"Unlike the popular image of all-mighty Hunters blowing shit up everywhere with no care for casualties or damage, these powerful Hunters are often annihilated in a single-sided battle sooner or later. There will always be a bigger fish, and Hunters must be prepared to face foes far stronger than them. Or they will fucking die, you know?"

- Azrael 'The Doctor' Brein. (2038)

[ (Minor Technomancy Lv 1) Has been added to your Skill list. ]

[ (Short-Blades Combat Lv 1) Has evolved to (Short-Blades Combat Lv 2) ]

With my choices being made, I could feel my body going through that familiar reset. I felt lighter and a little less shitty than before, not that I was doing much better though. With the Scorn dealt with in the building, I decided to scavenge for goods. For my next move I would need to find a good piece of metal and some electronics to make things work, so I looked for any construction or repair equipment nearby.

"Perfect." I stared through the partially broken door that lead to the little shed the complex had for its few materials.

A few iron pipes, long pieces of metal most likely meant to repair the railings on the balconies or such, and a few brooms and buckets. The door seemed already lost, so I would only need to fully open it in order to access what I wanted. Instead of kicking the damn thing open and risking my position to be heard by scorn outside, I took out my pocket knife and gently pushed it between the door and the frame, pushing against it as I leaned against the broken door.

It creaked, being a wooden one, it was quite old and not properly care for apparently. So even a weakling like me could force it open without causing much noise at all, but the pocket knife's blade did end up a little crooked to the side. Really bad quality it was. Shaking my head, I slid into the cramped room and took one of the long metallic rods. It was clearly not the best of materials for a weapon, but it would do.

Making my way out into the hallway, I looked up at the scorn I slaughtered on the previous floor, and had one of the most gruesome yet actually interesting idea in a while. I climbed up the steps again and held my pocket knife tightly, piercing into one of the Scout's flesh and carving out the metallic plate that covered its chest.

'Hummm...Making use of this material should prove good enough for now. Do keep in mind it is mass-produced, so the quality won't be great. You may need to create multiple spears in case one or two breaks.'

"Got it. I was planning to make them into some sort of trap, but with no other thing to work with, I'd say just making a barricade and trying to lure the Soldier into it should do the job." I explained my idea in more detail. Hide the spears inside one of the cars outside and weld them with Technomancy, lure one of the big fucks into it and have it be impaled by his own force, it should at least keep it in place.

'Good plan. Making armour could be another approach as well, but putting it on without help would prove a little too hard to do right now. I will keep you updated on Scorn presence, so far there's nothing on the street, you should be free to prepare your trap now.'

"Roger." I continued with my work.

Eventually I managed to gather three plates, three metallic rods and a few sharp shards of metal I made from hitting the scorn plates against each other until they broke. Taking a deep breath, I leaned down and placed my open palm on top of the three small groups of materials. At first it felt awkward, but I naturally felt my body guide my mind through the process of activating my skill.

My left hand glowed with a red pattern, and a few visible bolts of electricity were discharged against the three groups of material.

[ (Minor Technomancy) Has been activated. Materials have been confirmed. Schematics have been taken from user's mental image. Construction process has now begun. ]

The items moved on their own. With red bolts of electricity holding them together and heating them up, eventually melting down the components and re-merging them into the three spears I had in mind. About shoulder-height in length and really damn sharp, they should be able to function just fine. I nodded, happy with the work of my new skill.

"This should do the trick."

With that, I headed outside. There was no scorn presence this far, so I just headed towards the closest vehicle. Placing one of the spears against the floor inside it on the driver's side, the other one on the back, and the last one on the passenger's side. With all three in place, I activated my skill again to hold them in place. It took less time and effort than last time, so I figured the cost of the whole thing would depend on how difficult the application of it needed to be.

I felt a little light-headed, but I could keep going, and the Hunt had just actually begun.

"Alright. Crow, could you do a sweep of the area and tell me if there are any Soldier units nearby?"

'Roger, give me a few seconds.'

I waited. I sat down on the front of the car and waited while staring at the reflection of my image on the blade of my knife. It was chipped, a bit dull, but it remained functional. If I could farm some more EXP and Creds, it would be a good idea to get that knife from before and try to start scavenging for tech to use on a proper arm. If (Minor Technomancy) was even able to do something like that at its current level.

'There's one three blocks north of you. Haven't noticed your presence, but remains on interception route. You could try to ambush it and get some damage done with your knife before you lure it into the trap, should make it a little easier to deal with.'

"Got it, on my way. Keep an eye on my back."

'Always.'

I smiled a little. Crow may be creepy. She may be an evil voice created by my own trauma as I am trying to cope with the shock. She may be an ancient consciousness trying to guide me to become a hero or something. But it was comforting to have someone to talk to. Even if I knew she was a copy of myself, it kept me sane. Or about as sane as a desensitized teenager could be.

'You do know I can read your thoughts, correct?' She snapped me out of my monologue.

"I would like to imagine I can have some privacy sometimes. Understandable though."

'I know the things you think about. Your mind is truly a palace of enigmas.'

I rolled my eyes and kept walking. Crow was really starting to get on my nerves a bit, but I decided to let it go. She did have my....Our best interests in mind after all. Eventually though, I noticed the Soldier unit pacing around and I hid behind a nearby vehicle. Light-Footed activated and I could almost hear my own heartbeat as I moved closer and closer.

It sniffed, I crawled on the floor and waited.

And waited.

Until it passed by my side.

Grabbing my knife tightly with my flesh hand, I stood up silently and lunged at the unit's back. The blade glinted in red and I managed to deliver a single stab into the Soldier's nape. It wasn't enough to kill it, but the slow reaction meant that I hit something really vital. Before I could be swiped away into smithereens, I took the knife from its flesh and started sprinting.

The scorn was clearly normally faster than me, but whatever I hit made it clumsier. I still couldn't outpace it though, but a three-block sprint was something I was very used to. Jumping over the front of the prepared car, the Soldier unit crashed directly into it at full force. The welded spears remained in place, and as the chassis of the car broke and bent, they stood still.

The Soldier unit was impaled three other times. Two in the lower abdomen and one on the chest. The spears did not pierce all the way through, so the unit wouldn't be stopped for long. Turning around and charging at it, I lunged at it once more. Piercing through the nape and into the skull several times, I twisted and turned the blade until I heard that familiar crack. Just then did the unit stop fighting back, and it died just as the Scouts had done before.

[ EXP Gained, new total: 20/30 ]

[ (Agility Lv 1) Has evolved into (Agility Lv 2) ]

[ (Sneak Attack Lv 1) Has evolved into (Sneak Attack Lv 2) ]

"....Twenty EXP for just one of them? This must be some kind of joke..."

'Not really. If you had tried to fight it face-to-face, you would've been wrecked in one hit. You were lucky. Also, congratulations. This is the first big enemy you have defeated without using (Accelerated Processing), you are learning quickly, Raven.'

"That....Is actually true...I guess it's time to keep hunting then. It does seems like I'll be making more spears since I can't take these back anymore. Shame, really."

'Well, you could always try to carve away, or buy some strength-enhancers. But right now you're in no state to be using drugs, so I recommend putting your skills to good use and trying to see what else can you make with Technomancy. It is a very useful skill.'

"Yeah....Actually, I may get some more EXP to get firearms proficiency...It's about time I get some ranged capacities. I don't really enjoy betting my life with every Scorn I find."

With that resolution made, I put the knife away and started walking through the streets back towards the building. I needed to make more spears, probably a few makeshift knives too. And try to see if I can make some armour I could wear on my own. I'd rather not get damaged when I have no medical abilities whatsoever.

"Fuck, it stings...." The gash on my face started to hurt, the cold air of the evening starting to make me uncomfortable. Maybe it was time for a nap, if I could even manage to fall asleep without fearing for my life.