《The Reaper's Herald》


 Chapter 1: Abandoned

    The metallic taste and smell of blood assaulted Keith¡¯s senses. Every inch of his body was bursting with pain. It felt as if needles were stabbing him all over, repeatedly. Without a doubt, today was the worst day of his life. It was only supposed to be a simple expedition into the Kavala Wastelands to gather materials for the Craftsmen Guild. Yet why did he become a sacrificial pawn?


    ¡®Ah, it hurts. But why does pain have to bring clarity of mind? The memories, they are rage inducing.¡¯


    Keith struggled to sit up against a tree in this god forsaken place. Leaning against it, there was little he could do. His situation was dire. Focusing upon where he felt pain, he traced his hand across a long cut upon his right eye. He was extremely lucky that he hadn¡¯t lost his right eye. However, it would most certainly scar. Without a doubt his image was ruined. Even if he didn¡¯t consider himself handsome, a scar would not do anything to help him.


    Across his chest, shoulders and back, there were countless wounds. Some of them were lacerations, others were punctures. There were even bite marks and X-Shaped slashes. There was no doubt; they would all scar as well. All in all he was having a horrible day, his body ached.


    At the very least, none of the wounds were lethal. This was perhaps the only silver lining of this hellish outcome. But was it really lucky? Was it truly better than dying? Chances of survival were nearly zero.


    ¡®What I would do to have even an E-Rank Inherent Skill. It would definitely increase my chances... If I get out of here, I don¡¯t care if I die in vain; I will kill those trash Hunters!¡¯


    Keith began to chuckle as if he lost his mind, however, it never reached his eyes. They were cold, and devoid of any joy. How could he feel joy in his current situation?


    He was stuck in the Kavala Wastelands. It was a Planar Realm connected to Earth that wasn¡¯t too difficult for most Awakened. As long as they paid attention, had sufficient equipment, and used their skills reasonably well, even if they were alone they could survive. It was considered an E-Rank Realm, perfect for newbie adventurers.


    The problem was Keith wasn¡¯t even an adventurer, nor did he have any skills. He was an ordinary person. The only reason he treaded here was because he was essentially a courier. For low rank parties, he carried countless bags on his back full of supplies, equipment, and the loot that adventurer¡¯s gained throughout an expedition. Although his physique was decent, he¡¯d never fought anything from a different realm before. Rather, he had never fought in his entire life.


    At the Hunter¡¯s Association, there were rules in place protecting the couriers like him who were employed. He naively believed that he wouldn¡¯t encounter any danger¡­ Alas he forgot one thing. In a life and death situation why wouldn¡¯t the group sacrifice the weakest one first?


    He was experienced in this field. Despite him being a courier, he¡¯d been doing this since he was sixteen. While he didn¡¯t have ability, he did have experience and some knowledge he¡¯d picked up over the years.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The day started out like any other, he travelled with a group that the Hunter¡¯s Association assigned him to. Everything went smoothly, cores were being gathered, materials and loot were acquired, yet it was going too smoothly. He felt something was wrong. Despite his warnings, the group of novices refused to listen to him. After all, he was only someone who carried the supplies and loot, why should they listen to him.


    Parading ahead without any forethought, tragedy struck. A pack of Sand Wolves ambushed them. Sand Wolves weren¡¯t that strong, most E-Ranks parties could deal with them even if they were ambushed. However, Keith¡¯s group of novices were arrogant, they completely let their guard down. The formation collapsed, and after one of the group members was mauled to death, it was as if an unspoken decision was made. Keith was grabbed and thrown to the Sand Wolves while the rest of the group retreated to the portal that led to Earth.


    Had he not had two years of experience, Keith would¡¯ve died then and there. Luckily he was able to fall, roll, and stand up in a mere second. During that process he didn¡¯t make it out unscathed as his ¡°Companions¡± made sure to injure him first. Then he was thrown away in order to be used as bait for the Sand Wolves.


    Running for his life, although he was in a sandy area reminiscent of desert, he knew the area well as he had come to the Kavala Wastelands multiple times.


    Following a path he knew, Keith put up with his injuries, including new ones the Sand Wolves caused while he escaped. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Keith ran and dove into a river. With all of his strength he barely managed to keep himself afloat. The strong current threatened to drag him under.


    Around him, the water turned bloody. Predatory fish swam around Keith as he fought to stay above water. Eventually he was swept to a waterfall. Falling down the waterfall, Keith was exhausted, he felt as if he had inhaled water into his lungs. With barely enough strength to get out of the river, he dragged himself onto land and began to painfully cough up water. Thus, he was now in his current, deplorable situation.


    Keith had struggled to lean against a nearby tree; he was in a small oasis. Although the realm was known as a wasteland, there were small pockets of land which were capable of sustaining plant life scattered among the river¡¯s path. This oasis, although small, was one such place.


    Keith hissed in pain as he tore his shirt and wrapped it around the worst of his wounds. ¡°That hurts; the wounds are going to leave nasty scars. So much for scars being a man¡¯s badges of honor, these just show how weak I am.¡±


    After he dressed his wounds to the best of his abilities, Keith took a deep breath. Brushing his fingers through his thick brown hair, he gazed towards his surroundings. It seemed that one or two of the bags he carried had washed up on the shore. With any luck, they may or may not have anything he could use.


    Even if he was weak, even if he had nearly no chances of survival, he wasn¡¯t going to give in just yet. The Kavala Wastelands, it was the realm he knew best. Of the few realms he had come to know from being a courier, if he was going to be stuck in a realm, this was the one he had the best chance of survival in.


    With the aid the tree to support his weight, Keith forced himself to stand up. He then struggled to walk towards the bags. He was fatigued, and there wasn¡¯t a single place on his body that didn¡¯t hurt. But his mind hadn¡¯t broken down yet. Although faint, the will to live on was hidden deep within the recesses of his eyes. If fate wanted him to die, he wasn¡¯t going to just let it happen. Even if he wasn¡¯t Awakened, he refused to be a coward.

 Chapter 2: The Will To Survive

    There wasn¡¯t much in the supply bags. In the first one ¨Cthe smaller bag-, there was only a small amount of rations, a ferrous rod, a metal water canteen, and a basic first aid kit. In the larger bag there was a small iron dagger, one set of clothes, a cloak, and a few different types of materials harvested from the beasts that were killed.


    Carefully looking through the supplies, Keith sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯ll have to do.¡±


    Giving a cursory glance to his surroundings, Keith didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary. Even if he didn¡¯t have a sensory ability, he felt the area was relatively safe. Grabbing the dagger, Keith moved towards the nearest thicket. Although slightly damp, the plant-life was dry enough to be used as tinder. Then, he foraged for sticks, twigs, and other branches. With a bit of time and effort, Keith scraped the dagger against the ferrous rod until he finally managed to light the kindling with sparks. Soon enough, he had a small fire going. Placing the bags and their contents beside the fire, he waited for them to dry. After everything was mostly dry, Keith opened up the first aid kit. There wasn¡¯t much, just a few alcohol pads, gauze, and different medical ointments. It was things that ordinary people would use. If it were a party that was C-Rank or higher, they would most definitely have potions or other life-saving items.


    His wounds stung as he rubbed them with the alcohol pads. They quickly became bloody. Even if it was a stinging and burning pain, Keith still cleaned his wounds. It was better than having them become infected.


    Once the wounds were cleaned, Keith grabbed the gauze and wrapped the worst of the injuries around his chest and arms. Afterwards, he grabbed the pair of black trousers and shirt. They were a bit small, he even had suspicions that these might be for women based on how they fit¡­ if he had one. The thought of being caught wearing these clothes made Keith¡¯s face burn red with shame. Luckily, they were black, and were all-purpose; they should be able to pass as men¡¯s clothes... possibly? Keith sighed resignedly as he put on the clothing, it was better compared to his old ones which were in tatters, and smelled of sweat and blood.


    Donning the black cloak, Keith dressed in dark clothing was quite solitary and aloof from the world. In any city or town he would appear quite suspicious. Observing his reflection in the water, Keith didn¡¯t feel any particular emotion. His demeanor was calm and clear like the water surface before him.


    ¡°What to do? Leave or stay?¡± Keith said to no one in particular.


    There were only two choices. Both of them had their own risks. He could choose to stay, and fortify this small oasis. There was water, he knew the basics of making shelter, and it seemed relatively peaceful here. However, there was no guarantee he would survive without food. Despite being near a body of water he wasn¡¯t confident with fishing, he¡¯d never fished before. If he stayed here, there was the chance he would die a slow death of starvation.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    On the other hand, he could leave. The Kavala Wastelands was a realm he was the most familiar with. The life here, he had seen it. Even if he never fought, his knowledge wasn¡¯t any lesser than a Hunter. But this choice was also dangerous. Even more problematic was the fact he¡¯d never taken a life. Although he didn¡¯t know much about fighting, he did know that in a life and death situation, hesitation lead to death. He was at an extreme risk of such a situation happening. He didn¡¯t know how he would act when in such a scenario.


    Even if he knew the terrain, the gateway back to Earth was a vast distance away. He¡¯d already been in the desert for a few days, nearing one week. On a good day, he would be able to reach the gateway in a few days if he was alone, but with his injuries, it might take over a week.


    Stoking the fire on next to him, Keith weighed his chances. Turning his head towards the horizon, there was only a vast desolate wasteland before him outside this oasis. Such areas of water and lush plant-life were few and far between. In this desert full of death, his only friends out there would be the bones of corpses and the beasts that had learned to adapt to the environment. Even if it was an E-Rank Realm, it was still extremely dangerous. There was nothing keeping the Kavala Wastelands from mutating into a completely new world that he knew nothing about.


    Although extremely rare, realms were subject to mutation. They wouldn¡¯t necessarily stay at the ranks the Hunter Association gave them. The realms were like separate planets, yet at the same time they weren¡¯t. They weren¡¯t bound by the same rules that the Earth adhered to, no one knew why the realms were connecting to Earth, or what the reason was for their inhabitants trying to invade Earth. It was one of the most important subjects of research in this era.


    There were things that happened in these other realms that were more terrifying than anything a human could imagine. All of it could change in a mere second. Anything could occur. No one was ever truly prepared, no matter how experienced they were.


    After weighing his options, Keith resolved himself for the worst. He stood and grabbed the nearest wooden branch that he could find. It was roughly six feet long. Using the dagger he carved it until the tip became as sharp and pointed as he could make it. Then, rummaging through the bag with beast materials, he found the claws of some cat-type beasts. With some vine, a little creative imagination, and more carving, he was able to get the claws firmly secured on the opposite end of the branch.


    With one side, he could use it as a spear, and reversing it, using the other side he could slash with the claws. It would allow the weapon to act like an impromptu primitive halberd. Although it wasn¡¯t much, he felt safer with the versatility he now had in this weapon. Now, he just had to pray this weapon he created didn¡¯t snap in two the first time he used it.


    ¡°Alright, I guess I¡¯d better get going while I still have roughly seven hours of light¡­¡±


    Slinging the large bag over his shoulder, and tying the smaller one to his waist, Keith grabbed his homemade spear and the dagger. Walking to the edges of the oasis he was in, he observed the vast wastelands before him. If he was frugal, he could effectively make his rations last a few days longer. He was roughly a week from the gateway to Earth.


    With a resolute will, Keith strode forward, one step after another. He forced the pain from his wounds to the back of his mind. Perhaps he just signed his death sentence, but he didn¡¯t want to die without even attempting to escape. If there was one thing that he didn¡¯t want to be in this life, it was a coward. Even if others deemed him a fool or a madman, he didn¡¯t want to be seen as someone who gave up at the first obstacle.

 Chapter 3: Not Like Earth

    The sun began to dip below the horizon causing temperatures to plummet. Even though the cloak Keith wore was thick and prepared specifically for this change, he still shivered. Goosebumps began to dot his arms.


    ¡®Damn, I should have prepared better. Even a small fire would¡¯ve been helpful instead of having to suffer throughout the night waiting for dawn.¡¯


    There was no excuse. He should¡¯ve thought about such a situation and brought kindling and some branches from the oasis. It was common sense to do so when the weather would change drastically at night. Maybe he was stressed? Perhaps it caused him to make rash decisions. Either way, he would have to live with the choices he made; there was no reason to dwell upon past mistakes as long as he learned from them.


    Observing his surroundings, there was no place that was safe, so he chose to continue to trek onwards. There were a few outcrops of rock. Occasionally there was a crevice, or small cavern that was probably the home of some beast. Otherwise, there were only sandy dunes around him. But it wasn¡¯t the same as the sand of Earth. These types had multiple colors, each signifying a different effect. Brown sand was the standard of the Kavala Wastelands; it didn¡¯t do much and gave stable footing as if it was paved ground.


    When it was different colors, then it became more difficult. If the sand was reddish-gold, it was extremely flammable. Although he didn¡¯t know why, but something in it made this type of sand explosive. During the day, walking on it was like walking on embers, even with armored boots it was painful and tiring to traverse through.


    White sand didn¡¯t do much; however, it was extremely finely grounded like flour used for cooking. When the wind blew the sand created a dust storm, it would cause disorientation. Novice adventurers would not be able to tell left from right, and they would be blinded. The sand also stung the skin. While it didn¡¯t seem like much, for new adventurers at the E-Rank it could be deadly if they got into a fight. The inhabitants of this realm, unlike adventurers, were adapted to this phenomenon since they lived here and the environment posed little threat to them. But, these two types of sand were not the worst. There was one more; the turquoise colored sand was the deadliest. It released a scent into the air that dulled the senses and was like a tonic to the beasts of this world. Adventurers would be weakened, whereas the beasts would be strengthened. All too often, this type of sand was what caused a parties death.


    Keith had seen many newbies annihilated because they didn¡¯t gather information about the Kavala Wastelands. They thought that since it was an E-Rank Realm, they would not die. This type of thinking was the reason most parties could not advance past D-Rank, they did not have any cautionary thoughts.


    The Hunters Association refused to let anyone advance to C-Rank no matter how talented they were until that person or party learned that they weren¡¯t invincible. As such, nearly seventy percent of all parties were made up of D and E Rank parties. The other twenty percent was C-Ranks to A-Rank. The final ten percent was S to SSS Rank.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    It would usually take a near death experience before someone would learn their lesson. If they didn¡¯t die, they would benefit from their ego¡¯s being crushed, and eventually they would be able to advance to C-Rank if they didn¡¯t become cowards.


    Luckily, Keith knew this lesson well. Even if he was not even a true adventurer, or as they were called by the Hunter¡¯s Association, Hunters, he still knew not to be arrogant. He¡¯d seen far too many times the outcome of someone who thought they knew everything. There were three outcomes.


    First, they die. Second, they barely survive but are physically or mentally handicapped from the experience. Or there is the third outcome, which has the lowest chance to occur. These people survived, even if they were permanently crippled. These people changed not just physically, even their personalities would seem different. These were the few people that learned from having their ego¡¯s crushed. They would have a future, and surely advance to C-Rank and beyond if they chose to stay as a Hunter.


    Trekking onwards, Keith climbed a sandy dune. Off in the distance, from what he remembered there should be another oasis along the river. He was using the river as a landmark to travel back to the gateway to Earth. At the rate he was going, it would take four to five days to reach the gateway.


    Once he climbed over the sand dune, as he expected there was the oasis roughly eight-hundred meters away. Once he arrived there he would be able to rest for the night. The Kavala Wastelands was sinking into twilight. It wasn¡¯t quite night time, yet the sun had set and two moons were rising into the sky.


    The moment he started to head towards the oasis, Keith felt a sense of foreboding. There was no reason for it. He could never explain it, however whenever he had such a feeling, something will happen. The last time he felt this way, his group was ambushed by the Sand Wolves, and he was thrown away resulting in his current situation.


    Brandishing his weapon, Keith¡¯s eyes darted left and right. He looked up and scanned the sky then he looked at the ground. The sand was brown; he didn¡¯t have to worry too much about it. He would have stable footing. However, when he looked into the distance it was a vast expanse of white. Even if he walked it would still kick up a dust storm. If he were to fight there, he would be at a serious disadvantage. He would essentially be blinded. The beasts of this realm would be able to rely on their superior senses of hearing and smell.


    Keith didn¡¯t lower his weapon despite not seeing anything. Even if he couldn¡¯t see anything, it didn¡¯t mean he was out of danger. It might be foolish, but so far his ¡°Gut¡± feeling had never been wrong yet. Picking up his pace slightly, Keith stepped out onto the vast expanse of white sand, almost immediately small clouds of dust gathered at his feet as they sunk into the earth. Unlike the packed down brown sand, there was no stable footing here.


    Resolving himself to pick up his pace even more, Keith coughed slightly as he travelled through the white sand. Dust clouds gathered around him. When he was roughly two hundred meters from an oasis was when he heard it. Off in the distance, there was the sound of Sand Wolves. He had been tracked.

 Chapter 4: Course of Action

    Keith panicked. He threw all caution to the wind the moment he heard the Sand Wolves. He didn¡¯t want to have a repeat of what occurred only hours earlier. He frantically dashed to the oasis while furiously kicking up clouds of dust. They irritated his lungs as he heavily heaved air from sprinting.


    Sand Wolves were quite weak by the standards of Hunters, but they were still ranked beasts nonetheless. Unlike the Wolves of Earth, they were roughly half their size and their appearance was more akin to coyotes than they were wolves. A few Sand Wolves could face an entire pack of Earth¡¯s Timber Wolves without so much as breaking a sweat.


    They were vicious and cruel. Although they weren¡¯t very intelligent, Sand Wolves were unexpectedly cunning and full of guile. They were driven by nothing else save for their primal instincts.


    Typically, the easiest way to deal with Sand Wolves was to be in a group, and kill them off one by one while warding off the rest of the pack. If a Hunter was alone, then the best method to kill Sand Wolves was to mortally wound them with traps, then go in for the kill. Of course, all of this could be disregarded if the Hunter had overwhelming strength.


    However, knowing how to deal with Sand Wolves and actually killing them were two completely different matters all together. The worst thing a newbie could do was fight head-on against a pack of Sand Wolves; it was as if they were asking for death. This was especially true in Keith¡¯s case. As someone who wasn¡¯t awakened, fighting against Sand Wolves was no different than opening the doors of Hell and waltzing right in.


    ¡®What to do? What to do? Come on, think!¡¯ Keith dove into the Oasis grounds as he heard the Sand Wolves howls growing louder and louder. Clearly they had locked onto his scent. He was na?ve for assuming that they wouldn¡¯t track him. So much for two years of experience, he was certain that he¡¯d made even more mistakes than the ones he already knew of. All the rudimentary knowledge he¡¯d acquired from books and his real life experiences were all useless if he didn¡¯t know how to apply said knowledge.


    Racking his brains for any solution he could think of, Keith¡¯s gaze soon fell on the vines of the trees. He didn¡¯t have much time, only a few minutes at best. He didn¡¯t even have enough time to come up with a suitable trap, let alone build one. Fighting head on was suicide. His only choice¡­. Was guerilla warfare?


    Although he would never claim to be knowledgeable about plant life on Earth, not even to mention the countless other realms plants, he could say that he knew about the vines he was gazing at.


    Dashing to the nearest tree, Keith climbed it while ignoring the pain from his wounds. He could feel blood seeping through the gauze. His wounds probably had been aggravated because of his all-out sprint.


    Once he was roughly fifteen feet off the ground, Keith sat on a branch and tore vines from the tree. With multiple vines nearly ten feet long, he slowly began to braid them together while ignoring the howls of the Sand Wolves closing in. All life had to be tenacious in order to survive in a wasteland. This included the plants. Each of the vines was already individually tough and could resist the cuts of his dagger as if they were rope with steel wire inlaid within. If braided together, they would be even stronger.Stolen story; please report.


    Braiding three vines together, Keith wrapped it around his waist and interlaced it between his legs and thighs, creating something almost akin to a harness he could sit in. Then, he wrapped it around the thickest and most stable branch he could find on the tree he¡¯d climbed.


    Although it was primitive and created haphazardly in a stressful situation while under time constraints, Keith was roughly sixty percent sure that the vine and tree branch wouldn¡¯t snap under his weight. With the limited time he had to make his harness, he would accept those odds. Keith finally laid his eyes on the Sand Wolves beneath him. This entire time, he did his best to ignore them and their howling. He focused solely on calming his nerves and creating the harness.


    The Sand Wolves were emaciated and yet they still looked ferocious. With matted fur a golden-brown color, they blended into the surrounding desert. However in the oasis they were easily spotted. Their ribs protruded, and their claws were black. The eyes of the Sand Wolves were bloodshot and pure red. The red eyes gave the impression of cruelty and uncontrollable rage. White foam dripped from the lead Sand Wolf¡¯s mouth. It was the alpha and larger than the rest. Whether or not it was rabies or any type of illness he knew of, Keith wasn¡¯t sure. Luckily he wasn¡¯t bit by the Alpha Sand Wolf and he planned to keep it that way.


    ¡°Alright Keith, in order to survive, there is only one method, guerilla warfare. Take it slow. Don¡¯t let your nerves get the best of you. Most of all, don¡¯t hesitate or lose focus due to the sight of blood.¡±


    Keith gave himself a pep talk as he looked at the Sand Wolves before him. His chosen method was truly lackluster and had a high chance of failing. It was a reckless plan, but it was all he could think of.


    With his harness, he planned to gather momentum by swinging from one tree to another while striking at the Sand Wolves as he swung by. While he was used to blood and seeing things slaughtered, but doing it himself made him nervous. The worst thing he could do was hesitate to attack or kill, if he did it would cost him his life. Failure was not an option.


    There were many things that could go wrong. He could get tangled in the vines and his harness. His spear could easily break. Maybe the vine would snap the moment he jumped down even though it should be able to support his weight of roughly one-hundred and sixty five pounds. He was six feet tall, and still growing. His body was mostly muscle and well-toned. If he wore clothing, it was hard to notice his muscles. But when he was shirtless, his body would most definitely not be considered scrawny, even if he was a bit thin¡­


    Steeling his nerves and trying to kill off any emotions in his heart, Keith looked at the tree directly in front of him, and then he looked at the Sand Wolves below him. They already knew he was there. They had been trying to climb the tree and kill him for awhile now. Their yapping had long become white noise in his ears.


    Taking a deep breath, Keith brandished his weapon. His heart and mind were as calm as he could possibly be, despite this, his body still shook involuntarily. He knew better than anyone that he wasn¡¯t invincible. He didn¡¯t need the Hunters Association or anyone else to tell him that, he¡¯d already heard how useless he was all of his life. He was destined to do nothing, and go nowhere in life. He was supposed to die on the streets. Maybe those people were right, but if that was his destiny, he would fight it.


    Keith expelled all thoughts from his mind. Bone chilling fear invaded the depths of his body and soul as he shook. Taking one last deep breath, Keith tugged on his harness to make sure it was secure.


    Then¡­ he jumped off the branch.

 Chapter 5: Beast vs. Beast

    The moment that he jumped off the branch, Keith felt as if his life flashed before his eyes. Although in his subconscious he knew it was a mistake, he closed his eyes as he swung to the tree in front of him due to fear. It wasn¡¯t until he was half-way through his swing that he opened his eyes.


    He swung his weapon haphazardly, and actually managed to hit one of the Sand Wolves. With the portion of his weapon affixed with the claws, he caused a large wound by ripping into the shoulder of the beast. It was pure luck.


    Reaching the next tree, Keith grabbed onto a branch. Planting his feet firmly onto the tree trunk, it looked as if he defied gravity by standing sideways at a ninety-degree angle. Observing the general situation before him, the Sand Wolves were in chaos and constantly trying to jump and nip at him.


    Having survived one full swing and even injuring a Sand Wolf, a small spark of confidence began to ignite within Keith. His body no longer shook. Although he felt fear, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. He could do this. He didn¡¯t need to kill anything; he only needed to scare off the Sand Wolves.


    Letting go of the tree branch, Keith used his body weight as momentum to swing back to the tree his vine harness was connected to. However this time, he managed to keep his eyes open. Due to his speed the world seemed blurry, however this time, aiming for the brownish-golden color he saw as he swung by, Keith lashed out with the spear tip this time instead of using the claws.


    Returning to his tree branch, Keith¡¯s confidence began to grow as he observed his handiwork. This time, it wasn¡¯t just luck as he managed to target another Sand Wolf. No longer did they jump and aggressively attack him. Even if they were stupid compared to humans their primal instincts were still intact. They backed off, making a tight formation below him.


    ¡®I can really do this. Even if I must resort to killing, I can do this.¡¯


    Keith continued to jump down from his perch. He stabbed and slashed. Although he would sometimes miss, his confidence and accuracy began to grow. In a short time, the Sand Wolves didn¡¯t have a single pack member uninjured. Some of them were injured far heavier than others. One was even missing an eye.


    Surprisingly after he had caused such a wound by his own hand, Keith didn¡¯t feel sick to his stomach. Although the smell of blood, sweat, and earth was horrid he didn¡¯t puke. Neither did he puke at the sight of such grievous wounds. If there was one thing that he had gained from being a Courier, it was an iron stomach. He reckoned his stomach was as sturdy as any Hunters.


    With another jump, Keith dived towards the Sand Wolves, as he passed; he stabbed the Sand Wolf he¡¯d blinded in one eye. Using its newly acquired blind spot, he stabbed behind its left shoulder, piercing between the ribs into the heart. It immediately dropped to the ground.


    The moment the Sand Wolf died, Keith felt his body become abnormal, and he could have sworn he heard something in his head. But he didn¡¯t have enough time to think upon it. As he grabbed the branch to support himself, what he feared could happen was precisely what occurred.


    Snap!


    With a loud cracking and tearing sound, not only did his vine harness tear, the branch he was holding also snapped. He¡¯d forgotten one important thing. The vines were subject to friction. Grinding against the tree¡¯s bark, they tore and became weaker from repeated friction, they began to fray and tear. Finally, they couldn¡¯t bear Keith¡¯s weight anymore.


    Without anything supporting his weight, Keith fell. He didn¡¯t even have time to scream before he landed on the ground. Although he was momentarily shocked and stunned, he stood up. His weapon had broken in half.


    Grabbing the half of the weapon that had claws in his right hand, Keith brandished his dagger in this left hand. Even though he fell, the Sand Wolves didn¡¯t capitalize on the opportunity to attack him. He had injured them all to the point that their eyes instinctively followed his right hand with the claws.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    The Sand Wolves spread out in a half circle and slowly approached Keith. Their eyes remained on his right hand. They were wary of the weapon that had caused them all to suffer such losses. However, it wasn¡¯t in their nature to retreat, hence they remained in the area even before Keith fell.


    The confidence he built up had nearly been instantly shattered. With every step the Sand Wolves took towards him. He retreated one step until finally he couldn¡¯t retreat any further. He had a tree to his back. Fear welled up within.


    Perhaps it was the fear, or something else. But Keith did something completely unexpected. He turned towards the tree behind him and slammed his forehead into it. The pain was excruciating. Although he made sure to hit the tree only hard enough so that he didn¡¯t pass out, it still hurt.


    Keith looked at the Sand Wolves before him. Blood streamed down the middle of his face, dripping from his nose onto his cloak and hands. The Sand Wolves were shocked and couldn¡¯t understand the situation.


    Did their prey just voluntarily injure itself? What was going on?


    Keith, however, had no thoughts. His mind was blank. In that moment of overwhelming fear, he hit his head in order to calm himself. Using pain as a tool, he forced his body to focus on it instead of fear. His head hurt too much to think.


    Now, he gazed at his opponents before him apathetically. He didn¡¯t feel any emotions or even fear. He felt empty, he had no thoughts. Lifting his hands robotically, Keith once again brandished his weapons. However this time he wasn¡¯t shaking. Slowly he took one step after another, and advanced towards the Sand Wolves.


    Each step was heavy and full of vigor. Keith¡¯s gaze was cold and empty, as if he viewed his life and the lives of others as meaningless. With one final heavy step, with all of his weight he propelled himself forward recklessly diving into the Sand Wolves.


    The Sand Wolves didn¡¯t know how to react at first. They only followed their instincts. They weren¡¯t used to prey acting so erratically. They only hunted things of weaker than themselves. Yet at this moment, the prey before them seemed to emit an aura that suppressed them.


    They were stunned for a moment. Their instincts were useless in this situation. Something clearly weaker than them which had been injured took the initiative to attack their entire pack. It was utterly confounding.


    The first one to snap out of its shock was the Alpha. When it dove forwards to meet Keith in combat, the others followed suit. A battle without strategy, skill, or technique ensued. It was an utterly primal battle. It wasn¡¯t of man fighting beast, it was instead beast fighting beast.


    For every wound he took, Keith grew more ferocious until he didn¡¯t even care about his body. He was already wounded before he came to this oasis. Those old wounds hadn¡¯t even had a chance to begin healing before he encountered this situation.


    Keith swung the claws, and stabbed with the dagger. His cloak and tank top were torn to shreds. New injuries riddled his body. He howled and roared like a beast. Fatigue piled up, but he ignored it¡­ no he was oblivious to his heavy breathing and the sensation of his body feeling as if it was on fire but as heavy as lead.


    He was like a berserker, with no thought in his mind. Just like a beast, he fought on using his primal human instincts. The instinct for self-preservation and survival overwrote all feelings of fear that should have been apparent in his body. Keith was devoid of thought, and emotion. He swung his weapons over and over and over¡­ until finally¡­. He killed one, and then another.


    There was originally ten Sand Wolves. Although quite small, their large numbers were how they took down their prey. One was killed by Keith when he stabbed it behind its left shoulder, penetrating its heart. This time, with two hits of his claws and stabbing with his dagger, he managed to kill two more. There were only seven left.


    With the state he was in, Keith was essentially unconscious. However, if he had his wits about him, he would have noticed that the short burst of energy he gained after killing the Sand Wolves was extremely abnormal. He would have also noticed a mechanical sound ringing in his ears twice.


    Fighting onwards, Keith began to slaughter with his newfound burst of strength. Another Sand Wolves throat was slashed, leaving six left, then he swung with his claws until the branch snapped once again, causing the claws to scatter on the ground. Keith grabbed a rock the size of his fist and dove forwards beginning to bludgeon another Sand Wolf until it was like minced meat. Then there were five. Keith¡¯s body miraculously gained another small burst of energy.


    His wounds were grievous. None of them were mortal wounds. He normally wouldn¡¯t die from them as they were all shallow wounds. However, they had piled up all over his body, at this rate¡­. He was going to bleed to death. Yet Keith kept fighting without even a passing thought that he might die here on this night. The only light was the moons lunar light showering down upon him.

 Chapter 6: Voices

    ¡°Die!¡±


    Keith wrestled on the ground with Alpha Sand Wolf. With his legs wrapped around its stomach and arms wrapped around its neck, Keith squeezed as hard as he could. Only when the beast underneath him stopped moving did he release his grip. Checking for a pulse in its neck, relief washed over his body when he realized that there would no longer be any threats to his life¡­ at least for now.


    The problem now¡­ he was extremely tired. His limbs burned as if they were submerged in hellfire. He felt as if he wanted to puke. His body was now riddled with wounds all over his chest, shoulders and back. Across his leg, there was a long gash on his right leg. Bite marks were everywhere, especially on his arms.


    His body felt like lead. Keith slumped to the ground, unable to move even a single finger. He was too exhausted to think. He only wanted to sleep. Now it was all up to luck. He had no gauze; there were only a few shreds of it clinging to his body. Medical ointment would not stop his bleeding. Even though all the wounds were shallow, they could easily get infected. Blood was flowing too quickly, it was unable to clot.


    As Keith slipped into unconsciousness, his last thought was whether or not he would even wake up. It was quite possible he would enter the eternal sleep


    What he failed to notice, however, was the robotic noise resounding in his ear as he passed out. If he heard it, he would¡¯ve been able to realize this was the noise he had been hearing.


    While Keith was unconscious a white light enveloped his body.


    ¡°Host is unconscious and at risk of dying. Engaging one time only emergency protocols, engage in 3¡­2¡­1.¡±


    ¡°Sealing wounds... No errors occurred.¡±


    ¡°Regenerating blood in the body¡­. No errors occurred.¡±


    ¡°Healing wounds¡­. Error¡­ not enough energy, wounds will scar.¡±


    ¡°Final energy transfer¡­ Stamina recovered.¡±


    ¡°Emergency protocols now void. Host must survive with his own strength.¡±


    The moment the robotic male voice disappeared, Keith awoke with an extreme headache.


    He looked over his body in confusion, aside from a splitting headache, he didn¡¯t feel any discomfort with his body, and he even felt full of energy. No¡­ he felt as if he was in the best shape of his entire life.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Host, you have entered the ranks of the Awakened. Your abilities one time lifesaving protocol activated. From now on, please take extreme care to not die. You will not be saved again.¡±


    A woman¡¯s voice resounded in Keith¡¯s mind. It was mostly stoic, although it held a trace of annoyance. Keith screamed in shock. He heard every sentence that was spoken, yet it seemed unbelievable.


    However, screaming would do him no good. Keith stood up and walked to the river further within the oasis. His first priority was to see what he looked like, and see if there were any physical defects upon his body. The creepy voice in his mind would be dealt with later.


    As he walked Keith felt great. His body was in no pain aside from the headache. All his limbs seemed to be moving properly as well. But when he reached the river the joy immediately disappeared.


    He wasn¡¯t shocked; he could even admit that he expected his body to appear hideous. Keith looked at his reflection and grimaced. There were scars all over his chest, back and shoulders from when he fought the Sand Wolves. Now, he had added bite marks to the collections. On his face there was only the long scar across his right eye.


    Keith felt empty. He¡¯d been judged his whole life negatively by others. He had learned to ignore what others said about him and not care. Nowadays he didn¡¯t particularly care what others thought of him. Their words and disparaging remarks hurt, but he grew numb to it.


    But this¡­ this was a whole new level. It would take some getting used to. Luckily, he didn¡¯t have burn marks upon his body. He could wear long, dark clothing and hide the scars.


    Keith sighed resignedly. At the very least he survived. That was what matters, right? There was no use wallowing in self-pity. Instead, he turned his attention to his eyes and hair.


    What used to be thick brown hair and eyes had completely changed. His hair color had become snow-white. But his eyes¡­ his eyes went through an even more startling change. They had become a pale and sickly grey color. It was as if he was staring at death itself, he was startled by his facial expressions. His skin had become incredibly pale, but also quite smooth in areas that weren¡¯t scarred.


    As he looked at his reflection, Keith wondered if he was even looking at himself. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that his body contours and physique were similar and also the reflection mirroring his movements, he would have never believed this person was him.


    The person he saw appeared quite solitary. Even if he tried to smile happily, it appeared like a scowl. When he simply had a neutral look on his face, it appeared as if he had a perpetual frown. The grey eyes were piercing as if they peered into the depths of one¡¯s soul. They were like vortexes that sucked one in, trapping them for eternity.


    ¡°Is¡­ is this me?¡±


    ¡°Correct, Host has been saved due to your ability. Your current appearance is due to having been healed. Remember, it was a onetime feature and you will not be saved again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there is that too¡­¡±


    Keith completely forgot about the creepy robotic woman in his head due to seeing his reflection which had completely changed. This was worse than the change in features. Who would want a voice to make itself at home in their head?

 Chapter 7: The Divine Pillars

    Keith sat at the river bank. While it was hard to accept that his appearance had changed permanently, he could still come to terms with it. He could also still force himself to believe that he had miraculously been healed by some form of divine intervention.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    But no one would ever be able to immediately accept having a voice in their mind. Who would want some creepy robotic artificial intelligence reading their mind?


    ¡°Correction Host, I am not something as primitive as artificial intelligence. To be called as such is an incorrect. I am¡­ I have no name. Regardless, I am a manifestation of your ability.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Even though he¡¯d read books before on awakened abilities. This was a new one; there were no records of abilities like this. Why was he the lucky one?


    Inherent Skills were the norm nowadays, they were discovered nearly a hundred years ago, with their existence and the discovery of gates to other realms, magic was discovered as well. Nearly everyone had Inherent Skills. They were ranked like realms from E to SSS-Rank. Naturally, and Inherent Skill meant that someone was born with an ability. Whether it was making things float to them, or something that allowed them to shapeshift. There were all kinds of Inherent Skills. There was no limit to them.


    What made Inherent Skills different from Martial Arts and Magic was the fact that they didn¡¯t impose a drain on stamina or mana. Well¡­ from extreme repeated use they could cause one to become a bit out of breath and mentally exhausted, but they would have to consistently use the skill repeatedly, and rapidly in a short amount of time. This was null and void if the skill was a passive effect though, since it would be active at all times.


    Although rare, there were people that didn¡¯t awaken to some form of an Inherent Skill, even if it was E-Rank and nearly useless. This was because they could be inherited just like genetics. However, they couldn¡¯t be artificially implanted. Keith was one such person. Or at least he thought he was. He thought he would never become an Awakened.


    ¡°So what are you?¡± Keith asked, feeling as if this situation was surreal.


    As far as he knew, this was his inherent skill¡­. But then again, everything that had just happened left him numb. He didn¡¯t know what to believe anymore.


    ¡°Host, I am a part of you. Tentatively, I will regard myself as a part of your soul since I am fused with it. If you die, I will dissipate into nothingness as if I never existed.¡±


    ¡°I see, and then¡­ what is your purpose?¡±


    ¡°My purpose is to make you, in earthen terminology, a monarch.¡±


    ¡°Monarch,¡± That word grabbed Keith¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Yes, Monarch, a ruler is needed. You are the most compatible. You, who are of noble blood, have the latent potential to accomplish my mission left to me by my previous master.¡±


    ¡°Ha,¡± Keith laughed dryly, however, even if his face wasn¡¯t perpetually frowning, he wouldn¡¯t be smiling.


    ¡°I am no noble. I was cast out long ago. You chose the wrong person. I hate my bloodline. Those people do not deserve to be called nobles.¡±


    ¡°My apologies Host, I have misspoken. I have been with you from birth, I know everything about you. You are correct. Those people are trash and not deserving of their titles. But the noble blood I referred to wasn¡¯t theirs. I am talking about my previous master, who is also your ancestor.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    As the females voice resounded through his head, Keith could have sworn that she no longer sounded monotone. When talking about her previous master, her voice seemed to contain raging emotions. She sounded zealous and devout. Perhaps this voice had a personality? Maybe they were a living person before they became what they were now?


    ¡°Host, let me rephrase my wording. Even if you weren¡¯t a noble, you would still be chosen. I have been with you from the moment you were born; I AM your inherent ability... well at least a part of it. This is all thanks to your ancestor.¡±


    Keith scoffed inwardly, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you appear years earlier? I wouldn¡¯t have suffered nearly as much.¡±


    ¡°All will be explained when you learn about your power.¡± The woman sounded smug, which made Keith grit his teeth in anger.


    ¡°Since you have no name, I will call you Elena. Don¡¯t call me Host, it sounds weird.¡± Keith said while trying not to sound annoyed. He felt as if he was competing to win a verbal debate against Elena in his mind. As for why he chose that name, there was no reason. It was the first name to pop into his mind.


    ¡°As you wish Master, I too like the name Elena; it has a nice flair to it.¡±


    The more he spoke to this woman, Keith grew even more convinced that she was not emotionless and had independent thoughts as well as a lively personality. The emotionless robotic voice had all but disappeared. It must¡¯ve been a fa?ade.


    ¡°Speaking of which, who was your previous master, Elena? Rather, who is my ancestor?¡± Keith said suspiciously.


    ¡°My previous master was aloof from the universe. He was far too busy to interact with others. Hmmm, on Earth I guess you humans would call him Anthrus, the Divine Monarch of Life and Death.¡±


    The moment the name resounded, Keith swallowed involuntarily. Originally there used to be a debate about whether God existed. But after the realms came into existence, this question was answered. There were records of mortals who grew so powerful they ascended and became known as Divine¡¯s.


    They were semi-immortal. As long as they weren¡¯t killed by sickness or from injuries, they would live forever. They were essentially Gods. Their power was unfathomable. Most Divines mutually agreed they had responsibility to make sure that the universe was balanced because of the power and longevity of life they had. Of course there were many who also didn¡¯t believe this and used their power for personal gain. There were no such things as pure evil or good. After all there was the saying, ¡°The path to Hell is paved with good intentions.¡±


    Among the records of the Divines, there were four who were the most powerful. They were known as the Four Divine Pillars. They were Anthrus, Anastaya, Erados, and Syana.


    Anthrus was the most mysterious of the Divine Monarchs. It was unknown how strong he was. All that was known is he took his job seriously. He was the epitome of the Grim Reaper from legends. No one knew exactly what he did, but one thing was for sure, anyone that had ever angered him didn¡¯t live long.


    Anastaya was the Divine Monarch of War, Weapons, and Blood. It did not mean that she loved war and fighting, but she made it her mission to prevent needless combat that had no valid reason. Despite her overwhelming power, it was said that she governed blood because she cherished familial ties through blood. Her dream was that no family would ever have internal disputes that lead to bloodshed as long as they had the same blood.


    Erados, he was the Divine Monarch of The Elements, as well as light and dark. Fire, water, wind, earth, lighting, light, and darkness, he had absolute control of them. They were the basis of all realms. If they were disrupted worlds would become unstable.


    Finally Syana, she was the Divine Monarch the most loved and at the same time the most hated. She governed Judgement, Order and Law. Where there is chaos there is order and vice versa. Although chaos was inevitable, she made sure there was enough order in the realms. From order arises civilization. If there is only chaos, then there is only destruction.


    No one knew what happened to the Divine Monarchs. Records state the four vanished without a trace. There were still Divines even to this day as any mortal can ascend. Despite Erados being the Divine Monarch of Elements, there were many Divines that governed fire. There wasn¡¯t a limit to how many rulers there could be for a given universal law.


    When Elena said who her master was Keith had a sinking feeling.


    ¡°Elena, what happened to Anthrus?¡±


    ¡°He died along with the other four pillars. Anthrus, Anastaya, Erados, and Syana, they all died hundreds of years ago. Why do you think the realms and other planes of existence are all so chaotic right now? It is not supposed to be so easy to travel to other planar realms.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°I am not authorized to tell reveal this. You¡¯re far too weak. But, when you gather enough power Anthrus left behind a message for his descendant. It holds knowledge not recorded in history.¡± Elena said seriously.


    Although he was still confused, Keith began to understand. The pieces were beginning to fall into place. Although there was much that he still didn¡¯t know, he had a suspicion this creepy woman would be with him for a very, very long time to come.

 Chapter 8: Inheritance

    Keith travelled towards the gate of the Kavala Wastelands. For the past few days though, he had moved at a slower speed. Instead, he opted to train himself since he became awakened.


    Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t feel any problem with killing. The guilt he should have felt was not there. Whether he would feel guilt from killing another human was an entirely different problem.


    During these few days, he had acquired useful knowledge from Elena and acclimated to having her constant chattering in his head. She was right; Artificial Intelligence was a term that was an insult to her. She was far superior and even had her own personality. Her voice was like white noise, after a few days together he could tune it out if she grew annoying.


    Apparently the reason his Inherent Skill never awakened was because it mutated due to her. He had actually inherited that disgusting family¡¯s skill. In Wraithos City, there were four families who were considered ¡°Noble¡±.


    The Windsor Family, their wealth was immeasurable. They owned the Heavenly Wind Auction House. As long as someone had enough money, they could acquire anything they wanted. Of course the money wasn¡¯t paper money; rather it was mana gems or rare commodities used as mediums of exchange.


    The Graves family was the most secretive. Not much was known about them. Their power was hidden; no one knew how powerful they were. Word of mouth and rumors stated they were in the assassination business, but no one was truly sure.


    The Hellflame Family was the rowdiest of the four families. They were impulsive, violent, and chose to talk with their fists, magic, or skills rather than actually talking. In pure military might, they were probably the strongest of the four families by relying on their inherent skill, Hell Flame.


    Finally, the Silvermoon Family, they were the family that Keith hated the most. Why? He was a useless young master who was banished from them for being weak. The Silvermoon Families greatest strength lied in politics and their Inherent Ability. They had connections everywhere and through the years they had gathered many favors that people owed them. They were essentially loan sharks that forced people into debt with them; of course it was debt with interest.


    The Inherent Skill was known simply as The System. It was a one of a kind ability that was extremely versatile. There was not a known skill that had near as many functions as the System. The Silvermoon Family saw the world in a game-like state. Everything could be measured in a value of numbers. This was why the family became politicians. They could view others weaknesses and strengths. Viewing their own status, appraising others, they could do it all. Even when learning magic or martial arts, they could see what their level of proficiency was and how long before they advanced to a new level of strength.


    Countless people wanted to marry into the Silvermoon family; they were ranked as the first out of the four families of Wraithos City. The children, if they were lucky, they would inherit both The System and whatever the other parents Inherent Skill was. Even men would choose to set aside their pride and marry into the Silvermoon Family, opting to change their last name.


    As for why they were called the Silvermoon Family, when the family first rose to prominence it wasn¡¯t because of The System. At the time it was a heavily guarded secret that the first Patriarch of the family hid as he amassed power. The true reason was the family had Martial Arts that were nearly as heaven-defying. It was known as the Silvermoon Arts; supposedly it was left behind by a Divine. With this skill used in tandem with The System, this was how the family achieved its present status. The Silvermoon Arts were closely guarded and only those within the family that were trusted could learn it.


    Needless to say, Keith didn¡¯t learn the Silvermoon Arts. He was cast out of the family at sixteen because he was not an ¡°Awakened¡±. The family valued everything numerically due to The System. If a family member wasn¡¯t of use, they were to be thrown out. But that was only if they didn¡¯t know any valuable information. If that was the case, they were to be killed immediately under the excuse of treason against the family.


    As for Keith, he was banished on his sixteenth birthday when it was safe to assume that he was an ordinary person. He was of no value; the family wasn¡¯t going to waste time or money trying to let him learn Martial Arts or Magic if he didn¡¯t have The System, or even the Inherent Skill of his mother¡¯s family. He was not worth it to learn the Silvermoon Arts either.


    Now he knew the reason that he didn¡¯t awaken was thanks to Elena. It turns out he did inherit The System, however, it mutated. This was why he was thrown out. No one in the family ever failed to inherit The System, he was the first, or supposedly he was.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Anthrus was Keith¡¯s Grandfather from hundreds of years ago. He was a direct descendent, apparently from his mother¡¯s side of the family. Elena had stated only someone who was a direct descendent could inherit his abilities. They must also meet certain criteria.


    Elena was apparently his only disciple from when he was alive. Due to being a soul for hundreds of years, her strength slowly depleted and she had forgotten many things, such as her name. One of the few things that she remembered was her mission.


    Just before he died, Anthrus asked Elena to look after the descendent who would inherit his position. She accepted without a single doubtful thought. This was the only request her master ever made, and she would never let him down. With his mastery over souls, he turned Elena into a soul body. But she was too weak to manifest right now. Then he split off a portion of his soul, and merged it with hers. This soul fragment held memories of all his abilities, weaknesses, and strengths. Anthrus sent Elena to Earth where his only descendent was. This person never even knew he was their ancestor. Although he was reclusive, Anthrus never failed to keep track of his descendants over the centuries.


    Elena was tasked with finding someone who was a suitable inheritor. This person must view life and death fairly. A mindless killer was not someone who should have power over life and death. For hundreds of years she travelled from one descendent to another, lying dormant in their body in the hopes that they would be worthy of inheriting their ancestors mission. Sadly, she was running out of energy to transfer to the bodies of another descendent, none had met the requirements. Even if he was a master of souls, not even Anthrus could allow a soul to live on eternally by itself. If he was constantly using his powers to sustain the soul then it could maintain its form. But typically there were only a few options.


    The soul would fizzle into nothingness, or they would await the trials of the Heaven¡¯s where it would be decided if they could reincarnate or must suffer punishment before being allowed to reincarnate. Of course, if a soul dissipated they would simply cease to exist as if that person had never lived in the first place. The final option was the most dangerous. A soul could devour other souls in order to grow stronger and survive longer, long enough where they could forcefully steal the body of someone or something. However, this was taboo, and any soul discovered to have done this was usually punished with true death, they would never reincarnate, but instead would cease to exist.


    When she was about to lose hope due to her energy nearly being depleted, Elena chanced upon Keith. His mother died in childbirth. Keith was now the only living descendent of Anthrus, his mother¡¯s family was small albeit wealthy, and she was the only heiress to the company which was now in his father¡¯s hands.


    Keith¡¯s mother was someone from an extremely wealthy merchant family, second only to the Windsor¡¯s wealth, but they were not strong enough to be considered one of the great families of Wraithos City. His mother had no abilities. She was an ordinary person. Her parents did have Inherent Skills but she never inherited them, and it seemed that neither did Keith as well.


    It was his mother¡¯s dream to marry into the Silvermoon Family. With her beauty she did. Keith¡¯s father never truly loved her though; he only married her so he could take over her families company. Once married, and after consummating the marriage, Keith¡¯s mother became pregnant with him. Since that night, his father never even looked at his mother again, instead opting to play around with his other wives.


    Personally Keith hated polygamy, it was not true love. Then again he didn¡¯t know what true love was. But when he was born, apparently he was to be the last host for Elena. If he wasn¡¯t worthy; she would dissipate upon his death.


    The moment she entered his body Elena was surprised because the moment she linked to his soul, a mutation occurred. Her soul body and the memories that Anthrus sealed in her were forcefully merged into The System causing it to mutate. The System was sealed afterwards. A stipulation had been added in order to use The System. He had to kill and absorb the souls of the dead before it would activate.


    All these years¡­ for eighteen years he thought that he was useless. It turned out that he wasn¡¯t. Now, unlike other members of the Silvermoon Family, his Inherent Skill was unique, it was superior to The System that the Silvermoon Family was known for.


    It had no other purpose than to make Keith the perfect inheritor of Anthrus, his grandfather. Its goal was to let him successfully inherit Anthrus mission. What that mission was, he probably wouldn¡¯t know for a long, long time.


    Whether it was fate or something else, Keith didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t particularly feel any kinship to Anthrus, but despite this he felt he had a purpose in life.


    The Silvermoon Family threw him out? Why should he care? They showed their true colors, they weren¡¯t a true ¡°Family¡±. There was no doubt that if they knew his mother¡¯s and his ancestry, they would never banish him. They would probably expend all methods to nurture him to be the inheritor of the family, becoming its patriarch. As long as they could use him to learn the secrets of one of the four Divine Pillars, they would never let him go. This was a secret that must be kept at all costs.


    They weren¡¯t worth it. No, even though he didn¡¯t know his Grandfather at all, he wanted to inherit his position. Perhaps it was filial piety or something else, he didn¡¯t know. But one thing was unmistakable, he was curious as to what this ¡°Mission¡± was, and he also wanted to know why the four most powerful Divine Monarchs suddenly disappeared. It was such a shocking event that even mortals knew about it.


    Although it was a goal that was far off in the future, Keith didn¡¯t care. Now he had a reason to gain power, to become unrivalled on the battlefield. Not much was known about Anthrus except for the fact that he was the Grim Reaper. No one that fought him ever lived. Naturally if he was going to inherit his position, Keith felt that he must not be any worse than Anthrus. He must become unrivalled if he wants to be the Monarch of Life and Death.

 Chapter 9: Law

    [Soul Absorbed: Acquired Sixteen Soul Points.]


    Keith kneeled while using his dagger to dissect the giant black scorpion he¡¯d just killed. Over the past few days, he had no longer attempted to avoid the creatures of the Kavala Wastelands. There was even a time that he encountered another pack of Sand Wolves on the turquoise-greenish sand. Although he suffered a bit from disorientation, he was easily able to dispatch them.


    Raising his hand, Keith pointed his palm towards the important materials that he scavenged from the Scorpion. They were its stinger, claws, and core. The core was where they stored their mana. All life could use mana with enough training. Everything was capable of collecting and storing mana. Even humans of Earth were now able to use magic. It was independent of skills, just like martial arts. Of course, they could all be augmented by skills. The Hellflame family was notorious for this. With their skill, martial arts, and fire magic, they were equivalent to natural disasters on the battle field no matter their rank.


    The moment he raised his palm, space distorted around it, the materials and core disappeared as if they were sucked into a black hole. This was one of the advantages of his Inherent Skill. It had four functions. In order, they were [Status], [Inventory], [Appraisal], and [Soul Shop]. It was all self-explanatory. The reason his System was unique was the fact that he had a fourth function, [Soul Shop]. The other members of the Silvermoon Family only had the other three.


    Although he could inherit Anthrus¡¯s abilities, it wasn¡¯t for free. When he killed, he gained Soul Points. In the [Soul Shop] he would be able to spend these points to unlock one of Anthrus¡¯s memories of his abilities. Then that ability would be shown on his status as Level One. He could train it on his own to level it up to level two and higher, or he could spend Soul Points to force it to the next level. But he didn¡¯t feel the need to force the levels to increase. Not only was it expensive, what was the point of having such power if he could not control its output? He would waste mana and stamina. Also, Elena said that there was no use to forcing his abilities to level up. Apparently it had something to do with what she called Universal Laws. Even if his abilities were forcefully upgraded, without the power of Law, the increase in power would not be much. He would waste his Soul Points.


    His Inherent Skill was truly one of a kind, but even The System was subject to Universal Laws and couldn¡¯t just disregard them. Perhaps the Divine Monarchs were the only ones who could.


    Anthrus wasn¡¯t called the Grim Reaper for nothing. He was able to use souls to strengthen himself. Every time he took a life, he grew stronger. From what Elena had told him, Anthrus was the only person with enough mastery over the Universal Laws of Life and Death to do this.


    Strangely enough, due to the mutation of his Inherent Skill or perhaps because the sliver of Anthrus Soul was now merged with his soul, Keith was passively able to do this. Inherent Skills were said to come from the soul, as if they were branded into them. Elena, who had a sliver of Anthrus¡¯s soul merged with her had fused with The System, which was essentially a part of Keith¡¯s soul. Perhaps it was for this reason and also the fact he was Anthrus¡¯s direct descendant.


    He couldn¡¯t manipulate souls at all. He did not unlock this ability yet. However, it was thanks to Anthrus and the mutated system that he was able to absorb a small portion of the power of those he killed. Perhaps once he was at Anthrus¡¯s level of power, he would be able to absorb their full strength.


    For now he was content with the fact that the souls he absorbed nourished his body and soul. Not only did his body grow stronger physically, his soul did to. Although he could not feel it, he instinctively knew that his soul was growing in size and strength. This was showed in his status.


    ¡­


    Name: Keith


    Hp: 548 Mp: 216


    Strength: 24 Vitality: 17 Agility: 29 Intellect: 32


    Spirituality: 60 Resilience: 13


    Skills:


    [The System Lv. Max] [Soul Eater Lv. 1]


    [Unholy Incarnation: Lv. 1] [Yin Eyes: Lv. 1]


    [Reapers Touch: Lv.1]


    ...


    The status was quite simple. Strength was naturally his ability to lift heavy things, and the amount of weight he could put behind an attack. Vitality was how robust his life force was and how quickly his body naturally healed, as well as it¡¯s resistance to disease, poison, or other ailments. Agility was his speed, flexibility, accuracy and dexterity. Intellect didn¡¯t measure his intelligence. Apparently someone could have abundant intellect but still be a hopeless idiot.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    It was eccentric. Essentially intellect measured how quickly his body recovered its mana as well as his thought processing speed. It also represented how strong his body was as a vessel for mana. Physical strength and fitness had nothing to do with one¡¯s ability to store mana in their body.


    Spirituality, this one was what Keith deemed as the most important. It represented his senses. It was a representation of his five senses. It also represented his ¡°sixth¡± sense, such as the ability to perceive bloodlust and killing intent. Perhaps this was the reason for his ¡°Gut¡± feelings that forewarned of the Sand Wolf attacks. Essentially, it showed how perceptive he was of things both physical and spiritual.


    Finally, there was Resilience. It was like strength and agility in that it represented his body. It showed how tough his body and soul is. Physical strength had nothing to do with how well he could take a hit. At the moment it was pitifully low. It actually made Keith feel annoyed. He always thought he was in good shape, but apparently his body soft as butter, it was easily injured.


    As for his abilities, it was far too confusing trying to differentiate his Inherent Skill from the abilities he inherited from Anthrus, they couldn¡¯t really be under the category of martial arts as they felt more like skills, especially [Yin Eyes]. The ability was more like a passive skill. It was always active and allowed him to ¡°See¡± things that normally couldn¡¯t be seen. As for what those things were, he didn¡¯t know yet. This ability and the others he¡¯d gained from the [Soul Shop] seemed more like something that was a mix of skills, martial arts, and magic. To be politically correct, they were created from the power of Law.


    Since he didn¡¯t even know one percent of the Life or Death Laws, the abilities were only empty shells. They had ¡°Form¡± but no substance. From what he understood, they needed the power of Law to show their true power. Keith thought that he would only be able to level up the abilities on his own once he understood even a fraction of the Universal Laws of Life and Death. If he were to forcefully upgrade them to the next level, he was almost positive that they would still only have ¡°Form¡±, except they would be slightly stronger. However, they would still be empty shells in the end. To show their true strength they needed the power of law.


    The more he thought of this, the greater the headache that Keith had. He couldn¡¯t even tell the difference between martial arts, magic, and skills. Weren¡¯t they all the same except for the fact that skills were a bit more unique?


    Surprisingly when he thought of this The System changed his status. It filtered everything into one category known as Skills. It made much more sense. When he thought deeply about it, there really wasn¡¯t any difference between martial arts, magic, or skills. In the end, skills were just a means of augmenting ones strengths. They were tools to support him.


    Although, Magic and Martial Arts were what he would truly use to fight, The System was like a form of auxiliary support. However, his methods of combat for now were limited to those of a mortal. They all became irrelevant if they didn¡¯t have the power of Law. According to Elena, when one ascended they would be known as Divine Rulers. They had to have comprehended at least thirty percent of a law before they were able to undergo heavenly punishment. If they survived, they would ascend and become semi-immortal.


    The higher their comprehension of a law before ascending, and the more laws they had comprehended which reached the requirements for ascension, the more violent the punishment.


    While they were still mortal, these people would surely be famous. Without exception, such people who were approaching the limits of a mortal would be SSS-Rank. Anyone could attempt to comprehend a law, but more than seventy percent would fail.


    Twenty percent would achieve minimal accomplishments, but would never have a chance to ascend. The final ten percent would be those who ascend. But whether they could go even further, such as reach the level of a Divine Monarch was all up to luck, fate, and countless other factors.


    Most people only focused on one or two laws, or possibly three if they were extremely talented. In extremely rare cases which could be counted on two hands among the myriad realms, a person would ascend with the power of four Universal Laws. Countless people had tried, but only eight had survived. They were now all well-known and famous Divine Rulers.


    Once someone ascended, there was no limit to how many laws they could learn. However, it was not easy. To comprehend even half of a law took some people hundreds of years, for others thousands. It did not get easier. In the realms where the Divines resided, they lived by the saying ¡°Less is more¡± when in regards to Universal Law. Those who only focused on one or two laws tended to be stronger than those who tried to comprehend three or more. Of course, rare talented geniuses were exceptions to this rule.


    The title of Divine Monarch was reserved for the Four Divine Pillars. Anthrus, Anastaya, Erados, and Syana were the only ones to comprehend not only the entirety of their Laws, but also comprehending more than one to completion, they had achieved the pinnacle of strength.


    However, this was still far away. Keith knew even if he became someone considered SSS-Rank, he would still be an ant compared to a Divine Ruler. It was a wall that would take years to topple. But time was the one thing he had the most of. He didn¡¯t have any responsibilities. The only thing he needed to focus on was to grow stronger to find out the mission that Anthrus had left him.


    These past few days of learning from Elena had taught Keith one thing. He was only a small drop of water in the vast ocean. He was not truly strong, nor would be considered strong in the near future. It would take years of arduous training, even with his [Soul Eater] ability.

 Chapter 10: Portal

    ¡°There¡¯s no magic? Elena, how is magic different from the power of Universal Law?¡± Searching through the Soul Shop, Keith was puzzled. There was no magic. Did Anthrus not use magic? Was it irrelevant?


    ¡°Master, Magic is secondary to Law. At Master Anthrus¡¯s level, he amplified his physical abilities with the power of Life and Death. His hand could steal life as well as save it. The same concept applied to his magic. He used true magic. Mortals use chants and objects or other materials as intermediaries, but real magic is infused with the power of law. With his understanding of his laws, Anthrus combined it with his mana. As long as he knew what he wanted, with a wave of his hand he could make it happen.¡±


    Whenever she spoke of Anthrus, Elena never joked and was full of reverence towards him. In many ways, he was her god, he was her religion. As his one and only disciple, she felt it was her duty to carry out Anthrus¡¯s request to guide his descendent. If Keith did become the next Divine Monarch of Life and Death, the subject of her faith would be Keith. He would become the new God in her heart.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­ what?¡± Keith scrunched is eyebrows and brushed his hand through his hair as he tried to comprehend what Elena said.


    Slowly he voiced his thoughts as if he was afraid to be berated. ¡°But, doesn¡¯t that mean he cannot use other types of magic, like¡­. Fire magic? I doubt that he would be able to use something like Instant Death Magic. That¡¯s not real right, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real.¡±


    Keith: ¡°¡­¡± Not even a moment¡¯s hesitation before she replied¡­scary.


    He didn¡¯t know what to say. Instant Death Magic was real? Isn¡¯t that a bit too strong?! With a snap of his fingers Anthrus could kill anyone he wanted?


    Even though she could not manifest her soul body and only saw the world through Keith¡¯s eyes, Elena could easily imagine his expressions.


    ¡°You only just learned about Universal Law. Naturally you would not understand even a fraction of its true power. So what, Master Anthrus could still create fire with his magic, it would just be so weak that it wouldn¡¯t be able to kill someone that ascended right in front of his eyes. But, that¡¯s for Divine Rulers. As long as you are a mortal, Master Anthrus¡¯s flames would still incinerate you in less than a second, even if you were a so-called SSS-Rank. Ha, they are weak! They do not know what true strength is!¡±


    Elena scoffed at the thought of Master Anthrus killing a so-called SSS-Rank. These mere mortals should cry tears of joy if Master Anthrus decided to kill them personally.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ your joking right?¡± Keith found what Elena said hard to stomach.


    ¡°No I am not joking. Although he could use such magic, it is not omnipotent. Its success rate against mortals was ninety-nine percent. As for newly ascended Divine Rulers, they had a sixty-percent chance to instantly die. If they ascended with the Laws of Life or Death, then they would still have a thirty percent chance to die. For any other Divine Ruler who¡¯s had time to acclimate to their power the spell doesn¡¯t work. There is also a limit. If the spell fails, it cannot be used on the same individual ever again.¡±


    ¡°Even so, that¡¯s¡­ I do not have words to describe what I am thinking right now.¡± Keith said, he was completely stunned, how could someone become so powerful? They truly were God-like.


    Just as Keith wanted to ask another question, he put it in the back of his mind. With help from Elena, he had learned to close off his thoughts to her, so he had some privacy now. But that also meant she couldn¡¯t answer his questions as he thought of them. But he didn¡¯t mind such a trade-off, everyone needed privacy.


    The reason he cut short his question was because in the distance he finally saw the gateway back to Earth. Since he took a detour in order to learn how to use his abilities, it had taken a few days longer than anticipated.


    The gateway to Earth was actually a portal. There were four obsidian pillars. They were in a square formation, all equal distance from each other. A small band of light shot out from the top of the pillars, it was blue in color. The lights converged in the center of the square formation, and beneath it a blue portal was formed. If he were to step through the portal, Keith would arrive back on Earth.


    ¡°Strange, why is there no one there?¡±


    On any given day there would always be countless parties of E to D-Rank entering and leaving the portal. Even if he was quite a distance away, he should have been able to see many groups of people. If he didn¡¯t see them, even at the distance he was from the portal, he should be able to hear them.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Perhaps it was because he had gotten stronger these past few days, but Keith certainly felt as if he sensed something was off. Although he couldn¡¯t smell it yet, he felt like blood was lingering in the air. Was there a battle, did the beasts escape to Earth? Even if it was an E-Rank Realm, someone of at least B-Rank was always on guard at the Earth side of the portal no matter the realms rank.


    As if on cue, the moment Keith felt something was off, the ground began to violently quake. It shook so hard that the earth split. Keith lost his balance. Falling to the ground, he witnessed a sight that he never thought he would see.


    The portal to Earth began to flicker, and its faint humming noise grew louder and louder. Space began to distort as the portal changed color from a sky blue to an ominous looking purple color. Gravity changed and became heavier forcing Keith to nearly fall face first onto the ground, unable to move an inch. Luckily, he had already known what was occurring by instinct. Only one thing could make the realm act so violent without warning. The Kavala Wastelands was mutating. There was no telling what rank realm it would become.


    Struggling to stand, Keith witnessed the skies turn black. Thunder boomed, and lightning streaked across the sky in myriad colors. Rain began to downpour. The ground continued to quake and split. The brown, red, white, and turquoise sand types all blew into the air, mixing in a flurry. They created a sand storm.


    Although it was difficult to see, Keith saw a faint glimmer of the portal through the sand storm. Once the light disappeared, and the pressure he felt from gravity dissipated, he knew the portal had disappeared.


    The world around him didn¡¯t become peaceful. Instead it grew more violent. The most dangerous part was the mixtures of sand and the ground beneath him splitting.


    Keith grew disoriented in the sand storm. Some of the reddish-gold sand even sparked, causing small fiery explosions which burned his skin. He trudged forward to the pillars that remained. They seemed to be in the only stable area. It was like the eye of a hurricane. Perhaps because the portal was originally in the square formation created by the pillars, the area was calm.


    Almost losing his footing several times, Keith finally came to the only safe area. After he came to his senses he looked around. The sight that greeted him, well¡­ he had a bad feeling and predicted something like this would happen but the sight was grotesque. Even if he was used to blood and death, this was a first for him.


    ¡°Horrifying isn¡¯t it.¡± Elena said emotionlessly, ¡°Take a good look. This is what happens to you if you do not grow stronger rapidly.¡±


    Keith looked at the bodies around him. The people here, they weren¡¯t just E or D-Rank. Some of them were wearing armor that clearly was expensive. Based on his knowledge, people in such armor either were spoiled kids from rich families, or they were legitimate B-Rank Hunters. Keith leaned towards the latter option. But why were their B-Rankers here? What happened here?


    The people weren¡¯t just killed. They were slaughtered. Some of the corpses looked like they were tortured for information based on their shallow wounds. They probably died from fear and shock. But this wasn¡¯t the worst of it. There were plenty bodies without heads. Most of them were missing limbs. Some even looked as if their limbs were ripped from their sockets one by one. Others bodies were cleaved in two. After seeing all this, Keith felt the urge to vomit. This was especially true after he saw a young girl who couldn¡¯t be any older than fifteen. Her stomach was ripped open and ravaged as if something began to eat her alive. This scene¡­ he knew he would remember it for the rest of his life.


    For a long time, Keith was silent. Although he felt that he¡¯d changed after killing for the first time, apparently it was less than he would have liked to believe. He thought that his confidence grew. He thought that he could defend himself. But after witnessing this scene, it was a reality check for him.


    ¡°Elena, I will need your advice, please guide me.¡±


    They were simple words, but the magnitude of emotions behind them was not lost to Elena. Although she was only a sliver of her former self and lost most of her memories after drifting as a soul for hundreds of years, she still had a personality the same as when she was alive. With every soul Keith devoured, as his soul grew in strength, so too did she. Perhaps in time, most of her memories, especially those related to the myriad realms and her adventures throughout them would return.


    ¡°I am here for you.¡±


    Elena didn¡¯t give a speech. She knew exactly what was going through Keith¡¯s mind. The portal disappeared and this scene showed him how weak he was. His power was newly awakened. She knew just as well as he did that although rare, when a realm mutates not even a Divine Ruler would know the outcome. Keith¡¯s chances of survival had just plummeted.


    The only thing he could rely on was her, she was his mental support. She couldn¡¯t do anything to ease the hardships he would go through from now on; all she could do was give her meager advice, at least for now.


    She only had limited knowledge and it was hundreds of years old, but she had made a vow to Anthrus, and she planned to see it through. Not only was it out of respect for her previous Master whom she worshipped ¨Cand also secretly regarded as a father figure-, but also because she could see the latent potential of Keith. If Keith truly wanted to inherit Anthrus¡¯s mission and deal with ¡°that¡± which not even Anthrus could kill, then he would have to survive in conditions far worse than this.


    He would have to suffer far beyond what even Divine Rulers could tolerate. He would have to climb from the deepest depths of despair, where there was not even a sliver of hope. The path Keith chose, it would be like releasing Pandora¡¯s Box. However, at the bottom of the jar there would not be hope, only pain and despair.

 Chapter 11: Atraxias Wrath

    Keith imagined his stomach being made of iron. With the mental image in place he began to search the corpses one by one for anything of use. Most of their weapons were destroyed. Their armor was also nearly torn to shreds.


    It was not all in vain though. He found a few items of use. When he appraised them, his suspicions were confirmed. These Hunters were not new, they were experienced and at the least they were B-Rank. People like this would not normally come to the Kavala Wastelands as it was not profitable enough for them.


    These people were rich enough that they had rings which were enchanted with Spatial Magic. Keith transferred any useful contents into his own inventory. There was camping equipment, spare sets of clothes, water and rations, as well as a few other commodities and Mana Gems ¨Cthe current currency of Earth and the myriad realms-. Most of the Mana Gems were middle-grade.


    When he scavenged the items, Keith¡¯s vision fell upon what appeared to be the leader of the group. His body was the one with all of its limbs torn off. But the armor on his body, even if it was destroyed it clearly was the most expensive from looks alone. Next to the body was a sword. Luckily there was only a small chip in its blade. Picking it up Keith appraised it.


    [Atraxia¡¯s Wrath: A longsword made from the B-Class Winged Serpent Atraxia. Forged with the venom of Atraxia¡¯s Fang, this sword will poison its victims with Atraxia¡¯s Venom. Chance on Hit: Poison the target with venom that attacks the nerves.]


    Although he never used a sword before, Keith grabbed it and attached the sheath to a spare belt that he looted from one of the corpses. At the end of the day, a sword was better than a dagger in a head-on clash. Aside from the sword, next to the body there was a ring and what appeared to be a scroll.


    [Ring of Mara¡¯s Faithful: A standard ring sold by the Church of Mara to their believers. Enchantment: Restoration. As long as this ring is worn, natural recovery rate increases. Hp increases by +3 a second.]


    ¡°Mara¡­? I¡¯ve heard of the name. But I never went to the church in Wraithos City. Elena do you know of a person named Mara?¡± Keith asked.


    ¡°I seem to faintly remember of a Divine Ruler by such a name. But I am not sure. I feel as if she was popular with men, and not necessarily as holy or pure as she led people to believe.¡± Elena said half-heartedly. She wasn¡¯t sure. Perhaps in the future as Keith¡¯s soul grew stronger, she would remember. However one thing was for sure, when she read the name through Keith¡¯s eyes Elena grew irritated and she didn¡¯t know why. She could not remember if she had ever personally met Mara, but without a doubt the name really annoyed her. Perhaps there was bad blood between the two of them.


    Through their connection Keith was learning to pick up on the emotions Elena felt. He believed her when she said she didn¡¯t know. There was no reason not to trust her. He could feel her discontentment though. Perhaps she subconsciously had bad feeling towards this Mara person?


    Due to her feeling irritated, Keith didn¡¯t put on the ring. Instead he asked, ¡°Would you rather I didn¡¯t take the ring if it bothers you?¡±


    ¡°No, take it. You need to use everything that can be used. Just because I feel a sense of foreboding, it doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t use it. Just¡­ be careful and extremely vigilant of anyone associated with Mara. At least until I remember why this name bothers me so much.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡±


    Keith put the ring on his left index finger. The moment he did so, he heard a mechanical voice.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Error: System does not have a display for natural regeneration rate. Stand by, rectifying in 3¡­2¡­1¡­ complete, please check Status.¡±


    When he checked his status, there were two new entries. One represented Hp regeneration, and the other was Mp regeneration. It seemed that his body was still weak. Hp: Was only 3.25, which meant that he only recovered 0.25 originally. As for Mp: It was only 0.10 a second.


    ¡®Ugh, I hate math.¡¯


    Just as he complained in his mind, Keith suddenly came up with an idea. The System changed to suit his needs. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t as passive as he thought it was.


    Clearing his throat, Keith said, ¡°System change the values for Hp and Mp regeneration to the total recovered every minute.¡±


    ¡°Command Acknowledged: Applying change to suit owners request in 3¡­2...1¡­ Complete!¡±


    ¡®Alright, 195 Hp a minute and 6 Mp a minute, I can work with this. The Hp was boosted by the ring, but Mp is a bit low. I¡¯ll need to be careful since I don¡¯t have power of Law yet. My abilities will most likely cost mana as long as they aren¡¯t passive abilities.¡¯


    After confirming his status, Keith picked up the scroll on the ground, but it was full of gibberish. It was a language that he couldn¡¯t understand. Although it looked tarnished, if a B-Rank was holding onto it then perhaps it had some value.


    The moment he was about to throw it into his inventory, Elena suddenly shouted in his mind. ¡°Wait! Let me look through your eyes a bit longer! I sense the power of Law coming from this scroll!¡±


    ¡°What, why would there be something with the power of Law in a place like the Kavala Wastelands? Even if it is mutating, it was originally an E-Rank Realm. If this is really the power of Law, wouldn¡¯t the realm be locked down while the S-Ranks and higher fought over this scroll?¡±


    Keith didn¡¯t receive his answer for a long time. Elena observed the scroll through his eyes for nearly ten minutes before she let Keith put it in his inventory. After a few more minutes of waiting, Keith finally elicited a response from Elena.


    ¡°This scroll is ancient. I dare say it is from my era, when the Four Divine Pillars were still alive. However, I do not have any proof but there is something familiar about it. I believe that the reason the Kavala Wastelands is mutating is because of this scroll.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Elena seemed to always say things that made no sense to him. How could an entire realm mutate because of an ancient scroll.


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°When you understand Law, you will be enlightened. But put briefly, Divine Rulers were capable of altering realms. There is a reason people worship them as Gods. Some could even create life from seemingly nothing. Naturally, the Divine Monarchs were on another level altogether. Essentially the Kavala Wastelands may not be as simple as you and I thought it was¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that this¡­ Scroll¡­ was probably in the possession of, or created by a Divine Ruler? Then that Divine Ruler was perhaps¡­ I don¡¯t know do Divine Rulers own realms like they would own a house?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Although your analogy is a bit off¡­ but that¡¯s essentially it. However, only those Diviner Rulers who had been Divine Rulers for hundreds, if not thousands of years were capable of owning their own realm. Some created their realms, others just found one and laid claim to it. So if this realm belonged to one and this scroll belonged to that person¡­¡± Elena left Keith to come to his own conclusions.


    ¡°It¡¯s like we are robbing a house. So it is safe to assume this dead party somehow learned of this scroll, and by taking it away from this realm they infuriated the realm itself? But is that possible?¡± Keith asked. There were too many unanswered questions and too much that he was ignorant of.


    ¡°I do not know. Realms are living things. Even the Earth is alive. However their spirits, souls, or whatever analogy you want to use are not conscious. So, typically the realm wouldn¡¯t become enraged. No, I have never heard of a sentient realm that can feel anger, or even any emotions. Heck, I¡¯ve never heard of a sentient realm.¡± Elena said tiredly as if thinking was painful.


    ¡°Then if we want to leave the Kavala Wastelands. Wouldn¡¯t the best bet be to replace the scroll where it was found?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s a starting point. But we don¡¯t even know where it was found.¡±


    ¡°Its fine,¡± the storm was finally dying down as Keith looked towards the horizon, ¡°Something tells me that you and I will be here for a few years. Are your ready for an adventure Elena?¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ you¡¯re suddenly confident,¡± Elena sighed, ¡°Lead the way. We might as well just head towards anywhere that catches your interest since this realm is no longer the one you knew.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to march to our deaths.¡± Keith said in order to try and ease the tension he felt in his muscles.


    Elena: ¡°¡­¡± Don¡¯t jinx us you idiot!

 Chapter 12: Earthen Scroll

    With Atraxia¡¯s Wrath, Keith severed the legs off of a serpent-like monster with legs. It had the body of a human. But its neck was extremely elongated by nearly three feet. The neck and head were that of a snake. This creature was nearly two times the size of even the largest of humans.


    Nearly fifteen minutes had passed since he encountered this thing. It could not speak English. Nor did it appear docile. It attacked him on sight. What it was, he didn¡¯t know. But its sword reminded him of the curved swords that the Ancient Egyptians used thousands of years ago. It also didn¡¯t wear armor, but instead some type of cloth toga. For defense it had what looked like a tower shield made out of wood, and reinforced with metal strips.


    Had he not been striving to his strength the past couple days, he would not have even been able to run away from it. However, the biggest reason he could survive was due to his new sword. He knew nothing about fighting with swords. He was barbaric, and had no finesse or grace.


    Only when the creature was wounded and tired from the poison coursing through its veins did Keith gain the upper hand. He suffered minor cuts on his arms, but they were nothing new to him. Especially since he came to realize something, when he devoured souls it healed his wounds at a level where he could see the flesh stitching back together.


    However, this wasn¡¯t without its limitations. The amount he healed was dependent on how strong his opponent was before death. Also, if he was injured, the degree to which his body and soul was strengthened was weaker because energy was diverted to healing his wounds.


    If he wanted to grow stronger faster, he needed to learn to fight without getting injured against an opponent that was his level of strength. This was tricky. The Kavala Wastelands mutated. He couldn¡¯t tell what a creatures rank was anymore. They were all random. What used to be harmless rabbits instead became vicious beasts that were almost larger than he was. Also, what governed whether something mutated? Why didn¡¯t he mutate during the time the realm changed?


    With the creature kneeling immobile on the ground, Keith approached it and stabbed its chest. With its death rattles, the creatures finally breathed its last breath.


    [Soul Absorbed: 145 Soul Points]


    ¡®Ah, that¡¯s the most I¡¯ve gotten in one kill now. I should have roughly 1,500 now. Maybe that is enough.¡¯


    Opening the [Soul Store] Keith chose a new tab. The System he had was definitely not the same as the one that the Silvermoon Family had. It seemed to be evolving to suit his needs. More than once, Keith had the instinctive feeling that a part of every soul he absorbed didn¡¯t go to strengthening himself and Elena but instead to The System, allowing it to evolve.


    Apparently it knew his inner desires and thoughts. For the past week, he had done nothing but kill. There were countless new types of creatures that he had never seen before. Some of them even spoke. At that time, he wished that he could speak the language of the inhabitants of the Kavala Wastelands, as well as learn all the information about the new mutated realm.


    Now, he could do so. Entering the new tab called [Akashic Records]. There was only one thing for sale in the entire tab, choosing [Kavala Wasteland¡¯s] he purchased it for 1,300 Soul Points.


    ¡­You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Thank you for your purchase. Please brace for impending headache in 3¡­2¡­1.¡±


    As the robotic voice said, Keith was assaulted with stabbing pain in his head. Countless images flashed through his mind, foreign words entered his ears. Sitting on the ground, he waited until the aching subsided.


    This was the newest evolution to the [Soul Store]. As long as he used enough Soul Points, he could purchase the general knowledge of the realm he was in. As long as his intellect attribute was high enough, and as long as he could bear the pain, he could gain information. Although versatile, it was not omnipotent. The System, although he didn¡¯t know how it did it gathered all the general information, legends, language, currency, and countless other information types. It didn¡¯t go into extreme detail, so if he wanted in-depth knowledge he still had to speak to intellectuals or read through books. But it was enough to get by. It seemed Elena was affected too, since she complained about a bunch of useless knowledge being shoved into her mind.


    Looking at the corpse beneath him, Keith now understood what it was. They were called the Kysansha. They were an isolationist species that lived in the depths of the desert wastelands. Although they were skilled in warfare, they weren¡¯t normally violent, and exceptionally docile. They preferred to pursue knowledge over military might.


    ¡°Strange, why did it act so strange? Surely the realm mutating wouldn¡¯t change their behaviors right?¡± Keith said.


    ¡°It is possible. Who knows¡­? I would suggest you leave. If they are violent, then you¡¯re in trouble. What is stranger is why it is alone out here? They are supposed to travel in groups of three or four, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I will head to the North. Apparently it is home to the Vahar¡¯Gal Dwarves. Maybe they can help me. They are supposedly the nicest of the races here in terms of interacting with humans. Even if they are hostile, at least it¡¯s not orders of killing on sight.¡± Keith said cheerfully.


    However, his face appeared quite stoic. It was almost as if he had facial paralysis, and it was driving him crazy. His perpetual frown would give others a bad impression of him. Well¡­ the scar on his right eye would probably always leave a bad impression. Having such an injury usually meant that one didn¡¯t know how to dodge and weave. If only someone saw all the scars on his body, they would think he had a death wish¡­


    ¡°Whatever you say¡­¡± Elena said dryly. She retreated into her own personal space, cutting off their connection. Keith was going to get them killed with his casual remarks. If a Vahar¡¯Gal Dwarf was to hear ??Keith call them hostile, then no doubt they would try and kill him. They were impulsive.


    As night was about to fall, Keith took the ancient scroll out of his inventory. This time, he was hoping that he would be able to read the words upon it now that he knew the general language of the Kavala Wastelands.


    The Earth is hard, yet soft. The earth is the land which breeds life. It is also a barren wasteland of death. Remain as unmoving as a sentinel, weather through the sands of time. Crush with overwhelming might, but also bear the burdens of everything. A solitary mountain, a vast desert, fertile lands, the earth is both a Saint and a Devil. The earth grants boons, the earth takes lives. What you choose to do is up to you. Remain firm, stand your ground with your decisions, and protect that which is worth protecting. Your spirit is your mountain, remain unshakeable. Build your foundations, and nothing will be able to remove you. To the one who is worthy, my gift will create unshakeable foundations for you. If you wish to accept my gift, survive my trials. Bow before the sentinel, and your trials will begin.


    The previous gibberish had suddenly turned into what felt like advice. As for whether he was worthy or not, Keith did not know. If he were to take some trial left behind by a Divine Ruler, then he was most certainly not ready. But for now, he would just have to gather strength. The scroll was interesting. But more importantly, there was something wrong.


    It was only a gut feeling, but he felt that something greater was at play. It wasn¡¯t just the realm mutating. He would have to be an idiot to assume that there wasn¡¯t something going on in the shadows. A scroll left behind by a Divine Ruler, the realm mutating, the Kysansha becoming violent and seemingly without any intelligence despite their thirst for knowledge, and now a trial. Keith couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was dancing in the palm of someone¡¯s hand, and this unnerved him.

 Chapter 13: Heiress of Windsor

    Six months later, Wraithos City


    ¡°It has been nearly half a year since the E-Rank Realm the Kavala Wastelands mutated. The Four Great Families have finally made a breakthrough. They have pushed back the tides of monstrosities pouring out of the gateway. Today, the four families will each send one of their best into the realm to explore. There is no proof but speculations say that its new rank could very well surpass A-Rank.¡±


    Lara Windsor turned off the television. She also unplugged her phone line. She was receiving countless calls from Young Masters of prominent families with marriage proposals. She was also receiving calls from business partners who were making inquiries about the Kavala Wastelands. It was draining to say the least.


    At merely eighteen years old, Lara was someone with both beauty and intellect. She had strawberry-blonde hair, deep sea green eyes, and a figure that suited her well. She wasn¡¯t overly voluptuous, but neither was she overly skinny as if she was afraid to eat food for fear of gaining weight. She was the ideal image of a woman. But only she knew how hard she worked to achieve her perfect figure, and the burden behind it.


    As the only heir, or should it be said heiress of the Windsor Family, she didn¡¯t have the leisure time to waste her life away like other children of prominent families. She had to maintain her image as the perfect heiress of her grandfather. While others children were still finishing their education and learning to wield their powers, she had already finished her education and even took over the family business. Her parents were both dead due to unknown reasons. Her only true family member was her grandfather. All of her distant relatives were vying for pieces of the family business. She had no relation to them; they were simply leeches that wanted an easy life.


    She had now essentially become the next Head of the Windsor Family. Grandfather Windsor still helped out occasionally, but for the most part he retired.


    The rest of Wraithos City saw her as the perfect woman. She was the perfect marriage candidate with a dowry that they wanted, the Heavenly Wind Auction House. But only she knew how hard she worked to achieve her good looks by eating right and exercising, as well as getting her eight hours of sleep wherever she could. Only she knew how much harder she had to work in order to inherit her grandfather¡¯s position at eighteen years old. There were times that she thought she would suddenly die of exhaustion.


    Now, she still didn¡¯t have it easy. Between the marriage proposals and running the Heavenly Wind Auction House -as well as the other companies under the Windsor Family-, she was tired. Among all this she still had to deal with ¡°shadier¡± things in the underworld, where she must put up a strong front without a shred of weakness.


    Now to add onto her ever increasing pile of work there was the Kavala Wastelands. Some unknown realm which was E-Rank and had been the same for over a hundred years was mutating. It was a realm that was under the Windsor Families jurisdiction, and as such it was her responsibility to find out what in God¡¯s name was happening inside. She had already lost contact with her B-Rank scouting team from the moment they stepped through the gate to investigate.


    No matter the rank of the realm, thanks to mixing science and magic, new technology was created. It monitored energy levels, radiation, and countless other variables involving gates using both scientific and supernatural means. Even if that realm was E-Rank, it was still monitored.


    Six months ago, suddenly data readings spiked out of nowhere before settling down. Then it was as if the gates of Hell opened. The data exploded to unheard of levels. Immediately, Lara called for the gate to be locked down and sent in her B-Rank team that was used for only one purpose, scouting. They were talented in the art of stealth and speed. But the moment they entered, she lost contact with them. Their inter-realm communications devices, I.R.C.D¡¯s, malfunctioned.


    Hours later, the first signs that beasts were about to invade made even her panic. Alarms were set off, and not only A-Ranks but also S-Rank Hunters were called in. For the past six months they had been fighting in front of the gate as beasts poured out, unable to make headway. Even a few S-Ranks died.


    While it wasn¡¯t a stain on the Windsor Families reputation since no one would ever think of an E-Rank Realm mutating seemingly beyond A-Rank is possible, the eyes of everyone from the public to the great families were all on the Windsor Family¡­ on her. They wanted to see how she would react in a dire situation.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Too bad for them, she didn¡¯t lose herself to panic. Lara calmly analyzed her options. There wasn¡¯t much she could do. Eventually she settled on one option. With the aid of the four great families -and her vast wealth-, four S-Rank Hunters would be armed to the teeth and sent into the portal to explore. All the SS and SSS rank Hunters were busy in other realms dealing with threats that could spell the end for Earth if they were to invade.


    Turning on her computer, Lara sat at her office desk as she watched a camera feed. One of the best from the Windsor, Graves, Hellflame, and Silvermoon Families were all standing outside the gate. Each one of them had their own personal equipment, but also the best life-saving items that Lara could get her hands on in the past few months.


    The representative of the Windsor Family, a young man she grew up with who had showed talent which could describe him as nothing short of a monster looked up at the camera. He knew Lara was watching. He felt extreme loyalty towards Lara as well as respect because she had accomplished so much at such a young age. Being five years older than her, he felt as if she was the elder and he was the junior.


    Waving at the camera with a smile, the young man unsheathed his massive sword. It was nearly three times the size of his body. Turning on his I.R.C.D, he entered a channel that linked directly to Lara¡¯s computer.


    ¡°Alright, Young Madam we are entering the gateway.¡±


    Taking the lead role, he entered the gate first, followed by the rest of the party. For five minutes, she heard nothing then finally, the young man¡¯s voice came through.


    ¡°We¡¯ve made it. We appear to be in some sort of canyon. It is a straight shot, almost like a ramp. There is nothing here, I can¡¯t sense anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright, move forward with extreme prejudice.¡± Lara heaved a sigh of relief. This was the first good thing that had happened in the past six months.


    The group in the canyon moved forwards. Although her representative no longer was speaking, Lara could hear what was going on since the communication channel had now been opened.


    It was quiet. She heard the even foot-steps of the group. They had regulated their breathing, they were calm. All was going smoothly, too smoothly. Lara felt a lurch in her stomach suddenly. For six months, an army was pouring out of the gate. Now that they entered the gate there wasn¡¯t even a single sign of life?


    ¡°Squad Leader you need to retreat, something isn¡¯t right.¡± Elena said quickly. In moments like this, she could not hesitate at all or it would cost her people their lives.


    ¡°Young Madam it¡¯s alright. We are almost at the canyon ridge, about to see the outside world¡­ The information we gather will all be compiled¡­¡±


    Boom!


    Lara didn¡¯t hear the rest of his sentence, all she could hear was static. An unexplainable heaviness took over her body. Her stomach hurt, and she felt a lump form in her throat forcing her to swallow. Tears threatened to flow.


    She was right in saying they should retreat. But it was too late. This was the second time she sent people to their deaths and not knowing why they died. It made her feel horrible.


    Turning off her computer, Elena slumped back in her chair within her office. It was a quaint space; it was not grand at all. It was quite simple, contrary to the enormous wealth and reputation the Windsor¡¯s had.


    Just as she lost herself in self-deprecating negative thoughts, the door burst open. A maid rushed in bearing news.


    ¡°Young Madam, the I.R.C.D of our hunter codenamed Atraxia has reestablished power! We are picking up its signal from the other realm! Although it is weak, we should be able to link into the wavelengths within the next few minutes.¡±


    Lara didn¡¯t have any more time to wallow in self-pity. She immediately stood up and rushed out of her office to the Communications Department. The entire department was locked down. Only she, the maid, and the department head were in the signal room.


    Using a computer, mana coils, and other pieces of equipment ¨Cboth scientific and supernatural-, the department head was finishing up linking to the frequency. Once he was finished, he didn¡¯t dare turn on the channel. He looked at Lara; his expression easily betrayed what he was silently asking.


    Lara nodded, allowing the man to connect them to the channel. With a click of a button they linked to the channel. For a few seconds there was only static. Then out of nowhere, they heard thundering crashes before the voice of a young man resounded through the room.


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m trying to fix this useless piece of junk you damn lizards! Hey¡­ no! Don¡¯t throw boulders at adults who are busy working to make a living! Didn¡¯t your mother ever teach you manners?!¡±


    Everyone in the room was stupefied. This was not what they expected. There was someone who sounds quite young on the other end. They were alive, and quite boisterous. But just as Lara was about to connect her own I.R.C.D to the channel more thundering crashes could be heard.


    ¡°God damn it! Stop throwing boulders at me you stupid Kysansha. Where the hell did your species intelligence go?! Aren¡¯t you supposed to be scholarly? Right now you are just an overgrown child throwing a tantrum!¡±


    Another crash was heard. Multiple hisses similar to that of a snake or other reptile arrived through the channel link.


    ¡°AH! That¡¯s it! Every single one of you is dead! You hear me, dead! If this I.R.C.D breaks permanently, I will annihilate your entire species!¡±


    After the raging voice stopped, there were no more loud noises coming through. Suddenly, there was a slicing sound which clearly sounded like a sword cutting through something with the consistency of butter. Then everything went silent.


    Lara stared at the microphone on the table for a long time before she picked it up and fastened it to her head. Holding down a button, she hesitatingly spoke, ¡°H¡­Hello?¡±

 Chapter 14: Contact

    Roughly three months after he left for the Vahar¡¯Gal Mountains, Keith had begun to encounter more and more Kysansha. After killing so many of them, he roughly guessed they were anywhere from C to D-Rank. However, they were probably only scouts. The true warriors of their tribe were supposed to be B-Rank and higher.


    As for ranks themselves, there was a large gap between them. Under normal circumstances, a D-Rank could take on many E-Ranks at once. Normally those of lower rank could not challenge those of a higher rank alone. There were always exceptions of course, Keith was one of them. The gap only grew wider as the ranks grew. However, Keith didn¡¯t trust ranks. He felt they didn¡¯t necessarily portray the true power of someone. There were too many variables unaccounted for.


    On one such day three months ago, Keith had been killing of Kysansha scouts. He managed to find an I.R.C.D on one. These Kysansha must have been a part of a large war party that killed the Hunters he got his sword from. He¡¯d been trying to repair the I.R.C.D ever since. Even now, after six months of being in this realm he hadn¡¯t had a day¡¯s rest. They were still hunting him.


    He must¡¯ve thoroughly pissed them off since now they were actively hunting him. He still wasn¡¯t very adept at stealth or hiding his presence. He was like a beacon in the distance; it seemed that the Kysansha could find him wherever he was.


    Maybe this was a blessing in disguise, because after killing so many of them, he grew stronger. Elena said that he jinxed them for saying it was time to march to their deaths¡­. It was too late to take back what he said.


    Not only was his strength increasing, the amount of Soul Points he obtained grew rapidly. Sadly he still had no finesse in fighting; he was utterly barbaric and had no technique. It was as if he didn¡¯t fight like a human but instead a wild beast. Every time he survived a battle, he honed his primal instincts even more. If he were to gauge his strength right now, comparing his stats to the Kysansha as well as other beasts, he was roughly in between D and C Rank.


    He currently had over 15,000 Soul Points. The reason he was saving them was because of Law. Rather than wait until he was considered an SSS-Rank to learn law, he wanted to purchase [Soul Cleansing]. It was a onetime purchase. No matter how weak his soul was, this would purify and cleanse it. His soul would undergo a qualitative change, and he would be able to ¡°sense¡± the power of Law.


    Ordinarily he would have to wait until his soul naturally reached this realm of strength. This threshold was around the strength of SS to SSS-Rank. This was when few people who were talented would begin to sense Universal Law.


    The System truly was looking out for him. It seemed to know what he needed the most and evolved to meet his needs. If he could start learning Law now, it would put him in an extremely advantageous position. It had given him the option to learn Law quite early.


    There was only one small¡­. Or rather large problem¡­.


    The System was a god damn miser! It was a greedy bastard. If he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have thought that it was the Sin of Greed¡¯s incarnation. All the important abilities he could buy such as [Soul Cleansing] or [Soul Manipulation] were stupidly expensive. [Soul Cleansing] was 35,000 Soul Points. He had spent over six months trying to acquire this amount. Even worse, he didn¡¯t know what governed how many Soul Points he acquired. Sometimes he would get less than ten, other times he would get over a hundred.


    If not for the fact the Kysansha started to actively hunt him three months ago, it would have taken him far longer to achieve the amount of Soul Points he did have. There was always a trade-off though.


    Due to constantly being hunted and having to fight the Kysansha Tribe or wild beasts, the time it was taking to travel to the Vahar¡¯Gal Mountains was exponentially increased. It should have been a three months journey by walking. Unexpectedly it had doubled.


    However, if there was one thing he had plenty of, it was time. He didn¡¯t have a family, nor did he have any friends. There were a few acquaintances here and there, but they would go through their lives just fine if he were to disappear without warning. Maybe if he knew the mission he was to inherit then he would feel pressured for time. This was far off in the future though, so he shoved such thoughts to the depths recesses of his mind.


    After killing this most recent group of Kysansha, Keith felt much better. Today of all days was not the day to mess with him. He hated technology. He was horrid when it came to using phones. He had a smartphone back in his apartment on Earth ¨Che was probably evicted by now due to going missing-, but even then he wasn¡¯t very adept at using it. They weren¡¯t like I.R.C.D¡¯s, and wouldn¡¯t connect to Earth from other realms so he left it in his nightstand.


    The I.R.C.D, what took most people a few days to repair had taken him three months. He¡¯d spent the better half of these three months fiddling with the wires inside of it, as well as trying all kinds of methods to repair. There was even a time that he thought he might destroy it by accident. The System chose this perfect time to become useless. When he asked it how to repair an I.R.C.D it refused to answer him.


    It wasn¡¯t until today he finally got it to react to anything he did. Even now, he had no clue what he did. He was interlocking and mixing the different colored wires.


    Those Kysansha, they were really hateful. They had no respect for working adults. He only felt better after insulting and scolding them when they attacked him. He was on the cusp of getting the I.R.C.D to work. He felt it in his gut which hadn¡¯t failed him yet. So, he did what most sane people would never do. He completely ignored the four Kysansha that were closing in on him. He ran through the sandy dunes, and jumped up on the random trees that now dotted the desert wastelands. He evaded his pursuers as he focused on the I.R.C.DFind this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    At that point, the Kysansha ¨Cat least two of them- began to use magic, or skills, well¡­something. The sand of the wastelands turned into giant boulders. Not surprisingly they hurled them at him; this caused childish insults to spew forth from Keith¡¯s mouth. If even one of those hit their mark, he would have been turned into gelatinous puddle-mush.


    Only when the I.R.C.D began to show a weird blinking green light did Keith finally turn his attention to the Kysansha. He was angry. What if the I.R.C.D didn¡¯t work? Even if it didn¡¯t contact anyone from Earth, there was still a chance he could find out what was happening on the other side if someday someone did contact him.


    Despite his insults and easily expressed emotions in his voice, Keith¡¯s face still had its perpetual frown. When he threatened to annihilate their species he tried to grin malevolently, but he felt like he scowled instead. He really felt like an old grandpa that hated anything and everything about the world and only reminisced about the good times of their past.


    Even worse, he had snow white hair. To which not even Elena knew why The System changed his hair and eye color. It was as if it wanted others to think Keith was someone who craved attention and became rebellious because of it. All he was missing was a bunch of piercings all over his face¡­ which he refused to get.


    With Atraxia¡¯s Wrath, Keith had quickly dispatched the Kysansha, and then checked his status.


    Name: Keith


    Hp: 3471 Mp: 1683


    Hp Regeneration: 343/min Mp Regeneration: 57/min


    Strength: 243 Agility: 285 Spirituality: 333


    Vitality: 290 Intellect: 320 Resilience: 194


    Current Weapon(s): Atraxia¡¯s Wrath


    Equipment: Ring of Mara¡¯s Faithful


    Currency: 20 Low Grade Mana Gems


    250 Middle Grade Mana Gems


    15,473 Soul Points


    Skills: Passive


    [The System: Lv. Max] [Soul Eater: Lv. 1] [Unholy Incarnation: Lv. 2]


    [Yin Eyes: Lv. 1] [Reaper¡¯s Touch Lv. 1]


    Skills: Active


    None


    ¡­


    Quickly skimming through his status, Keith was satisfied with his progress. His attributes were increasing steadily. They would have been higher if only he could absorb the full soul strength of his opponents. That¡¯s what he thought at first. The truth was that the System loved to steal from him.


    Not only was he penalized if he was injured because soul strength was diverted to healing his injuries, there was other hidden ¡°fees¡±. What was The System? It really was a miser¡­ It was a greedy piece of scum.


    He absorbed anywhere from five percent to twenty percent. This was only after he did basic testing by keeping track of the soul points he acquired. Even if he killed two Kysansha that were identical in every aspect, he was not guaranteed to get the same number of soul points. He could live with getting less soul points from weaker creatures, but this was just unfair.


    Although he had no proof, it seemed that The System would use any reason available to confiscate the power of the souls he devoured. He didn¡¯t even know what those reasons were¡­


    Not wanting to bother with it anymore, Keith looked over his abilities.


    ¡°Oh, look at that¡­ Unholy Incarnation leveled up. That¡¯s helpful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one step closer to Master Anthrus, although that step was less than an inch,¡± Elena said cheerfully.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Keith said dryly.


    So far, all of his abilities were passive. It wasn¡¯t as if there weren¡¯t abilities that were that he had to manually use, but he felt that they would be useless without the power of Law. They were also absurdly expensive. Instead he focused on passive abilities.


    Although they couldn¡¯t show their true power without Law, they would still aid him overall. Instead of quality, he was focusing on quantity. He wanted to gather as many passives as possible.


    He still had no idea what Yin Eyes was though. He had yet to ¡°see¡± something others could not see. It was turning out to be quite useless at the moment.


    Reapers touch was interesting though. It worked similar to Atraxia¡¯s Wrath; however, he felt it was more like a curse. Every time he touched his opponent ¨Ceven indirectly by using a weapon-, he didn¡¯t even need to injure them; it would sap a small amount of their stamina. Probably because he couldn¡¯t use the power of Law, he couldn¡¯t control it yet. It was probably best to not shake hands with anyone in the future¡­ at least until he gained mastery over this passive.


    As for Unholy Incarnation, this was what Keith relied on the most in his fights. It was a double edged sword. It seemed any type of Incarnation meant he was embodiment of something. It was essentially an aura, much like killing intent.


    When he killed, he absorbed the remnant life force, as well as the newly created death aura. Essentially with Unholy Incarnation he was the embodiment of life and death. The two forces mixed into something unfathomable.


    The more he killed, the stronger this ability grew. Around Keith was a deathly aura. It wasn¡¯t suppressive, it didn¡¯t force others to kneel or make them struggle to breath. Instead, it caused bone-chilling fear that pierced to the depths of the soul. It made others feel despair and as if death was looming over them.


    As for the life portion of this ability, while he was surrounded by a deathly aura, at the center of it like the eye of a storm was Keith. His life force, his ¡°existence¡±, was magnified multiple times. Synergizing with the death aura his magnified ¡°existence¡± made him appear like a reaper, always looming over the shoulders of others reminding them that they were only mortal, and eventually all were equal in death.


    This was the reason it was known as Unholy. He embodied both death and life. It had now grown strong enough to nearly paralyze all weak creatures. Those around Keith¡¯s strength weren¡¯t paralyzed, but the fear made them sluggish and dulled their senses. As for those who were slightly stronger than him, they were only momentarily stunned. For anything far beyond his level of strength, it had no effect.


    But this ability, even if it only stunned for a few seconds, it gave him multiple chances to attack with Atraxia¡¯s Wrath and make use of Reaper¡¯s Touch.


    However, the reason it was a double edged sword was he couldn¡¯t control it. It was the same as Reaper¡¯s Touch. As long as he didn¡¯t have the power of Law, his magnified ¡°Existence¡± was like a beacon to the Kysansha that were hunting him, he had no way to suppress it as of yet. The Kysansha were also part-serpent anyways. They were extremely sensitive to heat, as well as the five senses. He had no way to hide.


    Lamenting the fact that the upgrade to his abilities was both a benefit and demerit, Keith closed his status. It was better not to think about such things, they would gnaw away at his mind. Instead, it would be better to begin travelling again especially since his ¡°beacon¡± was just strengthened.


    As he began to make his way towards the Vahar¡¯Gal Mountains again, Keith suddenly remembered his I.R.C.D. It had been blinking with a green light. Taking it out of his pocket, it no longer blinked. There was only a faint green light that was nearly imperceptible.


    Since it was like an ear bud, Keith attached it to his right ear, and positioned the microphone that was as thin as a copper wire next to his mouth. The moment he did so, he heard a faint voice gargled with static.


    ¡°H¡­Hello?¡±

 Chapter 15: Suspicion

    A hint of shock passed through Keith¡¯s eyes. Was he really able to establish communications just like that? He didn¡¯t know much about I.R.C.D¡¯s. All he knew was that most Hunters had them. They could connect back to Earth. Filtered through countless channels, Hunters could stay in contact with one person or anyone else attuned to the same channel.


    How they were able to do so from different realms, he didn¡¯t understand it nor did he want to. He hated modern technology with a passion. Primitive tools were more his speed.


    Although the voice was full of static, he could roughly guess it was female, possibly? Or it was a really feminine man. He leaned towards the former.


    Keith fumbled with the I.R.C.D attached to his head. He wasn¡¯t sure how to get rid of the static. There were a few buttons and a scroll-wheel. But he didn¡¯t dare touch them lest he lose communication with the other side.


    Keith swallowed hard. Elena rooted for him in his head, but it was annoying and she sounded quite sarcastic. She was about as useful as his system was when it was stealing soul points from him¡­


    With nearly a whisper Keith finally voiced out, ¡°Can anyone hear me?¡±


    Nearly a minute passed. He thought that he wouldn¡¯t receive an answer, maybe his mic was broken. Little did he know that it wasn¡¯t broken but instead his way of speaking?


    Lara was confused. What happened to the loud and violent person who was spewing insults? Now Keith¡¯s voice was so quiet she could barely hear him. The near minute that passed was her trying to wrap her head around the sudden change. If she were to see his near facial paralysis, it would feel even more perplexing.


    Finally pressing down on the mic button Lara said, ¡°I can hear you.¡± She didn¡¯t want whoever was on the other side to know she was with her subordinates. This person was not the leader of her Scout Team. Somehow they got his I.R.C.D. For all she knew Keith was their murderer.


    Keith¡¯s heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Hey, you sound like a robot. How do I fix it?¡± The static was really starting to bug him. Between it and Elena¡¯s snide remarks it was astonishing he didn¡¯t get a migraine.


    A moment later, Lara said, ¡°Use the scroll-wheel on the I.R.C.D, and adjust it until the channel frequencies perfectly match. You will know when the static disappears.¡±


    Keith followed the directions. But it still took him a few minutes. All the while, he grumbled and complained to himself about how trashy technology was. Meanwhile, Elena couldn¡¯t get enough of it.


    She was hundreds of years old and was only a fragment of her former self. But even she understood technology and how to use it. She had witnessed humanity change from using the standard oxen pulling a plow to steam engines to nuclear power, and finally to the present era where science and magic mixed. Yet, Keith seemed stuck in the Stone Age.


    Finally, Keith managed to make the static disappear and then he said, ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°Is it better now?¡± Lara said.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s better.¡±


    Lara cleared her throat, sitting down at a table; she grabbed a nearby notebook and pen. Twirling a lock of her hair, she began to speak in a neutral tone. ¡°My name is Lina. I¡­ I work for Windsor Enterprises. How did you come across Agent Atraxia¡¯s I.R.C.D?¡±


    Lara opted to not lie but instead withhold information. She technically worked for Windsor Enterprises. She owned it after all. There was no telling what someone would think if they knew the head of one of the four great families was speaking to them. After all, not just anyone could interact with her.


    ¡°That? I came across his group. They were all dead. Your man Atraxia, he had all his limbs ripped from his body by the way. Pretty gruesome sight it was. I don¡¯t know if you guys are just greedy or stupid, but you actually wanted to steal something that belonged to the Divine Ruler who owned this realm; do you have a death wish?¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    What?! Something passed down from a Divine Ruler? Why didn¡¯t she know about it? Why would an E-Rank Realm have something that belonged to a Divine Ruler? But the real question was why did her agent have something like that? When did he get it? She had never heard of him going to the Kavala Wastelands before she sent him there to investigate.


    Turning to her maid, Lara¡¯s mood became terrible. ¡°Quickly, find out all information about Agent Atraxia and anyone associated with him. Use any and all means necessary.¡±


    Bowing, her personal maid immediately ran off to carry out Lara¡¯s orders with due haste. She had never seen Lara so agitated before, and she had known her since they were children.


    The situation could not be any worse. From what the other person said, it sounded like the realm mutating might be the fault of Atraxia¡¯s party and hers by association because she was their boss.


    To think they angered a Divine Ruler, or at least something that served the Divine Ruler. Even mortals knew of Divine Rulers. The four great families were each backed by at least one Divine Ruler after all. But they didn¡¯t normally get involved in mortal affairs.


    Unless they faced imminent destruction, the four families Divine Rulers would not meddle with mortals. This was the reason that they had their statuses as great families and were unrivalled upon Earth.


    Lara sighed, turning back to the mic she asked, ¡°Your name, what is your name and rank? Are you affiliated with any organization?¡±


    Keith frowned. Well¡­ his face was always frowning. What rank was he? Based on his combat capability he should be somewhere in between C and D-Rank. However the Kavala Wastelands mutated. Even with the knowledge The System gave him, for all he knew everything he fought could be the weakest of the creatures that lived here. There was no predictable way to tell if the creatures that lived in a realm mutated with the realm or not.


    Frankly speaking, the E-Rank creatures of an SSS-Rank realm would be far stronger than the creatures of an E-Rank Realm. Even if both creatures were still E-Rank; the one from the SSS-Rank Realm would nearly always win if the two were to be pitted against each other.


    This was the reason Keith didn¡¯t care for ranks. They were unstable and unreliable. Who know what the person who came up with the rank system was thinking when they invented it. E-Rank didn¡¯t necessarily measure his power, nor did the other ranks. Simply put his strength was dependent on the realm he inhabited.


    Yes, an SSS-Rank creature of an E-Rank realm was incredibly rare to find, however that didn¡¯t mean they did not exist. But that creature would not normally win against an SSS-Rank that originated from an SSS-Rank Realm, the chances were quite low.


    Even though they were both technically at had the same level of power, the environment they grew up in was completely different. It wasn¡¯t a difference in their power itself, but what made up that power. It was the quality that mattered.


    Those from higher ranked realms were naturally of a higher ¡°quality¡± than those from lower ranked realms. It could be said that they were on a higher plane of existence. It was like comparing a Divine Ruler to a Mortal. However, it was to a far lesser degree since they were both still considered ¡°Mortal¡±. There were always exceptions of course. Although it was rare, those from lower ranked realms could fight against those from higher ranked realms.


    To accurately rank a realm required far more than just knowing what creatures inhabited it. Realms didn¡¯t follow the same rules as Earth. There could be any number of things different such as how strong the force of gravity was. Or even worse, the realm would suppress inhabitants that weren¡¯t original residents who were born there, decreasing the level of power they could use.


    Keith¡¯s conclusion¡­ the rank system needed to be reevaluated, revamped, and revised. There was too much that was unaccounted for. In his opinion ranks were only a general level of strength. They didn¡¯t mean everything. Sadly, there were some people who judged everything based off of ranks alone. He felt these people were narrow-minded.


    Eventually, after thinking for a moment he came to his answer. He might as well use his age old profession.


    ¡°My name is Keith. I do not have a rank. I was a courier for the Hunter¡¯s Association six months ago. But I am guessing they think I am dead. They would not care if I miraculously survived and I would venture to guess that they think I was killed in action. So no, I am not affiliated with any group at the moment.¡±


    Lara was astounded. Courier¡­ how did someone with no abilities or skills manage to survive six months? No, how did he manage to kill even the weakest of the creatures in this realm?


    Lara wrote down Keith¡¯s name and profession, ¡°Do you have a last name. Do you have any family alive?¡±


    ¡°Nope¡­¡± He was not affiliated to the Silvermoon Family and refused to be known as someone that held blood ties to them. He would rather be an orphan than admit they were his family.


    ¡°Then¡­ Keith, how have you survived for sixth months? Tell me your story.¡± For the first time in years, Lara felt curiosity towards someone. Somehow someone who should have died immediately not only survived for half a year longer than her specially trained subordinates, they were even seemingly living carefree. If Keith didn¡¯t have a story to tell, she would never believe him.

 Chapter 16

    Keith summarized his ¡°adventure¡± into three sentences. First he was the sacrificial pawn of his group after they were ambushed. Second, by luck he managed to escape and perhaps due to stress he awakened. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for some to awaken a new Inherent Skill ¨Cwhich wasn¡¯t inherited- when under extreme stress. Lastly, he survived based purely on his instincts and his Inherent Skill; he was on the run after pissing off a bunch of creepy snake-people.


    He ¡°accidentally¡± left out the fact that he was a descendant of a Divine Monarch, as well as the fact he had a woman who liked to harass him fused with his soul, and a system that was so greedy it would use all sorts of unknown excuses to ¡°collect fees¡± from him.


    No matter how much he trusted someone, he would have probably never share his ancestry with them, as well as his one of a kind unique skill that was seemingly evolving. At least not until he was powerful enough that no one could threaten him.


    If that was how he thought for someone he did somewhat trust, then this woman whom he had no way of knowing her true identity was at the bottom of the list. This was especially true because of the fact that there was no way she was so simple.


    Even if he couldn¡¯t see her, the way she spoke was far too authoritative for her to be a mere employee of Windsor Enterprises. Then there was the fact the Windsor Family was one of the Four Great Families of Wraithos City. This alone put him on edge. If he learned anything from his time with the Silvermoon Family, it was that they were ruthless and not to be trusted. They would throw you away the moment you were useless to them. For all he knew, the other three families were the same.


    Keith wasn¡¯t the only one suspicious. When Lara heard his three sentence ¡°story¡±, she knew he was hiding something. But no matter how much she pressed for answers, Keith wouldn¡¯t say more than a few words which could loosely amount to, ¡°I tried my best.¡±


    No matter what she asked, he just said this statement in differing variations. It was aggravating and got under her skin. No one blatantly disregarded her, and not even Grandpa Windsor had utterly disregarded her in the past three years like this.


    It was all trash. He was spoon-feeding her trash and he expected her to believe it¡­


    Lara leaned against her desk. She felt like pulling her hair out. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact this realm was under the Windsor¡¯s jurisdiction, and Keith was the only eyes she had on the inside of the realm, she would¡¯ve just shut off the I.R.C.D and left him to his own devices, completely leaving him to fend for himself.


    But¡­ she had no choice, this realm was her problem. Keith was the only one she could possibly get any information from. Even if he wasn¡¯t necessarily strong, he seemed competent enough to survive. Provided he wasn¡¯t someone who hated authoritarian figures, they might be able to work together until this situation was resolved.


    She already received one piece of information. There were the Kysansha, which Keith had mentioned in passing. At the time he didn¡¯t know that she heard him. Just this information alone was helpful. It represented one of the forces that were trying to invade Earth through the portal. He said they were snake-people, well that was one of the forces that were trying to invade.


    Now she knew their name. Perhaps there were records of them somewhere on Earth; after all, the Kavala Wastelands gateway first appeared roughly one hundred years ago during the year 2150. If Keith could be her eyes and ears on the inside, then maybe the situation could be salvaged and her Scout Team¡¯s deaths wouldn¡¯t be in vain.


    Formulating a plan in her mind, Lara turned to the mic once again. She slowly thought of her words one by one. Call it a hunch, but she felt that if she didn¡¯t word this properly Keith would cut off the negotiations and smash his I.R.C.D.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Keith. My superiors have listened to our conversation. They would like to propose a deal.¡±


    Keith¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously. Now he was frowning, and he really meant to this time.


    ¡°What kind of deal?¡± He said icily.


    He could roughly guess what Lara and her ¡°superiors¡± wanted. The question was would the terms be worth it? He didn¡¯t want to be tied down to any one organization anymore. He wanted his freedom.


    ¡°Well¡­ They would like you to be a temporary scout. If anyone found out about you then the Windsor Family would claim you as one of their own. The Windsor Family will use all its resources to hide your identity. If you manage to return to Earth, you will know valuable information. Simply the fact that you know of an item left behind by a Divine Ruler is enough to make you a target.¡±


    ¡°The benefits¡­.¡± Keith said gruffly. What Lara said made sense, but the remunerations would have to be worth it. Also, although Lara hadn¡¯t intended it this way, he took her mentioning that he knew of an item left behind by a Divine Ruler as a threat that she would expose if he didn¡¯t work for the Windsor¡¯s.


    ¡°Naturally the Windsor¡¯s own the Heavenly Wind Auction House. If there is anything you want they will get it for you after you return. Also, you will have a direct connection to the leaders of Windsor Enterprises. Surely they would assist as long as you were to ask, provided that you carry out what they request of you while you are in the Kavala Wastelands.¡± Elena said eloquently.


    She tried to sound as graceful as possible when she sensed the hint of disinterest in Keith¡¯s voice. If he didn¡¯t think this was enough, then she didn¡¯t know what she could give him. There were countless people that wanted a direct connection to her. Also, she had never offered to give someone anything they requested for free from the Heavenly Wind Auction House no matter its price.


    Keith didn¡¯t answer right away. Instead he turned his attention away from Lara. He chose to ask Elena who had been listening to the conversation for her opinion. She probably had a better idea of what he should do considering she was older than him¡­. Well he would never ask her age lest she purposely try to give him a migraine.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s worth it Elena?¡±


    ¡°Yes you should even though this woman is lying. Women will always know other women best. You may suspect it, but I know it. She clearly has ulterior motives. It is fine though as long as you know she has them. You can be on your guard. Right now, it would be beneficial to have a temporary ally from Earth. She should be able to make it easier for you once you finally do return.¡±


    Well, if Elena said it was alright, then he would agree. However, negotiations worked both ways, and he held the advantage.


    ¡°Fine I¡¯ll accept your gift, as well as the verbal business card. I¡¯ll temporarily do this ONE thing for the Windsor Family, which is to provide any information I deem pertinent to be shared. However, I have three more conditions.¡±


    Keith thought for a moment before deciding on his three other conditions. They shouldn¡¯t be that difficult for the Windsor¡¯s¡­


    ¡°I want a constant briefing of anything important happening on Earth. Also, I want the party who abandoned me executed. I know the Windsor¡¯s have their methods¡­ It shouldn¡¯t be that hard for them to find out who they are from the records of the Hunter¡¯s Association. Lastly, by now I have definitely been evicted from my apartment, and the Hunter¡¯s Association has probably reported my death. So the third thing I request is this. If I successfully return to Earth, I want help procuring a new identity, as well as another apartment. If you do this, I will agree.¡±


    In hindsight, even if he held the advantage. Keith knew he was requesting a lot, even if the three things he requested were simple for the Windsor Family to accomplish. He didn¡¯t necessarily trust the Windsor¡¯s or Lara, but he should be fine¡­ at least for now.


    What he didn¡¯t expect was for Lara to almost immediately reply.


    ¡°Yes, that is all easy enough to accomplish. This will be a verbal contract that will be repeated over a recording on our end. It will stipulate the conditions. Do not worry the Windsor¡¯s always hold up their end of a deal, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t achieve the status they had today.¡± Lara said in a prideful tone.


    ¡®Yeah ok...¡¯ Keith thought. He knew that the Four Great Families dealt in some seriously shady things. They had probably abandoned their fair share of deals and killed people to achieve what they wanted. As far as he was concerned, they were no better than the Silvermoon Family in his eyes.

 Chapter 17

    After coming to a consensus on their cooperation, Keith managed to turn off the I.R.C.D without breaking it. He once again began his journey to the Vahar¡¯Gal Mountains. He was not sure if he made the right decision. Being involved with the Four Great Families could be seen as heaven-sent luck or a bane. At least for now, he was needed and would not need to worry about his life for the time-being¡­ hopefully.


    ¡°System, how long will it take me to reach the Vahar¡¯Gal Mountains?¡±


    ¡°Replying: At current speed, you will arrive in two months, six days, four hours, 3 minutes, and two seconds.¡±


    ¡°Is that with rest time and all other known variables factored in?¡±


    ¡°Replying: Yes¡­ If you wish to arrive quicker, it is suggested get a mount from the Arlaine Tribe.¡±


    ¡®The Arlaine Tribe¡­.¡¯ That idea actually wasn¡¯t half-bad.


    Keith chuckled suddenly, ¡°Elena, The System is far more useful than you? It even responds to my questions? Why do I need you again?¡± Keith poked at Elena¡¯s nerves because she had been annoying him purposefully for weeks now. Apparently she was so bored that she had nothing else to do.


    ¡°Humph. Unlike that stupid robot, I was a bonafide Divine Ruler who had travelled through countless realms. My experiences are far more valuable to you than some crappy skill¡­ I just need time to remember them¡­ eventually.¡± Elena said defensively. While she didn¡¯t mind harassing Keith, it didn¡¯t feel so good being on the receiving end.


    Elena retreated into the depths of Keith¡¯s soul, closing off their connection. She didn¡¯t want anything to do with Keith. Just wait until she remembered all of her adventures throughout the realms! She would be sure to surprise him with all of her stories and experiences.


    On the other hand, Keith contemplated his own thoughts. The words of The System were right. It would take forever to reach the Vahar¡¯Gal Mountains. Maybe it would be a good idea to look for the Arlaine Tribe. The problem is that they were nomadic, and weren¡¯t very friendly.


    The Arlaine Tribe was a group of demi-humans. They were a nomadic people who travelled around on beasts they subdued. Although they were incredibly mobile, at the same time they were isolationists. They didn¡¯t like to interact with outsiders. They traded with merchants for anything they needed which couldn¡¯t be made from the beasts they killed. They interacted with others at an absolute minimum, including the merchants.


    While it would be a good idea to see if he could obtain one of their mounts, at the same time he didn¡¯t want to end up being attacked. The Arlaine were incredibly skilled in warfare and tactics. If the Kysansha -an originally scholarly race- became violent, then what was the situation with the Arlaine? What about the Vahar¡¯Gal Dwarves?


    He didn¡¯t know whether or not the races changed as well when a realm mutated. He had no proof, nor did he think that he would find an answer any time soon. There were too many unanswered questions.


    ¡®Are their humans here?¡¯ On the topic of races of this realm, Keith was curious if there were humans that were indigenous to this realm. When he bought the general information of this realm from the Soul Shop he didn¡¯t come across any indication that there were any humans in this realm.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    But they were found in other realms, Earth even enacted trade relationships with them. It was strange; surely he wasn¡¯t the ONLY human in this realm right? If that was the case, he might not garner amicable relationships with the indigenous races. After all, Humans from Earth had been essentially invading this realm and plundering it. It would not be wrong if they were thought of as barbarians.


    Just as he was about to ask the System whether or not the Arlaine would attempt to kill him on sight, the ground began to rumble. But this time there was no thunder or a torrential downpour of rain. The sky was clear, and the sun caused the ground to feel like it was molten rock.


    If he hadn¡¯t gotten stronger and also got used to it, the temperature would have driven Keith mad. He would have become a dried out husk had he not been competent enough to make sure he travelled at a rate he would find at least one oasis each day.


    He knew the Mountains were to the north, the river was east of him. To the south were the remnants of the land where the gateway to Earth used to reside. It was now barren and destroyed due to the gate shifting through time and space to another place in the realm.


    As for the west, Keith simply referred to it as a mass grave. Countless skeletal corpses could be found over there. Scavengers made up the life that lived there.


    Although he felt rumbling all around him as the earth trembled, it sounded like thunder was coming from the west. But there were no thunderclouds in the sky. It was a clear, sunny, and sweltering day. It was exactly the same as it had been for the past few months.


    Turning to the west, a shadow loomed over the horizon. Like a swarm of locusts, the shadow was headed for him. Keith couldn¡¯t see anything except for the dark tide headed towards him.


    ¡®Ah, this is bad.¡¯ Keith had a horrible feeling. He couldn¡¯t see. Or at least he thought he couldn¡¯t.


    As Keith turned around to run, suddenly he felt a weird feeling in his eyes. If the rest of his body was burning under the sun, his eyes felt extremely cold as if they were replaced with ice. But this coolness didn¡¯t bother him. Instead it brought clarity of mind.


    If he were to see his reflection right now, he would notice that he had a faintly visible sky-blue flame-like aura around his eyes. The contrast of color between this aura and his gray eyes made them the most prominent part of Keith¡¯s body.


    Keith didn¡¯t need someone to explain to him that this was his Yin Eyes coming into effect. Turning towards the dark tide, it was as if time slowed down to a near standstill. If he were to look at the ground, he could almost see the individual grains. As for the dark tide... his jaw nearly dropped.


    ¡°Elena!¡±


    Keith saw at least a hundred Kysansha, all riding some type of Gorilla-like beasts, which in his mind were probably War Beasts, mounts used for nothing else but killing. They were each over ten feet tall, and they had short sandy-brown fur. On their backs were what almost looked like a kings throne, however, they were made of wood and metals strips.


    He could see every minute detail, even with the cooling sensation around his eyes and skull, the overwhelming detail of everything began to give Keith a headache. It was as if he was splitting his consciousness to focus individually on thousands of things at once. It truly was not something anyone could do under normal circumstances. No wonder the Yin Eyes had not activated yet, it put a strain on his body. If this was only the first level of the ability, what would happen if it advanced? What would it be like when infused with the power of Law?


    Keith shut his eyes to give himself a moment of reprieve from the growing pain. Now that the Yin Eyes were active, he didn¡¯t know how long it would be active.


    He turned away, and bolted. He ran as fast as he could. Elena who was originally resting awoke to Keith¡¯s scream. When she saw the situation through his eyes, she couldn¡¯t help sighing. She wasn¡¯t even surprised. Keith always seemed to cause extremely abnormal events to occur. Without a doubt, he had been tracked, and the Kysansha wanted him dead.


    He basically summoned an army to come after him during the short time that she was resting¡­ if that wasn¡¯t abnormal, what was?


    ¡°What did you do now?¡± Elena said exasperatedly. This idiot was going to get the two of them killed.

 Chapter 18

    ¡°Elena. That¡¯s an army. What do I do? I can¡¯t outrun that.¡±


    Keith sprinted as fast as he could. But the mounts of the Kysansha were catching up. There was no way he could win against this. He knew his limits. He didn¡¯t know what to do. The System was great but when it came to combat, it had no advice.


    Elena was silent. The longer it took for her to respond, the more worried Keith grew. There was a way out of this right, right? How ironic would it be if he died before he could learn what his mission was? If there was one thing in life he would regret, it was not being able to find out the reason as to why Anthrus and the rest of the Divine Monarchs died.


    Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Elena responded. ¡°There is a way¡­¡± She said carefully.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± From her tone of voice, it sounded as if there was a risk involved. But even if it was risky, right now he was open to any idea.


    ¡°Keith, you have two choices. Keep your Soul Points and possibly, a very small possibly; you will survive this on your own. The other is to spend your Soul Points on what I tell you to, it will take away nearly all of your Soul Points. I have seen the [Soul Shop] through your eyes, and within it there is a way for your survival chances to increase considerably¡­ provided you have a high pain tolerance. So, make your choice.¡±


    Even if he wanted to learn Law as early as possible, it would not matter at all if he died before getting the chance to comprehend it. So what if it was risky. The best way to grow quickly was by taking risks.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do what you say. Tell me what to do.¡±


    The moment he agreed, Elena told him to purchase four abilities. The moment he did so, even more pain assaulted Keith¡¯s already aching head. Information about the abilities, as well as visions of Anthrus using them manifested in Keith¡¯s mind. It felt as if he had been able to use them all of his life. Although it wasn¡¯t perfect, with a bit of practice using them would be as easy as breathing. Luckily, there were the perfect targets to practice on.


    ¡°Are you sure this will work?¡± Keith¡¯s asked. He trusted Elena, but even so, he had never faced off against more than six to ten Kysansha at once. In front of him was more than ten times that number especially when the war beasts the Kysansha rode were factored in.


    ¡°Relax. Follow your instincts. You are Anthrus¡¯s direct descendant. Even if you aren¡¯t his first generation grandchild, his divine blood still flows through your veins. No matter how diluted, it is the blood of a Divine Monarch. Be prideful of your heritage. Stand proud and face all adversity head on just like your Grandfather. ¡°Feel¡± the memories he left you. Embrace them and merge them into yourself.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Elena turned out to be quite the morale booster. He would have never thought that the annoying woman who liked to harass him could be so inspiring. This was a first. Maybe¡­ just maybe travelling with her will be a bit different than he thought. If there was one person he could trust himself entirely to, perhaps it was Elena.


    ¡°Alright, here goes nothing.¡±


    Keith stopped running away. The original distance between him and the army had closed by more than half. Some of the Kysansha were starting to use long range magic against him. But Keith didn¡¯t even bother to pay attention to it.


    Turning to the army, or perhaps since it was a bit small to be an army, a battalion would be better to describe the amount of foes. Facing the battalion of Kysansha and their War Beasts, Keith unsheathed Atraxia¡¯s Wrath.


    Standing with his feet firmly planted in the mix of white and brown sand beneath him, he closed his eyes. Searching deep within himself Keith began to call upon the power of his soul. He did as Elena instructed and trusted his instincts and let his mind seemingly become wrapped in the memories of Anthrus.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Suddenly, a deathly aura far stronger than what Keith was capable of creating enveloped the earth. It began to sweep around the earth before him, causing the sand to billow and form dust clouds. The temperature dropped within the field of this aura until it was a near freezing temperature. Had it not already been over a hundred degrees in the middle of a desert, ice might¡¯ve formed on the ground.


    Standing completely still as if he was a statue, Keith gazed at the battalion approaching him. There was no joy on his face. No, there were no emotions. He didn¡¯t feel confidence or fear, he felt empty.


    Slowly he opened his mouth and said two words, ¡°Banshee¡¯s Vessel.¡±


    The moment he spoke, the aura that was not his own magnified multiple times, it was so dense that the realm seemed to lose its vibrancy. Color seemed to drain from the surrounding area. All that was left was a world of gray. Due to the magnified pressure, thin ice even began to form upon the sand of the wastelands.


    The battalion which was in the midst of charging towards Keith stopped in its tracks merely a few hundred feet away from him. Uneasiness swept through the ranks. The war beasts began to recoil in anxiety due to the aura they felt. The leader of the battalion observed his troops. Even he felt deterred by this aura.


    This was the detestable creature that had annihilated their scouting parties for months now. Even if it was alone, it must not be underestimated. However, it had to be slaughtered. Nothing that could be a threat to the Master¡¯s plans would be allowed to live. They had strict kill on sight orders. Deciding to follow orders was one thing, and carrying them out was another. The leader of the Kysansha began to hesitate, especially when it suddenly saw something that it would never be able to erase from its mind.


    Behind Keith, something began to manifest. Slowly stepping out from his shadow was the figure of a woman with blood-red eyes. She was transparent and had raven-black hair. She wore a white-lace dress, almost like a night gown, or perhaps a dress that someone who died would wear as they were laid to rest in a coffin. It was quite traditional and ancient. It was certainly not a modern look.


    The woman¡¯s skin was a sickly bluish-gray color. Even if she was transparent as if she did not belong to this world, her features were still visible. If it wasn¡¯t for her blood red eyes, skin color, and the fact she clearly didn¡¯t have a physical form, she could be seen as someone whom most men would be drawn to. However, the reality was far different. She would be their worst nightmare.


    When the woman appeared, the aura of death continued to grow. A faint smell of blood filled the air. For the Kysansha who were especially sensitive with the five senses, it was overwhelming. They felt impending fear begin to arise from deep within the recesses of their body. It came from their souls.


    Almost as quickly as she manifested, the woman suddenly began to fade. She began to merge into Keith¡¯s body. Keith looked as if he was paralyzed due to his stiff posture, but he could still move. He silently observes as changes began to happen to his body.


    His smooth pale skin became a grayish-blue color. His muscles and body seemed to contract and shrink, becoming scrawnier and skinnier. But in truth, he could sense a dense and cold power flowing through his body. Although he couldn¡¯t see his reflection, he instinctively knew that his hair changed color to become a dark black, the same raven black color as the ghostly women¡¯s hair.


    His eyes became blood-red. They became even more eye-catching due to the flame-like aura caused by his Yin Eyes. The contrast between sky blue and blood red was almost hypnotizing.


    Keith¡¯s aura of life and death due to Unholy Incarnation merged with the woman¡¯s aura. His whole body felt cold. His mind was clear. Slowly raising his left hand, Keith repeatedly made a fist, squeezed, and then released it as if he was testing his grip strength.


    Finally, Keith turned his attention to the Kysansha who he had ignored. He gripped his sword and scanned the battalion, seemingly searching for something. When his eyes fell upon a certain war beast, the quickest flash of cruelty passed through them before he returned to being seemingly emotionless.


    Keith looked at that particular war beast. Then he did something that no one expected. He inhaled quite sharply. It was quite audible since nothing was making a sound.


    Opening his mouth, suddenly Keith screamed. But the scream was not of a man, or a beast. It was something else all-together. It was extremely high-pitched and feminine. Shockwaves were visible and the ground was ruptured which caused small craters and cracks to form. Ice shards and sand flew in the direction of the Kysansha Battalion.


    What the Kysansha heard, it was something that would make anyone shiver. What they heard was the sound of their impending deaths, the cry of the Banshee.

 Chapter 19:

    The wail of the Banshee was the cry of death. Even before the supernatural was proven to exist on Earth, there were legends of Banshees. Ironically, they were considered as a type of fairy despite the fact they looked so ghostly. The wail ¨Cor cry- of a Banshee was synonymous with death. It was considered an omen, an omen of imminent death for the individual that heard it, or someone they were close to.


    For the past few hundred years, the legends and mysteries of Earth were investigated. All the false information was eventually weeded out and what was left was the truth, which often was far different from the fairy tales people told to their children.


    In regards to the Banshee, its legend was actually quite accurate. However, it was the people who heard the cry that were fated to die, not the people close to them who hadn¡¯t heard it.


    The Fairy of Death was what Keith described a Banshee as. When he released the scream it caused a soundwave -which had mana and the aura of death infused within it- in the direction of his voice.


    Anyone who heard the Keith¡¯s scream would be momentarily stunned if they weren¡¯t strong enough to resist it. A pervasive ringing would be left behind in their ears. They would feel disoriented. The deathly aura that invaded their bodies would sap their stamina and cause feelings of nausea.


    The shockwave disrupted the Kysansha¡¯s ranks. Some fell to the ground vomiting. Others seemed to become living statues. Others clasped their hands to the sides of their heads, trying to stop the ringing inside their heads.


    The first to snap out of the effect of Keith¡¯s scream was the leader. He quickly began to restore order to the ranks. But it was too late. The one that Keith had his eyes on from the beginning was the main leader of this battalion.


    The difference between the leader and a mere soldier was easily identifiable. His War Beast was nearly twice the size of the others. Also the seat on its back was lavishly adorned with gems. The Kysansha within it was not like the others, it was wearing far better equipment.


    Keith¡¯s scream had opened up a path. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation he suddenly disappeared. His figure seemed to leave an afterimage as he burst forward. With every step he took, Keith seemed to phase out of the world as if he didn¡¯t have a physical form. He appeared to flow like water through the Kysansha and their War Beasts. The reason he suddenly changed from being barbaric to moving gracefully was due to the Abyssal Step.


    Abyssal Step, it was a movement ability that Elena told him to purchase. When used with the power of Law, his every step would truly phase from the dimension. He would step into the Abyss, which was the world where souls awaited their trials. It was place where it would be decided whether souls could reincarnate immediately or if they must undergo punishment first. But that wasn¡¯t the worst fate. When a soul was labeled as unredeemable, they were to be annihilated. They would cease to exist, never to reincarnate.


    This was the world in-between the realm of the dead and the realm of the living that Keith would eventually be able to step into. But since he didn¡¯t have the power of Law, he couldn¡¯t actually phase out of the physical world.


    Instead, Keith used a far weaker version of the Abyssal Step. He instinctively knew the footwork and technique needed to seemingly flow through his enemies. However, he could choose to expend some mana to forcefully create an ¡°imitation¡± of the true Abyssal Step when needed. When he did this he would suddenly burst forth with extreme speed in a straight line. He was unable to turn, but the speed was fast enough it created a small shockwave from where he was and it left an afterimage.


    He couldn¡¯t use it to travel extreme distances. The short burst of movement would hardly last a second. He had to be careful that it didn¡¯t drain too much of his mana.


    In the end Keith was still faithful to his original fighting style. Using the Abyssal Step¡¯s ability for instantaneous movement, he suddenly appeared in front of the main leader of the battalion.


    Raising his sword, there was a translucent white light upon it. Brutally swinging down the weapon, Keith nearly cleaved the Kysansha in two. It was utterly barbaric. With brute strength alone he cleaved through a hard armor made of scales and hide. A barbaric and primitive fighting style was Keith¡¯s chosen method of fighting.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Even if he learned Anthrus¡¯s abilities, he wasn¡¯t his Grandfather. Even if he did learn abilities that were considered ¡°graceful¡±, that wasn¡¯t who he was. When it came down to it, he believed that only unbridled raw power and speed would never fail him. If he had to resort to petty tricks, it simply meant that he wasn¡¯t strong enough. He wasn¡¯t Anthrus, he would make the abilities his own and he would alter them to suit his fighting style someday.


    Pulling his sword out of the Kysansha that he nearly cleaved in two, Keith looked at the blade edge. Another chip had formed along the blade. This was the strength that Elena was hinting to when she said she had a method to raise his chances of survival considerably. Right now, he was incomparable to his previous self. But it wouldn¡¯t last forever.


    Sweat was forming along Keith¡¯s brows. He made only minimal movements to get to the leader and kill him, yet his breath was labored. A burning pain as if he was submerged in fire was beginning to assault his body the longer he stayed in this state. Contrarily, a cold stabbing pain like thousands of needles piercing him seemed to be coming from his soul. His eyes were under the most duress because they were also under the effects of the Yin Eyes.


    So this was what Elena meant when she asked if he had a high pain tolerance. Not only was she not joking, she severely understated what she meant. This pain¡­ this was not something a normal person should be able to withstand.


    Suddenly Keith spat out a mouthful of blood. His vision became blurry. From the depths of his soul he heard Elena worriedly say, ¡°Hurry! You do not have much time; you have to end this before your body breaks down¡­ Three minutes, you have roughly three minutes at most. Thirty seconds have already passed!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Keith didn¡¯t want to answer; instead he was incapable of answering. He couldn¡¯t even scream in pain. He doubted that he could even release another Banshee Cry.


    With a sudden time limit and the ever increasing pain, Keith spat out another mouthful of blood. His sword felt incredibly heavy in his hand.


    Raising it, he turned to look at the Kysansha that didn¡¯t know what to do. Their leader was strong enough that he was unrivalled among them. But he was killed instantly. The fear they felt was immeasurable now, especially because of Keith¡¯s aura which penetrated their bodies and souls.


    Slowly, Keith took one step after another. His eyes glazed over. He wanted a reprieve from the pain. The only way was to kill, the faster the better. For every soul he devoured, he would get less than a second of relief. Raising his sword, Keith slashed downwards. He cut down the Kysansha and the War Beasts in batches of two and three.


    With brute strength alone, he cleaved them down. With every death, he felt a moment of numbness. The white light on his sword grew stronger. It grew more dreadful, and a suffocating power erupted from it. This was the second ability Elena told him to purchase. The Soul Blade, it was an active ability which would cause an aura to coat his blade.


    For every enemy he slaughtered, it absorbed a portion of the remnant life force and death force, as well as tiny soul fragments that it could obtain before Keith devoured them. The aura would become sharper and sharper as it devoured its opponents. However, it had a limit.


    The weapon had to be strong enough to endure the crushing of the aura¡¯s ever increasing strength as it not only increased sharpness, but also weight. This ability Anthrus created represented the burden of his title as the Divine Monarch of Life and Death. He carried the weight and burden of both the lives and the deaths of anyone he killed. It represented his resolve to carry out judgement fairly, even if he was hated for it by both the living and the dead.


    This ability suited Keith the best. Barbaric brute force and speed was what he preferred. With this ability, the faster he swung his blade and the harder he smashed it into his foes, the quicker they were killed. On the flip side of the coin, he was also sapped of strength faster. The stamina required to swing his weapon increased nearly as fast as the weight of it.


    Nearly two minutes passed. With only a minute left, Keith slaughtered nearly all of the battalion. His unholy aura of life and death continued to grow. The power of the Soul Blade also grew so rapidly that Atraxia¡¯s Wrath was cracking. It was unable to bear the pressure. But the aura released from his sword alone was enough to suppress the remaining Kysansha and their War Beasts. At this point he didn¡¯t even need the power of Unholy Incarnation.


    Unlike Unholy Incarnation which caused feeling of despair and fear, the aura from his sword was a physical suppression. It caused its victims to feel extreme weight on their bodies. They struggled to move and breath.


    Some of the weaker Kysansha even kneeled against their will. Keith quickly obliterated them. His sword, despite its sharpness, it was so heavy now that it was akin to a hammer. Every swing required a massive amount of his stamina.


    With ever increasing pain in his body and soul, Keith dispatched the remaining Kysansha and War Beasts. He dropped his sword, the moment he did so, it caused a crater upon contact with the ground and shattered into pieces. Just like that¡­ a weapon made from remains of a B-Rank serpent shattered into hundreds of pieces. The power of a Divine Monarch, it was not a burden that any weapon could withstand. A monarch always needed a weapon that befitted them. Keith had not found his yet; hopefully someday he would find a weapon that stood at the pinnacle of all other weapons, if it was unrivalled could it be the weapon of a monarch.


    As for Keith, he fell to his knees. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he struggled with all his might to say, ¡°Release Vessel¡±. Then he passed out. He didn¡¯t have an ounce of energy left.

 Chapter 20

    In the Old District of Wraithos City there was an abandoned warehouse. It rusted due being unused for over a century. The Old District was the remnants of the time before Humans discovered the myriad realms. The Old District was a place that almost no one visited anymore. It stood the test of time, but it was slowly withering away as the years passed. Someday the old buildings would surely collapse and this place would simply become a place of nothing but ruins.


    Within a nondescript warehouse of the Old District, three people were chained together. They were stripped of all their equipment and shivering due to the cold atmosphere.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did one of you owe somebody a debt?¡± The leader of the group asked.


    He didn¡¯t understand what happened. One moment he was at a club drinking beer and liquor, the next moment he was here. He didn¡¯t even remember fainting. He always prided himself on his ability to hold his alcohol. The fact he couldn¡¯t remember anything led him to believe he was drugged.


    The second person ¨Cthe healer- finally managed to sputter out a few words after he finally stopped crying. Snot and tears were sliding down his face.


    ¡°Someone ambushed me on my way home from the library. Everything went black after that.¡± He moaned pitifully.


    As for the third person of the group, he couldn¡¯t even speak. His body was covered in bruises, and his neck was swollen to the point it was a miracle he could breathe. When he was ambushed, he tried to fight back to no avail. He was brutally beaten for trying to resist. A few of his ribs were probably severely broken due to how malformed his chest appeared.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± The man who loved alcohol began to look around.


    There was nothing, it was only an encroaching darkness. The faint light of the moon seeped through cracks of the walls and ceiling. There were no windows.


    A musty and almost moldy smell pervaded the atmosphere. It didn¡¯t matter if the three of them tried to breathe through their noses or mouth. The smell and taste of the air were equally horrible. It was extremely nauseating.


    The three of them were chained together, hanging off of the ground. How high they were, none of them could tell. Only the faintest outline of the building could be seen.


    Suddenly, a bright light appeared in front of them. This light was blinding. Shutting their eyes, the captives waited until it faded. Once again opening their eyes, they saw this place for what it was.


    They were suspended twenty feet in the air, held by black chains engraved with runic symbols. They watched as the floor beneath them split open, revealing a dark green liquid beneath them. An acrid smell even worse than the moldy atmosphere wafted upwards, causing them to gag. Their eyes watered and burned. The skin on their bodies grew irritated.


    The next thing they knew, they heard the clicking of heels against the ground. At the entrance to this building a woman walked in. Dressed in a casual business outfit, she was surrounded by guards.


    Lara looked at the three people whose only lifeline was the chains they were bound to. With her resources, it was child¡¯s play to get the information of these three. It was precisely the party that had thrown Keith to the wolves. Only a day after she created a verbal contract Keith, she already found their locations.


    The first one ¨Cthe alcoholic- was a 19 year old youth by the name of Arlington. He dropped out of high school to pursue the life of a Hunter. He naively thought he was destined for fame. But his Inherent Skill known as Rock Hide was mediocre. It made his skin as hard as any normal stone that could be found. It was nothing special.


    Since he never finished his education, and was a failure as a Hunter. Arlington was destined to be a bottom feeding rat that did nothing but drink and go to clubs when he was not hunting the weakest of creatures in E-Rank Realms to barely scrape by financially.


    The other two people of Arlington¡¯s group had similar stories. The support of the group, he was an Ex-Young Master of a wealthy merchant family. He was the oldest son. He was useless. He never gave respect to his parents and was leeching off the family fortune. Cast out, he had to make use of his meager magical abilities. Eventually after a strange turn of events he entered Arlington¡¯s group.


    The beaten young man, he was the worst of the bunch. He was an individual anyone would deem as someone to avoid at all costs. No one would want their children around this person. He simply wanted to kill things. His interests were in dissecting creatures of other realms as well as humans, but he¡¯d never been caught doing the latter. However Lara could still find out every horrible thing he¡¯d done with ease. There was little to no information of how he ended up joining Arlington, but Lara didn¡¯t care about this point.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Lara gazed at the group without a shred of sympathy. She wasn¡¯t someone that would speak of justice and act as if she was the embodiment of it. She had done her fair share of cruel things. Regardless, she did not like these people. In her opinion they were the filth of society. She was glad to dispose of them; they were a waste of air for others.


    ¡°Do you know why you are here?¡± She said.


    ¡°No. We did nothing wrong. We do not belong here.¡± Arlington said hastily. He wanted to escape. He didn¡¯t care about the other two, as long as he survived that was all that mattered.


    ¡°Are you sure? A friend of mine seems to think otherwise. Why¡­ he remembers quite clearly how you all threw him to a pack of Sand Wolves after intentionally injuring him.¡±


    Lara¡¯s voice was steady and quiet. It was nearly a whisper yet it sounded quite beautiful, soft, and seductive. Her words penetrated Arlington and his group. Contrary to the beauty of her voice, dread began to well up from deep within the trio¡¯s bodies.


    ¡°Impossible. There is no¡­¡± Arlington caught himself before he finished speaking. But Lara finished his sentence for him.


    ¡°There is no way he could¡¯ve survived, right? Now you are questioning why a mere courier has a connection to someone like me.¡± Lara said with a hint of sarcasm.


    Arlington almost nodded; this was exactly what he was thinking. Luckily, he managed to remain still. The more he talked, the greater the chance he would fall into the pool of what he could only assume was extremely potent acid.


    As for the other two people chained with him, they were quiet. Arlington was trying to escape, but it was all in vain. They knew better. The moment Lara entered, the man cast out by his family already recognized her. He had heard rumors of Lara Windsor who was his age yet commanded powers far beyond his comprehension. Since she was the mastermind behind this, he knew his fate was sealed. Rumors of her cruelty had spread to every corner of the underworld.


    As for the beaten man, he also knew his fate was sealed. He was extremely sensitive to negative emotions. Although it was faint, killing intent radiated from Lara. There was no way he was getting out of this alive unless there was divine intervention.


    Lara turned to the guard closest to her and said, ¡°Have fun playing with them.¡± This warehouse, although it was in the Old District it was property of the Windsor Family. Even though it looked old on the surface, it was installed with many of Lara¡¯s favorite ¡°Toys¡±.


    Turning to the captive group once again, Lara smiled, however it never reached her eyes.


    ¡°None of you need to know how I have a connection to Courier Keith. But he is alive. I am positive you would all feel relieved to hear this right?¡±


    She didn¡¯t receive an answer, nor did she expect to. Lara could see that two of them had lost the will to live, as for the third, he was trembling. Whether it was out of fear or rage, she didn¡¯t know.


    Suddenly, Arlington spoke up, ¡°That Courier¡­ He offered you something right? You¡¯re a businesswoman; surely you would rather make the deal that is most profitable. I can offer my services to you; surely I am far more useful than a mere courier who has no ability.¡±


    Ah, it seemed this one hadn¡¯t given up on living. A cruel glint flashed through Lara¡¯s eyes as she smiled radiantly.


    ¡°Sorry. But you are not at liberty to be making a business deal. You do not have anything worth offering to me. Probably the only thing you could give someone is an STD, I¡¯m sure you know all about that right?¡±


    Arlington shut his mouth immediately. His face was red with shame. This woman even had access to his medical records? Weren¡¯t those protected documents?


    ¡°Well, I think we are finished here. Unlike you three, I have a life and it¡¯s quite busy. Farewell. Also, enjoy the presents I left for you. Bye-bye.¡± Lara waved goodbye to them. She turned her back to them and left. The only sounds were the bubbling of the acid and the clicking of her heels which echoed through the surrounding area.


    Her end of the deal was concluded. They would die slowly and painfully. Keith never told her to kill them quickly or slowly. She was only told to have them executed. After seeing the trio, she felt annoyed. As she left, she made sure that her subordinates who remained behind would give them as slow a death as possible.


    She left the warehouse and climbed into her vehicle. No one would have noticed the cruel expression Lara had. To the general public she was the heiress of Windsor Enterprises, and owner of the Heavenly Wind Auction House. She is gentle and kind. This was what most people thought of her.


    However this was only a fa?ade. She was only kind to people she considered herself close with. She was respectful only to those she believed deserved her respect. She had committed her fair share of sins. Many had died simply because she ordered their deaths. At eighteen years old, her hands were already stained with blood, both directly and indirectly.


    Leaning against the cushioned seat of the vehicle, Lara rested her head against it as she read the information in the report her maid gathered. The corners of her lips tugged and finally slightly curved upwards into the faintest hint of a smile.


    ¡°Oh, interesting. The eldest of the Silvermoon Family became a courier. No wonder he said he had no family¡­¡±


    Although there were many people in the city named Keith, even though there were surely a few of them who were couriers, she was positive this was the person who she made contact with. She¡¯d heard of the incident a few years back about a boy being cast out of the Silvermoon Family because he was considered a waste.


    Lara chuckled as she read through the report, she had found something interesting. Although she had never met Keith personally, she felt that he was an enigma, and a person who held many secrets. All of which she wanted to uncover one by one.

 Chapter 21

    Keith awoke with a splitting headache. It felt akin to being stabbed with countless needles. It was even worse than the time he secretly drank alcohol as a child. Since the world was full of people with strong physiques nowadays, the drinking age was lowered. Even so, his first time drinking at the age of fifteen had not caused a headache as horrid as this. This was far worse than any pain a hangover could cause.


    The pain was not only felt in his head. Although he had not been injured externally, the insides of his body were ravaged. He didn¡¯t know what was injured. It was not something as simple as internal bruising. The organs, especially his heart, felt were all burning in pain. It would not be surprising if he had suddenly experienced organ failure while unconscious.


    Even with the Soul Eater ability diverting the soul power it absorbed to heal his wounds instead of gathering Soul Points, it was not enough. The power he used was not something that should be trifled with. He gambled with fate. This time he won, but next time not necessarily so.


    Forcing himself to sit up, Keith looked around. When he fell unconscious it was midday, but now it seemed as if the sun was rising. Despite the pain and burning sensations, his body felt cold to the touch. Perhaps the only reason he hadn¡¯t frozen to death was because of increasing his status for half a year.


    Keith called out softly, ¡°Elena, are you there?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± a tired voice responded from the depths of his soul.


    Keith had never heard Elena speak in such a quiet tone. It sounded like she was on the verge dissipating. The voice was so soft that it felt forced, it took all of her energy just to say one word.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡­ let me sleep for a while. Don¡¯t kill yourself while I am gone.¡±


    Once she said her piece, Elena¡¯s consciousness drifted away into the depths of Keith¡¯s soul. Their connection grew faint. Keith felt her soul, but unlike before it was now incredibly weak, and like a flickering flame it was on the verge of being extinguished.


    Keith gritted his teeth and dug his nails into his palms until they threatened to draw blood. This was his fault. He was not careful. From the very first Kysansha, he should have been more cautious. Alone, or even in small groups, they weren¡¯t that hard to deal with. But in large groups, they were a far different foe. Had he not followed Elena¡¯s instructions, he would have died. So what if he had a unique Inherent Skill, it didn¡¯t help him in combat. In the end, he didn¡¯t even rely on his own strength to survive; instead he borrowed Elena¡¯s power and nearly killed her.


    The two most important abilities that she had told him to purchase were Soul Manipulation and Vessel of the Damned. They were the two abilities that nearly took all of his Soul Points. His victory could be attributed to these two powers.


    Soul Manipulation allowed him to interact with his soul, and the souls of others to a certain degree. Since he didn¡¯t have the power of Law, he was extremely limited in what he could do with this ability. Luckily, it could be used in conjunction with Vessel of the Damned. Vessel of the Damned was what rapidly raised his strength to a level that was on a threshold he should not be able to touch. It allowed him to make use of a soul that he was contracted with. This was the only condition for its use. He would take on some of the physical traits of the soul he became a vessel for, and also gain some of their abilities. The stronger the soul, the greater the boost he received.


    While the ability was powerful, it was a double edged sword. He couldn¡¯t force himself to become a vessel for an unwilling soul even if he was contracted with it. There also had to be a certain level of trust. The two souls would share one body after all. Elena was never formally contracted with Keith, she was fused with his soul. This was perhaps an even tighter bond than a contract.


    Today was a onetime use trump card. To exhibit the full strength of Vessel of the Damned, the soul had to be completely intact. Elena was only a fragment of herself.


    Souls were unique. They did not adhere to the normal rules that governed life and death. While they couldn¡¯t survive on their own and would eventually dissipate, there were some ways to preserve them, such as through a contract, sealing them in a weapon, or through the use of other secret methods. They would retain their power, and could use it freely without worry of dissipating.


    Even if Elena was fused with Keith, she hadn¡¯t recovered. She was still in danger of dissipating if she used the entirety of her strength. It was only a sliver of her past power, but it was still from a genuine Divine Ruler. This was not something a mere mortal could bear. Had Keith gone beyond the three minute limit, his soul would¡¯ve been shattered into pieces while his body spontaneously combusted.


    It seemed that he would be on his own for a while. Who knew how long Elena would be out of commission. If he had to guess, it depended on how quickly he gathered souls.


    Gathering his strength, and struggling to stand, Keith began the monotonous task of searching the corpses one by one. Most of the bodies were destroyed beyond recognition. Their armor and weapons were shattered and ripped apart, however, there were some that could be salvaged and be of use.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    None of the Kysansha, not even the leader of the battalion, had any type of spatial storage item. Within their pocket, there were a few low rank mana gems. But of what use were those? He wasn¡¯t on Earth where almost every single shop dealt with mana gems as a currency.


    When he searched the leader¡¯s corpse, there was nothing. Perhaps the only things that it had of value were its armor and weapons. But those were destroyed beyond repair. Well, the curved sword was mostly intact, with only a few nicks along the blade edge.


    Keith walked around and a while gathering anything of use whether it was worn out weapons or damaged armor. If it could still be used, he scavenged it and threw it into his inventory. Then he began the laboriously long task of attempting to butcher and skin the War Beasts. At the end of the day, they had cores in them that would be of use if he ever made it back to Earth. Their fur and claws would possibly sell for a decent price as well.


    For the most part, he only obtained their cores however. To butcher and skin the corpses of so many War Beasts would take days to complete. By the time he got to the tenth or so, suddenly Keith heard a sound to his right.


    Immediately he raised his scavenged sword in caution. Slowly approaching, there was a War Beast still alive. Surprisingly, despite the power that Keith had used, this one seemed to have escaped death. Did he not encounter this one?


    Now that he wasn¡¯t fighting, Keith managed to get a clear look at the creature in detail. They were all of myriad dark colors that allowed them to camouflage within the desert. The seats on their backs were what made them all seem like a black tide staining the land as they moved.


    This War Beast, he actually didn¡¯t have any information on it from his memory. Was it a new species? Where did the Kysansha acquire them? Was it a mutation of a different species?


    It seemed to be almost like an ape, or a gorilla. But it was larger than a horse. They were massive. This one in particular seemed slightly different from all the others. Was it the runt of the group? Compared to the other corpses, it was only half their size. It didn¡¯t have a throne-like seat on its back either. The only thing on its body was a rope around its neck, and many bags. Perhaps it carried rations? While every corpse had some rations on them ¨Csome of which were spoiled-, they didn¡¯t have much. Maybe this was the reason why.


    This particular War Beast didn¡¯t blend in with the environment either. It was more a reddish-brown fur, with streaks of gray. Almost like a Timber Wolf. The tint was too dark; it stood out in the desert sand. The claws on its hands were shorter in length and duller than the others of its kind. However, its fists were actually much larger than the others. Its front arms were also much larger, while the hind legs were shorter. However, the muscles were rippling like water, and probably hard as steel.


    Just from appearances, Keith wondered why this one wasn¡¯t used for combat. Sure it was smaller, and it didn¡¯t have sharp claws, but those fists could easily bludgeon something to death. It¡¯s fangs as well; the canines were quite long, longer than the others whose canines were akin to molars. They were similar the fangs of a wolf instead of the teeth of an ape.


    Seeing as it was defenseless Keith lowered his sword. There was no longer any reason to have his guard up. When he looked at the War Beast, it didn¡¯t fear him, but neither was it hostile. It was struggling with a contraption upon its neck. It only glanced at him once before it began to wrestle with the small metal chain around its neck. This chain, when Keith saw it his eyes darkened in anger. Only now did he notice them. At first he thought they were like collars, but that was only because the dangers of them were hidden by the fur of the War Beasts.


    Upon closer inspection, he noticed that they had spikes on the inside which stabbed into the neck. They were like riding spurs for a horse, only they were far crueler. Perhaps this was how the War Beasts were controlled. Maybe they weren¡¯t originally domesticated.


    Perhaps it was due to a momentary impulse. Keith began to approach the War Beast. The moment he did so, it began to eye him dangerously. Keith immediately stopped. He had no way to communicate with it. However, it appeared intelligent enough; it was almost human-like in its facial expressions. Its eyes were observing him, as if judging how dangerous he was.


    Keith thought for a moment, and then lifted his right arm and pointed towards his neck. Then he pointed towards the War Beasts neck. He then opened his inventory and took out a fragment of Atraxia¡¯s Wrath. He had scavenged its blade fragments in the hopes that one day they would be of use, or melted down in order to remake the sword. With another swiping motion, he swiped the fragment near his neck.


    Observing the motions, the War Beast seemingly understood his actions. It stopped moving and sat on the ground staring at him. Keith slowly approached. He didn¡¯t know why he chose not to kill this War Beast. Neither did he know why he thought it wouldn¡¯t try to kill him. However, when he looked at it with those cloth bags of rations on its back, and a spiked collar which threatened to pierce its neck, for some reason he thought of himself. He thought of his days as a Courier, carrying bags almost identical to the ones he saw now. He associated the collar with the time he had been in the Silvermoon Family. Back then, he was shackled by his identity as the trash Young Master.


    Once he was within range of its massive fists, Keith moved slowly, his muscles, although relaxed, were ready to be used at a moment¡¯s notice. He would escape if there was even a muscle twitch from the War Beast.


    But, contrary to what he thought would occur. Keith was able to come within mere inches of it. He raised the fragment of Atraxia¡¯s Wrath and it didn¡¯t even flinch. As a former sword owned by someone who worked for the Windsor¡¯s, it was easily able to slice through the collar, even if it was only a fragment.


    In order to prevent cutting himself, Keith had wrapped it with a part of the cloak he wore. After roughly a minute, the blade fragment cut through the collar, and it fell to the ground.


    Keith watched for any signs of hostility as he backed away from the War Beast. However, it didn¡¯t move and only stared at him. Now that it wasn¡¯t struggling with the collar or moving, the strain on neck lessened.


    With his small deed done, Keith sighed in relief and began to carry out his own tasks. The most important thing on his list, go through the scavenged armor and see if any of it could be worn.

 Chapter 22:

    Luckily, the Kysansha were humanoid below the neck. Mixing and matching the armor scraps he scavenged, for the first time Keith wore protective attire. It was simple and crude, but perhaps the thin armor would mean the difference between life and death.


    Layered over his original clothing was a type of light armor made from a beast¡¯s carapace. It was probably made from one of the desert scorpions he¡¯d killed in the past. The multiple carapaces were layered one on top of another, and in between each layer was a small amount of padding. Like a vest, he strapped it on over his shirt. It was a tad small but it was good enough.


    As for his arms and legs, it was quite similar. Instead of an insect¡¯s carapace, however, it seemed to be tanned beast hides. They were studded with metal, almost like metal banding that would be attached to the rim of a wooden shield. From his forearm moving up to the middle knuckle of his fingers was a square shaped attachment, probably used for deflecting blades. Attached to it were straps which wrapped around the arm and connected to gloves. But since he didn¡¯t have any gloves, the straps wrapped around his arms. Where his knuckles were, small spikes made from fangs protruded.


    The same type of attachment wrapped around his boots. The only difference was that on his calves were claws. If he were to use a reverse kick, they would rip into the muscles of his opponent. These attachments were interesting; however, Keith wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d use them. They would probably be a last resort if he had no weapons, of which he now had quite a few basic weapons, even if they weren¡¯t exactly top quality.


    Donning his cloak once again, it hid is newly equipped protective gear. Lightly jumping, he tested its weight. As expected of light armor, it wasn¡¯t too encumbering. Although he could feel its weight it wasn¡¯t so heavy that it would hamper his movement and endurance.


    During the time Keith focused on picking out the armor he¡¯d use after scavenging from corpses, the War Beast simply stared at him. From time to time it would glance towards the ground where its spiked collar lay. It was cut cleanly in half.


    Those spikes were its worst nightmare. Even though it prided itself on its strong physical abilities, If it dared disobey all the Kysansha had to do was pull on the chain attached to it and they would drive deep into its neck severing the major arteries. It never thought that one day it would be freed of its symbol of slavery. Sadly, it felt no joy. While the corpses surrounding it were only a fraction of their species, they were all dead. Even though it was freed, the rest of its species was still enslaved. There were probably next to none of its kind still free in this world.


    Keith simply ignored the War Beast. He didn¡¯t particularly feel any kinship to it. It had only momentarily reminded him of his past. Rather, he was surprised it didn¡¯t go berserk and try to kill him the moment it was free. It wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill him while he was unconscious because its chains were connected to another War Beast corpse. Had he not set it free, it probably would have never escaped.


    Without a second thought, Keith once again set off for the Vahar¡¯Gal Mountains. He hadn¡¯t even walked for a few feet before he heard disproportionate steps behind him. The War Beast had leaped and then trailed behind him. Its steps were awkward because its hind legs were shorter than the front legs¡­ or hands. It was ape-like after all. It didn¡¯t matter if it used the legs or arms, each were powerfully built. When it moved, it seemingly hopped with its hind legs, and landed on its knuckles, swinging itself forward, before repeating the hopping motion.


    ¡°What are you following me for?¡± Keith said bewilderedly. He was especially confused as to why the War Beast was seemingly unafraid of the aura emitted from Unholy Incarnation.


    He didn¡¯t think that he would suddenly be followed. He killed others of this War Beasts species right in front of it, over a hundred of them. It shouldn¡¯t have any good will towards him even if he set it free. At the most, they should have gone their separate ways. He would have never thought that he suddenly gained a companion.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The War Beast sat on its hind legs and stared at him. Keith could have sworn he saw a weird light flash through its eyes. Was it a mutation? Was it more intelligent than others of its kind? It was different than its kin, being only half the size of the others and differently colored. Their also wasn¡¯t such a vast difference in size between the legs and arms of the others unlike this one so a mutation wasn¡¯t out of the question.


    ¡°Alright, fine¡­ You can come with me. But if you are coming with me you need a name.¡±


    Keith thought for a moment. He didn¡¯t particularly care for names. Whether good or bad, he would usually just use the one that popped into his head first, just like in Elena¡¯s case.


    ¡°Alright, from now on your name is Storm. Your fur reminds me of the red explosive sand I encountered in a sandstorm. Who knows, despite your small size, I bet your raw physical strength is quite explosive as well.¡±


    When Keith came up with the name and called it out, Storm nodded his head vigorously as if trying to assert that he understood his name. It grunted, seemingly in approval.


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go. We have a lot of ground to cover.¡±


    Keith once again resumed a steady pace. This time, with Storm in tow, he didn¡¯t grunt or make many noises. There was only the delayed noise of his disproportional swinging motions he used to move.


    ¡°Status,¡± Keith said. He had not checked The System yet since his fight with the Kysansha and their War Beasts. There should be a decent change.


    ¡­


    Name: Keith


    Hp: 3471 Mp: 1683


    Hp Regeneration: 362/min Mp Regeneration: 65/min


    Strength: 326 Agility: 349 Spirituality: 405


    Vitality: 293 Intellect: 365 Resilience: 215


    Current Weapon(s): Curved Iron Sword


    Equipment: Ring of Mara¡¯s Faithful


    Currency: 361 Low Grade Mana Gems


    250 Middle Grade Mana Gems


    1259 Soul Points


    Skills: Passive


    [The System: Lv. Max] [Soul Eater: Lv. 1] [Unholy Incarnation: Lv. 2]


    [Yin Eyes: Lv. 1] [Reaper¡¯s Touch Lv. 1]


    Skills: Active


    [Vessel of the Damned: Lv. Max]


    [Soul Blade: Lv. 1] [Soul Manipulation: Lv. 1]


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm, there was a decent increase. But resilience and vitality seem to increase rather slowly. Is there a limit to my status? Even more importantly, why can I move so easily despite my strength growing so quickly?¡±


    Keith observed his status. Nothing was out of the ordinary for the most part. But regardless of how fast his strength increased, he should be able to notice it. Normally, if someone suddenly had a rapid increase in their physical strength, they would accidentally break things.


    He hadn¡¯t experienced this, or at least he didn¡¯t think he did. But then again there hadn¡¯t been any situation¡¯s that required him to control this physical strength. He simply smashed his way through anything that obstructed his path.


    Rather, the more pressing question was why his vitality and resilience hardly increased at all. Even though most of the souls power went to healing his internal injuries, that shouldn¡¯t affect the stats he gained, it should only affect the amount of soul points acquired.


    ¡°Oh well, whether or not my body has a limit to the amount of status points it absorbs is not relevant. I¡¯ll deal with any problems as they come. Now, it¡¯s time to figure out what you are.¡± Keith said as his gaze turned to Storm who was quietly following him.


    Activating his appraise function of The System, Keith looked at Storms status. His brows slightly knit together upon what he saw. It had to be a mutation¡­. Or evolution, or something, there had to be something to explain this.


    ¡°You, do you take pride in your fists so much you think they can smash through anything?¡± Keith said exasperatedly.


    Apparently, Storm was a variant of the Stone-Fist Ape. That was all he knew. If he still didn¡¯t have any information even after buying it from the soul shop, then this race must be quite reclusive.


    From what he could gather by observing Storm¡¯s Status, he was indeed a variant of the Stone-Fist Ape race. That was a given considering he looked nothing like his kin. Supposedly, according to the status of Storm he was quite sturdy.


    Storm was half the size of his kind. He was not able to use magic instinctively. He couldn¡¯t use it at all. But in return his body was extremely resistant against both physical and magic attacks. He was essentially a walking tank. His physical abilities were compressed into his small body. It was concentrated mostly into his fists.


    When he looked up to this point, Keith nearly felt a cold sweat drip down his back. He was only making a casual remark. But if Storm were capable of growing in strength rapidly, he would not want to be on the receiving end of those fists which would without a doubt crush him into a mere puddle of flesh and sinew. With the ability to shrug off most attacks, if Storm ever grew stronger, he would be able to waltz right into a fight and come out unscathed.


    The lifeforms of a mutated realm were indeed terrifying¡­

 Chapter 23

    ¡°You really are an astonishing product of this realm¡­¡± Keith said as he watched Storm single-handedly crush a serpentine creature. Although small, Storm¡¯s body was deceiving. It held a monstrous physical strength.


    Nearly a week had passed. Nothing had occurred that was out of the norm¡­well¡­ Lara contacted him once, but he didn¡¯t have anything to say that he felt was worth sharing. Not even the battalion of Kysansha was something he felt like mentioning. That was a personal problem.


    On the other hand, Elena said the people who sacrificed him were taken care of. Keith didn¡¯t feel any joy or even a single emotion despite getting revenge. They were ants to him now, unworthy of his attention.


    Aside from encountering the indigenous creatures of this realm, he and Storm were heading north at a steady pace. Within a month¡¯s time, the two of them would arrive at the base of the Vahar¡¯Gal Mountains.


    The only thing that constantly plagued Keith¡¯s mind was Elena. She had still not awoken. She was alive at least, he knew from their connection. But it was incredibly faint as if she was on the verge of dissipating, no matter how many souls he absorbed, it didn¡¯t seem like it helped her at all, at this rate, she might be unconscious for much longer than he initially thought.


    Aside from worrying about Elena¡¯s situation, it had also caused him to feel abnormal. His body felt foreign to him ever since Elena fell into a deep slumber, it was as if a part of him was missing. Although he didn¡¯t know when, Keith noticed he had unconsciously started to think it was normal for someone¡¯s soul to be linked with his. To be able to perceive someone¡¯s emotions and thoughts, their existence itself, to have it nearly be cut off abruptly felt uncomfortable.


    Keith forced the worrying thoughts to the deep recesses of his mind. It would make no difference right now. There was nothing he could do. The only thing that was set in stone was his need to get stronger. If his soul grew in strength, Elena¡¯s would to. This was the only method he could think of that would allow her to awaken quicker.


    Keith quietly meditated as he and Storm headed towards a canyon. Ever since he learned the basics of Soul Manipulation, he had begun to pick up on a few things.


    First and foremost, to his surprise flashes of Anthrus¡¯s memories kept on appearing in his mind, specifically in regards to Soul Manipulation. He had no idea why this happened, and could only surmise that perhaps certain abilities would take longer for him to learn than others. This was the only reason he thought made sense. After all, a soul was something that was unable to be understood in an instant even if he inherited the memories of someone who reigned supreme over souls.


    Within the past few days, he¡¯d learned to sense the souls of the living and the dead. He¡¯d felt a familiar sensation when he absorbed souls before he¡¯d gained Soul Manipulation. Now, as long as he focused, he could always feel that coldness. However, it was in an extremely limited range. The only way to improve was through daily practice.


    The final thing obtained from Anthrus¡¯s memory of Soul Manipulation was precisely a method of practice. Within his mind appeared a mantra. Although he couldn¡¯t understand it at all, instinctively he knew that it contained the power of law.


    Any time he wasn¡¯t fighting, Keith contemplated upon the mantra in his mind. Surprisingly, after a few hours of practice, there was a change. Although it was insignificant to the point it was barely noticeable, there was a qualitative change in his soul. If there was such a thing as soul impurities, then that was the best way to describe it. His soul was being purified. Although its size didn¡¯t change, the quality did. It would be long and arduous, but perhaps this was another method to strengthen his soul until the day he comprehended Law.


    As he focused upon comprehending the first sentence of the Mantra, suddenly Keith felt something. Deep in the canyon he was nearing, it felt like a pulsating heart. It was strange, it felt as if it was a soul, and yet at the same time it wasn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t just one of them, there were well over fifty.


    ¡°Strange, there are so many abnormal things about this realm now. I never would¡¯ve thought so many things could change.¡± Keith said to no one in particular.


    He signaled with his hand for Storm who was walking next to him to stop moving. Then, Keith stood still. He calmed his mind, and focused upon guiding the power of his soul and mana.


    A sky blue flame aura once again appeared around Keith¡¯s eyes. However, the aura was fainter and more subdued. After they had activated of their own accord, he gained an understanding of how the ability worked after some experimentation. Although it was shallow, he did understand the basic concept.


    While it was considered a passive ability, that wasn¡¯t entirely true for his level of strength. The true first level of Yin Eyes was when he could naturally see the world in the incredible detail that he had seen before. When he could see the world in that way permanently, then the ability would be considered passive. Right now, although it wasn¡¯t shown in his status the Yin Eyes were essentially level zero. To use their first level, he needed to call upon the power of his soul and mana.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Since he never formally trained to use mana, it was quite difficult to move it through his body, especially when he had to use it to supplement his abilities that required the power of Law. The only way he could sense it was because of increasing his Spirituality attribute. With his instincts, and some practice, Keith managed to learn how to move the mana through is body, albeit a bit inefficiently.


    Through trial and error, he managed to use a weaker version of the Yin Eyes. The strain on his eyes was considerably less because he was using an imperfect version of this power.


    Observing carefully, Keith looked into the depths of the canyon. It was abnormally dark. Shadows were covering every inch of the place. Yet it was already noon, the light of the sun should have been enveloping the entirety of the canyon.


    Although it was quite faint, he noticed a faint smell of blood in the air. Was there a fight here? Was someone ambushed? There were too many questions that could not be answered running through his mind.


    Patiently waiting, Keith didn¡¯t notice any movements, but the weird pulsating feeling was bothering him. He could¡¯ve sworn that he heard screams of anguish and despair. Yet even after straining his ears, he heard nothing. It was eerily quiet.


    Opening his status, Keith looked at his attributes and abilities. Then he checked his equipment. He didn¡¯t know how to gauge his strength. Theoretically, he felt as if his power was on par with creatures that were nearing the realm of relatively strong in the realm of C-Rank. But his abilities were also at their beginning stages, they were far from being complete. He didn¡¯t even know how to properly conceal his aura yet, there was no doubt his presence was probably already discovered.


    Against his better judgement, Keith started searching for a way to descend into the canyon. He turned to Storm and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do. Follow or leave, it doesn¡¯t matter to me. You are free to do what you want.¡±


    He then began to head down a rocky pathway into the depths of the ominously black canyon. He was slightly surprised that Storm didn¡¯t even hesitate to follow him. Just what did Storm want to obtain by following him?


    Either way, he felt reassured having Storm with him. There was doubt that he was a quick learner. After merely a few days of travelling, Storm had gone from being incredibly clumsy while engaged in battle to utterly annihilating his opponents with those massive fists of his. Were his primal instincts also heightened to a level surpassing his kin? Keith could only wonder.


    As they traversed into the canyon, Keith held onto his curved iron sword, his fists were clenched so tight his hands began to shake. His grimacing frown deepened as he contemplated upon what the pulsating energy could be. The irritating feeling grew stronger the further he descended.


    This feeling was precisely the reason he decided to explore even though it was most definitely a bad idea. Under normal circumstances, he would only take a risk if it was deemed necessary, but this was certainly a situation he shouldn¡¯t gamble his life with. However, strangely enough his instincts urged him to investigate despite the risks. It was almost as if there was something that he had to do here, something that only he could do and no one else.


    Reaching the depths of the canyon, he began to scan the surrounding area. The rocks and sand didn¡¯t have any weird engravings of symbols upon them. However, there wasn¡¯t a single living thing here, not even an insect. There was something wrong here, clearly, something had happened.


    ¡°Just what is going on, where are the screams coming from?¡±


    There were still no audible cries. However, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there were people suffering here. The wails of agony and despair seemed to fill his body, yet he couldn¡¯t hear anything. The further he traversed the stronger these emotions grew. He didn¡¯t feel these emotions as if they were his own. He didn¡¯t feel like he was in despair, but he was able to notice them pouring into his body like a torrential rain.


    ¡°Alright, fine. Let¡¯s try this¡­¡± Keith focused upon his soul and mana and forced the power output of his Yin Eyes to increase. Almost immediately, the faint aura around his eyes grew stronger. The light was luminescent enough to light up the surrounding area slightly. Yet at the same time a splitting headache assaulted him. His eyes felt a stabbing sensation even though they were cold as ice.


    After acclimating to the pain the best he could, Keith once again surveyed the area, however this time what he saw was completely different. Now, everything was seen in incredible detail. The shadows seemed to recede, and he saw this place for what it truly was.


    ¡°What is all of this¡­ just what kind of person would do such a thing? How were they even able to hide the smell?¡± Keith said in shock.


    In the canyon there was a pile of skeletons. They still had strips of flesh draping off of them. A pile of intestines, excrement, and other organs as well as a pool of blood was flowing from the pile of flesh and bone into a small stream of water, filling it with filth. It had become unsafe to drink from.


    On some of the rocks of the canyon wall, there were runic symbols which he had never seen before. Just what was this language? Why did those symbols seem filled with power?


    Once again, Keith¡¯s senses of for danger rose to a new level. This place, it was filled with death; perhaps that was why he felt he had to come here. Something horrendous happened here, and perhaps the spirits of the dead were calling out to him.


    Keith forced himself to calm down and steeled his nerves. It was his job to lay the dead to rest. Although Elena never told him what Anthrus had formally done as the Divine Monarch of Life and Death, he could easily guess that Anthrus probably had this as a part of his duties.


    With one foot stepping after another, Keith traversed towards the rocks with the runes engraved on them. Storm followed behind, his instincts for danger were at their peak. But he still followed Keith, simply because his instincts told him it was the right thing to do.