Two people waited for a man on top of a rooftop. Hakeem and Esther, the duo didn’t dare go downstairs as the thought of facing an enemy at this point of time, scared the shit out of them. Hakeem felt naked without his Iron Body while Esther just felt vulnerable with the absence of her brother.

 

“He’s late,” said Esther as waiting was mentally torturing her.

 

Hakeem who was shaking his leg up and down maintained his silence as there was no point in saying something that he wasn’t sure of.

 

Then a silhouette emerged out of a sudden catching them by surprise. Hakeem grabbed on to his iron mace while Esther was already armed with her combat knives. They reacted out of instinct as it was instilled in them.

 

“Woah there,” it was Jason as a giant axe resting on his shoulder.

 

The tension in their bodies faded out turning into relief. While they relaxed, their eyes couldn’t stop staring at the huge axe on Jason’s shoulder.

 

“Where did you get that?” asked Hakeem.

 

“I stole it,” he admitted it without hiding his bad deed.

 

Hakeem had a dumbfounded look for hearing such a thing. Rather than questioning it, he let it slide as things like that should better be hidden.

 

Esther couldn’t take her eyes away from the great axe. The dark red hue of the shaft and the shining silver luster of the blade but what caught her attention was none other than the dull crimson gem embedded in the middle of the head of the axe.

 

“This is the one that the female soldier talked about, isn’t it?” said Esther.

 

She was spot on as she remembered the little details during Jason’s impromptu interrogation. Jason looked back at the great axe on his shoulder as he mumbled.

 

“Scan.”

 

Barog’s Sigh Axe Category : Axe Grade : Unique An axe made by the ill-famed Barog, a golem who inherited the displeasure and ill will feeling of an unknown blacksmith. The weapon it made was known to utterly violent and aggressive. The Barog’s Sigh Axe was one of its fail products as it didn’t capture its vision of pure tyranny.   Attack : +79(+1)   Effect : Fuel by the rage of the user, once a person is consumed by his or her own rage, then the axe will burst out the flames of vexation. Add +35 fire elemental energy-based attack. May inflict burn   Detrimental Effect : Prolong usage will increase the bloodlust of the wielder. Prolong usage will increase violent tendency   Requirement : 30 Strength

 

A beast of a weapon but there was too much at stake if someone used it. At first, Jason was delighted but seeing that there were also detrimental effects only hampered his mood.

 

I guess I’ll throw it in the store. On second thought, where can I find a storage ability, having one does sound useful and practical.

 

While Jason was daydreaming about having an inter-dimensional storage ability, Esther reached out her hand to the shaft of the great axe. Her flimsy fingers grasped on the shaft and the moment she held on to it, an unknown bad energy flowed inside of her.

 

“Argh!” her shout caught both Hakeem and Jason's attention.

 

She didn’t let go of the shaft of the axe as she tugged towards herself, but it wouldn’t budge since the one who was holding on to it was clearly the stronger one. Her craze looking eyes glanced at Jason as her other free hand which was holding the steel dirk swung towards Jason’s neck.

 

Hakeem was shocked seeing how Esther was crazy enough to bare her blade at Jason. Even the brother himself was surprised by the sudden change in his sister.

 

Jason leaped away somersaulting in the air dodging the sudden attack. But much to his surprise, he felt a force on his neck. He looked and his eyes went wide open. Esther was clinging to the great axe with her right hand while her left was slashing against his neck. This woman just followed along with his sudden jump while not letting go of the axe.

 

Her determination was nonetheless incredible and admirable but Jason had something else in mind. Even if his sister wanted to release those pent up anger she had over him, she didn’t actually need to slash the heck out of his neck alongside having those crazy looking eyes. Esther also kept on shouting like a madwoman trying to lowered down Jason’s energy guard.

 

“Dude, what’s wrong with her?” asked Hakeem.

 

Jason knew the answer as her hand didn’t leave the shaft of the great axe.

 

A detrimental effect? Just by touching? But why am I still okay?

 

“It’s the axe,” said Jason.

 

“The axe? You mean it’s cursed or something?” Hakeem asked.

 

Curse? Sounds plausible, but the scan didn’t show anything about it, or it might be because Scan is still low level.

 

Jason was dodging those attacks in close combat utilizing his high agility against this craze sister of his.

 

On second thought, that guy also was fine while holding on to this axe or does it have something else that I don’t know off? I guess the only answer is through leveling up Scan even further.

 

“Dude! Do something!” Hakeem said worried seeing the overkill squabble between brother and sister.

 

Jason was about to punch her right at the head but stopped himself as he remembered that her energy guard was already broken. If he wasn’t careful then he might blow off her head.

 

Hmm, how should I do this?

 

Jason yanked the great axe to the side rapidly and Esther moved along as if she was dragged by the great axe. She didn’t let go of the great axe as if she was possessed by it.

 

Crazy Esther was relentless even after being yanked over, she still continued with her aggressive assaults.

 

Punch her right in the gut? But will she faint? Hmm, should I try?

 

Jason was racking his brain trying to figure out a solution.

 

I guess breaking her hand will do since I do have heal.

 

A rather aggressive solution, he chose it since he was getting annoyed by these attacks from Esther. Jason then proceeded to grabbed Esther’s right wrist and seconds later, he gripped it tightly as the sound of bones cracking permeated in the air.

 

Hakeem who heard and saw all of this was horrified. He didn’t have to go that far, thought Hakeem in his mind.

 

But even her wrist broke, the hand still didn’t let go. She didn’t even wince from the pain. Jason, on the other hand, was surprised himself.

 

Got it, the fingers.

 

Jason turned his attention to the fingers grasping on the great axe. Jason broke those feminine fingers forcefully as they all bent unnaturally with the sound of bones being snapped apart.

 

Hakeem grimaced hearing it one more time as if he was in a horror gore film.

 

Finally, the fingers went loose and Jason yanked the great axe from her grasp. Jason threw the great axe a bit far in the distance and the moment he did so, a loud cry filled with pain permeated in the air.

 

“Ahhh!” Esther cried as the sudden jolt of pain was unbearable. She then saw her fingers bending in an unnatural way. Seeing it only made her cry even worse.

 

She didn’t know why and how it happened. Right now all she could ever think of was her brother. Jason rushed to his sister as he immediately healed her wrist and fingers. A few seconds later, the atmosphere turned back to normal but not without questions.

 

“What happened?” Esther asked. She knew something wasn’t right. The last thing she remembered before feeling that intense pain was holding to the great axe.

 

“You went crazy,” said Jason.

 

“Crazy?” Esther asked as the look on her face was plastered with worry.

 

“The axe, once you hold on to it you went bat shit crazy,” Jason explained.

 

Hakeem, on the other hand, kept himself at a distance between those two. He learned that he shouldn’t involve himself with white people horror stories and this time he reminded himself not to involve with Asian people horror stories.

 

“But why are you okay?” she asked curious about the matter.

 

“I don’t know, I guess I’m stronger than you then,” said Jason.

 

“Hmph, later on, I’ll be stronger than you. Just you wait,” said Esther but then her eyes glanced at the great axe. The admiration she felt over the unique aesthetic of the great axe was long gone after experienced such a thing.

 

“Just get that axe from me, I think it gives me the creeps,” said Esther.

 

“You’re the one who touches it. It’s like a warning, so better keep your hands away from my stuff, hehe,” said Jason with a chuckle in the end.

 

“Idiot,” Esther said at her brother.

 

Jason then picked up the great axe in his hand, he stared at it for a while but felt nothing. He was fine like usual.

 

“So? What’s next?” asked Hakeem.

 

“We’re going home, enough leveling for now and I think more monsters are filling up the city,” said Jason as he noticed while on his way back that more monsters were flocking the streets.

 

Hakeem clenched his fist out of happiness as he wanted to go home already. Enough was enough, he needed some rest.

 

Jason stood in between these two and said.

 

“Hang on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

 

To his smile, Hakeem knew what was going to happen.

 

The trio turned invisible through Shadow Sneak and traveled back to Hakeem’s car. There was no pit stop and the moment they reached their car hidden within the trees, Hakeem and Esther went on barfing out their guts. It was definitely more than just bumpy.

 

“I’m not going to do that again,” said Hakeem wiping out the yellowish liquid around his lips.

 

He went to start the engine and Jason, on the other hand, was staring at the direction of the city. If he was alone, he might be able to level up even faster.

 

I guess some other time.

 

The trio disembarked on the road back to their home. At the same time, the special ops teams sent by the military were also heading back home as they rendezvoused at a checkpoint.

 

Team gamma who waiting at the pickup point saw the approaching members of the alpha team and the sole survivor of the beta team. The whole team gamma was stupefied seeing the state of what left of them.

 

“Where’s team beta?”

 

“You’re right, where are they?”

 

“Dude, look at the back. It’s Iceman.”

 

“It can’t be man, he’s the only one left alive?”

 

“I guess we should be grateful that our whole team is still intact.”

 

While the gamma team had their own thoughts about the matter, Ellen Portman was nervous as her eyes scanned the incoming survivors. Then she saw it, both Frank and Scott had empty hands. Her hand immediately covered her gaping mouth. She was in shock.

 

He did it, thought Ellen as she knew who was the culprit that stole those artifacts off from them. She didn’t dare say a thing as she just watched the arrival of the solemn alpha team and the lone survivor of the beta team.

 

“Where’s Berserker’s axe?” said one of the soldiers in the gamma team.

 

That alone was enough riled up the sleeping beast. Frank charged head-on grabbing the soldier by the collar as his fist was already in the path of punching the soldier.

 

“Stop it, Frank!” Captain William aimed his assault rifle at the Berserker who was about to end the life of an innocent soldier.

 

“He’s a friendly, you don’t hurt your own allies,” said Captain William again as the situation turned tense. Even the gamma team members were aiming their rifles at the Berserker.

 

“Hmph,” Frank threw the soldier to the ground as he went on at a distance before sitting on the ground a bit further from the rest of them.

 

Team gamma’s captain walked to Captain William.

 

“What’s going on?” he asked.

 

“An enemy stole Berserker’s artifact,” said Captain William.

 

“What? Is it a three-man team with a black man and an Asian woman?” asked team gamma’s captain.

 

“No, it’s only one person and we don’t how he looks like,” said Captain William.

 

“He’s invisible,” said team gamma’s captain and those words were enough to caught Captain William’s attention.

 

“You know him?” Captain William asked.

 

“No, we don’t. He caught us by surprise and made the whole team black-out, we can’t even do a thing,” said team gamma’s captain.

 

“An enemy?” Captain William asked.

 

“I don’t know but he did keep our lives intact, and that’s what I’m going to write on the report,” said team gamma’s captain.

 

Captain William pondered to himself about the identity of the unknown thief.

 

Who are you?