《Eclipse: Rise of a Demon King》


 Chapter 1: The Scent of Blood

    (...)


    Sitting at the bottom of a large canyon was an encampment of soldiers, no smaller than the size of a battalion.


    In the middle of the encampment sat a tent much larger than the rest. A place where the generals held their meetings as well as the personal tent of Vedious Zerx.


    (Sigh...You''d think the Kingdom''s knights would be able to hide their emotions from their faces a bit)


    "General Vedious, has the King given his order on what to do with... him yet?"


    Inside the tent were 3 other people excluding Vedious. A tall man who you wouldn''t consider scrawny but wouldn''t consider fit stood to his left.


    He wore a gaudy robe that nearly touched the ground. His hands covered in rings, all glowing from the mana imbued in their crystals. Those materials in itself could have someone live a comfortable life for years within the kingdom. Each ring holds a single spell of the 4th tier enchanted to instantly cast itself by calling the name of the spell.


    There have been many who were foolish enough to try and take them, yet, what awaited them was only death.


    "Quiet Melv. General Vedious had called to talk to us not for you to talk to him. Know your place Lieutenant General."


    Her sharp cold eyes cut across the tent in the direction of Melv. Known to the people as "The Goddess", her auburn hair tied in a ponytail and the glistening silver armour she wore could always be seen decimating her enemies across the battlefield. Her curves obvious with just a glance and a chest that would distract any man could have been her main weapon but, it was her sword skills second to none in the kingdom that was the most attractive. Even Melv, the kingdoms leading mage would need quite the preparation to fight her.


    "Now now Ava, we all know what''d happen if Vedious gets impatient and loses his temper don''t we? Let''s hear why he has gathered us okay?"


    Ava and Melv instantly stop their bickering. Cold sweat forming on their backs as they each start to remember the "impatient Vedious." The giant crater near the kingdom one of the memorable spots of the event.


    "Elaine, while we are working I''ve told you to include General."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Of course General Vedious. My apologies."


    Elaine bowed her head slightly towards Vedious'' direction. Her golden blonde hair falling in front of her. Well known for her wind enchanted arrows, she kills her enemy without even being seen on the battlefield.


    As a behind the scenes fighter, although her fame is not as well known to the commoners as Ava, she is feared even more than Ava within the army. The bewitching smile she always has as the foundation of such fear.


    "Thank you for gathering here on such a short notice. I know we''ve just completed a mission that''s been going on for multiple generations but we now have a more pressing matter at hand."


    Vedious looked at his three immediate subordinates. Each one at the pinnacle of strength within the kingdom. Even his childhood friend Elaine who he tried his best to stop, worked hard enough to challenge what is known as the peak of humanity.


    "The King has ordered immediate termination of the Subject."


    Silence filled the area for a while. The sounds of men walking in armor, chatting amongst their sworn brothers and sisters, easily being heard within the tent.


    The Subject mentioned by the King was the man sitting on a rock near the rear end of the encampment.


    He wore a mask that completely covered his face enchanted to never fall off and to even change his voice. No one has ever seen his face or heard his real voice. He joined the army a few years ago coming from a small village south of the kingdom known as Tahtil.


    Since the day he joined, as swift as his movements were the speed in which each dungeon fell. Leading the army by himself, clearing waves of monsters and fighting on par with the Lords residing within. A man that many would think is a monster if it weren''t for his human physique. He even referred to himself as Wolf.


    Vedious continued.


    "Ever since the day he cleared the dungeon himself two years ago, I have been tasked by the King to keep watch of him. To learn about him."


    Vedious paused, gathering the information he collected to memory.


    "His skill lies within his sword which even Ava cannot compare to. Though he hasn''t used any magic in the past from what we''ve seen, even though it is hard to believe that he would have time to put in effort to study even magic, assuming he is able to use tier 1 or 2 magic would be safe."


    The tension within the tent thickened. It shouldn''t be humanly possible.


    "Relay a message to each squad you''re in charge of. Consider him as we consider the Lords in the dungeon. We will all have the same tasks."


    Melv''s face twisted slightly as he heard the possibility that the he could have knowledge of magic. Though tier 1 and 2 are not something Melv would consider even remotely difficult, magic is still something you must devote your life to to learn. Even among the students within the magic academy, breaking through to the third tier would take a few years of dedicated practice to accomplish. To learn the level just below that as well as having sword skills on the level beyond that of the best swordsman in the kingdom is something no one would be able to stomach.


    Despite their feelings towards the target, it was an order from the King. It had to be done. The four people in the tent didn''t actually hate their target. In fact many lives were saved throughout all kingdoms of the continent El due to this man. But once he didn''t agree to being recruited by the Royal Knights, his future was already decided.


    "Finally, send a message to all your units. Telepathy would be the fastest so Melv please, if you will. Tell them to ensure he cannot escape. I will try and convince him to join us once more. If that should fail..."


    Another pause. They all knew what it would mean. How could these soldiers fight against someone who has saved so many of them? Why didn''t he join under the King? Fame, wealth, women, land. He would''ve had it all.


    "For the Yvnahal Kingdom."


    """For Yvnahal."""


    In no less than 10 minutes after contacting with The Wolf, a body falls to the ground.

 Chapter 2: The Taste of Blood

    ¡°Sir Wolf.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said this countless times for everyone to just refer to me as Wolf... Sigh, whatever. Anyways yes, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Er..General Ava has asked us to get you. Apparently General Vedious has requested your presence.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me, what is your name?¡±


    ¡°S-sir?¡±


    ¡°Your name. I¡¯d like to know what it is. It¡¯s been over two years now and I¡¯ve yet to learn many names.¡±


    ¡°Ah-yes! It¡¯s Kaine. Kaine Helst s-sir Wolf.. sir.¡±


    ¡°Tell me Kaine, are you afraid of me? I do not see a reason for you to trip over your words otherwise.¡±


    ¡°N-No. No sir!¡±


    ¡°I see. Well I best get going. I don¡¯t want to make General Vedious wait any longer.¡±


    As The Wolf walked away, Kaines knees gave out. Below him, the dirt was dampened from the drops of sweat.


    How was it possible? For such a thing to be so terrifying despite having no pressure at all.


    ¡°Despite the amount of pressure he releases when he fights in the dungeon¡­ to have no traces of it here and now...¡±


    When The Wolf would fight within the dungeon, the weak soldiers would have to stay in the back otherwise the wave of pressure constantly released from him caused those who weren¡¯t strong enough to become extremely nauseous.


    ¡°May the God Vahn be with us all.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Walking through the encampment, Wolf changed the entire atmosphere. With every step he took, multiple heads would turn towards his way. Respect, fear, hate, jealousy, envy, admiration. Each person felt something different.


    As he approached Vedious¡¯ tent, only two of the generals, Ava and Melv stood outside. Ava then stuck her head by the tent opening. It seems as though she was calling for Vedious.


    Vedious stepped out of the tent. Immediately all the soldiers went down to kneel. Despite only being the General of the Army, he was treated as if he were a king himself within the military. He glanced around taking in the view of his surrounding. His eyes eventually making contact with The Wolf.


    ¡°Thank you for coming so quickly. Though I know you have done much for this kingdom and the continent of El as a whole, I still must ask you of a favor.¡±


    Word had already gone out to the troops earlier. Thus they all knew what this talk would be about. It was easily seen as the tension in the air grew so thick, those without enough courage would find it difficult to even move. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The Wolf looked around. Noticing the complete change in the faces, which were now dead stiff, of the troops.


    (Even after everything I have done¡­)


    ¡°Thanks is not needed General Vedious. It¡¯s only natural for me to come as soon as possible when requested by you.¡±


    Perfectly calm. The Wolf bowed slightly towards Vedious and spoke with a straight face.


    ¡°Pleasantries are not needed at this time. You¡¯ve helped us in clearing the final dungeon. Something over ten generations of warriors could not do. Again, we cannot thank you enough.¡±


    Despite all those grateful words, not a single trace of gratefulness could be seen on Vedious¡¯ face.


    ¡°Again, though thanks is not needed, I will graciously accept your words of gratitude. If I may ask, was the purpose of calling me only to thank me?¡±


    No movement. No sound. As if everyone around them were holding their breath.


    Seconds? Minutes? How much time had gone by after the question was asked and yet silence continued to fill the air.


    Or so it felt.


    Yet not even a few seconds went by when Vedious opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°Will you not reconsider joining Yvnahal Kingdom and working for his majesty the King?¡±


    If the previous pause felt like minutes, this felt like hours.


    10 seconds. 20 seconds. A minute goes by. Finally, The Wolf begins to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it countless times before, though it¡¯s an honor to be asked to hold one of the highest positions, I must decline.¡±


    ¡°May I ask what your reasoning behind this decision is?¡±


    ¡°It is but a personal matter. Though, there are no reasons for me to hide it¡­¡±


    The Wolf was thinking for a moment.


    ¡°I suppose it wouldn¡¯t matter to say it. I have reason to believe the Lords will return.¡±


    Whispering started traveling throughout the troops. The Lords will return? Impossible. They cleared every dungeon. There has never been the case where the Lords returned. Is this man actually just crazy?


    Vedious¡¯ eyebrows twitched.


    (What was this man saying? Is he just trying to make an excuse to get out of being a target? )


    ¡°And what reason could make you believe such a thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a gut feeling.¡±


    Unbelievable.


    Vedious¡¯ calm face broke. Showing an emotion as clear as day. Irritation.


    (Gut feeling? Gut feeling!?! This guy is crazy! He knows what would happen if he declined this invitation to serve the Kingdom and he chooses to be an enemy over a gut feeling!?)


    Vedious¡¯ face twisted. He was losing his temper.


    Ava and Melv felt chills down their spine. The look on Vedious¡¯ face was too clear. Much too clear. But what could they do?


    Though they stood with straight faces, trying their best to be calm in the situation. Quietly, they were praying that they would not be caught up in the storm about to form.


    Vedious was able to form words.


    ¡°Unfortunately I cannot accept that as an answer. We have been ordered by the King that if you do not agree to come with us, you will be arrested and taken prison.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And if I refuse to be arrested?¡±


    ¡°We will fight.¡±


    As soon as Vedious finished his sentence, it began.


    ¡°[Paralyze]!¡±


    Melv raised his right hand towards The Wolf. Casting a tier 4 spell instantly, the ring on his thumb turned to dust.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Not wasting a single moment, Vedious swings his sword diagonally towards his target.


    With [Paralyze] in effect, even less than a second was enough time to get a sure hit causing a mortal wound on any normal person. And the person swinging this sword was Vedious.


    One could only pray that the wound would be mortal. But that would never happen. It would be instant death.


    Blood sprayed coloring the dirt red. No one moved.


    A body fell to his knees. Then after a short moment, completely fell to the ground face down.


    That is, if it were still attached to the body.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡±


    Melv could only mouth the word as nothing came out. [Paralyze]. Though the effects depended on the targets magic resistance, even the Lords within the dungeon would be unable to move for a few seconds. Yet¡­


    (Was he even affected?)


    ¡°VEDIOUUUSSSS!!!¡±


    General Ava started screaming at the top of her lungs.


    ¡°Heee? You know, I was even considering going with you guys as a prisoner. Weren¡¯t we only fighting if I wouldn¡¯t come with you?¡±


    The mask of The Wolf had blood splattered across it, giving the pitch black wolf mask a crimson glow. With the unique symbol between the eyes of the mask of a red moon blocking the sun, the image of blood running down it¡¯s cheeks gave the feeling as though this is how the mask should have looked.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late but let me give you all another lesson when in a fight.¡±


    A wave of pressure that shook the cliffs around them exploded from The Wolf¡¯s body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate.¡±

 Chapter 3: Dog of the Kingdom

    An unbelievable amount of energy surged throughout the canyon.


    The blood lust The Wolf released wasn''t something the soldiers could handle. As soon as the words left The Wolf''s mouth, more than half the battalion fell to the ground. Every one of them, showing the whites of their eyes.


    But they were top knights of the kingdom. Though Vedious, the strongest of them, fell so quickly it was nearly comical, they had no time to mourn.


    Melv immediately called for the reserve adventurers that were hired as mercenaries.


    ("Zef! General Vedious fell. We need immediate backup! We can''t hold him for even a minute! Get here NOW!")


    Even with the speed of telepathy, Melv prayed they''d make it in time.


    (Think Melv think! There''s no way we get out of this unscathed. What in the world is he? Just by releasing his blood lust more tha-)


    Melv suddenly had his train of thought interrupted.


    Next to him a wave of blood lust erupted. But it was different. While the aura around The Wolf gave off a brilliant crimson red, next to him stood a woman, covered in a mist of black.


    It was Ava.


    She was looking at the ground where Vedious'' beheaded body lay.


    If one described how her aura felt, it wouldn''t be anything except ominous.


    Melv couldn''t move. In fact, no one could move. This feeling, it was more than just blood lust. It was hate, grievance, despair. Even those far away suddenly felt their skin crawling. Only one man was able to move comfortably.


    "Ohoho. Look what we have here."


    Turning towards the frozen Ava, The Wolf stared at her.


    (Looks like she''s been consumed by her emotions. Tsk. Who knew she had such an attachme-)


    A blade nearly sliced through his neck. Barely bringing a dagger out in time to block the attack, a burst of air flew out after the collision of the two blades.


    "You leveled up quite a bit haven''t you? Now, was that [Teleportation] or have you become that much faster?"


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    Ava stayed silent.


    Holding her sword with both hands, she pushed harder against the dagger.


    Ava opened her mouth


    "..."


    "Sorry can you say that again?"


    "ie..."


    "ie?"


    "DIE!"


    An explosion of pressure shot forth toward The Wolf. Completely enveloped inside the black aura, the crimson glow was being consumed.


    (Better break away before the rest snap out of it and help her)


    The difficulty of holding off the longsword with one hand was increasing. The amount of strength being put into Ava''s arms were nothing to joke about. Summoning his second dagger in his left hand he quickly jabbed it into her side.


    The instant the strength in her arms weakened, he kicked her stomach with a force that''d blow away a tree.


    Ava flew backwards, knocking over a few knights along her path. Before she could even fall from the kick, The Wolf leapt forward, leaving a crater in the ground and appearing right in front of Ava.


    Grabbing her face with his left hand, he swung the dagger in his right straight towards her neck.


    "!"


    The Wolf immediately jumps backwards before he could get the final hit off. Landing into the body of a standing knight to stop his momentum, he instantly stabbed the knight in his neck leaving a river of blood flowing out.


    "Oi oi I know sniping is your specialty but baiting your friend like that is a bit cold isn''t it?! You could''ve hit her!"


    Right in front of Ava were 3 holes in the ground. Each hole containing an arrow clad in wind magic. For an arrow to pierce the ground and be embedded a few kels within was... to be frank, terrifying.


    (This isn''t looking good. I''ll have to deal with Elai-)


    BOOM!


    A massive crater formed killing a handful of knights.


    In the center of that crater was a giant man, clad in armor so black, it seemed to consume light itself. His hand, holding onto a gigantic sword that was stuck in the ground. Practical use of that sword would make no possible sense. It shouldn''t be able to even be picked up let alone be swung.


    The man in the crater slowly stood up. Pulled the sword out of the ground as if the size of the sword had no correlation to its weight, and rested the sword over his shoulder.


    "Hahahaha, to think you could even dodge that! And here I even had to sacrifice some of the precious knights."


    The man with the massive sword started laughing. At a closer look he seemed to be around his mid-forties. With wild gray and black hair and a scruffy beard, he was not someone who matched with a body built like a tank.


    A-Rank adventurer Zef. One of the strongest swordsman within the continent of El. There are very few who make it into A-Rank. One of the qualifications being able to conquer a dungeon with a Lord residing in it. If Zef wanted to, he could''ve helped eradicate a large portion of dungeons years ago but chose not to.


    With the conquering of dungeons, the monsters dwelling within controlled by the Lords become less organized. Without the Lords, their sense of loyalty is lost and so is most of their intelligence. They''d start fighting for territory with other monsters, turning back to more animalistic ways.


    With the Lords, although the strength of these organized monsters become a genuine threat, as the Lords try to raise an army, the amount of monsters increase at an uncontrollable rate. This caused for the profession of adventurer to become one of the most popular.


    With so many monsters to defeat, and materials and resources to collect, it could be said that having Lords residing within the dungeons was good for the economy and society.


    But with so many dungeons and Lords, the rate of monsters appearing were too great. Soon the monsters were invading small villages and towns trying to expand their ever growing population. Thus, the kingdom of Yvnahal started to take action.


    (Shit it''s Zef. This is going to be difficult.)


    Underneath the mask of The Wolf, his face twisted.


    No matter how strong he was, he was only one person. No matter how much he dodged, how many he killed, it would just take one mistake for the situation to turn poorly.


    (I can''t take out Elaine now that Zefs here. I need to run)


    The gears inside The Wolf''s head were turning at an incredible rate. Figuring out every situation and his best possible chance of getting out of it.


    "Hey lil'' wolf how''ve you been? You know, I figured with you being crazy enough to solo dungeons on your own you''d take yourself out but, looks like I should''ve approached you sooner huh?"


    "Zef, I never expected you to become the dog of the kingdom."


    "Dog? That''s a little ironic coming from you don''t you think? I only took the job because they were giving me a reward for something I was planning to do anyways you know?"


    "Tsk..."


    (I didn''t want them to see it but I guess I have no choice now)


    The Wolf closed his eyes. Focusing on gathering mana within him.


    "Oi oi, what are you planning to do? Leaving yourself with so many openings, you can''t get mad if I can''t help myself right!?!"


    (Just a little bit more)


    Zef appeared right in front of The Wolf just as words could be heard leaving it''s owners lips.


    "[Cataclysm]"

 Chapter 4: Red Canyon

    As The Wolf opened his eyes, the edge of Zef''s sword was nearly touching his mask. His arm frozen in mid-air as if someone or something was holding his arm back.


    "What the f-"


    Slowly but surely Zef was being pushed back. No. It would be more accurate to say he was being pulled back.


    A black sphere formed in the center of the encampment.


    However, nothing happened. It didn''t even make a sound. In fact, if it wasn''t so out of place, it might have gone unnoticed.


    But suddenly, they started flying. Straight into the sphere, each knight was being picked off the ground and flung towards it. Hearing the troops colliding into the sphere answered a question.


    ((((It''s hard?))))


    The whole surface of the sphere was covered in people. But it didn''t stop there.


    More and more people were being flung towards it. Crashing into their comrades which were already there. It didn''t feel dangerous at first but with tens of hundreds of soldiers being sucked in, those who were first to be attached to the sphere were being brutally crushed by their allies.


    Muffled screams could be heard as knights and mages were being completely crushed. Blood started dying the dirt below a dark red.


    Zef was being dragged against his pure strength towards the sphere as well. Leaving a trail where he tried to dig his feet into the earth.


    Grabbing the hilt of his sword with both hands he stabbed the ground with all his strength to stop himself from being pulled in any further.


    By now the human sphere was extremely large. Already trapping hundreds of soldiers within its almost gravitational like field.


    Then, the pulling force stopped.


    Turning his head to look at what was going on, Zef couldn''t help but stare at what happened next.


    (It stopped pulling us in but, why are they still stuck to the sphere?)


    As Zef was trying to think of a reason, it happened.


    The sphere gradually lifted up into the sky. Hovering a few body lengths above the head of Zef. Then the sphere started getting smaller.


    Loud screams could be heard coming through the center of the sphere as a waterfall of blood began to rain down on the remaining battalion.


    ---


    Melv, who stood next to the unconscious Ava after healing her wounds, couldn''t look away. Magic that was supposed to have disappeared along with the age of Gods. Despite countless cases of there being reports of other groups being able to perform such magic, it wasn''t supposed to be possible alone.


    Even Melv, who boasted to be the best mage within the kingdom and would rank fairly high compared to adventurers as well, could not cast such a thing alone.


    A few years ago, a drought occurred in Yvnahal''s agricultural land just south of the kingdom. Using an age of God magic as a reference, Melv and twenty other mages invented the magic [Aqua Pluvia]. By using the river water near a conquered dungeon, they manipulated the atmosphere over the agricultural land to be able to retain moisture. With that, [Aqua Pluvia] was able to form clouds that would periodically rain when enough moisture was built up. Saving the kingdom and it''s citizens from possible famine.


    Despite Melv coming up with the concept of the magic and creating it himself, [Aqua Pluvia] is what''s considered as sub-magic. Sub-magic is magic created by referencing or incorporating other magic. [Aqua Pluvia] actually came from a spell called [Aqua Indun]. [Aqua Indun] was a high tier magic that was capable of washing away an entire kingdom as though it were a house in the path of a enormous raging river.


    (To use such magic... shouldn''t be possible...)


    The reason why magic from the age of Gods were nearly nonexistent was due to the amount of mana it took to cast them.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    There are currently two ways to use mana. Creation and enhancement. Creation magic takes considerably more mana than enhancement magic. The reason is simple. Enhancement magic has a constant source of mana. When enhancing a weapon or body with mana, the constant contact with the source body provides enough mana to maintain the enhancement. Creation on the other hand is a bit more confusing.


    When casting [Fireball], one could maintain the ball of fire in close proximity to their body. However, once the spell leaves a certain range, as if power being cut, the intensity of [Fireball] drastically drops.


    The only known ways of overcoming such a deficit is first, having a larger inherent pool of mana and second, refinement of mana. To put a numerical value on the two, if a hundred unrefined mana was needed to cast [Fireball], only twenty or so would be needed with refined mana. But, how does one refine their mana? Years and years of repetitive training.


    As Melv was struck with awe and fear at the unique magic he''s never even seen or heard of before, it happened.


    The sphere of his comrades started to compress and shrink in size.


    "!"


    (That''s! That''s a variation of [Black Hole] isn''t it!)


    [Black Hole]. An incredibly high tier spell back in the age of Gods. It was written that the spell could consume mountains, devour lands, and swallow nations. The original spell was described as creating a black vacuum in an area where anything and everything would be sucked in and vanish. As time went by, variations of this spell were created. One of the more common variations was the black sphere. Instead of objects vanishing within the sphere, the sphere would collect it''s surroundings and slowly shrink into nothingness.


    Melv, seeing the sphere slowly start to shrink was certain it was of that variation. Still, he had never read or seen any evidence showing the possibility of [Black Hole] being able to specifically target objects. To have only dragged in his comrades and not the terrain around them... the creativity and control was terrifying.


    (How do we win...)


    He was on his knees. Looking at the sight of his comrades being crushed as the sphere continued to slowly shrink, he had given up.


    (It''s impossible...)


    As Melv fell into despair, one man slowly stood up. His name was Zef. An A-Rank adventurer, renowned throughout the kingdom, strong enough to take a Lord on his own. He stood in front of [Cataclysm]. Lifting his eyesight from the ground towards The Wolf, the sight would petrify anyone.


    His eyes did not show fear, the light did not go out. In fact, it was burning. The passion in his eyes were not of someone cornered into desperation but that of a wild animal finding a worthy prey.


    A smile slowly growing as the corners of his mouth were rising higher and higher. The canines almost seeming to gleam in the sunlight.


    Crazy.


    A word to describe how Zef looked.


    With a ball of corpses floating in back of him, a sea of red forming at his feet, and a look of hunger on his face. This man looked crazy.


    "[Higher Speed]"


    "[Higher Strength]"


    "[High Defense]"


    "[Heightened Vision]"


    "[Fury]"


    Zef began to glow. Surrounding him was an aura of multiple colors. But he wasn''t finished.


    "[Mid-Flame Aura]"


    "[High Poison Aura]"


    "[Reinforce]"


    "[Enhance]"


    Zef''s sword began to hum as a beautiful glow enveloped it. An unbelievable amount of power surged forth.


    He took a step forward. As his right foot touched the ground, a crack formed. The strength of his step alone was enough to create a small crater.


    A thunder clap echoed through the canyon. The source of the sound coming from a crater where the ground caved in.


    ---


    The Wolf regained his senses. Feeling a little light headed from casting [Cataclysm] he felt relieved at seeing how effective it was. Not only how strong the spell was but the mental effects it had to those witnessing its power.


    "That would''ve been too easy huh..."


    Seeing Zef slowly stand up he couldn''t help but click his tongue. This man was tenacious. While everyone else was looking at The Wolf as if he was a demon, the look Zef gave him made him freeze.


    "You think he''d let me take a ten minu-"


    Before he could even finish, it started.


    A thunderclap echoed as if to signal the start of the fight.


    Without even thinking, The Wolf unsheathed the short sword at his waist and swung it in front of his face. The giant sword of Zef appeared before him, swinging down right towards his short sword.


    Noticing the glow of the sword, The Wolf immediately let go of his sword. Using the momentum of his swing, he spun to the left as Zef''s sword blew up the ground. The short sword completely obliterated.


    His mind was foggy before from casting magic but it was clear now. The raw strength and speed that Zef possessed would kill him if he were directly hit.


    Without giving him time to think, Zef appeared next to The Wolf again, once more, doing an overhead swing.


    Years of training showed in this moment. The Wolf''s body acted on it''s own.


    Pivoting his right shoulder forward, as Zef''s blade came down, he used [Reinforce] on his right fist, hitting the blade making Zef lose his footing for a split second. In that moment, The Wolf grabbed Zef''s right arm, pulled himself up and wrapped his free arm around Zef''s neck.


    Summoning a dagger in his right hand as he choked Zef, he jabbed the dagger into Zef''s neck.


    Or so he thought.


    The poison aura around Zef''s sword was too effective. Had The Wolf known it was poison used on the sword, he wouldn''t have done something so reckless as hitting the blade. His right hand was bleeding like crazy with his skin burnt off and flesh showing. It looked more like the effects of placing his hand in a vat of acid rather than poison.


    The moment the dagger in his hand was dropped, a whistling could be heard in the air. In that moment, an arrow cleanly pierced The Wolf''s left arm.


    Released from the grip, Zef exploded free turning around with a diagonal slash downwards towards The Wolf.


    The Wolf made a mistake. He didn''t think that Zef would be able to withstand the force [Cataclysm] would produce and lost focus from the drain in mana. If he prepared a few steps ahead, he wouldn''t be in this situation.


    Time slowed. The blade engrossed within it''s colorful aura slowly approached him.


    The Wolf closed his eyes. Taking a deep calm breath, he opened them once more.


    Pitch black.


    The color of his eyes were pitch black.


    A dark aura swirled around him as he whispered


    "[Paralysis]"


    Zef''s sword fell to the ground. Then, Zef himself fell.


    What had just happened? Right before he was about to slay The Wolf, his whole body became unresponsive. The only things he was able to do was breathe and move his eyes.


    He looked at the figure of The Wolf, the prey before him. He was so close. (Am I dead here?) He began to think along those lines. As he was getting ready to accept fate, an ominous feeling erupted next to him.


    An explosion of black erupted from The Wolf. If one looked close enough, they could see blood beginning to drip down his neck.


    Thinking that his time was up Zef closed his eyes. He was content. Living the lavish life of a high ranking adventurer, Zef was convinced he lived a good life.


    ("But to think I let such a strong opponent out of my hands...")


    Regret. Who cares about living a good life? Money? Women? Fame? He doesn''t need any of it. Zef became an adventurer for one purpose. To test his limits. To fight strong opponents. Slowly but surely he began to rise to the top of humanity. Some would say even surpassing it.


    (One more chance. Just give me one more chance. Give me one more minute- no. Thirty seconds is all I need. Not. Like. This.)


    Zef put forth everything he had into moving. He will not die yet.


    So desperate to get control of his unresponsive body, Zef was screaming inside. If only he had realized.


    The Wolf was gone.

 Chapter 5: Wolfs Cub

    In the middle of a dense forest, The Wolf sat at the bottom of a tree. He leaned his back against the trunk and took off his mask.


    Streaks of blood were running down his cheeks. Dripping to the ground from his chin.


    "The rebound... never again."


    He looked upwards and closed his eyes as he recalled the events that just happened.


    Zef was less than a second from cleanly cutting him in two. Sacrificing his life essence for power, he was able to cast [Paralysis] as well as [Teleport] in order to escape the situation.


    "I probably could''ve killed him after [Paralysis]..."


    After casting the spell, The Wolf hesitated for a second and decided to escape instead. Feeling the pressure of magic being built up again on top of the canyon as well as the presence of more adventurers running over, he may have taken out Zef, but he wouldn''t be able to get out afterwards.


    He sighed once more as he slowly got up. The place he teleported to was a forest near the edge of the continent. It was a fairly popular forest due to the amount of high ranking monsters and beasts residing within. However, with such living creatures within the forest, much of it was still undiscovered.


    Deep within the forest is where he found it. A small dungeon that completely blended into its surroundings. When he started off on his own, he stumbled across the dungeon on accident. Living inside were a peculiar race of demons. He never came across them before. He was ready to fight with the intention to die at any moment and yet, though it was hard, it was much easier than he thought. The Lord residing in the dungeon had very little monsters under his control. With mostly those of the demon race in the dungeon, it surprised him that they were also quite weak. Demons he encountered before hand put up quite the fight, but not these.


    As he was recalling the first time he encountered the dungeon, he already arrived at the entrance. The type of dungeon he found was an underground one. Having a staircase that led below, he started making his way down. But suddenly, he felt a strange presence.


    (It''s been over three years since I''ve been here so it wouldn''t be strange for other monsters to have wandered in but...)


    Something felt off. He couldn''t pinpoint what the presence he felt exactly was which made him a bit concerned. In his current state, he was positive that he would be able to at least run but, there being a chance it would overwhelm him, he had to be cautious.


    As he continued down the stairs he saw it. Corpses of monsters and beasts lay on the ground. Evidence of a fight. However, the corpses couldn''t have been more than a few days old.


    As he made his way to the opening room, a different corpse lay below him.


    "Demon huh..."


    The corpse of a male demon with half his face ripped apart lay before him. Looking at how the corpses in the room were all scattered about, the way they were facing, and what they were doing, he was pretty confident.


    "Looks like the demons were not expecting this place to be the home of beasts. Were they maybe survivors of when I cleared this place out...no. They look to be of a different tribe from back then... survivors of other dungeons perhaps?"


    The Wolf concluded that the only reasonable answer would be that these demons were survivors of the dungeon raids and ran here for shelter.


    "Maybe that''s why there was more information here about dungeons than in other ones. This was more of a shelter than a dungeon."


    (Also explains why they didn''t put up much of a fight)


    The dungeon The Wolf found turned out to be a place where all Lords would gather to share information. It was also a place for them to fall back to should, in an unlikely event, they were pushed back. But that''s something he''ll find out later.


    "Oh? That strange presence.. Keeps changing?"


    As he continued through the dungeon, more and more bodies were laying dead. Men, women, and children of the demon race lay ripped apart and some even partially eaten. Less and less beasts were found as he went deeper and deeper.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "To think they lost so many. They couldn''t have fought anything too strong.. though these demons aren''t really fighters..."


    Despite the demon race being known for its fierce warriors, it didn''t mean that they all were. Looking at the builds of the demons who were still recognizable, he could tell that they were not of the fighting force. Yet, even despite that, each one would be stronger than the average human.


    As he finally continued to the last area within the dungeon, he saw it.


    Standing near the corner of the room, a wolf twice his size had it''s back facing towards him. He seemed to be distracted by something in the corner where he was facing.


    What a cruel joke.


    A Ferox Wolf. It was no wonder he couldn''t make out the presence he was feeling. A Ferox Wolf is part of the unique category of monsters and beasts within the adventurer guilds. Things in the unique category have unpredictable traits. One of the most common trait in this category is what is known as Survivors.


    Survivors have one known trait, growth. These monsters and beasts get stronger through killing other things. Should the hunt of Survivors be done correctly, they will never become a real threat to the public. However, should one manage to slip by and continue to grow... the damage could be devastating.


    Ferox Wolves were Survivors. Starting off as young cubs, they would average a range between D-Rank and B-Rank. The highest ranked Ferox Wolf recorded by the guild was A-Rank. It was noted that it worked together with another pack of wolves to attack a small village on the far outskirts of the Kingdom of Khajel. As soon as the attack over the village finished, it wiped out the pack it was in. It then proceeded to kill every monster, every beast, every living thing in its path growing rapidly.


    It was recommended that in order to defeat a Ferox Wolf, to hunt in as small a party as possible or to have very competent members. If anyone were to get careless and die, the growth would be instantaneous. As it''s easier to move in a smaller party, unless you''re trying to completely overwhelm it, it''s better to control the pace and slow the fight.


    The A-Rank Ferox Wolf was brought down by an S-Rank adventurers party. With one S-Rank, two A-Ranks, and a B-Rank, they were able to defeat the wolf. Though that was quite the overkill, it wouldn''t have been necessary for them to do such if it weren''t for the fact that the Khajel Kingdom sent in their own forces to deal with the wolf only to lose over 30 men.


    Backing the wolf into the corner, all it took was a mistake from one knight to die to instantly turn the tides of the fight. One knight turned into five. Eventually turning into the entire unit of 30.


    Feeling the aura of the wolf before him, he knew it was higher than rank A. But to say it would cross into rank S... he wasn''t sure. The mix of auras of everything he''s killed made it even harder to tell.


    "He probably killed the beasts living in here as well as the demons... it usually doesn''t get this bad considering they don''t grow much from killing humans or low ranking beasts but killing demons..."


    The aura emanating from the wolf was terrifying. If one were to encounter the wolf for the first time, they would without a doubt be killed. Luckily, a Ferox Wolf''s fighting ability wasn''t actually that terrifying. It was the pure strength and speed they got. The most dangerous thing to do against a Ferox Wolf is to underestimate it''s strength and speed and not give it your all. It''s truly a battle of all or nothing. But, if it''s a battle of strength...


    "I guess this won''t be too bad. It''s not even looking at me let alone, has it even noticed me? What is in that corner?"


    He pulled a dagger out of the air next to him. Including the hilt, the dagger was about one and a half kels long or the length of his forearm. The blade had a unique curve as well as being surrounded by a powerful magic aura. At the end of the hilt, a small wolf head was attached. It was quite eccentric.


    The Wolf lowered himself closer to the ground as he slowly began to move towards the wolf in front of him.


    It still didn''t even turn around.


    As he arrived at the hind legs of the wolf, he quickly lunged forward. With no hesitation he plunged the dagger into the side of the wolf''s neck, twisted, and ran it across to pull the blade out.


    Without even making any sound or movement, the wolf just collapsed to the ground.


    "That... what just happened? Why didn''t it do anything?"


    The wolf lay dead, blood continuing to pour out of the wound on it''s neck.


    WIth the threat of the wolf confusingly dealt with, The Wolf looked at the corner of the room.


    At the place the wolf was looking at before it was killed was a barrier. Completely covered in a black aura, the barrier was still holding strong.


    "Atera magic including enchantments.. No wonder the Ferox Wolf wasn''t moving... [Restrain]."


    The barrier was covered in an aura of [Restrain]. If one were to carelessly touch it, the effect would be instant and brutal. Especially with the use of atera, they may not come out of the stasis for weeks even months.


    Applying [Resistance] to himself, he placed his hand atop the barrier. It wouldn''t be good for him to be locked into place on accident until either the magic ran it''s course or he died. Closing his eyes, he took deep breaths to control his breathing. In order to break the barrier without accidentally destroying whatever it was protecting, it was safest to guide the atera into the atmosphere and have the barrier slowly thin out.


    Atera could not be absorbed. In fact, if he were to absorb it, he would go through excruciating pain that may kill him. Atera was completely unique to every living thing. They all had it, but each one was different.


    After about thirty minutes, the barrier finally disappeared.


    Inside the barrier was a demon woman. She had long silver hair and a beautiful face. Her pale skin nearly glowing in the dim dungeon. Her clothes were torn in certain places and claw marks gouged out her flesh. Yet even despite all that, it was clear she was beautiful.


    "To use atera, and looking at her condition, she was backed into a corner huh... quite literally too."


    The demon woman was curled up with her back facing the outside.


    "She must''ve been really scared."


    Checking to see if there were any signs of life in her, he crouched down and reached his hand out. Right before he touched her, two small hands jumped out from underneath the demon. Grabbing onto his outreached hand, a small demon looked at him.


    Looking straight into the demon''s eyes, it was clouded with killing intent. The Wolf paused for a second. Then slowly tried to pull his hand back. The demon let go of his hand continuing to glare at him.


    "She was desperate to protect this little girl I guess.."


    The small demon was a young girl. With silver hair similar to the woman''s, it was likely that she was the daughter of the demon woman. The only difference was one thing, her horns. She didn''t have any.


    (A Demon Val...)


    Demon Vals were a race of Demons. While there were many different races of demons, ranging between draconic, vampiric, and many others, Vals were those with similar features as humans.


    She kept glaring at him, watching his every movement. She looked to be no older than an 8 year old human girl. Maybe even younger. Her hair was messy, skin dirty, and clothes ragged. But the light in her eyes were shining with power. The look of preparing herself to throw her life away to protect her mother.


    (Being a Val she should at least know human language I suppose. They''re trained to blend in with human societies after all..)


    "Hey, what''s your name?"


    Her eyes didn''t waver. Continuing to glare at him as if to look directly at his soul, her dry, cracked lips moved slowly.


    "Kaija..."


    "Kaija... what happened here. Are you okay?"


    "...Name."


    "?"


    "What is your name?"


    A soft yet powerful voice. Gentle yet direct. One shouldn''t be fooled by appearances. Even if it is that of a small child.


    (My name huh?)


    With a slight pause, he responded.


    "Akylus. Akylus Fall."

 Chapter 6: A Cubs Path

    Kaija was sleeping next to the fire. The area around her eyes were completely swollen. The bottom of her hands were a bright red. It¡¯s nearly unbelievable that the same girl who was throwing a tantrum is the same girl sleeping so peacefully now.


    After encountering Kaija, Akylus started clearing out the dungeon of corpses.


    ¡°What do you want to do now Kaija?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Are you gonna stay here or leave?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m gonna protect mom¡­¡±


    She held onto her mother''s head, pulling her close to her chest. This girl wasn¡¯t stupid, she knew the condition of her mother.


    (Sigh¡­ I understand she can¡¯t let go but¡­)


    ¡°... I see¡±


    Akylus could only give a look of sympathy towards the girl holding her mother. He never felt any hatred towards demons like many others. He lived by the motive of ¡°if I am attacked, I will attack back.¡± A simple motto to live by. Even when conquering the dungeons with the Kingdom¡¯s military, he never actively sought out the residents in the dungeon who were not fighters. If he had his way, he wouldn¡¯t have even fought against the Lords. All he wanted was to live a secluded life with his family who was still in Tahtil.


    (I wonder how they¡¯re all doing)


    When Akylus took on the persona of The Wolf, he made a mistake. He revealed his home village on accident. He was still young and stupid and never thought far ahead. No one from Tahtil knew who The Wolf was but that Akylus just went off to the main city to become an adventurer. He¡¯d visit a few times a year with money to help the village maintain their daily life. He kept his identity as The Wolf hidden from his family and friends as to not worry them of the work he does. For all they knew, Akylus was just a beginner adventurer that¡¯s continuing to grow. After all, he wasn¡¯t very extraordinary when he lived in the village.


    (Now that I can no longer be The Wolf, maybe it¡¯s time to go back a bit more often)


    As he got lost in his thoughts of his family, he heard a weird sound.


    ¡°Guuuuuuu~¡±


    ¡°. . .¡±


    He looked towards the source of the sound only to see a red faced little girl with her eyes starting to water.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    Not a sound. Refusing to even look at his direction, she continued to stare at the ground.


    ¡°Shall I make something for us to eat?¡±


    ¡°...nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, just give me a bit alright. I¡¯ll make something for us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stull refusing to look at him, Akylus got up and made his way towards the Ferox Wolf.


    Beasts like the Ferox Wolf were edible if cooked well enough. It can¡¯t be said that Ferox Wolves were considered a luxury but, that¡¯s only because the common rank was around C. Being a more physical-type beast at that rank, the meat was tough, and the odor was strong. It was definitely an acquired taste. But the higher the rank, the better the taste and quality. This was due to the increase in magic within them. Though, not all high ranking beasts were considered delicacies, those with massive amounts of mana typically were.


    These beasts however, were not eaten for their taste. It was only an illusion of such a sensation. What was actually ¡°delicious¡± about them was the feeling of powerful mana running through your body with every bite. Though many have tried, this mana could not be used. It would enter your body and leave with every breath. At first, people tried to retain the mana within them, but no one knew how. So they tried to use it as a battery, casting spells as they ate, but it didn¡¯t work at all. After many experiments and tests, they gave up. They believed the beasts mana were just something that was meant to be given back into the atmosphere.


    This caused for beasts being caught alive and butchered right before being eaten. In order to retain as much of their mana before it disappeared, adventurers specialized in hunting beasts would capture them alive and bring them back to their requester. Here, they would be kept alive until they would be needed.


    Akylus made a small wood fire to prepare the wolf. Leaving the skin, fangs, and bones aside for materials, he made sure to thoroughly cook the meat.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    As he let the food cook, he began again, clearing the dungeon of the dead corpses. He took the good looking materials from the beasts and dragged what remained outside. Creating a much larger fire, he threw the bodies on the fire burning them to ash.


    ¡°We¡¯re not keeping them for food?¡±


    Kaija had a confused look on her face. She couldn¡¯t understand why he would waste so much.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any way to preserve them. They¡¯d only spoil. Also, if we burn them then they won¡¯t attract other beasts or monsters. A few might still come if they have a good sense of smell but, we should be fine.¡±


    Akylus continued to toss the bodies as he explained his actions.


    When he threw the last beast on the fire, his face twisted a bit.


    (We should burn the demons too but¡­)


    He looked at Kaija who was holding onto the end of his shirt. He didn¡¯t know when the girl got so close to him but he didn¡¯t mind. After everything, company was probably what she wanted most.


    It seems she knew what Alylus was thinking about too. She looked up at him with big eyes. She bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering.


    (Were kids always this smart at her age?)


    Trying to remember what he was like at her age, he felt the urge to bash his head into a wall.


    (Aahh¡­ embarrassing¡­ embarrassing¡­I couldn¡¯t have been that stupid¡­)


    Shaking his memories away, they went back down into the dungeon. The smell of food wafted through the air. With very little ventilation, it¡¯s aroma easily started taking over.


    Deciding it was time to eat, Akylus sat down to take a break. He handed a piece of the cooked wolf to Kaija.


    ¡°Make sure to blow on it okay? It¡¯s still a little hot.¡±


    Kaija just stared at the piece of meat in his hand. She looked reluctant to take it.


    (Is she actually not hungry?)


    Just as he was thinking that, she slowly reached her hand and, in the neatest way possible, picked the meat with the tips of her fingers.


    (Wait¡­ there¡¯s no way¡­ is she not just a lower class demon?)


    Was she not just a common Val?


    The more he thought about it the more it made sense. Even if atera was used, her mother was still quite skilled. It wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if she was as well. Especially how uncomfortable she looks eating with her hands. From what he knew, the demon society and human society had more in common than one would normally think, including a class system.


    ¡°Fuu..fuu..¡±


    ---


    After they finished eating, Akylus once again began to clear out the dungeon. After explaining the situation to Kaija once more, she agreed that it was okay to burn the bodies. She said she didn¡¯t really know them very well as they all came from different areas. Outside of your own race, you rarely interacted with anyone else. However, the short time they were together traveling as a group and protecting each other, she grew a small attachment towards them. Even if she was okay with it, it was easy to tell from the look on her face that she already regretted her decision.


    Then came the hard part.


    Akylus walked over to where she lay. The mother of Kaija. Before even being able to take a step closer, Kaija jumped in front of him. Killing intent seeped out of her. The strong look in her eyes not wavering in the slightest.


    (This doesn¡¯t surprise me but...)


    ¡°Oi¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ touch her..¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t do anything about her¡­ there are some things in the forest even I have a hard time dealing with.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll deal with it! You told me you were really strong! But if you¡¯re so weak then just leave!¡±


    (Oi oi this little¡­)


    ¡°Look. Right now, your mother would want you to be safe. To be protected. If she knew she would cause you harm, how do you think she would feel?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Come Kaija¡­ it¡¯ll b-!¡±


    A fist straight to the face.


    ¡°Alright you fucking li...tt..le..¡±


    Akylus¡¯ voice drifted into the air.


    Tears were streaming down Kaija¡¯s face. Her arm, which was still in the air, lowered to her side. Her hands clenched into a tight fist making them red.


    ¡°It¡¯s all¡­ you-..you¡¯re.. fault!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you came-.. sooner! She wouldn¡¯t be dead!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so strong, yet you couldn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    ¡°I..-¡±


    ¡°USELESS! IDIOT! STUPID! WORTHLESS! IDIOT! IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT!¡±


    She lunged back at Akylus throwing her fists frantically through the air. They weren¡¯t fast enough that he couldn¡¯t dodge them but, he didn¡¯t. They weren¡¯t strong enough to hurt him but, more than likely, hurt her instead.


    Akylus didn¡¯t move. He took the hits over and over and over again. Eventually blood was on his face but, it wasn¡¯t his. Kaija¡¯s fists were getting so raw they started bleeding. He should¡¯ve stopped her. He should¡¯ve. It wasn¡¯t the first time something like this happened though.


    In the profession of adventurers, it wasn¡¯t unusual for help to be too late. It was a common occurrence at all guild branches. A person requests for help. Then days, weeks, even months can go by without a single person taking the quests.


    Goblins spotted by a small village? Too late, the village is already overrun. Boars destroying crops and land? Too late, they already completely destroyed everything the farmers had. Two high ranking quests at the same time? Unfortunately there¡¯s only one high ranking party. The guild won¡¯t send out under ranking adventurers just to die either. So there¡¯s just a high ranking beast waiting to be defeated destroying anything and everything in its path. But nothing can be done. There¡¯s just not enough people.


    Then the conscience kicks in. ¡°What if¡­¡± The question that ruined many lives.


    What if I worked harder? Would I have been strong enough?


    What if I didn¡¯t take my time? Would I have been faster?


    What if I didn¡¯t try to hide my abilities? Would I have beaten him sooner so I could¡¯ve saved more people?


    What if¡­


    Regret is an abyss that consumes those who look too closely. It is not bad to regret but bad to dwell. You cannot change the past, so you can only look forward to change the future.


    There was a chance that Akylus may have been able to save Kaija¡¯s mother had he done things differently. But he didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t save her and now she¡¯s dead. Her daughter, pounding her fists into his legs and stomach, and the blood dripping from her fists was the sign of his mistake. But he did not waver.


    (I¡¯m sorry..)


    He could only apologize to himself. He knew an apology would do nothing but make her angrier but, it didn¡¯t feel right not to apologize.


    Kaija¡¯s breathing started getting ragged. She was pushing herself too hard just on pure anger. It was getting dangerous.


    Considering her mother was able to use atera, it wouldn¡¯t be completely uncalled for if Kaija had an innate ability to do so as well. Before things get too out of hand, she had to settle down.


    ¡°[Sleep]¡±


    Thud.


    Kaija collapsed onto the floor. [Sleep] was a spell that induced sleep on it¡¯s target. It only worked on weak minded targets that were already fighting off fatigue. Using the influence that naturally made the body want to sleep, [Sleep] would give the mind a final push to stop resisting the feeling and eventually being completely influenced.


    Picking Kaija up and placing her near the fire, Akylus walked back towards the woman laying down. He crouched down beside her reaching out his arms. Before grabbing her he hesitated a bit, reeling back. Gritting his teeth, he picked her up with both arms supporting her legs and back.


    He carried her to the surface and stood before the fire.


    ¡°Tch¡­ I¡¯ll just deal with whatever happens.¡±


    Walking towards the nearest tree besides the entrance of the dungeon, he lay her gently on the ground. The birds began to sing as he proceeded to dig a hole.

 Chapter 7: Lone Wolf

    Black smoke filled the sky as a pile of dead bodies began to burn. The stench of cooked human flesh floated around, emanating a nauseous smell. No one wanted to be there but, out of respect for those who have been lost, everyone stood tall as they sent their brothers and sisters off.


    Elaine stood at the front with Melv at her side. Melv was pouring magic into the pile fueling the fire. With Vedious on top of the mound of humans, it was hard to stomach the scene. Not only were so many lost but, even more had died without leaving anything behind.


    ¡°Make sure they¡¯re burned completely.¡±


    Elaine gave Melv an order and left the scene. The once dry dirt at the bottom of the canyon was now the consistency of mud. The reasoning¡­ was obvious.


    ¡°If only I had a clear shot¡­¡±


    Elaine gritted her teeth as she muttered under her breath. She was suppose to be the backup and yet, she could barely do anything. Couldn¡¯t stop Vedious from being instantly killed. Couldn¡¯t stop Ava from being fatally injured. Couldn¡¯t help Zef finish him off.


    ¡°How could there have been no openings¡­¡±


    The Wolf¡¯s movement was swift. Every step he took gave him cover. The best she could do was try to predict where he would be.


    ¡°He matched the movements with the other knights¡­ maybe I should¡¯ve just taken the shot.¡±


    She continued walking through the camp, muttering to herself all of the things she should¡¯ve or could¡¯ve done. Occasionally, she would look around her surroundings only to see the faces of complete defeat and terror on the soldiers.


    ¡°No one would¡¯ve guessed he could summon that¡­ thing.¡±


    [Cataclysm], or so he called it according to Zef, was that black sphere that turned everything on its head.


    (How can he be good at both melee combat and magic¡­ years and years of hard work and dedication to even master one of them and he had mastered both?)


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but not believe what was in front of her. It wasn¡¯t unheard of that such cases have appeared. Stories of those able to use high level magic from the past or having high physical capabilities have reached her often. Yet, it was nothing like the stories she had heard.


    Walking over to the healing tent, Elaine called for the healers.


    ¡°What is Ava¡¯s condition?¡±


    ¡°Yes General! Ava¡¯s condition is... -¡±


    ¡°Out with it already, I¡¯m not in the mood right now.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes! Of Course! You see¡­ we don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with her¡­¡±


    ¡°What. Do. You. Mean?¡±


    The coldness of Elaine¡¯s voice did not match the smile she showed him. A chill ran down the spine of the mage as he stuttered his way through his words.


    ¡°S-s-see, w-we healed h-her wounds and l-looking at her physical condition...sh-she should be fine!¡±


    ¡°If you want to make this conversation as difficult as pulling teeth, that can be arranged. So tell, me, for the last time. What is the problem?¡±


    ¡°B-black aura!¡±


    ¡°Black aura?¡±


    ¡°Yes! The black aura around her¡­ it¡¯s subsided greatly compared to earlier but, there¡¯s a powerful energy coming from her and we think it¡¯s the aura.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what¡¯s making her not wake up?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re.. We¡¯re not sure but it¡¯s the only thing that would make sense.¡±


    Elaine¡¯s face twisted. These mages were under Melv. Specializing in healing, if they couldn¡¯t figure something out, they could only rely on their research team back in the kingdom.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Melv once we go back..¡±


    Walking out of the tent, Elaine could only look up at the sky as fatigue began to wash over her.


    ---


    Zef sat around the camp with the other adventurers. His other party members were not around as he wasn¡¯t expecting to even be here. His party was asked by the King to help clear the final dungeon near the the Kingdom of Yvnahal but, with the conquering of dungeons, adventurers wouldn¡¯t have as many jobs to do. So they declined. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Zef was later contacted by one of the nobles. He requested for Zef to kill The Wolf by assisting the kingdom. Apparently the kingdom had already planned on eliminating him despite his allegiance. They would have used him as much as they could then gotten rid of him. But the Kingdom was interested in the safety of the people over profit. This meant that more and more dungeons outside of the areas near the Yvnahal Kingdom would fall.


    Being offered a generous sum, Zef accepted the job. He figured with the help of the Kingdom as well as himself, he may not even need to assist much. An easy job.


    He couldn¡¯t have been more wrong.


    (Monster¡­)


    His movements were too fast. His decision making was too accurate. Even when he touched the blade coated in poison, most people would¡¯ve screamed from the immediate eating of flesh but he kept pushing on.


    (Useless knights. They gave him too much cover and that useless bitch wouldn¡¯t even take the shot).


    The mug of alcohol in his hand crushed under the strength of his grip and spilt all over the ground.


    ¡°I was weak¡­¡±


    Stronger.


    A smile slowly spread across Zef¡¯s face.


    (Magic that¡¯s never been seen before. Strength and speed that¡¯s nearly unmatchable. I wonder what else the little wolf has yet to show..)


    The grin on Zef¡¯s face completely exposed his canines. The fire in his eyes hungry for the next time he encounters his meal.


    Around him were a group of adventurers lying on the ground. Unable to stay conscious under the pressure of his aura, they fainted.


    ---


    There were four people seated around a table.


    ¡°According to the information I¡¯ve received, they were unable to get rid of him.¡± (1)


    The one to speak first was a skinny man with a cold voice. He looked at the other three people present as he continued.


    ¡°Even Zef was unable to finish the job and apparently he nearly died too.¡± (1)


    The tension grew thick. Zef was supposed to be there just in case. He was insurance. Even though they were paying him a large sum, they never thought he¡¯d actually need to do something.


    ¡°I told you, we should¡¯ve hired the mercenaries instead.¡± (2)


    The next to speak up was a large man. His golden hair being complimented well with the coordination of all the jewelry he wore.


    (How did he find a necklace that can go around his fat neck..?) (3)


    A younger looking man looked towards the person who made a comment. He could just barely hold in his look of disgust as he glared at the pig sitting across from him.


    ¡°I assume you¡¯re referring to the special mercenaries from the guild?¡± (4)


    The Mercenary Guild. Different from the Adventurer Guild as they mainly focused in combat. More specifically combat with other people. They were often used for wars with other kingdoms or as bodyguards however, there was a special division that only very few people knew about. Assassins. Not only were the assassins good at eliminating their targets, they were also known for gathering information that most would consider to be impossible to get.


    ¡°And how do you expect them to be able to go unseen with an entire battalion in their way you fa-.. Cough with an entire battalion in their way.¡± (3)


    Everyone in the room couldn¡¯t help but roll their eyes.


    (This boy can¡¯t even hold his emotions back in a civil discussion. His family is going to be ruined.) (4)


    ¡°Had he accepted the Kingdom¡¯s invitation we would have killed him regardless. We just took a gamble from what we knew of his personality that he would decline and thus the fight would break out.¡± (2)


    The blonde haired noble spoke again. He wasn¡¯t wrong. Although the Kingdom would rather have The Wolf under their control, they also wouldn¡¯t make a deal if he were to be eliminated altogether.


    ¡°Do we know where he is now?¡± (1)


    ¡°We have people trying to figure out where he teleported to. Apparently he spends a lot of time in the Unknown Forest. We¡¯re sending scouts to go as deep as they can.¡± (4)


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you all. Just send the mercenaries. Especially if it¡¯s in that forest they¡¯ll be the best suited for it.¡± (2)


    Everyone sat on his words. It¡¯s true that the mercenaries would more than likely be the best suited for such a task. On top of the possibility of going beyond what¡¯s been explored in the forest, it wasn¡¯t worth risking their own men.


    ¡°What about Zef? Knowing his personality, he¡¯ll probably want to have another go at him¡± (3)


    ¡°Let¡¯s have him visit that place.¡± (1)


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± (4)


    ¡°Apparently The Wolf¡¯s from a small remote village called Tahtil. I assume that¡¯s the place you¡¯re referring to.¡± (2)


    ¡°It is. We¡¯ll have him visit there and see what he can find. See which noble is in control of the village. Compensate him heavily. Hopefully we¡¯ll get some information or even encounter him there.¡± (1)


    ¡°What if the villagers won¡¯t speak or claim they don¡¯t know?¡± (4)


    ¡°Since he said he¡¯s from there it¡¯s unlikely we¡¯ll get nothing. Therefore if they won¡¯t speak, we¡¯ll just give them a light push. If it just so happens he lied about being from there, we can say that he traded innocents for his own life.¡± (1)


    The room went silent. A small village no one cared about was a small price to pay compared to the amount of money they made from the materials of beasts and monsters. It was something that must be done to, at the very least, lure him out.


    ¡°But, what if he doesn¡¯t clear anything anymore?¡± (3)


    (Why is he here¡­) (1)


    The young man who made the comment had a smug look on his face. From looking at how the other Noble Lords reacted to his comment, he knew.


    (Ha, these old idiots. If I wasn¡¯t here they¡¯d be wasting a lot more resources on this one person. What if he doesn¡¯t even clear them anymore? Then everyone wins and we don¡¯t have to risk anything else. Looks like making our family the biggest noble house will be a lot easier than I thought¡­)


    ¡°You don¡¯t get as stupid as that now do you?¡± (2)


    ¡°What did you say you fat fucking pig?!¡± (3)


    ¡°Shut up and sit down. And you, if you¡¯re going to call someone stupid you need to explain it to them. He won¡¯t know why you called him that unless you explain it. That¡¯s common sense.¡± (1)


    ¡°Hahaha, of course. That was foolish of me to think he would understand why it was stupid. Did you see the look on his face after he said it? To have the confidence after saying such a thing¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to show my face in public.¡± (2)


    ¡°You¡¯re all a bunch of idiots I swear¡­¡± (4)


    ¡°Why is my idea so stupid then huh?! Explain it so I can understand it since I¡¯m such a stupid guy.¡± (3)


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re on the same page then. I¡¯ll be happy to explain why what you said was completely stupid.¡± (2)


    The room waited for him to continue. The only disturbance was a giant vein that looked to pop at any moment.


    ¡°If we let him go, he¡¯ll more than likely end up going to another kingdom. Should that happen, either he continues to make a living off of materials, which would continue to ruin business here for us at Yvnahal, or worst case scenario, he helps another kingdom wage a war against us.¡± (2)


    It was still a bit of a stretch, but the risks were too high. Should he even slightly want to take revenge against Yvnahal, kingdoms like Khajel would jump at the chance. Especially when they find out how strong he is.


    The mood changed from its earlier one. Everyone, aside from perhaps one other, knew that wasn¡¯t a risk worth taking. They needed to get rid of him and fast. The best course of action would be the assassins. Just in case that fails, using the village as leverage is a safe insurance. Whether it¡¯s to lure him out or use him to become the enemy of citizens. He wouldn¡¯t be accepted by any kingdom easily.


    ¡°We need to decide quickly. I think we all agree that he needs to be dealt with in some way.¡± (1)


    ¡°I¡¯m getting the mercenaries to do it already since it¡¯s something we should¡¯ve done in the beginning. Someone else should contact Zef to check out the village, the other find out who the Noble Lord is for that village.¡± (2)


    ¡°I¡¯ll find the Lord and give him a generous compensation. Considering we barely know anything about the village, it can¡¯t be worth much. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be more than willing to accept the offer.¡± (4)


    ¡°You, contact Zef and tell him what¡¯s happening. I have the information of where the town is located so relay that to him.¡± (1)


    Everyone stood up getting ready to leave.


    ¡°The lone wolf dies.¡± (1)

 Chapter 8: Wolf Hunt

    The sun¡¯s rays began to peak through the trees of the Unknown Forest.


    At the base of a tree was a girl kneeling in front of a mound of dirt. Her hands were clasped together as she continued to keep her eyes closed. Laying in front of her was her mother. During the past few years, she and her mother were preparing for what was to come. Word spread of how home after home was being invaded and taken over. Though they didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be possible for their own home to fall, they still needed to prepare.


    Up to the last moment, where she protected her with her life, everything her mother did was for her sake. And yet, she could do nothing. Even after her death, she wasn¡¯t the one to bury her. All she could do now was pray in hopes that she is resting easy.


    Akylus was gathering all of the materials he had collected over the few days he¡¯s been back in the forest. Harvesting a large amount to sell to merchants and potentially the guild. He needed the money in order to pay for the upcoming trip he was going to take as well as bring enough money back to his home.


    Kaija walked towards Akylus as he was stuffing the giant rucksack with the last bit of skin, bones, and fangs that would fit inside. Noticing her presence getting closer, Akylus turned to look towards her.


    ¡°You ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Nn..¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be back soon. We¡¯re just gonna go visit my home village for a bit. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen them so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be happy to see I¡¯m visiting. Since you¡¯re a Val they won¡¯t even think you¡¯re anything but human so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t we go there instantly with that thingy you said you could do?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I used to be able to. But, just in case, I didn¡¯t want to show any connection between that village and here. Some people are very skilled in tracking magic so using [Teleport] would be a bit risky.¡±


    (Though I did say I was from Tahtil when I first started as The Wolf¡­ that¡¯s really going to bite me in the ass...)


    ¡°Tracking magic?¡±


    ¡°Erm¡­ how much do you know about magic?¡±


    ¡°My mom taught me a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm okay. I¡¯ll try to make it so you understand. So you know how when you use magic, you need to use mana right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid you know..¡±


    ¡°Okay okay just making sure¡­ Anyways when you use mana, you take it from the atmosphere around you into your body. You then use the mana inside you to be able to cast your spell.¡±


    ¡°..right..¡±


    ¡°But the mana that comes out after you cast the spell is different then the mana that you took from the atmosphere. If it were the same, people could just absorb your spell as mana.¡±


    (Though it¡¯s not impossible to do¡­)


    ¡°But then how does that make it so they track you?¡±


    ¡°Well, once they find that unique trace of mana, all they have to do is find another one. That¡¯s why it¡¯s actually easier to track rarer spells compared to common ones.¡±


    ¡°Oh.. it doesn¡¯t look at a person¡¯s mana to find them?¡±


    ¡°No. Everyone uses the same mana so it would be impossible to figure out who used it. But when spells are formed, the mana is manipulated and you can get an idea of what kind of spell was casted when feeling the mana around you.¡±


    ¡°... aaaahhhh I don¡¯t get it! You suck at explaining.¡±


    (... why do I even bother)


    ¡°What ever.. Let¡¯s just go already. You finish saying goodbye for now?¡±


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll head towards the boundary between Unknown and Known. Stay close and hold onto me okay? Once we get further into the Known section, there are going to be a lot more people.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go already~!¡±


    ---


    ¡°We¡¯ll arrive at the boundary in about 10 minutes. Start to stay close already just in case there are some people adventuring furt-¡±


    Something felt off. The feeling of being watched crawled across Akylus¡¯ skin.


    ¡°? What¡¯s wr-¡±


    ¡°Sshh! Quiet!¡±


    Akylus stood completely still. He closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. Within a forest, life was everywhere. Therefore the presence of life should be everywhere. Yet, for some reason, there were spots with no presence at all.


    Just as Akylus was about to be able to pinpoint the locations of what he was feeling other presences were moving towards him.


    (Monsters? No¡­ not beasts either. People? But this far in still¡­ well I guess it¡¯s not too surprising¡­)


    Feeling that they were headed straight towards himself and Kaija, he decided to wait.


    ¡°Stay behind me.¡±


    Kaija silently nodded her head. She wanted to ask what was going on but the serious expression coming from Akylus was enough for her to understand that something was wrong.


    Through the thick of the trees and bushes came two people. One was an average height medium build guy. He wore leather armor over his chainmail. At first glance, one would think he wasn¡¯t a very experienced adventurer but, those people would be wrong.


    His armor was completely enchanted. Making his armor that of the hardest metal and yet being weightless. The bastard sword in the hilt on his right side was nothing to scoff at either. It was clear from the high level enchantments that the owner was skilled.


    The one beside him was a beautiful girl. She had snow white skin and golden blonde hair. Tied in a ponytail behind her, it gave off a very youthful feeling. Her blue eyes stared straight at Akylus with warmth. Had anyone made eye contact with her for the first time, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise for their hearts to be stolen.


    Even Akylus may have been bewitched by such a sight if he wasn¡¯t completely taken aback by what she wore. Every piece of jewelry she wore was enchanted. Four earrings, six rings, a necklace. Even the staff she held in her hands was something only a select few would be able to obtain.


    The amount of mana flowing from the atmosphere into the staff through her body and back out was terrifying. It seemed to be that the staff allowed her to easily absorb mana from the atmosphere and even helped her body control the large amount absorbed.


    (It¡¯s good to be safe, especially when it¡¯s the Unknown Forest¡­ but, something doesn¡¯t feel right about them.)


    ¡°Whoa~ Look at the size of that sack! You really got a good haul today huh?¡±


    The man talked in a very friendly tone. It caught Akylus a little off guard.


    ¡°Er- Yeah I did. Watch out though. I think there was a fight between some beasts or monsters so a lot of these were things I found or I got lucky and just finished off some that were about to die.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°Oh? Thanks for the heads up. We were just about to go and scout the area for more information. You know, it¡¯s unusual to find anyone this deep in the forest. Especially one with a kid. What rank are you?¡±


    Akylus froze for a bit.


    (I really should¡¯ve tried harder to work with other people¡­ I might¡¯ve been able to recognize him and talk my way out of this¡­)


    ¡°..I¡¯m rank-¡±


    ¡°See, here¡¯s the thing.¡±


    He cut off Akylus and began talking.


    ¡°This is the Unknown Forest. I don¡¯t know if you know much about it but, it¡¯s called that because there are beasts and monsters here that no one can really deal with. Therefore, we cannot explore further and thus a lot of it is still unknown.-¡±


    Tension immediately built between the two of them.


    ¡°- And the guild only lets people of a certain rank even come close to here or, you could have gotten special permission from someone to enter. So either you¡¯re a high ranking adventurer that I just so happen to have never heard of or you have special permission. Which is it?¡±


    (This was too fast. There¡¯s no way they would¡¯ve been able to track me here so quickly. Think. Why would adventurers even help? Rank? Money? Unless...)


    ¡°Are you not going to say anything? I¡¯m going to take it that you¡¯re not either of them are you? You know, on top of scouting, we were actually hired to look for someone too. Problem is, we don¡¯t know what his face looks like and what he sounds like. You have any idea who it might be?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Honestly, who would¡¯ve known. What are you? Like 20? And your voice is actually a lot deeper than I thought it would be. But I mean come on. Are you stupid? No armor in this forest? Who would be crazy enough to do that?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What did it say again? ¡®Frequently visits deep into the Unknown Forest.¡¯ Well clearly since you were coming from within the forest with such a large haul you must know your way around here? Especially when you¡¯re so confident you can bring a kid along. Lets see¡­ ¡®Will have wound on right hand or a large scar.¡¯ And I mean, aside from those things, you¡¯re still wearing the same clothes described here. Didn¡¯t have anything to change into Wolf?¡±


    ¡°Kaija st-¡±


    ¡°Helen.¡±


    ¡°[Envalus]!¡±


    Tree roots sprung forth from the ground like a spear being thrown aiming straight for Akylus¡¯ neck. In a split second Akylus leaned back pulling his dagger out of the air and slicing the root in two.


    As more roots began to shoot towards him, he reached his hand forward and casted a spell.


    ¡°[Ignis]¡±


    First, a spark. Then, a wave of flames with Akylus at the center burst outwards around him. The roots from [Envalus] were burnt to ash along with every living thing in a hundred kel radius. Trees, plants, beasts, monsters. Anything that didn¡¯t react fast enough was burnt to nothingness.


    The charred ground was all that was left after Akylus casted his spell. As the smoke cleared through the air, two sets of people stood facing each other.


    Akylus twisted his face. He was hoping that they would¡¯ve been taken care of with just that. Along with the weird absent presences he noticed. But that would¡¯ve been too easy.


    ¡°What the fuck was that!?!¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°You just blew up the forest! What the fuck! Who uses something like that off the bat?! Aren¡¯t you supposed to save that for when you¡¯re cornered or something?¡±


    The barrier around them shattered. The pale face of the two adventurers leaving no room to guess how they felt about what they just went through.


    ¡°What? Why would I save something like that for when I¡¯m going to lose? If it can just deal with you all now, then be done with it.¡±


    The woman called Helen whispered


    ¡°Zak¡­he broke my rings, necklace, and staff. Where are they? We can¡¯t win.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t tell us anything about this. I just thought we were going to have a chance to kill this bastard! But we¡¯re fine. There¡¯s no way he has anything more than that. Didn¡¯t you hear him? He just used everything to get rid of us instantly. Had he made you fight, you might¡¯ve not been able to have enough strength to throw up the barrier. This guy really is an idiot.¡±


    Zak slowly pulled his sword from his hilt and pointed the end towards Akylus.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want her to get hurt, move her to the side.¡±


    Akylus looked down towards Kaija. She was trying her best to hide the fear on her face but it was still all too clear.


    ¡°Go wait over there. It¡¯ll be over quickly.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If they can barely protect themselves from that, it won¡¯t take long.¡±


    Akylus smiled warmly towards Kaija. She could only stare back as he slowly walked forward pulling a second dagger out of the air.


    ¡°[Reinf-¡±


    Akylus flew across the burnt field.


    Bouncing multiple times off the ground, he barely managed to land on his feet.


    In the place where Akylus last stood was a hooded figure. Covered from head to toe in cloth, the figure slowly lowered his leg that sent Akylus flying.


    He was one of the things with the missing presence. Had Akylus not noticed the odd presences earlier, he may have taken fatal damage.


    Akylus shook both his hands at his side. His forearms had giant red marks in the shape of a foot. Had he not felt the pressure of the wind at the last second, he may not have been able to get back up.


    ¡°You¡¯re kind of late aren¡¯t you?! Look at the shit he did! What if we died!?¡±


    ¡°Enough. We can take care of him now. Stand aside and cover us just in case.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? Do you know what would happen if people knew that I killed him? I¡¯d become fucking famous! Look at him! He almost died just from that. I can take care of him now.¡±


    ¡°Your job was to-¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I¡¯ll complete the job right now! All he can do is hit hard but, clearly he can¡¯t even take a hit. I mean all you did was kick him!¡±


    ¡°... Fine. But if he looks to escape we¡¯re interfering.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    While the two were talking amongst themselves, Akylus¡¯ mind was racing.


    (What the fuck was that kick? If I didn¡¯t block it, I think I would¡¯ve just passed out on the spot.)


    Akylus opened and closed his hands repeatedly. Regaining the feeling into his arms he called forth his daggers once more.


    (If there are more than a few of them, I need to end this fast.)


    Zak slowly walked towards Akylus.


    Akylus slowly walked towards Zak.


    The gap between them became smaller and smaller. Zak started speeding up. He picked up his pace into a fast walk, then a jog, then a full on sprint. He pulled out a small dagger in his left hand now dual wielding his sword and dagger. No more than ten kel away from each other, Akylus made his move.


    ¡°[Aevis]¡±


    Swinging his daggers to form an X shape, two blades of wind flew towards Zak.


    Zak immediately dropped his right shoulder and spun in the same direction narrowly escaping the blades of wind. Only to meet a barrage of attacks.


    ¡°[Aervum], [Aeztel], [Aexil].¡±


    Zak lifted his head to look towards Akylus only to be met with a searing pain in his shoulder. Then suddenly, he was looking up at the sky. Before he even knew what was happening, the fight was ending.


    But it wasn¡¯t over.


    A blue blade of wind flew towards Zak.


    There was nothing he could do. All this occurred in under a few seconds, he didn¡¯t know what hit him.


    As the blade drew closer, the ground began to shake.


    In that split second, the blade made contact with a wall.


    ¡°[Teravius]!¡±


    Helen threw her hands up in the motion of raising something.


    As soon as they made contact, the blade exploded.


    A fiery blue explosion right between Zak and Akylus. Debris of dirt flew everywhere.


    ¡°Huh, she actually blocked it.¡±


    Helen stood still for a few moments, only to collapse to her knees. Sweat trickled down her face onto the ground. The look of exhaustion from just blocking an attack was already more than she could handle. With her staff broken from earlier, she wasn¡¯t able to gather enough mana in time and pushed herself to the edge.


    Zak lay there on his back. His eyes wide open looking up at the sky before him. Face covered in black debris. There was no courage from him any longer. Not even greed and selfish desires could force himself to get up. Even though he had taken little damage, his will was gone.


    The hooded figure looked at the two on the ground. It was clear they had given up. They would be of no help no longer. He quickly flung his arm in their direction.


    Helen collapsed to the ground.


    Zak continued to stare up into the sky. The blue sky began to dye in red getting darker and darker. It wasn¡¯t long before Zak could see nothing.


    Akylus looked at the two adventurers laying down on the ground. Each with a knife in their foreheads. He quickly turned his head to look at Kaija who could only cover her face and turn away. Despite seeing more than most kids her age, it was still too much.


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t able to do their jobs. They breached their contract and so they paid the price.¡±


    ¡°Was that necessary?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t concern you. You¡¯ll be long dead along with the girl you have over there. There¡¯s no reason to inform you on anything.¡±


    ¡°I see, how many of you are there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ none of your concern!¡±


    The ground beneath his foot cracked as he exploded forth towards Akylus.


    Leaning to the right, narrowly avoiding a strike to the head, Akylus began dodging a flurry of attacks.


    Suddenly an opening appeared as the figure took half a step too far forward. Using the opportunity, Akylus immediately moved in kneeing his opponent right in the stomach launching the body up into the air and flying a few body lengths away.


    But the attack would cost him.


    As soon as it landed, two knives flew towards Akylus¡¯ back.


    Feeling the intent of the owner of the knives, Akylus was just barely able to cast a spell.


    ¡°[Protect]!¡±


    The sound of metal clashing rang as the knives hit Akylus¡¯ back and fell to the floor. But, before relief could even arrive, Akylus had two hands grab and pull his shoulders back, only to have a knee dig into his spine.


    A second hooded figure held Akylus. With the full intent of snapping Akylus in half, the figure attempted to kneed him again.


    Akylus reached back and grabbed the figures arms, kicked himself up into the air and flipped backwards behind him. In that one swift moment, Akylus pulled his dagger out and pierced the figure in the back. He ripped the dagger from the back by pulling it upwards. Blood sprayed covering Akylus¡¯ face and clothes as the figure dropped to his knees and fell face down into the ground.


    Akylus looked up towards the one he kicked earlier only to be blinded by the blood dripping into his eye. In that split moment, a kick arrived in his side sending him flying. He tried landing on his feet but couldn¡¯t.


    (Shit. I think my ribs are broken)


    Holding the side he was kicked in, he spit the build up of blood in his mouth. Facing the hooded figure he saw earlier he slowly stood up. However, things only got worse.


    Another hooded figure appeared beside the first, and now a third. He could barely handle two and now there were three. The situation was looking grim.


    ¡°Ha..¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha..HAhaHA..¡±


    ¡°... what is funny about this situation?¡± (1)


    ¡°I think he¡¯s gone delusional from the situation he¡¯s in. Let¡¯s just finish this quickly¡± (3)


    ¡°HAHAHAHA- ¡®I call upon the sons and daughters I have killed-¡¯¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right, kill him! KILL HIM NOW!¡± (2)


    ¡°¡®- The fathers and mothers whom I have taken-¡¯¡±


    The three figures didn¡¯t know what was happening. For all they knew, it was the ramblings of a person who had given up. Yet the eerie feeling did not let them relax. Instead, they only grew dreadful. The distance wasn¡¯t far, but it wasn¡¯t close. They could get there fast, but not fast enough.


    ¡°¡®- I ask you to open your arms¡­ and welcome them to the family!¡¯¡±


    The ground began to shake.


    Then suddenly, groups of hands began to emerge from the ground around the hooded figures. Glowing in an eerie light, they reached and grabbed at their legs clawing at their clothing and skin.


    One tried to cut the hands with a thin curved blade, only to have it go straight through the arm.


    ¡°What is happening!?!?¡± (2)


    ¡°It¡¯s pulling me down! Help! HELP!¡± (1)


    ¡°We¡¯re just¡­ phasing through the ground! Please! Call it off! Make it stop!¡± (3)


    The three pleaded towards Akylus. Shouting, crying, begging. But it would never reach him. As they were too distracted to even notice that Akylus had already become unconscious.


    Only one person could move. And she was already running towards Akylus. Standing tall as the three in front of him slowly disappeared into the ground.