Black-Light in the Verse

Chp 6: First Victim...

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*Whuuushh~*

'Nothin' beats a nice cool breeze...' He stretched, smiling.

He looked off in the distance, seeing the city's lights shimmering in the distance, casting a warm glow over the quiet neighborhood. Jacob pondered on where he would go, knowing he could buy practically anything he wanted...

"Meh, I'll just buy some kimchi..." He made his way down towards the nearest grocery store...

As he made his way down to the store, he looked at the amount of trees that surrounded his area, since his home was practically by itself...

As he walked, he suddenly heard a subtle shift in the bushes nearby. Thinking it was nothing more than a wild dog or cat, he continued, until he heard it again this time getting closer to him, with the usual rustling of leaves taking on a more pronounced tone...

'Hmm?' Curious, he back up, slightly...

With his heightened awareness, he stood still for a moment, while thee rustling persisted, prompting a mix of caution and curiosity in his mind. However, for some reason, Jacob felt that he had to look, and in doing so, he saw gleaming eyes, focused slowly on himself...

'What, the...?' He looked at a glowing slit like eyes in the bushes, as if it was hiding from something... No, like it was stalking it, him...

Soon, he heard a deep growl coming from it where he saw the pair of eyes...

"Shit!" He shouted. He realized it wasn't just some cat or dog. It was much bigger than that. Even with his night vision, he could barely see it, it was simply that experienced at hiding itself...

The creature leaped toward him, leaving Jacob with barely any time to react. In a split-second maneuver, he narrowly dodged the charging creature. As he turned to face the massive creature, the realization of the perilous situation struck him...

'It's barely my second day here... And, I already get a damn tiger!?' The sheer size and power of the thing were intimidating...

The tiger growled lowly, maintaining its predatory stance, circling Jacob as if sizing up its prey...

"What kind of messed-up world is this? Can I not catch a break?" Panic welled up within him. Unlike Logan, this situation felt entirely different, and for the first time, fear crept in... This creature posed a genuine threat, and Jacob was acutely aware that it could end him...

And he could tell that by instinct...

His abilities, usually a source of his strength, were not that powerful, yet. In this moment, he was undeniably mortal, understanding the stark reality of his limitations, at least, currently...

Due to not having any 'biomass' in excess, he couldn't perform 90% of his abilities, he could barely do the claw at his level, the others needed more mass to be effective...

There was no outrunning the tiger; it was clear he had to confront it head-on. The only option that he had was to fight for his life and take down the thing before it could do the same to him. The gravity of the situation sank in as he braced himself for the battle...

As the tiger walked around him, it lowered its stance as if ready to charge again...

'I just need a single touch... Just one, and it's mine,' Jacob thought. The idea of infecting the tiger flashed through his mind, but uncertainty lingered. Could he prevent the creature from tearing into his flesh during the process?