ã€ŠAnother World&#x27;s Homunculusã€‹


 Chapter 1: From Now on, Iéˆ¥æª’l Live a Valiant Life

    Underneath the heat of the afternoon sun, Ellis Murrin furrowed his brow.

    ¡°You alright, kid?¡± He asked as a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. His pale hands shivered. They were still firmly clamped onto the child¡¯s thin shoulders.

    He paused for a moment before realization struck. Ellis hurriedly let go. Taking a step back, he looked down at the child in front of him.

    The child in question was a fair skinned little boy with a baseball cap over his head. He looked to be around five years old, but the dimples on his cheeks made him appear even younger. A single red balloon was tied to his wrist.

    The kid did not respond. Instead, he appeared dazed and slightly confused. The boystaredoff into the distance, his somewhat hazy gaze firmly fixed onto the now distant truck barreling down the road.

    Following his gaze, Ellis lifted his head and stared up at the truck. He unconsciously shook his head.

    The two were standing in a relatively busy intersection within the middle of the city. Usually, traffic here wasn¡¯t very heavy, but that didn¡¯t mean that absolutely no accidents ever occurred. Take what had just happened a few seconds prior. Although it wasn¡¯t an accident, it had come scarily close to one.

    Ellis¡¯s face was a noticeable shade paler than usual. A little bit of fear and a little bit of resentment swirled within his heart. A few seconds passed and the truck suddenly turned a corner before completely disappearing from his field of view. Even though the main perpetrator had left, the emotions still remained. He couldn¡¯t stop the cold shivers from running down the back of his spine.

    After a while, he turned back to the boy. ¡°Don¡¯t go running around so recklessly like that, okay? It¡¯s dangerous. Before you cross the street, always remember to look both ways first.¡± Ellis chided the reckless brat with regurgitated warnings.

    The boy nodded his head obediently. Despite how submissive he looked now, Ellis did not know how genuine his thoughts really were. He could only hope that this incident sparks some sort of revelation within this absentminded brat¡¯s head. Just as he was about to say something else, he saw someone running towards them. She looked to be the child¡¯s mother.

    With that, he shooed the boy away and breathed out an ambiguous sigh.

    ¡°That was way too close for comfort¡­¡±

    To sum things up, Ellis had just saved someone¡¯s life.

    The truck from earlier ran a red light and almost crashed into a child. Luckily, Ellis managed to push the kid away just before it could happen.

    Honestly, he had prepared himself for death. It usually goes like that, right? Saving a person¡¯s life in exchange for yours. That¡¯s how it always plays out within all the books and stories that he often read during his free time. Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), he did not die.

    Through some miracle, he made it back to the sidewalk just before the truck could hit him. He had felt the rush of wind buffeting his face, but the impact and subsequent pain did not follow. Ellis narrowly avoided the Grim Reaper¡¯s scythe. Still, he was not overly excited or even happy for that matter.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    In truth, Ellis did not save the boy purely to save a life. There was an underlying motive to all of his actions.

    He wanted to die. He had been searching for death back when he saved that boy¡¯s life. Even now, it wasn¡¯t wrong to call him suicidal. Back then, he simply thought that doing a heroic deed at the end of his life would look a bit more favorable to whoever managed the afterlife. Although they might be a bit put off by his reasoning, that was fine too.

    Unfortunately, he did not even have that luxury.

    Since he survived, he now had to continue living this shitty life of his.

    Ellis Murrin was a man with no prospects. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call him a negative potential type of guy.

    He was recently laid off. In fact, it happened less than ten minutes ago.

    He had been unceremoniously fired from his job. It was for a company that he never really quite memorized the name of, but that wasn¡¯t important. What was important was the fact that he was now jobless. For anyone, being jobless certainly wasn¡¯t anything good, but for him, it was a fate comparable to hell.

    On top of being jobless, Ellis also had a monstrous debt hanging over his shoulders.

    He was an orphan and the orphanage that raised him suddenly incurred a large debt after one of their past caretakers stole a large majority of their funds. What¡¯s more, the same caretaker also borrowed money under the orphanage¡¯s name. The end result was a debt that wasn¡¯t too large by moststandardsbut was absolutely astronomical for him and the people that raised him.

    While that shitty caretaker may be gone now, the debt still remained, leaving the orphanage in a precarious situation. In the end, Ellis sacrificed himself. He voluntarily took on the debt for himself.

    Thinking about it now, the synergy betweena debtand being jobless was indeed quite frightening.

    He let out a sigh. If only he had died, then the life insurance money under his name would have gone to the orphanage. It wasn¡¯t enough to completely pay off the debt, but it would surely be more than anything he could ever earn within the next twenty years or so. What¡¯s more, there was a possibility of the debt completely disappearing upon his death, but considering the guys that they owed money to, that wasn¡¯t very likely.

    Ellis watched as the five-year-old boy met up with his mother. The two hugged for a while before they disappeared into the crowd. That boy, there were plenty of kids like him in the orphanage. No, they weren¡¯t quite the same. The children there, they grew up not knowing the warmth of a mother or the care of a father.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    They lived a pitiful existence, and without him, their lives would only worsen.

    Ellis shook his head.No, I can¡¯t think like that anymore!He clenched his fists.Since I somehow managed to escape death, that means God hasn¡¯t completely given up on me just yet. From now on, I¡¯ll live a good life. I¡¯ll take care of those kids, I¡¯ll do something about the debt, and I¡¯ll even find a girlfriend for myself!

    He firmed his resolution. Indeed, for a man of his age, it was about time he got himself a girlfriend.

    ¡°The world is at my fingertips! Anything is possible! This is the first step to the rest of my life!¡±

    Just then, something happened that would make Ellis regret ever saying those words.

    ¡°Watch out, dumbass!¡±

    A rotund bicyclist narrowly collided into him. Ellis stumbled back in surprise, while the man riding the bicycle screamed obscenities at him.

    He was just about to shout back, when suddenly, ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Ellis tripped on the sidewalk.

    From the very start, the sidewalk was uneven. It had something to do with poor mismanagement of the municipal city funds, but it was too late to think about that now.

    He helplessly fell to the street. The sound of a blaring honk filled his ears. Ellis turned his head, just in time to see the blinding headlights of an oncoming SUV.

    Inthat moment, time froze.

    One thought echoed through his mind.

    What the hell was the point of my resolution!

    The twin lights grew increasingly brighter until they filled the entirety of his vision. There was a moment of peace, before finally,

    BANG!

    Darkness.

 Chapter 2: After Death

    ¡°I really died, huh?¡±

    Ellis bitterly thought to himself.

    Even now, he still couldn¡¯t quite believe it. Although he had been wishing for death, a part of him didn¡¯t actually want to die. Everybody was like that. People overreact to things all the time. It was like telling yourself to never eat chocolate ever again after it gave you a stomach ache that one time, but eating it immediately afterward when you see another piece the next day. It was like that. Life was a piece of chocolate. Ellis didn¡¯t actually want to die.

    At least, now he didn¡¯t. It was unfortunate, but death wasn¡¯t something so easy to take back.

    Well, now that he was dead, he did have to wonder, ¡°Where the hell am I?¡±

    He looked around his surroundings. There was nothing. Like literally nothing.

    An endless void. It was a black that wasn¡¯t exactly black. An emptiness that didn¡¯t quite feel hollow. All around him, space (or maybe it was a lack of space) stretched on for what felt like forever.

    As for himself, Ellis realized that he couldn¡¯t quite move. His body, or rather, he didn¡¯t have a body anymore. The action of shaking his head, even the words that he once thought came out from his lips, they were nothing more than the wandering words of a lost soul.

    Ellis was keenly aware of his surroundings. After a while, he gradually realized that there was something else within this infinite void. A glowing mass of light. It was weak and feeble and looked as if it would go out at any second. That light was what replaced his body.

    Was it his soul or something else? He felt like that was probably the correct train of thought.

    Is this what comes after death? He wondered to himself. An endless void with nothing in sight?

    A part of him felt underwhelmed, while another part of him felt overwhelmed. If it was going to be like this for all eternity, then why was he still conscious?

    No matter how much he grumbled to himself, there was nothing he could do to change his situation.

    After a while, he suddenly noticed something.

    Although the surroundings never outwardly changed, he was vaguely aware of movement. His body, the light that composed of his existence, it was moving. It was a similar experience to riding a bus. He was keenly aware of the movement, but he neither had the ability to change nor control it. As to how or where, that he did not know.

    An indiscernible amount of time passed.

    Eventually, something else finally happened.

    Within the seemingly never-ending blackness, he saw a flickering light in the distance. Like him, it was also moving. From its vague trajectory, it was moving towards the same destination as him.

    Is it another dead soul or something else? Ellis did not know, but he felt that the likelihood of it being another soul was high. He wanted to move towards it, but again, he found that he couldn¡¯t. He kept moving in the same direction, as if there was something there drawing him in.

    More time passed. The number of lights increased. They were all like him, faintly glowing blobs of white. They streaked through the darkness, hurtling towards a place still distant and unknown.

    Ellis counted the lights. Including him, there were nine lights in total. Nine souls. Nine like him. They moved silently through the void.

    It was after the ninth light came into view that it suddenly happened.

    For the first time, Ellis heard a voice. It was an ambiguous voice that echoed through the surrounding space. If he still had ears, then no doubt its words would have reverberated through his eardrums.

    ¡°Children,¡± It spoke. ¡°Some of you may have already realized this, while some of you may still be unaware, but you all have died.¡±

    All the lights around him shook, seemingly in reaction not with the content of its words, but with the voice itself. Ellis was no exception.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°I do not know what sort of life you may have all lived in the past, but know this: death is not always the end. For some, it can also be the start of a new beginning¡­ I am here to grant you that new beginning.¡±

    ¡°You may have all died in your old world, but I will allow you to live a new life in another world. In that world, you will become something far greater than your previous selves.¡±

    ¡°Children gifted by God. Those destined to walk the path of glory and greatness. I will transform you into such an existence. I will transform you into heroes.¡±

    With no one to interrupt him, the voice rambled on. For the most part, Ellis felt as if he was hearing a sales pitch for a car dealership, but he did have to admit, there was something in the voice¡¯s words that compelled him.

    Heroes¡­ His mind clung to that one word.

    It was that, right? That popular trope that was all the rage online. Transmigrating to another world and starting over. Living life as a super successful person with power, money, and women. A blatant wish fulfillment type story.

    Ellis did not know whether he felt excited about that sudden prospect or scared.

    ¡°Normally, departed souls such as yourselves would never get the chance to even encounter such an opportunity.¡± The voice continued. ¡°At the moment of death, all the things that once constituted as you would cease to exist. Your soul disintegrates, shattering into tiny, featureless particles. And in the end, those baptized particles come together once more, this time, to form a completely new soul with none of the memories, personality, or ego that was once you. Even for a god, it is a frightening prospect.¡±

    ¡°I am allowing you to live a second life with the same ego and memories that you possessed in the past. What¡¯s more, you will live a far more fulfilling life than before! So come, heroes, save my worl¡ª¡±

    Just then, a loud sound resembling shattering glass reverberated through the void.

    The voice stopped and within the darkness, a crack appeared. It was located at a distance that couldn¡¯t be considered far, but neither could it be considered close. Still, it felt as if something was suddenly breathing down the back of Ellis¡¯s neck. For a moment, indescribable fear engulfed him.

    From within the crack, a single entity walked out.

    It was dark, darker than even the blackness of eternity. Its fluidity stood out like a sore thumb amidst the static nature of the void. Its body, if you could really call it that, constantly morphed and changed, splitting into a hundred thousand wriggling tendrils one second and turning into a gelatinous blob the next.

    It gave off a clear malevolent atmosphere. It was to the point where Ellis began fearing for a life that he no longer possessed.

    Within the ever-changing mass, two red orbs glowed brightly. They mimicked the appearance of eyes.

    ¡°You, what are you doing here?!¡± The voice from before called out. Space shook. Anger and shock were clearly laced into his words.

    ¡°I am here to take a peek at your little ¡®operation¡¯ and to establish a lineage for myself.¡± The malevolent entity calmly responded.

    ¡°What?¡± Suddenly, a white figure appeared. It was a being resembling a person. Everything about him was ambiguous, but Ellis could vaguely tell that the thing before him was a man. The new figure furrowed his brow. ¡°Whatever it is you''re planning, don¡¯t think I¡¯ll just let you.¡±

    ¡°I never counted on you to be lenient in the first place.¡± The malevolent entity lightly responded before he ignored the white figure and turned towards the glowing orbs. The moment he felt those red eyes glaze over him, Ellis shivered. His light flickered as if it were about to go out.

    Everyone else was like that too. For some reason, his body, no, his soul, it was instinctively afraid.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I don¡¯t really want anyone too outstanding, but they can¡¯t be a pushover either.¡± The malevolent entity muttered to itself. ¡°Good or evil? Well, it shouldn¡¯t really matter.¡±

    After a few seconds, the malevolent entity suddenly turned to Ellis. He felt as if they had locked eyes, but he wasn¡¯t quite sure. In that moment, all he felt was fear.

    The red orbs curved into two thin crescents. It was an action resembling a smile. ¡°You. I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    It stretched a hand out towards him. Ellis was powerless to do anything.

    ¡°Alma! Don¡¯t go too far!¡± Suddenly, the white figure moved. He dashed forward and swiped his hand out. A blinding light shot forth.

    The malevolent entity avoided the light. Its now gaseous figure dissipated before it reformed completely anew. ¡°Whoops, you almost got me. You should really be careful, you wouldn¡¯t want any of your precious heroes to be damaged, would you?¡± It taunted.

    ¡°You¡­¡± The white figure gnashed his teeth. He took a step forward, but just before he could do anything else, the malevolent entity continued.

    ¡°Too bad for you, but I¡¯m not the type to give second chances. It¡¯s far too late now.¡± A black hand suddenly swept Ellis up. The nine lights that floated amidst the endless void suddenly decreased to eight. ¡°With this, mission complete.¡± Its red eyes once again curved into thin crescents.

    The malevolent entity transformed into a viscous liquid and rapidly disappeared back into the crack. A half second later and the crack vanished.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A deafening silence. None of the remaining lights dared to move. In the first place, they couldn¡¯t.

    The white figure stared at the spot where the crack had been for a long time before it abruptly turned away. He looked over at the glowing white lights. Souls, eight of them left.

    As for the group of eight spheres, they felt equal parts shocked and afraid. There was a being out there strong enough to tear through void. Just that prospect alone gave them a fright. What sort of concept was breaking the void? It was a feat far beyond their current understanding, but nevertheless, they were vaguely aware of its difficulty.

    When the white figure¡¯s gaze landed on them, the group of lights froze.

    ¡°Come, let¡¯s move along.¡± Without saying much, the white figure swept his hands forward and all the lights suddenly gathered within his palm. He then rushed off into the darkness, towards a destination still unknown.

    Unbeknownst of anyone, on that day, the fate of the nine, no, the fate of the eight heroes began to turn.

 Chapter 3: An Old Man that Knows How to Act Modestly

    Ellis once again found himself standing in the middle of darkness. Unlike the void from last time though, this place was slightly different. It felt smaller, more confined. It was unlike the crushing vastness of never-ending infinity.

    Where am I?

    Just as he wondered to himself, he suddenly felt the pressure lighten. The malevolent entity had loosened his grip.

    Ellis suddenly recalled back to what had just happened. The fear came back, although it was now tainted with a bit of peculiarity. Who is this evil looking guy that can apparently rival God? Also, where the hell did he take me?

    In the end, what exactly happened? If he could sigh, then Ellis would have sighed a thousand times.

    ¡°I just kidnapped you.¡± As if it could read his mind, the malevolent entity suddenly answered.

    You¡­

    ¡°Hahaha, took you right out from that annoying guy¡¯s palms. You should have seen the look on his face. I haven¡¯t felt this good in a long time.¡± Ellis felt the space around him vibrate. It was laughing.

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis did not respond for a long time. He had trouble adjusting to the sudden disparity between the evil being from a while ago, and the evil being currently in front of him. Eventually, he asked one simple question.

    Why?

    ¡°Well, if I had to say a reason, then it¡¯s because I want you to be my son.¡±

    W-what!? Naturally, Ellis felt flabbergasted. Son, son¡­ I¡¯m not misunderstanding things, am I? By son, do you actually mean the sun? Like a star? Do you want to use my soul as a power source for a new star? Is that it? That has to be it.

    ¡°Please call me father from now on.¡± The evil being answered lightly.

    For some reason, those words brought even greater shock to his heart than the epic battle from before.

    After a while, Ellis calmed down enough to ask another question. Um, if I may, do you really want me to be your s-son?

    ¡°Nn.¡± The mass of darkness made a motion resembling a nod. ¡°That¡¯s right. This old man wants children. As for why, well¡­¡±

    With some reluctance, he began to explain his motives.

    The evil being/malevolent entity was, in fact, a former god. A long time ago, he was stripped of his divinity due to the machinations of the other gods. As a result, he was sentenced to a life of mortality. Still, even without being a god, he was still a somewhat powerful existence.

    Out of anger and spite, he terrorized the mortal world. So much so, that they gave him the moniker of Great Demon King. He was the source of all the scary bedtime stories that parents tell to their children at night, the final boss that often popped up in books and novels, the guy whose name gets cursed at whenever someone stubs their toe. Well, maybe not the last one.

    The evil of all evils, the root of catastrophe, the harbinger of suffering. In short, he was a pretty scary fellow.

    ¡°I was a bit out of control back then. Please just look at it as the mistakes of a reckless youth.¡± With a somewhat embarrassed voice, the evil entity spoke.

    Ellis once again received a shock. He felt that it was somewhat improper to excuse several millenias worth of terror as little more than a youthful transgression on par with sneaking away from your parents¡¯ house in the middle of the night. Still, he did not have the mind to lecture the evil being.

    ¡°Oh yeah, my name¡¯s Alma by the way, so quit referring to me as ¡®evil being¡¯. Ah, I would prefer it if you were to call me Father though.¡±

    Come to think of it, I did hear that white fellow scream something along those lines¡­

    The evil being, Alma, continued his story.

    As the years passed, his anger eventually faded. In its place, he began to cling to an obsession. He wanted to pass down his lineage to someone. In summary, the Great Demon King really did want children.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    So even gods worry about that sort of thing, huh? Having children and stuff.

    ¡°No, they don¡¯t,¡± Alma responded. ¡°it is because I stopped being a god and became a mortal that I developed such mortal desires. Unfortunately, my body is built differently. No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to mate with any of the mortals around me. I have taken on many children and claimed them as my own, but in the end, it is not the same as passing on my own blood.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I took you.¡±

    Me? Ellis asked out loud.

    ¡°Yes. If you agree, then you will descend into Lull as a person carrying my lineage.¡±

    Lull? Is that the world I¡¯ll be going to?

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Planet Lull. Suffice to say, it is a land of swords and magic. It is a world teeming with monsters, a place where strong individuals are as common as weeds in a garden.¡±

    No matter how you spin it, Lull sounded like a seriously dangerous place. My non-existent enthusiasm just went into the negatives. Still, Ellis could worry about all that later. Right now, there was something else bugging him.

    And that, um¡­ white god, he is¡­

    ¡°You catch on quick.¡± Alma lightly praised. ¡°That white fellow is the resident God that governs over Lull. He was the guy that schemed against me. Coincidentally, he¡¯s also the only surviving God in all of Lull.¡±

    Surviving God¡­ Ellis made a mental note of that fact.

    ¡°As for those little white lights you saw back there¡­ I reckon those kids are on their way to becoming heroes.¡±

    Heroes¡­ so it really was like that, huh? That means I would have become a hero had you not taken me away.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Alma laughed as if it did not concern him. After a few seconds, he suddenly grew quiet. His red eyes stared piercingly into his direction. ¡°I have clung to life all these years just for this single opportunity. I will not force you, but I hope you will acquiesce to this old man¡¯s request.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis hesitated for a moment. Eventually, he responded, but if I were to accept your request like this, then wouldn¡¯t that put me on bad terms with that God from before? He might not seem like it to you, but that guy was also pretty scary. Of course, he did not mention the fact that he thought Alma was several times scarier.

    Alma lightly chuckled. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t, they would still look at you as someone to persecute. You have already been stolen away by me. Naturally, no matter what you end up doing, whether it¡¯s saving a village or taking a piss, they will assume that it¡¯s all a part of some grand scheme of mine.

    You¡­ Ellis bitterly laughed to himself. Old man, you really screwed me over, didn¡¯t you? Not only did this annoying Demon King prevent him from becoming a hero, but he also gave him a pretty scary collection of enemies.

    Alma similarly laughed. ¡°So, what will it be?¡±

    Instead of answering, Ellis asked another question. I still don¡¯t understand. How exactly will I become your child? We, we¡¯re not exactly connected by blood.

    ¡°That is not for you to worry about. You will naturally understand once you descend into Lull.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please accept.¡±

    You¡¯re not really giving me much of a choice here, are you? If he still had a head, then Ellis would have surely shaken his head. Then, becoming your child, what does that exactly entail? Do you want me to do something for you down there?

    Alma shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to impose on your will. I am tired of everything. Just do what you want to do. If you want to aspire to become a hero, then be a hero. If you want to rule the land as Demon King, then be the demon king. I do not care.¡±

    You¡¯re giving me an awful lot of freedom here. It¡¯s almost suspicious.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I am giving you quite a lot of freedom. You could even consider it an apology for taking you. If you had been with that white fellow, then he would have surely worked you to the bone.¡±

    If everything you''re saying is true, then I really might have to thank you, but¡­ is there really nothing that you want?

    Given the sort of environment he lived in, Ellis was a naturally cautious fellow. He was a proponent of the philosophy that there was no such thing as a free lunch within this world.

    He remained silent for a few seconds, before he spoke, ¡°A parent may wish their child success, but they should never impose their own will on their lives. That¡¯s the sort of father I want to be.¡±

    ¡­.

    Alma suddenly let out a slight chuckle. ¡°If anything, I want my lineage to prosper. Make me a lot of grandkids. If possible, enough to fill up an entire country.¡±

    Hearing his words, a weird feeling overwhelmed Ellis. Rather than a scary or malevolent Demon King, Alma more resembled an old friendly uncle from the neighborhood.

    He considered the Demon King¡¯s proposition for a long time. Eventually, Ellis nodded. Or at least, he tried to nod. Half a second later, he said, Alright, since you¡¯ve already gone ahead and messed up my future fantasy life, I might as well just do it.

    The red orbs that acted as Alma¡¯s eyes suddenly curved into thin crescents. ¡°Good. Thank you. From now on, you are my son.¡±

    As he spoke, Ellis felt the surroundings shift. The darkness around him grew brighter. He was now distinctly aware of movement. Ellis was moving, no, he was falling.

    At the same time, his consciousness grew fainter.

    From somewhere far away, he heard the quiet whispers of an old man way past his prime. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be sending you on your way now. Don¡¯t disappoint me down there, you hear?¡±

    When he looked up, to his surprise, he saw Alma¡¯s jet clad body breaking apart. White cracks ran up and down the surface of his skin. Pieces separated, while portions of his flesh disintegrated into dust.

    One word echoed through his mind.

    Death.

    Still, Alma himself appeared unbothered. His red eyes narrowed into two thin crescents. As Ellis moved further away, Alma¡¯s figure quickly shrank.

    After a while, the last thing he heard was a lonely farewell from the world¡¯s most feared Demon King.

    ¡°May you live a happy life.¡±

 Chapter 4: Waking Up in Another World

    Ellis slowly opened his eyes. The first thing to come into view was a decrepit ceiling. Cobwebs decorated the corners, while loose pieces of chipped limestone fell from above like gentle snowfall. One of those pieces landed in his eye, involuntarily making him wince.

    He quickly sat up and surveyed the rest of his surroundings.

    ¡°This place is¡­¡±

    He was inside a small cubic room. The walls, the ceiling, and the floor, all of it was of a uniform size. The walls were equally as dilapidated as the ceiling, and a giant crack ran down the entire length of the floor. There were no windows, only a rectangular opening on one of the walls.

    It was a cold, dark, and decaying room.

    Ellis stood up and made his way to the opening. After walking through a narrow hallway, he reached another room. This room was larger than the last, about three times as big. A giant curtain covered one of the walls.

    After some slight hesitation, he pulled back the curtains.

    Bright beams of light illuminated the room and bombarded his eyes. Ellis instinctively scowled. When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was blue. His entire field of view was enraptured by the color blue.

    A vibrant blue sky. Specks of white gently glided across the air. Beneath all that was an even deeper shade of blue. It was a blue filled with the vitality of life. An ocean that stretched out beyond where his eyes could see.

    Ellis approached the window. He pressed his face against the cold surface and looked down. To his surprise, he was actually standing several hundred feet above the ocean. Beneath him was a rocky shoreline where violent waves frequently battled against jagged stone. Rather than the pure blue of the open sea, the shore was tainted in ocean foam.

    This room was built on the side of a cliff.

    He was slightly amazed, although not by much. After all, while it was indeed quite an impressive architectural feat, something like this could also be found on Earth. Seaside villas were a dime in a dozen.

    ¡°As expected, I really am by the ocean. Then that also means¡­¡± Ellis mumbled to himself as his thoughts slowly came to focus.

    He began to paint a picture of his current situation.

    The Demon King Alma left behind ¡®memories¡¯ within this new body of his.

    One of the most important things to note was the fact that Ellis now deviated from the normal mold of human. Right now, he was what the people of this world called a homunculus.

    Homunculus. The exact definition was slightly different from the one on Earth, but basically, they were artificially constructed life. Normally, homunculi were considered to be weak monsters. They possessed low strength and even lower intelligence. They were failures that knew only how to follow basic instructions. On top of the fact that most homunculi were modeled after humans, members of his new race were often called artificial servants.

    Of course, Ellis wasn¡¯t like that.

    He was different. For one, his intelligence was still very much intact. While he did not dare boast himself as being overtly smart, he was at least above the level of a wild animal, which was more than what you could say for the rest of his race.

    What¡¯s more, this body of his was constructed out of precious materials.

    In his head, there was a list of ingredients that Alma had used during the manufacturing process of his body.

    Reading through it all, Ellis could hardly pronounce even half of the items on there. Since the list consisted entirely of items native to Lull, it was only natural for Ellis to not know any of them.

    For example, there was this thing that acted as his heart and power source. It was an item called a labyrinth core, and according to Alma, it was the world¡¯s most precious and most powerful type of mana stone. Since he did not have a point of reference, he could only take what Alma said at face value.

    Whether he was lying or not, he would never know.

    According to the information in his head, the most important ingredient of all was him. Or rather, it was his soul.

    Normal homunculi were created using a vestige of a soul. This vestige gave them the breath of life, but in the end, they did not really count as real life. A homunculus lacked something fundamental.

    They lacked desire

    They had no desire to have sex or reproduce. Heck, unless explicitly told to do so, they wouldn¡¯t even eat or drink water.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Ellis was clearly different. He felt no significant changes to his desires or emotions. If it wasn¡¯t for the slight feeling of discomfort from being within a new body, he would have thought that nothing had changed from the him of Earth.

    This was the result of a complete soul.

    It was said to be an impossible feat, but that damned old man, he had crafted a homunculus capable of housing a soul as good as any normal living body.

    He let out a wry chuckle.

    But whether it was creating such a precious body or being able to retain his complete soul, none of that qualified Ellis to be Alma¡¯s son.

    No, the reason why that Great Demon King considered him his son was¡­

    He suddenly looked up. A name popped up to his head.

    This place, this structure located within a cliff by the seaside¡­ it should be the Great Demon King¡¯s mausoleum. It may look decrepit and barren, but this was Alma¡¯s final resting place. Somewhere inside was the body of a being that once terrorized the entire world.

    Ellis looked around the room before he began walking towards one of the rectangular openings on the wall. He wandered around the mausoleum for a while. He traveled through long winding hallways and passed several cubic rooms. At one point, he entered what looked to be a treasury, except there was nothing there except a partially destroyed cobweb.

    Eventually, he arrived at a spacious courtroom. It had high ceilings and a black chandelier that dangled in the center of the room. It was far larger than any of the rooms that he had visited before.

    Six stone columns decorated each side of the room.

    Ellis compared the room with the information inside his head before he nodded. Right now, he was in a throne room. This was Alma¡¯s final resting place.

    The Demon King was not buried nor did his remains rest within a casket. No, he died as he had lived, sitting on an all-black throne.

    Near the farthest wall of the throne room, there existed a single throne and, on that throne, sat a withered skeleton. The skeleton wore full body armor. A black crown adorned his skull, a tattered cape draped over his shoulders, while a single greatsword rested on his lap.

    The Great Demon King. The old god banished to a life of mortality. Alma.

    Ellis approached the throne.

    He instantly felt it. His cheeks flushed, his body grew hotter. His blood began to boil.

    This was it.

    The proof of lineage. A bloodline resonance.

    His artificially constructed body contained the old Demon King¡¯s bloodline. Homunculi were created through a mixture of various ingredients. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for a person¡¯s blood to be mixed in.

    Ellis was no different. Within the unique mixture that created his body, Alma had added in his own blood.

    When it comes to homunculi, bloodlines were somewhat unique. They were not exactly the same as a real child, but Ellis could now be considered the son of the Great Demon King.

    He stared at the corpse for a long time.

    Eventually, he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know you all that well, so I won¡¯t say stuff like how you were a good person or about how the world misunderstood you. I¡¯m a naturally cautious person, so forgive me for being a bit suspicious. For all I know, you might just very well be as bad as all the rumors say. I can¡¯t even say whether you taking me away from the other god was a good thing or not, but¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the bloodline that¡¯s talking, but a part of me wants to believe.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°You spoke of freedom. You took me away from the other god and gave me freedom. Was that¡­ were you telling the truth?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The room was silent. No one responded to Ellis¡¯s question. Still, he continued.

    ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s a fact that you brought me back to life. That I can consent to. I won¡¯t say anything too superfluous. Emotional stuff isn¡¯t my strong suit, so I¡¯ll say this only once. Thank you¡­ Father.¡±

    Ellis bowed in front of the skeleton.

    Those words of his were not spoken lightly. In his old life, Ellis was an orphan. The concept of a parent was completely foreign to him. Even when taking into consideration the caretakers that operated the orphanage, there still existed a wall that he never could quite get over.

    If the Demon King was someone that longed for a son, then Ellis was someone that harbored a secret desire for a parent.

    In a sense, it was his first time acting like this.

    A somewhat peculiar emotion filled his chest.

    It might have been just a trick of the light, but the skull¡¯s jaw seemed to twist into a smile. Ellis stared absentmindedly for a few seconds before a sharp crack echoed through the chamber.

    A hairline fracture ran down the entire length of the skull. More fractures quickly appeared all over the skeleton. Soon, the entire thing collapsed in on itself. It practically disintegrated before his very eyes.

    The greatsword fell to the ground with a resounding thud before it shattered into tiny fragments. Even the crown that once rested on the skeleton¡¯s head broke in a similar fashion.

    After a while, the only thing left within this room was an empty jet-black throne.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He did not know how long the old demon¡¯s corpse had been here, but judging from the memories within his head, he harbored a guess. Alma had died a long, long, long time ago. Several hundred thousand, maybe even a million years. It was a time frame far outside his understanding, but it was the truth.

    After the skeleton¡¯s collapse, there was nothing else of value left within this mausoleum.

    Ellis moved on. He traveled through several more hallways before he eventually opened a hatch that led up to the outside world.

    He stood on top of a cliff that overlooked a vast sea. With the exception of the forest behind him, the entire area was barren.

    Just as he was about to take a step forward, the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook. Ellis hurriedly ran to the forest as cracks slowly formed on the ground.

    After a few seconds, the entire cliffside collapsed. Along with the old mausoleum, several thousand tons of rock and dirt fell into the churning tides below.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He watched as chunks of earth and large slabs of stone were quickly swallowed up by the sea. When the last fragment disappeared and the waves returned to their normal chaotic selves, Ellis finally turned away.

    ¡°Now, what should I do?¡± He mumbled to himself as he looked up at the sky.

    Alma had been a God and a Demon King. He was an existence that naturally garnered ambition and reverence, but he did not enforce such a life onto his son. No, his only will, if you could really call it that, was for Ellis to bear descendants. Aside from that, everything else was up to his own discretion.

    He slowly clenched his fingers.

    In a new world with a new body¡­ he was still unsure of a lot of things, but one thing was for certain: he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted.

    Also, he was naked.

 Chapter 5: Into the Unknown Forest

    For now, let¡¯s talk about the characteristics of a homunculus.

    Homunculi, by nature, are dull and dimwitted. Rather than an actual living being, they act more like living dolls. Still, the distinction is vague and somewhat arbitrary. Although they possess the warmth of life and while they do still require food, water, shelter, and all the other forms of ¡®baggage¡¯ that comes with being alive, they do not have their own desires. That is the greatest distinction. A lack of will and a lack of desire.

    This all stems from the fact that they do not have a complete soul. Every living being possesses a soul. The only exceptions to this rule are homunculi. In place of a soul, a homunculus¡¯s body can only house a vestige of a soul. Housing a complete and intact soul within an artificial body was difficult. In fact, for the longest time, the world considered it to be an impossible task.

    None of this concerned Ellis though. The Demon King worked his ass off in order to make sure his son wasn¡¯t born an idiot. For that, he was thankful.

    As for physical characteristics, most homunculi were humanoid in shape. Of course, since homunculi were at their core, man-made life forms, that also meant that their creators could create them as they pleased. Homunculi shaped like serpents, homunculi that walked on four legs, homunculi with fur covering their body, such creatures were not uncommon.

    Still, the power of modification was strong and one that was easily abused. Adding cat ears to a homunculus, giving them a female form with a shapely body, or even making them short and diminutive, anything was possible.

    Eventually, a new variation of the homunculi race was formed. Comfort Doll. Such a term spread throughout all of Lull. Comfort dolls were homunculi created for the sole sake of sexual gratification.

    They were shaped into beautiful women (sometimes, into handsome men), and sold off to brothels and other wealthy merchants. Unlike the traditional slave, comfort dolls would not run away, making them perfect gifts for your average lowlife noble.

    Unless their appearances were directly manipulated by their creators, then most homunculi took on the form that their soul vestige once possessed. Ellis fell into this category. He appeared almost identical to his counterpart from earth. The only difference lay in his eyes and hair.

    Faded grey hair and foggy white eyes reminiscent of the blind. It was an appearance that really gave off the impression that he lacked vitality.

    Of course, Ellis wasn¡¯t unique. Grey hair and white eyes were a common characteristic that all homunculi shared.

    The reason why Ellis knew of all this was because of the information in his head. For this, he had to once again thank Alma. While Ellis was clueless on a number of different things regarding this world, at the very least, he knew some things about his own race. Although the information didn¡¯t really bring him much joy.

    Apart from that, he knew very little else. The only other thing rattling around in his head was a new language that he did not even know the name of. Whether it was the name of the forest before him, the countries within Lull, or even the various monsters and races that inhabited the planet, he knew none of it.

    Ellis scratched his cheek.

    After the cliffside collapsed, he found himself standing in a small clearing. Naked, alone, and utterly lost, Ellis felt the harsh reality of his current situation.

    ¡°As expected, living in another world isn¡¯t something as easy as all the novels make it out to be¡­¡± He mumbled to himself.

    He looked up. The blue sky of this world felt unnaturally bright.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°What should I do?¡±

    To his right, a wide-open sea that stretched out far beyond what his eyes could see, while to his left, a dark and gloomy forest that gave off some serious ¡®danger¡¯ vibes. If he had to pick between the two, then he was more inclined to choose the ocean. Still, he knew that it was an unrealistic option. There was no boat conveniently docked near the shores.

    He would have much rather preferred to stay right here, but he knew that wasn¡¯t possible either. Ellis neither had food nor drinkable water. Sooner or later, he¡¯d end up starving to death. Plus, the chill of the ocean breeze seriously made his butt cheeks clench.

    Shaking his head, Ellis reluctantly entered the forest.

    ****

    Thirty minutes passed. A gloomy expression morphed his face. The farther he walked, the more he regretted his decision.

    No matter how far he traveled, the scenery remained static. Nothing but slightly blackened trees and thorn covered bushes. This damnable forest appeared almost as endless as the ocean from before.

    He rubbed his perfectly flat stomach. He noticed this a while ago, but he did not have a belly button.

    ¡°At this rate, I really will end up starving to death¡­¡± He muttered underneath his breath. He wasn¡¯t hungry yet, but he was certain that such a thing would change after a few hours.

    ¡°No, even before that, there¡¯s something else I need to worry about.¡± Ellis discreetly turned around.

    There, standing in the distance, was something that resembled a skinny rabbit. It had all white fur, two elongated ears and a cat-like tail.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That thing had been following him for the last ten minutes or so.

    It stood between two towering trees. The creature made no attempt at hiding. It simply sat there, its red eyes locked intently onto him.

    Ellis felt incredibly bitter. ¡°This damn thing¡­ isn¡¯t it getting a bit too cocky?¡±

    Before, the rabbit would skulk around behind trees, watching him from a distance of at least fifteen meters. Now, it was blatantly standing out in the open, less than five meters away from him.

    Being accompanied by a cute creature would make anyone happy. Ellis was no exception, but this thing wasn¡¯t exactly cute nor did it have the best of intentions. Beady eyes and a slightly opened jaw. Saliva dripped down from between its teeth. This tiny thing, it was looking at him like a predator looks at prey.

    Ellis furrowed his brow.

    He did not know how strong this creature was, but he did not dare underestimate it. He came from a world where it was completely natural to fear a derpy looking creature like a goose. Ellis was a big proponent of the concept that looks can be deceiving.

    Plus, if he were to really die on his first day in another world because of some ugly looking rabbit¡­

    Ellis gritted his teeth. For all the transmigrators out there within this wide, wide universe, he would make a stand right here and now!

    He stopped and suddenly turned around. Ellis crossed his arms and glared at the rabbit.

    The rabbit paused for a moment. It sniffed the air and hesitated. A somewhat confused expression covered its face.

    ¡°What the hell is this prey doing?¡± Was what Ellis imagined its current thoughts to be.

    After a few seconds, the rabbit hopped forward. Once it got within ten feet, it suddenly stopped. That was when the stench hit. It was a smell reminiscent of a wet dog, except a whole lot stronger.

    His enthusiasm somewhat decreased, but Ellis remained adamant. Since this thing obviously wanted to kill and eat him, he was determined to put up a fight. Rabbits were meant to be prey, not predator. This cocky little thing needed to be put in its place.

    The rabbit hesitated for a second, before it suddenly bared its teeth and dashed forward.

    He widened his eyes in shock. Ellis saw a blur of white dart towards his direction.

    This thing, isn¡¯t it too fast!?

    He stumbled backward. The tiny rabbit was like a miniature cheetah! Not even a second had passed, and it had already shortened the distance between the two of them. The creature widened its jaws and jumped.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    It was clearly aiming for his throat.

    Ellis did not have time to process what was happening. His body instinctively reacted before his mind could. He closed his eyes and waved his hand forward.

    Bang!

    It was a sound reminiscent of a hammer smashing against a brick wall. It reverberated through the forest.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Ellis slowly opened his eyes. ¡°What was that? Where¡¯s the rabbit?¡±

    He looked around him. For a second, he wondered whether not the rabbit was plotting something, but he quickly dismissed the thought. After a while, he finally found it. The rabbit, no, at this point, it looked more like roadkill.

    Matted fur clung to a tree trunk, while a trail of blood dripped down to the ground. A flattened corpse rested by the base of the trunk.

    ¡°It¡­ it died?¡± He widened his eyes in shock.

    It was a pitiful scene with chunks of meat spread throughout the surroundings. Judging by how its body contorted, the thing had died upon impact.

    Ellis scratched his cheek. He looked down at his own hand.

    ¡°I knew I was somewhat stronger than an average person, but I did not know it would be to this extent. No, rather¡­ this sort of thing, does it qualify as a cheat?¡±

 Chapter 6: To Be Carefully Reckless

    ¡°¡­ So, I guess this is the start to my overpowered life in a new world, huh?¡± A creepy smile stretched his lips.

    Transmigrating to a fantasy world, a meeting with a god-like figure, and the awakening to a cheat-like ability, Ellis was well on his way to living the sort of life that he had always read about. Now all he needed was to gain some capital, find a few girls, and maybe establish a territory for himself somewhere. A life lived to the max¡­ such a thing did not sound so unrealistic anymore.

    Ah, of course, before all that, he first needed to find some clothes.

    Just as he was reveling in the moment, he suddenly remembered something.

    ¡°Those guys, they should have gotten their own cheats by now too, right?¡± He recalled back to the eight other lights. They were like him, departed souls stolen away by the white figure. Unlike Ellis, those eight were the actual heroes, the guys destined to walk down the orthodox path.

    Without a doubt, they too possessed cheat like abilities gifted to them by God.

    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder, compared to the heroes, how did he stack up?

    In truth, the old man did not really give him any powers. Ellis¡¯s abilities stemmed solely from his new body. All the precious materials that Alma had pumped into this meat bag of his resulted in the monstrous strength from before.

    Between a group of heroes and a son of the demon king, which one was stronger?

    After giving it some thought, Ellis¡¯s face contorted. He shook his head in disappointment. The answer was obvious.

    He had gotten his abilities from an ex-god on his deathbed, while those guys got theirs from a genuine god at the peak of his power. Comparing the two was like comparing a lizard to a crocodile. The disparity was simply too great!

    ¡°As expected, orthodox stories result in the strongest types of protagonists¡­¡± Just imagining the sort of rule-breaking cheat-like abilities those ¡®genuine¡¯ heroes received¡­ Ellis unconsciously shuddered.

    ¡°I have to somehow remain low key and fly underneath their radars.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m afraid, just that, it¡¯s always good to be cautious.¡±

    ¡°In the first place, I¡¯m not the type to pick fights. Low key, the answer is to be low key.¡±

    He continually muttered to himself. Ellis once again reaffirmed his resolution. He would do whatever the hell he pleased, as long as it didn¡¯t attract any attention from those guys. The last thing he needed was to be hunted down by eight superpowered walking cheats!

    This was not a concession, but rather, preparation for the future. In the first place, dealing with those guys was bound to be a hassle. Avoiding them was better than standing out and putting a giant target on his back.

    Ellis shook his head. ¡°Well, let¡¯s forget about all that for now. First of all, what do I do with this thing?¡±

    He stared at the rabbit-shaped corpse in front of him. It was the thing that he had accidentally killed with a single swat.

    ¡°Food? Or rather, can you even eat this thing anymore?¡± he furrowed his brow.

    The corpse, various bodily fluids that weren¡¯t exactly blood were gushing out from almost every orifice. Upon closer inspection, some of its organs had burst from the impact. The meat, fur, and practically everything else was contaminated with brownish colored liquid.

    It looked completely unappetizing.

    Taking a step back, even if it was still eatable, Ellis did not even know how to start a fire. Unless it was sushi, he wasn¡¯t very interested in eating anything raw.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    In the end, he decided to just leave the corpse alone. He wasn¡¯t really hungry yet, and even if he was, he would just hunt down something else. Ellis was certain that there were other creatures within this forest that were just as arrogant as the rabbit from before. If they walked up to him and picked a fight, then he would fight back. When that time comes, he¡¯ll try to kill it without ruining any of the meat.

    With that, he continued walking through the forest.

    The deeper he ventured, the taller the trees seemed to get, and as the trees grew taller, the light gradually dimmed. Soon, a layer of shadows blanketed his surroundings.

    He encountered a few monsters along the way. They were creatures significantly larger than the rabbit from before. Some were shaped oddly, with body proportions and head shapes that he had never seen before. Others resembled animals from his past life. A slender bear, a hulking cat, and chipmunks larger than mountain lions.

    Unlike the rabbit, they were not so quick to start a fight. Maybe it was because they had more awareness as top predators of the forest, or maybe it was because they somehow sensed his strength, either way, Ellis had a relatively disturbance-free time strolling through the forest floor.

    He wandered. He endlessly wandered.

    At the three-hour mark, he stopped to take a quick break. Aside from the cautious creatures that occasionally followed him, he had yet to encounter anything else of significance.

    He felt slightly bummed. He wasn¡¯t tired yet, but he had grown somewhat bored of walking around. It reached a point where he even wished for combat. Unfortunately, whenever he tried approaching the various creatures, they would all break out into a sprint and escape with haste.

    A few times, he gave chase. Unfortunately, after an extended period of time, the creatures would eventually run out of energy and give up. They would then collapse onto the ground and lie on their backs, seemingly waiting for death. They even went as far as to present their unguarded stomachs to him as a show of submission.

    Whenever he saw such a scene, Ellis would always be at a loss. He wanted to test out his new-found abilities, but beating up a bunch of innocent and submissive animals to do so would leave a bad aftertaste. He wasn¡¯t the type to take pleasure from animal cruelty.

    Like that, he managed to avoid combat. Of course, he wasn¡¯t happy about it.

    ¡°Hunting is a lot harder than I expected. Who told those damn things to look so pitiful¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°I guess the only thing left is for me to find some sort of town or village.¡±

    Still, that raised the question: when exactly would he be able to leave this forest?

    Without a doubt, he was lost. This endless forest seemingly had no end in sight and there were no unique markers to set apart one section of the forest from the other. Not a single trace of civilization was present.

    For now, he hasn¡¯t experienced any hunger, thirst, or loss of strength yet, but that in itself was somewhat weird. Does a homunculus not get hungry? Do they not require water? That shouldn¡¯t be the case. After all, homunculi, artificial as they may be, were still living beings nonetheless.

    He was certain of this not only because of the information in his head but also because he had gone out of his way and personally checked.

    When he purposely cut his skin, he bled. He possessed a beating heart, he could smell, hear, see, touch, he could do everything else that others could do and more. He even possessed his own little elephant, and as far as he was concerned, it worked perfectly fine.

    A homunculus was life. They were not just meant to replicate life, they were meant to be life itself. This was a distinction that had been lost within the mainlands of Lull, but Ellis knew this clearly. No matter what, he still needed to eat, drink, piss, and shit.

    After a while of fruitless thinking, he concluded that right now just wasn¡¯t the proper time. His limit had not been reached yet. If humans could go four days without water, then his limit was probably longer than that. He did not know the exact estimates, but surely, he had one.

    ¡°Even now, isn¡¯t my throat slightly parched?¡± He said to himself, although rather than complaining about it, he sounded somewhat hopeful.

    With such thoughts floating through his head, Ellis stood back up and continued walking.

    He walked and walked and walked. Eventually, seven more hours passed. If he had entered the forest in the morning, then now should be the time when the night begins to set in. Of course, that was going by Earth standards. He did not know how long the days were here on Lull.

    Eventually, he finally noticed something unique.

    Water. A tiny stream of water less than a finger¡¯s width wide. Amidst the backdrop of the chaotic forest floor and with the dark shadows covering everything in sight, it was almost impossible to notice, but whether it was through luck or grit, Ellis¡¯s bloodshot and desperate eyes had noticed.

    He bottled in his excitement and carefully followed the stream. It led him even deeper into the forest. The stream gradually widened. Soon, it was about the width of a fist. After a while, it had grown to at least the width of a torso.

    Eventually, he came to a stop.

    The once silent forest had disappeared. In its place was the sound of crashing water.

    After faithfully following the stream, he arrived at a small circular lagoon, and above the lagoon was a beautiful waterfall.

 Chapter 7: A Secret Hidden Behind the Water

    Ellis immediately ran to the lagoon. Without hesitation, he stuck his head into the pool and greedily gulped down mouthfuls of water. In truth, he had held himself back for a while now, but after seeing such a scene before him, the desperation finally overwhelmed him.

    It may have just been psychological, but his throat felt quite parched. That feeling only further intensified when he saw the lagoon for the first time.

    Back when he previously followed the stream, a part of him felt concerned. Was the water safe to drink or was it contaminated with otherworldly bacteria? His overly cautious nature caused him to hesitate. The crystal-clear surface of the lagoon smashed that hesitation to pieces.

    After almost an entire minute, Ellis finally lifted his head up. He panted hoarsely. His entire head was wet and his stomach felt somewhat bloated, but Ellis looked much livelier than before.

    With his thirst quenched, he then carefully inspected his surroundings.

    The lagoon wasn¡¯t very big. Less than half the size of a standard swimming pool. Still, for its size, the water was exceptionally clear. He could even make out each individual pebble that rested on the bottom of the lagoon.

    That wasn¡¯t all though. Near the center of the lagoon, Ellis discovered a spot where the water¡¯s color deepened. It was a giant hole, about the size of a manhole cover, maybe smaller. It led deep underground, too deep for him to properly make out.

    After the lagoon, his eyes naturally gravitated towards the waterfall. It was by no means grand and majestic, unlike the famous attractions of his old world, but nevertheless, it was a beautiful scene, especially compared to the gloomy ambiance that saturated the rest of the forest.

    Water fell from above and crashed into an outcrop of rocks near the edge of the lagoon. The noise produced drowned out everything else within the surroundings. Even from all the way here, he could hardly hear himself think. What¡¯s more, there was the steady spray of water that wettened his face and the rest of his body. It was somewhat refreshing.

    An imposing rock wall stood before him. It was a sharp incline that clearly divided the lagoon from the top of the waterfall. In fact, it would probably be more accurate to call it a cliff, considering the immense height of the rock wall. It towered well above the trees in his surroundings, but from what little he could make out, the land above the rock wall was not the break in the forest that he had been hoping for.

    Whether it was above the rock wall or below it, both of them were just small parts of this enormous forest.

    ¡°As expected, escaping this hell hole won¡¯t be so easy¡­¡± He muttered to himself.

    Still, Ellis did not feel down. Going off his common sense, the waterfall in front of him led to even larger bodies of water. After all, the water has to come from somewhere, right? Hopefully, following the water upstream will eventually lead him to civilization.

    For now, he decided to rest. Come tomorrow, he¡¯ll start the long ascent up the rock wall.

    In truth, Ellis was not all that tired. Still, he chose to rest. After all, the sun was setting. He wasn¡¯t so confident in his new body that he would wander such a forest without any precaution. Even if all the beasts that he had encountered so far were submissive, he did not cross out the possibility that they were simply biding their time, waiting for him to drop his guard.

    It was better to rest now and wait until morning than risk getting mauled during a late-night trek.

    Looking around, his surroundings only affirmed his decision.

    The trees of this forest were massive, like nothing he had ever seen before back on Earth. When the sun began to set, the shadows grew darker, more imposing. At the same time, a sense of dread permeated through the surroundings.

    Such a feeling came from the fact that Ellis had never once spent the night out in the wild before. He was a man born and raised in the comforts of a modern city. His nights were filled with glowing concrete buildings and neon street lights. They were the late nights of a busy city in the throes of post-industrialization. The silent pressure of a gloomy forest was far outside his level of expertise.

    When the surroundings darkened, the temperature also dropped. Ellis shivered. He was still naked. Naturally, he wanted to find shelter. Unfortunately, there was nothing in sight.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    After looking around for a while, he suddenly paused. He squinted his eyes.

    ¡°The waterfall, something about it looks a bit¡­ off.¡± He hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but after looking at it more closely, there was indeed something peculiar about the whole thing.

    He approached the waterfall. After a round of investigation, he discovered something. To his surprise, behind the curtain of water, there existed a cave.

    The mouth of the cave looked large enough to fit an entire school bus. When he stuck his head inside, he immediately wrinkled his nose. A distinct odor wafted through the area. It was the musky scent of an animal. Was there something inside?

    Ellis hesitated for a moment before he slapped his cheeks and shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay to not have confidence in yourself, but have confidence in your own cheat-like ability!¡± With such words of self-encouragement, he mustered up his courage and entered the cave.

    His footsteps echoed. It was a somewhat spacious cavern that went on for over fifty meters at a slight downhill angle.

    After a while, he stopped.

    He had reached the bottom of the cave. The walls slightly opened up into a circular clearing. There, at the center of the clearing was a collection of broken twigs, yellowed grass, and decayed leaves. He blinked. At first, all he could see was black, but slowly, his eyes adapted to the dark.

    It was a rudimentary nest. It was rather large, taking up the majority of the clearing. Within the nest, there existed a single animal.

    Half of its body was covered in twigs. The parts that he could see were covered in light brown, slightly auburn colored fur.

    A creature resembling a fox. No, it was a fox. It would have been a normal fox, if not for its size and its tails. The creature was about the same size as a full-grown moose. It had slender limbs and a thin face. As for its tails, it had a total of seven tails. The tips of the tails were colored white. Half of the tails had been severed.

    It lay still and unmoving. Even after he approached, the fox still showed no signs of reacting. He quickly understood why.

    Its eyes were lifeless. Large, gaping wounds covered its entire body. The creature was dead. Still, there was something odd about it. For some reason, the corpse had not grown cold yet.

    In fact, after touching it, Ellis felt a certain warmth that could only be found within the living. But that wasn¡¯t right. The warmth possessed no heartbeat. Its chest did not move up and down. Aside from the warmth, it showed no other signs of life.

    Did it die recently? Even if that was the case, it only took a few hours for a normal corpse to grow cold.

    He pondered over it for a moment, before he suddenly thought of something.

    ¡°Could it be, life force?¡±

    This world was not a normal world. It had mystical things such as magic and seven tailed foxes. The animals here were much stronger and fiercer than the ones on Earth. Maybe even the corpses here were different.

    Vitality and life force. Such concepts may be the reason why. Did the fox retain a bit of its vitality even after death? Maybe corpses here had a natural tendency to persist for extended periods of time. There was also the possibility that this fox was just abnormal.

    He continued to look around the clearing. He caught sight of something flat and diamond shaped. It was green in color and resembled an oversized lizard¡¯s scale.

    A chipped and broken scale.

    ¡°From the looks of things, the fox probably got into a fight with another creature. It retreated to this cavern, where it later died from its injuries.¡± Ellis quickly concluded.

    An unknown sentiment welled up in his heart. For one thing, he needed to leave this cave. After all, he did not want to spend the night sleeping with a corpse.

    ¡°Can I take it out of the cave?¡± He mumbled to himself. ¡°If I do that, it¡¯ll probably attract other animals¡­¡±

    In the end, he needed to find somewhere else to spend the night.

    Just as he was about to leave, he caught sight of movement. It came from within the fox. Ellis furrowed his brow.

    ¡°That¡­ are my eyes playing tricks on me? Did this thing really just move?¡±

    That shouldn¡¯t be the case. This thing was dead. He had confirmed it himself. Still, the feeling that he had overlooked something overwhelmed him.

    Ellis investigated the corpse once more. After a while, he indeed found something.

    The stomach. There was no noticeable bulge, but when he pressed the palm of his hand against its stomach, he felt a rhythmic throb. It was a pulse. The pulse of life.

    He widened his eyes. The corpse was pregnant and the baby inside was still alive.

    It finally all clicked.

    The seven-tailed fox¡­ it had been severely injured by another creature. At the brink of death, it still struggled to survive. It dragged its dying body into this cave, persisting all the way, before finally dying an inglorious death. It had tried so hard, faced so many hardships, all for the tiny little thing in its stomach. All because of its child.

    ¡°A child, huh?¡± Ellis¡¯s looked at the corpse with a hazy gaze in his eyes.

    He recalled back to the Demon King. He knew how the Demon King had died. That too was within his memories.

    The Demon King died a long, long time ago after he exhausted all of his energy in a world-shaking battle. Afterward, he retreated to the mausoleum, where he later died due to all the injuries he had accumulated. Still, even in death, his soul lingered. It was a similar concept to how a ghost haunted a place after death. The Demon King¡¯s soul lingered within his body. He waited, biding his time until a suitable soul finally came along.

    Ellis found this out later, but the souls of this world were not compatible with homunculi. It was part of the reason why homunculi were so weak and feeble.

    The Demon King had known about this. Still, he waited. Even if the possibility was close to zero, he waited nonetheless. For more than a hundred millennia, he waited.

    In this respect, Alma was similar to the fox. Both of them lingered. Even in death, they continued to persist, all for their future child.

    Ellis hesitated for a moment before he decided.

    He breathed out a somewhat exasperated sigh. He looked at the fox¡¯s lifeless face, before he stated, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already gone this far, I¡¯ll make sure to finish the job for you.¡±

 Chapter 8: A Time Skip This Early in the Story?!

    Ellis decided to stay and watch over the unborn fox¡¯s birth.

    Still, despite coming to such a decision, he didn¡¯t really have a lot of options available. Until the baby was successfully delivered, all he could really do was stay by the corpse¡¯s side and patiently wait.

    Thus, he waited. He postponed his plan of climbing the rock wall and waited.

    He waited for an excruciatingly long time.

    ****

    Several months passed. No, going by Earth standards, it¡¯s been over a year. Five hundred days to be exact.

    Day in and day out, Ellis would frequently enter the cave and check the status of the baby. During the nights, he slept near the mouth of the cavern. He borrowed some of the material from the fox¡¯s nest and made himself a little bed to sleep on. Although the nights were still cold, at the very least, the ground did not hurt as much anymore.

    As the days passed, the mother fox¡¯s stomach swelled. At the same time, Ellis noticed a peculiar change. The corpse gradually grew colder. The change happened concurrently with the stomach¡¯s expansion. It was as if someone took the mother¡¯s vitality and directly transferred it over to the womb.

    The first time he noticed this change was when the corpse¡¯s hind legs suddenly grew colder. After a few hours, they started to shrivel up. As the days accumulated and the months passed, this same phenomenon happened repeatedly to all of its limbs, its tails, its chest, and even its head. At this point, the corpse looked no different from a mummified dog.

    It was a gruesome scene, but the sole exception was its stomach. Round and bloated, a familiar warmth could be felt whenever he placed his hands on the stomach.

    He did not know why, but he had a feeling that the baby was almost ready. No, he hoped it was almost ready. After all, five hundred days had already passed! A normal fox¡¯s gestation period back on Earth only took around fifty or so days. Lull¡¯s foxes took nearly ten times that amount. This fantasy world was seriously overstepping its boundaries!

    Ellis had spent over a year camped out beside this lagoon.

    In that time, the various beasts of the forest grew impatient. A few of them routinely attacked him. What was strange though, was that the beasts he encountered were not the same ones that he had happened across on his first day here. They were noticeably larger, a lot more ferocious. What was stranger was that as the days passed, the beasts only grew even stronger.

    At first, he felt worried. Would his cheat-like super strength hold up against these guys? It was like he was playing a tower defense game with only one unit. No matter how well he stopped the oncoming waves, more and more kept coming.

    Thankfully, Ellis was somehow able to manage the situation.

    Unlike with the rabbit, he could not outright kill a few of the stronger creatures with one hit. Fortunately, his body was sturdy enough to trade blows with them, and through the powers of grit and gumption, he would eventually come out on top. The downside to this style of fighting was that he would always end up with a few injuries, some of them pretty fatal looking too.

    Luckily, he discovered that he also possessed a pretty cheat-like ability to self-regenerate. A broken arm took only a few hours to heal, while scratches would sort themselves out within a period of ten seconds to three minutes, depending on the severity.

    Even the most fatal of his injuries took a little less than two days to fully heal.

    It was by no means a completely broken ability, but it was still helpful nonetheless.

    As expected, his abilities were indeed rule-breaking.

    ****

    ¡°No, wouldn¡¯t a real cheat-like ability allow me to one-hit kill all these monsters?¡± One day, such a thought suddenly popped up in Ellis¡¯s head. ¡°Struggling so fiercely in order to beat up these mook-looking bastards¡­ getting severely injured just because two guys gang up on me¡­ don¡¯t I just have an above average physique?¡±

    When he came to such a realization, his mood immediately plummeted.

    Having strength above the norm was good and all, but if it wasn¡¯t completely rule breaking, then didn¡¯t that just make him one of the mid-bosses to someone else¡¯s story? In that case, he would have much rather remained a mob. At the very least, mobs get ignored. Mid-bosses get brutally hunted down.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    The prospect of death wasn¡¯t a very pleasant thought for anyone. Thankfully, Ellis recovered from his depression fairly quickly. After a few days, he was back to normal. The only thing that changed was that he had reaffirmed his resolve to avoid those damnable heroes.

    ¡°Like hell I¡¯ll stay satisfied as a damn mid-boss!¡± On that day, a ridiculous sounding declaration echoed through the forest.

    ****

    A few more weeks passed.

    The day started off sunny, much sunnier than usual. Still, despite all that, the temperature beneath the forest remained relatively cool, a result of all the constant shade that blanketed the area.

    Ellis breathed out a sigh as he stretched out his back.

    ¡°Ahh~ ah~, these guys have been coming in more and more lately.¡± He grumbled to himself.

    His hands were scarlet red. A viscous liquid rolled across the grooves of his knuckle and dripped down onto the forest floor. Beneath his feet, there was a beast about as large as an SUV. It was a pudgy cat-like creature with jagged teeth reminiscent of a shark.

    Right now, it was dead.

    Fist-sized indentations covered its body. The blow that had killed it was the one located on its head. There, a deep crater could be found right between its eyebrows.

    ¡°This is already the second one today. Any more, and I¡¯ll seriously be in trouble.¡±

    He grabbed it by the tail and dragged the corpse over to a hole that he had previously dug up. The hole was nearly thirty meters deep and practically every week, he spent time further expanding it.

    With a grunt, he tossed the corpse into the hole. Almost immediately, the somewhat squishy sound of colliding meat reverberated through his ears.

    Peering down, he could see that the hole was filled with all sorts of dangerous looking monsters. Two-headed giant lizards, four armed monkeys, even birds with six wings, it was honestly amazing. In fact, he was somewhat surprised by the diversity.

    Ellis furrowed his brow. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a little bit too close to the surface?¡± He muttered to himself as he stared at the newest corpse. Its head was practically sticking out from the hole. ¡°Do I need to expand it again?¡±

    He felt aggrieved. The creatures of this forest, they were way too energetic. At first, it had only been one every month, but then, that changed to one every two weeks, then to one every week and eventually, it accumulated to the present situation. Now, multiple monsters attacked him on the same day.

    Was this on purpose? Was this damned forest bullying him?

    He did not know the truth, but it seriously felt like it.

    If it was any other person in his position, then they would have surely died by now. Luckily, Ellis had survived. What¡¯s more, he had shown growth.

    Battle sense. It was a term that he used loosely, but basically, Ellis learned how to fight. In addition, it also felt as if his reaction time had improved. If he were to meet up with that rabbit again, then he would be able to react to his attack, instead of relying purely on his body¡¯s instincts.

    There was also the matter about his strength. Lately, it felt as if his strength had also increased, but that sort of thing was a bit difficult to gauge, so he was still unsure.

    In either case, he was starting to lose confidence. The rate of his improvement could not keep up with the increase in monster interactions. He felt like an exhausted office worker with two, no, three consecutive projects due all within the next quarter.

    The corpses within the hole numbered more than seventy. It was a rather deep hole too, but a few stray limbs were already sticking out from the ground like some sort of macabre garden. He also realized that at the very deepest parts of the hole, a few of the corpses had already begun to rot. That was only natural. After all, the first corpse had been there for over six months now.

    Ellis breathed out a sigh. He stared bitterly at the growing pile. If one looked closely, they¡¯d notice that a few chunks of meat were missing from the corpses. Those chunks had been Ellis¡¯s meal.

    All this time, he had eaten the meat from the various creatures that he had defeated in battle. That in itself wasn¡¯t a bad thing, but eating it raw was. Ellis did not know how to start a fire.

    For those raised in a modern city, how many of them knew how to start a fire from scratch? A few of them might, but Ellis was part of the large majority that didn¡¯t. His experience with the outdoors was purely limited to hiking up the trail in his neighborhood.

    This left him with no other choice but to eat the meat raw. So far, he hasn¡¯t gotten sick yet, but the taste was definitely not something he enjoyed. As a result, Ellis somehow adapted to his situation. Now, he only ate once every week. The taste was indeed that bad.

    Luckily, his body could handle such a diet. He had to praise that old man once again. Homunculi really were quite adaptable.

    In addition, aside from his inability to start a fire, there were other practical skills that Ellis unfortunately lacked.

    For example, he did not know how to make leather or hides from the animals that he killed. As a result, despite how much time had passed, he still walked around naked. For now, it wasn¡¯t much of an issue. After all, he was currently living in a state of isolation. The only thing he really had to worry about was the occasional chill that sometimes caused his butt cheeks to quiver.

    After he dumped the monster in the hole, Ellis shook his head and inspected his body.

    He wasn¡¯t completely unscathed from the fight. Light scratch marks covered his arms and legs. His most prominent wound was a bite mark on his left collar bone. There was also a circular puncture wound on his right shoulder. This injury was the result of yesterday¡¯s battle with a mole-like creature that had a drill-shaped horn on its head.

    He had been pierced yesterday. Today, it started to itch. While it was irritating, that was also a sign of it healing.

    Ellis quickly washed himself in the lagoon and made his way back to the cave.

    Within the cave, he stared intently at the mother fox¡¯s belly. He did not know how much longer it would take, but feeling the rhythmic throb that resembled a heartbeat, he felt that it was close.

    Plus, the cavern had begun to smell of rot. The birth had to be soon, or else¡­

    He resolved himself to wait for a few days longer, but on this particular day, something interrupted him.

    It started when the earth began trembling.

 Chapter 9: A Strong Looking Monster Comes Out

    Ellis frowned.

    He hurriedly left the cavern and searched the nearby surroundings. At first, nothing, then a giant shadow suddenly blotted out the sun. He instinctively looked up. A formless pressure pressed down against his shoulders. At the same time, something large and alive fell from the sky.

    BOOM!

    A half second later, a resounding crash reverberated through the forest. The shadow, whatever it was, it had landed inside the lagoon. Water danced through the air. Ellis reflexively closed his eyes as some of it splashed onto his face and body.

    Wiping away the liquid dripping from his brow, he frowned. Already, an uneasy premonition spread through his heart. Still, he kept his eyes locked onto the lagoon.

    Something moved from beneath the water¡¯s surface.

    ¡°What the hell was that? Where did it come from?¡±

    He had not gotten a proper chance to look at it, but that thing, it was probably the largest creature he had ever encountered. What¡¯s more, it came from out of nowhere. Did it really just fall from the sky, or¡­

    A glint flashed through his eyes. Ellis looked up towards the rock wall.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    Before he could finish that thought, the water within the lagoon suddenly stirred. Slowly, menacingly, it exited the water.

    A large body covered almost entirely in scales. It possessed an elongated neck and a pair of large, bat-like wings. Beady, yellow eyes sat atop its reptilian head.

    Ellis froze. Rather than fear or awe, he felt mostly shock. This was the most fantastical creature he had seen yet.

    ¡°What the hell is this? Why the hell did a dragon suddenly show up?!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but shout.

    The thing before him was something taken straight out of a fantasy book. Four stout legs and a body almost three times the size of an elephant. It was designed in a way that resembled typical western dragons, but instead of the usual red motif, this one was green. Honestly, the green was a lot more utilitarian, especially within a forest setting.

    Ellis let out a hollow laugh.

    Why? Dragons were supposed to be final boss tier monsters. This sort of creature wasn¡¯t supposed to just pop up like any random trash mob in a videogame!

    Don¡¯t just show up out of nowhere! Quit breaking the rules!

    He felt seriously aggrieved, but most of his complaints were simply there to hide the growing fear bubbling within his heart.

    It couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, it was a dragon. There was a stigma towards the concept of dragons. In his world, dragons were depicted as ferocious, often times greedy monsters possessing great strength and power.

    Ellis was not very confident in his ability to beat that sort of legendary creature.

    ¡°Still, why is it here?¡± As this question popped up in his head, the dragon suddenly moved.

    It left the lagoon and swiveled its head around. It briefly surveyed the surroundings with a somewhat arrogant glare. Ellis did the same thing.

    He looked closely and noticed a few things. The dragon¡¯s eyes, one of it was dull and slightly faded. A thin scar trailed down its face. Its eye looked to be damaged, maybe even blind. What¡¯s more, there was also some clear scarring on one of its wings.

    This thing had been in a fight. Not recently, as its injuries had already scarred, but nevertheless, it was obvious.

    Just then, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It suddenly clicked. This dragon, its scales, they looked identical to the chipped scales that he had seen scattered near the fox¡¯s corpse.

    The green dragon finished surveying the land. Its eyes briefly glazed over him, before they locked onto the waterfall. An indiscernible expression flashed through its reptilian face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a few seconds of silence, it suddenly moved.

    I knew it! Its heading straight for the cave. This was the thing that killed the mother fox! Even after coming to such a realization, Ellis still felt somewhat apprehensive.

    Why did it suddenly come here? Revenge? Did it not know that the fox was already dead? Or maybe¡­ Did it come here for something else? What other thing could it want?

    Then, he remembered.

    What was the one thing that he had guarded for so long? There were also the various beasts and monsters that he had previously encountered. Those guys, they practically hurled themselves towards him, despite the fact that he did nothing to aggravate or provoke any of them. Why did they all mindlessly gravitate towards this lagoon?

    Aside from a rotting corpse and a pile of withered grass, there was only one other thing within the cavern that had any sort of value: the unborn baby.

    It wants the baby! He was not one hundred percent certain about this conjecture of his, but seeing the look of greed in the dragon¡¯s eyes, he had some measure of confidence.

    Was the baby fox really that precious? For some time now, this sort of feeling had already crept up on him, especially when he thought of the consistentmonster attacks and miraculous corpse pregnancy, but the Dragon''s arrival only further solidified his conjecture.Before he could think about it any further, he shook his head. No, that doesn¡¯t matter. Right now, I need to do something!

    Ellis possessed a strong body, but he was not sure whether or not his strength was truly enough to take on a dragon. Still, he couldn¡¯t just sit here and do nothing.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    He quickly searched his surroundings. He picked up a stone and looked back up at the dragon. ¡°Hey, you!¡± He yelled. ¡°Dumbass, listen to me!¡±

    The dragon briefly glanced at him, before it let out a snort and turned back towards the cavern. It took another step forward.

    Ellis felt incensed. That scale covered snout, he did not know how, but it seemed to twist into a sneer. For the first time, his fear was overpowered by the rising indignation within his heart. Ignoring him was one thing, but to blatantly look down on him like that? He was not some doormat that would happily let others walk all over him!

    ¡°Fucking, this damn lizard¡­¡± Without hesitation, he cocked his arm back and threw the stone using all of his strength.

    The grey projectile blurred as it whizzed through the air. In an instant, it penetrated one of its wings.

    A pained wail reverberated through the forest.

    Ellis was utterly shocked! He had given it his all that time, but he did not expect his strength to have already reached such a level. Maybe fighting a dragon isn¡¯t so impossible, after all¡­

    Just as the thought entered his mind, the dragon reared its head and glared furiously at him.

    It took a deep breath and suddenly let out a roar. Ellis felt an immense heat rapidly approach him.

    He narrowed his eyes. It was the legendary fire breath!

    A blazing ball of fire hurtled towards him. For a moment, he froze. The fire was immense, far larger than the size of Ellis¡¯s body. Even if he moved, he knew he would not make it in time.

    As he watched the mass of searing heat approach, he couldn¡¯t help but inwardly complain. If he had possessed such a convenient ability, then he wouldn¡¯t have had to suffer through such hateful ¡®meals¡¯ all year long!

    WOOSH!

    The fire engulfed him.

    The flame did not just stop there. It continued along, scorching the land and leaving behind a clear skid mark. Forced by the pressure, Ellis eventually crashed into the trunk of a tree. The fire scattered into tiny separate wisps before completely dissipating.

    Beneath the base of a scorched tree, there now existed a giant molten crater. Dust and steam intermixed, obscuring the nearby surroundings.

    The entire forest lay still and silent.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a few seconds, the dragon let out a self-satisfied snort. Just as it was about to approach the waterfall, something abruptly caused it to stop.

    The sound of a strained cough echoed through the air.

    The dragon turned back. Through the dissipating smog, a single figure walked out.

    His entire face was covered in soot. Half of his body was riddled with third-degree burns so severe that even the whites of his bones had turned black. For Ellis, this sort of wound would take a full two days to recover.

    ¡°That seriously packed a punch¡­¡± In the months that he had spent within this forest, this was probably the most severe injury he had ever received. And to think, this was only the first encounter! A soft sigh leaked out from his chapped lips. The following few minutes were destined to be painful.

    Just as he was thinking about how to approach the current situation, the dragon snapped out from its shock and suddenly roared. It unfurled its wings, jumped off the ground, and flew towards him.

    Its flight was somewhat awkward, on account of the hole in its wing, but nevertheless, it carried with it a tremendous momentum that practically shook the entire forest floor.

    BOOM!

    The creature slammed into him.

    It pinned him against the trunk of a tree, while a jagged set of jaws bit down on his torso. Ellis winced. His chest, shoulders, and arm had been pierced.

    Dragons possessed naturally big teeth. This one, for example, possessed a set so large that just a single tooth was almost half the size of his entire torso. When it bit him, it had also almost completely bisected his body in half.

    Still, Ellis somehow managed to twist his torso just before the impact, saving him from a fate of instant death. Although he was bleeding, and his right arm was practically attached to his shoulder with only a few strings of flesh, he could still somehow cope with the current situation.

    He gritted his teeth and tried to pry open the dragon¡¯s maw. He grabbed the upper jaw with his one good arm and placed both feet on its bottom jaw. He pulled.

    His entire body trembled. Little by little, its tightly shut jaw slowly opened.

    The dragon narrowed its eyes. It tried to apply more pressure to its bite, but Ellis held firm. Eventually, he was able to pry it open just wide enough for him to squirm out.

    He immediately fell the ground like a puppet with its strings cut loose.

    THUD!

    Ellis let out a cough.

    He hurriedly stood back up. At the same time, the dragon immediately reacted and swung its tail towards him.

    A rush of wind and an immense downward pressure assaulted him.

    This time, he was ready. Ellis caught the tail in a bear hug. He slid back a few feet, but otherwise remained upright. Digging his heels into the ground, he firmed his resolution and suddenly pulled.

    He swung the creature forward.

    ¡°Guooh!?¡± The dragon groaned as it suddenly found itself airborne. Ellis¡¯s muscles bulged. Popping sounds filled the air, while random parts of his body suddenly spurted out with blood.

    Ellis slammed the dragon into a nearby tree. Despite the dragon¡¯s gargantuan size, it was still dwarfed by the trees. The trees of this forest were unnaturally hard. Even with his strength, the most he could do was leave a dent on their trunks.

    He loosened his grip on the tail. The dragon fell to the ground with a moan. Looking closely, he noticed that a few of its scales had fallen off, while one of its front legs bent in a weird angle.

    Ellis had injured the dragon, but that wasn¡¯t enough. Instead of waiting for it to regain composure and attack again, he took a deep breath and ran towards it.

    He dashed over to its injured arm and stepped down with all of his might.

    A hoarse wail reverberated through the surroundings. Beneath his feet, the dragon¡¯s leg sank to the ground. Half a second later, a snapping noise echoed through the forest.

    The beast quickly retaliated. It attempted to bite him, but Ellis narrowly dodged. He jumped onto its body, and like a stubborn spider, climbed all the way to the back of its neck.

    Due to his proximity and position, the Dragon was unable to attack him with its normal methods (fireball and bite). It tried to shake him off, but Ellis held firm. He slowly made his way to the top of its head.

    There, he straddled its neck with both legs, before he reared back his good arm and punched down.

    BOOM!

    His fist slammed down onto the crown of its head. The dragon¡¯s head slammed against the ground. Looking closely, he could see a small dent on its scaly surface.

    Still, this wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°You damn lizard, you almost bit off my arm! Reflect on your actions!¡± Ellis vented his anger and threw another punch.

    BOOM!

    Seemingly in response, the dragon let out a furious roar. It attempted to lift its head up from the ground. Despite two punches, it was still so full of energy.

    Ellis gritted his teeth and tried again.

    BOOM!

    The dent grew larger. In addition, the impact had caused a small crater to form as the Dragon¡¯s head sank deeper into the ground.

    Still, the dragon kept roaring, so Ellis tried again.

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

    He repeatedly punched the crown of its head. Every time he struck, the creature¡¯s body would shake and shiver. At first, it would let out a roar. It was a sound filled with both anger and indignation. After a while, those roars grew muffled. It did not take long before they were replaced with faint whimpers.

    The ferocity in its gaze had disappeared, replaced only by fear. It wriggled its body in an attempt to escape, but Ellis would not let it.

    On top of almost killing him, this thing was the perpetrator to mother fox¡¯s death. While he had been unrelated to the fox before, right now, it was a completely different story. He had watched its belly grow for over a year. It was only natural for him to get somewhat attached, even if it was only to a corpse.

    At the very least, a little bit of revenge was needed.

    Thus, Ellis did not hesitate. With a blood-colored fist, he repeatedly beat down on the dragon¡¯s head.

    BOOM!

    BOOOOM!

    BOOOOOOOM!

    The scales eventually cracked and broke underneath his constant pressure. At some point, the dragon¡¯s surroundings had transformed into a large crater, with the epicenter being the dragon¡¯s head.

    Blood oozed out from between the gaps in its scales. The newly formed crater quickly filled with blood.

    Ellis did not know how much time passed, but the Dragon had stopped moving. Even if he were to punch, it would not react.

    It finally died.

    He breathed out a wheezy sigh of relief. He briefly looked up. The sky, it had darkened. Night had long fallen.

    ¡°That, I¡­ I win.¡±

    Without another word, he closed his eyes and collapsed onto the floor.

 Chapter 10: A Brief Interlude~ Hero Side: Prequel

    At the same time as when Ellis first reincarnated into his new body, a great commotion was occurring within Lull¡¯s main continent.

    ****

    The Holy Empire of Pharseille.

    Located within the heart of the Empire¡¯s capital city, there existed a grandiose, all-white cathedral. Legend has it that the cathedral was crafted out of a single slab of marble by one of God¡¯s most trusted apostles. Sharply pointed spires, narrow archways, and ribbed vaults, it was a building that heavily featured gothic architecture.

    The all-white cathedral was very noticeable, towering well above all the other structures within the city. Even the royal family¡¯s imperial castle paled in comparison to the cathedral¡¯s size and extravagance.

    The building¡¯s highest point was a windowless spire that jutted out from the cathedral¡¯s rooftop. Inside, an old man and a congregation of men dressed in white stared up at the sky with expectant gazes. Several hours passed before something finally happened.

    Amidst the backdrop of a starry night, eight brilliant lights suddenly appeared. They streaked through the sky before descending onto the land below. From their trajectory, it was difficult to make out where exactly those lights had landed. For the men in white, this meant more work, but still, their faces glowed with excitement.

    ¡°All of you have witnessed the miracle of salvation. This is a grace bestowed upon us by God.¡± The old man spoke in a withered voice. There was a red symbol painted on his wrinkled forehead. He wore a set of baggy robes with a white and red color scheme.

    The old man¡¯s most distinct feature lay within his lazy expression.

    ¡°Yes, your holiness.¡± A man next to him replied. He was a young man with blonde hair and an excitable disposition. ¡°It is our honor.¡±

    The old man nodded. ¡°With this, the eight heroes have officially descended. Go forth and collect them. We must make sure not to waste God¡¯s gift. Lead them onto a path of righteousness and keep them away from corruption. Move forth!¡± He waved his hand forward.

    ¡°Yes, your holiness!¡± The group of men shouted in unison. They dispersed and hurriedly descended the watchtower.

    On their way out, they encountered a middle-aged man standing beside the staircase. He possessed a chiseled face and flowing azure hair. If this was on Earth, such a hair color would have stood out, and while that was still partly true in Lull, it was a bit more socially acceptable. In fact, certain hair colors carried certain statuses.

    The men in white bowed to the middle-aged man before they left. In response, he amicably smiled at those he passed as he made his way over to the center of the room.

    The last to leave was the blond youth from before. After nodding to the two still within the room, he quickly shut the door behind him.

    After everyone had left, the azure-haired man walked over to the old man. A pondering expression colored his face.

    The old man glanced over at him. ¡°You seem to have something on your mind.¡±

    The blue-haired man clasped his hands and bowed. ¡°Yes, Pope Vermeil. Indeed, something has been troubling me as of late.¡±

    The pope nodded. ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°The previous holy edict, did it not speak of nine heroes? Why are we only searching for eight?¡±

    The Holy edict was essentially a message that came directly from their God. The edict was not something that everyone could receive. Only certain individuals with certain ¡®blessings¡¯ had such a privilege. These individuals were usually known as saints or saintesses. Within the white-cathedral, only three people qualified to be a saint. Pope Vermeil was one of them.

    As for the latest holy edict, its existence was something well known within the church, but only a sparse few knew of its exact specifics. The number of heroes, what those heroes were, even the identity of hero itself, all of it had been previously kept under tight supervision.

    Hearing his question, Pop Vermeil¡¯s expression hardened. He stayed silent for a long time before he said, ¡°No, after the first edict, God sent a second one. Something¡­ something unexpected happened. There will only be eight heroes.¡±

    ¡°I-I see¡­¡±

    Seeing the Pope¡¯s current expression and noticing the oddity of the atmosphere around him, the azure-haired man wisely chose to drop the subject. He contemplated for a moment, before he lightly nodded his head and walked back towards the staircase.

    Just as he was about to reach the door, the Pope¡¯s voice suddenly called out. ¡°Wait, Cardinal Bleu, I have a task that I need you to do.¡±

    ¡°What is it, your holiness?¡±

    Pope Vermeil¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°The Unspoken Order¡­ I need you to gather them up. I have a mission of utmost importance that I need them to accomplish.¡±

    ****

    A month after the ¡®Eight Star Lights¡¯ incident.

    For a brief period of time, the various nations of man experienced an uproar. Many others had also seen the eight lights descending from above and while they may not have known about the holy edict, they interpreted the event in their own unique ways.

    Some viewed it as nothing more than needless commotion. Others saw it as a bad omen, while many more saw it as an important turning point for Lull. The last interpretation happened to be the one most prevalent throughout the mainland.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The Eight Star Lights signified a new era.

    A small rumor circulated the countries. It spoke about how the eight lights had actually entered eight newborns during the night of the incident. For one reason or another, this information was heavily suppressed. Still, no matter how many people tried to control it, the rumors still spread.

    Eventually, the existence of eight children blessed by fate became so commonplace that even regular folk living in remote villages knew about it.

    ****

    Delna, the royal capital of the Holy Empire of Pharseille.

    Within a certain room inside a certain white cathedral, there sat a withered old man with a red symbol on his forehead.

    Standing in front of him was a young priest in black robes.

    ¡°Tell me of the news.¡± Pope Vermeil spoke as he popped a piece of yellow fruit into his mouth. His lazy eyes stared at the youth in front of him. ¡°How goes the extraction of our heroes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of the eight, we have successfully received seven of them into our ranks.¡± The young priest enthusiastically explained. A trace of nervousness could be seen on his face. ¡°One of them turned out to be Pharseille¡¯s crown prince.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I¡¯m sure the Emperor is happy to hear that.¡±

    The Pharseille Empire was the designated ¡®Holy Empire¡¯ of the continent. It shared an extremely close relationship with the Orthodox church. In fact, the Emperor was often blessed by the acting pope during his coronation. Without the Pope¡¯s blessing, a Pharseille Emperor will not rise to power. In fact, such an emperor would never receive the proper recognition from both the empire¡¯s citizens and from the fellow ruling class nobles.

    Whenever such a thing occurred, it usually resulted in the changing of the Royal Family. Throughout all of Pharseille¡¯s two-thousand-year long history, this had happened a total of five times.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the priest nodded. ¡°The Emperor is quite happy that his first born ended up being one of the eight destined heroes. He has sent some congratulatory gifts over in celebration.¡±

    ¡°Good. His enthusiasm will be noted.¡± Pope Vermeil nodded. ¡°What of the other heroes?¡±

    ¡°Three of the remaining heroes were of common birth. One is a citizen of Pharseille, while the other two come from neighboring kingdoms. Although these kingdoms are affiliated with the church, they showed hesitation when we asked them to transfer guardianship of the heroes to the church.¡±

    ¡°Hesitation?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Not the parents, but rather, the various nobles of the kingdoms.¡± The young priest let out a sigh. ¡°Well, such reluctance is only natural. After all, who wouldn¡¯t want to have a legendary hero stay within the confines of their nation? They do not quite grasp that it is only through the church¡¯s guidance can the heroes properly bloom.¡±

    ¡°Nm¡­ How was the problem solved?¡± Pope Vermeil asked.

    ¡°Ah, yes. Although they complained at first, they did not really put up much of a fuss. At most, our branch heads personally visited their royal castles.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± A pleasant smile stretched the pope¡¯s face. ¡°Continue.¡±

    The young priest nodded. ¡°The other three were of noble birth. They were somewhat more troublesome, but after some coercion and gifts, the various families have formally transferred guardianship over to us. Still, they will occasionally kick up a fuss and demand to see their children. I fear that the nobles may attempt to control the heroes.¡±

    The Pope slowly nodded his head. ¡°The clergy have done a splendid job. Inform those busybodies that the church will guide and educate the young heroes as per the will of the Great One.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes!¡± The young priest¡¯s shoulders slightly trembled. ¡®The will of the Great One¡¯¡­ such simple words held vast power within the various countries affiliated with the church. ¡°I¡¯m sure that once those nobles hear of this, their demands and objections will immediately cease!¡±

    Pope Vermeil ignored the youth¡¯s enthusiasm and silently stared at him. After a while, he spoke. ¡°You have so far only explained seven of them. What of the eighth hero?¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡± He hesitated for a moment, before the young priest explained. ¡°The eighth hero, she is a princess, the daughter of Merrack Kingdom¡¯s King.¡±

    ¡°The Merrack Kingdom you say¡­¡± A thoughtful expression flashed onto the Pope¡¯s face.

    The Merrack Kingdom was one of the many countries that did not fall under the church¡¯s jurisdiction.

    The various nations of man spread throughout almost every parts of the mainland. Of those, only about half of the countries were actually affiliated with the church.

    The northern and western areas of the mainland were known to be a land populated by barbarians. Most of the region was unexplored, and of the ones that were occupied, they were controlled by the various tribes and small nations. It was both a land of chaos and a land of opportunity.

    The southern and central parts of the mainland were the regions primarily controlled by the Holy Church. They possessed the largest and most fertile lands of the entire continent. Finally, to the east, a collection of independent kingdoms that passively resisted the church¡¯s teachings.

    The Merrack Kingdom was a country located near the east. The reason for the east¡¯s staunch resistance stemmed back to the distant past. Historically, the east was a region that was once ruled by a different god. For one reason or the other, no other religion was able to penetrate the hearts of the citizens that lived there.

    In the present, the eastern countries were not very religious. They utilized a more meritocratic system. Additionally, in order to stand up to the church¡¯s power, the various nations formed an alliance amongst themselves.

    Merrack was one of the stronger nations within the alliance. It also happened to be located closest to the central region. In every sense of the word, Merrack was a border country.

    ¡°I see¡­ we do have a somewhat antagonistic relationship with Merrack.¡± The pope said.

    The young priest nodded. ¡°Merrack has always stood opposite of Pharseille and the church.¡±

    Pope Vermeil remained silent for a while, before he abruptly said, ¡°I¡¯m sure they have also been harboring pagans too.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± The priest appeared confused at first. ¡°That¡¯s, no, Merrack is a meritocratic state. It has no religious affiliation and there has also been no signs of pagans making their moves within the country.

    The pope shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure the pagans are there. They hid it well, but I can tell.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Before the priest could continue, the pope interrupted him. He lazily stretched his limbs and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pity. Despite their flawed beliefs, Merrack was a good kingdom. It is unfortunate that they have been infested by those pursuing the evil path.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Send out the order. The pagans have taken root within the deepest parts of Merrack. The world does not need a kingdom that will harbor such dangerous cultists. What¡¯s more, a young hero is also there. We need to save her before the pagans can get their grubby little palms on her.

    ¡°¡­¡± The priest did not know how to respond.

    The old man carefully studied the youthful priest¡¯s face. After a few seconds, he flashed a slightly lazy smirk. ¡°With this, even if we accidentally destroy Merrack, those other countries of the east won¡¯t have anything to complain about, right?¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    The priest tried to respond, but the words would not form. He stared, tongue tied, at the man in front of him.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Pope Vermeil locked eyes with the youth. ¡°Did you not hear my order?¡±

    The old man¡¯s words immediately snapped the young priest awake. His shoulders momentarily trembled, before he saluted. ¡°As you command, your holiness! I will immediately inform the Church¡¯s first guard.¡±

    ¡°Good, off you go then.¡± Pope vermeil lightly nodded his head.

    Without another word, the young priest hurriedly left the room. Soon, the old man was once again left in solitude.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Pope Vermeil stared out the window. He traced his bottom lip with a shriveled finger. ¡°Heroes, huh?¡±

 Chapter 11: A New Beginning

    A peculiar feeling spread throughout his entire body. A throbbing in his chest, an ache in his limbs, and a faint, almost whisper-like sound softly crying within his ears.

    What was this feeling? Where did it come from?

    Was it¡ª

    Ellis abruptly opened his eyes.

    He blankly stared up at the sky. Well, rather than the sky, he was staring at the dark-green canopies that covered the forest. Occasionally, thin rays of light penetrated the foliage and illuminated the forest floor.

    He turned his head. To his surprise, he was not completely alone.

    Standing a couple feet away from him was a single creature. It was an ape-like beast that was at least three times as large as a regular human. Its fur was colored an inconspicuous brown that blended quite well with the scenery, except the ends of its disproportionately long limbs were colored red.

    Blood? At a glance, the substance that covered its hands appeared sticky and viscous. It caused parts of its fur to mat together. No, more importantly¡­ is that Big Foot?

    The creature in front of him had disproportionate limbs. Both its arms and legs were about the same length, and most noticeably, its hands and feet were enormous. A single palm was enough to cover Ellis¡¯s entire head. All in all, the beast resembled a certain forest-dwelling cryptid from his homeworld.

    For a moment, he wondered whether he had died again and reincarnated somewhere within America¡¯s Appalachian Mountains.

    Fortunately, he had not died. The blood all around him quickly proved it.

    Ellis realized that he was inside a crater. It was the same crater that he had unwittingly created during his fight with the green dragon. In fact, its corpse was right next to him. From the looks of things, the creature¡¯s plentiful blood somehow leaked out from its corpse and pooled within the crater. The end result was a somewhat shallow pool of viscous red.

    This happened to be the cause of the ape-like creature¡¯s red-stained hands. The beast was squatting by the edge of the crater. It scooped up the blood with both of its hands and greedily drank the liquid like a dying man in a desert.

    Incidentally, Ellis was inside the crater. In fact, he was floating in it. Blood was surprisingly buoyant.

    He locked his gaze onto the ape-like monster. Now was usually the time to decide just how threatening of an existence this thing was, but somewhere in the back of his mind, Ellis did not really feel any danger.

    This newest monster, it looked somewhat dumb. Without a doubt, it was strong, probably stronger than all the previous monsters that he had encountered before (not counting the dragon), but it just looked so damn stupid.

    It was the expression that it had on. Absentminded and flaky. Tiny eyes that were too far apart and a mouth that was perpetually agape. He even saw a trail of drool leaking out from its lower lip.

    For now, he chose to ignore the creature.

    Ellis stood up. When his feet touched the ground, he was slightly surprised. The blood actually reached all the way to his waist. The pool was a lot deeper than he originally assumed.

    The moment he moved, the ape-like creature immediately jumped in its spot. He had accidentally startled the thing, but Ellis did not care. He briefly watched as it hurriedly ran away to a distance of five meters, before he himself slowly wadded out of the pool.

    Moving through blood was a somewhat enlightening sensation. He felt that it was similar to moving around in syrup, not that he had any experience in that either.

    Eventually, he made it out of the pool. He then inspected the current state of his body.

    He moved his legs and clenched his hands. A subconscious frown appeared on his face. His fingers, his arms, his legs, his entire body, everything felt sticky. It was the unwitting result of sleeping within a pool of blood.

    He felt uncomfortable, but for the most part, he was just glad that he did not accidentally drown inside the crater.

    Aside from that, his body was not yet fully healed.

    More specifically, his arm was still sore and there were still some burns all over his body.

    Right now, Ellis smelled faintly of burning flesh. Surprisingly, the smell somewhat resembled charcoal. Out of all of the burns that he had incurred during the fight, only about sixty percent of it had healed, and even the healed portions had not properly healed all the way. Every time he moved, the raw, still pink skin on his arms and chest accidentally grinded up against one another. It was a sensation that caused him immense pain.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    As for his arm that almost fell off, it too was steadily recovering. When he tried to move it, he got little response. After some thought, Ellis concluded that the nerves in his arm had not yet properly recovered.

    After noticing all these things, Ellis unwittingly furrowed his brow. How long have I been out for?

    Considering the state of his body, he guessed somewhere between one to three days. Then again, he had never gotten this injured before, so who knows whether he had taken an extra long time to recover.

    Also, there was that weird sensation from earlier, just before he woke up. What was that? It felt real, yet it was hard to describe. It was kind of like¡­ a tugging? No, that wasn¡¯t right. Beckoning. Something was beckoning him, but what?

    His gaze unknowingly drifted to the waterfall. Could it be that? Was it related or was it really just all in his head?

    Just as he was lost within his own thoughts, the ape-like monster from before seemingly came to a decision of its own.

    Without warning, it banged on its chest and roared. Red splotches stained its torso while a look of determination appeared on its dumb face. After a brief moment of hesitation, it rushed forward.

    Ellis lightly gazed at it. He looked around the ground for a moment, before he picked up a pebble. He tossed the pebble forward. His hand blurred, while the piece of broken stone zoomed through the air.

    One moment, it was in his hand, the next, it was suddenly lodged deep inside the creature¡¯s forehead. It took one last shaky step forward before it collapsed to the ground.

    Just like that, it died.

    Ellis breathed out a sigh. Throwing was a useful skill to learn. It was something that he had perfected during his 500+ days camping out by the lagoon. In the end, he had learned how to throw quite accurately. Unfortunately, it also happened to be a skill that did not see action very often.

    When he was learning the skill, Ellis was very zealous in its use. That didn¡¯t last for long though. After he finished learning it, he quickly reached a conclusion: the preparation for ¡®throwing¡¯ was just too burdensome.

    Searching for loose pebbles on the ground was an easy enough task, but do it too often, and it becomes a chore. That was what happened with Ellis. A simple task gradually transformed into something he would much rather not do at all. As the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months, Ellis simply stopped doing it altogether.

    At one point, he also tried creating his own ¡®ammo¡¯ with the monster corpses lying around. Unfortunately, he learned fairly quickly that he lacked the talent to ¡®craft¡¯. The ¡®throwing weapons¡¯ that he had created did not possess the aerodynamic qualities that he had wished for. In fact, the pebbles he picked up from the ground showed greater results than the junk that came out from his own hands.

    Even the ¡®handheld weapons¡¯ that he made were similarly useless. Bone clubs and bone swords and bone spears. They were basically just jagged pieces of bone that Ellis had the audacity to call weapons. In the end, their practicality in real combat was questionable.

    The truth of the matter was, his own body was just a whole lot sturdier. After every use, the weapons would always break. Creating or maintaining them was a hassle that Ellis did not want to go through. By the second month, he stopped experimenting with crafting all together.

    In the end, Ellis stuck to close combat with his own body. In his mind, it was also a somewhat entertaining form of training. It got tedious sometimes, but the excitement always bounced back.

    After he killed the ape, Ellis lightly stretched his arms. He felt that his body had grown stronger. It might have been something like a false impression, but it seriously felt like he had just acquired the legendary title of dragon slayer.

    Probably just in his head.

    Ellis approached the corpse and grabbed it by its ankle. He dragged the corpse across the ground and dumped it into the hole.

    After that, he then took a look at the dragon. That thing, it was way too big to fit in his hole. Ellis was stuck in a conundrum. Should he leave it there to attract other animals, or stick it into the hole where the smell of rot became too unappetizing for them to even bother?

    He thought for a moment before he ultimately shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Even if the corpse wasn¡¯t here, those guys would still attack. Better to just forget about it. For now, let¡¯s check up on the fox.¡±

    Ellis quickly washed his body in the lagoon and returned to the cave.

    At the bottom of the cave, he placed his hand on the mother fox¡¯s belly.

    He immediately felt a throb.

    ¡°This feeling¡­ without a doubt, it¡¯s similar.¡± The throbbing that he felt now was very similar to the throbbing that he felt when he was asleep. ¡°Did the fox cause this? Was it a sign that the birth was close?¡±

    Ellis felt that the feeling that he had felt was not deliberate, but rather, incidental. He did not think fanciful thoughts like that the unborn fox knew of his sincerity so it responded in kind. He felt that such a thing was not likely. Still, this fox was certainly not normal. It had the power to attract all sorts of monsters even before its birth. Things like unconsciously sending out ¡®signals¡¯ seemed normal in comparison.

    He was somewhat looking forward to its birth.

    Thus, he waited.

    As the days passed, his body quickly healed back up to peak condition. Again, he was under the shaky impression that he had gotten stronger than before, but still, he could not outright dismiss the possibility that it was all in his head.

    In addition, more and more beasts popped up.

    None of them were nearly as powerful as the green dragon, but nevertheless, they were on the stronger side of the spectrum when it came to the monsters that he had previously encountered.

    Ellis had a theory for their appearance.

    The beasts were being drawn in by the unborn baby. When the time of birth drew nearer and nearer, the types of monsters that it attracted also got stronger and stronger. That was not a coincidence. Even the dragon, rather than revenge, it had come here for the baby. Heck, for all he knew, the reason why the mother died may even be because of the child that was inside her stomach.

    In addition, the throbbing from before, it came again. Rather, it came constantly. The throbbing grew, not only in frequency but also in its intensity. This practically confirmed his theory that everything was caused by the unborn fox.

    Finally, after a week and a half of constant battle, it finally happened.

    He sat beside a certain withered corpse. At this point, with the exception of the stomach. it was practically all skin and bones. The belly suddenly glowed an iridescent red. Looking past the stretched skin, he saw the faint outline of a baby fox.

    Ellis waited in anticipation. A few minutes passed and the light dimmed. Shortly after, a soft cry filled the cavern.

    The baby fox was finally born.

 Chapter 12: The Fox Birthed from a Corpse

    From withered death comes new life.

    A quivering mass of red lay prone within a bed of dried grass and broken twigs. It goes without saying, but that ball of fluff was the newly born baby fox.

    The fox was small, maybe around half the size of a Yorkshire Terrier. It had vermillion colored fur that covered almost its entire body. The only exceptions to this were the two golden streaks that ran down its back and the white highlights that colored the ends of its tails. In addition, it had a pastel white underbelly and dark brown highlights on the tips of its paws and on its triangular ears.

    Just from a glance, one could immediately see the beauty contained within its fragile form.

    As he looked closer, he noticed something strange. The number of tails that it possessed, unlike the mother¡¯s original seven, this child had a total of nine tails.

    The sight of it all reminded Ellis of a somewhat famous legend that existed back on Earth. The legend of a kitsune, a nine-tailed fox with the ability to transform into a beautiful maiden. It was a monster concept popularized by eastern countries such as China and Japan, but it later spread to the rest of the world through media exposure.

    Was this fox a kitsune? Did they even have those things here on Lull? A legendary creature possessing great power and magic¡­ was this little creature really something so amazing? Can it transform into a beautiful maiden? Or maybe¡­ it was all just some genetic mutation, similar to how some children can be born with extra limbs.

    Ellis did not know the truth, but he felt that the answer wasn¡¯t quite so simple.

    A transparent, mucus-like substance coated the majority of its body. It gave the fox¡¯s coat a glistening sheen, but then again, the mucus looked as if it did more harm than good. For one, the fox was still shivering like a man stranded in the middle of a blizzard.

    Ellis hesitated for a moment, before he bent down to pick it up.

    ¡°..!¡±

    Just as he was about to grab the fox, an overbearing sensation suddenly engulfed him. Ellis immediately felt short of breath. His vision blurred while a freezing chill ran down the back of his spine.

    This terrifying feeling, for some reason, there was a strange familiarity to it. The sensation, the aura, it was a bit hard to describe, but¡­ it felt like death. It was an aura that he could only liken to death.

    Such a feeling filled the entire room. It almost suffocated him and just as quickly as it had come, it abruptly disappeared in a blink of an eye.

    All that was left within the stale cavern was a newborn fox and a still shell-shocked homunculus.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis stayed silent for a long time, before he let out a weary smile.

    That feeling, I have no clue what the hell that was or what the hell it all means, but¡­ this child, it looks healthy.

    He picked the fox up off the ground and cradled it in his arms. Some of the mucus got on his skin, but he didn¡¯t care. The fox instinctively lifted its head. Its eyes were still closed, but Ellis felt as if the child had just smiled at him.

    As he stared at it, he noticed that there were two white dots right where its eyebrows would have gone. It gave the little thing a distinctive look.

    A soft cry leaked out from its jaws.  He hesitated for a moment, before he wiped away the mucus covering its face.

    The fox slowly opened its eyes. Its pupils were black. A beautiful black that resembled glistening obsidian. As if in response, the little thing licked his outstretched hand.

    Ellis subconsciously laughed.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Then, since you¡¯ve just been born, let me have the honor of naming you.¡± He did not know whether it understood him or not, but nevertheless, it responded with a ¡°kyu, kyu!¡±

    ¡°First of all, are you a boy or a girl?¡± He lifted it up and checked. He did not actually know what it was he should have been looking for, but after a while, Ellis eventually concluded that the fox was, in fact, a girl.

    ¡°Then, a girl name would probably be appropriate, right? But what sort of name would be good?¡± He muttered to himself. As if in response, the fox tilted its head and let out another cry.

    ¡°You have nine tails, so something relating to the number would probably be good, right? Should I just call you Nine, then?¡±

    The fox shook its head.

    ¡°No? I guess that¡¯s no good.¡± Ellis furrowed his brow. On second thought, if the mother fox knew that he had given its child such a ridiculous name, then he¡¯d probably get cursed or something. The last thing he needed was a grudge from the afterlife.

    ¡°But it¡¯s kind of surprising. You seem to be able to understand what I¡¯m saying.¡± Ellis narrowed his eyes. ¡°As expected, fantasy creatures are amazing. I wonder what sort of other things you can do¡­¡±

    ¡°Arf!¡± The fox suddenly let out an angry bark. Staring into her eyes, Ellis could see the displeasure. It was as if she was reprimanding him, telling him to ¡®stay focused! You still have to job to do!¡¯

    ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll worry about all that later. For now, let¡¯s give you a proper name¡­ how does Hazel sound?¡±

    Immediately, the fox shook her head.

    ¡°No good? I thought it was cute.¡±

    Again, she shook her head.

    ¡°Then, Bridgette?¡±

    ¡°Arf!¡± Another angry bark.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s no good either¡­ Then, let¡¯s go with¡­ Ena.¡± Ellis spoke with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s something I thought about long and hard. I derived it from a foreign language on Earth. The original word means ¡®nine.¡¯ Clever, right?¡±

    The original word that he had thought of was ennea, a Greek word for the number nine. He had cycled through a number of different possibilities, and things like nueve, nuen, and devyat did not sound very appealing.  Of course, all of those meant the same thing, just in a different language. The only reason why he was able to remember so many of them was thanks to a beginner¡¯s introduction into foreign language that he once took back in college.

    In the end, he went with ennea and modified it into Ena. For someone like him, it was indeed pretty clever.

    It was nice to see his hard-earned degree finally being put to good use, even if it was in another world.

    The fox remained silent for a while. Ellis worriedly looked at her. Was Ena no good either? Was it actually a weird name by this world¡¯s standards?

    Fortunately, his worries were unfounded. The fox suddenly let out a satisfied chirp.

    Ellis breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°Good, then from now on, your name will be Ena. Since it¡¯s our first time meeting each other, a proper introduction is warranted. I¡¯m Ellis. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±

    In response, the fox, Ena, let out a cry of her own. ¡°Kyu!¡±

    On this day, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, a union that would later shake Lull to its very core had just been established.

    The Artificial Demon King and the Blood Moon Fox, their story starts with this one fateful encounter.

    ****

    After Ena¡¯s birth, Ellis took her outside and bathed her within the lagoon. At first, he expected some trouble. After all, most animals don¡¯t really like getting wet, right? Luckily, Ena was very obedient for a child of her age. She listened to everything he had to say and followed his instructions down to the letter.

    Again, he once more reaffirmed the fact that she could somehow understand him.

    Considering the fact that he had been speaking English this whole time, Ellis did not think that Ena actually knew the language. It wasn¡¯t that she could understand his words to be exact, but rather, the intentions behind those words. In simpler terms, the heart. She understood his heart.

    Was it an ability similar to telepathy? Something like mind-reading? He did not think it was exactly that, but it was definitely something close.

    After the bath, Ena suddenly jumped out of his arms and dashed towards the clearing next to the lagoon. Ellis unconsciously smiled upon seeing the scene. The little thing, she ran around in excitement, seemingly enjoying the fresh air that the forest had to offer. It was a stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere and stale, rotting air within the cavern.

    After a while, Ena abruptly darted towards the crater that contained the dragon¡¯s corpse. Without hesitation, she immediately jumped into the pool of blood.

    ¡°H-hey! Damn it, I just gave you a bath!¡± Ellis hurriedly ran after her.

    Ena was currently bathing in the blood pool. It was a rather stranger sight. Seeing such a tiny and innocent looking creature wading around within a mass of viscous red¡­it was definitely odd.

    The blood soaked into her flesh. Occasionally, Ena would dip her entire head into the pool. Was she drinking it? Absorbing the blood? He did not know, but since it looked like nothing bad was going to happen, he eventually just allowed her to continue.

    This persisted for a few more minutes before the fox walked out of the pool with a satisfied look on her face. Ena¡¯s entire body was covered in scarlet red. Tiny pawprints followed behind her every move. From the looks of things, Ena had ¡®absorbed¡¯ to her very limit. A rosy glow colored her face while her belly slightly protruded.

    Still, despite having her fill, there was plenty of blood left within the crater. In fact, it did not look as if she had even made a dent into the pool.

    With a sigh, Ellis picked her up again and returned to the pool. For the second time today, he once again gave this troublesome child a bath.

 Chapter 13: The First Two Weeks with a New Companion

    Ellis spent the remainder of the day interacting and taking care of the newborn.

    At first, he was concerned. Ena did not have a mother, so there was no-one to feed her or provide her with milk. What could she eat? Was feeding her monster meat okay?

    For a short while, this agonized him. Fortunately, he learned fairly quickly that dragon¡¯s blood worked quite well as a substitute. The blood pool within the crater kept her satiated. In fact, Ena acted as if she could not get enough of the stuff.

    Ellis felt immensely thankful to the idiot dragon that had attacked him.

    Like that, fifteen days passed.

    In that time, he noticed a few things.

    The constant monster attacks that once plagued his daily life had abruptly stopped. Rather, not a single one of those bastards showed up after Ena¡¯s birth. Concurrently, the uncomfortable throbbing from before also ceased.

    Without a doubt, both of those things were related, if only indirectly so. More importantly, they were connected to the much larger mystery involving Ena¡¯s miraculous gestation.

    Ellis had a few theories of his own, but theories were just theories. Now that everything had come to pass, there was really no point in worrying about it any longer. Thus, Ellis decided to bury the mystery in his heart and look forward towards the bright future.

    Throughout the following weeks, he played with Ena and familiarized himself with her presence.

    Ena was a rather unique existence. Rather than a newborn animal fresh from the womb, she acted more like a five-year-old human child, intelligence and all. In fact, in some respects, she was a lot smarter than most children.

    Was such a thing normal for Lull, or was Ena truly so amazing? To Ellis, who lacked the proper common sense of this world, this became another ¡®mystery¡¯ that he subsequently ignored.

    In any case, taking care of Ena was a lot easier than he originally expected. At first, he was seriously afraid. After all, he had never taken care of another living thing before, much less a baby. Luckily for him, Ena was an obedient and sensible child.

    Sometimes, rather than Ellis taking care of her, it felt as if she was taking care of him.

    ****

    Today was another peaceful day.

    Ellis sat on a large rock by the lagoon. A contented sigh leaked out from his slightly parted lips.

    His eyes stared out into the distance. Ena was playing near the surroundings. Right now, she was chasing after something that resembled a butterfly, except this thing had three sets of wings instead of the normal two. Occasionally, she would let out soft cries of excitement, or barks of agitation, the latter of which only happened whenever the butterfly flew too high for her to catch.

    A slight smile formed on his face. For a moment, he wondered whether this was how parents with obedient children felt.

    In the midst of his reverie, Ena let out another cry. ¡°Kyu!¡±

    He looked up just in time to see the little fox trotting towards the crater. Without hesitation she dove head first into the hole, disappearing from view. A few minutes later, she jumped back out with a look of dissatisfaction.

    Ellis noticed that the corners of her jaws were stained with red.

    Ena walked up to him and nuzzled his leg. She let out a soft whine as she hopped into his arms.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did it finally run out?¡± Ellis asked as he wiped her mouth with the palm of his hand.

    She nodded. He could clearly see the sadness reflected in her eyes.

    Ena was a rather voracious eater. Whenever the urge (hunger) struck, she¡¯d jump straight into the pool and absorb some blood. She did this repeatedly throughout the day.

    Unfortunately, her luck finally ran out. Today, the blood pool ran out of blood.

    With a certain fox still within his arms, Elis walked over to the edge of the crater. Peering inside, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°It really is all gone.¡±

    The basin in the ground that was once filled to the brim with dragon blood was now no more. In its place were patches of cracked and barren earth.

    To his surprise, even the dragon¡¯s corpse looked as if it had been completely drained. Right now, only a withered husk of scales and bones remained.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°With this, it¡¯s finally time for us to move on.¡± Ellis lightly stated.

    In truth, this was something that he had postponed for quite some time now. His original plan was to take Ena with him and climb over the rock wall. The only reason why he persisted till now was because of Ena. She wanted to absorb all the blood before they left.

    With all of it gone, there was nothing else stopping him from moving on.

    As for the fox herself, she resembled a grieving mother. It was a pitiful sight that showcased the absolute gluttony of his little companion.

    After whining for a few seconds, Ena suddenly jumped out of his arms and ran towards the dragon¡¯s corpse. She yanked out a protruding scale from the ground and abruptly started eating. Loud crunching noises echoed through the forest.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This brat, she was boldly eating a dragon scale.

    According to the basic knowledge of high-fantasy worlds that he picked up after reading tons of trashy web novels, dragon scales were supposed to be precious ingredients. They were the types of things that the Hero goes out and searches for in order to create the ultimate demon-king slaying superweapon.

    Was a dragon scale really something so cheap that Ena would freely eat it like some sort of afternoon snack?

    Ellis narrowed his eyes. The look of sadness was still written all over her face, but for some reason, she looked a tiny bit less sad now.

    ¡°You can even eat scales?¡± He asked in surprise, but Ena ignored him.

    After a while, Ellis picked up a scale and rolled it around in his hands. It was deceptively heavy. The scale was about the same size as a notebook. It was symmetrical and possessed a shape similar to a lopsided rhombus.

    Looking over at Ena, she looked as if she was eating a biscuit rather than something as hard and sturdy as this rock of an item.

    ¡°Is it really that good?¡± he asked again, and again, Ena ignored him.

    ¡°¡­s-should I?¡±

    Curiosity got the better of him. Ellis gingerly placed the edge of the scale into his mouth.

    At this point, Ena finally looked up. She stared at him with curiosity-laden eyes.

    He hesitated for a long time, before he finally took the plunge and bit down. As expected, the scale was hard. It did not break at first. The problem was with his teeth. Human teeth were not designed to break through something as hard and sturdy as a dragon scale.

    In the first place, humans were meant to eat things like meat and vegetables. Eating a scale was comparable to eating the plate that delivers the food.

    He was about to stop when he suddenly noticed Ena¡¯s expectant gaze.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The two stared at each other for a long time, before Ellis let out a silent sigh. He gathered his courage and bit down once more. This time, he applied as much force as he could possibly muster.

    CRUNCH!

    A satisfying crunch echoed through the forest. He successfully broke a piece off from the scale. He began chewing. Crunching noises continually rang out. It was a sound reminiscent of someone gargling rocks. Considering the situation, that sort of comparison wasn¡¯t all that far off.

    After a while, Ellis swallowed the contents in his mouth.

    ¡°¡­this sort of thing¡­it¡¯s not as bad as it looks.¡± He muttered to himself.

    A dragon scale, the consistency of it was comparable to rice crackers, except, just a little bit harder. As for the taste, well it was a difficult taste to describe. It was certainly unlike anything he had ever tasted before, but one thing was clear, it was definitely ¡®not bad¡¯.

    While he was lost in thought, Ena suddenly ran up to him. She carried another scale in her mouth. The scale in question was different from the one he had just eaten. This one was smaller, and its color was somewhat yellowish. Ena nudged his leg.

    ¡°What? You want me to try that one too?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Is it tastier than the other one that I just ate?¡± This time around, Ellis was not so repulsed by the thought of eating dragon scales.

    Ena nodded again.

    Seemingly convinced, Ellis took the scale, broke a piece off with his otherworldly strength and popped it into his mouth like he was eating popcorn.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ certainly, it has a different taste.¡± Again, it was a hard to describe flavor. If he had to say anything, then the yellow scale was somewhat milder than the first one (green scale). Still, it was difficult to properly gauge with only one piece.

    ¡°Then, one more¡­¡± He broke off another piece and popped it into his mouth.

    A peculiar taste spread through his tongue. When he eventually swallowed, he let out a satisfied smile.

    ¡°¡­Still not enough, just one more should be good¡­¡± Again, he ate another piece.

    Before he even realized it, Ellis had eaten the entire scale.

    He let out a loud burb and rubbed his stomach in satisfaction. ¡°To think that the first thing I¡¯d eat in this new world that doesn¡¯t make me feel like shit would be a dragon scale¡­ the universe works in mysterious ways.¡±

    It was still definitely a weird experience, but then again, he was a homunculus hanging out with a nine-tailed fox. His whole situation was weird.

    ¡°Well, should we take these scales with us?¡± He turned to Ena and asked. She nodded eagerly.

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s get to work.¡±

    Ellis then proceeded towards the corpse and began peeling off all the scales. The end result was a completely naked husk of a dragon and two distinct piles of ¡®loot¡¯. The first pile was of a green color. From a distance, it looked like a stack of jades. The pile was almost as tall as he was and several times wider. In comparison, the second pile was more of a pale yellow. It was a third of the size as the first, but nonetheless just as valuable.

    Two piles, two different types of scales. The former were the scales that covered the majority of its flesh while the latter were the scales that made up its underbelly.

    He looked at the piles with a frown on his face.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think about this sooner, but just how the hell are we supposed to carry this?¡± Ellis felt troubled. Ena also felt troubled. Naturally, it was impossible to carry all this with just his arms. Even if Ena helped, it was still impossible. After all, this was a matter that could not be dictated through sheer strength alone.

    Should I peel the dragon¡¯s hide and use it to make a pouch? The only problem with that idea is that I have no clue how to do that.

    ¡°Argh, just thinking about it gives me a headache. In the end, it looks like we¡¯ll have to give up on this idea.¡± Ellis shook his head in disappointment.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena noticed the severity of the situation and suddenly beckoned him towards her.

    Ellis knelt down in front of her and, ¡°Oh?¡±

    The little fox suddenly patted his shoulder with her paw. She struck out her chest and confidently made a pose as if to say, ¡°Leave it to me!¡±

    Just before he could ask, Ena abruptly ran towards the lagoon and jumped into the water.

 Chapter 14: Onward and Upward

    Thirty agonizing minutes passed.

    ¡°What¡¯s taking her so long?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow. Although Ena was a magical creature, surely, she still needed to breathe, right? Did something happen down there? Was she okay?

    Just as he began to worry, ripples suddenly formed on the water¡¯s surface. He breathed out a sigh. Ena finally resurfaced.

    With her head poking out of the water, she looked equal parts tired and equal parts satisfied. The little fox quickly swam back to shore, dragging something along with her in the process.

    ¡°What did she bring back?¡±

    Ena was using the legendary technique known as the doggy-paddle. At the same time, she was pulling something through the water using a few of her tails.

    Ellis walked over. He noticed that whatever it was that she had brought back, it was big and bulky, more than three times as large as Ena herself.

    As the little fox approached, he took note of her current condition. Although she looked somewhat worn-out, Ena did not seem at all troubled by the thing she was carrying. Ellis knew how difficult it was to carry something while you were swimming. It was not at all like in the movies, where you could keep yourself afloat with a light flutter. Ena, that child¡­

    ¡°She¡¯s a lot stronger than she looks,¡± Ellis muttered to himself.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Upon seeing him, she excitedly let out a bark. She soon reached the shore and trotted towards him. With a wave of her tails, she threw the item forward. It landed in front of him with a loud thud.

    He unconsciously widened his eyes. ¡°What is this?¡±

    It was a box. No, not just any box, but a treasure chest. Dark brown rotting wood and rusted gold that lined all eight of its corners. There was only one opening: a lid held in place with a lock. Judging by how damaged it looked, even if he had the key, it would still probably be impossible to open.

    ¡°You seriously fished this thing out from the lagoon?¡± He raised his brow in disbelief.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± She responded with a nod.

    For quite some time, he did not know how to properly respond. This thing, had it really been hiding somewhere in the lagoon this whole time? It was a bit hard to believe, but since Ena already brought it back, he had no other choice but to believe.

    In truth, Ellis had been meaning to check the depths of the lagoon properly for quite some time now. He especially wanted to explore the hole near the bottom of the lagoon. Unfortunately, a few complications happened. Between his half-hearted attempts at crafting and all the monsters that attacked the cave, he kept postponing and postponing up until he eventually just forgot about the whole thing.

    ¡°How did you know this thing was down there?¡± He asked her.

    In response, Ena simply raised her nose in the air and let out a snort. It was as if she was saying, ¡®Of course I know, it¡¯s only natural for me to find it.¡¯

    He rubbed her head and wryly chuckled. ¡°Well, in either case, good job, partner.¡±

    Ena wagged all nine of her tails and let out a soft coo sound. She nuzzled her head against the palm of his hand, prompting another bought of laughter from Ellis.

    ¡°Well, the chest isn¡¯t that big, but it¡¯ll be helpful as a storage container.¡± Lugging around a single box was far easier than carrying thousands of individual scales. ¡°And it¡¯ll be even better if this thing actually has real treasure inside.¡±

    He lifted the chest up and inspected it on all sides. It did not seem to be bolted. Appearance wise, it looked like a standard treasure chest, the same ones that pirates usually lugged around in books and movies. He gingerly pulled on the lid. It was firmly locked shut and unfortunately, they did not have a key.

    Well, not like it really mattered in the first place. While there were some problems that could not be solved through brute force alone, this was not one of those problems. Ellis grabbed the lid and pried it open.

    To his surprise, the chest was a lot sturdier than what he originally gave it credit for. Even after nearly using all of his strength, it still refused to open. Still, Ellis was a stubborn individual. He had a feeling that it would open at any second now. If it was just for a while longer, then he could continue trying. With that sort of roundabout self-hypnotism, Ellis obstinately persisted.  It was like an itch that he felt compelled to scratch.

    After a while, he heard a loud snap. Something within the chest broke and the lid finally opened.

    Ellis gasped out in relief as he collapsed to the floor. His arms were shaking, while his entire face had turned red from exertion. He wiped the sweat on his brow and bitterly said to himself, ¡°Finally¡­ that damn thing is finally open!¡±

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena barked next to him, congratulating him for a job well done.

    He recomposed himself and quickly looked inside the chest. The treasure chest was almost entirely empty. Only two items existed; an ancient book and a single brown pouch.

    He thought for a moment before he grabbed the pouch. ¡°Is this one of those magical storage items that contain a separate pocket dimension inside?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Ellis had no basis for such an outlandish guess, but he still couldn¡¯t help but believe. Storage items were a man¡¯s romance, after all.

    With a firm belief in his own self-concocted delusion, he gingerly attempted to ¡®activate¡¯ it. The only problem was, he did not know how to activate it.

    He touched it a few times, feeling the rough fabric brush against his palms and the seams pressing against his fingertips. Usually, in all the novels that he had read, these things were activated with magic, but how does one use magic? In the first place, was he even capable of using magic?

    Even after he held onto the pouch for a few minutes, nothing happened.

    Ellis let out an awkward cough. ¡°This piece of junk, it must be a defective product. It probably broke due to the passing of time. Rather, it pains me to admit it, but this thing is just an ordinary pouch.¡± With an attitude of ¡®it¡¯s not me, it¡¯s the pouch¡¯, Ellis one-sidedly reached his conclusion.

    At this time, Ena jumped up and snatched the pouch away from him. Ellis was just about to say something when his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

    Ena fished out a dragon scale and placed it near the mouth of the pouch. A second later, and the scale suddenly disappeared.

    Ellis was quite literally stunned into silence. He hurriedly took back the pouch and began carefully inspecting it. The insides were empty, the pouch still felt no heavier than a handkerchief. For all intents and purposes, nothing had changed.

    He furrowed his brow in confusion. Ena grabbed the pouch again and stuck her paw into the pouch. A moment later, she pulled out a dragon scale that was nearly five times as large as the pouch itself.

    ¡°¡­¡± Upon seeing all that, Ellis suddenly understood. His face crumpled.

    ¡°Ooh, say it ain¡¯t so.¡± He moaned. ¡°I¡­I-I can¡¯t use magic?¡±

    ¡°Is it that sort of development? Does my body not have any mana? What the hell kind of shitty clich¨¦ is that!?¡±

    ¡°Agh, you damn Demon King, I want a refund!¡±

    In the midst of his rantings, Ena shook her head.

    He sniffled and looked at her with a hopeful expression, ¡°So, I do have mana?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Really, then how do I use it?¡±

    She shrugged her shoulders.

    ¡°Let me rephrase my question: why can¡¯t I use it?¡±

    Again, she shrugged her shoulders.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After staring at her innocent face for a long time, Ellis let out a sigh. ¡°Well, I expected as much. I can¡¯t go around relying on a newborn to solve all of my problems. It¡¯s amazing enough that you can understand me to this extent. Then again, technically speaking, I count as a baby too. A young homunculus just a little bit over a year old.¡±

    For a moment, he wanted Ena to call him big brother, but on second thought, that was a weird request. Also, Ena couldn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Still, if you don¡¯t know how and I don¡¯t know how, then I guess there¡¯s really nothing to do about it. The fact of the matter is, I can¡¯t use magic.¡±

    It was a very bitter conclusion. To be stuck in a fantasy world without the ability to use magic¡­ was there a greater hell than this?

    Ena did not quite understand his plight, but regardless, she placed a paw on his shoulders and barked. ¡®It¡¯s alright, we¡¯ll make it through this together¡¯ was the sort of sentiment that he saw reflected within her eyes.

    Ellis eventually calmed down after a few seconds. He shook his head and sighed. ¡°Since I can¡¯t use it, you¡¯ll be responsible for the magic pouch.¡±

    ¡°Kyu!¡± She nodded in understanding.

    Ena then went to work stuffing all the scales into the pouch. At first, he was worried that there might not be enough room, but luckily, that was a groundless concern.

    Soon, all the scales were gone. He checked the pouch once more. Again, the insides were empty and the pouch weighed the same as ever.

    As he handed the pouch back to Ena, a thought suddenly struck him. ¡°Was there anything inside the pouch from the very start?¡±

    In response, Ena shook her head.

    ¡°Ooh¡­¡± He lowered his head in disappointment. Ellis wasn¡¯t expecting anything amazing, like a magical artifact or something. Just that, a shirt or maybe some pants would have been nice to have.

    He then redirected his gaze over to the dragon¡¯s corpse.

    ¡°The skin and meat are no good, but the bones¡­ should we collect that too?¡±

    Ena looked over at the corpse. She tilted her head to the side in confusion.

    ¡°Ena, do you eat bones too?¡± Since she could eat something like dragon scales, surely bones would be no different, right?

    To his surprise, Ena shook her head.

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t? I was certain you would. Don¡¯t dogs like to eat bones?¡±

    ¡°Kyu!¡± She angrily barked in protest.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry, I won¡¯t compare you to a dog anymore. Or rather, do you even know what a dog is?¡±

    Ena did not respond. She let out a single snort and turned her head away.

    ¡°Geeze¡­ was that some sort of taboo or something?¡± He awkwardly scratched his head. ¡°In either case, bones are probably¡­ no, they should be somewhat useful, right?¡±

    Ellis approached the corpse. He reached inside and pulled out something white and pointy. It was nearly as long as he was tall. Judging by its shape, it was probably a rib bone.

    Ellis briefly inspected it. After a few seconds, he exerted some strength. A soft creak filled the air before¡ª

    SNAP!

    ¡°Er¡­ maybe it¡¯s not as useful as I thought¡­¡± Ellis had originally planned to create a weapon out of the dragon¡¯s bones. Unfortunately, judging by the current situation, that was a useless endeavor. Ignoring his shoddy crafting skills for a moment, these bones here did not seem all that sturdy. A weapon that was weaker than his own body was pretty damn pointless.

    ¡°Forget it, if we really do take the whole thing, the pouch might really run out of space.¡± He shook his head and gave up on the idea.

    As for the pouch, since Ena was the only that could use it, he hung the pouch around her neck.

    Next, he turned his attention over to the book.

    An entirely black cover with white text scribbled onto it. The book itself looked ancient, with fading letters and frayed pages. Unfortunately, Ellis was unable to read it. The cover and the rest of the pages inside were written in a language that he did not understand.

    It was probably a language native to this world, but it just so happened to be one of the several languages that he did not know. In the first place, Ellis only knew how to read one of Lull¡¯s languages, and even that was courtesy of the Demon King¡¯s efforts.

    Although he did not want to sound too greedy, right now, he sincerely wished that Alma had put in a bit more effort when it came to creating him.

    Ena was caught in the same predicament. She did not understand how to read the book.

    Since it was impossible to read, he decided to just leave the book alone. A few seconds later and Ellis found himself with another unexpected surprise. The magic pouch was unable to receive the book. As a result, he had to carry it with him.

    He breathed out a sigh. ¡°This damn thing is way too troublesome. Is it some sort of grimoire or magical artifact?¡±

    Fanciful thoughts once again filled his head. Ellis stared fixedly at the book, but even after a long time had passed, there was still no reaction.

    Right now, it really did look like an ordinary book.

    Ellis sighed. He couldn¡¯t read the words nor could he store the book. He wanted to just throw it away, but the feeling that it was definitely something valuable was too strong for him to receive. For the time being, he decided to keep it. Once he gets to civilization, he¡¯ll find some way to unlock its mysteries.

    He then looked towards his little companion. ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of everything else that I needed to do. Should we get going now?¡±

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena barked out before she hopped onto his shoulder.

    With that, the two began their adventure. The first obstacle in their path was a certain rock wall that towered well over their heads.

 Chapter 15: The Land Above the Forest is just Another Forest

    They swiftly climbed the rock wall.

    After a few minutes, Ellis reached one conclusion: this natural geographical obstruction was very annoying.

    For one, it was very tall and very steep. He did not really have a good point of comparison, but if he were to liken it to something like the Grand Canyon, then it might just be a few points off. This rock wall neither had the grandeur nor the mystique that America¡¯s natural wonder possessed.

    Then again, he¡¯s never actually been to the Grand Canyon, so that comparison pretty much falls flat on its face.

    Still, the rock wall possessed its own sense of greatness that could instantly demoralize a man¡¯s heart and make them feel lower than even a shriveling ant.

    As for those who might wish to climb it¡­ well, you might as well forget about that idea.

    The rock wall was almost perfectly vertical and just as flat. It was almost as if someone had taken a butter knife and sliced through the earth. There were very few protruding rocks or breaks in the surface that would normally be used as handholds.

    As a result, he was forced to rely on brute strength. Every time he ascended, he would pierce his hand directly into the cliffside. Essentially, Ellis created his own handholds.

    After nearly twenty minutes of climbing, they finally reached the top.

    Ellis breathed out a sigh of relief. It wasn¡¯t that he was tired, but rather, he felt cold. Throughout those twenty minutes, his naked body was left exposed to the buffeting wind. At one point, he seriously worried whether or not he was going to get sick.

    Ena jumped off his shoulder. She breathed out a puff of air and wiped her forehead with the back of her paw. A distant expression colored her face. She looked as if she had just survived a harrowing experience.

    ¡°Quit pretending.¡± Ellis interrupted. ¡°All you did was sit on my shoulder and snack on dragon scales.¡±

    He bitterly stared at the posturing little fox. At the same time, he brushed away all the crumbs that had accumulated on his shoulder.

    Ena ignored him and instead, observed the surroundings. Ellis quickly followed suit.

    The land above the forest.

    It seemed similar, yet at the same time, it was also strangely different. The trees here were about the same, except they were even larger and even taller than before. If he had to guess, they were nearly twice as big as the trees from down below.

    He looked up. The canopies that he had looked up to for over a year¡­ he had thought they were distant then, but now, they seemed even more so.

    One thing of note was that because of the size difference, there were far fewer trees up here than down there. It made the forest feel less confined. In fact, it might have just been an illusion, but Ellis felt that the surroundings here were a little bit brighter than before.

    After a while, he then turned his gaze over to the mouth of the waterfall. The sound of running water drowned out everything else within the forest. Ellis narrowed his eyes. Like he had originally suspected, the waterfall was connected to a much larger river.

    Looking at this river, he noted two things: it was slightly narrower than he had expected and it persisted far past his eyes could see.

    A silent sigh leaked out from his lips. This looks like another long journey¡­

    Ellis kept his complaints to himself as he turned to his little companion. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go?¡±

    Instead of answering, Ena let out a bark before she ran forward. Ellis chased after her. Like this, with the hopes of finding civilization and escaping the forest, Ellis followed the winding river.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ****

    An hour passed.

    The river felt increasingly more infinite as the minutes ticked by.

    Just then, something finally broke the monotony of endless walking. It came in the form of an unexpected guest.

    Lurking behind a bush a few meters away from the river, there was a certain feline beast. It resembled a mountain lion, except it had a heavier build, sort of like a tiger. The thing was also roughly the size of a rhinoceros.

    After a few minutes of silently stalking from a distance, it finally had enough. Without warning, the lion suddenly sprinted towards them. Its jaws opened wide, revealing a set of jagged teeth that normally wouldn¡¯t belong to any sort of cat.

    Ellis prepared for battle, but just as he was about to jump in, Ena suddenly stopped him. She patted his shoulder reassuringly.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He asked worriedly. Her intentions were clear. This little fox wanted to fight.

    It let out a reassuring bark, almost as if to say, ¡®don¡¯t worry, I got this.¡¯

    Without waiting for Ellis to respond, she dashed forward. The following fight was¡­ well, it was one-sided. Ena was fast, incredibly so. She quite literally ran circles around the mountain lion.

    There were brief bouts of ¡®actual combat¡¯ where Ena would bite or scratch at her opponent, but all in all, it really did look as if she was just playing around. After the mountain lion realized that it could not do anything against its enemy, it began to show signs of running away.

    Of course, Ena did not let it.

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis stared at all this with shock. This brat, she possessed a natural tendency for bullying.

    The ¡®fight¡¯ continued for the next ten minutes. By this point, Ellis had grown tired of watching. Was Ena seriously just playing around? How long was she going to keep this up?

    For the most part, a slightly amused expression colored the little fox¡¯s face. It was definitely not the sort of expression one would wear during a life or death battle.

    ¡°Quit playing around already!¡± He finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and yelled.

    Ena let out a whining bark in protest, but nevertheless, she complied. The little fox suddenly separated from her opponent and jumped back. Without hesitation, the mountain lion immediately turned around and made a desperate attempt for the bushes.

    Ena did not look at all worried that her prey might escape. All nine of her tails suddenly straightened before they took on an iridescent glow. It was a light resembling that of the sun.

    Ellis widened his eyes in surprise. Since when could she do that?

    The mountain lion sensed something wrong. It increased its speed, but by this point, it was already too late.

    Wisps of bright orange and scarlet red quickly gathered atop Ena¡¯s head. They coalesced, forming a single fireball. The flame was small and transient, similar to candlelight. It was completely different from the dragon¡¯s column of fire. It lacked the sheer volume, but hidden within the tiny light was an immense heat that only grew hotter by the second.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena shouted and the fireball zoomed through the air.

    There was no subsequent bang or boom. The coin-sized flame simply penetrated the lion¡¯s skull. The creature took one last step forward before it collapsed to the floor, lifeless.

    The flame did not just stop there, though. Like an infectious virus, the flame that still flickered somewhere inside its head spread. It proliferated, stealing away the lion¡¯s warmth and turning it into its own.

    Soon, orange licks of fire consumed the entire thing. The corpse was completely scorched beyond recognition.

    After the lion died, Ellis stood there, in shock. If one looked closely, then they¡¯d notice that his shoulders were slightly trembling.

    A wide, almost creepy smile stretched his lips.

    ¡°Ena¡­ Ena can make fire¡­she can make fire¡­¡±

    Ena, the two-week-old little fox, the baby born from a corpse, his one and only saving grace, she could create fire!

    ¡°I can finally kiss those days of disgusting raw meat goodbye!¡±

    Unbeknownst to his rising excitement, the fox in question trotted towards him with a satisfied look on her face.

    Without hesitation, Ellis suddenly swooped in and grabbed her in his arms. He pressed his face against hers and kissed her right in the cheek. Ena was unsurprisingly caught off guard by this. She struggled to escape, but quickly found that Ellis¡¯s grip was like a metal vice.

    She resigned herself to a fate of sloppy kisses. After a while, Ellis released the fox and ran towards the corpse. Ena uselessly pawed at her wet face before she followed after him.

    An excited sparkle still glowed within his eyes as he peered down towards the corpse. To his disappointment, the whole thing was completely charred black. Rather than calling it a dead body, the thing in front of him resembled more like a piece of charcoal. It was on the complete opposite spectrum of raw, but regardless, it was still inedible.

    He squatted on the ground and sighed in disappointment.

    Ena walked up to him and rubbed against his leg in an attempt to cheer him up. After a short pause, he lifted his head and slapped his cheeks. Although his face slightly swelled, a hopeful smile stretched his lips. ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re completely right! This is just the first step! There are thousands more monsters waiting for us out there. No matter what it is, as long as I have fire, as long as I have man¡¯s greatest ally with me, I¡¯ll eat anything and everything in this damn forest!¡±

    With such a determination, the journey of one man and his fox continued.

 Chapter 16: Following the Winding River

    Another thirteen or so hours passed. The sun began to set.

    The pair of man and fox were still faithfully following the winding river, but their path was anything but smooth.

    A reverberating roar echoed through the forest. Ellis stared at the source of the noise with somewhat weary eyes. On the other hand, Ena softly yawned. She was currently curled up above his head, a sleepy look colored her face.

    The earth shook. A cloud of dust erupted, while the feeling of impending doom surged through the air. Right now, there was a monster barreling towards them.

    This one possessed a seriously scary appearance. It had the appearance of a giant bear with charcoal black fur, but that wasn¡¯t really important. The thing that caught his attention was its ridiculous size. Even by monster standards, it was big. Only the green dragon could rival it in size, and that was only in terms of height.

    From his perspective, it really did look like a small mountain.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not quite right. In motion, it more resembles a runaway freight train.¡± Ellis muttered to himself as he cocked back his arm and planted his feet firmly on the ground.

    The charging beast put immense pressure on Ellis¡¯s shoulders, but he wasn¡¯t one to back down. To meet its enthusiasm, he specially prepared a gift.

    BANG!

    He punched out. A single fist directly made contact with the creature¡¯s skull. The end result was a gruesome scene. Its head quite literally exploded. It was like watching a watermelon burst after it had been pumped full of air. Ellis recalled seeing a similar video in his past life. It was not as entertaining as the premise made it out to be.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena let out a surprised shriek as blood and brain matter splattered all over her body. She glared resentfully at Ellis before the little fox hurriedly jumped into the river to wash herself.

    Ellis, for the most part, stood there awkwardly. His entire upper body was coated in red. He stared at the headless corpse for a moment, before he too ran for the river.

    A few minutes later, the pair of man and fox walked out of the water.

    Ena still seemed slightly resentful, but there was nothing he could really do about it. They returned to the corpse.

    Ellis let out a sigh. ¡°This guy¡¯s already the nineteenth one today.¡±

    If the mountain lion was the first beast that they had encountered while following the river, then this giant bear was the nineteenth. Ellis was not surprised by the frequency of the encounters. After all, he had half-expected something like this. Water was a very precious resource, so it was only natural for animals to gather around it.

    The number did not bother him, but these guys, weren¡¯t they a tad bit too strong?

    The giant bear from before, not only was it as big as the dragon, it was also slightly stronger. The fact that he was able to kill it with one punch was verifiable proof that his strength had increased since the last time, but rather than happiness, he felt an emotion more akin to despair.

    Ellis had originally thought that the dragon was some sort of overlord from the land above. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case. That damn dragon, it was just some mook-like character. A damn mob! Its identity as an all mighty dragon deceived him.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    He had not given this world the credit it deserved. If such strong mobs existed in large numbers, then wasn¡¯t the rest of Lull populated by uber strong individuals? Even if he was able to kill the bear in one hit now, a stronger monster might appear the very next day. In a world teeming with such frightening existences, what did he amount to?

    Once again, Ellis¡¯s confidence took a dip.

    No, thinking bad thoughts won¡¯t do me any good. Haven¡¯t I already resolved myself to avoid the Heroes? I¡¯ll just amend my prior plans now. Living like a hermit and avoiding danger¡­ that sort of life probably isn¡¯t that bad¡­

    He shook his head. After clearing his thoughts, he turned towards his little companion.

    ¡°Well, what do you think about this one? It¡¯s fine, right?¡±

    In response, Ena approached the corpse and narrowed her eyes. A very serious expression blanketed her face. She sniffed the air for a moment, then hesitantly licked at the fur. Her face immediately scrunched up.

    Seeing such a reaction, Ellis frowned. ¡°Is this no good either?¡±

    Ena raised her paw to interrupt him. It was a gesture that said something along the lines of ¡®wait! Don¡¯t be so hasty.¡¯

    Her scrutinizing glare was locked onto the corpse. Ena remained silent for a long time. There was clear hesitation on her face. In fact, she hesitated quite a bit.

    Eventually, still with a lot of hesitation in her eyes, she nodded.

    ¡°Yes! Finally!¡± Ellis pumped his fist in excitement. He breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°Finally, we can eat!¡±

    That strange little exchange was the process in which the pair picked out their food.

    Ellis was a desperate man. He wanted to eat whatever he could get his hands on. As long as it was properly cooked over a fire, then Ellis would immediately put it in his mouth without remorse. To him, this whole process was torture.

    Unfortunately, Ena was different. She was a bit more careful and shrewder. In short, she was a very picky eater. All the previous monsters that they had encountered were all thoroughly rejected by her. Ellis did not know under what criteria she judged them on, but regardless, her rejection was final. Ellis couldn¡¯t really argue with her. After all, she was the one that held the power (fire).

    From the looks of things, the bear just barely reached her requirements.

    Does she only want to eat strong animals? Considering the fact that the bear was the strongest creature that they had encountered today, it wasn¡¯t that far off of a guess. Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter. Ellis shrugged his shoulders. To him, any food was good food¡­ as long as it was cooked properly, that is.

    With that, the meal was decided.

    Ellis began gathering the materials. This forest was somewhat peculiar. It lacked any large sticks or pieces of wood. The most he could find were dried leaves and thin twigs. Nevertheless, he gathered as much as he could and piled them up within a circle of rocks that he had previously created.

    He was somewhat experienced with the whole process. Ellis had been practicing for over a year now. Of course, the furthest he ever got was the preparation stage. He never was able to start a proper fire.

    It wasn¡¯t for a lack of trying though.

    Ellis certainly did try, but suffice to say, he was inept at this particular task. Back then, with no tools around in sight, he had attempted to start a fire by banging two rocks together. Unfortunately, that did not work. The rocks around the lagoon were not the type that could be used to start a fire, not that he actually knew what the correct type was.

    Afterward, he tried mimicking all the survival videos he had seen online and rubbed a bunch of sticks together. This was an attempt at starting a fire through friction. Like what you¡¯d expect, that didn¡¯t work either.

    Within this gloomy forest, it was impossible to find any branches or sticks sturdy and strong enough to resist the pressure from furious rubbing. The twigs scattered on the ground were thin and brittle. Every time Ellis applied any sort of force, they would break into tiny pieces.

    Eventually, he just gave up and accepted his fate of eating raw meat.

    Today was different.

    After he finished gathering the kindling, Ena walked over. She inhaled once, closed her eyes, then exhaled. A tiny flickering flame flew out from her partially opened mouth. The fire landed onto the pile of twigs below.

    The flame gradually grew bigger and brighter. Ellis continually fed the fire with more kindling. Soon, a raging warmth radiated from the flame.

    Ellis smiled. He walked over to the corpse and brutally ripped out a chunk of meat with his bare hands. After he washed the meat in the river, he returned to fire pit. He paused for a moment before he casually tossed the meat directly into the pit.

    Sparks flew. The flame slightly dimmed. It was a primitive and slightly unsightly method, but Ellis did not really care.

    As the sun set beneath a sea of trees, the smell of cooked meat danced in the air.

 Chapter 17: Following the Winding River Part 2

    Ellis and Ena rested underneath a tree for the night. Their journey continued the very next day.

    It was another day of nonstop walking, interrupted only by the occasional encounter with a vicious creature. Their mealtimes were conducted under a strict time table. And by that, it meant that they only ate whenever they came across a creature that Ena approved. Ellis thought that the whole process was bothersome, but he didn¡¯t really mind. A part of him believed that the little fox was a real connoisseur. She only picked out the best meats that this forest had to offer. There was nothing wrong with eating good food.

    They walked, they fought, they ate, and they slept. This sort of monotonous pattern continued for the next few days.

    On the fifth day, the river suddenly opened up. More specifically, as it turns out, the stream that they had previously followed was merely a distributary. It connected to a much larger ¡®main¡¯ river.

    The new river was significantly deeper. If before the water only reached his hips, then this time around, the water reached his shoulders. What¡¯s more, it was wider too, as wide as a tennis court.

    Ellis did not really think much of this change. Regardless, they were still doing the same thing. They traveled upstream.

    Like always, they encountered several creatures. This time around though, something was a bit different. Rather, the difficulty had increased. Before, they only ever encountered lone monsters. Now, multiple creatures often attacked them at the same time.

    A family of carnivorous moose, a pair of bipedal sloths, and at one point, they had gotten caught up in a ¡®gang-war¡¯ between a group of giant alligators and a black bear that greatly resembled the bear that they had encountered previously.

    The most troublesome encounter was with a troop of ground monkeys. These things had overly muscular arms and legs. A thin layer of fur covered their bodies. They also possessed giant tails that were more than double their body height. They were not too big, just slightly larger than a normal human, but there were a lot of them.

    The group that they had encountered probably numbered in the thousands. Ellis wasn¡¯t too sure, he lost count after he killed his 200<sup>th</sup> monkey.

    He called them ground monkeys because these things did not live in trees, but rather, on the forest floor. As it turns out, they had been camped out along the river bank. Apparently, they lived in holes, evident by all the burrows that littered the ground.

    Their large numbers and persistent attitude were what made them troublesome to fight. It took nearly three hours to mow them all down. By that point, the sun had long fallen. Ellis and Ena decided to borrow one of their holes for the night.

    That encounter occurred on the eighth day.

    Unfortunately, Ellis quickly learned that such an incident was not at all uncommon. They continually ran into more and more groups. Often times, those groups had staked claim to the land around the river bank. If they wanted to progress, then Ellis and Ena needed to fight their way forward.

    Eventually, another ten days passed.

    The pair sat by the river. A warm breeze flowed through the forest as the gentle sound of running water smoothly caressed his ears. Unlike their hectic everyday lives, today was a rare moment of peace.

    Ena was curled up in a ball by his legs while Ellis leisurely tended to the fire. Both of their eyes were greedily fixed onto the rising flame. More specifically, they were staring at the thing directly above it.

    Right now, they were cooking food.

    After he discovered Ena¡¯s ability to produce fire, Ellis strived for a life of cooked food.

    At first, his meals were rather simple. He simply threw a chunk of meat into the open flame and hoped for the best. While the outcome was certainly better than raw meat, it would not win any accolades any times soon. The meat was always overcooked and it tasted of ash.

    Eventually, Ellis grew smarter with his cooking. Instead of just tossing the meat into the fire like some barbarian (not even literal cavemen probably did what he did), he learned how to cook with stone.

    He found a flat piece of stone roughly the size of a frisbee and used it as a makeshift stovetop. With this, he hoped for a larger range of control whenever he cooked. And it certainly worked. While cooking now took a bit longer to do, the end result was a meal that wasn¡¯t flavored with ash and charcoal.

    Of course, this was only the first step.

    The meat from magical creatures was very juicy and tender. Even the lean looking carnivores dripped with animal fat. Everything he put into his mouth was delicious. It was at a level where even those three-star Michelin restaurants from Earth would find hard to beat.

    Was being delicious a characteristic of Lull¡¯s wildlife? Maybe it was a result of Ena¡¯s careful selection, Ellis did not know and he did not really care to know. He simply shut off his brain and enjoyed his food.

    Still, success breeds desire. Even though the food was already cooked, he still couldn¡¯t help but yearn for something even better.

    Ena also shared his same sentiment. She got even pickier with the creatures she judged. It wasn¡¯t rare for them to go a full day without eating purely because she found none of the monsters of that day to be up to par.

    Ellis once attempted to give her blood. He thought that since she enjoyed the dragon¡¯s blood so much, she would surely like other types of blood. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case. She only ate the same meals as he did. Really, she was a girl who possessed very human sensibilities. That is if you exclude her habit of snacking on dragon scales. But then again, it wasn¡¯t like eating dragon scales was exclusive to her. Ellis did it too. It was like chewing on potato chips. Not the best in the world, but it was certainly addicting.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    In pursuit of an even greater level of cooking, Ellis began experimenting. In the end, he came up with two methods of cooking: skewering and pan-frying.

    Skewering wasn¡¯t possible. At least, not normally.

    The sticks in this forest were too brittle to be used as skewers. As a result, he substituted it with animal bones. He would whittle a bone down to a manageable size and then wash it in the river.

    Usually, he used femurs or fibulas, but he found that a rib bone worked best for this type of thing. It had that natural curvature to it that allowed for one to cook meat directly over the flames.

    All in all, this method was fairly successful. Roasting meat over an open flame was always a delight, but it wasn¡¯t really better than the stone stovetop method. At most, they were equal.

    His second method was the real breakthrough.

    Ellis called it ¡®pan-frying¡¯, but he wasn¡¯t really frying in a pan. It was a method similar to the stone stovetop, except he exchanged the heated stones for a dragon scale.

    Dragon scales were kind of perfect. The scales were naturally flat, thin, and around the same size as a standard frying pan. When heated, they would take on a scarlet luster.

    Most importantly, they were good conductors of heat, almost like metal. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t surprise him at all if someone were to tell him that dragon scales were actually some sort of bio-metal.

    The best part about using a dragon scale to cook was that it elevated the flavor of the meat. It acted almost like a spice. The scale¡¯s natural properties rubbed off on the food that he cooked.

    Unsurprisingly, this method of cooking was a hit with Ena. It got to a point where she wouldn¡¯t eat unless it was cooked with this specific method.

    Recalling all this, Ellis shook his head.

    As he waited for the fire to heat up, he suddenly got an idea.

    ¡°Hey, give me a scale for a second.¡± He spoke to Ena. She quickly pulled out a spare dragon scale from the magic pouch and handed it over to him.

    Next, he walked over to the river bank. A few seconds later, he returned with two stones in his hands. The stones were around the same size as a basketball. Ellis hollowed out a fist-sized bowl in one of the stones.

    He then took the scale and broke it up into smaller manageable pieces. He placed the pieces into the bowl. After all that was done, he whittled the second stone down until it was just slightly smaller than the bowl.

    ¡°Kyu?¡± The fox walked up to him, curiosity written all over her face.

    Ellis did not respond. Instead, he began grinding down the contents of the bowl using the whittled stone. This was something that he had come up with after observing the effects of the ¡®dragon pan¡¯. It was somewhat similar to a stone mill. It ground down the contents of the bowl into a powder-like substance.

    Well, considering the shape of his little contraption, it was probably more similar to a mortar and pestle.

    Ena watched all this with rapt attention. She was a big fan of the dragon pan method of cooking, and right now, she felt that Ellis was doing something similar.

    After a few minutes, Ellis finally stopped. He peered into the bowl. The dragon scale had been reduced to grain-like particles. It currently resembled green sand.

    ¡°Done.¡± He wiped the sweat off his brow and let out a faint smile.

    With that, the next thing he needed to do was actually cook the food. This time around, he decided to go with the skewering method. Before he started though, he made sure to rub a bunch of the powder into the meat. It was a similar process to seasoning a steak.

    A few minutes later, and a delicious smell wafted through the air.

    Ellis removed the meat from the flame. He tore a piece off and tried it.

    He immediately widened his eyes in surprise.

    ¡°This sort of thing¡­ it¡¯s better than I originally expected!¡±

    The end result was something that completely toppled the flavor profile of the dragon-pan cooking method. It was far tastier than anything he had ever eaten.

    He finally realized why he felt the meat had been so lacking. Although the natural quality of the animals in this world far surpassed the quality of the animals from earth, his cooking lacked spices. Naturally, it tasted bland (well, to an extent). The dragon scales acted as a replacement.

    At the same time, he had to marvel at the creature known as the Dragon. Its scales were truly versatile! Not only was it a good snack, but it also worked well as both a frying pan and a spice!

    Dragons really were the legendary creatures that his homeworld made them out to be¡­

    Like that, the pair of fox and homunculus took another step forward into the culinary world.

    ****

    They continued walking for a few more days.

    On the twenty-fifth day, the stream once again opened up into an even larger stream. In short, they had been following an offshoot of the main river.

    Ellis did not know whether this new stream was the mainstream or just another distributary, but judging by its size, he was leaning towards the former. The river in front of him was large. It was more than ten times the size of the previous stream.

    Even the Amazon river from Earth paled in comparison.

    He checked the depth. He discovered that the river was very deep. A spot that he randomly picked had a depth of nearly four hundred meters.

    When he first arrived at the river, only one thought popped into his mind: seafood.

    With that sort of motivation, the pair of fox and homunculus spent the rest of the day swimming within the depths of the Not-Amazon river.

    It did not take long before they encountered a fish.

    It was a creature that resembled a catfish. It had a rotund body with two whiskers sticking out of its face. It had a mouth large enough to swallow a person whole. It did not look very strong, but it was very troublesome to fight. In this case, troublesome meant that it always ran away.

    The catfish was actually the one who attacked them first. After it discovered that it was nearly impossible to injure both Ellis and Ena, it swiftly lost interest and swam away. The duo spent nearly an hour chasing after it. Ellis had a pretty goodlung capacity, so staying underwater was not difficult, but perpetually chasing after this thing frustrated him.

    It was surprisingly fast, and Ellis had a difficult time catching up (on account of his lack of experience in swimming).

    After a while, something happened. Ena¡¯s tails began to glow. Unlike before, this time her tails shined with a luminous blue luster.

    The water around them suddenly vibrated. It pushed them forward. At the same time, the water surrounding the fish also changed. It shimmered and vibrated. It did not do a lot of damage, but at the very least, it was able to restrict the catfish¡¯s movements.

    Ellis was naturally surprised by all this. Ena also possessed water-based powers. Could it be that each tail represented a different element? What were those nine elements?

    After thinking about it for a while, he eventually dropped the topic. None of it really mattered. Right now, he was more focused on eating seafood.

    The two quickly returned to shore and Ellis went to work setting up the flame.

    Afterward, he descaled the catfish and removed its innards. Then, he sprinkled some dragon spice all over the insides and the outsides of the fish.

    Once it had been properly prepped, Ena pulled out a whittled down rib bone from the magic pouch and handed it over to him.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s roasted fish today, huh?¡± Ellis smiled. After the discovery of dragon spice, roasting became Ena¡¯s new favorite method of cooking. Although sometimes he wished for a bit more variety, Ellis didn¡¯t really mind. After all, he liked roasted meat too.

    With that, he quickly skewered the fish and placed it near the fire.

    As they waited for the fish to cook, he suddenly heard rustling.

    This happened a few times, but the smell of cooked food attracted wild animals. He turned to the source of the noise. There, he could see a pair of triangular ears poking out from behind a bush.

 Chapter 18: A New Bunch of Brats

    Ena swallowed down a mouthful of fish before she looked up.

    Lurking within the shadows of a rather large bush was a hunched figure with triangular ears.

    There was one¡­ no, two¡­ more than that¡­ there were several individuals present.

    The leaves rustled. Silence filled the air. For a moment, Ellis thought that they might just run off and leave, but he was quickly proven wrong.

    A quadrupedal creature stepped out into the light. It had a thin frame and large tufts of fur covered its entire body. A black snout and sharp, pointed canines. Golden colored eyes and to top it all off, a set of triangular ears.

    It was a wolf. After the first one came out, the others quickly followed. They were also wolves. From the looks of things, Ellis was dealing with a wolf pack.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s new¡­¡± He slightly widened his eyes, while he thoughtlessly stuffed his face with a piece of fish.

    What surprised him was their size. Ellis had grown used to seeing large animals. On average, most of the creatures that he had encountered in this forest were bigger than him. Some could even completely squash him underneath a single foot. In short, big monsters no longer surprised him.

    The wolves before him, they were small, even smaller than the wolves from Earth. Round faces and limbs containing slight traces of baby fat. They gave off a feeling of recklessness and mischief, not at all like the ferocious and bloodthirsty impressions that the rest of the creatures within this forest gave off.

    In all, they were probably just a little bit bigger than a certain nine-tailed fox.

    Were they puppies?

    It was indeed quite rare to find young animals within this forest. Up until now, the only one he had come across was Ena herself.

    As if in response to Ellis¡¯s probing gaze, the wolves bared their teeth and growled. Cute.

    ¡°Well, puppy or not, these things are giving me a seriously scary looking glare¡­¡± He mumbled to himself half-heartedly.

    Just as he was about to get up and do something, Ena suddenly patted his shoulder.

    ¡°What is it?¡± He turned around and raised a brow in surprise.

    The little fox hit her own chest. ¡°Leave it to me!¡± was what her playful eyes seemed to say.

    Ellis hesitated for a moment, but by then, it was too late. Ena sauntered forward. He might have been mistaken, but there was a seriously impudent expression on her face.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena chirped out.

    The lead wolf, a creature with dark black fur and a noticeable white discoloration on its left ear, stepped forward. It let out a bark of its own.

    What followed next was an exchange of noises between a small wolf and an even smaller fox.

    Barks, howls, growls, and cries. To most people, it would have sounded like utter nonsense, but Ellis felt like he could almost understand what they were saying. Well, almost.

    At some point, communications seemed to have broken down because the wolves suddenly attacked.

    Ena exaggeratedly shook her head. A sigh leaked out from her throat. This brat was putting on quite a pompous display, even her jaw seemingly twisted into a sneer. Her expression, her mannerisms, everything about her was saying something along the lines of ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Don¡¯t blame me for what happens next.¡±

    She walked forward.

    As expected, the resulting fight was purely one-sided. Ena quite literally toyed with the wolf pack.

    Ellis watched this all with dim eyes. After a few minutes, all the wolves were splayed across the ground. Their faces screamed exhaustion. Ena sat proudly on top of the wolf leader¡¯s head. An aggrieved look morphed its face, but it was too tired to do anything about it.

    Seeing such a scene, Ellis could only shake his head. ¡°Just eat your damn food already¡­¡± He muttered underneath his breath before he picked up another piece of fish and stuffed it into his waiting maw.

    ****

    Later that day, Ellis found himself caught up in another peculiar situation.

    A pack of seven preadolescent wolves were currently kneeling in front of a certain haughty little fox. Ena was normally quite the ruthless little thing, especially for someone her age. For some reason, unlike with the other creatures that they had previously encountered, she did not immediately kill the wolf pack.

    Did she take pity on them because they¡¯re around the same age? Ellis was slightly curious, but truthfully, he did not really care. In fact, if they had really died, he would have found it a pity. The wolves were quite cute. They reminded him of tiny huskies.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Ena suddenly nudged the wolf leader¡¯s head. A few seconds later, two creatures, one fox and one wolf, stared up at him. Ena had an expectant expression on, while the wolf leader looked slightly troubled.

    ¡°What is it?¡± He raised his brow in curiosity.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena barked out. She patted the wolf leader¡¯s head before she pointed towards him.

    A moment of silence passed. The small wolf barked back.

    To his surprise, it suddenly lowered its head.

    Ellis¡¯s lips slightly twitched. T-that¡­ wasn¡¯t this a kowtow? This thing is seriously kowtowing to me!

    The wolf was indeed seriously kowtowing. It did not dare raise its head. In fact, even its tail drooped low to the ground.

    ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± His face unconsciously scrunched up. He was still somewhat confused, but a general idea of the situation slowly formed in his head. The wolf pack, for some reason, they were now Ena¡¯s subordinates.

    Was that the right word to use? Subordinates? They were acting more like servants¡­ or maybe Eunuchs from ancient times.

    As Ena¡¯s master, that also meant that Ellis was now the grand-master of a bunch of baby wolves.

    Wait. Am I really Ena¡¯s master? He didn¡¯t really remember establishing that sort of relationship with her. In the first place, he had been there for her birth, so didn¡¯t that kind of make him her father? Then again, it was weird for someone his age to have a child. After all, despite how he looked, Ellis was still technically just over a year old.

    Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter. He shook his head. Since Ena was acting like this, then he probably was her master. If that¡¯s how she considered him, then so be it.

    He thought about it for a moment, before he nodded. ¡°Alright, if this is how you want to do it, then I¡¯ll play along,¡± so he said.

    In response, Ena nodded her head while the wolf leader looked at the two with confusion.

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s name you guys.¡± He walked over to the rest of the wolf pack. Ena and the wolf leader quickly followed. ¡°The first one will be¡­ uh, One? That should be good. One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven. That¡¯ll be your names.¡±

    Ellis nodded in self-satisfaction.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena hit him on the foot. Her expression showed her disapproval. It was as if she was saying, ¡°Please be serious here.¡±

    He awkwardly coughed. ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll give it some more consideration.¡± With that, he properly thought up their names.

    The group of wolves consisted of five males and two females. The leader of the wolf pack was a girl. She was the wolf with the black fur and the white discoloration on her left ear. He had decided to name her Wight.

    The rest of the names were as followed: Umbra, Cinder, Cobalt, Plush, Tangerine, and Cocoa.

    At first, he really did try to give them serious and cool sounding names. He even slightly based them off color. Wight was for white, Umbra was for black, Cinder was for red, and Cobalt was for blue. Unfortunately, his motivation kind of plummeted. Or rather, his mind got derailed.

    Plush was supposed to be related to purple, but he got distracted by how chubby this particular wolf was. He looked exactly like a stuffed animal that a teenage girl would have in her bedroom. As for Tangerine and Cocoa¡­ well, he got hungry.

    By the way, Cocoa was the other female wolf. She was named Cocoa because she was the only wolf with brown fur.

    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Even if they are slightly weird, they¡¯re still names regardless.¡± He convinced himself. Besides, it¡¯s not like these guys know the real meaning behind the names, so I¡¯m safe.

    Luckily, Ena was satisfied with the names and the wolves did not seem to particularly care. With all the formalities out of the way, Ellis returned to the fire pit. He handed out food to the wolves. Even though the fish was so big and the wolves were still small, they still managed to eat everything clean.

    After the meal, the group of one homunculus, one fox, and seven wolves continued their journey down the river.

    ****

    Quite some time passed.

    As expected, the group encountered quite a number of monsters. Ellis quickly learned that the wolf pack that he had picked up were actually quite weak. In fact, they were basically useless in combat.

    To be honest, he half expected this outcome. Ena was an obvious outlier to this rule, but you really can¡¯t pit children against actual adults. The wolves were no match for any of the stronger and much larger creatures.

    In the end, Ena felt quite embarrassed. To her, having such weak subordinates was shameful. What¡¯s more, their weakness was in full display to her master. She seriously wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

    Stemming from that sort of complicated sentiment, a new pattern began to emerge. After every disappointing fight, Ena would bully the wolves in combat. Officially, it was post-battle training, but in truth, it was just Ena¡¯s way of venting her anger.

    This continued for a number of days. In the end, the wolves were in a very miserable state.

    After every ¡®training session¡¯, they always appeared beat up and on the verge of death. In that sort of state, a single flick of the wrist was all it would take to send them to the underworld. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t allowed to die.

    As it turns out, Ena also possessed the ability to heal. It was probably a skill derived from the ¡®life¡¯ element, but then again, ¡®healing¡¯ itself might be an element on its own. He did not really know how they classified things here on Lull.

    In either case, when her tails glowed green, a healing light would emit from Ena¡¯s body and heal her surroundings. Ellis also wanted to experience what it felt like to be ¡®healed¡¯, so he nicked himself in hopes of getting healed. Unfortunately, his injuries regenerated so quickly that it did not even give Ena a chance to use her ability.

    Still though, even if it was useless to him, that wasn¡¯t quite so for everyone else. For the wolves, this meant that Ena could beat them up as much as she wanted without having to worry about the possibility of death.

    For the past few days, the wolves lived quite the pitiful lives. It wasn¡¯t inaccurate to call their experience a living hell.

    Seeing them in such a state, it was impossible for him not to feel sorry. Ellis would stroke their fur, give them extra food and generally just indulge them. The end result was that the wolves grew quite attached to him.

    Well, Ellis did not really mind. Their affection was welcomed with open arms.

    One time, he wanted to give them a treat. He thought about it for a while before he attempted to give them dragon scales. Since Ena loved it so much, they might like it too. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the wolves were unable to eat them. They simply could not bite through the scales.

    As an alternative, Ellis gave them extra dragon spice flavored meat. Luckily, they liked it just as much as he did.

    Also, even if they were incapable of eating the scale, there was still one other use for it.

    What¡¯s that use you might ask? Well, it¡¯s simple: frisbee!

    Ellis threw a yellow colored scale into the air. It rapidly flew through the sky. The wolves frantically chased after it. Eventually, one of them caught it in mid-air. It quickly returned to him, while the rest of the pack expressed their indignation.

    The wolf with the frisbee was actually Wight, the female leader. She was a cute child who often liked to play around. Unfortunately, she was the one who got bullied the most by Ena.

    He patted her head, retrieved the frisbee, then threw it again. The wolves quickly chased after it.

    Watching such a scene, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    A single thought popped into his head. Dragon Scales¡­ they really are quite versatile.

 Chapter 19: A Grave Predicament

    <h1></h1>

    ¡°I really need clothes.¡±

    Such a thought randomly popped into his head one day.

    ¡°Kyu?¡± Ena tilted her head and stared up at him. While she could understand the general meaning behind Ellis¡¯s intentions, what she couldn¡¯t get was why.

    ¡®Isn¡¯t it fine like this? The Ellis that I know is a man who wears no clothes.¡¯ That was the sort of message that her eyes conveyed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m uncomfortable being like this, but rather, it¡¯s the complete opposite. I¡¯m getting too comfortable not wearing clothes. Any longer and I¡¯ll start losing what little common sense I have left.¡±

    He had been rather troubled about this topic for quite some time now. What did it mean to be human? Ellis was fully aware that he was no longer human. From an objective standpoint, he fully accepted the fact that he was a homunculus. Still, somewhere deep inside, there was a part of him that still believed himself to be human.

    Should he cling to such lingering feelings or should he completely abandon them? Which of the two was the correct answer? Was there even a correct answer to his situation? Acceptance or Abandonment? His past or his present?

    All these complicated thoughts stemmed from the sudden realization that he had lived life without wearing any clothes for almost two years now.

    It¡¯s been over half a year since they first climbed the rock wall. Their journey brought with it many ups and downs. Ellis and Ena grew stronger, they gained new companions (subordinates) in the form of a fledgling wolf pack, and slowly but surely, they progressed further down the river.

    It had been a seriously hair-raising experience, the type that would gradually turn into an unforgettable memory somewhere in the distant future. At the same time though, he felt that it was also the sort of thing that could be easily glossed over with a montage or a time-skip.

    In all that time, the group continually followed the river in hopes of finding civilization. Unfortunately, they did not find civilization.

    Ellis heaved out a sigh. Rather than spend the rest of the day worrying about all this, he much rather preferred worrying over the little things. To him, it all boiled down to one thing; ¡°What can I make clothes out of?¡±

    Leather? Fur? How does one go about making clothes from leather and fur? No matter how many times he asked himself that question, Ellis did not have an answer.

    In that case, should he start experimenting? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to air dry leather under the sun or something? It was unfortunate, but he was stuck within this forest. The light that passed through here was dim. It was like being under a perpetual thunder cloud.

    What¡¯s more, it recently started to rain. For now, it was only a light drizzle, but the weather made it impossible to actually create hides and leathers.

    Outside of his lack of experience and the bad weather, the most important reason for his reluctance was that Ellis simply did not think it would work. If that¡¯s the case, why even bother trying?

    With a defeatist attitude like that, he probably wouldn¡¯t get very far.

    Right now, he wished for something like a t-shirt monster to appear. Considering how fantastical Lull was, there was a small possibility that it might actually exist. The t-shirt monster, the softer, somewhat smellier cousin of the infamous dungeon crawling staple known as the Living Armor.

    As he sighed for the umpteenth time today, something suddenly brushed up against his leg.

    Looking down, he could see a familiar face peering up at him. It was a small wolf with black fur and a white discoloration on its left ear.

    Wight, the leader of the wolf pack. She was a good child who often liked to play around.

    Staring into her upturned puppy-dog eyes (no pun intended), Ellis¡¯s expression softened. Her intentions were quite clear. Wight was a smart girl. Although she wasn¡¯t as smart as Ena, she still possessed the capacity for understanding. If Ena had the intelligence of a ten-year-old child, then Wight was more along the lines of a five-year-old.

    He rubbed a specific spot behind her ear. Ellis knew that this spot was something like a weak point for her. As long as he rubbed this particular spot, Wight would be no more than putty in his hands.

    ¡°Thanks for cheering me up.¡± He said with a small smile.

    Wight barked out a somewhat shaky response. Her face was a mixture of desire and pleasure. She further pushed the crown of her head towards his open palm.

    Ellis unconsciously chuckled. Watching her act like a needy child made him momentarily forget about his worries.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Unbeknownst to Ellis, Ena¡¯s face scrunched up. She stared at the two with clear displeasure. After a while, she turned away. Her eyes peered into the distance. It was almost as if she was looking for something.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    Ellis did not notice this, but her tails suddenly shivered. They began to glow with a dark purple luminescence.

    A few seconds passed before the light stopped. Ena then trotted over towards him. She pushed Wight aside and nudged his leg.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± she called out.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ellis looked down. Wight was sprawled on the floor with a pitiful look on her face while Ena stared up at him with what he could only describe as an expectant expression.

    It¡¯s Ena, this time, huh? Is she also trying to cheer me up? For a moment, his heart felt touched.

    Ena suddenly pointed towards a specific direction. Ellis followed her paw and stared at the looming forest ahead.

    ¡°There? What¡¯s over there?¡±

    In truth, they never really wandered very far outside the vicinity of the river. At times, he often wondered what sorts of monsters lurked further into the forest.

    Without bothering to explain, Ena suddenly sprinted into the forest. He hesitated for a moment before he chased after her. Wight and the rest of the pack also followed.

    Nearly fifteen minutes passed. They eventually stopped behind a bush. Ena pointed towards a small clearing in front of them.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Ellis widened his eyes.

    There was a large patch of moss growing on the ground. It was located between an intersection of four towering trees. Standing in the middle of the moss was a somewhat large creature. Its appearance was¡­ odd, to say the least.

    Looking at it, Ellis was reminded of the Giant Sloths that once existed in Earth¡¯s prehistory.

    It had two stubby legs and a pair of long arms that reached all the way down to the ground. Its hands were accompanied by a set of sharp claws. This wasn¡¯t the first sloth-type creature he had seen in the forest, but what set it apart from the others was its fur. No, rather than fur, it was wool.

    This Giant Sloth had wool covering almost every part of its body.

    From afar, it resembled an upright sheep or maybe a ball of cotton.

    For the most part, the creature itself looked rather passive. Its absent-minded expression and the way it moved its large body in such a lethargic manner added credence to that observation.

    It occasionally scraped at the ground, but that was only to gather moss onto the tips of its claws before it licked them clean with its rather long tongue. Apparently, this thing was vegetarian.

    Ellis¡¯s shoulders visibly trembled.

    ¡°I see¡­ I get it now.¡± He mumbled to himself. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t know how to tan hide, wool is a much easier material to deal with. If things work out well, I might just be able to wear clothes again.¡± Just thinking about the possibilities, Ellis could barely control the rising excitement in his heart.

    He turned to Ena. ¡°Thank you! You¡¯re the best companion anyone could ever ask for!¡± Without thinking, he pulled her in for a hug and happily rubbed the crown of her head.

    Ena froze for a second, before she closed her eyes in bliss. A sound resembling a sigh leaked out from her mouth. After a while, she discreetly glanced over at a certain wolf. A small, indiscernible smirk floated to her face. Nobody noticed the change in her expression. Nobody that is, except Wight.

    Ellis eventually loosened his grip and focused his attention back on the wool covered sloth.

    ¡°Alright you guys, go and get it!¡± He pointed to the clearing and shouted.

    Wight and the rest of the wolf pack howled in response. They immediately jumped out from behind the bush and dashed towards the clearing.

    With Umbra, the trusted second-in-command leading the way and with Wight flanking the rear, the small pack of adolescent wolves furiously launched their attacks.

    Ellis watched the ensuing battle. Lately, it had become somewhat of a routine for Wight and her siblings to do the majority of the hunting. He only ever fought whenever the group encountered a super strong opponent that the others were helpless against. Ena did something similar. She only attacked when either the wolf pack exhausted themselves or they simply could not beat the enemy.

    As for the rest, that was the responsibility of Wight and her fellow cohorts.

    To no surprise, the battle ended fairly quickly. The sloth really was quite weak. Of course, it was only weak by the standards of this messed up forest.

    The battled lasted for less than five minutes. Eventually, Wight dealt the finishing blow with a jumping bite to the throat. Aside from a few minor injuries, the wolves were relatively unharmed.

    When the sloth died, Ellis immediately rushed out.

    Without waiting, he quickly began sheering the corpse. Since he had no tools, he naturally sheered it with his bare hands. After a while, the corpse had been completely stripped naked and there was now a pile of wool standing in front of him. The wool resembled a misshapen ball of cotton. It towered well over his head.

    ¡°With this, I can slowly create clothing through a process of trial and error.¡± He spoke with relish.

    Wool was a rather easy material to deal with. As long as he found a way to create yarn or thread with it, he could probably weave something like a shirt, or at the very least, a giant sheet to cover his body with.

    As he was about to reach for the wool, the ground suddenly shook. Ellis frowned. This sort of thing, it was a familiar experience.

    All of a sudden, he felt his back growing hotter. He turned around, just in time to see a searing ball of flame flying towards him.

    Ellis reacted. He raised his hands in front of him and took the brunt of the force with his body.

    Unlike in the past, the fire did not do much damage to him, but that wasn¡¯t the case for the rest of his surroundings. While Ena and the wolves somehow managed to escape in time, the wool didn¡¯t.

    Nothing but a pile of ashen remains. His hopes, his dreams, his ambition, all of it gone.

    Ellis stared lifelessly at the burnt spot on the ground. The creature that threw out the fireball arrived shortly after, but that barely registered within his head.

    It was another dragon.

    Green, like the first one, except slightly darker. This dragon greatly resembled the one from before. In fact, Ellis did not know this, but their current assailant was actually the lover of the dragon that he had previously killed. Somehow, it sniffed out the lingering scent of its deceased partner on Ellis¡¯s body. Naturally, it came for revenge.

    Of course, Ellis did not know about any of this. Even if he did, it was unlikely that he would actually care.

    His shoulders visibly trembled. Invisible tears streaked down his cheeks. He turned to the dragon with bloodshot eyes.

    ¡°Y-you¡­¡±

    In response, the dragon immediately let out a ferocious roar. Another fireball flew out from its mouth and rocketed towards him. Ellis made no attempt to dodge. The fire quickly consumed him. It raged for a moment before it gradually dissipated.

    From out of the smoke and dust, Ellis stood there, unharmed. His hair was slightly frayed, but his eyes were icy.

    Without another word, he attacked.

    It did not take very long before the dragon was reduced to a pile of minced meat. After the battle, Ellis slowly slumped to the floor. He had passed out from the mental shock.

    Today was not the day for him to wear clothes.

 Chapter 20: The Everyday Life of a Wolf Under Tyranny

    Wight is a wolf.

    She is an amazing wolf. Even though she is still young, she is already the leader of her own pack. Only someone amazing can do that.

    But it wasn¡¯t always like that.

    Even for someone as amazing as her, Wight also experienced hardships of her own.

    In the past, she lived in a cave with her father. Her father was a strong wolf. Although he didn¡¯t have a name like Wight, he was still respected by all the other wolves. In fact, he was also a pack leader, except his pack numbered in the hundreds.

    They were able to live quite well within such a dangerous forest purely because her father was there. The Wight from before knew only of peace.

    Unfortunately, peace does not last forever.

    One day, they were attacked.

    The assailant was a big guy with round ears and a scary-looking face. Black fur covered its entire body. It towered well above the other wolves. To Wight, it was as if she was looking up at a giant.

    Now she knows that the creature was something called a bear, but back then, she only thought of it as a slightly-larger wolf.

    Even if it was larger, even if it looked scarier, Wight was not overly worried. After all, her father was here. Her father was a great wolf with over one hundred subordinates. Compared to that, the black bear only brought five subordinates with him. Those guys were considerably smaller than the big bear, but they were still twice as large as the average wolf.

    A big battle ensued. The end result was something that greatly shocked Wight.  All the small bears died, but so did most of the wolves. The last scene she remembered was of her father¡¯s corpse underneath a massive black paw.

    Like a coward, Wight escaped.

    Even though it was her father who told her to run, she still felt guilty. A true wolf, a true leader fights to the bitter end. Wight could not do that. She ran and ran, deeper into the endless forest filled with all sorts of danger and monsters.

    She took her brother with her too. Ah, right now, he was named Umbra. From the original hundred plus wolves that once lived under her father¡¯s rule, only two survived.

    The two of them wandered the forest for a few days before they came across another group of wolves. These wolves were like them. They were also survivors of another destroyed pack. They survived when everyone else didn¡¯t.

    In their case, their group was attacked by a troop of monkeys. Rather than being slaughtered by a singular force, their pack was overwhelmed by superior numbers.

    The two groups combined into one. Since Wight was the strongest, she naturally became the leader.

    They lived like that for a while. The forest was dangerous, but Wight was not only strong, but she was also smart. They attacked only animals weaker than them or those that had been previously injured in combat. In a sense, they were like scavengers.

    It was not the right way for a prideful wolf to live, but nevertheless, it was the only way to survive.

    Things were going well until that happened. On a seemingly regular day, they suddenly ran into a demon. It was a demon with too many tails. Since the demon was smaller than her, Wight originally thought that it was weak. Unfortunately, she was wrong. The demon was strong. It was too strong.

    Like that, Wight and her pack were subjugated.

    This event became another unforgettable stain within Wight¡¯s short life. It was also the impetus for her growing resentment, of which was targeted solely on the demon. Still, even if she hates the demon, her current life isn¡¯t all that bad. In fact, it might even be better than the past, where she spent her days aimlessly wandering the forest.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    She still hates the demon though. That won¡¯t ever change.

    This is the story of her daily life.

    ****

    The start of Wight¡¯s day begins in the morning.

    It is a time when the skies are still dyed in pink and orange light tainted the leaves. A lingering wetness circulated through the air, courtesy of the morning dew.

    Wight wakes up to a comfortable scent. It is a smell unlike any other within this forest. A musky, yet somewhat mild smell. It is a smell that originates from her one and only master.

    Master is a creature shaped differently than her. He isn¡¯t as dashing as her father, but still, Wight loves her master a lot.

    Wight was currently lying on the ground, her body curled up by her Master¡¯s side. She looked up at his face. Master is still asleep, but that is normal. After all, Wight wakes up a lot earlier than everyone else. Her master, the demon, and everyone else, they are all still asleep.

    She doesn¡¯t really like waking up early, nor did she have a habit of doing so in the past. In fact, she only just recently started waking up early. It was not a choice, but rather, a necessity. Otherwise, if she doesn¡¯t¡­

    Wight slowly raised her head and silently observed her surroundings. Her eyes immediately narrowed.

    Sleeping peacefully on the other side of her Master¡¯s body was a familiar individual. Red fur and nine tails. Her head rested on Master¡¯s arm. It was a demon. It was the demon.

    The glare in Wight¡¯s eyes intensified. That woman, no, that demon, she is clinging to her master with such a slovenly face. Wight really wanted to just run up and kick her, but she can¡¯t. Otherwise, Wight will get beat up again.

    Wight knew better than to repeat her mistakes.

    With lingering resentment still within her heart, Wight eventually stood up. In the end, she still has to leave her Master¡¯s side and return to the other wolves. Her pack was currently sleeping a few meters away from her.

    In the past, when they traveled alone, the wolves always slept like that, huddled up together in a tight-knit circle. Usually, one of them would stay awake and act as night watch. With Master by their side, they did not have to worry about all that anymore.

    The present was different from the past. Now, the current situation had slightly changed. While the other wolves still slept with one another, Wight developed a habit of sleeping by her Master¡¯s side. It was somewhat funny actually. At the start, it was her pack who originally pushed her into doing it. Something along the lines of ¡®endearing themselves to the leader.¡¯

    Wight didn¡¯t really understand, but since she liked master, she readily agreed.

    Unfortunately, even with her pack¡¯s encouragement and even with Master¡¯s approval, the sole act of ¡®sleeping together¡¯ was not at all a very easy task to accomplish. It was a mission with a deceptively high difficulty. For the most part, Wight was not allowed to sleep with her master. At least, not in the open.

    Of course, there was only one reason for this: the demon. The demon did not like it when Master played with Wight, the demon did not like it when Master rubbed Wight¡¯s fur, and most importantly, the demon did not like it when Wight slept together with Master. In the end, the demon was simply jealous.

    What a petty demon.

    Still, because of that jealousy, Wight was forbidden from sleeping together with Master.

    Fortunately, her Master was indeed a kind master. During the dead of the night, well after the demon falls asleep, Wight would sneak into Master¡¯s unoccupied side and curl up right next to him. She was less than a foot away from the Demon, but Wight didn¡¯t care. As long as the demon never finds out, its as if nothing ever happened.

    This was a very dangerous act. The Demon was rather unstable when it came to matters concerning her Master. If Wight were to ever get caught¡­ the Demon might actually kill her. Such a possibility sent shivers down her spine.

    Still, Wight persisted, despite all the risks. A part of it was out of spite towards the demon, while another part of it was purely out of her love for her Master. Then, there was the thrill. Doing such a dangerous act in the dead of the night, when anyone could wake up at a moment¡¯s notice¡­ it was exciting.

    The only downside to this particular arrangement were the mornings. When morning comes, Wight has to leave her Master¡¯s side. This is all in order to not arouse any suspicion. It is troublesome, but because Wight is still weak, Wight has to do it.

    After making sure that the demon is still asleep, Wight makes her way back to the wolf pack. After looking at the pile of sleeping pups, she eventually curled up next to Cocoa, the only other female within the pack. The feeling of familiarity from being around her pack gave her some measure of comfort, but still¡­ she can¡¯t help but feel that there is something missing.

    Compared to snuggling up next to her Master and smelling his scent, it was indeed missing something.

    Like always, Wight then proceeded to feign sleep and wait for everyone else to wake up. After a while, she inadvertently glanced over towards her Master.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    As much as it pained her to admit it, Wight felt jealous. She was jealous of the demon. That demon, she has the privilege to sleep next to her master without reservation. Wight wanted to do that too, but she can¡¯t. She was still too weak.

    In order to stand up against the demon¡¯s tyranny and enjoy a happy life with her Master, Wight needed to get stronger.

    As her slightly droopy eyes begin to close, Wight solemnly vowed to herself.

    To beat the demon and to steal her master¡¯s heart¡­ today too, she will try her hardest.

 Chapter 21: The Everyday Life of a Wolf Under Tyranny Part 2

    It¡¯s been roughly one year since Wight first joined her Master.

    In that time, a certain daily routine developed.

    After everyone else woke up, the day proceeded as normal. The group continued to follow the winding river upstream. Wight did not really know why they were following the river, just that, her Master was quite adamant towards the subject. Well, it wasn¡¯t like she was complaining. Although the areas around the river were relatively more dangerous, it was also filled with fish.

    Fish were creatures that lived in the water. Wight, who spent her whole life living within the depths of the forest, was completely oblivious to their existence. To her, they were a new type of being just as mysterious as her own Master. Also, they were delicious. Like, really delicious.

    While traveling along the river, they encountered enemies quite frequently. Usually, Wight and her pack were the ones responsible for taking care of them. When the enemies are too strong for them to handle on their own, the demon usually steps in. Although she was a hateful existence, Wight had to admit, the demon was strong. She was far stronger than Wight¡¯s current self.

    As for her Master, he hardly ever fights. After all, Master is simply too strong. It is a strength beyond her comprehension. The strong Master that doesn¡¯t fight is cool.

    Unlike her Master, Wight was not cool. In fact, there were many times during the day when her uncool self was exposed for the whole world to see. For example, right now.

    Wight wheezed out a sputtering cough. Her eyes frantically scanned her surroundings. Her pack lay exhausted on the ground. Most of them were severely injured. Umbra had a giant gash on his chest that exposed his lungs, Cocoa¡¯s entire face was bloodied, while Plush, the fattest of the wolves, had his two front limbs ripped clean off their sockets.

    It was a gruesome scene, but Wight was not worried. As long as the demon was around, injuries could be healed, but the shame of defeat, that sort of thing sticks with you for a long, long time.

    Among her pack, Wight was the only one still standing. She glared at the enemy in front of her with gloomy eyes. It was a creature that resembled her Master, but uglier.

    It was a creature that towered well above her. It had a stocky build and thick log-like arms. Its entire skin was green while its face was adorned with ugly welts and beady yellow eyes.

    Her Master looked quite surprised when he first laid eyes on the creature. No doubt, he was taken aback by its ugliness. He said something along the lines of, ¡°Wow, a real Ogre¡­¡±. Wight did not know what his words meant, but she was certain that it was code for how ugly the thing was.

    Losing to such a horrid thing would be the ultimate shame.

    The monster called an Ogre was also injured. Her pack mates did not go down without a fight. As the leader, it was Wight¡¯s job to finish things once and for all.

    She bared her teeth and mustered up strength within her hind legs. Without hesitation, she dashed forward. The Ogre immediately reacted. With a mighty roar, it swung its massive arm down.

    At the last second, Wight stepped to the right.

    BOOM!

    The ground beneath her feet cracked. The Ogre¡¯s immense strength was enough to split stone and shake the earth. Loose pebbles flew through the air. Some hit her, causing her wounds to worsen. Wight reflexively winced, but otherwise showed no outward reaction.

    She continued forward with unflinching determination. A burning fire blazed in her eyes. She stared at the creature, desperately searching for a weak spot. After what felt like a painfully long eternity, she finally found one.

    The Ogre was large, and its muscle clad body acted as a natural armor. Still, that armor could not cover everything. Her eyes locked onto the thing between the Ogre¡¯s legs.

    This creature was indeed quite similar to her Master! She learned this from experience (an unfortunate accident), but that thing between its legs was a major weak point. A strike there could immediately incapacitate someone, even a person as strong as her Master was no exception!

    Wight stared at it. Her eyes gradually took on a fervent glint. Swinging it out in the open like that¡­ it was practically begging to get bit!

    She opened her jaws wide and lunged forward. The distance between them rapidly shrank and just as she was about to bite down¡ª

    CHOMP!

    Wight furrowed her brow in surprise. The feeling of tearing flesh with her teeth, such a thing did not happen. Instead, the only thing she bit down on was air.

    When she looked up, she suddenly realized that something was wrong. She was no longer standing in front of the Ogre. Instead, her surroundings had changed. She was near the base of a tree a few dozen meters away from her original location.

    What¡¯s more, her feet were no longer touching the ground. A familiar scent filled her nose. When Wight turned around, she saw her Master¡¯s face. He was currently holding Wight in his arms.

    Her Master wore a somewhat awkward expression. ¡°You¡­ you really shouldn¡¯t put something like that in your mouth. It¡¯s filthy.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Wight tilted her head in confusion. Her Master looked conflicted. He hesitated for a moment, before he shook his head. Without another word, he released her.

    Wight was somewhat curious. Why did her Master suddenly interrupt the fight like that? Also, what did his words mean? She wanted to ask, but now wasn¡¯t the time for that. Wight immediately searched her surroundings. A half second later, she finally found the Ogre.

    She hurriedly ran towards it, but unfortunately, by then, it was already too late.

    The Ogre lay still on the ground, unmoving. It was dead and standing on top of its corpse was a certain nine-tailed shorty.

    Wight¡¯s expression was distraught. She collapsed to the floor. Apparently, the mental shock combined with all of her accumulated injuries were too much for her to handle.

    Since she could not properly do her job, that meant another round of hellish training. Even though her Master had interfered this time around, that was not enough of a reason to stop the inevitable from happening.

    During the next few seconds, a green-tinged glow suddenly filled the air. The glow came from the Demon. Her entire pack was suddenly healed. As if by miracle, everyone was returned to their optimal state. Wight was no exception.

    At this point, she readily accepted her fate. With one last heart-wrenching howl, today¡¯s first torture session officially started.

    ****

    ¡°Good job today, everyone. That last guy was about as strong as a dragon. Since you were able to fight it to that state, that means all of you have gotten considerably stronger.¡± Master¡¯s words of praise echoed through the air, but all Wight could feel was dejection.

    An orange halo tainted the forest. The sun had set, and it was now a matter of time before night fell.

    Wight had just finished her last battle of the day. Unfortunately, it had ended in defeat. Suffice to say, she was disappointed in herself.

    Another hour passed.

    Today¡¯s last ¡®training session¡¯ ended. Wight was dead tired. Her entire body shivered like an autumn leaf, while her eyes were completely bloodshot. In the dark of the night, she saw an ephemeral light glowing in the distance.

    She approached the light.

    ¡°Ah, welcome back.¡± Her master¡¯s voice suddenly filled her ears. Looking up, she saw his familiar figure. He was sitting on the ground, in front of him was a small fire pit. Strips of meat were laid out beside him.

    Without another word, Wight collapsed onto the floor.

    ¡°You have it rough, huh?¡± Master¡¯s sympathy warmed her heart. A second later, she felt the gentle caress of her master¡¯s touch. It was a familiar sensation, the feeling of a warm hand stroking the fur on her back. ¡°Well, rest up for now.¡±

    Even if he hadn¡¯t said so, Wight was completely planning on resting for the rest of the night.

    Today, she had experienced death five times, and that was only counting the stuff from the last training session. She did not want to openly express it, but her Master¡¯s comforting words were what got her through days like these. Even now, she was relying on him. If he wasn¡¯t there, surely, she would have long since collapsed from all the stress.

    A few minutes later, the rest of her pack arrived. Since they were weaker than her, they had an even worse experience. They collapsed by the fire pit. At the same time, a delicious smell wafted through the air.

    Wight looked up. After everyone had arrived, Master promptly began to cook.

    Her mouth automatically salivated. The hunger that she felt was almost great enough to overpower her fatigue. Well, almost.

    Wight and her sibling waited patiently for the food to cook.

    Frankly, this was Wight¡¯s favorite time of the day.

    She adjusted herself and curled up onto Master¡¯s lap. A faint smile leaked onto his face. Without another word, he calmly watched over the fire, all the while occasionally stroking Wight¡¯s fur.

    From her position, Wight could see the demon. She was resting on Master¡¯s shoulders. Like always, the demon sported quite the vexed expression on her face, but Wight didn¡¯t care. In fact, the greater her frustration, the better Wight felt.

    Since Master was the one who initiated contact, the demon was unable to do anything about it. It was only during times like these that Wight could openly experience the joy of snuggling up next to her Master. The demon will probably be even harsher during tomorrow¡¯s training, but that was of little consequence. Wight is already used to it.

    She lazily inspected her surroundings. Wight¡¯s eyes landed on the wolf pack. They were resting on the opposite side of the fire.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A rather serious situation had developed over there.

    This situation centered on two members from her pack, Umbra and Cocoa. The two sat by the fire pit. No, they were sitting too close to one another. It was to the point where their shoulders were practically touching. Cocoa had a peaceful expression on her face, her tail was even wagging. On the other hand, Umbra¡­ his face was kind of stiff.

    Looming silently behind them were the other four members of the pack. They were glaring at Umbra¡¯s back with some serious enmity. They did not say or do anything though. They simply sat there, staring. The invisible pressure that they emitted was strong enough to give her shivers.

    Plush, Cinder, Cobalt, and Tangerine, those guys were all Cocoa¡¯s older brothers.

    Wight laughed to herself. As usual, they were very overprotective of their little sister.

    She spent the rest of the time watching the scene unfold before her. After a while, dinner was finally ready.

    Today, they were eating a gorilla. It was something they had encountered a little while after the Ogre incident. The gorilla meat was sliced into thick steaks, before it was then sprinkled with the magic powder. Wight did not know what that magic powder was, but it made everything taste better.

    When Master handed out the food, he gave Wight a little bit extra. It wasn¡¯t just Wight who loves her Master, but Master also loved her, so it was only natural that Wight got extra meat. She can feel her Master¡¯s love through the meat juices that run down her jaw.

    After a while, she discreetly looked over towards the demon. She immediately noticed that the demon has less meat than her. Wight secretly laughed to herself. The demon was given less meat because Master loves her the least.

    Right now, the demon was acting as if it doesn¡¯t bother her, but Wight knew better. The demon was seriously vexed. Wight could tell because all nine of her tails were as stiff a board. Of course, Wight wasn¡¯t about to point this out, or else she¡¯ll get unjustly beat up again.

    She enjoyed the rest of her meal in relative peace. When she finished, she gradually grew sleepy. Master suddenly clapped his hands. He quickly put out the fire and then informed everyone that it was time to sleep.

    Wight walked over to the other wolves, while Master and the Demon prepared to sleep together. As Wight watched the scene play out before her, she felt a bit down. Still, she does not let it bother her too much. After everyone else falls asleep, Wight fully planned to sneak to her Master¡¯s side.

    An hour later and Wight suddenly stood up. She silently walked over and snuggled up next to her Master. He was still asleep, but he moved his arm to embrace her as if it was completely natural.

    Master does not have any fur, so he often gets cold easily during the nights. It was Wight¡¯s job to warm him (at least, that¡¯s what she tells herself). Wight¡¯s body was helping him sleep. She was making him feel good. Thinking of it like this, Wight felt a sense of accomplishment.

    As her eyes grew heavier, the little pup silently made a vow to herself.

    To get stronger than the demon and to receive more of her Master¡¯s kindness... More meat, less training sessions, and an exponential increase in head pats¡­ With such goals in mind, Wight eventually drifted off into the realm of unconsciousness.

 Chapter 22: Abandoned and Left in Destitution

    Ellis turned three today.

    For most children, turning three was a momentous occasion worth celebrating, but Ellis wasn¡¯t like most children. In the first place, even if he was technically three-years-old, it was questionable whether he truly counted as a child.

    He didn¡¯t really view himself as a child, nor did he even look like one. In his case, age really was just a number.

    Either way, whether it was turning three or turning thirty-five, none of it really mattered to him. Within this forest, time blurred. The concept of years become vague and uncertain. The only indicator of time was the ever-shifting cycle of day and night. If that cycle persists for too long without any break, then you simply begin to lose track.

    Ellis had lost track a long, long time ago.

    Was he actually three or did he simply want a place holder for all the lost time he had wasted wandering this forest? He did not know. Just that, he had a gut feeling that he might be three... then again, his instincts were as valuable as a speck of dirt.

    Since it was a bother to worry about something this trivial, Ellis stopped worrying about it. He decided that today would be his third birthday. Any time that passes from now on would be measured using today as a milestone.

    After thinking this far, he let out a long sigh.

    Truth be told, he was tired. Ellis did not know how much longer he could keep this whole thing up.

    Aside from that little stint with the wooly sloth, their group had done nothing but continually follow the river. Of course, they have yet to run into any form of civilization.

    Ellis calculated a few things out in his head. He estimated that they traveled at a rate of four to five miles a day. It was somewhat slow, but that was normal. After all, they faced constant attacks from all sides. It was similar to a trial of fire. Ellis and the group continually faced opponents of increasing strength the further they traveled up the river.

    The side effect was that Ena and the wolves had gotten a lot stronger compared to the past, but that was beside the point. He had climbed the rock wall nearly two years ago. Two years was equal to 730 days (at least by Earth standards). five miles every day for over seven hundred thirty days¡­ that was more than three thousand miles traveled!

    This damn river was at least three thousand miles long! What¡¯s more, even now, he still couldn¡¯t see the end.

    What sort of concept was that? Not even the Amazon river was that long¡­ or maybe it was, Ellis did not really know, but his point still stands.

    Back then, Alma had vaguely claimed that Lull was larger than Earth. He was just now beginning to understand how big that difference really was.

    Ellis let out another sigh. It really did feel as if they hadn¡¯t made any sort of progress. This river, this forest, was it really uninhabited? If that¡¯s the case, then why was he still following the river? What if there was a better, quicker way out of this hellhole? Should he just pick a random direction and hope for the best?

    Up until now, he always had a tangible goal in front of him, but for the first time, Ellis felt utterly and completely lost.

    Just as he was sinking further into despair, Ena suddenly hopped onto his head.

    He briefly looked up. ¡°You¡¯re back already?¡±

    Lately, she had taken to traveling via the trees. Ena jumped from canopy to canopy, at a height so great that she looked like a red blur amidst a background of green. It was somewhat scary, but Ena was a nimble girl. Falling was the least of her worries. In fact, she possessed an ability that could even slow her descent.

    After seeing it in action, Ellis quickly figured that it was some sort of wind-element magic. It made some sense, especially considering the fact that the corresponding color was a light blue that resembled the sky.

    When she landed on his head, he briefly noticed that her tails were glowing with a dark purple light. Ellis had seen that color a few times now, but he did not really know what sort of element it corresponded to. It also didn¡¯t help that every time her tails glowed purple, nothing really happened.

    Amidst his confusion, Ena suddenly pointed to a certain direction.

    Ellis raised his brow. This was certainly new. Up until now, aside from that incident with the wooly sloth, Ena has never once shown this much initiative. ¡°Is there something there?¡±

    She nodded. And that was all the response that he needed. Ellis, who wanted a change of pace, wordlessly followed her guidance.

    The group wandered the forest for a good while. Ena single-mindedly guided their way, while Ellis hoped for just a little bit of added stimulus to his monotonous daily life.

    Eventually, five days passed.

    At this point, what little hope he had in his heart fizzled out.

    He stared at Ena with scrutinizing eyes. ¡°You, are you sure there¡¯s something there?¡± Ellis truly felt exasperated. This detour was taking a whole lot longer than he originally expected.

    In response, Ena vigorously nodded her head.

    At first, he had the intention of arguing, but after some thought, he eventually dropped the topic. For now, he chose to believe. Like that, thirty more days passed. On the thirty-fifth day of their detour, they finally arrived at their destination.

    ¡°Is that a¡­ no, what is that?¡± Ellis widened his eyes in shock.

    It was too far for him to properly make out, but amidst the backdrop of nature, that thing clearly stood out as a manmade structure.

    Ellis hurriedly ran towards it. By the time he got there, the look of confusion on his face had intensified.

    ¡°This thing, is it a gate? It¡¯s definitely a gate, right?¡± The more he spoke, the more unsure he was of his own words.

    An impenetrable gate.

    That was his immediate reaction upon first seeing the structure. Still, calling it a gate wasn¡¯t quite right either. It wasn¡¯t just a gate. It was¡­ Ellis did not really know what the hell this thing was.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    It consisted of a dark-brown wall that towered well above his head. Pointed vertical spires stuck out from the top of the structure. In all sense of the word, the thing in front of him was a gate. There were even two watchtowers that flanked both sides of the entrance.

    It was a gate. It was certainly a gate, but¡­ this thing, it was not made out of stone or metal, rather, it was crafted out of wood.

    On paper, a wooden gate within a forest did not seem all that out of place. This thing was different, however.

    Essentially, it was not manmade.

    The gate itself, it looked as if it had been grown through the combined powers of sunlight, fertile soil and fresh water. The surface of the wall creased and contorted like the trunk of a tree. Thick roots jutted out from the ground beneath the wall, while green foliage covered the tops of the two watchtowers.

    Rather than something manmade, it resembled more like a distorted piece of nature made to mimic man¡¯s efforts.

    He gingerly touched the wall. ¡°It feels identical to tree bark,¡± Ellis mumbled quietly to himself.

    What on earth could grow something like this? Was this thing even grown?

    Ellis thought for a moment before he cocked his arm back and threw a punch.

    BOOM!

    He instinctively winced. His fist sank an inch into the wall. After he retracted it, he quickly noticed that his knuckles had turned red. They were slightly injured. It only took a few seconds before they healed back to normal.

    ¡°Like I thought, this thing is exactly like the trees growing in this forest.¡±

    This revelation only brought on even more questions. The trees within this forest were so sturdy that not even his super-strength could greatly damage them. The most he could do was leave small indentations, like what had just happened a few seconds ago. What sort of being was capable of manipulating such a rule-breaking life form?

    Someone that capable¡­ without a doubt, that unknown someone was definitely a cheat-like existence.

    Ellis hesitated for a long time before he eventually passed through the gate.

    Inside was a small clearing. In the middle of the clearing, there stood a single spiral tower. It somewhat resembled the sort of tower most commonly seen within medieval fairy tales. You know, the type of place where they keep all the pretty princesses locked up.

    Like the gate, this too was made out of molded wood. From afar, it looked exactly like one of the many trees that populated this forest, albeit a bit shorter. Moss grew on its dome-shaped rooftop. It slightly resembled the forest canopy.

    There were no windows anywhere on the tower, only a single opening near the base. When he entered the tower, unsurprisingly, the entire structure was hollowed out. Nothing but a single spiral staircase that led all the way up.

    Curiosity got the better him. He ascended the staircase. Due to the space limitations, he had the wolf pack wait outside, while he took Ena up with him. She lit the way forward with the help of her fire magic.

    The tower consisted only of two floors: the ground floor and the top floor. When they reached the top floor, Ellis observed his surroundings.

    A sparsely decorated circular room.

    There was nothing inside except for a single black statue that stood in the middle of the room. Unlike everything else within this entire place, the statue was made out of stone. A black stone that resembled obsidian.

    Depicted was a beautiful woman with a veil covering the top half of her face. Her appearance somewhat resembled a bride at a wedding, except her outfit was different. Instead of a beautiful wedding dress, the woman was clothed in an extremely thin robe that outlined her entire body.

    Truth be told, the sculpture was quite well made. The woman in front of him appeared life-like and her figure flared out in just the right places. It was almost as if the sculptor had purposely exaggerated her proportions to maximize the woman¡¯s attractiveness.

    Ellis honestly believed that no human could possibly possess such beauty.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    His face slightly reddened. It had been a long time, so it really couldn¡¯t be helped. His lower body reacted to the statue. It was an action completely beyond his control.

    ¡°Kyu?¡± Ena¡¯s sudden voice spooked him. Judging by her expression, it was as if she was asking, ¡®What the hell¡¯s wrong with you?¡¯

    He awkwardly coughed. ¡°N-no, nothing¡¯s wrong, don¡¯t mind me.¡± He dismissively waved his hand. At the same time, Ellis subtly turned his body away from the little fox. The last thing he wanted was to expose such a shameful display to a child.

    After a full minute of vigorous math problems, he finally calmed down. Ellis turned back to the statue.

    This time, he ignored the thing¡¯s blatant sex appeal and closely observed it. A heroic stance that conveyed both resolve and dignity. Beautiful flowing hair fell all the way down to her feet. The woman carved in stone held a nine-foot spear aloft with a single frail hand.

    Ellis felt that there was a story hidden beneath this statue, but he did not really care enough to find out.

    He hesitated for a moment, before he gingerly stretched his hand out. He touched the statue.

    Now, don¡¯t misunderstand. Ellis definitely did not have perverted intentions. He simply wanted to experience the texture of the stone. Was it smooth like jade or course like gravel? The possibility that it might feel like the supple flesh of a young woman¡¯s body¡­ that totally did not cross his mind.

    To his disappointment, the stone statue felt like normal stone.

    After a while, he noticed something peculiar. The statue, no, the material that this statue was made out of, it was rather sturdy. No matter how hard he pressed or pushed, it would not break. As a test, he directly punched the statue¡¯s face.

    BOOM!

    The air around him shook, but the statue remained stationary. He glanced down. For the first time, he noticed that the statue¡¯s feet were completely submerged in wood. Thin, vein-like roots wrapped around the woman¡¯s ankles, threatening to swallow the entire thing whole.

    As for the statue itself, it was completely undamaged. The only thing that had broken was Ellis¡¯s fist. Thankfully, it healed after a minute or so.

    He widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°This statue, it¡¯s even sturdier than the trees in this forest.¡± He was naturally amazed. At the same time, a curious light ignited within his heart. ¡°What exactly was this statue made out of? Was it possible to create weapons out of it?¡±

    After some quiet contemplation, he immediately got to work.

    Ellis moved his hands along every bend and contour of the statue. He was not doing anything particularly perverted, but rather, he was searching for weak spots. Seeing as brute strength had proven useless against this thing, he wanted to see if there was some other way to break or process the material. He even had Ena attack the statue using her fire. Unfortunately, the statue did not melt, nor did it show any outward reaction to the heat.

    After a bit of investigating, he finally found something. There was a noticeable crack that ran around the statue¡¯s wrist. It was the same wrist that held the spear.

    He grabbed the hand and gave it a vigorous shake. It was faint, but there was definitely some wiggle. The connection between the wrist and the rest of the statue was loose. Without hesitation, he grabbed the woman¡¯s hand with both of his own and forcibly pulled.

    Ellis exerted a fair bit of effort but the wrist eventually snapped.

    Everything from the wrist down clattered to the floor. That included the hand as well as the eight-foot spear attached to it.

    He quickly grabbed the spear. For a moment, his eyes sparkled. ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll use this thing.¡± He declared to no-one in particular.

    Although the hand attached to it was a bit bothersome, the stone spear would make for an excellent weapon. At the very least, it was crafted out of a substance that he could not break even with his monstrous strength. Wasn¡¯t that exactly the sort of thing he had been looking for?

    ¡°Still, it really would have been better if this damn hand wasn¡¯t still here.¡± He bitterly mumbled to himself. He tried to pry the frail-looking hand away from the spear, Unfortunately, his efforts were to no avail. The hand was located near the blade and as a result, it made the spear somewhat top heavy.

    Ellis eventually shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter all that much.¡±

    Although his new weapon was slightly unbalanced, it was still within the acceptable margins.

    He inspected the rest of the room but found nothing of value. The only thing in here was the statue. In fact, the cobwebs that covered the walls and ceiling indicated that this place had not been visited in quite some time. If this had been a normal tower, then by now, it would have long been in ruins.

    For all intents and purposes, it was abandoned.

    Even after reaching such a conclusion, more questions popped into his head. How long ago was this tower abandoned? Was this place even older than Alma¡¯s mausoleum? And lastly, this lady, who exactly was she?

    He had a sinking feeling that her identity was not so simple.

    Ellis hesitated for a moment. After a while, he turned around to leave. There was no point staying in this place any longer. He gave the statue one last look before he descended the spiral staircase.

 Chapter 23: Hero Side 1

    The Holy Empire of Pharseille.

    A bright, burning sun hovered over the capital city of Delna. The streets were choked full of people. Peddlers and Pedestrians alike shuffled in and out of storefronts and plazas. A strange combination of barbeque and confectionary filled the air.

    To those unfamiliar with Delna, one might assume that there was some sort of festival taking place, but that would be wrong. For the proverbial ¡®heart of the continent¡¯, this was only another normal day.

    Adjacent to Delna¡¯s famous All-white cathedral, there existed a heavily-guarded temple. This temple did not look like a temple. Instead, it was reminiscent of Earth¡¯s brick and mortar buildings. It had over six floors, seventy-three rooms, and a large courtyard.

    Somewhere within the temple, a lone figure walked through the halls. His footsteps were drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the temple interior. Knights in shining armor and Clergymen dressed in white continually passed him by. Some gave him a simple parting nod, while others immediately bent their waists upon seeing him.

    The difference between both groups lay in whether or not there was a red and white emblem pinned to their chests.

    After a while, the lone figure¡¯s footsteps stopped. He stood before a giant oaken door. He exerted some strength and forcibly opened the door.

    The sight inside was rather odd.

    It was a bedroom. A child¡¯s bedroom, to be exact. The room was decorated in lace, while various stuffed toys and fluffy pillows lay scattered across the ground. The overall motif was the color pink. Everywhere he looked, there was pink. Pink bedsheets, pink curtains, and pink carpets. Everything was pink.

    For those in Lull, pink was not a very easy color to acquire. Pink dyes could only be found within the western parts of the continent. The west was a place populated by barbarians, vampires, lamias, and other races not recognized as ¡®man¡¯ by the Orthodox church. Acquiring pink was a timely and exhausting process.

    In short, pink was the informal symbol of wealth.

    Suffice to say, this was not just any children¡¯s bedroom. It was an expensive children¡¯s bedroom.

    Near the center of the room, there stood a pink round table. The table was made out of a material resembling plastic. It only measured up to an adult¡¯s shin, but it was the perfect height for toddlers and small children.

    He briefly inspected the room. ¡°Only two this time, huh?¡±

    There were two little girls seated by the short table. One had messy black hair that covered most of her face, while the other sported platinum locks and pigtails.

    Standing in the corner of the room was a stoic old man dressed in a black and white butler¡¯s uniform. He remained still and unmoving, almost like a living statue. The man did not even dare to blink.

    The lone figure breathed out an inaudible sigh. No matter how many times he visited, he couldn¡¯t help but be overwhelmed by the flamboyance of this bedroom.

    With one last shake of his head, he entered the room.

    ¡°Fel, you¡¯re finally here.¡± The child seated at the head of the table happily called out. She was the blond girl with pigtails. Looking closely, she was dressed in a light pink dress.

    ¡°Sorry, I was late. Father wanted to play with me.¡± The newcomer, Fel, nonchalantly stated. Fel was a small child with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a simple blue tunic. Right now, he looked cute, but he had the makings of a handsome man.

    ¡°I see¡­ it sounds hard being royalty.¡± The pigtailed girl replied. Despite her words, she herself was of noble lineage. To Fel, her response sounded just a tad bit hypocritical.

    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t all be like you, living life without a single care in the world.¡± He retorted. ¡°For one, how the heck can you hold these tea parties every day? Most people don¡¯t even come during most days. Have you ever considered doing it weekly or something?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying?¡± The girl¡¯s face contorted. She looked genuinely appalled by Fel¡¯s sudden remark. ¡°You know it¡¯s always been my dream to play around like this. Don¡¯t you see this in movies all the time? Children playing house and having afternoon tea parties.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s currently noon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s beside the point.¡± She quickly responded. ¡°In the past, my childhood wasn¡¯t very memorable, so this time around, I plan to squeeze out everything this shitty adolescence has to offer and if that means having tea parties every day, then I¡¯ll have tea parties every day! I want to live a childhood with absolutely no regrets!¡±

    ¡°Childhood, huh?¡± He felt somewhat disgruntled by that word. No matter how you looked at it, the childhood that she spoke of was not a real childhood. After all, the person inside the body of this little girl was a burnt-out, twenty-something-year-old office lady from Earth.

    When he pictured a full-grown woman playing around with plastic tea cups¡­ a cold shiver ran down his spine. The fact that she currently looked like a child only slightly lessened the impact.

    ¡°Besides, this isn¡¯t just a tea party.¡± The girl suddenly said with a somewhat pouty smile. ¡°It also acts as a strategy meeting.¡±

    Fel unconsciously rolled his eyes. Exactly what sort of strategy meeting could we possibly have? It¡¯s only been three years since we got here. No matter how accomplished we may get in the future, right now, we¡¯re nothing more than children.

    At such a young age, their respective freedoms were very limited. The impact that their current selves could have on the world was laughable.

    Fel sat in one of the seats. He momentarily stared at the black-haired girl. She wordlessly stared back. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that her eyes seemed particularly¡­ lifeless.

    ¡°Jives, get the crown prince another set please.¡± She raised her nose in the air and waved her hand.

    ¡°Certainly, madam.¡± The butler curtly responded before he left the room.

    ¡°His name¡¯s not Jives, you know,¡± Fel commented after seeing the man leave. In truth, he recognized the old butler. He used to work for the royal family, that is until he was transferred to the Temple grounds over half a year ago.

    In response, the blonde girl shrugged her shoulders. ¡°It was a toss-up between Jives or Sebastian. Sebastian seems a bit too clich¨¦, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Fel rolled his eyes. After a while, the man known as ¡®Jives¡¯ returned with another set of plastic cups and cutlery. The one he had given to Fel was blue instead of the normal pink.

    Even though he was three, he was already proficient in using silver cutlery and porcelain plates. Eating and drinking out of plastic¡­ for a crown prince, it seemed just a tad bit degrading. Still, he could do nothing about it. This too was a part of this girl¡¯s obsession. Instead of using real cups and tableware, she insisted on these plastic knock offs. It was all a part of the childhood immersion.

    ¡°Alright, now that I¡¯m here, can we get this party started? First of all, who¡¯s in attendance today?¡± His gaze specifically drifted to the black-haired child. This was his first time ever seeing her, but since she sat on this table, then without a doubt, she was one of them.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit premature?¡± the blonde girl commented. ¡°I was hoping to wait for a few more to trickle in.¡±

    Fel scoffed. ¡°You really think other people will join?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. I officially declare the start of today¡¯s tea party.¡± She admitted defeat and ceremoniously waved her hand in the air. A few seconds later, the butler left the room and closed the door behind him. With that, she nodded to herself and continued, ¡°Those in attendance include: Anastasia Bellemere, Duke Bellemere¡¯s loveable daughter and Hero. Crown Prince Felmor Herman, also Hero. Lastly, Evelyn Pennon, Princess of Merrack Kingdom. She¡¯s a hero too.¡±

    It was a meeting for the otherworlders of Lull.

    The moment Fel heard Evelyn¡¯s title, his eyes immediately narrowed. He suddenly recalled a recent memory.

    He had heard of the incident from his father. Merrack was a kingdom located in the eastern parts of the continent. It was rumored that Merrack and its nobles conspired with the Pagans. As a result, the kingdom was razed to the ground. The Orthodox church even went as far as to uproot and execute the former kingdom¡¯s nobility.

    It was then later discovered that the Princess of Merrack was also a hero. After the kingdom¡¯s fall, she was taken in by the church as the Pope¡¯s adopted daughter.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Fel nodded to himself. ¡°So, it was Miss Evelyne. Excuse me for my rudeness. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met yet, but I¡¯m Fel.¡±

    Even though he was speaking with a fellow Earthling, he still couldn¡¯t help himself from talking in such a polite manner. It was the end result of all the painstaking years of etiquette class that his new father had forced upon him.

    ¡°If you ever need anything, just come find me. I can¡¯t say about other places, but within Delna, I hold some weight.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Evelyn did not respond. After five seconds, she eventually gave a vague nod.

    From the side, Anastasia let out a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her too much, Fel. Eve over here¡¯s a bit of a loner. I only just recently got her to come out of hiding.¡±

    He nodded understandingly. If all the rumors were true, then this girl experienced quite the traumatic event. What¡¯s more, it happened almost immediately after she arrived in a new world. Her standoffish nature was normal. Also, it wasn¡¯t like she was the first person he had ever met with that sort of personality. Within the eight otherworlders, there was one more who acted somewhat similar to her.

    ¡°She might be a bit cranky too, so watch out,¡± Anastasia added. ¡°I¡¯ve been taking her along with me for the past week or so, so she¡¯s kind of tired.¡±

    ¡°¡­ You seriously forced her to attend all these ridiculous tea-parties, day in and day out?¡± He widened his eyes in surprise. He himself only ever attended once a week. He couldn¡¯t imagine going on the daily.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t call it ridiculous!¡± Anastasia shouted. ¡°If I don¡¯t do this, then this girl won¡¯t ever have the chance to meet with all the other kids. How else is she going to make friends?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t say it anymore.¡± Although he often berated her, Fel had to admit, Anastasia¡¯s tea parties really were an effective means of communication.

    In truth, he didn¡¯t really interact all that much with the other heroes. The only notable exception to this was Anastasia, a person who went out of her way to be outgoing. She was the only one out of the eight that actively talked to her fellow reincarnators. Naturally, she was also the person that Fel was most familiar with.

    Also, he was the crown prince. His days were very busy. You¡¯d think that being three years old would afford him some leeway, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all.

    He only ever interacted with the others during times like now. As much as it pained him to admit it, Anastasia¡¯s tea parties really were like secret strategy meetings. He heard this sort of thing would change in the future. When their training begins, they¡¯ll have more chances to interact with one another, but until then, Fel had to satisfy himself with a life of solitude and freedom.

    ¡°So, who has she met so far?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Well, the usual faces.¡± Anastasia shrugged her shoulders. ¡°You know how everyone is. They¡¯ll cycle through here every once in a while, but it¡¯s hard to establish a date for everyone to come together.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ going by ¡®the usual people¡¯, I¡¯m guessing she still hasn¡¯t met those three yet, huh?¡±

    Contrary to his expectations, Anastasia shook her head. ¡°You should have come yesterday. That problem child came by.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was only one person who Anastasia called a problem child. Lewin Stehle. He was born from a commoner¡¯s family, but to heroes, that hardly mattered. Lewin was a rather arrogant fellow. On their very first meeting, he straight up told everyone about his special ability. Among the eight otherworlders, he was part of the two people that actually dared to do so.

    Of course, the other ¡®dumb idiot¡¯ was Fel.

    ¡°¡­¡± After a few seconds of silent contemplation, he suddenly looked up. ¡°Hey, Anna. How do you get along with that guy?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Anastasia furrowed her brow.

    ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t he a bit difficult to deal with?¡±

    ¡°Well, he certainly is difficult to be around some times, but I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    ¡°You''re used to it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you consider my past life, then I¡¯m quite experienced with dealing with people like him.¡±

    Anastasia¡¯s previous occupation as a saleswoman really did come in handy sometimes. She could keep conversations going with ease, even if they were one-sided. She also possessed the amazing ability to coolly deal with even the most annoying of guys. Compared to her, Fel had been a high-school student before he died. In terms of life skills, he really didn¡¯t have any.

    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s good to have powerful connections, you know. That child¡¯s ability, isn¡¯t it kind of broken?¡±

    ¡°It certainly is¡­¡± Fel nodded in agreement. He then shook his head and sighed. ¡°Speaking of which, am I like that too? A powerful connection?¡±

    Anastasia smiled. ¡°You definitely are. You and Evelyn over here.¡± She patted the black-haired girl¡¯s shoulders. ¡°The crown prince of the world¡¯s strongest Empire and the adopted daughter of the Pope. If anyone ever dares to bully me, I¡¯ll definitely come running to you guys.¡±

    Such cheeky words flippantly leaked from her lips.

    ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, Fel felt the corners of his mouth twitch. Sometimes her honesty really did surprise him.

    Quickly changing the subject, he asked, ¡°What about the other two, have you heard from them, recently?¡±

    Anastasia bitterly shook her head. ¡°You know how those dufuses are. Mister Gloom and Doom is still very much a shut-in. I haven¡¯t seen him since the first meeting. As for Rivel, that child spends his days locked up in the library. He says he¡¯s studying, but I honestly think he¡¯s just looking for porn. That kid has a very thick ¡®pervert¡¯ aura around him.¡±

    ¡°R-right¡­ I can¡¯t really imagine Rivel doing anything but studying though...¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s a lot like Lewin, in that regard. Those two are obsessed with being a hero.¡±

    The attitude towards their role of hero differed greatly from individual to individual. A few were zealous in their aspiration, while people like Fel simply accepted things at face value.

    Rivel was a man obsessed. Like Lewin, he was another person who attracted attention. It was as Anastasia had said, he really did spend most of his time in the library. Since the library was where they housed all sorts of magic books and grimoires, Fel¡¯s current prediction was that Rivel possessed a really strong-magic based ability.

    Thinking of those two, a contemplative expression suddenly blanketed his face. ¡°Being a hero¡­ I wonder if I can do it properly?¡±

    In response, Anastasia smiled. ¡°Rather than being a hero, you should worry more about being a proper crown prince. Have they decided on your fianc¨¦e, yet?¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that how it usually goes? They set up the princes and princesses with engagements from an early age.¡±

    Fel awkwardly laughed. ¡°That¡¯s not the case. You watched way too many movies.¡±

    In truth, for any other member of royalty, that¡¯s probably how it would have normally gone. Unfortunately, Fel¡¯s position was special. He was not just a crown prince, he was also a hero.

    ¡°Rather than a crown prince, I would have preferred to be a farmer or something.¡± Recalling back to all the hardships that he had endured in his short three-years of life, he couldn¡¯t help but comment.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be so glum. Isn¡¯t your ability pretty strong too?¡±

    ¡°My ability¡­¡± That God, he had given each person a special ability. The ability was based on the wielder¡¯s compatibility and it was unique to each person. Fel¡¯s ability, it could be considered strong.

    ¡°Certainly, it¡¯s strong, but¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    A long bout of silence passed, before he shook his head. ¡°A bad feeling. I have a bad feeling.¡±

    ¡°About your ability? It sounds pretty convenient, though?¡±

    ¡°No, not that.¡± Fel shook his head. ¡°Just, something else¡­ I have this vague feeling that something bad¡¯s going to happen.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Anastasia tilted her head and scrunched up her face. She was hard at thought. Eventually, she opened her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re worried about the ninth, huh?¡±

    ¡°The ninth?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the ninth reincarnator.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t heard a single thing about him since we arrived at this world.¡± She helplessly sighed. ¡°He was taken away by that scary fellow from back then and God specifically told us that he¡¯ll definitely come back as an enemy. An unknown adversary¡­ that sort of thing will always bring fear into a person¡¯s heart.¡±

    Is that really it, though? Fel did not say anything. Whether Anastasia was right and he really was worrying about the ninth reincarnator, or whether his worries stemmed from something completely different, he did not know. Even if he thought about it some more, the answer would not come.

    Anastasia interpreted his silence as a confirmation. She attempted to give the troubled young boy some words of encouragement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. Even if he is an enemy, he¡¯s still in a similar situation to the rest of us. No matter where he is in the world, right now, he¡¯s only three years old. As long as we grow stronger than him, we won¡¯t have to worry about a thing. After all, don¡¯t we outnumber him eight to one?¡±

    Fel reluctantly nodded.

    Still, he kept quiet. His head was lost in a cloud of thoughts. He took a sip of his tea and fell into quiet contemplation. Almost immediately, he furrowed his brow and glared at his cup. This wasn¡¯t tea, it was juice.

 Chapter 24: The Arduous Path of the Spear

    For the time being, the group decided to stay near the tower. It was somewhat of a novel experience for Ellis. Outside of the time he spent watching over Ena¡¯s birth, he had always been mobile. He never truly stayed in one place for very long. The most would be two days. This time, Ellis decided to wait just a little bit longer.

    The wooden gate, the spiral tower, all of it was weird. No, classifying it as weird would not be enough to fully encapsulate just how abnormal this place really was. He wanted to spend a few extra days searching through the whole area. For all he knew, there might still be additional secrets yet to be discovered. Ellis would never forgive himself if he were to accidentally overlook something crucial.

    Outside of his own selfish reasons, for the others, they could simply think of this as something along the lines of a vacation. God knows they needed one.

    Like this, nine days passed in a blink of an eye.

    Ellis did not manage to uncover any of the ¡®secrets¡¯ he had been hoping for, but he did discover one interesting tidbit: there were no monsters here. Since his stay in the tower, he hadn¡¯t encountered a single creature. This revelation somewhat surprised him. After three years of non-stop monster attacks, a day of peace really was quite jarring.

    He later linked this new phenomenon to his current location. Something inside this tower was repelling all the monsters within the forest.

    As a test, he wandered outside the gated area. It did not take long before he encountered a creature. It happened approximately three hundred meters away from the tower. This only served to confirm his theory.

    Still, that raised the question, how were they able to get here? Wight, Ena, they could all be classified as ¡®monster¡¯. Even Ellis, depending on how you look at things, he too was a monster. So, what made them different?

    The only point of contention he could think of was Ena. She was the one who guided them here. It was the purple light that she gave off. Again, he had to wonder, what sort of element did it correspond to? It was somehow able to bypass whatever ¡®magic¡¯ kept this place safe.

    Well, thinking about it wasn¡¯t going to do Ellis any good. Besides, this situation was kind of a good thing. At the very least, their stay here could now qualify as an actual vacation.

    It was just unfortunate, then, that Wight and the rest of the wolf pack did not know the meaning of the word ¡®relaxation¡¯. They were far too antsy to appreciate the current situation. They often used their free time to spar with one another.

    Now, their sparring wasn¡¯t ordinary sparring. It was somewhat dangerous. It was the type of mock fight that resulted in snapped ankles and exposed ribcages. Teetering on the edge of death was also quite common. The most severe case of this happened during a fight between Umbra and Plush. Plush had nearly half of his throat ripped off. Back then, that fat wolf had lost so much blood that he looked noticeably skinnier than usual.

    Luckily, Ena was here to provide immediate support. With her presence, these rambunctious brats could go all out without fear of the repercussions.

    As for the little fox herself, she was probably the only one who knew how to enjoy life to the fullest.

    Ena hunkered down beneath the base of the tower. She slept for most of the day, only occasionally waking up either to eat or to heal. In addition, she also increased her dragon scale consumption almost exponentially. Ellis could not even fathom just how many scales had disappeared into that tiny maw of hers.

    Right now, she was truly acting like a lazy house cat.

    While everyone else enjoyed their vacation in their own unique way, Ellis was hard at work trying to unearth the secrets to this tower. Unfortunately, even after nine days, he had yet to find any. At that point, he had to give up and face the truth.

    With that, he shifted gears and decided to focus on something else. This time, Ellis wanted to practice the spear.

    ****

    He stood in a small clearing. He could hear distant battle coming from behind the tower, but Ellis tried his best to ignore it. He took a deep breath and directed his gaze to the spear in his hands.

    ¡°Where do I even begin with this thing?¡±

    Ellis knew next to nothing about spearmanship. For that matter, he knew next to nothing about martial arts in general. All this time, he had relied on his natural reflexes and his insane strength to persevere through the forest. If he was any weaker, if he was any slower, then Ellis would already be dead.

    He knew he could not continue going on like this any longer.

    For comparison¡¯s sake, the actual heroes of this world probably landed somewhere near human civilization. Without a doubt, those guys would receive training from all sorts of people. Knight regiments, assassin guilds, secret martial arts clans, there were a number of various facilities that specialized in training combatants.

    While he could not compete with any of Lull¡¯s martial arts masters, Ellis still wanted to learn how to fight properly, if only to placate his worried heart.

    Since he happened to stumble upon a spear, he naturally focused his attention on spearmanship.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The only problem here was how.

    When speaking of the spear, Ellis recalled back to all the famous anecdotes and hearsays from his old world.

    Out of the three main weapons (the spear, the sword, and the saber), the spear was the easiest one to pick up. It was a somewhat intuitive weapon that did not take years of training to use. If you were to equip a battalion of farmers with pointed sticks, then you would immediately have the capability of toppling a kingdom. As such, it was the chosen weapon of soldiers. Still, despite its ease of access, those who could truly qualify as a master of the art were few and far between.

    Basically, it was a weapon with a low threshold and a high ceiling.

    Well, Ellis didn¡¯t really want to strive for perfection, so the fact that it had a low threshold suited him. In fact, he simply wanted to get a feel for the weapon and learn how to properly use it without the damn thing feeling so awkward in his hands.

    ¡°Besides, I doubt I can reach the pinnacle with a defective spear¡­¡± His eyes wandered to the hand attached near to the blade of the spear. It was a slender hand, befitting that of a beautiful woman, and while it did not weigh much, it still made the weapon feel lopsided.

    To most people, this would have probably made the weapon unusable, but to Ellis, he only found it mildly inconvenient. In the face of his abnormal strength, it was like the difference between a paintbrush with 1000 bristles and a paintbrush with 1001 bristles. Completely negligible.

    After putting all this into consideration, Ellis then had to wonder, what exactly comprised the art of the spear?

    The spear itself wasn¡¯t very complicated. It consisted only of a stick and a blade. Most fantasy novels like to embellish the weapon and exaggerate the attacks, but boiled down to its core, what was truly possible with such a simple weapon?

    You could thrust with it and you could cut with it, but¡­ was there anything else? There should be something else, right?

    The spear was a universal weapon. It should include more than just thrusting and cutting. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he thought about the matter, he could only come up with thrusting and cutting.

    Was it really just that?

    Ellis did not want to admit it, but spearmanship really did only comprise of those two moves. So, with a bit of shaky resolve, he began his practice.

    He thrust the weapon forward and he diagonally cut the air in front of him.

    He thrust.

    He cut.

    Thrust.

    Cut.

    Thrust.

    Cut.

    Thrust.

    Cut.

    After over an hour of doing the same repetitive motions, he eventually stopped. A deep frown morphed his lips. ¡°Doing it like this¡­ it still feels awkward.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t much of a surprise, but Ellis did not really know what he was doing. Whether his form was good or his stance was proper, he was completely clueless.

    ¡°Something feels off.¡± He murmured to himself. ¡°As expected, self-teaching yourself martial arts is a pretty bad idea, huh?¡±

    After reaching such a conclusion, he decided to prematurely stop his ¡®training¡¯.

    ¡°Persisting down this road will only lead to self-destruction. In that case, then I only have one other option left¡­¡±

    Live combat.

    Even if he did not know how to properly handle a spear, through blood, battle, and forced circumstance, his body would naturally learn. It was the same sort of logic that fathers used whenever they threw their sons into the sea in hopes of teaching their children how to swim.

    If it was through actual combat, then he¡¯ll surely learn how to use the spear.

    Sparring with Ena and the wolf pack was not an option. Firstly, he was concerned about his ability to hold back. Secondly, the gap between their strengths was too great of a thing to ignore. He needed to use other monsters as practice partners. Unfortunately, there were no monsters anywhere near his surroundings. He could travel three hundred meters away from the tower, but even then, the monsters there were weak.

    No, he needed to return to the river.

    ¡°Well, I guess it was about time we returned. Those guys are getting antsier by the minute.¡± The mock battles between the wolf pups were getting more and more severe by the day. Ellis was secretly worried that they might accidentally kill each other.

    With that decided, on the tenth day, the group began their journey back.

    It was another month or so of traveling through the forest, before they eventually reached the river. Once there, it was back to a life of constant monster battle.

    This time though, their usual pattern had changed. Ellis began participating in the fights. He took an active role in fighting off the monsters that attacked them. Of course, he did all this in hopes of honing his craft (spear).

    Unfortunately, he quickly ran into another problem.

    ¡°I¡¯m way too fucking strong.¡± He seriously stated with an exceptionally gloomy expression on his face.

    Every time he fought¡­ well, it couldn¡¯t really be considered a fight. It was more along the lines of a one-sided slaughter. All it would take was a single thrust or swing, before the opposing creature exploded into chunks of meat. There was no thrill and there was no sense of danger.

    He had truly gotten too strong. No, it wasn¡¯t that he was too strong, but rather¡­

    ¡°As expected, the only creatures left are small fry.¡± He suddenly stated. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s only a natural outcome. After all, we practically tore through most of the strong ones. With the apex predators out of the way, the weak ones start coming out of the woodwork.¡±

    Ellis had noticed this, but even the wolves were having an easier and easier time with combat. Wight and her siblings breezed through the hordes. Was this the result of their constant training or was it because their enemies had gotten weaker? Ellis did not really know, but he was leaning towards the latter.

    After all, wasn¡¯t it a bit too ridiculous seeing even that useless fellow Plush tyrannically ripping off the limbs of a bear more twenty times his size?

    The only logical explanation was that the monsters had gotten weaker.

    This gave Ellis a new sense of hope.

    ¡°If the monsters get weaker the further upstream we travel, then doesn¡¯t that also mean the likelihood of finding human settlements also increases?¡±

    While this was certainly good news, it also brought along its own fair share of problems. For one, it became increasingly harder for Ellis to find an opponent strong enough to practice with.

    As such, he decided to tweak his original plans. He began controlling his strength. Or at least, he tried to.

    Limiting his strength was a tasking process. He moved slower, his thrusts grew weaker, basically, he was learning the art of restraint. Naturally, things didn¡¯t start off so easy. Holding back against your opponents, while doing such a thing sounded cool, pulling it off in real life was surprisingly harder than it looked. This was especially the case for Ellis, a person who never once held back in his entire life.

    At the start, he got thrown around like a rag doll. The problem lay in the fact that he was restraining himself too much. At times, he would simply stand there, not moving. His opponents took that opportunity to attack. As a result, he was often sent flying through the air.

    Was getting hit a part of holding back? Obviously not, but Ellis did not know that back then.

    He only slowly learned through trial and error.

    Thus, before Ellis could learn how to use the spear, he first needed to learn the art of holding back.

    Like this, another year passed.

 Chapter 25: A Years Worth of Progress

    Today was a gloomy day. Above the tree-tops, heavy rainfall blanketed the skies, while underneath, a misty fog enveloped the forest floor.

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    Ellis breathed out a long, wispy sigh. He looked up at the creature standing in front of him.

    A sturdy body cladded in muscles. Brown tufts of hair covered almost every inch of its skin, most notably on its chest and lower arms. It somewhat resembled a burly lumberjack, except it was naked and had a god-ugly face.

    The face was probably its most noticeable feature. For one, it looked completely like a pig, snout and all.

    Since it looked like that, Ellis had taken to calling the thing an Orc. While there was a slight resemblance, over all, it looked vastly different from the orcs that he had originally imagined.

    As for the current situation¡­ well, it was something along the lines of a life-or-death battle.

    Ellis planted his feet firmly on the ground. He raised the tip of his spear until it pointed directly towards the creature.

    The Orc instinctively flinched, but after less than half a second, rage soon filled its face. Its pale skin took on a pink luster while wisps of steam exuded out from its pores. The creature let out an ear-deafening roar. It was a sound similar to a pig¡¯s squeal, except several times more guttural.

    To Ellis, its voice sounded just a tad bit frustrated.

    The Orc stomped on the ground once, before it sprinted forward. Ellis felt the oncoming pressure. It was like facing off against a charging boar. Considering the situation, that sort of analogy wasn¡¯t far off from reality.

    Ellis remained still. He waited for the Orc to draw closer. Just before the moment of impact, he took a sudden step back. A massive force passed through his entire body. Ellis was violently launched backward. Fortunately, by angling the spear just right, he was able to lessen the momentum.

    For a moment, he was like a feather loosely drifting through the air. After a few seconds, he landed back to the ground with a deafening thud. Although his stance was somewhat stiff, for the most part, he was unharmed.

    At this point, Ellis breathed out an exaggerated sigh. ¡°Good, this time I managed to stick the landing.¡± He wiped off the single bead of sweat that dripped down his forehead as he looked back up at his opponent.

    The Orc let out another angry bellow. Again, it furiously stomped on the ground, a look of absolute frustration morphed its face.

    If it wasn¡¯t already apparent, Ellis was currently using the Orc as a practice partner. Most of the time, he let the Orc attack, but occasionally, he did the attacking. Like this, a routine had somewhat developed, of course, completely against the Orc¡¯s will.

    How long has it been since this all first started? Ellis wasn¡¯t one to keep track, just that¡­ it¡¯s been a while. The feeling of passing time bogged down his thoughts. Was it thirty minutes? Half a day? Eighteen Hours? He didn¡¯t know, and to be honest, he didn¡¯t really care. No matter how much time passed, every second was precious.

    For Ellis, this was valuable training, but for the Orc, it was nothing short of torture.

    Being subjected to such never-ending torment, the Orc naturally felt indignant. For the first few hours, it attacked Ellis rather energetically. It was hell-bent on killing him. Its enthusiasm was praiseworthy. Unfortunately, that energy eventually vanished. Soon, its indignation was replaced with frustration. A part of it wanted to just turn around and run away, but it didn¡¯t. It single-mindedly attacked.

    If anything, its persistence was admirable.

    In the end, three days of this shit passed.

    The Orc eventually fell. It collapsed onto the ground. Its entire face was pale, while all four of its limbs resembled splayed noodles. If one were to look closely, then one would notice all the light scratch marks that littered its body. None of the wounds were fatal, but added together and they caused for some serious blood-loss.

    Despite its current situation, the Orc still did not know when to give up. It wanted to get up, it certainly tried to get up, but it couldn¡¯t.

    The creature had collapsed from pure exhaustion.

    In comparison, Ellis was perfectly fine. His face wasn¡¯t even red. He stretched out his back and breathed out a soft sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting better, right?¡± He mumbled to himself.

    By now, he was certain that he had mastered the art of holding back. Even after fighting such a weak monster, Ellis had somehow managed to keep it alive for three consecutive days. That was an incredible feat and a clear show of progress for him.

    Aside from that, there was the matter of his spearmanship. His progress in that avenue was still somewhat up for debate.

    Within a year¡¯s time, he had learned not only how to thrust and cut, but also how to block. Other than that¡­ actually, there was no other than that. Rather, was there anything else to the spear aside from those three aspects?If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    He shook his head, ¡°It should be fine with just this¡­¡±

    Over a year has passed since they first stumbled into that tree tower. Did Ellis feel that he had sufficiently grown up? No, not really.

    His body did get stronger though, but at this point, it was difficult to measure just how strong he had gotten. He only had a vague impression that he was somewhat stronger than in the past. It was the same sort of reason as to why ten-year-olds don¡¯t really think much about being stronger than their five-year-old selves. It was a natural progression of growth.

    Was this normal for homunculi?

    Either way, it didn¡¯t really matter. There was nothing wrong with growing stronger. In fact, the stronger he grows, the more convenient it¡¯ll be for him. After all, there were heroes living out there in the real world. He certainly did not want to be the cannon-fodder to any of their stories.

    Then, there were his companions.

    After the fight had ended, Ellis jogged forward. He followed the river further upstream. After a few miles, he finally reached them.

    Currently, a mountain of corpses lay scattered by the river bed. It was a sight of pure carnage and devastation. Those with a fainter heart probably would¡¯ve passed out by now.

    A little bit away from such a scene, there stood his companions. Seven familiar figures bathed within the river. They were currently trying to wash out the blood that plastered their fur.

    A certain white-eared wolf suddenly turned its head and barked loudly.

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    The first to greet him was Wight. She leaped out of the water and ran towards him, all the while wagging her tail.

    Ellis rubbed the crown of her head. A gentle smile floated to his face. ¡°You guys worked hard too, huh?¡±

    Like him, Wight and her merry band of siblings had also grown stronger. Not only that, but they also grew in size. Well, it was to be expected. After all, a full year had already passed.

    By now, they were already fully grown. Still though, they were a lot smaller than the average monster that roamed this forest. Their size was probably a characteristic of their species.

    For reference, Umbra was only a little bit larger than a normal wolf from Earth. The rest of the pack were of similar size¡­ well, with the exception of Plush and Wight.

    Plush, that fatty, he was considerably larger than his other siblings. He was twice their size, no, maybe even a bit more than that. These days, he resembled a round exercise ball with limbs. It was honestly quite ridiculous.

    On the other end of the spectrum was Wight. She hardly grew at all. Right now, she resembled an adolescent husky, just a little bit bigger than an actual puppy. Wight was still very much an adorable child.

    Despite her size, she still retained the title of strongest wolf. She had gotten so strong, in fact, that her strength was nearing Ena¡¯s.

    Speaking of which¡­

    ¡°Where the hell is that brat?¡± He raised his head and looked around his surroundings. Amidst the mountain of corpses, he could not find a single trace of her.

    He shook his head, a rueful smile stretched his limbs. Truth be told, her absence was normal. Ena had developed a habit of disappearing. She would often run off somewhere, only to come back a few hours later. Her longest period of absence was two days. Back then, she eventually came back with matted fur and haggard eyes.

    Ellis did not know where she ran off to, but he wasn¡¯t really concerned. No matter where she went, she always came back. Plus, these days, the wolves hardly ever got injured. At least to the point where Ena had to step in with her healing magic.

    That was partly due to Ellis¡¯s own efforts.

    After their little stint at the tree tower, he realized that these brats did not know how to relax. In their minds, the only thing that existed was combat and even more combat. As a result, their stress continually piled on. They became more aggressive and brash. Even during fights, they developed this unhealthy habit of recklessness.

    He needed something that could take the edge of the blood-boiling excitement of battle. Ellis thought long and hard for a solution.

    In the end, he boiled the issue down to a difference between physical activity and mental activity. The wolves were developing too much physically, but not enough mentally. As such, he wanted to balance out their uneven growth. He needed a mental activity that wasn¡¯t so fast-paced and intuitive as combat.

    His solution was board games.

    Board games were the perfect past time that focused more on mental acuity instead of physical prowess. It would force these impulsive brats to learn how to actually think before they act.

    Of course, luck-based games were pointless and games like chess were impossible due to their complexity and the general lack of pieces. As such, Ellis decided on checkers.

    Checkers was a simple game with simple rules and a clear goal. Practically anybody could pick up the game and play it. The wolves were no exception.

    They were not simply mindless beasts. In fact, the creatures of this forest all possessed some form of intelligence, some more than others. The wolves really were as smart as a child and luckily, even children could learn how to play checkers.

    Setting everything up was easy. For the board, he did not actually need a physical board. Instead, he simply drew one out on the ground with a stick. For the pieces, he used small pebbles. One white set and one black set. One comprised of the normal pebbles, which he labeled as the white pieces, while the other pieces (black pieces) were pebbles that Ena had burnt with her fire until they took on a black sheen.

    Basically, normal pebbles vs burnt pebbles.

    Teaching them how to play took a bit of effort, but after the ball got rolling, it never stopped. With Wight at the forefront, the wolf pack eventually grew to love the simple game.

    These days, whenever they were out of combat, they passed the time by playing checkers. The image of a bunch of wolves crowding around a game of checkers will forever be imprinted into the back of his mind.

    As an added bonus, it also made them somewhat smarter.

    The wolves learned how to think and not just recklessly attack. Well, this was probably only normal. After all, checkers, despite its simplicity, it was still an intellectually stimulating game. It was natural to get smarter after playing it day in and day out.

    The wolves weren¡¯t so battle-minded anymore¡­ although they do seem a bit more competitive nowadays

    Even today, as they were winding down after the battle, the pack began setting up their own individual games of checkers. Due to the uneven numbers, Ellis was dragged into the mix.

    The current line-up was as followed:

    Umbra vs Cocoa

    Plush vs Cobalt

    Tangerine vs Cinder

    Ellis vs Wight

    A bead of cold sweat ran down his forehead. A goofy-looking expression filled Wight¡¯s face, but all he could see was a grim reaper staring down at him from above.

    Wight, this girl, she had gotten very good at the game. Just like in real life, she was also the strongest at Checkers. It was to the point where she had come incredibly close to beating him on a number of different occasions. In order to maintain the illusion of a perfect master, Ellis needed to keep winning. Unfortunately, doing so got harder and harder as the days passed.

    Just as he was plotting how to escape, something suddenly landed on his head.

    Ellis looked up, only to see a familiar red-furred fox looking at him with an overly eager expression.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Then, there it was. His path to salvation.

 Chapter 26: A Solution to a Dire Circumstance

    Seeing the excited look on her face, Ellis immediately understood what had happened.

    ¡°You finally found one, huh?¡± An unknowing smile sneaked up onto his face.

    In response, Ena excitedly nodded her head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He remained silent for a moment before a soft sigh of relief leaked out from his lips.

    With this, that problem should be solved.

    While on the outside, everything appeared fine for Ellis and the group, but in truth, they were plagued with one terrible problem. This problem brought on a fair amount of distress for everyone, most notably to Ena. It was the primary reason why she was so fidgety these days. The fact that she ran off somewhere every day, the fact that she always had that somewhat worried, somewhat anxious look on her face, it all linked back to this one problem.

    No, it wasn¡¯t just a problem. It was a dire circumstance that needed to be solved.

    They were running out of dragon scales.

    Of course, the primary cause for this issue was none other than Ena herself. That girl, she did not know the meaning of the word ¡®restraint¡¯. She lived a rather indulgent life, bullying other people without a care and eating as much as she could stuff into that little mouth of hers.

    In the end, she overindulged. Before she even realized it, her bag suddenly got a lot lighter (figuratively). As the days passed, the number of dragon scales that she had stored up within the magic bag gradually diminished.

    Still, blaming it all on Ena might be a bit inappropriate. After all, dragon scales were a precious resource. While Ena definitely consumed the most, everybody else also enjoyed their fair share of it.

    Ellis used up quite a bit himself whenever he created his signature ¡®dragon spice¡¯. In addition, he also occasionally ate them raw. They really were like potato chips. What¡¯s more, Wight and the others also played a role. They were now able to eat the scales. This was probably the greatest testament to their increased strength.

    Everyone¡¯s combined consumption led to the current situation. They were seriously running out of dragon scales! Even with the second dragon added into the mix, they were still teetering on the edge of bankruptcy!

    Clearly, this was a terrible problem. Ellis knew this, the wolves knew this, and most importantly, Ena knew this. She was terribly distraught about the issue. Her anxiety only caused her to eat more scales.

    Well, since she came back with such an expression, it was clear that she had finally found a solution.

    Is it another green dragon? I wonder if there are other types of dragons inside this forest? He wondered to himself.

    ¡°Then, lead the way.¡± Ellis simply said.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena cried out in excitement, before she turned around and dashed forward. Ellis and the others hurriedly chased after her.

    They ran along the river bed. He noticed that at some point, her tail begun to shine with a dark-purple glow. Ellis wasn¡¯t an idiot. Although he still did not know what sort of element that color corresponded to, he could begin to make guesses. Since she often used it to search for things (prey), his current guess was that it was something like space.

    They followed the river for a while. After nearly three hours, Ena veered off the main river. She followed a branching stream deeper into the forest. In their four-plus years of traveling, they had come across quite a number of branching streams. Despite that, they always stayed with the main river.

    Today was another day filled with new experiences.

    They followed the stream for a few miles. After a while, the water suddenly grew murkier. Unlike the usual vibrant blue of the main river, the stream took on a shade resembling viscous muck. Looking closely, Ellis soon noticed all the debris and small clumps of dead algae that floated along the water¡¯s surface.

    Time continued to pass. Eventually, they came across a pile of ruined corpses. A small mountain of rotting flesh and protruding bone. The corpses created a dam along the river¡¯s path. Past the dam and further down the river, the water level drastically decreased, enough where it now only reached a person¡¯s knees.

    The change in environment did not go unnoticed. Still, Ellis showed no signs of stopping. The group continued along the river. After more than a day of traveling, they finally arrived at their destination.

    A large lake with murky, almost entirely black water. The lake was nearly five times as large as the lagoon that he had previously visited. In the distance, near the center of the lake, there stood a small island.

    ¡­No, that wasn¡¯t an island. Upon closer inspection, Ellis noticed the black scales and pointed ridges that ran along its surface.

    It was a giant, scale-covered monstrosity. More so, it had a very familiar appearance.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    A stout body, an exaggeratedly long tail, and multiple necks¡­ this thing, it was totally a hydra. The only point of difference would be the number of heads that it possessed. Instead of the usual nine, this thing had fourteen.

    ¡°Well, I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised. Dragons exist after all. Hydras naturally would too.¡± He nodded to himself. ¡°So, this was what you were searching for, huh?¡±

    Ellis turned to Ena. As expected from a dragon-loving girl, when she ran out of dragons, it was only normal for her to search for more dragons.

    Ena nodded in excitement. Drool dripped down her jaws while a peculiar glint flashed through her eyes. This girl, she was seriously looking at that monster with the eyes of a predator. No, not even that. She stared at it the same way as how a person stares at a piece of medium-rare steak.

    In comparison, the wolves showed a much less excited expression. In fact, they were downright shivering in fear. Considering how rarely they ever showed fear, this was indeed quite the surprise.

    Is that thing really that scary? Detecting power levels wasn¡¯t something he was very good at. He could generally tell whether someone was strong or not, but that was only in comparison to other monsters. For example, he could tell that a bear was weaker than a dragon, but not by how much. The gap between their strengths was a blurry mess that Ellis had trouble identifying.

    As for this creature¡­ it was definitely strong. It was probably the strongest monster he had come across, even stronger than Ena. Still, exactly how strong it was¡­ he couldn¡¯t tell.

    ¡°Well, it should be at a manageable level.¡± He thought to himself. ¡°Besides, Ena doesn¡¯t look scared either.¡±

    The little fox was quite fearless. Of course, he did not know whether that was because of her confidence or because of her greed.

    After a while, Ena suddenly turned towards him. The two made eye contact. He could see it. The imploring gaze in her eyes was really difficult to ignore. To such a silent method of coercion, Ellis could only nod his head.

    With that, the hunt officially started.

    ****

    ¡°Still, this thing¡¯s really strong. I should do this seriously.¡± He murmured to himself as he walked through the silent forest.

    Ellis did not immediately attack the Hydra. He needed to prepare first. After all, that thing was a real boss-level monster. It probably terrorized a significant chunk of the forest. It was best for him not to get too cocky. Boss-class monsters should all be treated with the proper level of respect and reverence that they deserve.

    Also, the loot. For the sake of resource management, he needed to make ample preparations.

    The group walked through the forest for a while. Eventually, Ellis found a place that satisfied his requirements.

    It was a small clearing surrounded by five large trees.

    He immediately ordered the wolves to dig-up a hole. It needed to be a hole large enough for the hydra to fit in.

    Ena probably wanted to bathe in blood again like last time, so he specifically dug up this hole. He wanted to replicate what had happened back at the lagoon.

    After the wolves finished, he had them hide somewhere close by. Despite distancing themselves from the hydra, they were still quite shaken. It was clear that they were in no condition to battle.

    Well, that was fine too. It¡¯s not like he was going to force them to do battle. That would be nothing short of suicide.

    ¡°Now all that¡¯s left is for someone to lure the hydra over here.¡± Ellis sank into thought. ¡°But agitating it or attacking it might not work. The hydra might have a way to attack from a distance. It seriously wouldn¡¯t be funny if the person we send out dies in the process.¡±

    ¡°In that case, there was only one other option¡­¡± Bait. After all, nobody would ever throw a fireball at a juicy hamburger.

    He needed bait. The type of bait that would make the hydra drool in anticipation. A bait that looks both tasty and filling. There was only one person that could fulfill such a role.

    His gaze landed on a certain fat-bellied wolf. Naturally, it was Plush, the largest of the wolf siblings.

    Plush was¡­ without a doubt, he was a tasty looking wolf. He possessed a stocky build and surprisingly muscular legs. His entire body was the perfect ratio of fat to meat.

    Most of the monsters they came across set their sights on Plush. It was clear from their fervent eyes that they saw him as nothing more than a walking piece of meat. There were even times when Ellis felt a similar sense of greed. He would often catch himself staring intently at Plush¡¯s loins.

    Plush sensed his gaze. The rotund wolf hurriedly backed away. He frantically shook his head.

    Ellis walked over and gently placed a hand over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, old friend. Sacrifices need to be made.¡±

    In the face of such words, Plush¡¯s countenance only worsened. He furiously struggled to escape, but to his dismay, the hand clamped onto his shoulder was frighteningly firm.

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that,¡± Ellis complained. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for me, but rather, I¡¯m doing this for you.¡± It was a completely incomprehensible statement, but hidden beneath was the voice of truth.

    ¡°Besides, if you don¡¯t do it, a certain someone will get angry.¡±

    Plush¡¯s snout slightly twitched. His gaze unconsciously drifted towards a certain nine-tailed fox. Ena stared at him with eyes that could practically kill.

    He bitterly let out a cry of despair, but there was nothing he could do. In the end, Plush agreed. The rest of the wolf pack barked out words of encouragement, but it all fell on deaf ears.

    As he started walking back to the lake, Ellis stopped him.

    ¡°Ah, wait a minute, let me do this first.¡± He turned to Ena. ¡°Ena, since you want this the most, you need to sacrifice a bit too.¡±

    She tilted her head. ¡°Kyu?¡±

    ¡°Blood. I need your blood.¡±

    Ena did not really know why Ellis would make such a sudden declaration, but if it was for dragon scales, then she was prepared to do anything. Without hesitation, she bit down on her front paw. Blood immediately poured out of the little puncture marks on her skin.

    ¡°Alright, that should do.¡± Ellis nodded. He then took her blood and smeared it all over Plush¡¯s body.

    At first, Plush was caught off guard. He desperately tried to escape, but Ellis stopped him just in time.  ¡°Hold still, don¡¯t move around so damn much.¡±

    Ellis eventually finished. Plush¡¯s entire body was now thoroughly coated in a layer of blood.

    The reason why he had done this was to increase Plush¡¯s potential as bait. Back before her birth, a dragon had coveted Ena¡¯s body. It was clear that Ena herself was a precious material, at least in the eyes of a dragon.

    It was probably similar to how Ena viewed the dragons as nothing more than a delicious meal. He figured that her blood might have a similar effect on the opposite party.

    When he finished coating the blood, Ellis suddenly experienced an epiphany.

    Ah, I could have just sent Ena out to lure the hydra¡­

    After such a thought popped into his head, he turned to glance over at the shivering Plush. The fat little thing was clearly still frightened out of his mind. Beside him, Ena stood there with her chest puffed out. A rather serious expression morphed her fox face.

    No¡­ it¡¯s a bit too late to say anything anymore¡­ Let¡¯s just roll with it.

    He buried his inner thoughts deep within his heart. After giving a few words of encouragement, he hurriedly sent Plush off.

    Now, all that¡¯s left to do was wait.

 Chapter 27: The Tragic Life Story of a Wolf in Peril

    Plush was an unlucky fellow.

    Even from birth, he had always been bigger than most of his peers. In a pack that worshipped the strong and powerful, you¡¯d think that being big was a benefit, but that wasn¡¯t quite the case for Plush.

    From the very start, there was no such thing as a free meal within this world. Even though he was big, he was also clumsy and slow. He ate twice as much as the others, but did not show any of the needed results expected for such an appetite. Without contest, Plush was crowned with the title of ¡®weakest¡¯ amongst those from his birthing cycle.

    Naturally, he was often the target of ridicule. Only his siblings stood up for him.

    Indeed, those days were his darkest, but that was merely a tale of the past.

    Right now, Plush lived a good life. He was with a master that fed him lots of food and he had gotten stronger. The current Plush was so strong that the Plush of the past felt like nothing more than a terrible fever dream. Most importantly though, even after his pack had been destroyed, all of his siblings were still alive.

    Everything would have been perfect, but unfortunately, there was a demon weighing down on his heart.

    This demon not only caused him pain and suffering, but it also pushed him to the verge of death on numerous occasions. Often times, these instances happened under the pretense of training, but the point still stands. Even now, he was once again subjected to another life-or-death experience.

    As he continued to walk, the feeling of crisis continually increased. It was an unbridled sense of death and it originated from the pitch-black lake.

    His shaky, stubby legs slowly brought him closer. He wanted to run, but knowing the consequences, he couldn¡¯t.

    Without a doubt, the monster waiting for over there was strong. Probably not as strong as his master, but it was still strong. One hit and Plush would instantly die. In the face of such a threat, even the bravest warriors would have fled, but Plush didn¡¯t. Despite the voices telling him to run, he continued forward.

    The fear of the demon and the fear of death¡­ both fears waged war within his heart, but that wasn¡¯t the only emotion present. Somewhere in the back of his anxious mind, there existed a single desire that drove him forward. It was a desire that just barely dwarfed both of his fears.

    Gluttony.

    Before he left, his master had promised him something. Plush recalled those words now.

    If you can do this job properly, then I¡¯ll make sure to give you some really good food tonight.

    His words were spoken casually, but to Plush, they resonated loudly in his ears like a chorus from the heavens.

    The chubby wolf had indeed gotten stronger, but his days were anything but leisurely. His only pleasure came from his daily meals. As they always say, good food can heal a weathered heart. Plush¡¯s heart was perpetually stuck in a typhoon.

    He recalled back to one especially delicious meal that Plush was dying to eat again.

    It was meat that came from a really strong monster. Master called it a dragon. Dragons certainly were amazing creatures. Not only did their meat taste delicious, but their blood was also nutritious, and their scales addicting. Every part of a dragon was good.

    It was truly a culinary delicacy.

    Plush understood why that demon enjoyed eating dragon scales all the time.

    He himself had only just recently started to eat them too. Although it was still a bit difficult for him, his gluttony knew no bounds. Plush was probably the most voracious scale eater, third only to his master and the demon.

    Unfortunately, the scales were only a stop gap. A temporary measure to ease a shaken soul. The real delicacy lay in the meat. That meat¡­ that juicy, tender, otherworldly meat¡­ it was absolutely something to die for.

    Right now, Plush stood at the precipices. To eat that unforgettable meat again or to die trying. Without a doubt, Plush was willing to die for it!

    After a while, his shaky footsteps brought him to the edge of the lake.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    From this distance, Plush could immediately feel all fourteen heads turn towards him. For a moment, he shivered. Twenty-eight eyes, all staring fixedly at the cute little him. They were thoroughly inspecting him, running their imaginary tongues all over his fabulous porky body!

    Plush hurriedly shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. Now wasn¡¯t the time to get nervous. He still needed to lure the hydra out of the water. He desperately needed to do something to attract its attention.

    Plush thought about it for a moment, before he suddenly turned around. He hesitated for a single second, before he furiously shook his butt.

    The hydra widened its eyes in surprise. Plush did not notice the change in the hydra¡¯s behavior. Instead, he gritted his teeth and shook harder!

    He seriously did not know what he was doing. A part of him wanted to die, a part of him believed he was going to die, but this too was a technique that his master had taught him before Plush left.

    Shake your ass and make it look delicious!

    They were such simple (vulgar) words, but Plush took them as gospel. So, with fire in his heart and determination in his chest, he shook. The plump wolf frantically shook his butt.

    Several, painfully long seconds passed, before he suddenly heard the sound of splashing water. Plush timidly turned his head, only to see a giant mountain of wriggling necks running towards him.

    It worked!

    Now, all that¡¯s left to do is run!

    Plush immediately bolted back to the forest. He ran with all of his might. Behind him, an emotional roar echoed through the surroundings.

    ***

    Ellis was currently hiding in a tree. A single black spear rested on his lap.

    After waiting for a long time, he suddenly heard a distant roar. A few seconds later, the entire forest shook. ¡°I knew he could do it.¡± Ellis smiled to himself.

    The plan had worked. In the first place, there was almost no possibility for it to fail, especially after he had taught Plush that ¡®secret¡¯ technique of his.

    To think that the forbidden technique known as twerking would play such a pivotal role¡­ Without going into too much detail, the technique that he had taught Plush was an incredible aggro skill that could instantly attract one¡¯s attention. Such a technique was finally showing its true prowess here in another world!

    Ellis then turned his gaze over to the commotion down below. He squinted his eyes. A plump wolf shaped like an exercise ball was currently sprinting through the forest.

    He looked a little bit injured, but it was nothing serious. Plush probably tripped on the way here. This was to be expected. Out of all the wolves, Plush was the clumsiest. To make up for that though, he was also the strongest.

    Behind him, there was a giant mountain of wriggling necks. Its entire surface was nearly pitch black. The only exceptions were its crimson eyes and its pale purple underbelly. Ellis noticed the peculiar gaze in its eyes. What sort of emotion was that? Hunger? Lust? A little bit of both? Ellis did not quite know.

    Regardless, both parties were currently heading towards his direction. Once it got here, the plan would immediately commence.

    The plan was actually quite simple.

    Plush would lure the prey over to the hole, while Ellis would make sure that the fight stays in the hole. The hole itself served zero strategic merit. It was only there to improve the efficiency in regards to resource collection. In easier terms, the hole was there solely for the sake of collecting blood.

    He figured that Ena probably wanted to bathe (absorb) blood again. She wasn¡¯t able to do that with the second dragon on account of how violently he had ruined its corpse. He had gotten a real earful after that incident. It would be a pain in the ass if Ena complained to him again, so this time, he thought ahead.

    After a while, Plush eventually reached the hole. The plump wolf slightly lowered its posture, before it jumped forward. He vaulted over the entire hole. It was quite comedic actually. It looked as if someone had lobbed a baseball across the field. When he landed on the other side, Plush did not stop running. Instead, he kept going, his figure grew smaller and smaller as the seconds ticked by.

    The hydra did not think anything of the incident.

    It continued to chase after Plush. Despite its size (or maybe because of it), it was quite fast. The earth shook with each lumbering footstep.

    For the first time, Ellis took note of its height. Back at the lake, most of its body was submerged, so it was hard to tell, but the hydra, it was incredibly large. For reference, the tree that Ellis had climbed was more than one thousand feet tall. It was just a little bit shorter than the Empire State Building of Earth.

    The hydra was nearly a third of that height!

    Well, no matter how big it is, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve already made adequate preparations. Indeed, Ellis was quite prepared. The hole that he had dug, it was definitely big enough to fit the entire dragon!

    The hydra rapidly approached the hole. The hole itself was more like a crater. The hydra did not think twice, before it stepped into the hole.

    At that point, Ellis stood back up. The branch that he was on gently shook. A cold breeze passed through him, but Ellis paid it no mind. He cracked his neck and psyched himself up.

    Now that the ¡®prey¡¯ finally entered the trap, it was Ellis¡¯s job to make sure it couldn¡¯t get out.

    ¡°And for that, I need to pin you down!¡± He shouted loudly, but his voice disappeared amidst the buffeting wind.

    Ellis firmed his grip on his spear and cocked his arm back. In one swift motion, he hurled the spear directly to the ground.

    WOOSH!

    Like a bolt of black lightning, the spear descended onto the earth. A muffled boom followed its tracks. Ellis would only realize this later, but he had broken through the sound barrier.

    BANG!

    The spear crashed into the hydra¡¯s back. The earth trembled as the Hydra sank deeper into the ground. A heart-wrenching wail echoed through the forest.

    ¡°Good.¡± Ellis nodded to himself as he quietly watched the creature writhing in agony. Occasionally, flashes of green fire and plumes of purple smog leaked out from its orifices.

    With that, Ellis once again psyched himself up. He lightly slapped his cheeks until they turned red, before he took a small step forward. Gravity immediately took hold as his body plummeted to the ground.

    The hunt had officially begun.

 Chapter 28: A Battle with a Boss-Class Monster

    The wind brushed against his skin like sharpened needles.

    After he reoriented himself in mid-air, he now fell head-first towards the ground. It was then that he felt it. The power of gravity. It pushed him forward, encouraged him, goaded him along to a path that he might have otherwise not taken. It was like a pair of wings. Like the wings on a majestic eagle soaring through the skies.

    Ellis clenched his fists and stretched his arms out forward. He mimicked the pose of an iconic superhero.

    The hydra felt an imperceptible change in the air. The warnings in its head flashed. Instinct. An ability that many humans lacked, but most animals possessed. Its instincts were telling it that something was coming.

    All fourteen heads simultaneously looked up, but by that point, it was already too late.

    The human missile (type homunculus) plummeted towards it.

    Plop!

    ¡°Eh?¡± Ellis widened his eyes. A stunned expression colored his face.

    He hit it. He had certainly hit the monster square on its back, but what he had originally expected to happen did not happen. Ellis was unable to penetrate its scales. A slight grunt leaked out from his throat as his body harmlessly bounced off the creature¡¯s skin.

    A second later, he fell to the ground with a resounding crash.

    Clouds of dust circled around him.

    Ellis let out a strained cough. Still a bit disoriented, he shook his head and stared up at the hydra.

    The multi-headed dragon looked back with slight confusion. It was probably thinking something along the lines of ¡®what the hell was this dumbass trying to do?¡¯

    Ellis felt a bit awkward. ¡°I was a bit careless.¡± He muttered half to himself and half to the hydra in front of him. ¡°It just goes to show that you can¡¯t beat a boss-class monster with gravity alone.¡±

    In retrospect, it was something he should have expected. His first attack with the spear had featured Ellis¡¯s own destructive strength. In comparison, the freefall from earlier was powered solely by gravity. No wonder it failed.

    ¡°Well, mistakes are meant to be learned. I¡¯ll just work a little bit harder next ti-OOOAAAH!!¡±

    While in the middle of his self-absorbed musings, a strong force suddenly swept him off his feet.

    One of the fourteen hydra heads suddenly bit down on his legs. Saying it like that somewhat underwhelmed the situation. In truth, nearly half of his body was currently inside the Hydra¡¯s mouth.

    The multi-headed dragon thrashed and whipped him around like a rag doll. It swung him through the air and slammed him to the ground numerous times. It was like watching a dog play with a chew toy.

    Ellis saw the world blur before his very eyes. His joints dislocated. Half the bones inside him fractured. His organs rearranged themselves, following to the tune of the ever-shifting g-forces that ruthlessly bombarded his body. In short, it wasn¡¯t a very good experience.

    In fact, wasn¡¯t this situation kind of dangerous?

    Without a doubt, the hydra was several times stronger than the last dragon that he had encountered. True to its moniker as a boss-class monster, it had even exceeded Ellis¡¯s original expectations. And because of his carelessness, he was now teetering on the brink of death (dramatization).

    It hurt. It hurt a lot. Still, it was at a level that he could endure. If it was just a little bit more painful, if it was just a little bit more dangerous, then he would have given up already, but not now. At least, not yet.

    Ellis had yet to give up hope. He still had plenty of cards up his sleeve and tricks left to be unveiled.

    Throughout his five years of life, Ellis steadily grew, not in height or appearance, but purely in power. Up until now, he had yet to test out his limits.

    Wasn¡¯t this situation perfect, then? To test him to his limits, to push him to the edge, to fight to his heart''s content¡­ although Ellis wasn¡¯t a battle junky, even he occasionally felt the desire to run wild.

    Just because you¡¯re a little bit bigger¡­ just because you¡¯re a little bit stronger¡­ don¡¯t get too cocky!

    Ellis gritted his teeth and rocked his body forward. He fought through the pressure and latched onto one of the hydra¡¯s tooth. This tooth was the same one currently embedded into his upper thigh. Every time the hydra shook its head, the tooth would vibrate, completely shredding the surrounding flesh.

    The hydra¡¯s teeth were serrated. They somewhat resembled crocodile teeth. At the same time, the creature possessed more than one row of teeth. Just from his position alone, Ellis could make out five rows of jagged teeth. There were plenty more even deeper in its mouth.

    The teeth of a crocodile but the structure of a shark. This damn thing was absolutely ridiculous.

    He steadied himself with one hand and cocked the other one back. Ellis glared, his eyes locked onto the part where the slightly-yellow tooth connected with the hydra¡¯s gums. He took a deep breath and punched out.

    CRACK!

    The tooth immediately broke in half. Splintered pieces danced through the air like flakes of snow.

    The head let out a pained roar. It instinctively opened its mouth. Ellis hugged onto the severed tooth as he plummeted to the ground.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    THUD!

    He hit the ground with a resounding thud. Another cloud of dust circled around him, but Ellis tried his best to ignore it.

    After he landed, he quickly stood up and dusted himself off. He promptly checked his injuries. The taste of blood colored his tongue. Wasn¡¯t that a sign of internal bleeding? It wouldn¡¯t even surprise him if it was. Right now, all Ellis could do was rely on his body¡¯s natural regenerative abilities.

    On the outside, aside from some light bruising, the only notable injury were the ones on his legs. A giant gash nearly bisected his left thigh. Only a thin line of skin kept it in place. It was a truly gruesome scene, but for Ellis, it wasn¡¯t much of an issue.

    Even now, he could feel the wriggling tendrils of muscle rapidly regenerating. It slightly tickled.

    Interrupting his thoughts, the hydra let out a furious bellow. More specifically, its injured head did. The rest were too busy glaring in his direction.

    ¡°¡­¡± He could feel some serious heat coming from their eyes. If it wasn¡¯t for the palpable bloodlust, then he would have thought that they were actually lusting after him.

    The hydra attempted to turn its body towards him. Unfortunately, it met with the realization that it couldn¡¯t. It feebly thrashed around. The earth lightly shook as a result, but otherwise, nothing happened.

    Seeing it struggle like that, a sly smirk floated to his lips.

    The beauty spear (named after the fact that it had been attached to a beauty) had done its job. It firmly held the dragon in place. Right now, it was nothing more than a fish on a chopping board.

    No, considering all of its necks¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be more like an octopus? Just as such a useless thought floated to his head, one of the hydra¡¯s heads suddenly rushed towards him. At the same time, a plume of purple smog jetted out of another head¡¯s mouth.

    It was a pincer attack!

    Ellis braced himself. When the smog hit, for a moment, he felt disoriented. Of course, such a feeling lasted for less than a fraction of a second. His head cleared up almost immediately after.

    Still, the smog had done its job. Even though it was only for a fraction of a second, it was a fraction of a second that Ellis had his guard down. In that time, the first head¡¯s attack hit. It slammed into him like a runaway freight train.

    Ellis felt his organs loosen once more. A heavy force swept him off his feet. Still, Ellis gritted through the pain. In that split instant during impact, he firmly grabbed onto the side of the hydra¡¯s head. His fingers penetrated its scales as he kept himself glued to its face.

    The head screamed in agony. From the looks of things, a hydra¡¯s face was rather sensitive. At least, the parts underneath all of its scales were.

    It desperately tried to shake him off but to no avail. Ellis stayed like that for a few seconds before he slowly crawled his way towards its eye. Sensing the impending danger, the head began to panic.

    The rest of the hydra wanted to help, but they couldn¡¯t. If they attacked now, their fellow body-mate would be the one to get injured.

    Ignorant of their worries, Ellis quickly arrived at the eye. In one swift motion, he wedged his arm into its eye socket. The head¡¯s screams grew louder, but Ellis ignored it. He fished around in there for a little while longer, before he eventually found his grip. With a furious yank, he pulled out its eyeball.

    The hydra head wailed in agony. Ellis silently watched as the detached eye fell and hit the ground below.

    It was a gruesome scene and it caused no small amounts of pain to his opponent. Still, he wasn¡¯t satisfied. Ellis began crawling towards the other eye.

    Just then, he felt a scorching heat emanating from behind him. Ellis slightly turned around, only to see a column of green colored fire barrel towards him.

    He narrowed his eyes.

    They attacked? Do they not care what happens to the other head?

    Apparently, they didn¡¯t. Half a second later, the temperature around him immediately increased. Green quickly invaded his peripherals. It wasn¡¯t just one fireball, but multiple fireballs!

    At this point, Ellis immediately let go. He plummeted to the ground, just as the green flames completely enveloped the hydra¡¯s head. He heard a muffled wail before silence.

    The hydra apparently anticipated his move. As he was falling, a dark shadow suddenly blotted out the light.

    He quickly turned around, just in time to see another head hurtle towards him. For a moment, time froze. Ellis stared absentmindedly at its shimmering red eyes.

    That¡¯s quite the scary glare¡­ Those were his last thoughts before a tremendous impact swept through his body.

    Ellis crashed to the ground like a streaking meteor. He repeatedly bounced across the forest floor before he skidded to a stop nearly two hundred meters away.

    ¡°Gah¡­¡± A throaty groan leaked out from the tiny crater that his crash had unwittingly created. He felt a bit groggy, and his mind a bit hazy. He craned his neck up and stared at the hydra. The one-eyed head lay slumped on the ground. Its entire skull was charred black. Still, the other heads seemingly did not care. The hydra struggled to climb out of the hole.

    Unlike before, it was actually making progress.

    His expression immediately tensed.

    This isn¡¯t the time to be resting. If I don¡¯t move now, it really might escape the hole¡­ Imagining all the wasted blood that would result from such an outcome, a fire ignited deep within his heart.

    Ellis stood back up. He quickly noticed that his left arm had twisted in a weird angle, while his entire back had been completely scorched. From the looks of things, even though he had previously escaped, the residual heat still burned him.

    He calmly popped his arm back into place before he rushed forward.

    After three steps, he lowered his center of gravity and jumped.

    The space around him blurred. Ellis reached a height that was almost eye-level to the hydra. He did not stop there, his tiny body soared higher and higher into the sky. Gravity fought against his ascent, but it was like wings had suddenly grown on his back. He soared higher and higher like a majestic eagle taking flight!

    Naturally, the hydra noticed. It bared its teeth, before all thirteen remaining heads rushed towards him!

    Ellis watched all this transpire with limpid eyes. Beside him, his fist slightly clenched.

    He did not know any fancy moves or colorful magic. Even the spear arts that he had painstakingly learned were basic. Right now, the only things he could rely on were his durable body and his super strength. It was a bit barbaric, but that was his brand of fighting.

    The first head quickly arrived. Ellis twisted his body to the side and narrowly avoided collision. A beat later and the next one showed up. It came at him from a downward angle. This time, Ellis lightly brushed against the tip of snout. This small action changed the course of his trajectory.

    Ellis avoided the rest of the heads through the skin of his teeth. He leaped and dodged all oncoming heads like a spider monkey in a jungle. Fifteen seconds passed in a blink of an eye. Eventually, there was only one left. It was a head with a tooth embedded in its eye.

    He cocked his arm back. The rushing hydra opened its mouth, almost as if it was waiting for Ellis to just jump right in. He did not hesitate. With a grunt, he swung his arm forward.

    For a moment, he felt something rough and grainy brush against his knuckles.

    BOOM!

    The hydra¡¯s head snapped back. The resulting recoil caused it to slam into a nearby tree. The head let out a soft groan, before it sank to the floor, motionless.

    As Ellis landed back to the ground, he stared at the head. Even after thirty seconds passed, it still remained motionless. Ellis did not think it was dead, rather, it was unconscious. A peculiar glint flashed through his eyes. He shifted his gaze to the remaining heads.

    After seeing what had just happened, the hydra abruptly turned cautious. All twelve remaining heads bared their teeth. Purple smog leaked out from a few of their mouths, but otherwise, they did not attack.

    He stared silently for a few seconds. Eventually, he nodded to himself.

    If it¡¯s like this, then it could probably work¡­ Unknowingly, a sly smile twisted his lips.

    The hunt¡­ no, was this still hunt? If the previous exchange was considered a fight, then the thing that was about to happen next¡­ well, it was nothing more than Ellis¡¯s play time.

 Chapter 29: Verifying a Popular Legend

    ¡°As expected, pure strength builds are the way to go¡­¡± Ellis muttered to himself as he stared at his own hands with a look of ecstasy.

    The black-scaled hydra stood a few feet away from him. Its original ferocity was gone. Right now, it looked like a defeated dog. Out of fourteen heads, twelve of them were unconscious. The remaining two sported ugly expressions. Anxiety and fear. Anger and frustration. Such emotions clouded their faces.

    On the other hand, Ellis somewhat surprised himself. After months of holding back, this was the first time he had ever properly unleashed his full strength. To be honest, the fact that their heads did not immediately explode surprised him. He had overestimated his own strength. Either that or he had underestimated the hydra¡¯s durability.

    Still, the results were the same.

    With a single fist, he had knocked out twelve of the hydra¡¯s fourteen heads.

    ¡°Just a little bit more effort and I¡¯ll finally finish.¡± Ellis looked back up at the multi-headed dragon. His lips twisted into a smirk. The hydra reacted to that smile. The two heads quivered uncontrollably. It was the same spine-tingling smile that Ellis wore every time he threw a punch. The hydra had grown to both hate and fear that smile.

    With his hands raised in front of him like a boxer, Ellis slowly walked forward. Each ominous footstep echoed quietly through the forest.

    The hydra instinctively tried to take a step back, but it quickly discovered that it couldn¡¯t. It was still pinned to the ground by the spear.

    The two heads momentarily made eye contact with one another. A silent agreement had been reached. Almost immediately, they bellowed out a furious roar. At the same time, the left head spat out a plume of dark-purple smog.

    Ellis didn¡¯t even attempt to dodge. He had already experienced what the smog could do and going by his standards, it truly wasn¡¯t much.

    He confidently walked directly into the purple haze. Like before, a sense of disorientation washed over him, but it quickly disappeared. This time though, he noticed that the smog smelled faintly of lavender. Did it always smell like that?

    Just then, the second head spat out a scorching ball of green fire. Likewise, Ellis made no attempt at dodging. The fire could at most burn his skin. A hit or two was not enough to seriously injure him.

    As the flaming ball drew closer, an uneasy premonition suddenly washed over him.

    Without hesitation, he quickly raised his arms out in front of him.

    BOOOOOM!

    A violent explosion rocked him off his feet. Compared to the resulting light, his silhouette seemed tiny and insignificant. He hurtled through the air before he stopped at the base of a tree.

    Ellis violently coughed. His eyes were still spinning. Distant echoes reverberated through his eardrums.

    What the hell just happened? After recollecting himself, he immediately pieced together the current situation.

    When the smog and fire collided with one another, something like a chemical reaction occurred. The end result was a violent explosion.

    I knew it. There was something weird with that smog. The lavender smell had not been present in the past.

    Ellis breathed out a sigh. He could only blame himself. Again, he was careless.

    That thing had packed a serious punch. He looked down at his own body. To his utter surprise, Ellis no longer had arms, only stumps that ended right where his shoulders began. They had been completely blown away by the explosion.

    In addition, the front half of his body was thoroughly scorched. His ribcage was exposed, his blood had cauterized and most shocking of all, his precious little brother was no longer attached to his crotch!

    This sudden revelation brought on an immediate sense of panic. Thankfully, Ellis eventually calmed down. A few seconds after the explosion, his body naturally started to heal. From the stumps on his shoulders, a set of new arms grew back. His burnt skin flaked off and a new layer quickly replaced it. In addition, his treasured little brother slowly returned to perfection. In fact, it looked even bigger than before! The last part was probably all in his head.

    ¡°Damn, that blast seriously gave me a heart attack.¡± He swore to never get hit by that detestable combination ever again.

    He suddenly turned back to the hydra. The heads looked absolutely defeated. To be more specific, they looked completely exhausted. One of the heads tried to spit out another plume of smog, but the only thing that came out was a half-digested carcass. It was already clear. The hydra had reached its limit.

    With that, Ellis raised his fists once more. He promptly knocked the remaining two heads out.

    ¡°Whew¡­¡± He breathed out a sigh as he wiped away the bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face. In truth, the fight was a bit of an eye-opener. The existence of such boss-class monsters sent warning signs blaring within his head. How many such monsters roamed this forest? Were any of them stronger than the hydra?

    Ellis did not know, but the possibility of that sent shivers down his spine. Whether those shivers were of fear or excitement was similarly unknown.

    He turned his head back over to the hydra.

    Right now, a giant black mountain stood in front of him. Aside from the rhythmic rise and fall of its chest, it was completely motionless.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Ellis did not outright kill the creature just yet.

    Staring up at the unconscious hydra, a certain curiosity soon took hold.

    Back in his home world, the Hydra was rather famous. Its figure was immortalized not only in mythology, but also through various forms of media, such as books and movies. As a result, he was quite familiar with the hydra¡¯s legend.

    On Earth, the Hydra was most famous for its regenerative properties. If you cut off one of its head, two more would grow back.

    He had to wonder, did the same ability apply to this world¡¯s hydra? His hands were itching to find out.

    Just as various thoughts and ideas filled his head, something small and red darted towards him.

    ¡°Kyu!¡±

    It was Ena. She climbed up onto his shoulder and stared at the hydra with hungry eyes.

    Ellis turned his head back. In comparison to the greedy fox, the wolves were noticeably less excited. Right now, they hid behind a giant tree nearly two hundred meters away from the battleground. Even after he had defeated the hydra, it was apparent that they were still very much afraid.

    Wight was the only wolf that actively tried to fight her fear. She slowly approached the hydra. It was clear that she was trying to put up a brave front, but even then, her movements were stiff and rigid. Seeing her try so hard, Ellis couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    Honestly, what an adorable child.

    He ignored the wolves for now and turned his attention back to the hydra.

    ¡°Kyu! Kyu!¡± Ena repeatedly nudged him. She kept goading him to finish the job, but Ellis did not listen. He wanted to verify the legends.

    He sought to sever one of its head.

    Normally, he would have used his spear, but the spear was currently embedded somewhere within the creature¡¯s body. Ellis did not want to dive down through stomach acid and muscle tissue just to retrieve it. Since he did not have a blade on him, he had to improvise.

    He picked a random head and opened its jaw. He then promptly yanked out a tooth. The head immediately woke up with a roar, but Ellis reacted quickly. He punched it back into unconsciousness.

    With the tooth in hand, a satisfied smile filled his teeth.

    ¡°This should work.¡± The hydra¡¯s tooth was quite sharp. Add to that his strength and it should be enough to sever its neck.

    Ellis did not waste any more time. He picked a spot right above the base of the neck and decisively slashed down!

    After he successfully severed the neck, Ellis waited for a few seconds. Sure enough, something started wriggling out of its wound.

    A minute passed and two separate necks grew out of the former stump. After an additional two minutes, the heads fully grew. The moment they opened their eyes, they immediately grew furious. They hurriedly scanned the surroundings, clearly in search of a certain someone.

    It looks like all the heads are telepathically connected to one another. More importantly, isn¡¯t the regeneration kind of slow? Ellis was somewhat disappointed. He had expected something like instant regeneration. While the rate of its regeneration was certainly amazing, it was by no means instant.

    With a frown on his face, he quickly knocked the two new heads out.

    Even after all that, he was still curious. There were a few more things he wanted to confirm.

    He cut off another head. Before it had the chance to regrow, he asked Ena to cauterize the stump.

    She acquiesced. A plume of fire quickly burned the stump black. It now resembled a piece of charcoal and even after ten minutes had passed, nothing happened.

    ¡°So that part¡¯s true, huh? You can stop a hydra from regenerating if you use fire.¡±

    He was pleasantly surprised by this new discovery. In retrospect, it wasn¡¯t much of a discovery. After all, the head that suffered from friendly fire was still pretty unresponsive. Then again, that made Ellis wonder: was it like that because of the fire or was it because the head was still attached to the body?

    Aside from the new questions that popped into his head, there was one more thing he wanted to confirm.

    In Greek Mythology, there was a certain creature with over one hundred heads. It was a dragon named Ladon, and its job was to guard the golden apples of the Garden of Hesperides. A dragon with multiple heads¡­ wasn¡¯t that a hydra?

    Of course, Ellis had no way of verifying this, but it did leave him wondering: just how many heads could a hydra grow?

    With that in mind, he quickly severed another head. He watched two more grow back. When those new heads finished forming, he promptly knocked them out. Then the cycle repeated.

    Cut off one head, watch two grow, and knock two out.

    Cut off one head, watch two grow, and knock two out.

    Cut, watch, knock out.

    Cut, watch, knock out.

    Cut, watch, knock out.

    ¡­.

    After a while, the heads attached to the hydra now numbered more than one hundred. Quite a few more littered the ground around him.

    More specifically, there were one hundred eighty-nine heads currently attached to the Hydra¡¯s body. Ellis had severed nearly the same amount.

    Blood had already begun to pool within the crater. Maybe because of the process, the hydra¡¯s body looked somewhat skinnier than before. In fact, with those wriggling necks growing out of it like that, it kind of resembled a carrot with an elongated stem.

    Ellis moved to cut one more. Unfortunately, even after severing the 189<sup>th</sup> head, only one head grew back. It was clear that the number of heads capped out at 189.

    Why this number though? Was it random? Was it like this for all hydras or was it different for each individual?

    Although Ellis was still somewhat curious, for the most part, he was satisfied. More specifically, the bloodthirsty eyes staring at the back of his neck made him shiver. Ena had patiently waited up until now, but if he forced her to wait any longer, there was a very strong possibility that she might just outright attack him.

    He was not really satisfied, but for the sake of that brat, he pretended to be satisfied.

    He took a step back and closely observed the hydra. It might just be his imagination, but the hydra¡­ did it get stronger? Right now, it exuded out a far greater sense of danger than in the past.

    For the dull Ellis, just noticing this fact was already unusual.

    Did it really grow stronger?

    He was skeptical, but after a while, the wolf pack behind him quickly confirmed his theory.

    When did they get all the way there?

    Without him noticing, the distance between them and the hydra had increased. Right now, they stood nearly 1000 meters away from the unconscious dragon. Even Wight, with all of her bravado, was currently passed out on the ground. White foam dripped out from the corners of her jaws.

    She had passed out from the resulting pressure.

    ¡°It really did grow stronger¡­¡± Was it because of the heads? After it grew more heads, more and more of its potential was unlocked or something along those lines?

    This damn thing was exactly like a Saiyan. A creature that grew stronger after every defeat, or in this case, after each head was cut off.

    He shook his head in dismay. He doubted that anyone had ever purposely done what he had and actually actively sought out the hydra¡¯s strongest form. This was a unique occurrence. Either that or perhaps there was another prerequisite outside of just cutting off heads.

    There were still a lot of questions rattling around in his head, but one particular thought stuck to him.

    If this thing were to awaken now, could I still defeat it?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The answer in his heart told him no. No matter how confident he was in his regeneration or in his super strength, the current hydra was far too dangerous. It felt as if he was standing on the edge of a bottomless abyss.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I have to kill it quickly.¡± Feeling fear for the first time, Ellis immediately sought out to end the looming threat in front of him.

    With hands like lightning, he sliced off all 189 heads. It only took him two minutes to do so, not even enough time for the first head to grow back.

    Like that, the hydra from mythology had been slain.

 Chapter 30: The Onlooker (Prey) from Across the Sea

    Nearly one thousand miles away from Lull¡¯s main continent, there existed a small island. On that island, there was a single house. It was a wooden house built on top of a grassy hill. The hill was the highest point of the island and provided a clear view of the nearby surroundings.

    Only one person lived in that house. It was a woman with pearl-white hair.

    She was a person of routine and pattern. Day in and day out, she wore the same set of clothes, performed the same set of actions and ate the same set of meals. Her behavioral patterns were so uniform that each passing day bled with the next, creating a false sense of stagnancy.

    On this island, it was as if time did not pass.

    Today, like usual, she wore loose-fitting robes that draped across her body like bedsheets. Each individual robe was thin, almost see-through, but because she wore so many layers, it was almost impossible to discern her figure. What¡¯s more, her facial features were obscured by a head full of unkempt hair. It was difficult to tell whether the woman was beautiful or ugly.

    She was a person of many mysteries, but one thing was clear: she was not human.

    A pair of cyan-colored wings stuck out from her shoulder blades. They occasionally twitched with each subtle movement of her body. In addition, a bulky tail of similar color grew out from her lower back. It somewhat resembled a snake¡¯s tail, albeit a tad bit shorter. And finally, arguably her most notable feature, two antler-like protrusions stuck out from the top of her head.

    She sat in front of a short circular table with her legs crossed underneath her. There was a single cup on the table. Wisps of steam exuded out from the cup while an aromatic fragrance wafted through the air.

    This woman lived alone on this island and right now, she was currently enjoying her daily cup of afternoon tea.

    The skies were clear and the world was calm. To her, today was another ordinary day.

    As she reached out for the cup, her slightly pointed ears suddenly twitched.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The woman slowly raised her head and looked off into the distance. The house did not have any walls, only four wooden pillars on each corner of the rectangular room. Their sole responsibility was to keep the roof aloft. Because of this odd architectural design, the house resembled more of a temple rather than an actual house.

    Her gaze clouded. She stared out into the faraway sea.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A few seconds passed. Eventually, the woman narrowed her eyes. A bemused smile twisted her pale lips.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve last felt something so¡­ dangerous.¡± She murmured to herself. ¡°Going off the energy it¡¯s giving off¡­ a hydra? Not only that, but it¡¯s a hydra at the peak of its potential.¡±

    She let out a soft sigh. ¡°It is truly unbelievable. Lull is entering another tumultuous era.¡±

    Lull was a world with a long and storied history. It often featured cycles of destruction and rebirth, not unlike that of a phoenix. She had lived through quite a few of those cycles, and knew of many more.

    The peace of today was bound to break soon. Nothing made that clearer than the appearance of a calamity-class monster.

    A hydra at the peak of its potential was an incredibly dangerous monster. It was a veteran of countless battles, and a being capable of massive destruction. To the rest of the world, it was known as a Calamity Hydra. It was a simple name, but there was charm in its simplicity.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    The last known appearance of a Calamity Hydra was over one million years ago. That was a time when the nine Gods still ruled. To get from then to now, Lull had to go through a disgusting number of rebirths.

    ¡°Still, this is a good thing. In order to survive in these chaotic times, we need strong individuals. It hasn¡¯t happened in the past, but maybe it¡¯s time for the dragons of this world to finally gather in solidarity.¡± At such a fanciful thought, another sigh leaked out from her lips.

    The dragons were a very stratified species. There were many different kinds of dragons, but all of them were famed for their great personal strength and rather¡­ unique personalities. If there ever comes a time when Lull¡¯s dragons unite under one banner, then the world would become nothing more than the dragon race¡¯s playground.

    Unfortunately, such a reality would never come to fruition.

    The woman shook her head in disappointment. She cleared away her wandering thoughts as she focused back on the subject at hand. ¡°Where did this little fellow come from though?¡± She once again looked out into the distance. ¡°Judging by the location¡­ Ilpin forest, is it?¡±

    A peculiar glint flashed through her eyes. ¡°So, it was in her territory, huh?¡±

    In truth, she did not find it all that surprising. After all, calamity class monsters could only be birthed in a place teeming with death and danger. Ilpin forest certainly possessed such qualifications. After all, what could possibly be worse than the forbidden regions of Lull?

    A somewhat expectant expression colored her face. The woman took a sip of her tea before she continued her one-sided conversation. ¡°When it gains wisdom, I think I¡¯ll go pay it a visit. Hydras are somewhat violent, but to make up for it, they are often simple-minded creatures. Blockheads are a lot easier to control than the ones that like to think a lot.¡±

    She repeatedly nodded to herself.

    ¡°Still, how long will it take? If it wants to attain a human form and gain intelligence, then being strong will not be enough. That is only one qualification.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Well, since that child¡¯s already gotten this far, then it shouldn¡¯t take all that long for it to gain wisdom.¡±

    Regardless of the fact that there was nobody else around but her, the woman kept talking. It was pretty obvious by now, but this person was extremely lonely.

    ¡°But a Calamity Hydra is a very difficult dragon to nurture. Just what exactly happened in Ilpin forest?¡±

    The circumstances needed to birth such a creature were extremely difficult to achieve. It wasn¡¯t just a simple accumulation of strength like many other calamity-class monsters. A Calamity Hydra was the type of thing that only came out after a baptism of battle.

    A Calamity Hydra¡¯s main trait lay in the number of heads that it possessed. According to her knowledge, the heads numbered over one hundred. The more heads it possessed, the stronger it was. Naturally, such a thing could only happen after it repeatedly experienced torturous levels of combat.

    Of course, wantonly slicing off a hydra¡¯s head wasn¡¯t enough. The most important factor was stimulation and, in this world, there was no better stimulation than death. If a hydra had its heads repeatedly sliced off while fully knowing it wouldn¡¯t really die, then there was no point. That was why a Calamity Hydra only arose after countless battles. The sensation of near-death wasn¡¯t something that anybody could just fabricate.

    It was impossible to force the creation of a calamity-class hydra. At the very least, it hadn¡¯t happened yet. After all, there was nobody in this world who would purposely let their enemies grow stronger.

    Just as her thoughts began to wander, the woman¡¯s expression suddenly hardened. Her ears violently twitched as she hurriedly stood up. ¡°What the hell?! It¡­ it died!¡±

    Various thoughts and questions raced through her head.

    ¡°Why did it abruptly die? Is it just hiding its aura? That shouldn¡¯t be the case¡­ it¡¯s dead, it clearly died, but¡­ how?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t all that uncommon for a hydra to die part way through the evolutionary process. Dying after successfully evolving though, now that was rare. Calamity hydras were creatures said to possess strength great enough to destroy an entire nation in under one night. For something like that to die so quickly after evolving¡­ the world was truly a dangerous place.

    Unless it was taking a nap or something, she could not even begin to picture the circumstances of its death.

    ¡°¡­¡± She breathed out a light sigh. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but I guess you weren¡¯t strong enough.¡±

    Although a fellow member of her race had just perished, the woman did not feel all that bad. After all, the hydra was just a stranger. She admired it for its strength and potential, but since it died, it had nothing to do with her anymore. Still, she was curious.

    What had killed it?

    ¡°Should I take a quick peek and look?¡± She wondered to herself. ¡°But if I do that¡­¡± She furrowed her brow. While she was curious, in the end, she chose not to pry. The hydra was already dead. There was no point in antagonizing whatever killed it. Despite living a hermit lifestyle, she very much valued her life. A being that could kill a Calamity-class monster was not one to be taken lightly.

    ¡°Still, what a shame¡­ I had such high hopes too. What a crying shame¡­¡± With a sigh, the lone figure shook her head and took another sip of her tea. It may have just been her imagination, but today, the tea tasted a tad bit more bitter than usual.

 Chapter 31: The Pains of Labor

    Back in the forest, Ellis had just successfully slain the hydra.

    Blood freely poured out from its severed necks. Soon, the hole had completely filled up and transformed into a blood pool.

    Ellis breathed out a sigh. At the same time, Ena jumped off his shoulder and sprinted to the pool. Without hesitation, she dove right into the viscous blood. He stared at her with a bitter expression.

    I did most of the work, but this brat just comes out of nowhere and reaps all the rewards like that? He shook his head. Life truly was unfair.

    Despite the way he acted, in truth, he hadn¡¯t actually expected Ena or anybody else to take action. The fight just now had been extremely dangerous. At their current level, whether it was Plush, Wight or even Ena, none of them would have been of much help. In fact, if they really had attempted to help, they would have served to do more harm than good.

    It was enough with just him.

    After the battle, the original oppressive aura that permeated the surroundings gradually dissipated. Ellis did not notice any of it, but to Wight and the wolves, it was as if the clouds had just parted after a rainy day. They trotted towards the blood pond.

    Wight glared at the hydra¡¯s corpse with narrowed eyes. Even though it was just a dead body, she could still feel a heavy aura of danger exuding out from its every pore. Wight once again reaffirmed her weakness. Within this forest, the strength that she had acquired was negligible.

    If she continued down this path, then she would always remain as baggage, someone destined to be a burden to her precious master.

    While such complicated thoughts flashed through her head, the wolf pack arrived by the blood pool.

    A few of the wolves gingerly approached the edge of the pool and sniffed. They stared inquisitively at their crimson faces reflected off the blood¡¯s surface.

    In comparison to their reticence, Ena was currently having the time of her life. Her entire body was coated in crimson red. Her jaws twisted into a wide smile. She swam in the pool with pure ecstasy in her eyes. When she saw the hesitant wolves crowding around the edges of the crater, rather than the usual irritation that she felt, today, she was strangely jovial.

    In her abnormally happy state of mind, she suddenly had the urge to share the good times with everyone else.

    Ena playfully waved her tail. The clueless wolves were suddenly caught off guard as a strong gust of wind swept them off their feet. It pushed them into the pool.

    SPLASH!

    Ellis looked up. He heard the splashing. He breathed out a tired sigh. ¡°Even the wolves are having fun. Augh, life truly is unfair!¡±

    As the only ¡®adult¡¯ in this group, he had responsibilities and obligations that he had to take care of. Unlike those children, he could not just run off and play. There were still a lot of things that he needed to do before he could properly relax.

    Ellis walked over to the corpse. It was half submerged within the pool. Due to his previous efforts, the body had been practically drained of all of its blood. This was actually a good thing. He had read about it once online, but it was important to drain blood the moment you killed something. That way, the meat won¡¯t get contaminated.

    Ellis had tested this out before, and he did have to admit, the meat really did come out better when it wasn¡¯t contaminated with blood.

    It was a good thing that the blood had already been drained, but he still needed to fish the corpse out of the pool. If he left it there, then Ena might accidentally absorb the meat¡¯s essence, similar to what had happened with the first dragon.

    After he fully removed the giant corpse from the blood pool, Ellis breathed out a sigh.

    Today¡¯s haul was guaranteed to be of high quality.

    In addition, he also fished out the three hundred something severed heads and piled them all up in a stack next to the corpse.

    Wading in the pool in order to retrieve the heads had left his body sticky and wet from all the blood. Ellis did not know why Ena liked it so much. It probably had to do with the fact that she knew how to absorb the blood into her body. Unfortunately, he did not know how to do that, so the blood pool was useless to him. All it did was leave him wet and sticky. It was an uncomfortable sensation, but his troubles were just beginning.

    Ellis still needed to gut the corpse and descale the entire thing. The latter was definitely something that he wasn¡¯t looking forward to doing.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A hill-sized corpse and a mound of severed necks¡­ staring at the whole thing left him feeling demoralized. Daunting. The sight was too daunting!This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°How long will this all take?¡± Even asking that question sapped away at what little enthusiasm his bitter heart contained.

    He quickly looked away. In an attempt to escape reality, he turned back over to the blood pool. ¡°I wonder how those rascals are doing?¡±

    While Ellis was destined to a future of grueling work, those guys were currently living it up and having a jolly good time relaxing in the pool. It made him jealous. Stronger men than him would have killed for far less.

    He looked over but what he saw shocked him.

    Ena acted as how he had predicted. She was currently enjoying herself and living her best life. She floated along the surface with a content expression on her face. Her tails occasionally wagged behind her.

    In comparison, the wolves were in living hell.

    Their faces contorted into something ugly. Anguish, fear, and despair. Such emotions were fully conveyed through each crease of their brow and each twitch of their jaws.

    Is hydra blood poisonous? Since the hydra could spit out poison, this possibility did not surprise him at all. He closely observed the wolves.

    Sure enough, after a few seconds, their complexions suddenly darkened. Black veins appeared all over their body, while gunk like liquid discharged from almost every orifice.

    It really is poisonous! Leaving them in there for any longer would be a bad idea!

    The struggling wolves desperately swam towards the shore. Unfortunately, their attempts were in vain. Ena quickly noticed the commotion. She stared at wolves for a while, before she let out an exaggerated scoff.

    ¡®I gave you something good, but you can¡¯t even appreciate it, you ungrateful bastards!¡¯ was what her eyes were conveying.

    Green light suddenly gathered around the little fox¡¯s body. The light spread throughout the entire blood pool. The black veins receded and color returned to their complexion. The wolves had recovered, but their expressions remained twisted in anguish.

    A few minutes passed. It did not take long before their faces once again distorted in pain. When that happened, Ena simply healed them again. The wolves would immediately get better, but their state of mind was rapidly crumbling.

    Naturally, such a scene repeated itself over and over again.

    Whenever they tried to escape the pool, Ena would personally drag them back in. She truly did want to share all her good graces, what a magnanimous little girl.

    Thus, in the company of Ena¡¯s devilish smile, the wolves were forced to endure hellish torture.

    Seeing all this, Ellis decided to just quietly keep his head down and do the things he needed to do.

    ****

    In a blink of an eye, ten days passed.

    The blood pool finally ran dry. Ena and the wolves had absorbed all of it.

    Ena walked out of the hole with a satisfied expression on her face. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised, while her fur looked clean and airy. For some reason, there was not a single splotch of red anywhere on her body. She looked no different from an aristocratic lady¡¯s pampered pet.

    In comparison, Wight and the wolves were soaked head to toe in blood. Their eyes looked desolate, while their legs shivered uncontrollably. They were not in any real physical pain, but the mental torture that they had just experienced was enough to break any normal person¡¯s mind.

    Their current condition all stemmed from one individual. Ena, the tiny, smiling sadist. From this day forth, the little fox was forever etched into their hearts as the devil incarnate.

    Then, there was Ellis. It took ten days and ten sleepless nights of nonstop working before he finally descaled the entire carcass. Naturally, after such a long period of grinding, Ellis was certifiably an expert in descaling, especially when it came to dragon necks.

    Right now, he stood before three piles of scales.

    The first pile consisted of entirely black scales. This was the largest pile, both in terms of quantity and size. In fact, a single black scale was almost twice as big as his entire chest. The second pile consisted of pale purple scales. These scales were slightly elastic. They originally covered the creature¡¯s underbelly and neck. There were also quite a few of these.

    The last pile could not really be considered a pile. It consisted only of a single scale. It was a dark black and slightly elastic scale. Ellis found this beauty near the center of its chest, right where the necks originally diverged.

    ¡°Is it something like a reverse scale?¡± He did not know much, but according to all the books and novels that he had read, reverse scales were precious.

    When Ena first saw the scale, she immediately wanted it. Luckily, he stopped her just in time. Although he did not know the specifics, this thing looked valuable. He wasn¡¯t about to hand it over to a greedy fox who spent the entire ten days doing nothing but relax and torture others.

    The ¡®third scale¡¯ was smaller than all the others. It was only slightly smaller than a page from a notebook. It was pretty thin too, less than a sixth of the thickness of a chopping board. He hid the scale between the pages of the unknown book that he had gotten from the lagoon.

    Afterward, he had Ena store the rest of the scales into her pouch. Despite the amount, the pouch showed no outward signs of strain or duress. It was like a bottomless abyss.

    After looking back at the now naked corpse, Ellis thought about what to do with it.

    ¡°I should probably take the meat too, right?¡±

    Ellis hadn¡¯t eaten a single thing since the battle. He had been preoccupied with his task. Ten days without food was enough to starve a man to death. To Ellis, it just made him really, really hungry.

    Hydra meat definitely tasted good. After all, it was meat from the SSS+ class ingredient known as the dragon. Luckily, the meat was undamaged. It was a far cry from the first dragon. Back then, Ena had absorbed the meat¡¯s essence or something along those lines. The end result was a mummified corpse that could not be eaten.

    Thankfully, he had prevented that outcome. Meat was meant to be eaten, not absorbed.

    Ellis deboned and sectioned off the meat. The flank, the chuck, the round, the ribeye¡­ soon, a mountain of blood-pink assorted meats stood before him.

    ¡°As expected, there¡¯s a lot of neck meat.¡± More than half the total meat consisted solely of neck meat.

    Aside from that, Ellis decided to also bring along the hydra¡¯s bones. The wolves quite enjoyed gnawing on bones. In fact, their affection for it far outstripped their affection for dragon scales and came close to their affection for meat.

    After he sorted out the meat and the bones, all that was left were the organs. Ellis did not really care for these. Aside from the heart, which was more muscle than organ, he discarded the rest of the hydra.

    That night, Ellis and company enjoyed the wonders of hydra meat. They even tested out the creation of a new type of dragon spice. No, rather than call it new, this new spice was more of an upgraded version of the old spice.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t like he was complaining. Hydra meat tasted even better when slathered with hydra spice. The spice had a slight kick to it, sort of like hot sauce.

    Eating it raw¡­ wasn¡¯t it like spicy barbeque flavored potato chips?

    He let out a quiet sigh. ¡°Dragons really are amazing creatures¡­¡±

 Chapter 32: The Results of Training

    The very next day, the group continued along on their journey. They returned to the river and once again followed it upstream.

    By this point, although five years late, Ellis had pretty much come to terms with his situation. He gave up on the notion of ever reaching civilization. In retrospect, this sort of thing was obvious.

    This damn forest was far too dangerous for human settlement. At most, he might be able to find tribes of wild men reminiscent of the barbaric ¡®lost people¡¯ of the Amazon Rain Forest. Hoping for anything else would be just wishful thinking.

    He played around with the thought of settling down, but ultimately decided against it. The forest was not the right place to do so. It was far too difficult to set up a home in a place like this. Dark and gloomy, the constant threat of monster attacks guaranteed that there would be no such thing as a peaceful life within this forest.

    If Ellis really was going to settle down, he would much rather prefer somewhere brighter, and a tad bit quieter. Maybe a place by the ocean or something.

    Well, that was a thought for another day. Right now, all Elis wanted was to see where the river would take him.

    Bottling in all of his secret hopes and wishful dreams, like this, another year passed.

    It had already been six years since he first awakened inside that old mausoleum. In that time, a lot has changed.

    Ena had grown taller, although not by much. Her growth was the type that could only be kept track of through one-centimeter increments. Since the encounter with the hydra, she grew three centimeters in height. It wasn¡¯t really much of a growth period, but for children, keeping track of little things like this was what mattered the most.

    Ellis did not know how long it took for normal foxes to mature, but one thing was clear: Ena would not be maturing anytime soon.

    In comparison, the wolves had grown quite a lot. Right now, most of them were slightly larger than a normal sized leopard from Earth. Like last time, Plush and Wight differed from this norm.

    Since the hydra encounter, Plush exploded in size. Currently, he was comparable to a large grizzly bear. Wight, on the other hand, was tiny. She grew maybe two inches taller since then. Not much progress to write home about.

    Naturally, the wolves also got stronger. They were already fairly strong even before then, but their strength really improved by leaps and bounds over the last year. In terms of individual combat strength alone, they were close to unrivaled. Only complete outliers like the hydra would be able to defeat them.

    Wight, as the leader of the pack, showed the greatest improvement. She was someone who specialized in speed, not at all surprising, considering her size.

    As for how fast she was¡­ between dropping a pebble from a thousand feet up in the air and Wight sprinting a distance of one thousand feet, the little wolf would reach her destination first. Essentially, she was faster than this world¡¯s pull of gravity.

    Well, truth be told, that¡¯s not really much of a comparison. Wight was way, way faster than gravity.

    Her speed even allowed her to fight on par with Ena. Of course, this was only in terms of match-up. In an objective comparison between the two, then Ena was clearly more ¡®powerful¡¯, mainly because of her access to a wide variety of special abilities. Still, if it was in a one on one fight, then both competitors were more or less evenly matched.

    The reason lay purely in Wight¡¯s speed. She was simply too fast to hit.

    This revelation greatly affected Ena. It was sort of like a wake-up call, or rather, it gave her a deep sense of crisis. The rate of her disappearances increased. Often times, she would leave for two to three days at a time. When she returned, her entire body was covered from head to toe in all sorts of injuries. This was saying a lot, considering the fact that Ena had access to nigh-omnipotent healing magic.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    As for Wight, she lived an idyllic life. Eating meat and getting her head rubbed, it was like the roles had been reversed. Still, she did not get careless. Wight constantly trained. She knew quite well that the moment she slipped up, Ena would take advantage of that and mercilessly bully her.

    Well, this sort of situation was something that Ellis had predicted to some extent. Ena was arrogant and lazy, so it wasn¡¯t at all surprising that the hard-working Wight eventually caught up to her.

    While he had predicted this outcome, that¡¯s not to say that there were no surprises along the way. For one, Umbra surprised him greatly.

    Umbra was Wight¡¯s biological brother. He also happened to be the second strongest wolf within the pack.

    From the start, Umbra was a very negative character. He was always dark and broody. Ellis could not quite explain it. He did not look that outwardly different from the rest of the wolves, but you could just tell. The foggy gloom that hovered over his head was almost palpable. If he was a human, then he would have been the kid who sat in the back of the classroom with a trench coat and a giant duffel bag by his side. Or maybe just the quiet kid in class that nobody talks to.

    A depressing fellow, but for one reason or another, Cocoa quite liked him.

    In summary, Umbra underwent an evolution. His change was related to poison.

    It had happened after the incident with the blood pool. While the other wolves suffered, somewhere within Umbra¡¯s body, a change had occurred. It was like he adapted to the poison and took it in as his own.

    A magical permutation¡­ or something along those lines.

    Now, he had developed the ability to create poison. He could spit out poison, and he could excrete poison from his pores. He was a poisonous, no, a venomous wolf. The poison also appeared voluntary, meaning he could turn it on and off at will.

    His evolution could be considered a good thing. Because of it, Umbra had grown stronger. Unfortunately, for the person in question, this change was not at all a positive one.

    After his evolution was discovered, Ena¡¯s attention suddenly locked onto Umbra. She stared at him with zealous eyes. It was as if she had just found a new toy to play with.

    During Ena¡¯s periodic disappearances, she would occasionally return with an assortment of new items. A sac of something squishy and vile, a purple flower that exuded out black smog, and a charcoal-like herb with tendril-like roots akin to a jellyfish. All of the items she brought back were either poisonous, acidic, or corrosive!

    She force-fed these things to Umbra. Despite his new evolution, Umbra did not enjoy the ¡®snacks¡¯ that she brought back. It wasn¡¯t that he was negatively affected by it, but rather, he did not like the taste. It was bitter and disgusting, like eating rotten lemons or drinking sewage water.

    Ena enjoyed watching his face distort in disgust. To her, it was like a new past-time.

    Well, despite the terrible process, in the long run, all the poisons that Umbra ingested helped him grow stronger. The toxicity of his poisons improved and so did his control over it. Through arduous training, he learned how to control the lethality.

    Not only that, but he also developed different types of poisons. Paralyzing poisons, numbing poisons, corrosive poisons, diarrhea-inducing poisons, the list goes on and on. Umbra took on the qualities of all the poisonous items that he ingested.

    With his poison alone, Umbra was now considerably stronger than the first dragon that they had encountered.

    If the wolves were to team up and attack together, they probably stood a fairly good chance at defeating the hydra. After all, the wolf pack¡¯s strongest point was teamwork.

    As for the power structure, Wight was the strongest, followed by Umbra, Cobalt, Cinder, Tangerine, Plush, and Cocoa. Third to sixth place regularly fluctuated, but Cocoa was the undisputed weakest of the wolves. Of course, that was only relative to the wolf pack. In terms of this forest, she was still fairly capable. Still, whether it was the weakest or the strongest, none of that really mattered. She was doted on by the other wolves.

    She was the uncrowned the little princess of the pack. Her brothers pampered her endlessly. Unfortunately, she only ever showed interest in the gloomy Umbra. Things like giving him food, licking his wounds clean, and rubbing her head against his neck, Cocoa was quite bold in her actions. She acted like a flirty high-schooler with a crush on her childhood friend.

    For the most part, Umbra found the whole situation troubling. Whether he really was troubled, or if he was just putting on airs, nobody really knows. One thing was clear though: his attitude rubbed others the wrong way.

    The doting older brother alliance comprised of Plush, Cobalt, Cinder, and Tangerine all redirected their resentment to the innocuous Umbra.

    Not only was he being bullied by a certain little fox, but he was also ostracized by all the other males in the pack¡­ his only ally, his sister, also didn¡¯t do much to help. Wight was too busy training and playing around with her master. Neglected and harassed, Umbra really was quite unfortunate.

    Ellis shook his head.

    A lot had happened during the last year, but regardless, they continued on their journey, delving even deeper into the forest.

 Chapter 33: A Random Encounter with A Monster

    Ellis looked up at the sky.

    He couldn¡¯t actually see the sky, only the endless canopy of trees that covered the forest. Rays of light occasionally pierced through the leaves and illuminated the world around him.

    For the past few months, the forest had been bombarded with heavy rainfall. It was a downpour decorated with the occasional lightning flash and crackling thunder. Strong winds passed through the leaves and rattled the branches.

    The forest floor wasn¡¯t quite as affected as the outside world. The trees blocked off most of the rain. Still, even if it was only a mild drizzle, the air still felt damp and humid. For a man who walked around naked all the time, this was certainly not the best weather to be in.

    Luckily, the weather had begun to clear up. Not a single drop of rain had fallen for the last three days.

    Ellis surmised that the region that the forest was in had only two types of seasons: a hot season and a wet season. Usually, places like these tended to be located near the equator. It wasn¡¯t much, but this discovery gave Ellis a rough understanding of his current location relative to the rest of the world.

    Looking up at the canopy, he could picture the bright burning sun hovering over a clear, cloudless sky.

    Today was another ordinary day.

    The group was walking along the bank of the river when Ena¡¯s ears suddenly perked up.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ellis noticed the change and looked over.

    Usually, Ena would not even bother reacting whenever monsters came running out of the underbrush to attack them. To her, those types of enemies were simply nuisances, things that she could not even bother dealing with.

    There were very few things in this world that could cause her to react like that. He wondered whether or not she had found another dragon. Ena really ¡®loved¡¯ dragons, after all.

    To his surprise, she shook her head.

    ¡°No? It¡¯s not dragons?¡± Ellis thought for a moment. ¡°Then is it a strong enemy?¡±

    A strong adversary was probably the only other thing that could cause Ena to react like that.

    There were very few monsters within this forest that Ellis¡¯s group of freaks would consider strong. In this case, strong monsters referred to those that rivaled the hydra in power. So far, they had met five such creatures.

    Ellis liked to refer to these guys as Boss-class monsters. In a sense, they were exactly that: monsters that lorded over a small chunk of the forest.

    After the encounter with the hydra, Ena would occasionally drag their group away from the river and venture deep into the forest. Sometimes, these trips lasted only for a few days. Other times, it took upwards of five months to finish. These trips always ended with an encounter with a boss-class monster.

    Ellis concluded that these guys were like kings of their own little hill. They lorded over a specific area of the forest, like little overlords playing kingdom.

    For him, they served as perfect training partners. The rest of the group viewed these encounters rather differently from Ellis¡¯s lackadaisical attitude. For Wight and the wolves, they were life-and-death experiences. They also happened to be the perfect stimulus for their growth. It pushed them to the very brink and allowed their untapped potential to overflow.

    Their current strength was only possible thanks to these constant encounters.

    The Bosses of this forest rivaled the hydra in strength. Of course, that was only in terms of the hydra in its initial form (14 heads).

    The strongest monster that they encountered was a creature that resembled a giant t-rex. It had possessed strength that was about half as strong as the hydra¡¯s final form (pure estimation). Back then, everyone almost died (except him, of course). A harrowing experience, but nonetheless, it contributed to their growth.

    Since it had been a monster with a dragon-like appearance, naturally, they looted its entire corpse. Whether that were bones, blood, scales, even its teeth, they took everything.

    Although the memories of those sleepless nights of descaling still sent shivers down his spine, reminiscing over the past brought a slight smile to his lips.

    ¡°Is it actually a strong enemy?¡± He repeated again.

    Ena looked somewhat conflicted. After some hesitation, she shrugged her shoulders. She made an expression as if to say, ¡°It¡¯s only so-so.¡±

    ¡°Eh, then it¡¯s not worth pursuing. Why even bring it up?¡± Even Ellis had grown disdainful of all the cannon fodder that constantly attacked them. Rather than the excitement of battle, those guys only served to annoy him.

    In response, the little fox shook her head. She made a few gestures with her paws. In the end, she told him that there was no point in finding it. The monster in question was heading straight towards them.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ellis raised his brow. He felt somewhat surprised. Usually, they were the ones who chased after strong enemies, never the other way around.

    Before he could think any further, he heard a noise coming from somewhere in the distance. Turning around, he saw something break past the tree line. Ellis furrowed his brow.

    ¡°That¡¯s a¡­¡±

    It was a creature that resembled a troll. Humanoid in shape, but feral in appearance. It had a large hunched back and pale-yellow skin covered in welts. Its arms were thick and muscular while its legs were short and stout. Its most notable feature was the pot belly sticking out from its gut.

    The Troll mindlessly rushed towards them.

    As he watched, Ellis noticed a peculiarity. For some reason, its eyes were hazy. There was something wrong with its mind.

    With one glance, he was able to ascertain a few things. This thing was a little bit weaker than a normal Boss-class monster. Still, it was fairly stronger than most. It stood at a height of fifty feet, a somewhat average height for the creatures of this forest.

    Ellis was concerned about its eyes.

    Was it drugged? Poisoned maybe? Umbra knew how to produce hallucinogenic poisons with his ability, so it wasn¡¯t that farfetched to imagine that there was someone else out there capable of a similar feat. Still, to his understanding, poisonous monsters were quite rare within this forest. Maybe it was something else. A flower or plant might be able to produce a similar effect.

    He wasn¡¯t very sure about the whole thing, but that was a problem for a later time. For now, he needed to deal with this overzealous guest.

    After some thought, he decided to confront the Troll head on. Since it was a rare humanoid monster, it was the perfect opportunity to practice his rusty spearmanship.

    He held his spear and swung at the approaching beast. In an instant, he sliced off its arm. The severed appendage fell to the floor with a wet squelch.

    Ellis was about to swing again when he suddenly widened his eyes in surprise.

    The arm that he had just cut off, it instantly regenerated!

    For the first time, he was thoroughly startled. The Boss-class monsters that he had encountered all possessed some form of enhanced recovery, but they paled in comparison to the hydra, who possessed the ability to regrow its heads. The troll¡¯s high-speed regeneration was on a whole other level. Its arm grew back in almost a blink of an eye!

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis thought for a moment. He then turned to Ena. ¡°When I give the signal, you send out a fireball, got it? Make sure you aim for its left arm.¡±

    ¡°Kyuu!¡± Ena nodded.

    She did not know what her master was planning, but that didn¡¯t really matter all that much to her. Ena¡¯s eyes were still locked onto the distant forest.

    Ellis was too preoccupied to realize her abnormal state. He glared at the troll and quietly waited for it to approach.

    The creature let out a loud roar before it dashed forward!

    Ellis suddenly shouted, ¡°Now!¡±

    At the same time, he moved in to strike. His figure blurred, a black bolt of lightning descended down onto the Troll¡¯s left arm. The arm came flying off.

    Almost at the exact same time as when he severed its arm, a searing ball of flame rocketed towards the Troll.

    BOOM!

    The smell of burning flesh filled the air. When the smoke cleared, he saw clearly that its arm had been transformed into nothing more than a burnt stump. For a moment, he thought it had worked. Unfortunately, he was proven wrong a mere five seconds later.

    Although somewhat slower than last time, the creature¡¯s high-speed regeneration still kicked in. Its new arm looked no different from the old.

    ¡°That didn¡¯t work either¡­¡± Ellis muttered to himself.

    The Troll once again charged. He reacted by kicking it. The creature soared through the air before it crashed into a tree nearly one hundred feet away.

    With this, Ellis now had a bit more time to think.

    Will cutting its head work? He felt somewhat hesitant at the thought. If it was like the hydra and had the ability to also regrow its head, then he would truly be left with no other option short of drowning it in the river.

    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s a brilliant idea!¡± He unconsciously blurted out to himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just drown it in the river. Going by how heavily this thing panted, surely it still needs to breathe.¡±

    By this point, the Troll had recovered. It got up, shook its head, and once again attacked. In response, a slight smirk floated to his lips. Ellis rushed forward and jumped onto its neck. He grabbed the creature by its ears and stirred it towards the river.

    The wolves seemingly understood his intentions. They tackled the Troll¡¯s back, further pushing it forward.

    SPLASH!

    Like that, the Troll and Ellis both fell into the river.

    Although the river was a bit shallower than before, it was still considerably deep. When they first hit the water, the Troll struggled quite fiercely. Still, Ellis was persistent. He clung to the creature with a standard chokehold.

    Bubbles danced all around him. No matter how fiercely it fought, Ellis held on tightly. It eventually realized that getting rid of the bug on its back was next to impossible. At that point, the Troll attempted to swim back to shore.

    Naturally, he stopped it.

    He wrestled the thing even deeper into the river. Ellis was quite adept at holding his breath. He had tested it out previously. He could go twelve hours without needing to surface. Back then, the only reason he eventually did surface was because he had gotten bored. If push comes to shove, Ellis could probably go for even longer.

    After a grueling six hours underwater, the Troll finally lost its strength. After a while, the last of the air escaped from its lungs. A single bubble left its mouth and rose to the surface. Five more minutes later, the Troll passed out.

    Ellis could tell that it wasn¡¯t quite dead yet, and only just lost consciousness. At this point, he breathed out a sigh.

    Thank god this worked. It would¡¯ve seriously sucked had this not worked. He would have wasted six hours for nothing.

    He grabbed the unconscious troll by the foot and dragged it back to the surface.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m finally back!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but shout the moment he broke through the water¡¯s surface. ¡°My plan worked.¡±

    Ellis shouted towards the wolves, but when he looked over, he immediately froze.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Sitting there, surrounded by seven wolves and one fox, was a single woman. The woman looked clearly frightened. The wolves bared their teeth at her. They growled and snarled. Even Ena showed wariness on her face.

    The lady had pale skin and dark lines beneath her eyes. She wore a sloppy outfit that consisted of an unbuttoned white blouse and a torn skirt. Due to the nature of her outfit, a large portion of her chest was visible. From his initial observations, Ellis concluded one thing: it was a very bountiful bust.

    For some reason, she was wearing a witch¡¯s hat.

    Right now, she sat on her knees with her back straight and her hands in her lap.

    The lady looked up at him. A peculiar gaze colored her face.

    Ellis stared back.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This woman¡­ she was the first person he had ever encountered in over six years.

 Chapter 34: The Witch who Lives in Solitude

    Ilpin Forest.

    It was a place with a rather infamous reputation. The old god¡¯s burial, the land where nature came to die, the world¡¯s number one hotbed for monsters, it had many such ominous titles. Most people knew it simply as one of the nine forbidden regions of Lull.

    Located somewhere near the western coast of Lull¡¯s only supercontinent, it was a place most known for its dangerous monsters. The creatures that lived there were the type that could ravage the entire continent if they were to ever escape. For those foolish enough to enter, death would be the kindest outcome.

    Naturally, there were no human cities or civilized settlements within a place like this. Still, that did not mean that Ilpin forest was completely devoid of humans.

    The forest was dangerous, but as with all dangerous things, it hid within it something precious. Ironically, that precious something also happened to be the one thing that made the forest so dangerous: the monsters.

    All the beasts within the forest were of high quality. From the hides on their backs to the teeth in their mouths, their body parts were immensely valuable. Often times, an Ilpin monster¡¯s corpse sold for a lot back in the civilized world.

    Each and every year, there were plenty of adventurers who willingly ventured into the forest with hopes of striking it rich. Most were those with confidence in their own strength, while others were simply desperate madmen at the end of their wits. Regardless, hundreds entered, but only a sparse few survived.

    Still, the tales of riches and success stories that often followed those survivors was enough to spur on the next batch of death seekers.

    Amidst all the fools and hotheads, there existed one special individual.

    A witch.

    She was a witch who lived somewhere within the depths of the forest, in a place where no other adventurer dared to venture. It sounded unbelievable, but there was indeed such a person. Counting the current year, she had lived in Ilpin forest for over one hundred years now.

    In the past, she held some fame amongst the various countries scattered around the world, but after so long, her reputation meant nothing. She was simply another inconsequential note on the pages of history. Right now, such an innocuous individual spent her days inside the world¡¯s most dangerous forest.

    Currently, she was in the middle of her annual hunt. Her prey? Trolls.

    A Troll was a rather common breed of monster. Like humans, they populated most of the continent. As long as it was somewhere lush and forested, then there was about a fifty-fifty percent chance that some variation of a troll lived there.

    Of course, like with all things, Trolls divided into different subspecies. Each variant possessed unique traits that set them apart from the others. The only thing they shared in common was their incredible healing factor.

    The subspecies with one of the strongest healing factors could only be found within the depth of Ilpin forest.

    The Grandelier Troll. It was a type of Troll spoken about only in legends. Its recovery was so outstanding, that it could heal wounds while in the midst of taking damage. It was the sort of rule-breaking creature that could regenerate lost limbs in the blink of an eye.

    As with tradition, the witch of the forest went out to search for Trolls.

    She had been tracking a particular Troll for over a month now.

    Trolls were creatures of solitude. The only exception to this rule was during the brief stint of time when they bore children. During such instances, they moved around in a family unit in order to raise their children. Normally, this unit consisted of two parental Trolls and a litter of young. These periods of childcare lasted for approximately two years.

    The witch had kept track of a particular female Troll. She had watched as it entered its breeding season and mated with a male. She waited a few months after it gave birth before she decided to finally make her move.

    She did not like to do things directly, and instead, implemented traps. In this case, she was not at all that different from a seasoned hunter. Well, except for the fact that her traps utilized magic.

    This year¡¯s trap featured a dual magic array that could incite both drowsiness and mental inhibition. At the beginning, it worked quite well. The female troll along with her litter easily succumbed to the trap and lost consciousness.

    Unfortunately, something happened when it came to the male troll. To her surprise, it had an innate resistance to the drowsiness spell. It wasn¡¯t enough to call it a mutation, but this troll was definitely stronger than most normal Grandelier trolls. What¡¯s more, because of the first spell¡¯s failure, the second spell (mind inhibition) only served to enrage it. The creature went on a rampage and escaped into the forest.

    The Witch only gave chase after she had properly handled the other trolls. After all, a drowsiness spell would not last all that long, especially for a creature with such strong vitality as a Grandelier Troll.

    After they properly died, she then sprinkled some monster repellant all over their corpses, before she proceeded to follow the male Troll¡¯s trail.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    She had a somewhat rough understanding of the forest¡¯s layout. Judging by the direction that it had fled to, the male Troll was heading straight for the river.

    The witch naturally chased after him, but when she broke through the clearing and arrived at the river, the sight before her eyes shocked her.

    Monsters.

    There were eight in total. One fox and seven wolves.

    She recognized the breed. Burrow Wolves. They were a subspecies of wolf only found within Ilpin forest. Burrow wolves lived in caves or underground burrows, hence the name. By this forest¡¯s standards, they were considered to be weak monsters. Still, the fact that they could survive in a forbidden region was a testament to their capability.

    Although individually, they were nothing special, their real power lay in their numbers.

    A normal pack of Burrow wolves numbered near the 200s. If it was together, then they could even hunt down some of the stronger monsters in the forest.

    On paper, the wolf pack in front of her was weak. At least, if you only took into consideration their numbers. Reality was different. These guys, all of them were irregulars.

    Irregular monsters are monsters that surpass the original designation of their species. Usually, irregulars were¡­ well, irregular. Not only were they incredibly rare, but each one also possessed abnormal battle prowess.

    To see seven irregulars all at once¡­ that sort of thing was definitely unusual.

    The witch had some measure of confidence in her own ability. She could handle most of the monsters within this forest. Whether it was through combat or through running away, she had enough judgment and capability to safely do both. Essentially, she was a person who knew when to pick and choose her battles.

    What¡¯s more, the truly strong monsters usually stayed away from the river, so she had not expected to run into anything too dangerous on the way here.

    Unfortunately, she had been too na?ve. Because of her carelessness, she was now currently in a very precarious situation.

    What¡¯s more, there was still that fox. A red fox with nine tails¡­ a nine-tailed fox¡­

    Suffice to say, things looked dangerous.

    Even if it was her, in the face of such a line-up¡­ much less all of them, even if it was only one, she would still be similarly helpless.

    Also¡­ where did that Troll go? She silently wondered to herself as her eyes discreetly scanned her surroundings. Soon, she noticed a commotion occurring out in the river.

    The water churned. There were waves in what should have otherwise been a tranquil river.

    Is the Troll in the water?

    She took an unconscious step forward, to which the surrounding monsters immediately reacted. A wave of killing intent bombarded her. Her chest clenched while her courage immediately shriveled up.

    I came here to hunt trolls, what the heck is this situation!? Her heart cried out in indignation, but she did not dare to let out a single sound.

    While in the midst of her despair, the little fox suddenly stepped forward. Its nose was raised high in the air, while a rather arrogant looking sneer twisted its face. The fox made a gesture with its front paw. It pointed to the ground.

    The witch stared at the cute little creature for a while, before she suddenly realized what it wanted. At first, she was shocked.

    In Lull, foxes were known to be extremely territorial. The stronger variants were especially so.

    Did this little thing lay claim to the entire river? Such a thought came to mind, but the witch quickly dismissed it.

    Seeing the unnerving calm within the fox¡¯s eyes, the witch hesitated for a moment, before she eventually complied. She obediently sat down on the pebble-covered ground. Her knees immediately ached, but she gritted through the pain and acted as meekly as possible.

    As the witch quietly sat there, the monsters quickly surrounded her. Warm breath brushed against the back of her skin while a pair of clear black eyes stared straight at her. At this point, even if she wanted to escape, she couldn¡¯t.

    She could do nothing but wait and stare blankly at the churning river.

    Was the Troll fighting it out with another monster? Was that new monster a part of this weird ¡®pack¡¯? So many questions, yet so little answers.

    Six painfully long hours passed before the waves finally died down. Her legs were completely numb, but she did not have the mind to care about that right now. She braced herself for what was about to come next.

    A few minutes later, a loud shout echoed through the forest. A humanoid silhouette walked out of the water. It was dragging something that greatly resembled the foot of a Troll.

    The witch immediately tensed up. Humanoid monsters were always the hardest types to deal with. The Troll fell into the category of humanoid, but it was far from perfect. Generally, the more human a monster looked, the stronger it tended to be.

    When the creature stepped onto the river bank, her tense expression took an odd twist.

    That¡¯s a¡­ person? No, wait. That¡¯ s not right¡­

    Grey hair and dull white eyes that looked as if no light could shine through them. It was a homunculus. But what sort of homunculus can fight against a Grandelier Troll?

    Ignoring the questions in her head, the witch closely observed the creature in front of her.

    The homunculus took on the form of a young man in his early twenties. He looked a bit ordinary, if not slightly handsome. After about thirty seconds of intense scrutinization, her curious eyes gravitated towards a certain part of his body.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Her cheeks suddenly flushed red.

    T-that sort of size¡­ no, don¡¯t think about that! She hurriedly shook her head. M-more importantly, why is he naked?

    On the other end of the spectrum, Ellis had completely frozen up. It was almost impossible to believe, but right now, he was being stared at by an unknown woman!

    She was the first person he had seen in a long time. What¡¯s more, she was an incredible beauty.

    An unbuttoned white blouse that showcased a fair bit of skin. For some reason, she wore a pointy witch hat.

    Her hair was a dark black that reminded him of his own back on Earth. She had a single beauty mark underneath her left eye. She was cute. No, not just cute. Hot. Sexy. Sensual. She was a mature beauty, a woman who looked to be in her late twenties to early thirties.

    Ellis felt his whole body tense up.

    A year without female contact¡­ a year by himself¡­ a year of social isolation¡­ a year of being completely naked! What happened next¡­ it couldn¡¯t be helped. It was an accident. It was an accident that couldn¡¯t be helped.

    A part of his body reacted.

    It wasn¡¯t just any part, but rather, it was that part. That part of his body stood up.

    Seeing this, the witch¡¯s blush intensified. She tried to look somewhere else, but she found it impossible to pry her eyes away.

    For the most part, Ellis was distracted. He did not notice the woman¡¯s intense gaze, nor did he notice that part of his body rising to action. In his daze, he mumbled out a barely coherent hello.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The witch opened her mouth to respond. Even after a few seconds, no words came out. Her lips flapped open and close. She looked up at his face, before her gaze lowered. After a while, it returned to his face before it went back down again. Her face reddened. Her eyes swirled.

    After what felt like an eternity, she quietly lowered her head. One inaudible sentence leaked out from her lips.

    ¡°P-please put on some clothes¡­¡±

    Her near silent words echoed loudly through his stunned ears.

 Chapter 35: The Witch with Too Many Thoughts in her Head

    Grisella Pip. She was a witch who lived inside the forest.

    The two walked through thick underbrush. Slung over his shoulder was the unconscious body of a giant Troll. Saliva dripped down from its slacked jaw and created a long trail that chased after his every footstep.

    Ellis stared at the back of her head. More specifically, he stared at her witch hat. It was black with dark brown stitching around its edges. The tip of the hat was slightly crooked.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The self-proclaimed witch walked ahead of him. A distance of ten feet separated the two. Every time he tried to get closer, Grisella would immediately walk faster. She made it a point to keep the distance at ten feet. Ellis could do nothing in the face of her obstinance.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena cried out from beside his feet. Wight, Plush, and the rest of the gang followed close by. Ellis slightly looked over. He wasn¡¯t sure, but the little fox was probably trying to cheer him up.

    Ellis let out a bitter smile. It had been so long since he last interacted with a woman (at least, a human one). He honestly could not tell whether his interpersonal skills had degraded in the six years he spent on this world or if he was just this bad from the very beginning.

    In either case, this silence is way too uncomfortable. He silently sighed to himself.

    ¡°So, why were you n-naked?¡± Grisella suddenly asked him.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Oh yeah, Ellis was finally wearing clothes. Grisella had given him a cloak. It wasn¡¯t much, and the howling winds of the forest still brought goosebumps to his skin, but at the very least, his body was covered.

    In addition, for some reason, Grisella was also wearing a cloak. It draped over her shoulders and reached down all the way to her ankles. It basically covered her entire body. She had pulled both cloaks out of something that resembled a storage bag. It was similar to the thing that Ena had, except hers was in the shape of a brown satchel.

    From what he could surmise, storage bags did not seem all that rare. As expected of a high fantasy world.

    No, more importantly¡­ why did she take out a cloak? He stared at the back of her figure with perplexed eyes. I¡¯m thankful that she gave me a cloak, but why did she give one to herself? Was she cold? Or maybe¡­

    Ellis¡¯s expression suddenly paled. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ she¡­ she noticed my gaze!?

    He immediately felt a bit guilty. Grisella was a beautiful woman and he was a man deprived of human contact. I should have expected this. No one likes to get ogled, especially not by a stranger.

    Even when he tried to resist, his body simply did not listen. It couldn¡¯t be helped. It really couldn¡¯t be helped, but¡­ damn his wandering eyes!

    Ellis lost himself in his own thoughts. A long silence ensued.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    A few minutes passed. Grisella slightly turned her head back. She immediately noticed his absentminded expression. From the looks of it, he had no intention of answering her question.

    What kind of person just zones out like that mid conversation? He¡¯s either really slow in the head or he¡¯s purposely ignoring my question. Her brow slightly twitched. A spike of irritation threatened to burst from her chest. After a moment¡¯s pause, she let out a forceful cough.

    He looked up. The self-proclaimed witch glared at him with rather passionate eyes. Ellis awkwardly laughed as he recalled her question.

    Albeit belated, he finally answered, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t own any clothes so it sort of just ended up like this.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡±

    I know that you idiot! I¡¯m asking why! Grisella yelled in her heart. Regardless of her inner feelings, on the outside, she remained silent. Part of it was due to her bubbling irritation, but an even larger part was due to the fear that she felt.

    Right now, the grey-haired homunculus carried an unconscious Grandelier Troll over his shoulder. From the looks of it, the weight did not seem to bother him at all. This she found greatly disturbing. A fully grown male Grandelier Troll weighed over 32 tons! He was acting as if he was carrying a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. No, not even that. Rather than potatoes, it was more like a feather-stuffed pillow!

    Just from that alone, she knew that this anomalous homunculus possessed incredible strength.

    Even before that, Grisella was already cautious.

    Ellis somehow found a way to knock the thing out. A Grandelier Troll was not something that anybody can subdue with just pure strength alone. Their regeneration proved too great for that. What she did not expect was for someone to find a method to completely drain the Troll of all of its vitality. She almost did not believe it.

    The grey-haired young man somehow managed to deoxygenate all the cells within its body. The end result was a state of complete exhaustion. Even with its fast regeneration, it would take a while for the Troll to recover, much less regain consciousness.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    It was a valuable reference for the future, but more importantly¡­ this homunculus was incredibly scary!

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis continued walking. He aimlessly watched the back of her head, completely unaware of all the thoughts running through the girl¡¯s mind. He recalled back to the brief introduction that she had given him.

    Straight from the horse¡¯s mouth herself, Grisella was a witch who regularly hunted Trolls. Her hunts were not out of sport or leisure, but rather, she did so in order to harvest ingredients. Apparently, she needed Troll blood for her potions. Ellis did not know if that was true or not, but it did sound like a very ¡®witch¡¯ thing to do.

    The Troll that he drowned was originally her prey. It escaped and ran to the river, where it accidentally met with his group. Ellis did not want to be a ¡®kill-stealer¡¯ so he offered the Troll to her.

    It was a small gesture on his part, but to Grisella, he might as well have just ripped her head clean off. At the very least, the death would have been instant.

    Back when this homunculus first gave her the ¡®gift¡¯, she was overcome with the sudden urge to cry. Being surrounded by so many irregulars already made her feel jittery. The one thing she wanted was to find a way to escape this dangerous situation. Unfortunately, that ¡®gift¡¯ was like a chain that kept her from escaping.

    Declining the gift was not an option. After all, his face had been so eager. The look in his eyes showed a certain desire. Grisella did not know whether he wanted to eat her or ¡®eat¡¯ her.

    In the end, she begrudgingly accepted the gift. Then, came her next dilemma. She wanted to run away, but she knew she couldn¡¯t do that. If she left without a word, then the homunculus and his pack of irregulars might take offense to her actions. The last thing she needed was to be on the receiving end of their anger.

    Left with no other choice, she invited Ellis and his group to her home. It was a move done on the spur of the moment. Self-preservation. Also, a generally stupid thing to do.

    In the first place, who invites a ticking time bomb into their house! She seriously regretted her actions. Still, at the time, Grisella really had no other alternatives. Proper etiquette dictated that she return his gesture of ¡®kindness¡¯ with one of her own. Anything less, and she might just die.

    In retrospect, she was probably overthinking this whole situation. A part of her realized that, but then again, it was better to err on the side of caution than to risk the possibility of death.

    But looking at him now, he doesn¡¯t seem all that dangerous. Once again, she slightly turned her head and peered at the grey-haired young man behind her.

    Ellis had a dull expression on his face. His slightly clouded eyes stared blankly into space. He was lost in his own thoughts. For a moment, it was hard to believe that someone with that sort of face could be so dangerous.

    Where did he come from? Why is he with a group of irregulars? Most importantly, why is a homunculus so strong and so¡­ intelligent?

    Hidden beneath all of her fear was a single spark of curiosity.

    Homunculi normally did not even possess the strength to truss up a chicken. What¡¯s more, they were all dumb as bricks too. Most of their kind lived as convenient slave labor. Although they were weak, they were obedient and possessed enough brain power to follow simple commands.

    In essence, homunculi were the ideal slaves.

    So, what made him so different?

    Grisella was curious. After a long bought of hesitation, she mustered up all of her courage and asked him.

    In response, Ellis answered, ¡°I¡¯m actually the son of the Demon King.¡±

    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡± She almost laughed out loud. He was joking, right? The son of the Demon King¡­ the last person who had the courage to take up such a name lived over ten thousand years ago. Why would his son show up now, after all these years? What¡¯s more, as a homunculus?

    It was unbelievable. Even more unbelievable than Ellis¡¯s own unbelievable existence.

    What Grisella did not know was the ¡®Demon King¡¯ that he mentioned wasn¡¯t some guy from 100,000 years ago. In fact, he was referring to the Original Demon King, the menace of Lull that once terrorized the entire world nearly one million years ago.

    If she knew exactly what he was thinking, then her disbelief would not have just ended with a simple chuckle.

    For his part, Ellis simply shrugged his shoulders. Since she did not believe him, Ellis decided to just not say anything.

    Still, Grisella¡¯s curiosity did not end there.

    Whether it was Ellis¡¯s identity or the group around him, her head was filled with all sorts of questions. One thing stuck to her mind though. It gnawed and gnawed on the back of her brain, refusing to let go.

    Why the hell was he naked?

    Ellis was clothed now (thankfully), but the scene from before kept flashing through her head. No matter what she tried to do, it would not go away.

    Even if you are a homunculus, you should still have some common decency. Don¡¯t go walking around naked!

    In the first place, most homunculi did not have genitalia.

    Unless specifically designed for that purpose, homunculi were usually featureless. This had something to do with the fact that a homunculus¡¯s body was only capable of housing a soul vestige.

    So, then¡­ why? Why did this one come fully equipped!? She did not understand this situation at all.

    No, considering its size¡­ isn¡¯t this guy a comfort doll? Male comfort dolls were rare, but it wasn¡¯t unheard of.

    As various images flashed through her mind like a vibrant kaleidoscope, the witch¡¯s cheeks gradually reddened.

    The flap of her hat drooped down and covered the upper half of her face. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough to hide her embarrassment. The red flush crept down all the way to her neck. Even her shoulders were turning red, not that anyone could see.

    Ellis scratched his head. He had been staring at Grisella for a while now. For some reason, the self-proclaimed witch suddenly started fidgeting. A part of him wanted to ask her what was wrong, but his instincts told him not to. If he really walked over there right now¡­

    A chill ran down his spine.

    Instead, he decided to speak. Recalling back to their extremely brief conversation, he felt like he still needed to justify himself, even if it may be a completely meaningless gesture.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been like this (no clothes) for over six years now. I truthfully didn¡¯t know how to fix my problem, so I was in quite a bind. When you came along, you really helped me out there. So, thank you.¡± He blurted out, seemingly unprompted.

    He¡¯s been like this for a year¡­ like this¡­ like¡­ he¡¯s been a comfort doll for so long? What did he mean by problem? How did I fix his problem? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ he got fired because he couldn¡¯t get it up?

    Again, weird thoughts flashed through her mind.

    She meekly nodded her head.

    For his part, Ellis breathed out a sigh of relief. With this, she shouldn¡¯t misunderstand, right?

    On the other hand, the cogs in her head furiously turned.

    A comfort doll¡­ a comfort doll that can¡¯t get it up¡­ is he a defective product? Is that why he¡¯s in this forest? Was he abandoned? No, that shouldn¡¯t be the case¡­ but¡­

    Grisella furrowed her brow as she continued to silently brood. A little bit of caution, a little bit of flattery, and a little bit of embarrassment, all sorts of emotions swirled around in her heart.

    Unbeknownst of each other¡¯s thoughts, the group continued deeper into the endless forest.

 Chapter 36: A Simple Cottage

    On the way to their destination, the group took a quick detour. They traveled to the place where Grisella had previously left the other Trolls that she had hunted.

    It was a bit difficult to carry all these Trolls at once, so Ellis connected the corpses to one another with a string of rope (courtesy of Grisella).  He then proceeded to drag a literal train of oversized corpses across the forest floor.

    Twenty minutes quickly passed.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Grisella stated as they arrived at a small clearing.

    She stared at the area with conflicted eyes. An inaudible sigh leaked out from her lips. I only went out for less than a day, why does it feel like I¡¯ve been gone for centuries?

    Unlike the rest of the forest, bright light illuminated the clearing. Looking up, there was a hole amidst the evergreen canopy. It wasn¡¯t much, but this was probably one of the brightest spots in the entire forest.

    Near the center of the clearing was a thatched cottage with a conical shaped roof. The cottage wasn¡¯t very big, but it was more than enough for one person.

    Ellis widened his eyes in excitement. The house looked a bit rustic, but its mere existence brought comfort to his weary heart. Finally, after so long, it was the first concrete proof of civilization.

    The walls of the cottage were made out of a brownish material that didn¡¯t quite resemble wood. The rooftop was constructed out of individual strands of dried grass. It was pale-yellow in color and a wooden stick stuck out from the very top of the structure.

    What surprised him the most was the fact that the cottage was located shockingly close to the river. In total, it had only taken them forty-five minutes to get here, and that was with the detour that they had taken.

    If that Troll had not run to the river, if Ellis hadn¡¯t met up with Grisella, then he might not have even realized that this cottage existed. He would have simply passed by it without noticing.

    ¡°You really live here all by yourself?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Grisella nodded her head. ¡°I¡¯ve lived here for about one hundred years now. Give or take. I haven¡¯t really been keeping track.¡±

    ¡°O-one hundred?!¡± His eyes almost popped out of his sockets. I know it¡¯s a fantasy world, but there¡¯s no way she¡¯s over one hundred years old. ¡°You don¡¯t look a day over thirty.¡±

    Grisella lightly chuckled in response. Her face looked noticeably less tense than what it was thirty minutes ago. She had grown used to his company. That or some instinctual part of her brain had reassured her that this dull looking man was not an actual threat.

    It didn¡¯t really matter either way. From the very start, Ellis did not even notice Grisella¡¯s fluctuating emotions.

    ¡°You¡¯re flattering me.¡± She paused for a moment, before she explained, ¡°In truth, this is normal for my race. We live rather long lives.¡±

    ¡°Your race?¡± Ellis had originally assumed that her youth came from regenerative potions or something along those lines. To think that it was an inherent racial characteristic¡­ was Grisella part elf or something?

    ¡°That¡¯s right, my race. I¡¯m a member of the Witch race.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    So, in this world, Witches are an actual race and not just human females with magic¡­ Ellis quietly digested this information.

    He then asked, ¡°So, how old are you really?¡±

    Grisella briefly glanced back up at him. A thin smile formed on her face. ¡°It¡¯s not nice to ask a lady such a thing, you know¡­¡±

    Ellis stopped for a moment. He crookedly smiled as an awkward laugh leaked out from his lips.

    She did not say anything, but one thing was clear: Grisella was a full-fledged grandmother.

    No! Don¡¯t think about it like that. Ellis inwardly reprimanded himself. Different races have different sensibilities. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s still okay to pursue!

    With such carefree thoughts in his head, he dragged the corpse train closer to the house. Grisella led him towards the side of the cottage, where there was a small outdoor garden. The garden was cordoned off by four weird smelling wooden pillars.

    He could not tell what sort of vegetables grew in the garden, just that, the stems that stuck out from the ground somewhat resembled carrots.

    ¡°Do I just put it here?¡± He asked

    ¡°Mn. Right here is fine.¡± She nodded.

    Ellis lined the corpses up in a row next to the vegetable garden. In total, there were nine bodies. Two adults and seven ¡®children¡¯. Even though he said children, they were nearly five times bigger than him.

    In addition, there was the still breathing adult male troll.

    Grisella grabbed her spatial satchel and pulled out something that looked like a wine barrel. He watched the whole process with rapt fascination.

    ¡°Those things are pretty common, huh?¡± He commented.

    ¡°What?¡± Grisella looked down at her satchel. ¡°This thing? It¡¯s far from common. It¡¯s an ancient artifact that was crafted all the way back in the Plumeroic era. Artifacts from that time are very valuable. What¡¯s more, this thing is a spatial artifact. Those things are even rarer.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    A slightly proud smile stretched her lips. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m one of the only people on this planet that own such an artifact.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ellis lightly nodded his head.

    Guess I was wrong. Storage items weren¡¯t as commonplace as he had first assumed. Whether this was a good thing or not was still up for debate.

    Just as he opened his mouth to say something, he suddenly heard a soft scoff coming from somewhere close by. Ellis looked towards the ground.

    ¡°Kyu!¡±

    Ena sat next to his feet. She raised her nose high up in the air while a rather arrogant smirk stretched her lips. All the while, she fiddled with the pouch hung around her neck.

    Ellis couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. No matter where it was, this brat sure liked to brag.

    He moved in to scold her but he was a step too late. Just then, Wight walked over. She stared curiously at the brown leather pouch. After a few seconds of silence, she inched her head closer. Wight tried to bite the spatial pouch.

    Ena let out a cry as she hurriedly jumped back. She glared hatefully at Wight, but the little wolf was not one to be defeated so easily. She tried again. This time, she lunged towards Ena.

    The little fox dodged by the skin of her teeth. She let out a series of cries as she desperately ran away. Naturally, Wight gave chase. The two ran around the small clearing.

    Ellis let out another silent sigh. This time, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. Those guys are still playing around even though we¡¯re at another person¡¯s home¡­. Should I scold them?

    He discreetly turned to Grisella. She seemingly did not notice any of the commotion. Her full attention was focused on the spatial artifact in her hands. She pulled out several more wine barrels.

    After a while, there were now thirty barrels all strewn across the clearing.

    ¡°Alright, this should be enough.¡± She nodded to herself. ¡°Then, shall we get started?¡±

    Although Grisella had guests over, the Trolls took priority. After all, a Troll was best harvested fresh. Their potency rapidly decreased after the ninth hour. Grisella was cutting it incredibly close.

    If it was before, then even if this year¡¯s hunt had to go to waste, she would not have dared to neglect these guests of hers. Luckily, during the journey over here, Grisella had grown to somewhat understand Ellis¡¯s personality. Something like this should still be in the green.

    In the first place, the grey-haired youth did not look like someone who gets easily irritated.

    And like she had expected, rather than anger, Ellis showed a great deal of interest towards the Troll.

    ¡°Can you really turn these things into potions?¡± He asked as he stared at the corpses.

    ¡°Yes. More specifically, I only need their blood. Grandelier Troll blood is rather valuable. In its natural state, it is poison to most, but when processed in a certain way, it can be transformed into the world¡¯s most valuable potion.¡±

    The image of the legendary HP Potion popped into his head. A bulb-shaped glass bottle filled to the brim with clear red liquid. It was a staple in any videogame.

    Grisella continued, ¡°I make these potions for myself. They come in handy, especially considering how dangerous the forest is. But in the future, if I ever return to civilization, I can sell the potions for quite a bit of profit.¡±

    Civilization¡­ Ellis¡¯s heart momentarily shuddered. That was the one thing that he had desperately yearned for. Just as he was about to ask more, Grisella suddenly pointed to the last Troll. It was the male Grandelier Troll that he had subdued.

    ¡°Out of all the Trolls today, this thing is probably the most valuable. You managed to subdue it without killing it. As a result, its blood still retains its life vitality. The potions from this thing will definitely turn out even better than usual.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± Ellis offhandedly commented. His mind was still hooked onto the earlier topic.

    In spite of this, Grisella continued at her own pace. She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Well, before all that, we need to do step one first: Blood Letting.¡±

    She took hold of one of the barrels and unscrewed the lid. The barrel was somewhat unique. At first glance, it looked to be made out of wood, but upon closer inspection, the material was actually stone. It was a brown-colored stone carved in the shape of a wine barrel.

    Noticing his stare, Grisella promptly explained. ¡°This can also be considered an artifact, although not as valuable as the magic satchel. Its main purpose is for preservation. It¡¯s a moderately valuable object.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t spatial items already do that?¡± Ellis once again recalled back to the pouch around Ena¡¯s neck. The meat that they stored in that thing never once went bad, regardless of how much time passed.

    Grisella looked at him with a bewildered expression. ¡°Where did you get that idea from? A spatial artifact¡¯s only function is to house a larger space within a much smaller space. It can¡¯t do anything else. Naturally, we need something that can preserve the blood.¡±

    Hearing her words, he numbly nodded. He should have expected this, but again, he was once again reminded of just how skewed his current common sense was.

    ¡°So, how long will this process take?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ in order to completely squeeze out all the blood, I¡¯ll need at least seven days.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis hesitated for a moment. After a long pause, he shamelessly asked, ¡°Can we stay here until then?¡±

    Grisella¡¯s shoulders imperceptibly twitched. Although she was not as afraid as before, she was still hesitant towards this group of irregulars.

    ¡°T-that¡¯s a bit¡­¡± She wanted to reject him, but she did not have the heart to. More specifically, she couldn¡¯t muster up the courage to do so.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis knew he was imposing. Seeing the conflicted expression on Grisella¡¯s face, he could somewhat sympathize with her. Still, he had to do it. This went beyond his desire to stay in contact with a beautiful woman. Grisella was knowledgeable. She was wise. She knew her way around the forest, and most importantly, she knew her way out of the forest.

    She was his only hope of escaping this place. Short of kidnapping her and forcing her to guide him out of the forest, acting like a shameless man was the only other way.

    And like Ellis had originally hoped for, eventually, Grisella begrudgingly nodded her head.

    ¡°Since you helped me catch this Troll, I¡¯ll also give you half of my finished products.¡± She additionally proposed.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t need to.¡± With a ¡®modest¡¯ expression on his face, Ellis shook his head. ¡°I gave that to you as an apology¡ª er, as a gift. You don¡¯t need to pay it back.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, I insist. Just think of it as a gift.¡±

    Hopefully, after the week¡¯s over, you lot will leave my house. Grisella smiled through her teeth and buried her real intentions deep within her heart.

    Ellis was left with no other choice but to accept her offer.

    ¡°Then, how are you going to extract the blood?¡± He turned back to the corpses.

    In response, Grisella smirked.

    ¡°Like this¡ª¡± She snapped her fingers. The cottage suddenly shook. Ellis hurriedly turned around, just in time to see the straws on the rooftop elongate and stretch out. Threads of finely formed wire (dried grass) flew through the air and rushed to the Trolls. They pierced its skin while other strands entwined around their legs and arms.

    Several more threads jabbed into the bodies.

    In addition, a few of the threads connected towards the wine barrels.

    ¡°Hollow straws will extract the blood directly from their body and deliver it to the barrels.¡± She explained. ¡°We can just leave it alone like this. After seven days, all the blood will have been extracted. Once that¡¯s done, I can start the process of making the potion.¡±

    Her words barely registered in his ears. He was still amazed at the sight before him. He had seen Ena perform incredible feats of magic, but there was something novel about seeing a house literally come to life.

    After a while, he turned to her and asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that animals might come and steal the corpses?¡±

    ¡°How long do you think I¡¯ve lived here. I have already taken the necessary precautions.¡± She smiled a somewhat cheeky smile.

    Grisella shook her head. ¡°Enough about that, let¡¯s go inside.¡±

 Chapter 37: A Shocking Revelation

    The inside of Grisella¡¯s cottage looked a lot more normal than he originally expected. At least as normal as a house in the middle of nowhere can be.

    It consisted of only four rooms; a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and an upstairs den. It was a small space, one that felt even smaller with guests inside.

    Wooden floorboards, wooden walls, and wooden rafters. The cottage was furnished with pale-yellow furniture. The color was reminiscent of the thatched rooftop outside. What¡¯s more, they seemed to bleed into the floor, almost as if the house and the furniture were all one object, with the only point of separation being a single layer of paint.

    If there was anything to point out, then it would be the fact that the entire place was a mess. Empty glass bottles and stacks of hardcover books littered the floor.

    The mess extended out from the living room and into the kitchen.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Grisella lightly exclaimed as she stared bitterly at her own home.

    I completely forgot that this place was like this¡­

    The witch of solitude was not a very avid cleaner. In the first place, she lived alone. She had no reason to maintain a clean home. The part of her brain that knew of tidiness shriveled up a long, long time ago.

    Her cheeks slightly reddened. She fought through her own embarrassment and boldly invited her guests inside.

    Grisella guided them to the kitchen, where everyone took a seat by the table. She stepped out for a moment to prepare some tea. When she returned, to her dismay, the wolves had taken up seats around the table.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A pack of monsters sat by her table like poised adults. It was somewhat of a novel scene, although the wolves did track mud all over the chairs.

    Grisella did not let her dissatisfaction show on her face. She kept a calm smile as she sat on the last remaining seat by the table.

    Everybody crowded around the kitchen.

    Her table was one of the larger pieces of furniture within the house. On normal occasions, it could seat up to eight people at a time. Unfortunately, with all the large and furry bodies smushed together like this, it felt extremely cramped.

    Grisella sat with two wolves flanking both of her sides. To the left, an abnormally large wolf. To the right, a wolf that smelled faintly of Hepa leaves. Hepa was an extremely rare and extremely fatal poisonous herb. It could only be found inside the forest, and one leaf was enough to poison the water supply of an entire village.

    In short, a body that radiated uncomfortable heat and a body that exuded out dangerous poisons.

    Opposite of her was Ellis. He was flanked on both sides by a nine-tailed fox and a small wolf with a white discoloration on its left ear.

    Ellis stared at the witch with curious eyes.

    Grisella stared back. She fought through her discomfort and intently examined the man in front of her.

    An intelligent homunculus¡­ He is probably the first of his kind. Whoever created him must be some sort of alchemical genius.

    The creation of a homunculus fell under the broad mastery of alchemy. Grisella was somewhat familiar with the topic, so she knew just how utterly impossible Ellis¡¯s existence was. It was the type of thing that could not be created purely through invaluable ingredients alone.

    After all, the most important part is the soul.

    She sank deep into thought. No matter what, Lull¡¯s current advancement in soul theory was far from enough. The world as it was now had no conceivable means of birthing a creature such as Ellis.

    That¡¯s not the only weird part either. The monsters that he hangs out with are also abnormal.

    Seven irregular wolves and a legendary nine-tailed fox. What¡¯s more, the animals were still pretty young, so they still had plenty of room to grow. There was a very real possibility that all eight of these creatures would grow up to become calamity-class monsters in the future.

    How scary.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She¡¯s just staring at me without saying anything¡­ Being on the receiving end of such intense eyes, even Ellis felt slightly uncomfortable.

    She¡¯s probably suspicious of me, right? I mean, who wouldn¡¯t? A random naked guy walking around in the middle of a forest is pretty damn suspicious. What¡¯s more, his status as a homunculus would surely raise heads.

    Damn it¡­ It feels almost like I coerced my way into her house.

    Ellis needed to do something to improve her perception of him. But how the hell am I supposed to gain her trust?

    He squirmed around in his seat, unsure of what to do. After a while, Ellis came to a decision. I¡¯ll take the initiative. The best way to gain someone¡¯s trust was to simply bare it all out in the open. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Thus, he proceeded to explain his current situation.

    Of course, he left out a few key details, most notably the fact that he was a reincarnator from another world. While he wasn¡¯t as paranoid as he had been in the past, Ellis was still a little bit wary of the Heroes wandering around in this world.

    Revealing a little bit of information should be fine, as long as he showed some restraint.

    Sometime passed.

    ¡°So, you really are the son of the Demon King?¡± Grisella looked at him with doubtful eyes.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Alma¡¯s son.¡±

    Grisella¡¯s gaze grew even cloudier. ¡°Who is Alma?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow.

    ¡°Alma or whoever you claim to be a son of, there is no record of a Demon King that goes by that name.¡± She explained.

    ¡°That¡­ that shouldn¡¯t be right.¡± Ellis muttered, almost entirely to himself.

    What¡¯s going on? Alma made a big deal out of his existence, so I was almost sure he was famous. Is she lying to me? No, looking at her expression, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s lying. Then, did that old man lie? It can¡¯t be¡­ right?

    ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe you made a mistake.¡± He hesitantly said.

    In response, Grisella resolutely shook her head. ¡°A Demon King is not something that one can just mistake. They are existences that threaten the very balance of the world around them. Since the dawn of recorded history, every single Demon King that has ever existed has been extensively recorded by scribes and scholars alike. Others might not know all of them, but as a scholar, I do. I can safely say that Alma is not one of those Demon Kings.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡± Ellis¡¯s chest deflated. Then who the hell is Alma?

    Grisella stared fixedly at him for a long time. Eventually, she added, ¡°What¡¯s more, you don¡¯t¡­ you don¡¯t look like a member of any of the lineages out there today.¡±

    ¡°Lineages?¡± He furrowed his brow.

    ¡°The Demon King is not a hereditary title.¡± She explained. ¡°It is something ¡®bestowed¡¯ upon by the people of Lull, given to the era¡¯s most dangerous individual. In short, it is a title gained through blood and supremacy.¡±

    ¡°If it''s not hereditary, then what¡¯s the deal with this lineage thing?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Throughout recorded history, there has been a total of ninety-seven demon kings. Of that ninety-seven, eighty-six of them were from the same nine families.¡±

    ¡°That sounds a lot like hereditary to me.¡±

    In response, Grisella nodded. ¡°I can see why you might think that. For a system based on merit, it certainly is an odd statistic. Still, those eighty-six titles were not passed down. They were earned through blood and battle.

    ¡°Regardless of how contradictory it may sound, it¡¯s the truth. In fact, it¡¯s actually quite natural. After all, just because anyone can theoretically become a Demon King, that does not mean that everyone has equal probability. From the very start, the playing field was never even. There are things like background and talent that one must consider before vying for the title of the World¡¯s Worst.

    ¡°And whether its military strength, monetary capital, or personal ability, those from the Nine lineages have it all.¡±

    ¡°So, what the hell are the Nine lineages?¡± Ellis reiterated. ¡°Are they like a wealthy noble family from some powerful kingdom or something?¡±

    ¡°Close.¡± Grisella let out a thin smile. ¡°Officially, they are known as the Demon King¡¯s Nine Lineages. Nine bloodlines, all of which trace back far beyond the bounds of recorded history. In short, they are an ancient family with rule-breaking latent ability. They successfully utilized their long history in order to lay a deep foundation that extends to almost every corner of Lull.¡±

    ¡°They sound like some scary stuff.¡± Ellis let out a whistle. The heroes were one thing, but now, all of sudden, there were nine uber-strong Demon families to worry about? He did not know how to feel. How strong were they? Should he worry about them? Would they be a threat to him? He honestly did not know.

    The more the witch spoke, the more frustrated he felt. That old man, did he seriously lie to him? Who the hell was Alma?

    Grisella stopped for a moment and closely observed him. From what she could tell, Ellis did not seem to be lying.

    She hesitated for a moment, before she said, ¡°Speaking of which, you mentioned a mausoleum, right?¡±

    He looked up. Ellis wordlessly nodded his head.

    ¡°Well, there are legends¡­ legends of an ancient tomb that belongs to a being whose name has been lost in history. It''s rather famous, actually. It¡¯s supposed to be located somewhere in the forest, but nobody has ever seen it.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not surprised. This damn place is practically endless.¡± He hatefully stated.

    Grisella shrugged her shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ they say that the Tomb houses the First Demon King¡¯s body.¡±

    ¡°The First Demon King?¡±

    She grimly nodded her head. ¡°Yes, but rather than calling him a Demon King, most knew him by his other moniker, the Origin of Evil.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was indeed a pretty scary title. It certainly fits with Alma¡¯s image.

    ¡°Not a lot know about him. After all, he existed over one million years ago. Only certain long-lived races still remember him, and even then, everything they know of comes from hearsays passed down by their predecessors.

    ¡°There¡¯s almost zero information about him. Still, one thing remains consistent throughout the sparse records that detailed his existence: he was the original Demon King. Back during the Ancient era, his mere existence sent Lull into turmoil.¡±

    She paused for a moment. ¡°As it so happens, the nine lineages also originated from him. Whether that means that they were his blood-related siblings or merely subordinates that he favored, nobody knows.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it went.¡± It finally clicked into place. The old man did say something about taking in a bunch of kids and raising them as his own. So, this was what he meant. Now it all makes sense.

    Ellis nodded to himself in satisfaction.

    Seeing his immediate change of attitude, Grisella felt somewhat astounded. Right now, he looked as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. For some reason, it kind of pissed her off a bit.

    After another short pause, she suddenly changed the subject. Grisella asked, ¡°Speaking of which, you said that you wanted to escape the forest so you¡¯ve been following the river upstream, correct?¡±

    Ellis nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, but I¡¯ve seriously met with misfortune. Even after traveling for five years, I still haven¡¯t found a way out.¡± He let out a long sigh. ¡°I was beginning to lose hope, but then you showed up.¡±

    When he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed a change in Grisella¡¯s demeanor. The solitary witch was hunched over her seat, completely still and unmoving.

    Ellis did not know what happened. He hesitated for a moment before he gingerly poked her hands. ¡°Miss Grisella?¡±

    No response. He tried again. This time, her shoulders started trembling.

    ¡°Um¡­ Grisella?¡±

    ¡°Are you an idiot, by chance?¡± she suddenly blurted out. The ice-cold calm on her face was almost charming.

    ¡°What?¡± Ellis widened his eyes in surprise. Her words completely stunned him.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ it¡¯s fine to make mistakes some times, but to commit to the same mistake for five straight years¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, um, I don¡¯t understand. What are you trying to say?¡± A worried crease appeared between his eyebrows.

    She stared wordlessly at him for an uncomfortably long period of time. Her gaze held some hints of pity and some hints of derision. After a while, she dropped the bombshell. ¡°You went the wrong way.¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡±

    ¡°If you want to find civilization. You¡¯re supposed to follow the river DOWNSTREAM. This not only applies to this river, but to most rivers in general.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was at this moment that Ellis¡¯s fragile heart broke.

 Chapter 38: What Lies at the Source of the River

    Ellis spent the rest of the day in a state of frozen shock.

    He felt hollow and empty. He wanted to cry, but he had no tears to shed.

    Everything that he had done up until now was useless. No, not even that. It had all been counterproductive to his real goals. It was like a sucker punch to the jaw, like a gut-punch that knocked the very air out from his lungs. Like a¡­ like a kick to the balls!

    At this point, what else was left for him? What should he do from now on? Should he even do anything?

    He felt lost and directionless. Life was meaningless. He needed a nap.

    Night quickly came. A flowery smell wafted throughout the cottage.

    Grisella was in the kitchen. She stood in front of a brick stove. Heat radiated from the open flame and warmed the entire house. Right now, she was cooking a stew-like dish within a heavy black cauldron.

    As the owner of the house, it was her responsibility to cook the food. To her, this was natural. From a young age, she had always been taught to properly take care of guests, especially when they were inside your own home.

    Also, Grisella had some confidence in her ability to cook. After so long, a part of her simply wanted to show off.

    She bent over and inspected the contents of the black cauldron. Steam engulfed her face. Squinting her eyes, she could see chunks of meat floating amidst a thick white soup. Pieces of green and orange dotted the surface.

    It looked good. This was definitely a dish that she could proudly present to other people.

    Just as she inwardly patted herself on the back, she suddenly felt a soft weight nimbly land on her shoulders.

    Grisella immediately tensed. She discreetly glanced over her shoulder, only to see a certain red-fox peering into the cauldron.

    It just had to be this damn thing!

    Out of all the irregulars that comprised Ellis¡¯s party, this little fox was the creature she feared the most. Her cute appearance might deceive most people, but to her, Grisella could only see an unimaginably terrifying demon.

    Grisella was a witch, and like most witches, she possessed heightened senses. This was especially the case for things relating to mana. This harmless little fox exuded out an incredible amount of mana. It was so immense, that it almost made it difficult to breathe.

    If it was purely through mana alone, then this thing already rivaled a calamity-class monster.

    Grisella let out a strained smile. She tried her hardest not to acknowledge the fox¡¯s presence as she silently continued to cook.

    Eventually, the fox left and Grisella finished cooking the stew, albeit with a heavy heart.

    After she finished, she then poured the contents of the cauldron into a large wooden bowl before she brought the entire thing over to the table.

    The table was already set. Ellis sat on one of the seats. In fact, it was the same seat that he sat on before. He hadn¡¯t moved a single inch ever since the surprise revelation.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Grisella silently stared at him.

    Meanwhile, the wolves began to crowd around the table. Like it was completely natural, they pulled out the chairs and sat down like actual humans. Without missing a beat, Grisella poured some stew into the pre-prepared plates on the table.

    She watched as seven wolves and one fox ate her cooking.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She half-expected them to go wild with shock. After all, she was fairly confident in her cooking. Also, the wolves had lived practically all their lives in the wild. Raw meat could not even compare to her level of cooking.

    Much to her disappointment, the wolves did not seem all that excited. They ate the food with clear disinterest. In fact, it almost seemed as if they were dismissive of her cooking. A rare spike of frustration welled up in her heart.

    Calm down, now. It¡¯s obvious that a bunch of animals won¡¯t be able to appreciate my masterful cooking. It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t let them get to you¡­

    She inwardly reassured herself. Grisella let out an inaudible sigh before she sat down on the only available chair remaining. Like before, she sat between the big wolf and the poison wolf.

    Grisella ignored the wolves and focused her gaze on Ellis. He still hadn¡¯t moved. There was an empty wooden plate in front of him, but otherwise, not much else.

    She hesitated for a moment, before she grabbed his plate and poured him a serving. She then loudly placed the plate in front of him.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    THUD!

    A thud echoed through the cottage.

    Ellis flinched. He looked up and stared at the plate of stew for a while. ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Stew,¡± she answered. ¡°Wild berries, some imported herbs, and black venison. Try it.¡± She spoke rather dismissively, but the ingredients of this soup were all rather rare and quite expensive. They were definitely not something one could find within this forest.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis grabbed a spoon and tried a bite. After a while, he unconsciously frowned. ¡°It tastes kind of bland.¡±

    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡± She almost spat out all the soup in her mouth.

    T-this guy is seriously¡­ it¡¯s one thing for the wolves to complain, but to think even he would too¡­

    Grisella swallowed down all the hateful remarks brewing in her head and rigidly nodded her head.

    ¡°I-is that so¡­¡± She said through gritted teeth.

    Ellis paused for a moment. He then turned to Ena. Without saying a single word, he gestured towards her.

    In response, Ena nodded her head. With a flick of her wrist, something flew out from her spatial pouch. That something landed into his plate.

    Seeing this, the wolves immediately howled in indignation. Ena, for the most part, smugly laughed. She enjoyed the feeling of being at the center of attention. She raised her head even higher into the air and flicked her paw again. More somethings flew out from her pouch and landed into the plates scattered across the table.

    ¡°W-what was that?¡± Grisella furrowed her brow. While a part of her was shocked at the sudden revelation that this little fox also owned a spatial artifact, she was more shocked at the fact that someone openly tampered with her cooking. What the hell did they add into it?

    ¡°Some seasoning,¡± Ellis replied as he took another spoonful of soup. This time, it tasted noticeably better. He turned to her, ¡°You want some too?¡±

    Grisella¡¯s face imperceptibly twitched. She gritted her teeth and resolutely shook her head. Her non-existent title as chef was on the line. There was no way she could accept such a thing!

    Ellis shrugged his shoulders. He did not pay her any more attention and instead, focused his attention back onto the plate in front of him.

    The group ate in silence.

    Although she was overcome with curiosity over what that mysterious seasoning was, Grisella did not pry.

    Instead, she discreetly glanced at Ellis.

    She felt curious. Curious about what, exactly? Well, there were a lot of things about Ellis that made her curious.

    Today¡¯s conversation only spurred her curiosity even further. In particular, there was one scene that kept constantly playing in the back of her head. No matter how hard she tried to shake it off, it stubbornly persisted.

    For the most part, Ellis did not notice the witch¡¯s wandering eyes and slightly flushed cheeks.

    After some quiet contemplation, he suddenly asked a question.

    ¡°What¡¯s at the source of the river?¡±

    Grisella stopped for a moment. She played around with the spoon in her hand before she answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Nobody has ever made it that far.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± He furrowed his brow. While the forest was indeed large, he did not think that it was so large that it would still remain unexplored.

    In response, Grisella shrugged. ¡°The forest is simply too dangerous. It earns its moniker as a forbidden region.¡±

    ¡°A forbidden region?¡± This was the first time he had ever heard of such a term.

    She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. A forbidden region is a place of great danger and death. There are nine such places scattered across all of Lull. Ilpin forest is one of them.¡±

    ¡°Ilpin forest? Is that the name of this forest?¡± Again, this was the first he had ever heard of this.

    Grisella mumbled a slurred yes. ¡°That¡¯s right. It has a reputation for being a den of high-level monsters¡­ in addition, it was once the holy ground for a bygone god.¡±

    God. That term stuck to him. After all, he had met two already. ¡°What¡¯s a bygone god?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Bygone gods were the gods that perished sometime before the dawn of recorded history. So much time has passed since then. Now, nobody knows the exact specifics anymore. From their names to even the exact number of gods there were, nearly everything about them is a mystery. Still, although they may be gone now, their old territories are still recognized as universally dangerous places.¡±

    Ah, so it¡¯s those shitty gods that ganged up on Alma way back when. He nodded to himself.

    Just as he was deep in thought, Grisella continued to speak, ¡°But there are rumors.¡±

    ¡°Rumors?¡± He looked up at her.

    ¡°Yes, rumors of what exists at the source of the river. From a slumbering ancient dragon to a mythical artifact, the theories vary quite a lot. The most prevalent one is in regards to the existence of a world tree.¡±

    ¡°A world tree¡­¡±

    Various thoughts flashed through his head. Magical trees were a staple in almost any mythology. The most famous depiction was the one from Norse mythology: Yggdrasil. On earth, practically everyone knew of Yggdrasil. Ellis was no exception.

    Seeing him in deep thought, Grisella went on to explain, ¡°The world tree is said to be a giant ancient tree that has existed since the birth of the planet. According to the legends, it is located at the very heart of Ilpin forest. Its exact location is somewhere near the source of the main river.¡±

    ¡°So, if you just follow the river, you¡¯ll eventually end up at the world tree?¡±

    Grisella shrugged her shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s what all the legends say, but nobody has ever managed to follow the river all the way to the source and lived long enough to tell. And that¡¯s not for a lack of trying either.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The legend of the world tree is rather famous. It draws in hundreds of hopeful adventurers every year. Most give up halfway and return with zero success. Others don¡¯t return at all. It¡¯s that sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°After so many people failed, won¡¯t other people just give up?¡±

    ¡°They might, but they don¡¯t. Adventurers are a stupid bunch. They fall under the false impression that they are all ¡®someone special¡¯. None of them dare to admit the meagerness of their ordinary life. Plus, the accompanying rumors also play a role in their enthusiasm.¡±

    ¡°Accompanying rumors?¡±

    ¡°¡®The river hides invaluable treasures in its source.¡¯ That sort of saying commonly comes with this sort of cookie-cutter legend.¡±

    She paused for a second. ¡°In addition, the base of the world tree is where the bygone god¡¯s old capital once resided. Of course, since no-one¡¯s ever been there, nobody can actually prove anything. At this point, it¡¯s all just a wishful pipedream that adults sing to their children late at night. When it comes to the mystery of this forest, nobody really knows the truth.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe it exists?¡± Ellis suddenly asked her.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The world tree. Do you think it¡¯s really there, somewhere at the source of the river?¡±

    Grisella¡¯s shoulders tensed up for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, they slackened. She looked up at him and said, ¡°The world tree is impossibly large. The top of its canopy reaches the stars. At the same time, nobody can see it. It is impossible to see from anywhere in the forest, no matter how far you go upstream.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that convenient? Even though it¡¯s so large, it¡¯s also practically invisible. That sort of thing sounds like something a sleazy merchant might say to get people to buy his goods.¡±

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t believe it?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± A somewhat faint smile stretched her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know the truth, but¡­ I think it would be great if something like a world tree really existed.¡±

 Chapter 39: The Art of Potioneering

    Seven days passed in a blink of an eye.

    The bloodletting process finally finished. Sprawled out across the clearing were twenty-eight and a half barrels worth of freshly squeezed Troll blood.

    ¡°With this much, I should be able to make at least one hundred potions,¡± Grisella spoke with excitement in her voice.

    By her standards, this was a considerably large haul. In addition, a significant portion of this year¡¯s batch would consist of slightly better-quality potions. She was more than satisfied.

    Ellis watched as she collected the barrels into her spatial artifact. After a few seconds, he shifted his gaze toward the stack of nine corpses that stood near the vegetable garden. The Corpses looked almost mummified. They were skinny, with paper thin skin and cracked joints.

    He was suddenly reminded of Ena¡¯s birth. The dragon corpse from back then looked somewhat similar.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± Grisella suddenly exclaimed. ¡°Before I forget, I should take out the organs.¡±

    ¡°The organs? I thought you only needed the blood.¡±

    ¡°I only need the blood for the potions. The organs can be used for something else.¡± She explained. ¡°I mentioned before how Troll blood was poisonous unless properly treated, right? Well, the same applies to their organs. More specifically, the liver and pancreas.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ ¡°

    Ellis did not show much of a reaction, but someone else certainly did. Upon hearing Grisella¡¯s words, Ena¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. The little fox dashed towards one of the corpses and quickly fished out its inner organs. The liver and the pancreas. They looked somewhat dehydrated, but otherwise, they were in surprisingly good condition.

    ¡°H-hey, what are you doing?!¡± Grisella shouted as she unconsciously took a step forward. The little fox normally acted aloof and distant. Ena¡¯s sudden burst of excitement caught her off guard.

    Ena naturally ignored her. Grisella furrowed her brow. After a short pause, she shifted her attention over to Ellis. She glared at him. Her silence demanded answers.

    For the most part, Ellis let out an awkward laugh.

    ¡°Well, just leave her alone.¡± He said.

    Ena then gestured for Umbra to come over. Albeit unwillingly, the troubled wolf begrudgingly walked over. Without missing a beat, Ena quickly tossed the liver directly into his gullet.

    Umbra made an expression as if he had just deepthroated a whole lemon. After he swallowed the liver, Ena then threw over the pancreas. In a blink of an eye, two purportedly poisonous ingredients disappeared into Umbra¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°W-what just¡­¡± Grisella had watched the whole process with wide eyes. She still couldn¡¯t quite comprehend what had just happened.

    A fourth of a cup of an ordinary Troll¡¯s blood was enough to send a normal man to the afterlife. A Troll¡¯s organs were hundreds of times more concentrated than its blood. What¡¯s more, a Grandelier Troll was thousands of times more poisonous than your average everyday Troll. The organs that the wolf had just swallowed were potent enough to kill high-class dragons!

    ¡°You should quickly go and harvest them.¡± Ellis¡¯s voice snapped her out of her reverie. ¡°If you wait any longer, Ena will take even more.¡±

    Grisella turned towards the Ena and just as he had said, the little fox was already trotting towards the next corpse.

    The witch gritted her teeth. Although she was still slightly confused, now wasn¡¯t the time for that. She threw herself into the art of organ collection.

    Some time passed. Small chunks of organ and pieces of severed entrails stained Grisella¡¯s blouse. She had a ragged expression on her face.

    Out of nine corpses, Ena had ¡®stolen¡¯ three.

    Right now, she felt a bit disgruntled, but as the magnanimous person that she was, Grisella decided to drop the issue and move on to the next step.

    Now that she had collected the blood, it was finally time to actually begin the process of potioneering.

    Grisella dusted herself off and walked over to the vegetable garden. She then knelt down and harvested one of the vegetables growing in the soil. It was a greenish-blue colored root vegetable that somewhat resembled a carrot.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ellis curiously asked.

    ¡°Harvesting the necessary ingredients.¡± She succinctly explained. She plucked out four more carrot-like vegetables. ¡°If it¡¯s for a hundred potions, then I¡¯ll only need five.¡±

    Potioneering was one of the most popular branches of alchemy. It had the lowest barrier for entry and the highest skill ceiling. A bumbling idiot could make a potion as long as he had the necessary ingredients, but only an expert Alchemist was able to craft panacea from a common tea leaf.

    The potion that Grisella was aiming for was rather simple. It only needed two ingredients: Troll blood and Evancrest Root.

    The blood was somewhat difficult to obtain (at least, for most people), but Evancrest Root was a very common herb. Sometimes, it could even be found growing on the side of the road. Still, there was a reason for its obscurity. Its only function was to detoxify Troll blood.

    Even after collecting all the necessary ingredients, there was still a long road ahead of her. The difficult part of this recipe came in its process.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    While the others continued to play outside, Grisella and Ellis returned to the cottage. Once inside, they headed straight for the kitchen.

    Grisella pulled out a scroll from her spatial artifact and unfurled it onto the kitchen table. The scroll was made from tanned animal skin and fully expanded, it covered the entire table.

    Scribbled onto the surface in pitch black ink was a diagram. No, not a diagram, but rather, a magic rune.

    To Ellis, it resembled a clich¨¦ magic circle with a hexagram drawn in the middle. This one was just slightly different. Foreign glyphs decorated the inner and outer lining of the circle.

    ¡°This thing is¡­?¡±

    ¡°A stove.¡± She answered.

    Grisella then tapped the magic circle. At the same time, she mumbled out something unintelligible.

    Almost immediately, a ball of purple fire sprouted out from the ink. It danced in the air before coalescing into one big giant ball of flame.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Peeking in from the window, Ena let out a disdainful snort. It was as if she was saying, ¡°I can do that too.¡±

    Ellis ignored her and kept his full attention focused onto the strange alchemical process taking place before him.

    Grisella did not stop there. After the purple fire stabilized, she then hauled over a giant black cauldron from the kitchen and placed it directly over the magic circle.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the thing you used to cook dinner?¡± Ellis widened his eyes in surprise. Was he imagining things or was this girl really about to do alchemy with a kitchen pot?

    He simply could not believe it. She hadn¡¯t even bothered to clean the cauldron beforehand.

    Grisella gave a subtle nod to herself before she pulled out a wine barrel from her spatial artifact and poured in approximately a fourth of a barrel¡¯s worth of blood directly into the cauldron.

    A peculiar scent wafted through the kitchen. It wasn¡¯t a very pleasant smell. In fact, it was a smell that resembled burnt rubber.

    Ellis couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow.

    Meanwhile, Grisella pulled out an Evancrest root and placed it on the table. With a chef¡¯s knife that she procured from a cabinet in the kitchen, she began mincing the root. She did not stop until the carrot-like herb reached a paste-like consistency.

    Grisella then took a small dollop of the paste and added it into the cauldron.

    She breathed out a sigh of relief.

    Ellis tilted his head in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not.¡± She shook her head. ¡°That was the easy part.¡±

    Grisella walked over to the kitchen and searched through the cabinets. After a few seconds, she returned with a black lid. The lid was somewhat special. It had no handle and there was a single hole located directly at the center of the lid. She covered the cauldron with the lid.

    To his surprise, she did not remove her hand from the lid. Instead, she kept it on there as she glared intently at the cauldron. Her hand covered everything but the hole.

    ¡°There are glyphs carved on the inside of the cauldron,¡± she explained. ¡°My job is to manipulate those glyphs with the intention of changing the overall make-up of the blood itself. The end result should be a mixture with next to no impurities or poison.¡±

    ¡°Is that hard to do or what?¡± Just from her words alone, Ellis could not really tell. After all, he had zero experience in the field of alchemy.

    In response, Grisella shrugged her shoulders. ¡°It is a somewhat difficult task to pull off. If I slip up even once, then I run the risk of losing an entire batch.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡± Even though she seemingly downplayed the whole process, it was definitely something not everyone could pull off.

    After that, Grisella went silent. She kept her concentration focused on the cauldron. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her forehead. After about a minute or so, Ellis suddenly heard a violent rumble. It originated from somewhere inside the cauldron. It was a sound reminiscent of popping fireworks.

    At almost the exact same time, smoke began billowing out of the hole in the lid. It quickly filled the entire cottage in black smog and drowned the kitchen with the smell of burnt rubber.

    It was a very violent process. So much so that Grisella actually felt the physical toll of it on her body.

    Ellis remained silent. Even as he watched her hand redden and then turn black like charcoal, he did not dare to interrupt.

    After a few more minutes, her expression lightened. Although smoke still billowed out from the lid, at the very least, she did not look as strained as before. Whether this was because she had lost feeling in her hand or because the magic had lightened up, Ellis did not know.

    Regardless, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is all alchemy like this?¡±

    ¡°No, most of it is just mixing ingredients together and getting the right proportions down.¡± She spoke with a hoarse voice. ¡°Stuff like this is reserved solely for high-class and difficult recipes. Not just anybody can do it.¡±

    Grisella was indirectly praising herself, but Ellis did not try to point this out.

    In the short time that he had spent with this woman, he had learned that not only was she an expert mage, but she was an even better alchemist. What¡¯s more, she had a habit of indirectly praising herself. Her current actions came as no surprise to him.

    Ellis thought for a moment, before he suddenly asked, ¡°Do you think you can teach me?¡±

    ¡°Teach you?¡± Grisella scrunched her brow in slight confusion. ¡°You want me to teach you alchemy?¡±

    Ellis nodded. He was somewhat curious.

    She hesitated for a moment. In truth, Grisella was extremely unwilling to teach him. Her skills were passed down onto her by her master. Although her master didn¡¯t actually care, she still felt that it was not in her place to just teach others. At the same time, she did not want to just bluntly reject him.

    After a while, she said, ¡°¡­ To learn alchemy, you must first possess a rudimentary understanding of magic. Can you use magic?¡±

    ¡°That¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± Ellis let out a sigh of defeat.

    Inwardly, Grisella pumped her fists. On the outside, she kept a stoic expression on as she nodded her head ¡®regrettably¡¯.

    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but in that case, I can¡¯t teach you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Just as Ellis was about to ask if she could teach him magic, a loud pop echoed through the room. It came from the cauldron.

    Grisella¡¯s expression immediately tightened. She shifted her focus back onto the cauldron. A slim smile stretched her lips.

    It was time to collect.

    She lifted her hand off the lid. As if attracted by some magical force, the lid flew open. It landed on the table, right next to the cauldron.

    She peered into the cauldron, inside she saw what remained of the blood. It only reached a sixth of the volume in the cauldron. The solution darkened in color. Its viscosity had also increased. Right now, it was comparable to paste. Maybe, even gravy.

    This was certainly not what Ellis had expected the final product to be, but Grisella looked satisfied.

    She took a wooden spoon and dipped it into the liquid. Afterward, she dripped a single drop onto her burnt hand.

    The potion took effect almost immediately. The lump that looked no different from burnt charcoal was no more. In its place was the slender pale hand of a beautiful woman.

    ¡°She nodded her head in satisfaction. ¡°This batch turned out even better than I expected. A batch like this should be enough to fill three bottles.¡±

    Ellis did a quick calculation. There were 28.5 barrels of blood. The cauldron was large enough to hold a fourth of a barrel. A batch like that produced 3 bottles. One hundred potions was a severe understatement. In truth, Grisella could make at least three hundred potions!

    She did not immediately store the completed mixture into a bottle. Instead, she suddenly brought out a much larger pot that she had retrieved from underneath the floorboards of her cottage. It was slightly different, but it looked strikingly similar to a wok.

    ¡°The mixture needs to cool first,¡± she explained. ¡°We¡¯ll store the finished product in here for the time being while I make more.¡±

    As she spoke, Grisella began prepping for the next batch of potions.

    Ellis, who did not really have anything to do but watch her work, decided to step out.

    He entertained the wolves while Grisella worked deep into the night.

 Chapter 40: His Final Decision

    Three days passed.

    Grisella finished processing all of the Troll blood. She exceeded her overall estimations. In total, she ended up making two-hundred fifty potions.

    She had the potential to make close to three-hundred forty-something potions. Of course, that was only under the condition that she did everything perfectly. Naturally, that wasn¡¯t possible. Three-hundred forty perfect executions all in a row was an improbable feat that bordered on the impossible.

    Still, Grisella was satisfied. According to her, a seventy percent success rate already put her close to the top in terms of alchemical prowess. Only literal gods could possibly do better than her.

    Ellis did not know whether she was telling the truth or if she just inflated her numbers like she usually does.

    Amidst all two-hundred fifty bottles, there were thirty bottles with a noticeably darker shade of red. These were the potions created from the male Troll, the same one that Ellis subdued. According to Grisella, these potions were roughly 1.25 times stronger than the normal version.

    Ellis and the solitary witch were currently standing in the middle of the kitchen. With a wave of her hand, exactly 125 potions suddenly appeared onto the table.

    ¡°I said I¡¯d give you half, right? So, here, take it.¡± She stated firmly.

    ¡°This is a bit¡­¡± Ellis hesitated. He had seen how hard Grisella worked to make these potions. Every batch mutilated her hand and transformed it into something that resembled burnt charcoal. Even though the injuries were not permanent thanks to the potions, the pain and experience still existed. It felt almost wrong to accept her generosity.

    After some hesitation, he said, ¡°I only subdued one Troll. At most, I should only get half of the potions you made from that one Troll.¡±

    In response, Grisella faintly smiled.

    ¡°Think of it as a gift,¡± She stated, ¡°Like you, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve interacted with anybody in this forest. Although the person that I met happened to be a homunculus, well, it doesn¡¯t really make much of a difference. In fact, you don¡¯t really seem all that different from a normal person.¡±

    She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Besides, this is just this year¡¯s haul. I¡¯ve been doing this sort of thing for close to fifty years now. On good years, I can get batches of up to three hundred bottles, easy. I have over ten thousand of these things stored away in here.¡±

    As if to make a point, she patted her spatial artifact. ¡°I have so much that I don¡¯t think I can even finish it all in one lifetime.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll begrudgingly accept.¡± He eventually said. A soft sigh leaked out from his lips. Ellis had been defeated by her generosity.

    He grabbed one of the potions on the table and brought it close to his face. It was larger than he originally expected.

    A bulb-shaped glass bottle with a width comparable to a baseball. The mouth of the bottle was sealed shut by a wooden cork. When he tried shaking the bottle, the water did not swish around. Instead, it moved slowly. The liquid inside had a viscosity comparable to watered down maple syrup.

    If it wasn¡¯t so big, then it would have looked exactly like an HP potion from a videogame.

    ¡°I call it a Troll Potion.¡± She explained with pride scribbled across her face. ¡°It¡¯s not a very fancy name, but I¡¯ll come up with a better one if I ever go public with it. Right now, that¡¯s not important. As the creator of this particular potion, I can assure you that it''s even more effective than the Holy Tear Ambrosia that the Church produces.¡±

    Ellis did not know how strong the Ambrosia or whatever was, so he had no point of comparison. Just that¡­ Grisella often liked to boast about her own accomplishments, but she was the type of person who backed up her words with results. He had a fair bit of confidence in this potion.

    ¡°So, do I just drink all of this and I¡¯ll be back in tip-top shape?¡± He asked somewhat disingenuously. In truth, Ellis did not really think he was ever going to need it. After all, his insane healing factor could cure fatal injuries in a matter of minutes.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    He was probably the last person that needed a potion.

    ¡°No, of course not!¡± Grisella hurriedly shook her head. ¡°Drinking one bottle is too much! You only need five drops to regrow a lost limb and ten to twenty drops to cure fatal injuries. If it¡¯s an extremely old injury, then you might want to up the dosage.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ellis subconsciously widened his eyes. Just how many drops were in this bottle? He did some quick math. Considering the fact that this glass bottle was roughly half the size of a normal 16 oz. water bottle (if not a little bigger), then there were about five thousand drops in a single potion!

    Five thousand! He was seriously shocked. Essentially, this thing was like a bottle of Pepto Bismol, where one bottle contained numerous doses. The only difference was that instead of a stomachache, this potion could outright regrow limbs and cure fatal injuries.

    If something like this had been released back on Earth, then it would have been really expensive. So much so, that his poor little eyes probably wouldn¡¯t even get the chance to catch a glimpse of the sheen reflected off of its bottle.

    Even on this world, this bottle was probably¡­ no, definitely expensive.

    The more he thought about it, the heavier his hand seemed to get. In his eyes, the red liquid inside the bottle had magically transformed into liquid gold.

    Seeing his surprised reaction, silent tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. It was a bitter battle, but for the first time, Grisella¡¯s talents had finally been acknowledged.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it before? I¡¯m the absolute best damn Alchemist on this side of the continent.¡± She spoke rather smugly. Ellis did not mention the fact that her wording had changed from ¡®one of the best¡¯ to ¡®the absolute best¡¯. ¡°Making potions is the perfect way to make a living.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but nod along to her words. He did have to admit, she truly was amazing.

    After some time passed, Grisella eventually managed to calm down.

    She stared at Ellis for a long time. He naturally noticed. There was something peculiar about her gaze, but he couldn¡¯t quite point it out.

    ¡°What is it?¡± He asked.

    ¡°¡­ Now that I¡¯ve finished with the potions, you¡¯ll be leaving soon, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ellis nodded. He had already imposed on her for so long. No matter how eagerly he craved human interaction, he could not bear to stick around like this.

    ¡°Then¡­ you, what are you planning to do from now on?¡±

    Her words echoed through his ears.

    Ellis mulled over her question. In the past, he had followed along the river because he had hoped to reach civilization. Now that he knew that was impossible, what else was there left for him?

    A long silence soon enveloped the entire cottage. Not a single person moved or spoke.

    After a while, he finally looked up. With a cloudy gaze in his eyes, he solemnly said, ¡°I want to follow the river upstream.¡±

    ****

    Later that night.

    The surroundings were dead silent. The darkness of night was even darker underneath the shades of the forest.

    Inside Grisella¡¯s straw cottage, the only source of light came from the flickering embers inside the brick oven.

    The solitary witch stared at the ceiling with half-closed eyes. Right now, she was lying in bed. Her bed was located in the den, above the rest of the house. Ellis and his group slept in the living room. They were piled up into two distinct clumps.

    One clump comprised of the wolves, while the other was made up of Ellis, the fox, and the small wolf with a white discoloration on her ear. Grisella did not know why they had separated themselves into such a formation, but that was none of her concern.

    At first, she had felt awkward sleeping above such dangerous strangers, but as time passed, she gradually got used to it. Grisella was always someone who adapted quickly to her surroundings. This was no different.

    Usually, she would be asleep by now.

    Grisella had developed a habit of sleeping early these days. This was primarily because the wolves snored. They snored rather loudly. If she did not go to sleep within the first ten minutes, then there was a good possibility that she would not be getting any sleep at all for that night.

    Today happened to be different. She tossed and turned in her bed. Although her eyes were closed shut, her brow remained creased.

    Various thoughts flowed through her head.

    Should I do it? Should I not? Argh, this is all so irritating!

    After their conversation, Ellis and his group had decided to leave tomorrow. They planned to continue their journey upstream. Their goal was to see whether or not the legendary world tree really existed. Although it had sounded like a casual decision when it first came out from his lips, strangely enough, Grisella had some confidence in their group.

    After a while, she sat up.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Grisella left the bed and carefully crawled over to the edge of the den. She peeked down into the living room. The cottage was dark and silent. Her eyes drifted over to a certain someone. Ellis was fast asleep.

    His normally dull grey hair seemed almost translucent as dim firelight reflected off of it. At first glance, Grisella had thought him a monster. That skewed perception of hers eventually changed. For a short while, she thought of him as nothing more than a pervert. After spending some more time with him, her outlook once again changed. Now, she saw him as a bit na?ve and a bit dumb.

    In truth, he was nothing like the scary monster that she had originally imagined.

    ¡°Still, if it¡¯s him¡­ if it''s with him, then I might be able to¡­¡± she did not dare finish her words.

    A long time passed. Eventually, she subtly nodded to herself. Grisella quietly crawled back into bed and slept.

    The night quietly passed. The last flickering embers of tonight¡¯s fire eventually died down, submerging the cottage into a deep darkness.

 Chapter 41: Journey to the World Tree

    Ellis was once again back to his usual routine.

    Despite the information he had received from Grisella, he continued to follow the river further upstream.

    Some might ask, why? Why would he continue to do such fruitless effort despite the apparent lack of results?

    Well, there was no particular reason for his decision. If he did have to say something, then it would be a whim. He continued his journey based on a whim. A whim driven by tiny, inconsequential curiosities.

    One such curiosity was the mystery of the bygone gods. Although it did not really concern him, he felt that he should at least try to find out more, right? After all, those Gods were the same ones that killed Alma.

    They were ¡®dead¡¯ now, but he knew that that wouldn¡¯t be the case forever. Alma said it before. Gods don¡¯t permanently die. Alma died because he had been stripped of his power as a God. The others, they died while they were Gods (at least, he assumed they did). Despite their current state, they were not truly dead.

    What¡¯s more, if he continued to follow the river, he might be able to find out more about the current God who rules this world. That guy was the mastermind behind Alma¡¯s downfall. An immoral God like him certainly won¡¯t stay lying down. Sooner or later, he¡¯ll come for him. Before that, Ellis needed to prepare.

    Then, there was the legend of the World Tree. Was it real? Did it really house the temple of a Bygone God? Ellis couldn¡¯t help but be curious.

    Still, all of that was for later. More importantly¡­

    ¡­ going to the world tree¡­ visiting the ruins of an Ancient God¡­ doesn¡¯t that sort of thing sound super fun?  Since he was already in a fantasy world, Ellis might as well go all out and enjoy his own version of a fantasy adventure.

    ¡°But even though I said that, in truth, my real reason is purely because I¡¯ve already invested more than five years of my life into this river,¡± Ellis muttered to himself with a dark expression. ¡°I want to see the end, damn it! I don¡¯t want my hard-work to all go to waste.¡±

    Thinking about it all simply frustrated him. Driven by this frustration, spurred by his curiosity, and guided by his whims, Ellis moved forward with heavy steps.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of a half-hearted reason, but then again, this whole second life of mine has been pretty half-hearted.¡±

    ¡°Next time, I want to reincarnate as a house plant. Or maybe as a young scion to an evil noble household. Either way, both those things are practically the same.¡±

    As Ellis continually muttered to himself, he kept his eyes locked onto the floor. He tried his best to ignore the dark shadow looming over him. Unfortunately, the harder he ignored, the greater the pressure.

    Eventually, he broke.

    Ellis begrudgingly turned around. ¡°So, why are you following me again?¡±

    It was Grisella.

    Originally, Ellis left her cottage early in the morning. After a brief goodbye, his group disappeared into the underbrush. Ellis had watched the whole process unfold. He distinctly remembered Grisella waving at them goodbye from the comfort of her cottage.

    Despite such a send-off, the moment he got to the river, the witch was already there waiting!

    Grisella smiled a somewhat cheeky smile. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t want me here?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that, but¡­ is it really alright to leave your place like that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡± She waved her hand dismissively. ¡°I go out on frequent trips quite often. Besides, it¡¯s not like I left it there unguarded.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ellis curiously looked at her. ¡°You have some sort of guard dog or something?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Her smile widened. For the first time, Ellis noticed the broom in her hands. She raised the object out in front of her. ¡°I brought it with me.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± He couldn¡¯t quite comprehend what sort of nonsense this girl was saying.

    As if to demonstrate, she swung the broom in the air. To his surprise, each individual straw attached to it suddenly shivered. They shook and expanded. For a moment, they formed a vague shape that greatly resembled Grisella¡¯s old cottage.

    Ellis widened his eyes. ¡°That cottage, was it seriously a broom?¡±

    In response, Grisella simply chuckled. At the same time, the straws immediately retracted. The solitary witch hugged the broomstick rather affectionately.

    ¡°This thing isn¡¯t just a simple broomstick. In fact, it¡¯s my most valuable artifact, something personally given to me by my master.¡±

    She then explained the nature of how the broomstick worked. In short, it possessed the ability to expand and control the straws on the end of the broomstick. This did not seem to be all that amazing at first glance, but this artifact took that sort of standard ability and amplified it to the extreme.

    The cottage from before, it was almost entirely made out of straw. From the thatched rooftops and ¡®wooden floorboards¡¯ to the pale-yellow furniture and moss-covered walls, all of it was straw. The different textures that mimicked wood were produced by differentiating how intricate and compact the weave of the straw was.

    Recalling back to the cottage, he did remember the small wooden stick that stuck out from the rooftop. Ellis did not know it then, but that had been the broomstick.

    No wonder there were no glass windows.

    ¡°It really is quite amazing.¡± He mildly commented.

    ¡°I know, right?¡± Grisella chuckled, mostly to herself.

    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain things though.¡±

    ¡°Explain what?¡± She tilted her head.

    ¡°Why did you want to come with us?¡± Ellis looked straight into her eyes. He tried to discern her true intentions, but he did not see much of anything else except for a pair of murky green irises.

    ¡°Believe it or not, but I¡¯ve tried to reach the world tree on a number of occasions,¡± Grisella replied. ¡°Of course, all of my attempts ended in failure, but even with all my failures, I still have the urge to try again.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis somewhat sympathized with her actions. In a sense, she was a lot like him. After trying for so long, quitting halfway just wouldn¡¯t feel right.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Grisella noticed the sympathy in his eyes. She hurriedly shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m nothing like you. If I wanted to, I could stop these fruitless efforts of mine at any moment, but¡­ the world tree, if it¡¯s real, then there¡¯s something precious waiting up there.¡±

    ¡°Precious?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded her head. ¡°It comes from a legend not as widely circulated as the others, but supposedly, there¡¯s an incredibly precious ingredient there called the Essence of the World.¡±

    ¡°The Essence of the World? That¡¯s a bit of a mouthful, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    She ignored his senseless comment and continued. ¡°The essence is basically just a special kind of tree sap that can only be found within a World tree. It is a miraculous ingredient, to the extent where it can even revive the dead.¡± A whimsical haze clouded her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s completely precious and invaluable. I want to acquire it.¡±

    ¡°Is there some important reason why you want it so bad?¡±

    ¡°Reason?¡± Grisella remained silent for a while. For a split second, a glimmer of conflict appeared on her face. A short while later, it disappeared, only to be replaced by the same cheeky smile from before. ¡°No, not really. I¡¯m an alchemist. Isn¡¯t it only natural for me to want to get my hands on such a precious ingredient?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I guess that makes sense.¡± He reluctantly nodded, although he wasn¡¯t all that convinced.

    Grisella ignored the doubt in his eyes. ¡°So, will you let me go with you guys or what?¡±

    Ellis thought about it for a moment. ¡°Alright, if you really want to go with us, then fine. You can come along.¡± Even though he acted reluctantly, in truth, he was secretly pumping his fist in the air. After all, every adventure should be accompanied by a beauty.

    And Grisella certainly met those requirements. If she were to dress up in a white button-up shirt and a black tube skirt, then she would look exactly like a voluptuous office boss lady. The image of Grisella in an office setting was almost identical to the girls that so often accompanied his late-night fantasies.

    Of course, his past life was not adorned with beautiful women. Back then, he had nothing but a mountain of debt and a conniving snake of a boss. Well, none of that concerned him anymore.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The solitary witch smiled a somewhat faint smile.

    Ellis was momentarily stunned by her smile. It was a genuine smile, the type that he had only ever seen once in his past life. It had happened when he first saw a couple adopt a little girl from his old orphanage. Her smile back then was so bright, that it even affected someone as unrelated as Ellis.

    In the face of such a smile, he couldn¡¯t help but break out into a goofy grin.

    Walking right alongside him, Ena saw this all transpire. A certain flare ignited with her gaze. She jumped up and angrily bit down on his hand.

    ¡°Ouch! E-Ena, what the hell are you doing?!¡± He shook her off and cradled his injured arm. After a few seconds, it healed back to normal. Still, he glared suspiciously at the little fox.

    For the past couple of days now, Ena had been quite cranky, even more so than the usual. She acted like this a few times before, most notably whenever he played around with Wight, but ever since they got to the cottage, her mood seemingly plummeted.

    Ellis had no clue why she was acting like this.

    Grisella watched the two interact with one another. After a while, she couldn¡¯t help but comment, ¡°you two are quite close, huh?¡±

    ¡°For better or for worse, she¡¯s been with me the longest.¡± He let out an exasperated sigh, ¡°I was even there for her birth. At this point, she probably sees me as some sort of a father figure.¡±

    In response to such a claim, Ena shook her head and disagreed. Naturally, Ellis ignored her.

    Grisella sighed in amazement. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it. To think that you¡¯d stumble across the birth of a nine-tailed fox¡­ what sort of dogshit luck is that!?¡± She was completely and utterly stumped.

    ¡°Nine-tailed fox¡­ as expected, they really are amazing creatures, huh?¡±

    ¡°Amazing is an understatement. Nine-tailed foxes are considered the irregulars of irregulars,¡± she explained, ¡°In this world, there are certain breeds of foxes whose strength is reflected by the number of tails that they possess. Three to five tails are considered the norm. Six to eight tailed foxes would be the irregulars. As for those with nine tails¡­. well, that¡¯s considered the very pinnacle of potential for the fox species. They are mutations of a mutation.¡±

    Grisella looked over at Ena. The little fox glared back. Ellis had somehow managed to pry his hand away from her jaw, but that was only the start of his problems. Right now, she clung to the back of his head like a spider monkey.

    The solitary witch awkwardly smiled. Even without doing anything, this girl will eventually reach calamity-levels of strength.

    She let out another airy sigh. For some reason, she felt defeated. After a short pause, Grisella asked, ¡°Can she transform yet?¡±

    ¡°Transform?¡± Ellis tilted his head in confusion. Ena also turned back and tilted her head. Ena¡¯s expression was a near perfect replica of his own.

    ¡°Some monsters can transform and take on a human form.¡± She explained. ¡°Take for example a dragon. Dragons are considered to be one of the stronger species in this world. There are many variations and sub-species out there. Except for lesser-dragons, practically all of them have the potential to achieve human form. That¡¯s part of the reason why dragons, despite being strictly monsters, are often classified under the umbrella term of demi-human.¡±

    Ellis¡¯s expression took an odd twist. In that case, all those guys that I killed¡­ wasn¡¯t that basically murder? Wait, no, I think it might be something different, but still¡­

    Unaware of his wandering thoughts, Grisella continued, ¡°Transforming into a human isn¡¯t strictly considered unusual. In fact, many monster species are capable of it, especially the stronger ones, like the nine-tailed fox.¡± She stopped for a moment and redirected her gaze over to the wolves. ¡°Even those that start off as regular monsters can achieve transformation too.¡±

    At this point, Wight¡¯s ears immediately perked up.

    ¡°Irregular monsters that attain both the necessary strength and wisdom can transform.¡± She let out a short cough, ¡°Of course, this is all just hearsay. Outside of the stronger, more well-known species, it hardly ever happens. Dragons are the greatest example. They boast strong bloodlines that regular monsters just can¡¯t compare to. Most monsters simply don¡¯t live long enough to do so thanks to their short lifespans.¡±

    ¡°So, only long-lived animals can transform?¡± He asked.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Long-lived animals just have a higher chance of doing so, simply because they have more time to accumulate strength and wisdom. The main factor in play here is not age, but rather accumulation. More specifically, accumulation of strength, mana, and wisdom.¡±

    Grisella paused for a moment, ¡°The demi-human races that live on the western side of the continent¡­ there¡¯s an ongoing rumor that speaks of their origin. According to legend, they originated from beasts that had attained human form.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis mulled over her words. After a while, he turned to the wolves. ¡°Did you hear that, guys? If you work hard enough, then you can all become like me.¡±

    The wolves all let out excited barks. Wight¡¯s eyes burned with never before seen motivation. Ellis faintly smiled. Instead of just mindlessly getting stronger, these guys now had a concrete goal to strive towards.

    In contrast to their excitement, Grisella let out an exasperated sigh. She shook her head, ¡°like I said, transforming is incredibly difficult and unlikely. You can¡¯t just do it even if you are strong. You need the necessary wisdom as well.

    ¡°Wisdom, huh?¡± Ellis muttered underneath his breath. Well, it should be fine. These guys have gotten pretty smart lately¡­

    Just to be sure, he decided to introduce more board games, especially the more complicated kinds. He didn¡¯t really know if it would help, but it was worth a shot. Besides, the wolves loved playing checkers. He was certain that they would love other games as well.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He reassured the skeptical witch. ¡°They¡¯re not just strong, they¡¯ve also been accumulating wisdom too. In fact, these guys are pretty good at checkers.¡±

    ¡°Checkers?¡± This time, it was Grisella¡¯s turn to tilt her head.

    Ellis explained the game. After about a minute or so, Grisella nodded her head in understanding. ¡°Oh¡­I don¡¯t know why you call it Checkers, but most people know that as Grids. It¡¯s a fairly common game in the central parts of the continent. Also, I happen to be fairly good at it.¡±

    She downplayed her statement, but in truth, Grisella had quite the confident expression on her face. Unbeknownst to him, the solitary witch actually won quite a number of local tournaments back in the day.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ellis wasn¡¯t really all that surprised to hear that there was a fantasy counterpart to Checkers. After all, it was a simple game with simple rules. Give a monkey a rock and it might accidentally invent shotput.

    ¡°Then, since you guys are such experts, can I interest you in a round or two?¡± She haughtily laughed as she pulled out a checkers board from her spatial artifact.

    The board was actually a flat box with a false bottom. The pieces were inside the box. They really did look almost exactly like checkers pieces, except the colors were white and blue. The only other difference was the fact that the board had more spaces.

    Hmm¡­ the format is somewhat different from what they¡¯re familiar with, but it should be fine if it¡¯s these guys¡­

    Even without his approval, the wolves were more than happy to entertain Grisella. They immediately agreed. For starters, they sent out their weakest player to test the waters. In terms of checkers, the wolf known as Cinder was actually the weakest.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The end result was a completely one-sided sweep by Cinder.

    On that day, a certain witch¡¯s fragile heart broke.

 Chapter 42: The First of Many Questions

    The day passed. The shadows that covered the forest grew taller while the darkness grew even darker. Night had finally fallen.

    Strangely enough, they did not encounter any monsters today. This was certainly unusual. In the past, there was no such thing as a monster-free day. Whether it was a pack of pushovers or a solitary loner with great strength, there was always something there to fill the void.

    Today had been different, but Ellis was similarly clueless as to why nothing had attacked them. Was it because of their new tag-along? Did the group¡¯s combined ¡®aura¡¯ scare everyone else off? Or maybe this was just the nature of the forest itself? The further upstream you go, the fewer distractions there will be.

    Ellis silently took note of this little incident.

    Meanwhile, the group decided to set up camp by the river. Ellis was somewhat new to the concept of ¡®setting up camp¡¯. In the past, it was usually just finding a place to lie down and sleep. Aside from the occasional cook-out, there really wasn¡¯t much of anything else.

    After hesitating for a moment, he began setting up a campfire. In actuality, it was just a matter of piling up sticks within a circle of rocks, not really anything to write home about.

    As he worked, Ellis furtively glanced over towards Grisella.

    With the use of a tarp and five sticks, she set up a simplified tent. It was triangular in shape and had an opening on both sides.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just set up your cottage again?¡± He asked as he watched her work. Her broomstick artifact had the ability to transform. In terms of the most helpful artifacts in the world, her broomstick certainly ranked quite high.

    Grisella shook her head in response. ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t, but rather, it¡¯s too troublesome to do so. The process of transforming the broom into a cottage is both arduous and taxing. In short, it¡¯s not worth the efforts, especially if I¡¯m just going to use it for one night.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± As expected, nothing in life is ever easy. Even a convenient artifact like the broomstick had its own limitations. Well, it did not really matter to him. After all, he was used to sleeping outside. What¡¯s more, this time, he had clothes on. A shirt, pants, shoes, and a cloak. There was even a blanket somewhere around here.

    It was a simple attire, but to Ellis, it was comparable to an expensive Christmas present. It was certainly better than being buck-naked.

    No, he wasn¡¯t worried for himself. He was worried about her. Can Grisella really survive sleeping out in the open like this? Even though she wore thicker clothes than he did, Ellis had a feeling that she wasn¡¯t a very outdoorsy kind of person.

    With such thoughts running through his head, Ellis began preparing dinner. He did not want anything too special, so today, he decided to stick to the basics. Something simple and quick. For example, Roasted hydra meat.

    As he continually pulled out various ingredients from Ena¡¯s spatial artifact, Grisella suddenly shouted.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Her eyes narrowed as they locked down onto the slab of meat in his hands.

    Her nose slightly quivered. There was a very distinct acrid smell to it. Most normal people wouldn¡¯t even notice it, but as an Alchemist, she could clearly tell that the meat was covered in poison. What¡¯s more, strong mana fluctuations were exuding out from that slab of meat.

    ¡°Hydra meat.¡± He answered. ¡°Well, technically speaking, it¡¯s probably chuck or maybe rib eye? I¡¯m not too certain.¡±

    ¡°Hydra?!¡± Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    ¡°No, Hydra meat is not something that I can just joke about,¡± Ellis stated with a somewhat prideful expression. To him, it was a godsend ingredient. It was delicious. Not only that, but it had amazing staying power. Even though he had eaten nothing but hydra meat for over a year now, he still wasn¡¯t bored with it.

    ¡°Y-you¡­ just where the hell did you get such a thing?¡±

    ¡°We hunted it.¡± He stated rather plainly. After a few seconds, he muttered underneath his breath, ¡°Don¡¯t really think it needs that much explaining¡­¡±

    In the face of Ellis¡¯s lackadaisical attitude, Grisella couldn¡¯t help but twitch in frustration.

    Saying that you hunted it¡­ is a Hydra really something so easy to hunt!?

    To her understanding, there was only one group of Hydras living within this forest. It was a family that consisted of five individuals and led by a monster that was practically at the precipices of Calamity-class. They lived in a swamp south of the river, right where the forest bordered with the Plains of Death, which was another forbidden region.

    No¡­ they¡¯re not the only ones, but¡­ She suddenly recalled another Hydra. Strictly by location, then it was certainly a more convenient monster, but there was one key problem: it was an extremely strong monster.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The dots quickly connected in her head. Almost immediately, her skin paled.

    These guys hunted one of Ilpin¡¯s Overlords!

    Within the one hundred years that she had spent living in this forest, Grisella had managed to gather quite a bit of data on the surroundings. In short, she probably knew the layout and monster composition of nearly half of the entire forbidden region.

    For a place as large as Ilpin Forest, that was an amazing feat, especially for just one person. It was comparable to someone mapping out all of America¡¯s streets and highways with nothing more than a pencil and paper.

    Part of the reason for her success was because of the fact that she was not as confrontational as Ellis and his group. Compared to these guys who fought everything their eyes could see, she much preferred sneaking around and avoiding combat whenever possible. Unlike them, with the help of her magic and her own ingenuity, Grisella could traverse hundreds of miles in a single day.

    Back to the topic at hand.

    For one hundred years, she cataloged the monsters of Ilpin forest. In that time, she discovered pockets of influences scattered across the entire region. These pockets were usually governed by abnormally strong monsters (creatures she dubbed as Overlords).

    The area outside these pockets was where the rest of the residents eked out their lives. For example, a normal burrow wolf (not the irregulars that followed Ellis) would fall under this category. They lived within the outer-rings, fighting out among themselves and running for their lives whenever someone even marginally stronger would come along.

    The Hydra that she knew of lived in a black lake connected to the river. It was a fairly strong Overlord.

    By chance, she had stumbled across its territory fifteen years ago. Back then, it had been recovering from a fight with another overlord of a neighboring pocket. The only reason why she had managed to make it out of such a dangerous situation alive was purely because the Hydra was still recovering from its fight.

    Hydras were creatures that grew stronger with each battle. After surviving such a near-death experience, there was no doubting its future strength.

    Did Ellis really kill that Hydra?

    She couldn¡¯t believe it. No, it was almost impossible to believe, but after seeing the hunk of meat roasting on a stick in front of her, Grisella had no other choice but to believe it.

    Suffice to say, she was amazed, but more than that, the fact that they were about to brazenly eat such a precious thing nearly brought tears to her eyes.

    Hydras were high-value monsters. The meat on their backs, the blood in their veins, even the grime between their teeth, every part of a hydra was valuable. Adventurers who successfully manage to hunt one down would instantly transform into overnight tycoons. It was the type of wealth that one could live off of for ten generations.

    As an alchemist, her heart bled.

    She watched as Ellis sprinkled something black all over the meat. It kind of resembled black pepper, but smelled somewhat acrid. She could not identify what sort of seasoning he was using.

    Grisella gritted her teeth. In an attempt to dissuade him from wasting such precious materials, she said, ¡°You know, that thing¡¯s poisonous.¡±

    ¡°Poison?¡± Ellis tilted his head. He licked off the last bits of dragon spice from his fingers. ¡°Is it? Really? We¡¯ve been eating it for quite a while now, I don¡¯t really feel all that¡­ ¡®poisoned.¡¯ What do you guys think?¡±

    He turned to the wolves.

    Like him, they tilted their heads in confusion. They could not quite understand what this tag-along was saying.

    Unbeknownst to Ellis, the wolves had long since grown immune to the Hydra¡¯s poison. This was all due to their experience with the near torturous blood pool.

    Watching everyone¡¯s clueless faces only served to irritate her further. She opened her mouth to say something, but after a while, she shook her head.

    ¡°Never mind...¡± For some reason, she couldn¡¯t help but feel defeated.

    She breathed out an airy sigh. Grisella stared up at him with complicated eyes. ¡°You really are a giant enigma.¡±

    To that comment, Ellis once again tilted his head. ¡°If you want to know something about me, then just ask. I¡¯ll be happy to answer.¡±

    Well, as long as it''s within reason, of course.

    She paused for a moment. Grisella had a lot of questions, but sifting through those questions took a while. After a few seconds, she asked, ¡°Then, who were you before?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He furrowed his brow.

    ¡°I mean, homunculi don¡¯t really have memories. At least, normal ones don¡¯t.¡± She explained. ¡°It¡¯s only normal. After all, they possess only the bare minimum of cognitive function. In short, they don¡¯t really have the brains to recollect any memories. But you, Ellis, you¡¯re different.¡±

    Her eyes glistened with excitement. ¡°you can talk, you can think, you can do all sorts of things that a regular human can. So, I have to wonder; is there a soul inside your body?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis did not answer. He briefly recalled his time in the darkness. A light. A formless mass of light drifting through endless nothing.

    ¡°Do you remember anything from your past? If so, what makes you so special? What differentiates you from the other countless comfort dolls and brainless servants scattered all across Lull? What is it? What makes you, you?¡±

    There was something in there. She knew it. She felt it. There was something in there that made it possible for Ellis to become a ¡®functional homunculus.¡¯

    For her pursuit of alchemy, she needed to find out.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Once again, he remained silent.

    He thought about it long and hard. Should he tell her? He had gotten to know Grisella quite well within the past couple of weeks, but to reveal what was arguably his greatest secret just like that? Should he? Should he really?

    After a long time, he let out a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t really remember much of anything. My memories only go back to the day I first woke up in that mausoleum. Aside from a few tidbits of information regarding my lineage, I¡¯m afraid there isn¡¯t really anything else.¡±

    Ellis shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Grisella sighed in disappointment. Her earlier excitement deflated. ¡°Well, that¡¯s unfortunate¡­¡±

    Ellis turned back to the fire. He absentmindedly stoked the flames.

    Even after he had gotten to know her, they were not yet at the level where Ellis could wholeheartedly trust her. At least, not yet. Whether they can continue towards that direction, or if something happens in the future to change all that¡­ well, that was still far away for the current him.

    Ellis was a lot of things. He was not very serious about keeping things secret, nor did he really do much preparation towards his ¡®fated enemies¡¯. He might even be a little bit na?ve, and some might even call him thoughtless, but even for someone like him, there was a line that he did not dare cross.

    His greatest secret was certainly one of those lines.

    As the smell of roasted meat danced through the air, the last bit of light eventually faded over the horizon.

 Chapter 43: Enas New Target

    The night continued.

    ¡°So, we just follow the river and it should take us straight to the World Tree?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what all the legends say,¡± Grisella answered. ¡°of course, nothing has been verified yet. There¡¯s a very real possibility that the World Tree doesn¡¯t exist and the river just ends atop of a mountain or something.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ that sort of outcome would certainly be disappointing¡­¡± Ellis muttered. If such a thing were to really happen¡­ he couldn¡¯t help but shiver. More than six years of his life, down the drain. Just imagining it hurt his heart.

    He suddenly looked up, ¡°Incidentally, you wouldn¡¯t happen to have a map of the forest, would you?¡±

    She looked at him with a perturbed gaze. ¡°This is a forbidden region. Generally, maps don¡¯t exist for places like these. And the ones that do are all outrageously expensive¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± His shoulders drooped. He had been wandering this godforsaken place for so long now, that Ellis felt as if he was slipping further into insanity with each passing day. His only geographical landmark was this serpentine river. For once, he wanted to know a little bit more about the current lay of the land.

    ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions so fast.¡± Grisella reprimanded him. She then pulled out a glossy piece of paper with a width comparable to his entire arm. It was a map, and from the looks of things, it appeared laminated. ¡°I drew this one out myself. One hundred years of blood, sweat, and tears. Don¡¯t go breaking it.¡±

    She handed him the map. Ellis carefully looked at it. At first glance, it appeared very chaotic. A wide expanse of trees. For some reason, there were random red circles dotted all over the map. He counted at least thirty. A blue vein snaked its way through the entirety of the map.

    It was clearly the river. To his disappointment, the river ended prematurely.

    Grisella pointed to the tip of the blue vein. ¡°This is the furthest that I¡¯ve traveled. Any more than that and¡­¡± She shook her head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    To be honest, the map wasn¡¯t very helpful. He could hardly understand the contents of the map, and the parts that he did understand weren¡¯t really all that useful.

    Just as Ellis was about to return the map, Ena suddenly trotted towards them.

    The little fox stared up at Grisella with half-moon shaped eyes. It was an expression that was supposed to resemble a smile, but when she did it, it looked more like a villainous sneer.

    ¡°W-what do you want?¡± Grisella immediately tensed. She glared at the fox with clear suspicion. She had long since concluded that this little thing did not really like her. The hostility was as clear as day, and it did not really try to hide any of it.

    That¡¯s what made this situation even weirder. Why was it smiling like that?

    As Ellis watched from the sidelines, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. He recognized that expression on Ena¡¯s face. That little punk, she¡¯s planning something again¡­

    He let out a sigh. Should I do something? Grisella doesn¡¯t really interact much with Ena, so things might turn out bad if this continues. Then again¡­ After some lengthy consideration, he eventually shrugged his shoulders. Well, as long as Ena doesn¡¯t do anything too extreme, it should be fine¡­

    With a nod, Ellis came to a decision. For now, he would watch over the subsequent interaction.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you again! W-what do you want!¡± Grisella got up from her seat and backed away. Her guard was clearly up. In fact, her mind was spinning with all sorts of scenarios.

    Unfortunately for her, Grisella''s subconscious movement actually caused her to take a step closer towards Ellis.

    Ena clearly noticed this. A spike of irritation blazed within her heart, but on the outside, she looked the same. An eerie, narrow-eyed smile.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± The little fox raised her paw and pointed it towards Grisella. Even with a language barrier, the gesture was obvious. A peace treaty.

    Grisella only grew even more suspicious. What is this little devil planning? It surely isn¡¯t anything good¡­

    Even after racking her brain, she still couldn¡¯t discern Ena¡¯s true intentions. After a long bout of hesitation, she eventually agreed. Grisella shook the little paw in front of her.

    Ena¡¯s smile grew even wider. A cold shiver ran down the witch¡¯s spine. Before she could do anything, Ena suddenly turned away from her. The little fox looked over at Ellis. She let out a single bark.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ellis tilted his head. After a moment¡¯s pause, he widened his eyes. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right. The meat¡¯s already cooked.¡± He scrambled towards the open flame. Ellis lifted the hulking chunk of meat away from the fire and placed it over a bed of embers.

    The heat from the embers was just high enough to keep it warm but low enough to prevent any additional cooking. If this was an oven, then it would be the same as putting it on ¡®low heat¡¯.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Alright everyone, time to eat.¡± He then proceeded to portion out the meat and distribute the slices to each member of the group.

    At this point, Ena walked over to him with Grisella in tow.

    ¡°You two want some too?¡± Ellis asked as he prepared to cut off another slice.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena barked out in agreement, while Grisella¡¯s face blanched.

    Her mind furiously spun. The witch quickly understood her current situation. She looked at the little fox with fearful eyes. ¡°You want me to eat that?¡±

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit difficult for me to do¡­¡± Poison. Hydra meat was straight up poison! This damn devil was asking her to willingly ingest poison. Was she insane?!

    Ena pulled out a wooden plate from within her spatial pouch and plopped a chunk of meat onto the plate. She slid the plate over. Again, her intentions were quite clear. It was a peace offering.

    Grisella felt her eyelids twitch. The smell that permeated the air only made it worse. A nutty, almost almond scent, intermixed with the familiar grease of meat. It certainly wasn¡¯t a very bad smell. In fact, it was actually kind of good. At the very least, it was a smell that caused her stomach to rumble in hunger.

    Still, no matter how good it smelled, she needed to resist! It was normal for the meat to smell so good. After all, High-value monsters generally tasted better than normal monsters. It had something to do with the increased mana concentration within their flesh. If it was any other type of meat, then she wouldn¡¯t have hesitated. Unfortunately, Hydra meat was different. It was poison!

    With an awkward smile, Grisella shook her head and declined.

    Of course, Ena was not the type to take no for an answer.

    She shook her butt. Her tails swayed in the air. A sharp gust of wind suddenly ripped a piece of meat off from the plate and sent it hurtling straight to Grisella¡¯s open mouth.

    The poor witch did not even have the chance to react.

    Ena smiled.

    Grisella¡¯s face froze. T-this¡­ t-this damn devil! She just fed me poison!

    She instinctively wanted to spit it out, but something stopped her. An explosion of flavor. Meat juices lathered her tongue and flowed down the length of her throat. A silent shudder rocked her body. Her cheeks flushed. Before she even realized what was happening, her mouth was already chewing.

    Ellis watched her fluctuating expressions with fascinated eyes. He stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth, but strangely enough, he did not feel as emotional as Grisella¡¯s face made it out to be.

    Maybe I¡¯m getting used to the taste? He let out a soft sigh.

    ¡°So, how is it?¡± He asked her as he melancholically stuffed another piece of meat into his mouth.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Instead of answering, she kept chewing. Her face grew redder by the second.

    After a short pause, Grisella eventually responded. ¡°It¡¯s good¡­ it certainly tastes good, so good, in fact, that even when my brain is telling me to spit it out, my mouth simply refuses to let go. In short, it¡¯s delicious, but¡­ it¡¯s as I suspected. Hydra meat is poisonous.¡±

    The flush on her skin reddened to the point where steam was practically exuding out of her pours. Grisella shivered uncontrollably. Cold chills bombarded every joint in her body. She did not know how these damn monsters did it, but for the normal little old her, Hydra meat was undeniably deadly.

    Stars flashed through her eyes. Off to the side, she could vaguely see the little fox laughing at her misery. It was then that she understood. Ena had set her up. She purposely poisoned her.

    Is this¡­ is this really how I¡¯m going to die?

    Just as such a thought entered her mind, a wave of green suddenly washed over her.

    In the midst of Grisella¡¯s stellar performance, Ena shook her butt and waved her tails. Ephemeral green light filled the surroundings. In less than five seconds, Grisella¡¯s flush subsided. Her shivers disappeared, while the extreme flush on her face transformed into a healthy glow.

    Ena had fixed her.

    Grisella unconsciously swallowed the meat. She hurriedly inspected her body. She patted down her waist, ran a finger over her skin, and even groped her breasts. Nothing had changed. There was absolutely no harm done onto her body. In fact, she felt a ball of energy coursing through the pit of her stomach.

    What should have been a fatal poison was now no more. Not a single trace of it remained, except for the lingering aftertaste that still danced on her tongue.

    ¡°How did you do that?¡± She asked the smug looking fox.

    Ena did not answer. Instead, she threw another piece of meat into Grisella¡¯s mouth. This time, the witch did not hesitate. When the symptoms of the poison began showing, green light once again flooded her body.

    ¡°This light¡­¡± She stared at the little fox with a complicated expression. As expected of a legendary nine-tailed fox¡­

    ¡°Ah, Ena can heal people.¡± Ellis conveniently answered as he swallowed another piece of meat. The reason why he had not intervened before was purely because he had been in the midst of chewing his food. He wanted to help sooner, but he restrained himself. After all, it was bad manners to talk with your mouth full.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s more than just healing,¡± Grisella stated. ¡°healing magic generally falls under the element of light. It¡¯s used quite commonly by the Priests of the Orthodox Church. The little fox, Ena¡¯s is different. It¡¯s not light, but rather, life itself. She utilized the element of life.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis did not say anything. In truth, he had already predicted this sort of outcome. Hearing Grisella¡¯s words only served to confirm his theory.

    Regardless, the solitary witch continued to explain. ¡°According to the legends that surround the existence of nine-tailed foxes, imbued within each root of their tails is a strand of true element.¡±

    ¡°True element?¡±

    Grisella nodded. ¡°True element is the purest form of elemental mana. It can continually create elemental energy of its corresponding type. In easier terms, it¡¯s like a king, able to freely control and create its subjects. Some living creatures are born with a strand of true element inside their body.¡±

    She paused for a moment. ¡°Humans too, they can also possess true element. Those that do usually become strong magicians or unstoppable warriors. Let¡¯s see¡­ an example of that would be¡­ the Flame Tyrant. He was an Archmage from the Western Plains. Like his name implies, he was born with a strand of true fire. With that natural gift, he rose from poverty and eventually came to rule over the west with an iron fist.

    ¡°That guy was alive and kicking back when I was still wandering the world one hundred years ago. I wonder if he¡¯s still around today?¡±

    ¡°Just one strand is enough for someone to become so powerful¡­¡± Ellis muttered to himself. ¡°Then, nine-tailed foxes are¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, unlike everyone else, a nine-tailed fox is born with nine such strands.¡± Grisella confirmed.

    ¡°What sort of elements do they get?¡±

    ¡°That¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± She shook her head. ¡°The elements of a nine-tailed fox are supposed to be random at birth, chosen from amongst all the possible elements that roam this world.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± It was a disappointing answer, but Ellis half expected that. Thinking back on it now, Ena had showcased quite a number of different abilities. Fire, water, life, wind, and that still unknown purple element. Purple was an element that he previously predicted to be space.

    Still, that was only five. There were four more left still waiting to be discovered. It was unfortunate, but Ena had not revealed anything else. He was not certain whether she just couldn¡¯t use it yet, or if she simply did not want to use it.

    As Ellis was in deep thought, Grisella¡¯s soft voice suddenly filled his ears.

    ¡°Hey, can I ask you something?¡±

 Chapter 44: And Suddenly, an Outrageous Proposition

    For quite some time now, Grisella eyed the book by his side. It was an archaic book with an almost entirely black cover. Faded white text dotted the cover.

    A peculiar glint flashed through her eyes.

    She had noticed the book a long time ago, but never really had the opportunity to ask about it. Ellis constantly carried it around with him. It was even there during their first meeting. For a man with no clothes, a single black book as his only possession was certainly quite eye-catching.

    She couldn¡¯t help but wonder: What was it? Was it important? And if so, why?

    Her curiosity was almost at its tipping point, but unfortunately, whether it was potion-making or cooking for a pack of ungrateful wolves, she was always busy. The shock from almost being poisoned to death re-ignited her slumbering curiosities.

    A rare moment of peace had graced her. Now was as good as a time as any for her to breach the topic.

    ¡°Hey, can I ask you something?¡± Those words echoed through the air.

    Ellis paused. For a moment, he hesitated. If it was a question like before, then the answer would obviously be no. He stared long and hard at the woman in front of him. After a while, he breathed out an almost silent sigh.

    ¡°Sure, take your shot.¡±

    ¡°That,¡± she pointed to the book by his feet. ¡°that book, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Eh? This thing?¡± Ellis looked down and lifted the book up. He brushed aside all the dust that had accumulated on its cover and briefly inspected it. This was the same book that Ena had retrieved from beneath the lagoon. In his eyes, it was nothing more than a useless accessory that came with Ena¡¯s infinitely more useful spatial pouch.

    ¡°It¡¯s something that we picked up along the way.¡± He answered simply.

    Grisella¡¯s face slightly twitched. ¡°Y-you¡­ you picked a book up in the middle of a forest?¡±

    Ellis scratched the back of his head. ¡°Well, technically it was from a lagoon, but basically, yeah.¡± In the face of her disbelief, he nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Towards this book, I¡¯ve also been quite curious, but unfortunately, I can¡¯t really read it.¡±

    He then tossed the book towards her.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Grisella scrambled to catch it. After a few fumbling attempts, it landed in her lap.

    Upon seeing the cover, she immediately widened her eyes. ¡°This language¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you recognize it?¡±

    She slightly nodded her head. ¡°Yes, I think I do. It¡¯s an ancient script, Sarelic, I think it was called. It used to be quite popular a few millennia ago, but now, not so much. As far as I know, only scholars and architects know how to read it.¡±

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°I said only scholars and architects.¡± Grisella snapped at him with a rather snippy tone. ¡°For your information, I happen to be a scholar.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±

    She ignored his irritating display of disbelief. She turned back towards the book. Grisella traced a finger along the letters on the cover. ¡°This says¡­ Com-compendium¡­ The Compendium of Space?¡±

    The name itself was rather simple. It was the sort of title commonly used for introduction books regarding a certain field. In fact, her first alchemy book was titled the Grand Compendium of Herbology. Despite its name, it wasn¡¯t really all that amazing.

    She opened the book. There was an insignia located on the bottom right of the inner cover. It was slightly smudged, but after a few seconds, Grisella recognized the insignia.

    At this point, her eyes narrowed. ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it this time?¡± Ellis asked. He did not forget to stuff a piece of now cold hydra meat into his mouth.

    ¡°This insignia here, look.¡± She showed him the page.

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis slightly widened his eyes. He was completely unaware of the insignia¡¯s existence.  He had overlooked it during his first round of investigations. It was an error on his part

    ¡­ Well, in truth, he didn¡¯t really do much in terms of investigating.

    ¡°It¡¯s faint, but this insignia is definitely from Nephemeer.¡± She spoke with slight excitement in her voice.

    ¡°Nephemeer? What is that? Is that some sort of place?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s a person. A rather famous person.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Well, famous in my field anyway.

    ¡°Nephemeer was a person from the Meraphim era. She was the youngest person to achieve the status of Archmagi. On the same year she achieved such a feat, she also became the owner of the Dreadknot Magus Tower. With her status as both Dreadknot Master and Archmagi, she was given the right to participate in the Bellflower Garden Conference.¡±

    Ellis¡¯s eyes swirled. Suddenly, he was bombarded with a bunch of words and titles that were completely foreign to him. He was more than just a little overwhelmed.

    ¡°Basically, she was an extremely important person revered by her followers and feared by her enemies.¡± Grisella succinctly summarized. ¡°Nephemeer not only had an amazing talent for several different magic disciplines, but she also climbed her way up to the highest pinnacle of Space magic. At her peak, she was feared as the Magus who swallowed reality. Not a single person has ever managed to replicate the feats that she created.¡±

    ¡°Also¡­¡± Grisella¡¯s gaze suddenly shifted towards Ena. The little fox was currently busy playing around with the wolves, so she did not even notice. Grisella slightly frowned. ¡°She was a nine-tailed fox.¡±

    Ellis¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A nine-tailed fox¡­ but from how you describe it, this Nephy person sounds like someone who was heavily involved in the human world. As a fox, that shouldn¡¯t be the case, right?¡±

    ¡°No, didn¡¯t I mention it before? Nine-tailed foxes can attain human form. In fact, some people go so far as to consider them demi-humans. This viewpoint is further supported by the fact that nine-tailed foxes are capable of giving birth with human mates. Besides, back then, there wasn¡¯t as much stigma towards the monster race as there is now. Nephemeer, despite being a fox, did not hide her identity.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Now that she mentioned it, ever since he got to this world, he harbored this pre-conceived notion that monsters and humans were at ends with one another. This was counter to the fact that he had never seen any evidence of that sort of thing happening. Maybe I should rethink my biases¡­

    Well, in retrospect, some things began to make sense.

    For instance, why did Ena¡¯s mother die in a cave by the lagoon? At first, he believed it was just pure coincidence that Ena was born so close to such treasures (the pouch and the book), but in light of the new information, that didn¡¯t seem like the case anymore.

    There was a very strong possibility that Nephemeer¡¯s artifacts and the seven-tailed fox¡¯s final resting place were connected.

    ¡°And this book, what sort of artifact is it?¡± Ellis asked.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, then it¡¯s probably a magic book,¡± Grisella answered. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to call it a Grimoire, but it should be filled with the teachings of Nephemeer.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Her eyes sparkled with delight. ¡°This is definitely a treasure. It¡¯s the sort of thing that nations would greedily go to war over. Even the Orthodox Church would go wild at the mere sight of this book.¡±

    ¡°Then, I guess it¡¯s something for magicians, huh?¡± He breathed out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but I can¡¯t use magic¡­¡± He paused for a second. A thought flashed through his mind. ¡°Grisella, you¡­ do you think you can teach me?¡±

    ¡°Teach you? Like, magic?¡±

    He nodded. Ellis had been meaning to ask about this for a while now, but with everything that had happened, he never really found a time to do so.

    Grisella hesitated for a moment. In truth, even for her, it was difficult to judge whether or not Ellis could actually use magic.

    As a witch, Grisella was quite sensitive. The bare minimum requirement for someone to be able to use magic was mana. After all, a potential mage¡¯s body needed to be able to support the heavy strain and expenditure of mana usage. For this, a body that naturally produces mana was needed.

    Of course, in this world, everything produced mana. Whether it was a small rock on the side of the road or the birds that soared through the skies, they all exuded out mana, just some more than others. A potential mage needs to have at least 1.5 times more mana than the normal person.

    Take Ena for example. Her tiny body generated so much mana that the parts that couldn¡¯t be contained simply leaked out of her like a broken dam.

    Ellis, on the other hand, was weird. Grisella could not sense any outward flow of mana coming from his body. This sort of thing only happened on two occasions. Ellis was either someone with absolutely zero mana or he was someone with so little of it that it was almost negligible.

    The former was impossible and the latter would cut off all his dreams of ever using magic.

    In short, his chances were slim.

    She thought about it for a moment, before she reached over and grabbed his hand. Ellis¡¯s skin was smooth, although not as smooth as her own. It felt like a man¡¯s hand. A slight flush crept up onto her cheeks.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ellis asked as he stared down at her pale fingers.

    ¡°Inspecting.¡± She succinctly answered.

    After a few seconds, Grisella knitted her brow. ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So, how is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± She stated. ¡°You have mana, but it¡¯s weird. It¡¯s all just¡­ sitting there, accumulating. Your body absorbs mana and basically uses it as nutrients.¡±

    In truth, this sort of constitution wasn¡¯t all that unique. Some monsters possessed similar body types. They would absorb mana into their body and use it to strengthen themselves. Ellis was the same, but there was something else too.

    ¡°Your body absorbs mana, but not everything gets used up. Under normal circumstances, the excess mana would be expelled out of you. After all, there¡¯s a cycle to these things. All living things in this world are in a state of constant absorption. A portion of the mana that they absorb gets stored up in the body, usually in something like a mana core.

    ¡°Mages are individuals who developed a control over that natural process. Their bodies can store more mana than normal, and they can also consciously increase the rate of absorption. Still, even for mages, it is impossible to just continually store and never expel. Everything has a limit. We absorb, and then we expel out. It¡¯s a cycle, get it?¡±

    Ellis nodded his head. It was something similar to the rain cycle that he had learned of as a kid.

    ¡°For some reason, you''re different.¡± She poked his chest. ¡°It¡¯s all just sitting there, accumulating inside your body. You absorb mana, but you don¡¯t expel it out.¡±

    He tilted his head. He could understand that his constitution was different from most normal people, but he couldn¡¯t quite tell why it was preventing him from using magic.

    ¡°Is that such a bad thing?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No, on the contrary, it¡¯s a good thing¡­ At least, theoretically. If you were a regular human, then you would be someone with a very enviable constitution. A body like yours would propel anyone to the status of a genius magus, but¡­¡± She looked at Ellis with a complicated gaze.

    ¡°For people with special constitutions, they should instinctively be able to feel mana and use it as naturally as moving their arms. Ellis, you can¡¯t do any of that, can you?¡±

    ¡°Feel mana? Use magic?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow. He did not feel anything. Nothing at all.

    He was completely stumped. It was like asking him to move his seventh limb. He did not have a seventh limb.

    After a short pause, Grisella sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to help you.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Isn¡¯t there some other way?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°In truth, your case is similar to an apprentice magician with low mana sensitivity. Usually, the first step would be to inject foreign mana into the apprentice¡¯s body. Doing so will allow them to consciously feel the flow of mana for the first time.¡±

    ¡°So, why don¡¯t we do that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°The thing is, I¡¯ve already been doing that.¡± She answered. ¡°Since the moment I held your hand, I¡¯ve been constantly injecting my mana into you, but¡­¡± She shook her head again. ¡°Did you feel anything?¡±

    ¡°¡­ No.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s as I thought. Your body absorbs everything I put into it. It¡¯s to the point where nothing I do changes anything.¡± She thought for a second. ¡°It¡¯s comparable to adding a drop of water into a raging whirlpool. Such a minuscule change would naturally go unnoticed.¡±

    For the third time in under a minute, she shook her head again. ¡°I really don¡¯t know how to fix you.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis¡¯s shoulders drooped. He was naturally downtrodden. From her words, he understood one thing: he had a good body, but a terrible mind.

    Since he was stuck at a dead end, for now, he decided to temporarily give up on magic. Somewhere in this wide world, there was probably someone out there who could help him, but he had a feeling that he would not find that someone anytime soon.

    Well, moping around won¡¯t do me any good.

    After a few seconds of silence, he raised his head and pointed towards the book in her hands. ¡°Since that thing won¡¯t do me any good, you can use it.¡±

    Grisella¡¯s eyes immediately widened. ¡°Eh, you¡¯re giving this to me?¡±

    ¡°Did I say that?¡± He retorted. ¡°Lending! I¡¯m lending it to you. While you still have it, learn as much of it as you can. You can even write down copies of it too or something.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± She would be lying if she were to say she was not tempted, but¡­ was this really okay?

    Seeing the conflict in her expression, Ellis breathed out a sigh. Grisella was sometimes weird like this. The same thing had happened when he gave her the Troll. This girl was not someone who knew how to accept gifts.

    He reassured her, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t think about it too much.¡±

    Besides, the fact that he had to constantly lug that useless thing around with him everywhere he went greatly annoyed him.  He felt nothing but relief after he transferred the burden over to someone else.

    ¡°You, you¡¯re really lending this to me?¡± Her shoulders trembled. Ellis might not understand, but she knew full well the significance of this legendary compendium. It was an absolutely precious artifact whose worth eclipsed even that of her broomstick. For her to suddenly get something like this¡­

    Tears welled up in her eyes.

    Ellis felt somewhat weird. The book was a treasure that the little fox happened to find a few minutes after she was born. Was it really something so amazing?

    On the other hand, Grisella felt overwhelmed with gratitude. She couldn¡¯t just accept it. No, it was impossible for her to accept it like this. In the first place, why would Ellis give her such a valuable treasure? He must have some sort of underlying motive to his actions.

    ¡­ Still, no matter what those motives may be, she had to accept. The temptation of Nephemeer¡¯s Compendium was too strong to resist.

    She deliberated for a long time. Eventually, she said, ¡°My master always spoke of repaying gratitude with gratitude. I can¡¯t just accept this favor.¡±

    In response, Ellis just shrugged his shoulders. He had already offered. If she was this stubborn about it, then there was nothing else he could really do.

    Grisella bit her bottom lip. It was a somewhat sensual gesture, but there were beads of sweat trickling down the sides of her cheek. A full minute passed. At some point, her face suddenly started to flush. In fact, it had turned as red as a tomato.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ellis was vaguely familiar with her expression.

    She suddenly looked up. Embarrassment and resolve, such emotions were clearly reflected within her fiery gaze. ¡°Let me serve you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t quite comprehend the words that she had just uttered. He blinked once. ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it!¡± Grisella exclaimed. ¡°In order to repay this favor, let me be your retainer. Or maybe a m-mistress. T-that works too. I have never given up my body for anyone, but I am fully aware of the effect that it has on men.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I, I probably can¡¯t serve you forever, but if it¡¯s for fifty, no, even one hundred years or so, then I¡¯m willing to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait! W-wait a damn minute!¡± He hurriedly shouted. ¡°You¡¯re going way too fast. A girl shouldn¡¯t give up her body so easily. Especially, not for a scrap of old papers.¡±

    Grisella tilted her head. Slight confusion colored her face. ¡°You weren¡¯t giving this to me in hopes of ¡®tasting¡¯ my body?¡± Her face was still bright red, but she was strangely articulate.

    He let out a strained cough. Ellis awkwardly shook his head.

    Ellis was a man with old-fashioned values. He strongly believed that relationships needed to be fostered and cared for¡­ Well, old fashioned may not be very accurate. After all, if given the chance, he was also the type of man to happily accept a harem.

    Still, he valued love above all else. Earning a girl¡¯s affections through material gifts simply did not sit well with him. If it was a girl like that, what¡¯s to say that she won¡¯t leave him for another guy with even bigger wallets?

    No, love was important. Everything could be traced back to the heart.

    ¡°You wanted it, right? So, just take it.¡± He firmly stated. ¡°We¡¯re going on the same journey. Technically, we¡¯re a team, so it¡¯s only right to help out my fellow teammates. After all, we can¡¯t have you dragging the entire group down. Besides, I can¡¯t use it, but you can.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± She was still hesitant.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m giving it to you.¡± Ellis quickly countered. ¡°Borrowing. It¡¯ll be just borrowing. If you can find some other way of repaying me that doesn¡¯t involve giving out your body, then that¡¯s fine too.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re really certain¡­¡±

    Grisella breathed out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. Of course, Ellis had noticed.

    Her blush slowly subsided. She looked up at him with slightly watery eyes. ¡°Then¡­ thank you.¡±

    He silently nodded.

    With that out of the way, Ellis looked up at the endless canopy of trees above him.

    He felt that a wind was blowing, but not a single leaf rustled.

 Chapter 45: When the Wolves Come out to Play

    After he lent Grisella the book, Ellis then went over and sought assistance from a certain nine-tailed fox.

    According to the witch, in order for him to use magic, he first needed to learn what it (mana) ¡®felt¡¯ like. Grisella had tried to help him in this regard, but she simply wasn¡¯t strong enough to accomplish anything.

    She mulled over the situation for a bit longer before she then mentioned Ena as his potential savior. While Grisella¡¯s mana might not be enough to fulfill the needed requirement, the little fox was different. Ena had a significantly larger mana pool than she did.

    Grisella was not overly hopeful of his chances, but doing something was still better than doing nothing.

    It took a while for everything to get rolling. but, in the end, even Ena was not enough.

    If Grisella was comparable to a drop of water, then Ena would be something like a cup. Regardless of either one, it still wasn¡¯t enough to upturn a raging whirlpool. It was certainly a hopeful attempt, but nonetheless, it ended in failure.

    Ellis went to bed that night thoroughly submerged in his own disappointment.

    ****

    The very next day, Ellis immediately initiated a new plan. It was something that he had come up with after last night¡¯s conversation. Rather than call it a legitimate plan, it was more along the lines of a distant goal.

    He called this new endeavor the ¡®Evolution Transformation Extravaganza.¡¯

    ¡­ the name was still in the works, but the basic goal of the plan was to help the kids achieve human form.

    Grisella had talked about it before, but in this world, monsters were able to transform into humans. Of course, like with everything, there were prerequisites that needed to be met before they could transform. According to the solitary witch, it all boiled down to three factors: strength, wisdom, and mana.

    Strength was already a given. Even now, the group constantly searched for new methods of improvement. He figured that he would probably do more harm than good if he were to get involved this late into the stage.

    As for mana, that was one subject that he completely did not know how to tackle. Ellis knew next to nothing about mana or magic in general. In fact, he was unable to even feel it, much less train someone in its usage.

    It was better to leave that department to the experts. More specifically to the well-learned Grisella and the young prodigy Ena.

    That only left wisdom.

    Ellis figured that the wisdom Grisella talked about was not actually an accumulation of information, but rather an increase in mental cognition. It was a difference between crystallized intelligence and fluid intelligence. The former dealt with raw knowledge, while the latter involved more abstract concepts such as problem-solving and abstract thinking.

    He once took a psych 101 class, so he knew some things regarding the topic.

    If his thought process was accurate, then he needed to increase their fluid intelligence.

    In short, he wanted to make his companions smarter. In this case, the more thinking they do, the smarter they¡¯ll become.

    Ellis immediately came up with an answer. It was a method that he was already quite familiar with; board games.

    Board games were the perfect tool for increasing fluid intelligence. Luckily for him, there were a plethora of games to choose from.

    For now, he did not immediately implement chess. Chess was arguably the most obvious answer to his predicament, but Ellis felt that it was somewhat too high level of a game. At least, for the current wolves. Instead, he decided to go with Othello.

    Othello was simpler than chess but a bit more challenging than checkers. It was the perfect middle ground.

    He wasn¡¯t overly familiar with the rules of the game, but he had enough knowledge to replicate most of it. For the things he didn¡¯t know, it was fine if he just made up new rules along the way.

    Actually, creating the board and the pieces was surprisingly easy. In fact, he didn¡¯t even have to do anything. This was where the dexterous Grisella came into play.

    A job that would have taken Ellis multiple days and multiple attempts, only took Grisella less than thirty minutes to complete. The end result was an eight by eight board and 64 dual-sided pieces. They made five sets in total.

    Once all the preparation was completed, he then taught them the rules. As thanks for all of her effort, he also taught Grisella. She was quite intrigued by the setup. Unlike checkers, Othello was a completely foreign game to the people of Lull.

    As for the wolves, they were quite eager to play any new game. And like Checkers, they soon got hooked.

    For the most part, Grisella also enjoyed the game. Outside of the times she spent reading the Compendium, she would play Othello with the others.

    What surprised him the most was not her enthusiasm for the game, but rather, her perseverance. Without mincing words, Grisella was getting absolutely destroyed by everyone else. After the first three or so losses, her eyes burned with drive. After twenty straight losses, her gaze dimmed a bit, but nevertheless, she still threw herself headfirst into the fray.

    After a full day of nothing but defeat, her expression blanched. If he looked closely, then he would notice her hands slightly trembling. Still, she kept playing.

    Ellis really did have to praise her. If it was him, he would have given up from the very start.

    Like this, the group continued along the river. Time passed and it was already close to a month into their journey.

    Ellis abruptly stopped.

    A deep frown morphed his face.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Grisella noticed the change in his expression.

    ¡°No¡­ well, it¡¯s the wolves.¡± He mumbled. ¡°They¡¯re starting to get a bit antsy.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°What?¡± Invisible question marks floated above her head. What the hell was this man suddenly saying?

    ¡°You know how we haven¡¯t run into any monsters lately? Well, it¡¯s been bothering everyone, so¡­¡±

    He too was secretly worried.

    It had been a month since they left Grisella¡¯s cottage, and in that time, they had yet to run into a single monster.

    Usually, whenever there were no monsters within the area, it signified the presence of a Boss class monster. Those damn things radiated an aura that naturally repelled weaker monsters. Of course, not all Bosses were the same. Some had a system in place that was nearly opposite of that. They would gather monsters to their side and use them like a personal army.

    Ellis wasn¡¯t really worried about the existence of the Boss itself. What made him feel uneasy was the fact that they still hadn¡¯t encountered anything yet.

    What exactly was going on?

    As a result of this conundrum, the wolves were constantly on edge. They acted normally on the outside, but inwardly, their guard was up nearly 24/7. Such heightened awareness caused their endurance to rapidly decline. Even Ena was starting to get tired.

    After Ellis explained all this, Grisella simply said, ¡°Ah, that? Don¡¯t worry about it. It was all because of this thing.¡± She pulled something out from her pants pocket.

    It was a tiny metal ball with holes covering the entire surface. It somewhat resembled a re-imagined version of swiss cheese. Looking closely, he saw invisible wisps of smoke leaking out from every orifice that dotted its surface.

    ¡°It¡¯s monster repellent.¡± She explained. ¡°It constantly lets out an unpleasant gas that drives most monsters away.¡±

    She turned to the wolves. ¡°You guys don¡¯t need to worry. You sort of got used to it when you stayed over at my place.¡±

    ¡°Either way, as long as we have this thing, we won¡¯t have to worry about running into any monsters.¡± Grisella thumped her chest in reassurance. The monster repellent was her own special little concoction. It was one of the primary reasons for her long-term success within the forest. She was actually quite proud of it.

    ¡°Ah¡­ so that¡¯s what happened¡­¡± Ellis nodded to himself in understanding.

    A somewhat conflicted expression colored his face.

    The lack of monsters was certainly a good thing. Because of Grisella¡¯s preemptive measure, their progress along the river had been much faster than they originally expected. Traveling without constantly being attacked was a truly novel experience for him. He would be lying if he were to say that he did not enjoy the peace and quiet.

    On the other hand, the monster repellent effectively took away their most valuable resource. The wolves viewed most of the monsters that they encountered not as enemies, but rather, as potential training partners.  Although weak monsters did not allow them to go all out like they would have normally wanted, the constant battle kept their senses honed and their bodies ready.

    At this point, it was like daily radio calisthenics for these guys.

    It¡¯s a bit troubling¡­ Ellis recently discovered another side effect: their current situation made it impossible for the wolves to vent. Despite how smart they had gotten, at their core, they were still monsters. They needed to let out all the pent-up aggression that had built up within their hearts.

    As a result, their behavior slightly changed. They were acting uncharacteristically more aggressive and uncharacteristically more rebellious. They were like pent-up teenage boys on a family vacation. Like those poor unfortunate souls, the wolves had no way to vent out all their repressed emotions.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Grisella noticed that his expression had actually grown darker.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing, just that¡­¡± He did not have the heart to tell her the truth. After all, her good intentions were the current cause of this problem.

    A moment of quiet contemplation later, he eventually came up with a solution. ¡°Let¡¯s do some sparring.¡±

    ¡°Sparring?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, between the kids.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°If you want to join in too, then just say so.¡±

    Ellis was slightly curious. He wanted to know just how strong she was. Grisella did not seem weak, but at the same time, she did not give off all that great of an aura, at least compared to monsters like the Hydra. She was not weak, but she was not strong. He couldn¡¯t quite classify her.

    Her ability stood out amidst the blockheads and wall crashers that populated this forest.

    ¡°Ah, n-no thank you.¡± She immediately shook her head and denied his offer.

    Ellis shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Regardless of Grisella¡¯s decision, he would still go on ahead with the sparring session.

    Since they were all so pent-up, this was the perfect opportunity for them to blow off some steam.

    With that, the midday sparring session officially kicked off.

    ****

    ¡°W-what sort of hellish scene is this?¡± Grisella¡¯s face was almost entirely pale as horrific image after horrific image flashed in front of her eyes.

    It was hell. That was the best way she could describe it. Hell.

    Today¡¯s sparring session featured a free-for-all of sorts. Everyone against everyone. At least, that¡¯s how it was supposed to be. In actuality, they all formed teams.

    Wight by herself was one team and Ena by herself was another team. Plush and Umbra combined also made up a team, while the rest of the wolves grouped up into the last team.

    In total, four teams.

    The result was a battle unlike any other.

    The ground was charred black. Broken stone and scratch marks littered the surroundings. The final topping was the splatter of random blood that occasionally stained the floor.

    All this was amazing in its own right, but this was not what surprised her. She came in with expectations of their strength. While it was definitely greater than she originally imagined, that was still secondary. What truly shocked her was their ferocity and intensity. In short, this did not look like a simple sparring session. Rather, it looked like a legitimate battle to the death.

    Injuries covered their bodies from head to toe. Some looked mild and benign, while others spurted out blood like a broken water fountain. There was at least one-life threatening injury on each challenger. Plush had over five.

    ¡°S-should we stop this?¡± she worriedly whispered to Ellis.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± He blandly responded. He stared at the battlefield with his arms crossed in front of him.

    Unlike Grisella¡¯s over the top reaction, Ellis acted a bit calmer. He was quite desensitized to the whole thing. To him, this scene was just another ordinary day.

    Besides, even if I wanted to, they won¡¯t let me interrupt.

    It looked very dangerous, and it was certainly very dangerous, but that¡¯s just how they liked it. The wolves were not born special. They did not eat some magical fruit to make them stronger, nor did they possess a cheat-like power that allowed them to triumph over everyone else. It was only through this level of intensity that the wolves were able to reach their current level of strength.

    It was a bit clich¨¦, but basically, hard work.

    While Ellis wasn¡¯t so obsessed with increasing his strength, he could somewhat sympathize with the wolves. In a world like this, you either get stronger or you die trying.

    That was also where Ena came into play.

    The little fox¡¯s rough treatment was vital to their progress. Ena¡­ that kid, without him noticing, she had developed a rather terrible personality. She played the role of the bully, the demon that everyone wanted to surpass.

    Her actions spurred everyone else on. Ellis believed that a part of their minds instinctively understood this. Still, they played dumb and continued with the little charade.

    For the most part, Ena never really did anything bad to them. Even when she acted out, it was usually under the guise of training. Whatever it was that she did, all of her actions directly or indirectly contributed to the group¡¯s growth.

    Even though she was like that, that little fox was acting properly as their boss¡­

    At this point, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just call her the older sister?

    Almost immediately, Ellis chuckled at his own words. I¡¯m certain that if I were to call Ena their sister, then the wolves would definitely protest. They might even attempt to silence me.

    Ena was the only one who could properly play the role of villain. It wasn¡¯t as if Ellis had never tried to ¡®save¡¯ the wolves from her tyranny. In truth, the wolves did not want to be saved.

    Ellis once tried to participate in their training sessions, but he wasn¡¯t very helpful. Whenever he sparred with the wolves, he would end up holding back too much. It was to the point where fighting with him became purely detrimental. Only Ena was cruel enough to fight without holding back.

    Her ruthless ferocity seemingly rubbed off on the rest of the kids. Even against each other, the wolves learned to no longer hold back.

    A slight smile formed on his lips. He felt somewhat proud. These guys, they got this far purely because of their hard work.

    Off to the side, Grisella discreetly glanced at Ellis with fearful eyes. The young homunculus was staring rather fixedly on the battle. Along the way, he would occasionally break out into laughter, or smile to himself.

    It was seriously creepy.

    She subconsciously shivered. Grisella clutched the Compendium close to her chest as she took a step back away from Ellis.

    Scary¡­ all these guys are too scary!

 Chapter 46: Bonding and Violence Go Hand in Hand

    Like this, a few weeks passed.

    To her credit, Grisella blended in quite well with the group.

    At first, she naturally feared most of them. Their status as irregular monsters still haunted her mind, but through grit and perseverance, she eventually lowered her guard. Strangely enough, this was due in part to her somewhat egotistical personality.

    After losing quite miserably to the wolves, she devoted herself towards redemption. During rare moments of leisure, Grisella constantly engaged them in a battle of wits. Basically, she kept challenging them to board games, specifically Checkers and Othello.

    Of course, she lost. She always lost. Even when she introduced a new game (which was basically just Connect Four but with a few other rules sprinkled in), she still lost. Not even the boardgames of this world could prevent her defeat.

    At this point, Ellis could not really tell whether Grisella was just bad at games in general or if the wolves had simply gotten too strong.

    Either way, the healthy competition fostered friendship.

    She got along particularly well with Wight. Ellis did not really know what prompted their relationship, or why the two connected so much with one another. It frankly caught him off guard, not that he minded though. Getting along with each other was always a good thing.

    Ellis encouraged their friendship.

    Grisella also gradually grew accustomed to the absurdity of the group¡¯s fighting strength. They truly were future calamity-class monsters. After Ellis had informed her of the true reason for that day¡¯s sudden sparring session, she decided to stop using the monster repellent.

    As a result, they entered the familiar cycle of constant battle. It was kind of comforting, actually. He found pleasure in the monotony of violence. To Ellis, it was somewhat similar to being in a tower defense game. Well, except that there was no tower and there was nothing to defend. Really, the only thing remotely similar here were the endless waves of enemies.

    During this time, Ellis grew curious. How strong was his new companion? He wanted to see her in action. Unfortunately, the wolves were just too damn efficient. They did not let even a single monster get past their line of defense.

    Still, Ellis was determined.

    He took his dilemma and ran to the only other person who could help him. The demon feared by all, the tiny menace with nine-tails, the one and only Ena.

    He concocted a scheme with the little fox. Ena, who loved to play pranks on people, happily agreed. With their two amazing minds working together towards one goal, they managed to set up a simple plan.

    A few more days passed.

    Around midday, when the forest was at its brightest, the group was once again assaulted by a large crowd of monsters.

    This time, their assailants were an extended family of giant bears. There were at least one hundred bears in total, all belonging to three different species. In the first place, bears were supposed to be solitary creatures. Why the hell did these dumbasses attack like a pack of hyenas?

    It was honestly an absurd sight, but Ellis had grown used to such a thing over the years.

    During the battle, Ena ¡®accidentally¡¯ let a monster slip through her defenses.

    As the closest body available, it naturally made a beeline towards Grisella.

    He watched as the distance between both parties rapidly shrunk. Ellis subconsciously balled his fists. Sorry to have to do this to you Grisella, but I really want to know. It might be a bit cruel, but I can finally see just how strong you really are.

    Granted, there was probably an easier way to do this (namely just asking Grisella to demonstrate her powers for him), but Ellis found this method to be several times more entertaining. Maybe Ena¡¯s bad habits were rubbing off on him.

    To his surprise, the solitary witch reacted quite differently from the original scenario that played out in his head. Instead of using her broom, chanting a spell, or pulling out some weird alchemical concoction, Grisella simply just ran away.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He almost couldn¡¯t believe it. This woman, she turned her back towards the approaching monster and sprinted away from it. What was even more surprising was the fact that she ran straight towards Ellis!

    In his shock, he couldn¡¯t even react as she suddenly jumped forward and attached herself onto his back like a bloodsucking leech.

    ¡°!¡±

    Immediately, he felt her soft skin pressing against his own. The soft, pillowy sensation on his back, the distinct scent that flooded his nostrils, and the warm breath of air that tickled the back of his neck¡­ it was an overload of sensations.

    For a moment, his brain shut down. It had been such an unexpected attack that Ellis had been unable to prepare any countermeasures for it. His mental defenses were breached. He felt his IQ points dropping with every second that passed.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Upon discovering that its prey had disgracefully run away, the bear from earlier naturally shifted its focus. This time, it headed straight towards the two people currently stuck in a very compromising situation.

    Seeing it approach, Ellis couldn¡¯t help but twitch in frustration.

    He wanted to take his time and enjoy the squirming of a certain someone clinging to his back. If only this current moment could last even just a second longer. Time freezing also seemed like a good alternative. Unfortunately, the bear was obviously here to interrupt them. It paid no mind to Ellis¡¯s secret desires.

    He hesitated.

    On one hand, if he did nothing, then Grisella would be forced to make a move and his curiosity would finally be quenched. On the other hand, as a man, shouldn¡¯t he properly play out this scenario and rescue the damsel in distress.

    With such a moral dilemma in his hands, he entered a short period of indecision. Eventually, Ellis was forced to do what any man would do in this current situation. He attacked the bear. It died from one punch, but that wasn¡¯t important.

    After the very brief confrontation, Grisella eventually let go. He somewhat regretted their parting, but no such emotion appeared on his stoic face.

    She took a step back. Ellis immediately noticed that she was breathing somewhat heavily. Her face flushed, but he did not know if that was from physical exertion or purely from embarrassment.

    Grisella mumbled out an almost inaudible thank you.

    Ellis graciously accepted her thanks with a nod of his head. He acted as if he did not just plan for a monster to ¡®accidentally¡¯ attack her.

    ¡°Still, couldn¡¯t you have done something against that thing?¡± He asked. ¡°I mean, you were pretty bold there earlier, and it¡¯s not that I mind or anything, but¡­ I think you definitely stood a chance against that monster.¡±

    Ellis only had a vague grasp on her abilities. Still, it definitely surpassed the bear from earlier.

    ¡°Um, yes, if I tried, I probably could, but¡­¡± Grisella hesitated for a moment. ¡°Um, what¡¯s the word I¡¯m looking for?¡±

    ¡°???¡± He tilted his head in confusion.

    With her face slightly bit more flushed than usual, she suddenly asked, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it good?¡±

    ¡°What was?¡±

    ¡°My s-service.¡±

    ¡°Service?¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± she nodded her head. ¡°Y-you enjoyed it, right? When our bodies were pressing against each other and stuff¡­.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    ¡°You had such a happy expression on your face too, so I¡¯m certain that you enjoyed it.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait a minute.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I couldn¡¯t really tell because all the blood was rushing to my head, but your ears¡­ weren¡¯t they slightly red?¡±

    ¡°Okay! That¡¯s enough! That¡¯s definitely enough!¡± Ellis desperately shouted. The wave of post-hand embarrassment nearly caused his personality to crack. ¡°So, you¡¯re trying to tell me that you did all of that on purpose?¡±

    ¡°Yes. My master once told me that men like to posture in front of women. They also like to take advantage of them (women) during dangerous situations, so I just¡­¡±

    There¡¯s definitely something wrong with your master¡¯s teachings! Of course, Ellis did not say this out loud.

    ¡°Still, why did you do it?¡±

    Grisella tilted her head. ¡°You told me that I shouldn¡¯t give up my body to you, right? Well, I can¡¯t think of any other way to repay you, so I thought this might work for the time being.¡± She paused for a moment. She looked up at him with almost watery eyes. ¡°Is it working?¡±

    ¡°Er, well¡­ it¡¯s um, it¡¯s certainly working, but¡­¡± He let out a strained cough. A part of him knew that he should try and prevent any further ¡®incidents¡¯ like this from happening again. At the same time, there was also another part of him that enjoyed Grisella¡¯s quirky displays of gratitude.

    Should I listen to my logical mind or fall to my baser instincts? This is truly a conundrum¡­

    He discreetly glanced over at the solitary witch. She squirmed around in place, not knowing what to do. Her slightly panicky expression made it almost impossible to believe that she was someone with more than one hundred years under her belt.

    Just then, a new desire sprouted in his heart. Maybe next time I¡¯ll be the one to go on the attack?

    While he deliberated over this incident, all the monsters eventually died out. The wolves had finished their battle.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Ellis soon noticed a certain nine-tailed fox.

    Ena was giving him quite the death glare. He did not know whether she was mad that the ¡®prank¡¯ was ruined, or if she was mad that Ellis and Grisella were interacting. He felt a bit guilty, although truthfully speaking, he did not really have anything to be guilty about.

    Either way, today could be chalked up as a failure on his part.

    ****

    This was how their journey progressed. Fighting, food, and sleep. For the others, instances of ¡®gaming¡¯ were also added to the mix.

    Aside from that, a few notable events did occasionally happen along the way.

    One such event was when Ena accidentally found another Boss-class monster. Naturally, the group decided to hunt it down.

    Unlike usual, they received a pretty mixed reception from such a decision.

    Grisella was deathly afraid. She knew full well of the creature that lived within the surrounding area. It was an Overlord tier monster that resembled a giant sloth. The sloth looked a bit more benign than most other overlords, but for some reason, its arms possessed zero bones. They were fibrous, something comparable to a tentacle, but instead of a suction cup at the end, it had a pair of sharpened claws. It possessed exactly eleven such hairy ¡®tentacles.¡¯

    Ellis was naturally fascinated by such a weird looking Boss, while Grisella¡¯s face turned a shade of white. Her body quivered like a cat fresh out of water. Ena, on the other hand, did not really care for it, mostly since it was not a dragon. Meanwhile, the wolves were eager for a fight.

    Everyone expressed very different reactions, but the subsequent battle went as you¡¯d expect. The group won and Grisella once again confirmed another suspicion of hers: Ellis and the group really did possess the capability to hunt down Overlord tier monsters.

    Anyway, that was a short episode within their long journey. Eventually, a full month passed.

    Right now, night had fallen. They were sitting around an open campfire. The smell of food drifted through the air.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with me.¡± Grisella suddenly announced. She was currently in the middle of eating a bowl of green soup. The soup was something that she had brought with her on this journey. As she shoved another spoonful into her mouth, a deep frown morphed her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ellis asked.

    ¡°I¡­ I think something¡¯s wrong with my tongue.¡± She hesitantly stated. ¡°This soup here, in the past, I quite liked it, but now¡­ it tastes kind of bland.¡±

    ¡°What have you been eating recently?¡±

    ¡°Ah, not much. Just the food that you¡¯ve been cooking.¡±

    As much as it pained her to admit it, she completely lost to Ellis¡¯s shabby cooking skills. The food that he pulled out was truly heavenly.

    Of course, she did not really lose in terms of cooking ability, but her ingredients were simply no match. She was thoroughly defeated. The worst part about all of it was the fact that she could not stop eating her rival¡¯s (Ellis¡¯s) food. It had gotten to the point where she actually developed an immunity to Hydra poison.

    While this was certainly a good thing, at the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that she was going down the wrong path.

    Ellis looked at her with an expression of sympathy.

    This poor girl, she¡¯s been hooked.

    As Grisella continued to mumble about the food, he shed a silent tear for his new culinary comrade.

 Chapter 47: The River Goes into Hiding

    It was just like any other ordinary day.

    At around mid-afternoon, Ellis abruptly stopped walking.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    A deep frown was etched onto his face. He knitted his brow and tilted his head in confusion. No matter how much time passed, he couldn¡¯t quite understand what he was looking at.

    With a solemn voice, he said, ¡°the river disappeared.¡±

    Grisella walked up to him. She nodded her head. Despite the current situation, she did not seem all that fazed.

    ¡°Ah, yeah, I should have mentioned this earlier, but it does that sometimes.¡±

    To be more specific, the river suddenly turned subterranean.

    The group stood in front of a rock wall. Ellis had encountered a similar situation back when he first arrived at the lagoon. Like before, the next portion of the forest was on elevated ground. Unlike before though, the river did not follow the forest up, but rather, it continued forward in a straight line.

    The river led into a pitch-black cavern. Over a thousand toothpick-like spikes stuck out from nearly all corners of the opening. The craggy mouth of the cavern resembled a badly malformed jaw.

    ¡°Contrary to how it looks, this mountain isn¡¯t really all that impressive,¡± Grisella commented as she stared up at the cliffside. ¡°It¡¯s not very tall, nor does it cover a whole lot of land. It more resembles an overgrown anthill than an actual mountain.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°In fact, this place probably belonged to a monster ant colony, one led by an overlord. There¡¯re traces of it everywhere¡­ for some reason, the overlord¡¯s gone now. I¡¯m not really sure what happened to it.¡±

    ¡°Getting past this mountain isn¡¯t a problem,¡± Grisella reassured the group. ¡°Whether we circumvent it or climb over it, both options can be done in less than a day, but¡­ there is one problem though¡­¡±

    ¡°What problem?¡± he asked.

    ¡°The river. The river does not resurface on the other side of the mountain. In fact, it stays underground for quite a while.¡±

    She then explained the current situation. From here on out, the elevation of the forest would gradually increase. At the same time, the elevation of the river would also increase, but both did not increase at the same rate. The forest floor had a higher incline. It would only even out after a few hundred miles or so. In comparison, it would take the river a while longer to catch up to the new ground level of the forest.

    ¡°How the hell are we supposed to follow the river now?¡± He exasperatedly asked out loud. ¡°Should we build a boat and follow the whole thing underground?¡±

    Grisella shook her head. ¡°No, we can¡¯t do that. A long stretch of this river is completely submerged underwater. Unless you can hold your breath for up to a month¡¯s time, it¡¯s impossible to make it safely past the river. The end result would only be death.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis furrowed his brow.

    A small part of him felt somewhat expectant, but he knew it wasn¡¯t a very viable option. Even if he could miraculously hold his breath for over a month, he still had the rest of the group to worry about.

    While Ena might be able to do something with her abilities, it was completely unrealistic to rely solely on her to cross the river.

    He breathed out an almost imperceptible sigh. ¡°It¡¯s impossible, huh?¡±

    Is this where our journey ends?Frustration, anger, unwillingness, all sorts of emotions swirled within his heart. He lost. He lost not to a vicious monster, but to the river itself.

    ¡°Don¡¯t overreact so much.¡± Grisella suddenly stated. ¡°I have a way.¡±

    ¡°What way?¡± Ellis¡¯s earlier despair dwindled. He looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll need to visit a certain tribe first.¡±

    ¡°A tribe?¡± This time, he was thoroughly shocked.

    I¡¯m not misunderstanding anything, am I? A tribe? Grisella definitely said tribe.

    In the past, he had practically convinced himself that no human could ever live within this forest. Of course, that was before he had met with Grisella. Even then, she was a witch, so his original theory still held some weight.

    It was almost impossible for someone to live within this forest, much less an organized group of people.

    ¡°Normally, no permanent settlement would ever willingly reside within a forbidden region like Ilpin forest. The tribewe''ll be visitingis different.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯sthetribe called?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t really have a name. Those that know of them simply call them the Ilpin villagers, but¡­¡± she paused for a moment. ¡°Squirrels. They are a tribe of squirrels.¡±

    ¡°Squirrels?¡± Ellis knitted his brow.

    Is she talking about actual squirrels, anthropomorphized squirrels, or regular people but with squirrel-like appendages?

    He hoped for the latter.

    ¡°In order to continue on our journey, we first need to visit their tribe and look for a guide.¡±

    ¡°Can a guide really help us navigate through the forest?¡± Ellis felt skeptical.

    In response, Grisella nodded her head. ¡°The squirrels of Ilpin forest were said to descend from the original inhabitants of God¡¯s territory. Of course, I¡¯m talking about the old God that ruled over the forbidden region, not the God that the Orthodox church worships. Although after so long, their belief has significantly thinned over the years, the squirrels are still the most informed when it comes to the lay of the land.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°They can¡¯t take us directly to the world tree, but they can at least guide us to where the river resurfaces again.¡±

    After some quiet contemplation, he suddenly asked, ¡°Can¡¯t you take us there yourself? Haven¡¯t you been there before?¡±

    ¡°Well, I have, but I won¡¯t be able to do it myself,¡± she shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ll understand when we get deeper into the forest.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Trust me.¡±

    He remained silent for a few seconds before he eventually nodded his head. ¡°Fine. Then where the hell is this tribe?¡±

    ¡°Just follow me. On foot, it will take us roughly two months to get there. With all the monsters running around everywhere, it should take even longer.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis did not really mind. At this point, he had gotten used to the long walks and constant violence.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t actually take us that long.¡± She grabbed her broomstick. ¡°We can use this to get there.¡±

    Half a second later, the magical artifact suddenly activated. Thousands of strands of straw expanded and weaved together, before eventually coalescing into what he could only describe as a floating platform. The stick itself was on the far end of the new platform, acting similarly to a ship¡¯s bowsprit.

    ¡°This is¡­¡± Ellis widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°I knew it could transform into a house, but I really didn¡¯t expect it to be able to do something like this either.¡± He was most impressed by the fact that it was completely floating in midair. It was similar to the classic witch¡¯s broomstick from his old world. Grisella¡¯s version was just a tiny bit cooler.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot you still don¡¯t know about me.¡± She declared rather triumphantly before she hopped onto the platform and waved her hand forward. ¡°Get on everyone.¡±

    With her invitation, the group quickly filed in. Thankfully, the platform was large enough to comfortably seat everyone, even with someone like Plush present.

    Ellis gingerly touched the platform. The surface felt somewhat rough but durable. It somewhat reminded him of a Japanese straw mat.

    With a simple command from Grisella, the platform buzzed into action. It rose five feet above the ground, before it darted into the deep underbrush. The overall speed of the broom coasted at a comfortable sixty to seventy miles an hour. It was comparable to driving a car.

    As they moved, Ellis caught sight of Grisella rubbing something all over the platform.

    ¡°More monster repellent?¡± He asked out loud.

    She nodded her head. ¡°It helps keep them from swarming us. The number of monsters will increase the closer we get to the tribe. Although we won¡¯t die if they swarm us, it will seriously impede on our progress.¡±

    Ellis nodded in understanding. Although he wouldn¡¯t mind taking a more scenic route and advancing through the forest one battle at a time, he felt a certain pleasure from feeling the wind brush against his hair.

    Still, he did have some complaints. If they remained monster-free for the duration of the flight, what would they do about food? While there was still plenty of hydra meat left, it was always good to diversify one¡¯s diet. As of late, Ellis enjoyed cooking various other types of meat with his signature brand of dragon spice. Currently, his favorite was the tentacle-like arms of the Overlord Sloth that they had encountered a while back.

    While such thoughts ran through his head, the magic platform slowly rose higher and higher into the air.

    For a moment, he wondered whether they were going to break through the tree line. Unfortunately, they stayed firmly beneath the canopy. In fact, the highest they climbed was fifty feet above the ground.

    Just as he appreciated the rapidly passing scenery around him, a thought suddenly struck.

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have just done this earlier?¡± He shouted through the buffeting wind. They spent countless months battling their way up the river. Ellis felt somewhat cheated after he realized that Grisella had possessed such a trump card all along.

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. My artifact needed time to recover,¡± she calmly explained. ¡°As you know, it can transform into an array of different forms. Its original form takes the shape of a broomstick. After every form shift, it needs to go through a period of recovery before it can shift into its next form. In this case, it would be going from a cottage to a carriage. Ah, its original form does not count.¡±

    ¡°I kind of get it¡­¡± Truth be told, the illusion from before had faded. Her broomstick sounded like a very troublesome artifact.

    Grisella suddenly furrowed her brow. ¡°I can tell what you¡¯re thinking and I don¡¯t like it.¡± Her broomstick was an important treasure. It was gifted to her by her master. Despite its flaws, she loved it quite a bit.

    ¡°Ah, was I that obvious?¡± He unconsciously touched his face. Was he too expressive?

    ¡°Hmph! Watch it. You think I won¡¯t dare kick you out? I¡¯d like to see you run the rest of the way there.¡±

    Ellis scratched the back of his head and awkwardly let out a strained chuckle. While he probably could run all the way to their destination, he did not want to lose this comfortable ride.

    He proceeded to shut up and focus the rest of his wandering attention onto the passing scenery.

    ****

    Eight days later and they finally arrived at their destination.

    The Broomstick platform came to a stop and the group quickly jumped off. It detangled itself before fully reverting back to its original form.

    ¡°Is this the place?¡±

    Ellis briefly surveilled his surroundings.

    They stood in a small clearing. All around him were towering trees with dark-brown, almost entirely black trunks. The place looked particularly gloomy, but that wasn¡¯t really anything special to this forest.

    ¡­ To be honest, it did not look all that different from the rest of the forest.

    ¡°Are you sure this is the right place?¡± He skeptically questioned.

    ¡°Yes, this is certainly where the tribe resides.¡± She succinctly responded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really see a tribe anywhere around here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re looking in the wrong direction.¡± Grisella then tilted her head up. ¡°They are squirrels. Where else do you think they¡¯d live?¡±

    Ellis quickly imitated her and looked up. To his disappointment, he still saw nothing of note. There was only a canopy of evergreen leaves.

    ¡°The village of the squirrels exists far above the canopies, in a place where the sun shines brightly but is otherwise invisible to those from below.¡± She walked over to a certain tree and gently placed her hand on its rough surface. ¡°If we want to find our guide, then we first need to get up there.¡±

    ¡°So, do we just start climbing?¡± Ellis walked towards her and similarly placed a hand on the trunk. Unlike her, Ellis was testing the grooves on the trunk to see whether they were suitable for climbing.

    She shook her head. ¡°No, if you do that, then they¡¯ll take it is a form of invasion. We have to invite someone down here.¡±

    Grisella then took out an item from her spatial artifact.

    ¡°That is?¡±

    It was a triangular leaf with the color of Auburn.

    ¡°It¡¯s a token of friendship that I acquired during my previous trips here.¡± She explained. ¡°They don¡¯t really take too kindly to outsiders. While not a lot of people actually know of this tribe, the information still spreads, especially to those wishing to find the world tree. As a result, they¡¯ve become a lot more cautious in terms of the people they befriend.

    ¡°Still, I am an exception. After all, I¡¯m a world-famous alchemist.¡± Grisella shamelessly boasted. ¡°Every couple of years or so, I drop by this place and give them some medicine in exchange for a few goods. They¡¯re all actually quite friendly once you get to know them.¡±

    She then brought the leaf to her lips and blew. A high-pitched whistle reverberated through the air. Ellis felt that it sort of resembled a clarinet, although he wasn¡¯t certain. At first, nothing, then he caught sight of the canopy rustling.

    A single leaf slowly descended to the ground. At the same time, something large and human-shaped ran down the length of the tree. It moved fast, faster than a lot of the monsters that he had encountered. What¡¯s more, it moved on all fours, strikingly similar to how a regular squirrel moves.

    After a while, the figure jumped through the air.

    It landed on the forest floor with a dull thud. As the dust settled, Ellis couldn¡¯t help but shiver in anticipation. Will it be a cute anthropomorphic squirrel or a sexy beast-lady with squirrel ears and a fluffy tail?

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    To his utter disappointment, it was a guy.

 Chapter 48: An Unpleasant Encounter

    A deep bronze tan colored his skin.

    The man somewhat reminded Ellis of himself. He wore nothing but a single loincloth and exposed the rest of his body to the natural elements. The body in question practically bulged with well-trained muscles. A few pale scars dotted his skin, most notably around his chest and lower thighs.

    For such a muscular man, there was a strange flexibility to his body.

    He possessed the body type of a swimmer, except with noticeably more defined calves and lower arms.

    And finally, to top it all off, a conventionally handsome face was attached to his head. It was the same sort of face that could make even male models weep by comparison. Had this been back on Earth, this man would have definitely been the type of guy that Ellis unconditionally hated.

    What set him apart from his earthling counterparts though, were the fur-covered ears attached to the top of his head and the fluffy tail that stuck out from behind him.

    Out of Ellis¡¯s earlier predictions, number three had prevailed. It was the traditional beast-man that he was familiar with. In this case, beast-men were otherwise ordinary people except with various animal appendages attached throughout their body.

    I appreciate it. I really do. This was what I was hoping for in the first place, but¡­ why? Why did my reception have to be with a guy?

    The young man had a somewhat arrogant face. Right now, he was smiling rather amicably, but Ellis could tell. A hidden contempt¡­ or something along those lines. His lips possessed the ghost of a sneer that had not yet come but was surely waiting to make its entrance.

    ¡°That¡¯s Nar-Wynn,¡± Grisella whispered words danced on his ears. ¡°He¡¯s a pretty important member of the tribe. I think it was the son of the head warrior¡­ or was it the son of the village shaman? Well, one of those things.¡±

    Her noncommittal attitude dissipated some of his earlier tension.

    The moment Nar-Wynn arrived, his eyes immediately locked onto Grisella. A warm smile with uncouth intentions stretched his lips. ¡°I knew it would be you. Welcome, Miss Lorelei.¡±

    ¡°Lorelei?¡± Ellis immediately raised his brow.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a fake name!¡± She hurriedly whispered back.

    ¡°How do I not know Grisella isn¡¯t the fake?¡± he countered.

    ¡°It¡¯s not! Please, trust me, I have no reason to lie to you.¡±

    Besides, back then, I was far too afraid to lie. She mentally added.

    Amidst their bickering, Nar-Wynn continued, seemingly unaware of their hushed exchange.

    He let out a loud chortle. ¡°After so long, it¡¯s good to finally see you again! In the time that we¡¯ve been apart, my heart yearned for your presence. On that note, have you considered my proposition from last time?¡±

    Ellis was somewhat curious. This damn bastard, wasn¡¯t he quite articulate?

    ¡°Last time?¡± Grisella tilted her head. The last time she had been to this village was over five years ago. She really couldn¡¯t remember what ¡®last time¡¯ he was talking about.

    ¡°Yes. I said it to you back then, and I¡¯ll say it to you now.¡± His expression suddenly turned stoic. ¡°I have always been sincere, so Miss Lorelei, I ask you once again, please marry me.¡±

    Ellis widened his eyes in surprise. The last thing he had expected to come out from this guy¡¯s mouth was a marriage proposal. He hurriedly turned to Grisella and tried his best to gauge her reaction.

    ¡°You do know that I was there with your mother during your birth, right?¡± The solitary witch smiled a strained smile. There was a hint of annoyance in her voice. ¡°I watched you grow up. I don¡¯t think a relationship with me is very appropriate.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Nar-Wynn loudly declared. ¡°Age is but a number. An elder warrior just recently married my younger sister. Age holds no bounds to the people of my tribe! If my little sister can do it, then surely we can too!¡±

    ¡°Er¡­¡± She was truly stumped. Truth be told, this wasn¡¯t exactly the first time such a thing had happened to her. Whenever she visited this village, ridiculous proposals were quite the norm. What¡¯s more, they came from a variety of different generations.

    Well, it was only natural. After all, she was an eternally beautiful lady. Grisella let out a sigh. If she had to blame someone, then she could only blame her devilishly good looks.

    At the same time, she discreetly glanced over towards a certain grey-haired homunculus. See! This is why I lied! Who would want to give their real name to a village filled with creepy guys like that!? Of course, Ellis completely did not notice the silent telepathic message that Grisella desperately wanted to send out.

    For the most part, Ellis¡¯s attention was solely focused on the young man in front of him.

    This guy, wasn¡¯t he kind of comedic?

    Who was this kid? Trying to flirt with a one-hundred-year-old witch? Hah! You¡¯re probably no older than twenty. Grisella¡¯s defenses are way too tough for some youngster like you to break through. Come back and try again after another one hundred, no, one thousand years!

    Ellis really was a petty individual.

    Just as he inwardly mocked Nar-Wynn, a thought suddenly struck him. Wait a minute¡­ isn¡¯t our age gap even greater?

    Ellis, the six-year-old homunculus and Grisella, the one-hundred-something-year old witch¡­ There was definitely a problem with their situation.

    He knitted his brow.

    Almost as if he had detected Ellis¡¯s wandering thoughts, the young tribesman glared suspiciously at him.

    ¡°And this one is?¡± He did not address Ellis directly and instead asked Grisella.

    ¡°He¡¯s a¡­ a friend.¡± She muttered out on the spur of the moment. Right now, Grisella needed to give an identity to Ellis, one that would allow him to enter the village without a problem. The wheels in her head turned. After a while, she added, ¡°he helps me out with my alchemy.¡±

    Ellis raised his brow. He could somewhat tell what Grisella was trying to do, so he chose to stay silent for now.

    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is.¡± The knot between Nar-Wynn¡¯s brow immediately disappeared. He broke off into a hearty chuckle. ¡°So, it was a little apprentice, huh? I see, I see. For a moment there, I was worried that Miss Lorelei had brought back a husband.¡±

    Grisella¡¯s cheeks slightly reddened, but of course, Nar-Wynn did not notice. He looked down at Ellis with a playful smirk. ¡°Little fellow, you should show proper respects to your seniors. Since I am an acquaintance of your master, you must treat me similarly, got it?¡±

    Ellis felt his upper lip quiver. This guy was exactly the type of guy that he hated. Entitled womanizers! He had a few run-ins with his kind back on Earth. Suffice to say, none of them ever ended well.

    Seeing the smug and arrogant expression on Nar-Wynn¡¯s face, Ellis felt inclined to say something, but he knew better than that. He couldn¡¯t just start shouting insults at the guy. That would be a bit too uncouth. Ellis learned from his past life that shouting matches never ended well, nor did they leave a very good impression on the surroundings.

    He sank into silence.

    What¡¯s the best way to humiliate this guy without stooping to his level?

    Of course, Ellis could always just run up to him and punch him unconscious, but if he resorted to such tactics, then that was practically tantamount to admitting his defeat. No, he needed a less violent and less crude method of revenge.

    His eyes momentarily drifted to Grisella. He caught sight of her strained smile. It was clear that Nar-Wynn¡¯s advances were bothering her. Just then, an idea suddenly popped into his head.

    A soft smile floated to his lips.

    Nar-Wynn furrowed his brow. The grey-haired youth couldn¡¯t be any more suspicious.

    Without warning, Ellis suddenly wrapped his arms around Grisella¡¯s shoulders and pulled her in close.

    Grisella instinctively let out a gasp. ¡°Wha, what are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°You, you, you villain!¡± Nar-Wynn stuttered out. His eyes flared with rage. ¡°Let her go this instant!¡±

    ¡°Actually, you¡¯re wrong.¡± Ellis ignored his shouting and continued unperturbed. ¡°I¡¯m not JUST her apprentice. We¡¯re actually lovers.¡±

    ¡°Lo, lo, lo, lovers!¡± Grisella¡¯s ears reddened. Right now, her entire face resembled a cooked lobster. For a moment, she squirmed against his grasp, but Ellis keenly noticed that she did not try to escape.

    He ¡®gently¡¯ smiled at Nar-Wynn. ¡°This sort of physical contact is only natural for us. After all, we¡¯re just a pair of crazy love birds.¡± As if to emphasize his point, he pulled her in even closer. ¡°In fact, this is rather conservative for us. Usually, we¡¯re out and about, skipping through fields of flowers, holding hands, making out¡­¡±

    The more he prattled on, the more outlandish his claims got.

    The blush on Grisella¡¯s face continued to intensify. At this point, her cheeks felt warm, almost scalding to the touch. Invisible lines of steam exuded out from the top of her head. She was practically overheating.

    A vein in Nar-Wynn¡¯s forehead bulged. He took a deep breath and tried to regain his calm. He glared at Ellis and condescendingly laughed. ¡°As if a bumpkin like you could ever attract Miss Lorelei¡¯s fancy! The most you can ever hope to do is wash bottles and pick berries! A man of your caliber is not fit for the most beautiful rose of Ilpin forest. Isn¡¯t that right, Miss Lorelei?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    He turned to Grisella with a smug expression. A part of him hoped that she¡¯d agree, that she¡¯d corroborate his words and maybe even distance herself away from this bastard. Unfortunately, to his dismay, her expression told a completely different story.

    ¡°I, I¡­.¡± Right now, she had trouble forming real words. The most she could manage was a choppy stutter. She pressed her hands close to her chest, while the blush on her face began to stretch down to her neck.

    Seeing such a reaction, Nar-Wynn¡¯s expression darkened. His fists tightened as he took one heavy step forward.

    ¡°I will only say this once, apprentice. Let go of her now.¡±

    Ellis did not respond. Instead, he simply stood there, content with watching Nar-Wynn work himself up into a frenzy.

    Nar-Wynn did not appreciate Ellis¡¯s silence. He took another step forward. If looks could kill, then Ellis would have certainly died a long time ago.

    Unfortunately, before anything could happen, a loud voice reverberated through the forest. ¡°Nar-Wynn, stop!¡±

    Nar-Wynn¡¯s expression froze. He hesitated for a long time but ultimately, he gritted his teeth and restrained himself.

    Ellis looked up. Another one?

    He watched as another figure fell from the sky.

    The newcomer landed gracefully on the ground besides Nar-Wynn.

    Upon closer inspection, he soon discovered that the newcomer was, in fact, a woman.

    Somewhat short, with dark brown hair that fell all the way down to her lower back. Like Nar-Wynn, she too possessed both ears and a tail. Unlike him though, she did not expose her body. Instead, she wore a silk dress that reached all the way down to her knees.

    What stood out the most was her skin. It was pale white, kind of like snow.

    The newcomer briefly inspected the situation.

    ¡°Lisbeth, what are you doing here!¡± Nar-Wynn immediately barked out. ¡°It is my duty to greet the guests, you should not be here.¡±

    In response, the woman glared at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m dumb. I know you were about to attack someone.¡±

    ¡°What I do is none of your concern!¡± He countered, although his countenance grew uglier with each passing second.

    ¡°Enough already!¡± Her sweet voice jumped another octave higher. ¡°Go back up, I¡¯ll handle things from here.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just¡ª¡±

    ¡°I said go!¡± She cut him off. ¡°Before you cause any more trouble, leave.¡±

    No matter what, the best thing to do was to first get this troublemaker out of here. After some consideration, she added, ¡°don¡¯t take everything you see and hear at face value. There might be an underlying meaning to it.¡± She spoke with sincerity, but in truth, she was just bullshitting.

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Nar-Wynn widened his eyes in apparent understanding.

    She nodded her head. ¡°Yes, yes, now head on up.¡±

    He hesitated for a moment. After what felt like forever, he reluctantly walked back over to the tree. He threw one last glare at Ellis before he jumped up and disappeared into the distant thicket above.

    At this point, the woman breathed out a sigh of relief.

    She turned to the pair. Ellis¡¯s arms were still wrapped around Grisella¡¯s shoulders.

    Ellis noticed the strangeness in her gaze. For some reason, he suddenly felt awkward about the whole thing. He reluctantly let go of Grisella.

    At this point, Grisella breathed out a puff of air that she had not even realized she was holding. It was unclear whether that had been a sigh of relief or of disappointment.

    The woman smiled at the two of them. ¡°Miss Lorelei, welcome back.¡±

    Grisella numbly nodded her head. Although she was beginning to calm down, there was still a trace of red on her cheeks.

    The woman then turned to Ellis. ¡°And you too Miss Lorelei¡¯s lover, welcome.¡± She slightly dipped her head in a bow.

    Ellis coughed, ¡°No, um, Ellis is fine.¡±

    She tilted her head, ¡°Ellis, is it? Alright, I will commit it to memory.¡± She then smiled at him. ¡°My name is Lisbeth. I am the assistant to the village chief.¡±

    ¡°Assistant, huh?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but raise his brow in surprise. To be quite honest, Lisbeth looked young, young enough to be a high-schooler. It was hard to believe that someone like her held such a high position. ¡°You have a pretty important role.¡±

    She laughed lightly. ¡°Well, I would like to think so too.¡± She then turned back to Grisella. ¡°What brings you back here? As always, your arrival ushers forth a celebration.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not staying for all that long this time.¡± She shook her head in response. ¡°I brought some medicine. Also, I¡¯m looking for a guide.¡±

    ¡°As always, my people appreciate the medicine, but a guide is kind of¡­¡± Lisbeth hesitated for a moment. A look of conflict flashed through her face. ¡°Are you planning a trip to the other side of the river again?¡±

    Ellis¡¯s ears slightly twitched. Judging from his words, this was not the first time Grisella had asked for such a thing. In fact, it sounded like she was quite an avid customer.

    ¡°Yes. Is there something wrong?¡± She asked.

    For a moment, she struggled to find the words to express herself. After a while, she simply shook her head. ¡°As for finding you a guide, I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t be of any help. For now, all you can do is head up and try your luck¡­ although I highly doubt you¡¯ll be successful."

    She walked back over to the base of the tree and prepared to climb back. After a short pause, she turned back to the group. ¡°Are you planning on bringing these¡­ monsters with you?¡±

    Although she had hidden it quite well, for a while now, Lisbeth had been on edge. A group of dangerous beasts surrounded the area. Normally, she would have avoided such a group. Unfortunately, the commotion from earlier caused her to take action.

    Ellis nodded in confirmation. ¡°Yes. Can we bring them up too?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t take such dangerous monsters up with you. It¡¯s standard policy.¡± Her gaze then drifted towards Ena. ¡°Ah, your pet fox can come though.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± With that, she bowed towards them once more, she jumped up and practically sprinted up the tree. Before her departure, she couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°If you¡¯re really that determined to go to the other side of the river, then I recommend you talk to the village chief. Maybe it will help, although I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    And with that, she quickly disappeared into the distant canopy above.

    ¡°Oh yeah, that girl, she didn¡¯t really react all that much to Ena, did she?¡± After a few seconds of silence, Ellis wondered out loud. ¡°I thought nine-tailed foxes were supposed to be quite¡­ mythical.¡±

    ¡°The squirrel tribe is cut off from the rest of civilization. In a way, they lack common sense.¡± Grisella paused for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s also why they didn¡¯t react to you.¡±

    ¡°To me?¡± Ellis tilted his head.

    She rolled her eyes in response. ¡°Yes, you. If you were to go out into any other country in the world looking as you are now, then you¡¯d definitely cause quite the uproar. After all, an intelligent homunculus is basically an impossibility.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± He absentmindedly scratched the back of his head. I almost forgot, but I¡¯m a homunculus.

    The topic of his existence hadn¡¯t really come up all that much in the past month or so, so it couldn¡¯t be helped that he almost forgot.

    As Grisella looked at him, she couldn¡¯t help but recall what had just previously happened. Her face once again flushed.

    Ellis was quick to notice the change in her complexion. He awkwardly scratched the side of his cheek. ¡°Was that a bit too much?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it clearly was, you idiot!¡± she practically shouted. ¡°What, what will I do now? I have a reputation to uphold within this village as the beautiful and mysterious traveling witch! What if they really think that I¡¯m your, your¡­.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t bring herself to finish her words.

    After a moment¡¯s pause, Ellis responded, ¡°well, it''s fine, isn¡¯t it? Besides, wasn¡¯t he bothering you?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I mean, the best way to avoid situations like that in the future is to pretend. Pretend to be in a relationship, I mean. Even if it is fake, it helps to stave away the suitors.¡±

    Ellis was not entirely dull. He had lived in an orphanage for most of his life. There, he interacted with many people, some of whom tried their best to keep others away. Although it wasn¡¯t to the point where he was an expert, Ellis was not entirely dense to a person¡¯s emotions.

    Grisella¡¯s reactions were a lot more colorful than any orphan¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t all that difficult for him to piece together the situation.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Grisella remained silent, but the flush in her cheeks did not lessen. In fact, they intensified. She inwardly grumbled to herself. This asshole¡­ he clearly took advantage of me, yet he tries to paint it in a positive light¡­.

    Despite her thoughts, a warm feeling spread through her chest.

    Ellis stared at her for a few seconds, before he suddenly said, ¡°Or maybe you don¡¯t like lying? In that case, why not turn fiction into reality?¡± His smile was somewhat ambiguous.

    Grisella¡¯s puckered her lips. She glared rather reproachfully at him. ¡°Enough talk already! Let¡¯s head up.¡±

    She instantly changed the subject, but Ellis did not mind.

    ¡°Alright.¡± He turned to the rest of the group. ¡°You guys stay here. Don¡¯t wander off, alright? Ena, you¡¯re coming with us.¡±

    Wight and the rest of the wolves whined in protest. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could really do about it. After all, those were the rules that the village had set down. As they say, ¡®when in Rome, do as the Romans do¡¯.

    Ena giddily hopped onto his shoulder. Along the way, she did not forget to stick out her tongue and taunt the wolves.

    Ellis approached the tree and prepared himself. Climbing a tree wasn¡¯t exactly all that new to him, but knowing that on the other side existed an actual (not) human settlement¡­ well, he couldn¡¯t help but get nervous.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Grisella suddenly questioned. She currently sat on her broomstick in a way that made her resemble the traditional depictions of a witch that Ellis was familiar with.

    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m preparing to climb up.¡± He made a face as if to say, ¡®isn¡¯t that obvious?¡¯

    She rolled her eyes in response. With a slightly red face, she pulled Ellis¡¯s hand forward.

    ¡°Just get on already.¡± Guided by Grisella, he climbed to the back of her broom.

    The broom was deceptively comfortable. It did not feel as if he was sitting on a stick. Ellis did not know if this was a result of magic, but for the first time, he understood why witches liked to travel by broom so often.

    On another note¡­ his hands hovered awkwardly in the air. For a moment, he felt conflicted. He did not know where he should put his hands. On her shoulders? Her waist? Maybe he should just grab the broomstick instead?

    After deliberating for quite a while, he swallowed down his last remaining bits of reluctance and bit the bullet. He already hugged her shoulders, naturally, he needed to continue his advances. Ellis was a man who only moved forward and never backward! With such resolution in his heart, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

    ¡°Eep!¡± A soft sound leaked out from Grisella¡¯s lips. Unfortunately, Ellis had not noticed. His heartbeat echoed loudly through his ears. It was to the point where he was completely unaware of the angry fox standing on his shoulders.

    Is this right? Is this how people flirt? I didn¡¯t mess up, did I? Ellis was not a person with a lot of experience in love. In the past, he was so busy with work and the orphanage, that everything else sort of just faded into the background. This was probably his first time holding a woman in his arms like this.

    Grisella, she felt warm. A rosy smell tickled his nose. It smelled faintly of lavender, faintly of potion, and faintly of something that he couldn¡¯t quite identify. He looked up and noticed that her ears had turned a deep shade of red.

    ¡°¡­Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Her voice was barely above a whisper. The broom kicked into life. It rocked like a horse and darted towards the sky.

    Ellis unconsciously tightened his grip around her waist.

    The world around him blurred. This was a completely different experience than being on a straw platform. The broomstick felt more confined, more personal. The only thing he could feel was the rush of wind pressing against his cheeks and the distinct warmth of Grisella¡¯s touch.

    The ceiling of leaves rapidly grew larger and larger. During the moment of impact, Ellis instinctively flinched.

    Less than a second later, he felt the leaves brush past him. Twigs and stray branches jabbed at him. It felt as if the entire forest had just breached his personal bubble. After a few seconds passed, he suddenly felt it.

    Freedom. He had broken through. A rush of light assaulted him and transformed the world into a haze of fuzzy white.

    As his eyes slowly adjusted, the first thing he noticed was the sun. It was bright and it was close. He was not completely out of the forest just yet, but rather, he was in an area that existed within a small cove amidst the dense tree branches.

    The new ceiling above him comprised of a thinner canopy that allowed for more light to pass through. The forest here and the forest below were like completely separate worlds.

    The second thing that he noticed were Lisbeth and Nar-Wynn. Lisbeth stared at them with a small smile, while the young warrior stood stock still with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

    The squirrel tribesman had seen their display. He saw Grisella¡¯s slightly flushed cheeks and Ellis¡¯s arms wrapped around her waist. His expression quickly turned sour.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re a bit too close to her?¡±

    In response, Ellis just smiled while Grisella let out a bashful laugh.

    His eyes narrowed. After a few tense seconds of silence, Nar-Wynn shook his head. ¡°The norms of an outsider are things that I cannot understand, but once we are married, I will make sure to properly and thoroughly educate you.¡±

    He suddenly said something quite outrageous without even blinking an eye.

    Ellis frowned. Did he see through the charade, or is he just pretending in order to make himself feel better?

    Grisella did not even bother to respond. She had heard similar such words from this man back when he had only been five-years-old and ran around naked with snot dripping from his nose.

    ¡°Then, I will take the medicine to the warehouse. The Chief is in the same place as always.¡± At this point, Lisbeth stepped in. ¡°Nar-Wynn, you come with me.¡±

    ¡°But I must show Miss Lorelei around the village...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t argue.¡± She simply stated and Nar-Wynn instantly turned quiet.

    She nodded in response. She quickly handed him the medicine. The trio (Ellis, Grisella, and Ena) watched as the pair turned around and walked away from them.

    It was at this point that Ellis redirected his gaze to the rest of his surroundings.

    Grisella''s words echoed through his ears.

    ¡°Welcome to Ilpin Village.¡±

 Chapter 49: Ilpin Village

    Ellis gawked at his surroundings like an excited tourist.

    Overall, the village gave off a feeling similar to a giant tree house.

    In short, everything was made out of wood.

    Large wooden platforms stuck out from the trunks of the trees. Supported by the branches underneath, they extended past what should normally be physically possible. The largest of these platforms was nearly five hundred meters in diameter.

    The villagers built various structures on top of the platforms, ranging from something simple like a stall, all the way to the more complex constructs like a brick and mortar-shaped building, just without the brick and mortar. Still, the majority of the structures consisted of large hut-shaped houses.

    Each platform revolved around a singular tree and multiple platforms were connected with one another through a series of wooden bridges. Just with a cursory glance, Ellis immediately identified ten or so of these giant platforms. There were many more too, located far past where his eyes could reach. After all, this spot was only a small section of the entire village.

    All in all, it was a very novel experience.

    ¡°Ilpin Village, was it? Is that what this place is called?¡± Ellis asked as his eyes slowly surveyed the various platforms scattered around him.

    Grisella shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s just what outsiders like to call it. I don¡¯t think this place has an official name¡­ at least, not one given by its residents.¡±

    ¡°Why? I¡¯d imagine a name would be a pretty important thing to have for any village.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know, but I heard that this place used to have a name.¡±

    ¡°Used to? Why the past tense?¡± Ellis tilted his head in confusion.

    ¡°It was a name from more than a million years ago, a name personally given to the village by the God that resided within this forest. Through the passage of time, the name was inevitably lost.¡± She explained. ¡°The tribesmen of this village do not want to give it a new name. They are still waiting, waiting for the day when the name returns to them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite a bit of backstory¡­¡±

    Grisella shrugged her shoulders. ¡°It sounds like a big deal, but really, I made it sound more important than it actually is. In truth, the squirrels are just too lazy to think of one.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°Enough about that, let¡¯s head to the Village chief¡¯s house.¡±

    ¡°Already? Don¡¯t you think we should spend a bit of time exploring the village?¡± After such a drab and dreary ¡®childhood¡¯, visiting a place like this was a breath of fresh air. Naturally, Ellis wanted to take his time and sightsee. Everything else can come after he had his fill.

    ¡°No, I do not!¡± She instantly rejected. Grisella really did not want the rumor of them being a couple to spread. After all, it would definitely ruin her image! Going around with this guy would only serve to further exasperate her situation.

    Right now, all she wanted to do was find a guide and leave the village as quickly as possible.

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be such a stick in the mud. It won¡¯t take that long. You know a bit about this place, don¡¯t you? Come on, show us around.¡± Ellis did not take no for an answer. Standing on his shoulders, Ena similarly let out a cry. She too was quite interested in her new environment.

    Without a shred of hesitation, he quickly moved towards the nearest walkway.

    ¡°Ah, wait¡­¡± Grisella hesitated for a moment before she breathed out a defeated sigh and trailed after him.

    Like that, the impromptu ¡®Ilpin village tour¡¯ was officially set in motion.

    As they walked, Ellis couldn¡¯t keep his eyes from wandering. It was only natural. After all, this was the very first established settlement that he had ever visited!

    Grisella guided him to some of the village¡¯s more famous landmarks.

    The first destination was a giant, five-story wooden building. Apparently, it was an auction house, but it wasn¡¯t very busy. In fact, the only time that it ever opened was during festivals or after a big hunt. Instead of using it for its intended purpose though, the tribe would often convert the place into a giant banquet hall.

    The second destination was a wooden plank that extended out ten feet past the platform. ¡°This is where they punish people,¡± she explained. ¡°Traitors and criminals get pushed off the plank. Their end result is to be expected.¡± Grisella paused for a second, before she reiterated her words. ¡°They plummet to their deaths.¡±

    Ellis felt somewhat stupefied. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit harsh?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± She reassured him. ¡°They reserve this thing only for the more serious crimes, like murder or infidelity.¡±

    ¡°Infidelity?¡± His eyes widened. ¡°That, does that really deserve death?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how this village is. They are strict when it comes to things like that¡­ Such a rule really keeps all the lechers and perverts at bay¡­¡± Grisella turned to him and smiled a subtle smile.

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis let out a weak chuckle.

    After a while, the group headed towards their third destination. They passed multiple platforms and crossed several bridges. At some point during the tour, Ena had run off somewhere, but Ellis did not really mind. This was already a long-standing habit of hers.

    For now, he focused his attention on their third destination. According to Grisella, their next destination was a farm. Or at least, the village¡¯s own version of a farm.

    When they arrived, Ellis couldn¡¯t help but frown.

    They stood in the middle of an empty platform. Aside from the massive tree in front of him, there really was nothing else here.

    ¡°Are you sure you got the right place?¡± Ellis jokingly commented as he slowly observed his surroundings.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at the platform, look at the tree.¡± Grisella chided.

    He quickly redirected his gaze. At first glance, the tree looked ordinary, but upon closer inspection, he noticed that a layer of green fuzz covered the surface of the trunk.

    ¡°It¡¯s Kibley Moss,¡± she explained. ¡°A parasitic species of moss that can grow on almost any living creature. It has about the same nutritional value as wheat.

    ¡°Under normal circumstances, they aren¡¯t really the type of thing that you can harvest. At least, not on such a large-scale. The moss simply sucks everything dry. Often times, the host species die off from starvation. This place is different though. The vitality of the trees within this forest is so strong that they can even withstand the parasitic nature of the Kibley moss.

    ¡°It actually works quite well, especially since large scale production of regular crops is basically impossible inside this forest.¡±

    ¡°What does it taste like?¡± Ellis wasn¡¯t really all that concerned with the background of the moss. He was more interested in its practical usage. For a foodie like him, the taste was a vital component of any ingredient.

    ¡°Um, it¡¯s somewhat bland and somewhat watery. Not at all very good.¡± She crinkled her nose and made an ugly expression. It was clear that she had prior experience with the moss.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Ellis breathed out a disappointed sigh. He shook his head, ¡°Let¡¯s just move on.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Grisella guided him to their next destination.

    The next landmark was a market place. It was located on an intersection between four large trees. A series of bridges connected it to other platforms, but the market place itself was not attached to any tree. Instead, it was kept suspended by several dozen ropes that were attached to the upper canopy.

    While there was no risk of it falling off, the platform was very unstable, and often shook like a sailboat in the middle of an ocean.

    ¡°Commerce Square. It¡¯s the busiest place in the village.¡± Grisella explained.

    True to her word, the platform was packed to the brim with villagers. While Ellis had seen a couple of them while traveling through the village, this was the first time he had ever seen so many people packed together.

    The tribesmen of the village all possessed squirrel features. A pair of rounded ears and a fluffy tail. Like Nar-Wynn, the men walked around with nothing but a loincloth. The women were similarly dressed, the only difference being an additional piece of cloth that covered their breasts.

    Most of the people here had tanned skin, quite different from the woman he had met earlier.

    As Ellis stepped onto the platform, he noticed the scent of cooked meat wafting through the air. There were several food stalls within his vicinity. Some saw heavy traffic, while others were practically avoided by the villagers.

    The square was set up in a way where all the vendors were lined along the edges of the platform. Aside from food, the villagers also sold things like clay pots and colorful jewelry made out of wooden beads.

    ¡°The village doesn¡¯t really have a set currency. Most of the business done here happen through a bartering system. They trade stuff like medicine, silk, salt, monster parts, all sorts of things.¡±

    As the two walked through the busy platform, Ellis noticed a peculiarity. Some of the women around him were wearing something that resembled a dress. It was a colorful piece of thin fabric that accentuated their bodies. While the dye that they used to decorate the dresses with wasn¡¯t very good, the material of the dress itself was top notch.

    It was a style of clothing that resembled the outfits from his past life. Amidst all the loincloths and furry tops, a dress of such quality definitely stood out.

    Come to think of it, Lisbeth also wore something similar¡­

    Grisella had long noticed his wandering eyes. She pinched his side. Ellis flinched. When he turned towards her, Grisella had already looked away.

    ¡°Those dresses are made out of spider silk.¡± she succinctly explained, ¡°It¡¯s a bit hard to come by, so generally, only the wives of a strong warrior get to wear them. In a sense, they¡¯re like status symbols.¡±

    She then went on to describe the general make up of this particular region of the forest.

    The village shared its territory with two large monster groups. The first group was comprised of a monkey-like monster. These monkeys were quite stubborn and highly territorial. They attacked quite frequently too. To the villagers, they were nothing more than pests that needed to be removed.

    As for the second group, they were fewer in number, but several times stronger. A species of spider known as the Silk Weaver. They weren¡¯t exclusive to the forest, but Ilpin¡¯s Silk Weavers were several sizes larger than the normal variant.

    They lived somewhere amidst the canopies. To the villagers, a Silk Weaver¡¯s silk sac was a precious treasure. They often organized hunting groups for the sole purpose of harvesting silk sacs.

    ¡°I see¡­ basically, all the ones wearing dresses are married? So, they¡¯re like housewives?¡± Ellis summarized.

    Grisella narrowed her eyes. ¡°¡­Yes, you could put it that, but I don¡¯t really like how you describe it.¡±

    He directly chose to ignore her heated eyes.

    Ah, come to think of it, that guy, wasn¡¯t he a warrior too? He briefly recalled back to the annoying Nar-Wynn. That man wanted to marry Grisella. Of course, Ellis was averse to such a proposition.

    Still, she wouldn¡¯t look half bad in a dress like that¡­

    The silk dresses that the squirrel wives wore featured short bottoms and low-cut tops. What¡¯s more, they were backless. Basically, the dresses were very revealing. A person of Grisella¡¯s ¡®talents¡¯ would certainly look pretty damn ravishing in one.

    Unaware of Ellis¡¯s wandering thoughts, they continued walking.

    Eventually, the number of people around them began to dwindle. They arrived at the center of the Commerce Square.

    ¡°That¡¯s a¡­¡± He widened his eyes in surprise.

    A dull grey statue.

    It was located at the exact center of the platform. Depicted on it was a woman. She wore a layer of thick clothes. A hood covered her head, while her hands were pressed together, as if in prayer.

    Then, there was her face. The statue did not have a face. It was smudged out¡­ or maybe it had never been sculpted in the first place.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    Ellis stared at the statue for a long time. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a slight tinge of familiarity.

    ¡°That¡¯s the goddess of the forest,¡± Grisella spoke from beside him. ¡°I mentioned it to you before, didn¡¯t I? This place, these people, they all descended from the kingdom of a God. In fact, supposedly, their very first ancestor was a direct apostle. A squirrel that had achieved great strength and became human.¡±

    ¡°This thing,¡± she pointed at the statue, ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be a depiction of the goddess.¡±

    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t it have a face?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Grisella shrugged her shoulders, ¡°You¡¯d have to ask its creator.¡±

    ¡°Creator?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow. ¡°How old is this thing?¡±

    ¡°Nine, ten years old maybe.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± He widened his eyes in shock. He had half expected the statue to be some relic from a bygone era. To think that it was so recent¡­

    ¡°Who created it?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember his name, but¡­ it was created by a man who lost his mind.¡±

    ¡°Lost his mind?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Grisella nodded. ¡°One day, he suddenly declared himself to be the prophet of God. In his fit of madness, he carved out this stone statue.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ is it really okay to keep something like that in a place as busy as this square?¡± Ellis looked doubtful. ¡°Did the villagers believe his nonsensical claims?¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t. The only reason why they put it up here on display was because it was the sculptor¡¯s dying wish.¡±

    ¡°Wait, the sculptor¡­ he died?¡±

    She nodded again. ¡°Yes, almost immediately after he completed his statue. Down to his last dying breath, he wished nothing more than for his sculpture to be placed somewhere where the whole village could see it.

    ¡°Normally, they would never listen to such a madman, but apparently, the sculptor used to be pretty important within the village.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± It certainly sounded like an odd tale.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame too,¡± Grisella continued with a sigh. ¡°The sculptor, I heard he had a child.¡±

    She stared up at the statue¡¯s blank face. For a long time, she remained silent. ¡°That man, I wonder what sort of thoughts ran through his head? When he died, did he ever think about how his actions would affect his children?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis did not respond. He similarly stared up at the statue. A blank slate. Emotionless. He could not discern anything from its face. Nothing, except for that lingering sense of familiarity.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Grisella suddenly asked, breaking the ensuing silence. She turned towards him. ¡°I¡¯ll go get some Kibley stew for you.¡±

    ¡°Eh? That moss thing? I thought you said it doesn¡¯t taste good.¡± Ellis wrinkled his nose in mock-disgust.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t, but it¡¯s a local delicacy. You need to experience new things while you¡¯re still alive. After all, life is meant to be lived adventurously.¡±

    She did not wait for his response. Grisella quickly walked over towards a nearby food stall.

    For the first time in a long time, Ellis was alone. He looked back up at the statue. A deep frown formed on his lips. Again, the feeling of familiarity remained. Why is this thing so damn familiar?

    It was an irritating feeling. He felt like he had seen it before, but he simply could not figure out when or where.

    Just as he was deep in thought, he suddenly noticed movement from out of the corner of his eye.

    A young child stood in front of the statue. He might have been a boy, but then again, he might have been a girl. It was quite difficult to tell. Dark bags underneath his eyes, long tufts of unkempt hair, and freckles. There were freckles on his cheeks.

    Ellis had not noticed the boy approach. No¡­ in fact, the kid might have been here all along. He possessed such a thin presence that Ellis had completely overlooked him.

    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s pretty?¡± The child suddenly asked. His voice was high pitched and androgynous. It only added to the mystery of his gender.

    ¡°Who is?¡± Ellis tilted his head.

    ¡°The statue lady.¡± He clarified. ¡°The god of this forest. Do you think she¡¯s pretty?¡±

    Ellis thought for a moment. If he had his information correct, then the God of this forest was also one of the gods who betrayed Alma way back when. Someone like that was definitely a scummy scumbag. ¡°No,¡± he said, ¡°She¡¯s probably ugly. Isn¡¯t that why she¡¯s wearing the cloak? To hide her ugliness?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The child widened his eyes in surprise. He stayed silent for a while. ¡°¡­ That was not the answer I expected. Most people think she¡¯s pretty. When they look up at the statue, even though it has no face, they still can¡¯t help but think she¡¯s pretty.¡±

    ¡°They go, ¡®ah, it¡¯s a shame that it was never finished¡­¡¯ -stuff like that.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Some people even go as far as to worship the statue. They say that it houses a slumbering god. The god who ruled over this forest, but¡­ I don¡¯t think she¡¯s really a god.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Ellis asked out loud. He was somewhat intrigued by this young child.

    No, more importantly, why did he suddenly start talking to me?

    ¡°A god that can¡¯t protect its people¡­ what sort of god is that?¡± The child solemnly stated.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ellis mulled over his words for a moment. He couldn¡¯t help but nod his head. ¡°She really does sound like a scummy god.¡±

    The boy began to nod his head before he stopped himself. ¡°She¡¯s not a god.¡± He reiterated.

    ¡°Right. Sorry, not a god.¡±

    ¡°Still¡­¡± The boy hesitated for a moment. ¡°I¡­ I think she¡¯s pretty. A girl with flowing blond hair and an oval shaped face. Pointy knife ears and sharp eyes¡­ that¡¯s what she probably looked like. A beautiful woman like that fits the statue the best, but¡­ she not a, she¡¯s not my god.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A thought suddenly surfaced in Ellis¡¯s mind, but just before it could fully form, someone suddenly yelled.

    ¡°You, what are you doing here!¡±

    Ellis turned around. He saw a woman dressed in furs. Her clothes were somewhat tattered, while her hair was tied in a loose ponytail. He instinctively widened his eyes. Despite her messy appearance, he did have to admit, she was beautiful.

    ¡°Geh!¡± The child¡¯s face cringed. Without waiting another second, he immediately sprinted away. He ran headfirst into the crowd.

    ¡°Ah, hey! You damn brat, get back here!¡± The lady quickly chased after him.

    Ellis watched as both their figures gradually disappeared amidst the sea of people around him.

 Chapter 50: Trouble in Paradise

    After the commerce square, the two decided that it was finally time to head for the Tribal Chief¡¯s house. According to Grisella, the Chief held a lot of power within the village, second only to the head warrior.

    The head warrior was someone who constantly honed himself through blood and battle. For most of the year, he was out of the village, and only ever came back for special festivals and events. During his absence, the Tribal Chief was the one responsible for the day-to-day workings of the village.

    Ellis felt that their chain of command was somewhat strange. Why was their supposedly most important person gone for so long? Was it okay to bestow such a title to someone so disconnected from the village?

    He doubted that such a set-up existed anywhere else in the world. After all, nobody wanted to be under a king who bowed down to his strongest general. It was a hierarchical structure unique to Ilpin village.

    They left the market platform and passed through a series of interconnected bridges. Along the way, he quickly noticed something abnormal about the village. Aside from the busy commerce square, the place was surprisingly barren. Granted, he would occasionally see one or two people middling about on the various platforms scattered across the village, but other than that, nothing. What struck him as even stranger was the fact that most of the ones that he encountered were either female or very young children.

    He wondered if this was natural. Were Squirrel Demi-humans the type with a disproportionate ratio of females to males? According to Grisella, that wasn¡¯t the case. In fact, there was a higher proportion of men than there were women.

    ¡°It certainly is odd, but even more than that¡­¡± After listening to his observations, Grisella furrowed her brow. She felt that there was something off about the current situation, but she couldn¡¯t quite point out what.

    ¡°Is the village always like this?¡± Ellis suddenly asked.

    ¡°¡­ Not usually. The last time I was here, the population was more or less even.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about,¡± he interrupted. ¡°This, the atmosphere. I didn¡¯t notice it at first because of how bright everything is up here, but this village, isn¡¯t it a bit gloomy?¡±

    He felt it. Hidden beneath the positive guise of vivid sunlight and rustic tree-houses was an underbelly of cheerless melancholy. The entire village felt constrained and somber, almost as if an important someone had just died and the villagers were going through the motions of recovery.

    Again, he had to ask himself, was this normal?

    There was a very real possibility that it might be. Ellis knew of some places in his old world that possessed a natural ambiance. Big cities carried with it a hectic pace that often-times overwhelmed its citizens, while small rural villages had an air of peace and calm. That sort of thing.

    Maybe this village was like that. A place where dark metaphorical clouds hovered just over everyone¡¯s heads.

    Grisella shook her head. ¡°It definitely wasn¡¯t like this the last time I was here. The village was a lot livelier. Something¡¯s different. Something happened¡­¡± After a few seconds of quiet contemplation, she suddenly shrugged her shoulders, ¡°¡­ then again, a lot can happen in five years. Last time, I had hair that went down all the way to my ankles.¡±

    Ellis raised his brow. Now he wanted to see what the younger Grisella looked like.

    As the image of a witch with Rapunzel-like hair kept playing in his mind, the two arrived at a new platform located near the edge of the village. There was only a single building on the platform.

    A two-story wooden hut with a conical rooftop.

    ¡°This is the place,¡± Grisella stated as she passed through a fur curtain that acted as the door.

    Is it alright to just walk in like that? Although he was hesitant, Ellis still followed her inside. Almost immediately, he was hit by the smell of incense. Or at least, he initially thought it was incense.

    It was a scent resembling buckwheat and wet grass. A light layer of smoke wafted through the room, slightly obscuring his vision. For a split second, his eyes blurred. He blinked once and they soon returned to normal.

    Hallucinogenics? He had experienced something similar when he was briefly affected by the Hydra¡¯s poison. Luckily, his body¡¯s natural defenses acted quickly.

    He turned to Grisella. Her vision seemed slightly hazy. She pulled out a small vial from her spatial artifact. The liquid inside was clear white. After she ingested the contents of the vial, her eyes soon returned to normal.

    She then turned back towards Ellis. Grisella had been prepared to give him an antidote, but he did not seem all that affected by the smoke. At first, she was shocked, but upon recalling how absurd this man¡¯s existence was, she quickly calmed down.

    ¡°Is this normal?¡± He asked her.

    Grisella nodded her head. ¡°Well, the Chief¡¯s like this. I¡¯d like to say it¡¯s part of the duties that come with being the leader of the tribe, but really, it¡¯s just her hobby.¡±

    So, a stoner, huh? Ellis completely did not expect to meet someone like that within a world so deeply ingrained in fantasy. No, more importantly¡­ Ellis¡¯s ears slightly twitched. Grisella definitely said it¡­ The Tribal chief is a girl.

    The women that he had seen out on the bridges of Ilpin Village were all high-level. Golden tans, fit physiques, and super revealing clothing. He couldn¡¯t help but get his hopes up.

    ¡°Oh, yeah, Lisbeth isn¡¯t here, huh?¡± After looking around, he was quick to notice that the squirrel from earlier wasn¡¯t here.

    ¡°Even though she¡¯s the chief¡¯s assistant, she rarely comes by. The smoke bothers her.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis felt somewhat disappointed. It was only a natural reaction. After all, Lisbeth was a cute girl.

    ¡°Come on, she¡¯s upstairs.¡± Unaware of Ellis¡¯s wandering thoughts, Grisella led him deeper into the house.

    The smoke grew thicker the further they ventured. By the time they reached the second floor, the smoke was so prominent that it was almost impossible to see anything more than seven feet away from him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°This is way too excessive!¡± Ellis muttered underneath his breath. If it wasn¡¯t for his natural resistances, then he¡¯d be as high as a kite by now!

    Past all the smoke, he could see the vague silhouette of a woman seated in the middle of the room. They approached her and soon, Ellis finally witnessed the Chief in all of her glory.

    A beautiful but fragile woman. Those were his first impressions.

    Unlike the other tribesmen, she had pale-white, almost papery skin. She possessed thin arms and a slender frame. With a face that looked somewhere between forty and eighteen, it was difficult to discern her real age. She rested on a bed of silk pillows and wore a loose tunic that barely covered her body.

    Again, despite her sickly appearance, there was no doubting her beauty.

    A large black object stood behind her. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be a giant incense bowl that was nearly twice as big as he was tall.

    Large tufts of smoke billowed out from its opening.

    The moment the pale woman laid eyes on them, a soft smile appeared on her lips. Such a small action seemingly took up a vast majority of her strength.

    ¡°Welcome, Witch.¡± She spoke with a whisper-like voice.

    ¡°Hello, Chief Mary-Lyn.¡± Grisella greeted back. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡±

    ¡°I see you finally brought along a man.¡±

    ¡°H-he¡¯s a companion. No, an old friend that I ran into while in the forest.¡± She stammered out a response.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± The Chief floated an ambiguous smirk on her face. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what I heard though?¡±

    Grisella¡¯s face reddened. The rumor really did spread!

    Seeing her reaction, the Chief let out a faint chuckle. ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s good to have friends.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    Ignoring Grisella¡¯s awkward expression, she turned to Ellis.

    ¡°Hello to you too Miss Lorelei¡¯s lover.¡±

    A stiff smile filled stretched his lips. A feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu overwhelmed him. Ellis nodded his head. ¡°Nice to meet you too, Chief.¡±

    The woman gave him an imperceptible nod, before she turned her eyes back over towards Grisella., ¡°As always, I thank you for the medicine. It helps us greatly.¡±

    Grisella breathed out a sigh. She shook her head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Besides, you know that I don¡¯t come here without a reason.¡±

    Chief Mary-Lyn remained silent for a long time. Eventually, an inaudible sigh leaked out from her lips, ¡°Lisbeth has told me already, but speak. Tell me what you want.¡±

    For a moment, Ellis and Grisella exchanged looks. Ellis stepped up and spoke, ¡°We need a guide. One that can take us all the way to the other side of the river.¡±

    As if she had expected that answer, the Chief shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot help you with that.¡±

    Grisella frowned. ¡°Why? I¡¯ve come here numerous times before with the same request. You never once turned me down then. Why now?¡±

    ¡°Because now is different.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°¡­ It is dangerous to wander so far into the forest.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Grisella thought that there was something wrong with her words. In order to survive within a forbidden region, the squirrels naturally possessed great strength of their own. To them, unless it was a monster on the level of an Overlord, nothing was ever too dangerous.

    The tribal chief suddenly turned her head to the side. Ellis had not noticed it before because of all the smoke, but there was a glass window by the wall. Mary-Lynn¡¯s eyes could not penetrate through the smoke, but in her head, she pictured all the near-empty platforms scattered across the village.

    ¡°Have you noticed it?¡± She asked, ¡°The problem with this village?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Grisella had definitely noticed.

    ¡°I have,¡± Ellis responded for her.

    Mary-Lynn turned back. Her gaze was deep, almost as if she was sizing him up. ¡°Then, have you heard of a race known as the Majin?¡±

    Ellis was clueless of the greater world outside of Ilpin Forest. Even within the forest itself, there were many things he still did not know. Naturally, he had never heard of Majins before. Luckily, Grisella more than made up for his lack of knowledge.

    ¡°The Majins, as far as I know, are a race of Demons,¡± the witch explained. ¡°They live in the northern parts of the continent, right where the old Demon King¡¯s territories are.¡±

    As she spoke, she couldn¡¯t help but glance over at Ellis. He did not say anything, but he definitely reacted to the term, ¡®demon king.¡¯

    Grisella stared at the Tribal Chief with a somewhat surprised expression. ¡°I¡¯m surprised. For a village as disconnected from the outside world like this, how do you know about Majins?¡±

    She let out a sigh, ¡°The Majins have invaded the forest.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± Grisella practically shouted in shock.

    She thought about it for a moment. ¡°Was it a single individual? I know that Majins often go out adventuring in order to hone their skills.¡±

    Mary-Lynn shook her head. ¡°No. From our understanding, it is not a single person, but an entire tribe!¡±

    ¡°Are they really that big of a deal?¡± Ellis couldn¡¯t help but interject.

    ¡°They are definitely a big deal.¡± Grisella grimly stated. The Majins were a race famed for their great strength and magical prowess. If there was anyone capable of entering a forbidden region, then it would be them. Still, they were so rare in number that any mention of a Majin would cause an uproar within the outside world.

    ¡°For an entire tribe to enter the forest¡­ that¡¯s definitely impossible!¡± Grisella furiously shook her head. ¡°Majins live along the border of the northern peninsula! This forest, we¡¯re all the way on the south-western tip of the continent. Why would an entire northern tribe be all the way down here?¡±

    ¡°I am similarly clueless, but their presence is an undeniable fact.¡± Her expression turned dark. ¡°They have already inflicted numerous casualties to my tribe.¡±

    Mary-Lynn then explained the root cause of the gloomy atmosphere that circulated throughout the village.

    The Squirrels were currently at war.

    For some reason, a tribe of Majins had been displaced from their original home in the north. After wandering the western part of the continent, they ended up settling within Ilpin Forest. At first, everything seemed to be going great, but then, disaster struck.

    Apparently, the Squirrel¡¯s head warrior accidentally killed a Majin. For the most part, the Squirrels maintained their stance that the Majin had attacked first. The Majins made a similar claim. From then on, the situation continually escalated, until a full-blown war occurred.

    ¡°My tribe and their tribe are currently at war. I am afraid we cannot spare even a single man to be your guide.¡± Mary-Lyn firmly stated.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what you want to say,¡± she interrupted, ¡°but most of the men in the village have already been drafted to our militia. Right now, they are out on the frontlines. The ones that remained are here to make sure the village stays safe in case of an ambush. Everyone is doing what they can to help.¡±

    ¡°I can offer you more medicine in return.¡± Grisella offered, ¡°If you are in a war, then surely you¡¯ll need medicine.¡±

    ¡°No. Actually, the medicine that we have now is enough. In fact, in the fifty years since we started trading with you, we have saved up quite a bit of your potions. Even with the war, we still have plenty left.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that your potions are simply too effective. A single bottle is enough to last our entire army a good two months in battle.¡±

    ¡°¡­Seriously?¡± Grisella¡¯s face blanched. Right now, she felt the pain of being too capable.

    Mary-Lynn hesitated for a moment, before she added, ¡°I may not be able to help you, but you can try your luck out for yourselves. Whether you succeed or fail is up to your own efforts.¡±

    ****

    A few minutes later, Grisella and Ellis left the building. Smoke lingered on their bodies.

    Rays of golden orange and vibrant pinks illuminated the village. The sun was beginning to set.

    The tribal chief had given them a spare room to sleep in for the night. Still, the duo did not feel all that excited. In fact, a heavy air of melancholy hovered over their heads.

    ¡°So, that went well.¡± After a while, Ellis finally broke the silence.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your false positivity.¡± Grisella slumped to the floor and buried her head in her knees. Right now, all she could feel was frustration.

    ¡°Actually, it was sarcasm.¡±

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± She asked him.

    Ellis thought about it for a moment. He scratched the back of his head. ¡°Well, given the situation, we don¡¯t really have much of a choice but to do what the chief says.¡±

    Of course, that was a lie. He could always just kidnap one of the villagers and force them to be their guide, but doing something like that felt a bit much.

    I won¡¯t throw away the possibility, but at the very least, I¡¯ll save it for last.

    He glanced down. Seeing Grisella¡¯s current appearance, he could practically feel an aura of gloominess exuding out from her body.

    Geez, does she really want to go there that bad?

    Ellis shook his head. He wasn¡¯t all that committed to finding the world tree, but it was better than aimlessly wandering this damn forest. He scrunched his face and grumbled underneath his breath. After a while, he breathed out a sigh. For now, he decided to put in a bit more effort than usual.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to find a guide ourselves.¡± He patted her back and reassured her. ¡°How hard can it be?¡±

 Chapter 51: The Search for a Guide

    The very next day.

    Grisella and Ellis began their search for a guide.

    Of course, even though it was supposed to be a collaborative effort, in reality, the distribution of labor was a fair bit lop-sided. Rather than two equal partners, it was mainly just one hard-worker and a random tag along.

    Unsurprisingly, Grisella did most of the heavy lifting.

    The solitary witch was simply better suited for this task. Over the course of one hundred or so years of sporadic visits, she had built up a decently sized network of acquaintances. In comparison, Ellis was just¡­ well, he was Ellis.

    The most he could do was smile and hope his very presence doesn¡¯t cause any trouble from occurring.

    None of it really mattered though. Whether it was Ellis or Grisella, the results were still the same. Even after three hours of searching, they still had no guide.

    Simply put, nobody wanted to help.

    Grisella was stumped. They had visited almost all the people she was even remotely acquainted with. All of them gave the same answer. All of them said no. This was highly suspect.

    Even if the Tribal Chief expressly forbade anyone from going with them, Ilpin village wasn¡¯t a place where authority was followed unconditionally. Due to their warrior background, the squirrels acted with their hearts, and not with their brains. If anything, they were more likely to break the rules rather than abide by them.

    Nothing was more evident of this than with Grisella¡¯s various ¡®business ventures.¡¯ Outside of her deal with the Tribal Chief, she also often made back-door exchanges with individual villagers. Such actions were met with fairly good reception. Even Mary-Lynn herself did not seem to mind.

    So, why? Why were they so cold this time around? What was keeping them inside this village?

    They practically scoured the entire village, and the answer was still the same. Eventually, they found themselves inside an Apothecary. This was a place owned by another one of Grisella¡¯s acquaintances. In the past, she would often trade some of her diluted Troll potions in exchange for a few rare herbs and seedlings.

    The lady that ran the apothecary was on the thicker side of things. She wore the same revealing clothes as the rest of the village, except quite a few places stuck out, even more so than usual.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Lorelei, but I can¡¯t help you.¡± Once again, they were met with rejection.

    ¡°Although I expected that answer, it still hurts to hear.¡± Grisella let out a long sigh. ¡°We¡¯ve already gone to so many people, yet they all respond with the same answer. Just what the hell is going on?¡±

    For a moment, the Apothecary lady hesitated. To her, the solitary witch was a near-immortal existence. Whether it was during her Grandmother¡¯s wedding, her mother¡¯s birth or back when she first opened her store, Grisella was always there.

    The never-aging, potion dispensing witch of Ilpin forest. This was the first time she had ever seen her so distressed.

    In the end, she explained the situation. Finally, after so many rejections, the two of them now knew the real reason for their failure.

    Some time ago, a group of non-combatants descended to the forest floor in order to collect resources.

    Before the whole mess with the Majins started, this sort of thing was considered regular routine for the squirrels. They were not afraid of venturing into the forest. After all, even those regarded as non-combatants still possessed great strength. At the very least, they were comparable to the knights of a medium-sized kingdom.

    In this case, they managed to find an abandoned Silk-weaver nest. To the village, a spider¡¯s nest was considered a treasure. In fact, a nest¡¯s value was just below that of a fresh silk sac.

    Silk-Weaver nests were created out of spider web. The threads may have hardened due to the passings of time, but that was hardly an issue for the villagers. They knew of a way to reverse the silk hardening process. With such a method at their disposal, they eventually developed a habit of collecting ¡®second-hand silk¡¯ and repurposing them for their own uses.

    It was a simple task that even children could accomplish.

    Unfortunately, just as the villagers were heading towards the site, disaster struck. They were ambushed by Majins.

    ¡°The squirrel warriors of the group were killed, while almost everyone else got captured. Only a handful of girls managed to escape. The message of death and destruction that they relayed back to us sparked a lot of fear in the village.¡± The apothecary lady let out a tired sigh. ¡°The timing couldn¡¯t have been any worse either. Most of our warriors are away from the village. They are out fighting the invaders.

    ¡°Right now, those that remain in the village feel nothing but immense dread and fear. The last thing anyone wants to do is venture out to a place filled with so much potential danger.¡±

    The apothecary lady shook her head one last time. She stared deep into Grisella¡¯s eyes. ¡°Aunty Lorelei, I have known you for a long time. While I can¡¯t help you, let me offer you a word of advice: stay inside the village. Do not, under any circumstances, enter the forest.¡±

    ****

    After such an explanation, they were then promptly kicked out.

    Right now, Ellis and Grisella stood in front of the apothecary.

    For a long time, silence filled the air.

    Eventually, Ellis spoke. ¡°The apothecary lady¡­ she called you aunty, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    Grisella punched his shoulder in frustration. ¡°Can you please get serious? If we can¡¯t find anyone to guide us, then we really won¡¯t be able to continue our journey.¡±

    ¡°In the first place, do we even need a guide?¡± He questioned. ¡°If it¡¯s us, then surely we¡¯ll be able to do it ourselves.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°There is no chance, even if it¡¯s you. First and foremost, we need a guide.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    He paused for a moment. After a while, Ellis let out a thin sigh. ¡°Then, in that case, we can¡¯t give up now.¡±

    Grisella nodded in agreement. Her eyes burned with an intense desire. ¡°We can¡¯t give up.¡±

    Ellis looked up at the upper canopy. Golden flecks of light colored the leaves. ¡°The sun¡¯s already beginning to set. Let¡¯s split up and cover more ground. ¡°

    She hesitated for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Well, alright. There are still a few people who I haven¡¯t asked yet. Regardless of the outcome, we¡¯ll meet back up here afterward.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I can try something too.¡±

    Grisella narrowed her eyes in suspicion. ¡°Just don¡¯t do anything¡­ bad, okay?¡±

    ¡°Bad?¡± He raised his brow in interest.

    ¡°I know that¡¯s a very vague term to make, but just don¡¯t. Got it?¡± she reiterated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything ¡®bad¡¯.¡±

    She did not look all that convinced, but still, she chose to give Ellis the benefit of the doubt. Grisella left with a somewhat worried heart.

    After seeing her off, Ellis shook his head in dismay. ¡°Just what does that woman think of me. I won¡¯t do anything to the village. Still, what now?¡±

    Ellis was once again alone. For a moment, he did not know what to do.

    After some quiet brainstorming, he decided to visit the Commerce Square again. ¡°It¡¯s the busiest place in the entire village. Surely there¡¯s bound to be someone there willing enough to help us.¡±

    With such na?ve and wishful thoughts spinning in his head, he marched straight towards the suspended platform.

    Unfortunately, he was quickly met with bitter reality. After nearly an hour, all of his efforts garnered nothing but failure. At some point, the people around him started looking at him with suspicious eyes. It was the same sort of gaze that one would use on a dishonest peddler!

    Soliciting someone is a lot harder than I originally expected.

    After such a disheartening experience, he decided to rest for a few minutes. He walked over to the least crowded area of the platform. Coincidentally, that was also the area where the stone statue stood.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ellis widened his eyes in surprise.

    Why is Ena here?

    He stared at the familiar looking silhouette in the distance. She had been gone for an entire day. Ellis did not really think much of it, but still, to meet back up with her here was a bit surprising.

    The little fox was currently skulking around the edge of the area. For some reason, she was glaring quite intently at the statue.

    When he approached, Ena¡¯s ears immediately twitched. She had noticed him.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± She let out an excited bark and trotted towards him.

    ¡°What were you doing?¡± Ellis asked as he turned his gaze over to the statue. Much to his shock, he soon saw another familiar face.

    ¡°Him?¡± It was the boy from earlier. Long tufts of unkempt hair covered most of his face. His skinny frame made it almost impossible to identify his gender. It was only because the child wore nothing but a loincloth that Ellis was able to tell he was a boy.

    Like before, he was once again staring blankly at the stone statue.

    ¡°Why were you looking at him like that?¡± Ellis questioned the little fox.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena let out a series of barks.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­¡± He nodded with an all too serious expression.

    From what he could understand, the kid smelled faintly of Ellis (probably a result of their brief interaction from yesterday). Ena had been wondering why such a familiar scent exuded out from such an unfamiliar person.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason why¡­¡±

    His gaze naturally drifted back over to the boy in front of the statue. Ellis thought silently for a moment.

    I can probably use him. In the end, Ellis decided to approach the boy. After last time¡¯s failure, he was quite literally at his wit''s end. Although it was a bit of a stretch, the boy really was the only one who Ellis had even remotely interacted with. Since he was already like this, he might as well try his luck.

    Who knows, maybe the kid actually knows someone who can help. If this doesn¡¯t work, then I¡¯ll go with the kidnapping plan.

    With such an attitude, Ellis first procured a meat skewer from a nearby vendor. He used one of the potions that Grisella had given him in exchange for the food. In hindsight, it was a very lopsided deal.

    Well, not that it really mattered to him.

    Ellis stared long and hard at the meat in his hand. This should work, right? Kids are supposed to love food.

    After a brief moment of hesitation, he approached the boy.

    ¡°Hey!¡± He called out. The kid¡¯s shoulders jerked up. A beat later, he turned around.

    His eyes slightly widened. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re the guy from earlier.¡±

    Ellis nodded his head. He stood beside the kid and raised a skewer close to his face. ¡°Want some?¡±

    Naturally, as all good children should do, the boy hesitated. Seeing his response, Ellis took a bite out from the skewer. Unsurprisingly, he found the meat to be plain and flavorless, but now wasn¡¯t the time to go into an in-depth critique of the village¡¯s food culture.

    He turned back to the boy. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Eventually, the kid conceded. He nodded his head and meekly received the skewer. As he took a bite, the boy asked him, ¡°Mister, why did you come to the village?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to get to the other side of the river,¡± Ellis responded.

    ¡°That place? Are you strong enough?¡±

    Such a question slightly caught him off guard. After a moment¡¯s pause, he eventually said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m fairly strong so I should do just fine.¡±

    The boy lowered his head. For a long time, he remained silent. Eventually, he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I was expecting.¡± He turned back to Ellis. ¡°Why did you think I talked to you?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Ellis widened his eyes. Again, he was surprised. He stared silently at him for a few seconds before he broke off into a chuckle. ¡°I guess that makes sense. Why else would anyone talk to a stranger?¡±

    Then, was this kid like that? The type who admired mighty warriors and gallant knights? That sort of hero worship was pretty common. Maybe, in the eyes of this boy, Ellis was like that. A warrior. A hero. After such a scattered thought came to mind, Ellis unconsciously puffed up his chest.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been searching for a guide for a while now, but no luck.¡± Through the corner of his eye, he discreetly glanced down at the boy. Ellis threw away his shame as an adult (?) and asked, ¡°Do you have anyone to recommend?¡±

    The boy opened his mouth to speak, but stopped just before he could say anything. His eyes narrowed. He stared out into the distance. Ellis followed his gaze.

    It was the lady from before, the same woman who he presumed to be the boy¡¯s mother. She waded through the crowd, clearly in search of someone.

    ¡°Thanks for the skewer mister, but I have to go.¡± The boy immediately turned around and sprinted away from the lady. As he left, he shouted these last words, ¡°Let¡¯s talk later!¡±

    The boy disappeared into the crowd.

    Ellis simply stood there, half in shock.

    The whole exchange had ended so quickly that it took him a moment to come back to his senses. After a while, he breathed out a sigh. ¡°I guess no luck here either, huh?¡±

    With a skulk in his step, he returned to the designated meeting place.

    *****

    The sun had long set. A pink haze illuminated the entire village.

    ¡°Nothing?¡± Ellis asked as he stared down at a gloomy Grisella.

    Right now, the Witch sat on the floor, her head resting on her knees.

    She shook her head. ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Almost in unison, they both breathed out a sigh.

    Well, I wasn¡¯t really expecting much from myself, but if even Grisella can¡¯t find anyone, then we really have no one to guide us there. I guess the only thing left to do is kidnap a villager. Now would probably be a good time to do it¡­ After all, it¡¯s already getting late. It¡¯s always best to commit a crime underneath the shadow of the night.

    As such thoughts filled that head of his, Grisella suddenly asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    Without hesitation, Ellis answered, ¡°kidnap someone.¡±

    ¡°Kyu!¡±

    In a show of support, Ena let out a cry. Right now, the little fox was resting on top of his head.

    ¡°Stop joking around.¡± Unfortunately, Grisella did not believe him. Instead, she went on to answer her own question, ¡°we¡­ we can probably try our luck and search for the river ourselves but¡­.¡± She hesitated. ¡°¡­ if we fail, then the chances of death are high.¡±

    ¡°Death, huh?¡±

    Ellis silently pondered her words.

    To be honest, Ellis was quite confident in himself. More specifically, he was confident in his own strength. It was a strength that, at times, made him feel invincible. As long as Ellis was here, what was there to fear?

    He wanted to reassure her, to tell her that everything would work out just fine as long as they stick together. Such words remained stuck in the back of his throat. Ellis wasn¡¯t the only one who knew of his strength. Grisella was also keenly cognizant of it, but¡­ even though she knew, she was still so worried.

    Why?

    Did she not trust him or was their next obstacle something that strength could not solve alone?

    He shook his head. ¡°In the end, there really is only one choice. Come on Grisella, let¡¯s go kidna¡ª¡±

    Just before he could finish his sentence, somebody suddenly interrupted him.

    ¡°I can take you there.¡±

    A soft, somewhat high-pitched voice echoed through the air.

 Chapter 52: Is This Really Okay?

    It was a familiar voice and when Ellis turned around, he saw a familiar face. Furrowing his brow, he hesitantly asked, ¡°You¡­ do you really know the way?¡±

    The newcomer in front of him was short and skinny. He had a head of scraggly hair and wore a single loincloth around his groin. It was the child from the Commerce square.

    The boy nodded his head, but he did not elaborate.

    ¡°No, no, no,¡± Grisella shook her head. Her face contorted into something that revealed half shock and half denial. ¡°This kid, I don¡¯t know who he is, but isn¡¯t he a bit too young?¡± Grisella whispered to Ellis. ¡°In the first place, who is he?¡±

    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s a kid that I met,¡± Ellis spoke with uncertainty. Even he was a bit skeptical about this whole situation. While he did ask him for a guide, this was certainly not what he meant. The last thing he had expected was for the kid to offer himself up like this.

    ¡°Kid, what¡¯s your name?¡± Ellis turned back to the boy and asked.

    ¡°Hal-Wrynn.¡± The boy answered.

    ¡°I¡¯m Ellis. This is Ena.¡± Ellis quickly introduced themselves. Since Grisella was rather famous around here, he did not bother to do the same for her.

    ¡°Wrynn?¡± Grisella unconsciously frowned. It was a somewhat familiar name, but she couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint why she found it so familiar. A vague sense of recognition. A far-off memory too far off to recall. Irritating. It was very irritating.

    For a few seconds, silence filled the air. Hal-Wrynn nervously shuffled in his spot, before he pushed on, ¡°So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?¡±

    Ellis struggled to respond. There was a sort of moral ambiguity to this decision. This kid, Hal-Wrynn, he looked no older than ten. In fact, if going off his youthful face alone, he would probably be somewhere around seven or eight. If they really hired him to do this, wouldn¡¯t that be basically the same as child exploitation? Bringing a kid to a dangerous place like a forest where death was a very strong possibility¡­ was it morally okay for Ellis to agree to such a thing?

    The man who was just making plans to kidnap someone suddenly fell into a moral quandary.

    After he pondered over this issue for a bit, strangely enough, the tension in Ellis¡¯s shoulders dwindled. The knot in between his brow also disappeared. Speaking logically and leaving out the outlier that was Grisella, the average age of his party was actually lower than Hal¡¯s. Somewhere around the five or six range, give or take. Even Ellis himself, he was considerably younger than the boy.

    Children can¡¯t really exploit other children, right?

    As such a strange string of thoughts buzzed through his head, Ellis eventually nodded.

    Grisella hesitated. Although she was still a bit unsure of his decision, in truth, they really had no other choice left in the matter.

    They were quite literally out of options. No one in the village would take them up on their offer. In fact, short of kidnapping someone, there really was nothing else they could do.

    Ellis even briefly wondered whether or not he should just stop the war himself. Still, getting involved in something like a war between two tribes was certainly not something he wanted to do, especially one as morally ambiguous as this one.

    If the Majins were the clear bad guys, then Ellis would have been less hesitant. Unfortunately, as it stands, it seemed more like a conflict of interest than anything else. What¡¯s more, according to the Tribal Chief herself, it was the head warrior who kicked off the conflict. Such a revelation made the waters even muddier than they were before.

    He really had no interest in involving himself with something so bothersome. Ellis simply wanted to see a legendary world tree. Why was something like that so hard to accomplish?

    Although Hal¡¯s offer came as a surprise, it was definitely better than the alternative.

    ¡°But, do you really know the way there?¡± Still, he couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    Grisella was the first to respond. ¡°He should. As long as he truly is a squirrel tribesman, then he¡¯ll know.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Despite her words, Ellis was not so easily convinced.

    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Grisella abruptly asked. For the most part, she was not one without suspicion. The solitary witch did not possess Ellis¡¯s great strength, nor his sometimes-ridiculous confidence. As a relatively normal person, she had to be wary of traps and machinations.

    As for this kid? Nothing screamed ¡®SUSPICIOUS¡¯ more than he did.

    Hal-Wrynn frowned. ¡°Is that necessary for you to know?¡±

    Grisella nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll be risking our lives by trusting you in the forest. As a squirrel, you should know exactly just how dangerous that place is, especially for outsiders like us.¡±

    He remained silent for a long time. Then, he said, ¡°There¡¯s¡­. there¡¯s someone who I want to save.¡± The boy spoke with a voice barely above a whisper. ¡°I can only do so at the other side of the river.¡±

    Hal-Wrynn did not explain any further.

    Just as Grisella was about to say something, Elis suddenly interrupted. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s your reason, then fine, but since this is not a one-sided deal, but rather a mutual exchange, don¡¯t expect any payment from us. It will be your directions for our protection.¡±

    A somewhat rueful smile stretched his lips. ¡°After all, it¡¯s why you came to us in the first place, right?¡±

    Hal nodded his head without hesitation. ¡°That works for me.¡±

    Seeing his reaction, Ellis breathed out a light sigh. So, my earlier guess was right, huh?

    The reason why the kid approached him back then, the reason why he suddenly volunteered as a guide, it was all so he could go to the river.

    For some reason, Hal had something he wanted to achieve. Unfortunately, it was not something he could do alone. What¡¯s more, the villagers likewise did not want to help. Left with no other choice, he naturally turned his eyes towards the outsiders. Ellis was the obvious alternative.

    But what is he planning to do there? Whether it really was to save a person¡¯s life, or if it was for some other reason, he couldn¡¯t help but be curious. He also came to another conclusion. Without a doubt, that boy¡¯s scheming something.

    For the most part, Ellis was not overly concerned. As long as they get to the river, everything would work out fine. Whether the boy betrays them or throws a nuke right in his face, as long as they get to where they needed to get, then nothing else really mattered.

    With his nod, Grisella also agreed, albeit a bit hesitantly.

    ¡°Good. With this, I¡¯m your guide.¡± The faint trace of a smile stretched his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can trust me. I can take you there, no problems.¡± He suddenly paused for a moment. ¡°Ah, we have to leave tonight though.¡±

    Ellis raised his brow. ¡°Why?¡±

    Instead of replying, Hal looked up towards the canopy. He watched as a golden light illuminated the leaves above. Without hesitation, he turned around and ran away.

    ¡°You¡ª hey!¡± Ellis shouted in surprise.

    ¡°I have to make preparations!¡± The boy responded without stopping. ¡°Let¡¯s meet back up when the sky darkens! Same spot!¡±

    With those words, Hal-Wrynn jumped onto a nearby bridge and disappeared into the distance.

    The group stood there for a moment, half surprised.

    Ellis let out a strained cough. ¡°He, he does that pretty frequently.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a few seconds of silence, Grisella turned towards him and stated, ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem very reliable.¡±

    He ruminated over her words before he nodded. ¡°No, no he doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Do you think everything will work out fine without incident?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Ellis answered with a straight face. ¡°That boy is definitely scheming something.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°Eh!?¡± Grisella widened her eyes in shock. Such harsh words definitely weren¡¯t what she was expecting. Rather, she half expected him to reassure her. A familiar look of panic colored her face. ¡°He¡¯s scheming something? No, more importantly, you knew yet you still agreed to it anyway!?¡±

    ¡°Geh, you''re loud.¡± Ellis instinctively covered his ears. ¡°Don¡¯t get so worked up over it. It¡¯s not something I can¡¯t handle.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point here, you shouldn¡¯t go playing along with another person¡¯s schemes, especially when it comes to something like this!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overexaggerating.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one whose underexaggerating this whole thing! The place we¡¯re going to is dangerous! One wrong move and we¡¯ll die! We¡¯ll really die for real!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just a kid, what harm could he possibly do?¡± Again, Ellis reasoned.

    ¡°A lot! He can do a lot!¡± No matter how many times she screamed, Ellis simply did not seem to care. ¡°Please don¡¯t toy around with our lives like this!¡±

    Eventually, he caved. Ellis breathed out a sigh. ¡°Fine, fine. For now, we¡¯ll go uncover his schemes. Are you happy?¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Grisella finally breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°So, how are we going to do that? Are we just going to ask the child?¡±

    Ellis shook his head. ¡°If we do that, then he¡¯ll probably quit being our guide. We need another method.¡± He really did not want to go through the trouble of looking for another guide again. It¡¯s mostly why he accepted the scheming kid¡¯s offer in the first place. After a few seconds, he responded, ¡°well, if we can¡¯t get the kid to squeal, we can always just ask someone else.¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    Grisella titled her head in confusion. Ellis ignored her. The wheels in his head were already turning. Without him realizing, a somewhat amused smile stretched his lips.

    ****

    Mira-Moore was a young squirrel woman who lived near the outskirts of the village.

    She worked as a barterer. Her main job consisted of taking a commodity from one client and trading it for another commodity from another client. Basically, she was a glorified middle man. In return for her services, she¡¯d get a cut of profit from both sides. It wasn¡¯t a very lucrative job, but it kept her fed and alive.

    Usually, she worked in the Commerce square, but on rare occasions, she would go out and make personal house visits.

    After she finished her last transaction, Mira-Moore quickly packed up her things and began the long trek back home. By the time she set off, the sun had already set.

    A pink halo illuminated the village. The light was somewhat dim, but that did not really bother her all that much. Squirrels were naturally adept at seeing in the dark. It wasn¡¯t to the point of nocturnal, but they were generally better than most creatures within the forest.

    The journey from the Commerce square to her house was rather time-consuming. It did not help that the village was eerily quiet. Ever since the war, not a lot of people ventured out at night. Even before then, squirrels were generally more active during the day. The war only extremized this tendency.

    Right now, the village felt like a ghost town.

    The young woman unconsciously shivered. The empty bridge felt especially spooky tonight. Mustering up her courage, she hurried along the pathway.

    Eventually, she reached a platform that contained a row of residential houses. Most of the houses were currently empty. This platform was well-known for the two-people families that lived on it. After the husbands left for war, the wives could not take living alone so most of them grouped together and set up a temporary communal style house.

    Mira-Moore did not have that luxury. Unfortunately, she had yet to find a husband of her own, although, considering the current climate of the village, she felt this to be a blessing in disguise.

    Just as she was about to pass the last house, someone suddenly grabbed her.

    ¡°!¡±

    She instinctively tried to scream, but unfortunately, she quickly learned that she couldn¡¯t. Someone had covered her mouth shut.

    After a few minutes of struggling from both sides, she soon found herself sitting cross-legged behind a hut building. Her mouth had been gagged, while her hands were tied behind her back. Sweat dripped down the tip of her nose as fear and panic quickly filled her eyes.

    Staring directly down at her were two faces, one man and one animal. For some reason, both of them were wearing crudely formed masks.

    ****

    Ellis really went and kidnapped someone.

    It was a somewhat risky decision, but nonetheless a necessary step.

    Throughout their campaign for a guide, Ellis had felt this weird dissonance with all of the squirrels that they had talked to. They weren¡¯t necessarily lying, just that, it felt as if they weren¡¯t really telling the whole truth.

    Elis had experienced something similar with the kids from his orphanage. Children tended to make mistakes, and sometimes, they did not want the adults to learn of those mistakes. When faced with such a dilemma, some choose to lie, while others choose to omit the truth. It wasn''t all that hard to pick apart a child''s lie, but the latter was a bit more difficult. The comfort of knowing that ''we didn''t actually lie'' was a strong one. It made the children more cunning, more convincing.

    Still, Ellis eventually learned how to identify such cases.

    Right now, the squirrels were like children. They were guilty, they knew they were guilty, yet they still tried to actively hide it away.

    He had grown tired of the little charade that they were putting on, so rather than continuing to prance around the subject like this, he would much rather get straight to the point, even if it was through somewhat forceful means.

    Of course, Grisella naturally tried to persuade him out of it, but if she was like the angel on his right shoulder, then Ena was the devil on his left. For some reason, that little fox goaded him along. Ellis was almost certain that Ena knew absolutely nothing regarding the current topic at hand. Still, she was adamant. She was even the one who picked their target.

    Looking back on it now, he somewhat regretted his actions.

    After all these years, her style of mischief had rubbed off on him. I need to be careful. I don¡¯t want to get any worse than I already am. He mentally noted to himself.

    Either way, it was too late to change things. After all, he already went ahead and kidnapped someone. He couldn''t exactly take such a thing back.

    Right now, his victim lay sprawled in front of him.

    It was a young girl with bobbed hair. Like with most of the other squirrels within this village, she had tanned skin and wore a furry loincloth with a matching top. She was also fairly attractive, but that was only a coincidence.

    The girl glanced up at him with fearful eyes. Ellis puffed up his chest and swaggered forward. He tried as hard as possible to look intimidating. Judging by the girl''s reaction, it worked. Just as he was about to begin the interrogation, a loud shout suddenly reverberated through the air.

    Ellis narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue. Damn, she finally caught up. He turned his head.

    There, he caught sight of Grisella hurriedly running towards him. She looked just as panicked as when he had last left her.

    ¡°You idiot, I told you to wear a mask!¡± Ellis instantly berated. At the same time, he pointed to the mask that currently covered his face. ¡°What are we going to do if they trace back our identities?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the idiot! Like that stupid mask will work!¡± Grisella immediately countered. ¡°We¡¯re the only outsiders within this entire village! They¡¯ll know full well that it¡¯s us!¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Ellis¡¯s eyes widened in realization. After a moment¡¯s pause, he uncovered his mask. ¡°I guess there¡¯s really no point in this then.¡±

    With his face revealed, there was definitely no turning back now.

    On that note, Ellis scrunched up his brow, as he turned back around to his captive. How should I properly dispose of the body? Bury her alive? Cut her up into tiny pieces and hope the rest of the squirrels don¡¯t find the pieces? I could also just take her with me and dump the body somewhere far away...

    Of course, such thoughts only passed through his head for a few seconds. Right now, he had much more important things to do.

    ¡°Ellis, we really can¡¯t go out and kidnap random people like this,¡± before he could do anything though, the voice of reason (Grisella) once again interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s immoral!¡±

    Naturally, as a relatively normal law-abiding person, the solitary witch found it a bit difficult to do such a deplorable act. At the very least, she definitely shouldn''t do it in a place where practically everyone knew her face.

    Ellis ignored her protests and simply stared at the young girl beneath him.

    Sweat dripped down his back. Right now, things were looking kind of bad. The girl¡¯s original fear was quickly turning into utter confusion. If he wanted to go through with the interrogation, then he needed to do it now.

    Still, he hesitated. In truth, he has never really interrogated anyone before.

    Does the torture come before or after they reject my initial offer? After some thought, Ellis simply just shrugged his shoulders. I¡¯ll just play it by ear.

    For now, he decided to go with a standard ice-breaker. ¡°Tell us what we want to know or face the consequences.¡±

    ...

    To his surprise, the following interrogation went pretty smoothly. In the end, the information that he wanted to know wasn¡¯t exactly a very well-kept secret. In the first place, this was already apparent by the fact that a random villager knew about it.

    The reason for all the secrecy was due to a gag order set in place by the tribal chief. Apparently, it was to prevent any information from spreading to their enemies.

    Luckily, this young woman wasn''t very loyal to the Chief¡¯s orders. She readily told them.

    ¡°So basically, there¡¯s some sort of Majin base located on the other side of the river?¡± He skeptically questioned.

    The girl frantically nodded his head.

    "And you''re sure this base is on the other side of the river?"

    Again, she frantically nodded.

    "And the base is filled with Majins?"

    She nodded again. At this point, she was starting to get tired of Ellis''s repetitive questions.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis sank into thought.

    According to the captive, the Majin base had a connection with the silk-weaver incident that Ellis and Grisella had heard about earlier from the Apothecary lady. The Majin base was where they took the captives. Due to the distance and danger, nobody was willing nor able to rescue the captives.

    He suddenly thought about Hal-Wrynn. Does he want us to help save the prisoners or is he luring us there with malicious intentions?

    When Grisella first heard of this base camp, she immediately began to worry. As for Ellis, he simply thought of it as a fairly interesting development. Unbeknownst to him, a small smile twisted his lips.

    ¡°Since it seems kind of amusing, I¡¯ll play along for now.¡±

    ¡°You most certainly will not play along with it.¡± Naturally, Grisella immediately shot down his plans. ¡°First of all, a Majin base is already bad enough, but there are other, more dangerous threats that lurk within the other side of the river. Second, it''s not a very smart idea to travel through this forest with someone with clearly sketchy intentions. Rather than ¡®playing along¡¯, we should be actively preparing a plan!¡±

    ¡°A plan?¡± Ellis tilted his head. Unfortunately, his brain was devoid of any plans. Rather than a plan, wasn¡¯t it simpler to just blast everything away when the moment comes? That¡¯s how Ellis had lived up until now. He didn¡¯t really feel all that inclined to change such a successful formula.

    Still, having a plan was always better than not having one. After some thought, he nodded his head. Ellis turned to Grisella, ¡°okay, then you come up with a plan.¡±

    ¡°Me? Really?¡± Grisella furrowed her brow. Even before she could spit out her second word, the gears within her head were already turning.

    Seeing her hard at work, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    A part of him was somewhat expectant. The Majin base, the dangers of the river, a ten-year-old¡¯s carefully crafted schemes, Grisella¡¯s own hasty planning, it all seemed so¡­ interesting. At the very least, it certainly beats aimlessly wandering a forest for five years. Right now, he could quite confidently say that he was having fun.

    Either way, if things get too annoying, I can always just blow them all away.

    Ellis smiled to himself. Living in another world was truly a blessing.

    ....

    Ah, after the interrogation, they returned the poor girl back to the pathway. Aside from being a little shell shocked, she was safe and sound with nary a scratch on her. This was only the natural course of action. After all, Ellis wasn''t a monster.

 Chapter 53: Journey to the Depths of the Forest

    ¡°It¡¯s about to rain,¡± Grisella whispered quietly as she craned her neck up.

    Ellis followed her gaze. Black. All he could see was a ceiling of pitch-black darkness. After a few seconds, he furrowed his brow. ¡°Really? I can¡¯t tell.¡±

    A few hours had passed by. Above the forest, a churning storm blanketed the sky. A howling wind rattled through the forest while ashen grey rain clouds stole away the moon and blotted out the stars. With the advent of such terrible weather, the darkness of night grew even darker.

    Eerie silence covered the village. Elongated and malformed figures sprouted out from where the shadows once resided.

    ¡°It¡¯s in the smell.¡± Grisella¡¯s words cut through the quiet like a hot knife through butter. She sniffed at the air. ¡°Earthy, slightly fresh and slightly sweet.¡±

    Still a bit unconvinced, Ellis sniffed the air. Not at all to his surprise, the only thing that he could smell was the forest.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t smell anything.¡± He complained. Off to the side, Ena mimicked the two and also sniffed at the air. Her expression changed, but she did not say anything.

    Grisella shrugged her shoulders. She turned her head and redirected her gaze towards the village. There was no life, and there was no movement. Only the dark.

    ¡°You think he¡¯s coming?¡± she asked quietly.

    ¡°I hope so,¡± Ellis responded after a moment¡¯s hesitation.

    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Grisella furrowed her brow as she fell into another round of silence.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A few minutes ticked by. Those minutes quickly turned into an hour, then two hours. Three, four, after seven whole hours of waiting, they finally heard something.

    The creaking of wood.

    Ellis, who had grown accustomed to the silence, had immediately noticed the sound. He turned towards its source.

    There, he could see a diminutive figure walking towards them. Like with everything else, he was pitch black, almost like a living shadow.

    ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Ellis commented.

    Hal-Wrynn entered the light (courtesy of Ena). His hair was somewhat matted. ¡°I was busy.¡± He simply stated. After a moment¡¯s pause, he turned around and pointed to his bag. ¡°Like I said, I was busy preparing.¡±

    There was a straw bag strapped to his back. It was big, nearly half his size. Still, for all of his words, Ellis thought that the bag looked only half-filled.

    He shook his head. ¡°Never mind that, why did you want to leave so late in the night? Making us stand out here for so long¡­ you might as well have just pushed the time back to tomorrow.¡± From the very start, Ellis was not a very tolerant man. Being made to wait out here for so long, he naturally wanted to vent.

    Plus, for all of his travels, Ellis never really moved around at night.

    It was already pretty gloomy during the day. Come night and the forest floor quite literally transforms into tangible darkness. To him, it was a hassle to travel under such conditions.

    With a completely serious expression, Hal-Wrynn solemnly answered. ¡°Because my aunt would have gotten mad if she were to find out that I left.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Suffice to say, Ellis was a bit caught off guard by such a response. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Inwardly, a headache began to form. Why does it feel like I¡¯m about to kidnap a child?

    Although he was the one who originally agreed to this, he couldn¡¯t help but second guess his earlier decision. He wanted to say something, but after a moment of hesitation, he ultimately held back his tongue.

    Ellis discreetly glanced over at Grisella. For a moment, the two locked eyes and the solitary witch likewise shook her head. For all the long years that she had lived through, she had never once experienced such an uneasy set of circumstances.

    Scheming¡­ regardless of how childish he looks now; this boy is scheming something!

    Her anxiety once again spiked. At the same time, her resolve also increased. No matter what, I need to come up with a good plan! No matter what this kid is planning, no, even if he isn¡¯t planning anything, I need to be prepared for all outcomes!

    Grisella inwardly balled her fists up and cheered herself on. The journey to the other side of the river was bound to be her most taxing battle yet.

    As for Ellis, he swallowed down an oncoming yawn. Let¡¯s hope something exciting happens on our way there¡­

    Hal-Wrynn was oblivious to the pair¡¯s contradicting thoughts. He pulled on the straps of his bag and turned towards the two people (and fox) in front of him. With an innocent smile splattered across his face, he asked, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go?¡±

    ****

    The very next day.

    It was early in the morning. A heavy downpour blanketed the village. Inside a certain smoke-filled room, Nar-Wynn stood in front of the tribal chief. He held a piece of pelt up to his nose, but even then, his eyes had long since turned red.

    Right now, his mind was somewhat hazy, while his legs felt like jelly.

    ¡°So, the boy left with the witch?¡± A melodious voice echoed through the room.

    Nar-Wynn stared blankly at the space in front of him. It took a moment for the question to register in his mind. It took even longer for him to respond. ¡°Yes. Miss Lorelei left at night. I only just found out this morning. The sentries posted along the forest floor saw her leaving.¡±

    His voice was noticeably slurred.

    ¡°And no-one stopped her?¡± A cold question leaked out from Mary-Lynn¡¯s pale lips.

    Nar-Wynn hesitated. ¡°Miss Lorelei is someone important to us. She gives us medicine, and a lot of our warriors have been saved by her medicine, so¡­¡±

    The tribal chief shook her head. ¡°You know how dangerous it is out there right now. Even someone as experienced as she won¡¯t escape unharmed. In fact, you are putting her more at risk by letting her go.¡±

    ¡°It was my mistake.¡± Nar-Wynn bowed his head. It was unclear whether the blush on his face was from shame or from the smoke in the room. He hesitated for a moment, ¡°Miss Lorelei is an outsider, so it is natural that nobody stopped her, but¡­ that boy¡­ you know how everyone feels about him. When he left, nobody was willing to stop him.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Mary-Lynn did not respond for a long time. Eventually, she took a deep inhale. Columns of smoke invaded her nostrils and filled her lungs.

    Nar-Wynn grew emboldened by such a reaction. ¡°Now that he left, isn¡¯t it fine to just leave him be? That boy, he really is¡­¡±

    ¡°I know who he is.¡± Mary-Lynn interrupted. ¡°And for tribe as homogenous as ours, I know exactly how the others treat him. It might even be better if he were to just leave and never come back, but¡­ regardless, he is a member of our tribe.¡±

    Nar-Wynn remained silent. To be more accurate, he did not dare to respond.

    ¡°Besides, with him gone, there is no doubt that she will stir up a fuss.¡± The tribal chief added.

    He widened his eyes in response. A look of realization flashed through his face. ¡°The boy¡¯s guardian¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± She solemnly nodded.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The two of them exchanged looks before they both sighed.

    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s better to act now before trouble starts,¡± Mary-Lynn stated. ¡°Go, bring the boy back.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Nar-Wynn widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°B-but I¡¯m the leader of the defense force. I can¡¯t just leave my post and run off somewhere!¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Go, this is also a form of sincerity to her. What matters here is keeping her in the village. As long as that woman remains in our village, then we¡¯ll be safe.¡±

    Despite her words, Nar-Wynn did not look convinced. He wanted to retort, but after a few seconds of unwilling silence, he breathed out a defeated sigh. ¡°I know it well. Aside from the head warrior himself, there is no-one stronger. ¡°If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Since you know it, then stop complaining and go.¡± Mary-Lynn paused for a moment. She then added, ¡°Besides, you can use this chance to appeal to the witch. You are in the midst of courting her, correct?¡±

    At her words, Nar-Wynn¡¯s eyes blazed with fire. In the blink of an eye, he was suddenly quite eager to go.

    Seeing such a reaction, Mary-Lynn inwardly shook her head. She had seen way too many people like him. No matter what generation, there were always a few fools who thought themselves quite capable. For such aspiring young men, there was no better target than a beautiful and mysterious woman. Even her husband, at one point in his youth, also fell to the whims of the immortal witch.

    Maybe that¡¯s why I don¡¯t really like her?

    As the tribal chief ruminated over her thoughts, her eyes subconsciously scanned the newest ¡®foolish youth¡¯ in front of her.

    He¡¯s going to fail like all of them, but still, I am grateful. Emotional manipulation is the best way to get people to work.

    With that, she quickly sent Nar-Wynn away. Without hesitation, he quickly ran off. Mary-Lynn quietly watched as the churning smoke swallowed him whole. Unbeknownst to anyone, a small smile formed on her face.

    ****

    Ellis¡¯s group descended to the forest floor.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going then,¡± Hal-Wrynn stated as he tugged on his pack and tightened the straps around his waist. He stared off into the distance. ¡°It should take us about a week or so to get there.¡±

    ¡°Wait one second,¡± Ellis interrupted. He briefly surveyed his surroundings. After a few seconds of silence, he let out a frown. It was unfortunate, but night vision was not one of his abilities. Tar-black darkness surrounded him on all sides. If it weren¡¯t for the ground beneath his feet, then his current environment would be no different from death¡¯s endless void.

    ¡°Where the hell did those guys go?¡± he muttered quietly to himself. After a brief pause, Ellis spoke to the little fox standing on his shoulders, ¡°Ena, can we get some light in here?¡±

    ¡°Kyu!¡± With such a cute cry of confirmation, a tiny ball of white fire suddenly appeared in front of the group. While it wasn¡¯t much, at the very least, it provided a break from the endless monopoly of darkness.

    Hal-Wrynn stared blankly at the little fox. After a while, he commented, ¡°your pet is convenient. How much for it?¡±

    Ellis raised his brow in a mixture of both surprise and interest.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s not for sale,¡± he replied. ¡°Also, she¡¯s not a pet.¡±

    ¡°Then, where can I get one?¡±

    ¡°There probably isn¡¯t another one of her anywhere around,¡± he paused for a moment. ¡°At least, not one that I know of.¡±

    ¡°What about something similar?¡±

    ¡°Something similar? I don¡¯t really know of anything ¡®similar¡¯ to Ena either¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh, what¡¯s with that halfhearted response? At least tell me where you got it.¡± Hal-Wrynn¡¯s childish face twisted into a pout.

    ¡°That¡¯s also a bit¡­¡± Ellis furrowed his brow in indecision. He really did not know how to respond to this child¡¯s somewhat demanding requests.

    Of to the side, Grisella silently watched their disjointed exchange with tepid eyes. Their conversation was a few parts mind-boggling and undeniably surreal. They treated a legendary existence like a nine-tailed fox as something no better than a simple house cat.

    What¡¯s more, the nine-tailed fox herself did not seem all that bothered by their attitude! Still perched on top of Ellis¡¯s shoulders, Ena let out an audible yawn.

    Grisella shook her head in exasperation. As she reflected on her reaction, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder: am I the weird one here?

    A few minutes passed by. Eventually, they heard a faint rustling. It originated from somewhere close by.

    Hal-Wrynn¡¯s shoulders immediately tensed. He subconsciously took a step back. He instinctively hid behind Ellis.

    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t think there¡¯d be any monsters so close to the village¡­¡± he whispered just loud enough for the two of them to hear.

    From the very start, the boy was not very optimistic about this trip. He was well aware of how dangerous the forest floor was. He knew that sooner or later, they¡¯d eventually encounter the creatures that dared to call this place home. In fact, an encounter was practically a given. Ilpin Forest was not called a monster''s paradise for nothing.

    This was precisely why he needed bodyguards. Without sufficient strength, it was impossible to traverse this forest alone.

    For the most part, Hal-Wrynn had done his very best. He managed to somehow find the bodyguards that he so desperately needed. Now all he could do was hope that Ellis and his group were up to the task.

    Contrary to Hal¡¯s original expectations, Ellis did not recoil in fear or bolster with confidence. In fact, he did not seem all that fazed.

    As the noises grew louder, several silhouettes quickly stepped into the light.

    They were quadrupedal, with fur covered bodies. A pair of triangular ears sat snugly on top of their heads. Wolves. Seven of them to be exact.

    ¡°A wolf pack!¡± Hal-Wrynn unconsciously shouted.

    He wasn¡¯t overly familiar with the breed or species of this particular pack, but nonetheless, anything that could eke out a living within this forest was not something to be trifled with. Right now, they were severely outnumbered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ellis stated amidst his rising panic. ¡°They¡¯re with me.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± He looked at him with suspicion. After a few seconds, he soon came to realize that despite how close the wolves had gotten, they did not attack. In fact, the wolves surrounded Ellis like needy little puppies.

    ¡°They really are with you!¡± Hal couldn¡¯t quite believe it, but the scene before his eyes more than verified it.

    He thought about it for a moment, before he widened his eyes in apparent realization. ¡°I get it now. You are a beast tamer, right?¡±

    This was the only logical conclusion that he could come to. Ellis had both a fox and a pack of wolves at his beck and call. To his knowledge, there was nobody else in this world that could do such a thing except for a beast tamer.

    The village did not have a beast tamer of its own, but Hal had heard tales of such a profession from the sparse few outsiders that sometimes visited the village. It was a powerful profession that ran counter with his original understanding of strength.

    For one, beast tamers usually lacked physical prowess. They made up for it with the number and types of monsters that they controlled. In fact, they were kind of like shamans, someone similar to the Tribal Chief. Certainly, Ellis fit that description to a tee. He did not possess the muscle-clad bodies that so often adorned the village¡¯s warriors.

    Still, Hal-Wrynn did not underestimate him. In a forest like this, someone with the ability to control dangerous monsters was definitely one to be wary of.

    ¡°Actually, he¡¯s a¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m a beast tamer.¡± Grisella tried to correct the boy, but Ellis hurriedly interrupted her. He nodded his head. ¡°Yup, I¡¯m a genuine, bona fidebeast tamer.¡±

    Grisella glanced over at him with questioning eyes. For the most part, Ellis ignored her. Instead, he flashed an amicable smile at the boy. There was nothing wrong with letting this kid further his own misunderstanding. In fact, it might even be beneficial. After all, it was always better to be underestimated rather than to be overestimated.

    Also, this sort of plot line was interesting.

    To think that I¡¯d get to play out the ¡®even though I look like a weakling, I¡¯m actually uber strong¡¯ character¡­ once again, the world proves to be a magical place¡­

    ¡°They won¡¯t attack me, will they?¡± Hal-Wrynn asked hesitantly.

    Ellis turned to the wolves. He hesitated for a brief imperceptible second before he turned back to the boy. ¡°No, of course not. These guys are really friendly.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡± Hal turned towards the seven wolves. He did not quite believe him. Razor sharp teeth and matted fur. Their eyes looked vigilant, and while he wasn¡¯t all that sure, he could feel an invisible pressure exuding out from their bodies. It weighed on him like a sack of rocks.

    Also, for some reason, there was dried blood caked all over their paws. It was definitely a sight that completely contrasted with the word ¡®friendly.¡¯

    He shook his head. Despite how misguided it seemed, Hal-Wrynn decided to put his trust in Ellis.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going then.¡± The young boy did not want to delve any deeper into this topic. Without hesitation, he walked towards the deep darkness of the forest.

    Ellis and the rest of the group quickly followed after him.

    After a few minutes of silent walking, Ellis jogged over to Grisella. He nudged her shoulder. In a quiet voice, he asked, ¡°hey, why aren¡¯t we using your broom to travel?¡±

    The witch¡¯s broom would no doubt make their journey considerably easier. Ellis somewhat missed the feeling of sitting down and feeling the wind brush against his scalp.

    ¡°I need to be prepared.¡± She simply responded.

    ¡°Prepared?¡± Ellis titled his head in confusion.

    Grisella nodded. ¡°I need to be ready at a moment¡¯s notice. You know, just in case anything happens. My broomstick is my most powerful weapon, and if I use ¡®magic carpet¡¯ mode now, then I won¡¯t be able to use its other forms later.¡±

    Magic carpet? Is that what that form is called? Strangely enough, it did somewhat remind him of a magic carpet.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit excessive?¡± Ellis wondered out loud. ¡°The wolves and I are here, aren¡¯t we? We can definitely handle anything that this forest throws at us.¡±

    He had a fair bit of confidence in his own strength. Ellis was not one hundred percent certain, but there was an undeniable hidden arrogance buried deep within his heart. Nothing in this forest was stronger than him.

    In his eyes, Grisella¡¯s worries were simply just that; worries. They held no basis to the reality around them.

    Also, he really missed that comfortable method of traveling.

    In response, the solitary witch shook her head. ¡°And what happens if we accidentally get separated? You might be fine and the others might be fine, but I need to have some means of protection for myself. You know, just in case.¡±

    Ellis wanted to argue, but after a moment¡¯s hesitation, he ultimately swallowed his words.

    ¡°Alright.¡± He nodded quietly to her.

    She glanced up at him with a sidelong glance. Grisella remained silent. Her grip around her broom unconsciously tightened. Ellis might not know the dangers of their journey, but she did. This danger was only further exaggerated by the unknown factor that was their guide. Even with her broomstick, the possibility of death was far too high for her liking.

    The group continued deeper into the forest. At some point, the harsh darkness that devoured the forest had lessened. Small rays of light were beginning to pierce the foliage above.

    Morning had finally come.

    Unfortunately, the light of day did not last all that long. A few hours after dawn, a heavy downpour suddenly blanketed the skies. It persisted for quite some time. Still, they kept moving.

    Throughout the night, they did not encounter a single monster. To Hal-Wrynn, he thought that such an occurrence was rather odd. Monsters were rather active at night. In fact, some of Ilpin¡¯s animals had night vision built into their physiology.

    Last night¡¯s forest had been eerily peaceful. This naturally set him on edge.

    Unbeknownst to the boy, the real reason for such peace was because of Grisella¡¯s monster repellant. It served to ward off some of the more weaker monsters in the forest. Of course, she knew that this would not last forever. The deeper they head into the forest, the stronger, more feral the monsters become. At some point, her repellant would stop working entirely.

    Still, Grisella was not overly worried. After all, Ellis was here. She simply used the monster repellant for expedience¡¯s sake.

    At around midafternoon, her repellant finally stopped working.

    It was around midafternoon. The rain had stopped and the group finally encountered their first monster. It was a baboon-like creature with bare-naked thighs. It looked somewhat comical, but Ellis felt that it was actually on the stronger side of his most recent encounters.

    The wolves quickly took care of it though.

    ¡°Your pets are pretty powerful,¡± Hal-Wrynn commented after the battle ended.

    Ellis let out a wry chuckle. ¡°They¡¯re not pets,¡± he responded, ¡°but yes, they are pretty strong.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± After a moment¡¯s pause, he continued. ¡°It¡¯s good to be strong.¡± Despite his words, Hal-Wrynn¡¯s expression remained deadpan and monotone. The young boy inwardly shook his head. Unfortunately, you¡¯re still not strong enough.

    Off to the side, Ellis secretly raised a brow. This little punk sure has a gloomy expression. What on earth could he possibly be thinking now?

    Without another word, the group continued forward.

    The day passed in much of the same fashion. Ellis felt bags forming under his eyes. As the forest once again began to darken, he was distinctly aware of the fact that he had stayed up all day today. While his body was versatile enough that a day without sleep wouldn¡¯t bother him, his mind was a completely different story.

    Something resembling mental fatigue began to set in.

    As such, when night finally fell, the group decided to take a break.

 Chapter 54: Playing Around with the Guilty

    The next day came and went.

    Eventually, they reached the third day of their travels. The group steadfastly delved deeper into the forest. For the most part, Ellis did not really feel any sense of progression. To him, the forest blended together into one big ambiguous ball of giant trees and dead leaves.

    Luckily, Hal-Wrynn was not as muddleheaded as he was. The young boy trekked through the forest floor with a skip in his step. In other words, he walked with a purpose.

    A few hours had passed since their last encounter with a monster. By this point, Ellis had grown somewhat bored. It reminded him of his monotonous days of following the river, an activity that had consumed a little bit too much of his time.

    Amidst the sound of rustling leaves, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So, what on the other side of the river has got you so riled up?¡±

    Even though Ellis could somewhat make a guess, it was fun to see how the perpetrator would react.

    After a painfully long silence, Hal-Wrynn turned his head back and asked, ¡°are you talking to me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The boy scratched the back of his head and let out a subtle grimace. He did not respond for a long time. Eventually, he said, ¡°didn¡¯t I already tell you? I want to save someone.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Ellis shook his head. ¡°I mean, like how? What over there can save someone¡¯s life?¡±

    The term ¡®saving someone¡¯ was too vague for his liking. Contained in such a simple sentence was a near infinite number of variations and possibilities.

    Like, for example, a trade. Maybe he wants to make a transaction with the Majins. Us for the life of this friend of his. It¡¯s certainly a possibility¡­

    ¡°¡­ do you really want me to tell you?¡± the boy warily asked.

    Ellis thought about it for a moment. He smiled a knowing smile. ¡°Well, I do like a good surprise.¡±

    Thud!

    Without warning, Grisella knocked him on the back of his head. Judging by the resulting sound, her weapon of choice had been that magical broomstick of hers.

    Before he could even react, she suddenly pulled him to a corner and frantically whispered in his ear. ¡°Please don¡¯t say anything unnecessary like that, Ellis! The kid¡¯s already talking. The more information we can get out of him, the better.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­ but isn¡¯t it interesting? Like receiving a present on your birthday even though you forgot it was your birthday.¡±

    Grisella furrowed her brow in confusion. ¡°What sort of nonsense are you saying?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it? Does Lull not have birthdays?¡±

    ¡°Who cares about birthdays! Please focus!¡±

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want me to get you something for your birthday?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t say that¡ª¡±

    ¡°By the way, when is your birthday?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s on the¡ª¡± Grisella suddenly stopped. After a moment¡¯s pause, she glared at him with frustrated eyes. ¡°Please stop trying to distract me! We need to focus; I need to focus! How am I supposed to come up with an effective counter-measure if I know nothing about our enemy? I don¡¯t need you to do anything, so just, please, let me peacefully collect information.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that.¡± Ellis had nearly forgotten that right now, Grisella was still frantically trying to come up with a plan for the future enemy that they had to inevitably face at the river.

    Truth be told, Ellis thought it was wholly unnecessary, but then again, it did keep her distracted, so by that standard, having a plan was indeed a good thing.

    He nodded his head. ¡°Alright, collect away then.¡±

    Grisella breathed out a sigh of relief. Conversing with this man was even more stressful than making a legendary potion.

    The two quickly turned back to Hal-Wrynn. Naturally, the little boy stared at them with scrutinizing eyes. Ellis did not really care while Grisella tried her best to ignore the doubt hidden beneath the child¡¯s gaze. She let out an awkward cough and asked, ¡°Ignore what Ellis just said. Can you tell us?¡±

    Hal-Wrynn unhesitantly shook his head. ¡°If I tell you, you might just run away.¡±

    An even vaguer statement leaked out from his lips.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that half-assed response?¡± Ellis booed in protest.

    Grisella furrowed her brow. ¡°I¡¯m sure we won¡¯t run away. Come on, you can tell us.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Hal-Wrynn remained silent for a long time.

    Truth be told, he did not really want to tell them anything.

    By nature, Hal-Wrynn was a cautious and distrusting fellow. Even under normal circumstances, he would have much rather preferred to stay silent. With the things that he had planned out added to the mix of complications, he had even less of an incentive to respond.

    Essentially, the less he talked, the better.

    So, why? We were doing so well before, why did they have to say something now?

    Staring up at the pair of curious faces in front of him, Hal-Wrynn felt somewhat frustrated.

    In the first place, what obligation did he have to tell them? What obligation did they have to ask him? The young boy did not know. In his eyes, they were simply just strangers making use of one another. No more, no less.

    Middling conversations like these had no place within this journey.

    Ellis carefully watched the boy¡¯s seemingly monotone expression. It was somewhat difficult to tell, but right now, Hal-Wrynn was sulking. After a moment of silence, a glint of interest flashed through his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, kid? You look kind of guilty.¡±

    Almost immediately, the boy¡¯s shoulders stiffened. He glanced back at Ellis, but unfortunately, the grey-haired youth¡¯s smiling face revealed nothing.

    Hal-Wrynn scoffed to himself. Guilty? Why the hell would I be guilty? I¡¯ve done nothing wrong!

    Despite what he inwardly thought, he couldn¡¯t help but check his face. After confirming that there was no unwanted crease or wrinkle on his cheeks, Hal-Wrynn hurriedly shook his head.

    I¡¯ve done nothing wrong! He reiterated to himself. We both agreed to the same deal and I haven¡¯t broken any of the rules from the deal. I¡¯ve done nothing wrong!

    The deal that both parties had agreed upon was very simple and straightforward. Guidance in exchange for protection. The rules couldn¡¯t be clearer than that and for Hal-Wrynn, he planned to complete his role without issue.

    Just because I left a few things out, doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m guilty. It¡¯s their fault for not knowing. They should have known better. It¡¯s not my fault¡­This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    For the longest time, the little boy was lost in his own thoughts. With creased brows and a frowning face, he muttered something underneath his breath.

    Ellis almost laughed out loud. Can this kid get any more obvious? He¡¯s even worse than the orphans! For all the gloom and mystery that his first impression left, Hal-Wrynn was practically telegraphing his guilt for the whole world to see.

    ¡°Kid, if you got something on your mind, it¡¯s best to confide in someone.¡± Ellis consoled with his best ¡®big-brother¡¯ voice. ¡°You know, air it all out now before they come back to haunt you later.¡±

    ¡°N-no, I¡¯m not, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m completely fine. I¡¯m not guilty or anything.¡± Hal-Wrynn stammered out. He was so flustered that he almost tripped on a rock.

    Ellis did not respond. Instead, he flashed another warm smile.

    Hal-Wrynn immediately looked away. What the hell¡¯s with this guy!? Why is he so nosy?

    The little boy secretly grumbled to himself.

    In the first place, I¡¯m obviously not guilty, so quit asking such weird questions!

    He just needs to mind his own business!

    I¡¯m completely not guilty!

    Besides, if I were to tell them now, then they definitely won¡¯t take me there¡­

    He couldn¡¯t have that. He really couldn¡¯t have that.

    Hal-Wrynn was not unfamiliar with the way human nature worked. Faced with life-threatening danger, the most likely response would be to flee. It was only natural. After all, most people valued their own safety above all else. Once they learned of the true dangers that lay hidden on the other side of the river¡­ their only options would either be to flee or to run headfirst into death.

    Hal did not really have a full grasp of the group¡¯s strength. Still, he did not think they were anything too outstanding. At most, they were just slightly above the combat ability of a normal warrior¡¯s raid group. For a party consisting of only one beast tamer and one witch, that was already an amazing evaluation, especially when you factor into consideration the fact that a normal raid group consisted of at least twenty warriors.

    Still, much less twenty, even if it were thirty, no, fifty warriors, it still would not be enough.

    In his eyes, Ellis¡¯s group, no matter how outstanding they may appear to be, were simply not enough. Luckily, none of that mattered to Hal-Wrynn. As long as they can safely get him to the other side of the river, none of it would matter.

    So, I¡¯m not lying. I¡¯m not even tricking them.

    He would do what they asked him to do. No more, no less.

    As for what happens afterward¡­ well, that was for them to find out.

    I¡¯m just doing my job. Even if I feel a little guilty now, it¡¯s something that I still need to do.

    He fed off their natural curiosity and purposely kept them ignorant. He felt remorseful, but he swallowed down his emotions and weathered through the ordeal. The young boy had a goal and he was determined to accomplish it.

    I don¡¯t care what happens. As long as I get to the river, as long as I can do that, then everything else should work out.

    He silently clenched his fists. I can¡¯t do anything on my own, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t get others to do it for me. I can do this, even if I¡¯m a little guilty, I WILL do this!

    Off to the side, Ellis silently pursed his lips. His expression turned awfully serious¡­

    ¡°You really won¡¯t tell us?¡± Ellis once again asked.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry.¡± By this point, Hal-Wrynn had regained a bit of his calm. His face reverted back to the same stoic expression that Ellis was familiar with. ¡°In the first place, there¡¯s nothing to tell.¡±

    ¡°I see, nothing to tell, is it?¡± Ellis lazily shifted his gaze over to the canopies above his head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hal-Wrynn did not say anything. He walked like a machine, his shoulders stiff and his neck rigid. The boy kept his eyes focused on the forest ahead.

    ¡°Ah, you know, I did hear that the other side of the river was a dangerous place.¡± Ellis probed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Strong monsters live there.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°The type that can kill someone in a heartbeat.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Precious medicine too. The type that can save someone¡¯s life.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But, ah, there were other stuff too¡­ like an enemy ambush that¡¯s waiting on the other side of the river¡­ Of course, I only heard rumors.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This time, Hal-Wrynn¡¯s face imperceptibly twitched, but he still kept his silence. For a moment, a worried thought flashed through his head. Does he know?

    He looked back, only to see a dumb smile etched onto Ellis¡¯s face. ¡°Ah, or maybe it was an ancient temple that worships an evil being? Or was it a meteor that houses a fierce alien monster? I can¡¯t really remember¡­¡±

    A strange sense of relief washed over the boy¡¯s mind. No way he knows.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    At this point, Ellis stopped talking. An uneasy silence permeated through the air. The boy secretly glanced back at Ellis, but again, the Grey-haired youth¡¯s dull expression revealed nothing.

    Grisella walked over to him. She whispered in his ears. ¡°Why¡¯d you stop? I was getting some good information, you know.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t push him too far. After all, we still need him to take us to the river.¡±

    Just like how Hal-Wrynn was reliant on Ellis and co, likewise, they were reliant on him. Without their little guide, they would have no way of progressing through to the other side of the river. At worst, they would need to head back to the village and look for another guide. Unfortunately, the likelihood of actually finding another one was slim to none.

    Playing around like this should be done in moderation. Ellis lightly smiled. For now, his boredom was relieved.

    Although I do have to admit, acting out this type of role is pretty entertaining.

    A light breeze passed through the trees. As if nothing had happened, the group continued through the endless forest.

    ****

    Back in the village, a rather boisterous commotion was currently taking place.

    A few days ago, Nar-Wynn had quietly snuck out of the village. He did not take any warriors with him on his journey. After all, the village was already low on security. There was no need to make it worse.

    For the most part, nobody had really noticed the young man¡¯s disappearance, but that was only natural. Despite his position within the defense force, many knew Nar-Wynn as the type of youth who often slacked off. He was someone who had reached his position through nepotism.

    Disappearing for a day or two was not at all unusual for him. At most, the young man was probably hiding out in a house in some remote part of the village or something. Nothing to really worry about.

    No, Nar-Wynn was not the focus of today¡¯s commotion. Instead, all eyes were directed to a certain woman with short brown shoulder-length hair. She wore a typical loincloth, although it had taken on a scarlet tinge, the result of a permanent stain that was near impossible to wash off. Her face had gone red from anger while blue veins practically bulged out of her forehead.

    The woman was currently making her way over towards the Tribal Chief¡¯s house. Each step of hers carried with it a weight that rocked the very platform she stood on. If Ellis was here, he would have immediately recognized the woman as the same one who had chased after Hal-Wrynn back then.

    As the angry woman crossed bridge after bridge, a youthful young lady with cropped hair suddenly ran up to her. The newcomer stood in front of the angered woman and called for her to stop.

    ¡°Move out of the way, Lisbeth! I have business with that damn woman.¡± Those words were spoken with a melodious voice that would have normally sounded sweet to the ears, but right now, they were no different from knives on a chalkboard.

    Of course, it goes without saying, but the source of that voice was the angry woman.

    ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that,¡± Lisbeth responded back with a calm voice. Despite what her outer countenance might say, in truth, the young girl was secretly panicking.

    As the assistant to the Tribal Chief, it was her job to prevent mishaps like this from happening. Unfortunately, this particular mishap may have been a bit too high above her paygrade.

    In the first place, she had not been prepared for such an incident! One day, without warning, the Tribal Chief suddenly dropped this bombshell on her. Suffice to say, it sent her into quite the panic.

    ¡°My nephew is missing!¡± The angered woman shouted loud enough for her voice to resonate through the entire village. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to say, I need to see the Chief now!¡±

    ¡°She, she can¡¯t.¡± Lisbeth uncharacteristically stuttered out. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Mary-Lyn has gone into¡­ hibernation.¡± Even as the words escaped from her lips, she still couldn¡¯t quite believe it herself. The Chief¡¯s true intentions were clear. It was a stalling tactic. As long as she avoided the conversation, then hopefully, this ¡®dangerous¡¯ woman would stay in the village out of frustration.

    In hindsight, it wasn¡¯t a very good plan.

    Another blue vein appeared on the angered woman¡¯s face.

    ¡°Hibernation my ass! We are not a tribe of bears! Get her out here now! I know exactly where that damn brat went. If she doesn¡¯t do something soon, then I¡¯ll go bring his ass back here myself.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t! We need you here. You¡¯re our last line of defense.¡± Lisbeth paused for a moment. She knew that her words would not move the woman in front of her. Instead, she tentatively added, ¡°We¡¯ve already sent out Nar-Wynn.¡±

    ¡°Wynn? That stinking brat?! Like hell he can do anything!¡± Contrary to her expectations, this news only further agitated the woman.

    Just before she could explode into another flurry of furious yelling, the angered woman stopped. She sank into a brief silence. After a few seconds, she suddenly walked over to the ¡®dead man''s plank¡¯. This was the very same plank that the village explicitly reserved for criminals.

    She stared long and hard at the distant ground beneath her feet.

    At this moment, an uneasy premonition took hold of Lisbeth. She ran towards the woman in a panic.

    Unfortunately, she was a step too slow. The woman abruptly jumped.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Lisbeth desperately shouted but to no avail. ¡°Damn it, she really just did that.¡±

    Lisbeth was not worried about the woman dying. Such a thing was only applicable to weaklings. That woman was not a weakling. Far from it in fact. No, it wasn¡¯t suicide. Instead, the woman had completely disregarded the rest of the village and went off on her own to find her nephew.

    The flustered assistant bit her bottom lip. The calm in her face had long since disappeared. ¡°This is bad, this is really bad!¡± Without that woman, the village¡¯s overall fighting strength had dropped by several magnitudes. As the assistant to the Tribal Chief, aside from cursing a certain pale-faced chief, the only thing she could do was follow after her.

    After a large bout of hesitation, Lisbeth ran towards the nearest tree and descended to the forest floor.

    Like that, the tribe¡¯s second strongest fighter and the village¡¯s assistant to the tribal chief left the village.

    Meanwhile, an inaudible sigh leaked out from a certain smoke-filled room.

 Chapter 55: The Man Who Wanted to Sweep Away the Beauty

    The fifth day of their journey.

    It was a somewhat gloomy day. The rainstorm from a few days¡¯ prior had come back and reared its ugly head again. Dark clouds swirled overhead. There was a certain layer of wetness that infected the air.

    ¡°What the hell is this guy doing here?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow and spoke aloud. He stared dumbfoundedly at the man in front of him.

    An athletic man with a swimmer¡¯s body. Only a single loose-fitting loincloth stood between him and full-blown nudity. He was a golden tanned man with a traditionally handsome face. For some reason, he seemed somewhat haggard, at least compared to the last time Ellis had seen him.

    Obviously, it was Nar-Wynn.

    Scratches and battle injuries littered his skin. His hair was matted, while dark circles colored his eyelids.

    For a moment, Nar-Wynn¡¯s eyes scanned through the surroundings.

    ¡°I¡¯ve come to take the child back.¡± He spoke with a heavy voice before he turned his gaze over to Grisella. With what could only be described as a forced smile, he said, ¡°Also, Miss Lorelei, please accept my marriage proposal.¡±

    Suddenly, another marriage proposal.

    ¡°No thank you.¡± Grisella coolly responded.

    ¡°As shy as ever, I see,¡± The young man did not seem at all fazed by her rejection. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, once you learn of the great lengths that I have gone through for you, you will surely change your attitude.¡±

    Grisella¡¯s expression soured. She did not bother to respond, instead merely opting to shake her head in frustration.

    Nar-Wynn then turned back to their little guide. ¡°You, come with me, we¡¯re going back.¡±

    Hal-Wrynn, for the most part, also shook his head. Taking a page from Grisella¡¯s book, he responded with a simple, ¡°No thank you.¡±

    At this point, the squirrel warrior was not as calm as he was before. Recalling all the bitter hardships he had experienced in order to get to this point, all the monsters and all the mud and all the rain, a wave of certain anger bubbled up within him. He forcibly stomped his feet on the ground. ¡°Think of all the trouble you¡¯re causing the village! You yourself might not be important, but someone else thinks differently. Because of you, that woman will-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Hal coldly interrupted. ¡°The village is for you guys to handle. I¡¯ll do whatever I want. The things that other people do are things that I don¡¯t care about.¡±

    Nar-Wynn ground his teeth in frustration. His eyes blazed. He gave the child a look as if he wanted to strangle the very life out of him. Still, he restrained himself. Accidentally (or purposely) killing a fellow tribesman was a capital offense. Even if it was this boy¡­ no, precisely because it was this boy, he did not dare to act rashly.

    By this point, Ellis was acting like a forgotten bystander, not that he minded. He glanced back and forth between Nar-Wynn and Hal.

    Their relationship did not seem ordinary. More specifically, Ellis felt that there was some hidden tension between Hal and the village itself.

    This seems like a somewhat interesting development¡­

    For now, he wanted to see how their interaction would play out. Nevertheless, no matter what happens in the next few minutes, Ellis definitely wasn¡¯t going to let Hal-Wrynn walk away now. After all, they still needed a way to get to the other side of the river.

    After a few seconds of silence, Nar-Wynn took a deep breath. He raised the spear in his hands and pointed the tip towards the boy. ¡°So be it. If you won¡¯t come willingly, I¡¯ll make you go by force. Don¡¯t worry, we have a bunch of medicine. Even if I rough you up a bit, nobody will care.¡±

    Such villainous words leaked out from his pretty boy face.

    Hal¡¯s shoulders tensed.

    At the same time, Nar-Wynn also turned to Grisella. ¡°Miss Lorelei, do not be beguiled by this runt¡¯s flowery words. I implore you once again. Please turn back now. It is dangerous out here in the forest, and it is even more so at the river.¡±

    Grisella frowned. She had heard similar words many times during her stay in the village. Now that she actually knew what was at the river, she cared even less about his warning.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take my words for air.¡± Nar-Wynn interpreted her silence as doubt. He hurriedly to explain, ¡°even if it is someone as capable as you, I¡¯m afraid you really won¡¯t escape unscathed this time. Death¡­ As much as it loathes me to say it, death is a very real possibility for you. Especially at the other side of the river.¡±

    She furrowed her brow. Why do you have to be so vague about it? You already know what it is, so just come out and say it already!

    Contrary to his expectations, Nar-Wynn¡¯s flowery words only served to drive Grisella further away.

    Suddenly, Hal stepped in. The young boy shouted loudly. ¡°I won¡¯t go back!¡±

    Nar-Wynn frowned. ¡°That is not for you to decide.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Even without me, that woman will surely drag you back.¡±

    A hint of a smile formed on his face. Hal-Wrynn let out an audible scoff. ¡°Then let her come! I don¡¯t care.¡± He then turned to Ellis. ¡°Do something about this guy already.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± His role of unassuming bystander suddenly vanished. It took him a moment to fully come to his senses. Hal¡¯s imploring eyes stared fixedly at his own. ¡°Me?¡± Ellis dumbly pointed to himself.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°You still want to get to the other side of the river, don¡¯t you? If you don¡¯t do anything now, then our journey will have to end here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare butt in, you diminutive gnat.¡± Before he could respond, Nar-Wynn suddenly shouted out from across the field.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Ellis felt his cheek twitch. This guy really had quite the poisonous tongue.

    ¡°I¡¯ve tolerated your presence up until now because I do not want to frighten Miss Lorelei, but if you involve yourself in things that you shouldn¡¯t involve yourself in, then I won¡¯t hesitate to cut you down like the lout that you are.¡±

    He paused for a moment. ¡°Also, move away from Miss Lorelei! You are standing too close to her.¡±

    Not that it really mattered, but right now, Ellis and Grisella stood shoulder-to-shoulder with one another. It was a sort of casual closeness that could only be accomplished by people with a steady friendship.

    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡±

    Ellis almost chuckled in response.

    The man¡¯s words were filled with so much hatred and emotion, that at this point, it was almost comical. It was as if Nar-Wynn had bottled up all the frustrations from their first meetings. As the days passed, those emotions continued to fester and worsen, up until they finally broke free today.

    ¡°Hey! Was that a laugh? You laughed just now, didn¡¯t you?!¡± Again, the young man shouted.

    He seems really annoying and I don¡¯t really like his tone¡­ Ellis silently pondered to himself. Should I teach him a lesson? How should I do it? Same as last time or maybe I should get a bit more physical?

    As such easy-going thoughts filled his head, Nar-Wynn took a sudden step forward. At the same time, he brandished his wooden spear and pointed it at him.

    What the? Is he going to attack? He widened his eyes in surprise. Already?

    Ellis did not realize this himself, but his own troubled expression ignited a surge of irritation within the young warrior¡¯s heart. It was not the look of fear or subservience that he had wanted. What¡¯s more, neither was it a look of rebellion or defiance. Instead, he had seen something else. Something he deemed much worse.

    Indifference.

    Naturally, he was incensed. The easily irritable young man decided to act with his heart and launch a preemptive attack.

    In response, Ellis did not do anything. Instead, the creatures around him reacted. Ena, Wight and the rest of the wolves pounced forward.

    For a moment, Nar-Wynn¡¯s steps faltered. Fortunately, he quickly regained himself. With a look of steely determination, he continued onward.

    Fuck, it¡¯s just a few monsters. See how I¡¯ll take care of you!

    Despite his apparent enthusiasm, the young warrior¡¯s mind chaotically swirled. Hidden beneath his energetic eyes was a deep and clear fear. The moment he had pointed his spear towards Ellis, he had immediately felt the aura that these beasts exuded. Someone as young as Hal might not notice, but an experienced warrior like him certainly did.

    They were dangerous. They were creatures whose depths he could not fathom. He had felt this pressure only once before. It had been during his first hunt as a warrior. Back then, his father had taken him to a hibernating bear¡¯s cave. Nar-Wynn was not responsible for the giant mother bear that slumbered within its depths, instead, all he had to do was fight the newly born cub that liked to frolic around near the entrance.

    In the end, the hunt was successful and Nar-Wynn became an official warrior at the young age of eleven. The mother bear was also subdued by his father. Nobody had gotten hurt and nothing terribly bad had happened. Still, the pressure that the cave emitted was something that he would never forget.

    Right now, he experienced a familiar sensation. He felt like a child being toyed with by a group of adults. Still, he had to continue. For both his pride and for the woman he loved, Nar-Wynn steeled his determination.

    The battle did not take all that long to finish. In fact, it lasted less than five seconds.

    He was easily overpowered by the combined might of the wolf pack. As his consciousness thinned and his body slowly collapsed to the floor, he mustered up the last of his strength and glared daggers at Ellis.

    At that moment, the two met eyes.

    Ellis paused. Then, with a slight smile on his face, he quickly pulled Grisella¡¯s shoulder into a hug. The solitary witch reacted with surprise. Her cheeks reddened. She squirmed within his grasp but made no outward attempt to escape.

    At that moment, the two really did look like lovers.

    ¡°!¡±

    Nar-Wynn felt a vein pop in his head. He was knocked out with rage and frustration swirling within his heart.

    ¡°H-hey, what was that for!?¡± Grisella immediately asked as she shyly looked up at Ellis¡¯s face.

    Ellis responded with a coy smile as he slowly removed his arm. ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to give that guy a nightmare.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Ellis did not bother to explain. He glanced over towards the scene of the battle.

    By the time the dust settled, Nar-Wynn was on the ground and unconscious. Eight fur covered bodies piled on top of him. Ena, in particular, stood triumphantly on top of his head. She puffed up her chest and looked to the sky, an expression of clear disdain morphed her fox face.

    Grisella and Ellis did not really find this outcome all that surprising. Nar-Wynn was simply not in their league. Much less all eight, even if it was just one, the battle would have ended much in the same way. But not everyone had the same reaction. Hal-Wynn stood there in a daze.

    To his inexperienced eyes, it appeared like a battle dominated by numbers, not power or skill.

    Still, he was impressed.

    So that¡¯s how strong a beast tamer is¡­ Such thoughts ran through his mind as he turned and gave Ellis an appreciative stare.

    After a few seconds, he snapped out of it. The young boy glanced down worriedly at the fallen squirrel before him.

    ¡°Is he¡­¡± he could not finish his words.

    Ellis shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s not dead. They just knocked him out for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s too bad.¡± Hal-Wrynn breathed out an imperceptible sigh of relief.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After the brief excitement of the encounter had faded, the group awkwardly stared at his comatose body for a while.

    ¡°¡­So, do we just leave him here?¡± Hal-Wrynn eventually asked out loud.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that doesn¡¯t seem like a very good idea.¡± Ellis responded. ¡°Won¡¯t he die if left alone like that?¡± Plenty of monsters roamed this part of the forest. An unconscious squirrel warrior was synonymous to a free kid¡¯s meal. Nobody ever turns down a free kid¡¯s meal.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s do this,¡± Grisella suddenly approached the unguarded warrior. After a few minutes, she took a couple of steps back and admired her work.

    ¡°Will he really be okay like that?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow. No matter how he looked at it, this was definitely not a good plan. Also, isn¡¯t Grisella a little bit too vicious?

    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but Nar-Wynn is going to die.¡± Such a succinct prediction came out from Hal¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I made the proper preparations.¡± Grisella reassured the others, but inwardly, she too was a bit unsure of herself.

    They all looked up. A couple of feet above the ground and tied to the base of a tree was Nar-Wynn¡¯s comatose body. He was held in place by strands of thin straw, courtesy of Grisella¡¯s magic broomstick. His legs dangled limply in the air. Occasionally, he would twitch, but otherwise, the poor sod remained unresponsive.

    To make sure that he wouldn¡¯t get mauled by stray monsters, Grisella had sprinkled some monster repellent all over the surrounding area.

    Still, she was fully aware that the effectiveness of monster repellent was running thin, especially this deep in the forest.

    ¡°¡­just to be sure though,¡± the solitary witch poured a few more pounds of monster repellent. She practically used up her whole supply. By the end of it, a noticeable red mist encircled the base of the tree.

    Even after all this, the group was still a bit hesitant. Nar-Wynn just looked so¡­ defenseless. It really did not bring any comfort to a person¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we can take him with us,¡± Ellis spoke out loud, mostly to himself. ¡°It¡¯s his own fault for coming here.¡±

    ¡°Right. The idiot can only blame himself.¡± Hal-Wrynn nodded his head. ¡°Let fate decide his¡­ um, fate.¡±

    With a unanimous agreement, everyone in the group decided to push the matter to the side as they all walked away.

    Today¡¯s little incident had simply been a small blip in their journey.

 Chapter 56: The Wall that Divides the Forest

    They continued on their journey. Eventually, a full day had passed since their encounter with Nar-Wynn.

    At some point, the surroundings had changed.

    A mist-like vapor covered the land. It held with it a faint blue tinge, a color that resembled the vibrant hue of Earth¡¯s neon street signs. The mist heavily obscured their vision, almost to the point where it was impossible to see past a distance of more than ten feet.

    Ellis gingerly sniffed the air. To his mild surprise, the mist was both tasteless and odorless. In fact, he was under the distinct impression that the atmosphere around him was somewhat dry and stale, almost as if he was standing in the middle of an old warehouse.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He asked with incredulity. He raised his hand up to the wind and watched as the mist flowed past his fingers like the gentle current of a peaceful river. Ellis reflexively blinked. It may have just been him, but there was a certain sense of life to this blue haze.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally here,¡± Grisella muttered to herself as she abruptly stopped walking. Her expression hardened as a dark light colored her eyes.

    ¡°Here? Where? Is this the other side of the river?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not, but it is where our guide finally gets to shine.¡± The solitary witch responded with a somewhat nervous voice. This was the part of their journey that she was most afraid of. If Hal wanted to mess with them, then now was the chance.

    After a few seconds of hesitation, Grisella pulled out a long string of rope from her spatial pouch.

    ¡°That is?¡± Ellis tilted his head.

    ¡°Hold still.¡± Without pause, she walked over to him and proceeded to tie the rope around his waist. Due to the close proximity of their bodies, Ellis unconsciously tensed. She smelled faintly of lavender and sweat. It wasn¡¯t a bad smell. In fact, it excited him.

    ¡°You know¡­ I could have done that myself.¡± He spoke in a low whisper as he unconsciously glanced down.

    Grisella¡¯s cheeks slightly reddened. ¡°I, I don¡¯t trust you. Who knows, you might accidentally mess something up¡­¡±

    Although it sounded like an excuse, she was partly telling the truth. This was an important process and it needed to be done with utmost care.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis did not know what to say.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After what felt like forever, Grisella finally finished.

    ¡°There.¡± With one last pull, she firmly secured the rope around his waist.

    Afterward, she then tied the rope around her own waist.

    As Ellis watched, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me what all this is for.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s to make sure we don¡¯t get separated.¡± Even while talking, Grisella did not stop moving. She carefully tied the rope around Ena and the rest of the wolves. They had the rope tied around their necks in a fashion similar to a dog leash. Judging by their reaction, it did not seem very comfortable.

    Finally, Grisella helped tie the leash around Hal-Wrynn¡¯s waist. At first, the boy protested. He wanted to do it himself, but naturally, Grisella would not let such a thing happen. After all, she did not fully trust him. If he were to untie the rope and run off on his own, that would essentially send the rest of them to their inevitable doom.

    ¡°Fine, whatever, do what you want.¡± In the face of the Grisella¡¯s incessance, Hal-Wrynn eventually conceded. ¡°It¡¯s at least better than watching the two of you flirt around like that.¡± As if to emphasize his point, the young boy let out a gag.

    Grisella¡¯s cheeks reddened. Still, she ignored his biting remarks and quickly finished tying the rope. To further ensure their safety, she casted a spell. It was a discrete spell that would prevent the rope around Hal-Wrynn¡¯s waist fromloosening. At the same time, it also strengthened the rope itself, making it a bit more resistant to getting cut.

    It might have been a bit excessive, but then again, caution was something one could not get enough of especially in the face of possible death.

    The sequence of the rope was as follows: Hal-Wynn at the front, followed by Ellis, Grisella, Ena, Wight, and everyone else. Much to no-one¡¯s surprise, Plush served as the group¡¯s anchor.

    ¡°So, will you finally explain why we¡¯re all like this?¡± Ellis couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°We have just entered the mist border,¡± Grisella explained, all the while a grave expression masked her face.

    ¡°The mist border?¡±

    She nodded her head. ¡°The mists of Ilpin forest are special. They distort the mind and cloud a person''s judgment. The sights that you see and the sounds that you hear may not even be real. You cannot trust yourself. Those that wander in here can never hope to get out. They remain trapped, up until the very moment they starve or dehydrate to death.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°That is, unless you have a guide.¡±

    Hal also spoke up. He confirmed Grisella¡¯s words. ¡°Only those from my tribe can cross the mist border. The rope is to prevent you from accidentally wandering off.¡±

    ¡°Look,¡± Grisella further motioned to the world around her.

    Ellis reflexively looked. After a while, he let out a frown. He did not know what it was he was supposed to be looking for. There was nothing here. Nothing but dead leaves and towering trees.

    ¡°There are no monsters here, right?¡± She continued. ¡°The mist even affects the creatures of this forest. It is like the boy says. Only his tribe can safely pass through the mist.¡±

    ¡°What makes the squirrels so special?¡±

    Grisella momentarily frowned. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t really know. My current theory is that the squirrels are related to Ilpin¡¯s original inhabitants.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a theory.¡± Hal-Wynn suddenly chimed in. He paused for a second. ¡°At least, according to the village. The entire tribe is descendant to the Goddess¡¯s greatest warrior.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a complicated history, huh?¡± Ellis noted.

    In response, the young boy merely shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t like the Goddess very much, so I don¡¯t really believe in it.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like the Goddess?¡±

    Unfortunately, Hal-Wrynn did not respond any further. He kept his gaze fixed ahead of him. It was almost as if he was looking at something far away, but to Ellis¡¯s eyes, the boy was merely staring at a wall of vibrant blue.

    Eventually, Ellis shifted his attention back to Grisella. ¡°¡­ A forbidden region¡¯s true inhabitants¡­ is it that sort of thing?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, those connected to Ilpin¡¯s long lost holy ground.¡± The solitary witch nodded her head. ¡°The mist acts as a sort of dividing line between the interior of the forest and the exterior. In this case, they¡¯re like the walls to a well-guarded citadel. Hopefully, all the good stuff is kept locked away in the castle.

    At her words, Ellis couldn¡¯t help but imagine the ruins of an ancient city. The image of a staggering tree whose branches licked the clouds also popped into his head.

    She paused for a moment. ¡°The funny thing is, the whole death by mist is a thing that only happens to those wanting to enter the inner region. For those exiting, the mist becomes no more than a slight visual obstruction. In a sense, the mist works on intent, but not quite. If it was purely by intent, then those who entered, but later regretted their decision would have easily found a way back. But they don¡¯t. All they do is die.¡±

    ¡°That definitely doesn¡¯t sound very natural to me.¡± The existence of near-indestructible trees as tall as skyscrapers was already something that Ellis had trouble wrapping his head around. The last thing he needed was a very picky, very deadly collection of water vapor.

    ¡°The mist, from what I can understand, is a powerful spell or formation set up by the former god of the region.¡± Grisella explained, ¡°The spell has lasted for so long and has weathered through so many years, that it has essentially morphed with the very nature around it. Only the descendants of God can hope to navigate through it.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis ruminated over her words. He could now sympathize with Grisella¡¯s earlier concerns. This was not something that he could just brute force his way through. He breathed out a sigh, compared to fighting an army of monsters, this mist thing really was a pain in the ass. At least with the monsters, he had something tangible to hit.

    Still, he had to wonder, was the mist really as scary as Grisella made it out to be?

    Even now, standing out here with all the mist swirling around him, truth be told, he did not really feel all that different. Aside from slightly obscuring his vision, nothing else really seemed to have changed. If he so wanted to, he could probably just walk straight out of here with no issue.

    Then again, this could just also be how the mist was supposed to work. It messed with a person¡¯s thoughts and senses. Even their very judgment would be altered. The fact that nothing ¡®seemed¡¯ to have changed was proof enough that something indeed had changed.

    On the other other hand, maybe the mist just doesn¡¯t work on him.

    Come to think of it, I do have a former God¡¯s blood running through my veins. Maybe that helps with stuff like this?

    The more Ellis thought about it, the more confusing the topic seemed to get. In the end, he exasperatedly shook his head. He pushed the issue to the back of his mind and focused in on the current situation.

    He looked over to the rest of the group.

    Ena was currently struggling against her bonds. She was the one who most disliked the idea of being restrained. Wight showed a similar reaction, although not as exaggerated. In comparison, Grisella looked quite comfortable with that rope around her waist. He chalked it up to years of experience.

    It¡¯s¡­ probably affecting me, right?

    With his own worries bottled up deep within his heart, the group continued along on their journey.

    Hal-Wrynn took the lead and guided everyone through the mist.

    As they walked further, the mist gradually thickened. It got to the point where he could not even see his own body. Even the sounds around him seemed to disappear. It felt like the rope in his hands was the only thing that kept him tethered to this mortal world.

    He was somewhat affected by the eerie atmosphere.

    At some point, a clammy hand abruptly grabbed his shoulders. Ellis momentarily tensed up. He almost screamed in fright. He turned around, only to see a certain someone¡¯s pale face staring back at him.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Y-you¡­ don¡¯t do that. You scared me half to death.¡± Ellis breathed out a sigh of relief. It was only Grisella.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± She mumbled out, although inwardly, she had a hard time believing that anything could actually scare someone as busted as him. ¡°I just¡­ I got scared, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already done this before?¡± he asked. ¡°I mean, traveled through the mist.¡±

    ¡°I have, but¡­¡± she hesitated for a moment. ¡°Our guide is just a kid. I can¡¯t help but get a little anxious. Also, he¡¯s currently plotting something. It¡¯s only natural to worry.¡±

    Ellis subconsciously nodded his head. Grisella¡¯s worries mirrored the same ones that plagued his heart.

    ¡°Besides, even back then, I was always scared. Death is a very scary thing, you know? Whether it¡¯s me dying or watching someone close to me die, I don¡¯t like it.¡± She spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. ¡°The mist here is filled with death.¡±

    For a moment, the solitary witch¡¯s shoulders trembled. She stared warily out into the mist, her eyes laden with deep worry.

    Ellis followed her gaze. All around, there was nothing but blue. Whether it was the rope that extended out in front of him or the rope that extended out behind her, Ellis could not see where either one led to. Right now, it felt as if Ellis and Grisella, the two of them were stuck in their own little blue world.

    He hesitated for a long time before he grabbed her hand. Ellis did not say anything. He pulled Grisella forward until they were both standing side by side.

    Hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder, they walked through the mist-covered world. A faint silence blanketed their surroundings while a jittery, almost nervous flutter thumped within his chest.

    ¡°T-this is fine, right?¡± Ellis¡¯s words came out almost like a whisper.

    ¡°¡­ yes.¡± Grisella¡¯s words were even quieter.

    He subconsciously nodded his head. Ellis felt the warmth of her hand. It was almost scalding and seemed to penetrate even the deepest parts of his body.

    He discreetly looked over. In that brief span of time, the mist had grown even thicker than before. Despite their close proximity, he had trouble seeing her. There was only a vague outline of a female form.

    For a moment, he felt alone and isolated. Still, the heat emanating from his palms told him otherwise. Even without his eyes, he could still feel her. And for him, that was more than enough.

    Ellis awkwardly scratched his cheek. He was never really all that good with social interactions. Even now, after more than five years of isolation, this was the best he could do. It was his own misguided attempt at alleviating her fear. As for whether or not he succeeded¡­

    Aside from his own rapidly beating heart, there really was no other indication of¡­ well, anything.

    Silence filled his ears. The group continued through the mist-covered forest.

    ****

    An uncountable amount of time passed.

    Eventually, the mist thinned. The once deafening silence that previously dominated his surroundings receded. In its place was the sound of labored breathing and crunching leaves. Little by little, the hum of the forest returned.

    Ellis turned to his right. He could see the crown of Grisella¡¯s head. Her eyes were fixated on the ground, while her body subconsciously leaned towards him.

    He wanted to say something, he was compelled to say something, but in the end, he didn¡¯t. The words simply refused to come out of his lips.

    Ellis shifted his gaze. When the mist thinned, his field of view expanded. Right now, he could see the vague silhouette of their little guide. Hal-Wrynn was less than five feet away from him, but the mist had made that distance feel like an eternity.

    Almost as if sensing his gaze, the young boy slightly turned his head back and spoke, ¡°We¡¯re almost through the mist.¡±

    In response, Ellis numbly nodded.

    Just then, Hal-Wrynn stopped in his tracks. He stared at Ellis with scrutinizing eyes. After a while, he asked, ¡°Why are you two holding hands?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± It took him quite a while to realize what he was talking about. Then, he remembered. Ellis glanced down. Much to his delight, he was still holding hands with Grisella.

    The solitary witch immediately reacted. She pulled her hand back and took two steps away from him. Her face flushed red, but it was difficult to tell with all the mist swirling through the air.

    For a moment, Ellis felt a sense of loss. He blankly stared down at his now empty hand. There was still a lingering sensation of warmth on his palm.

    He shook his head. ¡°So, we¡¯re almost there?¡± He reiterated Hal¡¯s earlier words in an attempt to change the subject.

    Hal-Wrynn remained silent for a few seconds before he nodded his head. ¡°Just a few more minutes, then we should be on the other side of the river.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ we¡¯re almost there, huh?¡± Grisella¡¯s eyes narrowed. Right now, she felt conflicting emotions. While getting to the river was their initial goal, at the same time, the closer they got to their destination, the more apprehension she felt. The Majin base and the boy¡¯s schemes, all these would soon come to light the moment they reached the river.

    Ellis discreetly looked over at her. He could somewhat guess what sort of thoughts ran through her mind. I wonder, has she come up with a plan yet? So far, Grisella still hasn¡¯t said anything. For the most part, Ellis was not really worried, mostly because he did not put much faith into her plan in the first place.

    After a moment¡¯s consideration, Ellis turned his gaze over to their little scheming guide. His expression right now was rather colorful. Worry, fear, guilt, frustration, all sorts of emotions twisted his face.

    Ellis unconsciously pursed his lips. He hesitated for a few seconds, before he suddenly said, ¡°Thanks for bringing us all the way here, Kid.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Hal-Wrynn did not respond immediately. He furiously scratched at the back of his head. His face contorted, almost as if something was bothering him. Eventually, he said, ¡°Stop calling me boy already. I have a name, you know. It¡¯s Hal-Wrynn.¡±

    ¡°Hal-Wrynn¡­¡± Grisella echoed out loud, almost as if she was savoring the flavor of it on her tongue. She scrunched up her brow. ¡°Wrynn¡­ Wrynn¡­ again, it sounds so familiar, but why can¡¯t I¡ª¡±

    Just then, she stopped. Her eyes slightly widened in realization. ¡°Ah, now I remember! Wrynn!¡± she shouted, almost a little bit too loudly. ¡°You are Farma-Wrynn¡¯s son, right?¡±

    Hal jumped back in fright, seemingly surprised by her sudden enthusiasm. He hesitated for a split second, before he resolutely shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not my mother.¡± He reiterated. After a moment¡¯s pause, he added, ¡°but she is my aunt.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s why it took me so long to recognize you.¡± She nodded, almost to herself. ¡°I knew that woman did not have any children. I¡¯ve never really talked to her before, but she¡¯s pretty famous in her own right.¡±

    With his interest piqued by their conversation, Ellis momentarily forgot about all the hidden subterfuge that permeated through the air. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Farma-Wrynn? Who¡¯s she?¡±

    Grisella deliberated for a while, before she explained, ¡°Farma-Wrynn is someone with a bad personality but with amazing strength.¡±

    Off in the distance, Hal subconsciously nodded his head in agreement.

    ¡°She¡¯s still relatively young, probably only in her thirties, but that doesn¡¯t stop her from being the second strongest warrior in the entire village. This is kind of significant, considering the fact that the current head warrior is at least seventy years old.¡±

    The squirrels had a life-span of around 140 years. Most tribesmen usually peak somewhere around their eighties or nineties. The position of head warrior was decided every ten years through an internal tournament. Usually, a head warrior retained his position for two or three rotations before they were then replaced by a younger, stronger member of the tribe. It was apparent to anyone involved that Farma-Wrynn was someone destined for greatness.

    Of course, Ellis did not know any of this.

    ¡°The head warrior is seventy-years-old?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes in shock. Despite already being familiar with an oddity like Grisella, it did not even cross his mind that squirrels might have different lifespans from the average human.

    Grisella gave him a weird expression. ¡°It¡¯s not all that surprising. You¡¯ve seen the Tribal-Chief, haven¡¯t you? I think she turned sixty-one this year.¡±

    This time, Ellis was thoroughly spooked.

    That pale-faced beauty!? There¡¯s no way she¡¯s actually sixty-one-years-old!

    Ignorant of his turbulent emotions, Grisella breathed out a soft sigh. ¡°Up until recently, Farma-Wrynn spent most of her time outside of the village. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever really met her before, but my ears are still privy to her fame. It¡¯s gotten to the point where many in the village consider her to be the most obvious candidate for the next Head Warrior.¡±

    Hal-Wrynn suddenly let out an audible snort. ¡°There¡¯s no way that will ever happen!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Grisella furrowed her brow.

    ¡°The village doesn¡¯t like my aunt. They¡¯d much rather keep her as a guard dog than as Head warrior. For the most part, Aunt Farma doesn¡¯t mind, but¡­ sometimes, she gets a little antsy. Especially when her things start to go missing.¡± He knowingly smiled. It was as if he was in on a joke that nobody else understood.

    After a few seconds of silence, he snapped out of his reverie and dismissively shook his head. The young boy shrugged his shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s mostly her fault. The way everyone treats her, that is. It¡¯s just like you said, she has a bad personality.¡±

    He breathed out an ambiguous sigh. ¡°Aunt Farma really can¡¯t be considered a good person. She has a short temper and she obsesses over things to an annoying extent. She¡¯s also the type of person who tries to solve everything through brute force.¡± Hal-Wrynn shook his head. A faint smile twisted his lips while his eyes reflected the years of suffering that he had experienced.

    ¡°Still,¡± he hesitated, ¡°she is family.¡±

    ¡°And your parents?¡± Grisella did not really recall much about Farma¡¯s family. She did not even know she had a sibling, much less a nephew.

    ¡°Dead.¡± He coldly responded. ¡°My father is dead. My mother too. She died when I was born.¡±

    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Grisella stuttered out, somewhat in shock. She had not expected such a negative response. She mumbled out an awkward apology.

    In retrospect, although Hal-Wrynn had revealed a rather gruesome fact, in truth, she wasn¡¯t really all that surprised. The squirrels, in large, had a staggering death rate. It came with the territory. There was a reason why the village was so young, despite their long lifespan.

    This was especially true for their warriors. Within the village, orphans were not at all rare. In fact, in some aspects, Hal was lucky. At least he had a powerful aunt to fall back on, which was more than what most orphans could say for themselves.

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis somewhat sympathized with the boy. It was an unfortunate set of circumstances, one that he could vaguely relate to. After all, Alma died when he was ¡®born¡¯ too.

    Still, he felt that it was somewhat improper to compare Hal¡¯s plight with his. They were two completely different situations with two completely different circumstances.

    From the corner of his eyes, Hal-Wrynn had noticed their reaction. As a somber mood defused throughout the air, he suddenly shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad. Death is a natural occurrence for my village. The weak ones die young, while the strong ones go on to become head warrior. I¡¯m already lucky enough to make it this far.¡±

    He hesitated for a moment. ¡°My father, he died like that too,¡± Hal-Wrynn lied. ¡°He died in battle.¡±

    The young boy then turned silent.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With nothing else to talk about, the group continued ahead in silence. The swirling mist around them slowly dissipated with time.

    It was at this point that Grisella leaned against his ear, and whispered, ¡°I came up with a plan. You might not like it at first, but hear me out¡­¡±

    ****

    Two people walked up to a certain tree. Theirglazingeyes drifted upwards.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A long silence filled the air. Eventually, a disdainful scoff echoed through the forest.

    ¡°I knew he would fail.¡± Someone said.

    ¡°To be frank, I knew he was less than reliable, but this was completely outside of our expectations.¡±

    ¡°To hell with your expectations! I told you this was going to happen, didn¡¯t I? This idiot isn¡¯t at all reliable.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    Naturally, the two people currently arguing were Farma-Wrynn and the assistant tribal chief, Lisbeth. After tracking the residual trail of Ellis¡¯s party, it eventually led them all the way here, where they found a certain young man strapped quite firmly to the trunk of a tree.

    As for the young man in question, well, he was actually still unconscious. Aside from the few bug bites that covered his skin, he was relatively unharmed.

    Farma stomped her feet in frustration. ¡°That damn kid! I told him to stay inside the village. I told him numerous times to stay in the village!¡± She grumbled, mostly to herself. ¡°I told him that it was my job to protect him. I told him that I couldn¡¯t go out of the village because I needed to protect him! So, what does that little punk do the very next day? He fucking runs away from the village! There was that stupid note that he left behind too! ¡®If you want me to go back, then come find me.¡¯ That stupid, stinking brat!¡±

    Thinking about it now only made her stomach churn in anger. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder, could this have been her fault? The way she had worded everything, that explanation of hers, had any of that somehow contributed to this messed-up situation?

    A part of her tried to deny it, but deep within her heart, she knew. She had been duped by that little brat.

    Lisbeth walked over to Nar-Wynn¡¯s comatose body and tried to get him down. After watching her struggle for a few minutes, Farma grew irritated. With a wave of her hand, the straw that once entwined him suddenly snapped.

    Nar-Wynn fell to the floor with a thud. Farma-Wrynn did not bother with him any longer and turned around to continue on her journey.

    Seeing her walking away like that, Lisbeth walked up to her. ¡°Miss Wrynn, what do we do about him?¡±

    ¡°Just leave him here,¡± Farma responded. ¡°That idiot will eventually wake up by himself.¡±

    ¡°But ¡­¡± Lisbeth seemed conflicted by such a crude decision. She struggled to think of something to say. Eventually, she retraced her train of thought and said, ¡°You¡¯ve already been gone for so long, we need to go back now. The village is still defenseless without you.¡±

    ¡°Then bring the idiot back. Doesn¡¯t he work with the defense force?¡± Farma let out a derisive snort. ¡°I still have things to do.¡±

    ¡°No, even with him, it won¡¯t be enough. You know this! If we get attacked now, the whole village, everyone will die!¡±

    Farma stopped walking. She remained silent for a long time. Eventually, she solemnly said, ¡°You know that I lost my big brother, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Lisbeth did not respond. A look of discomfort colored her face.

    ¡°The only thing I have left is a little nephew.¡± Farma suddenly turned around. Her eyes glinted with a strong resolve. ¡°You know full well how important bonds are to the people of our tribe, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Lisbeth bit down on her bottom lip. She did not dare respond.

    Seeing such a reaction, Farma was seemingly satisfied. She nodded to herself. ¡°I will not go back until I finish what I want to finish. You can deal with the issue of protecting the village yourself.¡±

    Without another word, Farma-Wrynn turned back around and walked even further into the forest.

    Inwardly, her heart felt sour. That damn kid¡­ Unbeknownst to anyone, Farma-Wrynn had just used the same words that he had used before. To add insult to injury, it had been the same words that he had stated to her prior to his sudden departure.

    Fuck! It¡¯s because I know exactly how important they are that it makes me so mad!

    Farma-Wrynn shoved her rising anger back down into her chest before she leaped forward. Her thin silhouette quietly disappeared into the dark shadows of the forest. Trailing after that shadow was the figure of a certain exasperated assistant.

 Chapter 57: The Other Side of the River

    They continued walking for several more miles. The further they traveled, the thinner the mist got. After more than three hours, the forest eventually cleared up.

    Ellis breathed in the fresh air. In actuality, the air here did not smell all that different from the blue-tinted haze. Still, he could not help but feel a certain sense of¡­ satisfaction.

    The group decided to take a temporary break. They sat in a small clearing where the grass and the bushes had long withered away. Without the constant threat of death looming over their shoulders, they took this opportunity to untie their ropes.

    Meanwhile, Ellis quietly surveyed his surroundings. The forest beyond the mist border was noticeably darker than the forest outside. In addition, there were fewer trees now. While the trees had remained relatively large throughout their journey, their numbers had steadily dwindled. This sort of trend continued the deeper they ventured. Now, there were barely a dozen trees within his immediate vicinity.

    Looking up, he also noticed that the canopy was a lot denser than before. Light could barely penetrate it, and what little did came out in the form of penny-sized rays. A feeling of still somberness permeated through the air.

    Did the trees grow shorter or were the leaves of this forest that big to begin with? The illusion of distance was a scary thing, but Ellis was more inclined to believe the fantastical alternative; something within this forest had changed.

    ¡°We¡¯re close now,¡± Hal-Wrynn stated as he stretched out his sore limbs. ¡°Just a, just a bit more until we get to our destination.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis took note of the stiffness on his face. He could only shake his head. The boy¡¯s ever-increasing nervousness was quite a sight to behold. It manifested itself into an overly rigid and overly serious dead-pan expression.

    Still, he¡¯s not nearly as bad as a certain someone¡­

    Ellis discreetly glanced over at Grisella. Right now, the solitary witch looked particularly rattled. Her eyes swirled, while her hands fidgeted uncontrollably. If it wasn¡¯t for the perpetual smile plastered on her face, then she would have looked no different from a drugged-up addict¡­ in fact, the smile made it even worse.

    The two locked eyes. After a moment of hesitation, Grisella scooted towards him.

    ¡°You remember the plan, right?¡± she whispered directly into his ear.

    Ellis felt a slight tingle run down his spine. The sensation of her warm breath momentarily short-circuited his brain.

    He shook his head and slightly craned his neck away from her.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, don¡¯t worry I remember it.¡± Ellis noncommittally responded. After a short pause, he couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°still, are you sure about this plan of yours? To be honest, it¡¯s kind of bad¡­¡±

    In order for this plan to properly come into fruition, there were certain¡­ things that he needed to accomplish. Suffice to say, he was not a big fan of the plan.

    ¡°You¡¯re the last person I want to hear that from!¡± Grisella irately responded. She was fine with criticism, but she did not want it to come from a guy who only ever relied on his brute strength to solve his problems. Grisella inwardly scoffed to herself. She firmly believed that Ellis did not know a single thing about the complex intricacies that came with making a plan. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re the one who told me to come up with one. At least try to look grateful!¡±

    ¡°Right, about that...¡± He awkwardly coughed. ¡°Now that I think about it, do we really need a plan?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Grisella desperately fought back against the rising anger that threatened to spill out of her throat. She took a deep breath and practically pleaded through gritted teeth. ¡°Please, just follow the plan, alright?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee anything¡­¡± He looked over at her from the corner of his eye. After a few seconds of hesitation, he eventually breathed out a sigh, ¡°but I¡¯ll at least put in some effort, so you better give me a reward when this is all over, alright?¡±

    Grisella¡¯ cheeks slightly reddened. ¡°I, I definitely won¡¯t! For whose sake do you think I came up with this plan? If anything, you should give me a reward.¡±

    Ellis thought about it for a moment. ¡°Alright,¡± he nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll get you a reward.¡±

    Hearing his easy-going, almost flippant response, for some reason, she suddenly felt uneasy. ¡°Wait a minute, on second thought, never mind. You don¡¯t need to get me any¡ª¡±

    ¡°Too late.¡± Ellis cut her off. ¡°It¡¯s already decided. Look forward to it.¡±

    She hurriedly shook her head. ¡°No, no, no, seriously I don¡¯t need anything!¡±

    ¡°But you just asked for one?¡±

    ¡°That was, that was a rhetorical question! Ignore it! Please!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t sound very rhetorical to me.¡±

    ¡°Then, it was a misunderstanding!¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a very unlikely misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t get me one, please!¡±

    ¡°Why do you sound so scared? It¡¯s just a reward.¡±

    She felt a cold sweat dripping down her back. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m scared of the reward, but rather, I¡¯m scared of the person giving the reward!

    Knowing Ellis, she did not dare to gamble with that slightly deranged and wholly ignorant mind of his!

    Just before she could say anything, in the distance, Hal-Wrynn suddenly clapped his hands. He stood back up and spoke. ¡°Alright everyone, let¡¯s continue!¡±

    With that, their conversation came to an abrupt close. Ellis gave Grisella one last ambiguous smile before he picked himself up and followed after their distant guide.

    Grisella stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. The stress that weighed down on her mind exponentially increased.

    ****

    The next few miles passed by in a blink of an eye.

    Along the way, Ena¡¯s ears slightly twitched. The wolves also grew restless. Ellis had long since noticed their reaction, but he did not pay them much attention. Judging by their expressions, whatever threat lay ahead, if there really was one, did not seem all that dangerous.

    Instead, Grisella¡¯s plan kept replaying in the back of his mind. Like before, he still believed it to be unnecessary, but since he had already agreed to do it, he might as well give it a try.

    As long as nothing too annoying happens, then I¡¯ll keep playing along.

    Ellis casually thought to himself as he continued down a narrow-beaten path.

    After roughly thirty minutes, the group came to an abrupt stop. They stood on a small hill. A few hundred meters away from the hill was the cerulean blue of the water¡¯s surface. Even from such a distance, he smelled the distinct scent that was unique to Ilpin¡¯s river.

    They had finally arrived and for the first time, Ellis caught sight of the looming ¡®threat¡¯ that had hovered over their heads for the better part of a week.

    He slightly craned his neck forward. His eyes locked onto the thing that sat near the shoreline.

    ¡°A campsite¡­¡± From beside him, Grisella whispered words reached his ears. A look of conflict flashed through her face.

    She turned towards Ellis and stared silently at his impassive expression. She probed his face, searching for any indication that he might follow through with her plan. After a few seconds, she still could not find anything.

    Ellis kept his eyes locked onto the Majin campsite below.

    Over four dozen leather-bound teepee-style tents. They looked to be made out of monster hide¡­ or maybe that was just regular fur? Ellis could not really tell.

    There was a giant mound of packed dirt on the eastern wing of the campsite. It was shaped like a man-made hole, but that wasn¡¯t what attracted his attention. Ellis noticed the wooden sticks blocking its entrance. In his eyes, it resembled a crude version of the bars usually found within jail cells.

    Smoke exuded out from a giant bonfire near the center of the campsite. There were people there too. He had trouble making them out, but their skin was pale-blue.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Majins¡­¡± Grisella¡¯s nodded to herself. ¡°There really are Majins down there. This is a fully staffed and fully operational Majin base!¡±

    Numerous thoughts and questions echoed through Ellis¡¯s head, but just then, his eyes instinctively fell on their little guide. From their initial arrival up until now, the boy¡¯s expression remained unchanged.

    It was as if he had long expected such an outcome.

    So, he really did know about it¡­

    Despite finally confirming this theory, there were still a number of questions left in the air. For instance, how well was Hal acquainted with the Majins? Were they friends or was it a relationship similar to a master and slave?

    He stared fixedly at the young boy. Hal-Wrynn shuffled his feet, but otherwise remained silent.

    A few seconds of silence passed. Without warning, Grisella suddenly shouted. ¡°Look over there!¡± She pointed towards the campsite. Ellis instinctively turned his head. He watched with wide-eyed fascination as a group of blue-skinned humanoids flooded out of the campsite. They ran straight towards their little hill!

    ¡°They found us,¡± Grisella mumbled. She paused for a moment. ¡°No, from the very moment we entered their territory, they were already aware.¡±

    As if to validate her statement, the surrounding area exploded into a cacophony of noise. The bushes rustled while the dead leaves crunched. More blue-skinned humanoids emerged out from the dark shadows of the forest.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what those things were¡­¡± Ellis mumbled underneath his breath as his drooping eyes lazily scanned through the surroundings. It wasn¡¯t as if he hadn¡¯t noticed the lifeforms hidden within the trees, but rather, he had chosen to ignore them.

    Originally, he had assumed they were nothing more than monsters. Even still, he chose not to attack. After all, he couldn¡¯t really bother with such weak enemies. Not even the wolf pack felt motivated by such a low level of competition.

    Unlike the squirrels, the Majins wielded crude iron weapons and wore thick leather armor. Ellis also noticed that a single horn protruded out from each of their foreheads.

    The newcomers quickly surrounded their group.

    ¡°As expected of a Majin base. It is well guarded.¡± Hal-Wrynn blandly stated. There was a dim glimmer within his emerald irises. For all the disinterest that he displayed, Ellis distinctly noted that the boy¡¯s entire body had grown tense.

    This reaction only served to confuse him even further.

    For a little mastermind, he sure gets nervous a lot.

    Ellis found this slightly amusing.

    Since they were already ¡®surrounded¡¯, the group did not bother to resist. They simply waited for the cavalry to get here.

    After approximately one minute and thirty seconds, the main ¡®army¡¯ that originated from within the campsite finally arrived.

    A tall Majin with broad shoulders and a large pot belly suddenly stepped forward. Ellis scrutinized the newcomer. Pale-blue skin and a single horn on its forehead. He had to admit; they did not really look like the typical demon that he had imagined.

    In fact, they more resembled the Oni of East-Asian mythology.

    The tall Majin circled their group like a shark sniffing for blood in the water. His beady golden eyes narrowed. After a short silence, he pointed to Hal-Wrynn and said,

    ¡°Bring the Squirrel boy back to the campsite.¡± To his surprise, the Majins spoke in a language that Ellis could understand. It was the common language widely used by the people of Lull. It also happened to be the only language that Alma had bothered to pre-install.

    ¡°As you wish Captain Redrick,¡± another Majin responded. He hurriedly ran up to the little boy. Hal¡¯s shoulders tensed, but the soldier seemingly did not notice. He gruffly pushed the boy forward. Hal-Wrynn did not bother to resist. He stumbled forward before he wordlessly walked towards the campsite.

    What a rough reception¡­ Ellis clicked his tongue. By the time he turned back over to the Captain of the Majins, Hal-Wrynn was long gone.

    ¡°What of the others, Captain?¡± Another Majin soldier asked. ¡°What do we do with them?¡±

    Captain Redrick thought for a moment. ¡°Bring the humans back to camp. The Commander will judge them. As for these filthy monsters, just kill them.¡± The tall Majin coldly responded. ¡°We could use the fresh meat.¡±

    ¡°As you wish captain!¡±

    Hearing such an exchange, Ellis unconsciously chuckled.

    It was ridiculous. In his ears, such threatening words sounded no different from the babblings of a toddler! Rather than feel offended or scared, all he felt for these guys was pity. They were like frogs that knew not the immensity of the world beyond the well!

    For example, take the current line-up that currently encircled them. An army like that wasn¡¯t even enough to serve as one of Plush¡¯s appetizers.

    Still, Ellis recalled back to his current objective. He closed his mouth shut and tried to put on his most convincing ¡®scared-witless¡¯ face.

    Unfortunately, his previous actions did not go unnoticed by the others.

    ¡°Did you just laugh?¡± The cold voice of the Majin Captain echoed loudly through the air.

    Oh shit, I pissed him off¡­ Ellis inwardly groaned.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He did not respond. Talking now would only serve to worsen the current situation. It was best to just keep his mouth shut.

    ¡°Oi, I¡¯m talking to you.¡± Unfortunately, Ellis¡¯s silence only further aggravated the Majin. The big-bellied captain swaggered towards him. Each and every one of his footsteps left behind a noticeable imprint on the soft soil below.

    As a prestigious member of a Majin War Tribe, they placed great emphasis on immaterial things such as pride and honor. To them, there was no greater slight than humiliation!

    It was somewhat unbelievable, but for the first time in his entire life, Redrick had been laughed at. What¡¯s more, not only did this random invader laugh at him, he also did it in front of Redrick¡¯s subordinates! No sensible Majin would ever take such an insult lying down.

    At the very least, the perpetrator needed to die!

    A dark shadow loomed over Ellis¡¯s head. The Majin Captain towered well above his height. Looking up, all he could see were a pair of beady, bloodshot eyes glaring daggers at him.

    The Majin reached for Ellis¡¯s neck. Just before Redrick could touch him, a wave of killing intent suddenly bombarded the poor Majin.

    ¡°!¡±

    Redrick¡¯s movements came to an abrupt stop. Cold sweat drenched his back wet, while his shoulders uncontrollably trembled. Instinctively, Redrick turned his head. He quickly spotted a particular wolf staring directly at him. It was relatively small, with black fur and a white discoloration on its left ear.

    The moment they met eyes, he immediately lost control of his entire body. His heart throbbed, his tongue dried up, and even his knees grew wobbly. Drowning. That¡¯s what it felt like. He was drowning in a never-ending pool of killing intent.

    The killing intent had only been directed at Redrick, so nobody else noticed anything. While the rest of the Majins were confused as to why their boss suddenly stopped moving, Ellis had long noticed Wight¡¯s involvement. A slight smile formed on the tip of his lips.

    He mouthed out a silent thank you to the little wolf, before he signaled for her to stop. She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately complied.

    The killing intent instantly vanished. Redrick took a step back and almost collapsed on the ground. Fortunately, he managed to lean against one of his soldiers just in the nick of time.

    What the¡­ what the hell just happened! He stared at the little wolf with frightened eyes. Even if it looked all weak and innocent now, the last few seconds were forever ingrained in his heart. His eyes drifted over towards the rest of the wolves.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    No matter how hard he stared, they looked mundane and ordinary. For all intents and purposes, they were nothing more than a measly pack of weak monsters.

    Redrick furrowed his brow. Was I hallucinating?

    Despite his doubts, after that dose of killing intent, he did not dare to be reckless.

    ¡°Captain, what happened?¡± A voice snapped him out of his reverie.

    He quickly noticed that his soldiers were giving him weird looks. His face flushed red. He immediately stood back up and glared at the wolves. A part of him wanted to regain face and order the massacre of these weak monsters. Of course, he didn¡¯t go through with it, but the thought still remained within his head.

    ¡°What should we do next, boss?¡± Another soldier asked him.

    A feeling of frustration welled up within Redrick¡¯s heart. I don¡¯t fucking know, dumbass! Figure it out yourself!

    Of course, in order to preserve his image, he kept his inner thoughts bottled up.

    Just as he was hesitating over what to do next, Ellis suddenly spoke up.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Redrick turned to the source of the voice, but he did not say anything.

    In response, Wight let out a whimper. She obviously wanted to stay, but Ellis simply shook his head. ¡°Go,¡± he repeated.

    Prompted by his words, the wolves (plus one fox) nodded their heads and walked peacefully towards the tree line.

    Normally, the Majin soldiers would have attacked by now, but their Captain¡¯s weird behavior stopped them. What¡¯s more, said Captain was completely silent! Redrick glared fixedly at the procession of wolves.

    After a while, someone finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. A Majin soldier hesitantly asked, ¡°s-should we just let them go like that?¡±

    By this point, Redrick had managed to calm down. He let out a cough. ¡°Let them go. I am feeling merciful today.¡±

    He tried to play it off as arrogance, but beyond everyone¡¯s eyes, his back was drenched in layers of cold sweat. Even though he did not like how the young man suddenly spoke up like that, he was inwardly grateful.

    After the wolves left, he eventually turned his attention back over to the remaining captives. With the source of the killing intent gone, he had regained much of his pride.

    ¡°Take them to the campsite!¡± The pot-bellied Majin ordered with a booming voice.

    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡± The Majins soldiers immediately scampered into action. Now that their captain was finally back to normal, they could not afford to hesitate! With raised swords and pointed spears, the army goaded the captives to move.

    After a moment of hesitation, Grisella languidly made her way to the campsite. On the other hand, Ellis simply stood there. He stared out into the distant tree line. No matter how many times the Majins yelled at him, he did not move.

    Right now, he was watching a rather comedic scene.

    In a place far past where the normal eye could see, for some unknown reason, after they left, Wight and Ena suddenly started fighting. It had devolved to the point where Ena found herself clamped onto the back of Wight¡¯s neck like a leech. No matter how hard the poor wolf tried to shake her off, Ena was persistent!

    Jeez, can¡¯t those two get along for once? He inwardly shook his head.

    The grey-haired youth¡¯s blank gaze served only to annoy the Majin Captain. He pushed past his bumbling soldiers. Redrick was about to teach Ellis a lesson, when suddenly¡ª

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Ellis glanced up at him from the corner of his eye.

    For a moment, Redrick¡¯s body stopped. What was that? What the hell?

    Unlike last time, there was no overbearing killing intent, only an unassuming young man with a dull gaze.

    So why? Why did I stop?

    He could not figure out why his own body had responded like that. The Majin captain continued to stare at Ellis with an expression that contained both fear and confusion. At that moment, Ellis suddenly tilted his head to the side.

    Redrick immediately reacted. He took a hasty step back and raised his weapon out in front of him.

    ¡°W-what is it? What are you trying to do!?¡± To the surprise of his subordinates, Redrick suddenly started shouting.

    Ellis smiled amicably. He couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly amused. Every time this dude moved, his belly jiggled like pudding.

    ¡°Nothing, really. I¡¯m just your captive, after all. I can¡¯t do anything. Just take me to your campsite, yeah?¡±

    ¡°R-right,¡± Redrick hesitated. In all of his years of service, he had never once met such an agreeable captive. Seeing how subservient Ellis was acting, he couldn¡¯t help but second-guess himself.

    I must have a cold or something¡­ After a few seconds of silent contemplation, he quickly dismissed his earlier fears as nothing more than tricks of the mind.

    Redrick nodded. He straightened his back and tried his best to regain his former ¡®dignified¡¯ self. ¡°Start moving, human.¡±

    He motioned to the faraway camp with his hand, but strangely enough, the Majin Captain did not dare approach.

    Seeing all this, Ellis once again felt slightly amused. Without another word, he turned towards the river and leisurely made his way to the campsite.

    Like this, for the first time since he got to this new world, Ellis had become a prisoner.

 Chapter 58: The Majin Base

    Ellis and the group were taken to the Majin base camp situated by the river.

    It was a pretty far-spanning, yet dingy place. Upon closer inspection, Ellis noticed just how badly maintained all the tents were. Giant holes covered the surface, while tufts of fur littered the ground. A perpetual smell of rot wafted through the air. It was clear that whatever hide they were using for the tents had not been properly treated.

    Looking around, he took note of the Majins. They really were just blue-skinned Oni. There was an even mixture of men to women, but the women were not graceful beauties. Instead, they were more like men with breasts attached to their chests. Crude and broad-shouldered. Their faces might have been even uglier than the guys.

    Still, Ellis couldn¡¯t help but look. For all their faults, their chests certainly weren¡¯t one of them.

    As his eyes continually wandered, he felt a sharp pain on his lower back. He slightly turned his head, only to see a rather scary glare on Grisella¡¯s face.

    He slightly lowered his head and continued walking.

    Guided by nearly a dozen blue-skinned warriors, the trio eventually arrived at a man-made dirt mound. It was the same mound that he had seen before. Now that he was actually here, he confirmed his original theory; it really was a prison.

    ¡°Get in.¡± He heard a gruff voice coming from somewhere behind him. Ellis walked into the cavern with the same sort of casualness as a housewife walking into a grocery store.

    He turned back, only to notice that most of the warriors from earlier were already gone. Only two remained. They stood right outside the cave entrance, their backs straight and with spears held tightly in their hands.

    He shifted his gaze away and quietly observed his new surroundings. It was dark and dreary. The ceiling was low and the walls were narrow. Staring out into the darkness, the cavern seemed to go on forever. Unfortunately, he did not have a torch, so he couldn¡¯t quite properly grasp just how deep the hole really was.

    Touching the walls, he was slightly amazed to discover that they were not made out of packed dirt or stacked rocks. Instead, the walls, the ceiling, even the floor itself, all of it was crafted out of a substance resembling bed stone.

    ¡°Magic.¡± Grisella suddenly stated. She ran a finger along the surface of the wall. ¡°I can sense faint traces of mana in these walls. This prison was probably created using magic.¡±

    ¡°Magic? A magician then?¡± Ellis furrowed his brows in doubt. Recalling back to the campsite, he found it hard to believe that a magician would willingly live under such conditions.

    ¡°Yes, it was definitely a magician.¡± Grisella nodded. ¡°From what I can tell, the caster did not use a particular spell or rune. Instead, they brute forced their way through the creation process. It¡¯s certainly crude, but it shows that the caster has a sizable mana reserve.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Of course, they are nothing compared to me.¡±

    ¡°Magic, huh¡­¡± he stared up at the craggy ceiling above him. ¡°It certainly is an incredible feat, especially for one person to pull off all by himself.¡±

    Ellis couldn¡¯t help but feel envious. All he had to his name was this ridiculously sturdy body of his. If he wanted to create something like a cave, then he would need to squat down and build it himself. Magic really was an envious ability.

    An imperceptible sigh leaked out from his throat.

    His eyes wandered. Aside from Grisella, who was currently sitting slumped up against the wall with her knees pressed against her chest, Ellis was surprised to see a certain furry-eared little boy.

    Hal-Wrynn was inside the cave. Like them, he too had been locked up in here. They treated him no different from an ordinary prisoner.

    Ellis furrowed his brow. He couldn¡¯t quite believe it. Why was he here? He had been certain that both parties were in cahoots with one another. Was that really not the case?

    He wanted to say something to the gloomy-eyed boy, but he ultimately held his tongue. Hal-Wrynn did not look to be in any condition to speak.

    After a brief bought of hesitation, he sat down besides Grisella. He leaned over towards her and quietly whispered, ¡°To be honest, I think your plan is wasted on these guys. The Majins don¡¯t really seem all that strong.¡±

    That was the general conclusion that Ellis had come to after he passed through their campsite.

    ¡°You only think that because you¡¯re you. They are plenty strong.¡± She responded.

    He could only shake his head. ¡°In the first place, we don¡¯t even need a plan.¡±

    After all, I¡¯m here.

    Grisella let out an exasperated sigh. Even though she had already explained it before, he was still very reticent to her plan. By this point, his attitude was kind of starting to piss her off.

    ¡°We are taking advantage of a golden opportunity.¡± She explained succinctly. ¡°The circumstances have aligned. It would be a waste not to make use of it.¡±

    ¡°A golden opportunity¡­¡± He mulled over her words. Ellis did not really see things like that. To him, this was all just a way to kill time.

    Grisella narrowed her eyes. She could practically feel Ellis¡¯s disdain. He discreetly glanced over. For a moment, the two met eyes.

    He chuckled weakly. Ellis sat up straight and cleared his throat. ¡°Run it by me again.¡± His voice filled the ensuing silence.

    With no other choice, Grisella shook her head and once again explained her plan.

    ¡°First of all, our current situation puts us at odds with two distinct enemy forces. The first force would be the Majin base camp. Although you might not put them in your eyes, to most of the world, they are indeed fairly strong. An average Majin warrior has about the same strength as an Elite Knight from a mid-sized kingdom. Judging by the size of the campground, this campsite has around three thousand or so warriors, give or take.

    ¡°A troop of 3000 warriors is a powerful force in any part of the world. There aren¡¯t that many individuals who can stand up against such an army alone.¡± She paused, ¡°of course, there are always exceptions to everything.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Ellis nodded. He was certainly one such exception.

    ¡°The second force consists of the monsters within this forest.¡± She took a deep breath before she solemnly continued, ¡°The journey will get progressively harder the further up we travel along the river. It¡¯s so uniform to the point where it feels almost like a game.¡±

    Ellis once again nodded his head. Grisella had briefly explained this concept to him before.

    Ilpin forest could be roughly divided into two sections: the outside layer and the inside layer. The point of separation between these two areas was the mist border. Within the outside layer, the strong monsters had a tendency to divvy up the land whichever way they pleased.

    The end result of such careless distribution was a mess of different territories ruled over by an even messier collection of overlords.

    ¡°It¡¯s an environment that breeds chaos and bloodshed. In comparison, the inner layer is a lot more ordered.¡± She neatly summarized. ¡°The monsters in the inner area do not live wherever they please. No, instead, most of them congregate along the river.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis silently raised his brow. In the past, a large number of creatures took the river and its shorelines as home, but he knew that was only a small percentage of the population. In fact, most monsters lived relatively far away from the river, with some not even knowing about it at all.

    The monsters within the inner layer moved and existed outside the confines of normal ecology.

    It was weird, it was illogical, but without a doubt, it was the truth.

    ¡°They build their nests and set up their camps along this tiny stretch of land. It¡¯s almost as if¡­ as if they are intently protecting something.¡± For the first time, Grisella¡¯s eyes glimmered with unknown light.

    Protecting something¡­ is it the world tree? Or maybe the entrance to God¡¯s lost holy ground?

    Ellis had his own theories regarding this matter.

    ¡°The monsters within the inner layer are strong, stronger than even the overlords of the outer layer. You must prepare yourself, Ellis.¡±

    In response, Ellis looked up. Her solemn eyes conveyed far more information than any words ever could. ¡°¡­ a Calamity class monster, was it?¡±

    After a moment¡¯s pause, Grisella slowly nodded her head. A faint smile floated to her lips. ¡°It looks like you have been paying attention.¡±

    He could only shrug his shoulders. ¡°You made such a big deal about it. I had no choice but to listen.¡± Despite his words, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°But are Calamity-Class monsters really so special? From my point of view, aren¡¯t they just slightly stronger monsters?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Fighting against a Calamity-Class will not be easy, no matter how strong of a warrior you may be.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis sank into a brief silence.

    He recalled back to the Hydra that he had previously encountered. That thing was quite strong. Although he wantonly played around with it, a part of him was always cautious. This was especially the case when it had reached its final multi-headed form heads. The pressure that it had exuded was very similar to the sickly aura of death.

    I wonder¡­ at my current level, would I be able to win against that thing?

    No matter how long he thought about it, he could not come to a satisfactory answer.

    Eventually, he turned back over to Grisella and suddenly asked, ¡°So, you¡¯re using these guys as bait? Is that it? You want to lure the calamity-class out to a place where we have the advantage? That sort of thing?¡±

    ¡°You misunderstand. They¡¯re not the bait, but rather¡­ you are.¡± She jabbed a finger into his chest. Ellis looked up. The two of them locked eyes. ¡°Calamity class monsters won¡¯t move for just anything. They certainly won¡¯t do so for an unorganized group of Majins. I know this might contradict with what I said earlier, but even if most people consider them strong, to the truly strong, they are as inconsequential as the grains of sand within an endless desert.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Again, Ellis did not respond. He suspected it before, but in this world, strength was everything. The weak, those without strength, they were treated as less than dirt. Ellis was just privileged enough to be born as part of the strong.

    ¡°You are different.¡± Grisella¡¯s words echoed through his ears. ¡°You, your very presence exudes out strength. Most people can¡¯t feel it, but that¡¯s only natural. A fish in the ocean will never realize just how vast the sky is. It will certainly react to you. The people here are merely¡­ back-up.¡±

    She paused for a moment. Her gaze drifted towards the cave entrance. She stared blankly at the outside world. ¡°In the past, I was able to get through this part of the river purely because the monster that guards this place ignored me. In its eyes, I was not strong enough, and I was grateful for that. I traveled up the river while trying my hardest to avoid all the dangers. I got pretty far, but eventually¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°Truth be told, I haven¡¯t actually seen them.¡±

    ¡°The calamity class monsters?¡±

    She bobbed her head forward. ¡°In the past, I avoided all of them, but¡­ they¡¯re here. I felt them. The dreadful pressure that weighs down on your shoulders like a brick mountain, the creeping sensation of death¡­ I felt it.¡± Grisella breathed out a shaky sigh. ¡°It¡¯s one of the benefits to being a witch. Heightened perception, I mean. Even if I can¡¯t fly, I can still appreciate the vastness of the sky above me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a short pause, Ellis suddenly broke off into a fit of laughter. ¡°Despite saying all that, you still brought us here.¡± He looked over at her. ¡°You brought us right into the heart of its territory.¡±

    Grisella did not respond to his words. Instead, she solemnly stated, ¡°So far I¡¯ve identified two calamity-class monsters within the Inner Layer. One lives a few hundred miles upstream, while the other guards the river¡¯s opening.¡±

    The river¡¯s opening. In other words, the place where the river resurfaces.

    Out of everything that Grisella¡¯s plan had to offer, this was probably the one part that piqued his interest.

    She smiled at him. ¡°Are you getting scared now?¡±

    Ellis returned her smile with one of his own. ¡°Why would I be?¡±

    Grisella nodded her head. She had known Ellis for a few months now. Such a reaction was completely in line with his troublesome personality. ¡°Well, luckily for you, the calamity class is an aquatic creature, so it¡¯ll take some time for it to react to you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis¡¯s shoulders tensed. For a moment, his beating heart intensified. It was not fear, but rather preparation. A new monster, a new battle. A calamity-class monster¡­ was it? How strong can it really be?

    He subconsciously licked his lips in anticipation.

    Grisella quietly watched him. After a while, she spoke up. ¡°I know you have confidence in yourself, but¡­ if the monster is truly strong to the point where you are unable to defeat it, then the people here will act as your shield. Use the ensuing chaos to escape. It won¡¯t improve your chances by a whole lot, but in the face of possible death, any help is better than no help.¡±

    Ellis nodded his head. He thought for a moment. ¡°They¡¯re not bait, but rather human meat shields¡­ I didn¡¯t know you had such a side to you, Miss Lorelei.¡±

    She stared up at him. ¡°Does it bother you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± After a few seconds of silence, he responded, ¡°no, not really.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± she nodded, ¡°Ellis, I¡¯ll only say this once. Please, just stick to the plan. It¡¯s fine if you get thrashed around and stuff, but¡­ I don¡¯t want you to die. If things really go bad, don¡¯t hesitate to run. You, without you, I¡¯ll have no hope of ever reaching the world tree.¡±

    Ellis lightly laughed to himself. ¡°I think that¡¯s probably the most romantic thing you¡¯ve ever said to me.¡±

    A slight blush crept up to her cheeks. ¡°What, what sort of idiot thing are you saying now?¡±

    Her response only elicited another chuckle from him.

    Just as he was about to reply, he suddenly heard a faint shuffling coming from further down the cavern. The duo turned around, only to see a skinny woman shambling towards them.

    Ellis narrowed his eyes. Stepping out of the darkness, he quickly noticed that the newcomer was not actually a woman, but rather, a young girl.  Although she looked a little disheveled, with mud and dirt caked all over her face and body, he could still tell that she was probably no more than fourteen or fifteen-years-old.

    What¡¯s more, she was not the only one. From the depths of the tunnel, even more people poured out. A mix of women and children. All of them sported the same fur-covered ears on their heads.

    Members of the squirrel tribe?

    Ellis felt intrigued by the sudden development. Just as he was about to get up and greet his fellow cell-mates, the little backstabber suddenly reacted.

    Hal-Wrynn, who had remained silent all this time, abruptly broke off into a sprint. He ran directly towards the girl and hugged her.

    To this, Ellis instinctively raised his brow in surprise. Things were finally starting to get interesting.

 Chapter 59: True Intentions

    So, it¡¯s that sort of setting, huh?

    Ellis silently mused to himself as he watched their touching reunion with rapt eyes.

    Hal-Wrynn openly wept. Muffled sniffling reverberated throughout the cavern. He desperately clung to the girl with pale, clammy hands. Because of the height difference, Hal-Wrynn practically had his face pressed against her chest. Luckily, the boy was too young to notice. As for the girl, although she looked somewhat flustered, she was a bit too preoccupied to really care.

    Like Hal, she too had tears running down her face.

    Ellis pensively rubbed his chin. A scenario played out in his head. It was about a poor, misguided boy forced by circumstance to do the unthinkable. With his loved ones held hostage and with the threat of death and enslavement hovering over their heads, the boy went against his conscience and did what his captors wanted him to do. With a heavy heart, the poor boy led more unsuspecting people into the captors¡¯ lair.

    It was certainly the type of setting you¡¯d see in some sort of psychological thriller, although he thought that the premise seemed a bit half-hearted.

    That led him to wonder, how was Hal-Wrynn connected with these prisoners? Was he a former captive? If so, how did he escape? Why did he come back? Was he intentionally released by the Majins in order to draw more people in?

    The more he thought about it, the more similar such scenarios popped into his head.

    Well, it''s fairly amusing. Ellis nodded to himself. He judged the situation with a similar sort of seriousness that a movie critic would have towards the latest blockbuster.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Just then, something else happened. His eyes naturally gravitated towards the center of the commotion.

    ¡°What the hell were you thinking?!¡± The young girl¡¯s shout echoed throughout the tunnel.

    After the overly intense hug, the two separated. Almost immediately, the girl suddenly started yelling at the boy. Ellis could hear the mixture of emotions within her voice. Anger, fear, gratitude, that sort of thing.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Hal-Wrynn looked up, but he could not meet the girl¡¯s intense penetrating glare. He lowered his head and shuffled his feet. From this interaction alone, Ellis was able to just barely piece together their normal relationship.

    Something like siblings, but not quite. If he had to describe it with a single word or phrase, then it would be childhood friends.

    Suddenly, the crowd behind the girl descended into chaos. Their piercing stares all focused in on Hal-Wrynn.

    ¡°That child is¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the son¡­¡±

    ¡°Why did he come here?¡±

    Their reactions were a bit surprising, to say the least. A heavy sense of unease spread through the air. Still, it did somewhat remind him of how Nar-Wynn reacted previously. Although in this case, the villagers were several times more outspoken.

    Underneath such intense scrutiny, Hal-Wrynn looked visibly uncomfortable. The young girl quickly noticed the growing commotion. Unfortunately, she did not, or rather, she could not do anything. A powerless sigh leaked out from her throat. The most that she could manage was to shield his body away from their probing eyes.

    The girl looked up. For the first time, she saw Ellis and Grisella. After a short bought of hesitation, she quickly dragged Hal towards them.

    The crowd did not follow. Instead, they chose to stay back, almost as if they were trying to hide away from the light. It was quite apparent that their time here had scarred them rather severely.

    ¡°Hello, I am Ama-Lear.¡± The young girl stopped in front of them and introduced herself. With wary yet curious eyes, she asked, ¡°Who are you guys?¡±

    Hal-Wrynn awkwardly stood beside her. The two of them held hands, although Ellis quickly noticed just how pale and tense Hal-Wrynn¡¯s hand was. In fact, he incessantly tugged on her hand in an attempt to get her to leave. The boy did not even attempt to hide his efforts.

    After a few seconds of tense silence, Grisella eventually responded. ¡°I am Lorelei, the witch of the forest.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I know you,¡± Ama-Lear exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re the one who gives the village medicine. The granny with a youthful face.¡±

    Hearing her words, Grisella almost choked on her own saliva. She sputtered out a shaky cough.

    The young girl did not even blink twice at Grisella¡¯s reaction. She narrowed her eyes and pouted. Her cheeks inflated like that of a chipmunk¡¯s. ¡°Why did you drag Hal here? It is dangerous!¡±

    Ama-Lear openly reprimanded the two.

    ¡°What?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow in confusion.

    ¡°You, don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t know!¡± She furiously glared at him. ¡°Hal is just a kid. If it wasn¡¯t for you guys, there¡¯s no way he could have gotten all the way here by himself!¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait a minute, little girl.¡± Ellis was thoroughly surprised by her reaction. He felt compelled to defend himself. ¡°We brought him here, but it was under a mutual agreeme¡ª¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just a kid! What sort of agreement can he make? You tricked him into coming here!¡±

    Ellis stopped for a moment.

    What kind of situation was this?! To his understanding, they were the ones who got tricked here! Fortunately, Ellis was knowledgeable on the common tropes of fantasy. He gained prior insight towards the real situation and managed to barely avoid looking like a dumb fool.

    ¡°Little girl, I really think we got off on the wrong foot here. Why don¡¯t we just¡­¡±

    ¡°You, stop calling me a little girl!¡± She exploded. ¡°I¡¯m already fourteen, no, fourteen and a half cycles old! Also, I don¡¯t want to talk with a kidnapper like you!¡±

    In the face of her intensity, Ellis subconsciously took a step back. Her current outburst was certainly a far cry from her initial friendly greeting.

    For a moment, he did not know what to do.

    ¡°Stop! Ama, stop it already!¡± Hal-Wrynn suddenly interrupted. All eyes turned on him. He opened his mouth to speak, but after a few seconds of silence, he lowered his head in defeat.

    In a voice so quiet that it barely registered as a whisper, he said, ¡°¡­ it wasn¡¯t their fault. I tricked them. I was¡­ it was all me.¡±

    ¡°You, what do you mean?¡± Ama-Lear furrowed her brow as she stared down at the crown of his head.

    ¡°I came here of my own free will.¡± The young boy stated. He looked up at her. ¡°I came here to rescue you.¡±

    ¡°How exactly do you plan on doing that?¡± She fiercely questioned. ¡°By getting yourself captured like this? Are you daft?! That¡¯s the worst plan I¡¯ve ever heard of in my entire life!¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Hal-Wrynn nodded in agreement. ¡°I know. I won¡¯t be able to do it, but¡­ someone else can.¡±

    ¡°Someone else?¡± She turned towards Ellis and Grisella. ¡°And you think these two can save us?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°No, they are¡­¡± he hesitated, but only for a split second. ¡°Victims. They are my victims. Someone else will come save us¡­ well, hopefully.¡±

    ¡°Someone else?¡± Ama-Lear furrowed her brow before a look of realization flashed through her eyes. ¡°Are you talking about your aunt?¡±

    ¡°Farma-Wrynn?¡± Grisella suddenly chimed in. She slightly dipped her head. ¡°She is indeed a person of immense strength. If it¡¯s her then maybe she can save you from this situation¡±

    Despite her words, she inwardly shook her head. If it was just a normal Majin base, then she might be able to do it. Unfortunately, she is not strong enough to face a calamity-class monster.

    It was then that the young boy slowly explained his carefully weaved, and near suicidal plan. After a few minutes, the entire cavern descended into a momentary silence.

    ¡°I see. I get it now.¡± Ellis instinctively nodded his head afterward.

    Hal-Wrynn further explained, ¡°At the start, Aunt Farma was adamant on not coming here. Even after I begged her, she still said no. In fact, nobody in the village wanted to go, even after a few of the survivors returned and explained the situation. This place is simply too far away, and the forest is simply too dangerous for her to risk so much, but¡­ if it¡¯s for me, then she¡¯ll surely¡­¡±

    He did not dare finish his words. Even now, he felt guilty. In essence, he was emotionally manipulating his own aunt. That fact alone did not sit right with him, but it was the only way. In order to save his friend, in order to save Ama-Lear, he was determined to do anything. Whether that was manipulating his own blood relative or risking the lives of a group of strangers, he would definitely save her without fail.

    Ama-Lear¡¯s shoulders trembled. Ellis noticed that the young girl¡¯s bottom lip was also quivering. In a whisper like voice, she scolded the foolish boy.

    ¡°¡­ Are you an idiot? If your aunt leaves the village, then the villagers will be in danger.¡±

    With a resolute, and almost cold expression he rigidly stated, ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± He suddenly grabbed onto her trembling hand. ¡°I only want you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A strange silence filled the air. Ellis raised his brow. He discreetly glanced over towards the darkness. Judging by their expressions, the rest of the prisoners had heard his words. They squirmed in discomfort.

    After a while, he turned back to stare at the boy. With a slightly amused smile, he inwardly shook his head. This god damn little Casanova¡­ What a good line! What a fantastic line!

    Ellis secretly vowed to himself. He would definitely use that line in the future!

    Still, learning how-to pick-up chicks from a ten-year-old boy¡­ just what has my life come to? He paused for a moment. No, come to think of it¡­ I¡¯m only six. There¡¯s absolutely no harm in learning from your elders.

    As such thoughts filled his head, Hal-Wrynn suddenly turned to them. ¡°You got involved in this because of me,¡± he dully stated. ¡°I used you to get here.¡±

    Ellis and Grisella looked at him for a brief moment before they exchanged glances. Normally, getting strung along like that would have definitely bothered him, but this case was slightly different. He had discovered his scheme beforehand. The impact of the ¡®betrayal¡¯ was significantly lessened.

    Instead of being led around like a blind mouse through a maze, he felt more akin to a slightly bored moviegoer who was watching a mildly interesting flick. Hal¡¯s little scheme served as entertainment for him. As for the repercussions, well, to be honest, he really didn¡¯t care.

    Plus, he was also just a kid. Could he really stay mad at a kid?

    Staying mad? Should I even keep this grudge? I¡¯m not exactly the type to hold grudges¡­

    He silently thought about it for a moment, before a loud thud abruptly echoed throughout the cavern.

    Ellis looked up, just in time to see Hal-Wrynn clutching the back of his head with an anguished expression on his face.

    ¡°You idiot! Properly apologize to them!¡± Ama-Lear angrily shouted. She waved her fist towards him as a warning.

    ¡°Why did you hit me?¡± He asked out loud.

    For his boldness, he received another hit.

    BAM!

    Ama-Lear struck him in the head again.

    ¡°What? Are you talking back to me now?¡± She questioned with narrowed eyes.

    ¡°¡­No.¡± Hal begrudgingly responded with a clearly dissatisfied frown. After a moment¡¯s pause, he continued, ¡°¡­ just that, I don¡¯t think an apology will do much good in this situation.¡±

    Ama-Lear shook her head. ¡°You, idiot! Even if it¡¯s a useless gesture, you still have to apologize! It is only basic decency! Are you a decent person?!¡±

    ¡°But, still¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even finish that sentence.¡± She harshly interrupted. ¡°Just go out there an apologize! What¡¯s so hard about that?¡±

    In the end, Hal-Wrynn sincerely apologized.

    Ellis and Grisella eventually accepted the apology, albeit with mixed feelings.

    Grisella felt somewhat conflicted by the whole thing, but Ellis simply shrugged his shoulders. His facial expression could not be any more indifferent. ¡°It¡¯s not like his little tricks affect me all that much.¡± To him, the Majins here were as threatening as a group of ants.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, when my aunt gets here, we can all escape from this place,¡± Hal-Wrynn reassured them. Even in the face of an entire camp of Majins, he still held such great confidence in this unknown aunt of his.

    Ellis felt somewhat expectant.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work.¡± Just then, a raspy voice echoed through the room. Turning around, he saw that the voice had originated from an elderly female prisoner with tattered silk clothes and a pale and emaciated face. Judging by her attire, she was probably the wife of a squirrel warrior, although that sort of life was far too disconnected from her current self.

    ¡°That man and Miss Lorelei, they will die before your aunt gets here!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hal-Wrynn frowned. A feeling of unease welled up in his heart.

    Before she could respond, Grisella suddenly spoke. ¡°I recognize you. You are little Mela, old Ar-Lock¡¯s daughter.¡±

    Even though the squirrel tribe could be considered small, it still constituted of more than ten thousand people. The only reason why she was able to recognize the old woman was because she was the daughter of a previous Head Warrior.

    Grisella frowned. ¡°I heard a long time ago that you had gotten married. What are you doing here?¡±

    The elderly woman, Mela-Lock, breathed out a weary sigh. ¡°We were originally kidnapped during a failed attempt at harvesting a spider nest. The Majins attacked us. They killed off all the warriors and took the rest of us hostage. At first, we resisted but after the first few were killed as examples, we¡­ we learned how to be meek.¡±

    Her frail body trembled. She slightly turned back, her eyes briefly glancing over to the rest of the prisoners. ¡°You must have noticed by now, but there are a lot of us left. Ever since we got here, only a few of us died. That feat is not from our own virtue, but rather, theirs.¡±

    She turned again. This time, the elderly woman¡¯s weathered eyes glared hatefully at the cavern entrance. ¡°The Majins have many warriors,¡± she sighed. ¡°They do not intend to use us as hostages for this war, but rather, they want to enslave us.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± Grisella gasped out in surprise, but none of the other prisoners seemed all that shocked by Mela¡¯s words.

    Enslavement was not a completely new concept within the world of Lull, but it had fallen out of fashion during the last one hundred years or so. These days, slavery only existed within the barbaric and tumultuous west. For the rest of the ¡®civilized¡¯ world, slavery was replaced by a new commodity; homunculi.

    ¡°This place, we are in the inner circle of the forest.¡± Mela-Lock continued. ¡°The only ones capable of crossing the mist border and entering the inner circle are us, the squirrels. The Majins favor solitude. They want to live within the inner circle, but at the same time, they do not want complete isolation. That¡¯s why they captured us. To them, we are simply a means of passage.¡±

    Grisella frowned. ¡°If what you said is true, then the Majins have quite the ambition. How did they even learn of the mist in the first place?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I do not know. Maybe a prisoner told them, maybe they learned of it from elsewhere, there are a lot of possibilities, but at this point, none of it matters.¡± Mela-Lock looked out into the distance. Her somber eyes stared fixedly at the dim light that leaked in from the cavern¡¯s entrance. ¡°They want the forest for themselves. They can¡¯t live peacefully with us here, but neither can they completely exterminate us. So, their best next solution is enslavement. Our warriors don¡¯t realize it yet, but¡­ this is not a war of conflict or territory, but rather, a war for our freedom.¡±

    ¡°That sort of thing¡­¡± It was a horrific concept. Grisella did not quite know how to react.

    ¡°On that note, I¡­ I have to ask, why did no one come for us?¡± Mela-Lock¡¯s eyes turned towards the young boy. ¡°A few of the prisoners somehow managed to escape. They should have been able to make it back to the village and inform the tribe of our predicament. Did none of them survive?¡±

    Hal-Wrynn hesitated for a moment. ¡°No, they knew. Everyone knew, but¡­ they were unwilling to take the risk.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± The old woman remained silent for a long time, before a hollow chuckle leaked out from her lips. ¡°I see¡­ in the end, we were just disposable.¡±

    She shook her head and breathed out a sigh. Mela-Lock turned back to Grisella. The solitary witch noticed that the darkness within her eyes had significantly increased. ¡°Since you are not a squirrel, they will have no need for you,¡± she stated. ¡°I have seen it happen before. When we first arrived here, we were not the only ones that they had captured. Women with ears like yours, but not as beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Humans?¡± Grisella widened her eyes.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I am unfamiliar with the term, but I think so.¡± She nodded. ¡°They brought them from the outside world. Unfortunately, after a few days, they were all killed off. Um, they died from excessive use.¡±

    Her words were left ambiguous on purpose, but the intention was definitely there.

    Mela paused. ¡°Since Miss Lorelei is beautiful, they might let you live, but your partner¡­¡± she shook her head. ¡°They will kill him soon. Probably after the Troop leader informs their boss.¡±

    Grisella¡¯s frown deepened. She was not worried about her safety, but rather, the mental image of the scenario played out in her head. She felt disgusted.

    Meanwhile, Hal-Wrynn¡¯s expression paled. His eyes shook. An unbearable guilt welled up in his heart.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis did not say anything.

    In the end, he wasn¡¯t all that worried. Whether Hal¡¯s aunt arrives, the calamity-class monster makes an appearance, or his ¡®execution¡¯ happens first, Ellis was prepared to take everything in stride.

 Chapter 60: The Mighty and Mystical Majin Boss.

    Roughly two hours passed.

    Ellis sat cross-legged on the floor, his back leaning against the stone wall. His expression was slightly hazy. It was unknown what sort of thoughts filled that head of his.

    Grisella leaned against him, her head slumped against his shoulder. At some point, she had fallen asleep. The day¡¯s excitement was apparently too much for her to handle. She clutched her magic broomstick close to her chest.

    For whatever reason, the Majins had not taken it away from her. Ellis was unsure as to why. Maybe they did not realize its true nature, or maybe they just did not care? Who knows.

    He was honestly more surprised that Grisella could sleep even after all that had happened, and especially considering what was about to happen. Earlier, she went on about the importance of time management, and how it was best to make every second count, but Ellis was not convinced. He did not know whether she was telling the truth or if she was simply lying in order to cover up for the fact that she was tired.

    Either way, Ellis shamelessly indulged himself.

    He could feel her warm breath tickling his skin. It caused his heart to lurch in excitement. Ellis was a simple man. Rather than ancient artifacts or large-scale monster battles, he much preferred small, intimate moments like these.

    Just as he was about to drift off into a world of fantasy, the sound of footsteps suddenly reached his ears. He looked over towards the source of the noise.

    A large black silhouette stood directly outside the cavern entrance. Due to the glint of the sun, Ellis was unable to make out any of the silhouette¡¯s finer features, just that the person possessed a wide back and a slender build.

    The rest of the prisoners soon noticed the ominous figure. As if by instinct, they instantly scurried back into the depths of the tunnel. The cave prison was far larger than what Ellis originally imagined. The squirrels hid in a deep alcove nearly fifty meters underground.

    Hal-Wrynn was reluctant to leave, but Alma forcibly pulled him along.

    In almost no time at all, the only ones left were Ellis and Grisella.

    ¡°Open the door.¡± A gravelly voice echoed through the air. A moment later, two Majin guards quickly swung open the wooden bars.

    The dark silhouette entered the cavern. He was not alone. There were two other Majins behind him. Judging by their attire and their deferential attitude, they were probably something synonymous to members of an elite knight squadron.

    By this point, Grisella had woken up. Her hair was slightly matted, while her gaze was still a bit muddled.

    ¡°That¡¯s the leader of the campsite,¡± Grisella whispered to him. ¡°At least, I think it is. Unlike everyone else here, I can feel a bit of mana circulating within his body.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis did not respond. He kept his eyes fixated on the unnamed Majin boss.

    Without the sun¡¯s glare, Ellis was able to make out a few more details pertaining to the boss.

    He was a Majin of great height. The top of his head scraped against the roof of the cavern. His blue skin was a shade slightly darker than the others. A single horn of less than six inches protruded out from his scalp.

    Yellow eyes, a bald head, and an ugly face. That was the leader of the Majin Campsite.

    ¡­ To be honest, he gave off a very ¡®mob-like¡¯ aura. It was the sort of enemy that Wight and the wolves usually handled. He did not have the qualifications to make the ¡®true boss¡¯ (Ellis) act.

    The Majin stood directly in front of them. He briefly scanned the room before his beady eyes landed on Grisella. A faint smile twisted his lips. The Majin bent down and grabbed Grisella¡¯s face. He smushed her cheeks together while he casually inspected her like a piece of meat on a chopping board. All the while, a slightly amused expression colored his face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis¡¯s expression instantly darkened. In that moment, boiling anger rose from deep within his chest. His breathing grew heavier, the blood in his body rushed to his head. He had played along earlier with Grisella¡¯s plan mostly for amusement¡¯s sake, but Ellis was not a very tolerant man, nor did he want to be.

    He clenched his fist. For someone of that caliber, all he needed was a single punch.

    Just as he was about to stand up and attack, Grisella did something so completely left field that it took the wind away from his sails.

    ¡°Ptooey!¡±

    She spat directly into the Majin¡¯s face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Silence filled the cavern.

    The Majin guards that accompanied the Boss looked tense. Their hands tightly clenched onto their weapons, but they did not dare to move. Like good little dogs, they silently waited for their orders.

    As for the Majin Boss himself, a wad of phlegm trailed down the side of his cheek. One second, two seconds, after ten seconds passed, he suddenly smiled.

    It was an ugly smirk that turned the ugly Majin¡¯s face even uglier. Two rows of shark-like teeth jutted out from a malformed mouth. He stood up and released Grisella. A long green tongue slithered out from the crack between his lips and lapped at the spit on his face.

    Fucking hell, he¡¯s a pervert. Such a thought suddenly floated to Ellis¡¯s head. Judging by Grisella¡¯s outward disgust, she too felt the same.

    ¡°Good, I like you.¡± He stated with a slight pitch in his voice. He turned to one of his henchmen. ¡°Bring her to my tent tonight.¡±

    One of the other Majins hastily nodded his head. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be sure to properly prepare her for you, Sir Illias.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± The Majin Boss, Illias, grunted in acknowledgment. He then turned to Ellis. After a few seconds of silence, he commented, ¡°You look like a homunculus.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Illias was a well-traveled man. At least, by Majin standards. Although he mainly resided within the northern part of the continent, away from the kingdoms of man, he did occasionally have his fun. This was especially the case during his youth. For one, he was once a part of a Demon army that pillaged a northern kingdom. That campaign had been one of his only few interactions with the human race.

    Still, contrary to the short time he had spent there, it had left quite the lasting impression on him. One thing that really stuck to him were the artificial servants that the humans utilized.

    Dull and lifeless. It had been a unique experience. He even managed to get his hands on what they called a ¡®comfort doll¡¯. It was good but nowhere as good as a real woman. The dolls simply did not react the way he wanted them to.

    Illias furrowed his brow and frowned. The young man in front of him certainly looked like an archetype example of a homunculus, but something wasn¡¯t right. Even with his grey hair and pale-white irises, there was something about him that still felt off.

    ¡°¡­ the homunculi I am familiar with are not this¡­ life-like.¡± He thoughtlessly muttered to himself. After a few seconds of silent contemplation, the ugly Majin dismissed his thoughts. The world was large. Lull was a diverse place. Grey hair and white eyes may not be exclusive to the homunculi.

    ¡°Kill this one.¡± He stated as he emotionlessly pointed to Ellis.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± The other Majins immediately reacted. They brandished their crude weapons and took a step forward. Their eyes glowed with killing intent.

    ¡°Wait, not here.¡± the ugly Majin abruptly stopped the situation from escalating too far. ¡°Do it near the bonfire. Sacrifice his spirit to the Ancient Demon Kings.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hearing his words, Ellis did not know whether to laugh or to cry. You want to sacrifice the Demon King¡¯s son to the Demon King? What sort of shitty coincidence is that?

    Ellis inwardly shook his head.

    As Illias turned around and proceeded to walk away, the grey-haired youth suddenly stood up.

    ¡°Oh?¡± The Majin Boss stopped and turned around. He raised a curious brow. He looked at Ellis with the same sort of amusement that a man looking down at a waddling toddler would have. Ironically enough, Ellis viewed the Majin much in the same way.

    There was a certain something about this guy that just rubbed Ellis the wrong way. Maybe it was the constant arrogance on his face, or maybe it was the way he had treated Grisella. Heck, it could even be the sole fact that the Majin was taller than him, he did not know, nor did he really care.

    Regardless, there was only so much that he could stomach. Ellis did not plan to let this bastard go.

    He slowly approached the Majin.

    Grisella immediately understood his intentions. ¡°Ellis, don¡¯t!¡± She shouted and reached out for his wrist. Unfortunately, she grabbed nothing but air. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, but Ellis ignored her.

    To the outside world, the scene looked like the typical clich¨¦ of a wife trying to stop her reckless and foolhardy lover.

    ¡°¡­¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Illias narrowed his eyes. For the first time, he felt that there was something wrong with the current situation.

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± He growled out, but again, Ellis did not respond. Instead, a pair of dull white eyes stared emotionlessly at him. An unknown pressure leaked out from Ellis¡¯s pores. It wasn¡¯t a lot, but it was enough to send shivers down the Majin¡¯s spine.

    Illias tensed his shoulders. Fear. He had felt this same sort of feeling numerous times before. It was fear. An ugly scowl contorted his face. He shook his head. This damn runt can¡¯t even reach my shoulders, am I supposed to be afraid of him?

    He refused. He did not acknowledge his fear!

    Illias scoffed and waved his hand forward. ¡°I changed my mind,¡± he solemnly spoke to his guards, ¡°kill him now.¡±

    In response, the two Majin warriors rushed forward. Ellis briefly glanced at them with placid eyes. He did not bother dodging any of the oncoming spears.

    CRASH!

    The wooden weapons accurately hit their mark. Unfortunately, they were not strong enough to pierce through his skin. Instead, they casually bounced off his body like a rubber ball hitting the pavement. Before the guards had the chance to recover, Ellis took action.

    Like a pair of fired bullets, his hands whizzed through the air and clamped down onto their necks. The two Majins fiercely struggled, but his grip was like steel.

    CRUNCH!

    Ellis clenched his hands. A few seconds later, two bodies crashed down onto the floor, dead.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Silence filled the air. The heavy pressure that seemingly filled the air grew several times thicker. Cold sweat dripped down the back of Illias¡¯s neck. After a moment¡¯s pause, Ellis lightly walked over the corpses.

    Without a doubt, it was a blatant act of rebellion! The Majins were a cruel race. As the Leader of a Majin Army, Illias was well known for his cruelty and short temper. Normally, the Majin Boss would have already retaliated by now. In fact, from the very start, such a thing would have never even happened. Unfortunately, today was different.

    Rather than anger or contempt, Illias could only feel fear.

    He opened his mouth to say something but Ellis did not give him the chance.

    In a blink of an eye, the distance between the two rapidly shrank. Ellis lightly jumped up and drove his fist straight into the Majin¡¯s face. A dull boom quietly echoed through the cavern.

    A small fist covered in tiny bits of red popped out on the other side of the Majin¡¯s head.

    Ellis retracted his hand as he fell back down to the ground. Half a second later, another corpse collapsed onto the floor.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± someone uttered from outside of the tunnel.

    Ellis looked over, just in time to see two shocked and obviously frightened guards staring blankly into the cavern. Their bodies trembled. Their first instinct was to run and call for help, but before they could do so, Grisella acted first.

    She quickly pointed a finger in their direction and spat out something unintelligible yet oddly profound. Almost instantly, the guards¡¯ eyes glowed purple. The fright and fear vanished from their faces, only to be replaced by dull, almost lifeless expressions. As if nothing had ever happened, the guards straightened their backs and flanked the cavern entrance. They stared out into the distance with blank eyes.

    ¡°That was a close one,¡± Grisella breathed out a sigh.

    Burdened by curiosity, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°what was that?¡±

    ¡°A simple enchantment spell,¡± she explained. ¡°Although they look a bit stiff, it allows me to control their bodies like this.

    As if to demonstrate, one of the guards suddenly turned towards the cavern and waved his hand.

    Ellis widened his eyes in surprise. After a moment¡¯s pause, he asked, ¡°have you ever thought about doing that to me?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No, of course not.¡±

    Besides, she was confident that such a thing would have absolutely no effect on him.

    ¡°More importantly, why did you do that!?¡± She practically shouted. ¡°You actually killed him! What about the plan?!¡±

    He awkwardly scratched his cheek. ¡°He was pissing me off.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a good enough reason! You promised that you¡¯d stick to the plan. This is definitely not sticking to the plan!¡±

    Ellis shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I promised that I¡¯d try, but¡­ I don¡¯t like doing things that I don¡¯t like. And that guy, I did not like him.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Grisella did not know how to respond. After a few seconds, she breathed out a heavy sigh. The witch of the forest was not dense. She could make a guess as to why Ellis took action like that.

    A long time passed with neither one of them speaking. Eventually, Ellis interrupted the silence. He let out an awkward cough and spoke. ¡°Well, now that I ruined your plan, what should we do next? Personally, I think we should just destroy the entire camp.¡±

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t be so hasty!¡± Grisella hurriedly responded. ¡°The plan can still be salvaged¡­¡±

    Ellis did not argue with her this time. After killing the big boss, he felt somewhat satisfied. At the very least, he was a lot more willing to play along.

    Besides, it¡¯s not as if he saw absolutely no merit in Grisella¡¯s plan.

    An encounter with a calamity-class monster was also not something he could avoid. As long as they continued up this river, then surely, he¡¯d run into even more monsters of similar strength. Ellis needed to know if he had what it took to reach the world tree or if he was in over his head. Rather than recklessly challenging one in its own territory, it was more beneficial to fight it within a more controlled environment.

    ¡°How are we going to continue the plan?¡± Still, he had to ask, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you noticed or not, but their boss is pretty dead.¡±

    ¡°We know that, but they don¡¯t,¡± she spoke. ¡°Right now, only the two guards standing watch outside saw, and they are currently under my spell. If we play our cards right, then we can still do this¡­¡±

    Grisella glanced up at him. ¡°You need to go out there and distract them. Keep them occupied until the calamity class monster attacks.¡±

    ¡°And how the hell am I supposed to do that?¡±

    She paused for a moment. After five seconds of silent thinking, she said, ¡°go get executed.¡±

    Ellis¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°You want me to get executed!?¡±

    ¡°Pretend! Only pretend to get executed.¡± Grisella hurriedly responded. ¡°Just go along with it. I¡¯ll find a way to hide the bodies, so you do your best to drag out the time.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Ellis was about to argue, but at the last moment, he held himself back. On second thought, being executed might be a bit of fun. At the very least, it was definitely bound to be a very¡­ unique experience.

    ***

    As soon as he stepped out of the cave, dim light filled his eyes. He looked up. Soft rays of white descended from the canopy. Although it was a bit difficult to make out, it was probably around noon. They had been captured sometime around mid-morning.

    Isn¡¯t it a little bit too early for a human sacrifice? Usually, he imagined such things taking place during the dead of the night, maybe underneath a blood-red moon or a meteor shower. Doing it during the day felt like a huge disservice not only to him but also to the being they were going to sacrifice him to.

    Still, he was not in any position to argue.

    Ellis briefly looked around before he quickly made his way towards the center of the campsite.

    ¡°Halt! What are you doing!¡± A blue-skinned Majin ran up to him and called out. Of course, the Majin wasn¡¯t actually speaking to him, but rather to the person behind him.

    Before he left, Grisella casted another enchantment. It was a spell that allowed her to remote control one of the guards. After all, it would be weird if Ellis just wandered the campsite all by himself.

    Come to think of it, why didn¡¯t we just wait out in the tunnel? Such a thought suddenly came to mind, but by this point, it was already too late.

    ¡°I was told to bring this one to the bonfire.¡± The hypnotized Majin spoke in a monotone voice. ¡°Sir Illias wants him to be sacrificed.¡±

    ¡°Sir Illias is it?¡± The other Majin furrowed his brow. ¡°Where has he gone?¡±

    After a few seconds of tense silence, the guard responded, ¡°¡­Sir Illias has returned to his tent.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± The other Majin nodded his head. ¡°Then, I will take it from here. You still need to guard the Prison.¡±

    The hypnotized Majin responded with a nod before he turned around and walked back over to the cavern. His moved like a robot, but fortunately, none of the surrounding Majins noticed.

    Like that, Ellis was passed around like a hot potato. The new watchkeeper tied his hands behind his back.

    ¡°Move it!¡± The Majin pushed him forward. Ellis stumbled but otherwise stayed on his feet. The two of them slowly made their way to the center of the campsite.

    After a few seconds, he couldn¡¯t help but look up. Even from a distance, he could still see the billowing smoke rising high up into the canopy.

    Are they really going to chuck me into an open flame? Ellis subconsciously frowned. He wasn¡¯t fireproof. This had been proven time and time again whenever he confronted a monster with an even remotely fire-based ability. His skin had the tendency to crisp up and burn like overcooked bacon. Fortunately, it would heal just as fast.

    Just as his thoughts began to wander, the Majin abruptly stopped. Without hesitation, the Majin threw him to the floor.

    Ellis hit the ground with an inaudible thud. Dust billowed around his face as he broke out into a fit of strained coughing.

    He looked up. He had arrived at his destination. More specifically, he had arrived at his supposed execution ground.

    Someone walked towards him. It was a tall Majin with broad shoulders and a pot belly. Ellis immediately recognized him. It was the Majin captain who previously captured him.

    It¡¯s this guy again¡­ Captain Redrick furrowed his brow.

    To be honest, he really didn¡¯t want to see this grey-haired youth. The uncomfortable sensation from earlier still lingered in the air. Unfortunately, in front of his men, all he could do was smirk and put on a front of bravery.

    After a quick explanation from the Majin that had brought Ellis here, Redrick immediately understood the situation. Still, he was hesitant.

    Kill him? Do I even have the strength to pull off such a feat?

    No, don¡¯t think like that! This is a direct order from the Leader. I can¡¯t mess up now!

    Redrick fiercely shook his head. All of it was an illusion! A trick of the mind! This guy¡¯s about to be executed, who cares what happens to him!

    Eventually, he finally managed steeled his weary heart.

    The Majin Captain circled around Ellis like a shark who smelled blood in the water. After a while, he shouted towards the gathering crowd. ¡°The Leader has bestowed us with a sacrifice! Today, the spirits shall feast!¡±

    The crowd erupted into raucous shouting. Ellis immediately felt the assault on his ears. It was like being stuck in the middle of a loud mosh pit.

    ¡°As per tradition, we will slice off his head and dump his body into the flames!¡± As if to emphasize this point, someone poured an oil-like substance into the bonfire. The flames immediately intensified. They burned and danced, almost as if to mock him.

    Slicing off heads¡­. Is that the angle they¡¯re going for? Ellis inwardly commented to himself. It feels a bit half-assed, no?

    Unaware of his condescending thoughts, someone dragged his body over to a crudely constructed wooden platform. There, they forced him to kneel down. Someone else tied his hands behind his back with a length of coarse rope.

    Without warning, drums suddenly began to beat. They vibrated through the air while the Majins around him chanted something in a language that he couldn¡¯t quite recognize.

    ¡­ boom, boom, boom¡­

    With each passing second, the noises only grew louder. The sound of the forest was drowned out by their heightening fervor.

    More people poured oil into the flame. The fire climbed higher and higher, while the smoke took on a shade of tar black. All the while, the Troop Captain led the crowd along like a priest at a Sunday mass.

    Ellis couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow. It really was just like how Grisella had described it.

    There were many types of demons that existed within this world. Those with blue skin, those with ugly faces, those with red skin, and those with beautiful faces. There were also those with wings, tails, and claws. Diminutive but scheming, strong but dumb, the ones with antlers on their heads and hooves on their feet. Large noses, pointy ears, twenty-seven pairs of eyes, you name it.

    The qualifications of what constituted a demon were varied and often times confusing. The Trolls and Ogres that he sometimes encountered in the forest also qualified as demons, depending on the definition you defined them by.

    There were even some who considered demons to be nothing more than monsters, while there were others who considered humans and the other races of man to be nothing more than a different type of demon. Really, the line was very blurry.

    Most Demons lived in the north, on a peninsula separated by a row of jagged mountains. It was a large mass of land that could qualify as a sub-continent. Many people simply regarded that place as the completely separate entity known as the demon continent.

    Blue Majins were the crude and ugly type. This particular species of demon weren''t very well known, mainly because they usually lived within the demon continent. Going by Grisella¡¯s conjecture, something major had happened, big enough to the point where it drove these guys out of their territory.

    What¡¯s more, if a sub-species as home-bodied as the Blue Majins were driven out, then many more might have experienced the same thing. It was a mass exodus.

    Of course, Ellis could hardly care about any of this right now. He glanced up.

    The dim world was illuminated by the orange glow of the bonfire. At some point, the Troop Captain had gotten his hands on a crude sword. The edges of the blade had long dulled, while the metal had already rusted. Still, it was big, like a snowboard attached to a metal pipe.

    ¡°May the spirits of the nine founding Demon Kings watch over us!¡± He shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°Accept our humble offer and give us the strength to slaughter our enemies!¡±

    With that, he swung down. The rusted blade screeched against the wind. The sword rapidly approached Ellis¡¯s neck, but right at the precipices of impact, something¡­ unexpected occurred.

    BOOM!

    A loud explosion shook the campsite as a cloud of dust suddenly ballooned out in the distance.

 Chapter 61: Interrupting the Execution

    A dull explosion echoed throughout the forest. One of the tents near the back corner of the campsite suddenly collapsed. A column of dust and debris danced in the air. It spread throughout the area like a slow-moving haze.

    For a brief moment, an eerie silence descended onto the forest.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A layer of tension colored everyone¡¯s faces. From the Majins in the crowd to the Captain in the center, all of their focus diverted towards the source of the explosion. In fact, they were so preoccupied that none of them had noticed that the rusted metal sword actually snapped in two the very moment it met with Ellis¡¯s neck.

    As for the man himself, he merely let out an uncomfortable frown. Ellis could feel it. An invisible pressure. A stuffy aura. Killing intent. It was tangible and fairly large.

    Much to his surprise, the killing intent had not been directed towards him. Instead, it swept through the area like a broad-stroked paint brush. Whatever this thing was, it wasn¡¯t here for him.

    If it¡¯s not here for me, then it can¡¯t be the calamity-class monster¡­ and if it¡¯s not the calamity-class monster, then that leaves only one other option¡­

    A strange glint flashed through his eyes. Ellis decided to go with a wait-and-see approach. He withdrew his wandering thoughts and attentively watched. The silence around him was almost deafening. He could hear nothing but the sound of crackling fire.

    Then came the footsteps.

    At first, they were faint. A slow and steady rhythm barely audible to the ears. As time passed and the seconds slowly ticked by, the footsteps gradually grew louder.

    By this point, the Majin Captain finally snapped out of his daze. The killing intent had momentarily dulled his mind. It was similar to his experience with the wolves. In that exchange alone, Redrick had been thoroughly mentally subdued. Dangerous. His current situation was extremely dangerous.

    Suppressing his worries deep within his heart, he put on a brave front and suddenly pointed to a few of the Majins within the crowd.

    ¡°You, you, and you. God and see what stupid monster dares to barge into our camp.¡±

    The Majins naturally hesitated. An unknown enemy always brought on the greatest fears. Still, they could not blatantly disobey their captain¡¯s order, especially not in front of so many people. The three unfortunate souls swallowed down their fears and plunged into the cloud of dust with a resounding battle cry.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A few seconds later, a different sort of scream echoed through the air.

    Wet and visceral, it was a sound that could only be produced during an experience of great suffering. Even after the screams eventually died down, the last few notes still lingered in the air like a quiet specter.

    The Majin Captain narrowed his eyes. Sweat accumulated on his back and dripped down to the side of his arm. He looked over towards his left hand. For some reason, his sword was broken.

    Unfortunately, he did not have the luxury to think about it any further. He let out an ugly scowl before he threw away the rusted blade and looked off into the distance.

    As the dust dissipated, the silhouette of a young woman soon came to view. She was fit and athletic, with lines of muscle that extended out to all parts of her body. Judging solely by her face and figure, the woman was probably in her early to mid-thirties.

    She held a spear nearly twice her size in one hand. Three bodies hung limply from the spear¡¯s jagged blade. The woman did not seem to mind the weight. She moved with a certain grace and held her spear with the same stability as a man holding a barbeque skewer.

    With an eerily calm expression on her face, she suddenly swung her spear in a wide arc. As if propelled by some invisible force, the corpses dislodged from the blade and zipped through the air.

    They were airborne for a good five seconds. Like giant, bleeding bullets, they flew past Ellis¡¯s head and landed directly into the bonfire.

    CRASH!

    The fire, in turn, responded to the new kindling with an excited roar. The flames climbed higher and higher, while glowing embers scattered throughout the area. After the fire¡¯s excitement died down, the sound of crackling flesh and the smell of burnt muscle tissue wafted through the air.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For a time, nobody said a word.

    Unperturbed by the silence, the woman continued her slow approach. Step by step, she drew even closer to the center of the campsite.

    Amidst all his rising emotions, the Captain carefully scrutinized the young woman. Her most noticeably traits were her ears and tail.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    A squirrel.

    Once he came to this realization, his earlier panic subsided. A somewhat amused smile twisted his lips.

    ¡°Another squirrel? She seems a little bit stronger than the others, but¡­¡± he inwardly shook his head. For a moment, he even felt slight pity for the girl. Of course, such a thing lasted for less than a fraction of a second.

    Redrick licked his lips in anticipation.

    Due to how delicate and easily breakable their bodies were, the Majins were not allowed to touch their captives. Fortunately, this woman was different. A warrior, what¡¯s more, a strong warrior. As long as he piled up enough contribution, then surely the Boss would give him a suitable reward. Even if it¡¯s only for a single night, he couldn¡¯t help but get excited.

    The young woman did not notice the sudden change in the captain¡¯s expression.

    For a brief instant, Ellis and the woman met eyes.

    The woman frowned. She made an expression as if she couldn¡¯t quite understand what exactly it was, she was looking at.

    ¡°I felt¡­ danger?¡± She mumbled to herself. Without a doubt, it had originated from that guy over there. The young man with his hands tied behind his back. He was currently kneeling on a wooden platform. He smiled a pleasant smile. Aside from his grey hair, he did not really look all that impressive.

    ¡°Was I wrong?¡± The sense of danger had only lasted for less than a fraction of a second. The frown on her face deepened. Had she imagined it? She was someone who trusted her instincts above all else, but the current situation was simply too abnormal. No matter what, she couldn¡¯t believe it!

    She mulled over the matter for a few more seconds before she shook her head in annoyance and turned her attention back over to the rest of the camp.

    Majins. As far as the eye could see, Majins everywhere. It was a number that had surpassed one thousand.

    She looked around, but ultimately, she could not see any squirrels.

    ¡°Where is my nephew?¡± The woman asked in a cold voice.

    ¡°Nephew?¡± The Majin Captain tilted his head. After a moment of thought, he stated, ¡°if he was a warrior, then there is no point looking for him. He is already dead.¡±

    He chuckled to himself.

    The woman, Farma-Wrynn, did not like that response. Without hesitation, she immediately lobbed her spear towards the broad-shouldered Majin.

    In response, the Captain snorted. By now, he had shaken off almost all of his earlier fears.

    He quickly grabbed a nearby Majin.

    ¡°Sir, what are you¡ª¡± before the Majin could finish, the Captain brought him forward.

    The Majin¡¯s eyes widened in realization. Right now, he was being used as a meat shield!

    He squirmed and struggled to escape the Captain¡¯s grip. Unfortunately, his efforts were all in vain. With one last heart-wrenching scream, the poor Majin was impaled by the spear. The blade¡¯s edge penetrated his heart. It killed him a few seconds later.

    ¡°Guh¡­¡± The Majin Captain coughed up a mouthful of blood.

    His face crinkled into an ugly grimace. He looked down. ¡°The spear¡­¡±

    The meat shield was useless! It had penetrated the soldier¡¯s body and came out the other end. Despite all that, it still had enough momentum to strike the Captain¡¯s chest.

    Luckily, most of the force was lost, courtesy of the meat shield. The spear did not hurt him too severely. In fact, it only traveled about six-inches deep and arrived in a skewed angle. It was not enough to kill or seriously injure him, but that did not give him any comfort.

    A chill ran down the Captain¡¯s spine. He took a step back and hoarsely shouted, ¡°Call the Leader! We have an intruder! You pieces of shit, stop standing there and attack!¡±

    Chaos immediately erupted. Despite Farma-Wrynn¡¯s astonishing display of strength, the Majins were unintimated. After all, what could one person do in the face of thousands?

    The Majins rushed forward. They threw themselves at her like waves of blue-skinned ants. The Majin Captain then took this opportunity to escape. Underneath the protective blanket of chaos, he ran out in search of the real leader.

    Farma-Wrynn could only watch as the Captain escaped. A wave of boiling anger seethed within her heart.

    She tightly clenched her fists until her knuckles turned pale white.

    ¡°Fine, I was planning on killing everyone here anyway¡­¡± Despite the charging army, she showed neither fear nor hesitation. Farma-Wrynn cocked her hand back. The veins on her arms and shoulder throbbed. A few seconds passed and the first Majin quickly entered within range.

    She punched out.

    BANG!

    The poor soldier quite literally exploded. Blood red liquid and chunks of mangled meat scattered everywhere.

    Farma-Wrynn was not yet satisfied. She took another step forward and punched again.

    BANG!

    This time, a Majin¡¯s entire shoulder was blown clean off. An unearthly scream echoed through her ears. She did not even flinch as she quickly finished the job and killed the man. To her, there was nothing unique or surprising about the man¡¯s death.

    She was used to such violent scenes. Her way of fighting was messy and brutal. It was an explosive brand of martial arts that utilized both physical strength and inner energy.

    Like a mad man, she continually swung her fists.

    BANG! BANG! BANG!

    Explosion after explosion, meat shower after meat shower. With each successive kill, her skin was dyed an even deeper shade of crimson.

    Despite all the deaths, the Majins did not back down. They still held a superiority in numbers. They continued their attack. Crude metal weapons flashed through the air.

    Farma weaved in and out of the blades. Her footsteps were light and nimble, like a red feather amidst a turbulent windstorm.

    Everywhere she went, someone would die. Incomplete bodies continually piled up all around her. At some point, she had somehow managed to commandeer a sword from her enemies. Using their own weapon against them, she ruthlessly hacked and slashed.

    At this point, Ellis sat up. Carnage. Chaos. Confusion. Everyone was so focused in on the new intruder that they had completely forgotten about him. Even in a situation like this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit indignant. His limelight was suddenly stolen away by this crazy woman.

    Ellis shook his head. He hesitated for a moment before he snapped his restraints off.

    He rubbed his sore (not really) wrists and thought about what to do next.

    Should I help her?

    Even someone as strong as that had a limit. Unless she was a complete freak of nature like Ellis, then surely a thousand opponents would eventually wear her down.

    Just as he seriously considering helping, the ground suddenly began to shake.

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis narrowed his eyes.

    It was different from last time. The momentary tremble that the squirrel woman had caused felt like child¡¯s play in comparison to the current earthquake. This was harsher, and it lasted for a longer span of time.

    The ground beneath his feet cracked. The tents all around him also collapsed, a few of them sank to the floor like monkeys in quicksand. The bonfire too, the carefully arranged logs toppled to the floor like giant Jenga pieces. The flames and loose embers continually spread throughout the area with each second that passed.

    In a blink of an eye, the campsite was set ablaze.

    At this time, a dreadfully heavy pressure descended. It caused everyone¡¯s bodies to freeze up and their lungs to hyperventilate.

    Fear. An instinctive fear.

    Ellis raised his head. He looked over towards the river. The water violently churned. From deep beneath the water¡¯s surface, he could vaguely make out a large shadow.

    ¡°It¡¯s here¡­¡± For the first time, a serious expression morphed his face.

    The Calamity-Class Monster had finally arrived.

 Chapter 62: A Calamity-Class Threat

    From the river emerged a giant head.

    It was shaped like a torpedo, with a sharp nose and narrow facial features. A snake or maybe a worm. It was honestly quite difficult to tell. As the creature stepped onto the shore, Ellis noticed that it had more than one tail.

    Like a traditional serpent, it had no limbs, but as if to make up for that, it had several tails. More than a thousand, in fact. Of course, Ellis had difficulty counting, what with all the wriggling and nonstop movement going on.

    The creature had pink, flesh-colored skin, but the skin itself was not the texture of regular skin nor was it the texture of scales. It was odd. It shimmered like the water¡¯s surface but moved as if it was a hotdog coated in honey.

    Despite the somewhat stuffy aura that threatened to suffocate him. Ellis couldn¡¯t help but gawk at the thing. He had never seen anything so odd before. Even amidst the myriad of monsters that this world had to offer, this thing was certainly one of the weirder ones.

    Everyone stood in frozen shock. It wasn¡¯t that they did not want to move, but rather, they couldn¡¯t. It was the natural suppression of a higher-tiered existence. Even Ellis found it a bit difficult to breathe, much less these guys.

    The creature soon reached the shore. It slithered on the ground in an S-shaped motion. It moved like an eel swimming within the depths of the ocean.

    It raised its ugly head high. For the first time, Ellis noticed its eyes. Again, it was weird. There was no clear distinction of where its eyes ended and its face began. It vaguely reminded him of a half-melted wax sculpture that he had once seen at an open-air museum.

    Ugly¡­ this thing is so damn ugly¡­ He silently thought to himself.

    It was like a walking, bending, slippery skyscraper brought to life.

    For a split second, the creature met eyes with him. Or at least, that¡¯s what it felt like. Ellis reflexively tensed his body.

    One, two, ten seconds of silence passed.

    Then, chaos broke out.

    ****

    Rewinding the clock back by a few minutes, fear and tension permeated throughout the cave prison.

    After Ellis had left, Grisella hid the bodies within her spatial satchel. She even went as far as to clean the cavern using magic. By the end of it, the cavern looked spick and spotless, almost as if three Majins had not just suffered a gruesome death at the hands of a single grey-haired youth.

    A little while later, the Squirrels also came back out from hiding, although their return was not met with the type of quiet fanfare that they had wanted.

    The faint tremors of the first explosion still haunted their minds. It was gone now, but their imaginations couldn¡¯t help but concoct various scenarios and speculations.

    What had happened out there? What was that explosion? Did something happen to the Majins?

    Amidst all the dreary faces and trembling shoulders, only one person showed a different reaction.

    Hal-Wrynn¡¯s expression eased. The little boy breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s my aunt! That was definitely her. She probably just arrived. Maybe it¡¯s not too late to save Ellis!¡±

    The little boy had been especially down in the dumps after noticing Ellis¡¯s absence. The sudden revelation of his aunt¡¯s revival brought him back to normal.

    Grisella nodded her head in agreement. Like him, she too was not overly concerned about the threat that the Majins possessed. Still, her brow remained locked in a deep crease. Her lips frowned while her grip on her broomstick tightened until her knuckles turned pale. A deep worry had overtaken her rational mind.

    I can feel it¡­ a giant wave of magical power. It¡¯s drawing closer and closer¡­

    Unbeknownst to anyone within this campsite, the face of true danger was rapidly approaching.

    Inspired by Hal¡¯s excited words, the elderly woman, Mela-Lock, excitedly moved closer to the entrance. For the first time, a little bit of color returned to her cheeks. ¡°A-are you serious? Farma¡ª your aunt, is she really here?¡±

    The excitement in her voice was almost palpable.

    Hal-Wrynn hesitated. He was not used to communicating with the other villagers. Aside from his aunt and Ama-Lear, nobody really bothered to talk to him. The stigma that hung over his head was simply too strong.

    Of course, his current situation was somewhat different from his usual routine.

    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± The boy eventually nodded. ¡°She¡¯s here. Without a doubt, she¡¯s here.¡±

    Mela-Lock nodded her head. Her shoulders still shook, but this time, it was not because of fear. ¡°Then, should we launch our own counter-attack and stage a rebellion? At the very least, we need to prevent ourselves from becoming a liability.¡±

    Despite playing captive for several months, Mela-Lock showed a surprising amount of boldness. In the first place, no matter what, she was still a squirrel. Her village¡¯s warrior spirit still lingered within her damaged heart. In the past, she was drowned by the feeling of crushing inevitability. Now, something had changed. Hope. Small as it may be, there was finally a light at the end of her tunnel.

    The rest of the captives mirrored her reaction. They enthusiastically agreed to her plan. Like Mela, they too had seen the light and they were not about to let it slip away.

    Mela-Lock turned to Grisella. ¡°Miss Lorelei, please, you have to help us.¡± Having the will to do something was different from having the ability to act on it. No matter how motivated she may be, breaking free from this prison was still a nigh-impossible task for her.

    Just as the solitary witch was about to say something, the ground once again trembled.

    ¡°This is?¡± A sudden sense of unease welled up within her heart.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The second tremor was noticeably stronger than the first and with each passing second, it only seemed to grow stronger. Panic quickly ensued within the tunnel.

    CRACK!

    A dreadfully foreboding sound echoed through her ears. She looked up. Grisella watched in horror as the cavern walls cracked and splintered. After a few seconds, the entire roof collapsed in on itself!

    BOOM!

    They were all buried underneath all the dirt and debris. Luckily, the squirrels were a rather resilient race. A collection of hardened earth was far from enough to kill. After the dust had settled, they quickly dug themselves out.

    Their heads poked out from the ground like disheveled meerkats. They looked around their surroundings with great fear and confusion. Their earlier enthusiasm had all but dwindled.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Another earthquake?¡±

    ¡°Why so suddenly?¡±

    Amidst their panic, Grisella eventually excavated her way out from the destroyed tunnel.

    Unlike the rest of the prisoners, there was no dirt on her face nor were there pebbles in her hair. In fact, she looked as prim and proper as the moment the Majins had thrown her into the cavern.

    Her magic artifact had certainly been put to work. Before the initial collapse, she somehow managed to cocoon herself within a layer of straw. As a result, she had escaped danger relatively unharmed.

    She breathed out a shaky sigh. Her mind was rapidly spinning with all sorts of thoughts and calculations. Did the calamity-class monster finally arrive? What sort of countermeasures should she prepare? Should she contact Ellis? In the first place, where the hell was he right now?

    Those sorts of questions buzzed around within her skull.

    Amidst all of this, she abruptly raised her head.

    Nobody knew who, but somebody suddenly shouted, ¡°Look, over there!¡±

    The crowd turned towards the river.

    They immediately saw it. The face of true danger. The face of true fear. The face of real, unrivaled power.

    It was an incongruous sight. An ugly snake with over a thousand tails. Its skin was flesh and a small layer of gelatinous liquid coated its entire body.

    Grisella had never seen something quite so horrific.

    Not even a second later, an oppressive aura spread throughout the surroundings.

    Her shoulders instinctively trembled in fear. Outside of its grotesque appearance, the pressure that it exuded was enough to turn her legs into jelly.

    Can Ellis really handle such a creature? Despite asking herself that question, deep down, she already knew the answer.

    No. No, he could not.

    ****

    The creature¡¯s tentacle-like tails rushed forward.

    They moved erratically, independent of the main body. It was as if they had a life of their own.

    One tail, in particular, approached him. It maneuvered through the air with the speed of a bullet. A blurry pink bullet as thick as a log.

    BANG!

    Ellis jumped back as a rush of wind buffeted against his body. The tail slammed into the ground like a hammer against an anvil. He had barely avoided the hit.

    The grey-haired homunculus breathed out a sigh. He subconsciously narrowed his eyes. In that brief exchange, Ellis had noticed many things.

    The tails really were like tentacles. Unlike what you might expect, they were not covered in a layer of scales like a lizard¡¯s. Instead, they came off as wet and elastic. It was more akin to a worm, but calling it that would also be inaccurate. A thin layer of transparent film coated its entire body. What¡¯s more, the tails could extend far past what should normally be possible.

    That attack just now, it had happened while the main body was still close to the river. The tail alone had traveled a distance of more than seven hundred meters just to get to him!

    As Ellis scrutinized his new opponent, the tails continued to wreak havoc all over the campsite. The Majins took the brunt of the violence. They were swatted and stomped; the creature treated them no differently than a bunch of buzzing house flies.

    So much for Grisella¡¯s original plan¡­

    Rather than serve as a distraction, the Majins were more akin to an afterthought than anything else.

    Each individual tail contained a tremendous amount of power. One hit was enough to kill and cripple. In addition, to their horror, those who came in contact with a tail would start to melt. The slimy film that covered the snake¡¯s body was actually acidic! Judging by the trail of destruction that it left behind, the acid only worked on biological life forms. The ground and the tents were unaffected.

    Unperturbed by all the horrific screams around him, the flesh-colored serpent continued forward. It moved lethargically, with the same sort of enthusiasm as a slug. All the while, its tails recklessly attacked with abandon.

    In a blink of an eye, nearly half of the Majins had died.

    Nevertheless, it kept moving. Slowly, inch by inch, the Calamity-class monster approached. Its destination? Ellis.

    How the hell should I do this? Ellis mumbled to himself. After the first initial attack, thecreature did not try again. Instead, it was biding its time. Was it observing him? Or did it already make a prior judgment based on that one interaction alone?

    Whether this creature really had such foresight, Ellis did not know. As for him, to the surprise of no one around, he had not made any prior preparations. Should I just¡­ run up and punch it to death?

    That¡­ that did not sound like a good idea. Such an easy solution would not possibly work, right? Then again, that¡¯s always been how he operated and up until now, his method of doing things had never once failed.

    Well, there¡¯s really only one way to find out.

    He tightly clenched his fists.

    He hesitated for a split second before he sprinted forward. The ground beneath his feet splintered from the force.

    In a blink of an eye, no, even faster than that, he was already in front of it. He reared his arm back and aimed directly for its head. Ellis punched out.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The wind scraped against his knuckles. The earth once again shattered beneath his feet. He had made sure to put his all into that blow, but much to his dismay, Ellis did not feel the familiar satisfaction of punching against tangible flesh.

    He couldn¡¯t help but frown. He looked down. His frown only deepened. To his surprise, his hand had fully penetrated through its skin. Unfortunately, it did not bleed, crack, or show any signs of damage. Aside from a large ripple that traveled across the surface of its skin, there was virtually no other change.

    What the¡­

    Water. It felt like he had punched a thicker, more viscous version of water!

    Before he could think any further, a terrifying force suddenly slammed into him. It had been one of the tails. Fortunately, he was able to retract his hand and block the incoming blow. Still, the force was strong enough to lift him off his feet. He zipped through the air for a few seconds before he skidded along the ground like a skipped pebble on a lake.

    BANG!

    He came to a stop roughly two hundred meters away. There was a small crater around him. His entire back was firmly embedded into the ground.

    ¡°How the hell am I supposed to fight this thing?¡± Ellis mumbled to himself. That had definitely been his strongest punch, but it went through the creature like it was nothing. He shook his head. ¡°If this keeps up, no matter how hard I hit it, it won¡¯t matter!¡±

    If that thing¡¯s constitution really was like water, then his brute strength was useless!

    It was comparable to firing a pistol at the bottom of the ocean. No matter how fast or how much force is behind the shot, it won¡¯t affect the water. The water might get displaced for a few seconds, but it will eventually come back together and return to normal.

    Useless! His brand of cheat was utterly useless against this thing!

    Ellis was quite thoroughly stumped.

    Just then, he suddenly noticed something. There was a slight tingling sensation on his arm. He looked down.

    His skin was melting

    ¡°Fuck!¡± He exclaimed in shock. It was the same arm that he had punched and blocked with! The creature¡¯s acid was melting his flesh at around the same speed as his body was regenerating. It did not cause damage per se, but it definitely wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience.

    He thought for a moment. Without hesitation, he suddenly grabbed his upper arm and pulled!

    From the shoulder down, Ellis tore off his entire arm and discarded it on the ground beside him. In the blink of an eye, the acid ate away at the arm. It melted into a pool of pink gush.

    As for the stump on his shoulder, bone and muscle quickly regenerated.

    His cheat-like regeneration once again proved its convenience, but Ellis was not at all happy.

    ¡°¡­ If that shit were to get on my head, would I have to cut off my own head? In the first place, can I even regrow a head?¡± All sorts of worries plagued his heart.

    Ellis¡¯s shoulders sagged.

    Fighting this thing was next to impossible. At the very least, for him it was. Still, he wasn¡¯t one to give up so easily. After one last tired sigh, Ellis promptly picked himself back up.

    He readied himself for another bothersome battle.

 Chapter 63: A Calamity-Class Threat Part 2

    Somewhere within the depths of Ilpin Forest, a group of wolves abruptly raised their heads. Their chilly eyes stared off into the distance.

    An earthquake. Although it was faint, thanks to their supernatural perception, they had still managed to pick up on it.

    ¡°Grr¡­¡± One of the wolves let out a low growl. It was a small black wolf with a white discoloration on its left ear. Despite its small frame, the black wolf commanded the crowd like a natural-born leader.

    Of course, the wolf was none other than Wight.

    She paced back and forth, often times stopping just to stare off into the distance. A perpetual furrow contorted her brow. It was an extremely human-like expression of concern. The other wolves showed a similar reaction, although they were not as antsy as Wight.

    As for Ena, she leisurely sat on top of Plush¡¯s head. Her eyes were closed, but all nine of her tails were stiff and raised. Despite her current lackadaisical appearance, she maintained a constant state of vigilance.

    After Ellis had told them to leave, the group of super-powered animals did exactly that. They fled to a spot in the forest that was not too far, yet not too close from the Majin¡¯s campsite. Like this, they were prepared to regroup at any moment.

    While they still didn¡¯t know why they ran, the wolves were not the type to pointlessly argue. Ellis was the strongest, their leader. His instructions came above all else.

    Wight stared fixedly in the direction of the campsite for a long time. After a while, she couldn¡¯t help but yawn. The early tension gradually disappeared, but it was replaced with a familiar sense of monotony.

    Waiting like this was boring, especially when nothing happened. In order to alleviate their ever-increasing boredom, the wolves decided to kill the time by playing board games. Right now, the current game was Othello.

    The wolves played amongst themselves. Umbra vs Cocoa, Cinder vs Cobalt, that sort of thing. Wight was matched with Plush, although in reality, it was more like a two versus one. Ena would occasionally step in and interfere with Plush¡¯s decisions.

    Despite the disadvantage, Wight was actually winning. After all, out of everyone within the group, she was the best at Othello. Still, it was a pretty close match.

    After having a few too many of her advances continually blocked, Ena¡¯s aloof fa?ade started to crack. The frustration within her bubbled up like a soon-to-erupt geyser.

    She opened one of her eyes and scrutinized the board. Just as she was about to move a black piece, a heavy aura swept through the area.

    ¡°!¡±

    Ena recoiled in surprise. Wight¡¯s shoulders trembled, while her head instinctively lowered. After a few seconds, the pressure subsided.

    Wight did not recognize the aura. It was overbearing and dangerous. The strongest being that she knew of was her master, Ellis, but he did not really emit much of a pressure. His very presence was comparable to a ghost or maybe air. Unless you saw him in action, most people would have a hard time believing his true strength.

    This was different. It was something that she had never experienced before. It was far, far worse than the time she first encountered a dragon. Just lifting her head up took a considerable amount of willpower. The other wolves had an even harder time managing. It felt as if their bodies were submerged in a sticky layer of tar.

    Wild animals were far more sensitive to killing intent than most humans. Even against beast-men, the difference was apparent. Wight and the wolves faced a far greater mental suppression than the people within the campsite.

    Still, she swallowed her fear and resisted against the pressure. Wight could vaguely make out the general direction of the aura. It was coming from the same place that her precious master had gone to!

    Even if he was strong, everyone had their limits.

    If there was even a 0.0000001% possibility that Ellis was in trouble¡­ the little wolf shivered. Tears of frustration welled up within her almond-shaped eyes. Wight was prepared to throw her life away just for the uncertain possibility of saving her master!

    By the time she mustered up the strength to free herself from the aura¡¯s control, ten full minutes had passed. She briefly looked around her surroundings. To her surprise, a certain nine-tailed fox had long disappeared.

    ****

    BANG!

    BANG!

    BANG!

    Ellis arched across the air like a glorious rainbow. After a few seconds, he crashed through an already collapsed tent.

    Tossed and flung around like some sort of broken ragdoll, for the first time in a long time, he felt utterly helpless.

    Whenever he went on the attack, the creature¡¯s body would transform to take on a water-like consistency. Punching it was meaningless and every time he tried, the only thing he¡¯d get was a consolation prize in the form of an acid bath. On the other hand, whenever it attacked him, the creature¡¯s appendages would harden. It reminded him of the time someone struck him in the back with a metal bat. He had been a child back then, and the resulting bruise did not go away for three weeks.

    The creature¡¯s tails were similar, except they hurt a hell of a lot more and came with added acid damage.

    Ellis had a durable body, so it wasn¡¯t like the damage was permanent, but¡­ it was frustrating. He couldn¡¯t do anything. He was stuck. He was stuck in an inescapable stalemate.

    Despite his continued failure, Ellis was stubborn. He still wanted to fight.

    He quickly picked himself up before he jumped back a couple of hundred meters away from the creature. Ellis did not recklessly attack like last before. This time, he decided to first observe the thing.

    It kept it sights locked on him, but other than that, it made no attempt to attack. Well, that wasn¡¯t quite accurate. It had every intention of attacking, just that, it couldn¡¯t be bothered.

    The creature still moved towards him, but it moved at a lethargically slow pace. It was similar to a snail. In fact, after their initial exchange, the creature¡¯s enthusiasm plummeted. It had no sense of urgency nor any motivation, almost as if it had long stopped seeing Ellis as a threat.

    At this point, It was more akin to a natural force. A hurricane or a tornado. Something that brought on great destruction everywhere it visited.

    Even if the main body did not do any work, the same could not be said about its tails. More than a thousand of them. At least, that was his estimate. He hadn¡¯t actually counted. The tails moved like a violent wind. They tore through the place with ferocity, leaving small craters and acidic meat slush in their wake.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°I need to find a way to hit this damn thing.¡± He muttered to himself. ¡°Is this thing a slime? It kind of acts like one. If it is a slime, then does it have some sort of core within its body?¡± Ellis was almost certain that he was on the right track. ¡°Is that it? Do I need to slice this thing open and check for myself?¡±

    It was unfortunate, but unlike traditional slimes, this snake-like creature did not have transparent skin. If there really was a core, and if he really wanted to find that core, then he would have to dive straight into its jelly body and look for it himself.

    Ellis was naturally hesitant to do so. After all, getting acid all over his face and eyes definitely wasn¡¯t a good idea.

    ¡°¡­ then, can I burn it? Will something like fire work?¡± As he kept theorizing, he noticed that all the noise and the carnage around him had significantly decreased.

    At a glance, the reason was quite apparent; there were simply fewer people for the creature to kill.

    By this point, nearly all of the Majins were dead. Those that were still alive had already fled into the forest a long time ago.

    Just then, something moved within the corner of his eye. Looking around, it was a familiar person. The woman who originally chased Hal-Wrynn around in the Commerce Square. Farma-Wrynn. She was pretty strong.

    Once again, the two locked eyes. The woman hesitated before she approached. Farma-Wrynn glanced warily at the beast. Luckily, it showed no particular interest in her. The creature¡¯s eyes were solely locked onto Ellis. In fact, the entire battle was like that. The young man was its only target; everyone else was just collateral damage.

    She walked towards him with trembling shoulders. During the ensuing chaos, she had somehow managed to hide beneath a collapsed tent. It had taken her a while to get over the creature¡¯s natural suppression.

    In that time, she had watched Ellis¡¯s fight with rapt attention. Although the grey-haired youth¡¯s efforts were all futile, she did have to admit¡­ he looked cool.

    ¡°You are a commendable warrior.¡± Those were her first words to him.

    Ellis tilted his head in confusion.

    ¡°Strong,¡± she whispered. ¡°You are strong, far stronger than me, but that thing,¡± she pointed to the creature, ¡°it is even stronger than you.¡±

    Farma-Wrynn shook her head in dismay. ¡°I cannot fight it. At my state, I would be no different from an insect. To think that such a thing existed underneath the water¡¯s surface¡­ how very frightening.¡±

    She self-deprecatingly laughed at herself. ¡°Even if I wanted to fight, I couldn¡¯t. Look,¡± she showed him her hands. They were trembling. ¡°Even after so long, I am still too afraid. For a warrior, fear is okay, but fear to the point of immobility¡­ there is no greater shame.

    ¡°You are different. Even though you are clearly outmatched, you still kept trying. You are indeed a good warrior.¡±

    Being met with such unbridled praise, all he could really do was nod. Still, inwardly Ellis couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit bitter. Why are you declaring that I¡¯m already destined to lose? Are you hear to praise me or bring me down?

    Just as she was about to say something else, something caught her eye. Farma-Wrynn turned towards the far corner of the ruined campsite. Ellis naturally followed her gaze.

    He saw a squirrel with fair skin. She was small and skinny, if not a bit cute. He immediately recognized her. It was Lisbeth, the Tribal chief¡¯s assistant.

    Lisbeth frantically waved her hand at Farma-Wrynn from a distance.

    Naturally, Farma-Wrynn ignored her. Instead, she turned towards another direction. This time, her eyes lit up.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you¡­¡± she mumbled to herself in an almost inaudible tone. Of course, Ellis had heard her loud and clear.

    Just before she left, she turned back to him and stated, ¡°As a fellow warrior, here is a word of advice: you cannot win against that thing.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis did not respond.

    ¡°I can see it in your eyes. The will to fight. It is not worth it. Don¡¯t throw your life away for something so hopeless. You cannot fight against that thing. It is better to just run. After all, no amount of warrior spirit will help you today.¡± She bitterly shook her head. ¡°There is no shame in running from a flood. Such an existence cannot be matched by mere men alone.¡±

    With that, the purported second strongest squirrel in the village sprinted off towards a certain corner of the campsite.

    It was then that Ellis caught sight of Grisella. She was coming from the same place that Farma-Wrynn was currently heading towards.

    The solitary witch rode on her magic broom. She floated towards him and quickly grabbed his hand. She tugged. ¡°Ells, let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t fight this thing.¡±

    She had made a grave miscalculation. A calamity-class monster was already a terrible opponent to have, but this kind of monster was practically Ellis¡¯s hard counter. She could not possibly imagine a single scenario in which he came out on top.

    ¡°Do you know what it is?¡± Ellis asked.

    She hesitated for a moment before she nodded. ¡°Yes¡­ if I¡¯m right, then it should be a variation of a slime.¡±

    ¡°A slime?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow. As expected, those blob-like beings exist within this world too.

    ¡°Slimes are a diverse race. They normally have an amorphous form, but some sub-species have the ability to mimic other shapes and organisms.¡± Grisella explained. ¡°This thing is a sub-species that can transform into other living beings. I think that the form it has now is something similar. It was copied from somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Then, you¡¯re saying that there¡¯s actually something that looks like that?¡± Ellis was thoroughly shocked. A snake with a thousand tails was definitely not a very well-thought-out design. He could only shake his head at whatever deity thought up such a thing.

    She nodded her head. ¡°I actually recognize it. If I¡¯m not mistaken, then that thing is a Petal Eel. It normally lives in the bottom of the river.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Of course, the biggest ones only reach up to the size of a human. I¡¯m afraid that its current size is completely the result of the slime itself.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Its size was indeed causing him a fair bit of trouble. ¡°So, it¡¯s a slime? A bit surprising, but it¡¯s something that I already considered. More importantly, how do I kill it?¡±

    ¡°Are you still planning on fighting?¡± Grisella¡¯s lips morphed into a frown.

    Ellis simply nodded. He did not elaborate any further.

    She shook her head and tugged on his hand even harder. ¡°You can¡¯t win! We need to leave now before it really starts getting serious.¡± She glanced back at the creature. The Slime¡¯s hollow eyes languidly stared at them. It made no attempt to attack. It simply waited there, its tails occasionally flicking through the air like cracking whips.

    ¡°Enough already,¡± he broke free from her grasp and stared at her with a penetrating glare. ¡°Just tell me how, I don¡¯t care about anything else.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± After a few seconds of silence, she breathed out a defeated sigh. ¡°Slimes are impervious to physical damage. Unless you can completely smash its entire body into thousands upon thousands of small pieces, then physical attacks are completely and utterly useless. Even with your strength, you won¡¯t be able to do such a thing. In the first place, it¡¯s not a matter of strength, but rather, the size difference is simply too large.¡±

    Ellis couldn¡¯t help but nod his head. She was right. Even if he had limitless strength, the size of his fist was too small.

    ¡°You can also break its core.¡± Grisella abruptly added. ¡°Normal slimes have transparent bodies, so breaking their core is easy, but unfortunately, this thing does not. If you want to break its core, you¡¯ll need to find it first and in order to do that, you¡¯ll have to go inside and look for it yourself. What¡¯s more, a slime of this level definitely has the ability to move its core.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that finding the core itself is a near impossible task.¡±

    Ellis¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°So, I really am out of options?¡±

    Grisella hesitated. ¡°¡­ the other way is magic, but you don¡¯t have that.¡±

    ¡°Magic?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Yes. Fire, lightning, and ice magic are all effective on this thing.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Right now, Ellis felt truly vexed. Magic was his one and only sore spot. No matter how much strength he possessed, it was impossible for him to sense mana, much less cast spells. Just as he was about to drown in his own despair, he suddenly heard a familiar cry. It originated from somewhere deep within the forest.

    ¡°Kyu!¡±

    Ellis turned around. He watched as a certain nine-tailed fox broke through the tree-line and dashed towards them. He quietly noted that Wight and the wolves were not here.

    Ena rushed forward and jumped up onto his shoulders. She looked back at the calamity-class monster with half curiosity and half fear.

    After a few seconds, Ena turned towards him and let out a resolute bark. ¡°Kyu! Kyu!¡±

    Ellis shook his head. The prospect of Ena somehow getting hurt sapped away at a large portion of his earlier determination. ¡°We have to go. It¡¯s unfortunate, but I can¡¯t beat this thing.¡± It was regrettable. It was truly regrettable! He hadn¡¯t technically lost, but neither could he eke out a win. Nothing was more frustrating than a stalemate.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena shook her head and barked out.

    ¡°What?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow. He motioned to shake his head again, but he was immediately interrupted.

    ¡°Kyu! Kyu!¡±

    ¡°Even then, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Kyu!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Kyu? Kyu kyu, kyu.¡±

    ¡°Still¡­¡±

    ¡°Kyu! Kyu!¡±

    Such an exchange took place between the pair of homunculus and fox. Grisella could only watch in the sidelines, only really understanding about a fourth of the total exchange.

    Eventually, a faint smile appeared on Ellis¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Come to think of it, we¡¯ve never really fought together before, have we?¡±

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena confirmed with a bark. She then jumped off his shoulders and hopped onto the crown of his head. Her tails glowed with a fiery brightness. For a moment, it was almost like a halo of light had appeared over Ellis¡¯s head.

    ¡°You two¡­¡± Grisella did not bother to hide her unease. She could tell what the two of them were planning, and suffice to say, she did not like it.

    Ellis did not bother to entertain her worries. Instead, his smile only deepened.

    ¡°Even if I can¡¯t beat it, that doesn¡¯t mean someone else can¡¯t either.¡±

 Chapter 64: A Co-OP Battle

    The air nipped at his skin like a thousand needles.

    Ellis rushed forward. Through the corner of his left eye, he saw a flesh-pink dot. The dot rapidly expanded, until it took up the entirety of his left peripheral vision.

    Before the moment of impact, Ellis twisted his body. He spun on his heels, and instantaneously changed directions.

    BOOM!

    The earth trembled, but he was barely aware of it. A thick, log-like tail slammed against the ground. Ellis had managed to dodge by a hair¡¯s breadth, but he was not out of the woodwork yet.

    Even more tails rained down all around him. Without wasting a single second, he continued forward.

    BOOM!

    BOOM!

    BOOM!

    Rapid explosions dotted his surroundings. As the tails kept missing their mark, dust and debris soon blanketed the air, obscuring his vision.

    Ellis narrowed his eyes. He could feel it, the instinctive feeling of danger rapidly approaching him, but without his vision, he had no way of dodging.

    Just then, a gust of wind swept through the land. In an instant, the dust cleared and Ellis used this opportunity to rush onward.

    Two tails whizzed past his head. He ducked and barely avoided. Another one crashed down in front of him, but Ellis once again kicked his heels and changed directions.

    Slowly but surely, he was closing the distance between him and the monster¡¯s main body.

    When he got within one hundred meters of the creature, the number of tails that attacked him suddenly jumped to the hundreds. Each second became a dangerous battle where one wrong move equated to death.

    Of course, he was not talking about his own death. Unless the acid got on his face, then he could probably recover from anything that the beast decides to throw at him. No, he was not protecting himself, but rather, he was protecting the reliable partner perched on his shoulders.

    ¡°Now¡¯s a good a time as any,¡± Ellis mumbled underneath his breath.

    ¡°Kyu!¡± An affirmative cry whispered in his ears.

    The next second, he felt the temperature rapidly increasing around him.

    Ena¡¯s tails glowed with a fiery sheen. She opened her mouth and from her jaws spurted out a great wave of fire. Since the last time he had seen it, Ena¡¯s fire had improved by a considerable margin. Right now, it took on a shade of scorching white.

    The flaming ball of heat was barely the size of a baseball. It flew through the air faster than a sniper¡¯s bullet. The moment it hit the creature¡¯s body, an orange glow filled the entirety of his vision.

    BOOOM!

    The fireball exploded. In response, the flesh-colored serpent let out a mournful cry that resembled the sound of sloshing water.

    ¡°It worked¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but smile at the scene before him.

    Much to his fortune, fire magic really did work on a slime. With this, the once closed doors that barred off his victory slowly started opening.

    ¡°Good job, Ena. A few more and we should¡ª¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, the calamity-class monster quickly retaliated. One of its tails rapidly expanded like an inflated balloon before it came swinging towards them.

    Ellis hurriedly flattened himself against the ground. He felt a rush of air pass over his head. When he stood back up, to his surprise, he noticed that his shoulder was now empty. Ena was gone.

    Where the hell did she go?

    He looked around and soon found Ena floating a couple of dozen meters above the ground. Her little legs were trembling like willow leaves. She angrily barked at him.

    Unbeknownst to him, when Ellis instinctively dodged the attack, he had completely overlooked his little companion. Luckily, Ena had reacted just in time. She used her wind magic and propelled herself upward, barely avoiding the bloated tail.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for her rapid response, then who knows what might have happened.

    ¡°Kyu! Kyu, kyu, kyu!¡± she let out a string of aggrieved barking.

    Ellis awkwardly scratched his head. All he could do was accept her complaints. After all, it was entirely his fault. For a guy whose only job was to protect, he really was quite bad at it. Just as he was about to apologize, his shoulders slightly tensed.

    Without hesitation, he grabbed onto the scruff of Ena¡¯s neck and quickly jumped back. Half a second later, more than a dozen tails assaulted the spot where he previously stood. They pierced through the air and penetrated the ground like sharpened javelins.

    Ellis did not stop there. As more and more tails rained down from the sky, he continually weaved in and out, dodging everything by the back of his teeth. This time, he made sure to firmly secure Ena. He hugged her close to his chest.

    At the same time, Ena did not just sit idly. She fired off more concentrated fireballs. The moment they met their mark, they exploded and turned the surrounding areas asunder.

    After about thirty seconds of combat, Ellis couldn¡¯t help but raise his brow at such a scene.

    He discreetly glanced down at the little fox in his hands. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡±

    ¡°Kyu!¡± Ena squirmed her head from out of his grasps and raised her nose high in the air. A somewhat familiar, somewhat pompous expression blanketed her face. Even though she couldn¡¯t speak, Ellis immediately understood her thoughts.

    Just then, he tilted his back forward and narrowly avoided an oncoming tail. Unfortunately, although he dodged the first one, he was not prepared for the second. Something suddenly grabbed him from underneath.

    As he was pulled forward, he felt a prickling sensation on his left ankle. Gritting his teeth, he watched from his peripheral as more and more tails closed in on him. His field of view rapidly shrunk as fleshy pink covered his surroundings.

    At that moment, he resolved himself.

    His steely hand clamped down in his left thigh. In one swift motion, he snapped his leg and ripped it right out of its socket.

    The momentum from the first tail sent him flying. Fortunately, it also helped him avoid the onslaught that had almost narrowly enveloped him.

    Ellis hurtled through the air for a few hundred meters before he eventually landed in the river.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    SPLASH!

    Both Ena and Ellis surfaced a few seconds later. He shook his head and let out a wet sigh. He could feel his leg rapidly regenerating, but that did not make him even the slightest bit happy. He stared out into the distance. The slime turned around towards them. Without hesitation, it slithered their way.  This time, it was not as sluggish as before.

    Ellis frowned. Fighting that thing underwater was definitely not a good idea.

    ¡°Ena, quick, give me a foothold!¡± Ellis shouted.

    Ena let out a bark before she hopped onto his head.

    A moment later, the water churned. Wave after wave coalesced around him. It lifted him up off the river. Beneath his feet, he felt something resembling firm gelatin. The river¡¯s surface had solidified.

    His leg was still in the middle of healing, but Ellis did not wait any longer. With his one good foot, he jumped in the air. His minuscule figure rapidly soared to a height of over fifty meters before he began to stall. Just as he was losing momentum, the air beneath his feet suddenly felt a lot more tangible.

    Another foothold, he realized.

    He kicked off again. Like that, he hopped through the air like a frenzied rabbit. All the while, he dodged the oncoming tails that rocketed towards him like surface-to-air missiles.

    Ena also retaliated. In between creating footholds for him, she tirelessly threw down more fireballs at the creature. Thanks to its size, the fireballs easily hit their mark. Unfortunately, it served to only further enrage the monster.

    It¡¯s not working¡­ Ellis frowned.

    The issue wasn¡¯t with Ena¡¯s magic, but rather, with the creature itself. Like Ellis, it too had an insane healing factor. Every time a piece of it was blown off, it would simply just regenerate. No, it was more than that. It was supplementing its body with river water. Ellis caught sight of about a dozen tails that kept the thing connected to the river.

    As long as it was by the river, then this thing would be nearly unkillable.

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡± He grimaced. Although it was unlikely, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Ena, you think you can create something big enough to one-shot that damn thing?¡±

    Ena¡¯s expression soured. She hurriedly shook her head and stared at him like an idiot. It was as if she was saying, ¡®do you know what you¡¯re saying? Is there something wrong with your head!?¡¯

    Ellis breathed out a sigh.

    He silently thought about it for a few minutes, before he recalled back to what Grisella had told him.

    There¡¯s more than one way to kill a slime¡­

    His expressions quickly regained its cool. With a new goal in mind, he once again asked his little partner, ¡°then, the only thing we can do now is find its core. Ena, you think you can find it?¡±

    ¡°Kyu?¡± In response, Ena tilted her head.

    Ellis quickly explained, ¡°there¡¯s something inside that thing¡¯s body. If we can find it, we can destroy it. And if we can destroy it, then we can kill this thing. You¡¯re good at finding things, right?¡± He briefly recalled back to all the times Ena had found suitable targets (monsters) for them.

    ¡°Use that space magic of yours. Don¡¯t pretend like you don¡¯t have it.¡±

    After a few seconds of silence, Ena nodded her head.

    Her tails slowly started to shimmer with a dull purple glow. At the same time, Ellis rapidly plummeted to the ground.

    ¡°Wait, wait¡ª you forgot to create a foothold!¡± Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears. Ellis landed feet first into the ground. The earth cracked beneath his body while a light layer of dust bloomed in the air.

    He let out a strained cough.

    Ellis stared vexingly at his little companion. ¡°So, you can¡¯t use space magic at the same time as other magic, huh?¡±

    For a moment, Ena stopped glowing. She nodded in response.

    Is it an issue with mastery? Maybe space magic is just naturally more difficult than other types of magic¡­ As all sorts of thoughts buzzed through his head, Ellis shook his head in disappointment. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a bit troubling¡­¡±

    He silently thought for a moment. Eventually, he shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well, fine. I¡¯ll think of a way to distract it. You just stay on my shoulders and focus on finding the core.¡±

    Just as he spoke, pink tails slammed down all around him. Every missed attack broke the very earth beneath his feet. It resulted in very uneven footholds.

    Ellis moved. He waltzed between cracked earth to cracked earth, narrowly avoiding each attack. All the while, his head churned.

    He occasionally punched and kicked at it, but as expected, his efforts were all in vain. The only thing he got in return were melting hands and liquified feet. As the second slowly ticked by, the intensity of the bombardment only grew worse.

    ¡°Damn it, all I¡¯ve got going for me is this stupid strength.¡± He grumbled to himself. Normally, he was quite satisfied with his particularly straight-forward set of skills. Unfortunately, being strong did him no favors today.

    Right now, short of juggling boulders and tossing chunks of earth, there really was nothing else he could do with his strength.

    Wait a minute, that might just work!

    He suddenly looked at the ground. Because of the creature¡¯s continuous attacks, the ground had been thoroughly fragmented. It was like looking at a messy puzzle of stone and solidified dirt. To his delight, these chunks of earth were large, with some rivaling the size of a small house.

    Ellis stopped dodging for a moment and bent down. He stabbed his hands in between the cracks and lifted. He picked up a slab of vertical earth that resembled the shape of a school bus. With his previously ¡®useless¡¯ strength, he was able to lift it up as easily as lifting an empty cardboard box.

    Without hesitation, he winded his waist back and threw the slab towards the creature.

    BOOOOM!

    A deafening thud reverberated through the air. Ellis had thrown it with such force that the impact caused the creature¡¯s gelatinous body to scatter and fragment.

    Ellis let out a smile. His stupid idea worked.

    The theory was simple. He utilized the concept of displacement.

    By applying enough force with an object of sufficient size, he was able to successfully displace the creature¡¯s liquid-like body. Because of the scale of his attack, it would take the creature a fair bit of time to reform itself.

    It was a feat he could not replicate with his own two hands.

    The difference lay in size. A good example would be between dropping a pebble into the ocean and dropping a boulder into the ocean.  One clearly produced bigger waves than the other. And like with the ocean, it would take a few seconds for the creature to return to normal.

    While this method may not be able to kill it, it would still work as a suitable distraction.

    Ellis continually threw large chunks of solidified earth.

    The Slime was clearly affected. Flesh like liquid splattered through the air. Its main body continually fluctuated in size. Sometimes large, sometimes small. At some point, its skin began bubbling. It made a sloshing sound, which Ellis interpreted to frustration.

    Ten or so tails suddenly bloated up like a balloon. They more than tripled in size, before they came hurtling towards him like giant pink-colored clubs.

    Ellis quickly reacted. He fiercely stomped on the ground. A chunk of earth flipped upward. The chunk was immediately destroyed by the combined assault of the creature¡¯s tails, but by that point, it was already too late.

    In that split instant, Ellis was now over a hundred meters away from his original position. He once again stomped on the ground. Another chunk of earth flipped upward. This time, Ellis grabbed hold of the chunk and charged forward.

    He used the chunk like a shield and ran straight towards the creature¡¯s main body. Numerous tails tried to stop him, but his forward momentum was too great. In a blink of an eye, the distance between the two had rapidly shrunk.

    Ellis slammed the chunk of earth into its amorphous form.

    There was no overly loud bang or a sonorous boom. Instead, it sounded more like a pebble in the water.

    Pink liquid and pellets of dirt flew through the air.

    Ellis jumped back, just as a few remnant tails attempted to counterattack.

    He took a few steps forward and watched closely as its body quickly regenerated. For a moment, he thought he had caught sight of something red and circular within its body.

    Unfortunately, the creature¡¯s body reformed a bit too quickly. In the span of twenty seconds, it was now back to its original size.

    ¡°You about done over there?¡± Ellis shouted towards his little companion as beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m kind of running out of things to throw here.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t an exaggerated statement. Ellis really was running out of things to throw. He had nearly excavated the entire campsite. All that was left was a giant, ugly crater in the ground.

    After a few seconds of painful silence, Ena let out an affirmative bark.

    ¡°You found it?¡± His expression immediately brightened. ¡°Then tell me, quick!¡±

    A beat later, he suddenly felt a weird sensation wash over him. He instinctively understood. It was Ena¡¯s magic.

    His vision had slightly changed.

    Now, he could see a glowing red dot inside the creature¡¯s body. The red dot frantically moved like a spaztic junkie.

    ¡°It¡¯s that thing, huh?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but smile. Let¡¯s finally put an end to this frustrating battle.

    ¡°First, I need a weapon¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ a spear should probably work.¡± As if on cue, Ena pulled out his broken spear from out of her spatial pouch and handed it to him.

    Ellis nodded. ¡°Good job partner. Now, leave the rest to me.¡±

    With that, he sprinted forward.

    Pink suddenly dotted his vision. It was a sight he had grown familiar with, so he did not even hesitate. Numerous tails attempted to stop his advance, but unfortunately, Ellis moved with the grace of a swallow and the flexibility of an eel.

    One hundred, fifty, thirty¡­ when he reached the ten-meter mark, Ellis abruptly came to a stop. He twisted his waist and cocked his hand back. In one swift motion, he threw the spear like a javelin.

    WOOSH!

    It rocketed through the air.

    As if sensing the impending doom, over a hundred tails went off to block it, while a hundred more surrounded the main body. Despite their efforts, the spear was virtually unstoppable. It pierced through everything like a pencil on paper.

    THWIP!

    The spear¡¯s black tip easily sank into the creature¡¯s flesh.

    In true Hollywood fashion, the moment the spear hit its target, the core cracked. The creature¡¯s gelatinous body exploded like an overstuffed water balloon.

    Like that, Ellis successfully slew his first Calamity-Class threat.

 Chapter 65: The After Glow of Battle

    It finally died.

    Ellis breathed out a sigh of relief before he collapsed onto the floor.

    Rather than physical exhaustion, he felt mentally drained. All the constant dodging had placed him in a state of perpetual focus. Now that everything was all over, it felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off his chest.

    Without a doubt, that had been his most frustrating battle yet. If it hadn¡¯t been for Ena¡¯s help, then victory would have surely been impossible.

    Speaking of which, he looked over towards his partner. The little fox lay sprawled on the ground, her limbs stretched out wide like some sort of furry starfish. Her tongue limply dangled from her opened jaw, while her half-glazed eyes stared absentmindedly at the sky. She had hidden it quite well during the battle, but the constant use of mana had clearly taken a toll on her body.

    ¡°Good job, partner,¡± Ellis spoke as he affectionately patted the top of her head.

    ¡°Kyu¡­¡± In response, Ena let out a weak cry. Still, her expression had lightened.

    He abruptly paused for a moment as a sudden thought came to mind. ¡°By the way, where are the others?¡±

    ¡°Kyu.¡±

    ¡°On the way, huh? Too bad they missed all the action.¡± Ellis did not actually mean it. In the first place, the wolves probably wouldn¡¯t have been much help. Aside from Umbra, none of them really knew magic. Rather than providing assistance, there was a higher probability that they¡¯d become liabilities instead.

    Well, let¡¯s forget about that for now. The thing¡¯s dead and that¡¯s all that really matters. Ellis shook his head and cleared his thoughts. After a few minutes, he lifted himself off the ground and headed towards the corpse. Well, ''corpse'' was kind of an overstatement. After all, the creature had quite literally exploded. It didn¡¯t really leave a corpse, at least not in the regular sense.

    As he walked, he could see the flesh colored fluids that covered the entire battlefield. At the center of everything was a small crater. Peering into the crater, he took notice of the black spear that was embedded in the ground near the bottom of the crater.

    He descended down and approached the epicenter. There, he saw the broken core. It was a dark, crimson red orb with a dirty luster. The spear had neatly sliced through the core, leaving two identical sized halves.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ellis suddenly noticed something. He knelt down and rummaged through the ¡®corpse¡¯. After a while, he came back out with what looked to be a squishy, transparent ball.

    Was this inside the core this whole time? Ellis curiously looked at the ball. There was dirt caked over its surface, but that wasn¡¯t important. It was about half the size of a tennis ball and almost entirely transparent. There was a single, smaller ball embedded deep inside. It was red in color and reflected light much in the same way as glass would.

    He pressed down on the ball. It felt soft and springy, almost like dough.

    All in all, it looked quite similar to a frog egg.

    ¡°That¡¯s an egg.¡± Grisella¡¯s voice floated to his ears.

    He looked up. Ellis watched as the solitary witch slowly made her way down into the crater. Along the way, she accidentally stepped on a puddle of unknown material. Her face scrunched up.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you actually managed to kill that thing.¡±

    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t alone.¡± He responded with a smile. Truth be told, he couldn¡¯t quite believe it either.

    ¡°Right, but¡­ ah, it¡¯s a bit messy, don¡¯t you think?¡± she sarcastically stated. At the same time, she pulled out a washcloth and proceeded to wipe her boot.

    To his mild amusement, rather than throw away the rag, after she finished, she carefully placed it inside her spatial satchel. There was a certain hint of greed to her actions.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Grisella looked up. She had noticed his weird stare.

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Ellis shook his head. He then turned back to the ball. ¡°You said this was an egg, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded. ¡°A slime egg.¡±

    ¡°Slimes can have eggs?¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly the sort of thing he had expected.

    ¡°Of course, how else are they supposed to reproduce?¡± she rolled her eyes and answered as if he had just asked how human babies were made. ¡°Well, even though I say egg, this thing can¡¯t really be considered an offspring. Slimes self-replicate. This is more like a clone, but not quite. Some species of Slime only replicate upon their death. This is one of them.¡±

    ¡°I think I understand¡­ they are kind of similar to cells¡­¡±

    ¡°Cells?¡± Grisella tilted her head in confusion. After a brief pause, she shook her head and changed the subject. ¡°By the way, Slimes can usually be identified through the color of their core.¡±

    She pointed at the broken orb on the floor.

    ¡°See this here? It¡¯s red, almost like blood. There are approximately forty-eight subspecies of Slime that possess a red core.¡±

    ¡°Forty-eight?¡± Ellis raised a curious brow. Forty-eight was a lot, and what¡¯s more that was only for the red variants! Were slimes really such a prolific species?You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Unperturbed by his surprise, Grisella continued on. ¡°This is a scarlet core with a tinge bit of vermillion in it. If you look closely, the intensity of the red is actually a bit lighter than blood.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± He furrowed his brow. Like hell, I can tell the difference! Do you think I''m neurotic or something?!

    Still, considering Grisella¡¯s all too serious expression, he decided not to make a fool of himself. He glared piercingly at the broken core. After a few seconds of trying, Ellis gave up. Instead, he nodded his head and pretended to understand.

    ¡°From what I can tell, it should be a Carrion Slime,¡± Grisella concluded.

    ¡°Carrion? As in corpse?¡±

    ¡°Some people also call it that,¡± she nodded. ¡°Carrions Slimes are the type to feast on corpses. Don¡¯t look so shocked. It¡¯s not actually that bad. In short, they are meat eaters, not actually all that different from a wolf or a human.¡±

    ¡°If you put it like that, it doesn¡¯t sound so gruesome anymore.¡±

    ¡°Carrion Slimes are hunters by nature.¡± She continued, ¡°They are somewhat rare. Comparatively, they are considerably stronger than most other slime subspecies. They are also one of the rare few that know how to change their shape and size. The calamity-class monster from before was probably a mutation. A stronger variant of an already strong variant.¡±

    Ellis focused his gaze back to the transparent egg in his hand. For all intents and purposes, it looked like an oversized tadpole egg. It was somewhat difficult to comprehend that such a thing once came out of a creature the size of a building.

    ¡°Why do you think it got so strong?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    Grisella shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Who knows. Maybe its parents were also variants. Maybe it ate something precious or maybe it survived numerous battles, either way, the end result is still the same. It became a calamity class monster. This egg, it originates from a calamity-class monster. The resulting child will definitely be another terrifying creature.¡±

    ¡°Great, another brat to take care of¡­¡± Ellis silently grumbled to himself. Still, he decided to keep the thing. After all, leaving such a strong monster here was dangerous. He¡¯d rather have it as a friend than as an enemy.

    He consulted with Grisella for a bit longer. Ellis quickly learned that there were no real requirements for the creature¡¯s birth. He simply needed to wait and the child would eventually hatch from the egg.

    After some thought, he placed the egg inside a normal leather satchel. Since it was technically a living creature, the egg could not be stored within a spatial artifact.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A moment of silence passed. Ellis quickly noticed that Grisella was acting kind of weird. She seemed¡­ fidgety, almost as if she wanted to do something, but she couldn¡¯t. That or she just really needed to pee.

    Eventually, after what felt like forever, she finally couldn¡¯t take it any longer. Grisella suddenly took out an empty wooden barrel from within her spatial satchel. She looked at the ground. Her eyes practically glowed.

    ¡°The remains of a calamity-class monster¡­ no doubt it will be useful.¡± The solitary witch mumbled to herself. She briefly looked up at Ellis. A somewhat embarrassed smile floated to her face. ¡°I¡¯ll be busy for a bit.¡±

    With that, she ran off towards the nearest pink puddle. Ellis watched as she bent down and began scooping up the flesh colored remains.

    He could only shake his head at such a scene. Greed really is quite unsightly¡­ Still, he had to admit, if that had been something like dragon scales, then he would have probably reacted the same way.

    Ellis climbed out of the crater and sat back down on the floor. He took a page from Ena¡¯s book and decided to rest for a little while longer. After a few minutes passed before he suddenly noticed the trees rustling in the distance.

    A pack of wolves leapt out of the tree line and madly sprinted towards the campsite. Their bodies exuded with unbridled killing intent. Unfortunately, despite such a dominant display, most of their aura was suppressed by the Slime¡¯s residual intent.

    The closer they got to the campsite, the dimmer their killing intent grew. Their expressions also loosened while their speed gradually slowed.

    By the time they reached him, the wolves walked with a slight trot. Their hesitation was on clear display.

    Ellis recognized the small black wolf that led the disorderly pack. The white discoloration on her ear was a dead giveaway.

    ¡°Wight,¡± he called out to them as he waved his hand. ¡°Umbra, Plush, Cocoa, Tangerine, Cinder, and Cobalt too. You guys are finally here.¡±

    Even before he could fully articulate his words, Wight dashed forward. Her figure momentarily blurred and in the next second, she was suddenly in front of him, with her head buried in his fluid-covered clothes.

    She wrinkled her nose but showed no other signs of pulling away. Eventually, he had to be the one to separate. Wight was simply too energetic.

    Conveniently, the rest of the wolves had caught up.

    Wight took a step back and let out a questioning bark.

    Ellis placed a hand on his chin and thought for a moment. ¡°Well, as you can see, the battle¡¯s already over. You guys missed it.¡±

    Wight drooped her head in disappointment, although Ellis did not miss the faint sighs of relief that echoed throughout the pack.

    A look of schadenfreude colored his face. Despite everything, a Calamity-class monster was still a bit too much for these guys. Ellis could understand their fear and subsequent relief. As animals, they had a much more concrete grasp on things such as power level and killing intent. It was all due to the miracle known as instinct.

    Only Wight had genuinely wanted to fight. Unfortunately, wanting to fight and being able to fight were too completely different concepts. The Calamity Class¡¯s natural suppression had done wonders to slow her down. By the time she got to the battlefield, the battle had already ended.

    From the start, she was in a disadvantageous position. Wight was a regular monster that had transformed herself into a variant through sheer hard work. She could not be like Ena, who was descendant from a calamity-class monster (maybe even stronger). Ena possessed a natural resistance to such things. As for Wight, overcoming the wall known as latent talent was still something she had to work on.

    After a few seconds of silence, Ellis broke out into an amused smile. He rubbed the crown of Wight¡¯s head and scratched the back of her ear. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much, that was only one Calamity-Class monster. Rest assured, a certain someone once told me that within this world, strong individuals are as common as weeds in a garden. You¡¯ll eventually get your chance.¡±

    Wight bobbed her head forward. She did not look all that convinced, but still, she chose to believe in her master¡¯s words.

    ¡°Well, for now, why don¡¯t you go and take care of Ena.¡±

    She immediately let out a reluctant whine. The little wolf made an expression of clear dissatisfaction.

    Ellis awkwardly laughed. ¡°Come on, you two might have a couple of disagreements here and there, but at the end of the day, you¡¯re all still¡­ family.¡± he lectured, to which Wight could do nothing but obediently sit down and listen. ¡°Besides, Ena worked hard today. Next time, you and I will fight together, but for now, go take care of your big sister.¡±

    The word ¡®sister¡¯ felt a bit weird on his tongue. It was a similar incongruity to when he said the word ¡®family.¡¯ Inwardly, Ellis had always considered the wolves and Ena to be his family, but up until now, he had never actually verbalized it.

    Ellis felt as if he had taken an important step into¡­ something, but he couldn¡¯t quite figure out what that something was. Still, an unknown weight in his heart had suddenly vanished. He was more than satisfied with that.

    Wight shuffled her paws for a few seconds, before she imperceptibly nodded her head. She then quietly walked over to the still limp nine-tailed fox.

    The rest of the wolf pack looked at each other for a moment and hesitated. Eventually, they tucked their tails in and followed after their leader.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Seeing them leave, a slight smile floated to Ellis¡¯s face. At the same time, through the corner of his eye, he noticed a group of people slowly approaching.

 Chapter 66: The After After Glow of Battle

    Somewhere within the ruined battlefield and underneath a collapsed tent, there was a certain blue-skinned humanoid. He had broad shoulders and a portly pot belly that was currently dyed red in blood. A throaty groan leaked out from his lips as his hazy eyes slowly came into focus.

    It was Redrick, the Majin Captain that had once attempted to decapitate Ellis¡¯s head in front of a campsite full of other Majins.

    Where am I? What the hell was that?

    He tried to recall what had happened, but to his surprise, he couldn¡¯t. His memories all came out in a jumbled mess.

    First, that squirrel woman attacked the campsite, then¡­ then¡­

    He frowned. According to his memories, a giant monster suddenly appeared from out of the water and completely razed the place to the ground.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    No matter what, such a development was simply too random! He had trouble believing in the truth that he remembered. After a few seconds of silent contemplation, he mentally shrugged his shoulders.

    Well, whatever. All that matters is that I survived. More importantly, is that monster still out there?

    He remained still and focused on his ears. He listened. Ten minutes passed. Nothing. The screams, the monster, none of it was there. There was nothing but peace and quiet.

    The Majin captain mustered up his courage and scooted towards the flap of the tent. He silently peered out into the forest.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The entire campsite was thoroughly destroyed. All the tents were either torn apart or on fire. Even their leader¡¯s tent had been flattened to the ground.

    He also noticed something even stranger. There was a distinct lack of bodies. After such an event, he expected to see a couple of corpses. To his surprise, there were no bodies to be seen, only lumpy slush that stained the ground red.

    After scanning the battlefield for a few seconds, he suddenly narrowed his eyes.

    The prisoners escaped¡­

    In the distance, he caught sight of the squirrels that they had previously captured. They all followed after another familiar individual.

    It¡¯s that woman! She survived too!?

    The dangerous woman who first attacked their campsite. She was unharmed by the giant monster attack. Redrick couldn¡¯t help but feel his insides boil with anger.

    My men died, but those damn slaves survived!

    He felt truly, truly incensed. He wanted to just run up there and tear their throats right out from their necks and violate their bodies. Still, despite his turbulent emotions, he did not move an inch. He knew that he was no match for the woman. What¡¯s more, he was currently injured.

    There was a painful throb in his right leg. Whenever he tried to move it, a sharp jolt would travel up his spine and render him immobile. It caused him severe discomfort.

    He quickly calmed himself and assessed his current situation.

    Firstly, I need to find a way to get out of here. Escape was the priority. Everyone else in the campsite had died, the only thing left of the Majin army was his own pitiful life. He knew that he needed to move soon. If he remained in this little hiding spot, there was a good possibility of that dangerous woman finding him.

    Still, what can I do?

    He scanned his surroundings once more. That¡¯s when he noticed someone else within the battlefield.

    A grey-haired young man with a somewhat dull looking face. Him? He survived too?

    It was the same guy that the leader had given him. They had originally planned to sacrifice him to the spirits of the Demon Kings. Unfortunately, that woman got in the way.

    As he observed the outside world, he soon noticed that the squirrel woman was heading towards the young man.

    Are they friends? Can I use him as a hostage?

    The distance between the young man and the woman was more than 200 hundred meters. In comparison, the distance between him and the young man was less than fifty. If he really wanted to take him hostage, then now was as good of a chance as any.

    Still, he hesitated.

    Should I¡­ should I really do it? Are they even friends? What if they¡¯re not? No, can¡¯t I just stay here and wait everything out. Sooner or later, that woman will leave, right?

    The more he thought about it, the more his confidence dwindled.

    In the end, what the hell should I do!?

    As the inner turmoil within his heart continued to escalate, he suddenly noticed a pair of black paws. They were standing a mere ten inches away from his face!

    Redrick instantly froze. A few seconds later, a wolf¡¯s muzzle came into view. He tried his best to remain silent, but the slightly acrid smell that the creature exuded tickled his nose.

    He wanted to do something, but he found it difficult to move without alerting that woman. Just as he was about to start crawling back into the depths of his hiding place, the wolf muzzle suddenly sneezed.

    From its opened jaws came a purple mist.

    Almost by instinct, he sniffed at the air.

    ¡°!¡±

    His face instantly paled. The Majin desperately clutched at his chest, but no matter what he did, no air would enter his lungs. He tried to scream, but the sounds refused to come out. White foam dripped out from the corners of his lips. His eyes glazed over before a slight toot leaked out from his bottom half.

    Like that, the Majin Captain died.

    ¡°Woof!¡± From a distance, Wight let out a bark.

    Umbra lifted his head out from the gap in the tent and turned around.

    ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± Wight continually barked at him. Despite her small stature, she possessed a surprisingly loud voice. ¡°Woof!¡± Right now, the white-eared wolf was complaining.

    ¡®What are you doing over there? Quit playing around!¡¯¡ª was what she said.

    Umbra sighed. He shook his head as he slowly trotted towards her.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    First Ena, then Wight¡­ sometimes, it was really difficult to live with such bossy sisters.

    ****

    Ellis looked off into the distance and watched as they quietly approached.

    The group consisted largely of the prisoners from the tunnel. Along with Hal and his little girlfriend, Farma-Wrynn and the pale-faced squirrel were also there.

    He paid particular attention to their reaction. The faces of most of the people there¡­ it was a stark contrast to the ones they donned back in the tunnel. Fear and reverence. At least, that¡¯s how he interpreted them. Of course, the focal point of such intense emotions was none other than him.

    Judging by the way they all clumped together and practically hid behind Farma-Wrynn, there was considerably more fear than there was reverence.

    Ellis directly ignored them and instead, nodded lightly towards Hal-Wrynn. He did not respond. Instead, the boy continued to stare at him with blank eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For some reason, the little kid¡¯s expression looked particularly clouded today.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with you? You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost.¡± Once they got closer, Ellis couldn¡¯t help but comment.

    Hal¡¯s shoulders jumped. After another silent second passed, he managed to utter out, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be so strong.¡±

    In response, Ellis simply let out a thin smile. ¡°Not many people do.¡±

    Inwardly, he couldn¡¯t help but praise himself. This was what he wanted. That look of shock, the awe the comes immediately afterward, this was the highlight to playing the secret-badass type character.

    Maybe I should keep hiding my strength in the future? Then again, I do want to try out what it feels like to be revered out in public too¡­

    As such inconsequential thoughts buzzed through his head, Hal-Wrynn continued.

    He shook his head and breathed out a sigh of admiration. ¡°You really don¡¯t look like one. If it wasn¡¯t for today, then I would have lived on assuming that you were just some flimsy beast tamer with a weak constitution.¡±

    BANG!

    Just then, a fist suddenly slammed down onto the crown of his head.

    ¡°Ow!¡± Hal-Wrynn cried out as he rubbed the growing bruise.

    ¡°What have I told you about judging a book by its cover!¡± Farma-Wrynn angrily reprimanded him. ¡°Damn brat, you never learn, do you?!¡±

    Ellis looked up. Now that the urgency of the battle had faded, he took this opportunity to closely observe the woman in front of him.

    Her tanned, honey brown skin glistened with sweat. Occasionally, clumps of dirt and blood stuck out in places where they shouldn¡¯t be, but they did not really take away from the overall image. Ellis distinctly noticed that her already revealing attire had somehow torn during all the chaos. As a result, she revealed even more of her skin than usual. In particular, her chest was practically held together by a flimsy piece of string.

    Farma-Wrynn had a fit body. She wasn¡¯t overly muscular, nor did she possess the same type of dynamic curves that Grisella possessed. For her, everything just worked.

    For a brief moment, his mind wandered. It was at this moment that he met eyes with the pale-faced squirrel.

    Lisbeth flashed him a knowing smile. Ellis¡¯s shoulder¡¯s slightly shivered.

    He shook his head and cleared away his lascivious thoughts. He looked over at Hal-Wrynn. The poor boy was still clutching onto the crown of his head.

    A weird expression floated to his face. This was the second time he had witnessed such a scene. The perpetrator of the first scene, Ama-Lear, was standing beside the boy, a complacent smile etched onto her lips.

    Ellis shook his head. He couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for Hal. With this type of company around, he was destined to live a difficult life.

    Just then, he noticed Farma giving him an odd look. As he turned towards her, she suddenly asked, ¡°You were the one that took him away from the village?¡±

    Took? No, no, no, you¡¯re wrong, lady. This kid was the one that set this whole thing up! I am the victim!

    He wanted to pathetically cry out his innocence, but he chose to hold his tongue. Ellis thought about it for a moment before he said, ¡°It was a misunderstanding.¡±

    Explaining the entire situation to her was a pain in the ass. Besides, judging by how downcast Hal-Wrynn currently looked, he could immediately tell what sort of punishment the boy would get for this little expedition of his. There was no need to add more oil to the fire.

    This is me throwing you a bone, kid! Think of it as thanks for teaching me that cool pick-up line.

    Farma-Wrynn frowned. ¡°A man shouldn¡¯t make up excuses.¡±

    A heavy pressure suddenly exuded out from her body. Killing intent or something similar. The tension in the air rose. It felt heavy and discomforting. Of course, compared to the Slime¡¯s aura, hers was paltry and inconsequential.

    Ellis simply raised his brow in curiosity. He waited for her to make the first move. Although he was a bit tired from the earlier battle, it wasn¡¯t to the point where someone like Farma could threaten his life.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A full thirty seconds passed but nothing happened. Eventually, she breathed out a silent sigh. The domineering aura abruptly vanished.

    ¡°Even if I wanted to fight you, all I can see is death.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Well, I can kind of guess what really happened. This brat tricked you, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    Farma-Wrynn smiled a toothy smile.

    Ellis frowned. For some reason, admitting it like that did not sit well with him. He thought for a moment, before he replied, ¡°rather than tricked, I let him do it.¡±

    Technically, he was half-right.

    Still, the woman did not look at all convinced by his words. Her perpetual smile only further irritated him.

    ¡°Regardless, not only did you save our lives, but you also helped destroy a Majin base. There are quite a few of these things spread out all over the forest. Finding them is difficult, and even when we do learn of one, we can¡¯t act on it due to our lack in manpower.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis remained silent for a few seconds, before he suddenly said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to get involved in your war.¡±

    For a moment, Farma-Wrynn widened her eyes. A soft smile stretched her lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d want to.¡±

    He simply nodded, satisfied with her response.

    The woman decided to change the subject. She briefly turned to the prisoners behind her before she said, ¡°after this, I will take these girls back to the tribe. They have gone through much and will need all the help that they can get. As for your group¡­¡± she thoughtfully looked out into the distance. Her eyes locked onto Grisella¡¯s hunched figure. Right now, the solitary witch was currently scooping up pinkish fluid into her second wooden barrel.

    ¡°You are planning to head to the world tree, are you not?¡±

    Ellis nodded.

    Her expression clouded. She abruptly asked, ¡°¡­ do you believe the legends? That at the base of the world tree lies an old God¡¯s holy land.¡±

    Ellis could feel the faint peculiarity within her voice. He thought about it for a moment. ¡°If the world tree really does exist, then I think something like a God¡¯s holy land should too.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Farma-Wrynn remained silent for a long time. Eventually, she spoke. ¡°Gods are¡­ gods are unreliable. Even if you don¡¯t pray to them, even if you don¡¯t believe in them, they still somehow manage to squirm their way into your life like parasitic insects.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis did not respond.

    A long silence filled the air. After a while, Farma-Wrynn let out a thin smile. She suddenly asked, ¡°then, for saving everyone here, is there something that you want?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± he furrowed his brow in confusion. After all that ominous talk, her clear attempt at changing the subject was quite jarring.

    ¡°A reward.¡± She reiterated. ¡°I do not want you to go on with the assumption that I am a woman that does not know how to repay favors. So, tell me already, what kind of reward do you want?¡±

    A reward, huh?

    Ellis thought about it for a while. To be honest, he really couldn¡¯t think of anything that he wanted. Unless she could somehow deal with the headache that was the church, then there really wasn¡¯t much that she could offer to him. After a short pause, he jokingly said, ¡°then, how about a kiss?¡±

    Farma-Wrynn¡¯s shoulders shook. A look of contemplation colored her face. Five painfully long seconds passed before she nodded her head. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Wait, really?

    Before he could say anything, she suddenly grabbed onto the cuff of his shirt and pulled him closer. Without hesitation and underneath the eyes of the watchful crowd, she pressed her lips against his.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis¡¯s mind went blank.

    Her lips felt soft and moist. The faint scent of her body drifted to his nose. It was a mixture of flowery sweat and iron. By no means was it a bad smell. In fact, it was quite the opposite¡­

    The kiss lasted for over ten seconds. At some point, she slipped a little bit of tongue in there.

    ¡°Pwah!¡±

    The two eventually separated. A thin line of saliva connected their lips.

    Ellis was slightly out of breath. Farma-Wrynn was the same. She panted; light puffs of air continually leaked out from her slightly flared nostrils.

    She looked up at him and smiled. A faint blush colored her cheeks. Her tongue ran along the length of her lips, almost as if she was savoring the aftertaste.

    The audience of people simply stood there in shock. In particular, Hal¡¯s entire body had gone rigid. He stared up at his aunt with wide eyes and a slacked jaw.

    ¡°That was my first kiss.¡± She whispered in an airy voice.

    Ellis stiffly nodded his head in acknowledgment. He couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to say anything. That was my first kiss too!

    Her smile deepened. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is enough to repay the debt, but¡­ you should know, a squirrel¡¯s kiss lasts forever.¡±

    Her ambiguous words echoed loudly through his head.

    ¡°Wait, what do you¡ª¡±

    Before Ellis could properly finish, Farma-Wrynn suddenly turned to the crowd and spoke. ¡°Well, we should go now.¡±

    She gave him one last wink before she lightly patted her cheeks and walked away. For a moment, the crowd simply stood there, confused. Eventually, they followed after her.

    Ellis did not know what to do. He briefly debated whether or not he should chase after her, but he eventually decided against it. The woman and her group of captives quietly disappeared into the tree line.

    As the faraway sun set over the distant horizon, a goofy smile stretched his lips.

 Chapter 67: The Second Calamity-Class Monster

    Farma-Wrynn led the group of prisoners through the forest floor. Hal-Wrynn walked beside her. Silence filled the air around them.

    ¡°Did you tell them?¡± Her whisper-like voice quietly echoed through his ears.

    Hal-Wrynn looked up at his aunt. For a brief moment, the kiss scene from before flashed through his mind. He couldn¡¯t help but gag. Nobody wanted to see their aunt swapping spit with someone!

    He breathed out a sigh and shook his head. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. They are my saviors. There is no need to heavy their burden, nor do I want them to look at me any differently.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Also, they didn¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Farma-Wrynn did not say anything for a few seconds. In truth, to a bunch of outsiders, this ¡®secret¡¯ of his probably wouldn¡¯t even matter, but to the squirrels, it was an unspeakable taboo.

    Eventually, she nodded her head.

    Far above the forest, past where their eyes could see, the glowing sun began to set over the horizon.

    She looked up. For a moment, she admired the dim haze that dyed the world in resplendent orange.

    ¡°We should probably hurry. I¡¯ve been gone for a week. Hopefully, that place hasn¡¯t burned down yet.¡±

    ¡°¡­ You know, we could always just leave.¡± Hal-Wrynn whispered underneath his breath.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You, me, and Ama. We could just leave and never come back. The world is a big place. We could go beyond the forest or we could even follow Ellis towards the world tree.¡±

    Farma-Wrynn suddenly sneered. ¡°What, you want to ask your little girlfriend to just leave her whole family behind and run off with you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He did not respond.

    After a brief silence, she breathed out a sigh. ¡°You know we can¡¯t do any of that.¡±

    Hal-Wrynn smiled a thin smile. ¡°Yeah, I know. This place is our only home, after all.¡±

    Farma-Wrynn did not bother to respond. Instead, she mimicked his thin smile with one of her own. For an instant, melancholy flashed through her eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

    Without another word, the two continued onward, their frail silhouettes appeared infinitesimally small within the backdrop of the ever-present forest.

    ****

    The whole ordeal with the kiss did not really attract much attention. In fact, when it had happened, miraculously, nobody had noticed! Grisella was too busy scooping up slime remains, while Wight was preoccupied with nursing Ena back to health. Of course, he used the word ¡®nursing¡¯ very loosely in this scenario.

    As for Ena, well, her fatigue was apparently far greater than he originally imagined. She passed out shortly after Wight and the wolves arrived.

    Either way, nothing happened to him. Ellis simply enjoyed the aftertaste of the kiss with a warm feeling in his heart and a somewhat complacent smile on his face.

    As such, time flowed and the group continued their journey.

    Eventually, ten days passed since the battle with the Slime.

    For Ellis, things had finally reverted to normal.

    They were now once again following the river. Their days were filled with constant battle. The only discernable difference was the difficulty. True to Grisella¡¯s words, the monsters here were far stronger than the ones outside.

    What¡¯s more, the sheer volume of their enemies was astounding. It felt as if every mile that they traversed came prepackaged with at least one-hundred monsters. Ecologically speaking, there should be no way to sustain such a large quantity of life forms. Still, somehow, this damn forest made it work.

    Their progress was slow going, but Ellis was fine with that. He liked their current pace.

    Along the way, he finally taught the wolves how to play chess. As expected, they instantly fell in love with the game. It added an extra layer of complexity to their usual Othello games. On top of the constant fighting, their days were filled with nothing but Chess, Chess, and more Chess.

    Grisella also devoted herself to her own obsession.

    She spent most of her days with her nose crammed into the pages of that magic book. Even during combat, she would never participate. Instead, choosing to hide behind his back while the wolves did all of the heavy lifting.

    It was somewhat sleazy, but to her credit, Ellis practically did the same thing. He did not fight. Instead, he left everything to Ena and the wolves. Of course, he brilliantly reasoned his lethargy, citing that the battles were valuable training, and it would pain him to take away such an opportunity from them. Luckily, no one argued with him.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Still, his curiosity was piqued.

    On one fine day, while the wolves were out fighting in the front lines, he turned to Grisella and asked, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask this, but you, you¡¯re pretty weak, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    For a moment, her shoulders trembled. You¡­ you aren¡¯t allowed to say that! She silently roared within her heart.

    In her eyes, it was not that she was weak, but rather, Ellis was simply too damn strong!

    He was a freak! A complete and utter walking force of nature! Although she did quite well to hide it, in truth, his last battle with the calamity-class monster had left her in shock. The Slime¡¯s attacks had not only been strong, but they were also blisteringly fast. As a spectator, the only thing she could discern from that battle were blurry lines of pink and one tiny grey dot that continually danced through the chaos like a feather amidst a raging windstorm.

    His last attack with the spear had been particularly impressive. In all, Ellis had made everything look so easy that it was somewhat difficult to accept the fact that he had actually battled with a calamity-class monster, and not just some run of the mill giant slime.

    Thinking about all of this, she couldn¡¯t help but glare at Ellis. It was fine to be strong, but the way he presented himself left a lot to be desired. Humble to the point of irritation, lazy to the point of stagnation, the slacker-vibe that he constantly gave off contradicted with his strength. Then again, an arrogant Ellis would probably be much worse¡­

    Augh! I don¡¯t know anymore!

    A feeling of frustration welled up in her heart.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t kill you to show off your powers for a bit.¡± Ellis¡¯s words interrupted her train of thought.

    ¡°Show off?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I still don¡¯t really know just how strong you are.¡± Truth be told, he was just curious. Magic fascinated him and not being able to use it sucked. At the very least, he wanted to see it in action. Unfortunately, Grisella never once participated in battle. This left him feeling somewhat frustrated.

    She let out an awkward cough. Glancing up at him from the corner of her eye, she stated, ¡°I¡¯ve been preoccupied.¡±

    Ellis raised his brow, ¡°preoccupied with what?¡±

    She proudly lifted the book in her hands up for him to see. With a bright glint in her eyes, she smugly stated, ¡°space magic.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It definitely sounded impressive, but he was still somewhat skeptical. He had seen her gush over that book for a few months now, but never once had he actually seen her perform any magic. Ena knew a thing or two about it too (space magic), but the most that she could do was remote locate a few things outside of her field of vision.

    ¡°I can see your skepticism, but that¡¯s alright. The best way to convince someone of something is through demonstration!¡±

    With that, Grisella proudly raised her hands in the air. For a moment, the cloak behind her billowed in the air. He couldn¡¯t help but admit, she looked kind of cool.

    Ellis took a step back and watched with rapt eyes.

    All of a sudden, magical runes materialized all around her. Ellis did not recognize the runes, but that was only natural. He knew quite literally nothing about magic. The runes exuded out a deep purple glow.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A few seconds passed. Those seconds turned into minutes. Eventually, a full ten minutes had gone by. In all that time, the most that had happened was the slight twitch she performed towards the end of the ten minutes.

    ¡°There! Did you see it! I totally did it!¡± Without warning, Grisella suddenly exclaimed. The excitement in her voice was palpable. Ellis also noticed the large amounts of sweat dripping down from her face.

    ¡°See what?¡± He furrowed his brow in confusion. As far as he was concerned, nothing had happened.

    ¡°Spatial displacement, of course! Teleportation! That is an amazing feat, especially for someone like me with less than a year¡¯s worth of study.¡± She raised her nose high in the air. ¡°I truly am a genius.¡±

    ¡°Teleportation? Since when did you teleport?¡±

    ¡°Look here.¡± She pointed to the ground. ¡°I moved from here to here. You can clearly see the footprints.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right.¡± Looking closely, he noticed that her footprint had indeed moved by about two inches to the right. Ellis glanced up. ¡°Is that it?¡±

    She nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For a moment, he stared blankly at her self-satisfied expression. He could not bring himself to say anything.

    ****

    After another five days passed, the group finally ran into the second calamity-class monster.

    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s the right one?¡± Ellis couldn¡¯t help but ask. The doubt in his voice was palpable.

    The creature was vastly different from what he originally expected. It was a small and diminutive bipedal monster with a mushroom cap covering its upper head.

    ¡°Yes. My eyes are never wrong.¡± Grisella grimly stated as she glared at the creature with both fear and frustration.

    ¡°Kyu?¡±

    ¡°Right, it does look weaker than the other one.¡± Ellis nodded in agreement with Ena¡¯s remark.

    ¡°Just because it looks like that, doesn¡¯t mean you should underestimate it. You can never judge a book by its cover!¡± Grisella felt that Elli should understand this phrase the best. After all, his whole existence was a total sham!

    ¡°Still¡­¡± he furrowed his brow.

    Right now, the group stood on top of a large hill. Lately, the terrain had undergone a drastic change. The flat forest that he had grown used to had been replaced by a collection of hills. Some were like towering mountains, while others barely counted as an incline. Even the river moved up and down these hills, seemingly defying gravity just to get to its destination.

    Ellis had checked beforehand, but these hills were not actually hills. The first ten feet or so was comprised of dirt and soil. If it was just that, then he wouldn¡¯t have cared so much, but much to his surprise, anything deeper than ten feet was actually composed of a material reminiscent to the trees of this forest.

    In other words, these hills were actually giant roots. Ellis took this as a sign that they were getting close to their destination.

    We should be really close to the world tree by now, so it¡¯s only natural for stronger enemies to appear, but this thing¡­

    The group stood in front of a remote-viewing artifact known as a Looking Glass. They were using this artifact in order to sneak a peek at their next enemy.

    It goes without saying, but the artifact originally belonged to Grisella. In truth, it was really just a circular mirror held aloft by a triangular stand. Reflected on the mirror¡¯s surface was the figure of a certain green-skinned midget.

    ¡°Now, are you sure that¡¯s the thing that stopped you in your tracks?¡± For what felt like the umpteenth time, Ellis asked again.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded her head in bitter frustration. ¡°I know how it looks, but trust me, in some ways, this thing is more dangerous than the slime.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, just that¡­¡±

    It was really difficult for him to stomach such a truth. Those spindly limbs, that ugly face, that green skin¡­ to think, the next calamity-class monster would be a goblin¡­

    First a slime, then a goblin, just what the hell is wrong with this world!?

 Chapter 68: Goblin

    ¡°That thing is a Spore Goblin. It¡¯s a genuine calamity-class monster. In fact, it¡¯s one of the more well-known ones. You can find information on it in most published bestiaries, although with varying degrees of accuracy.¡±

    ¡°Spore Goblin?¡± Ellis ruminated over the name. As expected, it really was a goblin, but why was ¡®Spore¡¯ tacked on to it? Did it have something to do with that mushroom-shaped top on its head?

    He turned back towards the Looking Glass and scrutinized the image. At most, the creature was no taller than a child. If it wasn¡¯t for its welted skin and spindly legs, then it would have looked like something straight out of a classic videogame (the one featuring a certain red-suited Italian plumber with an obsession with pipes). To be honest, it did not seem all that strong. Even the aura that it exuded, while it was a fair bit stronger than average, it did not feel as dreadful nor as somber as the aura that he had felt from the Slime.

    Was this thing really a calamity-class monster?

    Despite all of his doubts and suspicions, Grisella looked awfully serious.

    After a moment¡¯s pause, she further explained, ¡°that thing is definitely a calamity-class monster, but your doubt is not unwarranted. Its personal combat strength isn¡¯t really something to laud over.¡±

    ¡°Then why is it considered a calamity-class monster?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Do you know how the designation of calamity-class came to be?¡± Instead of answering, Grisella suddenly asked him a question.

    Ellis thought about it for a while. ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m not entirely too sure. You started rambling on about calamity-class monsters in this vague and slightly ominous tone, so I kind of just rolled with it¡­ I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re some sort of vague and ominous creature?¡±

    And from personal experience, calamity-class monsters certainly did live up to their status as vague and ominous. After all, that serpent-like Slime that he fought was equal parts vague and equal parts ominous.

    ¡°Well, yes¡­ but saying it like that is a bit¡­¡± She let out an awkward cough. Her cheeks slightly reddened.

    Now that Ellis had mentioned it, she did have a flair for the theatrics. Embellishing something was just her natural instinct. She shook her head. ¡°In truth, calamity-class is just an arbitrary designation set up by the kingdoms of man some few thousand years ago. Because they were convenient, the rest of the world simply adopted it.¡±

    She paused for a moment. ¡°At the start, there were three designations; disaster, calamity, and apocalypse. These designations were tacked on to all sorts of things. A few examples would be a calamity-class criminal or a disaster-class artifact, that sort of thing. Of course, its usage is most prevalent when it comes to monsters.¡±

    ¡°Then, what does each designation mean?¡±

    ¡°A disaster-class monster is one capable of completely destroying an entire city, a calamity-class monster is one capable of completely destroying a nation, and an Apocalypse-class monster is one capable of completely destroying the entire world.¡±

    Those are some rather gloomy sounding titles, but I don¡¯t really think it¡¯s a very good ranking system. Ellis silently thought to himself. For one, it practically ignores all the weak monsters. Is there no love for the mobs of this world?

    While Ellis lamented for his fellow comrades(?), Grisella continued to explain, ¡°as you might be able to tell, Lull is still very much intact, so it¡¯s safe to say that Apocalypse-class monsters don¡¯t really exist. It¡¯s purely a designation implemented for appearance¡¯s sake. It¡¯s also the reason why many consider calamity-class to be the highest distinction in terms of strength. Of course, it goes without saying but even within the same class, there are disparities between individual monsters.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis furrowed his brow. If that¡¯s the case, why do they still persist on using it? Why not create another ranking system that can better quantify the differences?¡±

    Grisella shook her head. ¡°Creating a new ranking system now would be impossible, especially one that can be adopted by the rest of the world. The current ranking system was created during a time of great unification.

    ¡°Three thousand years ago, a single empire ruled over most of the continent. Towards its latter stages, the Medina clan came into power and seized the throne. This eventually led to the start of the Medina Dynasty. Their reign would last for over five hundred years, and in that time, the clan implemented various laws and standards that would go on to outlive the very empire that they came from. For one reason or another, the Dynasty eventually collapsed and the Empire fractured. The world changed, but some things remained the same. For one, some of the old standards survived, or rather, they were kept alive due to their convenience.¡±

    She paused for a moment. ¡°The real take away here is that although it is an archaic system with many faults, it does still have its own uses.¡±

    ¡°Like what for example?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°It works best not as an indication of power, but rather, an indication of threat.¡± She then pointed at the Looking Glass. ¡°A Spore Goblin is a good example of that. It looks weak, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Ellis nodded his head.

    ¡°In truth, that thing has the combat strength of a disaster-class monster, at most. For comparison¡¯s sake, it would probably be just a little bit weaker than your wolves. Despite that, it is still very much considered a calamity-class. The credit for such a thing would go to its rather frightening ability.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Ability?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A Spore Goblin is an extremely rare and extremely dangerous Goblin variant.¡± She explained. ¡°Like with most Goblins, it has a weak body and terrible reflexes. As a combatant, it is considered pitiful, but its ability more than makes up for it.¡± She paused for a moment. Grisella caught herself. She realized that she was doing it again. Over-embellishing, dragging things out. She let out an awkward cough. ¡°Anyway, a Spore Goblin¡¯s ability is like a mixture between summoning and creating life.¡±

    ¡°Creating life?¡± Ellis widened his eyes in surprise. Such a thing¡­ that was completely in the realm of the gods! Even he himself, Ellis was created by a former god. He really couldn¡¯t imagine some Goblin doing the same thing.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really ¡®life¡¯, but more like puppets.¡± She explained. ¡°It can grow and create fake-monsters with almost no limitation. Look closely.¡± Grisella then touched the surface of the Looking Glass. In the next instant, the screen zoomed in towards the ground. ¡°Notice all those little mushrooms growing on the ground. All of those are its creations. Once triggered or commanded by the Spore Goblin, they will immediately attack. What¡¯s more, every inch of the territory that it controls is littered by all the spawns that it has created.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The mushrooms did not really look all that intimidating, but if what Grisella said was true, then he could understand why such a diminutive creature earned the moniker of Calamity. He nodded his head. Even if you yourself aren¡¯t strong, with such an army at your disposal, one measly country was worth jack shit.

    She breathed out a sigh. ¡°You can understand my plight now, can¡¯t you? I can easily escape from a single monster, but not against an entire army! Sneaking past it is also impossible. Out of all the monsters within the inner circle, the Spore Goblin has by far the largest territory.

    Ellis nodded his head in understanding. Indeed, it did sound quite troublesome, but then again, it wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as the slime. At the very least, the Goblin was at least tangible enough for him to punch.

    On that note, wasn¡¯t he the complete counter to this thing? For weak bodied creatures like this, it was enough to just run up to it and punch it to death. A barbaric, yet highly efficient fighting-style. For Ellis, there was no better match-up.

    Then again, rather than quickly killing it off, I think I might be able to squeeze out a few more benefits out of it¡­

    While Ellis was deep in thought, Grisella smiled in relief. She looked up at Ellis with glowing eyes. I might not be able to get past the Spore Goblin alone, but with Ellis here, everything should work out! With his strength, killing that thing will be as easy as breathing air.

    ¡°Then, you should probably go over there and deal with it quickly.¡± She spoke out. From the very start, Grisella planned to watch everything from the sidelines. It was only natural. After all, Ellis was the brawns and she was the brains.

    ¡°No.¡± To her dismay, he rejected her.

    ¡°W-what do you mean no?!¡± Seeing his ambiguous smile, a rather uneasy feeling swelled up within her chest.

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it a perfect opportunity?¡±

    ¡°Perfect opportunity for what, exactly?¡± She narrowed her eyes. With each word that he blurted out, Grisella¡¯s unease only increased.

    Ellis suddenly looked towards the wolf pack. Right now, they were milling about and playing chess. When Wight sensed his gaze, she immediately turned around and trotted towards him.

    He let out a soft chuckle as he scratched the top of her head.

    Since these guys missed out on last time¡¯s big spectacle, it¡¯s only right that they get to participate.

    Even if it was against a calamity-class monster, Ellis did not think that their chances were too bad. For one, the wolves were quite accustomed to fighting against tides of mobs. If it was against this type of enemy, then their chances of victory weren¡¯t too bad.

    He looked down on Wight¡¯s eager face. It was almost as if she could tell exactly what he was planning.

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± he asked her. ¡°You want to try fighting a Calamity-Class monster?¡±

    In response, she let out an excited bark.

    Ellis once again chuckled. ¡°I can see your eager, but I doubt your siblings will feel the same way.¡±

    ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± She shook her head and reassured him. It was almost as if she was saying, ¡®Leave it to me! I¡¯ll make sure that those brats do their part!¡¯

    He nodded. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    With that, Wight immediately ran off towards the rest of the wolf. A series of barks and howls soon followed.

    Ellis then turned towards Ena. Right now, the little fox lay curled up in a ball. Her ears slightly drooped while her tails were tucked underneath her body.

    ¡°How about you?¡± he asked. ¡°You want to play too?¡±

    The little fox lazily waved her paw in the air and shook her head. Without hesitation, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

    Ellis could only shake his head. ¡°This brat¡¯s getting lazier and lazier¡­¡±

    Since Ena did not want to participate, then so be it. In that case, he would just leave everything up to the wolves.

    Grisella stood stock still. Her facial expression was stiff as a board while her back practically dripped with sweat.

    After what felt like forever, she finally snapped out of her reverie. ¡°Wait a minute, Ellis! You can¡¯t send those guys out! It¡¯s a calamity-class monster, a calamity-class! They can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t know they can¡¯t until they try.¡± He simply stated with a smile. ¡°Besides, how are they supposed to get stronger if they don¡¯t go around challenging the impossible?¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    That¡¯s not the point! She languidly screamed in her head. Why do this now! Training is fine and all, but this is clearly not training! You¡¯re practically sending them to their deaths!

    Ellis could imagine what sort of thoughts were running through that head of hers. Still, he was adamant. After his encounter with the Slime, he once again reaffirmed his original conjecture: within this world, only the strong thrived!

    In order to make sure they don¡¯t get bullied in the future, they needed to get stronger.

    On that note, it would be great if he could find a way to use magic, but so far, he¡¯s made no progress. Ena, for all of her natural talent, was completely useless, while Grisella did not even know where to start with his condition. Ellis was slowly growing frustrated with his limitations, but unfortunately, the current him had no way to resolve any of his problems.

    I guess that¡¯ll have to wait until I get out of this forest¡­

    He inwardly shook his head and cleared his thoughts. He turned back towards Grisella. Ellis let out a sigh and placed a hand on her shoulder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± he stated. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    Grisella¡¯s face paled. Coming from a guy who bumbled his way through this forest, that was nearly impossible to believe!

    Unfortunately, before she could say anything, the wolves suddenly ran down the hill. Like their master, they too thirsted for growth. Something like an infinite army did not intimidate them. Unless it was something as unfathomable as the Slime form last time, they were practically fearless.

    Through the corner of his eye, he watched the wolf pack leave. Ellis turned back over to Grisella.

    He paused for a moment. ¡°Well, it¡¯s too late to change things now.¡±

    And like that, the venue was set for the group¡¯s second encounter with a calamity-class monster.

 Chapter 69: The Might of an Army

    With the wind at their heels, the wolves sprinted down the hill. They ran past a thicket of thorns and twigs before they arrived at a place that could be considered the underbelly of the forest. The forest floor was dark and ominous. A perpetual feeling of paranoia permeated through the air. Still, the wolves were unaffected. A steely gaze of determination colored their faces.

    They traveled in a triangular formation. Three wolves to the left, three wolves to the right, and one at the center. Naturally, Wight acted as the arrowhead.

    As expected of the children that Ellis personally raised, they were fast. Their figures blurred like speeding bullets as the pack rapidly approached the calamity-class monster.

    ¡°You really think they can do it?¡± Grisella worriedly asked as she kept her gaze locked onto the Looking Glass.

    While the wolves recklessly rushed into danger, Grisella, Ena, and Ellis remained on the hill. They watched over the action through the lens of Grisella¡¯s magic artifact. Just then, a slight breeze swept through the area and ruffled her night black hair.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis did not immediately respond. It would be a lie to say that he had absolute confidence in the wolves. Wight and the others were certainly strong, but a Calamity-class monster was on a completely different level. Victory would not be so easily gained this time around.

    Still, he chose to believe in their capability.

    What¡¯s more, Ellis knew the importance of today¡¯s trial. For the wolves, it was something absolutely necessary for their growth.

    After the battle with the Slime, Ellis felt as if his eyes had been opened. For the first time, he was introduced to the powers that dominated this world.

    He couldn¡¯t help but breath out a sigh. The slime already gave him so much trouble and that was only one calamity-class monster out of who knows how many! If even a dingy forest like Ilpin had such monsters lurking around, then what about the rest of the world? What about the summoned heroes? What about the shitty God that ruled over Lull? How strong was he?

    Ellis shook his head.

    It¡¯s just like what Alma said, this world is a place where strong monsters are as plentiful as the blades of grass within a field.

    With his current strength, he might be able to survive, but the wolves were different. In the face of overwhelming might, they were little more than ants struggling to survive.

    As a result of his epiphany, Ellis created a new goal. He wanted to boost the overall power of his companions.

    At the very least, they should all be calamity-class monsters! If not, then it¡¯s hard to say what sort of tough lives they might end up living¡­

    Right now, he felt like a father planning out his child¡¯s future.

    As for how he would go about achieving such a goal¡­ for the simple-minded him, there really was only one way: battle!

    Through the looking glass, the wolves continued their mad dash forward. The moment they got within ten miles of their target; the Spore Goblin suddenly twitched. It slowly sat up and stared out into the distance. Due to the mushroom cap that covered the top half of its head, Ellis could not really see its eyes. Still, its mouth twisted into an ugly frown.

    It waved its hand in the air and made a gesture similar to snapping its fingers.

    At the same time, something amazing happened.

    Right around where the wolves currently were, the earth suddenly began to tremble. The numerous tiny mushroom heads that covered the ground rapidly expanded. They grew to ten, fifteen, a hundred times their original size! Some reached even larger than that.

    Underneath the spotted mushroom-caps were creatures that resembled more plant than monster. They had skin reminiscent of tree trunks, while the end of their limbs spindled and branched out like gnarled roots.

    Their bodies were pale white in color, a complete contrast to the dirty brown mushroom caps that covered the entirety of their upper faces.

    The mushroom monsters all varied in shape and size. Some of them resembled oversized goblins, while others had vaguer, more indiscriminate forms. An ogre-like mushroom, a wolf-like mushroom, there was even one that bore the faint resemblance of a dragon.

    ¡°It really is an amazing ability¡­¡± Ellis couldn¡¯t help but praise as he stared at the unfolding scene through the looking glass.

    If the monsters that the Spore Goblin created were as strong as they looked, then regardless of the Goblin¡¯s personal strength, it definitely deserved the title of Calamity-class.

    Still, that¡¯s not enough to stop them. A small smile floated to his face.

    One of the mushroom monsters let out a tremendous roar. Its strength alone would not lose out to the first dragon that Ellis encountered. With that one roar, both sides rushed forward.

    The battle had officially begun.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    From the very start, the wolves showcased their ferocity. They tore through the first wave of monsters with ease. In less than one minute, the forest floor was littered with ¡®corpses¡¯ (although those corpses looked a lot more like diced vegetables than actual corpses).

    After they cleared the first wave, the wolves did not waste any time and continued forward.

    As for the Spore Goblin, it did not look all too concerned. It paused for a moment and tilted its head to the side. Judging by the creature¡¯s reaction, the Goblin possessed a method to remote view the locations within his designated territory.

    It waved its hand again. More mushroom creatures crawled out from the ground like decaying zombies.

    Some grabbed at the wolves¡¯ limbs, while others threw themselves forward like desperate linemen. The second wave had nearly twice as many creatures.

    The wolves fought through the mushroom army. They tore, shred, and ripped their way forward. Still, no matter how fierce they were, for every one creature that died, two more would replace it.

    By this point, mushroom monsters continually spouted out from the ground like stubborn weeds. Prior to the battle, the Spore Goblin had a habit of ¡®planting¡¯ its seeds all around its territory. For the Goblin, this was half a hobby and half a defensive measure. Whenever a monster entered its territory, the seeds would germinate and attack anything that moved.

    Of course, the Goblin could also remotely germinate the seeds, much like what he was doing now.

    All the seeds that it had planted within a mile radius of the wolves suddenly germinated. The result was a literal sea of mushroom caps.

    A rough estimate put the number in the tens of thousands.

    Thanks to the Looking Glass, Ellis saw all this from a bird¡¯s eye view. The sheer volume of the Goblin¡¯s army thoroughly shocked him. From his perspective, they resembled an endless horde of zombies!

    The wolves were firmly within the thicket of such a mess. They fiercely fought even as their circle of space rapidly shrank.

    Fortunately, they were not completely at their wit''s end just yet.

    Six hours of constant battle soon passed. Although the wolves had good stamina, they were not nearly as freakish as Ellis. They gradually grew tired. Luckily, fatigue was not a condition that they could not solve. When they got tired, they consumed the emergency potions that Ellis had given them earlier.

    These potions were not the Grandelier potions that Grisella had concocted back in her cottage. While she did make them and while they were equally as miraculous as her other potions, they had completely different effects.

    Buggy Potions. A greenish liquid stored within a cylindrical glass jar.

    A single concoction consisted of a number of different herbs, some rare, others common. The main ingredient was the abdomen of a certain insect that could only be found within a remote location on the eastern part of the continent.

    They possessed only one function: recover stamina.

    It started roughly a few days ago. Ellis had started hanging a jar of the stuff around each of their necks. It was a method for the wolves to keep fighting without having to rely on Ena. Lately, that little fox has gotten lazier and lazier.

    Ever since the big battle with the slime, she spent much of her time sleeping. In essence, these potions were necessary in order for the wolves to fight unassisted.

    Right now, two jars dangled from their necks. One was green and the other was red. With both a Grandelier potion and a Buggy potion at their disposal, the wolves were like immortal warriors.

    Slowly but surely, they progressively clawed their way deeper into the forest.

    ****

    Ellis let out a yawn.

    He unconsciously looked up. Past the canopies, he could see the faint vestiges of a hot pink sky. He stared for a moment before he looked away. He diverted his gaze towards Grisella. Right now, she was asleep, curled up underneath a thick blanket. Ena sat a few feet away from her. She too was asleep.

    At some point, a full day and night had passed.

    ¡°Did those guys finish already?¡± Ellis mumbled to himself as he walked over towards the Looking Glass.

    To his surprise, the wolves were still fighting. They were now less than five miles away from the Spore Goblin. In their wake, they left behind a countless number of corpses. Unfortunately, even more replaced the fallen.

    As for the Calamity-Class monster himself, it was actually sleeping! Throughout the ¡®battle¡¯, the Goblin would occasionally wave its hand in the air. Other times, it spent the rest of the time in a near-catatonic state.

    Its attitude was a complete contrast to the wolves¡¯. Even if their bodies may not be tired, their minds surely were. The wolves felt mentally fatigued; their bodies trembled while their eyes grew bloodshot.

    They wanted to stop, but they didn¡¯t. They couldn¡¯t. The moment they stopped would be the moment they died. It would take less than a fraction of a second for the tides of mushrooms to overwhelm them. Right now, the only thing keeping them alive were Grisella¡¯s Buggy potions.

    Her potions were like drugs. It was quite literally an energy drink on steroids. Even if they wanted to keel over and die, they couldn¡¯t. Their bodies simply refused to fall.

    Unfortunately, they did not have an infinite supply of potions.

    Right now, about two-thirds of it had been consumed. Of course, the rate of consumption was different for every wolf, but the average was around that general ballpark.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Staring at the scene before him, he couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes. To be honest, this was completely outside Ellis¡¯s expectations. By this point, he honestly thought that the mushroom army would have decreased by now. To his surprise, it did not. In fact, the army might have actually expanded.

    How many monsters can a single Spore Goblin truly produce?

    ¡°It¡¯s not really infinite, is it?¡± Ellis couldn¡¯t help but mutter to himself. ¡°If so, then that would be completely cheating!¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not actually infinite, but it does feel like it.¡± Someone responded to him.

    He turned around, only to notice that Grisella had woken up. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and let out a yawn. After a few seconds of silence, she continued, ¡°There was a record of a certain battle that took place nearly a thousand years ago. That battle pitted a single Spore Goblin against an alliance of small kingdoms. If I recall correctly, there were nearly three million soldiers on the alliance¡¯s side¡­ Unfortunately, even with an army of that size, they still lost.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis did not respond. The implications of that battle were clear for anyone to see.

    The Spore Goblin had nearly no limits! Even if it did, then its limits did not exist within the values of a thousand, or even tens of thousands, but rather, within the millions!

    He had to ask himself: could the wolves really handle such an amount?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even after he racked his head, he could not come up with an answer.

    For the first time, Ellis hesitated.

    Should I help them out? Should I pull them out of battle?

    He did promise that he¡¯d fight together with Wight someday, but doing it now would undermine her training.

    To be honest, even if others had trouble dealing with a Spore Goblin, to him, it would be as easy as stealing candy from a baby. It couldn¡¯t be helped. His insane physical strength was a complete hard-counter to the Goblin¡¯s abilities.

    Should I cut their training short and save them now before something irreversible happens?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After five minutes of contemplation, he breathed out a tired sigh.

    In the end, Ellis decided to adopt a wait and see tactic.

    Since Wight and the others were still trying so hard, he did not want to interrupt.

    This was a trial meant for them. It would not be appropriate if he were to cut in prematurely.

    Just as such worries filled his head, a certain white-eared wolf suddenly moved into action.

 Chapter 70: The Battle and Her Resolve

    Wight felt tired.

    The little wolf had been battling for more than a day now. By this point, her mind had been stretched thin while her will was practically running on fumes. Even though this was the point in the battle where one wrong move could very well equal death, right now, she felt an overwhelming desire to lay down and take a nap.

    Still, she did not give up. Even when her vision grew blurry and her limbs felt like lead, she still persevered. In fact, her situation only further spurned on her motivation.

    As Wight tore through another mushroom monster, she took a quick step back and briefly surveyed her surroundings.

    She was not the only one currently in battle. Like her, the other wolves were also embroiled in bloody combat. Out of everyone here, the most effective fighter with the highest kill count was Umbra.

    Umbra was special. Unlike the others, he knew how to use poison magic and fortunately for him, poison worked surprisingly well against the Spore Goblin¡¯s army. These mushroom spawns were more plant than animal. Umbra¡¯s specific brand of poison worked similarly to herbicide.

    Dark tufts of miasma leaked out from Umbra¡¯s slightly parted jaws. The mist swirled around him like tumultuous rain clouds. With a slight puff, it slowly seeped out into the surroundings. He was like a lone reaper walking through a battlefield. With each step that he traveled, more and more corpses fell beneath his feet.

    Within this battle, one Umbra was easily worth at least five Wights.

    Unfortunately, his success did not go unpunished. By the time noon rolled around, most of the spawns had redirected their efforts and concentrated their focus onto a certain poison-spitting wolf. While this sudden change did lighten the load for the others, it more than quadrupled the strain that Umbra had to bear.

    His advance was eventually forced to a standstill. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed. The wolves that once trailed behind him, soon overtook him. After another five minutes, the distance once again significantly increased.

    As the rest of the wolves forged forward, Umbra¡¯s figure slowly sank beneath the might of the mushroom sea. After a while, not even a speck of his fur could be seen. At this point, nobody knew whether or not he was still alive.

    Wight wanted to turn around and go back for her brother. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t. Monsters surrounded her on all sides. They clawed at her limbs and nipped at her paws. Rescuing Umbra was simply impossible. Ironically enough, her only salvation lay further ahead, where the density of the crowd was thinnest.

    Right now, her only goal was to kill the Spore Goblin as fast as possible. If the Boss died, then there might be a way to save her brother.

    A part of her knew that the Boss was baiting them. After all, why else would the front of its army be so vulnerable? It wanted to guide them further into the forest. It wanted to tease them, play with their inconsequential lives like a twisted puppet master.

    Still, even if it was what the Goblin wanted, Wight really had no other choice. For her own sake as well as Umbra¡¯s, she needed to continue.

    With a heavy heart, she single-mindedly forged forward.

    The rest of her pack faithfully followed her, but at some point, they too were devoured by the endless wave.

    Plush was the first to go. His big body meant that he had to consume the Buggy Potion at a faster rate than everyone else. After he ran out, the fatigue eventually caught up to him. Like a sinking battleship, the mushroom army dragged him down into their abyss.

    The next to go were Tangerine, Cobalt, and Cinder. They did not fair any better than Plush. The trio fought together with both coordination and grace, but what did three wolves count for in the face of an army of thousands?

    Cocoa lasted the longest. The weakest of the wolves fought desperately, but like everyone else, she too was swept away by the tumultuous sea.

    Every single one of Wight¡¯s precious family, all of them, just gone. Whether they died, or whether they were still struggling desperately to survive, she did not know.

    At some point, Wight found herself alone.

    Despite the sinking feeling of inevitability, she still struggled forward. She was like a tiny sailboat amidst a chaotic sea, a desperate sailor yearning to go home. Wight recklessly charged ahead.

    The potions around her neck had long run out. Her body steadily racked-up injuries. The total amount of blood that she had lost throughout the battle was enough to fill up a large basin. She was quite literally running on fumes, but like a train that had broken free from its tracks, she did not know when to stop.

    Right now, Wight felt utterly and hopelessly lost.

    The little wolf was not the na?ve and childish little wolf that Ellis thought her to be. In a way, she was an individual with plenty of worldly knowledge. At the very least, Wight was an avid chess player.

    The current battle made her feel like a lone knight surrounded by a board full of pawns. Killing one would not result in victory. In fact, attacking now would only lead to a quick defeat.

    Still, this was not chess. For her, there was no other route but forward.

    For a brief moment, Wight recalled back to the things that Ellis and Grisella had told her prior to the battle.

    The Spore Goblin was a single creature, yet it possessed the otherworldly power of creating life from nothing. A seemingly infinite army with a seemingly untouchable king¡­ in the face of such a monster, what could she possibly do?

    Was there any way to win this battle or was this place destined to be her final resting ground?

    There were still roughly three miles until she reached the Spore Goblin. The army did not look any thinner than what it was twelve hours ago.

    Turning around was not an option and one slip-up meant death.

    Her siblings were gone, their statuses unknown.

    She was the only one left.

    If Wight wanted to survive, if she wanted to win, then she needed to act now.

    ¡­. but, in the end, what could she do?

    It wasn¡¯t that she lacked the resolve, but she simply lacked the means to justify that resolve.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even after wracking her brain for a long time, the little wolf still could not come up with any sort of intricate, life-saving plan that could wrest her away from the jaws of death¡­ no, the only thing she found was a slim possibility.

    Speed.

    Wight did not possess her beloved Master¡¯s incredible strength, nor did she have access to that deplorable fox¡¯s powerful magic. Even when compared to the other wolves, she was severely lacking in all aspects except speed.

    In that case, rather than hoping for something she did not have, she decided to pin her life on the only thing that she did. Speed was the only thing that Wight had going for her. Speed was the only thing that kept her away from the ranks of mediocrity.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    To Wight, speed was her only hope.

    The answer was truly so simple yet it took her more than a day of suffering to come up with.

    She needed to be faster. If she wanted to live, if she wanted to survive, if she wanted to live up to her master¡¯s expectations, she needed unbeatable speed.

    Wight lightly bent her legs. A line of blood dripped down the side of her face, but she did not mind.

    Faster.

    Even faster than that deplorable fox.

    Even faster than the fastest thing on this planet.

    Even faster than her very own master.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, faster¡­

    She kicked off the ground.

    Faster. Go even faster than fast!

    Kill the lethargy within her body, trample down the feeling of rising fatigue! She was determined to keep moving forward. Being late, being slow like last time¡­ no, not like last time. Never like last time.

    Last time, her master had taken care of everything. He killed the slime and saved the day, but¡­ what about next time? What if he were to ever need her help, but she couldn¡¯t be there to provide it? What if¡­ what if she couldn¡¯t be faster? What if her master died because she was too slow to help?

    No!

    No matter what, whether it was her siblings or her precious master, she would never let such a thing happen!

    Spurred by such determination, something inside her broke. It was like a rock smashing through a glass window. Wind from the outside world suddenly rushed inside.

    One last spurt of energy reinvigorated her body.

    Wight¡¯s figure blurred.

    Faster!

    The next second, a spawn suddenly collapsed to the floor. Its entire chest had been gouged out.

    ¡­that wasn¡¯t enough. That wasn¡¯t nearly enough! She needed to be even faster!

    In a blink of an eye, two heads abruptly exploded. Wooden chips flew through the air like a burst of confetti. If one looked closely enough, then they¡¯d notice that faint wooden particles clung to the ends of her paws.

    Still, it wasn¡¯t enough. Faster, she needed to go even faster!

    A black shadow darted through the battlefield like a bolt of lightning. It moved like the wind and killed like a storm.

    Faster, faster, faster!

    In the midst of her heightened fervor¡­

    ROAR!

    From somewhere deep within the mushroom army, a loud roar echoed like a sonorous war drum. Plush¡¯s large body erupted from its depths. He was covered in scars, but his eyes flared with ferocious intensity.

    SSSSS¡­

    From even further away, a large circle of spawns suddenly fragmented. Their skins turned purple, before they collapsed onto the floor, immobile. In the middle of the circle stood a singular wolf. Umbra¡¯s eyes glowed pale white, while his fangs dripped with acidic poison. His body was covered by a hardened layer of black sludge. As he moved forward, the cocoon-like casing slowly flaked off his body. Each and every one of his steps melted the ground beneath his feet.

    Cocoa, Tangerine, Cobalt, Cinder, every single one of them crawled out from the depths of hell and fought back against the army, their strength and intensity just as mighty as when they first started the battle.

    Spurred on by Wight¡¯s struggle, the entire pack caught their second wind and recklessly charged forward. Whether it was Plush, Umbra, or the three wolf brothers, they fought with their very lives on the line. Even Cocoa, the resident princess of the group, did her best. Wooden chips and clumps of dirt stuck to her matted fur. It gave her a very rugged vibe.

    Looking at everyone trying so hard, Umbra could only shake his head. Sometimes, he envied their master. Leaving everything to everyone else, lying down and watching the fight from a faraway place, such a life was one that he wanted to achieve.

    Until then, he could do nothing but put in the work.

    The wolf¡¯s jaws slightly slackened. A thin mist of black vapor leaked out from his throat.

    Right now, Umbra wanted to make a new poison. A poison that could kill even the unkillable. A poison that could poison even the unpoisonable. Within his body was a collection of various poisons. By mixing and matching the right one, he could theoretically create even stronger poisons.

    A poison strong enough to kill God was what he wanted to make¡­ or at least, that¡¯s what his Master one-sidedly decided as he looked at Umbra with shining eyes.

    Umbra wasn¡¯t at that level, nor did he have such lofty ambitions, but his current mixture should be a pretty potent one.

    The black vapor suddenly twisted and contorted. It followed his will and flew towards the nearest Spawn. The haze passed through the creature before it continued towards the next one. In its wake, it left behind a withered corpse.

    Like a slow-moving domino, numerous emaciated bodies fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

    ACHOO!!

    Umbra let out a sneeze. Using up so much poison always made him feel under the weather, but there was nothing he could really do about it. This was the price he had to pay for such power.

    He shook his head again and trotted forward. He chased after the shrinking silhouettes of his distant siblings.

    Despite being the furthest one away, his kill count still remained the highest.

    ****

    As for the individual responsible for this resurgence, Wight was barely reticent of these changes.

    She could feel it. Her legs, they ached and throbbed and burned as if hot coals had been pressed directly onto her muscles. She could feel it. The fur on her ankles and the soles of her paws practically ripped off from all the friction.

    She could feel it all.

    Her thighs and ankles grew heavier with each step that she took. Ironically enough, each step covered a wider distance. She was getting faster. No, it was more than that.

    Wight¡¯s mind was a messy haze. Her eyes had long glazed over; her surroundings appeared nothing more than blurry chaos. Still, she developed an acute awareness to the things around her. Whether it was the Spawn in front of her, or the one behind that, or the one behind that other one, she could see it, but not really.

    Suddenly, a thought popped into her head.

    It was something that her master had once taught her.

    For the weak, there was no such thing as an easy salvation. You could not rely on convenient heroes to save you. One could only rely on one¡¯s own self. The only path available was forward. It was always forward.

    Push. Keep pushing forward. Even when you feel like you¡¯re about to give up, even when others call you stubborn, keep pushing. Just single-mindedly push. Push, push, push. It was the only way for a regular person to break through their limiter.

    As expected of her master, each and every one of his words were filled with wisdom!

    Ellis once told her that his words were an amalgamation of ancient texts that he once stumbled upon a long time ago. Of course, Wight was just a wolf. She did not know that these ¡®ancient texts¡¯, actually referred to all the comics and web novels that Ellis had once obsessed over.

    Still, regardless of Ellis¡¯s bull crap, there was one undeniable truth that Wight had cemented into her heart:

    She needed to be faster!

    CRACK!

    Another crack. This time, it did not come from inside her. Rather, her surroundings had cracked. A large boom echoed through the air. It pushed everyone away and propelled her forward.

    The next instant, her jaws viciously tore through the throat of a giant Spawn. Her teeth barely scraped at its surface before she further blasted forward. One, two, five Spawns immediately crumpled. If one looked closely, there were giant bite marks littered across their bodies.

    Still, it was not enough. At this level, it would never be enough!

    Wight warily raised her head up. Her eyes locked onto something distant.

    Without hesitation, she sprinted forward.

    ****

    The Spore Goblin suddenly looked up.

    It did not have eyes, but it could still perceive the looming threat.

    For the first time, it stood up. The Goblin pressed its hands on the ground and exhaled. Small holes suddenly appeared all over its arms. From those holes came thousands upon thousands of black spores.

    The spores touched the ground and planted themselves into the nearby trees. A few seconds later, the ground and the trees bubbled. More than a dozen creatures emerged out from the gurgling surface.

    The creatures were massive in size and possessed jagged, almost wrinkly skin. Some had six pairs of arms, while others sported fat bellies and log-like limbs. The only commonality was the mushroom cap on all of their heads.

    The newly formed Spawns immediately converged onto the Spore Goblin. They created a tight barrier that separated the Goblin from the rest of the world. It was like a phalanx of legionaries, all devoted to protecting one important life.

    As the seconds ticked by, the crowd continued to grow. Even then, the Goblin was not satisfied. The feeling of danger still persisted. In fact, it grew even larger with the passage of time.

    While the Goblin continually created more and more Spawns, at some point, a tiny black figure had arrived.

    Wight saw it. The giant army that blotted her surroundings exuded out a pressure that threatened to drag her feet across the mud. Still, she was not concerned. Her target was not the army, but rather, the general behind that army.

    She increased her pace. Soon, even the noises around her disappeared. Wight could only hear the sound of her rapidly beating heart. It marched in sync with every step that she took.

    Faster! Even faster than before!

    Another boom echoed through the air.

    This time, rather than be propelled by the explosion, she felt as if she had just outrun it.

    Without hesitation, she dashed headfirst into the opposing army. The Giants moved in to respond, but she was too fast.

    The phalanx was not enough to stop her. They were large and the overall formation was sturdy and intimidating, but none of that mattered. Wight could see it all. The gaps in their defense, the tiny parts that they did not bother to hide, and the even tinier sections that they couldn¡¯t. These were all chinks within their armor. It was as if they were made perfectly just for her.

    She weaved in and out, squeezing herself past even the smallest hole in their defense. Jutting appendages and misplaced limbs occasionally struck her, but she powered through the pain.

    One second, two seconds, five seconds passed before she broke through the defensive line.

    The only thing in front of her was a diminutive green creature with an overly large mushroom cap on its head.

    It stood in a small circular clearing with its hands pressed to the ground and its mouth locked in a seemingly perpetual scowl. The Spore Goblin was still in the midst of the creation process. It did not even realize Wight¡¯s arrival, and she sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to give it a chance.

    Without hesitation, without pause, in a blink of an eye, her jaws were already firmly clamped onto the Goblin¡¯s throat.

    A dull crunch quietly echoed throughout the air.

    Wight had slain her first Calamity-class monster.

 Chapter 71: An Impossible Feat

    After almost two days, the battle finally came to an end.

    Ellis watched as Wight perfectly slew the Calamity-Class monster. Even through the Looking Glass, he could practically feel the tension and danger contained within those last few seconds.

    A small smile formed on his lips. She¡¯s gotten stronger¡­

    Off to the side, Ena suddenly raised her head. After a short pause, she narrowed her eyes and let out a scoff. ¡°I could have done that too¡±¡ª was what her obstinate expression seemed to say.

    Naturally, Ellis did not bother to argue with this uppity little fox.

    ¡°She actually did it¡­¡± Grisella mumbled out in a daze. The solitary witch stood next to him; her eyes intently locked onto the mirror¡¯s surface. Her shoulders slightly trembled, while her face had turned several shades paler. Suffice to say, she was thoroughly shocked.

    It isn¡¯t just Ellis who¡¯s broken, but rather¡­ every single individual within this group are existences that can¡¯t be measured by normal standards.

    Grisella knew that the wolves were strong, but never to this extent. No, it was even more than that¡­ In less than a week, she had just witnessed two separate individuals kill two separate Calamity-Class monsters. An encounter with one was already rare, not to mention actually slaying it.

    To many, such an event was considered both grand and mythical. If this had been back within the kingdoms of man, then it would certainly warrant great celebration, enough where they might even grant ridiculous things such as peerage or land.

    Although I doubt any sane king would grant peerage to a homunculus, much less a wolf¡­

    It took her a few minutes to regain her calm. Grisella exasperatedly shook her head. She couldn¡¯t help but reiterate, ¡°they actually managed to kill the Spore Goblin.¡±

    ¡°Of course, they did,¡± Ellis proudly stated. ¡°After all, they are my family.¡±

    Despite his words, truth be told, the situation had worried him for a moment there. After Umbra went under and the rest of the pack followed shortly after, he felt inclined to cut their training short and join in on the battle.

    Unexpectedly, Ena stopped him.

    Ellis had hesitated for a moment, but he ultimately decided to trust her. Compared to him, Ena was a lot more familiar with the wolves¡¯ combat ability, so she probably had a much better idea of where their limits lay. It was better to take her advice, rather than go with his own shoddy judgment. Knowing when to delegate was also the mark of a good leader.

    Besides, Ellis trusted her. After all, despite everything, Ena was not someone who would send her family straight into the jaws of death.

    Fortunately, Ellis¡¯s gamble paid off. The pack managed to regain their footing and turn the dire situation around for the better. What¡¯s more, Wight even went ahead and pulled off that ridiculous feat. The little wolf used her superior speed and practically glided along the sea of mushroom caps. She jumped from one head to another almost as if she was in a videogame.

    It all eventually cumulated into one big miraculous spectacle; Wight slew the big boss all by herself.

    The smile on his face widened.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Grisella glanced over at him but otherwise remained.

    Ellis did not mind her silence. After a few seconds, he stretched his limbs and turned towards the distant tree line. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go check out the battlefield.¡±

    He started walking but stopped after a few seconds. Ellis glanced back. ¡°You¡¯re also coming too.¡±

    In response, a certain little fox let out a short whine.

    Ellis ignored her protests. He picked Ena up by the scruff of her neck before he continued walking. Grisella packed up her magical artifact and quickly ran after him.

    With that, the trio descended the hill and reunited with the rest of the group.

    ****

    The moment the Spore Goblin died, all of its creations vanished. They melted like ice sculptures on a hot summer day. The only evidence of their existence was the goopy brown sludge that they had left behind.

    Ellis slowly walked through the battlefield. He took the same route that the wolves had taken. Evidence of their battle lay scattered throughout the forest.

    The ground had been thoroughly trampled on. The might of an army was enough to change the very terrain that they marched on. There were also small craters, claw marks, and the occasional puddle of blood scattered throughout the forest floor.

    When he arrived at the end of the path, he quickly noticed the wolf pack. They crowded around a certain spot near the ground.

    Staring up at their injured bodies, he couldn¡¯t help but breathe out a sigh.

    The wolves had grown stronger, but some of them were clearly stronger than others.

    Umbra and Plush were good examples of this. Aside from looking a bit under the weather, Umbra was perfectly fine. He might have a couple of scratches here and there, but he looked good enough to fight for another day or two.

    Plush was similar. While his fur was a little matted, due to his large size and thick hide, most of his injuries were superficial.

    Compare this to the rest of the wolves, and the gap was evident. Cobalt, Cinder, Tangerine, these three wolf brothers looked as if they had just crawled out of an industrial shredder. Their bodies were covered in blood, while more than a few ribs stuck out from their chests.

    Cocoa, the only other female wolf within the pack, probably suffered the most. Half of her lower jaw was missing, while most of her limbs had bent at odd angles. The sole fact that she was still conscious was already a miracle.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Naturally, Wight was the strongest wolf. She was the one that had deviated the furthest from the generic template of ¡®burrow wolf¡¯.

    Her growth was skewed and as a result, a clear gap had formed between Wight and the other wolves.

    Wight killed the Goblin almost entirely by herself. That was a feat that the other wolves probably could not accomplish together, much less alone. What¡¯s more, she even used the same tactic that Ellis would have used himself; ignore everything else and go for the boss.

    A small tinge of pride welled up in his chest.

    ¡­ Still, the power gap was something that he felt he needed to address. It was already enough that Ena was so far ahead of everyone else. What if because of this, the weaker wolves start to feel inadequate or left out?

    Ellis once again felt the worries of a parent.

    Well, it should be alright. After some thought, he shrugged his shoulders. If Wight gets stronger, then the others can just catch up to her. Ellis nodded to himself. No matter what, growing strong is something worth celebrating.

    After he momentarily pushed aside his troubles, Ellis approached the circle of wolves.

    Almost instantly, he noticed Wight. She lay in the middle of the circle, still and unmoving. The only indication of life came from the slight rise and fall of her chest. She was asleep. From the looks of it, she had lost consciousness immediately after the battle ended. In fact, her jaws were still clamped onto the Goblin¡¯s neck. He had to pry open her jaw just to separate her from the corpse.

    Ellis gently placed her down on the ground. He inspected her mangled body. Wight had suffered countless injuries. Aside from the normal gouge marks and purple bruises, the most eye-catching injury were the ones on her heels. It looked as if the very skin on her paws had peeled off.

    It definitely wasn¡¯t something for the faint of heart to see.

    While Ellis broodingly stared, Ena casted her strongest healing magic on the group of wolves. Almost immediately, their injuries began to heal. In no time at all, their physical conditions returned to normal. Even the half-crippled Cocoa looked just as lively as when he last saw her.

    Wight¡¯s injuries also closed, but she did not regain consciousness.

    ¡°She over drafted her body.¡± Upon seeing Ellis¡¯s furrowed brows, Grisella quickly explained. ¡°She¡¯ll need to rest and recover. Wight will probably be in a coma for a while.¡±

    He subconsciously frowned. ¡°Is there any way to wake her up?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, but¡­¡± she hesitated for a moment. Grisella had plenty of ways to rouse someone from a catatonic state, but in this particular situation, she did not really recommend it. ¡°In Wight¡¯s case, I can feel something changing within her. Mana is constantly gathering inside her body. It''s throbbing like a beating heart, absorbing, dispelling, then absorbing again.¡±

    ¡°Is that a good thing or a bad thing?¡± Ellis titled his head in confusion.

    ¡°A good thing, probably.¡± Grisella suddenly looked up at him. Ellis stared back. For some reason, her gaze felt a bit weird. ¡°I think she may be undergoing a permutation.¡±

    ¡°A permutation? Is it something similar to what Umbra has?¡± That kid¡¯s poison ability certainly did set him apart from everyone else.

    She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Um, to quote your words, ¡®she broke past her limiter and unlocked a new ability¡¯. Or at least, that¡¯s what probably happened.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis felt somewhat embarrassed. He had lifted that line straight from a popular piece of fiction from his old world. It was a bit shameful for him to claim it as his own.

    He shook his head and cleared his thoughts. Ellis turned back over to Wight. ¡°Then, do we just leave her alone until her body finishes the¡­ um, the transformation?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s probably not a good idea to move her around when she¡¯s in such a state. Even I¡¯m not sure what could happen.¡±

    ¡°Well, alright then.¡± For the sake of Wight¡¯s wellbeing, Ellis meekly went along with Grisella¡¯s plan.

    As such, the group took an indefinite break.

    ****

    Five days passed before Wight finally woke up.

    She had successfully completed her permutation, but truth be told, nothing really seemed to change. She was still as small as ever and her outer appearance looked virtually untouched. Even the white discoloration on her left ear remained the same.

    Still, Wight was in high spirits.

    She assured him that she had indeed grown stronger. As a demonstration, Wight even wanted to challenge Ena to a fight. Unfortunately, Ena refused. The little fox once again cited tiredness. At this point, Ellis was beginning to think that Ena might be going through a similar advancement.

    While she did not fall into a coma-like Wight, quite a few noticeable changes had occurred. For one there was her sudden lack of drive. Ena spent most of her days sleeping. She only woke up to either eat or pee. She somewhat reminded him of a lazy house cat.

    It was almost as if Ena was going through some sort of hibernation period. The fact that her current behavior only started after the battle with the slime only further validated his theory.

    ¡°Well, either way, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    Both Wight and Ena were steadily growing stronger. At this rate, it would not take all that long before they reached Calamity-class.

    Ellis was hopeful for the future.

    Aside from that, there was also another matter that Ellis had yet to take care of.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The corpse of the Spore Goblin. Practically half of its already thin throat was missing. Its dead fish eyes stared limply at the canopy above. Staring down on it like this, it was difficult to believe that this thing was actually a monster capable of single-handedly destroying an entire nation.

    For the past five days, they left the thing virtually untouched. Ellis expected it to rot, but much to his surprise, flowers suddenly started sprouting. They grew not only on the corpse itself but also on the ground around it.

    ¡°Spore Goblins are extreme Goblin variants born with an almost exaggerated amount of nature essence,¡± Grisella explained to him.

    Nature essence? Is that different from mana? Or maybe it¡¯s like a different type of mana, a specialized version of it¡­

    Various thoughts and ideas floated through his head.

    Grisella briefly glanced up at him. After a moment¡¯s pause, she added, ¡°fun fact, Spore Goblins are a female only sub-species.¡±

    ¡°Female?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow. ¡°This thing is a female?¡±

    To be honest, it looked way to ugly to be female. What¡¯s more, it had no discernable genitalia either¡­ then again, its entire lower half was covered by a shaggy layer of hair, so it might have something down there, but Ellis did not dare to check. Either way, it was disgusting.

    In response to his incredulity, she merely shrugged her shoulders.

    ¡°Do we just leave it here?¡± he asked, ¡°Should we take it with us?¡±

    ¡°It has a fairly strong body, but compared to other Calamity-Class monsters, it¡¯s not really impressive.¡± Much to his surprise, the normally greedy Grisella looked hesitant. ¡°Its main trait was its ability to create. Without it, it''s only similar to most ordinary disaster-level monsters. Nothing really worth taking.¡± She paused for a second, ¡°The nature essence in its body might have been useful, but now that it died, most of the essence has dispersed.¡±

    She pointed towards the ground. ¡°It¡¯s why there are so many flowers around.¡±

    ¡°So, basically, you¡¯re saying this corpse is useless?¡± Ellis succinctly summarized.

    She nodded. ¡°Pretty much, yeah.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Despite her thorough explanation, Ellis still looked hesitant. After a while, he said, ¡°well, let¡¯s just take it, just in case. After all, it is still a Calamity-Class corpse.¡±

    Grisella shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Suit yourself. I don¡¯t see the point in it, but I won¡¯t stop you.¡±

    Compared to her quick dismissal, Ellis had a myriad of possibilities racing through his head.

    For instance, what if he can somehow learn necromancy? Having an undead servant like this thing would definitely be overpowered!

    Of course, necromancy was just a passing thought. Ellis did not really think that such a thing was destined for him. He was more of a brute strength type of guy. While he wasn¡¯t really all that satisfied with his particular build, there was nothing he could really do about it. After all, it was the role that God (Alma) had given him.

    The most he could do was hope for the possibility of learning magic in the future.

    No, I can¡¯t think like that. This is a fantasy world, who knows what could happen!

    Ellis tried to stay positive, despite the adversity ahead.

    Ena quietly pocketed the corpse. Throughout the entire process, she kept looking at him with a weird glint in her eyes.

    His face immediately darkened. Even without her saying anything, he knew exactly what those eyes of hers were implying.

    Damn it, I don¡¯t want to eat the damn thing! Unlike you, my mind has other thoughts aside from food!

    He inwardly screamed, but unfortunately, there was nobody to hear it.

    This glutton of a fox completely misunderstood his intentions. Of course, Ellis chose to wisely remain silent. He feared that if he were to defend himself now, it would only further escalate the situation.

    Like that, the group continued on their journey.

 Chapter 72: A New Companion

    Several days passed.

    Like before, the group continued up the river. They constantly encountered enemy monsters, but none of them were as extreme as the Spore Goblin. Fighting, eating, and occasionally lazing around, Ellis once again enjoyed the comforts of a cyclical routine.

    On the tenth day, something unexpected happened.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too early for this?¡± Ellis couldn¡¯t help but ask out loud as he intently stared at the wriggling semi-transparent orb on the ground.

    ¡°Well, I think so too, but then again, there are a lot of different factors in play here,¡± Grisella spoke with a troubled expression. ¡°The fact that it was produced from a Calamity-class monster is one such factor. It might have some sort of effect on the maturation cycle¡­  Also, there¡¯s you.¡±

    ¡°Me? What the heck do I have to do with this?¡±

    She hesitated for a moment. ¡°Ellis, even if you don¡¯t realize it yourself, you¡¯re also influencing this thing.¡±

    This thought first popped into her head after she witnessed Wight¡¯s forceful evolution.

    Ellis was an unusual existence surrounded by even more unusual existences. Ever since she first met the man, there was this lingering suspicion in her heart that Ellis was more than just an overpowered punching machine. Due to Grisella¡¯s natural tendency as a researcher, she began to form her own theories.

    She knew this beforehand, but Ellis was someone with an almost unfathomable amount of mana within his body. It was reasonable to believe that he either naturally attracted mana like a magnet or his excess mana flooded out into his surroundings. Either way, the result was a constant environment of high-concentration mana.

    It was common knowledge that places with a high-concentration of mana generally yielded stronger monsters. What¡¯s more, areas with ¡®specialized energy¡¯ like the nature essence within a forest, or the fire essence on a volcano also affected a creature¡¯s growth. A similar phenomenon might be happening with the slime egg.

    The same theory also applied to the rest of the group. Ellis¡¯s very presence acted as a sort of tonic for those around him. After all, no matter how hard one worked, it was extremely difficult for ordinary monsters to break through their supposed ¡®limiter¡¯. It was evident that there was another additional force at play here.

    After Grisella explained all this to him, the man in question simply nodded his head.

    So, not only am I a combat-type cheat, but I¡¯m also a support-type? Or would it be more along the lines of an experience multiplier?

    Ellis wasn¡¯t very surprised.

    In retrospect, Wight¡¯s situation was a bit fishy. While he did not think that her efforts were completely pointless, the concept of breaking through a limiter was still a bit farfetched. At the very least, effort alone could not produce such results.

    Turns out I¡¯m that last extra kick that she needed, huh?

    Ellis felt somewhat weird about the whole thing. He did not want to take full credit for her change, yet it was undeniable that his presence was irreplaceable.

    After a while, he shook his head and cleared his thoughts. ¡°More importantly, the slime is about to hatch.¡±

    Back on the ground, the little red ball inside the orb kept moving. It pulsated like a beating heart, while the rest of the orb twisted and contorted. This persisted for a few minutes before something changed. Suddenly, the red ball rapidly expanded. In a blink of an eye, it ¡®devoured¡¯ all the white portions of the orb, transforming the whole thing into some sort of scarlet sphere.

    Time once again passed. The intense red gradually cooled to a mild, fleshy pink.

    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± With Grisella¡¯s confirmation, the hatching process had come to an end.

    As she closely examined the newborn creature, she subconsciously furrowed her brow. ¡°The color is different from normal. Usually, it would be red or brown, not soft pink like this. Also, it does not seem to have a core¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that bad?¡± Ellis asked.

    She shook her head. ¡°No, not bad, but¡­ as expected of a Calamity-Class¡¯s offspring. This thing is a genuine variant.¡±

    With her confirmation, he turned and looked at the tiny thing with clear interest on his face. Despite not having any eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but feel as if the slime was staring back at him.

    It was a weird, yet strangely fascinating sensation.

    Still¡­

    Just looking at it like this, Ellis was not sure whether or not it possessed intelligence. Right now, it took on the form of a semi-transparent amorphous blob. It occasionally shivered, but other than that, it remained entirely immobile. For all intents and purposes, this thing appeared more plant than animal.

    ¡°Is it supposed to be like this?¡± Ellis knew next to nothing about slime ecology. Whether it moved around like a real animal or stayed sedentary like a sponge, he really did not know. For now, all he could do was consult his group¡¯s resident dictionary.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know either.¡± Grisella exasperatedly sighed and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°This thing is a completely unheard-of variant. To be frank, it¡¯s like a completely new species, one wholly different from anything that Lull has ever seen before.¡±

    The biggest indicator of this was its lack of a core. Different colored slimes were par for the course, but from Lull¡¯s inception to now, there had never once been a slime without a core.

    Does Ellis¡¯s mere presence really have that big of an effect?

    Despite the several times that he had previously shattered her common sense, she still couldn¡¯t quite believe it.

    Grisella hesitated for a moment, ¡°¡­from what I know about regular Carrion Slimes, they need to be fed in order to grow. Carrion Slimes are carnivores by nature; they like to eat meat. What¡¯s more, they also possess a special constitution. Carrion Slimes are influenced by the things that they eat.¡±

    ¡°Influenced?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded. ¡°Take the Calamity-Class monster that you fought for example. It probably looked like that because it ate a ton of Petal Eels in the past.¡±

    ¡°So, basically, it¡¯s the type of monster that can grow stronger with better ingredients?¡± Ellis summarized her words.

    ¡°Erm, basically¡­ yeah.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ does that apply to intelligence as well?¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡± she paused for a moment. ¡°I think so, yeah.¡± Grisella eventually nodded. ¡°If a slime consumes an intelligent life form, then it might get more intelligent.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ellis had an overly serious expression on his face. ¡°So, if I want it to grow up to be both strong and smart, then it needs to eat something both strong and smart?¡±

    ¡°Technically, yeah, but¡­¡± For some reason, Grisella suddenly had a bad feeling.

    Without warning, Ellis abruptly ripped off his arm.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    The solitary witch¡¯s eyes widened in fright, but he naturally ignored her.

    At this point, Ellis was quite experienced with forceful bisection. To him, it was no more than a quick sense of discomfort. He casually threw his arm on the ground.

    For a moment, the Slime jiggled. As if it had sensed something, it then slowly moved towards the fallen arm. The parts of the arm that it touched immediately began to melt. After a few seconds, the rate of melting increased. In no time at all, the slime feasted on the arm with great fervor.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Good, it worked.¡± Ellis nodded to himself.

    ¡°Good, my ass! What did you just do?!¡± As expected, Grisella immediately freaked out. She stood there, wide-eyed and in shock. She couldn¡¯t quite comprehend what had just happened.

    ¡°What, you say?¡± Ellis looked over at her. He rolled his eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I fed it. That¡¯s what you said to do, right? Don¡¯t worry about me though, I regenerate real quick. See?¡±

    As if to demonstrate, he waved his growing stump. A few splashes of blood scattered throughout the surroundings, but that was of little consequence.

    Grisella¡¯s bottom lip twitched. ¡°You, you¡­ you freak of nature!¡±

    ¡°So noisy¡­¡± Ellis outwardly complained as he made a show of covering up his ears. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? Look, he likes it too.¡± Ellis glanced back over to the Slime.

    At this point, half of his arm was already gone. The Slime was still busily devouring it. For a creature of such small stature, it sure had a big appetite.

    ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s an even bigger problem if he actually likes it!¡± Grisella was not one to give up so easily. ¡°What will you do if that thing develops a taste for your flesh? Sooner or later, it will definitely try to attack you!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ellis widened his eyes. That possibility had never crossed his mind.

    He stared down at the Slime once again. This time, the sight of it happily eating his arm did not look so cute anymore.

    After about thirty seconds, it finally finished its meal. Ellis was quick to notice its change. Compared to before, the Slime had clearly grown in size. If before it was comparable to a golf ball, then now, it was more along the lines of a tennis ball.

    The Slime¡¯s body slightly shivered. It swiveled around for a moment, before it¡¯s ¡®eyes¡¯ landed on him. Without hesitation, the creature excitedly crawled towards him.

    Ellis froze. Now that it finished its meal, was it trying to eat him next?

    Thankfully, that did not happen. Instead, the gelatinous creature nuzzled up against his foot.

    A slime¡¯s touch was definitely one of a kind. It was warm, like a hot bath given physical form. It also felt kind of like pudding, except a tad bit firmer. Overall, it gave off a somewhat comforting sensation. Also, the way it acted sort of reminded him of a puppy.

    Ellis slightly raised his brow.

    Did it imprint on me? Judging by how it was acting, it certainly looked like it did. Or maybe it¡¯s just waiting for me to lower my guard? No¡­ that shouldn¡¯t be the case. It¡¯s acting way too affectionately for that¡­

    In the end, Ellis dropped his worries. At the very least, I don¡¯t feel any malicious intent, so it¡¯s probably not something to worry about.

    He breathed out a light sigh. He glanced back up at Grisella. ¡°See, nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She did not look convinced. Unfortunately, she was powerless to change Ellis¡¯s mind. ¡°Just be careful. It might try to devour you at night or something.¡±

    ¡°Devour¡­ at night¡­. a night visit?¡± A rather colorful expression appeared on his face. Come to think of it, it does feel kind of like a boob¡­

    Weird thoughts floated through his head.

    Staring at the absentminded look on his face, Grisella¡¯s frustration only increased. This little punk¡­ what sort of filthy thoughts are running through that head of his!? Even though I¡¯m sincerely worrying about his well-being, why is he always like this?

    She felt infuriated, but the most that her powerless self could do was pout and glare at him with unhappy eyes.

    Ellis shook his head and cleared away his wandering thoughts. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, nothing will happen.¡± He reiterated, half in an attempt to alleviate the weird atmosphere in the air. ¡°Besides, this thing is so cute, I wouldn¡¯t mind if it chomped off a finger or two.¡±

    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± She wanted to retort, but found no words that could properly express her emotions. She eventually just shook her head. Talking with this guy is too exhausting!

    Ellis eventually looked away. He decided to push aside the issue of Grisella¡¯s fluctuating mood and focus in on more pressing matters.

    If I want it to grow strong like everyone else, then I¡¯ll need to feed it all sorts of things. Ellis felt that raising a slime was sort of like watching a house plant grow, except the former was a lot more immediate than the latter.

    Where should I start?

    After wracking his head for a few seconds, he suddenly recalled the newest corpse that he had acquired.

    Would it eat the corpse of a Spore Goblin? That thing¡¯s already a few days old though¡­

    Ellis hesitated. Outside of the nutritional value that a Calamity-Class corpse might have, he felt somewhat reluctant to give up his dreams of one day creating a necromancy army. Then again, that was only a dream. No, it was even less than that. It was something more along the lines of an unachievable fantasy!

    He was not a very pragmatic man, but Ellis knew when to give up. The choice was clear!

    Without hesitation, he asked Ena to pull out the corpse. He gifted it to the Slime, to which it happily accepted. The creature took a mere ten minutes to completely devour the body.

    After the meal, it once again grew in size. Now, the slime was around the size of a baseball.

    ¡°It¡¯s growing pretty fast, huh?¡± Ellis muttered mostly to himself.

    In response, Grisella shook her head. ¡°Compared to most normal slimes, it¡¯s actually growing slow. Carrion Slimes are about the same size of an adult human male and even the smallest newborns are at least the size of a calf. This thing¡¯s small size is probably a result of its parentage.¡±

    ¡°Whether it starts off big or large, it doesn¡¯t really matter. It¡¯ll eventually grow into it.¡± He shrugged his shoulders. If he was someone who worried about the size of his companions, then Wight and Ena would have long since driven him crazy. He bent down and picked the thing up. He stared at it with glittering eyes. ¡°As for your name¡­ how does Mumei sound?¡±

    He originally wanted to name it Mami, after Mammary. The name was clearly inspired by its uncanny resemblance to a certain body part, but it didn¡¯t really sound all that right to him. He thought up other names too, like Puffy and Milky, but all of them were clearly inspired by the same thing.

    After some earnest introspection, he eventually decided on with Mumei, which was actually just an alteration to the original name that he first came up with.

    The name was a bit girly, but since the thing didn¡¯t really have a gender, Ellis did not pay it any mind.

    ¡°Well, how about it? Do you like it?¡± Ellis asked as he intently stared at the slime. Even after a few seconds, it still did not answer, but that did not really bother him. In the first place, he never expected for it to respond.

    ¡­ Regardless, the name is still tangentially related to breasts¡­ If this thing ever gains intelligence¡­ Ellis subconsciously shivered. He secretly vowed to keep the origin of its name a secret.

    The newest member of the group took up residence on top of Ellis¡¯s head.

    Normally, Ena would have complained. After all, the top of his head, as well as both of his shoulders, were unofficially regarded as Ena¡¯s ¡®spot¡¯. Luckily, the little fox was fast asleep.

    In fact, she¡¯s been asleep for most of the day. Even when they were in the midst of traveling, Ena was still asleep. Instead of walking on her own, she opted to rest on top of Plush¡¯s surprisingly comfortable back.

    To be honest, it was quite liberating. With Ena asleep, there was no more constant bickering between a certain little fox and a certain little white-eared wolf.

    With the issues of the ¡®birth¡¯ all sorted out, the group continued on their journey.

    They encountered more monsters along the way. None of them were Calamity-class, but most of them were strong. Fortunately, there was nothing that his group could not handle.

    Everything was basically the same as before, but there was one thing that did surprise him: Wight and the others were unexpectedly quite welcoming to their newest companion.

    Maybe it was because it couldn¡¯t really communicate with the others or maybe because its intelligence was still up for debate, but they treated Mumei like a newborn baby that had just arrived home from the hospital.

    The wolves practically spoiled it rotten. After every battle, they would present the new corpses to Mumei. In retrospect, it was a somewhat eerie scene that resembled a bunch of fanatic cultists gifting their sacrifices to some sort of horrific cosmic abomination.

    Even more surprising than that though was Mumei¡¯s large appetite. Without exception, it devoured all the corpses that it came across. It truly was a glutton incarnate, one that outstripped even godly foodies like Ena and Plush.

    Yet, despite all of its meals, it still wasn¡¯t quite satisfied. In the end, Ellis also fed it other ¡®alternative meats¡¯. More specifically, his arm.

    Without a doubt, Mumei¡¯s favorite type of food was his arm. It was mildly disturbing, even for Ellis. If he thought about it too much, it would start to bother him, so he simply decided to turn a blind eye to this child¡¯s growing appetite.

    Still, the feeding process was somewhat inconvenient. Cutting off an arm every time he needed to feed it was not only a pain in the ass, but it also stained his clothes. Luckily, Ellis was quick to find a solution.

    Rather than an entire arm, after some experimentation, he discovered that blood was more than enough to satisfy the little thing. In fact, Mumei seemed to like his blood even more than his arm. This newfound discovery brought him some comfort. After all, drinking blood was a lot less gruesome than eating arms. This way, he could pretend that Mumei was just some sort of gelatinous vampire, rather than a man-eater with a preference for homunculi.

    Like this, a new routine had developed. Every morning after breakfast and every evening before bed, he would slice open his palm and feed Mumei his blood. It was similar to nursing a child, except instead of milk, he was using blood.

    Every time, the little thing would hop onto his palm and lap at his newly created injury like a puppy drinking water.

    Aside from the initial incision, the process did not really hurt. In fact, the sensation of Mumei drinking from his palm felt somewhat ticklish.

    As the days passed, the little slime steadily grew in size.

    By the fourteenth day of its birth, it had consumed more than two thousand corpses. As a result, it had grown to the size of a beach volleyball.

    Normally, its new size meant that it could no longer sit on his head anymore, but that was a surprisingly easy issue to fix. As it turns out, Mumei possessed the ability to control its size.

    Currently, it could expand to the size of a compact car and shrink to the size of a Ping-Pong ball. It was a rather convenient ability, especially for ambushes and assassinations... although he doubted whether or not it could understand what those concepts were.

    It¡¯s not like the slime was entirely brainless. At the very least, it could understand his words and obey his commands, but aside from eating, it did not really show any other desires. After some thought, Ellis did not really worry about it. He figured that it would just get smarter as it grows older. After all, it was still only about two weeks old. He shouldn¡¯t expect too much from a new-born.

    Normally, Mumei maintained a size comparable to a baseball.

    Their journey continued unperturbed, until something else happened.

    For the first time since they had reached the other side of the river, the river itself had changed.

 Chapter 73: The River Changes

    It had been a gradual change, so much so that Ellis only noticed after a good hour or two of additional traveling.

    The river had transformed. It became noticeably shallower. At this point, the water only reached up to his neck. This was a far cry from the river¡¯s seemingly bottomless depth that he had once experienced in the past.

    What¡¯s more, the physical makeup of the riverbed had also undergone a transformation. For some reason, it did not look as natural as it had before. Gone were the jutting stony protrusions and loose sediment. In its place was this completely flat and somewhat smooth surface.

    It was almost as if the river was not really a river, but rather, a canal carved out of white marble.

    Naturally, Ellis came to one conclusion: the river was completely artificial!

    It was far too geometric and far too perfect to be anything but man-made.

    As he stared at the alien landmark, he unconsciously furrowed his brow. All sorts of thoughts filled his head.

    It really does look like a canal¡­ but, that should be impossible, right?

    According to Grisella¡¯s information, the river supposedly led into Ilpin¡¯s holy ground. As the home of a dead god, amazing and inexplicably otherworldly things were par for the corpse.

    But even so¡­ is the entire river really just a small part of the holy ground?

    That was an absurd thought!

    Ilpin¡¯s river ran for who knows how many thousands of miles. It was like an eternal dragon that threatened to entwine the entire world. Had such a thing really been crafted by human, or rather, godly hands?

    In retrospect, as one of the perpetrators that killed Alma, and the individual who probably created this forest of immortal trees, the dead god certainly had some commendable skill. Creating a seemingly endless canal was certainly well within reason.

    Wait, let¡¯s slow down a bit. I¡¯m getting too distracted here. Ellis recollected himself. My thoughts jumped way too far. Rather than the entire river, it¡¯s probably only the source of the river that was once a part of the holy ground. Everything else naturally formed over time, or maybe they built the canal to match with the original river¡­

    He gradually calmed down.

    Ellis glanced over at Grisella. He was not the only to notice the change.

    Her eyes sharpened, while her breath quickened. Grisella¡¯s excitement was palpable and apparent for anyone to see.

    Still, she did not lose herself. The more excited she grew, the more her caution increased. This was the fundamental nature of her character.

    Up until this point, the had encountered two Calamity-Class monsters and a slew of weaker, yet still formidable mobs. It was only natural to presume that they¡¯d encounter even more the closer they approached the source of the river.

    The world tree¡­ we¡¯re almost there, but that doesn¡¯t mean I should let my guard down. Master always taught me that a person shows their weakest side during moments of certainty.

    She clenched down on the handle of her broomstick. A look of determination flashed through her face.

    Sensing her changing demeanor, Ellis lightly nodded his head. Grisella had devoted so much time in her search for the world tree. It was only normal for her to be so excited.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He stated seriously, although the seriousness of the situation was somewhat ruined by the constantly jiggling piece of jelly that rested on the crown of his head.

    The group continued forward and followed the changed river further upstream. The farther they traveled, the more extreme these changes seemed to get. The river grew even shallower. At the same time, the number of fish and plant life within the river steadily decreased. The gradual transition from river to canal was almost seamless.

    The river wasn¡¯t the only thing that had changed either.

    The environment around them also underwent a noticeable transformation. The geography had flattened. There were less giant hill-like ¡®tree roots¡¯ than before. What¡¯s more, a faint mist began to permeate throughout their surroundings.

    The mist was different from the mist border that separated the outer and inner layers of the forest. It was not nearly as opaque. The mist here merely obscured the environment; it did not have any sort of vision-blocking capabilities. In fact, if he squinted his eyes and focused a bit more, he could still see pretty far ahead.

    Also, the mist was not a piercing neon blue or some other kind of bright and unnatural color. Instead, it took on a more traditional shade of pale-greyish white.

    Grisella traced her hand across the air. For a moment, she marveled at how the mist slid across her fingers. It was like running your hand across a gentle stream, tangible, yet elusive.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Amazing¡­¡± she exclaimed. ¡°This, this is mana condensation! The mana here is so thick that it took on a physical form!¡±

    Usually, mana condensations only ever happened in extremely rare and often times dangerous places. This was the first time she had ever witnessed such a phenomenon.

    What¡¯s more, that wasn¡¯t the main part that surprised her.

    Usually, such high concentrations of mana were volatile and dangerous. As the old saying goes, ¡®too much of a good thing was bad.¡¯ In this case, too much mana was dangerous enough to kill.

    In this world, there existed a disorder known as mana poisoning, where the body becomes too overloaded with mana to the point where the victim¡¯s vital functions shut down. In the most extreme cases, the victims quite literally explode!

    Under normal circumstances, mana poisoning usually occurred whenever one took too many supplemental potions, but special environments could also afflict the disorder.

    Most normal people would have died the moment they walked into a place like this¡­ of course, that was only if you assume that the mana condensation within the forest was normal.

    A mist as thick and tangible as this should normally be violent and volatile, but strangely enough, it wasn¡¯t. It was warm and gentle, kind of like a stagnant midsummer¡¯s breeze. If Grisella were to train in magic here, then surely her results would be twice fold, maybe even more!

    Grisella wasn¡¯t the only who noticed the peculiarity of this mist. Ena, Wight and the other wolves did too. Although they were not quite certain as to its specifics, they could feel the mana that circulated in the air. As creatures of the forest, they were quick to realize the benefits that this place had to offer.

    Of course, Ellis was completely oblivious to all this. In fact, aside from noticing how overly excited Mumei suddenly was (to the point where it would not stop jumping on his head), he did not really think much of the mist.

    If it¡¯s this thick, does that mean it will rain soon?

    The mist simply reminded him of the rare early spring mornings that he occasionally got to enjoy back in his old world. Ellis rather enjoyed such weather. As unlikely as it may seem, rainy days and foggy mornings had a way of making his usually drab and dreary life not so drab and dreary.

    From his experience, misty weather usually resulted in a damp environment. Droplets of water would cling to car windows and other flat surfaces.

    Strangely enough, he did not feel any of that wetness here. The world was dry and the air was arid.

    As expected of a fantasy world, they even have magical waterless mist¡­ Aside from such unimportant thoughts, he did not pay the mist any more attention.

    The group continued walking.

    Eventually, after a few hours, they came to a stop.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Grisella widened her eyes in amazement. Even her shoulders trembled.

    Ellis looked at the scene before him and tilted his head. For a moment, he did not quite know what it was he was looking at.

    White.

    A few hundred meters in front of them, the forest suddenly ended. In its place was pure white.

    It was not the gradual obscuration of the mist, but more like an abrupt and sudden change in setting. It was pretty jarring, especially within the context of this endless forest.

    After a few seconds of constant staring, he finally discovered the true nature of this scene. He was actually staring at a giant wall! The white wall jutted out from the ground and reached almost unfathomable heights. The wall was no shorter than even the tallest trees within this forest. In fact, even now, the top of the wall was not visible, a fact that contributed to his earlier confusion.

    ¡°This is it¡­¡± Grisella dazedly muttered, almost entirely to herself. ¡°We¡¯re finally here. The holy city¡­. It¡¯s the holy ground, the holy city of the lost God¡­ it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s just like my master said. It¡¯s actually real.¡±

    A feeling of immense weight suddenly vanished from her shoulders.

    Only Grisella knew the exact lengths that she had gone through in order to get to this point. Only she knew just how many years she had wasted, how many years she had spent alone and desperate¡­

    To her, this was not just some curious adventure she offhandedly decided to go on in order to satisfy her boredom. No, it held a far greater importance than that¡­

    For a moment, she blankly stared at the white wall. Grisella tried to look up, to see past the wall, but she couldn¡¯t. The wall was too high and the mist grew thicker the further up it went. She could not see ¡®it¡¯, but¡­ she did not really mind.

    Even without seeing it for herself, she knew. Deep within her heart, she could tell. It was there. It was real.

    Behind the white wall was the holy city and above the holy city was the legendary world tree.

    As she lost herself within her own delusions, Ellis glanced over. He stared at her dazed expression for a few seconds before he suddenly patted her shoulder.

    Grisella jumped. The sudden contact had surprised her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get so excited yet,¡± he said. ¡°Save all that for when we actually get past this giant wall.¡±

    ¡°R-right¡­ you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s get inside first.¡± She shook her head and cleared away her thoughts. Despite how careful she tried to be, even Grisella was not immune to feelings such as shock and joy.

    She regained her composure and half-sprinted towards the wall. Ellis could only shake his head as he followed after her.

    They continued to follow the river. Judging by its position and direction, the river led directly to the white wall.

    After a few minutes, they eventually reached the end.

    Ellis narrowed his eyes.

    There was a half-circle carved out of the white wall. It formed a sort of archway that directly connected to the river. Compared to the grand height and majesty of the giant wall, the waterway looked tame and inconspicuous in comparison.

    This somewhat surprised him.

    The end of the river was not some magnificent entrance that ceremoniously welcomed them into whatever paradise excited beyond the walls. Instead, it was small and delipidated. There were even a few cracks that ran along the edges of the arch.

    Ellis realized then. It really wasn¡¯t the entrance to some magical holy ground. No, the river that he had followed for more than six years was nothing more than a giant sewage drain.

    He would have been a lot more shocked by this sudden revelation, but much of his attention was a bit preoccupied with the¡­ ¡®beings¡¯ that stood guard in front of said sewage drain.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He could not help but breath out a sigh of relief.

    At the very least, those things aren¡¯t rats.

    If he really went from Slime to Goblin, and then to rat, then he would have much rather killed himself! A messed-up fantasy world like that where rats were stronger than dragons was definitely not one that Ellis wanted to live in!

    No, instead of rats, a pair of towering wooden statues flanked the entrance. From his experience with all sorts of fantasy novels, these things sort of resembled wooden Golems.

    They stood at a height of nearly thirty meters. They weren¡¯t the largest enemies that he had come across, but they certainly were the most aesthetically pleasing. The aura that they gave off also wasn¡¯t light.

    The fact that there were two of them only added to the pressure.

    Without a doubt, they were the final obstacles. The guardians of the Holy city that existed at the foot of the world tree.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis cracked his knuckles and breathed out a puff of air.

    A god might not be something that I can beat, but mere guardians aren¡¯t enough to stop me!

    Suffice to say, he was raring to go.

 Chapter 74: The Guardians of the Holy City

    ¡°Are those monsters or statues?¡± Despite his enthusiasm for battle, Ellis still couldn¡¯t help but question the validity of his opponents.

    From a distance, they looked like giant medieval knights. Even their armor appeared to be plated.

    Appearance wise, they had broad shoulders, long legs, and a round, almost barrel-like torso. If it wasn¡¯t for the material of their armor (wood) and their thirty-meter stature, then they¡¯d fit perfectly within any ancient European battlefield.

    For a moment, he furrowed his brow. ¡°If they really are just statues, then good, but to be honest, I don¡¯t think this world would be so kind.¡±

    He bitterly chuckled to himself. From the very moment they crossed into the inner layer of the forest, their journey had taken a stark turn. Ever since then, it¡¯s been one troublesome mid-boss after another.

    Grisella couldn¡¯t help but nod her head in agreement. She agreed one hundred percent with his assessment. This journey put quite a toll on both her mental and physical well-being. Of course, she forgot to mention the fact that most of her stress originated from a certain grey-haired young man.

    ¡°The fact that they''re made of wood also bothers me¡­¡± After a brief moment of silence, Ellis eventually shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter. Everything will be revealed soon enough.¡±

    He then pointed towards the source of the river. ¡°That entrance and those statues, we can pretty much consider them to be unknown variables, so let me go ahead and check out the situation first.¡±

    He naturally volunteered for the task.

    Since the wolves got to have all the fun last time, he figured it was his turn to fight.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should think of a better plan first?¡± As if by instinct, Grisella immediately interjected.

    He simply shook his head. ¡°No need, this is an easier method.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± she wanted to say something else, but lost her enthusiasm halfway through. At some point during their journey, Grisella had grown to rely on Ellis and his monstrous strength. Even if she argued for the sake of arguing, it would merely be half-hearted banter that leads to nowhere.

    Without any further opposition, Ellis lightly nodded his head. He cracked his joints and walked forward.

    He approached the canal archway. Along the way, he took this time to more closely observe the wooden statues.

    They really do resemble what I¡¯d imagine Golems to look like¡­

    Of course, there was the whole matter about how it was made out of wood instead of clay or stone, but Ellis simply waved that part aside, citing a difference in Lull¡¯s sensibilities.

    His eyes narrowed.

    Giant slumbering monstrosities carved straight out of the forest itself. Moss grew on the surface of their bodies, adding to the overall decrepit look that the statues originally had going for them.

    They were sufficiently eerie and equally lifeless.

    Eventually, his gaze wandered to their heads. They somewhat resembled a knight¡¯s helmet, if only vaguely. To his surprise, the heads neither had eyes nor ears. Except for a crookedly carved smile on their faces, they possessed no other features.

    They¡¯re like dolls¡­ abandoned dolls standing guard for an abandoned doll house¡­

    Such a thought flashed through his head, but Ellis was not able to appreciate it for very long. When he got within fifty meters of the archway, something suddenly happened.

    An ear-piercing creak echoed through the air. It was a horrid sound that resembled a cat scratching a chalkboard, or maybe two pieces of wood vigorously rubbing against each other.

    The once still statues slowly swiveled their necks to face him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For a moment, Ellis froze.

    The sudden change naturally caught him off guard. Just as he was contemplating his next move, an ominous silence spread through the air. One second¡­ two seconds¡­ after ten seconds of silence, the noise suddenly came rushing back in like an unstoppable tidal wave.

    As if they had just broken free from their invisible shackles, the two Golems sprung to life and dashed forward.

    Ellis¡¯s expression hardened.

    I knew it! I knew this damn forest would never be so easy!

    Still, he did not run away. Instead, he sprinted towards them.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    If they wanted a fight, then Ellis was prepared to give them one!

    The two Golems charged at him like a pair of maddened bulls. The weight behind their steps was enough to cause the earth to tremble. Ellis had no doubt in his mind that such creatures definitely possessed terrifying levels of strength.

    Unfortunately for them, if there was one thing that Ellis prided himself on, it was his strength.

    Once both parties were in range, one of the Golems immediately threw a punch. A log-like arm descended towards him.

    Ellis did not plan to dodge. Instead, he was prepared to receive the blow with one of his own!

    --BOOM!

    Two fists collided. One small, the other massive. A mini shockwave spread throughout the forest.

    ¡°Guh!¡± Ellis instinctively frowned. For a moment, his knuckles throbbed with pain.

    His feet sank into the ground. The impact of the collision sent tremors running down all over his body.

    In comparison, the Golem tumbled back from the impact. Although he had pushed it back a good ten meters or so, much to Ellis¡¯s disappointment, there was not a single scratch on its body.

    Before he could think any further, the second Golem launched its own assault. It attempted to grab him, but Ellis reacted just in time. He hurriedly pulled his legs from out of the ground and launched his own counterattack. The two exchanged blows for a while, before he suddenly jumped backwards.

    In an instant, the distance between both parties had increased. This gave him some time to catch his breath, but Ellis was far from happy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A somber expression morphed his face.

    Damn it, I was worried that this would be the case, but these things, they¡¯re just as durable as the trees within this damn forest!

    Going into this battle, there was one worry that constantly plagued the back of his mind.

    The outside world had a number of different monikers for Ilpin forest. Grisella had taught him quite a few of them, but the one that really struck a chord with him was its title as the Immortal Forest. Throughout his short six, almost seven years of life, Ellis had come to fully understand why it possessed such a domineering title.

    The trees of this forest, they were truly and utterly indestructible.

    And now¡­ what would happen if someone were to create a wooden golem out of the wood from an indestructible forest?

    The answer was obvious, and unfortunately, it was not the one that he wanted to hear.

    Usually, wood was considered a weaker material, but within the context of Lull, it was the complete opposite!

    A quiet frustration slowly festered deep within his heart. The reality of not being able to punch something to death truly irked him.

    No, it¡¯s too early to give up now. Ellis shook his head. Besides, even if I can¡¯t punch it, I do still have one other option available.

    For a moment, a brief hint of a smile crept up onto his lips.

    As the Golems began their second frontal assault, Ellis suddenly shouted. ¡°Ena! Give me that thing!¡±

    His voice echoed loudly through the air, startling everyone present.

    Grisella and the group stood nearly a thousand meters away from the main battlefield. Ena sat near the middle of the group. Her eyes were closed, while her tails were tucked underneath her. A somewhat complacent smile floated to her face.

    It was quite apparent, but she was currently asleep.

    Still, the moment she heard Ellis¡¯s voice, the little fox immediately opened her eyes.

    Ena was quick to understand. Although she let out a short whine and half-heartedly complained about how her nap had been interrupted, she still complied with his request. With a wave of her paw, a black spear suddenly darted out from the spatial pouch around her neck.

    Propelled by invisible strands of magic wind, it rapidly flew towards him.

    Ellis easily caught it by the handle.

    He narrowed his eyes and stared at the approaching Golems.

    This should work, right?

    Despite the weapon in his hands, he still couldn¡¯t help but worry.

    He hesitated for only a split second before he resolutely shook his head. Ellis did not allow himself any further doubt.

    He twisted his waist and cocked his arm back. In one swift motion, he launched the spear towards the closest Golem.

    WOOSH!

    It whistled through the air like a bolt of black lightning!

    BOOM!

    A dull explosion reverberated through the air. The spear had accurately met its mark. The Golem¡¯s body trembled as it continually tumbled back from the impact. The spear had lodged itself into the Golem¡¯s head, the blade sinking a good twenty or so inches deep.

    Even if it was crafted out of the same wood that covered this forest, the mysterious black spear was still a few points better!

    Ellis¡¯s smile widened. That first throw had been a test. Suffice to say, the results had pleased him.

    Just as he was about to rush over and retrieve his weapon, the very next scene shocked him to the core.

    Seemingly unbothered by the hit, the Golem rigidly straightened its back and stood back up. It reached around and plucked the spear out from its face. For a moment, its head tilted down, almost as if it was looking directly at him. The Golem¡¯s crookedly carved smile seemingly widened, before it threw the spear to the ground and continued its frontal assault.

    Much to Ellis¡¯s frustration, the already small wound on its face rapidly grew smaller. It was healing. What¡¯s more, it was healing at an incredible pace. By the time it took its fifth step, the Golem was as good as new.

    It actually didn¡¯t work¡­ don¡¯t tell me¡­ is this thing another ¡®destroy the core¡¯ type enemy?

    Unfortunately, the Golems did not give him much opportunity to ponder his thoughts.

    Within the short span of time it took for Ellis to throw the spear and for the Golem to heal from its wound, the second Golem took this opportunity and rushed at him.

    Its lumbering figure was hard to miss, so naturally, Ellis had ample time to react to it.

    The Golem slammed a giant log-like fist towards him. Ellis dodged the creature¡¯s blow by a hair¡¯s breadth. The rush of air ruffled his clothes, but Ellis did not pay it any mind.

    When the creature¡¯s fist sank into the ground, he immediately grabbed onto its arm.

    Ellis gritted his teeth. He felt his veins throbbing, as the festering frustration within his heart threatened to leak out. With a roar, he lifted the Golem up in the air. Ellis spun around. He used the centrifugal force and launched the Golem back.

    It flew through the air and soared past the canal, before it crashed down on the ground with a thunderous tremor.

    At the same time, a certain black spear suddenly darted towards him.

    Before he could even catch his breath, it had flown directly into his hands. Ellis paused for a moment, before he looked back over at Ena. Right now, she lay still, her eyes closed and her tails tucked underneath her. Even when she wasn¡¯t directly fighting, the little fox still provided ample support.

    Ellis took a deep breath and stared back at his enemy.

    One Golem was less than ten meters away from him, while the other was all the way on the other side of the river. Not at all to his surprise, both creatures were undamaged. There was not a single show of progress anywhere to be seen.

    The grip on his spear tightened.

    In a place far away from probing eyes, Ellis¡¯s simmering frustration continued to boil.

 Chapter 75: The Guardians of the Holy City (2)

    Ellis silently glared at the approaching Golem. Its movements were a bit rigid, but the pressure that it exuded was overwhelming.

    Off in the distance, the second Golem slowly picked itself up. Right now, it was currently embedded deep within a shallow hole in the ground all the way on the other side of the river. It struggled with trying to regain its footing. Every time it moved to stand, the earth underneath its feet would crumble due to the force.

    Still, slowly but surely, it climbed its out. It would take some time, but without a doubt, it would eventually rejoin the battle.

    Let¡¯s not worry about that. First, find a way to deal with the first Golem. Ellis shook his head and cleared his thoughts.

    Calm down and think. He forcibly suppressed the helplessness within his heart. What can I do in this situation?

    A near-indestructible Golem with an incredible healing factor. All signs seemingly pointed to how it was practically impossible to defeat. Ellis agreed too. This was a major hurdle that the current him found impossible to overcome.

    Killing it is one thing, but¡­ if it¡¯s just entering the city, then I don¡¯t even need to actually defeat it.

    There were many ways for him to ¡®win¡¯ without having to enter a life or death battle with this thing.

    Just of the top of his head, he could lure the Golems away while the others entered the city. He could also dig up a deep enough hole and trap them inside. Truth be told, there were countless possibilities, but¡­

    I don¡¯t want to win like that.

    A deep-rooted frustration simmered within his heart. Even as the seconds passed, it only continued to intensify.

    Recently, Ellis noticed something.

    Everyone else steadily grew stronger, but he was different. The further they traveled up the river, the more his limitations came to light. The battle with the Slime was one example of that. His lack of magic had placed him in a grave disadvantage.

    Magic was one thing, but now, with this current battle¡­ even his strength, the only thing that he really had going for him¡­ even that was no longer enough.

    No. He did not want that.

    Ilpin Forest was just one area within this wide, wide world. If he could not overcome even this, then what qualifications did he have to face off against a God?

    Even though Ellis was not actually planning on fighting this world¡¯s God, it was undeniable that he would soon come into conflict with said God¡¯s chosen champions. At this point, it was not a matter of if, but when.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Whenever he pictured the future, he could only see one outcome: suppressed by God and bullied by Lull¡¯s Heroes!

    Ellis gritted his teeth. He was determined. He would do everything in his power to prevent such a miserable end.

    As such, he shifted his focus. Right now, he only had one goal: challenge his own limits and grow stronger through battle!

    Wight was able to do it, so surely, he can too!

    Ellis suddenly let out a guttural roar.

    Without warning, he sprinted forward.

    The rigid movements of the Golem left it quite exposed. Even when it tried to react, Ellis was simply too fast! In a blink of an eye, he was already on top of it.

    Ellis jumped up. With a spear in his hand, his small frame rocketed towards its head.

    In one swift motion, he plunged the tip of his spear directly into its skull. Like before, the blade penetrated the wooden surface and sank a good 20 or so inches deep. Still, Ellis was not satisfied. He balanced himself on top of its head and gripped the spear¡¯s shaft with both hands.

    With a savage glint in his eyes, he twisted and turned, driving the blade even deeper into its head. The further it traveled, the more resistance he met. It felt almost as if something inside was actively pushing back against the blade.

    In response, Ellis simply added more strength into his push. Inch by inch, second by second, through sheer force of will, he plunged the spear even deeper into the Golem¡¯s skull.

    For a moment, the Golem¡¯s body jerked. Unfortunately, it did not fall nor falter.

    A low grumble leaked out from its mouthless face.

    Without warning, numerous spikes suddenly grew out from all over its upper body. The ones on its neck and shoulders were especially dangerous. Like jagged wooden lances, they shot through the air and hurtled towards him.

    They pierced his skin and turned his body into a pin cushion.

    Ellis spat out a mouthful of blood.

    Over a dozen baseball sized holes littered his chest and legs. If it was just that, then it wouldn¡¯t be so bad, but unfortunately, there was more. He suddenly felt it. An uncomfortable wriggling underneath his skin.

    As the seconds ticked by, it proliferated and grew, both in scale and intensity.

    Soon, the discomfort morphed into unimaginable pain.

    Ellis unconsciously howled.

    The spikes, they were growing within his body, some even branched out and disseminated like roots deep beneath the earth.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    He gritted his teeth.

    A problem¡­ this was definitely a problem.

    Even if it couldn¡¯t kill him, it was more than enough to immobilize him. It felt like hundreds of calcified worms crawling through his blood vessels.

    His muscles turned rigid and his movements stiffened. With difficulty, he yanked his black spear out from its head and swung it around him. Ellis quickly broke free from all the spikes that had previously restrained him, before he abruptly jumped off its head.

    The Golem tried to throw a punch at his retreating figure, but luckily, Ellis deflected the blow with the edge of his spear.

    A few seconds later, he crashed on the ground with a dull thud. Dust and debris circled around him, while Ellis panted heavily. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck.

    He breathed out a heavy sigh. The moment he did, he suddenly coughed out a few twigs. Seeing the blood splattered twigs on the ground, he couldn¡¯t help but shudder.

    In that short span of time, the branches had managed to worm their way into his lungs.

    Fortunately, the moment he separated from the Golem, the branches lost their vitality. They were not nearly as sturdy as before, nor could they continue growing. It was a stroke of luck on his part, otherwise, he would have spent the rest of his life trapped and immobile, courtesy of the Golem¡¯s parasitic spikes.

    As for the few remaining branches still stuck inside him, he could only hope that his body possessed a solution, because he sure as hell didn¡¯t.

    Ellis quickly picked himself up. He glared at the Golem. It poked at the new hole in its face, but it did not look overly worried. After a few seconds, the hole began to close and the Golem suddenly lowered its head. It ¡®stared¡¯ at him.

    Even though the Golem did not have eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a certain sense of peculiarity from its gaze. Ellis quickly shrugged off the strange feeling. He once more prepared to throw himself into the fray when suddenly, he frowned.

    ¡°What the hell?¡±

    The world abruptly darkened.

    No, to be more precise, something was currently blotting out the sky.

    Ellis hurriedly looked up. There, he saw it. Something large and unmistakably wooden dropped from above. What¡¯s more, it was falling directly towards him!

    He hastily retreated. A half second later, the Golem crash-landed on the exact same spot where he previously stood. The ground fragmented underneath its weight. Chunks of loose earth flew through the air.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª!¡±

    Ellis narrowed his eyes. He was quick to notice the fact that this new Golem was actually the same Golem that was supposed to be on the other side of the river.

    It had actually jumped all the way here!

    He furrowed his brow. For such a large and bulky creature, it certainly has an amazing set of legs¡­

    Before he could think about it any further, the Golem quickly picked itself out from the rubble and immediately attacked him.

    It¡¯s left arm suddenly morphed. Its fingers sank beneath its palms, while a sharp and pointed protrusion grew out from its wrists like some sort of malignant tumor. A giant wooden blade had replaced its hand!

    The Golem swung its arm.

    CLANG!

    Ellis received the blow with his spear. His feet slightly sank into the earth as he deflected the slash away from his body. Within the short span of time it took for the Golem to recover its stance, Ellis took the opportunity to rush at the creature¡¯s body.

    Unfortunately, it suddenly let out a low rumble before several spear-like protrusions shot out from its chest.

    Ellis was reminded of last time¡¯s debacle. In the face of such an attack, he could only dodge.

    Meanwhile, the Golem¡¯s arm quickly reverted to normal. No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. The arm once again transformed. Its hand suddenly morphed into a large ball with spikey protrusions all over its surface. It somewhat resembled a morning star, and it wasn¡¯t just one hand, but rather, both!

    Like a wild beast, the Golem rushed at him. It continually swung its arm, damaging the nearby surroundings in the process.

    He continually dodged. At the same time, from the corner of his eye, he noticed the other Golem quickly makings its way towards them.

    Ellis frowned.

    He knew the dire circumstance of his current situation. He was not afraid of the Golem¡¯s strength, but its durability frustrated him and its ability sent shivers running down his spine. The way it could penetrate a person¡¯s skin like that and continue growing¡­ it was nothing short of a nightmare.

    Such a method of attack and entrapment was quite scary. It would not kill him, but there was a high possibility of it forever immobilizing him within a shell of near-indestructible wooden branches.

    No, I can¡¯t go on like this¡­

    Even his caution brought on a great sense of frustration.

    What¡¯s more, there wasn¡¯t just one Golem¡­

    One is already bad enough, but two¡­

    Ellis knew he needed to do something and he needed to do it fast.

    His mind churned. In a split instant, he came to a decision. It was a decision that once again frustrated him, but nevertheless, it was a necessary move.

    He knew that fighting two was a near impossible task. As such, he needed to somehow find a way to fight these guys one at a time.

    First, let¡¯s separate them again.

    Ellis stomped on his feet. He suddenly rushed forward and in a blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of the first Golem¡¯s chest.

    Almost immediately, he felt a surge of pain all over his body. Numerous spikes had sprouted out from the Golem¡¯s chest and now, quite a few of those spikes had pierced his body. His newly healed wounds reopened.

    Ellis did not stop though. Without wasting a moment¡¯s time, He swung his arm and punched out with all of his strength. The force of the punch was enough to dislodge him from the creature¡¯s spikes. What¡¯s more, it also sent the Golem flying a good thirty, fifty meters back.

    Ellis fell to the ground in a bloody mess, but that did not dampen his mood.

    He suddenly shouted, ¡°Ena, Wight, come here and distract that one!¡±

    The grey-haired youth called out to his companions. Out of everyone within the group, Wight and Ena were the only ones that stood a chance against an enemy of this level.

    Off in the distance, Wight let out an excited bark and immediately sprinted towards the battlefield. As for Ena, she was clearly not as excited. In fact, she had a rather reluctant expression on her face. Still, she begrudgingly moved in to help.

    The little fox lifted herself up with wind magic and floated through the air. She stayed at a relatively safe distance away from the Golem and quickly conjured up a few fireballs. They floated all around her body like ominous will-o¡¯-wisps.

    Seeing the contradicting attitudes between the two, Ellis couldn¡¯t help but raise a brow.

    Still, he did not have the time to pay their unusual dynamic much attention. There was still a lumbering Golem heading his way.

    ¡°Wight, don¡¯t get hit by that thing!¡± Ellis took a step back and readied himself. He did not forget to remind the eager little wolf about the dangers that this particular enemy brought about. ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯t ever let it touch you! Just find a way to kite it and keep it preoccupied. Focus on avoiding its attacks! As for you Ena, focus on support!¡±

    His words echoed through the forest. Wight let out an understanding bark before she quickly sprinted towards the second Golem in the distance. At the same time, Ena let out a soft grunt before she sent out the first of many fireballs.

    The two girls were well into the battle, while Ellis prepared to confront his own enemy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Dark and negative, the frustration within his heart simmered to a new high.

    He took a deep breath and exhaled.

    This time, for real.

    He clenched his knuckles, psyched himself up and vowed to kill the creature in front of him.

    Just before he started, he suddenly noticed slight movement on the top of his head. Ellis subconsciously looked up.

    ¡°This feeling¡­¡±

    Soft, squishy, jiggly, and soft. Ellis felt that it was all very familiar.

    ¡°Mumei? You were there the whole time?¡± He was completely shocked to find a slime roosting on the top of his head.

    Throughout the whole battle, he really had not noticed Mumei¡¯s presence. Rather, he was quite surprised that it somehow managed to stay on his head despite all the ruckus.

    As if in response, Mumei slightly jiggled. Ellis felt the sensation on the crown of his head. It was a rather peculiar sensation, one that reminded him of a certain body part¡­

    Before he could think any further, the Golem had already arrived. Without hesitation, it launched its attack. Ellis was dragged back to reality as he once again entered another life-or-death battle.

 Chapter 76: The Guardians of the Holy City (3)

    Ellis bottled in all of his frustration and anger, and poured it all into his attacks.

    He did not dodge, nor did he falter. Instead, he received each and every one of the Golem¡¯s blows with his own. The more they fought, the clearer the situation seemed to get. His strength was superior to the Golem¡¯s by a wide margin. Still, despite that, it simply wasn¡¯t strong enough.

    The Golem¡¯s dual regeneration and durability proved to be a tough obstacle for him to overcome.

    With the spear in his hands, he could freely slice and penetrate its wooden shell with some effort, but it would only result in small cuts, of which the Golem easily recovered from in a matter of seconds.

    Even when he bisected a limb with great effort, it simply grew back after fifteen seconds of healing.

    Without a doubt, the Golem was another troublesome opponent.

    Ellis grew impatient. No, even more than that. He felt frustrated.

    He hated this thing.

    This feeling of frustration, of helplessness. He felt frustratingly helpless.

    He could fight with all of his heart¡¯s content, but regardless of how much effort he put in, the window of victory only grew smaller and smaller as the seconds ticked by. It was a similar experience to his battle with the Slime.

    A stalemate¡­ No, it wasn¡¯t a stalemate. With the Slime, he was unable to hurt the creature, but at the same time, it was unable to hurt him. This was a bit different. He couldn¡¯t hurt it, but the Golem certainly could.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡­ This wasn¡¯t it. This wasn¡¯t the sort of fantasy life that he wanted.

    To be domineering. To be strong. To be unchallenged. To live a carefree and unrestricted life. There were a lot of things that he wanted, and quite frankly, Ellis did not really know which desire he prioritized, but struggling against a creature like this certainly wasn¡¯t one of them!

    If my attacks aren¡¯t strong enough, then I¡¯ll just get even stronger!

    Ellis cocked his arm back. He let out a guttural roar and threw his spear like a javelin. A dull boom reverberated through the air; the streaking black blur broke through the sound barrier.

    The Golem did not have a chance to react.

    Its body suddenly lurched backward as an explosion of wood chips blossomed all around it. The spear had pierced through its shoulder. In fact, the black blur went in one end and came out the other, only stopping after it had reached the faraway white wall behind. Nearly half of the spear was embedded deep within the marble-like material.

    Ellis panted heavily.

    His arm trembled uncontrollably. It was somewhat bloated and excessively numb. If one looked closely, then they¡¯d quickly notice the strands of snapped muscle fiber poking out from his splintered skin. They were like little red worms crawling out from the crevices of cracked earth.

    Still, despite the condition of his arm, it was already starting to heal, albeit somewhat slower than normal.

    Ellis continually glared at the struggling Golem. It had not fallen over from the impact, but it had stumbled nearly twenty steps backward. There was now a hole near its upper right chest. The hole was barely the size of a baseball, but he felt drawn towards it.

    Black¡­

    He saw an empty blackness.

    The hole quickly started to close, but even before that, he was already on the move.

    A ferocious glint flashed through his eyes. Like a crazed beast, Ellis rushed forward. His crippled arm flapped loosely by his side, but he did not pay it much attention.

    Ellis did not go to retrieve the spear. Instead, he aimed directly for the Golem!

    The Golem responded with a punch, but Ellis simply punched back. The moment that both fists collided, a small shockwave spread through the air. The Golem¡¯s arm momentarily shuddered before it once again took several steps back.

    Still, Ellis was not satisfied. In fact, a frown formed on his face.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Without hesitation, he continually launched punch after punch. He even threw in a few kicks every now and then. The Golem blocked each blow with its arms, but the force behind Ellis¡¯s attacks continually forced it backward. Ellis only stopped after he noticed how close they were getting to Wight and the other Golem.

    By this point, his crippled arm had regained some mobility. The frown on his face deepened.

    He was clearly stronger. His strength far outstripped the Golem¡¯s, but it still wasn¡¯t enough. The damn wood had too much durability.

    Instead of feeling discouraged, this only further enlivened him. The frustration that had long since simmered within his heart finally reached a breaking point!

    I don¡¯t believe I can¡¯t break you!

    For the longest time, he had believed that the trees of this forest were unbreakable. This viewpoint was slightly skewed by the appearance of the black spear, but still, his perspective did not really change. After all, without the black spear, the trees were like the buildings of a videogame. They were things that the player was never meant to interact to.

    But that was before¡­

    Ellis was someone who constantly grew. After every battle, after every encounter, after every day, every minute, he constantly grew stronger and stronger. Whether he was aware of this or not was questionable, but without a doubt, the Ellis now was significantly stronger than the Ellis from six years ago.

    He threw one last punch that completely shattered the Golem¡¯s defensive stance. The creature stumbled backward, its arms flailing beside it.

    Ellis rushed forward. He jumped up and latched onto the Golem¡¯s chest with a vice-like grip.

    The Golem¡¯s outer shell formed a sort of armor that mimicked the human body. The vague contours of human muscle were reflected in the form of plated armor. Ellis had grabbed onto the part that resembled a breastplate.

    The moment his feet landed on the creature¡¯s chest, numerous spikes suddenly emerged out from its body. They ruthlessly pierced his skin, droplets of fresh blood flowed freely like an open geyser. In a blink of an eye, Ellis had been once more reduced to a bloody pincushion.

    A moment later, he once again felt the uncomfortable wriggling of wooden branches growing within his body.

    Ellis tried his best to ignore it. He kept his glare focused in on the creature¡¯s chest. He briefly recalled back to the empty blackness that he had witnessed.

    It was here¡­

    Without hesitation, he reached over with his other hand and grabbed onto the edge of the plate armor. He gritted his teeth and pulled.

    The veins on his arm throbbed like wriggling worms, while his entire face reddened like a bright tomato. He pulled and pulled. Ellis wanted to rip open the Golem¡¯s chest plate and expose its insides!

    Even when the Golem¡¯s armor remained unaffected, he still did not stop.

    Break! Break! Break for me!

    Ellis felt something within his body move. A branch had somehow snaked its way into his heart. A piercing pain suddenly erupted from his chest. It was so painful that it threatened to steal away his consciousness, but Ellis somehow persevered through grit and determination.

    No matter what, he refused to let up.

    The beating in his heart intensified. It throbbed erratically, while his muscles creaked and whined.

    Break!

    The fibers in his left arm started popping. He was over drafting his strength, but Ellis was stubborn.

    I said break!

    White mist exuded out from the pores of his skin. His skin splintered; blood oozed out from his left arm.

    Break for me!

    Underneath the constant pressure that he applied, something finally gave. Ellis immediately felt it. The armor had creaked. It was a slight change, barely noticeable, but it was proof that his efforts were not all in vain.

    He pulled even harder. Slowly but surely, the Golem¡¯s right breastplate peeled back. With one last final pull, he completely snapped it in half.

    Ellis decisively threw away the broken plate armor and glared at the new hole that he had created.

    The hole was not big, probably around the same size as his torso. Still, it was enough. It alone was a testament to his strength. The frustration within his heart slowly tapered out.

    Within the Golem¡¯s chest, he once again saw it. An empty blackness. The Golem¡¯s chest was hollow, yet there was something inside.

    A core? Is this the core?

    He could not quite properly make out what that something was, but nevertheless, his determination had been ignited.

    I can do this!

    All of a sudden, the Golem¡¯s regeneration kicked in. It hurriedly tried to regrow the parts that Ellis had ripped out. At the same time, the pain within his body intensified. Ellis could only grit through the pain and rely on the slim light of hope to guide his resolve.

    After coming so far, he simply refused to lose now! Victory was quite literally at the tips of his fingertips.

    Ellis once again reached out for its breastplate. The presumed core in its chest was surprisingly large. In order to take it out, he first needed to widen the hole.

    Using the rest of his remaining strength, he completely destroyed the rest of its right breastplate.

    The hollow cavity of the Golem¡¯s chest had been completely exposed. Unfortunately, Ellis had over drafted his strength. His vision blurred and his legs felt wobbly. All he could see was the vague outline of¡­ something.

    Even though his eyes were directly staring at it, his brain could not quite process the images that he was witnessing. Still, Ellis did not hesitate. He swiftly reached in and yanked out the presumed core.

    He heard a series of snapping sounds, almost as if several wires had just been severed. Without hesitation, he threw the object to the ground.

    Almost immediately, the squirming within his body stopped. The Golem lost all of its enthusiasm.

    Its body jerked once, before it collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

    At the same time, Ellis had no more strength left within his body. As the Golem came tumbling down, he also fell with it.

    He plummeted from a height of nearly thirty meters. For a split instant, his blurry vision experienced a moment of clarity. He glanced back at the thing that he had thrown.

    What the hell?

    He unconsciously furrowed his brow. Were his eyes playing tricks on him?

    That thing¡­ to his surprise, there was no magic core. Instead, he saw a naked girl with pale white skin.

    Before he could think any further, he hit the ground head first and blacked out. A moment later, the Golem¡­ no, the empty shell crashed to the floor with a resounding bang.

 Chapter 77: The Guardians of the Holy City (4)

    Ellis momentarily blacked out.

    This was probably his first time ever losing consciousness during a battle. What¡¯s more, it had not been the result of an enemy attack, but rather, of his own doing. Ellis had over drafted his strength. The short burst of power that he had previously demonstrated a few seconds ago had left him completely drained.

    Right now, his arms were numb and his mind felt hazy. It was a completely different sort of sensation from having his limbs forcibly ripped off or his body mutilated into a bloody mess. Somehow, it was even worse.

    Back then, his strength had been more than just simply physical strength. To be honest, Ellis did not quite know the specifics. It was a gut feeling of his, but regardless, he held far more value in his instincts than any sort of rational thought that might pop into his head.

    Then, was it magic? He couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Something similar to body strengthening?

    Body strengthening magic was practically a staple within the wider world of fantasy novels. At the very least, he had encountered quite a few during his short stint on Earth. And going off of the stuff that Grisella told him, he also knew that a form of it existed within Lull.

    The possibility was certainly there, but¡­

    Could it have really been body strengthening magic? The skeptic in him refused to accept such an easy answer.

    Ellis felt like his guesses were within the ballpark, but unfortunately, he neither had the ability to confirm nor deny any of it.

    Besides, I did not feel any of the mana that Grisella previously talked about¡­

    The more he thought about it, the less convinced he became.

    In the end, Ellis met an impasse.

    With his mind still caught within the swirling fog of his thoughts, Ellis peacefully drifted off into a world of motionless dreams.

    ****

    Ellis was probably unconscious for less than a minute or so. Of course, for the person in question, it felt like an eternity.

    When he eventually did wake up, he found himself stuck underneath one of the fallen Golem¡¯s giant arms. In addition, he felt a slight tingling sensation on his own arm. He looked over, only to see a certain slime greedily lapping up all the blood that poured out from his injuries.

    Ellis¡¯s expression immediately fell.

    This damn thing¡­ To think that you¡¯d actually take advantage of me even though I¡¯m in such a perilous situation¡­ what an ungrateful child!

    He inwardly cursed. The Slime quickly noticed his awakening. That, or it had unwittingly heard the cries of injustice that Ellis ceaselessly shouted out from deep within his heart.

    Mumei stopped and suddenly raised its ¡®head¡¯. After a few seconds of silence, it began crawling towards him. It slowly made its way across his arm, down his shoulder, and over his chin, only stopping after it had reached his left cheek.

    Ellis felt a cool sensation spread throughout his cheeks.

    ¡°¡­¡± He did not say anything.

    Even though it looked as if Mumei was affectionately greeting him, in truth, the damn thing was simply absorbing some of the blood that had splattered on his face.

    Ellis could only shake his head in exasperation. He slowly crawled his way out from underneath the Golem¡¯s massive frame.

    He groggily stood up. Almost immediately, he noticed a few things. His clothes were torn, his hair was ruffled, there was blood all over the surroundings, most of which were his, to be honest, there was a lot. Still, the most important thing to note here was his own body.

    It felt weak, he felt weak. It was a similar feeling of weakness that someone would feel after waking up from a year-longcoma for the first time. Naturally, it was scaled back to meet Ellis¡¯s standards.

    If he focused hard enough, then he could somewhat ¡®feel¡¯ his body recovering. Unfortunately, the rate at which he recovered left much to be desired.

    Next, he turned his attention over to the battlefield.

    His eyes gravitated to the ¡®core¡¯ that he had personally plucked out from within the Golem¡¯s chest cavity.

    Back then, his eyes hadn¡¯t been playing tricks on him. Indeed, the thing that had been inside its chest and the thing currently lying sprawled on the ground really was a young and beautiful girl.

    It was a girl with silvery white hair. She was completely naked; her exposed body revealed a rather sizable chest and a bountiful behind. Still, that wasn¡¯t what drew his attention. Her most noticeable features were the squirrel ears on her head and the fluffy tail that stuck out from her butt.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis was momentarily stunned by the current set of events. A few thoughts buzzed around in his head.

    Had that girl really been inside the Golem this whole time? If so, why was she standing guard out here? I thought the Holy City was an abandoned ruin, but judging by the current situation, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case anymore¡­

    Before he could think any further, an angry roar reverberated throughout the forest. Ellis hurriedly looked over. He immediately caught sight of the remaining Golem barreling towards him.

    Up until now, Wight and Ena had done their best to hold it back, but after seeing Ellis crawl out from underneath its defeated comrade, the Golem finally reached its breaking point. It ignored the pesky flies that swarmed around it and directly rushed towards Ellis.

    In response, Ellis quickly tried to get up, but a moment of weakness abruptly washed over him. He staggered and almost fell back down to the ground. Not even three seconds later, the Golem was already upon him. It grabbed onto his torso and lifted him up like a child playing with a doll.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    The Golem shook and smashed him to the ground. At the same time, he felt numerous spikes emerging out from its palms. They pierced through his legs and stomach.

    Ellis unconsciously howled in pain. Blood dripped down from in between the Golem¡¯s massive palms, but it did not stop there. Like before, numerous tendril-like branches quickly wormed their way into his body.

    He gritted his teeth as waves of pain rocked his mind. Still, despite his admittedly terrible situation, Ellis did not give up hope. He was different from before. Right now, he felt as if he had just broken through an invisible bottleneck. The earlier frustration from before had vanished, replaced by a new found sense of confidence.

    Even with his body in a currently weakened state, even if his opponent was a calamity-class monster molded out of near-indestructible wood, he still firmly believed in his own victory.

    Ellis breathed out a long, hiss-like sigh. He closed his eyes and pushed against the Golem¡¯s palm.

    The Golem was determined to squeeze the life out of him, but unfortunately, it was destined to not have its way! Slowly but surely, the creature¡¯s massive hand unclenched.

    Although he could only muster about a third of his normal strength, even that much far outstripped the Golem¡¯s power! This was to be expected. From the very start, Ellis was stronger than these hulking lumps of wood. The only thing that they really had going for them was their durability, and that was a problem that he had long since solved!

    Its hand trembled from the exertion. Unfortunately, no matter how much power it devoted, the outcome remained the same. The moment that the Golem¡¯s hand had opened wide enough, Ellis lightly bent his knees and kicked off.

    A fleshy pop rang through the air as he forcibly dislodged himself from the spikes. His bloody figure rocketed towards the ground.

    Fortunately, before he had the chance to eat a mouthful of dirt, his descent abruptly slowed. A gentle breeze circled around him. It felt similar to a soft, pillowy cloud.

    It took him less than a second to figure what had happened.

    Wind magic. More specifically, Ena¡¯s.

    It quickly pulled him along, just as the Golem¡¯s massive foot came slamming down. He narrowly avoided the blow but the ensuing pressure threw him off course.

    Ellis rolled across the ground, dirt and other sediment mixed with the blood that previously dyed his skin, giving him the overall appearance of a beggar.

    He coughed out a mouthful of dust as he groggily stood up. At almost the exact same time, a black blur rushed towards him. It stopped just in front of him.

    ¡°Wight¡­¡± Ellis subconsciously called out.

    The little wolf wagged her tail in excitement. Her fur appeared somewhat matted, but otherwise, she had remained relatively unharmed. Fortunately, she had listened to his advice and focused most of her efforts on avoiding.

    Right now, Wight held a black spear within her jaws. At some point during his quick scuffle with the Golem, while Ena had moved in to save him, Wight had gone ahead and retrieved his weapon.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ellis simply stated as he retrieved the spear with open arms. He then ordered her to stay back and wait with the others. Although Wight was reluctant, nevertheless, she complied.

    Now, the only ones left were him and the Golem. Ellis was fully prepared to finally end this long drawn out battle. Judging by its current mood, the Golem was inclined to do the same.

    It had yet to be appeased. In fact, its numerous failures only served to further increase its rage.

    As Ellis¡¯s grip on his spear tightened, he couldn¡¯t help but recall the first Golem that he had defeated.

    Back then, he had triumphed over his last opponent with pure strength. That incident had been a result of his growing frustration. The Golem had simply been the sandbag that he used to let out his stress. With that sort of bothersome emotional baggage gone, Ellis felt more inclined to fight smarter. At the very least, given his current weakened state, he did not want to over-exert himself any more than necessary.

    Right now, the charging Golem was reflected deep within his irises.

    To be honest, its display of anger somewhat surprised him. Was this inanimate looking thing really angry over how he had killed its friend? It was a bit difficult to believe, but the Golem before him clearly possessed emotions.

    Ah, that shouldn¡¯t be a Golem, but rather¡­

    Before he could finish that thought, the Golem was already upon him.

    Two giant arms came crashing down towards him.

    Even before they reached the ground, Ellis was already gone. He jumped up. He momentarily stalled in the air, while the Golem smashed its fists into the ground. The earth cracked, while dust and debris scattered throughout his surroundings.

    Ellis lightly landed back down on the Golem¡¯s massive arm.

    As if by reflex, wooden spikes suddenly shot out towards him. Ellis dodged most of them, while the ones that he couldn¡¯t, he simply tanked or forcibly broke through using his spear. Like this, he paved his way forward as he raced up its arm.

    By the time he got to its shoulders, The Golem¡¯s wooden head suddenly turned towards him. For a moment, the crookedly carved smile on its face cracked. From its depths, emerged over a dozen vine-like tendrils.

    These vines were different from the branches and spikes that the Golem usually sent out. They were less durable, but several times more flexible. What¡¯s more, the vines were covered in small, dagger-like thorns, similar to a rose.

    Due to their flexibility, the vines were a lot faster than the spikes. The first few immediately wrapped around his legs. Their thorny protrusions dug into his skin and opened up his old wounds.

    As the seconds flew by, more and more vines wrapped around him. They considerably slowed him down, enough for the spikes to penetrate his body. At the same time, a giant arm came smacking down from the sky.

    Watching all this, Ellis gritted his teeth. He hurriedly slashed at a few of the vines around his feet before he used all of his remaining strength and abruptly jumped back.

    The vines around him instantly snapped, while the Golem stumbled backward from the resulting force and fell on its back.

    Ellis soared through the air before he fell back down to the ground. Unfortunately, he could not stick the landing.

    A few seconds later, he leaned against his spear and groggily stood back up.

    He bitterly chuckled to himself.

    Considering what¡¯s inside, I¡¯d like to show a bit of mercy, but¡­ that¡¯s a bit difficult to do¡­

    Ellis briefly inspected his body. Most of his clothes were in tatters, while giant bloody holes covered his flesh. Clearly, his injuries had yet to heal, and the vines certainly didn¡¯t help. It was quite apparent, but his current weakened state also seemed to have affected his recovery rate.

    Ellis did not really mind his injuries. Most of them were negligible; they did not affect his movement speed.

    He looked up. As the Golem struggled to get back up on its feet, Ellis coldly snorted.

    Fighting this thing in close range is a pain in the ass¡­

    Because of the nature of its armor, it was practically impossible for him to approach the Golem without injuring himself. This became more and more apparent the longer the battle drew out. In particular, the spikes that grew out from its wooden shell reacted to even the lightest touch.

    Well, I don¡¯t really need to approach it.

    With the Golem temporarily immobilized, now was the perfect opportunity to put an end to this battle. Ellis lifted himself up and pulled his arm back. He gathered the rest of his remaining strength and sucked in a mouthful of air.

    In one swift motion, he hurtled the spear forward while a guttural roar leaked out from his throat.

    This time, he did not aim for its head. He had learned a lot from the first Golem. If his guess was correct, then its weakness was right¡­ there!

    BOOM!

    Just when the Golem was about to get back up on its feet, a black bolt suddenly struck!

    The spear penetrated the center of its chest!

    For the first time, the wooden giant expressed panic. Its arms flailed in the air as it collapsed back down with a resounding thud. Unfortunately, although the spear had successfully landed, due to Ellis¡¯s current weakened state, the blade did not get very deep.

    Fortunately, this was well within his expectations. Even before the spear had reached the Golem, Ellis was already on the move.

    He rushed forward like a crazed beast. He kicked off the ground and soared through the air. As his frail figure came falling back down, Ellis expended the leftover dregs of power still within his body and fiercely stomped down onto the spear¡¯s end. He forcibly drove its blade even deeper into the Golem¡¯s chest.

    Amidst the sound of cracking wood, he eventually heard a soft squelch.

    At that moment, the Golem¡¯s movements suddenly turned jittery. Ellis collapsed on its chest, while the creature attempted to retaliate. It tried to stand back up, it tried to swat him away, it tried to pluck the spear out of its chest, but ultimately, its efforts were all in vain.

    With one last final groan, the wooden giant collapsed onto the ground like a puppet with its strings cut loose.

 Chapter 78: The Secret that Lies within the Wooden Golem

    Ellis breathed out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Damn it, even though I wanted to take it easy, it still ended up like this.¡± He outwardly complained as he jumped off the fallen titan¡¯s chest and hobbled towards the side.

    Ellis had aimed for a perfect victory, but somewhere along the way, he had turned into this mess of a man with blood on his clothes and holes in his skin.

    He tentatively stepped on his right foot, only to let out a wince of pain. The heel of his foot ached. He was fairly certain that he had sprained it. No, it was more than that. It felt as if all the bones in his right foot had disintegrated.

    Just moving it hurt. Ellis was well accustomed to pain, but this was a sort of pain that he had never quite experienced before. If he had to compare it to something, then it would be like a bag of marbles. In this case, the marbles were actually broken pieces of bone, the bag was his rapidly swelling right foot, and each twitch, jitter, and shake of said bag sent waves of pain coursing through his mind.

    Suffice to say, it wasn¡¯t exactly a very pleasant experience to have.

    Normally, an injury like this would have long since healed by now. In fact, most of his current injuries should have already healed. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation was quite different. He was still injured and he was still in pain.

    The fault of his current predicament was nobody else¡¯s but his. After all, who told him to be in such a weakened state?

    This current condition of his not only made his body weaker, but it also slowed down his rate of recovery. For a freak of nature like him, being brought down to this level was truly quite torturous.

    Since this was his first time ever experiencing something like this, Ellis did not know when he would return to normal. Going by the severity of his current injuries, there was a real risk of him collapsing from blood loss.

    Even if I do, at least there¡¯s someone here who probably won¡¯t mind. He unconsciously glanced down. Right now, a certain flesh-colored slime was lapping up the blood that had splattered on the ground.

    Ellis could only shake his head in exasperation.

    Still, that burst of strength was quite convenient. Is there a way for me to control it?

    Not everything about his situation was bad.

    Despite the inconvenience, Ellis felt a bit expectant. The burst of strength that he had displayed was unlike anything he had ever produced before. It was sort of like a special move, a last-ditch all-or-nothing skill that the hero pulls out during times of danger. Was it possible for Ellis to learn how to control it? For him to enter that state willingly and on command?

    Right now, he was still somewhat uncertain, but at the very least, he now had something to his name other than just his irregular strength¡­ Granted, that something turned out to be an even more irregular version of his irregular strength, but the point still stands.

    As such thoughts ran through his mind, Ena and Wight had arrived. The little fox floated in the air and maintained an altitude close to eye-contact. In comparison, Wight had sprinted all the way here. She rubbed up against his leg (which undoubtedly caused him no small amounts of pain), while her tail wagged excitedly behind her.

    With the trio all gathered together, they finally walked back over to the fallen giant.

    The Golem was not yet completely immobile. Its limbs occasionally twitched, while its head struggled to look up. Unfortunately, no matter how hard it tried, it simply could not move.

    Ellis unceremoniously climbed back on top of its chest and yanked out the spear.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A soft squelch echoed through the air. As expected, the tip of the blade was coated in red. It slowly dripped down onto the Golem¡¯s wooden breastplate like black ink on a white piece of paper.

    Ellis only glanced at the blood once before he completely ignored it. He then proceeded to carve out a fairly sizable hole on its chest using his spear. After a bit of effort, he eventually managed to trace out a crooked circle. He then pried the ¡®lid¡¯ open using his spear tip. It was a similar process to opening a stubborn jar of pickles using the flat portion of a spoon.

    Once he removed the lid, his eyes immediately widened.

    There, he could see it.

    It was a girl strapped to the inside of the Golem. Her frail body practically hung in the center of the Golem¡¯s empty cavity. She was held aloft by a number of vines. What¡¯s more, she was completely and utterly naked.

    Ellis narrowed his eyes.

    The girl¡­ she looked young.

    At first glance, her appearance suggested a woman no more than twenty-years-old, but the silver in her hair added an indeterminant amount of years to her overall image. Like with the first girl, this one also had a set of squirrel ears on top of her head. Her eyes were somewhat vague and glassy, but nevertheless, she glared up at him with pure and undisguised hatred.

    Ellis frowned. He did not have the time to appreciate her bare-naked breasts. Instead, he asked in a low voice, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The woman opened her mouth to speak. Unfortunately, he was unable to understand her. Not only was her voice hoarse and raspy, but the woman also spoke in an unknown language.

    The frown on his face deepened.

    Just as he was about to ask another question, Grisella and the rest of the group had arrived. It took them quite a while to recover from the shock of the battle, so Ellis did not blame them for their tardiness.

    The solitary witch stared at the inside of the Golem cavity with perplexed eyes. A clear look of confusion colored her face. For all of her smarts, she had never once expected such an outcome. To think, these giant lumbering wood Golems were, in actual fact, a pair of beautiful naked girls!

    What¡¯s more, that wasn¡¯t the only thing that surprised her¡­

    After a large bout of silence, Grisella eventually spoke up, ¡°She¡­ she calls herself a holy warrior. A guardian of the Goddess¡¯s divine army¡­¡±

    Ellis raised his brow. ¡°You can understand her?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded her head. ¡°They speak a tongue that my master once taught me, but¡­¡± she hesitated for a split second, ¡°that language hasn¡¯t appeared within this world in a very, very long time!¡±

    A deep crease appeared between her brows. The thing that her master had taught her was actually a common language used during the primeval era of the Gods. Back then, she was only granted the right to learn it purely on the basis of tradition. Up until now, Grisella never once expected to actually make use of it.

    After all, what sort of concept was the Era of the Gods?

    Most of today¡¯s history books only possessed records dating back to 100,000 years ago, back when the lands had yet to be united and the races of man were still well within their infancy. The earliest known language arose around the same time the first major civilization came into power.

    The Balakans, a group of tightly connected tribes that resided within the eastern shores of the continent. Together, they were loosely considered the first major civilization of recorded history. Their records went as far back as 81,000 years ago.

    For comparison¡¯s sake, the Medina Dynasty was only 3,000 years old, and even that was already considered ancient!

    The history that she knew of contradicted with the purported ancient knowledge that her master had taught her.

    According to her master, the Primeval Era of the Gods was a period in time in which the deities walked along-side man. They ruled large and powerful kingdoms that spanned the entire globe. It was a time of great prosperity and technological and mystic advancement. Most importantly, that era had lasted for tens of millions of years before it abruptly came to an end roughly 1.5 million years ago.

    As a child, she wholeheartedly took her master¡¯s teachings as Gospel, but when she grew older and began exploring the world on her own, for the first time, she came to doubt her master¡¯s words.

    After all, how could an era of Gods and mighty kingdoms exist more than a million years ago when the first traces of civilization traced back to a mere 100,000 years?If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The very concept of a million years in of itself was already a completely absurd thing that she had trouble wrapping her head around.

    What¡¯s more, her master had no real proof of this Primeval era, aside from an obscure language with a questionable background.

    Now, despite all of her doubts, that language suddenly showed up here, ring in front of the holy city of a lost god.

    She couldn¡¯t help but wonder, had her master been telling the truth all this time?

    Grisella turned her attention back onto the girl inside the Golem.

    Her mana was thin, almost negligible. Rather than the girl actually being a calamity-class existence, it was more accurate to say that the Golem was a set of ¡®armor¡¯ that could transform someone into a calamity-class threat.

    Grisella¡¯s frown only deepened.

    Weapons and armors possessing great power were not unique concepts. In fact, many such tales could be found in virtually every corner of the globe. Still, a legend was one thing, but an actual working model?

    Her shoulder¡¯s uncontrollably trembled. It was an unprecedented discovery!

    Of course, off to the side, Ellis held similar thoughts.

    Truth be told, he thought that the Golem kind of resembled a mech. Giant, thirty-meter wooden mechs were certainly the type of fantasy thing that an author looking to subvert tropes would come up with.

    Ellis, being the man that he was, also yearned for the romance of one day piloting a giant city-destroying robot. Right now, he felt as if he had taken an incomparably small step towards achieving this dream.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He shook his head and pushed aside his wandering thoughts. Ellis focused his attention back onto the naked girl within the Golem cavity. Her breath had turned shallow, while the fog that obscured her eyes had unknowingly increased.

    ¡°Why are you guarding this city?¡± He asked.

    ¡°¡­¡± Even after waiting for a while, the girl did not respond.

    ¡°Are there more people inside the city?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Again, no response.

    ¡°Where did you get that armor?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis proceeded to ask the girl a few more questions. Of course, all of his questions had been translated by Grisella. Unfortunately, even after five minutes passed, the girl remained silent. She stubbornly bit down on her lower lip and glared up at him with vengeful eyes.

    In response, Ellis furrowed his brow and scratched the back of his head.

    After his unsuccessful session of questioning, he did not really know what else to say to this obstinate lady. He had several more questions floating around in his head but unfortunately, getting a response to those questions seemed all but impossible.

    ¡°¡­ for now, let¡¯s wait.¡±

    He originally wanted to take a quick break. Ellis hoped that time and the constant pain (she was still injured, after all) would ebb away at her stubbornness. Leaving her in pain like this was a form of torture, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. He really had no other solution. After she was thoroughly subdued, he would come and ask his questions again.

    Unfortunately, his plan would never come to fruition.

    As the seconds ticked by, the girl¡¯s expression grew paler and paler.

    His frown deepened.

    Is she dying?

    In retrospect, it wasn¡¯t surprising. The spear had pierced through her chest, right where her heart should be. Even now, he could still see the big red gash that traveled from her collarbone all the way to her ribcage. Most normal people would be dead by now.

    Should I heal her? He inwardly wondered.

    There were still a lot of things that he wanted to know and this girl¡¯s existence certainly made him curious. In a seemingly abandoned ancient city like this, why was such a young girl here? Why was she inside the Golem? Why was she guarding the archway? Were there other people inside the city?

    ¡­ Also, she was a beautiful individual. Some part of his baser mind did not want to see a cute girl like her die a dog¡¯s death.

    Staring down at the girl, he knew in his heart that he would not be able to get the answers that he so desperately wanted, nor would he be able to save her. The girl¡¯s skin began to wither. Ellis watched in both shock and horror. She had gone from looking like someone in her late teenage years to someone well past the precipices of adulthood. She rapidly aged as the seconds flashed by.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    At the brink of death, the girl suddenly opened her mouth and spoke. Grisella quickly translated, although her expression remained in a state of disbelief.

    ¡°I¡­ I have guarded the holy city for more than a¡­ a million years. To think that I would fall here¡­ how truly lau¡ª¡±

    Before she could finish, the girl was abruptly interrupted.

    To everyone¡¯s surprise, Mumei suddenly wormed its way into the Golem cavity and attacked.

    The squirrel woman¡¯s eyes bulged in shock. She was completely caught off guard. Everyone watched in mute horror as the little slime jumped directly into her still open mouth.

    The following scene was a truly gruesome one.

    Suffice to say, Mumei ate her. No, it was more than that. The little slime melted her body from the inside out and absorbed all of her liquified remains. It did not even leave a single drop of blood behind!

    A long silence filled the air. Eventually, Ellis finally reacted, ¡°You¡­ you wretched thing! We were having a discussion, what the hell!?¡±

    He was truly stunned by the audaciousness of this little fellow.

    After Mumei¡¯s unexpected outburst, Ellis hurriedly ran to the Golem. He leaned over and thoroughly investigated the insides of the now empty shell. Not at all to his surprise, there was absolutely nothing there.

    He breathed out an exasperated sigh.

    ¡°Damn, you really went and killed her¡­¡± For some reason, a strange feeling of disappointment welled up within his heart.

    Mumei said nothing in response. Instead, it crawled up his leg before it somehow wormed its way back onto the crown of his head.

    Grisella suddenly shook her head. ¡°No, that girl, she would have died either way.¡±

    Ellis glanced over at her.

    ¡°You saw it too, right? The way she was aging.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°This is just a guess of mine, but¡­ the golem and her, they might have been symbiotic. They kept each other sustained, alive. Without one or the other, neither would have worked.

    ¡°I think the moment you pried open its chest; the girl was already destined to die.¡±

    ¡°Not when I stabbed her in the heart?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ I think, I think she could have probably recovered from that.¡± Grisella furrowed her brow. Even she wasn¡¯t quite sure about her own theory. ¡°There was something about the way the armor sealed the girl inside, I could not discern any sort of rune or magical inscription, but¡­ the Golem, it was special.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Elis did not really quite get it.

    The only thing that came to his mind was an image of a brain in a jar. In science fiction novels, a brain in a jar was seen as a primitive (relatively) method of sustaining a person after their intended lifespan had come to pass. Usually, a brain in a jar died the moment you took the brain out of the jar.

    Was it a similar concept?

    Grisella ignored Ellis¡¯s confused expression. Instead, she bent down and briefly inspected the Golem. After a while, she stood back up and incredulously shook her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s unbelievable, but that girl, what she said was true. I checked the wood. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s old, far older than what I can identify. All that stuff about being one million years old¡­ there¡¯s a big possibility that all that was true!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis did not say anything. One million years¡­ that was a frightening concept! Were the Gods still alive one million years ago? What about Alma? Ellis wasn¡¯t really certain, but there was a small possibility that Alma had still been alive back then. Heck, he might have even still been a god!

    ¡°¡­¡±

    No, more importantly, how did that girl live for so long?

    There was a possibility that she might have been a member of a long-lived race, like the elves of legend, but for some reason, Ellis did not really think that was the case.

    Appearance wise, aside from her pale complexion and flashy hair color, the girl had resembled the squirrels from Ilpin village. Was she connected to them somehow?

    Grisella reached a similar conclusion.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, then the wood armor originated from the holy city, and that girl, she¡­ she¡¯s probably a predecessor of the squirrels!¡±

    ¡°A predecessor, is it?¡± Ellis muttered to himself. That he had an easier time accepting. Still, there was a matter of her age that had yet to be settled.

    The guardian of the Holy city¡­ so, did she really stand watch over this place for so long? What was she protecting? Could there be other people inside the city¡­

    After a few seconds, he shook his head. No, that shouldn¡¯t be the case. After all, we made quite the ruckus out here. If there were still people there, then they would have surely reacted by now¡­

    The more he delved into his thoughts, the more questions arose. Eventually, a trace of pity flashed in his heart. That girl, how many years had she spent in such a state? Standing guard here, all alone¡­ wait. That¡¯s not right, she wasn¡¯t alone¡­

    Ellis almost jumped to his feet. He suddenly remembered. He swiveled his head and immediately ran. He headed straight for the ¡®object¡¯ that he had previously thrown on the ground.

    The group quickly followed after him. When they arrived, what they saw shocked them.

    The first girl, the one that Ellis had mistaken for a core, she was no longer alive. In her place was a withered corpse with papery brown skin.

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis¡¯s expression turned gloomy.

    ¡­ the moment she was separated from her armor¡­ Ellis recalled back to what Grisella had previously said. Did the armor really possess some sort of ability that can elongate a person¡¯s life?

    Off to the side, a certain solitary witch also sported a similarly somber face.

    It¡¯s like she rapidly aged within the span of a few minutes¡­ no, it¡¯s more like time finally caught up with her. If that¡¯s the case, then how was she able to retain her youth up until now?

    How had she lived to such an age?

    Was the girl a power source for the Golem or was the Golem the thing that kept her alive until now?

    Or¡­ or maybe, it¡¯s just like my original conjecture. Both the girl and the armor, they helped to sustain one another.

    All sorts of thoughts filled Grisella¡¯s head. Still, one thing was clear. After seeing the decrepit state of the corpse, she was more and more certain that the girl had truly been over a million years old.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis wordlessly stared at the withered corpse. Again, he felt a bit of disappointment. After all, a beautiful rose had just withered right in front of his eyes. Anybody would feel anguished after witnessing such a scene.

    After a long bought of silence, he suddenly grabbed onto Mumei. He pointed the slime towards the corpse. ¡°Go, eat that thing. You already at the other one, might as well finish both.¡±

    To his surprise, Mumei shook its head (or at least, it¡¯s upper body). It was a clear indication of refusal.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t want it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it probably sees no value in eating that corpse.¡± Grisella suddenly chimed in. ¡°The corpse has literally zero vitality in it. Right now, it is no different from a roadside pebble.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s probably why Mumei pre-emptively ate the first girl. It wanted to devour her before all of her vitality faded away.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ as expected, this fellow truly is a greedy one.¡± He patted the top of Mumei¡¯s head and breathed out a sigh. He could only shake his head in dismay.

    Well, in the end, it did not really matter.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The group remained silent for a long time as they stared fixedly at the withered corpse.

    Should we¡­ should we bury the corpse?

    Ellis did not really know how to feel about the events that had transpired. A near-indestructible Golem, a beautiful girl as its pilot, and now a mummified corpse¡­ it was certainly a rather unique introduction to the dead god¡¯s holy city.

    After the initial intensity of battle had faded, Ellis decided to pocket the two empty wooden Golem armors. After all, he was a man of passion. He hoped to one day ride in a mech-like robot, even if said robot was made of wood. Hopefully, he can find a way to reverse engineer the Golem Armor.

    Of course, that was all for the distant future. For now, the Golems simply acted as nifty little souvenirs of his courageous battle.

    With all the accounts settled for the time being, Ellis breathed out a heavy sigh and plopped onto the ground. His body ached and his mind felt strained, but for the first time in a long time, his heart was at peace.

    Ellis Murrin drifted off into adreamlesssleep.

 Chapter 79: Records of a New Ability

    Despite all the noise and commotion that had resulted from the battle, nothing really happened. The holy city did not retaliate. There were no shining knights or fearsome soldiers demanding for their heads on a pike. The archway that led into the city remained silent and destitute.

    For all intents and purposes, the holy city really was just a relic of a bygone era.

    ****

    After the battle, the group decided to rest for a while.

    Mainly, they wanted to wait for Ellis¡¯s body to recover. The battle had practically left him crippled. Grisella¡¯s potions and Ena¡¯s healing magic worked to alleviate most of his physical injuries, but the feeling of weakness still persisted.

    By Ellis¡¯s own estimates, his current strength was less than a third of what he could usually muster.

    All in all, it took nearly five days for him to recover.

    It was a surprisingly long amount of time, especially in exchange for such a temporary burst of strength. Still, Ellis was fine with that.

    This new ability of his was different. It wasn¡¯t some shoddy spearmanship that he decided to learn on a whim, nor was it his typical garden-variety super strength (although it was still super strength).  It was different. It was the type of thing that could be activated, the sort of trump card you save until the very last minute. Ellis wanted to properly train and develop it.

    Thus, spurred on by his own selfish desires, their five-day vacation was indefinitely extended.

    ****

    The group set up camp just outside of the Holy City, a mere twenty meters away from the archway.

    Within these past few days, Ellis became somewhat obsessed.

    Developing his new ability was a long and arduous process.

    The first step mainly involved research. As such, he asked Grisella to inspect his body. Primarily, he wanted to know whether this new found ability of his was magic-related or something purely physical.

    Unfortunately, even after she brought out a whole slew of various magical measurement devices, her final answer left him disappointed. More precisely, she had no final answer. According to Grisella, the mana within his body experienced no significant change.

    Grisella was rather sensitive to fluctuations in mana. It came with being a witch. Even when he first activated the ability during his battle with the Golems, she still did not notice anything out of the ordinary. Subsequent testing only further solidified this conclusion. Whether it was the mana in the area or the mana within his body, nothing had changed.

    In her eyes, Ellis remained the same bloated, black-hole-like concentration of mana that he had been in the past.

    After hearing her analysis, Ellis came to two possibilities. Either the change in mana had been at such a level that Grisella did not notice, or his ability really was just purely physical.

    To be honest, he leaned towards the latter. Even after he used the ability, Ellis still couldn¡¯t feel the flow of mana that Grisella often talked about. To him, nothing had changed.

    Despite that somewhat disappointing ending, the rest of his days passed fairly positively.

    On the fourth day of his vacation extension, Ellis made a breakthrough. After several failed attempts, he finally managed to learn how to activate this new ability of his.

    It was really just a matter of mindset.

    In order to activate his ability, Ellis needed his mind to be overwhelmed by strong emotion. In the case with his fight against the Golems, that emotion had been desperation. Essentially, it boiled down to getting really angry or getting really frustrated; anything that could make his insides boil and his mind fog up with restless simulation.

    Of course, forcibly making yourself ¡®desperate¡¯ was a tad bit difficult to do, especially on command. There were probably other factors in play aside from just emotion, but Ellis did not know what those factors were. As a result, even though it was possibly more than just emotion, his ability became something dictated only by emotion.

    Ellis obviously did not want that sort of ability. After all, emotions were a fickle beast. Humans could get angry or sad at the mere drop of the hat. What¡¯s more, they were not a voluntary process. He needed something better than that.

    That¡¯s why he wanted to train. Ellis wanted his body to memorize the ¡®process¡¯ of activation. He would much rather put his faith in muscle memory than on something uncertain and capricious like emotion.

    It took him a while, but by the time the third week rolled around, he had gotten fairly adept at using his new ability. Naturally, Ellis then moved on to the next stage in his training; the testing phase.

    He now wanted to know just how much stronger his new ability made him.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Ellis¡¯s strength was a bit difficult to quantify, as there wasn¡¯t really anything here that could properly capture the scale of his power. Still, he did his best with the available materials around him.

    First, he designated the Holy city¡¯s giant white wall as his ¡®testing ground¡¯ (punching bag). The wall possessed a similar durability to the trees within this forest, so it acted as a good benchmark for his strength.

    Normal testing of his ability went rather smoothly.

    He compared the damage caused by his regular punch to the damage caused by his ability-powered punch.

    Unfortunately, using the ability forced him into a weakened state that lasted for three days (he had managed to cut down on the time through repeated usage), so testing became somewhat of a tedious process.

    Ellis also tested his strength while in his weakened state. In total, he repeated the process of normal punch, strengthened punch, and weakened punch three times. Added all up, the testing phase lasted for nine days.

    The end results showed that while in his strengthened state, Ellis¡¯s strength increased by an average of five times. When weakened, his strength fell to around a third of his normal power. These results were in-line with Ellis¡¯s original impressions of the ability.

    After the testing phase came to an end, Ellis finally decided on a name for his new ability. The naming process was important, if not the most important. After all, who did not want to yell out something cool and flashy during the final climax of a great battle?

    Unfortunately, Ellis was not a very creative person. Still, he did his best. He stuck with something simple, yet reliable.

    [Overdraft]

    It was named after the fact that the usage of his ability essentially boiled down to simply over-drafting his body. Ellis thought it was a cool name. At the very least, it was somewhat more original than simply naming it ¡®limit break¡¯ or something.

    With that all out of the way, Ellis then spent the rest of his indefinite break on training.

    Not only did he want to further familiarize himself with the process of using Overdraft, but he also wanted to strengthen his own body.

    In his mind, the repeated usage of Overdraft was a good thing.

    It was a similar concept to muscle training.

    Muscles grow stronger after they undergo a sufficient amount of stress. Of course, the real process was a lot more complicated than that, but the main principle was basically the same. Due to the nature of his peerless strength, it was a bit difficult for Ellis¡¯s body to feel sufficiently stressed. Overdraft circumvented that issue.

    It was an ability that thoroughly ran his body dry and ragged.

    Every use of his ability would leave him feeling weak and exhausted. Pain was one thing, but fatigue was something that he rarely experienced as a homunculus.

    In some strange way, it reminded him of Earth. Specifically, it reminded him of the time he tried to participate in a city-wide marathon. Ellis was not an athlete. The only reason why he participated in the first place was because of the prize money. Back then, he had severely underestimated the very concept of long-distance running. He got about half-way through the race before his body collapsed from exhaustion.

    Such bitter memories from his past life came flooding back in as he continued his training. Still, he did not stop.

    In addition, he also hoped to accomplish a few other things with this training. He wanted to increase the multiplier of his ability as well as improve his control in regards to the intensity of the ability.

    Ellis¡¯s greatest desire though was to mitigate the after effects of Overdraft. He knew this was possible. After all, he had managed to turn his original five-day ¡®cooldown¡¯ period into three, but unfortunately, his progress stopped there. No matter how much he tried, the minimum amount of time required for him to recover was three days. It was almost like he had hit a bottleneck.

    Naturally, Ellis wanted to break through this bottleneck. Thus, he could only rely on training.

    Because of his zealousness, the group spent more than three months camped out in front of the Holy city. Even though they were so close to their goal, less than a few dozen meters away from the archway, they still did not dare to go in. For a few certain individuals, it was quite literally torture.

    Still, it couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, who knows what sort of dangers existed within the holy city? It was only normal for Ellis to prepare for the worst.

    It was painful, but it was a necessary pain.

    ***

    It was on the eve of his seventh birthday.

    Ellis stood in front of a giant white-wall. He breathed out a light sigh as he craned his neck up.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a few seconds of silence, a satisfied chuckle filled the air.

    Ellis had officially finished his training three days ago.

    To be honest, he wanted to commemorate the event with another round of Overdraft. Unfortunately, if he delayed any longer, then the rest of the group might just stage a revolt.

    It was regrettable, but as the leader, he needed to show some restraint.

    ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think I should punch this thing anymore¡­¡±

    A somewhat bitter smile floated to his lips.

    Looking up, he could now fully appreciate just how much everything had changed within these last three months. More specifically, the giant white wall in front of him. It was littered with all sorts of holes.

    Some were small, barely a dent, while others were large and compromised the overall structure of the wall.

    His hypothesis had been proven correct; throughout the training period, his body naturally grew stronger from the constant use of Overdraft. At first, his regular attacks barely even scratched the surface of the wall, but by the end of the first month, he had gained enough strength to the point where, even without overdraft, he could now make a sizable dent on the extra-durable white wall.

    Of course, the larger holes were created under the influence of Overdraft, the largest of which was carved out a mere three days.

    It was a giant hole that spanned nearly fifty meters in diameter. There were also long, hair-line cracks that stretched out to another one hundred meters or so. Looking past the hole, one could see straight into the Holy city. The debris from the hole also littered the streets within. Some were on rooftops, while others had crashed into walls and damaged buildings.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Such a hole had been the result of a single punch.

    Looking at his handiwork, Ellis felt somewhat satisfied with his current progress.

    To be honest, it was a bit difficult to tell exactly just how strong he had gotten. After the second month of training, his strengthened punches pretty much ended up with the same results: giant holes that completely broke through to the other side of the wall. It was somewhat inappropriate to quantify strength based purely on how large the resulting hole was.

    At the same time, he also felt a bit worried.

    If he kept punching at the wall like this, won¡¯t it eventually collapse?

    He had basically carved a straight line near the base of the giant wall. It was like a poorly managed game of Jenga. Right now, there was only a single block near the bottom of an already shaky tower.

    Without its foundation to properly support it, there was a high likelihood that this part of the wall would eventually just collapse in on its weight. If that were to happen, then the holy city might really turn to ruins.

    This concern kept him up at night. It was also the main driving force behind his decision to cut his training short and move on to the next step in their journey.

    After three months, it was time for them to finally explore the Holy City of a Lost God.

 Chapter 80: The Holy City

    The Holy city.

    Ellis did not really know that much about it. What little he did know originated from the small tidbits of information that he overheard from Grisella and the villagers.

    They had called it a holy ground, but the name wasn¡¯t all that important.

    According to the squirrels, it was once the center of a vast and mighty kingdom ruled by an even mightier God. The squirrels were apparently descendant to that Kingdom¡¯s citizens. After meeting the silver-haired Golem pilot, he came to believe them, but upon retrospect, what left him even more impressed was their overall knowledge of the situation.

    A million years had passed (presumably). Normally speaking, a million years was enough to wash away any records of a kingdom ever existing. How is it, then, that the squirrels still retained knowledge of their heritage? If you take into consideration the fact that the squirrels never once visited the actual site, the situation becomes even more preposterous.

    For a man like him who originated from a world with a relatively brief human history, such a thing seemed nothing short of impossible.

    Then again, Lull was a fantasy world. His common sense did not necessarily apply to this world¡¯s people. In addition, the squirrels lived in an isolated society with little to no contact with the outside world. In exchange for things like technological development and societal reform, their traditions lasted for a far longer period of time than in other places.

    Well, it did not really matter all that much to him. Even though Alma died at the hands of the other Gods, Ellis did not hold the squirrels accountable. After all, in a battle between deities, what did a bunch of mortals count for?

    On that note, he did have to wonder, which God had ruled over the holy city?

    Ellis¡¯s knowledge of Lull¡¯s divine pantheon was somewhat lacking. This was to be expected though. When he had met with Alma, the old demon king did not really elaborate on the other gods. What¡¯s more, most of the information regarding the Gods had long since been lost through the sands of time.

    Right now, only one God was acknowledged by Lull¡¯s citizens. As for the other Gods¡­ aside from Alma, who got betrayed, the other gods were also out of the picture. Ellis really did not know anything else. What they looked like, what their names were, even how many of them there were, all of it was a mystery.

    Anyways, this was the extent of his knowledge regarding the things related to the holy city.

    Ellis and the group were practically going in blind. A lingering caution welled in his heart.

    His fear was only natural.

    After all, this place, even if it was a dead god, it still used to belong to a god nonetheless.

    As far as he was concerned, Gods were dangerous. They were existences who possessed unbelievable strength and power. In the face of a god, abstract concepts like reincarnation and the afterlife meant jack shit.

    Still, even if he felt wary, Ellis did not cower. Throughout the many years he had spent stuck within this forest, he had picked up some self-confidence. At the very least, he was no longer a man who broodingly cowered at the first sign of danger.

    ***

    At around noon, the group entered the holy city.

    Although they had seen some of the streets through the holes in the wall, being inside experiencing the real thing was a completely different concept from peeking in from the outside. The air in here was different. It seemed¡­ holy? It was a bit difficult to explain. A layer of sanctity permeated through the air. It was a feeling that vaguely reminded Ellis of the blinding white God that first brought him to this world.

    No, it should be different¡­

    Ellis furrowed his brow as he walked through the city¡¯s empty streets.

    It was already quite apparent, but there was not a single sign of life anywhere within the city.

    ¡°The world tree should be right around here, right?¡± Ellis asked out loud as he briefly surveyed the surroundings with tepid eyes.

    White. Everything within this city was white.

    The streets were lined with perfectly square stone tiles. They somewhat resembled marble, but they felt a lot more like cement. The tiles were not arranged uniformly, instead, they were practically scattered across the ground in a haphazard manner. The general shape was the same, but the sizes of each individual tile differed greatly.

    Then, there were the buildings. Like the wall outside and the streets beneath, all of the buildings were also white.

    The buildings were stout and square-shaped. Instead of layered brick, they appeared to have been carved out from one giant slab of stone. The walls were smooth to the touch and ice cold. All in all, they somewhat reminded him of Native American pueblos, except the buildings here were a lot more geometric with straight edges and sharp angles.

    ¡°According to the legends, the holy ground of God¡¯s lost empire exists beneath the world tree,¡± Grisella spoke with a bit of doubt in her voice. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s been no-one to verify that legend. And unfortunately for us, it¡¯s impossible to verify the legend from all the way here.¡±

    As she spoke, her eyes unconsciously drifted upward.

    Like with the rest of the city, even the sky above was white.

    The mist that once permeated the forest still existed even within the city. On street-level, it had considerably thinned, to the point where one would not even notice unless they were really paying attention. Unfortunately, as if to make up for that, everything past twenty meters above their heads was completely clouded in a milky layer of white fog.

    In here, there were no dense canopies or towering trees, only a ceiling of ever-shifting white. Just like with what Grisella had previously stated, it was impossible to tell whether or not a world tree really existed above their heads.

    Ellis did not say anything. Instead, he came to a stop in front of one of the buildings.

    It was a single-story building with one rectangular window on each wall. Judging by the small indentations left behind on the windows, there had probably once been something like glass plastered over it. Unfortunately, those were all gone now, dusted away by the sands of time.

    He entered the building. The moment he stepped past the door, a quiet chill ran down his spine. Ellis momentarily paused. It felt as if something had just blown past his ear, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing there.

    After some brief hesitation, he quickly dismissed his concern and quickly surveyed the interior.

    The entire building was about the same size as a two-bedroom apartment. What¡¯s more, it was completely empty. The only source of light came from the giant windows on the wall. As he delved deeper into the room, a certain white-eared wolf squeezed past him.

    Ellis was quick to notice the change that Wight had brought on with her arrival. Every time she moved within the building, the little wolf left behind a set of pawprints on the floor. A layer of dust covered the entire building.

    It was quite apparent, but nobody had been in here for a long, long time.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Ellis quickly returned to the street. He then went on to explore a few more buildings near the surroundings. Most of the buildings he visited only had one floor. That was normal though. After all, out of all the buildings within this city, seventy percent of them were one-story buildings.

    At first, he felt the same chill and whisper-like sensation on his ear every time he stepped into a building. It lasted for a good while but eventually disappeared. Ellis also eventually forgot about it and proceeded as normal.

    After about an hour had passed, he found himself standing in the middle of a wide street.

    His investigation had proved fruitless. Aside from the dust inside the rooms, all of the buildings were completely empty.

    ¡°This place is completely desolate!¡± Ellis breathed out a sigh of disappointment as he bitterly stared at the white walls in front of him. ¡°For how long has this city been here? For that matter, how the hell are the buildings here still so pristine?¡±

    He placed a hand on a wall and felt the smooth texture brush against the palm of his hand. He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head in amazement.

    He knocked on the wall with his knuckles. The resulting sound proved that the walls were not hollow, but rather, something constructed purely out of stone!

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis suddenly paused. He hesitated for a moment, before he suddenly reared his arm back and punched.

    BOOM!

    A loud bang echoed throughout the street. His hand easily penetrated through the wall. In the first place, the buildings here were not nearly as durable as the trees within the forest. Comparing the two was practically the same as comparing a sheet of paper to a stainless-steel metal wall!

    A cloud of dust spread through the air. Ellis accidentally sucked some of it in, inadvertently causing him to break out into a coughing fit.

    After a few seconds, the sound of rapid thumping reached his ears. He looked over, just in time to see Grisella running towards him with hurried footsteps.

    ¡°What was that noise!? Did something happen?¡± Grisella¡¯s face was red with perspiration, while a look of anxiety colored her face.

    ¡°Ah, everything is fine. I just, I wanted to test something out.¡± Ellis mumbled somewhat shyly as he scratched the back of his head.

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Seeing how there was no sign of immediate danger, Grisella¡¯s tense shoulders gradually loosened.

    ¡°Ha ha¡­¡± he could only respond with a wry chuckle.

    Since a while ago, the group had decided to split up and explore the city on their own. Since this place was so big, splitting up like this was clearly the most efficient. As for things like danger and the like, they were naturally worried at first, but after about an hour of peace, they gradually lowered their guards.

    Grisella walked over towards him. By now, most of her earlier anxiety had dissipated.

    ¡°What were you experimenting?¡± She curiously asked.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Ellis did not really know how to answer. How could he say that he had gotten irritated by all the white in this city and punched the wall after a moment of frustration had taken hold of his heart?

    His eyes unconsciously shifted towards the hole in the wall. Grisella naturally followed his gaze.

    After a split second of silence passed,

    ¡°¡ªAh!¡±

    She suddenly exclaimed in a shocked voice. ¡°This¡­ this is indeed worth experimenting!¡±

    Off to the side, Ellis¡¯s jaw had practically dropped to the ground. The sight before him was somewhat amazing to behold.

    To his absolute surprise, the hole in the wall suddenly began to shrink.

    ¡°A stone that can self-regenerate? Even something like this can exist!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed surprising,¡± Grisella spoke with glittering eyes. ¡°While I do know of some weapons equipped with a self-repair function, I have never heard of it being applied to something as large as a building. What¡¯s more, I cannot see any sort of runes or inscriptions anywhere on here! How exactly was this thing made?¡±

    ¡°Maybe the stone just has that ability?¡± Ellis offered. ¡°The ability to self-regenerate.¡±

    She remained silent for a few seconds. ¡°While some special minerals in this world do possess peculiar features, like the Green Zenith rock with its ability to store mana within, I have never heard of a mineral with a self-regeneration ability! This is way too groundbreaking! I¡¯m afraid if the hermits that reside in those shiny wizard towers were to know of this, then surely they¡¯d all lose their minds!¡±

    Grisella looked up at him. A clear look of admiration was plastered all over her face. ¡°I knew you were strong, but I did not think you¡¯d also be so capable in the field of investigating.¡±

    Ellis awkwardly received her heartfelt compliment with a cough. What skill in investigation? Wasn¡¯t this just random luck?! How could he have possibly known that this random act of violence would reveal such an amazing thing?

    He could only shake his head in dismay, Ellis was truly wary of his own ¡®skill¡¯.

    While he wasn¡¯t looking, Grisella suddenly pressed her face against the wall and groped its smooth surface.

    ¡°How did they do it?¡± She murmured to herself. ¡°The effect should be manmade, but¡­ how? Is it related to mana? That would make sense¡­ Plus, it would explain why the fog in here is so much lower than outside the city¡­¡±

    The solitary witch was lost in her old world. Ellis did not really blame her. After all, a self-healing building was a pretty crazy concept!

    Don¡¯t tell me¡­ are all the buildings inside the city like this?

    Ellis somewhat scared himself with his own thoughts. If this city really was like that, then he could only concede to the majesty of a God. Only a God could possibly come up with such an outrageous concept. If the rest of its kingdom was even a third as good as this one city, then it would surely be the greatest kingdom to ever exist on the face of this planet!

    His eyes once again scanned through his surroundings. This time, there was a new found sense of respect within his gaze.

    As he stared, Ellis suddenly frowned. He had noticed that quite a few of the houses had cracks running through their walls. The cracks were thin, almost negligible, but once you noticed one, noticing the rest was only a matter of time.

    ¡­ Well, it¡¯s only natural. Even like this, a million years have passed. I guess even these rocks are not eternal.

    Ellis breathed out a sigh. He changed his previous outlook. Even a God could not stand up against the might of Father Time.

    ¡°But, a million years¡­ I can¡¯t even imagine something like that¡­¡± He breathed out a somewhat lonely sigh.

    Combining his age from both his past life and his present life, Ellis did not even reach thirty. A million years was way too far away of a number for the current him to relate to.

    He glanced back over at Grisella. Once again, he noticed that something strange had happened.

    This time, he noticed that a crystal orb was floating above her head.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    Grisella paused for a moment. She turned around and looked over at what Ellis was pointing to. ¡°It¡¯s a recording device. After all, we are in a place of great history. It¡¯s important to record these things¡­. Besides, we might be able to replicate some of the technology from the holy city.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Ellis nodded his head. ¡°Being able to create something like this building would certainly be convenient.

    He was not a short-sighted man. He could clearly see the benefits from having a self-healing building like this. At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about pesky things like an earthquake or a tornado with a house like this.

    Ellis had experienced something similar when a flood once swept through his orphanage back on Earth. The few months after that were some of the worst that his pitiful-self had ever experienced.

    ¡°Then, we should probably take some of it with us them,¡± he stated. ¡°For research purposes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to, but as you can see, the removed parts of the building don¡¯t retain their self-healing properties.¡± She shook her head and pointed towards some of the rubble that had fallen near their feet. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that the system that this thing utilizes prioritizes the larger of the two masses. Or maybe there¡¯s some sort of core somewhere inside? Or, or maybe the house is connected to an even larger grid that powers the rest of the city. Really, there are many possibilities.¡±

    In response, Ellis lightly laughed. ¡°Who said anything about taking these broken scraps?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±

    Before she could argue, Ellis was already on the move.

    The first thing he did was call Ena over. This did not take too long, as she had been quite close by. Next, he directed her to use her magic on the building.

    Ena had learned earth-type magic during their three-month vacation. Her mood had also improved. The little fox returned to her usual levels of enthusiasm prior to their battle with the giant Slime. It was apparent that whatever transformation that she was experiencing already came and passed.

    Unfortunately, Ellis did not notice any outward change to her appearance, nor did she magically transform into a human.

    Just then, the earth trembled.

    Ena sported a rather serious expression as she fiercely glared at the shivering building in front of her. Slowly but surely, cracks began to form around the building. Unfortunately, she seemed to have met some difficulty. The ground here was paved with a marble-like substance. Breaking through it was not an easy task.

    After some consideration, Ellis suddenly stomped his foot down. Almost immediately, large spider-web like cracks immediately littered the ground. These cracks helped to loosen the earth around them.

    The entire building, along with a few meters of dirt underneath it slowly floated up into the air. Ten seconds of terse silence passed before Ena suddenly waved her paw. The entire building, dirt and all, were suddenly sucked into that small magic pouch of hers.

    Luckily, that thing around her neck still hadn¡¯t shown any signs of filling up. It was certainly an amazing treasure, especially for one that they picked up from the bottom of a pool.

    After the entire building was safely deposited, Ellis patted the crown of Ena¡¯s head with a smile on his face. He turned to Grisella.

    ¡°There, now you can research to your heart¡¯s content.¡±

    Ellis patted himself on the back for a job well done. A somewhat smug smile twisted his lips. Although most of the work was done by Ena, Ellis did not mind stealing the credit from this little fox.

    ¡°That¡­ you¡¯re right. This also works.¡± Grisella simply stated with a pallid expression. She did not look all that shocked.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis felt somewhat aggrieved. What the hell, this sort of reaction was way too weak!

    Doing a helpful deed is indeed difficult. Some people just can¡¯t appreciate all the effort that I go through for them.

    He sighed and shook his head. Ellis whimsically mused over the selfish people that walked this shitty planet.

 Chapter 81: The Underbelly of Gods Lost City

    Like that, three hours passed.

    Throughout their short stint into the city, Ellis was overcome with a sense of scale. This city, it was massive. No matter how far they traveled, the city simply refused to end. It was always the same cube-shaped buildings, along the same square-tiled streets, beneath the same white-fogged sky.

    What¡¯s more, all the buildings here possessed the capability to self-repair. Ellis occasionally checked, but as of now, he had yet to be proven wrong.

    A city like this was nothing short of amazing.

    Thanks to his previous life¡¯s sensibilities, it was a bit difficult to look at Ilpin forest and come to terms with the fact that one entity was solely responsible for its construction, but a city like this was different. As far as Ellis was concerned, a city was a strictly man-made concept, but this city, it was built in a way that was seemingly impossible for man to accomplish.

    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder, did this holy ground exist when Alma was still a God? Did he have something similar? A majestic capital for a kingdom he called his own?

    Ellis did not know the answer.

    The group continued on for another two hours.

    Some of the buildings began to deviate from the normal cub-shaped template. Larger variations popped up, some with additional floors and extra rooms. In addition, there were some with weird jutting protrusions. They looked like spires that vertically stuck out from the walls like some sort of mutant parasite.

    These new buildings looked like important landmarks, but like with the rest of the city, their insides revealed the same dust-covered emptiness.

    They walked for another three hours.

    The already wide streets that they traveled on opened up into a much larger, much wider street. The street in question was wider than the span of two football fields. It was a scale that bordered on the illogical. Then again, nothing within this city made sense.

    Ellis could not figure out why the city needed such a large street. It made all the other streets look like back alleys by comparison.

    He had to wonder, was this street purely aesthetic, or did the city truly once possess something that justified such an unreasonable design?

    They walked for another four hours.

    It should have been dark by now, but the environment had yet to change. A constant light leaked out from the fog-covered ceiling above and illuminated the city with a harsh, almost irritating glow.

    Ellis merely looked up. Nothing had changed.

    They walked for another five hours.

    In actuality, the layout of the city was rather simple.

    He had come to realize this soon after the group arrived at the ¡®main street¡¯.

    There was one core pathway. Attached to that pathway were several divergent roads that lead to who knows where. After arriving at the core path, Ellis and the group did not bother investigating the city any further. It really couldn¡¯t be helped. The city was simply far too large for them to explore each and every individual building.

    For now, he simply wanted to see where the end of the core pathway led to.

    They walked for another¡­. No, Ellis had long since lost track of how much time had passed. The group simply kept walking.

    Eventually, a faint wind blew through the air. Ellis stopped.

    He stood in the middle of the street, silent and without motion.

    ¡°Ellis?¡± Grisella also came to a stop. She looked up at him with confusion.

    Ellis did not respond. He kept his ears peeled and his eyes wide, as he concentrated on his surroundings.

    What was that?

    Just now, he had heard a faint whisper. It was a similar experience to when he first walked into one of the cube-shaped buildings. Back then, he felt something brush up against his ear. He later dismissed the feeling as nothing more than a random thought in his head. Now, he could no longer dismiss such thoughts.

    He had heard it again, but this time, it was a bit louder and a bit clearer.

    Ellis waited for five minutes, but there was nothing.

    Was it really just my imagination?

    He looked over towards his companions.

    ¡­ No, that shouldn¡¯t be the case.

    Grisella and the others were far more sensitive than him. Right now, they suddenly looked alert.

    In particular, the solitary witch¡¯s expression turned grave.

    Unlike Ellis, she had yet to encounter anything odd like random cold winds or ephemeral voices, but when Ellis suddenly stopped and stared warily at his surroundings, she immediately prompted an investigation.

    What she found did not make her the slightest bit happy.

    She spat out a single word.

    ¡°Specters.¡±

    ¡°Specters?¡± Ellis tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Are those like ghosts or something?¡±

    ¡°Close. They are lost souls of the deceased who have lingered for far too long on Lull. As a result, their spirits grow corrupted and they turn malevolent.¡± Throughout her explanation, her face remained grim. ¡°They usually appear in grave sites or necromancer lairs.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Grisella suddenly paused. ¡°I did not feel it before because they lingered just outside of my senses, but when you suddenly freaked out like that, I sent out a spiritual probe. I felt it. They probably felt me too. These things, they are strong.¡±

    ¡°Specters¡­ specters¡­ so basically just ghosts?¡± Ellis muttered to himself. After a while, his expression suddenly hardened. He glanced over at Grisella and hesitantly asked, ¡°These specter things, they wouldn¡¯t happen to be the transparent kind that can phase through walls and stuff, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± Much to his disappointment, Grisella nodded in confirmation. She did not notice the bitterness that twisted his face. Instead, she continued to explain, ¡°if they really are Specters that have aged for a million years, then¡­ things will get dangerous!¡±

    Rather than dangerous, it¡¯s another bothersome enemy!

    An unbearable bitterness suffused from his heart. I can¡¯t fucking punch a ghost!

    He inwardly cursed at the world and all of its unfairness. One could only imagine Ellis¡¯s current heartache. Even though he trained so hard, wasted so much time, suffered so much pain, was this really the end result of all of his efforts? The cold rigidness of reality was a tough pill to swallow!

    Why? Why are all of my enemies so resistant to physical damage?! This can¡¯t be natural. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ is that damn God behind all of this? Has he been watching all this time? You fucking bastard, quit screwing with me!

    Ellis hurled insults and inwardly screamed in his head. He threw a complete and utterly childish tantrum! Still, on the outside, he maintained his calm, albeit weary expression.

    After a few seconds, he eventually came to terms with reality. A single sigh leaked out from his throat.

    Just then, a loud mournful moan echoed through the street.

    ¡°They¡¯re coming.¡± Grisella¡¯s cold words reverberated through his ears.

    As if on cue, two semi-transparent creatures suddenly shambled towards them.

    Exposed bones and taut faces. The Specters were humanoid in shape and wore rags all over their bodies. They possessed a slightly eerie green tinge to their skin. As if that wasn¡¯t enough to cement their ghostly appearance, they also lacked legs. Instead, a thin, tail-like wisp replaced their lower half.

    They originated from further down the street. The emergence of the first two prompted others to follow suit.

    Specters, green-faced and decrepit, slithered out from the cracks within the pavement and from the crevices between the buildings. A quick glance revealed thousands, with the large majority of them coming from further down the main street.

    Ellis braced himself. As a muscly meathead, he really had no defense or countermeasure against this type of enemy. If his body were to get possessed or something, then everyone here would probably die.

    In comparison to his unsettled heart, Grisella had an even bigger reaction. Her face morphed into a truly panicked expression.

    Beads of sweat dripped down the side of her temple she hurriedly rummaged around in her spatial satchel. Deep down, she knew that no one else within the group could fight against these specters.

    These creatures took no damage from physical attacks. What¡¯s more, normal magic dealt only a third of their usual potency. Ena might be able to do something with her natural affinity with magic, but even she was greatly hampered by these guys.

    There was a common saying within this world: ¡°A specter¡¯s only weakness is light!¡±

    As expected, creatures of the night like them were vulnerable to light and holy magic.

    Right now, the group could only rely on Grisella. After so much inaction, it was finally her turn to shine!

    Grisella first pulled out a shallow pot. The pot was wide, with a diameter larger than her arm span. It resembled a giant saucer. Inside the pot, there was a collection of dark-red dirt.

    Without hesitation, she quickly threw the entire thing to the ground.

    Ellis curiously watched her. The rest of the group followed suit and crowded around the flustered witch.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked. Despite the oncoming Specters, he still had the nerve to act carefree.

    ¡°Fertilizer from Gallows Island. The soil there is notorious for its fast-growth rate.¡± She then pulled out a pastel-colored cloth bag. Without being asked, she quickly explained, ¡°This is a bag full of carnivorous seeds, taken directly from the Crural mountains.¡±

    The last thing that she pulled out was a small vial filled with transparent liquid. For a moment, her pupils glistened. ¡°Last but not least, holy water. It¡¯s from the main church of the Orthodox faith. I had to pay quite the price in order to get my hands on this thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± For a moment, Ellis¡¯s heart lurched.

    The Orthodox faith¡­ That name instantly made him wary. After all, those guys were probably his most dangerous enemies within this entire world.

    As Grisella revealed all of her items, her heart definitely felt the pinch. It couldn¡¯t be helped. These things were immensely valuable, the sort of item that could not be traded for mere gold. Still, what else could she do? Her little life was also valuable.

    The horde of specters drew closer. The nearest one was now a mere one hundred meters away from them. They moved like starved cheetahs.

    She immediately emptied the bag of seeds into the pot. Then, without missing a beat, she uncorked the vial and poured all of its contents all over.

    ¡°Lastly, for control¡­¡± she chanted a silent spell and then bit down on her thumb. A single bead of blood emerged. It glistened like a priceless marble. Grisella knelt down and ruthlessly jabbed her thumb into the soil.

    As the specters closed in, the pot suddenly shook. Grisella removed her thumb and instantly backpedaled. At the same time, a large pop echoed through the air.

    ¡°A witch¡¯s pride lies in her creations!¡± She suddenly shouted something nonsensical and pointed her finger towards the approaching horde.

    A giant, dark green vine abruptly emerged from within the shallow layer of soil. A bulbous head could be seen at the end of the vine. The head suddenly vertically split, revealing a mouth filled with thorn-like teeth.

    Without hesitation, the vine darted forward. The carnivorous head chomped down onto the closest Specter.

    For a seemingly intangible creature, it sure did react quite poorly to the sudden attack. The specter was lifted in the air by the vine and thrashed around like a rag doll in the hands of an unruly child.

    The specter let out a mournful wail. It struggled to escape the vine¡¯s clamp, but all of its efforts proved futile. As a final act of desperation, it spat out a black-colored sludge all over the bulbous head of the vine. The areas where the sludge touched immediately began to sizzle, but upon closer inspection, the sludge did not actually touch the vine. Instead, it was blocked by a thin layer of glowing white.

    Seemingly unbothered by the sludge, the plant tilted its head up and quickly swallowed the specter whole.

    Without pause, it went on to attack the next specter within its vicinity. As the vine accumulated more kills, a significant change suddenly occurred. A new bulb emerged out from the vine. It quickly branched off and formed another carnivorous head. After the second head popped up, a third and a fourth quickly followed.

    The vine¡¯s growth did not stop there. Soon, numerous vines and over a dozen heads thrashed in the air like wriggling snakes. A giant wall of dark-green had formed. It was not enough to cover the entire street, but it was more than enough to block the oncoming specters.

    Ellis had watched all of this transpire with curious eyes.

    ¡°The holy water adds a holy attribute to the carnivorous vine, which is quite effective against specters.¡± Grisella curtly explained as she breathed out a tense sigh.

    Despite the good results brought upon by her quick thinking, her hands had yet to stop moving. It was only natural. After all, the carnivorous vine was far from enough to stop the growing army of Specters.

    Through her witch¡¯s perception, she could see an entire city¡¯s worth of spectral energy surging from deep within the heart of the city. Thousands upon thousands of Specters were already bad enough, but an even stronger, even more dangerous entity was rapidly approaching.

    It was a Specter infinitely close to calamity-level. No, judging by how its energy keeps escalating, isn¡¯t it already a Calamity-class?

    Even when she explained all this the rest of the group, they could do nothing to stop it. Unfortunately for all of them, Grisella was the only one who could do anything within this situation.

    But therein lay the problem.

    Battling against a calamity-class? Her?

    That was a truly laughable concept!

    Just as she pondered whether or not they should mount a retreat, another surge of energy swept through the city. To her horror, seemingly dormant spirits suddenly rose from all four cardinal directions.

    They were officially surrounded.

 Chapter 82: The Might of an Ethereal Specter

    An eerie green fog permeated through the city. The large congregated population of specters tainted the very mana that circulated the air.

    Unfortunately, Grisella did not have the mind to pay attention to such a detail.

    Right now, she was a bit preoccupied. The solitary witch was busy setting up a defensive countermeasure against the Spectral army. Even though their population was a bit overwhelming and even though the calamity-class Specter weighed heavily on her mind, she did not give up hope just yet.

    The Specters were fierce and acted on their instinctive nature to do harm, but that did not mean they were without weakness. For one, Specters were highly sensitive to light and holy magic. Just look at the carnivorous vines for example. Even though only a thin amount of holy essence circulated through their bodies, it was more than enough to stop the Specters in their tracks.

    All she truly needed was time.

    If she had sufficient time, then Grisella could create or conjure something up that can safeguard against these vile creatures. A holy barrier dedicated to the Orthodox god would be one option. Or instead of defense, she could opt for a retreat. An explosion concocted with light as its core would probably give them enough time to escape.

    She had plenty of options but not enough time. The carnivorous vines were there to buy her that time. Unfortunately, they were far from enough.

    One thousand, two thousand, the number of Specters within their immediate vicinity had quickly breached the ten thousands. Looking out, all she could see was a sea of eerie green.

    The closest Specters dog-piled the carnivorous vine. Even though the number of bulbous heads had already reached fifty, there were simply far too many specters. The necrotic energy that their transparent bodies exuded slowly rotted away at the vine¡¯s main body.

    Despite the precarious situation, Grisella had no means to help. Right now, she was embroiled in creating said holy barrier. The moment she let up would be a moment wasted and a moment closer to death.

    Luckily, the others with magical capabilities within the group also went to work. Ena spat out several fireballs. Every time they landed, a bright flash of light would illuminate the area and a large chunk of specters would vanish. Her magic was at such a high level that the mere contact of her fire was enough to vaporize their ethereal bodies.

    Unfortunately, Ena specialized in concentrated attacks. Magic that swept through a wide area was outside her specialties. Even when she used such a magic, they were too low a level to effectively work against the army in front of her.

    Her attacks, despite how fierce and powerful they may be, were simply not suited for this type of situation. It was like shooting a sniper rifle into the open sea.

    The only other individual able to help was none other than Umbra. Out of the remaining individuals here, he was the only one with access to magic. Unfortunately, despite his skill, this was also not the place for him to shine. His poison wasn¡¯t very effective against these transparent, bodiless creatures.

    For the most part, Ellis and the other meatheads simply stood beneath the shade of the vine wall and watched as the fierce battle transpired. Based on their expressions, it was difficult to tell whether or not they were truly worried.

    Grisella had warned them several times of the Specter¡¯s dangers. Their touch had the ability to corrupt. They corroded away at the mind and drove a person to insanity. The worst-case scenario would be for the Specter to devour the victim¡¯s soul. This move was both dangerous and irreversible, as it left only an empty husk of a man in its wake.

    The Specters were definitely a viable threat, but, at the same time, the group, minus Grisella, did not feel overly worried. They were used to this level of danger. In fact, if it was any lighter, then Ellis and the wolves might actually start to believe that this whole thing was a trap. Such a mindset would only lead them down an endless downward spiral of paranoia and self-doubt.

    While it was a bit irritating not being able to help out, in the end, it couldn¡¯t really be helped.

    Just as such a thought came to his mind, something suddenly emerged from underneath his feet.

    Ellis reflexively looked down.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    A green, transparent hand clawed its way from in between the gaps in the tiles. As the seconds ticked by, the creature rapidly came into form. As expected, it was a lone specter in the form of a female.

    It wore rags over its body while exposed bone and torn flesh could be seen hanging from its limbs. The creature bared its teeth at him. Right now, both parties were so close to each other that any normal man would have found it impossible to react in time.

    Of course, Ellis was no ordinary man. Unfortunately, he was still unable to dodge.

    The reason lay purely with himself. He got distracted.

    For the first time, Ellis noticed that a pair of scraggly squirrel ears resided on top of its head. This was not what had distracted him though. The ears were definitely a surprise, yes, but not something completely unexpected.

    No, the thing that had distracted him existed a foot and a half beneath its ears.

    Back when it was alive, the Specter was probably a rather curvaceous woman. As a result, its ragged clothes were unable to properly cover its chest. Naturally, Ellis was momentarily hypnotized by the swaying bags in front of his eyes. The gap in judgment was just long enough for the specter to launch its attack.

    A pair of wiry claws rapidly accelerated towards his face.

    Oh, shit¡­ Ellis¡¯s body reflexively tensed.

    ¡°Ellis, no!¡± Grisella unconsciously wailed out.

    Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a girl¡¯s faint screams. It was a familiar voice, one filled with fear and heartache. Unfortunately, his rattled mind was a bit too preoccupied to care.

    He closed his eyes and waited for the supposed pain to come.

    ¡°¡­¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even after a few seconds passed, nothing happened. There was no pain, there was no ghostly possession. Just, nothing.

    ¡°¡­what?¡±

    Ellis warily opened his eyes. He looked around his surroundings, but there was nothing there. The female specter with the dynamite body was gone.

    ¡°What happened?¡± He verbalized his confusion. ¡°Has my mind been corroded? Have I been turned to a vegetable yet?¡±

    In response, Grisella mutely shook her head. She had been so shocked that her hands had subconsciously stopped moving. After a few seconds of silence, she eventually snapped out of her reverie. ¡°¡­ Ah, no, that specter, it tried to attack you but then, it suddenly disappeared.¡±

    ¡°Disappeared?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow in confusion.

    She nodded. ¡°Yes, although I can¡¯t figure out why it suddenly did that. I think it died, but¡­ how? Considering what happened, it might have something to do with you, but you can¡¯t exactly control mana, so¡­.¡± Grisella abruptly paused. A look of realization flashed through her eyes. ¡°Ah, why didn¡¯t it dawn on me sooner!? Your mana! It¡¯s because of your mana!¡±

    ¡°What? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡± A slight frown formed on his lips. Ellis glanced over at the wolves, but their blank expressions revealed nothing.

    It was apparent from the way Grisella was acting that he had pulled off something ¡®miraculous¡¯ once again, but this was the first miracle that he had ever produced where he actually had no clue what was happening. He looked to his fellow groupmates for confirmation, but unfortunately¡­

    These damn brats aren¡¯t helpful at all! He felt somewhat irritated. No matter what sort of amazing accomplishment he pulled out of his ass, nothing would faze these brats. That¡¯s why Grisella was somewhat refreshing to have around. At the very least, her excitement and shock kept his inflated ego a float.

    ¡°A person¡¯s soul lies at the very center of their mana pool,¡± Grisella explained as she hurriedly returned back to constructing her holy barrier. ¡°For anything that specifically targets a soul, they must first get past the mana pool. The Specters are no different. Unfortunately, they met a freak of nature like you. The very moment it touched your mana pool, the specter immediately evaporated!¡±

    She could only shake her head in amazement. At the same time, Grisella inwardly berated herself for such a huge oversight. In retrospect, it was quite an obvious outcome. After all, Specters are mana-based creatures. When met with a more oppressive force, the weaker force naturally gets devoured.

    ¡°I see¡­ so, I¡¯m basically immune to these guys, huh?¡± Ellis raised his brow in amusement.

    Grisella nodded her head.

    ¡°¡­¡± He lapsed into silence. After a few seconds passed, Ellis seemingly nodded to himself before he stepped out from underneath the Carnivorous vine¡¯s protection. He went around the vine wall and stood directly in the middle of the street.

    ¡°E-Ellis? What are you doing?¡± Grisella furrowed her brows as she called out to him. Because of the vine wall in front of her, she was unable to see him. What¡¯s more, Ellis did not respond back, which only further added to her anxiety.

    Should I lower the wall? If I do that, the Specters will rush in¡­ but then again, Ellis might be in trouble¡­ No, actually, if it¡¯s him, won¡¯t he be just fine?

    Such thoughts crowded around her head.

    On the other side of the vine wall, Ellis silently stared out into the open street. A literal sea of green filled his vision. Green, semi-transparent specters. They were like wriggling worms that had just crawled out from the depths of the earth.

    The moment they saw him, they all immediately rushed forwards.

    Ellis braced himself. Even though he trusted Grisella¡¯s judgment, having something so ugly move towards him with such fervent intensity¡­ he couldn¡¯t help but shiver.

    Still, he did not do anything and simply waited for their arrival.

    He watched as the first specter dove straight into his chest. An inaudible howl seemingly echoed through the air as its ghostly body immediately dissolved upon contact. After the first one, the rest soon followed.

    They all let out a silent wail as their bodies evaporated into nothingness.

    Even after five minutes passed, the mindless specters continually threw themselves towards him. Of course, the end result was apparent. They were like moths to a flame. Regardless of the danger and doom that his mere presence brought on, they still moved without hesitation.

    After a while, Ellis once again nodded to himself.

    His expression had significantly brightened.

    ¡°Hey, a-are you alright?¡± He heard a voice call out from somewhere behind him.

    Ellis slightly craned his neck back. He quickly noticed that the Carnivorous vine wall had receded. Poking out from between the gaps, he could see Grisella intensely staring at him. Her face did not even attempt to hide her concern.

    Instead of responding, he gave her a simple thumbs-up.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Grisella did not respond. She continued to mutely stare at him.

    After a few seconds of awkward silence, he let out a light chuckle. With his hands behind his head and a carefree expression on his face, he then proceeded to aimlessly walk around the street.

    He moved in a zigzag motion, traveling from one side of the street to the other. Everywhere he passed, the Specters would dutifully through their bodies towards him. They were like obsessed fans.

    In fact, it felt somewhat gratifying to be desired this much by a group of somethings, although he would have much rather preferred if those somethings were a lot more palatable, like say a litter of cute puppies or maybe a gaggle of attractive older women.

    Of course, every time they touched him; their transparent bodies would disintegrate like vampires underneath the light of the sun.

    Occasionally, a soft chortle would leak out from his lips. Although it wasn¡¯t the same as punching a real fleshy body, there was a certain sense of satisfaction to be had from watching these scary looking spirits disintegrate so easily.

    After about fifteen minutes of this, at around the same time that the two thousandth Specter had died beneath his hands, Ellis suddenly had an idea.

    Even when I kill them so quickly, there¡¯s still so many of them. Rather than waiting for them to jump to their deaths, I think it¡¯s about time I show a little bit of initiative.

    He suddenly turned towards the army of Specters. He paused for a split second before he walked down the street. he was heading straight for the center of the city.

    ¡°Wait, wait a minute. Ellis, where are you going?¡± Grisella hurriedly asked him.

    ¡°You said that there was some sort of giant evil ghost lurking around over there, right?¡± Ellis jabbed his finger towards where the sea of specters was thickest.

    ¡°Um, yes, that¡¯s right.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Although they¡¯re called Specters.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± He did not elaborate any further.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Grisella instinctively wanted to stop him, but at the last minute, she decided against it.

    Ellis wordlessly walked forward. Without pause nor hesitation, he straightforwardly entered the fog of wriggling green.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After approximately ten minutes passed, a horrendous screech suddenly reverberated throughout the city. Not a beat later, most of the specters suddenly bared their teeth. A look of anguish morphed their faces before they simultaneously rushed towards the center of the city.

    A cold wind swept through the street. Countless streaks of green flew by like reverse shooting stars. It took less than five minutes before the last of the myriad of specters had disappeared.

    One second, two seconds, even after fifteen seconds passed, there was still only silence.

    The world had suddenly returned to normal. Gone was the smear of green that tainted the skies, gone was the oppressive weight that threatened to suffocate, gone was the feeling of intense nausea brought upon by their tainted essence. It was as if the horde of specters had never even existed in the first place.

    After a while, Ellis eventually walked back down the street.

    He waved at the rest of the group as a light chuckle leaked out from his lips. Judging purely by his outer appearance, nothing had seemed to change.

    ¡°You were totally right.¡± As he drew closer, he suddenly spoke. ¡°There was a real ugly one over there. It had like twenty arms and fifteen faces. It looked like a squid, except it was all skeleton and muscle. To be honest, it was a bit scary at first, but luckily, it was just as stupid as the other ghosts. Of course, it¡¯s gone now, but¡ª¡±

    He abruptly paused. For the first time, he looked up. Grisella was giving him a weird look.

    Is there something on my face? He unconsciously touched his cheeks. Of course, there was nothing there.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°No, um¡­¡± she shook her head and bitterly laughed, ¡°I just feel stupid for worrying.¡±

    The solitary witch hung her head and breathed out a defeated sigh. Even though she should have expected this outcome, the worry and concern that she had felt still echoed in her heart. She could only curse her overly cautious nature.

    In the face of her compliment (?), Ellis once again laughed.

    With the immediate threat of the fourth great calamity-class monster all done and out of the way, the group once again continued on their journey.

 Chapter 83: The Ruined Temple

    It was unfortunate, but the defeat of the Calamity-Class specter reaped no rewards.

    In retrospect, such an outcome was only natural. These Specters did not possess corporeal bodies. The only thing that kept them tethered to this world were the insanely high amounts of mana within the city. When they died, the dissipated mana simply returned back to the surroundings.

    Well, it did not really bother him. After all, it wasn¡¯t like he seriously fought against these things. Ellis had simply just stood there and waited as the Specters rushed towards him. Even the giant Specter was no different. The suicide attack that it launched did not even tickle.

    Thus, with a clear mind, Ellis and his group continued on their journey.

    Time passed. They walked for another two days. Eventually, the street that they were currently on came to an abrupt stop.

    At the end of the main street, there lay a simple marble shrine. It resembled an ancient Greek temple and looked wholly out of place within the aesthetics of this cubed city.

    A triangular roof held aloft by several columns. The front of the temple was supported by eight columns, four on the right side and four on the left. The columns on the sides of the building were pure white, much like the rest of the temple, while the columns in the front were pitch black.

    Ellis felt a certain sense of familiarity upon looking at those columns. They kind of reminded him of his black spear. Were they made out of the same material?

    As he continually stared at the peculiar building, a frown unconsciously formed on his face.

    These columns¡­ there should be enough space for one additional column in the center. Adding together the previous eight, that would make for a total of nine columns...

    Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case. Instead of a ninth column, the middle section of the temple was used as the entrance to the building.

    It was a weird little detail and to be honest, Ellis did not even know why he harped on it, but for some reason, he felt that there was importance in the placement of these columns.

    ¡°Hey, do you think there¡¯s anything weird with the columns?¡± He suddenly turned towards Grisella and asked her.

    ¡°The columns?¡± She reflexively looked over at the Temple. After a few seconds, she nodded her head. ¡°Yes, the sudden black does stand out a bit, especially within the confines of this city. I wonder if there¡¯s any meaning behind it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis did not continue the conversation. He had confirmed something. Despite how observant Grisella usually was, she did not find anything unusual with the number of columns.

    Then why do I have this weird feeling?

    Unfortunately, no matter how much he thought about it, he could not come up with an answer. As such, Ellis, being the man that he was, decisively pushed the issue to the back of his mind.

    He shifted his gaze and glanced at the thing behind the temple.

    More specifically, there was nothing behind the temple. No, that wasn¡¯t quite accurate either. Rather than nothing, there was a wall. The wall was not smooth or white like the giant walls that safeguarded the city. Instead, it was rough-textured, with large veiny protrusions dotting its surface. What¡¯s more, the wall was colored a pale, almost sickly brown.

    It took him a moment to realize, but the wall, it was completely made out of wood.

    ¡°Rather, this thing is definitely a giant tree trunk¡­¡± Ellis mumbled to himself as his gaze naturally moved up. Unfortunately, he could not see past the heavy fog that blotted out the sky.

    Standing beside him, Grisella had reached a similar conclusion. Her expression was rather lively, a mix between fervent excitement and wary caution.

    ¡°You think this is it?¡± Ellis asked.

    Grisella did not dare to respond. Her quivering lips opened as if to speak, but no words came out. After a few seconds, she decisively shook her head. ¡°We can¡¯t confirm it just yet, but¡­ it, it very well might be.¡±

    He nodded his head in response.

    Ellis did not fault her doubtful personality. Although all signs led to the fact that this was indeed the base of the world tree, it was still necessary to exercise caution. After all, they were dealing with something closely related to Gods. Ellis had a rather negative bias towards those almighty existences.

    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t know for sure until we go in.¡±

    Ellis shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the temple entrance.

    The front half of the temple jutted out from the base of the brown wall. It was clear with a glance that the majority of the temple was actually located inside the world tree.

    Just as he was about to cross the entrance, he suddenly came to an abrupt stop.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    His eyes once again drifted upward.

    ¡°Hey, can¡¯t we just fly all the way up there?¡± He spoke, briefly recalling Grisella¡¯s convenient magic artifact.

    ¡°I thought about that, but I think it might be impossible.¡± She stated. ¡°As you know, the mana here is extremely condensed. Considering how opaque the fog is, the mana above is probably several times more plentiful than what it already is down here. Usually, mana like that fluctuates. It¡¯s difficult for me to control my mana in such an environment.¡±

    Grisella shook her head and sighed. ¡°I would much rather not take the risk of accidentally plummeting to our deaths because I lost control of my broomstick. Even in death, such a thing would weigh heavily on my conscious.¡±

    ¡°I see, I guess it¡¯s impossible, huh?¡± The shortcut that popped into his mind was useless. If it was just scaling to the top, then Ellis could have probably climbed up the side of the tree, but if he were to do that, the others, excluding special small individuals like Ena or Mumei, would not be able to go with him.

    As such, he could only take his chances with this weird looking temple.

    Of course, before he entered, he did not forget to ransack the front of the temple.

    Specifically, he decided to take the columns with him. If these things really were made out of the same material that his spear was made out of, then he could only marvel at the God kingdom¡¯s extravagance. Using such an obviously precious material for mere columns? What sort of concept was that?

    Regardless, now that the kingdom was gone, their leftovers were his for the taking.

    He unceremoniously pocketed the columns and stored them inside Ena¡¯s spatial pouch. Despite the addition of such large objects, the little thing had yet to fill up.

    Hopefully, he can make weapons out of them or something similar in the future. Maybe a sword. To be quite honest, Ellis preferred swords over spears. Then again, he wouldn¡¯t say no to having an assault rifle either. Unfortunately, he lived in a fantasy world. Such things were a faraway fantasy.

    After he removed the last column, the temple suddenly trembled. Without the support of the columns, the front portion of the roof eventually collapsed due to the weight.

    Ellis was somewhat surprised. He hurriedly retreated backward. He watched as the rubble continually fell to the ground.

    Apparently, despite being colored white, the temple was not made out of the same material that the city¡¯s buildings were made out of. The sole fact that they did not regenerate was proof of that.

    The collapsed roof blocked the entrance, but with Ellis¡¯s strength, digging it back up was an easy task.

    After five minutes, the group safely proceeded inside.

    ***

    Unlike his original expectations, the inside of the temple was not dark or gloomy. Instead, artificial light illuminated the surroundings. Purple-hued crystals grew out from the walls. These crystals were no larger than his fists, and they glowed much in the same way that a lightbulb shines at night.

    Ellis tried to take one for himself, but to his disappointment, the moment he removed the crystal from the wall, it immediately lost its luster and cracked.

    ¡°Looks like those things are powered by the temple itself.¡± Grisella briefly noted before she continued deeper into the interior.

    After they passed the entrance, the group quickly arrived at a wide sprawling hallway. The world beneath the world tree was far from what he originally expected. The temple from earlier was seemingly just a front.

    Gone were the Greek-like aesthetics with their raised rooftops and spiraling columns. Instead, the group arrived at a dreary and decrepit tunnel. Its walls were the color of mud, while dust lingered in the air.

    To be honest, it was quite refreshing. This was exactly the type of scenery that he expected from an ancient ruin.

    Ellis and the group proceeded deeper down the hallway.

    Eventually, they arrived at a dome-shaped room.

    The room was completely empty, which was to be expected from anything more than a million years old. There were large holes in the wall that diverged into seemingly different areas of the ¡®temple¡¯. In total, there were six such paths.

    ¡°Which one should we pick?¡± He casually asked the group.

    ¡°Woof!¡± Wight immediately pointed to the leftmost path. Nobody knew what her judgement was based on.

    Ena lazily raised her head. She stared for a moment, before she picked the rightmost path. Instead of a decision made of her own volition, her choice was seemingly in retaliation to Wight¡¯s. The little wolf naturally understood Ena¡¯s intentions. She let out a scoff. Such a low-level provocation would not work on her.

    The rest of the wolves each picked different paths. Grisella also got in on the fun, but instead of randomly picking one like everyone else, she poured a lot more thought into her decision.

    ¡°There¡¯s no indication that any one path will be better than the other, but we should at least be cautious when deciding something like this.¡±

    Her words sounded smart and intelligent, but in the end, her choice was still dictated by the tricky hand of luck.

    After a few minutes of bickering, Ellis simply decided to go with the path third to the left.

    His reasoning?

    Well, it was the path that stood directly opposite of the tunnel that they originally came from.

    The group proceeded down their chosen pathway. After traveling for approximately one hundred meters, the light suddenly vanished. There were no more crystals growing on the wall.

    This peculiar change heightened Ellis¡¯s caution. He ordered Ena to form a fire ball, before the group continued walking. They traveled for what felt like miles, before they finally saw a new light (literally) at the end of the tunnel.

    They arrived at another circular room, except this time, there was no roof. Instead, above the room was an endless darkness. It took Ellis a few seconds to realize, but right now, they were currently standing in the middle of a hollow within the World Tree. The darkness above was merely the parts of the tree that they could not see.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis furrowed his brow. He could not see more than five meters in front of him. The darkness here seemed different from before. It was thicker, opaque, a place where light did not dare to venture.

    ¡°Ena,¡± He called out to the little fox.

    In response, she nodded her head and took control of the glowing fireball that floated just above their heads. She moved it deeper into the room. After a few seconds, the flickering flame suddenly split into seven smaller pieces, before they each darted off towards a specific section of the room.

    As light seeped out into all four corners, the first thing that Ellis noticed was the giant altar that stood in the middle of the room. It was plainly designed, most of its intricate carvings had long since been wiped away by the sands of time. Still, as if in defiance of nature, there existed imperfections on the altar.

    Stains. Crimson red and shaped like ink blotches. Haphazard and messy, it did not take a genius to realize the true nature of these stains.

    It was blood. Dried blood.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even though it should be illogical, even though it should be impossible, for some reason, Ellis felt certain that the blood on the altar had been here for a long, long time.

    He stared at the blood-stained altar for an indeterminate amount of time, before his gaze drifted towards the back of the room.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The blood was not even the biggest surprise that this room had to offer. It was the source of the faint light that he had seen from outside the room.

    With glowing green eyes and an ethereal body, Ellis locked eyes with an unmoving specter.

 Chapter 84: He Who Watches Over the City

    <h1> </h1>

    The Specter was shorter than a regular man. Its face was that of a skeleton¡¯s, far more decomposed than the ghoulish creatures he had encountered outside. It wore what looked to be a set of tattered robes.

    With its glowing green eyes and ethereal body, the Specter exuded out a rather eerie vibe that seemed all the more oppressive within this dark and decrepit room.

    Ellis froze. It was not that he was afraid, but rather, he was caught off guard by the Specter¡¯s sudden appearance. The fact that it did not move only made the situation seem even weirder.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He intently stared at it for a while before a frown formed on his face. He had waited and waited, but even after so long, the thing still did not move!

    Is it even real? Maybe it¡¯s actually a statue?

    Then again, since when has there ever been a semi-transparent floating statue?

    Compared to Ellis¡¯s mild confusion, Grisella had a severely more intense reaction. Cold sweat dripped down her back. Much to her dismay, the mana that this frail looking Specter exuded rivaled that of the giant Calamity-class monster that Ellis had just recently defeated.

    This particular Specter¡¯s mana was tightly compressed, somewhat similar to Ellis¡¯s own black-hole like concentration. Of course, it was nowhere near as irregular. It was also the reason why Grisella did not discover the Specter sooner.

    After meeting with Ellis, she had long since come to realize that this form of mana was several times scarier than the regular version.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even though Ellis was right here beside her, it was a natural instinct to fear the strong.

    As for the man himself, Ellis remained calm and composed. To be quite honest, he was not really afraid of the Specter. After all, the ones that he met outside did not exactly inspire fear in his heart. In fact, they were probably his easiest enemies yet.

    How much stronger could this new one really be?

    He paused for a moment. Well, let¡¯s just get this over with.

    After some slight hesitation, he took a step forward and stretched out his hand.

    The Specter did not outwardly react. It remained stiff and motionless. Still, Ellis felt as if the glint in its eyes had somehow changed.

    Just as his palm was about to touch the Specter¡¯s ghoulish face, a sudden shout from behind quickly stopped him.

    ¡°Ellis, wait!¡± The voice originated from Grisella. Her tone was somewhat high-pitched and uneven.

    His hand stopped a mere inch away from the Specter¡¯s deformed nose. Any closer and it would have probably dissipated like all the other Specters outside. After a brief bought of indecision, he retracted his hand back.

    Ellis turned around and asked one question, ¡°why?¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡± she hesitated for a moment. There was an obvious look of conflict scribbled all over her face. It was intermixed with other emotions such as distress and discomfort. Eventually, she said, ¡°¡­ I, this thing, the specter, it¡ª it just spoke to me...¡±

    He furrowed his brow in confusion. ¡°It spoke to you? Really? That¡¯s weird, I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡±

    ¡°It, it was in my head¡­¡± The more she spoke, the quieter her voice seemed to get.

    ¡°¡­ In your head, is it?¡± Ellis did not even attempt to hide the doubt on his face.

    ¡°I know how it sounds, but it¡¯s the truth! It really did speak to me!¡± She practically cried out. Ellis¡¯s piercing gaze made her soul shiver and her body squirm. This was definitely a major blow to her self-confidence. After all, since when was she ever the recipient of such eyes? It was always her giving people strange stares, never the other way around!

    Just as Ellis was about to say something in return, another voice interrupted him.

    ¡°Listen to the girl, young man. Do not be so hasty.¡± A raspy and hollow voice reverberated throughout the room.

    Ellis immediately turned around. Naturally, the voice had originated from the decrepit Specter. What¡¯s more, much to his surprise, the ghastly creature had moved. Within a short span of time, the distance between the both of them more than doubled.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Ellis immediately asked as he glared at the Specter with clear ill intent.

    ¡°I am her Divine Majesty¡¯s loyal servant, a little old priest with nothing to his name except the devotion he offers to the one who stands above.¡± It paused for a moment. ¡°Although now, I am nothing more than a mere ghost shackled by faith and circumstance.¡±

    ¡°Faith?¡± Such a word immediately conjured up images of Gods and Churches.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Specter did not elaborate any further. Instead, it actually took another step backward, once again increasing the distance between the two of them.

    Since he did not receive his answer, Ellis decided to move on with this strange conversation.

    ¡°Why can you talk?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be able to talk?¡± It retorted. ¡°Some ghosts are just like that. They can talk.¡±

    Just before a frown could form on his face, Grisella conveniently elaborated. ¡°A Specter¡¯s intelligence is heavily dependent on their past life. Hyper-intelligent Specters naturally come from those who were once strong and powerful.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis narrowed his eyes. ¡°So, you weren¡¯t just some ¡®little old¡¯ priest?¡±

    In response, the Specter shrugged his shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s when I was still alive. I¡¯m dead now, so there¡¯s a difference. Besides, I never once called myself weak.¡±

    It cracked a faint smile, or at least it tried to. It was kind of hard to tell, what with its skeletal face and all.

    Ellis remained silent for a few seconds, before he asked, ¡°Why can you speak Arhan?¡±

    Arhan was a common language of this world and the only one that Ellis actually knew. It was the world¡¯s most widely spread language and its origins dated back as far as the Medici dynasty some three thousand years ago.

    The Holy city was a place purportedly cut off from the rest of the world for more than a million years. How did this Specter learn a language from three thousand years ago?

    In response, the Specter made a noise that resembled a scoff. ¡°A truly simple matter. I merely extracted the necessary knowledge from that girl over there.¡± It nudged its head towards Grisella.

    ¡°Extracted¡­¡± Ellis furrowed his brow.

    In comparison, the solitary witch¡¯s expression turned deathly pale. Did the Specter really possess the ability to extract knowledge from a person¡¯s mind? Also, it had done so while Grisella was completely unaware? What kind of concept was that!?Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Such an intricate level of mind manipulation was only possible for specialized beings at the level of Calamity-class and above. This was especially true if you factor in the target of said mind manipulation! As a witch and a magic user, her level of mental resistance was incredibly strong.

    If the Specter really went into her mind and ¡®stole¡¯ information, then who¡¯s to say that it did not take other things outside of the Arhan language? All of her greatest secrets, all of her most precious memories, did this thing see any of it? Did this thing tamper with any of it?

    While Grisella worked herself into a worry, the Specter outright ignored her. It kept its hollow green eyes focused on Ellis.

    It breathed out a heavy sigh. ¡°Actually, I normally wouldn¡¯t have had to go through all the trouble. I could have simply just delved into your mind and conversed that way, but¡­¡± it shook its head. ¡°I don¡¯t dare to even touch you. After all, I value my little life.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ so you¡¯re no different from the ones outside.¡± Ellis pointed out. One touch from him was all it took to send this guy to the next stage after death. Still, he did not want to kill it just yet. Unlike the others, this Specter could talk. Since it was like that, he would much rather prefer to hold a conversation.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± It nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Aside from my profession as a priest, I am no different from all of my brothers and sisters. We are all devout citizens of her Majesty¡¯s Divine Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Her Majesty¡¯s Divine kingdom, is that what this place is?¡±

    ¡°This place is¡­¡± Its words tapered out. ¡°This place is¡­¡±

    The Specter could not bring itself to finish its sentence. After a while, it suddenly asked, ¡°The girls, did you kill them?¡±

    ¡°The girls?¡± Ellis furrowed his brow.

    ¡°Asher and Abigail. They donned on her Majesty¡¯s sacred armor and devoted their lives to forever safeguarding the city.¡±

    Then, it clicked. The Specter was talking about the Golems that he had battled against near the archway.

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis did not respond. After all, he did kill them.

    ¡°In truth, it was a stupid question.¡± It stated. ¡°Since you were able to get into the city, that naturally means that the girls are already dead, no?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Specter breathed out a sigh. ¡°What a pity. Those pair of sisters, they were one of the kingdom¡¯s most loyal followers. Even in death¡­ no, they prolonged death specifically because of their loyalty. They gave up their youth and freedom in order to guard the entrance to her Majesty¡¯s Kingdom. You¡­ you sullied their efforts.¡±

    It paused for a moment. ¡°Then again, who here hasn¡¯t sacrificed? We are her children, her servants. It is our natural duty to stand guard and await her Majesty¡¯s glorious return. Even though she is gone now, she will never truly disappear. One day, she will come back and when that happens, her divine kingdom will rise once more.¡±

    As the Specter spoke, its voice grew increasingly louder. Its emotion and fervor spiked, while its shoulders slightly trembled. ¡°Until then, until her glorious return, not a single man, animal, insect or blade of grass is permitted into her Majesty¡¯s city¡­ well, at least that¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to be.¡±

    It suddenly stared up into Ellis¡¯s eyes. ¡°Unfortunately, you seem to be here.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Ellis simply stared back. The Specter¡¯s rant had ended, but its heightened emotions did not go unnoticed. For one, the temperature in the room had dropped significantly. It was to the point where even Ellis had readily noticed it.

    After a long time, the Specter was the first to break the silence. It moved forward, towards him. Ellis did not do anything. The Specter came to a stop approximately five feet away from him.

    ¡°Tell me, can you remember how many of my brethren you have killed?¡±

    Brethren? Is it talking about the Specters outside? Ellis frowned.

    ¡°Of course, what you did was not really kill them.¡± It continued. ¡°After all, they have already died. Most of them have lost their minds, consumed by their own power, the very power that they cultivated for a million years. Vestiges of humanity, mere dregs whose lingering devotion kept them chained to this city, but¡­ they were still my friends.

    ¡°You returned them to death. Now, there is only little old me left.¡±

    Ellis did not say anything. What could he say? He was indeed the one who killed those guys and unfortunately, he did not have the habit of gloating, especially not in front of the victim¡¯s friends.

    Instead, he decisively chose to ignore its tirade and suddenly stated, ¡°the world tree, does it exist?¡±

    The Specter paused for a moment, seemingly caught off guard by his statement. After a while, it nodded its head. ¡°Yes. You should know this already, but you are indeed standing directly inside of it.¡±

    ¡°Then, its treasures, where are they?¡±

    It tilted its head. ¡°Now, why in the world would I tell you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You come in here, invade her Majesty¡¯s city, vandalize her buildings, kill her guardians, and massacre her citizens. Now, you want me to help you steal her treasures? Are you joking, Mr. Invader?¡±

    Ellis did not answer. Or rather, he couldn¡¯t. Right now, he felt somewhat awkward. When the Specter put it that way, wasn¡¯t he actually the bad guy here?

    ¡°As the sole survivor of this holy city, that qualifies me to be its sole judge, jury, and executioner.¡± It harshly stated. ¡°And under her Majesty¡¯s divine rule, I sentence you to death!¡±

    Its solemn words echoed loudly throughout the room.

    Ellis reflexively tensed. He stared at the bony finger pointed directly towards his chest. It was a mere inch away from touching him. It was an admittedly short distance, but right now, it felt infinitely far away.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He waited for a few seconds, but nothing actually happened.

    Eventually, the Specter sighed. It lowered its skeletal hand. ¡°If this were a million years ago, then you would already be dead, locked up by her Majesty¡¯s chains of salvation and fed to the Sacred Dogs until there is nothing more than bits of chewed up bone, as is the fate of all invaders.

    ¡°Unfortunately, her Majesty is not with us at the moment and I have no authority to enforce her ruling.¡± It paused. Suddenly, the green in its eyes intensified. ¡°As such, I can only put my little life on the line.¡±

    As the words leaked out from its jaws, the mana within its body rapidly began to escalate. Grisella naturally felt the change. She took a subconscious step backward before a splitting headache suddenly assaulted her. She crumpled to the floor and clutched her head in pain. The rest of the group met with the same fate. They felt the pain, but most of them were not nearly as sensitive as Grisella.

    As for Ellis, he simply stood there with a conflicted expression. Naturally, he felt no pain. After all, the Specter had yet to ¡®touch¡¯ him.

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Ellis asked, a rare trace of pity in his voice. After all, he felt somewhat bad. If they really fought, this guy would die. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t mind such a thing, but¡­ he was completely at fault here!

    Invading a city, killing its citizens and now ransacking their treasures¡­

    I really am the Demon King¡¯s son¡­ Such a thought crossed his mind.

    ¡°Were you not afraid of death?¡± he asked. ¡°I thought you valued that life of yours.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± The Specter responded. ¡°After all, you killed all my friends. They might have already been dead, but you still killed them. Naturally, no matter how much I value my little life, I still need to put in some effort.¡±

    It paused for a moment. ¡°Besides, everyone is afraid of death to some degree, but I am someone who has lived past death and lingered on this world for one reason and one reason only: to safeguard this city and kill all invaders!¡±

    ¡°A single brick within her Majesty¡¯s glorious city far outweighs this little life of mine. Your mere presence here brings me great shame. I have seen it all. Through the eyes of this altar, I have seen your rampant actions. You cannot go on unpunished any longer!¡±

    With an ear-piercing screech, the raggedly dressed Specter lunged forward. Its hands transformed into massive claws while its face burst into flames.

    Ellis, as if by reflex, stretched his hand out in front of him.

    He lightly touched the Specter¡¯s chest.

    Almost immediately, it writhed in agony. Still, it brought one of its claws down to strike at his face. The moment they met contact though, its claws immediately shattered.

    The Specter staggered backward before it collapsed onto the floor. It slowly began to dissipate. Although the process was slower compared to the others outside, judging by its twisted facial expression, the process was several times more painful.

    ¡°I have a few more questions.¡± Ellis solemnly spoke as he looked down on the dying Spirit.

    ¡°I do not deign to answer them.¡± It simply responded.

    Ellis ignored its refusal. ¡°You, you were planning to die the very moment we entered this altar.¡±

    ¡°Not die,¡± it shook its head. ¡°I merely risked my life to stop you. Naturally, I failed.¡±

    ¡°¡­ If you were going to throw your life away like that, then why did you stop me in the first place?¡±

    Their brief dialogue only occurred because Grisella had originally stopped him and Grisella only originally stopped him because the Specter had talked to her. If it really wanted to kill, then its best course of action would have been to launch a sneak attack while everyone was unaware of its presence.

    ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s been a long time since I started guarding this place.¡± It spoke with hesitation. ¡°Stuck in this accursed form¡­ I guess¡­ I guess I just wanted someone to talk to before I pass.¡± It suddenly broke off into wry laughter. ¡°It is not like I ever stood a chance in the first place.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis did not respond.

    The Specter¡¯s body continued to disintegrate. By this point, all of its limbs were gone. The withered expression on its face gave him some confidence.

    He once again asked, ¡°Where are the precious treasures?¡±

    ¡°Why would I tell you?¡± It cackled back.

    ¡°You¡¯re already dying. Be obedient and tell me.¡±

    ¡°You are right. I am already dying, so I have no more reason to be obedient.¡± It retorted back. ¡°You will probably find it soon enough. Her Majesty did not partake in hiding her treasures, but¡­ until then, suffer. Waste time searching for it. As the last surviving member of the Holy city of Cahoon, this will be my one and only parting gift. Ha ha ha¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ellis¡¯s expression fell. After a second of indecision, he suddenly placed a hand on its shoulder. The Specter howled in pain. The rate of its disintegration immediately sped up. At this pace, it would not last more than ten seconds.

    Finally, Ellis asked his last question. ¡°What God did you serve?¡±

    It let out a disjointed chuckle. ¡°What god do I serve? Obviously, I served my God!¡±

    As the last vestiges of its ethereal body crumbled into invisible dust, the Specter¡¯s parting words lingered in the air.

    ¡°My god¡­ Maira¡­ the Goddess of nature and fertility¡­¡±

 Chapter 85: Hero Side 2

    Delna, the capital city of the Holy Empire of Pharsheille.

    It was a scorching hot day.

    The sun¡¯s glare appeared particularly blinding. Giant carrion birds roosted underneath the shade of the Malan trees that grew along the streets of the city, while peddlers and laborers alike languidly made their way across Delna¡¯s main plaza.

    Malans were berry-like fruits that only ripened during the hottest days of summer. Famous for their overwhelming sweetness, the Malan fruit was surprisingly popular with the city¡¯s middle-class and lower-class citizens.

    Right now, a couple of neighborhood children crowded around the trunk of a certain Malan tree.

    They hooted and shouted as they beat the base of the tree with their crudely carved sticks. The kids wanted the ripened fruits that existed within the canopy of the tree. Unfortunately, two giant carrions stood in their way. No matter how much noise the children made, the birds simply refused to budge.

    Eventually, the children admitted defeat and quickly left. Even with the nuisances gone, the birds remained unmoving.

    A long time passed. When the sun began to dip beneath the horizon and soft light dyed the city in golden orange, one of the birds finally moved. It suddenly flapped its wings and flew towards the sky. The carrion circled the city for a few minutes before it landed on the rooftop of a certain white-marbled temple.

    The sound of clattering swords reverberated through the air.

    As if attracted to that noise, the bird¡¯s beady eyes stared fixedly at a particular courtyard within the temple. Inside, there stood two individuals. Both of them were armed; one possessed a single sword while the other dual-wielded a pair of oversized daggers.

    The two traded blows for a few minutes before a cry of agony suddenly rang out. A moment later, a small figure went flying across the courtyard. It hit the wall behind with a deafening bang.

    ¡°Aaugh¡­¡±

    Fel dropped his practice sword as a raspy groan leaked out from his parched throat. He slid down against the wall and landed butt-first onto the rough earth below.

    ¡°Get up, Master. Now is not the time to rest.¡± Despite his clearly poor condition, the figure in front of him did not show any mercy.

    ¡°Why do I have to go through all of this, again?¡± Fell gritted his teeth and forced his body to stand back up. ¡°My ability isn¡¯t exactly related to sword fighting.¡±

    ¡°Why does that matter? It¡¯s always a good thing to be strong, no matter your abilities.¡± A squeaky and obviously feminine voice replied back to him.

    By this point, Fel finally looked up. Although his vision was somewhat obscured by the sun¡¯s shimmering glare, reflected in his eyes was the clear figure of a female.

    A little girl with short-cropped chestnut blonde hair. Her skin was the color of light olive while her eyes were that of a piercing blue. She looked to be around nine-years old, but already, she had the clear makings of a beautiful woman.

    Her most notable features were the two triangular ears on her head and the swinging tail that stuck out from her lower back.

    This girl was a member of the beast tribe. What¡¯s more, she belonged to the genus of felines.

    She stood directly in front of him, the distance between both parties no larger than three feet apart. Aside from the two daggers in her hands, a metal short sword hung loosely by her hips.

    Fel bitterly chewed on his bottom lip as he stared vexingly at this girl.

    The first words to come out of his mouth was a complaint. ¡°Melo, I¡¯m not a muscle freak like you. Please go easy on me.¡±

    ¡°No can do, Master. You know the grumpy big brother over there won¡¯t let me slack off.¡± She motioned towards the man standing underneath the shade of the temple.

    Fel¡¯s expression embittered. He knew full well that the true mastermind behind all of his unpleasant experiences was actually that stone-faced young man. Asking Melo for anything was useless. Still, who could fault a guy from trying?

    ¡°Besides,¡± Melo suddenly flashed a toothy smile. ¡°I also want Master to get stronger, so bear with the pain, okay~?¡±

    Her words only further worsened his mood. The bruises on his body seemingly throbbed in pain. He wanted to reject her ¡®kind¡¯ offer, but lacked the strength to do so.

    Fel breathed out a sigh of defeat. At what point did this brat start rebelling against me?

    The little girl¡¯s name was Melo Cawali.

    Originally, she was a slave. Technically, she still is a slave. Fel ¡®purchased¡¯ her roughly two years ago. Since then, the two had become fast friends. It was a sort of friendship that transcended the bonds of master and slave.

    Of course, the circumstances of their situation were not as clear cut as that, but the general gist of it was about the same.

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Fel wearily rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Sometimes, I wish that you weren¡¯t so¡­ ¡®devoted¡¯.¡±

    In response, Melo simple chuckled. ¡°I always do what¡¯s best for you, Master.¡±

    Fel bitterly laughed.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough talking.¡± Just then, a soft-spoken, yet monotone voice reached his ears. Fel subconsciously shivered before he hurriedly turned around. ¡°I think it¡¯s time you get back to training.¡±

    Those words had originated from the stone-faced young man standing underneath the shade of the temple.

    A man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He wore a slick black military uniform. The red coat of arms pinned to his uniform revealed the man¡¯s status as a member of the Church¡¯s prestigious First Guard.

    He was Reedlim Howler, Fel¡¯s official instructor. Reedlim was the one responsible for overseeing the young hero¡¯s training. Unfortunately for Fel, his instructor was kind of unconventional.

    Reedlim did not personally teach Fel anything. Instead, he utilized a more hands-off approach. He usually just pitted Fel against increasingly stronger opponents. This method of training simulated real combat without any of the ¡®real¡¯ part.

    It wasn¡¯t a very ¡®elegant¡¯ style of training, but the results spoke louder than words.

    ¡°Well, the grumpy big brother said it. Sorry, Master.¡± Melo shrugged her shoulders as she once again brandished her two daggers. Despite her apologetic words, her subsequent actions quickly revealed the hidden eagerness that this bloodthirsty little girl held deep within her heart.

    As for the crown prince of Pharsheille, he could only let out a groan. He was once again plunged into the endless abyss called hero training.

    ****

    Another hour passed. They only stopped once the sun finished its journey and the moon took its place.

    Fel slumped to the ground like a dead-fish on land. Cuts and bruises littered his skin, but that was of little concern. He was inside one of the Church¡¯s most heavily guarded temples. In a little while, Priests and clerics would come rushing in to heal his wounds.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    He slightly craned his neck and inspected his surroundings. At some point, Instructor Howler had disappeared. The only one left here with him was Melo. She squatted beside him. Her skin was near flawless, not a cut or blemish in sight.

    Again, he couldn¡¯t help but groan out in frustration. Despite their nearly six hour long sparring session, he had yet to land a single hit on her. This was not because Fel did not try. In fact, he had put his all into the training. Unfortunately, Melo was simply too good for the current him.

    What made it especially frustrating was the fact that they were nearly the same age, with Melo only being two years older than him.

    No, if you factor in my previous life, then I¡¯m much older than her! Such a thought only further worsened his mood.

    ¡°What are you thinking about, Master?¡± Melo¡¯s voice reached his ears and snapped him out of his reverie.

    ¡°What?¡± He glanced over.

    ¡°Well, you were making all sorts of painful faces, so I thought you might have something on your mind.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Fel did not immediately respond. After a while, he eventually said, ¡°¡­ no, I was just wondering how everyone else is doing.¡±

    ¡°Your hero friends?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ you could call them that.¡±  He imperceptibly nodded his head.

    A slew of memories flashed through his head.

    Around the time he turned six, Fel¡¯s ¡®hero training¡¯ officially started. It was something advocated by God and organized by the Orthodox church. Naturally, it did not just involve Fel, but rather, all eight of Lull¡¯s reincarnators.

    Whether it was the crown prince of Pharsheille, the ex-princess of the ruined kingdom of Merrack, or even the tea party obsessed Anastasia, every single one of them was forced to participate in a training period that would last for an indeterminant amount of time.

    Even now, underneath the same twilight sky, they should all be undergoing harsh training. At least, that¡¯s what Fel assumed.

    Knowing their personalities, a few of them are probably slacking off right now¡­

    A reminiscent smile stretched his lips. It looked wholly out of place on a seven-year-old¡¯s face.

    Of course, it¡¯s not as if things went perfectly without a hitch.

    For one, not all the heroes were particularly receptive to the church¡¯s guidance. In retrospect, their doubt was a natural outcome, especially for a bunch of people who came from a world where corrupted churches were all the norm, whether that be in reality or fiction.

    Such a mindset was brought over to Lull. For now, they complied, but who knows what sort of schemes those black hearts of theirs were plotting.

    Either way, when it came time for training, most of the stubborn semi-children refused to reveal their respective abilities. Unfortunately for the church, they were a bit powerless to do anything about the issue. After all, the status of Hero allowed for some leeway and hiding a secret ability certainly qualified as one such leeway.

    Normally, the heroes would have received specialized training that could better suit their respective abilities, but this was obviously not possible. As a result, the church was forced to implement an all-encompassing training curriculum that covered all sorts of subjects, whether that be magic, close combat, or any other sort of arcane art that Lull had to offer.

    Luckily, the heroes were, after all, heroes. Their potential in all fields was significantly higher than most ordinary people. Over the months that passed, they showed the world just what it truly meant to be a Hero.

    Take Fel for example. He was only seven this year and had only been training for a little more than a year. Still, he was already on par with an elite knight from the Church¡¯s prestigious Second Guard. And that was even without the use of his special ability.

    Of course, Fel¡¯s situation was somewhat different from the other heroes. Even before training started, his ability had already been revealed. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to create a specialized training curriculum based around said ability. Fel possessed the sort of ability that could not be properly trained. At least, not by conventional standards.

    Also, there was his status as the son of the Holy Emperor, which went a long way in impacting his daily schedule and subsequent training routine.

    Fel¡¯s experience, while like the others, was also not like the others.

    The only other person who received a somewhat similar treatment was the hero born from a commoner, Lewin Stehle. Lewin was someone whose ability had also been revealed, but unlike with Fel, his ability was the type that could be properly fostered. As a result, the church went out of their way to tailor make a curriculum just for him.

    Right now, per his ability, he should be out experiencing real battle within the forests of Maarsham, which was just west of Pharsheille.

    Thinking about all this, Fel couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit melancholic. He glanced up at the sky. The twinkling stars above looked bright, far brighter than anything he could have ever experienced back on Earth.

    I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever say this, but¡­ I miss the tea parties. An invisible sigh leaked out from his slightly parted lips.

    He somewhat missed interacting with the only people in this world who came from the same place as him.

    Still, it wasn¡¯t as if he never got to meet back up with his fellow reincarnators. All eight of them would gather once every three months for a joint training session that would last for two weeks.

    The next session wasn¡¯t due for another month.

    ¡°Master?¡± Melo¡¯s voice snapped him out of reverie.

    Fel looked up. He stared blankly for a few seconds before a noticeable frown formed on his lips. ¡°You¡­ you were just here, but¡­ when did you change?¡±

    Unlike the sweat-stained garments that she had been previously wearing a few minutes earlier, the current Melo was dressed in a black and white maid outfit.

    ¡°What could you possible be talking about?¡± The little girl feigned ignorance as she presented him with a new towel.

    Fel sat up and readily received the towel. As he brought it close to his face, he noticed the slight flowery scent that it emitted.

    ¡°Good job today as well, Master.¡± Melo stated with a gentle smile. ¡°Maybe next time you¡¯ll be able to actually land a hit on me.¡±

    Her words elicited a glare from Fel. Still, he did not say anything. After all, she was his training partner. As a person who constantly triumphed during their sparring sessions, she earned the right to be arrogant.

    As for her maid outfit, it was something that Fel had gotten used to. After all, for the empire¡¯s sake, it was not good to have an uneducated slave by the crown prince¡¯s side. As a compromise, Melo took up the identity of maid. Of course, she was still in the midst of training.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to hold back your punches, do you?¡± He once again complained. ¡°Can¡¯t you show some mercy to me?¡±

    Fel was not really the type to wholeheartedly put his everything into becoming stronger. He really only went along with training because it was what was required of him, both as a hero and as a prince. As a lonely foreigner in another world, he had no choice but to assimilate with his environment.

    ¡°Unfortunately, Master, I cannot.¡± She smiled a toothy smile. ¡°After all, that¡¯s how I was raised. As the little princess of the Cawali Tribe, I was explicitly taught to hit hardest towards the softest areas in a man¡¯s body.¡±

    When she spoke, a cold shiver ran down his spine. Fel¡¯s hand subconsciously drifted towards his crotch. It had taken quite the bit of effort on his part to break her habit of attacking a man¡¯s precious jewels.

    He let out an awkward cough. ¡°For a little princess, you don¡¯t act like one.¡±

    She snickered in response. ¡°I don¡¯t know how else to act. It can¡¯t be helped; this was how I was raised.¡±

    Melo unabashedly repeated.

    This girl claimed herself to be a princess, but it was honestly difficult to trust anything she said. After all, this was his first time ever meeting a slave that also happened to be a princess.

    In fact, her real story was not as clear cut and dry as her words made it out to be.

    Melo Cawali was someone who he encountered during his fifth birthday. She had been a ¡®present¡¯ from a rather sleazy noble. That noble was eventually tried for treason and sentenced to death, but that was an unrelated story.

    When Melo was six years old, she got separated from her ¡®real family¡¯. As a result, she drifted from city to city before she eventually ended up in the hands of a rather corrupted orphanage. In order to make some money, the orphanage was known to periodically sell kids to the slave traders that often passed through the city.

    Melo met with this fate, where she was eventually bought by a sleazy noble in need of a suitable gift for the crown prince¡¯s fifth birthday.

    As for the Cawali tribe that Melo kept going on about, there were no such records within Pharsheille¡¯s vast library. At the very least, the tribe was nowhere near the kingdoms of man. Of course, it might exist in the west, where beastmen and demi humans ruled the land, but Pharsheille¡¯s knowledge of the west was severely limited, especially in the areas that did not border the kingdoms of man.

    Fel could only accept the gift (girl), even if he had no intentions of owning a slave. After all, as someone who once lived on Earth, he did not really advocate for the practice of slavery. At first, he wanted to release her, but letting her loose within the heart of the empire would have done more harm than good.

    Pharsheille was somewhat discriminatory. As the heart of the kingdoms of man, they naturally held a superiority complex towards the other races. As such, one could only imagine the sort of treatment that Melo would receive once she was reintroduced into the underbelly of such a messy country.

    In actuality, Fel was certain that if he had tried hard enough, then he would have probably been able to find a way for Melo to safely regain her freedom, but much to his surprise, the individual in question did not actually want to leave his side.

    As a result, he was forced to bitterly take on the role of slave owner.

    While Fel was in the midst of daydreaming, Instructor Howler finally returned.

    The cold-faced young man brought with him a priest that specialized in healing.

    The priest wasted no time repairing Fel¡¯s broken body. At the same time, Reedlim informed him of a recent development.

    ¡°You will be going out for real combat experience next week.¡±

    ¡°Real combat?¡± Fel¡¯s eyes narrowed. Although he inwardly complained that real combat was far too soon for a seven-year-old like him, in truth, he couldn¡¯t help but get somewhat excited.

    In response, Reedlim nodded. ¡°Yes, you will also be going with one of your fellow heroes.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Which one?¡±

    ¡°Rivel Mortimer.¡±

    ¡°Rivel? That Bookworm?¡± Fel was surprisingly okay with this development. Rivel was both antisocial and obsessed with the idea of being a hero. Still, he was a pretty easy guy to get along with¡­ at least, if you ignored his personality hang-ups.

    ¡°Then, what sort of ¡®combat¡¯ should I hope to experience?¡± Fel couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    Reedlim glanced down at him. After a short pause, he answered, ¡°It is an extermination mission. The church has located a Pagan Base.¡±

 Chapter 86: Hero Side 3

    Ten days passed by in a blink of an eye.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally here¡­¡± Fel let out a hiss-like sigh as he stretched out his sore limbs.

    The carriage that he rode on was not of poor quality. In fact, it was one of the best carriages in the entire empire. Even his father would not have any complaints riding on one. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but jump in joy after they finally reached their destination.

    It couldn¡¯t be helped, really. After all, he had stayed inside that damn wooden box for three days in a row. Add to that the unpaved roads that dotted the Empire¡¯s countryside, and it made for one hell of an annoying journey.

    Even back on Earth, Fel disliked cars. One could only imagine his feelings towards a primitive (at least, by his standards) carriage.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s forget about all that. Where are we?¡± He shifted his attention over towards his surroundings.

    From a glance, he was standing on the edge of a forest. The trees here were short and stubby, almost like stumps. Even to a small child like him, this forest appeared particularly miniature.

    ¡°A forest? Could this place be Maarsham? No, that shouldn¡¯t be the case¡­ Maarsham is known for its black trunks and towering trees. This place looks nothing like that¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Ophelia Forest.¡± A voice from behind answered him.

    Fel instinctively turned around. ¡°Rivel¡­¡±

    A slightly pale little boy stared back at him.

    The crown prince of Pharsheille had not been the only one on that carriage. Riding alongside him was a fellow Hero.

    Rivel Mortimer was a chubby-cheeked child with long black hair that covered the entire top part of his face. His limbs were skinny and his face appeared somewhat cowardly, but that was only a deceptive front. Few people knew just how tenacious this child really was.

    Like Fel, he too had turned seven this year. In fact, all eight of Lull¡¯s otherworlders shared the same birthday.

    Despite the unapproachable impression that Rivel gave off, Fel felt a certain sense of comradery from this guy. At least when compared to the other Heroes. Unlike the others, Rivel was the only other person who died as a teenager.

    Back on Earth, Fel had been a moderately popular high-schooler. He had good grades, a few friends and was a member of his school¡¯s varsity basketball team. In other words, he was a young man who lived a very fulfilling student life.

    Such a thing was cut short by an unexpected car accident. The accident had not been his fault. A drunk driver had slammed into him while Fel had been out walking his dog. The dog survived, but Fel didn¡¯t.

    Rivel died at around the same age as he did. Of course, his circumstances were markedly different.

    He had plummeted to his death from atop a thirty-story building. Rivel had not been pushed, prodded or goaded into doing so. In other words, it was a suicide.

    When the two first met, Fel was somewhat taken aback by Rivel¡¯s straightforwardness. To reveal such a secret was definitely not something most normal people would do.

    Well, Rivel was not a normal person. He viewed his life on Lull as a second chance. Thus, he had no qualms about revealing anything from his past life. After all, why should he care? All of that was in the past. The current Rivel was far too busy to care about such trivial matters.

    Still, other than his weird quirks, the Rivel of Lull was an otherwise normal child. It was to the point where Fel wanted to get along with him.

    He wanted to do just that during the journey here, but something stopped him. For some reason, Rivel stared intently at him with a weird expression. This persisted throughout their entire journey.

    After three days, Fel couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°what is it?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Rivel widened his eyes in surprise. For a split second, Fel caught sight of the face beneath all that hair. Rivel could be described as a handsome child with a few Asiatic features.

    Rivel was a noble born from a country that bordered the Eastern coalition. Like Earth, the eastern regions of Lull also possessed Asiatic features. The Princess from Merrack should also be the same, although Fel did not really get a good look on account of all the hair that covered her face.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at me this whole time,¡± Fel explained. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    In truth, Fel felt a weird form of animosity within Rivel¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Rivel hesitated for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, he turned around and pointed towards the carriage. Fel subconsciously looked.

    Coincidentally, at that exact moment, a certain cat-eared little girl stepped out of the carriage. It was Melo, Fel¡¯s trusty slave-turned-maid. She too had accompanied him on today¡¯s expedition.

    ¡°Who is she?¡± Rivel asked.

    ¡°Her? Um, that¡¯s Melo. She¡¯s¡­¡± Fel hesitated to explain. After all, he could only imagine what his fellow earthlings would think about him owning a slave. Such a detestable and backward act would only serve to generate scorn and ire.

    ¡°She¡¯s a slave, right?¡± Rivel suddenly stated. ¡°To be honest, I noticed the tattoo around her neck.¡±

    In this world, slaves were identified through a black tattoo that curled around their neck. It was a mark of submissions, something that symbolized a slave¡¯s position in society.

    Fel bitterly nodded. He inwardly winced. He fully expected to be reprimanded, but to his surprise, Rivel only nodded his head.

    ¡°I see¡­ we are living in a fantasy world, it¡¯s only natural to build yourself a slave harem¡­ I¡¯ve been cooped up in that damn wizard tower filled with stinky old men. It¡¯s about time that I also¡­ no, from the very start, a beautiful girl should have been what I aimed for¡­ now that I¡¯m seven again, it¡¯s also the best time to build up the childhood friend flag¡­¡±

    Strange words constantly leaked out of Rivel¡¯s mouth in a hushed murmur, most of which Fel had trouble understanding.

    Eventually, Rivel looked back up at Fel. Is intense gaze subconsciously forced the crown prince to take a step back.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°You did good.¡± Rivel simply stated as he flashed a thumbs up. ¡°Also, your taste is also good. A tanned cat girl¡­ I¡¯m not into little girls myself, but considering your current age, I guess you¡¯re barely safe. You haven¡¯t eaten her up yet, have you?¡±

    Hearing his words, Fel¡¯s expression fell. A seriously terrible misunderstanding was forming, but before he could put a stop to it, two people suddenly walked towards them.

    Rivel paid him no further attention as he turned towards the two approaching individuals. Almost immediately, his face soured. Fel unconsciously followed his gaze.

    The first person he noticed was Instructor Howler. He looked no different from his usual appearance. The only exception would be the beret-like hat on his head and the rapier that dangled from his hip. On the other hand, the person beside him was a face that Fel had only seen a few times in his life.

    It was an old woman with silvery-grey hair. She wore a loose-fitting grey robe that dragged across the ground like a wedding dress. There was an emerald emblem pinned to her chest. The emblem depicted a simple stone tower, the official symbol of the Wizard Tower Coalition.

    This old woman was Rivel¡¯s training instructor. In shorter terms, she was equivalent to Reedlim Howler. What made her special though, was the fact that she came from an outside force. Unlike Reedlim, who was a member of the Church¡¯s First Guard, this lady was an accomplished wizard from Pharsheille¡¯s regional tower.

    Usually, an outside force like the Wizard¡¯s tower would never be allowed to get anywhere close to a budding hero, but Rivel¡¯s talent in magic was simply too great to ignore. In order for his full potential to blossom, the church was forced to rely on the continent¡¯s leading authority on magic.

    Rivel¡¯s situation was one in which the Wizard tower co-operated with the church. Of course, if it was just that, then the church would not have the confidence to expose their hero to such potential threats.

    The Wizard coalition was a strong force with branches all across the globe. Leaving a hero to such a power would only result in the church¡¯s loss. Fortunately, the particular branch within Pharsheille could no longer be classified as something purely owned by the coalition. After so many years, the church¡¯s influence could be seen all over the Tower, whether that be in its students, faculty, or even the council of elders that stood at the very top.

    In fact, even Rivel¡¯s trainer was no exception. Her true identity was that of a mole implanted by the church.

    When the newcomers first arrived, the old lady, whose name Fel later learned was Doris, smiled kindly at him. Her warm and homely expression was a far cry from Reedlim¡¯s cold callousness.

    ¡°Are you boys ready?¡± Dorsi asked, her voice withered and frail.

    Fel silently nodded his head. Meanwhile, Rivel¡¯s lips twisted into a frown. He did not respond and instead, turned his head away with an audible snort.

    Seeing his attitude, Doris merely laughed. In fact, she actually reached over and pinched his cheeks.

    ¡°Your cheeky attitude is always such a sight to see, dear.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Rivel¡¯s face further darkened. He swatted her hand away before he hurriedly retreated. A seriously aggrieved expression morphed his facial features.

    Doris¡¯s smile only widened.

    To be honest, Rivel had developed a sort of trauma towards this woman.

    Back when he first arrived at the tower for training, he had been initially greeted by a beautiful woman with bountiful breasts. Naturally, this virgin fell in love at first sight. Wild fantasies of a glorious and romance-filled fantasy life soon filled his head.

    Unfortunately, he would only be met with disappointment. Initial impressions weren¡¯t always accurate. In this case, his initial impression was completely and utterly fake. When he entered the tower, the beautiful woman was gone. she was replaced by an old lady with crow¡¯s feet eyes.

    Shortly after, it was revealed that the beauty he met in the beginning was nothing more than an illusion, something created out of magic. His heart was never the same since then. After such a betrayal, he learned the hard way to never trust this cruel and faithless world.

    What made it worse was that, to this day, Rivel still did not know why Doris had played such a prank on him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Fel silently watched the teacher-student pair interact with one another. To be quite honest, the scene of Rivel and Doris resembled that of a grandmother placating her stubborn grandchild. After a while, Fel decisively ignored the two of them and glanced over towards his own instructor.

    ¡°So, where¡¯s this place supposed to be?¡± He asked Reedlim. The quiet forest in front of him certainly did not look like the secret lair of a world-renowned evil cult.

    ¡°In a cavern.¡± Reedlim succinctly answered.

    ¡°Their hide-out is located a few miles from our current location.¡± Doris further elaborated. ¡°What we¡¯re looking for is an old mine.¡±

    ¡°A mine? In this forest?¡± Fel frowned.

    Instead of answering his question, she asked her own, ¡°Do you know why this Forest is named Ophelia?¡±

    Fel thought for a moment before he shook his head.

    ¡°In truth, the name originates not from what exists above the forest, but rather, what lies underneath it.¡± She gestured to the ground. ¡°This place used to be a giant deposit for Opal ore.¡±

    ¡°Opal ore¡­¡± Fel recognized the name. Opal was a precious gem that the nobles of Pharsheille valued highly. Not only was it an excellent mana conductor, but it was also very beautiful, rivaling that of other precious gems such as diamond or ruby.

    ¡°Back in the day, this place brought great wealth to the Empire. Unfortunately, the ore deposit eventually ran dry and the mine was later abandoned. The cultists found it and repurposed it for their own use.¡± Doris paused for a moment. ¡°A junior knight from the Church¡¯s third guard discovered this place roughly two weeks ago. Our estimates put their numbers somewhere around three hundred people.¡±

    She suddenly turned towards Reedlim. With a soft smile, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sure it''s not something that the church¡¯s First Guard can¡¯t handle.¡±

    ¡°Naturally.¡± The wood-faced Instructor coolly nodded.

    At this point, Fel couldn¡¯t help but glance back.

    There, standing in formation just a little bit away from him was an army of one hundred people. It was a mix of men and women, but they donned the same white-and-gold plate armor. All of them exuded out strong energy, of which not even Fel could rival¡­ at least, not the current him.

    Naturally, they were the knights of the First Guard. Strictly speaking, these guys were the cream of the crop, the Church¡¯s very best warriors. Each and every single individual here possessed incredible strength, the type that would be valued anywhere and everywhere.

    When it came to exterminating the cultists, the church held nothing back.

    Even though they were severely outnumbered three to one, Reedlim¡¯s confidence did not waver nor did any of the knights behind him show any signs of fear or hesitation. It was a natural confidence born from experience.

    After a moment¡¯s silence, Fel turned back around and asked another question. ¡°Which cult are we facing?¡±

    From the information that he knew of, there were seven major Pagan cults that threatened the safety of mankind. Each one was a thorn in the church¡¯s side. They not only undermined the religion¡¯s influence, but they also brought immense danger to the people of Lull.

    ¡°This one is¡­ the Cult of Malignant Tumors.¡± Reedlim answered.

    ¡°Malignant Tumors¡­¡± Fel¡¯s unconsciously frowned. It certainly was a unique name.

    In truth, the Church did not bother naming the cults nor did they specify which evil entity they worshipped. Doing such things would only validate the cults¡¯ existence and bolster their resistance.

    Still, the code names that the church gave them provided more than enough information. For example, the Cult of Malignant Tumors¡­ in other words, unwanted life.

    After hearing Reedlim¡¯s cold words, Fel couldn¡¯t help but shiver. He hesitated, but only for a moment. After a few seconds, he shook his head and psyched himself up.

    This would be his first ever mission. Even if he was not really all that enthusiastic about becoming a hero, he still needed to handle it with the utmost seriousness.

    His excitement was understandable. After all, the Cults were the main reason for his rebirth into Lull.

    In this world, there were no Calamitous evil dragons or demonic Demon kings. Sure, they might exist, but they did not warrant the summoning of otherworldly heroes. No, the real threat, the disruption of order and the ruination of peace, all of it stemmed from the rise of the corrupted cults.

    Seven evil cults, of which worshipped seven demonic abominations that wore the false mask of God.

    The seven nameless cults bred disharmony and sowed the seeds of chaos within the hearts of the people. They not only endangered countless lives, but they also threatened to snuff out the very concept of order.

    Unless they were fully destroyed, the world would never know peace ever again. It would enter an endless era of death and chaos.

    Such was the message that God gave to the Church. Such was the message that God gave to the eight heroes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The young crown prince took a deep breath. The glint in his eyes changed. A rather serious expression morphed his childish face.

    With God¡¯s solemn mission reverberating through his head, Fel took his first step into becoming a Hero.

 Chapter 87: Hero Side 4

    A cool breeze flowed rustled through the tree tops. Despite the fact that it was currently still summer, red and orange leaves littered the forest floor. The ambient sunlight that rained down from the sky only added to the forest¡¯s crimson hue.

    Ophelia. The Forest of Eternal Fall.

    It was a surprisingly beautiful place, especially for a former Opal ore mining site.

    Fel had all the time in the world to gawk at the scenery as he slowly made his way deeper and deeper into its depths.

    Currently, a group of one hundred knights solemnly marched across the forest floor. The heavy pressure they exuded drove away any potential monsters, so their journey had been relatively smooth up until now.

    In fact, they had yet to run into a single cultist, which only served to put Fel further on edge.

    The young hero kept his eyes wide open. He remained vigilant, his hand constantly resting on the hilt of the short sword strapped to his waist.

    They¡¯ve spent approximately two hours trekking through the woods. In that time, one thing stood out to him the most; there was not a single creature in sight. No monsters, no animals, not even a single bug could be seen.

    From the beginning, Ophelia did not possess a very diverse ecology. Still, that did not justify the current emptiness. The forest was mainly dominated by a large population of Arboars. Arboars were pig-like creatures with antlers on their heads. It was sort of like a mix between a deer and a boar. Its meat did not taste very good, so they were unpopular with hunters.

    As a result, their population sky-rocketed to almost ridiculous proportions.

    At the very least, there should be one or two of these damn things running around. Why was it so empty? Where the hell were they?

    Fel was not the only to notice this change. Rivel discreetly glanced around the forest. Eventually, he spoke up.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing here. Are you sure we got the right place?¡±

    At the front of the group, Reedlim¡¯s lips twisted into a barely noticeable frown. Doris also donned on a contemplating expression.

    ¡°It truly is strange.¡± She stated in a gentle voice. ¡°I wonder what they¡¯re planning?¡±

    Reedlim scoffed in response. ¡°Do not underestimate them. The Seven cults possess frightening hidden strength. A single mistake will lead to death.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Fel remained silent. Walking beside him, Melo¡¯s ears slightly twitched. She creased her brow in worry, but otherwise did not say anything.

    ¡°Seven, huh?¡± Rivel suddenly muttered. ¡°I wonder if that number is important?¡±

    ¡°Important how?¡± Surprisingly, it was the usually callous Reedlim who responded. His words were laced in a frigid layer of frost.

    ¡°You know, like a motif. Sort of like the seven sins.¡±

    ¡°Seven sins?¡± This time, Doris tilted her head in interest.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know the seven sins?¡± Rivel paused for a moment. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s only natural. This world doesn¡¯t seem to have a concept of the seven sins.¡±

    He suddenly turned to Fel. ¡°You get what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡±

    Fel nodded his head.

    If he remembered correctly, the seven sins were a concept that originated from the bible. The seven traits of man, the seven cardinal sins, the seven deadly sins. Each sin represented a facet of humanity¡¯s underbelly. They were all the ugly and bad things that people kept hidden away from public view.

    It was a rather popular concept, but he did not know whether it applied to this world¡¯s sensibilities.

    Either way, it did not matter. The group finally arrived at their destination.

    After more than two hours of traveling, they found themselves standing in front of an empty cavern.

    ¡°Nobody¡¯s here either.¡± Doris mildly commented.

    ¡°¡­¡± Reedlim remained silent. He briefly inspected the surroundings before he signaled his troops to march forward.

    The cavern was fairly narrow. If standing shoulder-to-shoulder, then only five people at a time could squeeze through. Their formation was rather simple. Reedlim and Doris acted as the vanguards while Fel, Melo, and Rivel followed right behind them. After that was the army of one hundred First Guard knights.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    As the group delved deeper into the tunnel, Doris¡¯s expression finally changed. ¡°I understand now.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Reedlim¡¯s ears perked up.

    ¡°This is a trap.¡± She suddenly said. ¡°Although I¡¯m sure you already understand that.

    In response, he nodded his head.

    ¡°The reason why nobody stood guard outside was because they were already expecting us.¡± She suddenly looked out into the darkness of the tunnel. ¡°They also prepared a welcome gift.¡±

    As if on cue, a faint flicker of red flashed in the darkness. The red rapidly expanded in size. At the same time, the heat within the cavern expanded. Once the red had gotten close enough, it was quickly revealed to be a barrage of fireballs all hurtling towards them!

    Fel¡¯s face paled. In front of such an attack, the current him was completely powerless.

    Standing beside him, Rivel let out a scoff. ¡°They lure us inside, so that they can hit us all with this sort of concentrated attack. Due to the narrowness of the cavern, it¡¯s impossible to dodge.¡±

    As he spoke, he suddenly took a solemn step forward. Rivel looked up at Doris. ¡°Old lady, I¡¯ll need help with this.¡±

    She amicably laughed in response. ¡°What do you need, child?¡±

    ¡°Mana.¡±

    Instead of responding, she simply laughed once more. Doris placed a withered hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder.

    Almost immediately, a giant glowing magic circle materialized directly in front of them.

    ¡°Forsaken arts of the long departed, I call upon thee from the depths of hell. Come heed my order and provide me with salvation.¡± Such solemn words leaked out from his lips.

    As Rivel chanted his spells, Reedlim couldn¡¯t help but raise a brow in surprise. ¡°I have never heard of this particular incantation.¡±

    Doris smiled. ¡°This boy has a rather unique process. He likes to come up with his own spells. Most people would find this action blasphemous, but this boy¡­ he¡¯s a genius.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± A contemplating frown formed on the Instructor¡¯s face.

    Nobody quite noticed, but at that time, Fel¡¯s expression blanched. Rivel, that guy¡­ to spout out such embarrassing words¡­ he truly lacked shame.

    Unaware of their wandering thoughts, Rivel finished his spell. It had barely taken him less than five seconds to do so.

    ¡°Gigaton Barrier!¡±

    Almost on cue, a large, semi-transparent construct suddenly formed in front of them. It was blue in color and resembled the appearance of an ancient Greek round shield.

    The moment the fireballs hit the shield, the flames immediately burst into ashes. The blue construct momentarily trembled, but it held firm.

    Rivel was not done yet. He began another incantation. ¡°A sinner¡¯s past never goes unpunished. Forsaken God¡¯s anger, let their fury transform into my strength! Go, Thousand Dagger Enchanting Petal Dance, no¡ª Symphony!¡±

    The Shield crumbled and broke into several thousands of pieces. Those pieces slowly coalesced, forming exactly one thousand petal-shaped blades. With a wave of his hand, the blades rushed forward.

    WOOSH!

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a few seconds of silence, Fel heard it. The distant sound of penetrating flesh.

    Fel inwardly clicked his tongue. Despite also being a hero, he couldn¡¯t help but admit, Rivel was a monster. There was no doubt about it. This guy¡¯s blessing was related to magic. Otherwise, how else could he become so broken in such a short period of time?

    In the first exchange with the pagans, Rivel showed his ferocity and expertise as a genius Magus. Right now, he was standing at the forefront of the otherworlders.

    Surprisingly, the guy in question did not seem satisfied.

    A deep frown creased his expression.

    My expenditure is too much¡­ He inwardly thought to himself. He glanced back over towards Doris. Without her, I won¡¯t be able to keep this up.

    He could only bitterly shake his head. Although he did not think of himself lightly, when he compared himself to that guy, he couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat inadequate.

    The number one hero, Lewin Stehle.

    Fuck, what can I do? That guy has such a broken ability. The balance in this world is seriously fucked up.

    Rivel unceasingly complained within his heart. Still, the expression on his face remained impassive.

    The group continued forward. After a few minutes, they finally encountered the bodies.

    At a glance, more than forty corpses. All of them wore dark green robes. Their faces remained lock in a permanent distortion of pain and suffering.

    ¡°Magus.¡± Doris suddenly said. The lingering mana on their bodies gave them away. ¡°Fourth and fifth circles. It¡¯s a shame they all died.¡±

    The wizards of the Tower had a special way of ranking magic wizards. They called it circles, but in truth, they were simply basing an individual¡¯s ranking by the size of their mana pool. It was a fairly simple system.

    Reedlim suddenly shook his head. He pointed towards six receding footsteps. In particular, these footsteps were dyed in red. ¡°Not all of them died.¡±

    Rivel¡¯s expression slightly chilled. After a moment of hesitation, she looked up at Doris. ¡°Old Lady, stick close to me. I need your mana for later.¡±

    Doris cracked a smile. ¡°My, how sweet of you, child.¡± Her bony fingers moved in to pinch his cheeks but Rivel swiftly avoided.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± He barked out. ¡°You¡¯re only my battery pack. Don¡¯t be so presumptuous!¡±

    She laughed in response. Without another word, she silently continued further into the tunnel. Rivel scoffed and followed after her.

    ¡°¡­¡± For some reason, a particularly weird expression flashed across Reedlim¡¯s face. He paused for a second before he looked over at Fel. ¡°Be more like him in the future. Don¡¯t be so lazy.¡±

    With those cold and callous words, Reedlim promptly turned back around, leaving Fel in a state of wordless shock.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A certain cat-eared girl suddenly placed her hand on his shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it too much, Master.¡± Melo consoled. ¡°No matter how capable that gloomy magician is, I still like you the best.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Fel still remained silent. Right now, he felt an innate desire to shake his head.

    Don¡¯t compare to such a zealous guy like him!

    From the very start, Fel was not very enthusiastic. He did not have the passion for being a hero like Rivel did. Fel was simply a man who went with the flow. Naturally, you¡¯d never find him at the forefront of anything.

    This was precisely why he did not need sympathy from Melo nor ¡®encouragement¡¯ from Reedlim! He was completely content with his current progress. In fact, with a guy like Rivel around, he felt even less desire to train.

    ¡°Enough about that, let¡¯s keep going.¡± Fel shook off her shoulder and continued further down the tunnel.

    With the last hero already on the move, the one hundred knights behind him also continued their march into the mine.

    Like that, today¡¯s Cult-hunting mission continued.

 Chapter 88: Hero Side 5

    The tunnel slightly slanted downward. The deeper they traveled, the further and further away they got from the surface.

    Eventually, the group arrived at a large open space.

    It was a dome-shaped chamber whose size rivaled that of Earth¡¯s largest sports stadium. The highest point of the ceiling was more than a hundred meters away from the ground.

    At a glance, there were several diverging pathways located all around the chamber. What¡¯s more, wooden rafters and giant metallic platforms dotted the entire area.

    It was an abandoned mine. Despite the years of destitution, the vestiges of man were still there for anyone to see.

    The scale of the mine somewhat surprised Fel, but his attention was quickly diverted towards the things inside. Green-robes and pale faces. They were the Pagans. Judging by his initial estimates, the information that Reedlim received prior had been grossly inaccurate.

    There were more than a thousand pagans within this room alone.

    A strange silence permeated through the atmosphere. The bewildered knights stared blankly into the chamber, while the determined Pagans glared intently at the tunnel entrance. Nobody moved. In that brief moment, sound seemingly did not exist.

    Then came the violence.

    ¡°First Guard, to formation!¡± Reedlim¡¯s shout echoed through the still air as he rushed towards the nearest Pagan.

    A beat later, a hundred knights quickly followed after him. With their swords raised and their armors clanking, the pressure that they exuded rivaled that of a stampeding monster horde.

    With an explosive bang, the Cult of Malignant Tumors and the Church of the Holy God clashed with one another.

    Naturally, the heroes also participated in the action.

    Rivel was the first to act.

    ¡°Old woman, let¡¯s go!¡± He dragged along the perpetually smiling Doris and quickly fired off spell after spell of destructive magic. It goes without saying, but each amazing spell was accompanied with an equally ridiculous incantation.

    ¡°Then, we should get going too, Master.¡± Melo¡¯s words echoed quietly through Fel¡¯s ears. He turned to look at her, but he soon noticed that there was nobody there. In that split instant, her dagger was already hilt deep into a Pagan¡¯s throat.

    Fel could only swallow the words in his throat as he unsheathed his short sword. With a hesitant step forward, the crown prince of Pharsheille experienced his first taste of actual combat.

    ****

    A short amount of time passed within what felt like an eternity.

    Whether it be in their numbers or individual fighting strength, the Pagans were a lot stronger than the group originally expected. For every eight pagans that died, one knight would accompany them to the afterlife. For any regular army, this sort of statistic was definitely worth celebrating, but for the church, it was nothing short of devastating.

    Each First Guard Knight was an elite amongst elites. The number of resources that went into creating one was definitely not light. The death of even a single knight was a price that the Church was reluctant to swallow.

    Fel¡¯s first ever battle was bloody and cruel. The sights that he saw within this short span of time caused his previously buried hesitations to resurface.

    Although he went through the motions of combat, his heart wasn¡¯t truly into it. It was imperceptible to the naked eye, but because of his hesitation, his attacks grew slower, weaker. Fortunately, nobody really noticed. This was primarily due to the fact that his display wasn¡¯t nearly as eye-catching as Rivel¡¯s ¡®Mad Magus¡¯ routine.

    The prodigal mage plowed through the Pagans with an almost ruthless efficiency. His hands were stained with red while the nauseating smell of blood exuded out from his deep-stained clothes. Despite his arsenal of long-range magic spells, Rivel had a tendency for close combat.

    A thin layer of amorphous semi-solid mana covered his body from head to toe. Not only did this layer of mana block attacks, but it could also change shape at will, transforming into a variety of different weapons.

    Rivel dubbed this technique the ¡®War God¡¯s Armor¡¯.

    Against such a zealous guy, Fel¡¯s glimmer naturally dimmed. Still, it wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t put any effort into the battle. His small body moved through the crowd of dark-robed Pagans like a snake slithering across a field of grass. He would occasionally clash with the Pagans, but most of his efforts were focused purely on dodging.

    The battle persisted for fifteen minutes. The tides of war slowly shifted towards the knights. A large reason for this was because of Rivel. With his instructor playing the role of a portable mana battery, the young magus was able to draw out a fighting strength that completely dwarfed everyone else present.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    It was a bit difficult to associate this title with a seven-year-old boy, but right now, Rivel was truly like an incarnation of a war god.

    Fel did his best to ignore his fellow hero. Now, he wasn¡¯t jealous, nor did he harbor feelings of inferiority. His avoidance was all due to a completely different reason.

    Wherever Rivel traveled, a new corpse would quickly follow. There were plenty of deaths going around within the chamber, but Rivel¡¯s was different. His were bloody, brutal, and all too real. Every time he killed, every time he murdered, Fel couldn¡¯t help but picture himself doing the same thing.

    Fel, stabbing someone in the heart. Fel, slicing off a man¡¯s arm. Fel, gouging out their eyes and puncturing their chests with a single, tiny fist.

    The mental image alone was enough to make his stomach churn and his face pale.

    As a result, Fel stayed within his little corner of the chamber, occasionally hacking and slashing at any unfortunate Pagan foolish enough to approach.

    ¡°Fel, come here.¡± Amidst the blood and gore, Reedlim¡¯s voice suddenly reverberated through his ears.

    Fel¡¯s shoulders tensed. He instinctively looked up.

    A few dozen meters away from him, Reedlim Howler stood in the middle of a circle of corpses. Not a single drop of blood stained his black military uniform. It greatly contrasted with the red-dripping rapier that he lightly held within his hand.

    Fel hesitated for a moment before he approached the man.

    ¡°Yes, Instructor Howler?¡±

    ¡°You are hesitating.¡± Reedlim coldly stated.

    ¡°Hesitating?¡±

    He certainly was hesitating, but Fel did not really think that was important. After all, wasn¡¯t he still here, fighting, participating in the mission? Fel wasn¡¯t someone who liked to slack off. In fact, within this battle, he did not think that his efforts were any less than Rivel¡¯s. Although his results might not be as flashy or grand, that couldn¡¯t be helped. People possess different talents. Rivel was gifted in the art of slaughter, Fel was not.

    It was as simple as that.

    Reedlim ignored the doubt scribbled across the young hero¡¯s face. Instead, he simply said, ¡°You have yet to kill anyone.¡±

    In that moment, Fel¡¯s body subconsciously trembled. It was true. Unlike everyone else here, his blade was bloodless. In fact, against the Pagans that he clashed with, he had only ever hit them with the backside of his sword. At most, he knocked people out. Within this bloody and violent battlefield, Fel had yet to kill.

    ¡°You cannot show mercy to evil,¡± Reedlim stated.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He did not respond. Fel could only tightly clench onto his sword.

    Hesitation? Mercy? Of course, he was hesitant! Of course, he showed mercy!

    Fel had previously lived in a world where death was a very foreign concept. It certainly still existed, but it was so detached from his everyday life, that it was like it didn¡¯t even exist in the first place. At most, an accidental death might appear in the news every now and then, but nothing had ever personally happened to him or to those that he loved.

    It was taboo, a taboo that he had only experienced during the last moments of his short life.

    Earth was a world completely different from Lull, in which death was taken quite lightly.

    He could only marvel at Rivel¡¯s mental fortitude. The young magus was someone who could wantonly massacre at the drop of the hat. Such a mindset was ideal for this twisted fantasy world, but unfortunately, it was something that he could not replicate.

    Reedlim wordlessly stared at the young prince. Fel¡¯s expression constantly shifted. Fear, agony, frustration, the boy¡¯s face was like a kaleidoscope of different emotions.

    He paused for a moment, before he grabbed onto the cuff of Fel¡¯s shirt and jumped. The two soared through the air. Fel held back his desire to scream as he watched the ground grow further and further away.

    Eventually, Reedlim lightly landed on top of a wooden rafter. Meanwhile, Fel¡¯s feet dangled in the air. The only thing that held him in place was Reedlim¡¯s steel-like arm.

    ¡°Do you see it?¡± Reedlim¡¯s solemnly stated.

    ¡°See it? See what?¡± Fel hurriedly responded. The panic in his voice was undeniable. Although he wasn¡¯t deathly afraid of heights, dangling in the air like this still sent goosebumps running down his spine.

    ¡°Below you.¡±

    Fel instinctively looked down.

    From this vantage point, he could see the bloody battlefield in its entirety. An audible gasp leaked out from his lips.

    Blood. There was blood everywhere. More than half of the ground was stained in a layer of deep crimson. The bodies piled up like small mountains. At the same time, the wails of the injured rang out like vengeful church bells.

    It was a scene of pure carnage.

    ¡°This is what you¡¯re fighting,¡± Reedlim stated. ¡°Evil.¡±

    ¡°¡­No,¡± Fel¡¯s voice was barely audible. ¡°Isn¡¯t this just the result of war?¡±

    While Fel may not be accustomed to warfare, he was not entirely unaware of it. He had seen plenty of pictures and documentaries from his old world. WWI, the Korean War, the Vietnam war, humans were capable of vile things, but most of the time, it was not under the pretense of evil, but rather, under the banner of war.

    This too was the result of war. A war between the believers and the non-believers.

    ¡°A war that would have never started if it had not been for the cultist.¡± Reedlim adamantly insisted.

    Fel could only shake his head.

    In his mind, it was easy to blame one side, but it was hard to blame both. Even as God¡¯s chosen hero, he was not quick to cast judgment on his enemy. After all, even though they called him a hero, Fel was truly nothing more than a soldier. He had no ability to change this world nor was he capable of saving lives any further away from where his small hands could reach.

    As a hero, as a prince, he was powerless. Still, he was not completely without options. He could listen to orders, but he adamantly refused the church¡¯s way of thinking.

    ¡°Only by eradicating evil can this sort of war be prevented.¡± Reedlim looked up. He stared at the dome-shaped ceiling with vague and hazy eyes. ¡°Killing people is not a noble thing, but underneath the banner of God, the ignoble can turn noble. As Knights, we sacrifice our minds, our bodies, our everything for a better, brighter world. That is the Church¡¯s mantra. That is the mission that our great God has given us.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Again, Fel did not respond. He forgot about it sometimes because of how cold and callous this guy¡¯s face was, but Reedlim was a devout member of the clergy. It was this sort of zealous determination that carried him to the position of commanding officer at such a young age.

    Reedlim turned his attention back down onto the young crown prince. ¡°Do not forget your purpose as Hero.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Fel remained silent for a long time. He lowered his head, his eyes transfixed onto the bloody battle below. Eventually, he imperceptibly nodded.

    In response, Reedlim grunted in acknowledgment. ¡°Then, get back to fighting.¡± With that, he loosened his grip. Fel could only stare wide-eyed and in shock at the shrinking hand above his head.

    The crown prince of Pharsheille plummeted back down into a world of steel and violence.

 Update and ebook

    Hello.

    The first thing I want to do is apologize. I''m sorry for my absence, as well as the general silence on my part. A few of you tried to contact me regarding the status of the story, but for a good while, I''ve been awol. I can come up with a number of different excuses but at the end of the day, I gave up. It was mostly due to a combination of growing disinterest and my own general dislike for some of the earlier parts in the story.

    At first, I fully intended to drop this story, but something changed. A friend convinced me otherwise.

    You see, I have a bad habit of dropping most of the stories that I write, whether that be those that I published online or those that I keep locked away in my hard drive. I can''t ever say I''ve actually ever finished something in my life (at least, until now). If not for outside intervention, I probably would have continued doing so. Fortunately, someone was there to kick my butt into gear.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    So, I rewrote some parts and finished the rest of the arc.

    Finishing something was a completely new experience for me, one that I find a fair bit meaningful.

    Still, as much as I''d like to post the rest of the story here, I ultimately decided against it. At my core, I''m an aspiring writer and as an aspiring writer, there''s nothing I want more than to publish my work in a more official capacity.

    Another World''s Homunculus presented the perfect opportunity for that. It''s my love child. I poured sweat, tears, and brain fluids into writing this story. I can''t even begin to count how many sleepless nights I spent writing this thing, and how many more I spent just thinking about it. I want it to mean something, something more than just an unfinished story on a website.

    So, for those who held onto hope and for those who want to continue reading this mess of a story, I hope you buy a copy. There''s a fair bit more content on the official version than there is on here. Plus, I rewrote some parts near the beginning.

    Regardless, whether it was in the past or in the near future, thank you for your support.

    Link to the kindle ebook:

    http://www.amzn.com/B08684QKY5</a>