The EXP gain felt like wading through tar. Kael needed a significant haul. He ventured deeper into the Rust Quarter's industrial graveyard – a maze of derelict factories and crumbling warehouses. The air hung thick with metallic dust and the ozone tang of decaying power conduits. **Basic Analysis (Active: 1 ENG/min)** painted hazards: unstable walkways, areas humming with residual charge, patrol routes of territorial scav gangs.
**TARGET ACQUIRED:** A scavenger boss known as "Gristle," holed up in an old filtration plant. Intel gleaned from terrified locals: Gristle ran a small crew, hoarded valuable pre-Collapse components, and possessed a crude shock-baton – likely his only "ability". **THREAT: MODERATE (BOSS). EST EXP: 100+. POTENTIAL LOOT.**
The plant was a cathedral of decay. Kael slipped through a shattered skylight, landing silently on a gantry high above the main floor. Below, Gristle, a thick-necked man with greasy hair and a stained leather apron, barked orders at three underlings sorting through piles of scrap. The shock-baton crackled ominously at his hip. **ADVANCED ANALYSIS ENGAGED (3 ENG/min):**
**- GRUNT 1 (LEFT): LOW AGI. RELIANT ON HEAVY PIPE.**
**- GRUNT 2 (RIGHT): CAUTIOUS. POSSESSES THROWING KNIVES.**
**- GRUNT 3 (CENTER): AGGRESSIVE. FAST BUT RECKLESS.**
**- GRISTLE (BOSS): HIGH STR/VIT. SHOCK-BATON RANGE: 2 METERS. CHARGE CYCLE: 5 SECONDS BETWEEN FULL POWER STRIKES. WEAKNESS: POOR UPPER BODY MOBILITY DUE TO OLD BACK INJURY (SCARRING VISIBLE).**
**ENERGY: 85/100.** Kael had regenerated overnight and conserved during the approach. This needed to be fast.
He dropped a loose chunk of masonry onto the pile near Grunt 3. The crash echoed. "What the—?" The reckless grunt lunged towards the sound. Kael dropped behind him, cudgel smashing down on his collarbone. **CRITICAL STRIKE! ENERGY: -10. EXP: +30 (Grunt 3).**
Chaos erupted. Grunt 1 roared, hefting his pipe. Grunt 2 fumbled for knives. Gristle bellowed, drawing his sparking baton. Kael didn't stop moving. He darted towards Grunt 1, feinting high before sweeping his legs. The man crashed down. Kael stomped hard on his weapon hand, hearing bones crunch. **VICTORY (Grunt 1). ENERGY: -8. EXP: +30.**
Grunt 2's knife whistled past Kael's ear. **AGI CHECK PASSED (12).** Kael closed the distance before the scavenger could throw another. A brutal palm strike to the sternum dropped him gasping. **VICTORY (Grunt 2). ENERGY: -7. EXP: +30.**
**ENERGY: 60/100. EXP TOTAL: 215/600.**
Gristle charged, baton raised, violet energy crackling. "You little rat!" Kael backpedaled, keeping just outside the two-meter kill zone. **ANALYSIS: CHARGE BUILDING. FULL DISCHARGE IMMINENT.** Gristle lunged, baton screaming forward. Kael twisted aside, the discharge scorching the air where he'd been. **ENERGY: -5 (Intensive Dodge).**
*Exploit the weakness.* Kael remembered the scar. As Gristle recovered from the powerful, committed swing, his upper body was momentarily stiff. Kael ducked *under* the next wild swipe, coming up inside Gristle's guard. He drove his reinforced cudgel upward with all his Strength (10) into the soft spot beneath Gristle's ribcage, angled towards the old spinal injury.
Gristle's roar turned into a wet gurgle. He stumbled back, eyes wide with shock and agony, the baton sputtering. Kael didn't relent. A sweeping kick took Gristle's legs out. The boss crashed down, the baton skittering away. Kael placed a boot on his chest, cudgel poised.
"Yield," Kael rasped, breath ragged. The fight had taken barely a minute, but the Energy drain was steep. **ENERGY: 45/100.**
Gristle spat blood, defiance fading to fear. "Y-yield! Take the stuff! Just don't—"
**COMBAT RESULT: VICTORY (Gristle). ENERGY: -15 (Finishing Sequence). EXP: +120 (Elite Boss). TOTAL EXP: 335/600. LEVEL 5: 335/600 → LEVEL 6: 135/700!**
**NEW UNALLOCATED POINTS: 5.**
Kael didn't kill him. The system noted impassively: **NON-LETHAL SUBDUCTION. FULL EXP AWARDED BASED ON THREAT NEUTRALIZATION.** He quickly located Gristle's stash – a small crate of pristine micro-conductors and a pouch of silver bits. Loot secured.
Back at the water tower, Kael allocated his points: **VIT: 13 → 15** (More endurance, faster healing), **ENG: Base 100 → 105** (Larger Energy pool). **MAX ENERGY: 50/105 (Regenerating).**
He examined the Skill Interface again. **335 EXP.** He could afford something now.
* **Dodge Proficiency (Lv.1): 50 EXP?** Useful, but his AGI was decent.
* **Power Strike (Lv.1): 50 EXP?** Amplifying his Strength 10 could be decisive.
* **Pain Suppression (Lv.1): 75 EXP?** Tempting, given his lifestyle.
* **Energy Sense (Lv.1): 100 EXP?** Expensive, but knowing threats *before* they struck...
He chose **Energy Sense (Lv.1)**. Knowledge was survival. The EXP vanished. A subtle shift occurred. When he focused, he could now feel faint pulses in the environment – the residual hum of the water tower's dead pump, the distant flicker of a hab-block's generator, the slow, warm thrum of a sleeping rat in the walls. It was faint, unfocused, but *there*. **ENERGY SENSE ACTIVE (PASSIVE, NO COST). RANGE: 5 METERS.**
**ENERGY: 75/105.** He slept, the new sense a quiet background hum, dreaming of crackling batons and falling bodies.