realized what happened, holes appeared in the centers of their eyes. Confusion froze on their faces as they dropped lifelessly to the floor.

Through it all, Aron's smile never wavered.

He had never planned to spare them. From the start, they were just tools, to intimidate Kaiser, to speed up the process.

He had long accepted being a loner. Justice, saving humanity, preserving or ending the apocalypse, none of that mattered to him. The only thing he cared about was revenge. If he had to destroy the world to achieve it, he would without a second thought.

The small blob of water returned to his side, now dyed red. He popped another piece of popcorn into his mouth.

"Okay," he said lightly, eyes never leaving Kaiser. "Continue. You stopped at: If I don't release you, then..."

Kaiser's bravado crumbled. His face went pale, his whole body trembling as fear seeped into every line of his expression.

The girl beside him wasn't any better.

Suddenly, a salty stench filled the room.

Aron turned and gave Kaiser a disgusted look. Kaiser, completely unaware of what he had just done, sat frozen in fear, his thoughts screaming: I'm going to die. Monster. I'm going to die!

Overwhelmed by fear, Kaiser's eyes rolled back. He fainted.

Aron pinched the bridge of his nose. "...How can someone be such a wimp?"

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