《Birth of a War God [LitRPG/Isekai]》 Welcome to the True Mans World - 1.1
Welcome to the True Man''s World ¨C 1.1 Some people saw a light at the end of the tunnel, a choir of angels singing. Max saw a giant of fire. What was going on? Was this the best hallucination his dying brain could muster? No, it was strange that he could even think so clearly in the first place. But it couldn''t be real. He wasn''t anywhere. The surroundings were a dark void, like a starless night. "Mortal, I am Ares, God of War, and you have caught my attention." The theme of this hallucination was strange on two fronts. First, he had never taken a particular interest in Greek mythology. Second... "And that''s because¡­ uh, sir? I haven''t done anything." Like billions of others, his was a life that wouldn''t change much more than the patch of dirt where he''d be buried. If he wasn''t dead already, he was close. "That''s the point. You were destined for greatness, but cancer took everything from you, little by little. I''m offering you a second chance. What do you say?" Amazing, of course. Everything he had ever dreamed of and more. He didn''t need to hear the details. Any kind of second chance was fine with him. But part of him still resisted believing this was real. It was implausible, no matter how real it felt. "You still haven''t told me what it involves." "To be my champion, of course. There''s a fire in you, waiting for its chance to burn. I know it. Don''t hold back; you want this. I can give you power, and the rest will be up to you to achieve. Anything you desire. All I ask is that you do your best, live your life with pride, and never bow to anyone." Anyone would want to live like that if they could. But humans were very limited. Sometimes they had to swallow their pride. Sometimes they had to accept that certain things couldn''t be changed, and others would forever remain out of reach. "Power¡­" But with the power of a God of War, he could rise above all that. "Is that a yes, mortal? Of course, you''re dead, but you''d have to die in order to come to my world anyway. Get a new life." There it was. He had seen it coming, but it still hit him like a punch to the gut. Max nodded. He didn''t need to hear the details, especially now. He had nothing else. [Initializing System] "System" with a capital S. He recognized the term from the many novels he''d read or listened to (since even holding an e-reader for an extended time had become difficult) in the hospital. He hadn''t had much time for anything else. Could it be something like what he had read? The next screen confirmed his guess.
Max Miller Level 1 Class: Sword of the War God Strength: 5 Constitution: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Intelligence: 5 Wisdom: 5 Charisma: 5 Endurance: 5
Max felt slightly offended until he realized these were probably just the base stats. They had to be, he thought. That Endurance and Constitution definitely weren''t those of a cancer patient. He had read plenty of stories about things like this and played enough RPGs, but he still needed time to prepare. To read about his stats, his class¡ªwhose name he didn''t particularly like¡ªand Skills, if he even started with any. Ares didn''t give him the time he needed. The void changed into a mountainous landscape. Ares? He was gone... "I saw potential in you, but now you have to prove it. Prove I''m not wrong." His voice still reached him, carried by the icy wind. "So, go ahead. Take the sword." Max wasn''t sure if it had been there a moment ago, but now he saw a sword buried in the earth, surrounded by grass. He approached it, feeling the wind whistle through him. At least he wasn''t in his hospital gown but wearing regular street clothes (he preferred not to think too much about it. Magic, period). He''d have frozen to death otherwise. It would have been almost funny to get a second chance only to die shortly after of pneumonia or something. He reached the sword, grasped the hilt, and felt his heart race with excitement. What child hadn''t dreamed of being a hero? Maybe not all dreamed of being a knight in shining armor, but the idea was the same. A hero. Someone with the power to make a difference. Someone who mattered in the grand scheme of things. Max pulled out the sword and saw it for what it was. Yeah, the damn thing was broken in half.
Bastard Sword Level 0 A suitable weapon for someone who has entered this world with nothing but their willpower. Perhaps useful to end your miserable life if cornered, at worst.
Max frowned. That went beyond typical sarcasm. What a piece-of-crap System. "What am I supposed to do with this? Ares, is this some kind of joke? Ares?" No response. The wind carried his words away. What answered him were the shadows. Burning red eyes in the darkness. He could see the creatures'' breaths rising in the frigid night air. More than a dozen of them, and the only thing he had to defend himself was a damn broken sword. "Fantastic," Max muttered. The beasts emerged from the darkness, though it took him a moment to realize it. Their very bodies were made of darkness. The only touch of color on that black canvas was their eyes. And their gleaming fangs. What enormous mouths, holy shit, he thought. The wolves charged at him, running, drooling. Hunting for fresh meat. "Holy shit." He gripped what passed for a sword with both hands. Despite the situation, he felt exhilarated. He supposed it was hard to fear for your life when you''d lost it just a few minutes ago. But more than that, he believed he could do this. He felt alive, strong, when he was used to the mere act of going to the bathroom by himself being an effort. How could there even be a speck of fear in his heart? He hadn''t felt so alive in years. "You''re some ugly bastards." Max swung the broken sword. It was short too, so he had to wait until one of those wolves was practically on top of him. Of course, he aimed the blade at the only part he could clearly see. He pierced one of its eyes cleanly. The pained sounds it let out made it seem more like a dog than a wolf. Max shoved the sword in deeper. It was short, but not that short. He should be able to reach the brain¡ªassuming the creature wasn''t just shadows on the inside too. He couldn''t know, so he had to assume it had the vulnerabilities a living thing should have. The head. The neck. The chest, arms, and legs. He had to assume those were weak points, or he''d be paralyzed, wondering what to do against beings that weren''t truly alive in the first place. Even if they looked like shadowy creatures, his broken sword had to be enough to deal with them. This was Ares'' trial. It had to be something he could win. Which didn''t mean it would be easy, far from it, but it was winnable. He had to believe that, and he did. This wasn''t a game, System or not, so of course the wolves didn''t come at him one by one. Another lunged at his leg, biting down hard. His pain tolerance had never been particularly high. With painkillers coursing through his veins twenty-four hours a day, he''d never had much opportunity to build it up. It was agony, but not in the physical sense. Still, Max let the pain pass through him. That''s what it would do anyway. He couldn''t let a fleeting sensation control him. Besides, he could fight. Not just lie there waiting for the end. He could, and he had to, fight. Max yanked the sword out of the first beast and then drove it into the mouth of the one clamping down on his arm, giving it something better to bite. It turned out to be a more effective way to reach the brain, as the beast thrashed and then went limp shortly after. It disintegrated, its particles of darkness vanishing completely, leaving no trace. [You''ve killed your first monster. +100 XP.] Cool? He had no damn idea how many experience points he needed to level up and gain skill points, or even unlock them in the first place. He wasn''t going to be able to fiddle with any menus in the middle of a fight, anyway. Well, more importantly... "Get that box out of the way, I can''t see shit!" Systems could vary wildly, but they always had voice commands in common. He hoped that applied in real life too. Because the box was blue, no doubt, but it hadn''t had the decency to also be transparent. Not even semi-transparent. The box vanished, clearing his view. Thank God, he thought. Max swung the blade again at the first beast, hoping to finish it off before a third could get to him and screw him over¡ªthis time his arm instead of his leg, if not going straight for his neck. He succeeded, and it wasn''t even difficult. The movements felt natural, as if he''d been practicing them his whole life. Immediately after, he stepped back, though he couldn''t put much distance between himself and the beasts. Ares had thought this through. Thought about how to screw him over, that is. The terrain was mountainous, open, and flat. Nowhere to hide. No lower or higher ground to move through nimbly and possibly outwit the beasts. None of that¡ªhe had to fight directly, accepting serious wounds if he wanted to triumph. Like the bite on his leg. On this kind of terrain and with a broken sword, it was impossible to defeat over a dozen of those things without taking damage. Simply impossible. Ares had... Well, literally thrown him to the wolves. One of these days I''ll kill him, he thought, fending off another of those bastards. It came this close to biting his neck, but in the end, it only sank its teeth into his sword. Why not? Ares might be a god, but the System probably didn''t have a level cap. Dangerous to assume things based on fiction novels, but so far, everything fit and made sense. It was just a matter of time until he grew strong enough to kill him. Hard to feel grateful for my second chance with my leg hurting like hell, he thought, slashing at the beast''s lower jaw. He tried to finish it off, but it slipped away, whimpering. The bastard still had all its upper teeth to bite him with. He was bleeding too much. His body was healthier and stronger than in his previous life, no doubt, but he was still level one with minimal stats. It wasn''t hard to tell which was his blood and which was the monsters''. As expected, they bled a thick, tar-like black liquid. The vibrant scarlet of his blood stood out starkly against that mess. He was fighting with everything he had, but he should already be dead. Ironically, what was saving him was the numerical disadvantage. The wolves were swarming him, all from the front, hungry and eager. So they got in each other''s way. They weren''t coming one by one, like this was a movie where he had protagonist immunity, but that still meant he didn''t have to deal with all the wolves. Just three or four at a time. That was the only reason he was managing. Otherwise, they would have already torn him apart. Well, that and his sheer willpower. The sword''s description had mentioned he''d come into this world with nothing but his willpower, like a ragged shell, to mock him. But that was enough. What more could he need? He''d been battling cancer for so many years. He was used to this oppressive world full of darkness and teeth. The only difference now was that he could fight. Now, his willpower actually meant something. "I won''t let anyone stop me." Max''s screams joined the howls of the hungry wolves. Soon, they rose even above those primal sounds. Max roared to expel his fear and pain and kept fighting. "Argh!" One of the beasts'' jaws engulfed his arm almost to the elbow. Its fangs sank deep, ripping into skin and flesh. He was trying to ignore the pain, but it got so bad he thought for a second he might pass out. "You think you can kill me? A mangy mutt like you?" Max didn''t panic. He didn''t try to yank his arm out of the beast''s jaws. For starters, that would only cost him the arm in the process. So he pushed. Instead of pulling away, he shoved deeper into the black wolf''s head. He drove the broken sword, practically a knife, further in along with his arm. Blood and brains splattered as the sword burst out the other side. The wolf was undoubtedly dead, but its fangs still clamped tightly around his arm. With inhuman strength, he pried the creature''s jaws open with his free hand, then flung its corpse away like a bag of trash. The relentless tide of darkness paused for a few seconds. It seemed the creatures could feel fear, realizing he wasn''t easy prey. Max laughed. His whole body ached, and he was bleeding from more places than he could count. And still, he laughed, loud and full. He had never felt so incredible. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. He kept slaughtering the creatures. It felt like each of his strikes was getting faster and more precise. Maybe it was just a feeling, but he didn''t care about the facts right now. Perhaps the blade of his sword was so drenched in blood it had become slicker. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. They fell quickly until only two remained, and then the fearsome beasts chose to flee. Max had no intention of letting them. He lunged at one. He didn''t knock it down, nor did he stop moving, but he had enough time to stab it half a dozen times, and then it did collapse. Face against the darkness that felt like skin, Max stabbed it until the creature stopped writhing, biting, and panting in pain. By then, of course, the other wolf had disappeared from sight. Max stood up, leaning on the corpse with both hands, slowly and with effort. But apparently, it had been enough. [You''ve won your first fight.] [You''ve reached Level 2.] [Restoring HP.] HP: 15/100 ¡ú 100/100 Max swallowed hard. HP. Health points. You didn''t need to be a gaming enthusiast to realize how close he had come to dying. His wounds healed, and the blood staining him disappeared without a trace, even the tears in his clothing, as the number approached one hundred. Convenient. It meant that, as long as he had one health point left, he could get out of any situation... Or was it something special because of the level-up? Well, he could think and search for the answers to all his questions when he found a safe place. He doubted this was one¡ªor any nearby cave or similar spot. What he meant by a safe place was warmth, civilization. Fantasy worlds were always ancient, too obsessed with a vaguely medieval period, but ancient nonetheless, so it was reasonable to assume he''d stand out in this new world with his modern clothes. But maybe that was the point. Maybe it marked him as a god''s Champion and ensured him a warm reception wherever he went. Max walked through the grass, among the blood and corpses, toward the horizon. In any case, he had to find a safe place. And he soon saw it: a small village by the sea, confirming his suspicions from what little he could make out at this distance. In fact, he could see a few ships sailing away, probably carrying goods. "This is as good a place to start as any." Max stopped. Eventually, he''d get used to talking to himself. Did it matter? No, I suppose not, he thought. He headed toward the village. Halfway down the hill, he saw a massive creature rising from the sea and swallowing one of the ships almost whole, as if it were nothing. The remaining vessels, still nearby, fled back to shore. "What the hell?" Side Quest: The Great White Serpent Kill the monster blocking the fishing village of Ethos. Rewards: Legendary Armor, Legendary Sword Penalties: Death, if you''re lucky Time Limit: Two days "Shit," Max muttered. ¡ª¡ª Max reached the village. The pain had disappeared along with his wounds, but he still felt tired. It had been a long walk. He hadn''t walked far or for long in years. It felt great to be able to do so, of course. To have some freedom again. But he was still tired. Predictably, his strange clothing attracted attention¡ªmany stares. No one dared to approach him, whether to shake his hand, try to force him out of the village, or kneel before him, recognizing him as the Champion of Ares. Maybe it had something to do with his sword. Even though it was broken in half, it was still a weapon. Or perhaps they thought he was insane. Either way, the important thing was that they left him alone. Max walked to the shore, watching the water''s calm surface. Calm for now. All the ships had managed to return to land¡ªlikely with the crew soiling their pants, by the looks of it. Like he said, it had been a good walk. And he couldn''t blame them for being afraid. Not after witnessing that horrifying spectacle. Max was scared, too. That said, he was sure he could kill that beast. He just didn''t know how yet. "Where are you from, stranger?" Someone finally approached him and spoke after all. Max looked at him. An old man¡ªor at least he seemed old. He might surprise him by saying he was only fifty. Although that must be like having one foot in the grave in a society like this. At least he''d be easy to defend against if he turned hostile. Defend? Shouldn''t it be obvious that the best thing was to kill anyone who wanted to harm him? But this was a human being. He had killed those monsters without hesitation, even enjoyed it, he had to admit, but another human was different. It had to be different. Right? He considered saying he was the Champion of Ares, God of War, once again. But in the end, he decided it might not be wise to draw attention when all he had was a broken level-zero sword and a handful of determination. "From very far away." "That much is obvious. But if you don''t want to tell me, don''t. Either way, you''ve picked a bad time to come here." "Yeah, I saw on my way here¡ªhow that serpent swallowed a ship in one bite. Has it been like this for long?" "Only a few weeks, but it feels like years when you''re being terrorized by a giant sea monster." A fair point, no doubt. "Well, you''re in luck. I''m here to kill it." The old man looked him up and down. "Sure." "Of course, I''m not going to do it like this. I was attacked¡­ by some wolf-like creatures, and I lost my gear. A series of unfortunate events. If the village can provide armor and a decent sword, I''ll kill it. I''ll kill it in two days, tops." He spoke with confidence he didn''t quite feel. Mostly, he thought about the penalties section. Death, if you''re lucky, it said. He had no hurry to find out what that meant. "Don''t tell me¡ªtell the blacksmith or the mayor." "Could you tell me where they are?" The old man sighed and gave him the directions. Perhaps he felt a bit sorry for what he believed was just a crazy young man, hellbent on running to his death for fleeting glory. Or maybe he just wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible. Either way, Max set off. He arrived at the blacksmith''s shop. The man behind the counter''s eyes lit up at the sight of him. "Fancy clothes. You''ll be a good customer." "I don''t have any money to pay you." Even if Ares had brought him to this world with some cash, not just a change of clothes and one less illness, it wouldn''t have made any difference, of course. It would be nothing more than green paper to them. They spoke English, or he understood it as if it were English, allowing him to communicate without issue, but there was no way his money would be of any use in this world¡ªthat much was clear. The blacksmith''s expression changed instantly. He was younger than Max had initially thought, perhaps the owner''s son rather than the owner himself. "Then what are you doing here? Sorry, but I don''t like having my time wasted." "I don''t have money to pay you, but you won''t have a penny soon either if that monster keeps lurking outside, blocking the port and devouring any ship that tries to leave or dock. I was hoping you''d provide me with armor and a sword in exchange for using them to kill that monster." The blacksmith burst into laughter. Max frowned. It was natural for them to underestimate him. They didn''t know what he knew. Even so, it was irritating. He couldn''t wait to show him how wrong he was. To show them all¡ªthis guy, the old man, and the whole town. Because he imagined the news about the newcomer and his suicidal aspirations was already spreading like wildfire. "Look, stranger, whatever your name is..." "Max." "Max. Fine. It''s great that you think you can kill that thing on your own, but I''m not wasting my goods on someone I don''t know. I have no idea what you''re capable of." Max frowned deeper. "What if I proved it to you?" "Huh?" "Isn''t there a task or job I could do for this town? A missing person, a monster infestation, anything. And of course, I''d do it for free." Money didn''t matter to him as much as the experience points he would earn in the process. He had leveled up thanks to the fight with the dark wolves¡ªor whatever they were called¡ªso he likely had some Stat Points to allocate. But that was just the beginning. It might just be a side quest, something optional, but he had no intention of backing down. He hadn''t been given a second chance in a world completely unlike his own just to cower and waste the miracle he''d been blessed with. He would push forward, defeating every enemy in his path without fail. "We can''t pay much anyway," the blacksmith said. "Yes, there''s a mission or two for adventurers like you posted at the tavern. Fine. If you don''t jump to your death right away, if you prove you can do it, I''ll give you my best sword and armor right now. Free of charge, as much as it pains me." Max nodded. "I''m glad you''ve seen reason." "More like I''m desperate, like the whole town." The blacksmith sighed. "My name''s John, kid. Try not to die, okay? If you realize it''s too much for you to handle, don''t play the hero." "Of course," Max lied. As mentioned, he had no intention of backing down. Besides, he didn''t believe this was something he couldn''t handle. Ares had brought him to this world, to this place, for a reason. It couldn''t be a coincidence. His fight against the dark wolves had taken place near this town, Ethos, with a perfect view of the massive white serpent in action. It might just be a side quest, but he believed Ares was pushing him in this direction. He wasn''t anyone''s toy. He wouldn''t let anyone control him. But if killing that beast meant earning a ton of experience points and becoming incredibly strong, he wouldn''t reject this path just out of pride. No one needed to know, anyway. And even less when Ares''s head rolled and he became the new God of War... naturally. He didn''t want anyone to control him, to have that kind of power over his life. He wanted to be free, and he wouldn''t truly be free until Ares was dead. Besides, taking his place would ensure he never had to fear losing anything again. ¡ª¡ª Fortunately, he didn''t have to embarrass himself by asking for help putting on the armor, something Max had, naturally, never done in his life. John offered to help without him having to say anything. Maybe it was just normal for someone to need help strapping on so much gear. He never thought armor could have so many damn pieces. It wasn''t very comfortable either, but he got used to it over time. He had to. He wouldn''t survive without proper protection. Finally ready, Max set out to do the most classic thing in the fantasy genre: head to the tavern to pick up his first quest. There wasn''t much to choose from (not surprising, considering they couldn''t afford to pay much, no matter how many problems they had that an adventurer might solve). In fact, there were only two. So he chose the one that required killing lots of monsters. An orc nest. Savage creatures, if he applied his knowledge of fantasy stories as he had so far. Monsters that destroyed everything in their path but had a certain... weakness for elven maidens, if he applied another kind of knowledge. Ahem. In any case, it would be a tough fight. "But I have the will and the power to overcome it." Strength: 5 ¡ú Strength: 8 Dexterity: 5 ¡ú Dexterity: 7 [You have spent your five Stat points from leveling up.] He wasn''t sure if he had made the best decision, but what was done was done. If the System had a Respec function, it probably wouldn''t be as easy and convenient as a menu option. He''d likely need to find a special item or something similar first. Serious RPGs usually allowed you to Respec only once per game¡ªif they allowed it at all. He set out. The orcs'' base was a cave not far from the town. The main concern¡ªthe reason for the quest¡ªwas the possibility that the orcs might decide to attack Ethos. Not that they were causing trouble right now. Max stood at the entrance to the cave and took a deep breath. Reaching the location hadn''t been difficult. Finding it hadn''t been a challenge¡ªhe had simply followed the quest marker. His armor wasn''t particularly flashy. More functional and practical, which he found perfect. He had already drawn his new sword but had kept the broken bastard sword, just in case. It might come in handy. His new equipment was level two¡ªMax chose to believe the cap was perhaps five, maybe ten. In any case, he was as prepared as he''d ever be. Max stepped into the darkness with a torch in his left hand and his sword in the other. Welcome to the True Mans World – 1.2 Welcome to the True Man''s World ¨C 1.2 Max advanced through the darkness without fear, his torch lighting the way. That was the only problem. As soon as he lost the torch, he''d be screwed. He didn''t have any special ability to see in the dark. In fact, his Skills section was empty, as expected for someone who had just started "playing." With his new equipment, he should be able to handle the orcs without problems. And he was a special existence that grew stronger with each battle, albeit little by little. Maybe right now he wasn''t strong enough to face everything in the cave, but that could change quickly. He was only level two, after all. Any respectable RPG made leveling up faster for players who had just started, to hook them with quick, easy, and clear rewards to the game loop. It was crazy to think about reality in these terms, but he was undoubtedly living in that kind of world now. He''d better get used to it quickly. In fact, he was adapting better and faster than one might expect. He could pat himself on the back for that. Someone patted him very hard on the back, so hard he felt it in his bones even through the thick armor, then arms wrapped around his waist and squeezed to crush him. Lifting his feet off the ground. The torch fell from his hand, rolled across the floor, over the stones, not going out, at least for now. He saw green skin out of the corner of his eye. A fucking orc, of course. Less noisy than one might expect, despite its size. The orc laughed, tightening its grip, and Max saw red. He wasn''t going to let anyone laugh at him, much less a damn animal. Max struggled against its grip, fighting with all his might. He wriggled free, spun on his heels, and ran his sword across its neck. That also happened much faster than he expected. The monster staggered backward, collapsed against a wall, hand over the wound, thick blood oozing between its fingers. Beyond the green skin and overly large teeth, it looked human. Very important details, yes, but similar enough that... And yet he felt nothing in particular. No, that''s a lie. He felt victorious. Proud. Full of life. There''s my answer, whether I like it or not. Maybe when he had to face a real human being, his hand would tremble. Maybe not. He''d better hope not. His opponent certainly wouldn''t hesitate to gut him like a pig if given the chance. Max had been born in a modern society and among the many privileged who didn''t have to fight for their lives. Even in those circumstances, the life of a single person was worth rather little. He could only imagine how cheap it was in a world like this.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The orc had no chance to counterattack. He had cut its throat, that was all. However, it was taking too long to die. Max approached carefully, dodged a swipe, and stabbed the son of a bitch half a dozen more times. Until it stopped moving and gasping, in pain, choking on its own blood. Max inhaled and exhaled deeply. "One down." He had no idea how many more were left. He preferred not to know, to be honest. It would be easier to keep moving forward if he didn''t know. He picked up the torch and continued on his way. He didn''t have to hesitate in that respect, at least for now he hadn''t found a single fork in the path. He had tried to think of ways to make them come out, instead of venturing into their territory, risking fighting there. But he hadn''t come up with anything good. And if he died, well, at least he''d die fighting. "Everyone told me I''m very brave, I''m a fighter, when I couldn''t do anything," he whispered. "Now I can prove it. I will prove it." After a while, he heard spine-chilling laughter and saw the first source of light that didn''t come from his torch, so he approached the place, crouching. Trying to make as little noise as possible. He couldn''t put out the torch because he had no means to relight it. They would probably discover him before he could attack them by surprise due to the torch, but damn, he didn''t want to risk ending up lost in this cursed cave, alone and in the dark. It turned out not to be such a terrible decision, however. The orcs he had heard were below his position and weren''t looking up. No living being tended to do so. There were half a dozen of them, the bastards. He had the chance to attack them by surprise before they realized it. Or he could wait, crossing his fingers that one or two, at least, would leave. Making things a little easier for him. Also hoping they wouldn''t discover him, of course. Which could also happen. He frowned. No, none of that. Max left the torch on the ground and reached for the bastard sword. It might be broken, but it was still a perfectly adequate tool of death. He turned it back and forth, brandishing it, aiming. Or trying to. He didn''t do this every day. He doubted he''d hit the mark, but he had to try. He was wrong. He hit the bastard full-on when he finally released the sword, smashing its damn head. Max laughed. Surprising accuracy. Investing points in his Dexterity had been worth it, after all. As for Strength, he probably wouldn''t have been able to escape the orc''s grip if he hadn''t increased it so much. Not in the same way, a direct contest of strength, in any case. Small steps, but important steps. The first steps of a long journey that ended with him challenging a god. The other five kicked up a fuss. Potentially attracting many more. He had to end this, to be ready to battle the reinforcements or to sneak away, seeking to isolate them, one-on-one fights. Max picked up the torch again and jumped from above, nimbly landing on his knees, softening the impact. He went on the attack with the fluidity of the assault, without a single gap or slight delay. He didn''t know the first thing about sword fighting, but it felt as if he had been studying the art of the sword for years. Nothing particularly extraordinary, but enough to know how to handle himself in a fight. Was it a Skill? Was it instinct? Something related to his Class? Well, as long as he could keep this up, he didn''t care much. His sword and the club of the nearest orc clashed. Sparks flew between the weapons. They separated and met again, and again, again. Anything that stood between them would be cut to pieces in an instant. The orc''s blows never reached him, but the force of the impacts made his arms tremble. He could imagine the sword flying out of his hand. Even without considering that, the other orcs would be on him soon. He had to kill it quickly. That wouldn''t change his numerical disadvantage, but he would definitely die if he wasn''t able to kill it as fast as he had thought. He''d be overwhelmed as soon as he lowered his guard. Max jumped back suddenly. The orc''s club hit the ground, its spikes getting stuck in the rock. For a short time, no doubt, but he didn''t give it the chance to pull it out. Max took advantage to stab it in the eye. The blade slid smoothly into the brain, killing it instantly. Max quickly moved away, before the massive body of the orc could fall on him. One down. Four to go. Plus whatever was on the way, of course. He could hear them coming already. Welcome to the True Mans World – 1.3 Welcome to the True Man''s World ¨C 1.3 Four orcs as big as wardrobes and with armor, ready to turn him into pulp, plus the reinforcements on the way. Max¡¯s body was stronger, faster, and more coordinated than ever, but his hearing wasn¡¯t exceptional. Not to mention the echo caused by the cavern walls, which only made things more confusing. So, he couldn¡¯t estimate how many bastards were already on their way or even how long they might take to arrive. There was no point in worrying about things he couldn¡¯t change. The only thing he had to do was focus on crushing the enemies in front of him. The faster he finished the next four fights, the better his chances of surviving the reinforcements, whether he chose to face them here or run to find a better environment and situation. Max charged forward, mustering his courage. Just like with the wolves, the numerical disadvantage turned out not to be much of a disadvantage after all. These were massive creatures, inevitably getting in each other''s way as they tried to tear him apart with those enormous, spiked maces. Even their thick arms would have been enough to crush him. No, stop, he thought. That wasn¡¯t true, not now that he had this armor. He was a god¡¯s champion; there was no way he was going to die in a place like this. The mace collided with his sword. The force of the impact made his arms tremble. He was stronger, but not as strong as that thing, so he had been trying to dodge the blows instead of blocking them. This time he had no choice. But, fortunately, he managed to hold on to the sword. He didn¡¯t lose it. He grabbed the broken sword from the corpse of that other bastard, quickly turned, and sliced through a tendon. The orc dropped to one knee, and Max was able to stab it in the throat. The sword went through to the other side, drenched in its blood, as red as any human¡¯s. The force of the impact, the sensation of skin and flesh being torn apart. The sounds of the creature choking on its own blood, now flowing freely. Damn. Max jumped to the side, leaving the broken sword where it was, yanking out only the other one. He wouldn¡¯t have had time for more anyway because the mace of a second orc came crashing down on him. It smashed the corpse¡¯s head but would have crushed his own if he¡¯d been a tenth of a second slower. Before the orc could rip the mace from its companion¡¯s corpse (the spikes, as anyone with half a brain could have predicted, proved to be a hindrance in that respect), Max drove the sword into its neck. He cut it, but not deeply enough. He¡¯d hoped to decapitate it in one blow. Too much, as he now realized. Too late. A punch to the chest sent him flying, crashing into the wall. The armor must have absorbed some of the impact. He knew that, but it didn¡¯t make much difference. He felt a terrible pain, as if something had broken. Max gritted his teeth, trying to push the pain aside, but it was useless. It hurt like hell; he couldn¡¯t ignore it. He might be wearing shiny armor and wielding a sword, but he wasn¡¯t a knight, a bounty-hunting adventurer, none of that. He wasn¡¯t a seasoned warrior... But everyone has to start somewhere, he thought. He barely dodged as one of the orcs lunged at him, throwing himself to the ground, crawling for a few seconds before getting back up. It felt like his side had been repeatedly stabbed with knives. The pain shot through him, nearly making him lose his balance a second time. Max vanished into one of the many cave tunnels. He¡¯d have to retreat before the reinforcements arrived; he had no other choice. The first one to arrive did so with its mouth slightly open, drooling. Its enormous teeth gleamed in the nearby torchlight. He had left his behind. A mistake, he hadn¡¯t even thought about it. No matter. The orcs couldn¡¯t see in the dark either; they needed to use torches too, so he wouldn¡¯t have to go far to get a replacement. Max took a deep breath as the orc approached him in the tunnel, wide enough for the beast to fit but still feeling narrow, almost claustrophobic. As it advanced toward him, the tunnel seemed to shrink, and the orc did the opposite. Blood from the fallen orc dripped from the spikes of its weapon. He wouldn¡¯t allow his blood to join it. He charged forward instead of waiting for the orc to reach him. Enough of that. He dodged the first attack, throwing himself to the ground, rolling. He didn¡¯t cut where it would hurt any male the most, but the blade passed dangerously close. The way the creature screamed was proof enough of that. It almost fell on top of him; that would have been more effective than any of the attacks so far. The orc would have died quickly with his sword through its chest, but it was still true. Instead, it died when he stabbed it through the back, reaching its heart. Of course, he didn¡¯t feel the least bit guilty for defending himself or for coming to slaughter monsters that existed solely to kill other human beings, but he definitely felt the weight of each life he was taking. For an ordinary guy, it was a completely new sensation. As was the power that came with it. He was feeling the same rush as when he fought those wolves, no point in denying it.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Another orc showed up to try its luck, and one more appeared at the other end of the tunnel; the exit and entrance blocked almost simultaneously. The orc in the back was special. It was slightly smaller, though not by much, and wielded a bow instead of a mace. One orc charged at him, roaring. The other bastard nocked an arrow, took aim. Max dropped to the ground, and the arrow hit the orc between the eyes. Instant death, good. This time he couldn¡¯t avoid being crushed by its fall, not so good. Orcs might be little more than brute animals, but they weren¡¯t dumb. The archer immediately took advantage of the situation, nocking another arrow and firing while he was pinned down. Max knew. He knew without a doubt that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get up in time, to shove that bastard off him. So he didn¡¯t even try. He did the exact opposite, pulling it more on top of him, using it as cover. He felt the arrow¡¯s impact on the corpse. And the next one. It was hard to breathe; the corpse was still warm, suffocating. He crawled across the floor, dragging the corpse a little. He took a deep breath. He waited until the third arrow sank into the corpse. He waited too long, unable to muster the courage. The arrowhead pierced through, nearly grazing his ear. It could have been his head. No, not too much; if he tried to push it off now, he¡¯d just get riddled with arrows before he could lift it. He had to wait for the archer to run out of arrows. Could he afford to wait with the archer in front and who knows how many more coming from the same direction, not to mention the orcs behind him? The fourth and fifth arrows came in quick succession. Too quick. No, he couldn¡¯t afford to wait any longer. He¡¯d have to risk his damn neck. That¡¯s what all of this is about, I suppose, he thought. Max gripped the hilt of his sword tighter, until his hand started to tremble, his knuckles white as salt. Yeah, it was now or never. He was here to live, not to hide. He was strong now. He was. He pushed off the ground, throwing the corpse in front of him. He wasn¡¯t as strong as he¡¯d thought; the body didn¡¯t fly very far, but it was far enough to block the arrow before falling to the ground, the arrow snapping in half between the ground and the body. Crunching like a dry branch. Like that bastard¡¯s neck would. Max shot forward like the wind. There were more orcs, but only behind him, not ahead. He could hear them, feel them. But it didn¡¯t matter; that meant he could focus solely on the enemy in front of him. Seeing that he¡¯d gotten too close, with no time to prepare an arrow, the orc fumbled for a knife at its side. Maybe it had forgotten where it was exactly due to panic. Did he look like an imposing figure to these monsters? Now, here, covered head to toe in orc blood? I hope so, he thought. I sure hope so, damn it. It was too slow. Max¡¯s blade flashed in the dim light. A gurgle, a spray of blood, and then silence, nothing but silence. His sword dripped blood onto the stones, joining the pool that had formed around the orc¡¯s neck. What was left of it. He¡¯d managed to decapitate this one in a single strike. He wiped the blade on the orc¡¯s tunic as he turned to face the ones coming in a line through the tunnel, as monstrous as the previous ones. He changed his mind, but not because he had suddenly chickened out. He yanked the torch from the wall, set it on the corpse, and kicked it, sliding it toward its companions as the flames consumed it. Max turned and ran. Forward. It was just a thought, but he was thinking this might end sooner if they had something like a leader (why not?) and he slaughtered it. Fear would quickly spread among the creatures. If they didn¡¯t flee, they¡¯d be easier to kill. He was here for experience points, not the mission¡¯s monetary reward, but he figured he''d also earn plenty of experience for completing it. Just like with the wolves. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like he planned on letting many of them escape. Just instill fear. In any case, it was just a thought. He was taking things step by step, improvising as he went along. So far, it had worked out well. Max laughed joyfully. Yeah, he had never felt more alive than he did now. Maybe dodging death was a way to confirm that you were truly alive. Ares had told him he had died. He couldn¡¯t remember his last moments, but he remembered slowly withering away in that hospital bed, which was practically the same thing in the end. There was no need to question good feelings, anyway. It didn¡¯t take long for him to find an orc larger than the rest. If his clothes didn¡¯t make it obvious, the crown did. This was the king of these bastards. Max saw him immediately, and he wasn¡¯t alone. But Max paid no attention to the orc king or his guards; his focus was solely on the small elf behind them. Alone, frightened. She was clinging to the body of an older woman lying on the ground, but it was obvious to everyone but the girl that the woman was dead. That she would never open her eyes, no matter how desperately the girl called out to her. ¡°Mom, Mom, please¡­¡± Max gritted his teeth. The woman¡¯s clothes were torn. The woman was bleeding¡­ from a place he preferred not to mention, even in his own thoughts. He had expected something horrible like this, but seeing it with his own eyes was something entirely different. His blood froze. Max gripped his sword with both hands. They had had their fun with the mother, and now they wanted to do the same to the daughter. No. No, I refuse. Max wasn¡¯t a hero. He intended to be selfish with this second chance, to make the most of it, to die without regrets. But that didn¡¯t mean he was going to stand by and watch this. Quite the opposite. He would regret it every second of his life. He was grateful to have arrived here precisely today, grateful that it wasn¡¯t too late. ¡°Are you scared, human?¡± the orc king asked, laughing. ¡°Soon, you¡¯ll be the one who¡¯s scared.¡± [Conditions met for the activation of Phase 1 of the Class Skill, Sword of the War God: War Cry] Max immediately felt stronger. And then, thanks to the System, he saw exactly how much stronger: [War Cry increases all your stats by ten points while you¡¯re in a fight.] Thanks for stating the obvious, he thought. But, of course, he didn¡¯t care; he was thrilled. Essentially, all his efforts and achievements would be rewarded tenfold. Like killing these bastards. Welcome to the True Mans World – 1.4 Welcome to the True Man''s World ¨C 1.4 ¡°Oh?¡± The orc king raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued. Yes, he had eyebrows. ¡°There¡¯s something different about you. I understand your confidence, but you¡¯re too optimistic.¡± He spoke like a normal person, but the contrast with his beastly appearance made him sound like some damn scholar. ¡°My name is Azgrom. You and I, human, one-on-one. How about it? If you win, my men will let you go. Oh, and you can keep the elf since you keep staring at her.¡± The little elf trembled at those words, fearing he might be just as bad as the orcs¡ªperhaps even worse. A depraved man with a taste for children. But there was also a glimmer of hope in her eyes, because it was the best she had. Yes. Now he wasn¡¯t just fighting for himself. Priorities. That little one was counting on him. Max took a step forward. ¡°Is that a yes, human?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°My lord,¡± one of the orcs tried to protest, bowing his head to their leader. ¡°No buts. If he defeats me, then I deserve to die today, simple as that. That goes for all of you. Understood? Stay out of it, or I¡¯ll crush you myself.¡± ¡°Why?¡± They say never look a gift horse in the mouth, but Max couldn¡¯t help it before starting. ¡°Why take the risk? You could¡¯ve attacked me as a group, overwhelmed me with sheer numbers.¡± The orc shrugged. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, you might get it. If you kill me, they¡¯ll come after you no matter what I¡¯ve ordered. Follow a dead man¡¯s orders?¡± The casualness with which he said that was shocking. He didn¡¯t really think he could lose to Max, did he? ¡°Besides, we... love a good fight. And I know it. You¡¯re special. You¡¯ll give me a good fight or a good death, I don¡¯t care which.¡± Max shuddered almost imperceptibly. He¡¯s crazy, or at least that¡¯s what it seemed like. The orc king would simply say it was common sense for his kind. Call it what you will, the gap between them was immense. It was like he had no survival instinct. Kill or be killed¡ªhe didn¡¯t care about the outcome as long as the fight was good. A sane human couldn¡¯t comprehend such a mindset. A human that was very, very far from sane, because Max was definitely not in the right state of mind either. ¡°Fine. As you wish. I suppose I don¡¯t care either... about the order in which I kill you all.¡± The orc laughed again. ¡°Tell me who you are, human. Or maybe the better question is, what are you?¡± Very perceptive. Should Max tell the truth? He didn¡¯t think it would intimidate the orc, but it wouldn¡¯t be a disadvantage either. Which meant there was no reason to tell him anything. ¡°I think we¡¯ve wasted enough time talking.¡± Azgrom drew the enormous sword that hung by his side. As big as it was, it seemed small in his hands. He was considerably larger than all the others. Not a giant, not literally, but damn big. ¡°I agree. Let¡¯s dance, human. Don¡¯t disappoint me, or I won¡¯t even be able to smile when I split you in half.¡± They rushed at each other to clash in the middle of what had become an arena, filled with spectators as well. The only one that mattered to Max was the little elf, her eyes wet and hopeful. So small. So fragile. So alone. Not anymore, he thought. Their weapons collided. Azgrom was obviously much stronger than any monster Max had fought so far. But thanks to his new ability, he could trade blows with him without any problems. He hadn¡¯t even completed the Mission yet. He marveled at the difference between the Max who had entered the cave and his current state.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Max tried to increase the speed of his attacks to break through the orc¡¯s guard. He was stronger now, but the System didn¡¯t ensure that every strike had a hundred percent of his strength behind it. He still had to focus, put in effort. It would be fantastic if he could just go on autopilot, but that¡¯s not how things worked. The Stats were just an extra boost, nothing more. Not to downplay the impact of the System. Of course, without that power, he would already be dead. He could trade blows with that huge monster, but only to a certain extent. Azgrom swung his sword with the force of a gale. Max realized that if he wanted any hope of dodging, he¡¯d have to jump. That was the only option. He couldn¡¯t block it. He knew this with certainty, even though there was nothing that distinguished it from all the other attacks so far. A sharp instinct, close to premonition. That¡¯s what saved his neck. Instead of cutting off his head as easily as a farmer cuts weeds, the sword merely destroyed the ground where his feet had been a tenth of a second before. He¡¯d escaped. By a hair or by a wide margin, the result was what mattered. ¡°You don¡¯t even know her. You didn¡¯t know she¡¯d be here; you don¡¯t even know her name, at least. Why risk your life for her?¡± It seemed the orc king hadn¡¯t grown tired of wasting time talking after all. Max didn¡¯t respond. Why give him what he wanted? Besides, he was a beginner. He couldn¡¯t afford the luxury of wasting oxygen when he should be investing it in moving his arms and legs. If he did, he¡¯d be split in half before he knew it. That was unacceptable. He had to win this fight. And all the ones that followed because, as the orc king had said, they wouldn¡¯t just let him walk away. If this world was like an RPG, then clearly Azgrom was like a Boss. He wished he could see things like enemy levels and health bars. Know how much more damage he needed to deal to kill him. On the contrary, he could take a look at how much health he had left, but he didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t think knowing how close he was to death would help. It didn¡¯t matter if he had a hundred health points or just one. He¡¯d survive if he didn¡¯t let himself get hit. The difference between Azgrom and him was clear. With a body and a sword that large, he was still faster than Max. Max wouldn¡¯t have time to do anything but defend himself if he wasn¡¯t doing both at the same time. He rejected the enemy¡¯s attacks with his own, hoping to break the guard of that beast if he could keep it up. He was betting everything on that chance, but it was what he believed was right, and he didn¡¯t have time to think of anything else. It should work. Even for a beginner like him, it was obvious that Azgrom wasn¡¯t exactly good with a sword. They were basically on the same level. There was no technique behind his strikes, not a shred of refinement. Strength and speed, that¡¯s all the monster had, just like Max. So he could win. The size difference didn¡¯t matter. He could win this way. Finally, the moment he¡¯d been waiting for came. ¡°I¡¯ve got you, you son of a bitch!¡± he shouted, but it was nothing compared to the explosive force of his legs propelling him forward. Seeing victory so close had given him renewed strength. Max stabbed him in the chest. Azgrom growled in pain, dropping to one knee. His lips were stained with blood. But it wasn¡¯t over, not by a long shot. The orc king swung his sword to decapitate him. Of course, by then, Max was already gone. Using his enemy¡¯s body as a springboard, he leaped over his head, away from the sword¡¯s blade. A real battle was something cruel, merciless. Quick. And so it was. Max was able to be just a little faster, a little better than his enemy. And that made all the difference in an instant. His sword sank into the orc¡¯s head, reaching the skull, and... And nothing. He was still alive. That son of a bitch wasn¡¯t going to die that easily. Max gritted his teeth, almost unable to believe it. The orc¡¯s free hand suddenly closed around his neck. Yes, everything was decided in an instant. ¡°No!¡± the little elf screamed. A heart-wrenching scream, filled more with rage than despair. The rage of seeing her hopes crushed before her eyes. I¡¯m all you have, Max thought, and what you have isn¡¯t much. But even so, I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you. No more. Max pushed. Azgrom¡¯s eyes widened. What did he expect, that Max would panic? It was obvious that he couldn¡¯t do anything about it now that the orc had his hand around his neck. The only way to win, what would decide who lived or died, was which would break first. The orc¡¯s skull or his neck. So he pushed, harder and harder, not caring about the neck and the growing lack of oxygen, the weakness, and the darkness that crept in, sinuously, to steal everything from him. And he won. The skull cracked, and the strength suddenly vanished from the orc¡¯s grip. As did his legs. The proud orc king knelt before him as blood and brain matter oozed from the wound. The shards of skull still clattered on the ground. That¡¯s what Max screamed. ¡°I won! I won!¡± With an euphoria bordering on madness, over and over, while he continued smashing his skull or what was left of it¡ª¡°I won!¡± Despite his constant shouting, it wasn¡¯t until later that he realized it wasn¡¯t necessary, that the fight was indeed over, and the monster had stopped moving some time ago. Practically drowned in his enemy¡¯s blood, just like the blade of his sword. Voices rose, murmuring. Dozens of animal eyes were fixed on him. ¡°Impossible. A human like that¡­¡± ¡°We need to tear him to pieces and hang him outside the cave so everyone knows not to mess with us.¡± They spoke like low-life thugs, though severely deranged. Max didn¡¯t waste any time. He approached the little elf, killing the two orcs who had been flanking her throughout the entire fight in the same number of seconds. He left them bleeding out with deep cuts to their necks, and picked up the little elf in his arms. ¡°Thank you, thank you,¡± she cried against his chest, not caring about the blood. ¡°I... I can do magic. If you recover my staff, I can help you, sir.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± The orcs, howling like wild dogs, were quickly closing in. He had to shout to be heard. The little elf pointed it out to him. Like the danger, it wasn¡¯t far away. Welcome to the True Mans World – 1.5 Welcome to the True Man''s World ¨C 1.5 Max ran towards the magical staff. He didn¡¯t want to leave the woman¡¯s body in that place, but neither he nor the girl would survive if he tried to carry her. He consoled himself, telling himself that the woman wouldn¡¯t care. She wouldn¡¯t care at all, as long as he managed to save her daughter from the same horrible fate and from death. Those beasts had torn apart an adult woman, so what would they do to that girl who seemed ten, twelve at most? God. He didn¡¯t even want to think about it. His blood boiled. The staff hung on one of the walls like just another trophy. Fortunately, among the other things the orcs counted as trophies, there were no decapitated heads, not to mention other, even more grotesque possibilities. The other orcs were almost upon them. All of them eager to gut him. To protect their reputation, apparently turning him into a lesson. And, he supposed, as a succession ritual. Whoever killed the one who killed the former chief would prove worthy to rule. A brutish and cruel society based on strength. A bunch of animals, nothing more, nothing less. They were almost upon him. "Girl, close your eyes, you don¡¯t need to..." Max quickly silenced himself. He hoped she hadn¡¯t, but she had surely seen her mother being torn apart. Seeing her body after the act wasn¡¯t much better. He couldn¡¯t think of anything worse than that. He wasn¡¯t protecting anything by telling her to close her eyes at this moment. He had arrived too late for that; the damage was done. The little elf obeyed anyway, squeezing her eyes shut tightly, trembling slightly in his arms. Max swallowed hard. It was important to maintain some perspective. It wasn¡¯t too late. The orcs were rushing at someone who had defeated their old king in mere minutes with a remarkable lack of fear. Eager, even, to prove their worth. Max preferred not to think about how much the little one he was carrying might be motivating those beasts. He sowed death with a single hand, holding them at bay. He had to climb an elevation like a natural bridge crossing the cavern. It was the opportunity to outsmart his enemies, something he had been waiting for since he arrived in this world. You didn¡¯t have to be a genius to think of this, but he kicked one in the chest and watched it tumble down. It wasn¡¯t the only one to fall, or at least stagger from the impact of the moron on his way down. He heard what was surely a head smashing like a ripe melon. As soon as I get a moment to breathe, I¡¯ll ask her what her name is, he thought. Desperate, almost caressing the possibility that neither of them would make it out of the cavern. Not alive. As if he saw it coming. That they would knock him down, attacking him from behind and in front, an ambush he couldn¡¯t have seen coming just a few meters from the staff. That they would tear the girl from his arms while she cried and kicked in vain. Not even the paternal rage that left him trembling, baring his teeth like a wild animal. ¡°No! No!¡± the poor girl screamed. Max lunged forward, shaking off those who had piled on him. He was struck several times, but the maces and their spikes didn¡¯t dent his armor, and the knives didn¡¯t penetrate it. He threw himself on top of the filthy bastard who had caught her, knocking him down. The little one rolled out of the arms of that abomination and got up as quickly as she could... She ran away from him. Towards the staff, of course. Max stabbed the downed orc through the brain and ran after her. She had good intentions, obviously. She only wanted to help, but they could catch her again if she wasn¡¯t careful. Or just because. She was a child, meaning short legs, and there were too many orcs everywhere. But they didn¡¯t catch her. Not until she laid hands on the staff. So when she hit the ground, so did the instrument for magic. The orc who stopped her did so by grabbing her by the leg, and now he was squeezing her; Max saw her little face covered in sweat, twisted in pain. Others were surrounding her. Max plunged into the middle of it all, his sword becoming a whirlwind, howling like those wolves. He was wasting oxygen, but he couldn¡¯t help it. He had lost control. Not that it was a bad thing in the end. The Sword of the War God. He didn¡¯t like that title, but it was like Ares¡¯ shadow. What could better represent war than this savage rage, this loss of control? He felt like he was getting stronger by leaning into these aspects of what he was now, whether he liked it or not, for the moment. At the very least, he took down more than a dozen bastards, reached his ward, and severed the arm of the orc who was grabbing her leg before it broke. Surely, healing magic existed. Surely, that wouldn¡¯t mean she¡¯d be disabled for life, far from it. But he didn¡¯t care. The mere thought fed his boundless rage even more.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. He kicked the same orc in the head, crushing it against the wall. A distant part of his brain screamed that there were too many. No matter how unstoppable he felt, they would eventually wear him down. He had to get out of there. He had never expected to be able to slaughter them all. The elf girl got up with the severed arm still attached to her. When cut, the orc¡¯s fingers had gripped tighter instead of letting go. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she must have been in shock, the little one would have fainted. She only looked a bit sick and confused, as if unsure whether this was real. If it was happening. Max had quickly adapted to his new reality, but he wasn¡¯t just a kid. And he wasn¡¯t normal. ¡°Come here. No matter what, I¡¯ll protect you. I swear I¡¯ll protect you.¡± But this time it was the other way around. The girl had been murmuring something when she hit the ground with the staff, and a crystalline barrier made of blue-colored energy formed around them, just big enough for the two of them. In other words, tight. ¡°I told you... I could help,¡± she said, her voice trembling as her shoulders did. Max placed his hands on her shoulders. Her small body. Her desire to protect him with that little body felt sacred. The girl was on the verge of breaking down, but she knew she had to be strong and was determined to try. Despite everything. Max tugged at the severed arm still hanging from her leg, letting it fall to the ground. "How long will it hold?" The girl swallowed. "I don''t know." "Alright. Follow me, quickly." Max immediately chose a direction and started running. In truth, he had no idea where he was headed. He didn¡¯t know the inside of the cavern, but it was important to fake confidence. It was important as a bulwark against her fear. The orcs wasted no time, throwing themselves against the barrier, bouncing off, and rolling away. Every time he heard an impact, his heart leaped into his throat, thinking that would be the moment the barrier finally collapsed. He figured he could only keep it up for so long, but interference wouldn¡¯t help. He doubted it was a perfect defense that would hold as long as he had the magical energy to sustain it. In any case, fast, fast, they had to run as quickly as they could. And they did, vanishing into the tunnels of the cave. The girl sealed the entrance before most of the orcs could get through, only three managed to slip in¡ªsly bastards. How did she do it? Ice. She created enough ice to block the hole in the blink of an eye. Max probably could have escaped without the elf girl¡¯s help, but she was proving to be a useful ally, despite her age. He felt a bit guilty depending on her even in the slightest when he was supposed to be saving her, but he had to be realistic. Pride wouldn¡¯t help either of them. "Drop the barrier. Stay behind me. Just enough to let me through, unless you¡¯re running out of energy." The girl shook her head. Well, fine. Better safe than sorry. Max took a few steps forward to face the orcs. The tunnel was narrow enough that they had to come at him one at a time. There were only two, but it could have been twenty, it wouldn¡¯t have made a difference. And it didn¡¯t. Max killed them quickly and efficiently, with barely any resistance. His anger hadn¡¯t subsided, not by a long shot¡ªit wasn¡¯t something so cheap¡ªbut he tried to be less brutal, less savage. The girl couldn¡¯t be more traumatized than she already was, but precisely for that reason, there was no need to make her see more than necessary. What would he have gained by saving her body but not her mind? Maybe it was a stupid concern compared to the danger their lives were in. Regardless, it didn¡¯t stop him from ending the fight decisively and without injury. And if in future fights he had no other choice, well, then he¡¯d do what he had to, of course. He would do what he had to, no matter what. "Sir¡­" She was nervous, eager to continue, clearly. "Max. Just call me Max. Give me a moment." He muttered status screen, making it appear along with a notification that had had the decency not to bother him in the middle of the fight. He¡¯d leveled up again after defeating Azgrom, and like before, he had five points to spend. Before deciding, Max glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she could see the screen. She hadn¡¯t reacted in surprise, and he doubted it was because Systems were common in this world. She probably thought he was a lunatic, fiddling with the air. He blushed slightly. He distributed the points as follows: Strength: 8 > 10 Constitution: 5 > 6 Endurance: 5 > 7 He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d made the right choices, but what was done was done. Thanks to his Class Skill, War Cry, he had to add ten to each stat to get his true numbers. They¡¯d returned to normal because he wasn¡¯t actively engaged in a fight, though Max believed that a chase should count as enough of a threat. "Sorry, I¡¯ll explain it to you once we¡¯re safe. Just trust me. Let¡¯s go." The girl nodded. The girl this, the little elf that. They set off again, the elf dissolving the barrier to, presumably, conserve energy. "What¡¯s your name?" "Helen." Max blinked. Maybe he¡¯d read too many fantasy novels, but that didn¡¯t sound very elven to him. This wasn¡¯t the time, though¡ªthey were running for their lives, and could be found at any moment. So, he bit his tongue, but the girl¡ªHelen¡ªmust have seen the curiosity on his face, even in the dim light. "I was named after my grandmother. My father was human." Was. He didn¡¯t miss that. Not only had she lost her mother brutally and horribly, but her father was also dead. No matter how he had died, the fact remained that little Helen was alone in the world. Max placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you ever again." Max didn¡¯t smile. It was too solemn a moment to force a smile with any real effectiveness, but he put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed to show his solidarity. To try to prove beyond a doubt that every word he said was serious. That he wasn¡¯t just going to abandon her once they were out of the cave with some vague promise that the nearest orphanage would find her a better home or something like that. No, he fully intended to take responsibility for her. And to protect her. Helen¡¯s eyes filled with tears. She smiled as if saying she didn¡¯t believe him, but that it was a nice thought, a gesture she appreciated. He didn¡¯t find it funny, but there was nothing he could do about it. Not yet. He had to show her he was trustworthy little by little, day by day. It was natural that she wouldn¡¯t trust a complete stranger, even one who had saved her life and then some. They continued through the tunnels, searching for the exit practically blind, save for a bit of magical energy Helen was using as a blue fire torch. He was worried about an ambush. Obviously, but for more than just the obvious reasons. It had to do with his Stats. More specifically, his only Skill so far. It only added ten points to all his stats while he was in a fight. So, if they took him out before he could engage in a fight, he wouldn¡¯t be a factor. He could easily survive a certain attack with fourteen Endurance, but with only seven? He didn¡¯t like thinking about it. What reassured him was that orcs weren¡¯t exactly subtle. He should be able to hear them coming, and he doubted they¡¯d try to ambush him in the first place. But it didn¡¯t matter. He¡¯d survive, get out of this cave, and face more dangerous opponents. It was a problem he had to find a solution to, sooner rather than later. He heard footsteps nearby. Max signaled for Helen to extinguish the magical torch, so to speak, and then pressed her against the wall, placing his hand over her mouth to muffle her breathing. Naturally, he held his own breath. The orcs passed by, grunting in frustration. He wondered if what they craved most was killing or violating and spreading their filth across the world. Wiping them out one by one wouldn¡¯t be an easy task, but it felt like his duty now. He removed his hand once he was sure it wasn¡¯t some surprisingly clever trap for a pack of wild animals, and they continued through the unfathomable darkness, searching for the light. Helen didn¡¯t summon it. Too dangerous right now, he could hear the orcs walking nearby. He could even smell them. Welcome to the True Man’s World – 1.6 Welcome to the True Man¡¯s World ¨C 1.6 If it weren¡¯t for her, he would have charged at the orcs instead of letting them pass by. He would have only stopped fighting when he had no choice but to flee. But now he had different priorities, and besides, it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d wasted time. He¡¯d leveled up and discovered a powerful Skill. For now, that was enough. Trouble found them again soon enough. Naturally. Just around the corner, an orc appeared out of nowhere¡ªhe hadn¡¯t even heard it coming. It hadn¡¯t made the slightest noise. Until now, that is. "The abomina¡ª!" But it didn¡¯t finish the insult. It seemed that a fight counted from the moment hostility became apparent, meaning right from the start, or at least from the moment his hand went to rest on the sword¡¯s hilt, which wasn¡¯t much later. So Max decapitated it with a single blow, silencing it forever. Orc blood splattered him as the headless body collapsed. He was already so covered in blood that he didn¡¯t notice the difference and didn¡¯t even feel disgusted. He glanced at Helen, but she didn¡¯t react. As if she hadn¡¯t seen anything. She didn¡¯t even wipe off the blood that had splashed on her cheeks. It was very little, but it was still the blood of one of the beasts that had committed that atrocity to her mother and who knows how many other elves. It¡¯s easy to say she¡¯s being strong, he thought. But she¡¯s just a child. She¡¯s in shock, plain and simple. And he couldn¡¯t do anything about it¡ªhe wasn¡¯t a psychologist. He doubted the concept even existed. It would be an anachronism of epic proportions, so once again, he was the best she had. For better or worse. After a while, they finally found the exit. Well, to be exact, an exit. It wasn¡¯t the same place through which he had entered this cursed cave, but what mattered was the result. They were free and safe, at least for the moment. They could breathe without worrying that in the next exhale there would be more blood than air, due to a mace smashing their backs¡ªor their heads¡ªdirectly. Helen¡¯s small shoulders trembled as she cried in silence. Without the fear of death breathing down her neck, her mind could only go to one place. How irresponsible. Max was the only one breathing calmly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wish I¡¯d gotten here sooner.¡± ¡°Huh? This isn¡¯t your fault, sir. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°What is it? You can tell me anything.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be selfish, but my mother¡­ I can¡¯t stand thinking of her lying in there alone. And what¡ª¡± for a moment, she thought she might throw up¡ª¡°what they might do to her.¡± There was nothing more they could do to her. But he didn¡¯t want to imagine what those animals might do to the bodies either. It didn¡¯t even have to be sexual, although that was naturally the first thing his mind jumped to because of the horrific image that would be burned into his memory for the rest of his days. They could treat her like a hunting trophy, which would be just as awful. He hadn¡¯t seen any heads or limbs hanging around, but that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t have those kinds of practices. Their¡­ traditions. Which one of them had the more horrifying imagination? Or maybe that wasn¡¯t the point. Maybe the girl, a native of this world, knew exactly what awaited the discarded corpses. He felt like vomiting too. ¡°I¡¯ll get her out of there and make sure she gets a proper burial.¡± ¡°Huh? You promise?¡± ¡°I promise, Helen. No matter what.¡± The girl was silent for a while, and he thought she had nothing more to say, but then she threw herself at him, her small arms wrapping around his waist, her head pressing tightly against his chest. As if he would disappear if she let go. She trusted him, and not just because there was no one else. He had shown her that he was worthy of trust. So, as horrible and selfish as it seemed, it gave him a strange sense of comfort.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. No one had ever depended on him before. He had only ever taken, never given. That was it. It was like proof that his second chance actually meant something, that he wouldn¡¯t end up a shadow, hunched over in a hospital bed again, like some kind of scarecrow. Surrounded by false expressions, fake smiles, and equally fake words: a sweet poison that killed him slowly. Everyone around him, just shadows as well. Complete strangers. ¡°I¡¯m going with you.¡± It didn¡¯t sound like a question, but she didn¡¯t sound entirely sure of herself either. Max shook his head gently. He didn¡¯t even have to think about it. He had let her help and she¡¯d done her part. The question wasn¡¯t about whether she was capable of succeeding. There was no need for her to go through that again. He would manage on his own. ¡°Is there somewhere I can take you? Did your mother and you live in this town?¡± Little Helen shook her head against his chest. ¡°We were just passing through.¡± ¡°To where?¡± ¡°To a tribe.¡± ¡°I imagine it¡¯s still far away.¡± ¡°You imagine right.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll find you a place to stay in town.¡± Max instinctively stroked her back. He should at least be able to collect part of the reward. Even though he hadn¡¯t killed all the orcs, he¡¯d taken out a good number of them and the bastard who led them. ¡°You wait for me there. You don¡¯t have to do anything else.¡± ¡°How do I know you¡¯ll come back?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± she insisted. ¡°That¡¯s what my mom used to say over and over again. She said everything would be okay.¡± ¡°I know. I know very well because I¡¯m the chosen champion of Ares, God of War.¡± For a moment, he thought she¡¯d look at him strangely, wondering who the hell he was talking about. Ares hadn¡¯t exactly made things easy for him, and the last straw would be discovering that the god had sent him to a world where neither he nor the other Greek gods had any presence. It would be better to look like an idiot now in front of a kid than to discover the truth at a truly critical moment. But that didn¡¯t happen. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± ¡°You did arrive just in time. But then, why did my mother¡­?¡± She broke down into tears again, her tiny body, burdened with far too much weight for her age, shaking violently, like leaves trembling in a cold wind blowing through the dry branches of the trees. Would it be better to let her believe that? That it had been divine intervention, but that her mother would have suffered horribly anyway, only she had been saved? Survivors of tragedies like that often felt guilty, but maybe Helen would find comfort in thinking someone up above was watching over her. For better or worse, he had to make a decision quickly, and that¡¯s what he did. ¡°Ares didn¡¯t send me to save you. He didn¡¯t send me for anything, really. He gave me power and told me to do whatever I wanted, that he¡¯d just watch.¡± It was just a coincidence, in short. Was that easier to accept? ¡°Oh.¡± He couldn¡¯t tell what she meant by that. ¡°Shall we head off? To town, to find you a room or something.¡± She nodded almost imperceptibly. She pulled away from him, breaking the embrace, though almost with reluctance. He thought how strange it was that she hadn¡¯t even hesitated to hug him despite all the blood. He thought he¡¯d much rather see her scared, desperately trying to scrub away the stains than this total lack of reaction. Max and Helen walked hand-in-hand toward Ethos. It hadn¡¯t been his idea, but he accepted it gladly, squeezing her hand back tightly and intertwining his fingers with hers. He¡¯d say it was like having a daughter, but naturally, he felt more like her older brother. As they arrived at the village, they drew many stares. It was uncomfortable, but he couldn¡¯t say he hadn¡¯t seen it coming. A small fishing village wouldn¡¯t be used to warriors in full armor strolling around, much less one covered in blood from head to toe. He hadn¡¯t found a stream to at least wash some of it off. Though to be honest, he had only looked half-heartedly. Helen hid behind him, squeezing his hand tighter. Maybe it wasn¡¯t just him they weren¡¯t used to seeing; perhaps they weren¡¯t used to seeing other species either. Max bit his lower lip. Could he afford to leave her alone? He wandered through the village. Of course, it wasn¡¯t large, but he hadn¡¯t seen half of it, having only gone from the coast to the blacksmith and nowhere else. He wasn¡¯t looking for an inn but rather the town hall. He had to collect the reward from somewhere. The inn could wait until he had cold, hard cash in hand. If he didn¡¯t change his mind first. He was now sure that the stares Helen attracted were making him nervous. Damn nervous. He felt the urge to walk up to any of them, shouting in their faces and spitting on them. He had the urge to reach for his sword again. But until they did something, he wouldn¡¯t cross that line. He wasn¡¯t any kind of hero, but he was at least a decent person. He found the town hall and went inside. The treatment they received wasn¡¯t much different from outside. If this kept up, he was going to lose his damn patience. He challenged every stare. She¡¯s not some animal; she¡¯s just a child. For God¡¯s sake, you¡¯re the animals. Incapable of behaving decently. Helen continued trying to hide behind him, but it was impossible. The stares came from everywhere. Still, the receptionist wasn¡¯t busy. Max approached him. The sooner he finished this, the better. He needed the money, regardless of where he decided to leave her until he could return with her mother¡¯s body. ¡°Quite the look you¡¯ve got,¡± the man said, looking him up and down. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t have time for a bath. I was too busy hunting monsters and saving people.¡± Max smiled. The man wouldn¡¯t understand the reference, but Max didn¡¯t care. It hadn¡¯t been intentional, but now that he¡¯d started, he might as well finish. ¡°Family business.¡± Max pulled the mission paper from his pocket and placed it on the counter. ¡°I see. You took care of everything?¡± ¡°No.¡± He could have lied, but they would¡¯ve checked easily. Besides, he didn¡¯t want to wait any longer for his damn money. ¡°But I killed many, and I also took care of their current leader.¡± ¡°Yeah. And you picked her up there?¡± ¡°I saved her.¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s pretty intact for an elf who spent time with orcs.¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m not here to chat, especially not about that. Just give me my reward, and I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± The man shrugged. ¡°Well, I suppose that kid proves you were there, and the blood tells the rest of the story. Where else would you have found an elf?¡± He disappeared into the back, but not for long. He returned with a bag of money. Gold coins, Max realized as the man set them on the table to count them. Max wasn¡¯t stupid. The receptionist seemed irritated that he didn¡¯t trust him. It was all there, in fact, but who wouldn¡¯t check first? ¡°Are you going to keep her as a pet?¡± Strange. Suddenly, his knuckles burned. He saw fresh blood splattered across them. Ah, yes. He had broken that bastard¡¯s nose. Welcome to the True Man’s World – 1.7 Welcome to the True Man¡¯s World ¨C 1.7 The absolute bastard stared at him with hatred in his eyes and a hand to his nose, trying to stem the bleeding. If he could kill him, he would¡ªit was obvious. As if he hadn''t brought it on himself. Regardless of his beliefs, he should at least have had the sense to keep his mouth shut. Apparently, even that had been too much for him. Max thought things might get ugly, that this guy and other idiots would gang up on him, either because they shared his views about elves or because it didn¡¯t matter at all what their relationship with the guy was¡ªthey couldn¡¯t let an outsider get away with something like this. But no. None of the bystanders dared to test their luck against him. They left the town hall without issue. Maybe even the city. Max wasn¡¯t sure he even wanted to save this town from that creature anymore. ¡°Sorry,¡± Helen muttered. ¡°Does this happen often?¡± Helen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve always been told it used to be worse for us, but this is all I¡¯ve ever known, sir.¡± ¡°Tell me the truth: if I rent you a room at the inn, lock the door, and leave to... retrieve your mother¡¯s body, will you be safe?¡± ¡°I think so, sir. I¡¯m still young, and I¡¯m not fully developed.¡± ¡°What? I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± Why had her first thought gone there? Was it her mother, or was the elves¡¯ situation even worse than he thought? ¡°You know, I just meant if anyone might attack you or try to throw you out.¡± She looked uncomfortable. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant subject, but it was a necessary one. He wasn¡¯t going to do anything until he was sure. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s possible. But I can defend myself. As long as they don¡¯t take my staff, these villagers... can¡¯t do much to me.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°Please, sir. Go get my mom. I¡¯ll be fine. Really.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me sir, and stop using formalities, okay? My name is Max.¡± He had the feeling he¡¯d have to repeat that¡ªa lot. She was a good kid. Too good. The world could eat her alive for it. Luckily for her, she¡¯d found him. If he ever hurt her, it wouldn¡¯t be on purpose, that was certain. ¡°Whatever you say, but please go, Max. I know I¡¯m being selfish, but I can¡¯t stand this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Max crouched down and kissed her forehead. She flinched¡ªnot out of fear, thankfully, just surprise. ¡°You¡¯re not selfish. You¡¯re a good daughter, that¡¯s all.¡± They reached the inn. There were glances, as usual, and undoubtedly whispered comments, but no problems that required violent resolution like back at the town hall. He grabbed the key and led her to the room. Once inside, he emptied the wardrobe of its sparse contents and dragged it to almost completely block the door. He placed the key on the bed. ¡°When I leave, lock the door and push the wardrobe all the way. Put back what I removed, and maybe add some more¡ªwhatever you can¡ªto weigh it down. Stay calm.¡± After all his warnings, he had to admit it sounded a bit contrived. Still, there wasn¡¯t much to worry about. Max was just being cautious. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as fast as I can. Nothing will happen to me.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°I promise.¡± He already had, but he didn¡¯t mind repeating it. Max looked away and swallowed as discreetly as possible. God, he was just a kid too. A heavy burden had fallen on him, and he was willing to bear it. That would have to be enough. ¡°See you soon.¡± ¡ª¡ª It wasn¡¯t difficult at all. If this world was an RPG, what he¡¯d done was like revisiting an early area after finishing the game, just for fun. Well, the difference wasn¡¯t that staggering, but it was close. The hardest part was finding Helen¡¯s mother¡¯s body, in a mass grave where humans and elves alike had been dumped as if they were trash. Not even a day had passed since his arrival in this world, and he¡¯d already seen too much. Carrying the woman¡¯s body on his back made things slightly more challenging, but not by much. She was very light.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Max emerged from the cave again. How much time had passed? A few hours at most. He pushed his hair back and let the rain wash away the blood staining them both. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with icy air. In any case, he¡¯d done it. He¡¯d recovered the broken body of a poor woman so her daughter could find some peace¡ªor at least the solace of knowing her mother had received a proper burial. Somehow, it didn¡¯t feel like a victory. But it was a victory. He¡¯d done what needed to be done, fulfilled his task. He¡¯d proven what he was capable of and leveled up. Objectively, everything had gone as well as could be expected. He supposed he wasn¡¯t a very objective person. He covered the body with a dirty cloak and mantle he¡¯d found in the cave to hide its state from prying eyes (but mainly for Helen¡ªher mother¡¯s body was in terrible condition), granting her some semblance of dignity, and brought her back to her daughter. That¡¯s when he learned her name was Ariandel. Now that sounded elvish. A terrible thought crossed his mind, but he dismissed it quickly. If Helen were the result of a rape, she wouldn¡¯t have had a... human name? He grimaced. A name atypical for her culture. They decided to bury her on the outskirts of town. Max didn¡¯t even expect the townsfolk to act decently and give her an official ceremony or allow her burial in consecrated ground. Helen didn¡¯t try to change his mind, which said enough. Besides, it seemed elves had their own customs. Helen prayed¡ªor at least Max assumed she was praying¡ªkneeling beside the covered body, her eyes closed and her hands clasped together at chest level. She looked like a saint illuminated by the faint light filtering through the trees, like a spotlight just for her. She deserved better than this. Both of them did. But it was better than nothing. Max remained silent and still, except when Helen instructed him to do something, like draw certain symbols in the dirt with the tip of his sword. He did his best to help her say goodbye properly. Helen showed remarkable resilience until Max had to lower Ariandel into her earthen bed, placed in the coffin he¡¯d bought in the village. That¡¯s when the girl turned her face away, a solitary tear sliding down her cheek. That was all, but Max knew she¡¯d cried bitterly while waiting for him. Her eyes had been so red. He hugged her, thinking she¡¯d have the rest of her life¡ªall her days and nights¡ªto grieve. It was a hole that could never be filled. He was just a kid too, deep down, and despite their age difference, he couldn¡¯t say he had much more life experience. Not when he¡¯d spent his last years rotting in a hospital room, shuffling between the bed and the bathroom, experiencing the same things every day. But some things were common sense. No mother should outlive her children, but the reverse was just as terrible, no matter how natural it was. This separation had been anything but natural. After a while, Helen pulled away just enough to look into his eyes. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll never forget this.¡± [The elven mage Helen Desrosiers has joined your party.] [You¡¯ve gained your first companion. +100 XP.] What an inconvenient time to get a notification. Max tried not to react so he wouldn¡¯t have to make up an excuse; improvisation wasn¡¯t his strong suit. ¡°You don¡¯t owe me anything. Really. I just did what anyone should do.¡± ¡°They should, but they don¡¯t.¡± Obviously, he couldn¡¯t command the window to disappear, but after a while, it at least had the decency to move to the side so it didn¡¯t block his view. ¡°Say what you want¡ªI¡¯ll never forget it. I owe you everything, si¡ªMax.¡± It was hard to resist the pure honesty of a young girl. His defenses crumbled in an instant, and he looked away, blushing furiously. Max had always tried to help people whenever he could, to give to the world rather than take, but he wasn¡¯t used to gratitude. Not this kind. People took kindness for granted. He had too, so sure the visits would never stop, despite the passing of time. And like a ghost, he¡¯d had to watch himself die in their eyes, becoming a relic of the past to his loved ones. ¡°One more thing. Helen, do you want me to take you to the tribe you were heading toward?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°I already told you¡ªI¡¯ll never forget this. I want to stay with you. I want to help you with whatever you do and be with you forever. My life is yours.¡± A child shouldn¡¯t speak like that. But recognizing the gravity of the moment, Max swallowed his objections and simply nodded. ¡°What will you... What will we do now?¡± Good question. Max glanced past her shoulder toward the coast. Toward the sea, where the great white serpent slumbered in the depths, waiting for the battle that would shake the waters like a storm. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s been going on in this town lately?¡± ¡°You mean the monster?¡± ¡°Yes, that serpent. Killing it will help the villagers indirectly, but I need to defeat it to grow stronger.¡± ¡°And help more people like me,¡± Helen said, breaking into a wide smile. ¡°Not just for that, but yes. Is that okay with you? After the way they¡¯ve treated you here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, but that¡¯s not the point. I already told you¡ªmy life is yours. You command, I obey. You don¡¯t have to worry about what I think.¡± She didn¡¯t talk like a child her age, but that wasn¡¯t surprising. Her father was dead, and now her mother had been ripped away in one of the worst ways imaginable, if not the worst. ¡°Helen... Alright. Then let¡¯s get ready. We¡¯ve got a big bastard to hunt.¡± Helen raised an eyebrow, as if to ask whether he was really going to worry about swearing after everything that had happened today. ¡°Well, when I say we, I mean me, of course.¡± ¡°I can help you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you can, but I don¡¯t want you putting yourself in danger.¡± ¡°From the shore. I promise. Let me at least do that.¡± He was doomed. At this rate, he¡¯d never be able to refuse her anything. Of course, if it ever became truly dangerous, he¡¯d put his foot down for her sake. But if she could genuinely help from a safe distance, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem. He needed all the help he could get. Killing some orcs, big or small, was one thing. Taking down a giant sea monster was something else entirely. Welcome to the True Man’s World – 1.8 Welcome to the True Man¡¯s World ¨C 1.8 "I don¡¯t know how to make it any clearer. I need a ship, and you¡¯re going to give it to me. What else can you do? Send another ship for that monster to devour? At least if the ship, crew, and cargo are lost, you can say you tried something new." "Cold comfort." "At least it¡¯s some kind of comfort. But you don¡¯t have to worry about what might happen because I will win." "Yeah. I heard about what you did in the cave and the little one you rescued. Good work, don¡¯t get me wrong. But taking out a cave full of orcs isn¡¯t the same as facing a sea monster on its own turf. They¡¯re simply not on the same scale." "I know. Just as you know you¡¯ve got no better option." The captain played tough, but Max could see he had him by the throat. All he needed to do was press a bit harder, and the man would yield despite his reservations. Max shouldn¡¯t have to negotiate for the chance to save the entire town from a slow decline, from poverty and hunger. If negotiations failed, he¡¯d take at least one boat at swordpoint. He wouldn¡¯t let these stubborn fools stand in his way. "Enough already," Max insisted. "You¡¯re scared of losing another ship, and I completely get that. But what good are they if you can¡¯t leave the port? It¡¯s like you don¡¯t have a damn thing." "You¡¯re young and angry at the world. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll forgive your insolence, your lack of manners and perspective. Kid, you make it sound a lot easier than it is. I have to think about more than just the ships and the cargo. Sure, I won¡¯t pretend to be a saint¡ªI want my damn pockets full. But I¡¯m not a monster either." "One ship won¡¯t go out there alone. You¡¯re asking me to risk lives¡ªmy people¡¯s lives¡ªfor a complete stranger. What kind of man would do that, no matter how desperate he is?" Max sighed. "If there was anyone in the village who could solve your damn problem, it wouldn¡¯t still be a problem. Whoever kills the serpent, even if it¡¯s not me, will have to be a stranger. You¡¯d better get used to the idea sooner or later." "What are you implying?" "I¡¯m implying that you¡¯re not being reasonable¡ªyou¡¯re being a coward." There was no point in holding back anymore. It was clear the negotiations had failed. "But I¡¯ve had enough of you. Don¡¯t want to give me a ship? Fine. I¡¯ll manage on my own. But you¡¯d better be the first in line to kiss my feet when I come back to shore with that bastard¡¯s head." Max turned to leave. "Sir..." Helen murmured, clutching her staff tightly. Max regretted what he¡¯d said. Not because the stubborn captain didn¡¯t deserve every word, but because he shouldn¡¯t have let the girl hear that kind of talk. It was a minor issue, sure, but that didn¡¯t make it right. "I can defend any ship with my magic. I¡¯m not an expert, but..." Ah, she hadn¡¯t been speaking to him. She was such a respectful child despite the way the world had always treated her. He felt an urge to pat her head, ruffle her hair. "Yeah, I¡¯m sure you can," the captain replied, suddenly uncomfortable as he scratched the back of his head. "Look, don¡¯t say this out loud, but I¡¯ve got no problem with elves. Seriously, none. If the gods didn¡¯t want them to exist, they wouldn¡¯t have made them. But it¡¯s already going to be hard enough convincing anyone to get on that ship for what¡¯s likely a suicide mission. If I tell them it¡¯ll be protected by elven magic, they¡¯d rather jump into the serpent¡¯s mouth themselves."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Helen deflated, bowing her head as if ashamed, regretting she¡¯d spoken at all. But not for the real reason¡ªmore like a foolish child thinking she¡¯d said something out of place. Max shook his head. "Screw all of you. I¡¯m not sure any of you deserve to be saved." Max walked away, holding Helen close with one arm. He felt more confident, more powerful, knowing he had someone to protect. He had to admit it. At a distance, when he knew no one would hear them, Max knelt in the sand to look Helen in the eyes. "How long would that protection last?" he asked softly, in a warm, reassuring tone¡ªor at least he hoped it sounded that way. "I imagine protecting an entire ship would tire you out quickly, but just a small boat... How long do you think you could hold out without pushing yourself too hard, without putting yourself in danger?" "You don¡¯t need to worry about that," Helen replied. "Working until I¡¯m exhausted is the least I can do for you, sir." "But I don¡¯t want you to exhaust yourself. I want to protect you." Until I find you a safe place, he thought but wisely kept the words to himself. She wouldn¡¯t want to hear anything about separating so soon, even if it was better for her in the long run. "And I don¡¯t want you calling me ''sir.'' I¡¯m not your lord¡ªjust Max is fine." "But I called that man ''sir'' too. It feels disrespectful not to." "Don¡¯t call him ''sir'' either, or anyone here. They don¡¯t deserve your respect. You¡¯re a good girl, Helen." He tousled her hair and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "You¡¯re a good girl, and you deserve better than this." "Thank you, s¡ª" Max corrected her. "Right." Helen nodded. "How long do you think you could hold out protecting a small boat?" "That... that depends on the strength of the attacks and how well-built the boat is, but... If I push myself enough, I might be able to give you about twenty minutes." "Alright. Twenty minutes." That was acceptable. If he hadn¡¯t killed the massive white serpent by then, chances were he¡¯d be dead anyway. It was surprising how calmly he¡¯d thought that, as if it had nothing to do with him. Had he changed so much in such a short time? The crap he¡¯d been through since arriving in this world certainly forced adaptation. Maybe the system and that skill, Sword of the War God, affected more than just his stats. But whatever¡ªhe could think about that later. Max stood. "I know I repeat myself a lot, Helen, but it¡¯s only because I want to make sure you¡¯ll be alright." "I understand, M¡ªMax." She smiled, still hesitant. "Alright, let¡¯s do this. The sooner I dive in, the less time I¡¯ll have to regret it." ¡ª¡ª You don¡¯t truly know the feeling of danger until you see death everywhere. That¡¯s what Max was thinking as he ventured into the sea, rowing a canoe that would look like a toy when the white serpent appeared. It was a tremendously unfavorable fight, but he didn¡¯t feel fear. It was as if he were utterly convinced he could do this. He didn¡¯t feel excited either¡ªhe wasn¡¯t insane. The feeling of danger was just cold and clinical, reminding him of what he already knew: something was lurking beneath these waters that could devour him and the boat in a single bite. So, he was in danger. But fear wasn¡¯t with him. "Come on out, you bastard. I¡¯m going to turn your corpse into sushi." The waters began to stir. Here it comes, he thought, responding to his provocation¡ªalmost. No, surely he couldn¡¯t attribute that much intelligence to it. But in any case, he¡¯d soon have that thing on him. And he was just in a goddamned boat that looked like a toy. Wow. The great white serpent emerged from the dark depths of the sea. Wet, glistening, majestic. Up close, the beast looked especially massive. Had it grown since the last time he saw it? Or was it just a matter of perspective? Well, whatever, he thought. Either way, he was royally screwed. His sword looked like a sewing needle next to that thing. He¡¯d known it from the start. The great white serpent lunged at him, roaring, its jaws opening impossibly wide, as if its jaw were unhinged. As it charged him, it also, of course, rammed into the boat. But thanks to the ice barrier, the boat held together. As for Max, he swung his sword to avoid taking a direct hit from the enormous ice beast. It wouldn¡¯t do him much good if the boat held up for twenty minutes only for the monster to sweep the waters away, leaving him as easy prey. Max planted his feet firmly and pushed the sword with all his strength, both hands gripping it tightly, as if trying to force the massive beast back by himself. He was stronger than an ordinary human¡ªhe understood that perfectly. But he¡¯d struggled against the orc king. Facing this thing, more than five times his size, drove the point home. And yet, he managed to push the great white serpent back. The creature even seemed surprised, though the most surprised was Max himself. Despite the difference in size, he was now strong enough to force the beast back, albeit with great effort. ¡°Good.¡± He seized the moment to step forward and swing his sword, driving it into the serpent¡¯s body. As he pulled the weapon out, he saw that the abomination¡¯s blood was green. It bubbled ominously, splattering against Helen¡¯s barrier before dripping into the sea. Acid, he thought. This damn thing doesn¡¯t have venom. It has acid for blood. ¡°Shit.¡± Welcome to the True Man’s World – 1.9 Welcome to the True Man¡¯s World ¨C 1.9 Helen could feel many eyes on her. She was used to that every time she passed through a human settlement. This time, it was a bit more justified than usual, considering that Mr. Max had stolen the boat at swordpoint only to head into the sea and act as bait for the great white serpent. But at the same time, it wasn¡¯t justified at all. The townspeople screamed, ran away from the shore, and hid, but they still found time to stare at her, as if she were as dangerous¡ªor even more dangerous¡ªthan the monster nesting at their doorstep. It was irritating. Her mother had raised her to be tolerant, but it was still irritating. Just like Mom, she thought. Helen bit her lower lip hard. There was no time to dwell on those thoughts now. She just had to focus on helping Mr. Max. He had needed her, and she had shown up. He had risked his life a second time for the corpse of a stranger. So now that he needed her, she would be there. She wouldn¡¯t fail him. She couldn¡¯t fail the only person she had in the world now. ¡°That boy¡¯s out of his damn mind. If he¡¯s so eager to die, let him die, but he better not drag us down with him,¡± someone muttered among the villagers. Helen clenched her teeth. No one believed in Mr. Max. A single person, no matter how well-equipped, couldn¡¯t defeat a giant monster. That was common sense. But Helen believed in him. Even if she couldn¡¯t see the path to victory, Helen had faith in him. The chosen of the god of war, Lord Ares himself, should be able to defeat a creature of this level with ease. In any case, Max wasn¡¯t like other humans. He had a good heart. He wouldn¡¯t turn his back on her or the people of this village, even though they rejected his help, spat in his face, and would only start praising him when the serpent¡¯s head hit the ground. But it didn¡¯t matter. Max wasn¡¯t doing it for himself or for those people. He was doing it because he felt it was the right thing to do. Because he believed that was what a good person would do. Helen had felt his kindness. She had faith in that. ¡ª¡ª I shouldn¡¯t be here. It had been a bad idea from the start. How was he supposed to kill this monster with just a sword, no matter how well-made it was? Those teeth were so massive they could bite him in half, crushing his armor like a soda can. He wasn¡¯t even sure if ignoring this quest would have brought about the consequences mentioned in the notification. Maybe he would¡¯ve been perfectly fine if he¡¯d fled to the other side of the world. Maybe Ares... Would have let that kind of insubordination slide. No, of course not. He had placed Max here for a reason. Unreasonable? Definitely, but not much more than expecting him to defeat those wolves with a broken sword. Until he became strong enough to decapitate the bastard and take his throne as the new god of war, Max was basically at Ares¡¯s mercy. He didn¡¯t like it, but that was the way it was. What the god had given, he could take away just as easily. At least he¡¯d made it clear that this was mostly entertainment for him. That he wouldn¡¯t try to control Max, that in most cases, he would merely observe. After spending the last years of his life the way he had, Max needed control over his own life, and he¡¯d do whatever it took to keep it. Even kill a god. Even kill this thing, he thought, though he still had no idea how.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. After being repelled, the serpent pulled back but quickly charged at him again, displacing a massive amount of water in its wake. It moved like a torpedo fired from a submarine. Well, he¡¯d only seen something like that in movies, naturally. But it was so big that it didn¡¯t matter how fast it was. At least its attacks were easy to see coming. He blocked this attack as well with his sword. The force of the impact traveled from the sword to his shoulders and then spread throughout his body. He thought he would drop the sword, but he managed to hold on. The serpent roared, frustrated, and struck the boat directly with its tail. It didn¡¯t destroy it, of course. Helen had promised twenty minutes, and the fight had only just begun. But it did displace the boat. The damn thing spun like a top about ten meters back. Max lost his balance, stumbled forward, and almost fell into the unforgiving waters. Almost. So close. Every heartbeat pounding in his chest felt like a hammer blow. Before the accident, I was a great swimmer, he thought. But I¡¯ve never had to swim with a freaking shark. Only this thing was a thousand times worse than a shark, obviously. A stupid thought, disconnected from reality. The only kind of thought you could expect from someone so close to death. He could see his reflection on the water¡¯s surface. What it showed was the image of a boy. Not a man, definitely not a fearless warrior. Why had fear hit him only now, precisely now, when he couldn¡¯t back down? The great white serpent came at him for the third time. The shore wasn¡¯t so far away. In fact, it was closer now than at the beginning. He still had time to turn back, to retreat... Only the serpent would devour him with ease before he could get out of the water, wouldn¡¯t it? And he wouldn¡¯t even be able to fight back. Max didn¡¯t block the third charge. His arms were trembling too much for that, and not just from the strength of the impacts his body had absorbed. Twice. Instead, he threw himself to the side, nearly falling into the water again. The serpent missed, crashing into the water. Its body scraped over the boat, which, if not for Helen¡¯s protection, would have been destroyed like a toy. To his credit, Max didn¡¯t waste time. He attacked the beast several times, slash after slash against its body. Deep cuts, making it bleed more of that cursed acid. He¡¯d drain the magic energy¡ªor whatever powered the barrier, the acid¡ªfaster than physical attacks would. Either way, what was done was done. Its blood, like acid, splattered the deck. Most of it ended up in the sea, but an uncomfortably large amount nearly fell on him. Max flinched. He had no desire to find out what that stuff could do to armor. He saw the creature¡¯s shadow twisting beneath the water, as if waiting for the right moment to resurface. I¡¯m not equipped for this fight. It was time to admit it. It was like trying to beat the final boss with a level-one character. Sure, an expert player could probably figure out some strategy after dozens or hundreds of tries, with enough experience in the game¡¯s mechanics. But he only had one shot and a few hours of experience. Nothing more. This is rigged. Could it be? Ares having fun, giving power and hope to a kid who¡¯d died of cancer, only to send him to die right away? While eating popcorn and laughing his ass off. Max gritted his teeth. Intolerable. He wouldn¡¯t give him the satisfaction. The great white serpent changed direction, heading toward the shore. It seemed to be smart enough to realize it hadn¡¯t finished off its prey yet, thanks only to the elf¡¯s efforts. His heart leaped into his throat. ¡°Run!¡± he shouted. But Helen didn¡¯t move. She wasn¡¯t paralyzed by terror, that much was obvious. But she didn¡¯t retreat either. Why? For him¡ªwhy else? Then he got a notification: You have one skill point to allocate. Do you wish to upgrade the Sword of the War God class skill? Max accepted without a second thought. There was no time to ponder, and anything was better than nothing. A skill point? From when? It must have been from the cave, of course. There weren¡¯t many other options. Maybe one of the notifications that had interrupted the funeral, the ones he¡¯d tried to ignore, which had eventually disappeared. He upgraded the Sword of the War God skill. But he didn¡¯t feel any different at all. And he had no idea what it did now. Max clicked his tongue and made a snap decision, abandoning the boat. A choice made entirely on instinct, but it turned out to be the right one because the beast changed direction again, rushing toward him. Now that he was an even easier target, practically defenseless in the middle of the water, it wouldn¡¯t bother fighting the elven mage. It was as if it knew he was here to kill it. Like I¡¯m something special, almost. ¡°No, sir, please, get out of there!¡± Her screams sounded so desperate. Max frowned, gritted his teeth. Now he understood. It was easy not to feel fear when you were fighting for someone else. ¡°Come at me, you bastard.¡± A new notification appeared before him: Sword of the War God, Phase 2. Welcome to the True Man’s World – 1.10 Welcome to the True Man¡¯s World ¨C 1.10 It would be an incredible coincidence, sheer good luck, if this turned out to be a power that could get him out of this mess. What was he talking about? Neither coincidence nor dumb luck. Basically, everything that had happened up until now had been divine intervention. Directly or indirectly, Ares had caused this, so it was about time the damned god gave him a hand. He read the description of Phase 2. A complementary skill. ¡°Get out!¡± Helena shouted again. He completely understood her fear, and that was the only thing keeping her from seeing that there was no way to escape. The boat was too far, and the shore, even worse. He had no chance of reaching either before a creature this fast in water caught up to him. If he ran away with his tail between his legs, he¡¯d be devoured without even leaving bones behind. He couldn¡¯t run. So fighting didn¡¯t require courage. It wasn¡¯t a decision at all. ¡°Let¡¯s do this, monster.¡± The spilled blood of the great white serpent, the stains on the ship, and those that had fallen into the sea, all flew into the air, gathering above his head, swirling, consolidating, and taking shape. Green knives, from hilt to tip, forged from the acid in the beast¡¯s blood. With a mental command, Max launched the knives. Most missed, but two struck directly in its left eye. It didn¡¯t take the eye out, but it must have caused significant damage, as the monster chose to dive back into the water. Confused, presumably. It hadn¡¯t expected that, hadn¡¯t expected him to be capable of doing anything other than stabbing it with a small sword, a needle to a creature like that. No wonder, he hadn¡¯t expected it himself. War Spoils, the complementary skill unlocked by Phase 2, allowed him to turn many things taken from his enemies into weapons. Not just acid, not just blood. But here and now, of course, that was all he could use. He wasn¡¯t sure if it would be enough, but he¡¯d do his best. As the serpent approached, it struck the boat first, sending it spinning into his chest. It was like being hit by a hammer. ¡°Shit!¡± The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, and all he could do was cross his fingers and hope it wasn¡¯t much more than that. Although, judging by the taste of blood in his throat, he was probably wrong. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a notification that he¡¯d lost health points, as if he didn¡¯t already know. How many? He¡¯d preferred not to check, so he didn¡¯t know. Looking at how close he was to death would only scare him more.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. He was relatively intact, all things considered, focused on the prize. He shouldn¡¯t do anything to screw it up. But the beast hadn¡¯t surfaced. It had used its tail to move the boat, hurling it like a damn projectile at him. It was as if it were testing him, seeing how he¡¯d respond, figuring out what else it could do to avoid another surprise. The monster was intelligent. More than a mere animal, maybe too much so. He had no doubt. That was perhaps the worst part of it all, beyond its obvious physical advantages. Intelligent, the bastard had the capacity to learn, to adapt. How was he supposed to overcome that? Well, he would. Damn it, he¡¯d figure out a fucking way. A large shadow moved beneath the water. His heart pounded steadily but rapidly, betraying the weakness he was trying to hide. It was big, it was powerful, but it could be worse. He had to remember that. The serpent burst from the water, roaring in pain and fury. As it thrashed, the sea churned along with it. Water splashed as far as the shore. It was a creature that could cause a flood on its own. Perhaps that was an exaggeration, but that was the impression it gave. And it was even more terrifying now with one eye destroyed, with the acid eating away at its tissue slowly, with blood and other fluids oozing from the wound like some malignant infection. The spectacle of its mere presence was doubly horrifying because of that detail. Max braced himself for another charge, but once again, it caught him off guard. It didn¡¯t hit him head-on but struck with its tail, slipping it under the boat to whip at his legs and chest, sending him flying. But humans weren¡¯t made to fly, so he immediately began descending back toward the water. If the serpent had its way, he wouldn¡¯t return to either surface, as it had opened its maw wide to catch him in its cavernous depths. ¡°Oh shit, goddamn it!¡± Max flailed in the air, but he had no way to change his trajectory. As if on autopilot, he kept forming blades from the beast¡¯s acidic blood, shooting at its eye and body. It didn¡¯t seem to matter, didn¡¯t seem to be enough. And yet, all signs pointed to him being swallowed before anything could change. Max kept repeating his mechanical movements. He felt detached, as if none of this were happening to him. But the darkness of death loomed closer. The darkness behind those gleaming jaws. How absurd! I¡¯m going to die here. That can¡¯t be true. How absolutely absurd! But he had no means to change his trajectory in midair. So, what else could he do? Max landed on the creature¡¯s front teeth, barely avoiding being swallowed. But then he slipped downward. He fell hard, and those teeth snapped shut on nothing. Naturally, now that Helena didn¡¯t have to defend the boat, she was protecting him. ¡°Sir, it will only hold for a couple of minutes at most,¡± she murmured to herself. Fine, okay. A couple of minutes is a lot of time. The problem is what to do with that time. He was sure he could win, that he had the necessary tools. But even so, he was paralyzed with indecision. Stupid. He needed to commit to a plan. Any plan. And quickly, or he¡¯d end up crushed and heading straight to this thing¡¯s stomach. What should his next move be? Time was running out. Faster and faster. Max realized something very important. The answer had been right in front of him the whole damn time. It was time for a counterattack. Welcome to the True Man’s World – 1.11 Welcome to the True Man¡¯s World ¨C 1.11 The magical barrier would hold for only a couple more minutes, at most. Max hoped it would be enough to turn the tables and escape death¡¯s clutches. He needed to act quickly. At least his plan was clear in his mind. Max swung his sword at one of the teeth still trying to bite him, no matter how futile it seemed. Persistently attacking the barrier would only hasten its destruction, likely exhausting Helena faster and leaving her unable to sustain the spell. It¡¯s not that complicated, he thought. He knew what he needed; he just needed enough time to make it happen. He struck at one of the monster¡¯s massive fangs over and over. Gigantic as it was, it was within his reach. It was breakable¡ªor it better be. Breakable, and soon. Max slammed his sword against the fang with force. Cracks began to spread from the impact, as thin as spider silk. He evaded the teeth trying to snap shut around him and the magical barrier protecting him like a bear trap, all the while continuing to strike. "Crack, crack," he muttered under his breath. "Just a little more..." And then, Max did the stupidest thing of his life. He stepped into the serpent¡¯s mouth. Yes, right into the damned mouth. To attack it from within. Slashing at its gums, both inside and out, was easy. Far too easy. The fang broke free, creating a gap in the wall of teeth that allowed Max to escape. But, of course, that was the least of it. Standing inside the serpent¡¯s mouth, dangerously close to its remaining teeth, Max lifted the dislodged fang with his mind. Not for long, though. He jumped, and as he did, he wielded the fang like a weapon. He drove it into the serpent¡¯s other eye¡ªnot once, but twice, three times, four, until he lost count and the eye was utterly destroyed. He hadn¡¯t blinded the beast entirely¡ªmost of the other eye remained¡ªbut it was something. Max plunged the fang deeper, aiming for the brain¡ªassuming the beast even had one, and if it did, that it was located there. The serpent screamed and thrashed as it fell into the water. Max barely noticed. He¡¯d never felt so powerful, so capable, so alive. This wasn¡¯t over¡ªnot by a long shot. The great white serpent bit into its own fang, shattering it. Pain flared in Max¡¯s right arm¡ªsharp, burning. Acid. Some of the creature¡¯s blood must have splashed on him while he was slashing its gums. When the fang broke free, the resulting explosion had sprayed corrosive liquid onto his arm. Max submerged his arm in the water up to his wrist. I should be thankful it didn¡¯t splash onto my face, he thought, his heart racing. Wait. Thanks to the barrier, the acid shouldn¡¯t have harmed me at all. The barrier was weakening. It must have vanished in that part of his right arm. How much longer would it protect the rest of his body? How much time was left on the countdown? Damned if I know, he thought. The serpent, nearly blind, in agony, and soon to be dying, charged at him once more. This would surely be its last attack, one way or another. Max could feel it in his bones. But he would make sure he was the one to emerge victorious. He had blood to use, plenty of it, and a way to attack without risking himself too much. He didn¡¯t need to wait for the serpent to get close enough to swallow him in one bite. Acid blades wouldn¡¯t kill the great white serpent¡ªnot even the ones he had fired into its throat, hoping to damage internal organs¡ªbut they could help in other ways. Max concentrated on breaking off a piece of its scales, turning them into weapons. Its blood, its teeth, its scales. He would use whatever it took to kill this monster. He would use every part of its body if he had to, to end it. He was done hearing it, seeing it, listening to its screams. The only thing he wanted to hear now was its death wails. The scales became another type of projectile, tearing away more scales and arming him further. That was good, but he thought about forming a giant sword or something similar. And just as he thought it, that¡¯s exactly what the scales became¡ªa war trophy.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The ability was described as transforming what was taken from an enemy into a weapon. It wasn¡¯t very specific, so it might only be limited by his imagination and the physical properties of the objects. In any case, the giant sword made from the great white serpent¡¯s scales was magnificent. He shouldn¡¯t have been able to wield such a weapon, let alone swing it. Yet in his hands, it felt light as a feather. Let¡¯s do this, he thought. The serpent didn¡¯t back down, even now. It would be upon him in a fraction of a second. A mere animal would have fled to lick its wounds. Even the wildest beast possesses the basic instinct called survival. But you¡¯re intelligent, aren¡¯t you? You have a reason for being here. Max supposed he¡¯d find out soon enough. But not before that enormous head rolled. He drew the sword back, gathering his strength, readying for the final clash. ¡ª¡ª ¡°Gods, what¡¯s happening here?¡± ¡°Who is that boy?¡± ¡°Or what, rather?¡± The town buzzed with raised voices. Helen could hear them clearly, even those furthest from the shore. Some, foolishly, had come closer again, as if they¡¯d lost their fear of the monster. Helen burned to add her voice to theirs, to shout: That¡¯s Lord Max, champion of Ares himself, god of war. A savior, a true hero. Like in the legends. But in the end, she bit her tongue. Helen wanted to be helpful and obedient. If Max wanted that known, he would have proclaimed it when he tried to bargain for a ship and crew in his fight against the serpent. Surely that would have persuaded them to help him, wouldn¡¯t it? For some reason, it was a secret. She didn¡¯t need to know why. Helen would simply obey. ¡ª¡ª Torrents of acidic blood rained down every second. It was like a damned waterfall. Even so, the great wounded serpent didn¡¯t retreat. How much pain and rage were in those howls? To what extent was it aware that it had been placed here only to die, to serve as a stepping stone for another being? Max raised the sword made from serpent scales. The monster roared as if to affirm its existence. Max roared as if to crush it. He watched the sword slicing through the air in slow motion. This would be his final attack if he missed. Two minutes, at most, he had promised. So if he failed, the barrier would fall immediately, and those enormous teeth would tear him apart before he could blink. This new chance, this miracle, was all riding on a single strike. It was the only thing he could do at this point. The opportunity to regret had long passed. In any case, he should be worrying about Helen, not his own life. He had already lived his life¡ªlong or short, it didn¡¯t matter. And unlike hers, his had been happy. Comparatively, it had been happy. He wasn¡¯t going to let her lose him. Max... Won. What a spectacle. The serpent¡¯s head detached from its neck and flew over ten meters before landing and sinking into the water. Acidic blood bubbled at the impact site, like oxygen bubbles from a poor soul on the brink of drowning. The rest of the body followed the head swiftly, displacing a massive amount of water. The boat was carried by the tide to the shore as a result. Max wasn¡¯t. He stayed roughly in the same spot, admiring his work. If he had felt powerful before, now he had no words to describe it. He had defeated a monster, like in the legends, straight out of the fantasy stories he loved to read. The same went for the orcs, of course, for all those damned bastards. But he hadn¡¯t enjoyed it. At first, a little, but it had been too intense and dark to truly enjoy after that. He wanted to scream, to howl, damn it, like a wolf. He had done it when no one had believed he could. No one, well, except Helen. Even she had likely had her doubts. In any case, he wanted to howl like a wolf at the moon. And what exactly was stopping him? What was preventing him from proclaiming his victory like some kind of animal? Nothing, no one. Adrenaline coursed through his veins after escaping death¡¯s clutches so many times in such a short span. He felt happy, euphoric, of course. That should have been a sign that it wouldn¡¯t last. Before he could even reach the shore and take Helen in his arms, give her a strong hug and deep kisses, grateful to be alive, grateful not to have died with the crushing weight of leaving her alone in the world on his shoulders, something happened. The water¡¯s surface rippled, and for a few heart-stopping seconds, Max thought he hadn¡¯t finished off that bitch after all, that even decapitation hadn¡¯t been enough. It wasn¡¯t that, but he wasn¡¯t sure the reality was much better. Where the great serpent had been moments before, now stood a man, floating. No, standing on the water as if it were solid ground, barefoot and shirtless, his chest covered in strange tattoos. If they had any meaning, Max didn¡¯t recognize them at all. ¡°If you¡¯re the cavalry,¡± Max said, ¡°tell your boss you¡¯re late, way too late.¡± Of course, Max was just joking. As he observed the newcomer, he had time to reach the shore and position himself in front of Helen. Now he placed her behind him. He didn¡¯t want the newcomer to even look at her, because there was no need to know anything more than his gaze. Just seeing that was more than enough to know they were enemies and that would never change, no matter how much they were strangers. And in this, their first encounter, for one reason or another, they were destined to kill each other. This is the master, Max thought, the one pulling the strings of that damned creature. I guess I should say ¡°handling the reins.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no ordinary mortal,¡± the man said. He dipped a hand into the water and drew out a completely transparent trident. How could it not be, since it was made of water? ¡°Who are you? Or better yet, what are you?¡± ¡°I could ask you the same question.¡± The man chuckled softly. Max hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d told a damn joke. ¡°It should be obvious,¡± the man finally replied. ¡°This trident, the creature you just killed, the ability to walk on water, and the simple fact that I am who I am. I don¡¯t know what realm you¡¯re from, but you should know me. Look around you. Everyone else does.¡± Max realized it was true. They were shocked and frightened, but not because they didn¡¯t know who the hell this man was¡ªquite the opposite. But I¡¯m not from this world, Max thought. ¡°Well? Are you going to answer me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ronan, champion of Poseidon. Now it¡¯s your turn, stranger.¡± Max smiled, taking a step forward. His entire body hurt like hell, but just like with the fight against those wolves and the orcs, his health points should have been restored again. He wasn¡¯t an ordinary human. He had no reason to doubt. ¡°I¡¯m Max, champion of Ares.¡± Welcome to the True Man’s World – 1.12 Welcome to the True Man¡¯s World ¨C 1.12 That was something they hadn¡¯t expected. Voices rose again behind him and around him. "Of Ares, the god of war himself?" "I don¡¯t believe it." It wasn¡¯t as if there was much noise around, so he could catch their voices easily. The only obstacle was the cacophony they created. But if he missed something, it wasn¡¯t of much importance anyway. They were simply shocked and scared out of their minds at the idea of being so close to a fight between champions of gods¡ªopposing gods at that. War and the sea had much to do with each other, but only in an elemental sense. Fire and water. In any case, just because Ronan was Poseidon¡¯s chosen champion, now they were destined to fight to the death. How absurd. How utterly absurd. But that was his new world, his new reality. The sooner he got used to it, the better. In his old life, he had already wasted too much time. If it were up to him, he wouldn¡¯t waste a single second now. "You¡¯re not going to tell me what Ares wants, why he put you here, or how he found a replacement so quickly," Ronan said, "so there¡¯s only one way to resolve this." He adopted a combat stance. Max did the same, gripping the sword with both hands, taking a deep breath, steeling his strength and courage. Whatever happened, Ronan wouldn¡¯t back down. He couldn¡¯t be convinced otherwise. So Max decided to provoke him. "Actually, you have another option. You can turn around and get the hell out of here. Back to wherever you came from." Even if I wanted to tell you, Max thought, I have no idea what Ares intends¡ªif he has any goal beyond pure amusement. In any case, the best move was to act as if he had the answers, as if he knew. There was no point in showing weakness or uncertainty. Because, as he had said, Ronan wouldn¡¯t back down. And certainly not now. "Max," said Helen, behind him. He could feel one of her hands on the cold metal of his armor. A trembling hand. Without a doubt, the girl must have feared for her life when she saw him fight the serpent. But surely, she had thought the champion of the god of war couldn¡¯t be defeated by such a beast. She must have felt more confidence in him than she should have. But now he was face to face with someone blessed like him. That changed things. It was natural for her to feel more fear than before. He felt it too. The great white serpent had been a mission, but he wasn¡¯t sure if this was part of the plan. If this was a battle he was supposed to win. "You¡¯re not going to make it easy for me to please my lord Poseidon, so no, I can¡¯t." Ronan smiled sardonically. "The only option I truly have is to bring him your head as a trophy." He said it as casually as if it were something he did every day. And maybe it was. This world was dark and cruel. It forgave neither the slightest mistake nor the smallest stroke of bad luck. In his brief stay in this world, if Max had learned anything, it was that.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. It made him want to ask: Are you like me? If Ronan was also someone from another world, granted power and a second chance, he had certainly adapted quickly to this one. But if he wasn¡¯t, asking would only make Max seem crazy and reveal too much at the same time. So he kept his mouth shut. "Come here," Ronan said. "Here? You mean into the water? Sure, no problem." "You don¡¯t have a way to walk on water? You must be very new. In any case, I didn¡¯t feel like destroying this town, but what will be, will be." Ronan walked to the shore. Max charged at him, sword raised over his head. A wall of water rose behind Ronan. Once or twice, Max had read that, contrary to what movies showed, falling into water wasn¡¯t very safe. When you reached a certain speed, it was like hitting a concrete wall. He had always wondered what would happen if the water came at you instead. He was about to find out violently. Maybe he was fast enough now to dodge that torrent. He was wrong. The force of the impact felt like being struck by a gigantic hammer in the chest. The air was knocked out of his lungs. And before he realized it, his feet no longer touched the ground. He flew backward, ten meters, maybe more, before landing again. "You¡¯re nothing but a rookie," Ronan said. "Killing you will be so easy I won¡¯t enjoy it. Blame your bad luck, kid, or the god who sent you here to die." "You arrogant bastard," Max growled through clenched teeth. "You¡¯ve only landed one hit. It¡¯s too soon to start celebrating." "Oh, really? Then get up. Come on, what are you waiting for?" Max gritted his teeth. Yes, the difference between them was clear, but that didn¡¯t mean he was going to throw in the towel. He stood up. It wasn¡¯t easy¡ªhis whole body hurt¡ªbut he managed it. He wondered how many of his strikes Ronan could withstand. How close he was to leveling up. Then he realized he hadn¡¯t received the notification that the mission to kill the white serpent was complete, along with the rewards he should have earned, despite even the serpent-scale sword disappearing from his hands. The serpent couldn¡¯t be more dead, yet the mission wasn¡¯t finished. That meant Ronan was the true final boss of this quest. The damn master of that creature. What a first quest you¡¯ve thrown at me, Max thought. Ares, you son of a bitch! It seems you don¡¯t want me to succeed. Champion, my ass! More like a jester. "You can¡¯t even stand on your own two feet!" Ronan said. "I understand the desperation. The desire to defy the inevitable. But you¡¯re nothing to me, Max Miller. Just a fly. And I¡¯m going to crush you. Why resist? Why prolong the inevitable?" Max spat on the ground and flipped him off. He might not be the strongest, the most experienced, the smartest, or the most skilled. But in one thing, no one could beat him: willpower. He wouldn¡¯t let anyone break his will. "Fine. Have it your way." Ronan traced lines across the water¡¯s surface with his trident. Droplets of water rose, forming stalactite-like projectiles¡ªspears¡ªthat shot toward Max at bullet speed. Or so it seemed. He saw them coming, but reacting properly... he did it. He gritted his teeth, planted his feet firmly, and raised his sword to cover his head and neck, the most vital areas. None of the bullets hit him, but he couldn¡¯t take all the credit. He realized it instantly, and he knew Ronan would notice and wouldn¡¯t let it go. Helen had saved him again, applying that protective barrier. Unfortunately, she had attracted that bastard¡¯s attention in the process. Those dead, fish-like eyes turned toward her: an elf with delusions of heroism. The bastard started walking toward her. "Don¡¯t you dare touch her!" Max shouted, running faster than he ever had. He deflected several attacks with his sword¡ªmore water projectiles. In the end, a tentacle caught him by the ankle, pulling him down and knocking him over. Max gasped, growled, frustrated. He bit his tongue. He was dragged across the ground and hurled far away. He stretched his free hand toward Helen, as if he could reach her and pull her to him, but she was too far away. He lost sight of her when his fall was stopped by a wall. He crashed into a house, bringing down a cloud of dust and rapidly expanding debris. He gasped, coughed, roared. The pain was nothing, the shadow of a shadow. He ran back outside, desperate, his heart pounding in his throat. Welcome to the True Man’s World – 1.13 Welcome to the True Man¡¯s World ¨C 1.13 Max rushed out of the building as fast as he could, panting with desperation and rage¡ªmostly rage. He couldn¡¯t be too late; he couldn¡¯t allow this, this to happen. Not in any way. The first thing he saw made his heart leap into his throat. "Get your hands off her!" he shouted, not stopping for even a second. Ronan had reached Helen and was holding her by the neck, lifting her a few centimeters off the ground. She looked so small and vulnerable, especially with how effortlessly he handled her. It seemed as though he could snap her neck with the same ease he would break a staff. And he probably could, because this being wasn¡¯t human¡ªhe was far more powerful. Max could feel it; he didn¡¯t need to see Ronan¡¯s level or anything like that. It was obvious at a glance. "An elf," Ronan said without even glancing in Max¡¯s direction. "For a supposedly peaceful people, you¡¯ve always been tied to Ares, one way or another. Even a little girl like this one takes to brainwashing quickly. For your sake, I¡¯ll send you to Hades sooner." Ronan raised his trident. Max lunged at him, roaring, in a leap that covered over ten meters and surprised even himself. He screamed as though trying to tear his throat raw, like a wild animal. Sword in front of him. He couldn¡¯t let this happen. She trusted him. She had placed her faith in him. For someone to do that, he couldn¡¯t let them down. Damn it, that wouldn¡¯t be right. What would be the point of this new beginning if he just repeated the same mistakes? He had to save her. He had to. But he didn¡¯t even make it to her. A water tentacle grabbed his ankle. Again. And another struck his side with enough force to send him back to the shore. The landing on the sand was rough. Probably even rougher because of the armor he wore. Or maybe not. Either way, damn, it hurt. Max gritted his teeth. Not unbearably, but enough to feel it. "Take your filthy hands off her, you bastard!" Max muttered, trying to get up. "What the hell is wrong with you, you piece of shit? She¡¯s a child, for God¡¯s sake. She¡¯s just a child." He could feel Ronan¡¯s gaze boring into him. "And you care? You? The champion of the God of War. His avatar, so to speak. You, of all people?" Max spat on the ground. There was more blood than saliva, and on the sand, it was glaringly obvious. Even turning to glare at that bastard took effort. "Yes, I care, damn it. I¡¯m going to kill you. You¡¯ve left me no choice but to kill you anyway. But if you so much as harm her, I¡¯ll rip your goddamn guts out, you animal." He saw Ronan begin to apply pressure to the arm holding Helen. In fact, he felt it even before it happened. That¡¯s why he had time to brandish his sword. The blade tore through skin effortlessly. It sank into flesh like a butcher¡¯s axe. He noticed immediately that Ronan bled surprisingly little, but he didn¡¯t give it much thought. He wasn¡¯t exactly in his right mind, and what did he know about how people should bleed? Either way, it weakened the bastard¡¯s grip. But Max didn¡¯t escape unscathed. The armor he wore was undoubtedly high quality, but apparently not high enough. After a few hits, a water tentacle managed to stab him in the shoulder well before he could cut off the arm. Now he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d ever manage it. Groaning, Max fell to one knee. The thought that from the outside, it might look like he was kneeling before that damn scum set his blood ablaze, as though someone had poured a damn truckload of gasoline into his veins. "Max¡­" Helen whispered through clenched teeth, struggling to pry Ronan¡¯s fingers apart, just enough to slip out of his grasp. And if she couldn¡¯t manage that, at least doing what she could to keep him from crushing her throat. And also to talk, stupid, she thought, to tell you¡­ You know what she¡¯s going to say. You know her well enough, even though you haven¡¯t spent a whole day together. She¡¯s going to say... "It''s fine," Helen muttered, "I don''t care, I don''t care. You leave, leave, please." But even though she tried to be strong, tears ran down her cheeks, and her small body trembled. Her desire to protect him with that small body felt sacred. I¡¯m not going anywhere. I won¡¯t. Helen closed her eyes, seemingly giving up. "How touching!" Ronan said as more water tentacles emerged from the sea. Fingers turned into half a dozen before Max could blink. How many more could that bastard summon? How many could he control at once? "Fuck you! You¡¯re an inhuman piece of trash, nothing but filth, and you¡¯re going to die like the garbage you are." "I¡¯d say I¡¯d like to see you try, but I think you already have, and this is the result." Ronan extracted the sword from his arm with the trident. Max swung it again now that it was free, ignoring the pain in his shattered shoulder and the tentacle still writhing inside, rubbing salt into the wound. Figuratively speaking. Well, it was almost literal. Ronan aimed for Max¡¯s eyes, taking advantage of his moment of weakness. Max managed to dodge it, even at such close range, and stabbed his sword into Ronan¡¯s unprotected stomach. It didn¡¯t go in all the way to the hilt; it wasn¡¯t a fatal wound, but still. "He¡¯s bleeding far too little," Max thought, and then he was slammed to the ground, as if by an invisible hand. The weight of the water was overwhelming, and he felt like he couldn¡¯t breathe. "Max!" Helen screamed. "Do everyone a favor and die," Ronan said, cold and calm like the sea. Max got back up again. Somehow, he found the energy to perform that feat. His whole body hurt. He felt like he was missing a tooth, and there was more blood than saliva in his mouth. But he did it. He wasn¡¯t going to give up, no matter what, not as long as he had a chance to fight. He¡¯d sworn that to himself. And he owed it to Helen. He owed it to her. If he¡¯d already left this town, if he¡¯d ignored her, if he¡¯d left her behind to search for a better place and a less suicidal mission, they wouldn¡¯t be in this situation. Helen wouldn¡¯t be in danger. Who knows? Maybe they¡¯d have already found an elven tribe, and she¡¯d be relaxed and feeling at home, with her people trying to heal the wounds she¡¯d suffered in this nightmare of a day. So he owed it to her. He owed it. "Seeing is believing," Ronan said, shaking his head. "No matter what happens, you get up again and again, like a cockroach. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. It¡¯s a shame it won¡¯t do you any good, but¡­" Ronan frowned because something had changed. The sea level, from which he drew his power, was dropping rapidly. Whether from surprise or because he no longer cared, Ronan let go of Helen, letting her fall. Max immediately rushed to her, embracing her, shielding her. The outside world was chaotic and cruel. He had to protect her. "What the hell is happening?" Ronan murmured. "Have I offended my lord Poseidon? No, that can¡¯t be." His gaze shifted back to them, landing specifically on Helen.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "You, girl. You¡¯re doing this, as unthinkable as it seems, aren¡¯t you? I don¡¯t believe it. Undo whatever spell you¡¯ve cast or¡­" Max didn¡¯t let him finish the sentence. Without blinking, in less than a tenth of a second, Max cut off his right arm up to the elbow. No, a little higher. This time, he bled like a geyser, a veritable shower of blood. He saw the arm fall into the rapidly expanding pool of blood. And Max smiled. Yes, he smiled. He even laughed a little. "You son of a bitch! You son of a bitch!" Ronan growled. Max stopped wasting time. He launched himself at him. The sword didn¡¯t reach its destination. It clashed against a small shield of water, formed quickly to protect Ronan''s head. Max gritted his teeth, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and pushed with all the weight of his body, with every ounce of strength he had left. He pierced through the water shield as if it were made of paper, but it served its purpose, at least deflecting his blow. Instead of hitting Ronan''s head, the sword plunged into the creature¡¯s left shoulder, dangerously close to the neck. But in moments like this, it wasn¡¯t about "close" or "far." It was about "yes" or "no." Max pulled out the sword. He prepared to strike again. Ronan jumped back, diving backward into the water¡ªwhich, judging by the situation, wasn¡¯t going to last much longer. Max was about to chase after him when he heard the sound of a body hitting the ground. He told himself it couldn¡¯t be Helen; she¡¯d already fallen and gotten back up. But he turned around anyway and saw what he already knew. She had gotten up, but it hadn¡¯t been enough. She had collapsed again, and now she was gasping for air as though something was terribly wrong. Damn it, Helen needed medical attention. But it wasn¡¯t as if the son of a bitch he was fighting would let him go and get it for her. That¡¯s what Max thought¡ªonce again, he was wrong. Ronan was retreating, swimming away with his tail between his legs¡ªwell, swimming with one arm missing¡ªknowing Helen had weakened him and could do it again. Apparently, he¡¯d lost the will to fight. Cowardly bastard, come back so I can castrate you. That¡¯s what Max wanted to shout but bit his tongue instead. He turned his back on the fleeing enemy and headed toward Helen, kneeling by her side. That¡¯s when a notification appeared. He knew what it would say before his eyes registered it. It was the one thing whose absence he had noticed during the frenzied battle. Side quest: Defeat the Great White Serpent. Completed. Then, another notification: LEVEL UP! And another: LEVEL UP! He was now level four, with ten attribute points to spend and four skill points. But none of that mattered right now. Max picked Helen up in his arms and stood. "This girl needs a doctor," Max said, his voice trembling, hoping it wasn¡¯t obvious. "She needs a doctor." He repeated himself, unsure why. Maybe because he expected the reaction. The crowd was watching, but no one stepped forward to help. There was so much silence. Were they really going to go this far just because she was an elf? Max clenched his teeth. He felt like turning his sword on these people¡ªreal monsters too. "Thanks for saving your miserable, shitty town. Hope you end up having to tear it down and go screw yourselves somewhere else. Good luck, assholes." Max bit his lower lip. None of what he wanted to say would help, but nothing he could say would help either. It was a lost cause, even before he arrived here. Deep down, he had known it before asking for help. I shouldn¡¯t have insisted on going after the serpent, he thought. I shouldn¡¯t have. We shouldn¡¯t be here. Helen was unconscious now, so whatever spell she had used had dissipated. Apparently, that¡¯s how it worked, because the water level had stopped dropping. Funny how the human brain could focus on such trivial details sometimes. Fine, that was great. But what did that have to do with him? Nothing. Max took a deep breath and prepared to leave. Just then, as if sensing it, a woman stepped forward, hands clasped over her heart. "You said your name is Max Miller, right?" Get to the point and don¡¯t waste my damn time. Can¡¯t you see how bad she looks? he thought. He simply replied: "Yes, that¡¯s me. And?" Well, the case is that... Lord Miller, follow me. I can show you where they might take a look at her. Lord Miller, he repeated in his head. What madness. But he merely nodded solemnly and began to follow her. The tide of people parted as they passed; no one wanted to get in their way, no one dared to come too close. It was natural. He had demonstrated his power not once, but twice in succession. Keeping his promise, slaying the great white serpent, would have been impressive enough to leave them trembling with fear. But then there was the fact that he had repelled another god''s champion, someone like him. Not defeated, not slain, not even close, but he had prevailed, and that counted for a great deal. He was not the war god''s lackey here; rather, they made him feel like a god among mere mortals. Not in a good way, if there even was one. The fear, the distrust, and, worst of all, the strange adoration in many of their eyes made it clear. As if he were now a completely different person from before, when they had spat in his face in exchange for all his efforts to destroy the white serpent and free them from that enormous burden. Max followed the woman in silence. He didn¡¯t know what else to do. None of this was a pleasant sensation, to be sure, but he couldn¡¯t care less. As long as the woman was truly leading him to someone who could help Helen, as long as the girl survived, he had come too far to fail now. One enemy was dead, the other had fled with his tail between his legs, and he wouldn''t see him for a long time, if ever. There were no obstacles, so it was a matter of luck. Luck depended on what was happening to Helen, whether there was still time to find help, and whether someone nearby had the skills to help her. His arms trembled. Max took a deep breath and forced himself to steady. Helen might be unconscious, but she depended on him. He couldn¡¯t show weakness when she needed him. Besides, he was afraid of dropping her if he lost control and started shaking more than he already was. She led him to an intact building, of course. The fight, though it had felt eternal to him, hadn¡¯t lasted long. Only one building had a broken wall, and Ronanno had unleashed the full extent of his destructive powers. Of that, Max had no doubt. The villagers had been lucky. How it would infuriate him if they were the only ones who benefitted from that luck¡ªthe ones who least deserved it. He looked down at Helen, curled up in his arms, still clutching her staff tightly. So tightly that her knuckles had turned white, even though she was unconscious. Helen was fighting in her own way. That had to mean there was hope. That had to mean that... Helen¡¯s eyes opened. Not fully, but they opened. His heart leapt into his throat. He swallowed hard. ¡°A village healer can¡¯t do anything for me, Mr. Max,¡± she said in a faint voice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Max asked. ¡°Then what can I do for you? Helen?¡± he pressed when she didn¡¯t answer for too long. He couldn¡¯t let her fall unconscious. Not yet. He shouldn¡¯t let her fall unconscious at all, he thought, knowing how hard¡ªif not impossible¡ªthat would be. The next time, she might not wake up. ¡°This has to do with my magic, nothing more,¡± Helen said. ¡°I feel almost empty. If I...¡± ¡°What? What is it? I¡¯ll do whatever it takes.¡± Helen shook her head. Tears welled in her eyes. ¡°No, no.¡± Max couldn¡¯t understand it. There was a way to help her, and she was refusing to tell him. Why? She had seen what he was capable of. Surely, she wasn¡¯t afraid for his life, was she? ¡°Helen, please, no matter what it is, I¡¯ll do it. It can¡¯t be worse than staying silent and letting yourself die.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dying,¡± Helen replied. That should have reassured him, except for the fact that he wasn¡¯t sure he believed her. ¡°I might become magically useless if there¡¯s no timely intervention, but dying is... unlikely.¡± ¡°Unlikely. That doesn¡¯t mean impossible. Tell me what it is and let¡¯s be done with it.¡± Helen closed her eyes. Her trembling worsened. The unshed tears spilled over. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t want to. If I do, you¡¯ll leave me.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I need you to take me to my kind, to some tribe of elves. But if you take me there, you¡¯ll leave me there, thinking it¡¯s what¡¯s best for me,¡± the girl said, her voice barely audible. ¡°I know it. I know you will.¡± Max wanted to say many things. For example, he wanted to convince her she had nothing to fear, that he would never abandon her. But, as Ares¡¯ chosen, he was destined for a life full of battles, of life-and-death situations. It was hard not to think she¡¯d be better off without him. He didn¡¯t want to lie to her. Not now, not like this. ¡°Helen, would you really do that? Lose your magic? Risk even death just so I¡¯d stay with you?¡± ¡°You already know. I have no one else. My father, my mother... I¡¯m alone. I don¡¯t know why you think leaving me with strangers would be better, just because they have pointy ears like me. Damn it.¡± Max sighed. ¡°Alright, Helen.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You win.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You win,¡± he repeated. ¡°If you guide me to a tribe of elves so they can help you, so they can make sure you¡¯re alright, I promise that when I leave, you¡¯ll be with me. Okay?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me? You¡¯re not just saying what I want to hear?¡± ¡°No. You shouldn¡¯t come with me. I¡¯ll be honest with you. A moment ago, you almost died because of me. Fighting my battles. That¡¯s going to keep happening. You shouldn¡¯t, but if that¡¯s what you want, I accept you.¡± Max cupped her cheeks, wiping her tears with the tip of a finger. He had completely forgotten about their surroundings, about the small audience they had. The sounds of the village barely reached his ears. Helen opened her eyes again, sniffled, and nodded very slowly, deliberately. ¡°Thank you,¡± the little girl said for condemning her to a life of danger and suffering. ¡°Thank you. Please, don¡¯t ever leave me alone.¡± Big Brother & Little Sister – 2.1 Big Brother & Little Sister ¨C 2.1 They left that cursed fishing village called Ethos after solving their damned problem with just a small show of basic human decency, not that it had helped much either. Max followed Helen''s directions. He didn¡¯t know where anything was, after all. Though he had secretly tried calling Ares a few times, the god didn¡¯t respond. He didn¡¯t care. Just as he¡¯d said, he was letting him roam free, or so it seemed. Well, Max supposed that was for the best. He didn¡¯t want Ares to take too much interest in him. The god was asking too many questions. Naturally, Helen asked where Max was from. He simply replied, "From very far away," and the girl let it go. Understandable. She was sweet, an angel. Besides, she wasn¡¯t in any state to worry about trivialities like that. She had more pressing matters to deal with, and little room to think about anything else. Sooner or later, she might start to suspect something was off¡ªthough she might even imagine he was from another world. But for now, it didn¡¯t matter. Anyway, was there any reason to hide it from her? He supposed not, but everything in due time. Everything in due time. He traveled the rest of the day carrying her, chatting lightly and saying all kinds of nonsense, mainly to give her something to focus on, something to keep her conscious. She wasn¡¯t getting better. It didn¡¯t seem like she was getting worse, either, but she wasn¡¯t recovering. Night fell. Max decided to keep moving for now. He couldn¡¯t let the girl camp out in the open. He didn¡¯t know how much farther the next human settlement was¡ªjust that the nearest tribe Helen knew of, Clorestal, was still far away. He had some money, his payment for slaying the serpent. Not much, because those damn villagers couldn¡¯t afford much, but it should be enough to pay for a night¡¯s lodging. ¡°Max¡­¡± Helen murmured, her eyes half-closed. ¡°Yes, sweetheart?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dark now. Let¡¯s camp.¡± ¡°In your condition¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dark,¡± she repeated. ¡°What other option do we have? Besides, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine. Not enough to walk on my own yet, but I won¡¯t die just from spending a night out here.¡± Helen took a deep breath. ¡°On the contrary. You know¡­¡± You know, Max thought. What do I know? Oh, right. Elves liked nature. They lived in and from it. Thanks to Tolkien, that was generally a constant in fiction. Apparently, in this world, too. ¡°Well, okay, if you¡¯re sure.¡± Helen said nothing more, which was like a nod. She closed her eyes¡ªnot unconscious again, just conserving her strength. Max found a spot that looked decent enough, at least as far as he could tell, and carefully propped her up against a tree trunk. If only he had a blanket or something to cover her with. He stood up. It was cold. Not terrible, though maybe he didn¡¯t feel it too much because he was sweaty and clad in armor. But still, it was cold. The little one would feel it more. He should probably make a fire. Or try to. Not that he knew how. He¡¯d never had a reason to learn survival skills in the world he¡¯d lived in¡ªthe normal world. It had never been necessary. He¡¯d been privileged, though he hadn¡¯t felt that way at the time. Max bit his lower lip, pensive. Even in the dark, he could gather enough wood to make a small fire. At least enough to keep Helen warm through the cold, dark night.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Leaving aside whether it was a good idea or not¡ªwhether it might attract predators or monsters from this fantasy world¡ªhe could gather the wood. But the fire¡­ how was he going to light the fire? He had no idea where to start. He wasn¡¯t a damn Boy Scout. Max opened his mouth as if to tell Helen he was sorry, that he knew it was terrible, but she¡¯d have to help him if she wanted to stay warm. What a dreadful idea. He dismissed it as quickly as it had flickered in his mind. It didn¡¯t matter that he had no clue what to do. He had to figure it out. He was alone now, without his friends¡ªwhether real or fake¡ªwithout his mother, without anyone to depend on, to handle the things he couldn¡¯t. Now, he was that someone. The one who had to take care of such tasks, no matter what. Max took a deep breath and went to play lumberjack. With this sword, he had killed that enormous serpent; a little wood wasn¡¯t going to be a problem. And it wasn¡¯t. He quickly gathered a decent pile. As for the quality of the wood itself, he couldn¡¯t really say, but at least it would burn. Max left the good pile he had gathered on the ground near Helen, but not too close, of course. Come on, Max, he thought, don¡¯t be a damn idiot. Sure, you¡¯re useless, you¡¯ve never been camping, you have no skills that apply here¡­ but you¡¯ve seen plenty of movies. How hard can rubbing a stick be? Max resolved to find out. He crouched down and quickly began rubbing a stick between his hands, with one end pressed into the center of the woodpile. He prayed for it to catch fire, even if the flames attracted predators. Max was willing to stay awake the rest of the night, keeping watch over the little one. He wasn¡¯t going to sleep anyway, too worried and terrified at the thought she might be dead by morning. Dead because of him. A little girl. An innocent who had barely begun to live. He had to do better. He had to get it right¡ªdo everything as it should be done. He didn¡¯t make much progress with the stick and the fire. He was starting to get fed up. If he kept this up, he¡¯d break the stick before managing even the tiniest spark. How was it possible he couldn¡¯t even get a spark? Listening to Helen¡¯s slow but heavy breathing, he felt more frustrated with himself and guiltier with each passing moment. Not just because he couldn¡¯t do something so simple, but because he couldn¡¯t help her. She had already done so much for him. Max looked away from the fire, thinking about everything that had happened. He felt useless. ¡°Mr. Max,¡± Helen whispered. She wanted to whisper because she was afraid some creature might emerge from the forest, drawn by the sounds of human voices, the rubbing stick, and all. Maybe she was simply too weak to speak louder. ¡°What is it, Helen?¡± Max replied without looking up from his task. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Max¡¯s cheeks burned. He had never felt so humiliated, so small, childish, and foolish. ¡°It¡¯s not okay for you to stay cold, Helen. You¡¯re already sick. If you catch a cold on top of it¡­ well, you¡¯re already sick, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just exhaustion,¡± she muttered. ¡°I overdid it. I can manage one night, Mr. Max, really.¡± ¡°You can¡­ and you will, but only after I get this fire going. You need warmth, surely. I don¡¯t want you catching cold. Just let me try a little longer. I¡¯ll figure it out. Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t call me Mr. Max, okay? And stop being so formal. I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m not that much older than you.¡± Helen tilted her head curiously. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Early twenties. Whatever.¡± ¡°Double my age, at least. Probably.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you told me yours.¡± ¡°Oh, no, I didn¡¯t tell you? I forgot. I¡¯m twelve years old, sir.¡± Twelve years old? My God. So young¡­ ¡°I think maybe you did tell me. So much has happened in such a short time¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Just¡­ stop calling me ¡®mister,¡¯ okay? And all that. I don¡¯t deserve your respect, Helen.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Helen¡¯s voice rose several octaves. ¡°That¡¯s not true. You¡¯re a hero. You saved my life¡ªand from something much worse.¡± Max swallowed hard, overwhelmed. Tears filled his eyes. I know, I know. But I didn¡¯t save your mother. Of course, he couldn¡¯t say that out loud. He couldn¡¯t hit Helen with that. So he nodded slowly. ¡°But it¡¯s my fault you¡¯re like this. It¡¯s my fault.¡± Helen shook her head, looking at him firmly. ¡°You¡¯re not to blame for anything.¡± ¡°I could¡¯ve left. I could¡¯ve walked away. But I had to insist on that damned suicide mission.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re a hero. Even knowing how dangerous it was, you couldn¡¯t ignore people in danger. You just felt like doing the right thing. You¡¯re a hero, Mr. Max.¡± Max looked away again, fighting back tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Helen. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m really worried, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°I know. And that¡¯s wonderful, too.¡± After a while, as Max kept trying to make fire, a spark appeared. He almost couldn¡¯t believe it. He chuckled softly and then slumped against the tree trunk, sitting next to Helen and giving her a half-hug. ¡°I did it¡­ I did it. Just close your eyes. Rest, okay?¡± Max stroked her hair. ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch. I promise. You¡¯re safe with me.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Helen replied simply, as if the mere idea of doubting it was impossible. Big Brother & Little Sister – 2.2 Big Brother & Little Sister ¨C 2.2 Truth be told, Max was terrified of letting her sleep, even though he intended to stay awake, eyes wide open, alert for any sign of her condition worsening. But Helen had insisted it wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought, that the risk of death was minimal. Besides, she was tired and wanted to rest. If she felt that bad, she¡¯d try to hold onto consciousness. And well, rest was important. Perhaps depriving her of sleep all night would make things worse. So, despite his fear, he did nothing as she slowly succumbed to the embrace of Morpheus. Considering the kind of world I¡¯m in, he thought, I suppose Morpheus must be real. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant thought. Dwelling on it too much would only lead to paranoia. Helen was already asleep against his chest. Her breathing was steady but slow. She looked a bit pale, but, all things considered, she wasn¡¯t as bad as she could have been. If anything changed¡ªher breathing, her heartbeat¡ªhe¡¯d notice it immediately in this position. He¡¯d be able to react instantly, though what he could actually do, he didn¡¯t know. But he¡¯d notice. Max licked his lips. It was stressful. There was no way he¡¯d be able to sleep. Helen¡¯s fate wasn¡¯t even what stressed him the most, though admitting that made him feel a little guilty. The giant white serpent, that terrifying fight, how close he¡¯d been to death. Ronan, still alive, one arm or not. Gares¡¯ plans for him¡ªhe probably had some, beyond mere entertainment. And Poseidon¡¯s plans, even worse. He¡¯d killed a sea beast and nearly decapitated Poseidon¡¯s champion. What if they made a move against him? There were too many things to think about. Watching the darkness for animals was the least of it. For example, there was the fact that he¡¯d completed his assigned quest, killing the giant white serpent and defeating Ronan. He¡¯d earned experience points and level-ups, points he hadn¡¯t yet allocated to attributes or skills. There was no doubt he hadn¡¯t failed. However, the quest had promised a legendary sword and armor as a reward. He felt like he¡¯d read that notification ages ago, but he hadn¡¯t forgotten. He was sure he remembered correctly. A sword and armor had been promised, but there was nothing legendary about what he¡¯d received. And he¡¯d earned it on his own. What the hell was going on? Things were already hard enough without Ares screwing him over, being stingy with rewards, deceiving him. "Maybe it¡¯s because we defeated Namor, but I didn¡¯t kill him. Maybe it¡¯s that," he said aloud. "Anyway, I¡¯m not going to figure it out now." He glanced at Helen to make sure he hadn¡¯t woken her, though he hadn¡¯t spoken loudly. She was still sleeping peacefully against his chest. Good. She needed to stay that way. He had to protect her. He had to grow stronger, take Ares¡¯ throne, so the other gods and their champions couldn¡¯t mess with him. Max opened the system screens, ready to distribute his experience points. He still wasn¡¯t clear on the difference between Constitution and Endurance, so he put one point in each. As for skill points, he tried to invest them in his sole skill: Class: Sword of the God of War. Skill: Sword of the God of War. Ares hadn¡¯t been too creative with the names. Or whatever. The skill had two phases. How many more, he didn¡¯t know, but he had no idea how to unlock a third. The system wouldn¡¯t let him spend his points on it. Max clicked his tongue. "This damn system. If only I could read the manual."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. It was frustrating. Really, maddening. But he hadn¡¯t expected it to work, anyway. After all, he didn¡¯t even know how he¡¯d unlocked phase two¡ªit had just happened when he needed it most. Like a miracle. "Can it really be that convenient?" he whispered, trying to distract himself. "Ares said I could do whatever I wanted, that it was up to me. He¡¯d only give me power. Nothing else. He seemed serious. Would he really intervene in my favor? Even to mess with Poseidon¡¯s champion? And Poseidon himself by extension? I don¡¯t know. Damn it, how am I supposed to know? I just got to this damned world." He had never been interested in Greek mythology. Thus he only knew the basics. Unlike Abrahamic religions, the Greek gods were a bunch of fallible, very human assholes¡ªkilling, cheating, raping. Especially Zeus, who was infamous for fucking anything that moved. Maybe Ares had just wanted to spite Poseidon. And that¡¯s why he lent him a hand. Maybe, but he had other ideas. Max muttered, "Requirements," but nothing happened. He risked waking Helen, raising his voice slightly, and spent a while guessing similar words. No luck¡ªuntil he said, "Achievements." Another screen appeared. There it was, clear as day: Sword of the War God. Phase One: War Cry. Kill 20 orcs. Completed. Phase Two: Spoils of War. Take 800 damage. Completed. Max shivered. Not just from the night¡¯s chill¡ªit barely reached him. His armor was like a furnace. Eight hundred points. But he only had 100 health. How had he taken that much damage? How close had he come to dying? It must have accumulated since his fight with the dark wolves. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t explain it. Even then, it seemed... a lot. Below was Phase Three. There was no name, no achievement, just the requirement to unlock it: Kill more than a thousand living beings. The counter read 87/1001. He had a long way to go. But that also seemed excessive. Eighty-seven? Had he really killed that many wolves, that many orcs, coming and going from that cave? Maybe the giant serpent counted for more than one. Maybe more than ten. Damn it, whatever, Max thought. I¡¯m not going to argue with the damned system about why it shouldn¡¯t reward me, why it shouldn¡¯t give me advantages. Damn it, I sound like an idiot. Max tilted his head back, trying to find a more comfortable position. He fidgeted. She didn¡¯t seem to mind his movements. Good. Slowly, he ran his fingers through her hair, terrified even that would wake her. She looked so peaceful. Still obviously sick, but at peace. "This is going to be a long night." It wasn¡¯t the first sleepless night he¡¯d endured. Just the first he¡¯d chosen. When your own body betrays you, even sleep is often a challenge. He¡¯d always hated those long hospital nights. Thoughts drifting aimlessly¡ªunfulfilled dreams, unreachable goals, regrets, even stupider things. Like fantasies about one of the nurses, who felt nothing but pity for him. If they felt anything at all. How could he know? "This is a new life," Max said, as if trying to convince himself. "I¡¯m free, and I¡¯m healthy." All of that was true, no doubt. But it wouldn¡¯t make the night easier. Too many things to think about. Too many questions without good answers. The role he¡¯d taken on felt far too big for him. Whether he called it being a big brother or a father, it didn¡¯t fit. Helen wouldn¡¯t agree, though. "But she¡¯s just a kid. And I... I¡¯m a kid, too." The wood creaked. Sparks from the campfire danced in the night air. Occasionally, birdsong broke the silence. The flutter of wings. Beyond that, not much. Sometimes, he thought he heard things. Only thought¡ªhe was sure. Otherwise, something would have attacked by now. Normal. At a certain point, it was normal not to trust what you saw or heard. The night grew darker, as if the shadows were swelling, pulsing. Closing in, encroaching on the light¡¯s territory, step by step. He couldn¡¯t see many stars, which was a shame. Back home, he¡¯d never had the chance to truly appreciate a starry sky. And now that he could, there was nothing to see. Life was full of small and large ironies. And there was no need to tempt fate. The worst didn¡¯t happen. Helen didn¡¯t get worse¡ªhere, in the middle of this damned forest, far from civilization, with no way to help her. But perhaps the second or third worst did: people emerged from the darkness, approaching the campfire. Clearly unfriendly people. "You¡¯re making a terrible mistake," Max said. "For starters, I barely have any money on me." "I don¡¯t care," one of them said, his face naturally covered by a mask. "You have something much more valuable than a few coins." "What?" "That girl. That little elf whore. She could fill barrels of gold if we sell her to the right buyer." Max frowned. He couldn¡¯t believe what he¡¯d just heard. Well, he could. But damn, he wished he hadn¡¯t. Slowly, he stood, as if he hadn¡¯t heard a thing. Carefully, he laid Helen down where she¡¯d been. He didn¡¯t draw his sword. He already had hours ago. As he said, alert and prepared. "I¡¯m going to cut out your tongue," Max said. "And I¡¯ll make you choke on it." "Do you think this is a play, boy? You might be capable, sure. I won¡¯t doubt you¡¯re skilled with a sword. But there¡¯s a dozen of us against one of you. How long do you think it¡¯ll take us to fill you with holes, little bastard?" Max shook his head. "You have no idea. Not a damn clue." Big Brother & Little Sister – 2.3 Big Brother & Little Sister ¨C 2.3 ¡°Ah, kids always think they know everything!¡± said another man mockingly. He laughed as if he had made the best joke in the world, as if it weren¡¯t a phrase repeated to the point of nausea, but something he had come up with himself. ¡°Disgusting sons of bitches, let¡¯s do it in the forest,¡± Max said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to wake her up.¡± They approached slowly, armed with swords. ¡°In the forest? Yeah, sure, we¡¯re not idiots.¡± Max had expected that response, but still, he felt he at least had to try. However, he wasn¡¯t going to waste any more time with words. Max lunged at one of them, picking a target at random. He still had some attribute points left to distribute, but there was no time for that now. Besides, he didn¡¯t think it was necessary. They were dressed like ordinary bandits, and they would die as such. Max swung his sword. The silver gleam cut through the darkness¡ªand through one of the bastard¡¯s arms. With a single strike, it fell to the ground, accompanied by a spray of blood that gushed like a sprinkler. Max wasn¡¯t satisfied. That hadn¡¯t been his target. He had been aiming for the neck. Of course, the man screamed like a pig. Max tried to silence him and did so by slashing his throat, but not quickly enough. Helen woke up abruptly, confused and scared. She began to pant, her trembling hands reaching for the staff lying on the grass nearby. ¡°I¡¯ve got this,¡± Max shouted. Helen nodded but then pulled her hand away. She let it drop. The girl trusted him. She hadn¡¯t doubted he would defeat the giant white serpent either. He was sure of that. But just like back then, she must have been burning with a desire to help him. Maybe she had decided not to. He wasn¡¯t sure. Was it truly a sign of trust? Or, above all, was it a sign of how weak she felt? In any case, he had to finish this as quickly and efficiently as possible. Helen had already seen too much in her short life. Hopefully, she wouldn¡¯t have to see this too.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°So fast!¡± ¡°How did he move so quickly?¡± Max lunged at the next bandit, breaking his feeble guard with a sweeping strike. It only slashed the bandit¡¯s chest¡ªa superficial wound¡ªso Max drew the sword back for the killing blow. But that wasn¡¯t all he did. The bandit he had just killed had been his enemy, no doubt. Though not a threat. So Max had every right to claim the spoils of war. The blood spilled on the ground transformed into daggers, deadly projectiles. This, of course, caught them completely by surprise. The first sign was when one of them fell, screaming and clutching a severed tendon. Blood poured freely. The screaming was a damn nuisance, so Max silenced him with a dagger to the forehead. Luckily, it didn¡¯t penetrate as deeply as he had feared. He didn¡¯t want the man¡¯s head to explode, creating a gruesome sight for Helen. That was what Max thought about, not the fact that he had just killed another human being. Well, barely human. Bastards like these deserved nothing but death. Maybe they were only willing to traffic Helen and other elves, big and small, because they didn¡¯t see them as humans in the first place. But that wasn¡¯t an excuse¡ªfar from it. It was more reason to do this. More reason not to care. ¡°Shit, a mage! What fucking luck. Blood manipulation isn¡¯t even an element.¡± Max charged at his next target, firing the blood daggers overhead. The more they fell, the more blood there would be everywhere, and the more daggers he could create. Among other things, he didn¡¯t weaken as the fight progressed, tiring or nearing the limits of his strength. Quite the opposite. He was building an arsenal around him. They didn¡¯t stand a chance against him. One of them lunged at Max while he clashed swords with another. But the attacker¡¯s weapon shattered into pieces before it could even displace enough air to move Max¡¯s hair. Five blood daggers had struck the blade, causing it to explode. Max kicked the bandit in front of him, ending their sword clash, and finished off the defenseless one by decapitating him. Then he quickly turned to finish what he had started. With surprising coldness, he dragged the next bandit backward and stabbed him in the back, right above the heart. The others turned and fled with their tails between their legs. Max decided it wasn¡¯t worth chasing them. They wouldn¡¯t return, and he had nothing to gain by killing those cowards. He had already made enough of a mess here. He was grateful it was nighttime. Grateful that Helen could barely open her eyes. Not often, at least. Silence returned to the forest. Only the crackling of the fire and Helen¡¯s breathing could be heard. Max intended to return to her side, but then he noticed his armor was stained with blood. Not as disastrously as it could have been, but still quite a bit of blood. At the very least, he should wash it off. Was there a river nearby? Even a puddle? No idea. He approached Helen, kneeling on the ground, but didn¡¯t get as close as before. He didn¡¯t want to leave her covered in blood. ¡°Sorry for waking you, for making you see this.¡± Max quickly realized he was wrong. He had thought she was nervous, scared. But she was smiling. Seeing a man, nearly a stranger, in armor and a sword dripping with freshly spilled blood, Helen was smiling. Feeling safe. Big Brother & Little Sister – 2.4 Big Brother & Little Sister ¨C 2.4 They resumed their journey as soon as the sun rose. Naturally, Max hadn¡¯t slept a wink. But the same couldn¡¯t be said for Helen. She had slept better, more peacefully, and securely. He wasn¡¯t sure what to think about that. It was a bit much for him to wrap his head around. It wasn¡¯t normal, that much was certain. But did that mean it was wrong? It wasn¡¯t the same. An abnormal response to an abnormal event was probably the most natural thing, wasn¡¯t it? Even if it was a problem to solve, he wouldn¡¯t even know where to start. He wasn¡¯t a psychotherapist. The only mental health he¡¯d ever been responsible for¡ªhis own¡ªhad plummeted without remedy. Instead of improving, it had only worsened. And no matter how bad he¡¯d thought he felt back then, in that other life, Helen had gone through something much, much worse. Something for which there were no words. So, if trusting him to keep her safe, if seeing peace and security in his capacity for violence, helped her¡ªwas it really so bad? She had a right to be at peace, to feel secure. For God¡¯s sake, she was just a child. She still wasn¡¯t in a state to walk on her own. So Max carried her again. He didn¡¯t mind; it was what needed to be done, the least he could do. Besides, she weighed no more than a feather. He worried more about the people who might see her, as he wasn¡¯t doing much to hide her. To be more precise, to hide her pointed ears. They didn¡¯t need any more problems, obstacles along the way, or delays. She shouldn¡¯t have to hide or be ashamed of who she was, but maybe in the next town, he¡¯d buy her a hood. He should¡¯ve thought about that earlier, but he¡¯d been too eager to leave that damned place. He hadn¡¯t been thinking clearly. If I¡¯m even capable of that, he thought, shaking his head. In the end, he decided he was overthinking it. Max stopped and looked at Helen. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± she asked. ¡°Danger again?¡± ¡°No, not that.¡± They were alone on the road, at least for the moment. Danger and help were both still far away, though danger was always the easier to find. ¡°It¡¯s just that, Helen, I was thinking¡­ that town up ahead, whatever its name is, do you think I should go in and buy you a hood? I mean, would it be necessary to, you know, hide your ears? Look, I¡¯m not saying you have to, I just want to gauge¡­ the level of danger, you know? How much do people hate elves?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s worse in villages, in remote settlements. A lot of superstition,¡± Helen said slowly after a while. He¡¯d thought she might reply with something like, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you already know that?¡± because he should have, if he were truly a native of this world. ¡°In other places, we¡¯re not treated much better, but what happened last night¡­ something like that isn¡¯t likely to happen in broad daylight, you know?¡± ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± A lot of racism. But lynching, burning, or publicly selling them wasn¡¯t acceptable¡­ not yet, at least. The worst kind of racism was perhaps the insidious, subtle kind, the one that was much harder to fight. ¡°It¡¯s good to know they won¡¯t jump us everywhere,¡± Max said. ¡°A real relief.¡± He hadn''t hesitated to kill those bandits. But, after all, they were human trash planning to sell a girl as a sex slave to enrich themselves. Anyone in their right mind would agree they deserved to die screaming. Fighting other despicable humans¡ªnot as despicable as the bandits, but still¡ªfor her... He would do it. His hand wouldn¡¯t tremble, but he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d feel good about it. He shouldn¡¯t feel good about it. He should feel bad, maybe already shaking, remembering what happened last night. But he didn¡¯t care, and that wasn¡¯t normal either. Still, he could justify it because they¡¯d been monsters. If he had to fight and kill someone guilty mainly of ignorance, of being brainwashed by their culture... Well, that wasn¡¯t much of an excuse. But he didn¡¯t know what to think. He¡¯d deal with it all when the time came. "Sir Max..." "I already told you not to call me ''sir.'' That¡¯s not going to stop, is it?" The girl ignored him. "Really, don¡¯t worry about me. Nothing should happen, even if we don¡¯t hide my ears, if you want to make a stop there." "No, no, no. No stops. We still have a lot of daylight left and a long way to go. You said it should be close enough to walk to, but... Helen, I have another question." "Go ahead. I¡¯ll never lie to you." "Yeah, well, that¡¯s what I wanted to get to. Listen, you told me that... Why is it true? Is there some kind of rule that you can¡¯t show humans where you live? And, well, I¡¯m an exception because you trust me or something. You know... Is there a reason you don¡¯t want me to just hire a coachman and get there faster? Would that be a problem or something?" "Well, I haven¡¯t seen many elf tribes besides mine. But some might take offense. But if you want to get a carriage, well, if you find someone willing to take me, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. As long as we don¡¯t take them all the way to the entrance, you know." "I see. So it¡¯d be hard to find a coachman like that." "There are some who won¡¯t because they don¡¯t want to. Others maybe don¡¯t care about elves, but if they see an elf in their carriage, it could hurt their business. Rumors could start about them and that kind of thing." Helen shrugged. "I don¡¯t know, Sir Max. I¡¯m just a dumb little girl. These are just things my mother told me." Max mulled it over a bit. He nodded slowly. "Well, let¡¯s keep walking. If it¡¯s really not that far..." "Of course it¡¯s not. I¡¯d never lie to you, I swear." Yes, it¡¯s true, Jeren. "Hey, I don¡¯t know much about elves or this world. The thing is... I¡¯m not from this world." What reason did he have to hide it from her? Another question was whether she¡¯d believe him. But, well, here goes. Helen¡¯s eyes widened. "From another world? Oh, okay." "That easy?" "Well, magic can do all kinds of things. People can even fly, and the gods aren¡¯t exactly in our world. So it¡¯s not that far-fetched." "Wow, when you put it like that, now I feel a bit stupid for overthinking how to tell you, or whether to tell you. Do you really believe me? Just like that?" "Yes, yes, why not? Besides, it¡¯s you, Sir Max. Why would you lie to me?" There it was again. That blind faith. Max bit his lower lip. "Alright, maybe it¡¯s not that far-fetched. But I want this to stay between us, okay?" The girl nodded. "I¡¯m telling you because I don¡¯t want to lie to you. But I also need your help, for you to tell me everything I need to know." "I wish I could help you more, sir. I¡¯m just a dumb little girl," she repeated, "but I¡¯ll do what I can." "I wish you¡¯d be less formal with me. Most of the time, it makes me feel a bit weird, like you¡¯re kissing my feet." "You deserve my respect. Everything you¡¯ve done for me, I don¡¯t need to repeat it again. Besides, my mom..." A shadow crossed her face. "My mom raised me to be this way, to be grateful, to be respectful to my elders, yes, to be a good girl." Helen swallowed hard. "Yeah. She sounds like a good woman. I wish I could have met her." "And I wish you had met her. You would have done..." Helen suddenly blushed. Was she coming down with a fever? He placed a hand on her forehead. No, her cheeks were just red, not her forehead. Probably not a fever. "Something wrong?" Max asked. "No, nothing. Don¡¯t worry, please. Just a silly thought that crossed my mind." "Uh-huh. Alright, then." Aside from telling her what he needed to tell her, Max was chatting with her mainly to keep her distracted and awake, focused. So it didn¡¯t matter much. If she didn¡¯t want to talk about whatever it was, they could talk about something else¡ªanything else, really.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "What¡¯s your world like?" Helen asked softly. Luckily, there was no one else around, for now. "Very different from this one. For starters, there¡¯s no magic, and no elves either." "No? How strange." "Well, you exist, sure, but only in stories and fictional tales." Just like your gods, he thought but decided not to say, thinking it was too much of a bombshell to drop on the girl in her state. Besides, for all he knew, Ares and the others might have influence in his world. It was a bit strange and curious that they existed in fiction. That the stories from his world described them so accurately... There had to be some kind of connection, right? Or maybe just multiverse oddities. Damn, he¡¯d never know anyway, so no use overthinking it. But he supposed he also needed a distraction. "And how do they describe us? As evil creatures?" Helen asked, innocently curious, tilting her head slightly. "Evil? No, generally... well, there are good ones and bad ones, or in-between, like humans. Usually, they¡¯re on the side of the protagonists or at least don¡¯t interfere if it¡¯s none of their business, nature and all that stuff." "Oh," Helen said. "That is strange. Well, if we don¡¯t exist there, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter." "It doesn¡¯t matter how they¡¯re portrayed. I didn¡¯t... I hadn¡¯t thought about that. Damn." "I¡¯ve heard many human tales and lullabies. We¡¯re always causing trouble and dying. My mom used to get so upset about that. She could talk for hours about... damn." Helen covered her face with a hand. "Helen, it¡¯s okay to cry if you need to. There¡¯s nothing wrong with it. It can be cleansing, like taking a weight off your shoulders." "Do you cry?" "Yeah, of course." The last time I cried was when I found your mother¡¯s body, he thought. "Really? Even you?" "Before Ares chose me and pulled me out of my world, I was nobody special. Just a normal guy..." He trailed off. He didn¡¯t want to lie to the girl but also didn¡¯t want to tell her about the cancer. He¡¯d had enough of pitying looks and all those clich¨¦s spilling out like a damn flood. "Anyway... I cried as much as anyone else. Man or woman, it doesn¡¯t matter." Helen nodded slowly. Her eyes were brimming with tears. She hid her face in his chest and cried silently against the cold steel. He hadn¡¯t gotten a wink of sleep all night and hadn¡¯t taken off that damn armor. He still wasn¡¯t sure how he¡¯d manage to put it back on without help in the first place. But he wished he¡¯d taken it off just to comfort her better, so she could feel the warmth of his skin instead of the cold metal. But if it worked, well, it worked. "I want to become as strong as you." No, maybe it wasn¡¯t working after all. "I never want to feel that kind of fear again." "You¡¯ll become stronger. I¡¯ll make sure of it." He could have told her: "Come on, Helen, you were the one who saved my ass from Ronan. Without you, I''d be dead. I wouldn''t even have been able to defeat the White Serpent in the first place." And while true, that wouldn''t help her at all. So he kept his mouth shut and only said what she wanted to hear. He was just a kid too, but still much older than Helen and not entirely stupid. He wasn¡¯t about to mess it up so easily. ¡ª¡ª "It''s here." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Okay, let''s give it a shot." Max ventured into the forest. The moment he stepped inside, he began to feel something strange, like a tingling at the nape of his neck, warning him of danger. It wasn¡¯t any special skill, just some kind of instinct. It had developed since he started facing life-or-death situations not even two days ago, but it was instinct nonetheless. Max didn¡¯t make the mistake of ignoring that warning. He looked around as he moved forward, searching for the other elves of the promised tribe, vigilant and alert to danger. But even so, it wasn¡¯t enough. Before he knew it, enemies emerged from the shadows, and he realized he was surrounded. The elves of the whatever-they¡¯re-called tribe carried spears, swords, axes, and many bows pointed straight at his head. He also spotted a few staffs similar to the one Helen carried, but not many. "Be careful," said an elf woman. "We can¡¯t afford to hit the little one by accident, even if it¡¯s just a scratch." "Cut it out, dammit!" said Max. "I come¡ªwe come¡ªin peace." "You speak Elvish?" the elf woman asked, raising an eyebrow. That¡¯s news to me, he thought. The elf, armed with a bow, descended from the branch she had been perched on. With a graceful leap, she landed smoothly, bending her knees and keeping the bow drawn, arrow aimed right between his eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that all the bastards surrounding him were good with a bow. "In peace?" the elf repeated, slowly advancing with her bow raised. "That¡¯s what you say, carrying a small child who¡¯s clearly pale and weak. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve done to her, but¡ª" "Enough," Helen suddenly said. "Enough!" The damn elves misunderstood her because suddenly there was a rain of arrows¡ªa wall of freaking steel. Max clicked his tongue and dropped to the ground, holding Helen tighter, shielding her with his body. Priorities were priorities. Most of the arrows simply bounced off his armor. However, one left him with a nice gash on his right cheek. He felt the tear, the pain, the sensation of blood spilling. That was the worst, perhaps. "Enough! Enough!" The rain of arrows stopped immediately. Good, because sooner or later one would¡¯ve hit his damn eye. And he wasn¡¯t sure he had the endurance or stamina¡ªor whatever it was¡ªto take that in stride. The same elf approached them this time with her bow lowered. "I can¡¯t believe you only protected the merchandise," she said, practically spitting. "So I suppose it¡¯s possible you do come in peace, is it?" "I¡¯ll kill you if I have to," Helen said. "I won¡¯t let you lay a finger on him." The elf woman didn¡¯t react at all as if she¡¯d just been threatened with death. Maybe because Helen was just a child. Maybe because she was too confident¡ªhe didn¡¯t know. Probably, if she knew Helen had nearly single-handedly defeated Poseidon¡¯s champion, she¡¯d be pissing herself right about now. "Those are drastic words, little one. What does this man mean to you that you¡¯d turn against your own kind?" Helen raised a hand and placed it on his cheek. She turned slightly in his arms, pressing her face against his. "He¡¯s my father," she finally said. "Please, he won¡¯t hurt you." "Your father? But you genuinely care for him. So it wasn¡¯t just some¡­ assault..." "They were married, my parents. In love." "Were." "He had nothing to do with it. Please, I just need a little help, and we¡¯ll leave. Don¡¯t harm him. He¡¯s my father." A silence fell. Not true silence, of course. You could hear the breathing of dozens and dozens of elves for starters, the creaking of branches, the wind whistling through the trees. It wasn¡¯t true silence, obviously. But what silence ever was? "Fine, I¡¯ll accept it," said the elf woman, who seemed to be in charge after an agonizingly tense moment. "You genuinely care for him, little one. I have no doubt about that. But I¡¯ve seen this before. Poor little ones brainwashed easily because they never had contact with their mother, or because the mother herself was enslaved in mind and body. You might have been deceived, little one. But I also see the way that man looks at you. So fine. I¡¯ll accept it. It seems he really is your father." The elf turned away. "Follow me." The "whatever-their-name-is" tribe lived deep in the forest. Of course, they did. In a well-hidden place that could only be reached, or so it seemed, by taking a convoluted route and crossing a waterfall. It wasn¡¯t exactly the first spot humans would think to search. It wasn¡¯t a good sign that the tribe felt the need to hide like that, though at the same time, they¡¯d chosen a location relatively close to other towns and cities. Anyway, what worried Max most was making that trek while carrying Helen. One of the many elf women had offered to take her, but Helen had flatly refused. Naturally. Besides the obvious reasons, if they took her out of his arms, they might decide to kill him, so it was better this way. "I¡¯ve never met a human like you," Silvania said. "There are, of course, people who tolerate us. I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s impossible to make friends with a human, but that look in your eyes¡­" "The shape of the ears, the customs, the traditions," Max replied, mostly to brush it off. "What separates us is so little, yet people insist on making it such a big deal. Besides, she¡¯s my daughter." Helen blushed all the way to the tips of her ears. Even if she grew tired of her old man someday... he thought, knowing full well he probably sounded like the kid he was. Mature or not, I¡¯d do anything for her. After all, she¡¯s my little girl and the only thing I have left of¡­ He hugged Helen tighter against his chest. "Yes, I understand," Silvania said. "That¡¯s how things should be, but it¡¯s not so easy to believe in ideals when you spend your life dealing with people who seem determined to prove you wrong. Do you know what I mean?" "Yeah, of course. There¡¯s still a long way to go." He offered no further comment. Probably for the best; better to walk in silence. He didn¡¯t want to risk saying the wrong thing. Surrounded by so many elves, maybe he could make it out alive even in the worst-case scenario. It¡¯s not like he had to kill them all, just escape¡ªsurvive to fight another day. Even so, he didn¡¯t like his chances¡ªor Helen¡¯s, for that matter. And if news of something like this spread, no other elf tribes would likely take them in either. This was too important; he couldn¡¯t mess it up. "That¡¯s the healer¡¯s building," Silvania said, pointing with a finger. It was a treehouse¡ªliterally, as it seemed to be integrated into the tree itself. "Thanks," Max said and headed toward the door. Even then, Silvania stayed close behind, not asking questions, as if convinced he¡¯d start killing and pillaging the moment she took her eyes off him. Judging by the many gazes pinned on him and the general atmosphere, she wasn¡¯t the only one. "Lorian," the elf woman called out as they entered. She led him to a room behind silk curtains. It didn¡¯t look particularly impressive or sterile enough for medical procedures, but of course, it was a magical problem, and presumably, a mage would handle it. Max didn¡¯t hesitate to clear off all the junk on the single table to make space for Helen. He set her down carefully and impulsively kissed her forehead. He felt a flicker of relief just seeing her smile in response. She had a beautiful smile; the world should give her more reasons to show it. "Yes, yes, what is it?" Another person entered the room. From the name and the sound of the voice, Max had assumed Lorian would be another elf woman, but he was completely wrong. The Adam¡¯s apple was a pretty clear giveaway. "Oh, a human. Well, that¡¯s something you don¡¯t see every day." "Help her. Now." Max hadn¡¯t forgotten what Ronan had said while choking Helen¡ªthat for a supposedly peaceful people, they had a strong attachment to the god of war. Helen had saved his ass by saying he was her father, but she hadn¡¯t mentioned that he was also the champion of none other than Ares himself. There was a good reason for that. It wasn¡¯t the time or place to bring it up, so he decided to keep it to himself for now, though it might come in handy for making them follow his orders later. "Hey, all right, all right," Lorian said. "I didn¡¯t mean anything by it." Lorian approached the table, hands stuffed in his pockets. "You don¡¯t look too great. How long have you been like this?" "A couple of days." "How did you get so drained?" "Does that matter?" Max interjected. "You¡¯re here to heal her, not interrogate her. Hurry up!" Lorian raised an eyebrow. Max knew he was being a bit of an idiot, speaking so disrespectfully in someone else¡¯s home, in the middle of enemy territory no less, but he couldn¡¯t help it. He was overwhelmed. He was so scared. Helen had said there was no danger of death. Almost none. But she could have been telling him what he wanted to hear, lying for his own good. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising. And the risk of her losing her magical abilities was just as bad. At least she¡¯d be alive, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to bring her along into dangerous situations anymore. He was already being irresponsible, taking a child with him. It was irresponsible even if she could defend herself. Dragging along a helpless child would be unforgivable. "Well," Lorian finally said, ignoring him, "this shouldn¡¯t be a big problem. Kid, close your eyes and focus on your magical energy. You¡¯ve stirred up quite a mess in there. Yeah, I can feel it. There are a lot of cracks, but if you give me a little help, we can work together to put everything back in place. You¡¯ll be fine before you know it. Okay, sweetie?" Max crossed his arms. He stood watching with his heart in his throat. Everything should be fine now, but he just couldn¡¯t stop being this kind of person. Big Brother & Little Sister – 2.5 Big Brother & Little Sister ¨C 2.5 The procedure took longer than expected. Max thought he might fall asleep, having barely closed his eyes for days, exhausted and in pain, overwhelmed by everything that had happened since arriving in this brutal world. But he didn¡¯t. He managed to keep his eyes open, clinging to consciousness. He needed to make sure Helen was okay before he could truly rest. Besides, this was practically enemy territory. It would be foolish to let his guard down. He trusted they would protect Helen, but he wasn¡¯t ready to rule out the possibility of someone stabbing him in the back, believing they were saving her. He told himself he wouldn¡¯t have brought Helen here unless there was no other choice. But what better way to ensure the secret didn¡¯t come to light than by eliminating a filthy human? Still, there were more important things than that. Helen¡¯s condition was his top priority. The procedure had taken over an hour. He couldn¡¯t see a clock, but he had no doubt about it. Even so, Helen hadn¡¯t opened her eyes. On the contrary, she had lost consciousness. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the elf said. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. She just needs to rest. I just wonder what exhausted her so much. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not answering that question.¡± The elf shrugged. ¡°Look, human. You¡¯re lucky we let you in. And that, apparently, for whatever reason, the boss intends to let you leave alive, as far as I can tell. So, you should count your blessings and cooperate a little.¡± ¡°Enough. The girl is his, Lorian.¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Seriously? And he¡¯s this concerned? Wow, you don¡¯t see that every day. It¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it? That I find it harder to believe now that I know he has a reason to care.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point,¡± said Silvana. ¡°I know, I know. Well, if the big guy doesn¡¯t want to tell us anything, so be it. I¡¯d really like to know the cause and what kind of life this girl has, but at least the problem¡¯s solved.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not being very subtle,¡± Max said. ¡°For the record, I didn¡¯t force her to do anything. I didn¡¯t ask her or manipulate her. She did what she did to save my life.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. And why did you need her to save your life?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking if you put her in danger.¡± Max fell silent. He couldn¡¯t deny the accusation. After all, he had told Helen himself: she should have turned back and forgotten about the white serpent. Because of him, she was in this state. He had said it himself, so how could he deny it now? He clenched his teeth and looked away. ¡°You¡¯re an asshole. She¡¯s my daughter. I don¡¯t care what you think you know about me. I¡¯d do anything for her. Anything.¡± ¡°Boss?¡± Lorian interjected, a clear question. Silvana crossed her arms. ¡°Yes. I think he¡¯s telling the truth. Just look at him. No matter how much you dislike it, you have to admit it. He¡¯s scared to death for her. And I bet he¡¯s already considering telling you what happened. Simply because he thinks he can handle all of us¡ªbut not while protecting the little one at the same time. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Max frowned. ¡°You¡¯re a perceptive woman.¡± ¡°I have to be, boy. You don¡¯t make it to one hundred and twenty by being stupid. Especially in a world as brutal as ours.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Max remembered the cave. The pit for corpses. ¡°Yes. A world that forgives nothing. I¡¯ll stay here until Helen wakes up,¡± he said slowly after a moment. ¡°Watching over her. And after she¡¯s recovered enough, we¡¯ll leave. That¡¯s right. You won¡¯t have to put up with me for long, little one.¡± Lorian ignored him, pretending to be superior. ¡°As you wish,¡± Silvana said. ¡°Lorian, get out.¡± ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Because I want to talk to our guest alone, and because you¡¯re no longer needed here. Your job is done. And most importantly: I¡¯m the boss here. My word is law. Do I need to remind you?¡± The man sighed. ¡°No, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m leaving.¡± And with that, he went to hell. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± ¡°Your goals,¡± Silvana replied plainly. ¡°I want to know if there¡¯s any reason you wouldn¡¯t want to extend your stay, even for a short while.¡± Max raised an eyebrow. ¡°I suppose they¡¯ll accept Helen without any trouble. But me¡­ What makes you think they¡¯ll tolerate my presence for a while?¡± ¡°Because I say so. The most closed-minded people have to admit things when necessity calls.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in trouble. If you help us solve that problem¡ªby the sword, of course¡ªI¡¯ll pay you well.¡± ¡°Sounds good, except for the part where you skipped all the details.¡± ¡°Well, if you let me finish¡­ Never mind. First, I¡¯d like to ask you a question, just out of curiosity. Okay?¡± ¡°Whatever. Shoot.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that elves, in general, are devoted to¡­ Ares. Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Silvana replied without hesitation. ¡°And why is that? It¡¯s said that you¡¯re a peaceful people, and¡­¡± ¡°And we are. But even our patience has limits. Besides, boy¡ª¡± ¡°Call me Max. Just Max.¡± ¡°Max. Anyway. Apart from that, Lord Ares has always been on our side, lending a hand here and there throughout history. We¡¯re simply grateful. Unlike most humans, we remember and ensure our children¡¯s children remember. It¡¯s that simple.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t given me many details on this either, but I guess I¡¯ll take it. What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Orcs,¡± she replied simply. ¡°A band of orcs is approaching. We asked for help from the nearest city, but they told us to go to hell. Of course, with more formal language and plenty of excuses, but the same thing in the end.¡± Max frowned. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°I think I already know how your wife died,¡± Silvana said. ¡°I never even said she was dead,¡± Max pointed out. ¡°Except just now, no. But anyway, jokes aside, an expression speaks louder than a thousand words, Max. That pain in your eyes, that rage, how protective you are of the girl, and the fact that she¡¯s not here, of course. Normally, an elf, even if she came to love a human, wouldn¡¯t have left her little one alone with him just like that. Not if she could go with them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very perceptive. Too much for your own good.¡± Her lips curved into an arrogant smile. ¡°What¡¯s that? Is that a threat?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an observation. But take it how you want, as long as you don¡¯t take it out on the little one.¡± Silvana nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you fall in battle, the tribe will take care of her as if she had always been one of us. Because, in the end, she is.¡± If I fall in battle, Max thought, I¡¯m not sure she wouldn¡¯t follow soon after. ¡ª¡ª Max did exactly what he said he would: stay close to Helen, sitting and waiting for her to wake up. And when she did, when she looked at him with squinting eyes and a radiant smile of happiness and relief on her face, it was as if his heart had grown wings. Max realized he had never loved anyone as much as he loved that girl. He wasn¡¯t sure what that said about him, considering they¡¯d known each other less than a week, but it was still true. He was grateful to be the first person she saw when she opened her eyes and for Helen¡¯s gratitude. He only thought it at first, but he realized there was no reason not to say it out loud. So he did. He repeated it. In return, he received the most precious smile in the entire world. ¡°I should be the one thanking you. And I¡¯m sorry. I must¡¯ve delayed your duties to Ares because of me.¡± Someday, and soon, he would have to tell her that he was only a champion of Ares in name. That his plan was to kill him and take his throne as the new god of war. It was the only way to stop being controlled, to no longer be at the mercy of the merciless winds and tides of fate. Someday, and soon. But not now. It just didn¡¯t feel like the right time. Not because of some foolish concern like Helen turning her back on him. He was fairly sure she¡¯d choose him without a second thought, not the god of war. Even if he truly trusted Ares, he would always choose Helen and never doubt her pure love. It was just that, well, Helen had already been through enough. She didn¡¯t need more hard truths when she was barely recovering from everything that had happened in Ezos. He wanted to give her some time to breathe first. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Max finally said. ¡°In fact, everything turned out conveniently. We have work. Silvana asked for my help.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Apparently, they¡¯re having trouble with orcs, territorial disputes. They¡¯ll pay me if I help.¡± Helen tensed, of course. ¡°Hey, if you want us to leave, if you¡¯d rather avoid those bastards, I understand, Helen. Alright?¡± ¡°No, no, not at all. It¡¯s just that... it¡¯s just that...¡± Helen took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°I want to stay. I want to kill them. Those scum need to die screaming.¡± Max placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing firmly. ¡°I understand, kid. I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°With your revenge, of course.¡± Big Brother & Little Sister – 2.6 Hours remained, or perhaps days. There was no way to tell. That¡¯s what Silvana had said. So Max decided that, first of all, he needed to take a bath. He¡¯d gutted a lot of orcs¡ªa feat he was immensely proud of, of course. He¡¯d fought the great white serpent in the sea, bled out in a pool of his own blood, and later, in that forest, had made those two-bit thugs pay for their stupid mistake. Hlen was the only person he¡¯d been around for the last few days, and the girl would never complain, but Max knew perfectly well he must reek like a damn dumpster. So when he found out that the elves had hot springs at this secret¡ªnot-so-secret¡ªbase, Max jumped at the chance. Alone. He had to go alone, of course. Not that he¡¯d expected to bathe with sexy elf women or anything. But not a single elf showed up. They didn¡¯t want to share the bath with him. They¡¯d allowed him to use the place, but it had been temporarily vacated. Max clicked his tongue; it was a little annoying. But in the end, it didn¡¯t matter that much. Soon, once the job was done, he and Helen would leave without looking back. A little richer than before. Nothing more. Or so he hoped. It was a bit scary, but Max removed his armor and laid down his weapons. There was no other choice if he wanted to bathe properly. Yet, he was painfully aware that this was the perfect opportunity to kill him. Sure, Silvana was the boss here and luckily wanted him alive. But not everyone would agree. No way. There was too much hatred. Too much suspicion in their gazes. Like they were saying: Alright, this one seems like a somewhat normal human. He even seems civilized, not a wild animal. But any moment now, he¡¯ll show his claws. Reveal his true nature. Every single look he¡¯d received so far had carried the same message. Without exception. Lorian hadn¡¯t been hostile at all in comparison. At least that elf had good reasons. Max submerged himself in the warm water. So much hatred, so much exaggerated racism¡ªit made him wonder why Silvana was so willing to trust him and let him be here. The easy answer was that, well, it was convenient for her. She¡¯d seen him as strong and useful, but Max didn¡¯t want it to be just that. He took a deep breath, ducked his head underwater, held it there as long as he could, and then resurfaced. He inhaled deeply, feeling the water droplets sliding down his cheeks, his forehead, his hair, and his neck. Everywhere. Well, he thought, I can keep wondering all I want, but I doubt she¡¯d tell me. If hatred for humanity is the norm for her kind¡ªor at least her tribe¡ªSilvana being so different must come from something very personal. Something you wouldn¡¯t share with a stranger. ¡°You sound like a damn psychologist,¡± Max muttered quietly, almost inaudibly. He couldn¡¯t help it. Before the hospital, he was pretty sure he hadn¡¯t been any more or less self-aware than an average person. But after, long after, when his role in life had been reduced to observing... Well, people started to make more sense to him. Understanding them, how they worked, why they acted as they did. Figuring out what he did wrong and what he could never do right, no matter what. He took another deep breath. He was here to bathe, after all. For practical reasons, yes, but also to relieve his weariness, to take a moment to relax. And he wasn¡¯t even letting himself do that, thinking about nonsense. Helen had insisted on coming along. Now he wished he¡¯d let her. He didn¡¯t have any bad intentions toward the girl. Of course, he wanted to take care of her. But the fact was, they weren¡¯t really a family; they were barely acquaintances. Bathing with her probably would have been too strange, but now he wished he¡¯d just set all that aside and given her what she wanted, holding her hand. At least he¡¯d have had a distraction.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! He wondered if the girl had ever bathed in hot springs, if she¡¯d experienced that supposed sense of relaxation everyone talked about. He didn¡¯t know. But he also didn¡¯t think he ever would. ¡°There¡¯s no way to relax,¡± Max sighed. ¡°No matter where I go or what I do.¡± He couldn¡¯t help it. His brain was always running at a hundred miles an hour, always. But it spent most of its energy on useless, circular thoughts like these. So it wasn¡¯t much use. To his surprise, nothing interrupted his bath. No mission popped up. No elves appeared. No such nonsense. He simply got to finish his bath in peace, dress, and leave the establishment. Not exactly more relaxed, but at least feeling clean and a bit more ready to face the day. That had to be enough. The first thing he did, naturally, was head back to the small cabin they¡¯d been given¡ªHelen and him. He couldn¡¯t call it home, not when they¡¯d be gone by the end of the month at the latest. Sure, this was an elven tribe, and so Helen should be safe. But people harmed their own kind all the time, and any intelligent animal found endless ways to justify hatred and prejudice. He knew that very well. Elves weren¡¯t any different in that regard. They couldn¡¯t be, no matter how long they lived or how pointy their ears were. For example, some might say Helen was just a half-breed. Leaving her alone for too long wasn¡¯t a good idea. Of course, he¡¯d taken certain precautions. Just like at the hotel in Ethos, he¡¯d told her to lock the doors and windows, to build a barricade. And now he¡¯d added that, in the worst-case scenario, she should first try to hide¡ªon the roof, under the bed, or even in the ground¡ªbefore fighting, because she didn¡¯t stand a chance. He told her to focus on buying time so he could find her and get her to safety, rather than trying to handle it all alone. That was more than just being cautious. It had to be, in a world like this. It was easy to say, ¡°What a tragedy,¡± even though most people didn¡¯t take obvious measures to prevent such tragedies. If he thought there was a high chance of something like that happening, he wouldn¡¯t have left the cabin in the first place. Either that or he¡¯d have dragged her along to the hot springs. One or the other, definitely. He arrived at the cabin and knocked on the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± Max smiled. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Perfectly fine, sweetheart. You can open the door.¡± That was a simple signal they¡¯d agreed upon to show he wasn¡¯t being coerced, that he didn¡¯t, metaphorically, have a knife to his throat. Just in case. You had to be cautious. Anything could happen. Ger¨®n opened the door and immediately flung herself at him, hugging him tightly and pressing her head against his chest. ¡°I missed you,¡± she whispered. ¡°Yeah, me too, kid.¡± The funniest part was, it was true, even though they hadn¡¯t been apart long. They went back inside. ¡°We¡¯ll be here maybe a few weeks. Let¡¯s try to relax, to feel like we¡¯re at home.¡± Helen bit her lip and nodded slowly. Max looked around. It was going to be hard, but they had to try. ¡ª¡ª ¡°You know what worries me?¡± Silvana asked. ¡°Your people?¡± Max said. ¡°That worries me every hour of every day, no matter what. I¡¯m talking about this situation. Though it should be obvious.¡± Max thought about it, mostly out of fear of looking like an idiot. But he couldn¡¯t come up with a clear answer. ¡°You tell me. I have no idea.¡± ¡°Orcs are usually lazy creatures, Max. They prefer to stay in their caves, doing their thing and taking whatever¡¯s nearby. Not going out looking for it.¡± ¡°So, the fact that there are so many attractive elf women in your tribe isn¡¯t enough of a reason for them to come here?¡± ¡°No. Despite what can happen or how it might seem, even with that, they prefer to stay behind, watching and waiting. If an elf woman comes near, they obviously pounce on her right away. But they don¡¯t go hunting for them, thankfully.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s driving them?¡± Silvana crossed her arms. ¡°That¡¯s precisely what worries me.¡± Max slumped onto the couch, sighing. How was he supposed to have ideas when everything he knew about orcs¡ªand almost everything about this world¡ªcame from myths, legends, and other fantasy stories? Orcs. Why could they be mobilizing? Maybe they¡¯d lost their territory and had to find a new place. But that was the first thing anyone would think of. Surely Silvana had already ruled that out. ¡°Maybe... I don¡¯t know,¡± Max shook his head. ¡°What motivates them besides violence and lust?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Silvana replied without a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Well then, it¡¯s possible that...¡± Max bit his tongue. ¡°What? Go on. Even if you¡¯re not spot-on, a new idea might still be helpful.¡± ¡°Nothing, forget it. It¡¯s stupid,¡± he said, lying. Maybe they¡¯re coming here because of me, he thought. Big Brother & Little Sister – 2.7 Max put his armor back on. He hadn¡¯t liked taking it off, but it wasn¡¯t very comfortable to sleep in. He needed to rest, considering the task ahead of him. He wasn¡¯t putting it on alone. Helen was helping him. He didn¡¯t want to¡ªor couldn¡¯t¡ªdo it by himself, as nervous as he was. ¡°You seem a bit nervous, Mr. Max. The mission isn¡¯t that dangerous, is it? They¡¯re just orcs. They couldn¡¯t do anything to you when... Well, you know when.¡± Max sighed slowly. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°And against Ronan and his serpent, you didn¡¯t even blink.¡±¡°I know, Helen, but listen. I¡¯m a normal person, okay?¡± He didn¡¯t think it would shatter the pedestal she had placed him on, but maybe it would help a little. ¡°I¡¯m not a warrior. I¡¯ve told you that. Before I came to this world, before Ares took an interest in me, for whatever reason, I was just a normal guy. When I rescued you, that was one of the first times I¡¯d ever been in a life-or-death fight.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you seem so nervous now. Is it because of me? Are you afraid of what might happen to me?¡±¡°Yes, of course, partly.¡± Max took a deep breath. He didn¡¯t even want to think about it.¡°But that¡¯s not the point. I¡¯m a little nervous, but it¡¯s not the end of the world. It¡¯s a normal reaction. What¡¯s strange is that my hand didn¡¯t shake. Not with the orcs. Not with the serpent. And that son of a bitch. I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Well...¡± Helen said slowly, after a pause. ¡°I guess you¡¯re a natural-born hero. That¡¯s probably why it wasn¡¯t so hard for you. Even now, I¡¯m sure your fear will disappear quickly when the time comes.¡± Maybe she was overspeaking, but...¡°Maybe. But that worries me. It¡¯s not normal. It makes me think that some of the powers Ares gave me are affecting my mind too. My emotions.¡± Max clicked his tongue. ¡°I could be completely wrong, more off track than ever in my life. But I can¡¯t help thinking about it.¡± Helen bit her lower lip. She nodded and continued her work in silence, helping him put on the last pieces of armor and adjusting the sword hanging from his waist.¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡± she asked finally. ¡°To stop being afraid when fear doesn¡¯t help you?¡± Helen wasn¡¯t wrong. If he had lost his cool in the cave or by the sea, if he had let his emotions take over... He would surely be dead by now. And Helen too. Or worse, she wouldn¡¯t be. He swallowed.She wouldn¡¯t be. The little girl wasn¡¯t wrong, but things weren¡¯t that simple either. Still...¡°Yes, I guess you¡¯re right,¡± he said finally. There was no need to add more weight to his body, to his burden. His worries were silly, deep down. If his mind had truly been manipulated, he couldn¡¯t even begin to suspect how many more changes had taken place or do anything to stop them. He didn¡¯t like thinking that way. He preferred to tell himself it was something special inside him. As if all this time, an animal had been waiting for the right circumstances to be born. As if the potential had been inside him from the beginning, locked away. Because he had lived a peaceful life. Because he had lived in a society where he didn¡¯t need to gamble with death to forge a future. When his situation changed, he changed in response. He preferred to think it was just that. ¡°I¡¯ll let you help with the defenses. But you have to stay very close to me, Helen. At all times. Do you understand?¡±¡°I was going to do that anyway.¡±Stick to him.¡°Yes. That¡¯s true.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The tribe looked as it should: a hive on fire. After all, the risk they faced wasn¡¯t just losing their lives. The reaction was warranted. There were fates worse than death. How could it end in a world like this? Max thought. It¡¯s not entirely fair. At least I did something good. I saved this girl. He reached out a hand, messing up Helen¡¯s hair. It felt good to pat her head, and even better to see that she liked it. Helen didn¡¯t seem afraid at all, despite what her mother had suffered before her eyes. Once again, she placed too much trust in him, just because he had arrived just in time to save her, and because he was Ares¡¯ chosen champion. But if that helped calm her, he would accept it with a smile on his face. The truth could be very inconvenient. Besides, maybe it wasn¡¯t unfounded trust. So far, he had killed more orcs than anyone else. He had enough practice. Could it really be that hard? They spotted Silvana, who separated them from the tribe, from the little houses among the trees, and led them deeper into the forest. Soon, the buildings disappeared from view, swallowed by the tree leaves. ¡°Be very careful,¡± Silvana said. ¡°There are traps everywhere, carefully planned.¡± Max gripped Helen¡¯s hand tightly.¡°Stay close to me,¡± he repeated. ¡°Follow my steps. Don¡¯t stray even a little. Okay?¡± The girl nodded seriously. In turn, Max followed Silvana¡¯s steps. Obviously, if any of the traps were triggered and Helen got hurt, even by accident, they could say goodbye to the deal. That was what his burning gaze communicated as he stared at the tribe¡¯s leader. Silvana, it seemed, understood the message.¡°It¡¯s easy,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s no danger.¡± He felt like she wasn¡¯t taking him seriously. Enough to ask for his help, but not entirely. She seemed to believe he wasn¡¯t a threat, that if things got out of hand, they could easily control him. Part of him wouldn¡¯t mind an excuse to show her how wrong she was. He felt big, full of life, larger than life itself. The journey wasn¡¯t long. Passing through the leaves and branches, they reached another place: a lookout that would provide a good view of the approaching orc army. Their motives remained a mystery. He wasn¡¯t sure why she had brought him there, but he didn¡¯t really care. He had a mission, and he wanted to complete it as quickly and safely as possible, for both their sakes. That was all. ¡°You know, Max,¡± Silvana said, ¡°we have everything on the line. You just... a good pay. Can I really trust you?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit late to ask that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. Can I trust that you won¡¯t turn tail and run as soon as the risk seems too high?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re asking if I¡¯ll act like a mercenary, then no. But I won¡¯t lie to you either. If the situation becomes untenable, I¡¯ll grab Helen and get the hell out of there. I have priorities.¡± ¡°Of course. I wouldn¡¯t ask otherwise.¡± Max crossed his arms. He was glad Helen was staying silent for now. ¡°I appreciate the view, but I hope you didn¡¯t bring me here just to ask me that.¡± Silvana laughed dryly. ¡°No. Of course not. I wish. Listen, Max. The strategy I have in mind is simple: cut off the head of the snake. Usually, when they lose their leader, they cower. Or they start thinking too much about how to fill the power vacuum, to take advantage of the moment. In any case, they become easier to defeat.¡± ¡°I get that¡¯s what you think. I won¡¯t argue with you. But the last time I killed an orc king, that didn¡¯t happen. They coordinated and came after us, angrier than ever.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s also possible,¡± Silvana admitted. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t usually happen.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because they don¡¯t usually have good leaders. That¡¯s why I imagine the one you killed was far more articulate than the average orc. Almost sophisticated.¡± ¡°True,¡± Max said thoughtfully. ¡°Well, like I said, that doesn¡¯t usually happen. Besides, it¡¯s worth a try.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t argue the strategy. You have more experience than me in this. Just get to the point¡ªwhat do I need to do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very simple,¡± Silvana said. ¡°When the fight starts, which will be soon, I want you to circle around and ambush the main camp. Kill the leader and get out. I don¡¯t expect more than that.¡± ¡°Wait. Why are you...? Do you seriously want me to take Helen?¡± Silvana shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t think I like it, but none of my men would trust you enough to follow you into enemy territory. And you need help. Unless you¡¯re going to tell me I¡¯m wrong, that you can do it alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Helen said before he could open his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to know where your confidence comes from.¡± Big Brother & Little Sister – 2.8 "Of course, I understand he''s your father," Silvana continued, "but I don''t think this is the typical blindness of a child, is it?" "Does it even matter?" Helen asked. "No, I suppose not. I''m not interested in your lives, only in what you can do for me." She shrugged. "It''s better to be realistic and maintain a strictly mutually beneficial relationship." Helen might not have understood why Max wanted to keep it a secret when he had said it loud and clear in Ethos, but she wouldn''t screw it up. She would keep her mouth shut. Max didn''t like how Silvana was trying to pry information out of the girl, even though she knew how "his wife" had died and how he had barely managed to save Helen from the same fate. That should have been enough to justify his trust, his blind faith. And yet, she was still digging for more. He wasn''t even entirely sure Silvana had bought the story that they were father and daughter. He was quite young and looked it. Of course, this didn''t mean it was impossible for him to have a daughter Helen''s age. He had never asked her age, but he would have to lie if she did, adding at least three or four years to his own. But then again, who knows. He didn''t look like a warrior either, with his soft body and no scars, but here he was, trusted with the most important part of the plan. Also the most dangerous. He wasn''t experienced in all this madness, in having to risk his life for no reason. Death fights had always been things that happened in the news and in fiction for him. He hadn''t even had a reason to throw a punch. Not a single fight in his life until now, not even against those who had asked for it. Seriously. But he wasn''t stupid. If they succeeded, they would pat him on the back. But if they failed, the only thing they would regret would be Helen''s fate. Besides, it was only the most important part of the plan if the elves failed. It was possible they could defeat the orcs even without that maneuver. He wasn''t going to protest, however. He would do his job, they would pay him for saving Helen, and then he would leave. It wasn''t all bad, after all, he would become stronger. "We should leave you to your fate," Helen spat, "but I''ll do what Dad wants." Wow, what was that? She wanted to protect her people and kill orcs, maybe more the latter than the former, so where had that come from? "I''m glad you''re such a good daughter, then," Silvana replied. Max clenched his fist. Was he going to let her get away with it? Was he going to allow this? Let her go unpunished? After that taunt, that unfunny sarcasm? No. But he also shouldn''t act as if violence were his first response to every problem. Not out of fear of losing Helen''s love, but out of fear she would learn the wrong lesson. "Don''t ever talk to her like that again," Max said. "Never." Silvana raised an eyebrow. He didn''t like that either. Another sign she didn''t take him too seriously. However... "Alright, alright. Don''t get so worked up. It''s not that big a deal." Silvana crossed her arms and looked away. Even if she didn''t mean it, that meant she was submitting for now, bowing her head to him, acknowledging she had done wrong. He would settle for that, at least for the moment. "You''d better," Max said. "Don''t think I''ll hesitate. If I have to renounce the deal, if you do something stupid and I''m forced to fight my way out, I will. Don''t underestimate me." "I already said alright, for God''s sake. Besides, don''t worry, the last thing I would do is underestimate a human." Max laughed half-heartedly. "Well, alright, we''ll make a good team, at least for now." Max and Silvana shook hands. ¡ª¡ª Silvana had been expecting danger today, but nothing happened all afternoon. So they returned to the cabin empty-handed. It was already getting dark. He thought all he had left to do was take off his armor, lie down on the bed, and try to fall asleep. That there were no more, there couldn''t be any more complications. He turned out to be a damn fool. While he was taking off his armor and changing clothes, Helen found a way to get into trouble. Well, it wasn''t fair to say that, but... "Get out of the way, half-breed, you bitch!" It was hard to feel charitable having to run outside without the protection of his armor. And the sword sheathed in one hand, the belt flapping and hitting his thigh as he ran. In his mind, he told himself, "How could I have been so stupid to lose sight of her, damn idiot, brainless piece of shit?" That''s what he told himself, even though the voice that insulted her was a child''s. Still, his heart raced, screaming danger. How could it not? As soon as he stepped out, he saw Helen lying on the ground, in the sand, with a red mark on her cheek. That little bastard had slapped her, he had dared to slap her. Max saw red instantly. Children could be innocent. But innocence went hand in hand with cruelty. Yes, animals devoured each other with utmost innocence. Natural instinct, that is, the innocent human being, uneducated, was nothing more than a damn animal. That was obvious, and that little elf, son of a bitch, that little shit, stood between the kids. He knew it wasn''t a good idea, he knew it wasn''t the time or place, but he had slapped her.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "So, what are you doing, human scum?" The damn kid. There was a chance for a retort, because Max kicked him in the mouth. Part of him felt a little bad seeing him fall, spitting blood and a piece of tooth. Part of him, but to be honest, a very small part. He wondered if the war cry had activated. If this counted enough as a fight. Helen''s happiness was definitely a matter of life or death for him. "Animal!" shouted an adult elf. It might have been his father, his older brother, or some completely unrelated bastard. In any case, the bastard ran towards him and lunged at him. Without the weight of the armor, he managed to push him back, though not knock him down. Not that. He was proud he managed to stand his ground. He hit him several times with the sword on his back. Of course, without unsheathing it. On the fifth hit, the elf fell at his feet, writhing and whimpering in pain. "What a drama queen, the damn bastard. Your son or whatever the hell he is. For your information," Max said, "he started it, you bastard son of a bitch. If anyone dares to lay a finger on her again, if anyone even dares to think about it..." Max placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. But he didn''t unsheathe it. He restrained himself. It was no longer necessary. He was ruining everything. But he restrained himself. He had never felt so angry in his life. But there was no need for anyone to die here and now. Another adult elf approached him, carrying a spear he twirled in his hands. As if he thought he was some damn circus performer. Impressive moves, but what did they have to do with killing or dying? He just seemed like a stupid, but handsome, guy who could be in some modeling magazine. Nothing between the ears. That is... Not a threat. "Valandor, what do you think you''re doing?" protested an elven woman, though she stayed back in the crowd. "When Silvana finds out about this..." "Silvana can suck my damn dick. I''m not going to stand by with a human among us, thinking he''s so important, so untouchable, that he can do this to one of us, to a damn kid. Besides, it''s the perfect opportunity to show Silvana we don''t need him." Valandor assumed a fighting stance. "Come on, fight." Max dropped his sword on the sand. He could see Helen looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He wasn''t sure what was going through her head. "Fight, coward. Unlike you, I won''t hit someone defenseless." "The damn kid started it," Max said. He wasn''t going to bite his damn tongue. He had had enough of that. And, well, he hadn''t really seen anything. But he was sure of it. Helen was fine, but that little shit had slapped her. He was lucky Max had only kicked him. "Damn animal. All humans are the same," Valandor lunged at him. With the spear leading the way. And he had no weapon. By choice. He had bare hands. But so what? Did it matter in the slightest? And what the hell did that mean? Max dodged about a dozen attempts to hit him. Then, to make the message even clearer, he grabbed the spear and broke it in half over his knee. "Next will be your back if you don''t control yourself, asshole," Max said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Helen getting up from the ground. Unlike the damn kid Max had kicked in the mouth, who was still lying on the ground as if he were afraid to move an inch in his presence. "Dad," Helen said, "this isn''t necessary." "Helen, sweetheart," Max said, "they don''t have to call you a half-breed, they don''t have to hit you. I won''t let anyone hurt you, anyone." "Thank you." "Don''t thank me, it''s my duty." "But it really isn''t necessary," Helen continued. "Really." Max shrugged. "It''s not just up to me," he said finally. "It''s also up to this pretty boy who wants to play the hero." The elf, indeed, played the hero. He lunged at him, but he seemed to be moving in slow motion. Max was above him, far above him. He could feel the power of the skill, the war cry flowing through his veins, boosting his stats, making him faster and stronger than ever, now that he was truly in a life-or-death situation. So he never had a chance to win. Max easily knocked the asshole down, sweeping his legs and then kicking him in the mouth. Sooner or later, life gives you one and then another anyway, he thought. He was starting to like it. He had to admit it. Not only did he feel alive. Capable of going wherever he wanted and doing whatever he wanted. Well, within a limit, again. He felt superior. He had to admit it. Unstoppable and larger than life. Even before his illness, he had been a relatively ordinary person. Some talent here and there, but nothing necessarily outstanding. This feeling of superiority as he looked at two guys lying at his feet and heard the little elf crying. Though not very loudly. This wasn''t right. It wasn''t. But it was something new for him. An exciting rush. Silence had fallen. Of course. He had defeated those guys. He had proven them wrong in thinking they could mess with him. He was on top of the world. It was only natural. "If anyone else has something to say, come and say it to my face. If not, tuck your damn tails between your legs and listen to Silvana, because she''s the boss for a reason." Max bent down to pick up his sword. Then he took Helen''s hand. "Come on, kid. Let''s go." They returned to the cabin. Fortunately, without anyone else getting in their way. "I''m sorry," he said as soon as the door closed behind them. As soon as it was safe. He had instinctively understood it wasn''t in his best interest to apologize in public. "I know I went too far. But when I saw you lying on the ground, slapped, I didn''t realize..." Max shook his head. "I love you, Helen." Max lowered his head a little. Thoughtful. "I know too... Mr. Max, but that could have... It might still bring a lot of trouble down on us. I just... I just worry about you. That''s all." "I know. I know. I think there''s something wrong with me, really." I think there''s something inside me, he thought. Something different. That part was better left unspoken. The girl already had enough to worry about. "Silvana might ignore this because necessity demands it. She might feel compelled to react for honor''s sake, so no one questions her leadership. It''s true. I shouldn''t have done that." "It didn''t even hurt much, Mr. Max. Besides, he was right. I''m a half-breed." He wasn''t her father. But her father had also been a human. "Yes. It''s an ugly word, Helen," he said finally. "I''ve never heard it spoken with respect." Helen looked away. She crossed her arms. "I know. But I''m not ashamed. I am what I am. And..." Max knew maybe he should shut up, because he wasn''t going to like the rest of her answer. But of course, he didn''t shut up. "Besides, I''m used to it," Helen finished. "The way other kids looked at me or Mom since I was little..." Helen sighed and said nothing more. "I''m here," Max said. "I won''t abandon you. Now you have a place where you belong." The little girl hugged him without words, and of course, he returned the hug. "One day, Helen, you''ll have much more than a place. You''ll be able to give yourself everything you want, whenever you want and however you want. You won''t lack for anything." "Aha," she murmured against his chest. He supposed that was to be expected, as if it were common sense. And maybe it was. It shouldn''t be hard for a god''s champion to end up in a situation like that. But Max was going a step further. He aspired to much more than that, and nothing had changed. He didn''t want the crumbs of a capricious god. One day he would sit on the throne, and then he could give Helen everything she wanted. Secure their lives without problems. Once he sat on the throne, everything would be part of the spoils of war. Ha, ha, ha. Hyms of War (1) Of course, the peace didn¡¯t last long at all. If there was one thing he¡¯d learned during his short time in this world, it was that. Perhaps because he was Ares¡¯ champion, he seemed destined to be a magnet for trouble. This particular mess, however, he¡¯d brought upon himself. He hadn¡¯t been able to hold back. He had to admit it¡ªthough of course, he didn¡¯t regret a thing. Max left the cabin. Across the way, as expected, an elf waited for him. This one was different. No, not one of those he¡¯d defeated and humiliated before. ¡°Enough,¡± said Max. ¡°Things don¡¯t have to spiral out of control.¡± ¡°Such arrogance!¡± the elf retorted. ¡°You think you can come here, hit a child, and then decide when enough is enough? All humans are the same.¡± ¡°Call it whatever you want, but this ends now or you¡¯ll regret it. We¡¯re allies. Your own boss recruited me.¡± ¡°Silvana can sympathize with humans if she pleases, but I refuse to tolerate you wandering around doing as you please. Hurting our children. Come on,¡± he assumed a combat stance, unsheathing the sword hanging from his back. ¡°Come on, fight, coward!¡± Max didn¡¯t unsheathe his own blade¡ªnot yet. ¡°Are you that little shit¡¯s father?¡± ¡°No,¡± the elf replied bluntly. ¡°Then why the hell are you here playing hero?¡± Max shook his head. ¡°Well, suit yourself. But that brat deserved it. You should be grateful I only gave him a kick.¡± The elf spat, his face twisting with rage. So much rage that he choked on his own words. Max assumed. Or perhaps he saw no need for words. Not when his murderous glare conveyed everything important in an instant. ¡°Now you try to justify yourself?¡± ¡°You justify¡ªif you can¡ªwhat he did to my daughter,¡± Max shot back. ¡°If a human had done something like that to your son, you wouldn¡¯t have stopped at a kick to the mouth. You¡¯d have strung him up on a damned tree. You¡¯d have gutted him like a pig.¡± ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course,¡± Max snorted. He should try to de-escalate the conflict. Apologize, even. But every time that idea crossed his mind, the image of Helen lying on the ground reappeared¡ªthe red mark on her pale cheek. Her face in that moment flashed in his mind¡¯s eye: her wide eyes, her trembling lips. Helen had told him it wasn¡¯t a big deal, after all. That she¡¯d been used to not belonging to either the human world or the elven world since birth. Yet those had just been words. Her immediate physical reaction told another story. A very simple one. Helen had tried to connect with her own kind. Simply to play a little. And as a reward, she¡¯d received insults and a slap. That was simply intolerable. His blood burned just thinking about it. It was impossible to resolve this problem through dialogue. The elf¡ªwhose name Max still didn¡¯t know¡ªwouldn¡¯t listen to reason, and neither would he, he admitted. But he wouldn¡¯t cross the line. He wouldn¡¯t kill him. The elf hadn¡¯t actually done anything. Not yet. So he¡¯d just teach him a lesson¡ªone that would serve as an example to all the others who might be nurturing similar ideas. A living proof that messing with them wasn¡¯t worth it. Naturally, he worried far more about what they might do to Helen than about any retaliation against himself. The fight was attracting attention, of course. Crowds gathered at a safe distance. Some shouted their support. Others their displeasure. No one, absolutely no one, stepped forward to try to stop this. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you think you are, human. But it¡¯s time someone took you down a peg. It¡¯s time someone¡ª¡± He didn¡¯t finish the sentence.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Max would forever be left with the mystery. It wasn¡¯t that the elf had chosen to fall silent or reconsidered in the moment. He¡¯d never finish the sentence because an arrow had pierced his throat. His blood splattered across Max¡¯s face. He watched him collapse, choking on his own blood. Okay, he was still alive, but he didn¡¯t have much time left in this world. Seconds of agony, minutes at most. What did Max know? The point was, seeing how his head twisted and his body trembled was enough to know he was a goner. You didn¡¯t need to be a medical expert. In any case, Max turned around and ran without a second thought. He¡¯d thought orcs were too stupid to set up an ambush, but anything was possible. Or maybe it was humans. He¡¯d bet both sides had enough reasons for retaliation throughout history. Well, that was obvious. It was always like that. He slammed the cabin door open. He slipped inside, wary of traps. Of course, there were none. He went to the room he shared with Helen. The girl¡¯s first reaction was to give him a tense look. No¡ªa frightened one. Maybe she didn¡¯t know exactly what was happening. Though, to be fair, neither did he. But she¡¯d have heard enough: the whistle of arrows, the gurgling of that unlucky son of a bitch choking on his blood, the screams. ¡°Grab your staff and follow me,¡± Max said. ¡°Don¡¯t leave my sight for a moment, Helen. Understood?¡± Helen simply seemed too scared to speak. Or perhaps, as usual, she overthought everything and had nothing to say beyond what she felt. ¡°Where are we going now? What will we do? Are we sticking to the plan, the ambush one?¡± ¡°Good question.¡± Max thought about it, but not for long. ¡°The plan is to survive however we can,¡± he finally said. ¡°If an opportunity arises, well, we¡¯ll see. Stay close to me. Do what I do.¡± They left the cabin, and it immediately became clear this wasn¡¯t the work of a lone archer slipping behind enemy lines for the perfect shot. A rain of steel descended upon the elves and their shitty little treehouses. When the elf¡ªwhose name Max still didn¡¯t know¡ªwas shot in the throat, the first and by far the wildest possibility that had crossed his mind was that one of Silvana¡¯s elves had taken the guy out before he could become a real problem. But that was unrealistic, not just because they should¡¯ve known none of those guys could put up a fight, but mainly because they wouldn¡¯t do that to one of their own. They were being invaded, plain and simple: elves, humans, merfolk¡­ whoever was responsible. Now they were under a waterfall of shit, and the only thing they could do was try to come out as unscathed as possible. ¡°Orcs attacking with bows and arrows,¡± said Helen, ¡°and setting ambushes?¡± ¡°Yeah, doesn¡¯t seem likely. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening here.¡± But that was the least of their worries, naturally. They were alive, they would survive, and they¡¯d come out of this better and stronger than before. What doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger. Thanks to the power Ares had granted him, that was literally true. Part of him wished he¡¯d left as soon as Helen recovered. To not think about repaying debts or growing stronger. To chase his goals by throwing himself into another life-or-death fight. But he¡¯d decided to accept Silvana¡¯s request. He¡¯d chosen to be here, and Helen had wanted this too. Too late for regrets, for second-guessing, for telling himself fire burns. The attackers emerged from the trees, growling and roaring. Orcs, without a doubt. So they were smart enough to set an ambush. To catch the elves by surprise. Fine. Shocking, but fine. It was better than the alternative, at least. Max was different now. More willing to speak his mind, to enforce his will. But he wasn¡¯t a warrior or a monster. He wasn¡¯t sure he could kill humans without hesitation, despite everything. Something that merely looked human was a different story. At least, that¡¯s what he believed. One of the orcs cut into their path, leaping and landing right in front of them. Max doubted it recognized him, despite the feat he¡¯d accomplished in Ethos and the massacre of those bastards. No, Max thought, placing a hand on Helen¡¯s shoulder and hiding her behind him, pushing her back carefully. It had likely been drawn by Helen. They didn¡¯t care, after all. It meant absolutely nothing to them that she was just a child. If he fell, if no one remained to protect her, she¡¯d suffer the same fate as her mother. Max gritted his teeth and, unflinching, faced the orc as it unleashed a war cry and lunged at him. A mace in one hand, a shield in the other. Its shadow swallowed him quickly. It was a massive monster. But size didn¡¯t matter much. Not such a trivial difference. Its attacks were just easier to see. They made it easier prey, that¡¯s all. Max shattered its right leg, sending it crashing to its knees. He achieved this simply by kicking and pressing his boot down until the bone cracked, until he felt the leg twist. Then, with both hands, he decapitated it. He watched the head¡ªfrozen in a stupid expression of surprise¡ªarc through the air, trailing a spray of blood. Not a single drop stained him or his armor. The severed head hit the grass with a dull thud. It seemed to stare at him, but it was already dead. Those eyes only saw through him, if they saw anything at all. If it wasn¡¯t entirely dead, it had little consciousness left. It must¡¯ve seen nothing. That was something he¡¯d read in the hospital: when you die, hearing is the last sense to go. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was true, but why was he thinking about that? Maybe because, before coming to this world, he¡¯d never even been in a fight. And of course, he¡¯d never killed anyone. But now he could do something as monstrous as decapitate a being without hesitation, without physical, mental, or emotional strain. He told himself again it was because it was an orc¡ªa monster, a thing only vaguely resembling a human. But deep down, he knew he wouldn¡¯t hesitate even if this were an invasion by human forces. It probably wouldn¡¯t even disturb his sleep. I guess time will tell, he thought. Like everything in life. ¡°Don¡¯t stop,¡± Max said. ¡°Run.¡± Hyms of War (2) Amidst the massacre, there was no room for stratagems or formations. Each person was simply trying to survive as best they could, just like the others. It would have been more orderly if they¡¯d had the chance to strike first, but now they were only reacting. That was the essence of any ambush on this scale, of course. They couldn¡¯t kill them all so easily, but they could destabilize them¡ªand often, that was enough. Max spotted a bastard orc perched in one of the trees. Standing on a branch, it hurled spears at elves and elven women alike, laughing all the while. It didn¡¯t seem to care much about the female elves who might die in the process. Silvana had confirmed his suspicions about orc predilections, as if he¡¯d needed further proof after everything that happened in the cave. This one, however, didn¡¯t seem to care. Or maybe it didn¡¯t care whether its victim was alive or dead. Max preferred not to dwell on that. Fuck, that¡¯s vile! ¡°Helen!¡± Max shouted over the cacophony, pointing his sword toward the target. ¡°Can you take care of¡ª?¡± He didn¡¯t finish the sentence. Helen had already sprung into action¡ªor perhaps her spellcasting speed had improved dramatically, because a gust of wind instantly knocked the son of a bitch off his perch. The orc fell, screaming and flailing its arms as if grasping for something to halt its descent where there was nothing. Its head burst against the ground like a ripe melon. They might have humanoid forms. Their skulls might contain brains not so different from humans¡¯. But that was superficial. Max would never forget what happened in the cave. Those things were monsters, nothing more. They had to die screaming, every last one of them, until not a single one remained on the face of the Earth. ¡°Good work, Helen.¡± Helen nodded, practically vibrating with enthusiasm. If he could choose, Max would have preferred Helen live a life untouched by violence. But that ship had sailed the moment the girl chose to stay with him. And he¡¯d accepted it. Encouraging her vengeful impulses was a thousand times better than watching her wallow in misery, lamenting her circumstances and weeping over what might have been. Celebrating such violence might not be ideal for someone so young, with so much growing left to do. But it wasn¡¯t inherently bad, not as long as she channeled that rage properly. And Helen did. She was doing the world a favor, really. That¡¯s what they were doing here. A while later, after navigating a few twisted corners, Max halted abruptly again. This time, he narrowly dodged a hail of arrows¡ªso close they clipped the hairs of his beard. In fact, he had to yank Helen to the ground to pull her out of harm¡¯s way. He felt a flicker of guilt, as if he¡¯d laid hands on her or something, even though he¡¯d only done what was necessary. Nonsense, like so much else. He helped her up. ¡°Sorry,¡± he apologized anyway. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go, go, go, go!¡± The sooner they cut off the snake¡¯s head, the better. Silvana¡¯s original plan wasn¡¯t bad. The enemies had just been cleverer than she¡¯d anticipated. But it could still work. They could slip behind enemy lines. Besides, it was better than staying in the thick of this, fighting for their lives. Safer. They wouldn¡¯t have support in the orc camp. They were after the king, the leader of this damned band of animals. But Max realized something that should have occurred to him from the start: in the middle of all this, they had no support here either. The elves all hated and feared humans. And Helen disgusted them as a half-breed. If they found themselves in trouble, the elves would likely do nothing¡ªeven if they were mere feet away. Prioritizing themselves. Max might even have to worry about someone stabbing him in the back, exploiting the chaos to settle old grudges. Yeah. Ironically, they¡¯d be better off out there. A third time, they were forced to stop. The girl saw something she should never have had to witness again. He¡¯d been an idiot for staying here, risking this. Knowing it would happen sooner or later. And why? Because Helen wanted revenge. Because she¡¯d insisted she¡¯d be fine. As if she knew what she was talking about. She was a child, for God¡¯s sake. He should have turned back. What she saw¡­ well, it was obvious. An orc had pinned an elven woman to the ground. Her dress was torn to shreds. Thick claw marks raked her right breast. Blood, of course, flowed freely. Max lunged at the orc without hesitation. He¡¯d grown harder, but he wasn¡¯t a monster. No one in their right mind could turn away after seeing that. The orc fell as easily as the others. Or maybe it put up slightly more resistance, clashing its spiked mace against Max¡¯s sword a few times. It swung twice for every strike Max attempted. But in the end, it didn¡¯t matter. The mace shattered. Then it tried using its jagged nails. But Max pierced its heart before it could land a blow. He turned to the nearly assaulted elf, crouching to help her up. Her legs trembled¡ªmore from trauma than physical injury, he guessed. She¡¯d probably be fine, could likely seek help on her own.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s do this,¡± he said, nudging her forward gently. Helen shot him an unreadable look. After that, they pressed on. As they fought their way out, they caught sight of Silvana. She was doing what leaders do in such situations. The only mystery solved was whether she was still alive or not. They didn¡¯t need her; they hadn¡¯t sought her out for orders. So they simply passed her by. He wondered if Silvana had noticed his presence. With so much on his mind, so much danger, he assumed she hadn¡¯t. He assumed it didn¡¯t matter in the first place. They pressed on. It was hard to witness what was happening around them and keep moving instead of stopping to help. He didn¡¯t have the stomach for it, but he¡¯d have to force himself. After all, at that pace, they¡¯d never finish. It might seem like he was doing something terrible, but this ambush would end far sooner once they cut off the serpent¡¯s head. Stopping to help at every turn would only drag out everyone¡¯s suffering. They were in a unique position to end this sooner and had a responsibility to seize it. Besides, he might be Ares¡¯ champion, but that didn¡¯t mean he was the only competent one here. The elves would defend their people on their own, just as they would¡¯ve had to if he and the others hadn¡¯t come this way. If Mars hadn¡¯t been sent to this world. Their time had come, but they slipped out of the elven base and vanished into the forest shadows, hiding. What would the leader look like? The one he¡¯d killed in that cave had resembled a king. A barbarian king, perhaps, but a king nonetheless. Surely the leader of this pack of animals would be just as obvious. What was the point of rising to such a position if you didn¡¯t flaunt it? ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡± Helen confessed very quietly as they moved through the trees. ¡°It¡¯d be strange and worrying if you weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Even you feel fear?¡± ¡°Yes. More than you, probably.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what growing up means,¡± Max said finally. ¡°Being afraid all the time. No one escapes it. What matters is what you do with it. How you steer it.¡± ¡°I think I understand.¡± ¡°Good.¡± It embarrassed him a little to speak as if he were so much older than her, as if he had any real life experience to boast about. But he hadn¡¯t lied. It was better to make sure she knew these lessons now, while she could still learn them properly. Fear was the most ordinary thing. And fears only grew with age and mounting responsibilities. You couldn¡¯t run from fear. You had to embrace it. The sooner she understood that fear wasn¡¯t a sign of weakness, the better. Max stepped on a dry branch. He¡¯d been too distracted¡ªjust a little too lost in his thoughts. The crack rang far too loud in his ears. Max tensed, certain he¡¯d already ruined everything. Revealed their position. The orcs would swarm them any second. But of course, nothing happened. The orcs were too busy with the elves. And there were none nearby anyway. Those left in the camp stayed put; the ones attacking were occupied. The path ahead was clear. That¡¯s what he¡¯d thought from the start, and that¡¯s how it seemed. ¡°Good. That should make it easy to spot the camp.¡± As soon as the usual forest noises shifted, the bastards came into view. They found the camp a short while later. It wasn¡¯t hard¡ªjust a matter of following the growls. They weren¡¯t hidden in a musty, dark cave. They¡¯d set up tents and everything. Okay, he got it. They might seem like wild animals, but they weren¡¯t stupid. ¡°Ready?¡± he asked. There was little risk of being heard. The camp lay below, down the hill¡ªor straight off the cliff. Helen nodded slowly, then after a pause: ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± she admitted, brutally honest. Max just smiled. ¡°Same here. Don¡¯t worry about the number of those sons of bitches. Our job is to get in, kill the leader, and get out. That¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Yeah, I see your face. But it¡¯ll cripple them, Helen. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡± Helen nodded firmly. ¡°I want all those sons of bitches dead.¡± It was the first time he¡¯d heard her swear. Maybe he should watch his tongue around her. She claimed it didn¡¯t bother her, but what else would she say? ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I want to take unnecessary risks.¡± Max ruffled her hair. ¡°Thanks. Got a way to get us down there fast?¡± He pointed. ¡°That¡¯s obviously the leader¡¯s tent, whatever his name is.¡± ¡°I can cushion the fall.¡± Max shrugged. ¡°Works for me. Jump?¡± ¡°Jump.¡± Max grabbed Helen and lifted her like a sack of flour under his arm. Then he jumped. Without hesitation¡ªbecause if he¡¯d thought twice, he wouldn¡¯t have done it. And even with hesitation, he wouldn¡¯t have trusted anyone else but Helen. If he couldn¡¯t trust her, he couldn¡¯t trust anyone in this world. That much was clear. He didn¡¯t need proof of her spellwork to put his life in her hands. The spell didn¡¯t slow their fall. If anything, it sped up. Max swallowed. It was fine. Helen knew what she was doing. ¡°Flying son of a bitch!¡± one of the orcs yelled, spear raised, mouth gaping. Proof even orcs could look dumber than usual. The tent¡ªundoubtedly the leader¡¯s¡ªloomed closer. At this rate, they¡¯d crash right through it. The orc¡¯s war cry was nothing compared to the one roaring in Max¡¯s veins, fueling him as he braced for the fight. The worst fight he¡¯d been in since arriving in this world, maybe. Max and Helen landed on the leader¡¯s tent, tearing through it like a cannonball. The fabric ripped, and they plummeted inside. There wasn¡¯t a single orc. It was the leader¡¯s tent, no doubt about it. But nothing guaranteed he¡¯d be inside at that exact moment. He was a fucking idiot. For all he knew, he could¡¯ve stepped out for a piss¡ªwhy not? This world could¡¯ve resembled a role-playing game, where everything was in its place, courtesy of the developers. But it wasn¡¯t a damn RPG world; it didn¡¯t revolve around him. Things just¡­ happened. It might¡¯ve even been that Silvana was completely wrong¡ªthat the orc leader hadn¡¯t stayed behind at the main camp, safe and scratching his balls¡ªbut was instead right in the thick of the battle. Why not? They¡¯d already been caught off guard once today. Besides, realistically, the real surprise would be if one of those savages hid from a fight. It had struck him as odd from the start, but since Helen hadn¡¯t said anything, he¡¯d assumed there was something he didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t know most things, after all. He didn¡¯t belong to this world. You never belonged to the last one either, he thought. The tent collapsed over them, but Max tore the fabric to shreds with his sword. The orcs slowly closed in around him in a circle, and none so far bore the look of a "leader." Get in, decapitate the son of a bitch, and get out. Couldn¡¯t be simpler. Right. Everything sounds easy on paper. Hyms of War (3) "Mr. Max," Helen murmured. "Stay close to me, baby. I won''t let them hurt you. Just trust me." He felt her nod against his back. He felt her tremble. She trusted him completely, but that didn''t mean she wasn''t afraid. He shouldn''t have accepted a mission like this, not so soon. There was no point in regret, but he regretted it anyway. It had only been a few days since Helen had lost her mother to the orcs, in one of the most brutal and traumatizing ways possible, because he had drawn her into this. He cared for her. He wanted to protect her with all his heart. So... why? Once again, regrets were useless. Max clenched his jaw. A green cascade descended upon them, bearing hundreds of teeth, brandishing steel. He defended as best he could, back to back. With Helen, he had faced the same number of bastards inside that cave, if not more, but there it had been much easier. Max had had room to maneuver, to deceive his opponents. To run and hide, and only take the battles he was sure he could win. Here he had none of those luxuries and privileges. It was open field. He could only withstand the waves. An attack broke through his guard before he could get anywhere. Helen wrapped his body in a shield, like when she fought against the white serpent. That''s why the weapon merely bounced off his skin. If he had breath to spare, he would compliment her on her quick reaction, he thought. But he didn''t. Besides, one of the monsters grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the ground. A hard, dry impact. At that moment, all other thoughts exploded in his head, scattering hopelessly. He was protected, but his little one wasn''t. Max clenched his teeth even harder. Fighting against these savage beasts, he felt almost like one of them. Max intercepted the mace blow that would have made the little one''s head explode: a precise and strong strike, holding the weapon with both hands. Max broke it into more than twelve pieces and then plunged the sword into its heart, killing it almost instantly. "Protect yourself," Max said. "I can take the hits. Worry about yourself, please." Helen said nothing in response, but Max felt the shield vanish. Like a weight being lifted, though minuscule. "Very good, thank you for listening to me," Max said. The monsters threw themselves at him again and again. There came a point where numerical superiority became a disadvantage, and they had obviously crossed it. If there weren''t so many orcs, ironically, they might have defeated him already. In their bloodthirsty eagerness to fight, they only got in each other''s way. They would have been more effective with significantly reduced numbers. It was almost funny. Well, actually it wasn''t funny at all. These were their lives he was talking about. They were hanging by a thread, and all because the bastard leader wasn''t there, wasn''t where he was supposed to be.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Max dodged a blow, stepping back. Without meaning to, he dodged the next one as well, jumping over the weapon¡ªthat is, a spear. Attacks were coming from all directions. Max didn''t have much experience as a warrior. However, current circumstances forced him to react on instinct. It would be completely impossible to keep up if he had to think through what he was doing step by step. He could only hand the reins to his instincts and cross his fingers hoping they wouldn''t end up crashing. A deadly dance. Except there was nothing elegant about it. It was a stupid expression. If this resembled anything, it wasn''t a dance, but an execution ritual. The Mayans or some such nonsense. What did he know? Like he said: he had no time to think, only react. They were retreating, giving ground. Taking down all these bastards would be highly improbable, even with Helen''s help. Fortunately, he didn''t have to do that. He just had to find the head of this enormous snake. Where was he? Where the hell could he be? "I wish I could turn invisible," he thought, barely blocking another blow. What he had seemingly specialized in without realizing it in his old world. However, the experience hadn''t served him at all so far in this new one. "That''s life, it takes many turns. Especially if it sees a chance to screw you over." "We won''t kill you very quickly," said one of the orcs, shouting to be heard above the cacophony of the fight. "We''ll tear off your arms and legs, but we''ll keep you alive with just one eye, so you can see how we split her in half." The orc laughed. "Literally and figuratively." Max split the orc in question in half. Only literally, nothing figurative here. Helen released a discharge of water. Like a wave, it pushed all the enemies backward. It unbalanced them: some lost their weapons, some fell. They didn''t go very far and it didn''t do much in itself, but it provided the opportunity to finish off more than half a dozen before they could get up again. That was something. A lot, actually. "You think I''m easy prey?" Max shouted. "You have no idea!" He didn''t wait for an answer. Max lifted Helen and started running, while the girl continued shooting using water magic. His blood was boiling. A strangely large part of him wanted to plant his boots firmly on the ground and not stop. Until all his enemies were in pieces on the ground or he himself had fallen. Whatever happened first. An irrational part, he didn''t have to win the fight against so many. He was here to kill just one. And apparently he was anywhere else. What he had to do was lose sight of them, be clever and stealthy, and search for him again. This was about assassination, not a siege full of blind violence. He had to be better if he wanted to survive. If he wanted to give Helen a bright future. Any future at all. And he wanted to. He already wanted it more than his own future. It should be an exaggeration. He had known her for only a couple of days, no more. But it wasn''t any exaggeration. It was the pure, hard truth. It wasn''t easy. But Max slipped away from the orcs. Returned to the cover of the trees and the undergrowth. The canopy of shadows cast by the leaves. The heat and pressure on them. On both of them. I wish I could turn invisible, he thought again. First step achieved. The next was to figure out where that bastard was. Apparently, after all, that would be the hardest part. It could be that he had been wrong from the start. That he had underestimated how clever the orcs were. They had fallen like a meteor on the tent that was, obviously, the leader''s. What if the bastard had expected the attackers to think exactly that? What if he was in a tent that looked like it belonged to any ordinary soldier? The orcs hadn''t given up. They were still searching for them. Right now, Helen and Max were hidden in the crown of a tree. It was said that living beings rarely looked up. He hoped that was true. "What do we do now?" Max asked very quietly. He was always open to good ideas. "I... don''t know. He might be with the main force in the middle of the battlefield. It makes sense that he stayed behind, waiting in the camp, awaiting the spoils. But I don''t know. At the same time, orcs like violence..." Hyms of War (4) "Then, should we turn back, Helen? Return to our camp, so to speak?" Helen bit her lower lip, deep in thought. Max didn''t intend to make her responsible for a decision of such magnitude; he only wanted to hear her opinion. He was humble enough to recognize when he needed advice. "No," she said at last. "Give me a moment." Helen placed two fingers on the edge of her sword¡ªno, on the droplets of blood that shone along the blade. She closed her eyes. Okay, I''ll try something. I won''t ask what it is. I''ll just hope it works. After what felt like an eternity¡­ "That''s it." The little one suddenly opened her eyes wide. "Where?" "Um¡­ Trust me. I''ll guide you." "Of course, I would trust you with my life." Max leaped from one tree canopy to the next. He did so with great care, yet it was impossible to avoid making noise¡ªhis sword, the weight of his armor, and the little person he carried. "What was that?" Startled, the orc turned his head, though he never fully raised it. Four or five of them approached to see what was happening. None of them turned out to be any smarter. Max took a deep breath. Good. I should try to remain as stealthy as possible. There were too many of them. He could win, but that didn¡¯t mean he had to try. Another jump. Moving from tree to tree worked well enough. It wasn¡¯t that hard; he could jump and land without any trouble each time. Still, he was afraid of falling¡ªbut that was secondary. Ignore it and it will vanish. No matter how frightened he was, he knew he¡¯d survive the fall. And Helen too. There was no time to ask questions, yet he was curious about what Helen was doing. Tracking the orc leader by his blood? But they hadn¡¯t identified him, and the blood on her sword could belong to anyone. Anyway, he could ask questions later. He ran out of trees. Well, not exactly out of trees¡ªhe was in the middle of a damned forest. The gap he needed to cover with a jump became too wide even for him. So he moved from the trees to the undergrowth. Hiding among the bushes wasn¡¯t like in the movies or video games. That is, it wasn¡¯t as if they couldn¡¯t see the rustling of the grass. But for now, no one had detected them. If it worked, it worked. He wasn¡¯t about to start complaining¡ªthat was for sure. After a while¡­ "Over there, Mr. Max, that one," Helen said in an almost inaudible voice, pointing with a small, trembling finger. "Are you sure?" "Sure." Max nodded. There was nothing more to say. He shouldn¡¯t have asked the question. In any case, Helen wouldn¡¯t have said anything if she hadn¡¯t been sure. After all, it was their lives at stake¡ªhis life, in particular. Because many feared that she valued her own life above anything else. One of the many things he would have to address in due time. The leader of this band of orcs had not stationed himself in the tent that obviously belonged to the leader¡ªgiven how large and luxurious it was¡ªnor did he dress in a way that made it obvious he was in charge. He had no crown, no armor, no special sword or weapon. He appeared as one among the crowd. But Helen was sure, and so was he. There was nothing more to say. "Stay back, okay?" Max whispered. "Do what you can from hiding, but nothing more. If you have to choose between staying hidden and helping me out, I''d prefer you remain hidden." Of course, he knew she would never make that choice¡ªthat she would turn a deaf ear. But it didn¡¯t hurt to try. Max emerged from the undergrowth. There was no chance of catching the orc leader by surprise, so he didn¡¯t even try. He went straight for the bastard, letting out a battle cry from the depths of his throat. He didn¡¯t consider what would happen if Helen were wrong. Not even for a second did it cross his mind as a possibility. The damned orc also let out a battle cry and brandished his weapon. Their arms clashed violently. A shower of sparks flew between them. They struck each other again and again. The space between them had become a shredder¡ªanything that passed through would be torn to pieces. His opponent''s weapon was a spiked mace. He had acquired his sword only a short while ago, but Max was concerned: how much could it withstand against such a weapon? The spikes grazing the blade¡­ It could break at any moment. But in any case, it was better to end this as soon as possible. Like the other orc¡ªwhose name, frankly, he couldn¡¯t recall¡ªhe didn¡¯t seem what one would call experienced. His movements lacked technique; they were nothing but brute strength and speed. And that was more than enough. Techniques were something invented by humans to compensate for their weaknesses. A monster like this didn¡¯t have many.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Yet he was going to fall. He knew it himself. His anger and confidence soon turned to fear. He instantly noticed that dark glimmer in the beast¡¯s eyes. Those were the eyes of a cornered animal. Max knew few things were worse than feeling that your death was approaching with every passing second. That it was coming faster and faster. And there was nothing you could do. Nothing at all to stop it. The weapon shattered. Into pieces. The enemy¡¯s weapon, that is. Did it matter, considering that the rest of his body was also a weapon? It did enough. Max leapt spinning over the monster¡¯s head and, at the same time, his sword split its skull in two. He felt the skin and flesh tearing, felt the skull giving way, landed as blood and brains splattered across the earth and grass. He didn¡¯t see that, but he heard enough. It hadn¡¯t been as easy as it seemed. A short fight, but intense. One mistake, one misstep, and he would have ended up like that. Max took a deep breath. It should worry him, and it did worry him, that Helen was exposed to such displays of violence so often. But what could he do to prevent it? Abandon her, leave her in the hands of others, even if it were a tribe of elves¡ªor, rather, especially then. It no longer seemed even remotely an option. Maybe it never had, and he¡¯d fooled himself into thinking otherwise. Maybe he needed her as much as she needed him. He wasn¡¯t sure. Max shoved aside the notification that popped up. Experience gain or something like that, probably. Maybe "quest completed"¡ªin any case, he had no time to read anything amid all this. He was fighting for his life. This wasn¡¯t a game. For Ares, maybe, but not for him. ¡°Let¡¯s get the hell out of here, Helen.¡± He grabbed the girl by the wrist and pulled her along, running. After all, he¡¯d fulfilled his promise. Kill the leader, nothing more, nothing less. Anything beyond the agreed plan was just unnecessary risk. And being here, doing this, had already been a thoroughly unnecessary risk. Another regret to add to the list. As if he didn¡¯t have enough already. He vowed that, from now on, he¡¯d do better. He¡¯d think first of the life now entrusted to him. He owed it to the mother he couldn¡¯t save and the girl who¡¯d placed her faith in him. A person no one had ever believed in. A person who, for years, had ceased to be a person. It was as if she¡¯d breathed life back into him. So he wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to her. Nothing. Orcs don¡¯t cower at their leader¡¯s death. At least, not most. They howled and charged after them, weapons raised overhead. He could hear their heavy breaths closing in. They were just wild animals, after all. To be honest, he felt fear¡ªnot just a bit of panic¡ªbut everything would be fine. The mission had gone well in the end, and they were in a forest. How hard could it be to lose them? The victory conditions were to slip away, nothing more. It might not be his forte as the Sword of the God of War, but he could do it. The wind whistled through the trees, leaves crunching under his boots, the snap of occasional branches. The ears of those bloodthirsty beasts, along with his own frantic breathing and Helen¡¯s, formed a hellish cacophony. He could barely hear his own thoughts. Max felt somewhat detached from his own body. Why did he even want to live this dangerous life? He was powerful, destined for greatness thanks to Ares¡¯s gift. Wasn¡¯t that enough? Why keep striving to grow stronger? Why dream of beheading Ares and seizing the God of War¡¯s throne? He didn¡¯t want to be controlled. He didn¡¯t want to be at fate¡¯s mercy again. Yet Max felt like vomiting. This wasn¡¯t a life either, was it? Facing death day after day, gambling with their lives. That wasn¡¯t a proper way to live. It couldn¡¯t be. Did part of him crave this anyway? No¡ªthat was a ridiculous thought. It was just a life of pain and fear. Life is pain and fear, he thought. Max grimaced. He squeezed Helen¡¯s hand tighter, nails digging in. Maybe so, but it¡¯s not only that. Not just that. While thinking of things he should save for later, he kept running on autopilot. Though ¡°autopilot¡± might not be the right word. It felt like he was speeding up instead of pacing himself or tiring. In the end, he managed to outrun the orcs¡ªyes¡ªbut he also hid in a hole in the ground, waiting for them to pass, splitting up to cover more ground. Eager to avenge their leader. The hole was large, deep. Like a scar in the earth. It felt as if a bomb had fallen there long ago. Maybe long ago. Otherwise, a good chunk of the forest would have been leveled and look like it. This world wasn¡¯t that advanced. That was obvious. But with magic, who knew what they could do? What destruction they could wreak? ¡°I think we¡¯re clear,¡± Max said. ¡°Come on.¡± They climbed out and ran again. He couldn¡¯t be 100% sure they were safe, but at least there were no more orcs. And they weren¡¯t exactly subtle creatures. Though, to be fair, neither was he. Not really. Given that his system was called Sword of the God of War, he probably couldn¡¯t expect stealth-related skills. He¡¯d have to practice on his own, work at it. But he was painfully aware he was just an ordinary person, deep down. His success so far was due to the power granted by Ares. He wasn¡¯t sure how far his own efforts alone could take him. Everything was harder because his life wasn¡¯t the only one at stake. That¡¯s what it meant to be a brother¡ªor, rather, a father. I can be both, he thought. Since we¡¯re alone in the world, both make sense. A brother playing the role of a father. A role¡ªthat¡¯s all he¡¯d been doing, in many ways. But even a role could become real, right? What did people do in life but strive to fulfill the fantasy called ¡°the best version of yourself¡±? They didn¡¯t take long to return to Silvana and the others. The battle was bloody, far worse, naturally, than the chaos they¡¯d left behind. Because the only victims here had been those monsters. So much blood and guts. So many desperate screams and cries. He felt like vomiting. He couldn¡¯t imagine how Helen felt. Better, perhaps, because she could rely on him. Trust him to get her through this, on one hand. But on the other¡ªthe side that mattered more¡ªshe was smaller. Less equipped for such a horrifying spectacle. Of course, what happened to her mother would always be the worst thing in her life. She¡¯d suffered far more than him. But still, seeing this, seeing it repeated even with strangers¡­ He should have left without looking back. Goddamn it, he should have taken her far away without hesitation. To hell with repaying favors. To hell with experience points, with growing stronger. There were a thousand better ways to do that. To hell with all of it. But of course, it was already too fucking late. If he turned back now, abandoned the elves to their fate, he¡¯d lose Helen¡¯s affection. ¡°Helen,¡± Max murmured. She seemed calm, almost, but it was just repression. Her face was expressionless, not trembling, but not moving either. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll handle this. I promise, everything will be okay.¡± Hyms of War (5) Max wasted no time pondering his next move. First and foremost, they needed to find Silvana. If she was still alive¡ªand it was likely she was, given that as the leader, she¡¯d be stationed in the safest part of the formation¡ªshe was the only person in this place who would still willingly speak to him at this point. All his own fault, he admitted. Though he wasn¡¯t sure he could have done anything to change it. Even if he had behaved more reasonably. In any case, the priority was to find her first. The rest¡­ the rest would work itself out later. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t particularly difficult to locate her. Everything had been going perfectly so far. Max was the kind of person who expected bad news around every corner whenever something like this happened. Once again, he wasn¡¯t mistaken. They arrived just in time to see Silvana decapitating one of the orcs, her sword gripped tightly in both hands. That orc had already been neutralized, anyway¡ªanother elf had torn off its legs. But well, even without legs, these creatures were dangerous. You couldn¡¯t just leave them bleeding out on the ground. When she noticed them, Silvana offered a faint smile. Her armor and face were soaked in blood. They walked over to her. She didn¡¯t approach them. ¡°Did you succeed?¡± Silvana asked. ¡°Of course,¡± said Max. ¡°It was a piece of cake.¡± He didn¡¯t pause to wonder whether that expression existed in this world. In any case, he shouldn¡¯t even be able to speak whatever language this world used. He assumed the magic enabling communication would handle the translation. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t some arcane tongue¡ªjust English. That was also a possibility. ¡°Well, in any case¡­ Where¡¯s the head?¡± Silvana pressed. Max froze. The head. Right, the damn head. Silvana read his expression instantly. Not that it required any particular skill to do so. ¡°How will they know their leader is dead without the head?¡± ¡°I thought the camp would call for a retreat, and the others would follow.¡± No. What was the point of lying now? ¡°It didn¡¯t cross my mind. How should I know? Nerves. Adrenaline.¡± ¡°Goddammit, Max! I can¡¯t believe this.¡± ¡°I went there to do your dirty work, and I did it. But don¡¯t talk to me like I¡¯m one of your little soldiers. Don¡¯t think you control me.¡± ¡°You think now is the best time for this argument? Now, when my people are dying or wishing they were dead?¡± ¡°That has nothing to do with anything. And I don¡¯t give a shit.¡± Silvana turned to Helen. ¡°You hear that, girl?¡± Helen stayed silent. But her withering glare was answer enough. It was aimed at Silvana. Of course, not at him. ¡°I screwed up,¡± Max continued. ¡°I admit it. But it¡¯s time to move past it, focus, and figure out what I should do next. Aside from killing everything that moves, obviously.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s room for more plans anymore,¡± said Silvana. ¡°If there ever were any to begin with. I don¡¯t understand how the hell they bypassed so many traps and ambushed us.¡± ¡°Clearly, they¡¯re not as stupid as you think. I don¡¯t give a damn about what you think you know. What matters is what¡¯s right in front of us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate your cheek, but you¡¯re right. In the end, facts matter, not assumptions. I¡¯m out of plans, Max. Survive. Do what you can¡­ and thank you.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because the truth is, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d come back¡ªwith or without the head. You¡¯re a surprisingly honest boy for a human. Your mother must have raised you well.¡± He should have felt happy, but Max furrowed his brow. He didn¡¯t want to think about his mother. Even if he missed his family, he¡¯d never see her again. She¡¯d died in that hospital bed. He¡¯d never reclaim what he¡¯d lost. He wasn¡¯t even sure he wanted to. Another item on the long list of things he preferred not to dwell on. The only path left for him was forward. There was no point looking back. The past was the past. Silvana no doubt noticed his reaction but chose not to comment. He wondered what the elf was thinking, what kind of ideas she might be forming about him and his mother. In the end, it didn¡¯t matter. Amid the surrounding chaos, he had to find a way to survive¡ªto save as many people as possible because, unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t the type to turn a blind eye and claim it wasn¡¯t his problem. He had priorities: if pushed to the brink, he¡¯d keep those priorities in mind. But until then¡­ well, his heart wasn¡¯t made of stone. That was all. ¡°Having second thoughts?¡± Silvana asked. ¡°No. I¡¯ll¡­ We¡¯ll do what we can. Come on, Helen. Come with me.¡± Silvana hadn¡¯t provided the help he¡¯d hoped for. Besides, the supposedly safest part of the formation didn¡¯t seem safe at all in practice. Better to leave. They¡¯d fight somewhere else. They¡¯d manage by improvising on the fly. After all, that¡¯s what they¡¯d been doing until now. It hadn¡¯t gone too badly, considering how many times things could have ended much worse. The entire refuge had transformed into a battlefield. Which is to say, there was little difference between one spot and another. He carved a path through orcs with Helen¡¯s help, but he didn¡¯t feel like he was making meaningful progress. He barely felt he¡¯d moved away from Silvana¡¯s side. Everywhere he looked: flames, thick black smoke, merciless slaughter, and screams glorifying bloodshed. Max focused on the worst kinds of victims. Despite the chaos, many orcs still believed they could grab a woman and slip away for a ¡°break.¡± He did what he could to dissuade them, letting his sword do the talking. Everything else was already horrific enough. That was the last thing he¡¯d allow Helen to witness again. He felt sick. He wanted to vomit. At this rate, he¡¯d grow numb eventually. But for now, he wasn¡¯t built for this life. He wasn¡¯t the Sword of the God of War. It was a role, just like playing the older brother or father. A well-performed role, perhaps, but still just a role. When he woke to the harsh reality of it all¡­ Max blocked a strike that would have crushed his skull. By the hairs of my beard! he thought. Fuck me. That was close. Too damn close. Helen dealt with the orc before he could finish the miserable creature off. The beast flew backward, then exploded midair¡ªa pi?ata of blood, entrails, and, he assumed, a heart probably floating around somewhere in the mix. She had a natural talent for violence. Over time, she¡¯d likely grow harder rather than regress. That¡¯s what life did: it hardened people through relentless beatings. I can¡¯t even give myself a decent life. What makes me think I can do right by her? Nothing. The answer¡¯s nothing, obviously. But he also didn¡¯t have the stomach to abandon her now. He wouldn¡¯t trust anyone else. And more importantly, he didn¡¯t want to. He was framing it as selfless, but of course, it wasn¡¯t. It¡¯s important to be honest with yourself, he thought. And he was. They pressed onward through the blood-drenched battlefield, a nightmare in broad daylight. The hospital room had felt like hell on earth¡ªan inescapable hell. If only he¡¯d known what was coming¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Max said, pointlessly. ¡°Why?¡± Helen asked. ¡°For being an idiot and forgetting the leader¡¯s head, obviously. You helped me find him. Without you, I couldn¡¯t have done it. But I messed up.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Really. And¡­ this isn¡¯t the time to talk about anything, Mr. Max.¡± You¡¯re right. Sorry. But the words stayed locked in his mind. He struggled, but he was learning. He didn¡¯t make a habit of repeating mistakes. The battle raged on. Meanwhile, the screen visible only to his eyes kept flickering into view, as if this were nothing but a game. It infuriated him! People were risking their lives and their children¡¯s lives, and this thing kept notifying him about experience points, every scrape, every hit point lost. He didn¡¯t want to know. This system laid bare how Ares viewed humans. Reading about it in a story was one thing. Living it was another. The god saw humans as mere numbers¡ªnot living beings, just entertainment. He¡¯d made that clear from the start, but it was no less revolting. Max had to kill him, no matter what. He had to kill that colossal son of a bitch. Max slid between an orc¡¯s legs to dodge, slicing its belly open down to the groin in the process. He spun away just in time to avoid a mace smashing his skull. Instead, the blow left the ground spiderwebbed with cracks. Close. Too damn close. The tide of orcs seemed endless. It felt like for every one he killed, three more took its place. It wasn¡¯t difficult, but it was exhausting. To make matters worse, he wasn¡¯t used to any of this. He wasn¡¯t built for it, despite what Ares wanted to mold him into. Not yet. But that would change. Ep. 27 [Too many pending notifications. Wait...] Experience points gained every time he killed a few monsters. Health points lost every time one of those sons of bitches, with too much luck, broke through his guard and scratched him. A green hell. An apparently endless hell. But it ended. At the end of the bloody battle, Max let himself fall backwards, collapsing onto a mountain of corpses. The stench was even worse than the feeling of the dead flesh beneath him. He felt like he was drowning in just the smell of orc blood and fallen elves, too. Many of the elves had died horribly, but the smell of blood wasn''t the only thing hanging over the battlefield, that was clear. Piss and shit. There were no noble ways to die. Not far away, he saw a raven pecking at the guts of some poor son of a bitch who wasn''t even whole. In fact, he was so torn apart that the only way to tell if it was an elf or an orc was the color of the skin. [You leveled up. You''ve reached level 3.] [You leveled up. You''ve reached level 4.] [You leveled up. You''ve reached level 5.] The notifications kept popping up as he contemplated this hellish scene. It was like a mockery of the people who had valiantly defended their home, dying in the process or not. This was very real, not just a game. Too real. Max stood up, stuck his sword in the ground, leaning on it. He bent over at the waist and vomited. Helen stroked his back, patting him. Nice gesture, of course, but he barely felt it, since the armor was in the way. A wall of cold metal separated her. Separated them. Silvana approached, passing between the dead and those still dying. At a brisk pace. For a moment he thought she was in a hurry for some reason, but then he dismissed it. Surely the fight was over. Silence and death reigned in this space. Maybe that was what was lightening her pace, the feeling of relief, like rediscovering the weight and value of her own life. He was no warrior, not yet, but he could understand that. It was what he had felt after the cave, after the white serpent, and what he was feeling right now. "You''ve done a good job, kid. Thank you." Silvana got straight to the point. [You have fifteen attribute points to invest.] Max frowned. "You don''t have to thank me. I did this for myself and no one else." "I''m quite sure you did it more for the little one than for yourself, but it doesn''t matter anyway. What matters are the acts. So thank you." Most people didn''t put it that way. What mattered was the intention, and his intention had been selfish, not to mention inconsiderate towards Helen. She had already seen and lived enough in his short life, but what was done was done, and what was the point of rejecting her thanks at this point? The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Max nodded. "Anyway, okay, I did what I could. I wish I could have done more." His voice trembled. "It doesn''t matter, it''s my fault. Not yours. I am the leader, the one responsible. I don''t understand how they got through so many traps. Placed around the perimeter. I don''t understand how they managed to ambush us, or how they got that particular bright idea, by the way. But what matters is the result, not the preparation, or the good intentions. I''m the one with blood on my hands. You are simply a traveler passing through." He couldn''t reject her words either. Max had reasons to feel responsible. But the truth is that she was blaming herself too much and making herself important. He was a traveler passing through. Today he would leave and not see any of these people again for a long time, if ever. There was no point in giving it more importance than it had. Although this was certainly a specialty of the human race. "Thank you," Max said at last. Silvana nodded gravely, briefly looking away. For a second he thought she would say something else. A glimmer in her eyes, a blink, who knows, made him think that. And in the end there was nothing, only silence. Until... "I''ll pay you." "You don''t have to do that." He had already received what he was looking for, killing so many orcs, leveling up three times. And he had no more and no less than fifteen more attribute points to spend. "Of course I have to pay you, I don''t intend to be in debt to anyone." Shutting up and accepting it was the best thing. He needed money to survive in this world. Experience points were no good. They had agreed to this work as a way of paying them for healing Helen, nothing more, but the money would be perfect. "Okay, I''ll accept it." "Of course you will," Silvana said. "I don''t care if you throw the bag away as soon as you get out of my sight. But as I said, I don''t intend to be in your debt or anyone else''s." Silvana took a deep breath. "Elves are a proud people." I can see that, he thought. "Give me a moment to talk to my people and we''ll reorganize to clean up the mess. Take care of the corpses and..." "Take your time." Silvana nodded softly. She lowered her head, then shook it, turned around and walked away, moving among her people, giving verbal and non-verbal commands. She seemed sure of herself. At least she seemed to. Who knows what was going through her head? Max was worried sick with only one life in his care. Silvana had to take care of an entire tribe. He had experienced the calm before the storm and survived the storm. Therefore, this was supposed to be a return to calm. However... "What now?" one shouted. "What is happening?" shouted another. Many corpses came together, dissolved, and gave shape to something terrible. A death golem, oozing blood, pus, and a black ichor. How many corpses had it taken to form that monster? Maybe it reached into the hundreds. The eyes of that thing, because yes, it had eyes, locked onto him. They burned like two dark circles, but gave the sensation of being as cold as the emptiness between the stars. Deathly cold. Knowing that, he should have guessed what he was facing. "So you are the new champion," the mass of death spoke with a strangely normal voice, jovial even. "You are even worse than the last one. I don''t know where Ares finds them. You''re going to die here. Don''t blame me, kid. I''m just following orders. From my master. Hades, king of the underworld." Ep. 28 "The Champion of Ares." Silvana''s incredulous voice rose in the air. Max didn''t look at the elf. Right now, he only had eyes for the newborn, gigantic death golem. At least he wasn''t face to face with its master. With Hades, god of the underworld, but another champion or lackey... where was the difference? He could count his blessings. "I defeated Ronan, and I would have killed him, if it weren''t for the fact that he turned out to be quite fast when it came to running with his tail between his legs. Don''t think I''m easy prey." "I know perfectly well that you defeated him, although not how. That''s why I''m here. Was that a pathetic attempt to intimidate me to avoid the fight? I hope not. I''d be embarrassed for you." Max made the stat screen appear, right in front of him, muttering the word. He quickly distributed the 15 points, without thinking. HP increased. HP 100/100 HP 120/120. He was more powerful, and what was more important, he felt it. Mindset could make the difference in a life-or-death fight. Ronan had decisively defeated him. Only Helen had barely pulled his chestnuts out of the fire. So he doubted that Hades'' champion, whatever his name was, would be an easier opponent. But Helen was still by his side. Despite everything, she was ready to go on, like him. And now he wasn''t alone. He wasn''t fighting with the rest of the village just watching and hoping for the best. Sylvana and her warriors, the survivors, of course, were more than willing to fight to protect their homes. He wasn''t alone in this. And now he was stronger than ever. He could probably do it. Probably. The worst thing he could do was get overconfident. He had to tread carefully, no matter what. The death golem roared, lunging straight at him. Each of its steps was like a small earthquake. Facing an enemy of its own size was also scary. Monsters with strange shapes, full of violent biological imperatives. Living nightmares. However, giants like this thing, like the white serpent, instilled even more fear. An orc might be big and green, but not that far from what you could see in the real world. You could deal with a drunkard, wielding a broken beer bottle, say. With a snake so big that it could roll through a neighborhood and leave all the houses flattened and wet, of course, as if a tsunami had passed... That was, unequivocally, something from another world. It wasn''t easy to explain, but that was what he felt, more or less. He had to overcome fear and doubt. He had to become the sword of the god of war, in order to survive in this world. He had no other choice. But he ran forward to collide with the golem, feeling his body filling with renewed strength. Despite the fear, he felt invincible, to be honest, as if he could now bend steel with his bare hands. He felt like a fucking superhero. There was no crash. There was the sensation of having suddenly appeared in the middle of a forest fire. Everyone was frozen and the amount of oxygen seemed to have dropped through the floor. No wonder.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Gritting his teeth, Max turned, following Helen''s gaze. Her amazed eyes, her awe. It was Ares. The fire giant had half-manifested, behind him. He floated above him, a few meters, existing only from the waist up. So "giant" might not be the most correct word, but he was still an intimidating son of a bitch. "Ares," said the champion of Hades. "What the hell are you doing here? You are not allowed to interfere." "It''s also not very much in the spirit of the rules to overwhelm this boy and jump on him like a pack of hyenas. He''s still in his adaptation period." Ares laughed. "And so far he''s been very entertaining." "This is not going to end like this," he insisted. "Who do you think you are? You are nothing more than a lapdog. Descend back to the underworld and go cry to your master before I crush you like a worm." Could it be so simple? Apparently, it was. The golem dissolved into nothing more than corpses again. The only change was that, as it fell apart, it became evident that the corpses had completely rotted. If it hadn''t been for the appearance of that thing, they would have spent hours under the sun, while the elves went through the battlefield to clean up the remains and untangle the mess. That was all. He had been on the verge of being forced to fight for his life. Of facing perhaps the worst fight since he had come to this world. A fight he might have won, though it wouldn''t have been easy. But Ares had to intervene and expose the secret. Well, that thing had already called him Ares'' champion, but this left exactly no room for doubt. Max spun around several times like a man chasing his shadow. Yes, just as futile. The flaming giant remained floating above him as if it were a spirit he had summoned. That was the first thing that came to his mind, but of course, neither Ares nor anyone else saw it that way. He supposed the god was reminding him who he belonged to, to whom he owed his strength. And that this could change whenever he wanted. Because he was nothing more than a whim of the god of war. As capricious as the elders who sent young men to die in their name, countless, always the same throughout history. Yes, Ares was the spirit of war. There was no doubt after all. Ares remained silent. But the elves soon knelt. It must be true that he had greatly helped the elven race throughout history. So this reaction was natural. But it still bothered him. And not just Helen''s. It bothered him deeply. "Lord Ares," Silvana stammered, her head still bowed, slowly and after a while. "It is an honor. I should have known that..." "If you should have known, I would have let you know," Ares replied. "Rise." The elves rose. "What do you want from us, Lord Ares?" "Absolutely nothing. I already did what I came to do." "Shouldn''t we support your champion in everything, Lord Ares?" "That''s up to you. If he dies, well, it wouldn''t be such a big deal. Let''s say the boy is still on trial." Silvana nodded, although Max had the feeling she didn''t understand. A few elves, after discovering they could speak again, thanked him with a servility that made Max nauseous. "Don''t disappoint me, Miller," said the pompous god of war. "I expect great things from you." Yeah, right. So many that you can''t even look me in the eye, he thought. We can''t see each other face to face. The fight had ended before it began. And apparently, he had said everything he had to say. Because Ares disappeared. That and the heat he gave off, like the eye of a firestorm. Yes, even the heat disappeared, but not completely. An invisible pressure and heat remained behind. Silvana took a few steps forward. On trembling legs. "Allow me the honor of serving you, Lord Miller." "Enough. None of that or I''m going to die of embarrassment." "But... My Lord, but..." "No buts. No buts, okay?" Episode 29 Episode 29 Despite being the leader and the mess she was dealing with ¨C maybe precisely because of that ¨C Silvana offered to accompany them on their journey, to guide and protect them every step of the way. Max pretended to consider it, but of course, he flatly refused. "Don''t be silly," he said. "You''re the leader. They need you here." That was true, of course, but far from a reason to refuse the offered help. It wasn''t his business how the tribe would manage without Silvana. The only real reason to reject her was that he was sure, or wanted to be sure, that he could convince Helen that Ares was better off dead. The same didn''t go for Silvana, quite the opposite. It was a shame, but if he allowed her to accompany them, he''d eventually have to watch out for her stabbing him in the back. Following the orders of that monster, with blind faith and a smile on her face, it was clear that the only person he could trust unreservedly was Helen. And even then, he had reservations. And even then, he had reservations. It was understandable. Helen loved him, but would she go against her own God to make him happy? Would she commit blasphemy, would she risk so much? He had plenty of reason to think she would, that she would do anything for him. But he was just a human, after all. He couldn''t always be one hundred percent sure. He couldn''t be immune to fear and irrational paranoia. Silvana was very stubborn. It took him a lot to convince her that this was the right thing to do. Perhaps she not only wanted to serve him, but also to escape what was left after this disaster. The pain, the consequences of being like this, he didn''t blame her. "Alright," Silvana said at last. "I''ll stay. But if you ever come back here, or if you need anything, anything at all, don''t hesitate to come to me or any elven tribe. I don''t understand why you hid it from us, but... Ares'' champion will always be welcome in any elven tribe. You just have to prove it, and they''ll treat you like a king, Mr. Miller." "I told you, enough with the ''Mr.''," Max repeated for the umpteenth time, extremely uncomfortable. It was nice to be praised so much for a change, but it was becoming too much. He didn''t know how to handle it. In the distance, darkness was reclaiming the territory of the sun sinking on the horizon. As if it would never rise again. The birds sang a sweet melody. Silvana shifted uncomfortably. "Please, understand me. I know that''s what you want, and I don''t want to disrespect you, you are who you are, and you''ve done a lot for us, but you''re asking me to disrespect Lord Ares, and that''s even worse," she said all that without barely taking a breath. "I can''t take such liberties." "Alright." Max gave in easily. He didn''t like but, but what was he going to do? Her logic made sense. Her complete change in attitude, so docile and servile, like the rest of the elves, repulsed him even more than being called Mr. Max or Miller. But at least he wouldn''t have to put up with this for much longer. One way or another, they were leaving today, right now. So, what the hell did it matter? "Where should we go now?" Max asked. "Besides another elven tribe, which I don''t want to try my luck with right now, where would we be supported just for, you know, being who I am?" Silvana looked back at him. He could guess what she was thinking: *shouldn''t you be asking Ares for advice instead of me?* How naive. Even if he swallowed his pride, bowed his head, and asked for help, Ares would turn a deaf ear. He would only do what he wanted when he wanted. Well, he was a god, after all, what else could you expect? He wasn''t different from the cancer that had stolen everything from him. A force of nature, always repeating itself under the right conditions. A mass of impulses and instincts, not a human being. He supposed Ares would say that that was precisely what a human being was. "Well," Silvana murmured. "There are temples dedicated to Lord Ares everywhere. The priests and priestesses would undoubtedly do anything for you, I mean, for you both. The closest temple is in, hmm... In Athens." "Athens?" Wow. Well, he didn''t know why he was surprised. "Alright. A map wouldn''t hurt." Helen was native to this world, but she was also a child. He had to be realistic. A child wasn''t going to be able to guide him perfectly along the roads, with or without magic. And she had said the closest temple, but how close were they talking? Many kilometers, perhaps. "Okay, give me a moment." Silvana left, running. What a change in attitude, indeed. She didn''t even seem like the same person. Silvana returned with the map, and then they left. Max put the map inside a backpack that the elves had also given them. It was loaded with supplies donated by the servile elves who had made sure to beg them to tell Ares about their humble gesture of devotion, turning it into a kind of competition. All in all, Max felt relieved to finally leave the place behind. If his secret hadn''t been revealed, maybe he could have endured a few more days. But now the atmosphere was too oppressive, even worse than when everyone hated him, ironically. *On the road again,* he thought. *On the road again.* *I really don''t know how that song goes.* ¡ª¡ª "Mr. Max, I mean, Max, can I ask you something?" "You can ask me and do whatever you want. Please, just relax, I''m not going to bite you." Helen laughed softly. He wondered if that wouldn''t be an unusual expression in this world. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "I know, I know. Well, if you don''t mind, I''d like to know more about your world and what you were like before this." "Why? Do you want to know what could have made Ares choose me?" Max was pretty sure of the answer. Nothing in particular. As if he had drawn his name out of a hat, he simply hadn''t put much thought into it. All that nonsense about his strength in the face of adversity, about his second chance, he doubted very much that he gave a damn. That he had taken it into consideration. No, he had just taken another toy out of the box when the previous one had been broken. He and Ares had only spoken twice, but he felt pretty sure of that. He could read Ares like an open book, although that wasn''t a great feat. Because it seemed that, indeed, he was an open book. And it made sense for something like a god, why would he hide anything? Would he care about the opinions and feelings of a mortal? Laughable. "That''s not it," Helen replied. "It''s just that I''d like to know more about you. After all... you are..." "My father. You can say it. I don''t mind, although I''m a little young to pass for your father. Don''t you think? Maybe from now on you should call me big brother." Helen blushed to the tips of her ears. And well, being an elf, that was a lot. "Big brother, father, or whatever. We are family." "That''s right, Helen. We are." "Well, tell me. It seems that, sorry, it seems that you want to drag it out." "It''s not that, it''s not that, Helen. It''s just that there''s not much to tell. I already told you. Believe it or not, I was a normal boy. With a normal life. Well, more or less." "Only more or less. During the last years of my life, of my first life, I contracted a disease for which you probably don''t have a name. If it even exists here, with all the magic you have." "Well, in any case, I contracted a disease and, well, I slowly deteriorated for years in a hospital. In the end, I couldn''t even go to the bathroom without help. That wasn''t, it wasn''t easy, but it wasn''t that much out of the ordinary either." "At my age, there are many people who contract that thing, you know? As miserable as I felt, there are young children suffering from the same thing, dying." "That sounds terrifying. What was it?" "Cancer, Helen, cancer." "It''s when, well, essentially your body starts to betray you. Something goes wrong deep inside you, and the failures accumulate, making it difficult for the organs to function. I had lung cancer." "They could remove one lung and with it, well, we leave the disease, but not both, obviously. Anyway, the treatment, which was within my reach, had no results. Shame to say all this in front of you." "Shame," the girl repeated. "And why is that?" "Because you think I''m special, bigger than life, but I''m not special, I''m not even a warrior. Just a sick kid." "A sick kid with extra responsibilities and powers that are way too big for me." Helen was silent for a while. "You''ve been doing very well so far." Max smiled. "Yes, so far, I guess. But that can change at any moment. I feel like I''m talking too much, but I want to be honest with you." "And I want you to be honest with me, no problem." That''s what you may *think* you want, Max said in his thoughts. But what you think and what you really desire can be two very different things. I think every child needs to be deceived, like with Santa Claus. They need to know that there are good things in the world, that goodness is rewarded. And that their parents are something more than two stupid humans, like any others. That one day they tried to have a child just because, their condom broke or the cheeky guy slipped inside. With the pull-out method of contraception. Pure genius. They need to believe, at least for a few years, that the world makes sense. But you already know it doesn''t, don''t you, Helen? You had to see what you had to see. I wish I could reach out and rip those memories from your head. I wish I could hug you and take you to a world without fear or pain. Max pursed his lips. He actually *could* do that. And that was what he intended to do. Once he sat on the throne, no one could threaten her anymore. She would never want for anything. He would be happy when she was happy. "You *are* special," Helen said. "Maybe in your other world you didn''t have a chance to show it, but you saved me. You defeated that snake, the bandits who wanted to kill you, rape me, and sell me." She said it with such ease, with such naturalness, despite her age. He supposed her mother had warned her about that. She had felt the need. What a horrible, disgusting world! "And if that wasn''t enough, you kept me safe. In the midst of so many orcs, you helped me kill. You trusted me." "To me, you are special, Max." "You''re going to make me blush, little one." Max kissed her on the forehead. Then he impulsively ruffled her hair. Helen didn''t seem to mind. What an adorable little girl! She deserved something much better than him. But for now, he was what she had. And the future, well... Surprisingly, the future looked pretty good, for a change. "I mean it," Helen said. "Me too. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for... for being there." Helen seemed confused. "You could have done this without me. But I couldn''t without you. I couldn''t have gone on." He''d bet she was wrong. Episode 30 Episode 30 Shortly after their conversation, Max had to excuse himself, needing a moment to find a place to relieve himself. Well, he put it more delicately. In any case, the important thing was that he wasn''t going to relieve himself. He''d only said that to avoid worrying Helen. The truth was, he felt nauseous. He thought he''d be able to hold it back. He was utterly wrong. He vomited the little he''d eaten. He had to lean against a tree trunk with one hand to keep his balance. How disgusting. The truth was, he hated vomiting. The aftertaste of vomit wouldn''t leave his mouth for hours. The most irritating thing, however, was probably the headache. His temples were throbbing. He felt like closing his eyes. But, of course, he forced them to stay open. Why had he vomited? Why now? Max lifted his head, taking a deep breath. The answer was quite obvious. The conversation he''d just had. What else? Was he so afraid of what Helen might think of him if she knew he was just an ordinary person, deep down? If this scared him, how would he be able to approach his real mission with her? Max bit his lower lip. He wasn''t sure, but those things could wait. Max wiped his mouth with his hand, cleaning off the remains of that filth. He wished he were near a river. He wished he knew where he was, for that matter. He was doing his best, and he didn''t think he was completely lost, but reading a map wasn''t as easy as it looked. Besides, it was a damn map. A real one. Not a GPS. Who knows how many years old it was. Who knows to what extent he could trust the information it contained. But well, as long as it helped him find the right direction, his way to Athens, he was content. He returned to Helen quickly. He didn''t want to worry her by taking too long, and he didn''t want to leave her alone. At any moment, an animal could attack, one with two or four legs, maybe even one with none. A snake had almost fallen on him. Once. Seemingly falling from one of the branches. He didn''t know how the hell it had gotten that high in the first place. He reacted quickly and killed it, splitting it in half, but he was left with that doubt. It seemed like it had climbed onto the branch to jump on its prey, and that thought alone sent shivers down his spine. Despite his attempts to hide it, Helen saw through him with frightening ease. "Are you alright, Max? You seem a little, I don''t know, different." "I''m fine, little one. Don''t worry too much." "How can I not worry?" "No, but... You can''t go through life with constant tension. Even the most paranoid guy has to relax from time to time. By force."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Paranoid?" "Yes, don''t you know what it means?" "I think I''ve heard the word a couple of times, but I''m not sure." "Well, paranoid is... Someone who''s always looking back over their shoulder, convinced that there''s someone or something waiting to screw them over. That sounds like cynical," he realized. "Well, I guess it''s the same thing." "I understand," Helen said slowly at the end. "But is it bad to be paranoid? We know we have enemies. The champion of Hades, maybe he''ll come back, or Hades himself, I don''t know. And while there are many people who would go out of their way to protect us and please us... Well, please you... Ares also has enemies. Or so my mom said. That he''s not exactly the most popular of the pantheon." "Yeah, I understand," Max replied. And what he thought was: *I''m not surprised at all.* "Do you think it''s much further?" "Not too much. A couple of days, maybe." They were riding horses. Bought in a town along the way, not stolen. Though he had to admit the idea had crossed his mind. This had made the trip much easier. "Is it good or not?" Helen repeated. Insistent. "Being paranoid." "Oh, yes." Honestly, he had completely forgotten that he hadn''t answered. "Well, Helen. I understand what you''re saying. But it''s one thing to be careful. And another to be paranoid." Helen nodded thoughtfully, as if it hadn''t occurred to her. "I understand." It took them exactly two days to reach Athens. It wasn''t exactly as he had imagined it. As he had seen in photos and history movies. Perhaps this Athens was completely different from the real city. The only thing he could say was that the style was very ancient Greek. It was obvious. He supposed it couldn''t be that different from the Athens of his world. Except that the people here prayed to gods who actually existed, and could answer their prayers or screw them over even more, it was according to what suited them at that moment. If there was one thing he knew for sure about the Greek pantheon, it was that they didn''t mess around. They didn''t exactly preach peace and love for their neighbor. They were human beings, only bigger. More bastards. And more capable of getting away with it. Zeus was famous for sleeping with anything that moved. With human form or animal form. He was disgusted by... Well. He was going to say by nothing. But if he remembered correctly, the only thing he was disgusted by was his own wife, ha ha. And of course, all that story of Hades and Persephone and thousands of other things. But that was what came to mind the most, what was he going to do? They entered the city and didn''t attract attention. The reaction to him didn''t surprise him, he doubted very much that any traveler would arrive unarmed, but not even Helen received many looks. Three or four perhaps, as they passed, and those people went on with their lives as if nothing was happening here. Which was true, of course. Nothing was happening. Helen had as much right to be here as anyone, but it took him by surprise anyway. And he was used to something else. The city, although it looked like a town by 21st-century standards, was better after all. Less racist, less full of superstitious crap. That, or the city folk were better at hiding it. Maybe because it wasn''t socially acceptable. In any case, he relaxed the tension that had unconsciously enveloped him since he saw the city. The Temple of Ares. It was almost like asking the God himself for help. But if he was looking for allies, people who would make life easier for both of them, what better place to start? "Max," Helen said, "how do you plan to, you know, convince them that you really are, you know?" Max nodded thoughtfully. "I have no idea," he admitted. Episode 31 Helen and he entered the temple. After all, it was a public place. They weren''t doing anything wrong. The difficult part would be what Helen had told him: Proving he was the champion of Ares. If Ares were more reasonable, he would simply appear. To prove it, as he had done. When he manifested, Helen had no doubt that he was always watching. After all, he had saved his life and brought him to this world to kill boredom. Watching him. He had to be always attentive. But, in the end, it was like a television show for him. His wish was to be one of the viewers, not a character in the narrative. He had only appeared against Hades'' golem. Because he had risked his favorite show being canceled. Before even finishing the first season. He had no doubt that if he tried that, it would only make him look like an idiot. But he couldn''t think of anything else. Max sighed deeply. So far he had done everything on the fly and it hadn''t gone so badly. He hoped it would stay that way. He looked around. It was a beautiful temple. And the priestesses who inhabited it, working, were even more beautiful. Many young girls, from what he saw. Not just old women. All of them devout. In the same way as Silvana, the being he hated most in this world. More bronzeskinned. Well, this would be a temple to him when he became the new god of war. They caught the attention of one of the priestesses, who approached them with her hands on her lap. More demure. "May I help you with something?" she asked. Max ran a hand over his forehead. It had been a long road. He was all sweaty. He felt disgusting. He had no interest in the priestess. She wasn''t that pretty either, and he didn''t even know her name. Still, it wasn''t pleasant to feel like a beggar in front of a beautiful woman. Don''t be silly, he thought. As if you had come here to flirt. "I would like to speak to whoever is in charge of this place," Max said. The priestess nodded slowly. "Devotees of Ares are always welcome in the temple. But, why?" Max wondered how wise it would be to tell the truth right now. Probably as wise as on any other occasion. That is, not very. "It matters. The point is that I need an audience with that person. Can you take my armor? And my weapon. I''m not here to cause trouble. I swear by..." Ares he was going to say, but he choked on the words. "I swear by my little sister," he said at last. "That''s very nice," the priestess replied slowly, and after a while, she added, "And I even believe you, sir. However, believing the word of a stranger... It''s not reason enough. If you need to make a confession, or a donation, or have some kind of proposal... You can talk to me. I will pass it on to the right people. But if you wish to speak to the high priestess... Well, not just anyone deserves an audience with her. You understand." He understood. He understood perfectly. But he wasn''t going to back down now. They both needed help. If it were only for him, maybe he would go back to the streets. Maybe he would think about finding out how he would manage on his own. Which would be a stupid idea. So thank goodness he had found Helen.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Look," Max murmured, "I''m not a stranger. Not exactly. Nor just anyone." The priestess, whose name he still didn''t know, raised an eyebrow. "I''m the champion of Ares. The new one." "We haven''t heard from Edward in a long time. It''s conceivable. But... I''m afraid you''re not the first to appear in one of Lord Ares'' temples with such a story. Despite the blasphemy that means, and how extremely easy it is to discover such a lie. Please understand that your word is not enough. If you turn out to be the true champion of Ares, I will kneel and kiss your feet if you want, asking for forgiveness. But for the moment I need proof." "I was hoping that would be on your account. I don''t know, some test, some method to find out. As you will understand, I can''t just snap my fingers and make him appear. Ares is Ares. He''s like any god. They do what they please." Would that count as blasphemy? If it was, the priestess didn''t seem disturbed at all. "I don''t know," the priestess admitted. "But now that you''ve said this... That... Don''t worry. You will have your audience with the high priestess. Now you can''t avoid it." "I understand. You have no choice but to investigate any such case. Can I go inside and wait?" The priestess shrugged. "Go ahead. Tihs temple, nor any other, was created to shut its doors on anyone. As long as that someone has their heart open to faith, of course," Max and Helen went inside the temple. Helen had been very quiet. Silent. It wasn''t unusual for a child to remain silent in the middle of a battle. In a boring conversation between adults. But he always thought too much about her. Well, and in general. Still, surely nothing was wrong. She had simply kept quiet so they could talk about their business. That was the safest bet. If she were his age, surely a place like this would be the last place she would want to be. "Please take a seat," said the priestess, pointing. The woman hadn''t even had the good manners to introduce herself. He supposed he could chalk it up to the shock of possibly being in front of the champion of Ares. The new one. He wondered if Ares intended his stay to be long or short. He wondered what his former coworker had done for Ares to let him die. Maybe nothing, he thought. Maybe he just got bored of watching him like he watches me. Maybe, but that wasn''t why he was going to stand still, trembling in his boots. He was a little uncomfortable following in the footsteps of his predecessor. But in reality that didn''t mean anything, of course. There weren''t that many places where the champion of Ares could seek help. The wait felt very, very long. But, like everything in life, the good and the bad, it ended abruptly and violently. The door opened. "Come in." They went in. The old women shut the door behind them. "I suppose you''ve been told why I want to talk to you" "Yes." The older woman sat, motioning with her hand for him to sit also; so he did. Helen remained tense, on her feet, as if ready for things to go wrong. He was too, just in case. Even if they didn''t believe him, even if he had no way to prove it, he seriously doubted they''d try to kill someone claiming to be Ares''s champion. If he was crazy, fine, a devout lunatic. And if he wasn''t, divine wrath would rain down on her. On all their fucking heads (or so they''d believe, at least, when in reality Ares would just replace him like a pair of used underwear). They had nothing to fear, Max was sure of it, but he couldn''t communicate all that to Helen with a single look, so he didn''t even attempt it. He simply took her hand, giving it a squeeze. So small, and entirely his responsibility. "My name is Rachel. What are your names?" "I am Max Miller, and this is..." "Helen Miller," she immediately said, a little red on her cheeks. "Okay, okay," said the old woman. "A proper introduction, as it should be. Now, getting down to business. Yes. I hear you claim to be Ares'' champion. And that, just like all the rest, you conveniently claim you can''t prove it. Well, that part is true enough. You can''t prove it. We can." "I''m listening." ¡ª¡ª I shouldn''t have opened my damn mouth, he thought. Max turned around. "Look, this is crazy, I''m not that powerful. This is..." They didn''t give him a chance to change his mind. Hands shoved him towards the bonfire. Episode 32 It''s hot. The flames engulfed him like a heavy shroud. It was as if every nerve in his body could now only transmit pain. He couldn''t see anything. The flames were everything. He couldn''t think. It''s hot. That wasn''t a thought, but rather a scream, an impulse born from the depths of his body, not his throat. It''s hot, he repeated, inside his head. But, in reality, that was all. They had thrown him into a bonfire, and it felt more like he had touched a hot pan. It hurt, of course, but it was perfectly bearable. Amidst the flames, he slowly regained his sanity. He realized that the pain itself was a sign that everything was alright. If he had suffered severe burns, the pain would have ceased soon enough. He had always heard it since he was a child. When you have to worry about a wound is when it starts to not hurt. Max placed his hands on the stone floor, directly through the flames. He had no scratches, no burns of any degree, no cuts. Or, for example, the feeling that he was going to faint from lack of oxygen. He felt great. It had all been just a scare. Max took a deep breath. He wanted to scream. He wanted to simply give a good scolding to the priestesses who had gathered to watch this spectacle. That is, all of them from the temple. But especially the damn one who had pushed him into the flames. He hadn''t had time to see who it was. But he swallowed the screams. He knew what they were doing. He had to admit that. "I''m never going to do that again," Max promised himself, knowing that he would, anyway, if it ever proved useful. He couldn''t hold back or keep anything in the arsenal. Otherwise, he would only end up crushed. The priestesses, naturally, knelt one after another in silence, bowing their heads. The test had been passed. He had passed the test. He had proven that he was who he said he was. So it was time for them to kiss his boots. The elves had become extremely servile, desperate with pleasure. And they weren''t even that religious. Not enough to dedicate their lives to a temple in any case. Max frowned. He hated this. It didn''t even serve to inflate his ego. After all, it wasn''t him they were kneeling before. They served his jailer. They were the most unpleasant type of person in this world and, also, ironically, the only ones he could depend on. Apart from Helen, of course, but she wasn''t that different. She had been raised in that culture. She believed that Ares was the ally of her people. She hoped... No, she trusted that when the time came, she would be loyal to him and not to the idea of a God who hadn''t bothered to save her mother. But that didn''t change the fact that for now, that was how it was. He was surrounded by religious fanatics. And what did he expect? He had gone to a damn temple. He frowned, looked away, fell silent. It wasn''t worth protesting at this point. "Rise," Max said. And they did so without hesitation. "Look, I''m not here looking for slaves. I just need, we need a place to stay, and help. I''m new to this, and I''ve already had the champions of Poseidon and Hades thrown at me. They''re not interested in me having time to amass strength."Stolen story; please report. "We understand," replied the high priestess, named Tryphaena, still with her head bowed. "We will shelter you, and we will do everything in our power to accelerate your growth." I hope it doesn''t involve throwing me into more bonfires, he thought. "Great." ¡ª¡ª The water swirled and twisted. It came to life, taking on a definite form. The water drew a giant with a trident. Poseidon, god of the sea. Ronan knelt before his lord. He still felt the pain of his lost arm. It regenerated a few days ago, but he still felt the pain. A phantom pain. One that never went away. Along with the pain was the lacerating humiliation of defeat. To be defeated by a Champion like him was one thing. That alone was bad enough. He told Poseidon about it and was punished. But the truth tormented him. He had lost against a girl, a stray taken in by Ares'' new stray. "Lord Poseidon. Please, allow me to go after Max Miller. Even Hades'' dog had his chance. My Lord, this time I won''t fail you." It was scary to speak through the silence that weighed, demanding, even if it was more of a plea. But Ronan couldn''t remain silent, enduring the silent judging gaze of his god. He meant it. He believed he could do it. He was convinced. Not much time had passed. Certainly, Max''s power shouldn''t have grown so enormously. No matter how hard he had trained, it was impossible for him to obtain results comparable to his own in less than a week. For that very reason, they had to act quickly. He was sure of it. If he was allowed to pursue Max, all he needed to win was to kill that elf. Now that he knew she was a threat, he just had to defeat her first. It was extremely simple. Failure was not an option. However¡­ "No." Poseidon was to the point, very clear and definitive. "But... my Lord." Ronan bowed his head even lower. But, nothing. A God was not questioned, although, suddenly... the phantom pain became even more intense. ¡ª¡ª Max and Helen retired to their new chambers as soon as night fell. The priests and priestesses treated him as if he were Ares himself. No doubt they would die before allowing even his companion to be harmed. However, even in a place like this, he preferred not to keep her out of his sight. He had to see her to be able to ensure with his own hands that she was okay. Max took off his armor. It was always a monotonous and exhausting task, even more so than putting it on in the first place. The difference was obvious. You put it on at the beginning of the day and took it off at the end. Today he hadn''t done much, but, even so, he was exhausted. Max let himself fall onto the bed. He closed his eyes gently, feeling the slight weight of Helen settling beside him, seeking his safety and warmth. He hoped the girl wouldn''t notice that he was doing the same. He liked the pedestal she had placed him on. Max gave her a half-hug, pulling her against his chest. The girl purred, almost, settling in. She was so damn adorable. If this was what it felt like to have a daughter, then... He couldn''t blame his mother because the hospital visits became increasingly infrequent. Max frowned. There it was again. There was no reason to think about something so unnecessary. It... didn''t matter anymore. Who had acted right, who had acted wrong. In any case, it was all over, and he had a new life. He had to do his best to take advantage of this second chance. That was all. "Good night, Helen." "Good night, Max." He could almost feel the little girl''s eyes closing, but before... "I was so scared, seeing you fall into the fire." A soft, almost inaudible voice. "I thought my heart was going to stop." "I''m sorry, little one." "There you go again." It wasn''t necessary to open his eyes to see her frown clearly. "Always apologizing for things that aren''t your fault." "I''m sorry?" His expression remained serious, however. He didn''t want the girl to think he was taking her concerns as a joke. "Max... I just wanted to say that I''m glad, I''m glad that things turned out well. That we have a place to live, that we''re safer." "I understand." Although in reality they weren''t safer or more in danger, they just were. Not much had changed. But if she felt safer, perfect for him. "Good night," the little girl repeated. "Yes. Tomorrow I''ll take you for a walk around the city, so you can see everything. Because you''ve never been here, right?" The girl shook her head. Her eyes remained closed, naturally, but he felt her move against his chest. "Well, perfect, we can discover it together. See you tomorrow, baby girl." Episode 33 Max really wanted to take a walk with Helen around the city, give her some time to relax, for a change. However, it didn''t have to be first thing in the morning. And it wasn''t going to happen. Shortly after the sun emerged from the horizon, there was a soft knock on the door. At first, he almost thought he''d imagined it. He put on his boots and headed to the door, flinging it open, half-expecting to see some hooded thug armed with a dagger or even Ronan''s face next to his sharp, gleaming trident. But on the other side was only the high priestess. Tryphaena. Hmm, those names weren''t going to be easy to remember... But he''d have to do what he could. Everything indicated that this wouldn''t be a temporary stay. "Good morning, Mr. Miller," the priestess bowed deeply. "I''m very sorry if I''ve disturbed you." "Don''t worry, I was already awake." Tryphaena nodded. "Yes, I thought so. I listened at the door for a while to make sure." She said something that made your hair stand on end with complete naturalness. There were worse things than being treated with such reverence, of course. But still, it was somewhat unsettling. "But it''s a matter of manners. My Lord Miller, if you come to the main hall, we have a series of relatively easy Quests ready for you, especially for someone of your stature. And they will give you very good rewards. The decision, of course, is entirely at your discretion." Max nodded. He had already tried to get her not to call him Mr. Miller. Lord Miller, as with the other priestesses, had not worked. The most he had achieved was that they didn''t address him like that in public. For obvious reasons, at least they had accepted that. "Alright," Max said at last. "Give me a moment to get dressed and we''ll get going." "Of course, my Lord. I''ll wait for you there." Tryphaena turned and went back the way she had come. Max opened the door, took a deep breath. He had barely woken up and was already dealing with this. He had only been in this world for a week, but what a week. At this rate, he would forget what it was like to breathe, haha. "You heard her, Helen. Get ready as quickly as possible. And then you have to give me a hand with this contraption." It was good armor. The best he could get at the time, in any case. It had saved his life on several occasions, enough that it hadn''t even crossed his mind to replace it with a better one. But that would only be sentimentalism. He would undoubtedly have no difficulty finding better armor than that of a half-dead fishing village blacksmith. He just had to look, but everything in due time, of course. Everything in due time. Once Helen was dressed, she helped him with the armor without complaint. It''s not that it was impossible to put on by himself, but there were too many pieces and he was still only half awake. Help wasn''t absolutely necessary, but it was always welcome.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Taking Helen by the hand, he walked to the common room. Dozens of priestesses and a few priests were waiting for them there. All those dozens of eyes turned to focus on him as soon as he entered the door. Their eyes could pass through Helen, but they were fixed on him mercilessly. They stared at him, but they didn''t see him. They were completely unable to see him. How ironic. They took a seat. Nobody spoke. It was as if he himself, personally, had stolen the oxygen from the room. They had no idea where to look or what to say. Any plan of action they might have had seemed to have vanished without a trace. He felt like some kind of god having this kind of effect. This much of an impact to people''s behavior. He felt like god and he didn''t like it at all. "Well," Max ventured at last, "where are the Quests you promised me?" One of the priestesses placed a pile of papers on the table. No, not papers, posters. Max passed half of them to Helen so they could cover more ground. It was a lot of shit to read without even having had breakfast. But he wanted to read it all. He wanted to be sure he could make the best possible decision with the information he had. They progressed at a good pace. Perhaps it was a bit too early to declare victory, but Max was especially grateful that none of the Quests so far had anything to do with killing orcs. He was already more than fed up with those filthy creatures. If it were up to him, their paths would never cross again. If it were up to him, of course. How simple the world would be if things were as they should be. "What do you think of this one?" Max asked, showing her the poster. Max leaned forward, although he didn''t need to in order to see what it said. Meanwhile, he put an arm around Helen''s shoulders. Protective. His eyes scanned the page. They didn''t know what she was getting into, for a change. But it didn''t sound bad. It sounded great, in fact. "Sounds good to me." "Will you take me to see the city later?" "Of course. Will you provide transportation? For both things?" "Transportation and anything else you want," said one of the priestesses. They had all taken the opportunity to introduce themselves after the test. But it was impossible to remember so many names so soon. And Greek names at that. But yes, he thought her name was Laura. He was about eighty percent sure, more or less. "Yes," Tryphaena corroborated. "That''s what we''re here for. To serve Lord Ares and any of his champions. It is literally our religious duty, Lord Miller. Our glorious purpose." Max nodded. He didn''t know what to say, so he didn''t say anything. Many people could learn from his example. ¡ª¡ª The priests'' transport carried them comfortably to the outskirts of the city. Nature was dense, green, and beautiful. He had spent a few days surrounded by larger and perhaps more beautiful trees, but it had been difficult to appreciate this with the threat of the orc attack hanging over his head, not to mention the fear that something might happen to someone first. The nature surrounding them emanated a sense of tranquility. It was like a balm for a wounded and confused spirit. Of course, that couldn''t last for long. The journey was painfully short, returning him to reality with his feet firmly planted on the ground. "A Dungeon," Max murmured. He knew what he was about to get into. He had read the information on the Quest, and, in any case, any RPG player would recognize it. But he had thought he would be up to the task. Not anymore; he only needed to stand in front of the door. Instinctively, Max understood that with his current power level, entering that Dungeon was a death sentence. It wasn''t ordinary fear or nerves. It was an instinct that bordered on precognition. "Weren''t you going in?" asked the priestess, whose name he couldn''t remember, as soon as he turned around. "I was, but now I see that I can''t. I''ll have to recruit help in the city." The priestess simply accepted this, nodding. They didn''t know how to say no to anything. Perhaps they were even forbidden to. But in this sense, it was good that they didn''t challenge him. He wasn''t wrong. Although it might seem otherwise, this Quest was not going to be relatively easy for someone like him. It was a death sentence at his level. He had no doubt about it. But he wasn''t going to back down. He couldn''t back down. He was just looking to gather strength and return with twice the fury.