I Can Extract Game Items

August paced in his apartment with the helmet in his hands gleaming faintly under the ceiling light. It had been two days since his last call with Fox, the cold-voiced member of the Oni.

He hadn't expected her to call back so soon after their cryptic threat, but she did. The voice message Victor had left echoed in his head: "Please don't let me die here." That plea haunted him as he prepared himself for what would likely be a dangerous encounter.

'He's just a kid... Besides... This might be my riskiest venture yet.'

One thing August knew for certain was that he couldn't afford to be caught off guard. The Oni members were undoubtedly supernatural players, which gave them a significant advantage in any confrontation.

But August had made his own preparations. For the past two days, he'd been gathering items in Enders Light and practicing the application of his extracted abilities in the real world.

He opened his player interface and reviewed the items he'd specifically purchased for this encounter:

- Smoke Bombs – Ideal for creating chaos and vanishing without a trace.

- Paralyzing Darts – Small and deadly... these darts could incapacitate even the most agile target.

- Kunai Blades – Lightweight and perfect for throwing or close combat.

- A Flaming Sword – Though he wasn't proficient with swords in the game, this weapon wasn't meant for Enders Light. He intended to use it in the real world.

August touched the interface and extracted each item, watching as they materialized one by one. The smoke bombs were small but dense, fitting perfectly into the palm of his hand. The kunai gleamed wickedly, their edges sharp enough to slice through flesh like butter.

The flaming sword was heavier than expected, but its hilt fit comfortably in his grip. When he pressed a hidden switch, the blade erupted into flames, casting an orange glow across his apartment.

Next, he retrieved the Cloak of Echoes, a treasured item from his inventory. The cloak shimmered as it unfurled. Its fabric rippled like a liquid shadow. He threw it over his outfit, letting the edges of the cloak blend seamlessly with the surroundings. Lastly, he donned his helmet, the final piece of his ensemble.

Once fully geared, he activated the helmet's video recording function, ensuring that everything would be documented.

The Oni had warned him not to try anything foolish. Victor's life hung in the balance, and they made it clear that one misstep would result in his immediate execution. August had agreed to their terms, feigning compliance. But he wasn't about to walk into a trap blindly.

The meeting was set for 8 PM in a quiet coffee shop located in a secluded district. The location itself was suspicious; it provided multiple vantage points for an ambush. August decided to arrive early but not at the shop itself.

Instead, he positioned himself on the rooftop of a building across the street, using a specialized Long-Eye function in his helmet.

The function allowed him to zoom in and observe the scene with unparalleled clarity.

Through the lens, he spotted them. Two figures sat inside the coffee shop, both clad in casual attire but radiating a distinct air of menace.

One was Fox, her signature robe absent but her sly, cold demeanor unmistakable with a mask on her face. The other was the tall man who'd been present during Victor's abduction. His large frame made the chair he occupied seem almost comically small.

August's face sank under the helmet when he realized Victor wasn't with them.

'Where is he?'

He scanned the surrounding area meticulously but found no sign of the captive. They'd lied.

Despite the situation, August forced himself to remain calm.

August's helmet-advanced auditory sensors amplified the voices below.

"How much longer do we keep the kid alive?" the demon-masked man growled in impatience.

Fox turned her head slightly. "Until Aleman shows. No one will find him here; we've hidden him well."

The demon-masked man chuckled darkly. "I still say we should've just killed him outright. This waiting game is tedious."

Fox tilted her head toward him as she repsonded with a warning tone. "We need bait, and he's the perfect one. Once Aleman comes into the picture, things will be settled."

August's heard them and immediately understood that Victor was probably somewhere in the vicinity.

"Who did you pick to guard Victor?" Fox questioned.

The demon-masked man responded. "Three of our best. Even if someone suspects, they won't get past them."

Fox let out a satisfied hum. "Good. Make sure everything is in order. The last thing we need is another botched operation."

The conversation confirmed August's suspicions. Victor was somewhere nearby, hidden and probably guarded by a few Oni members.

August's helmet visuals immediately began scanning the surroundings. The advanced tech allowed him to assess nearby buildings and even cars parked by the roadside, looking for anomalies.

The enhanced interface marked several points of interest—cars parked haphazardly, a warehouse with no activity, and a few dimly lit houses. August toggled through the options, frustration brewing as nothing seemed to stand out.

"Where are you, Whitford?" he muttered under his breath.

A black van parked a street away suddenly caught his eye. It wasn't just the vehicle itself; it was how it was parked—tucked into the shadows with its engine running.

August's instincts screamed that this was it. Explore stories on empire

He turned around and jumped off the rooftop.

When he was a few feet away from reaching the ground, the cloak of echoes suddenly absorbed the air around him, flapping slowly before suspending him in mid-air.

The hover function had activated and allowed August to land slowly which prevented him from losing his legs.

Afterward, he instantly activated Dash.

[ Dash Has Been Activated ]

The world blurred briefly, and within moments, he was beside the van. A sharp, almost inaudible hum came from the engine. August reached for the rear doors, but they were locked tight.

"Well, we're doing this the loud way."

August pulled his sword from his inventory. The blade gleamed even in the dim alley light.

In the next moment, he slashed forward causing the sound of metal tearing apart to split the air as a tongue of sharp flames followed the blade.

The van's doors peeled open like a tin can, leaving a fiery blazing red on their edges.

Inside, a stretcher-like contraption held a figure bound tightly. Their head was covered with a cloth.

"Victor!"

August yelled but before he could step in, movement caught his peripheral vision. Two figures darted out from the shadows within the van.

Their speed was far beyond human capability.

One was male, stocky and tall, while the other was a lithe, agile female. Both wore Oni masks—traditional, demonic, and terrifying—

The male's fists crackled with energy, while the female's hands glowed with a faint blue light that left scorch marks on the van's metal walls.

"You must be Aleman," the male sneered. His voice was distorted, and his stance screamed confidence. "Let's hope you survive long enough for our bosses to speak to you."

August didn't respond. Instead, he activated Dash.

His vision narrowed as the world slowed. He evaded the male's glowing fist by a hair's breadth, appearing behind him in an instant and slashing with the flaming blade he had prepared earlier.

The strike left brutal gashes across the man's torso as flames licked his body, causing him to cry out in agony.

"Ahh! What the hell?!"

Tori was now more cautious. She circled August, observing his movements, then suddenly launched a barrage of glowing, spinning projectiles.

August evaded with another Dash as his flaming blade carved through one of the projectiles in midair. However, one spun back around and grazed his shoulder, sending a sharp jolt of pain through his body.

Tori smirked. "So you're not invincible after all."

The fight escalated as Zach, the male Oni member, gritted his teeth and unleashed an item retrieved from the game. It was a compact device that glowed ominously in his hands, and when activated, it released a pulse of energy that sent shockwaves through the air.

August barely had time to react before he was hit by the pulse of energy.

His entire figure was lifted off the ground and sent crashing into a nearby building.

Fortunately, no one was in this building or it would have caused a huge ruckus.

"Ugh..." August groaned as he forcefully pushed himself up.

His joints felt like jelly as he struggled to step forward, fighting the internal disorientation.

Up ahead, the two Oni members had the device pointed at him once more, ready to fire.

"I can't let that thing hit me again..." August instantly activated Dash once more, closing the distance between them, and placed his hand on the device.

His fingers glowed purple as he activated his Extraction ability. The powerful item, which was likely worth hundreds of millions, began to disassemble before their very eyes.

Its components fell apart as if undone at a molecular level.

"What—!" Zach shouted in disbelief as the device disintegrated in his hands.

Before he could recover, August delivered a powerful punch to his gut, sending him flying across the lot and slamming his head into a concrete barrier.

August then turned his attention to Tori, who had leaped into the air to avoid a similar fate. Her movements were swift, but August was faster. He shot one of his tranquilizer darts, which struck her in the shoulder. She staggered midair and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

August stepped into the van, breathing heavily as he pulled back the large cloth covering the figure strapped to the stretcher-like seat. His heart pounded in anticipation, but when the face beneath the straps came into view, it wasn't Victor.

"What the hell…?" August muttered, confused.

Before he could react, the figure broke through the restraints with unnatural strength and grabbed him by the neck.

The grip was like iron, pinning him against the van's interior wall. August struggled, but the figure didn't budge.

"You walked right into it," a cold, familiar voice said from behind him.