—-


    Although they had a deal, Luna was surprised that Kieran seemed to do even more than he said he would. Initially, Kieran had noted that 20% of the profits would be hers; however, while the Forest Ogre dropped 5 Silver, Kieran only took one personally, leaving aside any remainder and moving forward.


    Taken aback, the Mage and Archer approached Luna’s side. “Team Leader… isn’t that more than the 20% we were promised. Aren’t they too generous?”


    “Yes… it’s far too generous,” Luna muttered with a skeptical glint in her eyes. To her, Kieran was the most unconventional person she hade across. Was this selflessness? Did he not have a selfish bone in his body that every human ought to have? What was the answer? These questions flooded Luna’s mind as she looked at Kieran’s back.


    ‘This isn’t what I know… this isn’t like the situation in the real world. In my world, everyone only looks out for their best interests and foregoes anyone viewed as weak or disys inferior qualities. They are literally eaten alive and discarded, never to crawl from the depths of despair created in that environment,’ Luna thought.


    Evidently, her background wasn’t small if this was the environment that embodied her childhood and adolescent years. Furthermore, it also wasn’t difficult to infer that said environment yed a prominent role in why her initial attitude was so cold to others, especially those in power. Perhaps this stemmed from some deep-rooted issues that she had yet toe to terms with.


    Until then, it would continue to rule her life and dictate her actions.


    On the other hand, Kieran stopped moving once he sensed no motion behind him. He turned to see Luna and the others right where they started. Although he was quite some distance away, he could still vividly see their expressions.


    Naturally, this was due to the 2 points in Constitution, which affected all the stats in his possession. While it didn’t directly increase the amount of stats present in each category, it intensified the hidden coefficient attached to each stat. This effect was the actual benefit of promoting one’s ss._-.


    Even with the same number of stats, a yer or denizen of Xenith, in general, could undergo an astonishing transformation.


    “Are you alling? We’re arguably the strongest party in terms of damage, yet we’re falling behind the others. Doesn’t that kind of set a bad image as the leaders of our respective parties?” Kieranmented. He didn’t scream, but with his robust lung capacity, his voice traveled far while remaining clear.


    “Coming!” Luna answered back before gesturing for the others to follow. Still, while traveling, they talked amongst themselves, discussing how precarious the situation was. Eventually, Luna started to wonder what Kieran’s angle was. To her, there was no such thing as selflessness without a hidden agenda.


    Once she caught up with Kieran, Luna immediately voiced her concerns, or rather her curiosities. “I thought we agreed on 20%; what happened back there? I’m notining about the extra, but if you’re keeping something hidden from me, I’d like you to clear the air immediately. I dislike secrets very much.”


    Kieran nced in her direction momentarily. ‘Adamant, outspoken and cautious. It seems that arbitrarily modifying the agreement due to our current situation has made her uneasy.’


    Before talking, Kieran cleared his throat. “What you’re talking about is the deal as an entire group. Since we have split up, for the time being, we can all be seen as independent parties. Since it’s a 3:1 split between your original members and me, I have no issue receiving the portion I’ve chosen for now. Is that enough to ease your mind? I’m not trying to take advantage of you. Some people just operate differently with the absence of hostility.”


    “Absence of hostility?” Luna said with a bewildered expression. To be frank, she didn’t know what that had to do with their current situation.


    “Well, you see, if you had be hostile when I first approached, I would have killed you all just because I have the means and capacity to do so. But, since you showed a mind capable of rational thinking as a leader, I saw no reason to ruin what could be a potential rtionship in the future. Your entire team carries great potential; they just require an even greater leader who realizes their worth to lead them,” Kieranmented with a subtle change in his expression.


    While Luna seemed like a good leader on the surface, Kieran could tell some qualities shecked, but as he was unfamiliar with her, he didn’t know the root of those issues. Thus, he had no right toment on them.


    “So this is only temporary? It’ll return to our prior agreement without any change once we encounter the dungeon?” Luna asked in reassurance. After all, she felt Kieran’s words didn’t promise that there’d be no change in the price of her assistance.


    “Exactly, zero change,” Kieran nodded. Because they were standing so close, Kieran could feel Luna sighing in relief. Apparently, this agreement meant more to her than Kieran believed. Granted, Kieran wasn’t sensitive to things like grander difficulties like others were.


    To him, entering those higher-ranked dungeons was ordinary, given his invested history.


    Once her worries were settled, their speed increased exponentially. On their path heading deeper into the Forest of Marshullum, Kieran’s party came across at least 5 Forest Orges. Unlike before, however, instead of only one ogre appearing, they now appeared in pairs, making it rtively difficult to handle.


    But, given that Kieran’s Health continuously dropped during times of no battle, it had fallen below 50%. This naturally gave Kieran a boost in Attack Power, Attack Speed, and Movement Speed! And, since both Blood Mania and Tormented Belief’s effects applied with zero conflict, Kieran’s current Attack Power surpassed 1,680.


    Even Kieran’s basic attacks dealt over 1,000 damage despite the ogre’s having over 700 Defense, which was unusual. Combat in Zenith Online mainly focused on skills rather than basic attacks, which was why Defense applied the way it did. Basic attacks were designed to be filler, not the primary source of damage in any type ofbat.


    However, with the Goblin yer title in his possession, Kieran upset the natural bnce between basic attacks and Defense. What’s more, these types of monsters didn’t stand a chance against Kieran once he unleashed his powerful skills.


    Whenever a Wild Crash or Crimson Current appeared, the opposing Forest Ogres would suffer immense damage to the point Luna and her party member thought three people were simultaneously dealing damage.


    ‘How is his damage so much greater than the rest? What type of ss garners this much damage? Also… why does it feel as if he’s in pain most of the time?’ Luna wondered. Whenever Kieran executed a skill, his face would contort slightly, which only happened amid pain or difort.


    Naturally, using one’s blood as fuel for attacking wasn’t the most delightful circumstance. After activating Blood Mania, two things happened that made this possible. One, an inexplicable connection between man and weapon formed by creating a sanguine link.


    Second, two symbols reminiscent of demonic eyes surfaced on the back of Kieran’s palm. Because of their appearance, a slit opened across Kieran’s palm that wouldn’t heal until he deactivated the Blood Mania skill. If someone were to look at his hands, they’d most likely be ovee with fright as it was a gruesome sight to behold.


    The longer Kieran wielded this power, the more he felt Isadora’s warning was said in good faith. This power was a torment in and of itself. It was up to the individual whether the power it granted was worth the pain it bestowed.


    Whoosh!


    Suddenly, Luna sped past Kieran, who seemed to be somewhat lost in thought while trying to set aside the pain of having his Health drain to a dangerous level because of his skills. The skill detail didn’t reveal this information, but every stage amplified the internal pain felt because it invoked a portion of the slumbering Ancient Volcanic Ichor used to forge his body.


    Naturally, given that it was a creation concocted from Ancient and Mythic items, Kieran’s current Constitution wasn’t tempered to withstand this amplified pain for prolonged periods of time. As a result, Kieran growled in pain, almost sounding like a wounded beast.


    ‘I should have expected this… no power this immense woulde at a small cost,’ Kieran thought. Moreover, he recalled the advice given by Scar: grow quickly. This wasn’t because of impatience; it was because Kieran’s body had practically turned into a ticking time bomb!


    To inherit theplete mantle, he needed to grow and do so exceptionally faster than those at the same level. Otherwise, once the Ancient Volcanic Ichor awoke from its slumber, Kieran could face potential destruction.


    Tang! Tang! Tang!


    Luna’s dual des collided against the ogre’srge ws several times as she tried to veer the attack away from Kieran, who remained in a daze. No matter how high his Defense or Attack Power was, if hit in a vulnerable state, Kieran would undoubtedly sustain severe injuries.


    However, because Luna’s Attack Power paled inparison to Kieran’s, she couldn’t withstand the weight of the ogre’s attack without losing her footing. For her to aplish that, she’d have to greatly increase her Strength.


    Fortunately, just as she was about to be sent flying back, Kieran moved his hand forward and braced her upper back. This made Luna shiver and freeze for a moment. She hadn’t expected to be touched by an unfamiliar person, even if it were to assist her. But just as quickly as he aided her, Kieran removed his hand and stepped forth while exhaling.


    He finally mustered the willpower to subdue the pain, and with that came the ability to resume battle.


    Bang!


    The forest floor shook as Kieran’s return to the battlefield was arge one. Three giant tempests of blood energy denser than Kieran’s previous use pierced through the Forest Ogre and the tree it was thrust into.


    〈System: You have gained 7,920 Experience.〉


    〈System: You have leveled up! [Lv.23 → Lv.24]〉


    〈System: You have received 12 UAP and 8 SP.〉


    “Is everything okay, Team Leader?” the Mage asked while approaching Luna with a worried expression. She remained frozen in the same position as earlier, with a shred of trepidation filling her eyes.


    However, once the female Mage touched her shoulder, Luna seemed to rx and release the trepidations that chained her down. “I’m okay, Ste; thank you.”


    Meanwhile, this didn’t escape Kieran’s attention. ‘That’s odd… does she think that I have cooties or something?’ He was genuinely curious about what just happened, but after locking eyes with Luna and seeing her avert her gaze, Kieran decided to avoid doing so.


    Perhaps she wasn’t the stoic leader he believed her to be. It appeared there were demons to deal with if she was to shed her constraints and emerge superior to her old self.