《Unrea》


 Nulla: Prologue

    "The most important before each trip are preparation."


    <hr />


    Loud clunks between wooden batons resounded through the practice yard behind the farms.


    A boy at the age of 15 struggles to deflect all of his opponent¡¯s strikes. A skeleton thin man is also having trouble against the boy however his problem is at breaching his defences. From his physique, he can¡¯t able to overpower him but there was something else at play.


    It was a Hero¡¯s Aura, the force released by their soul. An Aura-clad Hero can do things impossible with human body like crushing boulders with fragile bodies. The skeleton man was obviously a Hero but the boy wasn¡¯t. Being a non-Hero while facing a Hero on close combat on an equal ground would be stupid-no, it would be suicide.


    The man then kicks with ten times the strength of what he can do with his meagre body. This threw off the the boy but with a careful rapid steps he manages to reposition on the man¡¯s blind spot.


    It was the perfect chance to strike, the boy swung his baton, hitting the skeleton of a man squarely in the head however it wasn¡¯t enough.


    Instead of falling down, the man turned to his left side brandishing his stick for an attack but the boy was gone¡­


    He looked left and right, spinning slowly and concluded he ran away.


    ¡°Favio, stop running away if you really want to leave this village! DID YOU GIVE UP?¡±


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    ¡°... Carelessness-¡±


    A whisper came from behind and the man¡¯s vision distorted as a ringing pain echoes in his head.


    ¡°- is your worst enemy. Just like your words said, teacher.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I should bash you to death if I don¡¯t have anything to tie you with.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m not a bandit.¡±


    Favio extends his hand to help the downed man.


    ¡°How did you do that? I never seen you use that technique. I think you could graduate today.¡±


    His teacher grabbed his hand, getting up as he pat dust of himself.


    ¡°I just stepped silently around you as you spun and then I poked your head.¡±


    ¡°Really? That poke could critically injure Mages and Contractors and that wasn¡¯t even a poke, it was a full force lounge, don¡¯t you know the meaning of control?¡±


    ¡°Says the Hero that had a B rank when he was at peak, did you even suppress your Aura and Abilities?¡±


    ¡°All I used was Owl Eyes and 90% of my Aura, I held back, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right¡­ But hey, at least I can defend myself from stray Unreas now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ You graduated from now on. Better tell your parents first before leaving. I believe you can¡¯t just stay put in a cage, huh.¡±

 I: Journeys Jumpstart

    "In the Philippines, don''t catch the attention of Dieties or Spirits, it''s always troublesome to deal with them but never, ever piss them off."


    <hr />


    Favio always wanted to go overseas and see new things however being unable to make a pact with anything binds Favio home as his parents would not allow him to go out without any ability to defend himself.


    Favio¡¯s everyday life is filled with farm work as his family is filled with nearly zero combat talent. His Hero father had the strength optimized to do farmwork, his mother the endless capacity of weak Pacts for livestock while his sister could only learn magics just enough for farming.


    Together with his family, they raised a farm with bountiful harvests and eventually became the Lord¡¯s main supplier giving them something like pseudo-nobility.


    With hard work since he was 10, Favio continued to trained with the Heroes, hoping to obtain strength.


    He had mastered defensive Eskrima in 5 years but his lack of Abilities made him just barely able to match an average Hero.


    This eventually led him to hear the words he has been waiting for years.


    ¡°Your skills should be enough now, Fabio but don''t bring yourself into the trouble or else you will die even if you have your Eskrima skills.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes dad, I will be back in a few years. I''ll be sure to bring stuff back for the farm like seeds and-.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and make a Pact recklessly or else the Unrea will chase you.¡±


    ¡°Be sure to buy farming grimoire for your beautiful sister, okay? Hehehe¡­.¡±


    And so Favio left for a journey that little did he know will bring him around the world.


    <hr />


    Favio walked Northwards as his first destination planned was Japan. Upon arriving on the next Barrio, he will take a horseman carriage to a port town.


    He started a fire as the night fell and cooked the fish he has caught from a nearby river.


    While waiting for his food to be cooked he polished a smooth stone he picked up.


    A creeping sensation swept over him so he looked around.


    Upon seeing nothing, he went back to polishing.


    The fire cracked as something else broke the silence.


    ¡°Hey boy, that looks quite delicious¡­ Can you give it to me?¡±


    Favio looked at the direction the voice came from and saw a woman. The woman had a very unworldly looks: silver hair and purple skin. Her face had a very exquisite beauty to it even though being strange.


    She is clearly a Diwata, a powerful Unrea that originates from nature, being bound to their medium. Favio¡¯s previous Lord always worshipped the local Diwata as it would prevent disasters and bring blessings. For Favio, it would be wise to decline her offer politely.


    ¡°Um¡­ This is the only fish I have-¡±


    ¡°Oh you must have misunderstood me, boy. What I want isn''t your miserable char grilled fish but that shiny rock. After all, beautiful things are what I desire.¡±


    Instinctively, Favio¡¯s hand moved to give it to the Diwata, but he stopped.


    ¡°So boy, you''re not going give it to me?¡±


    Cold sweat formed as an aura of power swept through Favio.


    ¡°I''m very sorry but I can''t be satisfied until I fully polished this rock.¡±


    The Diwata laughed loudly and looked at the moon.


    ¡°I thought that rock would have some value to this boy. Hahaha!!! Guess, waiting for your food makes it even more irresistible.¡±


    Favio polished the rock until it reflected the moonlight nearly perfect and gave it to the Diwata.


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    ¡°Thanks, boy¡±


    The Diwata swallowed the stone whole and stayed near the fire as she watched Favio finish eating his fish.


    ¡°That beautiful rock would need a fair compensation. Name your price, boy.¡±


    ¡°If it would be possible I would like you Lady Diwata to take me to Cagayan-¡°


    ¡°Say boy, what do think about forming a Pact with me?¡±


    The sudden statement caused Favio to choke.


    ¡°I would like to but my I can¡¯t even form a Pact with a black chick.¡±


    Black chicks were very easy to make Pact with. If one would make a Pact with one of them one would easily gain power at the cost of your humanity turning you into an Aswang, a maneater or ghouls in other cultures.


    ¡°Do you know why though?¡±


    Favio shook his head. He never expected the Diwata¡¯s explanation.


    ¡°It¡¯s because you boy could only form Pacts with Mythical class Unrea, that¡¯s why weak Pacts are easily negated.¡±


    ¡°Then Miss Diwata is a Mythical Unrea?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I am the Bakunawa afterall!¡±


    ¡°Eeeeh~!? If you are the Bakunawa then why are you in the middle of an island? Aren¡¯t Diwatas bound to their medium?¡±


    The Bakunawa is a Diwata of the sea after all so it should be normally impossible for a diwata to go far away from their medium.


    ¡°Foolish boy, my medium isn¡¯t just the sea but any water shone by the moon. I was searching for some pretty objects to eat tonight so I followed the river upstream hoping to see and villages on this direction.¡±


    ¡°Why would the Bakunawa want a Pact with me then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because Diwatas can use their Contractors as substitute for their medium so I can eat more sparkly things only found on land if I used this little boy here.¡±


    Thinking about the power the Bakunawa could provide him, Favio weighed his choices carefully. If he could not satisfy the Bakunawa then he would face death from her.


    ¡°Can you promise you won¡¯t kill me, Bakunawa?¡±


    ¡°This little boy will be medium why would a Diwata destroy their own medium? They should be very retarded if they do that.¡±


    And upon hearing that there is nothing that can be done for Favio to reject the offer.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start the Pact.¡±


    Favio took a deep breath.


    (Don¡¯t worry this won¡¯t fail¡­)


    A silver light came out of Favio¡¯s hands. It is the color of his Heart, the Heart that rejected every Pacts that he had attempted. His hands became sweaty.


    ¡°I, Favio will grant Bakunawa her desires with all my efforts. Through this pact I Compel Bakunawa to agr-¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to use the Compel, I will accept willingly you know. Relax a bit okay¡±


    Realizing that he is nervous he became even more anxious.


    ¡°I, the Mooneater accept the contract and I pledge in my treasures to protect this little boy¡¯s life.¡±


    An electrifying sensation coursed through Favio¡¯s body as serpent tattoo began to form on his hand, extending throughout his whole body.


    ¡°AAAAHHHH!!!¡±


    Favio fell down and began having a seizure.


    ¡°Oops¡­ Looks like I¡¯m a bit too much for the little boy but he¡¯ll be fine tomorrow.¡±


    Bakunawa picked the shaking body and swallowed his belongings then swam downstream.


    ¡°Off to Cagayan then!¡±


    And this is how Favio¡¯s journey jumpstarted.

 II: Sudden Encounter

    "If there''s a Necromancer, violence is the best answer, no matter where you are."


    <hr />


    Bakunawa suddenly stopped mid-flight and landed in an empty spot in the middle of dead looking trees.


    (Hey, shouldn¡¯t a journey more fun if there¡¯s those scenery you can only see while travelling? I should stop here and wait for him to recover. That way I won¡¯t miss any spectacular spots on this travel.)


    And so with that thought in mind, she spat out Favio¡¯s bag and sword.


    <hr />


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Where am I?...¡±


    Upon opening his eyes Favio immediately saw a Bakunawa¡¯s face.


    ¡°G¡¯mornin lil¡¯boy!¡±


    ¡°Uwaa!?¡±


    Ignoring Favio¡¯s reaction, Bakunawa explained the situation to him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you just passed out for the Divinity of the 6 moons flowed through your frail body. I thought of carrying you to Cagayan but I found it unfair not to having your agreement for the compensation so I stopped..¡±


    Favio looks around after he quickly calms himself down.


    ¡°This¡­ This isn¡¯t the road to Cagayan¡­ I can see deadwood trees, you¡¯re not supposed to see those along the way. Where did you take me?¡±


    ¡°I think this is the road to Cagayan I think¡­ Since I travelled North for an hour. No, I entered the river from the Southern seas so I should have travelled Northwards.¡±


    Favio¡¯s face paled as he knew what exactly is happening: They might be lost¡­


    ¡°ARE YOU EVEN SURE YOU WALKED STRAIGHT!?¡±


    ¡°Relax, let¡¯s just walk and enjoy the scenery as we find a Barrio so that we could ask for directions. See: I have a plan and you boy don¡¯t~.¡±


    Favio stomped the ground on hearing Bakunawa¡¯s plan.


    ¡°... With that irresponsible plan a human traveller would have died!!! I mean there¡¯s bandits and hostile Unre- Wait¡­ Where do you even find a nice scenery in a deadwood forest? Those are freaking zombie trees! And do you even know where is the next Village is?¡±


    ¡°I only know places near water so¡­¡±


    Bakunawa said as she fidgets nervously while looking at the ground then she quickly came to a stop.


    ¡°Boy, I think there are bandits approaching our location. You can¡¯t outrun them¡±


    ¡°I can take them on now though it would be terrible if I don¡¯t have a Pa-.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I won¡¯t be helping this boy here¡­¡±


    ¡°WHY!? Didn¡¯t you pledge to protect my life?¡±


    ¡°You should be able to survive this encounter, I will help you when it¡¯s dangerous though.¡±


    Bakunawa quickly turned into a tiny snake and wrapped around Favio¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Some Familiar you are!¡±


    Favio quickly picked up his bag and took a drew his sword. It the sword that his ancestor used on the early days after the Catastrophe.


    It¡¯s blade has a gentle curve and a very brilliant pattern. People could easily see that it is a spectacular sword so that¡¯s why the glimmer of the blade made Bakunawa think:


    (That is such a bewitchingly good sword! I want it¡­ Just wait for it¡­)


    ¡°Ah that reminds me: what kind of reward would you like for that rock?¡±


    Bakunawa whispered on Favio¡¯s left ear.


    ¡°Then at least give me power.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll allow you to use my Single Phase Enchant. It should be enough for now. I¡¯ll give you more strength if you survive this one.¡±


    Bakunawa bit Favio and he felt a stinging sensation on his ear as knowledge flowed into his mind.


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    The source of the skill is one of the moons Bakunawa has eaten. The Single Phase Enchant was a power that grants the property of the moon into an object with adjustable Phases. Each Phase grant different attributes depending on the object Enchanted. Favio felt as the sensation of using it for a long time entered his being. However that experience only include Enchanting your own body, as Bakunawa never have tried using it on other things.


    ¡°This knowledge¡­¡±


    From the forest erupted an army of darkness.


    ¡°To think that a human would step foot in my forest. This is my lucky day, I was running out of resources.¡±


    In front of Favio is a woman in black robes accompanied by a squad of moving dead. It seems that the zombies move very fast along with her skeletal horse.


    ¡°I miscalculated it seems that it¡¯s a Necromancer with her merry gang. You should be fine if your sword has silver on it.¡±


    Necromancers are Mages that are quite similar to Contractors in their way of fighting. Instead of using contracted familiars they bind residual souls to vessels and fight alongside with them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that silver will work on my darlings. They are my masterpieces after all.¡±


    I don¡¯t wanna reveal too much but his sword is made up of an alloy of Old and New metals.


    ¡°Oh crap, just use the Full Phase and the light should turn them to ashes.¡±


    Favio took an Eskrima stance for fighting while outnumbered. His hands traced the blade leaving a bright silver moonlight trail on it. The trail remained and emitted light.


    ¡°Sunlight eh? Those kinds of magic won¡¯t work on them too they are perfect day walkers.¡±


    ¡°You''ll save me right? Then I can fight with my full strength against them. I can¡¯t run away from them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky boy.¡±


    Favio looks at the Necromancer with a determined look.


    ¡°I know¡­ It¡¯s a terrible sin to not fight seriously just because you are safe.¡±


    The walking corpses ran rapidly towards him.


    Like flowing water, Favio parried the first strike and returned with a quick slicing blow. He had only expected the sword will cut of the zombie¡¯s arm but it¡¯s entire body turned into ashes.


    ¡°What!? Sunlight shouldn¡¯t work on them!¡±


    Knowing that the same will happen on his next strike, Favio moved to the next corpse and waited for it to strike. After turning the corpse into ashes, Favio continued to repeat this action smoothly.


    The Necromancer however is still looking at the scene calmly. She smiled as if she has seen through Favio¡¯s Enchantment.


    ¡°This should be holy water¡­ Then my waterproof skeletons should be enough- Crap¡­ I left them at base.¡±


    Sorry miss Necromancer but that is wrong¡­


    ¡°Hah! You live today, but I will hunt you down tomorrow. I think your strong body will be good base for another masterpiece.¡±


    Nope¡­ That¡¯s wrong too. Favio isn¡¯t a Hero. Contractors bodies are very useless in necromancy as they could not withstand mana. Man¡­ Aren¡¯t you too stupid to be a Necromancer.


    With a quick gallop the Necromancer went deeper into the forest and so Favio was left alone again.


    But it wasn¡¯t everything however.


    ¡°Boy, I sense another hostile presence approaching us¡­ Good luck!¡±

 III: Another Encounter

    "When facing bandits, be as civil as possible. Most Filipino bandits are decent people."


    <hr />


    ¡°Humans¡­ Three of them, way stronger than you ¡±


    ¡°If they are not above D, I should be fine.¡±


    A dark shadow bursted out of the trees as Favio charged in.


    ¡°Wait, stop it! You''re no match against them.¡±


    The unclear silhouette swiped its axe down.


    With a single motion, Favio just barely parried the arm, leaving him no room for a counter. Dust scattered from the dead ground the arm has struck.


    From that encounter, Favio¡¯s left arm nearly broke.


    ¡°Look what we ave ¡®ere¡­ Leave all yer belongins and that shiny snake on ya and y¡¯ell be safe, we¡¯ll even escort ya.¡±


    ¡°That sounds quite a nice offer but let me ask my familiar before accepting it.¡±


    ¡°Y-you''re on stupid boy huh¡­ Don''t accept it, he¡¯s absolutely lying like a lie-stained lying liar.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you are lying while he is saying the truth.¡±


    The dust settled, revealing the a large figure of a muscular middle aged man. His wisdom filled eyes mismatched the rusty axe he held and the worn off city guard armor he wore.


    ¡°I apologize¡­ To tell you the truth, I want to eat your sword.¡±


    Upon hearing what Bakunawa said, the man smiled pervertedly as Favio wondered on why he smiled.


    ¡°Tha¡¯s one lewd snake ye have! Tha snake seem to be very important to ya so jus yer belongins and it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Bakunawa¡¯s eyes pleaded Favio to reject the offer. Favio thought for a moment and came up with the conclusion.


    ¡°I''m very sorry, but I would have to defeat you.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you have made your mind, kid. I''ll have you die here then.¡±


    He leapt forward and struck using its arm with the force four times of a normal sledgehammer¡¯s. Adapting to the very powerful strike from before, Favio easily parries and countered.


    A large wound opened man¡¯s left shoulder, pouring out huge amounts of blood.


    ¡°... Yer good, kid. Looks like I''ve underestimated ya.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Let''s finish this with a duel then¡­¡±


    Favio felt that his arm is lighter. He could do it, he could defeat this old bandit.


    ¡°I would like to have a fair fight with ya but I have to live. Bano, do it!!!¡±


    Shards of ice and arrows erupted from the treez at very fast speeds a normal pre-Catastrophe human can¡¯t see.


    Though Favio has a high reaction speed, his body can¡¯t keep up with it.


    Just about when a shard are about to reach him they suddenly fell to the ground as his body grew heavy.


    ¡°Looks like these are quite light, old man¡­ Those won¡¯t breach my gravity field for sure.¡±


    Favio stood there, unable to move because he is just barely supporting his body¡¯s weight. The man however, fell down.


    ¡°And boy, I quite like you. Thanks for considering my wishes.¡±


    Favio looked back and sees Bakunawa in her Fiesta form. It seems that she had detached herself from him while he was fighting


    And with that, two more people came out from shrubs. One is armed with a bow while the other one has a rapier made up of frozen earth.


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    ¡°Why leap? You can¡¯t dodge midair, how stupid¡­¡±


    Bakunawa forms a ball of some kind of energy and throws it into one of them. Upon impact, he crashed down forming a deep crater.


    ¡°Pierce all enchantments, Dispel!¡±


    Bakunawa had already made another of sphere but seeing that it won''t affect the girl, she decided to dodge.


    ¡°Fight this one, boy. It''ll be important for your growth as a warrior.¡±


    Suddenly, the weight do Favio¡¯s grew way lighter than before but there was no time to wander around.


    With a familiar motion, Favio stroked his blade and it got coated by a pitch black darkness.


    This is the Void Phase, it allows to create a mysterious element that bends light and weight. It is what Bakunawa uses to fly.


    Bakunawa dodged for the last time before transforming back into a tiny snake, coiling around Favio¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Damn you!!!¡±


    Favio moved back for a counter.


    The girl moved according to his prediction and he parried the rapier as the Void on his sword was removed but that didn''t stop him executing his counter attack.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    A sharp pain ran through Favio''s feet right after he struck the girl¡¯s sword arm.


    Looking down, he saw that his feet were filled with holes. Had let his guard down too much?


    The girl waved her rapier then many shards of ice appeared however Favio knew that the sharp shards are not supposed to hit him.


    Favio backed off upon realizing his dire situation as he deflected shards mixed with transparent wind needles.


    His defensive skills might be the best but there are still some of the projectiles that got through.


    Countless minor cuts filled his body, every movement made him lose blood and stamina.


    (Dammit¡­ With these scratches, it would be hard to fight for long.)


    (Watch your mouth, boy. Don''t swear in your mind, it dirties your image.)


    (Then can you tell me what she did? A Hero couldn''t do that unless-)


    (That''s correct, she''s a mage and it looks like everything she could cast has something to do with piercing.)


    (She must have created earth spikes huh...)


    (You''re quite sharp, boy. I''m impressed. I wish you would improve your talent to develop the most graceful- Dodge it!!)


    An earthen javelin rose from where Favio is standing.


    (No need.)


    Favio transferred the Void Enchantment from his sword to the ground before him.


    The spike growth slowed down and eventually stopped as the girl collapsed.


    Bakunawa knew what Favio did. He used the Void enchant to increase the weight of the Earth to stop it from growing.


    Not only that, he also knew that the girl couldn''t cancel any of her spells from that skirmish and drained all her mana by preventing her spell from reaching the end point.


    (He is a formidable master indeed¡­)


    <hr />


    Routes:


    (A) Kill them


    (B) Spare them


    ? Take them prisoners

 IV: Carriage Ride

    "You can scam them if you want."


    <hr />


    Favio walked to the girl, he sheathing his weapon.


    ¡°What¡¯re ye doin? Stop it!!¡±


    Screamed the man while he is laying on the ground in an awkward position with his posterior raised up.


    ¡°I am planning not to harm her, okay?¡±


    Explains Favio as he quickly places his hand on the girl¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Yer nah touchin ¡¯er, dammit! I''m gonna ¡¯ave yer ¡¯ead if ye keep on-¡±


    ¡°I''m just checking how long would she stay cold, geez!¡±


    ¡°Ya Perv!¡±


    Favio began to concentrating as he closed his eyes. Faintly, pulse different to a heartbeat bit his hand. It took about a minute before it could felt again.


    The full minute would mean that her Mana pool is empty and normally, it would take a whole day before she comes to.


    The pulse that Favio felt was Mana, the power given to Mages to alter physical phenomena.


    Direct contact with concentrated amounts of mana is fatal to all Contractors because their bodies reject it.


    On the other hand, Heroes like the man have a very weird constitution that deflects any mana on contact but they are killable with the physical phenomena from a spell.


    Favio learned this skill from his mentor back at Egdar. It was supposed to be for Heroes¡¯ use so it is possible for him to die by touching an absurdly powerful Mage.


    ¡°Looks like she''ll be out for a day.¡±


    ¡°Are ye still gonna keep on gropin ¡¯er?¡±


    Favio looked at his hand then jumped back.


    ¡°Eh? Sorry!!!¡±


    (Come on, Bakunawa! Help me with tying them all up.)


    (Boy¡­ Who do you is the one restraining all these trash? And you don''t even have a single piece rope on you¡­ I think you should just kill them all, just spare the girl. I want her.)


    (I think I should ask them for some ropes.)


    (Sigh¡­ Suit yourself.)


    Favio turns around and asks the man.


    ¡°Do you have any ropes with you?¡±


    ¡°Why''da fuck would I tell ye?¡±


    ¡°I prefer not killing but I have nothing to tie you up with so I would have to kill you guys right now. Who would want to be near unrestrained bandits just to die?¡±


    ¡°Ye¡¯ave a point¡­ I can lead ya ta our wagon. Jus don ¡¯arm Julia and Meut.¡±


    <hr />


    After finding the wagon, Favio tried the arms and legs of the man with an Ability negating rope and goes ahead to tie the archer with the same rope while he used the anti magic cuffs on the girl.


    Favio eventually dragged the silent archer as Bakunawa just tossed the girl into the wagon.


    With the bandits tied up inside the black prairie schooner, Favio took up the front seat as Bakunawa clung on his arm. He held the reins then with a fling, the wagon moved forward.


    What was pulling the carriage wasn''t a horse but a pitch black carabao. Favio can handle carabaos well because they were the beasts of burden that is used in his parent¡¯s farm.


    Carabaos look like cows but they had more smoothly curved horns, a bit of hair and a dark durable hide.


    ¡°This carabao is pretty high quality: Very durable hide, soft meat with strong muscles and the ability to produce milk. I bet mama will buy her for a hefty sum. Say, where did you find this?¡±


    ¡°Dunno, Meut and Julia stole ¡¯er. Wait¡­ Meut says ¡¯e jus stole whatever ¡¯e could grab as we escaped. Ah- turn ¡¯round next corner yer surrendering us right?¡±


    A voice came from the back.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Guess I''ll just Compel this guy to go to the farm right after we arrive on the next village. That reminds me, your group looks like you''re guards of a village or something. Why would you turn to banditry?¡±


    ¡°I bet these trash are unable to bear the aesthetics of their village or their aesthetics don''t fit in.¡±


    ¡°My, my what a poisonous tongue yer snake ¡¯as but she''s right, we couldn''t bear those damn Americans buildin a settlement near our village. Our rejection was rebellion in our Lord¡¯s eyes so we''re kicked out.¡±


    ¡°They didn''t do anything wrong so why?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Ave ye read any ¡¯istory books? Our land ¡¯as been conquered countless ¡¯mount of times. Are you goin to be lettin it ¡¯appen again?¡±


    ¡°I haven''t read any history but some of the nice things I read about in the travel guide came from the outside so it should be not that bad¡­¡±


    Favio''s unusual answer cracked a smile in the little snake on his arm.


    ¡°Ahahahahahaaa¡­ Boy... You never fail to amuse whether in battle or not.¡±


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    ¡°I''m pleased to hear that...¡±


    ¡°Naive¡­ Yer naive!!!¡±


    ¡°However, you there are so much things lacking with you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I''m pretty good back then.¡±


    ¡°You fight too fairly with your Eskrima, you always wait for information that you don''t have any initiative and you don''t use your Authority that well.¡±


    ¡°Don''t judge any of my skills if you''re not going to improve them.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, boy¡­ I''ll take my time teaching you everything at our next stop¡­ EVERYTHING¡­ So you better buy me something worth the things I''ll give to you.¡±


    Suddenly Favio felt a chill ran through his arm.


    ¡°Ah...Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°This shakin¡­ Jus 5 minutes more before we get into our village.¡±


    ¡°You''re too familiar with this road, old man.¡±


    ¡°I used to patrol these roads v¡¯ryday so I can''t believe that I would be ridin through it asa pris¡¯ner. I ¡¯ave an ambush nearby...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. I may not be able to lie but I can tell lies. You''re bluffing.¡±


    ¡°As expected¡­ ¡®One can¡¯t be lyin to a Diwata¡¯, huh¡­¡±


    <hr />


    After playing a TRPG game, I decided for my fanfic to move like a VN. I''ll prepare choices with plotlines and it might work.


    Do you like the info dump chapter?


    Reader analysis:


    Dangit! Currently, Hazey is the only one reading this fiction¡­ He is quite not naive I guess.


    What ifs (other routes):


    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>Sparing them would cause Favio to receive a serious wound as a reminder of his naivety and steers the story to a darker tone. Bakunawa will run away from the bandits and gets help from the first hut she encounters. Info dump her monologue and Favio''s dream


    Killing them would lead Favio to go to whatever direction he is going to. He''ll stay in camp for the night. The info dump is their conversation.


    Now the question is: How do you think Favio should get strong?


    The one with the most votes will be the main plot while the second one will be inserted as subplots.


    Magnum Opus- A journey to develop the strongest Eskrima for his weak self. Who will Favio swing his sword for?


    Details


    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>Theme: Willpower and Inevitability


    Character+: His character saturates and his vague characteristics will bloom.


    Character-: It will give less space for me to develop him on another direction.


    Plot+: Badass moments without being OP. Some defeats.


    Plot-: Slower paced travel (training every night)


    Antagonist: His weakness.


    Messenger King- Favio gives in to his Fate to be the messenger of a new dawn, Compelling the world to change.


    Details


    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>Theme: Justice and Bonds


    Character+: He will gain more Unrea under his control and gets dyed in their colors.


    Character-: Harem? (Don''t choose this because BL/yaoi and polygamy are included.)


    Plot+: More characters!


    Plot-: I''m gonna fuck around and twist the plot that you feel like you have no control over it whatsoever (you have control, I''ll just twist the results of all choices).


    Antagonist: The world.


    Infinite Eclipse- The Authority of Favio will be entrusted to Bakunawa as he slowly changes more like her.


    Details


    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>Theme: Values and Aesthetics


    Character+: He will learn upon Bakunawan values he and becomes an antihero!


    Character-: Favio will trust others less. It''s a matter of time that Bakunawa will be the only one with his trust.


    Plot+: Characters can be more developed.


    Plot-: Less characters will be introduced


    Antagonist: A very just Faction leader.

 Interlude: Flojos at Egdar

    "Home? I never came back since I wrote this guide book! I think I''ll go home after writing 5 more books after my trip to Japan."


    <hr />


    As expected, Flojo¡¯s is filled to the brim tonight. Afterall, it was the place of gathering of all villagers. Be it Oathbounds, Freemen and Nobles, they are all equal there at dinner time.


    Our Lord is quite a wise, benevolent and jolly fellow. He likes to discuss everything about his administration in the dining tables of Flojo and even allow people speak to him rudely¡­. But only when they are right.


    ¡°Hey, Jose! Gimme the usual! Hahahaha!!!¡±


    The Lord¡¯s laugh resounded through our diner as he cheered at the usual drinking contest between the Ricardo and Generoso as the chugged the strongest rum. I bet that Ricordo will win today as Generoso¡¯s hunting was very bad and fatiguing. I think he should take a break for a while.


    Like every night, I took a bottle of barely aged palm wine and tossed it to my cute daughter.


    ¡°To the Lord, Maria!¡±


    ¡°Aye sir!¡±


    Just before the bottle hit her, she casted a spell that stopped the bottle mid air and float to the Lord. I think that spell was called Serving Telekinesis or something.


    The Lord casually grabbed the bottle ass he took a small sip out of it. I wonder what made him into such a sweet tooth all the way to adulthood.


    ¡°Ahhhh! So sweet!!! Gbh-! That reminds me, I just spent more than the planned funds for the construction of the logging outpost so can I increase the taxes for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Lord Egdar! You really are pathetic if we aren¡¯t understanding, dammit! Hehehe¡­ I can¡¯t pay any more than the usual though¡­ My store is barely profiting so I can¡¯t pay more..¡±


    Woah, it¡¯s quite rare for Marco to have a bad season¡­ I wonder what¡¯s wrong? Wait¡­ It¡¯s an opportunity for me!!! Marco never forgets any debts after all so it would be great if he returns it with interest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll shoulder your additional taxes, Marco. It should be fine for me.¡±


    ¡°¡°Jose!!!!¡±¡±


    The Lord and Marco smiled as tears are flowing from their eyes¡­ Did I do something wrong or is the outpost really that important?


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Oi! You two!! Stop abusing Jose¡¯s kindness, capish? If not, I¡¯ll try feeding my rooster human meat in the future.¡±


    Oh¡­ I forgot that my wife is very scary towards others so that¡¯s why they cried.


    ¡°C¡¯mon it should be alright for a single person, honey.¡±


    ¡°I-if you say so¡­¡±


    Then, Florencia returns to the kitchen like a queen returning to her realm. I wonder how does everything comes out so neat even if her cooking process is like something that happens in hell.


    ¡°That reminds me your son left today, right?¡±


    Generoso the guard captain asked me. I knew this topic would come up tonight.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right¡­ It felt like he never fit in this place so it should be alright, I¡¯ll miss him a bit though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the young lad was the best in learning this village¡¯s Eskrima. He would be the best in it he was born as a Hero even if he only has strength like you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m extremely pathetic, yanno! I can¡¯t even beat him one on one.¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHA!!! That¡¯s why you got kicked from Davao, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Those jerks are all about meritocracy and everything so if I compare that cold place with this place. It would be like Hell to Earth.¡±


    ¡°Can you get me another serving of peanuts?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Cap¡­ Honey, a dish o¡¯peanuts!!!¡±


    And the night continues as I move from table to table, talking with everyone in this warm place. I wonder if Favio is still alright. I wish that he will return to this town after his long trip...


    <hr />


    This is a side chapter because I want to ask the voting readers about something and I have 10 more questions. I¡¯ll ask them whenever there is no branching paths. (I also want to write a slice-of-life themed story)


    Question about the writing style: Should I go localized, literal or mixed?


    Localized and literal is like palm wine and tuba (filipino for palm wine), Oathbound and Oripon (serfs in English but not quite so I made a new term) or Maneater and Aswang.

 V: His Own Circumstance

    torn page


    <hr />


    After the colorful caravan in front of them entered the town, it was Favio¡¯s turn to be inspected before entering the town.


    ¡°Halt! State your intentions.¡±


    An excessively massive guard calls out to Favio. His armor was dyed with intimidating red by the sunset.


    ¡°I-Umm¡­¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    Suspicion began to surface on the guard¡¯s face, his face could be compared to a demon¡¯s.


    (Pathetic¡­ The trash are even stronger than him so why fear him?)


    Bakunawa¡¯s condescending voice echoed throughout Favio¡¯s soul, ironically increasing his fear even more.


    (He''s scary!!! He¡¯ll kill me if I do something strange.)


    Favio frantically thought of everything to say as he squirms around in fear.


    ¡°I just caught bandits and I would like to turn them in and I also like to stay for the night and (I''m shitting myself¡­) ummm...¡±


    The guard started glaring harder at Favio as he tries to shrink away.


    ¡°Ey Jay!!¡±


    The guard¡¯s interrogative air became one for killing as the bandit came out of the carriage untied.


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Favio screamed.


    ¡°You son of a bitch! WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS? Your trap is clear as water, there''s no way that this kid could kill you all, let alone restrain.¡±


    The guard along with a few others drew their swords, glaring at Favio''s group.


    ¡°It''s¡¯actually ¡¯is Familiar that took us out. Damn, tha¡¯thing never took a step. You tie too loose, kid.¡±


    ¡°I don''t trust you¡­ and your suspicious faces. Drop your weapons and come with me! You can leave the cart behind the guard staton¡±


    ¡°I''m goin to surrender anyway, Jay¡¯s straight-laced as ever¡­¡±


    <hr />


    Favio with Bakunawa on his arm emerged from the gallows right after their interrogation.


    He feared that he might be misunderstood but it turns out big villages or rather towns have their own truth stones, a clear crystal that changes color whenever it hears lies.


    Those truth stones saved Favio but it also tried to kill him. It turns out truth stones are very expensive... And shiny.


    Bakunawa nearly ate it however Favio stopped her at the very last moment. And after that, there was a painful lecture on the Common Encantado laws.


    The Common laws were the laws that all the villages that are united under the Encantado banner follow.


    Favio listened attentively in order to learn common sense since his village was never a part of the Sovereign of Encantado but¡­ For most part, it was that he was afraid to piss off Jay.


    ¡°You nearly killed me! I want my travels to be smooth but you keep on ruining it. First, you dropped me in the middle of nowhere. Then, you almost turned an entire town against me.¡±


    ¡°Boy¡­ Just look at the good side, we are alive.¡±


    Favio walked through the main street of the town as he walks to where the wagon is parked.


    (I wonder what''s the name of this town?)


    (It''s Halvert, boy)


    ¡°Shut up! I''m nearly broke because you ate the everything of value in the wagon, including the carabao¡­ And it was on the span of 10 seconds I looked back, 10 SECONDS... ¡±


    ¡°I''ll give you power for compensation anyway so why are you so angry?¡±


    ¡°You said you won''t let me ride on you then you ate our carabao plus I''m not qualified as a caravan guard because you won''t fight for some reason. How are we supposed to travel now?¡±


    ¡°Wait, I never told you I won''t take you. What I said was I won''t fly to Cagayan. If transportation is your worry, then I can pull the cart for you.¡±


    They went ahead and entered a vacant wagon space, there was nothing there but their wagon. It was strangely vacant but there were so many carts entering the town when he came in. Maybe there''s other cart parks in this town.


    ¡°This is a perfect place¡­¡±


    Bakunawa murmured as she uncoiled as she transformed into her Diwata and sat out the wagon''s front seat cross-legged.


    ¡°Boy, this is the perfect place for your training.¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.¡°Okay, I''ll do a few Eskrima exercises before sleep-¡±


    ¡°That''s not enough, you are very lacking!¡±


    ¡°I already mastered all techniques though¡­ And I know my limits. Can you tell me, Bakunawa? Where am I lacking?¡±


    Bakunawa¡¯s eyes sharpened, her irises turned into that of a reptile''s as the sunset¡¯s remnant reflects off her eyes.


    ¡°Ohohoho¡­ You don''t see it, huh. Listen closely¡­¡±


    Favio nods then Bakunawa takes a deep breath.


    ¡°First, you fight too fairly. Why can''t you assume from the beginning that enemies could fight dirty? If you did that, you could have defeated the girl flawlessly.¡±


    Bakunawa could see it clearly, the hidden glimmer behind Favio¡¯s ugly inexperience.


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°No buts! You don''t even use your whole body. Heck, you didn''t even kick.¡±


    ¡°My body is very weak. What use does it have kicking someone, only to cripple yourself?¡±


    Bakunawa falls silent for a while but the thought of grooming a rough diamond somewhat made her continue.


    ¡°You''re right¡­ But on the other hand, you have no initiative. Always waiting for his opponents move like you''re a virgin herbivore. Wait, you are one¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That''s why you need my training to make a man out of you, a real carnivorous badass! I bet I can beat with a strength of a little human girl.¡±


    Bakunawa stood up as she slightly tilted her head up, mocking Favio with her gaze.


    Of course, even Favio has a minimal pride as a Filipino man (even though it was pretty small). He just couldn''t let Bakunawa¡¯s remark go by.


    ¡°Fight me then, I Compel you to be unable to be stronger than Big Sis Maria!¡±


    She smirked smugly as she felt her body grow heavy. It was the excitement of fighting a stronger opponent.


    <hr />


    And what happened was a futile resistance by Favio, every moves he has done was thwarted by Bakunawa¡¯s seemingly endless experience.


    After that, Favio lost control, went offensive and it was just humiliation. It was like a kid being played around by an adult.


    ¡°How¡­¡±


    Now fatigued, Favio finally percieved the fact that the sun has went down. He calmly analyzed what happened just then and came into the conclusion to eat dinner after asking Bakunawa.


    ¡°You finally calmed down¡­ It was easy, how can a weak lady defeat you? The answer is simpler than you would think: errors and luck.¡±


    Favio stares blankly at her, not getting her answer


    ¡°Huh? So you defeated me with luck?¡±


    ¡°... Are you mentally retarded? I tried so much just to have the six moons and I got it''s power through luck. How else can a mere serpent monster obtain this kind of power?¡±


    Bakunawa sighed as she looked above at the only moon.


    ¡°I wrestled with the gods after my theft until they finally gave up. You were easy because the gap between a little girl and you were smaller than mine and the gods.¡±


    ¡°I-is that so?¡±


    Bakunawa turned back into a little snake and coiled around Favio quickly.


    ¡°Hurry up boy, the inn right ahead has nice food.¡±


    ¡°How would you know that?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to sniff feces as a snake?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Good, it seems that they have chicken teriyaki, steamed something, fried vegetables and some kind of sugary fish. Ah, I want the steamed ones, they seem interesting.¡±


    <hr />


    I¡­ finally got a new reader!!! My fading motivation for this blazed again. I was writing a lovely side story for EO- Nevermind¡­ It was a fanfic.


    I welcome Facepalm as a¡­ Decider of Fate? Please vote!!!


    Now the question is which should Favio eat:


    1 Chicken Teriyaki FTW!!! One of me favorites¡­ EYYY!!!


    2 Take the Steamed Surprise. I wonder what¡¯s inside the dumpling?


    3 I HATE THIS CHOICE. (fuck vegetables</a>)


    4 What specie of fish is this? Find out on the next episode!


    5 Isn''t this a Philippines based novel, where''s the Filipino cuisine! C¡¯mon, Sen!

 VI: Night at an inn

    "''A character is developed by all his interactions, not only his major choices. Major choices may change the character but it¡¯s how he interacts with his surrounding that develops him into a real character.'' who was the one who said that?"


    <hr />


    The inn''s dim candlelight would suggest that it was a poor establishment however the savoury scent coming from it would clearly say that it had invested the most in the food.


    The door creaked as the young weary traveller enters.


    The music dampened the creaking of the building along with the chattering and shouting of the customers. Then from the many tables he saw, he can easily tell that the first floor was a restaurant.


    It was rowdy since it was time for dinner but for Favio, it was a new experience from his family¡¯s daily nights, yet familiar.


    Yes, the amount of regulars in Flojo''s might be less than here but it was rather the air that was unknown to Favio.


    It had a cool vibe instead of the warm atmosphere back at his village. It was like everyone knew each other but they aren''t exactly close at all.


    It was like that inevitably since the town of Halvert was the trading port of Eastern Mindanao.


    He sat on a stool in front of the counter as his snake transformed into an unworldly beauty.


    An oversized receptionist moved towards Favio¡¯s place. When he reached them a black shadow covered the candlelight.


    ¡°What can I do for you, sir? Oh, it''s the kid¡­¡±


    Favio looks up and looked at Jay¡¯s face strangely.


    ¡°What? Just because I''m a guard, I''m not not allowed to help my wife at night?¡±


    Favio fell silent for a while then he opened his mouth.


    ¡°I''m-¡±


    ¡°Don''t sweat it, just order something and be done with it. I''m also kinda sorry since I scared you, didn''t mean to do it though.¡±


    And then, the silence returned once again.


    The bored Diwata couldn''t take the awkwardness and breaks the ice selfishly.


    ¡°I would like a serving of the steamed something and we''ll rent a room after this.¡±


    ¡°Okay, one Halvert dumpling platter and a room. Not eating, kid?¡±


    ¡°I would like to try the chicken teriyaki.¡±


    ¡°Just wait a sec and I''ll bring them to you.¡±


    With that, Jay left them and attended other customers sitting across the counter.


    ¡°Seriously¡­¡±


    Bakunawa smirked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You haven''t eaten a teriyaki yet? Pfft! It''s like the most common dish that most restaurants have, is your village in the middle of nowhere or something?¡±


    Thump! Two plates slammed in front of them.


    ¡°Enjoy!¡±


    The overcasting shadow quickly left them as another customer called.


    Bakunawa looked at her dumplings like appreciating an artwork while Favio looked at a very familiar new dish for him.


    (This looks like adobo¡­)


    Favio shovelled a bit of the chicken with the white rice and fed his watering mouth.


    It''s taste was just like adobo, salty and sweet but it had a rather gentle taste compared to adobo.


    Next to him, Bakunawa took a big bite out of a large steamed dumpling and smiles.


    ¡°I never expected to find frog meat on a dumpling! Try this, boy. It''s good.¡±


    She picked another one and shoves it in front of Favio¡¯s face. (Kultura note: some Filipinos prefer to eat with their bare hands but most of them clean their hands first)


    ¡°I think frogs shouldn''t be eaten¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to try this, it''s hard to find frog meat cuisine besides roasted ones. Say aaahh...¡±


    ¡°Okay, just one bite.¡±


    Given up, Favio opens his mouth and received half of the dumpling.


    ¡°You gotta be kidding, this tastes like fish and chicken mixed together.¡±


    He continued to eat his teriyaki then as he finished, Bakunawa couldn''t eat anymore and he had to eat the remaining 3 dumplings.


    After the exquisite meal, Favio paid a tenth of his current funds and retired to his room along with his familiar.


    His tired body couldn''t take the anymore and collapsed into the bed.


    <hr />


    Favio''s PoV


    ¡°Wa¡­.p!.. h¡­ ell...¡±


    I stood.


    I was beaten but I stood. On Old Ricardo¡¯s training ground, my battered body continued to move.


    Their bare fists break my attacks so I decided to guard against everything. Not to win but to avoid the pain.


    Pain is scary, a single solid punch to my gut breaks my will but still, my cowardice actually allowed me to be called a master in my village.


    ¡®A wasted talent in the wrong body.¡¯ is what Ricardo called me.


    I tried searching strength to match my skill. I tried to make Pact with every creature I saw but never did it prevail. Maybe I was born just like mom, a Contractor for farm animals.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    But why? Why did I crave it? It seems that I already forgot¡­


    All I knew was that I wanted to get out of Egdar. To see more than the forest nearby, feel a volcano¡¯s heat and go to lands beyond the horizon.


    Suddenly, the scenery shifted into what looks like a battle from a story book: Dark clouds right above their heads as a masked goddess try to slay a serpent double her height.


    ¡°Even in these foreign lands, I''ll have you return my sisters.¡±


    Words as cold as her mask¡¯s expression poured out of the goddess. It wasn''t that her mask was cold but it was filled with vengeance just like her machete is.


    ¡°Haliya, Haliya, why are you so obstinate? We haven''t left the Philippines yet so why are you calling this place foreign. Ah, that''s right, nobody knows you here!¡±


    In contrast, the serpent only smiles. Anybody can feel that the it was clearly weaker than Haliya so why does it mocks her?


    ¡°All of the others have left you in his hunt already. Can''t we call it quits? I won''t hunt you after this and I keep to live freely, it''s a win-win situation.¡±


    It might be because it was afraid¡­ No, it still had the intent to fight.


    ¡°I refuse!¡±


    Haliya moved to the serpent quickly, quicker than anybody that I have seen.


    Her heavy machete strike hit the serpent¡¯s scales however instead of wounding it, it was deflected magnificently.


    ¡°Dragon slaying, huh. I''m not like those brutes though.¡±


    Every strike the machete slides against the moving serpent as its body moved with the flow. Sparks flew every time the sword hits the scales.


    Time slows as I watched them fight, it would be graceful dance if there wasn''t any malice between them.


    Haliya¡¯s straightforward movements are received by the snake, unscathed. The serpent didn¡¯t fight back or rather it can¡¯t damage the goddess. I can sense its intention. It plans to exhaust her.


    The serpent kept on defending as its body creeped in closer.


    ¡°I already told you, Haliya. You can¡¯t kill me right now. I have escaped your circle and allied gods so there is no point on this fight, is there?¡±


    The glow on her tail was replaced with a dark colour and with a rapid change in pace, the serpent flicked her with her tail.


    Haliya fell into the one of the islands as the serpent runs away.


    ¡°DAMN YOU BAKUNAWA! I¡¯ll have your head on my sisters¡¯ names!¡±


    Bakunawa smiled painfully as she flew away, towards South.


    ¡°Yeah, they were beautiful¡­¡±


    <hr />


    I made a maps!


    favio''s journey


    Legends:


    red dot- Egdar, Favio''s hometown


    cyan dot- the lake


    black dot- deadwood forest


    green dot- Halvert, the town they are on


    red cross- Cagayan, a port between Mindanao and Luzon


    purple line- the journey


    pink line- initial planned path


    yellow line- river Bakunawa took


    Philippines maps


    Thanks for the in depth review, Facepalm and if someone else is reading this message you gotta check out Facepalm¡¯s fiction it¡¯s so cool! I¡¯m too sad that I couldn¡¯t read it straight cause motivation keeps popping and if I don¡¯t write, I can¡¯t write later.


    What ifs: <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>You just developed Favio¡¯s character! 1 makes him kind of independent, 2 closes his distance with bakunawa, 3 would make him more strict, 4 will turns him adventurous, while 5 would build him into a character that values his home more.


    My bias: <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>The last voting was tied so I decided it with a very biased coin flip (heads for 1 and tails for 2). I wanted to write about the second choice so when coin turned heads, I decided it will be best of 3. Sadly, it landed on heads again so for the final toss I decided to toss six coins at the same time. If it tails would be greater than heads, I would write about the second option. And awkwardly, all of them were heads. Sad life...


    Survey: I made maps. Do you like it? #drawinSkillz

 VII: Daybreak

    "Filipino architecture is regressing quite quickly compared to other countries but I mean it in a nice way. The wooden floors feel way better than concrete and tiled ones while having reed roofs allows nice circulation of the tropical air. I would want their kind of housing but those building types freeze during snowy winters."


    <hr />


    The sun¡¯s heat woke Favio up as it entered the room. Normally, he would rise but there was a problem:


    He can''t move.


    Favio looked down and saw the bindings that bound him to the bed. It was a very thick long rope covered with scales.


    A pulse separate travelled through the rope, along with a relaxed rhythmical breathing. He knew exactly what or rather who the rope is.


    ¡°... Bakunawa¡­¡±


    Considerate of his sleeping companion, he tries to wriggle free silently but it did nothing. Then with a loud voice, he tries to wake her up.


    ¡°Please wake up¡­¡±


    Seeing that it has no effect to her, it gave him no other choice but to use his Authority, the privilege given to Contractors to control the living.


    ¡°I Compel you, please wake up.¡±


    Compel is a technique that focuses the Contractor¡¯s Authority on a command. The organism that receives the command receives a boost if it''s willing or become more willing to do the command.


    By adding or removing certain words a Compel could be modified. The word ¡®please¡¯ for example, turns the command gentler for the target.


    ¡°Hmm? Ah, good morning¡­¡±


    Bakunawa yawned but she remained in the same position. This made Favio to bear a bitter expression on his face.


    ¡°Uncoil, now.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy being embraced by a woman early in the morning?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s good in being held by a literal snake? Why are you doing this? What if I get crushed...¡±


    ¡°I might surpass most coldbloods in temperature resistance but holding a comfy heat source at night sure is nice and no coldblood in their right mind would kill their warmers.¡±


    After their little banter, Bakunawa finally decides to start the day.


    ¡°Come boy, let¡¯s have our breakfast and work out where are we.¡±


    ¡°I think we should have done that yesterday, right after we entered this town but the encounter with Jay slowed us and I completely forgot.¡±


    No, Favio would have remembered it if Bakunawa didn¡¯t suggest to do training.


    Bakunawa shrunk and coiled around Favio¡¯s arm as usual, looking like an ordinary armband. They went downstairs.


    There¡¯s only a bit of people on the dining hall to eat breakfast. Jay seem to be on guard duty because there was a nice lady manning the counter instead of him. Favio was about to seat at his usual place but there was a white haired girl in it so he went to seat across the counter, away from her.


    ¡°I would like a Tapsilog, what would you want Bakunawa?¡±


    ¡°Coffee is the only thing I want now.¡±


    Unlike last night, the meal arrived a bit late or was Jay too fast? A dish with grilled meat, rice and a fried egg along with a cup of coffee releases a bit of steam into the air.


    Bakunawa uncoiled herself and shrunk even more until she was the size of a big worm. She flew into the air, does a lap over the cup before smoothly landing into the coffee without splashing.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­ This is life¡­¡±


    ¡°How can you fly? I know that you can jump all the way to the moon, but how can you fly?¡±


    A snake head peeked from the brown liquid.


    ¡°It''s not flying at all, I just manipulated the ground¡¯s pull to push me and move my body to the change. Tis simply falling with style¡­¡±


    Favio continued to observe Bakunawa swim through the coffee as he starts eating rice with a bit of meat and egg.


    ¡°You know what, I can''t understand why you are even swimming in a hot drink. Won''t you smell like coffee if you get out?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know why but after I gained a Diwata status, I won''t smell for some reason and for why I am swimming here, I just want to know the experience of swimming in your food.¡±


    ¡°Thas petty andy¡­¡±


    ¡°Swallow your food first, boy.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so small?¡±


    ¡°Dunno. After I had you, I somehow knew I could shrink myself. Probably something about Familiars and their Contractors.¡±


    The serving lady moved to their place and starts talking to Bakunawa. It was something about jewelry and things that most women Favio met through his life liked.


    Favio, being mindful of their private discussion, decided to eat his Tapsilog very quickly after he had moved a seat away from them.


    After eating his breakfast, Bakunawa had finished both her coffee and conversation. She crawled on the table and settled in her position.


    ¡°So boy, where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°I don''t really have any idea but now that I''m hearing about an American settlement nearby, I want to see that town and maybe go to the America.¡±


    Bakunawa grinned. It was a familiar smile that she has used last night.


    ¡°America? Boy¡­ That country never exists. It''s called the Sorcerate Union right now, just old is your travel guide?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Anyway, I want to see the settlement.¡±


    ¡°Do it your way then. Just buy me jewels because that''s your duty as my master. I want to try one of their synthetic gems.¡±


    <hr />


    They saw a cluster of tall towers from the North gate of Halvert. Bakunawa pulled the carriage at a leisurely pace for her that is.


    The cart is quite light so their speed could equal to a normal one at maximum speed and speed also has disadvantages like the shaking.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Can you slow down, I''m getting sick¡­¡±


    ¡°You got to get used to this, boy. In future battles, I would have to move faster while you ride me.¡±


    ¡°H-how can you-¡±


    The wagon jumped, cutting off Favio.


    ¡°I''m too good at crawling or it''s the coffee, most likely, a combination of both.¡±


    That moment, Favio knew, to never, ever feed coffee to Bakunawa.


    10 more painful minutes passed by in silence then the cart suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Take a break, the city is nearby. I think they won''t take any dirty people so sharpen your appearance.¡±


    Favio got off, slowly walking to a bush nearby, nauseated.


    ¡°Oka-uugh!¡¯


    Disgusting sounds came from bushes but Bakunawa paid it no mind.


    Favio on the other hand, accidentally discharged a part of his breakfast on his boots so he had to clean them up.


    He removed his boots with holes and saw the bloody bandages covering his feet. He removed them, expecting an open wound but his feet were perfectly fine.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    (The wound from yesterday¡­ I completely forgot during the night but how could it regenerate so fast?)


    (I just gave a tiny bit of my life force to heal you. Are you fine now?)


    (No, not yet. I still feel a bit unsteady. How can you speak into my mind? It''s kind of creepy to be honest.)


    (You have a first class Contractor¡¯s talent: High Authority, Mind link, Soul link, Heart link heck, you even can Body link)


    (So this is Mind link and the healing was from Body link. What about the other links?)


    (Heart link allows you to share emotion while Soul link allows you to do things I don''t know, I only had an inferior Contractor from before so yeah.)


    Favio¡¯s nausea eventually wore off and he got up from the ground to return to the carriage.


    <hr />


    Favio PoV


    We approached the gates of the settlement. The wall seem to cover an area equalling to a small village''s worth of land but there were tall spires instead of normal buildings. Truly, the manifestation of spatial efficiency indeed.


    The guards on the gate seem to be wielding strange metal tools. From their stinging aura, I can tell they are formidable Mages.


    ¡°Greetings, traveller! What''s your business with Smithtown?¡±


    Americans seem to be friendly enough, just like the travel guide said.


    ¡°I''m only here to see the American town I heard of and look for things that would be useful for trade.¡±


    ¡°Go park your carriage near the blue tower and you can buy anything you need inside it. Also, your powerful beast could be tested on the Arena tonight if you need money.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    I stroked Bakunawa¡¯s scales, prompting her to move forward.


    All the towers have different colors and all of them aren''t made up of wood and concrete but some other material.


    I dismounted from the wagon with Bakunawa on my left arm. It now feels so familiar that it would feel windy without her on it.


    I did everything he said and walked into the blue tower. Inside the tower was cold or is it that outside was too hot for Americans that they apply cooling for their buildings?


    Inside was a very picturesque scenery of many people bustling about, trading.


    The place was so large that you could get lost any moment but there were maps all over the place so people won''t get lost. Pretty handy.


    ¡°Look boy, the treasure section is on the 12th floor. Let''s go.¡±


    ¡°In our current budget, I can only buy you a cheap gem.¡±


    ¡°It''s alright, come on.¡±


    From there, I walked to the 12th floor. I wonder how many steps was that bit strange enough, I don''t feel any fatigue. Probably, Bakunawa¡¯s life sharing.


    I went towards the direction of the treasure section as pointed by the maps and everything there was shiny then next to the treasure section was the weapon section.


    The location of both sections is quite well placed, I think. By having them on a high floor, a thief with weapons and valuables would have a hard time going down without sustaining damage.


    There were all sorts of stones that are displayed on elaborate cases with mysterious transparent material covering it. I think Bakunawa might break it but nah, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s that dumb.


    And the slight tightening in my arm has been removed. Bakunawa stood right beside me on her Diwata form, with eyes waiting for a command.


    Is she one of those people that get obedient when something they want is in front of them? I think I should give her one then¡­


    ¡°You can go there but don¡¯t break anything.¡±


    Naturally, she smiled but what was strange was that her skin isn''t the unnatural purple but a very normal tone of brown.


    So, Diwatas being able to hold a human form was real...


    ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and check the stones and I¡¯ll try not breaking anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be at the weapons section and we¡¯ll meet here within an hour.¡±


    <hr />


    Favio looked around the weapons section and found nothing that fit him. All of the items were either unwieldy wands or heavy swords for Heroes which he can''t use.


    He was heavily disappointed about not finding anything but there was the travelling goods section right beside it.


    There, he bought very cheap but comfortable boots to replace his damaged ones.


    It turns out that American stores prefer to but goods on display with price tags and customers pay on the counters to deactivate some magical tag on the product.


    Favio then noticed the time from looking through a window nearby and went towards the treasure section.


    ¡°Boy, buy me this one.¡±


    His Familiar happily rushed into him with a crimson gem in hand.


    Favio looked at the gem¡¯s price tag and his mind froze¡­ It costs 750 Ginto, which was basically 30 times current amount he has.


    ¡°I can give you waay more power, please! Gimme that thing. I also swear my full loyalty so buy this before anyone buys it. I want- no, I need this gem.¡±


    And with careful consideration, Favio said:


    <hr />


    Nothing to say besides I miscalculated the pacing of this chapter. I never thought it would be a double length chapter (1k minimal while this is 2k). Longest chapter of Unreal so far. I wanna write fighting scenes already but the next one the setup of his fight. Kinda sad, seeing a fiction having 8 followers within an hour¡­ (I only have 2 formal/named readers [-_-] sigh... )


    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''> Invidia is spreading within me, prompting me to write more chapters while burning me out. At this moment, my Acedia Core is getting corrupted and I won¡¯t walk the most human path of efficiency. Dear anon reader, pray register an RRL account to follow this fiction of mine¡­ I need thy sympathy for my sanity and thy votes too!


    Choices:


    A Let''s buy it later then, we don''t have anything to pay for it yet.


    B No, we could have bought if you didn''t eat anything in the carriage. It''s your fault.


    C I would want to buy it for you but with our financial situation, we can''t buy this.


    D Okay, I''ll buy it.


    E Custom response. Comment below. If yours is good enough, you might break fate (my timelines) itself.


    F This is a garbage fiction throw this away (Dun, dun, DUUUUUNN)

 VIII: A Financial Attempt

    "Most Contractors are quite kind however many experienced ones are very apathetic from their previous Familiars'' deaths."


    <hr />


    ¡°Let''s buy it later then, we don''t have anything to pay for it yet.¡±


    Bakunawa had a disheartened look as she shrunk back, coiling around her place in Favio¡¯s arm.


    Having nothing more to do in the tower shop, Favio walks towards the stairs but they encountered a floor transportation vehicle, a transparent box that rises and falls as you ride them.


    It cemented the opinion within Favio that the Americans of the Sorcerate Union have such generosity as they shared their wonders in the rather outlandish Archipelago.


    Through the transparent glass Favio gazed as they descended slowly, thinking of the budget. He has 20 Ginto and 10 of them is spent daily to obtain room and food but including Bakunawa, he would need to earn more to travel a bit more luxuriously or he can camp outside.


    He stepped out of the glass elevator after it has reached the ground floor and exited the building and they made for the parking lot.


    From the parking lot, Favio can see the gates in the distance and it reminded Favio of something important.


    ¡°Hey Bakunawa, didn¡¯t that guard say something about earning money on the Arena. You could get us some some money in the Arena and we might be able to buy your gem.¡±


    ¡°The prize should be sufficient or else we will be bounty hunting, boy.¡±


    ¡°Bounty hunting?¡±


    ¡°I heard that some of Halvert¡¯¡¯s guards had rebelled because of this settlement, they say the Union is here to conquer us. I don¡¯t really care but it had many bounties listed on this month.¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn of this?¡±


    ¡°The ladies¡¯ network¡­ Now, let¡¯s go and check out the Arena, wait¡­ Isn¡¯t the Arena right in front of us?¡±


    They looked at the strangely broad building facing the parking lot. It looked like a base of a tower with the rest of it cut off. Signs on it sorely stood out as if calling to all directions ¡®Arena¡¯.


    Bakunawa tightened a bit, telling Favio to move forward. They made their way for the Arena to register. The clerk was an old lady but the registration ran quite smoothly. Favio paid 10 Ginto pieces for the Gold Rank since it was what Bakunawa recommended.


    ¡°The prize? Tonight, it¡¯s about 1300 Ginto for the Gold Rank¡­ You¡¯re letting your Familiar loose right?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fighting.¡±


    ¡°My goodness¡­ Don¡¯t get injured, you¡¯re too young. Surrender is always an option, you know.¡±


    Sincere worry filled up the old clerk¡¯s face as if her grandchild was conscripted for war. This in turn, questions Favio: ¡®Why is he doing his fighting, not his Familiar?¡¯


    Normally, Contractors fight by commanding their Familiars from far away. Some of them use special methods to fight alongside their Familiars but Favio doesn¡¯t know anything about those methods.


    Bakunawa seem to hate fighting without any rewards. Yes, she could protect Favio, but it was only when the situation calls for it.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, my Familiar will protect me when the time comes¡­¡±


    <hr />


    After exiting the Arena, Favio¡¯s stomach growled intensely since it was already nearing lunch. He bought a sausage in a bun from a street stand nearby, bringing his meager funds to 9 Ginto. It was quite a filling fast food from Union origins.


    Bakunawa didn¡¯t order anything since she isn¡¯t hungry yet instead, she prompted Favio to immediately start training for the night.


    They went outside the settlement. The place that they have chosen was a clearing right beside the wall, surrounded by greenery while far away enough from prying eyes.


    Bakunawa reverted to her usual Diwata form, standing from a distance away from Favio.


    ¡°Should we start?¡±


    Favio nodded as he drew his sword, taking a stance.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s revise your fighting style¡­ You have seen my memories, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Yes, I have seen you fight against a goddess named Haliya and all her powerful attacks never damaged you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that nutcase¡­ Yeah, that nutcase¡¯s style is quite similar to what you use right now, it uses the full force of all attacks and the only thing different from your style is how you think before slashing.¡±


    ¡°How can you defeat the Gods though?¡±


    ¡°Sheesh boy, I¡¯m getting into that. I simply moved with the attacks to flexibly avoid the force while changing its direction. You understand?¡±


    Bakunawa walked towards a tree and picked up a random branch on the ground. She threw it at Favio and he grasped it with his free hand.


    ¡°Use this and apply the principle I told you about. Deflect my attack without breaking the stick. It¡¯s quite flexible so even if you were to execute it poorly, boy.¡±


    Favio replaced his sword with the stick and sheathes his sword back into its scabbard when Bakunawa did a sudden movement. She was already above Favio dropping a kick.


    ¡°Wai-¡±


    His free hand moved, coiling around her leg as he pushes it away. Bakunawa¡¯s kick left a deep crater on where it landed, it was an impossible feat that Favio had successfully defended against that without any broken bones.


    ¡°As expected of my Master, you executed the first technique flawlessly and with your hand, nonetheless. You never fail to amaze me, boy.¡±


    Favio looked at Bakunawa, clueless on how he did something impossible.


    ¡°Wait¡­ How did I do that, I never know it until-¡±


    ¡°This boy sure loves prying¡­ You know the dream right? It was a sign that a Master and a powerful Familiar begins trusting each other. We will see more of each other as our bond increases, you can¡¯t link our Hearts because you are unconsciously cautious of me.¡±


    Favio felt relief however there was this feeling that something within him is being taken. He can feel it flowing towards Bakunawa then, a very pleasant feeling enters within him.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re already giving me Authority?¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    He panicked upon learning that his Authority was being taken. It was the only thing that Contractors have to protect themselves.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, boy¡­ Giving me Authority makes me stronger while allowing you to gain my characteristics, it¡¯s called Authorization. Most Contractors never discover this side since they are apathetic towards their Familiars or their companions are not strong enough. Spirit Knights from Luzon does this quite frequently.¡±


    Bakunawa pulls her feet off the ground and lowered her body, ready to strike.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue training then, I¡¯ll be doing a combo on you this time so try and use that technique repeatedly.¡±


    <hr />


    They continued to train until Favio ran out of breath and rested for 5 minutes. They continued doing this until Favio saw the weird lights.


    ¡°They seem to be using Crystal Lamps¡­ How pretty.¡±


    ¡°Crystal Lamps aren¡¯t this bright, Americans sure have nice technology.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you already obtained my eyesight, boy! I¡¯m so proud of you! I can now show you how I see all the nice stuff.¡±


    ¡°Hey Bakunawa, it¡¯s dark already¡­ We might be late.¡±


    Noticing the situation, Bakunawa immediately returned to Favio¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Quick, quick! Hurry up, boy!!!¡±


    And so Favio left for the settlement with a sprint.


    <hr />


    I quite loved writing this chapter, I feel so rewarded.


    I had a mental breakdown last Thursday and I almost deleted this fic out of Jealousy. I even posted my mental outburst on a forum but I¡¯m fine now. I was sleepy at that time so I kinda regret it now (cringing) but they gave me some nice advice.


    Choices for my next character introduction: Which one of these traits you think the next main character to have (not another protagonist)?


    Z Insanity


    Y Sloth


    X Narcissism


    W Wisdom


    V Viscousness

 IX: Arena

    I¡°Pacts are of grave importance to Contractors. Without one, Mages will decompose them with their low mana tolerance and be crushed by the powerful Heroes. By having a Familiar or an Unrea serving under them, they could to close the gap.¡±


    <hr />


    Luckily, before the match has started, there was a performance to fire up the Arena.


    Favio made it and he was immediately led by a stagehand into the dungeon or rather the preparation room. It was quite dim inside, provided that the lighting was done by cheap crystal lamps.


    There was nothing inside but two doors, the brick walls and a mask rack for participants.


    Favio put on a mask with lots of crescents that show despair to conceal his identity as Bakunawa suggested. He didn¡¯t know why he chose that mask but the other crescent mask seem to be a happy one, in a creepy way.


    From different door he came in, he gazed out, curious of what is inside this building he is in.


    He saw seats¡­ Many rows of them, the nearest ones were on their level while the furthest ones were so high, he would have look up.


    ¡°Hoh¡­ So there''s a method of lining up seats like this.¡±


    Bakunawa trembled for a bit with excitement by looking at the amount of spectators.


    ¡°I bet I- no, we could get more than we were promised from the headcount.¡±


    Favio on the other hand, weren''t looking at the audience but at the opening performance, the old receptionist dancing.


    The person herself isn''t the centerpiece of the performance but it was the dust on the Arena. Every time her feet moved, dust gets scattered.


    And with swift sweeping hand motions various shapes are carved into it. Supreme dragons, brave warriors, unknown terrors, she could shape the dust at her will.


    Countless figures merged from the midair dust, centered around her, moving, interacting with each other. Chaotic but a certain pattern could be seen.


    After what seemed to be an eternity for Favio, everything returned to the ground like it was inevitable to return to the Earth.


    ¡°Mima Mellissa has just opened the Arena for events tonight, please give her a round of applause!¡±


    A deep, loud heavily-accented voice resounds throughout the stadium as countless claps turn into an earth-shaking force.


    ¡°And for our opening match, it''ll be a great opener for this Arena since who is fighting from the white find will be a mysterious local Contractor that who does not send his Familiar out! He is either strong or reckless.¡±


    (Boy, he will call for us. You better stop cowering and come out like a man when he calls you.)


    The shaking of Favio''s legs lessened but the pressure of given put by the rest of the peanut gallery was still there.


    ¡°Please welcome¡­ Sangbuan del Eclipse!¡±


    The alias that Bakunawa suggested was called and a firm resolution flowed to Favio from his Heart link with Bakunawa.


    He walked out, slow and steady as cheering came from the crowd.


    ¡°And his opponent for tonight, a crazy outlaw Spellslinger, with innumerable crimes that I would omit.¡±


    The heavily fortified door on the moved its mechanisms, finally opening as if it looks to intensify the atmosphere.


    The reason the door was fortified was because the black side sends out criminals to fight to death, instead of execution. That way, they could squeeze money out of them.


    ¡°He is finally chained for a life at the Arena. He comes for the black find, John Smith!¡±


    A pale slender masked man exuding a heartless presence came out of the door. His mask is a mask of blank features except for the eyeholes like it was made just to cover face without any decorations.


    Most of his upper half is exposed because he wore a torn cloak on top of it. He had loose pants riddled with holes and worn boots that protected his feet like an old friend.


    Favio''s heart stopped a few times before the man withdrew his Mana back to him. He is at least A class to cause that effect and if Favio touches him directly, he would die. But there wasn''t a single clap for him.


    ¡°Contestants will be given 30 seconds before starting, they can kill each other, the white may surrender to be spared and that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Kill me? Ah, so boring!¡±


    John twisted his body on impossible angles as he giggled on a high voice different from the voice he used to talk. He drew a bent wand as he put on his glove shaped magic casting device with his mouth.


    (You can¡¯t win this without my help so I will give you a bit of my lifeforce to heal instantly. Let¡¯s set it to a hundred units, one for an amputation.)


    ¡°10 seconds more, folks!¡±


    (Thank you but let me choose when and where I use them in, okay?)


    The announcer continued to count down towards zero and Favio is yet to draw his sword. He already has a plan in mind though.


    He will activate Silver Phase first to reflect any mana directed to his body if John could shoot condensed mana because Silver Phase allows most untouchable things to be reflected. It takes skill to reflect it back to your opponent though so Favio can only use it defensively.


    The countdown is already at three and the spectators grew silent, waiting in anticipation. Most of them bet on John since he never fails to kill his opponent but they cheered on Favio because they are afraid of John.


    ¡°Zero!¡±


    The pale wand hand blurred and shot concentrated mana aimed at Favio¡¯s head. It moved at an absurdly fast speed compared to any spells Favio saw but still, it was slow enough for him to react.


    He activated Silver Enchant silently and just right before it hit him, the blue bolt deviated to the right.


    ¡°Favio activated some sort of barrier and deflected John¡¯s infamous Baneful Quickdraw! What will he do next?¡±


    Favio wondered why the announcer could somehow speak very quickly but there was no time to ponder that. Moving forward, his left hand reached for his sword, drawing a smooth arc to slice the stone speeding at him. He slowly closes the 25 meter gap.


    ¡°And what is this! He drew a Samurai sword!!! Could he have Yamato origins? Is Sangbuan actually be Itsuki on Filipino?¡±


    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>Kultura note: Sangbuan is a portmanteau of One and Moon in Filipino and Itsuki is spelt as Ò»ÔÂ(normally read as Ichigatsu/January)


    When Favio nears 5 meters, ice and water came next. First, the ice shard is going for his heart while the water ball is for his left shoulder however Favio slices the ice and redirects the other one with his free hand.


    Mechanically, John kept shooting a variety of bullets with dead on accuracy, prompting Favio to dodge most of them, slowing his speed down. Fire, lighting, darkness and light are just reflected while every other shots are parried. It seems that the wand was crooked for easier aim.


    Favio is already 10 meters away and his approach is going well¡­ That is until a spine chilling sensation flowed into his own mind.


    (He is turning into a nutcase. Pay extra care!)


    Immense amounts of mana suddenly concentrates into John¡¯s glove as a false mana crystal solidifies in his glove¡¯s palm.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°WHAT IS THIS? John is already cornered to use his deadly Bomb¡­ Will Favio survive this? Only time will tell.¡±


    Despite of the announcer and Bakunawa¡¯s warning, Favio continues his rush, turning into a mad dash.


    Mages could cast higher power spell at the cost of cast time and if you would disrupt that the casting, the backlash would leave them unable to cast magic temporarily and that is what Favio aims for.


    Hot anger with a concern on top of it was transmitted to Favio. He knew that it was a foolish action but it was already too late to back off, Favio is already 3 meters away from John.


    Time slowed for everyone;


    John draws his arms back, tensing for a throw.


    Favio poses for a lounge.


    Bakunawa screams inside his head.


    The spectators roar with excitement.


    Steel digged into John¡¯s shoulder and his incomplete Bomb exploded, turning back time normal for everyone inside the Arena.


    John¡¯s slender body was knocked away two meters, with his Mana within his body dancing uncontrollably. His wand broke from the intensity of the Mana that flowed in it.


    The explosion only burned a bit of Favio¡¯s sword arm but because John was holding it, his entire left arm was burned severely.


    Favio expected scolding from Bakunawa but overwhelming pleasure was given instead, washing over him.


    (Boy¡­ Nice job, it would be to troublesome to heal you, after all.)


    The abruptness of change in Bakunawa¡¯s attitude wasn¡¯t gone unnoticed. The joy that Favio felt then eventually flows back to Bakunawa, creating an endless cycle positive emotion between them however it made him hesitate since his mind felt very hazy.


    (The crowd wants him dead, boy but that wouldn''t yield us the maximum reward, make him suffer and they will pay us more. Moreover, he has done many terrible things, wouldn¡¯t a punishment be suitable? Now then, start with his arm. I know you can do it...)


    John¡¯s irises behind the eyeholes pulsated rapidly, his downed body shivering. He slowly moved away from Favio as he breathes unsteadily.


    ¡°Get away from me! MONSTER!!!¡±


    The pleasure intensified upon hearing the pleading, melting the last bit of doubt in Favio¡¯s mind. His mind is now clear. He must do something about this man.


    So, he took stepped twice forward with a lonely stride.


    ¡°Spare me!¡±


    Like a surgeon, Favio precisely cut a long length across John¡¯s arm, not hitting a blood vessel nor a nerve. He didn¡¯t do it to be gentle towards John but it was to cause fear, fear that he can cause the endless misery of a thousand cut¡¯s death.


    Even though it didn¡¯t cause that much of pain, John is already desperate to get away, screaming like his previous inhuman self was a lie.


    The next action that Favio has done was to cover John¡¯s arm with tens of slow incisions. His hand was steady with determination and his cuts never missed an inch despite John¡¯s flailing.


    ¡°Sangbuan is quite a proven torturer, even the demonic John Smith would plead for his life on him. Could we have invited the devil himself on our Arena?¡±


    Most of the audience cheered on John¡¯s agony, crying for more while others are doubting whether it was staged.


    (As expected¡­ You never fail to amuse me, boy.)


    Bakunawa¡¯s remark unexpectedly took away the clarity. Al least that¡¯s Favio had thought it was but it wasn¡¯t clarity or rather, it was selfishness to uphold his morals¡­ Selfishness that moved Bakunawa.


    ¡°... I-¡±


    The steady left hand began trembling, severing a major blood vessel as blood of obscene quantity painted his clothes crimson.


    ¡°¡°¡°FINISH HIM, FINISH HIM, FINISH HIM¡±¡±¡±


    The blood in turn, motivated the spectators for the criminal¡¯s death. John had already given up struggling, with eyes pleading death.


    (This boy here had never had his selfishness granted so it¡¯s only natural that he¡¯ll fall for it. You better end this in a nice manner at least or else it would suck for both us.)


    The realization came too late, Favio couldn¡¯t spare John right now because if he did, he would lose the trust of everybody within the Arena.


    He tried searching for a way out of this situation but it all pointed to John¡¯s death. The crowd jeered at the still and thinking Favio for his slow delivery of the coup de grace like they were waiting for him to end all the world¡¯s evil.


    It was cruel but Favio swore an oath not to kill and to break this oath, he must have a just enough reason to do so. He took a deep breath¡­


    With a neat motion, Favio cleanly amputated John¡¯s left arm. The body twitched from the pain after the arm was cut. John murderously glared at his executor to obtain the last blow however Favio just stood there.


    ¡°John Smith¡­¡±


    ¡°Just kill me.¡±


    The viewers stared at the scene with high hopes.


    ¡°For your heinous crimes, you don¡¯t deserve to die¡­ You will forever rot here to fight. I only took your left hand to defang you so that people after could play around with you.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you¡­¡±


    John cursed in a language Favio didn¡¯t know but he knew he was cursing him.


    ¡°That is the perfect death for him, Sangbuan himself is the Demon Lord of this land.¡±


    (What a pile of bull¡­ You got out of that situation at least.)


    The crowd cheered for Favio- for his cruel deed. What atrocities did John commit to receive such hate from all of his fellow countrymen? Only they know¡­ The door on the white side opened to let the victor out of the Pit-


    BOOM


    A sudden explosion tore the black side¡¯s door apart dust and rubble scattering, shrouding the other side of the door.


    The crowd panicked and everyone one the seats quickly looked for the way out while the announcer tried to smoothen the flow of the crowd by using his loud voice to guide them.


    A figure wrapped in grotesque pulsating darkness walked out of the dust as if it was Favio¡¯s next opponent. Its oppressing Aura shook the ground causing the already rowdy evacuation to be more chaotic.


    It was higher than A-class¡­ The rank that Favio can¡¯t break through even with Bakunawa¡¯s aid. He asked for his burns to be healed to have the optimal chance of him coming out alive.


    ¡°HaAaAaAaA¡­¡±


    Its breathing spewed out malice in every direction, sowing seeds of fear within Favio¡¯s heart.


    (This is quite a nice opponent¡­ You can let me fight this or I can give you more moons to fight that guy, whichever way works. There¡¯s no way that this fight could kill you.)


    <hr />


    This will be a major choice¡­ 2 of them will lead to defeat, one will lead to victory but they all have separate paths. This section has 18 endings in total and 11 of them are bad ends but congratulations on landing on the route I didn¡¯t plan for at all, I had to repace most chapters due to that.


    This chapter had 2.3k¡­ I planned it to end on 1.6k though.


    Choices:


    2 Get Bakunawa¡¯s help and use her against that thing. Bakunawa, use Moonblast!


    1 No need, Favio can finish it off like a fucking badass. He''s Chuck Norris reborn.


    3 Use more moons and hope for the best. Will his power level exceed 9000?