ã€ŠRequiem Of A Failed Heroã€‹


 Chapter 1 One Who Devours Death (1)

    ?In a ce void of people, the remnants of an avnche left devastation in its wake. Splintered trees, and the dead bodies of animals stuck out from the snow, as the first rays of the sun fell upon the mountain cliff

    A four-toed print could be seen stamped on the snow and right beside it was a trail of blood that followed every pair of the four-toed print.

    And tracing the blood and print further led to the monstrous figure of a ck-skinned figure, with its mane thicker than that of a lion, its bloodshot eyes were somewhatzy and sleepy and a pair of dirty-brown tusks protruded out of its mouth.

    The beast breathed in paces as it slowly walked forward, hauling a body that had been inhumanly clobbered to a disproportionate form.

    -huff-

    -huff-

    The beast''s breathing got even more intense as if its breathing was getting very stressful as the seconds tick. It paused, abandoning the leg of the disproportionate corpse it was hauling and helplessly sinking to its knee.

    The head of the beast slowly dropped and purple-colored fluid began to pour out of its nose and mouth ¨Ccontinually for a few more minutes.

    The beast finally copsed to the ground.

    [You have defeated a snow troll]

    The silky voice sounded like it was being blocked by a thick wall and sounded so far. Perhaps it was because Raith''s consciousness had drifted that far.

    He could barely breathe, but he was still alive. The amalgam of pain that surged through his entire body as he hung onto the tiny thread life offered him at this moment was enough to kill him, to begin with.

    If death was an option for him, he would have chosen it right then. From that instance when a fucking useless lost and forgotten archon chose him.

    In a world like Therut. A world of the best technological advancement that could ever have been dreamt of. But that advancement was owed greatly to the eight archons that stood as a pir of foundation and excellence for this new world.

    After the destion of the three realms which was caused by the great war between the primordials and the archons. The archons gathered whatever was left and built a world out of it. A world that was sealed away from the ruined realms, a world that defined beauty and elegance.

    The structures were of the best minerals and resources and not to say... were municipal.

    The archons having to retreat into a deep slumber left an essence of themselves called dust.

    Dust was passed down to every being that desired to be a hero, regardless of their race or status ¨Ca noble profession where one is chosen by an archon and awakens ''the world''s voice'' after receiving the archon''s dust¨Cthis voice guides and teaches them how to make use of ''dust''

    All for the sake of protecting the peace of the world.

    When every child reaches the age of seventeen, they pass through the archon''s trial to obtain dust after being chosen by an archon.

    Everyone always prays to be chosen by a major archon.

    But the worst happened to Raith, a child that was born to the wealthiest noble in Pomei Empire.

    He struggled to close his eyes as much as he struggled to open them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He was suddenly chosen by the death archon. A forgotten archon that was so useless that even his essence had entered eternal rest.

    Whatever dust Raith received made him just a little bit stronger than normal beings. He was the weakest hero to have existed and was a stigma of disgrace to the family, which eventually led to his expulsion.

    No one wanted anything to do with him. Association with a hero blessed by the vestige of the death archon was deemed to be taboo by the archons.

    He should have just died from that moment. Every moment from that day he got chosen two months ago had been a torment.

    He still managed to think about a thing or two but still couldn''t ignore the waves of throbbing and nauseating pain that pulsed within his abdomen and under his skin.

    Fighting through the pain was bing increasingly difficult.

    If there was going to be a miracle now is the time.

    The hankering gaze in his almost closed eyes was enough to tell even a passerby that he was wishing to be saved. The bangs of his jet-ck hair were drenched in the blood that covered his face and wetted his eyshes.

    The beating from before must have been very intense.

    Honestly, he hadn''t expected to deal with it so calmly. It was the first time that he tried hunting alone, he had to make a living for himself after all.

    With the ability of dust. Heroes were the only ones that could hunt the terrors that lurked in every corner of the world.

    The truth was the archons did not do a very good job eradicating threats but left it to the heroes since they lost too much from the war with the primordials.

    Hunting these terrors however was how they could survive ¨C lower-level heroes that couldn''t amount to much after being chosen by minor archons had no choice but to live off the money earned frompleting submitted quests from civilians and cities, selling terror parts like the hides, horns and in extreme cases were they meet stronger terror that provides expensive resources and meat.

    [You have met the first requirement]

    The voice was beginning to be torn in Raith''s face ¡ªhis consciousness sank deeper as he struggled to bring it back to the surface.

    [You have died]

    [Congrattions!]

    [You have met the first condition]

    [You have received a perk ''devourer'']

    [You have received a title]

    [''One who devours death'']

 Chapter 2 One Who Devours Death (2)

    ?His lips pressed together with a slight grimace on his face, his lips were cracked and whitened, it was a wonder how the stream of blood that overflowed his face manage to avoid his mouth.

    The azure-blue holographic message that appeared in front of him was too blurry for his murky eyes to see.

    And the voice was distant ¨Cbut he heard well.

    He just couldn''t spare the effort to express his surprise even through his thoughts.

    [You have met the first condition]

    [This condition prepares you for the path of dissolution that lies ahead of you]

    [You will be resurrected]

    Almost immediately, Raith could feel a surging relief ran through his entire body, especially his abdomen where his bowels were flowing out -and caused him to be in great torment.

    ''Oh my god...''

    He hoisted himself up quickly, running his calloused palm on his body and his face.

    "There''s nothing..."

    He muttered as his shaky eyes lowered to examine his body. His body right now looked like he hadn''t just died a few seconds ago.

    The blood stain on his ragged grey jacket told a narrative of a bloody killer and his bangs had clotted with the blood it was drenched in, adding a gloomy semnce to his look which was already frail and bony.

    He hauled himself slowly over to the monster and still found his mouth gaping.

    ''...what would have happened if I didn''tce my daggers with poison''

    Others would have called it foolishness, especially for a wretched castaway who once belonged to a prestigious family. Although heroes who were adept in the use of poison existed, but for abative hero, defeating an enemy with poison; even if it is a monster was considered cowardice.

    Besides, the meat will be bad for food.

    Raith after staring down for a few more seconds brought out a small knife that was having down on his ck leather belt. He began to tear the knife into the monster''s skin immediately.

    ***

    Cavanaugh is a city that is home to many low-level heroes and outcasts: men who do not believe in the archons and turn to another direction for power.

    The power they received was sad to be forbidden and a heavy bounty is ced on even a four years old outcast.

    However in Cavanaugh, all things are put to rest, and differences areid aside. And even a man like Raith could survive thanks to the city''s peculiarity.

    Raith wobbled his way to St.Hernis street and continued a steady path on the pedestrian road making sure to keep his tired eyes on a straight path since the shop wasn''t too far anymore.

    Eyes couldn''t ignore him ©\he still had that bloody shirt on but he was too consumed in his tiredness to care about that for now.

    "Should we call the police?"

    "Did he kill someone...?"

    "Oh my... shit, so disgusting."

    Asdies and gentlemen with vibrant colors of furry coats walked past him, they covered their noses with their gloved palms and nced back at him a few times before going their way.

    Even drivers that sped past couldn''t help their eyes.

    "Hey what are you doing walking around the city like that."

    A bass tone reached from behind.

    He slowly turned, the fatigue was hitting him even faster since he had to climb out of the mountain on his own.

    "Uh? Raven?"

    The man in a white police uniform almost looking like that of a sailor, was astounded to see him.

    ''Shit...''

    "What are you doing? Why are you reeking like that...?"

    "It must be the troll."

    "The troll?"

    "The ice troll? I skinned one."

    "You hunted a troll? ¨Cwhatever. Get in the car."

    Only when he mentioned it with a head gesture did Raith notice the sleek ck Falcon JB-2120. It was like a sports car but had inscribed beside it. CCPD: Cavanaugh City Police Department.

    They were the oversight over the city''s internal issues. And were known to be genuine friends to heroes and outcasts which doesn''t always happen around the world.

    "Thank you"

    Raith said and sluggishly entered the car''s rear seat, firstly throwing the ck leather bag which was the source of the horrible disgusting, and choking smell.

    The man entered wearing a ck nose mask on his face and sped off.

    ***<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Minutester, the car stopped in front of a tall bricked superstructure in front of him, most of the buildings in Cavanaugh were high and bricked almost giving the feel of London in the nies but the sleekness, speed, and modernity of cars that sped fast or clothes that passersby were found in brought one into the mixture of the future and the past.

    Everyone''s attention drove to Raith as he entered the reception of the building that said "Eleonora Shop"

    It was the most prominent buy-and-sell ce in Cavanaugh. Except for the ck market of course.

    But even in a seeminglywless city like Cavanaugh, there exist some bodies of organizations that were deemed to be an existence of felony.

    Such was the ck market.

    So it was not an option for Raith was barely trying to survive in this snowy city.

    ~thud~

    The male attendant in a white shirt, ck waistcoat, and bow tie immediately put his hand over his nose as Raith mmed the leather bag on the counter.

    "What is this Raven?"

    He questioned, sounding from his nose.

    "The hides, horns, teeth, and tusk of an ice troll."

    "You hunted an Ice troll? And yourself?"

    Raith leaned on the counter -he seems to have already gotten used to the smell.

    "Yes...I died to make that happen."

    The man''s eyes measured Raith from up to down and after a few seconds, he opened the bag with dreaded eyes and put it away beneath the counter.

    "This is a mess Raven Raith, you can''t even do a clean job?"

    He grunted and slid some rumpled blue notes to him.

    Raith picked up the notes with his dirty hands, the purple color of the monster''s blood had almost be one with his hand.

    After seeing the number on each note that had an epitaph of a bald man with squinted eyes. ¨Cand separating it into four, Raith''s eyes widened with his eyeball quivering ¨Ca feeling of despair.

    "Four hundred leus?"

    Raith gaped.

    "Yes, Raven Raith. These materials are in bad shape, don''t you know the shop will be charged extra? Besides, the Heroes association has increased taxes on every material, you can''t me me for this."

    "Still..."

    Raith paused, looking at the rough notes in his hand.

    The best four hundred leus could do for him was get him living on bread for a few more days, he at least loved the bread from The Torpedough bakery. But one small piece of bread costs fifty leus which he would finish on one go, a family-sized one costs one hundred and fifty leus. The family one could sustain him for two days which meant he would be able to eat bread for four days and with a change of hundred leus which would get him a pack of cigarettes.

    ''...even a pack of cigarettes these days are more expensive than bread...damn retailers, just always on the lookout to explore addiction perks."

    Raith''s gaze lowered for a minute as he remembered he received a perk.

    "What? Do you want anything again? A ss of champagne."

    ''Bastard, you gave me so little money and you are trying to expunge it right out of me a minuteter''

    Raith nodded but looked into the attendant''s eyes with his gloomy eyes.

    It was beginning to get ufortable for the attendant.

    "Are you okay Raven?"

    "Have you heard of a perk ''devourer''

    The attendant froze but soon let out a burst ofughter.

    After taking his time to stop, he asked with a pacing breath.

    "Did you receive a tendency?"

    "Yes."

    "Oh my oh my... even the archons are generous to a taboo like you. Well, there''s no way I would know. The death archon is considered to have died since the creation of our world. And no one in history has ever received his dust. Which makes you my dear Raven, the worst existence of mankind. Still, I am surprised you killed an ice troll on your own. Even if it is a tier 1 monster, its fierce nature makes even beginners heroes die"

    ''...well, I did die... brutally at that. Does that make me even worst than beginners?''

    "Raven, why don''t youe work as an attendant here in the shop? You will get a steady pay of one thousand leus every week. That will uplift your lifestyle a bit."

    Raith''s eyes changed at that moment.

    Such that they made the attendant gulp...

    ''Shit, I shouldn''t have mentioned it again.''

    He flinched as Raith''s heterochromia eyes red into his soul.

 Chapter 3 The Worst...

    ?The Degado duchy.

    A family that was known to be prestigious for their riches but that was not the only reason why they stayed top of the three families in the Pomei Empire.

    Pedro Degado, one of the levels A heroes in the empire and a high ranker. The firstborn of Duke Lambert Degado who was also in his prime the sword saint and a level S hero.

    Raith was covered in the shadows of these two and was expected to at least amount to something. When he was chosen by the archon of death and failure all his dreams of catching up to his brother and father should have shattered right there.

    But he hung unto hope. A hope that regardless of whatever happens he would reach them. Even after he was cast out of the family, that was the only thing that killed his thoughts of killing himself and kept him going.

    He had all the reasons in the world to give up on being a hero and live his life as a normal civilian.

    But every time he remembers the scornful look in his father''s eyes that said he wouldn''t amount to anything without them. He wanted to prove them wrong in everything. Which was why he was desperately looking for a way to switch archons.

    Everyone says it has never happened before but he was relentless and still is.

    Although many just see his action as the revolt of a paranoid rich kid who does not want toe to terms with the fact that he has been abandoned by his family.

    He was twenty-one, and it hurt that they see him as a kid.

    But in all honesty, there was some hard truth that he has not been able to ept.

    Like the fact that he would never be able to change archons.

    "I''m sorry, I am just offering you honest advice."

    "Keep your fucking advice to yourself."

    Raith chided with a scowling face that made the attendant look away.

    "Whatever."

    He walked outside not minding the number of eyes that looked at him from the reception lobby.

    It was when he reached outside that he remembered he should have taken a bath in the shop''s bathroom but now that he left with anger he can''t enter in there again.

    Now he had to return to the motel he had been using for the past few months.

    ''They literally charge for everything...''

    Heined with a frustrated sneer while putting his hand into his pocket to feel the few hundred leus he had just received.

    ''...I guess I won''t be able to afford two family-sized bread''

    He clicked his tongue as he threaded down the sidewalk that was now covered in snow which he carelessly kicked as he walked home.

    ***

    Raith''s hair was wet and rough but was better, bringing a little shine to his face. A white small towel was on his head as he entered the shabby wooden room he had been living in.

    His one-person bed was situated on one corner of the wall and next to it was a shelf that looked like something one would have picked on the street. A few books sat roughly on it ¨Cthey were just some books about dust and archons that he snuck out.

    But reading them has been useless so far at least that was what he thought.

    Opposite his bed was a long wooden hanger where he could just hang his clothes and beneath the hanger were two metal boxes that were his personal belongings.

    He satzily on the bed and bowed his head, with the towel covering most of his face likening his current appearance to that of a sportsman after a long and hectic sport.

    ''...I definitely died. But here I am.''

    He thought to himself before lifting his head and swiping the towel off his head.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Status information"

    Immediately he called out, the blue tab appeared to him with the information he requested.

    [Hero Status]

    Name: Degado Raven Raith

    Age: 21

    Title: One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation.

    Dust attributes: the darkness beyond death, the dissatisfaction failure brings.

    Perks: Devourer.

    [Skill]

    None

    [Stat]

    Strength: 8

    Agility: 4

    Vitality: 12

    Intelligence: 34

    Looking at his status as a hero brought nothing but despair every time. His stats had been in the same ce for a while and then the voice had not revealed anything about how to change it.

    His attributes were shifty. Attributes had everything to do with the nature of power and jurisdiction a hero''s archon has. It could be wind, water, or fire for some and for some it could be the embodiment of justice, courage.

    It''s a vast concept and even today some attributes are being discovered, simply put, attributes are that point of conjunction between an archon''s dust and the personality of a hero.

    But everything Raith could see on his status was bullshit and cowshit.

    ''What am I supposed to do with the darkness beyond death? Dissatisfaction failure gives me? Crap!''

    It was the sameint every time he decided to look at it, yet he couldn''t get used to it.

    His intelligence was the only thing he could boast of, and thates as no surprise because, unlike his impatience will suggest, Raith was one that loves reading.

    He saw reading as a way to get away from the cruelty that life threw at him and immerse himself in another reality that was created by prominent authors like:

    Schwagger Burton, Anneliese Mary, Bougieman and a brother and a sister.

    They were his favorite authors, the kind of cruel world that every one of their books creates, and the nerve-wracking adventure thates with following the growth of the protagonist. Who knew they wouldtere to y a big role in Raith''s life.

    "Hmm... let''s see this devourer of a thing."

    [Perk information]

    Devourer: you have a tendency to devour something.

    Grade: upgraded.

    "This is the worst"

 Chapter 4 The First Trial Of Death (1)

    ?After a long day of death and resurrection, what was more reassuring to confirm the fact that one still existed in this same ne of existence than sleep... maybe a p in many cases. But a sound sleep was more relieving.

    But that was his first mistake.

    [You have met the first condition]

    [This condition prepares you for the path of dissolution that lies ahead of you]

    [The dust within you is resonating with your will to grow]

    [There is no rest on the path to dissolution]

    [You will be transported to the abyss every time you sleep]

    Raith made a very big mistake by still closing his eyes to slumber as the series of messages kept pouring at the moment he felt dizzy and wanted to sleep.

    His eyes that slowly closed were forced to open but not in his room.

    The scenery before him had changed.

    "What in the..."

    Cracked blocks and stone that seemed to have been broken up by meandering tree roots, a vast in beneath a sunless and moonless sky, and several fallen stone statues, the true roots had wrapped and cracked most of them.

    Raith''s jaw slightly drop.

    He turned back, perhaps he would see a door but it was another side of the vast in that seems to not meet the sky as no horizon was marked out in the space beyond his eyes.

    "How?"

    He paused and gasped. Then began to calcte.

    "After I was done with the shower, I remitted a hundred leus to Mr. Fatty, and he told me toe back in the morning for my change. Then I entered my room, and I checked my status... then I was feeling sleepy..."

    He looked around in a shock of realization.

    "Oh my gosh! I''m dreaming! Whenst have I even ¨Cbut this seems too real to be a dream... besides this setting looks like that of a nightmare."

    He took another look at his surrounding.

    [You are in the abyssal realm, and of destruction and chaos]

    [In this ce you will be prepared for the path ahead of you]

    [Consistent failure and death will define the person of which you will be]

    "Uhh?"

    He grunted at the series of messages that he saw. But what caught his attention more was the sudden change in color of the holographic message. The blue color he was used to had turned to ck.

    "Wait, what do you mean by I will be prepared for the path ahead of me... I am not a fan of riddles, even though I read a lot. I love when people go straight to the point."

    ~stomp~

    ~stomp~

    ~stomp~

    The heavy sound ofing steps was the only answer he got.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''At least, I am not alone in this hellhole.''

    [You willmence the first trial of death]

    [Defeat the asura ''Thard-Harl'' who has been trapped in the abyss]

    "Eh?"

    Upon seeing the message, Raith realized the sound of the footstep began to get closer at a faster pace.

    "Wait, the voice of the world... you can''t do this to me, I don''t even¨C

    He could feel it from behind him. He didn''t need to turn, the presence was so borate that all.his back tingled as if there was a burning fire a breath away from him.

    His shoulders shuddered and his pupils dted.

    Slowly, he took his steps forward and turned around to behold the potbellied feral-looking creature that stood six foot tall, with matted tufts of hair covering his torso and worn-out leather trousers. And his face was covered by a copper helm that was fashioned in the shape of a wolf.

    ''Nightmare...?''

    Raith desperately wished it was one as this terrific being stood a few meters away from him.

    The immense situation activated his fight-or-flight senses.

    Raith chose¡ª

    ~whooosh~

    ''If I can just find a way out of this...

    Before he could take the next step after his swift turn ¨Cthe hand on the creature pulled him back by his face.

    He was mmed into the ground by the pull strength in addition to the momentum he had gathered to run.

    His back screeched with pain as hended on the stone ground which heavily bruised his skin.

    Raith faced despair as he watched the razor-sharp ws attached to the creature''s forearm tear through his bowels, digging out every of his viscera.

    He cried till he couldn''t hear himself anymore, his head wriggled in utter pain, and the voices in his head that he couldn''t even arrange, continued to riot until they came to a sudden stop.

    [You have died]

    [Due to title: One who devours death, you will be resurrected]

    [Pain and agony will be converted to stats]

    [You have gained +2 strength stat]

    [You have unlocked the endurance stat]

    The same feeling of relief crawled through his skin. At this point, he didn''t know what was going on anymore.

    He just got killed by this creature... and is about to face the same fate a second time.

    His brows drew together with a slight curl as his eyes slowly rolled up to the creature that gantly stood before him.

 Chapter 5 The First Trial Of Death (2)

    ?The asuras were creatures that were messengers to deities and primordials. Even though they were ssified as messengers, theirbat prowess was not to be underlooked. And thanks to their undying desire to grow stronger, some of them even end up gaining the power of a god and are able to easily beat archons.

    Of course, no one in the present world built by archons knew this, for the very fact: Raith was the first person that has ever encountered one.

    And his repetitive death was not out of ce when faced with a foe that used to run deadly errands for deities and primordials.

    At first, enduring the pain caused an increase in his endurance stat, and strength stat but after the fifth death. His stats stopped increasing.

    Like it or not, he was already getting used to the pain, the fact that he was anticipating it was also a factor. It didn''t matter how long it took for the asura to kill him, the pain was always bearable because he was expecting it.

    With his few deaths, he had been able to deduce two things. Firstly, the creature that stood in front of him was insanely strong and secondly, he found the way his stat would increase, although he is not happy about having to die now and then, that doesn''t mean he can keep dying over and over again. Just like he noticed, the moment he started anticipating death and pain, he got nothing off it.

    ''Damn dust... so this is it? I''m still changing archons''

    He clenched his teeth and closely monitored the asura from a safe distance that allowed him to react. The asura itself had begun to notice that no matter how many times he kills this human. He would alwayse back.

    He stood straight, pausing his circr leg movement, and pointed to Raith.

    "You. You are an adversary of death, aren''t you?"

    He asked with overwhelming intimidation to his inquiry.

    His voice made fear vibrate in Raith''s heart and his whole body resonated to the frequency.

    ''He can talk?''

    "Of course, I can talk"

    ''He can read my mind?''

    "Of course, I can read your mind! Did he send you here without telling you anything?"

    "He? Who?"

    Raith instinctively asked, btedly wishing he could retract the question.

    "Fel! That criminal sent you to kill me and didn''t tell you how? Because to me, you look like a useless chump of meat who knows nothing but to keep dying. Is this the challenge he intends to put on after five hundred years?"

    None of what the asura was saying was making sense to Raith. Except for the fact that Fel is the archon of death.

    "You were trapped here by the archon of death?"

    "Archon of death? What no¨C****#?*$<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Huh? You said something just now but I didn''t hear."

    The asura paused and looked at Raith.

    His sudden silence put Raith in a twinkling of confusion. But he jacked away from it as soon as the asura resumed its pursuit.

    ~kpang~

    He didn''t expect to ck the arch-sh with the small skinning knife he had with him. That was the only weapon that was essible to him at the moment because it always stayed in his pocket.

    It was a reflexive action, his arms curved on their own to block the asura''s attack but he didn''t have the body to take it and was still pushed back by its impact, tumbling and rolling twice before jumping to his feet again.

    Raith was not oblivious to the fundamentals ofbat as a hero. It was something that every prestigious family would prepare their sons and daughters for.

    In anticipation of the awakening age, children starting from the age of ten were taught to be skillful with different weapons and items, and for Raith whose father was obsessed with the sword. He was diligently taught how to use the sword. But showed no talent in it. After two years of hoping his son would grasp it, Lambert gave up and stopped teaching him anything.

    All he had was just head knowledge and now that he was faced with a real-time scenario where he had all the time in the world to fight, putting the head knowledge to some practical situation was a very tough thing to do.

    He had been trying it from the first go but he just couldn''t get it.

    The Degado sword style is not mboyant and excessive. The essence of the sword style itself was elimination with minimal footwork at the same time creating an opportunity to destroy the opponent''s rhythm.

    Which was why it was essential for a beginner to learn the ''the counter-step''. A legwork that was created by Vincent Degado, the first sword hero and a genius of the sword like no other, the main purpose of the legwork is to read the rhythm and motion of its opponent''s legs and break it apart at a single moment of the counter with one fluid movement.

    All of the Degado family sword techniques are focused around this legwork which makes it a ''from-the-down'' type of swordsmanship than one where the sword does all the work, it is always the leg doing all the work.

    Even though Raith knew this much, he still couldn''t bring himself to do it. The leg cement wasplex andplicated, one needed to have a keen observation to respond to their opponent''s leg. But all that, Raithcked, the pieces would note together no matter how much he tries.

    ~whim~

    Again the asura slipped into him just when he thought he could keep blocking to keep the creature at bay at least until he figured this out. The asura raised him into the air with hisrge hands clenching his neck.

    "All I see is you dancing like a clown. Is this what the humans have fallen to?"

    He grunted, tightening his grip on his neck while Raith endlessly struggled to pull the hand away, kicking the asura over and over again but the asura did not move.

    "Youck strength"

    He said emotionlessly. Still watching Raith with goad, ¨Cas if telling him to fight harder, break out of his grip.

    Raith''s sclera reddened and before long began to bleed, his mouth began to marily squirt blood till he had less and less strength to struggle.

 Chapter 6 The First Trial Of Death (3)

    ?Thard-Harl patiently waited for Raith to fully recover, not just his physical state but also his mental state. He sat on one of the crumbled statues with his razor-sharp ws crossed and his eyes ring at Raith with zing scrutiny.

    Raith after standing up, miraculously healed of all the bloodiness just a few minutes ago¨Cstood in one position and after thinking hard about his next step, decided to move on with it.

    "You know, I''ve been thinking of something. Since this will just continue to be an endless cycle of killing and killing...

    He scoffed and continued.

    "...I''m sure by now you would have grasped the power of my immortality. You know we don''t really have to kill ourselves. You know right?"

    Thard-Harl stayed silent but still kept his gaze on him.

    "I mean, you can just let me peacefully return to my world, while you do your thing in...whatever ce this is."

    He concluded, taking another look around.

    "Then why would Fel send you here in the first ce? He might be cunning and unreasonable but he is the most dangerous **#^#:#** I''ve ever met."

    "I didn''t hear that part..."

    Thard-Harl kept his silence even though he knew very well that Raith didn''t hear what he said.

    "Look here Thard whatever you are¨C

    ~whoosh~

    The asura reached him with a greater speed than he had been witnessing over the few hours of their shing.

    "How? How did you know my true name?"

    The asura queried with a crinkled brow and his hand reaching for Raith who had intuitively jumped a step backward, leaving the hand in midair.

    "What do you mean, why? The voice of the world mentioned it."

    "Huh?"

    The asura cocked his head rightward. Raith''s statement was not making sense to him but he decided not to stress about it.

    "If you know my true name, then I have no choice but to kill you."

    "Huh? I thought that is what you have been doing since."

    "No! I will get serious this time... for real"

    ~wham~<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    His ws tore through Raith, who tilted left to dodge but was too slow to match the asura''s unreasonable speed.

    ~st~

    Blood showered out of his right shoulder that was grazed by the sharp ws and Raith ended up falling leftward, rolling over to get as far away as he could from the asura using even the measly of moves.

    He pressed the wound on his shoulder hard but the sprinkling blood still found loopholes to escape from and was sttering around through those loopholes, staining his face. The overall strength in his left arm began to escape ¨Cwho knew where they went?

    He was already weak enough with two hands, who knew how weaker he would be with only one?

    The asura did not give him breathing space and had closed the distance again the next minute Raith stood up, his ws dived upwards from beneath Raith, gathering a gale of wind as he struck upwards with red lightning sparks.

    ~kpang~

    The skinning knife saved Raith again but that was thest time ¨Cthe knife shattered to pieces as the ws shed with it on its way up, leaving three slight de tears on Raith''s cheek.

    If not for Raith''s intuitions to jump back as the ws came from below, it won''t be the knife that got destroyed but his chest ¡ªthe ws would have carved right through his torso and that would have been another splendid death.

    Raith''s head was in turmoil and he was still foolishly clinging to the idea that this could be a dream and he could wake up anytime. Besides, the longer he spent fighting the asura the more he realized just how far apart both of them are in terms of strength alone. Deflecting the asuras attack put a strain on his wrist and using the dagger so far was bing strenuous ¨Cit was about time he abandoned it anyway.

    But now, how was he supposed to face a creature that was superior to him and was armed without a weapon.

    "You spineless piece of shattered bones. Do not think I will take it easy on you because you lost your weapon, so far I can tell... you couldn''t even stand one of my attacks but now you are still alive after three series of attacks... I think I''m beginning to understand... you are Fel''s wild card. Immortality is not what makes you special but your unreasonable ability to learn from experience and quick at that."

    "Eh?"

    At that moment, Raith realized.

    ''He''s right. I''m alive even after he came at me thrice. Maybe, I can win against him''

    His eyes glowed with oodles of hope.

    But that hope was instantly killed as Thard-Harl''s hand pierced right into his belly and out of it, leaving arge hole in his abdomen.

    ''...he got faster?!''

    He slowly sank to his knee with a mouth full of blood and a grimly widened eyes.

    ''Damn...how many times has it been now... I really am pathetic...''

    Something was beginning to change, the little achievement of standing three strikes of the asura began to light a candle of passion and desire in Raith''s heart, in contrast to before¡ªas the pain of a hollowed belly surged through his back and nerves, his mind instead of rioting... looked forward to his next resurrection.

    Maybe, this time... he would withstand five.

 Chapter 7 The First Trial Of Death (4)

    ?Growing up, Raith was not a dumb child, all his life he had to live it by the books, there were etiquettes, about how things should be done in stylish elegance. But all those times, what had truly been happening to him was sealing and suppressing.

    The desire to catch up to his father and brother was subconsciously birthed from his longing to be acknowledged by them. Maybe his rage was his way of convincing himself otherwise but his talent and prospect were buried by the noble life he lived because no one recognized how much of a genius he was ¨Cexcept his first true foe.

    Thard-Harl stood ten meters apart from Raith but he could tell.

    "Those eyes are burning!"

    A nasty grin spread his lips, immediately switching his calm and collected demeanor to a rogue kind.

    He carefully took his steps closer to Raith, each step got faster and before long he dashed towards Raith at full speed who in response dashed head-on into theing asura.

    ''Foolish!!''

    His response was to face an armed asura head on, perhaps he had note to fully grasp how powerful an asura was.

    Thard-Harl widened both ws and curved in from both sides as Raith entered his space...

    "wha¡ª"

    ...but to his surprise, what he chopped was the air.

    The ck-haired rogue had lowered himself towards Thard-Harl''s knee, ¨Ccrushing the asura to the ground and immediately smearing him with a rush of punches that painted his pent-up frustrations and anger.

    Delving every fist into the asura''s face and before long bluish-blood began to st out of every punch but it wasn''t for long.

    ~stab~

    [You have died]

    Raith suddenly paused as the asura buried his ws into his skull and his body copsed before realizing what had happened.

    The asura pushed him away and stood up, with a deformed and bleeding nose, he grunted in frustration as he stared into the dark sky.

    ''Nothing except death awaits me in this prison... ''

    He looked at Raith whose head wound was beginning to close up.

    Raith stood up again, this time even more collected than before.

    ''I was rash, I was too rash... running in like that! Think Raith think... what do you have that can be used to turn the tables, don''t think about the things you don''t have... think about the things you have!''

    His eyes inquired for answers as he stood up, with a lifeless re and a trembling pupil.

    ''I want to get stronger... I want to stop dying, I want to surpass all of them! I want to surpass them!!''

    Consistent death was messing up with him and mixed with his awakened desire thanks to the fact that he realized that he stood a chance against the overwhelming powerful foe in front of him, he entered a state of berserk... where his pent-up emotional wounds that forged his desire to grow ran amok.

    Right now, all Raith wanted to was to get stronger, before now he saw no possibilities in it as far as it was the death archon but in a moment of consistent failures and death, he ovee a vital fear.

    The fear of death? No. Raith knew what it was to lose every single time, that scornful gaze of his father''s was deeply engraved in his head. The way he is looked down upon by everyone who knows he was chosen by the death archon, their bickerings behind his back wouldn''t stop.

    It itched him.

    It irked every single nerve of his.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    But he was weak.

    He was a failure.

    And he hated the feel of it.

    ''No! It can''t be this... this can''t be it!! I want more!!"

    His personality finally reached the first point of conjunction with the dust he held within.

    [You have activated a unique attribute]

    [The dissatisfaction failure brings]

    Attribute characteristics: All perks would be explosively avable for use.

    [Perks detail]

    Devourer: You have the tendency to devour something.

    The details on the ck tab did not matter to Raith. He released a fraction of his anger upon the asura a few moments ago and the truth began to unveil itself before his mind.

    Somewhere deep within himself, he epted that he wouldn''t be able to and desperately sought ways to change his fate, he sought ways outside the dust that existed within him.

    That way there was bound to never be cooperation between him and the dust. But the moment he released the frustration of anger in a series of punches, he discovered ''that feeling of eptance''

    If not, why did he get so frustrated? Why has he been walking the road of a hunter to surpass them? ¡ªDeep down he wanted them to watch him and be proud again. He wanted to prove that scornful gaze wrong.

    But all that changed when he was faced with a thick wall that he couldn''t climb no matter how much he tried.

    Thard-Harl awoke a passion in him.

    And right now, the person he admired the most was not his father, not his brother... it was that unbreakable wall that stood in front of him.

    "I will devour you!!"

    He shouted as he lunged at the asura with a force that split his tendons. He was forcing every bit of his body to be just like the asura''s movement when it tried to grab his neck the death before this one.

    Even though hecked the physique and power, he was ridding his body of life and expending every existential strength within his body to reach that point.

    His hand tightened around the neck of the asura who was dazed and couldn''t respond.

    ''This bastard! Did he just try to match up to my speed?''

    But it was beyond a copy... Raith wasn''t there yet but he wasn''t going to merely copy it.

    He released his grip on the asura and started to walk back.

    The air around him changed and even the asura felt his pores rise.

    Raith''s eyes of different colors, (white on the right and ck on the left) began to exude ck smoke with ck streaks that flew around his body.

    "I will devour you!"

 Chapter 8 The First Trial Of Death (5)

    ?"In your wildest dream. Moron!"

    Thard-Harl pulled out the razor-sharp ws attached to his forearm and removed his helm, revealing his slick-back blond hair and upward-shaped brows that sat right atop his deep eyes that housed a Crimson eyeball, and within those scowling eyes was a stare that said to Raith "I will rip your heart out"

    Ignoring his warning signals, Raith dashed forward again with the same intent but this time it was different...

    [Perk ''Devourer'' is explosively in use]

    [Your strength stat has increased by 5 points]

    [Your agility stat has increased by 10 points]

    [Your endurance stat has increased by 3 points]

    [Your agility stat has increased by 10 points]

    An explosive increase in his stat because he was in a try-hard-or-die moment. Noting more intriguing to boost the confidence of a striving man.

    ~thwuoom!~

    His heel peeled the ground as he took off and zoomed off blistering through the night wind and reaching the asura faster than his eyes could ount for ¨Che threw a punch forward to not crash into Thard-Harl who despite anticipating him was caught off-guard.

    ~whack~

    His fist delved into the asura''s face tossing him away like a spinning coin and crashing his back against the only standing stone statue with a crumbled upper body.

    The asura''s body helplessly toppled to the ground after the tremendous shock.

    "Eh?"

    Raith''s eyes widened, he endlessly exchanged nces between his smoking fist and the Thard-Harl who was now getting up.

    ''Did I really throw that punch?''

    Raith was finding it hard to believe but it was the truth. Hended a body-flinging punch on the asura. Even if he died, he would be happy.

    ''Was this because of the sudden increase in my strength stat?''

    Raith thought of the possibility but could note to a certain conclusion since it was not like he had others around to guide him through the life of being a hero like others.

    Everyone tried their best to avoid him since he was chosen by a death archon.

    "How splendid."

    Thard-Harl said as he stood up and wiped the blue blood off his mouth his hand, then spat out the one in his mouth.

    He cracked his neck tilting it left and right.

    "I will show you insignificant pipsqueak that you are not on the same level as I am."

    ~fuuuu~

    The asura began to exhale breeze through his mouth and softly mumbled.

    "Mirage walk"

    Right there in front of his visual, Raith lost him. But his back immediately tingled¨C<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As he was about to turn his back to see what was behind him he felt a quick snap in his neck but instead of rendering him unconscious, ¨Cin his case dead, he was brought back to the moment where he was about to turn his head.

    From the instincts of experience, he leaped to the front without looking back and the asura''s hand swung through the air in an attempt to snap his neck.

    The asura was as shocked as Raith.

    ''...he has grown this much from how many hours?''

    ''What was that?! What happened just now... while it was like a feeling but it also was like my neck snapped.''

    Raith was not inexperienced in a lot of things, everything that he should be exposed to, he has learned of while preparing for his trial with the archons. This was a new area of knowledge for him.

    He knew not what it was but there was one thing that he learned from the brief and sudden experience.

    ''I need to recreate it! I escaped death because of whatever yed out at that moment''

    Raith understood the fact that he wouldn''t have to always die if he could manage to recreate the feel of what happened just a moment ago.

    Taking a gamble, he plunged into the asura''s space. Besides, he was sure the asura''s blow wouldn''t hurt as much since he had dropped his weapon.

    ~whim~

    ''What th¨C

    ~pattk~

    ~pattk~

    ~pow~

    ~pow~

    ~pow~

    ~pow~

    ~whack!!~

    It happened faster than his eyes could follow. It was just pure hands, the asura released a series of acute palm strikes into his elbows immediately rendering them useless, next was an elbow jack-up and a quick pull down with his shirt with two punches into his neck then using both palms, he lunged his final blow into the middle of his chest cracking his chest bone and sending him on a flight journey that ended with his body losing all will to move.

    Raith''s body rolled on the ground and he entered a state of paralysis, unable to move anything but his legs which he used to crawl further away from the asura as he slowly walked closer to him.

    He couldn''t even grit his teeth as he wished to because he had a dislocated jaw and was drooling ceaselessly.

    "While I admire your will and strong desire to devour me, to be stronger than I am. It is just an act of foolishness, you don''t know your ce. Fel should have thought you this much if he wanted you to defeat me in a fight... I am a #%@%@#$ of over a thousand years old. Think again human, can you defeat me?"

    He reached Raith and stepped on his left leg.

    "I don''t know how you entered this ce but when you get out... tell your master I dare him to dare to confront me himself."

    He squeezed his iron boots into Raith''s leg and twisted it causing the young man to let out a loud cry of agony.

    "I will take my time killing you from now on."

 Chapter 9 The First Trial Of Death (6)

    ?Faced with a desperate Raith, Thard-Harl began to reveal the true level of his strength. Burying explosive strikes into Raith''s belly before he could even see iting.

    Strikes that broke his bones and ruptured his organs from within. Raith''s death drastically increased.

    Forget about withstanding one strike, at this point he couldn''t keep up with his movement again. But every time, Raith put his hope in recreating that one moment.

    That time when he perceived the opponent''s attack so clearly that it looked like it happened to him and acted out of pure reflex. Raith knew and could feel that: the tide of this battle would change the moment he can recreate and master that feel.

    "Your persistence is foolish. I am blessed with immense stamina, I can never get tired, you will wear yourself out until your brain can''t take it anymore. You keep dying and waking up, you think it is a phenomenon your measly brain can adapt to. But step by step you are crippling your brain, traumatizing that little ball of thoughts. In due time, all that will be left of you is a vessel with no will."

    His words carried weight and stabbed truth into Raith''s heart. He has always been a very cautious person and has been thinking of the w of this ability should it really be that this is not a dream and he can resurrect.

    Well, that was before he began to enjoy the fight. At least by now, he was well sure that this is as real as the world of Therut. Which is why Thard-Harl''s words got to him even more.

    ''Will I really be brain-dead?''

    As of now, Raith was not experiencing any side-effect and he also had to take ount of the fact that the asura might be trying to y a game of mind with him ¨Che is after all a creature that is capable of reading the human mind.

    ''Reading human mind...''

    Raith suddenly froze.

    ''He can read my mind! Doesn''t that mean all my attacks are useless? This means from the beginning even the times that Inded a hit on him, he could have dodged if he wanted. Since he can read my mind and knows where my attack ising from.''

    Raith unexpectedly put a piece of the puzzle together but that was not just it. Asura Thard-Harl was a mind-reading asura. All asuras are rtive in terms of their unique abilities and always have one of them.

    But because they are creatures with ess to superior knowledge and a body that can amass an enormous amount of physical capabilities, they train themselves surrounding that one unique ability they possess.

    For Thard-Harl, it was mind-reading. No one could lie to his face because of all the truth, he hears. That is his jurisdiction as a messenger. However, just like everyone else, he trained his body in a martial art that allows him to be able to react super fast to a creature''s movement.

    And so far so good, he hadn''t been using that skill. When he dropped the ws was truly when he got serious. So, there was a chance that it wasn''t that he allowed Raith''s punches but he just wasn''t reading Raith''s mind at that time. And there''s no denying that Raith in an instance surpassing his speed shocked him and pushed him to go faster than he had ever.

    The thought of losing to a human terrified him and for the first time in number of years, he got serious about fighting a human. His emotions rose and twinkled with excitement each time Raith stood from his attacks.

    "I will crush you till your bones turn to dust."

    "You are a hard-core uh?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith said, rxing his tensed shoulders.

    "Huh?"

    His sudden change in demeanor caught Thard-Harl by surprise. ¡ªI mean, he was just about to get started for real and Rautb suddenly expressed an unreasonable rxation.

    ''Is he mad in the head?''

    Thard-Harl''s brows twitched and his veins began to pulse in his neck. His upper head reddened as he kept his gaze on Raith ¨Cthatid-back attitude of his was pissing him off real bad.

    "Are you mad?"

    Raith''s lips curved upwards.

    "Mad? Well... if you consider how I am unreasonably exhrated to realize that you are stronger than I envisioned, maybe I am mad after all."

    "Exhrated?"

    He groaned with a vicious look on his face and gritted his teeth together.

    ''Exhrated...? I am spending every second of my life desperately avoiding death and yet he calls that exhrating?''

    Thard-Harl who had already realized that Raith would keep dying and waking up as long as they were in this realm was getting frustrated. ¨CHis bluff to destroy Raith''s mental fortitude was a failure.

    And truth be told, he was the one that was at a disadvantage, although it was slow but Raith was clearly getting better not to say that every moment he died and resurrected, he resurrected with renewed stamina which meant his and Raith''s stamina was probably on the same level.

    Besides... he didn''t have an infinite amount of stamina, he just had an immense amount of it, and using such eye-blinking speed with a constant mind-reading state was suckling the life out of him and draining his stamina at a faster rate.

    And since he has been imprisoned in this supposed death realm, he couldn''t use the power of his dust.

    "I''ll crush you!"

    He growled at Raith who in response stuck his tongue out with a nasty grin.

    "Try me, crimp... I can''t wait to devour this version of you"

 Chapter 10 The First Trial Of Death (7)

    ?Raith''s sudden cockiness alerted Thard-Harl''s senses. He might not have known Raith all his life but with the past few hours he has spent with him in the abyss. He could tell that this young man was not the kind of person to do things without a reason.

    Every time Raith came closer to him in terms of strength, it stemmed from a strong resolve and Thard-Harl had no idea how he kept mustering unreasonable resolve when he was obviously going to keep dying.

    Raith''s immortality was to be med for a part of his stubbornness but Raith was not relying on it. Because every time he came at Thard-Harl, he fought desperately for his life even though he would still end up losing it ¨Cbut he fought. And all Thard-Harl could see was an undying resolve to win.

    And it scared him, he once again was being reminded of why he hated humanity so much.

    ''That foolish hope that shines bright in his mind like a daystar. I will crush it, I will show you that you are beneath me and belong nowhere else.''

    Thard-Harl was being careful but he was getting angry ¨Cvery angry.

    ''Don''t think! Don''t think! Don''t think! Don''t think!!''

    ~tthwack!~

    Thard-Harl covered the distance between him and Raith in a fraction of a second and in the next fraction sted a chain of stomach punches that burst air from Raith''s back, -tearing his clothes from behind.

    He spat out blood upon thest blow which was the sixth but was seen as the only one by even Raith who was so close to it.

    ''What the¨C

    He didn''t even have to worry about thinking because the increasing speed at which Thard-Harl kept dealing with him could not be handled by his slow chain of thoughts.

    Raith had grasped the basis of what he needed to do but did not have the whole situation organized. Even if Thard-Harl was an asura that coordinated his attacks based on Raith''s flow of thought how was he supposed to fight without thinking?

    It wasn''t like fighting used to be his thing.

    He sank to his knee and Thard-Harl grabbed him by his hair.

    "How foolish"

    ~p~

    His head flung sideways and spat out blood despite being held by Thard-Harl.

    ~p~

    ~p~

    ~p~

    The asura continued to p his face until his cheeks were swollen and blood had made the most of his jaw and chin.

    Raith slowly turned his head as the asura raised him ¨Cpulling his hair.

    It hurt, it was stinging to be pulled by his hair and Raith especially hated it because out of everything he was made of that ck hair is the only thing he was very proud of. Because it was an unwashable and unmatched trait of the Degado family. You don''t get to see many people around having jet-ck hair like his.

    He spat blood on the Thard-Harl''s face as he was lifted.

    The in reflex closed his eyes to prevent the blood from entering.

    And in that split second, it happened again¨C

    An instinct that Raith could not help but follow. Just as the asura closer his eyes from Raith''s blood and was about to open them...

    Raith''s delved his fingers straight into the asura''s eyes causing him to stagger backward with a frustrated groan.

    The asura bent down with his hands on his eyes and soon droplets of blue blood began to fall on the ground.

    Raith''s eyes were filled with the sparkles of stars.

    ''I blinded him!''

    His mouth gaped in joy as the blood kept pouring out. But more than the joy of blinding the asura, he was d because this was going to get easier from now on thanks to the message that he was looking at.

    [You have awakened an inherent perk]

    [Transcendent Senses]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    - Grade: Prodigious

    - Details: You have a very umon sense of getting used to certain situations and because of this you have developed an inner sense to smell openings and dangers. Your senses improve the more you get used to the situation and have no limits.

    ''wow... Prodigious?!''

    A prodigious rank was quite high, and since he knew high it was, he was even more bewildered.

    The least grade of perks(which also applies to skill) is:

    Generic

    Sterling

    Peculiar

    Exceptional

    Prodigious

    Legendary

    Divine

    He finally gained some useful perk but having a grateful heart, he couldn''t help but trace it back to the intense situation he was put in. Raith does not know how much time has passed but one thing he could tell for sure was that he had changed from the kind of person he was when he entered here.

    "I will kill you!"

    Thard-Harl barked as he rose his eyes which were tightly closed, blood flooded his lower lid to his cheeks and jaw.

    "Oh oh... I am not scared of dying by your hands. But I know you are... you are scared of dying by my hands. Because if you die, there will be no resurrection for you."

    This game was rigged from the beginning and was designed for Raith to win no matter how long it took, Thard-Harl knew that ¨Chis time to die might being faster than he had anticipated. But still, this was not going to be easy for Raith.

    ~whim~

    His image disappeared and appeared in front of Raith.

    ~pow~

    Immediately delving a punch into his jaw, Raith staggered backward ¡ªThard-Harl''s next blow immediately followed but swung into the air as Raith had been pushed backward by his first blow.

    Raith''s eyes widened as he realized.

    ''Even though he just moved like he wasn''t blind at all. He is really being affected by it. If I y my cards right, I might not even need to die again.''

    ~pow~

    ~pow~

    Two punches met him while he was upied with his thoughts, tumbling him away but not too farpared to the other punches he had taken.

    Raith could feel it, the overall power of the asura was reducing. He grinned as he discovered something interesting yet again.

    ''Since he can''t see... he is cing a heavy burden on his mind-reading ability and using it to sense me... and if I am not wrong, he is probably one of those novel characters that have honed all sense apart from their eyes.''

    As Raith was about to move backward, his leg kicked a metallic object immediately alerting the asura who disappeared in response and appeared right where Raith was...

    ~whoosh~

    His fist flew into the air which he was sure should have been Raith ¡ªhis miscalction showed in his confused expression.

    ~stab~

    From behind, his razor-sharped ws entered and came out from his stomach.

 Chapter 11 This Is Where The Story Began

    ?Being asura, Thard-Harl was not the bravest nor strongest of his kind but he could boast of an overpowering battle prowess thanks to his mind reading.

    The ability to read the mind of a creature and structure his moves around the person''s line of thoughts. He could catch a person''s moves the moment they conceive the thought and with his superhuman body, he was able to match any kind of foe.

    His ability was the best amongst asura, many yearned ri get it and respected him because of it.

    Yet, he fell into the trap of this young man.

    The moment Raith kicked his w weapon... he didn''t think of the next move knowing fully well that Thard-Harl would be able to have a counter.

    Instead, he threw himself at his instincts, knowing fully well that Thard-Harl would charge in his direction. He went straight for the weapons, sweeping low to grab it, and immediately stabbed him from behind.

    This was the basis of ''Transcendent Sense'' and with this, he was finally able to grasp the true essence of the perk which also updated the skill details.

    [Transcendent Sense]

    Grade: Prodigious

    Details: You have a very umon sense of getting used to certain situations and because of this you have developed an inner sense to smell openings and dangers. Your senses improve the more you get used to the situation and have no limits. In an extreme state, you can execute actions in their perfect sequence without thinking. (Note) Extreme states are reached by building blocks.

    Raith couldn''t put the (note) together but he would worry about thatter.

    Right now, he wanted to savor this taste of victory.

    At least that was what was in his mind as the bleeding Thard-Harl crumbled to his knee.

    A wide grin spread on Raith''s face.

    It was pure luck, but it wouldn''t change the fact that he won. He defeated an asura, he didn''t know yet the gravity of this achievement.

    ''Let''s not get ahead of ourselves. He is not dead yet.''

    Just when he garnered his overflowing thoughts, the asura suddenly disappeared and immediately buried his hand into Raith''s abdomen from behind, squeezing it with fury.

    "You are just expressing your childish frustration. You know very well that this will only be the end of one person... and that person is you."

    Raith chuckled and coughed blood as he spoke.

    The asura did not respond to him but instead frowned his face and bowed his head with his hand deeply buried in Raith''s stomach and his second hand on Raith''s shoulder as a support to stop him from staggering.

    Raith suddenly felt a tiny bit of relief as he forced himself to look at the asura who was subtly dying.

    ''...I''m not sorry, he killed me several times, why should am I feeling bad, I killed him just once.''

    The asura''s finger began to move as if he was writing something on Raith''s shoulders and ¨C

    "Arrghhh!!"

    Raith let out a groan as something burnt into his skin, it was an inscription, anguage he could not understand.

    The asura pulled out his hand and fell to the ground, Raith also fell to his knees.

    "Don''t... trust... Fel"

    Thard-Harl said as he slowly lose consciousness with a smile on his face.

    Raith''s life was also draining and he was finding it harder to keep himself awake.

    But amidst all these, he couldn''t keep away the feeling of pain as he watched the asura''s bodyy lifelessly on the stony ground and his mind kept wavering over hisst statement as his consciousness drifted afar.

    [Congrattions, You have defeated the asura ''Thard-Harl'']<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [You have gained Thard-Harl''s silver boots]

    [You have gained Thard-Harl''s Helm]

    [You have gained Thard-Harl''s razor-sharp ws]

    [You have gained a new skill ''Truth Seeker'']

    [You have achieved an unachievable feat for someone of your caliber]

    [You have earned the title ''Celestia yer'']

    [Due to this title the perk ''Intimidation'' will be momentarily activated when faced with stronger foes]

    [You have proven your qualification as the ''CHILD OF DEATH'']

    [You have passed the first trial]

    [The path ahead of you is even more horrendous]

    Raith flung up, flinging his hands as if he was about to fly. But to his shock and surprise, he was back in his cozy room.

    He looked around with his eyes wide open and ran to the small window, immediately swinging the sliding ss open.

    The scenery outside was dark and the only sr polemp that stood outside was flickering. However, he could still see the car park which was several meters away from his window and in front of the bungalow motel.

    He released a sigh and sat on his bed.

    "I..."

    His eyes slowly went downwards as he tried to make sense of what just happened.

    ''Was it really a dream?''

    He was conflicted for a moment but was sure the moment he saw the light-fabric shirt that had been on him before he slept off.

    Several holes and stains of blood that weren''t just one color but two. The fabric had almost torn off and was not different from a rag.

    He flung to his feet with the shock of realizing that he fought an asura named Thard-Harl and won.

    He looked at his hands in disbelief and tried to picture the moment when he stabbed those ws into the asura''s back.

    As his mind proceeded to reminisce all of their hours of intense battle, the number of times he died, andstly the ufortable smile on Thard-Harl''s face as he died, his face crumpled.

    And Thard-Harl''sst words echoed in his heart.

    "Don''t trust Fel"

    Right from childhood, they were taught about all the major archons. There are nine major archons but the world considers eight because thest major archon which is Fel died after the world''s creation.

    Unlike other archons that entered a state of slumber and could still create an aspect of themselves when they needed to. Fel was considered to have entered eternal slumber, he was no use to thend of the living and only existed in the vastness of failure and thend of the dead.

    Yes, the things that Raith has been experiencing so far were not too far from what is said about Fel. But resurrection? gaining unattainable feats from blocks of failure? This was beyond whatever Raith would have ever imagined.

    Things were hitting him from a different direction than he had ever expected and it was changing him.

    His hope and resolve began to shine brighter.

    ''I will change my life''

 Chapter 12 Progress

    ?The dark bag under Raith''s eyes would freak out even a ghost.

    He sat on his bed with his eyes wide open as the rays of the morning sun subtly escaped into his room. He had been like this the entire night since he came back from the abyss.

    Aftering back and expecting that, days maybe weeks would have passed. He was devastated at the same time happy to find out only two hours had passed since he woke up in the abyss and came back. But as he attempted to sleep.

    It struck him¨C

    ''What if I enter into the abyss again and it brings another asura''

    The experience was no doubt beneficial and thanks to it he could feel that he has gotten stronger. But it is not something he would love to experience twice.

    So he kept his eyes wide open while the night slowly passed while keeping himself upied with several other things.

    First, was figuring out the almost unnoticed change in the silky voice and blue tab. It appeared ck in the abyss and had been that way even now that he returned.

    Second, he knew that he received some stuff that used to belong to Thard-Harl after defeating him but he couldn''t find them around.

    Just when he was puzzled, the tab appeared with the title ''inventory'' a feature that Raith has never seen nor heard of.

    And inside this inventory were the items he received from defeating the asura.

    The details about each item popped out on another tab the moment he focused on it.

    [Thard-Harl''s silver boot]

    Grade: Unknown

    Details: This boot was worn by the asura named Thard-Harl, and has over the centuries built a monstrous durability, enduring the friction of his unreasonable speed.

    [Thard-Harl''s Helm]

    Grade: Unknown

    Details: A wolf-shaped head gear that Thard-Harl used to wear, the gear can block off mental and sound attacks.

    ''What?! So he doesn''t want to have a taste of his own medicine uh.''

    [Thard-Harl''s Razor-sharp ws]

    Grade: Unknown

    Details: A three-wed silver weapon forged by the heat of heavenly fire and has been used by Thard-Harl for over many centuries. This weapon can pierce through anything even rocks.

    "Wow, all these items are cool. I wonder how much they would cost at the shop, they would cost a lot of money right."

    Raith rubbed his chin as he looked down at the tab.

    Onto the next,

    "Status"

    [Hero Status]

    Name: Degado Raven Raith

    ss: CHILD OF DEATH

    Age: 21

    Title: Celestia yer, One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation.

    Dust attributes: the darkness beyond death, the dissatisfaction failure brings.

    [Perks]

    -.Devourer(ungraded)

    - Transcendent sense(Prodigious)<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    - Intimidation(Sterling).

    [Skill]

    - Truth Seeker(Sterling)

    "wow... will I be able to read mind with this...?"

    [Skill details]

    - Truth Seeker

    - When the skill is activated you can see the target''s status information, and you can also tell lies apart from the truth.

    ''...a little bit disappointingpared to what Thard-Harl could do but I guess it''s not too bad since I can see other people''s status''

    [Stat]

    Strength: 21

    Agility: 29

    Vitality: 30

    Intelligence: 39

    Endurance: 13

    In just one night, Raith went from a totally hopeless guy to a man with prospect, but the world didn''t know that ¨Cthe world didn''t at this point know what wasing for it.

    "Eh?"

    His eyes almost missed the new update.

    [ss: CHILD OF DEATH]

    - ss Details: You have been chosen by death itself, your path from henceforth will be horrendous and thorny, you will face many trials and will fail endlessly but in the midst of all that suffering a hero is being made.

    This was what made a low-level hero different from a high-level hero [ss].

    A concept that gave heroes endless capabilities to grow. Even amidst those chosen by the major archons only a few who have proven their qualifications and prospect are able to unlock this feature and their numbers are very scanty.

    Raith flung up with a cry of joy. He clenched his hands together and felt his heart quiver as he rejoiced. He didn''t know what this ss was about. But the fact that he got a ss was a surety that his life will change.

    Anyways, it was time to take a bath, the sudden rejoicing made him realize how horrible he was reeking, bathed in blood and sweat that had dried on his body.

    He slowly snuck out of the room, knowing very well that the motel manager, Mr. Fatty would still be asleep 6:21 AM. He rushed into the bathroom.

    The interior was four-cornered and a bitrge but not conducive, the walls were cemented, and mold and algae settled on the lower ends of the wall corners. The timely dripping of the leaking pipe caused a slight disturbance to the morning silence but it was something Raith was used to it.

    He quickly pulled off the ragged shirt, tearing it amid his haste and as he swiftly headed beneath the shower he made a sudden pause and took two steps back to the cracked mirror.

    The reflection of his face was a bit off due to the diagonal crack but his body was well disyed in the mirror.

    His frail and thin body seemed to have added more meat, he could see subtle traces of abs that revealed themselves the moment he toughened his stomach, and his dry hard chest seems bouncy a bit. He tried moving like how ripped athletes would but it barely danced the way he wanted it.

    Still, it was progress, he was not like the ripped athletes he would often watch on TV but the sudden change in his physique would win him a girl or two.

    He had never had the time to while away withdies because of the kind of home he was brought up in ¨Cand after banishment, he has been so busy striving to get stronger.

    He immediately remembered that he had to be done in the bathroom before Mr. Fatty woke up and swept away from the mirror to beneath the shower.

    "Today will be a long day."

    He muttered with excitement as he washed himself up while humming melodies as low as he can.

 Chapter 13 Grading The Items (1)

    ?"Whassup man? How are you? I heard from Elijah that you were in a pretty bad shape yesterday but you look very fine to me."

    The attendant said as Raith entered Eleanor''s shop.

    Mael was a close friend of Raith. In fact, the first friend he made when he entered Cavanaugh.

    The young guy looks had a nature of pulling people closer to him, he just wouldn''t stop smiling despite the situation. His Bob cut and bright eyes gave him the look of a young person but Raith was only one year older than him.

    "Forget about that."

    Raith responded as he reached the counter and sat on the stool.

    "Well, something good must have happened because you look very good, although these clothes seem to be getting smaller for you."

    "Uh?"

    What Mael just said alerted Raith.

    There''s no way he''s clothes would be small, they were the clothes he just bought recently before being banished from the house after four years of his archon trial.

    "That can''t be."

    He stepped down the sitting stool and realized the tip of his pants was not even touching his ankle and left the space between it and his brown loafers exposed.

    "You are right."

    He muttered in response to Mael.

    ''Did I get taller?''

    He wondered for a while before finally taking his seat again and leaning towards the counter. Mael also leaned towards him.

    "What?"

    "I have some things I want to sell."

    "Well, you can always sell anything. Why are you acting so sus?"

    "The thing is... they are extremely rare things. Like very rare and I want this to be between us."

    Mael retracted his body from his leaning position and inspected Raith with his gaze.

    "What are you up to Raven Raith."

    Raith removed the ck backpack and ced it on the table.

    "I was chanced to discover some items in the mountain yesterday and I think they are cool. Can you like... help me appraise them and tell me how much they are worth?"

    Raith unzipped the bag as he suggested in whispers to Mael.

    "Come on, Man. You know I can''t use the shop''s equipment for personal reasons."

    "Shuuu..."

    Raith silenced him and instructed him to look into the backpack with his passionate stare.

    Mael every time has proved to be incapable of turning Raith down anytime he asked for a favor.

    He sighed and looked into the backpack

    "Oh shit!"

    He jolted back in shock. Even he could recognize the glittering of silver.

    "What?"

    Raith asked dazed, he wasn''t expecting that kind of reaction from just looking.

    Looking was supposed to make Mael want to help him since the items were in fine shape even if they were centuries old.

    "What do you mean ''what?'' Dude don''t tell me you don''t know that this is silver?!"

    "Yes it is?"

    "Man... we are not just talking about any kind of metal. We are talking about one of the rarest metals in the entire world. High rankers would pay millions to obtain it because when reinforced by even a cksmith with basic skills, they are durability is crazy man, like very crazy."

    "Ah... I see"

    ''So it was this valuable.''

    "Damn, I forgot you used to be a damned noble who had everything he needed. Well, wee to our world man... but where did you get this?"

    He asked peeking into the bag again after burying his face in his palm.

    "I told you... in the mountains. Yesterday."

    He paused and stared at Raith.

    "Then why didn''t you sell them yesterday?"

    ''Right, why didn''t I sell them yesterday...''

    Raith avoided his gaze with a pretentious giggle.

    "Well, you see... ah, that damn Elijah, how can I trust him."

    He responded just in time to save his lie.

    Mael, gaze was still on him after his convincing response.

    "Hm, I''m sure with something like this, there will be a lot of story surrounding it. I just hope it''s not stolen because only high-level heroes can possess something like this and if they catch you. Both our heads will be flying off our necks. Follow me"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He said, carelessly lifting the backpack, immediately the weight of it pulled him down, staggering him forward a step.

    "What the¨C this shit is no joke if it is this heavy."

    Hemented while adjusting his posture and lifting the bag well.

    Raith walked hastily to the end of the counter and entered the lonely brown door on the broad wall of the shop''s reception.

    ...

    (Inside, the room behind the counter)

    The room''s interior was painted white and orderly a table and chair to the left corner of the wall opposite the door, and adjacent to the table and chair was a shelf around four feet tall which housed few books. Other stuff that was situated around the room was covered by a big white sheet.

    "Hey man. Don''t touch anything or I will kill you."

    Mael warned him as he removed the white sheet from a tall machine.

    The base of the machine was like a mini refrigerator and from the base several ck wires and rods connected to a monitor.

    "Wow. What is this?"

    Almost everything about the machine amazed Raith who had never encountered something like this.

    "Damn ex-noble, this is a gradiometer."

    "Gradiometer?"

    "Like it is used to measure the grade of items. When items are created by craftsman-type heroes, this can also determine the grade, although it is pretty much useless since a hero with an appraisal skill can do all the work. But the associations still make use of it, but arger one though... this one is just mid."

    He educated Raith briefly and opened the bag, first bringing out the helm.

    "Damn, man. This shit is heavy. I can tell even by this alone that it will definitely be a high grade. Maybe rare or unique."

    Raith kept quiet while Mael put the helm into the base of the device and closed it. He pressed a few buttons on the base after closing it then awaited the monitor which had on it:

    [Processing...]

    They waited a few more minutes in silence and atst.

    [Item grade is not within registered grades]

    [Grade cannot be determined]

    Mael''s jaw dropped.

    "What?"

    Raith asked, concerned.

    "Bro! This machine is supposed to be able to measure at most a legendary-grade item. But it says ''...not within the registered grade?'' Raven, did you really steal this? If I die¨C

    "Maybe it''s broken?"

    Raith suggested kicking the base of the machine in different areas.

    Mael who was still rambling pulled him away and bit him on his leg.

    "Ouuuu!!"

    "Are you crazy?!! Do you want to get me fired?"

    "What the actual fuck Mael."

    "Okay, okay, let''s calm down."

    He said with a brief and deep inhale and exhale moment.

    "You are the one that needs to calm down."

    Raith muttered, turning his face to the side ¨Caway from Mael.

    "What are we going to do about this then? Should we try the rest?"

    "The rest are made of silver too... I don''t know about this w weapon though."

    He said examining the w weapon.

    ''When did you even bring that out?''

    He put the w weapon and repeated the same action.

    [Processing]

    They patiently waited ¡ªbut this time Mael couldn''t help his frequent foot taps, he seemed to be waiting anxiously instead.

    [Grade of the item has been determined]

    "Yes!"

    He threw his hands in the hair and retracted them immediately with a clenched fist and a big smile on his face, a jubtion as though he had scored a goal.

    ''It''s not even his...''

    [The item is a legendary grade]

    [Other information about the item cannot be determined]

    "What the actual fuck!¨C

 Chapter 14 Grading The Items (2)

    ?"Wait wait wait, you gotta be kidding me! Bro! Legendary?!"

    Mael''s eyes were almost popping out of their socket.

    Raith was surprised but he had expected that much from a man that he died uncountable times to defeat. Although Mael mistook the indifferent look on his face as not having any idea of how important a legendary grade is.

    "Bro! My head! I keep forgetting you don''t know a lot of things, since you won''t even go and register and have yourself evaluated in the Hero association."

    "That''s ¨C

    "Bro... don''t you know the grading of weapons? You know the one for skills like; Generic - Sterling - Peculiar - Exceptional - Prodigious - Legendary and Divine, we have for items and equipments: Common - Rare - Unique - Legendary - Relic - Mythic. The legendary grade is millions of money bro, millions. Wait...

    ''...I didn''t need the exnation though."

    He paused.

    "...if the others can not be measured by this Gradiometer, could it be that they are relic grade...?"

    "I like the fact that you are getting happy on my behalf but I''d like to sell this thing as soon as possible."

    Raith said, interrupting Mael''s joyous moment.

    "Why are you such a killjoy? Listen Raven Raith... we can''t sell this anyhow."

    "What do you mean we can''t sell this anyhow?"

    Raith squinted his eyes as he asked.

    "Chix man. I have been working for the shop for two years now. I know better how to make the best out of items like this."

    Raith sighed.

    Mael was right, there was no better person for this job than him.

    "Then what do you suggest we do?"

    "Auction house."

    "Auction house?"

    "Yes... We will put this on auction. Two benefitse from doing this. Number one, we will register the upgraded ones and relic grade. There''s no way the auction house will believe us and immediately they will use a better device to grade it. Number two, we might even make over a million leu. I''m sure you never thought this far and thought it was scrapped you wereing to sell huh?"

    "No¨C

    ''...there''s no way I would not know how valuable they are. They used to belong to my best enemy.''

    Raith heaved a concerned sigh as his mind wondered about Thard-Harl yet again was it a feeling of missing or regret, well whatever it was it would soone to an end, for even a greater one ising.

    "Which auction house are we going to?"

    "Man! leave that one to me..."

    He replied to Raith confidently as he put his arms around Raith''s shoulder and both of them walked out of the room.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith and Mael both walked to the lobby which was emptypared to yesterday when Raith came here.

    "So, when do we go to the auction house? And do you even know any auction house?"

    Raith''s tone was pushing a sense of haste.

    "Calm down bro. It''s Sunday, the auction house can''t open. Besides, who do you think you are talking to... have you forgotten I am a level-E hero."

    "Right..."

    Mael was also a hero that had his dream of bing the best taken away from the moment he was chosen by a minor archon of emotions, his dust attribute was a bnce of emotions, giving him the ability to stay cool in situations where others would re, be depressed or happy.

    It was a w in his rtionship and it had nobat prospect except the fact that he stayed cool in the face of fear. In the past, he was a hero functioning directly under the association but after oveing certain experiences in ''gates'' he decided to quit being a hero and live as every other civilian.

    He had been trying to get Raith to do the same, but this one is stubborn.

    "Besides, I know one auction house in Cavanaugh..."

    He added, grinning with several winks at Raith.

    "Really? Where?... that is odd, I don''t think there are any auction houses in Cavanaugh though?"

    Raith replied with a puzzled stare.

    "How can you be so naive? Bro, there is one."

    "What one?"

    Mael sighed and signaled with his hand for Raith toe closer which he did.

    "The ck market."

    He whispered to Raith even though no one was around since it was Sunday, a day of rest, where everyone spend time with their family. Saturdays were a day of worship: everyone goes to different archon temples and worship them. But since Cavanaugh is an independent city, they don''t follow that rule.

    "What? The ck market is illegal."

    "Don''t be foolish, do you want to sell these items for a very high price or not."

    "I want to sell them"

    A sudden determination overtook Raith''s expression.

    "Then meet me here by 8:00 PM on Tuesday when I finish my shift. Don''t bete."

    "Good!"

    Raith and Mael did the friendship handshake with a should bump and Raith went away with the backpack.

    He thought he was going to sell it since he needed the money but this was also not a bad idea. Since all the items turned out to be very valuable, millions? He didn''t even think they would be worth that much, at best he was fixated on thousands or hundreds of thousands.

    He smiled as he thought of the money toe and held the backpack in his hands but he soon summoned his inventory and dropped the bag into it. From the point of view of a second person, the bag just disappeared into thin air.

 Chapter 15 The Unblazing Sun

    ?A tall drow female could be seen sitting on a huge crystal seat akin to a throne seat, she was nine feet tall and lithe, with graceful strong limbs and glossy, obsidian-dark skin, was und, clothed by her knee-length shining white hair. Her facial features appeared to be carefully sculpted but her eyes wererge and her irises held shifting hints of the blue of moonstone and were expressive of her mood.

    "Cor-Ellion"

    "What?"

    Her musical tone was responded to by a lithe-built elf with golden skin and yellow hair.

    "I suddenly can''t feel Thard-Harl''s life essence anymore."

    "Now that you mention it."

    The elf who was sittingzily on the same kind of seat she was sitting, reformed his posture and leaned his chin on his hand as he closed his eyes.

    "Now that you mention it..."

    "He killed Thard-Harl"

    Her cold gaze contradicted the emotions behind her words.

    "Thard-Harl might have been one of the lower echelons but he was still useful amongst us. And I thought Fel was supposed to be lost, if he entered the abyss there''s no way the fiends wouldn''t know and we have spies amongst them."

    "You are right..."

    His gaze stayed on her for a while then he stood up and slowly walked towards her, he was tall but not as tall as she was.

    "Are you still troubled?"

    "Thard-Harl was imprisoned because of our mistakes and now he''s dead."

    "Fear, not Sister, I will avenge him... whoever it was, be it Fel or the fiends. I will bring pandemonium into their lives."

    He said as he knelt to kiss the foot of thedy.

    ***

    "What?! You think I wouldn''t know that you used the bathroom without my knowing."

    "Mr. Fatty¨C

    "Don''t Mr. Fatty me, you have no change with me!"

    The round-faced man with an absurd blond mustache that pointed upwards said with a m on his table.

    Raith at this point had no choice but to sumb. He thought he was quite smart about it but had forgotten that this motel was filled with people that had no job but to gossip and smoke all day.

    He used to be like that too until that blissful Saturday when he died.

    There''s more to life than gossip.

    And his life had received a new meaning just from his first experience of death.

    He tucked his hand into his pocket as he came out of the man''s untidy office, then brought out rumpled notes.

    "Two hundred leus..."

    He muttered, and as if his stomach heard him, it grumbled.

    "Ah..."

    ''I ate only bread yesterday... thanks to Mael, I was able to eat good food the day before.''

    It wasn''t the first, second, or third. But he was already tired of running to Mael anytime he was dying of hunger, the guy would stylishly propose for him to forget about the life of a hero while buying food for him. It was always awkward to be stubborn in front of the person feeding him.

    Life was harder than he thought. While in his father''s house, he didn''t even need to worry about food or shelter or his clothes not sizing him.

    The first month in Cavanaugh was very hard, he slept on the streets and covered himself with sheets of newspapers that were dropped by passersby.

    There was a time he went as far as stealing a woman''s pulse after eating scrubs that fell off while people were eating. But he was so bad at stealing that he got caught immediately and was taken to the police station, where he met Gideon, the police who after hearing his story fed him and also took him to the motel where he is currently residing.

    Thanks to Gideon who settled a six-month pay at the motel, he has a ce to stay but the motel manager was just too greedy, billing him for almost everything he uses.

    But all that was about to change... today, he would sell these items in the ck market and move to Rembrandt estate: a small avenue filled with middle-ss apartments and was also the ce where Mael was staying. It had a peaceful environment where everyone minds their business, unlike Sherry motel which is located in the slum of Cavanaugh.

    He patted his pocket after putting the few leus back in and walked away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Let''s just get something with the rest"

    ...

    Minutester after walking out of the slums and entering the main road that led to all kinds of ces throughout the city and was bustling with different models of cars bikes and buses. He walked a bit more toward his left and there it was.

    Torpedough Bakery.

    I thought he was going to get something with the rest.

    Well, after all that suffering, it would be foolish of him to have not learned to be cautious. Especially in times like this where things seem to want to change.

    He gently opened the ss door of the bakery and immediately was greeted by the voring aroma of vani.

    There was a reason why the slums were addicted to Torpedough bakery.

    One, it was very close.

    Two, it was their way of tasting the kind of meal life the mid-ss or high-ss were used to.

    "Hey! Raven! You are here!"

    The vibrant and slivery voice of a young teenager greeted him from behind the shelves of bread.

    "How can you know it''s me when you haven''t even seen me."

    He walked further into the shop, passing the shelves of bread to meet the girl who was behind the counter.

    "Because I know..."

    ''...I''ve been wrong many times though.''

    Her smile was so bright that it would almost tear her face in half, she kept her sparkling eyes on the ck-haired young man that stood in front of her...clueless.

    "Humm... excuse me? I''ve been standing for a while now."

    A serene tone from beside both of them distracted the atmosphere.

    Raith turned his head and there stood a youngdy with blonde hair, the base of her hair was amber-colored, the redness of her irises could scare a kid should she decide to re.

    ''...I didn''t meet her here... I had no idea she was here.''

    Raith did not know exactly, he couldn''t trace his memory back... maybe he met her or didn''t, he couldn''t tell because he never felt her presence until she spoke.

    "Oh me! I''m so sorry ma''am"

    The youngdy behind the counter apologized immediately, bowing her hands and collecting thedy''s card.

    Her eyes widened immediately ¨Cit was a ck card.

    She bowed and returned the card to thedy afterpleting the payment transaction.

    "Phew..."

    She wiped the sweat off her forehead immediately after thedy left the shop.

    "Why are you tensed?"

    "Seriously Raven? why wouldn''t I be?"

    ''...well, I admit that the atmosphere was a bit pressuring after she talked but there''s not much after that.''

    He said in his thoughts with a nd expression.

    "You are the abnormal one for not being tensed when faced with one of the strongest Heroes."

    "One of the strongest heroes?"

    His entire expression was immediately converted by her statement.

    "You don''t know her? You don''t know ''The Unzing Sun''?!!"

 Chapter 16 Black Market (1)

    ?"Listen carefully, thatdy you just saw is the daughter of An Mor''Deus. The strongest hero in this our south-west region, he is even rumored to be at the same level as Lambert Degado and both of them are Level-S heroes."

    ''...father?''

    "But that youngdy has surpassed her father, she broke into level O"

    Raith''s eyes widened with dted pupils, even he knew what it meant to be a level O.

    Heroes are grouped into alphabetical levels ording to their power levels. Amongst heroes, there are some whose abilities surpass expectations and defies the norms. These are the extent of level-Os.

    Raith has always aimed that high because he knew the only way to impress his father was to surpass him. But right now he was pretty much not interested in what his father thought but the thought of seeing a level-O right before his side and not realizing it made his mind quiver.

    ''How could I not realize it...''

    Sometimes, when people are incredibly strong they are able to perfectly hide their strength such that only those who can measure up to a fraction of them can notice how strong they are... and right now, Raith realizes how weak he was.

    It made him want to crawl back into the abyss.

    And as a resonance to his frequency.

    [The ck mes burn within you]

    [The abyss stares back into your eyes]

    [You have 7:05:59:59 until the second death trial]

    Raith froze.

    ''No, no, I didn''t... shit''

    Indeed, he could sense that the dust within him responded to the sudden frustration he felt upon realizing that he was still weak.

    He just really hated the thought of going back to the abyss right away aftering out.

    ''If it''s seven days, then I have more than enough time to prepare. There are also some things I would like to test out but first let''s sell these items''

    He took a pick at the peeled-leather wristwatch on his left wrist.

    "So what do you want Raven."

    The vibrant teenager asked.

    ~fuuu~

    "Huh?"

    She froze with a difiting demeanor as she noticed the change of air.

    "Fuck, I''ve lost my appetite."

    He said and walked out without a response to the young girl.

    "What the hell?"

    She could feel the tensions on her unconsciously scrunched shoulders drop.

    In that split moment, Raith exuded a presence that scared her, like a potential danger that she could sense but can''t put her fingers around. It was an odd feeling, considering that she is also a hero although a low-leveled ¨Cvery low.

    "...I guess going to the abyss is not a bad idea."

    He muttered. His mind won''t sway away from the thought of the hero from earlier, he couldn''t feel her presence not to talk of the measure of her power.

    Yet he defeated an asura.

    His feelings were hurt, and a sense of unfairness haunted him.

    ''Damn, I thought I was strong''

    Perhaps Raith was self-consumed in his victory that he forgot that there is a greater world.

    Would she have been able to defeat Thard-Harl in one go?

    All these thoughts put his mind in a positive turmoil because, for the first time, he began to look forward to his going to the abyss.

    ***<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As arranged, Raith met Mael in front of the shop right on time and the two proceeded to their destination, taking a cab to Primrose Highway. An intersected road that could be considered a center of transportation within the city.

    The lowest intersection is connected to a tunnel and in that tunnel is a subway that leads further down.

    "...But there is a passcode"

    "A passcode?"

    Raith was disappointed but immediately garnered his expression...

    "Do you know this code?"

    He asked.

    "No."

    His expression rxed and he sighed before realizing.

    "Wait! No? I thought you meant yes."

    "No, I don''t. I don''t know the code."

    "Then how are we supposed to enter the¨C

    He paused immediately he was about to blurt out the sensitive word that couldnd them both in jail.

    His eyes rolled to the taxi driver who focuses on the steering wheel but stole a few nces at them through the front mirror.

    Raith leaned into his seat and decided to let it rest because it was too sensitive of a thing to discuss here.

    But his expression wouldn''t stop disying how disappointed he was for blindly trusting and following Mael who he had forgotten was just another kind of dumb adult.

    ...

    "You can drop us here..."

    "Ayie, I can''t do that... this is not a stop."

    "It doesn''t matter Mister... this is where we need you to drop us."

    Mael responded with a subtle raise in his tone.

    The ce they had demanded to stop was just beside the road, although there were no particrws that required a particr stop for taxis still it was dangerous to move considering that there could be patrolling polices any time of the day¨Cit was a risk.

    But there was more to the taxi driver''s sudden and uncalled alertness.

    Mael had it rough with him for a while and aggressively logged out of the car. Raith kept his silence all through, this sought of stuff was always not his turf, and the fact that he didn''t use to belong to an environment like this had a lot to do with it.

    It was a miracle that he had survived this long on his own.

    But on second thought, he did have help.

    The taxi driver drove away with an equal rate of aggression looking like he was going to cause a disturbance to both of them.

    "Let''s move fast."

    "You say that but you don''t even know the passcode."

    Raith finally got the space and time to express his disappointment. He sighed after pping his palm softly on his face.

    "Bro, do you think the passcode is the only way?"

    His sudden diversion rose a sprinkle of hope in Raith''s eyes.

    He continued:

    "You see, it is called a ck market, a back door to get exotic items, it only makes sense that a ck market should have a ck door, one that contradicts the normal way... In fact, the normal way is because of formalities, this one is the true door to the ck market."

    "What are you talking about?"

    His words were confusing, the more Raith tried to digest them, the more confusing they became.

    ''Back door, ck door, Normal wag, True door... Just fucking find a way to get into the ck market''

 Chapter 17 Black Market (2)

    ?With resources in their abundance thanks to the lot that carcasses of monsters could do, there were a lot of things that the government had to put under control.

    Few items were considered illegal because of the pending danger that they may cause to the environment or oneself, such as some types of elixirs.

    Baron Monique El. The inventor of elixirs and so far the greatest alchemist. Elixirs had different types, some were legalized and deemed safe to use by the government while some were banned because even though they may bring explosive results, they would end up ruining the body.

    It wasn''t elixirs alone, they were several items like that; Impetus''s whip, the demon king''s dildo, and Shanel''s coat of invisibility.

    But regardless of the ban ced on them, some heroes would still go to any extent to secure them, even if it had to be at an unreasonably high price.

    This is why the ck market was created.

    A market that serves to bring to the society of heroes what they often can see outside in the open. And the best of the best are always disyed in the auction.

    "What?"

    The homeless manying on sheets said as Mael approached.

    "Don''t y dumb with me... take me to that ce."

    "What ce?"

    The man asked with a confused expression. He looked behind Mael and Raith but the subway was less busy, it wasn''t a favorable route at night because of past happenings.

    However, a few numbers of people could still be seen in corporate outfits with suitcases walking out of the subway.

    "Don''t y dumb with me gateman."

    Mael said with a grin, looking down at the man who turned away from him and in the next minute began to snore.

    "Man! this fucking gateman. Are you fucking kidding me?"

    Mael was getting agitated again and was about to kick the man but Raith''s leg halted his leg.

    "Stop Mael... maybe you are wrong this time. You don''t know the back door."

    He said as he dropped Mael''s leg with his feet. Mael was dazed but quickly turned a blind eye to it because of the flow of this situation.

    "I know the back door, I''ve heard it like a thousand times. Pass the homeless man''s test."

    ''This bastard is doing these based on what he heard?''

    "There''s no credibility in that"

    Raith made known to him with a somewhat raise in his tone and expressive of a potion of disappointment yet again.

    "Come on Bro... I know this is just a test."

    "Let''s say..."

    Both of them froze as the man turned and sat up.

    "Let''s say, this is just a test... how do you intend to pass it. What are your reasons for saying I''m the gateman? Because you heard from people that a gateman is a homeless man."

    "You just admitted to being a gateman."

    Mael brimmed with a smug face.

    "Did I ever deny it? My question is... you both seem like two lost kids trying to ruin business for me. Why will I let you in?"

    "Because we have it..."

    Mael''s smug face got intense.

    He knew that the only thing that would entice gatemen who were also hungry for opportunities to make money was to show them how worthy they were. And in this case, having a legendary-grade item to sell was just too worthy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "We have a legendary grade item"

    The man first disregarded Mael''s statement but kept his gaze on Mael, as he saw the seriousness on Mael''s face, his expression immediately sucked up to Mael''s.

    "Really?"

    "Why would we lie?"

    Mael responded to the unbelieving man.

    "Show me..."

    The man requested but Mael declined, showing him meant inviting danger and ruining their element of surprise.

    The man had already confirmed their sincerity and that was enough to enter the ck market.

    He sighed and looked at the two of them again, especially Raith and the backpack he was carrying. Then he swung his hand, a disc slipped out of his disc and he threw it right into a tiny hole that seemed like a crack in the wall where his sheet wasid.

    ~crreak~

    The wall began to tremble and go down, revealing apletely dark tunnel.

    "Where you seek is at the end of this tunnel."

    He said and as they were about to enter the tunnel.

    "You owe me a ten percentmission on that legendary item... and if you are lying, you owe me two million leus. Whatever way you''d have it, I''ll still be making my money off you two."

    He smirked and swung his face away as their backs began to dig deeper into the darkness.

    After twenty minutes of trekking, a pinch of light could be seen at the end of this dark tunnel that was already making Mael very ufortable.

    ...

    The ck market.

    Raith''s eyes lit into the new world that was unveiled before him as both of them came out of the tunnel. Just as the name included, it was a dark ce but looking up it didn''t seem underground as they both felt it was while treading the path of the tunnel which was downwards sloppy.

    ''There''s a cloud...''

    Raith began to analyze the atmosphere of the environment and like he suspected it didn''t seem underground to him, the dark clouds were evidence of that although they were no moon of any kind ©\ - but the towering buildings made it appear as another street in Cavanaugh, not to mention the poption.

    This ce was more crowded than even a circus.

    There was a natural source of light, all the sparkling and glittering were artificially supplied, which would bring us to the use of Elemnid crystals.

    But for now, let us appreciate how beautiful and awestruck this sight is.

    "Are you going to stand there forever?"

    "Ah¨C

    Raith quickly recovered from his state of surprise thanks to Mael''s voice.

    "Let''s proceed to the auction house."

    "Right"

    Raith could not wait to finally sell all these items off and get the money and he also couldn''t wait to see the things that were avable to buy in this ck world.

    All that expectation was exhrating but for a moment something odd seeped into his mind.

    ''...huh? I thought this guy has never been to the ck market''

 Chapter 18 Black Market (3)

    ?The auction house exceeded Raith''s expectations, at this rate one could just call the ck market a magic city.

    Beyond the busy marketce and streets of sales disy was a vastnd.

    The vastness suggested to even the most brilliant of navigators that this is the end of the market. But the vastness was just a farce. An invisible barrier was situated around a particr side and as Mael passed through, the barrier revealed itself with ripples for a brief moment. Raith was getting more confused but followed through anyway.

    The building that stood in front of him was colossal even though it was iplete. Round and surrounded by hundreds of windows.

    And lights spiraling all over from different windows and even the environment.

    It was a world within a world.

    The ss of people that Raith could see in this ce was different.

    Expensive dresses, some are well-kitted in armor, while most of them wore clown masks of different kinds and were donned in elegant tuxedos and gowns as they climbed up the widely spread outdoor stairs that led them to the corridor of the entrance which was defined by towering pirs and masked guards.

    "Wow..."

    Raith subconsciously muttered.

    He was quite familiar with the gatherings of influential people since it was a formality that he had to obey even if he didn''t like being around the kind of people he found himself with.

    Being in this ce made him miss his days as the Degado''s second son and he was slowly deviating from his lessons from Thard-Harl.

    It was hard to not covet redemption with a family like his and the society that surrounds them.

    "Pass?"

    The tall and ripped guard stopped both of them and stretched forth his hand in a request for something they needed to remit.

    Mael looked at the hand of the guard and walked him forward whispering something into his ear. As he came back the guard nodded and let him through.

    "Wow, that was unexpected. What did you do there?"

    Raith inquired.

    "Nothing important really, just some stuff I heard from folks that have been around here a lot."

    "Hmm... you seem to know a lot of folks that have been around here a lot. Almost as if you have been here yourself."

    "What? Are you doubting my intentions already?"

    Mael got stern with him.

    "No... I just think there''s no need to hide anything for me as friends."

    ''Unless your intentions are ill''

    "See, I''m being honest... all you have seen me do so far. It is because I have heard a lot from people and it is exactly how they say it. Okay, so you chix and let me help you sell this thing."

    Mael said, stopping for a moment and tapping his chest gently before they finally entered.

    Entering the building they were met by a massive hall with a flourish of redness, the interior was illuminated that so much light that the darkness outside would seem like a lie, the carpets were red and apart from all the floor which they cover, red curtains with different sigils could be seen hanging from different sides of the walls.

    "Oh goodness... it is just like the imperial ballroom... but not as big."

    Raith instinctively appreciated what he saw. He could see that whoever built this ce was desperately trying to replicate the imperial ballroom of the Pomei Empire which is considered one of thergest buildings in the entire world. Although they were not even close but what they had managed to recreate should not be taken as a joke, this much could spark an all-out war.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The only difference was the five red curtains with different sigils.

    The walls were glittering with gold and the chandeliers gave an extra exotic feel to the entire room.

    Mael sucked the feeling in the air with a bright smile and a deep inhtion.

    Even though his demeanor tried hard to spell out "I am seeing this ce for the first ce" all Raith could read was, "It''s so good to be back"

    "Then from here, what do we do?"

    Raith asked.

    "We should register our items, let''s ask around to know where exactly to do that."

    ''Looks like he''s not entirely dumb, he''s gonna act it though''

    Raith followed him around with a sereneposure and allowed only him to do the talking.

    The ce was filled with people here and there, there was no need for a bold telling before anyone could tell that these were influential people that have gathered for the auction ©\ - it makes sense why they are wearing masks.

    While both of them were walking around from person to person inquiring where to get their items registered for the auction and immersed in a river of being neglected every time they asked, a familiar wind swept past Raith.

    ~sniff~

    ~sniff~

    He wasn''t a smell-sensitive person but there is always that time when a cologne leaves so strong an influence that you can''t but stop thinking about where you''ve encountered that fragrance.

    Raith''s face immediately followed through the breeze and at the end of it was a blond overflowing hair that followed ady in a tight ck gown with a parting on her thigh.

    ''Where have I ¡ª

    It didn''t take long for Raith to remember where he had encountered the flowery fragrance, although it didn''t stand out like this few hours ago in Torpedough bakery, maybe we have the vani bread to me for that.

    ''The level¨CO girl''

    There was a better way to address her but that was the only thing about her that sank into his memories.

    Turning his head back he couldn''t find Mael again. His eyes squinted with a furrowed brow as he keenly scanned the increasing crowd for where his scheming friend might have wandered off to.

    But it didn''t take long before he came back.

    "Hey, I''ve found it."

    He tapped Raith from behind.

    A normal person would have experienced a certain level of flustered-ness but Raith already felt the tingles from behind micro-seconds before he touched him.

    It wasn''t a special skill but an experience-born sensitivity.

    "Okay let''s go."

    Right from this moment he began to anticipate the worst.

 Chapter 19 The Auctioning (1)

    ?Both of them entered a designated room, more like a lobby where they could sit and wait for whoever was going to respond to them.

    After very few minutes of waiting a man in a tailed suit walked into the room and sat on the red couch opposite them.

    His face was hidden by the clown mask but his hair was colored purple, a rare color of hair in this region.

    "I am sorry to have developed such important customers for this long. May I see the item?"

    He said solemnly.

    Raith could not see his face but he could sense a mischievous grin behind that mask©\ -perhaps it was just his insecurities kicking.

    He opened the backpack anyways and brought out the helm first, the ws, and the boots. He ced all three items gently on the round ssy table in between him and the man.

    "Isn''t there supposed to be a machine?"

    He asked, looking around the room trying to find another machine of equal size or maybe bigger than the one they had used in the shop.

    "I am the machine."

    The man said this time a grin could be read inly from his tone.

    Raith''s fear deepened and he thoroughly thought about how to handle the situation if his friend was ganging up to y him.

    The man''s eyes glowed red from within the mask and immediately he expressed a state of astonishing surprise.

    "What in the world? Where did you get this?"

    The questions he asked were an answer to Raith, but he still demanded one.

    "What grades are they?"

    He asked.

    "Are you sure this does not belong to a treasury or something... you didn''t steal it?"

    "I didn''t"

    His tone of response showed that the questions were already getting annoying.

    "Alright if you insist."

    The man leaned forward gently caressing the items with his fingers.

    First, the boots.

    "This one is a mythic grade..."

    "And these both are relic grade."

    He said touching the w and helm.

    "Wait, we measured it before with a gradiometer, it said legendary."

    Mael put forth.

    "Trust me... my appraisal skill does not lie. The machine might have just tried to estimate the result...they even have attuned skills."

    "You can see that too?"

    The man looked at Raith and scoffed.

    "It must be your first time here."

    He could tell right away, Raith''s dazzling nces here and there in conjunction with his desperation to act like he wasn''t looking, openly gave him away

    "You can tell..."

    He said with a pretentious chuckle.

    "My appraisal is a peculiar-grade skill."

    He leaned backward.

    "I will register this for you and auction them along with other items don''t forget the house has ten percent of whatever price these get sold."

    "Sure"

    Mael responded.

    ~p~

    A steward immediately ran inside after the man''s p. He took the items, first struggling with the weight but bnced on his way out.

    The man brought out two number tes connected to a wooden stick and tagged ''122'' and ''123''.

    "In case you will be participating in the auction."

    He said pushing the tags to both of them.

    "No... we don¨C

    "Thank you"

    The quickness of Raith''s voice surprised Mael.

    The man nodded and stood up afterward.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I didn''t know you were interested in auctioning, as expected a noble will always be noble."

    Mael said as the man walked out.

    "But you don''t have any money though."

    "...it won''t be a bad idea to see."

    Raith''s response had a shy feel to it. And alerted Mael''s observations.

    ''Is he hiding something?''

    Mael thought as both of them stood up and walked out of the room while the only thing that upied Raith''s head was:

    ''I wonder if I''ll be able to see her again in the auctioning.''

    ...

    The room was a theatre and there were higher floors where other people stood beside pirs with a ss of wine in their hands.

    Raith settled in and the first thing he noticed was the red-haired boy who in a matter of looks was younger than him but those looks made Raith jealous.

    How can a man be so formidable?

    It was a good thing Raith had a thing fordies else he would be simping for this young man who sat with little presence but elegance and brilliance were written all over his posture.

    His red eyes from within those yellow and green clown mask, were like mes.

    He slowly turned his gaze to his left as Raith''s eyes wouldn''t peel off him.

    "How can I help you?"

    He asked and btedly noticed¨C

    ''...that ck hair''

    He couldn''t see Raith''s face as he had gotten a mask but the hair color was a genuine one- -a very umon kind of hair.

    "I''m sorry..."

    Raith naively bowed his head and faced the front, the stage where the purple-haired man in a ck-tailed suit walked toward and began after a bow.

    "I am the host of today''s auctioning. My dear customers, we have splendid h h h..."

    Raith paid less and less attention to him as he spoke on the stage and instead continued to scan everywhere in search of a certain person.

    By the time his focus got back¨C

    "First item! The horn of Bblu: a rare item that can be used for an effective taunt with a special tendency to enchant and immobilize any creature within 100 diameters. The auction will be starting from the lowest denomination of leu. Fifty leu?"

    "Hundred"

    A ck-haireddy raised a tag with the number ''055''

    "Two hundred"

    Another man immediately responded with a ''111'' tag.

    "Oh, we have a two hundred... do we have a two-fifty, three hundred."

    After five seconds of no response.

    "Okay! Purchased by one hundred and eleven"

    "Okay... that was extremely cheap... don''t rare grade items usually cost like hundred thousand leus or something... but it just got sold for two hundred?"

    "It must be your first time here"

    The red-haired guy beside him said with a subtle and polite scoff.

    "Items here are not sold ording to quality. Everyone here gathered here is gathered because there is something they need, which means forget about the grades, even a legendary item could get sold for a thousand leus if the use is trash and no one is interested."

    ''...Ah, I see....''

    "Thank you"

    Raith feeling awkward at the needless exnation appreciated him with a smile.

    ''Still, a thousand leu would be enough for me''

    Some other items were gotten for as low as a hundred leus after the horn, but that was the least, from the third item even if it was amon-grade sword, the bidding began to rise to a thousand leu, a thousand and fifty, a thousand and hundred, two thousand and in that sequence, the pace of the auctioning picked up¨Cthe atmosphere got immersed and everyone seems to now be participating.

    Everyone except the person Raith was looking out for, so far so good he hadn''t even caught a glimpse of her.

    ''Is she even here...''

    He wasn''t so sure about that either.

    Until now.

    "Next is a special boot, this one was just recently submitted. Thard-Harl''s silver boot, a mythic grade item that has its skill attuned to it."

    The murmuring soared and at that moment, knowing fully well it was time for his item to be auctioned Raith''s heart began to beat at an abnormal rate...he was nervous of how this will turn out.

 Chapter 20 The Auctioning (2)

    ?"Two thousand."

    "Oh oh, right away two thousand¨C

    "Five thousand"

    From another corner of the theatre came a counter.

    "Ten thousand."

    "Ten thousand!!"

    The host''s emphasis intensified the heat.

    "Twelve thousand"

    Another tag rose into the air ''024''

    "Twenty thousand."

    "Going for twenty thousand?"

    "Hundred thousand."

    Raith found his mouth agape as he heard, ''Hundred thousand''

    ''What the... a hundred thousand?!''

    "Two hundred"

    "Two hundred! We have a bidder for two hundred thousand"

    "Three hundred..."

    "Five hundred"

    "One million"

    At this point, sweat began to run down Raith''s face.

    "1.5"

    "10 million"

    Raith''s face swung to thetest bidder. Finally from the upper floor, beside one of the many pirs, stood ady in a ck gown with the tag ''008'' raised.

    "Ten million! Going for ten million"

    "Twenty"

    This time the bidder came from beside Raith.

    "There''s no way I''m losing to that bitch"

    The red-haired guy mumbled with veins pulsating on his forehead.

    Sometimes, bidding can get very tough because one side does not want to lose.

    Thedy looking down in Raith''s direction scoffed at the red-haired guy.

    "Fifty"

    "Fifty million!! Going for fifty?!!"

    The host''s voice resonated throughout the theatre."

    "Hundred..."

    From beside Raith, he shouted, with a reddened forehead.

    "Tsk tsk tsk"

    The girl shook her head at him and bidding:

    "Five hundred million"

    The murmuring rose again.

    Raith''s jaw was going to fall on the ground at this point, his eyes couldn''t believe what was going on and his gazes were fixated on the guy beside him who was already biting his lips but still didn''t have the face of a lover.

    "Eight hundred."

    Thedy scoffed from above."

    "Two billion leus"

    Raith''s eyes widened, and his gaze momentarily shifted between thedy who was up and the man who was still biting his lips and clenching his tag very hard.

    "Going for two billion? Going? Going? Gone!! Gone for two billion leus"

    Two billion leus, forget about renting an apartment. It would buy him a mansion and leave him with plenty to feed himself with for at least ten years if he decides to be a shut-in-Otaku.

    ...

    Watching was enjoyable and as expected there was nothing he could bid for, not even since when the bidding rate was heated by the brawl between thedy and the guy beside him.

    The razor-sharp w eventually sold for three hundred million while the helm was bought for Seven billion by a man with a coffee-brown beard and a beer belly. Who also beat thedy in to get it.

    Several items also went for even higher prices, as high as a hundred billion and more.

    Raith after the long wait anxiously waited in the room for the host for thest part of this process.

    "Mehn, I am d for you man... I mean, I was expecting you to win big but 9.3 billion? Bro, you just might be a noble yourself. You can just find a nice house invest in some business and stuff... or what do you want to do with the items?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Mael asked with an overly joyous demeanor.

    Raith who was consumed in his thoughts and aplishments jacked out of his mind and shifted his gaze to Mael.

    "Huh?"

    "I said what do you intend to do with the money."

    "Get a better ce to stay and...''

    Raith''s excited expression slowly died.

    "And what?"

    Mael asked with anticipative eyes but Raith''s silence persisted.

    ''...I need to get equipment that would help me in the abyss. And since I was able to bring out items, then I should be able to take items back in''

    Raith silenced worried Mael.

    ''He doesn''t even know what he wants to do with such a big amount of money? As expected these nobles to be damned. I wouldn''t be punished for taking candy from a kid who does not know how to lick it.''

    Mael''s gaze was sternly fixated on Raith whose eyes were lowered as he was in deep thought on how to prepare for whatever he would be facing in theing trial of the abyss.

    After some time, the host entered the room, looking spent and stressed.

    "Oh, God. That was a lot!"

    Hemented with a joyous tone as he tiredly sat on the sofa and leaned back.

    "You hit it big... well, mythic items should be around that range. It''s against our traditions but do you mind me asking where you got these items?"

    Raith lowered his gaze, ignoring the host''s question.

    "I see..."

    The host adjusted his mask and brought out his smartphone.

    "Whose ount should I transfer it to?"

    "Mine! This guy here does not have a bank ount so just do it to mine."

    The host''s gaze shifted to Raith whose eyes darkened at Mael''s uncalled ims and suggestions.

    "Are you okay with that?"

    The host asked.

    "I''ll prefer cash"

    Raith''s response triggered Mael''s aggression but he desperately tried to hide it ©\at least until the time was right.

    "What do you mean? Carrying cash around in times like this can be very dangerous."

    Mael was convincing enough.

    "Don''t worry."

    ''...I can just put it in my inventory''

    "Really? Are you doing this because you don''t want to share, after everything?"

    Mael''s face changed like he had been waiting for this time. He got up with a stare.

    The host was finding the atmosphere upsetting...

    ~p~

    The steward ran in with a suitcase and dropped it on the table.

    "In here is a 8.37 billion, we deducted out ten percent. Don''t let money divide your friendship"

    He said, tapping Mael''s shoulder as he walked out.

    Raith grabbed the case and stood up, staring at Mael in the face.

    "At what point is it going to be?"

    "What the hell are you saying?"

    "Are you going to y dumb this far, don''t tell me you nned to do was collect the money in your ount and run away with it. That was all you had nned out? Nothing like robbing me or beating me up with some gang or something."

    Mael gaze tightened as Raith spoke with a scoff.

    "Damn you noble blood. No matter what part youe from or your circumstances, the rotten blood of Degado that runs through your veins will make you smell."

    He said with a growling tone. His words carried resentment and from Raith''s view, were not just the words of someone that wanted to steal from him.

    The fact his words targeted his family.

    "Do you have a grudge against me or something?"

    "Haha"

    Mael giggled.

    "Don''t ridicule me, you are not even what my attention, all you will ever amount to is the embodiment of failure. Why will I pay attention to you? I just thought I could use you to get to your family... but you have what I need already. Isn''t it right that you return the money your father stole from mine?"

    ''...the fuck?''

 Chapter 21 Three To One

    ?Mael''s suddensh-out was weird and uncalled for Raith, even though he had predicted a betrayal based on Mael''s pretense so far. He didn''t expect that the one the held dear and called his friend would be holding a grudge towards him and would think of him this way.

    An embodiment of failure.

    Mael was the one that gave him words of hope every time he thought he couldn''t amount to anything, Mael was the one that told him it might be possible to switch archons, that maybe there was still hope for him and he shouldn''t give up.

    Mael''s words of encouragement in Raith''s heart had built a stronghold of persistence and are one of the reasons why Raith had notmitted suicide and can survive the harsh three months.

    Three months of good friendship, it wasn''t long but for Raith who had never had a true friend, it meant much. But it seems this young man has been harboring some ill-thoughts toward him while smiling at him. Maybe he wouldn''t have recognized it if he didn''t go to the abyss.

    But Raith was not about to naively seek for an understanding or an exnation¨Chis expression said that much.

    His brows were furrowed and his heterochromia eyes shone with bitterness and irritation as they focused on Mael.

    "Those words... I won''t ask you to take them back. And I will take it that those are your feelings from the moment that we met. Is it the money you need so badly? or you can''t just stand the sight of me?"

    "Damn... will you look at this bastard. Staying there and talking to me calmly, ''is it the money you need so badly...ye yen yen yen...

    Mael mimicked him with a mockery pout and tone tuning.

    "Scram all that! Give me the money and I''m not asking."

    Mael said and swung his hand to the front¡ªapparently, he had swiftly pulled out a pair of ck daggers from behind him. And Raith had no idea it was there.

    "You are not even going to wait for us to get to the tunnel?"

    "It doesn''t matter where we do this... I have the upper hand."

    Two men walked into the room as Mael spoke, Raith recognized the somewhat fat one ¡ªthe guard they met outside a few hours ago.

    And the other, he didn''t pay that much attention to him but he was there too a few hours ago.

    "So you all were in on this from the start?"

    "From the start? kukukukukkkyuuu"

    Mael let out a shoulder-shudderingugh with his face buried in his palm.

    "You really are a naive little noble. What did you expect from a ce called the ck market? All I did was offer them a fee higher than that which they are getting paid... illegal activities are what makes this ce the ck market. Don''t be so foolish."

    "As expected, you have been here multiple times."

    "Yes and this is not my first time doing this, how do you think I''m able to afford to live in Rembrandt estate? You think a 20,000 leus monthly payment from the store keeps me livingrge and get me fine clothes?"

    Mael cocked his head with an irritated re as he pointed the dagger to Raith who was standing still and had not taken a step since.

    "But I must admit, I have never gotten a deal such as yours and I thought I could pull it off on my own but looks like my dear friend isn''t so dear after all. Nobles like yours ruined my family, I''m just collecting a ruination tax... yeah see it as that."

    "You talk too much, let''s get this over with before someonees in."

    As his bulky physique would have suggested, his voice was thick. He clenched his fist and focused his attention on Raith''s hand.

    "Is that it?"

    "Yes..."

    "I''m collecting my ten million, no games."

    "Sure"

    Mael responded to the man diligently with a grin.

    "Come here handsome!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He dashed at Raith with a shout spreading his arms in the air for a grapple but Raith''s kick reached him first.

    ~pow!~

    Sending back three staggering steps.

    "Tch"

    ''...the power didn''te out as I''d envisioned''

    Raith''s face was gloomy as he shifted his gaze and keenly observed the three of them.

    "Wow, I guess a failed hero is still a hero after all."

    Mael scoffed and lunged at Raith, his eyeballs thinning in as he spread into the distance in a brief second reaching Raith in that instance.

    Raith with widened eyes dodged Mael''s sequential swings, ¨Cmoving back, bending his head, dodging left and right till his back was against the wall.

    ~kraank!~

    Thest swing scratched the wall as Raith rolled out of Mael''s space and immediately was countered by the second guard with a low kick.

    He quickly got up regardless ¨Che had taken more beaten than they could ever imagine, right now their attacks were like a mosquito bitepared to how rough Thard-Harl treated him.

    It was when he stood up and gave himself and the three of them some distance they noticed.

    "Hey... where is the case?"

    The bulky guard said with a frustrated re and annoyed tone.

    "His right"

    Mael''s tone was low, they scanned around the room while maintaining their positions but the case could not be seen in any visible corner.

    "You bastard, what trick are you ying now?"

    Mael''s tone was a bit lower than before with a befogged face.

    ''It''s a good thing they don''t know about inventory...''

    A corner of Raith''s lips curved upwards and he subtly released a degrading scoff.

    The three of them were adjacent to each other with Raith at the center but too far for the person he was directly opposite to reach in a matter of seconds.

    The bulky guard was towards his left and considering his weight Raith determined that he would be slow. The only problem is...

    Raith''s gaze slowly drifted to Mael,

    ''...he''s a level E... I don''t even know if I measure up to him since I have never gone for an evaluation. But from his speed from earlier, I can tell that his paces are quick''

    Raith carefully scrutinized for who he should lunge at as serenity yed with the atmosphere between the three for a few more minutes.

    ~creak~

    Like a call waiting to be answered, the door opened and an amber-blonde-haireddy whose figure shone beautifully even though her face was masked and her body was tightly nketed by a ck gown.

    The unexpected entrance put the four in a brief moment of iprehension ¨Cthe three of them actually.

    "Oh, my God! Thank God you are here Ma''am, they are trying to gang up on me!"

    Raith was quick to jump on the uptake.

 Chapter 22 The Sadness Of A Taboo

    ?Raith was not going to be unrealistic with things. That had never been in his character, he knew when to give up and when to press harder.

    Taking on the three of them at this stage of his was bad, very bad, and would result in his death. If he wanted to hide his abilities for the time being then he knew that he mustn''t die in front of anyone.

    Just when he was seeking a way out, a blessing was sent his way. The fact that only he knew how important the person who entered the room was his upper hand.

    While the other guard who was closer to the door cluelessly dived towards thedy who showed no agitated or provoked response but slipped through with finesse...

    - - That was what they saw but she had buried a blow deep into his belly that as she slipped through he was sted through the wall, delving a hole into the wall.

    She twisted her hand.

    "That was relieving..."

    She muttered and shifted her face to the fat guy who lifelessly exchanged nces between thedy and the hole in the wall.

    "What? W-Who a-a-are yo-ou?"

    His voice broke as he inquired.

    "Isn''t that the point of this mask, I can''t have you knowing who I am."

    Everyone in the room was unmasked except thedy.

    "And I recognize you..."

    Thedy said pointing at Raith.

    "Scram! you bitch!"

    Maelunched from into the air with a somersault, a gale of wind gathered around his daggers and he tore down a sh upon the woman who swung her feet into the air to block, revealing the silver boots she had just bought.

    "Ho...this can even block attacks like this..."

    Not just that...

    ~Wham!~

    Upon the next breath, the boot released a massive shockwave that tossed Mael away and broke all the sses in the room.

    Thedy slowly put her leg down in awesome wonder at what she had just seen.

    "Damage reflect?"

    ''Is that what it''s called? Wait, did that boot always have that ability, and Thard-Harl never used it?''

    Raith was gobsmacked.

    Mael could not recover from the throwing force and groan in pain like a squabbling baby.

    Thedy''s gaze shifted to thest man standing.

    As fat, as he was, he should have boasted of more courage but nah, he began to quiver and mbered to the door staggering and picking himself up till he was out of sight.

    "Exin yourself."

    Thedy''s focus was now fully on Raith.

    Raith with a humble demeanor began to speak with partial sincerity, leaving out the part where he had recognized her the moment he met her in the banquet hall and that it was his item she was proudly wearing on her skinny-ass-sexy legs.

    "Hmm, I see... this man indeed is a pathetic fellow"

    She said, looking down on Mael who was not in pain anymore but still wouldn''t get up, or else he wanted to receive a second beating.

    "If it happens once, it''s a coincidence, if it happens twice it is fate."

    ''Uh?...''

    Her words were causing a contradiction in Raith''s perception of her personality. Raith had thought she would be this proud and non-chant kind and somewhat arrogantdy but with her uprightness, bright speaking, and nosy attitude ¨Cshe had the time to sit down and listen to the whole story. Maybe not all high-rankers are rotten.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I can sense dust in you. Which Archon contracted you?"

    Of course, that was going to happen. Every time a hero meets another one, the first thing that matters is who their archon is, their level, their perks, and skills, how many monsters and gates they''ve challenged, and their achievements! achievements!! achievements!!!

    But Raith was not all of that.

    He hesitated to speak.

    "It is no need to keep your archon a secret from other heroes. Who knows we might be from the same archon, then I shall consider you my brother-in-arms"

    "And if we aren''t?"

    "Pardon?"

    She gazed at Raith with no readable expression, sincerely trying to figure out what his question was driving toward.

    "If we happen to not be from the same archon?"

    "Hmm..."

    Thedy''s gaze sank to the ground as she tapped her fingers on her folded arms as though she was counting something.

    "Hmph! I''ve decided that it doesn''t matter, we can be friends since you just got betrayed by one."

    ''Her upright and bright way of speaking warms up the heart... but I''ll be stupid to befriend a stranger again after all this

    He said looking at Mael.

    As if the asshole was waiting for it. He flipped up and shouted:

    "Haha!! Friends? With this failure? Mydy, you can''t befriend a man like him. A man chosen by the death archon."

    "Holy shit!"

    Her bted attempt to cover the foul words that came out of her mouth showed that she spoke by impulse. It showed how much dread follows one that is chosen by the death archon.

    Such a hero isbeled as a taboo in the entire world.

    A living taboo.

    "Then you must be Degado Raven Raith"

    Her tone came out clothed in a form of pity, Raith could see it written all over her mask and demeanor.

    "You are rotten to the end, aren''t you?"

    He said looking at Mael who wore a wicked grin on his face.

    "You have my thanks, I shall not forget today''s debt"

    He said and walked out.

    Thedy''s head followed him till he left the room and sharply swung back to Mael with a sting stare.

    "Don''t think you are going to walk out of this free."

    She said and her tone meant those words.

    ***

    Raith upon reaching the main sales street of the market looked into the dark clouds.

    ''Sometimes, I wish I can be darkness, not be cared about, not be noticed and not be weak.''

    He dropped his head and sorrowfully walked through the crowds and into the tunnel ahead of him.

 Chapter 23 End Of The Countdown

    ?[Time remaining]

    [00:00:46:54]

    It was just like yesterday when the countdown was seven days. Just like yesterday he got stabbed and had to live his whole week denying the fact that he was wallowing in the pain of betrayal.

    His dream apartment?

    He hadn''t even had the time to take proper measures, not with the second trialing so fast. At least he has been eating to his content, sometimes using the motel''s services and sometimes going to a restaurant whenever he feels like clearing his head.

    He did try expensive meals the first two days, but he found himself losing his appetite afterward. Every time he ate and he is reminded of the countdown, the food suddenly bes bitter.

    Like that he couldn''t justy around, he had to think¨Cthink of how to survive in that dark world.

    But nothing worked. Hisck of license prevented him from getting equipment from any shop, although using his familiarization with Eleanor''s shop he could have been able to buy one at least but he contemted till he finally decided not to go. That ce had Mael written all over it and he just didn''t want to face the bastard again©\ -even though he wasn''t sure Mael would still be there, he didn''t want to take the chance.

    He looked out of the window.

    The red light that seeped out of the horizon due to the surfacing of the twilight reddened a part of his small room while the thick darkness unlike other nights radiated every other corner.

    There was no one to say goodbye to, no one to talk to, no one that will be expecting his return.

    All he could do was look into the red sky as seconds blew into minutes and minutes into seconds...

    [00:00:00:04]

    [00:00:00:03]

    [00:00:00:02]

    [00:00:00:01]

    [00:00:00:00]

    [Alert]

    [The abyss draws you in]

    [You will be transported to the abyss]

    ''Huh? I''m not even asleep though?''

    Raith was baffled, he thought the abyss was something that would happen when he sleeps, so he had made sure to sleep so much that he didn''t feel sleepy the entire night of this horror that wasing.

    He saw his lower body, starting from his legs, fade into the darkness, and like smoke, the rest of his body followed through.

    ''Damn! What will I call this''

    He thought as he was met by a massive ck gate with an eerie and weird structure, one he could not find meaning for but felt somewhat familiar.

    Three heads with different horn structures were sculpted on the ck gate, and in a position of a spiral with the horns intertwining.

    Raith btedly looked down and saw no solid surface, instantly realizing he was floating in a ne of darkness that flowed like clouds, the gate that stared into his soul was the only solid structure that could be seen no matter how far and wide he looked, it was just the darkness.

    ''Where is this?''

    Like he would always watch in movies, he imagined the space as a mass of water and swam further.

    It worked.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He slowly swam towards the gate the closer he got to it, the bigger he got in front of him and as he touched the gate he realized he was shrouded in the entire structure of the gate the whole time.

    He lifted his head and couldn''t see the high end of the gate, it was the same for the bottom end, the left end, and the right end. And behind him was sparkling light like a star, it was a new change to the ce but his instincts felt safer closer to the door than to the star.

    Staring at it suddenly made him feel naked and defenseless.

    These were symbols he couldn''t understand but maybe this is the real. way of entering the abyss, he thought to himself and wondered why he didn''t enter the right way the first time.

    Applying a little push force to the gate in front of him©\ -before he could tell iting, he was warped into the gate that slowly creaked open and the masspletely disappeared.

    ***

    Meanwhile.

    "Oiioioiii!! Leane did you feel that!"

    "Feel what?"

    A pointed-ear female with white hair decorated by flower lilies and with a white and overflowing gown asked as she climbed down thedder of the towering shelves to meet the brown-haired man with a hollow face who had spoken to her first.

    "This is not a joking matter we must¨C

    "Shush"

    With her fingers on her small round lips, he came to an abrupt pause.

    "We can''t disturb the archons because of some trivial matters. Felfhiem is a ce of horror and disaster... even if he does enter, he won''t be able to survive, we sealed his dust remember? He is powerless regardless of how much he tries."

    "Still we should..."

    The man hesitated as she turned to him with an emotionless face.

    "I apologize."

    He dropped his shoulders and bowed his head.

    "As the Pontifex of chra, it is my duty as bestowed on me by herdy to manage matters regarding Fel. The dust choosing him was a mistake. I pity him for his life would be filled with so much suffering, he will try and try yet he won''t be able to move a step forward... because he is bound to the essence of failure and is just a pawn of it."

    Tears rolled down thedy''s white cheek as she spoke and cleaned her tears dry afterward.

    "Leane..."

    The man''s eyes were filled with dread, as he had just seen the greatest disy of wickedness.

    ''How can she destroy a young man''s life like that and still cry for him''

    His shoulders shivered as he thought about the unreasonable and crazy stunt Laene had pulled seven years ago, the day Raith was supposed to be selected as a hero.

    ***

    This was not the abyss Raith knew and it was confusing.

    [Wee to Felfhiem]

    "Un?"

 Chapter 24 The Child Of Death And Darkness

    ?An endless space of stays arrayed in the sky beyond him, unlike the empty feel of the abyss he knew this was different. He would have almost called it beautiful if not for how odd the stars of this world were, they had different colors but red, purple, and green were the most prominent colors amongst this array, and following this array was a trail of red aurora that left the reflection of the icy in he stood shrouded in a coat of redness.

    [Wee to Felfhiem]

    ''Un?''

    Raith was dismayed and confused but he wasn''t dumb and was quick on the uptake.

    ''Felfhiem...?''

    The word sounded very familiar to him.

    ''From the book ''Many things we wished we didn''t know''

    Raith rubbed his chin as the holographic tab stared back at him with the same message, nothing more nothing less but soon disappeared.

    "Isn''t Many things we wished we didn''t know written by the heretic Han Lamur, which was supposed to be hisst book expressing his regret of how he spent his life because of a certain enlightenment he came by..."

    Raith scratched his hair, trying to break into the lingering memories of the book with his thoughts.

    ''Felfhiem...''

    The lines were still blurry but he was sure that it sounded very familiar and it was spoken about in that book.

    He looked forward at the wide snowy in immediately the cold breeze blew past him gripping him by his bones.

    He shivered irresistibly and sneezed.

    "I have to find shelter"

    He said as he began to walk forward, with every step buried deep into the snow as he walked along a straight path following the lead of the aurora.

    ...

    A whileter, Raith reached a cabin that stood alone in the snow, the rooftops were covered with snow such it would easily be mistaken to have been purely molded by snow and the structure itself gave an ominous feel.

    But Raith didn''t mind, that was the least of his concerns right now.

    He fastened his pace, still couldn''t prevent his legs from going into the snow but made sure he was quick regardless. As he got closer to the cabin the depth at which his leg was buried drastically reduced and with a slight touch from him the door swung open as if it was expecting him.

    Luckily what Raith sought after was already there¨C

    ''Fire!''

    His eyes lit up and sparkled with the mes which reflected in his balls from inside the room''s firece. The cold was unbearable for him, he was lucky because his jackets were thick to a certain degree thanks to Cavanaugh''s cold temperature.

    However, this ce''s temperature was far superior to that of Cavanaugh, a cold that gripped him by the throat and continually forced something out of it, but with every sneeze, nothing came out. Not to mention his bones, especially his legs, he could feel his toes frozen even though they were inside his chelsea boots.

    He sat in front of the firece with delight and haste not caring to look around the house¡ªhe immediately stretched his toward the fire.

    He never thought he would one day appreciate and love the presence of fire so much.

    "I see you are quite the reckless young man"

    ''Un?''

    Like a thundering p, the bass tone snuck into his ears from behind as a massive figure upied the doorway and its shadow was cast all over Raith as he entered the cabin.

    He was wearing a very thick jacket with ck furry edges. The jacket itself was brown and no outstanding designs could be seen on it apart from the pockets towards the lower base.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith''s gaze slowly went up with a gaze. The man smiled back at him, his beard was white as well as his hair, and his face was filled with wrinkles that instantly gave away the fact that he was quite old but those murderous eyes hidden behind his smile and his awfullyrge body negated the obvious fact.

    "You should at least close the door, shouldn''t you... or you could get eaten."

    Raith gulped as the man closed the door and walked towards what one would call a parlor but it was just two wooden chairs one of them was a rocking chair with a small stool in between the two and the man''s wooden bed made with ck straws towards the corner of the room and to the base of the bed was a rectangr table that the man''s belongings such as books and wood carvings stayed on. Linear to that table was the firece which Raith sat in front of.

    "Where are you from?"

    The man said as he sat on the rocking chair with a deep exhale insisting that he had a long day.

    "I-I-I..."

    Raith''s mouth shivered for the first few seconds, it could have been the cold or fear but he realized he didn''t know exactly what to tell the man and paused.

    First of all, he wasn''t expecting there to be another human¨Cat least human looking creature in the abyss.

    ''Or am I not in the abyss?''

    The man with a stagnant smile awaited his response.

    "Isn''t this ce the abyss?"

    The man''s gaze immediately changed, finally revealing his murderous gaze with eyeballs that glowed and exuded a purple aura. It wasn''t a fluke, even the room''s atmosphere bowed to his expression and the air was seized, the mes lowered itself so low that it could die any moment. The cold and pressure of the room terrorized every bit of Raith''s body, his eyes couldn''t dare to behold the man twice and stayed on the ground with beads of sweat forming on his forehead in this intense cold.

    "The abyss? Hahahahaaa!"

    The man immediately switched again to a peal of thunderingughter, ridding the atmosphere of the pressure¡ªthe fire began to burn high again and the cold slowly was eradicated and so was the tension on Raith''s shoulders.

    "I see, you came through the gate"

    He said.

    "Yes, yes the gate!"

    Raith was d to hear something he could rte with.

    "How weird, you are human? How are you here?"

    The man''s voice came from Raith''s side, he realized the man was not sitting on the chair opposite him before realizing he was already bending beside him, right at his blind spot.

    Raith turned, flustered, and quickly backed away from the man hasten crawling.

    "No need to be scared. A human in Felfhiem is going to be a big deal, you should be happy you met me first. The odd thing is... I can feel the gazes of the abyss on you."

    "What is that? Isn''t this ce supposed to be the abyss?"

    Raith asked.

    "Well, it is supposed to be but isn''t... the abyss is in Felfhiem but takes many forms, the abyss could be me, could be the air, or could be the fire staring back into your eyes."

    The man shifted his gaze into the fire for a few minutes before heined.

    "But the abyss only reveals itself to the chosen..."

    "The chosen?"

    "Yes, the child of death and darkness, who will carry on the will of the ruler of Felfhiem."

 Chapter 25 Felfhiem

    ?Son of Death and Darkness.

    The names sounded so like Raith''s ss but he was wise to keep mute.

    ''...let''s not feel too important, mine is the child of death... besides this man just said I''m human, there is something odd to this ce.''

    "Sir, if I may ask? What is this Felfhiem, I just entered the gate after it revealed itself to me."

    "Oh oh? Interesting."

    The man said rubbing his white beard as he looked at Raith, most especially his eyeballs which were of two different colors.

    ''The gate has never been revealed to anyone not even to the higher demon lords who are trying to get out... could he be...''

    The man sighed.

    ''...that is impossible, the absolute seat has disappeared for over three million years and Felfhiem has adapted to an empty seat... for the good of the realm, it is good that he shouldn''t be back, to prevent an unprecedented war.''

    The man stood up and spoke as he walked back to his seat.

    "If the door opened to you, then it is the will of the abyss that you should be here, then I guess you are in the right ce. But you can''t survive in a ce like this, you will get killed immediately you step into the city."

    He sat down.

    "You asked before that what is Felfhiem, Felfhiem is a dimension of thirteen realms, you are currently in Jarhan, the thirteenth realm. This ce is native to fiends, but you won''t find the strong ones like the demons roaming around here because it is the lowest of the lowest."

    "Ah"

    Raith''s eyes widened.

    ''Is he scared?''

    The man wondered as he had deliberately put some intimidation to his tone as he told Raith what Felfhiem is but this young man was surprised by something else.

    ''I never thought it was true. Fiends and monsters of even the rarest kind, a ce where they all gather and call home... that is Felfhiem. But the pontifices condemned his works and banned them. He waster executed for heresy... how? I thought they were just imaginations?''

    "Young man, you don''t have to be so scared it''s nothin¨C

    The man paused as a bright smile spread on Raith''s face.

    ''A ce I thought was an imagination existed, is this it... is this my breakthrough. I can finally find a ce I fit into!''

    His smile was filled with emotions and tears gathered beneath his eyes, the man could not still tell what was happening. He had no idea how much this young man had longed to escape the reality he was given.

    Although little did he know, that this reality was not going to go easy on him either.

    "I suppose you are happy being here... even if it''s a realm that hordes creatures of darkness and death."

    "Wait if this is Felfhiem then there must also be the ce where the dead go to, like a path to the afterlife or something?"

    Raith asked with excitement and a raised brow.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Hmm, you must be talking about Avernuske... but it can''t be considered a ce it is like a workce and said to connect directly to a part of the abyss where all things are judged. Even we fiends have to go there one day when they die no one that is filled with darkness and evil can escape that ce."

    He responded with his arms folded but suddenly released his arms and leaned forward.

    "Young man, how do you know about Avernus? Have you really been to the abyss?"

    He asked.

    Raith full of excitement and like a child; a version of himself that existed in the books he read responded with a bright and innocent face.

    "Yes!"

    "Wow? Who did you meet?"

    "Thard-Harl! I was made to challenge him!"

    "Thard¨C

    The man''s mouth fell open and his hands covered them as he slowly stood up from his seat.

    ''Oh my God... the abyss revealed itself to him... I heard Thard-Harl was imprisoned in the abyss, by Fel''sst aspect five hundred years ago. Is he the chosen one?''

    The man went to one knee.

    "Huh?"

    Raith cocked his head with a confused look.

    "If what I am thinking is right, then there will be a need for you to be protected because the higher lords will be against you... so tell me in detail what happened?"

    For once Raith felt the freedom to talk to someone. And in this case, he wanted to¨C he poured out everything that had happened from his childhood until he was chosen as a hero of the death archon and sent out of his family, then died and resurrected, then took the first trial and is here to take the second trial.

    It was a long story but the man stood on one knee all through. To him it was a show of absolute respect towards the probability that Raith might be a man that is destined to sit on the absolute seat.

    As dreadful and disturbing as it made him, he still was d that something new has happened to Felfhiem, the only problem was how the demon lords were going to take this.

    "Ah, a world created by archons... interesting."

    ''This is a pretty interesting story... but is filled with lies... the archons cannot withstand a fight with the primordials not to say create a world... I suspect something or someone is ying games. But that is none of my business.''

    He looked at Raith.

    ''I should worry about him... being able to die and resurrect? I have never heard of an ability like that and somehow it makes me worry. Is this the will of the abyss or is someone using him to get to the abyss''

    The man looked at Raith, still, on his knees, he lowered his gaze and smiled.

    ''He seems to love it here. A human loving the realm of destruction and chaos... how odd, I thought humans were creatures created by the primordial of light. Did he make a mistake?''

 Chapter 26 The Abyss

    ?"You can sleep here"

    The old man said preparing his bed for Raith, all of hisposure and even his way of speaking suddenly became formal.

    Raith found it ufortable but how could the young man refuse such humble and warm hospitality, not with the torrent of the cold outside that got worse as the night strayed into its darkest moment?

    "Thank you so much but where will you stay?"

    "Ha, you don''t have to worry about me."

    The man said with a confident smile and a proud expression.

    "I am a man of the night, I don''t need sleep."

    He said confidently as he hurried Raith to his bed with a radiant re that was looking to please its liege.

    Ufortably, Raithid. The man stood beside him with the same radiant face.

    "Uhmm... are you going to be there all night?"

    Raith asked, like a nine-year-old that doesn''t want to get watched while he sleeps.

    "If it displeased you, I shall turn around"

    The man immediately turned his back to Raith.

    ''Ah, why did he suddenly change...''

    Raith sighed softly as he closed his eyes.

    ''I wonder what he is, a demon? He looks pretty human though...how do demons even look?''

    He strayed through a few patterns of thoughts for more minutes before sleep began to set in and just as it was getting sweeter and more interesting.

    [Congrattions]

    [You have entered Felfhiem]

    [The abyss greets you]

    Again, Raith found himself standing on the top of a mountain so tall that its height was amidst the clouds, it was cold, very cold. He looked down at his body, he was only putting on the ck shirt and tattered socks which he wore to bed.

    He stared down at the message with sorrow and frustration.

    "Why? Why? Why? Why does it have to be now?!!"

    He cried out in discontent with his voice echoing distance into the clouds.

    ''This is a different abyss though.''

    He thought as he looked around, then remembered the old man''s words.

    ''The abyss can take on different forms huh... it is going to take on the form of a mountain today.''

    The intensity of the cold got stronger making him break out of his thoughts. He hugged himself and walked around the mountain top which was around ten diameters. And the journey down wasn''t going to guarantee his safety.

    "I will wake up if I die right?"

    Raith thought.

    [You willmence the second trial of death]

    [Jump down the mountain courageously and survive the crash]

    [Title effect of ''One Who Ovees Death'' has been locked]

    [You will not resurrect if you die]

    "Eh? What do you mean I will not resurrect if I die, how am I supposed to jump down if I will not resurrect?"

    Raith looked at the message with a face full of malevolence and as if it was antagonizing the poor man.

    [The longer you take the higher the mountain will grow]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Eh?!"

    He became flustered, confused, and notposed due to the new message. But the trial did not wait for him.

    [The Second Death Trial has started]

    The clouds that were high before suddenly reached his level and paused.

    "Huh?"

    He was shocked to see it happen but as the message had told him, the longer he stayed the higher the mountain would grow. He had to jump down the mountain but if he jumped down the mountain he would die and wouldn''t wake up.

    ''Ha damn it!''

    Raith ran down the edge of the mountain and was about to leap up but tilted backward as the enormous and tremendous journey downwards through the clusters of cloud and farther than even his eyes could see unveiled before him.

    ~thump~

    ~thump~

    ~thump~

    ~thump~

    Even his heart began to fail him.

    He couldn''t even if he wanted to, except he was crazy and unfortunately Raith was one of the sanest people to exist the only insanity in his life is the death archon and its awful trials.

    He slowly climbed down, carefully finding stones to step his foot on as he descended, it was easy at first and he was progressing but all of a sudden, the cloud he had just passed suddenly descended lower than he was.

    "Shit! It grew!"

    Raith''s expression was bitter and full of fear but he held on tight and began to climb down, carefully finding ces to step on as he descended, one of the actions that cost him so much and the mountain kept growing, he had to pass the same cloud three times before finally not seeing it again there even when the mountain grew higher but then he was faced with the dilemma of having to pass another cloud until one foot misced and he slipped down the mountain, ruthlessly scratching his legs and palms but before he could fall off totally one protruded stone saved him and he held tightly on it with one arm.

    He was there for a while even as the mountain grew, he didn''t mind... he just appreciated the fact that he is still alive and dreaded the fact that he still had to reach the bottom of the mountain.

    He was there until his hands were finding it hard to hold on and his shoulders were hurting so much¨Cas if they wanted to tear apart.

    Then he began to turn his head around to search for more stones like this one, there were a few of them around but were as protruding as this one but were enough to amodate his fingers.

    He looked up and discovered that even though the mountain grew higher the clouds were still far off.

    ''The fall must have been much...''

    He thought as he looked at the clouds, his heart leaped with hope as he had crossed a hard hurdle that seeing the clouds gave him.

    The injury on his head stung as he began to go down again.

    ...

    Meanwhile.

    The old man stood dumbfounded as he turned back to find Raith''s body missing from the bed he had justid on minutes ago.

    "How?"

    His voice shook and his eyes were trapped in a dazed state for more minutes before he felt a small trace of ck smoke that blew away from the bed.

    His eyes widened immediately.

    ''There is no way, I won''t recognize that''

    Some call it a god, some call it a primordial that isn''t a personification but is the strongest of the primordials, stronger than even the primordial of light who heralded cosmology.

    Many call it hell and the birthce of demons although it spat them out and created a world for them¡ªthat world is known to be Felfhiem. But these demons have never stopped seeking a way to get back into it, and have never been able to.

    Few know it to be a chaotic universe unto itself with uncountableyers of infinite variety connected haphazardly. A mobile universe that can shift anyway and contain itself anyway, it could be in a room or be in a person, it could be in a firece or be in a beggar''s pouch but the nature of its ne remained fairly constant: a violent, malevolent ce where only the strong-willed could survive and thendscape itself tortured the mind and body of all who dared to pass.

    The abyss that had existed even before the dawn of primordials and celestials who are the gods of cosmology was currently leaving its presence in the room of a lowly retired general of archduke Shax''s legion of lesser demons.

    Overwhelmed by the faint presence and irresistible demonic pressure. The old man; Volmak kowtowed beneath his bed, he had no idea what he was unto but the world that demon lords, demon princes, and even archdemons seek is right here in his bedroom.

 Chapter 27 The Second Trial Of Death

    ?The journey down has been a long one, Raith couldn''t tell how long it has been; hours, days, or maybe months. The constant darkness of the abyss kept the time flow of its ne a mystery.

    Raith was making progress but it was getting harder, his palm was covered in callouses and the tattered socks that barely protected his feet had torn off and were drenched in the clotting blood from each time he slipped his legs but held on so tightly that he wouldn''t fall.

    The scratch marks on his head and arms told the story of how he had kept climbing painstakingly.

    After a few more climbs downwards he fell on a t surface. His heart rejoiced as he fell on his butt, he happily stood up and almost fell off the edge which was right off his back. He staggered back and stared into the wide view of several mountains that were as high as the one he was climbing down from.

    He turned to the other side and walked further inside, it was a carved-out space in the mountain, and it didn''t even go deep. He sat on the floor and dropped his head as he stared at his palms which were so unfamiliar.

    He had even wept as he was climbing down at some point, thinking that if he had decided not to take the trial maybe he wouldn''t have encountered so much hardship.

    At another point, he thought of letting it go and just giving up on living. But how could he do that with that huge amount of money in his inventory?

    He hadn''t even started to enjoy his life.

    He hadn''t paid back his father and brother for the ruthlessness.

    He hadn''t paid back the world for how they tagged him as a taboo in the blink of an eye.

    And he hadn''t got to enjoy Felfhiem, there are many things he wanted to see in this world. The kind of people¡ªdemons that existed in this ce.

    Their rtion to strangers, their food, their clothes, and their cultures.

    Dying was just not a choice.

    And so was sitting around here.

    "I have to get moving if I don''t want to be back where I started."

    He stood up, unable to clench his fist even when he wanted to, he slowly got down the edge and continued his journey downwards.

    ...

    How long has it been, the old man couldn''t tell. As an Akte''z fiend, Volmak was resistant to states like sleep and stuns he also had an internal structure that allowed him to be able to survive for years without feeding himself, although he would need arge amount of food to make up for the time of starvation. And should the starvation continue, he would lose his stamina and he wouldn''t be able to keep using the magic he was using to keep on his human appearance.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    But the greatest thing about an Akte''z fiend is their unbending loyalty and discipline. It was in-bourne in the DNA of every akte''z fiend just like the demon fiend''s DNA is imbued with pride due to them being the closest to the abyss and automatically the strongest race in Felfhiem, they are also considered royalty.

    Most times you would find Akte''z fiend being the general of an army or a butler, or an assistant to a great demon.

    It was because of their sense of loyalty and discipline. It was that sense of discipline that yed out as Old man Volmak stayed in the same position regardless of the brightness of the day or the darkness of the night, not paying attention to the number of times day turned into night and night into day.

    Not for a second did he think of looking up to the abyss because he wanted to stand up, it was empty and any stranger that mistakenly entered the cabin would think he was worshipping his bed but as long as he could the presence of the abyss with every fiber of his veins and senses.

    He couldn''t even if he wanted to. Akte''z fiends were conditionally loyal to their masters but to the abyss, it was unconditionally, with or without their choices, their senses force them to pay obeisance to its presence.

    ...

    Raith was getting further and further, he had even gone farther than he could imagine but the passage of time had numbed his senses, he almost couldn''t feel his hands but would still tightly hold on. His hands left prints of blood as he descended and it has been like that for a while now.

    His fingers were peeling, and even his nails suffered the force of having to hold on tightly to something, they were ragged and bloodied.

    His lips were dry and his eyes were hollow as if he was a native of thend of the dead. He couldn''t make a sound even if he wanted to, his throat was dehydrated and it would take additional strength to force his voice out his throat, so he just focused on expending his strength on climbing alone while spending few moments in his thoughts, whether it was creating an imagination where he was the strongest in the world and he defeated his father and brother in a duel and was respected by kings, presidents, and even the archons woke up from their slumber to thank him for saving the world, ¨Cthen he was awarded the strongest and bravest hero in the entire world, he wouldter go on to marry the unzing sun and together they gave birth to two sons and one daughter, the daughter took her mother''s beauty but her father''s hair but the sons took after him and he took care of them very well whether they were strong or weak.

    Different imaginations yed, the next one would y after he was done with one but the tearing pain of his shivering wrist every time he is hanging on to find a ce to move his feet distracted him every time like it was again as he moved his leg endlessly but there were just too many ces to put his legs.

    His eyes widened after a long time.

    ''t surface!''

    He released his hand and fell on the ground not caring how stony it was, hey helplessly on the ground sinking into a nk consciousness as his eyes got dimmer.

    He could barely pull the strength to open his eyes and all his body parts were numb, except his ears of course.

    [You have failed the second Trial Of Death]

    [You shall restart the trial]

 Chapter 28 Thank You Hallan Lamur

    ?Wickedness is an understatement.

    But Raith didn''t even have the strength to argue, the next time he opened his eyes was to the strawed ceiling and intense cold that closed in from the window above his head.

    He flung up but with the same degree, pain struck his entire body, his back, hands, and legs especially and the old man alertedly stood up from his shout.

    "Young man!"

    Volmak shouted, looking at Raith with a longing gaze but showing restrictions as he wanted to hug him and congratte him on his safe return.

    Raith had sank back to the bed because he had no stamina to retain himself, he wasid like a man who had a stroke at least he still had enough strength to look sideways.

    He turned to the man and his eyes rolled down, two knee holes were carved into the concrete already cracking it.

    ''...did he kneel...''

    Raith was puzzled and his eyes observed the man''s knee seeking answers. The man''s ck pants were stained with the same concrete material around the same ce where his knee should be the moment he kneels.

    Raith was even more puzzled now that he was sure that the man was in a kneeling position. The rays of light entering the room were disturbing his eyes sight as he tried to look up at the man''s face so he was forced to close his eyes.

    "You should rest young man"

    Volmak said.

    "I will prepare you warm water and help with your healing process. He was about to run away but made a sudden pause as Raith struggled to speak.

    "H-H-How l.......ong?"

    His voice was bassless and almost screeching till disappearance even within his speech.

    "Ah,"

    Volmak eximed and looked outside through the window and after a few seconds looked at Raith.

    "By my calctions, it should be around four months. But I guess in the human world the time flow is different so I have no idea how long it has been from the perspective of the human world."

    ''Four months? It took me four months to climb down a fucking mountain and I failed the quest. Abyss or Fel or whoever you are, are you fucking with me right now?''

    Raith sobbed his thoughts violently upbraided the ones who had done this to him. But there was little to no strength to sob, his tears streaming down the corners of his eyes after frequent squeezing at a point they were beginning to feel fake because he was trying too hard to cry.

    However, the Volmak beheld him with pity, he had never been to the abyss but had heard stories of the harshness and chaos that this ne brings.

    ''The young man must have been through unimaginable hardship,''

    He nced at Raith''s injuries with a sad countenance.

    "Young man, hold on. I shall get a doctor for you!"

    Volmak said and hurried out of the cabin, grabbing his coat which he had hung right beside the door.

    The ce got very silent after he had marched out with heavy steps, Raith could even hear his breath and the howling of the wind even though the sky was bright.

    ''It must be awfully cold outside. I can even feel the strong wind from outside. I wonder how the man was able to tell how much time has passed just by looking outside.'' Raith''s gaze slowly swept downwards to the carving in the concrete floor.

    ''Did he really kneel beside the bed for four months? Nah, that can be not even a fiend would be crazy enough to do that''

    He sighed and looked around the house slightly turning his head and when he could not endure the pain anymore he stood still.

    The abyss really did a number on him this time, he couldn''t move because if he tried to move any part of his body a surge of pain would literally split the part he is trying to move while subtly splitting the rest of his body too.

    ''Damned Abyss...''

    And he still failed the trial.

    ''I wonder if there is a consequence for failing a trial... status''

    Raith summoned his status disy with thoughts of it.

    [Hero Status]

    Name: unknown<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ss: CHILD OF DEATH

    Age: 001

    Aura Points: 00

    Mana Points: 00

    Title: Celestia yer, One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation.

    Traits: the darkness beyond death, the dissatisfaction failure brings.

    [Perks]

    - Devourer(EX)

    - Transcendent sense(R)

    - Intimidation(S)

    [Skill]

    - Truth Seeker(S)

    ''The skill grade changed...not just that... but my age too. And who the fuck is one?''

    [Stat]

    Strength: 4

    Agility: 8

    Vitality: 20

    Intelligence: 130

    Endurance: 79

    ''Huh? My stats too? What the heck is going on?''

    Raith''s memory of the only book that spoke of something like this resurfaced at the right moment.

    ¡ªThere are worlds where the voice of the world does not matter, our stats here are not the same there, our dust here is useless there and the skill rank and hero ranking that sets every one aside is nothing there... a prodigious rank skill is only equal to an R-rank skill and an R-rank skill is far from the highest rankpared to how close to the highest rank Prodigious is.

    G-rank¡ª F-rank¡ª E-rank¡ª D-rank¡ª C-rank¡ª B-rank¡ª A-rank¡ª R-rank¡ª S-rank¡ª SR-rank¡ª SSR-rank¡ª UR-rank¡ª USR©\rank¡ª EX©\rank¡ª UEX-rank.

    The memories yed out page to page and Raith knew this had to be it... a world where there was no limit to how strong one could be. They didn''t need to be chosen by archons and the man spoke of a special kind of phenomenon that is power enjoyable than dust.

    Magic and aura.

    Magic is a form of using the forms of concepts and nature to constitute a series of attacks or defenses or to execute different kinds of tasks while aura can be used to enhance the body or weapon in order to make the body stronger or the weapon attack and durability stronger.

    One could even strengthen and cultivate their body using scriptures which are books that contain written aura flows through the veins with guidance from an external factor, one could gain a body that rivals even the celestials.

    Raith''s face lit up.

    Things were getting more interesting.

    Just then his expression shattered to a somewhat sad form. Now that he had remembered the book he read over and over, he was made to remember how the fact that there wasn''t only one world.

    The writer never specified which of these worlds had auras and magic he only emphasized the fact that Therut was weakpared to other worlds out there.

    Han Lamur was pushing out the need for the world to stop seeking thefort the archons bring and seek out a stronger and better force for the day that they may have an attack from the outside world.

    But was executed before he could convince anyone Raith came by his book by chance¨C He was given it by a passerby after making a scene at Cavanaugh City library because they wouldn''t borrow him their books home.

    ''I should thank that old man when I see him again''

    Raith for once did not find it weird that he has never seen the man before or after he was given the book. He could miss details sometimes.

 Chapter 29 A Greater Force

    ?''I sure would love to read the book again''

    "Young man!"

    Volmak opened the door in hurry and came in with a man slim and snake-y looking man, he had the appearance of a human who had the tendency to backstab hisrades, one with a tiny mustache that courses upwards and a pointed nose with small eyes and a dotty eyeball, his hair line was running inside too, all these features confirmed Raith''s suspicions but never judge a book by its cover, even if its a book you have seen several times.

    The man walked towards Raith, shrugging andining in murmurs.

    "It is one thing that you brought a human to Jarhan, but you want me to treat his wounds while maintaining a human appearance, just as selfish can you bet Volmak, not all of us fiends like humans like you do!"

    The man shouted onest time before finally reaching Raith''s front and looking at his very obvious wounds.

    "Oh fuxk the primordials did you climb a mountain."

    ''If he can tell that much from just looking at the wounds then I guess he isn''t a quack''

    Raith''s eyeball rolled down to the man who stood beside him, a portion of his doubt was cleared but he still had not let the man off his scrutiny.

    "This much injury should be nothing, the blood clotting I can tell they have been there for a very long time. It is a miracle that this injury has not been infected by the fiendish energy."

    He said and brought out an orb.

    His lips began to stammer and immediately the orb glowed a green light, he ced his hands above Raith''s leg.

    The injuries on his legs began to close up slowly and when he was done with the legs he moved up to the upper part of his body, and in five minutes he was done.

    Raith regained control of his body immediately after the man''s orb stopped glowing.

    He flung up and was relieved that no pain followed through like before.

    "Thank you so much!"

    He yelled with a bow.

    "At least this one is responsible... unlike some proud old war general I know, ahem."

    He said, clearing his throat and groping his mustache while putting his other hand which held the orb to his back.

    "I owe you."

    "Yes, and I will collect my money."

    Raith was surprised that they talk in mary terms too... and just when he thought about it, he noticed that they had been speaking the samenguage he had always heard from childhood.

    "I''m sorry, but how do you all understand Thetish?"

    He asked.

    "What the hell is he saying now?"

    The man kept groping his mustache as he looked at Raith with an irritated re.

    "Manoll you will speak respectfully to the young man."

    Volmak said, gantly covering the man with his intimidating physique.

    "Or what?"

    The man put up an equal form of resistance, his eyes began to exude purple smoke and his fingers ckened and grew out as he frowned at Volmak.

    After a brief moment of pressuring silence between the two of them, Volmak sighed and looked away.

    "Don''t worry about it, I''m sure you wille to regret today one day."

    He said with his eyes closed but opened them as he looked at Raith.

    "I supposed thenguage that is spoken in this world is Thetish?"

    "Yes"

    Raith nodded.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Well, you see we speak abyssal... if you are hearing ournguage as yours it means a greater force is in y. You know what I''m talking about."

    Volmak stated to Raith but looked at the man who was pretending not to mind what he was saying.

    Raith bowed his head.

    ''...the abyss?''

    The abyss was just something Raith thought he would be doing his trials and gaining strength in return which would help him to get stronger in Therut.

    But now being in Felfhiem, he is realizing that the abyss might be such a great force than he can everprehend.

    ''But why did something like that choose me? Why did Fel choose me?''

    For the first time since he had been chosen as a hero, he asked himself that question and had no answer to it for now.

    "Are you going to stand around like that forever?"

    Volmak confronted the man who immediately cleared his throat.

    "I was just leaving anyway."

    He said as he walked out but he couldn''t get out of his head Volmak''s words to Raith.

    "What did he mean by a greater force? Is he mad, trying to speak in code... or is he hiding something?''

    The old man restlessly rummaged through what it could be as he walked up stroking one side of his tiny mustache.

    "That was Mallon... Mallon is an incubus. A subrace of the yugol fiend. He feeds off living energy but using the orb of reversal he can use the energies he has absorbed to reverse the condition of a creature. He is a prominent doctor in the city."

    ''Wow, looks like he is a big shot after all.''

    "Thank you, sir"

    Raith lowered his gaze as he appreciated Volmak.

    "You can call me Volmak, there is no need for a thank you. I think the one I owe the most is you. I don''t think I can ever be grateful enough for what you have done for me."

    Volmak stated with a warm smile.

    "I didn''t do anything?"

    Raith''s statement ended like a question as he tried to seek out his memories if there was anything he did that was worthmending. He found nothing!

    "You should take some rest, you have had it rough"

    Volmak said, tapping Raith''s shoulders.

    "I shall go to the city and get you something edible. Most of the food here might not be consumable to you but I will find something you can manage"

    Raith''s voice followed Volmak as he walked away.

    "Can I follow you?! I would love to see the city!"

    He eximed, with a bright and longing expression.

    "No, you can''t."

    Volmak''s response was immediate and stern.

    "As Mollon has said, there are fiends out there who hate humans and will instantly recognize that you are one with the smell of your blood. You can''t go to the city until the abyss wills it."

    He added.

    "Rest up, I will get you something delicious to eat."

    He smiled and walked out of the cabin, bending his head as he went out the door.

 Chapter 30 The Red Vampire

    ?"Ha, being alone is boring... that''s weird, I''ve always been alone and never found it boring."

    Raith looked around the house as hey on the bed with his hands behind his head.

    After trying to count the number of strays that were used to make the roof and failing over and over again he stood up and walked outside.

    Compared to the night he arrived at the cabin, it was different, the snow could still be seen on the floor but very few and the ne ck grounds were clear.

    He bent down to feel the ground and he couldn''t help the familiarization.

    "It''s just like the ground in the abyss..."

    He muttered.

    ''I guess the abyss really created this ce and spat out the demons''

    He stood and stretched his waist left and right then his arms. He looked around the environment.

    "I didn''t notice the short wooden fences before..."

    Apart from that there was no tree or sight of any living thing, it was just the ne grounds covered with snow and spreading wide and as far as the horizon.

    ''I wonder how he lives in a ce like this... the incubus guy called him Mollon."

    Raith knew nothing about fiends and their races and he was dying to know.

    ''I guess, I will ask Volmak when he returns.''

    He looked around and was tempted to go out but didn''t want to disobey Volmak.

    ''I''ve never had anyone care for me genuinely... let''s not ruin this''

    He said and turned back. And just as he was about to enter the cabin¨C

    He flew leftward rolling onto the ground and into a pile of snow that gathered toward the side of the cabin.¡ªJust as he flew away a blurry figure smashed into the door shattering it to bits that flew away.

    He quickly rolled and stood.

    Thanks to his [Transcedent Sense] Raith was able to avoid dying before he met his killer.

    "Oh impressive for a human. I never thought you would be able to see iting not at all dodge it. You must be quite skilled for a human."

    The figure came out of the smokescreen caused by the impact of his attack and the shattered door. He was donned in a white linen tunic with open sleeves and tucked into a ck tight-fitting leather pants and a knee boot.

    His hair was red and wet, flowing down to his shoulders, some fee strands were left hanging on his face, his deep eyes were as if he was dreading the very importance of life, they were filled with unwashable taints of blood and his red eyeballs were its reflection.

    "What is a human finding in this ce?"

    He said with a death re.

    ''Seeing the way he is dressed he must be a high-ranking fiend, maybe a noble? Damn, do they even have nobles in this world!''

    Raith was confused as to what his next step should be. He looked at the shattered door and tried to imagine how he would have shattered had he not seen a glimpse of iting thanks to [Transcendent Sense].

    "I see you do not value your life"

    The red-haired man said and his image from Raith''s vantage point blurred out.

    But before he could plunge his hands into Raith''s stomach¡ªRaith staggered backward in haste as he had felt the vibe of the attack using [Transcendent sense]

    He fell on his butt and the red-haired man swing into the open air. The man red down at Raith, by his face he looked like he was in his teens, Raith felt ashamed that he was being beaten up by a younger one.

    ''I thought the first time was just luck. But he managed to dodge twice... I increased my speed limit and wanted toe and unt it to old man Volmak but who is this bastard?''

    His ring eyes stayed on Raith and his temper tolerance was already reaching its limits.

    "I will make you regret ever stepping foot on Jarhan."

    As he spoke red energy surged out of him like subtle smoke and twirled around his fist as he clenched it tightly that his veins were popping out.

    The wind blew away as he raised his fist as if they were running away from it and just as he was about to throw it.

    "Lord Absalom"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    His fist stopped mid-air but sted Raith into the air like a twig.

    Volmak''s head followed through as Raith flew andnded.

    The young man turned to Volmak and looked at his which was upied by a paper bag.

    "I suppose this young man is not a stranger then."

    Volmak''s gaze turned to his shattered door, he stood there like a sculpted being then dropped the bag as he broke out of his state of shock. The emotion in his eyes was buried beneath his furrowed white brows as he turned to the young lord and asked him.

    "Did you destroy my door, Lord Absalom?"

    "Forgive me Volmak, I thought this human was trying to break into yo¨C

    ~whim~

    ~pow~

    The old man''s fist was buried into his face before he could even see him move¡ªhe flew into the air andnded beside Raith with his but in the air.

    ...

    Momentster both of them were kneeling in front of Volmak, but only the young lord was bruised.

    "I''m so sorry Vol¨C

    He paused with goosebumps swimming through his body as Volmak red at him.

    "I''m sorry master"

    He bowed his head and dropped his shoulders¨C as if he wasn''t the proud guy that wanted to beat up Raith a moment ago.

    ''So old man Volmak is his master...?''

    Raith found the scenery troubling but he felt good.

    ''At least he won''t yell at me since he''s so nice to me...''

    He grinned internally.

    "And you!! I clearly asked you to stay inside!!!!"

    Raith was smacked out of his fantasies by the man''s thundering bass tone.

    "I''m sorry, I just wanted to..."

    He couldn''t resist the intimidation and also bowed his head.

    "But Master, this is not a joking matter. If it is heard that a human is residing with you, even father might not be able to help."

    "When has there ever been a rule that says humans are unwee, we just hate them because of history. Anyways what is a nobleman like you doing in the thirteenth realm all the way from the fourth realm?"

    "Ha! Right, I came to show you that I have been able to break through my speed limit..."

    His brows lowered with squinted eyes as he turned to Raith, "...but this human made all my effort seem like a waste. How is a weak human like him able to dodge me?!"

    Raith was dazed, the guy he was attacked by that seemed so manly was acting so childish in front of Volmak.

    ''What is this? Who is this old man for him to be so humble in front of him?''

    "You cannot call a person weak even if he is."

    "No, this is obvious, I can''t even feel any energy from him... just a small amount of fiendish energy and that''s it"

    "Wait, you feel fiendish energy from him?"

    "Yes, but it is just a small amount."

    He said gesturing with his fingers at how small it was.

    ''Because his father is a demon, he also inherited the skill [Dust Sense] an ability that only higher race fiends could use. With it, they can sense the presence of any inferior or superior energy. It is impossible for fiendish energy to be in a human if not he would have begun to show signs of ''corruption''  by now. Lord Absalom is only 54 years old, he is young and cannot tell what dust is... does that mean this human has the dust of the abyss?''

 Chapter 31 Dont Be A Worthless Scum

    ?"Master is something wrong?"

    Absalom''s inquiry broke him out of his chain of thoughts.

    "No, it is nothing. But I don''t think he is weak if he can dodge you. And I am impressed that you managed to increase your speed."

    Volmak said, patting Absalom''s red hair.

    The young boy''s countenance suddenly fell, expressing his dissatisfaction.

    "What is wrong?"

    Volmak seeing this asked.

    "It is hard, I can''t even go to the main pce because of my half-brothers, they think I''m too weak to be a demon. Even a lesser demon would defeat me effortlessly. I can''t visit mother''s family and my half-brothers there too because I am not a pure vampire. I have nowhere to go except here. How were you able to do it, you are epted and respected by even archdemons like Shax?"

    He asked, raising his head to the old man.

    Raith stayed mute all through but paid close attention to this part.

    "As a young boy, I have always loved the sword and martial arts, it was a unique art that I couldn''t take my mind off after witnessing it being used by a human from another world. Because of it I strayed away and followed this human till he taught me all he knew, I trained and trained till I was strong but when I came back to Felfhiem, I was considered a traitor and a castaway. I wasn''t weed, but I knew the rule, only the strong could rule, so I began to challenge the lords of different fiefdoms whether they were demons, obrinths, Tanars, yugols, my fellow akte''z,murs, and even other lower fiends, I challenged all of them and beat them up still the archdemons couldn''t ignore me any longer... then I beat two archdemons. But then was beaten to a pulp by your father."

    "Wow, I guess he is that strong huh? Then I too shall¨C

    "No, Lord Absalom, you won''t challenge anyone. When I did that I was young, arrogant, and reckless. I had no one to guard me through the right path. You don''t have to be like me. There are several other ways to be acknowledged"

    Volmak chastised him with a smile and looked at his door.

    "Lord Absalom, take the young man along with you, get wood, and build me a new door. I hope you two get along. A delicious dinner will be waiting for you when you get back WITH MY DOOR"

    "Why? Why him?!"

    Absalom cried out scratching his face in despair at being paired up with a human.

    He stood up anyway and Raith followed him¡ªbefore he proceeded further, Volmak stopped him, cing his hand on his shoulder.

    "Lord Absalom had a rough childhood so he might have a very grumpy attitude but he is a demon of goodwill, I think he will make a good friend."

    The sound of the word ''friend'' made Raith''s ear leap but also tingled his chest-the lurking of a recent backstabbing scared the idea of making a new friend. He hadn''t made any friends before Mael and Mael turned out to not be a friend after all.

    ''What if he betrays me in the end.''

    Raith lowered his face, he had never known before now that he finds it difficult to heal from emotional hurt.

    He looked forward to the whitish-skinned and tall figure as he walked proudly into the in wilderness.

    He looked back at Volmak and nodded.

    "I''ll try"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Then he ran along and met up with Absalom afterward.

    Volmak looked at the two with a smile on his face, looking so fulfilled.

    ...

    The two had spent thirty minutes and had still not left the ins what was more annoying was that Absalom did not answer no matter how many times Raith asked how long it will take for them to reach where they can find woods. The young man just kept marching along.

    Raith finally could not tolerate it anymore.

    He grabbed him by the cor of his shirt.

    "Don''t be a worthless scum! Are you deaf? I said how long will it take for us to reach the woods?"

    "Uh? You cockroach, how dare you touch me?"

    Absalom stared down at Raith with his nose in the air and his eyeballs sinking downwards his eyes as he spoke with an intimidating growl that made Raith reluctantly release his cor.

    He adjusted his tunic and looked at Raith.

    "I will spare your life because Volmak deems it so. Don''t you dare think about talking to me, you insignificant cockroach."

    He said and walked on.

    ''Forgive me old man Volmak, I don''t think I want to be friends with this guy at all.''

    Raith sighed and followed from behind, a little embarrassed.

    After a while, they were amidst towering trees with few leaves, Raith was lost in thought and didn''t know when they even got there, his feet were beginning to hurt from the long walk of hours, yet Absalom looked fine, he restrained showing any signs of tiredness for that fact.

    ''He already considers me inferior, I will not show any signs of weakness''

    Raith had forgotten he waspeting with a fiend who was born from a vampire and a demon father and not just any demon but one of the highest echelon.

    Absalom paid no attention to Raith and did almost all the work himself, such as pushing down a tree with his arms, and cutting the trees with his fingers while Raith looked for what could be used to improvise an axe or a chainsaw.

    He was utterly useless even if he wanted to help.

    ''It seems that no matter what I do, I ampletely uselesspared to a fiend. He pushed that tall tree down on his own.''

    The trees were extremely tall ranging between 20ft and 24ft, although it was a thin wood.

    What astonished Raith more was the durability and uracy of his nails as struck them into the woods and tore down a linear line. It was like a very sharp razor.

    As he stood beside one tree, watching the young vampire work alone, Raith was made to instincts remember the punch he almost received a while ago.

    ''Would I have died if he punched me? Just one punch...''

 Chapter 32 The Disaster Is Coming

    ?Volmak did the final touching of the repair which was just fusing the door to its frame. Afterward, he moved a long wooden table from behind the cabin as well as three chairs and began to set the tables.

    The dishes were unlike anything  Raith has ever seen but still, the smell of the meat felt so familiar even though they didn''t look it.

    The Cooked Aberrant Oyster soup was ck but the oysters in the soup were blue in particr, if the food was judged by appearance then it will be tagged as poison but the sweetening aroma that stuffed Raith''s lungs as he stared down at the ominous-looking food made his throat long for some feel of it¡ªHe wanted to suck the oyster dry.

    The soup was not the only delicacy he had to deal with, what about the Ikidarin bread and Griffin jam, a special kind of jelly that is created from the milk of Griffin and the red bunyip nt. The bread was rounded with the jam sitting in between it like its belly button and there were several of it on the table.

    "Ah, it''s my favorite!"

    Raith looked up and saw the arrogant vampire deep the bread into the soup, he then sloppily slipped it into his mouth, he brought out the oyster, and put it into his mouth munching on everything in one go.

    Raith gulped with drool and looked down at his.

    "Lord Absalom, you should stop eating like that. And you too should try it. I''m sure it looks different from the food you are used to but it might even beat yours."

    ~gulp~

    Raith had long sumbed to the temptation of the food, he just was being skeptical. With Vomak''s encouragement, he did the same thing Absalom did and slipped the bread into his mouth but not sloppily like Absalom, he was urate and precise, making sure there were no droppings.

    "Mhhmmm"

    His eyes widened immediately the bread and jam began to melt into the soup as he grind them with his teeth, the entire vor scattered in his mouth and filled his taste buds with a new kind of delicious heaven.

    "Why the hell is this damn human copying me?"

    Absalom red at Raith who paid him no attention and was super consumed in the space between the soup and his mouth.

    Volmak chuckled as he watched Raith enjoy the food so much and smiled as he looked at Absalom too.

    ''You''ve suffered, I hope with the help of this one variable you will be able to enjoy the goodness that living gives us. A lot is about to change, I wonder how Felfhiem will take it''

    He too began to slowly dig but unlike the two, he tore the bread bit by bit and sipped the soup after eating the bread.

    There was no setting of the sun but the dawning of the night and the multicolored stars caused a beauty and radiant golden glor to seep out of the horizon and painted the entire ce with the love of memories.

    ***

    (Therut)

    (Rigeria Country)

    Rigeria was one of the many countries that were built around the belief of the eight archons; to be particrly the Archon of nature; one that granted elemental skills and Perks, heroes who were chosen by the archon of nature would often gain skills that were rted to the nature around them, lightning, earth, wood maniption, water-bending, and fire management, there was diverse use to the skills but one of its important uses is its usefulness in dungeon raids as support for the raid team.

    Heroes are protagonists and as such do not always want to take the backstage especially when they are well-fitted for the mainstage unless they have no choice or because there is a stronger hero in the party, even if they take the backstage the type of attack pattern that was rampant was damage dealing and tankers who were otherwise known as defenders, there was no use for those kinds of attack pattern for supporters as such only heroes of the nature archon could do the job very well but to add salt to the wound, they were scarce.

    And were like a rare gem.

    The media and several police wagons roughly parked around a red swirling portal that stood in the middle of the road. With their armed weapons as the gate released sparks.

    The next moment several people could be seening out of the gate with injuries all over their bodies, some had even lost a part of their limbs while some were carried on stretchers, and some were bandaged.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The reporters swarmed forward as a certain man with russet-brown, surfer hair and full beards of the same color came out of the portal. The armor he wore above his ck and white casual wear was stained with purple blood and a wed mark was engraved on his pauldron.

    "Hero Pedus Andregant, what do you have to say to the citizen of Rigeria who has trusted their safety into the hands of the Bluezlion guild?"

    Thedy said pointing a fancy and slim mic to the man''s gut.

    He paused and lowered his eyelids but notpletely but for that brief moment expressing a degree of sadness that grip the heart of the people that watched him on the news from their respective houses and even internationally.

    "I deeply apologize for this great disappointment. As the guild master of the Bluezlion guild, I take full responsibility for this loss, we prepared without might after we heard of how even the association and several other guilds were not able to clear this dungeon..." He gritted his teeth. "...I was sure that we would be able to do it but these monsters are unlike everything that we have ever seen, with no hero to entrust our backs so we were swarmed and killed from behind, we stood no chance before the monster boss whose movement we couldn''t even see as he yed our men.

    I believe the association has urged us before and I will say it again. We need more heroes than ever before. especially heroes of the nature archon. Please, we know you have been insulted andughed at before because of your abilities but these are the times that call for a reunion of purpose, leave aside your grudges and let us protect our nation together.

    Once again, I apologize for the disappointment, I have lost a lot of my people inside there but it is not an excuse, I''m just asking for understanding and forgiveness from the citizen of this great country."

    He said with one more bow in front of the woman.

    He and several other heroes walked away while the injured were taken away in ambnces. The reporters swarmed them regardless but were kept at bay by the police.

    "Trash! Trash! Would you look at that guy, his acting skills just get better by the day?"

    A certain man with a tank top said as he sat in a beach resort parlor watching the news.

    On his right arm was a thorn of roses tattoo that streamed down to his wrist.

    "How can you know for sure that he is lying."

    A man donned in a wine-colored suit and ck inner shirt with fancy shades and a toothpick in his mouth responded, crossing one leg over the other as he smirked at the man sitting beside him who had just talked.

    "Ah, see... I have worked with him for a bit... that bastard sees no use for humans other than them being a necessary sacrifice for the greater good."

    He responded, flipping his side-parted two-block hair, the greenness of his hair glimmered under the radiance of the beach sun, along with his yboy face that housed a small dot right beside his mouth and his wless bright skin that was like the color of the sun itself, he would make any woman reach orgasm with just a wink.

    But the suited man seating beside him wasn''t bad either, only that his face was more casual looking but stood out with his brown skin and ck slick back hair.

    "Does it matter now, you too Thaw Sanada have climbed so many people to reach where you are today. Or are you just carrying a little grudge because Pedus has looked down on you for being just a regr fire dude?"

    The dark-skinned guy stated, leaning back and spreading his arms over the couch with a chuckle.

    "You sure know how to tickle my anger spots, Virgo boy."

    "A''ight, I''ll take that as apliment. What are you going to do now? The strongest guild in Rigera failed to clear a level 10 difficulty dungeon. They would start to look outside for help and other countries too are busy solving their business since this is a worldwide issue."

    "Yes, you are right. It has just been a month since level 10 dungeons appeared in different ces all over the world but the nations have suffered so much damage around them. It is about time for me and my guild of support-based youngsters to mize our existence."

    Thaw Sanada a level S hero of the nature archon grinned as he enjoyed how the situation of this disaster was ying out for his good.

    Following the disaster in Rigeria, Ephselon city which was where the level 10 dungeon appeared was issued an emergency evacuation, every citizen that valued his or her life was told to leave the city because once a dungeon stays too long uncleared, the monsters inside begin to break out.

    But this phenomenon was not something that happened in Rigeria alone, few other countries suffered the same appearance of level 10 dungeons, although some of that few were able to clear the dungeons such as Pomei Empire and Shining City Nation.

 Chapter 33 Bravery Is The Path To Death

    ?[You Will Restart the Second Death Trial]

    "What the fuck?"

    Raith opened his eyes to a familiar scenery as he had just closed them absent-mindedly after the fulfilling meal.

    "Ah no!!"

    He cried out, gripping his head and sinking to his knee.

    He had forgotten to avoid sleeping thanks to the belly-washing meal had. He absolutely forgot that the abyss woulde for him any time he dares to see sleep and has not passed the trial.

    He looked up at the clear skies, the skies were still dark as usual but this time ridden of clouds and whaty beneath him was clear. There was a change in the atmosphere. before it is cold but right now was sweating profusely and slowly turned back to see where the hot air blowing on his back wasing from.

    He fluttered backward as he saw the rumbling and squirming of the zingva that slowly rose in between the mountain.

    Slowly and slowly with dness rose to the mountain level.

    Meanwhile...

    Volmak stood frozen as the same thing that had happened before repeated itself. But this time it was stronger than before.

    Before he was the one that willingly kneeled to the abyss. He was cleaning up the table outside while Raith staggered inside and fell to the bed to sleep and momentster the demonic and ominous presence returned, stronger than it was before.

    Before it was a little smoke,  but this time a horde of darkness swiveled around the corner where his bed is supposed to be.

    Its ubiety screaming into his senses and forcing him to a state of total submission both in body and in mind.

    His heavy knees mmed against the ground, smashing into it¨CVolmak supported himself from a total fall with his hands but even his hands shivered as they held him up in resistance to this unknown force.

    His mind went numb seeming like he could find a thousand ways to escape this situation but not venturing into one.

    ''...it''s a good thing L-Lord Absalom lefttt''

    Raith didn''t need an exnation of what a volcano means, yes, he was on top of a volcano right now and it was still the same trial.

    [Survive The Fall]

    He red at the volcano''s zingva that illuminated a reflection of the fire on his face and continued to swell.

    ''What am I going to do?"

    His mind beckoned him.

    Raith couldn''t climb down the mountain, the volcano would erupt and catch up to him before he reaches halfway plus climbing down the mountain wasn''t the way to pass the test.

    He needed to jump knowing that he would die if he should.

    ''Or should I climb down and enjoy a few more meals with Old man Volmak before finallying back here to die...''

    He gritted his teeth and faced the edge of the volcano mountain looking down, the base of the mountain was so far that it couldn''t be seen.

    ''It''s definitely taller than before.''

    [The mountain continued to grow in your absence]

    "What? Even in my absence?"

    Raith was void of words to describe this evil nature.

    "Telling me to die right off the bat... does the abyss have some n for me or it wants to use my dead body toe back to life. Old man Volmak did mention that the abyss can be in a person''s body."

    "Am I just a pawn for its n?"

    Raith wondered aloud as he stared down at the mountain base.

    Then unwanted memories of the horrible three years he spent at home after bing a hero surged into his brain breeding a long-forgotten grudge and rage right from inside his belly. His brows furrowed together as the pearl of tear that gathered beneath his eyes was carried away by the hot wind of the volcano that blew from the back warning Raith of the danger ahead.

    "I havee so far, I can''t back down now..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He said as he stared down the mountain.

    "And I won''t let youmand me around with your measly trials. If you need me, then you better begin to respect my desires."

    Raith said with a face of bravery that matched his face, the bangs of his hair fluttered in the wind as he turned to the volcano ring at it with determined eyes that were ready and set for their death.

    "Bye Bye Bitch"

    He gantly walked and jumped into the volcano diving deep down into it.

    [You have activated dust attribute: The Darkness Beyond Death]

    [The rank of all forcibly used Perks and Skills will be upgraded]

    [Limits will be broken and your sufferings shall be a blessing]

    [Forcibly using perks]

    [Devourer]

    [Transcendent Sense]

    [You stare with courage in the face of death with the courage, the hotness and burns of a volcano cannot stop you]

    [You have gained a new perk; Heat Resistance(S)]

    > You are resistant to heat to a certain degree.

    > You have a 10% chance to resist burn damages.

    [Your  will and desire to grow stronger, devouring everything that blocks your path]

    [You have gained a new skill]

    [Lavaration(A)]

    > When the skill is activated anything you touch(living or non-living) will slowly turn tova and reduce to molten magma.

    > You can turn a part of your skin to Molten magma charging that part of your body with (1800~2100) defense and a 5% chance of damage reflection.

    [Your senses tear at the horror of seeing the pathway to your death but not being able to do anything, the feeling of helplessness erodes your senses, powerlessness ques you but your mind is fortified ''IF DEATH IS THE PATH THEN I SHALL FOLLOW'']

    [Skill: Transcendent sense has been upgraded R-rank ~ S-rank]

    [Transcendent Sense(S)]

    > You can sense killing intent from any direction and see the pathway of attacks 20 seconds before.

    [You have passed the second trial of death]

    [You have gained 100 stat points]

    [You have gained a new title ''I Do Not Fear Death'']

    > New stat ''will'' has been added due to the title effect. The more your bravery and courage, the higher your will stats be. This stat cannot be increased by adding a stat point.

    [You have touched the darkness beyond death]

    [The darkness will begin to consume you]

    [There is no turning back... It will only get harder from here on]

    [A new attribute has been created]

    [Shadow Lord(locked)]

 Chapter 34 The Celestial Code

    ?The endless streams of messages appeared in front of Raith as he red up from the bed.

    "What?!"

    He ran his hands through his body but there were no burns.

    "What is going on?"

    Raith beseeched the vertical lines of holographic tabs that appeared in front of him.

    His eyeballs dted as he read from the least to the top, then...

    ''Status''

    [Hero Status]

    Name: unknown

    ss: CHILD OF DEATH

    Age: 001

    Aura Points: 00

    Mana Points: 00

    Shadow energy(locked): 01

    Title: Celestia yer, One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation, I do not fear death.

    Traits: the darkness beyond death, the dissatisfaction failure brings, Shadow lord(locked)

    [Perks]

    - Devourer(EX)

    - Transcendent sense(S)

    - Intimidation(S)

    - Heat Resistance(S)

    [Skill]

    - Truth Seeker(S)

    - Lavaration(A)

    [Stat]

    Strength: 4

    Agility: 8

    Vitality: 20

    Intelligence: 130

    Endurance: 79

    Will: 10

    Avable stat points: 100

    ''A new skill, one that is very useful! And I have four Perks? and a new attribute too... even though it''s locked, it sounds so cool. Shadow lord''

    Raith grinned hard and was about to continue his jolly moment until he stole a nce to his side and found Volmak copsed on a shattered concrete.

    He flew off the bed.

    "Old man! Old man!"

    He shouted as he pulled the old man up but with Volmak''s weight, he couldn''t even lift, after struggling for five more seconds Raith opened his stats with glittering face as if he was about to spend money recklessly.

    [30 points have been added to strength stat]

    [30 points have been added to agility stat]

    [A perfect ratio synergy has been created between strength and agility stat]

    ''Wow... the perfect ratio synergy''

    A state where the amount of speed and strength is equal or almost equal hence generating greater attack power even without a weapon, some heroes can smash tough weapons and shields with their fists with the perfect and precise utilization of this synergy.

    [20 stats point has been added to vitality strength]

    ''Let''s save up the rest for emergencies.''

    A fresh and subtle blue breeze flowed around his body and he could feel it from within a surreal feel of the changes that were happening rapidly in his body as he lifted the old man with much easepared to before, with both hands he ced the man''s broad arms on his shoulders and moved him to the bed.

    Then stretched his back after dropping him rashly.

    "Okay..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He paused for a while, exchanging nces between the shattered concrete and the man on the bed.

    ''What could''ve happened...st time too it was like that...''

    He sat on the chair opposite the bed and leaned backward, resting his head and looking at the roof.

    "Still, the abyss yed me again... should I call this a test of courage, or did things change at some point?"

    He mumbled as his eyes slowly began to close again. He couldn''t control it, he just seem to not always learn no matter how much he wanted to resist sleep, he was powerless before it.

    ***

    "Thank you so much."

    Volmak muttered as he dropped the bowl of water he had just consumed, with very tired eyes he stood from the bed but fell back to his butt as he still couldn''t get his head straight.

    Raith delicately stood beside him, trying to help in the brief moment of staggering.

    "But I don''t understand. What happened? Why did you pass out on the ground, that time before too you seemed to have knelt for a very long time."

    "Ha..."

    Volmak sank his face into his palm.

    ''His dust has gotten stronger, no doubt this is the same feeling that forced me to my knees, only that it is a tiny bit and isn''t intimidating.''

    The man raised his head.

    "I supposed you go to the abyss every time you sleep?"

    Raith sat on the chair in front of Volmak and dragged it closer.

    "Yes, then I am given a trial, when I pass the trial I am rewarded if I fail I will have to retake the trial and it will be harder than before."

    ''At least from my observation so far...''

    "Wow"

    Volmak rubbed the lower lips of his opened mouth.

    ''All thatbined with the ability to resurrect after death... it sounds like the abyss is cooking up something. I have never heard of something like this¡ªif not that I experienced it, even I wouldn''t believe it if I was told.''

    "But I am confused, first I thought it was Fel doing all this, after all, I was chosen by Fel."

    "No, there is a lot to this... listen well, there are some informations that we cannot perceive or understand because of the celestial code. But I will start by telling you this even if it has consequences I believe you should know."

    "Fel is an archdemon..."

    "Huh?"

    A stinging pain stroke through Raith''s head as he heard, rolling his eyes up he was about to faint but jacked back to reality by sheer force.

    [Your Will stat has increased by 1]

    Volmak''s eyeball thinned in.

    ''Did he just resist the penalty as if it is nothing, when secrets of cosmology are revealed especially of primordials and celestial our mind is temporarily kicked out of the ne of existence so we can forget or better still find it hard to remember... you are telling me he just resisted that like he was resisting sleep?''

    Volmak''s mouth wouldn''t close.

    "Ah... so you mean, Fel is not an archon."

    The same pain stroke through his head as he heard those words but it was manageable this time.

    "To be particr, Fel is an archdemon, the first and only archdemon to enter the celestial ne"

    ~Gbim!~

    It struck him again, his head fell backward and his eyeballspletely disappeared but after three seconds he jacked his head forward again.

    [Your Will stat has increased by 1]

    Volmak was about to die of shocks and surprises.

    "You are bleeding."

    He pointed at Raith''s nose.

    Raith roughly cleaned the blood as he dealt with the leftover of stinging pain in his head.

    ''Even if he can resist it... it is still dangerous to keep on telling him.''

    "I can''t tell you much, it will affect you and even I don''t know what happened after Fel entered the celestial ne. But a lot of things must have changed if he is perceived as an archon in your world"

    ~GBIM~

    The pain struck him again, and this time hepletely gave out, foaming through his mouth and bleeding through his nose and ears.

    "Ah, I overdid it"

 Chapter 35 The Old Man Volmak

    ?"Mehn, that penalty is fucking hard to deal with"

    Raith sighed as drops of blood fell on the ground even merely thinking about what Volmak said inflicted pain in his head.

    "Have you been thinking about it again?"

    Volmak said as he walked outside, towards Raith who was cleaning the blood off his nose with his hand.

    "Ha ha, I just can''t resist it..."

    ''The thought that all I have believed in from my childhood might be a lie''

    He stood up from the wooden table.

    "How can I not be affected by celestial code."

    "The only way you cannot be affected by it huh? I don''t know, no one has ever talked about it."

    "Howe you are not affected by it."

    "I don''t know that too what I do know is that a demon of 981 years old would still be able to bear some certain level of information besides... I was told by someone who haspletely broke free from the code. Maybe all that added to the reason why I can freely say it. But it will be worse for a human."

    ''Damn, looks like it is so uncool being a human. Nine hundred and eighty-one? damn!''

    Raith''s mind suddenly drifted through his status.

    [Hero Status]

    Name: unknown

    ss: CHILD OF DEATH

    Age: 001

    Aura Points: 00

    Mana Points: 00

    Shadow energy(locked): 01

    Title: Celestia yer, One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation, I do not fear death.

    Traits: the darkness beyond death, the dissatisfaction failure brings, Shadow lord(locked)

    [Perks]

    - Devourer(EX)

    - Transcendent sense(S)

    - Intimidation(S)

    - Heat Resistance(S)

    [Skill]

    - Truth Seeker(S)

    - Lavaration(A)

    [Stat]

    Strength: 34¡î

    Agility: 38¡î

    Vitality: 40

    Intelligence: 130

    Endurance: 79

    Will: 12

    Avable stat points: 20

    ''Right, my age is a triple-digit and one? it doesn''t make sense except if my age is being counted ording to how long I''ve spent in Felfhiem, does that mean I have the probability to live hundreds of years even though I am human?''

    Raith rubbed his chin and asked Volmak who was already busy cutting the woods he had brought from earlier.

    "I don''t know if people in your world can hear the voice of the world and see written words in front of your eyes?"

    "You mean The Cosmotic system?"

    The man replied to him and shed a small piece of wood into four different parts with one swing.

    Raith nced at the skillfulness but quickly returned to his conversation.

    "I don''t understand, why is everything different?! So let''s say this cosmotic system. What color is it?"

    The man picked another chopped wood.

    "Golden of course..."

    "Wait golden?"

    ''Mine is ck but even others from Therut is blue... are they fake too?''

    Raith wondered.

    "What is it?"

    Volmak turned to him after shing down another chop into three parts.

    "The section that is supposed to disy my name changed, everything changed when I entered this world and the part that is supposed to show my name is saying: Unknown"

    "Then it means the cosmotic system does not know your name. Which is very weird and impossible."

    "Right... weird, and my age is one and the skill ranks and other kinds of stuff changed too."

    The old man stared at Raith nkly at Raith who after a few seconds understood what that meant.

    "I need to get rid of this damn celestial code''

    He grumbled and walked inside while the man continued to sh down chops of wood.

    After he was done, he packed the chopped wood together, packed it into a sack, and put it on his shoulder bid Raith farewell and went into the city to sell the woods.

    Raith on the hand, had endlessly stared at the man for hours and as a result discovered some things, some things that left him so dazed that he didn''t know that Volmak had gone and also bid him farewell.

    [You are using skill ''Truth Seeker'']

    [Skill use does not require magical energy]

    [Target''s Status]

    Name: Volmak

    True name: (You do not have the authority to view this information yet)<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ss: The Undefeated General

    Age: 0981

    Fiendish energy: 7000/7000

    Title: Conqueror, A Man Of Mighty Valor.

    Traits: Discipline Of The Akte''z.

    [Perks]

    - Azure Breathing technique

    - Blessed by Shax

    [Skill]

    - zing Obliteration Strike(UR)

    - Tiger wed Fist(E)

    - ck Wind Palm Strike: Two Wind Strike(D)

    - ck Wind Palm Strike: Four Wind Strike (C)

    - ck Wind Palm Strike: Six Wind Strike(C)

    - ck Wind Palm Strike: Eight Wind Strike(B)

    - ck Wind Palm Strike: Sixteen Wind Strike(B)

    - ck Wind Palm Strike: Thirty-two Wind Strike(A)

    - ck Wind Palm Strike: Sixty-Four Wind Strike (R)

    - ck Wind Palm Strike: One-Twenty-Eight Wind Strike(S)

    - Mist Dance Sword Strike(G)

    - Kick Of The Mountain Crane(F)

    - ck Sword Art: ck Moon(SSR)

    - ck Sword Art: Moonlight(SR)

    - Ethereal Hellion Body Strengthening(A)

    - Spinning Cut Chained Strikes(A)

    - me Wall(B)

    - Dragon w Punch(A)

    - Poison Arts(D)

    - Rising Star Kick(A)

    - Blood Reversal Technique(C)

    - Meridian Resonance(D)

    - Ghost Steps(S)

    - ck Sword Art: Reflect(S)

    - ck Sword Art: Stab(A)

    - ck Sword Art: Eclipse(SR)

    - Nine Heavens Destruction Techniques: First Heaven, Descending Dragon(A)

    - Nine Heavens Destruction Techniques: Second Heaven, Severing Sword(R)

    - Withering Fist(B)

    - Nine Heavens Destruction Techniques: Third Heaven, Thunderbolt(A)

    - ck Moon Spiritual Sense Attack(S)

    - Nine Heavens Destruction Techniques: Fourth Heaven, Heaven Destroying Wheels(R)

    - Nine Heavens Destruction Techniques: Fifth Heaven, Heavenly Sword Cleave(A)

    - Nine Heavens Destruction Techniques: Sixth Heaven, Radiant Strike(S)

    - Nine Heavens Destruction Techniques: Seventh Heaven, Whirlwind(S)

    - Nine Heavens Destruction Techniques: Eighth Heaven, Heaven''s Gate Formation(S)

    - Nine Heavens Destruction Techniques: Ninth Heaven, Heaven Explosive Extermination.(SR)

    - Soul Shattering sword Thrust(A)

    - Thousand Sage sh Sword(R)

    - Bloodburst sh(D)

    - Thunder Step(C)

    [Stats]

    Strength: 283

    Agility: 106

    Vitality: 750

    Wisdom: 422

    Will: 99

    Dexterity: 910

    "What in the world is this monster?"

    Raith felt his nerves shiver as he gulped at the long list of skills that was revealed before him.

    ''No wonder Absalom or whatever his name is was so humble in front of him. I have never seen anyone with so many skills... he could defeat anyone in Therut.''

    Raith continued to re into the status before him and didn''t know when a drop of sweat fell off the side of his head.

    He couldn''t help but wonder how strong the demons would be if they were the ones that defeated Volmak when he was challenging them. The thought of it exhrated him but also scared him¡ªbut the more important thing was his motivation to get stronger, still couldn''t take his eyes off his list.

    [The Abyss has resonated with your desires]

    [...]

 Chapter 36 The Disaster I Spoke Of...

    ?Raith was overwhelmed once more.

    "What is it again this time"

    [The abyss has resonated with your desires]

    [You are not qualified for the third trial of death]

    [Show your worth, Gain the qualifications]

    [The abyss is watching]

    The message disappeared with this but left Raith even more confused than before.

    "Proof my worth? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I jumped into a volcano isn''t that enough for you?!"

    Raith''sints disappeared into the cold wind, he sat cross-legged and looked into the clear white sky.

    ''...It has been frustrating... but it has been progressive. And as I said, if walking this path is how I will gain the power I need. Then I won''t dread it.''

    He nodded and lowered his head with a smile then went inside afterward.

    ***

    It has been one month since Ephselon city was dered a danger zone and all citizens were evacuated. Epheslon city was separated from the rest of the nation by sea, but nearer to Shien Molong State, where is said to be the private residence of a certain retired hero, who refused to evacuate even when he was shown the dangers that lurked in the dungeon.

    Maybe it was his pride or confidence who knows but no one could dare say otherwise because this man Yao Djansi is a legend although now old and withering in his mansion but his legacy and achievements have never been able to be washed away by iing heroes, some heroes have also done greater things such as hunting down tier 9 field monsters on their own or defeating some well known strong monsters such as drakes.

    But this was different.

    There was arge difference between field monsters and dungeons monsters.

    Why?

    Because of the cosmotic energy that dungeon monsters are exposed to. All thingsprise of energy but that basis, foundation, and beginning of all energy is the cosmotic energy which can only be rivaled by...

    Dungeons are Cosmology driven one that always urs regardless of which universe except for universes that have an overwhelming influence of the Cosmos such as the primordial and celestial realms.

    Because dungeons are Cosmology driven the monsters are exposed to a great amount of Cosmos energy, this energy does not only make them stronger but creates in them a core; giving them the capability of quick adaptation and rapid evolution which meant that the difficult the dungeon the more of a threat they are to not just humanity but other forms of existence.

    Which was why their danger levels were ssified between level 1 ~ level 10.

    Level 10 dungeons are a very rare urrence and have only appeared twice and one of those twice was cleared by The White Hero Yao Djansi alongside notable Heroes from different nations such as Degado Lambert, An Mor''Deus, Paldina the Grey Empress, and several other legendary heroes who were slowly being reced by their offspring.

    This was an urrence forty years ago when Yao Djansi was ending his prime now he is just a ny-something man living his life amidst the thick forest of Shien Molong states.

    Apart from that time over a month ago was another time that a level 10 dungeon would appear and be distributed all over the world, Rigeria was lucky they only had to deal with one. The news reports show that half of Nelgal nation has been brought to a ravaging disaster because of the outbreak of two level 10 dungeons.

    Although the heroes did their best, in the end, they were just another country that wascking in strength, in fact, consider the weakest, and going forward might have to close down the entire country... as a matter of fact, people were already migrating.

    Of course, the surging appearance of dungeons meant more resources but that is if they can clear these dungeons.

    Yao Djansi was seated in the open yard of his house, reading the newspaper which reported the current state of Nelgal and what the Pomei Empire and other nations are proposing towards helping weak nations that couldn''t handle this sudden change.

    "How selfish, using desperate times like this to exploit nations. tsk tsk"

    He clicked his tongue and sipped the cup of tea that was ced beside him. Wearing a white robe and a beach-themed short. The hairline of his white hair on both the right and left side had shifted inwards leaving only the center in front, his hair was shoulder-length and its whiteness was almost sparkling under the serene sun.

    He flipped to the next page and continued but came to an abrupt stop with his eyeballs thinning in as a heavy thud struck his heart.

    ''What is this? Monsters?''

    As he stood up, his ck eyeballs turned white and began to exude white smoky energy.

    "How in the world? I thought they said these monsters won''t be able to cross the sea since they are ants and can''t fly."

    He muttered to himself, remembering the conversation between him and the Rigeria Heroes Association President who hade to tell him that even though the monsters were ant-type it would still be best and safe for him to evacuate because his residence was very close to Ephselon city but he tantly refused, he did conquer a level 10 dungeon after all.

    "You arrogant monsters!"

    He yelled and in that instance a tremendous pir of light stroke down upon him arming him with white armor almost making him look like the jade emperor in battle mode.

    A swarm of ck ants covered the sky above him instantly turning the bright day to night and there the battle began.

    ...

    "President! President! The drone camera in Ephselon has captured footage of an outbreak!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    One of the agents ran into the president''s office with a smart tablet in his hand.

    "Huh?"

    ''Is that what this ufortable feeling is''

    He collected the tablet and began to watch it, momentster the hand that held the tablet began to shake with his brows furrowed and his eyes slowly turning from brown to blue.

    "This is how recent?"

    "One week ago."

    "As at when we and the Bluezlion guild, and several other guilds went inside the monsters did not have wings, are you telling me those monsters evolved in just two weeks, they adapted to their surrounding and evolved in order to cross the limitations it presented them?"

    "I think that is exactly how this is too... in Nelgal, the monsters there are supposed to be water-type and not be able to survive onnd they suddenly began toe out of the water and their tails became legs, their fins became a fist. I think this is really how powerful a level 10 dungeon monster is."

    "Ah..."

    The association president dropped the tablet and sank into his seat

    "Then we should be worried about something."

    "What is that?"

    "While we were in the dungeon, the ants were dragging away dead bodies of heroes that fell."

    "Yes, the Bluezlion also reported the same thing, that they were unable to retrieve the body of their assistant guild president who died protecting the entire party."

    "Yes... thanks to him a lot of people were able to survive and leave the dungeon. Those monsters'' strength is in their numbers no matter how many we killed they just kepting anding. And were even intelligent enough to learn from repeated battles."

    "Sir, will Yao Djansi be safe?"

    The association president instantly flung to his feet.

    "That is right! Send a drone there right now! If possible send a rescue chopper too!!"

    He shouted with perspiration breaking out of his forehead.

    ''Oh shit, Sir Yao, I hope you have not been taken by them.''

    ...

    Every of Yao''s strikes was explosive and killed hundreds of ants in one go. However,there was no end to them, they kepting.

    ~Wham~

    With a shining spear in his hand, Yao delved hundreds of light spear projections into the sky of flying ants, finally causing light to leak into the atmosphere.

    He staggered for a bit.

    "Did my body wear out from using one skill...?"

    As the ray of light fell on him he felt his strength return and stood back up and continued to swivel the spear around himself, shattering the ants that flew towards him as he walked forward.

    The minute he stepped away from the ray of sunlight that broke in from the swarming ants he staggered forward and in that instance a metallic red hand with three long ws plunged into his chest.

    ~Hiikkk~

    He vomited blood as he suddenly remembered something that he never should have forgotten but old age has its consequences.

    ''...Sunlight...''

    The ants swarmed over the open space closing the little rays of sunlight that escaped through just as if they knew that he was invincible under the sun.

    The red hand grabbed his head and flung him with a twirl¡ªhis body smashed his way into the woods and tumbled on the ground ceaselessly as he was nearing his stopping point the red figure appeared behind him and spiraled a kick at him, smashing him into the tree opposite him.

    The tall red humanoid ant with whitepound eyes and extra two pairs of hands that folded into his body, leaving only one pair of hands.

    Looking like a result of the mixed breeding of humans and ants, he slowly walked towards the man who was covered in blood and was gasping for his breath as the terrifying monster grabbed his neck and lifted him.

    ~whish~

    With a swing of his ws, Yao''s head went flying off. The monster dropped the body and walked away while the ground ants who were almost 4 ft tall dragged the man''s corpse.

 Chapter 37 Emergency Trial

    ?Raithzilyy on the table with eyes to the sky and hands on his chest, slowly tapping a beat to his ears while he dealt with the unbearable boredom that he has been managing for four months now.

    It''s been eight months since he entered Felfhiem, four months spent in the abyss, and the remaining four he was currently spending.

    What bothered him the most was that the abyss for good four months after telling him to ''show his worth'' has not said anything. How was he supposed to prove his worth, well he did pick a new wood-chopping skill thanks to his tendency to devour, even old man Volmak couldn''t measure up to him when ites to chopping wood. His chopping uracy was so neat that the wood had no rough patterns, he was able to split the single wood into eight different parts with just one.

    Over the months he had learned the real use of the perk ''Devourer'' and he was seeing the potential of the skill to be his greatest trump card.

    There are other things he had been able to learn too.

    Especially information regarding the races that existed in Felfhiem.

    The lowest on the ranking of races were the lower fiends such as hell hounds, achaierai(wingless birds), baghest(shape changers), night hags, nightmares, and many others but of low intelligence and could be likened unto animals because of their level of intelligence... even though some of them could pose real threats when used by an intelligent life form.

    Then we have the LAMURA who are fiends without a physical boy, they are like wraiths and ghosts and can possess any item or creature for an extensive period.

    AKTE''Z fiends have physical bodies although ranging in types and are mostly without wings.

    YUGOLAS have two sub-races which are incubus/Subus and Vampires, although the two look almost alike but are two different races and have nothing inmon.

    The TANARS are a race of fiends with explosive defensive ability and are mostly always built like a minotaur in several ways of course, as there is no stereotypical formation to the constitution of a fiend''s body.

    The OBRINTHS are the second strongest race and part of which the dark elves are grouped with because of their likelihood. Obrinths are an external race who were epted by the abyss i.e just like Raith, the door appeared to them when they had nowhere else to go.

    The DEMONS, the primal and first existence of Felfhiem, and the strongest race. They have no subrace, however, are the only fiend who are capable of evolution.

    When a demon is born, he starts from the lowest level of evolution~ Lesser demon > Greater demon > Archdemon. Except for rare cases where both parents are powerful demons of the highest evolution, the offspring may naturally be born as a greater demon but never an archdemon.

    "This old man, thanks to me is making more money but he never takes me to the city. It''s been four months and I have never seen the city not even once."

    Raith flung up and crossed his legs.

    Looking for an excuse to enter the city.

    That was when ''it'' happened.

    The air afar off suddenly got violent and began to blow like a whirlwind but at a stagnant point.

    Raith who was getting consumed in the confusion of what was happening before him suddenly heard a mechanical beep.

    [A Dungeon has appeared]

    [The Abyss has presented you with an emergency trial]

    [Emergency Trial Of Worth]

    > Kill 50 monsters in the dungeon

    > Kill 100 monsters in the dungeon

    > Kill 200 monsters in the dungeon

    > Kill 500 monsters in the dungeon

    > Kill all the monsters in the dungeon

    > Kill the dungeon owner.

    [Your worth would be proven ording to which of the trial youplete]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "huh?"

    Before Raith could take his next breath, the whirlwind suddenly sucked him into a massive blue portal that broke out of space.

    ***

    The news of Yao Djansi''s passing broke not just the country but the entire world, at this point unrest began to rise.

    If Yao Djansi can lose his life to monsters we can definitely die too!

    What are the heroes doing!! You are supposed to be our protectors!!!

    Perhaps it is time to wake the archons!!

    We call for protection!! The country is responsible for us normal citizens!!!

    Using their weakness as an eligible reason to be answered and protected the citizens of Rigeria began to protest around different parts of the nation and demanded that the country take care of the dungeon as fast as they can before things get bad and they be the second country that is turned to ruins because of a level 10 dungeon.

    But no matter how hard they protested, the hands of the government were tied¨Cperhaps it was to protect their selfish pockets. The only country willing to help them for a reasonable amount of money after seeing what happened to Yao Djansi was Pomei Empire but even though they were preparing to raid thest level 10 dungeon that appeared in their city has learned a big lesson from the first two.

    The Imperium issued an order for both the guild and the Imperial association of Heroes to work together.

    Lehman city was filled with heroes and from an aerial view was like a swarm of protests.

    Different heroes and guilds were all in their armor and with their guild gs raised in the air with the strongest hunters at the forefront of the crowd and closer to the red portal that swirled endlessly.

    "I see even you are here."

    A tall jet-ck hair young man with a skinny face said to thedy that just came out of the crowd and stood beside him with her hands folded and her eyes fixated on the portal in front of them.

    She turned her face.

    "Ah, If it isn''t the prominent ck Swordsman"

    She said with a short chuckle and turned her face to the portal.

    Somehow, her short greeting was the most displeasing thing Curtis has heard today and for some reason, it annoyed him. But he wouldn''t want to make a scene in this setting, he had the dignity of his family to uphold since his younger brother had crashed it to the ground. Besides, he wouldn''t dare... to a level O hunter.

    He brushed his hands through his shoulder-length hair and exhaled.

    ''...What is this? Now that I have seen his brother, his face looks so regr... I guess he got all the goodness of his family and its ugliness too.''

    Even though Amber Rose Mor''Deus'' attention was fixated on the portal something else upied her mind.

    Ever since her encounter with Raith, she had always felt restless and worried¨Cworried about the way she responded, concerned about how society would treat him.

    She had asked around several times and was able to eventually get his residence but he was not around, she went twice again for one month, but couldn''t meet him and her visit was beginning to get suspicious to the eyes of the slums so she stopped.

    But she still wouldn''t be able to get her mind off him sometimes. Was it pity? She couldn''t answer the question but she could only rte it to the feeling of pity.

    ''...he did seem like a good man though... I wonder where he has been?''

    She heaved ast sigh as she refocused her gaze on the take ahead of her.

    ''Raith or anything won''t matter if I don''t survive this dungeon.''

    She tightened her grip and adjusted the golden breastte of her armor, sizing her breast perfectly into it as they got ready for the raid.

 Chapter 38 Dungeon Raid (1)

    ?"Un?"

    Raith was met with drynd, with dried-up tries that have been rid of life.

    Darkness and the serene cold that crawled into Raith''s skin were what the environment made the most of itself. The silence was enticing, could almost be mistaken for a safe space.

    But No

    [Activating Transcendent Sense]

    Thanks to the new upgrade of Raith''s perk, he could feel the distant re, those murderous auras that shot at him like a knife, making his gut itch.

    [Dungeon Information]

    - This dungeon is the habitat of ck Panthers. They are four-legged ferocious beasts that tear anything in their path.

    - Dungeon rank: C(ording to Felfhiem ranking)

    - Dungeon rank: level 4(ording to Therut ranking)

    It was getting clear and clear that the ranking in Therut was inferior to that of Felfhiem. For example, what would be likened to a rank C dungeon ording to Therut ranking is level 5.

    Rank G ~ level 1, Rank F ~ level 2, Rank D ~ level 3, Rank C ~ level 4, Rank B ~ level 5, Rank A ~ level 6, Rank R ~ level 7, Rank S ~ level 8, Rank SR ~ level 9, Rank SSR ~ level 10, Rank SS and Rank SSS.

    The twost ranks did not have an equivalent in Therut which meant there were stronger dungeons in Felfhiem than in Therut but it is expected since Felfhiem was sitting directly on one of the nes of cosmology and Therut was just around it.

    Raith again was met unprepared. No weapon, the only thing he could depend on was his skill ''[Lavaration]''

    He nodded slowly.

    ''It should be enough to handle them''

    With lurking beasts around him, he couldn''t dare to give thought to any other thing. But he was deeply worried about the presence of a dungeon in Felfhiem. Since he had notpletely understood the construction of the world.

    And trying to seek out knowledge about it would take a toll on him. He had to somehow connect the dot to the detriment of not knowing if he is right or wrong.

    Raith cocked his head left and right, stretching his muscles as he walked forward, tightening his fist and squeezing his eyes to a slit as he took off.

    ~tthwack!~

    Surely his speed had increased explosively, his image blurred through the distance between him and an ominous ck tree that was twenty meters ahead of him.

    ~fuuuu~

    Not wasting a second as he reached the tree, he pulled back his punch letting out a steamy breath that served as a force control as he sted his punch through the tree.

    He didn''t even need to say the word, barely expecting what should happen was enough to activate the skill.

    [Activating ''Lavaration'']

    [Skill activation failed]

    [You do not have any energy points]

    [Skills can be activated using either magic energy, aura energy, or shadow energy]

    [Your shadow energy is locked due to the locked attribute ''Shadow Lord'']

    ''...how could I forget t-the fundamentals!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ~Raaawrrr~

    From above the panther pounced¡ª

    [Activating Transcedent Sense]

    The panther''s actions suddenly got slower and a red marking flew from its jaw to Raith''s shoulder.

    Raith who was already tilting left would have put his shoulder right into the jaw of the panther¨C He shifted rightward going in the opposite direction and rolling on the ground as the panthernded and gnarled at him.

    Several other panthers began to pounce down from the dead trees while some emerged from behind, they had carefully hidden themselves waiting for a perfect moment of ambush. Raith was surrounded by seven panthers and several more stared down from the branches of the trees with glowing white eyes.

    ***

    Pomei Empire.

    They could be mistaken for the strongest nation in Therut because of their military strength and their rule of monarchy. They are the only country that goes strictly with that rule and since ages of the dawning of Therut have always lived by it.

    Another reason as to why they are strong was their overly cautious nature, and the impressive training that they give heroes regardless of the archon they are from. In Pomei Empire all of them are one.

    This is what gave everyone overwhelming confidence in clearing this dungeon. It was a level 10 dungeon and tens of scouts had died trying to figure out the length and breadth of the dungeon, and what kind of monsters are inside to formte the best possible strategies of attack that will work and prevent too many losses of men.

    Regardless of what they were going in there to meet, the faces of the heroes were stiff and brazen with the ambiance of courage, several heroes showed a little nervousness here and there.

    But let''s take a look at the soldiers. In golden armor and a red tabard with a golden coffin-shaped shield engraved on the shield was a golden red cross on a red background.

    The array of the army was in rolls and columns stretching down one side of the road and the glittering of their armors set them apart from every other hero.

    This army wasn''t necessarily full of heroes. Heroes or not, they were men that have trained to support their limit and leading those men himself, Andres Eugene Pemilion, younger brother of the Emperor, his red hair ring up as if it wants to catch the wind. And gus brought round eyes like a me set to burn its enemy to the ground. His only fault was his frequent nces with gritting teeth toward where Amber Rose stood.

    "Your highness... focus"

    The tall, white-bearded man behind him whispered and he immediately returned to order as they began to march into the portal after everything was clear.

    As the leader of today''s battle. Prince Andres was the first to match into the dungeon, behind and beside him were prominent heroes such as The Empire''s General Kollen Asbury himself, Leif Ouderward, Ethan O''Brian, Brandon Lee, Chachi Banks, Fionna Graham, Amber Rose Mor''Deus and Curtis Degado.

    The dungeon as they had already known and expected was a widespreadnd of caves, although there were trees but ording to the scout whose deaths were not in vain.

    The monster that existed in this dungeon was a cave animal.

    Andres looked up into the sky.

    "It''s rare to see dungeons have a moon. And it''s a full moon."

    "Creatures of the night that gain immense power under the influence of the full moon. This entire environment is meant to favor them."

    Ethan O''Brian, a level A hero of the justice archon said as he strapped hisrge and thick-muscled hand with gauntlets.

    "That is why they are dungeon. Your Highness, what will we do?"

    Leif Ouderward, with purple-colored spiked hair and thin eyes, bowed to the prince.

    "We havee here to y a game of numbers, they are monsters, this whole ce is built to favor them so will at least shift a little favor to our side too. Going into the cave will not give us the privilege to fight with numbers, and we are liable to be ambushed¨C no, we will definitely be ambushed. So, we will blow up the cave, disturb it until they can''t stand it any more, and the moment they start to pour out...

    The prince paused as he red toward the mountain cave ahead of them. His eyes glittered as his brows lowered and tightened.

    "It will be an all-out war!"

 Chapter 39 Dungeon Raid (2)

    ?Perks and Skills are two diverse things. However, Perks can be seen as skills that do not need energy to be activated, skills that are more or less the hero''s own sense. This is why a lot of heroes yearn for Perks although the importance of skill cannot be watered down by Perks. These two are meant to work hand in hand, one passively with or without consent while the other actively ¡ªwith consent.

    And all these fundamentals were what Raith was taught while preparing for his trial of the archons.

    But how could he forget

    Including the fact that there is a reason why heroes aim to go to dungeons more than hunt in fields. And that reason is:

    Monster cores, and magic crystals.

    Magic crystals are minerals that mutate after their exposure to cosmotic energy and just like the tier of ranks of dungeons, their grade is also in that increasing order. Their uses are endless especially when ites to crafting items.

    Monster cores, however, are a bit more different story. They also can be used to craft items, in fact, such items would be incredibly strongpared to when crafted with magic crystals. But the reason why heroes don''t use cores to craft a lot is because they can be used to increase one''s dust energy.

    ''If dust energy was what was likened to magic energy in Felfhiem then maybe all I need to do is absorb a core.''

    Raith rolled away barely dodging the ck sharp ws of the panther, he picked himself up quickly and made a run for it.

    ''I have to absorb a monster core. I have to absorb a monster core. I have to absorb a monster core. I have to absorb a monster core. I have to absorb a monster core''

    Was all that crowded his mind as he ran cutting left and right to avoid panthers that jumped down from the trees or suddenly leap towards him from his left or right when he wasn''t looking.

    It was impressive that he was able to outrun monsters who are speed-based.

    But no matter how far he kept going he wasn''t going to absorb a core by running away from the monsters behind him.

    And he knew there was a bigger problem¡ª the abyss is watching. The feeling of beingughed at haunted him and he suddenly made a U-turn lunging his fist into the monster that leaped at him simultaneously increasing his stat.

    [10 points have been added to Strength stat]

    The impact of the blow created a loud impact that caused the other panthers to pause as that one flew backward toppling on the ground.

    [Activating Intimidation]

    [All monsters towards you will be cautious of your strength]

    ''...I guess it hasn''t reached the fear level yet''

    The panthers that were lunging at him like love at first sight just a moment ago suddenly were circling him with an intense re. The red patterns of their attack kept changing every time they moved.

    He could tell they were being extremely cautious. More like they didn''t want to end up with their pal there whose belly was already glittering.

    The moment monsters inside dungeons die, their cores began to rise to the surface, like the energy is trying to escape but it just makes it easy for extraction.

    And right now the only thing that was on Raven Raith''s head was how to cross this monster and reach that glittering thing.

    Although he must admit that he was amazed at how much power he was able to pull there, he never imagined it going that way¡ª and definitely did not know the panther would die from one punch.

    But it was pure coincidence, for a brief moment the synergy clicked the moment he redirected all the force of his speed and threw a punch and to top it¨C added more strength stat points to a ''flying punch''. He was bound to see an extraordinary result.

    "Aish damnit!!"

    He shouted and ran forward regardless. While the panthers in front of him jumped out of the way by impulse the ones behind him leaped at him. This particrly arrogant one seemed to be an excellent and extraordinary jumper. His figure was already above Raith who put more speed to his legs.

    He rolled over to where the dead panthery barely avoiding the ws of the great jumper.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He looked down at the dead monster and looked at the jumper who snarled at him and looked at the dead monster too.

    Raith used both hands to tear the part that was glittering, his hand couldn''t tear it much, but a little was enough for the white core to slip out.

    Raith immediately grabbed it and move back, being cautious of the monsters too ¡ªwho looked like they were trying to figure out what he just took from their dead brother.

    And they were beginning to look angrier than before. With wrinkles all over their nose and their sharp teeth pping together.

    [You have obtained a ''white'' monster core]

    [Do you want to absorb the core Y/N]

    Raith smiled.

    "Yes"

    [Absorbing core...]

    Raith could feel the warmth enter his body as his hands began to release ck sparks that flew around the core and the next it was gone.

    [You have absorbed monster core]

    [Digesting energy]

    [Separating energy]

    [Magic energy/ dust energy/ Fiendish energy/ cosmotic energy]

    [You have a body that ispatible with cosmotic energy]

    [Digesting cosmotic energy]

    [Magic energy has upgraded to Cosmotic energy]

    [You have gained 10 cosmotic energy]

    "Oh wow..."

    Raith was puzzled.

    Cosmotic energy is aposition of all energy, it is the great source which others are branched out from. So, when a core is absorbed the energies are separated and only the one needed by the hero is digested, the rest is released into the atmosphere by diffusion through the skin pores.

    It was already enough mystery that he kept seeing magic energy and has never seen dust energy on his status but now having a bodypatible with cosmotic energy?

    He was a tad away from saying ''What the hell am I?''

    The monsters in front of him were running out of patience, he grinned and smacked his hands together as he could feel it in his bones, in his blood vessels, his muscles. The energy was overflowing everywhere and it was a new dimension of strength he had never tasted.

    It was after all the first time he was going to truly use his skills.

    He lunged towards the monster and in response, the great jumper ran towards him, growling with wide open mouth, inviting Raith to be his dinner.

    [Activating skill Lavaration]

 Chapter 40 Dungeon Raid (3)

    ?[You have killed 1 ck panther]

    The feeling was amazing. The monster began to melt with just one touch and the only thing that was left of it was its core.

    The downside to this skill was that it leaves nothing of the carcasses of the monsters

    But who cares.

    [You have gained 10 cosmotic energy]

    "Oho..."

    Raith''s lips arched upward with his eyes slit.

    "Come to me! You crazy bastards!!"

    Raith sprung forward, running through the panthers. All he just needed to do was touch them long enough for the melt to start spreading and even when there was an opening he didn''t care about it because of the defense ability of the skill.

    It served as a great trapping scheme to conveniently melt the panther to magma.

    [You have killed 10 monsters]

    [You have gained +1 speed stat]

    The clear progress was a motivation to Raith. But there were no monsters around anymore.

    [You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

    [You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

    [You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

    [You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

    [You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

    [You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

    [You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

    [You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

    Raith walked around the area collecting more cores before he went further into the wilderness of dead trees.

    ''Wow, I gained one speed stat''

    clenched his hands and stretched them to release his tensed muscles as he continued further.

    Since heroes were incapable of leveling up. Their stats points are gotten two ways. During the process of absorbing cores, there''s always a certain chance of again stats points but they are fixated on certain stats. For example, Raith being in a dungeon where the monsters are a speed type meant that when their cores are absorbed there are certain chances of getting speed stats.

    This is one of the reasons why heroes'' stat are so diverse and unbnced.

    The second way is ''update'' afterpleting a series of quests issued by the archon''s dust, yers can go to their archon''s temple and update their status. After the update, they are rewarded with stats and skills in the proportion to how well theyplete these quests.

    Raith didn''t need to be told as he got there.

    "They are stronger than those."

    He spread his fingers, exuding steam from his palm as he calcted their positions using [Transcendent sense]

    ''There are more...''

    The panthers slowly crawled on the branches of the tree like lizards, with their tail wriggling over their head. The difference between them and the formers was their tail.

    [You are using the skill ''Truth Seeker'']

    [Monster Details]

    Name: Paralytic Panther

    Hit Point: 1200/1200

    Offensive Power: 400

    Defensive Power: 250<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Trait: Their extra long tails have very strong muscles that will paralyze their opponent.

    ''Holy shit.''

    Raith smiled regardless of the information he saw. For a moment appeared to be mad. He just saw that he could get paralyzed and eaten by a set of paralytic ck panthers and he responds to it with a smile.

    He rolled the sleeves of his coat which over the months had almost be one with his body. He flexed his hand and fingers sharpening his gaze on the panthers closer to him.

    [Lavaration] had one deadly w.

    The skill cannot simultaneously use its offensive and defensive side¡ªit was impossible to turn the skin into a defensive wall of molten magma while trying to melt an enemy. It was a pick one, use one situation and it put Raith in a bit of a situation where he didn''t know what to do.

    So the fact that he was smiling was crazy.

    "Come at me!"

    And as if they understood hisnguages clearly the ck beasts in their numbers leaped towards Raith.

    [You are using Perk ''Transcendent Sense'']

    Amazing! Truly amazing!! Raith danced through the horde of flying beasts in slow-mo, like a ballet dancer and with a fluid that donned the tune of no music with rhythm and ecstasy as the dark skies of the night watched and poured its atmosphere upon this scene.

    ''Being able to see the thread of their attacks was magnificent, this skill is worth a million!''

    As if dancing through them like a tai-chi master was not enough, he took the in-between moments to touch each of them, reducing them tovas that oozed the ground with mes and smoke.

    In a jiffy Raith had done away with six panthers and had gotten closer to the rest of the horde that slowly moved their legs in reverse.

    Was [Intimidation] ying out again?

    This was just the sense of a beast that recognizes its superior, even a rat would run away from a cat wouldn''t it?

    A death re from Raith''s eyes darted through the panther. They suddenly made a U-turn and picked up the pace.

    ''Was the skill in too much effect?''

    [Congrattions]

    [The darkness in you has risen]

    [You have gained 10 shadow energy]

    ''...right''

    Raith couldn''t deny the lingering emotion of emptiness and enjoyment as he yed the panthers, it started as a kind of determination when he killed the first panther but it was feeling different like he was losing something and couldn''t put his fingers around what it was exactly.

    Raven Raith has always been one with a dark side but this is strange. However strange it may be, he wasn''t about to ruin the moment which a horde of monsters ran away from.

    "I don''t want them running though... how will I pass the trial if they do like that"

    Rairh scratched his head as if he didn''t enjoy the fact that they just did.

    Only that¡ª they weren''t exactly running from him.

    He paused and let his eyes stay on the ground as a shadow began to rise and fill the entire ce.

    A shadow.

    It was thicker and by the way, the night of the dungeon was, there was no light in the sky, no moon, no stars. The darkness was just bright enough for him to see. It makes no sense that a shadow would be on the ground.

    ~p, p, p, p~

    The next was the rushed ps of the birds like they were urgently fleeing from something.

    [You have encountered the owner of the dungeon]

    "So fast? I thought heroes said the owner of the dungeon is always thest monster to show.

    Raith had based his entire theory ¨Cthat had yed in his head on how to clear this dungeon andplete the trial. In that theory, the boss was saved for thest because by then he would have gotten enough energy points.

    But right now...

    How will man handle this situation?

 Chapter 41 Dungeon Raid (4)

    ?Bathed in the Moonlight was an art of bloody battlefield worth a corner in the most prestigious and renowned art gallery in the entire world.

    A war between monsters and humans.

    Where humans defended their empire and ravaged the monsters with everything they''ve got.

    Just like the brilliant red prince predicted ¡ªbombing the mountain caused massive tremors that sent the monsters packing.

    They poured out of the caves in full force. From the beginning, they were going for a full frontal assault.

    The only miscalction was they might have looked down on the numbers of this monster ¨Cand as if that wasn''t enough, the monsters expressed tremendous strength.

    For example, just amon one could m a human on his head and the force of that attack will smash the human''s head unto the ground.

    Their fists broke shields.

    Their ws cut deeper than a breakup.

    But the humans still put up with it regardless.

    Fighting...

    And fighting.

    The monsters were defined by fangs, ws, furs, and howling. Right, anyone would have thought they were wolves but seeing their size and strength annulled this thought pattern.

    Although they were four-legged, their size was enormous. The least tallest of them was standing head to head with a soldier, with its teeth gnarling with drool into his eyes.

    And the tallest of them would need about five soldiers to climb themselves for them to see eye to eye.

    And there were several of those.

    The fight was tough but there were some people that made it appear easy and gave the soldiers hope and motivation to fight stronger despite the dreadful circumstance.

    On this side of the battlefield, a ck streak-like lightning swarmed through the huge wolves, revealing a young man as it came to a zapping stop ¡ªfrom behind went an explosion like fireworks following the streaks and wreaking havoc on the crowd.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    An explosive attack was the right call ¡ªwith the monsters height and strength the way to go about this was dealing damage in numbers and leaving the rest to the lower fries that were following him from behind.

    And Curtis Degado could be considered a well-to-do hero because of his evaluation of this fact and execution of actions in a split minute ¨Chis face gave the first impression of a strong and intelligent man and his personality didn''t sway away from that fact, at least battle-wise.

    Curtis was a fine swordsman, from his childhood, he was able to master ''The Counter Step'' when he was ten years old, by the time he was due to be a hero, he had mastered all the family''s martial art and was already even tuning it to meet his style.

    That is after all how martial art and skills are structured. Now, let''s not forget that martial art in therut was created based on the capabilities of a hero ¡ªwhich meant that a hero''s difference was taken into consideration, from the first user to the next user the martial arts as it is being passed down is being refined and evolved by the hero''s nature and capabilities, just like how Curtis added his style to it, ¨Cwhen passing it to another, the martial art in the hands of that hero will be fine-tuned and evolved¨C now it could be an evolution forward or an evolution backward. It is all based on the user''s intellect.

    Amber Rose couldn''t help but admit to his strength as she saw him zap around with ck lightning and explosives. She was the kind of person that always acknowledged strength, even though she was way stronger.

    Amber Rose was equipped with a round shield and a great sword, from the view of a battle expert, it was a badbination but that was her style.

    And it had its beauty.

    Tremors and flying bodies of wolves painted the scene around her, with immense speed and body control ¡ªdodging improtuly, not being flustered by a sudden change in the attack pattern of the monsters.

    Her round shield projected arger blue transparent shield that dejected the wolves closer to them and sent them flying away. While her sword cleaning swung into the ones that were able to withstand the deflection¡ªtaking advantage of the split moment to drive her sword into them before they recover.

    Her attacks had a pattern but were not stereotypical ¡ªthe monsters had an outstanding wit for adaptation.

    "looks like the Unzing sun is no joke"

    From a distant side of the battlefield was yet another charming and beautiful rapier that delved a thorn of purple roses into the bodies of monsters leaving them to the arrogant hands of petrification with the blood that run through their veins willingly searing till their entire body shatters like stone.

    Fionna Grahams in terms of beauty would lose to Amber Rose, but just so you know she wasn''t far off. it just was that the Unzing sun is perfect in every fold, even though she doesn''t mean to most of the time. One would call it a trait that runs in the family, just like her father¡ª a humble and warm man, he would often mix with the lower ss, and his stand in the society would make anyone doubt his family as one of the three strongest families in the Pomei Empire.

    Fionna Grahams has lived her life having to chase the back of her mother until when she started to make her mark in the world¨C and she had to leave home to achieve that. to not be covered under the shadow of her mother''s achievement.

    But entering the world, she meets powerfulrades who have a more devastating back story than her, who have had to face more harsh reality than she can ever imagine. Which is why she thinks of Amber Rose as a little girl who knows nothing. Of course, she wouldn''t deny the potency of her skill.

    Maybe that is why her eyes were so glued on the pretty girl even though they were so far away from each other.

 Chapter 42 Dungeon Raid (5)

    ?How many near-death situations has it been now, 7, 13, 21, 44...

    Every time, Raith escaped in the nick of the beast''s ws and no matter how fast he is¨C he couldn''t measure up to the ferocious speed of this monster that disappeared and appeared in front of him¨C well not that the monster is a teleporter, its movement was just faster than Raith''s eyes could follow.

    And what was more devastating was that Raith couldn''t see any attack patterns.

    wham

    The ws of the monster shed him from behind, he rolled forward, tumbling and crashing his head over and over as he rolled like a ball. His coat was ripped in several ces and all those ces carried a pattern of blood with them. Which meant every of the panther''s strikes slit Raith''s skin- sometimes not too deep.

    But Raith was reaching the end of his lifeline. And trust me, the beast was enjoying this.

    It sternly darted its, red glowing eyes into Raith''s helpless state, when it just arrived it didn''t even stop at one ce but kept running and running that Raitu couldn''t pin it to one location and that was how it endlessly dealt with him running and shing him, not given him a chance to react or even touch.

    But now the monster was standing in front of Raith who was holding his shoulder¨C his muscles there had been badly shed and his ribs area, his thighs, and even his leg were shivering. All those endless running when he was dealing with the mob panthers was already dealing a toll on his leg.

    His breathing was bing more irregr and he didn''t need to be told that he was hitting fatigue. Although the voice still took out the privilege to tell him.

    [Stamina: 03]

    [Your stamina is incredibly low]

    [You are fatigued]

    All the letters that disyed this message in front of him were in bold red.

    Raith took his time staring down at the monster who gnarled at him in response.

    He smiled again.

    ''I sometimes forget I can''t die...''

    A sense offort entered his heart as he remembered. Spending months climbing down a mountain because he didn''t want to lose his life hadpletely programmed in his head that he could lose it. But as the situation was looking like Raith was going to die and he began to think of farewells he remembers¨C

    He hadn''t upied himself with the thought of dying every time just because he can wake up. In fact, he never wants anything to get down to that part.

    But looks like this one is inevitable.

    His head followed the trajectory of the monster as it leaped into the air and came upon him. Everything turned tumbled in a rush and turned ck instantly, but the tearing and stinging pain all over his body still lingered for a few more minutes before he finally lost touch of his consciousness.

    [You have died]

    [DEVOURER has been subconsciously activated]

    [You have the tendency to devour something]

    [When a target is within range it will be devouredpletely]

    His entire body turned into a ck liquid mass with shark teeth and wrapped the monster before it had the chance to leap back. The teeth slowly dug into the monster''s skin and the ck mass tightened, slowly squeezing the monster into smaller sizes until nothing was left of it. Then the ck liquid mass reverted to the young man lying on the ground¨C naked.

    [You have defeated the monster boss]

    [The abyss is impressed by your potential]

    [The darkness within you has increased]

    [Shadow energy: 50]

    [You have absorbed the monster''s core using perk ''DEVOURER'']

    [You will not gain any energy]

    [You have gained a new skill]

    [The soul of the monster has been transformed into a shadow ego]

    [Shadow ego will be deleted and converted into stats because perk ''Shadow lord'' is locked]

    [You have gained 24 stat points]

    [You have gained two new skills]

    [The abyss has acknowledged]

    [The abyss has given you a new feature]

    [You can now level up]

    [When you reach certain levels some locked Perks and undisyed Perks will be revealed]

    [You Will reach first ss advancement when you reach level 100]

    [Hero Status]

    Name: unknown

    ss: CHILD OF DEATH

    Age: 001

    Level: 001

    Aura Points: 00

    Cosmotic Energy: 130

    Shadow energy(locked): 61

    Title: Celestia yer, One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation, I do not fear death.

    Traits: the darkness beyond death, the dissatisfaction failure brings, Shadow lord(locked)

    [Perks]

    - Devourer(EX)lv.4<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    - Transcendent sense(S)lv.13

    - Intimidation(S)lv.8

    - Heat Resistance(S)lv.2

    [Skill]

    - Truth Seeker(S)lv.1

    - Lavaration(A)lv.5

    - Instant Move(B)lv.1

    - Air Leap(C)lv.1

    - ck Armour(D)lv.1

    [Stat]

    Strength: 44

    Agility: 38

    Vitality: 40

    Intelligence: 130

    Endurance: 79

    Will: 12

    Avable stat points: 34

    The night and hollowed atmosphere were serene even as they once again seeped into his sight. Raith looked around as he rose.

    ''Did it go?''

    The entire ce was silent but Rauth could still tell the gazes from behind the tree but something was different about them.

    He looked down at the message that stared at him.

    [You have defeated the dungeon owner]

    [Dungeon will close in 00:59:58]

    "I really defeated the owner? That is absurd"

    He mutters to himself, but what else would describe this situation where the panthers lurked around but none of them dared to move closer?

    He bowed his head and noted another thing that was different about him. He must have been incredibly foolish not to notice it until now.

    He immediately guarded his third leg, shielding it from the glowing eyes of these ck animals while he tip-toed away, finding his way out of the dungeon.

    ***

    They had lost track of the time of entry into this dungeon.

    "Everon ze"

    whosh

    The fire in Prince Andres'' hand rose like the wind, spreading like a raging tsunami around him, burning monsters and provoking them to insanity.

    The numbers of their soldiers had run down, and the battle wasing to an end¨C the battlefield was scanty, and the corpse of monsters and humans decorated the ground. And as Prince Andres saw this scene sorrow gripped his heart and rage consumed his face.

    His fire rose in ordance with his emotion, kabooming into the sky and spreading like a tree.

    All he wanted was for the dungeon boss toe out but it was as if the bastard didn''t exist.

    In a normal dungeon, the brutal killing of a dungeon boss'' monsters would have pushed the boss to show itself and kill all the humans present but this dungeon boss was not even acting as if he existed.

    But at the very least the heroes were hopeful, they could see this fight wasing to an end, and although they had to sacrifice a lot of lives, they were alsoing closer to the end.

    The Empire soldiers no matter how bloodied and tired they were, they pushed through the ground, while their general flung around the prince like a butterfly having his back every single moment.

    "Your highness"

    His back kissed the Prince''s back again and both of them had their arms arched up, with two swords in themander''s hand and the prince''s fist consumed by a raging fire.

    "I know"

    The prince responded.

    He didn''t look at General Asbury but their expressions said the same thing. Prince Andres clicked his tongue in frustration and gritted his teeth, his eyeball quivered as he turned his eyes around to see the sorry state of the soldiers.

    ''We need to retreat...''

    He knew that much but just when he thought the situation will permit it.

    ~AHHHUUUUUUUU~

    A howl went into the sky and immediately, all of them could see the moon move from directly above them to behind the cave, bathing the humanoid figure in its illumination.

    The silhouette of the monster could be seen with two digitigrade legs, hands, and a prolonged mouth that was raised.

    Several other silhouettes began to climb up the cave and show themselves in the likeness of this same animal.

    The monsters they were previously engaging all bowed irresponsible of whether they were on the losing or winning side at that moment.

    This made the heroes realize.

    This fight was just about to begin.

 Chapter 43 When Victory Sounds Like A Loss

    ?A lot of new things hade into y in a very short time for Raith. Somethings even the abyss could not understand. Perhaps what really needed questioning was the origin of that perk ''DEVOURER'' but certain things are better left for the tongue of the future to give an exnation to.

    Besides, trouble lurked around the gate asw enforcers of the lower realm surrounded the gate, unable to enter because it was locked immediately after Raith entered, the awaited whatever was in it paying no heed to Volmak who tried to amicably reason with them. Plus, theirmander holds a grudge and he held a very bad one against Volmak who was praised as the strongest general when they were just mates.

    He believes Volmak just got lucky to be scouted by a Demon lord, he refuses to see or ept the hard work that Volmak has put, into his strength. All that, he refuses to acknowledge and always beef Volmak at every slight chance he gets. He originally wouldn''t be here but when he heard the gate was not too far from Volmak''s cabin¨C how could he miss this opportunity to oppress Volmak with his authority once again?

    But Volmak didn''t mind, he honestly pleaded at the same time patiently waiting for what was going toe out of the dungeon.

    One thing was sure.

    If Raithes out, both of them are going to be arrested. Him¨C for shielding a human, Raith for being a human and being in Felfhiem.

    He sighed, he was tired of pleading so he just cut himself some ck.

    ~zappp~

    The attitude of the game thus far has been consistent and stable until this two seconds ago. It suddenly began to throw sparks and draw wind again.

    Their shoulders which were already getting rxed suddenly got tensed again. They were all heavily dded in the same metal, seemingly scraps but with red patterns and it was the same with all of them. They pointed their spears to the gate. And as Raith''s leg came out of the gate, they surrounded the gate and restricted his movement with their closure on him.

    What is going on?

    What did I do?

    Did someone rat me out?

    Was probably what rummaged his mind as thew enforcers forced him to his knee treating him like he had justmitted an act of violence.

    "Oh oh, isn''t this a nabruska"

    Theirmander said, rubbing the antenna that was situated right above his lips and would have served as a mustache if he was human. As he rubbed the slimy antennas, they rolled around his hand.

    "Volmak has brought home a Nabruska. Haha, how impressive."

    The manughed as if the revtion of what he was saying had just been donned on him.

    He flung his face to Volmak and grinned.

    "Looks like you will be going with me to the dark castle, and you my friend, will be going in chains... both of you"

    He said, swinging his fingers in between Raith and Volmak. Without waiting for his directmand, the soldiers that were free slipped chains into Raith''s hand and legs and did the same thing with Volmak, who said nothing and just pushed his hands forward making it easy for them to chain him.

    The only thing that worried Raith was how much trouble he might have caused for the old man and it could be seen on his face as his eyes stayed on Volmak with his brows drifting upwards.

    "Aye, cover this human with some rag or something, that ungodly thing in between his legs keeps annoying me!"

    Themander yelped and turned away, resting his hand on his sword that was hung on his belt.

    They marched forward with both of them amongst the soldiers.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    For the first, it was sad¨C but for the first time that Raith would see the city, it had to be in chains, and when he was arrested.

    It was hard to call it the lower realm of hell.

    Contrary to how uncivilized and rural Raith thought it would be, even though the city was built in the middle of a ck desert it was a true and modest disy of wonder. Its grace is matched by the backdrop of pristine ck skies which have helped shape the city into what it is.

    The climate these skies brought was of great importance, but they were also influential when it came to architectural designs as the vast majority of buildings were designed to take full advantage of the climate, as more daring elements can be created when you don''t have to worry about strong rains.

    The skyline is crowded with distinct shapes of houses, but they all had inmon the fact that they were wooden except for the castle that stood far ahead on the fjord thaty ahead of the city, there were signs of construction which indicated that more buildings seem to be on their way.

    The culture in this ce is unique, most of them were dded in fine armor, some leather armor and many of them wore casual dresses like they were in medieval times, the different structures and look of their body was a huge factor that yed in the difference of their culture.

    Raith had looked forward to seeing them and now that he was seeing them living their normal life in their fiendish forms, it created a sense of beauty for Raith who kept looking as he was dragged forward.

    But they could be seen with odd essories like shades, wristwatches, and sneakers, which made the oddity stand out and it has attracted a lot of attention. This culture has left its mark not just on trade and rtions, but also on the city''s identity. What historically was a city of little contrast has grown into an amalgamation of differences and it''s this that unites the 1.7 million fiends to this day.

    Several caf¨¦s, food carts, and clubs offer a plethora of culinary and entertainment choices and those who feel hungry for something else can enjoy dance, musical activities, arcades, or one of the many other recreational venues.

    Before long the city was out of sight and all the sightseeing Raith could do hade to the end. And as they scaled the mountain where an ominous castle stood Raith gulped and anticipated what was about toe to him.

    "Don''t worry, it will be fine."

    He heard and his gaze stayed upon Volmak''srge back that slowly moved higher as they scaled up the mountain.

    ***

    The nations fear a true disaster as news of the empire spread across the world of Therut. People''s eyes were glued on live news that showed the heroesing out covered in injuries and the corpse of the general that was brought out. This fear was not because the Empire was defeated. The empire very much won this war but it was because of the number and state of people that made it alive.

    The number of heroes plus the empire soldiers that entered the dungeon was around three thousand, when other nations were seeing this, they thought it was an assured victory. The Empire had the power of numbers and they even had strong heroes who went into the dungeon with them. Yet these strong heroes came out with grave injuries. Even Amber Rose had what looked like a w scratch on her right arm. Her armor and shield has been smashed and the only thing that looked unscathed was the silver boot she was wearing.

    Curtis didn''t have any major injuries too but he was out cold, yes. He passed out the moment the stepped out of the gate. Other heroes had w marks delved into the stomach, Ethan O''Brian had three wed scratches over his chest and could barely stand.

    They all were transported to the hospital but this urrence began to call people to question the silence of the pontifices.

    "Is this the end of the world, is this it for us? Why are the pontifices not saying anything"

    "Is this even the right time to be sleeping?"

    "Or are we being lied to, are the archons dead too?"

    People began to question the state of the archons, and in some nations where their masses were drastic like Ellion united, the masses began to cause destruction and wreck branch temples.

    On the other side of the world, The Elemental guild sessfully defeated one dungeon but was paid an enormous amount for it. Led by Thaw Sanada, the guild began to slowly make its mark in the world and as other nations heard of their victory, they began to reach out, ready to pay whatever amount they mentioned.

    The report of the empire''s win that looked like a defeat was like a business promotion for Thaw Sanada whom even the stubborn Rigeria nation had reached out to¡ªwilling to pay the outrageous amount he offered to them.

    He truly felt like this was a great time to be alive.

 Chapter 44 Fenrir (1)

    ?Rath was immediately passed to an oubliette and immediately entered the castle.

    Volmak however, was taken somewhere else and Raith had no idea where. He just stayed in the prison, silent and waiting on the time a soldier was probably going to take him out but it seemed like forever.

    His eyes were getting used to the darkness and in a little time, he was beginning to think he was blind.

    One week passed.

    Two weeks

    Three...

    Four...

    Five...

    On the sixth...

    [You have devoured the night]

    [You have gained a new perk ''Dark Vision'']

    ''huh, how?''

    As Raith questioned this unlikely phenomenon, his sight went from feeling blind to being able to navigate through the darkness, it felt like when he opened his eyes after closing them for a while in the ce of prayer to a deity, everything felt renewed and refreshed but there was still no light. Which furtherly confused him, even in this darkness, he could tell apart all four corners of the cell, the bones that were already decaying in one corner.

    The one that fascinated him the most was one that was chained by the corner of the wall, it was intact with a robe that had fallen off, the skeleton wasplete, although a part of the skull seems to be broken and the features ¡ª Raith could undoubtedly tell that this was the body of a human.

    It''s fascinating and scary.

    He was alone, was he going to end up like this? He had no idea how much time had passed but he feared for himself. His dream of surpassing his father and brother. Proving the world wrong, bing the strongest. Was all that going to be for naught? And he would just die in some cell because no one even remembered him.

    There was one person¡ªhe was so sorry for the trouble he must have caused the old man. His eyes rolled down as he fonded himself with memories of his times with the old man.

    He had gotten to know the sweet and kind side of Volmak over the months, although the man is undoubtedly ferocious and wicked. He could tell by his demeanor sometimes when hees back from the city in a nasty mood. But even in that time, Volmak would still be nice to him and would never even ask him to do the chores, or nag him for waking upte.

    It felt like he was living in a pce even though it was a small cabin

    His only bad days were days Absalom woulde to show off his strength.

    Volmak was Absalom''s teacher and Raith wanted the same but for some reason Volmak would not agree, iming that he would not dare to teach Raith anything.

    At some point, Raith just had to give up. Absalom was talented in many ways, Raith desired his strength and often challenged him to a duel but the young vampire was too proud.

    "I will die than to fight with a measly roach like you"

    His words always stung Raith, and because of the stubbornness of these two, Raith''s growth had stayed the same. The only thing he was able to improve on was figuring out the use of his Perks. He spent his time associating himself with his perks since he couldn''t do anything.

    But to be able to devour an entire being was not within Raith''s discovery, even now©\he questions how exactly he was able to defeat the dungeon boss.

    Raith opened his hands and stared down at his palm.

    "The tendency to devour anything."

    Saying it out loud, he realizes it sounded as though the perk description was trying to tell him that there was nothing he wouldn''t be able to devour.

    A thought like a quick snap crosses Raith''s mind.

    ''...if so, would I be able to devour the abyss? Nah, I mean since the abyss gave me this perk, it is logically impossible''

    Raith smirked and¡ª

    ~growl~

    "Huh?"

    ''Right, I haven''t eaten''

    Raith touched his stomach and could feel it sink in. But right now, there was nothing he could do.

    He checked around if there could be some thousand or hundred or ten years of scrub food that was probably left by one of the bones that had decayed.

    Close to the skeleton that wasplete, he found a paper. But shifted his hand, grazing through the rest of the floor where he found a ck apple.

    ck? That apple has been there for ages, God knows what it is. But Raith grabbed it and took the paper so he could entertain himself with whatever it is while he ate the apple.

    He sat back and crossed his legs.

    Upon holding the apple, its water began to squeeze out¨Che didn''t even apply much pressure on it.

    "Well, whatever"

    He says and begins to eat while he looks at the book. They were not letters that he was taught or should understand but he understood them very well.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    His eyes turned from ncing-through to getting-interested and finally to fixated-upon until he had eaten the apple till itst.

    Raith didn''t care about the taste of this fruit, he just wanted to eat it. He needed food and anything works fine since he cannot die.

    Even after he was done with the apple, he still didn''t take his eyes off this paper.

    "How in the world is a treasure like this in here?"

    Raith gaped still looking into the book and muttering.

    "Thousand Ways of Sagacity"

    The paper was just a torn part of a tome. Perhaps that was the reason why Raith could notpletely understand it¨C with how hard he tried. The beginning part of the book had written on it white aura, but it was written in such a way that there seemed to be a previous discussion about this ''white aura''

    And the contents spoke about mastering a particr way that can create an opening to several ways so long the mind is at stability, but first, there was a scripture to master, a meditation to incorporate, and it will take time because the body and mind have to be one.

    Yes, Raith got all that part and even with what he read alone, this ''Thousand Ways of sagacity'' was sounding very interesting but the few lines that existed downwards¨Che could not understand.

    They seemed to be the beginning of the exnation but it wasplex.

    [You have consumed arge amount of poison]

    [Your health is in danger]

    "Oh shit"

    Raith mumbled with a chuckle. It was as if life had be a joke to him.

    "Oh, I''m gonna die, I''m so scared, I''m so scared"

    Or being in a dark cell alone had brought him to team up with crazy.

    "Uweerrgh!"

    He held his stomach as the pain started, opening his mouth and trying to force out whatever it was that was threatening his life. But it was to no avail. He continued to fight it but groaned endlessly till he fell on the ground with the paper he was reading beside him, foaming, his eyeballs rolled out of his eyes and his heart race slowed down. With his hand on his stomach, he stayed there¨C

    [You have died]

    [You have the tendency to devour something]

    [grzztttt#%@%@%]

    The ck holographic tab in front of him glitches as if it was trying to take away the next message. But regardless of all this, Raith''s body turned into a mass of ck liquid, absorbing everything that was in that cell- paper, bones, even the skeleton.

    [You have consumed the part of a certain tome using ''Devourer'']

    [The skill of the tome has been extracted]

    [You have gained a new skill]

    [You have gained 11 stats by consuming the bodies around you]

    [An shadow ego has been created]

    [Devourer has created a sub-perk ''Stomach'']

    [You can save ego soul inside ''stomach'']

    [Stomach(R)lv.1: 0/3]

    [Perk ''Poison resistance'' has been created]

    The metal door screeched as it was opened from outside without any prior notice, as the soldier entered the dungeon, he found Raithying on the ground¨Clifeless. Immediately, the soldier ran back to themander to report this.

    "Huh? He spent just a few weeks and he''s dead already?"

    "My lord, what shall we do?"

    "Feed him to Fenrir"

    The soldier froze as if his eyes had beheld an impossible horror. His eyes were quivering and he could barely take them off themander who didn''t care about his opinion about themand he just gave.

    "Are you deaf?!"

    Themander yelled at him, causing him to run outside falling and picking himself back up till he was out of the door. Themander looked like he didn''t care when the soldier was around but immediately after¡ªhe mmed his hand on the metal table that was scattered with old, brown papers.

    He gritted his teeth as the antennas that were situated as whiskers wiggled.

    His monolid eyes red into nothing and even though they were wrinkled in a way that expressed anger and frustration, there was no brow to apany them.

    He looked like he had just gotten in trouble.

 Chapter 45 Fenrir (2)

    ?The Fenrir was a horror that shouldn''t belong to the lower realm. Every fiend knows the legend of that creature. Just like the demons, the Fenrir was a fiend that was birthed within the abyss and was the only one left in the abyss even after the demons were expunged.

    But after several years, the Fenrir suddenly came out of the abyss of its own will¨Cwishing to be united with its brothers and sisters. But was rejected due to jealousy.

    It was no news that the abyss preferred fenrir to the others maybe it was due to his nature as a wolf. A big white wolf that when he stood on all fours, his back almost touching the sky.

    But when the demons sought to kill Fenrir, he began to harbor hatred for everything that the abyss has ever created¨Cthis hatred prevented it from going into the abyss.

    And the Fenrir turned from the abyss best creation to the abyss worst creation¨Chis furs turned ck and his eyes which used to seek love began to exude hatred.

    Raith''s body toppled as it was carelessly dropped from the top of the dungeon¨C the body journeyed all the way from the top to the underground which was over 20 ft.

    The toppling sound which was apanied by the sound of his bones breaking and limbs twisting made the Fenrir''s red fiery eyes open.

    It gazed at the new entrant and growled with its lowest octave, but still trembled the stones on the ground.

    ba-dump

    ba-dump

    ba-dump

    Raith''s heart resumed breathing and his eyes opened. Instantly he arched up his back and sat up.

    Looking at the messages he received as he died.

    He couldn''t help but notice that it took time for him to wake up this time again.

    And his body consumed everything that was around him because Devourer activated the moment he died.

    "What is going on with this perk?"

    Raith mumbled as he opened the perk information of Devourer.

    [Devourer(EX)lv.1]

    - You have the tendency to devour something.

    - If you die in certain states¡ªthe perk will automatically be activated.

    - Due to the effect of the shadow lord attribute, the perk has been amplified.

    >Sub-perk[Stomach(R)lv.1]

    - This perk was created by the effect of shadow lord attributes. You can store shadow egos.

    - Slot: 03

    - Stored egos: 01

    Raith rubbed his chin.

    "I didn''t notice it before but all the skills have level now. I can level up... by implication of meaning alone it seems this means I can rise in number... but I have never heard this of any hero. Why are things I have never heard of happening to me?"

    Raith''s question was answered by a low growl that catapulted goosebumps all through his skin.

    Raith''s head flung towards his side where that red fiery eye was¡ªstaring at him with patience and exuding hatred and¡ª

    [You have sensed an incredible amount of murderous intent]

    "Yes!"

    ROOOOAAAAAARRRGGHHHHH

    The big bad wolf let out a grandiose hoot that shook the underground and even reached the top¨Cthe floor vibrated and the soldiers took it for a good sign and proceeded to their post,ughing away.

    GULP

    Raith swallowed his spit after he was almost swept away by the breeze of the Fenrir''s roar.

    The creature stood up and its height kept rising before Raith''s eyes till Raith had to look up for their eyes to meet.

    [Trial Of The Shadow Lord]

    - You are on the path to bing chosen of the abyss. With certain anomalies, the abyss has thought of speeding things up and unlocking the attribute of the shadow lord. The Fenrir is the abyss''s best creature¨Chowever, the creature has lost his value and now seeks and breeds hatred. Defeat the Fenrir and make it your first shadow summon.

    - Quest Reward: Title: Shadow Lord.

    "Oh great... just great."

    Raithmented as the abyss made things worse for him.

    "And what the hell does he mean by due to certain anomalies!"

    GRRRRGHHH

    The Fenrir''s forelimbs drifted through the ground, smacking Raith and smashing him onto the wall of the underground. His body fell to the ground.

    The Fenrir paused and looked down. A portion of its feet was already melting.

    whish

    Using his ws he quickly cut that part and was left with three limbs but that was not a limitation.

    Before Raith could move the Fenrir smashed its body into where Raith''s body was¨Ccrushing everything.

    [You have died]

    [Level Up]

    [You have gained 4 stats points]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The Fenrir retreated and sat on the ground, licking the leg he had previously cut. Bit by bit the leg began to grow until it was whole again.

    He then rested his head on his crossed forelimbs thinking the fight hade to a quick end.

    But the stones that crumbled on Raith''s body began to move. Raith flung up.

    ''It seems the skill didn''t activate this time. I was expecting it to activate though.''

    Raith opened his palm.

    "Let''s do this!!"

    He shouted¡ª

    [You are using skill ''Air Leap'']

    His body lunged into the air¨Cprojecting him to the top of the surprised Fenrir. Hended on its fur and the Fenrir began a sudden dance. Shaking and flipping trying to shake Raith off its back.

    Raith held on tight, resisting and enduring the turmoil that came with this rough ride, the dizziness, the instability, the turning of his stomach that was very hungry¨Call sorts, but Raith stayed through to the end.

    The Fenrir finally seeing that Raith was still there, ran into a wall and smashed his back on the wall.

    ¨Cmoments before his body smashed the wall...

    [You are using skill ''Instant Move'']

    [Your speed will increase by 10%]

    Raith shifted forward in a jiffy, grabbing the Fenrir''s neck fur and holding on tightly as the Fenrir smashed itself on the wall repeatedly. Breaking and crashing the wall over and over again.

    The entire castle was beginning to feel the impact because the cave that housed Fenrir was where this castle was built upon. The darkness might mistake anyone to thinking the cave was small and tight for the Fenrir but the cave was very big¨Cbecause it needed to amodate the Fenrir''s size. So, it was incredibly big.

    And it was the demon''s n to dispose of him and take him away from their sight. While he has been buried in the lower realms for thousands of years they have built Felfhiem and made it a world that could rival that of the humans in terms of civilization and growth.

    The Fenrir jumped and flipped his body, mming his whole back to the ground and causing a tremor that began to sink the walls and lower grounds of the castle.

    Fiends that were maids and servants began to run around as an earthquake suddenly broke out in rooms and grounds.

    "What is going on?!!"

    The castle lord cried as he stormed out of his room having felt the tremor. Themander immediately met him before he reached the end of the hallway.

    "Sir, we fed the Fenrir..."

    "You fed the Fenrir?"

    He asked, pausing and looking back at themander whose exnation wasn''t adding up.

    "Yes, the food must have tasted bad."

    The castle lord lifted one of his eyebrows and looked down at themander. Aside from a broken horn that sat in the middle of his head, the man''s features were just like a human''s except for his glitteringplexion and scales instead of skin.

    "This is not the first time that the Fenrir has been fed so why is it making a fuss?!!"

    The tone of his voice demanded immediate answers but themander couldn''t provide any.

    He just stuttered and said what he knew.

    "It was¨Cit was¡ªit was the¨Cthe human Volmak brought."

    "Volmak? Human? Why did I not hear of this?"

    The lord asked turning back fully to face themander. Who kept his head bowed.

    "He died before we could bring him to your front."

    "And Volmak?"

    "He is being held in afortable cell."

    "Whether it isfortable or not. Why is Volmak being held in a cell? If it is Volmak why didn''t you bring him to me immediately?!!"

    The lord''s voice rose again and made themander bow his head further below.

    "I am so sorry, I shall bring him to you now!!"

    "No! I will go and see him. Take me to him."

    He demanded.

    Themander''s eyes widened.

    ''Shit, Volmak is not in afortable cell. What do I do?!!''

    His mind screamed and searched for answers as he led the lord in silence but he found none. All he could do was squirm in the sorrow of how much trouble he is in today and furtherly nurture his hatred towards Volmak.

    ''That damn Volmak, this is because of him. Shit shit shit shit shit...''

    He cried as the walls and floors of the castle trembled even harder.

    They got to the cell where Volmak was and it was empty, the iron bars of the cell looked like someone tore them apart with pure strength.

    The Lord looked into the cell and could see the bones of prisoners who had died inside this ce. He very much knew that this was the lowest level of cell and criminals that were brought here always end up forgotten and would die of hunger and would even rot away and still not be remembered.

    He looked at themander.

    "Come here maggot"

 Chapter 46 Fenrir (3)

    ?"Come here you fool"

    Themander slowly and bowing his head, moved closer to the lord of the castle.

    "Raise your head."

    "My lord"

    Themander said as he raised his face slightly to look at the lord.

    p!

    His face swung sideways as the lord''s sharp ws shed his cheek. Themander immediately bowed his head again not having a second to cry as purple blood dripped down his cheek.

    "Raise your damn head"

    He shakily obeyed the lord''s order.

    SLAP!!

    The second p was intense and louder than the first¨Cthemander''s face swung to the side and his body followed, he stayed on his knee to regain his senses but hurriedly kowtowed as the lord began to speak.

    "Find me Volmak and find out what is wrong with the Fenrir before I change my mind and kill you on spot"

    The lord''s red eyes exuded murderous intent that made the soldiers behind him shudder and shrink, wishing they could just disappear.

    "Yes sir!"

    Themander shouted and immediately rose, he ran forward but forward only leads deeper into the cellir. He soon came back running and bowed swiftly in front of the lord who stayed there and watched him. He ran outside after bowing.

    ...

    [You are using skill ''Lavaration'']

    [You are using skill ''Lavaration'']

    [You are using skill ''Lavaration'']

    Raith when he first received this skill thought it was all he needed. All he needed to do when facing a monster was touch it and its death was assured. He was sure that the battle going forward was going to be an easy one and all he needed to hone was his movement and speed.

    But never has he thought that there would be a time when the skill would be so useless. No matter how many times he kept using the skill, the melt did not spread and immediately evaporated and this came on.

    [The target has developed a resistance to burn and melt]

    "Fucking¨C

    wham!

    The Fenrir made a sudden sharp turn that flung Raith off his back mming against the wall, his body ttened on the floor and as he tried to get up he spewed blood falling back to the ground but stopping mid-way with the support of his elbow.

    His lower lip was bathed in blood and the Fenrir was just starting with him.

    As the Fenrir sprinted towards him, terrorizing the ground with every step of heaviness¡ªRaith blurred forward, with a splitting image that disappeared and appeared in between the legs of the wolf.

    ''It worked with the leg before... maybe the leg is the weak point''

    Raith touched Fenrir''s forelimb from behind.

    The skill activated and began to erode birthing a wide smile that soon fade away on Raith''s face.

    [The target has developed a resistance to burn and melt]

    Wham!

    The Fenrir pped him away with its leg¡ªRaith''s body immediately mmed the upper wall fell back to the ground and bounced on before finallying to a helpless stop. Raith was covered in blood and his right leg was twisted in the wrong direction.

    His eyes stayed open as blood dripped down his face and the vision of the Fenrir that drew nigh got blurry.

    "...I need a weapon"

    Raith mumbled still looking at the monster that was now in front of him. The total area his eyes could capture did not include the head of the Fenrir due to his height so Raith was about to tilt his head upward to see the look on the Fenrir''s face but his head got smashed before his gaze could reach up.

    [You have died]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained 4 stats]

    The Fenrir''s leg stayed on him for a few more minutes with his fangs gnarling at Raith''s corpse before it finally turned and walked away from the dead boy to continue its rest even though the surface was quaking because of its fiery fight.

    ''Voice of the world or whatever you are... show me my stats''

    Raith demanded having woken up.

    [Stats]

    Strength: 44

    Agility: 38

    Stamina: 40

    Intelligence: 130<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Endurance: 79

    Will: 12

    Avable stat points: 53

    ''ha, I still have like fifty-three free stat points. Am I crazy or what...?''

    Raith inquired of himself having woken up from his brief slumber and still pretending to be dead while he prepared for this round of the fight.

    ''thirty points to strength"

    [30 points have been added to strength stat]

    Raith evidently felt the bulging throughout his body as he increased his strength stat. There was a subtle pain that soared through his body as he felt his muscles increase in density and tightened, slowly reflecting on his arms and body in general.

    ''ten to speed''

    [10 points have been added to speed stat]

    The same thing happened but was more subtle and almost unnoticed.

    Raith stood up and tore the dirty cloak that was covering him, stripping himself naked in front of the monster that now raised its head with a fuming re.

    His body had be incredibly formed¨Chis chest broader, his abs better chiseled and thickened, and his side ridges were visible even when wasn''t trying to take a look.

    The Fenrir got up again ¡ªthis time not even wasting a second. It dashed, walloping its huge body into Raith but all that came to a sudden halt.

    The Fenrir disyed a brief show of surprise and put more force on his feet. But all the best that could do was push Raitj forward a bit.

    ''ten points to vitality, remaining three to strength''

    Raith''s strength stat at 71 was not enough to put an easy stop to Fenrir''s push¨Cbut the two seem like they were on the same ground of strength.

    It was a tug of war that was more advantageous to the monster than to Raith who was struggling and trying not to get pushed back¨Ceven at that his leg drilled into the ground and shook as he tried to resist the force of the monster.

    The Fenrir also¡ªusing its hindlimb razed the floor repeatedly in an attempt to gather more momentum which was effective. However, Raith''s tenacity began to vex the monster.

    It gnarled and gritted its teeth drooling and pushing its head further but Raith held the monster''s head tightly pushing it back.

    ''...I can''t keep going like this...''

    Raith released his right hand, tilting his body to the left, the Fenrir, not being able to put an abrupt stop to its pushing force rushed forward¨C

    Pow!

    Raith delved an uppercut into the monster''s jaw, thrusting the monster''s head upward with superhuman speed. The Fenrir staggered to the side and almost fell but used both the forelimb and hindlimb on one side of its body to support its entire weight. The monster regained its stability but stayed stunned for a few seconds before opening its eyes.

    Its eyes were filled with blood that had juggled into the sclera, red-colored blood mixed with drool dripping down the monster''s jaw.

    "Ohho... are you... feeling hot in the head?"

    Raith said, giggling and flexing his arms joyously.

    [You are using skill ''Air leap'']

    He flung into the air as the Fenrir lunged into him, flipping over the monster''s head andnding on its back. He clobbered the monster with several punches on its neck, lowering the monster to its leg.

    [You are using skill ''Instant move'']

    As Raith''s figure blurred forward, he grabbed the wolf''s ear and with the ratio of the speed that he moved with, he tore off the monster''s ear, mming himself on the wall but before he fell he used [Air leap] to project his body higher andnded on the monster''s back.

    Fenrir was trying to stand when Raithnded the second time.

    The monster began a second round of stormy movement, throwing its body left and right, staggering, and mming itself into the wall.

    Raith held on tight and didn''t let go no matter how much the monster ran around.

    "This time... it will be different. Asshole"

    Raith said as he clenched his fist and¨C

    "Young man!!"

    He was about to thrust his fist into the monster''s body but paused and looked toward where that familiar voice came from.

    "Old man Volmak?"

    He was shocked to see Volmak in this ce.

    ''How did he even get here?''

    Raith wondered but didn''t have any time to spare to his thoughts as the wolf ran again, mming its back to the wall.

    "Catch!"

    The man shouted¨C throwing a sword into the air. The sword swirled and slipped into Raith''s hand as he raised it.

    Right in that neck area, Raith pierced the sword into the monster. and pushed it in so deep that the cross guard was what didn''t let the sword fall into the wolf''s neck. The de of the sword protruded from the other side of the neck that was connected to its chest and limbs.

    A rain of blood baptized the rocky ground as the wolf came to its knee.

 Chapter 47 You Freed The Fenrir

    ?[You have killed the Fenrir]

    [You will be rewarded for your failure and death]

    [You have gained +5 stat points]

    [You have gained item Fenrir''s dagger]

    Raith paused.

    He looked under the messages that piled up in front of him, he checked the back too.

    "Is this ying?"

    There was something that he was supposed to be rewarded for the moment he killed Fenrir. It was a trial of the Fenrir after all. So why is it noting?

    ''Why is the message that I have unlocked the shadow lord attribute noting is the abyss teasing me?"

    Raith cocked his head and he still kept ncing below the pile of messages that floated in front of him.

    ''And the rewards are not even encouraging. Tsk''

    Raith clicked his tongue.

    [You have not discovered your true name]

    [The attribute can only awaken when you discover your true name]

    "The hell isn''t that supposed to be Raven Raith."

    [Wrong]

    "Fuck you"

    [Wrong]

    "No, I meant fuck you!"

    Raith heaved a sigh at the silence of the system and looked down at the lifeless body of the monster he died twice to kill but wasn''t rewarded as due.

    ''I was rewarded for my death and failures...''

    Raith sat down on the body of the Fenrir and crossed his leg. Now that he is actually thinking about it, he takes note of the fact that he didn''t level up when he killed the Fenrir, he only leveled up when he died.

    In that way, it kind of makes sense that he is the chosen hero of the archon of failure and death.

    Heroes from the archon of light get stronger in light

    Heroes from the archon of justice get stronger when they stand for just purposes

    Heroes of the archon of elements get stronger when they are around natural elements, depending on which one they are found with.

    Heroes of the sword archon will only see progress and true strength if they follow the path of the sword.

    Heroes of the spear archon too.

    Heroes of the throne archon are the most mysterious and always are bound to be the strongest heroes because the throne archon is the strongest of all nine. They have ample skills which are based on having authority over certain concepts such as speed and more.

    Heroes of the Hound archon are mostly useful for scouting purposes they are some of them that havemendable prowess and are high rankers, they get stronger by following the path of perception and scouting.

    Heroes of the shield archon are defense types and mostly get stronger by following their path.

    Hence it was only natural that the only hero of the death and failure archon and sometimes known as the darkness archon should gain strength by following the path of darkness, death, and failure.

    ''Just why have I never thought of this!''

    Raith scratched his head in frustration as he realized that he was supposed to get used to dying and dying and dying. It wasn''t a good feeling to anticipate. At this rate, he just may build a resistance to all forms of dying that there is.

    He looked down at the corpse of the big ck wolf.

    ''Can''t let this go to waste now can I?"

    He stood up and pulled out the sword, blood seamed down the tip of the de coloring the ck fur of the monster.

    Raith looked at the de and closed his eyes. He had long ovee his fears of death. Suicide cannot cause him to really die now, can it?

    ''If this goes well, devourer will activate and swallow the Fenrir, then I will gain my sweet stat. I bet I could gain like 30 stat points from this big bad wolf''

    Raith grinned.

    "What the hell is he doing?"

    Volmak muttered from his vantage point which was safe from all the crumbling and intense battle.

    pierce.

    "keoorghk! hishhh... it''s not enjoyable''

    Rairh mumbled with blood pooling down his mouth as he crumbled to his knee and his head like the fall of a mighty general dropped.

    [You have died]

    [The abyss rewards acts of courage and seflessness]

    [You killed yourself]

    [The darkness within you has risen]

    [Level UP!]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained 8 stat points]

    [You have gained a new title ''I am suicidal'']

    > Title effect: 50% raise in all your stat points when you are risking your life in battle.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [You have passed a hidden trial: The trial of uncertainty]

    [%#%#%#%#^#]

    Now it happened just as Raith predicted.

    His body ckened and spread all over the Fenrir, wrapping around the monster and getting smaller and smaller till it had consumed the Fenrir then reverted to Raith who coughed himself to resurrection.

    He quickly stood to his knee and panting and coughing more and more. He remembered the devastating feeling as he drove that sword into his belly and it came out from his back, the pain of his intestine rupturing.

    ''Ha, let''s not do that again''

    His panting slowed down and finally came to an end.

    [You have stored a new shadow ego]

    "...the stats?"

    Raith cocked his head and flipped his hands into the holographic message.

    "Where is my fucking stats!"

    Volmak''s eyes widened the hell out due to shock and surprise as he saw what Raith was truly capable of.

    ''The¨Cthe©\the Fenrir... it disappeared, it went away in an instance.''

    His eyeballs quivered as he tried to make sense of it.

    step step step step

    He jacked out of it and quickly ran to Raith.

    "Young man! Come quick, let''s leave this ce"

    He yelled to Raith, trying not to raise his voice too much because of the soldiers that were making their way to this ce.

    "Volmak!! Volmak!! Wait!"

    Old man Volmak paused as he heard the voice.

    Raith looked at him and looked back. They were about to find an escape route and looking at the way this underground cave was built they might not be able to escape unless they go through the route Volmak came in from. Which was also the same route the soldiers, themander, and the lord of the castle took to reach here.

    "Please, I didn''t know anything about all this. I had no idea you were being held in captivity."

    The old man sighed and his shoulders rxed.

    "It''s fine my lord. All we seek is to leave. Can you allow that?"

    "Sir Volmak, I respect you a lot no doubt. But if the demons find out you released the Fenrir, not just my head will roll off my neck, yours and that of every person you have ever loved and you know this."

    He responded with a calm demeanor walking closer to Volmak with his loose robe that disyed his chest. He looked like he had been busy with something when the quaking sent him out of his room.

    Volmak sighed and looked at Raith who was behind him and looked back at the lord of the castle, whose beauty was defined by his slick and long ck hair.

    "You are right... but I ask you of one thing. Can you let this human go?"

    Volmak pleaded.

    "Anything for you Volmak."

    "Please give me some time."

    Volmak requested and the lord nodded in response. He turned to Raith.

    "What is going on? I don''t understand, freed the Fenrir. You didn''t free the Fenrir, I killed it."

    "Shush"

    Volmak ced his fingers on Raith''s lips triggering a pause.

    "Given my strength and record, he thinks I freed the Fenrir, and that is usible because the Fenrir''s body is nowhere to be found. I also can''t tell them that you killed him, we don''t want them finding out about your powers and their link to the abyss. Even the greatest of demon lords wille for you. But this way, I can still fight for my life using my connections.

    You don''t worry about me. Rather, I think it''s time for you to go home."

    Volmak whispered to him.

    "Home? No way, I don''t want to go home Volmak, Felfhiem is my home."

    Raith''s expression crumbled, his brows shifted upwards as his eyes began to gather tears.

    "Come on young man. These past few months I have spent with you have been the best of my life. And Aye, I am not going to die. You can alsoe back when things settle, you have the support of the abyss."

    The old man said, wiping away his tears.

    He removed the ck ring that was in his hand andmitted it to Raith''s hand.

    "I was not able to teach you anything but I will leave you my greatestpanion, he has been with me most of my journey and I am sure he will be a great help."

    He said as he folded Raith''s hands together with the ck ring.

    Raith snuffed his running nose and nodded.

    Volmak patted his head and walked over to the lord.

    "Please can you help me escort him back to the gate so he can go back to his world?"

    The Lord looked at Volmak in a very sorrowful way. As one would look like a martyr on his way to getting martyred.

    The lord turned one of his soldiers.

    "See to it that this human reaches the gate and goes over to Ailgard."

    He whispered to the soldier pointing to Raith who stood there with shuddering shoulders and his disgusting nakedness subtly covered by the darkness of the cave.

 Chapter 48 I Miss You... Or Not

    ?"This gate will lead you to your world."

    The soldier said, standing in front of a swirling blue wormhole gate which was contrary to what Raith thought.

    "This?"

    He mumbled looking at the gate in a disbelieving manner.

    "Yes, this."

    The soldier responded with an affirmative tone. Even though both of them had the appearance of a human only one of them truly was and the other was a hater of the true one. Hence, the vibe between them all through the short journey was a pure disy of arrogance by thetter.

    Raith had been given simple clothing, a red tunic with closed sleeves and a waist jacket apanied by ck pants and a leather knee boot.

    Raith looked at the gate and couldn''t deny the resemnce.

    ''It looks just like a normal dungeon gate in Therut.''

    He paused and continued his train of thought.

    ''...I''m going back to Therut. It''s strange. I have no idea how much time has passed.''

    He sighed and walked forward entering the gate in a very cool way.

    Raith''s vision opened to various fields reaching for the horizons, only disappearing after rolling over the hills in the distance.

    Passing through the various fields ran a weed-ridden, cobblestone road. The road eventually arrived at an immense farmhouse overshadowed by several enormous oak trees.The farmhouse was beginning to show signs of weathering, but it was still in good condition.

    The sky was bright and the wind was chilly butforting to his skin.

    "How shocking."

    Raith had expected to arrive straight into his room where he was taken from. He showed no outrageous signs of surprise since he expected this scenario at the very least. Now all he had to do was find his way out of this farm and into the city.

    At least, that was what he thought.

    [You are in a field dungeon]

    Raith was not oblivious to the fact that open fields exist in dungeons. So he didn''t mistake it for a normal field in therut where monsters could be found¨Cand to better note, it said ''Dungeon''

    [Emergency Trial generated]

    ''eh?''

    [Trial Of The Goblin King]

    This is a dungeon that flourishes with a colony of goblins. Take advantage of this opportunity to bud your power.

    > Defeat 10 goblins

    > Defeat 20 goblins

    > Defeat 50 goblins

    > Defeat 4 hobgoblins

    > Defeat the goblin king.

    [This trial will not earn you rewards]

    [Seek your path to strength in the bosom of failure and darkness]

    [Sess will spoil you but failure will mold you]

    [The Abyss will be watching]

    Raith raised his head up¨Clooking tired of everything from a second-person view. The bang of his hair covered his eyes making it hard to tell what expression he was making, but the way his hand dangled lifelessly was as though he would drop to his knee soon.

    But the entire view of his demeanor changes the moment a naughty smile spread on his face.

    He swung his face straight.

    "I will get stronger, and go back to Felfhiem!!"

    He shouted and ran into the fields.

    ***

    "Thaw Sanada, how do you feel to be the center of discussion after you cleared one of the level 10 dungeons that gued Nelgal nation."

    "ah... well, I can''t say I feel one way or the other, but I just think I am d that I believed in heroes of the nature archons when the world thought of no use for them. I honestly did not foresee this happening, I just wanted to create a safe space for others like myself. But as the saying goes, even the world rewards consistency.

    I am d that we the Elemental guild can render these services and save nations. And I am also using this medium to tell the government and people of Rigeria republic that I am going to save them too."

    "Hmm... there you have it. Thaw Sanada the uprising superhero of these troubling and disastrous times has spoken. The next topic is about the Empire''s victory, now that the empire has cleared all the level 10 dungeons in their nation. We hope that they can lend a helping hand to other nations. What do you think partner."

    The news report turned to a partner who was a man in a grey suit, seated next to Thaw Sanada on an arched table.

    "Well, I honestly think so too. The empire has always been the center of all nations because of its strength and age. But I really think what the world is not talking about is the death of Yao Djansi and the silence of the pontifices.

    Yao Djansi, a legend was killed by a swarm of monsters, we don''t know how hell we don''t even know if he is dead or alive."

    "Hero Yao has always had an arrogant personality but still most of us looked up to him while growing up. Along with this retired hero... uhm."

    "Eren Yogilith, you must mean Eren Yogilith."

    The suit guy responded.

    Thaw Sanada smiled and nodded before continuing.

    "Both of them were the pinnacle of heroes and were constantly brawling for the position of the number one on the ranking board. They made our childhood, I must say it saddens me to hear that something like that happened to him. That is even one of the reasons I decided to ept Rigeria''s offer knowing very much how dangerous it will be. But I am assured of my victory. I have done this before and I can do this again."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ...

    "Look at you doing the same thing you hate in someone else."

    His friend and assistant guild master of the elemental guild Virgo ckman said to him as they ended the interview.

    "Well, I am different from that bastard and I never thought getting famous will be so much of a hassle."

    He replied losing his tie and walking out with his assistant.

    "Thaw."

    Virgo called his name with a serene tone.

    "What? You sound like you are about to repeat that question."

    He responded even though they were still walking and had reached outside the building with their car parked in front and waiting for them.

    After they had both entered the car, Virgo began to speak.

    "The level of difficulty of the dungeon in Rigeria, it is possible that it might be above level 10. Just like Hero Pedus warned us."

    "My response remains the same, Virgo. It is obvious this guy is hating. People can bear to see their juniors prosper. I will go to that guild and clear it, just like I cleared the two before now."

    "After that will you clear the remaining one in Nelgal? I know you declined because it is a water-type dungeon, in a dungeon like that your ability will be rendered useless."

    Thaw''s expression crumpled and he did not respond to Virgo. That was theirst discussion until the car sped off on the higher to whatever location they were going towards.

    ***

    "Youngdy, you are here again?"

    Mr. Fatty said to the blonde-haired girl that walked into the motel reception.

    "Yes, is he back?"

    "No, seeing how you have been frequenting this ce, I presume that bastard owes you a lot of money right? Because there''s no way you''ll be his girlfriend."

    "No way,"

    She responded with a sheepish giggle as the man kept spitting saliva with every statement.

    "Then why do you keeping?"

    "I just owe him an apology."

    "Well, whatever it is, you can drop your number I will make sure to call you when hees."

    He said with a suspicious smile.

    "Ah, don''t worry... I can juste back."

    Amber Rose said with tightly closed eyes pleading with her mind to forget that unhealthy smile she just saw.

    "Well, suit yourself."

    The man said acting like he wasn''t intending to spam her with calls and texts if she had dropped her number.

    She turned away disappointingly and walked her way out of the slum and into a car waiting for her. By resemnce alone, the car was looking like a Maybach but the logo was that of a crane. So, there was probably a distinct difference.

    She looked back at the slum with a sad countenance as the car drove away.

    ***

    [You have killed 1 goblin]

    "Ah, hunting has been made easier thanks to this dagger."

    Raith praised the ck obsidian dagger with crimson hilt after splitting the goblin''s face with it.

    ''Is that the monsters in Therut are too weak or I am just too strong... how am I supposed to get stronger if these monsters keep dying in one go.''

    Raith expressed his frustration as he threaded his path deeper into the forest. Hisst fight was with Fenrir, even before now all his fights he had always been at the weaker spot, a spot where he is the one that has to struggle to protect his life. This feeling of superiority and easily defeating monsters was strange to him and in truth was not enjoyable.

    wham!

    He staggered forward as the goblin jumped down from a tree, smashing his head with a club.

    With a pause in everything, his movement and that of the goblin''s blood dripped down his temple and forehead.

    "hieek!"

    The goblin suddenly jolted and step back as it looked at him. Its eyeballs began to shiver with a pale face, and the monster''s shoulder trembled to its hand with every drop of blood that fell from Raith''s face.

    [Title Effect Intimidation is in use]

    [Weaker target will be inflicted with ''Fear'']

    "Booo!"

    "welp"

    The goblin yelped and ran away, falling and picking itself up while discarding its weapon.

    "Oh, did that scare it? I guess."

    Raith swung his dagger yfully as he continued deeper into the forest.

 Chapter 49 The Goblin Massacre (1)

    ?Raith''s dagger drew a thin line from his initial position past the three goblins that stood in front of him.

    Their head fell to the ground one after the other.

    "Does the sharpness of this dagger increase with speed? I don''t know."

    Raith summoned the item details.

    [Item Details]

    Fenrir''s Dagger.

    Attack Power: 1,607

    Grade: B

    Durability: 700

    > When in the hands of a very fast person the sharpness of this dagger is doubled due to the obsidian metal.

    "Hm hm, impressive"

    Raith looked at the path in front of him which ended with the open cavity of the cave beyond.

    ''A cave''

    It was cringe to think about but Raith honestly hope that his death will be waiting for him in this ce as he nonchntly marched into the cave asined¨Chaving not received a single reward since he started hunting the goblins.

    sh

    He drew a horizontal curve toward his side as a goblin popped out of the dark side of the cave.

    sh sh sh sh

    What started slowly instantly became a charade of seaming lines that slowly disappeared after the dagger had cleaved the goblins in the targeted area.

    Raith''s movement was random and guided by his transcendent sense.

    ''Ah!''

    He suddenly stopped and rolled his upper body to his right side mming a high kick into the face of the goblin that jumped down from a dark high corner¨Cthe goblin flew into the wall of the caves and fell to the ground leaving an art of its sttered purple blood on the wall.

    "My status"

    [Hero Status]

    Name: Raven Raith

    True name: Unknown

    ss: Child Of Death

    HP:4,000/4,000

    Age: 21

    Level: 04

    Aura points(A.P): 00

    Shadow points(S.P): 71(locked)

    Cosmotic points(C.P): 125

    Title: Celestia yer, One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation, I do not fear death, I am Suicidal.

    Dust attributes(Traits): the darkness beyond death, the dissatisfaction failure brings, Shadow lord(locked)

    [Skills-Passive]

    - Devourer(EX)lv.4

    - Transcendent sense(S)lv.14

    - Intimidation(S)lv.7

    - Heat Resistance(S)lv.2

    - Poison Resistance(R)lv.1

    [Skills¨CActive]

    Truth Seeker(S)lv.1

    - Lavaration(A)lv.6

    - Instant Move(B)lv.4

    - Air Leap(C)lv.5

    - ck Armour(D)lv.1

    - Way of the Sword(SSS)lv.1 (iplete)

    [Stats]

    - Strength: 71

    - Speed: 48

    - Stamina: 50

    - Intelligence: 130

    - Endurance: 79

    - Will: 12

    Avable stat points: 12

    ''It changed again, is it because I''m in a gate that is in another realm? Anyways, let''s see this skill''

    [Skill Details - Way of the Sword(SSS)lv.1]

    > An iplete skill from certain scriptures. This skill perfectly enhances the user''s affinity and dexterity with the sword to the bare maximum. It is a swordsmanship that counters and finds an opening no matter how tight but the skill is iplete and in a premature form.

    > Energy points cost: 10 Cosmotic or shadow energy per minute.. 5 aura per second.

    "Amusing, it is rather sad that I don''t have a de."

    ''Imagining using this with the perfection of my transcendent sense.''

    Raith rubbed his chin. He rolled his sleeve and tucked his dagger into his inventory.

    Pow Pow Pow

    He began to pummel the goblins with punches. It was not going to earn him anything but for a moment he liked the sense of total superiority, although it soon bored him.

    Raith''s abnormal stat was a big contribution to how strong he is. If he was able to gain stat through defeating monsters like everybody orpleting a quest from his archon but it was not so. All he needed to do was die which raked in an abnormal flow of stat points for him.

    Meeting Thard-Harl was a foundational boost to his stat. And even sometimes he can''t help but be grateful to his sparring partner. The truth is Raith has been defeated more than he has ever defeated anyone.

    He stopped in front of the towering double door embedded within the cave walls.

    ''Body armor''

    ''...''

    Raith looked at where the notification will usually appear at.

    "Ah, my bad ck armor"

    [You are using skill ''ck Armor'']

    [Your defense will increase by 100% for one minute]

    His skin began to turn ck and thickened, up to his neck.

    ''Instant move''

    As his image blurred forward, he flew and smashed himself into the door¨Cmaking a dramatic and grand entry.

    The cave was wide and open and even he would not believe the number of goblins that existed in that cave.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    On the other end of the cave was seated a goblin bigger than the others, athletic and huge with nes and ornaments that seem to be from middle age.

    Beside the goblin king are four other goblins with equal body structures but were not as big as the goblin king.

    Raith was still in mid-air¡ª anybody would have desperately wished they could put a stop to their movement at that moment but Raith...

    [You have deactivated skill ''ck Armour'']

    He grinned as he fell right into the middle of the crowd of goblins, their numbers were almost a thousand.

    Hence began the beginning of the death Raith sought.

    But it wasn''t so enjoyable. His cry flew into the air as he fell amidst the goblins. They began to tear his skin with bare hands while some clobbered him with the clubs in their hand. It was a very rough and disgusting sight to behold.

    The goblins after confirming his death scattered around leaving his body that has been carved open with his disgusting intestines on full disy, with his eyes colored red and mouth wide open.

    [You have died]

    [You have been brutally murdered]

    [Enduring pain and suffering you embraced your reality]

    [You have gained 100 stat points]

    [Your Endurance stats has increased by 10]

    [Due to the title effect of ''One who ovees death'' You will be revived]

    [HP will be replenished]

    [Stamina will be replenished]

    "Eh ehh ehhh!!!"

    Raith rose from the dead with a joyful cry.

    ''A whopping hundred!"

    He cried.

    Death truly was not sweet and not once has it been good even when it was quick. But the rewards that followed made him so happy that he forgot the pain he had just gone through minutes ago.

    The goblins were already running towards him at this point but instead of preparing to fight Raith lowered his legs and bent down.

    ''Air leap''

    "Eeee-yaahhh!!"

    He screamed as he catapulted himself towards the lid of the cave, reaching a higher level than any of the monsters.

    [You have equipped Fenrir''s dagger]

    As his feet gentlynded on the cave ceiling¨C

    "Instant move"

    whim

    Raith''s body tore through the wind into the ground¨Ccausing a terrific explosion that released an expense of dust.

    As the dust cleared, several goblinsy on the ground with their guts open. Raith spun his blood dagger as he rose from his bent position after he had repeatedly stabbed thest one to death¨Cbathing his face in the stters of its blood.

    As the corner of his lips curved, his gaze met with the goblin king. Raith pointed his dagger forward to the goblin king and brought the tip of the dagger to his gut, keeping his nasty grin and making sure his eyes were fixated on the goblin king even though he raised his head to show the dagger on his neck.

    UUUUWWWEEEIIIGGHHKKK!!

    All the goblins began to scream upon the shout of the goblin king. With a heightened vigor and spirit they charged at Raith who stood in the middle of the cave with his right leg on the goblin''s head.

    ''Instant move''

    Wham!

    As his body blurred once more into the distance beyond him, his leg squashed the goblin''s head.

    Swish Swish Swish Swish

    It will take years of experience on the field for anyone to swing a dagger the way Raith did, yet somehow, just by sheer enjoyment and immersion he was fighting as he had never¨Cconstantly shifting the dagger between his left and right hand¨Cin moments where the dagger was busy and could not switch to deal with enemies that were closing toward him, he plunged a blow into their face or jaw with his hand.

    His amateurishness could still be seen in his movement but his superhuman speed and strength tremendously made up for it.

    And when the pressure got intense.

    ''Air leap''

    Whoosh

    He was thrown into the hemisphere of the cave before they all could gather on him.

    However.

    Whoop! Gbam!!

    One of the hobgoblins that had been monitoring him collided with him with a leap from where he stood.

    Crash!

    Both of them crashed through the protruded stone cones of the cave roof and on the wall, then down to the ground.

    The hobgoblin immediately grabbed Raith and began to punch his face not giving him space to breathe.

    In a moment his face had deformed, covered in blood he slowly lost the strength to breathe.

    [You have died]

    [Fighting with your all yet being defeated]

    [Growth buds within your death and failure]

    [You have gained 13 stats]

    The hobgoblin walked away from him with the other goblins cheering for its strength.

    The goblin king grinned and leaned into his seat.

    "Wheee..."

    [Passive skill ''Intimidation'' has been activated]

    [Target has been stricken with ''Fear'']

    The goblin paused as Raith whistled, leaning on the cave wall with his hands folded.

    "tch...thirty stats to speed"

    [30 points have been added to speed stat]

    "hmm.. twenty to strength"

    [20 points have been added to strength]

    "Twenty to stamina"

    [20 points have been added to stamina]

    "Damn, I need two daggers, using only one is causing an imbnce, it''s a different story if it was a sword."

    Raith muttered to himself and put the dagger in his inventory.

    "But since I''m using bare hands, should I just recklessly invest the rest of my points to strength?"

    He asked the hobgoblin that stared at him, dazed Raith tilted his head sideways with a gaze that made the hobgoblin want to knee.

    The monster''s leg slowly took one step back.

    [35 stats have been added to strength]

    "Haha!!"

    Perks is what we call passive skill, don''t me the changes on me, me it on the system updates.

 Chapter 50 The Goblin Massacre (2)

    ?Like a madman, Raith ran forward¨C

    His fist plummeted into the hobgoblin''s head and came out from behind.

    Raith''s jaw dropped, even he was surprised at this level of strength. He removed his fist from the monster''s head and was dazed at the hole he had created there.

    He looked at the monster as it dropped to the floor, lifeless.

    Then he turned his head back to the goblin king... with a smile.

    You know the rest of the story.

    Okay, just to be sure we are on the same page¡ªRaith dashed into the crowd of goblins.

    This time his strategy was even more horrifying. He punched and kick and punched and punched and punched... there were more punches than kicks.

    Every single fist he threw decapitated the goblins and he went on till he could go on no more.

    [Your stamina is low]

    [You are fatigued]

    Raith bent and rested on his knee, panting. Two of the hobgoblin leaped from the throne altar where they and the goblin king stood. Landing gantly in front of Raith, they began to circle him.

    And as one moved¨C

    ''ck Armor''

    Thud!

    Just like the sound of their heavynding, so was the sound that rang through the cave as the hobgoblin''s fist collided with Raith''s chest.

    Raith was standing at one point even though he was tired.

    ''Shit... his blow is packed...''

    Raith broke a sweat as he stood his ground using every bit of hisst strength. He grabbed the hobgoblin''s hand and forcefully turned it¨Cturning the hobgoblin''s shoulder like that.

    Gbam!!

    He smashed a blow into the hobgoblin''s chest¨Cthe monster''s body bounced on the floor, it coughed up blood, and even seemed to be having a hard time coughing because Raith''s fist hadpletely destroyed its lungs.

    Raith walked forward and raised one leg as if he was about to start a brigade march. Then while looking into the eyes of the second hobgoblin, he thrust his foot into the monster''s head, smashing it on the ground.

    "I am sorry... my leg slipped."

    It didn''t matter if the monsters understood him or not, it is clear he was trying to taunt them.

    [Passive Skill ''Intimidation'' has been activated]

    [Target has been stricken with ''Fear'']

    Thest hobgoblin began to shakily move backward, as Raith moved forward to it¡ªit turned its back and made a run for the broken door.

    Swish

    A thin curve line swiftly swept past the hobgoblin''s neck.

    "Never show your back to your enemy"

    Raith helped with itsst statement as it fell on its chest. He spun the dagger skillfully and turned to the goblin king, pointing the dagger at it.

    "You''re next."

    UWEIGHK!!

    Thest hobgoblin beside the goblin king groaned something and began to breathe angrily, it was the closest one in size to the king... and judging by that alone Raith could tell it was the strongest of the four.

    The hobgoblin leaped with a clenched fist into where Raith was standing.

    ''I''m tired''

    He dealt with it the easy way.

    Raith caught the hobgoblin by its neck.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''Lavaration''

    The monster''s neck began to melt immediately.

    That left only the goblin kind to deal with. The goblin king stood up and began tearing the ornament away from its neck. It didn''t throw them away but rather walked forward to Raith.

    Both of them stood against each other and with how tall Raith was the goblin king was still taller, almost looking like an orc but could be distinguished by its long ears and nose.

    THUD

    The monster mmed both knees to the ground and offered the ornaments to Raith with both hands, bowing its head.

    ''Eh? Is it begging for its life?''

    Raith was dazed, this was the first time he had seen or heard of something like this.

    [You have achieved an impossible feat]

    [You have gained a new title ''The Revered'']

    > Title effect: When youpletely, overwhelmingly, 100% overpower a monster, it will respect and bow to you. You can do as you deem fit with the monster.

    "Oooh Oooooh, so cool."

    Raith chuckled brightly at the message that appeared in his front.

    Suddenly his stomach began to grumble.

    [Passive skill ''Devourer'' has been activated]

    [You have the tendency to devour anything]

    ''While I''m alive?!''

    Right before his eyes, he saw his stomach stretch forth, shifting colors and properties to a ck and swiftly swallowing the goblin king. It was as swift as when a frog sticks out its tongue to eat an insect.

    Raith''s jaw dropped. It was brief but he saw it and began to doubt his humanity.

    "Am I really human?"

    [You have swallowed a living creature]

    [What do we make of this?]

    [The abyss slowly begins to question your origin]

    [The Living Creature has been converted to a shadow ego]

    [Shadow ego has been stored in ''Stomach: 3/3'']

    [The body of the creature exists in the abyss]

    "It didn''t give me any stats?"

    Raith looked like he was about to cry.

    But his face brightened up as a blue gate appeared in front of him.

    "My ticket out of here!"

    Raith happily ran forward and into the gate.

    (Ailgard - Human Dimension, otherwise known to the natives as Earth)

    Few men could be seen on clusters in an abandoned construction sight, they wore modern attires, but strapped to these attires were parts of armors, while one chose vambraces, another chose breastte which wasmon among these men that stood. One of them was even fully dded in a heavy armor, the way his neck and small head snuck out of the armor showed that he head a small stature and was probably struggling to carry all that sparkling weight.

    With a buzz cut and a bright round eyes, he stood in front of the man in ck suit and ck shades that looked down at him and collected his license card.

    "Name, Baek Min-ho. B rank?"

    The man in ck suit looked at the boy that stood in front with disbelief.

    ''A B rank? He doesn''t even look like he''s eighteen yet.''

 Chapter 51 Earth 101 (1)

    ?"I''m twenty, just as it says here."

    Min-ho''s vibrant and solemn voice guided the hunter to the part on his ID that showed his age.

    "Your rank is quite high. Why are you working for the association? You could be in any guild you want?"

    "Ah, I don''t always have the time you see."

    Min-ho responded, sheepishly scratching the back of his head as the man confirmed his identity. He moved on to the front of the blue gate that was situated 30 meters away from the construction site.

    ''I''m so happy, even though I received my hunter rank four months ago but this is the first time I am entering a dungeon because I have been so busy.''

    The boy optimistically stares at the gate but all that bright expression soon became a charade of confusion as the gate began to reduce.

    The swirling blue energy of the gate slowly reduced and they could tell.

    "The gate has been cleared?!"

    Min-ho yelled in horror.

    Following his horror were the long legs of a certain light-skinned man with jet-ck hair.

    His clothes were tattered and the stain of blood had dried on them. He staggered forward seeing Min-ho and slowly fell on the boy''s shoulder as he spoke softly.

    "I''m back"

    All the men that were preparing to enter the gate including the agent that was checking them in all ran to meet this man.

    "Who is he?"

    The agent that checked Min-ho in asked.

    "I have no idea, but he said he is back."

    Min-ho responded to him.

    "Please if you don''t mind, the association will take care of him."

    "No, I will."

    "What?"

    "It is my duty to help him."

    ''...I can''t let them take him, they aren''t nice people.''

    Baek Min-ho had always had a chivalrous nature since he was a kid, it was what always led him into the arms and legs of trouble in various situations.

    "Sir, you don''t even know him."

    "He knows me."

    "Huh?"

    The agent removed his shades and rolled his eyes down to Min-ho in an irritated manner, then he remembers Min-ho is a rank B hunter.

    He sighed and pocketed put his shades back.

    "Okay then."

    He turned away.

    Min-ho struggled with Raith''s weight for a few steps then stopped and looked back.

    "I need help..."

    ... ... ...

    The men around acted like they didn''t hear him.

    "I''ll pay."

    All of them came running.

    ***

    The antiseptic and somewhat bitter smell snuck into Raith''s nose before his eyes opened to the white ceiling and bright led lights of the hospital room.

    He widened his eyes and flung up shouting.

    "I''m back!"

    Noting the dotting difference of the furniture of this ce, the nurses whom he could see glimpses of¨Cthanks to the transparent ss in the center of the door.

    Everything looked like he was in the right ce.

    He sighed.

    ''I was scared, I thought I hade to another realm or something.''

    Gently, heid back on the bed and continued to stare at the ceiling. After a few minutes of boredom, the door slid open.

    A doctor with an entourage of other doctors entered the hospital room.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    There was a distinct difference between this man and the doctors that were behind him which made it so obvious that this man was the main doctor¨CHis face, he had a white beard with a face full of wrinkles yet he was taller and broader than the others.

    He read through Raith''s chat.

    "Young man, you can wake up now."

    The man said.

    The other doctors mumbled from behind even they, didn''t know that Raith was pretending to be asleep.

    "Tch."

    Raith opened his eyes and sat up.

    "I suppose my time in this luxurious hospital is over since I am a castaway noble who has nowhere to stay."

    Raith''s brief speech nkly dazed all of them.

    "Well, thanks for the information but your time in this luxurious hospital is not over. And I suppose you won''t be able to provide us with your family''s information seeing that you are a castaway... noble."

    The man quoted the ''noble'' with a space emphasis.

    ''I like this man, he''s sharp.''

    Raith looked around.

    "Where am I though?"

    "You are in Seoul National University Hospital. Can I have your name?"

    "What? which country is that in?"

    The man who was writing down Raith''s information paused and looked at him.

    "South Korea."

    "What''s that?"

    "This man... did he show any signs of amnesia."

    "No, sir. To be particr we didn''t check but there were no symptoms or need for us to check sir."

    One of the doctors behind him responded.

    "Young man. What is your name?"

    "Raven Raith."

    "I- what an interesting name, which country are you from."

    "Pomei Empire but I obtained residency in the free city of Cavanaugh."

    The doctor paused and turned to the other doctors.

    "I think you see now the reason why to conduct mental tests?"

    "Yes sir, we apologize sir."

    The twenty-something-year-old-looking male doctor ahead of the rest responded with a bow on behalf of the others.

    Raith exchanged nces. It might be hard for the doctors to figure out but it was not the same for him.

    His fears...

    "Sir, you say this country is South?"

    "South Korea?"

    The doctor responded.

    "What about this world? What is the name of this world?"

    The doctor heaved a sigh but responded to him.

    "I guess you can say Milky way gxy or earth? But of course, a lot has changed seeing humans begin to awaken so our dear earth is now like a fantasy world. But I don''t think I need to tell you these since the reports say you singlehandedly cleared a rank C gate."

    Raith''s focus was long gone from what the man was saying.

    His index finger was curved beneath his chin.

    ''Fuck, I really came to another world. I''m fucked, I''m so fucked.''

    slide

    Another person entered the hospital room, bowing respectfully to the doctors, particrly the one in front of them. He also was wearing a green hospital scrub and as it would suggest¡ªon his chest was the name tag "Surgeon Baek Min-ho".

    "Ah Min-ho-yya, this guy you brought in. I think there is a need to do a mental check on him. You can take care of that since you are a neurosurgeon yourself."

    "Eh?"

    Min-ho was left dazed as the doctors walked outside leaving him to the stranger in front of him.

 Chapter 52 Earth 101 (2)

    ?Min-ho was seated there for about fifteen minutes and didn''t say a word. He felt awkward. He has always been a shy guy, to begin with, it didn''t matter if it was male or female, hell it was even worse with females. But like his timid stature would suggest, he was very naive, but brilliant seeing that he became a neurosurgeon at such young age¨CHe must be a genius.

    "So, you saved me?"

    Raith spoke aftering out of the turmoil of thoughts. He hadn''t quite figured everything out. But it was beginning to add up if he considered the fact that Therut was created by archons.

    He has heard of the celestial realm, human realm, and fiendish realm. And Volmak never knew that Therut existed which meant the human realm that they know is not Therut but rather this earth.

    Besides, one cannot fully call Therut a human realm since there are other races; elves, dwarves and beastkins a general term that put all these three races together was ''demi-human''. While humanity is not the only race in Therut, humanity is the main race.

    "Yes, I did. It was a very odd thing. You cleared a rank D gate on your own, the Association was going to take you away so I had to save you"

    ''Hisnguage is weird but oddly, I have no trouble understanding him and the case seems vice versa too. Is this the doing of the abyss? If it is then why?''

    "What is your name?"

    "Min-ho"

    "Okay, Min-ho... I have something important to tell you. It might sound crazy but believe me, I''m not crazy."

    ''I should mind what I say because of the code...''

    Raith began to exin to Min-ho the fact that he came from another world and was hunting in a gate, leaving out a lot of details and only focusing on the part where the gate is supposed to take him back to his world but he came out here¨Calso, he mentioned nothing about Felfhiem.

    "Ah, I see..."

    Min-ho nodded his head, at first when Raith started his story, it was absurd. The young man was about to consider doing a mental checkup for real but as he listened to Raith and saw the look on his face, he decided to respect him by believing him.

    Min-ho stood up after hearing all this.

    "I understand, but maybe we should keep this in between us for now. If the association hears of something like this, I''m sure they will take you into custody."

    "Hm..."

    Raith nodded.

    ''He''s a nice guy, I didn''t expect him to believe me so easily, maybe I should have told him about my power? Nah, let''s leave that.''

    "I will monitor you closely while in the hospital and you can stay in my house after you are discharged at least till you find a way to return home."

    Again, his chivalrous nature.

    Raith''s eyes squirmed with glittering eyeballs.

    "A, you are so nice. Thank you."

    "Ah ah ah"

    His expression of gratitude made Min-ho so awkward that all he could was releasemeughter.

    "Then please take care. I''m a bit busy so I have to go back, also the association would being here soon. You can just tell them you are a foreigner who came to see me."

    Min-ho was right on that note. Even though Raith''s hair and skin were looking like theirs, with those beautiful heterochromia eyes, anyone would argue his origin. It only made sense that he tells them he is a foreigner.

    Min-ho nodded awkwardly and left the hospital room.

    ...

    A few minutes after he has left, two men in ck suits and shades entered.

    Raith sat cross-legged with his eyes closed and suddenly opened them¨C they couldn''t resist that vibe of sagacity that he exuded but he truly was used to sitting like that.

    "I am Sun Jong-Su, an agent from the association."

    He introduced himself, his ck hair was slicked back and shining like he had used a moisturizer. He was the same agent that was in the abandoned construction site where Raith came out from the gate.

    "And this is my colleague. Ok Hyun. We are both from the association¨C

    "Ah..."

    He made a pause due to Raith''s odd exmation which looked like he was recognizing them based on something bad he had heard before now.

    "Sir?"

    "Nothing."

    ''It seems that Min-mo guy was right.''

    "So, what have youe here for?"

    Raith asked them.

    "Regarding the D rank gate that you cleared, we havee to get some rity and information."

    "Okay,"

    Raith nodded as the agent spoke.

    "So, did you go in with other hunters or you went in alone."

    "Other hunters?"

    "Yes, other hunters like yourself."

    [Heroes are Hunters in the human realm]

    ''ahh...but why the fuck are you helping now, you''ve never done it in times I needed you.]

    Raith looked down at the system but that was the end of it¨Cno response.

    The agents looked at Raith with anticipative eyes as he took his time to respond to them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I went in alone. There was no one with me, and it was a goblin dungeon. The goblins were not that strong but the numbers were enormous if someone had gone with me. I''m not sure they would have made it back alive."

    "Yes, that was why the gate was left for that long. It is ranked as D but all of a sudden the magical power of the gate rose from rank D to C but that was not recorded because we weren''t so sure. We were about to confirm this when you came out of the gate and cleared it."

    "I see, if the magical power rose then it must have been because of the goblin king. Goblin King isn''t something that happens now and then but when it happens the goblins are always stronger than the norms."

    "Ah, I see... you seem knowledgeable."

    ''That is because I took sses before doing the archon''s trial''

    "Sir, if you don''t mind. Can we ask what your rank is?"

    "My rank?"

    "Yes, your hunter rank"

    ''Now that I think about it...''

    "I''ve never been ranked, I didn''t even register with the association"

    The agent leaned forward on his seat.

    "That is a punishable offense to enter a gate without a license but I am willing to let it slide if you promise toe to the association for rank evaluation and register with us."

    Raith gasped. The least he wants is to get marked by thew enforcers of this world again¨Che knew how much trouble it caused thest time.

    Raith nodded in agreement.

    The association agent gave him a card.

    "You can call me here, I will arrange a discreet evaluation any time you are ready. Also, please do not tell anyone about this."

    Raith nodded with a smile and the association agents stood up and walked out.

    "Sunbaenim... why did you want to evaluate him. Contrary to how I thought this would go you were extremely nice to him. He cleared a gate belonging to the association without approval, we should be using that against him."

    Agent Ok Hyun asked as they walked into the elevator that took them to the lower floors.

    "Let me ask you, Hyun, to singlehandedly clear a rank D... no a rank C dungeon, who do you think can do that?"

    "rank S..."

    "Exactly, and how many rank S hunters does our country have?"

    "Seven."

    "Of all seven, how many works for the association?"

    "None."

    "Now, you know why I was being nice."

    He concluded as the walked out of the elevator. Agent Ok Hyun who took some time to reason what he said btedly ran out of the elevator to catch up to him.

    "Sunaenim are you saying that guy might be an S rank?"

    "How did a slow-witted guy like you even make it to the association."

    Agen Jong-Suined as they got out of the hospital and entered a ck Mercedes Benz that was waiting for them in front of the towering hospital.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    (Felfhiem- Kania, the ninth realm)

    Twelve narrow, square towers scattered in a seemingly random pattern, but were built for an ideal defense and were connected byrge, massive walls made of ck stone.

    Refined windows are scattered thinly across the walls in a seemingly random pattern, along with asymmetric crentions for archers and artillery and a great gate with wide doors.

    Above the sky of this ck castle was a rumbling Crimson sky that spread a significant red color across the whole realm.

    Kania was known to be a realm that wasn''t meant for all because of the properties of its demon lord.

    In his throne room, at the end of a red carpet that rolled from the entrance to these three-step stairs and finally to the feet of the golden throne seat was Duke uros, so human in all features except for the two horns that protruded from his forehead granting him the signature of the devil himself.

    "So, the Fenrir escaped. How''s that my business?"

    He said to his retainer who bowed meters away from him.

    "I wasn''t the one that put Fenrir there. Those bastards in the upper realm expect me to always clean after their mess."

    He groaned leaning forward.

    He paused for a few minutes then his eyes brightened.

    "Wait, you mentioned that he was freed by that Volmak."

    "Yes, your highness."

    "Shax''s Volmak!"

    "Yes, your highness."

    The Duke suddenly lick his upper lips.

    "Looks like I''ve found a way to challenge Shax''s authority."

 Chapter 53 Earth 101 (3)

    ?"Oh oh...this is delicious!"

    slurp slurp

    Raith struggled to express his enjoyment because he couldn''t make time to look up as he gobbled up the ramyeon that was in front of him.

    "I know right, it is even more delicious when I used some of my secret forms to mix it. We''ll try it when we get to my ce."

    Min-ho replied gesticting with the wooden chopsticks in his hand,pared to Raith whose hand was messed up because he struggled with using the chopsticks. At least now he''s even better, the first time he tried it some weeks ago, they kept falling off his hand and he frustratingly dropped it and ate with his hand.

    Hispany had brought an atmosphere of humor to the hospital.

    It has been one week since Raith has been in the hospital and he is already popr.

    His looks were one thing, he was pretty average but what stood out was his eyes. Yes, those damn heterochromia eyes that people used to stare at with scornful gazes. In this world, Raith was adored because of it. Although many would often address him as Raven.

    He was most popr among the old patients and the nurses.

    "You still don''t want to go yet?"

    Min-ho pointed out the question as Raith feigned ignorance when he talked about showing him some secret recipe when they get home.

    He sighed.

    He had been pestering Raith to leave the hospital and move to his house but the strange fellow had been so hung up on staying with the people in the hospital even though he was long due to being discharged from the hospital, he still stayed and walked around in the hospital patient wear.

    He dropped the disposable ramyeon stic on the table where he was cross-legged seated and looked at Min-ho who was on the chair opposite the table.

    Towards the window was a table and chair, not just your regr table and chair but an exquisite, ss-made one¨Cjust like the one you find in the office of the head of a department.

    The venttion of the room was enduring and sat well with the neat arrangement of furniture which was very few. Opposite Raith and Min-ho was a t-screen television that was hung on the wall.

    "I like it here, why bother to leave. Even you live here most of the time."

    Raith pointed out, shrugging his shoulders.

    "Ah... you''re right."

    Min-ho sighed and leaned into the chair after dropping his ramyeon stic. He observed Raith who stood up and began to look around with his hands behind his back, for the first time almost looking like his age.

    "Do you want to tell me... about your home... your own earth."

    Min-ho said, with hesitation as hepleted his statement.

    "It''s not earth..."

    "Huh?"

    Raith''s unexpected response pulled his body forward as he sought to pay attention.

    "My human world looks just like this one but it is different and it is not called Earth, it is called Therut. We have several countries, I think altogether there are twenty-three countries including free cities. Of all fifty-three, Pomei Empire is the greatest, well arguably because Verto Mount too is extraordinary but they don''t mix with the others and separated from us by the sea..."

    "Your world sounds so interesting."

    "Trust me, I have been to an even more interesting world."

    Raith said, as his mind journeyed down a recent and hurtful memoryne.

    ''I can''t waste time like this. First I must get stronger and return to Felfhiem to save Volmak.''

    He said looking at his clenched fist.

    "Is something wrong?"

    Min-ho asked, worried about his sudden change in mood.

    "I''m sorry Min-moo."

    "It''s Min-ho."

    "Ah, Min-ho. Do you know where other dungeons are situation or field monster locations?"

    "Other dungeons as in gates."

    "Yes, and field monsters."

    "I can tell you about other dungeons but I am not too sure about field monsters. Since the only ce we can find monsters are in the gates. Well, the Americans and Japanese have seeded in subjugating a monster while it is alive and has even been able toe to amon understanding but Korea is far from that area."

    ''Hmm... so, unlike Therut. They don''t have field monsters.''

    Raith rubbed his chin with his index finger.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Can you take me to these other dungeons or gates that you know of?"

    He asked Min-ho with a definite resolve which humbled Min-ho and filled his replies with honorifics.

    "It won''t be easy."

    "Why?"

    "Number one, the association has a fundamental right over all the gates whether new or old. Number two, gates arergely owned by guilds, so we can get sued for clearing it, or better still, we will get no payment and the loot will be taken from us."

    "Hmm... that is reasonable. This association... are they the same people that came to my hospital room?"

    "Yes, those ones."

    "Hmm... I see."

    There was a brief five seconds of silence between the two.

    "Can I borrow your phone Min-mo"

    "Min Ho..."

    "Sorry, my bad."

    Raith smiled and stretched his palm forward.

    Min-ho slowly dropped the android smartphone on his hand while locking his gaze on Raith''s suspicious smiling face before finally letting him go.

    Rairh walked outside hastily and began to type the number from the card he received.

    =Hello.

    "Yes, this is Raven Raith. I was given this card by a person from the association."

    =Ah, so it is you. The one who is due for evaluation.

    "Huh? Ah, yes, evaluation."

    =Okay. Pleasee to the association for evaluation. Tell them you have a reservation with agent Jong-Su

    "Okay, thank you"

    Raith hung up and¨C

    "What the fuck?!"

    He red as he turned back to see Min-ho calmly standing beside him.

    ''I didn''t sense him... was it because he didn''t have any killing intent...?''

    Raith''s perception by far is far from okay. Transcendent sense enabled him to sense an iing attack which meant hecks bare perception.

    "I©\

    "No need to exin, Hyung. I heard everything. You know nothing about this world, the association is desperate, they will use you and throw you away."

    "Still, I have to be able to enter dungeons."

    "I understand, then you should have just talked to me about it. That I disagree with doesn''t mean I won''t help you."

    "Ah, you will?!"

    "Of course, but you have to trust me with everything."

    ''Trust huh...''

    A memory gued him in that instance causing a baleful thought to cross Raith''s mind.

    ''Well, I don''t have any worries, I can just kill him if he betrays my trust.''

    His eyes squinted into a slit in that millisecond.

    "Okay, so when do we go to the association."

    "First let''s get you some clothes. I might get used to seeing you in these scrubs."

    Min-ho said and patted Raith''s high shoulders as he walked away with the pride of a rich man.

    Raith followed after looking at his back for a few more seconds.

 Chapter 54 Rank Evaluation

    ?Raith''s eyes shimmered as they were drawn to the tall skyscraper that loomed over the surrounding buildings. The skyscraper was a gleaming tower of ss and steel, with a modern and sleek design that made it stand out from the rest of the city''s architecture. As he got closer, Raith noticed the sign above the entrance to the building. It read "Seoul Main Branch" in bold, silver letters that glinted in the sunlight. The entrance was an impressive set of double doors made of polished wood and metal, with two security guards in ck suits, stationed nearby.

    Raith couldn''t help but feel a sense of awe and anticipation as he approached the doors.

    He probably had a picture or two while Min-ho was driving but this exceeded his expectations. The beauty and splendor, he just couldn''t wait to see how the interior will blow his mind and as expected¨C As he stepped inside, Raith was immediately struck by the grandeur of the crowded lobby. It was a vast, open space with high ceilings and a polished marble floor. There werefortable seating areas and sleek, modern art pieces on disy. A receptionist greeted him and Min-ho warmly

    "Do you have a reservation or are you justing today?"

    "Yes, we have a reservation..."

    Min-ho replied and showed him the card the association agent had given to Raith.

    "Please head to the elevators, floor 41"

    He said pointing them to the elevator that was ahead of them in less than ten meters.

    "Thank you"

    Min-ho said and both of them departed from the receptionist.

    Raith couldn''t help but feel a sense of excitement as he rode the elevator up to the upper floors.

    cling

    The elevator stopped and its doors opened to a broad hall of several rooms. The ce was not crowded like the lobby but a few agents could be seen walking to and fro¨C entering into chambers on both sides of the hall anding out of them.

    Before the child was greeted by another receptionist but her reception area was smallerpared to the one in the lobby.

    "Wee sirs, do you have a reservation?"

    "Yes..."

    Min-ho responded.

    "What is the agent''s name?"

    Min-ho turned to Raith, who shrugged his shoulders in response.

    Min-ho shook his head slowly at Raith and dropped the card on the table.

    "Oh, Agent Jong-Su."

    "Ah, right... Jong"

    Min-ho red at him¨C he smiled awkwardly and looked the other way round.

    "Alright please go to chamber 3"

    The receptionist said to them.

    Locating Chamber 3 was easy as it was the third door towards the left side of the hall.

    As they enter inside, a white room with arge crystal in the center was revealed before them.

    Raith''s eyes widened with further excitement.

    Agent Jong-Su was with other agents standing beside the crystal and seemed to be busy with the mechanical handling of the monitor that was connected to the base of the crystal through wires, the crystal sat on a golden tform that converts the magic energy it reads into numerical form and then is disyed on theputer.

    "Hunter Raith you came!"

    Agent Jong-Su despite his business sighted them immediately after the door opened.

    He walked up to them and greeted them both.

    "Shall we go straight to the point then?"

    Agent Jong-Su said, guiding Raith to the front of the crystal while Min-ho waited for him in a mini lobby towards one corner of the room.

    "This is a measuring crystal, they were created by fusions of magic crystals gotten from gates. I can surely tell you this is the best magic energy measuring device you will ever find anywhere."

    He expressed while punching the monitor that was adjacent to the crystal. He turned to Raith¨C

    "You can ce your hand and more of your magic energy into it."

    Raith did as he was told and ced his hand on the crystal, slowly pouring his energy into it.

    ''...I hope it works, I don''t have magic energy''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [Arge amount of cosmotic energy has been detected]

    [Absorbing energy...]

    ''Nooooo''

    Raith retracted his hand from the crystal immediately.

    "What are you doing? Put your hand on it."

    Agent Jong-Su said to him immediately and looked back at theputer.

    ''...this is a very very bad situation, I have a bad feeling about what might happen here''

    Raith slowly ces his hand on the crystal.

    [Absorbing cosmotic energy...]

    Raith closed his eyes, trying not to think about anything while Jong-Su''s eyes were glued to the monitor widened.

    "Sunbaenim... how is this possible?!"

    The junior agent behind him gaped as he saw the number disyed on theputer rise with speed.

    beep

    The number made a pause at 3443,560... and went back to 0. Then disyed an F rank.

    ''What? is this thing faulty?''

    crack

    Just as Jong-Su thought that¨C he heard a crack and looked toward Raith.

    The crystal that was supposed to be shimmering with a sky blue color had gonepletely grey and void of glow.

    [Cosmotic energy has drastically increased]

    [You have gained 1054 cosmotic energy]

    [Your body will undergo a modification in 0:10:59:59]

    "How?"

    Jong-Su cried as he ran around the crystal that he was so proud of a few moments ago.

    "I just poured my energy into it..."

    Raith said with a sorry expression.

    "Ah..."

    Jong-Su sighed and stopped at his front.

    "I understand..."

    ''The reading before it turned to zero... I have never seen anything like that.''

    "It seems something is wrong with the crystal I will issue you a temporary license and we will call you back for a new evaluation. How''s that?"

    Agent Jong-Su''s voice was void of the vigor from before.

    "It''s fine. So far I will be able to enter dungeons."

    "Yes... I will contact you tomorrow, for a dungeon that needs to be cleared... if tomorrow is okay by you?"

    "Alright."

    Raith nodded his head, looking at the crystal onest time and feeling sorry for it before he joined Min-ho at the mini lobby.

    After a little bit of waiting time, a temporary license with an F rank evaluation was issued to Raith, even if it was temporary he was disgusted at the rank since it was the least but he also had to put in the factor that the crystal could measure magic energy and he didn''t have magic energy. Hence the extent of his strength could not be measured by the standards of this world, but he wasn''t feeling bad at all, thanks to the crystal he got more energy and now he is staring down at the weird message that says his mode will be modified in ten hours which prompted Raith to head to head to Min-ho''s apartment¨C so he could be away from everyone because of whatever was going to happen.

    Min-ho dropped him at his ce and returned to the hospital.

 Chapter 55 Merchant (1)

    ?[Starting Modification]

    crack

    "Argh!!"

    Raith let out an unexpected and sudden scream as a deep, intense pain radiated throughout his bones. The sharp and burning pain shot through his bones.

    The sensation felt like it was emanating from the very core of his body and spreading outwards.

    As the modification continued, the pain intensified and became more unbearable, causing him to writhe and scream in agony. His muscles began to undergo spasms, adding to the difort.

    Raith began to feel dizzy or lightheaded due to the overwhelming pain. He started to sweat profusely as he curled on the ceramic tile.

    As the pain continued it became so intense that Raith''s eyeballs rolled up and sank into his lead, his heartbeat began to get slower, and he began to gasp having a hard time breathing, he continued in that state for ten more minutes before saliva began to stream down his opened mouth.

    [You have died from intense and unbearable pain]

    [Modification has beenpleted]

    [All impurities have been purged by excess cosmotic energy]

    [Your blood vessels and muscles have been reinforced]

    [Due to the suffering and the pain you experienced your endurance stat has risen by +25 points]

    [Your body has been modified, you have gained +15 stats increase in all your stats]

    [Due to your new body...]

    [Passive skill ''Heat resistance'' has reached level Max]

    [You have gained a new passive skill ''Cold Resistance(S)lv.max'']

    [Due to title effect ''One who devours death'' You will be revived]

    [You have gained +5 stats points]

    [The darkness within you has increased by a tremendous amount]

    [There is an unlikely synergy between the cosmotic energy and shadow energy within your body but one will eventually devour the other, which will contribute greatly to the path you will thread]

    "Aaahhhppp"

    Raith gasped back to reality, panting and holding his chest tightly as his breath slowly returned to the normal rate.

    Luckily he was not wearing any shirt but the pants he had was damp in the liquids that were excreted from his skin¡ª the choking and disgusting odor of this smell invaded his olfactory organ the moment he stood up. Even he had to tighten his nose to resist the toxic odor as he cleaned the whole ground and made his way to the bathroom.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    "So you are saying to me... that the crystal was damaged."

    "Yes sir"

    Jong-Su sheepishly stood in front of the association president after reporting all that happened a few days ago.

    "This man, were you able to get him on our side?"

    "I intend to get on his good side sir."

    "Are you sure of your judgment Agent Jong-Su? What if he turns out to be just another low rank."

    "I trust my gut feeling president. Something about him is different."

    By looks alone, the man didn''t seem far from age from Jong-Su but no one would dare to be deceived, since everyone that has been in the association long enough knows that this is just a kickback of his abilities. He looked down at the report on his table with his eyes emitting a subtle blue glow.

    "If you say so... I trust your judgment, then would you like to make him a merchant."

    "Sir? A merchant. Can I do that?"

    "Sure. With that, he will have the exclusive right to clear gates alone."

    Jong-Su bowed deeply in front of the association. President.

    "Thank you, sir!!"

    He shouted before heading out.

    The first thing he did was fix an appointment with Raith.

    Raith stood in the backyard of Min-ho''s house while wandering around shirtless he happen to discover a training ground and on one side was a rack of wooden swords.

    Just what he was seeking. A sword so that he would be able to test the sword skill he had.

    He held the sword to his front.

    [You have activated skill ''Way Of The Sword(Iplete)]

    With fluid movements and lightning-fast strikes, Raith began to perform a series of intricate sword techniques he had never seen nor heard of, moving back and forth across the clearing with precision and grace, striking imaginary opponents from different angles, blocking iing attacks, and executing quick footwork to evade potential strikes.

    He paused for a moment shocked at the way he moved the sword without even knowing where to move the sword too.

    "Wow, this is the way sword skills work?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    In essence, no, this was not the way sword skills worked. Of all skills sword skills were the hardest to obtain, one had to master the basics and know them well,pared to magic skills which

    can be learned from tomes or rune crystals. Of course, a melee fighter can learn some skills from a tome of rune crystal but only skills like quick movement, or stealth¨C not skills that involved delicate mastering such as the sword.

    Raith continued to swing the sword from different angles, performing horizontal and vertical strikes, as well as thrusts and cuts while focusing on executing each movement with uracy and power, striking imaginary opponents in front of him.

    A wide smile formed on Raith''s lips as the hot sun kissed his skin and pearls of sweat began to form on his body, he got intense and began to execute more advanced techniques, performingplexbinations of strikes and footwork with lightning-fast speed.

    He weaved in and out of different stances, pivoting on his feet and shifting his weight to maintain bnce and control, all the things he could never have gotten a hang of so easily, thanks to the passive skill ''Devourer'' Raith was a different breed from whether the heroes or hunter.

    Despite the intensity of his training, Raith remained calm and focused, his mind sharp and alert, his breathing steady¡ª inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaling slowly through his mouth, keeping his mind focused on the movements of his sword.

    He was consumed in every moment of strike such that the sun began to go down and he had no idea how much time had passed. As the sun began to set in the sky, casting long shadows across the backyard, Raith finally put down his wooden sword.

    He looked at his palm which had small calloused from holding th hilt of the wooden sword for long hours. Raith had been training since the early afternoon and now the sky above him was dark...

    "With this skill, everything will be different."

    Raith smiled.

    The skill was impressive¨C to think that something as amazing as this was iplete.

    Raith began a memory journey back to when he took the paper on the floor when he was imprisoned. It was in front of a skeleton that seemed to have died while sitting and Raith remembered very well that he devoured that skeleton.

    A lot of things were confusing and it seems the abyss is just as confused as Raith was when it came to this passive skill devourer. That gave Raith a hint¨C maybe the habit didn''t give him that skill.

    However, that spection also left a lot of questions.

    Raith scratched his head.

    ''I don''t want to stress myself by thinking too much, I''m sure the answer will fall in ce as time goes on''

    He knew for sure that the skill would serve him well in the future battles he will face.

    As Raith turned to leave the backyard, he flustered back in the shock of seeing Min-ho who stood there looking at him, dazed.

    "Wow..."

    "What? How long have you been here?"

    Raith asked as he regained hisposure.

    "Towards the ending part."

    Min-ho replied to him with a bright smile.

    "Hyungnim! Please teach me how to do that."

    Min-ho''s eyes sparkled towards him. His demeanor had changed all of a sudden.

    It is reasonable, no one would see Raith exhibit such a jaw-dropping sword technique and not respect him.

    "Ha ha... this will take a while."

    Raith tapped Min-ho''s shoulders and walked inside.

    "Right! Hyungnim, you have a message from the association. And I think you will need your own phone.

    Raith paused and looked back at Min-ho with a nk and squinted re, a re that made goosebumps run through his skin.

    ''...did they find out what I did?''

    "What message?"

    He inquired.

    Min-ho could tell, something about this man changed in just a few hours of leaving him alone.

    "Uhm¨C err, well..."

    He was void of speech for the first few seconds as he stared at Raith''s slitted eyes which were different from the ones he was used to seeing in the past week.

    "They said they would like to give you a merchant contract?"

    "Merchant? Like they want me to be selling stuff?"

    "Hhahahha No."

    Min-ho giggled and began to give a better exnation.

    "You see about fifty years ago, there was an outbreak of gates. A lot of gates but in return humans also awakened new powers that gave them the ability to fight these gate monsters¨C

    "Wait, do you guys hear the voice of the world too?"

    Min-ho was puzzled by his question.

    "We don''t hear any voice, we just awaken the power within us, whatever power you awaken is the power you get to have all your life, except someone goes through reawakening. The main point of what I want to say is that these gates appeared all around the world till today they still appear at an rming rate. Merchant is a concept created by the universal association for hunters that do not want to be affiliated with guilds or with the association. So, they clear gates for the association and receive 90% of the reward while also receiving amission fee from the association.

    Raith rubbed his chin.

    "Impressive, so I can clear gates and not get affiliated with anyone."

    "Yes, but you must be very powerful to be made a merchant. At first, I didn''t understand why the agent decided to make you one but seeing you now... Hyungnim, please make me your personal assistant."

    He shouted bowing 90 degrees toward Raith.

 Chapter 56 Merchant (2): The Sword Of Bael

    ?Raith and Jong-Su sat in a room, facing each other and at a table between them, on that table was a file. Jong-Su pulled out the paper on the file and slipped it to Raith.

    As Raith collected the paper he suddenly remembered and feared that he might not be able to read earth''s writtennguage. But contrary to his thoughts it was just like he was writing a text from Therut. Theirnguage wasplex and based on rune words. But if one was subjected to diligent learning from childhood, writing would be easy as speaking.

    Raith''s eyes widened.

    "I will receive 100% for the first for months? and amission of 1.5 million dors from the association, every month?"

    Jong-Su nodded diligently.

    "You are worth that much hunter Raven"

    "Woah, I thought my rank came out as F?"

    Raith said with a disbelieving expression, sizing up Jong-Su with a gaze that clearly does not seem to believe they were being for real.

    ''Is it too small for someone like him?''

    Jong-Su feared as he misinterpreted Raith''s face. Perhaps it was the distant change between his present face and his three days ago face.

    "We can raise it to 2 million dors. Please ept 2 million dors for four months''missions. You will have ess to a lot of gates that even guilds wouldn''t dare touch."

    "I see..."

    Raith grinned inwardly, he understood the situation that just yed out and didn''t refute it.

    ''He must have thought I wasn''t impressed and decided to increase it...''

    Raith locked his fingers and leaned forward, leaning on his knees, he was donned in a ck button-down cor shirt tucked into ck trouserspleted with a nicely polished ck shoe and brown coat.

    "Then what do we need to do."

    Agent Jong-Su''s expression brightened.

    "Oh, yes you just need to sign here, here, here, and here."

    He pointed out the ces turning over the pages of the contract paper.

    Raith skillfully twirled the pen in his hands as he scribbled down a simple R.R. signature.

    ''His writing is neat and fine.''

    Jong-Su noticed as Raithpleted the signing and passed it to him.

    "Can I enter a dun¨C a gate, today?"

    "Yes of course. However, I will dedicate an assistant to you who will help you with the loot."

    "Hmm... I already have one."

    "Ah, okay. It''s fine. We can proceed to a gate then if you want. Do you want to get any equipment, as a new merchant, it will be on the house. Also, you will need a merchant name, going forward."

    "A sword, I need a sword. And you can just use Raven of Death for my merchant name."

    "O-okay"

    Jong-Su replied shaking off his surprised expression.

    "Please follow me. I will show you the weapon store."

    As Raith followed Jong-Su, he took out the ck smartphone that Min-ho just got for him earlier this morning. With Min-ho''s number being the only number on his phone he dialed it.

    "Hello, Hyungnim."

    "Time for work"

    "But hyungnim, I am really¨C

    "You see momo... the association agent is pestering me to allow him to get me another assistant¨C

    "Give me the location sir."

    "I''ll send it to youter."

    He said and hung up the phone.

    ...

    "Who is that?"

    A slim man with a lined face and a full head of silver hair, that was neatly groomed to one side¨C whom Min-ho was standing in front of, asked as he slowly looked up at his face.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "My friend."

    "The hunter you have been hanging out with these days?"

    "I guess everything eventually reaches your ear."

    "What do you expect? This is my hospital. You''ve been doing so well son, don''t ruin your future by hanging out with the wrong person."

    "Thank you father for the advice."

    Min-ho bowed quickly and rushed out of the chairman''s office.

    "What an arrogant kid."

    The man said as he picked up the telephone and called his assistant.

    "Monitor Min-ho for me."

    ...

    After a few minutes'' drive, a ck car parked in front of a departmental store. Right from the storefront, Raith was greeted by a towering disy of gleaming swords and other weapons mounted on the transparent ss. As Raith entered the store he was faced with an endless arrangement of swords. Each sword was set in a custom-made stand, with a spotlight illuminating its intricate design and razor-sharp edge, there were short swords, saber swords, daggers, long swords, katana, and different unique sword designs, there was even one that carried the shape of a shark.

    But that was not what Rairh was looking for. He needed something that would feel just like the wooden sword he used to train with a metal strong enough to hold his cosmic energy.

    In the center of the store, a circr tform rises from the floor, disying the most exquisite and expensive swords in the collection. As Raith walked around the tform looking for what to choose, the ck ring Volmak gave him suddenly tightened around his fingers.

    Raith took a pause but it stopped.

    ''What is this?''

    He wondered as he stared down at the ring in his hands.

    "Is everything okay sir?"

    The sales girl who was not too far away from him asked.

    Consumed in what he was doing Raith saw no need to spare his time to reply to her since it wouldn''t help him in any way.

    He looked up and walked back, as he took the second step backward he felt the tightening more intense now.

    "Shit."

    He groaned silently while clenching his hand to endure the pain as he looked up¨C

    [You have discovered a demonic sword]

    "What?"

    Agent Jong-Su who was at the receptionist stand came to meet Raith.

    "Hunter Raith."

    "That sword."

    Raith said pointing to a sleek, dark-purple sword with no crossguard, but the sheath and the hilt of the sword were a matching color.

    "Ah, that ck one..."

    Jong-Su said looking exactly where Raith was pointing.

    Don''t me him, he has never really been good with colors.

    "Okay."

    He nodded after confirming Raith''s request, then went back to the receptionist.

    [Weapon Information]

    > A weapon forged with the blood of Bael(a now forgotten and dead demon lord who was considered to be the strongest demon to ever lived) This weapon has been lost over the ages and has been reforged over and over again by the legendary cksmith throughout the world before it was lost.

    Because the weapon is forged from Bael, it has a trait of devouring the strength of its foes, with every sh and cut, it will regenerate its user''s life with the blood of its foe.

    > Durability: 10,090

    > Attack Power: 4,780

    > This weapon is a bound item, you can only use it if it epts your blood.

 Chapter 57 The Disguise Gate (1)

    ?''How suspicious''

    Raith curved his index finger beneath his chin as he looked down at the messages.

    ''Bael... a dead demon lord.''

    He wondered as the sword was passed down by automation and the salesperson brought it out from the horizontal slot where it was.

    "Does he really want to buy this, it is attractive at first nce but I''ve seen several peoplein that the sword won''t even open."

    The receptionist whispered to Agent Jong-Su, who paid attention to her but stuck his eyes to Raith.

    He then turned his gaze to the receptionist and turn to the salesperson that slipped the sword into a long box.

    "It is fine. He chose it."

    ''I don''t know what he is up to but I don''t care. I should use this opportunity to ascertain his qualities. Let''s take him to a rank B gate. Or is that too much, maybe a rank C... let''s see if he is the one that cleared that dungeon. Even if he dies, it won''t be on the association, since he signed the document.''

    Agent Jong-Su brought to the sword to Raith who pulled it out of the box and walked out of the store, not caring about the box of the sword that was on the ground.

    [You can form a bond with this weapon by feeding it your blood]

    [Whether or not it will ept you as its master depends on it]

    Rajth grabbed a pen from the receptionist''s table¨C

    stab

    and stabbed it into his hand, throwing them into a short frenzy of fear.

    He held the sword with his wounded hand as he walked outside the store.

    [The Sword Of Bael has formed a bond with you]

    [You are forever bound with the Sword Of Bael]

    [It will always find you wherever you are]

    [You can summon the sword by its name]

    [Do you want to give the sword a new name or stick with the old name]

    ''Yes, I''d love to¨C

    [You can''t grant a name]

    [You don''t even know your name]

    ''Is this fucker shitting me?''

    Raith red with a pulsating vein on his forehead.

    swish

    With swiftness, he removed the sword from its sheath and looked at the ck de.

    ''...hm, it is okay.''

    He nodded and put it back into its sheath before entering the car.

    Meanwhile from inside the store, the receptionist''s jaw dropped, and refused to close back. Agent Jong-Su turned back to the receptionist with a smirk.

    No one knew the origin of the sword, they just knew that this weird and cold-looking hunter just did what several hundreds of hunters including one S-rank hunter couldn''t do.

    "I can swear it wasn''t supposed to work, even Mu couldn''t use it."

    He muttered but no one cared.

    Raith held his chest as the car drove to the location of the gate he was to hunt.

    The more his darkness grew the more he felt empty within himself, caring lesser about people''s feelings¨C and the change was drastic and noticeable.

    Raith thought of what king of person he would be if his darkness grew so enormously or when he finally unlocks the attribute ''Shadow Lord''

    After all, this all started after the shadow lord attribute was unlocked.

    While in the midst of that thought Raith began to wonder about how to find his true name. The abyss kept insisting that he doesn''t know his true name which means that he has one.

    "Hunter Raith..."

    Agent Jong-Su softly called out to him¡ª helping him out of his thoughts. The car had gotten to the destination.

    Therge blue swirling gate with an oval shape stood right there at the entrance of the market, which was nked by several stores but was empty.

    The gate emerged three days ago during the market activity which had thrown people in utter disarray, the association immediately arrived to put things under control while waiting for one of the merchants to be free to clear the gates.

    But with the number of gates they have the merchants are too busy and also some of them have other things to attend to¨C simply put, the association couldn''t just order them around because of their strength and importance in society and to the association.

    Which eventually led to the association president''s suggestion of making Raith a merchant even though his rank wasn''t confirmed. It didn''t matter, as long as he doesn''t die. The association is in need of merchants now more than ever especially if they don''t want to be outdone by the guilds.

    "Hmm..."

    Raith looked at the gate that stood in front of him like a portal to another world.

    "Hyungnim!!"

    "You came."

    He replied gently looking back to see the young man dded in golden lion armor.

    "What the hell is this?"

    Raith looked at him with expressive unbelief, he chuckled and turned to the gate.

    "My bad, I just thought¨C

    "Hunter Min-ho, with this much armor it will be hard for you to move."

    Jong-Su enlightened him.

    "Ah..."

    Not like he didn''t know before, he was just over-prepared due to his first time finally entering a gate. He loosened some part of the armor leaving only the vambraces, shoulder guard, breastte, and golden boots.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Hunter Raith. You don''t need anything else."

    "It is fine. I''m good."

    ''He is going to enter a gate without armor?''

    Agent Jong-Su nced at his face, expecting even a tiny thread of nervousness but he found none. There were no emotions of any sort on his face. Just a focused gaze that was looking into the gate.

    "Momo."

    "Hyungnim it''s Min-ho"

    "It''s Momo from now on. The moment we enter this gate, everything you see stays between us."

    Raith tilted his head backward to look at Min-ho.

    "Tell anyone and I''ll slit your throat."

    He made it clear with narrowed eyes that plunged spears into Min-ho who got flustered immediately.

    "Hiek.. gotten sir."

    Min-ho stole nces at him.

    ''Since the day before yesterday, hyungnim has changed. Did something happen? He doesn''t seem angry or sad but he doesn''t seem happy too. Maybe it is because of his world.''

    "I have made necessary preparations..."

    Agent Jong-Su said as he walked closer to Raith and Min-ho.

    "...are you sure you want to enter this gate alone?"

    He asked looking at Raith''s face.

    "It''s fine. We''ll be good."

    Raith replied to him, tapping Min-ho, and the next¨C picked him uppletely from the floor and threw him into the gate, and walked in gently afterward.

    Several minutes passed and agent Jong-Su couldn''t still believe what he saw.

    ''He conveniently picked up a human being. I know it is possible but that would be in the case of tankers that have arge build and enormous strength. But in the case of hunter Raith, he is thin although he seems to have a good physique, still, it makes no sense...''

    GRRIIZZZZZTT

    While he was contemting, the gate suddenly began a disturbance.

    WHOOOSH

    Pulling in the breezes, and almost sweeping agent Jong-Su with it.

    "What is going on?!"

    Agent Jong-Su shouted to the monitoring agent who was behind him.

    "We have no idea, sir!!"

    They raised their voices but it was still lost in the turbulent wave of air.

    GRIIZZTT

    The gate began to throw sparks and began to change colors. From blue, it went to purple.

    The agent''s eyes widened.

    "NO- - - WAY."

    A gate changing color was a rare urrence and is often called. A disguise gate.

    It is not called a disguise gate because it is hiding its strength but rather because it contains two distant kinds of monsters but the gate magic energy is measured ording to only the weaker one.

    "Contact the association immediately, fast!!"

    Agent Jong-Su shouted. Even though he had meant to test out Raith''s abilities this was too much for him.

    ''Shit, he can''t survive a disguise gate...''

    Agent Jong-Su''s lips trembled as he looked at the purple gate that seemed to have grownrger.

    Meanwhile.

    "Hyungnim! The gate entrance is gone."

    Min-ho looked back but where the gate should be standing was nothing¨C but the view of trees. They stood amidst a dark and foreboding forest, filled with twisted trees and thorny underbrush. The air¡ªthick with the smell of damp earth and decaying leaves, and the only sounds are the asional hoot of an owl or the scurry of small animals in the undergrowth.

    "Hyungnim what are we going to do?"

    "Let''s clear the gate first."

    Raith finally replied to him after several disturbances.

    As Raith and Min-ho ventured deeper into the forest, the first thing they noticed was the wooden structures¨C crude rough hewn as if they were jacked from the trees themselves.

    Raith paused.

    The ce they were at seemed empty but there was no doubt about it. This was the beginning of their area.

    Raith did not know much about gate ording to first-hand experience but he could still process some thoughts based on the conversations he would often hear at the store when he was at Cavanaugh.

    "Hyungnim, aren''t these wooden houses."

    Min-ho muttered his question as he found it hard to navigate his vision through the forest which wasn''t the same for Raith.

    "Step back and watch."

    Raith said to him, pulling his jacket for him to hold and also rolling up his sleeve.

    "How about youe outside and let''s just make this easy for both of us."

    Raith shouted¨C his voice piercing into the dark forest and all around it.

 Chapter 58 The Disguise Gate (2)

    ?"Guild master! The association called!!"

    A tall and brisk man shouted as he jammed into the office of Lee Se-Chul.

    Lee Se-Chul, also tall and well-built man with a strong face gently. He collected the phone and leaned back, his long brown hair flowed down his back and glistened in the rays of sunlight that escaped from the ss window behind him.

    "Hello."

    "If it isn''t president Nam Jin-Hwan. To what do I owe this unexpected call? Wait don''t tell me you miss me or someth¨C

    "One of the reasons why I don''t like you is that you talk too much despite being an S rank."

    The president cut his statement short with his brief and harsh exnation causing Lee Se-Chul to frown.

    "You see, there''s a disguise gate not too far from your guild headquarters, a local marketce somewhere I don''t know¨C

    "You want to ask for my help and look at your big mouth insult me."

    "I don''t care. I can call other guild masters, I am just doing you a favor. It will only be minutes before the media gets wind of this disguise gate, I know you have always wanted your face out there as the guild master of the Gojo guild. This might be your time to shine, a disguise gate doesn''t happen often."

    As much as he wanted to cut the association president''s tongue, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, then replied after exhaling.

    "I will be there."

    "Good. One of the reasons why I like you is that you can be reasoned with."

    smash

    CLATTER

    Lee Se-chul smashed the phone on the table with his incredible strength, breaking the entire table, and nothing was left of it¨C just shattered sses spread across his front.

    "Guild master!!"

    The brisk young man gasped and eximed¨C he could never get used to his guild master''s anger tantrum.

    ''How many tables have I changed now? Sixty-seven or is it even sixty-nine, the guild''s hotline...ah!''

    He cried internally as he dragged himself slowly out of Lee Se-chul''s office.

    "Fuck you... Gu Won-shik"

    Lee Se-chul groaned as he stood up and harshly grabbed his suit jacket that was sitting on the headrest of his chair.

    ***

    Raith stood legs apart, standing with the ck sword on the ground in between his legs, and as he looked into the dark woods, and could clearly see the creatures that hid.

    He looked around once more,pared to the number of monsters he could see, there were the wooden houses were more.

    ''Did do go on a pilgrim journey or something''

    He wondered as he gave them theirst chance toe out themselves but they refused. They seem to be hiding from something.

    The mistake Raith made was thinking they were hiding from him.

    [You are using skill ''Instant Move'']

    [You are using skill ''Way Of The Sword'']

    Raith dashed into the darkness like a blur, his sword gleaming in the dim light as he unsheathed it within a sh.

    As he sped past the first one he spun around, his sword shing out in a wide arc and the de slicing through the creature''s neck as it leaped towards Raith from behind thinking that Raith didn''t see it. Raith paused as the green head with protruded tusk from the mouth rolled away into the underbrush.

    "Goddammit, I let you save yourself and you get cocky."

    Raith said as he nced back at the headless orc with a stocky body and impressive physique.

    The other two he was originally dashing towards roared in anger and charged at him with their crude axes raised high.

    Raith didn''t flinch.

    [You are using skill ''Instant Move'']

    With the substantial increase in his cosmic energy, he could now use any skill without having to worry about running out of energy, ¨Cat least having to worry for a while. In an elongated battle, we can''t say the same.

    Raith pierced forward like ck lighting, darting out his sword to block the first orc''s blow, and with a sharp spin around, the orc''s arm fell on the ground.

    The injured orc howled in pain, but Raith didn''t give him a chance to recover. He lunged forward and drove his sword deep into the orc''s chest.

    Thest orc was bigger and stronger than the other two but Raith did not seem fazed by that fact.

    He looked at thest orc with slitted eyes and his heterochromia eyes for the first time glowed amon white color in the thick darkness.

    The creature struck by the fear of the figure that stood as if the darkness was its clothing and with a white deadly gaze, began to slowly trace its steps backward.

    [Skill ''Intimidation'' has been activated]

    [The orc monster has been stricken with the fear state]

    [You are using skill ''Instant Move'']

    Before it could move any further, Raith with a sudden burst of speed, darted forward with his sword, piercing the orc''s heart.

    The creature copsed to the ground, dead.

    Raith stood there for a moment catching his breath as the blood on his sword slowly sank into the ck de of the sword, unnoticed.

    [You can absorb the monster''s tune crystal]

    [Because of certain reasons you cannot gain any skill when you absorb a monster''s rune crystal]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [But your cosmic energy will increase]

    "Ah shit."

    Raith suddenly remembered something and groaned in frustration.

    ''I wanted to die before actually starting, how can I get ahead of myself and kill the monsters.''

    Raith med himself but stopped and turned back to look at the frozen Min-ho.

    ''I was wrong. I was wrong. This guy is beyond amazing. Orcs! Ors!! Orcs may be rank C monsters but because of their physique and intelligence, they are considered almost a B rank. Yet he dealt with three of them so easily?''

    Min-ho''s eyeballs shook with a squirmy smile on his face.

    "Hey... Momo."

    "Sir!"

    He jacked out of his thoughts immediately after he heard Raith''s voice.

    "Pick the crystals."

    Raith said as he turned back pretending to not care about the super shocked expression on Min-ho''s face.

    ''Hehehehe... did you see that. I feel like an actual big shotmanding him like that.''

    He twitched his eyebrows with a smug expression as he walked forward.

    "Hyungnim, hyung. Wait for me!"

    Min-ho shouted as he followed Raith, whose steady steps were so fast he had trouble catching up.

    After walking deeper into the forest, Raith was met by a long and tall wooden wall with a gate standing in the middle, this space was already out of the forest and was a clearing.

    ''The forest was meant to hide their location or something?''

    Even Raith could tell that much seeing how they built houses within the forest.

    ''Or they were some orcs leaving outside''

    Raith wondered both ways but shifted his attention to what was in front of him.

    The walls were made from thick logs, hewn, and stacked to form a rough barrier. The gate was made from the same materials, but had a more intricate design, with sharp wooden spikes and metal reinforcements.

    "How spectacr. They are more like humans in the stone age..."

    He muttered.

    "Orcs are known for their intelligence. Even though they are monsters they canmunity with each other."

    Min-ho helped with some information, which was very helpful and thoughtful of him since the abyss has decided to not feed Raith with the dungeon information.

    ''Not even one piece of information, it also isn''t asking me toplete the trial.''

    "Hyungnim, how are we going to get inside? Wait are we even going to go inside? Maybe we should just go back and tell the association, the orcs live in a colony. We could get killed if we go there alone."

    Raith shook his head slowly¨C confusing Min-ho further.

    "What?"

    The young doctor sought rification with a shaky voice.

    "We can''t go back."

    "Hyungnim, what do you mean we can''t go back?"

    Min-ho asked, his voice getting more unstable and shaky, his forehead was pale and sweat ran down his face.

    "You''ll be fine Min-ho. I told you, I''m the only one that will be fighting. Stay outside."

    Raithmanded as he looked up.

    He looked at Min-ho one more time and brought out the Fenrir dagger.

    "If there''s any need to protect yourself, don''t hesitate to y anyone, even if its human"

    With shaking hands, Min-ho collected the dagger.

    ''Air leap''

    thwack!

    Raith lunged into the air and over the tall wall,nding right into the middle of the circled orcs¨C with two orcs wrestling with each other.

    Everything went silent as a loud thud was heard and dust fill the entire ce.

    As the dust cleared, the orcs with anticipative and curious gazes leaning forward, waited to see who it was that had made a dramatic entrance into a strength challenge.

    Within the clearing dust that was showered with the subtle illumination of the crescent moon under the dark skies was a figure that stood on two thin legs, one hand in its pocket and a sword connected to the other hand.

    "Kheeughkkuu!! (Human!!)"

    The orc that was seated on a special seat amidst the encircling shouted, mming its hands on the arms of his chair with¨C it wasn''t a friendly wee.

    The raging growls of the orc that surrounded Raith confirmed that he wasn''t wee and this fight was going to get very very messy.

    But Raith stood there with a puzzled expression.

    ''Why the fuck can I understand a monster?!!''

 Chapter 59 The Disguise Gate (3): Raith Vs Orc Chief (1)

    ?From the moment he entered Felfhiem and could understand theirnguage Raith had suspected the interference of the abyss, even when he came to Earth too, in all these cases it was reasonable but with a monster?

    He could understand a monster!

    "Kerrgghhhkkuu ueghhk(Kill the human!)"

    The Orc chief shouted pointing his fingers forward.

    Amazing grace...

    Raith was covered in a horde of green orcs that battered him to death with clubs and axes.

    [You have died]

    [Level Up]

    [You have gained 4 stats points]

    [Level Up]

    [You have gained 4 stat points]

    [Due to title effect ''One who devours death'' You will be revived]

    The orcs separated as they confirmed the human void of life.

    "Uewerghjk...Ueehkk!!(Weak Human!!)"

    ''...did these motherfuckers just call me weak?''

    "fuuu"

    Raith released a slow breath, the orcs at first did not he had woken up as they had returned to chattering with each other with scoffs andughs.

    POW

    Suddenly, with a st, an orc''srge body shot across the crowd of orcs, crashing right beside the orc chief''s seat.

    The shocked orc chief turned its gaze to the direction the body wasing from.

    "Keweerghkkk...(How?!)"

    He growled, standing up from his seat.

    The other orc turned to Raith again with a fierce gaze.

    ''Two levels. I wonder if I can gain more levels if I die...''

    Raith twirled the sword of Bael, looking at the orc chief with an intimidating grin.

    "Kaaaarrghhkkk!!!(That Human must die!!!)"

    The re worked¨C the orc chief screamed at the top of his voice pointing to Raith.

    Grabbing the hilt of the sword tightly, Raith drew it out of its scabbard.

    The voices of the orcs soared into the dark sky as they charged at him with their weapons glinting under the subtle illumination of the moonlight.

    [You are using skill ''Way Of The Sword'']

    [Your Proficiency with this skill has increased]

    Raith charged towards them, his sword shing under the moonlight as he deflected their attacks¨C no matter which angle it came from it was as if he was expecting it.

    [Passive Skill ''Transcendent Sense'' has leveled up]

    With so many enemies, there were so many threads of attack to deal with but thanks to his speed he could manage at least for now.

    ''Instant Move''

    Raith disappeared and appeared away from the cluster of orcs that was bing annoying to deal with. With space in between, he could now handle things from a better angle with precision. The orcs turned back to him and rushed towards him letting out war cries as they charged at him.

    For the first set of orcs that reached him¡ª

    WHISSSHHH

    WHOOSH

    WHISH

    SMASH

    With movement backed by speed, his sword sliced through their flesh and bones with ease, their blood sttering across his face and clothes and the rest sinking into the ck de.

    He delved a blow into the next orc with a strength that belied his size¨Cthrowing the orc away twenty meters and still tumbling it until it came to a stop, dead.

    The orcs looked back at the dead orc and looked at Raith who had killed an orc with his bare fist.

    "Kwweeueghhkkuu!!(Don''t fear!! the human is weak!!)"

    The orc chief''s cry replenished the orcs'' morale and strength, their war cries rose into the sky again as they rushed at Raith.

    Not fearing one bit, he danced through them with his sword blurry as he cut through the air. The orcs were no match for him and soon began to fall one by one under the grace of his sword.

    The moonlight bathed the entire ce with an aesthetic makeup that exalted the peace of a violent night.

    Despite their numbers, they soon began to falter as Raith cut a bloody swath through them. They were no match for his skill and their confidence was beginning to wane as they saw their brothers fall before him.

    But Raith showed no mercy, pressing the attack even as they began to retreat. Only a handful of warriors stayed to fight¨C but as Raith began to take what seemed to them as heavy steps towards them, they backed away slowly from the deadly figure before them. Each step was like a striking thunder into their heart and as Raith''s cold re sank into their eyes, they shivered with fear.

    "Kwaaarghhl!!!(Monster!! Monster!!)"

    They shouted throwing away their weapons and running with their hands in the air.

    "Kawweeghhk Uekkweaa Kwerrghkk Kweerrghhkk!!(Stop! Don''t Run! Fight! Fight!!"

    Raith stood tall, his chest heaving as he red at his remaining. His clothes, hair, and face were drenched in blood, and his sword arm shook with exhaustion.

    He couldn''t tell how long it has been since he started and he didn''t care.

    The orc chief stared at Raith for a few seconds before suddenly grabbing his chair and thrashing it with one pull. Beneath the chair was a long pale that Raith had no idea what it was.

    The orc grabbed the pole and¨C

    "Arrrrrhhhhhhhhkkkk!!!"

    With a loud groaning scream, he pulled the pole out of the ground, causing the ground to shake and crack open. Slowly, the orc chief turned to Raith with a smile as he rested the sledgehammer on his shoulders with a smug face that was so absurd considering its tusk and braided brown hair that was almost like a mo-hawk

    Their steps toward each other started as gentle and steady but soon the two of them began to sprint toward each other. The orc''s steps were heavy and thundering, Raith''s, light and speedy with his eyes glued to the sledgehammer.

    As the two came closer for collusion, the orc swung his weapon in a wide arc but Raith was too fast¨C

    ''Instant Move''

    He darted in and out of the Orc''s space, shing the monster''s arm.

    "Shit, it''s shallow."

    He muttered and he flung out of the area as the Orc''s hammer came crashing down on where he was standing, sttering the hard rocks.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith with this seen evidence knew one blow of that hammer would be deadly, if not deadly he would probably be rendered all bones broken.

    The Orc roared in anger and dashed at Raith but he was ready¨C with swiftness he ducked under the Orc''s and sliced his leg, immediately pulling a retreat backward with a backflip.

    The Orc stumbled but quickly recovered and followed him, swinging his hammer in a downward arc©\ aiming for Raith''s head.

    WHOOSSSH

    Raith tilted his whole body to the side, avoiding the hammer by a hair''s breadth and still finding ample time within that pinch¨C he counterattacks with a sword thrust but the Orc blocked with his hammer.

    Raith leaped back immediately, with his eyes scanning for the monster''s weakness.

    The Orc dashed forward again with a lousy and wide arc¨C with a sidestep, Raith shed the Orc''s back misjudging the Orc''s intellectual for a moment¨C

    The Orc made a quick turn in that tiny moment and caught Raith off guard swinging the sledgehammer toward him.

    Even though Raith made a quick tone and used ck armor which turned his entire body ck he still stumbled back.

    ''Shit, did he suddenly increase his speed while we were fighting."

    While Raith was sure he was superior in speed he wasn''t too sure about strength, since he couldn''t see the Orc''s strength.

    [You are using the skill ''Truth Seeker'']

    [You can see the status information of the target]

    [Target Information]

    Name: Kawaek Orc Chief

    HP: 4,201/5,200

    Rank: B

    A.P: 6,700

    D.P: 15,300

    Skill: Thunder Smash(A)

    Raith''s mouth dropped...

    ''He even has a skill and has not used it?''

    He scoffed.

    ''This bastard...''

    Raith darted a deadly re into the monster and he returned the gesture, their eyes stayed locked on each other for the next few seconds.

    With the Orc''s impressive defensive power, it was clear to Raith that he couldn''t win this fight with brute force, he had to rely on his nimbleness and speed.

    He could boast of incredible stats thanks to the +15 increase in all his stats due to his body being modified because he absorbed a lot of cosmic energy.

    He hadsted this long.

    It was a miracle, he would have died so many times originally.

    But this was not enough, as much as Raith knew he needed to fail and die to be stronger, he wanted to win this battle with this cocky Orc and show him who''s boss. Just like that time with the goblin too.

    Raith looked down at his status cautiously staring at the Orc that stood from afar and searched him for weaknesses.

    His speed stat was on 83, and he had 13 avable stat points...

    "All thirteen to speed ..."

    [Your Speed Stats has risen by 13 points]

    He said as he swung his sword and began to walk majestically towards the Orc that gnarled at him holding his sledgehammer to one side with both hands.

    ''Instant Move''

    With even more force of speed, Raith''s body blurred and disappeared and the next time he could be seen was as the blurry image shed the Orc''s leg. The Orc grunted and swung its hammer immediately at Raith¨C he was adapting to Raith''s quickness by forcing himself to react immediately after getting hit.

    But Raith was too fast, using [Air Leap] he soared into the air with the moonlight casting a subtle and deadly stream of white light on the de of his sword as shed a downward arc on the Orc but the Orc blocked it with the long length of his hammer pole.

    The Orc pushed Raith back with ease and tumbled him to the ground¨C his hammer rose into the air about to smash down on his fallen opponent but Raith was gone.

    He appeared behind the Orc and shed the Orc''s back, his sword biting deep into the Orc''s green flesh.

    The Orc chief let out a tremendous cry and turned to Raith with a reddened face, its eyes were bloodshot as it red at Raith with an evident breath of Rage.

    "I hope hyungnim is okay..."

    Min-ho shook with more fear as he heard the extra loud cry. He had been hearing the war noises but it was part of the battle but this one was different, it made his heart shake and his limbs trembled. It was a very very bad angry roar.

    The sky began to rumble as the Orc panted slowly locking his gaze on Raith.

    ''Is he finally going to use his skill.''

    "woohoo..."

    Raith heaved a very big exhale and readied himself as the Orc chief rose his hammer into the sky. The sky rumbling continued more intensively, and thundering began to erupt between the dark clouds.

    Large streaks of lightning gathered around the dark cloud that swirled over Raith and the Orc¨C it was difficult to tell in particr who it wasing for.

    "Keeeeugggghkkkk!!!(THUNDER SMASH!!)"

    With full force, the massive andrge dancing streak of lightning poured on Raith erupting and razing the entire ground and even sting away the wooden houses nearby.

    "Heeiiik!!!.Hyungnim!!!"

    Min-ho screamed as he saw the lightning descend and heard the thunderous sound of the environment shattering. Despite his fears, he pushed his shaky legs forward with a furrowed brow of determination and began to run forward.

    [Congrattions]

    [You have died from an impressive skill attack from a rank B monster]

    [Your Strength stat has risen by +4 due to the nature of the monster that killed you]

    [Your Endurance stat has risen by +5]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained +4 stats points]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained +4 stats points]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained +4 stats points]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained +4 stats points]

 Chapter 60 [Bonus ] The Disguise Gate (4): Raith Vs Orc Chief (2)

    ?huuu

    huu

    huuu

    huu

    huuu

    The Orc stood like a victor, panting with his broad shoulders and waiting for the dust caused by scattered debris to clear when another hunter dashed in with a ck dagger in his hand.

    "Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!"

    Min-ho''s legs got faster and faster with each step he took conjured with that awful war cry that he let out as he charged to the Orc chief putting his fears aside.

    "Keeeugggk!(Weak!!)"

    Th Orc was clearly judging his speed based on that of Raith, he swung his hammer an arc from the side and towards Min-ho but the boy phased through the hammer leaving an afterimage that disappeared and left the Orc confused.

    "ARRRGHHH!!"

    STAB

    Min-ho drove the dagger into the Orc''s back from beyond with a lowered brow, and eyes that have gathered an immense amount of confidence in a split second, even though his hands were shaking he drove the dagger deep into the monster''s back twisting it.

    "AAAATRRGGGGGGGGKKKKHHKKK"

    The monster let out a loud cry that soared once more into the sky. He grabbed Min-ho from his back immediately and threw him away flinging him over to his front¨C Min-ho tumbled on the ground towards Raith, forgetting the dagger on the Orc''s back.

    He finally came to a stop with his fresh and handsome skin bruised. He was close to where Raith''s bodyy.

    "Hyungnim! Hyungnim!!"

    He cried with a shaky voice crawling towards Raith.

    "What the fuck are you doing?"

    Raith opened his eyes and shifted them to Min-ho who was sobbing.

    "Hyung?!!!"

    "I asked you not toe in."

    "Hyung I thought you died."

    "I did..."

    ''Although I could have easily blocked that attack with ck armor. But I had to level up... and thanks to that I got four whooping levels...''

    Raith grinned and stood up.

    "Just stay behind and don''t get caught up in this as I round it up."

    He stated to him as he stepped out of the most of dust, leaving Min-ho with a cool visual of his tall back.

    "Keugh?(Huh?)"

    "You are shocked right?"

    Raith chuckled at the Orc and twirled his sword.

    "How about we put an end to this."

    The Orc was panting but Raith approached it with renewed vigor. He pointed his sword at the Orc with a taunting smirk on his face.

    "Keeeuggghkk Ukkk Kewweghk(Foooolll!! Human cheat!!)"

    "Nah, I''m not cheating this is just my skill. Did I say you were cheating when you used that thunder skill? Give me a break."

    Even though the Orc couldn''t understand the Koreannguage with the odd ent that wasing from Raith, he looked like he had an idea of what Raith was saying.

    The Orc chief roared in anger, swinging his hammer with renewed ferocity. Raith dodged and weaved, but the hammer came dangerously close tonding a deadly blow¨C Raith stumbled back, narrowly avoiding the hammer as it smashed into the ground, sending up a shower of dirt and debris.

    The Orc advanced immediately toward Raith with his hammer raised high. Raith sees this as a brief opening in the monster''s wild attack.

    ''Instant Move, way of the sword''

    He blurred forward, aiming forward at the Orc''s exposed nk.

    CLANGGG!!

    As if the monster was expecting it¨C he spun around in that moment, smashing his hammer on Raith''s sword causing a massive impact that sent both of them flying.

    Raithnded right on his feet with a gentle and soft step but the Orc rolled away, tumbling before it came to a stop. He stood immediately but was already cleared out of breath and very fatigued and his panting was evident with the lousy movement of his shoulders with every breath.

    Not wasting any more time the Orc charged at Raith with a roar and as he reach Raith¨C he mmed his hammer into the ground where Raith was standing, sending a shower of dirt and rocks. Raith sprang to his feet, spinning his sword in a tight circle beforeunching into a series of quick, precise strikes¨C the Orc chief blocked every attack with his hammer, each blow ringing out like a bell as the metals changed against each other.

    The sword of Bael danced through the air with each strike aiming to exploit the weaknesses of the monster''s defense.

    The Orc chief roared again, swinging his hammer in a wild arc that forced Raith to backpedal. But Raith was quick, hurtling in and out of his opponent''s range with lightning-fast strikes that whittled away at the Orc''s strength. The Orc chief was beginning to tire, his blowsing slower and less urate as the battle wore on.

    Raith saw his opening and pounced,unching a flurry of strikes that caught the Orc chief off guard. The first blow sliced through the air, aimed at the Orc''s exposed neck. The second strike was a feint, designed to draw the Orc''s attention away from his vulnerable midsection. The third strike was a lightning-fast thrust, aimed directly at the Orc''s heart.

    [You have exhausted your cosmic energy]

    [Skill ''Way Of The Sword'' has been deactivated due to insufficient energy]

    "Eh?"

    Raith''s sword was already on its way to the Orc''s heart almost stopped but Raith pushed the sword forward with his immense strength¨C the Orc''s reaction speed was already slow and couldn''t catch up as Raith''s ck sword plunged deep into the Orc''s chest.

    The Orc let out a gurgling roar as Raith pulled out the sword, the Orc staggered backward, his massive hammer falling from his hand as he slumped to his knees... Raith stood over him, breathing heavily as he stared down at the dying Orc.

    [The Sword Of Bael can absorb the Orc chief''s stats and skill to increase its durability and power]

    "Wow..."

    Raith looked at the sword, wondering what to do to make it absorb the monster''s stat.

    With a guess of what to do, he stabbed the sword into the monster''s head, leaving the sword to stand atop his head.

    whirm!

    The sword shook as it began to pull out all the monster''s blood and wriggle softly. After a while, the Orc''s body was pale and the stopped wriggling.

    Raith pulled out the sword and could feel the change.

    ''Is it because we are bonded?''

    He thought and looked at the sword''s info again.

    [Weapon Information]

    > A weapon forged with the blood of Bael(a now forgotten and dead demon lord who was considered to be the strongest demon to ever lived) This weapon has been lost over the ages and has been reforged over and over again by the legendary cksmith throughout the world before it was lost.

    Because the weapon is forged from Bael, it has a trait of devouring the strength of its foes, with every sh and cut, it will regenerate its user''s life with the blood of its foe.

    > Durability: 11,090

    > Attack Power: 4,900

    > Skills: Thunder Strikes(B)

    > This weapon is a bound item, you can only use it if it epts your blood.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [Sword Skill info ¨C Thunder Strikes]

    > During an intense battle, there is a 30% chance of the sword releasing a tremendous wave of lightning with three-four consequent strikes.

    > Skill is passive and cannot be actively used.

    Raith was impressed with what he saw.

    [Hero Status]

    Name: Raven Raith

    True name: Unknown

    ss: Child Of Death

    HP:4,000/4,000

    Age: 21

    Level: 10

    Aura points(A.P): 00

    Shadow points(S.P): 71(locked)

    Cosmic points(C.P): 000

    Title: Celestia yer, One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation, I do not fear death, I am Suicidal, The Revered

    Dust attributes(Traits): the darkness beyond death, the dissatisfaction failure brings, Shadow lord(locked)

    [Skills-Passive]

    - Devourer(EX)lv.4

    - Transcendent sense(S)lv.20

    - Intimidation(S)lv.10

    - Dark Vision(A)lv.2

    - Heat Resistance(S)lv. max

    - Cold Resistance(S)lv. max

    - Poison Resistance(R)lv.1

    [Skills¨CActive]

    Truth Seeker(S)lv.2

    - Lavaration(A)lv.6

    - Instant Move(B)lv.9

    - Air Leap(C)lv.7

    - ck Armour(D)lv.1

    - Way of the Sword(SSS)lv.5 (iplete)

    [Stats]

    - Strength: 116

    - Speed: 96

    - Stamina: 65

    - Intelligence: 145

    - Endurance: 124

    - Will: 12

    Avable stat points: 16

    ''...my stats are looking good, at this rate, I wonder how they will be looking in level 100. Hieekk hieeek''

    "Hyungnim!! Hyungnim!! you won!"

    Min-ho came running.

    "Yes... pick up the crystals from the dead orcs around."

    "Okay hyungnim..."

    Min-ho stepped forward to the Orc in front but was stopped by Raith.

    "Leave that one for me."

    "Okay, Hyungnim."

    Min-ho obediently walked away and to the few corpses of orcs thaty around. Raith moved closer to the Orc.

    "Weird, there''s no crystal showing."

    [The Monster''s crystal has been absorbed when its stat and skill were absorbed by ''The Sword Of Bael'']

    "Eh? the sword absorbs the crystal too?"

    ''Of course, it absorbed the crystal, it is called a rune crystal, that is the core of the monster where the skill and stat of the monster is''

    Raitj ps his face softly upon histe realization.

    "By the way hyungnim. I''m done with the crystals and since you have defeated the gate boss, shouldn''t the portal appear now?"

    "You are right,"

    ''It didn''t take this long that time with the goblins...''

    Raith looked around, he squinted at his eyes.

    "Min-ho, didn''t you see a horde of Orcs run past you."

    "No..."

    Min-ho replied from behind him.

    "Still it doesn''t matter if some Orc escaped, the only requirement for closing a gate is killing its boss."

    "You are right. What bothers me is where the Orcs ran to. Not even a sight of them is left."

    Raith looked around the silent night.

    ''Something is off...''

    "Hyungnim, what do we do?"

    "What else... we will follow the trail of the Orcs that ran away."

 Chapter 61 The Disguise Gate (5)

    ?"Oh, is this the gate?"

    Lee Se-Chul stepped out of his car and removed his fancy shades as he pocketed and walked closer to the enormous purple-colored gate rampaging its surrounding with wind torrents that formed around it preventing others from entering.

    "Hunter Lee Se-Chul."

    Agent Jong-Su bowed as the S rank hunter walked closer to the gate and looked at it with his hand pocketed.

    "Yes."

    Agent Jong-Su responded looking at the massive gate along with Lee Se-Chul.

    "Wait, is someone inside?"

    "Yes..."

    "A merchant I guess."

    He smirked.

    "The association has always kept the identity of merchants a secret, I can''t believe I''m going to find one out today."

    Agent Jong-Su rolled his eyes up and away from Lee Se-Chul like the ''Give me a break'' kind of expression. The guilds have always been at the neck of the association ever since the beginning of the appearance of gates and the awakening of humans to hunters.

    It is like that around the world because the association exists to limit the power of the guild. By owning the exclusive right to every dungeon that spawns in an area. Of course, the association alone cannot deal with all the dungeons so they sell the gates to guilds at auction price or the guilds can purchase gate rights to certain areas ording to the forecast of gate emergence of existing areas that have surplus gates around them. Everything the guild does revolves around the association¨C however what if the guilds have too powerful hunters?

    Among hunters, there are those that violent themon sense, yes¨Cmon sense has been vited the moment monsters started appearing and humans started having powers but these are at a different level. With tremendous power that can destroy an entire area in minutes, and abilities to turn an entire space to their favor, some even have authority over concepts, space, or gravity... it goes with diverse saying. This level of hunters is sought throughout the world and because of this they are a diamond, that anyone would pay billions of dors to obtain.

    When these kinds of people begin to go into guilds, the power bnce begins to shift. It bes impossible for the association to pressure guilds with these level of hunters.

    And because of these kinds of people, the Hunters association begins to tiptoe around the guilds.

    And South Korea Hunters Association was in that kind of condition. S ranks were already a lot of massive power shift, however, the only two of these special ranks that exist in South Korea belong to guilds, and one is a guild master himself.

    Due to this, the Korean Association began the Merchant concept, where hunters can work for them under hidden identities and reap rewards. On the outlook it was just a scheme to instill fear in the guilds, to make them think the association has hunters that are capable of clearing high-rank gates and it was working well.

    "What do we n to do... the gate won''t let anyone in."

    "What else do we do? We have to wait. If the hunter inside has died the gate will calm down somehow. At least I will be able to enter then and retrieve the dead body for you."

    Lee Se-Chul replied with a naughty grin.

    It was an obvious taunt and Jong-Su was already used to how pathetic and immature Lee Se-Chul can be sometimes so he just looked elsewhere. However, it was the truth, there was nothing they could do but wait for the moment. Anyone that neared the gate, the winds around it gets wilder and throw them away.

    "Do you n to go in alone?"

    "My attack squad is on their way."

    Jong-Su''s eyes widened for a moment.

    ''...The Gojo guild main attack squad...''

    He gulped, his demeanor at the moment depicted the enormous respect he had for them even though he reasoned Lee Se-Chul to be immature.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ***

    A dark castle looms ominously, beneath the dark skies of the disguise gate, its imposing walls rising from the rocky terrain that surrounds it. The sky overhead is shrouded in thick, ominous clouds, casting the entire scene in a gloomy, foreboding light. There are no gs flying from the castle''s turrets, no sign of life within its walls.

    "How moronic. You unintelligent species were pursued by a human and you dare think I will grant you shelter?"

    In a dark and vast room, a few number of Orcs clumsily stood in the center, and at the far end of the room was a throne seat with its back towering over everything else.

    There were no decorations on the walls, no tapestries or banners to adorn the space. The only light that came was from a single beam of moonlight that crept in through a narrow slit in the ceiling, casting a dim glow on the throne and the white-skinned man with a long horn at the center of his forehead.

    The man rested his chin on his hand and was dressed in a ck medieval suit, jacket, pants, boots, and shoulder cape, with his wet-grey hair cut across his neck and shoulders.

    "Keweerrghk!(Human Strong)"

    The man''s eyes narrowed at them with a frown, few minutester, a thunderous sound could be heard with evident light that blinked in the sky afar.

    ''That is the Orc chief''s skill... thunder smash. That stubborn bastard didn''t use that skill until he saw that his life is ending by my hands.''

    The Orcs shook as they heard the sound and muttered amidst each other, causing a slight noise in the silent castle.

    "Shut up. First of all, the three Orcs that were supposed to be my tribute, escaped from here a few hours ago. Did you see them?"

    The Orcs were silent with fear and whispering, they inquired of one another.

    "With the only condition that you all will send me one Orc every six months was the only reason why I spared your Kawaek tribe. Those damn tributes for eighteen months all dare to run away from me."

    He groaned his frustration, mming his fist on the iron arm of his throne seat.

    "Kwerghk uweugh whieskk(Human kill tribute)"

    The spokesman of the Orc replied, not sure if that was the case but they decided to pin it all on the human they were running away from.

    "What? A human dares to touch my tribute."

    The man gritted his shark teeth with his single horn faintly glowing in the moonlight.

    "That darn human..."

    The man suddenly paused and stood up, walking forward slowly, and finally came to a stop.

    "Looks like your Orc chief is dead."

    He said with a grin but that grin faded to a frown.

    ''If he is a human that is capable of killing the Orc chief, then he cannot be underestimated. However, I am different, I am an Ogre who has received a name from the great demon lord of chaos. I have a true name, I can defeat a measly human.''

    He said and looked at the Orcs who were mourning but dared not to stand carelessly in front of the named Ogre.

    "But first, I will need to strengthen myself with these ones."

 Chapter 62 Trial Of Essence (1)

    ?Demons and Celestials are powerful existences that are granted an ability that supersedes that of any other lifeforms. It was an ability that could only be obtained when one has reached an enormous level ofprehension and power and most importantly when they have carved their true name out of their souls.

    Having carved out their true name they can name other creatures, if it is an unintelligible creature, the creature robs off a little power from whatever named it and evolves to a different level not seen or heard, also possessing tremendous power which makes them a very unpredictable and destructive phenomenon ¨Ca phenomenon that the world was yet to know about.

    "Hyung, are you going to go all the way."

    Min-ho relentlessly begged Raith to let them go back but Raith paid him no attention.

    After walking for a few minutes, Raith could finally see the dark castle that sat, immersed in the rocky terrain.

    "Ha... I finally found it."

    He grinned.

    Min-ho shrunk in fear as he saw the dark castle.

    "Hyungnim Hyungnim shouldn''t we be going back at the point."

    "Why should we go back we haven''t even cleared the gate."

    Raith replied to him as they continued their trekking, with Min-ho shaking and scanning all his surroundings for potential or unseen threats.

    They finally reached the castle''s entrance. The doors were made of thick, ck iron, with heavy bolts and chains securing them.

    The air around suddenly grew colder¨C not that Raith felt, but he could tell by how Min-ho was shivering and with his pale skin. He could also hear the faint howling of the wind as it whips through the castle''s battlements.

    "H-h-hyu-hyungnim, a-aren''t y-y-ou-u co-co-co-colddd?"

    ''It must be because of my cold resistance passive skill. I can''t feel it at all.''

    Raith pulled his ck shirt unleashing his fine-toned and thick-muscled body, his abs and chest were not like how they used to be back in the motel. There was already a distinct difference that even he didn''t notice.

    "Take, that should help a bit."

    "T-T-Thank-k-k you-u-u hy-hy-hyungnim"

    While Min-ho struggled to talk with his shaking lips and grinding teeth. Raith looked down with a shocked face.

    ''Or so now you decide to show up.''

    [A Trial has been generated]

    [You have reached a Milestone on your path]

    [Being faced with a powerful foe ahead of you, the abyss has taken advantage of this opportunity to put you on a path of darkness]

    [Will you ept this trial Y/N]

    Simultaneously, to their left, a purple colored portal suddenly appeared.

    [If you choose YES you will leave the portal]

    ''Wow...''

    The abyss has never given him an option before.

    ''Is the abyss trying to trick me or maybe the decision I make here will decide a lot''

    Raith looked forward and looked at the gate.

    ''...the decision I make...''

    He narrowed his gaze.

    "Momo."

    "H-h-hhyung¨C<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Makes sure no one touches my crystals."

    He said and threw the boy into the portal.

    "Yes!"

    [You have made the right decision]

    [A New Trial Has Been Generated]

    [Trial Of Essence]

    - Discover your true name.

    - Defeat the named Ogre.

    "eh?"

    Meanwhile.

    As they waited for Lee Se-Chul''s attack sword the gate suddenly began a misbehavior, the wind around it rose even higher and became more violent, then suddenly a person flew out of itnding on his face with his but in the air.

    "Huh?"

    While everyone was running helter-skelter preparing to counter the potential threats the gate could be, agent Jong-Su''s mouth gaped as he saw who came out of the gate.

    Immediately Min-ho was thrown out of the gate, the wind torrents disappeared and the gate switched color from purple to ck.

    "What the hell?"

    Lee Se-Chul gazed at the gate with a bewildered expression. No one had ever heard of or seen a ck gate before, it has never even existed before now.

    VRROOOM!

    "Guild master!"

    The feminine voice came running as the ck sedan car that carried the main attack squad parked roughly at a corner with the family brisky guy Lee Seung-gi as the driver¨C he was panting.

    The pink-haired petitedy ran to Lee Se-Chul whose eyes stayed glued to the gate. As the other squad members came down from the car with sophisticated and exquisite modern-medieval armor, they also couldn''t resist the enchanting ferocity of the ck gate.

    "Get prepared! Everyone! We are going into the gate!!"

    As Lee Se-Chul shouted and intended to step forward, the gate disappeared. In a sh as if it was never there, it was gone.

    "Eh?"

    (Back inside the gate)

    As Raith stepped inside, he was enveloped in total darkness, with no torches or candles to light his way¨C but that wasn''t an issue, thanks to passive skill [Dark Vision]

    The only thing he could hear was the echoing of his footsteps on the stone floor. The musty and thick air in conjunction with the earthy smell, was as if the castle has been abandoned for years.

    Gently with soft step and calm breathing as if he was the owner of the castle, Raith made his way down the long, winding corridor, with debris scattered across the floor. Eventually, he arrived at arge, ornate double door, its surface covered in intricate carvings of beasts and warriors locked in battle.

    He paused in front of the door.

    ''So it''s here...''

    he looked at the door.

    ''ck armor''

    His body was immediately shrouded in darkness, exposing only his eyes¨Cwith no shirt on, the ck armor hugged his body, perfectly bringing out the contours and carvings of every muscle on his body. He pushed the doors open gently and stepped into the throne room.

    At first, there was nothing but a vast emptiness, the space was filled with an overwhelming sense of void. But as his eyes adjust to the darkness, he made out a tall throne seat at the far end of the room, with the ogre seating on the throne and resting his head on one hand, waiting for Raith.

 Chapter 63 Trial Of Essence (2)

    ?"Impressive, I have been expecting you human. Not that you understand me bu¨C

    "You killed the Orcs huh?"

    Raith replied with the samenguage the ogre spoke to him leaving the Ogre in shock.

    He looked around and couldn''t find any evidence of the Orcs'' presence.

    ''How? A human can speak abysmal?''

    His shocked expression soon wears off and changed to a smile.

    "Well that makes things easier"

    He grins as he steps off the throne, walking closer to Raith.

    "What did you do to the Orcs...?"

    Raith insisted on his question.

    "I needed their vigor to add to my strength. So I sucked their life force, all that remains of the is sand..."

    Just as the Ogre mentioned, Raith noticed the sand he was standing on.

    "I can''t believe you, they came here to be saved by you."

    The Ogre tilted his head.

    ''Is this human hurt in the head?''

    "You were the one that wanted to kill them. You were the one they were running for, why do you care what I do with them?"

    "Because they were my precious fight buddies. They even killed me once."

    Raithmented, feigning a sob and cleaning his eyes.

    "Do you take me for a joke?"

    The Ogre frowned immediately, finding Raith''sposure and demeanor irritating.

    "Does it matter?..."

    Raith suddenly switched expressions, from sad to angry.

    "It doesn''t matter whether I take you for a joke. I will kill you here. I am Raven Of Death. What is your name?"

    "I''d be a fool to give away my name so easily, let me see what you are worth then I can decide if you are worth hearing my name."

    The Ogre said, spreading his white shark teeth.

    ''Tch...''

    ***

    "Hunter Min-ho, are you okay? Can you hear us now?"

    Min-ho finally woke up after a few minutes.

    "Hunter Min-ho, what about Raven."

    "Ha, hyungnim... aaaaaxhuuu!"

    He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Angent Jong-Su.

    "The gate, the gate was a double gate!"

    He shouted as he came to hisplete senses.

    "We already know that much."

    Lee Se-Chul muttered with folded arms, all of them stood around Min-ho.

    "Yes, what monsters were in the dungeon? Where is Merchant Raven."

    "Hey...ter make sure you do your research on Merchant Raven, investigate this guy, tail the associations if you have to."

    Lee Se-Chul muttered to Lee Seung-gi who was behind him.

    "Yes, guild master"

    He replied sternly with a serious face.

    "Hyungnim, he threw me out of the gate. He is going to clear the dark castle."

    "The dark castle?"

    Agent Jong-Su asked, with one of his eyebrows raised.

    "Yes! Hyungnim, when he was fighting the Orcs, they ran away, after he defeated the Orc chief, we traced them to where they ran to, which was a dark castle. Hyungnim suspected that there was another kind of monster there that was more powerful than the Orc chief which is probably why the Orcs ran there."

    Min-ho exined as he fully came alive.

    But Lee Se-Chul scoffed.

    "Why is this guy lying? Why will monsters run away from someone? Even the special ranks that can singlehandedly clear A ranks dungeon don''t say the monsters run away from them."

    "But it''s true, they ran away."

    "Stop lying bro, monsters can only see stronger humans as a threat and run away from them. No matter how strong humans are they don''t run away, they always fight, even when they are overpowered!"

    "That''s enough Hunter Lee Se-Chul"

    Agent Jong-Su stood to his face with slitted eyes and a cold re and lowered brows.

    "Or what? You are going to fight me? You, an A rank?"

    Despite Lee Se-Chul returning the hostile re, Agent Jong-Su didn''t flinch and his gaze stayed glued to Lee Se-Chul.

    "Ah, Oppa! that''s enough stop being a menace. And you too association guy, know your ce, oppa is an S rank and he will beat you should you two get to it."

    ''Damn guilds.''

    Agent Jong-Su rxed his shoulders and turned to what mattered.

    "I should help you to a hospital."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He said to Min-ho but Min-ho refused.

    "We must wait for hyungnim. He said nothing must happen to his crystals."

    "That is fine, we can take care¨C

    "No! Hyungnim saved me by throwing me into the gate as it was closing so quickly. I can''t betray his trust in me."

    "Wait what are you saying? I thought you voluntarily replied while Hunter¨C Merchant Raven stayed to clear the gate."

    Agent Jong-Su threw the guild leader of Gojo guild a nce to note if he didn''t catch him almost revealing the identity of their Merchant but Lee Se-Chul was already walking away.

    "No, the gate disappeared. But it reappeared when we got to the dark castle, it was a different ce and the gate was going but Hyungnim quickly threw me inside."

    How the hell did Momoe up with that narrative?!

    "Eh? He doesn''t look like someone that will save someone else at the expense of himself though."

    "Don''t say that about my hyung."

    Min-ho replied with a frown.

    "Ah, I''m sorry."

    Agent Jong-Su turned back to where the gate was just a few minutes ago.

    ''If it''s a dark castle, it could be a very powerful monster. I hope you make it out alive Hunter Raith''

    He closed his eyes as he prayed for Raith''s safety.

    ***

    Raith dashed at the Ogre with his sword ahead of him, however as he got closer, the Orge suddenly smiled causing Raith to stumble back out of pure suspicion since he didn''t catch on anything from [Transcendent Sense]

    GRRIIIZZZTT

    From all of Raith''s sides, a bolt of lightning emerging from nothing, rained on him causing a massive explosion.

    "Heee hee hee hee..."

    The Ogreughed that too faded immediately as he saw that Raith was still standing.

    ''Thank God, I had the body armor on.''

    [You have exhausted your cosmic energy]

    [Skill ck Armor has been deactivated]

    [You cannot use any skill until your cosmic energy replenishes]

    [Your cosmic energy replenishes 1cosmic energy/ one minute]

    ''Wait what? Like how many minutes is that... like...''

    Raith paused for a moment to calcte.

    "17 hours?!!!"

    He cried out in agony.

    The Ogre frowned and swung his wrist.

    GRRIZZTTT

    The bolts of lightning poured on Raith again from several directions electrocution him longer than before, till he was ckened all over and couldn''t move a finger.

    ''I have to keep dying for seventeen hours?''

    Even while he was being struck so badly what concerned him was the horror toe. He didn''t fear it, but seventeen hours? Was it even that long with Thard-Harl?

    Well, there was no way to no since he couldn''t tell the time and he lost count of his death.

    ''...is this going to continue to be a problem going forward, Every time I exhaust my cosmic energy I won''t be able to use my skills until it is fully replenished?''

    He had no doubt gotten ahead of himself with his surplus amount of cosmic energy and fought endlessly with the Orc tribes and the Orc chief without expecting this bacsh.

    Now he was about to pay the price for it. The skill [Way Of The Sword] is by no doubt a very good sword skill but it was expensive to use, consuming ten cosmic points every minute.

    "What is this? I expected more from you, you can''t even resist mere lightning? How did you even beat that darn Orc."

    ''At least wait for some minutes into the fight before you begin to bber.''

    Raith stood up staggering and spun the sword, looking straight at the Ogre.

    ''I can''t keep dying just because I can. I can''t wait for the cosmic energy to be filled before I start fighting. It''s too much suffering, after all, I didn''t have the cosmic energy when I fought Thard-Harl and I defeated him.''

    He motivated himself¨C as if Thard-Harl''s death wasn''t pure luck. His brows lowered as he focused his gaze on the Ogre in front of him, just like a human except for its white skin and thin horn.

    "I''m doing this."

    ''Instant Move''

    This time it was different¨C from before due to [Way Of The Sword] Raith could tell exactly where he was going for and what exactly it was that he needed to do but now that he couldn''t even use the skill, he ran forward into a blur without having a specific n in mind.

    WHAM

    The Ogre delved a punch into Raith''s belly and Raith didn''t even see himing

    ''So fast?''

    His eyes widened as he was catapulted away by the impact of the punch, mming into the wall of the throne room just beside the door¨C it might have been a straight death ticket if he was mmed into the door.

    His body dropped to the floor leaving a webbed crack on the wall.

    The Ogre twisted his wrist as he moved closer to Raith.

    "You have a formidable body. I almost my wrist dislocated while trying to make the punch dive deep. Did it hurt?"

    The Ogre asked Raith who in response coughed endlessly, spitting and pouring blood from his mouth.

    ''Ah, shit... it''s harder than I thought.''

 Chapter 64 Class Change (1)

    ?Raith charged forward, his sword aimed at the Ogre''s chest, but as the monster swung his hand again, Raith was met by an invisible barrier that sent him flying backward. Immediately the Ogre released a barrage of magical bolts that pummeled Raith''s body leaving holes in several areas. Blood poured down his mouth and other areas of his body effortlessly as his knee sank to the ground.

    [You have died]

    [Level Up!]

    How long has it been now?

    Raith had no idea, it was as if he had lost count. It was very hard to cover the distance that was between him and the Ogre. With those annoying magical attacks, also the invisible barrier that is around made it impossible to reach the Ogre.

    Magic.

    Raith has heard about it no doubt since it is a type of attack pattern in their world that is meant for those that are not adept with the sword or are not fond of it at all.

    But he never really thought much about it because he believed that all they do is hide behind distance and do some incantations. Don''t get me wrong.

    He still thinks so¡ª that is the reason why he found this Ohre to be extremely irritating.

    [Due to title effect you will be revived]

    "How is this even possible? How are you not dying?!!"

    This was the only part he enjoyed. That nasty and trembling look on the Ogre''s face each time he rose from the dead, it was almost giving him orgasm.

    ''I can keep dying just to see this bastard dread every time I woke up.''

    Raith pulled himself up again, staring at the Ogre in the face.

    "It doesn''t matter how much you stand up again. You can''t fight me, it is useless"

    The Ogre stated andunched a series of blue fireball attacks that clobbered Raith before he had the time to move. He was all burnt up on his face but he moved forward regardless, desperate to close the distance between him and the mage, he swung his sword an arc from below forcing his memories to rey how efficiently and effortlessly he wielded the sword when he was using the sword skill. Even with that much struggle, he could only remake a fraction of it.

    The Ogre stepped the sword down with one leg and with the other leg swung a kick on Raith''s cheek, sending him tumbling away. Even as his body came to a stop, the Ogre appeared before him and stabbed his feet into him, plunging deep into his ribs and not caring if he broke something along the way.

    Raith let out a cry as blood sttered everywhere on his shirtless body. He clenched his hands so tight that blood streamed down his palm, and his teeth were gritted and grinding against each other.

    The pain was excruciated and was on another level. He had not met an opponent this ruthless.

    "Die for me! Die for me!!"

    The Ogre shouted with a dismayed expression and he continued to stan his feet into Raith''s body until he heard no response.

    "Have you finally died?"

    He looked down at Raith''s helpless body and stepped back a little. Before he could take his next breath, the wound that was immersed in blood began to heal, although still leaving the lost blood and sttered blood around, it was fully closed and anyone would have thought it was never there if not for the pool of blood that Raith was in.

    "No matter how much you kill me."

    Raith mumbled as he got ho slowly

    Wham!

    But before he could say any more the Ogre swarmed a kick unto him, throwing him away towards the throne. The Ogre appeared next to him, lofted him by his head, and began to batter him with punches on his face.

    "Is this the best you can do? Did you defeat the Orc chief like this? How disappointing?!!"

    pow pow pow pow pow pow

    The sound of his punches reverberated through the entire throne room and the night as a whole.

    WHAM!!

    He dredged one final punch into Raith''s belly¨C that one smashed him into the height of the throne seat and as he fell, he died on the seat with his head dropping and his blood streaming down the entire seat.

    The Ogre looked towards the throne and gave an irritated re.

    "That ce is not meant for you."

    He appeared in front of Raith and grabbed his hair, he was about to start pulling him down but the dead man''s hand grabbed his wrist.

    The Ogre paused for a moment, looking at Raith who held his hand, and his head was still dropped like he was dead.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "How persistent of you."

    The Ogre spread his hand open creating an icence in the air and drove it into Raith''s chest pinning him to the seat.

    "I ruined my throne seat. Damn, it was never mine, to begin with... I can make a better when I remake this realm."

    He mumbled as he walked away from Raith whose body had lost all strength.

    "Ba''al...Hadaad... Rkb''rpt...

    Words that even he had no idea where they came from.

    [You have recalled a fraction of your true name]

    [The Abyss has found your Origin]

    [Things are getting interesting]

    The entire space before Raith suddenly went nk and everything turned to a world of burning shadows.

    [I must admit this is unforeseen]

    "Uh?"

    Raith found himself standing amidst the burning shadows, it was talking to him, the voice that was like a trembling floor was ringing from the mes of shadows.

    "Who are you?"

    [A question you already have an answer to]

    "The abyss? The abyss!"

    Raith was sure of it.

    "I have questions for you! Why me?! Why did you choose me?! Why have you decided to make me an object of your suffering?!! I want to fucking kill you right now so show yourself!!"

    [The Strongest of men are forged by the deadliest of paths]

    [I do not exist to give power on a tter of gold]

    [Power in the hands of an ipetent only brings ruin and destruction]

    [If you will host me, then you must be worthy]

    [And make no mistake, I didn''t choose you]

    [But now, that I know who you are... this might just get more interesting]

    Wham!

    Raith returned to the reality he was in and slowly opened his eyes as he was revived once more.

    [A Sub¨CTrial Has Been Generated]

    [ss Change Trial]

    > The abyss has found you worthy having confirmed your origin, the abyss has offered you a ss change trial.

    > Kill the Ogre

    > All Skills will be locked

    > Title effect ''One who devours death'' will be locked, i.e if you die, you die for real.

    > Your merit for ss change will be calcted based on how much you suffered.

    > You have 00:04:59:58 to defeat the monster.

    > If you fail, this will be the end of your Path.

 Chapter 65 Class Change (2)

    ?''Hiek... I''m so dead. What is all this...?''

    Raith gritted his teeth, and while he still pretended that he was dead for real, he had to take all the time he could manage to fully prepare for this.

    He had no idea why the abyss suddenly switched up on him and found him worthy. Those words he said he didn''t even know what they meant. All he knew was that they were words that came to his tongue as he was on the thin line between life and death, even now he couldn''t remember them again.

    But the abyss changed everything based on that alone, offering him a ss change because his origin was found.

    ''And what did it mean by I didn''t choose you, then who the fuck chose me? Fel?''

    A lot was still unclear but at least one thing was.

    ''I can''t die here''

    Thest time his ultimate ability to rise after dying was taken away it wasn''t a pleasant experience. It was a trial to build courage in him, but he''d be gullible to take this instance for the same.

    The pretext on which everything happened is so different.

    Definitely, a power change was about to y out.

    And the abyss was going to straighten him up for that.

    All his skills were locked, but his stats were...

    ''My stats...''

    [Stats]

    - Strength: 116

    - Speed: 96

    - Stamina: 65

    - Intelligence: 145

    - Endurance: 124

    - Will: 12

    Avable Stat points: 52.

    ''...in thest few hours of our fight, I''ve leveled up ten times... crazy, I died a lot.''

    ''Ten to endurance, twenty to speed, and twenty to stamina.''

    [Stats]

    - Strength: 116¡î

    - Speed: 116¡î

    - Stamina: 85

    - Intelligence: 145

    - Endurance: 134

    - Will: 12

    Avable stat points: 2

    [A perfect synergy between strength and speed has been created]

    Raith slowly rose from the throne seat, immediately alerting the Ogre who was already at the door and about to head out.

    He paused and frowned.

    "You just won''t die will you!!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He spread out both arms as he turned to Raith, creating a lighting spear in both of his hands.

    Raith slowly like a monarch marched down the steps of the throne seat, with a purple-colored smoke flowing out of his body as his body contour aligned to his stats adjustment.

    The ground cracked as he applied more force fo his feet about to takeunch himself forward.

    Thwack!!!

    The entire ground that his feet were upon scattered as he disappeared from the Ogre''s sight.

    The Ogre in hurry looked left and right but couldn''t find Raith as his gaze went up¨C it was toote, Raith''s fist came smashing down upon the head of the monster.

    But it was blocked by the invisible barrier that surrounded him. Raith clicked his tongue in frustration and leaped backward.

    "I know now, you are not human. You are like me, you were given a true name like me."

    "The fuck, don''tpare me to you. I am not a lowly monster."

    Raith replied with a re that undermined the existence of the Ogre and made him very angry.

    "Well then. You will die anyway."

    The Ogre dered with a nasty grin as he released a barrage of lightning attacks, Raith dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding each strike.

    Now that his life was on the line, he was more careful than he had ever been. The tingles of the lightning as the streaked past him jumped his heart upon every dodge and the shockwave that was emitted as some hit the ground tempted his legs to lose strength. But he refused.

    ''I''vee this far... I can''t die here...!''

    A frown invaded Raith''s face as the adrenaline of that moment overwhelmed his body. Raith held the sword with a focus and renewed gaze, with no skill to guard his senses or predict his attack patterns or strengthen his defense.

    He continued his assault, his sword slicing through the air with deadly precision. But the Ogre''s invisible barrier was a thorn in his flesh, none of his attack was willing to go through.

    He continued to press forward, striking with all his might and not caring how unsightly and scattering he was throwing his sword, what mattered was that he was focused and no matter how rough his footwork and sword swings were, nothing mattered more than it reaching the attack point.

    The twobatants began trading blows and parrying attacks. Raith''s sword rang against Ogre''s barrier sending sparks flying as if it was hitting a metal surface.

    On top of his already amazing magical abilities, the Ogre was very strong and his blows as the struck Raith made his strength seep away.

    "Ahhh!!!"

    Raith relentlessly smashed his sword on the invisible barrier over and over again, in frustration.

    WHAM!

    The Ogre smashed a punch into him sending him away but Raith stood his ground and dug his feet into the ground gaining control of himself and stopping only two meters away¨C perhaps it was an effect of the synergy but he didn''t care. He lunged himself forward again¨C

    He swung his sword in from all angles all at once and from the Ogre''s vantage point all that multiple sword attacks converged to look like just one but it was something that was made possible due to Raith''s incredible speed.

    WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM

    He clobbered the Ogre''s barrier with the barrage of arcs¨C

    Grrizzzttt!!!

    As thest attacknded on the barrier, the ck sword expelled a bolt of lightning that shattered the barrier. Raith who was already losing his sense of self in frustration as he couldn''tnd one single blow on the Ogre grinned. At this point, it was toote to recover that sense of self.

    What went through his mind as that barrier finally broke was not a sense of relief, instead, it was a burst of adrenaline as he was beginning to enjoy this, and a wide smile spread across his face.

    He didn''t know how the sword patterns were supposed to go but he knew very well how tond a sword on a target. He rushed in, oblivious of the Ogre''s magical abilities, and began to batter the Ogre with strikes from all angles, periodically changing his angle tond a surprise attack on the Ogre but all that attack was being parried by the Ogre and with bare hand.

    ''Is his hand steel or what?''

    Raith for a moment did not flinch, he tightened the space between them, pressing further to make sure the Ogre does not have any space between them. He swung and swung till his eyes couldn''t follow the speed of his hand, it was like he had begun to move with pure reflexes.

    But the Ogre wasn''t in front of him anymore.

 Chapter 66 Class Change (3)

    ?His mistake was taking his eyes off the Ogre for a moment¨C

    Wham!!

    The strike came from the side and it smashed him into the wall of the throne room, his arms were seriously grazed by the wall and blood streamed down.

    He held the sword regardless and stood back up.

    ''How odd, is it because I might die... I seem to be trying hard.''

    Raith held the sword tightly with his bloody hand, the blood that streamed down his hand sank into the ck ring he was given by Volmak and the rest of the rest ran down the sword.

    [Due to title effect ''I am Suicidal'']

    [All your stats will rise by 50%]

    Raith felt a new surge of strength as he saw the message. He could also feel his vigor which was already drifting away.

    He stood up holding his sword tight as the Ogre looked at him with irritation... "Why do I keep spending my precious time on a maggot like you."

    "Hear me, well human, I will tell you my name, etch it into your soul as you go to the underworld. I am Nobeilis Uviria."

    He shouted, proudly flinging his hands in the air to proim his sovereignty over that brief moment. But all that stopped the moment Raith''s sword entered his chest and came out from his back.

    He paused with shaking eyes and looked down.

    "How?"

    He muttered as blood sttered from his mouth.

    Raith had intended to catch him off guard which worked, even more, better than Raith had anticipated due to the 50% increase in his speed.

    Raith grinned.

    "Gotchya."

    The Ogre looked down with a re and grabbed Raith''s face, tightening his hand around his face intending to shatter his head with just his grip¨C and it was working.

    Raith let out a scream as he began to struggle with his head within the monster''s grip, but with all that pain and suffering, he drove the sword in deeper, turning it and turning it as the force of the Ogre''s hand intensified on his head.

    [Item has received a sufficient amount of blood]

    [Ego of the item has awakened]

    [You have equipped item ''Helmet Of The Shadow God'']

    From the ring came out a sharp twirl that rolled around Raith''s head, covering all his face and forming a ck me helmet with a pointed top and a T-shaped visor, on the pointed top is a dark smoke wriggling like a clothing of darkness.

    [Due to the ''Helmet Of The Shadow God'' your health has been replenished]

    [Due to the ''Helmet Of The Shadow God'' you have received +30 strength stat]

    All the wounds on Raith''s body began to slowly heal¨C while the Ogre''s hand had been chopped away the moment the helmet came on.

    The Ogre looked at Raith with a horrified expression.

    "H-h-h-how?"

    His mouth shook as Raith pulled out the sword.

    He fell to his kneel and gazed down in unbelief, holding his open belly but still couldn''t stop the bleeding.

    "Is that yourst word?"

    Raith said as he raised his sword with the tip of its de pointing to the Ogre''s head.

    "P-p-p-please s-s-spare me!! I''ll serve you."

    The Ogre cried as he desperately tried to hold his stomach and stop the bleeding. Raith paused for a moment and looked at the monster''s feigned sorry face.

    "That is not the face of someone who wants to be spared."

    He slowly plunged the sword into the monster''s raised face and watched with dness as he pushed his sword down the monster''s throat, causing a fountain of blood to emerge.

    "Besides, I don''t take betrayers for a subordinate."

    He concluded¨C he pulled out the de suddenly as he remembered.

    "I need his core. I won''t let you absorb him."

    The de wriggled subtly in response. The shadow helmet disappeared and formed a ring on his hand as he approached the corpse of the monster.

    He put his hand into his open belly and brought out the crystal core of the monster.

    ''...no color?''

    He was shocked to behold the colorless crystal which gave it a transparent nature.

    "Well whatever"

    [Do you want to absorb high-grade crystal? Y/N]

    "Absorb"

    [Absorbing crystal]

    [You have received +350 shadow energy]

    ''Shadow energy not cosmic energy?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [The darkness in you has risen]

    [You havepleted Trial Of Essence]

    [You havepleted The ss Change Trial]

    [You can now change your ss]

    [You have unlocked the attribute Shadow Lord]

    [You can now use your shadow energy]

    Raith looked at the ck smoke with hints of purple color swimming around his hand.

    [Choose a new ss]

    > Berserker

    > Dark Knight

    > Necromancer

    "Hm, if I''m to choose based on my fight style so far, I think I''ll just go for a berserker since I know I will always rise when I die but dark knight sounds cool, it''s tempting... I''ll probably be some cool knight shrouded in ck armor. Necromancer, however, nah... that''s not me. I will not choose a ss where I have to be fighting with weak-ass skeletons."

    He grinned as he scrolled his eyes back to the top.

    ''I should settle for this''

    [You have made your decision]

    [Two other sses have been deleted]

    ''Ah wait, I still wanted to...''

    Raith heaved a sigh.

    "At least it''s a good thing it is Berserker."

    [You have chosen ss Necromancer]

    "Hey hey hey!!!"

    Raith let out a frustrated shout.

    "Who the fuck chose Necromancer?! I didn''t choose necromancer?!!"

    [You chose Necromancer the moment you refused it]

    "Oh great, so now I choose stuff by not choosing them? Great, just great."

    Raith was angry but what could he do, the abyss had federated pleasure in making it hard for him, he was the one that was fooled to forget that for a moment.

    [Ccting your suffering points]

    [You died thirteen times while fighting the Ogre]

    [One death equals 1000 suffering points]

    [You had an outstanding death on the throne seat]

    [3000 suffering points gained]

    [Your head was almost crushed with bare hands]

    [1500 suffering points gained]

    [You were killed by a mere leg stabbing into your ribs]

    ''Ah! You call that mere leg, why don''t you try dying that way!''

    [4,500 suffering points added]

    [You enjoyed your moment of death]

    [You have gained +500 bonus suffering points]

    ''It wasn''t like enjoy it but I must admit, it was kinda... cool when he killed me on the throne the second time.''

    Raith muttered, shyly scratching his cheek.

    [You have epted your path and do not fear death]

    [You have gained +100 bonus suffering points]

    [You are weak without your skills]

    [You have gained +400 bonus suffering points]

    [Calcting suffering points]

    [Your suffering points have surpassed the required suffering points for the ss you chose]

    [You have unlocked a hidden ss]

    [Will you ept the hidden ss ''Monarch Of Darkness'']

 Chapter 67 Class Change (4): Monarch Of Darkness

    ?[Will you ept the new hidden ss ''Monarch Of Darkness'']

    Raith was silent for the next few moments.

    ''...it probably will force it on me anyways. So yes.''

    [You have changed your ss]

    [Child Of Death has been switched to a sub-ss]

    [Your main ss is Monarch Of Darkness]

    [You have unlocked ss-specific skills]

    > Skill Bestowal(EX) lv.1

    > Ego Save(SSS) lv.1

    > Shadow Creation(EX)lv.1

    > Soul Extraction(EX) lv.1

    > Summon Soldiers(SSS) lv.1

    > Domain Of Darkness(EX) lv.1

    Raith smirked at the skill information.

    [Skill Bestowal(EX)lv.1]

    > You can bestow a skill from your skill list to a certain target for 1 minute, time increases as the level of skill increases.

    > This skill costs, 70 Cosmic energy per use or 10 shadow energy.

    [Ego Save(SSS) lv.1]

    > This is a skill you possess before bing the Monarch of darkness, however, due to the new ss effect, this skill has been modified. You can save the ego of a particr target, hence saving its traits and skills.

    > This skill does not cost any energy, however, can only be used through the passive skill ''Devourer''.

    [Shadow Creation(EX) lv.1]

    > You can create a desired body for a safe ego using the properties of darkness itself.

    > Skill costs 100 shadow energy per use. You can only use the skill once in one level.

    > The skill cost will reduce with higher skill levels.

    > You will be able to add more features to the shadow body when the skill reaches higher levels.

    > Skill leveling is randomly determined.

    [Soul Extraction(SSS) lv.1]

    > You can call upon the darkness of a soul to be your soldier. It will take on a new body which is the property of darkness - shadow.

    > Skill costs 1 shadow energy per use.

    > You can extract 50 souls (0/50)

    > You will be able to extract stronger souls as the skill level increases.

    [Summon Soldiers(SSS) lv.1]

    > You can summon extracted soldiers to fight for and with you. Summoned dark Soldiers cannot die as long as they have shadow energy. Even if they are defeated, they will be regenerated.

    > Skill costs 1 Shadow energy per minute for one soldier.

    > At higher levels, skill costs will reduce.

    [Domain Of Darkness(EX) lv.1]

    > You can summon a realm of darkness that will ovep a chosen area for 3.5 minutes. In that realm of darkness, allws will be subjected to your will.

    > Skill costs 500 shadow energy per use.

    > Skill duration will increase as skill level increases.

    "Wow... okay, it is more impressive than I thought"

    Raith wore a smug face and nodded.

    ''I should try it out though...''

    He rubbed his chin with his index finger.

    ''...how do I do this, I should first create a body.''

    "Shadow creation."

    [Create a shadow using your imagination]

    As instructed Raith closed his eyes, picturing the Fenrir¨C upon opening his eyes, it appeared on the holographic tab, just as he imagined it.

    [You can make modifications]

    "Okay let''s make the skin white instead of ck."

    [That feature is not possible]

    [Due to being created by the property of darkness: Shadow, all creations will have a ck body and aura]

    "Tch, nothing ever goes my way..."

    Heined a little but focused his attention into what he was doing.

    ''Okay, let''s make its eyes a little bit more narrow and fiercer, let''s make it a purple aura burning from its eyes so it can match me.''

    Just as Raith instructed, the modifications were done.

    ''That should be good.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He checked the drawing representation on the holographic tab for thest time.

    "Okay, that''s good."

    [You havepleted Shadow Creation]

    [Choose an Extraction key word]

    [Choose a summoning Key word]

    "Hmm... this is a big task."

    Raith folded his arms and drove deeper into his thoughts for a few minutes.

    As if he revealed a heavenly revtion he shot his eyes wide open and¨C

    "Okay, let''s choose, Awake my child for extraction and Come forth for summoning"

    [Awaken Registered]

    [Come Forth registered]

    [Select the ego you want to merge with the created shadow summon]

    > Fenrir Ego

    > unknown Human ego

    > Goblin king ego

    [Regardless of the Ego you choose, they will have 100% unwavering loyalty to you]

    ''Fenrir''

    [You have chosen Fenrir Ego]

    [Do you want to merge Fenrir Ego with created shadow body]

    "Yes."

    [Merging...]

    [Fenrir Ego is a high-level ego, hence shadow soldier will start from a higher level than a normal summon]

    ck smoke began to emerge from the ground and filled the entire room on lower levels, in front of Raith, there was a sudden surge of ck smoke that busted the roof of the castle, forming the figure of a giant wolf with purple eyes, at first the figure was irregr but in few seconds the body became smooth surrounded with ck smoke aura with hints of purple.

    The shadow monster bowed in front of Raith, lowering all its limbs and legs. Goosebumps ran through Raith''s spine as he saw this.

    He smiled.

    [Due to the high level of monster, you can name it]

    "Ah, Wolfe"

    [Do you want to name the Shadow summon ''Wolfe''?]

    ''Wait, let''s think about this well, maybe I should just go with Fenrir''

    Raith exercised a little bit of patience to calm his excited state and think of a proper name¨C else, he makes a mistake he regrets everytime he calls the shadow monster by its name.

    [Do you want to name the Shadow summon ''Fenrir'']

    "Yes"

    A bright red light glowed above the ck wolf, disying the name ''Fenrir'' in red.

    [Fenrir]

    Level: 01

    Type: Beast

    Rank: A

    Skill: Thunder Roar(S), Fiery Charge(A).

    "Amazing"

    Raith was fully okay with what he had seen so far. At this point, not even the world can stop him. But he still had 49 more slots to fill.

    This is why, he turned to the body of the Ogre thaty on the ground, lifeless and in a pool of blood.

    He moved closer to the monster and remembered their fierce fight, he grinned as he thought about how powerful the Ogre will be when he gets summoned.

    [You can use ''Soul Extraction'' on target]

    ck smoke swam around the body as the message appeared.

    Raoth smiled with relief.

    "Awaken"

    The smoke around surged as if it was heeding hismand but soon calmed.

    "Huh?"

    [Soul Extraction has failed]

    [You have two trials remaining]

    Raith gritted his teeth.

    ''Of course, it won''t be easy. He''s a named monster, even when he was alive, he has very cocky. But it is different now, I''m its master...''

    "Then I should probably act like one."

    Raith lowered his brow and looked down at the monster.

    "When you were alive, you were arrogant and thought nothing can stop you didn''t you? I know you are still arrogant even in your death but regardless I offer you a chance to serve me. To redeem yourself. So awaken"

 Chapter 68 I Am Now A Different Person

    ?"It''s been five hours already."

    Agent Jong-Su looked at his wristwatch and looked at the space where the gate was supposed to be.

    He looked back at Min-ho who was seated under the tent, waiting for Raith toe out.

    "Hunter Min-ho, I think you should..."

    "No, I can''t leave until Hyungnimes."

    He replied brazenly, with a focused gaze toward where the gate should be.

    "Agent Jong-Su sighed and sat down.

    Momentster, Lee Se-Chul who had left earlier, his attack squads were still around and were chilling in their ck sedan bus.

    As he got out of his car to approach Agent Jong-Su.

    The air began to swirl, and the gate from a small point in that swirl began to grow bigger, starting with a ck color that slowly reverted to a blue color.

    Raith dauntlessly walked out of the gate, with his trousers ripped, his shirt gone but his magnificent body in full disy to the entire surrounding, the perfect alignment of his muscles, his chiseled chest, broad shoulders, thickened neck, and an overall slight increase in height, his gaze had also changed as if he was staring cold death into everyone that looked at him.

    "Hyungnim!"

    "Merchant Raven..."

    Raith looked at the little crowd that gathered around.

    "What happened? Why are there so many people?"

    Raith asked as agent Jong-Su reached him with a nket.

    "It is good to have you back, Merchant Raven"

    He said, covering Raith''s body with the nket, but having to overstretch himself a bit for that to be possible.

    ''Was he always this tall?''

    The agent wondered briefly as Raith entered the tent and bowed his head for a moment, not responding to the chaos of questions Min-ho kept showering on him.

    "Shut up"

    His voice struck fear into the heart of everyone that was around, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense such that everyone was silent for the next few moments.

    Raith gritted his teeth as he recalled the embarrassment in the gaze. Even after that long speech that made him feel like a God. The bastard Ogre did not respond to his call.

    ''Why? was it because it is a named monster? Is it more powerful than Fenrir?... I got Fenrir as an ego, maybe if I had tried to extract its soul that time it might not have been possible''

    Raith looked at the tab in front of him.

    [Number Of Shadow Summons: 50/50]

    ''At least it worked out with the Orc Chief and the other Orcs I killed''

    He sighed and freed himself from the anger and frustration that had formed a tension all around him.

    Everywhere suddenly became cool.

    "Hunter Raith, please we would like you to hide your identity from those people."

    Agent Jong-Su leaned toward Raith and whispered to him, causing Raith''s vision to switch to theing Lee Se-Chul and his guild''s main attack squad.

    "Are you the hunter that cleared the gate?"

    Lee Se-Chul asked, forcing himself not to cower before the domineering presence that Raith emanated.

    "Hunter Lee Se-Chul. You have no business here."

    As agent Jong-Su spoke, two other agents blocked his path. Lee Se-Chul looked at the two of them and looked at Agent Jong-Su.

    "You never learn do you?"

    He said emitting a blue aura from his glowing eyes and tightening his fist.

    "What are you doing?"

    Raith''s shadow energy countered his immediately¨C trapping the atmosphere within the penitentiary of fear. Lee Se-Chul''s hand began to shake as he looked into Raith''s slitted eyes which were subtly exuding purple and ck smoke as a faint show of his cosmic energy and shadow energy.

    He turned back instantly and walked away, gritting his teeth.

    Agent Jong-Su looked back at Raith with widened eyes.

    ''He made the arrogant Lee Se-Chul turn back with just a release of his energy. No doubt about it. This guy is S rank!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Agent Jong-Su stiffened his expression and bowed.

    "Thank you for clearing the gate. As agreed the association will credit you with your quota"

    He belted with a ny degrees bow, ignoring the desire for his questions to be answered.

    "It''s good. Min-ho..."

    Raith looked to his side which was suddenly silent.

    "Hyungnim."

    "Let''s go home."

    "Yes, hyungnim!!"

    Min-ho replied, happier than he was when he graduated the medical school.

    "Guild master... what happened?"

    Behind Lee Se-Chul was a big guy dded in silver armor and was looking at the white Mercedes that drove away.

    "I don''t know who that guy is... but I think we have to bring him to our guild."

    "Bring him to our guild? Why?"

    "If that guy is a special rank. And he is with the association, we guilds are fucked."

    He said to the face of the tall guy and turned to Lee Seung-gi who silently standing beside him.

    "Manager Lee."

    "Yes, guild master."

    "I''ll put you in charge of recruiting that guy. And I want you to spread rumors that the associations have a special rank as a Merchant."

    "I can understand the recruiting, but why should we spread a rumor."

    The timid manager asked with a cautious tone.

    "Isn''t it obvious? If we can''t get him, then the associations can''t have him too. If rumors go around and reach Park Shi-Won. I''m sure that guy will begin to pull all his strings to recruit him. All is fine as long as the association doesn''t have him."

    "I see..."

    ''The guild master''s selfish side.''

    Lee Se-Chul looked at the association as they packed up their equipments and left the scene slowly.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    Fourth realm of Hell.

    "How annoying. I haven''t even begun to use him and he has died."

    Deep and dark red skin glistened in the dim light from the red moon. Piercing yellow eyes glinted with a predatory gaze as he spoke looking at his hands.

    At his feet was ady that was shrouded in transparent linen that was clearly disying her womanly features.

    "Your highness, you. an use me as much as you like."

    She said with her tongue stuck out and with a nasty face that told the story of where they''ve beening from. Certainly, this was not the first time she was being used as much as he likes.

    Even though she had a bright skinplexion like every other human, her sclera was ck with a red eyeball. It was none other than the particr that set apart a subus.

    "He was quite strong though, I wonder what human killed him."

    She frowned as the demon spoke of humans.

    "Your highness, are you toying with the humans again."

    She inquired sensitively.

    "Ba''al used to love them so much. It gives me so much joy to destroy them slowly. I should look for another monster."

    He mumbled before standing up and leaving the subus at the feet of his seat.

 Chapter 69 Fear The Goddamn Ants (1)

    ?Everyone in Therut has been waiting for this day.

    The day that the Elemental guild will finally clear the level 10 dungeon that gued them.

    Thaw Sanada has received so many thanks, and he had even be the most searched word on the inte.

    When you search Thaw Sanada or Rigeria city, the first thing thates out is about the level 10 gate.

    The entire ind was already taken by the monsters. And the government had even employed high-rank heroes of the throne archon who were vast in barrier creation.

    This was how the country had been able to survive and contain these monsters in one area.

    Thaw Sanada stood in front of the seaport that led to Ephselon city.

    "What are you thinking about?"

    Virgo approached him, donned in sleek armor sitting atop his ck turtle neck, he adjusted his hands'' gloves as he stood next to Thaw.

    Thaw Sanada closed his eyes with a smirk.

    "History is about to be written. With this Virgo, I will prove myself as the strongest in the entire world."

    Thaw Sanada stated, staring at the golden light of the barrier that shone from afar.

    "Sir! The chopper is ready."

    A man in a ck suit approaches Thaw.

    He turns back with his hands in his pocket and nods, looks at Virgo onest time, and walks away.

    The Elemental guild consisted of heroes that were chosen by the nature(or elemental) archon. Ranging from fire abilities to water maniption, lightning, earth, and wind, although it may sound stereotypical, there are different applications to these abilities. For example, Thaw Sanada is a pyromancer who can even create his own fire.

    But there is another fire ability user whose ability is to ignite tremendous fire bombs that leave an explosion effect strong enough to bring down a 100 floors skyscraper in one minute.

    The main team consisted of Thaw Sanada, Shira Keith, a white-haired girl¨C whom the world know today as Thaw''s girlfriend. Leonard Respiro, an adept earth maniptor and the troubles tanker of the team, and still able to effectively switch to the role of support when needed.

    Ismael Chaths, Will Griffin, Virgo ckman, and rdrel Strongtower who is one of the few elves who have not hidden away from humanity on an ind.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The seven of them entered the chopper but that was not, of course, all they would need to raid a dungeon. The entire Elemental guild which consisted of seventy-six members along with a hundred armed soldiers to support them had gone earlier with the ship.

    This was definitely supposed to be a sessful raid.

    ...

    In thirty minutes they entered the golden light boundary¨C which made it impossible for anyone toe out from inside until they were sure that the dungeon had been cleared.

    The entire ind was overrun with ant monsters. And they were different from, ck ants which were only capable of walking red ones that could fly, purples ones who only could walk but made use of deadly poison that would kill anyone in seconds.

    The tall buildings and skyscrapers of Ephselon city which used to be a center of attraction had be ruins, an apocalypse was the best description for this city. Red sky, broken roads, fallen buildings, and ants swarming all over the debris, they had burrowed a habitat in every area of the city and this was what the Elemental guild was to fight.

    As the ship dropped them, they charged into the city, with the soldiers on a shooting spree, killing any ants theyid their eyes on.

    The ant monsters were different from your average Joe, with massive bodies and almost imprable scales. But the reinforced bullets that they were using made things so easy.

    With the soldiers at the forefront of the battle and the elemental guild supporting from behind, they pressed further. Killing whatever sight of ants they saw. Until they came in contact with the red ants that were capable of flying.

    They began to kidnap the soldiers one by one and no amount of shooting could hit them¨C their flight was so fast and it was almost as if they could see the bulletsing, they would fly in different patterns to evade the bullets and chop off the head of the soldiers with their mandibles.

    This caused a quick change in the tide of the battle and put the Elemental guild in the forefront, the soldiers'' numbers had been reduced to half in just twenty minutes since the appearance of the red ant monsters, and the other soldiers were beginning to cower.

    At least the elemental guilds had a chivalrous nature. They stepped in and began a full-out battle. With abilities ranging from fire and lightning to water and wind, they used them all to devastating effect. mes leaped from the hands of the fire users, lightning bolts struck down ant after ant. Ice users created walls of ice to hold back the swarm, while water users summoned waves to wash them away. Wind users created tornadoes to fling the ants into the air, while earth users used their powers to create barriers and traps, also smashing the ants to bits with massive boulders.

    The formation calmed the tide of the battle and things were progressing slowly and looking good. Although the red ants retreated immediately this formation yed out and could be seen holding back on top of buildings and watching as the purple ants and ck ants were being dealt with, just a few of them flew towards the heroes and faced the same fate, the majority watched.

    But even the walking ants were not to be underestimated. They were ferocious fighters, with powerful jaws and ws that could tear through steel. They used their impressive strength to counter the heroes: the purple ants began to spray purple, slimy liquid that melted the ice walls immediately.

    The battle raged on for hours, with the ants dying at an rming rate but soon as fatigue began to set in things began to change slowly, it was then the red ants flew in and began to break their formations. The heroes regardless of this change fought with all their might, knowing that the fate of Ephselon city rested on their shoulders. But it was a drag, they were too tired and the red ants were posing more threats than they could angle being able to fly anytime they want andunch surprise attacks with strong mandibles that snatched their heads off their necks in just one swing.

    Everything was slowly getting to an end¡ª until the main attack team joined the battle.

    Thaw Sanada''s fire was like a hell, soaring through the sky and burning the red ants massively, their carcasses fell from the sky.

 Chapter 70 I Said Fear The Goddamn Ants (2)

    ?"Why is it so noisy outside?"

    "It seems the humans have gathered on the ind to take it back"

    "What a waste of effort..."

    The humanoid ant with a white exoskeleton andpound eyes and a pair of simple eyes below it was seated in the office of the branch manager of the Heroes association, Ephselon branch.

    In front of him knelt two other humanoid ants, one red and one ckish purple, they bowed their heads as they responded to him.

    "If you will it. We shall put an end to the humans."

    "It is alright... you two protect mother. I want to see for myself, how strong the humans are."

    The white ant, created using the body of Yao Djansi, was the supreme ruler of the entire ants'' colony and the strongest that there was. The other two were strong, strong enough to defeat Yao Djansi during his old age but this one was different.

    He stood up, unlike the other two who had four hands, he had just two but there were long, reaching his knee.

    His wings flung out from his back as he ced one leg on the broken window and looked out into the red sky with mes surging intermittently. A wide smirk formed on his mandibles and he rocketed into the sky, destroying the entire window frame with the force impact of his take-off.

    ***

    Thaw Sanada was not the only one that changed the tides of the battle, the cyromancer, Shira Keith. Her ability was monstrous, with just a touch she could turn the entire surrounding into a raging ice cone, that pierced into the ants, trapped them, and killed them in tens.

    What about the water-firebo between Ismael Chaths and Will Griffin, the two adeptly used fire and water to make up for their weaknesses and plunged deeper into the ruined city, they were ahead of everyone and were carving a path to where the main dungeon gate was.

    "Things are getting better."

    Ismael Chaths said looking at Will with a smile.

    "Yes, I can''t see us losing this."

    The dark-skinned Will responded as burning down a poisonous ant before it could spit. He turned to Ismael and touched his jaw gently.

    "But more than all that, what is good is fighting by the side of the one I love."

    He said as he kissed him.

    "Humans... what a fragile creature."

    The thick voice resonated around the ruined environment, but they couldn''t tell exactly what he was saying, to them it just sounded like another jargon that hurt their hearing.

    But neither of them could deny the difference of the ant that suddenly appeared before them.

    Their face turned pale as he stepped closer and their legs developed a mind of their own and made a run but before they could go any far.

    The ant stopped Will by his shoulder, his mandibles squirmed as he looked down on the dark-skinned boy and¨C

    CHOMP

    He ate off his head immediately.

    Ismael kept running with nces back but his legs didn''t stop, his eyes were reddened from fear and tears ran out of his eyes as he watched his headless boyfriend fall to the floor.

    WHIM

    Even though he had reached a considerably far distance, it was meaningless before the flight speed of the white ant.

    With transparent wings pping so fast that they could not be seen, the monster floated in front of Ismael.

    "Humans with weak legs, I will ask you a question..."

    "Hiieek..."

    Ismael shivered as he suddenly could hear the monster speak the samenguage as him.

    ''This is a level 10 monster, impossible impossible impossible impossible!!!''

    "I know you can hear me... after consuming the brain of your partner, I can understand yournguage. I will ask you a question. What can jump higher than a mountain?"

    "A-A-A-A p-p-ne?"

    "As expected, humans are dumb."

    He replied and ced one hand on the shaking Ismeal''s head, scorching him with fire that he didn''t have before.

    "Mountains can''t jump... fool"

    He flew away after Ismael was burnt to a crisp, scattering in the hot wind.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ...

    "It''s been a while since those two went ahead, I''m sure they are doing nonsense while being away from everyone, so go after them."

    Thaw said to rdrel and Leonard.

    The two in response dashed forwards, hopping over fallen buildings and destroying the ants that crept out of them or the ones that flew into their path.

    As Leonard propelled himself into the air¨C

    WHISH!

    In a jiffy, only a headless body was seennding.

    "LEONARDO!!!"

    rdrel with her elven ent shouted his name such that everyone was alerted. The attention drifted over the fallen building where she stood and they wall watched Leonard''s headless body topple to the ground, all of them including Thaw Sanada.

    "What is that?!"

    One of the guild members said pointing his hand to the figure of the humanoid ant that held Leonard''s head and stood at the very top of the highest building, with the red sky casting an eerie atmosphere upon the scene.

    "Thaw..."

    Virgo ckman immediately touched Thaw Sanada whose face was already brimming with anger.

    "If that thing can kill Leonard in just one second, it won''t be wise of us tounch in with emotions. We should prioritize the safety of the guild members and address this cool-headed."

    "fuuuu..."

    Thaw Sanada exhaled.

    Right from time Virgo ckman has always been that friend who knew how to put him under control and help him retrace his steps. They had always been the best of friends.

    WHAM

    Thaw''s eyes widened.

    The monster that was supposed to be far away, on top of a building, was right beside him, with his hand plunging deep into Virgo''s belly.

    "I hate weak humans."

    It said turning its eyes to Thaw Sanada as of telling him, ''You are next''

    As it pulled out its hand, Virgo fell to the ground with his blood sttering all over the white ant.

    "Aaaarrggghhhh!!!"

    Thaw propelled himself away from the monster with an outburst of his hellmes that burnt the monster''s exoskeleton, leaving it unsightly and his skin burnt.

    The monster looked at his body and hispound eyes narrowed to a slit.

    "It seems I have underestimated this one."

    He mumbled as he picked up Virgo''s lifeless body and began to munch on his head.

    After eating off the head, his body began to recover at an rming rate, glowing green light as his skin reverted to its original beauty.

    ''No wonder the human was so weak... He had restorative abilities.''

    The monster looked at Thaw Sanada who was devastated at what he saw.

    ''How in the world? He stole Virgo''s healing powers by eating his head off!!''

    The monster looked around and¨C

    SCCRRRREEEEEEEECCCTTTHHHH!!!

    With that scream, a swarm of ants greater in number than before swarmed out of the gate led by the two ants general the red ant and the ckish-purple ants. The red sky was darkened immediately as flying ck ants covered the entire sky.

    All of them looked up and at that moment¨C

    "We are fucked..."

    Thaw Sanada''s cocky countenance fell. Because of his greed and pride, he had led his entire guild members into the hands of death.

 Chapter 71 Pompous Absalom

    ?Nothing, nothing was heard of the Elemental guild, not after one day, not after ten days. And they wouldn''t dare bring down the barrier.

    Once that barrieres down whatever is inside that gate will pour out and it will be the end of Rigeria city. This was an obvious failure. Even the Elemental guild with all their boast and strength, couldn''t bring down this dungeon.

    Thanks to this the association begin to suspect the possibility of this dungeon being higher than a level 10 dungeon.

    And the main forces of Therut were beginning to get concerned.

    After the loss of the Elemental guild. There was a worldwide meeting of all pontifices which was announced to the entire world and was to take ce in the World Association Tower.

    A building that exist for the sole purpose of that day that all the national associations that existed within the world of Therut would gather and delicate matters of monsters and dungeons. No one ever thought it would be a meeting ce for Pontifexes

    Pontifexes were seen as having absolute power, greater than even kings and Emperors if one was to say. And this is because of their direct link to the archons themselves, all archons are in a state of slumber¡ª however, it is possible for the pontifices to enter their subconscious and know the will of the archon. This is how heroes are chosen¡ª dust is a power that the archons possess and can bestow upon the creature. It is just like the bestowal of a name, only that in this case the dust carries the essence of the name¨C the humans are able to them rub off the power of the archons through the dust, just like how a monster would rub off the power of its name once it is named.

    With the pontifices are the will and words of the archons and the fact that they have gathered was a surety that the archons have finally spoken.

    No one would have ever thought that The World Association Tower would be a ce where Pontifexes would gather, this kind of asion had never happened¨C a situation where all eight pontifices, has never had to happen before now.

    Each Pontifexes with their pdin and each from an exotic limousine could be seen getting down in front of the broad car park of the tower that could bepared with the runaway of airnes, if not even bigger.

    The Pontifex of the light archon,

    The Pontifex of the throne archon,

    The Pontifex of the Hound archon,

    The pontifex of the Hound archon,

    The Pontifex of the Shield archon,

    The Pontifex of the Sword archon,

    The Pontifex of the Spear archon,

    The Pontifex of the nature archon.

    All eight could be seen, some male, some female but all in morous attires that made it so easy to identify them, and each of them surrounded by a parade of pdins as they moved into the building. The park and the front of the tower itself were swarming with reporters that were being kept on a leash by the police and the agents from the World Heroes Association.

    Everyone patiently awaits the result of their meeting.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    Felfhiem(Jarhan)

    "Please brother, I beg you. Please help teacher."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Absalom relentlessly begged at the castle gate of his half brother who is the lord castle that had delivered Volmak to the Realm lord of the Kania, the thirteenth realm.

    Even after exining to Absalom that it was not possible to help Volmak anymore at this point, he didn''t give up and banged therge door with all his strength sometimes, the stone walls of the castle would tremble as though they wouldn''t be able to endure another of that strike.

    Vc wasn''t one that was fond of his brother especially since he was the son of an archdemon,pared to him who was just birthed from a great demon and had just recently evolved to be a great demon which was how he earned the title of the Lord of the castle and also became one of the reckonable forces in Jarhan but still wasn''t Jarhan''s realm lord. Being a realm lord was different, it meant one was in the books of the seven archdemons, and it had good and bad sides to it. And for Vc who preferred to be a lowkey demon was okay not to be noticed.

    Should he decide to rescue Volmak, all that would change? Apart from entering the book of the archdemon, he would never be able to defeat uros.

    But his stupid and reckless younger brother was not ready to believe that. And it gave him a lot of problems.

    "Should I just rip his heart out?"

    Vc mumbled as he satzily, leaning into his seat, tired and fed up with the situation.

    "My lord, you can''t do that. Lady Lilith will¨C

    "Yes, I know. She will probablye for my head. She didn''t give us the kind of affection she shows towards him... but that is what makes him so cocky."

    "What about you see this as an opportunity to build a rtionship with your brother Absalom."

    Vc chuckled.

    "You don''t know anything Fs. You are a good advisor no doubt but I can''t do that. I am not the only one that hates Absalom, he is hated by even his father''s offspring, the vampires refuse him... me? Me who was a mistake from his mother''s affection with a lowly demon. Every time, I see him it burns nothing but envy and hatred into my bones."

    "But still you care for him, don''t you? I''ve seen the way you look at him, you wish you can change things and ept him sometimes."

    Vc looked at the old man that was standing adjacent to him and looked forward towards therge red door of his throne room.

    "I want to help Volmak too... but what do I do when he freed the Fenrir. However, it is weird."

    "What is?"

    "It''s been several weeks. But we have not heard of the Fenrir at all."

    "Then what might that mean?"

    His advisor leaned further to him, paying rapt attention to Vc.

    "That human... that human, I forgot the fact that he was supposed to be dead ording to the Commander''s report. He was thrown into the Fenrir''s pit."

    "But there''s no way a human would have defeated the Fenrir."

    His advisor put forth.

    "You are right Fs, there are a lot of problems attached to this matter. If I''m going to get rity on this, I need that human." A wide grin spread ords his face. "Let that brat in."

 Chapter 72 The Ramen God

    ?"Thank you so much brother¨C No, my lord!! Thank you for deciding to help me!"

    "Help you? Don''t misunderstand me. I am only doing this for Volmak."

    Varac''s red eyes red down at him.

    "Thank you so much brothe¨C My lord!"

    Vc looked at him with scornful eyes but he could be seen restricting his gaze and momentarily taking them off Absalom.

    "There is something you must do."

    "I will do anything," Absalom shouted with his head bowed.

    "There was a human with Volmak when he lived at the borders."

    Absalom clenched his fist as Vc spoke.

    ''If not for that bastard! I''m sure that bastard is the cause of all this...''

    "I don''t know much about him but if we are ever going to be of help to Volmak then we have to know what happened to this human. I will send you to the human world¨C

    Vc paused as he noticed the slight change in Absalom, he was shocked, to go to the human world was a big deal for him, and Vc knew that very well.

    "What, do you have a problem with that?" Vc asked with a stern and intimidating tone.

    "No, my lord"

    There had been no frequent happenings where demons go to the human world, but there have been one. The story of Ba''al is a story that everyone knows but no one would dare to speak of.

    They say he fell in love with human nature after deciding to go to the human world, he got so weak and was finally killed by the humans when they find out he is a demon. Of course, there are always so many sides to the story, there''s a side that says he was killed by the primordials, and others say he was killed by a demon who wanted the throne until we truly know the truth ining days, we cannot assume.

    Going to the human world, Absalom shook at the thought of it. He had never been out of Felfhiem, traveling from realm to realm. But the human world. He gulped and toughened his resolution.

    "Fine... then get going. And be careful the moment you use your demonic powers in the human world, the celestials wille for you. And trust me, I won''t save you." Vc added as he waved a hand toward his brother.

    One of the soldiers standing behind him responded and escorted Absalom out.

    "What have you done? Your Highness." Vc''s advisor eximed with a shaking voice.

    "Shut up Fs you are naive."

    "But your highness ifdy Lilith..."

    "Do you intend to snitch?"

    "Never your highness." Fs acknowledged this time with a firm tone.

    Vc leaned back into his throne and awaited the result of the scheme that yed in his head.

    In that wicked grin that parted bus lips, one thing was for sure. This wasn''t going to be a pleasant experience for Absalom.

    ***

    ***

    ***<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    (Earth, South Korea)

    [Slot of summons will increase as you level up]

    ''Ah, that will be hard. It just got harder to level up. What do you expect this minion to think when I keep dying? I am their master, I can''t portray myself as weak''

    [If after now you still think dying is a description of weakness then...]

    [...we still have a long way to go]

    Raith gulped as he saw the response. The abyss didn''t use to give him answers like this. But ever since he returned from the disguise gate, this has been happening. Although it didn''t speak much, Raith could feel that it was different from before.

    "Hyungnim, I know it''ste but I prepared dinner," Min-ho said, bearing a pot as he walked to the living room and gently ced the pot on the center table.

    "Hyungnim. This is a home-cooked ramen."

    "Is there anything such as home-cooked ramen...?" Raith squinted his eyes at Min-ho, who in response giggled as he defended his cooking.

    "Come on hyungnim, what are you saying? This is home-cooked from A to Z, except for the fact that I have to get the ramen though. I even added a lot of banchan."

    He ran to the kitchen after dropping the ramen,e back with a tray, and began to set the table that Raith was seated in front of, crosslegged.

    Kimchi, a fermented vegetable made with cabbage and with a subtle spicy taste.

    Bean sprouts, tofu, and even spinach, on other tes, was boiled pork belly, all that wasid before Raith.

    ''Still, this is how we have been eating it for the past week since I came out of the gate... why the fuck is he proud.'' With how delicious the food set in front of him was looking, Raith scowled at it and lifted his face to Min-ho who sat down, looking all aplished and fulfilled.

    "Min-ho."

    "Yes, Hyungnim." He raised his brows as he was about to dish the ramen into tes.

    "You can''t cook any other dish right?"

    Raith''s question jolted through his spine ring him for a second.

    "Ha ha... hyungnim. Why will you say something."

    "Except we eat out, or order pizza... or eat bread and cake. The only thing we cook in this house is ramen. And you act like you are a ramen God or something."

    "Ha ha ha... if hyungnimpliments me like that, I have no choice but to ept it. It seems I am really a ramen god."

    "Min-ho, that wasn''t apliment. I''mining." Raith said with a straight gaze darted into his eyes. Before he took the steaming hot pork belly and stuffed it into his mouth.

    Min-ho who had stretched to stop him due to the hotness and honestly wanted to stop his hyungnim from burning his hand and tongue was shocked to see Raith crush everything within his mouth, both the bone and the meat. But what fascinated him was there was no reaction from Raith.

    "Hyungnim. By chance do you have a high tolerance for hot food?"

    "Huh?" Raith looked at him with a raised eyebrow but did not respond until he had swallowed. "I have a high resistance for anything hot... and cold."

    "Ah! so that was how you were fine in that castle and that is why you always want the air conditioner at its highest even though this weather is cold enough already."

    They have technically been living for three weeks, yet Min-ho felt like he had known everything about Raith. Well, on the surface we could at least target that much but deeply? He''s not even close!

 Chapter 73 Raven

    ?"Heeheee... hyungnim you are all over the inte. I bet reporters will be seeking to find your face.

    "What is that?" Raith leaned his head forward to see what Min-ho was looking at while he was eating ramen with one hand.

    "It says, who is the mysterious Merchant of the association that cleared a disguise gate on his own?" Min-ho read it out for him. On Min-ho''s phone, there was a graphic with a blurry picture of Raith when he was seated under the tent and with a question mark on it.

    "I thought the association said they''d save me from the eyes of the public."

    ''I don''t want to be the center of attention given my secrets and the fact that I am not from this world.''

    "There are some things that even the association cannot control. The best they can do is hide your identity." Min-ho replied as he locked his phone and focused on his food.

    "Bucht we can fochus on the brisht shide of chis..." He swallowed the food in his mouth and continued, "Everyone is saying you are probably Korea''s third special rank hunter."

    "Special rank?" Raith asked with a puzzled face.

    "You know that the hunter ranking goes from F to S, and S is like the standard best, S rank hunters have privilege everywhere but they enjoy only a tip of what the special ranks enjoy. We have two special ranks, Disaster rank, and Catastrophe rank. Those two are way beyondmon sense, and Korea has only two of those. If the guilds know that you are the third one, everyone... and I mean everyone wille running after you include guilds from different countries, America, Japan, China, Ennd, Nigeria... all the countries, and you will be under certain privileges, not even the government can hold you down."

    "It sounds impressive."

    "It really is." Min-ho nodded with a smile as he slurped another spoon full of ramen.

    GRRR GRRRR

    Raith immediately picked up his phone as it vibrated.

    "Hello."

    >> Hello.

    The voice on the phone responded to him.

    >> Merchant Raven, there is a gate... I know you are resting from¨C

    "I''m going, where is it? When?"

    >> Uhm, Merchant Raven? It''s okay if you decline this. You don''t¨C

    "I''m tired of eating ramen."

    >> Sir?

    "Never mind, just send me the location of the gate."

    >> Okay Merchant Raven.

    Raith sighed. ''This guy is about to traumatize me with ramen.''

    "Was that the association?"

    "Yes."

    "Are we going to a gate?" Min-ho asked with a lit face.

    "There''s no we... I''ll prefer to do this. Alone."

    "Come on hyungnim? Alone, who will pick the crystals."

    Raith grinned as he asked the question, as much as there was so much urge to unt his army of shadow soldiers, he wasn''t interested in letting anyone know this soon, not Min-ho, not even the association.

    "You''ve been away from the hospital for the past week. I''m sure you are needed. I will take care of this on my own." Raith replied to him with a calm and pleasant tone.

    He was right, ever since his return from the disguise gate, Min-ho only went to the hospital twice and didn''t even stay long as one would expect a doctor to. He had been home tending to Raith''s needs and Raith was enjoying all the care¨C it had been a long time since he had that feeling of being cared for, that time when he was still surrounded by maids.

    Min-ho looked down for a minute. "You are right hyungnim. I should go to the hospital, maybe I should quit and just be a hunter too."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Wait, aren''t you a doctor because you like the job."

    "Well, there''s that too but another reason is because of my father."

    "Your father?"

    "Yes, my father is the Chairman of the hospital, since all my brothers are not doctors he wants someone who will walk his path to inherit the hospitals."

    "And that is you," Raith replied with a vibrant expression.

    "Yes... it''s nothing much." Min-ho replied scratching his cheek."

    "If that is the case you can''t quit being a doctor. If you will be a hunter make sure you are doing it for yourself. For now, I will go to the gate... make sure you don''t quit."

    "But how will you get there? I''m sure you don''t know how to drive."

    Raith smiled, "You''d be shocked. Give me the keys."

    "Hyungnim, I know your world is like earth but driving a car here is a delicate matter..."

    "It''s fine then... I can just run. It''d probably be faster than a car anyways."

    "Hyungnim no, just let me drive you."

    "I''m not letting you into the gate."

    "It''s fine... I will go to the hospital after dropping you at the location." Min-ho said and watched Raith debate his decision.

    "Okay." Raith finally responded and both of them left, leaving the leftovers.

    ***

    In a few minutes, Min-ho was already at Nonhyeon-dong coastal road walk in Incheon, but they were trapped in the traffic that didn''t seem to move.

    "How weird the location he sent me, it looks like we are not too far from there," Raith mumbled as he looked around. People wereing out of their cars to express their frustration.

    GRRRR GRRRR.

    Raith''s phone rang.

    >> Hello, Merchant Raven, where are you?"

    "I''m in traffic..."

    >> Where what does it look like?

    "Pink trees on my left and a big skyscraper on my right, it''s also a thin road."

    >> Ah, you are here already, from here out, you might need to walk and please be careful, make sure no one sees your face.

    He warned and put off the call.

    "Looks like the gate is just in front of us," Raith said and opened the door.

    "Hyungnim, what are you doing?"

    "I''m going to the gate. You can turn and go back home." Raith replied to him and turned to the front, the ring began to exude dark smoke and the shadow helmet covered his face immediately.

    "Hyung?"

    Min-ho wasn''t the only one that stuck his head out of his car as Raith leaped into the air and hopped on cars till he got to his destination.

 Chapter 74 The Golem Dungeon (1)

    ?All the avable agents in the area that surrounded the swelling gate suddenly pointed different weapons, swords, daggers, and guns at the stranger thatnded on the scene. dded in a ck helmet that seemed to be exuding ck smoke so deeply even though the day was bright and should have dimmed it.

    "Merchant Raven?" Agent Jong-Su''s voice of recognition made them show slight repulsion like they were just waiting for it. They would rather not have to confront him, they couldn''t tell how but it was like their muscles, their limbs could recognize the gap of difference in strength on their own.

    The man nodded to Agent Jong-Su, who immediately ordered them to stand them.

    One of them''s legs was already shaking by the time Agent Jong-Sumanded them to stand down, and the majority of the others all had sweat formed all over their faces. The look the helmet alone gave Raith was one of a viin of darkness, born and raised.

    "Is this the gate?" Raith asked as he looked at the blue gate.

    "Yes sir." Agent Jong-Su responded to him with a formality ring to his thick tone. ''...what is with the get up...is it some kind of skill?''

    Not only Agent Jong-Su was curious about what that helmet was but none of them was going to get their answers. The reporters that swarmed the ce began to take numerous pictures of Raith, and although the association tried to caution them, it was to no avail.

    "What is the rank?" Raith didn''t mind and nor did he care about the reporters.

    "It is a rank B. I don''t know what is going there have been more reports of high-rank gates emergence." Agent Jong-Su stated frowning his face as he spoke.

    "Hmm... I can go in alone, right?"

    "Of course, but I was thinking of sending a few hunters along with you. They are hunters from the association. Because of what happened thest time."

    "It is fine Agent Jong-Su. I can handle this alone"

    Agent Jong-Su couldn''t identify the reason why a feeling of joy seeped into his heart as Raith pronounced his name, even though it came out with a cold tone.

    He blushed.

    "Okay then. I will talk to the association chairman about this." Agent Jong-Su replied to him and nodded, giving Raith a go-ahead gesture.

    Raith naturally proceeded into the gate.

    [You have entered a dungeon]

    [Dungeon Information]

    - This is a dungeon that is said to contain golems that protect a certain treasure.

    - Dungeon rank: B

    "...that''s all?" Raith was surprised. ''Oh, so now you decide to be silent.''

    He looked forward, finding himself in the middle of a scorching desert. Not that he felt the effect of the heat but with the intensity of the sun, he could tell.

    "A golem dungeon..." He muttered as he pressed further. ''And what is that about treasures.''

    Just as he takes another step, he heard the sound.

    CREAK

    Like someone had opened the doors to hell.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Wooohhhmm

    The sands of the desert began to rise, each at a different angle, rising to form a humanoid creature, molded out of the sand, standing 7 ft tall with an incredibly strong and resilient body. Their skin was rough and coarse, resembling thickened y. And their eyes were empty void of pupils or irises which gave them a hollow feel.

    "Hmm..."

    Despite being surrounded by several golems in an instance his reaction was ''hmm''. Surely our Raith had changed.

    ''I don''t know why but I can''t feel anything. I wonder if it has anything to do with the darkness in me rising.''

    Raith looked at the golems, turning around to catch a full glimpse of them.

    "It''d be nice to add them to my collections." He mumbled as he looked down. He could feel the surge of darkness within himself, his chest, his bloodstream, his feet, his shadow that was faintly cast on the ground, he could feel it inside of him, the presence of his summons.

    He had the question of where they go when they are not summoned but it was a question he sort of knew the answer to¨C The Abyss.

    And he could feel it inside of him. The presence of the abyss.

    ''I can feel their desire to get into action... like they want to show me what they can do.'' Raith''s lips arched up.

    "Well, I can''t wait too."

    "Come forth"

    ck smoke, thick as a fog suddenly spread around Raith,ing out of nowhere. ck hands began to plunge out from the ground, pressing down the floor to step up.

    In the next minute, all of Raith''s summons were already standing around him, with Fenrir towering over all of them, and being the tallest creature from both sides of the monsters.

    The golems, as of they could sense the enmity of darkness that was exuding from Raith''s soldiers, charged immediately, tearing through the shadow soldiers with smashes. It was an easy fight for the golems.

    All of Raith''s summon except Fenrir and Cheche who stayed back.

    Right, Cheche.

    On Raith''s right side stood a sturdy and bulky shadow summon, all his body ck, except for his eyes that were ming purple aura and streaks of purple line that ran down his thick ck body like a crack. That shadow summon was the Orc Chief.

    "Useless... weak, all of them are weak as hell."

    Raith''s eyeballs shifted to his right. He didn''t need to talk, Cheche spread open its hands and the ck smoke flowed out of it, condensing to one point to reveal the monster''s sledgehammer, ck with purple streaks all around it and ck sparks flying around him and the hammer as he stepped forward.

    !Whamm!

    The monster lunged itself into the air and while in mid-air, swung his hammer an arc from the side, smashing the head of the golem into bits of stone that scattered across the desert.

    Thud!!

    The golem''s body came crumbling down just after Chechended, ced his hammer on his shoulder, and looked back at Raith with a smug face. He couldn''t talk but it was clear what he was trying tomunicate.

    "This silly thing, don''t get cocky because you defeated one golem."

 Chapter 75 The Golem Dungeon (2)

    ?The sound of stone on stone echoed across the deserts as both sides strongly collided. At first, the shadow soldiers were sloppy and couldn''t take too many hits before dying.

    But every time they respawned was an evolution to their battle sense and as the battle dragged out the shadow soldiers were already being on the same footing with the golems.

    Not to say that they had something inmon with their master.

    Yes, their strength and ability are not defined by how many monsters they kill, it all depends on how many times they got killed. Just like their master...

    Raith looked at the shadow soldiers'' profile information as they ceaselessly fight. With their massive weapons striking the golems with great force. They were fast and agile, darting in and out of the golems'' reach and striking from unexpected angles.

    The battlefield seemed to being to an end with Cheche wielding his massive sledgehammer and charging forward, cutting a swath through the golems with his powerful blows. The rest of the shadow soldiers followed close behind, with their weapons shing deep into the golems'' stone bodies.

    [You have exhausted your shadow energy]

    [Shadow summons shall return to the darkness]

    It didn''t matter how far they were from him, a string of darkness pulled all of them into his shadows. And the whole ce that was filled with nging and smashing was immediately silent.

    The rest of the golems turned to the single man that stood alone amidst the wide desert.

    ''Twenty-five minutes is the best that they can go with the shadow energy that I have now.'' Raith looked at his hand.

    ''I have to level up more, find more shadow energies which means I have to die more huh...'' Raith closed his eyes as he thought of how much he needed to die just to reach level 100.

    It just wouldn''t stop, no matter how much he grew stronger, if he wanted to get stronger it was necessary that he fell at the hands of monsters and foes, over and over again.

    "Hmm..." He looked like he was settling with that harsh reality, and very calmly.

    "But I have to release some stress first." He grunted as he cracked his knuckles, preparing himself for the golems that were towering over him with their rocky frames.

    Just as he concluded being ready on his own path, the golems charged forward, with their massive feets mming into the ground with each step. Raith dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the first attack. He lunged forward, aiming a punch at the golem''s midsection. His fist connected with a resounding thud, but the golem barely seemed to notice.

    "Hoho..." Raith hopped back a few steps as he was amazed at the golem''s amazing body. But he was confident he could take care of this with his bare fist.

    [Your skill Proficiency has increased]

    [Skill ''Transcendent Sense'' has leveled up]

    And it has been a while since he used it.

    He narrowed his eyes and darted into the group of golems, circling them with a crazy lightning speed that only left behind purple streaks as they flew around, his image was almost blurry as he didn''t put a stop to his race and scanned keenly for an opening. Just when he was getting faster, a thread attack suddenly connected to the golems'' back, Raith''s eyes settled on a small crack that the thread of attack flow from [Transcendent sense] lead him to.

    ''It is definitely because of the level up... something has changed with the skill'' While he was preupied with that thought he gave no room for a slip-up, with a grin, he charged forward,unching himself into the air.

    He somersaulted over the golem''s head, driving his fist into the crack in the golem''s backnded.

    The force of his attack created an incredible shock that all the golem''s body parts exploded off and scattered around the desert.

    The rest of the golems that were just robotically charged at him suddenly paused.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "A change in reaction?" Raith looked at all of them with a keen gaze, tightening his fist as they looked at him. Their hollow eyes suddenly began to release a red glow.

    "Something is different." Raith could tell immediately.

    The golems looked down but they stared at the tall one in front, the one closest to Raith.

    BEEEEMMMMM

    Its eyes began to me up with beams and¨C

    BWWWOOOOOMMPPPP

    It shotser beams right through its eyes, fat red beams that pierced the distance and reach Raith in less than 0.3 seconds.

    But it was being blocked by an even crazier defense as it split off into different directions as Raith''s ck armor blocked it, turning his body to ck which fit perfectly with the shadow helmet.

    Raith looked at the burning beam on his chest as it desperately tried to pass through him but was being effortlessly dyed.

    "It''s fine... I understand..." He mumbled, sobbing, "I''ll let you kill... I will be your Romeo to your Juliet." Raith looked at the furious beam-shooting golem, stretching his hands toward the air like a melodramatic protagonist who is about to die for love.

    [Deactivating ck Armor]

    The beam of light pulverized through Raith, leaving a steaming hot hole inside of him as if a pot ofva had been passed through him.

    Raith''s body slowly flopped to the ground and blood soon filed everywhere.

    [You have died]

    [Level Up]

    [You have gained +4 stat points]

    [Level Up]

    [You have gained +4 stat points]

    [Due to title effect ''One that devours death'']

    [You will be revived]

    "Ha, that was crazy." Raith looked at his belly and the round tear that was left on his clothes. "Shit, I should create a list of how I want to die and be living them out... but since I''m dying I can say, dying then out." Raith giggled as got back to his feet putting the rank B monsters in a shot daze.

    The golems roared in anger,and charged toward him, lighting his face with a confident smirk. He darted between the golems, weaving in and out of their strikes. With each punch, he chipped away at their rocky exteriors, leaving cracks in their stony skin.

    It was until when he paused behind a few of them that it was seen that this wasn''t just an ordinary punch. The golems he touched were all being reduced tova.

    What? Did you forget we had that skill?

 Chapter 76 The Golem Dungeon (3)

    ?At this point, killing became so boring because he gained nothing out of it. Every time the golems went down, they just went down and it was a whole desert swarming with golems. The more he killed them, the more they erupted.

    He did y dying scenarios a few times, but it was not enjoyable to willingly throw himself at death like that.

    He needed a drive

    They had to be something.

    Something that he desperately wants to ovee.

    ''...That guy...Thard-Harl...'' Raith covered half of his face as the corner of his lips arched up upon mentioning his name.

    ''Damn, Thard-Harl really did a number on me...''

    [You have died]

    [Level Up!!!]

    [You have gained +4 stat points]

    [Due to the title effect of One Who Devours Death, you will be revived]

    He stood up slowly, all his clothes were tattered, especially thatst attack where the golem smashed its leg on his back and his spinal cords broke right before he died.

    Raith turned and looked around.

    No doubt the numbers were not getting any smaller. To make it worse, bigger and other different kinds of golems were beginning to appear.

    Taller ones, that stood over 10ft tall, variants with dark stones and a round gem in the middle of their chest which might have made it easier for them to be killed but it made them very different.

    Golems are generally slow monsters because of their amazing defense, and sturdy and big bodies. But these ones, although they were shorter than others, even with all that sturdy, stocky body, they were crazily fast and their reaction speed was crazy. If Raith didn''t have the Lavaration skill, he just might have died a hundred times over and over again.

    But even though they were fast. They still couldn''t match up to a

    the speed that came from over 100 stats¨C Raith was mad fast.

    When he added [Instant Move] to his already crazy speed, he just goes off, disappears, and appears at his location.

    The strength and speed synchronization was also another reason why his blows were very effective.

    [Your Dark Energy has been refilled]

    "Ah, finally..." Raith sighed, raising his face to truly thank the lord if there was any in that orange sky he was looking at.

    "Come forth."

    The darkness rose around him and materialized into humanoid and stocky soldiers each with their hack-and-smash type weapons, surrounding Raith, all except Fenrir and Cheche the Orc Chief. Each of them with a name tag on them and their level indications.

    [Dark Foot Soldier level 3]

    [Dark Foot Soldier level 2]

    [Dark Foot Soldier level 3]

    [Dark FootSoldier level 3]

    They all stood around Raith, dauntless and ready for action.

    The golems gathered together in front of the dark soldiers. The two sides stand apart from each other like a battlefield between kingdoms. Raith took the lead and brought out Ba''al''s sword from his inventory, swirled it a few times before shouting at top of his voice.

    "Armies of darkness!!! Attack!!!"

    Words could not capture how much embarrassment overwhelmed him the moment he did that. But it turned out to be good.

    [The Army Of Darkness has heard the voice of their monarch]

    [Their Morale has increased]

    [All shadow soldiers have gained +1 level]

    ''Right'' Raith wore a satisfied smirk as he and his army shot forward.

    The sh was fierce, the golems crushed through the elongated, dark masses like paper before them, but the shadows immediately regenerated and relentlessly hacked and shed at the golems that were within their grasp.

    They were visibly full of energy even in the way they moved, all their movement surrounded Raith, it was like they were looking at him and fashioning their styles into his. He just went on ceaselessly and using the sword, slice off the head of several golems in one go.

    ''Wow... this sword is another thing...''

    Raith had thought that the sword would be ineffective against golems because of their rock-hard defenses. But this de was cutting through their stone as it it was cutting through bread, Raith was astonished and continued to grow more funding for the sword.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Not to say with his favorite skill [Way Of The Sword] everything just came by so easily.

    He would have loved to say ''I don''t want to get addicted to the skill, I want to be strong on my own...    ...

    But there was one thing Raith learned from his fight with the Ogre. And it was the power of reflexes and muscle memory. If he truly wanted to be strong on his own, he had to use the skill so much that it starts feeling like he is doing it himself.

    That was the answer he found.

    The skill was already amazing enough, but it was iplete. Thinking of howplete it would be left Raith in the awe of expectation.

    The shadow soldiers relentlessly pressed on the golems and were sessfully bringing them down one by one, even Raith was astonished, there was a behavioral change pattern before they were all mindlessly charging but now Raith could see two, three of them working to bring down one golem.

    He couldn''t help that proud smile that crept unto his face, like when a mother sees her child walks for the first time.

    ''Their improvement is astonishing." He mumbled as he watched them.

    But the golems retaliated with more ferocity, swinging their fists and the taller golems smashing the dark soldiers but thanks to their master''s shadow energy, they could instantly regenerate, the mes of darkness didn''t go out and immediately would converge to reform.

    The shade soldiers darted around the golems, striking with incredible speed and precision. The battlefield was a chaotic mess of nging and shifting shadows.

    [Dark Foot Soldier level 6]

    [Dark Foot Soldier level 5]

    [Dark Foot Soldier level 4]

    [Dark Foot Soldier level 6]

    [Dark Foot Soldier level 5]

    [Dark Foot Soldier level 7]

    [Dark Foot Soldier level 7]

    Raith was getting happier and happier with their improvement. The more they died the more they grew stronger. But they were still unable to defeat this set of golems that set a difference on the battlefield.

    They were the same ones that Raith had an issue or two with, nothing that he didn''t have control over.

    Those thick and stocky legs propelled them forward with an incredible speed that caught the dark soldier unaware. And as if the golems were backing them up, they mmed their fist into the ground, sending shockwaves that put the shadow soldiers in further imbnce making it so easy for the stocky golems who smashed into the soldiers. But they still held their ground regardless.

    But Raith could see that they were struggling to keep, their attacks were falling short as the golems ran around them with ease.

    "Fuuuuu..." He breathes out as he finally decides to change the tide of the battle.

    SNAP

    "Dismiss"

    With a snap of his fingers, all the dark soldiers faded into the clear light of the sky as if they were never there, to begin with.

    "Fenrir"

    He had seen what Che, was capable of, now it was time to test out Fenrir''a skills.

    Therge ck wolf as it materialized out of the dark smoke that surrounded Raith, bowed its head.

    ''...I''ve felt this before... but Fenrir is different.''

    The wolf showed a higher rate of loyaltypared to the rest. Of course, Raith was sure that they are as loyal to him as Fenrir but with Fenrir, there was this unexinable feel, it was always looking forward to paying obeisance to him with every opportunity it got, even now when they are surrounded by enemies.

    The Fenrir stood over 7ft tall and its eyes were zing with purple mes that showed a bit of likeness to the purple streaks that subtly flowed out of Raith''s helmet.

    "Go."

    With that single-wordmand, the wolf shot forward, using its speed and agility to dodge the golems'' attack. Despite Fenrir''s incredible size, its quickness could not be undermined, even the stocky golems that boast of amazing speed found it hard to keep up.

    The sand of the desert danced around as the ground shook with every step Fenrir took, shooting around and across them as they endlessly shot fists at it. The golems were relentless, mming their massive fists into the ground over and over again in order to reduce the wolf''s speed. But Fenrir looked like a powerful wolf that was ying around with its dinner.

    With every strike, he would hop into the air and jump back.

    Raith covered half of his face withughter.

    "How can I forget how crazy this wolf is."

    Fenrir was like that then too, the way it danced around trying to throw Raith off its back and would m into the wall, m itself on the ground. Raith chuckled as he watched the wolf.

    ''...this bastard, is he a menace?'' Raith didn''t have the answer to those questions that came up in his mind yet.

 Chapter 77 The Golem Dungeon (4)

    ?Fenrir was quick, but it could not dodge forever, and soon one of the golemsnded a solid blow, sending him on atumbling trail. Fenrir snarled as it stopped tumbling, its eyes were zing with fury, and the purple mes that seemed otherworldly as much as its appearance burnedrger as its eyes tightened.

    It leaped to its feet,shing out with its razor-sharp ws. The golems immediately tried to dodge, but Fenrir was not of aprehensible caliber to them when it came to speed, and it managed tond several blows, carving deep furrows in its stone armor.

    The golems seeing the sudden increase in sharpness of the Fenrir''s movement and attack mmed their fist into the ground again but this time in intermittent unison, the wolfst bnce but instead sprang back with its eyes fixated on the golems.

    With a fierce roar, Fenrir charged forward with its ws glinting in the rays of light.

    The golems tried to dodge, but it was useless Fenrir, whizzed around them with ease and struck them with devastating blows.

    The golems began to crumble under the onught, even the variants were not an exception as their nimbleness was useless before a dark element of speed such as Fenrir. Their stone armor cracked and shattered as the wolf''s ws carved through them like butter. With a final roar, the wolf struck thergest golem, its ws tearing through the stone with a deafening crack.

    The golem fell to the ground, its body crumbling to rubble. Fenrir stood above the shattered stones of the golems with its massive body heaving, it let out a low eerie howl as it bowed its head and forelimb toward its master''s direction.

    ''Fuck.''

    Raith was beyond astonished.

    "No, doubt about it... Fenrir is the strongest in this army.'' Raith affirmed inwardly as a shocked smile forced itself into his face.

    But all that victorious moment was short, as the floor began to shake again. This time it was intensive and different...

    Raith was beginning to feel the aura of a stronger presence as stones of all the fallen golems began to shake and sweep towards the howling wind and swirled around adjacent Raith and Fenrir.

    "The boss..."

    Raith folded his arms and he watched the stonese together and form a humanoid golem.

    He cockled his head upon seeing the golem.

    ''What is this?''

    He had expected the golem to be a tall one, very tall and big, that it would just be smashing legs around the desert.

    But it stood just the same height as him, with the colorbinations of both ck stones and sandstones, no facial features, and hands a little bit longer than normal.

    ''Every time things always turn out different from what I expect them to be... it is ays trouble. Spelled out trouble.'' Raith rubbed his cheek as the golem stood still.

    GGRRR...

    "No, no Fenrir, I can take care of this...''

    The dark wolf lowered its head and scattered like ck smoke as Raith spoke. He didn''t even need to say it audibly, they just returned when he willed it so.

    Raith gripped tightly his sword as he watched the golem.

    The monster stretched forth its hand and stones formed together to make a stone sword.

    ''What it''s going to fight with me using a sword?" Raith raised an eyebrow as his eyes stayed on the monster. "Okay, whatever.''

    Whim

    [You are using skill ''Way Of The Sword'']<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith''s sword arm twitched as he lunged forward, aiming for the golem''s shoulder¨C the golem easily parried the attack, its sword moved with blinding speed as it sent Raith''s sword arm flying backward. Raith quickly recovered, dancing back and away from the golem''s counterattack. The two of them circled each other warily, each waiting for the other to make a mistake¨C Raith was surprised.

    ''How the fuck does a golem know how to fight like that... Forget shit''

    It wasn''t like he could conclude just from one strike, but the efficiency of the golem''s sword was enough to raise all of Raith''s senses.

    Raith lunged at him again, feinting to the left, with a bted spin to the right, and his sword sweeping down in a powerful arc. The golem blocked the strike, but Raith had expected that¨C his lips arched up, as he used the momentum of his sword to spin around behind the golem.

    Before the golem could react, Raith brought his sword down in a swift, diagonal slice. The golem managed to parry the blow, but the force of the impact sent it staggering backward. Raith pressed his advantage,unching a flurry of strikes that the golem struggled to keep up with.

    The golem began to falter, its movements growing slower and more erratic as Raith continued to press his advantage. Finally, with a sharp, decisive stroke, Raith disarmed the golem, knocking its sword out of its hand.

    Raith held his sword to the golem''s throat, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. The golem made no move to resist, its featureless face betraying no emotion.

    "I won..." Raith smiled.

    He shed down an arc on the golem, but his sword immediately went flying backward¨C the golem struck at his belly using that brief moment. Raith staggered backward but somersaulted andnded afar off the golem before it could rush at him again.

    The golem looked at Raith, another stone sword had formed in its hand. And it had Raith''s mouth wide open.

    Surely this was not supposed toe easy, it is after all a rank B dungeon.

    The golem dashed at Raith, feinting to the right a sword arc but as Raith fell to the right, it spun left and swung an arc from there¨C

    Kang!!

    Raith btedly blocked it but couldn''t avoid the impact that made him uncontrobly stagger backward. The golem lunged its sword at Raith again but he blocked a few more strikes, parrying them away, it was clear cut that the golem was superior in strengthpared to him because he had to deal with the recoil of every strange attack.

    While Raith was in the midst of blocking the golem suddenly was not before his eyes anymore¨C It had spun to his back, and before Raith could react, the golem brought its sword down in a swift, diagonal slice. Raith managed to parry the blow, but the force of the impact sent him staggering backward. The golem possessed this advantage andunched a flurry of strikes that Raith struggled to keep up with. Amid that, something was seemingly familiar to him. The tables sure had turned but this table was a very familiar table.

    Raith''s sword arm danced in all the directions that the strikes of the golem wereing from, if his sword wasn''t so strong the golem''s stone sword might have broken because of the force recoil he had to deal with every time his hand sprang backward was no joke, all his muscles within his arms vibrated.

    Everything was exactly the same thing, he could see it but he had no way to put a stop to it, to escape that entanglement of sword strikes that the golem had managed to put him in¨C just like he did some minutes before. And the pressure of that entanglement began to wear him out, his movements became slow and erratic.

    Somehow being on the receiving end of his own type of sword skills kind of made him understand it better.

    It was not that the golem was struggling to keep up. It was just the way the skill works.

    Wearing opponent''s down in the middle of its counters and strikes...

    The Golem, with a sharp, decisive stroke, struck Raith''s sword so strongly that it vibrated and was enough to have knocked out his sword just like Raith did to it earlier.

    But the sword of Ba''al was different.

    In thatst strike, a lightning streak exploded from the golem that sent it flying.

    ...Raith grinned.

    ''This bastard monster...''

    Blood streamed down his mouth as he looked down. The golem had managed to forcefully bury its stone sword inside Raith''s chest. A wide smile appeared on Raith''s face as he sank to his knees, resting his hand on the sword of Ba''al as his head dropped and he died.

 Chapter 78 The Golem Dungeon (5)

    ?[You have died]

    [The darkness in you has risen]

    [You have gained 25 stat points from a true and helpless death that you didn''t seeing]

    [Level Up]

    [Level Up]

    [Level Up]

    [Level Up]

    [Due to title effect you will be revived]

    [Status Window]

    Name: Raven Raith

    True name: (locked)

    ss: Monarch Of Darkness

    Subss: Child Of Death

    HP: 6750/6750

    Age: 21

    Level: 28

    Aura points(A.P): 00

    Shadow points(S.P): 520

    Cosmic points(C.P): 1270

    Title: Celestia yer, One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation, I do not fear death, I am Suicidal.

    Dust attributes(Traits): the darkness beyond death, the dissatisfaction failure brings, Shadow lord(locked)

    [Skills-Passive]

    - Devourer(EX)lv.4

    - Transcendent sense(S)lv.20

    - Intimidation(S)lv.10

    - Dark Vision(A)lv.4

    - Heat Resistance(S)lv.max

    - Cold Resistance(S)lv.max

    - Poison Resistance(R)lv.1

    [Skills¨CActive]

    Truth Seeker(S)lv.2

    - Lavaration(A)lv.10

    - Instant Move(B)lv.15

    - Air Leap(C)lv.8

    - ck Armour(D)lv.5

    - Way of the Sword(SSS)lv.19(iplete)

    [ss Skills¨CActive]

    - Skill Bestowal(EX) lv.1

    - Ego Save(SSS) lv.1

    - Shadow Creation(EX)lv.1

    - Soul Extraction(EX) lv.1

    - Summon Soldiers(SSS) lv.1

    - Domain Of Darkness(EX) lv.1

    [Stats]

    - Strength: 116¡î

    - Speed: 116¡î

    - Stamina: 85

    - Intelligence: 145

    - Endurance: 134

    - Will: 12<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Avable stat points: 72

    ''Right, I have all these skills and the unused stat points I got from dying at the hands of that arrogant ogre. I am different, little golem. Let me show you.''

    Raith swung up and stood up, the healing of his body had removed the stone sword buried in his chest.

    The two stood far apart from each other, watching each other in silence.

    This time the golem was the first to lunge forward.

    "Domain of darkness"

    WHOOM!!

    Everything around him got slower, and slower, especially the movement speed of the golem.

    A dark cloud appeared on the horizon, steadily growingrger and closer. At first, it seemed like a normal storm, but as it drew nearer, it became clear that it was something far more sinister. The sky turned a deep, oppressive shade of ck, and a cold wind began to blow, stirring up the sand and whipping it into stinging clouds.

    The contrast between the two worlds was striking, with the bright, aridndscape of the desert now shing violently with the grim, shadowy realm that had intruded upon it. The sun, once so bright and strong, was now a pale, sickly thing, struggling to shine through the thick, writhing darkness.

    As the two sceneries collided, the shapes of the rocks and dunes twisted and distorted, bing grotesque and otherworldly. The few nts that had managed to survive in the harsh desert environment withered and died, unable to withstand the dark energy that had taken over.

    And behind Raith stood an army of darkness that continued to shimmer in the faint light of the formerly bright sun.

    [You have activated a territory skill]

    [All your stats in your territory will rise by 100%]

    [All opponent''s stat in your territory will be reduced by 50%]

    [Your dark army does not need to feed off your energy in order to manifest in this space]

    [The stats of your dark army will rise by 45%]

    [Allws are subject to your will in this territory]

    Raith looked down at thest message. His eyeball glowed in the darkness as he slit his eyes.

    ''As I will it huh...'' He said in his mind as he thought of the range of possibilities that were essible in this territory.

    He looked at the golem with a narrowed gaze, the monster was frozen in one ce. It didn''t have a face but it was shivering heavily as the darkness overwhelmed it.

    "Kneel"

    With one word the golem fell to its knee, its stone sword slipping out of its shaking hand.

    [You havepletely overwhelmed the boss of the golem dungeon]

    [Due to the title effect of ''The Revered'' the boss monster haspletely surrendered to you]

    [You can do with it as you see fit]

    "ho ho..." Raith arched up one side of his lips and nodded as he walked forward to the kneeling golem.

    "Where are the treasures?"

    [Converting to Abysmal]

    Raith squinted his eyes as he saw that, it provided a level of rity that the fact that he could understand thesenguages was truly the abyss'' doing.

    He had not been able to take that shit off his head since he entered the gate. The treasures, the treasures, the fucking damn treasures.

    The golem bowed its head.

    RUMBLE

    The ce began to shake and amidst that darkness, the sand rose, more like a temple began to rise out of the sound.

    Raith grinned.

    ''This is getting interesting.''

    Raith looked down at the kneeling monster, ''I should kill it and just make it my soldier... but I should chill out first because of this thing.'' He looked towards the temple.

    "Che..."

    Dark smoke roamed around him and materialized to form the dark orc chief who bowed on one knee as it awaited Raith''smand.

    "Watch over this bastard."

    The dark orc nodded and immediately squinted its gaze at the golem.

    Raith looked at the rest, "Follow me."

    They hurried their steps closer to him, while the dark orc looked at them with longing eyes as they walked closer to the temple, along with Fenrir who used its hind leg to ssh some sand on both its and the golem kneeling.

    Raith enters the temple, made of sandstone, with smooth, curved walls that reflect the faint sun''s rays that were no different from a moon. It seems like an oasis in the middle of the deste and dark desert.

    The entrance to the temple is a pair of ornate wooden doors, carved with intricate designs that seem to tell a story. Raith pushed them open to reveal the interior which was dimly lit, with shafts of light streaming in through small windows set high in the walls. The air was scented with incense, giving the temple an otherworldly feel.

    At the far end of the temple was arge statue. It depicted a deity of some kind, with multiple arms and a serene expression on its face. The statue is made of gleaming white marble, in sharp contrast to the sandstone walls. And at the base of therge statue was a door that led to the inner room of the temple.

    Raith smiled as he walked deeper. Just when he was about to pass into the temple, he felt a subtle glow around the chest of the statue.

    Raith narrowed his eyes as they shot in that direction.

    "What the hell is that...?"

 Chapter 79 The Golem Dungeon (6)

    ?Raith stepped back and looked to the chest center of the statue. He rubbed his chin as he observed clearly.

    [You are using skill ''Truth Seeker'']

    [Item has been identified]

    [Rodom Crystal]

    "What the fuck is a rodom crystal."

    Whim!

    Raith''s leg went off the ground and next, he pulled out the crystal in that split moment experiencing a trance that left him unconscious.

    Fenrir caught him before he could helplesslynd on the ground. The statue''s hands suddenly switched positions, it was subtle but startled Fenrir who wasn''t looking. The wolf exchanged nces between the statue and the door of treasures that Raith was meaning to enter.

    They say one''s darkness reflects his true desires.

    The wolf lunged into the opened door, ignoring the statue. As the big wolf reduced in size andfortably entered along with other dark orcs with ck and gleaming weapons, a pir protruded from the ground and shut the door.

    As they stepped inside the golden light almost killed the darkness of their body and was shining so brightly it could make all of them go blind.

    The room was filled with so many golden pieces of jewelry and treasures.

    So much gold

    Their eyes sparkled and they immediately began to swim into it. These monsters are a reflection of what Raith truly was, they may be the darkness of a soul that he killed but that darkness was delivered from suffering and given a chance of service by his own darkness which predates everything that is and is a consummation of the entirety as a dark soldier.

    Raith gasped back to reality with his eyes widened and the red crystal in his hand. He slipped down Fenrir''s back with a gelid frown. His res these days have always been gelid as though he was indifferent about everything the world had to offer to him but it was different. Those eyes looked like they saw something.

    It was short though, as those eyebrows creased to form another kind of frown that wasplemented by an ear-to-ear smile.

    "You guys... Empty this shit." He ordered and added. "Yes take it to the abyss"

    [What?]

    "What?"

    [Nothing]

    "Yeah, I thought so too..."

    [Entry into the abyss has been blocked]

    "It''s fine, I suppose you don''t want to know what happened with the power of the grey."

    [Entry into the abyss has been unblocked]

    [What did you see?]

    "Ah, that is not your business... let''s just say I was able to cheat that darn celestial code. Things might get interesting from here on."

    Raith looked down at the red crystal in his hands. "But first let''s devour this shard."

    As Raith spoke, the ck coat he was wearing wriggled out like a whip and snatched the crystal shard out of his hand, entering his belly alongside the crystal.

    Immediately Raith began to vomit, his eyes glowing red and his head more nauseous than he could endure. His eyes rolled out and he passed out the second time.

    [You have absorbed the Random Crystal]

    [You have absurd a shard from the crystal sphere]

    [You have gained 4,500 cosmic energy]

    [Energy is corrupted]

    [You have gained a red aura]

    [Red Aura increases your attack power]

    [You have gained a ck aura]

    [ck aura increases your defense power]

    [You have gained 300 aura points]

    [You have several different energies in your body]

    [There''s an unsettling]

    [There''s a turmoil within you]

    [You have died]

    [Level Up]

    [Level Up]

    [Passive skill ''Devourer'' is activating]

    [You have a tendency to devour something]

    [All the surging energy within you are being devoured by the passive skill ''Devour'']

    [Red and ck aura has been melted into your darkness]

    [Dust attribute: Darkness beyond death has evolved to Darker than ck]

    [You have reached a new level of darkness due to your in-death experience]

    [You can summon more dark soldiers 30/50]

    [The darkness in you has risen]

    [Your body is resonating with the change]

    [You have gained +300 intelligence points]

    [You have gained +5 avable points]

    [Due to skill effect of One Who Devours Death]

    [You shall be revived]

    Raith''s eyes slowly opened but they opened to the scenery of the desert. His domain of darkness was long gone. Everyone was also gone except the boss monster that stayed still in one ce, with his head bowed.

    Raith touched his head and slowly recovered from the effect of his nauseous state. He looked at the long list of ck tabs in the front of him.

    "...what in the world?" Raith grinned as he read the tabs from up to down.

    He could feel his body lighter than ever as he stood up, he also felt nimble, he jumped and darted into the air, over hundred meters beforending back on the floor with no sound of stepping on the ground and the sands sweeping around his legs as they gently kissed the ground.

    With that level of jump, there should have been a thud. He looked at his stats.

    _______________________________

    [Status Window]

    Name: Raven Raith

    True name: (locked)

    ss: Monarch Of Darkness

    Subss: Child Of Death<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    HP: 8,450/8,450

    Age: 21

    Level: 30

    Darkness points(D.P): 1050

    Cosmic points(C.P): 5270

    Title: Celestia yer, One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation, I do not fear death, I am Suicidal.

    Dust attributes(Traits): Darker than ck, the dissatisfaction failure brings, Shadow lord.

    [Skills-Passive]

    - Devourer(EX)lv.4

    - Transcendent sense(S)lv.20

    - Intimidation(S)lv.10

    - Dark Vision(A)lv.4

    - Heat Resistance(S)lv.max

    - Cold Resistance(S)lv.max

    - Poison Resistance(R)lv.1

    [Skills¨CActive]

    Truth Seeker(S)lv.2

    - Lavaration(A)lv.10

    - Instant Move(B)lv.15

    - Air Leap(C)lv.8

    - ck Armour(D)lv.5

    - Way of the Sword(SSS)lv.19(iplete)

    [ss Skills¨CActive]

    - Skill Bestowal(EX) lv.1

    - Ego Save(SSS) lv.1

    - Shadow Creation(EX)lv.1

    - Soul Extraction(EX) lv.1

    - Summon Soldiers(SSS) lv.1

    - Domain Of Darkness(EX) lv.1

    [Stats]

    - Strength: 116¡î

    - Speed: 116¡î

    - Stamina: 85

    - Intelligence: 445

    - Endurance: 134

    - Will: 15

    Avable stat points: 86

    ____________________________

    There were changes, the part the aura used to be in was gone and his energy was being addressed as darkness.

    What was also with the enormous change in cosmic energy? It had something to do with the crystal shard, Raith knew something but wasn''t giving it away.

    His eyes bear down at the increase in his intelligence stat. Somehow that seemed like the only part he was impressed with.

    "I found a way to escape the Celestia code." He muttered to himself with a corner of his lips arching up.

    He pocketed and looked at the boss golem that was still very much alive, he looked around too.

    "The temple is gone?" He mumbled to himself and began to walk to the golem boss.

    He pulled the ck sword out of his inventory and swirled it stylishly, pointing it to the golem that stayed bowed regardless.

    "Don''t be sad, I am giving you a chance to serve me..." Raith said as he pushed the sword into the monster''s stone throat. There was no hint of difficulty driving the sword into the monster''s neck, ck and red streaks flowed out of the sword as it entered and came out from the back.

    [You have killed a monster that surrendered]

    [The darkness in you has risen]

    The message came as if he was supposed to feel bad, but Raith looked the other way.

    "Nothing was waiting for him but death... that is after all what I am."

    He replied to the system and pointed one finger at the golem''s body that scattered around.

    Before he spoke, dark smoke gathered around him¨C all around the desert.

    "Awaken..."

    Swooooossssshhh

    The darkness swept everywhere and under the bright sun of the desert materialized to form ck bodies¨C more defined than before. Before it was just ck with purple marks but their appearance had changed and Raith had a faint idea as to why.

    They were ck but their torso was red and that red color ran cracks around their body. Golems that had hollowed eyes were equipped with round red eyes, and no nose or mouth features.

    Raith was surprised. He was only intending to summon the boss monster.

    He was thest one to emerge.

    The smoke formed together and materialized to form a humanoid with the same height as him, round red eyes, a red torso down to his abs, from his hips down to his leg and other areas were jet ck but the red cracks ran around his body too.

    The golem went down on one knee and bowed its head, the rest that had answered Raith''s call along with him also repeated the same gesture.

    [You can name the darkmander]

    "Commander?" Raith was shocked at what he saw. For Cheche whom he fought, he wasn''t amander, it just came out as a soldier.

    ''I guess, a B-rank dungeon is no joke... a summoned dark soldier is staring off as amander''

    In an army it is only normal that there be ranks, this was not a power rank but an authority rank. With Raith at the very top of that rank as the Monarch of the army of darkness.

    ''Let''s call you...''

    "...Kortopi"

    [You have named the darkmander, Kortopi]

 Chapter 80 Camera Shy

    ?Tokyo, Japan.

    In a rural developing area in Kichijoji. Right in the park, stood a massive round gate. Where people were used to walking and rxing was now an abandoned ce because of the rank C gate that appeared.

    The rampant appearance of gates is something all these countries were dealing with. Sometimes when it is reported to the association it normally takes weeks for them to respond because they have to respond to gates that pose more danger such as rank B, rank A, and rank S. Especially rank S, the danger of a rank S gate could bepared with that of a level 10 dungeon in Therut.

    Abandoning a gate breeds the possibility of a gate fracture, a situation where the monster breaks out of the gate, there is no fixated duration of time for this to happen, for some, it may take just one week, for some it may take a month, some three months but the least that has been seen is one week.

    Because of this reason, the Japanese association has to pour more of its attention into the high-rank gates and leave the other ones to the guilds. The only problem is, the guilds are always after the high-rank gates too, because the higher the rank of the gate, the better the loot, and that means big big money.

    The rank C gate in Kichijoji had been abandoned for two weeks even after being reported, the neighborhood, fearing a gate fracture, decided to take it upon themselves to evacuate the vicinity. Even residential homes that were around the park were all vacated and found somewhere safe to stay.

    This sudden afternoon, someone stepped out of the gate.

    Donned in a medieval attire, tight pants, open sleeve white blouse, and ck knee boots, with his crimson red hair flowing and gleaming in the harsh sunlight.

    Absalom looked up into the sky, the area was surrounded by trees and the breeze was cool andfortingpared to the hot air in Felfhiem, especially in the sixth realm where he lived.

    "I have to find that bastard real quick and go back to Felfhiem before Volmak is sentenced." He mumbled as he finds his way forward.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    "We, the Ares guild have been standing here for the past thirty-five minutes however the association has declined our ess request to the gate. We are doing this for the sake of the public but I can''t help but suspect that the association is doing this for personal gains. They seem to be hiding a lot from the public."

    Gil Dae-Jung, the assistant guild president of the Ares guild spoke to the media in front of the rank B gate that emerged on the road and blocked all cars from moving.

    He wasn''t the only one present, representatives from the Han guild, Goryeo guild, Priderock guild, and Icepce guild were all present in different corporate suits with the emblem of their guild sewed to the chest of their jackets. All of them demanded entrance into the gate.

    But the association knew this wasn''t the case. Thanks to Raith''s mboyant disy of coolness, almost everybody caught him on camera and it only took twenty to thirty minutes for that video to go viral. Now all the guilds are here to ridicule the association and snatch him from them.

    And truth be told, they could because the fact that Raith is a merchant does not stop him from joining a guild, hell they could even approach him with a better offer since the guilds have the resources and money¨C money they monopolize from dungeon loots and invest it into the new level of technological advances that is possible thanks to the dungeon loots.

    Agent Jong-Su stood still with no emotions on his face, his ck shades were tightly sitting and blocking the continues shlight from the reporters'' camera, and his hands were behind his back, clenched in anger and frustration.

    The same was with the other association agents but none of them was as frustrated as he was. He was the one that put in the work to scout Raith, even when his rank isn''t determined. He believed in him, yes there were sometimes when he had his doubts and was ruthless in his manner of thinking but he still gave Raith his trust.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    That the guild was pulling this kind of stunt in order to take away their merchant was vexing. He gritted his teeth within those closed lips as he scowled at every one of them while they continued to say gibberish in front.

    He had no intention of letting them pass through no matter how hard they push and he was ready for a confrontation.

    Whoooossh

    The gate suddenly began to gather breeze, everyone understood that someone was about toe out of it. As expected, Raith stepped out of the gate with his helmet standing out, the sun was setting but the road was more crowded than it was before he entered the dungeon.

    As he stepped out the gate swirled and reduced in size till he disappeared.

    The mob of reporters rushed forward and began to bombard him with questions.

    "Who are you?"

    "Are you the newest merchant of the association?"

    "How did you clear B rank gate alone?"

    "Are you an S rank?"

    "Maybe a special rank?"

    "Please talk to us?"

    Raith stood frozen, one thing he has always been shy of is cameras. Even if he wanted to talk, he was damn sure he would stutter and disgrace himself. He looked at Jong-Su who was having a hard time cautioning the reporters and pushing them back.

    ''Instant move''

    Whim

    He disappeared from their sight in that instant and appeared afar off. further, than they could see immediately. But not for the representatives of the guilds that were there, some of them at least so the speed.

    Some like Gil Dae-Jung whose eyes stayed widened.

    ''I was sure my eyes were on him, but he suddenly vanished and appeared there...'' his eyes shook as he looked at Raith who was already walking away.

    The reporters were left dumbfounded.

 Chapter 81 Meeting Jae-Hwa (1)

    ?"Sir, What are you going to do?"

    "What else Fs, since he decided to trust his brother''s words so much? It is only expedient that I also keep my end of the bargain."

    "So you are going to talk to Duke uros."

    "Do I even have a choice? I might have to put my life on the line to at least dy Volmak''s sentence."

    "Or we could talk to Shax..." His advisor proposed. But Vc didn''t like that proposal, his brows furrowed at Fs who quickly bowed his head.

    "I apologize."

    He leaned his head on his hand and said, "I''m sure uros will kill Volmak because he wants to challenge Shax to a fight. Everyone believes that Shax is weak and can barely keep his seat, killing Volmak will be a good enough reason to provoke Shax to battle. But I can''t let that happen because I made a promise to that insignificant brat, until he returns Volmak must be alive. So we will break him out."

    Fs'' mouth fell. ''Oh my soul, his highness is willing to go this far for his brother!''

    "Don''t... Don''t do that Fs. This is not for that brat it is for Volmak." Vc replied without looking toward him.

    "Right, this is all for General Volmak, whom you''ve always admired from afar." The advisor nodded with a whispered chuckle.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    "Hyungnim, the news has been all over you. One could evenpare you to a celebrity."

    Raith didn''t mind what Min-ho was saying, instead, he focused on the box of grilled chicken that was in front of him.

    It had been a month and he had cleared several other gates apart from that one, of course, low key. His past action of deciding to hop on cars to reach the gate was what has put him and the association in this tight spot.

    Even hunters from outside the country, Russia, Germany, France, Brazil, the United Kingdom, etc. They were all looking out for him, no one knows yet what rank he is but singlehandedly clearing a rank B dungeon was a big deal and it was a feat that only a special rank could bring.

    As Raith was seated in the living room, there was even an ongoing news feed where experts sat down and began to analyze the matter...

    "An S rank can alone clear a rank E and rank D dungeon ande out unscathed, but for a rank C, they would definitely show signs of struggle although they might win in the end, that win also depends on the type of monsters they face, because some monsters exist in gates and are a bad match for a hunter''s power type.

    But starting from a rank B dungeon, it is impossible for an S rank to clear a rank B gate alone. From that point they need the normal formation, even for the rank C gate they need the formation and standard number for an assured gate clear. The standard number for clearing a dungeon is eight and that can include any rank of course it ismon sense that you can''t make all of them be one rank, let''s say eight D ranks are trying to clear a C rank gate...."

    "They''ll fail..."

    "Yes, They''ll fail, so there must be a shuffle between the ranks. If it''s a party of low ranks, three F ranks, two E ranks, two D ranks, and one C rank. That is aplete formation for taking out a D rank gate."

    "Yes, yes, I get it more like there must be a hunter with a higher rank than the rank of the gate."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Exactly, you get it. But when an S rank is involved it dwindles the entire formation. With just one S rank, at the very most five of lower ranks are needed and for a B rank it doesn''t really matter what rank as long as it is in between rank B and rank D."

    "Hm, S ranks are just a phenomenon that changes everything huh..."

    "Yes, exactly. And that is for a rank B dungeon. With how powerful S ranks are, they cannot survive it. It is just so impossible to clear a rank B gate alone."

    "Yes, I suppose I can see things from the angle that you are trying to exin. The association''s merchant that cleared a rank B gate himself..."

    "Exactly! For one single man to clear a rank B gate, alone? Tell me anything, I think that guy is a special rank."

    "I think you are right Ranking Specialist Mangjol Chul-Soo, what makes things more suspicious is the fact that the association is very silent about this."

    "If this guy turns out to be Korea''s third special rank hunter. Everything is going to be good for our country, we can finally stand toe to toe with the USA who also have three special rank hunters."

    "I think Korea will be very lucky if he turns out to be a special rank hunter. The strength of our country on the international ranking board will soar..."

    Raith looked at the news with a confused expression.

    "How can things be soplicated in this world? How much of a big deal are these special ranks? With all the calctions and whatever..." Heined after finishing thest chicken thigh.

    "Hyungnim, I think you are talking like that because you have never met one of them before."

    "Hmm, you are right," Raith replied and cleared the table, not only did he wash the tes quickly after he was done but he also took out the waste.

    Min-Ho who was working was shocked.

    "Hyung?"

    "What?" Raith replied as he walked back inside.

    "Did something happen in one of the gates that you have been clearing these days?"

    "Why do you ask such a question? Even if something happens... it is nothing I can''t deal with."

    "Of course, I forgot it is hyungnim after all." Min-ho faced his table, which was equipped with arge medical textbook. ''Why the hell did he take out the trash?!! The hyungnim I knew never gave a fuck.''

    ting ting

    The doorbell rang.

    "Oh? Thiste, I don''t think we are expecting any visitors. Are you expecting any visitors hyungnim?" Min-ho asked, turning to Raith but pausing as he saw the cold look on Raith''s face, his eyes were squinted and focused toward the door, plus the room suddenly became so cold as a ck aura loomed around it.

 Chapter 82 Meeting Jae-Hwa (2)

    ?"Hyungnim?"

    Raith''s suspicious state and alertness exuded off him a fragment of his ck and red aura which froze the air around and turned the atmosphere to an eerily cold one, the lights began to flicker and everywhere seemed darker than it already was.

    And Min-ho was having a hard time dealing with that kind of atmosphere.

    "H-h-hyungnim?" He called again with his smacking against each other due to the cold.

    Raith btedly heard him and released the squint in his eyes, his eyeball returned to the normal heterochromia color and the darkness looming around immediately disappeared, the flickering light came fully on.

    Min-ho looked up and let out a deep exhtion.

    ''Hyungnimmmmmm...'' He cried in his mind as he dragged himself to the door.

    As he opened the door...

    "Hello,"

    "What the fuck?!"

    m!

    He closed it back immediately and turned back with his eyes widened. ''Oh, my God! did I just m the door on Mok Jae-Hwa?''

    "Momo, is something wrong..." Raith asked from the sitting room.

    "Nothing, Hyungnim." He answered, ''We just might have a very very important visitor, right when I was talking about you meeting a special rank'' Hepleted in his mind and opened the door again.

    "I am so sorry Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa." Min-ho bowed to the handsome man standing before him.

    Mok Jae-Hwa stood tall and lean in a ck suit tailored to perfectly fit his body. His eyes were dark and piercing with an intense and focused gaze thatmands attention, his hair, is styled in a slicked-back undercut with the top of his hair cut short and the sides and back tapered closely to his scalp.

    The natural ck color of his hair contrasted sharply with the pale skin of his face.

    "Hello, It is alright. I expect this much since I am showing up unannounced at a stranger''s house?"

    "No no no, it is totally okay. Who wouldn''t know the guild president of the strongest guild in Korea? Pleasee in." Min-ho replied, inviting him into the house.

    Before a wless existence such as Mok Jae-Hwa, every citizen, and hunter was the same. Except for his rivals who were guild presidents such as Lee Se-Chul and others, every hunter adored him, and his cold handsome face created made everyone that met him be his fan. Not to speak of his gentle nature, everyone likes him... even the association guild.

    "Thank you." He said as he walked in and met Raith who was sitting on the couch, resting his head and with an alerted gaze staring death into him as he reached the living room.

    "Hello, I suppose you are Merchant Raven."

    Raith''s aura subtly oozed out again, repeating the same thing that happened before, this time the flickering of the bulbs was more frequent.

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa looked up and smiled.

    "I have note to fight you or look for your trouble. I am a Merchant myself."

    "Ooooooohhh..." Min-ho gasped with his mouth wide open. ''Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa is a merchant and also a guild president at the same time?''

    "I came to you with an offer..."

    "Of course..." Raith replied to him with a letdown expression but paid attention to how unfazed the man in front of him was despite the fact that he was letting out a tiny amount of hostility.

    "That you are a merchant doesn''t mean you cannot be part of a guild. I''m sure the association told you that."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith''s eyes lost focus for a moment, it was clear that he was thinking, ''They did mention that...'' He looked up, "So you want me to be your guild member?"

    "Yes." Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa answered immediately. "And I have the association chairman''s approval."

    "Hmph... what is your offer?"

    "This is to protect you from the schemes of other guilds both inside and outside the country. But with every sessful raid, the Rain guild will pay you 30 million dors."

    Min-ho was the first person to make a short noise, it was another gasp but he quickly shut himself and looked away.

    Thirty million dors is a lot of money!

    ''By Min-ho''s expression, I can tell it is arge amount.'' Raith''s gaze stayed on Min-ho for a while and looked back at Mok Jae-Hwa who was still standing with his hands behind his back.

    "Why are you doing this?"

    "The association chairman and I struck a deal. A deal to protect you."

    "A deal to protect me...?" Raith smirked lopsidedly.

    "You are strong. But you don''t know the book... Humans will always find a way to bring down anyone, strength does not matter. I am only protecting you from the potential dangers. Besides, you are not the only strong one."

    Raith smiled again.

    Mok Jae-Hwa seeing Raith full of himself then proposed to him. "How about we do this?"

    Raith''s gaze squinted as he started to talk.

    "You and I... will have a duel. If you win, I will pay you 200 million dors and won''t bother you about joining my guild. But if you lose, you will join my guild and will have to receive only half of what I was offering you."

    Raith chuckled, licking his lips as he looked at the Mok Jae-Hwa, "...this guy..." He mumbled and stood up.

    "500 million dors."

    "As long as you defeat me"

    Raith nodded, smacking his lips. He still couldn''t believe that Mok Jae-Hwa was going to be this cocky despite having heard of how the media has been shouting his name and his prospect to be a special rank hunter.

    But it''s fine, he was ready to teach that cold face of his a lesson.

    Besides, his stats had improved significantly.

    ''I''m going to beat the shit out of him.''

    Raith said in his thoughts as Min-ho led the two of them to the open gymnasium.

    Mok Jae-Hwa pulled his jacket and rolled the sleeves of his white shirt, with the striped tie dangling. He took off his wristwatch and gently gave it to Min-ho.

    Raith grabbed a wooden sword and held it downwards to his side.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s smile came out beautifully as he and Raith stood 10 meters distance apart.

    "You are not going to use a weapon."

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s lips curved upwards. "I don''t need a weapon to beat you."

 Chapter 83 Ten-Minute All-Out Brawl

    ?"Right." Raith nodded, he still wouldn''t believe how far Mok Jae-Hwa was going to be cocky.

    But it''s fine.

    With all that cocky attitude of his, he will wipe out when he beats the shit out of him.

    Both their eyes were locked in a tense stare. Raith held the wooden sword tightly with a tensed muscle. While Mok Jae-Hwa just stood there before him, his stance rxed and confident, and his eyes were calctive and focused.

    Without warning, Raith charged forward, his sword poised for a strike. He moved with incredible speed with a ck aura oozing out of him as he plunged forward with that deadly speed.

    But Mok Jae-Hwa dodged to the side with a fluid and nimble movement. As he evaded the attack, he retaliated with a swift kick to Raith''s midsection, but Raith was quick to counter with a spin, deflecting the kick with the wooden sword.

    Mok Jae-Hwa tried to strike Raith with a series of punches, but Raith was too fast. Each punching and each dodging left an afterimage that was all over the ce but soon faded with the air.

    Raith dodged and weaved around the blows, sending back a series of sharp and precise strikes that Mok Jae-Hwa easily slipped through.

    It was barely a minute both Raith immediately realized, Mok Jae-Hwa''s cocky attitude was worth it. However, Raith was confident he would win this fight.

    He had invested so much in his speed, and he was barely even moving yet Mok Jae-Hwa was finding his quickness hard to deal with.

    Mok Jae-Hwa tried to grab him several times but he was too quick for him. He moved with incredible agility, always staying one step ahead. And as the fight wore on longer than either of them ever thought, Raith''s speed continued to be a bother to Mok Jae-Hwa.

    His speed along with [Way Of The Sword] and [Transcendent sense] created a perfect formidable weapon. He anticipated Mok Jae-Hwa''s movements and countered with ease, his wooden sword slicing through the air with deadly precision. However, Mok Jae-Hwa was still not unfazed, that confident look on his face had not gone even though he was barely dodging Raith''s attack but Raith easily dodged his.

    The two finally gave each other some breathing space, but it was short. Raith did not notice before now that he was already sweating all over his face just from that intense ten minutes fight. He unknowingly had to expend his speed harder than he has ever tried with any monster.

    This was the difference between fighting a monster and a human and Raith could see it clearly.

    [Your stamina is low]

    With just a ten-minute all-out brawl!

    "I see... you are strong, let''s start." Mok Jae-Hwa smirked. Raith was thrown away by the sudden statement.

    ''Let''s start?! Then what the fuck have we been doing since!''

    But before he could get another second, Mok Jae-Hwa closed the distance between them with a sudden burst of speed, his fists raised for a powerful punch.

    Even though Raith was caught off guard, he quickly raised his wooden sword for a counterstrike. But at thest second, Mok Jae-Hwa shifted his weight and delivered a devastating kick to Raith''s side, knocking him off bnce.

    Raith stumbled, with his grip on the wooden sword slipping. Mok Jae-Hwa seeing this opening, lunged forward and struck Raith with a powerful blow that sent him crashing to the ground. Raith tried to get up, but Mok Jae-Hwa was too quick. He kicked Raith''s wooden sword away and delivered a final punch, knocking Raith unconscious.

    The Monarch of darkness was there on the ground, passed out.

    Mok Jae-Hwa stood over Raith''s prone form, his breathsing in short gasps. He grinned, ''No one has ever made me spend this much tired in a short time.''

    Min-ho opened his mouth, "Hyungnim lost."

    ***

    Raith woke up in his room, the room Min-ho had furnished for him so he wouldn''t move out.

    A list of messages lined in front of his eyes.

    [You have activated Unique Attribute]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [The dissatisfaction failure brings has been activated]

    They were messages that have been there for a while now since he passed out.

    [All Perks will be explosively in use]

    [You have the tendency to devour something]

    [You have devoured the opponent''s passive skill ''Parallel Thought Pattern(SSS)lv.1'']

    [Due to Passive skill ''Parallel Thought Pattern'' Perception stat has been gained]

    [You were defeated and overwhelmed by a strong opponent]

    [Level Up]

    Raith smirked.

    "This is disgusting"

    The abyss is giving him so much reward for losing. Hence,plimenting him for being a failure, but that is not even the worst part. He was so damn sure he could beat Mok Jae-Hwa.

    First of all, he didn''t feel any threatening pressure from Mok Jae-Hwa to put him in a ce to question Mok Jae-Hwa''s strength. Yes, Mok Jae-Hwa was strong but with his Transcendent sense, he could tell how much of a threat the man was.

    ''So what the hell happened?'' He rubbed his face and dropped back to the bed, kicking his legs into the air... gosh, he felt so ashamed!

    ***

    ***

    ***

    It has been a month since Absalom came to the human world, to be particr, he was in Tokyo.

    Things have not been as easy as he thought it was going to be, for a long time he walked and walked, asking people if they knew a young man named Raven Raith, and describing his appearance. It was always a negative answer, in some cases, he would re up from frustration of receiving the same answer over and over again and that had made him be a regr at the police station.

    But thanks to a nice policeman who heard his story and decided to help, he was now tied down in a mental hospital.

    The world has seen monsters and surely doesn''t find any other story difficult to believe but telling people that you are from another dimension named Felfhiem and you are the demon lord''s son?

    The policeman made an astounding statement to his colleagues. "I think the guy watched too much anime. Can''t you see, he even dyed his hair a red color, he probably wanted to be like Shanks or something."

    Theyughed it off sure but they are number one on Absalom''s kill list should he get out of this ce.

    Because of the surveince of the celestials, he wouldn''t dare use his powers. There is a distinct difference between the powers that both heroes and hunters possess and that of a demon like him and if he uses it, they would know immediately. It could cause a multi-dimensional war and the celestials have always been looking for a way to start one. So, he had to be careful. All these he was made to understand by his brother Vc.

    But still, it was dreadful. ''I don''t think I can endure this anymore... being below these roaches, they tell me to shut up, they p me... do they not know who I am?!!''

    "Excuse me sir, your name."

    "Absalom." He responded diligently to the man in whiteb coat he was sitting in front of.

 Chapter 84 Asylum Absalom

    ?"Okay, Mr. Absalom... you can talk to me."

    "Y-y-yes, I''ve been doing that." Absalom nodded his head, with a sleepy stare.

    "And it has not been working out as expected because you keep repeating the same thing. You say you are from a gate. Is this ce called Felfhiem where the monsters are from?"

    "Hell no! Why the hell will monsters be from Felfhiem." Absalom despite his broken state still managed to re back at the doctor.

    "Okay... See, Mr. Absalom. I am trying to help you. We have performed all tests and it has proven that you are in good mental health, in fact maybe too good. The thing is you have an amazing body that is likely to be that of an¨C

    "What?" Absalom"s eyes widened as he watched the TV in the doctor''s office.

    ''...that helmet, it looks different but it is just like Teacher''s own. Not to say that bastard... he sure has grown but I can''t miss it!''

    "Mr. Absalom?"

    "Mr. Absalom?"

    m!!

    He mmed the doctor''s table as he red, giving the doctor a crazy scare.

    "Human! Where can I meet that cockroach?!" Absalom inquired intensively, pointing to the TV, which was currently giving a news feed on Korea''s potential Special rank hunter and how he cleared a rank B gate alone.

    "I don''t know but he''s in South Korea."

    "South Korea? Whatever is that, how can I reach there?!"

    "You would either have to go by sea or by ne but I think you are too broke to go through either."

    "I am not broken..."

    "I never said you were broken Mr. Absalom, I said you are broke."

    "What does that even mean."

    The doctor sighed, "Mr. Absalom it''s a financial state where one does not have any money in his ount for you, who has no ount at all. It is even devastating."

    "Ah, I see... humans areplicated." Absalom rubbed his chin as he thought about what the doctor told him. The young red-haired guy that was looking all down and sad a few seconds ago had suddenly be full of energy just because he saw someone on the news.

    "Who is this man that you are looking for?" The doctor couldn''t resist the urge to ask.

    "That man has been to my realm. I am sure you will finally believe me if you talk to him. But before that, I have a serious business with him and I cannot tell you about it, so don''t ask."

    "That''s fair enough, but even if you go to South Korea which I doubt will be possible anytime soon. You can''t meet him."

    "Why not?" Absalom tilted his head.

    The doctor went over the sma TV glued to the wall.

    "Can''t you see this caption? It says ''Is this Korea''s third special rank?!''

    Absalom tilted his head the other way again. "So?"

    "So?" The doctor''s lower lips fell, "What do you mean So? This year means that this guy is the number one most important person in Korea, you are in a mental hospital right now, and you don''t even have money to travel out of the country but you want to meet that hunter?"

    Absalom leaned into the chair he was seated on, "I don''t know why but you human sure speak rudely to me."

    "You are the one being very rude... and I have been condoning it since you got here. Looking at you, you are probably not even 20 years old yet."

    "Tsk tsk tsk..." Absalom clicked his tongue and chuckled at the doctor. But said nothing after. ''...this human cockroach, while Teacher is getting punished for the trouble he caused, he is in the human world ying road to fame, rise from the rubble... you just wait, wait for me...'' He scowled at the TV, his eyes emitting his murderous intentions.

    "I have a way, that can help you to get to Korea real quick"

    The doctor''stest sentence called out all his faculty. He stretched over the table, almost kissing the man.

    "Hey hey hey hey!!" The doctor pushed him back immediately.

    "What do you mean, you can help me? You can help me meet him." Absalom''s eyes brimmed with integrity, a look that Doctor Takashi has never seen on Absalom.

    "Yes, he is a hunter, if you be a hunter too, you can raise enough money to go to Korea."

    "Hm, hunter huh... So if I be this thing called a hunter. I can get money?"

    "Yes, lots of it."

    "This hunter people, what is it that they do?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "They hunt monsters, you know monsters thate out from gates, the portals, you know right?"

    "Hm, in order words, Adventurers..." He mumbled as he brushed back his red and silky hair with his hand, flipping his head backward. "Okay, human. I like your offer. All I just have to do is hunt monsters right?"

    "Yes, the more monsters you hunt, the more money you get." Doctor Takeshi replied.

    "Okay, tell me human. How do I do this thing called hunter?"

    "Well... leave that to me..." Doctor Takashi responded with a smile. ''With those physical attributes that he had exhibited for the past month, I am very sure he is an awakened. He might not be ranked too high but he would be able to earn a reasonable amount to live all right. All he needs is some guidance.''

    "Then Mr. Absalom. You can rest easy for tonight, I will submit a report stating that you are okay. I have monitored you for the past month. Although I still find it hard to believe your stories but I''m willing to give you a shot. I''ll be back tomorrow."

    "Then I can stay in your office tonight too."

    "You don''t normally ask before."

    "I know... since you have done me a favor, I think I should return the gesture."

    "Oh, and you think asking me for permission to use something you would still break into if I say no... is returning the gesture."

    "Human, I say to you. You are fortunate to host me. You won''t understand now."

    "Sure. It''ste... I should head home." Doctor Takeshi pulled his white coat and put on his ck zers, after checking things out in his office, he walked out. Being thest person that leaves. It has always been like that ever since he has been on Absalom''a case.

    Absalom smiled at the TV, even though the news feed about Raith was long gone.

    "You wait... I will meet you soon. And I will kill you, then I will take you to Felfhiem. Then I will prove that Volmak is innocent."

    ***

    ***

    ***

    "So he lost." The association chairman said, smiling at the man that was seated opposite him.

    "Were you expecting him to win?" Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa responded.

    "Not that I was... but he cleared a rank B gate on his own so I expected more."

    "Don''t say it like that father. I would have lost if I didn''t have Parallel Thought Pattern."

    "Was he that tough?"

    "The only thing that set both of us apart is experience. Even though he has a very good swordy and is incredibly fast, he seems to not be giving it his best shot. At first, I thought he was just going easy butter, I discovered he has never fought a hunter before."

    "Hmm....so he is pretty much a newbie to everything." The chairman stated, rubbing the coffee mug he was holding.

    "Yes, he has little to no experience when ites to fighting a hunter. I can''t say the same for monsters though. Not to say, I had never been out of stamina like that... never. If not for Parallel Thought Pattern, which enhanced my thinking abilities and automatically proposes counter solutions. I think I would have lost."

    "What if he had your skill... or what if you didn''t have that skill." The Chairman asked.

    "If he had my skill... I think he would have defeated me in ten seconds, maybe less. If I didn''t have my skill, I think I would have lost, but it would have been a tough fight."

    "Hmm..." The Chairman nodded gently, his white beard dashing him an astounding andmanding look despite the wrinkles on his face. One could tell where Mok Jae-Hwa got his cold handsomeness from.

    "Where did you find him anyways?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked.

    The Chairman smiled immediately but that was no weing smile. The smile urately reminded him of how cunning his father could be.

    "I will take care of him for now. And I will also see what makes him so special for Turner to be after him."

    "I think you''ve seen that already." The chairman replied to him.

    Mok Jae-Hwa stood up, "Regarding the S rank gate..."

    "I will call a Merchant meeting soon. Let''s talk about it then. There is also an incident of a different kind of gate in India, help me look into it."

    "Are you asking for favor as a father or as the association chairman?"

    "Depends on what you want... I am going to owe you regardless, aren''t I?"

    "I like the way you think. That is why you and I get along so well." Mok Jae-Hwa majestically walked out of the chairman''s office afterward.

 Chapter 85 I Hate To Reveal My Abilities

    ?Raith''s neck craned upwards to take in the sheer enormity of the building before him. Rising towards the heavens, the headquarters of the Rain guild loomed over the surrounding cityscape. The exterior was made up of sleek, metallic panels that shimmered in the sunlight, reflecting the clouds above. The windows were arranged in an intricate pattern, with some stretching from floor to ceiling while others were smaller and more clustered.

    There was a twist and curve to the building as if a strong gust of wind had warped its shape. It was an impressive sight, a testament to the ingenuity of its designers, one wouldn''t expect less from the number one guild in all of Korea.

    "Wee, sir." In front of the building door, stood a man in a ck suit who weed Raith.

    Raith, a bit nonchnt about who was in front of him but more because he was frustrated and annoyed at this whole situation, nodded in response and followed the man with no words till they got to the guild president''s office.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s office was situated on the top floor of the building. The walls were paneled with rich, dark wood and adorned with an array of tasteful art pieces that spoke to the owner''s refined tastes. Large windows overlooking the city allowed ample natural light to filter in, giving the room a bright and airy feel.

    And in the center of the room, arge mahogany desk dominated the space, its polished surface reflecting the light from the chandelier hanging overhead.

    The desk was adorned with an array of papers, aputer, and a few small sculptures, all carefully arranged in neat stacks and precise angles, with Mok Jae-Hwa''s face buried behind them.

    And in front of Mok Jae-Hwa''s desk were a fewfortable sofas, arranged in a small seating area, where guests could wait for appointments or engage in casual conversation. An elegant coffee table was situated in the center of the grouping.

    Raith as he entered the office, sat on one of the sofas and crossed his leg, sitting sofortably one could think he was the owner of the office.

    The guide that brought him in showed so hostility and looked like he wanted to knock the fuck out of him for his disrespect but Mok Jae-Hwa had known Raith that much from their one-time brawl.

    "Excuse us Shin." He spoke from behind the papers as Shin, the guide red at Raith who didn''t even give a shit about him and his hostility. He didn''t pose a threat to him, not even to Cheche.

    From when he met him and entered the guild building with him Raith had tried to take an overall estimation of his strength andpare it to himself or his soldiers and thanks to having a perception stat. It was now so easy.

    That wasn''t the only good of having Perception stat, everybody that walked around him, even so far backward, he could feel their steps and sense their feelings, with this new stat, sneaking up on him by even stealth ability users would be difficult.

    ''He''s weak.''

    Raith had evaluated after observing Shin''s magic energy.

    ''...Che would defeat him, maybe not easily. But he surely will.''Che was a rank C dark soldier which meant that he was on the same level as a rank C hunter, the only exemry thing about him was the fact that he had a skill while he was alive but that too was gone because his precious sword absorbed the skill.

    When the orc chief was summoned, he came with no skill. But Raith understood this, it wasn''t a loss, andpared to Kortopi, who still maintained a rank B, Cheche''s rank was C.

    Raith''s hypothesis was simple for this situation. Monsters he killed with them surrendering were probably likely not to be summoned with all of their strength, Kortopi had given up on the fight and when he was summoned he readily answered but it wasn''t the case for the orc chief who had two failed attempts.

    This was still a hypothesis, we don''t know anything for sure until more dark soldiers join the army.

    "How have you been?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked with a smile but that smile from Raith''s vantage point was corny and annoying.

    ''Let''s not think too much about it, losing was a good thing because now I have this great skill.''

    Raith was talking about the ''Parallel Thought Pattern''

    "I suppose I am now your guild member... but don''t think you can order me around just because I am," Raith stated with a firm tone.

    Maybe his position as the leader of the dark army was giving him an egotism he has never had before.

    Mok Jae-Hwa chuckled, "I have no intentions to order you around or disturb you. I would just love you to work together with us and receive your money. You also don''t have to get too involved with the guild activities, like I said before this is to protect you"

    "Protect me from what?" Raith uncrossed his legs and leaned forward.

    "An enemy you might not be able to handle. Not when you couldn''t defeat me."

    "You can''t be so sure... we only fought once. I''m sure I can defeat you now."

    "Hmm, I see... so you are the type that never repeats a mistake huh. Well, you see that once is all this man needs to kill you. But let''s not talk about that. Let''s talk about the gate you will be raiding today."

    "A gate huh..." Raith''s face soon became rxed and a smile seeped into it.

    Mok Jae-Hwa took a pause on the papers he was arranging and looked at Raith. "It must be the association report, they say you are crazy about gates, seeing you smiling like this..." Mok Jae-Hwa shook his head slightly and stood up from behind his desk, walking to his right side which was adorned by a shelf of books and a little table that hosted a coffee machine.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    After preparing coffee, he walked over to Raith and slipped one mug of coffee to him.

    Raith didn''t mind the gesture, he appreciated it, not that he thanked him.

    "Have you ever been to an A rank gate?"

    Raith paused after taking his first sip of coffee, it had a very sweet smell, he licked his upper lip and savored the sweet taste of the coffee. The matter in front of him was more pressing...

    "Rank A?"

    "Yes..."

    "Agent Jong-Su said the other merchants and guilds are always busy on those, so it is hard to get a high-rank gate," Raith replied.

    "Well, he is right in a way. To be exact, starting from A rank gates, they are always auctioned. That is how the association makes so much money and that is why the guilds hate the association. High-rank gates are auctioned for at least 50 billion dors for an A rank.

    Of course, other gates are also auctioned but it is for a little price that the guilds don''t always mind. Plus so many guilds are always looking for high-rank dungeons, so the more the demand, the higher the prices go."

    "I see... so the association sells off their gates for money."

    "Hmm, that is a way to put it. But that is how they are able to pay you so well for raids."

    ''Whatever, what is important is that I am entering a high-rank dungeon. Ever since thest B rank I entered, all the ones I''ve been entering are too simple and too weak to kill me.''

    "Hunter Raven."

    Raith looked at Mok Jae-Hwa''s face which became rigid.

    Oh shit! -cause Raith didn''t want to be ordered around for real and that eyes looked like they were about to do just that.

    "I have records of your raids with the association..." Mok Jae-Hwa started.

    "Okay...?"

    "And there''s one thing that has been consistent in everything."

    Raith silently observed and waited for the man to reach the point he was trying to make.

    "Hunter Raven, you won''t be going into this gate alone."

    Raith was taken aback, he sat right and looked at Mok Jae-Hwa'' again.

    "And why is that?" ''This bastard wants to find out my powers.''

    "Because you and one of our best main guys will be training the recruits."

    "Training? Why will I train anyone?"

    "It is more of a supervision. You are not supposed to be involved but since you are dying to get into a gate, I thought it would be a nice offer so long you are able to enter the dungeon. This is your first time going into an A rank gate right?"

    Raith looked down, he couldn''t deny that.

    This was his first time and regardless of whatever their motive was, he could get the level-ups he hasn''t gotten for a while and could even get more dark soldiers since the limit has increased. The only problem is that he is very skeptical about showing anyone his abilities.

    Very skeptical.

    ''...this ability, I don''t want to show it to anyone

 Chapter 86 Demonic Sword (1)

    ?As soon as Raith stepped into the gym, he was hit by a wall of pressure that sat upon his heart prompting him to withdraw that first step.

    But Raith continued forward, however, these were clear proof to him that this room was filled with people that are strong enough to maybe even defeat him, thanks to his perception stat, he was beginning to have a perfect evaluation of himself and other people.

    The air was thick with the scent of sweat and exertion but still apanied by the subtle chill that was being emitted through the air conditioners. Raith entered the gym and paused to watch randomly for a minute¨C he just couldn''t help but feel a tingle of excitement run down his spine as he took in the sight before them. The gym was massive, with state-of-the-art equipment lining the walls and a full-sized boxing ring in the center of the room.

    Hunters of all shapes and sizes were scattered throughout the gym, each pushing themselves in different ways. Some were lifting weights that looked like they could crush a car, while others were doing flips and spin on gymnastics equipment that seemed barely able to support their weight.

    But the most impressive sight of all was the sparring ring at the far end of the gym. Two hunters were going at it, moving so quickly that Raith could barely keep up with their movements. They were throwing punches and kicks with such speed and precision that it was like watching a dance, each move perfectly timed and executed.

    He thought he was on top of the world but entering the general gymnasium of the strongest guild in the country helped his eyes to open.

    ''...if the general gym is like this... how is the gym for high rankers supposed to be...'' Raith said in his mind.

    What set Rain guild apart from every other guild was number one Mok Jae-Hwa, but that was not all there is to this wonderful guild. Mok Jae-Hwa was not the only reason they were expected.

    It was because of how hardworking his guildmembers are.

    They are always pushing themselves to their limit with every chance they get and because of it, even though hunters have a fixated type of power and the only thing they can grow is their magic energy, cases of many hunters being able to surpass their limits and break into a whole new threshold are always being counted with the Rain guild, of course with several other guilds in and out of the country.

    Raith gulped.

    "Why did you bring me here?" He asked Mok Jae-Hwa who approached him from behind.

    "You said you wanted to look around."

    "And you thought bringing me to your general gym is me looking around."

    "Sorry, my bad... I can take you to other ces."

    "Take me to the special gym."

    "huh?" Mok Jae-Hwa looked dazed as he heard what Raith said but wanted to make sure he heard right.

    "The special gym, the one that high rankers are in... take me there."

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked at Raith and smiled. ''I like his attitude...''

    "As much as I would love to... I don''t think I can..."

    "Why not?"

    "Because you have to get ready to raid a gate..." Mok Jae-Hwa replied him looking at the leather wristwatch on his wrist.

    Raith clicked his tongue, irritated, and followed Mok Jae-Hwa, throwing a final nce at the people in the gym especially the two who were dancing with each other.

    "I will be introducing you to the person who you will be supervising the recruits with."

    "Oh..." Raith went silent afterward and closely followed until they got into the elevator and went to a lower floor, very low, lower than the first floor.

    An entirely new sight was revealed before Raith. Deep beneath the guild building, was a sprawling underground smithy that would seem more at home in a science fiction novel than a fantasy epic. This was no ordinary forge - it was a true marvel of modern engineering, built with thetest in technology and constructed to produce the finest weapons and armor known to hunters and mankind.

    As Raith descend through the transparent elevator that lead to the heart of the smithy, he could see banks of high-techputers and robots, all whirring and humming as they monitor and control the vast array of forges and workshops that make up the underground city.

    The walls and floors are sleek and smooth, made of shining metals, and reinforced with state-of-the-art materials. High-powered lights beam down from the ceiling, casting a bright, sterile glow over the cavernous space.

    "What the hell is this?" Raith couldn''t help the words.

    Mok Jae-Hwa wore a bright smile as he saw Raith''s expression.

    "Many hunters might say that The Rain guild is strong because they have a special rank hunter, or because they have three S ranks and a number of B ranks. But look at this hunter Raven."

    Mok Jae-Hwa paused as he stepped out of the elevator with Raith following him closely. He turned around and admired the magnificence of the Rain smithy before looking back to Raith.

    No matter how many times Mok Jae-Hwa himself sees it, he is always awed over and over again.

    "Hunter Raven, this is the heart of The Rain guild. This is why no guild in Korea can defeat us and why we will always get so much money to get all the high-rank gates."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You create weapons?"

    "Not just weapons hunter Raith, have you ever heard of the term magic weapon."

    "Magic weapon?" Raith repeated after Mok Jae-Hwa, trying to fix the words together.

    Mok Jae-Hwa began to exin anyways.

    "You know crystals that are mined in gates are great resources right?"

    Raith paid attention to him as he continued.

    "And so, these crystals contain an amazing amount of magic energy, just like the energy inside of us. What we do is use the crystals to forge weapons and the weaponse out better than ordinary weapons. They are sharper, and more durable and some evene with skills. Some could add to the user''s strength or agility... it works in diverse ways. And these weapons are graded frommon, umon, rare, unique, legendary, and mythic.

    But mythic in particr are a no-go area, most times they are weapons found in gates."

    Raith slipped out the ck sword from behind him, trying to hide the action from Mok Jae-Hwa.

    He showed the sword to him.

    "Like this ck sword?" He asked.

    ''What was that? Did he take it out from the space?'' Mok Jae-Hwa pretended not to see and stared at the ck sword that was horizontal before his face. He stretched his hand to collect it but Raith pulled the sword back.

    "I have a feeling that giving you will be a bad idea..." He said with squinted eyes.

    Mok Jae-Hwa smiled, "It''s okay... I''ve handled worse." Mok Jae-Hwa said and stretched his hand, and mimed him to hand over the sword.

    "Okay..." Raith said but could still feel a stubbornness with the sword as he slowly proceeded to hand the sword over to Mok Jae-Hwa.

    Finally, the sword sessfully changed hands.

    "ARRGGHHH!!"

    Mok Jae-Hwa let out a loud groaning immediately as if the sword had gained a million more weight, he was finding it very hard to pull it up. All the veins in his hand began to pop out and began to turn ck like the sword was sending some kind of ck fluid through his veins.

    "ARGH! Shhhhhiit!!" Mok Jae-Hwa groaned once more and held that arm with his second hand, trying to pull the sword up but it was to no avail.

    "Bastard! What do you think you are doing?!!" A third voice came from up and a secondter was a THUD right in front of Mok Jae-Hwa.

    The macho man snatched the sword off Mok Jae-Hwa''s hand and stabbed it into the ground, immediately taking his hands off it.

    At this point, Mok Jae-Hwa was already sweating and bleeding through his nose.

    The man red at him, "Are you a fool? What do you think you are doing with a sword like that?!"

    Mok Jae-Hwa stayed silent to catch his breath before responding.

    "I''m sorry, I thought I could handle it. That thing is a magic weapon, isn''t it?" Mok Jae-Hwa responded with a smile.

    "What? are you a fool? Why are you smiling? You could have died?!! What the hell is funny?!!" The man inquired with a serious and irritated expression.

    Mok Jae-Hwa still didn''t stop smiling, his eyes gaze shifted to Raith who was standing behind the macho man.

    "This is Tae Dong-Hyun, the assistant guild president of The Rain guild. To be honest, I think he deserves the title of the guild master more than I do because he was the one that created all these... he is the heart of the guild."

    "Oh..." Raith''s eyes couldn''t help but emit that hostility, the way his ck and red aura acts up the moment he is faced with a potential threat was way beyond him and sometimes diverse¨C his left eye began to glow red while his right eye wore a dark glow.

    The man frowned as he turned to look at Raith.

    "Why did you bring a demonic sword here?"

    At that moment Raith''s eyes widened.

    ''This man, he just said demonic... does he know what the sword is?''

 Chapter 87 Demonic Sword (2)

    ?"You know demonic sword? How do you know demonic sword?" Raith asked lowering his brows and his eyes fixated on Dong-Hyun.

    "Will you look at this brat speaking informally to me..." Dong-Hyun yelled back at Raith. He was a man that was heavy on the importance of respect.

    By looks alone, he looked like he was in histe thirties,pared to him Raith was twenty-one. But it''s not like Raith at any point has ever been a respectful fe.

    No, not even to an asura that was clearly a thousand years old.

    Raith didn''t mind that part about him speaking informally, and he didn''t care. He just pressed on his question about the demonic sword, more rudely.

    "I said... How. Do. You. Know... about the demonic sword."

    The man looked at Raith and looked back at Mok Jae-Hwa who turned away his eyes immediately.

    Tae Dong-Hyun walked closer to Raith and craned his head up to look him in the eyes, standing chest to chest with him.

    "Who the fuck are you?"

    Dark smoke began to loom around Raith''s feet as he furrowed his brows more and clenched his fist. Mok Jae-Hwa seeing how intense the atmosphere was getting came in between the two of them.

    "Okay, okay, okay... this is enough." He gently separated them from each other, paying more attention to Dong-Hyun who was not looking like he would bulge.

    "This is the guy I told you about from the association. The one Turner is after." Mok Jae-Hwa whispered to him as he tried to make him back away from Raith.

    "Oh..." Tae Dong-Hyun''s lips carved out an ''O''

    "No wonder he is this cocky," he added.

    "Yea right... he did lose to me though." Mok Jae-Hwa whispered and turned his face to Raith with a cunning smile.

    Raith plucked his sword out of the ground.

    "Wait... this sword... where did you get it?"

    Raith lifted his jaw and looked down at Tae Dong-Hyun, "Why should I respond to you?"

    "Because you want to know how I know about demonic swords."

    "True..." Raith nodded and looked at him onest time before he began to talk.

    "I got it from a shop."

    "Really?" Tae Dong-Hyun tilted his head.

    "Yes," Raith replied firmly, his gaze unwavering.

    "Okay... I''ve been dealing with swords and armor since for twenty years now. I won''t doubt the fact that I''m still inexperienced but I have seen quite a number of things. And I have been blessed by him."

    "Him? Him who?"

    "The cksmith god. He gave me a skill and in my brief moment with me, I was able to witness the birthing of a demonic sword. A sword carved out using the blood and hearts of demons."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Mok Jae-Hwa gasped in disbelief. "You''ve met a god?"

    Tae Dong-Hyun hesitated. "This is precisely why I didn''t want to tell you," he admitted and continued, "Do you remember the S-rank gate from twelve years ago? That''s when everything changed. Our weapons suddenly became more efficient and powerful."

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

    Raith interjected. "Did this god tell you about demonic swords? Is that how you can recognize them?"

    Tae Dong-Hyun remained unperturbed by Raith''s inquiry, and answered calmly,

    "The sword''s ferocity and aura of darkness and corruption are enough to discern its demonic nature. It''s a potent weapon, but it will harm anyone who isn''t its rightful owner. You mustn''t give it away."

    "I understand," Raith replied, nodding in agreement.

    Raith nced at the sword in his hand. "If you know about demonic swords, does that mean you''re familiar with demons too?"

    Tae Dong-Hyun looked at him with a perplexed expression. "What do you mean?"

    Raith''s interest waned when he saw Tae Dong-Hyun''s confused face, and he lost interest in the conversation.

    At that moment, a stocky young man with a low haircut arrived, bearing a striking resemnce to Tae Dong-Hyun.

    "Hyungnim!" he greeted Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "Ah, right. Joon-Ho," Mok Jae-Hwa tapped the young man''s broad shoulder as he greeted him. "Hunter Raven, this is the man you will be working with today. This is Hunter Tae Joon-Ho."

    Raith looked at the hunter in front of him and then at the cksmith. Both of them were macho men with a striking resemnce to each other, but Tae Dong-Hyun was more of a macho man than Tae Joon-Ho. With such a significant difference, Raith looked at Tae Joon-Ho and deduced, "...his younger brother huh..."

    This is the man you will be working with today. This is Hunter Raven," Mok Jae-Hwa introduced Raith. "Let me take it from this point. I just came here to fetch Joon-Hossi. You continue with whatever you are doing. We have some recruits to supervise." Mok Jae-Hwa bid Dong-Hyun farewell and entered the elevator with the two of them.

    After a while, they arrived at the base of the building, where all the other hunters were already geared up to proceed to the gate location. As Mok Jae-Hwa reached there alongside two others, the recruits stiffened up and froze before him. "Hyon-U." "Yes, Sir!" The boy in front of the rest of the recruits answered and moved forward.

    He was heavily dded in silver armor, with the only thing missing being a helmet, which he carried in his arms.

    "This is Hyon-U, the team leader," Mok Jae-Hwa turned to the young guy. "These are the two who will be supervising you," he said.

    The boy''s eyesnded on the two men before him. Hunter Tae Joon-Ho was a familiar face, having been an instructor and teacher during their Hunters'' boot camp. However, the man standing next to him... The boy couldn''t quite ce him. After a few seconds of staring, the boy averted his gaze.

    The team quickly gathered what was left of their supplies and filed into the ck Mercedes bus, with the exception of Raith. Mok Jae-Hwa noticed that Raith was frozen in ce, his eyes conflicted as he looked at the bus.

    Is something wrong?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked, concerned.

    "Your car keys?" Raith demanded abruptly.

    "Excuse me?" Mok Jae-Hwa was taken aback.

    "Give me your car keys," Raith repeated. "That bus is already full. There''s no way I''m getting in there with them."

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa was at a loss for words. "Wow," he finally managed to say.

 Chapter 88 Dawn Of The Yeti (1)

    ?''There''s really no need for a driver,'' Raith thought to himself as he leaned his head on his hand, which rested on the open window of his ck McLaren supercar.

    ''But I suppose it''s good...he did say I could have the car, and this man will be my assistant as well.''

    Raith nced at the man behind the wheel, taking note of his slender build and well-defined, sharply angled features.

    The man''s stylish haircut had a glossy texture, and his eyes were an unusual shade of deep purple.

    As the car sped down the road, the driver remained focused and showed utmost respect for Raith.

    ''With all that''s going on with Min-ho, having an assistant might not be a bad idea,'' Raith thought as they soon reached their destination.

    ...

    Upon his arrival, the group was already gearing up and preparing to enter the gate. Some donned full armor like Hyon-U and Tae Joon-Ho, while others opted for lighter gear to enhance their mobility.

    At the gate, association agents checked them in and inspected Raith''s hunter card. Raith could sense their scrutinizing gaze as they examined his card, which still disyed his rank as F.

    One of the agents left to retrieve hunter Joon-Ho, bowing respectfully before departing.

    "I''m sorry, there seems to be a mistake. Even though the guild has raiding rights to the gate, the association cannot allow entry to a rank F," the agent exined.

    Tae Joon-Ho furrowed his brow in confusion; he had no idea Raith was the lowest-ranked hunter. ''I thought he would be impressive because Hyungnim himself brought him...'' Joon-Ho looked toward Raith, ''...now that I look at him, his stature seems weak.''

    Raith had a slender, tall physique with an impressive body stat of 100+. Perhaps it was the baggy ck sweatshirt he wore that deceived hunter Joon-Ho''s eyes.

    While Raith waited, he nonchntly pricked his nose with his index finger and blew off the dirt.

    "It''s fine... he might look like that, but he has his worth. In fact, we would be supervising the recruits together," Hunter Joon-Ho said to the agent, looking at Raith, who responded with a puzzled look but decided to let it pass and bowed before returning.

    Raith was granted ess and proceeded to meet them with his assistant, Na Chunho, by his side. Na Chunho wore a ck suit with a breastte, arm, ankle, and knee guards, as well as metal boots.

    "Are you going to go into the gate like that?" Joon-Ho asked Raith as they lined up in front of the gate.

    "Yes..." Raith replied, with an expression inquiring what was wrong with his dressing.

    Hunter Joon-Ho swallowed his urge toment to refrain from causing any trouble before entering the gate. He had toy a good example before the new hunters.

    ''I will teach him a very good lesson in the gate. I don''t know why hyungnim asked him to supervise with me... but a rank F going to a rank A gate. You will be met with the greatest disaster of your life.''

    Finally, they stepped into the gate and in a split second, were met with a magnificent difference from where they came.

    [You have entered a dungeon]

    [You have entered a rank A dungeon]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith gazed down at the ck holographic tab with white runewords.

    This was the only information the abyss has decided to reveal to him about the dungeon.

    ''...how disappointing... vague. I wonder if the abyss is intentionally hiding the information or if it really doesn''t know much.'' Raith thought as he lifted his face to behold thendscape of the gate.

    The vast expanse of the ice in stretched out before the group, seemingly endless in its deste wastnd of snow and ice.

    The bitter cold immediately seeped into their bones, causing their fingers and toes to go numb.

    "Shit... the cold... even though I''m wearing armor," Hunter Joon-Ho muttered, smacking his lips as he tried to control himself from shivering too much from the cold.

    "As you were taught before, it is normal to feel a rush of the gate''s weather when you first enter, however, what do you do?" Joon-Ho said to the recruits, who were already shivering and had frozen faces.

    "We circte our body with our magic energy in order to speed up the matching process where the magic energy of the gate synchronizes with that of our own!" One of the recruits responded. He had green hair and was donned in a robe, holding a wooden staff.

    "That is right. However, this process will drastically reduce the cold, but it won''tpletely eliminate it. You will still feel the cold as we go down the dungeon. I hope we all have our thick overalls?"

    "Yes, sir!" They chorused.

    Joon-Ho sighed, ''Now, this fool who thinks it''s okay toe with a sweatshirt alone. Let''s hope he''s not already frozen.''

    He shifted his gaze from the recruits, who were now circting their body with magic energy, to Raith, who was standing beside him with his hands in his pocket.

    Perfectly fine. In fact,pared to their pale faces, Raith''splexion was so warm that his skin was shining brightly among the cold.

    "What?!" Joon-Ho eximed, unbelievably.

    "What?" Raith looked at him and inquired.

    "N-nothing..." He stuttered and turned his attention back to the task at hand. "Ahem!" He cleared his throat and tried to find his cool back, but his mind wouldn''t stop asking why Raith was so okay in the cold.

    "Let''s proceed..." He said and walked forward.

    As they trudged through the snow, there were no sights of life at first, no trees, no nts, no animals, just an endless expanse of white. The silence was almost deafening, and broken only by the sound of their own footsteps and the asional howl of the wind.

    But then as they reached a certain distance¨C Raith squinted his eyes and pulled out his sword from his inventory, his move was so silently that nobody noticed.

    The recruits were asionally gisting with each other while they focused on searching the environment for danger. But their danger sense was not as impressive as that of Raith.

    A few minutester all of them suddenly could see it. A massive shape moving through the snow. Towering over them like a giant, as it drew closer, they all could see that it was covered in thick, shaggy fur, perfectly adapted to blend into its surroundings. It was a Yeti.

 Chapter 89 Dawn Of The Yeti (2)

    ?"Heikkk!!"

    The entire group froze at the sight of the imposing figure before them.

    "Shit! Everyone stay together! Remember your training¨C"

    Swooooosssh

    As Tae Joon-Ho was delivering a motivational speech, the Yeti''s head soared into the sky and Raith descended onto the snow, apanied by a heavy sttering of blue blood.

    The blood sprayed like a fountain all around as the Yeti sank to its knees and perished.

    Raith spun his sword and plunged it into the Yeti behind him, preventing the body from copsing onto the snow.

    The ck sword wriggled for a moment and then stopped, and Raith withdrew it and turned to the group, who were now stunned by his amazing feat.

    "What are you doing? We came here to supervise," Hunter Joon-Ho immediately confronted him, masking his surprise.

    "You - You came here to supervise. I - I came here to hunt. I''m a hunter, not a supervisor," Raith replied to Tae Joon-Ho and walked away, with his assistant quickly following.

    ''How? How was he able to take down a Rank A monster so effortlessly...'' Hunter Joon-Ho squinted his eyes, ''...I don''t think the Yeti was that powerful to begin with.''

    He turned to the group and addressed them, "Everyone, don''t be afraid. Stay close to me and remember what you''ve been taught. You are all powerful hunters with a bright future ahead. I know this is your first gate, but trust me, everything will be fine," he reassured them.

    One of the group members raised a shaking hand and stuttered, "S-s-sir."

    "Speak," Hunter Joon-Ho gave permission.

    The boy asked with a trembling voice, "C-c-can w-w-we follow that man?"

    Was he afraid of the yeti or intimidated by the person he was talking to? Was the cold too much or was the situation too overwhelming?

    Hunter Joon-Ho looked to the front, but Raith''s figure had already disappeared into the vast white in.

    "Do you think you can catch up to him?" he asked, turning his head back to the boy.

    The boy bowed his head apologetically.

    He knew the hunter wasn''t going to take his suggestion with dness, but seeing Raith''s skill, he wasn''t the only one who thought they would be safe with him even though they had only known Tae Joon-Ho''s face until now and were used to his toughness, they knew he was skilled. After all, he was a rank A hunter but with that one disy of Raith, they felt they would be safer with him. But that wasn''t an option right now.

    ...

    Chunho''s expression and worn out from exmations as he saw Raith over and over againy to the ground, bodies of yeti with little to no effort while treading his path to their mainir¨C at least that was what Chunho thought as he followed Raith closely.

    ...

    The team was in capable hands. Hyon-U led the charge with his imposing shield and Fullmetal body, serving as the team''s tank. Joon-Ho provided crucial support as their supervisor, bolstering the front line. Together, they held their ground and expertly repelled the first wave of the yeti''s attack.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The four skilled damage dealers wasted no time in plunging their weapons deep into the yeti''s flesh, exploiting the brief window of vulnerability created by the tank''s blockade.

    The team also had three archers and two mages providing backup from the rear, along with two healers.

    Of the two healers, one was an A-rank with the unique ability to temporarily buff her teammates, granting them enhanced stamina for a limited time.

    This skill was taxing and took a toll on her, but it was precisely why she was ranked among the top three in the team.

    They moved in a tight formation, the damage dealer methodically taking out the yetis as they appeared, often in pairs, while the tank absorbed the brunt of the attacks.

    As they ventured deeper into the frigid terrain, something shifted.

    Hunter Joon-Ho quickly sensed the change.

    "Get ready," he warned.

    With those words, the team''s anxiety spiked as they wondered what could possibly be wrong.

    For the past thirty minutes, everything had gone smoothly as they hunted the yetis... so what was happening now?

    Just when they were wondering, a new yeti arrived before them,nding abruptly out of nowhere. It was different from the others they had encountered before.

    Larger in size and it possessed a formidable physique.

    All the yetis they fought thus far were thin and ape-like, but this was an exceptional specimen: muscr, toned, and with long, powerful arms. Unlike its hunched counterparts, this yeti stood upright, its fiery gaze fixed on the team.

    The first one they saw was a massive beast, easily twice the size of any of them. It bared its teeth and let out a roar that shook the ground beneath their feet as it dashed at them.

    Hyon-U dashed forward with his massive shield ahead of him, blocking the massive ws of the yeti but the shield took good damage that left the w marks of the yeti engraved on it.

    While Hyon-U was still recovering from the shock of the attack, the four damage dealers swiftly scattered from behind him, converging their attacks on the yeti in a lightning-fast manner.

    With their des charged and enhanced with their magic power, the damage dealt to the yeti was greatly increased.

    The yeti stumbled back in excruciating pain, blood oozing down its chest as the marks of their des lingered on.

    This assault would have been enough to bring down any ordinary yeti. However, this particr yeti let out a menacing growl and charged back at them with all its might. Its massive fist mmed onto the tank with such force that it could have brought down a building.

    Hyon-U blocked the fist, but the shockwave tingled aggressively around his limbs and spines, his leg shook but he held on tight.

    Arrows were immediately embedded into the yeti by the archers, causing it to falter backward again. Sensing some space between it and Hyon-U, the mages discharged their spells and made fireballs rain down upon the monster.

    The smoke from the fire gradually cleared, but the monster remained standing. It panted heavily, ring intensely at them. Two more like it suddenly begannded behind it. God knows where they flew from.

    "Shit... we''re screwed."

 Chapter 90 Dawn Of The Yeti (3): Plague Of Fear

    ?''This situation doesn''t look good,'' Chunho thought to himself, but he didn''t dare say anything in front of Raith, who acted as if he had everything under control.

    The issue was that they had hit yet another dead end, making it ten dead ends so far, and they were still nowhere close to the monsters''ir. Thest time Raith had killed a yeti was probably an hour ago.

    The worst part was that Raith had no sense of direction.

    "Sir, Hunter Raven. I think we''re lost," Chunho said, finally breaking the silence.

    This made Raith visibly ufortable since he wanted to maintain his cool demeanor around Chunho.

    "Yeah, I think you''re right," Raith admitted, looking up at the tall mountain in front of them.

    "Think the yetis are up there?" he asked.

    "No, we would have seen traces of them if they were," Chunho replied. He took a deep breath and suggested, "I think I should lead the way."

    "Why?" Raith asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "I have a search skill that allows me to sense where monsters are," Chunho exined confidently, not showing any signs of being intimidated by Raith''s presence.

    Raith nodded, rubbing his cheek.

    "That makes sense. You do your thing," he said, allowing Chunho to take the lead.

    As requested, Chunho activated his search skill, causing a circr shockwave to spread far and wide. His eyes glowed blue as he waited for something to catch his attention.

    Whim!

    The shockwave dissipated, and Chunho''s glowing eyes returned to normal.

    Raith looked at him with haste and amazement, "You''ve found the location?"

    Chunho nodded, "Yes."

    "Fenrir..."

    Raith called out, and arge amount of smoke, as dark as the void itself, burst out of Raith''s feet and transformed into a massive wolf.

    Raith grabbed Chunho''s cor and, ''

    Air leap''

    The two of them soared into the air andnded on Fenrir''s back.

    "Fenrir, follow the direction this man points us towards," Raithmanded, turning to look at Chunho, who was frozen in a state of extreme shock.

    ''What is this?!! A-a-a monster?'' Chunho gazed up at Raith with a crumbling expression, as if a colossal boulder was about to crush him, and he had no way of escaping.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith snapped him out of his daze, tapping his back and asking once more, "The location?"

    "Ah, there!" He pointed forward, and Fenrir, already warming up its leg, dashed forward. Each step caused a sttering disturbance and quaking of the snow as the wolf ran with all its speed.

    ...

    Thanks to the hunter''s skill, the group of new recruits was still alive. Even an A-rank should not be underestimated.

    As the third yeti charged toward them, Joon-Ho shouted, "Spread out!"

    The recruits quickly moved, each taking a different side of the beast. Though they were terrified, theirposure wasmendable.

    Just as they spread out and surrounded the remaining two yetis, having killed the first one, Joon-Ho saw one of the yetis trying to grab one of them with its massive ws.

    He quickly activated his ability and ran toward the beast. His vambraces expanded with a bright, glowing light, forming arge gauntlet charged with Joon-Ho''s magical energy.

    As the yeti''s ws came down, Joon-Ho dodged them and struck the beast with his weapon, creating a massive shockwave from its back. Causing the monster to fly away from the impact.

    The recruits quickly attacked the remaining yeti from all sides. One of the mages dispelled an ice spell, freezing the yeti''s feet, while the other mage created shields around the female, green-haired damage dealer that the yeti aimed at.

    The fight was intense, with the yeti swinging its massive arms and the recruits dodging and striking whenever they had the chance.

    As the fight wore on, Joon-Ho began to notice that the yeti seemed to be getting angrier and more powerful with each passing minute.

    ''We have to finish this fight as quickly as possible.'' He ran towards the yeti, dodging its swipes, and struck it back with his gauntlet, expelling a massive burst of blue magic energy into it.

    The yeti roared in pain, its cry soaring into the sky more of a call than a death cry.

    The yeti, with thest of its strength, turned towards Hunter Joon-Ho.

    Not daring to take any more chances, Hunter Joon-Ho quickly activated the special ability of his gauntlet again, and it immediately burst out an even greater energy st that left a wider hole in the yeti''s body.

    "Wow..." Hyon-U''s face was filled with admiration for Joon-Ho, who was the deciding factor in their victory in the death match.

    The hunters were standing around the yeti''s lifeless body, panting and covered in sweat.

    Joon-Ho turned to them and said, "Great job, everyone. But this is not the end..." He knew that they had all tried their best and with this, he had confirmed their skills and potential.

    He looked forward, frowning his face towards where likely would be the direction of theirir, ''...if there are more yetis in there, wouldn''t it be best to go back? These guys are definitely strong. Three A ranks, four B ranks, and three C ranks. This is not enough to clear an A-rank dungeon, but hyungnim assigned this ce to us.'' His eyes stayed ahead but squinted like he was beginning to suspect something.

    But before he could give reasoning to his suspicion, they were surrounded from all sides by tens of yetis that marched towards them, a mixture of both hunchback and straight-backed ones, with one standing out due to the spiked club it held in its hand.

    "For real this time... We are doomed." Hunter Joon-Ho muttered to himself.

    The recruits were immediately gued with shaking limbs and paled faces. As if they had not had enough, the ground suddenly began to vibrate, the vibration was so much that all of them were sure¨C they thought the yeti with the club was the boss monster but with the ground trembling this hard, how could they not think otherwise.

 Chapter 91 Requiem Of A Failed Hero

    ?''Shit! shit!! shit!!! shit!!!'' Hunter Joon-Ho''s face tumbled, and every one of his limbs. He wasn''t scared of the monsters unlike the recruits, the only fear that gued him was how to get these new guys out of the gate. But they were surrounded from all sides, any n of escape was a suicidal attempt.

    Even fighting right now was a suicidal attempt, whatever they would do with this horde of yeti, was going to be a suicidal attempt no matter how hard they try. Plus that shaking ground had now made it clear that these were footsteps, footsteps of something tremendous.

    Hunter Joon-Ho, put his arms forward, clenching his hands into a fist and ready to protect the recruits even if it is at the cost of his life while trying to worry about the thundering steps.

    THUD!!

    With thest heavy step, Fenrirnded in the middle of a horde of yetis with his legs towering over the young recruits.

    Their faces slowly went up in despair, their eyes balls shaking and their lips vibrating... maybe that one was from the cold but who would have known when they were surrounded by elements of fear.

    Fenrir dematerialized into ck smoke that slowly brought Raith''s feet to the ground. As they saw that it was him, an unexinable peace entered their heart, it could be seen on their faces which immediately turned to an ''Oh thank God we are saved'' kind of face. A face human would make when they are saved.

    Raith beheld their face and suddenly widened his eyes. Did their passionately thankful faces impress him? Definitely not!

    He realized something, ''...this is an opportunity to try it.'' He turned to hunter Joon-Ho, who was shocked out of his pants.

    He was probably busy wondering about what the hell that wolf was.

    "Hunter Jumble."

    "It''s Joon-Ho"

    "I don''t fucking care," Raith said to him, smacking his lips. He looked around at the yeti who were stagnant, they probably would have rushed to attack if they didn''t see the giant wolf earlier. Even if it wasn''t around anymore, it only makes sense that they should be careful.

    Raith''s face came back to Hunter Joon-Ho. "Even with me, we can''t win this."

    Hunter Joon-Ho squinted his face, he had thought that now that Raith was on the battlefield, something would change. Maybe the two of them could push it through.

    ''...is this bastard trying to run away right now...'' He said in his mind as Raith continued to talk.

    "And so, I''m thinking of this..." Raith took a deep breath. He considered this a very big moment. "...I will hold them off with my life and all my strength, you go on ahead with the recruits, escape."

    Hunter Joon-Ho''s eyes widened. "What?!"

    This was contrary to what he had thought about Raith.

    Raith bowed his head, "These guys..." he looked behind to the recruits who all had anxious faces all on them, even the best of them, Hyon-U and the damage dealers were so curious to know what was going to happen to them.

    "... they have a bright future ahead of them. I don''t mind dying as long as I can keep that future for them. And this will probably teach them a big lesson, not to underestimate gates." He raised his face to the sky with his eyes closed and Tae Joon-Ho could see the sorrow that overwhelmed his face. It wasn''t something he wanted to do.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He was probably fighting with his mind right now to stay back despite knowing that it is going to be the end of him¨C was probably what Tae Joon-Ho was thinking as his gaze that started as a scornful look had transformed into a sad countenance and sympathetic face.

    He bit his lips and looked away, "I was wrong about you..." He mumbled, clenching.

    Raith opened one of his closed eyes to look at Tae Joon-Ho. ''...he''s definitely buying it.'' He closed his eyes and resumed his sorrow waning before hunter Joon-Ho looked up.

    "I will make sure I get help..." Hunter Joon-Ho yelled. "You are the bravest hunter I have ever known!!" Hunter Joon-Ho yelled.

    "Hunter Raven, I will stay with you," Chunho said with a face full of conviction.

    Raith bore down at him for a few seconds before responding, "...okay, you don''t mind if you will die?"

    Hunter Chunho gulped and looked down, "How will I face my guild president if I walk out on you when I''m supposed to be your assistant." He said.

    Raith smiled but make sure that none of them were looking, he really was enjoying this scene.

    Hunter Joon-Ho''s gauntlet began to glow as he prepared to fight his way through the yetis that surrounded them from behind¨C that was their route out of the gate.

    ''Now, let''s add a little more death scene emotions as I read in novels.'' He opened his hand, entifying the ck sword out of space.

    Wish!

    Using [instant move] he pierced into the distance ahead of him, shing the head of one yeti off.

    And that just made it easy for hunter Joon-Ho and the recruits. Hunter Joon-Ho looked at him with eyes full of respect, ''He''s even helping us escape!'' He really couldn''t fathom how a soul would be so pure.

    With a regretful frown, he faced forward and smashed several sts of energy into the yetis that were in front of him. Anyone could tell he was very angry, even his firepower was crazier than before, he cleared the path while the recruits followed him closer, Raith also swung his sword, slicing through the yetis that went after them.

    The boss of the yetis slowly walked forward behind Raith who was busy fighting off and blocking the hit of the yetis. By this time, hunter Joon-Ho and the recruits had broken out of the horde and were already running back to the entrance but hunter Joon-Ho didn''t stop looking back.

    That was why he was able to witness the boss yeti smash its spiked club into Raith''s back, smacking him to the ground, and began to clobber him over and over again, with his blood sttering.

    As much as he wanted to run back to save Raith, he couldn''t. He watched hunter Chunho cry out while still trying to hold off the yetis before him.

    Tears filled his face as he faced the front and ran with more desperation.

    A sacrifice he couldn''t confidently suggest, was suggested by a new member of the guild and he died to save the future of the guild, what other greater man is there than this man? O sing his requiem and let the world know of his courage.

 Chapter 92 Is This The Power Of A God? No

    ?[You have died]

    [You have unlocked a new dust/attribute]

    [Book Of Requiems]

    > y a role before your death and unlock a status attribute that is afflicted with that role.

    > Rewards are unlimited, and only limited to role-y.

    [You have written a requiem]

    [Requiem of the sacrificialmb]

    [Requiem of the sacrificialmb has been stored in your Book Of Requiems]

    [Processing...]

    [You have unlocked a new status attribute]

    [The Good Kind(Heroic)]

    > Anytime you fight to protect, you will temporarily gain +10 stats increase on all your stats and permanently gain a +10 increase in your Will stat.

    [Due to title one who devours death]

    [You will be revived]

    Raith''s eyes slowly opened to all the messages that kept ringing in his subconscious. He sat up, all covered by snow and blood, he shifted his gaze both to his left and right. On his left was Chunho desperately fighting for his life in despair and anger. Armed with a magical bow with no arrows, all he needed to do was pull the strings and he sted off magical arrows through the yetis.

    But it wasn''t enough, no matter how much distance he put between him and the yeti, they kept getting closer.

    ''Wow...there''s so much reward. I didn''t think something like this will happen, so that means I can decide to roley any death scene and gain rewards for doing that...'' Raith inspected the messages and chuckled as he did so.

    After he was done, he stood up...

    "Hunter Raven!!" Chunho shouted, even though his mind couldn''t make sense of how Raith was still alive, a warm smile split his face. He was so relieved that Raith was alive. He hopped over the yetis with his flight skill andnded behind Raith.

    "You are alive!"

    "Apparently..." Raith replied to him with an uninterested expression. He picked up the ck sword and twirled it.

    "Now..."

    He hasn''t even spoken fully but the entire grounds, not just around him but cut across the whole ce that was filled with yetis were dark smokes in a split instance.

    Chunho''s eyes widened, and his heart pace began to beat very fast. He didn''t know what this was but he was sure whatever it was, it is not good. Without even intending to, he began to step back ¨Cand it was because of the enormous darkness that loomed around.

    His face despaired, he couldn''t even give room for thought. An overwhelming fear consumed him.

    "Come forth..."

    As Raith spoke, the darkness plunged higher into the air and out began to materialize several beings out of it. Clothed in ckness and redness, all of them stood gant and diverse. The golems were taller and their body structure was different except the stocky golems, the orcs were bigger and with axes and hammers.

    In the front stood two of them, Cheche, aggressively looking as always, and Kortopi, slim dark humanoid with no facial expression and just round eyes.

    The scene was immediately overturned by Raith''s army of darkness.

    "I will show you the power of a god..." Raith said with a grin.

    [You have activated the skill, ''Domain Of Darkness'']<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [Allws will be subjected to your will for 3.5 minutes]

    [Dark soldiers will now make use of dark energy while in your domain]

    "Fine, let''s finish all this in three minutes," Raith said as he put his hands in his pocket.

    "Destroy all of them." Hemanded.

    All the soldiers in ckunched forward, with their weapons in the air, and collided with the yetis. Blood began to stter around, and the nging sound of their weapons shing reverberated through the whole atmosphere.

    Most especially the presence of Fenrir, brought an overwhelming tide to the battlefield, such that the head of the boss monster was torn away with just one bite of his.

    Chunho stared with amazement. His pupils dted, "How in the world?..." He turned his face to Raith, ''...this guy, what in the world is he?''

    "Assistant."

    "Yes sir!" Chunho became upright that instant.

    "What happens in the dungeon stays in the dungeon."

    "Yes sir!!"

    Raith shifted his gaze to him with slit eyes and his eyeballs glowing, "I will kill you if a single soul hears about this." He proimed, with a cold stare at Chunho.

    "Y-y-yes s-s-sir!!" He stammered.

    As Raithmanded, in three minutes the battle hade to an end. The dark soldiers were all moving around, packing the crystals from the fallen yetis.

    [You can use the skill ''Soul Extraction'']

    "Awaken..."

    Whoooooommm

    The darkness got even more intense than the already overturned skies. Smokes plunged into every area as if it was an aftermath of hell-burnings. And from those smokes began to rise the newest dark soldiers.

    Raith walked up to the boss monster with a club.

    Hoping that he would be even more powerful, he called out. "Awaken."

    Thiooomm!

    The ck smoke spread around the ground and from it came out a ck-furred yeti, totally different from what it used to be like but still maintaining the overall structure of a yeti. Just that now, their fur was ck and smoky, their chest was red and more defined, and the boss monster''s spiked club was ck with red spikes. All their body exuding smokes.

    [You have reached the limit 100/100]

    Raith looked at the tab.

    "Tsk..."

    There were probably more yetis that weren''t able to awaken with the others as dark soldiers because he reached the limit of soldiers he could have in his army of darkness.

    "Huh... there is no option to name him." Raith looked at the yeti boss.

    [Dark Foot soldier lv.1]

    It was just like every other soldier and Raith found that odd. This was supposed to be an A-rank dungeon monster which meant he expected it to be stronger than Kortopi who is currently themander of the army and was standing behind him even when all others went to war.

    ''As I suspect... something is wrong with this dungeon. It''s been a while since the boss monster had died but it doesn''t even look like the dungeon is about to close any time soon."

 Chapter 93 The Trial Of Destruction (1)

    ?"Hyung!! Hyung!!!" Tae Joon-Ho kept calling as he staggered out of the gate. The agents all around came to his aid, helping him and the other recruits who were all pale from exhaustion and horror.

    For the first few minutes, they all couldn''t say anything and were despaired, stricken with different sorrowful countenances, and couldn''t even dare to look at the agents or even at themselves.

    After five minutes, Tae Joon-Ho stood up and requested to call.

    Mok Jae-Hwa who was in his office, with his sleeves rolled and his tie tucked somewhere in his shirt to prevent them from dangling received his call.

    "Are you done with the raid?"

    "Hyungnim! Hyungnim!!" Tae Joon-Ho''s voice on the phone began to shake suddenly.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s expression suddenly stiffened.

    "What happened Joon-Ho."

    "H-H-Hunter R-Raith..." He said, sobbing.

    "I''ll be there now." Mok Jae-Hwa replied and hung up.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    On the outlook, everything that needed to be taken care of in the dungeon had been taken care of. But Raith still could note to terms with the fact that this was the strength of a rank A dungeon. The golem was far stronger than this.

    ''Is their ranking measurement broken.'' Raith questioned himself.

    He looked at Chunho, "Are you sure this is an A-rank gate?" He asked again.

    "ording to the association..."

    "Then perhaps the association ranking system is broken."

    Chunho kept quiet, ''...it was quite strong to me though. I mean, we would have all died... if not for him. Maybe he is an S rank? Or perhaps one of the special ranks?''

    Chunho suddenly gasped, ''Special rank...'' His eyes widened.

    "What the hell are you doing?" Raith irritatedly inquired looking at Chunho''s disy.

    "Nothing sir!" Hunter Chunho replied and hurriedly joined the dark soldiers that were busy looking around the dungeon.

    Raith walked around, while his soldiers also looked around.

    Thirty minutester, Chunho was already very tired and at this point, he just wanted to get out of the dungeon. But Raith was still being persistent. Seeing Chunho''s expression and silent protest, he finally decided to leave.

    He turned and was about to take the next step when...

    [Another Trial Has Been Created]

    A smile curved out his lips, "Tsk tsk... I knew it. Something was fishy about this ce." He mumbled and looked at the rest of the information.

    [Trial Of Disaster]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    > A being has taken refuge in the ice ins of the yetis and is currently hiding to avoid being discovered. Challenge this being.

    > Reward: unknown.

    > Failure: unknown.

    ''...right. So someone who should not be here is here and he''s hiding. A being huh'' Aiden scoffed as he could smell some holding back in information there.

    He has been with the abyss and was getting to know its games. But whatever the case may be. This might be the challenge he is waiting for.

    ''So the gate got ranked as A because of this being...''

    He looked around and suddenly as if it just opened him was a small cave opening towards his left.

    Raith paused and red down in that direction.

    "I can swear that wasn''t there before," Chunho spoke, looking very confused because he was damn sure that thing wasn''t there before.

    The entrance was hidden byyers of ice and snow, it was small and cramped, barelyrge enough to get anyone to squeeze through.

    It made sense while it had gone unnoticed or perhaps, Raith was only able to discover it because the abyss confirmed the fact that someone is hiding here.

    "Chunho." As Raith called his name the rest of his dark soldiers were withdrawing back into the smoke that surrounded his leg.

    "Hunter Raven?" Chunho replied, his eyes respectfully fixated on Raith, waiting on his next statement.

    "Find your way home," Raithmanded him and walked forward, not waiting for a response.

    Chunho, speechless, stood there and watched Raith melt the ice that covered the entrance intova. His mouth fell and he felt so agitated to follow him.

    "Damn, I want to see what more he can do..." But the words of Raith came back to him¨C find your way home.

    He sighed and sluggishly turned back, looking onest time at Raith whose back had faded into the small dark cave.

    As Raith made his way deeper into the cave, he begin to notice a faint glow emanating from the darkness ahead. As he step closer, the glow grew brighter and finally, he walked through arge open door into arge, dark, metallic pce hidden deep within the ice of the yetis dungeon.

    The pce was an awe-inspiring sight to behold, with towering spires and intricate architecture etched into its metallic walls. The pce is built from a strange, otherworldly metal, which gleams with an ethereal blue light. The metal was smooth to the touch and seems to be impervious to the biting cold and freezing winds of the icy terrain.

    Raith scrunched up his eyes as he looked to the center of the chamber he was now in.

    Ahead of him was an imposing structure. A towering, metallic seat adorned with carvings and runes with steps leading to the seat itself.

    The seat was incredible but it was another thing that sent shivers down Raith''s spine. It''s been a long time since he had been rushed with such an overwhelming and clear difference in power.

    Seated upon the throne seat was a giant knight, slim and incredibly tall, with amanding presence that filled the chamber. The knight was dded in a blue tunic, with silver chainmail on the front and te on its arms, legs, and back.

    Its armor was gleaming in the dim light of the chamber and adorned with intricate patterns, etched into the metal with expert precision. On the knight''s helmet is a ck fabric that flowed ceaselessly. Its face waspletely dark and nothing could be seen except a soft white glow on one side of its supposed eyes.

    That was not all, its hands were resting on a long greatsword, shimmering with blue light.

    Raith paused for a moment and gazed at the imposing figure from head to toe. No, this was unlike anything he had ever seen.

 Chapter 94 Trial Of Destruction (2)

    ?"Human." Its voice was like the sound of rushing waves and quaked Raith''s heart.

    ''What the hell? It can talk?'' Raith''s fears were immediately confirmed from that point.

    The only otherworldly being that he had met that was able to talk. Yes, Thard-Harl. This spelled bad news in block letters.

    The knight picked up its long sword and stood up, it already was high enough while sitting but upon standing, Raith''s height only reached its waist.

    The knight''s blue cape fluttered noisily as it dragged its sword toward Raith and finally stopped in front of him.

    "How did thou enter this ce? It is impossible to enter the sanctuary of a guardinal."

    "What are you saying? What is a guardinal and how is this a sanctuary when you are in here hiding."

    Raith noticed a flinch the moment he mentioned the fact that the knight was hiding.

    "Human, walk away from this and I shall spare thy life."

    swoosh

    Raith equipped the ck sword and spun it.

    [You have activated ''Way Of The Sword'']

    [Skill Proficiency has increased]

    This fight was so going to be interesting.

    "How foolish," The knight stated and...

    Whish

    It disappeared¨C the next time it appeared, was its sword crashing down on that of Raith.

    CLANG!!

    Raith sessfully blocked the sword but was buried in the ground, the force of the knight''s swing down, razed the ground surrounded Raith, and buried his legs deep into it. He could feel all his body vibrating from one single block. His hands were immediately numb and he couldn''t feel his grip on his sword even though he tried to still hold onto it.

    By the time Raith looked up, the greatsword was already in the air again anding downwards.

    "Oh... shit..."

    sh!

    The sword shed down from his shoulder diagonally through his torso, splitting his body into two.

    [You have died]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained 4 stat points]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained 4 stat points]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained 4 stat points]

    [Due to title ''One Who Devours Death'']

    [You will be revived]

    Before Raith''s split body could fall too far from each other, his blood solidified and stretched from each part and joined together. He stops there lifeless for a few minutes as the wound slowly healed and brought him back to life.

    His eyes opened, "Wow... this is refreshing..." Raith mumbled as he cracked his neck and faced the knight before him.

    The knight had no facial expression, "This is going to be a hassle." It said and swung its sword towards the back, shifting one leg forward and lowering it©\ he was getting ready for a very detrimental horizontal strike.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Bring it on..." Raith said as he positioned his sword vertically before him.

    aaasshh!!

    He didn''t even see the sword move. His upper body flew upwards while his lower body sank to its knee. The knight stabbed the long sword into his upper body and threw it to the wall, pinning it to the wall with his sword before it could join back together.

    [You have died]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Dust/Attribute: Darker Than ck has been activated]

    [All Passive skills are explosively in use]

    [Due to attribute ''Darker Than ck'' your body will dematerialize into darkness upon in-death and materialize after resurrection is assured]

    Raith''s body began to cken and melt off. Soon his entire day had melted off to ck liquid and sunk into the ground.

    "Worthless." The knight said and walked back to his seat. Just as it climbed the steps, it paused.

    Dark smoke disturbingly flowed around and formed a humanoid, and as the knight turned back to see what was going on. Raith came out of the darkness, naked.

    "Ah, thou art no human. How could I miss that."

    "He he he... I keep knowing more and more about myself thanks to you."

    "An entity that can resurrect after death, like the prophecies." The knight spoke but before Raith got a moment to process what it said. He dashed forward, every step tremendously razing the ground.

    Raith backstepped but before he couldplete that already-taken step, the knight''s fist connected with his abdomen.

    From Raith''s senses was a perception of serenity. Everything seemed to be so peaceful for a moment as if the world had gone on a long pause. The next thing he felt was a crushing pain through his whole stomach and his back as he was smashed into the metallic wall by the impact of the knight''s blow.

    He dropped to the ground and kept vomiting blood, even afterward he was already bleeding through his nose and found it very hard to stand with bnce because his head was spinning and his gaze was not bnced.

    ''Ah, shit... I''m so dead.''

    He leaned on his knee for a few more minutes.

    "What art thou? For an abomination, thou art weak."

    "The fuck? Who the fuck are you calling an abomination?"

    "Thou, art an abomination. A human that can resurrect. How did thou manage to defy thews of death?" The knight asked, walking closer to Raith.

    "That is because I am the fucking death,"

    cough cough

    Raith coughed and vomited more blood as he tried to force the harsh tone.

    "I have heard of human exploits to ovee death. But I don''t remember one being sessful. Perhaps with you, I can regain my rightful ce in Elysium."

    ''Elysium... hiding...'' Raith squinted his eyes. "Oh oh oh, I see now. I see it very well now. You are a celestial that is hiding?"

    The knight paused, "Yes I am. Took thou so long to realize, as expected... foolish."

    "Fuck you, calling me foolish. You are the foolish one!!"

    cough!

    Raith coughed up blood as he shouted again.

    "Weak abomination. But I must say, I am quite impressed, for a weak human like you to not be affected by the celestial code upon processing that information." The knight stated, with its hand beneath its chin, as if it was observing all of Raith''s entirety.

    "I will beat the shit out of thou and bring thou with me. Thou will be my reason for restoration."

 Chapter 95 Trial Of Destruction (3): Evolution

    ?"This shit must be crazy... you think you can talk like some ancient sage and act all cocky just because I''ve been going easy on you."

    "Oh? Thou have?"

    "I haven''t even started with you..."

    Going easy has definitely not been one of the many things that Raith was doing since this fight started. However, it is true that he had not disyed his true strength and that could be med on the overwhelming speed of the knight.

    "fifty stat point to speed."

    [Your speed has increased by +50 points]

    Raith, stood there naked and swirling the ck sword. With a sudden burst of speed, Raith darted forward, his sword blurry as heunched a series of rapid strikes at the knight.

    The knight parried each blow with ease, his great sword rang as it shed against Raith''s ck sword. And Raith could feel the crushing weight in his hands. Even though he was on the offensive end and forcing the knight into the defensive corner, it seemed like he was receiving more damage.

    The series of blurry strikes continued for a long time. With urate and clean movements. Raith''s movement speed was incredible and fluid, every strike coordinated with his legs, and all that could be seen flying around was sparks, at some point the blurs of both their swords became too fast to be seen and it was just their bodies, and movement that could be followed.

    Raith was amazing, but the knight had no trouble keeping up with that much speed.

    A drawn-out battle like that wasn''t advantageous to Raith who was feeling the impact of every strike weigh down on his hands. His strikes began to get weaker...

    ng!!

    With onest parry, Raith''s sword went flying toward the back. The knight stood in front of him and mmed the tip of his sword to the ground, resting both of his hand hands on the hilt.

    "Is this the best you can do?" He asked Raith.

    Raith''s eyes for the first time in a long time were filled with unspeakable horror. His face went pale and his pupils shook while his mouth was slightly opened.

    At that speed and precision of continuous attacks, that was the best he had ever done. But this bastard just said.

    Is that the best you can do?

    Swish!

    Raith''s head went flying before he got any more moment.

    [You have died]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained 4 stat points]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained 4 stat points]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained 4 stat points]

    [Congrattions]

    [You have written a new requiem]

    [You have written ''requiem of the fallen head'']

    [Requiem will be added to your Book Of Requiems]

    [Processing...]

    [You have unlocked new status attributes]

    [The Beheaded(Umon)]

    > When you kill by beheading you will gain +1 stat point. When you are killed by beheading you will gain +10 stat points.

    [Darker than ck has been activated]

    [Your body will return to the darkness]

    Raith''s body dematerializes and soon nothing was found of him again. Then a smoke emerged before the knight and formed a humanoid figure that Raith walked out of.

    "Hi? Miss me?" He waved.

    "Damned Abomination"

    As the knight moved its foot cing to dash forward...<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Fifty stat points to speed."

    [Your speed stat has increased by +50 points]

    The Knight lunged forward, with his sword forming a wide descending arc from above.

    swoooosh!!

    Raith had darted to the side to narrowly avoid the de as it sliced through the air.

    Even he was shocked at himself as much as the Knight was shocked at what just happened. This was working!

    He quickly countered with a swift thrust, but the Knight''s footwork was too quick, and he evaded the attack effortlessly.

    Raith retreated, keeping his distance as he tried to catch his breath. It was just a single move but it was out of pacing. It reminded him of his fight with Mok Jae-Hwa, it was short but he expended a lot of energy than he usually does and drained his stamina stat so fast.

    Which is why he had even wise to invest some stat points into stamina, else he would have died over a hundred times already.

    ''...my fight with Mok Jae-Hwa...'' Raith''s mind suddenly went down memoryne.

    He did lose.

    But he gained something.

    ''Yes! That skill...''

    Before Raith could give time to more thought, the Knight charged at him with his great sword raised high above his head. Raith could feel the ground shaking beneath him as the Knight''s massive form bore toward him.

    WHAM!!

    The Knight swung his great sword and unleashed a devastating blow that sent Raith sprawling even though he put up a defense.

    Raith quickly scrambled to his feet, his sword at the ready as he prepared to defend himself against the knight''s next attack. But the knight was too fast, too powerful.

    With a swift motion, he brought his great sword down in a mighty arc, cleaving through Raith''s sword and sending it ttering to the ground.

    Raith was defenseless but what was more baffling was that a sword of over 10,000 durability was broken.

    Raith looked at the knight, his browns drifting upwards with shaking pupils.

    As the sword came down on him, his mind was nk. He was void of actions, much information poured into his mind but nothing was he aware of.

    His body was numb, it''d be safe to say he couldn''t even feel his body at all and just stood there as the Knight''s sword came down on his head.

    [Automatically activating skill ''Parallel Thought Pattern'']

    [Dust Attribute ''The Dissatisfaction Failure Brings'' has been activated]

    [All Passive skills are explosively in use]

    [Skill ''Parallel Thought Pattern'' is been affected by ''The Dissatisfaction Failure Brings'']

    [Because Of The Dissatisfaction Failure Brings A Mediocre Skill Will Not Be epted]

    [Evolving Skill ''Parallel Thought Pattern'']

    [1%...]

    [...100%]

    [Skill has evolved]

    [Transcendent Mind(SSS)lv.1]

    [Because Of The Dissatisfaction Failure Brings A Mediocre Skill Will Not Be epted]

    [Merging skill ''Transcendent Mind'' with skill ''Transcendent Sense'']

    [Merging...]

    [1%...]

    [...100%]

    [A new skill has been created]

 Chapter 96 Trial Of Destruction (4): Briceus Of The Northern Front

    ?[Passive skill ''Multiple Cognitive Resonance(SSS)lv.1 has been created]

    [Due to passive skill ''Multiple Cognitive Resonance'' sub-skill Thought eleration(S)'' has been created]

    [Sub skill ''Metavision(S)'' has been created]

    [Sub skill ''Ultra©\Instinct(S)'' has been created]

    [Perception stat has increased by +100]

    In that split one second, the rush of information that overwhelmed Raith was enormous, and not even he could process it all.

    To be better put, it was at that point that Raith stopped processing anything.

    [Due to passive skill ''Multiple Cognitive Resonance'']

    [Auto Battle mode has been activated]

    [Your mind will enter a battle trance ride where only the memory of your muscle and the maximum capabilities of your cultivated battle sense will be the operator]

    At that moment, the knight''s sword was a hair''s breadth away from connecting to Raith''s head.

    But all of a sudden!!

    WHAM!!

    A massive shockwave burst forth¨C but it was not because the sword shed Raith into two.

    "..."

    Raith had dodged the sword by just a little sidestep and was standing right beside the sword.

    The knight quickly jumped backward and crouched lower, in the darkness of its helmet was a blue me glow that surged ceaselessly as the knight fixed its gaze on Raith.

    The atmosphere was different.

    Raith''s gaze was different and the knight could feel it.

    "From here on, this battle will be different," Raith said as he stepped forward, step by step, slowly.

    The knight crouched, leaning his upper body forward, he ce his long sword over his shoulder and with his free hand dangling between his crouched legs.

    Thwuack!!

    The knight burst forward, turning into a blur...

    [Using Metavision...]

    [Using Ultra¨CInstincts...]

    Even though the knight could not be seen by a bystander because of his incredible speed, Raith could clearly see him.

    In fact, it was different, beyond being able to see him... his visual perception of the knight''s movement had be super heightened such that his eyeballs rolled in several directions in one second, searching for all possible attack route the knight could decide to take.

    This was all possible because of the new skill, even though he could determine all the possible routes, it was still another thing to make a decision because he couldn''t block all routes at the same time.

    At once Raith dashed forward with superhuman speed ¨Ccatching the knight off guard, midway before he could reach him. Even though the knight was shocked, it wasn''t fazed and immediately responded with a downward sh from its shoulder where his sword was...

    "Just as I predicted..." Raith muttered as he effortlessly weaved the knight''s sword with a fluid movement and brought out a silver long sword from his inventory. With a flick of his wrist, Raith''s sent the sword spinning into the air, distracting the knight for half a second.

    That half a second was enough for the new Raith, whose thoughts were now being processed at a different pace, a faster pace than before.

    Heunched a surprise attack from the side, and his fist sted away the knight, sending it tumbling.

    For the first time, Raithnded a hit on the knight.

    He squinted his eyes and gave no space for celebration. Immediately, he sted forward, toward where the knight had been crushed into.

    He was almost there...

    Whish

    The knight suddenly appeared from his side¡ª immediately Raith''s eyes widened.

    He spun, and as he spun his body ckened all over and blocked the knight''s arched sh¨C connecting another spinning kick to the knight''s head, causing it to tumble away again.

    Hended on his feet, crouched, and projected himself into the roof, plucking his sword that had hung there and shing down on the knight that was standing up.

    But the knight''s reaction was quick!<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He blocked Raith''s sword with his and pushed him away immediately, causing Raith to hop backward.

    Raith could feel it, his muscles were being forced to act by something he couldn''t pinpoint. It was as if he was fighting and wasn''t thinking, every reaction was just right off the bat, some reactions were ording to made calctions which he couldn''t even give words to.

    The way his mind was processing all pieces of information that the sub-skills of Multiple Cognitive Resonance was something he could never have done.

    Besides, that kick just now. It was a momentary thing, if he was to act based on his normal judgment before now, he would simply fly out of the way while barely blocking the knight''s attack.

    But at that moment, he didn''t go for a block but rather a counter and for the first time took advantage of his defensive skill [ck Armour] to block while delivering an impressive kick on the knight.

    This was all possible because his mind could now perceive, process and execute information from a multi-parallel perspective.

    "Thou have changed. I have never had a human hit me once, I give thou thy praise. And for that, I shall bestow thou thy honor." The knight swung its sword and stabbed it into the ground. Then removed the clip connecting his blue cape to his shoulders, leaving the blue tunic around his neck that ran through the inside of the chainmail and came out in between his legs.

    "I am Briceus... and I am the lord of the northern front. I will put thy head on a spike and make thou blood run over it."

    "Yes...in your dreams" Raith grinned.

    Things were getting interesting!

    The knight grabbed the sword and¨C

    Whish!!

    He merged into the wind as he dashed forward with a splitting image of himself. But even Raith did not fall behind.

    [Due to the title effect, ''I am Suicidal'' all your stats will increase by +50]

    Raith charged at a blinding speed but the tip of the knight''s sword was already at his chest by the time he raised his sword towards the knight as both of them connected in the middle of their distance away from each other.

    [Using Lavaration...]

    ...the tip of the sword was about connecting to his chest, when Raith pushed it away with his right hand touch, leaving just a slight cut on his chest¨C he darted at the knight whose equilibrium was now shifted because of the abrupt push on the tip of his sword.

    The knight naturally faulted to the side which made it very easy for Raith''s silver sword to plunge into the eyes of the knight but before it could reach, the sword was broken by an uppercut that Briceus threw as he fully tilted to the side, and stumbled.

    "Tch..." Raith clicked his tongue and gritted his teeth.

    Briceus looked at his sword as he regained his bnce, the sword had corroded and the whole de had melted away, leaving just the hilt.

    "My precious Crystallight."

    "You broke two of my swords, I broke one... I should be the oneining, not you?" Raith said to Briceus who walked back to his front with a bent back as if he was going plunged forward like a monkey.

    But Raith stood there unfazed and his eyes deadly locked on the Briceus'' movement as the knight circled him with smooth, silent, and majestic steps. He finally came to a stop after one cirction.

    Thwoosh!

    Briceusunched himself at Raith, with a fierce punch, it was amazing how his speed seem to increase every time, even though he didn''t disperse into the wind this time. His punch came at Raith real quick even though every view before the [metavision] was slowed by 50% of the original movement speed¨C from Raith''s perception he had reached in front of him in an instance which meant if there was no [Metavision] Raith would have died before even knowing that he died.

    In response to theing punch, Raith deftly sidestepped and as Briceus'' punch few past him, he countered with a half-cyclonic kick that was supposed to smash Briceus'' head but the knight caught Raith''s leg just as it was a hair''s breadth away from connecting to his head.

    SMASH!!

    He flung Raith into one of the metal walls. Almost immediately, Raith was alreadying out, with his body all ckened from [ck Armour]

    "Troublesome... I have no time for thy effortless endeavor!"

    Thwauck!!

    Briceus dashed at Raith immediately¨C the two of them began to exchange blows, their fist flying through the air in multiple patterns. Raith''s eyeballs were always busy all through, moving in different directions, following the knight''s movements, while his hands were busy blocking and countering the knight''s fist attacks.

    Raith''s movements were concise and precise, and Briceus was no slouch either, his blows were heavy and powerful.

    However, Raith''s muscle was beginning to tweak at every defense, but he showed no signs of exhaustion. With slit eyes, he endlessly battered the knight and got done in the same way.

    Sweat dripped all over Raith''s face as the two of them stayed on that single spot, with their legs locked into each other and their fist flying through each other''s faces for the next twenty minutes

    At some point, Raith couldn''t afford to block anymore so he just continued to take the attack andnd his own attacks on the knight.

    His face was blood washed with peeled skin all over his face due to Briceus'' metallic fist, even Raith''s fists were peeling off as he punched Briceus.

    They continued like that for another long time, and by a long time, it was long enough for Mok Jae-Hwa to have entered the gate and also led to the hideout by Chunho.

    Mok Jae-Hwa gazed down at the cave with a frown. For a strong hunter like him, he didn''t need to get in there to know how bastardly strong whatever was in there was.

 Chapter 97 Trial Of Destruction (5): The Agony Of Failure

    ?"Hyungnim is something wrong?" Tae Joon-Ho asked, looking all determined to jump into a fire to find Raith. He had insisted that he was going to be part of the team that was going to enter even after Mok Jae-Hwa told him not to.

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked at him, looked at Chunho, and looked at the remaining four elite hunters that came with him, they were between B ranks and A ranks.

    ''They can''t feel this monstrous energy...'' He frowned his gaze even lower and clenched his fist.

    "We are going down... blow up the entrance" He gave themand and stepped back.

    Immediately the hunters opened a box of explosive and nted it around the frozen cave entrance, then they all stepped back.

    A few secondster it went...

    THWOOOOMBBB!!

    An explosion widened the entrance of the cave, making it easy for Mok Jae-Hwa and his team to enter one after the other.

    The shockwave of the explosion was vividly felt by Raith and Briceus who were battering each other punch with Raith on the receiving side more, even though he wasnding some decent punch on the Knight it was useless because his fist just ends up being peeled.

    Even though that shockwave was heavy, and the knight was distracted for a moment, the tight exchange of blows between didn''t stop until the knight suddenly disappeared and appeared ten meters away from Raith¨C shocking the young man.

    ''...he still had ample skills...'' Raith''s eyes widened, ''..e to think of it. He hasn''t used any kind of special skill... if he truly is a celestial, shouldn''t he be able to use his skills.'' Raith turned to him.

    "All these effortless efforts, I understandeth not. Thou is not strong enough to defeat me. And thou cannot truly be defeated. Hence, why don''t thou walk away from this and save thyself, use thou time for something productive, something humans as thou would do..."

    "You are foolish. Clearly, you can''t see very well, I''ve been wondering considering that you have no face, maybe your face is on your feet and you keep using it to walk instead of see. Because if that was not the case you would definitely know that with a little more time, I will kill you."

    "Foul Mouthed, as much as I want to kill thou..." He paused and looked towards the entrance that Raith came in from.

    Raith could perceive them immediately and furrowed his brows, ''Those fucking bastards! Why?! Why the fuck are they here?!!"

    Wrinkles formed on his forehead as he frowned his face tighter and dashed towards the Knight, hoping to finish the fight within the small moment that it would take Jae-Hwa to reach here.

    As he pierced through the air, a dagger shed out of his hand as he aimed his attack at the knight''s chest. But the knight was too quick, avoiding the attack and delivering a powerful punch to Raith''s stomach.

    Raith doubled over, gasping for air, but he quickly regained hisposure andunched another attack.

    Perhaps, it was his haste to kill the knight here and now that got the best of him, plus...

    [Your stamina is low]

    [Auto battle will notst much longer]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He hade a long way and had truly tried his best against the knight but no one can outdo the humanws of fatigue. Except he was to die and resurrect with renewed stamina, there was no way to undo the tiredness that was seeping into his body.

    [You are fatigued]

    [Your movement speed will be reduced by 30%]

    [All your stats will be temporarily reduced by 30%]

    Regardless of what he was feeling, Raith darted forward again, his movements swift and precise as usual, and this time he aimed for the knight''s throat.

    But Briceus blocked the attack with his arm and countered with a powerful punch to Raith''s jaw. Raith wasunched into the air by that attack spinning away and thrashing himself into the wall. He fell t on the floor afterward, vomiting blood profusely.

    "This is where we part... human. What is thy name...?" Briceus asked as he grabbed a ck dagger from the pouch that was hanging by the side of his belt.

    Raith slowly, lifted his spinning head, ''...he still has a dagger?'' Despite being heavily hit, he wasn''t going to stop. But before he could even stand to his knees.

    "Thou will not speak thy name? Well, then I shall remember thy face. The next time we meet, it shall be thy death." Briceus said as he used the ck dagger to tear a dimensional rift into the space in front of him. The space tore apart and within that tear was a dark property like the space.

    "No! No!!¨C " Raith groaned stretching his hand forward as the knight stepped into the rift, it was as if he was watching the love of his life walk away and he was devastated at that fact.

    "Farewell human," The knight said and fully enter the rift. It closed immediately and it was at that point that Mok Jae-Hwa arrived.

    "Arrrgggghhhhhh!!!!" Raith cried out in agony standing to his knees and smashing his fist on the floor in frustration as Briceus left.

    He was filled with scratches and was heavily wounded all over his body but he didn''t mind any of that.

    ''Fuck! Fuck!! I really wanted to win!! It was feasible! I could have won!!''

    The reality was hard for Raith to ept that even if he had a longer time, he would never have been able to defeat Briceus with how he is.

    "Hunter Rav¨C

    Mok Jae-Hwa put his hand in front to stop anyone from moving toward him. Knowing Raith''s nasty personality, he could snap at anyone and take out his frustration on them... at least that was how it was from Mok Jae-Hwa''s perception of Raith''s personality which he perceived as ''pretty nasty'' in just a few days of knowing him.

    Raith groaned in agony until he passed out.

    Then Mok Jae-Hwa pulled the cape of his Armour to cover him, and he was carried outside.

 Chapter 98 Absaloms Ranking (1)

    ?Mok Jae-Hwa sat in Raith''s luxurious hospital room, with his fingers locked and his gaze on the floor as he tried to make sense of what happened.

    There were no answers he could find to his question no matter how much he thought about it.

    When he entered, Raith was in ruins with cuts all over his body and naked, what kind of fight could have deprived him of clothes?

    What was that entity with enormous strength that suddenly ds

    disappeared as he was about to enter the pce?

    But the peak of all the questions he had was, "How in the world can he get so strong in just a few hours of going to a rank A gate?" Mok Jae-Hwa mumbled, looking at Raith whoy on the bed with his breathing aided by an oxygen mask and was currently unconscious.

    ''Before I could tell what his strength was. I could gauge it, measure it to a particr standard that was how I was able to know I can beat him at least for the first time. But now, I can''t tell again, I can''t even tell how strong he is. But there is just one single thing I am sure of.

    He is stronger than I am now.''

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa rubbed his chin and leaned into the chair he was sitting in,ying his eyes on Raith.

    ''At this point, we don''t even need to shelter him from Turner.''

    The door opens and a familiar face enters.

    "Hyungnim!!" Min-hoes crying beside Raith, spoiling his facial expression as if Raith was not going toe back alive even though he was a doctor and knew better.

    It''s been two weeks now and every time Min-hoes into Raith''s room, he always does that. But Mok Jae-Hwa neverined, as a matter of fact, he envied the rtionship between the two of them. Sometimes he would just walk out for Min-ho to cry his heart out or sometimes he would just watch as the guy forces a cry out of his face and goes all awkward because he is still sitting there.

    One thing has been consistent, he would always visit Raith every day.

    "Is there any reason as to why he isn''t waking up? Is it Deflux?"

    "Deflux?! Ah No! Don''t even mention that deadly thing. Hyungnim is just tired, it''s more as if his brain and body are taking the maximum time needed to release all the stress and fatigue."

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked at Raith once again, "The past three weeks just releasing stress and fatigue. What in the world''s hell happened in that ce?"

    "Hyungnim always have the strangest of encounters. I wonder why this always happens to him. Why do bad things always happen to good people...?" He asked sobbing and looking at Mok Jae-Hwa who quickly averted his gaze to avoid any eye contact.

    ''...I''m not sure who you mean by good people. Does he even see the person he is talking about?'' He looked at Raith again afterward and pocketed his hand, ''Well, Joon-Ho did say he saw Raith die in order to get them out of the dungeon. But I don''t fall for that shit... he probably did that because he wanted to hide his abilities. Nice try bro.''

    "Doctor, I will take my leave for now and be backter." He said as he walked out of the hospital room, leaving Min-ho alone with Raith.

    ***

    ***

    ***<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Tokyo, Japan.

    "See, I want you to calm your nerves and collect yourself together. It took me a lot of connection to set this special meeting up." Doctor Takeshi said to Absalom who was now dressed in a casual ck round-neck shirt, blue jeans, and a nice sneakers. His long hair had been cut short and was just like that of every other person, except that it was red... hence, making him stand out.

    But not right now, because he was wearing a face cap.

    "Oh this cap feels so good, I don''t think I am ever going to get it out of my head." Hements as he walked behind Takeshi who was worried about something else.

    "Are you even listening to me?!"

    "Ohho! Human, mind your manner of speech. Don''t raise your voice at me."

    "We''ve been over this Kazuki"

    "Hey! I said no more of that!" Absalom lets out his voice, attracting the attention of hunters that were sitting in the lobby waiting for their rank to be measured by the association."

    "Ah... why did I even decide to go this path again..." Doctor Takeshiined silently, burying his face into his palm, not a single day has been peaceful since he decided to give Absalom the identity of his son that was lost in a gate break that caused the whole of Osaka to be flooded, and many lives were lost. Three seconds of silence for the lost lives.

    "I get that you are helping me and I promise to help you in return someday. But human it is necessary that you respect boundaries, I am the son of the greatest demon king in Felfhiem, I can never, never ever call you father." Absalom dered and looked the other way round, crossing his leg over each other.

    Other parents and old folks who had alsoe with their loved ones began to look at him with scornful gazes. Even if he was Absalom, there was no way he would have been able to sitfortably with the way these old people were ring at him.

    All that needed to be said was obvious from the way they stared at him.

    "How can he be so disrespectful to his father?"

    "Young boys of these days..."

    "He thinks being a hunter is everything?"

    "How can he be so cruel."

    "He is a bad child..."

    He was getting very ufortable with the mumbling words that entered his ears.

    ''... these cockroaches, they don''t even know what they are saying... should I just kill all of them?'' He wondered as he stole nces back at them and looked at Doctor Takeshi, who seemed to be enjoying this.

    Immediately he saw howid back the Doctor was, he couldn''t help but wear an irritatedly angry face.

    Just then the association agent came to the Doctor.

    "Takeshi-san, you cane with us."

 Chapter 99 Absaloms Ranking (2)

    ?Japan was one of the biggest countries in Asia, right after the Korean guilds they were the next strongest, even with no number of special rank hunters. They had several S-rank hunters but that was not enough if they wanted to measure up to other nations.

    Hence, the ranking evaluation process, and the awakening of hunters were something that associations as guilds took with much dedication.

    Absalom was walked into one of the biggest chambers.

    Passing people who all sat down, either waiting to be evaluated or waiting for their license cards but one thing is clear is that these people were of high ss and it could be seen in the way that they were dressed.

    Absalom looked all around like a curious kid till he was fully in the chamber.

    There was arge crystal sitting in the middle of the room and a long queue of aspiring hunters that slowly proceeded forward.

    "C rank?!! Oh thank goodness, I am so lucky!" The man shouted as he walked outside.

    Absalom watched the man walk away in happiness. After the man was gone, he asked the man in front of him.

    "Is C rank the highest power?"

    The guy in front of him nced back at him with disbelief written all over his face and didn''t exactly give him an answer but with that look, he knew the question he asked was absurd.

    "C rank is like average. With a C rank, one will be able to earn a decent lifestyle. I mean, we don''t even have a lot of high-ranking hunters in Japanese anyways so..." The guy behind him responded to his question.

    "I see..." Absalom nodded. "Then what is the highest rank?" He asked.

    "The highest rank is S. But there are two other ranks that are considered special rank, they are often ced on a different kind of ranking scale because of the enormous strength that hunters in these ranks possess."

    "Hmm..."

    "Yes, Disaster rank and Catastrophe rank." The guy noted to him.

    Absalom nodded his head like a diligent learner. One thing he was actually good at was the act of learning.

    Finally, it got to the chance of the guy in front of him who had snubbed him earlier.

    "B rank!! Yes, I got a B rank!" The guy shouted, as he jubted outside, a swarm of guys in suits surrounded him. They were all representatives from different guilds. Unlike the Korean Association, the Japanese Association have something they call Open Evaluation where guilds can freely send their representatives to recruit hunters during their evaluations.

    For Korean Association, it was impossible, the guild has to work hard to find the information. That is why the reporters like to lurk around the association every now and then.

    "Next," The man in rectangr sses called, adjusting his sses on his nose as he looked at Absalom.

    "ce your hand on the crystal." The man instructed, holding a tablet in his hand.

    Absalom immediately did as instructed and after a while, it appeared before him.

    In holographic red color.

    [You havee in contact with magic energy]

    [Due to your immortal body, you can resonate with magic energy even though you are a vampire]

    [You have awakened as a hunter]

    [This is a temporary awakening as you will revert to your true strength when you leave this world]

    The thing that appeared in front of him. Absalom knew very much about it. A voice that speaks to them in rune words showing them the path to their strength. Only when one reaches the age of two hundred and fifty years can one awaken the voice.

    In theiring-of-age ceremony, they are taken to the only temple of the first king of Felfhiem.

    But that is happening to him right now, he isn''t even a hundred yet.

    [You have been ranked]

    [You can view your profile information]

    [Profile]

    > Name: Absalom

    > True Name: Va

    > Race: Vampire

    > ss: Crimson Warrior.

    > Magic Energy: 120

    > Fiendish energy: 45200(locked)

    [Skills]

    > Bloodnce(S)lv.1

    > Blood magic(EX)lv.1

    > Blood drain(SSS)lv.1

    [Stats]

    > Strength: 78

    > Stamina: 234<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    > Speed: 350

    > Charisma: 99

    > Intelligence: 677

    "Wow..." His eyes widened, although he was not impressed with a few things that he was seeing but he was amazed that he could see the runes just like how people used to tell the tales back in Felfhiem.

    Meanwhile, the person that was supposed to call his rank had gone silent with an open mouth for a while now.

    "Agent Yakamura what is going on?" A senior agent, that seemed older by pure physique asked, going towards the front to meet the man in question.

    As his eyes fell on theputer screen, he also entered the same kind of shock.

    "D-d-d-disaster???!!!!!"

    Whim

    A one-second silence overwhelmed the room and swoosh.

    All the guild representatives came rushing to the front,pletely destroying the queue. The boy from before who had all their attention and was taking his time to choose was left standing with nobody around him because all the representatives had gone to meet Absalom who just turned out to be Japan''s first Special rank hunter.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    Therut.

    After the pontifices meeting a world-level order was issued to the entire world that all nations are to unify with each other in order to clear the gates which are posing trouble to the world.

    But that was not all¨C they also issued the use of the Temrs.

    That was the height of it, that was how generous they could be and that alone showed that the archons were truly concerned about the state that the world was going into.

    And everyone was talking about it as they awaited the day they were finally going to see a temr for themselves.

    "Legends have it, that in the first time when the world was created by the unison of the archons, every first generation of humans offered their first child, and using the archon''s flesh they were forged into immortal war machines, their body was not weak against the de, nor could it sumb to poison or explosion attacks, they were the greatest of warriors to ever exist.

    After the first days, and the first set of pontifices were selected, it is said that the Temrs were ordered to stay inside the temple and were locked forever inside because of the danger that they pose to the world.

    I believe that the Temrs can take down these strange gates that our dear heroes cannot take care of."

    The man dered, with one leg on the wooden table and drunk people surrounding him.

    Afar off them was seated a jet-ck haired man in a ck coat.

    "I heard you know my brother." Before him, was seated a familiar young man.

    "Did you pay my bail because you wanted to ask of your brother, after sending him out because he was a failure?" Curtis leaned back and folded his arms.

    "I don''t care what you think, I just need you to answer my questions. I have the legal right to do whatever I want with you. Because I had to pay quite an enormous amount to get you out of jail. They say you were a ck market dealer. Was Raven a ck market dealer too?"

    "That numbskull? There is no way a dumb being like that can get a dealer." Mael responded with a scoff.

    Curtis'' cold and dark eyes stayed on him for a few minutes. Unlike Raith who was born with heterochromia eyes, other Degados'' eyeballs were very dark and Curtis''s own in particr had a hollow feel to it, that somewhat gave off the atmosphere of how detached he is from emotions.

    Yet that same guy was here looking for his precious brother.

    "I don''t care what you think of him. I just need to find him."

    "Bro and you thought it was a good idea to ask me? I have been in jail for the past six months, how the fuck am I supposed to know where your brother is¡ª

    Wham!!

    m!!

    His head smashed the wooden table as Curtis mmed it and pinned it down.

    "You are rude and I don''t like it."

    The eyes of people that were enjoying the stories of how their world would be saved thanks to the pontifices taking action, shifted to Curtis and things quickly became awkward so he let go.

    The people were too busy hearing the stories to give a shit about what was going on so they faced their business.

    "I will ask you onest time... and if you don''t answer me wisely, you will be damned for the rest of your life." Curtis threatened him with a fiery re.

    "Where. Is. My. Brother?"

    "Bro, I swear I don''t know... anything. I swear thest time I talked to him was when I betrayed him!"

    "I heard someone paid a bail of three hundred and thirty thousand leus for him, and I was wondering who would dare pay such arge amount for a criminal..."

    Curtis'' eyes widened and he quickly jolted back as he found Amber Rose, sitting at the table adjacent to his table with sexy legs crossed and arms folded on her moderate breast.

    ''The hell? When did she get here?''

    "Hello Sir Curtis, I thought you didn''t care about your brother?" Amber Rose asked with a cunning smile.

 Chapter 100 Big Level Up

    ?Raith''s vision was blurry as he opened his eyes to the white but extravagant ceiling of the hospital centered with a simple and sparkling chandelier.

    His head felt very light and he felt very good in general. As if he was just being born again.

    "Hunter Raven!"

    "Hyunnim!"

    Both Mok Jae-Hwa and Min-ho who were present at that time came running to him as they saw that he tried to raise his head. Whatever life support he was ced on had been removed and he was free to move as he will without being restricted.

    "Hyungnim!!" Min-ho shouted once again as he jumped a hug on Raith, hugging him tightly.

    At first, Raith tried to condone it because he was ceaselessly sobbing.

    "Min-ho... that''s enough." He spoke first with a low tone.

    "No, no, no...hyungnim you were out cold for one month. I have missed you so much! Hyungnimmmmmmm"

    "Min-ho..." Following his tone, this time was a sudden chill that filled the room, the chandelier and other metallic furniture in the room immediately already had frost spreading on them. Even Mok Jae-Hwa was shocked by how cold everything was.

    Mok Jae-Hwa wrinkled his nose as he looked around, seeing the effect of the little hostility that Raith exuded as a warning.

    Min-ho was not too dumb not to notice. He found himself already standing back, he had jumped away from Raith the moment he spoke¨C because of the gut feeling that felt like his head was already falling off his neck. He quickly touched his head to hold it down together.

    "I''m sorry, can you two leave me for now," Raith demanded.

    "It''s okay Hunter Raven. You take your time..." Mok Jae-Hwa said and went out with Min-ho, who despite the shock he was in still looked at Raith with longing eyes.

    "afuuuuu..." Raith inhaled and exhaled.

    "Fucking... Briceus..." He mumbled and opened his status.

    ________________________

    [Status Window]

    Name: Raven Raith

    True name: (locked)

    ss: Monarch Of Darkness

    Subss: Child Of Death

    HP: 15,670/15,670

    Age: 21

    Level: 44

    Darkness points(D.P): 1050

    Cosmic points(C.P): 5270

    Title: Celestia yer, One who devours death, Chosen by the ws of failure, destined for damnation, I do not fear death, I am Suicidal.

    Dust attributes(Traits): Darker than ck, The Dissatisfaction Failure Brings, Darkness Lord, Book Of Requiems.

    [Skills-Passive]

    - Devourer(EX)lv.5

    - Multiple Cognitive Resonance(SSS)lv.2

    - Thoughts eleration(S)lv.5

    - Metavision(S)lv.3

    - Ultra-Instincts(S)lv.6

    - Intimidation(S)lv.20

    - Dark Vision(A)lv.9

    - Heat Resistance(S)lv.max

    - Cold Resistance(S)lv.max

    - Poison Resistance(R)lv.1

    [Skills¨CActive]

    Truth Seeker(S)lv.5

    - Lavaration(A)lv.12

    - Instant Move(B)lv.23

    - Air Leap(C)lv.12

    - ck Armour(D)lv.10

    - Way of the Sword(SSS)lv.23(iplete)

    [ss Skills¨CActive]

    - Skill Bestowal(EX) lv.1

    - Ego Save(SSS) lv.1

    - Shadow Creation(EX)lv.2

    - Soul Extraction(EX) lv.10

    - Summon Soldiers(SSS) lv.10

    - Domain Of Darkness(EX) lv.2

    [Stats]

    - Strength: 116

    - Speed: 166<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    - Stamina: 85

    - Intelligence: 445

    - Endurance: 134

    - Perception: 136

    - Will: 15

    Avable stat points: 72

    ____________________________

    "These must be the skills that made my fight with Briceus quite enjoyable uh." He mumbled as he looked down at the new set of passive skills.

    ___________________

    [Skill information]

    Skill name: Multiple Cognitive Resonance

    Skill rank: SSS

    Skill level: 01

    Info: Your mind gains a three parallel consciousness of their own separated from your embodiment, although they are in you. They are brain cells that are capable of independent thought analysis, thought processing, and perfect task execution¨C with or without your consent and as they deem fit for you. Although you can momentarily halt it but skill cannot bepletely switched off.

    - At higher levels, more sub-skills will be unlocked.

    ___________________

    [Skill Information]

    Skill name: Thoughts eleration

    Skill rank: S

    Skill level: 05

    Info: Your thinking speed is enhanced and beyond that of a regr human. For simple details, 10 milliseconds forplex details, 100 milliseconds.

    _____________________

    [Skill Information]

    Skill name: Metavision

    Skill rank: S

    Skill level: 03

    Info: An evolved vision that gives you an omnipotent perspective of the space around you. Using your eyes to constantly take in information from the central and peripheral vision, data on every move of your surroundings and opponent are constantly collected and stored.

    - At higher levels, the skill''s true use will be unveiled.

    ______________________

    [Skill Information]

    Skill name: Ultra-Instincts

    Skill rank: S

    Skill level: 06

    Info: An heightened instinct that causes you to smell attack route without even looking.

    ________________________

    "Wow..."

    These skills were a big level up for Raith.

    He stood up from the hospital bed and wondered if he was ready to go back to Felfhiem.

    He knew the answer right away.

    "No, I''m not ready... I need to enter more dungeons." He said to himself.

    ''I couldn''t even beat the knight. I won''t be surprised if I get to Felfhiem and can''t even beat the least of the strongest demon lords there. So... I have to get stronger, to save Volmak." He mumbled looking at the ring in his hand.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    "Hello Sir Curtis, I thought you didn''t care about your brother?" Amber Rose asked with a cunning smile.

    "And I never knew you were one to poke yourself into other people''s business," Curtis replied, frowning.

    "Other people''s business? I guess you didn''t know. I was the one that submitted this guy to the police. I have a right to be in the business of whoever paid his bail."

    Curtis frowned even harder and looked at her, "All heroes are busy getting ready for raids all over the world. Shouldn''t you be doing the same?"

    She lets out a smallugh, "Who cares if I''m missing for a few seconds? With the news that the Temrs will be joining the battle, no one is really concerned about us heroes anymore." She stands up and begins to walk closer to him, "But what I am curious about is why you are looking for Mr. Raven Raith."

    "You know his name?" Curtis was taken aback.

    "Why not... he is my friend." She proimed with a big and affirmative smile.

    "Friend?" He giggled, "I see you have finally gone nuts. You will dare to be friends with a man that the archons have condemned?"

    "That is the problem... I wonder how the rest of the world looked at him when his own blood brother sees him that way. Condemned by the archons. I can''t begin to think of how lonely he must have felt..." Shepleted her speech with a sad countenance that fell downwards, her eyeballs drifted upwards, she truly regretted that she was hesitant with Raith when they had the opportunity to be friends and she would do anything to have that moment back.

    Curtis squinted his eyes, looking at her. "As expected, you are just nothing but a spoilt brat if you think you can go against the archon''s orders." He said and stood up,he was about to leave but stopped as she started talking.

    "You will not find him... For the past six months, I have searched for him. Your brother, I don''t think he''s alive. I think he hasmitted suicide."

 Chapter 101 Raith And Absalom (1)

    ?"Do you want to talk about the gate?" An agent standing before his held with a note and pen asked, behind the agent was Agent Jong-Su.

    "There was a monster... a humanoid monster. It was really strong." Raith replied.

    "Hunter Raven... can you tell us in detail exactly what happened?" The agent insisted with sweat running down his temple. He was fed up, no matter how much he tried to get information out of Raith, Raith just ended up saying the basic stuff such as the monster was strong, or he lost to the monster.

    Jong-Su tapped the agent and nodded to him, "I''ve got this..." He whispered and the agent left the room, leaving only Jong-Su and Raith.

    "It''s been a while agent Jong-Su. I have a question for you."

    "Go ahead merchant Raven."

    "Who the fuck is after me?"

    "Ah," Agent Jong-Su pped his face and sighed. He brought out his phone, scrolled for a few minutes then shows Raith the picture of a man.

    "That man is Kn Turner. One of America''s strongest hunters."

    "By one of America''s strongest hunters, how strong is he?"

    "He''s a Catastrophe rank."

    The whole ce got silent with that revtion. Then Raith asked.

    "Isn''t that annoying fine boy you guys sent me Catastrophe rank?"

    "Ah" Jong-Su giggled at the way Raith described Mok Jae-Hwa. "Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa is a disaster rank. Korea only has two disaster ranks, we don''t have a Catastrophe rank."

    "Shit, I lost to a disaster rank? The way I keep losing to people these days calls for a mental check."

    Agent Jong-Su''s eyes stayed on him for a few minutes.

    "You are talking about the monster you met in there right?" He asked, "...was it that strong. At max, it was an A-rank monster."

    Raith chuckled, "A rank? You belittle me."

    Agent Jong-Su was taken aback by his solemn and sorrowful expression, ''...did he really hate that he lost like that...''

    "Do you have more dungeons for me? I need to resume going to dungeons."

    "We do but we want you to calm down. Prioritize your recovery."

    "What recovery, what do you think I''ve been doing here for the past four weeks, sleeping?"

    "I mean, you clearly were sleeping to me..." Agent Jong-Su mumbled looking away.

    Raith stood up, "I''m ready for action."

    Ring! Ring!! Ring!!! Ring!!!!

    Agent Jong-Su gently picked up the phone¨C at the same time, he picked up the phone Raith squinted his eyes and looked towards the window outside.

    "Agent Jong-Su!! Move Hunter Raven away from that hospital room as fast as you can!! He''s here!!" Mok Jae-Hwa shouted.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Huh?" Agent Jong-Su who waste to process what was happening suddenly so Raith clench his fist with a grin and turned to the window.

    A secondter, something wasing at them and it was like a shooting star, but instead of it falling was freely moving and was moving toward them at an incredible speed.

    BOOOOOOOM!!!

    The part of the towering hospital building that embodied Raith''s room exploded from outside as the entity collided with his window.

    Raith immediately flew out, grabbing Agent Jong-Su by the cor, the two of them were unscathed even though they were caught amidst such an explosion. And one more thing to note, Agent Jong-Su''s body was ckened just like when Raith uses ck Armor.

    Theynded on the t top of another building.

    "Oh, my God! What is this?! What is happening to my body." Agent Jong-Su freaked out, looking at himself.

    "Shut up, it is my skill, I used it to protect you from the impact of the explosion. And I will also be using it to protect you from the fall."

    "Uh? The fall? What fall?" Agent Jong-Su asked with difited expression.

    Like his fear had suggested, immediately he got kicked off the top of the building.

    Agent Jong-Su let out a big scream as he fell off the building shouting and crying.

    He smashed into the ground like heavy metal and as he stood up, the ckness on his body began to fade. He was surprised, as he looked at his body.

    "I''m alive! I''m alive!!!" He shouted throwing his hands in the air and shaking his waist. He must have really thought he was going to die.

    Raith smiled as he looked at the agent act funny but his smile did notst forever, he shifted his gaze to the hospital window that someone had crashed into.

    "You cockroach! I will destroy you today." The guy on the window says, fuming with anger with his red hair fluttering in the wind.

    Two weeks after Absalom''s debut as a hunter. He hade for Raith''s head.

    That showed how much urgency was in his heart when it came to the matter of saving Volmak.

    Japan was on fire and all the attention was on him because he was their first disaster rank hunter. But this guy paid no attention to anyone and for two weeks straight he continuously raided gates over and over again. umting the money to fly out of the country¨C but he ends up making even more.

    Upon hearing that he had made enough to buy a private jet. Absalom immediately bought one and flew out of the country.

    His destination was Korea.

    Japanese Association was scared, they tried their best to prevent him from leaving because they thought he was going to migrate but Absalom was unstoppable he was fixated on what he was going to do even with all the restrictions and distractions.

    Eventually, the Japanese Association Of Hunters decided to send people with him, which he didn''t mind, while they were just preventing any other country from recruiting their hunter, all Absalom wanted was to kill Raith and take him back to Felfhiem.

    Raith widened his eyes, "Holy shit... how is that bastard here?"

    Absalom came out of the building, floating closer to Raith and finallynding softly on the same building that Raith was standing on.

    ''Shit... he can even fly?'' Raith frowned.

 Chapter 102 Raith And Absalom (2)

    ?"Will someone like to exin why a Japanese hunter is here in Korea?! andunched an attack at our hunter! Is this a deration of war?!"

    The director of the Korea Hunter Association shouted, with rigid cords on his neck, his head was red hot with anger.

    All the association agents stood in front of him silent.

    Before he snapped at them the second time, an agentes running inside the conference room.

    "Sir! I have some new information. The Japanese association is also in Korea and are currently making their way here." The guy reported.

    "Better, because somebody better exins this shit to me." The director grunted and fell on his seat, biting his nail.

    ''Shit! Everything has escted. At this point, we can''t keep him using the Rain Guild. We can''t keep his identity anymore. Turner was another thing but who the fuck is this?'' The director looked at the old news feed that was on theptop in front of him. It read, ''Japan''s First Disaster Rank Hunter, Hashizume Kazuki''

    ''...if we look to the good side of this, this might actually be an opportunity to know hunter Raith''s strength.''

    Ring! Ringgg!!

    He quickly pick up the phone and bowed as he greeted the person.

    "What is going on right now?"

    "Chairman sir, I apologize, but we are putting everything under control." The National Directorate of the hunters association, Yeon Hyun-shik said as he responded to the chairman.

    The phone hung up immediately.

    "Ahhh!!" Yeon Hyun-shik mmed the table in frustration. "Why is it one chaos after the other when ites to this guy!" He shouted.

    The other agents stood rigid and all were looking down.

    Until the Japanese Association came in, two men and one woman, all of them in ck suits.

    They all sat at the other end of the long conference table.

    "What is this? What is going on?" It wasn''t hard for Yeon Hyun-shik''s voice to reach them thanks to the microphone.

    "We sincerely apologize for this altercation."

    "Is Japan intending on going to a hunters war with us now that you guys have a disaster rank hunter? Don''t forget we have two."

    "What do you mean? Have you forgotten we have an S rank that can beat one of your precious disaster ranks?" The woman smirks, the wrinkles that ran from her nose to her cheek doubled as she did sore, even her hair was grey and was left to freely fly across her neck.

    This was the assistant association President of Japan.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Of course, all that does not matter. We havee to sincerely apologize. Hunter Hashizume is one that cannot be reasoned with and it seems he and that hunter has some unfinished business. This is beyond us and you know how these special rank hunters can be..." She chuckled, "...I mean I don''t have to tell you. You have two of them." The woman concluded with a devious smile.

    "Three actually..." Director Yeon Hyun-shik said with a straight face, looking straight into the eyes of the woman.

    "What? Three?..." She was caught in shock at first, but she scoffed, "...are you bluffing now Yeon Hyun-shik, you guys have had two all the while we never made a fuss about it. So you can''t just be happy with us? You want to prove on every asion that you guys are better?"

    "Isn''t that how our fate has been, Mrs. Miyoda Kuni? Besides, why will I bluff? That hunter is the association''s asset, which we have been keeping from the public. As a matter of fact, he is a Catastrophe rank... didn''t you hear, Turner is after him."

    The woman leaned forward mming the table, "Don''t lie to me Yeon Hyun-Shik. How can Turner be interested in some South Korean boy."

    "You ask me? Well, I don''t know. All I know is our intelligence over there, told us that after Turner saw him, he wants to recruit him to his guild. Which is why we have been keeping him on a low."

    "Wait, saw him once?..." Her eyes widened as she connected the dots. "...the hunter with a ck mask on TV. The one that cleared a B-rank gate alone?!" At this point, she was so leaned in that she was already on her feet.

    Director Yeon Hyun-shik closed his eyes with a smile as he nodded to the answers of the Japanese Association woman. "Yes, yes... that hunter."

    ***

    "Hey, Absalom. Nice to meet you!" Raith broke the prolonged silence between the two of them.

    Absalom still stood there in stare and silence, even though Raith had spoken, he didn''t say anything.

    ''Crap! How in the world? This bastard, this cocktail. How did he get so strong? I could kill him ten times over back when we were in Felfhiem, but now I''m not even sure I can kill him once. If I start this battle, I''m not even sure how it will go. Everything about him has changed, shit! Everything... and the height of it all, what is scaring me the most... the day is bright, clearly bright... but looking at him... it''s liking and staring into a void of darkness that keeps sucking me in. And this urge to fall on my knees... and just sumb to the darkness before me...'' He squinted his eyes at Raith.

    ''...did I just regard him as the darkness before me?''

    "Are you going to talk to me or are you going to stand there all day and look at me when clearly you were the one that attacked me first?"

    "I havee here to kill you."

    "Ha, very funny," Raith replied nodding his head.

    "I am serious. I will kill you for the sake of Master Volmak"

    Raith''s gaze changed in that instance, from a carefree and rxed expression to slit eyes with his eyeballs exuding low glow and smoke.

    "I trust nothing has happened to Volmak."

    Absalom flinched at the sudden change in the air, Raith was giving off hostility and it showed him an even greater measure of Raith''s strength than he had calcted. A pearl of sweat ran down his hand but thankfully it was covered by the long-sleeved id shirt he was wearing.

    Raith on the other hand was in the hospital''s patient scrubs, with no slippers on but he didn''t mind.

 Chapter 103 Raith And Absalom (3)

    ?"We are right here live! And as you can see on top of that building there is standing two hunters..."

    The camera zoomed in on the people at the top of the building although not capturing them clearly.

    "...And our sources have identified one of the hunters to be Japan''s new disaster rank hunter."

    "Patience..." A thick baritone voice called out.

    "Yes sir." The ckdy rushed into the living room where the man was standing and quickly stood upright.

    "What is my schedule like today?" The man asked, he was standing in front of the TV.

    "You have a meeting with the association president and then you are needed at the white house, it is a matter of national security."

    The man scratched his cheek.

    "Is something wrong sir?" The ckdy asked.

    "Patience, can you clear all that schedule and prepare my ne... wait, how long is the flight from here to South Korea."

    "About thirteen hours sir? But South Korea? Why?" Thedy btedly looked at the TV, ''What is it again this time...'' she wondered.

    "Thirteen hours is too long..."

    "Using the Ultrane that was invented using magic crystals, the time can be cut in half."

    "What if we use a rocket, the spaceshipuncher? We can make itunch me high enough then I will destroy the spaceship and reroute my falling to South Korea. How long will it take to prepare a rocket?"

    "Sir, the new rocketunch that NASA is nning is estimated to cost around 8 billion dors. However, the rocket is not due tounch and they have this project that they are working on."

    "Contact NASA. Tell them I said, I want to borrow their rocket tounch myself into space, I will pay them 80 billion dors for it."

    The ckdy''s mouth fell, "Turner, you can''t pay that much money¨C

    "Shut up, they won''t treat it as urgent unless you mention that much money... I want all this to be done in less than thirty minutes so you better get started"

    "Yes sir!!" Thedy rushed out of the living room.

    His lips curved upwards, "Now, now, my little children y as much as you want till daddy reaches the scene."

    ***

    ***

    ***

    "You dare ask me for his wellbeing after running away with your tail in between your legs and leaving him at the hands of his enemies."

    "Running away?" Raith red at him. "You think I ran away? Volmak sent me away! I had no say in it! He did it to protect me."

    "You are just making some flimsy excuses when you dly got shielded by him... isn''t that what you have been doing since the first day you entered Felfhiem, leeching off him."

    "Okay, vampire. I think I''ve had enough of you. I have beat myself up enough already at how weak I was... and that is why I pursue only strength so that I can save Volmak."

    "Or you are just enjoying your road to fame here in the human world."

    "What? Road to fame? What the hell is that?

    "A terminology from a Chinese movie that I adopted. In the movie, China''s top drama academy stages an American musical "Fame"-China''s first official coboration with Broadway-as the graduation showcase for its senior ss. During the eight-month rehearsal, five studentspete for roles, struggle with pressure from family and authority, and prepare to graduate into China''s corrupt entertainment industry¨C<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "The fuck? Are you going to narrate the whole movie to me?"

    Absalom bowed his head, ''shit...I got too consumed at the moment.''

    Raith giggled at him, "I see you have been watching movies since you have been here. You have no right to challenge me."

    "Shut up! You have no idea what I had to endure to get here... I was locked up in a mental hospital! Watching movies was the only way I could familiarize myself with this world and gain knowledge."

    "Yea, and how''d that y out for you." Raith said to him folding his arms.

    "You know what? Reasoning with you is useless! I came here to kill you and I will just go ahead and do so!!"

    [A New Trial Has Been Generated]

    [Trial Of Connection]

    > Absalom''s strength has been greatly reduced because he is in the Earth realm. Beat the shit out of him, that is the only way he can arrogantly start to ept you.

    Trial Reward: Crimson Ring.

    Trial Failure: -300 total stat points from all your stats.

    ''No, definitely not...'' Raith''s frown became fiercer as he saw the failure rewards of the trial.

    Wham!

    Just when he was contemting in his mind, Absalom stretched forth his hand, tearing his palm a little¨C a drop of blood floated out of his palm, wriggling and suddenly multiplying and stretching, it was so irritating to watch but at the end, the point was a long red katana made out of his blood. Instead of real metal, it was solidified blood all through.The breeze separated as Absalom swung the sword to his side and looked at Raith.

    From the way it separated the wind, it was evident that the sharpness and power of Absalom''s blood sword were great.

    "Bring out your sword. I shall give you rotten cockroach the chance to cross swords with me for once. Although nothing awaits you but disparaging failure."

    "Ah, shit!..."

    "What?" Absalom asked seeing how Raith suddenly eximed.

    "My sword, that goddamn knight broke it!"

    "Wait so you don''t have a sword?"

    "Right now, yes..."

    "I don''t care... this is just anotherme excuse for you to escape me," Absalom said and angrily began to walk forward but paused as he saw Raith''s face.

    His lips curved upwards.

    "You are smiling...?"

    "Absalom... back when we were in Felfhiem, I was weak. Very weak that you could probably kill me as if you were killing a mosquito. But I just realized, things are different from then. Why should I fight you?"

    Absalom raised his jaw and looked at Raith keenly, "What do you mean?"

    "Why should I fight you Absalom? When I have an army..."

    ck smoke began to loom all around Raith''s leg and from the thickness of that smoke could several gazes be seen staring coldly at Absalom who immediately took hastened steps backward as the smoke was spreading toward him.

    "What is this? What have you done with yourself?" He questioned with trembling eyes and hands.

 Chapter 104 Kortopi Versus Absalom

    ?"Come, Kortopi"

    The ck smoke in front of Raith suddenly plunged higher like a raging me, then calmed down again as if it was taunting a particr person who was already scared enough from the undisputed energy of death that associated itself with Raith.

    The smoke materialized to form a ck humanoid on his knee facing Raith, with one hand touching the ground, another hand to his chest, and bowing on one knee Kortopi appeared before Raith.

    Raith looked at Absalom with a smirk, "Now, proof that you are worthy of fighting me." He said to Absalom and put his hands in his pocket as Kortopi stood up and turned to Absalom.

    Absalom gritted his teeth, ''How? How in the world is this possible?! What is this thing, it doesn''t feel alive one bit and it has something like our fiendish energy... no, this... this is even purer...''

    Absalom''s hand was already shaking and he didn''t even realize it.

    Kortopi stretched his hand forward and the ck darkness of his body surged towards his body to form a ck sword with red streaks running through it like a crack¨C it was just like Absalom''s sword.

    Absalom bowed his head, hiding the emotion that was written on his first. ''...I can see now. He really came here to get stronger huh? Then I shouldn''t befortable with the excuse that I can''t use my powers because of the celestial. It is only right that I too strive to get stronger... thank you for making me realize this you cockroach. I shall put my pride aside for once and fight... I will get stronger from this battle and drag you to Felfhiem to pay for your sins.''

    Absalom slowly raised his face with a renewed facial expression. That scared face was totally gone. And his face was brimming with passion and anger. His brows were tight-furrowed together wrinkling his forehead and the harsh gritting of his teeth as he swallowed his narcissistic side to embrace growth caused rigid cords to form on his neck, temple, and jaw.

    Raith smiled, ''...I like the look on his face... I can''t believe things have turned out like this.'' "Kortopi"

    As he spoke, Kortopi dashed forward, lifting his sword over his head for a straight sh at Absalom who immediately matched his speed and darted off. Both their swords, shed together in the middle, in that middle and instance the two of them began to strike shes at each other from different angles¨C their swords kept shing with each other, with a shower of sparks.

    Wham!

    The two of them moved at blinding speed, their feet barely touching the ground as they circled each other.

    ''...wow, I know Absalom is fast, but I never expected Kortopi to be able to be as fast as this...'' Raith was impressed as he neatly followed the movement of both of them with [Metavision].

    The darkness of Kortopi''s body allowed him to move with eerie grace, his movements were fluid and effortless.

    Absalom on the other hand was fast, very fast but Raith was sure he probably wasn''t using half of his speed because even though both of them were already too into the fight, it was still a calm fight. More like...

    "...he''s trying to ascertain how skill Kortopi is..." Raith muttered.

    The two got separated by the tremendous force of their attacks, they stumbled back and each flipped through the air for a perfectnding.

    Things cooled off for a while, the howling wind on top of the building gently caressing the battle scene.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    With a sudden burst of speed, Absalom darted forward, his blood sword shing towards Kortopi''s chest.

    Kortopi spun away at thest moment, the de narrowly missing him. He countered with a fierce swipe of his own, but Absalom was already gone, darting towards the edge of the building.

    Kortopi ran after Absalon with a slit re, his red ming eyes focused solely on his goal¨C Absalom.

    Absalom made a quick swipe turn with his immense speed, a trick that was supposed to push Kortopi who wasing at him fast off the edge of the building because it would be toote to put a stop to that tremendous speed. Even if he did, he would still fall.

    But Absalom''s eyes widened as the monster made a sharp turnover as he also did, hence instead of going directly to the edge of the building, he was now in Absalom''s path, directly facing the speeding Absalom.

    Absalom scowled at him and put more speed works to his leg. Both their swords shed together in a deafening crash.

    ''...don''t underestimate his copy skills man.'' Raith smirked.

    The two of them continued to fight on the rooftop, their swords shing in the sunlight as they battled with all their might. Their swords shed over and over again and the sound of metal on metal echoed through the city skyline.

    Both of them moved with incredible speed and with each time Absalom only got faster but Kortopi could still keep up despite his quickness, their des whistled through the air as they battled with running around from building to building.

    As theynded on another building, Absalomunched a flurry of strikes at Kortopi, with his blood sword shing in the sunlight. But Kortopi immediately mirrored his movements with perfect precision, copying every strike and parry.

    As the battle prolonged, he was getting the hang of Absalom''s style. And could now even anticipate his next move before he even made it¨C producing a perfect moment to counter Absalom, sometimes he would slip in a punch that would crunch Absalom away from him, or at times a sword sh that Absalom would dodge by a hair''s breadth.

    Absalom forced himself into the battle, it was his first time fighting so intensely and he intentionally threw all of his senses into that one moment.

    He wasn''t just fighting blindly, he was taking note of Kortopi''s movement from the biggest to the smallest details, and seeing that Kortopi was a perfect copycat. He began to incorporate, more feints and unpredictable strikes.

    At this point, Kortopi began to struggle to keep up, and his movements grew less fluid as he tried to copy Absalom, it was mainly because of the feints, Absalom could feint towards the left once at the first time and Kortopi after learning that, copies it and so also feints to the left but Absalom uses that feint to his advantage shes Kortopi knowing very well that he would use it, no matter how much Kortopi tried to tweak the skills he copied Absalom was already perfectly anticipating it.

    It was as if he had suddenly developed a sharp battle instinct that he didn''t have before.

    At one point, Absalomunched a high strike, his swording down in a deadly arc toward Kortopi''s head. Kortopi copied the move perfectly, but Absalom had anticipated this and feinted, quickly changing direction andunching a low strike that caught Kortopi off guard.

    Raith''s eyes widened, ''...shit, this bastard is growing during battle. This goddamn vampire is overpowered for real.''

 Chapter 105 Kylan Turner (1)

    ?Absalom''s sword shed through Kortopi''s arm, leaving him armless but immediately another arm materialized through the darkness that loomed at the edge of the cut.

    "Oh, shit..." Absalom grunted as he saw Kortopi quickly regain hisposure and dash at him again.

    Their swords shed together in another shower of sparks. Despite, the consistent failures, Kortopi was relentless, he kept copying and failing over and over again losing more parts of his body but his endless regeneration thanks to Raith''s increased energy gave him ample opportunities to try again.

    ''...shit, shit, he keeps regenerating...'' Absalom panted as he stared at Kortopi who was just recovering from another sh that he embedded in his chest. His eyes then drifted to Raith who was standing three buildings away from them.

    ''...since he is the one that summoned him, doesn''t that mean that he will die once I finish that bastard.'' Absalom looked in Raith''s direction with squinted eyes, keenly seeking to observe Raith from where he stood.

    wham!!

    Absalom dashed away, tremendously increasing his speed and sweeping past Kortopi before he even saw iting.

    Raith smirked as he saw Absaloming towards him.

    Shit from his vantage point it was taking Absalom forever to reach where he is. He stayed still with his hands in his pocket and one corner of his lips curved up and patiently waited for Absalom to reach.

    ng!!

    He blocked Absalom''s powerful strike with a dagger in one hand, his second hand in his pocket.

    "...what are you doing? I am not even your enemy." Raith said to him.

    "Shut up!! You cockroach, that thing will only die when you die!"

    "I agree but what if he kills you from behind..."

    Wham!!

    Absalom flew away before the sword sh from behind could separate his head from his neck. He immediately touched his neck to make sure there was no cut there, he was dazed and his eyeballs were shaking.

    "This monster really wants to kill me... wait is it angry?"

    Absalom was shocked, before now Kortopi showed no emotions but suddenly his ck body was like a burning ck fire, and his eyes were furrowed so much that made it obvious how angry he was.

    Even Raith was surprised, if Absalom was a tadte to dodge that attack, Absalom would have died.

    "He is angry because Absalom slipped through him and attacked me?..."

    Kortopi right now was madly angry at himself but taking it out on his opponent.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    "This is crazy, we are going tounch a man into space using thetest rocket we just built that could go farther into space than any otherrocket model we''ve built before now?" The first scientist spoke,ining.

    "Don''tin, with that much money we would be able to go for an even better project. Besides, do we have the guts to say no to Turner?"

    The rest of them got silent.

    Momentster, a tall dark skinned guy wearing a big wide smile that revealed gold teeth, his buzz cut was orange colored with a parting on one side, he walked through the scientists and as he walked ahead they all followed him to theunch site.

    The rocket towered above all of them, gleaming in the bright sunlight. It was a massive, sleek vehicle, packed with thetest technology and cutting-edge equipment. The scientists had spent years designing and building it, pouring their hearts and souls into every detail, to think they would have to give it up because a man wants to reach South Korea in five minutes.

    "Do what you need to do and be quick about it. I am already forty minuteste." Turnerined as he entered the rocket, his harsh baritone voice quaking their hearts.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    With a flurry of activity, the team began their final checks. They checked and re-checked every system, every circuit, and every sensor.

    Finally, everything was in ce. The scientists all stepped back,their eyes fixed on the rocket as the countdown began.

    "Ten, nine, eight..." the voice over the loudspeaker counted down. The tension in the air was palpable.

    "Three, two, one, stoff!" The rocket ignited with a deafening roar, mes shooting out from beneath it as it lifted off the ground. The scientists watched in awe and sadness as the rocket ascended higher and higher into the sky.

    "Hmmm..." Turner slowly sipped the ss of fruit juice he took before entering. With no protective suit of any kind, he was in a tank top and ck pants.

    His tank tops flexed the curvatures of his arms and shoulder muscles. He waited till the rocket had gone very high in the sky and he could get a good view of the entirendscape of the world in general.

    Then as the rocket passed Earth''s gravity orbit and began toe apart, he looked through the window, he looked around a few times before finally finding what he was looking for.

    "Ah, there they are..." He said with a grin and immediately, the air around him began to get very hot. Perspirations began to drop from his body as the intensity of the heat continued and suddenly¨C

    KABOOOOMM!!!

    The spaceship exploded.

    ***

    Headquarters of South Korea National Security.

    In a room filled with multiple agents behind aputer screen and arge screen in front of them, on the screen was an aerial view of the country''s entirendscape, a feed that wasing directly from the satellite.

    "Alert! Alert! Alert! Unidentified Flying Object(UFO) detected in the orbit."

    At once an uproar suddenly rose in the room as the agents ran from screen to screen, the arrogant and fast typing of keyboards filled everywhere, and calls surged in and out of the office.

    "What is going on? The entire sky is red!! Is aet going to fall on our country?!!"

    "We have not identified the cause of this phenomenon but all citizens within thending area should be evacuated with level one priority."

    "Object identified to be a human!" Another agent shouted as they could get a clear view that was disyed on therge monitor.

    As their eyes fell on the screen, all of them were dazed, and shocked, phones that they were answering fell off their hand as they tried to make sense of what they saw.

    "Hello!"

    "What is going on there!!"

    "Someone respond!!"

    "Hello!!"

    Different voices sounded out of the telephone.

    "This is impossible..." An agent mumbled with a shaking voice.

    As Turner descended on the country around him was gathered a force field that was strong enough to rival the gravitational field of the earth itself. This meant that Turner right now was not falling at the rate at which he should fall due to thews of Earth''s gravity.

    He had created a force field around himself that determined his own falling speed and how deadly the impact of his fall was going to be. It was like aet but let''s say aet that could defy the force field of the earth.

    The destruction of Seoul in its entirety was certain.

 Chapter 106 Kylan Turner (2)

    ?"What the hell is that?" Mok Jae-Hwa who was in his car and on his way to meet Raith at the hospital came out of his car to look at what was happening.

    He wasn''t the only one, as the massiveet neared Seoul, the clear blue sky from moments ago had totally be reddened and it was like the twilight before the setting and rising of the sun.

    Ring! Ring!!!

    He immediately picked up his phone.

    "Can you see that?!!" The feminine and hoarse voice sounded in haste.

    "Yes, Hunter Seong Nara?" He replied to the phone, surprised to hear the familiar voice.

    "I am sure about this, he is the one! That is Turner!"

    Immediately Mok Jae-Hwa''s expression widened.

    "Shit, how did I not think that?! What the fuck did he do?! How is he falling from the sky like aet!!"

    "I don''t know but right now I am at Mokpo! I am trying my best but I doubt if I will ever be able to reach there even if I use my powers. And I know you are a very bad match against him but I doubt if there is any other person as strong as you are in Seoul so I don''t think you actually have a choice in this..."

    As she spoke, Mok Jae-Hwa scoffed.

    "Hey, you this fucker? Are youughing right now? The fate of an entire city is at stake and you areughing?"

    "What you said was funny Narassi. You are wrong about one thing... I am not the strongest person in Seoul right now."

    "You this fucker, what are you on about?"

    "Don''t worry Ice Queen, this guy has it all under control." Mok Jae-Hwa replied and hung up.

    He looked up at theinget, the air around was getting hotter as it got closer.

    ''I wasn''t sure before... what my parallel thought pattern is best at calcting one''s strength. Now that I can feel Turner near me... I canpare him to what I saw from Hunter Raven yesterday..." Mok Jae-Hwa let out a sigh.

    "I should probably just focus on helping the citizens he said and immediately joined the police and agents that were directing people through the road with haste. Different hunters also could be seen aiding citizens.

    Meanwhile, the two fighters stood for a moment under the reddened sky, not giving a damn about what was happening above them. Absalom was concerned at first because of the might of power but seeing that Kortopi didn''t give a fuck, he had to ignore it if he wanted to stay alive.

    Kortopiunched forward with a whirlwind of fast strikes at Absalom, forcing him back toward the edge of the building.

    Absalom danced back, his blood sword shing even brighter under the reddened sky as he parried each strike. Kortopi was relentless and continued to push Absalom further and further toward the edge.

    Finally, with a sudden burst of speed, Kortopiunched a devastating strike.

    Absalom barely managed to parry the blow, his blood sword cried out as it shed with Kortopi''s sword.

    Then, with a sudden surge of red energy, Absalom pushed Kortopi back, sending him flying toward the other edge of the building.

    Kortopi stumbled backward, as his bnce had been thrown off by the force of the blow. For a moment, it seemed like he was about to topple over the edge, but he managed to catch himself at thest moment.

    The two of them stood apart again, with Absalom panting, he slowly calmed his breathing and pointed his sword horizontally forward, closing his eyes.

    Red energy began to swirl around the sword.

    Wham wham wham<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    From all around Absalom, red magic circles¨C only that they weren''t circles but a convolution of squares. And from the squares, several blood chains sprang out shooting at Kortopi who flew around to dodge them.

    "This bastard can even use magic?!" Raith was shocked to see Absalom still having the edge even though he was tired.

    But he was very much impressed that Kortopi was perfectly dodging the chains.

    "Ah, whatever this is... it is beginning to bother me..." Raithined and looked at theet which was closer than he thought it was.

    "Who the fuck is that?"

    Raith at once was able to identify that this was a human.

    ''...oh?''

    His eyes suddenly turned slit and they began to let out a red and ck glow from each separate ce, but the ck glow was more white than it was ck¨C only the soft smoke that it exuded was ck.

    "Turner huh..." He mumbled as he craned his head to look at theet.

    He turned so he wouldn''t have to strain his neck, leaving Absalom and Kortopi to their own thing.

    "Finally took you this long toe for me?" Rairh spoke with a smirk. A smirk that shocked Turner.

    ''He''s smiling?'' Turner thought as he could see Raith''s facial expression. ''This bastard must be very cocky. I can''t wait to meet you!''

    The speed of the fall immediately increased and as his force field finally entered the lower sky, it began to raze away the top of buildings, the air got very arrogant and began to blow cars and people away.

    Raith looked around from the top of the building where he was and could hear the cries and screams of people.

    "Come forth..."

    Immediately his army of darkness began to rise from the darkness of the ground and they all surrounded him.

    ''What? He has more of those things?!'' Absalom who was chanced to throw a nce at Raith was shocked. But he was too preupied with Kortopi to be given a chance to think twice or even marvel.

    "Save everybody... if anybody gets hurt, I will hold you all responsible for it" Raithmanded. Immediately all of them dispersed in different directions and began to drop where people were in danger, grabbing them when they were being thrown off by the wind, or when a car was about to fall off a kid, an old woman slowly crossing the road despite the turmoil.

    The whole city was greatly tainted with their darkness and they jumped and flew from one person to another handing them to the hunters and police so they would take them to the safe shelter.

    Even Mok Jae-Hwa was handed ady by one of them, the stocky golem kind in particr and he marveled at the sight of every single one of them.

    ''...Are these Hunter Raven''s summons? Is he a summoner?'' Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa was so baffled.

    Raith stood with his hands in his pocket, facing theet that was alreadying to him.

    In that massive force field was Hunter Turner, smirking at how he would beat the shit out of Raven and recruit him to his guild, ''...first, prove tour worth to me by surviving this...'' He said in his head as the massive force field, like aet collided with Raith who was standing head-to-head with it.

    As theet was a hair''s breadth away from Raith''s head.

    "Domain Of Darkness."

    WHAAAM!!!

 Chapter 107 Raith Versus Turner (1)

    ?"What the hell is this?! How in the world?" Vice President Miyoda Kuni gaped as she saw the sky, as the headquarters of the association was in Seoul.

    Yeon Hyun-Shik tried to get a hold of all the people he could connect to but the service was out.

    It was as if the world had beenpletely overtaken.

    Before it was a sudd, but now... everything was shrouded in darkness.

    All of them stumbled because of the tremor but didn''t fall. However, something was different.

    "Wait?..." Vice President Miyoda''s eyes widened as the view of her surround changed. Make no mistake, it was still the same view that she was used to... but every single thing had been inverted.

    Yes, the gravity had beenpletely inverted, and instead of legs being attached to the floor, they were getting attached to ceilings, in this case, that is what we will call falling.

    "How in the world is this happening? Did a human just override the gravity of an entire space?" Director Hyun-shik gawked.

    Raith''s domain of darkness could only affect a certain area and thanks to the slight increase in the skill level, he could upy the whole of Seoul and change the conceptualws as he deem fit.

    [You have activated Domain Of Darkness]

    [Allws will be subjected to your will for 4.0 minutes]

    THWOOOOMPPP!!

    All that zing mes that had been umted by Turner''s fall, all the immense force field that sttered away buildings, the heat... everything¨C disappeared in an instant, before theet touched Raith''s head. Just in that little hair''s breadth.

    Darkness covered everywhere and Turner''s force field suddenly disappeared.

    To add to that, he was also being subjected to thews. As the entirews were now inverted, he was falling as far as the sky¨C simply put, he was going back to where he came from, just that this time, it was a straight fall into the sky.

    Whoom!

    Raith grabbed his leg and

    WHAM!!

    CRAAAASH!!

    He mmed him back into the original ground¨C Turner''s body helplessly crushed into a particr skyscraper from the highest floor to the lowest floor.

    But he got no time to rest because even though he was thrown down, it was as if he was thrown up, he had to fall back to the ground, which in this case was the sky.

    As he fell, Raith collided with him causing a massive shockwave that didn''t just destroy the building and broke it in two, but also flung Turner out and he rolled like a dancing coin, crashing in and out of every other building until he tumbled into the road, crashed on abandon cars and finally into one massive bus that put a stop to his body almost being torn in half.

    Turner''s head was bowed so there was no way to have none what was happening to his mind¨C He coughed up blood and grinned.

    Wham!

    Raith reached him again and grabbed his face, as Raith pierced through the cars with his immense speed, the cars began to also fall under the new gravity, it was clear that this gravity only affected humans and not objects, except if Raith personally interfered.

    Raith grabbed him by the head and mmed him over to the other side, his body crushing the asphalt road, and causing a webbed crack on it.

    "AAaaaaaahhhhh you cockroach!!!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The scream was so loud that Raith couldn''t ignore it, he looked up and Absalom and Kortopi were falling into the sky. Despite the struggle, Kortopi was swinging his sword toward Absalom oblivious to what is happening around him.

    "Oh shit..." ''...I was too caught up, I didn''t think about the people that will be affected.''

    Whim!

    The cars that were already falling into the sky began to fall back to the ground as everything returned to normal, Raith grabbed Turner''s leg once again and with an incredibly fast spin he threw him into the falling cars. Turner went crashing through them and into another skyscraper. tumbling through the highest floor which was an office that everyone had abandoned.

    Before he could stand up, Raith who was running up the building jumped into the hole caused by Turner''s helpless tumble, and with a massive burst of wind that created a wind st, propelling Raith forward, he collided with Turner and they broke out of the ss window of the building together, as they flew out into the air. Raith began to batter Turner with punches as they fell on the road again.

    The fall caused a massive shockwave, the ground was not just crazed, there had been a circr razing to lower levels and in it was both of them, with Raith standing above Turner''s body.

    He punched Turner in the face over and over again then grabbed his neck and raised him.

    "Is this all you can put up? I thought you were supposed to be the strongest. In where is it again, Mamerica?"

    Turner scoffed, that was his first reaction since the fight had started.

    "Surely, I underestimated you," Turner said with a low voice, smirking.

    Raith seeing this, frowned and spun again then threw him away.

    His body tumbled over a long distance on the road, this time crashing through cars until it crashed into the lowest floor of a particr building, his body came to a stop inside the building, with his back being mmed into one of the building walls.

    Raith majestically walked into the building, he was wearing a hospital scrub with no slippers but his entire being as he walked inside was majestic, not to say his stunning physique.

    He reached Turner''s front with his hands in his pocket. He looked down at the orange-haired monster and raised his leg.

    SMASH!

    Using his leg, he smashed Turner''s head into the wall.

    SMASH! SMASH!! SMASH!!! SMASH!!!

    He repeated it over and over again such that Turner''s head was buried in the wall.

    As he threw another kick...

    [Duration for Domain of Darkness is over]

    ''shit''

    Raith frowned as the kick came to a stop without hitting the target, he could feel it, he could feel Turner''s hands on his feet.

    Wham!

    Turner forced his head out of the wall and grinned, his gold teeth leaving a mischievous and unlikely look on his face.

    "How about we fight for real now." He said gripping Raith''s ankles tightly.

 Chapter 108 Raith Versus Turner (2)

    ?"Chairman! Oh, thank God! I am finally able to reach you!! This is bad!! I don''t know what is going on anymore." Director Hyun-shik shouted on the phone as he spoke with the chairman.

    "Don''t worry, Hyun-shik... things will settle down." The Chairman said with a calm voice.

    Most time the chairman was always talking with a calm tone. But there was this serenity that came with his tone. It immediately calmed the unstable Hyun-Shik.

    "Yes sir..." He replied and looked into the clear blue sky. Only when the sky turned blue was he able to reach the chairman''s hotline.

    "Shit! I have to find my hunter!" Vice President Miyoda said and jumped out of the building, breaking out of the ss.

    "Kikikiki... I knew you couldn''t go on forever. Territory creation. One so powerful that it can even fold conceptualws to your liken. No doubt about it, you are a catastrophe rank."

    Wham!

    Raith force his leg out of Turner''s hand but it was already bruised.

    "Kikikikkikikiik..." Turner keptughing as he stood up.

    "If I will bring you to my guild. I must teach you a lesson, I must show you that we are not mates."

    As he spoke, the air around began to get hot, he was fully on his feet, nose to nose with Raith.

    He folded his fists, immediately dispersing a massive shockwave that sted away the cracked wall to bits.

    Starting from his eyes to his body and surrounding his clenched fist, yellow sparks flew around.

    WHAM!

    "Stop Turner" A raucous voice dominated the entire ce.

    Turner''s hand stopped a wee bit away from Raith''s nose.

    Turner paused like that, with his punch over his head, his right leg was backward as if he was about to do a hundred-meter sprint, quite a strange punch but the amount of wind that sted off from behind Raith''s head was proof of how much firepower his punch carried ¨C and that punch had yet to even hit Raith.

    ''Shit that voice...'' Turner gritted his teeth and pulled back his punch.

    Raith stood there frozen with his eyes widened, and blood dripping down from his nose.

    "What the fuck are you doing here all the way from China, you old man."

    Turner said, shifting his eyeballs to his left where steps from the dark corners of the restaurant which was not in ruin sounded from.

    Logically speaking the highest and strongest hunters were known to be in catastrophe ranks. But there exist few ones, three to ever exist whose powers can never be measured or ranked. They have been addressed as world-threat rank but in truth, they are unranked because their powers are so tremendous that it makes no sense.

    Too sad that their era hade to an end and all that is left of them is old age and bent backs. But still, they were not to be underestimated and were widely respected in nations, even Kn Turner wouldn''t dare to protest before one of them.

    The old man with two long mustaches that dropped down like a Chinese kung-fu master stood and revealed himself. His hair was bald and had lots of them, proof of him being a monk.

    He was short and his back was bent and his hands were behind. His eyes were closed but there was one eye on his forehead that was widely opened.

    "I can still be in China and be here Turner..." The man replied pointing his finger to the eyes on his forehead.

    "Right, the eyes of god," Turner mumbled and looked at Raith. "You must be very very lucky..." He said to him.

    "Oyah? Looks like the youngd did a number on you." The old man chuckled as he saw Turner''s bruised body and face.

    Turner ignored him and just walked away with his bruised body and tattered tank top.

    The man looked at Raith who still stood frozen.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "This generation sure is promising..." He said as his body dissolved and was blown away by the wind.

    Raith staggered as he tried to move and immediately sank to his knee. He roughly cleaned the blood on his nose using the back of his hand.

    "What was that?! What in the hell was that?!"

    [You have magnificentlypleted the Trial Of Connection]

    [You have gained the reward ''Crimson ring'']

    [You havepleted a trial without dying]

    [You shall receive a penalty]

    [You will be sent to the abyss to die at the hands of monsters]

    WHIM!

    Raith immediately opened his eyes to another scene...

    "Why can''t you just let me rest for a second..."

    ***

    ***

    ***

    The aftermath of the city as the sky got clear and the atmosphere was bright again was like the beginning of an apocalypse. Although it was all centered on one path of the city and didn''t affect most of Seoul.

    But the damage was still tremendous.

    No lives were lost which was a big thanks to the dark soldiers.

    A day passed and the unawakened citizens of Seoul and Korea, in general, were beginning to get ufortable and demand and exnation for what happened.

    The magnitude of this incident was heavy.

    "We cannot let this go! Turner must be held responsible!!"

    "I dare to say that Turner must be brought into the custody of ourw enforcers. He destroyed an entire city for no reason. We will take no more of this insult!!"

    "Right, the minister of health is right, Chairman Mok Jun-Seo, you are the chairman of the Korea hunters association. You can''t ept this, this is an insult to our country. You must demand that he be arrested."

    "Okay then Minister, will you go ahead and arrest him..." Chairman Mok Jun-Seo finally spoke. The room got silent at once and they all began to clear their throat looking in other directions.

    "You sit in your offices, with your potbellies, and say ''You must get him arrested'' fuck all of you, do you not know that he is a catastrophe-ranked hunter. Such existence is beyond even the powers, andws of a nation."

    "Mok Jun-Seo, that is no way to talk to elders."

    "Let it rest Vice President, these guys are at max, two, three years older than I am. I have been in this long enough to know how it goes. It is always the same thing over and over again. Amongst you all, there are few that are awakened but did not register as a hunter because you know that you can enjoy and reap the rewards that hunters reap while sleeping in your houses and sitting behind luxurious desks.

    We put our lives on the line every day and that is the same thing that would happen should any of us dare to hold Turner for his mistakes."

    "What do you suggest that we do? There must be a way to assure the citizens?" The vice president asked.

    "You all do what you are best at doing and leave this to me... find a way to appease the public on your own. I will take care of Turner." The chairman said and stood up, adjusting his suit jacket. He bowed his head slightly at all the ministers sitting in the broad, exotic, and luxurious conference room, then majestically walked out.

 Chapter 109 Naughty Old Farts

    ?"You have still not seen a trace of hunter Raith."

    "At all sir... I have searched everywhere in Seoul, he is nowhere to be found." Chunho replied to Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "What the hell is this? He creates this amount of crisis and decides to go off-grid?" Mok Jae-Hwa sighed and scratched his head.

    ''At this point, I am going lose all my hair. I mean, it hasn''t even been two months since he joined the guild''

    "What do we do? Hyungnim, I will help in any way that I can!"

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwamely looked towards the person that just spoke, ''And there is this guy to deal with... Since Raith''s morous return, he has turned to some kind of zealot for Hunter Raith."

    "Hyungnim?" Hunter Joon-Ho pressed.

    "Stop it! Can''t you see you are stressing him!" Tae Dong-Hyun said as he mmed his way into Mok Jae-Hwa''s office.

    "Dong-Hyunnnnnnn, Dong-Hyun I''m about to die... this guy wants to kill me!" Mok Jae-Hwa cried running to Dong-Hyun like a baby, as he approached the cksmith, he received an uppercut that sent him back to where he wasing from.

    "You were the one that went ahead and cut a deal with your father without even talking about it to me." Tae Dong-Hyun growled.

    "My My, Dong-Hyunssi how could I have dared to disturb you when you are working on the project? That is the most important thing for you right now isn''t it?"

    "Ahem..." He cleared his throat and folded his arms, "I watched the footage from the fight between him and Turner, although most of the parts were unwatchable because they were too fast to be captured by our guild satellite and kept running from ce to ce. But I must say something, that boy... what is his name again?"

    "Hunter Raith?"

    "Yes, Hunter Rat..."

    "Raith"

    "Talk again and I''ll smack the shit out of you."

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa immediately held his lips together.

    Tae Joon-Ho and Chunho were like the wind in this room, they made sure they said nothing and were as silent as a dead man.

    "Hold onto him. A hunter that could fight on par with Turner. No doubt about it... he is a catastrophe rank. So, yes you are going to suffer everything in his stead and find a way to exin the situation to other guilds, the public, and even international rtionships that want to know exactly what happened? He is registered with our guild for now, I know there was some deal between you and the association chairman... but it''d be really good if we can retain that guy."

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa''s face was filled with a passionate expression, his eyes glittering.

    "Yes! I will do just that! I will find a way to make him stay!" Even though Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa was the strongest in the guild and the guild president, everyone knew how loyal and obedient he was to Tae Dong-Hyun.

    ringg ringgggg ringggggg

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa immediately picked up his phone.

    "Yes sir, Mr. President sir...?"

    "Sir... Yes sir!"

    "Oh? What? Oh, yes sir! I will be there right away sir."

    As he dropped the phone, tiredness vividly dominated his face.

    "Don''t tell me the president just called you?" Tae Dong-Hyun said, looking at the phone.

    Chunho and Joon-Ho were both shocked to their bones but wouldn''t dare to make even the slightest squeak sound.

    "Yes," Mok Jae-Hwa nodded. "He said my attention is needed in the blue house?"

    "So you are going to Jongno-gu?" Tae Dong-Hyun was very surprised.

    "Will you follow me?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked with pleading eyes.

    "Ah, now I remember... that project, yes the one that is the most important... there is something that I am yet to fix there for today. I need to hurry up now." He said and immediately turned to the door, "...this is why I never want to be guild president." He mumbled as he walked outside.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s face turned to the two of them, Joon-Ho and Chunho. Immediately they averted their gazes from his.

    "What about the guys? Sung-Min? Chong-Yol? Yeon-Woo? Shin? Ga-Yun? Yujin? what about Shin-Hye too?"

    Chunho and Joon-Ho both nodded their heads sadly.

    "They are all busy with their shifts, and hunter Shin-Hye is more serious about are modeling andmercials than she is serious about going to gates these days," Chunho replied causing Mok Jae-Hwa to fall in shock.

    "All my S rank and A rank? They have failed me..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Chunho and Joon-Ho slowly made their way out of his office. It was left to him and solely him to find a way out of this mess that Raith had created for the guild.

    ***

    A few hourster.

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa was seated in the board room with the president and some other important ministers, altogether they were about seven in the room, except the securities that stood by.

    "Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa... I know that you are a good man. I can remember that day when you awakened as a disaster rank hunter and swore to use your powers for your nation and you have ever since kept your word." The president said to him.

    Mok Jae-Hwa gulped as the president continued.

    "If I would have my way, I don''t want this disaster to have anything to do with you. And so we are thinking, hand over Hunter Raith to us. Capture him for us and hand him over to us, I hear he is just some nameless hunter. Hand him over to us, the country shall protect you and we can even make it seem like you were the one that put a stop to the fight."

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa''s expression suddenly became rigid and stiff.

    He looked down and scoffed silently, "I can''t believe this..." He muttered.

    "Pardon, did you say something?" The minister close to Mok Jae-Hwa who was seating at the other end of the long conference table.

    "I am a bit disappointed..." Mok Jae-Hwa lets his voice soar louder.

    "Remember, you are before the president?" The minster closest to him warned, with a supposedly intimidating tone but from Mok Jae-Hwa''s point of view it was just harmless barking.

    "That is why I said what I said. I am before the president, I expected that I would have to carry the heavy weight of this disaster since I am the guild president of the hunter in question. A nameless hunter? That is no way to talk about a man.

    The Korean government really is gullible, I see why we lost two disaster-ranked hunters to Turner. He has always been like this. This was far too much but it is the perfect opportunity to hold him responsible for his actions yet all you care about is public sentiment? and you want to sacrifice such potential for the sake of the public. Are you fools?!"

    SLAM!!

    The big man beside the president mmed the table as he rose.

    "I tolerated your father talking down on us. I won''t tolerate the same with you!!" The man shouted.

    "Sit!" The presidentmanded.

    The man reluctantly sat down.

    The president smiled and began to reply to Mok Jae-Hwa, "You are like Jun-Seo in every way."

    "I''m pretty sure my belief and my father''s belief are so far apart."

    "Well, he was the one that said we should do what we do best... he would take care of Turner. And in order to do what we do best, we need to use that hunter as a scapegoat"

    "What are you even saying? What about the hunter that suddenly flew in from Japan and attacked him at the hospital!!"

    "We heard about that but that was not a factor of Turner''s appearance. Besides, Japan is willing to start a war should wey a finger on their hunter. However, he is still in our custody."

    "See? Isn''t that a country that cares about her possession? They are protecting their hunter with everything and here you want to give yours freely to satisfy the crocodile tears of the public?!!" Hunter Jae-Hwa protested further.

    "In case you aren''t getting this clearly Jae-Hwa... I wasn''t asking." The president''s tone changed towards him.

    "Oh? Is that how this is going to go? Are you sure you are ready to go down this path?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked him, staring into his eyes with a soft glow on his eyeballs and his aura putting pressure on the atmosphere.

    "All the guild presidents of the top ten guilds in South Korea are here... including disaster rank hunter Seong Nara, the Ice Queen... they are all here in the blue house. I am confident you can be subdued in five minutes."

    Mok Jae-Hwa got silent and spread his search senses to see if the president was speaking the truth. Immediately, he frowned.

    "As far as I know, this hunter is said to be F rank... it won''t matter¨C

    "You are wrong..."

    "Huh? Wrong about what?"

    "Hunter Raith is not an F-rank hunter..."

    "What do you mean?" Another of the minister asked.

    "Yes, Hunter Raith is South Korea''s first-ever catastrophe rank hunter."

    "What?!!"

 Chapter 110 A Man Of True Essence

    ?"We cannot ept that."

    "What do you mean you cannot ept thatws must be adhered to whether or not the nations arefortable with them? The Laws that bind a hunter and also make sure that they are able to enjoy their privileges to the best is one that not even America can ignore. And so we demand apensation of three hundred and fifty billion dors or else we will be taking ourselves to the international court." Chairman Mok Jun-Seo leaned forward as he spoke to the ambassadors of the U.S. that were seated before him.

    "And I don''t need to remind you the things that will follow through if we go to court. Turner might not serve his time in jail but I am damn sure that this will affect him a lot."

    "Hmmm..." The two of them looked away and whispered to each other for a few moments.

    "We cannot ept this because that rule is only passive to a special rank hunter and as far as our intel can tell, the hunter in question is not even an S rank. He''s F rank."

    "Where do you even get that information..."

    "Ha ha... don''t you know that your country is like an opened thigh... anybody can fuck it anytime." The both of them chuckled at each other.

    "Insult my country one more time and I am sure that your head will roll on the floor... with ease."

    "Hm..." They looked away immediately.

    "Don''t worry, there is no stress in this, all we just have to do is show you that our hunter is a special rank right?"

    "Yes," They answered with their voices shaking.

    "Alright then..." The Chairman got up and adjusted his ck suit jacket, then he walked out of the conference room, even though it was the association''s general conference room.

    "Sir, what is the progress." Director Hyun-shik asked as he respectfully bowed his head as Chairman Mok Jun-Seo walked out of the room.

    "Get the guild president of the Rain guild on the phone for me. Where is that darn hunter?"

    "Chairman, there seems to be a situation." Director Hyun-shik reluctantly spoke.

    "What situation?"

    "About an hour ago, the top ten guild presidents were summoned to the blue house... The Rain Guild president was summonedstly. We don''t know the situat¨C Director Hyun-Shik came to an abrupt stop as he saw the frown on the Chairman''s face.

    "Those bastards."

    ...

    "So what is it going to be Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa? If you resist, subduing you will not be the only thing that is happening. We will also take away your guild rights. The Rain Guild will be disbanded. Whatever your response will be think about it well before speaking."

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa sighed and smiled, they really nned this thoroughly.

    He was willing to put everything on the line for Raith but not his guild. The Rain Guild meant family to him, everybody in that guild he would stand for over and over again, especially the high rankers who were early guys that stood by him.

    He can''t because of Raith, throw his family away.

    "Even if I wanted to hand him over to you. Hunter Raith is missing."

    "What do you mean?" The minister at the left side of the president yelled.

    "He is missing... No one has seen him since his fight with Turner."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa, lying is not an act that suits your noble self." The man yelled again.

    "Why will I lie?" Mok Jae-Hwa replied to him with a stern re. A re that caused him to shamelessly look away.

    "Fine, then it is not any problem to hold you in our custody until this man appears."

    "Sure, I want you to know what you are doing. The hunterws do not permit special ranks to be messed with. You willpensate me."

    "The only case that we willpensate you for the stress and will be unable to touch this hunter is if he is a special rank like you have mentioned." The president replied.

    Mok Jae-Hwa nodded with a smile.

    It was amazing that someone who does not know Raith''s origin was standing for him with all his life. Even though Raith had disyed a mighty battle prowess, it was reckless to stand for him like that because if Raith happens to not be a special rank as he had intended, he could lose everything.

    But one of the reasons why Mok Jae-Hwa was very special in the heart of many people is that trust and loyalty he has. This wasn''t just about Raith and his strength.

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa would have taken the same stand for a rank F hunter as long as the person is a member of his guild.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    WHIOOM!

    A massive gate suddenly appeared in Min-Ho''s living room, and the wind of the gate immediately blew a lot of things away, the small shelves, center table, and even the big LedTV sustained a massive amount of crack damage.

    The most hrious scenario was that of Min-ho who was currently watching TV drama and eating popcorn in order to stop himself from thinking about Raith, he was sted away from the three-seat sofa as the gate appeared.

    He btedly stood up and peeked from behind the sofa, he was scared. If this was what he truly thought it was then that meant that there was a gate emergence right in his parlor.

    ''But the association said everything in a residential area has an anti-magical effect. And so it is impossible for gate to emerge in a residential area... damned association..." Min-ho gritted his teeth as he looked at the swirling gate. He immediately reached for his phone to report the gate emergence.

    As the association agent picked up the phone, his eyes widened.

    The next thing he saw was someone staggering out of the gate, tattered and bruised, he was blood washed from up to down and as he stepped outside of the gate, he copsed on the ground.

    Immediately the gate disappeared as if it was never there.

    "Excuse me? This is the association line? Is there a gate to report?"

    "Hello?"

    "Hello?"

    The agent on the receiving end of the call kept disturbing him.

    "Hyung...?"

 Chapter 111 The Visit (1)

    "Hyungnim?"

    Min-ho first sounded unsure and staggered forward as he hang up the phone and tried to confirm who this person was.

    The hospital patient scrub he was seen wearing was still on him, the difference is that blood had stained it, and it had torn in several ces. Moreso, Raith hadpletely passed out with a face full of dirt.

    "What in the world is happening? It is hyungnim, but why is hyungniming out of a gate?"

    He suddenly picked up his phone again, "Shit shit, I need to get help. I can''t take him to the hospital because he is now wanted by the government... I should..."

    Min-ho scrolled his phone for someone to call and suddenly stopped on Agent Jong-Su.

    This was the only person that would probably be able to help right now. So, he called immediately.

    "Hello, Doctor Min-ho."

    "Hyungnim! He''s back! He fainted! He''s here! He came out of a gate!!" He rushed the information on agent Jong-Su.

    "Hey hey, Doctor Min-ho, please calm down. Let me get this straight. Hunter Raith, came out of a gate, like the first time..."

    "Yes!"

    "Is he with you now?"

    "Yes!!"

    "Please do not let anyone in until we arrive" Agent Jong-Su demanded and immediately ran to the chairman''s office.

    ***

    "Thank you human for helping me," Absalom said to the man in front of him as he was given his possessions by the jail officer and they both walked out.

    His stand was unique and he stood out with his chiseled features and piercing eyes, his gaze was so intense that it would make anyone want to shit their pants.

    His facial features were rugged and handsome, with a sharp jawline that made his face seem almost angr. His eyes were a deep brown, intense and prating like he was seeing right through him, especially now that Absalom was at his mercy because of his lousy actions.

    His hair was a glossy ck, neatly styled, and framing his face in a way that made him look even more striking.

    "Uhm... human. Can I visit somewhere for a short while" Absalom carefully asked.

    The Absalom carefully asked!

    He definitely had to be a big shot.

    He exhaled as he came to a stop outside the gate and put his hands in his pocket, then tilted his head at Absalom, "Don''t you dare think I''m letting you one second out of my sight. We are going back to Japan."

    "Hey, ah, Human see, I know that Imitted a grave mistake without thinking of the good of the nation. But there was no way that I would have known that bastard had gotten so strong. And I had nothing to do with that powerful human... what is his name again..?" Absalom averted his gaze as he tried to remember the name he kept seeing on the TV news feed.

    "Turner." The hunter helped him.

    "Ah, yes. Turner."

    "How odd, this is the first time I have seen you address someone by his name, it is always human or cockroach. I guess even you can''t help but acknowledge his strength."

    Absalom was silent, he hadn''t really thought of it until now. But the hunter was right, he respected Turner a lot but the person he respected the most right now was not Turner.

    "I need to make a stop, I am sorry," Absalom said and immediately darted off.

    "Haaaaaa! Damn you!!" He shouted and ran after Absalom, leaving the car that they were both supposed to take.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ***

    [You have served your punishment]

    [You have gained +10 stats points]

    [Proficiency of passive skill ''Poison resistance'' has improved]

    [Skill has leveled up]

    [Your dark soldiers have reached the limit of 200/200]

    [Level Up more to increase limit]

    [Your newest dark soldier ''Jarvis'' has be the generalmander of the dark army]

    [Rank will be reformed when your army reaches the minimum of 500 soldiers]

    Raith slowly lifted his upper body.

    ''...Ah, fuck the abyss... what the fuck were those monsters.'' Hemented internally as he held his head together.

    There was one thing that this experience thought him.

    ''I don''t know that abyss at all.''

    After a while with the abyss, he had at least thought that he was getting familiar with the abyss until it suddenly brought him to and that is filled with different kinds of monsters, a destend where nothing could ever grow, not with the ravaging hunger of the monsters there... they even killed themselves to survive.

    And in his short time of being there, he had to hunt a thousand of those things.

    "...I died a lot... level 73" He mumbled as he looked at his level. Although the fact that he did not have a sword was another reason why he had to die so much. And his dark soldiers could not stand a chance against these monsters. No matter how many times he brought them back, the result was the same and it just seemed like he was wasting his energy.

    Only Fenrir could stand a chance, which was why he created another dark soldier with the ego from the prison moments before he fought with Fenrir.

    And this dark soldier exceeded his expectations. He was strong.

    Min-ho suddenly came to the living room and paused as he saw Raith awakened, in his hands was a napkin and bowl of water.

    Raith looked at his body and found out that he was sparkling clean, although the floor was stained instead. The floor...

    "Min-ho, why didn''t you put me on the bed?" Raith asked.

    "Ha ha, what do you mean hyungnim, it''s a white sofa..." Min-ho responded, chuckling sheepishly.

    ''This bastard...''

    Knock! Knock!!

    Raith''s left eye immediately let out a subtle red glow.

    "Hmm, looks like he is around for real." The Association Chairman mentioned, standing behind Agent Jong-Su who was shaking even as he knocked.

    To have the association chairman himselfe together with him all because of Raith. This was a big deal that could evennd him a promotion.

    "Agent Jong-Su you are here..." Min-ho said as he opened the door. His eyes btedly rose to the tall figure of the person behind Agent Jong-Su.

    "What... the... fuck?!!"

 Chapter 112 The Visit (2)

    "w-w-w-w-w-w-whhaa¡ªtttttt? The legendary Chairman of the Korean Hunters Association is on my doorstep?!!" Min-ho screamed.

    "Can Ie in, Mr. Baek Min-ho?"

    "Haaaa! Yessir!!" Min-ho saluted with stiffness and stepped to one side to allow the chairman to enter.

    His house had be a ce for important figures to visit ever since he started living with Raith.

    The Chairman walked in gently and sat on the couch adjacent to the one Raith was on, heyckadaisically on the couch and pricked his nose with his finger.

    Quitefortable for one who just almost destroyed an entire city.

    The chairman observed him for a few seconds.

    ''...I don''t even need to look much, by his sheer presence I feel pressurized... perhaps I can take a look at his overall strength with my Keen sight."

    The chairman''s left eye began to let out a subtle blue glow.

    [Someone is trying to take a peek into your strength]

    [Only the total essence of darkness will be seen]

    [If the person is not careful, he could be lost in the darkness]

    Raith just scoffed as he saw the message.

    Meanwhile, Chairman Mok Jun-Seo was already sweating all over.

    Raith turned his gaze to the chairman, "You might get blind..."

    "Heeeiiik!" Agent Jong-Su was already expecting this side of Raith to kick in, he knew very much how disrespectful Raith can be.

    "You don''t talk like that to the association chairman!" He shouted at Raith.

    "It''s okay Agent Jong-Su... my bad hunter Raith."

    "It''s fine..." Raith responded and looked back at the broken TV which he wished would somehow work.

    "We have a bit of trouble in our hand"

    Raith''s eyeballs direction drifted over to the chairman.

    "Your fight with Hunter Turner has escted and caused a lot of trouble for us."

    "...you are wrong."

    "Pardon?" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo''s brow lowered.

    "He came at me first, you can''t say my fight with Turner, it was Turner''s fight with me..."

    "Hyungnim hyungnim, this is the chairman of the South Korea Hunters Association..." Min-ho whispered to him.

    "Shut up, let me talk..."

    Min-ho immediately put his hands on his lips and nodded as Raith warned.

    "...It is supposed to be Turner''s fight with me, hence this situation. You seated before me like this, is supposed to be happening with Turner. Hell, he was the one that destroyed buildings."

    "You are indeed right..." Chairman Mok Jun-Seo nodded, "...but Hunter Turner is considered a world-level asset. No one can and would want to touch him. The only case that he can be touched is if you prove that you are a world-level asset too."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith scoffed immediately and sat up, crossing his legs.

    "Look at me very well." He said, his gaze fixated on the Chairman. "Do I look like someone that gives a fuck about the world? Maybe I used to... but I''m way past that, I have a lot on my te and you my friend will be shocked to know that your world is just a little fraction of Cosmic essence."

    The Chairman''s brow lowered even more and his eyes were exuding hostility. He has heard of Raith''s shitty personality but he didn''t think it''d piss him off like this. Or was it because his son was being held as a hostage in the blue house and the only thing that can save this annoying trouble is if Raith takes the evaluation test and his rankes out as a disaster rank at the very least¨C that is what they all prayed for.

    "See, you would have lost to Turner if it wasn''t for old man Yi Jiang."

    Raith lowered his gaze and rubbed his chin, "I see, so that was the man''s name"

    "And I was the one that made that call... you might not understand what I had to sacrifice for that to happen but I didn''t do it for you. I did it to protect the fact that you might be an asset to this country and we are not ready to lose that asset to anyone, not Turner, not death."

    "...pfft waste of time. I would have defeated Turner even if the old man did not interfere." ''...it''d just take me one or two death."

    The chairman clenched his fist. None of his reasons seem to be getting through to Raith.

    "Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa is being held hostage in the blue house by the president because he decided to protect you."

    "Huh?" Raith tilted his head, "...that''s a lie, that guy might be gentle but he is no slouch."

    ''Yes, his expression changed!'' The chairman was d, he didn''t like the approach he was using¨C he''d have preferred a moremanding approach but it was not working with Raith who seem to have several screws loose.

    "The ten strongest hunters were summoned to hold him down together. It has been that way since yesterday. And the only way to get him out is to re-evaluate you."

    ''...he is owing me money, and he also gave me a car. Thanks to him I was able to get this magnificent [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] skill. And I like him, he''s a good person." Raith furrowed his brows.

    "Let''s go and burst him out of this yellow house..."

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo was shocked at Raith''s sudden getup, but ''...where did he even hear yellow house.''

    He had to put an abrupt stop to Raith right there.

    "No, no, we are not going to be doing that." He said.

    Raith who was about to stand up sat back down.

    "Why not?" He asked.

    "Because that will cause more trouble if we want to make this work. We must re-evaluate you. And if all goes well, we also should be able to demand apensation of three hundred billion dors of which a hundred billion dors will be orded to you."

    Raith''s eyes widened, over his stay on earth he had gotten quite familiar with the figures of their money, especially when they say it is in dors. And ording to his calction, one billion dors was equal to five hundred billion leus, and now three hundred of those.

    ''...I''ll be very rich!! After saving Volmak, we can juste here together and settle.'' Raith''s eyes sparkled.

    "Okay then, should I go with you now."

    "Ah, no,e tonight. We want it to be a discreet thing so you cane by the associationter tonight."

    "Okay," Raith nodded.

    The association chairman stood up to take his leave, "Thank you very much, Hunter Raith."

    ''...I think I should be doing that...'' Raith nodded his head like nothing was going on in his mind and watched as the Chairman and Agent Jong-Su left.

    He made sure they werepletely gone before he began his dance of joy at the thought of how rich he would be.

    "Surely, the universe has decided to smile upon me!!"

 Chapter 113 Re-Evaluation (1)

    Just as Raith agreed he reached the association headquarters that night, no matter how many times he came, this ce was just too amazing, although not as amazing as the building structure of the Rain Guild.

    Raith was taken to a different ce from thest time he was evaluated.

    The elevator stopped at the highest floor of the building and even the Chairman and several other directors were waiting for him.

    The entire fate of Rain Guild and the country as a whole depended on this single moment, so much burden for a man. But Raith didn''t care.

    He just truly wanted to help Mok Jae-Hwa get out of the situation he is and get a lot of money.

    He also wishes that what happened before will happen again, maybe he will gain so much cosmic energy that his body will have to modify again.

    "Pleasee in..." An agent guided Raith just as he and Min-ho stepped out of the elevator. Raith could see the tensed faces of the directors that stood behind the association chairman.

    "Thank you for this Hunter Raith." He said and guided Raith into a chamber.

    It was farrger than the one Raith entered and there was a circr tform right in the middle.

    Raith took a look around the white room, which was almost empty if not for the white tform.

    "I don''t see any crystal?"

    "Ah, the crystal has been molded into a measuring scale." The chairman responded to his curiosity pointing to the tform.

    ''Shit...'' For a fact, he won''t be able to absorb any cosmic energy this time around. Raith looked at the tform a second time, it was just a little higher than the ground and from his point of view, there was nothing special about it.

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo seeing the confusion on Raith''s face began to exin to him, "This entire room is a measuring device. The tform you see there is the point of contact. This is what we use to measure special-ranked hunters. Hunters that weren''t able to have a proper result from being measured by the crystal.

    Agent Jong-Su told me what happened on the day of your measurement. The crystal failed and you were issued a temporary license of rank F. But the association has been busy so you were not called for a re-evaluation."

    "Yes..." Raith responded, ncing at the room, he was marveling.

    "I want to believe that even from back then your rank surpassed that of an S rank that was probably why the crystal failed."

    Raith nodded in agreement, ''...I wish I can tell them that I absorbed all the cosmic energy in the crystal.''

    "And so...hunter Raith, I would like you to stand on that tform."

    Raith obediently walked to the tform and looked at Chairman Mok Jun-Seo in hopes of what to do next.

    "What are your abilities? You just need to do what you do best... Jae-Hwa told me you are a summoner."

    ''...I guess I should just do it...I don''t want to freak people out though.'' Raith looked down and looked at him, "Is it okay if other people excuse us."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Uh?" One of the directors was about toin but Raith interrupted.

    "I''m doing this for their sake." He said to Chairman Mok Jun-Seo who after looking at him turned to the directors. Without being told what next they all vacated the room, agent Jong-Su was about to leave but Raith''s voice stopped him.

    "You can stay." He said.

    "Thank you, sir." Agent Jong-Su humbly stood at one corner and watch Raith activate his ability.

    "Come..."

    Shhhhhhhhh...

    ck smoke covered the entire floor of the room, even before the smoke began to materialize, obscure gazes filled the darkness, the room''s bright atmosphere suddenly became dark and the led lights that were ceilings themselves began to shake.

    Mok Jun-Seo trembled with fear as they rise from the darkness that filled the lower level of the floor. His hands and shoulders were shaking tremendously and no matter how he even tried to hold himself together, he just could resist the domineering presence of darkness, it was worse for Agent Jong-Su who was already on his knees and his eyes tightly closed because every time he stared, he was horrified, the drops of his sweat had already formed a little pool on the ground and his face was extremely pale.

    The dark soldiers filled the whole room, with Fenrir towering over all of them, although it had to lower its head so the ceiling won''t be shattered. Another thing to note was that there were now different varieties of the dark armies, and these varieties were monster giant centipedes, orcs, and goblins but different variations of orcs from the ones that Raith had before.

    Amidst all of them stood a knight seven foot tall, with his back cape of darkness ceaselessly dancing even as there was no wind in the room. This knight was a Deja Vu itself because it looked very much like Briceus, Raith had used his imagination of Briceus to create a new dark body.

    The knight had a lithe stature and was standing behind Raith with arms behind his back, Kortopi, and Cheche.

    "Hey!!" A certain individual suddenly stormed out of the elevator. "I hear my guild president is being put held hostage! And the association involved him in some shit!" He shouted as he stepped out. But the scenery that he saw put an abrupt stop to his aggression, everyone, every single person in the waiting lobby had passed out. Even, his heart was beating heavily.

    ''How strong is this person to make me Choi Chong-Yol cower in fear...''

    He looked toward the room where all this ominous energy wasing from even though he wanted to go there so badly, his head suddenly became too heavy to move.

    Fear had permeated every bit of his muscle.

    beeeppp beeepppp beeeeeppp

    The whole white room suddenly became red and began to make loud warning noises.

    Raith was confused, he didn''t know what to do with all the noise but he stayed still regardless.

    After a while, the redness of the room calmed down and everything became white again. Raith immediately dismissed all of them and looked at the Chairman with inquisitive eyes.

    "Is that all?"

 Chapter 114 Re-Evaluation (2)

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo was finding it hard to calm his raging mind that desperately wanted to see more of what Raith was capable of.

    With his ''keen sight,'' he could tell that the least strong of the strange beings dded in ck skins was probably a C rank. Even at that, he was not still sure, it wasn''t like he had enough guts to take a step closer or look for too long into the domineering darkness that surrounded them.

    But this meant that a single man could lead hundreds of monsters that were equal to C-rank hunters, on top of that he was very sure from the satellite video of the fight between Raith and Turner, he was really really sure that Raith had an amazingbat ability.

    The hunters'' ss system was something that took years to postte and that posttion was, by all means, correct until now. Warrior ss, Mage ss, Assassin ss, Bishop ss, and Archer ss.

    Each ss was postted based on a hunter''s style of fighting; big movements and strong defenses were known to the warrior ss, long-range magic spells as one would have guessed was equal to the mage ss, Assassin was adept with quickness and stealth, while bishop ss were hunters with buff and healing abilities, thest is as you thought, yes, long-range weapon or ability users.

    There was no way that a mage-ss hunter would be skilled inbats, even if they were, it would basically be self-defense because they wouldck the necessary skill for movements and attack execution. But there was a living betrayal of that very fact.

    Every of Mok Jun-Seo''s veins tickled with excitement.

    "So what is my rank?" Raith asked, scratching his cheeks and looking away. Even he couldn''t take the three minutes stare of awe from both the chairman and agent Jong-Su.

    "Ah! Right. The reading room! Quick!!" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo shouted, his voice sharply brisking up Agent Jong-Su who immediately ran towards the wall, as he approached, a part of the wall opened to reveal a small room of monitors.

    "Impossible! This numbers!! It was even higher than thest time. And the numbers of all his summons...!"

    Agent Jong-Su was not far from going crazy with surprises, one of the reasons why the facility made an rming beep and all its walls turned red was because it was reaching a limit to its reading.

    ''...it took the reading of all his summons?!''

    The measuring device for special ranks was truly amazing. He never would have imagined that it was going to rank all Raith''s summons.

    His eyes widened as he looked through the monitor.

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo came inter with Raith.

    "What is it? Do we have a reading?" He asked as he stepped in.

    "Ah...ah..." All Agent Jong-Su could do was gasp, he couldn''t find words to exin this.

    The chairman seeing lostposure hurried over to the monitor, his reaction was the same momentster.

    On the monitor was a ranking from the strongest monster to the weakest, with their magic energy in numbers and their ranks depicted on the screen.

    The strongest, Raith - 999,560 - Catastrophe rank.

    Even for a catastrophe rank, those numbers were monstrous. It was insane, the highest magic energy that has ever been read was 760,000 and it belonged to one of the five catastrophe-ranked hunters.

    The next monster that was after Raith:

    - 100,000 - S-rank

    - 99,560 - A-rank

    - 80,000 - A-rank

    - 57,006 - C rank

    Raith could tell who those ranks belong to, ''...Jarvis is S-rank? wow... Fenrir A rank... Kortopi A rank and Cheche C rank.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    This proved true his spection of the fact that the Yeti gate was not A rank. It really was due to Briceus''s presence.

    He looked at the rest of the numbering.

    - 49,700 - C rank

    - 47,000 - C rank

    - 44,450 - D rank

    - 44,000 - D rank

    - 43,450 - D rank

    - 43,104 - D rank

    - 42,022 - D rank

    - 41,000 - D rank

    - 39,000 - E rank

    The ranking was enormous and the least of them were E ranks. Over a hundred of the two hundred numbers of dark armies were E ranks. And Raith didn''t need to be told, he knew very well that they were mostly the orcs that he easily defeated and was scared of him during his fight with them.

    ''...those the morale of the monster affect the strength of the soul when I summon them...?''

    If that was the case that meant whether or not it was A rank or B rank or even S rank what would give Raith a strong dark soldier was if the monster is strong-willed, someone like Kortopi and Cheche, although Cheche still came as a C rank but Raith med that to the fact that his magic core had been absorbed already.

    "There is no doubt! South Korea finally has her first Catastrophe rank hunter!!" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo yelled, with his arms in the air, tears of joy filled his eyes as he turned to Raith.

    "Thank you so much, thank you very much." He kept shaking Raith''s hand while sniffing. It was so great an asion that even an important figure like him couldn''t help but lose his rigidposure.

    Raith was not sure how to react to this, he just sheepishly bowed his head, all that mattered right now was the money¨C he was a little pained that he couldn''t absorb more cosmic energy but hepensated himself with the thought of how rich he was going to get after receiving hundred billion dors. Even then and now, Raith was a sucker for money.

    "What in the world is happening?!" Hunter Chong-Yol ran inside, with several other agents that were trying to stop him because the directors that had passed out couldn''t.

    "What in the world is happening here?! Why is there a rank evaluation going on in the night?!" Chong-Yol requested, ring up. Strangely his annoyed face mixed with embarrassment somehow matched his yboy look.

    "What are you doing here?" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo immediately reverted to rigid and serious.

    That rigidity threw Chong-Yol aback for a sec. "I heard about what happened to Jae-Hwa and the fact that he had some kind of deal with you. Why is he being held hostage and taking responsibility for the hunter you brought?"

    Chong-Yol btedly looked at Raith, from his vantage point there was nothing special about this human. But there was no other person in here that would have likely emitted that kind of pressure.

    "You... are you the one? Are you the hunter Raith?" He immediately inquired, shifting his gaze to Raith who was behind the chairman.

    "Careful there Chong-Yol, you are speaking to a catastrophe rank hunter."

    Horror overwhelmed his face immediately.

 Chapter 115 S.Koreas First Catastrophe Rank Hunter

    "Mr. President, word just came in!" The President''s chief of staff walked in with a tensed shoulder.

    "What is it? Have they finally found him?" The president asked, keeping his eyes on the newspaper he was reading in the enormous living room that was no different from an empire''s extravagant pce.

    "Yes, your excellency."

    "Then have them bring him here if they want their guild president."

    "Your Excellency sir... his license came in." The Chief of staff said, his voice low and shaky.

    The president finally dropped his papers, "What is it?"

    "That man is a catastrophe rank hunter. He is our country''s first catastrophe rank hunter" The chief of staff''s voice shook as he reported to the president.

    Even though they were all against Raith at first, it was a different matter now that he was confirmed to be South Korea''s first catastrophe rank.

    "What?! Impossible!" The president was immediately shown a tablet that contained Raith''s information, down to citizenship proof and birth date.

    Even though Raith clearly had nothing to do with Korea before a few months ago.

    Someone definitely messed with his information, but it was a good thing, seeing that there was no way anything could be held against him. Even if they had aint, they''d be foolish to hold him for it¨C this is a catastrophe rank hunter and South Korea was about to enter the top five strongest countries.

    "Ah..." The president leaned back in his chair as he saw it. He was rendered speechless.

    ''A catastrophe rank hunter'' The president frowned at thest moment and rxed his expression, ''...I will put on with this nonsense for now... but I will do something about these hunters and their dishonor to my office'' He clenched his fist.

    "Your Excellency, should we release Mok Jae-Hwa."

    "Release him, the catastrophe rank hunter might break into the blue house... one can never tell with this hunter."

    The chief of staff threw a worried look at the president before leaving.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    The next day, the citizens were immediately greeted in their houses with the breaking news of South Korea''s first catastrophe rank hunter. They yelled in happiness, people jubted in their homes.

    "Yes! We have finally done it!!"

    "Our country won''t be considered insignificant anymore."

    "Fuck this is so good!"

    The citizens were filled with immense joy and it felt like everyone had forgotten the damage he did to the city.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Ah, no wonder, thanks to him Turner was able to back off from our city."

    "A men... this is so good!!"

    Even old women and young boys alike were all happy and Raith''s face was all over the TV billboards disyed on the streets, even on international news.

    Lee Se-Chul clenched his fist on the wheel as he drove home that morning and was listening to the news. He had been briefed about it this morning before leaving the blue house since he was one of the guild presidents that were to hold down hunter Mok Jae-Hwa. He particrly had a grudge.

    "Shit! This is so wrong! I discovered him first, this guy should have been mine! How the hell did that sly Jae-Hwa get his hands on him."

    He clenched his teeth and put more force on the elerator clutch, driving faster than he should.

    ....

    "You really don''t have to drive me home you know that right...?"

    Beside Mok Jae-Hwa was seated a blue-haireddy, her unique appearance set her apart from several other females, it was almost as if she was a character straight out of a fantasy world.

    Even as she sat and focused her gaze on the road, the shapes of her womanly features were carved out nicely and it was impressive considering that she had a lithe body.

    Her most striking feature was her eyes, bright blue color that seemed almost surreal against her fair skin as if they were a result of some magical spell. They wererge and expressive, with a glint of mischief that hinted at the fiery spirit within.

    "Ha ha... you say that but you have a catastrophe ranked hunter in your guild. I am just trying to build a friendly rtionship with you... well, we might have actually been friends if not for your scary ass girlfriend."

    "Shin-Hye is a very beautiful woman at heart... and on the face too, she just happens to have a very very nasty personality and is a jealous kind."

    "Well, I would surely have busted her ass if it wasn''t for you."

    "Ha ha ha..." Mok Jae-Hwa chuckled, "...I would never have let you and besides, it would have been very difficult for you."

    "There you go again... vouching for her strength. You really love her huh."

    "Nara-ssi please can we change the conversation? It is weird having this sought of conversation with you."

    "Well then... since you want to change the conversation. I''d like to ask you, what is your n moving forward."

    "What do you mean?" Mok Jae-Hwa looked at her with inquisitive eyes. What the hell was she talking about?!

    "You have a catastrophe rank hunter, your guild is now the strongest guild in South Korea and even the second strongest cannotpare to your guild who now has two special ranks. Not just in South Korea, but in the entire world, I''m sure you will enter the top five too. Hunters, powerful hunters will begin to reach out to you and you will also start taking on international gate raids for massive amounts of money. What is your n then?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa closed his eyes and chuckled, "Why should I n... firstly, I am not the one that became a catastrophe rank. Hunter Raith is free to do whatever he likes. But you are right, international hunters will start having their eyes on us, maybe it''s time to start making the guys stay more at home and stop them from excessive traveling."

    "Hmmm...whatever..." She shrugged even though she was the one that asked the question. The car sped off the next moment as the air was dominated by silence.

 Chapter 116 Battle With The Nagas

    Turner sat down in his living room shirtless, his heart tattoo that ran from his chest to the side of his neck,ying a grotesque gleam to his unmotivated demeanor.

    His brows lowered as he saw the news.

    "This morning, it just came in that Korea has birthed her first Catastrophe rank hunter, this is * * *

    He frowned and crushed the TV remote with a clench of his fist.

    "Turner?" Patience, who has been silent beside him was worried, she looked at him and looked at the remote in his hands. He hasn''t been the same since he came back from Korea and he wouldn''t be allowed to step out of the country for the next three months.

    Well, if he decided to do otherwise who would stop him? But the association and the government needed to do something regardless of how useless it may be in an actual sense.

    But what pained him the most was the fact that he was permanently blocked out of South Korea. One would have said, ''Who has the guts to stop him should he decide to go to the country?'' But unfortunately, someone does have the guts to stop him.

    Yes, South Korea''s newest hunter, the talk of the town.

    Patience picked up a call and walked away slowly.

    "...yes"

    "Yes"

    "Okay,"

    "I see..."

    "Okay,"

    "Alright, thank you, sir."

    The conversation from her end went like that as if she was only acknowledging and taking in the information that was being divulged to her from the other side.

    She came back to Turner and stood in front of him.

    "We have a problem."

    Turner looked at her with a lifeless gaze, he even had dark circles under his eyes. "What?"

    "The Korean Association are demandingpensation of eight hundred billion dors, their price rose from thest time they met the ambassadors. This is probably because the guy is a catastrophe rank." She stated with a frown.

    "I don''t care... all I care about right now is finding a way for me to go to South Korea without causing any trouble, find out all you must about that guy for me."

    It was amazing that the great Turner was thinking of how he would enter a country without any trouble.

    ''Shit... he really wanted to recruit that guy?'' His assistant looked at him as he sank into his seat and closed his eyes.

    "Say, Turner, how did you know he was this strong? When you first saw him on TV, you suddenly said you wanted him, did you know all this time that he was a catastrophe rank hunter, the same with other hunters in the guild, you just seem to always recognize their potential faster than others."

    Turner leaned back up, "...with the other guys, it is nothing extraordinary. But when I saw him for the first time, his power was ringing into my senses."

    "Ringing into your senses? I don''t understand..."

    "You can''t understand, no one can understand. That guy is not a person from this world."

    "What? He looks pretty human to me though..." She shrugged, doubting Turner with every bit of her.

    "Yes, yes, that was why I needed him, if this guy is a human from the other side, then it is possible that there are several other humans from him... I needed that information."

    "So it wasn''t about his power?"

    Turner looked at her, "Up until the moment I met him, it was about the information he could provide me with if he became my guild member. I never expected him to be so strong."

    "I see..." Patience nodded her head as if she was learning diligently from him.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    Raith was seated in the living room, with a particr red-haired dude in front of him, who somehow found his way here twenty minutes ago.

    "What have youe here to do again? Fight me?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "See Raven, I admit that you are stronger than me in this world."

    Raith''s eyes were wide open, ''Did this guy just call me by my name?'' His lips curled and a naughty expression soon overtook his face, he was satisfied with this development.

    "...yea, you wait, I will be stronger than you in your world too."

    "Tch..." Absalom scoffed, "...keep on dreaming."

    Raith was still shocked, he didn''t add cockroach to the back of his statement. Looks like he is beginning to have a bit of respect for him even after seeing what he is capable of. To Raith, this was evidence of his development and growth.

    "You are going to go back to Felfhiem right?"

    "Yes, why not? I must save Volmak."

    "Then, keep in touch with me." He said, looking away.

    Raith looked at him with his arms folded, Absalom was cute to behold.

    "Alright..." Raith agreed with him.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    The sound of shing swords and the roar of naga monsters echoed through the destion. What was once known as a beautiful country and the center of trade had be an apocalypse ravaged by monsters, falling buildings, mes that won''t go out, and endless floods, most areas were drowning in the immense water that one could ssify to be a sea.

    The pdins from each temple stood shoulder to shoulder, sword drawn and ready to face the monsters, it was as though they watched for the oue of the already going battle between certain heroes that had voluntarily decided to help this fight.

    Who would voluntarily decide to go to their own grave, you say?

    Humans of this world know very much that every good thing that there is for them to be a part of is always avable when the archons are involved. For the first time, the archons teamed together, the pdins that stood here in different armor structures were proof of that.

    Now, it didn''t matter if they died fighting but they died fighting by the side of the archons, they believed very much that the archons are seeing them¨C that is what is preached.

    They would willingly give their life for this, although some selected few have different opinions.

    The pdins were a formidable force, each one a skilled warrior in their own right, not to say, the unhuman flicker of me that was surging out of the dark opening of their helmet, each one of them with different kind of weapons, the presence for a fact was unhuman in all of its entirety.

    The nagas were massive serpent-like creatures with razor-sharp fangs and powerful coils and were unlike anything anyone had ever faced before, not the pdins, not the humans.

    As a wave of nagas charged forward, the pdins braced themselves for the impact¡ª Swords shed against scales as the two sides met in a violent sh.

    Each array of pdins ording to the temple they were from had unique abilities of their own and were dded in different colors of Armour.

    The Pdins of the justice archon were dded in silver Armour work yellow tunic, with a horn connected to their helmet, they charged forward with a tremendous aura that shook the earth, summoning a Holy energy that strode through the horde of nagas as if it was dancing with them.

    Blood decorated the field like fireworks as nagas were easily plunged into like tofu.

    The Pdins of the throne archon too did not fall short of the disy of their mighty strength. Their fight pattern was even unique and caused more monsters to fall before them but also apanied by tremendous and heavy floor cracks and the effect of their sword shing the monsters alone was massive¨C as if there was an external force of attack to every weapon and that force caused the entire air to shake, most of them were equipped with hack and smash type weapons¨C sledgehammer with intricate designs, it made it very easy to squash the nagas.

    The Pdins of the nature archon with ignited mes, surging floods and ice, stone boulders that fell and rose like it was a rain of earthquake, lightning¨C it was a sight to behold, the battlefield was designed with different kinds of manifestations, it was detrimental no doubt but it had some sort of grotesque beauty to it.

    The pdins fought with precision and skill, each one unleashing their unique abilities upon the nagas with deadly force. However, the nagas were no easy foe. With their powerful coils and venomous fangs, they proved to be a formidable enemy, they had a force of attack that was strong enough to throw even the pdins away, and a swipe of their fins sends the head of a human flying into the sky.

    There also were special ones amidst them who had legs and hands instead of the serpent-like body. They were more agile and strong and could also wield weapons and as they surged out of the battlefield, some of them began to strike down pdins. Pdins that rumors say it was impossible for them to die, were at the mercy of these humanoid nagas with fish heads.

    As the battle raged on, the pdins'' diverse abilities were put to the test.

    Protective shields deflected the nagas'' attacks, surges of aura of healing energy that restored their fallenrades, despite their strength and endless endeavors, the nagas just kepting. The pdins fought on, their determination unyielding, but the battle was beginning to take a toll on them. They began to falter, their movements slowing as their energy waned.

    One was not even sure if there was not a single hero surviving on that battlefield, they had either retreated or been killed¨C another wave of nagas could be seen surging forward with a wave of water. They were massive, and although they had serpent-like bodies, they had incredible formations with arms that wielded spear forks just like the humanoid nagas.

    But even in the face of overwhelming odds, the pdins refused to give up. They stood their ground and no one ever thought of retreating, it was as though they were machines, even when one fell if he could stand up, he stands immediately, if he couldn''t, he would crawl and find all ways to destroy the nagas until his head was severed from his body.

    The battle raged on and from the clear blue sky till when the sky was colored with an orange-colored warmth, atst, the pdins were beginning to push back, although many had been lost. But the nagas corpsey around in an enormous amount, scattered all over the ruined city.

    And finally, the pdins entered the gate too¨C they had fought most of the nagas outside, so whatever would be inside was expected to be the gate boss monster¨C the naga king.

 Chapter 117 The Rain Guild

    "I called everyone here for a particr reason."

    "Me me me, let me guess! We now have a catastrophe rank hunter and are about to go international! So you will need someone to manage the international branch!!"

    That was Shin, an eighteen-year-old boy, he just became legal and was the youngest member of the guild also one of the strongest, he awakened as an S rank when he was thirteen years old and since then had been going to gates. He also sees Jae-Hwa as his elder brother but as a very nasty personality and can be a menace to everyone.

    "Shit! You this darn kid! Will you shut the hell up?!"

    "Don''t call me a darn kid! I''m eighteen." Shin mmed the table at the brassy-blond-haired hunter whose eyes were fixated on a book, despite him rebuking Shin, he was reading.

    A bookworm as hisposure would suggest, Yeon-Woo, is an A rank hunter and he also had the nickname ''The disappearing hunter''. That name was because of his abilities.

    "Shut up both of you, can''t you see that the guild master called us here for a reason? And you are just going to bicker at each other." Chong-Yol warned them with his thick voice, this time it almost looked like he forced it out. But whatever the case may be, it worked.

    The room got silent and Mok Jae-Hwa was finally able to continue his speech.

    "Firstly about the catastrophe rank hunter. I can''t say he is a part of our guild yet, whether he will or not is totally up to him."

    "I see... and you still were willing to fight ten guild presidents for him." A cold voice seeped into the atmosphere, every other person was as silent as a snail as she spoke, even Mok Jae-Hwa gulped.

    Her skin was so cold that it could be likened to that of a dead man, it was as of they had lost her color but somehow theplexion of her skin added a unique beauty to her, her brows were curved upwards as if she was frowning without even wrinkling her eyeballs and her eyes followed in that suit.

    She had a graphite-gray eye color and her lips were small but the upper lip stayed slightly open even when she closed them at her best. Both her legs were crossed over on the table, the silver nes and knuckle rings that adorned her gave her a gangster look and the tracksuit she was wearing furtherly promoted the idea.

    "Hunter Raith is a really nice person..." Mok Jae-Hwa spoke as if he had lost all confidence before the person.

    Everyone present had the sameposure before her and that was Shin-Hye, the necromancer.

    "I heard he can summon monsters..."

    "Yes," Mok Jae-Hwa wanted to avoid saying much.

    "I look forward to meeting him." She said with a smile.

    ''...no, I will prefer you do not meet him.'' Mok Jae-Hwa said in his mind and looked around once more before continuing the reason why he had gathered everyone here.

    "I''m here because I have gained possession of the S rank gate in Busan."

    "Wait! The association wouldn''t give that to anyone, how did you?!" Ga-Yun, a beautiful and pink-haired youngdy asked, shocked to her bones.

    "That is right, Chairman Mok Jun-Seo wouldn''t even budge, we even tried to y the sonship card with him remember."

    "Well, there was a condition." Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa broke to them and they all sat back to listen.

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa continued, "He wants Hunter Raith to be a part of the Raid team."

    Immediately all of them showed different signs of disapproval.

    "He wants that guy to see us fight? Come on hyungnim, we are the best and the best and this is the team, no one is supposed to see us fight... I don''t want that." Shin protested.

    "It is nothing if you look at it, perhaps you are scared you don''t want people finding out the secret of your gravity power," Yeon-Woo said, facing his book.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Shut the fuck up Yeon-Woo... you are the one who has a real secret behind your abilities, isn''t that the reason why no one has ever seen you defeat a monster even though you have defeated many."

    Yeon-Woo did not respond to him, he just scoffed and turned to the next page.

    "Jae-Hwa-ssi... I don''t know, I just feel very ufortable about the fact that this random new guy has to join us on the raid." Hunter Ga-Yun said, her face was like that of a doll, she was an aesthetic beauty that looked like she was sculpted.

    "I am of the same opinion as Ga-Yun, it has sought of been our culture since day one," Yujin said. She was more of the normal girl out of the three girls that were in the mini-size conference room...

    "I for one, wouldn''t mind seeing his ability."

    "Me too..." Chong-Yol seconded Shin-Hye''s opinion.

    "...Okay, there are people that support and people that oppose, perhaps we should do this by voting. If the side that does not want Hunter Raith to join us wins then we will have to return the raiding rights of the gate."

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa said.

    He looked at everyone and sighed, "Then if you are against..."

    Shin raised his hand.

    Ga-Yun raised her hand.

    Yujin also raised her hand.

    "Oppa?..." Yujin called out, tilting her head to the dark haired boy in a designer outfit.

    "What? I am always with the guild president in everything... don''t try to force me into your decision." He said looking away.

    "I can''t believe he is even your boyfriend..." Ga-Yun whispered to Yujin. "...if my boyfriend was in the guild, he would have to take a stand for anything I take a stand for, or else we break up immediately... can''t you see the guild president and Shin-Hye noona."

    Yujin''s eyes wandered back and forth for a while, ''...then I should be the one supporting Sung-Min Oppa''s choice.'' She suddenly dropped her hand.

    "Ehe? What?" Ga-Yun suddenly snapped at her, shocked as to why she suddenly dropped her hand.

    "Thank you Ga-Yun for showing me the right thing." She turned her head to the dark-haired guy, Sung-Min. "Oppa, I will support your decision no matter what."

    The guy smiled like a God-forsaken simp and nodded.

    "Then we have two people that are voting against?"

    "Yeon-Woo... Yeon-Woo..." Shin mumbled to the guy reading a book in front of him.

    But Yeon-Woo replied to him with a middle finger, still keeping his eyes on the book he was reading.

    "Fuck you..." He mumbled but held his teeth tight so it wouldn''t sound too loud.

    "Then we have a winner... Hunter Raith will be joining us for the raid."

 Chapter 118 Happy Moments

    "Hey, babe..."

    "I missed you." Jae-Hwa looked at her with sparkles in his eyes.

    "I hear you have been touring all around the world as a model of some sort." He smiled to her as she wrapped her hands around his neck and he held her waist, pulling her closer.

    She squinted her eyes in a cheesy way as she replied to him, "I mean... it''s not that I can just refuse them. It is also to produce the image of the guild. I mean, they wonder why I can have the skin of a dead man and still be more beautiful than Miss America."

    "Even I wonder that...even more beautiful than Miss World."

    "Don''t push it, honey." She said with a chuckle, averting her gaze for a while, and then looked back at him three secondster. She smiled as both their eyes stayed on each other for the next few minutes.

    "Damn, I''ve missed this so much." She said, slowly shifting her eyes to his lips. Her facial expression slowly morphed into a rxed and shy one.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s hand ran down her face, from her temple to her cheeks and the corner of her lips.

    The heads of the two slowly ovee the little distance between them and their lips finally came together.

    "Guild president!!"

    A stupid human barged in¨C critically interrupting the two.

    They had to jump away from each other in a very powerful way¨C such that Mok Jae-Hwa''s back was mmed against the wall as he was pushed away by Shin-Hye who got too nervous.

    "Holy Cow! I''m so sorry!" She immediately ran to him.

    "No no, it''s okay." Mok Jae-Hwa slowly got up. The Wall was cracked but he didn''t take any damage.

    "I''m so sorry." Shin-Hye still pressed her apology but this time she was giggling.

    Mok Jae-Hwa got up and scowled at the secretary that badged inside.

    "What is it? What is it that made you not knock secretary Hoon."

    "I''m so sorry sir. But word came in from India."

    As hunter Mok Jae-Hwa heard India, his expression became tensed, his brows furrowed together.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    "Waaaaaaaahhhhh..." Raith''s face endlessly sparkled at the phone screen. He has been like that for a few days now.

    "One, two, three, four, five..."

    He would count the number of zeroes over and over again.

    "Ah!!! four hundred and fifty billion dors!!! Min-ho, kill me!!" Raith screamed.

    "Hyungnim, you have been shouting like that for the past two days since the association sent you money. By now, I actually want to kill you but I can''t, I would have died ten times over before even touching you."

    Raith didn''t care or even pay attention to his reply as he directed the guys that installed the new led TV.

    "Ah! This is perfect! I hear Korean dramas are so enjoyable!" A third voice in that living room said, lively and vibrant. His legs were crossed on the table and his eyes were deadly locked on the TV that was being installed.

    Min-ho sighed. ''...The past few days have been the worst. Apparently, this red-haired guy... is from the same world that Hyungnim said he visitedst beforeing here... I still find it very hard to believe the existence of another world but when I look at him.'' Min-ho threw onest gaze at Absalom who sat on the table, vibrant, waiting for the TV to work.

    ''...look at the way he is doing...'' Min-ho looked back to the men that were busy with the concluding parts of the instation.

    "You are good to go now," One of the men in grey jumpsuit said and bowed.

    "Thanks, I sent a token to your bank ount," Min-ho said.

    "Excuse me, sir." The man said to Min-ho. His subordinates behind him were anxiously standing with a paper and pen in their hands.

    "Sir?" Min-ho respectfully inquired about what they wanted.

    "That is Hunter Raven, right? Our catastrophe rank hunter that defeated America''s catastrophe rank hunter." He whispered to Min-ho, ncing at Raith whose eyes were sparkling at his phone screen.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    That was the narration everyone has given him since he became a catastrophe rank hunter.

    Citizens, both old and young would refer to him as ''Our catastrophe rank hunter that defeated America''s catastrophe rank hunter''. Even people that didn''t know him were proud of him.

    And his face was all over the media, nationally and internationally. His news was everywhere and that was even just a start. Another problem was the mob of reporters that swamped the front of Min-ho''s house because they wanted an interview with him. Because of this, they had to destroy the back wall of the house so Min-ho could go in and out¨C and the installers too.

    "Yes..." Min-ho sighed, he had no choice but to ept, he was hoping they leave here in one piece¨C because one cannot tell with this his hyungnim.

    "Please, sir? Can we have his autograph, we would love to take it to our kids at home."

    Min-ho looked over the man''s shoulder as he spoke and could see the anticipating eyes of the men behind him. Even though he probably wanted to refuse them, the passionate look in their eyes made things very hard for him.

    He dragged himself over to Raith.

    "Hyungnim."

    "What?"

    "There are some guys that want to have your autograph?"

    "Uh? What is that?"

    All through his reply, Raith didn''t take his eyes off his phone''s screen.

    beep beep ''Battery low''

    The phone went off.

    "Min-ho... charge this for me!" That was the first time he lifted his head and looked at Min-ho.

    He looked at the men behind Min-ho and the new TV.

    "Oh? You bought a new TV?"

    "Eh? Hyungnim?! You''ve been here the whole time."

    "Sure sure, help me charge this." He said, stretching his phone to Min-ho.

    "Hyungnim," Min-ho called him after collecting his phone.

    "What?"

    "These men havee to collect your autograph." He stated, nkly looking at Raith as if he had promised himself not to be shocked at what Raith''s reaction was going to be.

    "Sure... bring it in," Raith said with an indifferent expression on his face.

    Min-ho''s eyes widened with surprise. "Wow..." He thought Raith was going to snap at them or act very weird such that it was going to ruin his reputation. But turns out even Raith could be considerate.

    He smiled as he watched Raith sign his initials on the paper they gave him.

    "Sir, if you don''t mind, can we take a picture with you?" The man asked him, bringing out his phone.

    "Hmmm..." Raith nodded with an indifferent expression and the men all surrounded him whichever they could and the man lifted the phone to take a selfie.

    "Me too! Me too!!" Absalom shouted, jumping into the picture without being called.

    "Mr. Baek, you too should join." The man said to Min-ho who was smiling as he looked at Raith and the others.

    "Yes human, you shoulde... thanks to you I have been eating really good food."

    "You mean Ramen?" Raith snarled at him.

    "Ramen is a really good food. I can''t get used to it."

    Raith sighed, "...I will seriously die of Ramen at this point..."

    As they allined andugh, a nice selfie including Min-ho was taken¨C it really was a happy photo that deserved its position on the wall of Min-ho''s living room.

 Chapter 119 A Bright Man, Forged By Failures

    "Ah ah!! Look at you hyungnim looking like a person for the first time." Min-hoplimented with a smug face, he was after all the one that dressed Raith who had a meeting with the association chairman and Mr. Mok Jun-Seo personally told him to wear a suit because they might not be able to fend off the reporters.

    It was supposed to be some sort of ''Incase if it does not happen the way we want'' kind of thing.

    The association car was waiting for Raith behind the door.

    Raith stepped out of the ironic grand entrance of the ruined back wall, his polished ck leather shoes clicking against the crumbles on the floor. He straightened his charcoal gray three-piece suit, adjusting the tie in a confident gesture as he walked towards the sleek ck car parked in front.

    The midday sun shone down on his chiseled features, highlighting the sharp jawline and cold heterochromia eyes that seemed to pierce through anyone who met his gaze. His dark hair was styled with a neat side part, and he had a hint of stubble on his chin, giving him a rugged charm.

    As he approached the car, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of ck leather gloves, sliding them on with practiced ease. He opened the back door of the car and slid inside, settling himself onto the plush leather seat.

    His presence seemed to fill the vehicle, his confident demeanor and impable dress sense making him appearrger than life. As he adjusted the cuffs of his jacket, the car pulled away, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.

    Absalom and Min-ho watched the back of the car go farther and farther away.

    "Oh, did you see Hyungnim... he was so handsome."

    Absalom looked at Min-ho with a raised brow, "..."

    Min-ho returned the gaze, but with an inquisitive one, "What?" He asked as the red-haired demon''s gaze wouldn''t leave him.

    "Do you like Raith or something?" He asked, smacking his lips in an irritated manner, as though he had just taken a bitter drug.

    "No! No way!! Not in that way!!" Min-ho refuted this strongly.

    "Good...good, because of the way you were just looking now..." Absalom mumbled nodding his head but giving Min-ho onest scrutinizing gaze before stepping back inside.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    As Raith''s car arrived at the front of the association, just as predicted, the reporters swam around them like a flick of ducks, but thanks to the association agents that all surrounded Raith who wore dark shades to prevent his face from appearing unnecessarily on camera and because of his the continual sh of cameras.

    Left to him, it meant nothing, but agent Jong-Su who hade to pick him up insisted that he wore it.

    They were beginning to find it very hard to create a distance for him amidst the crowd, they were just too persistent.

    "Hunter Raith, what do you have to say to Korea as her first Catastrophe rank hunter?"

    "Hunter Raven some people question your origin because of your name, will you like an interview to clear these doubts."

    "Hunter Raven we are from The Maesung dailies, we would like to have an interview with you, please we are willing to pay you for your TV time."

    "Hunter Raven! We will pay you too!!"

    Hearing that he will be paid did waver Raith a bit, but the association agents guiding him forward and still trying to pave a way through the crowd did not give him the liberty and luxury to be selfish and so...

    ''...air leap''

    His use of [Air Leap] had even gotten better. He soared into the sky with just a subtle jump¨C flipped andnded right in front of the revolving ss door of the association building.

    All of them paused and were dazed.

    Then they remembered ''He is a catastrophe rank hunter''

    They all flooded towards him but he entered quickly and closed the door. The agents around immediately lined up in front of the door with their hands behind their backs and their faces rigid. The reporters seeing this, clicked their tongues and caused while some of them went around, they didn''t mind how long it would take, they were ready to wait for the time Raith woulde back outside.

    (Inside The Association)

    Raith was seated before Chairman Mok Jun-Seo, with a table between them. Chairman Mok Jun-Seo brought out the papers in the brown file in his hands and dropped them on the table, shifting them to Raith.

    "We''ve dug more than enough, DNA matches, searching your family name, searching the name Raven Raith, or even your unique eye color. Sure there are some people who share the same kind of condition but none of them were able to match your DNA... who are you, Hunter Raven."

    Raith at this point, loosed the single button of the suit jacket and leaned back. He looked down, the overgrown bangs of his jet-ck hair covering the look on his eyes as he seemed to be lost in thought for a moment.

    "Hunter Raven?" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo was getting worried due to Raith''sposure.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Chairman Moth..."

    "It''s actually Mok, Mok Jun-Seo..." He corrected him.

    Raith''s gaze after he corrected him made him gulp and say, "...it''s fine. You can continue."

    "Can I trust you?"

    "Of course, that is one thing I wish for so much. I want there to be trust between us." He replied to Raith.

    "Can I... truly trust you?" Raith repeated.

    "I will do anything to show you that I can never betray your trust."

    Raith squinted his eyes. ''...well, why am I worried. I can just kill him if telling him jeopardizes anything in any way. Or if he decides to tell the rest of the world that I am crazy. I can kill him and kill the people he tells and turn them into my soldiers.''

    Raith heaved a sigh and started, "I am not from your world..."

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo''s brow furrowed. "...is this about some multiverse existence..."

    "I wouldn''t say exactly that for now. But there is a world called Therut and there are humans just like you all living there... although there are also demihumans such as elves, dwarfs, and beast-folks..."

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo leaned backward to take this in. "You mean like elves? The one we often see in fantasy books and movies?"

    Raith tilted his head, "See in fantasy books?" Something was not right here.

    "Yes... several books around the world tell stories of these creatures, but they are poprly regarded as fairytales, even today that the impossible has been possible, we have never seen anything like that which never made us acknowledge the existence of those fairytale creatures."

    ''...no, something is wrong here. If I am right by all logic, the existence of the demihumans should not be known to any other world, except ours¨C something is not adding up... how is are a creation that is supposed to be exclusive to Therut because of the archons known in this world?'' Raith''s mind was in turmoil, there were so many parts to this crazy puzzle and none of these parts wereing together.

    He narrowed his gaze, ''...perhaps I have to go to Felfhiem sooner than I expect...'' He said in his mind as he looked down at the paper on the table.

    "What is this?" He asked, picking it up to his picture and his name.

    "We made you a citizen of our country."

    "Uh?"

    "Your name is registered with this country. You can always consider this ce your permanent home. And so with this, you can do anything you want, have your driver''s license, your car, passport, and anything. You are just like every other human on this earth." The chairman exined to him.

    Raith''s eyes for unknown reasons got squirmy.

    "Eh? Hunter Raith. I''m sorry if I have said anything inappropriate¨C

    Before he knew it Raith wiped off from his face, the tears that were running down.

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo went silent and watched him. He didn''t know what caused Raith''s sudden vulnerability but in some way, he felt the privilege to witness a breaking moment of Korea''s strongest hunter.

    After Raith had wiped the tears off his face, his head stayed bowed and he didn''t raise it until after a few minutes.

    "...I''m sorry...for showing you that. I have never really had citizenship anywhere before... or been weed like this."

    "You had a home in your world right?"

    Raith scoffed, "I was rejected for being a failure."

    "What? You Hunter Raith no failure!" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo refuted those words loudly.

    Raith chuckled, from his perspective, it was cute how the association chairman was standing up for him. "I am a failure... but it is different this time..." He narrowed his gaze with a smirk before he continued, ".

    ..being a failure is the reason why I havee this far. Bound for the path of failure but equipped with the power to turn that failure into my strength."

    Raith for the first time sparkled before the chairman''s eyes, as he suddenly began to see him in a way he had never thought he could.

    ''...perhaps, he is more amazing than I even thought.''

 Chapter 120 Demonic Gate

    It is aponent of the human essence that they always seek sce in a certain thing or ce. If not why do humans decide to spend the rest of their lives with someone based on their flimsy feelings? Finding a home in the arms of a person, in a ce, some could even do it in the hands of an animal, hell? Yea, dogs, pets.

    The fact that Raith finally felt wee for the first time was amazing, to him at the very least, he finally foundfort, and he could finally call somewhere home. And be confident that he is not mistaken about it.

    Of course, all these were possible because of the abyss. Because he had gone through quite some trials to get here.

    But for every moment, Raith knows that this is not enough, every moment he tries to think if he could handle his brother and father, and isn''t even sure if that is possible. Until he was sure he could handle his father, and beat the shit out of the demons, he can''t stop dying, failing, and growing.

    He sighed, "I don''t know what to say... but I answered your question. And I want you to prepare your strongest hunters, no... the right word is: look for more hunters, don''t stop recruiting hunters, whether it is guilds or the association I don''t really care. But I do know that a day wille when we will have to defend this world."

    Knock Knock

    "Ah, that should be him"

    "Him, who?"

    "Mok Jae-Hwa. He said he had something important to discuss and I happened to be with you, so I thought it won''t be a bad thing to have you here as we discuss these things, it is after all a way to get you familiar with how the hunter world works."

    "Hm, I see..." Raith nodded.

    Mok Jae-Hwa bowed as he entered and sat on the single-seat ck couch that was beside Raith''s.

    "Hm, so what news do you have." The chairman said as he raised the tea in front of him, "...hm, cold tea is just so good." He mumbled as he took in the aroma.

    Who loves cold tea? How do you even enjoy that?

    Mok Jae-Hwa sighed, he was finding it very hard to smile right now. He ced the ck smart tab in his hands on the table and looked at the chairman, his expression still rigid and stiff, he had a face that insinuated this was noughing matter.

    The chairman looked at the tab and looked at Mok Jae-Hwa''s face, that expression of his had naturally washed on the Chairman''s face¨C his cute smile had worn off, and he was now looking with caution.

    He yed the video and the voice of people speaking Hindu could be heard.

    "Help us!"

    "Arrggghh!"

    "How can a gate be this big?!"

    "No one can enter! It keeps spreading corruption on even the hunters!"

    "Their bodies are corroding!!"

    The ravaging noise stopped and an English news anchor with an Indian ent started.

    "This is the situation of a strange gate that emerged in Bengaluru in Karnataka India, six months ago and had been dormant because it was considered dormant. Two months ago, the gate started to grow big and now it is as big as a building. The India Hunters Association has put together several hunters to enter this thing and raid it but none of them have been able to enter because ck corruption is spreading on everyone''s body and rendering them incapable of movement."

    The tab went off.

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo leaned his head on his locked fingers which were being supported by his thighs.

    Now, he understood why Mok Jae-Hwa was like that, a gate that wouldn''t allow hunters to enter it.

    "If it is like this, then they are certainly going to be hit by a gate break."

    Mok Jae-Hwa nodded.

    "Is that a situation where the monsterse out of the gates?" Raith asked.

    "Yes," Chairman responded respectfully, shifting his gaze to Raith.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith lifted the tablet and watched it again. "If you have this, then it is all over the news already.

    Raith focused on the video and his eyes immediately narrowed.

    "Hunter Raven, do you recognize something?"

    "Is it alright if I show this video to someone?" Raith asked, looking at the chairman, that rigid look was contagious upon watching the video.

    No one would see that dreadful sight and not be serious. But Raith was angry for another reason.

    He immediately speed-dialed Min-ho''s number.

    "Hyungnim!" Indeed Min-ho was happy that he called.

    "Give the phone to Absalom, is he there..."

    "Yes, he won''t stop watching Korean movies. Absalom-san, hyungnim wants to talk to you."

    "Ha! I don''t want to get distracted by this thing. Tell him to callter."

    Raith could hear them from his side. He gritted his teeth and really would have snapped at him if they were together.

    "Tell him I will grant him a second chance to fight him."

    "Did you hear that, hyungnim said, you can figh¨C

    "Hello, Raven." Absalom''s voice was now clearly behind the phone.

    "I will send a video to you... I''m having spection but only you can confirm it."

    "Okay," Absalom casually responded.

    Raith looked at Chairman Mok Jun-Seo and nodded. The chairman nodded too in response.

    "He wants you to send it..." Mok Jae-Hwa hinted at the old man.

    "Oh?" He was gobsmacked, ''...I should reconsider my thoughts on him being a nice person'' The chairman took the tab and was in it for a few seconds¨C

    "Ha! I''ve received it! These humans are truly amazing, to be able to do something like this." Absalom replied vibrantly as he started watching the video.

    Raith could hear the same screams and the news anchor''s voice underneath. Absalom went silent after hearing it. He probably already had that same rigid look on his face.

    "Seeing how silent you are... my spections must be right."

    "This... I am sure about it, this is fiendish energy."

    Raith sighed, his eyes glowing. "As I suspected. Fiendish energy. But why is fiendish energy on this world and a gate?"

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo and his son''s anticipative eyes could be seen drawing nearer to Raith as he mentioned ''Fiendish energy''

    "That is probably a demonic gate..."

    Raith''s frown became even more intense.

    ''A demonic gate...?''

 Chapter 121 An Insult To Death Is An Insult To Me

    "A demonic gate?"

    Both the association chairman and the Rain Guild president were confused.

    "What do you mean demonic gate?" Mok Jae-Hwa pressed further. Raith dropped the call and stared into the space for a while. He shifted his gaze to Chairman Mok Jun-Seo.

    "Please don''t tell me this just confirms your talk about there being multiple worlds... and this gate is something of the demon world?" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo''s brow twitched as he spoke. The thought of the words he blurted out being true heavily scared him.

    Raith looked at the tab onest time, "I don''t know how gates work till now... but one thing I do is monsters are not in that gate. There are only fiends and fiends are way stronger than monsters." Raith told them.

    "Is the reason for the spreading of this ck corruption on people''s bodies also associated with the fact it is a demonic gate?" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo asked.

    "I can''t say for sure, but that could be true because fiendish energy is a very dangerous energy, not just the human body will be corrupted, even the environment will be ruined and corrupted."

    "I see..." The man replied nodding and leaning back.

    "Then what do we do? We should raid it quick!" Mok Jae-Hwa suggested.

    "You are too hotblooded."

    "What do you mean I''m too hotblooded, people are dying out there!"

    "You act like you can save every single damned soul."

    "It doesn''t matter how little I save or how much, what matters is being able to save at least one person."

    "Tsk Tsk Tsk... I can never reason with these kids" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo said, clicking his tongue.

    Raith watched all through as father and son bickered amongst each other.

    "Are both of you brothers?" Raith asked. He couldn''t help but feel a sense of familiarity even though both of them were arguing.

    "Ah, brothers? Am I that young?" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo chuckled adjusting his jacket.

    "He is my father" Mok Jae-Hwa responded.

    "Eh??!!" Raith was very shocked.

    "...don''t act so shocked, everyone knows. I wonder how you don''t even know." Mok Jae-Hwa mumbled.

    "Anyway, what do you think Hunter Raven? about the gate..."

    "I don''t know, I don''t know if there is any other person that can enter that dungeon except Absalom and me."

    "Absalom? Who''s that?" The chairman asked, even Jae-Hwa seemed like he would have asked if the chairman didn''t ask.

    "Absalom..." Raith hesitated for a moment and looked at their faces.

    "Hunter Raven, you can trust us."

    "Absalom is the Japanese hunter that attacked me in the hospital. And he''s a demon"

    "..." The two of them went silent for the next ten seconds.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Like a demon, real one?"

    "To be exact, he is a vampire"

    "Hunter Raith vampires only exist in movies¨C

    Mok Jae-Hwa paused immediately after he saw his father''s face. ''This old man believes him?''

    "Father, what is going on? What did you mean about this gate confirming the existence of multiple worlds." Mok Jae-Hwa pointed out his father''s past conversation which he had overlooked as some business between Raith and his father.

    "Jae-Hwa, I will exin these things to youter. For now, let''s stick with how to handle this situation."

    "Isn''t this news open to the rest of the countries, as it is open to your country¨C our country?"

    Chairman Mok smiled, ''He said ''our'' country'' "Yes..." He responded hastily.

    "Then how about we wait to see and observe how the other nations take this."

    "Guy! This is the same thing, while waiting to observe, you will be letting other people die from this thing!!" Mok Jae-Hwa protested.

    "And how sure are you that you won''t die if you go there...?" Raith asked him, narrowing his eyes.

    "For me, it is not my life that matters but that I can save a life."

    "The hell?" Raith was taken aback by the man''s words. He wasn''t taken aback because he was impressed.

    "How can a guild president be so dumb?" He asked with an irritated re at Jae-Hwa.

    "What? We hunters exist to save these people out there, it is not their fault they don''t have powers and it is our responsibility to save those them because they don''t." Mok Jae-Hwained.

    Raith''s irritated look at Mok Jae-Hwa continued...

    "You really are the dumbest guy I know... well, I used to know one dumb guy named Raith but how can you be so naive. Do you think death will receive you with open arms because you want to save lives? Do you think you are going to be awarded a Nobel Prize award for saving ten thousand souls? Or do you think another life exists beyond death? Do you think reincarnation is real? Or do you want to be reborn in a fantasy world? What the hell is going on in your head that makes you so confident about death? Do you belittle the essence of it? If you are given life you should be appreciative of it but you are willing to throw yours away for the sake of some random people you don''t even know? How can you be so senseless? Nobody gives a shit about you, hold on to your fucking life and no one needs your saving... I bet you one touch at that gate and you will turn out just like every other hunter in that country."

    Raith was heaving heavily by the time he was done.

    Mok Jae-Hwa gulped.

    He didn''t know what to say.

    ''...did I say something, seems like he took it too personal.'' Mok Jae-Hwa gulped once more.

    Even the chairman was speechless.

    "Okay, this is settled" He broke the silence and pped. "Mok Jae-Hwa, we will wait and observe how the other countries react to this, in the meantime. Don''t you guys have an S-rank gate to raid?"

    "Yes."

    "S rank?" Raith asked, his heart was already beating fast at the thought of it. But he had to feign ignorance and put his excitement under control because he didn''t want toe off as a gate psychopath¨C what he didn''t know is that he was already a gate psychopath to them.

 Chapter 122 A Deal We Dont Know Yet

    "About three months ago... there was an appearance of S rank gate. Which rarely happens. After the horde of S rank gates were cleared two years ago by an alliance of all special ranks."

    "Oh, so all the special ranks came together to clear all S rank gates. Are S rank gates that strong?" Raith asked¨C even though it was clear that he was talking to the chairman, his eyes were on Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "Yes, S-rank gates are that strong. I was opportune to pair up with the catastrophe rank hunter from Russia... even he had it rough. I, a disaster-rank hunter could not even do much against those monsters." Mok Jae-Hwa replied, looking down in shame.

    "I see..." Raith acknowledged.

    "Yea..." Chairman Mok Jun-Seo continued, "...since that time, S rank gates rarely emerge until this one. So it''s in high demand. But I decided to make it your first official gate raid, the eyes of the media will be upon you from all around the world."

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo wore a big smile on his face as he spoke.

    "What if I fail?"

    "Hunter Raven... I have seen what you are capable of... at least a speck of it. I know you can''t fail." He assured Raith with a confident expression.

    Raith shook his head with a smile.

    "Besides, you will be doing this with me and my team." Mok Jae-Hwa added.

    "There''s nothing impressive about that? Am I supposed to be gratefully raiding a dungeon with a guy that thinks too little of death?" Raith sternly said to him.

    Mok Jae-Hwa went silent and said nothing after that while his father justughed at how harshly he has been shut.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    The first raid was a sess but the pdins whom the citizens were so proud of wereing back in ruins. Their number has greatly reduced and even the littlest of citizens dare to ask the question: Will they be able to clear the ant chimera dungeon in Ephselon city?

    This was a question that everyone knew the answer to and the fear they had all forgotten about found its way back into their hearts.

    Streets that used to be lively with news and story of the pontifices'' grace was not dry and looked abandoned because everyone has learned to stay in thefort of their house.

    This situation has given rise to themencement of preachers who say the end of the world ising and they shall know that the end of the world is near.

    "Hm... the boy has not been heard of since he went to Felfhiem... he is probably dead or something. I told you he can''t survive, it is a sad thing. I guess we have to find a new hero for the failure archon."

    "Wait! Your grace, you are going to give that cruel faith to another person?!"

    The white-haired elvendy turned to him with a gloomy smile, "Wow wow... Pieter, you have now learned to talk haven''t you?"

    "I''m sorry Leane, I was just worried."

    "Do not waste your time and thoughts on things such as worry. You have known me for so long as my Knight Of Oath, aren''t you used to it by now."

    "Ah, it is hard to get used to you Leane."

    "Wow, I don''t know if I should take that as apliment or an insult."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The dark-haired knight with a cold face looked down in contemtion. He seemed to have an issue in his mind but wouldn''t talk.

    "I told you already Pieter, useless emotions, I hate them."

    "I''m just thinking about the heretic preachers... what if they are right¨C

    The atmosphere immediately changed. She was not facing Pieter but he could tell that she was very angry at what she just spilled.

    She cocked her head backward over her neck, "Hey Pieter, do you want to die? Do you want me to kill you?" as she asked, a gloomy and dark serenity overwhelmed her face. It was so calm that it was very scary.

    "I''m sorry Leane!" The man immediately got on all fours and begged.

    She stormed away from the balcony where both of them were into therge hall of the Throne Archon temple, The Oasis Of chra as it is poprly called.

    The man sighed and looked over the balcony, to the cities that all seemed empty because people were beginning to lose fate in the pontifices. The only ces crowds could be seen were amidst the preachings of the world''s end.

    ***

    A certain man in a ck cloak, his head was also covered by the hood of the cloak but there was a point carved out of the hood of the cloak as if something pointy was trying to escape.

    The man reached the front of a ragged man who was packing up his microphone box which was like that of a Victorian era.

    "Huh? Young man, are you lost?" The ragged man said to the man in the cloak who just stared down at him.

    Seeing that this man was not responding, the ragged man left what he was doing and stood up to the cloaked man.

    "See, for today I am done preaching but you can always meet us at this point if you want to hear more."

    "I have a question for you" The cloaked man finally spoke, his voice was like a strained foghorn, but oddly there was a pleasant and addictive tone that it rang out with.

    "What is it, young man?"

    "How are you so confident that this world wille to an end?"

    "The signs, did you not hear about the raid? Even the pdins were not able to avoid ruination. The archons will be forced to wake up and the moment the archons wake up, Therut will be destroyed because the archons'' bodies are the very foundation on which this world was bu¨C The man paused and bted covering his mouth with his hands.

    ''...shit, it slipped. I wasn''t supposed to say that part''

    The hood of the cloak was covering the upper face of this individual hence it was hard to see what his face looked like but the man could see as his lips curled up.

    "Now, now, aren''t you an interesting one? You are quite informed aren''t you?"

    "Haha... young man, just look away from me. I was just saying gibberish."

    "You are right, their bodies are the foundation of this world. But what you don''t know is that they can wake up without having to wake up their body. And that is why all pontifices are elves. Only the lifespan and body of an elf can amodate them, the human body is too weak and has a short lifespan."

    The man''s eyes shivered, ''...this guy, he just said what that man used to teach all of us.''

    "I am very sure that this is something you were taught. I don''t care who taught you but I can help you to your aim... if you are willing to make a deal with a demon."

 Chapter 123 A Force Of Darkness

    "Do you resent Shax? Even though he heard that I have you in my custody he seems not to be concerned at all?"

    "I do not resent him nor do I wish that he be concerned for me," Volmak replied to the demon that sat in front of him on a dark metal throne seat.

    uros would have undoubtedly been considered human if not for those two horns on his head. But even with that, he was adorned with a beautiful face and his long ck wavy hair was an aesthetic addition to his features.

    He stood up, donned in transparent ck linen that was so long that it spread on the whole floor around his throne seat. He slowly walked closer to Volmak, speaking:

    "The only reason you are still alive is that I know that no matter how strong you are, it is impossible for you to kill Fenrir. Do you know how much we have sought to kill that wolf...? Fenrir? Dead? Bleh... I was just more particr about using you to challenge Shax since he has grown too weak..." He paused as he reached Volmak''s front.

    "But I never imagined that he''d be a hard one to break. Shax. He deserves his reputation, how annoying... there''s nothing I can do. Which brings us to the matter of this." His lips carved out an abominable grin as he bent down and held Volmak''s chin up.

    "What did you do with the Fenrir? That big bad wolf is immortal, nothing and I mean literally nothing should be able to kill it. More impressive thing is, there were no signs of the body, just blood... no signs of an escape too... if Fenrir had escaped, he would have destroyed Vc''s castle. But that castle is still standing. Don''t lie to me Volmak?"

    Volmak gulped, his lips were dry and peeling off, his eyes were hollow and empty with dark circles beneath his eyelid and his cheekbones were inly being carved out by his dry skin. The story of the torment and starvation he had gone through while in Duke uros'' prison was being told by his face, the unhealed wounds on his body, and his ragged shirt and pants.

    "I killed the Fenrir... it was a miracle."

    Even though he spoke, his voice was void of the life it used to have and his eyes were unwavering before the intimidating presence of the demon Duke.

    uros narrowed his eyes and flicked his hand beneath his chin¨C

    Wham!!

    Volmak was catapulted away by a massive force that was amodated by a circr shockwave of propetion, his body helplessly mmed on the metal door and toppled to the ground.

    Duke uros stood up, heaving his shoulders as he red at the helpless man, then he turned.

    "Get him out of my sight! I don''t care if he dies of starvation." Hemanded and walked back to his throne seat. Immediately the metal knights that were like decoration before now suddenly moved and each of the two lifted him with one hand each and dragged him out of the throne room.

    No matter what uros did, he was unable to extract any useful information from Volmak and he was finally giving up on him.

    ***

    ***

    "Please let me join in too!" Hunter Seong Nara shouted.

    "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Shin-Hye replied.

    "Huh? How did you get here without me even realizing?" Hunter Nara was surprised, ''...no way, did she get a stealth skill''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Hunter Nara after hearing that Mok Jae-Hwa with his main raid team along with Raith would be raiding an S rank gate arrived at Mok Jae-Hwa''s office as early as she could to convince him to include her as a part of his team.

    And Jae-Hwa has been refusing to do so, hence causing her to run out of her patience¨C which is why she lifted her voice. Unfortunately for her, Shin-Hye appeared out of nowhere.

    "Wow, is that a new skill honey?" Jae-Hwa asked.

    "Huh? Don''t fucking honey me when you are with this bitch" She replied, ring deadly at him.

    "Wait, wait, wait, who are you calling a bitch?" Hunter Nara turned to her with narrowed eyes. Her skin was already freezing and even the temperature of the room was already getting cold.

    "Did you forget, I''m already dead... do you think your ice will work on me?" Shin-Hye smirked at her power flex.

    "Oh, really... let''s not forget you can be frozen for life and not even your boyfriend will be able to save you." Hunter Nara replied with a grin, her hair floating up slowly on its own.

    "I don''t need his weak ass to save me... let''s see if you can sessfully freeze me."

    "...uhm uhm... my office" Mok Jae-Hwa mumbled but no one cared about him.

    As the two of them locked gazes on each other, Mok Jae-Hwa''s office was already freezing, frost was spreading on the wall.

    knock knock

    Immediately the twodies sent a sharp gaze to the door, ignoring their differences.

    "Ha, that must be him," Jae-Hwa said.

    "Him, who? That person out there has an ominous presence... one I''m not sure I can handle." Hunter Naramented.

    "I am an element of death, yet I am so overwhelmed..." Shin-Hye added but paused and looked down¨C her right hand was trembling.

    knock knock

    "Ah, you cane in" Mok Jae-Hwa btedly replied because he was upied by his enjoyment of watching thesedies shake with the fear of who was outside.

    The door opened and a twenty-something guy wearing all ck, from his hair to his shirt, to his pants, to his coats and his polished shoe, the only that wasn''t ck about him was his skin and his heterochromia eyes.

    "Hunter Raven. It is good to have you back at the guild." Mok Jae-Hwa weed Raith who walked closer to his front and was seriously ring at him with furrowed eyebrows.

    Raith''s expression firstly shocked Mok Jae-Hwa but the next second he could guess the reason, "I didn''t know you carry grudges for a long time"

    "As long as you still think death is something you can embrace happily I will keep having issues with you. As a matter of fact, maybe I can try killing you in today''s raid."

 Chapter 124 Baal Is Broken

    "Ha ha ha... that is one hell of an expensive joke." Mok Jae Hwa pointed out,ughing sheepishly.

    Hisugh came to ame end when he saw that Raith still had that nk expression of his own.

    "Ah, right! You said you wanted to see Dong-Hyun"

    He needed to avert the topic in order to escape the situation and this was just the perfect thing to do.

    Raith nodded and looked back at the two: cat and dog who have been silent since he entered.

    "Shin-Hye this is Hunter Raven. Korea''s Catastrophe rank hunter whom you wanted to see so badly, howe you are not saying anything now that you are seeing him?" Mok Jae-Hwa spoke, his words sounded sincere but his tone was clearly mocking his girlfriend''s cocky attitude.

    "Hello"

    Raith greeted them, bowing his head a little.

    "Ha¨C h-hi" Her reply was a bit retarded but she replied anyway. Seong Nara was unable to say anything, she just stood and averted his gaze away from him.

    ''...I feel an aura of death from her...'' Raith nced at Shin-Hye again.

    "Then we should head to the smithy." Mok Jae-Hwa suggested and led Raith out of the room.

    Immediately the door shot close, it was as though the heavy pressure that was hanging on the atmosphere suddenly dropped to the ground, Seong Nara dropped to her feet.

    ''No way, is that really a catastrophe rank?''

    The semnce that surrounded Raith was one that she had never felt before, apart from Seong Nara''s extraordinary affinity for ice, she was also known to be supersensitive, hence that was why Mok Jae-Hwa was enjoying it so much.

    It was not just Raith''s presence that pressured her, it was the endless sea of darkness as she stared at him that lost her, it was as if she was trying to find her senses that were drowning in an expanse of a certain sea of darkness.

    ...

    Even though Raith had been here before, he was still lost in the magnificent sight of this ce. This time around, there were a lot of nging sounds of metal as if arge number of people were working on something. No matter how much Raith tried to mind his business, he just couldn''t avoid asking.

    "Is there a special asion?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa with his lively eyes, as usual, looked around before realizing Raith''s question. "Oh, this? Ah, yes... there''s this mass production we are working on." He had gotten so used to the sound of the smithy that it had be normal for him, hence, causing him not to immediately figure out that Raith was asking due to the several sounds of metal hitting metal.

    Finally, they entered a chamber, an enclosed office without a window, and was dark, almost looking like a separated space from the underground smithy.

    ng

    ng

    ng

    ng

    Raith paused as he saw the sparkling light that escaped every time the metallic sound was produced. If not for his [darkvision] there''s no way he would have known someone was inside the dark, without any light was hammering a metal.

    Raith''s eyes widened, ''How is he even able to do that in the dark."

    The hammer kept hitting the same point, apart from the fact that the room was totally dark, another amazing thing was that with the enormous sparks of light that each hit exuded, the person hammering was not wearing any facial protection, and also wasn''t backing away from the sparks fly.

    It was trulymendable, each strike was impressive.

    ''No, matter what direction they came from, no matter the direction he threw his hand upward to, when it ising down it arrives at the same point.'' Raith rubbed his chin as he observed a bit more.

    ''...If I could apply this principle to my sword fight. I wonder if it will make any significant difference.'' Unbeknownst to Raith, he was already bing a swordsmanship fanatic.

    "Isn''t it amazing?" Mok Jae-Hwamented with a proud expression, his gaze standing high as the both of them from the entrance of the dark room, watched Dong-Hyun super focused on what he was doing.

    ''Right... he''s still here.'' Raith had been so busy with his thoughts that he had forgotten that Mok Jae-Hwa was right beside him.

    In that split two minutes, he had run hundreds of simtions in his head trying to picture how the swordy would turn out if he tried to adopt what Dong-Hyun was doing.

    "What the hell are you two doing here?" Dong-Hyun asked, standing in front of them.

    ''Eh?'' Raith''s eyes widened, ''When did the hammer stop?'' He questioned himself. This time, he couldn''t tell if he was the one that was immersed in his thoughts or if there was more to Dong-Hyun than meets the eye. After all, the sequential time flow of the hammering sound was the time measurement he used for his simtions. By the time the hammer strikes down the hot metal on the anvil, his sword was diving deep into his opponent.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Ah, ah, ah... Dong-Hyun, you don''t need to be that harsh. Hunter Raven here said he wanted to see you about something." Mok Jae-Hwa said, looking at Raith.

    Dong-Hyun also turned his gaze to Raith, "I hear you are now a catastrophe rank hunter. Well, congrattions... do our guild well. You do know that our guild president almost died trying to protect your ass that ran away after fighting with Turner," The macho man said to Raith, ring up at him.

    Dong-Hyun was not short but he wasn''t tall either.

    "Ah, ah. Dong-Hyun, you don''t need to be like that. You know I would have done that for anyone." Mok Jae-Hwa said, warding off Dong-Hyun''s aggressive approach to Raith.

    "Whatever. What are you here for?" His eyes stayed on Raith who stretched forth a ck-sheathed sword.

    The cksmith Instinctively stuttered backward as he saw what it was, "Are you crazy? What do you think you are doing?!" He snarled at Raith.

    "It''s broken" Raith stated, looking down at the sword.

    "Huh? I didn''t catch that." Dong-Hyun reposed himself and moved closer to Raith but wasn''t as close as he used to be before.

    "I said, it broke?" Raith repeated.

    The man tilted his head with a frown, his face was saying they seriously can''t believe whatever was before them.

    "Are you kidding me? You broke that demonic sword?!!"

    Raith looked at the sword again, "Well, logically speaking... I was not the one that broke it. But the person I was fighting with."

    "What Turner?!"

    Raith was getting fed up, ''...since I can''t tell him about Briceus, so we can just go with this.''

    "What that is impossible! I watched your fight with Turner. You didn''t use a sword."

    ''Oh just great, now how do I cover this up'' Raith''s eyes narrowed, "You watched it?"

    "There was a satellite footage of the two of you. But it was nothing significant and is Korean property, we will never let Turner see it, to prevent him from knowing your abilities." Mok Jae-Hwa assured him.

    "I don''t care..." ''...I didn''t even use my abilities'' "...what I want is the footage" Raith said to them.

    "Oh, no problem then." Mok Jae-Hwa responded.

    "So will you tell me how you broke the demonic sword?" Dong-Hyun pressed.

    Raith averted his gaze from him and looked to his side¨C there was nothing at his side. It was a dumb way to ignore someone.

    "So you are not going to say huh? Then I''m not going to touch that thing."

    "Ha! Dong-Hyun-ssi, don''t do that. I''m sure Hunter Raven has his reasons for not wanting to speak. But if he came here that means he is confident in your skills, isn''t that development, it''s good news right?!" Mok Jae-Hwa eximed with a radiant expression.

    He was very talented at cajoling Tae Dong-Hyun.

    The cksmith stared at Raith for a few more seconds before finally speaking:

    "Let''s get out of here." He said and led them out of the dark room to another chamber that was pure white with white led bulbs.

    A long white tform sat in the middle of the room with numerous led lights shining down on the tform, it was in a way like a surgical operating room.

    "Put it there." Dong-Hyun requested, carefully looking at Raith who in response stepped forward and removed the sword from its sheath and spread all the broken parts on the white table.

    Raith sighed as he looked at the broken des, he remembered how the broken swords came back to find him¨C

    After his fight with Briceus, he passed out and woke up in the hospital. He forgot the broken sword in Briceus'' hideout but after his fight with Briceus that he was taken to a monster valley by the abyss because he passed a trial without failing. The sword came to his rescue even though it was shattered, it flew through distance¨C he couldn''t tell how that was even possible but what Raith knew was that the broken sword and all the broken parts were tearing through monsters on their own.

    That was why he had ended up growing an increased fondness for the sword. And he wanted to repair it.

    "So would you be able to make him whole again?"

    He had even started personifying the sword.

 Chapter 125 Baal Is Awake

    "So would you be able to make him whole again?"

    Tae Dong-Hyun rubbed his chin and looked down at the broken sword.

    "This will be hard and it will take a long time. First of all, I am not sure that this guy would want to enter heat, another thing is... this is clearly an ego weapon... that might have the capability to eat me alive."

    "What? So you can''t do it?" Raith looked at him with an undermining expression. "...Perhaps, I was overestimating you in my head." He mumbled but loud enough for Dong-Hyun to hear.

    He was going to trick the cksmith into doing it, even though he knew very well that Dong-Hyun''s suspicions were on point.

    "Hey, hey... Calm down now will you? Did I even say I won''t? I just need you to talk to it."

    "Huh?" Raith lifted one of his brows. What was this macho macho saying?

    "Why will I talk to a sword?" Raith cocked his head with the flow of the question.

    "Then you can kiss your demonic sword bye-bye forever. I''m not going to touch that thing unless you talk to it" Dong-Hyun turned away from the sword.

    "Ah, wait!" eximed.

    The cksmith paused and waited for him.

    Even though he had called out for him because he truly wanted the sword to be repaired but how was he supposed to talk with an inanimate object?

    "This is embarrassing..." Raith mumbled.

    "And that is where your problem began."

    "Huh?" Raith lifted his gaze to Dong-Hyun.

    "Ego weapons have a consciousness of their own. Even if they can''t talk yet, they have emotions and do not want to be treated like some ordinary sword. When it is a bound ego item, the strength of the item is equally proportional to the bond between the master of the item and the item itself."

    "What are you saying?" Raith narrowed his gaze.

    "I''m saying, this sword is supposed to be an invincible sword. It is not that the sword that broke it was superior but that your bond with it was weak hence the sword could not even reach the true potential of its powers."

    "What do you mean our bond is weak? I mean, he sucks blood, and his my choice of weapon all the time." Raith responded, shrugging his arms, his expression was desperately looking to find sense in what Dong-Hyun was saying.

    "Do you hear how you address an ego weapon? ''Your choice of weapon'' they are called ''Ego weapon'' because they have a proud ego. They don''t want to be called a weapon. They want to be seen as an equal partner, spoken to just like you would with your fellow humans."

    "Really?" Raith lowered his brows into a quizzical frown, looking at the broken sword.

    "Yes," Dong-Hyun responded to him.

    "I mean, for me when I was¨C

    "Shut up Jae-Hwa, you have never even used an ego weapon before what do you want to contribute? Just stay silent."

    Mok Jae-Hwa gulped and continued to watch as he has been watching.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith took a step closer to the sword, "Hey, ck... yea, calling you sword of Ba''al is too much of a stress so I will just call you ck"

    [You have renamed the sword of Ba''al ''ck'']

    Raith looked at the message that popped up and continued with his broken sword.

    "...I know I have probably talked to you every now and then when we were fighting. But it wasn''t well. And maybe you were weak because I didn''t invest more into the rtionship with us. You can me your being broken on me, but I will make things better from now. So, stay well while this cksmith repairs you."

    "He can''t!"

    Whim!

    All three of them flung back immediately, they were all standing farther from the tform.

    Raith expanded his eyes, "What the hell did I just hear?!"

    "The sword talked!" Mok Jae-Hwa was sounding so amazed but pearls of sweat were already forming on his temple.

    ck smoke was oozing out of the sword and it was thick, within the ck smoke were a two red glints that carved out narrowed eyes.

    "What in the world have you brought to my smithy?" Dong-Hyun shrieked. ''I have never heard of egos speaking... I thought they just had the will to act on their own ord and have their own sword skills... this guy...''

    "What? What? Why are the three of you all cooped up there, looking like you have just seen the ghost of your own dung?!" The hoarse, yet thick voice resounded in the room again and clearly originated from the ck smoke with red eyes that formed atop the broken sword on the tform.

    "Is a person''s dung even supposed to have a ghost?"

    "Arrghhh? Are you telling me I''m wrong? Pretty boy, do you wanna die?" He growled, narrowing his eyes to a slit and sending murderous intent that ran through Mok Jae-Hwa''s spine like goosebumps.

    ''Shit, this thing is no joke'' Mok Jae-Hwa felt his body shiver and immediately apologized, "I''m sorry... I just thought¨C He btedly stop. ''... wait, why am I even apologizing to a sword?'' He asked himself.

    It was intimidating, the killing intent was so intimidating that itmanded a majestic dominance in the atmosphere.

    Raith''s and Dong-Hyun''s eyes were on Mok Jae-Hwa who apologized without even realizing it.

    "What?" Mok Jae-Hwa mumbled with a shoulder shrug.

    ''Well, I can understand him... That thing is powerful... I have only seen a demonic sword once but that can''t evenpare to what I am seeing right now.'' Dong-Hyun intermittently stole nces at the sword.

    "Why is it now that you are speaking?"

    "Because you just fucking named me! You are so dumb, so idiotic! Ah for fuck sake, I wish someone brilliant could have picked me up, how did you not know that in order for you to awaken a powerful ego such as I. You have to rename them using your life essence. Hell, what am I even saying to a guy that doesn''t even know his own true name."

    "Wait, did you say life essence?" Raith closed the distance in an instant, staring into the face of the materialized smoke with red glimmering eyes like that of a viper.

    "w-w-what? You think you can intimidate me because you got a little something on you huh? Well, get the shit out of my face you fucking piece of nutcracked nutjob heavenly fucking virgin! Who is also going to die a virgin!!" The ck smoke roserger to materialize some sort of smoky head that mmed against Raith''s as he cursed at him.

 Chapter 126 Baal Is Foul But Wise

    "You are being too rude! I just asked what the fuck you mean by using my life essence? Don''t tell me I just shortened my long life because I named you?! And what is it about the talk of virgin virgin virgin"

    "Huh?! Virgin?! Uh?!! Are you seriously asking me that when you are the one who masturbates in your closet watching lewd stuff?!!"

    "What?! Why are you lying?" Raith raised his voice in defense.

    "Me? Why will I lie? I see you every time, you dump me in your inventory but I see you every time and I know that darn helmet guy sees you too."

    Raith looked at the ring in his hand.

    "Wow, I guess even a catastrophe rank hunter gets horny," Dong-Hyun mumbled.

    "Hunter Raven should think about getting a girlfriend."

    Raith shamefully turned back, "It was once... I was just curious because they said it releases stress..." He tried to defend his image but it was to no avail.

    "Yes, we understand" Both of them responded with a frozen and nk expressions.

    "First day alive and I can already tell that we won''t get along!"

    "I''d die before I get along with a dumb motheruxka like you." The ego said, materializing out ck tiny hands that folded to his front as he confronted Raith.

    "I will only answer you because I owe you for awakening me... you have a long way to go. When I mean your life essence, it would have shortened your life if you were like others but you and I know what we are talking about." The ego responded.

    "Dark energy..." Raith''s eyes rolled down as he subconsciously summoned his status.

    ________________________

    [Status Window]

    Name: Raven Raith

    True name: (locked)

    ss: Monarch Of Darkness

    Subss: Child Of Death

    HP: 39,500/39,500

    Age: 21

    Level: 54

    Darkness points(D.P): 0

    Cosmic points(C.P): 5270

    ________________________

    Raith''s eyes widened.

    "Zero"

    His face naturally turned gloomy, ''Damn, I''m supposed to be raiding a gate soon.'' Raith scratched his head, ''...I made a big mistake naming this bastard''

    "Oh, great one, God of swords?..." Dong-Hyun spoke, moving closer with his head bowed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ck blushed and wriggled as he turned his focus to Dong-Hyun. "Looks like you all got a proper somebody in this ce. What is your name dude?"

    "I am Dong-Hyun, a cksmith."

    ck frowned immediately but rxed his expression secondster, "I have a grudge against cksmiths, those bastards are the reason why I have a hazy memory and can''t even remember my master anymore. But I will spare you. Even though I spare you, you cannot repair me, it is not that I am unwilling. You have divinity and you will lose it if you forge me."

    "Sir? I don''t quite understand." Dong-Hyun spoke, very politely as though he was talking to an elderly person.

    "I can smell it from you, divine aura. It is probably why you are able to create all the special weapons I feel in this area. But the moment you use that divinity on me, it won''t work and you will lose that divinity, to make matters worse, you don''t have the pure hand skill to reforge me."

    "What do you mean? He is really good." Raith defended him.

    "Shut up dummy, what do you know?" ck turned to Dong-Hyun again after shutting Raith. "Look man, visualize a strong man carrying a veryrge boulder and walking up a volcano mountain."

    "I can tell how hard that is without even visualizing it," Raith replied.

    "Yea, good for you but I was not talking to you."

    ck''s reply caused a perfect decorum in the white room.

    "It will be very straining, the weight of the boulder will be reducing the strong man''s walking pace, plus it will also be applying a downward force that will eventually cause the strong man to fall."

    "Good, I like you! Now, if the man wants to sessfully climb the volcano mountain what does he do?" ck asked, narrowing one eye, and the other widened as if he was enjoying this.

    "The man has to drop the boulder," Dong-Hyun replied.

    "Yes, you get it right! Now I am the Volcano mountain, the divinity blessing you have is the boulder. Trying to repair me is like climbing a burning mountain, it''s already hard enough as it is, then you have that darned thing called divinity on you... Man, you can never touch me."

    Dong-Hyun''s hand was already on his chin, rubbing his little mustache and lost in thoughts. ''...could this be the answer I have been searching for...or should I try talking to him about it.''

    "Why do your words sound like you are trying to defame divinity and exalt yourself, why do you have to be the volcano mountain?" Raith asked, irritatedly bearing down at him.

    "And why do you gotta hate? Don''t be hating because you are a dimwit." ck responded without even looking at him.

    His response cause a vein to bulge out of Raith''s temple, he probably was getting very angry.

    "Sword king, I have a question. I don''t know if you will be able to help me." Dong-Hyun asked, bowing his head again. In his disposition and speech, his honor for ck was indisputable.

    "Speak my friend" And ck just kept liking him more and more.

    "I have recently reached a block in my hammering skills as a cksmith, before when I hammer, it is as though I am breaking into the essence of every metal, it is a tough thing to exin because it is not always the same thing even if it is the same mental. But of recent, I have been finding it hard to tap into that essence... it is as though it is not there anymore..."

    "Hmm," ck rubbed his chin as he thought about the cksmith''s question.

    "See friend, I don''t know much about forgery, but I will tell you this because I have lived thousands of years and survived hundreds of forgeries. When you reach that point that it keeps feeling the same? I think that just means you have exhausted all there is to that particr thing. Hence, what I''m saying is, it is not that you can''t feel it anymore, it is that you can now feel it so cleanly that it has be a part of you.

    Perhaps before you can only feel it after hammering a hundred times, but now with one hammering, you have felt it but then it isn''t so obvious because your senses have grown past that point and are already seeking something bigger. That thing that used to be bigger to you is now smaller, that is just the sign that you need to grow.

    And in my honest opinion, you cannot grow with that blessing in divinity you have you."

    Dong-Hyun was gobsmacked, his jaw fell and wouldn''t close. ''How can a sword be so rich in knowledge?''

    Even Mok Jae-Hwa and Raith were amazed.

 Chapter 127 Mountain Ashes

    "Look, I know what those darn celestials are like, they are selfish. They will give you divinity only to limit your capabilities and potential."

    "Huh, who are celestials? What is that?"

    ck was about to talk when he nced at Raith, the dark look that Raith had on his face prompted him toe to an abrupt pause. His gloomy face this time was different and because ck was Raith''s bound weapon, he could feel it.

    "Sword god? Is something wrong?" Dong-Hyun asked, ncing at Raith.

    "Ahem, such a thing is not something for a human like you to know." ck said, averting his gaze, ''Why was his look so much like that of master''

    "A-a-anyway. Even if you want to reforge me, in order to melt my metal in Mountain ashes."

    "Mountains ashes...? Is it the same mountain ashes?" Dong-Hyun eximed.

    Mok Jae-Hwa shifted his gaze to him, "Is there something special about this mountain ashes?" he asked.

    "Well, there''s is this rumor from the World Association of cksmiths¨C

    "Eeehhh? There''s a thing like that in this world?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked.in disbelief.

    "Yes of course! cksmiths are underrated because everyone only focuses on the hunters. But we matter too and we have our own association. Anyways, don''t distract me. Mountain ashes is a wood that can only be gotten from trees that survive the harshness of the top of a mountain and their ability to grow. It is said that the fire produced from this wood has a purple color and is capable of burning even a cksmith before he finishes forging a metal. It is only possible with a cksmith that has some kind of heat resistance skill. Even a disaster-rank hunter who is a cksmith could only stay with it for fifteen minutes and stille out with burns all over his body." Dong-Hyun exined.

    ''I could use skill Bestowal though...'' Raith rubbed his chin but didn''t speak, at least Dong-Hyun had not made his decision yet.

    But it was clear at this point, if he decided to reforge ck, he was forfeiting the cksmith blessing he was granted by a god but that also meant that he would be embracing growth.

    "Sword god sir. I havee to a decision."

    "Huh? So fast?" ck was surprised.

    "Yes! As a cksmith, nothing matters to me more than growth from a great ordeal. Even if I will lose my divinity, I think this experience will be worth it. I have mountain ashes but I don''t know if I will be able to bear it for even two, no- one minute." Dong-Hyun worried, his gaze falling to the ground.

    "I can help with that..." Raith announced, slightly raising his hand.

    "Huh? What are you saying?"

    "First you will have to light up the fire for me to see...before I finally do what I intend to do." Raith exined.

    Everywhere was silent, Dong-Hyun''s and Jae-Hwa''s eyes were on Raith. He was very serious, even ck did not protest against his suggestion or curse him out.

    "B-B-But hunter Raven, this heat can cause your fine skin to be filled with burns in just seconds."

    Raith sighed, "Don''t worry about me. Do you want to do this or not?" He asked.

    p¦Ánd¦Á,no¦Í?1,§ão§® Dong-Hyun looked at him for a while and gave up the idea of stopping him. "Follow me..." He said.

    Raith and Jae-Hwa naturally turned in the direction of the door.

    "Of course, my lord" Dong-Hyun was already beside the tform bowing his head, "If you don''t mind great one, can I carry you."

    "Ahem," ck blushed and averted his gaze, "W-w-well, I''ll allow it this once." He said.

    Dong-Hyun gently packed the broken sword into his hand and walked out of the room with Mok Jae-Hwa and Raith who shook their heads at how much of a fanatic he had be in minutes of meeting a true experience.

    But for Dong-Hyun, this was a matter of great privilege, even cksmiths of stronger skill than him have never seen an ego than could talk and materialize a form. This was a very very big privilege that he would brag about for the rest of his life.

    The idea of repairing the sound itself was sounding like a suicide attempt but Dong-Hyun was the kind of person that believed that whatever the hard work is, it will always bring results.

    The three of them, with Dong-Hyun''s hand gently carrying something passed through a ss tunnel that connected to another side of the smithy. It was as if different sections of Smithy were carved into the stone and the underground still went deeper than they were all looking. Train ropes connected from height to height and were used to transport different kinds of ores for processing, the view was beautiful from the transparent ss tunnel.

    "Dayum, Y''all really did something with this ce." ckplimented as he looked around.

    "I know right, I look at it every time and can''t get used to looking at it. This is the heart of Rain guild." Jae-Hwa exined with a proud smile on his face.

    "Nice work friend... don''t be allowing some pretty boy to take your des though," ck said,pletely ignoring Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "Ah, ah, yes sir" Dong-Hyun replied with a sheepishugh.

    ''I can''t help but get angry, why the hell does he keep calling me pretty boy...'' Mok Jae-Hwa frowned, but it was cute.

    Raith chuckled. The situation that just yed out now was understandable even to a slow-witted person.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    They reached the smithy: a ce where old craftsmanship meets contemporary design and technology. Arge space spread open before their eyes, well-lit, with high ceilings and expansive windows that allowed plenty of natural light to flood in.

    This questioned Raith''s senses, "Wait this, this is supposed to be underground isn''t it?"

    "Oh, this is not underground. This is another location." Mok Jae-Hwa responded.

    "What?" Raith was gobsmacked, "So the underground led us to another ce?"

    "Yes." Mok Jae-Hwa replied with that proud smile of his.

    The interior was lined with polished steel walls and floors, altogether giving the space a sleek and industrious feel.

    The centerpiece of the forgery was avant-garde, designed to meet the highest standard of safety and efficiency. The forge was made of top-quality materials and equipped with the highest grade of heating and cooling systems, which was supposed to allow whoever was working there to work with ease.

    Dong-Hyun ced ck on a table and walked to a cupboard and opened it¨C The cupboard was stacked with white short woods. Dong-Hyun brought a number of them out and put them into the forge stepping away from the forge as he held a lighter in his hands and threw it inside.

    Whoooooom!

    The fire immediately ignited, first starting with a blue fire, then slowly turning to a purple color.

    None of them could bear the intense heat that wasing from the fire, Dong-Hyun and Jae-Hwa were already behind the door in a matter of just a minute.

    Raith looked down at his body, his clothes were being melted by the heat but he was fine.

    Twenty minutester...

    "It''s different... I can feel the heat," Raith said, he was already beginning to sweat.

    Meanwhile, Mok Jae-Hwa and Dong-Hyun are outside.

    "What the hell is that guy?! How long has it been and he is still there?!" Dong-Hyun asked with a disbelieving face.

    "Or is he dead?" Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes widened at his suggestion.

    "That is impossible, right?" Dong-Hyun replied. The gazes of the two of them stayed with each other for the next minute.

    Thud!

    They barged in¨C Raith turned to them.

    "What?!!" They ran back outside immediately and locked the door. The smithy wasced with a system that cooled the heat from the forge but then it was still like that.

    Dong-Hyun looked at his hand which had already burned from touching the heat-resistant doorknob. He looked at Jae-Hwa.

    "What the hell is that guy?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa shook his head too with a raised eyebrow, "I have no idea."

    As Raith opened the door, both of them immediately backed away from him.

    Even though this was beyond the thinkable, Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes were filled awe for Raith.

    "I think I can help you stay in there for as long as thirty minutes." Raith said.

    "What? You can do that?" Dong-Hyun asked, distracted by the thought of Raith''s might.

    "Yes, I can do that. But don''t ask any questions." Raith said, waiting on him for his reply.

    "Trust me, he might be good for nothing but he is a strong man!" ck''s voice sounded from inside the room.

    Dong-Hyun gulped, ''...even the sword was not affected by that heat.''He looked at Raith who was standing in front of the opened door, the fire had gone off so the heat was slowly reducing.

    Dong-Hyun stepped into the room and looked around, the rest of Raith''spletely burned clothes were being carried away by the wind and the cooling system''s work was finally being felt.

    He stood in the center of the room, in front of the space, and stared at the forge, then narrowed his eyes and looked back at Raith.

    "I ept, do what you must do."

 Chapter 128 Skill Bestowal

    ?

    [Do you want to use ''Skill Bestowal'']

    ''Sure''

    [Choose the skill you will like to bestow]

    ''Heat Resistance''

    [When using ''Skill Bestowal'' you won''t be able to use the skill bestowed as long as the target still has it]

    [The skill you have chosen is a passive skill and inherent skill this condition will not be applied]

    [However, the skill effect on you will be halved]

    [Do you still want to use the skill?]

    ''Yes...''

    Mok Jae-Hwa and Dong-Hyun were quite taken aback by Raith''s sudden silence but patiently waited for the wonders that he was going to work.

    [There must be a point of contact between you and the target for the skill to be activated]

    "Come here?" Raith subconsciously instructed it was more of a reflex speech and it sounded somanding that Dong-Hyun frowned- he was offended but still stepped forward to Raith, he needed something from Raith, he''d be gullible to raise an issue out of what Raith did and he knew that much.

    Raith''s index finger touched his forehead. There was no visible change or urrence even after Raith had retracted his hand.

    "Is that all? What did you do?"

    "I shared one of my skills with you," Raith replied to him.

    "Ehhhhhh? Really? Hunter Raven, you can do that?" Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa replied to Raith who turned to him and nodded. It was amazing that he didn''t doubt what Raith said and straightway believed him perhaps it was because of the wonders he had seen Raith perform with his out-of-the-world strength.

    "What skill?" Dong-Hyun asked, snorting at Raith.

    "Why do you think I was able to stay in that room?"

    Dong-Hyun''s eyes widened as Raith affirmed for him.

    "I shared with you a heat resistance skill, with the skill you should be able to stay in that mountain ashe for at least twenty minutes. Now, you can fix my sword."

    "Don''t call me your fucking sword, call me ck!!" His voice rang in from the room like a thorn finding its way through one''s flesh.

    ringgg ringgggg

    Hunter Jae-Hwa quickly picked up his phone but hung up barely five secondster and looked at Raith.

    "Hunter Raven, it is time." He said to Raith who nced at ck onest time and turned to Dong-Hyun.

    "I''ll leave him in your hands"

    "Be rest assured, he won''t be the same by the time you return" Dong-Hyun guaranteed him.

    Raith nodded with a smile that brought a nice radiance that was not always seen on his face.

    He nced onest time at ck and turned, "Be good." He said as he walked away with Jae-Hwa.

    ***

    ***<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ***

    "There is no food for us, the colony is dying because everyone keeps eating on each other. We have to go to the outside world." The red ant said, standing behind the white ant that was seated and was holding a book in its hand, some part of the book had been burnt but the ant was keenly focused regardless.

    "You know the Supreme one hates being disturbed" The ckish-purple ant rebuked the red ant, standing on the other side of the white ant.

    Regardless of the bickering between the two of them, the white ant did not take its eyes off the book it was reading.

    "We have to do something, we have to break down that golden thing. Supreme one, you have to give it a try." The red one persisted.

    "Who are you to give the Supreme one orders?!" The ckish-purple ant snarled, spreading his mandible. It was some sort of gritted teeth depiction as he was ready tounch at the red ant if it wasn''t for the ant that say in between the two of them.

    The red ant also wasn''tid back either, it furrowed itsrgepound eyes to a slit and was already folding out its other two hands.

    "Stop you two..." The white ant spoke with a low voice and added no stress to his tone, it was enough to make the two of them so rigid with honor and awe.

    The white ant closed the book and stood up, walking forward while the two stood stiff and watched him from behind.

    "You are right, there is a need for us to go to the outside world. The colony is dying, we have no food to feed mother in order to allow her to continue to reproduce as she ought. But you know, I read in this book how the human poption is affecting this thing global system. I have no idea what the global system means but based on the context this word was used it could mean some sort of environment that encapstes humanity and their activities... just like how we refer to ours as the colony.

    "..."

    The two of them stood dumb, unable to understand or process a bit of what the white ant was saying. He was, after all, he was created using a more powerful resource than they.

    "I me you not, because I am special and strong I have been granted the right to be liberated from the primitive very that binds our mind and prevents us from understanding the intelligence of this world. And that is why I know that thing that blocks our way from going to the world of humanity cannot be removed not even by me."

    "Supreme one, you are the strongest there is!" The red ant insisted.

    "No doubt, within this colony, I am the strongest. But outside the world, I have not any idea as to what is stronger than I am."

    "Hmm... what a nice way to think."

    The three ants btedly heard the strange voice and extracted their ws all ready to defend the white ant who stood in the middle with a slit re at the person above the roof, they could see right into the roof from the room they were in because a part was broken.

    "Oh, oh, do you think that will be effective with me." The person talking was donned in a ck cloak and red down at them, his eyes fuming with red smoke from his eyeballs.

    "Stop you two."

    The two of them retracted their ws immediately after the white ant spoke.

    Whim!

    Transparent wings stretched out of the ant''s back like breeze and as his wings began to p, the white ant levitated and reached the same point as the man standing above the roof.

    "I sense ominous energy from you. What are you? You are not human." The white ant said.

    "Of course, I am not... you still have a lot to learn if you think humanity is all there is to this world." The man replied to him, curling up his lips, "This is a fascinating thing. Not even fiends are capable of independent growth such as you. It wouldn''t be an understatement to say you are as strong as the master of the lowestyer of Felfhiem."

    "I can gain human knowledge by eating human memories, I have eaten over ten human memories and I don''t have any knowledge about a creature like you, the words you speak are strange which means there is a possibility that the humans have no idea of your existence."

    "Intelligent, I like the way you can deduce that on your own"

    "Which makes me wonder..." The ant''s ws slowly exposed themselves each w sharpening like a silver cubed knife. "...how much knowledge I will gain by eating your brain."

    "Hmm, to use you, I must tame you...e at me with your best."

 Chapter 129 Prelude To The Gate Raid

    ?

    The white ant shed forward with retractable ws shing through the air and leaving trails of fire in its wake. It shed with the cloaked individual- discharging a massive air wave that spread around the ruination and made all the lower ants doing their thing tremble with fear.

    "Not bad for an ant like you." The man pointed forth a finger¨C

    Immediately, the ant sensed the danger of theing attack and made a leap several steps backward before realizing it. The ant narrowed itspound eyes to a slit, observing the man from his distance.

    ''What is this? What is this coursing through my veins, I don''t understand why my body is shaking and my legs want to move backward...I am the Supreme one... what is this...?'' The ant monster contemted the new feeling that he began to feel due to a presence that seemed would have overwhelmed him with just a single finger.

    That is right before now, every single opponent the ant monster had met, it had overwhelmed and killed and so it knew not what fear truly felt like, this was the first time, it had ever been subjected to the feeling of fear.

    whush!

    The ant spread out all its ws stubbornly and lowered its upper body,

    Tssssss

    Instead of a steady air breathy from its mouth what the ant exuded as he seeped out air through his mandible was steamy air and mes that escaped from both corners of its mandible.

    "Oho?" The man''s lip curled upward as he watched the ant lower its upper body to take an even more powerful form and¨C

    Wham!

    Faster than anyone could have followed with their naked eyes, the ant became a blur¨C

    "Snipe"

    BOOOOM!!

    A sonic ck beam exploded out of his index finger, quickly ravaging the whole scene that was in view, spreading as far as over five ruined buildings that were in view.

    screeeeetch

    The ant groveled immediately, the distance between the beam and its body was just a hair''s breadth and it was wise enough to know that his man didn''t miss, he just decided to spare his life.

    "That is the right attitude. I shall introduce myself to you, I am Demon Prince Amon and I havee to grant you liberation.

    The ant was genuflecting as the man spoke and quickly replied, "Are you finally going to tear down the barrier?" It asked.

    "No, my dear son. No, I won''t... the world of Therut is not yours to destroy, I have ced another one there. I want you to focus on a real world, a world that will ignite the wrath of the celestials against the fiends." The man said, smiling.

    "But first, let us grant you a name."

    ***

    ***<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ***

    Raith and the others got ready for Raith, they all arrived at the scene from their various locations and in their various luxurious cars. Raith and Mok Jae-Hwa were thest to arrive and they were alreadyining.

    "Come on guild president, what took you so long?! I thought you valued punctuality more than anything!" Shin whined, flipping his chestnut brown bangs with a hint of yellow to reveal his almond eyes.

    "My bad, there was a little dy in trying to get a sword for Hunter Raven."

    "He uses a sword? I thought he is a summoner?!" Chong-Yol spoke, with spite oozing from the tone of his voice.

    "Yes, he is a summoner." Mok Jae-Hwa replied to him.

    All of them gathered together as Mok Jae-Hwa reached the front of the gate.

    The gate itself was massive and just at first nce is bigger than all the gates that Raith had entered before now, plus the swirling edges of the gate were ck colored©\ that alone told a significant difference between this gate and the ones he had always seen.

    Every other guild was envious of the Rain guild, even Lee Se-Chul was present at the location¨C he wasn''t the only one, other guild masters were also present more from the top ten guilds.

    P''il Jeong-Hun of the Earthmight guild which was the third strongest guild in South Korea, Cha Ji-Hu of Du-Ho guild which also held the position of the sixth strongest guild, Ah Yeong, the fluttering flower of the Sakuraba guild, and other guild presidents were avable at that spot.

    Mainly, to see the catastrophe rank hunter raid his first official gate which was an S rank. Even the citizens who watched from home and could see the gloomy atmosphere that loomed over the gate werementing to themselves saying:

    "It is possible that our catastrophe rank hunter should not enter that gate, it looks so dangerous"

    "Oh my God, Raven oppa please don''t die."

    "I pray you will survive this hunter raven."

    From different homes to ssrooms to workces, they all watched as the entire ce was filled with crowds of reporters, affiliated and unaffiliated hunters, everyone surrounded the front view of the space but still left a very wide space of over 20 radii for the main party that would be raiding the gate.

    "Thanks to a particr person, this is blown out more than we intended" Chong-Yol grunted, scowling at Raith.

    "Stop it Chong-Yol-ssi. It was bound to be this way as long as we are hunting an S-rank gate." Mok Jae-Hwa responded harshly to Raith.

    "Hunter Raith, are you not going to put on some battle armor?" Jae-Hwa said as he put off his ck suit jacket, loosened his tie, and began to strap on some top-grade armor.

    "I''m fine," Raith replied.

    "Tch, you feel you don''t need it eh?" Chong-Yol scowled at him again, as if he just couldn''t stand hearing his voice. "...I bet you are those kinds of people that sell all their weapons loots from raids because you feel you are better off the money. See let me tell you something?..." He said moving closer to Raith but before he could go further with his speech, Jae-Hwa and Sung-Min dragged him back.

    Ga Yun using that free moment immediately cling to Raith for a quick selfie and immediately excused herself,

    "Don''t be weird, this is for my social media page" She stated as she left and typed her phone, posting: Selfie with South Korea''s First Catastrophe rank hunter before the gate raid. #catastropherankhunter #koreafirst #gateraid #hunteraven.

 Chapter 130 The Beauty Of A Gate

    ?

    "Hyung!! Hyungnim!!!"

    "Raith!! Damned cockroach!!"

    All of a sudden the voice and. cheering of two individuals suddenly stood out such that the rest of the crowd had to look around.

    ''Those bastards, embarrassing me like this.'' Raith almost popped a cord in his jaw, gritting his teeth and thinking of what he was going to do to them when he got back from this gate. He had no idea what this gate was but was very sure, this was not going to be his death ce.

    It''s a pity Absalom couldn''t be allowed with him no matter what because of his nationality as a Japanese hunter. Although his stay in Korea was permitted, he wasn''t a citizen as long as he responded to Japan''s needs and calls.

    Raith stood in front of the big gate.

    "It really is big..." He mumbled, craving his head to see how far high the gate went.

    "Are you ready?" Mok Jae-Hwa walked to his side, fully equipped with his sword hung on his back, shining and well-crafted vambraces, breastte, knee guards, shoulder guards, and boots.

    "Are you sure you don''t at least need a helmet?" Mok Jae-Hwa pressed the question to Raith as the others gathered around them.

    Raith nodded and looked at his ck ring. The ck ring dematerialized into smoke that soon covered Raith''s face materializing a helmet on his head. All of them were gobsmacked and definitely found it very cool.

    A helmet like burning darkness.

    "Ah, roll call time."

    "Come on hyung! It''s not like you don''t know that all of us are here already, why do you always do this anytime we enter a gate together."

    "Shut up Shin, this is for formalities sake and one cannot be too sure so shut up and corporate."

    "Hai hai" The young hunterzily.

    "Shin!"

    "Why do you have to start with me when I just answered you."

    "Yujin"

    "Right here bossu."

    "Chong-Yol"

    "Shin-Hye..."

    Everybody turned their eyeball to nce at where she was standing without making it too obvious.

    ''Ga Yun"

    "Is it me or has Shin-Hye Noona been awfully gentle since we got here..." Shin mumbled to Yeon-Woo who responded lifting his hand as Jae-Hwa called his name.

    He looked up and looked around, "Right, now that you mention it..."

    "Guys..." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Everyone got silent as Jae-Hwa spoke. The atmosphere immediately became tense.

    "We are really going to raid an S rank gate huh," Sung Min said, looking at the gate with his radiant big eyes that brimmed with all the good expectations that one could have¨C even his demeanor showed that he was an incredible and optimistic person.

    fuuuuu

    Mok Jae-Hwa exhaled and walked into the gate leading the others straight into it.

    Like a flip of scenery, andscape stretched out before their eyes, a vast expanse of dry, golden grasses waving gently in the wind.

    The in before them was vast, with rolling hills and high valleys that broke up the monotony of the tnd. The valleys were shrouded in dense woods, their canopies a mix of vibrant greens and earthy browns, creating a stark contrast against the muted tones of the in.

    The sky above them had a brilliant blue color, unmarred by clouds, and it seemed to stretch on forever, giving the impression of endless possibilities. The sun shone down with intensity, casting shadows that danced across the in, adding depth to thendscape. Small animals could be seen scurrying about, to seek shelter in the tall grasses or darting between the trees in the valleys.

    Birds chirped merrily overhead, their wings painted with vibrant hues, contrasting beautifully against the blue sky. The in was a delicate bnce of serenity and wildness, a ce where nature thrived in all its glory.

    "It''s hard to call this ce a gate, I don''t know why." Yujin was the first person to break the silence. All of them were indeed awed by the beauty that this S-rank gate offered to them.

    The dryness of the in was evident, with the asionally cracked earth and withered vegetation. Yet, the sight of the blue sky above seemed to breathe life into thendscape, infusing it with a sense of hope and resilience.

    "Kind of thing that makes you wanna build a farmhouse and just settle down with your family." Sung Min said, taking in the vibe of the ce.

    "Araa, Oppa, do you want to settle down here?" Yujin immediately asked, clinging to his arm.

    "I was kidding, who''d want to settle down in a gate full of monsters."

    "Well, I don''t mind where it is as long as I get to be with you." She replied blushing away.

    Ga-Yun irritatedly looked at her and shook her head, "I can''t with you Yujin, this is why I don''t rmend love for feeble girls." She stated, ncing at Shin-Hye.

    "Why do you have to say feeble girls, you are just being careful so your words don''t affect Shin-Hye noona," Shin pointed out carelessly not caring about the effect, and Ga-Yun in turn desperately wished that Shin-Hye does not reply.

    But like an answered prayer, Shin-Hye paid no attention to her and instead seemed like she was spaced out. Of all of them, she was another one of them that wasn''t wearing protective gear, she was donned in a ck colored tracksuit, the only noticeable difference was that all her essories such as nes and rings had been taken out and she was wearing on her back¨C what looked like a guitar bag.

    As the group traveled down the in led by hunter Mok Jae-Hwa, they joked and yed around with each other, the atmosphere of the Rain Guild was indeed a lively one.

    ...

    "Ah... it''s been like thirty minutes since we have been walking and we have not encountered a single monster." Yeon-Woo said, closing the book he was reading for the first time since they entered the gate.

    All of them stopped. Yeon-Woo was right, he had his eyes on the book all the while yet he was the most observant of them all.

    ''Come to think of it... I didn''t receive any message from the abyss when I entered the gate too...'' Raith carefully scanned his surroundings but there was nothing noteworthy.

    However, a sense of familiarity rushed him, the scenery was not something that anyone would have noticed because it was the same grass, and the same hills and there was no outstanding sign that they would have used in recognizing a checkpoint. But it was different with Raith who had [Metavision] Yes, all the sight he wasn''t paying attention to as they walked had been taken into his brain and as he paid attention for the first time, he could realize without anyone telling them.

    "We have been walking in circles."

 Chapter 131 Let It Start

    ?

    "Huh?!" Chong-Yol growled, doubting Raith''s words with his demeaning look.

    Yeon-Woo with his sleepy eyes looked at Raith, "He is right."

    "Uhh? Really?" Chong-Yol stammered averting his gaze from Raith who looked at him with less effort¨C his eyelids as if they were almost closing.

    "Hunter Raven said it, but if Yeon-Woo is confirming that means it is very much true. Hunter Raven, what do you suggest that we do in this case?" Mok Jae-Hwa spoke politely turning to Raith.

    The rest of them also turned to him.

    Raith was dumbfounded, when did people start looking up to him? He forgot that these people here do not know him before now and had no idea how messed up he is¨C from his outlook alone he looked so very responsible and right now he is the strongest hunter in the group and has proved it by how he was able to tell that they were walking in circles just with a nce, faster than their best scout.

    Their eyes were judiciously begging him to speak some few words of knowledge and spat out instruction here and there as a catastrophe rank hunter would.

    But Raith was not used to being a leader, at least not to humans.

    "Uhm...what do you mean by that?" He just had to ask because he didn''t even know what they were beckoning him for.

    "There must be some kind of illusion right if we are walking in circles..." Mok Jae-Hwa suggested, hoping that Raith would intellectually pick it up from there. But Raith didn''t have a wisdom stat¨C not that any of them knew.

    He looked down and looked up, the way all their eyes were on him was really bugging him and truly just felt like summoning Fenrir and getting the fuck away from their sight.

    ''...should I just summon him'' The escape n was tempting. Even without being called, darkness was looming beneath Raith''s leg and the Fenrir''s red eyes were dancing around like a baby''s, it was evident that the dark beast was waiting for Raith''s summon.

    Raith looked up, the others too looked up with him... his silence was already bing a bother.

    "Damnit... Fenrir"

    Whoosh!

    The darkness surged out of the ground, scattering around©\ causing all of them to jump back in defense of their lives, with widened eyes and shaking eyeballs they saw the dark smokey thing materialize before their eyes into a gigantic wolf with Raith standing on it.

    "Burst out of here... I''m doing this alone." Hemanded.

    The next thing that followed was Fenrir''s thundering steps that sttered the soil on the ground¨C

    crash!!

    The Fenrir smashed forward into the scenery before them and everything broke down like ss, from the peaceful scenery that they saw when they entered the gate to thend the dwelling ce of evil itself, thendscape became barren and dark, and the rocks were ck and instead of the clear blue sky what was towered over the vastndscape was a dark sky with crimson clouds. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The grasses hadpletely disappeared, the trees were even more barren as the serene scene from before had painted them to be and magma ran through the cracks of the ground as if each crack was a channel of magma, moving them to a particr ce.

    "Cheehyukk cheey cha chu(they escape the illusion of the shaman)" Hidden behind a rock were two red orcs, their body was filled with runic tattoos and their hair was ited in different style, what stood out was their barbaric dress that somehow matched their look.

    Even though they were hidden, nothing could be hidden from Raith whose perception stat was over 100.

    "There¨C Yeon-Woo was about to point to the ce but stop as he saw that Raith was already behind the rock with his hands in his pocket, he had been there for some minutes, and not he or the orcs noticed until Raith talked.

    "Hello."

    The red orcs, startled jumped as far back as they could separating from each other.

    ''How did he even get there, I thought he went out already'' Yeon-Woo frowned as he tried to imagine the magnitude of Raith''s senses, it was truly intimidating.

    From their viewpoint, Raith decided to respond to them by showing them how to actually get out of the situation and what to do. Their respect for him grew, except for Chong-Yol who was just fuming with malice.

    Raith stretched forth his hand, "Come." He said, folding his hand into a fist.

    "Don''t tell me, he is going to face them with his fist?" Hunter Ga-Yun inquired in a low tone, unfortunately for her the person next to her was Shin-Hye so she got no response. Even Shin-Hye was lost in the thought of what Raith was trying to do.

    Red Orcs have never been encountered in any gate before but with by their looks they could tell that these were monsters of the same race as ordinary orcs which everyone was familiar with.

    Even Raith knew very well that much¨C but it would be a mistake to underestimate these monsters because they seem to be on the same with rank C orcs. They were never to forget that they are in a rank S gate.

    "They are fairly strong... but I can take care of them," Raith muttered. His words weren''ting from the cocky attitude of someone who knew he would have several chances to win as long as he kept losing. Raith had weighed his decision, it wasn''t even something he was stressing to do, as he stood in that ce and perceived their visuals using [Metavision] and [Ultra Instinct] He already had by instinct definite and concise spection of how this fight would turn out even if he was to use his fist.

    Besides, he had this.

    [Do you want to use Auto Battle]

    Raith looked down and grinned.

    The other hunters looked at him from where they stood, even though every bit of Mok Jae-Hwa felt like warning him not to underestimate the orcs, their red skin and strange runic tattoos were proofs of their distinct difference to rank C orc monsters.

    "Yes..." Raith muttered his reply to the ck holographic tab in front of him.

    [Activating Auto Battle]

 Chapter 132 A Monster In Sheeps Clothing

    ?

    Without any further dy, the first red orc lunged at Raith with a roar, swinging its crude club. Raith ducked, narrowly avoiding the heavy blow, and retaliated with a quick jab to the orc''s gut.

    The orc grunted, but his thick muscles absorbed the impact, and he swung his club again, aiming for Raith''s head¨C simultaneously the other one charged in, cornering Raith, it quickly became a situation where Raith either had to step back to avoid the oneing and in that sense falling into the range of the club that wasing over his head or, step out of the range and therefore fall into the wide grasp of the red irc charging him.

    It was a tough spot to be in, which was why his instantaneous decision was amazing! His reaction was as though all these were within his calction.

    Thwack!

    He smacked a blow into the chest of the orc whose club wasing at him, his hands were so fast that it was impossible that the naked eye caught them move, even their blurs were not caught. The after the impact of the punch was even more amazing, it wasn''t just packed with speed, the power behind that simple punch was enormous¨C his fist print was carved into the chest of the orc and all his body squeezed around that particr point, with an air burst from its back, the orc was thrown away sttering to pieces midway¨C all these in a split second, the way even before the first orc was sent away by the impact of his attack, Raith had slipped into the space of the charging orc and quickly crushed his jaw with his bare fist, delving his knee to its abdomen before it could grapple him.

    While the other scattered to pieces, with his intestines making a mess of themselves, the other one tumbled back in pain, holding its belly together.

    Their mouth fell open, and from their vantage point, everything happened so fast that it would only make sense to deduce that Raith was a superseded kinda hunter. But that was not the case¨C he could also summon soldiers from the darkness.

    The existence of such a person like Raith was a defiance ofmon sense ording to their definition.

    "Oh my God... did he just use his hand to punch an S rank Orc to pieces."Sung Min stuttered, his eyes shaking as he made sense of what he saw.

    ''He has be unreachable even to me. Just how much has he grown since thest time we fought'' Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes stayed on Raith as he walked closer to the second Orc who was now scrambling on the floor. That must have been one hell of a pain.

    "''...he''s strong... and terrifying," Shin-Hye stated.

    All of them watched in awe as Raith stomped the second Orc to death.

    After finishing, he walked back to where they were all standing.

    "Wow, amazing..." Ga-Yun eximed but the next second her expression scowled at Raith, "But now that you have killed both Orcs how do we channel our way through this ce without any information? You just killed our only source of information."

    "Like you canmunicate with an orc." Shin opposed her.

    "Well, at least Yeon-Woo can." She responded, flipping her hand over to Yeon-Woo who was already immersed in the book he was reading.

    Yeon-Woo btedly looked up, dumbfounded as to why her hand was pointing toward him, he cocked his head.

    "What?"

    "You know... that thing you do where you canmunicate with the monsters using sensing something."

    "It''s a speech signal, how many times do I have to repeat that?" Yeon-Woo''s voice resounded with a bit of frustration, although his face betrayed that tone. ?

    "Whatever, just do it..." Shin replied to him maliciously.Both their eyes stayed locked with a spiteful streak before another person broke the silence.

    "I know where they are," Raith said.

    All their attentions naturally came to him.

    "Wawwuuu, as expected of a catastrophe rank, they really are built differently," Chong-Yol spoke folding his hands, his spiteful intents brimming more gloriously than ever. The guy was just angry at Raith for the sake of jealousy.

    "Hunter Raven, when you say you know them... does that mean you know their hideout?" Mok Jae-Hwa wanted to be sure.

    "To be exact, Fenrir is there right now, and since he is my summon, I can tell where he is now."

    "Fenrir?"

    All of them were lost trying to figure out what Raith meant by Fenrir.

    ''...ah, right they don''t know them by name.''

    Nice of you to btedly realize that.

    "The big ck wolf I summoned moments ago..." Raith said, demonstrating the big part with his hand raised above his head.

    "Ah ah!! Right! That wolf!" Sung Min acimed, pping his hands in the delight of his revtion.

    They didn''t even realize that Fenrir was gone until it was this obvious, such a big creature like that. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Hunter Raven, you are very amazing." Mok Jae-Hwaplimented him with a warm smile.

    "Say, hunter Raven, do you have a name for every of your summons like that," Ga-Yun asked, clinging to him.

    Raith''s ear became very red¨C red beyond saving and all of them just stared.

    "He''s a sucker for girls," Shin murmured to the others.

    Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa giggled, "Let''s head to the hideout, as much as I would like to keep this lively atmosphere, there is a danger ahead of us that requires us to be alert, so do away with all that... Ga-Yun." He stayed on her at the end, with the tone of his voice stressing out her name.

    "Yea sure, whatever party pooper." She replied and released her grip on Raith''s hand, permitting the catastrophe rank hunter who has been holding his breath due to his uncontroble nervousness to finally breathe.

    ''...it, it... was touching me...'' Raith''s mind was running amok all the while because Ga-Yun''s little breast was rubbing on his arms when she clung to him.

    They all started to press forward, ording to Raith''s leading. Shin-Hye after finally gathering a lot of confidence walked up to Raith.

    "Hey, I have a question?"

    "We are not the same," Raith stated to her. It was rude of him to answer without hearing her question no doubt but he had a rough guess of what she wanted to go on about and Raith was very rude when it came to things he wasn''t interested in at all.

    "You don''t even know what I wanted to ask." Shin-Hye frowned.

    "You have the power of death."

    "To be exact, I''m already dead. I awakened when I died, that is why my body is like this. I can feel a sense of likeness from you but yours is more frightening. In all my life, you are the first. Plus, because of my abilities, all humans smell to me, high ranking hunters like S ranks, disaster, and catastrophe ranks are still bearable though. But you don''t reek, at all."

    "It''s quite ironic how humans smell to you when you should be the one smelling since you are already dead," Raith replied, ignorant of the effect of his nonchnt reply.

    Mok Jae-Hwa could be seen ncing at the two as they talked.

    "I just want to know what you are. Why are you so different yet like me."

    Raith paused and lowered his head, his bangs.

    ''I don''t want to make a big deal but she keeps going on and on about how we are alike and it''s fucking annoying.''

    "Do you feel it too?" Shin-Hye seeing that Raith suddenly stopped, optimistically asked.

    Whish!

    Raith swung his hand in her direction, and she immediately flinched and curled away from his sudden gesture, the group was immediately ready to attack Raith and all their res were on him, Chong-Yol''s was the fiercest.

    "There..." Raith pointed to the red orc that fell from the ck rock cliff, face t on the floor, his head sttering as he fell.

    "There are three more," Raith stated.

    "Roger that!" Sung Min eximed and catapulted out of them, Chong-Yol followed, and Yujin also.

    ng ng ng ng

    Cheeeugggghhhkkk

    Following the reverberating shing of metal was arge screech, Yujin soon jumped back down from the road to the narrow road.

    Raith looked towards the direction Sung Min flew to, ''...is he weaker than her.''

    "Hunter Sung Min is an S rank and he is the strongest here, except you and I of course." Hunter Jae-Hwa said, looking at the expression on Raith.

    Just as he finished speaking to Raith, somethingnded on the narrow way from the cliff causing a massive dust screen. Sung Min walked forward to them as the dust screen slowly cleared.

    "Ah ah, it took a little while because this guy was kinda strong." Sung Min sheepishly said with his hand behind his head, the second hand holding tightly the red Orc''s dreaded. The face of the Orc was battered in the worst possible form yet Sung Min was looking like he had gone for a jog.

    "What the hell did he do to that orc...?" Raith was gobsmacked.

 Chapter 133 Chozek (1)

    ?

    ''Wow...he caught it alive...'' Raith was amazed, he never would have thought any of them would be this impressive considering how cheering and lovely they were. In fact, it would be safe to say he thought they were not going tost in battle¨C he foresaw some kind of death for them except Mok Jae-Hwa and was even hoping he could write some requiems while at it.

    "They might not look like it but they all are amazing in their own way." Mok Jae-Hwa assured Raith and walked up to Sung Min who forced the red Orc to its knee.

    "Yeon-Woo do your thing?" Sung Min said with a vibrant and innocent smile, as if he didn''t just viciously beat the shit out of an S rank red orc.

    "Is there really a need for that though? I thought big bad wolf was there already."

    All of them exchanged nces at each other and then shifted all their gazes to Sung Min who caught a red orc despite knowing that there wasn''t any need.

    "You wanted to flex your strength didn''t you?" Shin questioned with squinted gaze.

    "Ah, ah, ah... I can''t keep letting the catastrophe rank hunter taking all the spotlight right." Sung Min stated, with his sheepishugh.

    ''If we don''t hurry, Fenrir might kill all of the orcs before we get there.'' He looked down, even though he was extremely itching to get into action and just go rampage on some orcs he was acting calm.

    This group of people were slow as fuck, and as expected he confirmed for himself.

    ''...I''m better off alone.''

    "Alright, let''s march forward"

    Just as they were about to move, an heavy pressure fell on the atmosphere, this was not red orcs no.

    Whim!

    Raith''s eyes widened, glinting with red glow as his hand tightly held the arrow that was a dot away from his widened eyes.

    ''...shit, I moved by impulse, I should have just died and taken the opportunity to level up''

    Not just Raith, the arrows came on the others too from different directions and they warded it off with their weapons, while Sung Min blocked it with his hand¨C the arrow bounces off as it met his bare skin.

    They scan around but couldn''t find anyone, the intense pressure just now waspletely gone, as though it was never here.

    "What the hell are those?" They all shouted as the presence that shot arrow at them disappeared without dy.

    Raith was frowning, it''s been a while since he has been this furious, something was wrong.

    "Hunter Raven?..." Mok Jae-Hwa muttered as he noticed the strange atmosphere around Raith.

    "My summon... it died." Raith said softly and looked forward into the path ahead of them that was supposed to lead to the hideout of the orcs where fenrir is.

    And at once¨C

    wham!

    He faded into the wind, darting into the distance before him and leaving the rest of the team in awe and with a st of wind.

    "His summon died?" Ga-Yun repeated after him, there wasn''t any particr reason, those words strangely came out cool that she had to repeat it to see if she could replicate the same thing.

    "Ah! If the catastrophe rank hunter is gone how are we supposed to reach the red orc''s hideout." Shin eximed.

    "Stop making a fuss, you can just go down this path." Yeon-Woo replied him and moved on as he fixated on the book he was reading.

    "I wonder if he ever finishes the volume of that book" Yujin said as she also followed him.

    All of them walked forward but Mok Jae-Hwa was lost in deep thoughts and it was evident. He didn''t know how important that summon was to Raith but he was very angry. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Of course, Fenrir''s death was not a permanent one. Raith''s dark soldier had the ability to regenerate as long as he still had dark energy in him. But right now, the little that was left thanks to much he spent naming the sword of Ba''al has been used off by Fenrir.

    What bothered Raith the most was not Fenrir''s death but rather who was strong enough to kill such a monster. Fenrir was the second strongest monster on his army.

    Wham!

    He increased his speed as he thought of it¨C and thoughtlessly leaped into the cliff in front of him. Below the cliff was an entire settlement of red orcs.

    Sturdy, earth-toned hut made from local material could be seen from Raith''s aerial vantage point as he descended down the cliff without stress, spreading his arms into the air. The vige took a circr shape, with a bonfire in the center, serving as a focal point for service and celebrations.

    THUD!

    Raithnded right into the middle of the vige, destroying the areas all around.

    He stood up and looked down, "Who killed my baby?" Raith asked.

    The red orcs in all sizes and shapes had already gathered outside some of them with amazing and refined metals thay at a nce they seemedparable to Dong-Hyun''s works.

    stomp stomp stomp

    From the middle of the orcs came out a warrior, regarded to be the strongest. By his extensive tattoo, broad shoulders and thick arms one could tell that this was their champion.

    "Cheeeskkhh!!"

    "Chaa!!"

    "Chazek! Chazek! Chazek! Chazek! Chazek! Chazek! Chazek!"

    Raith didn''t need to know theirnguage to understand that the name of this warrior was probably Chazek.

    The orc grinned and stretched his greatsword forward at Raith. The sword was enormous and would require Raith to also use something like that to at least be on the same footing with them. Not that he was scared...

    "...thanks to that bastard, I will have to do this on my own" Raith''s brow furrowed as he remembered that thest of his dark energy has been used the moment he named ck.

    He flung out the ck fenrir dagger and charged at the monster¨C he was already at mid distance when he suddenly crouched low and slipped into the orc''s space as it threw a broad sword swing, his sword humming as it sliced through the air, while it immediately jolted backwad to avoid Raith''s dagger on its belly.

    By sheer size and weight of the weapon, it was as if the sword was going to send tremors into the ground. Chozek''s eyes burned with rage as he charged at Raith, swinging his sword with brutal force.

    Raith as if he was waiting for him dashed in and out of his space, his movements were quick and calcted as he dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding the deadly swings of Chozek''s sword.

    He darted in close, shing with his dagger, aiming for Chozek''s exposed joints and vulnerable spots. But the orc''s thick skin and brute strength made it difficult for Raith tond a decisive blow. Raith bounced back in admiration of the orc''s tough skin.

    ''..I''ve been wondering how they are different from green orcs so I guess their skin is one of the reasons.'' Raith said in his thoughts as he got ready for the Orc again. The monster, roared with fury, unleashing a powerful overhead swing that forced Raith to leap back, narrowly avoiding the de that carved a deep gouge into the ground. Raith''s heart pounded in his chest as he realized the immense power behind Chozek''s attacks, but he refused to back down.

    Using his speed and agility Raith suddenly got faster and began to circle around Chozek, darting in and out with quick shes of his dagger. He managed to find a weak spot in Chozek''s armor, scoring a shallow cut across the orc''s shoulder, but Chozek''s rage-fueled adrenaline kept him fighting ferociously. As Chozek swung his sword in a wide arc, Raith rolled under the swing,ing up behind the orc and plunging his dagger into Chozek''s back. But the orc''s thick muscles and tough hide absorbed the blow, and Chozek spun around with a roar, delivering a crushing blow with the pommel of his sword that sent Raith sprawling to the ground.

    Raith groaned, his body aching from the impact, but he refused to give up.

    He scrambled to his feet, using every ounce of his agility and speed to stay one step ahead of Chozek''s relentless assault. He aimed for Chozek''s legs, trying to disable the orc''s mobility, but the orc''s greatsword continued to cleave through the air with deadly uracy.

    it a burst of determination, Raith lunged forward, weaving past Chozek''s sword and driving his dagger into the orc''s side. Chozek grunted, staggering back, but his sword descended in a powerful sweep, shing across Raith''s arm and drawing blood.

    Ignoring the pain, Raith pressed on, delivering a flurry of rapid stabs with his dagger, aiming for Chozek''s chest. The orc''s movements slowed, his breathingbored, as the wounds took their toll. With a final, desperate lunge, Raith drove his dagger into Chozek''s heart, and the orc let out a guttural cry before copsing to the ground.

 Chapter 134 The Moment Of Definition

    ?

    "This is strange no matter how much I think about it." A certain cksmith said as he walked out with another by his side.

    They were not alone, all the cksmith that worked in the underground Rain smithy were currently evacuating under the instructions of their master cksmith, Tae Dong-Hyun.

    It was shortly after the main raid team of the guild had entered the gate, an emergency message came in through the broadcast station of the whole underground building which is rarely happened.

    "Isn''t the mass production the most important agenda on our table as master Dong-Hyun said." The other replied him.

    "He said something about us not being able to take whatever he is about to do and I saw him pack out the white woods..." The other responded.

    Thecksmith came to a sudden stop as he heard what the other cksmith just said. He might have said it casually and not everyone understood what it meant when they say ''white woods'' to most of the cksmith that worked in smithy probably always saw Tae Dong-Hyun pack in the woods endlessly and not use them but they have never truly known of its importance.

    However, some of them such as the ones that have a deepened knowledge of minerals and have worked with Tae Dong-Hyun for a while and such of a person was Tam Seon, he was one of the earliest cksmith recruits that saw something in Tae Dong-Hyun''s skills and wanted to follow him all the way, there were more people like this, and were regarded as senior cksmith.

    "What is wrong?" The cksmith who was talking casually stopped and turned to the Tam Seon.

    "Mountain ashes" Tam Seon muttered with his eyes widened.

    "What is that supposed to be?" The cksmith with him asked.

    He grabbed the cksmith''s shoulder, "Are you sure you saw him take out the white woods?" He asked with shaking eyeballs.

    From his sudden and trembling demeanor the cksmith could tell that this was a matter of urgency.

    "Y-Y-Yes, it was brief but I saw him take it out from therge storage." The guy responded, stuttering.

    ''No, what is sunbaenim trying to do?! Mountain ashes will definitely kill bim.'' His eyes trembled as he stared down in horror.

    "Tam Seon-ssi, is there something wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

    "No, no... I''m sorry. It''s just the mountain ashes."

    "What is mountain ashes? The white wood?"

    Tam Seon tapped the young cksmith''s shoulder. "Evacuate as you are instructed, I have to go back to see him." He said and immediately left his presence.

    The guy stood for a few seconds, confused of what is happening and why Tam Seon was in so much disturbance but with no answer to his questions he sluggishly dragged himself out.

    Tam Seon ran through the channels that connected one forgery to another and particrly that was connected to the main forgery: a ce that even the best of cksmith rarely uses.

    The fact that it was main did not mean that it was for a general purpose¨C the history of that particr smithy dated as long back as before even the thought of Rain guild came into existence when it was just Tae Dong-Hyun and his cksmithing skills along with one young boy that used to follow him around whoter grew to be the leader of the Rain guild.

    It was the first underground smithy he had. Tae Dong-Hyun always had a unique personality and was very shy of working in front of others¨C he didn''t even like it when he was being watched from the window or when he is sure the sound of his works is being heard by someone on the outside, which founded his idea of working underground.

    The smithy carried his blood and sweat, the times he struggled to be good, the times he had more failures than sess, the time that no one saw any good in his skills except that young and skillful guy, Mok Jae-Hwa.

    And the main smithy was the basis of every other smithy underground, that is all.aother forgeries were connected to this single one via transparent tunnels, it was an amazing architectural work to behold, impressive.

    Left to Tae Dong-Hyun, he would have chosen the best of facility to do this work which is the white room but something didn''t feel right about making that choice. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    It only made sense that if he wanted or was about to enter a phase of tangible growth, he should stick to his roots and his orthodoxical way of forgery which was why he left all the advanced technology and went back to the basics.

    He sat on the floor in front of the broken sword, crossed legged and his eyes tightly shut.

    ''...do I really want to do this?''

    Even after telling Raith he would do it and after sending everyone away, Tae Dong-Hyun still questioned himself over and over again. ording to ck''s word, the moment he starts to melt that sword and hammer it, he would begin to lose all the divinity that had been upon him before now. It was arge cost, a cost if he still wasn''t sure he could afford, Raith guild smithy has grown this big because of his encounter with the cksmith god which he never truly told anyone about. If he decided to repair the demonic sword in front of him, he was letting go of all his achievements, he would not be able to use divinity to give swords special attributes like he does.

    And the mass production was really around the corner, the time where he is supposed to release a massive amount of magic weapons and let the world know of his true skills, yet he was about to let all that go because of this demonic sword.

    "Sword king, can I ask you something again?"

    A sigh could be heard from the broken sword, the sword oozed ck smoke but unlike thest time, the dark smoke didn''t rise out of the sword.

    "Look here friend, you are about to make a tough decision, I get it. But at one point in life we always have to embrace the tough decisions in order to move further. You yourself exined that you are faced with a wall, and it seems like you have reached the limit of your skills..."

    "Then is it possible that something will definitely change, that I will grow better than I used to be?"

    "Heh eh eh eh, now, now, I ain''t telling you that. When did I ever say that? How you used to be? I don''t know man. I just said no man handles a sword such as me and remain the same, I am a convolution of all the experiences of cksmiths from ages I can''t even remember, damn! I hate all those cksmith... You really should be lucky I like you..I don''t often do this because of my genuine hate for your kind."

    "I''m so sorry, they must have caused you a lot."

    "Ha! A lot is an understatement!!"

    "So, are you saying now Sword king... that even my growth is not ascertained."

    "I said no one handles me and remains the same, did you not hear tha part?" ck grunted at him, the oozing ck smoke rose a little bit higher as if it was responding to his pitched tone.

    "Okay..." ''...to be honest, I feel like his words are more of pride words than some word of wisdom.'' He sighed and stood up.

    "Have you made your decision?"

    Tae Dong-Hyun signed once more, "More than making a decision... I don''t know if I have a choice since hunter Raith said he has given me a gift... I don''t want to invite the wrath of a catastrophe rank hunter."

    "Hm, I see... he is quite strong if you''d ask me too... although he is equally dumb."

    Tae Dong-Hyun turned to the white wood which he had filled the forgery with and he watched it with keen eyes. It was a very hard decision for him to make no matter how scared he was of failing Raith. His mind strayed down his journey this far and remembered his sesses, oh how on earth would he forsake all these for one damned ck sword.

    Tae Dong-Hyun moved closer to the forge basin and ignited solid fuel inside the hearth. The woods were immediately caught on fire and began to burn, at first with a calm yellowish fire but soon began to shift color and before Tae Dong-Hyun even realized it the fire had began to burn with blue mes.

    Just that instance, Tam Seon badged inside but with the same frequency that he entered, he flung out of the room. It was as though he entered a burning room without actual fire.

    "Uh?" Tae Dong-Hyun was dumbfounded¨C he had forgotten how hot the heat of the me of the mountain ash was¨C it was more of absent-minded situation, due to him being lost in thoughts he had totally forgotten of what the need to even react to the hot heat of the fire.

    "Holy shit... the heat... I can''t feel it." His eyes widened but more with excitement than with surprise.

 Chapter 135 Chozek (2): Mighty Orc Warrior

    ?

    The entire ce was still, Chozek was there on the ground gasping, with Raith''s dagger standing atop his chest. Raith narrowed his eyes as he watched the Orc''s fat chest heave up and down.

    ''...by now it should have stopped breathing...'' Raith thought to himself, it only truly made sense that way that the moment he embedded his dagger into the Orc warrior''s chest, it was supposed to die. However, Chozek didn''t look like he was hanging onto dear life. Instead, he had this rxed expression with a smile as if he was at the peak of fun.

    As Raith stepped forward to put a final stop to this... the orc''s red skin began to cken, the ckness spread until it hadpletely covered all his skin and Chozek rose again.

    Raith was doubting what he saw even though it was right before his eyes.

    ''...did he just change skin...no, it is more than that...'' Raith squinted his eyes trying to understand for real what it was that made this Orc turn from red skin to ck skin.

    "Shit, all that doesn''t matter. I''ll just beat the crap out of you again." Raith said and clenched his fist.

    Wham!

    Raith dashed off, it has been a while since he used so much speed that was as if he wanted to tear into the wind¨C before Raith''s eye fell on the orc, it was already dashing at him in response, with its greatsword in the air... at that point, Raith''s mind began to race, taking in all of the orc''s movement¨C his eyeballs shifting here and there with ultra responsiveness trying to seek out the best path of counterattack all in one split second.

    whom! whom! whom!

    The Orc''s movements wererge and heavy and it also did notck speed, the orc''s speed was nowhere near the speed at which Raith was dodging but the Orc''s responsiveness was amazing such that it was able to parry all the counterattacks that Raith slipped in.

    It had changed all of a sudden, the orc''s pattern of attack had changed and it was as if it was learning¡ª before it charged at Raith with itsrge movement and swings, and as Raith continuously dodged, he started responding only to Raith''s attack, as though it learned a great lesson from Raith. But it was still too slow to catch up with the speed at which Raith fought but yet its speed was threatening Raith''s.

    Raith analyzed the Orc''s movement predicting the wide arc swings before theynded, he ducked under a threatening horizontal swing, sidestepped another arc that came vertically downwards, crushing the ground, and narrowly avoided the Orc''s heavy weight as it threw himself onto him in attempt to use its heavy weight to cause an imbnce or at best fall on him.

    With lightning-fast reflexes Raith began to strike back, aiming for ces that he considered the orc''s weak point, before now Raith had notnded a perfect punch or an attack since the Orc''s sudden change. And so he didn''t know what wasing at him the moment his fist collided with the Orc''s body.

    He began to deliver rapid fast punches at the Orc''s joints, all over the orc''s body, his fist was a blur as he struck with precision, exploiting any opening he could find.

    Everything happened so fast and so precise that Raith was super focused and so there was no way he would have known that the Orc was just standing all through the punching and didn''t even move an inch, red blood began to drop and the imprint of red blood all over the orc''s ck body could be seen¨C all in ces that Raith had punched the Orc.

    "...holy, shit..." He unintentionally mumbled as he saw how destroyed his knuckles were, he definitely had been feeling the pain as his fists connected with the orc''s body but in his mind, he felt the Orc was taking more damage, whereas it was taking no damage at all.

    It was as if he was hitting his hand on metal, the orc''s skin was like metal, he squinted his eyes and looked at his sword that was still embedded in the monster''s chest. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''...don''t tell me...'' He didn''t pay attention to it even though he now had an impressive thought process and patterning, this was a probe that he was the one that ultimately drive the focus of his thoughts.

    Raith''s face crumpled to a frown, his heterochromia eyes each glinting different colors, red and white as he intensified his gaze on the orc¨C at this point, Mok Jae-Hwa and the rest of the team were already on the cliff where Raith had jumped off from and instead of jumping to rescue Raith, Mok Jae-Hwa wanted to watch, not just him¨C the majority of them wanted to watch, they wanted to see Raith in action and they were going to get it...

    Raith touched his jaw as if he was rearranging it but it was just a massage, then he spat out¨C his face was still frowning at the Orc that stood in front of him with a naughty smile.

    The Orc shouting and hailing also was there in the background the whole night.

    ''Do I have to go all out with a darned orc? I don''t want to do that...'' Raith said in his mind as his gaze stayed locked on the orc who was doing freestyles of all shades of weird celebration such as throwing his butt, jumping, and beating its chest like king kong while its nsmen continued to shout and all gathered, Chozek really was full of confidence.

    So much confidence that it inspired him to want to change him with useless Cheche. Even the thought of it made him feel sentimental, he proposed to do it in his heart but his mind quaked. The normal dark soldiers it would have been easy to do but then we are talking about his founding guys, Cheche, Fenrir, and Kortopi were quite important to his heart, even though Cheche was useless of all of them.

    The Orc looked at Raith''s frown and dropped its greatsword, sticking out its tongue, at this point it was evident that this guy was full of himself.

    But it''s okay... Raith''s curled down a corner of his lips as if he was dreadfully pitying the little guy.

    The Orc paused as it beheld the look on Raith''s face¨C not liking the pitiful look that Raith gave it, it roared and dashed forward with brute faceunching a barrage of heavy punches at Raith, each punch was like a sledgehammer, threatening to overwhelm him. Raith''s quick thinking and superior agility kept him one step ahead. He weaved in and out, using his speed to evade the orc''s attacks, while continuously analyzing its movements for any patterns or weaknesses with a surge of adrenaline and his limbs wearing themselves towards their limit, even at that Raith wasn''t going at his best and was just doing things average. No one else might have known but Raith himself knew.

    No way he would fight at his best with some minion orc, the thing was, Raith was already quite pumped up, amidst the fight he was wondering how strong the Orc chief was going to be, and all he just wanted to do was die and die and die before the orc chief and then level up so much that he would be able to increase the numbers of his army, even as it stands they were some bunch of nuisances in his army who he was still going to return the soul to the ce of their rest.

    Raith ducked and dodged, bobbed, and weaved, delivering swift and precise strikes with his fists. He managed tond a few solid blows, but the orc''s metal-like skin remained a formidable defense.

    The Orc now growing frustrated at Raith''s elusive movements, unleashed a devastating uppercut that caught Raith off guard. The blow mmed into his side, sending him crashing into the ground and razing it away as he tumbled away towards the side and so strongly that it was as if he was being aggressively dragged by a very strong invisible force.

    Pain shot throughout his whole body but Raith was quick to respond, he rolled back to his fist, the pain was still surging from that point to all other parts of his system, especially that point, he was sure he must have broken a rib or two... or ruptured some organs that were around that side. The pain was truly unbearable.

    Raith stood upright regardless of all that and began to follow his eyeballs all over the Orc, he knew that he needed to take out that dagger but the moment he turned that to his focus, he felt he would fall into the Orc''s trap and receive more hit than before.

    The Orc grinned and mmed its fist together as Raith took his time, Raith''s eyes suddenly constricted with the usual glow in his eyes¨C

    "...ah," He eximed as he discovered something with the Orc''s movement. He chuckled as he formed a n of attack in his head.

 Chapter 136 Cheche Vs The Red Orc Chief

    ?

    Raith lunged forward, feinting with his left fist, and then delivering a lightning-fast right hook that struck the orc''s exposed side with all his strength. The impact was like hitting solid metal, and Raith felt a jolt of pain shoot through his hand. But the orc staggered back, clearly caught off guard by the unexpected maneuver.

    Raith seized the opportunity and followed up with a swiftbination of strikes, aiming for the same spot on the orc''s side. From earlier, he had suspected that every time the orc moved, it tend to favor one side, at first it was just a free observation¨C when the orc was trying to maneuver a counter-attack, it was sort of only the same route and the whole pressure and weight of its body would shift to that single side leaving the other side free¨C

    From Raith''s spection, this wasn''t probably the first time and if it truly wasn''t the first time, it meant that point would be vulnerablepared to the rest of its body. Just like when someone is trying to build strength but is always focusing on the right hand as it is his hand of activity, the left hand is bound to have less power than the right hand.

    The orc roared in agony, its defenses had finally been breached, and a crack could be seen on its side. Raith continued his relentless assault, exploiting the weakness he had discovered. He punched with all his might, his mind processing every detail of the fight in real time, allowing him to adjust his strategy on the fly.

    Finally, with a final, powerful strike that sted shockwave through the air, Raith delivered a decisive blow to the orc''s weakened side.

    The orc crumpled to the ground, vomiting green liquid which is supposed as its blood.

    The cheering of the orc''s nsmen hade to a shameful stop.

    "Chekk, cheekah, chyuk ya ya(He defeated our champion)"

    They said one to another and the murmuring rose.

    "Chaaayyyyy!(STOP!)" A thick and vibrating voice overshadowed all their murmurs and caused them to stop, all of them became so silent and humble.

    Thud Thud Thud Thud

    Raith could feel the ground beneath him shake¨C something wasing, and he didn''t need a special skill to know that this is the Orc boss.

    "Wow, he is impressive! He defeated that Orc, alone, even though it seemed like he struggled a little." Shin mumbled.

    Others agreed with him with nods but their eyes were on that enormous Orc that they could get a clear aerial view of.

    ''...struggle? He didn''t even use the sword we went through so much to get.'' Mok Jae-Hwa squinted his eyes, "From my one fight with him, I know Hunter Raith is more skillful with the sword, you might see that he is struggling but I think he didn''t fight with all he had... that was why he looked like he was struggling."

    Chong-Yol looked at Mok Jae-Hwa with an irritated re, his eyes were sizing up Mok Jae-Hwa who had spoken that Raith could be more powerful than they just saw.

    "Hype, hype, it''s all hype, I doubt if he is anything much." He grunted, curling both corners of his lips downward as he looked from the cliff, ''...that orc is going to kill him. It''s a sad thing Jae-Hwa will want us to jump in and save him the moment he is about to die. But I will have it on cam, and show the world how weak he is.'' Chong-Yol proposed in his heart and clicked the very small camera which he hung somewhere around his belt.

    It wasn''t an illegal thing to record gate raids, in fact, that is the profession of some people, they livestream raids to gain poprity and money. But the thing was Mok Jae-Hwa didn''t like it and thought of it as hical, ''What happens in the gate, should always stay in the gate'' was his phrase anytime he talked to his guild members about it.

    And Chong-Yol clearly heard those words but would do what he wanted to do anyways and so he sneakily put on the mini camera.

    "Oh wow..." Those were the only words Raith could find as he is again faced with another level of horror. Even the other orcs cowered as their leader stood in front of Raith.

    The average height of an orc was 179cm even Chozek the champion whom Raith had just defeated was not too far from that. But the red orc chief stood taller than that and was above 200cm, looming over the rest of the red orcs.

    His massive form was imposing, with bulging muscles that rippled with raw power beneath his crimson-hued skin. His eyes glowed with a fiery intensity, and his teeth were sharp and menacing, bared in a perpetual snarl.

    His shoulders were wide and hulking, and his arms were like tree trunks, thick with bulging veins that pulsed with strength. His chest was a wall of solid muscle, and his legs were sturdy and powerful, causing even the earth to dance with every step he took. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    It wasn''t his figure alone that was imposing, even his stance was urate. Raith looked all around him, -with his [ultra instinct] he could tell where an attack wasing from and where an attack could easily go into, [Ultra Instinct] was the skill that [Transcendent Sense] evolved too, although it also had an effect on other sub-skills of [Multiple Cognitive Resonance].

    With it, we could say Raith was capable of sensing opening but not as precise as the true ability to sense opening which is sponsored by one''s perception. Raith''s perception was no doubt good but he wasn''t at any level whenpared to the forces that exist and it was a fundamental stat he should have focused on should he want to see some growth in the sub-skills of [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] but Raith did not know this, just like how he didn''t know the true reason why he has so much Intelligence stat.

    What he did know is that if he wanted to take on this guy and win, he needed to do it right.

    Raith looked at the Orc and smiled, ''...to think I will die at the hands of an orc.'' He mumbled and shook his head, dropping it.

    "Chaarrraaaaaaahkkkkk!!!" The red Orc chief let out a war cry that provoked the other Orcs to some sort of ceremonial humming and screaming. It was different from when they were hailing the champion Chozek.

    [You have initiated a battle for authority with the Orc chief by killing the Orc chief''s champion]

    [You have been challenged to a Kampf der St?rke]

    [You have initiated a new trial]

    [Trial Of Strength]

    > You have been challenged to a test for strength by the Red Orc Chief, if you defeat the Red Orc Chief you will automatically be the next Orc Chief. But that is not how we do things here, because of your status as a Monarch, you can choose a dark soldier to represent you. The dark soldier won''t be sustained by your dark energy but when the dark soldier dies they will be deleted from your army and you will receive a penalty.

    ''Oh, oh, will you look at that... the abyss wants to penalize me...'' Raith grinned at the thought of it. ''...I wonder what it will be this time.'' He turned his attention to the Orc in front of him, heaving with all of its shoulders and chest and oozing hot steamy breathy from its nose with every heavy heave.

    "Cheche."

    As Raith called the smoke surged out of the ground he was standing on, flowed around a little, and materialize into an Orc- but with a ck body and red glittering face. All the orcs paused and watched this odd creature intensively, while they were so sure that he looked like them. They were not very sure of what it was.

    "Cheche," Raith called out again, the Orc turned to him with a vibrant face, full of himself- it''s been a while since he has been called out like this.

    "...I expect you to beat this buddy in front of you to a pulp," Raith instructed. The Orc nodded rigorously with a naughty grin on its face as it turned to the massive red orc without an inch of fear and roared.

    "Raaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!"

    ''Where did hee from, Orcs don''t roar¨C perhaps is this an effect of hanging out too much with Fenrir.'' Raith shook his head for his monster.

    Even the red Orcs were baffled at this strange orc''s strange behavior.

    "Cheeeeiiiaaayaah!"

    The Orc leader cried out and charged at Cheche who immediately materialized his ck sledgehammer from the darkness¨C the hammer was long and was like the same one he used when he fought Raith, only that it was all dark and shady crackling with red sparks of energy.

    Thwom!!

    The two of them collided suddenly, causing a massive shockwave that reverberated through the whole in.

 Chapter 137 Irresponsible Monarch

    ?

    [Your dark soldier ''Cheche'' has died]

    [Your dark soldier ''Cheche'' has returned to the embrace of emptiness]

    [You don''t have enough darkness to reach the emptiness beyond the darkness beyond death]

    "..." Raith was dumbfounded.

    ''I mean I knew he sure as hell wasn''t going to be able to defeat him but--?''

    Raith was lost for words, it was no news that Cheche wasn''t strong but he had ced an expectation on the little man even though he very much expected the permanent deletion of his soul.

    What a bad Monarch.

    He simply looked for an excuse to disce a dark soldier that was weak to him because he was desiring the thing before him, two things. His eyes nced at Chozek thaty dead on the floor, his mind fathomed how impressive and strong he was going to be the moment he extract his soul.

    Even amidst all these, this was Raith''s focus.

    [You have failed the challenge]

    [You will randomly lose a dark soldier as a penalty]

    Raith''s eyes immediately widened.

    "What?!!"

    Whoom!

    He couldn''t see it but he felt it, following Cheche''s deletion was the deletion of another dark soldier.

    Horror overwhelmed his face, no doubt he was now regretting his decision.

    [The trial will restart]

    [You cannot choose a champion due to penalty]

    ''...then I will have to fight him myself?'' Raith was optimistic, he even sighed because he was sure this would end well. So easy right?

    [Due to the penalty, every time you die a random dark soldier will bepletely deleted]

    "Ah!" He couldn''t help but let his voice out loud, with widened opened eyes.

    Never, never will he test the abyss penalty again. He was about to lose a lot because of his selfishness. The price he was to pay for coveting something was heavy. The least Raith could do was wish a dark soldier like Kortopi, Jarvis, or Fenrir won''t be deleted.

    The red Orc chief stood over the looming darkness of the orc he had just smashed his head together with a p. The darkness slowly blew away with the mountain wind.

    Raith''s scornful eyes rested on the monster and the monster returned the gesture but his with a wry smile and taunting eyes that said to Raith, ''Is that all you''ve got?''

    "Hisshh... I will beat the shit out of you." Raith mumbled and swung something out of the space.

    Mok Jae-Hwa grinned from where he stood, ''So he is finally going to start taking this seriously uh''

    In Raith''s hand was a gleaming de, its edge was honed to a razor-sharp edge. But what was more eye-catching about the sword in Raith''s hand was the hilt of the sword, a brilliant white that seemed like it was glowing under the crimson sky.

    The white silk wrap was wound tightly around the grip, each strand perfectly ced. The menuki, the decorative ornaments that adorned the hilt, were intricately carved and ted with gold. Raith twirled the sword skillfully and pointed it forward to the red Orc, narrowing his eyes to a slit.

    Wham!

    As if both of them were waiting for it, they disappeared, leaving a strong dispersal of wind that sted off but was stronger on the red orc''s side.

    The two collided with a massive shockwave that eluded from the collision of Raith''s weapon against the Orc''s fist. The two of them pressed for a few more minutes and pushed each other away. As Raithnded back with one foot, heunched forward again with the other©\ in the same sense the Orc chief charged forward, mming its fist into the ground¨C the ground shook with an immense impact that peeled off the ground sendingrge stones to Raith''s path.

    But with finesse, Raith weaved the stones, shifting left and right as needed while still keeping his movement forward. He swung the katana sword in a wide arc, the de sang through the air of the darkness as it sliced towards the Orc''s neck.

    Whish!

    Regardless of its big body, the red Orc chief was very quick¨C it ducked beneath Raith''s sword andunched forward in an instant delivering a bone-crushing uppercut to Raith''s jaw that immediately dislocated his neck. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Without spacing out the monster swept in another blow from behind guided by a gale of wind that was gathered due to the strong force of the red Orc''s punch.

    WHAM!

    Air sted out of Raith''s left side as the punch carved into his right side, the higheryer of the ground was razed by the tremendous force that Orc discharged upon the moment of impact. Raith''s body lunged into the distance, crashing into the settlements, and didn''t stop until it was probably embedded in rocks.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s mouth fell, his face trembled and his eyeball shook. "H-H-H-Hunt-t-ter R-R-Raa-aven!!!!" He shouted leaping out of the mountain where they were all watching from.

    "Damn!! Hyung!!" Sung Min shouted and leaped after him with a serious frown.

    The others followed suit, with a serious demeanor, even Chong-Yol who was probably despising Raith had a face full of regret as hended on the ground.

    A wide grin spread across the red Orc''s face as it beheld the faces on their faces as they revealed themselves. It was obvious the monster was enjoying the rain of despair that fell upon them.

    "Jae-Hwa, I know you are probably very angry right now. But this thing killed a catastrophe-rank hunter in one sweep. Don''t we need to think right now instead of acting on our anger?" Yujin suggested all of them were intensely in a different mood than they had been since they came into the guild¨C all of them were wearing a frown on their faces and were ready to attack at any time at the expense of their lives.

    They just saw the monster kill a catastrophe-rank hunter but none of them showed any signs of fear not even in the slightest.

    Mok Jae-Hwa stretched forth his hand with one ahead of the other as if he was getting ready for a jabbing session, his fist was clenched and what he was about to do looked like a clear act of stupidity¨C the red Orc''s fist was ten times big than his and he was still putting up a fist.

    "Activate, spirit fist! Deadlock!!"

    Wham!!

    Mok Jae-Hwaunched forward a fist as he spoke and following it was a purple aura that surged out of his hand propelling it forward, the red Orc countered Mok Jae-Hwa''s fist with his¨C the collision of their fist was massive such that it caused the wind to surge with dust.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes widened, the orc was still standing against his magic weapon which had fully taken the form of a gauntlet except that it wasn''t directly on his hand but was being held together by an aerogel.

    ''What?! It cracked?!''

    A magic weapon that was one of the best of Tae Dong-Hyun''s creation cracked from the impact of attack from an S-rank red Orc, a weapon he has been effectively using for over five years.

    The others had the same gobsmacked expression as they saw that the Orc stopped Mok Jae-Hwa''s attack, although they didn''t know that it cracked.

    The Orc clenched its other fist and immediately brought it swinging towards Mok Jae-Hwa but before it could reach him Mok Jae-Hwa disappeared¨C to be exact something sted into the tiny distance that was in between the two of them and carried him out faster than any of them could follow. What they just saw was Mok Jae-Hwa was standing next to them and Raith was already standing before the Orc again.

    Something was different about him.

    "He didn''t die?!" Chong-Yol cried out, he was relieved at the same time was distressed, his tone sounded like he was having a hard time picking between the two states.

    "Of course! He''s a catastrophe rank hunter!" Shin responded with a dly lit face, spreading his arms joyously into the air.

    "Ah, shit... you had me for a second there..." Mok Jae-Hwa mumbled to himself.

    Raith tilted his head backward at them, "Don''t you dare try to take what is mine" He warned, his eyes exuding zenith hostility such that his hair was dancing as if they were being blown by the gentle wind that swirled around him.

    His jaw waspletely fine and his hands were tightly clenched on the white katana.

    His brows furrowed even harder as he turned to the red Orc who first looked at Raith nkly, it was sure its blow would kill him.

    "Surprised I''m still alive?" Raith said to it with narrowed eyes.

    "Chaayk kyah kiiu kuaaah! (I will kill you this time!)"

    "Yea, you can try."

    The Orc charged forward with yet another war cry, raising both hands in the air for a downward smash on Raith. But Raith quickly sidestepped, barely evading the smash, the impact of the Orc''s fist on the ground was so strong that it sent him stumbling away although he didn''t receive any serious injury.

    He immediately flipped up before the Orc could reach him for a follow-up attack, he countered with a swift sh from his katana but the red Orc deftly parried the sword with its bare hands. Just as Raith jumped back before it came again, the Orc suddenly disappeared and appeared behind him, lunging its fist into Raith''s belly.

    [You have died]

    [You have received the Penalty the third time]

 Chapter 138 Kampf Der St?rke

    ?

    [You have lost a random soldier]

    The bad part about Raith losing his dark soldier was that he could tell the power of the soldier that was being deleted but couldn''t exactly tell which one it was, at least he was sure that some strong ones were still avable.

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [You have gained +3 stat points due to being brutally killed]

    Raith''s second death was tight before everyone''s eyes as he rushed a barrage of attack on the red Orc but it ran through it all and grabbed his legs, squashing the shit out of it and mming him on the ground over and over again till his brains scattered out of his head and was spilled on the ground.

    Mok Jae-Hwa and the others were filled with so much horror and were probably about to dash in for another round of reward attack but were stopped by Shin-Hye.

    She didn''t say anything, all she needed to stop them were a petrified and hostile re, even Mok Jae-Hwa didn''t dare to press forward even though he was burning with anger, he just tried to reason with her¨C with an excuse for this is not about him, this is about hunter Raven who died protecting them.

    Shin-Hye didn''t give them any answer but the way she looked was as though she was already proposing some kind of theory in her mind.

    [Due to the title effect ''One who devours death'' you will be resurrected]

    Raith''s broken head began to rearrange, his spilled brains began to form back together like a reverse y until they were back in his head and therge opening in his head began to slowly close up.

    His eyes shot open immediately and he swung up again.

    He dashed at the monster using [Instant Move]¨C it was a new level of speed that the Orc was not used to so he got caught off-guard.

    The Orc had probably thought that the speed at which Raith was fighting with it was his best.

    wham! whish! whoom! whoom!!

    Raith released a swift barrage of attacks as he was a hair''s breadth away from the Orc, he swung an arc taken right from over his shoulder slicing through the red orc''s metallic upper chest¨C spinning immediately before the Orc could react, he unleashed a super fast spinning sh that screeched on the Orc''s skin as though metal was licking metal but the Orc still stumbled backward.

    "Instant Move!!"

    Raith threw himself forward again with disappearing speed giving neither himself nor the Orc a breathing space.

    He thrust forward with the tip of his katana sword aimed for the heart of the monster¨C but the Orc grinned like Raith kept repeating the same thing knowing full well that it could easily block that obvious attack with its bare hand. The Orc''s hand reached for the Raith and as it was a dot away from catching the sword Raith pulled back the sword with swift reflex, softly touching the Orc''s fist with his other hand, letting out a sardonic smile.

    [You have activated skill ''Lavaration'']<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Following the message, he flew away from the Orc using [Air Leap] andnded afar off.

    The Orc froze for a moment trying to figure out what Raith did to it but it took a while for the effect of the skill to be seen due to its incredibly tough skin.

    The Orc let out a roar as its skin began to boil and break like molten magma.

    "Oh? What did he do to the monster?" Shin was filled with curiosity.

    He wasn''t the only one, even though the others were not obvious about it as he was.

    ''He just touched the Orc''s hand and its hand began to melt.'' Mok Jae-Hwa was intensely focused as if he was in a learning session. Trying to make sense of what skill Raith possess just even caused more headache.

    The melt did not stop with that point of contact, it was slow but it began to spread, btedly realizing what was going on the red Orc grabbed its hand, tightened his grip on its hand bursting its veins and muscles, and then forcibly pulled out the hand from the point that melt had not reach.

    "Wow..." Raith was impressed. It''d take more than being a regr monster to have the resolve to do that sorta thing.

    The monster began to heave heavily, its eyes became bloodshot and its body became more rigged with muscles, as if the muscles it had before grew two times more. Veins could be seen running all over its body.

    Raith twirled the Katana and got ready for another round again.

    [Skill proficiency has increased]

    And these sorta things were getting better, seeing an improvement in his skill set was just so interesting, especially when it was [Way Of The Sword(iplete)]

    Raith drew a deep breathe as the Orc after its rage tantrum leaped forward, reaching its only hands to him¨C

    Wham! Whoosh! whoosh!

    The two enter a state of attack and parry, Raith threw endless shes and arcs but the Orc was relentlessly parrying with the only hand it now had left, smacking away the de of his sword with enough force to send him back one, two steps. If not for his extraordinary grip on the sword, it would have flown out of his hand at a point.

    In the struggle between the two, Raith increased his speed and pressed harder, even with [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] it was hard to slip in the attack, the Orc had no exposure and was very strong, careful¨C with itsrge body, its speed was crazy. The existence of such a monster defied and betrayed the Association hunters'' knowledge of how monsters are constituted and how their strengths are distributed.

    As Raith fought harder, depending on Auto battle and slowly abandon his own observations, he began to enter a trance-like state. It was not something he intended not now, nor prior, it was just coincidence as he struggled and became desperate to kill the Orc in front of him without dying again! The price of that penalty was bing a bother.

    Raith''s senses entered a heightened form and he just began to fight with abandoned senses, it was not different from saying he went primitive, abandoning his sense of prediction or analysis, all those skills that had good uses in battle due to [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] as he became more desperate, it became hard to hold onto all those skills and at a point, it started to feel like all of them were converging to one single skill©\ [Multiple Cognitive Resonance]

    Raith had no idea what this was but he could feel a rush of adrenaline that he had never felt, he didn''t want to break out of this feeling even though he could wrap his fingers around what it was.

    [Congrattions]

 Chapter 139 The Crazed Massacre

    ?

    ''Congrattions?''

    As Raith''s eyes rolled down in that split moment the message appeared, the Orc''srge hand crushed his head, smashing him to the floor. Immediately, the Orc kicked him away sending him into the sky and gave him a follow-up smash that lunged him downwards, crashing into the ground and causing a webbed crack with him in the middle of it.

    Gbam!

    As the Oded on him, the webbed crack shattered, razing the ground supersonically. Not even a miracle would have saved Raith from dying.

    [You have died]

    [You have gained +7 stat points]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Congrattions]

    [Skill ''Multiple Cognitive Resonance'' has gained one level]

    [All Sub-skills have gained 10 levels]

    [^#^#%#^...#^##%#]

    The Orc was standing on Raith''s body hence didn''t know what was going on.

    Raith''s body began to devolve into ck liquid that squirmed about, the red Orc looked down and wondered what was going on.

    [Congrattions]

    [Passive Skill ''Devourer'' has reached level 10]

    [A subskill has been created ''Merge'']

    [Devour(EX)]

    - Stomach

    - Merge

    [Do you want to use sub-skill ''Merge'']

    [Automatically merging saved ego]

    [Merging ego Goblin King(C) + Red Orc Chief(S)]

    [Merging... 1%...2%...3%...5%...]

    [...67%...74%...77%...80%...]

    [...87%...93%...98%...99%...]

    [...100%]

    [Merging Completed]

    [You have gained a new ego]

    [Do you want to name the ego?]

    [Due to title effect you will be resurrected]

    "...*pant*pant*pant*..." Raith rose with unsteady breath. But that was the least to worry about.

    The main raid team of Rain Guild now shared his precious secret.

    "Hyungnim...did you see that?"

    "The Orc was swallowed in whole by a ck thing..."

    "And the ck thing became hunter Raven."

    All of them said one to another, with shaking eyeballs and trembling lips.

    "Yes," Raith responded, looking at the lingering ck tab in front of his eyes.

    [Give the ego a name]

    "Ghan"

    His naming sense was very whack and too random.

    [Are you sure you want to name the new ego ''Ghan'']

    "Yes"

    [You have named ego ''Ghan'']

    [Ego Information]

    Name: Ghan

    Level: 00

    Skills: Metallic Defense, Rage mode, Indomitability.

    ss: Warrior

    Attack power: 55 <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Defense Power: 322

    Strength: 310

    Speed: 200

    Stamina: 190

    Intelligence: 20

    - Ego can be imbued into a weapon, when Ego is imbued into a weapon ego stats will affect the weapon.

    - The ego can be imbued into a body you carve out of darkness, when the ego is put into the body, the body will undergo evolution to match the stat of the ego.

    - Ego can be fused with the user, when you fuse with Ego you will gain all its skills and stats (this function is locked until you unlock sub-skill: Override)

    ''Interesting, it has never given me such information on arge scale before. Is it because Devour reached level 10?'' Raith wondered rubbing his cheek as he stood to his feet, butt naked and he didn''t even realize it.

    All the boys covered all the girls'' eyes immediately, both from Mok Jae-Hwa''s party and the red Orcs.

    [Congrattions you havepleted the Trial of strength]

    [You have gained 100+ strength stat]

    [The 100+ strength stat won''t be in effect until you reach level 100]

    [You have defeated the red orc n leader, by all right you will be their leader]

    [A New Trial Has Been Generated]

    [Trial Of A Leader]

    - Crazily massacre all the red Orcs.

    "Huh?" Raith cocked his head.

    This had to be the height of it.

    Massacre all of them after bing their leader. Raith turned around to observe their face, suddenly they weren''t looking like hostile ferocious monsters anymore but instead were now looking more like people who need help. Among them, were kids and babies--

    ''Why are they all covering their eyes though...'' He wondered as he turned around and thenstly looked at himself.

    "Oh..." He walked forward, not particrly doing anything after saying ''Oh''

    ''I''m supposed to murder all these orcs... I don''t think I can...'' Raith inhaled and exhaled with a bit of determination.

    [If you fail the quest, you will lose ss ''Monarch Of Darkness'']

    Raith''s eyes widened, "What?!"

    "Hunter Raven, I think you will need this..." Mok Jae-Hwa said and covered him with a ck coat he had brought as extra.

    "Say, Hunter Jae-Hwa." Raith''s low tone caused a warm embrace in his heart, it was the first time he had heard Raith call him.

    "Yes, Hunter Raven." He responded with vigor and delight amodated with a sheepish smile.

    "Do you think it is okay to kill all these orcs even though they look like they have surrendered?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa took a moment to look at the Orcs, their young ones and females, the strong males that had fiery look on them before now were all looking at Raith with some kind of sparkling eyes. By looking at them, he could tell the point Raith was trying to make.

    "Honestly, I don''t know... but we won''t be able to live the gate unless we kill them." He replied.

    "I see..." Raith rubbed his chin. ''...the abyss, at times I like it and at other times I hate it so much''

    [You''re wee]

    ''That wasn''t a fuckingpliment''

    [One more penalty has been added]

    [Your level will reset if you fail the trial]

    Raith swirled his sword and walked forward, "Stay back..." He said as he marched forward with arched brows and teary eyes.

    "I''m so sorry guys... I havee too far to end it here. But you know what, I will give you all an equal chance of killing me too." Raith proimed as he ran into the crowd of orcs with his sword raised in the air, recklessly slicing through the orcs.

    At first, they all ran, but after seeing the crazed state that he was in, he shed and swiped off the head of their babies with no remorse in his attacks but tears flooding down his eyes, they began to retaliate.

    "I don''t know why... this sorta feels immoral." Sung Min said.

    "Says the man who would do the same thing," Yujin replied to him with her arms folded. All of them were looking at Raith.

    "Don''t talk like that, I don''t have a choice because I''m a berserker."

    "It''s Hunter Raith''s expression for me, I can''t believe he is crying in a situation like this," Ga-Yun stated looking at Raith.

    Even though it was ethically justifiable, Raith looked more like the monster in this situation than the red Orcs themselves.

    Yeon-Woo looked up and squinted his face, "Something is wrong."

    "Huh?" Shin-Hye was the one next to him so she was able to catch up quickly on what he was saying.

    His eyes stayed glued to the sky for a few minutes before they finally shot wide open and he shouted.

    "Everyone!! Duck!!!!"

    Before his voice spread across, me poured down on them as figures of flying things could be seen beneath the red sky.

 Chapter 140 It Is Burn Oclock

    ?

    "This is not making any sense! How are you even there right now, that ce is like a room on fire." Tam Seon bellowed but got no response from Tae Dong-Hyun, who was as surprised as he was.

    He looked at his hands and looked around, the blue me of the forge was burning viciously, and yet he stood here, okay.

    At this point, he knew.

    He picked up the hammer and turned to the forge.

    "Let us start..."

    ***

    ***

    ***

    WHOOM!

    The tranquility of the in that was still sustained even though Raith was mercilessly and cryingfully ughtering harmless orcs was immediately overturned by mes that swept across the in like a flood unforeseen.

    Mythical creatures, with necks so long, forearms attached to their wings and hindlimbs like that of kangaroos, their tails long and sweeping across the wind with enough power to crush a rock. They were a sight to behold no doubt but that was not the dreadry that they carried¨C it was their breath, for it spewed forth mes.

    Their wings beat the air with the force of a hurricane as they flew around spewing breath of mes on every part of the mountain.

    The Orcs were baptized in mes, raging mes!

    "Raith stood amidst this me, his body ckened to the very thick of it, almost blending with the near-darkness if not for the faint illumination that the mes brought with them.

    He stood amidst the mes with a worn-out expression on his face, his head dropped low and his katana sword pointing to the ground sorrowfully¨C almost slipping out of his hands. The green-colored blood of the Orcs streamed down the sword in a way that resonated with the kind of sorrow Raith carried¨C slowly as if the steel itself was crying.

    [Because the skill ''Heat Resistance'' has been bestowed, the effect of the skill will tremendously reduce]

    [Do you want to withdraw Bestowed skill?]

    Raith looked at the message, he was feeling the heat of the fire like he had never before in his life and that was why he even activated body Armour to protect him from the damage, his skin was being burnt off by the mes. But it wasn''t working, he could feel the hotness and somehow his skin was still feeling the heat and being burnt.

    ''This thing only protects from hit damage I guess''

    Even though Raith was immersed in mes and burning, he had a calmposure, gently working and looking at the kind of art that was projected by the orcs that ran helter-skelter, dancing and crying because the fire burns too good.

    The wyverns were not even that low on the ground, and just hovered in the sky, spitting fire on the in. After a few minutes of doing that, they suddenly soared higher and soon disappeared. But the mes continued.

    There was no ce to hide but thanks to arge circr shield could be seen tearing over a particr space and no matter how much the mes hit the shield, it was battered back and didn''t enter.

    In the shield was the Mok Jae-Hwa and his raid team, safe and sound although they were unable to bring Raith into it and hated that fact, especially Mok Jae-Hwa, who was ready to jump out of the shield and into the mes.

    "That''d be a very stupid idea," Shin-Hye stated to him. But he still didn''t agree.

    "Why would you say that? He''s going to die!"

    Shin-Hye folded her arms, "And is this the first time he''s dying for you?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa paused to think about it. ''She''s right... he has died quite a number of times. But still...''

    "We don''t know if it is some type of skill use, he could end up dying for real," Ga-Yun said.

    "Then are you willing to let go of your shield and save him?" Shin-Hye uttered to her, harshly but sensibly.

    "I mean, he''s a catastrophe-ranked hunter, I''m sure he''s got a n" She responded looking away, especially from Mok Jae-Hwa whose eyes were filled with chivalry.

    From the circr shield, they could see Raith stumble to his feet and fall within the mes, after a while, he would stand up again then after a long time the same thing would happen again.

    The mes were enormous to the extent that they were even burning rocks and were like a sea, hours have passed since the wyverns left and the mes do not look like they are going to take a breather anytime soon.

    And in them, Raith was being killed and resurrected for so long that they all got tired of watching it.

    ***

    ''...ah...how long has it been now?'' Chingy asked, his lips were dry and void of life, even his eyes were dropping so low that they seemed like they would drop out of their sockets.

    Everyone was like that, fatigue and hunger had stricken them so hard.

    Vwoom Vwoom

    The shield that was holding them together blinked severally but it was bearable now, the fire had resided hands were just burning on the ground.

    ***

    Raithy butt naked on the floor, looking at the red sky, he had died so many times over that he now developed a resistance for burns, his endurance stat had skyrocketed, and his level too had gone up a while, although not too much because he kept dying from the same cause and as he developed enough endurance for that kind of death, he stopped leveling up from it.

    "Those wyverns, weren''t they strange?" He mumbled as he felt someone''s presence. It was Yeon-Woo that was beside him.

    ''...he can tell I am here even though I''m using stealth mode.'' Yeon-Woo undid his invisibility and bent down towards Raith, "I came to check if you are still alive"

    "How nice of you. Did someone die from your side?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "No, but they are more or less like dead folks."

    "I guess so. It has been over two days and the fire is still burning."

    Yeon-Woo looked up and looked at Raith, "How did you know that? There wasn''t any change in weather."

    "I counted"

    "You counted?"

    "It was the only thing I could do to keep my sanity." Raith sat up.

    Yeon-Woo looked at his rock-hard back and stared at him from behind with admiration. ''...I can''t imagine what he must have gone through''

    [Congrattions]

    [You havepleted the trial of a leader]

    [Congrattions]

    [You have been forged by fire]

    [You have gained the skill Burn O''clock(C)]

    [Using Devour sub-skill, you can merge skills]

    [Skills eligible for merge: Lavaration + Burn O''clock]

    "Oh wow"

    "Huh?" Yeon-Woo tilted his head left and right trying to get why Raitj was so dazed and spaced out. But Raith didn''t reply to him or pay any attention to him.

    His hand was beneath his jaw with his eyes focused on the space before him as he carefully weigh his decision.

    ''Lavaration has been very profitable for me, I don''t want to lose it... but then, the possibility of a new fire skill is interesting, I like the thought of it...'' He crossed his legs and looked at the ck holographic tab that was visible to him alone.

    "Merge."

    [Merging skill, Lavaration(S) + Burn O''clock(C)]

    [1%...3%...5%...10%...]

    [...87%...90%...95%...99%...]

    [...100%]

    [Merging Complete]

    [You have gained a new skill]

    [Fire Force(B)]

    - You can eject or manifest a tremendous force of fire from any part of your body, skill usage is limited to the creativity of the user.

    "..." A gloomy cloud downed on Raith''s face as he saw the skill description.

    ''Force of fire? why does it sound some? Now I regret merging Lavaration'' He sank his face into his palm for a moment and stood up afterward.

    He pulled out ck pants from his inventory as the others got closer.

    "Hunter Raven! I''m so d you are alive!" Mok Jae-Hwa jubted even though he should be weak as hell having not eaten anything for two days straight- ording to Raith''s calction.

    "Yes, you guys look..." Raith paused as he looked at all of them, their face was whitened, their lips were dried and it was so obvious that they were hungry, all of them except Shin-Hye of course who had her normal corpse skin and for some reason Yeon-Woo.

    "I went into hibernation." He stated as Raith''s eye fell on him with the unspoken inquiry of how he is alive.

    "Hibernation?"

    "This little guy here is capable of many things including hibernation. He will deactivate all his body system organs and still be conscious of his surroundings until he wakes up." Mok Jae-Hwa exined holding Yeon-Woo''s shoulder.

    "Wow, that is impressive." Raithplimented him causing a big smile to appear on his face.

    "What? He isn''t that impressive. Do you even know what I can do?"

    whoom!

    Raith''s frown immediately scared off Shin who was trying to be boastful.

    ''...did I say something wrong?'' He thought to himself as he shakily stepped back from the hostility that Raith was exuding.

    It took another moment for the rest of them to know.

    Yeon-Woo''s brow lowered, "We have been surrounded"

 Chapter 141 Play Dead

    ?

    Even after the two testified, it took the strangers to reveal themselves from beyond the mountain for the rest of the team to enter the same knowing that Yeon-Woo and Raith were in due to their high perception senses.

    "They look human?..." It came out like a question because Yujin wasn''t sure what to call them, although they had crimson skin almost like the orcs but they were more lithe and human looking with pointed ears and hairs of different colors. Their attires were more developed than that of the orcs and even their weapons too.

    "You''re right... and they seem to be the ones that attacked us with arrows when we were trying to find our way here," Yeon-Woo stated, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the ones with bows amongst them all.

    "Then what do we do? Fight?" Sung Min asked.

    "Hell, do we even look like we can fight that number with our state right now?" Chong-Yol immediately threw his reply at him with frustration written all over his heavy gaze.

    "Are you seriously worried about numbers?" Ga-Yun turned her head to Raith.

    "What?"

    "I heard youmand a legion of armies, you can summon them or something."

    "I can''t do that right now."

    "Ugh? Why not?!" She yelled out her dissatisfaction with Raith''s answer.

    "I don''t know why too... my energy recovery rate has been kinda low," Raith said looking down.

    e¦Áglesnovel`c,om [Dark Points: 0034/1125]

    [Cosmic Points: 3044/5270]

    "Ohhh...? Then we are fucked uh?"

    "Seems so." Raith ascertained after Ga-Yun.

    Whim!

    Thud!

    One of them jumped from the mountain high into the sky and stomped on the ground in front of them scattering dust around. He gently walked forward with a majestic ir to the way he carried both his feet and hands, he was donned in golden armor with a white tunic, and on the breastte of the armor was an engraving of a two-headed lion.

    "Humans! Surrender yourselves willing now and we can give you a nice torture or decide to be stupid and you will experience an incredible definition of hell." He dered with a nasty expression on his face, one brow and eyes widened than the other with a wide grin as though he was about to enjoy crushing something.

    They exchange nces¨C

    The monster can talk! Even though they were so shocked they kept a decorum. They were all tired and didn''t need to be told that it would be a very big loss for them should they decide to act stupid ording to the humanoid monster.

    ''Nice torture''ing from this monster that stood in front of them wasn''t sounding like it was going to be any nice but ''experiencing the definition of hell'' sounded worse so they opted for the initial.

    They slowly went on their knees, all of them except Raith who was standing tall like a model, unting his incredible body and straightness.

    The monster moved closer to him and stood nose to nose with him©\ thanks to that he found out that Raith was taller than him and had to crane his neck up a little bit.

    "What do you think you are doing?"

    Raith''s looked down at the monster, "I surrender, don''t get me wrong. It is just that I can''t kneel."

    "Huh? Are you insane? Who surrenders without kneeling?!"

    "Me..." Raith bear down his eyeballs such that it was almost sinking into his lower lids.

    "Ah, you have a lot of gut for a human"

    "And you have quite the courage for a monster, although I have never seen a monster that can speak humannguage... so I guess you all must be quite intelligent."

    The humanoid frowned, "I will kill you."

    "Yes sure, I''m just going to rise again or someth¨C

    Stab!

    Raith paused with his hand shaking, he looked down and saw that the humanoid and dug a silver dagger deep into his belly making sure to attack his pressure points.

    Blood dripped down his mouth effortlessly and like that he sank to his knee, dragging the tunic that was attached to the humanoid''s armor as he went down¨C like a tragic death scene.

    The humanoid monster grabbed his hand forcefully from his tunic and threw it away causing Raith to stagger back as he was a tad away from being on his knees, he fell on his back andy there while blood streamed out of his belly.

    "Hunter Raven-n-n*hup*" Ga-Yun cried, crocodile tears.

    "We will miss you, man." Sung Min lowered his head in respect to the dead.

    "Hunter Raven, to sacrifice your life to protect us, you deserve to be called a hero." Mok Jae-Hwa said, leaving him with a dagger.

    "What are you doing?" The monster yelled.

    "You have killed him, isn''t it too harsh to let him depart with his favorite weapon? The dagger was like a wife to him." Mok Jae-Hwa said.

    Thud!

    Thud! <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Two other humanoid monsters with pointed ears and human featuresnded and walked over to him, they were so like elves except for the crimson skin and yellow eyes.

    "?ta nije uredu(what is wrong?)" They spoke a differentnguage from the first humanoid monster who could speak Korean.

    "Ubio sam jednog od njih, bio je buntovan. Ne brini, skupljam ove (I killed one of them, he was rebellious. Don''t worry, I''m rounding up these ones )" He replied to the two that justnded who were also dded in armor like his.

    "I think they are talking about us," Yujin mumbled to Ga-Yun who was beside her.

    "Of course." She replied with a frown fixated on the monsters before her.

    "Do you think they are going to kill us?" Yujin asked again.

    "Of course."

    The other two stepped closer withrge chains and cuffs in their hands, they rounded them together roughly and chained them to one another. Ushered them up rudely and began to pull them away.

    "?ta da radimo s njim? (what should we do about him?)" One of them asked.

    "Ostavite ga da trune ili da ga divljaci pojedu (Leave him to rot or to be eaten by the wildlings)" The first humanoid monster that jumped down replied and walked away giving Raith onest nce before he trekked forward with his majestic poise.

    [You were killed trying to protect yourrades]

    [Flipping pages of the Book Of Requiems to: The Good kind(Heroic)]

    [Due to the status attribute of ''The Good Kind(Heroic) you will gain a permanent +10 stat increase in all your stats]

    [You have died]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [You died from an incredibly high-level opponent]

    [This failure will be considered a feat]

    [Due to this feat you can exchange two skills for a high-level skill]

    [Skills exchangeable]

    - Dragon Power(UR)

    - Dragon Barrier(SR)

    - Expel(S)

    - Naming(SSR)

    - Commander King Body(UR)

    - Moon Protection(SR)

    - Blood Mist(SSR)

    - Greed(UEX)

    [Due to the title ''One who devours death'' you will be revived]

    Raith''s mouth dropped as he opened his eyes to the pile of tabs in his front, six levels from just dying. It was the first time he had gained so much.

    Over time, he had gained an understanding of the way leveling up worked, just like in games, it reaches a point when killing the same monster isn''t able to make you level up the way it used to, not because they don''t give XP but because the user''s XP bar had grownrger due to increase in level, so instead of wasting one''s energy on low-level monsters it is reasonable that one should go for a monster that will yield the expected XP for next level up¨C it was that way for Raith too, getting killed by monsters that he could easily handle cannot guarantee him a level up, maybe the first time but it would drastically reduce the next time, even the stats he receives will tremendously reduce.

    With monsters that were stronger than him, he would gain massive levels but repeatedly dying in their hands doesn''t guarantee that he would keep gaining massive level-ups, in fact, he''d stop leveling up on the third death.

    This was huge, six levels in one go, not to say, he leveled up three times from dying in the fire, two times from being killed by the orcs, and another three times from his fight with the red Orc chief.

    But what interested him the most was the feat. The feat that was made avable to him was because he died from an incredibly strange person.

    ''...wow, the guy must be pretty strong. I have never seen skill grades like this in my life.''

    It was another level entirely. The highest grade of skill Raith was used to was S. But on the tab of skills where he could give two of his skills to receive one of¨C he could see SR, USR... and even UEX which he knew of only in book thanks to Han Lamar.

    "Which skills do I give? Which skill do I get?" Raith was met with a dilemma that involved wisdom to get out of. Which he had known of, at least for now.

 Chapter 142 How To Sneak Up On People

    ?

    [Skill Info]

    - Dragon Power

    - Active

    - Grade: UR

    - Can be gotten by defeating a dragon, temporarily raises all your stats at the cost of CP.

    ______________________________

    [Skill Info]

    - Dragon Barrier

    - Active

    - Grade: SR

    - Produces a barrier that weakens the effect of magic, mimicking a dragon scales.

    ______________________________

    [Skill Info]

    - Expel

    - Active

    - Grade: S

    - You can use raw CP tounch anything including yourself, at higher levels velocity increases.

    ______________________________

    [Skill Info]

    - Naming

    - Active

    - Grade: SSR

    - Gives a name to an object or living being, improving its effects or raising its stats. Naming a living thing grants the namer a slight influence over the named which can bebined with other skills to grantplete control.

    ______________________________

    [Skill Info]

    - Commander King Body

    - Passive

    - Grade: UR

    - Increases resistance to all attributes except light and rot.

    ______________________________

    [User already has a lower version of this body]

    ______________________________

    [Skill Info]

    - Moon Protection

    - Passive

    - Grade: SR

    - Increases your status with the waxing of the moon.

    ______________________________

    [Skill Info]

    - Blood Mist

    - Active

    - Grade: SSR

    - Transforms the user''s blood into a controble mist of blood, toxic and poisonous.

    ______________________________

    [Skill Info]

    - Greed

    - Active

    - Grade: UEX

    - One of seven ruler skills, causes the user to randomly take stats values and skills from in opponents. With the possession of this skill, the user will gain the right to interfere with the abyssal system.

    ______________________________

    Raith''s eyes widened, without further ado he knew what to do.

    Greed. The skills looked like his skills devour but devour was more uncertain and randomly activates, and devour takes the soul. With this skill, he would be able to take people''s stat and skill but what interested him the most was that he would be able to interfere with the abyssal system.

    Sure, Raith didn''t know how that would turn out but the sound of it alone was enticing, but anything to fuck up the abyss would be a delight to Raith who has suffered much.

    Raith grinned.

    "Greed"

    [You have chosen skill, ''Greed'']

    [Skills that will be used to exchange this skill will be calcted and selected]

    ''Wait! selected? I thought I would do the choosing''

    [Ego Save(SSS) + Way Of The Sword(SSS)]

    "Eh?!!" Raith shouted out loud. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''No no no no no, that is too big of a surprise, it took my ss skill and way of the sword?! Ah no, I am not going to do that. No thanks!]

    [Do you want to refuse Exchange Y/N]

    Raith looked at the ck tab with twitching eyes, he wanted to cry if it would make the abyss give him back that skill.

    He didn''t know what the skill [Greed] meant or even if it''d be useful for him but the fact that it''d make him able to interfere with the abyss was a nice one and it was a skill with the highest grade: UEX, even [Devour] is EX.

    As much as he didn''t want to collect the skill, he was trapped in the dilemma of what he would be losing.

    ''...this might be my only chance to have a weapon that can go against the abyss'' He thought to himself as he dropped his head in sorrow.

    There were a lot of questions in his head about why a skill like this would even pop up but he gave thought to none of them. What matter to him right now was that he would be losing how effectively he used to fight.

    "Damnit..."

    [Do you want to refuse Exchange? Y/N]

    The message was repeated before his eyes again.

    "No..." Raith responded with a dead tone.

    [Do you want to give ''Ego Save'' and ''Way Of The Sword'' in exchange for ''Greed'']

    Raith looked at the tab with teary eyes and looked down again, his voice quaked as he responded, "...yes"

    [Exchanging skills]

    [You have gained skill ''Greed'']

    [You have gained a rulers skill]

    [Your true name is revealing itself]

    [^$^#_##&@>¡Â*=&=>@&@]

    [Forcing a name block]

    [Due to your heritage, there will be a status update]

    [^$^#^#^#^¡Â^##^¡Â^]

    [Status update paused and dyed]

    "Uh? What is this... If I get this very well, it is as though the abyss is forcibly stopping something that is supposed to be happening. And what does it even mean due to my heritage...?"

    Raith opened his status window and scrolled down, inspecting it once more, the part of skill [Greed] that should be written in a white font was written with a red font.

    "Is this bad news? Did I end up wasting my skills..." Raith wondered aloud and stood up. He shook his head in an attempt to throw away all other thoughts and focused on what mattered.

    "I should go save those guys..."

    ***

    "Are we going to be fine... these guys look like they are going to have us for dinner?" Shin pressed his lips.

    "Hunter Raven wille for us," Ga-Yun assured him, hugging him tightly. The

    "Are you sure?" He raised his head at Ga-Yun who sounded so sure.

    "Yes, I am."

    "What if he died for real..."

    "Eh, don''t think like that..." She said with a twitch on the corner of her mouth, even though she was saying that¨C it might be true.

    Below them was a tribe of red elves who danced around like Native American Indians and were even dressed as such except for their warriors that were donned in fine armor and exquisite weapons.

    The prison was a weaved with vines, hanging down from the towering trees, the environment that they were in was a different ce from the mountain ins and was very much still within the gate, this gave Mok Jae-Hwa a true idea of how vast an S rank truly is.

    So far, they''ve met three different monster kinds inside the same gate. This had never happened before, not even in the S rank gate Mok Jae-Hwa went to before.

    The red elf that jumped down from before walked around tending to everyone, from where they are they could see it and it was obvious that this dude was the most important person in the tribe, although there was a tribe leader.

    Their homes were entwined amidst the towering trees and were connected by winding staircases, bridges, and tforms. Constructed from wood, and stones, woven with vines, and covered in moss and flowers, making they blend seamlessly with their surroundings.

    Raith covered himself in the mud and leaves of the surroundings, perfectly blending himself into their surrounding. For some reason, the sky above them was dark when it should be crimson but Raith had less time to worry about that.

    He looked around carefully before moving from one tree to another.

    "I am going to do this in the most sneaky way because I don''t have the strength to fight anyone. Not even after [Way Of The Sword] has been taken from me." He mumbled as he crawled to another tree.

    "Mama mama, tu je ?ovjek prekriven ?bunjem(Mama mama, there is a man covered in bush)" A baby elf with a big belly pointed down from the staircase of the wooden house that was built above the tree he was hiding behind.

    "?ta govori? Mahtan, vrati se ovamo.(What are you saying Mahtan,e back here.)"

    e¦Áglesnovel`c,om "Heik..." Raith immediately ran from the tree he was at to another tree in order to avoid being seen instead of staying still such that the mother of the elven child wouldn''t have suspected anything.

    His movements were sorge and obvious and it was as if he was begging to be seen.

    "Hah!! There''s an intruder!! An Intruder!!!" The woman shouted. Immediately another resident picked it up and shouted, then another picked it and in no time, the whole forest was screaming and arge bell was ringing, all the doors of the tree houses were open and everyone was with fire touch trying to figure out where the intruder was.

    Raith ran helter-skelter trying to dodge them and was probably finding another way to get to the prison that held his team¨C his first mistake was thinking there was a way that led to prison.

    And like he was looking for, he suddenly came across a door covered with intersected vines almost hidden away from sight.

    "Ah, found it!" The stupid guy smiled and rushed at it with all his might.

    "ck Armour!"

    Gbam!!

    He mmed himself into the door, breaking into it forcefully and falling into the dark narrow hall, where he could see nothing of what was ahead of him.

    Creak..creak...

    He sharply stood up and turned back, the little ray of light that was seeping in because of the broken stone door, immediately disappeared. The door had remolded and been made whole by nothing. And Raith was now immersed in total darkness.

    "Eh? Did I have it wrong the whole time?"

    "Uh, A mortal dares to enter here; a ce of my confinement..."

    Raith froze as he heard the vibrating voice¨C when it spoke the entire ground beneath him shook in symphony with how it talked.

    "Ha...ha...ha...ha...ha..." Raithughedmely, this was the end for him.

 Chapter 143 A Story About Fel (1)

    ?

    "Uhm, so I am so sorry sir but it seems I have the wrong house. Please can you open the door for me?" Raith asked nicely.

    "That door has bounded me to this ce for six thousand years, do you belittle me by telling me what I can''t do mortal?" The voice emanated like rumbling thunder and shook the very walls that he was surrounded with, it came with a low growl that sent goosebumps up Raith''s spine.

    "No sir. I wouldn''t do that... I didn''t know your predicament to be honest." Raith replied, looking around trying to figure out where the voice wasing from, it was so dark and even though he had [Dark Vision] he couldn''t see through anything.

    "You have piqued my interest mortal, to converse with me is no small feat. It can only mean you have seen Ev Zeeyra."

    "Ev? Ev what do you say now?"

    "The void truth, you have seen it" The voice exined to me.

    "Void truth, I am not sure what you mean sir?"

    "Remarkable, youck fear in my presence ... but I wonder: is it ignorance or bravery that guides you" The voice mused, its words echoing off the wall.

    "Ah, I am as clueless as hell... I don''t even know what you are talking about."

    "The void truth is beyond mortalprehension, a knowledge not meant for those of your kind. It is reserved for those who possess the intelligence and fortitude to bear its weight, that intelligence is called Ev Zeeyra," the voice boomed, its power echoing through the darkness

    "Oh, wow... I have never heard of such a thing..." Raith replied, his voice barely audible inparison.

    "Hmm... how odd for a mortal, take two steps forward." The voicemanded his tone firm and unwavering.

    Raith hesitated, his eyes scanning the darkness around him. "Why should I do that? What if you mean to harm me?" he feigned concern.

    "Mortal, you cannot deceive a god. Though my form has been degraded by Fel, I am still divine," the voice asserted, growing more ominous.

    "Ah, wait what did you just say now!"

    "The degradation of my being? That was¨C

    "No, the other name!" Raith eximed with all his facial features widened up.

    "Fel?"

    "Yes!"

    "Hoh? What about Fel would you like to know... I can tell you something but it shall be a trade."

    Raith''s eyes widened, ''You have got to be kidding me!'' "Everything, everything I will give you anything you want just tell me everything you know."

    "Hm, then take two steps forward."

    step step

    "Like this?" Raith asked acquiescingly.

    Creaaaak

    WHOM!!

    As he stepped onto the tiled floor, a dizzying sensation overtook Raith, and he found himself transported to a surreal world. The dimly lit environment resembled a dungeon,plete with metal bars and brick walls, yet was illuminated by pairs of flickering blue torches. Despite the eerie surroundings, Raith sensed a palpable presence, confirming his suspicion that he was no longer alone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith''s gaze shifted to the side, as he felt a sudden presence behind him.

    "Hohoh, being able to tell my position ismendable, quite sharp sense for a mortal." The voice chuckled.

    The man materialized in front of Raith, towering over him with a pointed nose and long ears adorned withrge, round golden earrings and nose rings. His eyescked pupils, and his teeth gleamed like gold. He wore white linen trousers reminiscent of ancient Arab attire, with a bare chest covered in blue runic tattoos.

    As Raith examined the man, the stranger warned, "If you look at me for too long, it''ll hurt."

    whom!

    "Argh!"

    Just when the man spoke, Raith screamed and clutched his right eye which had erupted into a burst of blue me before quickly disappearing. Blood flowed from his eye as he tried to contain the pain.

    The man continued to smile, his lips pouting slightly as he stood before Raith.

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel Raith recoiled in shock and disbelief, staggering backward from the man who remained still with his arms crossed behind his back, his ck metallic cuffs resembling weighted bangles on his wrists.

    As Raith tried topose himself, the man spoke again, his long fingers and ck nails caressing his chin.

    "Now that you''re closer, I can sense it more strongly from you..." he mused.

    Raith grimaced, still reeling from the earlier burst of blue me that had erupted from his eye.

    " I am a sight that no mortal can behold, you are able to survive this long because of my degraded body."

    "Ah, damn..." Raith bowed his head in deference, avoiding direct eye contact with the enigmatic figure.

    "It''s okay, it will hurt less..." ''...What is that blue me, I have never seen it happen?'' The man was left with perplexing questions as to what was that strange burst of blue me. Even though he didn''t act like it, he had never experienced any situation like that before now.

    "Ah, damnit. Tell me about Fel." Raith demanded.

    "You deserve that much. Fel, a friend, and a foe."

    "He''s an archon right?"

    The man cocked his head immediately Raith spoke, "Don''t interrupt when I am talking" Raith gulped and held back the rest of his speech.

    The man started to pace, "Where do I start... is it when that bastard came to Achaia, or when he decided to stab my brother in the back, when he destroy the three elemental nes, or when we found out that the bastard was a demon." He paused and looked at Raith who had cked out but hit back to reality two secondster.

    Raith was bleeding on his nose after waking up from the short ckout.

    "You don''t have enough intelligence to condone this much... I guess I have to start from the basis for you."

    Raith roughly cleaned the blood on his nose, leaving a stain as he slid his hand across his cheek.

    "Thank you for the consideration, by the way... you are a celestial right?"

    The man stood still looking at Raith after he mentioned celestial. After a moment, he spoke, "It seems you can bare enough to condone the word celestial... quite impressive."

    "O-okay?" Raith answered, with one brow raised, he wasn''t sure what that was going to imply.

 Chapter 144 A Story About Fel (2)

    ?

    "Have you heard of Celestials before, mortal?" The man spoke, his voice echoing through the enclosure. "...They are the cosmic counterparts of fiends, created to be opposites of one another. They should never be found together, which is why our nes of existence are so far apart." The man paused, studying Raith. ''Hmm... impressive, he can withstand this much.''

    "Within the Celestial race, there are different sub-races," he continued.

    "The angels are the strongest, followed by the archons, the guardinals, and the asuras. Fel was an archon, of unknown origin. No one knew the extent of his power, but his beauty was unparalleled. However, he betrayed me and caused unimaginable harm to the celestial ne." The man extended his arms, revealing his kwashiorkor-ridden body. "And this is the result."

    Raith narrowed his eyes, "You said you were going to tell me about Fel."

    "Do you want to die before your time?"

    "Because of the celestial code? Don''t worry, I dealt with that. Just speak, I''ll survive."

    "I don''t know what gives you so much assurance, mortal."

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel "Speak," Raith insisted.

    The man had never had someone speak to him in that manner before, and Raith''s persistence was rude. He cut in when the man had not finished talking. But for some reason, the fact that there was no fear from Raith amused him. He looked at Raith keenly and sighed.

    "There is a pir that holds the center of prestige in Achaia..."

    "What is Achaia to begin with?" Raith asked, his nose bleeding.

    "Achaia is the city of gold, a ce that is an intersection of all nes. Don''t mistake it for the boundary. Achaia is a forced convergence. Although I may define it as a ce, it is a force field that forces a part of all the universal nes to converge on its point. And it is the mount of gods."

    Uweerrghkk!

    Raith staggered and spat out blood.

    The level of pain that surged through him after taking such kind of information was as if his intestines were being ruptured, whoever it was that created the celestial code must be unto something huge. If he was to continue like this he would die before getting to hear the whole story but Raith right now didn''t mind. He was so desperate to find out.

    The man hesitated to say more as he looked at Raith in his sorry state.

    Raith paused and took the timeout to gain himself, it was not as if there was any residing pain¨C the banging headache in his kept ringing out with time and his insides were crying for help as though they were being purged by mes.

    He sank to his knee and rested both hands on the floor before looking up, inquiring the man to continue.

    The man looked at him, even though he pitied this mortal and wanted to stop. He was not going to do that, for him this bargain was very important as it might have the potential to grant him liberty after so many years.

    "I don''t know how Fel was able to transform himself to an archon but it was clear that he wasn''t just trying to be a celestial. There was something he wanted in Achaia, he wanted the crystal sphere."

    "The crystal sphere?" Raith''s brow twitched at how familiar that sounded. ''...crystal sphere, crystal sphere, crystal sphere, crystal sphere...''

    No matter how many times he repeated the words, he just couldn''t remember where he had heard them from.

    "The crystal sphere is an altar of crystal that can only be found in Achaia." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    At this point, Raith''s nose down to his lips and jaw was already covered in red and flowing with blood. But Raith''s eyes didn''t look like they were going to give up just yet.

    [Your will has increased by 10]

    It was a shocking message but the increase in his will did not let the pain any less bearable, he probably thought that was going to be the case when he first saw the notification pop up¨C because he had naturally thought that what could allow him to handle the celestial code was his will.

    But was wrong, Raith''s intelligence was quite high from the day he was born not because he read books or because he was smart¨C in fact, he was none of that.

    What needed to be questioned was his origins, Ev Zeeyra, the intelligence of gods; it may sound morous but it is just a seen truth that ces other creations a little bit above the effect of the celestial code. That was what this stranger meant when he said ''It is what allows one to be able to condone andprehend such information.

    Hence, Raith from the beginning had seen a truth, a truth that he couldn''t retrace back to a particr event or even remember where he had seen it.

    But it was a long time ago, even before he met Thard-Harl, no wonder he understood Thard-Harl to a reasonable extent, this could be a question of Raith''s origin or it could have been Han Lamar but for now, it was a case to be rested.

    A lot more of that kind of intelligence rushed upon him after absorbing the Rodom crystal; a shard of the crystal sphere.

    All these were hard for Raith to bring to his remembrance. Generally, his poor decision-making was justified because he had no intelligence whatsoever. The intelligence of Ev Zeeyra only worked for one thing: to condone the pain thates with hearing suchrge truths.

    This meant for a normal person, he or she would have died ten times over from this little information that Raith heard, yet Raith wasn''t looking like someone ready to stop now.

    He gritted his teeth together in an attempt to manage the pain in his head for a short while and continued his question.

    "The crystal sphere... I am not sure where I heard about it but why is Fel being after something like that such a big deal?"

    "Ah, that is because it didn''t belong there... Achaia is the city of gold and a mount of gods, it is a house to the gods because they were the ones that protected the crystal sphere, they protected it from other entities whatsoever, it is a fruit of the first primordial."

    [You have heard too much]

    [You have died from hearing too much]

    [You have died from a strange entity]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Level Up!]

    ...

 Chapter 145 What Fel Did

    ?

    "He died?" The stranger crouched and observed Raith''s body that lifelesslyy on the ground. After a few moments, Raith flung up not startling the man, in fact, his eyes followed Raith as though they were anticipating it.

    Raith looked to his side, his face almost kissing that of the stranger''s.

    "You said something about primordials¨C

    Raith immediately clutched his throat, no matter how much he tried to talk, he couldn''t hear his voice.

    The man sighed and closed his eyes as he stood.

    "As long as you are bound by the celestial code, you can''t do much."

    Raith frowned, ''...I thought I had ovee it.''

    Even with over four hundred Ev Zeeyra Intelligence points, this was the best Raith could take, any more information about the primordials was bound to repeatedly kill him, this was not the celestial code or to better put this was a higher code than the celestial code, the celestial code protected the celestial''s secret. But this code protected other races from the secret of the primordials, an existence that stood above all.

    This one was a tough one to crack.

    Raith stumbled to his feet, he had just woken from death and should be filled with vigor but he felt more like shit as if he was getting up from a near-death experience.

    The man was still crouching, even after seeing Raith rise from the dead he isn''t asking any questions.

    "You will continue right?" Raith asked, looking down at him as he struggled to stand still. His head was still dizzy and he was unstable but all thatsted a few seconds.

    The man finally stood up and looked at Raith, he crossed his hands behind his back and walked past Raith, pacing again.

    "I was part of those that weremissioned to stop Fel. And I failed, not only did I fail but corruption seeped deeply into me. There was by no means any saving for me."

    "I see... So Fel got what he came from."

    "No, he had only a few shards..." The man paused to respond to Raith and soon continued his pacing again.

    Raith squinted his eyes as he thought about something for a moment and then voiced out, "Are there other archons that ganged up with Fel to stir trouble in this Achaia."

    "Oh oh, looks like you know something." The man was in his front, he was ten steps away from him as at thest word of Raith''s statement.

    "Nine archons, including Fel, created a world named Therut, it is said that they were thest remaining of the archons after they defeated the primordials, they took thest of their strength to create a world for us and protected us," Raith exined the history of Therut, a story they are told over and over again while growing up.

    The man doesn''t seem fazed about this, as if nothing ever surprises him. "They went ahead and did that huh?" He mumbled caressing his chin as he looked down with his other hand behind his back. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    e¦Áglesnovel`c,om Raith was just dying to know more.

    "So, I assume that wasn''t the case?" His eyes were scrutinizing the man''s face for answers of some sort even before he talked.

    The man''s focus was away from Raith and he was deeply in thought. He turned to Raith, all smiley buting out eerily because of hisrge lips and the rings on his nose.

    "So, can you tell me all about this world?"

    "I''d be more than happy to. Therut is a world thatprises humans, elves, and dwarves. The world was created by the archons using their real body as pirs, we have the throne archon, the justice archon, the hound archon, the shield archon, the sword archon, the spear archon, the nature archon and the death archon which is Fel. Their real body is asleep due to the exhaustion, but they left their dust avable with pontifices, an elven priest that serve them from childhood, with this dust all beings equally are able to awaken certain powers when they reach seventeen."

    Raith took a long pause looking at this strange man''s face before he continued, "I was chosen as a candidate for the death archon, Fel. This normally doesn''t happen because Fel was said to be dead but they said whatever was left of his dust chose me and thus began my horrible fate. I was sent away from home for being a failure and everyone cast me out as a foreigner, it was even hard to make friends... the little ones I had wanted to take advantage of me because I used to be nobility."

    It looked more like he was exining his sob story than he was talking about Therut.

    "How interesting..." The man''s lips curled, and his fingers were still curved beneath his chin since. He looked like he knew something Raith didn''t, the way his eyes were looking at Raith¨C he was finding this story amusing.

    "If you are one of the archons that fought to stop Fel, why are you chained here?"

    "That isn''t a part of our bargain, I believe I have more than fulfilled my end of our bargain, now it is time for you to do yours."

    Raith smacked his lips at him, "Fine, so what do I need to do to help you?"

    The man lifted his hand, "These are Sha''smura Trinkets"

    "Uh?"

    "You don''t need to know what they are exactly, but these chains have a core which is that door. You can''t break the door and you also can''t break these trinkets... but what you can do is trick it."

    "What do you mean trick it?" Raith hesitantly muttered, this strange man''s countenance was already getting ufortable.

    The man had a wide grin on his face almost like a pedophilic pervert.

    "No matter how hard you try to hide it mortal, I can sense it, it can never be hidden, it shrieks off you like a disgusting smell."

    ''Shit! Did he discover my ties to the abyss?'' Raith broke a pearl of sweat as he got ready for the worst-case scenario.

    "The ruler authorities. Mortal, I know you have one of them." The man said, reaching his hand to Raith.

 Chapter 146 Revenge

    ?

    "What? What the fuck? what ruler?" Raith asked, after jumping out of his reach.

    "Don''t y dumb mortal."

    "What do you mean don''t y dumb?!" Raith grimaced, along with the strange expression that this individual now had, the air was hot and he could vividly feel it in his pores.

    Wham!

    All it took was one swipe, Raith''s head was fully covered by the man''s hand was being immersed in the wall, crushing into it. Raithnguidly dropped to the ground, resting on his knees. His head dropped and blood seamed out of his nose effortlessly.

    He grabbed his hair and lifted him, visibly not putting any extra strength into his arms which were so thin and originally should never be able to lift a full-grown human.

    "The ruler authority is a privilege given to one who an act of sin or virtue, either through atrocious acts dered immoral by the standards of the cosmos itself or a worthy to be praised actmended by the standards of the cosmos. It is the only skill capable of making humans reach godhood."

    Raith was unresponsive but heard well what his attacker had said.

    The skill he just received a few moments ago was the reason for this misunderstanding.

    But if the skill was as impressive as this guy was iming that meant he had a way out of this predicament.

    Raith began to show a subtle response, he was trying to lift his head. The blow he received hurt more than anything he had ever faced, the man''s hand grabbed his head and was already crushing his skull even before he was mmed into the wall.

    It hit him differently than before and Raith wondered if this was truly the power of an archon.

    What he misunderstood was that this wasn''t an archon.

    The man''s eyes rolled down at Raith, all that smiley he had on before had disappeared and nothing but a bloodshot scowl filled his eyes and he curled down his lips in disdain of Raith.

    He raised his right foot and mmed it into Raith''s body, smashing his head to the ground and hence killing him once and for all.

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    Even the level-up from this kind of death hit differently.

    [%#%#%...]

    Raith''s assaulter immediately put arge distance between the two of them and was already standing as far back as the opposite end of the wall.

    [Error]

    [Error]

    [Error]

    It was happening again, as though the abyss was desperately trying to stop something from happening even though Raith was like this.

    Raith''s body wriggled as though he had caught a kind of zombie disease. And after a while all the shaking stopped and Raith''s eyes slowly opened. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    All his wounds were slowly healing.

    ''The abyss is really a thorn in my flesh... why won''t it let me use devour'' Raith could tell the things that happened in his death, this was not the case before but for some reason something changed. Even in death, it was as if he bore a consciousness and was seeing things y out, because of that he also had a rough idea of what it was the abyss was trying to block out earlier.

    "I have never seen a mortal capable of resurrection. Trulymendable." The man frowned and his eyes stayed on Raith.

    "I will beat the shit out of you because you just really tried me, I don''t care if you are an archon, I will kill you."

    "Uh? Archon? Me? If I am an archon, you would have been dead long ago." The man said as he strode forward with fluid movements, he lunged his fingers at Raith and he reached him in less than a second.

    dodge

    dodge

    dodge

    Raith easily slipped through his attacks by just tilting his head here and there, as the man aimed for his eyes and facial features.

    Wham

    Raith delved in a punch into his belly- expelling a great deal of air st but the man was not sent flying like one would expect, instead he responded instantaneously with an upper kick that should be logically impossible to throw¨C his leg swiped upward, totally breaking Raith''s jaw.

    Blood ceaselessly poured out ad Raith was left with no jaw, he fell to the floor again and groveled, trying to reach for the man''s leg but he got stomped on¨C his hand severed immediately from his elbow joint as the man''s foot sat in between.

    Raith was in pain but didn''t even have the mouth to cry or the energy to writhe. Hey there as his blood formed a pool that spread around, the man''s foot finally went into his back, giving him the final peace that he silently begged for.

    "Let''s see how many times you can die," The man said as he walked back, "At first I was just going to let you go... but seeing that you are undoubtedly attributed to Fel, you are a nice way to avenge my brother." He stopped with his hand behind his back.

    By this time Raith was already getting up, all brand new.

    "Your brother?"

    "I wasn''t the only one that was assigned with stopping Fel. He did this to me and my brother, Thard-Harl."

    Raith''s mouth dropped, "Your brother is Thard-Harl? You are an asura?"

    His brows came together to form an angry frown. He was intelligible and quick on the uptake.

    "It seems you will be deserving the sufferings I will be offering you after all. If so, I shall do that without hesitation or guilt."

    Raith gulped, ''...damn, I killed his brother?''

    Wham!

    His hand came pping Raith''s head the next instant, twisting it around twice before tearing off his neck. In terms of speed, he was just like Thard-Harl although it seemed he had more strength and wasn''t even using a weapon.

    "Ah..." After taking his time Raith started to stand, before he could have the chance to even finish, the asura''s leg entered his back again and came out from his belly.

    [You have died]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

 Chapter 147 The Third Trial Of Death (1)

    ?

    Endlessly

    Tiring

    So much

    It happened

    Over and over again...

    He was strong and inconsiderate. He didn''t even want to hear Raith''s part of the story.

    Are they really brothers, they are so unlike each other and this guy here is crazy strong. He is so fucking strong.

    Raith died over and over again until this defining death.

    [You have died]

    You have died]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [LEVEL UP!]

    [You have reached Level 100]

    [The abyss calls unto you]

    He had never in his life been so happy to hear the abyss call him¨C at once he vanished from the space he was, leaving the asura brimming with more anger and arrogant curiosity.

    He stared at the ce Raith''s body wasying dead, "It matters much what tricks you use. You can''t leave this ce without using that authority and the moment you use it, I will know." He said as he stepped back into the darkness fading away for the main time.

    Raith opened his eyes to the familiar but long-forgotten dark ins, the endless dark sky hung above with no illumination however, it wasn''t difficult seeing anything.

    Raith found something strange, ''...the abyss feels bigger than normal'' He said to himself and stepped forward. He was on a mountain and as he looked beyond, it was different.

    His eyes lit up with glow and shock. He was struck by the towering buildings, massive and imposing with sophisticated designs etched into the stone facades. The architecture was nostalgic of an isekai demon lord domain, with grand arches, towering spires, and sweeping curves that give the buildings an eerie feel.

    Raith leaped down and began to walk down the streets which were empty and void of any living thing, despite the grandeur of these buildings, everywhere was shrouded in a deep darkness that seems to seep into every corner. The sky was murky ck, with no stars or moon to provide even a glimmer of light.

    Raith paused and sighed. He let out a smallugh afterward. ''How could I miss this''

    All of them were so perfectly hidden that he almost forgot that the abyss was where they all lived. It made a lot of sense why this ce was like this.

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® He could sense small movements here and there, they were trying their best not to get noticed or where they were just too shy and didn''t know how he would take the changes. He wondered but didn''t spend an extra penny on the thought before calling out Kortopi.

    thud!

    From a certain height, the dark monsternded in front of him, bowing on his knees.

    "What happened here?"

    [You should not be worried about that]

    "Uh?"

    Raith was interrupted, he shifted his eyes to Kortopi after reading the abyss'' message. But his darkmander was frozen, everything was frozen, the silent movements had stopped, and the subtle cold wind could not be felt anymore. He could vividly tell that everything was on pause.

    "What is it again?" He asked with a narrowed brow as he brought his eyes to the tab that still floated before him. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [You will undergo the third trial of death]

    "What? I thought we were done with trials of death?!" Raith red immediately he saw the message, all the bad memories from before came gushing onto him like a tornado.

    [No]

    "This is unfair, I can''t ept this!"

    [You have a path to walk, the day you died first until now we have prepared you for that path]

    [However, now that you have reached level 100]

    [And the voice of death beckons unto you]

    [You are ready to start your journey]

    [THE THIRD TRIAL OF DEATH WILL BEGIN]

    "Ah..." Raith gave up, letting out a short exim as the scenery changed.

    Raith now finds himself in a room shrouded in darkness, even with [dark vision] he couldn''t see anything. He didn''t even know if [dark vision] was working.

    Just when he was thinking about that part.

    [You are currently in a trial]

    [All your skills will be blocked]

    ''I''m not surprised, that is how you do every time.'' Raithined as the ck tab which oddly, was the only thing he could see disappeared.

    Raith btedly felt something in his hands, as his eyes rolled down to confirm what it was, the mes on it lit.

    It was a candle, carrying a small and single blue me.

    [Third Trial Of Death]

    - Navigate your way out of the room.

    That was all to the details of the trial. Raith found it weird but he was d that was all it took.

    He dly took his next step forward, hastily causing the me to dance¨C Immediately that happened the scenery before Raith changed.

    "*cough*cough*..."

    His eyes widened.

    ''What? What is this?'' Raith''s eyeball shook, he slowly brought his unfocused gaze to look at the white-haireddyying on the bed, her body was so thin that her cheekbones could be seen, and other areas of her body were much worse but she was covered with a quilt with a suave design of white and blue color. Her skin was almost rhyming with the color of her hair, so pale that she could be called white-skinned.

    And in front of her was a little boy with jet ck hair, donned in a tailed bottle-green suit with his two different colors pupils widened and shaking.

    This little boy was currently at this time, Raith.

    The woman stretched out her hand to him and touched his chick, she ran her hand down and held his hand, she was visibly struggling to do that much but she didn''t stop.

    Her face wore a lot ofpassion towards the young boy standing up.

    ''Why? Why? Why? Why am I here?'' Raith''s mind ran amok but he couldn''t bring himself to say anything.

    As the woman began to speak, he immediately brought all his faculties together and wanted to hear what she was saying...

    ''Nothing'' He frowned in frustration, tears piling up in his eyes. He desperately wanted to hear her voice again.

    Even if it was thest time, even if he was going to die. Even if he was going to lose everything he has worked for. He wanted to but no matter how hard he paid attention and wished, nothing could be heard. All of these were just a bring back of the memories that today have formed a traumatic fear he has never dared to face, unnecessary emotions that he hid.

    This time around, the abyss was going to be thorough with him.

 Chapter 148 The Third Trial Of Death (2)

    ?

    Raith found himself standing back again in the dark room, with the candle, its me stable. He grimaced as tears poured out of his eyes.

    The death of the only person who ever cared for him in the Dergado family yed out again in his mind. He had just experienced it a second time, but it kepting back to his mind, a lot of his problems started from that point.

    The point where his mother died.

    He stood still not knowing what to do at first, tears ran down his cheek for the next few minute.

    He frowned and looked forward, "Is this how dirty low you are going to y now?" His voice echoed through the darkness.

    [Dirty? Low? Whatever you call it.]

    [We have watched you]

    [You are indeed an eligible vessel to carry the abyss]

    [But you are still like every other human, weak and foolish]

    [Emphasis on foolish]

    [THIS TRIAL IS MEANT TO DESTROY EVERYTHING THAT MAKES YOU HUMAN]

    Raith gritted his teeth, "...you know, ever since we have been in this game, you have been going on and on about this and that and acting like you are my fucking father or something. And I©\

    [The moment the me flicks another memory will be deleted]

    But it was toote, Raith had taken another step forward in an attempt to bash the holographic tab in front of him, hence the me flicked.

    This time his cheek was boiling, he was on the ground, donned in a simple white tunic and pants, taller and older than before.

    He had just received a p from the scarred face man standing before him with a wooden sword. He picked himself up staggering, tired, and out of breath.

    Raith gritted his teeth, feelings both in body and mind overwhelmed him and he had no control over them, he was simply subjected to all of them, like a ve having no choice but to follow these reys.

    The man began to speak, the same thing happened, he could not hear but he didn''t need to want to hear, the words of these moments have stayed in his head for the past ten years.

    "You useless piece of shit, what are you ever going to be good at. When I had you I thought I was finally going to have the best... but I can''t believe you are nothing but a mediocrity. A mediocrity that she desperately clung to till she died, your weakness is the reason why I lost my precious wife. Get out of my sight, I hate you!"

    Raith mumbled the words as the inaudible voice spoke. They were the times his father started acting otherwise and taking out his mother''s death on him. At first, he was willing to take on all of it because he felt the old man lost his wife.

    But with time it only got worse, his father began to push him hard and to his limit even when he knew that he couldn''t amount to much, he ced him on the same pedestal as his elder brother just to make him in strife.

    Raith tightened his eyes as the whole scenery faded into darkness and he found himself back again in the dark room.

    Every time the me flicked, he was bound to go back to those memories and as he came back, he couldn''t put his arms around them again. He could faintly remember but he felt nothing. Thest tears that ran down his face were reminiscent of experiencing it again and thest anger he felt was likewise the same thing.

    All of it, none remained.

    For him to move without flickering the me in the slightest, he needed to move forward without emotion.

    In this dark room, emotion was the wind that troubled this little touch that tried to stay ame in the thick darkness. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    But was it possible for him to move forward without attachments and emotions?

    He looked down at the me, his face became gloomy and stressed.

    Fuuuu

    He put off the me himself.

    ***

    "Aren''t we finally dead?!" Yujin muttered with shaking lips.

    "Don''t worry Yujin, I will protect you. Even if it has to be at the cost of my life." Sung Min assured her.

    They have all been brought down from the prison and were tied to each other and made to sit back to back and were surrounded by soldiers while the others searched for this said intruder.

    "I wonder why they aren''t finding Hunter Raven though, could it be that he is deliberately pulling them out and dealing with them one after the other." Shin who was scared before was fully calm, the thought of Raithing back from them gave him peace.

    "I don''t know, or it could be that he is just very dumb and bad at sneak attacks. But I am curious about something though," Shin-Hye said.

    "What is it Shin-Hye noona?" Ga-Yun asked, whispering very low. The others too were focused on what she was going to say even though they were not facing her.

    "Is this how we are going to sit around with all this and wait for Hunter Raven toe and rescue us? How then are we supposed to prove our worth as strongrades." She chimed in.

    "For the first time, I think Shin-Hye has spoken sense," Chong-Yol answered, his lips were looking good and his face was better after he had taken a meat soup from the red elves because he almost died before.

    "Do you want to die? You can dare to talk now after eating"

    "I am only supporting your proposition, why do you have to be so toxic?"

    "Hey, don''t call her toxic?" Mok Jae-Hwa nagged.

    All of them talked in low whispers, except for Shin-Hye who had a very low-pitched voice to begin with.

    "Umukni, crvi (Shut up, you maggots)" One of the red elves standing guard yelled back at them thanks to Mok Jae-Hwa raising their alertness level a little.

    They all kept silent for the next few minutes. Then Sung Min broke the silence with another whisper.

    "So, noona, are you saying we should fight?"

    "Yes... Whatever way it goes, Hunter Raven should meet us fighting." She responded to the fine young man.

    "Hyung?" Sung Min mumbled, it was obvious to all of them that what he was requesting was Mok Jae-Hwa''s consent.

    "Ah, fine... let''s y." Mok Jae-Hwa said with a smile.

    The fine young man, Sung Min immediately began to grit his teeth, the muscles on his body began to swell and thicken, and his body began to redden along with his eyes.

    His clothes began to tear apart and by the time the red-elven soldiers will see what is going on, he had broken out of the chains and waned away from their sight.

 Chapter 149 Embrace The Darkness

    ?

    With every step Raith took, he switched off the me himself and those memories came upon him bringing with them pain and suffering thatsted for a while.

    fuuu

    The me didn''t go off

    fuuu fuuuu

    The me didn''t go off still.

    He turned around and looked forward, "What is this?" His eyes were so gloomy and tired as if he had not slept and seen the goodness of any day for years. In fact, his eyes had lost the life in them and those beautiful heterochromia eyes had darkened.

    He looked like he was a living dead.

    He didn''t know how much time had passed, and he had lost count of how many memories he confrontedst and deleted. The only memory he wanted to hold onto was gone, if that memory could die out like that he saw no reason to hold on to the rest.

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel And one thing the journey down thene of his memories did for him was make him realize that no matter how detached he thought he was, he never truly was. He wanted to get strong for them to see that he was better¨C the abyss went as far as creating a world where everything was right.

    His father was without his nasty behavior, his brother was lovely and his mother was alive.

    And he was offered the chance to forever live in this dream.

    He embraced it, he loved it and he lived day in and day out with his happy family, it was everything he wanted and he had it there with him in an illusion.

    However, something just kept bothering him, he couldn''t stop looking back, as if one was looking out the window of reality to see the greater reality that exists.

    It was hard to forget how far he hase. Volmak, Mok Jae-Hwa... they are in trouble.

    It kept bothering him with every fleeting second. And he just couldn''t let go¨C thus bringing him back to the dark room.

    And finally, thest one sent him to Volmak and Mok Jae-Hwa''s party where he sacrificed all the goodness he wished for. He was taken out of the Asura''s prison and given a chance to save them, it was Volmak''s first.

    Faced with a demon lord, he could do nothing no matter how many times he tried and he watched Volmak and Absalom die, right before his eyes. With all he had, he could do nothing.

    Like that was not enough, he watched Mok Jae-Hwa and his part get ughtered by the red elves as they tried to escape and ran trying to save them, the best he could do was die ande back to reality.

    Please make it stop.

    I don''t want to lose them.

    They don''t deserve to die.

    Make it stop.

    No matter how much Raith begged, nothing stopped, it was endless killing over and over again, he was given the same chance over and over again and couldn''t do anything.

    With several voices of darkness, his mother, father, brother, butler, Mel, Amber Rose, Volmak, Min-ho, and Thard-Harl, all of them guiding him through the suffering of watching hisrades die over and over again to the ce of nothingness, the ce where all that exists for him his void, saying:

    "They are not your friends, in this world there are no friends for you. You do not deserve a friend. You are the entity of darkness, you have a weight to carry, such is your fate, embrace the darkness within you" His mother''s voice echoed eerily.

    "Whether they die or they live is not our concern, we have a greater purpose to serve, morality is for the weak, in this world, it is kill or be killed, the only way to survive is to embrace the darkness within you. Embrace it and you will find the strength to destroy all those who stand in your way." Volmak''s voice resounded in his voice the same way as if it was being pulled away by a gale of ghostly wind. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Justice, righteousness, those are thenguage of fools who are weak and hold onto false hope and empty promises. The only truth is power and the only path to power is darkness." His father''s voice echoed.

    "The world is full of foolish weaklings, who believe in hope and optimism. But those are just illusions. The only reality is pain and suffering. Bring the world to its knees, incite the fear of darkness into all hearts."

    "This is a world where only the strong will survive, choose strength, choose darkness. Come..." Thest voice was Thard-Harl''s and it visualized to form his image almost fading with the wind, stretching out his hands.

    At this point, Raith''s lifeless eyes were filled with conviction, dark and gloomy, and without life yes but with a faint glow of purpose.

    If he truly wanted to obtain anything in this life then he had to embrace the darkness in him. He had to be one with it, those are the words the abyss drove deep into his consciousness and Raith was beginning to ept it.

    It was a necessary format, that for Raith to be able to truly host the abyss, and be its vessel, he had to get rid of all the light that existed in him.

    That was the only possible way.

    And the moment Raith touched Thard-Harl''s hand, it was all done, the attachments were severed, the unnecessary bonds were gone and all he could see was the darkness of a soul, darker than even ck.

    That brought him back to the room which surprised him because the sceneries were so real that he thought they had died for real. But the thought of them still being alive did not bring relief to him like before. It was easy, with his consent all his emotions were ckened out.

    He found it easier to hate than to love.

    To get angry than to smile.

    To kill than to save.

    He didn''t know how but it came so easy to him.

    He tried blowing the candle me off over and over again but it did not go off.

    [CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE PASSED THE THIRD TRIAL OF DEATH]

    [YOU HAVE EMBRACED THE DARKNESS IN YOU]

    [YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 100]

    [UPGRADING CLASS AND SUBCLASS INFORMATION]

    [UNSEALING ERROR CODE G?=?1]

    [YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW TITLE: RULER OF GREED]

    [YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW SKILL]

    [YOU HAVE GAINED A STATUS AUTHORITY(G?=?1)]

    [DUE TO G?=?1 YOU CAN OVERRIDE SYSTEM TO A CERTAIN EXTENT]

    [BODY EVOLUTION REQUIRED]

    [YOU WILL GO TO SLEEP]

 Chapter 150 Shin The Prodigy

    ?

    "Right..." Raith didn''t know what he wanted to say but knew he was about to acknowledge when the whole scenery changed back to what it initially was, immediately his eyes got heavy and everywhere began to swirl, he could not stand for long and just faltered forward and fell into Kortopi''s lithe arms.

    A knight humanoid with a ck smoky sword hung on his back and the helm of his helmet flowed like mes above his head walked forward, his armor was neat and almost with no streak marks, except for his torso and abs region which was full of it. This was Jarvis.

    He reached Kortopi and helped carry Raith, together with the other dark soldiers that came out of the corners, beasts and humanoids alike, they all trekked down to thergest building, where a golden temple sat amidst.

    ***

    Wham!

    Large muscle arms smashed one of the red elves, smacking him distance away, he crumbled and tumbled on the floor like a tossed ball before being stopped by the massive tree.

    Another one''s head was pulled with raw strength¨C no matter the amount of spears they embedded into the body of this creature it was impossible to stop its assault. Killing them ceaselessly and making blood rain down on everyone.

    The red elves wererge in number and endlessly poured out of the forest jumped down from the trees, and arrows flew down from the top of the trees but it was to no avail, with a defensive mage ss hunter like Yujin, they had nothing to worry about.

    wham

    wham

    wham

    wham

    Ga-Yun''s arrow in a fast sequence ascended but it was notpared to the amount that descended, still, it was making some of them fall from the tree. Not to say she had explosive skills that made the target blow up, hence upper part of the tree was on fire and the forest and home of the elves was turning from a ce of jolly to a wildfire. But the red elves with an indomitable spirit were not backing down.

    They didn''t even look like they were going to back down any moment.

    Shin-Hye plunged into them recklessly, no matter how many times she was cut and braced it was not enough to reduce her movement or make her take a breather. The orcs were strong in numbers but her sudden burst forward into them caused a great stir and was even a motivation for the rest that were already giving up.

    She was dead to the concept of pain and death, stab her a hundred times she wouldn''t die, not from poison not from old age. She had stayed the same appearance ever since she awakened. But the side effect of that was her pale skin and offensive corpse smell that can sometimes be hard to deal with.

    Her strength was impressive too, several times she would punch a blow into the red elves skull and another one into the guts, forcing out her hand and pulling out their intestines in the process, her kick made them fly away and in cases where it''s a downward smash, they would fall so hard that even the floor would crack. Each punch was like a hammer blow, such that even their armor would dent.

    "Ah! Shit, I''m going in!!" Shin shouted and leaped to the sky,

    "Orgaromous"

    Wringg woiinngg <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A magical light manifested itself around his legs. As hended, the light faded to reveal a fine pair of sneakers, more like a futuristic white shoe.

    step

    step

    step

    step

    From the base of each foot, as he carried them one by one going towards Shin-Hye''s side of the battle, mes could be seen wriggling at that point.

    Shin''s eyes zed with determination as he leaped; unleashing his pyrokic skills: He charged forward, propelled with incredible speed by a fiery shoe on fire, heunched a flurry of zing kicks, each one aimed at different red elves that approached Shin-Hye from her blindside. He was ying the support role effectively.

    Shin''s awakened ability allowed him to be able to control mes at will©\ beware, not just the base of his feet.

    As the fight prolonged, the elves began to aim for his legs, swiping their swords and spears in that area but he easily dodged them, their focus lessened on Shin-Hye and got more intense on Shin who burnt them with fiery fire, he had taken the stage from his other teammates.

    "Damn, I hate prodigies..." Sung Min said as he approached them with a red elf''s head in his hand.

    "I know right..." Yujin responded and btedly looked at him as his body reverted to the original. She looked down at his body which was covered in purple blood. Then her eyes picked the head with a crazy expression before death.

    "What the hell opp?!" She screamed.

    "Oh my." He quickly flung the head away and smiled sheepishly.

    "Santaramus!" Shin shouted again, another light wrapped his arms and formed a pair of hand gloves. With it, he formed patterns with mes using his hands and weaved them into his fist. Each punch spew forth a st of fire that destroyed the area around him.

    His movements were almost a blur as he propelled himself using the mes at his feet and charged at them using the mes of his fists. As seconds proceeded into minutes and minutes into hours, Shin''s endurance and stamina were monstrous, sweat dripped from his body but he didn''t stop, everywhere was being reduced to scorched trees and debris, worse than before. The red elves were suffering so much damage from a single person, the table had drastically turned and they were already in little numbers.

    But the main attack squad that approached them before for some reason could not be found. Mok Jae-Hwa suspected they had gone after Raith after seeing that they had been. And with the little of the red elves left, they were able to leave in pursuit of the main attack squad, to save Raith.

    ***

    [BODY EVOLUTION HAS BEEN COMPLETED]

 Chapter 151 Reborn

    ?

    [YOU HAVE GAINED UNIQUE BODY CONSTITUTION]

    [THE UNDEFEATED KING BODY CONSTITUTION LV.1]

    - Your body has been remodeled by darkness and you have been given the unique body constitution of the undefeated king, the harbinger of chaos and destruction. Due to this unique body, you have gained:

    - Abnormal Condition Nullification

    - Cold Nullification

    - Corrosion Nullification

    - Electricity Resistance

    - Heat Nullification

    - Holy/Demonic attack Resistance

    - Paralysis Resistance

    - Poison Resistance

    - Thermal Fluctuation Nullification

    - Natural Effects Nullification

    - Low-level Auto HP recovery

    [SUBCLASS HAS BEEN ADVANCED]

    [SUBCLASS HAS BEEN MERGED WITH MAIN CLASS]

    [WILL YOU ACCEPT THE EVOLVED CLASS: DEATH MONARCH]

    [...]

    [AUTOMATICALLY ACCEPTING CLASS]

    [UPON ACCEPTING THE EVOLVED CLASS, EVERY SKILL ATTRIBUTED TO THE SKILL WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDING DARK SOLDIERS]

    [DARK SOLDIERS WILL TAKE ON A MORE STRONGER ENTITY OF MATERIALIZATION; DEATH ITSELF]

    [DARK SOLDIERS WILL BE REFERRED TO AS DEATH SOLDIERS]

    [A REFORMATION AND ORDER WILL BE PUT IN PLACE]

    [YOU HAVE GAINEDA NEW SKILL DUE TO TITLE RULER OF GREED]

    [NEW SKILL ''APPRAISAL'' HAS BEEN INTEGRATED WITH TRUTH SEEKER]

    [TRUE NAME WILL BE UNLOCKED]

    [YOUR D.P HAS INCREASED]

    [YOUR C.P HAS INCREASED]

    Raith rolled around a few times before finally opening his eyes, to the golden intricate ceiling with a glittering chandelier hanging down from it.

    ''Am I back in Korea?'' Raith wondered as he opened his eyes to the reality around him, it took him a few seconds of reboot to feel the innate presence of the abyss inside of him even though he was inside the abyss, he felt it more inside of him.

    Not that he could put the feeling into words, he touched his stomach and looked towards the area and looked around him, the wide extravagant room was adorned with patterned tile and aesthetic types of furniture. He got out of bed and wobbled forward a few steps before getting his pacing back.

    A lot has changed and he could vividly feel it.

    "Status"

    [STATUS INFORMATION]

    NAME: Raven Raith

    TRUE NAME: Ba''al©\ - -

    CLASS: DEATH MONARCH

    HP: 100,450/100,450

    AGE: 21

    LEVEL: 100

    D.P: 1550

    C.P: 5770

    THE UNDEFEATED KING BODY CONSTITUTION LV.1

    TITLE: Ruler of GREED and 6 others...

    ATTRIBUTES: Darker than ck, The Dissatisfaction Failure Brings, Darkness Lord, Book Of Requiems.

    [SKILLS-PASSIVE]

    - Devourer(EX)lv.11

    - Multiple Cognitive Resonance(SSS)lv.3

    - Thoughts eleration(S)lv.15

    - Metavision(S)lv.13

    - Ultra-Instincts(S)lv.16

    - Intimidation(S)lv.50

    - Dark Vision(A)lv.10

    [SKILLS-ACTIVE]

    - Fire Force(S)lv.1

    - GREED(UEX)lv.1

    - Appraisal(UR)lv.1

    - Instant Move(B)lv.34

    - Air Leap(C)lv.19

    - ck Armour(D)lv.22<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [CLASS SKILLS-ACTIVE]

    - Skill Bestowal(EX) lv.3

    - Creation(EX)lv.2

    - Soul Extraction(EX) lv.10

    - Summon Soldiers(SSS) lv.10

    - Domain Of Darkness(EX) lv.2

    - Death Parade(EX) lv.1

    [STATS]

    - Strength: 116(+100)

    - Speed: 166

    - Stamina: 215

    - Intelligence: 445

    - Wisdom: 011

    - Endurance: 244

    - Perception: 136

    - Will: 25

    Avable stat points: 421

    [REFORMATION AND ORDER HAVE BEEN COMPLETED]

    [YOUR DEATH ARMY NOW HAS A STRUCTURE]

    [ASSIGN POSITIONS ACCORDING TO RANK]

    - MARSHAL (none eligible)

    - GENERAL (none eligible)

    - LIEUTENANT GENERAL (none eligible)

    - MAJOR GENERAL (none eligible)

    - BRIGADIER GENERAL (none eligible)

    - COLONEL (none eligible)

    - LIEUTENANT COLONEL (One eligible)

    - MAJOR (two eligible)

    - CAPTAIN (three eligible)

    - LIEUTENANT (three eligible)

    - SECOND LIEUTENANT (stronger soldiers)

    - ENSIGN (Regr soldiers)

    So much information to digest, Raith grimaced at the thought of having to divulge these pieces of information one after the other. He gulped and turned his head upward.

    ''Right,'' a wretched grin crossed his face as he remembered he had kept someone waiting.

    Whish!

    He disappeared without taking his time to look at his soldiers and the changes they had ovee.

    The second he disappeared from the abyss, he appeared in the dungeon where he initially was. Back with the asura whose brother he had killed.

    "Wee back..." The eerie voice growled out of the darkness as the asura revealed his face.

    Raith was standing before the asura, just like he was. But even an ignorant goat would be able to tell the difference between the before him and the now him.

    He was taller, although paler, his body seemed to have grown more mature and his muscles, abs, chest, shoulders, and back were more rigid than before¨C all these were visible because he didn''t have a shirt on to begin with.

    The asura paused and squinted his eyes, "I don''t know what you did but it will change nothing." He voiced out with a trembling vibration to his tone. He took closer steps towards Raith who chuckled in response and started.

    "You know, I have always wondered why I was so different. From a young age, what my elder brother could easily grasp was so hard for me to grasp... I couldn''t understand no matter how much I was taught. Even when the system said my intelligence was over a hundred. I silently doubted the fact and hid from everything. But now that I have it for once, I can tell... I was dumb, I look at all these skills and can see endless possibilities to defeating you without breaking a sweat."

    Raith uttered, with a serious demeanor.

    It was a taunt, but it didn''t feel like that to the asura. Raith''s words for some reason carried a tension that sort of terrorized the atmosphere between the two of them and he was already back two steps before he realized it.

    He noticed that his throat had dried up with saliva as he tried to gulp. ''What is this? Am I dehydrating?''

    The aura of fear that Raith exuded just by standing there and scrutinizing him was so heavy that it dehydrated his body. Raith had not even begun with him neither did he release a murderous intent. It was just the passive skill [Intimidation] in y.

    "Agility, 100"

    [Your Agility stat has increased by +100]

    "Instant Move"

    [Due to high-level use Instant Move has leveled up]

    [Instant Move Has leveled up]

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel [...Has Leveled Up]

    [...Has Leveled Up]

    He missed Raith in that same millisecond, "Wha¨C

    "You are looking in the wrong direction." Raith tapped his shoulders from behind.

    The asura''s eyes widened and as he shift his gaze to Raith, shakingly¨C he was met by a backhand p that tossed him away like a flicked coin, crashing into the wall of the dungeon.

    Raith was standing ten meters away but his leg was already above the asura''s head in that same second. It was as if he abandoned the need for distance and appeared instantly, with an agility stat of over 200 and a movement skill that tremendously boosted his movement speed, Raith was amazingly fast.

    "Yes, I killed you fucking brother. What the fuck are you going to do about it?" Raith dered to him with his foot a bit raised, ready to smash his head into bits.

 Chapter 152 Raith Vs Egard-Hearl (1)

    ?

    The ground scattered and each detached debris flew as the Asura tilted his head to weave Raith''s stomp and rolled out of the way, jumping to his feet and jumping back, with several steps to the back beforeing to a stop.

    He was frowning and his eyes were filled with contemtion despite hearing Raith said he was the one that killed his brother.

    "What was his name again... Thard-Harl?" Raith asked tilting his head with a disparaging look at him, his eyes were like that of a psychopath that was just about to savor the Asura''s blood.

    "I will make you regret this!!" The asura shouted and immediately raised his hand forward.

    Btoom!

    A terrific pressure smashed Raith back, pressing him into the wall¨C

    Wrrrinmmmg

    Raith''s body shivered as the pressure pinned him to the wall, chopping off the bits of the wall surface and stone rubbles began to crumble to the ground. The asura''s hand was still outstretched with all fingers spread apart.

    The pressure was like a gunshot off his hands and only increased with more struggle from Raith.

    The asura was supposed to be in his degraded form but he still had this much power in reserve.

    Raith despite being in that state of immense pressure dashed the asura a nk look, he was unfazed.

    ''Appraisal''

    [Target level is too high]

    [Interfere using ruler authority G?=?1]

    ''Yes''

    [Target status]

    Name: Egard-Hearl

    Race: Celestial

    Species: Asura

    Level: 430

    HP: 700,345/700,111

    MP: 33,100

    Status: Weakened Asura body.

    [Skills]

    - Spatial Magic(SR)lv.77

    - Shimsedon(UR)lv.50

    - Gravity magic(EX)lv.31

    - Magic Operation(S)lv.99

    - Magic Perception(S)lv.45

    [Spatial Magic(SR) lv.77]

    - Magic that can manipte space, store items in a different dimension, cut through space in a targeted area dealing space attribute damage, Large scale teleportation(can teleport arge group of people), short-range teleportation(requires only a short time to activate), Long distance teleportation(takes user to any location they''ve been to before, requires a few minutes to activate), Dimensional teleportation (teleports everything within an area to target destination, including unwilling target).

    [Shimsedon(UR)lv.50]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    - An art native to the asura alone, it takes different forms and kinds and is unique to the traits and personality of the Asura himself, information about the skill cannot be seen until when it is used.

    [Gravity Magic(EX)lv.31]

    - Magic that creates phenomena by unraveling thews and exploring the truth of the world, Gravity Reduction, Gravity Increment, Gravity Push, Gravity Pull.

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® [Magic Operation]

    - A necessary passive skill needed in order to be able to execute the concept of magic.

    [Magic Perception]

    - A necessary passive skill needed in order to be able to understand the concept of magic.

    What Raith had read in books for so long was visualizing right before his eyes and that was ''magic'' a concept that was oblivious to the world of Therut. He read them from Han Lamar''s books of exploration and truths and they amazed him, of course, being on earth he has seen several hunter''s skills including mage sses, as amazing as they were this didn''te close to the things he had read.

    Han Lamar exins magic as a moreplicated concept, a realization an understanding, and a conceptualization of the inherent truth ofws.

    Theplication of it was what made Han Lamar''s type of magic very interesting to want to learn. What Raith saw from the asura''s skill information was so like it.

    Raith began to drool.

    For some reason, he had an unreasonable desire to get what that Asura had, and it was so uncontroble, before he just wanted to leave this ce, he had a little bit of morality left to want to not kill the Asura after killing his brother too but now a strange get a sense of lustrous desire overwhelmed him.

    Raith clenched his hand and mmed them into the wall, shattering itpletely and breaking into the other side¨C as he fell into the other side visuals of him blurred and disappeared, next known he was already in front of the asura, with his hand covering his visual field.

    Wham!

    Raith mmed him to the floor with one single hand push and pinned him to the ground with his hand on his face.

    Despite his kwashiorkor-ridden body, the asura was stronger than he seemed, he grabbed Raith''s wrist and clenched tightly intending to clench until it was too much for Raith to bear.

    Raith looked at him withzy eyes, his lids almost closing as if he was in a boring y.

    "What are you doing?"

    The Undefeated King''s body constitution was so durable that no matter how hard the asura tightened his hand, it was as if a child of new birth was trying to crush a metal pole with raw strength, Raith''s wrist didn''t bulge.

    Raith grabbed his face and pulled it up, smashing it back into the ground. He repeated it a few more times before stopping, that area had dented and cracked to bits, if only there was a space beneath the ground it would have definitely broken into it.

    "Ahhhh... I see..." The asura exhaled, smokeing out of his mouth as he spoke. Raith immediately leaped back and narrowed his eyes.

    ''What was that?'' He quickly raised his hand, all his palm had been burnt but was slowly healing back.

    [You will gain 1HP/sec]

    He clenched his fist and could slightly still feel the burnt sensation on his palm, he couldn''t sway his mind away from what cards the asura had up his sleeve.

    "My mistake was thinking I can take care of you without going all out. You are strong, I get the reason why Thard-Harl died by your hands." The asura said, pulling himself to stand from leg strength, like a zombie.

    "I wasn''t half this strong when I defeated Thard-Harl..."

    "Ah, then he must have died willingly." The asura said, smoke continuallying out from his mouth as he spoke, his voice changed, adding a hoarse scale to his tone.

    "I am greatly weakened, I can''t bring out half my power because I was stabbed with Elshara''s Icicle. But I am still enough to ruin your life, don''t get cocky because younded a few hits on me."

    Raith''s spit gaze glowed murderously, exuding a red aura that pressurized the asura. It was clear he was being gued by Raith''s murderous pressure, blood ran down one of his nostrils but he didn''t look fazed by it.

    He forwarded one hand and opened them as though he wanted to hold something and put the other behind his back.

    "Gravity pull....Shimsedon..."

 Chapter 153 Raith Vs Egard-Hearl (2)

    ?

    The beginning of time and the materialization of nes is unknown to many, especially residents of the Therut world. Earth however, has postted several theories; the big bang theory, the creation of the world by a certain Supreme God who heralded and is the deity of religion whom manye to know as Christianity, some even believe that the world is a vast flow of events that are linked together and participate in one another, there is no first cause and no creation of the universe, the universe has no beginning neither an end.

    But one thing you find inmon in all of these is the great force that manages the flow of events, many believe in that force as a concept such as nirvana, and some deitify the concept and collect a god, Ao. Chronos? Odin? Whatever name was given, it was an acknowledgment of what they did not know but think they knew.

    The COSMIC WHEEL, unknown to what form it takes or even if it has a consciousness, but from time has been a force that drives everything, from the primordials who were the first of all creations, to the celestials, the fiends, humans, and demihumans.

    All of these creations are documented in the COSMIC WHEEL although many know not this fact.

    The COSMIC WHEEL documents all things, move all things, monitors all things, and never intervenes. However, it is said that the beings that were privileged to be born earlier were able to rob from it. A great deal of power is able to affect the world on a destructive level.

    The Primordials, The Celestials, and The Fiends have that power, something native to them that originated from their existential ties to the COSMIC WHEEL.

    A power that none like it can ever be found in another being, always exclusive to that certain being, it can be mistaken as the awakening for humans but in no way is that. Even the demihumans who have amazing abilities are not it.

    Raith''s mind in a blink faded, he couldn''t grasp his consciousness and all of his body just fell to the asura''smand, his neck slipped into the asura''s hand.

    Whooom

    The sound was like a vibrating wind but nothing could be seen, the asura pulled his hand away from Raith''s neck but Raith was still immobile, his feet above the ground and his body, as though it was being held together by some invisible force. His pupils had sunk out of his eyes the moment he couldn''t hold onto his consciousness.

    His pitiful figure stayed there, glued to the hair.

    The asura took a step back and spread his leg apart, forwarding his hands as if he wanted to shoot a fireball out of them.

    WHAM!

    WHAM!

    WHAM!!

    Faster than the eyes could follow the asura drilled holes into Raith''s body, so deep and wide that the other side could be seen through the several perforations that instantly and simultaneously appeared on his head.

    [You have died]

    [Level Up]

    [You have gained 3 stat points]

    [Due to the title, you will be revived]

    [You have died]

    [Level Up]

    [You have gained 2 stat points]

    [Due to the title, you will be revived]

    [You have died]

    [You have gained 1 stat point]

    [Due to the title, you will be revived]

    [You have died]

    [You have gained 1 stat point]

    [Due to the title, you will be revived]

    Raith in that same spot continued to die and revive over and over again, every time his wound healed, the asura would immediately drill holes into him. It was fast and instant and all he needed to do was assume that stance and throw his hand forward like he was throwing a fireball.

    Picking up from where we left off about this power, they are often called many names although popr among higher beings, but mostly are called arts.

    Skills

    Magic

    Art

    These are the three main fundamentals of the existence of power,pared to thepletely automatic process of skill, art involves the activation through one''s capabilities, that is it has been honed over the years by the user itself.

    Shimsedon art, the power to be able to weave away a selected space so fast that it is as if there was never a prompt action was the kind of power that the asura possessed, every time he weaved away the space that Raith''s body was upying. It was impossible to weave awayrge space at his level and the fact that he could even do it was thanks to the other skills that he had; space and gravity rted skills.

    Because skills are very automatic they cause a kind of familiarity with the muscles'' action senses, to put it inly: muscle memory. And that helps in trying to carry out the art themselves. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Their muscles movement and memory are used to the action prompt of warping space or enduring the effect of gravity magic space and with training can bear the use of their own arts. That is why Asuras are known for their dedication to rigorous training and depth in martial art, although this one didn''t fancy martial art because it originated from humans.

    He was instead dedicated to honing the skill that makes him a celestial which was his unique art.

    Every celestial would always be found with skills that go in line with their unique art, because of muscle memory, or else they will always suffer tremendous recoil every time they use the art.

    Egard-Hearl''s Shimsedon art was still not even at its strongest because of the state of his body, he initially could weave out an entire from the sr system, that was how powerful he was and wasn''t even considered one of the strongest not like Cor-Ellion.

    But he was strong enough to kill Raith over and over again with a single and forward arm swing.

    Raith repeated death was at this point not yielding any result and it was hard to get a grip on his consciousness. But because of his ability to interfere with the system something changed. Although it took a few more death to realize it.

    The Ruler''s authority gave one the ability to interfere with the system in various but limited ways. Right from time Raith has always been able to hear the system''s voice even when he was dead such that he could tell that something had happened when he gets revived.

    But this time it was different, it was as if he was in a dark pit and the only thing staring at him to the face was the abyss''s words.

    [You have died]

    [You have gained 1 stat point]

    [Due to the title, you will be revived]

    Immediately his body swipes up like a soul going to ascension and his mind drifts back to reality. Unluckily for him, he goes through the same pain and dies instantly, then returns to the pit again.

    [You have died]

    Raith frowned immediately, ''Could this be Darker than ck?''

    zzzimmmm

    The System''s appearance speed suddenly slowed down and paused.

    Raith''s eyes widened.

    ''What is going on?'' He wondered and looked around him. He was glowing blue like a dead soul and was the only light in the palpable darkness that surrounded him.

    He notes one important thing which is that all this change suddenly came to be because he immediately guesses where this could be the moment he died, he had prepared for it but didn''t know it was going to work. All he just wanted to do was figure out where he was.

    He chose darker than ck because it was an attribute that evolved from the darkness beyond death. And that name just sits right with where he kept finding himself every time the asura; Egard-Hearl killed him.

    He puts his hand beneath his chin and carefully entered a deep thought before deciding on his next action.

    By now he knew that this was the Darker Than ck for sure, but it still amazed him that the attribute is not just some kind of status that boost his passive skills, it is where his soul lies every time he dies and he is currently able to interfere because of the evolution of his subss: child of death and his ruler''s authority.

    ''And so if this is Darker than ck, what else can I do in this ce? It''s supposed to be a sought of my domain right?''

    [Congrattions]

    [You have figured out the partial use of the attribute DARKER THAN BLACK]

    [Since you are blessed by darkness, this should be easy]

    [Attribute: DARKER THAN BLACK]

    - A sub-reality ne that can only be reached through death, you can manipte death itself using this ne.

    - Maniption lv.1 can only be possible once you obtain one of the ruler''s authority.

    - Maniption level will rise once you grasp your ruler skill.

    - More Features will be unlocked once you obtain more ruler titles.

    [Maniption Level 1]

    - You can choose to revive at a different location, 100m around where you died.

    - You can choose to resurrect as a shadow entity, your body will be materialized 30 seconds - 1 minute after your resurrection.

    - You can choose to dy resurrection and stay dead for as long as you want.

    A wry grin spread across Raith''s face.

    ''Like this couldn''t get any easier...''

 Chapter 154 Raith And Jarvis Vs Egard-Hearl

    ?

    ''He''s taking longer than usual'' The asura scrunched up his eyes which were fixated on Raith.

    It stayed locked on him even as his body began to dematerialize into ck smoke.

    Alerted at the sudden change in Raith''s method of resurrection the asura jumped a few meters backward, his leg only touching the ground twice, leaving the smoke to loom on the ground away from him.

    ''What is this?'' He questioned, his pupils dted and his nose wrinkled with caution, he was briskly scrutinizing the smoke as it flowed around a certain space, he had to be sure he wasn''t missing something.

    "Rise, Jarvis."

    He raised his head to the direction where the voice came from and behold Raith was standing on the roof, Raith grinned at him like a ghost.

    The asura immediately leaped up but he made a mistake, his mistake was taking his eyes off that looking smoke. Even though he had leaped he found himself unable to reach Raith, more like something was stopping him.

    Wham!

    Smash!

    Awork of cracks spread across the floor like shattered ss as he was mmed into the ground with great force. Above him was standing a knight dded in shadowy Armour but was more realistic and sturdy now.

    There was nothing special about Jarvis in terms of appearance apart from his distinguished helm, the red zing gaze that shone off the visor of his helmet which was like prison bars. And his fire-nation army pauldron and behind him was a long greatsword.

    The asura grimaced as he raised his head a bit without standing up, that m hurt a bunch, and pain screamed all through his back.

    ''What is this? I can feel a malicious aura from it... as if it is dead but alive, indefinable.'' The asura mulled over the definition of the existence that stood before him.

    Thud

    Raithnded on the ground in front of Jarvis.

    Egard-Hearl immediately disappeared and appeared three meters away from him, his eyes looking at the part of Raith''s body that was just materializing into flesh.

    ''He diffused into smoke and a bit of that smoke must have gone up the moment I jumped away...'' He could instantly deduct that much from just looking, he was intelligent, unlike someone.

    But what he couldn''t exin was this thing that stood in front of him. Jarvis.

    As far as he was concerned Jarvis was more dangerous than even Raith who stood in front of him. The only thing he could tell about Jarvis was an overwhelming malicious aura that he was made of.

    ''A dead should be a dead, a dead should be definable. That is the basicw of every universalposition but this guy here defies thatw. An unexinable phenomenon, as if someone is manipting death.'' His gaze shifted back to Raith.

    ''No, it can''t be him... he is too naive and young to control such a powerful existence.'' He deliberated in his head.

    Apart from Jarvis just being a death soldier, which bothered him, he could also tell something more.

    The knight was just standing with legs apart, his hand opened and arms a little bit curved such that he would pull out his sword in just a single backward swing of his hand.

    ''I can''t find any openings...''

    Jarvis was standing in a perfect position, a position that allowed him to instantly switched between attack and defense mode and effectively carry out not just one but a sequence of attacks. The asura could tell that much because he had battled several martial art-oriented asuras.

    Unlike Raith whose stance was filled with openings, this death knight was much more cautious.

    "I don''t have time to waste. I was being stubborn before, but then I figured... why do I have to be stubborn when I can simply defeat you along with my minion"

    He saw no shame in admitting that he couldn''t defeat the asura on his own, at least not now. He was already mentally tired from the trial and [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] was not working as it normally should, his visions were blurry and he was spacing out momentarily, that was what he felt happened when the asura used gravity pull on him.

    And so he was going to finish this quickly with the help of Jarvis and get a good twenty hours of sleep.

    "Are you ready?" He asked, bringing out the white katana from his inventory.

    Jarvis nodded and stepped forward swinging out his long sword.

    "Now let us start"

    Wham!

    Raith didn''t foresee, this.

    Actually, he had never really used Jarvis in battle ever since he was summoned, and he decided to use him now because he was ranked the strongest during his evaluation¨C apart from Fenrir.

    Raith was dazed, his hair danced around with the st of wind that was expelled the moment Jarvis charged forward before he could even move.

    Kang <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Kang

    Kang

    In that instance, the asura had unfolded a golden sword out of space and was effectively blocking all the strikes that Jarvis lunged at him no matter the angle.

    Raith stood dazed as sparks flew into the air, Jarvis'' legs were widely spread as though they could tear anytime soon but it maintained that stance and endlessly swung and twisted in attack patterns at the asura without moving an inch from that position.

    Raith was amazed.

    ''How?-

    He suddenly jacked back to reality and narrowed his eyes, "This only means I have to give it my best shot and surpass him as a leader right"

    It was not okay that Jarvis was stronger than him, that hurt his pride as the leader. But what can he do about that than surpass the death knight?

    He swung forward like a spring and as Jarvis attacked from the front, he circled from behind¨C

    Egard did see him but sparing Raith a tiny bit of attention could cost him his head¨C that was how threatening Jarvis was.

    Another mistake he dared to make was to underestimate Raith and give less thought to him.

    In a swift motion, Raith lunged his sword back, aiming for the asura''s back. Having sensed the attack in time, Egard-Hearl spun around blocking Raith''s sword with his¨C the sh of steel echoed through the enclosed darkness as both of them locked des, Raith could feel the strain of the impact as Egard-Hearl pushed against him with all his might but he was more than enough to handle it.

    He was tempted to increase his strength stat but refused the temptation. He wanted to give this his best shot like this, not changing anything.

    Jarvis swung in from below, an arc that was aimed at slicing the asura''s arm into the sky but with fast reflexes, Egard-Hearl deflected the attack and immediatelyunched a counter, with barely enough time to dodge, the sword whistled past Jarvis tilted head.

    WHAM!

    Raith squinted a punch into the asura''s side from behind causing him to fold in that direction and sting him into the wall.

    Egard-Hearl got out immediately but before he could prepare to run the two of them were already dashing at him, in perfect unison, before now it was as if Raith was trying to feel in whatever space was left of the fight between him and Jarvis but with that sudden punch a lot changed.

    To him, Raith changed.

    ''This bastard is growing?''

    That was what Egard-Hearl saw.

    The main ability of [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] which was to take in information, analyze and execute tasks at a tremendous rate turned out to be super effect when Raith was taking the recess to observe the fight between the asura and his death knight to be able to move at the same pace.

    He put pride aside to learn.

    Even the way they moved their leg as they ran, everything was in sync¨C it was a fast growth and shouldn''t be possible for a mortal.

    That was how Egard-Hearl thought. Sure he had been impressed by Raitb before but with this, his view of Raith had gone beyond that of any mortal he had ever met.

    ''Not even him was this good'' His mind raced with excitement and fear at the same time, it was hard to pick one of the two.

    He felt so excited at the thought of someone with the capability to grow so much in such a short time and he feared for his own defeat.

    Their synergy was as if they had trained together for years, so seamless as they pressed a ferocious attack on him, Raith feinted left and spun right his white katana slicing through the air in a deadly arc. Jarvis darted forward with a solid darkness body, flickering and his de striking from behind.

    Egard-Hearl tried his best to keep up but it was harder when the two of them flowed like water, Raith''s eyes were fixated on Jarvis'' movement and was responding as he moved while Jarvis responded to Raith''s next movement and the asura was just caught in between all of that.

    Raithunched a flurry of quick strikes, his sword whistling through the air. Jarvis danced in and out of the melee, his movements like a blur of shadow and steel.

    Egard-Hearl responded with a series of heavy attacks from his golden sword, but Raith or Jarvis was always one step ahead, it wasn''t as if he was fighting with two Jarvis, it was as if he was fighting with a present Jarvis and a future Jarvis, they moved in perfect synchronization. Raith jumped back with his sword held low as Jarvis darted forward with a quick jab.

    Egard-Hearl blocked the blow but Raith charged in lightning reflex, he swung high his sword and was about to descend it upon the asura but seeing that Egard-Hearl had shifted one eye to him even though he had just blocked Jarvis'' blow Raith switched mid-air and rotated into a kick as hended¡ª Egard-Hearl''s hands were raised for a block but Raith had missed... on purpose.

    Egard-Hearl let out a smirk of joy but didn''t see what wasing for him, Raith immediately spun around as he was on the ground andunched a kick into the asura''s chest which was free to use since he was just bringing down his hands. It all happened so fast that the asura couldn''t resistplimenting Raith''s reaction speed.

    ''Amazing'' His eyes glittered as he was thrown away from them.

    Seizing the moment Jarvis strike a big thrust into the asura as he was mid-air, plunging his sword into him as he smashed his back against the wall.

    "Amazing... Truly amazing!" The asuraplimented from behind with three ps.

 Chapter 155 I Will Win This Fight

    ?

    "Ah, shit! I think we are lost" Yeon-Woo said as he came to a sharp stop amidst the thick forest.

    They were trying to find the red elves that had gone in search of Raith and he was supposed to be the direction coordinator but even he wasn''t sure what is what anymore.

    The forest was indefinite and no matter how deep they ran, they couldn''t reach any destination nor did they catch the sight of any red elves.

    "Have you lost your sense of direction fromziness," Shin whined, standing arms akimbo. The others were also looking inquisitive at him, this was a serious moment unlike one of those moments where they joked around.

    Yeon-Woo looked at the expression that they all had, he had always been the one carrying the team when it came to coordinates and first-hand information about monsters due to his scouting ability, and when they needed him most, he was disappointing them.

    He didn''t take it well with himself, he dropped his head losing his self-confidence.

    "Hey don''t pressure yourself too hard."

    Yeon-Woo raised his head as Mok Jae-Hwa touched his shoulder as he consoled him.

    "I''m sorry." He muttered, pressing his lips and his fist.

    "What do you apologize for? You don''t need to apologize. We are a team and should work as a team. Besides, I think this was way beyond you, to begin with." Mok Jae-Hwa said, looking up around the canopies of trees.

    "What?" Yeon-Woo was confused by his statement.

    "What do you mean Hyung?" Sung Min asked, stepping closer to Mok Jae-Hwa, his clothes ragged due to his monstrous transformation from before.

    "I can tell, there''s a seal..." Mok Jae-Hwa stated, but paused and continued to look around.

    He had the same ability as Raith, but he was on a lower level which allowed him to analyze things, situations, and even persons but not as effectively and as fast as Raith. But this much was enough for him to tell there was a seal around the forest that trapped them in some kind of illusionary space.

    But his problem was how to undo it.

    "So you are saying we are trapped?" Yujin asked.

    "Yes," He nodded.

    "That''s not making any sense, I would have sensed it if there truly was any magic seal?" Yujin stated.

    But Mok Jae-Hwa nodded, "No one ever said it was a magic seal?"

    "Are there other seals apart from magic seals?" Yujin inquired, her head stretched forward and her brows raised for an answer.

    "Hmm, arguing about it is not going to solve the problem. Can we just focus on the solution for now and put aside our thought of what it may be." Chong-Yol spoke, folding his hands gentlemanly.

    All of them were dazed and their expression spat ridicule at Chong-Yol''s suddenposure.

    "That''s quite ironicing from you Chong-Yol?" Shin broke the silence.

    Chong-Yol''s forced serious face easily switched to one full of scowl, his pupils thinned in, and a rigid cord appeared on his head as he red at the arrogant and foul-mouthed kid.

    "You want to die? When did I ever permit you to talk to me so informally?" Chong-Yol bbered, taking a step closer and wanting to just grip him by the neck.

    "That''s enough"

    Even though they all wanted to see the two go at each other Mok Jae-Hwa had to step in, this was not the time to be having disputes with each other.

    "We will find a way to get out of this together. Put aside all differences like we always have. Remember this is an S-rank gate. So far so good, I have counted three different kinds of monsters in a single gate, that didn''t happen thest time I raided an S-rank dungeon with Catastrophe rank Hassan Mohammed."

    They all retreated in their faces, and their tense expression became calm, although worry and tension folded themselves into their faces, it was better than before when they were all getting furious at each other due to uncertain unconfirmed, and inadequate information.

    "I''m sorry, I talked to you like that." Shin pouted his mouth, looking away.

    "It''s fine," Chong-Yol replied briefly and also looked away, he was like a little kid despite being one hell of an adult. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    They all turned their gaze to Mok Jae-Hwa.

    He was the leader for a reason, these guys had a lot of differences and were strong enough to be the star of different guilds but all gathered in the Rain guild, and are one of the reasons why the Rain guild is considered the strongest. Now, an outsider might think they all just swarmed into the top guild because they wanted to make money, but Mok Jae-Hwa was the reason, he was the only glue that could stick all of them together despite their differences.

    Shin-Hye smiled as she watched her boyfriend do his thing again.

    "So... what do we do now?" Ga-Yun questioned.

    They all turned their face to Mok Jae-Hwa again, now back to square one.

    ***

    ''This is crazy, I get that he is an asura, how can he be so powerful? Thard-Harl wasn''t even half this strong?'' Raithined inwardly, his pupils dancing around trying to calctively suck in the movements of the hundreds of Thard-Harl that surrounded him and Jarvis in an instant.

    ''This is getting very annoying... Should I just summon everyone since my dark energy has been replenished?'' He thought but was indecisive. He wanted to savor every moment of this and make it an experience that will grow him.

    Summoning his soldiers seemed like an easy way out and he was ufortable buying that way. He would have loved to fight alone but fighting with Jarvis has been even more beneficial than he thought. He has gained a lot and is still learning a lot from his death knight.

    The excellence of Jarvis''s swordsmanship, down to little details in his movement and legwork made Raith question, ''Who is that man in the prison where he was before he was taken to the Fenrir after they thought he was dead''

    He also remembered that [Way Of The Sword] came from reading the paper that was in front of the skeleton, after he died from the poisoned apple, [Devourer] activated and he sort of devoured the man and he became an ego which he created a body for and named Jarvis.

    There is more than meets the eye about this death knight.

    "Are you tired?"

    Jarvis tilted his head leftward in inquiry, more like him wondering why Raith would ask such a question.

    "This bastard? Are you trying to tell me you don''t even feel shit?" Raith very much understood Jarvis without him speaking. The death knight was incapable of feeling tiredness as long as Raith had dark energy to spare but it wasn''t the same case for Raith.

    ''I guess, I have to spend some points on my stamina.'' Raith''s breathing was unsteady, he had pearls of sweat all over his face and some had dried on his skin.

    "Hundred points to stamina" Raith mumbled.

    [Your stamina has been increased by 100 points]

    [Increase in stamina has affected strength stat]

    [Your strength stat has increased by 10 points]

    Raith could feel rejuvenation seep into every corner of his body, bones, and his legs that were so heavy and throbbing with pain became light and free of pain.

    ''It feels so good'' The refreshing feel spread a smile across his face.

    "How unwise. You cannot defeat me. You will be stuck here with me." Egard-Hearl said, to be exact; all his clones were talking at once so it was quite noisy, but the synchronization of their voice didn''t make each statement too far from each other.

    "How unwise? I would have left here a long time ago. But I decided myself. I must kill you before I leave." Raith said to him putting his sword above his shoulder as he stood with a rxed and carelessposure.

    "I will not give up until I kill you..." He narrowed his gaze, ''...I need to prove to myself... that I have grown. I know Thard-Harl''s death was luck, but I will earn this one His subconscious with him a newfound conviction that came from the unfairness he had felt with Thard-Harl''s death.

    Even now that he saw the power of his brother, he began to wonder if Thard-Harl deliberately decided not to bring out his best because he was seeing him as some emotionally hurt puppy.

    Raith remembered how ragged and desperate he was but devouring Thard-Harl, especially when he said it in his first visitation of the abyss over ten months, he was filled with so much embarrassment.

    He shook his head and brought himself back to the present.

    He braced himself for the onught ahead of him and his muscles tense as the clones rushed at him once again.

    Their movements were fluid and they all had golden swords that shed in the darkness as they raised them into the air¡ªRaith darted forward, his sword aimed at the nearest clone''s chest. The clone parried the blow with ease, and Raith leaped backward just in time to avoid a counterstrike. Just as Raith jumped backward the clone''s strike swept through the air¨C Jarvis appeared below it and thrust his long sword into its head from its jaw.

 Chapter 156 Domain Of Darkness

    ?

    There was no end to them no matter how much, cut one it turns to two, cut two it turns to four and it kept multiplying over and over again, that the whole ce was surrounded with Raith and Jarvis trapped in the middle of them.

    "Ah... you have pushed my back against the wall," Raith said, rxing his formerly tensedposure, he was in a stance that readied him to take action anytime, whether it was attack or defense but now he was standing freely with the edge of his de pointing to the ground.

    "Have you finally decided to give up?" The clones uttered altogether.

    "Give up? tch... I haven''t even been using all that is at my disposal to fight you and you think I want to give up?"

    Raith chuckled, pping his face with his palm. He covered his upper face for a few seconds and took his hands away.

    "Domain Of Darkness."

    WHAM!

    [YOU HAVE ACTIVATED TERRITORY DOMAIN OF DARKNESS]

    [Allws will be subjected to your will for 5.0 minutes]

    The whole ce began to shift and twist as if the fabric of reality was warping to respond to his will.

    The air around grew cold and heavy and Raith could feel the weight of his power pressing down on him like a heavy cloak. It wasn''t like this before now, to be able to feel the immense strength hemanded in the domain of darkness has never happened to him.

    As he raised his head, he was momentarily blinded by the sudden darkness that surrounded him, it was just like ''Darker than ck'' The darkness was so thick and was as if it could be touched.

    It took a while for his vision to adjust and he saw that the entire space around him had changed, now shrouded in inky ck both the skies and clouds. The ground beneath him was no longer solid earth but a shifting, misty darkness that seemed to writhe and twist beneath him.

    The sounds of the clones that had filled his ears only moments ago were now gone, reced by a deafening silence that seemed to stretch on forever. And yet, Raith could sense their presence around him.

    He knew very much that he had overturned their reality with the domain of darkness but it felt like he was in a higher ne of the domain of darkness. As if he was in the heaven of domain of darkness and the others were in the earth of it¨C the heaven, where he could oversee things without being reachable by them.

    ''...this is an effect of embracing my darkness too?'' He wondered as he looked around the clear darkness around him. He closed his eyes and opened it.

    The ne he was standing on turned upside down and behold he was already standing amidst the clones who were dumbfounded.

    "What have you done?" Egard-Hearl asked, his voice resounding in the mouths of the multiple Egard-Hearl that stood surrounding Raith in the dark domain.

    Not being bound by anyws whatsoever, of physics? or metaphysical. Raith could move freely and effortlessly through the darkness as if he were weightless and invincible.

    He darted through the darkness like a creature born into it his sword shing as he cut through the never-ending horde of clones that assailed him. They came at him in waves, golden swords raised high in the air with defeating battle cries as they threw themselves at him. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    But Raith was unppable. He moved with a fluid grace that belied his power, ducking and weaving through the endless swarm of attackers. His sword was an extension of his will, an unstoppable force that cut through the clones like a knife through butter.

    Jarvis had been out of sight since Raith activated Domain Of Darkness, which meant he had returned his death knight to the abyss because he wanted to do this alone.

    As he fought, he could feel the darkness itself surging up to meet him, lending him its strength and fueling his power.

    Before now, Raith knew that in domain of darkness, he is bounded by nothing but hasn''t had an idea as to what to do about that, the only time he creatively used that feature was when he overturned the world in his fight with Turner.

    Right now, he was about to be very innovative with his skills, a thought that had never once crossed his mind before, today crossed him.

    It is no easy task to reshape the very fabric of this reality to suit his needs.

    With a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of energy rippling through the darkness, sending the clones tumbling backward in a storm of ckness. Heughed as they iled and fell, their forms dissipating into nothingness as they struggled to regain their footing.

    Raith fought on. His sword was a blur of motion as he hacked and shed his way through them with tremendous speed. Unlike before, the clones could not multiply and with each passing strike, they dissipated.

    As he pressed on, pushing himself beyond his capabilities, the darkness began to grow on him, even his flesh was cking and some part was smoky as if he was bing a darkness himself. He could feel the darkness grow heavier, and it was like it was trying to drag him into its endless depths.

    ''There is more, surrender yourself to the darkness beyond'' The words resounded in Raith''s mind, he wasn''t sure from whom they wereing but this feeling was not to be resisted, that he was sure about.

    And so he didn''t resist the pull. With a loud yell, he threw himself into the fray, ferociously splitting the Egard-Hearl in his many clones with incredible velocity.

    The cut left a tear in space everywhere Raith cornered to and shed. He didn''t stop speeding, his legs didn''t rest¨C he ran through the clones and endlessly cut them, cutting the space too.

    He suddenly came to a halt, the ground sttering and his sword behind him ready for another arc swing.

    "Found you..." He mumbled with a smirk.

    Wham!

    He shed the space in front of him cutting it open and shocking the real Egard-Hearl who had been hidden all this while.

    Raith immediately plunged his sword into his widened mouth before he could do anything.

    Egard-Hearl froze immediately, with a sword in his mouth he was out of tricks. If Raith pushed the sword any further, he was bound to die.

    He raised his hand in surrender.

 Chapter 157 Death Soldiers Ranking

    ?

    "You mother fucking shithead. You have a lot of guts hiding yourself in the space of my domain." Raith said with his eyes strongly fixated on him and his sword still in his mouth.

    "We don''t need to fight. All I need is for you to break me out of here." Egard-Hearl said, his speech was unclear because he had to talk while being careful of the sword not mistakenly tearing into his throat.

    "Last I recall. You were trying to have at my head since I killed your brother. Don''t tell me you have given up on that." Raith asked, removing the sword from his mouth and putting it right at the tip of his neck.

    "I have not forgotten. But we made a deal, I tell you what you want to know and you help me get out of here."

    "That is true. Thanks to you, I am connecting some dots in my head now... but if you had been this nice since the beginning this wouldn''t have been drawn out like this."

    Egard-Hearl frowned, "What do you¨C

    Before he couldplete his statement Raith slid the sword into his throat.

    [RULER OF GREED HAS STOLEN WHAT YOU COVET]

    [Congrattions, You have defeated the asura Egard-Hearl(weakened)]

    [You have gained Egard-Hearl''s Sword Of Sun]

    [You have gained Egard-Hearl''s golden boots]

    [You have gained The Trinkets Of Constraint]

    [You have gained Ef''at Earrings]

    "Oh, since Thard-Harl this is the next time I am receiving item drop after killing or receiving a Congrattions for killing"

    Raith dumped all the items back into his inventory and watched his domain slowly warp back to reality.

    The only thing now was that instead of being inside the enclosed dungeon, he was right outside it. The door had disappeared.

    ''Is it open because the person it bounded is dead?''

    "Too bad, I wanted to see the ruler authority that could force him out of this ce. Darn, I wish he had been straight with me from the beginning." Raith shook his head as he looked back at the dungeon and looked forward.

    He wasn''t surprised that he was already surrounded by yet another round of attackers.

    "There''s no end to it is there?"

    "You! I am sure you died! How are you still alive." The red elf that killed him before, captain of the red elven army yelled at him.

    "See young man, you don''t say to death, I am sure you died... you probably should have given me sleeping pills or something." Raith replied putting his hand beneath his chin, ''...shit, they could actually defeat me by giving me sleeping pills''

    "I will kill you again!" The red elf shouted with his sword raised as he dashed at Raith.

    With his hand pulled back, Raith charged¨C

    "Fire Force: Ignition fist!"

    Wham!

    His fist was lunged by an incredible force of fire, turning to a blur as it smashed the red elf''s face and incinerated it immediately.

    The elf danced around with his head on fire till he could dance no more.

    Raith tilted his head at the others.

    "Whose next?"

    They all dropped their spears and sword and ran away.

    Raith watched them his hands in his pocket. After he could not hear the rustling of the leaves as they rummaged through the forest to save their lives again, he looked down at the shining weapons.

    "These are quite impressive weapons. Come out"

    Like an earthquake, a dark portal split open on the floor, and from it came his soldiers who without being told what to do began to pack the weapons and throw them into the dark portal.

    Raith turned to the dead elf, whose head had been burnt to crisp, he pulled one of his hands from his pocket and stretched it at the elf.

    "Arise, and serve me."

    He beckoned unto the soul of the elf.

    Faced with an even greater force than darkness, death itself¨C the monster''s soul couldn''t dare to refuse. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Dark smoke was exuding from the body for a little while and from the ck smoke, a solid ck body with red zing eyes began to pull itself out, before long he was already standing, holding a ck smokey sword.

    He bowed to one knee stabbing his sword into the ground.

    Tsssss

    Red smoke was expunged from its mouth as it opened it.

    Raith narrowed his eyes, ''...does it want to talk?'' Raith wondered.

    It was like when a man that has been dumb all his life suddenly gets healed and opened his mouth to talk for the first time.

    He was opening his mouth but no voice could be heard, his razor teeth which were not there when he was alive gave him a mean and troublesome facial appearance.

    "Mas....ter" He finally spoke.

    Raith''s eyes widened, he was filled with so much excitement.

    ''HE SPOKE!''

    [You can name your death soldier]

    [He will be automatically assigned a rank based on intelligence and strength]

    Raith bore down at the holographic interface that appeared before him.

    "Okay, let''s name you Crimson since you used to be a red elf..." Raith said, curling one corner of his lips.

    [You have named death soldier ''Crimson'']

    [Crimson has been assigned the rank: Major lv.1]

    [Through level-up death soldiers can increase their ranks]

    "Can you automatically assign others to a rank?"

    [Yes]

    [Automatically Assigning Death soldiers to ranks based on their intelligence and strength]

    [Processing...]

    [...]

    [...]

    [Completed]

    [Ensign - One hundred and ny-eight death soldiers]

    [Second lieutenant - one death soldier]

    [Lieutenant(1) - Kortopi]

    [Captain(1) - Jarvis]

    [Major(1) - Crimson]

    [Lieutenant Colonel - ???]

    "Uh? What about Fenrir, isn''t he the strongest? He should be the Lieutenant colonel"

    [Intelligence has arge part to y]

    [Each of these ranks can be assigned a specific amount of soldiers to create a battalion]

    [Until Fenrir is intelligent enough to lead a battalion, he will stay your ride]

    ''...shit, I feel for the wolf.'' Raith shook his head.

    ''...I guess, Crimson is ranked highest because of his leadership skills, considering that he has been leading the elves before he died. I don''t know if he is as skilled as Kortopi and Jarvis but I will find that outter, now...¨C

    He immediately swung his head back, ''...what if I turn that asura to my soldier?!''

 Chapter 158 The Melody Of Hammering

    ?

    [The third attempt has failed]

    [You don''tmand enough authority]

    [You cannot summon the soul of a celestial]

    ''...ah, so the problem is authority.'' Raith looked down at the lifeless body of the asura as ity in a pool of blood.

    He gritted his teeth and suck in the dissatisfaction. He was hyped up thinking that he was going to have an asura as one of his soldiers.

    He turned and walked out of the dungeon. "Let''s go clear this fucking gate" He mumbled as he trekked outside.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    ''How? This makes no sense! How is a man serving in such heat, how is he able to even... I thought I had seen the best of him but no! I have never seen him as this'' Tam Seon shook with fear as he watched Dong-Hyun from afar.

    He couldn''t go nearer to the smithy than he was already. And could only catch glimpses of the hammer each time it smashed the sound and produced a defeating nging sound that traveled around the entire underground.

    Each sound was a reformation as much as they were the same, they carried enormous heaviness, and the air vibrated with each hammering and sent blue sparks flying around. Dong-Hyun himself was sweating all over his body, and cuts were on his face¨C the arrogance of the sword could not be contained; it was as if he was trying to tame a ferocious fire beast at first it got very violent and he just kept getting cuts in the face.

    Every time he hammered the sword, he was thrown into an illusion, faced with a great monster of darkness, so colossal.

    That was the thing he was hammering¨C he knew it even from the first time he saw it. The true form of the sword, although it was irregr and unclear because of the reforge over the years, it still spat great fear into him.

    He knew that the only reason why he was alive after the firstnding of the hammer was that the sword had given him consent to reforge it. If not, he would have been killed by the ferocity of the sword.

    It was a mere sword, just a sword¨C Tae Dong-Hyun had never encountered something like this in his entire life.

    So much time had passed, his muscles hurt, blisters formed on his palm, his mouth was dry and he yearned for water, sweat, and blood mixed on his face and dropped with every straining of his muscles as he hit the hammer on the boiling sword.

    At first, he was trying so hard to maintain his focus but it got better, as the hammering continued, he somehow managed to cling to the sound. The sound was his guidance into the depth of darkness that the sword carried.

    And through all that horror and darkness, it was so easy for one''s sanity to be lost. He could feel it with every inch of him¨C one mistake with this sword and he might end up brain-dead.

    Staying with sound was like a thin rope through¨C as far as he was hanging on that thin rope he was safe.

    But as the hammering continued, his mind was sucked into the sound so much that he entered a deep trance. His hands kept moving, they kept hammering, and his eyes were fixated on the sword even with how bright and ming it was, they didn''t blink.

    He had reached that point where his abilities could manage but now he had to shed off that skin, in order to do that¨C this trance was his breakthrough.

    Without even the slightest change in his breathing pattern, he kept hammering.

    A hundred?

    Two hundred<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Nine Hundred

    A thousand

    Ten thousand

    Hundreds of thousands

    Millions

    The hammering had surpassed millions. And so much time had passed but the cksmith did not stop.

    ''If I can bring it out. If I can just bring it out''

    Tae Dong-Hyun because of his amazing focus could at this point see that all that ferociousness was due to all the reforge over the past years as the sword itself said.

    But he finally reached an image, one that he hadn''t met, one that seemed to be trapped amidst that ferocious monster. The only thing that was on Tae Dong-Hyun''s mind was reaching that image. He knew that was the end point of his hammering.

    His hammering was to bring the sword back to its original form. For that to be possible he had to hammer away all the past reforges.

    Considering that they were great cksmiths, Tae Dong-Hyun right now was doing a great feat. However, no one knew, no one recognized it. Not yet.

    Kang

    Kang

    Kang

    Kang

    ''...it''s enchanting and sickening at the same time'' Tam Seon''s eyes slowly shut as he was stricken by tiredness and fatigue. All he had been doing after Tae Dong-Hyun sent him out was watching but he couldn''t hold on anymore. It was hard to tell how much time has passed except if he looked at his phone, but time didn''t seem to be the issue of concern amongst any of the two.

    He slowly fell asleep to the hammering sound like a luby. A bedtime song for a cksmith.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    All of them hung around while Mok Jae-Hwa began to find a solution. to their problem. No matter how much they tried anyway, it wasn''t something that they could get out of or think of a waypared to Mok Jae-Hwa who had [Parallel Thought Pattern]. And was able to discern things.

    He paused as he caressed a certain tree, "Again...Gen." Mok Jae-Hwa muttered the Chinese characters that he could feel engraved on the tree.

    ''Why is a Chinese character engraved on a tree in a gate.'' Gow wondered and looked back at the tree he wasing from. On that one, he felt the Xun character. He couldn''t see it but when he touched the tree and ran his hand around he could feel it on every part of the tree, as if they existed on every space, every corner- but weren''t visible to the eyes. It was probably another perk of the illusion.

 Chapter 159 The Elemental Illusionary Seal

    ?

    If these were characters that held the seal that is keeping the illusion that meant there was a way out.

    Mok Jae-Hwa sharply turned to his teammates.

    "Everyone! Search the trees, touch them, and see if you find any Chinese characters engraved on them."

    "What do you mean? I don''t even know Chinese." Yujinined.

    "Shin, Chong-Yol, Yeon-Woo..." Mok Jae-Hwa called the names of those he knew that were fluent in Chinese.

    "Well received boss," Chong-Yol replied giving Mok Jae-Hwa a salute before going to the tree beside him.

    They walked around, touching every single tree and noting the Chinese characters they could feel on it.

    After solid forty minutes of touching every tree. They only noticed the repetition of the characters.

    Gen, Xun, and Kan.

    Those were the only characters that were engraved on the trees.

    "What do we do now then?" Chong-Yol asked after reporting this to Mok Jae-Hwa.

    Mok Jae-Hwa stroked his chin and looked down. ''...Xun is wind, Gen is mountain and Kan is water...'' He looked up.

    "Mountain, wind, and water seems to be the characters holding this seal together... now I am not sure¨C

    "That''s Taoism." Sung Min said.

    "Taoism?" Mok Jae-Hwa was impaled by Sung Min''s knowledge. He usually is clueless about a lot of things and that was because.

    "You do know that Sung Min Oppa is from Jeo right?" Yujin gloat tapping the shoulder of her boyfriend which was too high for her.

    "Ah right... he is."

    "Although I wasn''t diligent to it and I awakened as a hunter but I did practice Taoism for a while. Gen, the mountain character in Taoism represents stillness and stability, and Kan, water, represents fluidity and transformation. Xun, wind, represents movement and change. These are interlocking characters that keep the seal together and it is no wonder why as we moved the forest continued to change but in a real sense we couldn''t reach our destination.

    It''s probably an illusion that causes us to believe that we aren''t trapped and make us walk and walk thinking that we will soon be there and uses the energies of the real world to stay activated... The Gen character is the energy of the mountain which provides a stable and grounded foundation for the seal. The Kan character, the energy of water, allows the seal to transform and adapt to the changing conditions of the forest. The Xun character represents the energy of wind, which creates movement and change within the seal''s energy field.

    "Wow... you are a Taoist for real, why did you quit?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked. The others too were inquisitive, cocking their heads.

    He sheepishly scratches the back of his head, "...I loved meat."

    "Ah, that makes sense." Shin nodded his head along with the others too.

    "So do you maybe know how to undo or break this seal?"

    "We will probably need to counteract the three characters. Usually engraving the character will work but I don''t know how to do that."

    "What character is that?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked.

    "The Li character."

    "Fire?" Shin cocked his head.

    "Yes." Sung Min nodded to him. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Then can''t we just burn the whole forest?" He suggested.

    "Fool, who does that... they say a character" Ga-Yun knocked his head. Making him go scowl at her but she red back at him and silently threatened him with her mean re.

    "It actually could work." Sung Min responded, drawing all their attention to him.

    "Exin." Mok Jae-Hwa demanded.

    "The counteract is to create the energy of fire which is passion and destruction. If we set the forest on fire. We should be able to get the same energy even stronger."

    Mok Jae-Hwa folded his hands and nodded. He turned his head to Shin, everyone did.

    "Me?"

    "Yes, you. Who else can use fire as you do?" Ga-Yun narrowed her gaze at him with a slight curl in her lips.

    "Ah! Whatever!"

    He frowned and stepped to the center, while others stepped away.

    "Give it your best shot kid. Use your strongest skill."

    Fuuuu

    Shin took a deep breath and began to channel his magic energy into his hands. He could feel the air around him grow hotter, and a small fire appeared on his hands, it was like a fire folding into itself continuously and seemed so unthreatening by the looks of it alone.

    "Hey, are you going to use this small thing¨C

    "Shhhh..." Mok Jae-Hwa shut Chong-Yol up, making him back down with inquisition. Everyone was silent and keenly watching from the sidelines as Shin did his thing. He was the only one that had not seen Shin''s strongest skill, since he was always so busy traveling around the world.

    With each passing moment, the fire became more intense and suddenly got so big like a raging inferno that threatened to consume all of them. Chong-Yol stumbled back in shock as he saw the raging fire erupt high into the sky, still sitting on Shin''s hand.

    ''How?''

    To him, Shin had always been a cheat. He never really acknowledged the young guy who is so full of talent. He worked hard for nothing and was just so good with fire. He detested him and that still stood, but seeing the might of his strength like this, he couldn''t help but be full of fearful respect.

    ''...this young guy?''

    It baffled him how a young boy could hold such amazing power.

    With a fierce shout, Shin released the fire on his hands. A zing column of mes erupted from his hands, shooting straight up into the sky like a beacon of destruction. As it rose higher and higher, it began to spread outwards, enveloping everything in its path in a sea of fire.

    The trees in the forest were the first to catch fire, their dry leaves and branches igniting instantly and sending sparks flying into the air. Within seconds, the entire forest was aze, the mes leaping from tree to tree with a ferocity that seemed almost alive.

    All of them watched with awe.

    "Wow, I think I have forgotten how strong this guy is..." Ga-Yun muttered as her eyes passionately gazed into the mes of the forest.

    WOOOIIINNNGGG

    "Amazing, you managed to break my seal." A thick and vibrating voice resounded in the air bringing them back to the fact that they had sessfully broken through the seal.

 Chapter 160 The White Wyvern (1)

    ?

    They were back into the crimson-red sky and dry in that they were familiar with, the difference that this ce was more of a teau than a in. The terrains were high and low with different variations. It was a magnificent sight to behold the darkish-red glow that fell on the whole ce was like a malevolent bliss to the environment.

    From being in a forest to being in a drynd teau.

    It really was an illusion.

    "Uhh? Where did they break from?" Raith tilted his head. He was standing alone on the teau after making it this far toy an end to a certain boss monster.

    Raith was shocked because, from his point of view, it was as if Mok Jae-Hwa and his team just broke out of the space.

    "Huh? Hunter Raven?" Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes widened with tears as he saw who was in front of him. "HUNTER RAVEN!!" He screamed and ran for a hug but was blocked by the hilt of Raith''s sheathed katana pointing to his head which Raith used to keep him at arm''s length away from hugging him.

    He pushed and pushed but the Katana did not bulge not even a bit. Mok Jae-Hwa did not pay rapt attention to the sudden change but someone else did, watching Raith keep Mok Jae-Hwa and pay by just using his katana to push his head back.

    ''...the guild president is strong... he might not be as strong as Sung Min but this should be impossible'' Yeon-Woo''s gaze narrowed and shifted to Raith, ''...did he grow stronger while we are away''

    "It is a great thing to see you all merry together but haven''t youe to challenge me." The thick vibrating voice sounded again making them remember that it did a while ago as they broke out of the illusion and saw Raith standing amidst this vast and empty teau. On the high contour in front of them stood a man with fluttering clothes, he seemed to be the one talking.

    "Huh? How is this possible? How is a human here?" Mok Jae-Hwa questioned.

    "Don''t be deceived. He''s not human." Raith answered and spun his sword then held it with one hand on the sheath and another on the hilt.

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked to the front, "Huh? He''s not human?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked again, scrunching his eyes to take in the sight of the man that was far off.

    "Yes, he is not. He is the wyvern boss monster." Raith replied.

    It took his reply for them to realize how ridden his body was with purple-colored blood and the trails of blood that was behind him, and bodies... bodies of wyverns he had killed.

    The whole team was bewildered.

    And to think they were worried about him.

    Raith studied their expression for a bit and looked back, trying to figure out what it was they were gawking at with awe. He looked back and saw the bodies that pile up like mountains. Immediately he pped his face.

    ''Those bastards, they must have gathered the bodies so that it will be easy for me to turn them into soldiers.'' He shook his head. His soldiers acted extremely and it was all in the thought of him so it was understandable and cute.

    He didn''t feel like he owed them any exnation as to why that was there¨C he preferred to let them think whatever. That was okay to him now. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Let me deal with this monster. I have to have him for myself." He said swinging out his sword from its sheath.

    Mok Jae-Hwa gulped. The aura that swiveled around Raith was so horrifying that he thought twice before daring to oppose.

    "Hunter Raven, it will be unfair for us to let you take care of everything. Give us a chance to prove our strength to you too." Mok Jae-Hwa said taking steps forward.

    Raith stopped and looked back at him, "..." He opened his mouth but paused again before finally speaking.

    "I don''t care what happens to you people. Don''t just get in my way." Je replied with a frown and faced his front.

    "Tch, what is with the sudden grumpy attitude," Ga-Yun mumbled, darting a feminine ridiculous gaze at him.

    "Kortopi, Jarvis, and you too... Crimson."

    With the next step, he took the three of them wriggled out of the dark shadow beneath his feet as smoke materialized behind him, walking with every step he took.

    Behind them, the team was yet stricken with another bewilderment. They had not truly seen the extent of Raith''s power, except Mok Jae-Hwa... this forte was new to them too.

    ''...this is the reason.'' Shin-Hye wondered with widened eyes. She hadn''t been able to get why she could sense a different kind of death aura from Raith but suddenly everything clicked. The presence of death was vividly visible to her in the body of the three dark humanoid things that walked behind Raith.

    ''...it''s as if they are wearing death as a cloak.'' She could feel it from every inch of them.

    And it was terrifying.

    WHAM

    From gentle steps, they transitioned into super-fast steps that disturbed the peace of the air as they treaded forward and arrived at the base of the upper ground where the wyvern boss perched atop its peak. The wyvern, in its human form, sneered down at them with a rigid face, its face was stiff neither a smile nor a frown could be found on it.

    With a raise of its hand without an aforementioned warning¨C

    Arge blue magic ball formed above its head, it began to swirl and swell and in an instant, burst into something muchrger, it was as if the sun was in its hand. Blocking the whole view with its massive body and surrounding with a troubling wind that gathered the dust of the teau with a torrent that was strong enough to swing a 10-year-old around as it deems fit.

    "Ah... shit, what the hell is that?" Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes were circle widened and he tried to find saliva to swallow but his throat was dry. What was before them was massive, nothing like they had ever seen or faced.

    A monster, capable of using magic.

 Chapter 161 The White Wyvern (2)

    ?

    As it is not just today that it is known that in the worldthere is a mixture of energies that flows in and out of everywhere, of all those energies, the prominent one is mana.

    A vital force that flows through all things and gives life and power to the universe. Mana is the representation of the interconnectedness of all things and a reminder that everything is ultimately connected and influenced by unseen forces¨C it is never to be mistaken for magic power.

    Magic power is a human-given title to define the energy that grants hunters such superhuman abilities but in the true sense is not mana.

    Essentially to say, all living things can wield this energy, and being able to wield this energy means the ability of one to be able to use magic. But wielding this energy is very dependent on two skills.

    Magic Perception

    Magic Operation

    Magic perception is required to be able to detect the flow of mana in the environment and in one body, to be able to bring the consciousness of the magic circuits that exist in one''s own body.

    Magic Operation, however, is required to be able to manipte and channel mana to produce desired effects; rituals, incantations, runes, magic tools, or artifacts¨C magic can be cast in different ways all depending on the caster.

    With these two skills either low-leveled or high-leveled, one''s ability to use magic was dependent on them and without them, it is impossible to use magic.

    This is the reason why magic was a concept that many never understood even though there were mage ss hunters that were capable of using magic-like skills, it is important to note that it is not entirely and purely magic because mana which is a vital role in the manifestation of magic is not in y, even though the end effects may be likely¨C it is not magic because magic would prove to be more powerful, more efficient and more destructive.

    A monster being able to use magic was very much possible as long as it had these skills. But there was something more, something that only Raith could immediately grasp.

    "It is a named monster..." Raith mumbled.

    He was brought into an unwee memory of the ogre he fought a few months back. It was capable of magic too.

    "Brace yourself for the worse," Raith said to hispanions as the massive energy sun was looking like it was about to be unleashed on them.

    "Take cover!!" Mok Jae-Hwa shouted as the monster swung down its hand.

    Usually with such weight and body, the dispel speed would be slow but the energy st disappeared that instant and the next it could be seen as it being embedded into the ground and unfolding the entire ground in cracks, crumbles, and debris.

    They weren''t even spared a reaction time, it was hard to find stable ground, everywhere vibrated with massive force as the energy ball exploded turning everywhere to white, consuming and razing everything to nothing. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    After a while, the raging began to settle with dust covering the entire surface, the well-defined teau a moment ago was now looking like and of apocalypse, the ground was literally overturned, everything cracked and crushed in bits, Mok Jae-Hwa and Sung Min could be seen helping the rest out of the crumbling they had fallen into¨C thanks to the durability of Yujin''s shield they were able to survive but someone like Ga-Yun and Yeon-Woo sustained serious injuries from being crushed by huge debris. Their clothes were tattered, their faces covered in dust, and their hair dirty.

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked to the front where Raith was, ''...they suffered more from the impact... hunter Raven...'' He looked with a longing face. But he had a team to cater for and somewhere deep down, he knew Raith wouldn''t die from that.

    Just that moment, arge rock flew into the air and a man stood up, he could be seen by all of them although the scattered debris had made things quite rough now.

    Raith spat out the blood in his mouth. "Now I''m angry." He said narrowing his gaze at the wyvern.

    wrringgg

    His sword made a resounding ring as he stretched it out. He leaped into the air and as if tomemorate his effort with an aesthetic on his white sword, the crimson sky left a faint red gleam on the de of his sword as he raised it above his head.

    The wyvern raised its head and for the first time smiled, its eyes glinting with malice.

    WHAM!

    An air shield easily blocked off Raith''s attack backfiring the force of his attack on him and causing him to be tossed away by the impact of his attack on the shield.

    Kortopi''s eyes were focused on what just happened, from the moment Raith leaped into the air, he had been carefully observing and after seeing Raith tossed away, he closed his red eyes focusing on the way to make what recreate what Raith just did. As he opened his eyes, a sword simr to Raith''s grow out of his hand but in ck color. Kortopi charged at the wyvern with a sword in his hand and struck the wyvern with an incredible force that dispelled a defeating air st, the shield cracked and the wyvern stumbled back.

    Jarvis moved in straight away, his long sword burning with dark smoke as he struck at the wyvern. The wyvern blocked his attack with another air shield, but Jarvis was already moving, striking again and again with lightning-fast movements with Kortopi repeatedly striking the cracked shield. The wyvern was struggling to keep up¨C then Crimson leaped high into the sky and descended upon the wyvern with his sword above his head, seeing this the wyvern summoned a powerful gust of wind that sent all three of them flying back.

    Crimson was the first to recover, in less than three seconds he had closed back in on the wyvern, with his eyes narrowed at the wyvern, eyes so focused and fixated on the entirety of the wyvern as it stood. He struck from different pivot points, but the air shield easily appeared and blocked off his attacks, none of them reached the wyvern.

    "Tch"

    With an irritated raised on a corner of its lips, the wyvern pointed a finger forward and dispelled a bolt of lightning that hurtled towards Crimson. Instead of running away, he dashed at the lightning, and just as it was about to collide with him, he tilted his entire body to the left such that the lightning passed him by a hair''s breadth, leaving a shallow grazed wound on his arm. He doubled his speed that instant and catapulted toward the wyvern with his sword over his head.

    Seeing this the wyvern immediately summoned arge barrier that surrounded it from all sides¨C apparently, Kortopi and Jarvis had joined in from behind Crimson and the monster was quick to see it.

    What it did not expect was the great force that came from above it.

 Chapter 162 The White Wyvern (3)

    ?

    Four strikes from different angles struck the barrier but it was the one above that was the most tremendous, forcing the barrier to break from the top, and with the simultaneous impact from the other parts, the barrier fell like broken ss.

    Jarvis swung his sword to the back and with his blinding speed and blurry sword swung a diagonal arc toward the monster''s right side but that strike was countered by an outburst of mes. Jarvis dashed into the me and did not stop the strike even though his whole body was on fire, hended that clean hit, making the wyvern fold towards the side he got hit before being tossed away by the impact.

    He stood straight with the fire burning all over him and that fire soon became consumed by darkness and turned to a ck me.

    "Ah, impressive!" Raithplimented his strike making him scratch his head with jittery and his eyes slightly closed.

    "Tch... that is nothing. I can do better." Crimson said walking forward and ring at Jarvis who had received apliment from the master, he gantly ced his sword above his shoulder and raised his chin, his mouth curled downwards in disgust towards him.

    Raith dumbfoundedly looked at the two that were spitting maliciouspetition. He turned his head to Kortopi who slightly raised both of his hands with his head cocked sideways in an ''I don''t know'' gesture.

    "Ah... there''s no helping these two huh. I wonder if it is because Jarvis is strong in terms ofbat power but Crimson is more intelligent. I wonder if Crimson''s intelligence has to do with why he can talk." Raith muttered to himself.

    SCCRRRRREEEEEEETTTTTTCCCCCHHHHH

    The ear-piercing roar brought all of their heads to the direction where the wyvern was thrown, both Mok Jae-Hwa''s side and Raith''s side all turned to the wyvern.

    The ground shook as the wyvern rose, it wasn''t human anymore. White scales spread across its body, and its massive wingspan casted a shadow over the broken grounds as it pped into the sky and towered above them, its wings were very long, each wing was 400m long and its white body was massive blocking the red light that seeped out of the cloud.

    "What... the fuck?" Mok Jae-Hwa''s neck was craned upward, taking in the massive visual of the wyvern.

    All of them were looking at it and none of them were confident in their abilities to defeat such a humongous monster. But something led their head to turn to Raith. It was curiosity and expectation, they wanted to see how he would react to this.

    But Raith, followed by Crimson was now shing at the wyvern with their swords.

    Jarvis frowned and followed, leaping high into the sky, he saw Raith take off but didn''t expect Crimson to follow, btedly realizing that the sly dude was trying to outperform him, he lunged himself immediately in defiance of such an act. His browless socket was tightly furrowed and narrowed as he raised his sword to add to the striking sequel but was pped in the stomach by the wyvern''s long tail¨C

    CRAAAASSSHHH

    Debris exploded upwards as he crashed into the ground and tumbled away.

    Kortopi shook his head and looked at Raith.

    Raith''s and Crimson''s swords shed with the wyvern scale letting out a screeching sound as if their des were scratching against a metallic surface. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The wyvern suddenly dove towards the ground releasing a massive impact that sted both of them, therge ws of its hindlimbs extended as it dive towards Mok Jae-Hwa and his party but before it could reach, they scattered in different directions and the wyvernnded, with its long neck slowly turning to every direction, observing everyone.

    "Ah, this guy''s defense just spiked," Raith said as he pushed away the pile of rocks that fell on him as he crashed into the ground.

    He stood up and looked at the wyvern.

    "Stop, stop... stop disturbing me!" He shouted smacking his foot on the ground, as the humans among them turned their heads to him, they could only catch a glimpse of dark smoke that was already disappearing.

    Raitj feinted ignorance and looked to the wyvern. Unfortunately for him, at that moment their gazes met.

    It was a decision for the wyvern it looked like it didn''t know who to start with.

    After locking gaze, the next thing was a kiss. The wyvern''s speed is a betrayal of the concept of the rtivity of size and speed. The bigger the slower or so it was supposed to be¨C but this one''s movement was unseen, the little that could be seen of it was a blur and in a split second, it collided with Raith¨C throwing him into the sky and soaring along with him. Instantly it met Raith and sped its massive shark teeth on him but Raith folded his legs barely dodging itsrge teeth and using its closed mouth as a stepping stone, he catapulted himself higher into the sky.

    And spun facing the wyvern''s back, he stretched out an arm and as the wyvern stubbornly collided with him again there was an explosion of fire as he pped the wyvern using [Fire Force] ¨C the force of impact sent both of them flying opposite ways. He crashed into the floor but wh wyvern got its momentum back in midair and pped its massive wind hard to repel the persistent force that still almost knocked it down.

    Raith stood up and climbed by the pile ofrge broken rocks from the first energy st.

    "Master, we cannot beat this monster if you keep holding back."

    Raith''s face was ridden with sudden shock as he saw Crimson suddenly appear beside him. He wasn''t because Crimson had suddenly appeared, it was more about the part where Crimson thinks he has been holding back.

    ''Just how strong did this buttercup think I am? Well, considering that I killed him in one try it is understandable that he thinks so. Moreso, I too know I have not been giving this my all.''

    Raith breathed in and let out a deep exhtion. It was not a sigh, it was more of a preparative demeanor.

    "Master?" ''..the air changed...'' Crimson has narrow eyes were so widened that they had be round.

    He could sense therge shift in the air as Raith exhaled, his face became serious with narrowed eyes and slightly furrowed brows.

    ''Hmph! My master has decided to take this seriously!'' The newest and most intelligent death soldier enthusiastically stared at Raith with eyes full of expectations.

 Chapter 163 The White Wyvern (4)

    ?

    Kortopi stretched his hand and grew out a ck sword that was just like Crimson''s he looked at Jarvis and both of them nodded at each other.

    Kortopi had spent thest few minutes doing nothing but watching the wyvern, he was a very keen observer¨C and that made quite some sense considering his copy abilities. What was not confirmed was whether or not he could copy anything else apart from physicalbat skills.

    His eyes glowed with a dark shade of ming red smoke as he darted towards the wyvern that was lower than it initially was in an attempt to be able to reach them.

    Jarvis followed after him with his long sword poised to strike, Crimson who was until a moment ago beside Raith took off into the air bastardizing the ground with a massive impact as his foot ascended.

    Raith watched as they attacked the wyvern in unison, an attack that was coordinated with Kortopi at the center of it, the two followed his trails and caused an incredible synchronization that Raith was jealous of.

    While Kortopi was in charge of the lead attack, Jarvis was a great support role and did not hesitate to fill in Kortopi''s blind spot, it was like he was the eyes where Kortopi could not see, just like when he and Raith were fighting Thard-Harl.

    ''He is incredibly skilled.''

    Seeing Jarvis so experienced only made Raith wonder more and more about what he was before dying. Whether it is as a lead attacker or a support, Jarvis nevercked in any role in battle and always made that role seem extraordinary with his incredible judgmental skills. His sword fight was also very incredible.

    Crimson was also to bemended, to be able to follow through with the two of them despite this being his official first boss fight. His skills did seem nd at some point but Raith was still amazed by what he was seeing.

    Only if their opponent was not crazy strong.

    The wyvern chuckled with a low rumble emanating from his throat, "Is that all you have to offer? Think not, that you will defeat me with such inferior sword ys."

    The sneered at them and opened its mouth. Energy particles began to gather at the tip of its opened mouth and fire began to form.

    They didn''t need a tome of knowledge to know that whatever the wyvern was doing was bound to be incredibly dangerous.

    As the monster let out a deafening roar, the three of them jumped away with all their might. But their efforts proved futile as the monsterunched a devastating cone of fire, turning the earth to ash and engulfing everything in its path.

    "Ah, shit..." Raith muttered as he saw his dark energy points go down by a turn due to their regeneration.

    The Wyvern was all-powerful but so was he.

    "50 points to strength, 50 to speed, 50, to stamina, 50 to perception."

    [Your strength stat has increased by 50 points]

    [Your speed stat has increased by 50 points]

    [Your stamina stat has increased by 50 points]

    [Your Perceptions stat has increased by 50 points]

    "50 to wisdom"

    [Your wisdom stat has increased by 50 points]

    "Status info."

    [STATUS INFORMATION]

    NAME: Raven Raith

    TRUE NAME: Ba''al©\ - -

    CLASS: DEATH MONARCH

    HP: 101,450/98,450

    AGE: 21

    LEVEL: 107

    D.P: 1550

    C.P: 5770

    THE UNDEFEATED KING BODY CONSTITUTION LV.1

    TITLE: Ruler of GREED and 6 others...

    ATTRIBUTES: Darker than ck, The Dissatisfaction Failure Brings, Darkness Lord, Book Of Requiems.

    [SKILLS-PASSIVE]

    - Devourer(EX)lv.11

    - Multiple Cognitive Resonance(SSS)lv.3

    - Thoughts eleration(S)lv.15

    - Metavision(S)lv.13

    - Ultra-Instincts(S)lv.16

    - Intimidation(S)lv.50

    - Dark Vision(A)lv.10<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [SKILLS-ACTIVE]

    - Fire Force(S)lv.1

    - GREED(UEX)lv.1

    - Appraisal(UR)lv.1

    - Magic Operation(S)lv.1

    - Magic Perception(S)lv.1

    - Instant Move(B)lv.34

    - Air Leap(C)lv.19

    - ck Armour(D)lv.22

    [CLASS SKILLS-ACTIVE]

    - Skill Bestowal(EX) lv.3

    - Creation(EX)lv.2

    - Soul Extraction(EX) lv.10

    - Summon Soldiers(SSS) lv.10

    - Domain Of Darkness(EX) lv.2

    - Death Parade(EX) lv.1

    [STATS]

    - Strength: 166(+100)

    - Speed: 316

    - Stamina: 265

    - Intelligence: 445

    - Wisdom: 061

    - Endurance: 244

    - Perception: 186

    - Will: 25

    Avable stat points: 10

    "All my status, all the stuff that is supposed to boast my stat, none of them is working, is this not a scam? I am suicidal and the status I got from book of requiems when I am fighting to protect, what is all this?" Heined.

    As he opened his mouth toin again another cone of fire sted at him and consumed himpletely.

    "Hunter Raven??!!!..." Mok Jae-Hwa shouted stretching his hands like one reaching out to his lost love.

    "What are you doing?!" Shin-Hye asked with a harsh tone. They had gotten as far away from the scene as they could and hade to shamelessly agree that in a battle like this, they are only a distraction to Raith and hispanions.

    But Mok Jae-Hwa still wanted to help, he still pressed about doing something despite knowing how inadequate it will be, and even after knowing that Raith can''t die, he is still sorrowful as he was consumed by the fire, stretching out his hand like he was about to receive his lost love.

    That heroic personality of his was one thing Shin-Hye just can''t get over.

    "I know you will say it is useless but we have to do something. I am a disaster-rank hunter. I am not allowed to feel so useless, I haven''t even been active since we came to this gate." Mok Jae-Hwa tabled to her.

    She folded her arms in defiance, "Fine you can do whatever you want but if you die that''s on you. Of all those people that have been there, none of them can die but once you step in there, you won''t survive that fire st, or when the wyvern crushes you. You won''t survive that, you will die. Yes, death finalp, that''s it for you. I won''t stop you since it is your will but I also won''t allow you to drag the others into this."

    Mok Jae-Hwa stood upright, his face became straight as he looked at Shin-Hye who was dead serious. It urred to him that she was trying to prevent him from going to preserve his life, but she was bad at expressions.

    "I understand. I won''t endanger the life of others, not even mine too. I wille back safe and sound." He said to her.

    "If Hyung is going then I''m going to." Sung Min interrupted.

    "Oppa?" Yujin cried.

    "I''m sorry Yujin. Hyung is right, we can''t let that new hunter keep doing all the work. You guys should stay safe."

    "That is unfair, I want to join too." Shin protested.

    "Have you seen yourself?" Sung Min replied to him, taking a look at him from up to down. He was extremely exhausted and with bruises all over his body. Yeon-Woo and Ga-Yun were sitting on the floor with their legs bandaged, they couldn''t say anything and just hit their lips, hiding their face with a bow.

    Mok Jae-Hwa patted Shin-Hye''s head, making her blush.

    "I love you... I will be back in a jiffy." He said and turned to where the massive wyvern was standing deflecting the fast and blurry strikes from Kortopi, Jarvis, and Crimson.

 Chapter 164 Lets Have A Serious Talk

    ?

    Raith opened his eyes to a familiar darkness. The ce had now be a waiting room for him every time he dies. He was beginning to get into the actual use of his attribute, even though it was still on a surface level.

    Before now, all that he had enjoyed was the effect of his attributes rubbing off on his status, but there was no way he would know that because he wasn''t knowledgeable and so much resisted the darkness of the abyss.

    He sat in the darkness crossed-legged, deep in thoughts.

    He spaced out for a few minutes before speaking.

    "How? How do I defeat this wyvern? I have the skills required for me to do magic but I don''t have any magic skills. I don''t know how it works. Thard-Harl''s brother made this ruler of greed thing sound like a big deal but all it can do is steal skills, isn''t it basically a degraded version of devourer?" Raith was frustrated.

    He was even more angry with the silence that ensued after he let out his rant.

    "Why aren''t you even saying anything?! Talk to me?! I have embraced the darkness. I am ready to abandon what makes me human to host you and yet you still think it is okay to continue to put me in the dark like this?!!" Raith shouted. The cords on his neck for the first were almost popping out.

    "If I had [Way Of The Swors] this would have been a better fight, I have endured and been able to keep up this much because of [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] and all of its sub-skills. But I need a destructive power, I need magic!"

    [YOU DO NOT NEED MORE THAN YOU ALREADY HAVE NOW]

    Raith lifted his head to see the white holographic tab amidst the thick darkness, it was the first time he was seeing a white tab.

    "So you finally decide to reply."

    [YOU RATHER ARE OBLIVIOUS AND IDIOTIC]

    [UNINTELLIGENT ENOUGH TO DRAW OUT YOUR OWN POWER]

    [PROUD TO SEEK FOR HELP]

    [WATCHING YOUR ENDLESS SUFFERING DELIGHTS US]

    "Ah, ah... is that you. Abyss? Finally, you decide to talk and the first shit you spit at me is abuse."

    [I MERELY STATE A FACT]

    "Yes, that is abuse. You are abusing me, well it''s fine. I guess you can do the rest on your own and let me die in peace." Raith said with a smile andid on the ground with his hands on his chest.

    There was no response from either him or the abyss and silence dominated for a while.

    [YOU HAVE A PATH TO CROSS]

    [WILL YOU CONTINUE TO BE INSENSIBLE]

    "Yes, you can keep saying stuff like that and expect me to stand the fuck up."

    The silence continued again. It was as if the abyss itself was confused by what Raith was doing.

    [WHAT ARE YOU DOING?]

    Raith opened his eyes and smiled, "Well, you see if there is anything I have learned after working with you. It is that you need me, and you can''t have what you need of me unless I walk through this perilous training.

    There was something I realized after epting you. You are a void that needs somewhere to be held in and carried, you need a container to hold your powers, now I don''t know what you want to do with me at the end of all this... but I do know that you need me."

    [SO?]

    "So going forward you are going to have to learn to be partners, not servants. You don''t keep me in the dark, I do all you want wholeheartedly and with all my best"

    [IT SEEMS YOU HAVE BEEN DELUSIONAL TO THINK YOU HAVE A SAY]

    "I know I don''t, which is why I am trying to be reasonable with you. Else I''ll just live life as I deem fit. Now that I have let go of the only thing that made me live, my mother. I am not afraid to die, even if you take all you have given me, I am not scared to return to nothing. I will not be blindsided."

    With a frown, heid back his slightly raised head and closed his eyes. The abyss knew him best¨C erasing his mother''s memory and his emotions for her was its biggest mistake because that was the only thing that made Raith human.

    And now, with the abyss already within him, he could feel it, the vastness of it©\ how it is he thatpletes andpose the abyss. He could read its memories although not deep. He could sense so many mysteries that needed exnation¨C all that he could feel the moment he epted darkness.

    And for Raith to grow stronger the way he wanted to, he and the abyss had to be on the same page.

    That was the conclusion he hade to as he watched Jarvis, Kortopi, and Crimson fight and wondered how to defeat the wyvern, it wasn''t just the wyvern. Even future opponents.

    He is very very unsatisfied with his skills, especially whenever he watched Jarvis, he feels like shit.

    And he had to get this out of the abyss.

    He was still far behind in terms of skills and how to use them. Although he truly hopes the abyss falls for it and does not decide to kill him and find another host, even though he didn''t care¨C and wasn''t truly scared of dying. He was beginning to enjoy the power he holds.

    [THE RULER OF GREED]

    Raith opened one eye and looked at the white tab floating before his eyes. He sat up.

    "Hm, hm, what is it about that?"

    [THE RULER OF GREED IS NOT JUST ANY TITLE]

    [IT IS ONE GIVEN TO HUMANITY WHO HAVE COMMITTED THE TABOO, HENCE ACTIVATING AN ERROR CODE]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith squinted his eyes, "Continue"

    [PRIDE]

    [GLUTTONY]

    [LUST]

    [SLOTH]

    [GREED]

    [WRATH]

    [ENVY]

    [WHEN ONW CONQUERS ANY OF THESE SINS, THEY ARE GRANTED THE RULER TITLE]

    [AND ARE GIVEN TREMENDOUS AUTHORITY SUCH AS BEING ABLE TO BLOCK APPRAISAL ATTEMPTS, ACQUIRE SKILL OR PREVENT ACQUISITION OF SKILLS FROM ANOTHER TARGET]

    [ACCORDING TO EACH RULER''S TITLE, THERE ARE EFFECTS, AND THERE ARE SKILLS THAT COME WITH EACH]

    [AND YOU HAVE NOT BEEN MAKING USE OF THOSE]

    "Uh? The only skill being the ruler of greed has given me is appraisal! What am I supposed to do with an appraisal? Appraise my enemy to death?!"

    [APPRAISAL IS THE FIRST SKILL]

    [WHEN YOUR AUTHORITY INCREASES MORE SKILLS WILL BE UNLOCKED]

    [HOWEVER, THE AUTHORITY EFFECTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT]

    [BEFORE NOW, YOU HAVE BEEN FIGHTING AS A HUMAN]

    Raith let out a light chuckle. "So you want me to fight as a god? Do you forget I am human? it is only sensible I fight as a human."

    [YOU BELITTLE ME FAR TOO MUCH]

    [A GOD? THAT IS BENEATH ME!]

    [I DIDN''T COME THIS FAR SO YOU CAN FIGHT LIKE A GOD]

    [...WHEN YOU CAN BE MORE]

    [I AM THE VOID BEFORE THE BEGINNING, I AM TIMELESS, I AM THE COMPOSITION OF DARKNESS AND THE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES IT ENTAILS]

    [GIVE ME SOME CREDITS NOW WILL YOU? A GOD? HOW NONSENSICAL]

    Raith was frozen. The abyss looked like it took a great deal of offense from what he just said.

    "I apologize but how am I supposed to know when you have never really talked to me about you or about what you want me to do? You just put me in the dark."

    [I REQUIRE YOU TO KNOW THAT ONLY WHICH YOU CAN BEAR]

    "Tsk," Raith smacked his lips and looked at the white tab. "What I can bear this, what I can bear that, have you actually tried me, how I can show promising results when I actually have a clear view of what I want to do?

    There are two ways to make a man focus, feed him enough information to fuel his desire for a certain purpose or feed him with trials to a certain course toward his desire. But thetter only works when such a man is already inclined with the desires.

    I do not enjoy one shit of what we have been doing so far, no! I don''t. I have to do this and that with so little information. Maybe, just maybe... this will get a little bit easier when you actually talk to me."

    Raith was heaving at the end of the statement, he indeed had let out a great deal of words from his heart. Makes one wonder if he had always thought like this or because he just got the wisdom stat.

    Silence again ensued but that abyss responded.

    [YOUR ARGUMENT FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASONS SEEMS REASONABLE]

    [I SHALL CONSIDER PUTTING ACCESS TO CERTAIN PIECES OF INFORMATION AS REWARDS TO SOME TRIAL]

    Raith pped his face, ''That is not even what I mean

    [WHAT? IS THIS NOT STILL TO YOUR LIKENING]

    "Ha ha ha..." ''...when have you ever given a shit about my likening''

    [YOU DO KNOW WE EXIST WITHIN YOU]

    "I know now..." He closed his eyes and smile, but the corner of his lips was twitching hard.

    [I WILL START BY TELLING YOU THE DETAILS OF HOW TO PUT YOUR AUTHORITY AS A RULER INTO EFFECT]

 Chapter 165 The Aura Suit

    ?

    [INFORMATION UNLOCKED]

    [AUTHORITY INFO]

    - Ruler Of Greed

    Greed has the power to dominate the target''s desire, a target with greedy qualities can be brought to the user''s subjection. The greater their desires, the easier they are to manipte.

    User can see through people''s desires and control the desire letting them do what user want without them realizing it. This can work by the user simply activating Unique Skill [Greed] to forcefully dominate the target. The user could directly inject all the ''desire'' required and Completely destroy the target''s will, turning it into a walking puppet. But this technique was too dangerous. Depending on the extent of the target''s desire, it might take different lengths of time.

    - Greed re: Converts the user or target''s soul energy into physical force to devastatingly increase the user''s power.

    - Death Wish: The user pushes their own will to use this skill which envelops the target in a wave of darkness that inverts their desire to live into the desire to die. The stronger the target''s desire to live, the more effective the attack.

    - Spiritual Domination, Avarice, and others...(locked).

    "Aaaaa...." Raith''s eyes widened and his hands curled on his head.

    [IMPRESSED?]

    "Impressed is an understatement. I can do this? This is cool but am I supposed to control a wyvern''s desire? Do wyverns even have a desire?"

    [THE WYVERN YOU ARE FIGHTING IS NO ORDINARY WYVERN]

    "Yes, I know... it''s named."

    [NAMED BY A RULER LIKE YOURSELF, MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU]

    [HE EARNED THE TITLE THROUGH HIS DEED AND ACTS AND IS A HUMAN THAT HAS TRANSCENDED INTO GODHOOD]

    [THE RULER OF WRATH]

    "...I see..."

    [THE WYVERN WILL HAVE A HAVE INHERITED A RULING PRIVILEGE]

    "What is that again?"

    [WHEN A RULER NAMES OR GRANTS BLESSING, THE TARGET RECEIVES A RULING PRIVILEGE]

    [APART FROM THE STAT GROWTH, THE TARGET INHERITS EITHER PASSIVE OR ACTIVE SKILL FROM THE RULER''S AUTHORITY EFFECT]

    "So, in a word... that wyvern has not even started with us?"

    [VERY MUCH YES]

    "Oh, great... and you thought you just helped?"

    [FIGHT LIKE DARKNESS, TRANSCEND YOUR PHYSCIALITIES]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [AS FOR MAGIC, THAT IS FOR YOU TO DISCOVER]

    Raith opened his eyes to in. A ce that was once filled with high and low contours was now leveled, with cracked grounds, and broken debris, small andrge spread across.

    Jarvis, Kortopi, and Crimson sequentially charged at the white wyvern. But all their effort was futile as their sword nged against the skin of the wyvern like metal and sent sparks flying around.

    The Wyvern would dissipate them with fire breath that leveled the whole ground, they would regenerate and resume. It has been that way, at least before Mok Jae-Hwa and Sung Min joined the battle.

    As Mok Jae-Hwa dashed towards the wyvern, his fist got wrapped by a blue aura that soon manifested a floating metal gauntlet on his forearms.

    He leaped into the air and as he descended upon the wyvern, he descended with a tremendous fist m that exploded everywhere and leveled the ground further below.

    Raith who just happened to be waking at that moment looked with widened eyes.

    The massive explosion was like a bomb dropping. Of course, he knew Mok Jae-Hwa was strong, the duel from the first time they met did enough job of proving that. But Raith somewhere in his mind still considered him a slouch, perhaps it was because Mok Jae-Hwa tended to always put other people''s safety before his own and is the type that would jump into danger even though he has zero chance of survival.

    To be able to cause an explosion that was equal to when the wyvern itself decides to m itself into the ground was indeed the required feat to raise Raith''s view standard of Mok Jae-Hwa.

    But this was just the beginning.

    As the smoke screen cleared, Raith immediately narrowed his eyes. It was because he was beginning to feel something that was not there.

    ''...am I overreacting...'' Raith thought to himself. He considered the possibility that the rise in his perceptions stat could be ying on him. Perhaps he is over-perceiving or so to say.

    He fixated his gaze on where the strange aura wasing from, it felt familiar but at the same time felt strange and powerful, one very clear thing was that it was powerful.

    ''This past few years, after raiding that S rank gate with Mohammed and having my weakness burnt into my face. I have been doing nothing but training to bring out this form.'' Mok Jae-Hwa clenched his fist as he slowly stood from a crouching position.

    He was different, everything about him was different, everything including his appearance.

    A sleek and streamlined armor with angr tes materialized on his body after the blue aura that enveloped him slowly disappeared. The tes were connected by flexible joints that gave way for free movements, the tes themselves provided both protection and mobility.

    Covering his face and head was the helmet in the same manner as the body, with a V-shaped visor made of a tinted material that enhanced his vision and protected his eyes against bright light.

    The Armour itself was looking like a highly advanced futuristic energy suit, like a weapon that didn''t belong in this era, its sleekness made it so fine and made Mok Jae-Hwa stand out all of a sudden.

    To the wyvern, he had be more threatening than any other foe in this battle.

    "How? How does a human have the shard of Olium?!" The wyvern growled towards Mok Jae-Hwa as the smoke cleared.

    "How does a wyvern like you know Taoism that should only be known to humans of this earth." Mok Jae-Hwa responded. But he didn''t look like he asked to get a response.

    He wasn''t ready to answer the wyvern''s question but it registered in his mind. He got into a runner stance, pushing one foot backward, one forward, and his upper body to the front as if he wanted to run a hundred-meter race, tenps in two seconds.

    His visor began to exude blue aura smoke as he fixated it on the wyvern.

    "Brace yourself motherfucker."

 Chapter 166 Mok Jae-Hwa And Sung Min Combo

    ?

    Wham!

    The wyvern soared into the sky, with its gaze deadlocked on Mok Jae-Hwa. It rose high, pping its wings and its long neck as stretched down towards where Mok Jae-Hwa was standing alone, gant and majestic.

    Mok Jae-Hwa turned his head to Raith who was standing where he was, he looked at Raith''spanions who were also on standby.

    ''...did he order them to stay back for me?'' Mok Jae-Hwa naturally came to that conclusion seeing that Raith''spanion did not dash at the wyvern as it rose to the sky.

    Raith didn''t need to give themand, Mok Jae-Hwa did not know that these weren''t some brainless death soldiers that only know fighting. Just like Raith wanted¨C they also wanted to see what that fancy Armour and strange aura was truly capable of.

    Hestly looked at Raith.

    ''Hunter Raven, I will show you... my strength." He nodded his head at Raith who didn''t even get why he is doing that.

    Without warning, the wyvern swooped down, the massive ws of its hind limbs and forelimbs which were connected to its wing aimed at Mok Jae-Hwa and its jae wide opened¨C Mok Jae-Hwa easily leaped out of the way, hended on the ground faraway from the wyvern and immediately activated his armor''s thrusters,unching himself into the air to meet the wyvern head-on.

    As the two collided, the wyvern released an explosive st of blue energy intended to send Mok Jae-Hwa back with some damages to his suit but with his arms stretched out and pivoted for a guard, a small shield mechanized out of the forearm and quickly dispelled a sonic shockwave that sted both the energy and the wyvern away. The Wyvern was sent reeling away and tumbling on the ground with its massive body causing tremors and shockwaves.

    But it recovered quickly and charged toward Mok Jae-Hwa again. This time as it approached, it came to a sudden stop and spun¨C Mok Jae-Hwa wasn''t expecting the sudden change in attack patterns, the wyvern''s strong tail smashed him from the side sending him away tumbling like bounce-able material.

    With a m of his fist on the ground during the tumbling he sted himself into the air andnded on his fist, he dashed at the wyvern and it did the same. From far distance the two lunged at each other at great speed¨C as though he had learned from the wyvern.

    Mok Jae-Hwa suddenly came to a stop midway and released a barrage of energy sts from his forearms that was mmed into the wyvern''s side, continually tearing the wing on that side.

    The wyvern let out a deafening screech, it didn''t stop and was so loud and hurting that Mok Jae-Hwa''s team members that were afar off had to close their ears with blood dripping down from it. But Raith and his death soldiers were totally fine.

    Mok Jae-Hwa slowly approached the wyvern whose mouth was filled with mes, and its heavy breathing was exuding steams, its eyes were blood red and locked on Mok Jae-Hwa, forgetting the foes it had been brawling with before now.

    As Mok Jae-Hwa walked closer to it, Sung Minnded beside him©\ he threw him a look and nodded, Sung Min also returned the gesture, and as the two walked forward together, Sung Min''s body began to growrger and more muscr with each step that he took.

    His body finally exploded with red energy turning him into a red-skinned hulk with cracks like volcano cracks all over his body, his eyes were fiery like fire and his hair became spiky. This form seemed to be more advanced than before.

    The wyvern spread its wing straight into the air, but on the left wing, holes had been carved into its wings, however, that didn''t affect its flight ability. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Mok Jae-Hwaunched himself into the air using his armor thrusters to propel himself to be able to collide with the wyvern as it rose into the sky with speed. Swinging both arms to the back, blue-colored energy exploded out of his arms and was like nitro. Thanks to the sudden energy released Mok Jae-Hwa tore through the air with a double-fold speed and as he reached the wyvern as he calcted he pped both arms to the front, sting the energy into the wyvern''s chest and sending it crashing back to the ground.

    Sung Min charged towards the fallen wyvern, leaping into the air andnding on its chest, carving a supersonic webbed crack into the ground as wide as fifty meters around him.

    He continually mmed his fist into the wyvern''s head, causing it to let a series of painful roars. Blood expunged out the wyvern''s face as Sung Min persistently smashed its face, despite being hit several times with the wyvern''s tail, he didn''t bulge and he kept hitting.

    Until he was surrounded by several ice cones that straightway embedded themselves into him, he stumbled back, carrying several ice cones from all sides of his body, and his blood dripping out from all sides.

    "SUNG MIN!!" Mok Jae-Hwa screamed and darted at the wyvern having justnded from the sky but before he could move, he saw that he couldn''t move anymore.

    His eyes slowly went down to his feet, it was embedded in a ground of ice. Mok Jae-Hwa raised his eyes to look around to see that the wyvern had turned the whole ground to ice, the utterly destroyed in grounds were now frozen and with an equally leveled ground, smooth that one would enjoy ice skating or even y ice hockey without having to worry about any contours.

    "How?" Mok Jae-Hwa''s mouth slowly shook as he questioned this phenomenon.

    The wyvern stood up, with a face full of purple blood.

    "Causing me to use my power... howmendable. No human has pushed me this far." The Wyvern said as it got up to its feet.

    No matter how Mok Jae-Hwa pulled his legs wouldn''t bulge instead the ice seemed to be spreading up his legs. He looked at Sung Min with narrowed tearing eyes.

    "Ha... I get it now..." Raith who was seated cross-legged like some shifu, slowly opened his eyes.

    He raised one finger.

    ''Using magic perception, gather the mana all around you... and thanks to this wyvern using this level of magic, I can feel mana brimming from everywhere. Now, if I take advantage of that... using Magic Operation, let''s see...''

    [YOU HAVE UNLOCKED UNIQUE GRADE MAGIC]

    [ABYSSAL FLAME(SSS)]

 Chapter 167 Sung Min Is Dead

    ?

    [ABYSS FLAME(SSS)LV.1]

    - A ck me that is native only to thend of the abyss. A me that can never go out until the caster wishes it to and will continue to deal 300 hit damage and 500 burn damage, altogether dealing 700 damage per second until it goes out.

    Raith''s lips spread from one ear to the other.

    "Ah!!!! Try me!!" He shouted and raised both hands to the sky, the ck mes began to swirl above him and grow bigger and bigger into arge ball of ck mes.

    He threw one leg to the front, tilting to the back as though he was going to fall¨C the posture of someone about to throw a javelin but he overdid it.

    He plunged his whole body flinging the fire at the wyvern. Knowing what it was, the wyvern immediately countered with a breath cone of ice but unlike it expected¨C the fire burnt through the ice, melting it like real fire itself.

    "No way! My Unique Ice cannot be melted, it is from the great source of Aerch¨¨!"

    The wyvern screamed as he watched Raith''s abyss mes charge at him, before the fire reached him, he flew off the way but it was toote. It had caught his other wings, the one that was not yet perforated.

    The wyvern tried to fly but suddenly toppled to the ground as though it had been hit by something very heavy.

    With that slight distraction, Mok Jae-Hwa''s helmet unfolded to release his face as he forced his legs out of the ice and darted for Sung Min who was kneeling, surrounded by the pool of his blood on the frozen ground.

    "Hyung..." He mumbled as Mok Jae-Hwa reached him, sliding to his knee as he approached him.

    "Sung Min..." Mok Jae-Hwa spoke his name with a breaking voice.

    "Shit, I shouldn''t have let you join." Mok Jae-Hwa said grinding his teeth in regret as he looked at the guy.

    "This is not the end for me hyung. I can fight. Have you forgotten my berserker regenerative power?" Blood expunged from his mouth as he tried to giggle at Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "Yes, yes, right. You still have that. You won''t die right?" Mok Jae-Hwa''s face was dark as he looked, he was still gritting his teeth as if he was biting his revenge.

    "Hyung..." Sung Min called out his name.

    "Yes Min, yes. I''m with you..."

    "It''s weird..."

    "What is?"

    "Usually, I''d be done healing by now...: Sung Min said, coughing out blood again, this time his body slowly fell forward as he could feel.his strength slipping away, but he fell on Mok Jae-Hwa, with his head resting on Jae-Hwa''s shoulder.

    "Wh-what do you mean? what is that?"

    WHAM!!

    Raith was sent tumbling past them. The wyvern rose and immediately shed down its wing which still kept burning and was burning away its life force. It raised its long neck up and happen to see Mok Jae-Hwa and Sung Min whose back was mounted with several ice cones. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Heughed with a thick resonating tone that intimidated the wind.

    "This ice is my Unique art, don''t mistake it for magic. Soon the ice will begin to change color, by the time it changes color your friend would have no strength left and will die. A berserker''s regenerative ability is gotten from their ridiculous strength, which is gotten in exchange for their sanity. Although I still think this one is like shit, I can''t call him a real berserker... he is like a rip-off. He will die."

    "That is simple..." The wyvern''s gaze narrowed at Raith who had already recovered from thest blow.

    "If your ice is the problem, then we should just pull it out."

    "You can try that too. You will be killing him faster because the ice by now would have created roots deeply in his bowels."

    Just as the wyvern spoke, the ice began to slowly take on a red color as if it was being filled with his blood.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes widened as he saw this.

    "Min! Min!!"

    The young man slowly closed his eyes, his eyes were already gloomy and void of life, dark beneath his lids and tears gathering at the base of his eyes and then streaming down on one eye.

    Sung Min has been with Mok Jae-Hwa the longest and worships him because of the kind of person Mok Jae-Hwa had been to him.

    Being an S rank, Sung Min was sort for everywhere but he was a violent kid who believed in the dark side due to the kind of sufferings he had gone through.

    He was brought up in a Buddhist temple after his parents were killed by parents because hunters decided that they would go to a certain gate and abandoned the gateter killed his parents after a gate break. He hated hunters and wanted to kill them even though he was thought against that.

    The day he finally awakened, he ran away from home with the wild hope of destroying the city and finding that particr hunter. He found that hunter and got beaten a lot, almost on the verge of death but was saved by Mok Jae-Hwa who challenged the hunter to a duel and demanded a sincere apology.

    The hunter apologized to Sung Min despite being an elderly man after losing to Mok Jae-Hwa and exin how the situation was¨C it was to be expected, due to the small number of hunters that were avable at that time, arge number of people such as himself suffered the same fate.

    Having nowhere to go, Mok Jae-Hwa took in this wild teen and somehow they began to work together, and over the years, the wild Sung Min became a gentle soul that didn''t mind dying if it was to protect his Hyung.

    "Hyung..." Blood convulsed in his mouth as he tried to talk again.

    Mok Jae-Hwa at this point was already crying so hard and bit his lips so the sound of his voice wouldn''t escape.

    They must not know what is going on from afar off. They couldn''t see, he couldn''t alert them like that, not when he knew that they wille running, and that just furtherly expose them to the danger of the wyvern.

    "Tell... Yu...jin. sorr...y"

    He struggled to spit thosest words as the ice cones turned to scarlet and his gloomy and almost closed eyes lost the life in their pupils. His body immediately became cold and lifeless. He was in Mok Jae-Hwa''s hands so Mok Jae-Hwa could tantly feel it.

    Sung Min is dead.

 Chapter 168 Fenrir Joins The Fight

    ?

    ''Sung Min is dead''

    Those words of reality rang in his head like an ache, with trembling pupils and blood dripping from his lips which he was already biting too much, he hugged his dead body tightly and cried, still not letting out any sound so the others wouldn''te running.

    Raith who was standing beside him closed his eyes.

    ''How strange, this is supposed to be a pitiful situation. Yet it seems I can sympathize with him.''

    Raith only felt awkward. In fact, he would have probably walked away normally if it wasn''t someone he knew and resumed his fight with the wyvern like nothing just happened. But this was very hard for him because now it was very awkward to walk forward to continue his fight when Mok Jae-Hwa was looking like someone that needed sympathy and constion.

    "I think our master is in a difficult situation," Crimson said as he watched Raith from afar, standing beside Jarvis.

    Jarvis turned his head to him and the visor of his helmet crumpled upward as he looked upward and shook his head for Raith, it was almost as if the solid darkness was his facial expression even though it was in a helmet structure.

    "Okay, that''s it..." Raith spoke. He looked at Mok Jae-Hwa and touched him on his head.

    "I will finish this wyvern once and for all... for your sake." He said and finally took heavy steps forward.

    ''I know you have been itching for entertainment since. Come out... Fenrir.''

    Jarvis and Kortopi''s faces lit up with excitement as they saw the darkness manifesting around Raith shoot high into the sky. While Crimson''s face was filled with curiosity, since he was reborn as Raith''s soldier, he had not been to the abyss so he didn''t understand that their strongest ally was about to emerge.

    ''I sense a very strong presence.''

    He did recognize the strength.

    Fenrir materialized, his body filling the entire atmosphere, he had gone from a huge wolf to a colossal wolf. One of his feet alone was taller and began than the three high-level soldiers that were standing together.

    He was towering over the wyvern with might and exuding darkness from his body and a red aura from his eyes.

    Raith was shocked, his mouth dropped, ''When did he be so big.''

    The colossal wolf gritted his teeth down at the wyvern that was suddenly for some reason sweating all over and avoiding eye contact with Fenrir.

    ''Shit shit shit, it''s Fenrir, it''s the Fenrir... I should find a way to run away. How is Fenrir here?! I thought he was banished to the world of darkness thousands of years ago.'' He panicked and slowly shifted back.

    "Is it me or is the wyvern scared of this monster?" Crimson asked, looking at the wyvern''s tail that was tucked in between its butt as it took silent steps backward.

    Kortopi and Jarvis stared for a while and immediately looked at each other nodded and dashed at the wyvern.

    "These dummies, what are they up to now?!" Crimson muttered and went after them. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As they got to a distance, Kortopi leaped, and Jarvis leapedich after then grabbed Kortopi and flung him towards the monster with a powerful momentum twirl.

    "Me too!!"

    As Crimson approached, his legnded on Crimson who had leaped into the air, using Crimson''s head as a stepping stone, he projected himself further, oveing the distance and catching up to Kortopi in a jiffy while Crimson was sent crashing to the ground with the force of his jump.

    ''Shit! They tricked me!!''

    As though they had carefully nned it, they were going tond abo attack on the wyvern but for it to be possible, it was necessary that Crimson fell get tricked and it was the easiest part since Crimson was so fixated onpeting with Jarvis that he wasn''t focused and doing what he did best.

    He stood up, frowning and gritting his teeth. He looked at where Raith should be but couldn''t see clearly because the Fenrir''s massive hind limbs is blocking that area.

    Kortopi and Crimson released abo of barrage attacks, swirling together as they first smashed their swords on the wyvern''s metallic skin, the effect was still the same¨C but they didn''t stop there.

    "Fools... nothing will prate such hard skin." He said narrowing his eyes at them as they spun in the air in sync and repeatedly shed their swords on the wyvern''s back but only sparks flew as the sword bounced back.

    Crimson''s eyes suddenly widened and he swung his face to the side where the wyvern''s wings had fallen.

    He walked towards it and shed the part where the wyvern''s w was with his sword. He held the w in his hands and grinned widely.

    "I will be the one to put an end to this monster."

    ROOOOAAAAAARRRRR

    The wyvern suddenly let out a massive roar and expelled an ice cone breath at Fenrir but the monster easily dodged through with the frozen ground cracking and trembling with each step that he took.

    Fenrir charged towards the wyvern with its powerful jaws snapping at its neck. The wyvern tried to evade the wolf''s attack, but Fenrir was too fast. It sank its teeth into the wyvern''s neck, causing it to let out a pained roar.

    The wyvern released a st of energy that originated from its chest sting Fenrir away from it and causing the colossal wolf to tumble on the frozen ground,pletely breaking every part it tumbled away on.

    Massive craters were formed one after the other up till the point where Fenrir had stopped tumbling.

    The wolf rose to its feet slowly, with darkness exuding from its body which was so deep and dark that one would think the wolf was an embodiment of the night itself.

    The darkness of its body was a deep and endless void.

    The wolf charged at the wyvern again with its massive ws tearing into the only wings it had left. The wyvern immediately summoned an ice storm that immediately engulfed the wolf and carried it, spinning it around with its colossal side.

    But what the wyvern did not seeing was Raith who had jumped off the Fenrir at thest moment, engulfed his de with the abyss me, and was now descending on the wyvern''s head with the tip of his de pointing at the wyvern''s forehead.

 Chapter 169 At Last!!

    ?

    As Raith''s sound connected with the wyvern''s forehead, the sound of two metals shing together roared through the frozen wilderness and his treasured and supposedly special sword broke-

    But Raith''s goal was done, he had sessfully transferred the abyss me to the wyvern''s head. He had no regret as the wyvern delved its ws into him and sent him crashing into the frozen ground.

    The wyvern didn''t feel until its suddenly smashed into the frozen ground as if a greater force of gravity was in y but it was the hit damage of the abyss me.

    Seeing the opening he has been looking out for. Crimson darted forward like a madman, running at his best and covering the three-hundred-meter distance between him and the wyvern in seconds. He stabbed the w he had previously harvested from the wyvern''s wing into its neck. And as calcted blood leaked out as the w stabbed in like a knife stabbing a bread.

    Crimson lifted his head only to see that Fenrir was already charging at it again. He jumped out of the way, taking himself out of harm''s way¨C getting caught up in the fight between two huge monsters.

    As Fenrir approached the wyvern forced its head up, with the abyss mes continually burning on its head, its death was certain and the pain was like getting hit by the great force over and over again but even with all that pain it forced its head up and released a final st of ice cone that charged at Fenrir hoping to crush him but Fenrir''s speed was not limited by his size. The wolf leaped into the air andnded on the wyvern sinking its teeth deep into the wyvern''s white scale.

    SCRRREEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCHHHHHH

    The wyvern let out a dying scream as Fenrir bit hard and pulled out a chunk of the flesh around its neck area causing there to be a gushing of blood.

    "Hieek! Hssss... how?! How is the king of monsters here...?" The wyvern struggled to talk, its voice was as though it was giggling. He looked like he was also talking to Fenrir but that one was clueless and had no idea what the wyvern was saying.

    Before the wyvern got the chance to say anymore, Raith buried his hand deep into the wyvern''s chest making sure his hand was around the wyvern''s heart.

    He then plucked it out forcefully.

    Pushing the wyvern to an immediate death as he brought out the heart. The heart in his hands was big and was the size of a porcin jar. His hand was washed in purple-colored blood but he didn''t mind.

    ''...I''ve heard a lot about dragon heart back when I was Therut. I wonder if it will serve the same purpose should I eat it.'' Raith guessed as he stared at the heart.

    In Therut, eating a dragon''s heart is one of the sure ways to gain its vitality and sometimes its attack or defense power. And it ced one on a different levelpared to other heroes there, it was also used as an ingredient in concocting elixirs that can grant extraordinary feats. But that was a dragon''s heart, what Raith had in his hand was a wyvern''s heart.

    He then red down at the new series of messages that appeared before his eyes.

    [CONGRATULATIONS]

    [YOU HAVE KILLED THE DUNGEON BOSS]

    [USING THE AUTHORITY OF GREED YOU HAVE GAINED THE PASSIVE SKILL ''DRAGON SCALE(UR)]

    [YOU HAVE GAINED A WRATH SKILL ''STAMPEDE'']

    [KILLING THE WYVERN BEFORE IT WAS ABLE TO USE ITS NAMER-BESTOWED-SKILL ''DESTRUCTIX?'']

    DESTRUCTIX?: A self-defense mechanism where the user is taken over by wrath, destroying everything in their wake.

    "Oh, so I plucked out its heart just when it was about to unleash a skill like that. A wrath skill ugh... I wonder if there''ll ever be a use of a skill like this..."

    "Master..." Crimson slowly muttered as he and the others walked up to Raith, Fenrir also became so small he was a size of a puppy and sat in front of Raith beating his long smoky tail on the ground.

    Raith was surprised by this development that he gazed nkly at the little Fenrir for a while.

    He then responded.

    "You guys have done well."

    ''...let''s see if they went through any growth.''

    [Soldier Status]

    Name: Crimson

    Level: 05/30<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Rank: Major

    [When the Level threshold for this rank is reached your death soldiers will undergo UPGRADE]

    [However, this UPGRADE is not avable for all]

    [For weak soldiers they will experience a strengthening and an extension in their level threshold until they reach the limit of the strength]

    [Soldier Status]

    Name: Jarvis

    Level: 07/15

    Rank: Captain

    [Soldier Status]

    Name: Kortopi

    Level: 10/15

    Rank: Lieutenant

    ''...hm, they only leveled up once because they were killed once. But apart from that the fact that they can upgrade is good.''

    Raith let out a sigh of satisfaction and looked at the heart in his hand.

    "Master, what are you going to do with that?" Crimson inquired, the others also stared at him with the same inquisitive expression.

    Raith did not respond to them and just looked at the heart, he brought it closer to his face and after thinking for a few minutes if he really should do this, he began to munch on it raw.

    Munch

    Munch

    His leaders were put into a devastating shock, to see their master eat raw the heart of a draconic monster.

    ''He is so great, oh, my master is a great man!'' Crimson praised his heart with eyes widened and his mouth slightly opened in shock. If Kortopi and Jarvis could talk, they probably were saying the same thing.

    [YOU HAVE CONSUMED A WYVERN''S HEART]

    [YOU HAVE GAINED MORE COSMIC ENERGY]

    [YOUR DARK ENERGY HAS GROWN]

    [YOUR ARMY LIMIT HAS INCREASED BY TWOFOLD]

    [YOU HAVE GAINED MORE VITALITY]

    [YOU HAVE GAINED MORE ENDURANCE; YOUR BODY WILL BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND EXTREME PHYSICAL STRESS AND DAMAGE]

    [YOU HAVE GAINED MORE STRENGTH]

    [YOU HAVE GAINED UNIQUE ART ''FROSTWEAVER'']

    [YOU ARE PLAGUED WITH AN INSTATIABLE HUNGER FOR RAW MEAT, COUPLED WITH THE EFFECT OF GREED, YOU WILL DESIRE A LOT OF THEM]

 Chapter 170 The Return

    ?

    "Should we just barge inside?"

    Pil Jeong Hun was a tall, lean man with an air of quiet intensity around him, his eyes were dark and piercing and his hair was sleek, ck colored that falls on his shoulders.

    Despite Pil Jeong Hun''s lean frame, there''s this palpable aura of strength that could be felt around him, the way the veins of his forearms after his rolled sleeve could be vividly seen were enough to tell that he was going to be mad strong.

    There was beginning to be confusion in the air. It''s been twenty hours since they entered the gate yet there has not been any kind of response. It was justifiable that the hunters that gathered around as reinforcement was already thinking of going in, this is an S-rank gate, and no one could rule out the fact that they all might have been fed by now.

    But all of them also contemted that notion. It was because they knew what it meant to be a catastrophe rank. Even the weakest of catastrophe ranks that they''ve seen is enough to destroy their country let''s say there were no hunters and all that was avable was military strength.

    They stood around the gate tensed.

    "I''m with Jeong Hun, we can''t continue to dy this. What if a gate break urs?" Lee Se Chul replied, stepping in front.

    The others were beginning to look convinced and murmuring was rising, until someone from the association suddenly arrived and stepped to the front of everyone, backing the gate.

    Director Hyun Sik stood before everyone with a slight bow he began.

    "I am here on the authority of the Association chairman himself and he has given a verdict that no matter what happens, no one is allowed to go inside this gate."

    "What?!"

    "See!!"

    "Oh my God they did it!!"

    From the director''s vantage point, it was first as if they were pointing fingers at him but the majority of the eye gazes went beyond him and that was when he turned back.

    The Rain Guild main team wasing out¨C Immediately the Rain Guild Medics and protocol team ran to meet them and help them.

    There was only Yujin, Shin Hye, Shin, Chong Yol, Yeon Woo, and Ga Yun, thest two had incurred serious injury on their legs so they were being treated. Reporters that have been lurking around suddenly swarmed towards them but were blocked off by the boundary tapes and the rest of the Rain guild hunters and association agents.

    Yujin''s hand for some reason wouldn''t stop shaking.

    Shin Hye held her hand and held it tight, assuring her, "He is fine girl Min is strong... if there is anyone we should be worried about it should be that darn Jae Hwa, you know he tends to always put himself ahead of others."

    Yujin let out a light chuckle, despite the words of encouragement from Shin Hye, she couldn''t bring herself to stop worrying about him. She rubbed her stomach and wondered if she should have told him about the pregnancy.

    She wanted it to be a surprise after they had raided the gate, having just found out days before. But now she was beginning to wonder if she made the right call in that regard.

    ''Don''t be pessimistic, Don''t be pessimistic''

    She tried all she could to stop herself from worrying and focused her gaze on the gate, waiting for the rest.

    "Is something wrong Hunter Shin Hye, I can''t see Hunter Jae Hwa and Hunter Raven along with Hunter Min."

    "They were the ones that defeated the monster... I guess they should being out soon." Shin Hye responded. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Can I ask you just two questions?" Despite being older than Shin Hye, Director Hyun Sik asked nicely.

    Shin Hye after staring at him for a few seconds nodded.

    He sat down beside her and began to ask his questions.

    "The S rank gate, how was it?"

    "How was it?...." Shin Hye looked down remembering all that had happened even before they met the wyvern. Not to say that they didn''t have to fight a single wyvern because someone Raith had dealt with all of them before they broke out of the Elemental illusion seal.

    "...If Hunter Raven was not with us. All of us would have died." She replied looking at the director.

    She didn''t add to what she said but her words were enough to inform him that the dangers that were in that gate were on a level that even a team full of S ranks were not able to handle.

    "Then, how strong is Hunter Raven?" He asked his second question with a careful gulp.

    A visible expression of fear could be seen on Shin Hye as she clutched her fingers together and shivered for a second due to the goosebumps that scaled through her body as she reminisced all the things Raith had done in the gate.

    Director Hyun Sik was a keen observer. The rise in her pores didn''t escape his eyes.

    "That guy is strong... I think calling him a catastrophe rank is an understatement."

    Director Hyun Sik already had his answer even before she spoke.

    "Thank you very much." He bowed and rose. Just when he was about to move, the gate began to fluctuate, it was a sign that another person wasing out of the gate.

    Everybody''s gaze naturally turned to the gate, especially Yujin who had already gotten up to jump a hug on her boyfriend but her legs came to a slow stop as she beheld what came out of the gate.

    Mok Jae-Hwa wore a very worn out and sorrowful expression as he came out with Sung Min in his hands, the red ice cones had been cut but not totally removed from him to avoid any damage to his organs.

    A solemn silence overtook the air as Mok Jae-Hwa stepped out of the gate.

    Everyone was shocked.

    Shin,

    Yeon Woo,

    Ga Yun,

    Even Shin Hye and Chong Yol, their pupils shivered as they saw Sung Min carried in Mok Jae-Hwa''s hands, dead.

    Following the silence was a scream from Yujin, one that pierced the heavens like a spear to the sky.

 Chapter 171 To Extract The Darkness Of A Wyverns Soul

    ?

    Raith stood still after he had watched the sad back of Mok Jae-Hwa enter the portal that appeared as they defeated the gate boss.

    He turned to the corpse of wyverns that were piled up by his soldiers after they had been defeated.

    Having no doubt that they will respond, he called.

    "Heed my voice, I have given you a second chance to live... rise."

    Like a fog, the darkness spread around the pile of bodies and began to swirl around, screeching sound of numerous wyverns shot out into the crimson sky as they heeded Raith''s summon and began toe out of their bodies, in solid dark forms, red cracks as segments of their skins all over their body and smoky red eyes.

    They all bowed aftering out.

    Raith looked down at the number of summoned soldiers.

    [80 Dark wyverns]

    [Numbers of death soldiers: 279/400]

    "...I should do some purging so that I will be able to assign the soldiers to the leaders and put them in squads so our battle will be smooth. From here on out, I want to be raiding gates alone." Raith muttered to himself.

    ''...but before that...'' His eyes shifted to the dead white wyvern. And he began to walk towards it.

    "Tell me abyss, will he respond to my summon."

    [That depends on you]

    "I''ve never had a named monster respond to my summon"

    [Would you like to exchange one of your skills for the Naming Skill]

    "The naming skill..." ''...right, I think I saw something like that when it showed me that skill exchange store.''

    [Skill Exchange Store]

    [NOTE THAT THIS IS ONLY A TEMPORARY FEATURE FOR YOUR GROWTH]

    [WHEN YOU CAN LAY YOUR HANDS ON CREATION YOU WILL NOT NEED THE SKILL EXCHANGE AGAIN]

    "Why not?" Raith asked squinting his test.

    [BECAUSE CREATION IS A PARAMOUNT SKILL THAT GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO EVOLVE SKILLS]

    ''Wow, it responded''

    It was meant to be an experiment, Raith didn''t actually think the abyss was going to give him an answer. This was a nice development.

    "Hmm, sounds like I still have plenty of strength to umte."

    [YES, YOU ALSO HAVE PLENTY OF FOES TO DIE BY THEIR HANDS]

    "How harsh. Let''s do this skill exchange thing"

    Raith stood arms akimbo, looking down as the skill exchange tab arrived.

    While he was doing all that, Jarvis Kortopi and Crimson were looking at the newly summoned wyverns in awe.

    "...ah, the thought of soaring into the sky appeases my soul," He said with his arms folded. He looked at Jarvis.

    "Should we ride one?" He asked with a light grin.

    But Jarvis turned to look at Raith and expressed a sheepish refusal.

    Crimson looked at Raith and then also realized that he shouldn''t be saying that when Raith had not given themand.

    He had a full loyalty bar towards Raith but he has the soul of a disobedient and radical rogue from when he was alive, which is now reflected in his attitude as a death soldier but thanks to Jarvis and Kortopi, he was learning to be better.

    [Skills Exchangeable]

    - Dragon Power(UR)

    - Dragon Barrier(SR)

    - Ego Save(SSS)

    - Expel(S)<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    - Naming(SSR)

    - Moon Protection(SR)

    - Way Of The Sword(SSS)

    Raith''s eyes twitched as he saw thest one, the skill he loved so badly. He was tempted to exchange another skill to get back but this Raith knew better than that, probably old Raith would have bitten the chance, shortsighted and oblivious to the great chance that is before him.

    If all goes well, he would have a mighty wyvern that he was never able to defeat on his own as a part of his army.

    "Take ck Armour for Naming."

    [Do you want to exchange skill ''ck Armour'' to get skill ''Naming'']

    "Yes."

    ''I have been thinking about it. Why should I have a defensive skill when I should be taking every opportunity I get to die.''

    [Exchanging Skills]

    [You have gained a naming skill]

    [Due to your authority you have affected Naming skill to a certain extent]

    [Skill will be imbued in your authority to summon souls and name them]

    [Soul Extraction (Ex) has gained 50 levels]

    [You can summon the soul of greater beings now]

    [Your death army limit has increased by a hundred]

    A good grin spread across Raith''s face from ear to ear. He was feeling so good he felt like singing.

    Singing was one of the things he hated doing the most, and dancing. He wasme at it so he hated it. Yet today he just felt like moving his legs all around the ce and dancing around.

    It would be a great shame unto him if this goes wrong.

    But for some reason, not a hint of doubt appeared on Raith''s face as he neared the wyvern and got ready to extract its soul and convert it to his death soldier.

    Raith stood in front of the wyvern''s head and took a deep breath in and out.

    He closed his eyes, it was not some kind of ritual preparation. He knew what he was doing. To palpate the darkness that surges through him, closing his eyes was more ideal. It shuts all distractions and makes him stare only at the ckness of his shut eyes.

    It was just Raith''s ideal way of making sure this is a sess. He stretched forth his hand as though he wanted to take a wholesome full of that darkness and spoke.

    "I am the void in death and the darkness that fills it. I call unto your soul, rise and serve me."

    WHOOOOOSSSSSHHHH

    It was so morous, unlike anything Raith had ever felt. The dark smoke plunged into the sky, filling every as wide as five hundred meters around Raith.

    His death soldiers looked in awe and were astonished at what they saw.

    Thud!

    A single one of the wyvern''s wings that materialized out of the darkness wasrge,rger than when the wyvern was alive.

    That ck wing spread across the ground like a ck thick canopy. With another THUD the other one plunged out¨C the body materialized and from within the depth of that darkness pulled, the wyvern''s body pulled out its neck holding itsrge head with ming red eyes. Three cracks from its eyes ran down towards its head and neck, the horns that were barely noticeable when it was alive were sorge and grew backward towards the neck area.

    On the chest of the wyvern was arge red energy hole. From that point ran several red streaks around the wyvern''s body.

    SCCCRRRRREEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTCCCCCCCCCHHHHH

    The wyvern let out a mighty scream that made the clouds tremble with a thunderous sound.

    "Ha... ha... ha... It worked."

    Raith was panting, his heart dancing from the inexpressible joy he felt from seeing the wyvern lower its long neck and bow to him.

    "My lord."

    [GIVE THE DARK WYVERN A NAME]

 Chapter 172 The Ant Monsters (Intro 1)

    ?

    [GIVE THE DARK WYVERN A NAME?]

    ''A name, a name... where do I get a name?'' Raith pondered. Everything seemed to just be somehow scattered in his head.

    The wyvern could talk, which amazed him so much that he wanted to make sure that whatever name he would give the wyvern would be perfect for it.

    ''Weeman... or William? Or Wikidragon? Or Willy Wonka. No no no, none of that sounds cool.''

    Raith suddenly paused. He paused because something suddenly resonated with him.

    For some reason, he suddenly remembered the name of a mighty demon he had read from a book back when he was in Therut.

    "Noir."

    [YOU HAVE NAMED THE DARK WYVERN "NOIR"]

    [Soldier Status]

    Name: Noir

    Level: 01/30

    Type: Beast

    Rank: Major

    "Oh oh... starting from Major right off the bat."

    Raith rubbed his chin with a satisfied grin.

    "I am deeply appreciative of this prestigious name my lord has bestowed upon me." His voice was thick and like a rumbling.

    Raith raised his head to look at the wyvern that was still bowing before him. It was hard to believe that this was the same white wyvern that seemed impossible to defeat a while ago and was full of disrespect. He sounded so humble and stole nces at Raith, with his massive tail wagging left and right cracking the ground with every beat.

    ''Seems like Crimson is not the only one that can talk now.'' The grin on Raith''s face continued to shine as his gaze was transfixed on therge dark wyvern before him.

    "Mas-master."

    Someone from behind him whispered.

    It took two or three calls for Raith to jack out of his admiration of the wyvern.

    "What?"

    "Master, I was thinking... perhaps you would grant us the privilege to have rides of our own," Crimson asked with a bowed head and a careful tone.

    Raith looked back at all the wyverns that were stationary and sat still, wagging their tails in the same rhythm.

    "Hm, the three of you choose from them," Raith said, looking at them with satisfaction.

    "Ah, right, there is still more to summon." He said and looked at Noir.

    ''...hehehe... didn''t think I''d be getting a ride on this so early

    "Noir"

    "Yes, my lord."

    "We have somewhere to go."

    The wyvern stretched its ck smoky wings toward Raith and as Raith walked on it¨C it lifted Raith making it easy for him to walk a straight line to his neck where Raith stood as he pped hisrge wings like a storm and rose into the sky, and contrary to what the size would suggest terms of speed¨Clike a jet Noir darted away with immense speed that belied his size.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    "Today, the South Korean guild Rain guild sessfully raid an S rank gate making them the third guild to raid an S rank gate without external help..." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A certain person sat in front of the news in a casual flower-patterned robe with only a ck boxer, and drinking wine as the voice from the TV trailed off.

    "Hm, South Korea suddenly gets a catastrophe-rank hunter and now they are all over the ce." He said, dropping the ss cup after thest sip.

    Thud!!

    The door mmed open and someone ran inside.

    "Kaiser! Quick switch the channel?!"

    The intruder shouted with a hastened voice. But the man standing in robe turned an irritated re at him, however, did not seem to be angry that he barged in unannounced. Instead, he was irritatedly focused on the guy''s fast-paced breathing as if he had just finished a one-hour full-speed hurdle race.

    "Ga- ah...ah gate... gate..." He struggled to speak for the first few seconds as his breath was still out of ce and he was trying to catch it.

    The man standing, Kaiser Kruger, then smacked his lips at the guy''s annoying charade and switched the channel.

    Immediately the reporter began to speak Kaiser''s eyes widened.

    "What... the... fuck????" He couldn''t help those words.

    What he saw he had never seen.

    From the TV, arms swarmed around ces, red, ck, and purple ants, some could even fly. They swarmed around ces killing people, biting off their head, and taking it back into the gate. It was as if they were harvesting the head of humans. It was hunters and non-hunters alike.

    What baffled Kaiser the most was the fact that this was a gate that was said to have emerged about three hours ago ording to the news anchor.

    ''...how in the world is there already a gate break'' Kaiser''s pupils thinned in and shook as he saw head people fall to the ground their heads chopped off by the strong mandible of flying ants and creeping ones.

    Gatebreaks normally take at least a week after emergence. In the history of the entire world, this was the first time that a gate break is happening immediately.

    He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist so. tightly that the TV remote control in his hands cracked and crashed.

    "Reach out to Korean Association... we need the help of their catastrophe rank hunter."

    "Kaiser, are you sure about this? The world will begin to talk the moment we enlist their help. They will think the great Germans can''t stand on their own." The guy said, looking at Kaiser with slightly raised brows, one that induced a sense of worry.

    "Huber."

    "Yes, sir." He stiffened up at the cold call of his name that came with a rigid facial expression.

    "Is it our reputations as the great Germans that matter to you or the lives of our citizens?"

    "I apologize, sir. I was unthoughtful, I will make the preparations to send a representative to Korea."

    "No-"

    Kaiser suddenly spoke, putting the guy in a curious state, but before he could give a follow-up speech he was lost in a thirty seconds thinking. Then,

    "I will go, you and I will go to South Korea together."

    "Pardon? Kaiser? Don''t you have to deal with the gate?"

    "The Korean association will not take this seriously, but the moment I one of the Catastrophe rank hunters in the world should step into South Korea, they will take us seriously and this will go faster. Another reason is because their catastrophe rank hunter just finished a gate raid and also lost apanion, there is every tendency for him to refuse to help us."

    "Ah... I see. I didn''t think that."

    "Of course. Reach out to the association president. Tell him my ns and report back to me what he thinks of it."

    "Yes sir!" The young guy saluted and stormed out of his presence.

    Kaiser looked at the TV and grimaced.

    ''...will even two catastrophe rank hunters be enough to deal with this?''

    Because he was a catastrophe rank hunter himself, he was able to slightly tell¡ª he had been to several S rank gates and somehow he can tell what they feel like but it was different with this one. This one was very different and that was why he didn''t think twice when he decided to enlist the help of South Korea''s catastrophe rank hunter.

 Chapter 173 In Honor Of Sung Min

    ?

    The day was draped in sorrow as if the heavens themselves had cast a shroud upon thend. For some reason, today was the first appearance of snow yet no one seemed to be concerned, particrly happy about it, the vibrant hues of spring had faded into a somber palette, a reflection of collective grief that gripped the hearts of people.

    It was a day when the nation of South Korea stood united in the mourning of a fallen S rank.

    An average of 300 to 700 hunters worldwide daily, so the death of hunters in a way had be not much of a big deal... except if it is an S rank and above.

    If a nation (that has a five S rank)''s power was to be represented numerically. It''d be 1000, depending on the kind of S rank, looking at an S rank can make that number drop to a whooping 600 at the very least 800. In the case of a strong hunter like Sung Min, probably more. Whereas C ranks, D ranks, or even B ranks would die and people would barely know about it.

    S ranks were powerful, it was a sad thing for the country itself to lose people like that, especially when it was during a gate raid. A man that died protecting hisrades, a definition of a hero. It was a given that he was going to be mourned nationwide.

    The Rain Guild''s first team led the procession with Solemn grace with Sung Min having no parents or rtives.

    They were all dded in ck suits, the female ck hanboks that whispered loss and reverence. The mncholic melody of Amazing Grace floated on the air, yed by musicians whose strings wept notes of sorrow, touching the deepest recesses of every soul present. The sound mingled with the sighs of the wind, carrying the weight of an entire nation''s grief.

    The procession wound its way through streets lined with onlookers, their faces etched with a mixture of admiration and anguish. Old and young, rich and poor, they stood shoulder to shoulder, united in their shared reverence for a fallen hunter.

    Sung Min had made that much impact as a hunter, even though he was a guild member of the Rain guild, he was known to often gather rogue hunters and raid gates that emerge in unreached and unknown rural neighborhoods, to a lot of people he was not just a hunter, but a symbol of resilience, courage, and selflessness, he was a hero.

    At the burial site, a serene haven nestled amidst verdant hills, the crowd gathered, their hearts heavy with unspoken words, in the center of the stood a monument, a testament to Sung Min''s heroic and indomitable spirit, mainly erected by the people who were privileged to be saved by him.

    Even until now, the Rain guild never knew Sung Min had made so much impact, Yujin could not hold herself and kept sobbing as she saw the turn up for his burial, she wasn''t when expecting half this much.

    Flowers, symbols of both beauty and ephemeral existence, adorned the base of the monument, their fragrant petals mingling with the hushed whispers of the breeze.

    Despite being shaken and in the full embrace of sorrow, Yujin pleased herself to step up to the center of the crowd, in front of the monument, being the person closest to him, his girlfriend she was given the honor of the first eulogy.

    "..." She paused and looked at the ckness that extended out of the burial site and extended into the streets. She was overwhelmed and her hand shook as she lower her head.

    She tightened her fist and began.

    "Sung Min... my oppa was..." With every word uttered as her shaky voice trailed off, tears flowed freely, mingling with the rain that gently began to fall. Instead of people leaving, ck umbres rose into the air and the whole ce from the vantage point of the clouds was adorned with a ck canopy.

    After a lot of people had given their speech, more hunters and civilians walked forward to drop flowers at the base of the monument and pay their respects to him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith was donned in a ck suit and ck coat, his hair and shoulder were wet from the rain but his normal ck unkempt hair was styled to a two-block haircut, with an undercut on both sides giving him a gentlemanly look.

    He bowed and dropped a white lily. Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa was standing right beside him with other team members, facing the crowds as his rtives.

    Raith walked closer to him and patted his shoulder. He had no words to say, that was the best he could offer, and more than anything he just wanted to leave this ce so he turned away and walked back amidst the crowd of people that walked forward to drop their flowers.

    He had reached the site demarcation, onto the road, and awaited Min-ho to bring the car when a red limousine stopped in front of him.

    Raith''s eyes narrowed and glinted with a soft glow of red hue¨C

    ''...the chairman and someone else... someone strong.''

    He could already tell that much from being with the same presence and didn''t need to take a peak inside and by his unbotheredposure, he wasn''t intimidated or felt the need to be alerted, it was because he was sure that he was strong enough to deal with whoever it was, without dying once.

    The front door of the car opened and agent Jong-Su came out of it whispering something into his ear and opening the door. Raith slowly bent and entered into the car©\ immediately it drove off, leaving sshes of water in its wake.

    ***

    pant

    pant

    pant

    pant

    Tae Dong-Hyun was endlessly panting on his knees, his sweat mixed with blood and a shining ck sword before him.

    He had lost count of how long it has been since he started with the sword, he had not taken water, not sleep not even a one-minute rest. Being in a trance indeed helped him but now that he is out of it, he felt like he could die any moment.

    Despite all the pain crawling on his skin and inside his guts, Tae Dong-Hyun was smiling joyfully.

 Chapter 174 The Ant Monsters (Intro 2)

    ?

    Inside the limousine, Raith was majestically sitting opposite two people, one of which he was very familiar with, the other was a total stranger to him. Even at that, his eyes did not gaze at the stranger with intense scrutiny, instead, they were on the chairman.

    ''...I can feel an inexplicable surge of energy from him. To be exact mana... I know it because I have mana perception. Why is there a man that has mana? And to think I have never noticed until now that I have mana perception.''

    Raith squinted his eyes at the chairman. But the old man didn''t mind.

    He started his introductions without further ado.

    "This is Hunter Kaiser Kruger. Germany''s Catastrophe rank hunter and one of the world''s seven."

    Raith nodded in an attempt to greet the man.

    The man seated opposite Raith, on the supple leather seat that cradled his body also bowed in response to Raith''s casual greeting.

    Kaiser was donned in a ck suit and a red headband that covered his brows and forehead, leaving his spiky hair to challenge run high.

    "He hase as a representative of the German hunters association. And they need your help for a gate raid. Of course, they are willing to pay whatever price that you decide on." The association chairman added. He took the smart tablet beside him and forwarded it to Raith.

    Raith''s eyes stayed glued to the tab as he watched the news feed of the new gate in Germany, apart from the gate''s gigantic size, it was also strange because a gate break happened an hour after its emergency. But that was not what caught Raith''s attention.

    He wasn''t in Therut of course when the ant dungeon appeared so there was no way to know.

    But he knew very well, the emblem of the most popr guild in Rigeria¨C and one red humanoid ant that snapped the head of a human faster than anybody except him could see, had this blue rag tied to its head.

    Perhaps it was some sort of trophy or entertainment for it.

    Raith''s eyes widened in unbelief.

    ''There''s no way...'' He said inwardly as he yed the video backward, although it was a blur but he still could see it. The emblem of Bluezlion guild, led by Pedus Andregant.

    The brief remembrance of Therut and what it looked like that faintly passed his mind made him miss home a bit.

    Now, he was interested in these ants.

    "So, do you want to go?" The chairman asked Raith carefully looking at his expression.

    Kaiser was just silent all through.

    Raith lifted his face from the screen of the tab to Chairman Mok Jun-Seo.

    "The price?" Raith asked, turning his gaze to Kaiser who now began to talk.

    "The German government will pay you a hundred million dors and give you a diplomatic passport along with a five hundred thousand worth apartment in any area of your choosing."

    Raith counted the fingers on his left and right hand and looked at Kaiser. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Thisst raid, I earned, six hundred million, and that one looks like it will be tougher."

    Even Raith said that he did not doubt that he would be able to take care of it, in fact, he is even itching to go there already, after cleaning up his death army and putting them into groups¨C all he wants to do is just try them out and see how well they fight.

    But he was a big lover of money.

    "Ah..." Kaiser broke a sweat on his forehead that ran down his temple, ''...six hundred million dors. Shit, I underestimated him.''

    "Will you permit me to speak to the association and get back to you?" Kaiser said, carefully with humility adorning all his words.

    "It is fine."

    "Also, hunter Raven, is it okay if you excuse us... there''s something I will like to discuss with Hunter Kaiser." The chairman said.

    As he spoke the car stopped and Raith got down.

    "Are you okay, stopping here?" The chairman asked with concern.

    But Raith truly looked like he didn''t mind, he nodded and smiled. It assured the chairman but still made him scared that what if Raith had found it rude?

    But in honest opinion, Raith had been meaning to use his newest member of the house as a means of transportation and this just happened to be the perfect time.

    The rain had intensified and given everywhere a dark glow. And the attention of everyone was on the fallen hunter, he was sure that no one will catch him, to be particrly, the media.

    And as the car drove away, Noir spread out of the darkness beneath his feet as if it wasing out of the ground and as it rose high, it rose with Raith standing on its back¨C the wyvern pummeled into the sky and took off like a blur of wind.

    "What do you think you are doing?" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo was now sitting opposite Kaiser who had let out multiple sighs since Raith left as if all the pent-up tensions in him began to drop off. He sighed onest time and replied to Chairman Mok''s question.

    "What do you mean what am I doing?"

    "A diplomatic passport? A residential house anywhere he chooses?"

    "What is wrong with that Chairman Mok Jun-Seo," Kaiser asked, his eyes glinting a soft hue of maroon. Now, that Raith''s terrifying presence was not in the picture he had no reason to show humility when he didn''t need to.

    "I will be honest with you. Your country is nning on stealing Hunter Raven from us is that not it?"

    Kaiser let out a viinous thick and vibrating giggle. He leaned forward and ced his chin on his locked hands as he began to talk.

    "Honestly, we will try to do that... South Korea does have a history of losing strong hunters to other countries. Is it perhaps because you know not how to take care of your own?"

    "Hunter Kaiser..." The chairman''s eyes glowed softly with hostility as he coldly called out Kaiser''s name.

 Chapter 175 Overpowered Sword (1)

    ?

    Raithnded on the rooftop of the Rain Guild building as he had been called a moment ago by Tae Dong-Hyun himself.

    The man had sounded so tired, yet hyped, shouting "It isplete! It isplete!"

    And so Raith redirected his route andnded on the guild rooftop. Then traced his way to the underground of the building.

    As he reached there, the ce was deserted which he found weird but didn''t think much of it.

    Considering the delicate work Tae Dong-Hyun wanted to do, it was given. But Raith didn''t know the intensity of that work.

    He could never know the depths of hell Tae Dong-Hyun went into to pull out the true form of that sword.

    No one would ever understand.

    Raith opened the door to the hot smithy and gently entered. He put one step inside and alertly jumped back outside, looking ahead of him with widened eyes.

    It was because he had felt a humongous presence inside the room just when he was about to enter, it was brief. He didn''t even feel it before or after he had jumped. It was quick, and his response goes it was to immediately run away.

    ''The hell? What the hell is that?!'' He beckoned on himself with a serious face. A frown shrouded his brows afterward and he gritted his teeth in vexation of how scared he was the moment he entered that room.

    He signed and walked in again¨C He took a sudden pause but did not fly outside like before.

    However, this time the presence was more powerful and strong. It was as if the shadow of a colossal monster had been cast over the entire room but there was no physical presence of a monster.

    Raith narrowed his gaze to a slit and his pupils began to emit red smoke while dark smoke swirled around his body.

    And with that faint release of the enormous void he carried, he took baby steps into the smithy and was bbergasted as he entered.

    Tae Dong-Hyun was sitting cross-legged on the floor and in front of him was a ck sword, that looked like a katana but did not have that nt de like katana or the round hand guard.

    The sword indeed had a taped hilt and cross guard with a red crystal embedded in the center, when a closer look is taken one would discover it is more the eyes of a devil than a crystal.

    "Bastard! You have grown stronger. I presume you grew a little bit of sense too."

    ck''s thick voice resonated inside Raith''s head such that it was as if the voice of the sword wasing from all corners of the room.

    Tae Dong-Hyun raised his head to Raith seeing that he was switching left and right as though he was looking for something. Tae Dong-Hyun couldn''t tell how, but he knew.

    "Did it speak to you?" He asked.

    Raith guided his gaze back to him, and with a confused expression, he nodded. "What is happening?"

    Tae Dong-Hyun let out a mad giggle, the giggle went on longer than normal which insinuated more madness and before he could stop giving, he passed out.

    Raith was put in a very awkward position.

    ''What do I take of this? Did heugh himself into a stupor?'' Raith scratched his temples as if he was scratching for answers.

    "He is tired out already. He onlysted this long because he wanted you to see what he has done."

    "He wanted me to see what he has done?"

    "Yes..." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Please where are you sounding from?" Raith asked with unintended politeness, looking around the building in search of the deep hoarse voice that was talking to him.

    "Fool! Did you grow so much power and no sense?"

    "I see you have no manners still, I thought your manners got broken because you got broken but it seems you were born broken."

    "At least you learned some cussing skills."

    The voice rested with a short sigh and spoke again.

    "That guy, is crazy?"

    Raith''s gaze fell on Tae Dong-Hyun who was stillying on the ground.

    "I suppose you mean he is mad but by the texture of your voice which sounds quite serious, I now re-suppose that he exceeded your expectations."

    "I don''t know if that is what to call it. That guy pulled the part of me that I didn''t even know existed, how in the world is a human able to do that?"

    "Do you want him to wake him up and ask him?"

    "Are you dense? didn''t you see him faint?! Shouldn''t you even be carrying him right now to the hospital or something? Isn''t that what humans would normally do in this situation? Run around with care and worry, how can you be so calm."

    ''How do I tell him I''m not like most humans...''

    "What? You are not like most humans."

    Raith''s eyes squinted and fell on the sword that suddenly rose on its own and fell towards him.

    "What is this? A sword is moving on its own?" He spoke with unbelief resounding in his tone.

    "So you still can''tprehend what is happening. I''m an ego sword bastard!"

    "Even still... moving on your own is too much." His voice went lower after the small pause.

    But the sword had no problem hearing him perfectly. It was Raith that still conversed with it as though the voice was sounding from. outside and not inside.

    He pointed to his head, ''Looks like you are here....'' He said in his mind, a test to confirm his hypothesis.

    "No fool, I am not in your mind. It is as simple as you are the only one that can hear my voice because you are the one attuned to me." The sword exined to me.

    "Ah, I see..." Raith nodded in eptance of what the sword said.

    "Yes... now, don''t you want to see what I can do?" The voice said with a tone that sounded like it was grinning.

    "Okay, sure..."

    ''Appraisal''

    [THE SWORD HAS BLOCKED THE APPRAISAL ATTEMPT]

    "What?"

 Chapter 176 Overpowered Sword (2)

    ?

    "You blocked my appraisal attempt?"

    ''Appraisal is a skill that was even able to see through an asura''s skill, you are telling me an ordinary sword blocked this skill.''

    "Your mistake is that you still think I''m an ordinary sword."

    "I see, I''m trying to re-orientate my thinking right now," Raith replied being serious.

    He was changing his line of thought. The fact that this so-called ordinary sword blocked his appraisal attempt which worked well on an asura. He was thinking, at the very least this sword is greater than an asura.

    "Okay fine, let me show you. So you will know... Try it again."

    Raith gulped as he opened his eyes to another appraisal attempt on the sword.

    [Info]

    Name: unnamed

    Attack power: infinite.

    - Attack power is rtive to what the user can bring out.

    Defense power: infinite 0

    - This sword has 0 defense power, it is as thin as the air yet as thick as an adamantium.

    [Sword skills]

    - Space rapt(UEX)

    - Gluttony(UEX)

    - ck Lightning(EX)

    - Celestial Destroyer(UEX)

    - Demonic Beast Form(UEX) level 0.

    Raith was filled with so much awe that it confused him.

    ''I don''t understand. Where did all these skillse from?''

    "Ha ha. I know right, so hard to believe. I used to be very strong back in the days."

    [Space Rapt]

    - Skill that causes the sword to tear through the space allowing your attacks to ovee distance to reach the target. It is also efficient in tearing out of an illusion.

    [Gluttony]

    - A skill inherited from its original creator, allows the sword to swallow other swords in whole and have their abilities, skills, and properties, it can even change its form to take on the appearance of any sword it has swallowed.

    [ck Lightning]

    - A skill, stolen from some orc sometime ago. However, because of the sword ego''s true form, the ck lightning can strike anytime the user of the sword itself wills it. When the ck lightning strikes directly on a target, it deals a certain kill damage. And when it strikes the environment, it is a certain Armageddon.

    [Demonic Beast Form]

    - A form that can be attained by the sword fusing with the user. However, there is no known way to activate this form, and might stay unused until the user or the sword remembers something.

    "Wow," Raith finally held the sword and looked around it.

    This was all he needed, with this, he isplete. He could feel it with every fiber of him. And the more he thought about it, the more he thought about it, the more he looked forward to fucking up those ants. He couldn''t help but spread a big smile across his face.

    "Ha, I have another surprise for you too."

    "uh?" Raith looked down at the eyes of the monster that say in the middle of the crossguard.

    [A HIDDEN SKILL HAS BEEN REVEALED]

    [Heavenly Destruction]

    - A sword skill that had been inscribed into the very core of the sword because it was a skill used by the first creator and first user of the sword. This skill has eight other techniques.

    - Devil sh <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    - Waves Of Destruction

    - The Dark Comet

    - Rain Of Blood

    - Dance Of Blood

    - Sea Splitting sh

    - Barricade of Heaven''s Gate destruction.

    - Sword Domain(unique)

    [Six Demon Sword]

    - A six-interconnected sword technique, even one technique is enough to bring destion to thendscape. Completing six will transcend one''sbat sense to the REALM OF ONE FOCUS.

    [Extreme Art Of the de God]

    - A sword attack created by the de god and stolen from him by the first user. The sword allows attacks from impossible angles. The sword technique has four formations and requires a body that can surpass its physical limits.

    [Strides Of The Wind God]

    - A movement skill, stolen from the wind god by the first user of this sword. The skill allows the user to walk at high speed and at immense focus, the user can walk on air.

    [Infinite sh]

    - A moment skill stolen from the first swordsaint of mankind by the first user of this sword. This skill allows the user to move while defying the concept of distance. One can reach over 700m with one step. It is as far as the eyes can see and the mind can conceptualize.

    "Shit!" Raith''s mouth fell, he had to cover his mouth with his hand.

    ''So many sword skills, I feel like I''m even going to forget to use all of them. At this point, am I not too strong? I have to die though.'' He thought but was still enjoying the excitement of seeing so much skill and knowing that going forward it won''t be easy for him to be defeated anymore.

    What he just wanted to do right now was fight Briceus again. He really wanted to meet Briceus and fight him again.

    But he was gonna take it slow.

    He let out a sigh and held the sword again with a bright smile.

    "Don''t do that, I''m going to run away."

    "Don''t run away. I love you."

    "hieeek!" The sword let out an irritating voice and transformed into a simple ck ring and slipped itself into Raith''s hand.

    "Wow. You can even do that?" Raith mumbled.

    "You should give this guy to the cksmithter. Have you been using him as a finger decorator all this while?!"

    Raith looked at his hand.

    ''Ah, I forgot it was here. What can it do again''

    "Seriously? This guy is dying of not being used. Now, I''m beginning to wonder if staying on your finger will be the right choice for me."

    "I will never forget to use you. In fact, right now I just want to pull you out and start shing things."

    "Ugh?"

    "You are amazing." Raith praised.

    "Yes, I know that."

    ''Still with the nasty manner.''

    "You said something?!!" The sword asked with a rough and intimidating tone.

    "Ah, no. I was thinking that it said unnamed in the area that was supposed to carry your name. Does that mean I have to rename you?"

    "Yes, I think so... but before that, will you really continue to look at that cksmith like that?!!"

 Chapter 177 Your Dignity Lives In Our Heart

    ?

    "Ah, so Sung Min died." Tae Dong-Hyun spoke solemnly rubbing the white mug in his hands with his thumb.

    "Things were very rough in there huh?" He added, with his face bowed and biting his lips hard.

    "I know you are probably beating yourself right now."

    "If I was able to sessfully able to build him an armor that doesn''t tear off anytime he transforms, perhaps he would probably not have died."

    "Don''t do that hyungnim. I know you are going to be doing that again. You me yourself for every loss. Please don''t do that"

    "Then aren''t you beating up yourself right now?" Tae Dong-Hyun raised his face to Mok Jae-Hwa who was sitting opposite his hospital bed.

    Mok Jae-Hwa bit the flesh of his lower lip from the inside.

    "It is different with me hyungnim. I was with him, I was there... I could have done a better job at protecting him but I was depending on him."

    "And is that a sin?" Tae Dong-Hyun asked with his eyes fixated on him. Mok Jae-Hwa opened his mouth to respond but put some hesitation before he responded with his head bowed, unable to lock gaze with Dong-Hyun.

    "If I had been more conscious of protecting him, he wouldn''t have been hurt that badly. Maybe I would have made it in time to save him."

    "You know Jae-Hwa, we humans are fond of something..."

    Mok Jae-Hwa slightly raised his head to see Dong-Hyun''s face as he spoke.

    "...we y this torrent of scenarios in our head of how well a lot could have gone better when it probably might have ended worse. I am sure you are a man that does not mind losing his life if it is to save others. But I will be frank with you Jae-Hwa, out of the two disaster ranks that we have, you are one. You would have been a greater loss to the country. I am sorry if it sounds too much, you know me, I have always been very blunt with my views. I hate that Sung Min had to die but that doesn''t mean I''d have wished you to die instead of him and don''t rid him of his dignity thinking he would have been better off being protected by you instead of him doing the protection.

    I have seen Sung Min grow into this excellent man I never imagined him to be considering how arrogant he was that day you brought him to me..."

    Mok Jae-Hwa chuckled as he remembered that day.

    "He really was arrogant." He added as he remembered how Sung Min had dared to challenge Dong-Hyun because of his short stature.

    "And he grew over the years to be this hero, a gentle guy that would follow you to heaven and hell. He deserves that much dignity. I hear she is pregnant."

    Mok Jae-Hwa sighed as Dong-Hyun mentioned hisst word.

    "She wants to abort it. We have been the ones stopping her."

    Dong-Hyun red up but didn''t say anything immediately and slowly calmed down. His initial reaction to it was supposed to be the ring but he rposed himself as he tried to think from her perspective.

    "I guess carrying his child for the next few months without him will be very hard for her."

    "They say pregnancy is a tough thing for a woman and it doesn''t matter if one is a hunter or not. It is one thing all of them have inmon." Mok Jae-Hwa replied. "...then even after birth, she said she would be reminded every day of him every time she stares at her child." He added.

    "True... Yujin has always been one to hardly forget things." Dong-Hyun said, nodding his head slightly.

    "But still, she shouldn''t abort that baby. That is the only blood of Sung Min we have."

    "You don''t worry, I will take care of that." Mok Jae-Hwa responded with a warm smile that spoke well of the confidence that his words emitted.

    "I heard of what happened from Tam Seon."

    "That bbermouth." Tae Dong-Hyun shook his head and looked away from Mok Jae-Hwa. He has always been one that is shy of his achievement. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Even when he creates an amazing weapon or equipment, he would often say, "It''s nothing much, don''t over-praise it." But he wasn''t saying that now. He just looked away.

    So Mok Jae-Hwa knew that this was another level and just let out a soft chuckle.

    "How was it?" He asked.

    "I don''t know how to put an experience of a lifetime for you in a few words." He looked at Mok Jae-Hwa. All his face was covered with bandages till the wounds healed.

    "The results? Was it worth it?"

    "What?!! Losing my divinity was more than worth it. I can''t put it to words, I have reached a different level. And I can now see something floating in front of me."

    Mok Jae-Hwa squinted his eyes.

    "You can see something floating in front of you?"

    "It''s like when one is ying a game it has my info and other stuff..." Tae Dong-Hyun said casually.

    Mok Jae-Hwa was getting more interested in what the man was saying but it seemed like he won''t be able to know more about it because no matter how hard he tried he couldn''t see anything floating in front of Tae Dong-Hyun like he had said.

    "And so it is only visible to you?"

    "Yes."

    "What does it say?"

    "It specifies my name and ss and skills."

    "Your name, ss, and skills?" Mok Jae-Hwa repeated the same thing.

    "Yes, however, what is more, interesting is that I can kind of level up."

    "You can level up?" Mok Jae-Hwa repeated again. They were words that sounded too good to be true.

    "Yes. I have the name on top and right beneath it there is a level-up bar that says level 1, and there''s a description that says I can level up by making weapons. After that, it says ss, and in front puts ''The Legendary cksmith of Lost Hjoarn''

    "That seems like a lot."

    "It is trust me, but I think things will be a lot more different from now on."

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked at him warmly, he didn''t need further words to be said, the optimistic and confident expression that filled Dong-Hyun''s face was enough certification for Tae Dong-Hyun''s words. Surely the days of Rain Guild are going to get better.

    "Right, where is hunter Raith."

    "Hunter Raith? I believe he should be on his ne to Germany by now. He waited for you for a day but he couldn''t wait anymore. I don''t know why."

    "How long have I been gone?"

    "A day and ten hours or so..."

    Tae Dong-Hyun chuckled with his face buried in his hand, ''Shit that sword really did a number on me huh.''

 Chapter 178 Apocalypse (Intro)

    ?

    And Therut continued to fall into digression. The heretics plundered cities, now backed up by supernatural powers to back their ims. Powers that are not dust.

    Humans, being able to perform feats that bend conceptualws by casting spells. The heretics introduce this as dark magic and with it, they raked in many revolutionaries that have never been heard in the creation of the world of Therut.

    One of the greatest feats was the prophecy that was released by a certain man called Han Lamar Jr. Because of the name he carried, the name of a popr heretic that wrote books of the presence of other worlds aside from this one and dared to question the reality that Therut offers, Han Lamar jnr was widely received by people, synagogues that used to worship archons were now turned into a ce of the conference for his heretic teachings.

    And when he prophesied about the disappearance of the dungeon that has imed the lives of millions in Rigeria city, his fame skyrocketed. Some few weekster ording to what he had proposed, the veil was undone and just as he had spoken the dungeon was gone. Only the remnants of the ants were left, another that was left there was their mother.

    No one knew what to call this phenomenon but because of this, arge number of the crowd began to fall in Han Lamar Jnr''s favor. And he was on his way to being believed to be a savior, one that will save them from all these disasters. People were already turning their eyes away from the archons and turning their eyes toward these heretics and their powers.

    Yes, the pontifices did not seem bothered, there was no word ofint from them, no issuance of restriction or eradication policy. They were silent.

    "They have been too silent." The blond-haireddy in a short skirt and light armor stood in front of the feminine statute in the hall of the church and gazed into it while clicking her tongues at intervals.

    Even she had begun to doubt a lot of things after hearing that man once and now all that roamed her mind was, ''Why wouldn''t they do something? Anything! Anything just to keep the faith of people burning.''

    But her yearnings didn''t mean anything was going to change.

    She let out a deep sigh and turned away from the statue.

    "Today, I should focus on what matters." She muttered to herself as she walked outside the church.

    Heavily dded knights and maidservants could be seen greeting her left and right. And she was humble enough to take her time in replying to them.

    "Amber!" A t and thick voice called out to her from her left.

    "Cardinal Peterson!" Her voice was as ted as her expression as immediately she turned to the voice that called her.

    The man who didn''t look past his fifties but was a bit ragged looming due to his rough beard bowed his head slightly as he approached Amber Rose.

    "Are you also part of their entourage."

    "Ah, they say they can only feel safe when the empire''s strongests are with them. The Emperor has pleaded with us toply for the good of our world. I am more than honored to be doing this."

    "Ah, those darn elves ehhh... I thought they said they were the pinnacle of strength in Therut. For the first time in thousands of years, they are leaving theirnd and they are so extra about it." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Amber chuckled as the man spoke. His way of speaking was so different even though he was a Cardinal.

    "I am always delighted to see you smile. Things have been quite tough these days." Hepleted thetter half of his statement with a worrisome demeanor.

    "Indeed, with the heretics rising... it looks like it is the end of the world very soon," Amber added.

    "But I trust in ourdy Aisen, she is the true savior." The man said kissing the pendant of his ne which was a very tiny engraving like the statue that Amber was staring at inside the hall a minute ago.

    "You still believe in her, huh," Amber asked, with her eyes scrutinizing him.

    "Of course my dear. I know the world is baffled by the silence of the archons and the pontifices. But I know, that the day they shall speak, that day with a snap of their finger, all this wille to an end." The man said. He was an iparable zealot despite his casualposure, sometimes Amber always forgets that.

    Today was the day that the elves will move to the empire for a joint diplomatic meeting on how to go forward with things regarding the gates.

    The elves who had been uninterested until now had suddenly had two level 10 gate emergence and had been able to take care of only one. Before the other could break out, they also cast a protective barrier using an artifact.

    But they understood that this cannotst forever and so they called all the nations together¨C to discuss how to destroy all the gates once and for all. With the elves and the dwarves involved, things were looking like they would get better.

    And thus powerful heroes such as Amber and several others had been allocated the task of escorting the elven elders safely to the Imperial pce.

    She finally got out of the church premises and entered the car that was to carry her to where she would join the elves.

    Twenty minutes into her journey, the sky suddenly began to turn dark. It was as though a tremendous rainfall was about to be unleashed but there was nothing like strong wind torrents or drizzlings. It was just the dark clouds that spread across the entire world of Therut, regardless of where they were they all could see it.

    Someone at a high tower, a lithe man with a thin beard that ran through his jawline raised his hands with a wide smile on his face.

    "Finally! Finally! The lord is about to begin his purging. Today my people! Today is the day of revolution! Today is the day the truth shall prevail!!"

    At the base of that tower was a sea of people screaming TRUTH SHALL PREVAIL!! TRUTH SHALL PREVAIL!! TRUTH SHALL PREVAIL!! Their numbers were in millions, they filled everywhere as if the colonies of ants from the entire world had gathered in one ce.

    And they prepared for a revolution.

 Chapter 179 Noirs Cold Embrace

    ?

    "Are you sure you want to go in now?" Kaiser asked.

    "Yes," Raith nodded.

    "And you want to go alone?"

    "Yes."

    "Hunter Raven, don''t you think that will be too reckless of you?" Kaiser put forth to him, even in the manner in which he spoke it was in that he was struggling to gather the audacity to question Raith any further.

    He flinched as Raith turned his gaze to him.

    Raith coldly stared away the next minute, he didn''t know how to convince the guy he just wanted to go on a rampage hence he was put in another bind.

    Fortunately for him, his cold re was more than enough to allow the hunter to ept out of fear.

    It was not that Kaiser thought himself inferior to Raith. But was rather because he was strong that he could feel it.

    When he saw Raith in person, the presence that Rairh carried far exceeded all that he had thought beforehand. He had anticipated how the strong South Korean catastrophe-rank hunter was going to be.

    And the first instance in that limousine, as Raith entered, an overwhelming humility dawned on him. Because he had never in his life, met anyone this strong.

    Kaiser was a good judge of strength and even amidst all the catastrophe ranks of the world, he had met four including Turner and he confidently said that Turner was not the strongest, which waster found to be so. When he saw Raith, he doubted if there was going to be any hunter as strong as he is in the entire world. There is a certain possibility that lies in the unranked but those are too old to be active.

    "I can do it alone," Raith affirmed to him again.

    He was about to contest when his phone rang. He picked up and a grim expression filled his face, Raith could already guess what was going on from his face.

    As he dropped the call Raith spoke.

    "Another attack?"

    "Yes." Kaiser nodded.

    "Stop the car." Raith requested with a tone that intimidated the atmosphere. Without Kaiser projecting his request to the driver, the car came to a drifting stop. Raith opened the car and was taken up into the sky by a massive blur of darkness that only became clear when it fully spread its gigantic wings abroad in the clouds and went further away faster than time could tell.

    "What the hell is that?" Kaiser stuck his head out of the car window, looking up with a confused yet amused facing.

    "Sir, where do I go?" The driver asked.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Kaiser looked down and sighed. "I don''t even know...'' He muttered and chuckled.

    ...

    From the sky, the destendscape spread beneath Raith''s eyes- the entire ce had be reminisced of destruction in just a day of the gate''s emergence and now the ants were going beyond the marked zone plunging attacks of hunters that stood guard to protect them from nearby civilian.

    Nearby Civilian.

    No one could me them for not knowing the gratifying impact of not evacuating citizens, the gate could not be measured by any device whatsoever¨C all the German association in collusion with guilds did was to pour an enormous amount of hunter to take shift protecting the ce.

    A rank, B rank could fight off the monsters effectively, but C ranks depending on the experience of the hunter found it difficult to overpower them, while lower ranks died like ants themselves.

    The air was thick with an eerie stillness, broken only by distant, anguished cries of hunters as they fell prey to the ants. A pall of smoke and dust hung in the air, obscuring the feeble rays of sunlight struggling to prate the gloom.

    Raith''s nostrils were filled with the acrid scent of destruction that mingled with the metallic tang of spilled blood. The very essence of despair seemed to linger as if thend itself mourned the lives lost to this monstrous invasion.

    Raith lifted his face towards the front, the enormous gate, bigger than any he had seen andparable to the one in India that he saw on the phone, stood like a menacing portal and from it came and went several ants, it was as if they were securing food. The flying ants were carrying heads, while the creeping ones were dragging bodies on the floor.

    Raith had been briefed but the only information he found interesting was the fact that the gate dejected whoever tried to enter except S ranks and the two S ranks that entered while Kaiser was not around have not been found, even though they entered as scouts and were supposed to survey things and get out quickly.

    And so they had naturally said that the gate was not meant for weak hunters, other information was said

    but none of them interested Raith, it didn''t matter to him anyways. What he just wanted to find out was how that red humanoid ant that he saw in the video had a torn cloth with the emblem of Bluezlion guild back from Therut.

    Raith crouched and gently touched the head of his wyvern ride.

    "Noir..."

    "Yes, my lord"

    The wyvern''s response was swift, with a resounding screech, its jaws parted, spewing forth a primal gust of icy breath, an arctic tempest that carried with it a symphony of crystalline whispers. The very air crystallized, suspended in time, as delicate ice particles pirouetted in a graceful ballet.

    In that fleeting moment, the scenery that was once a destion of destruction was now locked in the grip of frost-born enchantment. The ethereal touch of winter unfurled its icy tendrils, nuzzling everything with its wintry embrace.

    The frenzied march of the ants had halted and even the ants themselves were trapped in the snare of Noir''s frozen luby, ice encased their writhing form¨C all of them were caught in the ice grip of this newfound dominion.

    Hunters around that were lucky to be saved by the ice just in the nick of time shivered with thanks as they endlessly gazed at the massive frozen ants they would have harvested their heads should that attacke inter than a second. They looked up to the ck thing that was in the sky, ording to their minds¨C they looked at him like he was some god of salvation.

 Chapter 180 The Start

    ?

    Deep within the heart of the ant-infested realm. The chamber that housed his throne exuded an air of solemnity and authority. In this empyrean domain, the tunnels intertwined like abyrinth, an intricatework that hummed with life. Walls adorned with intricate carvings showcased the collective wisdom of the ants. Luminescent fungi, softly pulsating with gentle light, illuminated the majestic chamber, casting an otherworldly glow upon the regal figure seated on the throne.

    A mesmerizing embodiment of anthropomorphic elegance possessed an undeniable aura ofmand. His visage, remarkably human in every way, bore the weight of wisdom etched into his countenance.

    Silken robes, resplendent in hues of gold and crimson, cascaded down the monarch''s form, billowing like a regal river of fabric. Each delicate thread seemed to whisper tales of royalty and exquisitely, woven with the utmost care to honor the legacy of their ruler.

    "I sense the presence of a strong one outside." His deep and gravelly voice rumbled through the chamber,manding the air.

    "My king, do you will it that I should deal with this?"

    The red ant came out of the darkness that was in front of the human ant sitting on the throne.

    Having gotten a name, his physiological features hadpletely changed from that of an ant to that of a human.

    "Hm," He rested his jaw on one hand.

    "Go, do as you deem fit"

    "No, my king!!" Allow me to do your bidding! I will kill the strong human!" The other purple ant also crawled out of the darkness, standing hunched and ring at the red ant who returned the gesture with a menacing look adorned by the blue clothes he tied to his head.

    "You have a duty of organization. If we will surpass the civilization of humans, it is imperative that we keep the structure and be diligent in our duties. Your duty is to supervise the collection of data from the brains of humans while Red''s duty is to fend off invaders."

    The purplish ant bowed in reverence and slowly backstepped into the darkness.

    "Now, go do your thing once and for all." The ant said, sending him away with his hand gesture.

    ...

    Now that Raith had done his path which was saving whatever survivor he had left, the main thing was now entering the gate.

    The wyvern sank into the dark shadow that was cast on the floor as hended.

    The agents that were in charge of the gate but had taken a tent as far away from the ants as possible finally reached Raith. They were wearing German army uniforms and seemed to be more with the military than with the association.

    Well, then again countries like Germany and Russia and several others like that build an army of hunters. Although hunters are serving in the Korean army, they were not deeply involved in the gate and hunter business and had givenplete oversight to the Hunters Association.

    Like six of them approached Raith and were carrying ck suitcases.

    They got to Raith and bowed before one of them began to brief him.

    "This is a protective gear for you, sir. It is made with the stron¨C<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "It''s fine."

    Raith said, interrupting the man''s briefing.

    "Sir but¨C

    He paused as Raith''s cold and deep gaze fell on him.

    ''I should try out the items I received from defeating Thard-Harl''s brother, test them out before selling them at the very least... now, that I think about it. Thest ones I sold them for quite a big amount, although the money was useless to an extent. But I''m curious how much these will cost'' Raith mused in his mind with a soft smile across his face as he thought about money.

    "I will be back soon," Raith said as he walked forward and his figure soon drowned into the gate, ripples could be seen as he entered as though one was entering a pool of water that was vertical instead of horizontal.

    One of the soldiers shook as the cold seeped into his bones, as they exhaled vocally, warm steam escaped from their mouths.

    "What really was that monster?" The man said looking at the frozen terrain."

    "What are we going to do about the hidden camera? We were supposed to make sure that he epts the gear because of the camera?" Another one of them said.

    "Did you see those eyes? You wanted me to make sure he collected the gears with that kind of eyes?" The man turned away, his hands shivering as he remembered the cold gaze and the deepness he saw when his eyes met Raith''s eyes.

    ...

    A dark world, with darknds andrge holes that seem big enough to fit a trailer, was what unfolded before his eyes as he entered the gate. Countless tunnels, meticulously carved through the earth crisscrossed thendscape forming abyrinthinework that seemed to stretch to infinity and all of those tunnels were right beneath the ground Raith was standing on.

    Raith could feel the endless movement of countless ants, it created some sort of choreographic sound.

    He looked down and looked straight at the number of holes that were there. They truly were immeasurable and spread as far and wide as thend itself spread.

    "They areing for me," Raith muttered as he could feel the ants'' movementing closer to him.

    "Come forth... Infantry." Raith specificity called forth only certain soldiers¨C only, the foot soldiers, the orcs, and the golems mainly. Every creature that did not meet Raith''s standard of strength was expelled to eradicate his army of any weak sides and to create more space. A new kind of orcs could be seen amidst the orcs, they had arger build than the initial orc-kind death soldiers that Raith had. They were the red orcs that Raith had killed himself and were,rge, with red burning manes and red streaks running all over their chest and face like lightning.

    And this squad was led by the red orc chief who was now named ''Irish'' after the darkness of his soul was harvested by Raith.

    Raith stood with an army of ck spreading to his left and right, warmed up and ready to fight.

    As the ants began toe out of the holes, the dreadful war between ants and Raith''s army of darkness started.

 Chapter 181 The Beauty Of Destruction (1)

    ?

    Their forms, swathed in ebony hues, flickering with an otherworldly radiance.

    Cloaked in nebulous veils that billowed with spectral whispers, they exuded an aura of mystique and menace.

    Eyes, brimming with secrets untold, glinting like fractured shards of the crimson moon, reflecting the enigmatic depths of void and darkness. Each death soldier wielded a weapon, a macabre extension of their ethereal essence, honed to cleave through the fabric of reality itself.

    Silence hung in the air, pregnant with the impending sh between the two unsightly entities, a monstrous ferocity of ants in their numbers covering thendscape like a gue, and the army of darkness dded in the cold embrace of darkness in its whole.

    The ant monsters with their chitinous exoskeletons gleamed with an eerie luminescence, assembled, their mandibles cked in anticipation, the army of darkness with their ethereal forms undting like inky tendrils, ready to engulf everything in their path.

    As the sh erupted, the realm was swallowed by a tempest of fury and darkness. Each death warrior moved with a grace that defied mortalprehension, their steps were a haunting dance upon the battlefield.

    With lethal precision, they weaved through the ant monsters, their weapons slicing through the air with a whistlingment.

    The air crackled with the effect of apocalypse as the two sides were drenched in an intense battle with each other, as the death soldiers swung their weapons in divers fancy, so did the ants also¨C gnashing their mandibles and snatching off whatever part of the soldiers they could. Although it all seemed to be useless because almost immediately the soldier world regenerate again. By the sudden and shocked reaction of the ants, one could tell that had a certain level of intelligence but I could still not up to the intelligence that their king had.

    The power he possesses after being granted a name.

    In the Surreal theater of war, the veil between reality and the ethereal quickly blurred.

    Death soldiers endlessly lunging and parrying, with their spectral forms pulsating with an eerie effulgence. The ant monsters, stalwarts of the realm, held their ground, their determination a beacon amidst the encroaching darkness.

    Raith stood still, with his three mighty fighters behind him, like generals observing the tide of the battle for when to make their mark. Certainly, the soldier had improved. Raith''s eyes were met with contentment as he watched them¨C rting them to the first time he used them in the golem dungeon, they just were so used to dying although dying seemed to be a source of strength for them but it sapped him of dark energy to maintain them any further.

    But all that had somehow been managed now because they don''t die that much and... he had a lot of energypared to before. Although he still thinks little of it for the day that he will wield an army in their millions, he couldn''t help but wonder how much dark energy to maintain them.

    And so he just wanted to get more energy¨C which led him to the next phase of his decision to step in.

    The ant monsters despite being endlessly pulverized by Raith''s warriors, there was no end to them, they certainly crawled out of the holes, every time. And soon the game of numbers was beginning to have the upper hand.

    Raith''s army was beginning to die a lot more than usual causing his dark energy to be consumed tremendously.

    However, Raith had a perfect remedy for this.

    ''I''ve been looking for now to try out this skill'' He looked down and brought his hands from his pocket.

    "Take me higher Noir."

    Even though the wyvern had not manifested itself before now, Raith was lifted into the sky by an irregr shape of darkness that took the form of the wyvern as it reached the sky.

    Towering above all of them, Raith could see clearly the numbers¨C they still stretched far toward the horizon where the dark clouds seem toe to terms with the barren-hole-riddennd.

    [Death Parade]

    - A mixture of darkness and death, a mass destruction skill that converts the soul of every living organism within 1000m to dark energy.

    He stretched forth his hand from above and¨C

    "Death parade."

    WHAM!

    In a swift instance, small white glowing balls appeared in the air, harvested from the thousands of monsters that were below Raith. He was amazed by the effectiveness of the skill.

    Even he did not think that it would be able to take their souls. The ants died immediately their souls came out and floated in the air, filling every space.

    [You have gained 44,500 souls]

    [Do you want to convert souls to dark energy?]

    "Yes"

    All the glowing white light surged together like a whirlwind and entered Raith like the dark heavens were giving him some newfound power.

    [You have gained 4,500 dark energy]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith opened his eyes, filled with vigor and his skin fresh and glinting with ck streaks as the souls of monsters he had absorbed were converted to dark energy.

    He could feel the expanse increase inside of him.

    "Alright I think I can manage to bring squad two out now¨C

    He paused sharply as a certain ant finally decided to grace him with its presence.

    What he had been waiting for all the while.

    The red ant was jamming its mandible with anger and frustration. It had not been expected that there would be a being capable of rivaling the strength of his king. The thought of the humansting this long annoyed him and he was hating on himself for making things drag out so long.

    "I should have just attacked with the first squad and taken the human''s head to my king." The monster muttered to itself as it spread out its red transparent wings and fluttered them, rising towards the sky.

    Raith could inly see the blue scarf from his distance and was able to confirm his spection.

    "I was not wrong, it really is the Bluezlion guild crest," Raith said.

    "How do you have that?" Raith asked the monster as if floated in front of Noir''s face, fluttering its wings endlessly to maintain its stability in the air.

    "Uh? A human can speak to me. Ah! Have I finally be as smart as my king? I thought my king was the only one granted such brilliance to be able to converse with humans but it seems that I too..." The ant spoke with a shaky voice, covering his lower face with one hand as though he was going to cry due to the new realization that he just had.

    "This guy... is he crazy?"

    "I believe he is. Shall I restore his mind with a p of my ws on his face, my lord?" Noir asked, his thick tone reverberating through the clouds.

    "Don''t y Noir, if you p him, his head will probably fly off." Raith mused, chuckling.

    "Will that not be a good thing, my lord?"

    "No, it won''t," Raith replied firmly, wiping the soft smile off his face. "...how will I ask him questions if you kill him."

    "Ah, I see. Forgive my impudence, my lord."

    "It''s fine," Raith replied, his gaze refocusing on the red humanoid ant that was flying before him.

    The monster''s physiologicalposition amazed him. He could tell by the features that it was an ant just like the rest of them but it was different¨C the others were bigger than normal ants, gigantic, but this one was standing like a human with four hands, two legs,pound eyes gruesomely looking at Raith from that ant shaped head.

    "No matter how much I think about it. He is a marvelous creature. I''d love to add him to my collection of generals. See what rank he can amount to after I extract him." Raith mumbled as he looked at his hand. Getting ready to manifest his sword and begin an interesting fight.

    But before any more seconds.

    Jarvis'' long sword came spinning, taking along with it one of the ant''s hands which it had raised as it entered a frenzy and was about to start its attack on Raith.

    "Ah, nice. It hit will. You should know this, we can''t allow any monster to fight our lord when we are not preupied."

    Kortopi and Jarvis nodded to Crimson obediently. It was weird to see them get along but it was also because Crimson had managed to convince them not to allow any man to reach Raith without having to pass through them.

    He vividly put forth to the naive beings that for their loyalty to truly be acknowledged by Raith for them to truly be acknowledged by Raith then they had to take matters into their own hands.

    And it sounded quite reasonable.

    To them at the very least.

    "What the fuck did he do?" Raith red down at Jarvis who bowed ny degrees the moment his eyes met with Raith''s. He seemed happy about what he did, like a servant that has achieved a great deal for his master.

    Crimson was right beside him with hands folded and Kortopi was also ring with admiration.

    "These bastards won''t let me have fun now?"

    Whereas all Raith just wanted to do was fight, and test out his upgraded sword.

 Chapter 182 The Beauty Of Destruction (2)

    ?

    "Aaarrgggghhhhhhghh!!!"

    The ant entered a frenzy and now was in a deep exchange with Jarvis who was adept in using his fist since he threw his sword away.

    However, that did notst as the ant''s head went flying into the sky. While it was upied with Jarvis, Crimson had swung his sword from behind, immediatelyying waste to the ant.

    Jarvis was shocked. He looked at Crimson with disdain.

    "What? We have a lot more ant to face, is it, notmon sense that we make haste? Don''t tell me you too fancy something like warrior''s honor or so?" Crimson said to him and trekked forward afterward towards the hole in front of him, ants were stilling out but all he had to do was swing his sword and the bodies of the ones that came his way were divided into two.

    Raith shook his head.

    He couldn''t say he found anything bad in what Crimson did, it was reasonable that they should make haste but he also thought that they would want to fight to their content.

    At the very least, Jarvis wanted to. Things such as a warrior''s honor and respect didn''t matter to Crimson, he just saw the way to do things without wasting unnecessary time.

    "But I wanted to interrogate him," Raith said as he stepped down from his wyvern and took the blue scarf.

    He looked down at the monster, ''...but I should still be able to do that right?''

    "Arise..." He said once to the ants and dark smoke began to swirl around it.

    Immediately the ant plunged out of the smoke and bowed.

    "I have a question to ask you. Where did you get this scarf?"

    "From the former dungeon we were..." The ant looked up and looked down again, still bowing on its knee. "When I was alive, I had a king, one that is great. After meeting a certain individual he even became greater. That individual moved all of us to a realm of our own but our mother was killed by the king himself due to her inability to move. She had grown so big she could not move again. In the world we were before, this clothing is a part of the g of the humans that attacked us. Although we defeated them, they were still surviving humans that left us."

    ''I asked a simple question and he just went on and about before answering me.'' Raith clenched his fist on the clothes.

    "So it is safe to assume your former realm was in Therut?" He lowered his brows as he carefully asked.

    "I am not equipped with such details. Only the king I serve has such---

    [EXTRACTION PROCESS HAS BEEN INTERRUPTED BY THE SIGNAL OF THE CREATURE''S KING]

    [CREATURES THAT HAVE HIGH REVERENCE FOR THEIR KING WILL NOT BE EXTRACTED IF THE KING DEEMS IT SO]

    [EXTRACTION HAS FAILED]

    [YOU HAVE TWO ATTEMPTS LEFT]

    Raith looked down as the dark ant soldier returned to smoke... It was brief but the moment that signal interrupted he felt a sharp connection from one of the holes.

    Raith''s soldiers were still busy fighting with the ants, even though a lot of the ants have died a lot are stilling from the hole and Raith now had a reasonable amount of dark energy to keep them running.

    His eyes glowered with a red hue as he spoke.

    "Rise, all of you?"

    Smoke surged through everywhere like a thick fog and ants, both flying and creeping ones, even the ones that spew poison began to rise from the smoke that lingered on their dead body.

    In a second, the number of Raith''s soldiers had doubled. Hence reaching the maximum.

    "So I can extract these but I can''t with the higher ranking ones because the king did not allow it." He inhaled and exhaled, "...you guys too should join the fight"

    As he spoke, the dark smoke got thicker and dark wyvern began to fly out of it, plunging into the sky¨C a difference was immediately set to the fight scene as they began to rain down fire on the ants and on the dark terrain itself.

    Raith looked at this and so that it was good so he nodded. But something was irritating him right now more than anything.

    Raith cocked his head, "...I hate the fact that my extraction failed because some ant king will not allow it. If that is the case, then I should make that king my soldier first."

    He walked forward, to the hole where he had sensed the signal and jumped into it. Kortopi ran after him immediately, leaving the others to their fights with the ants. Crimson btedly saw him as he jumped into the hole and shouted.

    "Betrayal!!!"

    Kortopi had deliberately not alerted them. And now both of them had no idea which hole led to where they were going.

    Jarvis wanted to drop into a random hole but Jarvis immediately stopped him, saying: <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I am sure all these holes lead to different ces. So do not make rash decisions or we just might get separated from our master."

    Jarvis looked around and frown after seeing so many holes. He too epted the fact that Kortopi was a big sly.

    The way down the hole was very much wider than Raith had anticipated and ants gushed out of other tunnels that were connected to this tunnel before Raith could even deal with Kortopi projected himself like a rocket and cut several multiple shes around Raith instantly, leaving straight line streaks of his speed.

    Raith sigh, he knew Kortopi had followed him¨C there is hardly anything he does not know these days since his perception went up a ton.

    ''...what is with this sudden behavior'' Raith wondered inwards, ''First, it was Jarvis, now him.''

    Kortopi and Jarvis have not always been this upfront, they only learned to deal with things when Raith needed them to deal with things. Their new attitude of suddenly wanting to y everything before him and leaving none to him was somehow enjoyable, it was good to see. But he really and truly wanted to fight.

    He was dying to test out this sword.

    ***

    ***

    ***

    Amid the bustling city, amidst the cacophony of car horns and the rhythm of urban life, a sudden hush fell upon the streets. Heads turned as a collective gasp escaped the lips of pedestrians and drivers alike. Time seemed to stand still as a phenomenon unfolding in the heavens above.

    Dark circles, each of them like a portal housing only a deep ck hue appeared above them, all around¨C far and wide.

    Expressions of surprise, curiosity, and a hint of trepidation painted the faces of those who had been mere strangers moments ago.

    People pointed and gestured, their voices hushed with a mixture of fear and fascination. Some fumbled for their smartphones, desperate to capture this ephemeral moment, to freeze it within the confines of a digital frame. Others simply stood, their eyes locked on the spectacle, amongst them was Amber also who was beyond bewildered.

    Even she who was a level O hero which meant the best, had nevere across this kind of situation, not in history not in anywhere. She was going to pick up the honored envoys of the elves in an exquisite limo that was giving the vibe of the 70s. But she hade to a stop as she saw the skies too.

    She probably was not the only hero seeing the sky but she certainly was the prettiest. People that were around her pointed to her and took pictures of her¨C momentarily distracting themselves from the spectacle up there.

    RINNNGG RRRINNNNGGGG

    "Hello sir" Her response was cold but humble.

    "Rose, where are you right now?"

    "Where am I? I volunteered ording to the Emperor''s wishes to go and pick the envoys."

    "And so you are in Dachsund?" The man from the other side of the phone asked with a hastening voice. Amber Rose could tell something was off from the way he was sounding.

    He was the dear esteemed Association president of the empire, although he is regarded as ruthless by many, she believes he is a man that stands by his words too stubbornly and holds no one in regard too high to put them down.

    Seeing him talk like this has never been something she would have thought of him, except there was a situation that demanded so.

    "What has happened to the emperor?" Amber asked, frowning.

    "What? The Emperor?" The man sounded shocked and wondered where the sudden question came from.

    "Well? why do you sound so diposed?" Amber Rose asked, still frowning.

    The man let out a sigh and responded, "Right now... can you see that dark circle in the sky and all around."

    "Certainly." Amber Rose replied, craning her head up to take another nce at it.

    She squinted her eyes as she noticed a change that others normally wouldn''t have.

    Cracks began to form on the hole, as though a transparent ss was covering it and that ss was about to die.

    "That thing... I don''t know how, but it''s a portal and it is not just any portal. Each one of them seems to be as strong as a level 10 dungeon. I don''t know what is going on and I won''t tell you to¨C

    Amber Rose hung up the phone before the chairman could speak any further.

    Skkkkkkkrrrr

    She grimaced as she saw what came out of the first circle that shattered like ss. It was like no monster she had ever seen.

 Chapter 183 The Ant King (1)

    ?

    [You have equipped ''Helmet Of The Shadow God'']

    [You have equipped Ef''at earrings]

    [You have equipped Egard-Hearl''s golden boots]

    Raith looked at the golden shine on his leg, he couldn''t help but feel out of ce. The bright colors weren''t really him.

    That was why he was already thinking of selling them too but hasn''t really gotten time to settle down¨C and he couldn''t help but try them out now because of their abilities.

    [Ef''at Earrings]

    - An item passed down by the legendary war asura, Ef''at¨C ever since it has always been passed down to the one most worthy of beingpared to him.

    - The earring grants +10,000 HP, it grants +100 HP auto recovery every ten seconds.

    - It creates an unlimited resistance to hit effects such as burns, stuns, bleed, it also reduces the level of pain felt by 70%

    [Egard-Hearl''s boot]

    A boot crafted by the finest of assassins for the War Asura Egard-Hearl.

    - Increases movement speed by 50%

    - Unleashes a wind impact of 400% damage when momentum is urately gathered¡ª wind impact can also be used to propel oneself by mming the boot on the ground.

    Raith couldn''t help but try them on, seeing how the item description was so amazing.

    He thought back on Thard-Harl''s items which he had sold without giving much thought to but shook his head, he probably would have made the decision all over again. He hated the state of utter suffering he was in and was too blinded to see beyond that.

    And it wasn''t like he loved using items, to begin with.

    He softly marched to the ground looking at the golden boot.

    ''It is light...''

    [EGARD-HEARL''S BOOT WILL BE CORRUPTED BY DARK ENERGY]

    [ELLAF''AT EARRINGS WILL BE CORRUPTED BY DARK ENERGY]

    [ITEMS WILL BECOME BOUND ITEMS AND CAN NOT BE USED BY OTHERS]

    "eh?"

    Raith was shocked by the sudden message, he cocked his head at the message. Not being spared a moment, the boots'' golden color faded and like a corruption, a ck hue spread on it, turning the boot to a pitch-ck one that now rhymed with Raith''s dress. It was the same with the earrings.

    "I supposed you are done with your preparation." The ant who had been amusingly watching Raith spoke, raising his chin.

    He opened his fingers and they protruded into a sharp ck and long w, unhuman in every form one looked at it.

    "My king...per-mit me to¨C

    Wham!

    Kortopi mmed a rotating 360 kick on the purplish ck ant that crept out of the dark part of the wall to the left of the ant king.

    Even though it blocked the attack, the ant was sent flying back into the darkness, and with a resounding thudding sound, it was certain that he would have been embedded in a wall.

    Raith turned his face back to the ant king who also just watched one of his subordinates get mmed¨C this was the first time since they had been born, the first time that they will receive a hit.

    "I am not surprised. Seeing that he killed my subordinate..."

    "uh uh..." Raith shook his head, "No, don''t be mistaken. He wasn''t the one." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The ant king flinched unnoticeably, he was displeased by Raith''s ims but hid it.

    The thought of there being another person that was strong enough to kill his subordinate apart from this one irritated him. Until now, he believed himself to be the only king there is, especially after receiving a name from a certain unknown individual.

    He grimaced.

    "I care not whatever, do make sure to live up to my expectations of you." He widened his eye and ws and disappeared instantly ¨C he swiftly appeared before Raith, his ws so swift that he cut down three shes before Raith could react.

    Raith was dazed, he had all the subskills of [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] and knew very much that his reaction speed was different from normal because of these.

    ''This guy....''

    For the ant to be able to catch him off guard like it meant the ant was incredibly fast and not just fast too.

    "Tch..."

    The wound went deep and Raith couldn''t help but grit his teeth as he felt the tearing pain on his right torso, just that moment the pain was tremendously reduced.

    [You have been poisoned]

    "Kekekeee....my ws are imbued with lethal poisons, you can notst another three seconds against me." The ant chuckled eerily.

    Raith''s eyes got blurry that moment, he staggered left and right in an attempt of trying to find bnce and the world was as though it was spinning. Dying wasn''t his fear, he of all people knew he would wake up again.

    In fact, Raith did not think he would die. This was far too little to get him killed.

    [Due to the UNDEFEATED KING BODY CONSTITUTION you have resisted the poison effect]

    [You have resisted the poison effect]

    "Argh!"

    Raith let off a groan and stopped moving, he lowered his upper body and swung the sword toward the back with finesse, the tip of the de pointing to his back.

    He closed his eyes for a moment.

    "Now, Bal, let''s do this..." He muttered softly, his eyes still closed and his upper body lowered towards the front.

    "Ah, finally you have learned to be polite."

    The ant king wiped his mischievous grin off his face and looked at Raith with a scowl.

    ''This guy should be writhing in pain by now...'' He thought in his head and narrowed his eyes the secondter. It was because a thick aura began to escape from Raith.

    He sharply jumped back.

    "As if that will matter!"

    SLASH

    Raith executed a masterful swing, leaving a diagonal streak of the thin ck line as his sword surged upwards with an evoking sense of awe¨C the distance did not matter, in a gruesome disy, the ant''s left torso ruptured up to the stomach, violently separating into two distinct halves as a shower of green colored blood sttered in all directions.

    "Hiieekekk..." The ant king gritted his teeth, letting out an ant-like screech.

    Raith narrowed his eyes as he saw the ant''s torso join back together immediately and heal up real fast such that there was no sign of wound in the next three seconds.

    Raith chuckled unbelievably.

    "It seems this will be harder than I thought"

 Chapter 184 The Ant King (2)

    ?

    With a resounding thud Raith finallynded on a t surface, tiled in fact and that made him wondered how much of knowledge these ants possesed to be able to do this. He saw the way the red ant was behaving the other time and from that alone had presumed that they were a formidable life forms that somehow have been able to evolve.

    But that was expected of high rank gates, just like the S rank gates he was in three days ago. The red elves, the red orcs and the wyverns©\ they all were brilliant life forms.

    So this wasn''t exactly surprising, but the fact that they were ants tempted to draw his interest and curiosity everytime he thought about it. He longed to see their king even before he pushed the door in front of him opened.

    Revealing to his eyes was a dark room, wide in length and bread and with a dark atmosphere, there was nothing spectacr although the intricate designs and carvings on the wall were to be noted and the statue of arms that were situated around the wall were a spectacle.

    But Raith had seen even more beautiful design from monsters, and with what was in this room, he couldn''t spare another thought for evaluation of the room. No, not when there was this magnifying presence in front of him.

    Raith''s sense ofparison naturally kicked, he began to wonder which monster was of equal match between the monster in this room and all the monsters he had faced,

    ''Briceus... no''

    It was not that Briceus was not strong but Briceus was a rather different being and it wouldn''t do justice to lump him with the leagues of monsters.

    The presence in front of him was pure primitive, ragged and enormous¨C ba-dum

    ba-dum

    ba-dum

    Enormous enough to cause his heart to race, for the first time Raith was gripped by two feelings that he could not settle for one¨C the excitement of fear and the excitement of battle. As much as the thing in front of him was tremendously powerful Raith could sense an Intimidation exuding from it¨C others would have cowered in fear but Raith was gripped by excitement, having his heart forged in battles over the past few months were indeed a good thing.

    If not there''s no way he would react to such a situation like this¨C with joy, great feeling of joy, like a mad man a grin spread across his face.

    [MULTIPLE COGNITIVE RESONANCE] had also done a good job in keeping him informed of the ant''s might even though he had not clearly seen its form, all sought of information had entered his head the moment he entered the gloomy but grand pce.

    "Are you the strongest human?" The thick voice reverberated through out the walls of the pces as the king took closer steps to Raithing out of the darkness.

    Raith was bewildered, what he expected not what he saw.

    A white haired human with pale skin, grey eyes, all his features were exactly like a human, he found it very hard to believe that this monster was a ant.

    [You are using Appraisal]

    [Target Status]

    Name: Dharma

    Monster type: Evolved Soldier Ant

    Level: 211

    HP: 210,578/210,578

    Magic points(MP): 11,321/11,321

    [Skills]

    - The sin of pride

    - Maximum Defense(passive)

    - Brain Eater(Active)

    - Fire Charge(active)<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    - Icicle(active)

    - Wind st(active)

    - Torrent(Active)

    ''It''s a named monster''

    The monster senuored him in level, HP and even magic energy.

    ''How is a monster like this so strong?''

    Although the second skill on the lost did catch his attention but it was disgusting to want and it also exined the reason while humans head were being harvested. He didn''t want anything to do with defenses so the rest of the monster''s skill was not particrly interesting to him, not when he now even had an ice skill too and could do magic.

    "I have a question for you." Raith spoke, not minding that the ant had asked him a question before now.

    The ant''s white brows lowered.

    "I asked you a question first."

    "Calm down, I will answer your question. There are more pressing matters." Raith responded, darting a straight face into the ant''s eyes. The ant could tell that he was not mere¨C not with the intimidating aura that he exuded.

    "This clothe, it is not from this world, is it?"

    The ant scrunched up its eyes.

    "You are a peculiar human. I am yet to meet any like you. I have eaten the brains of humans from that world and this world and I am yet to find a human that is aware of the presence of both worlds..." The ant smiled widely, "I can''t wait to eat your brain." He said with a thinned in pupil, looking like a crazy bastard.

    ''He said two worlds.''

    "You mean Therut?" Raith asked, to be sure since he of all people knew there exist more than two worlds.

    The ant''s eyes glinted with ecstasy, "You must be a native of that ce of you know the name. Did you perhaps escape to this ce like my master?"

    "Your master?"

    "In due time, the world of Therut shall know destruction, after being away for so long. He has finallye back to wreck havoc on the world and destroy the archons."

    Raith squinted his eyes, ''...a ruler? If the person that named him is a ruler, and a native of Therut, then¨C

    His eyes widened.

    There are still a lot of people whom he cared about in Therut. He couldn''t stand still and watch the world go in ruins. Was what ran through his mind, but immediately a coldness seeped into his heart as he thought about those people.

    Now, he felt more at peace than ever.

    ''...I don''t really care... they can all perish.'' The thoughts in his head resonated a cold red aura, that gently seeped out of his eyes as he locked them with the ants eyes and opened his hand.

    The ck. ring crawled towards his palm.and materialized to form a beautiful ck sword.

    "You too... go on." the sword said to the ring in his finger.

    [You have equipped

 Chapter 185 The Ant King (3)

    ?

    Without warning, the ant propelled itself into the air, its movement so swift that Raith barely had time to react. In the blink of an eye, the ant closed the distance between them, it''s intent clear and menacing.

    As the first sh descended upon Raith, his instincts kicked in, prompting him to execute a quick backstep, narrowly evading the lethal strike. The anticipation of an immediate counterattack surged within him, but before his sword could even rise, the ant''s hand was already descending upon him once more. The astonishing speed at which the ant moved left Raith bewildered, questioning the limits of its physical capabilities.

    Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!

    Raith''s agile form weaved through the air, his body a blur of motion as he deftly evaded the onught of shing attacks. His keen eyes scanned the battlefield, anticipating the next move of his formidable opponent. Each cut aimed in his direction was met with a calcted evasion, his movements guided by perfect analysis of [Multiple Cognitive Resonance], starting from [Metavision] that urately takes in information in their best form, processing the best possible action that can be taken based on the bodyposition and the actions taken over time, to [Ultra Instincts] smelling the primitive monster''s amazing sense of battle which by the way is a big difficulty for Raith and [Thought eleration] finally makes all these happen in less than a second.

    No matter the angle from which the ant attacked, Raith''s reactions were lightning-fast. His body twisted, ducked, and sidestepped with remarkable precision, evading each shing motion by a hair''s breadth. The air crackled with the sound of metal slicing through space as Raith defied the odds, narrowly escaping certain death time and time again.

    Whish!! Whish! Wham!

    As the exchange continued, something began to change¨C Raith''s mind raced, analyzing the ant''s patterns and searching for weaknesses in its seemingly imprable defense.

    Of course, this was the overall skill description of [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] but something was different this time as the skill was pushed to its limit because of the ant''s king''s vast physical capabilities.

    Each dodge provided a fleeting opportunity, a momentary gap in the ant''s relentless assault. With every narrow escape, Raith''s determination grew, his focus sharpening, and his resolve to ovee this seemingly insurmountable opponent solidifying.

    [Congrattions]

    [Skill Progression has increased]

    [''Multiple Cognitive Resonance'' has gained one level]

    [All subskills have gained ten levels]

    Not minding the message that appeared in front of his eyes, Raith continued to move but his movements became better, sharper, faster, he could feel himself pushing farther and better than he was already. With a fluidity that bordered on artistry, Raith moved like water. His anticipation senses transcended from just his eyes to his whole body, it was as though his whole body had eyes on them that were on the lookout for the ant''s attack.

    Raith never had a difficult time dodging the ant from the beginning, it was as easy as snapping his fingers, but what he did have an issue with was the ant''s speedy movement, however, now it had be easy¨C just too easy.

    The ant had been unable tond any clean strike on Raith not to say the annoying look of pity that Raith gave him as he weaved his way through its attacks.

    Raith''s dodges had now reached a harmonious rhythm with the ant''s movement and thus that calm expression just found its way to his face.

    The ant''s movement once blinding quick now seemed to unfold in slow motion before Raith''s quick eyes and all that happened without him needing to increase his speed stat.

    His eyes had gotten very better, he could even see the minuscule adjustment in its stance that signaled its intent, making each dodge a mere formality, an effortless shift of his body to evade the ant''s desperate attempts tond a blow.

    A subtle smile curled on his lips as he saw and seized the perfect moment, a moment that he had seen way before it began the ant began to y it out, his muscles coiled like a predator about to strike as Raith in a swift pivotunched a counter-attack of his own.

    Raith''s sword surged forward, letting off a faint white gleaming streak as the ck steel aimed unerringly at the ant''s exposed nk. The force behind his strike was formidable and was a true testament to his mastery over the momentum of battle.

    CLANG!! <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The sh of steel reverberated through the air as his de met the ant''s exoskeleton and bounced out due to the ant''s extraordinary skin, but both their hands shook with tremors from the force of the attack.

    The ant, caught off guard by Raith''s sudden reversal, faltered for a split second but immediately rposed itself.

    "It seems to me..." the ant king hissed, his voice dripping with disdain, "...that I have underestimated your abilities."

    Raith met the ant king''s gaze with an icy stare, his facial expression shrouded in darkness.

    His voice resonated with a chilling intensity, "Underestimation is amon mistake, one that leads to downfall. You will be wise to remember that."

    The ant king''s lips curled in amusement, "How interesting, you are different from the humans I have met. Tell me human? What drives you? Why do you fight? I have eaten many human brains and I have been blessed with their memories, definition of reason. Normally I don''t hold conversations like this but you have proven yourself worthy, hence I shall grant you the chance of a sensible conversation with me. Do you perhaps fight for justice? like the lie, many tell themselves or is it a misguided belief in the worthiness of your cause?"

    Raith smirked, his lips curling with a hint of derision.

    "Justice? Worthiness? Such concepts are feeble attempts to impose order upon chaos. I fight for myself, for the power that courses through my veins, for failure, and for the love of death. I fight for the satisfaction of knowing I am not above the trivialities of morality as defined by human society."

    "You are a fool, I expected more of you but in the end, you are just like the others I have eaten. A ve to your selfish desires, blind to the potential for greatness that lies beyond humanity. You choose to wallow in the shadows, ignorant of the light that could elevate you beyond your pitiful existence."

    Raith chuckled, "Light? More than anyone, I have seen the flickering mes of hope and witnessed their inevitable snuffing. Greatness beyond humanity? Sure I will admit that, but a great such as that is merely an illusion, what use is holding unto a false glimmer that blinds one to his insignificance? I choose not to be shackled by such delusions. I am content with myself. Nothing more, nothing less..."

    The ant king''sughter filled the air, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Raith''s spine.

    "Your cynicism is a defense mechanism. But mark my words, human darkness may provide power, but it will ultimately consume you. It is a path that leads to ruin. Choose the light, embrace the light as I have, with the light you can touch that which you define as an illusion. You can be much more¨C you can be sacrificial, and not self-conceited, you can fight for the good of the world.

    Raith was already getting irritated by the conversion, ''What does a monster know about light?'' He furrowed his brow in an irritated re, as he raised his sword both of them came together in the blink of an eye with a defeating metallic sound as Raith''s sword shed with the ant''s extraordinary ws.

    "I am the definition of ruined and so it does not matter anymore to me. Power is my currency, all I care about and I will wield it in reckless abandon, not that I expect a godforsaken monster to understand that. Why I am having this kind of conversation with you in the first ce."

    Raith''s scowl deepened as he and the ant were sent flying back, their sh of weapons generating a storm of sparks. Without missing a beat, they darted towards each other once more, locked in a battle that transcended words.

    As their weapons shed again, the ant king frowned a sinister expression that sent chills down Raith''s spine.

    "In your pursuit for power, you fail to see the greater tapestry that the light can bring. You pursue power within the confines of humanity when you should embrace the more, it is why you cannot but have a shallow grip on the darkness which you exalt so much."

    Raith didn''t reply and just unleashed several series of swift and calcted blows aimed at exploiting the ant''s vulnerabilities. His sword whirled through the air, a blur of lethal grace, as he sought to dismantle his adversary''s defenses

    "I sense you are a human blinded by arrogance, unable toprehend the depth and richness of the world that exists beyond your self-centered ambitions. Power may be your currency, but your grip on it is so shallow and you don''t even know it. ept the light!" The ant king jumped back as it parried Raith''s strikes.

    Raith paused and looked at the ant cocking his head, "Hey, are you mad? did youe here to fight or to talk?"

 Chapter 186 Six Demon Sword

    ?

    "I have never met a human like you, you have the potential to be much more, we can be allies fighting side by side under the guidance of the true light that is beyond humanity. I have seen him, I have seen his power. He is the light of the world, the only one that can save the world of Therut and this world."

    Raith finally understood the ant king''s perspective.

    ''This bastard got named and thinks his namer is the good one, the savior of some sort.''

    Raith pointed his hand to me, "I don''t care whatever, if you talk again I will slice off your head without hesitation." He warned him with an intense re as he readied his sword.

    "How about we get serious now, Bal?"

    "Ah, ah, I thought you were never going to ask!"

    "And so how do I use these skills?" Raith sought politely.

    "The difference between the hidden skills I showed you and my normal sword skill... if you have noticed those hidden skills belonged to my first user, although my memory is still a bit hazy. I know a few things. They are skills that you have to pick, they can be the one thing we share... when I''m in your hands they are yours."

    ''...and when you are not?''

    "Master it enough first. Then nothing much will matter when I''m not in your hands. Do you n on abandoning me?"

    ''...No, never. I just find relying on others a bother.''

    "Whatever, focus on this goddamn talkative in front of you."

    "I offer you a chance of power, I offer you the light but you are just too ignorant. What do I do with you? I don''t want you to die like other humans." The ant king''s countenance fell as he lowered his head in sorrow. "Well, you will live on in me after I consume your brain"

    fuuuuuuu

    The ant king''s eyes widened as Raith let out steam through his mouth while exhaling softly. With that seemingly insignificant action, the air around changed drastically and the ant king who was quite sensible to changes couldn''t help but notice it.

    He naturally shut his mouth and frown so hard that his veins were showing on his forehead, he wed his hand and protruded his sharp ws even longer and sharper than before, preparing himself for the worst oue.

    "Six demon sword..."

    WHISH

    ck smoke swirled around the sword as Raith stood his stance, exuding a quiet confidence. He inhaled deeply again taking in the ethereal essence of the darkness and then.

    WHAM!

    "First demon"

    The ant lunged forward with its ws shing through the air as soon as it felt that tingling that told it that Raith was about to execute a dangerous attack¨C but Raith met his attack head-on, both of them met in the middle of their distance, Raith sidestepped with an uninterrupted and perfectly fluid motion, his footwork was like mirroring the elegant dance of the moonlight in still waters.

    His sword arced through the air, surging with an enormous tide of ck aura that sted out with the air impact as Raith''s sword stopped at the ant''s neck before the ant could even react.

    He was meaning to cut off its head with one strike but the ant''s exoskeleton was tougher than he thought. But Raith gave no thought to it, he was just going to try again.

    "Second demon"

    The next arc carved out with a silvery light that cut through the darkness, leaving the epitome of brilliance in its wake, captivated by the beauty of his speed the ant did not even know when Raith had retracted his hand and lunged another strike that now buried in its midsection.

    But the ant''s defense was still as impressive.

    "Third demon"

    The ant''s eyes gleamed as Raith lowered his body and bent his de in a winding motion along with his body as he danced around the ant in a flowing pattern, cutting everything in his path till he was behind the ant.

    It was so serene that nothing was felt, apart from the ck smoke that flowed with every pattern like a remnant of its dreadfulness, the ant didn''t even know when Raith passed it.

    Even with that much, only small dents appeared on the ant king''s skin¨C although his clothes were torn. The dents appeared on his skin like one was persistently trying to hit a certain part of the wall¨C that small carving.

    The ant immediately, with widened eyes spun backward, darting towards Raith, it had now known better than to give him a breathing space. Its ws shed forward like lightning aimed at Raith''s face, intending to crush everything with one grip.

    "Fourth demon"

    With a swift spin away from his line of attack, Raith evaded the ant''s ws, simultaneously releasing a rapid session of shes twisting his sword and body in a flowing fashion¨C and urately executing all multiple blows sessfully, with the shing sound of his sword and the ant''s exoskeleton reverberating through the enclosure in a symphony of echoes. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The ant stumbled back, amazed by the beautiful swordsmanship that Raith was executing but couldn''t dare to spare a moment to talk about it¨C else it wanted Raith to sessfully harvest its own head instead.

    Gritting its teeth wildly, itunched itself as Raith pierced forward for the next attack¨C

    "Fifth demon"

    The atmosphere seem like it was responding to Raith''s swordsmanship, as he prepared for the fifth demonic sword, tension fell on the atmosphere, slowing down the pace of the ant that had already paced, it was as if the darkness behind it was pulling it back.

    With a resolute breath, Raith unleashed a devastating move, his sword traced an arc in the air, and in a blinding sh the de connected with the ant king, severing its arm in a shower of green ichor.

    The ant was left bewildered, it was still in the air when its arm had flown off and didn''t even have enough time to react, Raith''s speed transcended all of its skills.

    It leaped several steps in careful observation of Raith and the extraordinary ck sword he was holding.

    "A sword capable of cutting through my imprable defense. How amusing." He said and looked at his hand.

    "But all that endeavor is useless..."

    He said and¨C

    Wham!

    His hand grew out fully instantly.

    "Of course, I was expecting that," Raith stated.

    He wasn''t done.

    ''With thatst strike, I now understand how the attack power works.'' Raith narrowed his gaze as he got ready to unleash theplementing strike of the Six Demon sword.

    The mistake anyone would have made was to think the Six Demon sword was all but a sword technique.

    Raith knew it at a nce of the skill info. The main objective of this skill is to bring one into the realm of focus.

    However that is done by the guidance of several sword strikes that calls together all the faculties of focus of the swordsman to one point and by the time thest sword strike is unleashed, one passes that boundary of natural focus and enters a realm that naturally is unreachable to human.

    Raith didn''t know this much but knew at the very least that being in that realm of focus was the true aim of The Six Demon sword. And perhaps, it will now influence the use of other sword skills.

    "Sixth demon"

    "Damn, you human!!!" The ant king shouted, tearing through the air towards Raith and bing a blur as he moved, he was super fast and was even pushing himself beyond his limit in order to ovee that helplessness he felt before Raith''s sword.

    As Raith his first step, all the lower levels of the enclosure immediately became murky¨C he charged towards the ant with a deafening speed sound, sting away in a straight line like a fired bullet. He released a horizontal sh that was covered in the murk¨C the ant shed at him thinking that his sword did not reach it but Raith''s image faded into the air as he appeared behind the ant king who caught nothing.

    "An afterimage? Did he move faster than I could perceive in that split second, fast enough to leave an afterimage?" The ant asked himself.

    Stter!!

    Only a few secondster did green blood stter out of its side, raining showers around it.

    ''What?'' The ant king was bbergasted, ''I could swear I didn''t see him cut me!''

    He didn''t understand what was happening. Because of Raith''s ck sword hiding within the murk that suddenly fill the lower levels as heunched the sixth demonic sword strike, the ant was unable to perceive the sword or see iting which made it feel like Raith missed.

    But that was the least of its concern right now.

    [You have entered the realm of absolute focus ''SAMADHI'']

    [You are in the state of SAMADHI]

    The ant slowly turned with its shoulders trembling as it absorbed the image of Raith behind his back.

    Raith was standing with both of his hands gripping his sword whose tip was almost kissing the ground.

    He was different, even by looks¨C the veins already on his forehead seemed like they were all going to escape, and the pupil in his eyes had disappeared leaving only the white sclera. Not to say the dignified presence that he carried.

 Chapter 187 The State Of Samadhi

    ?

    Often the human senses they say are bound by limitations. Ultimate focus without an iota of distraction is impossible even for geniuses who are known for their focus on a particr thing among humans it is impossible for them to reach that point. That point that their senses abandon the world and transcend into a realm that is beyond humanprehension, where one''s perception ispared to that of a celestial.

    The Realm of Focus, Samadhi is a deep state of meditation and absorption where the human''s consciousness merges with the object of their focus, leading to a state of profound unity and transcendence.

    It is often described as a state of pure bliss, where the individual experiences aplete cessation of ordinary thought processes and enters a state of oneness with the divine or cosmic consciousness.

    This realm is also said to be the natural dwelling ce of higher beings like Asuras, Guardinals, and angels, should they decide to get serious. It was easy for them to enter into but is always achieved for the first time through intense concentration, rigorous spiritual practices, and mastery of their minds.

    It allows them to go beyond the boundaries of the ego and experience a direct connection with the divine or cosmic reality. A realm of focused awareness and concentration that surpasses ordinary capabilities, enabling individuals to tap into profound spiritual insights and experiences.

    That was the state that Raith was now in.

    The ant king, once filled with unwarranted confidence, now quivered in the face of Raith''s overwhelming presence. It could no longer deny the magnitude of the situation, as the air itself seemed topress, creating an oppressive force that weighed upon its trembling form.

    "Kkiieeeeeekkk"

    A high-pitched screech erupted from the ant king''s throat, a primal cry of fear that betrayed the humane appearance he was carrying.

    With a burst of fiery energy, the ant king unleashed a torrent of mes, its hands thrust forward in a desperate attempt to regain control. The searing inferno surged forth, aimed at Raith with malicious intent.

    "Stride of the wind god."

    Raith streaked across the expanse with unparalleled swiftness in an instant, tearing the air with a resounding sonic boom that separated the mes instantaneously.

    The ant''s eyes widened at Raith''s sudden appearance before it could react¨C

    "Heavenly Destruction... Devil sh!"

    With an imperceptible yet swift movement, Raith''s sword zed forth, tracing a meticulously precise horizontal line across the ant''s neck as he gracefully strode past.

    "Kkieeeeekkkk" The ant shrieked, holding its neck quickly and jumping as far away from Raith as possible.

    ''His sword cut through my strong neck so easily! How?!'' His eyes shivered while he wandered in midair¨C halfway tonding.

    "Waves Of Destruction"

    WHAM!

    Raith dashed forward at high speed carving out the ground in his wake and as the antnded he was already in front of it, their forms were enveloped in a swirling of inky ckness that danced around both of them as Raith began to execute tortuous arcs, seamlessly transitioning between multiple directions.

    Each strike was from a pivotal angle struck with unwavering uracy, cleaving through the ant''s skin effortlessly and without impediment.

    Raith''s relentless assault left the ant monster helpless, its attempts to defend itself futile against his perfect sword execution.

    "Kkiieeeeeeekkkkk"

    It screamed again, desperate to get out of the vortex that Raith had trapped it in, it threw its ws in a frenzy¨C was vexed it more was the fact that the deep wounds that were now scattered all over its body looked like they havee to stay.

    ''Why?! Why?! Why?!!! Why can''t I regenerate like before!!''

    "What have you done to meeee?!!!!"

    The ant shouted but Raith did not respond, his strikes continued unabated, and the rhythmic sound of steel meeting flesh reverberated through the battlefield as the ants sessfully blocked some and many escaped its ws or cut through it.

    In a final sh, Raith''s sword Bal carved through the air with serene beauty, an exhibition of a perfect blend of strength and speed¡ª the world seemed to hold its breath as the ck de connected with the ant''s neck. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Time appeared to slow, allowing the moment to unfold in exquisite detail. The moon''s gentle light illuminated the scene, casting a serene glow upon the battlefield.

    Silently, the ant king''s head separated from its body, a spray of blood painting the air like an ethereal brushstroke. The severed head tumbled through the air, as its life force faded away.

    The once formidable and proud creature, lifelessly crumbled to the ground.

    Raith expunged a great deal of blood from his mouth as he jacked out of the state he was in, his pupils finding their way back to his eyes immediately.

    His breathing slowly steadied and the message appeared in front of him.

    [You have overpowered a serf of the ruler of pride]

    [You have gained a Hubris Fragment]

    A ck stone rose from the ant and Raith grabbed it.

    He looked at it.

    "There''s nothing special about this though." He mumbled and was about to put it into his inventory when he gave it a second thought and looked at it again.

    [You are using Appraisal]

    [Item Info]

    Name: Hubris Fragment

    Rarity: A

    Description: A runestone with the skill of pride in it. You can obtain the skill by breaking the stone but once you break the stone your location will be avable to the ruler of pride at all times.

    ''Wow... As a ruler of greed, isn''t it abnormal that I should have a skill from another ruler''

    [NORMALLY IT SHOULD BE]

    [SIMPLY SPEAKING IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ONE MAN TO BEAR MORE THAN ONE SIN]

    [SUCH MAN CAN BE CAPABLE OF WORLD DESTRUCTION BUT BEFORE THAT WILL HAPPEN SUCH A MAN WILL SELF-DESTRUCT]

    [BUT WITH ME, IT IS POSSIBLE]

    [OBTAININ HIS SKILL IS A FIRST STEP]

    [THE MOMENT YOU HAVE THE SKILL OF PRIDE, YOU BECOME ELIGIBLE TO BE A RULER OF PRIDE¡ª HENCE HE WILL COME FINDING YOU TO TAKE BACK WHAT IS HIS]

    [DO YOU KNOW WHAT MAKES THE RULER OF GREED SO UNIQUE?]

    [NO...? HIS GREEDY?]

    [EXACTLY]

    [WE SHALL COVET AND TAKE WHAT IS HIS]

 Chapter 188 Apocalypse Of Therut (1)

    ?

    "What do you mean?!! What nonsense is this?!!"

    "I am sorry your majesty. No hero will heed our call. This strange urrence is happening everywhere around the world." A man dded in golden armor with a big physique replied to the crimson-haired man standing opposite him donned in a white royal suit.

    The Emperor of the Pomei Empire, the older brother of Prince Andres clenched his fist tightly with his brows lowered and brimming with anger.

    He tried to understand the point of view of the heroes association and how they had to deal with this crisis in other parts of the empire and more importantly outside but seeing his pce infested with monsters and with so few heroes to stop them was annoying to him.

    If not for his brother only God knows what would have happened. Prince Andres was skillfully holding back the order of ck humanoid monsters that surged out of the gates, and attacked them like barbarians¨C other minor animals such as goblins, and kobolds could also be seen jumping out of the gate but the trained soldiers were enough to deal with all these.

    The Emperor tore off the thick red cloak on his shoulders.

    "Kathan, get me, Tempest."

    "Your majesty. We should move you to a safe location. Joining the battle is not a wise decision."

    "Don''t tell me what is and what is not a wise decision Kathan GET ME TEMPEST."

    "Yes, your majesty."

    The man hurried away while the Emperor himself from the balcony of his throne room looked down at the crowd of monsters that all the knights and empire soldiers were dealing with. They had little soldiers and knights to their aid because a majority of them were immediately deployed to the capital, to protect other people. But never did he think that the number of these gates would increase tremendously the moment the soldiers were sent off.

    If he was to put it into words.

    ''...is there a man behind this. Did he wait for me to send the soldiers away before bringing more portals? Perhaps to kill me?''

    The Emperor thought that far but shook his head. The idea of a man being behind such a magnanimous phenomenon is too vague. Therut is filled with several things but a man this powerful is bound to have been discovered very early.

    His problem which even he doesn''t know about was that¨C he was still thinking within the confines of the small world which he thinks is big enough.

    Every inhabitant of Therut believes they are the only world to exist, and so a lot is still umon sense to them. What they wouldn''t understand.

    "Your majesty" The General came with a long mberge on arge red pillow.

    The Emperor immediately grabbed the golden hilt of the sword, as he lifted it, the crimson-wavy de glinted under the sunlight.

    "What about our guests?"

    "Communication with them has been lost as it is, we don''t know what is going on with them," Kathan replied.

    "It looks like this is the end of the world. But we will survive this just live every other crisis. You continue to find a way to reach our esteemed guest, while you leave Andre and I and the other knights to take care of this disaster."

    He said, flying off the balcony and causing a tremendous ground shake as hended amidst the monsters. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Brother!! You should not be here!"

    "Don''t tell me where I should and should not be Andre, focus!"

    The Emperor said as he swiftly movedpletely severing a goblin''s head from its neck.

    Prince Andres shook his head, he wished the guy would just take the protection but knowing him, he probably won''t. He was after all the finest knight when their father was alive, at the age of 22 he was already a level S hero.

    However, five yearster he remains a level S hero of the throne archon because he had never really had time for advancement quests. But he was no slouch still.

    The Emperor''s sword went aze with fire just like his brother''s, with each swing, he unleashed a furor of devastation, his presence became a source of inspiration for the valiant knights that were already getting tired since they had been fighting these monsters for the past five hours. The air crackled with anticipation as the monsters bore witness to the Emperor''s wrath.

    Around fifty knights, high esteemed bastion of courage including Andres rallied around their noble leader. Their weapons shimmered in the sunlight as their heart was filled with unyielding determination now that the Emperor was amidst them. They moved as one, a symphony of precision and might, their battle cries shaking the very ground.

    As another wave of the monstrous horde closed in, the knights engaged with unwavering resolve. Their des found their targets with deadly precision, severing limbs and spilling foul blood.

    Goblins fell as autumn leaves before a gust of wind, their grotesque bodies crumbling beneath the might of the knights'' onught.

    Prince Andre danced amidst the chaos, his movements a mesmerizing blur. His Longsword cut through the air with the grace of a master dancer, leaving trails of fire in its wake. Each stroke was a testament to his unmatched skill and the righteous mes that burned within him. Monsters fell before him, consumed by the scorching yellow ze of the justice archon.

    But the tide of monsters seemed unending, their onught unforgiving. As lizardmen charged with primal fury, their hissing cries filled the air. The knights, their armor battered and their bodies weary, continued to fight on with unyielding determination. Their swords shed with fangs and ws, their shields withstanding the onught.

    Just when the knight''s morale seemed like it was all going down, the Emperor himself amidst the zing afternoon began to unleash his skills; fighting like the god of fire himself.

    His mberge zed brighter than the sun, reducing the monsters to ash with each swing. The battlefield became a canvas of destruction, the monsters'' twisted forms consumed by the cleansing mes.

    The fire was a unique trait to the royal family of Pomei, it did not matter what archon chooses them, their dust is bound to take on the form of a yellow me although the specifics of the abilities of their mes always end up very distinct.

    Even with the Emperor''s godly disys, the knights continued to suffer devastating losses. A once exquisite pce known to be one of the wonders of Therut was now left in the arms of a demeaning ruin.

    The earth trembled beneath the weight of the battle, each fallenrade was a somber reminder of the cost of their noble cause.

    Yet, they pressed on, their spirits unbroken, their resolve unyielding. For they fought not only for themselves but for the Empire¡ª to protect their great ruler.

    "How amusing," the voice sneered. "That you honorable humans wouldy down your lives for such frivolous pursuits. These vague notions of honor and righteousness, how they amuse me. What pitiful creatures you are, clinging to your futility and lies."

    He towered over the battlefield in a ck cloak, with a horn protruding out of his head. His presence wasmanding and radiating malevolence. A twisted grin yed upon his lips as he looked down at the Emperor.

    "Shall we end this?"

 Chapter 189 Apocalypse Of Therut (2)

    ?

    Like they had not had enough the circr portals filling the air around them began to vomit more monstrosity¨C their twisted forms were adorned with razor-sharp ws and jagged fangs.

    With a thunderous roar and the ground shaking, a towering ogre jumped out of the portal, swinging its massive club in an arc as it emerged. A brave knight, his eyes aze with determination even though his armor was full of scratches immediately stepped forth to face the monster. But before his sword could find its mark, the ogre''s club crashed down with bone-crushing force, ending the knight''s valiant existence in a spray of crimson.

    "Aarhgggghh Das!!" Prince Andre screamed, it had happened so fast that no one could react.

    The ogre advanced towards the Emperor who was taken aback by this creature. They had fought several monsters, ogres included but not one this big, its bloated belly resembling a grotesque mound of rotundity jutted forward with each step the monster took.

    It wasing closer to the Emperor, but another knight got in its way, two of them actually. Blocking its way to the Emperor with eyes full of determination to protect, yet to avenge.

    The ogre made a pause, its dark sagging, bby skin hung in loose folds, bearing the marks of time and indulgence. With beady eyes, small in proportion to its massive head¨C peered out from beneath a heavy brow, looking down at the small humans in front of it.

    The ogre raised its club defiantly towards the sky¡ªthe knights, their hearts filled with honor and perhaps a touch of foolishness¨C believing they could withstand the devastating blow of such a colossal monster.

    They braced themselves, taking a stance of readiness, preparing to block the impending strike. But as the ogre''s club descended upon them, a deafening sonic boom pierced the air, shattering the tranquility. The impact was merciless, delving a web of cracks into the earth and transforming the knights into nothing more than stters of blood.

    In the presence of chaos and despair, the ogre was not all they had to worry about.

    "How horrendous"

    Thud!

    Amid this chaos and despair, the ogre was not the sole threat they had to worry about.

    Another presence emerged,nding between the ogre and the Emperor with a resounding thud. Slowly, the figure removed the hood of its cloak, revealing dark-scaled skin, piercing green eyes, and a grotesque horn. A grin spread across its face, exposing shark-like teeth as it locked eyes with the man before it

    "Oh my, oh my, will you look at this? Alex, you were but a mere child thest time I saw you," the figure spoke with a growling voice, though a rxed and jovial undertone apanied its words. A slight giggle escaped its lips. "You have grown so much... I''ve been up there, watching you for a while." The figure nced briefly towards the top of the building, a nod to its previous observation point.

    It wasn''t a lie seeing that he just jumped down.

    What was more fantastical to note was the fact that all the monsters around halted as hended¨C even the ogre.

    "Who are you?" Emperor Alexander asked, attempting to step forward but Prince Andres and the other knights immediately encircled him, shielding him from this enigmatic and foreboding individual.

    A mockingly exaggerated sigh escaped the figure''s lips. "How sad, I am hurt. You do not remember me? Your esteemed teacher?" With arms outspread, the figure''s words carried an air of irony.

    The Emperor squinted his eyes, suspicion brewing within him. Though the appearance was altered, there remained a glimmer of familiarity beneath the unnatural exterior. As the pieces of the puzzle began to fit, the Emperor muttered in disbelief, "No way..."

    "Yes, way... It appears that your memory remains as brilliant and retentive as ever," the man dered, pointing towards his head, a subtle indication that his words were directed at Emperor Alexander. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Prince Andres cast a concerned nce at his brother, witnessing the tremors that shook his face and the chaos that reigned within his eyes.

    "Your Majesty?! Your Majesty?!" Prince Andres called out desperately, attempting to pull the Emperor back from the depths of his disarrayed thoughts.

    "BROTHER!"

    The final desperate cry pierced the air, jolting Emperor Alexander back to reality.

    As his gaze met the figure before him, a mixture of confusion and disbelief etched upon his features.

    "Why? Why are you here? What is your purpose?" Emperor Alexander''s voice wavered showing a reflection of the turmoil swirling within his mind.

    The figure chuckled eerily, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

    "What am I doing here? Oh,e now. Is that the way to greet your long-lost teacher, whom you believed to have perished over two decades ago?" His voice carried a hint of reproach as he yfully chided the Emperor.

    "You died... I saw you executed by the guillotine," Emperor Alexander stuttered, his voice twined with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

    A wicked smirk yed upon the figure''s lips, evoking an icy shudder that coursed through the Emperor''s being.

    "Indeed, indeed. I did die there... But, my dear Emperor, I imparted something to you. Death, as universal and ominous as it may appear, does not mark the end of all things."

    His words were a confirmation of the Emperor''s spection. Dread and disbelief intertwined within his gaze,mending the turmoil of unsettled emotions that churned within him.

    "No, no, no... this cannot be happening," the Emperor muttered, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and defiance.

    "Ah, my dear student, do not be so disheartened," the figure replied, with a hint of satisfaction tainting his tone.

    "I was blessed, some may call it a sin, but I consider it a pact with the devil. And today, I havee to liberate your world."

    The Emperor met his gaze head-on, his eyes reflecting the storm of conflicting emotions raging within. With a furrowed brow, he cast amanding re at the man before him, a silent demand for answers.

    "Did you unleash these monsters upon us?" he demanded.

    The figure''s gaze shifted toward the open portals, through which airborne monstrosities wreaked havoc upon thend. A mask of disappointment settled upon his countenance and his features etched with a grave seriousness.

    "I am ashamed, Alexander. To think that a student of mine would be socking..." The figure''s voice dripped with disdain and frustration, a hint of anger tightening the cords in his temple as he red at the Emperor. "All those years of training you to be astute, and only now do you suspect my handiwork? Or perhaps it is mere conjecture on your part? How foolish you are, Alexander. How utterly foolish."

 Chapter 190 A Fragment Of Truth

    ?

    ''It''s been a while since Kortopi has left, do I have to¨C

    Raith''s speech paused as he suddenly felt a familiar yet surging energy.

    It was the same darkness he was familiar with but for some reason, running amok in Kortopi who walked towards him with the ant''s head in his hands. He was battered with all sorts of wed marks but that slowly healed as he approached Raith.

    Reaching Raith''s front, he knelt on one leg and ced the head at his feet with a proud appearance.

    Raith looked down at the message that appeared before him.

    [Death soldier ''Kortopi'' has reached rank level limit]

    [Death soldier ''Kortopi'' is due for upgrade]

    ''Just how much did you die for you to level up so much?'' Raith looked at the humanoid golem with nt and sleek eyes gazing at him with pride and expectation. Like he wanted Raith to do the thing.

    [Will you allow an upgrade?]

    He had no reason to refuse, Kortopi was one of his favorite soldiers so he loved the idea that this guy was getting stronger.

    "Sure" he muttered.

    [Upgrading death soldier rank Lieutenant > Captain]

    A vortex of ck smoke thicker than any ck smoke that Raith had seen before now¨C enveloped Kortopi, swirling around him and forming a ball with Kortopi encapsted within it.

    Raith, surprised at this new development slowly touched the ball.

    ''Wow...''

    He couldn''t put his surprise into words. He could feel the energy frequency, he could feel the surge, as it permeated his body¨C it was as if the death soldier was being reborn in and out.

    In a few minutes, the ck ball began to melt away, and ck fog filled it as, slowly Kortopi stepped out and bowed before Raith again.

    [Soldier status]

    Name: Kortopi

    Level: 01/15

    Rank: Captain

    There was not much change to his status except the change of rank and his level reset. But Raith could tell that he had gotten stronger. His re alone was with a reformed resolve.

    "Now..." Raith said turning to the corpse of the ant king. He stepped closer to it and stopped as he sneered down at the corpse of the monstrosity that seemed like it once gave him a tough time.

    "He will undoubtedly be a strong soldier, maybe the strongest." Raith wondered beneath his lips still staring down at the monster.

    He sighed and rubbed his face with his palm taking a second of recess before facing the next ordeal before him.

    "Bal"

    "Yes," the sword''s arrogant voice resounded in his head.

    "I did defeat this thing without dying but for some reason, I feel this urge to die once at least before summoning it"

    "You are just a yandere whose love interest is death. You have be infested and obsessed with the love of dying."

    "So you are saying it is me? Because I''m used to dying?"

    "Tch, you havee this far. Certainly, you are stronger and that is why you could defeat that monster without dying once. Although you also have me to thank for arge portion of that feat, if you were never strong, you never would have been able to slice off its head or hinder its defenses.

    When you summon souls through the darkness, they respond to you because they respect you and you overwhelmingly power them. I can''t tell you what to do. But do what you must."

    "Such wise words from a scrap of metal?"

    "You are mad"

    Raith smiled as Bal returned to being a ring, sitting next to the ring of the helmet of the shadow god.

    Bal shook his head at the timid ego seeing that he wasn''t even used for long.

    Raith removed the golden sword from his inventory.

    "Here Ie... into your embrace," He said as he plunged the sword into his belly, pushing it till it came out of his back.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Bloof drooled from his mouth and¨C

    [You have died]

    [You have willingly fallen into the deep embrace of darkness]

    [Title ''I am suicidal'' has been upgraded to ''Death Yandere'']

    [Title effect, you will gain random stats points anytime you die without regrets]

    [You have gained a level]

    [You have gained a level]

    [You have gained 3 stats points]

    [Unique Passive skill DEVOURER has gained a new level]

    [You have devoured the head of the poison ant]

    [Poison resistance has been upgraded to Poison Nullification]

    "Hey pal"

    [WE SUSPECTED YOU]

    "Well, you did promise me that you will speak to me more honestly from now on."

    Raith sat crossed-legged in the thick darkness as the white tab floated before his eyes.

    [CONSIDERING THAT YOU HAVE SHOWN ME.YOUR GROWTH. WE SHALL GRANT YOU THREE ANSWERS. ASK WHATEVER YOU WANT]

    "Why me?"

    [IT WAS A COINCIDENCE, WE NEVER CHOSE YOU]

    "What do you mean you never chose me? How was I chosen then?"

    [WHAT WE MEAN BY IT WAS A COINCIDENCE IS IT WAS SIMPLY AND PURELY A COINCIDENCE]

    [AFTER FEL BETRAYED US, AND CREATED A FAKE WORLD WITH OTHER ARCHONS. HE THOUGHT HE HAD FINALLY BROKEN FREE FROM US AND SO WE TAUGHT HIM A LESSON BY KILLING HIM, BUT WE LEFT A POTION OF OURSELVES TO FIND A NEW VESSEL]

    [THE ARCHONS DON''T CHOOSE WHO TO DWELL, IT IS THE PONTIFICES THAT DESIGNATE THEM AS THEY DEEM FIT]

    "Wait! So you are saying, someone deliberately designated me to the death archon?!! Not that you chose me?!"

    [YOUR THREE QUESTIONS ARE UP]

    [YOU NEED NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT WHETHER A DESD.SOUL WILL ANSWER YOUR CALL. YOU ARE THE MASTER OF DARKNESS AND DEATH AFTER ALL]

    "Tsk..." Raith clicked his tongue as he dissipated into the darkness and opened his eyes to reality.

    "Master, wee back!"

    Crimson uttered, with the three of them on their knees.

    "Hmm... you guys are here too."

    "Yes master, we have finished the war on the surface and have annihted the ants, their carcasses have been gathered for you to make your soldiers."

    "Thank you but I think I will focus on this one first," Raith said, turning his head to the ant king.

    "Rejoice, brethren, we are about to receive a newrade," Crimson said, tapping the shoulder of Jarvis who was kneeling beside him.

    Raith stepped closer to the monster.

    He closed his eyes as he did when he was about to call Noir.

    "With my authority as an apostle of darkness and the ruler of greed, I call you. Rise"

    WHOOM!!

 Chapter 191 Apocalypse Of Therut (3): Hallan Lamar

    ?

    A sudden surge of cold air filled the enclosure, apanied by an eerie howl that sent shivers down the spine. Dark smoke slithered and spread, weaving an ominous presence around the area where the lifeless body of the ant kingy...

    Raith stood with his hands nonchntly tucked into his pockets, his anticipation palpable as he awaited the unfolding of events.

    Skkkkkrrrrttttt

    Abruptly, a sharp and eerie aura crackled into existence, piercing the air with chilling intensity. Raith''s eyes widened in response, his palm bing moist with sweat even as it remained hidden within his pocket.

    Jarvis, Crimson, and Kortopi instinctively leaped back, momentarily forgetting their soon-to-be-formed bond with theiringrade as they prepared tounch themselves at the monstrous entity.

    The dark smoke billowed, coiling and twirling, until from its depths materialized the ant king. However, the creature had shed its humanoid guise and reverted to its primitive form¡ª its pre-evolution state.

    Like the other two humanoid ants Raith had encountered, it possessed two elongated arms that hovered just above the ground. Its entire body exuded solid darkness, oozing ck smoke from every crevice, its surface adorned with menacing red cracks.

    Where itspound eyes once shimmered, now only empty sockets radiated with a white glow, exuding an aura of superiority and dominance.

    The ant king dropped to its knees, bowing in reverence to its master.

    "My king,"

    It intoned with a voice thick and intimidating, catching Raith off guard.

    The ant king was strong, stronger than any monster he had ever faced save Noir and the Egard-Hearl. But if he had faced the ant king before facing any of those two he wasn''t sure of his win, eventually, he would have but he couldn''t guess how much death it would have taken. More to say, this victory was owed to the improved Bal.

    A surge of excitement coursed through Raith''s sharpened senses, as every fiber of his being, resonated with the raw power that radiated from the ant king.

    [GIVE THE DEATH SOLDIER A NAME]

    Raith swallowed his spit to moisturize his dry throat while he thought of something genuine.

    "Since you are an ant, should we just go with Antares?"

    [DO YOU WANT TO NAME DEATH SOLDIER ANTARES?]

    "Yes"

    [NOTE THAT ANTARES IS THE NAME OF A CERTAIN DEMON AND THIS MAY INCUR TROUBLE IN THE FUTURE]

    "I don''t mind" A corner of his lips curled as he thought of the trouble he will be causing for himself.

    [YOU HAVE NAMED DEATH SOLDIER ANTARES]

    [Soldier status]

    Name: Antares

    Level: 01/30

    Rank: Major

    "Oh oh, same rank with Noir. Should I designate him as the second inmand?"

    "No, Master!"

    Crimson''s voice resounded, punctuated by the sound of his knee forcefully meeting the ground.

    Raith looked at him, and so did Antares, whose eyes glimmered an unsettling malice, causing a shudder to course through Crimson''s shoulder. Bowing his head, Crimson swallowed his words and clenched his teeth.

    Jarvis, sensing Crimson''s inner turmoil, offered apassionate look and a pat on the back. Meanwhile, Kortopi''s gaze remained fixated on the new member, brimming with an inexplicable excitement, the reasons for which remained undisclosed, at least for now.

    "Very well... I have a series of questions for you, Antares,"

    Raith''s voice resonated with authority.

    "Speak, my king. Your humble servant listens attentively,"

    Antares responded, his words coated in unwavering loyalty.

    "You were in the world of Therut before now, yea?"

    "Correct my king."

    "Then howe you suddenly moved to Earth"

    "I was approached by a formidable individual. He bestowed upon me a name and offered my colony a new domain, and even more abundant than Therut. I have no regrets for through his deed, I now have the privilege of encountering the Supreme one, a destined encounter indeed, my king!" Antares lifted his gaze, his eyes shimmering with adoration towards Raith.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''Ah, this one is going to be a handful''

    Raith sighed.

    "So do you know this individual and why he did what he did?"

    "If my memory serves me right, he referred to himself as the true Han Lamar, proiming his desire to bring about the destruction of Therut. He ims that this act of annihtion will grant me salvation, asserting that he is the first to show benevolence towards a creature such as myself. Yet, my king, you surpass them all, whatever they may be,"

    Raith''s eyes widened as he delved deep into his thoughts while Antares was still talking.

    ''Han Lamar?''

    Raith had long been an avid admirer of Han Lamar, a man whose teachings were often deemed corruptive by society. Lamar''s words delved into realms considered fantastical until Raith himself saw them true when he entered Felfhiem and witnessed their undeniable truth. He had be well-acquainted with Lamar''s works through extensive reading, and the final words penned within thest volume before Lamar''s demise echoed in his mind:

    "I shall unleash destruction upon the world, and within that destruction, you shall all find salvation."

    Many branded Han Lamar as mad, and the pontifices vehemently rejected his doctrines, ultimately leading to his condemnation and execution.

    Even Raith, during his years of studying Lamar''s writings within Therut, had considered the man to be deranged. Such was the prevalent belief among the denizens of Therut. However, after experiencing Felfhiem firsthand, Raith couldn''t help but ponder over a single question: "How did Han Lamar manage to traverse from Therut to another world?"

    The impending demise of Therut fascinated Raith, an intriguing prospect. Yet, this moment might be his final opportunity to seek answers for himself, to unravel the mysteries that the abyss won''t easily tell him.

    If indeed his suffering was orchestrated by certain pontifices who selected him as a death archon, fully aware of the society''s rejection that awaited him, then he needed to demand answers before the world sumbed to destruction.

    "Han Lamar may revel in his pursuits, I have no intention of stopping him. However, I must see the pontifices, at least before they die." Raith resolved, his mind resolute.

    [A NEW TRIAL HAS APPEARED]

    "Oh don''t be shitting me."

    ***

    ***

    ***

    "I dispatched zealous followers, what you would refer to as heretics, across the world. And you, you never took notice. The eruption of dungeons, the appearance of monsters surpassing level 10, all of it slipped by your senses.

    Have you forgotten the very words I spoke to you? I warned you that this world''s feeble method of measuring dungeons through levels isughable. There exist creatures far more formidable than your feeble imaginations can fathom, for it is all in ordance with the grand design of the cosmos. Oh, Alexander, how disappointed I am to see that you have forgotten all that I have imparted unto you!"

    "This scoundrel!"

    The Emperor gritted his teeth.

    "Brother, if he ims to be your instructor... there is a name that springs to mind. But it''s utterly impossible, isn''t it?" Prince Andres leaned in close to his brother and whispered.

    The Emperor''s frown and uptight expression intensified Prince Andres'' suspicions.

    "You, child. You must be Andres. A mere babe, when Ist imparted my wisdom to your brother. I am certain you have heard of the illustrious Han Lamar. Yes, child. T h a ti sm e."

    Prince Andres'' brow furrowed.

    "That is impossible. The entire nation was a witness to your execution."

    "Yes, yes. Indeed, Antares. I was executed, can you believe it? By the crudest of instruments, the guillotine. Ah, it rends my heart," he said with a feigned pout, cing a hand upon his head in mock sympathy.

    "Even your look is unruly, if you are Han Lamar as intended, how did you survive... howe you look so..." the Emperor hesitated to look at Han''s unhuman appearance.

    Han chuckled eerily, relishing in the Emperor''s bewildered stare. After all, he hadn''t always possessed this grotesque form.

    Observing the Emperor''s confusion brought him a perverse sense of pleasure. Yet, he knew he couldn''t prolong this masquerade any further. While the heroes of Therut had lived their lives based on a deceitful history, their power derived from the archons should not be underestimated. Though hindered by the fabrications of this world, they possessed an indomitable spirit. Humans had always proven their capacity for triumph.

    It didn''t mean that they would fall prey to monsters and be destroyed. He of all people knew how strong the resolve of humans can be. They are humans too and they will definitely find a way to prevail.

    But before they do that, he must destroy wake the archons.

    Once the archons were roused, the world would crumble, for their very beings were the bedrock of existence, enabling the concealment of the ne of Therut beyond the perception of other celestial beings.

    They had devised a means to awaken themselves, a mechanism intended solely for use when a primordial entity discovered their secret abode¡ªan arcane knowledge that should only be held by the pontiffs.

    Yet this man here somehow now has that secret in his hands.

    "Alright. Enough with this nonsense charade. I have a world to destroy!"

 Chapter 192 Apocalypse Of Therut (4)

    ?

    The destruction caused by the invasion of otherworldly monsters that poured out of the gate in mere hours had caused the countries to be infested by chaos. People regardless of their status ran amok to protect themselves from monsters which in some cases might prove futile.

    Three weeks ago, the Empire proposed a n to the entire world, a n to work together in order to clear the state of dungeons. It is no news that most of the strongest heroes are found in the two elven countries. Driamwen and Faleron, thetter was out of bounds to any creature especially human and was hostile to the rest of the world while the former allowed other races but under strict guidance.

    The reason why the elves suddenly went private centuries ago was unknown to the rest of the world. History read to middle school kids in Therut says to all that elves and every other race lived in harmony and unity until five hundred years ago.

    After a major war on the ims of territory, the elves were winning and should the war have ended, elves would have had the majority ofnd on Therut today but they gave up all of a sudden and willingly secluded themselves from others¨C the two elven countries on the inds.

    Emperor Alexander sent his plea to them knowing fully well that the elves possessed the strongest heroes. There have been rumors of them practicing a strange art and some even say that some of them are capable of summoning other creatures¨C a rumor told by travelers and believed by a minority.

    He had to take a leap of fate which was why he did what he did¨C the young Emperor was truly pure at heart and considered the good of the world although he would only think of his country first before any other.

    He is loved by all and revered by all, it is why his knights would thoughtlessly give their life to protect him.

    His genuine intent was felt, ¨Cthe truth was that the elves had also been facing this same problem in numerous dungeons. With how strong their heroes are, it is no problem for them but the council of both countries saw the necessity to investigate and put a once and for all end to it.

    And so they had sent envoys on this very day who were supposed to be met by escorts¨C they had personally requested that the strongest heroes of the maind should be the ones escorting them.

    A request which in actuality was made by their strongest heroes, who would not forego the opportunity to ascertain one''s skills before others said strong ones.

    These elves of Driamwen were particrly verypetitive and rude. They had looked forward to humiliating the heroes of the maind even though the council of elders had severely warned them. They were quite full of themselves you see.

    "Brother, are you not going to go out?"

    One of the two elves sitting in the vintage-type limousine stuck his head out of the car window, grinning at the disaster that was outside as he called on his brother with a somewhat sarcastic voice.

    His said brother was seated in the limo, eyes closed. One feature about him that could not go unnoticed no matter how much one tried to look away was the fact that the right side of his long ancient eastern hair was ck and the other side was white. It was not to be said about his brows though¨C both of those were ck. And his facial features were incredibly handsome.

    He silently sat, his arms folded waiting for whatever easy happening on the outside to finish.

    They had been sitting silently ever since the disaster began with an excuse of "Let the maind heroes take care of their mess, I will not waste my strength on mob monsters"

    Furtherly, "They deserve no alliance with us if they can''t take care of these menial savages"

    Daear Teaseneplith was one of the strongest three heroes of both countries, even with his pride and arrogance he was the face of many brands¨C that angelic face of his would seduce any form of existence.

    His younger brother, not much to talk about him except the fact that he is obsessed with his strong older brother.

    Thud!

    Right in front of the younger onended a winged humanoid creature with a serpentine face. It stretched its hand forth for a quick grab at the boy''s face¨C a sonic boom that shattered into the air split its hand, simultaneously shattering all the ss of the car''s window.

    The creature stumbled back, shocked at what it missed.

    "You vermin. How dare youy your hands on royal blood."

    Daear could be seen standing above the car with his arms folded, whatever he had done to the monster''s hand happened too fast for anyone to see. But also seemed to carry enough force to split a car in two and more¨C

    The car slowly separated with the insides revealing itself to the chaotic hair, as the car separated, so did the body of the monster. Two halves of it fell apart with its purple blood showering.

    Daear lifted his head and looked towards the colossal building¨C the imperial pce stood erect amongst all the buildings of the capital, it is thergest and was sorge that it could be seen from all sides.

    Daear''s fine brow narrowed to a frown! His shoulder vibrated and the expression on his face was clear enough that it wasn''t a voluntary action. It was his reaction to something.

    Something fierce was to the direction in which he was looking.

    "Hell! What in the world of the eight archons is that?!"

    He leaped away immediately like a metal being pulled by a ma.

    ***

    Meanwhile at that same time.

    Han Lamar.

    His figure was a blending blur into the air as he darted forward and grabbed the knights merely by their hair, throwing them away. Weapons broke as they met his body, he was very formidable and none of them were strong enough tond a satisfying blow on him.

    With his initial tearing speed forward, he had done away with numerous knights most of which had securedrge injurious.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Prince Andres swung his sword at him, a diagonal arc cleaving through the air as it dawned on Han.

    "Slow, too slow"

    Han Lamar yawned as Prince Andres''s sword came down, he caught the sword and¡ª

    Pow pow

    His speed was unperceptible, his hands flew like a blur as he delved numerous punches into Prince Andres''s fine face, urately targeting the same point. The prince''s face folded in as Han Lamar repeatedly battered the same point on his face, tightly holding his head to prevent him from being tossed away by the impact of each punch.

    "Haaaa!!"

    In an attempt to free the prince from this monster''s grip, another knight dashed into the fierceness, unfazed, and full of courage.

    Han''s hand made a hole in his stomach with just one single blow.

    That meant he was holding back a great ton of his power while he was beating up Andres.

    Emperor Alexander''s eyes narrowed. He understood something that instant.

    ''He just wants to agitate me, perhaps see me suffer.''

    He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

    "Your majesty."

    The surviving knights protecting him tried to stop him but he didn''t respond. Before such a magnifying evil, even they began to show fear and couldn''t press harder¨C for deep down, they knew that they would have to put their life on the line to do that.

    If they take any step closer to Han than they already are, their death was certain. Every fiber of their body tingled with fear. They were gued by it.

    The Emperor with a courageous tone stood before Han Lamar whose hand was still gripping his brother''s face like it was some tofu. "It is I you want, isn''t it? Then let them go and have me."

    "Haaaa..." he exhaled, sticking out his tongue. "At least you still have that courageous heart of yours. Alexander, Alexander. The sacrificialmb of Therut."

    He threw Prince Andres away not paying attention to him and slowly walked closer to the Emperor. Sticking his head closer to him with a perverse grin. "That heroic act of yours. You do know it will get you killed. And all for what? Nothing but lies!"

    He retracted his head flinging his hand in the disappointment that flowed with the tone of his voice.

    "I don''t care what you think. Your words over and over again have been proved to be lies. You have never been able to provide evidence for your ims and you still foolishly clung unto those vain beliefs that was what got you killed in the end."

    Han Lamar facial expressed a brief shock as the Emperor spoke¡ª a shock that didn''tst a second, he pped his hands with an epting nod.

    At his pause, he put them down, crossed behind his back.

    His eyes glinted with a hint of sorrow as he began to speak solemnly to the Emperor.

    "Alexander, of all of my students, you were the brightest, the smartest... have you no idea why I am here. Having this needless conversation with you despite." He took gentle steps closer to Alexander as he continued. "If there is any man capable of seeing the truth of my words it is you. Even if you don''t understand it now, I want you to live to witness the destruction of your world. So, you will see... I was never wrong."

    Alexander shook his head with pity, "How far have you strayed that you will destroy an entire world just to prove your point."

    "It is salvation!!"

    His body crackled with green energy as he shouted, the veins around his neck and temple pulsating. His anger was almost touchable, it was like he had gone nuts¨C the anger of a psychopathic bastard that wants to kill his waifu crush so no one else can love her and probably thinks it is for her own good... to protect her from the harm of the world.

    After a few pants, he calmed himself and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh as he opened them.

    "You will never understand... I have nothing more to say to you."

    He shook his head as he walked past the Emperor.

    But before he could walk any further, Alexander''s mberge was pointing towards him.

    "You must be crazy to think I will let you walk away freely after all that you have done to my men... and to my brother."

    He slowly looked back at the Emperor and the tip of his sword.

    "That is a fine sword you''ve got there."

 Chapter 193 Apocalypse Of Therut (5)

    ?

    BAM

    The air shattered with a boom impact as Han''s fist sentAlexander flying back.

    The man looked at his smoking fist and frowned.

    With the body of a demon, Han had now reached a realm that it was impossible for the human body to attain. His physical capabilities were at a stage were no human can bear, except he wanted to hold back intentionally. That blow was intended to kill Emperor Alexander once and for all.

    ''Tch, am I subconsciously soft on him because of my rtionship with him''

    Having hardened himself for this moment, Han Lamar expressed a bit of disappointment in himself. Of all his students, Alexander truly was different¨C even though he had said he wanted to keep him alive so he would see the truth, he wished to kill the young Emperor because he was a weakness. And he hated weaknesses.

    His brows deeply furrowed he walked forward¨C Emperor Alexander''s white fabric crackled with a fire shield that had been dispelled milliseconds before Han''s blow connected with his chest¨C he was already up on his feet, holding up his sword.

    He cast his nce to the side where his brother and some other knights had passed out. ''I can''t allow this drag on for long.''

    Alexander was no slouch, he was once referred to as a strong hunter too, if not for diplomatic duties, he probably would have been a level O hunter by now. His perceptive and judgmental eyes especially had proved to be very crucial in every battle.

    He nted his sword, angling his elbow backward for a horizontal attack.

    "Hollow"

    Wham!

    A st of fire exploded from his back and catapulted him forward.

    "How useless."

    Han''s word was filled with emptiness, with a bitter face his hand covered Alexander''s field of view. Before the Emperor could know what had transpired, his backbone shrieked in pain as he found himself embedded into a webbed-cracked floor.

    Han Lamar''s hand went up opened in the air, a green energy crackled, materializing into a dreadful spear ¡ªas the and came down so did the spear, very close.

    Alexander rolled away in the nip of time. Watching in unbelief as the ground was supersonically razed, every stone integrating to sound when the spear stabbed the ground.

    ''That would have been me?''

    Unbelievable! He was sure that his speed using Hollow was at least ten times better than a gunshot, by his experience and calction, he should have appeared in front of his opponent in the blink of an eye.

    ''Did I slow down? Was Icking?''

    Unadmitting that Han Lamar had gotten stronger than he couldprehend, he doubted his skills instead.

    "Do you have the time to be thinking like that?"

    ''Again?!''

    s, it was true as he had suspected, this man was not just a monster in appearance. His skill was like that of a monster.

    The Emperor managed to parry the spear tip that was almost at his nose but his entire arm shivered.

    Not taking a recess, the spear came back and swing again towards him. He blocked it again.

    Again and again from both angles, he continued to block matching the blurry speed of the spear.

    Both of them were locked in a fiery exchange that could only be seen as sparks flying. Han Lamar''s hand movements were snappy, he was holding the spear in the middle and effectively making use of its flexibility to increase the force.

    With that much force, even though Alexander was blocking and matching the speed, his muscles were getting worn out.

    He blocked a few times but began to slow down

    Whish whish whish

    Shallow tears appeared on his face and arms amidst the intense exchange.

    ''Shit!''

    He couldn''t hold onto it anymore, his muscles were giving in.

    As he swung to block theing attack

    P-pang

    His sword went flying upward.

    "Pick it."

    Han Lamar stood back with a frown on his face, ever since he had worn a sorrowful expression, his initial mockery face had been discarded. He was serious.

    Emperor Alexander was familiar with this seriousness.

    He bowed his head, for a moment hiding away his facial expression.

    "Are you deaf, I said pick it up."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Your Majesty"

    Han Lamar made a flinching pause. The air changed that was why.

    "You motherfucka, how dare you speak rudely to the Emperor!"

    SLAM!!

    A man with heavy armornded on Han, desecrating the concrete in that same minute.

    "Your majesty, you can''t use your dust here. If you use it, your life force will be taken away from you. I can''t leave with having to see you wither away because you fought to protect us."

    Kathan the Empire''s general that seeded Kollen Asbury who died in the level 10 dungeon raid a few months ago.

    He had a hulky body to carry thatrge armor of his and it exined why there was so much impact when hended. He held the sharked shape greatsword with both arms as he turned to the Emperor''s opponent.

    "I will protect your majesty. Please seek refuge somewhere, safe, the heroes are¨C

    What was left of him was a showering of blood as his head rolled into the air.

    Alexander was left with a fallen mouth.

    ''Kathan!''

    This is the Empire''s general we are talking about, age apart, no hero had sessfully defeated him inbat, it was not because no hero was stronger than him but rather because of his experience on the battlefield. That is why you find the Empire''s generals being men that are still filled with vigor despite their old age¨C that is because the soldiers do not only need a strong man, they need a wise man, whose senses and judgment had been formed by hundreds of battlefields.

    He had undergone rigorous training after bing the Empire''s general, Kathan was especially known for his hard work. And he was strong!

    Yet such a man, in one swing?

    "How irritating... vile human."

    What Alexander''s eyes saw left him with a thousand questions in his head.

    Very much, if Han wanted to kill him from the beginning he wouldn''t be standing here right now.

    Han kicked away the general''s head and looked to Alexander. "Now, your majesty... as you demanded. Pick your sword and let us continue."

    He swirled his spear and pointed mmed the bottom on the ground, standing at ease.

    Emperor Alexander was left feeling like this guy hade to y with him.

    ''No matter what I do, he just wants to amuse himself.'' He bowed his head in frustration once again.

    ''Do I really have no choice?''

    Kathan had jumped in when he was about to unleash his dust ability. He had jumped in to protect him but it was all futile, Alexander was filled with so much bitterness, fighting to live would honor the man''s sacrifice but he would be throwing his pride out the window.

    He didn''t care if he died, there are some things that an Emperor must not be found doing. Such is running.

    ''I''m sorry Kathan.''

    He said opening his hand to the air.

    Wham!

    After wriggling on the floor, Tempest; his mberge flew into his hands.

    Tsssss

    The air out of his clenched teeth became hot and so did the air around.

    Han Lamar switched to a scrutinizing gaze, carefullyying his eyes upon the Emperor. For he of all people knew how strong the heroes of Therut can be even though. They are surrounded by facies.

    The truth is that the archons'' dust is real, the power that heroes have are real and truly they are given by archons and so it is real but it is a mere fragment of the true power they can have. Yet all this power was bound to return to the rightful owner once they woke up. They will be left with nothing and see the true colors of the archons.

    What did he see? At what point did he begin to realize? How did it all happen? Han Lamar was a man that piqued many questions. He knew so much that it was only right that the origin of his knowledge should be questioned.

    The Emperor in his turmoil of thoughts demanded these answers but right now only one thing mattered.

    ''I will restore my honor when I kill you.''

    His anger rose from within and became almost palpable outside¨C yellow mes shimmered from just sparks to fire, burning his body and elegant suit.

    His skin darkened, a burn effect to the mes but in that was the underlying appearance of the power of his dust.

    The throne archon dust: Honor And Power, it granted him enormous power in exchange for his life force and honor on the line. The more dishonorable the situation is, the more he was bound to get stronger.

    Although this is a bit tricky, if the opponent should find out, all they just had to be is be sincerely honorable to him and he won''t be able to bring out his true potential. But there was no way others would know¨C Therut heroes don''t speak of their dust attributes to each other for a reason.

 Chapter 194 Apocalypse Of Therut (6)

    Wham!

    Patk

    Patk

    Pang pang pang pang

    Surely everything about Emperor Alexander had changed since she donned this new appearance, every swing of his sword expunged a great deal of mes and the shing of his me aura and Han''s ominous green aura caused the air to shatter with a deafening sound every time.

    There, over there, here and there again, back there¨C

    Wham wham wham wham

    Whish whish wham!

    The figures of the swift exchanges between the two of them were all over the ce, they jumped from ce to ce attacking and blocking, blocking and attacking.

    Han Lamar was undoubtedly formidable which made it amazing that the Emperor could withstand him to such lengths.

    Everything about him had changed, his look, his swordsmanship even his resolve.

    ''Will it be a wise choice to kill him, he will be instrumental to the new world I n to create

    Han Lamar in a fierce fight still had ample time to spare for his thoughts while keeping Alexander at his pace. He was the director, even though a third party may see this as an equal exchange of de strikes between battle gods, too fast to be followed. Han Lamar was merely fighting the Emperor bringing himself to match the level of his strength, maybe raising the bar a little higher so he would struggle to catch up.

    Wham wham

    Two strikes escaped Alexander''s sword but he dodged by a hair''s breadth.

    Han Lamar''s lost gaze returned to Alexander.

    "Ha, you got hit?"

    ''What? That look just now. He wasn''t even paying attention to me?''

    Throughout the fight, the Emperor was so busy matching his speed, blocking his strikes, and looking at every opportunity for an opening but his opponent wasn''t even paying attention, and yet he was able to unleash this level ofbat ability.

    "What have you be?"

    The Emperor''s bewilderment gave itself a voice, he meant not to exalt the viin before him in any way. In fact, he hated the words as soon as they came out.

    Han Lamar''s lips curled.

    "I sold my soul to the devil and I became one myself. Like I told you, death is not the end. Now, I need to take my leave."

    He turned.

    Immediately flinched seeing that Han was leaving and paying no attention to him, he was devastated, ''No, I can''t, I can''t let him live. Even if I have to die, I will drag him along with me. For Kathan, for the lives of my dear citizen, for my honorable knights. I will drag him to the depth of hell.

    The Emperor sucked in a great deal of air, expanding his chest "Baramon!!!" His voiceunched a sonic missile into the sky, piercing and separating it.

    He staggered left and right as the flickering mes on his body began to reduce and die out.

    Han paused and looked back, he was almost at an entrance in the pce that led to the underground.

    He looked up with a serious face.

    ''This guy... he has be resilient, too resilient.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He wished Alexander would just give up so he wouldn''t have to kill him. Honestly, if he keeps doing this he wasn''t sure he would be able to control his anger. He did like his student but he wouldn''t think twice before killing him if it was for the good of the world.

    The sky darkened with rumbling energy. It wasn''t just the sky above the imperial pce, all of the capital were a witness to this phenomenon.

    ***

    "This!"

    "You know it?! What is it?!"

    Amber Rose urged the man for an answer but instead, he looked up with a gloomy expression, dazed and frozen. This was Lambert Degado, the legendary swordsaint of his era.

    He naturally had a dark expression but even now was worse. He looked like he had seen the ghost of his granddaddy.

    "What is it, sir?!"

    Amber Rose shouted but he still ignored her. She had united with him three hours ago when she was at her limit being the only person in this district truly capable of protecting herself and the citizens. The other heroes, sadly, died of noble deaths.

    Right when she thought it would be the end for her-

    ''How weird, even when my life seems to being to an end... I can only think of my irrational attitude that day, maybe if I had spoken differently, he wouldn''t have died...''

    Heaving slow but deep pants she held on to her sword on her knees. Tightened her grip to kill thest wave and perhaps died because she missed one due to her fatigue as she stood up.

    A fine swordy cleaved an arc through the air in front of her and in that same second, the heads of multiple monsters that approached her went flying. A clean and precise cut swept all of them.

    He appeared in front of her delivered by the strong torrent of wind, he was fast.

    Slowly tucked his sword into its fine scabbard and said to her, "Rest, I will take care of this ce for now."

    And they''ve been fighting together since then. She had fought with Curtis a few times and acknowledged the beauty of their swordsmanship.

    But seeing it from Degado himself hit differently. Every time he unsheathed that sword was a show of elegance more than anything, he was resolute in every strike, fearless and beautiful was his swordsmanship.

    To see such a man shaken up by the weather in the sky. Perhaps he had dementia. Anyone would think that.

    But Amber Rose knew that wasn''t a mere weather change. She had been in several fights where heroes used the strongest skill. She was familiar with the enormous dust energy that the atmosphere would carry. And this once was even far greater.

    It felt like the sky would eat up the ground.

    It was making cold chills crawl all over her skin.

    This was why he was demanding answers from his man who was too shaken up to speak.

    "Sir! Perhaps this is a sleight of the enemy! Shouldn''t we be taking action instead of staring?!"

    It was amazing how she could shout at an elder like that, putting aside her respect for him, it was also as if she was rebuking him for his actions.

    Lambert Degado came back to reality.

    "No, you have no idea. This skill, I''ve seen it before. The Emperor is in great danger."

    Her eyes widened immediately.

    "What? What? The Emperor?!"

    "Yes! This is a suicidal attempt!"

 Chapter 195 Apocalypse Of Therut (7)

    ?

    "This is a suicidal attempt!"

    He shouted and flung himself into the air, aiming in the direction of the pce.

    "I don''t understand what is going on! But the Emperores first"

    Her voice sounded from above him.

    He looked up and briefly saw her skimpy skirt and fresh thighs go over him.

    ''¨C fast.''

    Lambert Degado took much pride in his sword but the hidden fact of what many people did not know, what undey that fine swordsmanship was his legwork, perfect and swift. Furnished and with over thirty years of perfect mastery. When he ran it was like he was being carried by the wind.

    So when he ran, never in his wildest imagination did he see some young girl passing him in that same minute.

    Amber Rose truly was worthy of her reputation.

    Old age doesn''t mean weakness.

    ''I can''t ck too.''

    He quickened his pace, hopping on cars as both of them ran in the direction of the pce.

    ***

    The sky rumbled again. This time opened with a ming glow, sparking with me throws thatnded on the building and erupted them in a cascade of fire. The scene had be chaotic and the main event had bit even happened.

    The clouds encircled the area where more mes were concentrated, even a kid could tell it was about to rain, and that was how dark the cloud was.

    But this was not about to rainwater. Monsters and humans were subjected to the same hazard as the spear slowly came out of the sky¨C swirling and surging with a torrent of mes. The heat exuded caused a thick curtain fabric to burn and several ces were caught up in fire without evening in contact with any sort of fire.

    The ming spear was right above the pce, intended to crush and bury everything, what happens in the pce stays in the pce.

    Alexander had resolved his mind for this, he thought of his only surviving family and looked back with a nod.

    A surviving knight carried the young prince with struggles and limped as he made his way away, anyway, just going away and not being caught up in the destruction that was about to happen.

    Han Lamar had been silent.

    Until now, he brushed his brow and frowned. "I am impressed. You have indeed grown. You are not the Alexander I used to know, to be able to sacrifice your life for the sake of others. You too have be foolish, and vile. You do something useless as this."

    He plunged the spear out of the ground where it was stabbed in. Angrily tookrge strides toward the Emperor, raising his voice.

    "Tell me, Alexander! Do you think you can kill me by sacrificing yourself?! You will throw away your life to stop me and I will still live! I will still destroy this world and your life? Wasted! For nothing but the mere price of your heroic foolishness."

    The me spear got closer as a second tick, even now it was hovering right above the sky of the pce and in the next few minutes, everything would be... hell on Therut.

    "You overestimate yourself way too much."

    That is right, the Emperor was dead serious about this, he wasn''t waiting on anyone to save him from his reckless decision. There was no remorse in his eyes as he held his sword up, its de cutting his face in half.

    Han Lamar clicked his tongue in pity. "Tsk, tsk, tsk"

    The Emperor pierced the air this time, he was fast. His sword sessfully plunged into Han''s chest and his back. But Han was not the only one that had obtained a severe blow.

    The Emperor''s sudden and unexpected burst of speed had so surprised him that he attack without controlling his power. Now his hands were buried into his student''s stomach.

    Han''s grotesque face crippled, he shivered, his voice shaking as he called onto the falling Emperor. "Alex... no, no, Alexander."

    Emperor Alexander was on his knee as the spear was about to collide with them, it was ten meters away in the sky but the entire ce was governed by high temperature, hot and burning such that water from the fountain evaporated, letting out hot steam.

    It was going to be arge-scale destruction that will overturn thend, make the pce castles crumble and nothing caught in this fiasco is bound to live. Except such a thing exceededmon sense.

    Dreaer clicked his tongue staring from a distance. "It seems we have underestimated the maind heroes far too much."

    He had gone in pursuit of the first ominous energy he felt which was from Han. But only arrived to meet another powerful energy.

    His opinion still differs, even though he now thinks of maind heroes as ''quite strong'' because of what he was seeing, he still thinks that ominous energy is strong and that was still what he was after even with a ming spear right above him.

    His eyes were glued to Han Lamar who was holding the Emperor passionately, shuddering, and extremely sorrowful.

    ''He is the one.''

    The one he came for. The energy had seized but he could still feel a subtle discharge from him. Something that should be too little for anyone to notice, Dreaer had an extraordinary perception. It was not far-fetched considering that he was one hell of a strong elf.

    He wished he could jump at whoever that man is and just start fighting to check how strong he is but the moment this ming spear touches the ground, there would be nothing but ashes, him included.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    His brows furrowed.

    All he had was ten seconds. He gazed all over with calctive eyes, trying to figure out a solution. This thing was almost impossible to defeat.

    ''Amazing''

    He came to respect the Emperor as he took in the colossal view of the spear and its destructive effect on the environment.

    Tear

    Draear tore away his shirt to reveal an intertwined dragon tattoo that looked like they were carved into his skin.

    He crossed his arms.

    "Come. Long Huo, Long Shui"

    GRRRR

    The ground beneath his feet began to tremble, it started from that point and spread forth. Shaking so hard that stones from the debris were dancing on the floor.

    A vibrant blue and red energy suddenly enveloped the area he was in, one to his right, the other to his left.

    The strong and majestic energy couldn''t escape Han''s perception.

    His eyes widened.

    ''How? How is a native of Therut able to use mana!''

    No denying it. He was very familiar with it and could tell at a nce. Mana did not exist in Therut, no! To be precise they didn''t know how to utilize mana.

    ''This makes no sense''

    A variable that existed the destroy his ns now existed, Han never thought that there will be a being in the whole of Therut capable of using mana. Even he underestimated the strong bond of the elves to mana.

    That time of war when the elves sought a greater power, they got it but turned away from violence to cultivate and learn to control this power.

    Well, as we see... they did a good job at that.

    Gradually the two dragons began to materialize, emerging from the convergence of water and fire that first materialized from the mana that surrounded the ce.

    Long Huo, a magnificent creature that embodied the essence of fire. Its body, long and serpentine, covered in shimmering crimson scales that flickered and danced with inner mes, the dragon''s eyes glowed with a fierce intensity.

    Long shui. Sleek and sinuous with iridescent blue scales,pared to Long Huo, this one''s eyes radiated with a calm aura.

    Both of them circled each other in a mesmerizing dance, their elements intertwining in a harmonious fusion.

    Whim!

    It was in time, God saved the Emperor. The dragon summoning and charade did not stop the falling of the spear, at least not while they were still dancing around each other, a post-arrival signature move of some sort.

    "Your Majesty!"

    Amber Rose eximed as she dropped the Emperor whose stomach was bloody.

    Her face distorted as she saw the heavy injury.

    Simultaneously just as the ming spear touched the ground a deafening crash spread across the whole ce peeling the ground at the speed of light and razing everything in view with the tremendous st force of fire itself.

    Everywhere turn white before anyone could react or brace themselves for the impact, but right in that instance.

    "Domain of Darkness."

    Everywhere turned ck. The raging chaos of mes disappeared like it was never there. A serene and calm wind howled across the dark clouds and murky ck ground.

    Draear with his dragons, it was his dragons that first flinched, gnashing their teeth, then Draear''s attention caught arge monster, he had never seen anything like it.

    As it flew closer others too saw it, including Han Lamar who was frowning at the presence of this unfamiliar creature. Yet another variable.

    A man could be seen standing on the monster with his arms folded.

    Lambert Degado squinted his eyes to get a better view of the familiar yet unfamiliar physique.

    "Raven?"

 Chapter 196 Apocalypse Of Therut (8): The Entrant

    ?

    [A NEW TRIAL HAS APPEARED]

    - Defeat the eight archons

    - Defeat Han Lamar

    - Discover the hidden truth within the history of Therut.

    TRIAL REWARD: TETHA SHARD ¡Á2

    "Wow, I''ve never seen you give me an item as a reward. Well, I guess that is reasonable considering what you are asking of me."

    Raith chuckled unbelievably. The abyss was telling him to kill an archon, that too eight of them.

    Archons in Therut were painted as these overpowering beings even though Therut has been lying all these while so it was hard to believe anything from them. Raith was well familiar with asuras and asuras were below archons¨C they are referred to as messengers of celestials such as archons and angels. So! Defeat an archon?! No, eight archons! When he wasn''t even sure of his skill in defeating a strong and healthy asura, not weakened or imprisoned.

    Raith was filled with nothing butughter. He didn''t know what to make of this situation, is it that the abyss just trusted him too much or it just wanted to frustrate him?

    "Anyways, anyhow it will be. I should leave for Therut. Any suggestions?"

    He asked looking down where the tab will usually appear.

    [USE THE HUBRIS FRAGMENT]

    Raith brought out the fragment.

    "How is this thing supposed to take me to Therut? I thought it was a skill stone."

    [IT IS]

    "Then?"

    [IT KNOWS THE WAY TO ITS RULER BECAUSE IT IS A SKILL STONE. IT IS ALSO THROUGH IT THAT THE RULER OF PRIDE CAN LOCATE YOU]

    "I see..."

    Raith folded his hands on the stone and inquired from the abyss, "This ruler of pride, it is safe to say he is Han Lamar right?"

    [...]

    The abyss''s silence was enough words. It was restricting itself from saying a lot to Raith, a lot more than necessary. But Raith was determined to find out regardless,

    He couldn''t bring himself to settle with a half-truth.

    ''You just wait.''

    "So how do I leave."

    [Darker Than ck]

    "Uh?"

    [When you are about to die, break the hubris fragment]

    [After you enter Darker Than ck, dy your timing and clench tightly to the hubris fragment which will now be a rune word on your arms]

    [The darkness will create a path]

    "Hmmm...."

    Raith looked at the ck stone in his hands and brought out the golden sword.

    ''I should make Bal eat this sword sometimes when I''m done with it''

    The tip of the golden sword swiveled in the air as Raith spun and plunged it into himself without hesitation, simultaneously crushing the stone as he endured the sharp pain that shot through his body.

    [You have died]

    [You have gained +1 endurance stat]

    ''Is it because I have done it before? I''m not receiving a lot of rewards. Damn abyss''

    His thoughts caved in as he lost his strength and sumbed to the floor. The feeling was already so familiar that it was like he was going to bed. But that did not mean the pain was in any erased, manageable. Yes. Thanks to his endurance stat.

    His eyes immediately opened to the palpable darkness. He walked forward a bit stretched forth his hand.

    Woooinnn

    The rune word on his palm began to make a glowing sound. He turned his palm to look at it, admiring the solemn glow that the intertwined strokes gave out.

    "Alright... now let''s go."

    He dissipated into the darkness and as he materialized... his view changed.

    The thick and ominous cave he was in was now an open-air area with lots of destruction crying in the air, two dragons dancing together, swirling around each other, a ming arrow slowly descending upon thend, just about to kiss the floor goodbye, a blond girl swiftly swing across to save a red-haired man in a tattered and battered state.

    Everything was like confusion and chaos, instability in every corner.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''What the hell happening here?''

    Raithnhad expected to meet a serene, happy Therut. But instead, he met a disparate and despaired Therut.

    ''No big deal, I feel good knowing that they are suffering so much. But I can''t have this.''

    The heat of the mes did not affect him but his clothes were burning. There was no way he would allow the shame of getting naked before all these people. Not that man.

    He sighted him the moment he came.

    ''Lambert Degado''

    He looked up at the spear.

    "Domain of darkness"

    [You have activated the skill ''Domain Of Darkness'']

    [All Laws will be subjected to your will for 5.2 minutes]

    [Your Will stat has increased by +1]

    ''Will you look at that, it''s been a long time since I''ve seen an increase in my will stat''

    Raith looked up and snapped his finger. Immediately the massive arrow disappeared like it was never there.

    ''How in the world is this possible?'' Amber''s brow furrowed as she dropped the Emperor and stood up at the sight of the dark sky, peaceful atmosphere, so cool that anyone would miss being with their significant other, a weather that demanded several cuddling sessions.

    "Raven?"

    Lambert shook as the words came out. He had spoken out of uncontrolled surprise from seeing the strange man, but after speaking he wasn''t sure this man standing was his son. The timid man he used to know, did not look like this, did not give off an energy as detrimental as this. It felt like if he took another step closer he would get swallowed in the darkness. Like hundreds of creatures were ring at him from the dark smoke that Raith was unintentionally exuding.

    Han Lamar frowned at the new entrance.

    ''What is this man? Why the hell is he so strong? His power is not from this world. Moreso, I can feel a fragment of my power from him''

    It was impossible for a ruler to identify another ruler except they used their power. The only reason why Raith was sure that the man he was standing in front of, is the ruler of pride is because of the hubris fragment. But Han Lamar was thrown into deep confusion.

    "Who are you?" He finally asked after looking at Raith for a few more seconds.

    ''Ah, where did I put...'' Raith rummaged through his body as if he was looking for something. He finally put his hand into the space and brought out a paper.

    He came forward with both hands respectfully holding the paper and the pain.

    "I''d like your autograph, sir. I am a big fan of your books." Ignoring Han Lamar''s hideous look, he asked.

    Han Lamar grinned, "A big fan of my books? Then you must be from Therut."

    Raith hesitated to speak but answered, "Yes, I used to be a resident of Therut but I moved. I have been to the hell you describe in your books and I have seen other humans. You truly are a great man."

    Han Lamar''s eyes widened, he got teary and looked like he would start any minute.

    "Oh my God, Alexander. Can you see this? Finally, finally, someone sees the truth. You see the truth."

    "Which is what brings me to ask..." Raith continued even as Han Lamar was being emotional.

    Han Lamar looked at him, the atmosphere somehow became tense as Raith continued.

    "How did you leave Therut? The archons were very careful in whatever they were doing. There is no way you would have been able to leave Therut without help from the outside. You were in contact with a fiend weren''t you? Perhaps a demon."

    Han Lamar''s rxed gaze immediately became stiff. He began to look at Raith carefully.

    Raith stood with his arms folded, he didn''t look like he was waiting for an answer even though he asked a question. Instead, he looked like he was asserting Han Lamar with his eyes.

    "That man is strong." Long Huo said to Draear who was silently watching Raith.

    He didn''t respond, he had made a habit out of not responding to people that even his high-grade spirit summons was tired ofining. He was a very proud elf that rarely paid attention to anyone, yet that kind of person was ring at Raith with such passionate eyes. Never in his life had he met someone so strong and...

    ''...he is so cool.'' His cheeks blushed.

    Long Shui cocked her head, "What is going on here?"

    While Amber was with the Emperor and trying to find a way to save him, she had stopped the bleeding and performed all kinds of first aid, and all through she couldn''t stop ncing at the new entrant.

    ''How can a man control the entire weather on arge scale.''

    It was amazing to her, even though she didn''t know that the domain of darkness did more than change the skies ck.

    Finally being freed of her assignment after trying her best at first aid she turned to Raith''s direction and walked closer.

    She had taken five steps when a sonic boom explosion escaped from the area where Raith and Han Lamar was standing. The ground shook so hard that even she could not maintain her bnce.

    Raith and Han Lamar was suddenly shing sword, they had shed sword just once however the sound of their attack was so tremendous that it tore through the air.

    Their showdown was about to begin.

 Chapter 197 Apocalypse Of Therut (9): Antares Vs Hallan (1)

    ?

    Wham

    Wham

    Wham

    Wham

    Just standing on the same point, their swords drew arcs from different angles and every time they shed there was a resounding ng that tore the atmosphere. It was not even an intense fight it looked like a mere greeting as both of them were standing at one point.

    "I have never heard of you. How can a man of your caliber be in Therut." Han Lamar retracted his hand as the shook from the impact of Raith''s sword.

    Having gotten the hang of Bal''s attack power dispensation, Raith released a tremendous amount of it every time he swung his sword toward Han Lamar. It was a sudden gravitational release making the sword heavier than it normally is.

    Raith''s hand shook from having to consistently manage a weight like that without showing that he was going through any difficulty swinging his sword.

    "Man of my caliber? What do you mean by that?"

    Raith asked him. He didn''t consider it to be much so when Han said a man of his caliber he was unsure whether to take it as apliment or as an insult.

    "You are strong and you understand me. And yet it seems like you are a little bit crazed. Indeed unique."

    "Sorry, did you call me craze?"

    "Why else would you suddenly attack me all of a sudden when you have not even gotten the answer to your question."

    "I thought you were going to attack me since you look like you weren''t ready to answer my question... so I attacked first," Raith replied with a little frown.

    He was being serious, Han Lamar had tensed his muscle so hard that Raith had thought he was going to strike anytime soon and before that would even dare happen before he would allow another ruler to outdo him, he lunged his strike. Han Lamar blocked and immediately countered but Raith blocked again and so that was how the intense exchange began.

    The dark sky returned to normal under their brief pause.

    Raith looked up at the skies that looked like the final shining of the sun after intense rainfall.

    Somehow the beautiful skies reminded Raith that he came here for the archons. As much as he wanted to know how Han Lamar was able to crossover, he also wanted to know about the archons. There was so much and he didn''t know how to deal with it.

    He looked down at his feet, it was clear ground but even Han Lamar felt he was staring at something beyond the ground.

    ''This might be a perfect opportunity to see this guy''s skills''

    Raith took two steps backward and smiled at Han Lamar, some kind of decisive smile because he was about to give him the shocker of his life.

    "Rise, Antares"

    "Yes, My King" His voice bellowed from the smoke that immediately loomed around Raith''s lower body.

    It was as if he was waiting to be called and his voice put a tremendous tension in the air, familiar but somewhat unfamiliar. Han Lamar wasposed and focused on what was to appear next as the smoke rose.

    More suspense rose in his heart as the smoke thickened forming a solid mass on the ground and from it came out a hand, a wed ck hand.

    Han Lamar''s sword stiffened from the shock of attack as Antares flung out of the darkness, unseen by many, few with keen eyes saw him as a blur.

    Han Lamar, shocked and perplexed stumbled two steps back dealing with the recoil of having to deal with a power such as that.

    He turned his eyes back to see who the damn striker was.

    On the edge of a crumbled debris was standing an entity, exuding pure malice and a murderous aura, he stood with his ck ws carved out and almost shining. The ck smoke that faintly swirled around it hinted to every strong person in the area of a familiar and unwee feeling.

    It was because they were strong that they were even able to perceive this much. Another soul would probably have lost their head having no idea what is happening or die from the chokiness of this noxious aura.

    Han Lamar cocked his head as the familiarity now made sense as he saw the ant''s full appearance. But he hesitated to speak at first, carefully observing the ant.

    ''Could I be mistaken? He looks so much like him, there''s no way I''d be mistaken. But he feels different...''

    "He looks like an old acquaintance of yours does he not?"Raith said as he stepped closer to him.

    Han Lamar looked at him with a careful frown and turned his gaze back to the Antares.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Dharma." He called out with an authoritative andmanding tone.

    SCCRRRRREEEEEEETTTTTTCCCCCHHHHH

    The death ant red out, spreading its four hands in a mad frenzy. Like it had been defiled.

    He looked down at Han Lamar from where he stood, with his shoulders shuddering, one would have thought he was in an ecstatic state if not for the frown that was on its eyes.

    Han Lamar was still careful in his look. He had called out with the voice of a ruler. When a namer calls his named, there is an authority dispensed on the tone, an authority that makes it very impossible to resist the voice of the caller. Any attempt to resist will bring the named crumbling to its knees.

    Much more when it is in regards to a ruler, that authority is stronger than normal, so even if there was an external influence, signs that the ant was struggling should have been seen.

    But that was not the case.

    "How dare you? How dare you call me by the name of a filth. I am Antares. Antares, you goddamned motherfucker! Antares the Major of the army of death,mander of the vanguard unit!"

    He red at him pointing with one hand, "Let it sink deep into your goddamned head. Do not address me by that humiliating name."

    His response was so fierce that Han felt utterly embarrassed.

    "What have they done to you, dear child?" Han''s face crumpled to a sad countenance.

    "This motherfucker"

    Vile, Antares''s words were very vile but it was nothing extraordinary when the amount of brains he had consumed was taken into y. Even in the human realm, he has eaten a lot of brains and has a lot of information, cultures, behaviors at his disposal and so there could be some drastic change in the way he behaved sometimes, and his words mighte out even more vile or sensible than a normal human would put forth.

    "My king can grant me the privilege to dispose of this trash." He bowed his back ny degrees to the front.

    Raith chuckled, "Why else did I call you? Take care of him." He said and turned to the direction of the town, it was also the direction of the temple, the temple where he was made a hero.

    He took a short sigh and nced back at his father who was looking at him with trembling eyes. Ever since his entrance until now, none of them have been able to settle with the fact that this is Raven Raith, that same Raven Raith.

    "..."

    He had nothing to say, just a pitiful look backed up by the regret of having this man for a father.

    "Then... let''s go"

    The two summoned wyrms shuddered as that humongous wings plunged out of the floor and darted away with Raith.

    "Oh oh oh... what is that?"

    Even they had no idea.

    Amber stood frozen, she had almost stretched out her hand to call for Raith but hesitated the moment the death wyvern came out.

    ''I''m not mistaken right, that is Raven.'' She swung her head in Lambert''s direction. If there''s anyone that can confirm her spection then it would be him.

    Like a spring she hopped andnded in front of him, destroying the ground to small craters. But she didn''t care about that.

    She grabbed the old man by the cor, her brows tightly furrowed and her eyes scrunched.

    "That man, that man just now. That is him right? Your son."

    Lambert frown immediately after she mentioned his son, he twisted away her hand from his clothes causing her to writhe in pain as he stood up, twisting her hand.

    "Were you not taught?" He red at her with his eyes gleaming murderously. He was angry but his facial expression was calm and collected. However, the look in his eyes suggested to her that she might lose her head should she dare what she did again.

    The old man had been shaken from seeing someone he deemed a failure and useless stand so mightily in front of him, which was why he was able to try that nonsense in the first ce. No, Lambert Degado was no slouch even though he is old.

    He adjusted his shirt, "I have no child as such." He mumbled and turned.

    The fascinating scene of the ck humanoid ant cornering Han Lambert immediately caught his fancy. Even before him, Draear and the other heroes from the Ind who just arrived had been so fixated on the battle.

    This was a different level of fight than any of them had ever seen.

 Chapter 198 Apocalypse Of Therut(10): Antares Vs Hallan (2)

    ?

    Shrrinngg

    Never did Han think that he would be at equal odds against an ant that he named a few weeks ago and gave more field to feed so it would be able to experience exponential growth and be of great use to him in the future.

    That same ant right now, was blocking his sword attacks. He could remember the first time he visited it. It was stubborn, arrogant, and nonchnt but all it had to see was a great deal of Han''s power for it to sumb to his might.

    ''That is right, this bastard has forgotten what it looked like. I will show you the true magic''

    Han was sent stumbling back by the mad power that was generated from the ant''s fist hitting his sword, his feet grazing the concrete with speed anding to an abrupt end as he intended.

    "Fine. It''s fine. It seems you have forgotten who you are dealing with. I will remind you."

    He stabbed his sword into the ground and thus it began¨C

    His body began to grow bigger, like a hulky transformation. His cloaks couldn''t contain it any longer and began to rip apart. His grotesque face became even more grotesque. His horns grew out,rger and longer, and his eyes became deep with scary green eyes. His mouth was no different from that of a ravenous monster. All his body had be unhuman but was blessed with that macho man physique, green scales that revealed themselves and hid themselves at intervals could be seen on several parts of his body.

    He was practically naked, he wasn''t Han Lamar but a standing two-legged fiend with horns. This was the transformation of a fiend, although no one in Therut knew it.

    "I will show you the might of a god" Han Lamar, with his voice now even thicker and more fearsome spoke and pointed one hand forward.

    It was not just the ant that flinched, even Draear who has been watching with muse jumped back.

    It was because of the kind of tension that came upon the atmosphere, an ominous feeling, very dangerous. And he could sense it well because it felt like theplete opposite of what he had spent his whole life cultivating. Dark mana.

    It felt so ominous and dangerous, he didn''t even need to think about it, he detested the feel of it from the moment he felt it as Han Lamar held his hand forward. It was fearful at the same time, it made his heart thump.

    "This man, perhaps he is a creature that does not belong to this world?" Long Huo flowing like a raging fire beside Draear stated, even though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

    "Whatever he is, he is an embodiment of evil and must be extinguished," Draear replied with his eyes tightly fixated on the dark purple energy that gathered in front of Han Lamar''s hand.

    Antares stood confident not batting an eye even after figuring out how dangerous Han Lamar''s attack would be. It didn''t feel overwhelming, not inparison to the first time heid his eyes on Raith, that moment of rebirth where he was made to be a soldier of Raith.

    As his eyes fell on Raith, all he felt was nothing but respect and magnification, the kind of power that his mere presence exuded wanted him to fall to his feet and start licking his boot. He was a simp for strong people after all and of all, Raith was the best he has ever made.

    Of course, this is because he was reborn as Raith''s death soldier. He is summoned with 100% loyalty, a loyalty that can never be found faulty and will always make him reverence his master, for all of Raith''s soldiers, it was like that and it is impossible for them to betray him.

    "You are yet to see my full extent. I will show you the power of a soon-to-be god."

    Han Lamar opened the finger of his stretched arm.

    "Nuclear Magic"

    Whoooooommm

    The atmosphere immediately darkened as a dark spiraling energy formed in front of his hand, it was as if it was twisting out of the space, forcing a bend, umon sense, and defying conceptualws.

    The power it carried was pure destruction even though it had not been deployed, it was befitting of its name.

    All others were shaking from the intensity. They stuttered back, sure that it was going to ravage the already ravaged surrounding, probably reduce the entire castle to nothing but debris.

    But Antares stood tall, standing straight like a mighty warrior, without one hint of fear in him.

    "ELIMINATION GRAVITY"

    GBAAAMMMMM

    CRASSHHHHHH

    It was as they all expected, the spiraling energy dashed forward in an instant, creating a ck line that immediately began to suck in everything like a ck hole. Everything from that point of emergence to where Antares was standing began to be sucked in by a great force.

    Antares withstood the force but was struggling. He buried his leg into the ground but even the ground began to peel open and be absorbed by the hole.

    And even though Antares was resisting, he was slowly being pulled forward, like a mighty tornado was beckoning unto him, no matter how hard he tried to push himself backward, the force was mighty, it was pulling him slowly but it was pulling him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    It wasn''t just him, but everyone. They were slowly being pulled into the hole, such that Long Huo and Long Shui had to wrap themselves around Draear to stop him from going into it. Amber was fairly holding her ground which was in fact notable and distinguishing amongst the new heroes who arrived and had to hold onto something, even Lamber had to stab his sword into the ground and firmly push downward.

    Some were unlucky and ended up being taken, screams were heard as they flew into the ck hole.

    Han Lamar stood with a wicked grin as he watched Antares struggle. He knew it was going to not end well for him in the end.

    And right in front of Antares appeared something.

    [The Monarch Of Death has bestowed a skill upon you]

    Hisrge socket gotrger, he was widened with surprise.

    "My king..." his voice quivered.

    [You have temporarily received the skill GREED FLARE]

    [You can convert the target''s soul into energy to devastatingly increase your power]

    Antares eyes were watery, he was moved to tears by the kind gesture of his Monarch who knew he was struggling without even being there.

    Raith saw the way his dark energy was falling short and could guess that Antares was losing. It wasn''t just hunters he could bestow his skill on, it was especially meant for his soldiers, anyone starting from the Major rank.

    He had just checked for a way to help but was happy to find out he could do that. Although the skill had a cool-down time which was very rare, almost all his skills do not have a cool-down time.

    Antares red back up with renewed anger and passion toy Han Lamar to waste.

    "You disgusting being! Making my king go to such extents to help me. I will make you regret being born!!" He screamed, opening his mandible into the air.

    [YOU ARE USING THE SKILL ''GREED FLARE'']

    Han Lamar staggered for a second. It was so faint and it was literally impossible for anyone to have noticed. If he was human he would have died instantly from the amount of life energy Antares just sucked out of him.

    "You wretched ant, what have you done to me?" He asked with a frown on his face, with his fiendish appearance, he was not short of fearsome. Very fearsome.

    "You have a lot of soul energy, don''t you? Perhaps I took a hundred years. Shall I take more again?" Antares taunted.

    He didn''t need to raise his head.

    [YOU ARE USING THE SKILL ''GREED FLARE'']

    It was a silent skill, one that was being used and no one would know, it just sucked out the target''s soul into the user, like wind.

    Han Lamar staggered, he knew immediately.

    "This goddamn bastard!"

    He knew he couldn''t continue to stand apart from him, and he had to interrupt that process somehow, even the ck hole didn''t seem to be an issue for Antares who had gained tremendous strength from absorbing his soul energy.

    And so he had to close the ck hole.

    It close the moment he leaped over it to reach Antares in a blink. Bye-bye to the heroes that were lost.

    Antares delved a punch into his head as he reached him, it was so fast and not seen, Han didn''t see iting and it was so powerful that it sent Han flying away, meters, tumbling and rolling away like an unstoppable boulder.

    But even a boulder can''t roll forever on a straightnd. He came to a stop as he hit the wall of the only unbroken building in the castle. Every other building was in shambles, except the throne hall building, and this one, a side of the throne hall had been chopped off by the ck hole and the rest of it had crack lines all around.

    But this one was perfectly fine. A ce where Han Lamar''s goal foring to the castle was. He looked back and immediately could tell.

    ''What I have been searching for, surely destiny is with me on this one''

 Chapter 199 Apocalypse Of Therut (11): Raiths Questions (1)

    ?

    "Perhaps this skill was actually created for my army. Could that be why it was added with the ss skills?" Raith muttered to himself as he closed the tab view in front of him.

    There was a stronger link between him and higher rank soldiers. He had felt it in a jiffy when he resurrected and with how his whole body just linked with the darkness that Noir exuded but with what happened a few moments ago he was sure.

    His body shook with goosebumps, not one that excited him but one that feared him. A feeling that couldn''t be put to a how, but he just could feel it, a hint of Antares fear.

    Antares was fearful? It shocked him too. That strong monster, the strongest soldier in his army safe Noir, was in a fearful state. Raith knew that Han Lamar must have pulled something and so he decided to look for how to help, which prompted him to open his skill window.

    And there it was, suddenly standing out. ''Bestow skill''. Even after that Raith didn''t have too many skills that would be of good use. Except for greed. The greed sub-skills are amazing. After confirming from the abyss if he could try it¨C he borrowed Antares ''Greed re'' and was very contented with the disappearance of that fearful feeling the moment he got alerted that Antares has received the skill.

    Hence he looked forward toward the temple that towered. He was going toe back for Han wherever Antares stopped, and if Han is lucky, Antares would have dealt with him.

    The height of the temple was magnanimous, although not as tall as the castle but the architecture of the entire ce was catchy, it would be worth being a tourist attraction for travelers, the sculptures were sculpted using ss, wood, and rare metal, there was even a sculpted diamond sitting at the highest edge of the temple.

    Well, not like Raith cared about any of that stuff. The only thing that he probably cared about was how he was going to p the shit out of that pontifex depending on her answers.

    Meanwhile.

    Throbb!!

    "What is that?!!"

    Pieter suddenly shot up shouting from where he was sitting as he felt a heavy tension fall on his chest.

    He was in chra library, studying like he usually does, Therut might look like a limited world but it has quite an expanse of knowledge one that schrs find interesting to explore. Pieter if not for his talent in swordsmanship would have be a schr like he always wanted to be.

    After being named as one of the best of the era at the age of 12, he was drafted out to take the Knightship test. And easily passed, out of hundreds that were selected he came out as the second best and was given the privilege to choose the pontifex he wanted to serve.

    That little white-eared elf girl standing amongst the many other kids somehow stood out for him. She was beautiful, morous, and elegant but all that was written on her face was loneliness.

    A desire to fill in that void, to be with her, to protect her filled him, without a second thought. He chose her. She was the one no doubt.

    And since then he had be Leane''s knight of oath. He would die to protect her and would never let any harme to her¨C even though he had seen her go from that gentle innocent little elf to a vicious and merciless pontifex.

    He still stayed regardless. She needs him.

    She needs him, this was the time, the time to show her, to show her how much he would do to sacrifice her.

    With this level of danger, Pieter knew for sure that he can''t defeat whatever that thing is without suffering any major damage. He looked forward to the expression on her face.

    ''Will she cry for me?''

    Perhaps if he died, she would be devastated. If it would take his death to bring back the innocent little elf he once knew he didn''t mind. That was how much he cared about her.

    He would never allow any harm whatsoever toe to her.

    He grabbed his sword and broke through the window, flying outside the library, which was several heights away from the ground.

    Finally, he saw what it was, a ckbird, so big that it covered the rays of the sun.

    He frowned immediately and spun, blowing a loud whistle with his mouth while he maintained his momentum in the air with this swift spin.

    As he ended the spin and began to fall, a ck-winged horse swept underneath him and carried him back to the sky. Rising high to the level of the bird.

    ''What is that? What is it doing here?''

    He wondered as he slowly reached the level of the bird before he could now finally see the man standing on it.

    So wless in all of his poise. Standing with his hand in his pockets. His re was so rigid and serious, emanating a dignified presence, one that made him want to request a name.

    A feeling of just wanting to respect someone because of how they carried themselves.

    "Who are you?"

    He asked, infusing dust energy into his voice such that despite the distance and wind between the two, his words clearly reached Raith and he wasn''t even shouting.

    ''Impressive''

    Raith found it amazing, but he couldn''t do anything. He also didn''t feel any obligation to answer this man on a flying horse.

    He could detect several presence in the building but one stood out. Very pure and abundant.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith squinted his eyes at the area.

    "Noir"

    Wham!!

    The wyvern dashed past Pieter and his horse, its speed leaving his eyes widened.

    "How?" His voice trembled but he was quick to reassemble himself. If that man gets to his pontifex before anything, it was the end for him.

    The ck horse flew after the wyvern, its wings tearing through the wind and almost the sound barrier of the atmosphere but even that was not enough, the death wyvern wasn''t even pping its wings, and yet the horse was already drooling, its speed reached a peak real fast but that peak was not half enough to catch up with the wyvern.

    Seeing that his horse might drop soon, Pieter leaped off it, shooting straight into the air, and unsheathed his sword as he flew.

    He swung its tip towards his back and shouted.

    "Eruption! Burn!!"

    A st of spectrum dust energy shut out of his de towards the sky, enormous, like a jet propeller, he darted forward as the wyvern was about to crash into the part of the ss building, he zapped to Raith''s side in that instance, swinging his sword an arc towards his side aimed at cutting Raith''s head off.

    Shatter

    The ss broke as Noir broke into it with ease, several knights could be seen surrounding the pontifex¨C the building crashed as Noir raised his long neck and head.

    ''Shit, I missed it?''

    Pieter hated the fact that he didn''t get it at once, he had never had to pull his sword twice on someone.

    ''This guy, his presence is not a fluke.''

    Pieter knew now that the kind of magnifying presence that he felt from Raith was a really big deal.

    "Who are you? How dare you attack the pontifex?"

    Raith touched his neck and looked at his hand, there was a little blood on it.

    "Tch, this guy cut me... his speed was impressive. The knight of Oath Pieter."

    Raith knew him, this was after all the same temple where he got selected as the hero of the death archon. He had always seen that hollow and empty face that everybody revered. A lot of people that wanted to be a knight of oath respected him the most.

    He has heard of his strength, a man that cuts everything and everyone down with one strike. He has never had to pull his sword twice, even his hand-to-handbat was the best of the best. He could render someone a cripple in just a few seconds.

    "Your reputation proceeds you."

    Raith cleaned the small cut on his neck and walked closer.

    "Who are you?"

    "Should I be disappointed? You don''t remember me, I''m sure I stood out considering how the entire empire was pointing hands at me and stoning me for being a failure, a taboo after being named a hero of the archon of death."

    Pieter''s eyes widened.

    "How?"

    He found this situation utterly disturbing, this was the one thing that has caused a recent argument between him and Leane, and yet it has caught up with them, her ugly decisions had caught up with them ande to bite back at them.

    "Honestly, I did note here to fight. Depending on how this conversation goes, no one might have to die, no one would suffer... and everything will end peacefully."

    Pieter gulped and stood at ease, but his hand was still tightly clenching his sword.

    Raith turned his face to the elven pontifex.

    "I have a few questions for you. Pontifex of chra."

    "Speak" Her voice was almost shaking but it still exuded an excellent level of elegance.

    "Did Fel choose me? Or did you render me to Fel? No, how much of it is true? Tell me how much of it is a lie. What the hell are you pontifices keeping from the rest of the world?"

 Chapter 200 Apocalypse Of Therut (12): Raiths Questions (2)

    ?

    "As much as I would love to teach you a very good lesson right now." Han Lamar paused looking at the ant and at the upturned environment.

    "There are more important things to take care of." He turned to therge door behind him.

    Antares clenched his fist and bowed his head, his shoulders shuddering as though he wasughing, but in actuality, he was shaking with anger.

    Serious Anger.

    "This son of a bitch, he dares turns his back to me. He dares?!!!!!"

    He spread his arms out in disarray, screaming so hard that his screeching voice was like tearing the atmosphere. And then he dashed at Han, removing his almost transparent but smoky wings, flying at high speed.

    He got to where Han was andnded. As heunched his fist forward¨C

    A side of Han''s lips curled. "Just what I needed."

    He disappeared from Antares'' view, leaving Antares'' punch to break into the hard metal door. As that happened, there was immediately arge explosion that shook the whole castle for a while.

    Han looked with delight as the white smoke spread everywhere from the room. Who knew that the sneaky demon was nning something so bad?

    "My strength would have never been enough to break that thing, even if it was enough. The door was designed to multiply the damage by two and return it immediately. So even if it shattered, the person that shattered it was bound to die."

    He walked forward slowly with his hands behind his back.

    "I have you to thank for my sess." He said to Antares who was nothing but a struggling ck me on the ground.

    Having absorbed more strength from Han, his power at that moment had grown, not even he was able to withstand times two of such power.

    Han shook his head, smacking his lip in pity for the monster that died paving the way for him. What he did not know was that for this monster, death was not the end, rather it was the beginning. It was growth.

    Shhhh!

    Just when he was about to take a step in, that struggling ck me erupted higher and formed an ant humanoid again. It was Antares, he was back better and stronger.

    Han Lamar turned back his head with a puzzled expression. No matter how good he was keeping a straight face one could still see a prejudice of confusion faintly worn on his face.

    "Right from your mother''s womb, you must have been a very useless bastard. Perhaps she knew you were not going to amount to anything but a butt-fucking coward. Using me to fill your shorings is nothing but aplete show of ipetence. You don''t deserve to be killed by me, perhaps something lower will do..."

    As Antares finish speaking, ck smoke wriggled around his feet.

    And like that Kortopi shot out too, standing in between Antares and Han, he faced Antares, bowed, and faced Han.

    With a face that said, ''This is the person you will be fighting

    Yes, it was possible for a Major rank to call another death soldier as far as the master''s consent was it, a major rank can alsoe out on their own.

    Kortopi was standing opposite Han with a sword and a fierce look. Who knows what he and Antares had been doing in that short time?

    Kortopiunched at him at the fast spread, a sword carving out of his hand like usual.

    Wham!

    Wham!

    Wham!

    Wham!

    All of Kortopi''s strikes came off as easy-peasy for Han, he dodged with a fluid movement of his head and body, weaving away from the end point of every sword strike that Kortopi was trying to slip in.

    He finally somersaults into the air and as he came back spinning on Kortopi, hended a heavy strike on him. One that razed the ground and broke it.

    Kortopi had blocked that strike but his hands were shaking.

    Han was standing with a great sword in his hand. The sword looked like it had been corroded with some green erosive material but that was how it was.

    Kortopi struggled to stand up but Antares ces his hand on his shoulders.

    "It is fine. I shall show him, whates upon a man when he touches my brother."

    Kortopi''s eyes gleamed with respect as the ant walked forward ring at Han.

    "You dare to hurt my brother."

    "You have an identity crisis, look at that thing and look at yourself again¨C

    Wham!

    Whoosh!

    Han Lamar''s face swung away from Antares'' sharp ws in a hair''s breadth but the after-effect caused a few scratches to burst open on his cheek.

    He was confident in this demonic skin, he was sure of its defenses. But right now it was looking like the ant easily prated.

    He frowned and touched his cheek.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "How dare you¨C

    Antares lunged at him again, a series of sharp cyclonic kicks that sted the wind away each time Han Lamar dodged. It was impressive that Han Lamar was keeping up with such a level of speed. Surely, he was a very strong dude too.

    Wham!

    His sword wriggled with vibration as Antares leg smashed it. The leg should have been embedded in his chest now if his sword wasn''t he strong.

    ''How is he so powerful?'' Han Lamar wondered.

    He wondered if it was that the ant he knew had always been this powerful and he was just lucky that day or if it was because he met another man and became this thing that he is yet to understand.

    Truth be told, if Raith extracted Antares before he met Han Lamar, he might not have been this strong. Surely,Antares back then had eaten a lot of people but it wasn''t to the extent at which he ate humans after receiving a name from Han Lamar and going to the human world.

    It is thanks to the ant''s meeting with Han Lamar, that Raith now has a soldier this strong.

    "I am not done with you."

    Antares, swung his hand back, and as he brought it back forward with a tearing speed, a cloak of raging mes enveloped his fist immediately burning so high that it was beginning to burn pink¡ª

    Wham!!

    GBOOOAAM

    CRASH!!

    An explosion of force was birthed as that enraged fist connected with Han Lamar''s said defenses. Both of them were sent flying away from each other¨C Antares scratched the floor with his toe-ws toe to a stop and walked forward immediately.

    By the time he got to where Han Lamar¨C

    "He is gone!" He eximed.

    "That son of a bitch is gone!!!"

    ***

    "The answers you seek are not mine to give." Her soft voice was like gel, almost like it was screaming, handle me carefully.

    Raith pocketed his hands, they were clenched right there in his pocket. He was holding out because he respected everything here and especially Pieter. He had not thought about it before but fighting with this knight of oath won''t be easy.

    He had fought with a lot of monsters but it is a different story when it is a human, strong enough to catch up to Noir''s speed.

    "Before anything. Can you take that thing away from this ce?" She said.

    She still had the guts to ask in amanding tone despite the fact that she could die by Raith''s hand at any moment.

    Raith looked at Noir and nodded.

    "Yes Master" With his thick response the wyvern dematerialized into dark smoke and seeped into Raith.

    "So what were you saying? They are not yours to give?"

    The Pontifex slowly walked out of the middle of the knights and stood a few feet apart from Raith.

    "Raven Raith Degado... I don''t know what you intend to hear from me but you were chosen by the death archon. Yes, there are a lot of things surrounding this topic but the unchangeable truth is that you were chosen."

    Raith nodded with a short chuckle.

    "So you are going to lie till the end."

    Raith went silent, rubbing his lower lips with his thumb, he was deliberating on what to do since the pontifex was going to keep shitting him.

    However, his silence put all the knights on their edge.

    "Fel¨C

    Her eyes widened the moment Raith spoke out the name.

    The name of the death archon was notmon knowledge, no one knew it, except if they did a deep research into history. She grimaced at Raith.

    "Judging by your expression, I am beginning to make some sense right? But I have not even started."

    Raith ced his hands behind his back like some aged professor.

    "Fel died. He died long ago... ording to the story that Therut told us, the death archon betrayed the other eight archons in the end¨C but after his repentance, he offered his life as a sacrifice for our world to stand. But that didn''t mean he was forgiven, the sin of betrayal is heavy after all."

    Raith continued.

    "You im the other eight archons are sleeping, they choose heroes, that makes a lot of sense. But howe no one ever thought that was it not abnormal for a death archon to choose a hero?

    I looked into all the heroes of death archon before me after I got chosen... you know something fascinating, all records of them were lost, except this particr one where their deaths were recorded. Now, I wonder who erased those records."

    Raith''s eyes gleamed with malice as he looked at her.

 Chapter 201 Apocalypse Of Therut (13): Confrontation (1)

    ?

    Silence ensued in the room after Raith''s question. Only two people in this room knew the answer to Raith''s question and one of them would dare not speak of it.

    Leane squinted her eyes.

    "I am not surprised that you know a lot, I thought you had died when you went to Felfhiem but somehow you are here¨C

    "Bitch don''t divert the conversation..."

    "How dare you?!! To the pontifex!!!" Pieter screamed almost pulling out his sword until Leane herself shut him up.

    He retracted and bowed his head but still red at Raith who would dare call the holiest being a bitch. It was another level of disrespect, he wants to at least have Raith''s arm before he leaves here, now he didn''t really care much about how strong Raith might be, he just wanted to smack the fuck out of him.

    "I am not diverting the conversation, I am well aware that you are a threat right now and possess the power to tear down all of chra in fact. I am speaking and it is not my fault they are not what you want to hear." Her eyes were rigid, sitting on her astoundingly beautiful face it came out as a pretty cute thing.

    Raith chuckled and nodded, it was like these people didn''t know what hase for them.

    "You have no idea what you are doing. Save your skin while you can... because I will kill you if you decide not to talk, then I will extract your soul as one of my soldiers and make you tell me everything. That is one, two I will wake all the archons and kill all of them... all of them."

    Of course, his words to everyone came out as nothing but a wild joke, even the knights behind the pontifex were giggling. Raith''s words were far too superficial.

    Kill the archons? Damn, joker.

    But Raith didn''t stress it, his aim of speaking was not to instill fear in anyone nor did he expect anyone to believe his words, he had no expectations whatsoever. He just said his mind, because he really was going to kill the archons.

    Today was going to be a big day for him, he prepared mentally for how many times he will die, he didn''t even know how he will fight them maybe one by one or together but he knows that at the end of this fight, something will be different¨C that, he looked forward to.

    But this demeaning atmosphere was annoying still. Perhaps those knights needed to be taken as scapegoats.

    "Crimson..."

    "Yes my lord"

    From the depth of Raith shadows flew out a blur that passed Leane before Pieter''s eyes could catch up, and by the time his eyes caught up, his hands on the hilt of his longsword about to pull it out...

    Of the eight knights that were behind Leane, seven heads rolled into the air with just this dark and red smoky sword cleaving an arc, right behind all eight. He deliberately spared one.

    There always has to be a witness after all.

    "What?" Pieter''s eyes widened and shook.

    The seven bodies crumbled to their knees and in a minute everyone was a pool of blood.

    Crimson spun his sword and stabbed it into his ground, cing both hands on its hilt.

    Pieter''s face was overturned with anger, apart from the shock of that thing that suddenly attacked the knights, he was angry, blood was shed right beside where she stood and it was all Raith.

    He brimmed with anger and tightened his grip around his sword, was about to move at Raith.

    "Stop, Pieter." Her soft voice reached him before he could take any action.

    It reached him in such a way that his eyes widened.

    ''Leane...''

    Memories of his days with her when both of them were young, flooded his mind. Her voice just now was quaking, she could tell it was immersed in fear but she was still asking him to stop when he was her best shot at being protected. Why?

    He stood at ease, releasing the tension and gently walking to her. He stood right beside her and faced Raith.

    "I am not joking with you."

    The imposing figure standing behind them with a sword changed the atmosphere totally, the remaining knight copsed and began to convulse.

    His Armour sounding on the ground distracted the silence for a while but they were quickly back to the moment.

    Raith was still demanding his answers and the Pontifex''s face looked like he was going to get them soon, she was already shaking.

    "I don''t know much... but yes the heroes of the death archon before you all died between a year and five years of bing the hero of the death archon. That has always been the fate of anyone that was chosen by the death archon."

    "You are still lying. You are still lying still... should I just kill you and ask the archons myself?"

    Pieter could be seen holding his sword again as Raith was talking like that.

    The Pontifex''s expression became nk, she was scared a minute ago but it was now like she had confronted that part of her.

    "I will do this instead..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raith focused on her.

    She brought out a small hourss with golden sand in it then she turned it.

    Immediately Raith jumped several meters away so did Crimson, only Pieter suddenly mmed his knees on the ground and bowed.

    "I wee the archon of light, chra!" He shouted.

    The Pontifex''s eyes were now nk, her pupils were gone and a golden fluid wasing out of her eyes.

    "You carry the abyss... how unlucky of you."

    [THE ABYSS WILL BE BORROWING YOUR BODY]

    Wham!!

    Raith was already in front of the archon, his hands tightly gripping its neck. Yet it did not move in any way, perhaps because it was not because this is not its real body, Pieter however was worried, he was ncing up and was restless but dared not interrupted.

    Raith had be different too, his white sclera had now be ck, and he was like a demon himself.

    "chra, what a joke. You are nothing but a fugitive, how dare you betray your own kind." The abyss sounded from Raith in many voices all at once.

    "What? Fel? Your presence is just like that of Fel. Are you perhaps the one he serves?" The archon grinned.

    "Listen young man..."

    Despite knowing that what had upied Raith''s body was no young man, he still said that. His speech was meant to reach Raith.

    "... whatever this thing you serve is doing that makes you think you are strong. It is all for nothing. He does nothing but use and deceive and then abandoned. Just like he abandoned Fel."

    "You killed Fel!" The many voices sounded again, tightening Raith''s hand in the grip of the Pontifex''s neck.

    "Fel asked for his demise... we created a world to stay away from the rest, from the deceitfulness of the angels, the rashness of the primordials, we protected it."

    Raith''s ck eyes squinted, his lids were already getting hollow and bing ck.

    The abyss wondered, Why? Why would Fel want to die?

    Yes, Fel betrayed it, but Fel found his way back, there was no reason for it to ask for death, the abyss was in deep thought.

    But before it could go further it staggered back, shaking its head like a glitch.

    "What? What are you doing?!" He shouted, he was talking to someone on the inside.

    [How dare you?!]

    [How dare you take my body without my permission]

    Raith''s words appeared in the ck holographic tab.

    The abyss gritted his teeth, holding one eye that kept glitching and had already turned white, a sign that Raith was trying to collect his body back. And it was working.

    "You will not be able to deceive anyone like you deceived Fel."

    "You damned boy, I have done everything for you and you dare rebel against me? Me?!!"

    [Done every for me?]

    [Didn''t you have an objective with me]

    [Haven''t you been growing me, training me for whatever you wish to use me for without letting my say in it]

    [I see, it makes sense that you upied my body, was it all for this?]

    The abyss was silent and said nothing, it wasn''t like it could tell Raith that weirdly enough he had a body that could condone its presence. Even Fel wasn''t able to host the abyss like him, a body that was capable of epting cosmic energy, it was very rare, one out of ten billion.

    And all that luck came to it because this pontifex chose Raith as the hero of the death archon putting the dust of the death archon into him but it was a remnant of the abyss soil that Fel always has with him, it was a way to stay connected and be able to enter the abyss as he pleases.

    It was after Raith''s first death that the abyss noticed. Something was different about this one. It didn''t know much about the world Fel created, but the moment it found Raith''s magnificent body after that first death, it found him in an instant.

    All this was the abyss reason for determining that Raith was the only one that could help it reach its goal. Even if the highest of primordial demanded it. It was not ready to let go of Raith.

 Chapter 202 Apocalypse Of Therut (14): Confrontation (2)

    ?

    Raith knew not much about himself neither has he ever questioned his origin. The little he could remember was his sickly mother and arrogant father who was madly in love with her. He was the result of that love.

    His brother was from a different mother who Lambert left to follow this new beauty. After her death seeing Raith made him angry, he med her death on him and he hated him, especially his ipetence, a durd he would often call him.

    All these bad memories might have overshadowed the good ones in Raith''s head, he couldn''t see any good in his family, and worse now. After embracing the darkness, all the abyss shows him is darkness, wrath, pain, and desecration.

    That was all Raith could see.

    Regardless of all this he still held onto a faint hope, a hope that was like a safety rope for him in a moment like this.

    [Using authority G?=?1 you have overridden the system]

    [Summoning Death Soldier "Jarvis"]

    [Summoning Death Soldier "Kortopi"]

    [Summoning Death Soldier "Antares"]

    It was Crimson who was still standing afar that first closed, in. He swung his sword at Raith, no... the abyss.

    With a backstepped, the swing was weaved and a roundhouse kicknded on his shoulder crushing him to the ground.

    ''How is he able to summon them without my origin'' the abyss wondered, scrunching his eyes as the others began to appear before him.

    Antares, Kortopi, Jarvis, and Crimson, who stood back up and were standing beside them.

    He heaved a sigh of relief, as though he can manage these.

    But to his shock.

    [Summoning Death Soldier "Fenrir"]

    [Summoning Death Soldier "Noir"]

    [Summoning Death Soldier "Rogue"]

    Including the ace that Raith had been hiding from everyone.

    Yes, the leader of the red orcs that he fought.

    A drop of sweat ran down Raith''s cheek.

    "Give us back our master," Crimson demanded, clenching his sword.

    The abyss flinched, he was shocked. The power of darkness in Raith, he had no idea that this was going to happen.

    ''...my biggest mistake was giving him this ss.''

    That was right, regardless of the power source, the soldiers are only loyal to the one who beckoned their names. Also, these ones havee to like Raith, apart from the fact that he is their summoner, to them he had be a person they wanted to always please.

    In a short time, they had long passed the stage being connected only by darkness. They were cordially master and servants.

    "I am your master. Dig that into your head, your true master is me."

    Antares cocked his head and pointed to the abyss.

    "Right now, I was interrupted because of the shit you pulled, you think we don''t know you, you think we don''t see you. I won''t curse you because that is my master''s body but get the fuxk out of there."

    Antares'' voice was intimidating and intelligent, even Pieter admired his manner of speech.

    The abyss red hard, he understood perfectly that it couldn''t control Raith''s summons but it had at least thought that they would not be able to tell the difference. He underestimated them way too much.

    His head shuddered again.

    "You damn bastard! Leave my head!" Raith''s voice forced itself out.

    "My king!" Antares shouted in excitement at the sound of Raith''s struggling voice that came out. He just was always excited to see or hear his king.

    Raith held his head together with both hands and for a while, it was as though Raith and the abyss were fighting in his head and it kept shuddering.

    Antares watched diligently waiting for another opportunity to shout MY KING.

    Finally, after a few seconds, it stopped. Raith paused and everything went silent, all his major summons who were in the room gently watched. Fenrir was gritting its teeth, Noir''s mouth was filled with freezing fog and Raith''s trump card was standing there like a moron.

    Raith slowly breathe, it was still the abyss... the abyss slowly breathed.

    "Looks like you have a lot on your te... perhaps we will meet another day."

    "And where do you think you are going?" Antares said to the archon who had turned away and was about to carry the hourss.

    But something was different about Antares'' manner of speech.

    Pieter who was almost suffocating and barely holding himself in this heavy atmosphere slowly raised his head to see who it was.

    He had thought that Raith had gotten control of his body because that voice sounded more like Raith''s. Antares'' thick and rugged voice was not what Pieter heard.

    The archon stopped and turned back. The abyss too was surprised.

    [You bitch, I''ve figured out a way]

    [I will destroy you if you don''t give me my body back]

    It was sure that Raith was still in this body but he was sounding right now in Antares''s body. What the hell was this supposed to mean?!

    "It is you... I feel that disgusting power from you." The archon said, cing its hands behind its back, or perhaps her hands.

    "I asked you a series of questions and I want to know the truth. Including your loss in this war with the primordial that you have been telling the entire Therut about." Antares, no... Raith requested.

    Raith was in his body but a part of his ego was now in Antares. Something that wouldn''t have been possible if it wasn''t for his ruler''s authority and error code.

    "Telling you is not difficult. But are you ready to bear the truth?" The archon asked, looking at Raith, the real Raith that was standing behind Antares.

    "I don''t care, spill it now."

    The archon then nodded.

    "First I will start by telling you that we did not fight with the primordials. We never did."

    Raith was not surprised, but there was someone here who was witnessing all this, someone who dare not talk. Although even the archon seems not to mind his presence.

    Pieter was shocked by the archon''s words. His throat shook but he couldn''t speak.

    "I am utterly sorry for what our decisions have caused you."

    The only reason why this archon was apologizing to Raith was because he was a considerable force to reckon with.

    The archons, celestials in general, including Asuras, and mostly angels were known to be a very proud race, they were proud as fuck and would never apologize but of course, this was a different case if the person is someone strong or someone they loved.

    The apology didn''t move Raith any bit. He demanded the truth and that was all he cared about right now. So he was more interested in the archon''s next statement after the archon''s apology.

    "This world was our attempt to save and protect ourselves. Don''t me us for fabricating a world of lies, all the people we came here with would have died if it wasn''t for that lie."

    "I don''t give a shit about that..."

    "Who you should me is that embodiment of darkness that Fel served, even unto the end Fel couldn''t let go of his service. And he created a system where the abyss will be able to find someone worthy while we monitor this world in our sleep using our dust in heroes and keep the barrier of the world.

    It was the same system, designed for us to keep the world of Therut living."

    The archon paused and looked at him.

    "The pontifex''s decision was rational, it could have been anybody but it just was you. But all this wouldn''t have happened if the abyss stop meddling with the matters of the world and just go back to where its kind belongs... with other primordials."

    Antares shuddered immediately he heard that it was Raith.

    ''I heard the word clearly but nothing happened... there was no reaction''

    Was it because he was in the body of another?

    "Wait did you just say?!"

    "Yes, the abyss is a primor¡ª

    Wham!

    The abyss¨C Raith reached the pontifex in an instant and pped her mouth, sending her away¡ª Pieter followed through immediately and caught her before she could m her back on one of the poles holding therge hall.

    He slowlynded and bowed after dropping her.

    "Thank you, Pieter."

    His body shook with excitement.

    ''The archon called my name!!'' He cried inwardly.

    Antares squinted his eyes.

    ''The abyss is a primordial.'' This was a confirmation for sure.

    Raith had not given much thought about the primordials, just thinking about it would hurt his head. Besides, he had not even uncovered the secrets of the celestials. So far so good the only celestials he had met were the Asuras, the guardinals, to be particr only one; Briceus of the Northern front and now he was speaking with an archon.

    He had not even met an angel and angels are the strongest subrace of the celestials. His te was still full with the celestials, why bother with the primordials?

    But the news that the abyss is a primordial changed everything for him. He began to raise a lot of questions within himself and demanded even more answers.

    But time was not on his side anymore.

 Chapter 203 Apocalypse Of Therut (15)

    ?

    There was a limit to what Raith could do... this was a skill that he discovered in the nick of time thanks to the error code from his authority as a ruler.

    He is currently separating his own soul and converting one part into an ego to talk through Antares, any more of it he could permanently be an ego and just lose it.

    He needed to leave.

    ''Shit I need a n...''

    He could feel the distress in his soul, being able to convert a part of himself into an ego to upy something else was amazing but any longer than this he could lose this part of his soul.

    So he returned with whatever was left, upying his body with the abyss controlling the right side and him the left.

    "Oh my great king, I am privileged, happy that you offered me the privilege and chance to be used by you. Please you can stay in my body as much as you like" Antares shouted out, mming his knees to the ground like a deluded devotee.

    The other soldiers gleamed at him with jealousy.

    ''How I wish Master can upy my body too.''

    "We did not just decide toe here, we were running away from them... from those wretched primordials."

    The archon began to speak again, not minding the abyss one bit.

    The right side of Raith''s brow was furrowed badly but the left part was so rxed that it made his facial expression distorted like that of a psychopath.

    The abyss was not pleased with the fact that the archon was going to say all.

    As much as it wanted Raith to have his answers there were some things he just wasn''t due to know yet¨C ording to Abyss'' judgement that is.

    But it was finding it very hard to move because of Raith''s strong control over his body. The two were in a tug-of-war even though they were just standing.

    The archon after pausing to look at the struggles continued.

    "After we took the shard, they began to send the gods after us. You might already know, the gods are the lowest race of primordials just as the asuras are the lowest of celestials. But even amongst them, there are some whose power can rival that of an archangel.

    So they were quite troublesome..."

    The archon paused and began to shiver.

    "So- someth¨C

    It was trying to say something but its voice was breaking and the Pontifex''s head was shaking like she was experiencing some seizure.

    ''Something is wrong.''

    The abyss suddenly disappeared and Raith got full control of his body, he twisted his wrist and other parts of his body to be sure that they were all fine before focusing on what was in front of him.

    Pieter was already holding the pontifex in his arms and shouting as if that was going to help.

    Raith also didn''t know what was going on, no one did.

    But something was wrong, on arge scale.

    The ground began to shake tremendously. The shake started off slowly then it began to intensify so that it was hard to maintain one''s bnce.

    "That bitch!" Antares cried out.

    "Antares what is it?" Raith asked.

    "That bitch, he must have tried something. He ran away while I was fighting with him and the humans there were saying something about that ce being a divine chamber before you summoned me, sir.

    "A divine chamber...?"

    "Forgive me, I shall fly over there real quick to find out for you." Antares frowned his eyes together and spread out his wings. He was ready to take off.

    "Stop, stop."

    Raithmanded, urging him. Antares leg did not take another step even from the moment he heard Raith''s voice.

    THREMBLE!!

    A deafening rumble reverberated through the air, sending shockwaves to the entirendscape.

    The building they were in began to crumble and reduce in height. Pieter widened his eyes and flew out the window with the pontifex. But the outside was no better itself.

    Cracks snaked through the surface, splitting the ground apart like a monstrous jigsaw puzzleing undone.

    From the depth below arge hand plunged out, tearing the ground like it was a piece of paper and holding onto it as though it was hanging onto something toe on out.

    With each movement as it rose, the whole surrounding convulsed in agony, it wasn''t just the temple. It spread far and wide towards the empire pce, the crack came from all sorts of ces and seemed interconnected somehow.

    The once solid ground crumbled and disintegrated as the colossal hand fullyunched out of the ground and then used it as a support to pull out the rest of its body.

    The floor continued to disintegrate at an even faster rate, reducing the temple building itself more to rubble.

    Many people were caught up in it, screams were covered by the noise of rumbles, bodies buried beneath this unreasonable crumbling. What seemed like a peaceful city a minute ago had in an instant be a destion of abomination.

    Everything overturned as this thing pulled itself out of the ground.

    Pieter hopped around with the pontifex to find a safe ce but it was as though everything was interconnected and everywhere was affected by the long crack and disintegration caused by this magnanimous being.

    "The archon..." Raith muttered from on top of Noir where he stood.

    Noir had ascended high into the sky while the others returned to the abyss. From Raith''s vantage point, he could clearly see what it was that was trying to get itself out, he could see the lengths and breadth of the cracking and what structure it took.

    That is how he knew for sure, this was the archons'' awakening.

    But who would dare?

    That is when it dawned on him.

    ''Could this divine chamber they were talking about be the key to awakening the archons.''

    Raith had never heard of a way to awaken the archons, he had never thought of it. Indeed they all knew that the history says the archons are asleep and their body is used for the foundation of this world but no one thought that the archons waking up would mean the destruction of the world.

    No one except the pontifices and apparently, Han Lamar.

    Raith was baffled as to how he would have known, but it is Han Lamar we are talking about, a man that was somehow able to discover first the fabrications of the archons and the reality that existed outside their world. But really Raith wondered how Han Lamar knew all these things.

    The very fabric of everynd tore apart as if the world itself were being torn asunder. Dust and debris billowed into the air, creating a suffocating cloud that choked the sky.

    The sun was blotted out, casting the world into an eerie darkness, as if the wrath of this awakened archon had eclipsed all light and hope.

    As the archon reached its full height, its towering figure cast a terrifying shadow across the destendscape. Its eyes, which glowed with an otherworldly intensity, pierced through the gloom, radiating an aura of ancient power that sent shivers down the spines of all who beheld it.

    It stood up, tall and mighty, it was a colossal being indeed. Its head was buried in the clouds and was even higher than where Noir was maintaining a stationary state of flight.

    The wyvern immediately plunged even higher to the sky, where it could behold the archon face to face so that Raith could have the conversation he wanted.

    It was finally here.

    "Strong human, servant of the abyss... it seems someone has meddled with matters that should not be touched. I require your help."

    The archon''s voice was like thunder.

    Raith looked around, this is what the rising up of one archon has done to the surrounding, he couldn''t help but think of what the rising of six more would do. Therut cannot survive it.

    "Therut will inevitablye to its end if the others are disturbed, whoever this is... such person must be stopped. Help me human."

    Raith lost the focus in his gaze and looked down with his hands beneath his chin.

    ''...rather than waking all eight and fighting them, isn''t it better to not allow them to wake up. To what end am I fighting them?''

    He questioned himself about the imperative trial he was given by the abyss. He would grow whether or not he fought the archons but he was trying to consider to best possible route to save as many lives as possible, what he could do.

    The archon stood still, as though it was careful of walking and destroying more, it diligently waited for Raith''s answer even though Raith seemed disrespectful by how he was keeping an archon waiting.

    "What is in it for me?"

    He was going to save the people regardless of whether he epted the archon''s request or not. These were millions of lives we are talking about, he''d be no different from the devil himself if he looked away. Not that he was concerned for the lives, he just approached things from the vantage point of a strong man with a little bit sense of responsibility.

    "I will tell you all you want to know."

    "Haa..." Raith smile.

    This offer was more than enough reason, if this goes well, then he would have the answer to all he has always wanted to know. Every single thing about this world seems to be shrouded in the darkness.

    Yes, this was it.

    *

    *

    *

    [A/N]

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    Please join: RighteousFilth''s Domain

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 Chapter 204 Apocalypse Of Therut (16)

    ?

    "What is that?"

    Amber''s eyes shook with despair as she saw the massive figure and the destruction it caused. They were standing at the end of all that destruction, if the archon had been a meter longer then they too would have been caught in all these rumbles.

    All of them were dazed, they stood bewildered, even the elves that just joined Draear, the elves from Faleron who unlike the Driamwen elves show kindness to humanity. If Draear was considered a proud elf and just like his people too.

    Then this guy Corian, with white hair and sky blue eyes was theplete opposite of that, his gaze was gentle and serene, showing sincere sympathy for the surrounding and the lives lost, while Draear kept on his rigid and agitated face, especially since Corian was in this ce.

    "I can''t contact anyone."

    Amber paced restlessly, clicking hermunication wristwatch, it is a device that was supposed to contact the association but it was not working, there was no response.

    The emperor was not in a good state and the dark ant that had been fighting Han Lamar up until a moment ago suddenly disappeared.

    After therge explosion, the ce was in ruins.

    Amber looked at the three new elves that were just added, of course she knew them, she especially had always liked the strongest because the heroes would always speak of him.

    "Corian." She muttered, but right now finding a solution to whatever was happening was more important.

    "S-s-s-stop." The Emperor spoke out with his strength seeping away.

    Amber sharply turned in the direction and arrived at their instant, bowing to one knee.

    "Your majesty! You are trying to say something." She said to him.

    Indeed, Alexander was trying to say something but he had been struggling to talk, he held the dressed wound with one hand but it was useless. The moment he tried to start talking again, blood dripped down his nose and he coughed with more blood.

    "Your majesty?!" Amber shouted but with genuine concern.

    "Find-d-d t-t-that... stop-p-p him." He struggled to talk so much that Amber felt so pitiful. No matter how much he wanted to speak, blood was what flowed out as he opened his mouth, not to say, the wound that Amber had dressed was beginning to reopen.

    Without too much to say, she could tell that the person he was talking about was Han Lamar and his entry into the divine chamber probably had something to do.

    "Youngdy. Perhaps you need our help with something." Corian asked her as he slowly stepped closer. She had missed when he flew over to her side from her side which was afar off on one of the broken buildings.

    Amber scanned him with her assertive eyes. His approach was condoning so he was a natural passpared to the other one with a arrogant face who was a summoner of two dragons.

    If not for the dire situation they were all in, she would have spared a few more minutes to her judgemental thought on who was more handsome between the two.

    "Thank you for your help! Please I think we will need to enter that ce."

    Her eyes were fixated on the opened ce, that was standing unscathed amongst these ruins. She had questioned what it was and the only answer Degado could provide before suddenly flying off was that.

    "That is the Divine chamber, nothing good wille from such a man entering that kind of ce."

    Then he took off rudely as though he was onto a more important task.

    Amber was truly tired of the heroes in this empire, all of them are thrashy... maybe the entire world itself. They all just liked doing shit.

    "Alright. If that will be the case then we shall enter this divine chamber and uncover all there is about him. Please focus on saving the Emperor."

    "Alrigh¨C

    Wham!

    Something like a ck blur swung past them immediately and into the divine chamber.

    Corian who had not been here earlier was filled with nothing but a cautious re. Pearls of sweat began to form all over his face and he hesitated to move.

    Amber Rose too was not blind, even though it was an impressive speed it wasn''t like she didn''t see it and something in her guts told her that it was Raith again. She frowned her face and abandoned all.

    She ran forward, shaking the ground with every step from her metallic boot that goes back in history to the death of Thard-Harl.

    It was awestruck watching a woman make such powerful marks on the ground just by purely running. Corian was astonished.

    "Are you going to stand there and watch all day?!" Draear shouted as he flew into the chamber with his dragons.

    This one was weird because up until now he didn''t even say anything and was just standing afar with his summoned dragons, however the moment he saw that outstanding speed he plunged forward.

    Corian had not met Raith, he didn''t know who it was for all of them to be so hastened but he could also feel the urge to want to press further faster, get there real quick, some sort of excitement to want to watch the fight before it ends.

    He sumbed to the feeling and ran after them too.

    ***

    Han grinned with broad fulfillment as he was holding a shining red crystal in his hand, the crystal seemed like it had broken.

    "Soon in the other seven ces, they will have the shard and the n for our lord will finallymence. The power to bring down a great demon will be unleashed. I will bring upon a great demon and destroy the archons."

    "You are a fool if you think a great demon is enough to kill the archons"

    Han suddenly threw his face back to see who was taking but there was no one.

    This was a dark and enclosed space, although it was very broad, the hallway that led to this underground part was very narrow, and without guidance, anyone could die before reaching where he was, different traps were certain to endanger the life of anyone that entered.

    Han was sure that no one would be able to enter so he was shocked to be hearing another person''s voice.

    He turned around once more with a tight frown on his face. ''Everything hase to this point, I can''t have any bastarde and ruin all these for me.''

    "Tell me, Han Lamar, why do you do what you do, to what end?"

    With the voice sounding again, Han Lamar recognized the voice immediately. Fear seeped into his heart immediately even though he had the darkness to hide it. But Raith was not bounded by the darkness, he could see as clear as the day and he could see that Han Lamar was currently shaken.

    "I asked a simple question. Fine, you discovered that this world is a lie. What drives you so mad that you don''t mind killing millions of people to prove your point." Raith asked.

    Han Lamar paused and was frowning trying to figure out which side Raith was on exactly. But with the surrounding darkness, it was as though Raith was everywhere.

    "Perhaps, all this is just an excuse and a lie. Maybe you are no different from the archons after all."

    "No! Don''tpare me to such nonsensical beings!!"

    "I smell a grudge from you. A deep grudge. You have met a demon before, haven''t you? Who was it? Who was the demon that armed you with the knowledge you have today? There''s no way you would have been able to leave Therut, it is impossible unless you were helped by someone on the outside.

    I would have suggested a primordial but that makes no sense. If a primordial or celestial was behind you, then you wouldn''t have taken this long to wake up the archons."

    Raith folded his arms and finally revealed himself, "So tell me Han Lamar, who is that demon that put you up to this?"

    Han Lamar was frowning very hard, he looked like he had been pushed into a tight corner by Raith''s questioning. He was angry and became very unstable, brimming with anger.

    "Ahh!! You can''t do anything about this anymore. I will bring down King Bm and make fire and destruction birth a new beginning for Therut."

    "Bm uh, so that was the name of the demon that was involved in all of this," Raith muttered to himself, his chin was rested on his hand, he entered deep thoughts for a few minutes and nodded his head as if he was consenting to the result of thoughts he was having.

    He then looked back up.

    "Perhaps it is time for me to see how far I have truly grown. Is there a way to summon this Bm guy without killing too many people?"

    "The sacrifice of lives is essential to invoke the presence of a great demon but more important than that. This crystal shard can make up for all. I will harvest seven more from the hidden sanctuary of all the archons."

    Raith looked and listened to him while wondering how he got to find that out again. But what concerned him was how he could help Han Lamar with bringing the Demon king Bm without causing too much death.

 Chapter 205 What Did You Expect ?

    Chapter 205 What Did You Expect ?

    Poverty exists everywhere, in every city, and in every world there is hardship, whether it is a fabricated world or a world that is filled with reality. There will always be that horrendous life that some are susceptible to life while others livevishly.

    A lot of times we have heard of geniuses birthed in a noble household, their talents discovered at a young age and cultivated till they be the best in the country and are revered by all.

    What of those geniuses birthed in slums, without attention or privilege? Those ones that could barely find crumbs of bread to eat a day and walk around the dirty streets with bloated stomachs and smelly clothes.

    Those ones that despite being intelligent and brilliant are not even given a first attempt because of how bad they reek or how ugly they look... how ugly their environment has caused them to look.

    Such was Han Lamar.

    At the age of 5 Han Lamar had mastered the alphabetical characters and could use them to make a word, because of howplex Therutnguage was, this usually takes a child a lot of years. Kids that are able to do this at the age of ten are always regarded as a genius.

    Han Lamar was from a very poor home, both his parents died of monsters and the only person he had left was his sister, who would steal from the heavens to feed him.

    She would go on heist and steal expensive books for him to read, this was how he was able to grow in his knowledge. He had tried out the academy where other rich kids were going to but he was never given a chance to try out because of the first impression look. This eventually left him with no choice but to continue to ept his sister''s gestures.

    But all that could not go on forever. She had be a notorious thief and a national problem and so she was being haunted, it was thest book that she stole before being killed that truly led Han to him.

    King Bm.

    After Han Lamar''s sister died, Han Lamar was despaired, he cursed and hated the world for the loss of the only person he cared about most in the world. He wanted to rip everything apart, his story was perfect for the birth of a superviin who wants to destroy the world because everything was taken away from him. But he met the demon king Bm.

    The fact that Therut was a fabricated world did not mean that it was protected from the consequences of choices. The demon king Bm was a lover of children and animals, he took a very genuine interest in the human world because of his passions which other demons perceived as very dangerous because his passions werepletely less evil.

    Because of the barrier that inhibited the demons from crossing over to the human world, it was impossible for anyone to touch the human world directly, so far so good it had been only one demon that had done that.

    But it was a different case if the demon was ensnared by the human itself. Yes, it is possible that humans can summon demons to do their bidding in exchange for a price, one that is worthy enough to be epted by the summoned demon.

    So yes, without anyone''s knowledge, someone seeded in summoning a demon and that person was Han Lamar. Even with thest book his sister stole for him, it should have never been possible because it was a fictional book that challenged the fact that should there be other creatures outside Therut is it possible to summon them?

    It was a book that someone just wrote out of curiosity and the desire to make money, it was not even to be considered an intelligent book because it was written in illustrations and was like a children''s book but old and dusty.

    After mourning his sister, he kept the book as a keepsake for several years until one day when he opened it. The contents would have just passed anyone as interesting but Han Lamar began to see the possibility in this, cursed is the mind of a genius, for they see possibilities in all things.

    His mind was a blessing yet a curse.

    And one day, Han Lamar, a seventeen years old boy sessfully managed to summon a demon. He summoned King Bm but at the same time could not summon King Bm.

    He could not summon King Bm because he didn''t have dark mana- an essential energy that Bm''s presence must feed on.

    And he managed to summon King Bm because from that moment, even though the two did not meet physically, they began tomunicate, from that moment Han Lamar became his contractor.

    That was the starting point, Bm was a very powerful demon that led forty legions of demons in Felfhiem. Bm had the ability of limited precognition which gave his contractor the ability to see glimpses of the future.

    Both of them grew together and Bm told Han Lamar a lot of things, which is why it made so much sense that Han Lamar knew a lot about Felfhiem. He grew in knowledge and was acknowledged at the age of thirty which eventually led him to be an imperial schr and consequently the crown prince''s teacher.

    He prepared and did a lot for the grand n of summoning Bm, in order for that to happen he had to obtain dark mana, and there was no way he would obtain dark mana if he was still in Therut.

    He needed to leave Therut, which brought about the necessity for his death.

    Although the Empire thought they executed a criminal, Han Lamar needed to die in order for Bm to have his soul and fuse him into the body of the former ruler of pride.

    All these steps Han Lamar and demon king Bm had carefully nned for the day that Bm woulde upon Therut, all for the curiosity of how the world looks like.

    Bm wanted to see so badly, that he wouldn''t mind destroying everything in the world. And Truly it was of pure passion and hepletely meant no evil but that alone was why it was very dangerous.

    Han Lamar from age seventeen had been preparing for this moment and yet right now, a single man threatened to destroy all that n.

    ''It took dedication to get here. I was careful every moment, every time. Over and over again, what did I miss? What did I do wrong? Why is a variable I never calcted here.''

    Han Lamar did everything right, every single thing he did right. But his only mistake was dying before Raith became a hero of the death archon.

    Amber and the others had also arrived at the destination,pared to Raith who was unscathed, they had incurred a lot of injuries that testified to the perilous journey they must have hading here.

    "Hunter Raith... it is you right?" Amber finally got the opportunity to speak to Raith. She urgently called out to him as she arrived behind him.

    Raith turned his head briefly, the new presences were utterly annoying and disturbing, he was racking his head to figure out a way to help Han Lamar summon Bm without having to kill a lot of people as Bm intended.

    Yet they were disturbing.

    "Yes... I am?"

    His tone came off more like a question than an answer as if he was saying, ''Yes, I am, so what?''

    shared a long moment together or had any kind of rtionship.

    22:12

    Her countenance fell.

    Amber had long anticipated her meeting with Raith. At first, she thought he was dead but she did not give up, she continued to check up on him, looking for him in traces of other cities because she carried a very heavy heart from their first meeting.

    Too much, in fact, Amber was known for being extreme, it was her charm and her w. When she decides to be devoted she was always devoted to a fault and likewise, as she med herself for what happened with Raith, she med herself for a fault. Upon finding out that Raith suddenly went missing, she feared that her words caused him tomit suicide or leave town.

    And she had never stopped searching for him.

    Somewhere in her mind, she had prepared a number of things she was going to say to him the moment she met him.

    But here she was, speechless the moment he confirmed that he is Raith.

    Raith lowered his brows.

    Why was this girl looking like that, after calling out to him, she couldn''t even meet his gaze and was squirming like a worm?

    ''What the hell'' Raith was disgusted and it showed on his face.

    "Who the fuck are you?"

    His harsh tone jolted her up, she immediately became flustered as she answered.

    "A-a-amber, don''t you remember, I''m Amber."

    Raith looked at her from up to down and down to up. "Who''s Amber?"

    The question turned her to a stone.

    ''He does not recognize me anymore.''

    We can''t me Raith now, can we? A lot has happened since his encounter with her and he couldn''t even remember her urately. In the first ce, it wasn''t like they shared a long moment together or had any kind of rtionship.

    Her countenance fell.

 Chapter 206 Fuck Honesty

    Chapter 206 Fuck Honesty

    Raith after confirming that this youngdy had nothing that would interest him then turned his gaze to Han Lamar who was still standing, cautious.

    "I have a question."

    Han Lamar squinted his eyes and got ready for the worse, he knew from experience that it wouldn''t turn out bad if Raith said I have a question.

    "Speak human." His tone this time was a bit low andced with extreme caution almost seemingly respectful but really he was just careful of the man before him, he didn''t even care about the others.

    "What exactly do you need to bring this demon here?" Raith asked.

    Han Lamar couldn''t believe his question, why is he asking like that, is he really serious? Or is he asking because he wants to stop it from happening?

    "Make no mistake, I have note here to stop you. If it is a demon you are trying to summon. Sure, why not. I will dly help. What I do not like is that the entire world has to die because of it. This is why I am offering to help, killing two birds with one stone. You don''t have to wake all the archons and cause a massacre which means I get to keep my promise to the archon you woke and get my reward for it, and also I help you summon the demon you want to summon."

    Han Lamar kept his eyes squinted, Raith''s words hade just when he was doubting Raith''s intention. His exnation was almost convincing but.

    "Perhaps you do not know what a demon means. Why would anyone want to help me summon a creature that could possibly destroy the world."

    Raith let out a loud chuckle and slowly paused.

    "You see Han Lamar, I am not anyone. I am of a different breed and Therut is not actually my home. I''m a citizen of South Korea, there I am epted and loved."

    "South Korea? What is that?"

    Raith cocked his head, ''this motherfucker does not know about Earth? How then was he able to give the ants a gate in the earth?''

    Raith began to suspect from this point. Of course, he didn''t know anything about Han Lamar''s ties with demon king Bm but right now, he was beginning to suspect because before he thought Han Lamar was the one that sent the ant king to Earth but here Han Lamar does not know South Korea.

    "Japan, do you know what Japan is? Perhaps Germany?"

    Han Lamar''s brow furrowed together.

    ''Is he ying with me right now''

    His facial reflected his thoughts and Raith knew.

    ''He doesn''t know anywhere on Earth.''

    All the more reason to push this, Raith was quick to think that perhaps the reason why he wanted to summon a demon is because this demon is his master. After all, Han Lamar used to be a human, there''s no way he would have been able to gain this body of a demon if it wasn''t for a demon.

    ''It must be at least a great demon.''

    "Are you up for it or not?"

    Raith asked, pocketing his hand. Not a hint of unseriousness could be found on his face, Han Lamar was a man sensitive to the thought of humans and how it reflected in their actions, and on their faces, he could tell that Raith was serious and was obviously with an agenda of his own.

    "Why? Why do you want to help?"

    Raith looked behind him. At Han Lamar''s question, the others were beginning to get flustered. They were not here at the beginning of the conversation but at this point, they were already having a hunch of what was going on.

    The hero that came to save them is offering to help this evil man do something evil to do the world, summon a demon. Well, their reaction to it was not as expected and that was because even they didn''t know what a demon was.

    They had note to realize how gratifying this matter is.

    "Mr. Raven, you can''t possibly help this man to do anything." Amber insinuated.

    But Raith did not even turn in her direction.

    The others were frowning, even though they didn''t know what it was, the idea of Raith helping him doesn''t seem nice.

    "Didn''t you hear, I want to avoid killing people... and I want to know what it is that you need to do this so that I can help, at least that way I will be able to save lives."

    Raith was saying only the half-truth.

    But surprisingly, Han believed it.

    "Ha, I see... that is a fair trade. You are doing this because you don''t want me to wake the other archons. Fine fine, let us see if you can help then I might consider it"

    ''There''s no harm in deceiving him anyways. I will make the others retreat from waking other archons if he is truly able to help. Even if the archon''s awakening will not destroy the world, King Bm himself would and he will draw the archons out from the depth of the soil and destroy them all. That is after all the terms of our contract. Try all you want hero, this world will still end.''

    What Han Lamar did not know was that even Raith too had a n of his own, this was a ''let''s y each other'' game.

    "I need dark mana. Of course, I have dark mana but it is not enough to open the gates of hell."

    "The gates of hell?" Raith inquired after him. For some reason, he felt like he had seen something like that. Although not that he heard the name.

    If the gate of hell meant the gateway that led him to Felfhiem, the one he first saw when he was expecting his second trial of death but instead got transported toFelfhiem, then this will be easier than expected.

    "For a physical body to pass to the world of the demon, either it is to or from, the gate of hell needs to be opened. To open that gate. Arge amount of dark mana is needed."

    It is the same after all. Raith smiled.

    "That is no big deal."

    "Huh?"

    Han Lamar wasn''t expecting that cocky reply. What did he mean no big deal, something he spent over ten years nning and preparing for, this guy says no big deal?! Outrageous!

    ''...I am sick and tired of humans, they just open their mouths and say all sought without being able toprehend the gravity of their own words''

    "I don''t particrly know how to open the gate, but I can supply you with a lot of dark mana."

    Han squinted his eyes again.

    "Human, it is enough. I will not allow you to ridicule me any longer, only a demon is capable of possessing dark mana."

    Raith was still smiling.

    Han Lamar''s facial expression grimaced with irritation towards Raith who ording to Han Lamar''s mind was smiling like a fool.

    ''Am I just wasting my time?''

    "Didn''t you notice it too?" Raith smiled and removed one hand from his pocket.

    ck smoke from his feet began to rise and get thick as he moved his hand.

    Han Lamar''s gaze was focused on the dark smoke.

    He still didn''t get the point of what Raith was trying to show him until Raith clenched his hand into a fist.

    Wham!

    It came on strong, the entire darkness condensed into a single point and swirled.

    The power of darkness and death. It was dense until when Raith made it condense. Han Lamar''s eyes widened.

    ''He has it, he has dark mana''

    That was the definition Han Lamar could give it but what Raith disyed was much more. It was like the waste products excreted from activities, what Raith had shown him was not even the real darkness, it was just an offshoot of it.

    And yet Han Lamar felt it was dark mana, he was so astonished that he began to grin, his evil thoughts were leaking through that nefarious smirk of his.

    "Good good, you have impressed me. You will be very useful, with you we will be able to save the entire world." His words were a lie but fuck honesty.

    Raith nodded, "That was what I intended to do."

    As I said, fuck honesty.

    "Yes, I respect you a lot human... to be able toy your life for the entire world."

    Raith squinted his eyes suspiciously, "Sorry what?"

    "Haa..." Han Lamar faked a gape as though he forgot to include something.

    "I must have forgotten. You have to die..."

    "Ugh?!! How dare you?" Amber Rose marched front brimming with anger.

    The other heroes too were ufortable but they kept a cool gaze, only Amber Rose took things personally.

    Han Lamar slowly shifted his gaze to her.

    "And who are you? His girlfriend?"

    She immediately shrank back with a blush on her face.

    "It is this man''s decision to make. He is the one that wants to save the world." Han Lamar announced pointing to Raith.

    The other heroes looked towards Raith, their faces were filled with bitterness and different contemtions.

    Finally, one elf walked closer to Raith, it was Corian

 Chapter 207 The Good Kind

    ?

    He moved closer to Raith and touched his shoulder.

    "See man... I will not tell you what to do. But Lady Amber is right, you can''t justy down your life because you want to save the world." He said.

    Raith turned his gaze filled with irritation.

    THUD

    "How dare you touch my king!"

    From the abyss beneath Raith''s leg, a wed hand grasped Corian''s¨C but the white-haired elf quickly jumped away, skillfully slipping his hand out of Antares'' gasp.

    "What are you doing right now?"

    "I apologize my king. It was irritating to watch, these gullible do not have the capacity toprehend your thoughts yet they dare interrupt."

    "Just stay put."

    "Yes, my king. I humbly apologize." His hand and head that were sticking out slowly went back, being able toe out on his own ord seems to be one of the quirks of a major rank.

    ''What the hell was that? If I didn''t jump away it would have had my hand.'' Corian was overwhelmed with sweat, his clothes were already soaked in so little time.

    "I am sorry about that... please pay no attention to it," Raith said facing them in general, his nce fellst on Draear who has been silent all through.

    ''He''s the one with wyrms''

    But his wyrms were not present now, Raith could tell his strength purely by perception. He was strong but not strong enough to be singled out.

    All of them were considered Therut''s strongest but to him, they were all nothing impressive.

    ''They wouldn''t survive an attack from Turner.''

    That was his evaluation of them after facing Turner once.

    "If you have decided then you cane forward." Han Lamar said to Raith.

    Raith walked forward with his hands in his pocket, he was so cool with all this that Draear was filled with so much respect for him.

    ''How? How can he be so amazing?''

    Draear''s eyes shone like the stars, they glittered at Raith who was about to take steps closer to Han Lamar.

    Such a perfect man was going to die? All because he wanted to save the world? Fuck the world!

    Draear was like that, that was what went in his head as he thought of Raith''s magnificence and the nobility of what he was about to do. He didn''t give a shit about the world of Therut, a million people can perish, he wouldn''t budge. Well, what was to be expected from a cold-blooded hero?

    "You can''t!" His voice reached Raith. Distinguished and hoarse, carrying a certain level of elegance that soothed the ears of his hearers. Don''t be surprised if he turns out to be a very good singer too.

    "Excuse me?"

    Raith didn''t quite catch that.

    "You can''t do that, you can''ty down your life to save the rest. That makes no sense."

    Raith narrowed his eyes.

    "Are you challenging me right now?"

    "No! I dare not! I just think your life is more precious than that of a million"

    While his words were very amazing and Raith loved them, this was necessary, stopping it meant stopping his ns.

    "Don''t worry, this will be over before you know it," Raith assured him with a nod and a small smile, which was the cutest he has been sinceing back to Therut.

    Draear frowned upon Raith''s replies. His words were hard toprehend.

    ''How can he be walking to his death and not feel one ounce of remorse or fear.'' Draear gulped.

    ''Will I have been able to do this?'' He asked himself. In all situations, Draear would always evaluate himself, his teachers have thought him to do so and it has be a part of him.

    If we were to forget his prideful and narcissistic side, Draear was an upright person.

    "I honor your resolve. Don''t worry, I will make sure that no one loses their life." Han Lamar said as Raith stood in front of him.

    "Sure sure..." Raith nodded, knowing very well that those were all lies.

    "You have to die for the gate to be opened. You have a very good dark mana, I am certain that it will open."

    "I must die? There''s no other way?" Raith yed along, acting like he too wanted to hold onto dear life.

    "Yes, there is a summoning circle I have drawn around the entire pce, from this point, your blood has to flow throughout the circle and eventually your dark mana will cause an awakening."

    "Oh, interesting. So, I must die after all."

    "Yes Human, you must die." Han Lamar nodded, carefully looking at him.

    Raith still disyed no form of withholding, which caused Han Lamar to ask again.

    "Are you sure you want to do this?"

    Raith chuckled, "Don''t you need this more than I do, are you trying to pity me right now?"

    "I..."

    Han Lamar swallowed the next statement and sighed a smile.

    "Well then. I will stab you."

    Upon opening his hands, a green aura began to swirl on it and solidified into a small dagger.

    Raith''s eyes went down at it.

    "You are sure you don''t need something bigger? I have a really tough skin you know."

    "Don''t worry, this dagger is straight from the blood rift. Even if you are immortal it will kill you."

    Raith flinched, those words hit him and made him begin to reconsider. A dagger that can kill even an immortal.

    He gulped.

    Despite, he wasn''t showing any fear or emotions, he was perfectly hiding all that emotion within, he was not fearful no, it wasn''t fear at least not yet.

    "Mr. Raven." Amber Rose''s hesitant voice reached him once again but had no effect.

    Raith looked into Han Lamar''s demonic eyes.

    "I am ready."

    [Requirements have been met]

    [You are ying an act]

    [Activating ''Book Of Requiems'']

    > y a role before your death and unlock a status attribute that is afflicted with that role.

    > Rewards are unlimited but limited to role y.

    [You are ying the role of a sacrificialmb again]

    [There will be an upgrade in the status condition ''The Good Kind(Heroic)]

    Stab

    The sword was buried into Raith''s belly by grotesque Han Lamar, he made sure to hit that vital point.

    He twisted and twirled the dagger as though he was enjoying it.

    Raith held onto his rough-skinned hand, gagging and choking on his own blood as it poured out.

    "There there..." Han Lamar patted his head, hugging him and seeping the dagger further into his belly.

    The heroes present, their faces broke down and crumpled, beholding this moment was not easy. To think that they were actually heroes who were known and revered in all their respective cities could do nothing but watch while a hero whom they knew nothing about came into their world andid down his life to save the lives of millions.

    Such shame overwhelmed down and caused them to bow their heads. Amber Rose was sniffing, looks like she was crying.

    "I am so sorry, I am sorry Mr. Raven." She sniffed and sniffed until muck began toe out of her nose.

    Raith''s vision slowly deemed and everything began to get peaceful, too peaceful, the sniffing of a particr somebody got distinct, and so did everything else, even Han Lamar''s gentle patting on his back.

    His knees slowly kissed the ground as he lost strength first in his legs.

    ''...ah...''

    For some reason, this death was less painful.

    [Due to themander king body Abnormal conditions will be nullified]

    [Paralysis will be nullified]

    [Poison will be nullified]

    [Thermal Fluctuation will be nullified]

    [Due to the kind of dagger used Low-leveled Auto HP recovery will be hindered]

    [You have died]

    [You have been killed by a dagger forged from the blood rift]

    [Greed has consumed the property of the dagger]

    [Your blood has been contaminated]

    [You have gained a special blood type "Effect Nullification"]

    [You have gained a level]

    [You have gained a level]

    [You have gained a level]

    [You have gained 9 stat points]

    [You have written a requiem]

    [Requiem Of The Sacrificial Lamb]

    [Because this requiem exists already in the book of Requiems there will be an overwriting]

    [Because of the Overwriting there will be an upgrade]

    [Status Condition ''The Good Kind(heroic)'' has been upgraded to ''The Good Kind(legendary)'']

    [The Good Kind(legendary)]

    > Anytime you fight (whether it is to protect or not) you will temporarily gain +100 stat increase in one of your stat. This increase will be random and will only happen in desperate times.

    The magic circle on the floor began to reveal itself in red when Raith''s blood began to stream down each and every line. Only a part of the magic circle reflected in the room where they were.

    The blood began to stream all around and went as far as outside. From an aerial vantage point, the circle could be seen on the entire pce ground. It wasn''t a normal magic circle it in fact seemed to be one that was deployed magically and not hand drawn.

    This was proof that all the while when Han Lamar was working in the pce as the crown prince''s teacher, he wasn''t just working but had been preparing for this moment.

    The real reason why it was this ce Han Lamar came for was that this was the point where it was all supposed to happen.

 Chapter 208 On The Other Side

    ?

    "Hunter Kaiser, you can leave this to us. You really don''t have to wait around here like this." The German association agent said to Kaiser who was sitting down at the tent area around the enormous gate that Raith had entered.

    It has been over twenty hours, technically speaking the twilight of the day Dawn was high in the sky, casting a serene yellow glow on the horizon, and Kaiser had not gotten a wink of sleep.

    ''How can I rest knowing that a hunter is there and he is there alone.''

    Even though Kaiser had the look of a nefarious and menacing man, he was honorable and responsible and was a perfect disying of ''do not judge a book by its cover''

    He wouldn''t have allowed Raith to enter that dungeon alone but he had no choice, knowing very well the kind of power Raith wielded, he wouldn''t dare.

    But right now he was beginning to me himself and wondering if he should just barge into the gate but the dangers that awaited him in it feared him. He was a catastrophe rank but he could feel the fear crawl on his skin every time he gazed upon the gate and thought of entering.

    ''If it is taking him this long to defeat it what good will my presence bring? What if he is dead? Or he is in a desperate situation right now.''

    He stood up from the chair he was sitting in and gazed intensely into the gate.

    ''Or should I just be reckless and enter?'' His hand shook in his attempt to clench it tight.

    Suddenly, a ck SUV bus parked nearby. It caught his attention because this was very early in the morning and everyone should be asleep by now or at least not particrly supposed to be here.

    ''Could it be the president?...''

    But he knew the association president''s car, it wasn''t an SUV, it threw him in further confusion and caused him to look with ununted eagerness, wanting to see who it was.

    A ck-haired guy with a bag beneath his eyes and another red hair came out of the car.

    The red hair ran towards him the moment he got out of the car.

    "Where?! Where did he pass?! Where did Raith go?!" Absalom demanded.

    ''Red hair? Red eyes...'' Kaiser''s eyes scaled towards the tall guy behind Absalom.

    It was very obvious, this man was recognized by almost every strong hunter. An S-rank hunter that can hold his own against special ranks.

    "Seiji Ryou"

    The dark-haired Japanese man changed the focus of his gaze and looked at Kaiser for a while before talking.

    "Oii, Kaiser kun. Forgive me for responding sotely I''ve been out of it recently." Ryou responded sluggishly.

    "It is rather fine... but may I ask to what do we owe this..."

    "Ah, I am the manager of this hunter here..." He said pointing to Absalom who nodded with his arms folded.

    "We came here because of Hunter Raven. You may already know but our hunter Absalom and hunter Raven are acquainted." He said, emphasizing ''our''

    "Of course, privileged hunters like us saw the video. That is how we know that your hunter Absalom can be quite troublesome. ording to the video he just barged into Hunter Raven''s hospital and began to fight him. It looks like he is just trying to do the same thing again today."

    Kaiser imed, darting both of them an unweed re.

    Seiji Ryou frowned upon this.

    There was nothing he could say, thanks to Absalom''s recklessness everything that this hunter said was true and it was not like they could easily beat him or slip through him. He is a catastrophe-rank hunter. Well, if he and Absalom worked hand in hand, he saw the possibility of beating him.

    But the thought of working hand in hand with Absalom was more scary than anything. That guy has not one shred of cooperation in him.

    "So what is it gonna be? You want to leave or you want me to make you."

    Fuuuu

    Someone that was not either of both of them exhaled, it was Absalom.

    "See, I understand humans that I must have caused quite a number of misunderstandings when I attacked Raith. See, I have tried to exin to everyone that Raith and I have known each other before he came to this world but no one would believe or ept my words."

    "That is because your words sound like a piece of crap. What the hell did you mean you have met him before?" Seiji Ryou replied to him.

    Absalom turned his head in defiance, "But you said you believed me."

    "I needed you to stop making a fuss so..."

    Absalom bowed his head with a frown. But all that was not important right now.

    "Anyways, I need you to allow me to enter the gate."

    Seiji Ryou was surprised, he just saw something that bewildered him.

    ''Did he just do that?''

    Seiji Ryou''s eyes were keenly fixed on Absalom. He had been assigned as Absalom''s protector and manager because of the young man''s troublesome nature and the fact that he was unfamiliar with a lot of things. He had studied Absalom in a short time and known him to be nothing short of a dumb, spoilt brat who gets easily carried away by things and gets easily distracted. The only amazing thing about Absalom was his strength and the great potential he had to even grow.

    This was enough to make Ryou want to stay with him. However, right now, this same guy that Ryou had known and won''t usually care about anything especially when holding a conversation with someone was retracing his words back to what mattered.

    How important is this Raith to him? To be able to cause him to enter focus mode is just what exists between Absalom and this guy.

    That was what went through Ryou''s head as he was impressed by Absalom''s seriousness.

    "I am sorry, even if you insist I will not allow you," Kaiser replied to him with a stern expression on his face.

    "Are you serious right now? How dare you?!" Absalom growled, toughening his vocal cords to sound intimidating but it was all for naught.

    The man standing before him was Kaiser Kruger, a catastrophe-rank hunter. He might not be as strong as Turner or as strong as Raith but Absalom will have his ass handed to him on a silver te should he decide to overstep his mark.

    "Unless you give me a tangible and sensible reason I will not allow you."

    Absalom paused, his gaze slowly became nk after hearing what Kaiser said.

    Kaiser too silently watched for what the red-haired hunter was going to do next.

    "I can''t feel his presence anymore."

    "What exactly do you mean?" Kaiser began to get flustered.

    "I can''t feel Raith''s presence in this world anymore. I am very sure he is not dead which is why I am asking to see him because whatever he is supposed to be doing in that gate, he is not there."

    Absalom''s words were like a confirmation of his fears but how could he ept the words just like that¨C

    ''What if they are bluffing, how is it possible that he can tell the location of a hunter around the world from wherever he is.''

    "I will not allow you still. Will you go to such extreme and disgusting methods to be reckless and unreasonable?"

    Kaiser was determined not to fall for his tricks even though he was having fear somewhere behind his stern face.

    "Why will I lie?"

    "It is impossible for you to know the location of a hunter...that is unreasonable."

    "Of course... this is specific to just Raith. I said he and I go a long way back."

    Kaiser scrunched up his eyes as Absalom''s words were bing convincing. Still, this was a heavy task, the moment he allows them in, whatever happens, would fall on him. He would take all responsibilities.

    Seiji Ryou touched him on his shoulders.

    "I guarantee you. If any harmes to Raith from our side or there is any recklessness, you can have my head." Ryou swore.

    He could somehow understand what Kaiser was going through, if this went wrong and Raith died in any way after they were involved, a lot of international disputes could break out and South Korea could wage a war.

    But Ryou''s words were reassuring, although the head of an S rank would never amount to that of a catastrophe rank but this meant that Ryou was vouching for Absalom and he was ready to trust Ryou''s reputation and trust them for once.

    Besides, he also had fears that something could be wrong with Raith.

    He sighed and lowered his shoulders, it was as if he was dropping all the tension.

    "It has been over twenty hours since he entered. I do fear that something might be wrong but I don''t want to believe so."

    "No, Raith cannot die to a bunch of ant monsters. Perhaps the Raith before now would''ve but the Raith I met has be a force to reckon with. Raith has grown." Absalom was sure with a furrowed brow. Something was going on, something that could only be known once they entered the gate.

 Chapter 209 Face It Raith Is Incredible

    ?

    "The way you speak of him... like you know him very well" Kaiser looked at the serious-faced Absalom, admiring the conviction that tightened his gaze upon saying that Raith cannot die.

    There was a hint of unwavering assurance that he could see.

    "Then do you n to enter the gate?"

    Ryou looked at Absalom, his face was already clear on his answer. But he still had a few contemtions.

    They had left Tokyo as soon as they could with a long flight to Germany, he also spoke with the association president that he was going to protect the young hunter no matter what. He feared if he would be able to fulfill that promise if they should enter that gate.

    ''...well, it''s not like this brat would back down if I say no.'' He sighed.

    Absalom was a handful, he knew not to stop until he gets what he wants, sometimes he seems like a maniptive baby.

    "Alright... you will contact your association right?" He asked Kaiser.

    "Trust me."

    Both of them were association hunters, they were all about the formalities.

    Kaiser brought out his smartphone and was on it typing something for a minute, then after he was done he switched off his phone and walked to the tent to give one of the agents. He briefed them on what would be happening and came back to meet Ryou and Absalom.

    "Are you ready?" Absalom inquired eagerly.

    Kaiser observed his excitedposure before nodding to his answer. He began to wonder if taking Absalom really was a good option because he seemed like a troublesome kid through and through.

    Both of them would probably shit their pants if they find out they were talking to a ny-something-year-old vampire.

    "Alright!" Absalom eximed and the three of them walked into the gate.

    Qrrinnnggggh

    Absalom shivered as the rush of goosebumps ran through his body upon entering the gate. He couldn''t help but shrink back as if he had caught a cold.

    "Absalom," Ryou called, concerned.

    Absalom''s eyes were shaking and his lips were muttering ''How? How? How is this possible?''

    While Absalom was shaken and Ryou was dealing with it, another thing attracted Kaiser.

    He opened his eyes widely in marvel as he observed therge holes and corpses of ants that were piled here and there.

    "Hold yourself together... what is wrong with you?" Ryou nagged.

    But Absalom did not mind, he was feeling what he was feeling and was dealing with it.

    ''...how is fiendish energy in this ce. It is faint but I can feel it. And this unsettling feeling in my stomach, something is not right.''

    Kaiser led them forward and they began to check the whole ce, starting with the surface, avoiding a fall into therge holes was easy for these three skilled hunters.

    But after searching the whole surface and there was no sign of living there was no other choice but to go down. They all agreed to go down the same hole.

    All through, Absalom was still wearing this ufortable and extremely cautious face. But he went in regardless and didn''t voice his suspicions, it was about matters regarding Felfhiem after all, there''s no way he would tell a bunch of hunters about it.

    Upon reaching the bottom of the hole they chose, they could see different carcasses used to decorate the ground. These ants did nothing but eat all day, there were no signs of any development attained from using the materials and carcasses of the human they ate.

    "I thought chimera ants were supposed to be innovative and intelligent. Did we get ourselves nothing but foodmongers?" Kaiser put forth, his voice putting a brief rxation to the deafening silence.

    "This ce is indeed devastating. Do you feel anything Absalom?"

    Kaiser''s attention went to Absalom as Ryou asked the question. Absalom was absorbed in front, investigating the scene, he finally paused after a minute and looked at the channel that was in front of him.

    "Perhaps this hole is interconnected and it would lead us to the boss monster''s room." He turned back to the two of them, "...if Raith would be anywhere it has to be the boss monster''s room. He goes straight for the head."

    That was backed up by his experience from the few times that he and Raith had trained while Volmak was trying to teach both of them. Raith was a quick finisher, he would aim straight for Absalom''s head although it was futile because of Absalom''s inhuman speed.

    "I see..." Kaiser nodded. "Then will you need the way?" He asked, his voice was polite despite having been rude to them earlier before.

    "Sure." Absalom nodded.

    He was the best choice for the situation since he could feel that faint fiendish energy and he could feel something little of Raith, although it wasn''t enough for him to be certain that Raith was there.

    They proceeded forward with a keen observation of their surrounding, it was surprising still that there was still not one life left in this ce.

    ''Did he do all these in just 20 hours?'' Kaiser was filled with more admiration.

    The ants number that they had gone through was much, and it seemed like the entire poption of the world had gathered in one ce, and it''d probably require over fifty strong hunters, strong hunters meaning at least A ranks¨C it''d require that much to do this kind of damage that Raith alone had done to the ants.

    ''To be able to do this? He must have a power equal to that of a thousand hunters, maybe a hundred.''

    Kaiser felt like he was exaggerating it in his mind but he still couldn''t fathom Raith''s strength. Of course, Raith''s main ability was kept hidden by the association.

    The ability to extract the soul of dead people and make them his soldiers.

    It''s amazing because that wasn''t even Raith''s main ability, it wasn''t the reason why he was going stronger.

    They came to a stop as they reached the boss''s room. Kaiser looked around, beholding the dents on the floor, from where he stood he couldn''t see it in full scope yet but as he began to walk further into the pce the destruction on the ground and wall, the scraped-off parts on the wall by the impacts of attacks, the ground, here and there.

    "What in the world happened here?"

 Chapter 210 Absalom Unsealed

    ?

    Kaiser had seen fights between monsters and hunters, he had seen a devastating fight, the effects on the surrounding were always enormous and scattered but he had never seen anything like this.

    He stared in a daze and couldn''t take his eyes off what he was seeing, he continued to turn around and still couldn''t close his slightly opened mouth.

    "Amazing..."

    Ryou did not know when the words came out. He too was looking at all the marks and cracks on the wall that must have resulted due to the fight between Raith and the boss monster.

    "Here!"

    Absalom''s voice beckoned on the both of them toe closer and they came running.

    They paused and their faces distorted with wonder as they saw the distinct humanoid ant king''s carcass on the ground.

    "What in the world is this... it seems human?"

    "You mean to tell me he fought this thing alone?"

    Kaiser and Ryou''s words were filled with admiration befitting of a deity.

    "But why is he not here then?"

    Absalom''s words were filled with concern and inquisition.

    "That is right...there are traces of a brawl between two people but there is only one." Ryou''s eyes traced back to the boss monsterying dead. "It is certain that the Korean catastrophe-rank hunter defeated the boss monster but he is not here. Could he have sustained a major injury?"

    "I believe we would have seen signs of that," Kaiser answered looking at the ground to confirm if there are trails of Raith''s blood but there was nothing to pay any special attention to.

    "Something is not right." Absalom could feel it in his guts but couldn''t put his fingers around what it was exactly that was wrong.

    "Then let us¨C

    WHOOOOOIINNMM!!!

    The deafening sound dawned on the entire ce like an explosion, making the entire pce shudder in fear, vibrating and cracking.

    The hunters immediately became tensed with alertness. There was no physical damage but whatever just happened now, they felt it vividly and could tell that something dangerous, something extremely dangerous was about to reveal itself or had probably revealed itself.

    Ryou and Kaiser were looming very confused, not knowing what that was about, however, the look on Absalom''s face was different.

    His face became pale and his eyes were trembling.

    ''How? How? How? How? How? How is the gate of hell opening here?!!''

    He screamed internally unknowing of what to make of this situation. He also wouldn''t talk aloud because of the implication, he was loyal to the secrets of his world before any world.

    The gates of hell opening was a detrimental urrence because if the gate of hell should open, a greater demon would be able toe out, and the presence of a greater demon without their powers sealed, there was nothing good that woulde out of it.

    This needed to be stopped ASAP!

    It was until a few minutester that Ryou and Kaiser noticed the expression Absalom was wearing, along with the pearls of sweat that were dripping down his head.

    "Absalom are you okay?" Ryou asked.

    Absalom was shaken real bad, he wasn''t even paying attention to them anymore.

    "How can this be?" He muttered as he began to feel it vividly.

    "Just how...?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    A frown wore upon Kaiser''s brows.

    "Something is wrong. I can feel a very very ominous presence, it is here at the same time it is not here..."

    Absalom looked at Kaiser.

    ''That is right, if it opens even a strong human will be able to feel it too.'' He stood upright and held onto his trembling hand.

    "Damn you Raith, what have you done again?!!" He screamed.

    [The gates of hell have opened]

    [All your sealed abilities will temporarily be unsealed]

    "Ah shit, not here."

    Absalom did not get the chance to prepare mentally, these humans might shit their pants if they see how strong he is.

    Wham!

    Right, that instance, red blood swirled around him and began to trace his limbs and body, his short hair grew out instantly and he was standing with his white and muscled body, his long red hair reaching his lower back, his red eyes deeper than before and his vampire abilities unsealed.

    Shhhh

    The aura that he exuded was that of a monster, even though he waspressing it as much as he could, the little that escaped was enough to make Ryou and Kaiser jump back in fear, bringing out their weapons.

    "What?! Absalom?" Ryou cocked his head.

    ''Why does he have long hair? His aura changed too...''

    No, he couldn''t ssify this as just any kind of change. Something was different about Absalom but at the same time, that thing was so dangerous that his stomach was hurting at the thought of fighting it, he felt like he needed to take a shit because right now he was extremely nervous.

    He was being stung on all his body by the deadly aura that the red-haired man in front of him was exuding.

    "Have you been hiding your powers all along?" Kaiser asked as one drop of sweat ran down his temple. He swallowed his saliva after asking.

    "I am sorry that you guys have to see me like this. But it is still me Absalom and it was not my intention to hide my power. It just sort of happened. But right now we have more problems on our hands. And I need both of you toe with me."

    "Come with you? To where?" Kaiser was very alert and was frowning with carefulness at the new Absalom who he was very damn sure he wouldn''t be able to defeat even if he and Ryou worked together.

    "You do not need to be so tensed, we are going to find Raith. Before I could not tell, but thanks to the gate of hell opening, if I follow the coordinate of the gate of hell then we should be able to arrive at where it is open and I guess that Raith will be where ever this gate is." He exined to them.

    ''Gate of hell?''

    Ryou and Kaiser were not yet understanding what he was talking about, but he didn''t need them to understand.

    He closed his eyes and stretched forth his hand, opening his palms.

    Wissshhh

    A massive blood-red great sword appeared on it. He held it horizontally, splitting his face in half.

    Swing!

    The space tore open as he shed downwards with the sword.

 Chapter 211 King Balam (1)

    Chapter 211 King Bm (1)

    The air changed and the clouds began to swirl, darkening the whole sky as though there was about to be a heavy rainfall.

    Shhriinngg

    A dark and red spark flew began to discharge from a point in the clouds and began to spread in opposite directions, forming a straight line.

    A gate appeared out of the streak, forcing itself out of the swirling clouds, a gateway to the deep ends, thend of fiends, beckoning to the depths. It had several heads with different horns sculpted on the front and each head and horn were intertwined.

    It was moreplex than the one Raith had seen before which was just three heads, this was the true gate of hell.

    Its eerieness and ominous discharge worsened as it began to creak open, dispersing enormous ck smoke that carried the wails of wraiths.

    As the gate widened, a shudder passed through this fabric of reality like an ancient dragon awakening from slumber.

    From the depths of the darkness beyond this gate came forth a hand, as if it was reaching out for the Will of one''s soul, it protruded out of the gate. The hand alone was colossal, and easily would crush any tall building, its massive form was rippling with an unholy aura.

    As it pulled further out of the gate, its presence became so bare that people from independent cities afar off, remote viges could see the descent of this creature.

    King Bm''s presence alone defiedprehension, even though he had the ability to shape-shift his colossal body at will, for this particr manifestation he chose to unleash the full wrath of his demonic essence upon the world of Therut.

    As he descended, the ground trembled beneath his immense weight, quivering in anticipation of the destruction that would inevitably follow.

    The skies darkened, clouds swirling in a maelstrom of chaos as if the heavens themselves quaked with trepidation.

    The earth groaned in agony, its very core unsettled by the imminent arrival of this infernal titan.

    And then it began,

    From the depths of King Bm''s form, a torrent of seethingva erupted, cascading down like a fiery shower from a world unseen. The molten torrent splintered the once serenendscape, devouring everything in its path with an insatiable hunger.

    Trees, once pirs of life, were reduced to smoldering husks, their branches reaching skyward like twisted fingers, pleading for salvation.

    The ground cracked and split as if the Therut itself was crying out in despair, crevices spreading like spiderwebs, releasing a torrent of scorching steam and billowing ash.

    The very air grew heavy with the stench of brimstone, a foul symphony of sulfurous decay. It was like this world itself had be a cauldron, bubbling with the dark essence of damnation.

    "Yes!! Yess!!!"

    Han Lamar who had somehow managed to disappear from the heroes was filled with overwhelming joy as he saw the surface covered in this unreasonable ruin. He looked like he was in a state of orgasm, savoring this befitting destruction to his fill.

    In the wake of King Bm''s descent, the destruction became an art form, a symphony of devastation that yed out with the precision of a demonic conductor. Buildings crumbled like sandcastles, reduced to mere memories, while rivers boiled and evaporated, leaving behind only parched scars etched upon the scorched earth.

    Everything was nothing anymore, people were not given a chance to die before they died, heroes did not matter because they died like flies.

    The only thing that stood and watched this happen was the only archon that had been disturbed from its slumber. Amidst this cataclysmic chaos, King Bm stood before the archon, his fiery eyes gleaming with a sadistic delight.

    Both of them were bathed in silence while the effect of Bm''s presence destroyed the whole ce as it deemed fit.

    "Foolish celestials, their tainted hands forever meddling in affairs beyond their reach. A masquerade of holiness, veiling their true nature as architects of deceit. Tsk tsk, the depths of your depravity, how repugnant it is to witness."

    The demon''s voice resonated like thunderous echoes from the depths of a bottomless chasm.

    "I am not surprised to see you sullying this realm with yourtternly presence. seeing as you have always been a demon without a home."

    A deep, bone-chilling chuckle escaped Bm''s colossal form, sending tremors through the very air as if the earth itself shivered in apprehension.

    "Delighting in the exquisite tapestry of creation is my prerogative. Do not mistake my intentions, celestial fool. It is not out of malice that I seek to im this world as my own. It is merely the necessary transformation, a testament to my dominance. And for that, your feeble existence and that of your pitifulrades must be eradicated, leaving behind only the echoes of your celestial delusions."

    The archon frowned.

    It knew very well how strong the great demons are and right now it was not even in the state to move, because the moment he moved an inch, it will cause a tremorrge enough to wake the other archons. Since they all buried themselves in a way that if one decides to destroy the world or wake up on its own, its movement will trigger the others and also wake them.

    But that waking will bring forth massive destruction, splitting the ne into eight different parts and revealing the very reason why a world such as Therut could exist in the first ce.

    The crystal shard.

    An item that is not known by many and the few that know about its existence relish it for themselves. Some say that after the creation of the universe, the father of the universe became a crystallized monument, and primordials, celestials, and fiends have longed to have this crystal.

    Their fight for it was what caused it to be in pieces. Legends say one shard is enough to wield the power of recreation and destruction.

    But no one has actually ever known of this, even the archons who were currently in possession of one of these shards had limited knowledge about it.

    The creation of Therut was something that happened to be a coincidence brought by this crystal shard after they escaped the celestial city and were going to hide somewhere far away until they also became strong enough to go against the gods.

    But in a desperate attempt to find a hiding ce, the crystal acted on its own.

    A world was birthed from the will of another void, made to exist on a hidden ne and all sorts of creation emerged along with it.

    They still didn''t have enough information about the extent of its powers but they were well convinced that they should give their life to protect something like this.

    It was why Fel could easily abandon all to embrace death.

    It was why this archon here will never move an inch, he would never reveal that shard.

    "You look like you are prepared to die."

    King Bm''s thunderous voice resounded again. Watching keenly at the adamant and immobile archon.

    "You appear resolute as if death itself holds no sway over your staunch spirit,"

    King Bm''s voice boomed, reverberating through the air with an overpowering force. His piercing gaze fixated upon the unyielding archon, observing with predatory intensity.

    The weight of his words hung in the air,den with an ominous mix of warning and curiosity.

    "A curious sight indeed, to witness your unwavering determination in the face of impending doom. But rest assured, I shall relish the spectacle as your unwavering resolve crumbles into dust."

    "Yes, yes, yes, finally it is happening!!" Han Lamar shouted, shedding tears of joy as Raith shook the dirt off his body as he stood up.

    "Noir."

    he beheld the figure of the archon and King Bm from afar, from his vantage point, it was evident that they were about to be locked in a big fight.

    Wheeeeum!!

    Right in that instance, a red streak tore out of the sky between the two of them. It was a normal thing that the mini gate created by Absalom would use the location where the energy is at its strongest, this exins why all three of them now found themselves falling from the sky, right in the middle of two colossal beings.

    "Damn it!"

    Absalom scaled through the air and caught both of them by the cor as they fell.

    He looked back up.

    ''I was not wrong. It is a greater demon''

    He looked around, the city he now found himself in was in shambles but he was very curious as to what this world was. Plus, he could now vividly feel Raith''s presence.

    Especially, since Raith was just waking up from his prolonged slumber.

    [Due to title effect ''One who devours death'' you will be resurrected]

    ''Indeed the dagger was no ordinary dagger.''

    Raith shook the dirt off his body as he stood up.

    "Noir."

    Amber Rose''s fallen head swung up as he heard the soft call followed by a massive formation of dark smoke that brought forth a massive dark wyvern before her eyes.

    "What?! Mr. Raven?!"

    Raith looked down at her for a second and looked up.

    "Noir, let''s go have some fun."

    DISCORD SERVER

 Chapter 212 The Undefeated Commander King

    Chapter 212 The Undefeated Commander King

    Ryou, Kaiser and Absalom stood bewildered. To be exact, Ryou and Kaiser were the bewildered ones, Absalom was struck surprise by the world in it''s entirety.

    ''Where in the world is this? Which ne of existence. Howe I have never heard of the presence of such a ce.''

    Absalom was quite vast in the knowledge of the universe, he had several schrs from Felfhiem, fiends and demons who have roamed different worlds. And so he knew of the existence of nes and that in each ne is a universe of worlds, each native to different kind of beings, some transcendental and iprehensible.

    He didn''t know much about archons but he could feel the disgusting aura as described by one of his tutor.

    ''When you see them, they disgust you, they are pure and holy, so much that it reeks and makes you want to puke.''

    Just like Danzo had said that time, he was feeling the exact same thing from one of this being. And it was very clear.

    "A celestial" He muttered beneath his breathe.

    "Hey Absalom, I presume that this is not some coincidence¡­ what Ist recall is us trying to find out what happened with hunter Raven and before I know it, we are in a ruined ce standing at the feet of two colossal being, one with a volcano body."

    Ryou''s description was deep and detailed.

    Kaiser also looked at Absalom, right now he was the one among the three of them with the most exnation of what was going on.

    "¡­--

    Just as he was about to give them an answer, a deafening roar soared across the sky, shaking the winds and causing tremors on the broken ground. It was not the sound that was the fearsome of it but the enormous size that filled the whole sky, casting arge shadow over the grounds.

    ''Is it me or did Noir grow bigger''

    Raith was shocked but wasn''t sure, thinking it could probably be his mind, he faced his front and focus on what he was about to enjoy, the thought of it caused a wide smile to spread across his lips, it was quite a nefarious smile.

    "Noir"

    With a mighty roar, Noir unleashed a breath of ice so chilling and fierce that the very air seemed to crystallize in its wake.

    The torrent of frozen breath cascaded down upon the demon king Bm, encasing his molten magma body in an ethereal sheen of frost. The once-roaring inferno of the titan''s essence now stood still, frozen.

    In an instance, Bm could not move again and the entire ce was chilly.

    Han Lamar''s face turned grim, he who was watching and enjoying from afar was quickly met with annoyance as he questioned who would dare.

    He did recognize the wyvern from Raith as he had seen it once and all he thought of it was, ''perhaps it was acting on its own and was in a frenzy since its master had died.

    Han''s eyes were not sharp enough to see that the dead now lives again, untilter.

    The ice of a wyvern was not enough to hold a strong being such as Bm.

    The frost all over his body began to crack and exude more smoke, he was increasing the heat and he was defreezing the ice from within, he didn''t even need to put in any effort, it was something he could easily.

    The ice dripped down his body like showers of water.

    "Who do you dare to be?"

    Bm''s features twisted into a visage of profound disgust as he posed the question, his voiceced with contemptuous venom.

    "Your destruction."

    Noir responded with an intimidating voice and a chilly breathe exuding from him. He was not surprised that Bm could break free of his frost. In fact, it was to he expected.

    "I see, I see, you are a mere insect before I, the demon king Bm, you are an insignificant being, a fleeting nuisance that poses a threat to my conquest. Fly away like dust."

    Bm with hisst world, flung his hand nonchntly as though he wanted to beat the hair.

    The movement was so swift that it defied allmon sense, considering the fact that Bm was so big, it is not a farce to say that his speed was supposed to be a bitcking. But this speed was something else.

    Noir didn''t see iting¨C the next minute he was already helplessly somersaulting through the sky.

    But Raith on the other hand¡ª

    Bm frowned. His eyes was fixated on the hand he just flung now, he didn''t retract it because what had happened was annoyingly surprising. Bm hated to show surprises so there was no way he would express his impression, so as to not let his opponent think better of themselves. In a way, it was just him being childish.

    "Hi..." Raith waved his hand with a smile, he was standing right above the burning hand of the demon king.

    Bm had a very high body temperature, high enough to be constantly burning like a volcano, just like how it made no sense for a human to stand on a raging volcano and still be fine, that was how it made no sense for Raith to be standing on Bm''s hand and be fine, now this is even leaving out the fact that Raith had disyed and extraordinary speed when hended on Bm thest moment before Noir was flung away.

    "I am yet to meet a human of your caliber. Tell me human, what are you from?" Bm asked.

    A demon king was inly paying attention to him. Raith was enjoying this, Volmak made it so clear that this subrace of fiends are so proud that they would never nce twice at anyone. Yet here was one of them, asking of his name.

    Raith chuckled.

    "What will that change though?" Raith put to him afterughing.

    King Bm has never asked a question and not been offered an answer, neither had he ever thought there would be a human that will be so rude to him, a demon lord for that matter.

    A deepening frown etched across Bm''s face, his disdain transforming into an even more profound expression of disgust.

    His voice rumbled like an earthquake, resonating with a malevolent fury as he spoke.

    "Scum human," his words seethe with an icy contempt. "I, King Bm, deign to bestow upon you the twisted honor of knowing your pitiful name. And yet, you have the audacity to stand before me, a mere prick"

    "Ouch," Raith was sting by his majestic abuse but nothing was still going to change. Hell in no way he is telling his name to a demon.

    He swung out his hand, materializing his ck sword.

    "Why don''t you let us find out which one of us is a prick."

    King Bm''s frown worsened. He flung away his hand but Raith had already leaped into the air. With a spin, he raised down multiple sword strikes with a swirl.

    Wham Wham Wham wham

    The sword arcs darted at the demon king from all angles but were deflected like the wind.

    Raith slowlynded on Noir, who had recovered and was already serving as a floating stool for Raith.

    "Uh?"

    This was when it hit Han Lamar that someone was standing on the wyvern, someone who had shot several arc shes at the demon king.

    Bm still couldn''t figure out what was going on, he was doubting his eyes. In the first ce, he couldn''t see that far even though he was a demon¨C it wasn''t like he was the best of demons, his physical abilities may seem incredible butpared to even the least of greater demons, Han Lamar was nothing but aplete loser, he didn''t have all the amazing abilities that demons would normally have.

    He red in disdain, he didn''t want to believe what he was suspecting.

    ''It can''t be him.''

    He convinced himself but the next attack struck him again.

    With a finger flickering, King Bm had dispelled arge torrent of mes that consumed the path before him, in fact chopping off a side of the archon.

    Yet Raith was fine, he was standing on his wyvern with burning clothes and his body intact.

    ¡ªeven the archon''s body could not withstand such tremendous effects, a part of its right hand hadpletely melted away and Raith was very much okay.

    ''...Wahhh this is really interesting." Raith grinned.

    [Due to the UNDEFEATED COMMANDER KING BODY CONSTITUTION you have resisted the mes of despair]

    "Amazing, really amazing." Raith muttered, he didn''t think much of the body constitution but jie he was beginning to consider investing in it.

    ''I guess it had a level of something...''

    That meant the body constitution could even get stronger than this.

    Amusement and curiosity spun round Raith''s head. To be able to battle with a greater demon was something he never fathomed when Volmak told stories about them but right now there was even prospect of him being stronger than that.

    ''Who the hell is this undefeatedmander king?''

    Raith briefly wondered, for the body constitution to be this incredible, just who is the undefeatedmander king.

 Chapter 213 King Balam (2)

    ?

    That curiosity was one thing on Raith''s side but right now there was more to deal with.

    Bm''s fireball was shot at him but he skillfully deflected them away with the sword, although there was a little bit of pressure on his wrist as he did. But it was nothing he needed to pay attention to.

    King Bm was surprised that Raith had survived that attack but he was now passed.

    ''What sort of phenomenon is this?''

    Raith lifted his sword to his face, he was getting ready for an attack when King Bmunched himself at Raith with a thunderous bellow, his massive form hurtled through the air with an unnatural agility.

    Raith stayed steady and poised to face the king, his eyes keenly fixed on its form and taking in everything about King Bm''s form at a faster rate than King Bm himself wasing.

    WHOOOOOOSSHHH

    As the demon''s hand swung down with the force of a crashing meteor, Raith''s de intercepted the strike with a resounding ng, a tremendous dispersal of ck lightning followed, razing and destroying the infernal hand of the demon and causing an explosion that caused Bm to stumble backward.

    Their sh sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield and the grounds were delved even deeper than they already were. With how ruined the city was, it could be possible that there is no survivor here, but if there is at all, then after this fight, there wouldn''t be, a hundred percent certainty because the effect of this fight was more than a man can handle.

    Absalom had to take Ryou and Kaiser away from the scene and they flew further backward, which was the pce, it was the farthest away from the point that Bm had been summoned; the area of the archon''s temple.

    Bm''s fiery eyes burned with fury as he unleashed a barrage of infernal mes, attempting to engulf Raith in an all-consuming ze.

    "Sea Splitting sh"

    Raith swung Bal forward, cutting a horizontal splinter through the fire as he swiped his sword.

    "Noir"

    Wham!

    The wyvern dashed forward with an air-defying speed, bringing Raith closer to Bm in an instant. Just as Raith reached the demon, he countered with a swift and precise strike, cleaving his de through the air from below and swiping his sword which did not touch Bm''s hand because even though Raith had closed in, Bm had momentarily tilted back to dodge...

    "Howughable." The demon clicked its tongue.

    Wham!

    Its hand which had just exploded and was already recovering was cleaved away from its body by a gigantic arc that coursed through the air. Using Bal''s skill [Space Rapt], the sh, in thest minute the sh defied space and passed through a concept of distance created by the skill, allowing it to grow in size and effect.

    Bm tottered but held onto a crushed building to hold himself together, theva on his hand burned down the building he was holding. Everything he touched was consumed and reduced to molten magma.

    King Bm''s expression twisted with a mixture of surprise and growing frustration as he watched Raith disy an astounding level of strength over and over again for the past ten minutes of just meeting him.

    Constrained by the limitations imposed by his towering form, Bm resolved to shed his imposing stature, relinquishing the lofty height that had hindered his movements. In an instant, his figure diminished, shrinking in size until he appeared to vanish from any other perspective.

    However, Raith''s keen gaze meticulously traced the demon king''s every transition, prompting a wide grin to spread across his face.

    Descending from the back of the wyvern with a resounding thud that rents the ground beneath him, Raith leaped down to confront the diminished demon king.

    The impact of hisnding echoed with a powerful resonance, fissuring the earth and setting off trembling vibrations.

    "Have you finally decided to get serious?"

    Raith said, looking forward. The surroundings became veiled in a swirling mist, an ethereal shroud created by the dissipation of King Bm''s searing essence as he adjusted his form to confront Raith more effectively.

    Intent on annihting the archon and iming dominion over this realm, King Bm found Raith''s interference increasingly infuriating and tiresome. Oh, how he yearned to summon his vast assemge of forty legions of demons!

    With such a formidable force at his disposal, victory woulde with ease.

    Legions were the lifeblood of demons, a manifestation of their collective strength. Thoughposed of lesser demons, a legion could be led by a demon, fiend, or any being, regardless of their individual rank. As long as they belonged to the legion, they submitted to the authority of its leader, even if that leader was surpassed in power by a subordinate.

    One legion consisted of forty demons with one of the forty leading the legion and so if we were to count the number of demons King Bm had, they were one thousand six hundred, and yet all of them had no home.

    This reality propelled King Bm''s meticulous scheming. Sess in his endeavor would grant him a fortress of his own, augmenting his authority.

    Over time, he aspired to challenge the higher seats of Felfhiem, ascending to the pinnacle of true demon kingship, surpassing the hollow title he had long adorned as a mere pretender.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "For an eternity spanning a thousand years, I havenguished in anticipation for this very moment, and I shall brook no insolence from a lowly worm like you who dares to cross my path, you pitiful human."

    Bm''s voice seethed with anger as he emerged from the dissipating mist, unveiling his countenance.

    His fiery red hair cascaded against his dark skin, etched with sinuous cracks resembling flowingva.

    His small, fiery orbs served as eyes, lending him the appearance of a ragged urchin.

    The only vestige of clothing that adorned him was a tattered ck cloth, clinging to his lower body as if it had narrowly escaped itsst encounter with mes.

    Bm''s gaze lingered upon Raith, bothbatants bracing themselves for the imminent sh. With a deliberate motion, the demon shut his eyes momentarily before gradually reopening them.

    In an astounding disy of swiftness, he materialized before Raith, his fist zing with infernal fury, poised perilously close to its intended target.

    While it appeared as though Raith would evade the oing strike, his reflexes were outmatched. Before he could even react, the demon''s fiery fist connected with his face, unleashing a torrent of scorching mes that violently hurled Raith backward.

    He careened through a storm of debris, tumbling relentlessly across the ravaged terrain.

    The impact with the unforgiving ground sent tremors coursing through Raith''s body, jarring his senses.

    As he fought to regain his footing, his vision blurred momentarily, his head ringing from the forceful blow.

    ''...damn''

    Even the undefeatedmander king''s body couldn''t negate this one, as expected of a greater demon''s blow.

    Gritting his teeth, Raith swiftly pushed himself up. Blood trickled from a gash on his cheek, mingling with the dirt and grime on his face from both the fall and the st of fire.

    He focused his gaze on the smoldering figure of King Bm, who stood with a sinister smirk etched upon his fiery countenance.

    "Impressive," Raith''s voice cut through the aftermath of the sh. He spat out saliva mixed with blood before continuing, "But don''t think for a moment that I''ll be defeated so easily."

    Raith extended his sword with a deliberate stretch, taking a moment to steady his breath.

    Fuuuuu

    The weight of anticipation hung in the air, apanied by the whisper of a sword skill:

    "Extreme Art of the de God."

    In a swift motion, Raith lunged forward, his de slicing through the air in a lightning-fast arc. Bm, taken aback by the sheer speed, struggled to react in time.

    Yet, it was not only the speed that caught him off guard; it was the angle from which Raith executed the sh. With bare hands barely parrying the blow, the sh reverberated through the surroundings.

    The extraordinary control Raith disyed was nothing short of astounding, a phenomenon attributed to his [Extreme Art of the de God] His joints seemed to bend with unnatural ease, granting him a range of motion that defied the boundaries of natural movement.

    Mid-air, Raith twisted his torso and rotated his shoulders at an uncanny angle. This shift in body alignment allowed him to strike diagonally, bypassing his opponent''s defenses effortlessly. His sword gracefully arced, tracing a path that defied thews of physics themselves.

    Moreover, Raith''s footwork showcased a level of mastery that further augmented his uncanny ability to attack from improbable angles.

    Every step he took was a meticulous dance.

    His swift movements allowed him to constantly shift positions rtive to his opponent, capitalizing on every opening andunching strikes from unexpected directions.

    Bm was struggling to keep up with the angles of the attack, though the strikescked the desired impact. While Bm''s single strike had sent Raith reeling, thetter''s de merely nced off his opponent''s body, leaving no discernible damage.

    In one mesmerizing moment, Raith leaped into the air, his body twisting in a mid-flight spin. As he descended, his sword trailed behind him in a dazzling whirlwind of steel.

    King Bm found himself unable toprehend the bewildering assault, his defenses shattered as Raith''s de sliced through the air from an inconceivable angle.

    Every stroke was a testament to Raith''s unparalleled control over his body and the weapon he wielded. His muscles moved with exquisite precision, exploiting his opponent''s blind spots and pushing the boundaries of what was physically achievable.

    But this fight was far from one-sided.

 Chapter 214 His Evident Growth

    ?

    Bm slowly advanced, his mutterings reaching Raith''s ears as a barely audible whisper.

    He tightened his grip around Bal as he expected the worse and readied himself to defend it, whatever it may be.

    Coming to a halt just a meter away, Bm''s body began to pulsate with an ominous surge of malefic energy.

    Raith''s eyes widened in awe and curiosity, for he had never felt such dark mana emanating from anyone before. It was akin to the power of darkness he carried, and he couldn''t help but wonder which of the two forces was truly superior. It was the perfect opportunity to find out.

    A smile crept across Raith''s face, his eyes filled with anticipation.

    "You are smiling?" Bm''s thin, scowling eye twitched in confusion.

    "Yes, I am," Raith replied, his grin growing wider.

    Bm''s expression soured further, irked by the confidence radiating from his opponent. He despised it with all his being.

    Without warning, Bm unleashed his assault, exhaling a chilling breath of souls. The deadly wind tore through the air, carrying an aura of death that permeated the surroundings.

    Reacting swiftly, Raith''s instincts kicked in, propelling him to the side with a nimble leap, narrowly evading the lethal gust. The st swept past him, disintegrating anything it touched into ash, leaving a trail of destion in its wake.

    Raith nced back with a mixture of bewilderment and realization. Perhaps he had underestimated the true power of a great demon. If he had failed to dodge that attack, the consequence would have been his demise.

    Wasting no more time, Raith capitalized on the momentary opening. He surged forward with blinding speed, Bal cutting through the air with a whisper of imminent doom.

    Bm, however, deftly raised his hand, invoking a protective shield that shimmered with malevolent energy. Bal struck the barrier with a resounding ng, its power barely contained by the force field.

    Bm countered with a gentle flick of his hand, targeting Raith''s abdomen. The force of the strike caused a chunk of flesh to vanish, leaving a gaping hole in Raith''s stomach.

    Raith stood in stunned silence, unable to utter a word. The suddenness of his impending demise had caught him off guard. Never did he imagine that Bm possessed the ability to inflict such devastating damage with a mere flick of his finger.

    It was bing increasingly apparent that the Demon King was no ordinary adversary.

    Casually flicking his wrist, Bm effortlessly sent Raith hurtling through the air, crashing into the wall of a nearby building. The structure, already damaged from previous destruction, teetered precariously on its lower level.

    Absalom''s eyes widened as he observed the scene unfold. Though he himself was a greater demon, he had never witnessed such raw power firsthand. Bm''s amassed strength and skill far surpassed his own. As a fellow greater demon, Absalom knew better than to engage in a confrontation with a being thousands of years older than he is.

    The audacity disyed by Raith in facing Bm head-on filled Absalom with a deep respect for him. He wouldn''t have been able to face Bm the way Raith did at all.

    He couldn''t even dare to move, his body shivered and that was why in a moment like this, he was filled with nothing but respect for Raith who was holding out his own with the demon.

    The same sentiment reverberated among the onlookers, the heroes who stood witness to the sh. They keenly felt the overwhelming difference in strength, the chilling presence of imminent death rendering them frozen in ce.

    Han Lamar perched atop a nearby building, his gaze fixed upon the Demon King with a twisted delight. As Bm effortlessly ended Raith''s life, Han couldn''t help but express his satisfaction.

    "When my lord decides to get serious, no one can stop him," he muttered, his voiceced with dark admiration.

    Unbeknownst to Han, thick darkness materialized behind him, taking the form of a humanoid ant.

    Antares, with a swift motion, swiped his deadly ws overhead, catching Bm off guard. Btedly sensing the killing intent, Han Lamar evaded the attack but not without receiving a deep gash across his cheek.

    Leaping back twice more after jumping away at first, Han Lamar finally came to a stop.

    "You again," he snarled with his eyes locked on Antares.

    "Son of a bitch, my master hasmanded that I take your head," Antares dered

    Han Lamar smirked, his wound oozing dark energy.

    "Should you be here, facing me? Your master will soon meet his demise. I''m certain he lies buried in the rubble, regretting the path he chose to tread."

    Antares cast a helpless nce at Han Lamar before he let out a sigh. "You truly are ignorant. Even now, you fail toprehend. Didn''t you witness him rise again after you killed him once?"

    At those words, Han''s brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

    "I don''t owe you any answers," Antares retorted, a hint of defiance in his voice.

    With lightning speed, Antares closed the distance between himself and Han Lamar in an instant, his deadly ws aimed at the monster''s face. However, Han was quick to retaliate, piercing Antares''s belly with his sword.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Despite the excruciating pain coursing through him, Antarespleted his sh, refusing to halt his attack to protect his own body. His allegiance to his king''s orders was unwavering, and he would endure any number of scars to fulfill thosemands.

    Han''s head jerked to the side as Antares''s ws raked across his cheek, leaving three deep, wed marks. Seizing the opportunity, Antares grabbed the embedded sword and yanked it free. Raising it high, he swung it down diagonally toward Han''s shoulder.

    But to his astonishment, the sword resisted, inching back up as if pulled by an invisible force. Antares strained, his muscles bulging, but he couldn''t bring the de down.

    Relinquishing the sword, Antares instinctively created some distance between himself and Han, a decision he instantly regretted.

    A sinister grin spread across Han''s face as the sword slipped back into his hand seemingly of its own ord.

    "You fool, let me demonstrate to you the power of a ruler," Han sneered, pointing his finger forward once more.

    With that hand pointing forward, a certain dejavu overwhelmed Antares.

    "Snipe"

    Antares''s mandibles stretched wider, his expression filled with madness, as he dove headfirst into the ck beam emanating from Han Lamar''s finger.

    "Is he mad?!" Han eximed, shocked by Antares''s reckless action.

    Antares was just facing his fears, he was d that Han Lamar used the very same skill that once made him cowered and now he had the opportunity to make a different decision, so he would be able to serve his king with no remorse or unfair feeling.

    Booooommmm

    A thunderous boom reverberated through the surroundings as the beam obliterated everything in its path, engulfing the area in a symphony of destruction. The cataclysmic event drew the attention of the watching heroes, who had been eagerly anticipating Bm''s confirmation of Raith''s demise.

    Absalom turned his gaze toward the source of the explosion, his eyes filled with curiosity and concern.

    "What is going on there?" he wondered, his mind racing with questions.

    Before long, a figure emerged from the chaos¡ªan imposing presence that resembled a boss monster, as if straight out of the very picture of the monster they supposed Raith faced. Every feature pointed to it being an ant, except for the fact that it stood upright on two legs.

    ''That must be the boss of the ant gate... does this mean...''

    Absalom''s thoughts trailed off as he began to piece together the puzzle. He hadn''t fully grasped the extent of Raith''s powers, but he had his suspicions.

    Perhaps Raith possessed the ability to summon the monsters he defeated. If that were the case, there would be no limit to the power Raith could harness.

    Absalom swallowed hard as he contemted the implications. Even with his limited understanding of Raith''s abilities, he felt a profound sense of intimidation.

    "...I wonder if I can still defeat him," he muttered under his breath.

    Raith''s growth had sparked within Absalom a desire to engage him in a battle.

    [Due to the title effect of ''one who devours death'' you shall be resurrected]

    "Waaaahhhhh,"

    Raith let out a delightful exhale, as though savoring a refreshing drink that hit the spot. Was death enjoyable to him?

    Emerging from the debris, Raith managed to free himself just as Bm approached.

    The sudden appearance of Raith''s dark wyvern in the area where he was supposed to lie lifeless caught Bm''s attention.

    He squinted his eyes, suspecting what was transpiring. In truth, he already knew, but the very thought of it made him frown.

    No one! No one at all!! Should be able to defeat death. Yet this man whom he had delved a clean hole into seemed like he was fine, did he have an ultra regenerative power... it has to be the healing powers.

    An eerie chuckle escaped Bm''s lips.

    "I have truly underestimated you¡ªa human with such remarkable regenerative abilities. Indeed, you are strong. But you will only continue to suffer and eventually meet your demise if you choose to persist in this fight."

    Raith brushed the dirt off his face to reveal a steely determination gleaming in his eyes.

    "You are full of yourself. Death? It''s cool, I am pretty used to it anyway. Let''s get serious, show me all you are capable of."

 Chapter 215 Indomitable

    ?

    Raith''s tion knew no bounds as he embraced the prospect of his impending demise.

    Never before had he anticipated death with such fervor.

    Fifteen levels up from one death, of course, he would probably not be able to have fifteen level-ups again the next time he dies at the hand of this demon but he would still level up.

    Such jubtion was evident on Raith''s countenance as he unabashedly provoked Bm, relishing in the taunting game they yed. However, this incessant needling had begun to grate on Bm''s nerves.

    It defied all reason that a mere human could rival him.

    ''His confidence knows no bounds. Oh, how I yearn to shatter him and reduce him to a pitiful state of supplication,'' Bm contemted silently, fixing his gaze upon Raith.

    "Foolish human! Your transitory power blinds you, leading you to believe that you can contend with the might of a greater demon like myself. Pure insolence!" Bm''s voice reverberated with an air of superiority.

    "Yea yea h h h h,"

    Unfazed by Bm''s words, Raith persisted with his relentless taunting. It was the only way to goad his opponent into unleashing another deadly assault upon him.

    Bm raised his hand, to the sky materializing a portal crackling with dark energy above Raith. From within the vortex emerged an immense bolt of obsidian lightning, hurtling toward Raith with blinding speed.

    Reacting with lightning-fast reflexes, Raith swiftly rolled to the side, narrowly evading the destructive force. The lightning bolt collided with the ground, triggering an explosive eruption that sent debris hurtling in all directions. The resulting shockwave shook the very earth, threatening to dismantle the very foundation of their battleground.

    Another portal materialized precisely where Raith had sought refuge, multiplying in the expansive sky until an onught of ck lightning bolts rained down relentlessly. Each bolt aimed at Raith''s every movement, forcing him into an arduous game of perpetual evasion. No matter where he leaped, the malevolent lightning struck, leaving him with no choice but to keep fleeing from one patch of ground to the next.

    Determined to turn the tide, Raith mustered his strength and charged at Bm once more. He weaved through the onught of the bolts of lightning with his movements like a dance of defiance and resilience. Bal arced through the air, leaving trails of dark smoke in its wake as it shed with Bm''s magical barrier.

    Bm stood in awe, marveling at Raith''s remarkable speed yet again.

    The strike between the sword and the demon''s transparent barrier resounded through the entire battlefield. Each strike of Raith''s echoed with a ferocity that reverberated through the very core of the air.

    The demon helplessly looks at Raith as he struggled to break the barrier with the sheer strength of his sword, Bm never in the slightest way thought that breaking the barrier would be possible, this was after all a special skill he had received from Tinshemet after he swore loyalty to her.

    The realm of demons was aplex and vast domain, far beyond theprehension of mortals. Within this realm, greater demons had the ability to form alliances and allegiances with one another, even though they hailed from the same race. Strength was not solely determined by one''s race but by their individual prowess and mastery of their abilities.

    It was entirely usible for a greater demon to surpass the might of an archdemon whocked the ambition or understanding to harness their own power.

    And so even amidst each other, they bestowed skill on each other, serving their own self-interests and seeking ways to enhance their dominion.

    It was impossible for Raith to break the barrier.

    As Raith relentlessly hammered his sword against the impregnable barrier, the sh of metal against the invisible force field intensified.

    Each strike resonated with sheer force, sending shockwaves of energy rippling through the battlefield. The air crackled with tension as if the very fabric of reality trembled under the weight of their sh.

    Raith''s eyes gleamed with determination, how far did he have to will it for his sword to be able to slice the barrier? That was what disturbed and revolved his mind as he pressed against Bm''s shield.

    Qq+qqqqq

    Bm, realizing the tenacity and unwavering spirit emanating from Raith, began toprehend the true extent of the swordsman''s indomitable will. It was a force that transcended mere physical strength, an unyielding determination that defied hismon sense thus far, amon sense that was cultivated through his experience as a greater demon.

    He had always admired humanity for its unyielding resolve and will, and that was one of the reasons why he was simply awed by Raith.

    A flicker of reluctant admiration danced in Bm''s eyes, mingling with a tinge of consternation. He realized that Raith''s resolve was not to be underestimated. However, the demon king remained steadfast, refusing to relinquish an inch of ground.

    Thus, the battle waged on, the entire battlefield consumed by the tension of the unyielding sh between Raith, the unwavering swordsman, and Bm, the all-powerful demon king.

    As Bm observed Raith, he couldn''t help but deem him a pointlessly foolish individual.

    Whereas Raith knew what he was doing.

    ''Eight hundred two hundred and forty-four... damnit Bal, how long till I actually strike for real and tear down this mad thing.''

    ''Calm down, this is a perfect time to get used to the weight of the sword. Now that the time is intense, there is pressure around and your senses are sharpened and heightened. There is no better condition for you to get limated to the reduction and increase in my weight than now. Once you do that, perhaps you will have better chances at drawing out an absolute sword''

    ''Absolute sword?'' Raith wondered after hearing it from Bal but the sword did not say anything more about it. Leaning Raith to nothing but swinging.

    Bal was right. Each time Raith swung the sword, a surge of speed apanied the upward motion, straining his arms with its tremendous force. Conversely, as he brought the sword down, a sudden reduction in speed made it seem as if Raith had sumbed to sluggishness. He had to swiftly adjust his strike at thest moment, constantly adapting to the unpredictable rhythm. It wasn''t like Bal stuck to this routine all through.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    And so, Raith pressed on, tirelessly delivering strike after strike. Nine hundred swings had already beenpleted, his body glistening with perspiration, yet the barrier remained unbroken. Breaking it was not his foremost concern; Raith''s focusy elsewhere.

    He sought to be intimately acquainted with the sword''s nature, to synchronize his movements with its weight fluctuations. The barrier''s resilience mattered little to him, for his purpose extended beyond its mere shattering.

    "Foolish human, how long will you persist in these futile actions? No matter how many times you swing your sword, you cannot breach my imprable barrier," Bm taunted with a sneer.

    Meanwhile...

    A sudden notification interrupted the battle:

    [Congrattions]

    [You havepleted a thousand swings of the demonic sword]

    [You havepleted a thousand swings of the demonic sword]

    [Due to THE UNDEFEATED COMMANDER KING''s body constitution, your body easily adapts to the weight of the sword]

    [The sword bes an extension of your being]

    [You have entered phase one of an Abstract Epiphany (Absolute sword)]

    [Uponpletion of all phases, you will awaken sword intent]

    Raith''s eyes widened as he read the message, a sense of aplishment welling up within him. This was the first time he had achieved something without having to die.

    Wham!

    Before he could fully grasp the implications of this newfound revtion, a powerful gust of wind jolted him from his thoughts. King Bm''s ck obsidian wings unfurled from his back, stretching wide and casting a malevolent shadow over the ground.

    ''Something is changing about him.''

    Just as Bal said, a realization dawned upon Raith as he observed the changing demeanor of King Bm.

    There was an unmistakable sense that the demon king still held more cards up his sleeve. And Raith wouldn''t have expected anything less, as he eagerly anticipated the unique and extraordinary deaths he would experience at the hands of this formidable adversary.

    The sh erupted once again with a deafening boom, as Bm unleashed a relentless barrage of dark spells. His magic crackled through the air like ethereal lightning, challenging Raith''s every move. However, with supernatural agility, Raith deftly danced through the onught, skillfully deflecting each assault with his swift swordy. The collision of steel and spell created a spectacle of explosive power, its reverberations resonating throughout the very essence of existence.

    Bm conjured illusions that twisted and distorted reality, unleashing phantasmal monsters that surged forth with grotesque forms. It was a testament to the demon king''s mastery over the dark arts.

    Yet, Raith''s honed senses surpassed the ordinary. With his [Metavision]he easily pierced through the veils of deception, his strikes unerring as he cleaved through the illusions with calcted precision.

    ''How?''

    Bm found himself questioning the rationale of the situation.

    How could a solitary human disy such prodigious strength against a greater demon? Even though Bm wasn''t at his full potential, having been summoned into this realm, he couldn''t help but admire Raith''s resilience and unwavering might.

    Frowning, Bm observed as Raith closed the distance that had once separated them.

    However, this proximity alone meant little.

    The two engaged in a fierce exchange of blows, Bm''s punches inflicting excruciating pain that nearly brought Raith to the brink of unconsciousness. Yet, Raith clung to every ounce of strength, seizing every opportunity for a counterattack.

    Bm''s tough skin rendered Raith''s sword strikesrgely ineffective, until the moment he had executed the one thousand swings, disguising his true intent to break through Bm''s barrier.

    Of course, he still intended to achieve that in due course.

    WHISH!!

    A swift and precise slice cut through the air, Bm''s eyes widening in disbelief. Raith''s sword effortlessly sliced through his hand as though it were mere bread, sending it flying over his head. Silence seemed to descend upon the battlefield as the realization struck Bm¡ªhe had been cut.

    "Impossible..." he trembled, his voiceced with disbelief and vulnerability.

 Chapter 216 King Balam (3)

    ?

    Since Raith and Bm started this fight, has Bm not been injured in his hand?

    When he was a colossal creature, Raith pretty much damaged his entire hand with Bal''s lightning. Yet the demon was devastated that a human cut through his skin.

    This was because Bm in this form had extraordinarily tough skin, a skin that never should be prable. It didn''t matter the sword used, Bm was part of the few demons who had the [origin].

    The [origin] bestowed upon these demons an extraordinary augmentation of their physical abilities, rendering them impervious to divine powers or any form of magic designed to negate their inherent nature. Remarkably, the [origin] was primarily found in archdemons, making Bm and a handful of other greater demons who possessed it truly exceptional.

    Bm''s [Origin] was his tough skin, he wasn''t a demon that knew how to use fire, theva cracks on his skin were proof of his uniqueness, and his [origin] was his skin durability.

    This was why he was shocked and still couldn''tprehend the fact that this human cut his hand.

    "This is inconceivable! Who are you? From where did you hail? WHO ARE YOU?!" he roared furiously, his shoulders heaving with anger.

    The fractures on his skin, akin to moltenva, emitted wisps of steam as his brow furrowed even deeper. Clenching his razor-sharp teeth, he fully exposed their gleaming whiteness for the first time.

    Raith''s countenance immediately hardened a stark departure from his previous taunting of Bm, even in the face of the demon''s anger.

    [Due to Ultra-Instincts you have sensed a great demonic power around]

    [The weight of the power will cause a tremendous effect on lesser existence]

    [Your stats will reduce by 50%]

    [Due to your ss MONARCH OF DEATH you can resist the effect]

    [Your Will is low]

    [Your stats will reduce by 30%]

    As the notifications faded away, Raith keenly felt the oppressive atmosphere enveloping him. The sheer weight of the power bore down upon his being, making even the simplest movements a herculean task.

    It was as though an incessant vibratory force pressed relentlessly against every fiber of his body. In precise terms, the gravity had intensified tenfold, rendering it exceedingly arduous for anyone to navigate their surroundings.

    Despite his ss affording him some degree of resilience, Raith remained constrained by the overwhelming force. His low Will state prevented him frompletely nullifying its effects, leaving him grappling with its debilitating consequences.

    However, of greater concern to Raith was the immense power Bm must have unleashed to cause such an exponential increase in the surrounding gravity.

    Unbeknownst to Raith, a bead of sweat had formed on his temple, slowly tracing its path down his cheek.

    His narrowed eyes remained fixed on the demon before him, an intensity burning within his gaze.

    "I traversed the deep depths, enduring eons of torment and anguish. I wed my way through the writhing masses of infernal souls, yearning for something greater, something that would set me apart. I craved a kingdom, a dominion that would reflect my unparalleled might and unmatched splendor. Yet, as I reached higher, they rejected me. You have no idea how much I have suffered to get here, I have waited patiently for this n and you dare? Your existence is a torn in my flesh, you should never be able to look at a being such as I, yet..." Bm was heaving.

    "...yet you express such amazing strength before me. Your very existence annoys me. It vexes me from my bowels. I have no grudge against you human. But you have no ce here... you do not deserve what you have."

    Raith''sposure suddenly became rxed as he heard what Bm just said.

    ''Is this guy serious right now?''

    If anyone were deserving of such a statement, it was not Raith. While he may not have endured the same level of suffering as Bm within the context of their world, he, too, had traversed numerous hardships to arrive at this pivotal moment.

    The evaluation presented by Bm felt grossly unfair, a skewed perspective that failed to acknowledge Raith''s personal struggles and growth.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Raith''s frown deepened, his dissatisfaction apparent upon his face.

    Bm, noticing the crease on Raith''s brow, attributed it to the human''s inability to ept the truth.

    "Your countenance reveals your disagreement, but such reluctance is unsurprising. Humans often struggle to confront the harsh realities," Bm sneered,

    "You speak of suffering, if you truly have suffered then you should know very well than others that no one reaches this point without adversities. I did not have all this handed to me on a tter of gold, you can try dying for a taste."

    Bm''s narrowed eyes betrayed a flicker of contemtion. Raith''s arguments had an unexpected reasonability, causing the demon to question his own perspective. Slowly, the notion began to take root within him that perhaps Raith had also endured his fair share of tribtions.

    "I too have had my fair share of hardships... and even right now, fighting you... I am having one because, after this fight with you, I will not be the same. I will have grown."

    Bm''s eyes widened in awe, marveling at Raith''s mindset. "Truly remarkable. In every aspect, you disy magnificence. I appreciate your perspective. It is an insult that you believe you can best me, but the fact that you perceive this battle as an opportunity for personal growth intrigues me."

    With a resigned sigh, Bm lifted his amputated hand, instantly regenerating it.

    "From this moment forward, I will take you seriously. Our dynamic will undergo a profound shift."

    "I don''t need things to be easy," Raith replied, tightening his grip on his sword.

    "Hahaha! Haaaa!" Bm burst into wild, madughter. "Come at me, human! I admire your spirit!"

    Wham!

    Raith defied the constraints of the heightened gravity, propelling himself forward like a swift arrow, his sword poised to strike from behind.

    Bm remained unfazed, convinced that his protective barrier would effortlessly withstand the impending assault.

    Shhhrrrrinnggg

    But then, Bal let out a deafening scream as it sliced through the space, making contact with the top of Bm''s head.

    The demon''s bellowing scream reverberated, as the sword effortlessly shattered his supposedly imprable barrier like fragile ss.

    Wham!!!

    Reacting swiftly, Bm leaped away, the force of his movement causing the ground to splinters and upheave as the sword descended, nearly making contact.

    The sheer weight of the de bore down upon the earth, a testament to the immense gravity it carried¡ªa gravity magnified by the existing field cast by Bm himself.

    Tssss...

    Amidst the unfolding chaos, Raith''s transformation became apparent. Steam slowly escaped from his mouth, a visible sign that something within him had shifted.

    Bm, ever perceptive, quickly grasped the significance of this change.

    A notification materialized before Raith:

    [You have entered the state of Samadhi]

 Chapter 217 The End?

    ?

    [You have entered the realm of absolute focus SAMADHI]

    [You are in the state of Samadhi]

    [Due to your absolute focus, your skill proficiency will increase faster]

    The Six Demon Sword technique was specifically designed to channel Raith''s body and mind into a state ofplete focus, enabling him to ess this realm of absolute focus. Throughout history, numerous legends have devised various martial arts, skills, and techniques in pursuit of Samadhi¡ªa state where one''s mind and body seamlessly unite with the sword.

    Raith''s reentry into Samadhi was not only made possible by his prior experience but also by an unintentional deep focus he had achieved while executing a thousand swings with Bal. With each swing, he aimed to unleash the ultimate attack potential contained within the de, extending himself fully into the motion.

    As a result, Raith not only seeded in manifesting the desired attack power, effectively prating Bal''s barrier, but he also reattained the state of Samadhi. This time, however, his experience was even more profound. Every skill he currently employed, whether passive or active, began to exhibit elerated proficiency growth.

    Consequently, these skills would progress and level up at a significantly faster pace than under normal circumstances.

    Raith''s consciousness dissolved into oblivion, consumed entirely by the moment.

    Bm''s body quivered with anticipation as Raith inclined his upper body forward, positioning his sword backward, akin to a racer preparing for a swift dash.

    "Heavenly Destruction," he uttered.

    In an instant, a resounding impact echoed through the air.

    Devil sh!!

    Raith''s form immediately blurred, eluding the naked eye with ease. He effortlessly surged forward, leaving behind an ethereal trail of darkness in his wake. It was as if he had be possessed by the very essence of swiftness, momentarily transcending the limitations of his mortal self. Raith had been running fast so far but at this point, it transcendedmon sense.

    Within this rapid flurry of movement, Raith harnessed his entire power into a solitary sh, infused with the essence of darkness.

    The sword seamlessly became an extension of his being, slicing through the fabric of space itself. As he cleaved through the air, trailing dark energy apanied his motion, leaving behind an eerie streak of obscurity that lingered momentarily before dissipating.

    Heavenly Destruction: Devil sh was a skill that served multiple purposes. It can be employed as an evasive maneuver, allowing the user to swiftly dodge iing attacks while simultaneouslyunching a lethal counterstrike. The abrupt emergence of their de, fueled by the potent forces of darkness, could catch adversaries off guard, transforming defensive maneuvers into relentless, seamless acts of aggression.

    However using the sword technique required an unwavering amount of focus, and the skill was possible to be disyed on such a godly level because Raith was in a state of absolute focus.

    Bm''s body grew cold, as an unfamiliar sensation of fear crept into his being. A chilling shiver traversed his spine,pelling him to instinctively take a step back, attempting to safeguard his own life.

    Yet, swiftly realizing the perilous consequence of such a retreat, he swiftly reversed his motion and propelled himself angrily into the path of Raith''s de.

    Wham!!

    Booooo0oom!!

    Their collision birthed an explosive eruption, reverberating throughout the surroundings. The impact caused tremors akin to seismic waves, and the very ground struggled to contain the weight of their sh.

    The ensuing cloud of debris veiled everything in a smokescreen, obscuring visibility. All eyes eagerly sought to witness the unfolding events, yearning for a glimpse of what transpired.

    Absalom, with his vampiric sight, was the first to discern the truth. His vision surpassed that of ordinary mortals, piercing into the distance with rity.

    Meanwhile, Antares and Han Lamar remained entangled in a fierce struggle, acutely aware that even a fleeting moment of distraction could sever their heads from their necks.

    As the smokescreen gradually dissipated, droplets of blood descended, staining the ground beneath. The scene now unfolded as a bittersweet blend of tragedy and serenity¡ªa solemn radiance from the simted sunrise cast a gentle, orange hue upon the atmosphere, creating an aura of haunting beauty mingled with despair.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Raith was hanging onto dear life, he had entered a state of shock and was foaming as he was injured badly while in the state of Samadhi.

    This was the downside of this state was this: if an attack failed and critical damage was incurred, it would inevitably result in death. The afflicted individual would sumb to a state of shock from which there was no return but the embrace of ''game over''.

    Raith now found himself immersed in that very state of shock, with Bm''s right hand firmly impaled in his chest, effortlessly lifting him from the ground.

    Bm''s countenance contorted with a frown as he gazed upon Raith.

    From the right side, it appeared as though Bm had suffered no injuries, but a shift of perspective to his left exposed the ravages inflicted upon his visage. His left face was drenched in a ghastly cascade of purple blood. Raith''s sword had cleanly sliced through a portion of his face, severing an ear, while his eyes remained untouched.

    A tinge of sadness etched itself upon Bm''s expression as he observed Raith''s wretched state¡ªfoaming mixed with blood from his mouth, and a steady stream of crimson dripping from the cavity punctured in his chest.

    "It pains me to witness your demise in such a manner. You are the finest human I have ever engaged inbat," Bmmented, his voice tinged with sorrow. He closed his eyes and withdrew his hand from Raith''s body.

    Turning away, Bm allowed Raith''s lifeless form to copse upon the ground. A genuine sense of grief permeated his being, hinting at the profound regret he harbored over Raith''s demise.

    "If only he were a demon," Bm thought somberly. "He would have made for an exceptional friend."

    However, this friendship would require them to belong to the same race, preferably as greater demons, for any other form of kinship would invariably be tainted by inherent malice.

    Bm lightly touched the side of his head, marveling at Raith''s remarkable ability tond such a blow. Had he not evaded to the left in the final moments, Raith''s sword would have cleaved his skull in half.

    Nheless, Bm''s wealth of experience surpassed Raith''s, rendering it no mere coincidence that he charged forward, deftly swerving to the left at thest instant, plunging his hand directly into Raith''s chest.

    This demon before you had braved countless battles and emerged triumphant time and again.

    [You have died]

    [You have gained a level]

    [You have gained a level]

    [You have gained a level]

    [You have gained a level]

    [You have gained a level]

    [You have gained a level]

    [...]

    [You have died in a state of Samadhi]

    [You shall receive a heavy punishment]

    [You shall receive a heavy reward]

 Chapter 218 Heavenly Destruction Sword (1)

    ?

    [As for the punishment, because you died in a state of samadhi you will find it difficult to enter for a while]

    [All your attacks will lose 20% precision for a while]

    [As for the reward]

    [You havepleted an incredible feat and yet you failed at it by dying in a state of samadhi]

    [The consequences were inevitable]

    [Your Willpower has risen by +100]

    [You have awakened WILLPOWER exclusive active skill ''Formless Will'']

    [Due to the title effect ''One who devours death'' you will.be resurrected]

    [Due to the status effect of Requiem Of A Sacrificial Lamb: The Good Kind(legendary) your Willpower stat will be increased by additional +100 stat points]

    [Due to the significant increase in your willpower, some skills have gained massive proficiency]

    [MULTIPLE COGNITIVE RESONANCE has gained two levels]

    [MULTIPLE COGNITIVE RESONANCE has reached level 10]

    [A NEW SUBSKILL HAS BEEN UNLOCKED]

    [FOCUS MODE: This is a mimicry of the state of samadhi, anytime you are in FOCUS MODE proficiency with all your skill except ss skills will increase expenentially]

    [FOCUS MODE has been fused into Auto battle mode]

    [Auto battle mode has been upgraded]

    [Metavision has reached level 30]

    [A new feature has been unlocked]

    [Metavision Burst: Your sight can pinpoint some critical moment in every space faster than it is noticed by a normal human processing system]

    [Ultra-Instincts has reached level 20]

    [Thoughts eleration has reached level 20]

    [Intimidation has reached level Max]

    [Subskill ''Fear'' Inducement has been created]

    It had been quite some time since Raithst experienced such an overflow of notifications. The surge of notifications brought a sense of satisfaction, especially considering the impending shock he was about to deliver to the demon.

    Bm was already treading his path to where the colossal archon stood, resuming his n of destroying them and taking their world for himself.

    Even when Raith stood up, Bm didn''t notice because he was too engrossed in his thoughts, perhaps it was the thought of killing Raith or how he was about to enjoy killing the archons, but his face carried a sad counter which made it evident that it was thetter.

    Raith stood straight and sighed.

    ''How do you feel?'' Bal asked.

    "Strangely, I feel good," Raith responded.

    Bal had witnessed Raith endure an excruciatingly unconventional death, one that would have caused unimaginable pain to anyone else. Though the agony had dissipated, the memory of Raith''s suffering remained etched in Bal''s mind.

    He couldn''t help but ponder over the severity of the other deaths and empathize with Raith''s plight.

    "I''d prefer to avoid any unnecessary deaths from now on," Raith stated firmly.

    ''Yes, let''s do that.''

    Raith flinched, taken aback by Bal''s sudden disy of kindness. The unexpected shift in demeanor unsettled him, yet he quickly refocused his attention on the opportunity thaty before him. This was his chance to deliver the Demon King Bm the most astonishing surprise in this moment.

    ''You can allocate your avable stat points andbine Heavenly Destruction with a movement skill,'' Bal suggested.

    Raith narrowed his eyes, suspicion creeping in.

    ''This guy is being unusually amiable... it''s unsettling,'' Raith muttered to himself.

    Raith opened his stats window.

    [STATS]

    Strength: 80

    Speed: 110

    Stamina: 80

    Intelligence: 445

    Endurance: 73

    Perception: 186

    Willpower: 225

    Avable stat points: 74

    Raith sighed in amazement at his ability to harness such formidable offensive power, despite the adverse effects of Bm''s influence on his stats. He owed this newfound capability to Bal''s guidance.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    ''Even if I increase my stats, I doubt it will have a significant impact... However, utilizing a movement skill shouldpensate for my temporaryck of speed. Why were the additional 100 stats allocated to willpower? They would have been better suited for speed, stamina, or strength. What am I supposed to do with willpower?''

    Raith''s understanding of willpower remained limited. Thus far, he only knew that it was instrumental in enduring the effects of the celestial code and potentially resisting them.

    Willpower yed a crucial role in warding off certain status effects. For instance, with an elevated willpower stat, Raith could consciously resist the effects and mitigate the reduction in his stats. However, he remained unaware of this capability.

    Willpower takes deliberate acts and when one does nothing, nothing will happen even if the willpower is +1000.

    "50 stats to strength and 20 to speed."

    Adding to strength will add to his attack power and since strength was currently below 100, Raith thought the best thing to do was to raise. His judgment skill had gotten a bit better since he unlocked the wisdom stat. Or it could be experience, but the Wisdom stat contributed greatly to whatever it was.

    [Your Strength stat has increased by +50]

    [Your speed stat has increased by +20]

    "Alright... Stride of the wind god"

    SSSSHHHHHHHHSSSSSHHHHH

    Raith was engulfed by a profound sense of weightlessness as he propelled forward with extraordinary velocity, his movements blurring into a flickering shadow. His feet barely grazed the ground as he closed the distance between himself and Bm.

    Bm''s eyes widened, but before he could react, Raith swiftly unleashed a sword skill.

    Waves Of Destruction

    Drawing nearer to Bm, Raithmenced a relentless barrage of expert sword strikes. With each swing, a powerful shockwave emanated, rippling through the air like a wave of energy.

    These shockwaves cut through everything in their path, slicing into Bm''s hand and leaving deep wounds in his body.

    Remarkably, the wounds closed up almost instantaneously as Raith continued his assault. Undeterred, Raith unleashed his sword strikes in an expanding circr pattern, causing some strikes to veer off course due to Bm''s evasive maneuvers in concordance with the fact that his precision is currently nerfed.

    However, the ones that continued to collide with Bm were getting even more powerful¡ª they created strong impacts that almost knocked Bm off bnce, not once, not twice but the demon was strong enough to regain hisposure by reflex. However, the fact that Raith was persistently swinging his sword was very annoying.

    He was already confused and unfocused because he was worried as to how Raith is still standing, the holes in his body closed up. He was certain that this guy died by his hands and yet he is still fighting, that too with such renewed vigor.

    "Heavenly Destruction..."

    Wham!!

    Just when Bm was about to get used to the flow of Raith sword strikes, he suddenly changes the trajectory¨C but that was not the sole reason why King Bm got so alerted that he flew out of Raith''s range¨C something he really hated doing; he hated backing away from a fight, not to even say with a human.

    However, instead of regret, curiosity and a deep frown creased his face. It resembled the moment when Raith and Bal had noticed the sudden change when Bm revealed his wide-spread wings.

    "...The Dark Comet"

    Raith executed a fluid series of precise sword movements. With a blend of strength and finesse, he swung his sword, unleashing a concentrated surge of darkness that materialized as aet-like projectile hurtling towards Bm.

    As the dark-infused strike soared through the air, it transformed into aet-like entity, leaving behind a sinister, ethereal trail that cast a shadow over the entire battlefield.

    Sensing the imminent danger, Bm swiftly veered away from the attack''s trajectory. However, the Comet exhibited remarkable synchrony with Raith''s sword, as if the de itself guided its path.

    Frowning, Bm felt a growing devastation at having been forced to retreat from Raith''s onught twice already. Retreating for a third time would be a blow to his pride. Determined, he charged towards the approaching Comet, his hand exuding a dark-red energy distinct from dark mana.

    For the first time, Bm unleashed his fiendish energy, swinging his hand forward to intercept the iing Comet¡ª

    ¡ªAs the darket collided with thest-minute barrier conjured by Bm, a shroud of darkness enveloped the area. The surrounding light waned, giving way to an eerie and oppressive atmosphere. In an instant, a cataclysmic explosion of darkness erupted, apanied by shockwaves that wreaked havoc in the immediate vicinity¡ªaround Bm himself.

    The ensuing devastation unleashed further destruction, and a dense cloud of darkness nketed the surroundings as the effects of the massive explosion settled.

    Raith''s grin widened as he raised his sword, preparing for another strike.

    "I''d have been disappointed if he died from that," he said as he swiped his leg forward getting ready for another technique.

    Bm, frowning from his position because half of his body had been severed by the darket. It had broken through his barrier, inflicting significant damage.

    This barrier, reinforced with his fiendish energy, was a hundred times stronger than the one Raith had previously shattered. Nheless, Bm''s resilient form began regenerating rapidly, rendering the damage inconsequential.

    Observing Raith readying his sword once again, Bm swiftly dashed forward, his wings spreading wide as he effortlessly sliced through the air with astonishing speed.

    "You bastard," Bm seethed as he reached Raith''s front.

    "Oh, oh, but you''re a little toote," Raith taunted.

    Infinite sh

    Raith blurred into an afterimage, evading Bm''s w strike. Simultaneously, he reappeared behind Bm, swinging his sword in an arc from the back. However, Bm''s wing intercepted the attack, narrowly deflecting Raith''s cleaving strike. Raith swiftly transformed into another afterimage, materializing below Bm and delivering a upward arc with his sword.

    Infuriated, the demon king stomped on Raith''s sword, unleashing a massive circr shockwave that halted Raith''s assault.

    Raith''s grin in the face of this setback only deepened Bm''s bewilderment.

    Creak...

    ZZZZPPPPTTTSSHH!!

    To Bm''s horror, Raith''s sword began emitting numerous bolts of ck lightning, tearing through his leg and causing him to let out a torturous scream as he stumbled back immediately.

    Though his legy in ruins, it swiftly regenerated before Raith''s eyes.

    Frowning at this disy of resilience, Raith desperately sought a way to bring about a definitive end, as exhaustion began to take its toll on him.

 Chapter 219 Demon King Balam (1)

    Raith maintained a piercing re at Bm while thetter''s body underwent a rapid process of healing.

    The battle was already long-drawn, it''s been hours since Raith hade to Therut and he had actively been in one thing or the other, not to say he just concluded a fierce fight with the ant king beforeing. Even though Raith''s vigor was renewed every time he was resurrected¨C there was something called mental weariness.

    While his mind grasped the gravity of the situation, his body, with each resurrection, reset its memory and awareness. Over time, the weariness in his mind began to manifest in the form of sluggish responses throughout his entire being¡ªan undeniable consequence unknown even to Raith himself. He sensed his exhaustion, freshly resurrected as he was, yet he had not delved into the underlying reasons behind this sudden onset of fatigue.

    Nevertheless, Raith remained resolute in his determination to bring this prolonged battle to a decisive end.

    Immersed in his thoughts, he delved deep, searching for any reward he had obtained that might counteract Bm''s healing abilities. If he could achieve that, the fight could potentially be even more riveting.

    ''Ah! I have that'' Raith eximed inwardly.

    ''What are you thinking now, you psycho?'' Bal questioned, observing the unsettling grin that had spread across Raith''s face.

    "I must say, I am thoroughly impressed by your ability to conquer death. How is such a feat even possible? Perhaps I underestimated you from the beginning. Were you never truly human, or did you intentionally deceive me, leading me to believe you were human so that I would hold back?"

    Raith''s eyes narrowed, focusing on a singr statement amidst Bm''s words.

    "You mean to tell me you''ve been holding back?" That was the only fragment that seized Raith''s attention amidst Bm''s discourse.

    "What? You think I''ve been giving my all in our battles?" Bm retorted, his head tilting in irritation. "If I were to unleash my true strength, you would be nothing but a corpse..." Bm paused, contemting his own words.

    If Raith truly possessed the power to defy death itself, it rendered futile any efforts to defeat or kill him¡ªhe would simply resurrect.

    ''But there must be limitations, ws in this ability,'' Bm thought, his brows furrowing as he raised his head, dismissing the notion he had momentarily entertained.

    Bm frowned his brows and raised his head, discing the possibility of hisst suspicion.

    ''It is impossible, this is a worthless human. That is impossible'' Bm refuted in his mind with his eyes keenly fixed on Raith who was up to something now.

    "It doesn''t matter what you have been doing before now. Because after now, you will have no choice but to fight me with your all."

    Bm''s frown deepened at Raith''s words. Indeed, he had consciously heightened the intensity of their fight, but he had not truly exerted his full power. Logically speaking, it seemed imusible.

    Having traversed the gates of hell to arrive in Therut, Raith had only allowed 70% of his power to apany him. If he sought to bring forth the full extent of his abilities, there could be nopromise¡ªthus, he would need to physically exit Felfhiem and retrace his path to his desired destination. However, this task proved formidable, as navigating the way out of Felfhiem remained an insurmountable challenge for many of its inhabitants.

    Raith swung his de, Bal¡ª

    Squish.

    Without hesitation, he drove the sword into his own abdomen, deliberately pushing it deeper until it pierced through his back, the de emerging drenched and glistening with his own lifeblood. With a gradual withdrawal, he relinquished his mortal coil, surrendering to the ethereal realm.

    [You have killed yourself]

    [You have gained a level]

    Bm''s eyes quivered with disbelief. ''Is he insane? Did he just take his own life?''

    [Due to the title effect ''one who devours death, you will be resurrected]

    Raith''s eyes snapped open, and his wound miraculously healed as he rose to his feet, retrieving his sword with a steady grip.

    The true extent of Raith''s power nowy exposed before Bm''s eyes. It became undeniable that Raith possessed the ability to triumph over death itself. A frown etched across Bm''s face as the unsettling possibility, which he had momentarily dismissed, resurfaced in his mind.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    ''Could it be that the abyss...?'' The thought sent a shiver down Bm''s spine. Despite the inherent rebelliousness of demons, they held a profound reverence for the abyss, for it was the very origin of their creation.

    The notion that Raith derived his seemingly boundless strength from such a magnificent existence vexed Bm even further. He found himself unwilling to ept this reality, even though the mounting evidence pointed in that direction.

    "I will wipe you out!" Bm growled, his arm outstretched. A swirling me materialized in his palm, born from thin air. He positioned his leg back, assuming a stance reminiscent of one preparing to hurl a javelin.

    Wham!!

    With a resound, the fire spear shot forth from Bm''s hand. Simultaneously, Raith unleashed a calcted sword strike¡ªa controlled, sweeping motion infused with his dark energy. The swing generated a concentrated wave of force, akin to the unstoppable might of a colossal wave crashing upon the shore.

    "Sea Splitting sh"

    The sword strike possessed an extraordinary cutting power, capable of slicing through virtually any obstacle in its path. Armor, barriers, and even dense materials stood no chance against the sheer force of this technique, as it will effortlessly cleave and tore them asunder.

    So, Bm''s fiery spear proved insignificant, effortlessly severed into two by Raith''s sword. With a swift follow-up strike, Raith''s de generated a powerful shockwave that rippled outward, unleashing waves of destructive energy that engulfed Bm in a maelstrom of dark aura.

    The surroundings trembled once more, bearing the weight of the considerable damage inflicted upon them, while the onught continued unabated.

    Wham!!

    Bm darted out of the eruption with a re¨C a very angry expression on his face as he cleaved Raith''s torso with his bare hands, his speed was unlike anything Raith was ustomed to.

    Bm''s anger was palpable, evident in his relentless assault as heunched himself at Raith with a newfound intensity.

    Reacting swiftly, Raith leaped backward, his gaze fixed unwaveringly upon Bm. It was clear that something had stirred within the demon. Raith contemted whether his n had indeed borne fruit, triggering such a profound reaction.

    ''I can''t believe it actually worked... it was just a spection but it really did work''

    A soft smile adorned Raith''s face as he observed Bm''s loss ofposure. There could be no other exnation: Bm''s regenerative ability appeared to have faltered.

    When Han Lamar had pierced Raith with a dagger from the blood rift, a special blood type had contaminated his own. His tainted blood now possessed the attribute of inhibiting certain effects, although Raith remained uncertain about the specifics. He had wagered on the possibility that Bm''s regenerative power was among those inhibited effects, and thus had impaled Bal into himself, immersing the sword in his own blood to execute his next strike.

    Though Bm managed to intercept the strike and sustain minimal damage, he found himself vexed by the fact that the injuries on his hand refused to heal. Instead, they burned deeper into his flesh. What had Raith done to him so suddenly?

    Bm seethed with fury. "Are you resorting to petty tricks now?"

    "Huh?" Raith''s jaw dropped. "Tricks? This cannot be considered a mere trick, for it is an inherent aspect of my ability. Are you attempting to attribute your failure to my supposed pettiness? Come now, if I defeat you, I defeat you¡ªit does not matter how."

    Raith''s words rang with truth, at least from Bm''s perspective. Although he might deem it dishonorable, the uncanny truth behind Raith''s statement perplexed him. Furthermore, he could not deny that he had once found every word that Raith spoke amiable, and it was strangely annoying.

    "And so from now on... this fight is going to end with one of us dying and I think it is pretty clear who that person is going to be," Raith stated.

    Bm felt the sting of Raith''s words deep within, though he did not reveal any hint of hesitation. However, within him, fear zed like an inferno. For the first time, he would engage inbat with his own life hanging in the bnce¡ªan unfamiliar sensation that sent shivers through his entire being. Yes, it was the sensation of fear.

    At this juncture, Bm realized he could no longer hold back his strength while facing Raith. He still had to confront the archons, and if Raith truly possessed the power to end his life, then Bm had no choice but to exert his full 70% strength in this battle. He had to seize every opportunity to aim for Raith''s life

    Bm clenched his fist, a transformation beginning to manifest within him.

    His muscles rippled and swelled, as did his skin, gradually erging his frame. Theva streaks coursing across his body spread wider and grew thicker, while a crimson hardness washed over his skin, entuating his sculpted physique. Two long, red horns sprouted from his forehead, his eyes turning a fiery crimson, and his entire being burned with an oppressive, fiendish energy.

    Whatever version of Bm Raith had faced until now had merely been child''s y, for this was the true form of the Demon King Bm.

 Chapter 220 Demon King Balam (2)

    ?

    Everything about Bm had changed, from his appearance down to the fierce aura he ess exuding, Raith could feel his throat go dry as he stood before this new form of Bm.

    Bm''s hardened skill glistened with malevolence adorned with intricate, fiery runes that pulsed with the power of hell.

    Tssss

    Raith exuded a slow breath and held his sword, immersing himself in the moment. Bm before now has not even been an easy foe, however, he revealed his true form¡ª things just got very worse.

    He was going to give it his all too, taking advantage of every skill, every power at his disposal to make sure he escorts Bm to the end of his life.

    As their sh began again, Bm unleashed a deafening roar, shattering the ground beneath him. He extended his wed hands, unleashing a barrage of infernal projectiles. The projectiles soared through the air, leaving trails of searing red mes in their wake, intent on reducing Raith to ash.

    But Raith swiftly maneuvered through them. With each step, shadows coiled around him, empowering his every movement.

    As Bm''s projectiles neared, Raith twisted his body, fluidly dodging the fiery onught. He countered with a swift sh, his sword crackling with darkness, cutting through the air with deadly precision¡ª although he still came short and the majority of the attack projection was easily parried by Bm.

    Raith did not give up and took every opportunity to slip in attack at Bm but the demon had been elevated from the minimal demon king he was moments ago.

    CLAANNNGGG!!

    The sh of steel resonated through the battlefield as Bm retaliated, his wicked ws swiping at Raith with unmatched ferocity.

    Raith''s [ultra instinct] at level 20 guided his every move with an amazing predictive ability. He could smell the attacks more urately and with his honed reflexes from battles, he was matching up to the speed of the demon. Easily evading his ws every now and then. He ducked, weaved, and parried with incredible agility, narrowly evading Bm''s relentless assault.

    Each missed strike from the demon king fueled Raith''s determination, causing him to go harder on the demon¡ª

    "Heavenly Destruction: Waves Of Destruction"

    Shockwaves rippled through the air as each wave of Raith''s barrage of the strike was cleaved into Bm at a blinding speed¨C not only that, Raith appeared next in front of him in the next moment using the sword imbued skill [stride Of The Wind God]

    Raith released another twist of attacks from uncanny angles, twisting his body in an unconventional manner, his footwork was notcking either, it was because of this that he was able to tighten Bm''s space and heavily restrict the moment of the demon into only defensive forms.

    It was as though Raith was making Bm move the way he wanted with his cognitive resonance. He had perceived where Bm was going to pull his attack through and with the unconventional footwork that [Extreme Art Of The de God] exhibited, forcing Bm into defense was easy.

    Each time Raith used the hidden skills he found in Bal he continued to find them very amazing. They were very effective, perhaps even too effective. When the only sword skill he had was [Way Of The Sword] he never thought that he was going to get as strong as this, that too in the way of the sword¡ª plus the hidden skills were not the only skill that Bm possessed, in fact they were not even his main skill.

    ''Hey... are you ready?''

    Raith knew what Bal was talking about, as he continued to unleash a series of sword attacks over and over again he was feeling himself immersed, it was as though he was drowning in something.

    And because of that when Bal said to him ''Are you ready?'' He figured that he was probably about to break another threshold. Hence Raith chose to surrender his senses to the upgraded skill.

    [Do you want to use Auto Battle Mode]

    "Yes"

    [Do you want to give Auto Battle Mode ess to all your skill]

    Raith thought for a moment about it, he had never seen any kind of message like this before now. Then again, he wasn''t really ustomed to using the auto mode so there''s no way he could urately tell¨C but he suspected that this might have to do with his status as a ruler and his ruler skills.

    Even though he had thought of using them on several asions, he hadn''t seen the opening to¨C perhaps it would be a good decision to leave it to the [Auto Mode].

    "Yes," Raith responded with narrowed eyes as he fixated his eyes on Bm.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Bm was gritting his teeth hardly as he watched the small wounds on his torso burn deeper into him. His fear of dying was growing with time¨C so was his anger.

    Bm catapulted forward¡ª but before he reached half the distance between him and Raith, a devastating technique surged at him.

    With a swift motion, Raith''s sword swung into the air causing the heavens to darken and clouds to gather menacingly. Bm was forced to be momentarily stopped by the sudden change in weather. His frown deepened as he looked at Raith.

    "Insolence, this bastard" Even though it was muttering, his voice vibrated the very ground he was standing on. He was astonished as to how Raith''s power could change the weather of a particr area but he had not even seen the best of Raith yet.

    Whissshhh

    As Raith channeled his dark energy into the Bal, the clouds above churned and transform into a torrential storm of crimson droplets, resembling a macabre rain shower. Each droplet holds an otherworldly aura and carries the potential for destruction.

    "Blood of Rain" Upon themand word, Raith brought his sword swinging down¨C

    WHAMMMMM!!

    Torrents of blood rain cascade down upon the battlefield with astonishing speed and force, engulfing a wide area in a spectacle of crimson chaos. The droplets carry a malevolent energy that sought out and strikes multiple targets, making it an indiscriminate and relentless assault.

    As the rain of blood descends, each droplet targeted everything within its range, shing through concrete, ss, and metal with an ethereal edge. On impact, they unleash a powerful explosion of energy, causing severe damage and leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. The whole surrounding was engulfed in crimson explosions at intervals as the rain came in contact with different things.

    Even Bm could not avoid it, the majority of the Rain was pouring towards his side and no matter how much he jumped away, they kepting¨C it was hard and annoying to dodge so he just went for Raith¡ª swinging his wings once, he sted away all the rain of blood that fell towards him and glided through the wind like he was a part of it.

    In a minute, he was right before Raithz his hands about to cleave the young swordsman''s face. Raith backstepped at thest minute but Bm was far too experienced than he thought. The demon spunst minute and kicked his cheek with a resounding kick that sted and hurtled him away.

    Raith quickly regains himself, delving his hand into the ground to cause enough friction that would reduce the uncontrolled speed at which he hurtled away. Being sessful at that, he leaped up and dashed towards Bm¨C

    The way his gaze was fixated on Bm was amazing, not once did his eyes waver away or blink.

    Bm frowned at his persistence.

    "Just die already," he said and swung out a greatsword from nowhere, the air rippled with infernal waves as Bm swung the sword anticipating Raith''s attack¨C just when he was about to dash forward and sh¡ª

    "Huh? He''s gone" Demon King Bm was shocked.

    Infinite sh

    Raith appeared behind him and cleaved his sword upward, tearing through Bm''s back but the wound was too shallow. Bm''s skin had be so hard that as Raith''s sword cleaved through it sparks flew¨C as if metal was trying to cut metal.

    "AAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHH" Bm let out a scream, screaming the great sword backward immediately and causing the entire ruined space behind him to be enveloped in a mega destruction that was caused by the wave effect of the sword enhanced by his fiendish energy. If Raith had been right there he would have died with that one swing.

    Bm swelled with anger, his back was exuding steam as Raith sessfully cut through¨C although it was shallow but the fact that it was never going to heal was beginning to get at Bm. His fear continued to grow with each passing moment and he began to loseposure.

    He had concocted how he would just finish Raith with one strike but the human was far stronger than he thought. He couldn''t find an opening and instead was cornered into a state where all he had to do was keep defending himself.

    Of course, he was well aware of Raith''s battle intelligence, not just anyone would have been able to pull it off.

    Bm looked at Raith¡ª but Raith''s focus was unchanging, they were stagnant on him and were nk.

    Bm squinted his eyes, ''...perhaps he is not the one fighting me?''

 Chapter 221 The Battle: Conclusion (1)

    ?

    With the activation of [Auto Mode], Raith relinquished control to the automation, allowing his own muscles to take charge of the driving. This seamless transition empowered Raith''s remarkable skill known as [Multiple Cognitive Resonance], tapping into his muscle memory, honed abilities, and astute decision-making based on predictions, thereby showcasing his true potential.

    It was perplexing to determine whether Raith was the one engaged inbat or not, as his countenance bore an impassive expression, akin to his state of samadhi. Bm had be well-acquainted with Raith''s fierce and irritable visage over time, observing how his eyes moved when they were intensely locked in battle, how they never strayed but delved deep into his very soul. Bm had even admired Raith''s unwavering focus during their previous skirmishes.

    However, something had changed in the present moment; that intense gaze was absent, reced by a disconcerting emptiness.

    "I assume you are too engrossed in the moment to grace me with your customary taunts and jests," Bm remarked, speaking in ordance with Raith''s prior behavior.

    Yet, silence followed his words, with Raith offering no response but instead preparing for his next offensive maneuver.

    Bm lifted his chin, attempting to grasp the situation. It seemed that Raith had once again entered that enigmatic state¡ªit was the most fitting exnation he could provide, despite his limited understanding.

    Thus, their duel raged on. Raith transformed into a blur, and materialized before Bm, executing a swift upward arc aimed at cleaving through the demon''s torso. However, Bm swiftly backstepped and spun around,unching a kick at Raith¡ª

    Kang!!

    Raith''s sword resonated as it intercepted the attack, yet the force of Bm''s kick propelled him backward. Rolling over, Raithnded gracefully on his feet and immediately lunged forward, obliterating the ground beneath him as heunched himself into his next move.

    Wham

    Kang!

    Kang!

    The sh of their weapons reverberated through the air, creating a symphony of sound apanied by sparks that danced in their wake. Raith''s sword relentlessly met Bm''s formidable ws, intensifying the skirmish with each passing minute.

    As the battle grew more heated, Raithunched strikes from every conceivable angle, his fluid body movements a testament to his mastery of the [Extreme Art of the de God], even though he refrained from uttering the skill''s name. Each maneuver he executed showcased its devastating effects on the surroundings, often leaving Bm with the narrowest of escapes.

    However, the fight did not solely favor Raith''s side. Bm''s patience waned, causing him to gradually loseposure and pour all his energy into the conflict. He activated explosive spells, and Raith suffered arge amount of damage. But it was not enough to keep him down.

    Magnificentyers of barriers were erected, only for Raith to slice through them as effortlessly as slicing through bread. Even Bm''s attempts at employing demonic arts of illusion proved futile. None of his tactics seeded in keeping Raith down, not even their intense sword-to-w exchange.

    Raith''s unyielding onught began to wear down Bm. Despite Bm''s utmost efforts, he could feel his strength diminishing, his movements slowing. Each strike from Raith carried great weight, leaving Bm struggling to keep pace¡ªit was as if Raith had suddenly gained an immense surge of power.

    Yes, Raith did not show it but Bm''s effect over his stats had worn off, the demon could not keep it going for very long. Bm was frustrated, he was frustrated at his incapacity to drive Raith into a corner and deliver a skull-breaking blow that will make Raith know that he wasn''t joking¡ª he just had to admit that this human was strong.

    Bm moved with unparalleled skill, yet Raith matched and surpassed him, both in terms of hisbat abilities and now-unchanged stats. It was a source of great vexation and annoyance. Overwhelmed by desperation, Bm tapped into the fiendish energy within him, enveloping his body in a malevolent aura. Unleashing a torrent of dark spells, he hoped to catch Raith off guard, each spell tearing through the ground with their impact as they surged toward Raith like arrows.

    To Bm''s dismay, Raith deftly evaded every attack, his instincts honed to perfection in this state.

    Bm''s attacks found no opening as Raith''s [Multiple Cognitive Resonance], in conjunction with its subskills and the meticulous utilization of minute details, worked seamlessly. Every potential vulnerability was swiftly countered, leaving Bm unable tond a single blow.

    Whish!!

    Raith''s de emitted an ominous, ethereal radiance, heralding the unleashing of a devastating counterattack. His strikes were a fusion of unparalleled speed and raw power, strategically targeting Bm''s fleeting moments of weakness.

    Blow after blow connected with Bm''s form, unleashing shockwaves that reverberated through his body, causing him to stagger and blood to stter violently as if it had taken on a life of its own.

    Bm''s shatteredposure was reced by an untamed fury. Defying Raith''s relentless assault, he bellowed, tapping into his inner reservoir of strength, harnessing his demonic powers to their apex. Fiendish energy coiled around him, transforming into a torrent of infernal might, as if seeking to engulf Raith.

    Yet, Raith remained unyielding. Despite the encroaching darkness and Bm''s all-consuming attack, the young warrior stood firm, devoid of any emotional response. His unwavering gaze remained fixed upon the demon king, undeterred by the chaos unfolding around them¡ªpeople crying out as the destruction and consumption escted.

    Suddenly, Raith sheathed his de, his head bowing slightly. As he raised his eyes once more, a transformative shift urred. His gaze split, with one part emanating a crimson glow and the other exuding tendrils of ck smoke.

    ''Thanks to what I watched right now... I realized something.'' Raith spoke, his voice carrying a newfound certainty.

    Throughout the battle, it was as though Raith had been observing himself fight Bm from a detached perspective, intently focused on the decisions made by [Auto Battle]. Moreover, he utilized [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] to evaluate and refine the choices executed by [Auto Mode], drawing upon his Wisdom stat to discern optimal applications for each action performed within [Auto Mode]''s control.

    However, what truly captivated Raith''s attention was his sword, Bal. He recognized that [Auto Mode] was incapable of harnessing Bal''s true potential in the same way he could. Bal possessed a unique attribute that allowed its attack power to fluctuate ording to the user''s own strength. With a single swing, it was conceivable to cleave Bm and even the entire realm of Therut in half. However, reaching a certain level of enlightenment was necessary to unlock such devastating power.

    This was precisely why Bal emphasized the significance of activating Sword Intent¡ªa skill that Raith had yet to fully grasp, although he was inching closer to its realization.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Fuuuuuuu

    Raith exhaled slowly as the inferno continued to rage around them.

    "Domain of Darkness," he uttered.

    With a resounding impact, everything transformed in an instant. Bm''s inferno vanished as if it had never existed, leaving him trapped within Raith''s realm of darkness.

    [You have activated ''Domain Of Darkness'']

    [All Laws Will Be Subjected To Your Will For 5.5 minutes]

    [A NEW STATUS HAS BEEN DISCOVERED]

    [FORMLESS WILL]

    [YOUR DOMAIN WILL BE GREATLY AFFECTED BY THE EFFECT OF FORMLESS WILL]

    [DO YOU WANT TO MOULD YOUR WORLD USING FORMLESS WILL]

    "Yes"

    [ALL ATTACKS WILL REACH THE TARGET HOWEVER YOU DEEM IT]

    [DUE TO FORMLESS WILL NO ATTACK CAN REACH YOU IN THE DOMAIN OF DARKNESS]

    [ALL YOUR SOLDIERS THAT ARE AROUND YOU WILL GAIN AN EXPONENTIAL INCREASE IN STRENGTH FOR 5.5 MINUTES]

    In the midst of the chaos, Antares found himself being relentlessly pummeled by Han Lamar. However, in a sudden surge of dark energy, Antares unleashed a wild explosion that sent Han reeling backward.

    The resilient ant rose to his feet, his body pulsating with newfound power. He cast a grateful gaze in the direction where the devastation was most pronounced.

    "My king, even amid your demanding responsibilities, you extend mercy to your loyal servant. I shall forever serve you, my king," Antares dered with unwavering resolve, redirecting his attention to Han, who was already closing in on him.

    PSSSEEEEEUUUJUWWW!!

    BOOM!!

    A tremendous explosion erupted as the two collided, inflicting grave injuries upon each other.

    Bm was astonished at this new scenery. He was very sure now.

    "The abyss is with you. All this time, you possessed the power of the abyss?" Bm questioned.

    "And so? I haven''t even used the abyss'' power with you until now. Are you going to say you lost because I had a primordial existence backing me up? The only edge I had above you was being able to resurrect and you wouldn''t consider that unfair seeing how you were ten times stronger than me up until a moment ago."

    Bm squinted his eyes, again Raith''s words were making sense.

    "You have a way with words, it infuriates me."

    "I couldn''t care less about your feelings," Raith retorted. "As I''ve said, this is a moment of growth for me. And now, I am confident that I am stronger than you."

    Raith''s words struck at the core of Bm''s pride. "You''re a fool to think so. If we had fought in Felfhiem, do you truly believe you would have emerged victorious?"

    Raith responded cryptically, adding to Bm''s perplexity. "We shall soon find out..."

    Raith just muttered another word that made Bm puzzled.

    "This is the concluding part of our fight, are you going to stand there and be lost in your thoughts or are you going to toughen up and attack me with all you''ve got."

 Chapter 222 The Battle Conclusion (2)

    ?

    Wham!

    With a resounding impact, Bm swung his fist, anticipating a fiery expulsion of fiendish energy that would charge at Raith. Yet, to his dismay, nothing happened. He found himself utterly useless in this realm, unable to manifest the power he desired. Frowning in frustration, he persisted, shooting his hand and making intricate gestures that were supposed to be a prelude to a powerful dark spell.

    However, all Bm achieved was a frantic dance, resembling that of a mad man. As he bit his lip, growing increasingly exasperated, Raith observed him from a distance.

    Finally acknowledging his humiliation, Bm lifted his face to Raith and questioned, "What are you doing?"

    Raith, surprised by the unexpected turn of events, pondered, ''Hmm, I didn''t anticipate it to unfold like this. Could it be the influence of the [formless will] I incorporated into my domain? Now, I''m truly intrigued by this [formless will].''

    Inhaling deeply, he exhaled slowly before dering, "I had expected this fight to be enjoyable, but it appears that this is where it reaches its conclusion." Raith raised his sword, preparing to unleash the Heaven Destruction sword skill''s second most formidable technique.

    With a thunderous impact, the surroundings quaked as Raith bellowed, "BARRICADE OF HEAVEN''S GATE DESTRUCTION!"

    THRRRRRRIIINNGGGGG

    A deafening resonance reverberated through the air, causing the dark domain to fold and twist as Raith unleashed an overwhelming force. The sheer power of his attack seemed capable of shattering any barrier that existed between the mortal world and the celestial realm, if such a barrier even existed.

    Summoning an unstoppable torrent of destructive energy, Raith swung his sword from behind, knowing full well that he didn''t need to move in front of Bm. Thanks to the power of the [Formless Will], his attack was bound to reach its target.

    CRRAAAASSSSHHHHH

    With a single swift strike, Raith unleashed a towering vortex of raw, destructive might that enveloped his weapon, transforming it into a radiant beacon of awe-inspiring power. The de became a conduit, channelling the immense cosmic energy into a focused point of devastating impact.

    As the sword defied the vast distance between Bm and Raith, descending upon the demon king, an explosion of cataclysmic energy erupted, causing the very fabric of reality within the darkness domain to tremble.

    The air crackled with ethereal red and ck electricity, while the ground beneath Raith quaked under the weight of cosmic power.

    The unleashed force resembled a tempestuous storm, tearing through everything in its path with unparalleled ferocity.

    [You have used an impressive sword technique]

    [A certain being had peered into your domain]

    [He admires your strength]

    [The sword god will be watching you]

    [You have caught the eye of a primordial]

    [BE VERY CAREFUL]

    Raith paid no heed to these messages. He was too astounded by the tremendous impact of his sword skill, which had thrown his domain into a state of upheaval. Furthermore, he eagerly anticipated the oue¡ªwhether the demon had survived such a devastating blow or had sumbed to death.

    Squinting his eyes as the cloud of dust slowly dispersed, Raith felt a flicker of relief but btedly caught sight of a figure standing amidst the lingering haz¡ª he frowned, "what?"

    "Barricade of the Heaven''s Gate Destruction" stood as the second most potent skill within the Heavenly Destruction sword skill repertoire. With the magnitude of the recent explosion, Bm should have disintegrated into a cascade of radiant particles. Such was the immense power of the strike that even the most formidable defenses would be reduced to shattered remnants.

    However, to Raith''s astonishment, Bm still stood, albeit in a transformed state. He had reverted to his smaller human form, the one he had assumed before engaging Raith with full seriousness.

    The once vibrant magma streaks on his body had dulled and appeared to be drying off, bearing the scars of the ordeal. Raith found himself unable toprehend how Bm had managed to defend against such an devastating strike.

    It defied all logic¡ªthe sword skill possessed overwhelming power. Even now, Raith''s hand throbbed from exerting such a technique, and he could barely tighten his grip on his sword.

    The sheer intensity of the cosmic energy he had harnessed all at once ced an immense strain on his body.

    Raith couldn''t help but admire Bm''s resilience. It was truly remarkable.

    "If he survives this final blow, I may have to face death once again before I can defeat him," Raith muttered to himself.

    He swallowed, his mouth dry, wishing he could retract his words. The realization of his advantage, the knowledge that he would return stronger with each death, left a bitter taste in his mouth.

    No matter how hard Bm fought, he would be unable to emerge victorious, for Raith would die and rise again, even more formidable than before.

    Every battle was rigged from the start, and the price he paid was the excruciating pain of countless deaths.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    For a moment, Raith''s mind wandered, contemting the suffering he would endure if he were to face an archdemon. Would the torment be so unbearable that he would wish to flee?

    He lowered his gaze, tightening his grip on his sword despite the pain. His heightened Endurance stat served a purpose after all.

    "This will be the end..." Raith stated as he prepared to unleash thest technique of Heavenly Destruction sword skill.

    As Raith muttered the name, a wave of pressure resonated from his sword, causing Bm''s entire body to vibrate under the immense force.

    Wham!!!

    With a resounding impact, Bm unleashed everything he had. His fiendish energy surged forth, transforming into a multitude of ethereal soldiers that stood before him¡ªan army of fiendish energy filling the space between him and Bm.

    ''He still has this much?''

    Surprised by the sheer quantity of fiendish energy Bm could still summon, Raith realized that even with this disy of power, Bm understood the impending danger he faced. The fact that he expended so much energy indicated that heprehended the imminent threat.

    "HEAVENLY DESTRUCTION: SWORD DOMAIN"

    Unleashing the sword skills came naturally to Raith as if they were innate knowledge embedded within the very essence of the sword. The moment he grasped Bal and prepared to execute the attack, he possessed an intrinsic understanding of what needed to be done. The hidden skills within Bal were truly remarkable.

    Lifting his sword high, Raith brought it down in a single decisive strike, a vertical motion aimed at its target.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    ...

    In that fleeting moment, Raith entered a realm he had never fathomed, one that existed beyond his knowledge or imagination. Time seemed to dte, and his movements transcended mortal limitations, acquiring an ethereal grace, seemingly bestowed by the heavens themselves.

    Within this transitory ne, Raith attained an unprecedented understanding of the art of swordsmanship, a temporary enlightenment that surpassed all priorprehension.

    As the Sword Domain materialized within the darkness domain, a collision of two domains ensued, causing a cataclysmic upheaval that disrupted the very fabric of the darkness domain. The impact was so immense that everything outside the domain disintegrated, including the unfortunate souls caught in its wake. Shimmering ethereal des materialized, infused with cosmic energy and emanating an aura of indomitable power.

    These spectral des served as extensions of Raith''s will, executing seamless and devastating attacks against Bm''s fiendish aura.

    Each strike exemplified their mastery, delivered with precision and unparalleled finesse, cleaving through Bm''s fiendish energy soldiers with astonishing speed, clearing the path for Raith in an instant.

    Enveloped in this Sword Epiphany, Raith''s perception honed to the minutest details ofbat, endowing him with extraordinary reflexes and heightened senses. He effortlessly anticipated Bm''s every move before it materialized, countering and parrying with exceptional dexterity. He didn''t need to move; his will guided each sword attack toward Bm.

    Finally, Raith materialized before Bm, and at that moment, the myriad des converged, coalescing into a single entity within Raith''s grasp.

    The two adversaries engaged in a fierce and intense final battle. Raith''s swordsmanship evolved into a seamless dance of elegance and lethal precision, captivating all who bore witness to his unparalleled mastery.

    Astonishingly, Bm managed to keep pace, despite the countless times Raith''s sword had shed through him. Yet, every maneuver, every dodge, every counterattack proved futile before Raith''s piercing white gaze.

    In that climactic moment, as Bm locked eyes with Raith, the realization dawned upon him¡ªa realm beyond his grasp, one he could never hope toprehend, had been attained by this mere human.

    Raith''s movements were otherworldly, his responses assured and unwavering, as if he possessed divine guidance, like¨C

    "...a god..."

    Bm whispered, tears glistening in his eyes. Filled with a mix of anger and regret, he marveled at the magnificence of Raith''s swordsmanship, even as he, a being far superior in nature, stood defenseless against this extraordinary human.

    Bm''s tear-filled eyes shimmered with admiration as Raith''s sword drew closer to his neck.

    ''At least I am felled by a mighty human. May he vanquish the archdemons as well,'' he thought, deliberately dropping his guard in ast moment of surrender. A sense of relief overwhelmed him, as if he had been burdened and wearied, only realizing it upon embracing death.

    Raith''s eyes widened as his sword inched closer to Bm''s vulnerable form, his senses perceiving a remarkable sight. "...is he crying?"

 Chapter 223 To Pledge Allegiance...

    ?

    Raith was shocked, he had not been in this situation before, if his opponent was crying because he didn''t want to be killed¡ª that was how Raith was viewing it. Then should he still go ahead and kill him, even if his opponent was a notorious demon king?

    Raith knew very much that he needed to slice Bm''s head off, as his strike closed in, but something in him felt very ufortable with it. Bm right now just dropped his guard, he surrendered, how could he bring himself to kill a man who was crying¨C

    Wham!!

    Raith deliberately missed Bm''s neck, tearing the ground behind Bm into two, such that the ground outside the domain was also torn.

    Bm''s eyes were closed, he thought he had met death. Raith staggered tiredly and stood uprightly.

    "Open your goddamn fucking eyes." He said.

    Bm''s eyes slowly came open, he opened one first and then the other, shocked that he was still alive.

    "You didn''t kill me?"

    Raith narrowed his eyes, "Why were you crying?" He asked.

    Bm gulped and looked at Raith with an amusing gaze, he was impressed.

    "You showed me mercy, even though I''m a demon?"

    "Demon or human does not matter to me, they are all the same, I will never hurt a harmless person. Why were you crying?!" He yelled the question again.

    Bm''s gaze fell, and a sad smile spread across his face, "You are an amazing human through and through." He looked back into Raith''s eyes, "I guess the way I have lived my life pursuing what I couldn''t get left nothing but regrets in me. But what impacted me more was how there can be someone like you."

    "Someone like me?" Raith cocked his head.

    "Yes, I think you are amazing, and I think whatever you have now, you deserved it. I can see your hard work in how you fight, even if one tries to ignore it, it is evident in every bit of you. Even if you can rise again after death, it is not an easy feat to die. I was just about to face death just now, and I felt like all is lost, no hope for me, my life shed before me, the pain of regrets and things I wanted to hang onto... I can''t fathom how it is for you every time you die."

    Raith narrowed his eyes at Bm, is this demon really saying this right now? Raith''s scrutinizing gaze stayed on him for a few minutes before he responded.

    "What do you want to do now? I have spared your life, depending on your next answer, I might withdraw my decision." Raith said. At this point the domain of darkness was already dissolving, likewise the sword domain.

    Bm looked into Raith''s eyes and looked down, his eyes stayed on the ground for a few minutes as though he was considering something and contemting it. Raith stayed silent, watching him.

    "If it does not displease you. I will like to serve you," Bm said and slowly went on one knee.

    No wonder he was contemting, for a proud demon like him to lower his kneels for a human, it took everything from Bm, but right now he was abandoning his pride for a better chance at life.

    Raith was shocked, it was evident in his widened eyes, but he squinted them the next second.

    "Are you kidding me? You were trying to kill me three minutes ago and you want to serve me? You want to serve a human? Why will I let you serve me? What if you betray me?"

    "I will swear an oath of servanthood on your terms. With you is the darkness that I seek, with you, I can be better, I can grow, I want to be given a second chance, I want to learn the things you know, I want to walk with you, I am very sure you are a human that will go far, I want to walk with you, be a tool for your goal, whatever it is I don''t care, I just want to be useful to you."

    Raith couldn''t believe what was happening right now, it wasn''t just him. A demon was pledging allegiance to him? It was not just Raith that was seeing this, the heroes that could do nothing but watch¡ª the heroes from other nations that were just arriving to save the day, and civilians that managed to survive this great battle.

    All of them could clearly see the demon kneeling before Raith.

    "He won..." Amber Rose''s voice slowly let out.

    Her eyes widened with tears and she shouted, jumping up. "He won!!"

    Draear''s worn-out face wore a small smile touching his younger brother''s head, it was already getting dark, and everything seemed like it wasing to an end except for Han Lamar and Antares.

    Both of them were deeply locked in a battle of attrition, especially since Antares received such enormous strength, furthermore, the destructive effect of what was happening inside the ck veil that covered a certain area threw both of them away, Antares being the only one with wings was able to gain his momentum quickly and used the opportunity to damage Han Lamar more.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    With another punch from Antares, he dived into the air and broke through several walls before hurtling through the floor anding to a stop. He now finally had the time to take a recess and see what was going on with his Demon King.

    What his eyes saw was uneptable.

    "What?!" He frowned at the sight he was looking at.

    "Demon King Bm is kneeling before that man."

    Antares looked in that direction and looked back at Han Lamar, "What did you expect? Know you not that my king is the greatest of all?" Antares grinned proudly spreading his arms.

    ''What is this? what is going on? Why is King Bm bowing before a human.'' Bm''s frown deepened¡ª he darted towards Raith''s direction immediately, with his voice ahead of him.

    "KING BAAAALLAAAAAM!!!"

    Before Han Lamar could go forward, Antares arrived in front of him and shed his face¨C

    Han drifted through the ground and tumbled away, he stood up with three wed marks on his face, the same grotesque face which was now even more horrendous because Han Lamar was very bitter and angry.

    "How dare he? Damned demon king!! How dare you kneel before a human!!!!" He shouted on the very pitch of his voice.

    There was no way Bm wouldn''t have heard, even Raith had to look in his direction, but Bm paid no attention and was bowing his head, waiting for Raith''s response.

    "And what will you do about that guy?" Raith asked.

    "Han Lamar is a victim of the dirt this world carries, he deserves a light too, if you can extend your graciousness to spare him for his atrocities."

    "Uh uh, I will stop you right there. Just because I spared you doesn''t mean I will spare every other person involved in this."

    "I apologize, you can do as you deem fit... my lord." Hesitation could be felt in Bm''s tone but once he said it, he was resolute that this was not a bad decision.

    "Besides, I don''t think that guy looks like someone that will give up just because you did. I know Han Lamar from his books, the way he paints things, what he speaks of, I guess he learned about Felfhiem from you too."

    Bm raised his head, "Felfhiem, you know Felfhiem?"

    "I have been to Felfhiem, I lived there for a while... and I will be going there soon too."

    Bm''s eyes widened, "Then you have more reason to make me your own, I will be your guide!"

    Raith rubbed his chin, "I guess you are right." Raith looked towards the direction where Han Lamar and Antares were¨C the two of them were fighting heavily, making destructive impacts on their surrounding.

    ''Antares is strong...''

    To be able to stand his ground with Bm like that, undoubtedly Antares was his strongest soldier, although Raith doubted if he would be as strong as Noir, both of them were of different caliber, there was no need topare them.

    "I have a question for you" Raith spoke, still looking towards the direction of the fight.

    "Ask away..."

    "Han Lamar is not the ruler of pride right... there is no way Han Lamar can be the ruler of pride. I am a ruler and one of the things that is evidently seen in rulers is the traits of the sin they carry. Han Lamar is not the proud type, I didn''t see it in him, if there was anyone that was supposed to be the ruler of pride, it should be you... but I am guessing, it is impossible for a demon to be a ruler. Only humans are capable of obtaining the title... so what exactly is going on?"

    Bm bowed his head with an impressed smile.

    "I am astonished by your level of observation." He said, nodding.

    "Indeed you are correct, Han Lamar is not the ruler of pride..."

 Chapter 224 Hopping Hallan

    ?

    Raith squinted his eyes, he only suspected it but in actuality didn''t believe it.

    "Then what does that mean? How was Han Lamar able to name a monster when he is not a ruler."

    "That is because he is a fake ruler"

    "A fake ruler? Is that even a thing?"

    "Yes. I don''t know much about the rulers but because of my hunger for knowledge, I have found out that it is possible for one to temporarily have the power of a ruler."

    "How?" Raith cocked his head in curiosity.

    If this was a true thing then he must know it by all means, because he is a ruler¨C anything can happen.

    "Their flesh."

    "Sorry, what now?"

    "I sew the flesh of the ruler of pride into his the body I gave him."

    Raith''s moth dropped at the answer Bm gave him, he thought of many ways it could be done. But sewing the flesh of a ruler into someone would give them the power of the ruler?

    "And so will the ruler lose his powers?"

    "I have no idea about that since it wasn''t a friendly battle with the ruler of pride. But I do know that the effect is temporary and Han Lamar can''t bring out not even half of the true essence of the power even after years of training him."

    "I see... so if someone tears off my flesh, they might be able to obtain my power."

    Bm nodded, looking into Raith''s eyes with a calm and delightful expression. "The sins are the sin of the flesh, as much as they affect the entirety of every human they have tremendous effect on the body than the soul."

    Raith looked at Bm, the things he was saying were getting confusing at this point. Body? Soul?

    "I have a question for you?"

    "You can ask me anything."

    Raith paused for a sec and looked at Bm''s weingposure. ''Did he really decide to serve me.'' It was somewhat unbelievable. To have a demon serve him, not just any demon, a greater demon!

    "So, how did you get the flesh of the ruler of pride? I thought he was human," Raith asked, containing all his excitement like they were never there.

    "It was a coincidence... originally I was going for the ruler of wrath since he is the strongest."

    "Wait, the ruler of wrath is the strongest ruler?"

    "Yes. The ruler of wrath is a dragon yer, do you not know these things? I thought you would since you are a ruler too."

    Raith swallowed his saliva, this moment made him resent the abyss a thousand times. It was so embarrassing.

    "Well, I''m a newbie, I have not even been able to use my powers effectively as I should," Raith stated, sighing at hismeness.

    ''He didn''t even use his power as a ruler and he still defeated me?'' Bm''s admiration of him grew. "I will be delighted to help you with whatever you need my lord."

    Raith smiled, it was refreshing to have someone to rely on when it came to these pieces of information. Bm was a greater demon, he would know quite a number of things. Finally, he would be able to break out of that barrier of not knowing anything.

    ''But wow, so the ruler of the sin of wrath is a dragon yer and he is human. No wonder Noir was so strong.'' If there was anything Raith understood by this; it is the fact that he is like a small fish in a very big ocean.

    ''It would be stupid of me to think of myself as strong because I defeated a greater demon.''

    Even though Raith''s achievement was verymendable and umon, the thought of there being several stronger humans out there humbled him.

    "The ruler of wrath has been known to be a wanderer of the world, it is said that a hundred-year unsettled dispute exists between him and the fire dragon," Bm added, seeing as Raith was very interested in bis information.

    ''Hundred years, that would be one hell of an old human.''

    WHAM!!

    CRAAASSSSHHHH

    The entire ground shook at the sudden tremor that hit the ground, at once the floor began to crack.

    Raith narrowed his eyes, "what is this? What is happening?!" He yelled, alerted by the sudden crack in the ground. It was as of he already knew what it was.

    He raised his head to the standing archon. The archon slowly opened its eyes.

    ''this bastard, has he been sleeping before now''

    It was to regenerate, the archon had entered a temporary slumbering mode in order to heal therge hole that Bm had carved into one side of its body.

    Raith ran forward, his body tearing through the air and turning into a blur, as he jumped, Noir flew in his direction and carried him up.

    "It seems the others are being awakened." The archon said as Raith reached its front.

    "What?!" Raith quickly swung his head to Han¨C it was first hard to see the both of them because he was far up and their fight gathered a lot of dust clouds, hence he dived down with his wyvern.

    As hended on the ground, Noir release a mighty roar that t froze the entire surrounding in one go.

    "My king"

    Noir had a definite grasp on the area of effect of his skill; somehow, Antares was not affected, he bowed on one knee in front of Raith.

    "My king, I will definitely see to it that he dies. You can give me a bit more time."

    "It is fine Antares, this bastard has gone ahead and done something," Raith said and walked past him.

    Antares was devastated, he really felt like he could defeat Bm if given more time. This devastating feeling wouldter be Antares'' motivation to be so strong that he would be able to defeat every foe that his king assigns to him and be the first to reach the height of evolution in Raith''s army.

    Raith stabbed his hand into the icicle that Han Lamar was frozen in, he grabbed his neck and pulled him out of the ice, shattering itpletely.

    "You bastard, what did you do?"

    Han Lamar giggled as he looked at Raith''s face.

    "Heeehee... you... you didn''t think I would put all my baskets in one egg did you?"

    Raith cocked his head, "What the fuck are you talking about? Did you mean to put your eggs in one basket, just how much did Antares beat you for you to have everything backward?"

    Han frowned, his grotesque face was ruined and blood was all over his face¨C truly his death was inevitable if Antares was given a little bit more time.

    He thought about what Raith was saying, he did have the idiomatic expression backwards, a genius right now had been made dumb by serious beating.

    "Anyways, you know what I mean, King Bm was not the only thing I was banking on, I have a n B should he fail, I havee too far to lose like this." Han Lamar said,ughing and coughing up blood.

    Raith pitied him, but there''s no way he would spare this one. "What did you do?"

    "What else, I informed my followers to wake up the rest of the archons. I will destroy this world today."

    Raith''s brow furrowed, "After you killed me. You promised that you were not going to wake the archons."

    Hanughed hard and said to Raith''s face: "how stupid of you to believe my words"

    "Right, I really would have been stupid to believe your words"

    Han Lamar''sugh turned to a frown, "what?"

    Raith looked at him with a smile, his hands tightening around his neck, making it harder for him to breathe¨C Han Lamar began to struggle to pull Raith''s hand away from his neck.

    He continued to choke until his head became pale and he no longer had the strength to struggle¨C slowly he dropped his hand and became unresponsive.

    "Even if you sessfully destroyed Therut, you won''t live to seeit" Raith said as he dropped his body.

    Bm squinted his eyes from where he was¨C he suddenly flew into the sky andnded behind Raith.

    "It won''t end with killing him."

    "Yes I know, I still have to st¨C

    "No, no my lord, not that. Han Lamar will not die with that."

    Raith turned to Bm, "what do you mean?"

    "He has the soul hopper artifact."

    "What is that?" Raith narrowed his eyes, suspecting what it meant already.

    "It is an artifact that carries one soul and puts it into a designated body¨C it was how I was able to harvest his soul and bring him to Felfhiem."

    "Ah, so he did die... since he had a contract with you, his soul would have normally belonged to yours, why did you have to use an artifact again?"

    "To keep his soul from dematerializing, if I didn''t trap his soul into the soul hopper his soul would have dematerialized before reaching me. So, I user the artifact and forgot to take it away after reviving him."

    Raith narrowed his eyes at Bm.

    "So you are the cause of this?"

    Bm quivered and avoided Raith''s gaze.

    "Come closer Bm." Raith demanded with a grim face.

    "I sincerely apologize, it was in the past."

    "I will beat the shit out of you."

 Chapter 225 Dawn Of The Eight Archons (1)

    ?

    "Ha, so this is how it feels to be human again."

    Han Lamar jnr smiled.

    "Sir Han Jnr, what do we do next, with the awakening of the archons, the world shalle to an end, what shall happen to us? You promised us a ce in this new world that the Supreme One wants to create."

    One of the followers of the heresy said to the boy standing atop a rock. The boy whom a new soul had overtaken turned back slowly to respond to the follower.

    "How silly of you. The reason for your very devotion stands right before you, yet you recognize it not. When did you all be so self-conceited? A new world?"

    All the followers around raised their heads as they looked at him. They had just beaten their way through the sword archon knights who were guiding the amethyst stone used in waking the essence of the sword archon. It was like that around other ces too.

    Every single one of them had an important role in locating the amethyst stone and breaking it. The stone was what held the essence of the archons and once broken the little essence trapped within the stone escaped, hence causing the archons to wake up.

    They all stood in a destend which an archon had just awakened from. The sword archon stood with its foot floating on the ground, it had the head of a sword with an intertwined halo, and it just floated and did nothing.

    "Look here, before now! I don''t know what you all have been thinking. But I Han Lamar, the true Han Lamar have been given the grace to reveal the truth to the world, whether you be a martyr for this purpose, means nothing. This on its own is a great privilege, to serve the world is a great privilege."

    "Shit, is he just telling us to shut the hell up even if we die?" One of them said with a quivering tone.

    The others had the same expression, like they were about to shit their pants with the nonsense Han Lamar jnr was telling them.

    Who cared if Han Lamar descended? These people followed because they thought that the way the world operated was unfair and they wanted to create a new world. However none of them were ready to die along with the world destruction, all of them looked forward to the new world that Han Lamar jnr had promised them.

    Sure, most of Han Lamar Jnr''s moves were dictated by Han Lamar as he contacted the young man and began to exin things to him, making him seem like some sort of great knower. But he didn''t have control over the extent of things Han Lamar Jnr told the followers.

    A promised ce in a new world was never something he said to the new guy. Preachers can be a bit extreme at times. He shook his head at the pathetic morale they carried.

    "Fine...if you all are too scared to die for the sake of the world. Then I have no use for you."

    Han Lamar had tagged two bodies the moment he came to Therut¨C two bodies he would be able to hop into should he die. The first was Han Lamar jnr whom he first met and who gave him amazing strength, the second was the ant king whom he named.

    But the ant king was dead, which meant Han Lamar Jnr was hisst choice. He gritted his teeth at the thought of it.

    ''I should have marked more''

    Han Lamar jnr sped forward, his speed was veryckingpared to when Han Lamar was in the body of a demon. Han Lamar smacked his lips at how slow he was, despite being so fast before the eyes of the followers. He skillfully carved his Saber sword into their bellies and swiftly drove through them, leaving them in questionable awe, dying before they even got the chance to ask what the hell he was doing.

    ***

    Bm knelt humbly before Raith, with his cheek swollen and face bruised.

    "So now how do we locate them..." Raith asked but the destructive sound took his attention from Bm.

    The archons were waking up.

    "Just how many is up already?"

    There were eight archons, and by the time all of them woke up, it was inevitable Therut was bound for destruction.

    "I don''t know where he is but don''t we have something more important to do?"

    Raith nodded to Bm''s words. The demon was right, he had to find a way to deal with this, but first, he had something to get from the throne archon.

    "Help the heroes, save the civilians... I want to have a chitchat with that archon." He said as he climbed on top of Noir, who shot into the sky immediately.

    Bm turned to the heroes around him, he was supposed to follow Raith''smands, but it was hard. Raith is one thing, he can always destroy his pride for Raith but the rest of these disgusting humans.

    The fact that he bowed his head to Raith does not mean he had epted all humans in general. Bm gritted his teeth in irritation.

    "Lord Bm," Absalom said as he approached him.

    "Huh?" He raised his chin a bit, ''this one is different from the rest... he is a greater demon... no, a vampire?'' Bm could smell it immediately.

    "Who are you?" He asked.

    "I am Absalom, thest son of Lilith."

    "Ah, Lord Asmodeus'' bastard."

    It was annoying to be called that, but Absalom didn''t care. If there is one thing being on earth has been helping him do, it was to abandon that lofty privilege he held onto as the son of the greatest demon king.

    Heughed sheepishly as Bm scrutinized him with his gaze.

    "But what is a demon like you doing in a ce like this?"

    "Ah, ah, I and Raith go a long way."

    "Huh?" Bm raised his chin higher, "Am I supposed to know who that is?"

    "That is the person you just pledge allegiance to."

    Even though the proper word would have been servanthood but Absalom knew how to hold a smooth conversation with these demons who are full of themselves, he too, after all, is like that.

    "Ah, so his name is Raith."

    "Raven Raith."

    "Hmm, as expected of the one who defeated me. Even his name is amazing." Bm giggled.

    ''Isn''t he just idolizing him too much, Raith''s personality is shitty... I hope he doesn''t regret his decision'' Absalom shook his head in pity for the life that awaited the demon

    "Hey! If it is you, then this is possible. Coordinate the humans, they need to save their civilians from the impending danger of the destruction of this world caused by Han Lamar." Bm emphasized, as though he was trying to weave the me off himself.

    "I don''t think you need to do that..."

    "Huh?"

    Bm looked towards the heroes, they were already being coordinated.

    "Who is she?" He asked, observing the single woman that addressed the heroes around, and after that, they all scattered in different directions to save the people.

    "Amazing... human with such impressive leadership skill..." Bm admired her.

    "She''s walking towards here."

    "Huh, why is she?" Bm suddenly got flustered. But before he could do anything else, she was already closer, it was like she sprinted but she was only walking.

    ''Even herposure is amazing, it is as though she is efficiently expending every bit of her energy without wastage.''

    "Hello."

    Bm frowned even though he had been admiring her before now, he became very unweing towards her. His pride!

    "I take it that you are a friend of humanity now that your life was spared by Mr. Raven."

    "You dare..." Bm growled, exuding steam from his mouth.

    His intimidation did not work on her¡ª her gaze was fixated on his fiery eyes and did not waver one bit.

    He sighed and exhaled, letting go of the heavy pressure.

    "I see you are indeed an amazing human. But you have little to no time left. The moment all the archons wake up and the shard is revealed, all of you will lose your powers. Before that happens, work your ass off saving as many people as you can." He said and turned away from her.

    "Boy, let''s go." He spread out his wings as he called on Absalom.

    The two flew into the air together.

    "Wow, Absalom is powerful," Kaiser stated.

    "I like him more now..." Ryou added.

    Meanwhile, Raith was standing before the throne archon.

    "And so, are you going to speak to me..."

    "Promise me one thing human."

    "I think I''ve made enough promises for one day... I even died to make sure the other archons would not be disturbed. That darn Han Lamar."

    "The inevitable hase, we all expected this one way or the other. The moment all eight of us are awake, I suspect that a primordial wille for us, most likely a god. Since I can already feel a faintness of their gaze."

    Raith scrunched up his eyes, briefly remembering the message about being seen by a god or something but said nothing about it.

    "And so? Eight of you can''t take care of one god?"

    The archon chuckled, "Don''t ridicule a primordial existence... they can obliterate this world in one go, even a god who is the weakest subrace.

 Chapter 226 The Truth About Therut

    ?

    "Are they that amazing?"

    "Amazing is not a word to describe them. The primordials are divided into two races, the true primordials and the pseudo-primordials, known as the gods, among them they are local gods, higher gods and origin gods; the ones who are much more stronger than others gods and celestials. Then we have the primordials, such as the abyss is."

    Raith staggered, bleeding from his nose.

    The archon paused after seeing him in this state.

    "No, don''t stop... keep talking." Raith insisted, even now that hsi head was aching him so much that it felt like it was going to split.

    Whoever developed the celestial code was really serious about protecting the secrets of the higher existence.

    "Fine, I will tell you everything. There is a ce called Achaia. You probably have not heard of¨C

    "The city of gold, the mount of gods."

    The archon expressed a little degree of surprise, "You do know. This will make this easier. Achaia is the center city, a ce of convergence for every ne, it is like amon ground, and because of that, you find several celestials and gods walking in Achaia. The only ones you don''t get to see are archangels and true primordials. And the rulers of Achaia were the gods, they exercised their authority on Achaia although I wouldn''t say it was good, we never saw loopholes in it until Fel came."

    Raith continually vomited blood on Noir''s back. But he was still signaling for the archon to continue.

    "Fel was an archon, I don''t know how he did it but he was an archon through and through. I was his first friend, the one that he first spoke to about his purpose in Achaia. Fel exined to us that the gods that made a home for themselves in Achaia were expelled, gods.

    Gods that were defaulters in their realms. And they had the guts toe to Achaia to exercise authority over celestials. They were just being pure bullies, if we can disce them we can make Achaia a free city that would be centered around us.

    Now that I think about it, Fel''s idea was quite greedy but it was all for the sake of what he wanted to do... Fel just needed a way to go to the mount of Achaia, where the gods resided, all he needed to do was break the crystal.

    Seeing as the only person Fel worked with was the Abyss. I don''t see how the abyss wasn''t involved in this.

    "And so, what happened?" Bleeding through his eyes but paying no attention to it.

    "We looked for archons with the same purpose, we challenged the gods, and we were beaten. We were almost killed but Fel used the shard of the crystal he broke to save us... and in exchange for his life. And that is the reason why the abyss hated him so much."

    "I see... if Fel died saving all eight of you. Why was his name so tarnished."

    "Fel was the one that designed this world, although all our bodies are the foundation but Fel is the one that held the true shard that is keeping Therut, it was the only way he could cast a protective barrier and hide us away from the surveince of the rulers of Achaia. He said in order to create a world, there needs to be a bad guy and he decided to be that bad guy, he created a history for the people to believe. And with the shard, dust was birthed... hence a way for us to control the humans born in this world."

    It made sense how the death archon was considered the least of the hierarchy despite holding such prospective power, this was all the scheme of Fel to stay low-key and search for a vessel for the abyss.

    Raith shook his head, "I don''t understand, didn''t you guys create the world from scratch.... how were humans born?"

    "The shard... it gives birth to all things. It is a shard of creation. Myths with us celestials say the crystal was an adornment of the father of creation... the only thing left when he created the nes. That was the kind of thing Fel broke, his deed alone was amazing and made him the most wanted criminal in the celestial nes... you do know that death is inevitable for you... with this much information."

    Raith at this point could not take it anymore, his inside was ruptured and blood persistently poured from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. He was slowly losing grip of his own life, right there on top of Noir.

    [You have died due to the celestial Code]

    [You have leveled up twice]

    [You have gained 8 stat points]

    [Your intelligence(Ev Zeeyra) has increased tremendously]

    [Your Endurance stat will now affect how much you can endure the celestial code]

    [The UNDEFEATED COMMANDER KING BODY is building resistance against the celestial code]

    It was at this point, that Raith began to test true liberation from the chains of the world. This was the point where it had all begun, the point he transcended from just a normal human on Earth to a cosmos-ss person.

    [Due to title effect ''One who devours death'' you will be resurrected]

    Raith slowly rose, with a new body.

    "Amazing, truly amazing, even Fel was not like this."

    Raith finished checking his body before responding to the archon''sment. "Fel wasn''t like this?"

    "Fel had the power of darkness, but he never had the power to ovee death. If there is anything I have noticed within the few years that I have asked my pontifex to choose candidates to carry the essence of the abyss; it is that each of them always has different abilities. And so far, you are the only one that carried the power to conquer death. I want to believe the abilities granted by the abyss has to do more with the person''s potential than the abyss'' power.

    You might be much more special than you thought you are."

    Raith looked down, thinking about the words the archon said, they made a lot of sense considering that the abyss has been deliberately hiding several things from him.

    "Okay, thank you for the information, can we get back to the real matter? If I have been following all you said, it means that if the eight archons alle out, contrary to what we thought the world will not be destroyed. But when Fel''s body is pulled out...wait wouldn''t it have decayed already or something?"

    "Yes, it would have... Therut will stand should all the others fully awaken, but thisnd will not be different from an abomination of destion like you see..." the archon pointed Raith''s attention to the once beautiful and graceful capital of Pomeii, now a destend.

    "I see..." Raith nodded, he had instinctively moved his hand to his nose to clean whatever blood was there but discovered that there was no blood.

    "However, should all of us be fully awake, it will expose the location of the crystal. The moment that happens, I can''t say what will happen again. Even now, if the rulers of Achaia are still on our matter, I suspect that they are already searching for a way toe."

    "Hmm..." Raith responded while rubbing his cheek. He was enjoying this now that the pain of the celestial code was a bit manageable.

    "There is something on my mind."

    "What is that?"

    "I think they may be a betrayer amongst us."

    "Huhhh..." Raith cocked his head. "What is your reason for saying that?"

    "The location of the amethyst stones used in waking us is a piece of information that only the archons know and was passed down confidentially to each of their pontifices. Yet this human that disturbs us, knew everything."

    "That is true, Han Lamar definitely knew exactly where your own was, seeing that the first ce he went to was the pce."

    "And so, I suspect that one of us might be trying to take the crystal for himself. It is merely spection for now."

    "But if it is true this will mean what?"

    "That Han Lamar is not working of his own ord and this was a scheme from one of us. It is possible for us to alter souls... sometimes put a shard of our essence into humans that are birthed from the crystal. Because we have connected to the crystal through Fel''s sacrifice.

    It is a very sensible notion that one of us created Han Lamar for the sole purpose of waking up and taking the crystal for himself."

    "Wow..." Raith was speechless. He inhaled and exhaled before asking: "Is there anyone thates to mind?"

    "A few, when we all decided to be inactive and enter a deep state of slumber, there were two archons that were against it, eventually we all had to because the majority supported the idea. It was the sword archon and the hound archon."

    "This might spell out more trouble for us should your notion be correct, right?"

    "Yes... it will be difficult to deal with any of those two if they absorb the crystal of creation."

 Chapter 227 Brothers Bond

    ?

    "What the hell?"

    "He just killed them all?"

    "What in the name of the eight archons is that?!"

    The heroes around Cedar were overthrown as they beheld the mighty view of the sword archon rising from the rubbles. Moreso, the brutality unleashed by Han Lamar as hey hundred of followers to waste.

    "This is disgusting¡­" Curtis Degado said, spitting away thanks to the irritation caused by the lifeless body of folks onmon clothing bathes in blood. Curtis showed no sympathy for the dead followers and instead was purely irritated by it, that very fact was offsetting to heroes who were standing beside him.

    "It seems sir Curtis has not even one shred of sympathy in him. Your reputation as a ruthless hero precedes you."

    Curtis did not nce back to take a look at the person gnarling at him, almost as if he knew or did not care. It has to be the former, since Curtis was known to be a cold person. He owed no on an exnation as to why he does what he does.

    In fact, that Curtis Degado is here, fighting alongside heroes to save the city is a miracle that is rare, after reaching Cedar two weeks ago to furtherly investigating the mysteries surrounding his brother''s disappearance and be sure if he is really dead, Curtis has been in the city and when the tremors started and the earth began to split, he was one of the first set of heroes that came to the rescue of the people¡ªprioritizing their safety.

    They all stared in awe as the colossal being with the head of a sword rose to the sky¡ª

    "No way¡­ could that be?"

    All of them could guess what it was, this was because no one was oblivious to the might of the archons, even though they had been in a deep slumber since the beginning of Therut, it did not mean that magnificent sculptures and drawings of them have not been passed down to show the people what they believe in. It was part of what strengthened the faith of people in archons.

    Moreso, the power of dust and heroes, this yed another key role in rendering the people''s belief totally to the archons.

    "Oh great sword archon!! After so many years you have finally¡ª

    SQUASH

    Han Lamar jnr was turned into marshed potatoes as the archon''s hand came upon him. Compared to the throne archon that was standing on two legs, the sword archon carried the a crawling appearance, but was still huge, stretching almost 15ft into the sky.

    "oii oii oii did you all not just see that?" A bearded man dressed like an isekai mercenary said, gently putting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

    Curtis squinted his eyes with his hand ready to pull out his sword from its sheath the moment the archon made a move.

    "Well, considering that this a man that just killed hundreds of people and also woke the great archon from his sleep, I don''t think there is anything wrong with what the archon had done." The samedy that yabbed Curtis for not having sympathy spoke nonchntly.

    "I suppose you have no issues with it since you are a hero of the sword archon is what you mean to say." The man responded to her with a smack on his teeth. "What do you say Sir Curtis?" He turned to Curtis knowing very well that he also is a hero of the sword archon, it is amon ground that ran in the Degado family.

    "I don''t care whatever the shit you think, its next action will determine whether it''s a friend or a foe." Curtis said tightening his grip on his sword.

    ''He is a sensible man even though he seems to have a nasty attitude.'' The man quickly made an evaluation of Curtis in his mind.

    "Impressive¡­" The man let out a soft smile as he looked at Curtis and turned to the sword archon. "Now¡­ show us, are you a friend or a foe?" He muttered to himself.

    Just as the man muttered the archon turned on all four legs and began to walk away.

    "Should we be relieved or worried?" The man put forth.

    The rest had the same question in their minds and slowly turned their eyes to Curtis.

    "What?" Btedly noticing them, he grumbled with a frown.

    "I mean, since you are the one that said it''s next action would determine whether it is a friend or a foe. What do you think it is now that the next action has been carried out?"

    Curtis stared nkly at the man talking, very irritated by how petty the man was sounding. He dropped his hand from his sword and walked past all of them.

    Cedar had been turned to ruins thanks to the tremors and earthquakes, Curtis was just going to check on the city again and see if there is anyone that the other heroes have missed while the whole city was being overturned.

    He suddenly paused¡ª

    His eyes narrowed as his shoulders shuddered involuntarily. Swiftly, he turned back¡ªhe was not the only one like this, several of the other heroes like the isekai mercenary man and thedy that was yabbing Curtis all had this scaredy look on their faces. As if they were about to shit their pants if care is not taken.

    The pressure that filled the air was one thing but the darkness that suddenly covered the entire area was more rming. They couldn''t help but lift their faces, and what they saw was a gigantic ck wing that suddenly pped its way across the sky as if it was in pursuit of something.

    Curtis narrowed face got gloomy and furrowed into a deep frown.

    ''So you were alive after all''

    He darted towards the direction of the heroes, springing past them like a blur and running right under the dark wyvern.

    "Uhmm¡­ aren''t we going to follow him?" With a quaking voice one of the nominal heroes around asked.

    At this point, the isekai mercenary man was just frowning, being the outspoken person, everyone was looking up to him for a what to do next.

    Having a lot of people depend on him was something he was used to since he himself was a guild master. So, this was not a hard position to be in. What was hard was the decision he had to make, it was obvious that all of them wanted to follow, they were heroes after all¡ªand it is the teaching of each temples not to cower before adversity, in fact, it was part of the tenmandments read to them whenever they are preparing to take trials of their archons. Courage is the weapon of a hero.

    But that creature just now was bad news spelt in bold letters. If all of them were to raid it together, they''d probably still not be sessful.

    "Sir Rudgen¡­ what are you saying."

    He slightly opened his closed eyes, looking at the guy that muttered his name, everyone was diligently waiting for his answers, even thedy who was a hero of the sword archon stayrd silent and awaited whatever he was going to say.

    After scratching the back of his head, he finally spoke:

    "What else do we gotta do? That monster spells disaster, who is gonna deal with such disaster if not us heroes." He shrugged his shoulders with a faint smile.

    ¦Ñ¦Á¦°d¦Ás¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm All of them nodded with a smile and darted towards the same direction, freely releasing their dust to increase their speed or taunt the air- some sort of announcing their presence in order to attract strong monsters or scare away weak ones. Quite reckless they are.

    Meanwhile¡­

    Raith after getting the location of the sword archon from the throne archon had immediately ran after it. The n was to not let any other archon get to the crystal shard¡ªas things would get quite troublesome should that happen. Right now, he was getting very tired and all he just wanted was to finish this as soon as possible on go home to have a nice sleep.

    ''I might end up sleeping for two hundred hours'' He said in his mind as he thought of how rewarding the rest will be after all this is over.

    "My lord¡­" Noir'' cold voice interrupted his imagination of rest.

    "What?" He frowned.

    "There''s a human following us, even for a human, he is quite fast, should I destroy him?"

    "No, don''t destroy him Noir, he didn''t pose any threat to you why should you do that?"

    "Yes my lord" Noir responded and darted forward faster, tearing through the wing in order to catch up to the sword archon who had covered kilometres despite just leaving a few minutes ago. Yet, he wasn''t running.

    ''This makes no sense, how did he get so far in such a short time¡­''

    It was a relief Han Lamar was dead¡ªRaith witnessed ithappened from the distance he wasing from.

    WHOOOOMMM

    With an outburst of dust, Curtis spun and leapt high using the hill next to him as a stepping stone.

    WHOOOOSSSHH

    Noir released his cold embrace¡ª

 Chapter 228 Betrayal (1)

    ¦Ñ¦Á¦°d¦Ás¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm ?

    The air was filled with a symphony of crackling ice, its haunting whispers blending seamlessly with the howling wind. The tinkling melody resonated with a cold, mournful beauty, as if the very essence of thendscapemented its metamorphosis. Once-mighty rocks now stood imprisoned in a shimmering coat of ice, their contours frozen in eternal surrender, transformed into delicate works of frozen art in a mere instant.

    Raith stood in stunned disbelief; it had happened so quickly that he hadn''t been able to intervene.

    Based on Raith''s previous response to Noir when the question arose about eliminating their pursuer, Noir had assumed it was not permissible as long as the individual posed no threat. However, the moment Curtis sprang into action, he had crossed a line with Noir. What further infuriated Noir was the unmistakable intent to kill.

    Even now, Noir, an embodiment of darkness, emitted cold vapor from his nostrils, a stark contradiction to his nature.

    Raith''s eyes widened in disbelief. "Why on earth did you do that?!"

    "He was a threat," Noir responded.

    Raith''s hand connected with his own face as he pped it, realizing that the me rested squarely on his own shoulders. He had failed to consider that his subordinates could be unwavering in their adherence to hismands, even if thosemands were sometimes mere words.

    Wham

    Noir''s wing separated, but seeing that Raith''s eyes were not widened or particrly surprised, he was expecting it¨C Secondster, his impassive face transformed into a smile as a figure emerged from the ice mound before them, which shattered into multiple fragments as if cleanly sliced by invisible des. Each piece disintegrated into smaller shards, scattering through the air before settling on the ground.

    A distinct clicking sound reverberated as Curtis slowly sheathed his sword and approached them. His long hair, concealing his eyes, added an air of mystery to his presence. His aura fluttered like a sharp de, and Raith could feel it brushing against his skin, as though it could cut him at any moment.

    "This bastard has grown even stronger since thest time Iid eyes on him," Raith muttered under his breath.

    Throughout his life, Raith had always beenpared to his brother, a prodigious talent. Despite the constantparisons, Raith held a deep admiration for his brother''s unwavering determination to grow stronger, his brilliance, and his exceptional skills.

    It was this admiration that drove Raith to seek his brother''spany, hoping to train alongside him. However, Curtis never minced words when it came to expressing his disdain for Raith. He never considered him a worthy opponent and had a knack for belittling Raith whenever he approached him for a duel or training session.

    It would often go something like this: "Don''t delude yourself, you''re weak. No matter how many years you spend training, you''ll never amount to anything. And why should I waste my time training a failure like you? I''m a world-ss hero, and associating with you would tarnish my honor."

    But now, the expression on Curtis'' face hinted at a burning desire to sh swords with Raith. This realization brought a wicked smile to Raith''s lips. He was truly going to relish this moment.

    "Master..." Noir''s deep voice interjected, breaking Raith''s focus.

    The smile faded into a clenched jaw, and Raith regretfully smacked his lips, realizing that he had to let this opportunity slip through his fingers. There was something more important to him than slitting his brother''s throat.

    He sighed, stealing onest nce at the dark-haired young man who was finally looking up at him.

    "Let''s go, Noir."

    "Yes, Master," Noir responded.

    In an instant, the wyvern''s wings unfurled, and it shot off into the distance like a jet.

    Curtis''s expression contorted into a deep frown. Even if he gave chase, he knew it would be futile to try and catch up to them. Moreover, the speed at which the wyvern had just soared away surpassed anything he had witnessed before. It possessed an unmatched reserve of speed, even though its initial velocity was already astonishing.

    But damn it all if he would give up.

    WHISTLE!!

    Keeeeeeerrrrr

    A shrill sound pierced the air as Curtis let out a resounding whistle. Within seconds, a piercing cry echoed through the skies, reaching his ears.

    Emerging from the clouds was a massive ck hawk adorned with golden armor on its wings, head, and legs. Descending closer to the ground, the hawk snatched Curtis with its talons, lifting him into the air. Curtis spun through the atmosphere andnded gracefully on the hawk''s back, patting its head as it swiftly charted a course toward Noir''s direction.

    Beasts were not umon in Therut; even on Earth, though rare, there were tales of hunters capable of taming monsters. But in Therut, there existed life forms that willingly submitted themselves to individuals they deemed worthy, such was the mythehawk Curtis was riding.

    ***

    "Finally, finally, after so much time of waiting in distress, I am here, face to face with it," he whispered, his eyes gleaming with an intensity as he fixated on the crimson gem floating above the altar.

    The altar had materialized in the desert upon his awakening, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.

    His eyes, dark and somber, matched the unsettling visage of his canine-like countenance, a sight that would unsettle any ordinary human. This hound archon, known for being the shortest among his kind, stood at a height of 6''5".

    Wrapped in tattered, mummified garments that clung to his ck skin, he slowly extended his hands toward the radiant red crystal. His gaze, filled with avarice, reflected his insatiable desire as his fingers made contact with the gem and he pulled it away from the altar.

    "Yes, finally, atst... I have obtained it. Now, onto the main event--"

    Thud!

    Thud!

    Thud!

    The hound archon turned his head towards the left, his attention captured by distant but approaching heavy footsteps that reached him the moment he turned his head.

    "What do you think you''re doing with that?" the sword archon demanded.

    Cocking his head, the hound archon narrowed his eyes, a slight smile curling on his lips. "My, my, I was just about to ask you the same question..." He opened his eyes wide, fixing the sword archon, with a lethal re. "...Why are you here, Siphis? No, how are you even awake? How are we all awake?"

 Chapter 229 Betrayal (2)

    ?

    "We have deployed our heroes to all areas, and I can confidently assure you that the safety of civilians is now guaranteed," Amber Rose reported.

    "Hm, good work, human!" Lord Bm acknowledged with his arms folded, his gaze seemingly distant.

    Though Amber Rose found Bm''s demeanor irritating, she suppressed her feelings, fully aware that she was dealing with a powerful demon. Observing this, Absalom decided to intervene.

    "Lord Bm, is there something specific that concerns you?" Absalom inquired.

    The carefully chosen words were meant to prompt Bm to indirectly address why he seemed disinterested in Amber Rose''s important report.

    Bm squinted his eyes, replying, "They have all awakened and are currently marching toward this ce."

    Absalom raised his head and followed Bm''s gaze, narrowing his eyes to peer into the far distance, a vision exclusive to them. He gasped, nearly staggering.

    Converging from all directions, unique in shape and size, the entities approached their location.

    "Isn''t this within our calctions, considering Mr. Raith was supposed to fetch the betrayer?" Amber Rose interjected.

    She was right, and herment caused Absalom to question why he was surprised in the first ce. Nevertheless, the overwhelming presence of the approaching entities would leave anyone breathless.

    "All of them gathering in one ce will not bode well for them," Bm stated, capturing the attention of everyone present, including Ryou and Kaiser, who stood silently behind.

    Absalom sought rification, asking, "What do you mean, Lord Bm?"

    "They created this ce to serve as a hiding spot, and you can feel their energy intensifying as they draw nearer. The cosmic power they once suppressed is now swirling around them. With such energy, there''s no doubt they will be detected," Bm exined.

    "So you''re saying..."

    "...that someone very powerful might pay us a visit soon, and if it happens to be the most loathsome of them all, it will pose a problem."

    "Ha, I doubt that. We have the great King Bm on our side," Absalom expressed confidence.

    "ttery won''t help, kid. I''m already exhausted from the fight with my new lord. I pale inparison to an angel," Bm retorted.

    Amber Rose didn''t fully grasp the gravity of their conversation; the might and power of other beings remained entirely unknown to her. Nevertheless, she understood that the impending challenge might surpass her abilities.

    She gulped.

    ***

    "Ugh? Answer me, what are you doing here Siphis? How are we awake?"

    "I have no obligation to satisfy your curiosity. Your insatiable greed has consumed you, and I shall deliver a fitting judgment upon you," replied the sword archon.

    His voice seemed to reverberate like echoes, emanating from all directions, considering hisck of a mouth or eyes, with just a sword-shaped head adorned by a halo ring.

    With amanding gesture of his hand, the sword archon unleashed a devastating attack.

    BAM!!

    The entire area where the hound had been standing moments ago was now obliterated, a colossal crater left behind, as particles and debris disintegrated at an astonishing rate.

    The hound archon appeared behind him immediately.

    "I hope you didn''t believe a feeble attack like that would be enough to defeat me," he taunted.

    The recent attack had effortlessly devoured thendscape in a mere second, yet it was dismissed as flimsy. Surely, the celestial concept of battle surpassed anything witnessed thus far, its destructive force cloaked in an almost serene manner.

    BAM

    BAM

    BAM

    Massive craters marred the ground, carved in an attempt to obliterate the hound archon as he nimbly evaded the assault. The sword archon showed no signs of movement or even bothering to nce at his adversary, but his mere presence posed a palpable threat to the fleeing hound archon.

    Realizing that dodging would not suffice for much longer, the hound archon resolutely decided to take the offensive, his determination evident in the squint of his canine-like eyes.

    With a swift leap, he closed the distance between them, unleashing a torrent of rapid strikes in the form of wind des aimed at the sword archon''s weak points. s, every de was effortlessly cut down.

    "It appears that our time apart has caused you to forget who I am. Attacking me head-on is the greatest and dumbest mistake you''ve made," the sword archon remarked.

    BAM

    The hound archon tried to evade the iing invisible de attack with a swift sidestep, but he was toote. His wrist was severed, and his hand, the one holding the crystal, went soaring into the air.

    Frowning, the hound archon leaped to catch his hand, only to find it caught by someone else.

    "Ha, so this is the source of all themotion that you didn''t even notice I''ve been around," said the rough voice from the neer.

    Both archons turned their attention to the speaker.

    "Human, know your ce and return that," demanded the sword archon.

    "Something about this one feels off... the power burning within him seems familiar," murmured the sword archon, while the hound archon stubbornly persisted in trying to retrieve his crystal and hand.

    "Uh, I apologize, but for the sake of world peace, I must confiscate this," Raith said as he discreetly stowed the red crystal into the inner pockets of his coat. He then looked at both of them and asked, "Now, which of you was the mastermind behind this betrayal of the entire team? Or was it a joint effort between the two of you?"

    "Foool"

    WHAAAAAAMMM

    A crater, farrger than any witnessed before, materialized, threatening to engulf Raith. In an instant, it consumed part of Noir¡ªthe clouds and the earth seemed to blend into a chaotic maelstrom.

    Raith was left eyes widened as he saw what happened in an instant, now this was an attack he wasn''t even expecting. He knew that the archon was strong and would be difficult for him to handle, when he thought he would be fighting archons, he was already trying to imagine how hard it was going to be. But this? This was beyond his scope of expectation.

    The power to cleave an entire space just by the thought of it. Raith was not ready for this, not after the fight with Bm, ever sinceing to Therut he had been consistently involved and hadn''t even had time to rest his head, this was not a question of physical fatigue, that was something he renewed every time he died and came back to life. He was getting mentally exhausted as time went by.

 Chapter 230 Les MisÃ©rables

    ?

    The Sword Archon embodied the essence of a sword in every bit of his being. Though he didn''t physically manifest a sword in every part, he carried its very principle inside and outside of him.

    With the ability to manifest the sharpness and cutting edge of a sword to an astonishing degree, there seemed to be no limits to how far, deep, and fast he could cut through things. He had even achieved the remarkable feat of cutting through space, a triumph reserved for only a few exceptional sword masters.

    Raith remained astonished, torn between his desire to confront the Archon and the potential cost he might suffer.

    He sighed and ced his hands on his hips shaking his head with a soft chuckle. This chuckle caught the attention of the Archons, leaving them wondering what he found amusing.

    "You have the luxury tough. The next time I won''t miss it."

    Raith looked up, he was still smiling as he responded to the sword archon.

    "You can try, but you can never touch me."

    The sword archon slowly turned to him, "foolish human."

    In the end, even a celestial being like you is a ve to his desires. And I happen to be a master of one of the seven deadly desires," Raith replied confidently, leaving the Archons momentarily perplexed before they grasped the concept he was referring to.

    As Raith continued to talk and giggle, the Archons struggled toprehend the situation. However, they soon understood, for it was not a concept entirely foreign to them

    Amidst giggling and shuddering shoulders, Raith finallyposed himself, a wide, gant smile still adorning his face.

    "This is going to be so enjoyable," he murmured, raising his head, the red part of his heterochromia eyes glowing.

    "Activate unique skill, Greed!" hemanded.

    As the skill was activated, nothing visibly changed, but notifications appeared to signal its activation.

    [Congrattions, you have brought a higher existence under your dominion]

    [You have gained +10 will stat for that]

    [All your stats have increased by +10]

    [The sword archon is under the influence of greed]

    [The hound archon is under the influence of greed]

    [As the ruler of greed they will all be under your influence for 240 seconds]

    "What?! There''s a time limit?" Raith red irritated at thest notification that appeared.

    [Because of the level of existence, it will be hard to maintain the state of influence for a long time]

    "Damn it!" Raith smacked his lips and observed the two Archons, now stationary and seemingly calm as the ocean.

    He raised his hands into the air, vigorously gesturing and snapping his fingers, whistling a particr tune with the finesse of a maestro conducting a symphony. His entire being followed the rhythm he created ¨C head, body, legs, and a grotesque smile adorned his face.

    The disaster unfolded in the wake of his bizarre performance as the two Archons shed, obliterating each other in a chaotic disy of power. The Sword Archon unleashed its formless sword, while the Hound Archon brandished its gnashing teeth. Thendscape trembled under the onught of destruction, explosions erupting in every direction, all choreographed to the movements of Raith''s swinging hands and snapping fingers.

    With each snap, an explosion erupted in the corresponding direction. As he twirled and skillfully moved his legs, the Archons collided and crashed, creating new openings of destruction.

    Curtis stood there, mouth agape, witnessing the astounding spectacle. He had just arrived and was now witnessing the chaotic symphony orchestrated by his wild brother, who rode atop his peculiar mount, coordinating a deadly performance with the two Archons as his ''musical'' crew.

    "What in the world?" Curtis''s voice trembled as shock materialized into words

    The mythical mythehawk silentlynded on a barren tree in the distance, cautious not to draw attention to whatever cmity unfolded ahead.

    As Raith''s performance reached its climax, the intensity of the crashing grew exponentially. Massive craters marred the ground, the Sword Archon and Hound Archon sustaining severe injuries and cracks all over their celestial bodies.

    There was no blood of any sort, of course, they were celestial, with different body formations from every other being.

    With Raith''s allotted four minutes rapidly psing, he knew he had to take part in the y to bring it to a resounding conclusion.

    This decision would showcase his exceptional skill and leave asting impression on the audience, sealing the sess of this astonishing spectacle.

    "Activate skill, Death Parade"

    TZISSH

    BOOOOOOMMM

    A blinding white light engulfed the entire area as if an explosion far greater than the environment could contain had erupted and consumed everything.

    In the aftermath, Raith stood in a triumphant pose, his hands spread wide. He perceived the white light as the enthusiastic apuse and camera sh from an imaginary audience,uding the excellence disyed in his extraordinary performance. If this were apetition, he was certain he would win any award offered.

    He inhaled the dusty wind of destruction, relishing the scent, and exhaled, opening his eyes as the tumultuous surroundings gradually subsided to calmness.

    ting

    ting

    ting

    ting

    ting

    ting

    ting

    ting

    ting

    The messages came out relentlessly and kept ringing as Raith lifted his eyes to see two archonsying on the ground with a shattered body.

    Though the messages kepting, Raith refused to divert his attention, fully absorbing the magnitude of what he had aplished.

    "I killed two Archons, I fucking killed two Archons," he repeated in disbelief.

    While the fight had been decidedly one-sided due to the Archons'' envelopment in their own greed, it didn''t negate the fact that Raith had achieved the seemingly impossible ¨C ying two formidable foes. Yet, he knew it wouldn''t have been as effortless if they hadn''t sumbed to their desires.

    This was what it meant to be a ruler, this was why they were feared because rulers were humans that were capable of using a scale of power that no existence in all the nes could resist.

    The power of sins was one to truly be dreaded.

    However, amidst Raith''s triumph, a series of warning messages shed before him:

    [Warning!!!]

    [Warning!!!]

    [Warning!!!]

    [Two beings detected]

    [Identifying beings...]

    [They are charging at you at the speed of light from millions of light-years away]

    [Identifying beings...]

    [Identification may take a while because of the distance]

    [Identifying beings...]

    [Beings identified!]

    [Take cover, Angels areing for you!!]

 Chapter 231 Arrival Of The Angels

    "Brothers, you have finally arrived," proimed chra, his voicemanding attention and respect.

    "Pray tell, what cosmic events have stirred us from our slumber, and what enigmatic tale unfolds before our timeless eyes?" inquired Aurumon, the light archon, his melodic voice betraying a genuine curiosity.

    The light archon''s body was encased in a seamless, glistening, and golden metallic skin that seems to emit a radiant, ethereal glow, like the brilliance of the sun at dawn. Its eyes, resembling two orbs, shimmered with a captivating blend of iridescent colors that reflected everything around them.

    "Aurumon, there seems dissonance among us, a shadow cast upon the radiant tapestry of our unity," spoke the throne archon with solemn grace, his voice carrying a sense of foreboding.

    "Nay, such a notion is unfathomable! The celestial harmonies have always resonated in unison, binding us in eternal solidarity," protested Aegisius, the shield archon, his voice resolute in defense of their unbreakable bond.

    Standing tall, Aegisius boasted a formidable yet regal form, draped in shimmering armor forged from celestial stardust, each piece intricately interlocking like the pieces of a cosmic puzzle.

    "Brothers, let tranquility embrace thy spirits. chra speaks with purpose, and we shall heed his words with wisdom. The betrayer''s shadows shroud the realm, and our gaze turns towards the sword archon and the hound archon who are not without us," the justice archon dered, a resplendent armor shimmering with a harmonious blend of gold, silver, and hues reflecting the purity of his essence was his body.

    "Indeed, dear sibling, Siphis has oft cast doubts upon our harmonies. Yet, Phn''s loyalty has been steadfast, a beacon of hope in this quandary," The light archon said.

    "Does this not mean the state of the crystal remains in perilous bnce, an emblem of cosmic power that echoes through the dimensions?" interjected the spear archon.

    "I have sent a human to retrieve it," chra stated.

    "A human? Brother, thy choice perplexes the very essence of our heritage. Mortals are frail creatures, susceptible to the winds of fate," the shield archon''s voice thundered.

    "No, this human harbors the powers of Fel, the abyssal force. His power may even rival ours."

    "If you have granted him thy whole trust, then we shall await this enigmatic harbinger. Yet, other disturbances stir in the distant horizons," the justice archon said, gazing upward.

    "Indeed, brothers, our celestial presence has been revealed, and impending peril approaches like thunder in the tempest," the light archon added, his eyes also lifting to the distant horizons, the others following suit.

    Something wasing for them, and they could sense it.

    "We shall embrace this storm with unyielding unity, for our bond transcends the boundaries of time and space. Prepare, brothers, for the dance of fate is upon us. Today, we shall fight to protect our brotherhood, our legacy."

    Thwopp

    Suddenly, a collective shiver coursed through all of them, a shared sensation that reinforced the profound connection they held with each other. The moment the two archons fell in battle, their essence resonated through the bond, informing the others of their passing, though the exact details remained elusive.

    Nheless, the evidence pointing to the hound archon and the sword archon locked in a fatal conflict was undeniable

    "Verily, the celestial threads of trust have been woven asunder," quivered the shield archon, his voice carrying the weight of sorrow. He and the hound archon, both celestial kin of shorter stature, shared a unique and profound bond.

    "chra''s foresight proves true, for avarice''s grasp may have consumed the hearts of the sword and hound archons," spoke the spear archon, determination and regret blending in his resonating voice.

    "The weight of this bears heavily upon my soul," sighed the justice archon, his wisdom tormented by self-doubt,menting their inability to foresee the seeds of betrayal.

    "Brothers, we have more to deal with," the light archon stated solemnly, gently touching the justice archon''s shoulder and then looking up toward the distant horizons.

    "Hmm..."

    ...

    "What is going on there right now?" Absalom asked, his voice tinged with concern.

    The heroes remained fixated on the colossal archons as they conversed in a foreign tone. While they could understand the words, the context of their discussion remained iprehensible, sounding like mere gibberish and jargon to the humans looking up to them.

    "Hell, if I know. How do you expect me to know?" Bm responded arrogantly, his frustration evident as he, too, struggled to grasp any meaning. He appeared as perplexed as the humans, but his awareness of the impending danger held by the approaching celestial beings set him apart.

    At least Bm understood the danger, and he knew it was drawing nearer.

    "Hey, kid."

    "Yes, Lord Bm."

    "Let us look for a safe ce to hide."

    "What do you mean?" Absalom asked, tilting his head in confusion.

    "The angels areing. Do you want to get caught up in their skirmishes? You will die! And the rest of you too. I know human nature, and how reckless it can be. These beings that areing are the worst kind of existence you can ever imagine. They will murder you without giving it a second thought, so protect yourself if you want to live longer."

    Absalom observed Bm''s back as he addressed the heroes with irritation in his tone. It was clear that he hated what he was doing yet he was still doing it.

    "...And don''t think I give a damn about your safety. I am doing this for the one person I care about. Don''t expect me toe to your rescue when you get caught up in this."

    Absalom couldn''t help but smile at Bm''sst remark. He just had to add that final touch of gruffness.

    Bm noticed Absalom''s smile and frowned, questioning him. "Do you enjoy suffering? Why are you smiling?"

    "Nothing, my lord," Absalom quickly straightened his face, not wanting to provoke Bm further. The situation was already tense, and he didn''t want to add fuel to the fire.

    "Fine, let us go¡ª

    WHAM!!

    WHOOSH!!

    ...

    As they approached the outskirts of Therut gxy, their velocity created ripples in the fabric of space-time. Stars and gxies streaked by in dazzling streaks of light, a breathtaking disy of celestial grandeur. With each passing moment, they hurtled closer to Therut, their arrival imminent and unstoppable.

    Back on Earth, astronomers and scientists around the globe observed an extraordinary event, as a distant star-like glow rapidly intensified into a brilliant cascade of light.

    The news spread like wildfire, and people everywhere turned their eyes to the night sky in awe and amazement.

    Within seconds, the radiant speck had grown into an awe-inspiring celestial disy, outshining even the brightest stars. A breathtaking aurora of cosmic luminescence heralded the imminent passing of three beings with wings so bright and sorge.

    As the angels'' speed-of-light journey continued, the atmosphere around them sparked with ionization, creating a surreal disy of ethereal colors that painted their surroundings.

    The air crackled with energy, and the ground below every ne they passed trembled with anticipation, foretelling the impending impact of their might.

    In a breathtaking sh, the angels burst through Therut''s atmosphere, decelerating at a pace that defiedprehension.

    Thend below them experienced a moment of disorientation as their approach seemed both instantaneous and prolonged, as if time itself had momentarily slowed.

    Then, with a thunderous roar that echoed across the globe, they made contact with the ground. The impact was cataclysmic, and the ground beneath them disintegrated in a brilliant eruption of energy. Craters, like the aftermath of cosmic collisions, formed in their wake, stretching for miles in all directions.

 Chapter 232 Cor-Ellion (1)

    ?

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Raith stood with his arms folded, awaiting the long-anticipated moment when the angel would finally descend before him. He remained silent, paying no attention to his brother, who was still a hundred meters away.

    "Well, I must admit, I''m beginning to doubt your words. Angels, you said?" Raith remarked.

    [I am certain]

    "Sure, whatever... After the stunt you pulled with me today, I''m not sure why I''m even talking to you. We still have some issues to resolve," he added.

    Raith took a final survey of the surroundings and gestured for Noir to descend. Gracefully, he dismounted the wyvern and approached a massive boulder, acting as though he had no particr n in mind.

    Suddenly, he appeared on the other side, startling the person hidden behind the boulder.

    Rudgen shouted in shock, visibly disoriented and taken aback. His fear was palpable, as if he had encountered a dreadful monster.

    This made Raith question whether there was something frightening about himself.

    "My king, you are exceptionally handsome and wless. This human recognizes the power of a true monarch. He is quite a fascinating individual," Antares spoke from the shadows beneath Raith.

    ''I didn''t ask you though...''

    "I apologize, my king. I shall keep my mouth shut," Antares replied humbly.

    Raith turned his gaze back to Rudgen. "I won''t harm you, so there''s no need to be scared," he reassured him.

    Rudgen''s face contorted further, his widened eyes trembling with fear. Raith was puzzled by his extreme reaction.

    ''What''s going on?''

    He had suppressed his dark aura and any other indications of his immense strength. Yet, Rudgen seemed to be terrified, his gaze fixed on something beyond Raith.

    Whaaam!!!

    Rudgen''s trembling hand tried to point forward, but before Raith could react, a heavy force struck him from behind, propelling him away. He tumbled uncontrobly, mming his head against stones and rolling helplessly.

    The force of the blow was too overwhelming to defend against, and he was caught off guard.

    As he slowly rose from the ground, Raith spat blood, feeling his broken ribs poking into his intestines, causing excruciating pain. He gritted his teeth and suppressed the agony.

    ''Ohhoo... you''re in for it now,'' ck said, chuckling manically.

    Raith''s eyes narrowed further as he tried to discern the identity of the mysterious assant. He couldn''t understand why he hadn''t sensed this person, despite his exceptionally high perception stat and even his [ultra instincts]. The surprise attack had caught himpletely off guard.

    ''Who the hell is that person?'' Raith wondered.

    "I had my doubts about you when I first heard about it. A human killing Egard-Hearl seemed improbable. His death came unexpectedly; he sent me a coded message at thest moment, warning me about the human. The message carried a faint trace of your aura, one I couldn''t shake off... so, I decided I was going to you and make you suffer for daring to touch myrade."

    As the guttural voice came to an end, the figure emerged from the settling dust. He stood tall, around 7 feet, with golden skin and elf-like pointed ears. Contrasting his light appearance, his hair was yellow, while his eyes were pitch ck.

    Raith tilted his head, immediately realizing that the man before him was not human.

    "Is he an angel?"

    He hadn''t formed a clear picture of what an angel should look like, and he certainly hadn''te across any pictorial representations of them.

    ''No hell way that is an angel.'' ck refuted.

    [No]

    ck and the abyss responded, but Raith shut out one of them.

    "I don''t understand, did I ask you a question?" He said, diverting his attention back to the man approaching him.

    "Hello, sir. I don''t kn¨C

    Whamm!!

    Once again, Raith was caught off guard. He crashed through the rigid stone behind him, breaking it into smaller pieces and being flung even further beforending on the ground.

    Writhing in pain, he rolled on the floor before finally gathering himself and standing up.

    ''Should I just die already? Fuck, it hurts.''

    As tempting as the thought was, he couldn''t afford to entertain it. Something puzzled him more than the excruciating pain tearing through him.

    ''How? How are his attacks reaching me without my perception? I can''t even see theming. Is he really attacking?''

    A thousand thoughts raced back and forth in Raith''s mind. He scanned every angle of the approaching golden man, but there was nothing; it was as though he had lost the ability to use his skill [Multiple Cognitive Resonance]. He couldn''t perceive anything at all.

    "Who are you?" Raith managed to gasp out.

    "Don''t talk to me with your filthy hole."

    Plunge

    Blood gushed out of Raith''s mouth, eyes, and nose as the golden man''s hand pierced his chest, gripping his heart and squeezing it with a cruel grin.

    "I really can''t fathom how you managed to defeat Egard-Hearl. You are weak, weaker than the many humans I have fought and killed. You don''t deserve my attention."

    "Arrggggghh!!!"

    Sissshhhh

    Wham!!

    Curtis was sent hurtling back into the air as the golden man swung his ankle, effortlessly nullifying his sword attack with overwhelming force.

    Raith chuckled weakly, looking at his brother, who had flown back from the impact.

    ''Why? Why bother now, you idiot? You''re fighting for me. I just might get emotional''

    The gold man looked at Raith intensely before talking again.

    "Although I want to believe this to be utterly impossible, do you perhaps have anything to do with the death of Thard-Harl?"

    "Uh?... I don''t... even...know him" Raith spoke with the little strength he had left while wondering why this death was exceptionally long. Usually he would have given up the ghost and be preparing toe back now.

    This man''s hand was inside his chest and had crushed his heart, he could feel himself dying. But he was not dead all this while.

    Raith was made to conclude that this was not a normal phenomenon. There was no way this would be a normal phenomenon¨C

    He raised his head up slightly, looking at the man''s face. But he wasn''t looking at the man''s face.

    He was looking at this:

    [Analysis Complete]

 Chapter 233 Mad Angel (1)

    ?

    "Shit shit shit shit shit"

    Bm shot away like a speeding arrow, determined to distance himself from the angels.

    However, his efforts proved futile as a powerful gust of wind surged past him, and a brilliant streak of light zipped ahead, causing the ground to tremble and cave in, creating deep craters as if the very earth sought to escape from beneath the angels'' feet.

    "What do we have here? A demon, roaming thend of the living," remarked the angel confronting Bm, his hand resting thoughtfully on his chin.

    His blue, wavy hair gently touched his shoulders, and except for the extraordinary pair ofrge wings extending three feet on each side from his hips, he bore a human-like appearance.

    Bm''s brow furrowed, but he remained silent.

    The angel''s gaze moved up and down, seemingly assessing Bm. Yet, he appeared unperturbed by the demon''s silence.

    In fact, he might prefer Bm not to speak, and the demon was well aware of this possibility, hence he chose to keep his words tightly locked away.

    Facing an angel of this magnitude, Bm was confident he could emerge victorious, provided he hadn''t exhausted too much of his strength battling Raith. Even so, he held on to the belief that he could take on the angel and survive. His eyes exuded a resolute determination.

    "No, no, no..." the angel shook his head and pointed a finger, disapproving of Bm''s expression.

    "That countenance of yours is unsettling. You seem prepared to face your demise. I won''t allow it. Our mission concerns the archons and the archons alone," he dered, shifting his gaze to the tall archons and the two other angels apanying them.

    Compared to him, who possessed just one pair of wings, the archons had two pairs, magnificentlyrge and beautiful.

    "Then..."

    Bm pressed his lips tightly together, resisting the urge to speak. He had heard stories about the angels'' insufferable pride.

    The demons'' ounts described them as outwardly beautiful but inwardly repulsive, the epitome of absurdity in their im to spill blood in the name of justice. This knowledge guided the demon''s cautiousness.

    Though he loathed the path he was forced to take, survival was paramount. He couldn''t squander the second chance Raith had granted him, and the idea of dying prematurely without fulfilling his purpose for Raith disgusted him.

    Bm desired to witness the extent of the human''s potential, how high he could soar. If cunning and trickery were necessary for his survival now, so be it!

    "You are not talking, it is kinda annoying. You see I am not like the other two there. While you can call the two their archangels, I am just an angel. So, don''t be so stoic, you can freely speak."

    This statement contradicted what Bm had been told. He eyed the angel with suspicion, narrowing his gaze and furrowing his brows in response.

    "Really, I am seriously I''m not going to say to you speak and then say to you how dare you use your filthy mouth before me, that is more of my brethren Urkiel''s thing." He said with a little giggling.

    Bm swallowed his spit. "Then permit me and the rest of the humans to leave."

    The angel looked at the humans who were scattered around Bm.

    "Hmm..." he cocked his head left and right a few times, taking his time to make a decision.

    "You see... I can''t do that. But I do find it interesting that a demon cares about what happens to a human. I have always thought you demons to be very cruel. But if there was any chance that we all would be able together in harmony, I have always believed in it." The angel stated with a written passion of words on his face. His gesticting hand further entuated his seriousness at this moment.

    As much as Bm wanted to consider how absurd this really was, he was dumbfounded and couldn''t help but want to take him seriously, especially when there was no telling what can happen if he talks down the angel.

    The guy could snap and decide to kill everyone right here and right now, so he was never to forget to be careful at least until they leave.

    "Do you believe we can also live in harmony too?" The angels trailed off voice finally got back to him. He btedly raised his head, taking a moment to respond.

    "Well, I don''t know. There is a reason why we are considered counterfeits of each other."

    "Hmmph, you are right. My brethren have always said to me the same thing too. But if it is that way, I guess following the rules of that counterfeiting should be the sensible thing to do right? And I am trying to be sensible because everyone back in heaven says I am delusional and crazy. Wait you don''t think in crazy too right?"

    "At all," Bm shook his head. "I do think you to be quite genuine. You are not like the angels we were taught in our books and history.

    "Right right, I know right. Those guys are probably the war angels, we... we are more of the peaceful kinda angels. The gods would say that we have gotten so weakpared to them. Of course, they are still where they are. They are the circle of the seraphim after all but they are inactive, so yea... this is what you get."

    Bm slowly nodded his head, "...I see..."

    Even though the angel seemed carefree and okay, he was still not going to give in to it. He wouldn''t stop trying so hard to be careful.

    "So do you want to know my name? Perhaps together we can make a change, we can be the protagonist of this story, two friends who ovee their difference and hatred for each other and herald an era where demons and angels lived together in harmony. What do you say? Sounds noble right?"

    "Indeed, my name is Bm... and you don''t have to tell me your name."

    The angel''s carefree expression became a frown and quickly turned to a giggle.

    Bm was still dealing with the reminiscent of his panting heart when the angel frowned, he thought he would have to fight him immediately. It was a relief that¡ª

    Wham!!

 Chapter 234 Cor-Ellion (2)

    ?

    "Ahh...it''s so good to finally have some peace"

    Raith took a deep inhtion and exhtion as he sat down in the void space of the moment between his death and his resurrection. A void that was not materialistic, yet manifested for him alone.

    "First of all... I want to check something. My rewards from killing two archons. Let me see that"

    The notifications which Raith had ignored all flowed out again.

    [Congrattions you have killed two archons]

    [You have killed a high rank celestial, you will carry an insignia]

    [Insignia can only be seen by celestials]

    [You are susceptible to celestial bounty hunters]

    [You have 200 point bounty on you]

    [When your bounty reaches 1000 you will be regarded as a criminal and bounty hunters wille after you]

    [Youpletely overwhelmed two celestials with the power of rulership]

    [Rulership Assimtion has begun]

    [Rulership Assimtion: 0.02%]

    [Your Rulership Assimtion will increase the more you use the main traits of the power as a ruler]

    [Unsessful uses will cause a decrease in Rulership Assimtion]

    [Death will cause a decrease in Rulership Assimtion]

    [Unknown rewards will be given when Rulership Assimtion reaches a certain %]

    [Rewards will be withdrawn if Rulerhsip Assimtion reduces]

    [When Rulership Assimtion reaches 100% it is fixed and cannot reduce anymore]

    [You have unlocked cosmic reputation]

    [Some gods are gossiping about you]

    [You have gained +10 cosmic reputation]

    [Right now, you are like an ant, even though news of you can now travel through nes, you are still not popr, just an insignificant ant]

    Raith looked at everything and scoffed at thest part.

    "I see what you did there. Keep trying me okay? Keep doing that." He mumbled and took another time to look through the notifications.

    "Wait, is this all?"

    [Certainly?]

    "Fuck after killing two archons?"

    [Contrary to the usual, you didn''t die while dealing with them. Not even once, there was no concept of failure nor was there any of death. It is impossible for you to grow without these two]

    [However, I do admit that there are some feats that can grant you powerful privileges but in the end, your strength and growth only lie in your death and misery]

    [For example, you are about to wake up a different person]

    [I will help you with a little tip]

    [The man you killed, is ten times stronger than Egard-Hearl and Thard-Harl put together]

    [This is an opportunity to grow]

    [But it is also one that willpletely shatter you. There are ways to kill a being apart from death]

    [He poses a magnificent ability over time-space contraction, should he find out about your power of death. I reckon it will not be easy]

    [You might not die]

    [But you might also not live]

    [Be very careful]

    [Fight as if your life depends on it]

    Ting!

    [YOU HAVE RECEIVED A NEW TRIAL]

    - Trial Of Survival: Survive the assault from the Royal Asura.

    QUEST REWARD: Welch''s space key.

    QUEST FAILURE: LIFE IMPRISONMENT.

    Raith gaped at the words that floated in the air¡ª

    "Are you serious?"

    [Certainly]

    Raith gulped. His heart began to beat faster than usual. He touched his chest and hit it two to three times. "What is this? I feel numb and thirsty"

    Raith did not know at this point but for the first time in a long time, he tasted the sourness of fear.

    [Do you want to resurrect now?]

    "Wait give me a minute. I have a question]

    "If I die? There''s no way he can stop me from resurrecting right?"

    [Certainly, death is your domain and yours alone]

    Raith nodded confidently, his tensed face seemed to have been uplifted a bit by the answer the abyss gave him.

    [However, I will advise that you fight not to die each moment because a royal asura is different]

    [They are the second to the strongest hierarchy of asuras]

    [They have unfathomable powers]

    "Stronger than an archon?"

    [Strength in the celestial world is not measured based on the superiority of the race. It is based on one''s umted power]

    "Just like in Felfhiem"

    [Exactly]

    Raith stood up and jumped a few times, trying to steady his heartbeat rate.

    "Okay, I think I am ready. I can do this."

    [Due to title effect ''One Who Devours Death'' you will be resurrected]

    As said, Raith''s vision opened to the vast expanse of sky. It was peaceful but soon the noise reached him. He flung up wondering who it was that dared to engage a royal asura.

    And there they were.

    His army.

    All of them! Dying for him.

    "Do not give up!! With the infinite amount of energy our king has, we can regenerate as we like!!" Antares screamed before leaping into the battlefield again.

    The presence of Raith''s army of death had caused darkness to shroud thend, and shadows lingered on the floor, they were many and wild, throwing themselves at the asura without remorse for their lives yet they posed no threat to him.

    With one swing of his hand, hundreds of them were transformed into dark smoke, waiting to regenerate again. The ones that were able to make him use two moves were Kortopi and Crimson, who snuck in and snuck out making sure that they avoided his attack.

    Even that too was not enough because they could not totally evade, hence every time they snuck in to attack him, their attack was always futile and they always snuck out with either a hole punched through them or their limbs were torn off.

    It didn''t matter if they were not able to damage the asura, this was a strategy put in ce by Crimson and Antares rubbing heads together and the aim was to wear out the asura in order for Raith to have an easy battle.

    There was another phase of the strategy which ording to Crimson was bound to have an effect no matter how little.

    It involved the wyvern squad¡ª all of them soured out of the shadows lingering below and straight into the sky, casting even deeper darkness upon thends. It was a spectacle to behold.

    Whoosh

    mes rained down on thend, consuming any and everything.

 Chapter 235 Cor-Ellion (3)

    ?

    "Wow... they are trying hard." Raithmended as he watched the fire erupting filling that particr area with the royal asura in the middle of it.

    Whoosh!

    However, with a swing of his hand, everything was cleared by a loud wind st¡ªthe wind st sent all of them spiraling away from the asura, who now turned back to Raith.

    A smile appeared on his lips, "of course. You have to be this impressive to be able to cause Egard-Hearl to be wary of you. Now now, what exactly is it that I need to be wary of"

    He was there a minute ago but just as he spoke, he was here, his hand on Raith''s neck, lifting Raith while grinning.

    "What trick did you use? I am sure I killed you. I squeezed your heart and made sure you were dead. So how are you still alive?" He asked, tightening his grip on Raith''s neck.

    Even though he was asking a question he didn''t behave as though he wanted an answer because he didn''t relieve Raith from the tight grip of his hands¡ªthere was no way the poor guy would have talked even if he wanted to.

    "Shall I just kill you again to find out?!"

    SCRREEEEEEETTTCCHH

    "TAKE YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF MY KING!"

    Antares screamed as he lunged into the air from behind, his wings turning into a blur as they pped and propelled him ten times faster than they normally would, his body was like it was tearing into the wind. He was desperate to destroy the gold man standing before him.

    But all of it was futile.

    He paused mid-air and hung there as the royal asura raised one finger.

    "I do find another thing fascinating. You have the power to control creatures of shadow and death. That makes you genuine but I am sure this isn''t what Egard-Hearl saw in you. So why don''t you show me what you showed him."

    Even though he was saying that he was still tightening his hands around his neck¡ªmade Raith found himself unreasonable and psychopathic.

    ''Ah! Okay, this is it!''

    ...

    SSHHH...

    The asura suddenly appeared far from Raith who now fell on the floor coughing and gasping for breath.

    "Tsk tsk, he clicked his tongue and looked at Raith''s hand where ck had materialized. "You have quite the dangerous weapon there don''t you?" He said, his eyes fixated on it, almost as if they were admiring it.

    Cough cough

    Cough

    ''Shut the fuck up and get up will you.'' ck ordered harshly.

    Raith surprisingly obeyed silently and stood up, wiping the blood of his mouth with the hinge of his hand.

    ''Hey, you, cover his head now!!''

    The ck ring on Raith''s hand dissolved into smoke and adorned his head with a helmet.

    [You have equipped Helmet Of The Shadow God]

    [Due to the ''Helmet Of The Shadow God'' your strength will rise by +30]

    [Your mind is in a state of weariness]

    [Mentality will be revitalized due to the effect of ''Helmet Of The Shadow God'']

    [All Mental skills will receive high proficiency points when used while ''Helmet Of The Shadow God'' is on]

    ''Wow? This had an effect like this?''

    Raith was shocked, apart from the fact that it made him look super cool he hadn''t given thought to the usefulness of the helmet. The 30+ strength gain was nothing now that Raith was strong.

    But this mental revitalization? It was all he was looking for!

    And just like the effect insinuated, a freshness entered Raith''s head. It was as if the helmet itself had a cooling effect.

    "Waaahh, this is so good," Raith mumbled with an echoing voice. "Wow, it even has a voice-changing effect."

    ''Yes it does so face your damn battle''

    "Right," Raith looked over to the royal asura.

    ''I couldn''t stress about it before because every attempt to think was aching me seriously. I felt like I was going to die from a headache but now that the headache is gone. I feel normal again.''

    Until now, Raith had almost thought that the asura was the reason while [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] and all his perception wasn''t working. Although the asura was fast enough to evade Raith''s senses, it wasn''t the reason. This was an effect of Raith''s mental tiredness.

    The analysis from before, even though it waspleted Raith couldn''t propagate it. He didn''t know what it was about¡ªnot until the moment he wore the helmet.

    He finally understood it. Every single thing about the ability of the bastard in front of him. He finally knew.

    "It is useless, whatever you try to do it is useless against me. I am the best warrior amongst the asura. You cannot defeat me." He said, spreading his arms proudly as he slowly took steps forward.

    Raith stretched his sword forward to him.

    "I know your trick. I know the reason why you seem like that big of a deal. I wasn''t able to sense it before because I was in a bad state but now I can very much. You can try that nasty trick of yours again." Raith taunted.

    The royal asura smirked and immediately¡ª

    Thwuack!!

    Contrary to how easy Raith thought it was going to be now that he could perceive the asura¡ª he was flung away by the impact of force produced by the asura meeting his btedly raised sword.

    Raith tumbled and rolled away. It was still the same thing even though he blocked it with a sword, the damage he received made both his hand and the sword stiff and then coursed through his muscles. But the difference this time was that he saw the attack and to Raith, even though it wasn''t as he expected it to be, this was still progress.

    The royal asura was standing, looking at his hand with a frown.

    ''Impossible, did he actually see iting? Did he see through my space veil? This is impossible, it makes no sense?'' His eyes trembled as he refuted the reality of what had just transpired.

 Chapter 236 The Mad Angel (2)

    ?

    Cor-Ellion''s power granted him the ability to be able to mask his attack in space.

    This meant that his attacks were directly going at the target but they can not be seen or felt because there are in the fabric of space that weaves out the visible space, otherwise known as subspace. Not only can Cor-Ellion''s attack travel through sub space, he can also utilize the ability for himself causing himself to walk through space however he deems fit.

    It was like the concept of sh step that is used by martial masters who have transcended the Epiphany of distance.

    Raith''s slowly stood up, readying himself to go all out against his foe.

    ''I will like to end this quickly and regroup with the others''

    The thing was... Raith was too cocky.

    ***

    One angel held a zing sword while the other was with a staff adorned with radiant crystals, a conduit for the vast celestial energies that coursed through him.

    With a thunderous sh, the battle began. The ground trembled, and the skies themselves seemed to shudder.

    The angels moved with the grace of a shooting star, almost uncatchable to the naked eye¡ªactually, none of the heroes below could see what was going on what they could see were streaks that went to and fro and archons suffering damage.

    The sword of angel Gazardiel sliced through the air with a melodic hum as he flew around the spear archon, who was lost and confused thanks to the fatigue of slumber he couldn''t bring out his power, after all, arge part of it was being utilized by heroes around the world.

    This was why if they would even win this fight at all, the archons knew they needed to withdraw their dust from thend. But the moment that is done, everything will return to nothing. The crystal sure holds the foundation of the world but it needed a propagation and their dust was thay propagation that was amplified to keep everything in ce. It was why even though they were awake, the world had not been destroyed like it was proposed.

    "There is no choice. It has to be done!" The light archon screamed as the second angel strike him so hard that he fell on one knee.

    The archons slowly closed their eyes and decided. It was sad but it had to be done.

    "Looks like my brethren are wrapping things up in that ce?" The angel in front of the fallen Bm said as he stared up and looked down at Bm.

    Bm found it had, he had just been pped by an angel he thought was friendly. Even though he was being so careful.

    He slowly stood up and faced the angel.

    "What was that?"

    "I went easy on you. I had a second thought, it mighte off as somewhat disgusting to be a protagonist you see."

    "Are you sick in the head?" At this point, Bm was just angry.

    The angel had a straight face as Bm asked him that question. He pointed his hand forward but before he could shoot out the shimmering light in front of his finger, Bm swept his hand horizontally and a flurry of dark tendrilsshed out towards him. Causing him to speed back in order to avoid the fiendish aura¡ªhowever, he darted forward immediately and unsheathed an invisible sword that only the hilt was seen in his hands.

    WHAM!!!

    The sh of the two reverberated through the whole surrounding.

    "Oh oh. You are quite strong, I guess you are not some small demon uuh? How lucky of me to meet a strong demon just when I was getting bored and getting suicidal!!" The angel shouted with wide eyes, he was happy and madly happy.

    Bm''s fiendish energy surged, but the angel''s divine light repelled the malevolence, creating a barrier of protection around him¡ªhe channeled his cosmic light energy, and his wings red with divine power. He soared into the air, leaving a trail of starlight in his wake, and then dove towards Bm like aet hurtling towards the earth.

    WHAAAAAM

    CRASSSH

    Their sh was cataclysmic.

    Each strike of the angel''s sword sent shockwaves that shattered thendscape, while Bm''s demonic attacks left deep fissures in the ground. The sky crackled with ethereal energy as their powers collided, neither one willing to yield an inch¡ªit was amazing that Bm was managing to keep up even with how exhausted he was.

    Bm''s body crackled with volcano streaks that grew on his body and glowed like a forest that was about to erupt, he let out a raging shout as he dispelled a torrent of hellfire that engulfed the surroundings.

    But the angel smiled, "This is useless." He said and soared higher with his celestial light dispelling the mes and casting a radiant glow upon the entire ce.

    With a powerful thrust of his sword, the angel pierced the air downwards,nding right into the rest of the hellfire, the impact of his collisions with Bm was so strong that everything was erased.

    The cloud of dust slowly cleared and a frown could be seen on the angel''s face. ording to his calction of this attack, Bm''s heart should be pierced now but it was like someone was stopping his sword.

    The dust cleared more and he could now see, a red hair man, slightly taller than Bm was blocking his invisible sword with a red sword.

    ''He shouldn''t be able to see the sword path, how is he blocking my sword.'' That was what the angel thought.

    His sword was invisible and to top that it doesn''t follow a logical sword path. This means that one cannot block his attacks based on the logical assumption of where the de should be¡ªhe can be striking from one''s front and the de shing from behind, his sword didn''t follow the normal sword path.

    But it was possible to see sword paths. There exist several martial arts masters who have activated the will of sword and furtherly sword paths¡ªin this context, their sword chooses a path of execution, it is a factor of one''s sword will and it is a stage of transcendence that cannot be reached except one unlocks the will of his sword.

 Chapter 237 The Mad Angel (3)

    ?

    However, someone was able to without unlocking the will of sword. Throughout Absalom''s stay with Raith, there wasn''t a day where he didn''t battle Kortopi, up till the point where he was regrly beating Kortopi save the fact that Kortopi was very stubborn.

    He didn''t realize it then, he never even knew about it, all those days of serious sword fighting with Kortopi had benefited his amazing demonic eyes, the moment the angel unsheathed his sword, he could perfectly see the sword path.

    Absalom had the eyes of a vampire, one that allowed him to see farther than normal humans or demons can, coupled with the stress of following Kortopi''s sword strikes, adapting to it, and evolving, it could now see deeply too and that was why it could see sword path¨C almost putting Absalom on par with transcended sword masters.

    "Oh oh, I didn''t know they were two demons. You don''t feel like a demon to me." The angel said, retracting his step and retracing his steps backward, carefully. "Do you perhaps want to be a protagonist with me? Change the world together?"

    "Fuck you divine maggot. I am already a protagonist and you are surely more fit for an antagonist. You crazed head idiot!"

    The angel''s eyes widened, he was shocked, his brows squeezed together and soon tears began to stream down his eyes.

    Absalom cocked his head, frowning as he found himself in an awkward position as the angel he was about to engage was now crying.

    It didn''t take long, the angel cleaned his face without being asked and then red at Absalom with a face full of fury.

    "Now that I have cried my heart out for when you die because it will be painful losing a potential friend like you. But I have cried, I shall not regret cutting your head. No! I will delight in it!!" The angel shouted with shriekingughter as he lunged at Absalom.

    The hilt of his sword shed like lightning as he closed the distance in less than 0.5 seconds and struck with the momentum of his blinding speed. Absalom''s red sword parried all the strikes¨C his hands did not swing towards where the angel''s hilt was swinging from, instead Absalom looked to other directions and blocked from the path the de itself followed.

    He parried towards his back as the de struck from behind despite the angel being in front of him. This confirmed the angel''s suspicions and caused him to retreat a few steps backward.

    "So you can see it. I was suspicious but you really can see it? Now my little trick is out in the open." The angel shook his head as he spoke.

    Absalom did not drop his guard down even as the angel spoke¡ªhis eyes were very busy, his eyes were narrowed as the averted from left to right and right to left. It was because something had changed in the sword''s path the moment the angel retreated backward.

    He could see the sword paths definitely but that made this situation even moreplicated.

    The de of the angel''s sword wriggled around him like the wind itself, it danced around him and encircled him. Andalom was caught in a dilemma of how to block a de with an indefinite form¨Cthere was no way he would be able to do it, he should be ready to sacrifice an arm or both at the very least.

    "I know you can see it. Don''t think reckless, you cannot dodge it. See this sword was forged by the greater cksmith, the cksmith god himself... since the angels and the gods have been on good terms for the past four hundred years, we have been enjoying a few things. These weapons are one of those things."

    As the angel talked, the thunderous sound of the skirmish not too far from them shook the atmosphere. They both could tell that the archons and angels were going hard.

    ''...two angels against six archons? How strong are these guys?'' Absalom''s mind swayed away for a moment, but he didn''t have the luxury to worry about others right now. The heroes have been safely escorted away, his and Bm''s survival depended on this moment.

    "My brethren sure are going at it with the archons. They were told to capture them alive but I doubt if that is what they are trying to do."

    Absalom stood guarded, all hisposure beware of what dangers lurked around him.

    "Well well, shall we just carry own with our own stuff too? Perhaps we should just go all out too." The angel chuckled and¨C

    Wham

    Wham

    Wham

    Kang!

    Wham!

    Kang!!

    Kang!!

    Some escaped Absalom''s sword and cut him on his face and his body while some were blocked but just as Absalom''s true strengthy, the longer the battle the better his adaptation skills, he would adapt to the flow and begin to grow from it.

    And drastically the number of strikes that Absalom was blocking was increasing, even though the sword didn''t have a definite form and was striking like the wind. Absalom''s sense was quick to follow and was already quickly depicting them, regardless of which side they came from he could sense, and it was also not about the attack pattern. He had the heightened sense of a vampire. As he got used to it, he just could sense it.

    The angel frowned as Absalom in five minutes was now sessfully blocking every single one of his sword attacks.

    Whisb

    Suddenly, Absalom moved with unnatural swiftness, vanishing into a red aura and reappearing behind the angel who quickly spun with his wings creating a shield of light to block Absalom''s surprise attack. In that brief moment, they were locked in a deadly sword dance with their movements a blur of red and white and sparks of their sh flying abode.

    The angel summoned celestial power, unleashing a barrage of radiant energy. Absalom twisted, evading most of the attacks, but a few struck true, burning his flesh with divine energy.

    With a snarl, Absalom retaliated, conjuring blood art that morphed into lethal tendrils. But the angel''s wings red, slicing through the blood tendrils like a celestial scythe. Absalom lunged forward with his sword, striking from all side, but the angel''s invisible sword easily blocked every path he struck from, his sword was totally useless against the angel.

    Wham!

    Wham!

    He was now beginning to dodge the angel''s sword attacks by only a hair''s breadth as things got weary for him¡ªhaving no choice, he flew back andnded afar off.

    Absalom knitted his brows as he deliberated over his next course of action. This was something he didn''t want to have to use but there was no other choice.

    "I''m sorry master, I promise I wasn''t going to use this until I am sure I can control it."

 Chapter 238 Infinite Blood Curse

    ?

    "Things will be different from this point," Absalom said to the angel, loosening his grip on the sword.

    As the sword fell, it folded into a ball of blood and floated towards Absalom''s chest.

    The angel cocked his head left and right, "You couldn''t reach me with your sword, so you want to try another attack pattern. I see I see, I do encourage people to think innovative so that there is a good one."

    Not minding him, Absalom began to move his hands in intricate patterns, manipting the blood in front of him. The ball stretched into dark helixes of crimson energy, swirling around him like malevolent snakes.

    "Hmmm..." the angel moaned as he could feel a difference in the energy that Absalom was emitting, he was at first skeptical but he suddenly closed his eyes and dashed at Absalom, with his hand raised, aiming to slice off Absalom''s hands. But instead, his sword shed with Absalom''s blood helixes.

    The angel persistently struck over and over again but each the helix folded and twirled to the direction that each strike wasing from, urately blocking every strike¨Cbtedly the angel felt a cold, draining sensation seeping into his limbs, prompting him to give himself and Absalom space again.

    "You fawn, what did you do to me?"

    "I don''t owe you an answer..."

    ''It''s not like I even know, all I know is that it''s a curse...'' Absalom said in his mind. He fixed his gaze on the angel and wait in anticipation of how the angel was going to do away with this one.

    WHOOOOM

    Contrary to Absalom''s expectation of some divine healing light falling on the angel¡ªthe angel''s wings unfurled, emitting a radiant light that repelled Absalom''s blood magic. With a surge of divine energy, he broke free from the draining hold and countered with a blinding burst of celestial light.

    Absalom who had braced himself enough for the next attack grinned and morphed the blood in front of him into sharp spikes that shot forth like projectiles. The angel deftly dodged them, but the spikes left deep gouges in the ground.

    Absalom''s eyes glowed brighter, and his sinister smile widened as he began to chant an incantation in fiendish tongue¡ªthe angel immediately began to feel an invisible force constricting around him, as if his very soul was being ensnared. The angel''s movements slowed, his wings weighed down by an unseen burden.

    Absalom''s curse was taking its toll, attempting to drain him of his divine essence.

    "How dare youuuuuu?!" The angel gritted his teeth as he struggled to resist the curse.

    This was probably the hardest he had been had in centuries.

    Because the jovial expression he had on even as he fought hadpletely been reced by a mixture of disconcerting and angry demeanor.

    Forcing his wings to p and gathering whatever was left of his strength from his feet to his head, the angel shot into the air leaving trails of cosmic light in his wake.

    From above, he unleashed a barrage of heavenly arrows, each imbued with purifying energy. The arrows streaked toward Absalom, piercing through his defenses and causing him to stagger back.

    Yet, Absalomughed maniacally, his blood magic growing more potent. He sliced his palm, drawing more crimson power from his own life force. In response, the earth itself seemed to answer his call, tendrils of blood-red vines surging from the ground.

    The battlefield became a chaotic maelstrom of blood and divine energy shing in a deadly symphony. The angel''s celestial sword whirled like a silveret, and each strike sent brilliant arcs of light through the dark haze of Absalom''s blood magic.

    The vampire''s crimson eyes zed with wicked delight as he conjured ethereal blood constructs, forming nightmarish creatures that lunged at the angel but he struck all of them down with one light arc that caused a massive explosion.

    The wastnd trembled beneath the cataclysmic effects of their battle.

    The ground cracked and fissured, spewing geysers of darkened soil that mixed with the angel''s radiant light, creating an otherworldly disy of colors.

    Thunder boomed and echoed across the destendscape as if the heavens themselves were in turmoil.

    The red vines from the ground elongated, aiming to grab the angel''s leg and pull him down but they were no match for the radiant light that was emitted with each swing of the angel''s hand¡ªthey decayed under it.

    The vines stretched out more arrogantly and faster in an attempt to ensnare him but the angel''s wings fluttered with such speed that he seemed to exist in multiple ces at once, evading the malevolent grasp with an outstanding agility.

    Absalom was enjoying this, his skin was getting pale and his veins were reddening but he wasughing. Hisugh reverberated through the battlefield as he unveiled a newyer of his blood magic. The air thickened with the scent of iron and decay, as blood droplets materialized into crimson daggers, swirling around Absalom like a macabre dance. With a flick of his wrist, Absalom hurled the blood daggers at the angel, each de seeking to draw celestial blood.

    The angel''s wings formed a resplendent barrier of light, deflecting most of the deadly projectiles, but a few managed to graze his divine form, leaving trails of darkness on his fine skin.

    He paused and touched the dark smoke that lingered on his face with widened eyes. His eyes began to tremble as he confirmed the cut.

    "Y-y-y-you... w-w-with your f-f-filth? YOU TOUCHED ME!!!" He screamed.

    It was at this point that the angel lost it.

    ***

    [You have died]

    [You have died]

    [You have died]

    [You have died]

    [You have died]

    [You have died]

    [You have died]

    [You have died]

    [You have died]

    [You have died]

    [You have died]

    [You havepleted an achievement of a thousand death in one moment]

    [You have been trapped in a space-time limbo]

    [This is a Limbo where you will be trapped in a single moment but continue to experience it over and over again]

    [At a slower rate of 458%pared to reality time rate]

 Chapter 239 Save The Master (1)

    ?

    Raith''s mistake was overestimating himself and taking lightly the abyss'' warning. Since he now understood Cor-Ellion''s ability, he thought it could put an end to it.

    But the fact that he understood it very well didn''t warrant that he could stop it. He was nowhere near the royal asura in all deciding factors of battle, strength, battle IQ, speed, endurance, intelligence, and even [Multiple Cognitive Resonance] was often caught off guard several times because the control Cor-Ellion had on space affected it.

    What Raith''s eyes couldn''t seeing, there was no way it was possible to analyze it. And so Raith was stuck in a limbo of dying and resurrecting.

    The bad side of this limbo was that it might never get released and he might never be released from it, even though he ends up getting released, he might have gone insane because of the pain of death that should have been over in ten minutes, Raith is going through it for the next forty-five minutes. And he was dying over and over again.

    The good part of this now was, every death and pain counted. But since the time rate was slower than the normal reality rate, Raith was not dying frequently but had an elongated time, this had an effect on his endurance and since his stats gained were usually based on his method of death, the stats point he gained after every death was enormous.

    Meanwhile, outside the limbo was Cor-Ellion, frowning as he dealt with Raith''s death soldiers endlessly. As far as Raith was still alive and there was a Major rank soldier tomand the whole army, even if Raith was dead, his dark energy was still essible to them and they would endlessly fight. That was because death was not the end for Raith.

    Since locking Raith up in the limbo he had been dealing with them, of course, they had not been able toy a scratch on him but their persistent regeneration and reappearance was already beginning to bore him.

    Just when he was getting to the peak of that boredom, five entities emerged from the shadow, four were humanoid and thest one was arge dark wyvern that covered arge area of the sky.

    The killing intent that exuded from each and every single one of them was no joke. That was why he was frowning.

    "These bones dare to re at me? Know your ce."

    He wed his hand and swung it backward, he was about to throw a ranged attack at them but Kortopi had lunged forward, what caused Cor-Ellion to widen his eyes at this moment was that he missed when Kortopi moved. Even though he was getting an attack ready. He was born with something the asuras called ''Seventeen Cenobite Whim'' this was what had made Cor-Ellion the best fighter. A sensory skill that made him able to sense any and everything at a much faster rate. Now he was special than even the most special because he had the nerve that carried that ability in seventeen parts of his body¡ªfor most beings, whether human or non-human it was mostly always two.

    This made Cor-Ellion abat master, it was impossible to sneak an attack on him but he could sneak an attack even when he had not mastered his space-time ability. He quickly rose among the ranks of Asuras and became the best fighter at the age of fifty-two, for asuras the usual age of bing a fighter was at least two hundred, this made Cor-Ellion, very very special.

    His abilities built the kind of confidence that he had in himself¡ªhowever, just right now, even though it was by 0.1 seconds, he missed the moment Kortopi moved.

    He swung his face back at them immediately canceling his attack and choosing to go fullbat mode with Kortopi as closed in, his lithe body moving through thend like a wraith. As Kortopi extended his hand, a sharp dark, and smoky de materialized, and he lunged towards Cor-Ellion, blurring as it pierced the wind with great speed from the momentum at which Kortopi threw it.

    Cor-Ellion gritted his teeth as his form blurred and seeped into space reappearing behind Kortopi, with a swift kick Cor-Ellion sent him hurtling into the winds and stones, and valleys, Kortopi was thrown hundreds of miles away in an instance leaving a trail of destion in the path he took.

    The asura turned to the others, "Give me a fight, this is not what I want, make me fight. I see a potential in all of you. Him especially..." he said pointing his thumb backward to Kortopi''s direction. "I crave a fight before I leave, maybe if it''s unhuman entities like you, I will be able to enjoy myself without jeopardizing the importance of my mission." He finished and slowly raised his hand, signaling for them toe at him.

    But instead, a wide smile appeared on Crimson''s face.

    "You see... in the past few hours, that guy has changed so much that it makes me jealous."

    Wham!

    Cor-Ellion''s eyes widened as Kortopi was back behind him, with his sword carving an arc towards him. It was still not enough¨C he swirled andnded his kick on Kortopi, before Kortopi''s sword could move an inch more¡ªthe death soldier found himself hurtling towards Crimson.

    Crimson twirled his sword and deflected Kortopi''s iing body, sending him rolling to the side. Crimson''s eyes narrowed as he analyzed what just happened.

    "Was it just me? It made no sense that his leg would reach Kortopi before Kortopi''s sword reached him. Unless he has super reflexes and can stop time on top of that. Because even if he has super reflexes, the sword was so close that he should have sustained a scratch but he didn''t. Was I the only one that saw that?"

    The others paid no attention to him, Jarvis that was standing next to him sheepishly scratched his head. They all had no fucking idea what he was talking about even though they saw the same thing he saw.

    Life is hard being the only intelligent one. Crimson wondered how he could lower his level ofmunication for them to understand but that would just be a waste of time.

    They had an asura to fight, and a master to save.

    "Come now, don''t keep me waiting?"

 Chapter 240 Save The Master (2)

    ?

    Jarvis charged forward, his great sword raised high, but as Jarvis closed the distance with his maddening speed and his sword and body swung in mid-air, Cor-Ellion was gone again, this time appearing above and delivering a powerful kick that sent the knight crashing to the ground.

    Antares scuttled forward immediately after he saw Jarvis go down. He brandished his ws, hoping to get at the asura before he recovered from dealing with Jarvis.

    But as Antares lunged at Cor-Ellion, the royal asura seemed to split into multiple versions of himself, and Antares found himself shing at space. Noir followed up immediately and unleashed a chilling st of ice breath toward Cor-Ellion. The frigid winds swept through the battlefield, freezing everything in their path. But before the icy attack could reach him, Cor-Ellion vanished, leaving Noir bewildered by his absence.

    With a tauntingugh echoing through the air, Cor-Ellion reappeared floating behind Noir, his hand glowing. He struck at the wyvern''s wing causing Noir to roar in pain and crash onto the floor.

    He looked down at all of them from his vantage point and shook his head. "This is just too disappointing, there is nothing extraordinary about you lot after all"

    Skkkrrr

    Antarespound eyes narrowed to a frown as he stepped out of the smoke of dust and ice caused by Noir''s tremendous fall and the frozen environment.

    "Stay back, give me five minutes alone with him before you dare to do anything." He said with a low screeching tone and trotted out his ws while ring at the royal asura. Antares began to emit, an aura of red with his dark body bing somewhat smoky.

    He looked upward and flung out his transparent wing which began to p and take him up, his eyes were tightly locked on the asura until he was at the level at which the asura was also floating.

    The air between the both of them was heavy with tension, and at once¡ª Antares charged forward with incredible speed, his wings propelling him like a bolt of darkness. He swung his razor-sharp ws, aiming to rend Cor-Ellion''s golden form. But the royal asura''s godly reflexes came into y, and he dodged each strike with breathtaking ease. Cor-Ellion''s lithe movements seemed like an intricate dance, a deadly ballet that defied thews of physics. Antares continued his relentless assault, his ws shing through the air. Cor-Ellion, however, did not need to move much; his mastery over space-time allowed him to step aside without apparent effort, and his ''Seventeen Cenobite Whim'' allowed him to see every of Antares'' attacks, moving before the shadow soldier even struck.

    With a flick of his wrist, Cor-Ellion formed a shimmering space shield that deflected Antares'' blows. The impact sent shockwaves through thend, causing fissures to appear on far grounds and the air to disperse violently.

    Antares was pushed back but did not go far before he lunged himself back at Cor-Ellion, he swung one hand backward consuming it in a torrent of mes, that engulfed his entire hand like a zing aura. The heat intensified as he unleashed a barrage of fiery projectiles, aiming to overwhelm Cor-Ellion from the distance as he darted into his space.

    Cor-Ellion darted between the mes, moving through seemingly nonexistent gaps in the inferno and his form flickering like a mirage.

    "ARRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!"

    Antares roared in frustration at not being able tond a single hit on his foe.

    Wham!!

    In that slight moment of ring up, Antares left an opening that Cor-Ellion closed in on with blinding speed, he delivered a series of precise strikes, each one guided by the relentless flow of time.

    Antares attempted to block, but the force behind Cor-Ellion''s blows was overwhelming, every single one made his entire body shudder.

    Despite the ferocity of Cor-Ellion''s assault, Antares refused to yield. His wounds closed almost as instantly as they were opening. The ground and ice bore witness to the might of Cor-Ellion''s blows and trembled with cracks delving deep into them.

    Cor-Ellion finally stopped punching but the ant was still regenerating its body.

    "Your regenerative ability is amazing. I can just decide to trap you in a moment of excruciating pain just as I have done to your master. But I want to see you draw out more potential. Put your heart to it, fight me like your master''s life depends on it! Because your master''s life depends on it!!"

    "How dare you??!!!!!"

    Antares screamed, letting out a frigid wave that surged forth, threatening to freeze anything in its path, even the already frozen. But it was useless before Cor-Ellion, who was beyond the ice-chilling reach. He flowed through the gap of space that was left within the ice surge and countered the ice itself with an explosive barrage of his own that caused a scatter effect.

    "Hey, Jarvis..."

    Jarvis nodded immediately after Crimson spoke and immediately the two charged at Cor-Ellion together with a coordinated and synchronized flow¡ªCrimson was not the one synchronization, he was moving at his best, and Jarvis effortlessly matched it.

    Cor-Ellion''s body tingled with excitement as the two of them closed in on him. He could sense the might and symphony of power that both of them exuded due to their wless synchronization.

    "Yes! Yes!! Delight me!!" He switched attention from Antares real quick and faced them, almost getting bored as he waited for them to reach him even though they were already at magnificent speed.

    Finally tried he fell and smashed himself on the ground destroying their coordination with the impact of the crash. Jarvis reorganized his lostposure and flew into Antares, hugging him tightly as hended on the ground and rolled away.

    "Get your filthy hands off me you son of a bitch! I almost had him at that moment he looked back."

    "No! He would have trapped you if you had moved an inch closer to where he left. I guess someone was finally sharp enough to sense that." Crimson said looking at Jarvis who sheepishly scratched his head in response.

    "That was the same technique he used for Master. He left a ripple in the space and master fell into it. You were too blinded by frustration to see it too." Crimson added, frowning at Antares.

    "Tchhh..." Antares gritted his mandibles in anger.

    "Oioioi, I am still here you know and I am waiting for what other tricks you all still have up in your sleeves."

    "This bastard!" Crimson frowned, "Jarvis!!"

 Chapter 241 Jarvis Awakening (1)

    ?

    With the loud call, Jarvis lunged forward like a cloak of darkness spiraling through the distance and towards Cor-Ellion, as he got closer he busted out of the spiraling form, revealing his sword, he feigned attacks from different angles, probing for weaknesses in Cor-Ellion''s defenses.

    But the asura stood still in one ce, it knew all along that they were all fakes¡ª filling out the space caused by Jarvis''s surprised state, Crimson swiftly rolled in a twirl of sword strike that Cor-Ellion caught spot on and deflected with a flick of his finger.

    While Crimson flew away, Jarvis had regained himself and swung a strike full of sheer force, a strike that parted the air as it wound towards Cor-Ellion, but the royal asura was far from being caught off guard, he sidestepped¨C even when Jarvis changed the trajectory he ducked and counted with a kick to Jarvis'' groin.

    Cor-Ellion grinned widely and immediately disappeared, the next moment he was reappearing before Antares with his hands swinging from behind about to carve a hole into Antares''s head¡ªbut Crimson struck forward, as he appeared, with desperation to catch up with him before his handnded on Antares, Crimson blurred forward almost disintegrating and was veryparable to the swift movement of lightning.

    He reached Cor-Ellion just as his hand came down on Antares¨C

    KANG!!

    A metallic sound reverberated through thendscape as the two of them stumbled back from the impact. Cor-Ellion looked at Crimson with a confused expression.

    "I didn''t see you to be anything threatening. Perhaps I was wrong to overlook you."

    "I didn''t need you to save me," Antares growled.

    "Yes sure, you''re wee." Crimson did not take his eyes off Cor-Ellion even though he spoke to Antares.

    It was for a moment but he did it, he was able to catch up with Cor-Ellion.

    "All that desperation all for what? A hole in the belly." He giggled.

    It was until then that Crimson lowered his gaze, and there it was arge hole sitting right in the middle of him, he might have seeded in catching up to Cor-Ellion''s speed but it was still within Cor-Ellion''s range of expectations and the asura still had to spare time to plunge another blow into him, although that gave Crimson the edge to block the one that was being aimed at Antares.

    Crimson gasped as he finally understood that it was not that he caught up with Cor-Ellion but rather, Cor-Ellion allowed him to catch up with him so this could happen.

    The royal asura shook his head in pity. It was fun to watch them struggle.

    "You are not there yet, if this is the kind of inner strength you are willing to bring out to save your master then you guys are not serious, maybe I ced too many expectations on you."

    Within a sudden burst of energy, Jarvis sted forward, his great sword slicing through the air with blurring speed as he approached Cor-Ellion from behind.

    The royal asura responded with a godly speed, his form flickering in and out of sight as he evaded Jarvis''s attacks with ease. Despite Cor-Ellion''s evasive maneuvers, Jarvis reorganized his movement in that selfsame second as though he was expecting the asura''s movements¡ªhe turned in the Cor-Ellion''s direction, attempting to corner him and press the advantage.

    The battle between them became a mesmerizing disy of skill and precision, each move executed with deadly intent¡ªJarvis trying to ensnare Cor-Ellion within his clever traps and feints. He used the terrain to his advantage, forcing Cor-Ellion to react to his attacks, instead of the other way around¨Cbut even so, it was not like he was still able tond a blow on him. They kept going back and forth but Cor-Ellion hadpletely lost control of the battle flow.

    This was the first time that such a thing would happen. It became evident to him immediately, that he was fighting a soldier full of experiences, Jarvis had probably been in battle longest amongst them all, not to say now that he was closer, there was an unsettling aura about him.

    He suddenly retreated and paused with his hands behind his back.

    "There is something about you. I can''t put my fingers around it but there is something about you. I can feel it, what are you?"

    Jarvis did not respond but left behind red lightning streaks as he closed the distance within a time somendable that Cor-Ellion was shocked.

    Following that, Jarvis unleashed a devastatingbination of strikes that threatened to overwhelm Cor-Ellion. Blow after blownded with astonishing force, pushing the royal asura back.

    For a brief moment, Cor-Ellion found himself on the defensive, surprised by the sheer ferocity, power, and intensity of Jarvis''s assault. The way he used his sword, it was almost like an extension of himself, moving with a fluidity that defiedprehension. Jarvis''s body moved with surprising speed, matching Cor-Ellion blow for blow.

    The surroundings echoed with the sound of shing steel and the shockwaves of their collisions. Jarvis''s eyes zed with a red smoky aura as he pressed his advantage, throwing strike after strike after Cor-Ellion even though everything was being deflected. His heart pounded in his chest as he felt the thrill of matching an opponent as powerful as Cor-Ellion.

    "Tsck..." Cor-Ellion clicked his tongue with irritation written all over his face.

    A royal Asura was never to be underestimated in any way.

    Cor-Ellion''s eyes narrowed at Jarvis, giving him a jolt of shock that would have caused any other opponent to jump back but Jarvis was stubborn, he lunged his next attack regardless but his attack did not touch¡ªit was as if it was stopped by an invisible shield. Cor-Ellion''s hand was stretched forward and the space in front of it was swirling and pulling space into itself.

    Cor-Ellion lifted his gaze from the spiraling space and looked at Jarvis.

    "You disgust me"

    The spiraling escted into a burst that blurred into a flurry of motions, showing Cor-Ellion a million possibilities of speed paths veiled within the vortex of subspace.

    The asura''s finger slowly pushed through and touched Jarvis¡ªwith that soft touch, Cor-Ellion delivered a devastating blow that sent Jarvis crashing and hurtling through the ground, his great sword fell from his grasp, and he struggled to rise.

    Cor-Ellion sighed, "Impressive, quite impressive. Irritating but very very impressive, you made me stop looking around, that ismendable. Now anyone else wants to try?"

    Ting

    [Death Soldier ''Jarvis'' is evolving]

    [Death soldier ''Jarvis'' is unlocking an inherent skill]

 Chapter 242 Absalom 1.5

    ?

    "Your existence is nothing but a stain upon the fabric of creation. A filthy being like you should not have been allowed to exist!!" The angel let out a scream of fury, gritting his teeth, pain, and anger permeating every fiber of his body.

    He unleashed a much greater deal of his cosmic energy all at once causing there to be a radiant spectrum glow with divine intensity on his wings.

    With a surge of that energy, he shot forward to Absalom like aet.

    The vampire''s eyes widened in surprise as he saw the angeling at him with fury. Their des shed with a resounding ng, and the ground quaked with the force of their collision.

    Each strike was a perfect blend of power and finesse, as the spectrum light pushed against Absalom''s blood magic.

    Absalom''s crimson eyes glinted he frowned with the resolution to leverage the full extent of his blood magic against the angel.

    But he has tried well enough using a power that he didn''t have a perfect hold on in the first ce, plus he couldn''t reach half the full extent of that power. His pale skin got whiter and all the veins on his body could be visible. He was probably going through excruciating pain to maintain the blood magic but still, he did not stop.

    He conjured swirling torrents of blood that snaked along forming a de and transforming it into a wicked, crimson serpent that hissed with malevolence.

    The angel''s wings fluttered with incredible speed, creating dazzling patterns of light as he countered Absalom''s attack. He infused his celestial sword with radiant energy, unleashing dazzling arcs of light that danced in the air like fireworks of the rainbow.

    Absalom lunged forward with zooming speed, his blood serpent shing through the air like a deadly whip. The angel pivoted gracefully, with fluid movements as he narrowly avoided the attack. He retaliated with a series of precise strikes¡ªquickly Absalok created aswirling vortex of blood, deflecting the angel''s attack and creating a barrier between them. He seized the opportunity to strike back,unching a swift counterattack that tested the angel''s reflexes.

    The angel''s eyes narrowed, his focus unyielding as he wove intricate patterns in the air with his celestial sword. The patterns coalesced into a radiant shield, blocking Absalom''s relentless strikes with a resilient barrier of light.

    Absalom staggered back and began to cough up ck blood, his eyes were reddened and stains of blood could be seen on his sclera, it was getting hard for him to keep using this skill second after second.

    "I hope you are not expecting me to pity you or something like that?" The angel said, looking down at Absalom''s sorry state.

    He tried to respond but couldn''t, a surge of pain permeated every bit of him when he tried to make a single movement even though it was just his mouth, all his limbs were stiff and when he eventually tried to move them, all his muscles hurt like he was going to die.

    "Whatever, I will just go ahead and finish you, then I will aim for that demon" the angel grinned as he prepared for thest attack.

    The corner of Absalom''s lips began to curve upwards, it was a murmur but Absalom was saying something, but was trying to say it while not straining his mouth too much, and enduring the pain of whatever little strain he was causing.

    The angel squinted his eyes at Absalom, feeling the subservient but threatening aura he could help but notice that Absalom was preparing for another attack.

    "You never learn, do you? I wonder what it is that makes you try so hard. You are just a filthy demon, no one cares about your existence, and you don''t mean anything to the world. Why try so hard to keep your life? You should even be so d that you will die at the hands of an angel." He sighed and continued, "Okay, okay, because you are trying so much to protect yourself, I will make it less painful." The angel stated, chuckling softly at Absalom who was still murmuring.

    Absalom suddenly fell and touched the ground with his palm, the next thing that appeared was a tremor¡ªthe ground began totremble beneath them and suddenly, a torrent of blood erupted from the earth, coiling around the angel''s wings and binding them in a deadly embrace.

    "Argh!! You filthy demon! Just when I was nning to go easy on you!!" The angel screamed.

    Even with this scale of attack, it was impossible to constraint him, With a burst of his cosmic energy, he shattered the blood restraints, his wings ring with an even more radiant light.

    The angel propelled forward with a zing fury¡ªand Absalom met him head-on, their collision sending shockwaves through the entire ce.

    With a loud shout, the angel unleashed a blinding burst of lightenergy. Immediately under it, Absalom''s form began to disintegrate.

    He shivered, weak and unable to run for his life, he had expended the best of what he could garner, jumping to sh with the angel.

    ''Is this the end?'' He thought to himself.

    But just when the light was about to fully consume him, Bm swooped in and flung him out of it. Using the light as a smokescreen he jumped over the debris and escaped out of the sight of the angel¡ªunto where the other heroes had taken refuge.

    By the time the light began to slowly fade away, the angel saw no sign of Absalom. He gritted his teeth.

    "Aaahhh!! Damnnit!!" He turned towards the direction that Bm had followed.

    "Stop it. That is enough." The angel with a staff stopped him, floating right above his head. "Our deed here is done, we shall return home. This realm will be nothing in the next few minutes."

    The angel looked over to the side, all the archons wereying on the ground with broken bodies. His cheeks blushed as he opened his mouth wide like a child that received a vor of candy he only sees in movies.

    "My brethren are so amazing."

    "Have you contacted him?" The angel with staff said to the other angel as he arrived.

    "Yes, I just did." The one with a zing sword replied as his sword dissolved into the air.

    "Then we shall leave first"

    "Wait! Brother! What about the demons? If you give me five more minutes, I can do away with them."

    "That''s it Loel. You had all the time in the world but you kept ying around, you didn''t even use your''Lichtwaffe''

    "I didn''t need to use it to defeat lower-level beings such as these!"

    "You underestimate everyone. Even though you have so much potential, it might be your downfall one day Loel. I won''t take any more objections. Let''s go" the angel said and disappeared onto the distance.

    The one with the sword looked at him with a nk expression and followed suit.

    Loel looked back and gritted his teeth with a frown, "We will meet again, I will get back at you for this humiliation." He said and also took flight.

 Chapter 243 Jarvis Awakening (2)

    ?

    The faint sound of the system reached Raith''s ear as news about Jarvis was announced.

    Raith had been so long in this moment that his senses had grown numb. The sensation of experiencing his death over and over again hadpletely numbed him, his face was full of wrinkles and his eyes were heavy, almost closing with his pupils nowhere to be found in them, his lips were dry and no different from that of a skeleton.

    Yet in this situation, something was happening to Raith that no one had an idea about, not Raith, not the system.

    [Due to Jarvis''s origin the death soldier has awakened Anima]

    [Anima is a source power avable to the guardinals, a subrace of the celestial race]

    [Death Soldier ''Jarvis'' has reached rank level limit]

    [Death Soldier ''Jarvis'' is due for an upgrade]

    [Upgrading Death Soldier ''Jarvis'' from Captain rank >> Major rank]

    Wham!!

    Just when Cor-Ellion was about to strike a vortex of ck and thick tapes enveloped Jarvis and formed a ball around him.

    Cor-Ellion stopped and narrowed his gaze.

    Pow pow

    He stretched his hand forward and sent two space attacks at it but it was not scathed.

    "Now this will be an issue?" He said softly, scratching the back of his head with a smile on his face. He looked back at Kortopi who had been standing in one ce all the while.

    "Is it going to be your turn now? Or you?" His gaze switched from Kortopi to Noir who was also patiently waiting.

    "If you don''te at me, I will destroy this thing. Don''t think I can''t because my measly attack isn''t scratching it. Obviously, you guys need a reason to fight so I''mma give you one. See this thing here, fight me so you can protect it or else I will destroy it and interfere with whatever is happening in there... now I wonder how devastating that will be to your buddy."

    "Don''t mind him! He''s just bluffing!!" Crimson shouted as Kortopi was about tounch himself.

    Cor-Ellion''s brow creased into a cantankerous frown. "Did you just say I am bluffing?" He said, turning his head back to Crimson who had fully healed from the previous blow thanks to Raith''s surplus dark energy and the abyss maintaining them.

    Cor-Ellion lifted his index finger and raised his hand, "First fingerw...."

    WHAAAMMM!!

    The entire surroundings began to quiver as if the very earth itself trembled and cracked under the force. The wind roared and breezed with an aggressive intensity, howling through the air. At the center of it all, atop Cor-Ellion''s index finger, a minuscule golden orb spiraling in mesmerizing motion.

    "...Goltes-Gebot."

    THWOOOOOOOOMM

    BOOOOOOMM

    A deafening sound echoed through the air, followed by an earth-shattering vibration with the ground quaking heavily. These were all effects of the presence of the golden orb in Cor-Ellion''s hand because it had not been discharged¡ªbut its effect was not sustainable by the spacews of Therut and thus it was shattering.

    The space itself began to crack, and the earth crumbled and broke.

    Crimson''s eyes were left wide open as he saw what was happening, of course, he understood what was happening right now.

    "There''s no way... the space is breaking?"

    He understood that these fissures in the space were more like they were getting shattered by something and the only thing that could be was whatever was in Cor-Ellion''s hand, surely someone with the power of using one finger to destroy thews governing the space of an entire ne would have more than enough power to tarnish Jarvis''s upgrade.

    But what he didn''t understand was the extent of the power of darkness and death that Raith possessed. Who could me him, even Raith had not realized half of his power, he still thinks rising from the dead is the best he can do, tsk tsk.

    "Do you understand now..." Cor-Ellion''s grinned as levitated and spoke down at Crimson. His grin was, however, short-lived and soon turned to a frown.

    "It is time uh?" He muttered and folded his finger, the golden orb disappeared and in an instant, everything returned to the way it was¡ªlike there wasn''t a force threatening to destroy space just now.

    "I hate that I will have to stop here. Well, I have done what I came here to do." He stated but simultaneously.

    [Congrattions]

    [Death Soldier ''Jarvis'' has been upgraded to Death Knight Jarvis]

    [Status]

    Death Knight Jarvis

    Level: 01/30

    Rank: Major

    "Wow..." Crimson let out a gasp as the tape unveiled who was within with a white smoky aura seeping out of it. Jarvis hadpletely changed.

    The clothe helm of his helmet had be white smoke, and his narrowed eyes from the helmet were gleaming white smoke. Instead of the usual red, white streaks coursed throughout his body, emanating an otherworldly aura. Toplete the transformation, arge white cloak now adorned his back, fluttering majestically with each movement and he seemed to have gained some height.

    "JARVIS...." Crimson called with squirmy eyes as he admired Jarvis''s fineness.

    "Crimson..."

    They were all grabbed by shock as the thick vibrating tone came out from him. Jarvis could now talk to.

    But instead of sparing them any more moment, the death knight looked up at the asura that was looking down at them.

    Jarvis shifted one leg forward and swung his sword backward, pausing a few moments as though he was charging it with something.

    [Death Knight Jarvis is using ''Anima: Ursus arctos horribilis'']

    [His physical strength is boosted to match that of his opponent]

    WHAM

    As his figure was adorned by a white aura that formed the shape of a grizzly bear of him, Jarvis swung his sword an arc from below sending a white sword sh at Cor-Ellion who in response smirked.

    "What change does that make?" He said as he parted the strike with his hand as it reached him.

    "Surely I would love to y more with you but I have to go. In the end, you were not able to save your master" He chuckled as he slowly flew higher, and upon reaching a point he disappeared into space.

    Leaving all of them with the disaster of their fight.

 Chapter 244 The Sound Of Goodbye

    ?

    Wham!

    Cor-Ellion appeared in the vast purplish space where the other three angels were waiting for him.

    "What took you so long?" The angel using staff asked.

    "I met interesting people" Cor-Ellion replied with a sly grin.

    "Seeing how you even managed to sustain a wound with your indomitable body, they must have been really strong." The angel said looking at his hand.

    At that moment, Cor-Ellion''s eyes trembled, it was up until that moment he felt the pain that seethed out of his wrist, he lifted his hand and there was a wound on his wrist, with gold liquid pouring out of it.

    His eyes widened further as he recollected thest moment where he used his bare hand to destroy Jarvis''s attack. He must have sustained this injury at that time.

    Realizing that he had fully underestimated the death knight, his shocked state crumpled to a frown.

    "Where is it?" The angel with staff asked.

    "Where is what?" Cor-Ellion replied with a frustrated tone.

    "The crystal? The red crystal." The angel repeated, frowning his face.

    "Ha, I forgot. I don''t think it was with him anyways." He said nonchntly and disappeared.

    "I told you it was not a good idea living it to him." The angel with staff said frowning.

    "If we couldn''t retrieve the crystal, does that mean we are going back?" Loel asked with anticipation.

    "No Loel, we are not going back" The staff angel replied looking down at Therut, a whose outer space was already beginning to dissolve and crumble.

    "The crystal will die with everyone on this. We can just report that it was destroyed in the process." He said and darted away.

    Loel frowned as he looked down at the crumbling.

    "Let''s go." The other angel said.

    Loel closed his eyes cleaning away the tears that poured out and flew away. The angel followed suit.

    ***

    Some entities are not susceptible to the effect of space-time maniption, whether it was controlled or as a result of natural flow.

    Items powerful enough to easily resist conceptualws, such as the crystal of creation. When the asura stabbed Raith thest time before putting him in a time loop and locking him away in subspace, the stab was to his belly, and with a hand as strong as that of Cor-Ellion, he broke the red crystal Raith had put in his body while he stabbed his hand into Raith''s belly.

    Stabbing both his hand and the broken crystal and its shard into Raith''s hand.

    Now, every loop that Raith went through did not affect the crystal, which means that two things were conscious of his loop, Raith''s mind and the crystal of creation.

    Each time the loop returned to the beginning, it was not the beginning of the loop for the crystal, instead the crystal contrary got stabbed deeper and deeper into his body. Perhaps it was one of the reasons why the pain was unreasonably unbearable for Raith.

    Over and over again by the crushing hand of the stab, the crystal continued to break into Raith''s bloodstream and dissolved by the toxicity of it.

    Until this moment.

    [You havepletely absorbed the crystal of creation]

    [Having absorbed a crystal before your body is not resisting the crystal]

    [Your body formation will go through a primal change]

    [You have gained a new skill]

    [You have unlocked a unique skill]

    [You have unlocked Ultimate skill]

    [You have unlocked Origin skill]

    [You have unlocked Creation Skill]

    [You have gained two unique skills]

    [You have gained one ultimate skill]

    [You have gained one origin skill]

    [It will take 154 hours for the transformation and reformation of your body to beplete]

    ...

    "We were not able to save master..." Crimson''s voice shuddered as he looked around.

    The sky was darkening and was peeling off, falling on the ground and causing a cataclysmic explosion.

    The humans who have been hiding silently up until now were forced to run out of the means of running for their life.

    Rudgen was carrying Curtis who had passed out since and was running but stopped as he passed the death soldiers whose spirits were broken and they didn''t look like they were ready to live.

    "I am sorry to be saying this but isn''t what your master would want now is for you to live despite this situation? I don''t know much about him or the reason as to why Curtis Degado is so obsessed with him that he would throw himself in harm''s way. But he fought to protect all of us, didn''t he? So that we might live. Shouldn''t that be what we should be doing right now?"

    "These motherfucker? Who do you think¨C

    Jarvis stopped Antares, holding him on his shoulder.

    "The human is right."

    Even Antares wouldn''t deny that Jarvis''s thick voice was intimidating.

    "So? You want to leave here..."

    "No, at least we can save the humans. That is what my liege would do if he was here right now." Jarvis stated.

    "Jarvis is right, it is the reasonable thing to do. This world seems to be copsing, no matter where the humans run to, they are bound for destruction. But if we bring them to Necropolis, they will be safe there and we can also regroup with the other humans and save them too."

    "And what about our king."

    "I know he will fight through this ande out stronger, right Kortopi?" Jarvis said looking at Kortopi who responded with a vibrant nod.

    Antares frowned, narrowing hispound eyes at the humans. He sighed and let go of his creased expression.

    "Fine... bring them in." He said opening a massive ck wormhole just like a gate.

    "Humans,e here, your world is copsing, you will not be safe no matter where you go but here," Crimson said to them.

    Rudgen gulped.

    "Sir Rudgen?" The shivering boy behind him mumbled his name.

    "Let''s trust them, besides, we don''t really have a choice now." Rudgen looked up, ''he is correct, our world is copsing.''

    He looked at Crimson and bowed his head.

    "Thank you, then we''ll be in your care."

 Chapter 245 The New (Intro)

    ?

    "Well done. You fought well." Bm tapped Absalom''s shoulder.

    "Absalom, are you okay?" Ryou ran to him as hey down in the tunnel where they were taking refuge.

    "Yes...I will be fine." He responded.

    Kaiser watched from behind and couldn''t stop thinking about all that has been happening since he stepped into this ce, he wondered if he will ever be able to forget.

    "It seems they have gone. But herees the worst part." Bm said looking down.

    Absalom looked left and right at the sorry state of the heroes and humans all around him. All of them had lost their dust, when the archons retrieved them in order to fight the angels, although that was useless in the end as they still met their end.

    "What will we do... now that what makes us heroes is gone, some of them have not even recovered from dealing with the situation but our world seems to be dying. What shall we do?" Amber Rose asked, walking up to Bm and Absalom.

    "What about Mr. Raith?" She added to her questions.

    Bm and Absalom exchanged nces at each other.

    "Raith is definitely alive. I can feel his energy, but it is so minute, as though he is in a near-death state." Absalom spoke slowly. He was trying his best, it was a miracle that he could still speak.

    "Then shouldn''t we be going to rescue him right now?!!" Amber Rose interjected losing herposure.

    "I can''t..." Absalom heaved a heavy sigh, "I can''t find his location. It''s like he''s here but I can''t tell."

    "What does that even mean?" She red at him with a distorted face.

    "I don''t know..." Absalom replied, coughing ck blood.

    "Let him be, for now. We will focus on looking for a way to save your people."

    Ssshhh

    Bm swung his face back, towards the darkness of the tunnel.

    ''I feel a sinister but familiar aura...''

    "It is I, Antares."

    "The ant! You were with Mr. Raith, right?" She shouted at him.

    Antares narrowed his eyes and red at her. Ignoring her and facing Bm.

    "For now, it will be safe to keep the human in the Necropolis world"

    "Necropolis world?"

    "We, the death soldiers have rebuilt the dark realm thay exists in the abyss and have named it the Necropolis world," Antares exined and stretched his hand.

    Arge ck wormhole like a gate appeared.

    "You can enter."

    Bm moved closer to him, "what about him."

    "My king is..." he paused and frowned, "I have no obligations to tell you." He said and walked forward, helping the humans into the Necropolis world.

    All around the world of Therut, Raith''s army distributed themselves and began to help every single human into the Necropolis world, as a means to preserve them while their world remained.

    ***

    [Because you are in a time loop, there is an irregrity, due to his irregrity in the time rate taken forpletion will experience these irregrities]

    [...]

    [...]

    [UNDEFEATED KING BODY CONSTITUTION is merging with the formation]

    [Tissues are being reconstructed]

    [Organs are being reconstructed]

    [Bones are being reconstructed]

    [A new heart is being constructed]

    [Your new heart is constructed with the properties of the crystal of creation]

    [Its functions and prowess are yet unknown]

    [Your blood type is changing...]

    [Your blood vessels are changing and being reconstructed]

    [Your muscles are being reconstructed]

    [Reconstruction has beenpleted]

    [Your body has gained a few characteristics]

    [You can resist the effect of a time loop]

    Crack

    The space where Raith was put began to crack. Immediately, Kortopi who was standing guard there swung his face to the area. His eyes widened with joy and he darted to that point, falling to his knee with his head raised and eyes squirming as though he would cry any moment.

    Crack

    The Crack continued to expand and finally, a leg came out of the subspace gently touching the ground, Raith pulled himself out of it and stumbled like a baby trying to walk.

    But Kortopi quickly rose and helped him. His body was slimy, as though he had bathed with the fluid of some slimy octopus but they were all waste extraction from the reconstruction process.

    In fact, his face was shining and he seemed more handsome, taller, and more athletic than he already was, his hair was ck too.

    "I''ll be in your care Kortopi."

    Kortopi''s eyes widened as he heard Raith say his name. His widened eyes narrowed immediately and piggyback Raith and ran into the ck wormhole that was up ahead.

    ***

    Meanwhile...

    Cor-Ellion paused as hended on the soil of his home, he looked back gritting his teeth. His face was adorned with fury, it was the angriest and the ugliest he had been since he was born.

    Since he had never had someone break through his space-time loop ever since he was born.

    He exhaled slowly getting rid of the anger and walked forward saying.

    "We will meet again human."

    Surely, he couldn''t wait to destroy his hope once again.

    ***

    Absalom''s eyes widened and he shot up from his sleep¨Chowever, immediately a jolt of pain permeated his whole body and made him shout.

    "Absalom!" Ryou yelled as he barged in upon hearing Absalom''s scream.

    Where they could be likened to a medieval-era inn that was ruled by eternal darkness.

    "Raith, Raith, he''s here." He said panting.

    Kaiser who had also entered heard him clearly, he stormed out of the ce looking for where Raith might be. But there was nothing he could find.

    The ce was filled with dark soldiers either in groups of one or two or, just doing normal walking in a particr direction.

    "Damnit..."

    "What is it human?" Bm asked, just arriving at the inn after he had finished helping with the rescue of humans in Therut.

    "Absalom, he said hunter Raven is here?" Kaiser threw the demon a second nce, btedly wondering if Bm knew he was talking about Raith. "Raith." He added.

    Bm''s eyes narrowed and he shot into the sky, Kaiser followed immediately.

    The two of them arrived at a temple that was heavily guarded by the best of the death soldiers and wyverns.

    Thud

    Thud

    Thud

    Crimson, Antares and Jarvis arrived too and stormed into the golden temple but they were not allowed.

    The soldiers looked at Bm and looked at each other, btedly realizing the guy that fought Raith but paid allegiance to him they stepped away from the road but still stopped Kaiser from entering.

 Chapter 246 Seeking For Help

    ?

    It has been fifteen days since Raith, Kaiser, Ryou, and Absalom have been missing all the countries involved were trying their best to do something about it.

    Since the gate that they all went through had closed there was nothing they all could do except wait¨Cfifteen days of waiting had been tiring and Mok Jae-Hwa had been pressuring his father with pleas to do something about this situation or they might lose their only catastrophe rank hunter.

    This led the chairman of the South Korean Hunter Association to take this big step.

    He was standing in front of a pavilion. It was the dwelling ce of the great master, one of the very few hunters in this world that were not able to get their power ranked. And the strongest hunter in China, and although he is retired his strength is still not to be underestimated.

    "You can enter, the master is ready to receive you." The Chinese man that came out of the entrance said to Chairman Mok Jun-Seo who had been waiting outside for approval to go inside.

    He sighed and nodded, then entered. Once he entered, space seemed to transverse and the next ce he found himself was the first floor of the pagoda where the master was.

    The man was sitting behind a translucent curtain with his legs crossed and sipping a hot Longjing green tea. He sighed after finishing another sip.

    "You are here Jun-Seo, again..."

    "I apologize master. I know you have probably heard about the disappearance of a few hunters in¡ª

    "Isn''t this about that same guy you asked me to save from Turner?" The man cut him before he finished talking.

    "Yes sir." He responded humbly.

    "Then stop making it sound as if this is for the good of everyone. Hmm, you do know you can''t keep babysitting him forever even if he is one with potential."

    "Yes, master. This will be thest time." Chairman Mok Jun-Seo said, bowing his head. "Please help us again."

    "How can my humble student ask me a favor and I not help? I will help."

    "Except that he is not your only student..."

    Mok Jun-Seo frowned as he heard the voice, he didn''t need to turn his head to know who had just entered the room. He is after all his long-time rival whom they trained under the same master together.

    "Why are you here Alec? I let you in because I thought it wouldn''t be a bad idea for a reunion for you both. But now, you areing in with all that hostility. Did you forget your ce?"

    The big physique man with a blond beard and wavy hair went on his knee just like Chairman Mok Jun-Seo and bowed his head.

    "I apologize master"

    "Hmm, well. It pains me to see you both drift apart so widely, you were always so close to one another, watching each other''s back and you both were my joy. But you both formed and founded an association of hunters each for your country. Has service to your country drifted you apart?"

    "You can say that to him since he is the one who keeps getting greedy and enticing all Korean hunters with wealth and women."

    "Is it my fault you all can''t keep what is yours? It is also not my fault all your hunters love money and women with big ass which is quite rare in your country." Chairman Alec Whitman responded with a nasty grin.

    Mok Jun-Seo frowned and was almost about to release his aura but thought twice about it and kowtowed back to the man sitting in front of the two of them.

    "I apologize for my rash attitude great master"

    The man sighed and looked over to Alec Whitman.

    "What?" He shrugged, "I didn''t do anything,"

    The man shook his head, "You both are over fifty with children and still behave like kids. Why are you here Alexander"

    "Master, you have been rendering too much help to Jun-Seo, this is bing unfair."

    "Unfair? How? Did youe to ask for a favor and I didn''t help?"

    "No, not that but I have onlye to ask once. But he keeps running to you like a baby every single time he is facing a little crisis,"

    "At least he knows his way home even if it is when he needs me. I can''t remember thest time you came here. What is the point you are trying to make Alexander? Is this about that hunter? What is his name again... Turner?"

    "Not particrly."

    "Or you n to stop me from helping me because you think this is a perfect opportunity to rid him of his catastrophe-ranked hunter."

    Alec Whitman clenched his fist and bowed his head, ''...shit, I forgot this old man can see through almost everything.''

    "Really? That is what you wanted to do?!!" Mok Jun-Seo yelled out of anger but quickly calmed himself.

    "I am sorry master." He apologized.

    "If that is what you want to do, then tell me how you n to do it. You must have a n to entice me with something that will be irresistible to me. So, speak." The old man said.

    "Thank you so much, master. There is something that should keep you busy rather than helping Jun-Seo." Alec Whitman said.

    "And what will that be?" The old man slowly inquired.

    "Master, we know you have searched far and wide for the cure to the only one thing that you have never been able to defeat."

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo squinted his eyes in confusion.

    "And what might that be?"

    "The cure to mortality."

    Simultaneously, Chairman Mok Jun-Seo and the old man''s eyes widened. But in the next second, Mok Jun-Seo was the only one in the room¡ªboth the old man and Alec Whitman were gone.

    "What are you saying?"

    Alec smirked as he saw that the room they were in had changed, ''he transferred me to another space.''

    "The Phoenix feather that can grant immortality...I knew you were desperately searching for material like that."

    The man narrowed his eyes, "I don''t know how you found out but that was only a myth and I had long given up on finding it." He responded, putting his hands behind his back and looking away.

    "Really? I guess I don''t need to give it after its gate is cleared then." Chairman Alec Whitman said pouting his mouth to the side, stealing a nce at the old man with one eye.

    "It''s gate? What gate?!!"

 Chapter 247 OYO (On Your Own)

    ?

    Li Mingwu lived the best of life, he had everything within his reach and was the strongest of all at the peak, even the other two unranked were not as strong as he was, although together they could pose a threat.

    But there was one thing that Li Mingwu could not beat. It was old age. With the ''eyes of god'' on his forehead he could be at multiple ces at once, he could see multiple ces at once, or even transverse space as he deemed fit. Thus making his powers one of the best but the older he got the more he couldn''t draw out the power.

    Even in his prime, he always felt he had never been able to draw out the true potential of this ability and all he had been using were just crumbspared to what might be the real thing so Li Mingwu had been studying and looking for a way to reach the deepness of his power. However, that study took years, it took time and time was the only thing he didn''t have.

    As he grew older, he got weaker and couldn''t draw out the little he used to even draw out during his peak. The capability to which he can use his power decreased every day as time passes, then he happened to hear of an item that can grant immortality during his travels.

    Li Mingwu first thought about it then, how much time will be in his hands to reach the full extent of his power if he can gain immortality and then began to search for this item: The Feather Of The Blue Phoenix.

    They say it''s a thing that has appeared before during the first disaster when monsters started arriving on earth and were ranked one of the highest ranks of gates and that rumors say the Phoenix had an offspring. This caused Li Mingwu to aggressively start clearing gates, in search of where this monster could be and to find out more information.

    The gates cleared in that particr year went up by 300%. But he found nothing, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t gain additional information to what he already had and as time went on, he gave up.

    But right now, a man was telling him that it was real, there is a Phoenix feather capable of granting immortality?!

    "What gate is it?" Li Mingwu pressed.

    "A new gate that just emerged in Texas, it''s a catastrophe rank gate. I sent scouts, but only one came out, half dead. He reported of a blue Pheonix."

    "A blue pheonix?" The man''s eyes widened, ''just like it was said, a blue phoenix!''

    "Yes, after I heard about it I went there to confirm it myself."

    "And what did you find?"

    "Just as the scout said, a blue Pheonix."

    The man narrowed his eyes, "I am sure it would have been easier for you to bring me the feather instead of telling me about the gate."

    "I tried Master, the Pheonix was no match for me. I have not been around for the past few months because I was heavily injured from my fight with it. I don''t think there is anyone apart from someone of your caliber that can clear that gate."

    The man sighed and slowly walked away from Alec, sitting on the long couch that was in front of him.

    "What about that child? Turner."

    "Turner is a guild master, he won''t listen to me and make me owe him. Owing Turner right now is a luxury I can''t afford."

    Li Mingwu closes his eyes for a moment and opened them.

    "This is truly a tempting offer. Why do you want it at the expense of me not rendering Jun-Seo any help."

    "Because as you said. I want his Catastrophe rank hunter."

    "You have hunters stronger than him, why does he bother you so much?"

    "Based on the info I have about him. He seems to be a summoner ss hunter."

    "So?"

    "Summoner ss often rely on their summon for both offense and defense. However, did you see his fight with Turner? With such physical capabilities, it makes no sense that he is a summoner ss."

    "You are right. So, you are scared of the potential he carries. If you won''t have him, you''d rather not let anyone have him. Quite selfish."

    Alec bowed his head as Li Mingwu spoke.

    "Do you not know that you are not fighting amidst yourself but with monsters?" Li Mingwu asked with a sad countenance.

    "Master, you have a decision to make." Alec frowned his face beneath his bowed head.

    He knew Li Mingwu would not do anything like he normally would. Because the man desired that item more than anything in the world.

    He had to carefully prepare for this moment, he had never even discussed it with anyone, because he had to be very careful of Li Mingwu''s irvoyance and he had been searching for the perfect time to execute a n like this.

    And as if the universe was begging for it, Raith and a few hunters disappeared, that moment he knew that Mok Jun-Seo would go to Li Mingwu to seek his help and if he intercepted right there intending to do it so that Li Mingwu would not help Mok Jun-Seo, it would seem so natural that Li Mingwu would not suspect anything.

    And by doing this, he would be killing two birds with one stone. He would block all Mok Jun-Seo''s route of helping Raith and getting rid of the old man who had been the reason he has always held back on several domination projects that America is ready to embark on.

    ''Yes, make a decision... this is something you won''t be able to refuse. So do quick and make a decision.''

    "Why though?" The old man cocked his head.

    "Huh?" Alec Whitman stuttered, hoping he had not been found out.

    "Why did you wait this long to tell me about it?"

    "I have been hospitalized after engaging the monster and got saved by my assistant. I''m still not in the state to go into a fight" He said opening the buttons of his shirt to reveal the bandage around his body. "Plus I know how important gainful bargains are to you. It is after all from you that I learned how to bargain."

    The man closed his eyes and sighed.

    "Fine, I guess Jun-Seo will have to fend for himself this time."

 Chapter 248 The Black Gate

    ?

    "He didn''t help me."

    "What? He didn''t?!!" Mok Jae-Hwa was as shocked as everyone in the parlor.

    He and his guild members had followed Mok Jun-Seo to show him how serious they were. They literally pressured him with pleas from Korea to China and even stayed in the same hotel with him, although in different rooms.

    They couldn''t believe that the old man refused to help. Especially Mok Jae-Hwa who knew very well that this man was his father''s master and is like a grandfather to him. He would dly help any time.

    Mok Jun-Seo sank into his couch, touching his head.

    "Even if he did agree to help. I doubt if there''s anything he would have been able to do. It''s not like the master himself can open a gate that is already closed." He said and sighed.

    "Let''s return to Korea. We will find a way to help hunter Raven and let us trust in the ability of our hunter. I for one don''t think this will be the end."

    Mok Jae-Hwa bowed his head, "Of course, I know. I just want to see him. I have a lot to say to him and I was too busy with Sung Min''s burial that I didn''t pay him any attention when he told me he wanted to go to Germany. Although I me you for that part." Mok Jae-Hwa red at his father.

    "Why???"

    "You could have told Kaiser to wait till the burial was done. Isn''t that what was sensible to do?"

    "Well, people were dying? You wanted me to wait for a dead person to be paid honor to, even if that waiting is causing the death of hundreds more? How selfish."

    Mok Jae-Hwa frowned and looked away, "I''m sorry."

    "It''s fine. Let''s just go home." The chairman said, grabbed his coat, and walked out of the room.

    The rest followed suit, with Shin patting Jae-Hwa as they walked out.

    On getting to the airport, Mok Jun-Seo encountered someone he was hoping he wouldn''t even run into.

    "Ho ho ho!! If it isn''t my great rival! How did it feel being turned down by the great master."

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo frowned as he replied Alec Whitman. "More than that, I am worried about what you told Master, remember he is a man that you cannot fool and no matter the cards you are ying, he will always catch you."

    "Fool? Why will I fool my master? I am only looking out for his best interest unlike someone else who is too self-conceited to care about what our master needs."

    Chairman Mok Jun-Seo closed his eyes, taking in all the anger and hiding it behind his indifferent expression.

    "I really do hope you are being sincere." He said and walked past.

    "Heyyy, is that Mok Jae-Hwa? You shoulde to America sometime. I tell you there are nice babes there. Hell, you could even hook up with my daughter." He said tapping Mok Jae-Hwa but immediately jumped a step back as he felt a cold sinister touch on his wrist.

    "Take your dirty hand off my man." Shin-Hye dered with a cold re as they walked past the man.

    Just then suddenly an agent ran and met the chairman giving him the phone, he was out of breath and his face was in a state of panic.

    "What? What is it?" The panicking face the agent had caused Chairman Mok Jun-Seo to be very worried that he lost hisposure.

    "Hello, Chairman?"

    "Yes, Hyun Shik? What is it?! What is going on?" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo responded aggravatedly upon collecting the phone.

    "It''s a ck gate, sir."

    "A ck gate?" Chairman Mok Jun-Seo repeated.

    "Yes, although nothing ising out of it yet. But I suggest that we will need the strongest of strongest hunters to be here."

    "Then send a message to all hunters starting from B rank, I don''t care whatever the content will be or how you will make them gather, we cannot afford another lose at this point."

    "Yes sir!!"

    "I will be around soon!" He hung up.

    "Father, what is the matter?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked, walking closer to his father.

    "We have to go back as soon as we can. There''s a ck gate in front of the hunter''s association building."

    "What? A ck gate. Isn''t the video of the gate in India that we saw ck?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked.

    "That is the only time I have ever heard of a ck gate. If it is the same rank as the gate. I can''t fathom the amount of damage that South Korea will take, the least we can do is try to protect everyone and for that, we need all hands on deck."

    "Shit. Why is this happening to us now of all times?! It''s as though there''s a force that just wants us to fall." Mok Jae-Hwained as they climbed into their ne.

    "Hmmm... howe I have never heard of that youngdy?" Alec Whitman said stroking his beard.

    "She is a hunter well known for modeling for several brands." The youngdy, behind him reported.

    "Hmm, I see... she has a nice smell though."

    "That is because she uses an artifact, because of the nature of her powers which makes her an undead, she gives off an offensive and irritating smell. God knows how her boyfriend is coping." Shemented.

    "Oh no, Susie that is rude."

    "My apologies sir." Thedy bowed her head, adjusting her small spectacles, she was dressed as a flight attendant but holding a file to her chest.

    "By the way. Find out what is going on in South Korea for me."

    "There seems to be a gate emergence and it''s a ck gate, almost like the one in India." She replied immediately to hismand and gave him the phone to see for himself.

    Alec Whitman was busy for the next few minutes checking the news, then the corner of his lips slowly curved up.

    "So, they are going to be so dead uh?" He said and threw the phone as he walked away.

    The youngdy caught up to him quickly after catching the phone.

    ***

    "This is quite ufortable, but since the association offered a billion won. I had toe since they seem to be in desperate need of help" Hunter Lee Se-Chul said, smiling at the female hunter next to him.

    "I thought it was only me. I guess the hunter''s association must be in desperate need of help." Thedy responded, ignoring Lee Se-Chul''s unchanging gestures to impress her.

    Every hunter starting from B rank to S rank and even disaster rank was beginning to gather in front of the ck gate as the association has called them.

    After a few hours of waiting, the gate finally began to crack open and as it did, the hunters prepared themselves for what was about toe out of it.

    "Huh?" Lee Se-Chul was confused.

    "Aren''t those humans?"

 Chapter 249 Welcome Hero

    ?

    Humans, in their thousands, began to pour out of the ck gate.

    Are they dangerous?

    Are they going to attack us?

    Where are they from?

    How are humansing from gates?

    Different kinds of questions ran around the crowd of hunters that were waiting to fight monsters but got humans instead. How were they supposed to raise their weapons against people that looked just like them, although their attires were very different but not too far-fetched?

    Finally, someone they recognized came out and made it to the front, it was Kaiser and Ryou. The two hunters had been reported missing after the gate in Germany closed.

    Agent Jong-Su along with other agents including director Hyun Shik ran forward as fast as they could.

    "Hunter Kaiser!" Director Hyun Shik showed up as he got closer to Kaiser and Ryou.

    Kaiser approached him also.

    "How? How is this possible? How are youing out of the gate? Who are these people?" Even though there was a lot more question raging inside of him, Director Hyun Shik managed to ask the immediate ones.

    Kaiser looked around and looked at the director, "It''s a long story. But I hope you believe in the existence of other worlds. Or else this will be so hard for you to ept."

    "Where is Hunter Raven?" Agent Jong-Su asked.

    Kaiser looked back with a smile, "Our hero ugh, he should being out any moment."

    Both Director Hyun Shik and Agent Jong-Su''s eyes traced the same path that Kaiser''s eyes followed, all of them were looked back at the entrance of the ck gate.

    Soon, a red-haired man supported by another red-haired came out of the gate, one was dark skinned was light-skinned. Then followed by a beautiful red eyesdy with blond hair, then a guy with a straight face and ck hair, then another man with a big physique, almost looking like a lion with his red hair and beards all joined together.

    A red-haired, boy in Armour and bruised face supported by other soldiers in armor too came out, and several other intimidating and fine individuals including elves of various kinds, Draear and his people too.

    The crowd was endless and they were already getting tired of waiting for Raith in anticipation¡ªjust then a tall guy, covered with ck nkets because his shirt had torn and his trouser was ripped and almost torn off walked out of the gate.

    Raith had been caused to wake due to the noise of Antares and the others and the presence of the humans in the abyss. It was a very wrong decision to make, he scolded them about it but understood that they needed to save everyone.

    As a matter of fact, he was d they were able to make such a call on their own without him having tomand them. But the presence of humans in his domain of power was very disturbing so he had to find a way to get rid of them quickly and the only option was bringing them to earth.

    The abyss could easily open up a portal to South Korea and they would leave the Necropolis world as fast as possible. After opening up the gate, Raith made sure to personally see to it that everyone left.

    Even though he was very tired, he still supervised the whole process and came outst.

    The refreshing and gentle kiss of South Korean wind on his skin was heavenly, he paused and looked up.

    "Oh, shit... I have missed this so much."

    As he decided to take another step forward, his eyes got dizzy and he cked out immediately falling¡ª

    ¡ªbut into Mok Jae-Hwa''s arms.

    "Wee back. Hero"

    ***

    A few months passed and every channel of news discharge was filled with the news that has happened¡ªpeople pouring out of the ck gate.

    And more attention was paid to the people than whatever had transpired, people''s opinions quickly began to differ.

    "With this many people, how is South Korea going to manage."

    "Aren''t they going to go into bankruptcy?"

    "Shouldn''t the person who brought them be responsible for them"

    "Are they hunters too? Do they have power like us?"

    "If they have powers does this mean that South Korea will have more numbers of hunters than any country in the entire world?"

    More than the opinions of different news outlets from different countries what was more bothering was dealing with the country''s government.

    "Chairman Mok Jun-Seo, do you take us for a joke?! We have been requesting you for the past two months. Do something about these people and yet you have decided to do nothing!!" The prime minister yelled, spitting in the process.

    "What do I do? We aren''t even using the country''s money to take care of these people. We have created a temporary shelter for them out of Hunter Raven''s properties, this is because you insisted that Hunter Raith should take responsibility knowing fully well that he has been unconscious for the past two months."

    "And what do you expect me to do uh? Chairman Mok? The people are talking, other countries are being hostile to us, especially America because they think these people will be absorbed into us."

    "Aren''t you being too small-minded now Prime Minister?"

    "Mok Jun-Seo,I hope you still know who you are talking to." The man warned.

    "Of course, my rage caused me to talk out of ce. I apologize but if these people do get absorbed into us and are hunters doesn''t that mean Korea will have more ratio of hunters than the rest of the world."

    "And are you sure those ratios of hunters won''t end up going to other countries because we don''t have the resources to keep them? Is that not the reason why even Korean hunters left their country to go serve another country." The prime minister yelled at Mok Jun-Seo.

    The man sighed and licked his lip, a raging habit he hadn''t been able to let go of.

    "Chairman Mok Jun-Seo, do something about this, or the parliament would have to deliberate on excusing you from your position"

    Mok Jun-Seo frowned, "What?"

    "Yes. Those are the president''s words, not mine. And you know when that man is serious, he always does as he intends." The prime Minister said, giving him a nod.

    "Happy bted Christmas, Mok Jun-Seo."

 Chapter 250 Sacrifices

    ?

    Firstly at the beginning of thest month of the year, glimmers of lights begin to appear, casting a warm glow across the streets and alleyways, signaling the arrival of Christmas.

    Though traditionally a holiday rooted in Christianity, Christmas in South Korea has evolved into a captivating blend of festive customs, ancient traditions, and modern ir, captivating the hearts of Koreans young and old.

    As December started and went on, the excitement builds, and families eagerly await the moment they can decorate their homes and streets with brilliant disys of lights and colorful ornaments. In every neighborhood, glistening Christmas trees stand tall, adorned with twinkling lights and delicate trinkets.

    From traditional wooden ornaments passed down through generations to whimsical modern designs, each decoration told a story, a representation of the joyous season.

    On Christmas Eve, a delightful tradition took center stage: couples and friends flock to the city''s romantic spots to celebrate "Pepero Day." Inspired by the slender Pepero cookie sticks, this day encourages the exchange of these delectable treats as a symbol of affection and friendship.

    It was indeed a heartwarming prelude to the main event, bringing people closer together in the spirit of love and giving.

    In the heart of Seoul, the iconic Namdaemun Market transforms into a Christmas paradise. Street vendors peddle an array of festive delights, from delectable pastries like hotteok (sweet pancakes) and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) to intricate Christmas crafts and trinkets. As the aroma of traditional Korean dishes mingled with the scent of fresh pine, the market became a mesmerizing amalgamation of cultural heritage and Yuletide joy.

    One of the most enchanting aspects of Christmas in South Korea is the way it intertwines with traditional Korean customs, particrly with the celebration of Dongji, the winter solstice. Dongji, also known as Donsol, falls on or around December 22nd, and it marks the year''s longest night.

    Families came together to enjoy hearty meals and exchange stories of the past year.

    They also observed the tradition of eating red bean porridge called "patjuk," a dish with symbolic significance as it is believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck for theing year.

    On Christmas Day, churches across the country resounded with the joyous sounds of hymns and carols, with beautifully decorated nativity scenes at their hearts.

    While some Koreans attended church services to celebrate the religious aspects of Christmas, others embraced the holiday as a time for festivities, gift-giving, and quality time with loved ones.

    As night falls on Christmas Day, the cityscape dazzled with a dazzling disy of lights.

    Different cities in the country boasted numerous enchanting light festivals, such as the Garden of Morning Calm Lighting Festival and the Seoul Christmas Festival, drawing thousands of visitors from near and far.

    The sight of the illuminatedndscapes and the atmosphere of merriment created a heartwarming experience, kindling the spirit of Christmas in the hearts of everyone who gazes upon them.

    In the weeks leading up to the new year, the holiday season culminates in the celebration of Seol, the Korean Lunar New Year.

    Families gather once again, this time to honor their ancestors and share a traditional meal called "tteokguk," a vorful rice cake soup.

    The festivities continued with games, activities, and, of course, more gifts exchanged among loved ones.

    As the winter season draws to a close the holiday season bes a harmonious symphony of culture, customs, and camaraderie. An enchanting air that left asting impression on the hearts of people, fostering a sense of togetherness, love, and renewal that transcends religious and cultural boundaries, reminding everyone of the true essence of this joyous time of year.

    And yet in all these moments, the one thing that was truly missed was Raith''s presence. Three months had passed, it was in the middle of January and Raith was still unconscious.

    The parliament had proceeded with a process to dismiss Chairman Mok Jun-Seo from office, and should he resist it, the Korean Hunters Association would be disbanded and a new governmental organization would be created to oversee the activities of the hunters and gates.

    All efforts to fight them had proved futile and there was nothing Mok Jun-Seo could do about the people. He continued to protect them from the Korean government, even though it was at the expense of his job.

    But even that too would notst, even if Mok Jun-Seo protected them from the people. He wouldn''t be able to protect them from starvation. He had spent every dime of his, including Mok Jae-Hwa and the Rain guild resources. They have spent every dime they had to fend for approximately sixty-seven thousand adults, plus children they were eighty-two approximately.

    A lot of lives were lost in the disaster, some did not make it into the Necropolis world. Therut''s poption had pummeled.

    All that was left was all of them waiting desperately for Raith to wake up.

    "If Raith does not wake up, we might not be able to protect them again." Mok Jun-Seo said. "The new Chairman of the association threatened to release an assault team made of hunters on all of them if they evacuate the country in twenty-one days." He added.

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked at his father with prominent lines between his brows.

    "What? What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

    He lowered his gaze, "I know how much you love the association. It is your sweat and blood, everything you have ever invested is in that ce. Still to let it go so easily for these people."

    Mok Jun-Seo giggled, "What the hell, you are not sounding like my son."

    "I''m serious. Are you just going to make a joke out of everything, in an attempt to mask your own feelings and pain?" Mok Jae-Hwa frowned.

    "Brat, stop worrying about me. I am your father, I should be the one worrying about you. Isn''t your guild suffering some bacsh because of the decision you made?"

    "It is nothing, we just had to dyunching the equipment market. But Hyungnim said it is nothing, with his new abilities he wanted more time to make even more impressive equipments."

    "That is true, I did hear his skills are now even beingpared to Iron Fist who emerged as the greatest cksmith."

    "Hyungnim is probably better, he said he is hiding the majority of his abilities from the other cksmiths. He doesn''t want to y by all his cards."

    "Quite wise of him."

    The two of them got silent and watched through the window as the elven children yed with human children of Theruts.

    "At first," Mok Jun-Seo started, "I was protecting these people for Hunter Raven''s sake. I wondered that if he went through so much pain to bring these people here, he would be very devastated to see them scattered across the world. So, I tried to keep them here in the estate he bought before going to the gate. But now I''ve grown fond of them... the unity that hase to y amongst them, I have this passion to want to protect it."

    "I can rte with that I guess. They are truly amazing people."

    m!!

    The door swung open and Agent Jong-Su but in a more casual outfit that wasn''t a ck suit shot in shouting:

    "Chairman!! Hunter Raven is awake!!!"

 Chapter 251 Im Only Human

    ?

    Everyone gathered around him both unknowns and knowns and they all watched him with passionate eyes as he drank as he was made to drink a lot of water, administered by Min-Ho who for some reason seemed more mature, he was even growing a mustache.

    Raith looked at him suspiciously, by his facial and physical appearance he could tell that this is the Min-Ho but his calm behavior even when he expressed his joy as Raith woke up was somewhat unsettling.

    It made Raith question what happened.

    "How long have I been asleep?"

    "Three months." Mok Jae-Hwa responded as if waiting to be asked.

    "Three months?" Raith''s eyes widened.

    How in the world could he be asleep for three months? He knew that sleep was required due to the reconstruction and for a lot of internal and mental reprocessing to beplete and he waspletely exhausted, a long rest was inevitable. But this long was not expected at all.

    Raith covered his mouth in shock as he tried to make sense of this situation. He looked at the people in his bedroom and could see some familiar faces who should not be here, someone like Amber Rose who was looking at him with sorrowful eyes, a few other people, a guy with white and ck hair and pointed ears.

    "Okay, I must ask, what is going on here? What have I missed?"

    "A lot..." Mok Jae-Hwa turned to the others, "Please I''d like to have the room with Hunter Raven." He said.

    Mumblings permeated the little crowd as they all turned back and went outside, they were all disappointed to be sent out¨Cthey wish they could have a longer look at their hero.

    Now it was remaining Mok Jae-Hwa, Min-Ho, and Raith.

    "Hyuuuunnnngggggniiimmmmm!!" Min-Ho shouted leaping on Raith and rubbing his cheek on his leg while sobbing and gasping with only the word ''hyuuunngggnim''

    Raith finally understood that the reason why Min-Ho was soposed was because of the people around him and perhaps because he was the doctor. Still, he was curious about what happened.

    He turned to Mok Jae-Hwa with one brow raised.

    "Don''t look at me like that, I will exin everything."

    "Alright?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa began a lengthy exnation of all that had happened while Raith was unconscious.

    And when he was done, Raith sighed.

    "So, let me get this straight. After the people came to South Korea, you all sheltered them on mynd, used goir resources to feed them for three months, and protected them from the government and other countries at the cost of your welfare, rtionships, and for the Chairman, his position as the chairman of the Korean Hunters Association."

    "Yes." Mok Jae-Hwa nodded.

    "And you thought you did it for me?" Raith asked pointing his finger at his chest with an unbelieving expression.

    "Yes of course, why else will we go through such lengths if not to protect what is yours?"

    "Bro you must be high... because clearly you don''t know me. See when I brought those people I had no n in mind, I didn''t care if they get scattered to different countries and all. I just needed somewhere for them to be. They aren''t kids, whether it is their world or this world, there is little to no difference. These people were supposed to fend for themselves man, why would you go through such lengths and at the expense of so much sacrifice."

    Mok Jae-Hwa paused, he was shocked, now that Raith was saying this his words were almost making sense, but he couldn''t help but feel that Raith''s voice was hinged on some kind of frustration and anger.

    Mok Jae-Hwa narrowed his eyes, "Raven Raith what are you saying? These people were broken when they first came here. I got the details from them and Hunter Kaiser, they lost an entire world. They lost their powers, they lost the ones they revered as gods. They lost everything."

    "And you think I didn''t lose everything when I first came here too?"

    "And you had Min-Ho to take care of you."

    Raith kept quiet with a frown, looking down as if he didn''t have any more to say.

    "I know where this ising from..." Mok Jae-Hwa said lifting his chin. "...isn''t Therut your world. The world that did not ept you. You are angry that we epted them and sacrificed so much for the people that neglected you and cast you away."

    "Yes! Yes!! I am angry Jae-Hwa! I am angry because every time, everyone wants to save them, even my soldiers damnitt!! I want to leave them to rot! All of them, I want to watch them suffer and ask them ''Did you regret casting me away? Thinking less of me?'' I want to ruin their lives!!!!" Raith shouted at the top of his voice, the cords on his neck and temple bing rigid.

    .

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes widened, for the first time since meeting Raith, he had never seen him express so much agony. Did the feeling of being left out and neglected by others hurt so much? Mok Jae-Hwa couldn''t rte because he had never been in that situation.

    He grew up as the only son of a happy family, even when his mother died, he didn''t miss it too much because he had his father around. So it''d be a lie if he said he could empathize with Raith''s pain.

    But for the first time, he saw Raith act human and that was enough to remind him that this guy right here is not perfect, he has never been.

    Mok Jae-Hwa smiled and lowered his head.

    "I''m sorry, I didn''t know you were going through so much."

    Raith frowned his face, Mok Jae-Hwa''s sudden submission was offsetting, he didn''t exactly know how to react to that and he couldn''t continue to vex after he apologized, he turned his face away.

    "I will ept any decision you make but I know that you too are capable of forgiveness." Mok Jae-Hwa said.

    Raith closed his eyes and sighed. "There''s no need. You all have sacrificed so much for them, I can''t let them be on their own. We have to find a shelter for them, somewhere they will be able to make their own." Raith stated to Mok Jae-Hwa and stood up.

    "And make no mistake, I am not doing this for them. I am doing this because you guys lost way too much. Especially Chairman Mok Jun-Seo."

    "Yea yea, sure sure." Mok Jae-Hwa responded and smiled.

    "Whew! Can Ie out now?"

    They both turned their eyes to Min-Ho who was hiding behind the bed, the pressure was so heavy a moment ago, there was nothing he could have done but just stay silently like he wasn''t in the room.

    "Still what happened to this guy though," Raith asked shaking his head.

    "Being responsible for the lives and welfare of so many people must have grown him. He even grew a mustache in three months." Mok Jae-Hwamented, chuckling.

 Chapter 252 The Shelter

    ?

    Before Raith had gone into the ant gate after he had received his money for raiding the gate that killed Sung Min. He had ced an order for a house through Mok Jae-Hwa.

    Mok Jae-Hwa spent. 12.3 billion dors procuring Raith the best of the estate. Nestled deep amidst rolling hills and majestic mountains, with a singlerge house sitting in the middle, but right now, the wide expanse of greennd was bustling and juggling with people, and was being used as a shelter that sprawled across thendscape like a self-contained city.

    A patchwork of improvised structures and tents woven together with hope and determination formed abyrinthinework, creating a tapestry of humanity against the backdrop of nature''s beauty. The architecture was a proof of resourcefulness, blending modern innovation with the ancient wisdom of Therut, these people used anything they could find to build a semnce of home.

    Raith and Mok Jae-Hwa slowly walked around while Mok Jae-Hwa exined and pointed out things to him. The atmosphere inside the shelter was a symphony of emotions.

    Laughter echoed through the air, serving as a reminder that even in the darkest times, joy could still blossom. The way adults and children greeted Raith each time was amazing, some even came bearing gifts.

    A child walked up to him with a wrapped box. He looked down, so shy and trembling but he managed to stretch the box to Raith.

    "Chris... Christmas" he said shakily.

    His mother then backed him up, "He kept a Christmas present for you sir" the woman added with a smile, patting the head of her young boy.

    Raith didn''t know how to respond to this, he was dumbfounded until Mok Jae-Hwa pped his back.

    "ept it!"

    "Ah, of course. Thank you" Raith said as he collected the box from the child and rubbed his hair, smiling. "Thank you so much, what''s your name?"

    "Wilhelm," the young boy responded.

    "Okay, Wilhelm. I guess I will see you around." Raith said and nodded at his mother.

    The young boy''s eyes widened with a blush evident on his cheek.

    "Waaaahhhh, he said my name." He shouted as he ran away to meet his friends. His mother was filled with so much joy. She bowed as Raith and Mok Jae-Hwa continued the tour.

    "I don''t know how to respond to this level of respect. I''m not used to it." Raith said, pocketing his hands and looking at the way people would stop what they were doing to bow st him.

    "You are their hero. Their one true hero." Mok Jae-Hwa said.

    "Eww, that irks me."

    Upon entering the shelter, Raith was shocked to find a bustling marketce at its heart, where people traded goods and services, and the vibrant colors of diverse cultures merged. Fragrances of exotic spices and vors from all corners of the world wafted through the air, creating an intoxicating mnge of scents, they were all things that have been brought from Therut and even though the inhabitants of the earth were sought of angry at their presence in Korea, a lot of humans were allowed to mix with them, trade and converse, but under strict surveince.

    Mok Jae-Hwa took Raith further, where he now began to see the myriad of sections within the shelter, each organized by a particr group of survivors. The dormitories carved out from thend and covered with earthy tones, housed families and individuals alike.

    "Wow, you guys did amazing work with this ce." Raithplimented.

    "You are right, but it won''tst. The new Chairman has given us an ultimatum of twenty-one days to get them out of South Korea or else he will send an assault team. And before you talk, don''t even say you are just going to fight them and defeat them. That is uneptable, we have to find permanent help for these people, not one that will furtherly jeopardize their eptance."

    Raithzily looked at Mok Jae-Hwa as he finished talking. "That''s a hassle, we can just go to war with South Korea, ill defeat them and then you or your father can be the president. How''s that?"

    "No Hunter Raven, no. We are not going to go to war." Mok Jae-Hwa refused.

    "Are you sure, I have the army and the power? I alone could single-handedly do it." Raith pressed further looking at Mok Jae-Hwa whose eyes had lost focus, he was seriously considering it. It was a tempting offer.

    "N...No, no. We are not doing that. We are not going to war. We should look for another solution."

    Raith looked at him with a broad smile, a smile that sat beautifully on his face, changing Raith''s aura for a moment.

    "My lord..." Someone approached him from behind, speaking slowly and bowing his head.

    Raith turned to see. It was a red-haired guy with dark skin, bright red eyes, and shark teeth. He was looking at Raith too enthusiastically.

    "Sorry, who... are you?" Raith asked squinting his eyes.

    Raith''s question stabbed right into the heart of the guy.

    "My lord. You remember me not? It is I, your great servant Bm."

    "Ahhh!! The guy I fought in Therut, demon king Bm!" Raith eximed as he came to sudden remembrance.

    ''Demon King?'' The word left Mok Jae-Hwa looking in confusion. He has known this guy since they came to South Korea, in fact, he was one of the most resourceful guys that helped out a lot but no one ever mentioned anything about demon king.

    "My lord please do not address me as such, I am ashamed of that identity." Bm refuted with sheepishughter.

    "Wait what do you mean?" Mok Jae-Hwa inquired with the ''I want to know'' kind of eyes.

    "Oh, Bm here is a demon that was summoned to Therut and I happen to defeat and he pledged allegiance to me," Raith exined.

    It was still hard for Mok Jae-Hwa toprehend what was happening but given the recent happenings due to the stories he had heard from the people. He guessed this was rather not far-fetched.

    But still, for a demon to pledge allegiance to Raith. It was a big deal for Mok Jae-Hwa, not just Mok Jae-Hwa but any other human who would have heard of this feat. Demons were a part of folklore, myths, legends, and superstitions that had existed even before humans started getting powers and bing hunters.

    To say an entity like that serves Raith.

    ''Just how amazing will this guy continue to be?'' Mok Jae-Hwa wondered.

    BOOOOOMM!!

    A loud explosion resounded very close to where they were.

 Chapter 253 Meeting With The Leaders

    ?

    Raith and Mok Jae-Hwa rushed to where the explosion and happened¡ªthe ce was swamped, people had formed clusters around whatever was going on. But Raith and Jae-Hwa managed to push through and finally got in front.

    And there the boy was, his ck hair was floating and he was bathed in a purple aura mixed with lightning sparks that streaked across his whole body.

    "Hero Raith"

    "It is Hero Raith"

    "Everything will be fine our hero is here"

    "Please save him"

    People began to mutter. The boy''s mother finally fell at Raith''s feet.

    "Please, sir. Save my son. He had beenining of being weak three days ago and all of a sudden his temperature started rising today, this happened, it was as if he exploded but when I came to check on him. He was like this." The woman exined with tears in her eyes.

    Raith walked closer to the boy who was curling on the ground, the sparks that ran through his body were causing him to suffer.

    Mok Jae-Hwa moved closer to Raith and whispered, "I think it''s an awakening."

    Raith narrowed his eyes, he didn''t know how an awakening was supposed to happen but he very much knew what it was.

    "The conditions fit a fresh awakening. They first begin to experience weakness and that is because of the vessel''s exposure to magic energy and after magic energy has permeated the whole vessel, two things happen. An explosion that causes all the acute junctures in the vessels to burst open and is now able to transport magic energy throughout the system. But if the explosion does not happen, it either causes the person never to be able to awaken or it causes what we call ''the mage slumber'' a sickness where the entire vessels will close up and the user will fall into aa, all the people that have been in this state has never woken up." Mok Jae-Hwa exined.

    "I see..." Raith carried the boy and walked out slowly, the crowd carved out a path for him as he walked forward, and were all touching his shoulder as he moved past them till he was gone.

    After getting back to gjs apartment, Raith made Min-Ho check the boy and he was confirmed to be fine.

    If this was truly an awakening then that means that there is a chance that all these people will begin to awaken as hunters. Before that happened Raith needed to do something.

    Thus he called a meeting with the people who have sacrificed so much, including leaders from countries and tribes in Therut, selected by the people to represent them.

    In the next hour, they were all seated in Raith''srge parlor¡ªa parlor that even he was just seeing for the first time and admiring.

    The meeting participant included Mok Jae-Hwa, Agent Jong-Su in Mok Jun-Seo''s stead, Min-Ho, Shin, Shin-Hye, Amber Rose, Draear, Prince Andres, Leif Ouderward, Corian, and Bm.

    Raith''s eyes scanned through all of them as they patiently waited for him to start.

    He took a deep breath in and breathed out.

    "I''m sure by now you all know what a hunter is. You know what this world is and how it works. And I also want to believe that you know that this country does not ept you all and is threatening to send you guys out by assaulting you all."

    Corian stood up and bowed his head, "I want to sincerely thank you on behalf of all the people of Faleron, we will forever offer our all in service to you."

    Draear frowned, ''This sly man! What, does he think he is the only one grateful'' Draear shot up the next minute, despite his cold and handsome gaze he repeated the same thing, with a little over the top of his voice.

    Raith looked at the top of them, ''Are theypeting or something?''

    It was evident that Draear was trying to beat Corian to it but Raith had no idea what it was that they were trying to beat each other to.

    "Okay okay, you can have your seat and you don''t need to stand up if you want to talk. Enough about what I did, I want us to put our heads together, think, ande up with a solution for you guys. If you guys want to go to other countries and mix up with them, it is very fine. I will arrange people that would enlighten you about these countries¨C

    "But wouldn''t there be discrimination?" Amber Rose cut in. Her eyes were fixated on Raith as she continued, "What do they call it again... Racism? I hear that humans hear discriminate against each other based on the color of their skin, if they do that to each other what about us who are not from their world."

    "That one there is a good point. But in the end, you guys still have to move out. All these things will end up being Societal problems that will you help you be better people."

    "Or we could build our own settlement." Prince Andres suggested, his eyes were gloomy, he had been struggling to live every day ever since his brother died at and with Therut. He was looking like a guy without purpose.

    Raith looked over to him, not even recognizing a bit of him, he had forgotten that this was the same guy he met in the ck market auction in Therut¨Cwell, Andres was wearing a mask.

    "That is a good idea actually... you guys can build for yourself whatever you want." Mok Jae-Hwa nodded to the idea.

    "Where would they seendrge enough to contain them, will these countries release them to us and if they find themselves close to one or two countries, do we know the dispute that it could cause? Aren''t you trying to avoid being discriminated against?"

    "Then they can just go somewhere so far that no country can reach." Shin nonchntly suggested but immediately got a whispering rebuke from Shin-Hye.

    "Shut up, I told you not to say anything."

    He quickly dposed himself and bowed his head, "I am sorry."

    Everybody in the room was looking at him both with disgust and nkly, Mok Jae-Hwa was especially angry¡ªShin can be very insensitive and it was giving him a tough time bringing up a kid like him in the right way.

    Raith rubbed his chin with his index finger, "No, Shin is correct. This could work."

    "Huh? What are you saying now?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked.

    All the others were focused on him too.

    "I mean, it can work that way, Min-Ho told me when I first came here that this world has seven continents and one of them is not habitable because of its climatic condition." Raith started.

    "Yes? That is Antarctica, but just as you heard. Surviving in Antarctica without proper protection is an incredibly dangerous and life-threatening situation due to the extreme cold temperatures."

    "Then we just have to get rid of the cold temperatures don''t we?"

    A wide smile spread on Raith''s face.

 Chapter 254 What Is Sorrow When It Feels Like Anger

    ?

    "Oh, oh, that is quite the wild. You want to regte the temperate in an entire, is that even possible?" Mok Jun-Seo scoffed after Raith had tabled the matter before him.

    But the nk expression on Raith''s regardless of his response informed him of Raith''s seriousness.

    "Wait, you can''t be serious."

    "I am,"

    "How in the world will you do that?"

    "I will find a way. We need to go to Antarctica." Raith said.

    Mok Jun-Seo sighed, "Man, we are so broke. There''s no way we can handle the travel expenses to Antarctica at a time like this." He told Raith shaking his head pitifully.

    "What about gold? What if we sell a lot of gold?" Raith suggested.

    "Well, I guess that could work but where are we supposed to see gold?" Mok Jun-Seo worried.

    Raith closed his eyes and snapped his finger. Immediately two random foot soldiers of his rose from the shadows holding a veryrge box each.

    They dropped it and stared at their master with amazement as they returned.

    Mok Jun-Seo squinted his eyes at the boxes sitting on the ground. He slowly leaned forward on his seat and looked at Raith onest time before opening it.

    His eyes widened a golden glow filled his face.

    "No way! How did you have so much?!" Mok Jun-Seo was shocked.

    Raith chuckled and hid the fact that this was not even up to one percent of what he had. These were all treasures that he had gotten from the Golden temple after defeating Kortopi when he was still a dungeon boss, the golem dungeon boss.

    "With this... it should be possible. I will reach out to my contacts and get back to you. Oh, my my, you should have mentioned that you have so much gold like this." The man blotted anyhow, he proudly pulled to heavy gold like it was nothing and majestically walked out of the parlor.

    ''Sighs... this man didn''t even allow me to finish. As expected money will be the end of his''

    Raith had requested to see Mok Jun-Seo, not any to tell him about his ns but to also thank him properly for what he had done this far.

    And he still wanted to discuss how they could manage this people''s awakening. But Mok Jun-Seo had stormed off to appraise the gold before he got the chance to talk.

    He leaned into his chair and closed his eyes for a moment. It''s been a bit stressful since he had woken up¡ªit made him wonder what Mok Jae-Hwa and everyone else would have gone through trying to protect this person.

    His brows lowered all of a sudden.

    "The chairman told me I will be able to meet you here." A cold voice said from behind him.

    This cold voice was the reason why Raith was frowning right now. He sat upright and spoke:

    "Yes, I am here... why are you here?"

    Curtis walked to his front and slowly lowered, Raith thought he wanted to sit but the guy went on his knee. Raith''s eyes widened.

    "What are you doing?" He inquired with trembling eyes. His frown deepened.

    "I want to apologize on behalf of Father and myself."

    "On behalf of Father?" Raith''s expression became solemn, he was hoping it wasn''t what he was thinking.

    "He did not make it," Curtis said, lowering his head.

    Wrinkles formed on top of his head as he pulled his brows even tighter together, he clenched his teeth and pressed his lips together, despite his attempt to hold the tears they still gathered at the base of his eyes.

    He was angry, very angry.

    Who gave him permission to die?

    After everything he had done.

    Death was too easy

    He wanted him to suffer more

    He wanted him to regret his decision

    To regret the way he treated his son.

    All these things surged through Raith''s head, but still, why was his heart painting him so much, he now had two hearts, he could feel it vividly as he ced his hand on his chest. One on the left and one on the right, the one on the left was paining so much as he thought of how much he hated his father, his throat felt stuff and he felt very ufortable as though he would cry.

    But why would he cry, all these years he had fostered himself with hatred and passion for vengeance against his father and brother who had treated him so unfairly because he was weak, and right now, his heart was quaking and paining him so much?

    Was this a type of weakness? Raith couldn''t tell but he hated it.

    Curtis watched him suffer to hold his tears back so much and he hated himself for causing this much pain to his brother but there was nothing he could have done.

    He gritted his teeth before speaking.

    "I am sorry. I am sorry I treated you like an insignificant being. But there was nothing I could have done. It was father''s orders."

    Raith''s eyes suddenly widened, "F-F-Father''s orders?"

    Curtis slowly raised his head, "Every time I had to be harsh to you I hated him, I hated myself but those were his instructions."

    "What do you mean?" Raith''s voice trembled.

    "Father always said, you are different from the rest of us and you are dangerous. And all he did, that was the only reason he did what he did. It wasn''t that you were not capable of learning our family''s swordsmanship, father was the one that wasn''t teaching it right?"

    Raith squinted his eyes, this wasn''t making any sense to him. His father would literally scorn him and say so much harsh words because he refused to get it right every time. Yet Curtis was saying that his father wasn''t deliberately teaching him right.

    "This is gibberish. Exin yourself better Curtis." Raith frowned.

    "Father, used to call you a monster. He said you are not human, you are not from the rest of us and you have your mother''s gene in you. Of course, you know we are from different mothers, right? He described your mother as a special being from far away and said you are more monstrous and it is your monstrosity that killed her.

    He said it would be detrimental to put any power in your hands. So you must never be allowed to hold any kind of power, and he raised you as a weak child who cannot do anything. Even after you were sent out, we were still watching you, until we couldn''t all of a sudden and I have been searching for you ever since."

    Raith was trembling, his hand was covering his mouth, and it was very hard to make sense of all these things Curtis was saying. ''His monstrosity killed his mother'' What was that supposed to mean?

 Chapter 255 The Eden (1)

    ?

    "Raith..."

    "What the hell do you mean by that?!!" Raith demanded, raising his voice as he threw his face at his brother.

    "I¨C

    Curtis found himself speechless at the kind of broken face that Raith carried, even though he was clearly angry he seemed more hurt, as though he had seen a terror.

    "I''m sorry Ra¨C

    "Just tell me what you meant?" Raith demanded still, drawing his brows together.

    ''What have I done?'' Curtis med himself, he seemed to have forgotten because of what happened so far that his brother is only 22 years old.

    He stood up with a smile and neared Raith, Curtis was not used to smiling, his face was gloomy with a single wrinkle running from the corner of his eyes down his cheek. He touched his younger brother''s head.

    "Happy bted birthday."

    "Uhh..." Raith looked up.

    Is this guy mad? I said what does he mean by what he said from earlier? As much as he wanted to say all of that. His right heart felt warm and this wasn''t a bad thing.

    Raith lowered his head and smiled, trying so much to hide the smile.

    "Thank you...you still remember."

    "Yes, although I don''t think the others knew."

    "Even I had forgotten"

    "Don''t worry, we will be here to celebrate the next one. It is strange how your birthday aligns with the first day of a new year in this world. Makes it special. You are special."

    "No, don''t do that, it is cringe."

    "Really... if I was supposed to act as I always wanted to, you''d probably have died of the cringeness diseases. If that is a thing."

    Raith looked at his brother''s face. He still couldn''t believe Curtis was the one talking. This guy had totally changed.

    ''How much leash did father put on him to make him so stiff, is this the true person he is underneath?'' Raith wondered. This new self of his brother was something he wasn''t used to but it wasn''t such a bad idea.

    ***

    America.

    Compared to the picture and videos of it that Li Mingwu saw, the gate was bigger, it was bigger than anything he had ever seen, and this made him very sure that this was it.

    Li Mingwu had gathered enormous experience over his years as a hunter and he can tell the unseen yet distinct difference in gates. For example, some gates might both be referred to as S-rank but one S-rank has more magic energy than another ¨Cwhich means that the one with more magic ever has a more dangerous monster.

    So far so good he couldpare it to one of the best gates he had raided. He strapped his breastte tightly and fixed his vambraces, his armor was like that of a Chinese General. Considering his age, it wasn''t out of ce that his Armour was old-fashioned.

    Chairman Whitman had begged him to use the modern tech armors that the America Association has finally been able to perfect. But he was stubborn. It wasn''t like Whitman did not know of his master''s stubbornness before. Whether or not he had chosen to wear the Armour the results were bound to be the same.

    "Alright." The old man said as took his golden sword, hung it on his, and walked forward.

    The gate was located in one of America''s animal reserve centers, in fact, the magical energy being discharged around had caused a mutation in the animals such that they had to kill most of them and capture the ones that could be captured¨Cto study the gic mutation.

    Li Mingwu stared at the gate, and slowly tied a red headband to his forehead, covering his forehead eyes that were currently closed.

    Whitman watched from behind as his master prepared. He also was prepared in a body suit that almost made him look like a supernova warrior. It could bepared to that of MoK Jae-Hwa but this one seemed inferior and the helmet was detached.

    Alec Whitman and a few other hunters stood behind Li Mingwu who gazed at the purplish-dark gate.

    "Let''s go..." hemanded and in one step of his leg, the wind blew softly and he was gone from sight. The hunters around were surprised, they didn''t understand what had happened. But Chairman Whitman was used to this situation. While it always looked like Li Mingwu could transverse space, he wasn''t that powerful, the thing he could truly transverse in and out of space was matter.

    Nobody understood. But Whitman had studied the old man''s past fighting record. He had noted it every time and thest time he visited him in China when Mok Jun-Seo was there was a final confirmation for him.

    He grinned widely as he thought about it.

    ''With my trump card. I should be able to take care of this.''

    ¡ª

    "Woaaahh"

    The hunters'' eyes lit up as they saw a new world unfold before their eyes as they stepped into the gate.

    Arge forest with towering trees sprawled out before their eyes. It was different from what they were used to on earth, the leaves were green as usual but the greenness of each leaf was so bright that it felt like they were shining, it was as if this world was being yed with HD resolution while Earth had been using 380P.

    The hunters, led by Whitman gently walked across thend, with Whitman''s warning resounding in their eyes.

    "Do not touch anything. The deadliest of poisons lies in the most beautiful flowers, this warning is not about poisons and flowers."

    Theyughed when he said it¨CWhitman was often known for his jokes after all but his words never should be taken for granted. Besides, he and the dark guy walking beside him are the only two hunters that have been here before.

    They were being very careful even as they walked.

    "Hey... isn''t this strange..." The brte haired guy said to thedy beside him, as he pointed her attention to something.

    I''m sorry for the lengthy response previously. Here is a shorter exnation:

    Ancient pirs could be seen in the dense forest, their stones worn by time and reimed by nature. The broken remnants were adorned with vines, creating a beautiful scene.

    "Chairman..." thedy walked faster to the front, catching up to Whitman.

    "Did you notice this the first time you came?" She asked pointing her hand to the broken pir.

    "Yes..." Whitman replied to her as he paused.

    She btedly stopped and looked in front of her.

    Arge broken ornate gate leads to an abandoned building that seems to have been partially hidden by the forest.

    "What is this? It seems like a Buddhism temple. Are Buddhism temples something we should be able to find in gates? Huh? Chairman, thest t¡ª

    "Duck"

    "Huh?"

    The Chairman suddenly pressed her head down with hisrge hand, forcing her to go low as arge spear passed where she was originally standing, grazing his chin.

 Chapter 256 The Eden (2)

    ?

    Rya''s eyes widened, she was a mage ss hunter and one of the things that she was most confident and proud of was her detection skill as a mage. The moment she entered the gate, she had cast a detection spell around a 100m radius of her, no monster should have been able to pass her.

    Whitman was impressive, no doubt, but she felt very angry and disappointed at herself, an S-rank mage that couldn''t detect an iing attack even though it was right in front of her.

    ''If the chairman didn''t push me, I would have lost my head.'' Her eyes shook.

    "Ahh... I was guessing something was wrong. Did the gate change? We didn''t meet any monster that was capable of using a spear thest time, right Eric?" Whitman nonchntly asked the dark boy beside him.

    But he didn''t hear any response. He turned his head to look and there Eric was standing and trembling at the sight behind them.

    Whitman was in the front, so there was no way he would have known¡ªhe slowly turned his eyes to the back to look at what was wrong.

    His eyes trembled in the same manner as Eric, even Rya couldn''t help but gasp for breath as she saw what had happened.

    "H-h-how?" Whitman''s voice shuddered.

    His entire party had been murdered, their blood and torn bodies sttered on the floor creating an obscure work of art, amidst this scenery was a man adorned with a worn-out kimono loosely sitting on his body with one arm falling down his slender shoulders and the spear that had just flown past them in his hands.

    The man opened his mouth slowly exuding steam and showing his razored teeth. His pupils were very tiny and unfocused, almost could be lost in his white sclera.

    "Jake!!" Rya screamed as she nced at the brte boy from earlier gasping for breath, he was holding his throat and choking as blood splurted out of his throat like a waterfall.

    Whitman held back from being reckless but kept his gaze fixated on the being standing before him.

    ''I was very sure. Only the spear flew past me. How did he get here? I didn''t even notice him at all, how did he even get enough time to kill all of them? And he didn''t make a sound...''

    Whitman stood guarded, even though he appeared to be freely standing, he showed no opening and was instinctively ready to make a run for it depending on the being''s next move.

    He tried to find an answer to this unknown phenomenon, his mind raced through a thousand hypotheses but none of them made sense, apart from dark elves and orcs, there were no other known humanoid gates. What bothered him the most was the fact that this guy was not here the first time he came to this gate.

    To be exact, this temple was not here, although it looked like the same forest, a lot has changed, starting with the clear blue sky that sat up there, it was night when Whitman came to the gate.

    All these factors he decided not to show because he didn''t want to instill fear in the heart of his hunters.

    "Who are you?" Whitman asked, carefully asserting the man with his gaze.

    The man tilted his head left and then right, he seemed utterly confused but one thing was clear in the way he looked at them;

    They were very much unwanted in this area. However, with how the man was not saying anything Whitman made a spection that perhaps this was a being that was not capable ofmunication. After all, they were in a gate and an S rank one as at that.

    Whitman clenched his fist, "Back off," he said to both of them as he went into a tai chi stance: Wu Chi, his feet, parallel and shoulder-width apart, his knees slightly bent and his body very rxed.

    "Find my master, I will take care of things here."

    "B-b-but Chairman?"

    "Eric, take Rya and leave. Remember, you are very important to me. I know your capabilities and I want you to protect Rya with all you''ve got. Until you find master and do what we discussed..."

    Eric frowned, trying to hold back the tears that filled his eyes. Rya exchanged nces between Whitman and the dark boy, not understanding a thing they seem to be talking about. But at the very least she could tell that Chairman Alec was trying to be some sort of sacrificialmb to get them to safety.

    Eric grabbed her hand and darted into the forest.

    The man turned his face to their direction and raised his spear, as he flung his hand back to throw it©\ Whitman whooshed to his front and delved a hole into his body.

    No, he thought he did, he felt the impact but the man was standing away from him, he had jumped away milliseconds before Whitman''s palm strike touched him¨Cit was by a hair''s breadth but it seemed to have been done calmly.

    Whitman frowned as he observed the man from afar as he opened his mouth again to exude steam. The man was standing like he was hunchbacked all the while before but this time he suddenly stood upright and adjusted his kimono, making it sit well on his shoulder.

    Whooom! Whooom!! Whoom!!

    The air became tense as the man whirled his spear, demonstrating mastery of his weapon. With each rotation, his spear was bing more and more of a blur, he exuded an aura that was frightening and indicated to Whitman that he was well-versed inbat.

    Whitman realized he needed to be cautious since underestimating this opponent may be dangerous. Not to say, this was not the monster he met that gave him a serious injury. Although this one didn''t seem as frightening as that one to him. He still needed to be careful. He was bing unsure of how things would go with variables that he didn''t expect.

    He shook his head, getting rid of the jumbles of thoughts in his head, and kept only one.

    ''No matter what happens in this forest. Li Mingwu must die.''

 Chapter 257 To Belittle One...

    ?

    Amidst the clouds of Whitman''s mind, he exuded an extremely calmposure that drew one in like the beauty of a calm sea on silent nights.

    Since he had a troublesome ability that only worked with the state of his mind, Whitman learned to control himself through breathing techniques.

    Breathing practices are very effective in keeping a calm state of mind¡ªone''s thoughts are sank into the wave of stillness and the entire mind is brought in one ord with the body. Hence, sharpening the senses beyond normal.

    Wham! Whoosh! Pow! Pow! Pow!

    Whitman''s movement was sleek and smooth, he didn''t waste too much footwork and slipped past the man''s spear by a hair''s breadth every moment it lunged at him.

    The man widened his eyes and twirled the spear of his shoulders switching to his right hand.

    Bam!

    He shot forward like an arrow, destroying the ground he was standing on.

    Fuuuu

    Whitman kept a steady breath as he took flew backward while facing the man.

    He spun his hand forming a circr glow¡ªit looked like the man was about to fall on him with his spear aiming at his eyes.

    Wham!

    A hole carved into the man''s belly and sent him reeling away.

    Whitman narrowed his eyes.

    ''That was too easy.''

    If the monster could be easily defeated, then there was no way his party members would have all died to it like that.

    Something was off that Whitman wasn''t getting.

    ''How did he defeat them...''

    Whitman rxed his shoulder and stood up, he walked away in the direction of Eric and Rya but before he couldplete his second step, his eyes widened¨C

    Whaaam!!

    And although he was quick to tilt his entire body to the left, his ear flew off into the air.

    He slowly turned back.

    ''Three?''

    He was only dealing with one man but right now, three of them were standing before him. All three of them are in the same attire, looking the same way and holding the same weapon.

    ''That strike just now...''

    It was far stronger than what Whitman felt from just the single one he was fighting. Was their power increased the moment they divided into three?

    No, is this even a concept of division of multiplication?

    Whish! Whish!

    Two of them darted at him in opposing directions, spinning their spears. As they neared him...

    "Fajin"

    His legs traced a circr motion on the ground, slipping through the edges of their spears and cing his hands on their chest simultaneously.

    Bang!

    An explosion of air burst out of the back and they were sent hurtling through the air like thrown batons. Whitman would define have loved to take time to rest but thest one had reached in front of him with its spear aiming at his throat.

    He was surprised, but his eyes didn''t look at it.

    He kicked the edge of the spear higher and lunged his hand, grabbing the man''s face and smashing it to the ground.

    He had just done that but the two he just dealt with were right behind him again with their spears¨C

    "Aahht!!"

    Whitman unleashed a wind st around him that sent all of them away from him.

    "Hmm... as expected. You have gotten rusty."

    Li Mingwu''s voice resounded from up¨C Whitman traced it and found him standing on the branch of one of the trees, in his hand was the head of a monster that looked like a smander.

    Whitman squinted his eyes.

    ''That...''

    It was the monster that gave him such a difficult time, Li Mingwu had killed it.

    Li Mingwu observing his expression raised the head of the monster a bit higher and exchanged his nces between it and Whitman''s face.

    "Don''t tell me, this thing defeated you?"

    Whitman frowned, he was ashamed of himself, more because he hated what Li Mingwu was going to say next.

    "If it was Jun-Seo, I''m sure he would have managed to hold his ground though. You have an amazing ability but you are consumed with the wrong things. A distracted mind cannot reach the pinnacle of strength."

    Whitman bowed his head, "I don''t have time for this master."

    It has always been like this since he can remember it, Jun-Seo was very good at learning and adapting. In front of Jun-Seo''s skills, Whitman often felt intimidated, but he endured until they had learned all that they could from Li Mingwu.

    Li Mingwu favored Jun-Seo more, he imed Jun-Seo was more humble than Whitman and a man of integrity. But that was a lie.

    Whitman felt it was favoritism..., no, he knew it was favoritism based on the fact that they are both Asians. And it irritated him.

    Aftering to America, he met a lot of people and even be stronger, paving the way for himself and bing the founder of the American Hunters Association.

    He was proud of himself, but as long as Li Mingwu was alive he would never be able to reach his full potential, America had gotten to a point where they have enough power to dominate the world ranking.

    But they were hiding all of that. And it was because of monsters like Li Mingwu. That''s right, Whitman''s objective wasn''t just Li Mingwu, he was going to find a way to deal with all the unranked hunters.

    But would that be easy?

    Whooosh!

    They all lunged again¨C

    This time, before they could get to Whitman, Li Mingwu appeared in front of them, sidestepping with an amazing water flow, narrowly avoiding the spear''s deadly tip.

    With a swift hand movement, he countered, using the momentum tounch a powerful strike at the man''s side.

    But before the man could fly away from the impact of his attack, Li Mingwu held him back by the wrist and threw him to block the way of the other one.

    While the third one had already closed with amazing speed, Li Mingwu was indifferent.

    Whoosh

    Li Mingwu stepped aside again but this time it was as though his body was dissolving, the spear sliced through the air leaving the strange monster in confusion.

    It was clear in the way that they responded to their stimulus©\even though they seemed like an advanced existence, they were clueless about a lot of things.

    But were quick to adapt.

    As Li Mingwu appeared behind the man the monster swiftly twirled his waist, swinging his spear to take off the old man''s head.

    That shocked Li Mingwu quite a bit, he had to use his hand.

    With a raise of his hand, he blocked the spear and in fact shattered it with his overwhelming magic power unleashed at that focal point.

    He was about to lunge a palm strike into the chest of the man when he suddenly copsed and died. Li Mingwu was left dumbfounded.

    Then he looked at the spear and realized.

    ''The real monsters are the spears. How?''

    He looked at Whitman who was keeping the other two in check but was struggling tond a defeating blow as they were too fast and were even getting used to his pattern.

    "Move..."

    Whitman suddenly found himself standing where Li Mingwu was and Li Mingwu was in the middle of the other two. He frowned.

    ''We exchanged locations?''

    He hadn''t seen Li Mingwu use that kind of skill, was it developed recently?

    The second man feinted before aiming at Li Mingwu''s abdomen. However, Li Mingwu was flow was smooth and boundless, his body ripped as he deftly swayed away.

    He grabbed the spear with his left arm and with a delicate twist he shattered everything, sending a surge of energy through his touch that destroyed the man''s body along with the spears.

    Before the third one could jump in, Li Mingwu closed the distance and swept an arc with his hand, generating a powerful gust of wind that knocked the man off bnce. As he stumbled, Li Mingwu''s third eye slightly opened¨C

    As his index finger made contact with the man''s head everything crumbled to dust. Both the man and his spear.

    Whitman was once again reminded of how horrifying his master is.

    At this moment, he began to doubt if his n was going to work, what Li Mingwu disyed right now was just child''s y, he moved like he wasn''t even serious with the whole thing.

    Whitman gulped and muttered shyly. "Mas...ter"

    The old man paused in front of him and shook his head, "The spear is the weakness. How could you not have figured that out."

    Whitman frowned, he was sick and tired of this man nagging at him with every chance he gets. His resolve to take Li Mingwu down got strengthened again.

    ''I will make sure this ce is your graveyard, even if I have to die to make it possible. I will do it'' Whitman swore.

    ¡ª

    South Korea.

    Adjusting to this new atmosphere for Raith had been sought of awkward. The way the people looked at him made him doubt of they knew what they were doing.

    Even though all that he did was in his own best interest, they all saw it as a feat befitting of a thorough hero.

    Now all this did not sit well with Raith, especially this guy.

    "I would like for you to take me in as your disciple," Draear said, he was on his knee and he was very serious about it.

    After the archons took their dust from all the heroes, he lost his ability to summon the twin dragons. But there was still something in him that clouded his mind.

    And because of that Draear had decided to humble himself before the only one he deemed worthy enough to teach him.

    Elves were very proud people and everyone disgusted them and they were well known for their tendency to look down on everyone.

    They were not to be med, even in Therut, when dust was distributed to every man and made them heroes, elves turned out to be able to contain more dust hence making strong heroes out of them.

    They are a group of beings that were birthed from the origin of the world. More than other beings they had a closer existential nature to it, almost as if they could connect with its essence.

    It gave them an edge over any source of power over other races, especially magic.

    Even though the elves in Therut discovered magic, they had not fully understood its capacity and its connection to them. What Draear was feeling right now was a closer feeling to that.

    But for him, it was an uncharted territory and the only person he felt was worthy enough to teach him was this arrogant man sitting before him and looking at him like he was a piece of shit.

    Draear had no way of knowing if Raith was truly aware of what it was he was feeling but one of the arrogance of an elf was that once they deemed someone worthy¡ªeven if the person is the dumbest man alive to others, nothing can change their view of the person.

    Draear was determined to learn from Raith no matter what.

 Chapter 258 What Is Funny?

    ?

    Raith was faced with a very hard decision to make.

    Raith, disciple? This was truly the greatest joke ever. And to add to it¨Cthis guy was looking very intimidating. Of course, the Raith that was sitting here was very different from the Raith before going to Therut.

    In body and presence, Raith exuded all majesty, almost making his presenceparable to a God. If we were to consider how people and children flocked around him every time he decides to go out, it was as if he was a well-respected religious leader of some cult.

    People''s eyes were on him, waiting for his decision.

    ''This bastard...'' Raith gnarled in silence.

    In actuality, Draear had been pursuing Raith since he woke up.

    Teach me to fight

    Take me in

    Make me your disciple

    I want to serve you

    What can I do to be your student?

    He was always attacking Raith with these words from every corner of the camp.

    And every time Raith always turned him down. What does he know that he would teach when he still felt that he had much more to learn himself?

    But the Raith right now was still looking at himself with the eyes of the past.

    Little did he know about the crystal of creation bing a new heart beating in his body.

    He had not even checked his status window!

    Raith knew nothing of himself as of now. However, what others felt from him was something so overwhelming that it could bepared to the presence of pontifices when they carried the messages of archons¡ªat that moment, there was always an overwhelming aura of splendor.

    "What do I do... I don''t know what you want me to teach you." Raith muttered, bowing his head and scratching his scalp. He was very confused.

    He could easily say yes and leave the boy to whatever¡ªbut that would be irresponsible.

    ''It is amazing how you are thinking of responsibility right now. Did you hit your head?'' Bal''s voice resounded in his hand.

    ''As crazy as this may sound, I have missed you.'' Raith replied with his thoughts to avoid having to speak. What would the people have thought of a man soliloquizing...

    ''You really did hit your head huh.''

    Raith smiled and came back to the matter before him.

    "Draear."

    "Yes, master!!" He shouted mming his head to the ground.

    Draear was a very handsome young man, in Therut, he was one of the strongest and most arrogant elves, so how? Just what is this man that he would cause the great Draear to be on his knees? A certain person seeth with fury from a corner of the crowd that gathered.

    ''I will uncover your secrets and show that there is nothing special about you.'' The small ck-haired boy with long ears vowed, with grinding teeth, and left the scene.

    ''This bastard cornered me...'' Raith looked down.

    After all the attempts to approach Raith had proved futile, Draear suddenly appeared in front of Raith when he was walking along the center of the camp.

    "Please, sir!! Be my master!!" He had shouted and that is what led us to this point. The people gathered and were genuinely happy.

    In fact, it was looking like more were yearning to join Draear on his knees.

    What annoyed Raith the most was that subtle chuckle that kept escaping from Mok Jae-Hwa''s lips. If he was going tough, he should justugh already, this was getting increasingly annoying for Raith.

    What was even funny in the first ce?

    Before this situation escted into something he wouldn''t be able to control, there needed to be an answer ASAP.

    After much thought about what he was going to do Raith sighed.

    "Fine."

    "Huh?" Draear raised his head in surprise.

    "I said Fine, don''t make me say it three times," Raith said and walked away before any more of them coulde at him¨Ctheir eyes were definitely looking like they were about to.

    "Master!!" Draear shouted as he picked himself up in a hurry and went after Raith.

    In another corner of the crowd was Amber Rose who had been struggling with her extreme shyness. She had not been able to talk to Raith since he has woken up, and it has been two weeks.

    ''I will do it today!'' She clenched her fist with resolve and slipped from tent to tent like a spy. She has been saying the same thing for the past week.

    In that one week a lot happened, and therger part of that ''a lot'' was the rampant awakenings.

    They were trying their best to hide it from the outside world. But things were increasingly getting out of their control.

    Before anyone could make any needless discovery, they needed to do something about these people''s amodation. Plus the fact that the 21 days ultimatum that the new chairman of the Hunters Association gave them was now remaining 11 days.

    This was why Raith and Mok Jun-Seo were supposed to go to the Antarctica continent today.

    "All ready?" Mok Jun-Seo said to him, slightly opening the door to Raith''s room.

    "I still don''t understand why I can''t just go on my own. I''d be better off traveling on my wyvern." Raith muttered the former part of his statement.

    "You can''t do that. We should do things formally. Besides, I don''t know what you want to do but if it turns out that you do something extraordinary, you will be facing the entire world. Some things should be done in appropriation."

    "Yes yes yes," Raith nodded. As he walked out grabbing the coat of the grey suit he was wearing.

    His hair was styled to a slick back, with just a few strands falling over his head. His ck and red heterochromia gave him a rare beauty. Very rare. The dude was fucking handsome.

    "Wow..."

    "What?" Raith frowned at Mok Jae-Hwa, he was still not forgiven for making fun of something that wasn''t even funny. He was in an awkward and desperate situation thanks to a certain person.

    Raith looked at Draear, wishing he could stone him to death.

    On another thought, the guy was looking so cool and manly that he wouldn''t mind ordering someone like that.

    ''Weird...''

    Something about it felt good.

    "I will be waiting for you Master! Our first lesson, I shall prepare so that I am worthy of your tutge."

    Raith made a mouth as if he was going to vomit. It felt very cringe, would he ever get used to this? He shook his head and waved and he walked out of the house with Mok Jun-Seo.

    "Take car¨C

    "Don''t you dare talk to me?" Raithshed at Mok Jae-Hwa before he could finish his statement.

    "Come on now? Are you going to hold a grudge all day?" Even while saying that Mok Jae-Hwa was still finding it funny. His mouth was all swelled holding in all the amount ofughter. They would probably burst out if he continued.

    "Ah! Damn, I hate you!"

    Raith who was at the door left annoyingly. Outside was Min-Ho''s Mercedes Benz waiting for them.

    Raith frowned as he saw the driver, he turned to Mok Jun-Seo.

    "I thought you said it was just us two?"

    "Well, you see... the thing is, a lot of us are more broke than you thought. For example, I sold my expensive car so that we would have more money for food." Mok Jun-Seo shook his head and sank it into his palm, he was feigning, ying the emotional ckmail card at Raith.

    The deal was that only the two of them would go. Especially not Min-Ho.

    "He offered to drive us in his car and he paid for his ne ticket..."

    Raith squinted his eyes. The way Mok Jun-Seo was avoiding his gaze and acting all cool on the outside...

    ''This man is hiding something.''

    "Come on hyungnim. We are inseparable, and you should have understood by now."

    "Hunter Raven, let''s just go."

    Raith sighed, it wasn''t like he had an alternative, actually... he does but was not allowed to use it.

    They entered the car and it vroomed off instantly with a rich and exotic sound.

    Clouded in the smoke that was left after the car went was Amber Rose. She failed again today.

    ¡ª

    Wham!

    Whoosh!

    Things were a bit easier now that Whitman knew who the true monsters were. Spears.

    Still, this was an uncanny phenomenon, thest time they came here, they didn''t encounter any spear monsters that created their own wielder. Moreso, the wielder was looking like a human.

    ''Something is off about this gate.''

    Apart from the n he had in mind, something was there about this gate that was making Whitman not want to go further.

    ''How should I deal with this?'' He thought as he looked at his master''s back which was disappearing farther into the distance.

    ''Where the hell is Eric?'' He groaned out of frustration as he caught the neck of the Spearman that jumped at him.

    He took the spear from its hands and discharging his energy like a gale of wind wrapping the spear, it shattered.

    That was thest of them in this area. Whitman confirmed looking around and going forward.

    If he isn''t able to find Eric, his n would be greatly affected.

    His mind lingered on that thought as he carefully traced Li Mingwu''s path.

    Meanwhile, from his pce a demon that was so invested in messing with humans awaited the result of what his experiment was going to be this time.

    "Your Highness, you are already doing it again aren''t you?" The subus at his feet spoke, almost with a pouting nagging face.

    But the man sitting on the throne didn''t mind and he didn''t care, he was indifferent to what she was saying. His yellow eyes had a tinge of delight and the shape of his mouth soon carved into a grin, following the path of that delight.

    "Awhhh..." he moaned, again with delight.

    "I really can''t wait to see how it turns out this time. This time I will be able to cause more despair to the humans. I never thought I would get to name a Phoenix, awhhhh awwhh, this feels so nice." Almost like he was going through orgasm.

    Thedy looked with surprise, her face had a nk expression but soon a sorrowful one followed, she lowered her head in the shame of her uselessness.

    ''I''ve never seen that face even when I am pleasing him on his bed. But destroying the lives of mere humans pleases him so much?''

    He looked down at her for a brief moment, but he didn''t care. He was too invested in this to care about what his sex toy was going through.

    "Now... entertain me, foolish humans." He licked his lips, putting on an even nastier ear-to-ear grin.

 Chapter 259 Doom (1)

    ?

    "Hey, shouldn''t we go to the Chief, the chief might still be alive?" Rya badgered.

    It''s been like that for a while now and it was vexing, her voice had been hovering about and over.

    Was that he too not want to go back and get Whitman? Of course not! This was the person that took him in when no one would, Alec Whitman saw great potential in him, even when no one would, but there was something far more important than going back.

    - You have a foe, a foe that is so strong but before you, he is powerless, with a touch from you, he is bound to die.

    Every day, Whitman had steeled him up for this moment. There was no way he would fail.

    "Hey! You!! Are you deaf?!"

    "You are bothering me..." His shoulder heaved. He was containing himself so he wouldn''t snap at her.

    "Huh? I''m bothering you? Shouldn''t we be saving the chief? All our teammates are gone! We are powerless alone."

    Eric turned to her and raised his chin with a disgusted look.

    "Lady, aren''t you supposed to be an S-rank?" He asked with an intimidating thick tone.

    The air around him became heavy and quickly tamed Rya''s arrogance. She sulk back like a puppy and lowered her head, sweating all over her face.

    "S-s-so... w-w-what?"

    Despite, how intimidated and scared she was of the face that looked at her, she still managed to reply, wanting desperately to protect her pride.

    She was a mage that took great pride in her detection skill, her magic skills weren''t bad too. But just now, she was utterly powerless before that monster, everyone was.

    "Then act like one and stop bothering me."

    Even within the association, Eric was known to be a man of few words and strange rumors were going around about him.

    No one had ever confirmed if the rumors were true, but the rumors had earned him the moniker, ''Hunter Killer''

    Something about him felt very different the moment he looked down at her. It was as if her body was ticklish but not in a sweet way. To be exact, death was tickling her body and she felt like if she enjoyed it, that would be the end of it.

    He turned and walked away and the feeling left her. Her brows creased together immediately as she questioned what the hell that was and who the hell is this guy.

    Regardless, she silently followed him from behind henceforth. And they made their way through the forest. They encountered several broke pirs, huts, and broken buildings, almost like ruins that have been overshadowed by the forest.

    And the thing that bothered Eric apart from Rya''s annoying presence was the fact that they had note across a single monster since they entered this ce.

    Whoosh

    Eric swung out his sword, diagonally shing the vines that blocked their path forward.

    The path was different and clogged with several vines, it was almost as if they were regrouping as he cut them.

    "Would you mind stepping back?" As the tamed puppy that she is, Rya asked puppily.

    Eric looked at her from over his shoulders, first with a demeaning gaze but seeing how she was struggling to meet his eyes and still frowning. It was cute. Besides, she is an S-rank magician.

    He took a few steps and watch her step forward.

    "Take your eyes off me." Sheined.

    "What would you have me do? Look at the sky?"

    "Your gaze is very ufortable."

    "Don''t worry, it''s not like I am looking at your ass or anything. There''s nothing to look at there."

    There''s nothing to look at there? As much as she wanted to protect that notion, it would sound like she cared. And she didn''t,at least she imed inwardly.

    "What the hell did you mean by there''s nothing there? Do you kno¨C

    "Lady, I am not in for this discussion. We might be in a life or death situation and you care about whether it is there or not? Txh! You disgust me." He gibed, spitting on the floor.

    There it was again, something about him infuriated her. Was he looking down on her? It vexed her, she wanted to burn him to his death but what is this tension that overwhelmed her?

    She wasn''t even sure of his rank. She was an S-rank, and she was sure that he wasn''t S-rank. And yet it was as if her senses were consistently warning her.

    Not being able to protest any further she faced her front gritting her teeth.

    "I call on the Krux el''ca of the fiery, let your essence to consume my body with your rage, fill my heart with your warmth, and at the tip of my fingers let your mes burn. Fireball!"

    Whooooossh!

    In a split second, arge me ball appeared above them, scorching their surroundings in its heat, the leaves and vines that were closer to the fireball were beginning to burn from its heat.

    She swung her magic staff forward and the fireball followed.

    Searing everything in its path in the bathing of mes.

    ''Not bad, I guess she is an S-rank after all.'' Eric was impressed with what he saw. The firepower was amazing, the clogging vines were instantly burned to ashes and there was now a clear path that lead to some sort of inner chamber.

    They didn''t realize it because the whole ce was broken and covered the greens: vines and leaves. They were inside a temple, and were a step away from entering the inner chamber, the istion room where the masters would often go to meditate.

    The inner chamber was not looking like an inner chamber since it was covered by greens. The roof was also open, more like it was torn apart.

    "It''s a dead end..." Eric frowned.

    The open chamber was circr and there was no other path that led them anywhere, except up.

    "What should we do? Go up?" Rya asked.

    But instead of responding, Eric closed his eyes and stayed still for a few moments.

    The Rya from before would have made a deal about not being responded to. But with the way she was feeling right now. She couldn''t do anything and just stayed still.

    "Something is off..." he said, opening his eyes.

    "Sorry, what now¨C

    His eyes shot wide open as he btedly noticed a statue, sitting in a cross-legged position with hands in a mediation posture.

    "The statue is smiling..." he muttered, he didn''t even mean to, his thoughts just slipped out of his mouth.

    "Smiling?" Rya followed his gaze with all curiosity and there she saw it too.

    A statue of a bald man is embedded in the wall, towards the northern side of the chamber. It was as if he was built with the walls.

    But he was smiling, and clearly at them. Something about him also felt real, but none of them could put their fingers around it.

    Eric lowered his upper body and legs, with his hand on his sword cautiously observing the statue.

    Rya was cautious too but no matter how much she looked at it even though it felt real and undoubtedly was smiling at them.

    "It''s just a statue in the end." That was how she felt.

    "It is surprising that you just said that and you are an S-rank mage known for her detection skills. A rat is more sensitive than you are."

    This was an insult and she was getting to the height of what she could condone.

    "I will not take more of this insult from you. You and I are nowhere near mates!"

    "Deploy a shield." Eric interrupted but with a low tone.

    But Rya was angry, she was not being taken seriously by this guy and it was very very vexing.

    "Are you even¨C

    "I SAID DEPLOY YOUR GODDAMN SHIELD!!!" He shouted, causing a cold chill to run down her spine. She quickly acted out of impulse caused by fear.

    "O thou, the Ae''r that protects all, I offer thee my mana, bless and protect me. Blue Shield!"

    Whoom

    A patterned semi-transparent shield spread over them¨C

    Fuuuuu

    "Grrer...."

    It was toote.

    Eric''s eyes widened as he noticed something amiss¨Cthe statue was gone.

    His eyes swiftly trailed backward as his whole body tinged with a cold sensation and the pores on his skin rose.

    Kang!!

    He btedly used his sword to block the statue''s hand that infiltrated them from behind, ignoring the defense of the shied.

    "Fucking¨C

    "Listen to me the God of er¨C

    Swipe

    It was a pity

    Before she couldplete her incantation, her head was in the hair and the statue''s hand was way past her neck. Yet the bastard was still grinning at them.

 Chapter 260 Doom (2)

    ?

    "That explosion just now!!"

    Whitman hurriedly turned back to the direction where the eruption of fire was sounding from. This was when Rya had used a fireball.

    "Master!" He called but Li Mingwu was far gone. Thus, Whitman was torn between following Li Mingwu or going to the explosion he just heard now.

    Both choices had something to do with his extermination goal. He needed to stay with Li Mingwu one way or the other to keep tabs on him but he was also very sure that Eric would be in that direction.

    If he went for Eric and Li Mingwu ends up defeating the boss monster of the gate before they can regroup. This was a delicate matter and a tough decision to make.

    He sighed and turned back, abandoning Eric.

    ''I have to keep following Master, I can''t lose sight of him'' Whitman strengthened his resolve.

    But Li Mingwu was standing right in front of him¨Che was so shocked that he almost fell.

    Li Mingwu was staring at him with his eyes squinted.

    With a step backward, Whitman was being very cautious.

    ''Why the hell is he looking at me like that?'' If anything, Whitman was sure Li Mingwu cannot read thoughts. It''d be crazy if that was possible.

    "How strange." Li Mingwumented stroking his long white beard gently. "You used to be like an open book. I can always see right through you but a lot about you has changed in the few years I have not seen you. Makes me wonder if it is okay to trust you."

    Li Mingwu was very sensitive, which was why Whitman had taken extra precautions. He never even spoke of this to anyone, even Eric didn''t know of it directly, theirmunication did not pass ''a powerful foe he has to defeat'', and judging by the use of his power, Eric knew exactly what he was to do.

    "I will not betray you, everything I have done is in your best interest." Whitman re-stood his ground and bowed.

    "Of course, is that not a given? It''s not like you can defeat me anyways." Li Mingwu stroke his beard and walked past him.

    "Let''s go and save yourrades. I sense very ominous energy from there." He said.

    Li Mingwu''s personality irked him very much, but it wasn''t like there was anything he could do. The strong shall rule.

    ¨C

    It happened so fast.

    It wasn''t like Eric was an impressive fighter, to begin with, he was a C-rank hunter. If fact, there was nothing special about him. However, that was the reason he worked harder than anyone, to meet the chief''s expection©\this, he reminded himself daily.

    When all was lost, Alec Whitman gave him purpose, when no one would save him, Alec Whitman stretched forward a saving hand. That was all Eric needed.

    It didn''t matter how cunning the chief can be Eric wanted to please him, Eric wanted to be useful to him and to be used by him. And for that reason, he trained harder than anyone in the association, such thatbat-wise he was almost on the same level with an A-rank.

    But there was that limitation of C-rank on him. He would have easily been able to ovee it if he used his ability but there was a strict warning from Whitman since the first day they met.

    "Never use your ability before anyone."

    Eric had made it thus far without making use of his original skill. Of course, he had also learned a few other skills from runes but they only could amount to little.

    Eric watched Rya''s head fly off in disappear while he suspended himself in the air andnded afar.

    The statue was in a standing position with its hand put together as though it was praying, on the statue''s hand there was a rosary, often used in monastery.

    Everything about this statue seemed like human culture. But this was supposed to be a gate, and a gate is supposed to contain monsters and monsters'' stuff alone.

    ''What the hell is wrong?'' Eric baffled. He had little to no time to be concerned about hisrade who wasying on the ground headless.

    He tightened his gaze with all the focus he could call and readied his short sword, pointing it backward. His hand was shaking¨Cfaced with an overwhelming foe, how could it not? Eric was scared but he had no way of walking out of this.

    Hisst resort was using his abilities but he really would not want to resort to that if possible. But he was not ready to die here.

    The statue was still standing in its prayer pose, looking at Eric with a lewd smile.

    Eric snapped s!

    "I''ll wipe that naughty grin off your face." He dered, propelling his body through the air like a fired bullet.

    His speed was amazing, for a C-rank hunter, this was quitemendable.

    Despite having lunged a fiery attack, the statue was not cautious. Last minute as Eric got closer, the grin on its face got wider.

    It was ast-minute, tinging feeling but Eric was quick to stop, and using all the momentum gathered he sprung backward not minding the fact that he missed his step and tumbled.

    What mattered was not entering that statue''s space.

    He got up and btedly saw his leather armor was torn, neatly as if a knife was used.

    ''If I had not jumped back, it would have been my entire body that was torn.''

    Eric still couldn''t pinpoint what it was that made this stone dude so special and strong. But something was off about him and until he discovered what that was, it would be safe to not dash in recklessly for now.

    ''Forget wiping off his naughty grin. Let''s escape for now.'' Eric nodded at his new resolve.

    As if the statue had noticed.

    Wham!

    For the second time, it moved. Incredibly fast.

    "Dharma..."

    Eric''s eyes widenedst minute as he tilted to the left to dodge what he wasn''t seeing. He had so honed his reflexes that he didn''t need to see to move.

    But just now, the statue spoke¨Cand with a thick, vibrating voice, it was like the ground itself was trembling.

    WHIM!

    CRUSH!

    Eric''s eyes were now at the point of breaking out as he saw the wall break into splinters, not just forming a spider-webbed crack, it delved inside and carved out a tunnel.

    "Holy shit!" He eximed at the power.

    But there was not enough time for admiration, he was still vulnerable and had stumbled to the floor to dodge. He rolled away and quickly pulled himself up and backed away several steps.

    "I know you talked right now. I know you can talk. Who are you and how are you here?"

    The statue did not answer him, instead, it changed the direction of its praying hands, one palm facing upward while the other facing downwards.

    "Ashtanga"

    It happened again but this time Eric didn''t have the time to react. Incredibly rapid series of buried into eight different parts of his body. The impact crumpled his flesh and coerced forth a fit of coughing.

    "This bastard..."

    He tried to move but he couldn''t, Eric''s eyes widened. He couldn''t move his hand or any part of his body.

    The statue not just hit different parts of its body but it had urately targeted his pressure point and blocked his energy flow.

    "If you force yourself... you will die." The thick voice reverberated through the air around, it was as if the statue had a bass speaker in his voice.

    Eric frowned, he didn''t need to be told twice, he could feel the block in his body and he knew if he tried to force any movement using energy, he would certainly do more harm to himself.

    "Who are you?"

    Crack

    The cement encasing the statue began to fracture, gradually unveiling a fair-skinned, bald man adorned with intricate gold beads etched onto his hairless scalp.

    These golden adornments extended to various portions of his face - a series of beads recing his eyebrows, aligning along his nose and beneath his lips. Furthermore, his ears carried weighty, ornate earrings that spoke of a distinguished presence.

    A certain familiarity resonated between him and Thathagatha.

    "Meet your end, trespasser..." With those words, his open palm transformed into a clenched fist, poised to unleash its fury.

    However, in a moment that defied expectation, a light touch of a foot brushed against his bald crown.

    "Release gravity... tenfold."

    Wham!!

    A resounding impact, a seismic shock.

    The ground quaked and caved, fracturing into intricate crevices as an overwhelming force pressed upon what had once been an inanimate statue, now reborn as a monk-like figure.

    The potency of the pressure was so severe that even Eric, found himself bleeding from the nose under its influence. Yet, the monk remained utterly unaffected, maintaining his pose without even the slightest acknowledgment.

    The monk''s reaction was wless... no, there was no reaction at all. Li Mingwu''s mighty attack so destructive, did not affect him one bit.

    Li Mingwu frowned and was about to jump away but it was toote. His leg was trapped in the grip of the monk.

    "Vajra"

 Chapter 261 Doom (3)

    ?

    "Young mas©\

    "Ha, ha, ha, these flight attendants. They can just go ahead and call anyone young man." Min-ho retorted with a shyugh after abruptly blocking one of the flight attendant''s mouth.

    It was a first-ss flight, Raith was not expecting a first-ss fight but oh well, there''s no big deal.

    But something was off between these two. Raith threw ast suspicious nce at Mok Jun-Seo and Min-Ho before climbing unto the ne.

    "Ooou..."

    Raith could almost feel the air of luxury gripping him by the neck, with the level of the extravaganza that filled the ne''s interior, it was understandable that an unknowing person such as him would exim.

    Even if one knew nothing about luxury, this couldn''t just escape one''smon sense not with its meticulously crafted design andvish materials.

    The walls were adorned with rich wood paneling, ented by soft, ambient lighting that cast a warm glow throughout the space.

    The Plush, buttery leather seats were almost calling Raith, ''Hey bro,e sit on me. Yes! sink inside me'', offering ample legroom and exquisite detailing.

    Crystal clear windows that provide panoramic views of the sky outside, or should we talk about the carpets that muffled footsteps, the overheadpartments which were seamlessly integrated into the cabin''s design, to provide discreet storage for personal belonging.

    Contemporary entertainment systems were there to provide a variety of alternatives, from streaming music to high-definition movies, all to provide a pleasant travel experience.

    From the plushest cashmere nkets to the meticulously chosen art that hangs on the walls, everyst detail in this ne had been taken into ount.

    High-end fixtures, gorgeous finishes, and opulent products maintain the theme of luxury even in the bathroom.

    "Wow..." Raith sank into the chair as if listening to its beckoning.

    "I''m sure this ne must have been expensive." Raith nodded looking around.

    He mistakenly hit the arm of the chair and from the arm came out an automated table that unfolded to the side of the chair where he could easily ce a ss of wine.

    "Wooohhh..." Raith blushed.

    "I''m so d you like it hyungnim. I can gif¨C

    Mok Jun-Seo''s re kept him from finishing his statement.

    "I know this ne belongs to your family Min-Ho."

    "Huh?" Min-Ho was first startled but then he considered the possibility that Raith might be trying to y the investigative card on him.

    "Ha ha..." heughs a crack, "what do you mean hyungmim, my family can''t even afford a ne like this... ha ha ha, hyungnim likes to joke too much,"

    Even the way he denied was giving him away, he was a very bad actor, he probably shouldn''t choose that career path at all.

    "Then why does it have Minsung Groups on it."

    "Huh?" Min-ho''s eyes widened. He had never mentioned his father''s group to Raith. If fact, he was damn sure that Raith didn''t know the name of the hospital he was working in.

    He had even assured Mok Jun-Seo that it was okay to take the private ne because Raith can never know that it belongs to his father and that way Mok Jun-Seo won''t have to spend such arge amount on transport. He didn''t want to waste the money and save it for the welfare of the people and maybe keep a little some for himself while at it.

    Mok Jun-Seo was fuming from where he sat.

    "Hunter Raven, you see it is not really..."

    "It''s fine... I don''t care, I know you have your reasons but you can always ask me for more gold."

    "Oh, really? If you insist then Hunter Raven, can we probably have li©\

    "No" Raith interrupted him.

    "But you said I can ask."

    "I don''t know something about you asking immediately after I said you can ask is annoying."

    He leaned back into the chair, "I''m going to take a short nap." He said to them and closed his eyes as the ne took off.

    ¨C

    "What the hell?"

    Even Li Mingwu was met with a stern face and a lot of questions racing through his mind.

    "Alex"

    "Yes, master."

    "Was this the monster you met when you came here?"

    "No master, something is incredibly wrong. The gate seems different. Although I can tell that there are remnants of the monsters that were here before, but right now... it''s as if another monster had taken over."

    "Then you are not sure of the existence of the phoenix?"

    ''Bastard? Even in this situation, all he cares about is the Phoenix.''

    Contrary to Alec''s emotions, he wore a humble face, bowing with every sentence he uttered.

    "Ithas to be here, even if the new monsters have killed it then that means it will be easier to secure the item."

    Li Mingwu put his hands on his beard and began to stroke.

    "So, fighting this thing is inevitable since it might know something..."

    Alec Whitman did not utter a response and just stayed silent, he was being ultra-careful right now.

    "Thank your surviving hunter and get out of here, check this entire gate for the item. I don''t want to finish dealing with this pain in the ass and still have to start looking for some dead Phoenix."

    "Yes, master." Alec Whitman bowed as he received Li Mingwu''s words with dness of heart.

    The next ce his eyes shot to was the now-monk, that was standing on the edge of a caved floor with a smile. The part he was standing on was the only part of the floor that stood right.

    His hands were back together, both pointing upward like he was praying.

    The way his eyes upended and moved over to Alec as he attempted to jump...

    ''What?!''

    Alec ended up jumping back instead of the front.

    "Indeed, its bloodlust is like nothing I have ever seen. I understand why even a professional like you will run back."

    Alec drew his brows together, Li Mingwu''sments were very unpleasant but that was the truth of the matter right now

    As he decided to go forward, after lifting one leg, it was as though he was about to plunge into a vast ocean of blood. His throat died immediately and he felt like he was going to die no doubt about it.

    In such a situation, his sense of fear kicked in and his legs suddenly made the choice alone.

    He hated it, to feel so weak before Li Mingwu, it was annoying.

    The monk still stood unbothered with an auspicious grin on its face and Eric behind it, maintaining his silence while the monk focused on the two new entrants.

    "Alright that''s it..."

    Li Mingwu sighed and pointed two fingers to his forehead.

    "Open third eye."

 Chapter 262 The Monk (1)

    ?

    Different legends have been passed on from history as to what the source of hunters'' powers is. However, not one of these legends has been able to give a truly satisfying answer.

    Monsters, gates, awakening, everything happened all so suddenly but humanity managed to survive it and adapt to it, if anything, adaptation has always been the greatest gift of mankind.

    As such it has brought to the exnation of their powers, improvement. Even though it was near impossible for an awakening to improve his power. It was very much possible for them to increase the use of such power, either way, it was growth.

    But their growth was very limited.

    But for some it was impossible, they say that the entire power of an awakening cannot contain their whole vessel so most times they end up having something out of the ordinary to contain this overflowing power.

    Such was Li Mingwu''s third eyes.

    "Listen to me well, monster. I will exin something to you. Something that your lot will never be given another chance to understand"

    Li Mingwu pointed two fingers to the narrowly opened eyes with glinting purple pupils. The eyepared to his other two eyes was sitting vertically on his forehead.

    "I have the power to control space. To be exact, I can shape, manipte and even create any physical aspect of space. It is not the most amazing ability of all but do you know what makes it quite interesting?"

    Li Mingwu smiled and narrowed his eyes at the monster as he continued:

    "In my years of research, I havee to understand the existence of several entities, even gods, demons, and angels. My knowledge is so smallpared to what is out there no doubt."

    Li Mingwu''s face looked down with a bitter smile, his speech brought memories of how much he wanted to know more, but there was just an unbreakable limit to what he could learn. As if someone was deliberating putting a leash on this thing called knowledge.

    He raised his head to continue, it was odd how the monk paid attention to him with his grin still spreading as wide as ever.

    "There are three dimensions in space, we have the matter, the energy that exists in, then we have the Infinity Stratum. While I have a definite grip on the subject of matter and energy. The infinity stratum however is what has been giving me difficulties, the reason why I will be fighting you is because of that. The height of space maniption that anyone can hope for..."

    He paused and looked at the monk.

    "I guess you can''t understand... you are just a dumb monster after all. I will show you."

    Li Mingwu took in a deep breath and slowly released outside, he raised one finger and ¨C

    "Quantum Bind"

    Wrooom!

    Labyrinthine entanglements began to weave into the space, flowing around the monk, at first it was almost unnoticeable and was just like a little blur in the space but as they weaved into each other, all through the space that the monk was standing, it became evident.

    But by that time, nothing could break out of it.

    He was confined in a space that kept him there by manipting the rtionship between matter and energy, as far as there was matter within and energy within, it was impossible to get out.

    "Don''t just stand there like a fool, go get the boy."

    Immediately after hearing Li Mingwu''s pushing voice Alec Whitman jumped and grabbed Eric then quickly jumped away. He bowed to Li Mingwu.

    "Thank you, master."

    "Find it."

    "Yes, master."

    Li Mingwu turned to the monk and said nothing else to Alec Whitman and Eric, leaving them to gaze at his slender back.

    All the while the monk kept punching the space but the only thing that happened was a rippling. No matter how hard the punch was, it was as if he was punching a pool of oil.

    Li Mingwu watched the monster''s endless struggle with his hands behind his back.

    "How annoying... I always thought humans are the ones withoutmon sense and would still try to force their way out of things even when it is impossible. I already told you, it is impossible toe out of my quantum bind. No monster has made use of it in ten years, I must admit you are a tough one."

    The grinning monk suddenly stopped moving and the corner of its lips curved downwards, turning its grin into a downturn expression. The monster was now frowning, his eyes widened like he was mad.

    "Mok...sha"

    Grrrrrrrr

    As the monk''s thick tone reverberated through the area. In the center of space between Li Mingwu and him, a violent cyclone began to manifest. It started as a distortion, a shimmering tear in the fabric of existence, and then it erupted into a hellish storm.

    It seemed as though the whole space itself was objecting to this incursion as a cacophony of distortion echoed. Colors blended to create an alienated kaleidoscope, a swirling dance of hitherto unknown tones.

    It was as if space itself was trembling and twisting, writhing in anguish like a tormented canvas. Particles resembling stars emerged and disappeared in random patterns, their brilliance fluttering as though they were yearning for air.

    It took all of that to tear open the quantum trap that the monk was confined in.

    By the time the monk was out, Li Mingwu btedly suddenly noted a staff in its hand. First of all, it was a hassle trying to hold himself within such spatial disturbance. He didn''t understand what the monster had done.

    But it was sure of one thing, the monster spoke and whatever skill this is came after the monster spoke, hence it was somehow safe to say that the monster targeted the space directly from outside. A skill that could be executed from within but only affected the outside.

    He wasn''t sure he waspletely getting the deal of the monster''s strength and thinking about it was putting him in a very confused state.

    ''What the hell?''

    He burst out of the chamber''s confines, as the silence of its shattering space echoed like a suppressed scream.

    His emergence was met with the monk''s immediate pursuit, which was almost like a seamless transition from one realm to another.

    In the span of a mere heartbeat, they collided amidst the emptiness, suspended within the air. The sh of their forces resonated like a discordant symphony, a harmonious collision of power and intent.

    Li

 Chapter 263 The Monk (2)

    ?

    For a minute, it seemed as though the skies wrapped themselves around them to unfurl a dysphoric simcrum of the entire surrounding as they were locked in a minute intense exchange.

    The wind rustled with impacts that broke the sound barrier as each one of them''s fists delved into the other.

    For the monk he was very durable, his body was doing a good work of damage absorption. Li Mingwu. Well, he was durable too, at the very least he isn''t breaking down no matter how many times the monk drove his palm into his stomach, chest, and arms.

    It was endless.

    The monk''s hands soon became a blur these times and like a mirage as they continually battered Li Mingwu¨C thest strike. Thest strike made the air gather around to run for breath, they seized and became very hot. And as the monk drove the palm forward, it seemed to tear into the fabric of space. But it''s okay, it wasn''t that tough. It just broke through the sound barrier again, creating an air coat around the monk''s hand as he reached Li Mingwu and buried it into his chest.

    Li Mingwu couldn''t afford a long flight this time around, thanks to his durability he had held on well for one minute with nothing to support him. With a heavy strike like that? He scrambled away into the air and was etched into the walls of an afar cliff not less than 0.9km away from them.

    The cliff shook, its vibration caused a resonance in the forest beneath it and gave the birdie monsters a little scare, they all flew away as normal birds would.

    Most of the birds were adorned with a blue feather and unmistakably as Li Mingwu noticed for a brief moment when one flew past him, they had three legs.

    ''I must be seeing things now that I''m old eh?''

    He removed himself from the cliff. A perfect blueprint of his frame was indented on the wall of the cliff.

    For a strong man like Li Mingwu, levitating was not a big deal. Of course, it is bound to be a hassle when he is dealing with a monster such as this and still wants to manage a part of his space manipting to keep himself afloat.

    He frowned at the monk who was also floating but 0.9km away.

    Li Mingwu squinted his eyes, right now he was acknowledging the fact that this is going to be very hard to deal with.

    Perhaps something should be made clear. When Li Mingwu deems something hard, the first and foremost meaning of that scenario is that he would have to fight outside hisfort zone.

    He had an arsenal of space skills and honestly, no one had ever really made him use them all. There was this monster in the past that came close to seeding but it died before Li Mingwu could even use his peak.

    This was why right now, Li Mingwu was smiling. If he can reach his peak, perhaps he will enjoy fighting a little bit more. Maybe he would be able to see his weakness and finally be susceptible to growth.

    His mind wriggled with excitement as he thought of that one possibility. He was not a battle-crazed person no he wasn''t. But he was obsessed with his growth and this skirmish that was about to unfold between him and the monk, to Li Mingwu it was looking quite promising.

    As if sensing a signal of approval, the monk streaked at Li Mingwu. He was super fast for someone that was levitating just a minute ago and there was barely any traces left of his movement, just the aftermath of flustered winds that scattered around.

    "Jhana."

    The monk''s voice rang again like a trembling thunder as entered Li Mingwu''s close vision, he carved arcs from upward and downward simultaneously with both hands¨C immediately, at that same time, Li Mingwu backed away, standing feet on the ground on the wall of the cliff, straight up defying gravity with little to no effort.

    He had sensed the danger in the monk''s strike. It wasn''t even up to a second as his feet attached to the wall of the cliff, the air between the two of them trembled as if a bomb exploded from the subspace and was causing the visible space to tremble in the shock of the explosion.

    It was a bizarre attack, nothing that Li Mingwu was used to. So there was no way for him to know that backing away from it wasn''t going to save him.

    Because it was a ranged attack in the first ce.

    Without any aforementioned. The wall of the cliff was disfigured, bringing the entire cliff to its knees. Before Li Mingwu could get what was happening he was caught up in a dire survey flight, trying to avoid heavy rocks from falling on his head.

    Everything happened so fast that even though he was on high alert. He had no time to react. Reaction was a far-fetched word. He didn''t even see iting.

    The monster was dangerous.

    Li Mingwu''s mind affirmed to him once again as he found his way up amidst the rainfall of rocks.

    The once-standing mighty cliff was nothing but smoke and debris. However, to the bright side, there was a better view of the gate environment now as if the cliff was standing as a light block before.

    Li Mingwu darted at the monk the moment he saw a chance. But that too was to no avail.

    "Anikka..."

    He was barely shouting but his voice was rumbling, as if the gods were speaking. He jammed his hands together as he spoke and before Li Mingwu coins reach half the distance that split the two of them¨C

    It was like the world suddenly zeroed out on him, everything turned and for the next moment, he cked out. Only to wake up and he was on the ground, with a mighty crack in the middle of the forest.

    Trees werepletely disintegrated. Even grasses were gone, the ground itself had folded inside out, forming a webbed crack with Li Mingwuying in the middle of it, and the monk afloat right atop him. Hands joined together, praying to God knows whom.

    What had just happened? One second he was flying towards the monster, the next second he was on the ground. What were this monster''s powers?

    Having no chill, the monk lifted one hand to the skies.

    "Kalpa"

    For the first time since he began to throw strikes, visibility was weed. A brownish energy-like liquid mes surged from his hands into the middle of the sky creating a detracting ckhole that began to draw everything in.

    It started with winds and leaves, but soon got heavy and began to remove trees from the ground. The seemingly peaceful forest before now had be a spinning disaster of tornadoes and hurricanes and earthquakes that split the floor as if the ground itself would be sacked in.

    Yet with all this tremor, Li Mingwu was left wondering why he was not being pulled up, he couldn''t feel any force of attraction on himself at all.

    Perhaps, this attack was not working because of his spatial maniption.

    Li Mingwu as always was too quick to think highly of himself for he did not know that all this swirling was gathering tounch a nuclear-type attack on him.

 Chapter 264 The Monk (3)

    ?

    "What?"

    Li Mingwu looked up, his eyes shaking as he came to a harsh realization of the truth. This was when the brownish pir of surging energy that stretched from the monk''s hand to the sky wasing down like a gigantic sword about to split the ground.

    He wanted to back away.

    As if that would help. He looked back and saw the barrennd that used to be a thick forest. Where the hell could he run to that the pir of energy wouldn''t reach?

    It looked like the monk was ready to destroy the entire gate. With that attack, he doubted if anything was bound to survive. The surrounding and the atmosphere were already chaotic as it is. The skies had darkened and the wind was howling strongly as if informing him of the impending danger.

    What was he to do in this situation? Li Mingwu''s mind raced, searching for a way to counter the monk''s devastating assault.

    After years of using spatial maniption and researching its uses. Li Mingwu was sure that his understanding of thews of physics had grown and as such had greatly influenced hisbat sense and abilities, allowing him to perceive the fabric of reality in ways others couldn''t fathom.

    And yet before such a phenomenon, he was utterly helpless. His eyes were left to tremble at the sight of this threat, his old and wrinkling skin rose crisped and fear crawled all over him.

    His usually slightly opened eyes were widely opened, his mouth almost dropping to the ground which gave away his brown and uneven set of teeth.

    Gritting his brown teeth, Li Mingwu''s widened face suddenly narrowed, pulling his brows together.

    There is always a way.

    His agape mouth grew into a widespread grin.

    ''This is so intriguing I feel like I can die from excitement. When? Whenst have I ever felt like this.''

    They say the true joy ofbat is felt when one''s life is threatened, for those that seek war andbat for pure joy.

    Li Mingwu has always met weaker foes, people, and monsters he could always finish off without using the best of his abilities. Of the four unranked, he could confidently say he was the strongest, although many would object to it if it was to be said aloud. But he had met them several times and he would often tell his closest student, Mok Jun-Seo. ''There is nothing to those guys, they are better off being Catastrophe rank''

    Mok Jun-Seo would often think it was Li Mingwu''z pride. Indeed pride can blind a person, but Li Mingwu was also confident which was why he would often talk like that. He was confident in the extent of his abilities. An extent that can be realized when his life is endangered and in just a nce, none of the four was strong enough to threaten his life.

    Not like this bastard monk floating in the air and mildly descending a pir of energy on him.

    The eyes on Li Mingwu''s forehead narrowed glinting an almost unnoticeable streak of ck. In this moment, all of Li Mingwu''s magic energy shot up, but took a colorless form, perfectly blending with the space and aligning his inner spatial senses with the descending turmoil above him.

    In a series of rapid calctions with the eyes on his head moving left and right, up and down, he identified the microfractures forming in the space around him, causing aplex of distortions.

    By instincts, Li Mingwu knew these fractures were the key to his survival.

    He had never tried this before, suddenly getting creative with his spatial abilities had never happened to him before. All he used to utilize is his arsenal of spatial skills. But this was a different level and it was because of how much his life felt threatened by the monk''s attack.

    None of his arsenal of skills would have worked. Nothing!

    Li Mingwu''s body responded, his movements flowing with a mix of instinct and experience. With precise gestures, he pulled these distortions closer to himself, using the small fractions that formed a.

    It could not be seen by the naked eyes of course and was only possible because of his third eyes. Using his spatial maniption, he weaved the spatial distortions into a protective cocoon, a pocket of warped space¡ªat this point, the pir was connecting to him.

    Contrary to the loud ''boom'' and ''gbooaaa'' silence fell on the entire ce as it was consumed by a vast blinding light. Everything became unseen, vaporizing to ashes in the wake of the whiteness that now existed.

    It was brief but it was detrimental. Nothing was left, but a thick cloud of debris looming heavily on the highs and lows of the surrounding and the monk floating amidst it.

    His angry frown had now be the usual wry smile and his eyes were slightly opened, looking down. His smile was short-lived and quickly turned back to scowl.

    The cocoon acted as a shield, pushing back against the voracious weight and the burning intensity of the energy the monk wielded. The distortions in space were not usual, Li Mingwu''s guess was that they were something that only happened as a result of the monk''s attack.

    He didn''t know how it would turn out but it was the best route his mind could follow, this was purely an action of instincts. And it usually does not happen to him.

    The protective cocoon was made of the very fabric of the monk''s energy. The energy itself easily tore through space. If Li Mingwu had used the usual fabric of space to create a shield, it would have been to no avail. Using those distortions to weave a shield was his best bet.

    It was like an adamantium sword hitting an adamantium shield. Of course, Li Mingwu did not have a perfect understanding of this before he created the cocoon, however, it summed up after he found out that he survived and the space behind him didn''t.

    Moreso, the scowl on the monk''s face said more than needed to be spoken.

    Time seemed to slow as Li Mingwu opened the cocoon, he didn''t believe he survived. He looked up and saw the monk''s eyes locked on him with an inscrutable determination burning within them.

    Stretching out behind him was a vast darkness, starting from the ground, behind his cocoon to as far as his eyes could see. The veil of darkness spread like ink on parchment, consuming the once-familiarndscape with its cryptic embrace. The terrain, from the very ground beneath him to the distant horizons, had been cleaved asunder by the towering pir of energy.

    This division, though stark and definitive, was not an irreversible separation, for the severed parts of the space were engaged in a slow, mesmerizing dance of convergence. The fragmented elements exhibited an almost organic movement, akin to the tentative wriggling of two halves of a disjoined creature seeking to reunite. Space after all had a unique regenerative property.

    Li Mingwu''s eyes widened as he came toprehend what had just happened.

    ''Did I just survive an attack that even the space could not survive?''

    This thought, however, posed two questions to him. First, what in the world was that energy, that it had properties that were far superior to space? Second... he looked down at the cocoon that was now covering his lower body with spiky edges that seemed ready to close back any moment.

    ''Have I transcended the limits of space itself?''

 Chapter 265 The Monk (4)

    ?

    Uh uh, it was no news that Li Mingwu was too quick to think too highly of himself, just like he thought he wasn''t attracted to the ck hole because of his unique space maniption,he was quick to think he had surpassed the limits of space just with this flimsy achievement.

    Of course, from his perspective, this was huge. In his entire life, he had never aplished something like this.

    But he had never also met beings like Cor-Ellion, so there was no way he would ever know the true might of this familiar fabric of space.

    He was far from measuring up to it, a talk about surpassing its limit was pure cockyness and nothing more. In the first ce, was it not amon understanding that the space was boundless and limitless?

    Mortals are the limited ones.

    Li Mingwu was still far from reaching the peak of space maniption. And the parlous thing was that right now, he thought he had just achieved the peak.

    His face was adorned with a delighted smile.

    ''This is what a true foe will bring you.''

    Blinded by the pride of a flimsy achievement, Li Mingwu felt satisfied. He felt very good in his body.

    Bis delighted smile grew even more delighted, forming a confident grin on his face. A grin that said:

    "I can defeat this and survive!"

    Li Mingwu''s third eye shot open, and immediately his body shot forward, attracting the fractured space and catching the subtle ripples and eddies that had somehow managed to form around the air as an aftermath of the attack. Of course, this was only visible to Li Mingwu''s third eye.

    Super alerted, Li Mingwu''s eyes narrowed. He was not to be told that the next movement or gesture from the monk would signal another attack and was bound to be detrimental. The dude already looks that mad.

    Despite being alerted, Li Mingwu flinched and backed away mid-air as the monk raised his hand to the sky.

    Li Mingwu''s eyes squinted the next second and he muttered:

    "The same attack?"

    He could see the brownish energy forming with intricate patterns woven into its fabric.

    With a burst of spatial energy, Li Mingwu created a localized warp around his body using the distortions that were beginning to appear, creating a pocket where the energy would break into to go to ''God knows where'' should it fall likest time.

    The energy pierced the sky again but before it could reach the sky¨Cit stopped midair, blocked by an invisible shield of the space distortions that Li Mingwu was now getting fond of.

    The energy surged more, burning fiercely like a fatser trying to pummel through the hardest metal to exist. A dazzling disy of light and energy was created as the two opposing powers locked in a silent struggle.

    Li Mingwu''s brow furrowed as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The strain of maintaining his defense was immense. He managed to look up at the monk after a bit of struggle. Somehow, the pain and burden intensified upon realizing that the monk didn''t even seem bothered one bit.

    Li Mingwu refused to give up and held tightly. This time it was not just about him. He could sense the two were still alive, he could sense them better via the tiny threads of space, one of the amazing abilities of his third eye.

    Even though the monk was about to use the same effect, something felt different about it. If the monk destroys the gate along with those two who were supposed to fetch the feather of the Pheonix. Even if he ends up defeating the monk, it would be all for nothing.

    So Li Mingwu resolved to stop that attack from meeting this ground. Because his senses told him that this time. It could be aplete pulverization.

    "Hmmm..."

    The monk gazing at him tilted his head and grinned, pointing his other hand to Li Mingwu.

    ''Shit!!''

    He had totally forgotten about the other hand.

    "Mudita"

    It point two fingers and swiped up.

    Immediately, the ground beneath Li Mingwu unfurled, as if they were being pulled by a mighty force of gravity from above.

    Distracted and unbnced, Li Mingwu stumbled¨Cthis caused him to lose his grip on the shield that was stopping the monk from reaching the sky. He also could not give another second to care because he was busy dodging the stones that we being peeled from the ground at a frightening intensity.

    He jumped from stone to stone, on the lookout for a safe ce tond with one part of his senses, the other part was strongly fixated on the monk who had now sessfully reached the prerequisite to create the ck hole again.

    It was not advisable for Li Mingwu to stay afloat in the air, if not he would have done that from the onset. But the utilization of spatial maniption on the space distortions caused by the monk''s energy was taking more magic energy than he could give.

    If he was to suspend himself with the little repertoire of energy he was using to deal with the monk, then he was bound to go zero on magic energy first.

    That was why Li Mingwu was getting more physically active. But because of that, he failed to notice the colossal boulder that was above him¡ªnot until it cast a horrifying widespread shadow above thendscape.

    Just how bad does it want to destroy Li Mingwu that it would go this far?

    A boulder above his head.

    A pir of energy toplement it.

    Li Mingwu appreciated being highly thought of but this monk was doing too much.

    He grinned looking up, even though his face was sped by beads of sweat, he grinned with gritted teeth.

    He showed resolve to deal with this situation, but something else was written on his face at the same time¨Che had understood something at this point and had realized:

    Up until now, the monk had only been using one hand.

    As simple as it sounded, a strange feeling tugged his mind because of this very realization. Li Mingwu felt like the monk was not even using fifty percent of his power.

 Chapter 266 Blessing In Disaster

    ?

    "It''s nowhere to be found. Nowhere!"

    Alec gritted his teeth. They were far away from where the fight was happening, but they could vividly feel every tremor. Some even caused him to stumble along with the ground.

    He could see the giant pir of brownish light, he could see the giant boulder hanging over the sky and slowly dropping.

    All that made him realize that he never would have been able to face that monster. What was it?

    Thest time he came here, he fought the Phoenix, although it was different from what it was often described to be. Instead of a ming body, it had azure feathers and was incredibly beautiful but also powerful. Its control of blue mes was amazing.

    Its me was able to burn out the fire cast by magicians. Hell, it was able to burn out even their magic energy and even the hardest metal.

    Alec paused to look at his hand, remembering the warm embrace that sped him when he came in contact with the bird''s me.

    It was difficult to exin to someone else what he had felt¨Cit was painful, very in fact but it made him feel warm, it made his heart warm, and tears rolled out his eyes without his knowing.

    The hunters that were with him then thought that it just hurt that bad. Another person did not leave to tell the feeling he had. Everyone burnt by the me died but Alec was sure they would have died a very peaceful death even though it was by fire.

    He knew it by how he felt.

    That was why he was thoroughly prepared this time, he would not fight the Phoenix and instead make Li Mingwu fight it. Even now, his n was still the same.

    Thanks to the gate anomaly there were a lot of ruins to his perfect n but he didn''t care. He was desperate and would give his life to see this seed. Now all he just has to do is lead the Phoenix to Li Mingwu.

    For a moment, he feared his n but he braced himself up the next moment. It was going to be hard, not with the level of fight that was happening between Li Mingwu and the monk. The grounds and space were tearing in the wake of their attacks. Going near somewhere like that was suicidal.

    Eric watched in silence as Alec gritted his teeth in anger, they were in a dark cave,pared to several other caves it wasn''t that deep but was very high, carved at the very top of the only surviving cliff of the gate environment.

    They had climbed to get to this ce. Hard? Yes, but they were superhuman of some sort. Climbing was nothing toin about.

    This was where the bird was thest time, it was why Alec hade here straight up after leaving Li Mingwu to deal with the monster. And the Phoenix was nowhere to be seen.

    It was nowhere in the gate too, where would it be? Half of the gate was already a barrennd.

    "Something is wrong. I can feel it in my gut"

    Just as Alec spoke, Eric subtly caught a chirping sound. It wasn''t something he would have easily heard due to the loud intermittent vibrations and the battle sound carried by the wind.

    This was why he carefully turned to his left and focused, trying to get if his intuition is feeding him the right thought in this instance. Because it would be a fatal thing to give Alec false hope.

    "What is wrong?"

    Alec''s voice wanders in its echoes alone. Eric focused and began to trace the rough wall of the cave. He was sure the sound came from the left but there was nothing. It was darker than usual and he had to strain his eyes to navigate through the darkness. But he still could not find anything.

    Inside the cave was a bit wide but was also straightforward and had no other tunnel. So there were only two sides to the walls, either left or right. Not any particrly seenplicated pattern.

    Eric traced forward, maybe it was just his imagination because he was already reached the end of the cave, where he was sure that the sound can''t being from.

    He sighed.

    Just when he was about to give up, he heard again.

    The chirp sound was this time, clearer. His face swung up immediately.

    "There!"

    He yapped, pointing to the bottom of the woven straw basket that was slightly protruding out of a crevice in the wall. The color of the straw basket was perfectly blending with the cave walls. It was amazing how Eric managed to sight them in the dark.

    Seeing it as Eric pointed to it, Alec quickly moved closer, he had to stand on his toes to carefully bring out the basket but it was easy.

    His eyes shone and glistened as he brought out the basket and saw what was within it.

    Two little birds, one blue and one red. They looked thin and their feathers were scanty showing off their unattractive skin. Right now, they were generally attractivepared to the beautiful bird Alec encountered when he first came here.

    But that didn''t make them any less what they are.

    "Two phoenixes..."

    Alec muttered.

    Just how lucky could he get? Plus, they were chicks.

    Judging by the way they look, they had probably not eaten for days. It made sense to Alec why the big blue bird was very aggressive the moment they neared this cliff, they had not even started climbing when it attacked.

    It was protecting its kids.

    If they had not eaten for days that meant that the Pheonix had not been home for days.

    Did someone kill it? Could it have been the monk?

    A situation of a monster invading gate and killing the boss monster of the gate has never been recorded. It had never happened. So all this was still a hypothesis that was carefully ying out in Alec''s head.

    Anyways, this worked out for his good. He gained two things from this.

    The feather and two phoenixes. This was a chance anyone would trade hundred of billions for. Indeed there was a blessing in this disaster.

 Chapter 267 Realization

    ?

    Li Mingwu gritted his teeth for like two seconds then wore a solemn smile. With a colossal boulder hanging over their head any other hunter would have felt like shitting their pants. Upon discovering that their opponent had not been taking them at full strength all the while and half of thendscape of the entire gate was overturned.

    Such realization was bound to cause one to die from their minds before the hands of their enemy.

    But another thing that set Li Mingwu apart from others is the state of mind. His experience over the years of course greatly contributes to that. Just like how you can''t expect a novice hunter who had never been to a gate before to react and handle a monster the exact way a veteran hunter would.

    In the face of such magnifying disaster, Li Mingwu was very calm.

    But that had no effect on his surroundings, nor did it change the fact that what is about to happen is about to happen.

    The colossal boulder began toe down, threatening to crush him along with arge area of thendscape that was void of ground and only contained deep, endless darkness.

    Li Mingwu looked up and inhaled deeply then exhaled. With a surge of concentration, he outstretched two hands into the air...

    "Temporal Stasis!!"

    Li Mingwu rapidlypressed the space around the boulder, creating a powerful barrier that held the massive rock suspended in mid-air.

    The air around him crackled with tension as the boulder''s weight pressed on the spatial barrier he created. He spat out blood and gritted his teeth, holding on to the boulder for as long as he could.

    But he wasn''t going to hold onto the boulder forever. The monk was still there to deal with, not to say he had a very nasty smile on his face. He was probably thinking of an incredibly bad thing to do to Li Mingwu.

    "Haapp!!"

    Li Mingwu shouted, sucking in arge amount of air at once to generate more power as if he was pushing the boulder upward. It wasn''t any different, in a real sense. Because he could feel the entire weight of the boulder on his body, it was as if his body from up to down was being pressed together by the world.

    This was just a side effect of using spatial maniption to hold onto the boulder. Because his third eye was like a channel that opened his entire body to the limitless feel of space, almost making him one with the space¡ªstill, Li Mingwu was very far from achieving the state of oneness with the space.

    Li Mingwu''s eyes narrowed as he focused on maintaining the spatial barrier, his mind working swiftly on what to do with the energy pir that was splitting the sky.

    While in the thought process it began toe down to, at a faster ratepared to the first one. It was swift and smooth, slicing the boulder and everything in two.

    However, this time, the energy wasn''t able to cut the space. But the ground bore the brunt of the attack.

    Already ravaged by the removal of stones that formed the boulder that was being held in the sky, a colossal chasm yawned open, its gaping maw upying the epicenter.

    The sh of the energy pir caused the very earth to have birthed another fracture, a jagged scar that cut through thendscape. Splitting the ground from the arch of the circr hole to the horizon.

    A thick fog of dust covered everywhere and loomed longer than before. Far and wide, the ground was still shivering from the shock of the attack, it was like it had caught a sudden cold under a pressure-filled atmosphere.

    The cocoon slowly unraveled, presenting Li Mingwu. However, this time, things didn''t go as he had expected.

    Blood followed a straight diagonal path from his shoulder through his torso to his lower side. He was bleeding heavily. His beard was colored red and his face was heavily bruised.

    It was easy to get what happened.

    While space itself had developed a resistance to the attack from the first interaction, the next attack recognized its own properties.

    The cocoon was useless, it wasn''t like the energy would cut through it. To put it in more clear terms: there was nothing to cut through in the first ce. Both the cocoon and the energy had the same property, the energy is what caused the spatial distortions that Li Mingwu used in creating the cocoon.

    Pitching them against each other was the dumbest thing to do.

    It was a careful concept, it worked the first time because they were distortions, these distortions handled by Li Mingwu brought out more physical properties and looked like the perfect property for a shield but when the energy recognized the distortion, and became one.

    All that was useless.

    Li Mingwu''sprehension of physics was beyond par thanks to the third eye which also affected his level of perception. These things he was able to understand the moment he saw that the space did not tear and the cocoon was ineffective.

    He gritted his teeth in pain, regret, and shame. It dawned on him for once how pompous and proud he was.

    The monk from up there was looking very satisfied. It took the rosary in its hand and wore it over his head, then folded his arms with a victorious grin.

    Li Mingwu had sustained a serious injury from that attack, he would be dead now if not for the fact that he quickly used quantum bind on himself¨Canother intuition action.

    Time seemed suspended as Li Mingwu was faced with a dilemma. Run or fight.

    No, would it even be possible to run in this situation?

    What he began to deliberate on this time around was:

    ''I wonder how I would like to be killed.''

    Li Mingwu lowered his eyes to look at the overturned ground. He had little magical energy left to carry on the fight. He was seriously wounded and bleeding, his body was worn out and his legs were beginning to feel numb, almost as if he couldn''t feel them.

    Several minutes had passed since the battle began and it seemed like it was finallying to a decisive end.

    "I can''t lose..."

 Chapter 268 Passing Of The Great

    ?

    "I can''t lose"

    Li Mingwu''s lips slowly moved together to produce a whisper. Even with a bashed face, he wore a deep frown. His third eye was slightly opened, looking like it would close any moment.

    The monk looked at him from up. He saw Li Mingwu''s face and frowned. Almost as if he could tell what they meant.

    He wanted to break Li Mingwu''s will but it wasn''t working.

    And he wasn''t going to give up.

    The monk raised his chin and smirked.

    The next second, the wind hissed as the monk glitched through, appearing in front of Li Mingwu in less than 0.01 interval. Li Mingwu didn''t react until the monk was in his front.

    ''When?''

    With his eyes widened he quickly backed away but that too was not possible.

    The monk caught Li Mingwu by his cor and pulled him in, punching his face.

    Li Mingwu blocked perfectly but all of his bones cracked. An intense pressure apanied by the stic of air was exuded every time the monk threw its fist.

    Every punch was rupturing through Li Mingwu''s hands but he did not stop blocking. Soon, in fact, he began to respond.

    He began to find tiny spaces for a counter and slowly they were locked in another deadly fist-to-fist confrontation that could not be followed with the eyes.

    The ground beneath them quaked as their first blows shed, each impact sending shockwaves rippling through the earth.

    Energy crackled around them as their assaults collided with tremendous force. Soil and debris were thrown in all directions by the overwhelming force that both of them exuded.

    It was a power dance, a conflict that went beyond anyone''sprehension of physical limits.

    Li Mingwu''s motions were fluid and urate, his body flowing in sync with the battle''s tide and cirction.

    His spatial maniption skills caused wovenplicated patterns in the air that aided his every twist, dodge, and parry. He was also using the space to press down on the wound over his chest to stop the bleeding. It was why he had not died despite being at the brink of his limit.

    The monk''s attacks, however, were unrelenting, each blow packed with an intense ferocity that matched his unwavering intent.

    Time ran as the two of them continued in a tight lockdown skirmish, running through thendscape in different areas in pursuit of each other''s lives. Razing and destroying the grounds with every heavy movement.

    Cracks appeared on thendscape, forming deep nooks as if the earth was groaning under the pressure of the fight.

    Even though every passing minute was a ticking warning of hising demise, Li Mingwu did not reduce his tempo not to even talk of stopping. Even when he spat blood, he did not stop, even when the monk delved a bone-crunching blow on his wounded chest, no, he did not stop.

    He was quick to pick himself up, in search of an opening. His resolve annoyed the monk but it only caused him to bring out more power. His blows began to hurt more and Li Mingwu got weaker.

    But even in those moments, he was desperately seeking an opening.

    In the wake of that desperation, Li Mingwu''s fist swing forward each time, with the space wrapped righting around his hand to generate more pressure and power.

    He swung forward discharging a devastating blow that caused the wind to cry in torment. Even though the monk had blocked with his hands crossed, there was a smoking bruise on his hands.

    He dropped his arms and looked at Li Mingwu.

    "You!"

    He yelled with his hand pointed to Li Mingwu. Then a wide grin spread over his face as he pointed to his own neck and slit over it with his finger, with his tongue sticking out. It was a clear sign to show Li Mingwu he was now more invested in killing him than before.

    "That bastard..."

    Getting the message well, Li Mingwu''s shoulder shuddered.

    The monk took the rosary on its neck and pulled it out forcefully tearing it. Instead of falling, the beads began to float and increase in size, in no time, each bead was already equal to the size of a ser ball and was swirling above the monk.

    Li Mingwu sighed, at this point. Even he had epted whatever was going toe next. He thought back on his life and the things he had aplished. He was satisfied with everything no doubt but the only reason why he couldn''t bring himself to ept this moment was the thought of not being able to reach his peak.

    No, to be exact, the peak of space maniption. Perhaps he was just too arrogant to ept that he had reached his peak a long time ago.

    "Ahh..."

    His eyes were barely open, they seem tired and void of life, gloomy and dark. Bruises inhabited his face here and there. He was battered and bashed, without the monk''s help he probably would have died if left alone in this state without emergency medical treatment.

    As his breathing transitioned from rough to slow, thoughts of Mok Jun-Seo hovered in his mind. He wondered if he would have been in a different ce if he didn''t ept Alec''s request if he had kept his greed in check and just help Mok Jun-Seo out.

    This thought caused him to think about Mok Jun-Seo''s favorite hunter whom the guy was willing to do anything to save. The thought of Raith put a smile on his face.

    He said as one of the balls slowly flowed to his front.

    Stressing his tired eyes a little he lifted his head and looked at the ball. In that instance, the ball grew spikes that plunge into his bodying out from his back.

    Blood poured from his gaped mouth.

    ¡ª

    Mok Jun-Seo was busy admiring the view from King George Ind which was the entry point into the continent.

    Whoooosh

    He quickly hugged himself wanting to shrink as the cold wind blew past him. He was fully kitted, in thick cardigans as rmended by the airport officials. But the cold was still seeping into his bones.

    And yet there was someone like...

    His eyes drifted toward Raith who was dressed in a suit, the first two buttons of his shirt were opened, exposing his sexy chest. Hell, his look in entirety,with the ck earring on one ear and his physique, everything about him was sexy.

    Except for his personality.

    Mok Jun-Seo shook his head before he began to amodate more vile thoughts. But still, the point was:

    ''How can he not feel any cold like that.''

    Mok Jun-Seo wondered if Raith had refused the specially-made cardigans and overalls because they were a hassle. ording to him, he couldn''t feel any cold or heat. It is pretty much the same to him.

    He sighed and was about to step forward when he suddenly froze. No, the harsh winds of Antarctica had not frozen him, not yet, not ever.

    His face became gloomy, as something overwhelmed his senses. He could only think about one thing right now.

    "...master"

 Chapter 269 New Attribute

    ?

    Contrary to what Raith thought, the entry point of the frozen continent was very crowded. He had pondered on how they were going tond since it was andscape filled with ice and it wasn''t news to him that nes couldn''tnd on rough surfaces.

    Amidst that pondering his mind had trailed off to give several solutions.

    ''Maybe they will drop us from the sky.''

    It was unreasonable but it was the closest answer to a reasonable solution that Raith coulde up with. In his few months, or perhaps one year of staying in South Korea. He can say for sure, he has learned a lot. But there was still a lot more to learn.

    A lot of bewilderment from several other countries blew his mind.

    King George Airport.

    After several hours of their travel, The environment below changed from recognizable vistas to a wide expanse of whiteness as seen through the ne''s window.

    The ice spread out like an unending canvas, with just slight undtions and cracks indicating the frozen terrain''s underlying intricacy.

    And as the ne dropped on the ind''s paved road, the ice''s pure white took on a variety of hues, ranging from dazzling rity to gentle blue-tinged shadows.

    After the safending, several men in big overalls to protect them from the harsh cold came down with a bag of the same overalls.

    Which Raith refused.

    One of the men with a mustache looked at him with a scornful gaze. Not only had Raith refused the overall, but he also did it rudely. The man was looking old enough to be his father and Raith still didn''t care.

    ''Young Men like him are bound to die...''

    He sighed and tucked the overall back into the box they came with.

    ''...are we going to be having another death case today.''

    He shook his head in pity for the walking dead. He understood the harshness of this weather. Many people tend to misunderstand it because here at King George Ind, it is even quite favorable due to the heat sensors that were created using magic crystals.

    But once they leave King George Ind. That was where the real harshness began.

    He wasn''t wrong. He just didn''t know Raith.

    Raith stared at the white sky, wondering what to do to make this ce a better living condition. Even though he suggested they came here, it wasn''t like he had any n in mind.

    But he felt like he could do it.

    He sighed and walked forward to meet Mok Jun-Seo who seemed frozen for a minute.

    "Are you okay? Did the cold get to you still?"

    "No, no, it''s okay. But Hunter Raven..."

    "Yes?"

    Raith, having walked past him a few steps, stopped and looked over his neck.

    "Will it be okay if we make a quick trip to America when we are done here?"

    "Oh, that ce. Definitely, why not? I''ve always been curious about what kind of ce it is. Min-Ho told me a lot of Korean hunters migrated there."

    "Yes..."

    Mok Jun-Seo replied with a shameful smile. The issue of hunters leaving Korea to go to America has always been his greatest failure.

    Raith noticing the strain in his smile looked away and walked forward.

    That was that. He needed toe back to finding a solution.

    "Let me start with seeing my status. I can''t remember whenst I''ve done that."

    Raith muttered to himself. It was at this point... he got to know. How powerful he had be.

    [STATUS INFORMATION]

    NAME: Raven Raith

    TRUE NAME: ******

    CLASS: (Level Too Low To Reveal Info)

    HP: 2,330,000/2,330,00

    AGE: 22

    LEVEL: 143

    D.P: 15,550

    C.P: 50,770

    THE UNDEFEATED KING BODY CONSTITUTION LV.2

    TITLE: Ruler of GREED and 6 others...

    ATTRIBUTES: Darker than ck, The Dissatisfaction Failure Brings, Darkness Lord, Book Of Requiems, Creation.

    [SKILLS-PASSIVE]

    - Devourer(EX)lv.13

    - Multiple Cognitive Resonance(SSS)lv.11

    - Thoughts eleration(S)lv.30

    - Metavision(S)lv.30

    - Ultra-Instincts(S)lv.30

    - Intimidation(S)lv.max

    - Induce Fear(A)lv.1

    - Dark Vision(A)lv.10

    - Dragon Scale(UR)lv.max

    [SKILLS-ACTIVE]

    - Frostweaver(SSS)lv.1

    - GREED(UEX)lv.5

    - Appraisal(UR)lv.12

    - Instant Move(B)lv.57

    - Stampede(S)lv.1

    - Air Leap(C)lv.44

    - Magic Perception(S)lv.1

    - Magic Operation(S)lv.1

    - Abysmal me(SSS)lv.1

    [CLASS SKILLS-ACTIVE]

    - Skill Bestowal(EX) lv.4

    - Creation(EX)lv.2

    - Soul Extraction(EX) lv.31

    - Domain Of Darkness(EX) lv.5

    - Death Parade(EX) lv.1

    [STATS]

    - Strength: 275

    - Speed: 269

    - Stamina: 515

    - Intelligence: 445

    - Wisdom: 111

    - Endurance: 344

    - Perception: 756

    - Will: 215

    Avable stat points: 1000

    ________

    "Wow..."

    But that was not all.

    [Due to the new attribute ''Creation'' and ruler error code a new feature has been added]

    [Due to the new attribute ''Creation'' Your level of authority over the system has risen]

    These messages made Raith wonder...

    ''What is this new attribute''

    [Attribute info]

    Attribute Name: CREATION

    Info: You have merged with a primordial item: THE CRYSTAL OF CREATION. As such several things are changing about you.

    - You can change the system interface, such as changing the disy color, or font type.

    _______

    ''Wow... that wasn''t what I was expecting''

    _______

    - You can merge skills to create a unique skill.

    - You can delete skills.

    - You can create new skills.

    _______

    ''Holy shit...''

    But he kept reading on.

    ________

    - When skills are deleted, they be Skill fragments. Skill fragments are needed to create new skills. The number of skill fragments needed to create a new skill is dependent on theplexity of the skill.

    - Merging skill does not require any resources but is a gamble. When the merging process fails, skills cannot be returned. Instead, they be fragments and can be used to create new skills.

    _________

    Raith was astonished. This new attribute was the best thing that ever happened to him.

    He looked up at the sky.

    ''I just might be able to do this.''

    "Hunter Raven, we are here like you said. Now, do you think those people will be able to live in this kind of environment?"

    "I-I-I f-f-for o-o-one d-d-d-don''t t-think so"

    Min-Ho kept shaking, his mouth beating drum rolls.

    Raith after looking up for quite a time lowered his gaze with a gentle smile at Mok Jun-Seo. He has been learning to smile these days. It was a good thing and it made his face more radiant.

    "We can make it more favorable."

    "To make it more favorable, a sun is probably needed."

    "Then we create a sun."

 Chapter 270 Gamble

    ?

    A lot of things that happened in Raith''s fight with Cor-Ellion he had forgotten.

    The pain and humiliation, however stuck to his head. If there was anything Raith was able to realize it was the fact that he would soon begin to meet foes that transcend the concept of death.

    In essence, it would not matter to them if he can rise from the dead, just like how Cor-Ellion dealt with him and binded him to eternal damnation without having to kill him. He understood that at some point he would need to get over himself.

    And that is why the next attribute he has been looking to explore is the failure one.

    The dissatisfaction failure brings.

    It looked useless. It still does but Raith was being optimistic here. Well, that was before he unlocked this new attribute creation.

    ''I might not need anything again. This might be the final piece of the puzzle I have been searching for''

    Raith dly dismissed the thought of doing something about his ''failure'' attribute. It after all has been the most dormant one.

    Dark lord is the reason why he has dark energy and can harvest the darkness of souls and make them to be his soldiers, it is the reason why he became a monarch of darkness.

    Darker than ck, is a space between life and death and the reason why he got the title, ''one who devours death''. In fact, it is his best attribute.

    Book of Requiems gives him unique stats and properties thate in handy during battle. Such as the unique blood property that he now has.

    Dissatisfaction failure brings? That one only activated once and that was it. With the creation attribute, Raith could do a lot with himself.

    Like right now, he was changing the interface menu color to blue and font type to Roboto.

    [Are you sure you want to save setting?]

    ''Yes''

    [Setting saved]

    After adding a number of touches here and there to his status menu, Raith got ready for the real deal.

    Mok Jun-Seo and Min-Ho were still looking at him as though he was mad.

    Create a sun?

    That was a mad statement. It made nomon sense.

    "So, let me get this straight hunter Raven."

    Mom Jun-Seo finally spoke after a few minutes of silence. He walked quicken his pace, catching up to Raith who had begun to walk deeper into the continent.

    "So, you mean to say that you want to create some sort of artificial sunlight?"

    "No, I will create the real thing. Tell me about your sun. Having an exact one here will definitely burn down the ice and regte the temperature wouldn''t it?"

    "Ah..."

    Mok Jun-Seo stopped, dumbfounded. To him, Raith had finally gone mad.

    ''He is mad, he is very mad.''

    He ran forward again.

    "Hunter Raven, that is impossible!"

    "Yes, hyungnim. If you can create a sun you''d practically be a god."

    Raith paused after Min-Ho spoke, causing the feeble doctor to flinch, hoping he had not said something wrong.

    ''Am I a God now?''

    Raith''s pupils dted as the revtion hit him.

    [No, don''t kid yourself. You are far from that]

    "Tch"

    He didn''t ask for the abyss''s opinion but he got it anyways. He was still human through and through but what human has two beating hearts?

    Raith moved his head towards his right torso, feeling the second heart.

    ''I''m guessing this skill creation is because of the crystal of creation.''

    [I hate to admit]

    [I did not see iting this way]

    [But be careful. That thing can be a curse]

    ''Yea, when you say it like that I can''t help but think you are just jealous I got another power source besides yours.''

    [...]

    ''Yea, I thought so too.''

    He scoffed and opened his status again.

    ''I can''t see my true name. My level is too low to see my ss.''

    Raith clicked his tongue but he grinned. There were a lot of unknowns but the new attribute was more than enough source of joy for now.

    ''Now, let''s create a new skill''

    [Input skill name]

    The blue tab appeared immediately Raith thought in that line.

    ''Oh oh, how about we go with copy Sunlight''

    [Skill name COPY SUNLIGHT registered]

    [Input skill description]

    ''As the name signifies, it will be a one-time use skill that copies the sunlight of earth and replicate it in where I want.''

    [Description registered]

    [Calcting fragment cost]

    [Do you want to create skill ''COPY SUNLIGHT'' for 1000 skill fragments]

    ''One thousand?!!''

    Raith''s brow furrowed. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Hence, he began a gamble.

    This was the start of his destruction.

    ''Let''s see. Delete skill instant move''

    [Are you sure you want to permanently delete skill ''Instant Move'']

    Raith grimaced, remembering how this skill has been there for him since day one. It hurt a bit to let it go but he had to do what he had to do.

    On the second hand, he just was enjoying this too much.

    ''Yes''

    [Skill deleted]

    [You have gained 2 skill fragments]

    "Holy shit! Two? Just two?!!"

    Raith was so shocked and vexed that he couldn''t maintain his silence even though he wanted to. That moment made him forget two humans were keenly watching him from behind. Waiting for him to do his magic.

    ''Damn it!''

    He cried inwardly.

    ''Let''s see, perhaps I have to be more careful and study the way this works.''

    He decided this time and carefully looked before he leaped.

    Instant move is a rank B skill. So it was understandable that it gave only two skill fragments. What would happen if he was to destroy a rank C skill?

    [You have deleted skill ''Air Leap'']

    [You have gained 1 skill fragment]

    It was just as he expected.

    Raith sighed and nodded, happy that things were going his just as he predicted.

    ''Then next, rank S''

    Deleting a rank S skill was not easy. But what was there to worry about? He has an amazing new attribute.

    [Do you want to delete skill MAGIC OPERATION?]

    [Do you want to delete skill MAGIC PERCEPTION?]

    [You have gained 10 skill fragments]

    [You have gained 10 skill fragments]

    [23/1000]

    Raith frowned, this was getting ugly.

    ''Okay, let''s shoot a bit higher. It''s not like I have arge arsenal of skill, to begin with.''

    ''Abysmal mes''

    [Do you want to delete ABYSMAL FLAMES(SSS)?]

    It didn''t put the rank of the other ones. Raith suspected that this was a good sign and nodded.

    ''Alright let''s do it''

    [You have gained 50 skill fragments]

    ''Wow...''

    It wasn''t a hundred. He was expecting a hundred at the very least.

    ''Frostweaver''

    [Frostweaver is an art, are you sure you want to delete it?]

    "Holy shit! An art?!"

 Chapter 271 Leaping Faith

    ?

    Keep calm and write something...

    [You have deleted skill ''Dragon Scale(UR)'']

    [You have gained +100 skill fragments]

    [133/1000]

    ''Ah... this is going to be harder than I thought''

    Raith folded his arms as he stared down at the number of skill fragments that he needed to get if he wanted to create a ''one-time use'' skill that was going to copy the sun.

    This was for just a one-time use. What if he wanted to create a skill that was befitting of a certain situation? This attribute meant that he won''t be getting too attached to skills because he would be to lose any skill at any time depending on the situation.

    Thanks to Devourer he could always absorb the monster he kill and gain their skill but Devourer has refused to activate of recently. And he was still far from discovering the pros and cons of activating the skill.

    He scratched his head, lost of what to do.

    Min-Ho and Mok Jun-Seo could see him from behind and immediately knew he was probably out of options.

    ''As I guessed, there''s no way such a thing is possible''

    Mok Jun-Seo shook his head with a light chuckle. It wasn''t that he was mocking Raith''s failure¨Cfrom his perspective at the very least.

    He was intrigued by Raith''s effort. The uncaring hunter a few months ago is right here in the middle of the coldest continent on earth trying to find a way for survivors from a different to live.

    "So, hunter Raven. How about we explore further."

    Mok Jun-Seo suggested, stepping closer to Raith. He was very skillful when ites to not making someone look stupid.

    Raith, a little bit slow on the uptake didn''t know and didn''t care.

    He looked down...

    ''I might be able to find a gate to clear...''

    It was his surest bet. After all, Antarctica was a continent. One that is unexplored. Apart from the fact that he would be able to gain skills from killing monsters or devouring them. He was dying to test out this him that he was currently feeling.

    So with an assertive nod.

    "Y-y-you g-g-g-guys c-c-can jus-s-st g-g-go..."

    I''ll just wait over here. It was more hell of a stress for Min-Ho toplete that simple statement. He has sneezed over ten times in a row while stuttering on one word.

    It was almost impossible to believe he was a rank B hunter.

    However, he didn''t need toplete his statement before Raith and Mok Jun-Seo got to know that he would be unable to continue the journey with them.

    ¡ª

    "Hunter Raven"

    Mok Jun-Seo broke the silence that preceded the two of them for over ten minutes after deciding to go further.

    All they have beening across is an expanse of snow, some so deep that it reached their knees and made them struggle a few steps.

    To be exact, Mok Jun-Seo seemed to be the only one struggling at that time because Raith seemed unaffected. The snow of course swallowed his lower leg, up to his knee. But unlike Mok Jun-Seo whose every step was a difficult story to relive. Raith moved like he was moving in the water.

    Mok Jun-Seo couldn''t put together the mechanics behind why such a thing was possible. Hell, even Raith couldn''t.

    Mok Jun-Seo was dying to know but there was something more important.

    "What?"

    Raith asked, not ncing back at all. He finally reached a level where the depth of the snow was beginning to reduce, and his leg began to rise, with the lower part of his pants wet. Same with Mok Jun-Seo.

    "Do you really not feel any cold? Is it a skill?"

    This weather was killing. It made no sense no matter how much Mok Jun-Seo thought about it. By now, frostbite should have consumed him and his body should be freezing. But he was still very fine.

    He knew it was Raith but still how in the world is this making any sense? But then again. It is Raith.

    No, it made no sense.

    He continually fought in his insides before finally taking the initiative to satisfy his curiosity.

    "I have a skill, it allows me to nullify cold and heat and other stuff."

    "Nullify? Not resist?"

    If it was resist he would still be able to feel the effect of the cold to a certain degree. Maybe still survive it at the end of the day but he would take damage.

    But nullify. He was bound to not feel a thing.

    Just how amazing is he? Mok Jun-Seo''s eyes shone with stars toward the back of the hunter. His greatest joy was that a hunter like Raith came to South Korea.

    He couldn''t quite tell the reason but he felt like one day. This hunter before him was going to be the greatest in the world and be strong enough to conquer the world on his own.

    That was why he instantaneously decided to believe in him more.

    "So, this Sun you are trying to create, will it be possible? Really?"

    He asked, taking a leap of faith.

    Raith paused and looked at him, tilting his head with a smile that confused Mok Jun-Seo.

    "You don''t believe me?"

    Mok Jun-Seo didn''t know what to say to that. While Raith''s smile felt very cool and confident. It made him hate himself for not believing the guy. But he was still in a position where he found it very impossible to believe that a human would create a sun.

    Just like Min-Ho said. If it was possible for Raith, that would practically make him a god.

    ''A god...''

    Mok Jun-Seo looked at Raith again as he turned to his front without giving a proper reply.

    First of all, was it possible for a human even though he is a Catasteophe rank hunter, to nullify natural effects? Mok Jun-Seo doubted if someone as great as his own master would be capable of such a thing.

    Raith might be that existence that has surpassed the boundaries of humanity.

    Yes, that is right. He might be a god for real.

    ''...if that is the case then I should believe in him.''

    "I believe you!"

    The sudden shout caught Raith by surprise. He wasn''t expecting anything, he was just focused on finding the monster and enjoying the feeling of joy. He thought of how their jaws would drop when he finally copies the sun. It made him sickly happy.

    Then Mok Jun-Seo shouted.

    He didn''t have to but it didn''t feel bad to see someone recklessly throw awaymon sense just to believe his words.

    Raith shocked face slowly transitioned into a delighted smile.

    Then it was interrupted as his senses picked up a devastating shockwave that was to happen in 1.02 seconds.

 Chapter 272 Foresight

    ?

    Mok Jun-Seo was talking but suddenly stopped talking. The transition however was so abrupt that Raith caught it instantly. His brow furrowed as he looked at Mok Jun-Seo, not a secondter...

    ...everything began to vibrate so much that snow was almost dancing in fear of the tremor. It became even worse and it was hard to maintain bnce.

    Just when Raith was about to stumble a step away from equilibrium. He returned.

    From his perception. Mok Jun-Seo had just finished shouting:

    "I believe you!"

    ''I have seen this before''

    Raith frowned, sure that this was the second time he was hearing Mok Jun-Seo shout but unsure of what had just happened now. Mok Jun-Seo however, did not seem like he caught anything unusual.

    Raith thought about asking but decided not to. It was after then that he noticed the expression on Mok Jun-Seo was familiar.

    A sort of continuation smile after saying something embarrassing. Raith frowned again, suspecting what might have just happened.

    Then the ground began to shake with tremors and it was just like he suspected.

    He literally just went into the future?

    How many minutes? Two? One? Hell, this was new!

    Raith''s mind was almost clogged with different thoughts. Too many things were suddenly happening at the same time and this was interesting. Just how much has he changed?

    While wondering, the tremor hit massively. He was about to stumble when the glimpse of the same scenario he experienced moments before shed through his eyes. Like a reflex, he rolled into the air andnded.

    He watched his initial crack open and dissolve into water. He would have been in the cold water now if not because he had experienced the future. Not that it would do him any good but it hit differently because he just saw the future. Even though it was too short to be called ''seeing the future

    ''Foresight''

    When one''s perception surpasses human limits, it surpasses the restraints of time. Hence, it is possible to perceive anything even if there is a drasticpse in time. However, that drasticpse was a question of how much perception the person had.

    Raith''s body and mind with a second heart had surpassed all physical limits. And with that, his stats were experiencing the same thing. The best reason he could think of was the crystal of creation affecting him on all sides.

    He couldn''t go too deep into what was happening to him, nor did he know what else was affected.

    ''At this rate, I might not be able to hold a grudge against that damn asura''

    If Cor-Ellion had not stabbed him and put him in a time loop. This wouldn''t have happened.

    Raith came off himself and looked at the cracking ice.

    "Something is off."

    He said to Mok Jun-Seo who was safe from danger without needing help.

    "I think so too..."

    ''It seems like something is moving.''

    Mok Jun-Seo traced the cracks in the ice. As he suspected they were moving in a zigzag pattern and breaking at a point where the ice wasn''t that strong.

    The tremor with each movement suggested that it was a very powerful creature. A snake? A worm?

    Mok Jun-Seo was experienced when it came to monsters. He could already tell a few monsters that fit into the diagnoses and could as well tell how badly things were looking for them.

    But even he too was no slouch.

    The vibration seeped in once again. Causing even stronger tremors and right between him and Raith who seemed dazed and out of focus for some reason, the ice began to swell and crack.

    It was very hard ice and the creature was continually hitting it over and over again.

    "Hunter Raven! It''sing!"

    Mok Jun-Seo screamed but Raith paid no special attention to his voice.

    Frustrated, Mok Jun-Seo leaped over the swelling crack, hoping he would reach Raith before the creature seeded in breaking into the surface. But to his shock, things did not go as nned.

    He and the creature were right on the money.

    Just as he jumped, the creature plunged into the air, scattering debris of ice all around.

    Barely by the skin of his teeth, Mok Jun-Seo had escaped the rattling mandibles that were strong enough to crush through theyer of eyes. If Mok Jun-Seo was 0.01 secondste, he would have lost a leg.

    Sweat poured from his face as he panted from surviving a pinch with the monster that now towered over them. Raith whom he had thrown himself in harm''s way for was looking unbothered by his near-death experience. Instead, he was fixated on the strange creature

    ''Why is there a monster out in the open? This is not Therut, there shouldn''t be field monsters. Is there a gate break somewhere?''

    Whatever incident affected the earth and caused the gates to start appearing. It affected every part of the world.

    But no one cared about Antarctica, even with the awakening of humans. It was not possible to survive the harsh environment in that ce. It became manageable for some. But fighting monsters under such hard weather conditions was suicide.

    Given all these conditions, there was no way to know the current state of the continent as regards gates and monster infestation.

    First of all, before anything...

    Raith looked up with a scowl.

    ''I need to kill this thing.''

    Stretching out his fingers, the ck steel materialized into his grip. In the same fashion, the shadow helmet adorned his face. Taking charge of its own destiny. If not, Raith was bound to forget about it again.

    ''Atta boy!!''

    Balplimented the shy ego who just stayed silent even afterward.

    As if the monster had sensed his hostility, it lowered its head. High above them, right there, stood still for a few minutes. Itsrge iridescent blue eyes with a subtle shimmering glowing staring death into the two humans that were below it.

    To an extent, curiosity loomed in the eyes of the monster. Even though it was not outspoken, it was possible to tell by the way it observed them. However, it did not stay still for long.

    With a loud screech, it lunged its head at them, crushing into the eyes as they jumped away from its aim.

    While Mok Jun-Seo took several steps away to stand a ground wide enough for him to be calctive. Raith hadunched himself at the monster, swinging down his sword on one of its legs as he failed to reach the back of the monster as he had predicted¡ª

    ¡ªthe monster had pulled its head out of the crushed ice, raising its back. Hence the calcted momentum Raith jumped with was not enough¡ªnot wanting to lose anything Raith shed down his sword as he came down, taking one of the monster''s blue leg with him.

 Chapter 273 Frost Centipede

    ?

    Even with its lower body submerged in the ice, the monster towered over them with a height of over 3.0m. It would take a hell of a jump tond on its back.

    That was a perfect opportunity but he missed.

    "Tch..."

    With a fallen leg beside him, the ice ground, and his body smeared with blue blood Raith held his sword together ready for the next instant the monster was going toe at him again.

    Even after losing one leg, it was unbothered, it had probably a hundred more, each of them sharp and extending out of each segment of its long body. It was like a centipede.

    A centipede that possessed a body that seemed to be specifically built to inhabit this climate condition. Its hull on the back was white and thick, almost resembling ayer of frost acting as both armor and camouge.

    The monster could stay hidden in a pile of ice, burying its leg into its body and no one would have any idea that a monster was there.

    The hull was dotted with intricate patterns and almost looked like they were woven by frost. It gave the frost centipede a mesmerizing beauty. If it was younger it''d be a good monster to tame.

    But right now, it was nothing but a voracious creature that was trying to have Raith''s head for intruding into its habitat.

    With his foresight now working without fault, Raith was getting ustomed. He jumped into the air and a secondter the monster lunged into the floor again.

    Its mandibles were very strong and easily crashed into the ice again. But this time it was easier for Raith tond on its back.

    He ran over its head and sprinted up its body but as the monster extracted its head, wriggling its body, Raith lost bnce and almost fell off. But he stabbed Bal into the dividing segment between the thick hulls of the centipede prompting a deafening shriek out of the beautiful horror.

    Raith flung himself back to the top of the hull and pushed his sword further inside, hoping to rupture its organs as much as he could.

    The monster shrieked again vividly informing the entire air that it was in pain, one would have almost pitied it. But it was a monster and Raith was a hunter.

    Even Mok Jun-Seo who watched helplessly from below was a hunter.

    Nothing could save the monster from Raith''s grasp of death.

    He was about to pull out the sword to stab another ce but the sword was stuck, Raith dematerialized the sword and tightened his fist.

    A thought briefly crossed his mind.

    ''With a strength stat of over 300, how much damage can I do to a monster''

    Sparkling with curiosity he pummeled a blow into the monster.

    He had at least expected the thick hull to crack, but his eyes widened, the shadow helmet dissolving from his face. His hand was inside the monster, easily broken into the hull and blue blood sshing out.

    The monster shook more intensely and shrieked louder than before the moment Raith punched it. But no matter how hard it tried, it couldn''t shake Raith off, his hand was stuck inside after all.

    Finally resolving to extreme measures. The monster shrieked loudly once more, this time it was more of a rage cry than a pain cry.

    It lunged itself downward, burrowing into the ground with Raith on its back.

    Raith btedly recovering from the shock of how strong his power was now found himself struggling to breathe underwater.

    He quickly held his breath to prevent water from entering his lungs but weirdly enough he felt like he could hold on for quite a long. It was impossible to get a human even if they were a very powerful hunter to hold their breath for too long, it could cause suffocation.

    But if the person in question was a human with two hearts and the second heart operated on principles that were notprehensible by the concepts of the world.

    Raith''s knowledge about his new heart was too little. Even right now, he didn''t know¨Cthe effects on his physical strength which were very visible were what he took notice of.

    But it went beyond that.

    ''Damnit!''

    The monster swam underwater like a snake and just kept going. Raith''s hand was still stuck inside its hull and it must have known, it exined the reason why it kept going and at an increasing speed.

    Raith first struggled even though he had no issues holding his breath for three minutes since being underwater. But as the monster''s speed continued to increase he gained stability. He held on to one of the monster''s legs which were acting as a good swimmer for it.

    Then he pulled it out violently.

    But the monster let out no shriek.

    The first time too... Raith remembered that the first time he cut down the monster''s leg it didn''t make a big deal out of it.

    Legs to its was disposable goods. It had a hundred of them. The hull Raith smashed, however? That was straight into its back.

    Raith pulled his hand out of the monster''s hull and held on tightly to the frame of the hole carved by his fist although now painted blue by the monster''s blood¨Cboth his hand and the white hull of the monster.

    The monster''s speed suddenly slowed down a little bit. It must have thought that Raith had been shaken off.

    Just as it was swimming back to the surface, it let out another shriek but was muggled by the water and causing a lot of bubbles.

    Blood flowed out of the monster''s back flowing into the water like a blue powder. And then, the monster plunged out of the ice in frenzy, letting out a loud cry as it soared into the air with Raith on its back.

    Enjoying how easy his strength had made this. Raith pulled out his fist with a grin and pummeled another hole into the monster.

    He pulled out his hand, letting go of the monster but as he fell through the air, he materialized Bal¡ªdelivering a spin strike that cleaved right through the segmented part that separated each hull from the next.

    Stomp!

    As hended on the ground, the lower part of the monster copsed and the upper part fell a secondter filling the ice with blue blemishes here and there.

    Raith sighed and looked to his front.

    Several Frost Centipedes were towering before him. Like ten.

 Chapter 274 Overthinker

    ?

    ''Hunter Raven. He is strong, very strong.''

    Mok Jun-Seo was one of the many that were yet to see Raith in action. Except for the brief brawl with Turner and seeing the extent of his soldiers. He had never really gotten a chance to see Raith take on monsters.

    Until now...

    Even now, what he saw was Raith trying to match the energy of the monster. It was like a returning yer trying to test his abilities and skills. Still, it was a crushing defeat.

    Especially the time when he saw Raith''s punch briefly break the sound barrier and break into the centipede''s hull. It was short-distanced so any other person would have not noticed. But such a thing couldn''t slip past Mok Jun-Seo''s eyes.

    Not only did he have a good eye for people. He had a very very good set of eyes for everything. It was because of his beastial nature.

    Of all sses of hunters, some are considered epic, like mages and summoners. There are some rare kinds that are considered to be very unique because of their rarity.

    Tamers

    Beastials

    Holy knights/Clerics.

    For Mok Jun-Seo, he was a beastial. A human with the properties, traits, and abilities of a beast.

    Beastials are in different traits and forms, some are native to water, some air which also causes them to have flight abilities, and many terrestrial. The most amazing thing about them was their senses and ability to transform.

    Mok Jun-Seo was a beastial capable of martial art even in his beast form. It made him very powerful and special even amongst other hunters of the same ss.

    He was no fluke and old age had certainly not taken his mojo.

    He flung his gaze left and right, immediately taking in an overview of information about his surrounding.

    From the silence that reigned after the frost centipede dived deep with Raith it wasn''t difficult to deduct the current situation, a few minutester. The ground shook again, it was the tremor from when the centipede had taken Raith to another location.

    Mok Jun-Seo narrowed his eyes and dashed in that direction his eyeball in a split moment became slit, like that of a cat. The view of the world fell under the billet of his beastial eyes.

    Everything was being perceived differently.

    Whoom!

    He dashed away like a phantom, leaving only a gust of cold dust to dance around in his wake.

    ¡ª

    Raith was not struggling. Contrary to how things would have been before he also was not dying. But for the first time, it felt so good.

    Being able to y his enemies without having to shed any blood was a great feeling. He didn''t know it was going to feel so good.

    He tore their fleshes apart with a big smile, jumping from hull to hull and plummeting them with his bare hands.

    Hended on another one and battered several holes into it. When he saw that he was done. He held onto it and used his greed perk on it.

    When a creature didn''t want to die. When the hope for lice was stronger than anything else, he was capable of total control over the mind of the creature.

    Hence, the frost centipede began to dance around with madness. Right now the most Raith could manage was two at a time. Three more were alreadyying dead on the ground.

    In fact, the whole ce was a mess of blue.

    With three frost centipedes under his mind control ability, Raith watched them wrestle against each other. Tearing away their abdomen with a strong mandible. Hitting each other''s back with the first few segmented halls from their head.

    They curved their head a little and continued to hit, generating pressurizing air shake with each hit. Their way of fighting was almost like that of the Rams.

    Except for the fact that they got drastic and delved their mandible into whatever piece of their opponent they could grab but particrly aiming for the abdomen because the hull was strong, not even their mandibles could have broken them. Which made Raith''s strength very incredible.

    After a made fight, three centipedes were still standing, two were seriously injured and one was all good. Although it had a few webbed cracks on the upper segment of its hall, close to its head.

    Blood was gushing endlessly from the abdomen of one. It looked like it would have eventually died if left alone.

    While the other one had several of its legs pulled out during the wrestle. It was barely maintaining bnce.

    ''Arise''

    Raith summoned and a cloud of ck smoke that was never there immediately began to spread around the icendscape, his soldiers marching out of it.

    It had been a while since their master had summoned them and they were all catching glimpses at Raith''s face. Their body had equally changed too.

    They were all still ck, but the red cracks that randomly stretched around their body were not organized with a core in the middle of their chest. The red streaks traced down their hands, torso, waist, back, and legs almost like a superhero suit.

    The dark smoke that they exuded was still eerie, the red ze of death on their faces was passionate but when it slit for battle. They became angels of horror.

    ''Master is not summoning us''

    Somewhere in Necropolis, three soldiers sat and contemted the current situation.

    ''Perhaps that is because he does not need us. I am sure he will need us for greater things.''

    Jarvis optimistically responded to Crimson''s fear.

    ring at him with disgust, Crimson shook his head and sighed. Every day with this guy was disgusting.

    Who thought him to talk the way he does? Where did he learn it?

    Crimson wouldn''t admit that it amazed him. To his own consent, it irked him more. Because it was disgusting. Jarvis was optimistic every time he talked. He dashed outpliments like he was giving out sweets every day.

    Andughs at even the most boring jokes. He would go out to the lower part of the Necropolis where the regr soldiers are working and randomly start a conversation with them. Not that they could talk but they understood him and he understood them.

    Still, it was a very weird thing to do. A leader should be absolute, serious-minded, and strict. Why smile all the time?

    This was what Crimson thought. He was going to reprimand Jarvis for his carefree and irritating attitude one day. But every time he tried, he just couldn''t.

    On the other hand, what worried him the most was Antares'' silence ever since the war in Therut ended.

    Antares had been silent. Instead, he had been dedicated to sparring with soldiers over and over again. Tearing them apart, they would instantly regenerate because they can''t die in Necropolis.

    Even now, getting him here was a hell of a work.

    "What need does Master have for us when we are so weak?"

    Antares finally opened his mouth to speak after being silent the whole time. He stood up and walked away. Stopping after a few steps, looked over his shoulders.

    "You should be focusing on getting stronger right now"

    Kortopi''s eyes narrowed, and he nodded. Obviously agreeing with what Antares said. He also stood and bowed before the others before following Antares.

    They were going to spar again.

    "What about you Noir... aren''t you worried?"

    Crimson turned to therge wyvern thaty on the floor in front of the golden temple while they rested on its dark walls which they had built.

    "I have nothing to be worried about. The master will call me if he needs me. You think too much, don''t let your mind be the end of you."

    Noir closed his eyes afterward.

    They were never going to understand, Crimson bowed his head with a frown. He is not like this guys, he has to make sure his master looks at him and acknowledges him. Every moment of Raith''s decision to not choose him or call him caused insecurity in his heart.

    ''Maybe Noir is right... I keep thinking too much.''

    Jarvis ced his hand on the young smart soldier.

    "It will be well."

    There he goes again, with thepliments and nice attitude.

    Jarvis was very annoying but really, it won''t be an understatement to say that he is probably the strongest soldier in Raith''s army right now.

    He hadpletely changed and was the only one that had white streaks instead or red. Either he is very very special or he received some sort of new power from the master.

    This nation also made Crimson insecure.

    ''If that is the case. Why would Master choose Jarvis? What is so special about him?''

    Crimson wondered. He was an overthinker.

    ¡ª

    Back to the surface, without the help of their leaders, Raith watched how the soldiers raided the three centipedes while dying and regenerating.

 Chapter 275 Runestones

    ?

    "Hunter Raven!"

    Mok Jun-Seo had run here as fast as he could. And by his calction that was more or less ten minutes.

    To put it simply:

    ''He did all these in just ten minutes?''

    Mok Jun-Seo was dazed as he turned his head around. The ice was a mess. The blue blood was seeping into the ice, changing its color, it would have been considered a beauty but there was a huge pile of Frost Centipede flesh here and there on the floor, their intestines out in the open.

    It could make anyone puke.

    Raith soldiers did not only manage to raid the four, but they were also currently skinning it. He hadn''t instructed that of them and even he was curious as to why they suddenly started harvesting the hull of centipedes with their weapon.

    But he had noints. It was very satisfying to watch them struggle and prevail.

    "Ah, you are here"

    Raith turned to Mok Jun-Seo with his hands in his pockets. Even though blue blood has dried on them, smeared on his suit. He didn''t care, which almost made him look psychopathic.

    "I think there is a need to investigate this ce. There are monsters... there might be a gate break or something, maybe even lots of them."

    "Yes but wouldn''t we need manpower?"

    "What better manpower could we need?"

    Raith cocked his head, pointing his hands to the back where his soldiers were.

    "Oh..."

    Mok Jun-Seo slightly opened his mouth, understanding what Raith meant.

    Just then five soldiers came to Raith with a stone in their hand, offering the stone to him, they bowed.

    "Uh? What is this?"

    Raith bore down and took one of the stones. There was a rune letter imprinted on the stone.

    "Runestone."

    Right when Mok Jun-Seo saw it, Raith was also using his appraisal skill on it, so he didn''t need to ask ''What is that?''

    [Item info]

    > Name: Frost Centipede runestone.

    > Rank: A

    > Skill: Cold Resistance

    > Skill type: Active

    > Skill Description: Once the Skill is activated, its user will be wrapped in a thin blueyer of light, almost invisible.

    - User will be resistant to high levels of cold when the skill is activated.

    - The Skill costs 2MP/sec.

    [Do you want to use Runestone?]

    ''Not a thing for me. But perhaps he could use it''

    Raith lifted his face and threw the runestone to Mok Jun-Seo.

    "Huh?"

    With a clueless and gaped face, Mok Jun-Seo exchanged a few nces between the stone in his hands and Raith who had thrown it.

    "Are you sure? Runestones are extremely prized. Even if you can''t use them, you can surely sell them."

    Raith shrugged and turned away.

    "Just ept them now before I re-think my decision."

    He said. He had a very good use for the stone but the skill that it would give seemed to be very useful for Mok Jun-Seo.

    ''Why not just give it to him, I''m sure he would be suffering from a lot of colds''

    That was how he thought. Raith did not know even till this point that he was changing. The Raith from before would have probably preferred to keep it and sell it for the money or at the very least. Use it.

    He could gain the skill, delete it and get some nice skill fragments for it.

    He looked at the rest.

    [Item info]

    > Name: Frost Centipede Runestone

    > Rank: B

    > Skill: Ice Arrows

    > Skill type: Active(magic)

    > Skill Description: A non-homing, water-element spell.

    [Do you want to use Runestone]

    ''Seems mid to me''

    _____________

    [Item info]

    > Name: Frost Centipede Runestone

    > Rank: A

    > Skill: Aqua Stream

    > Skill type: Active(magic)

    > Skill Description: A magic spell used to generate aser-like high-pressure stream of water.

    ________________

    [Item info]

    > Name: Frost Centipede Runestone

    > Rank: A

    > Skill: Concealment

    > Skill type: Active

    > Skill Description: A cold-wind attribute spell that creates invisible blue mucosa over the user, hiding them from the sight of monsters.

    ________________

    [Item info]

    > Name: Frost Centipede Runestone

    > Rank: C

    > Skill: Ice Lens

    > Skill type: Active

    > Skill Description: A distance spell that creates a lens allowing the user to be able to see through thickyers of ice.

    There were several more. And Raith used all of them.

    ...then he deleted them.

    [You have deleted skill]

    [You have gained 1 skill fragment]

    [You have deleted skill]

    [You have gained 1 skill fragment]

    [You have deleted skill]

    [You have gained 2 skill fragments]

    [You have deleted skill]

    [You have gained 2 skill fragments]

    ...

    Everything he was able to umte after deleting the new skills from the runestone was 9 skill fragments. Incredibly low but he wasn''t disappointed, he didn''t even know that he could get them in the first ce.

    But now that the option of runestones from monsters was opening up to him. His hope was getting up.

    "Wait, does runestone appear in all monsters?"

    Mok Jun-Seo still feeling grateful for the stone he had received quickly replied:

    "Not all times but sure."

    "Then what about all the monsters I have been killing before now? I didn''t get any runestones?"

    Raith raised an eyebrow as he inquired.

    "Well, that is part of the whole Hunter policy. I guess you didn''t read it."

    Raith shrugged.

    "No, I didn''t. I asked Min-Ho to."

    "Well, resources gotten from gates belong to the association, so monster corpses, and monster cores all belong to the association in exchange for being paid much more."

    "But with the use that can be gotten from the monster carcasses and cores, and the runestones. It seems like you guys can earn much more than what I''m being paid."

    Mok Jun-Seo gently tapped Raith.

    "I''m d you didn''t read the policy back then. It''s impressive that you can point that out real quick."

    Raith red at his hands causing him to quickly remove them. He thought he would miss his hand if it were to stay on Raith''s shoulder with the scary re Raith gave him.

    "Are you ready?"

    Mok Jun-Seo broke the stone with his beastial strength emitting a violet aura as he drew forth such strength.

    After breaking the skill, a blue light enveloped him, it was very brief and almost unnoticeable. With it entered a refreshing feeling.

    He got a brief taste of the skill before activating it. And upon activating, that refreshing feeling went deeper into his body. It was definitely still cold but now it became easier to bear.

    It was just like the cold weather in Korea. He didn''t need to care for anything, except that the cost was high.

    Low, but it consumed per second, not that he would know. He didn''t have a system.

    But even so, his magic energy was being drained.

    He looked up in delight at this refreshing feel.

    "Yes, Hunter Raven. I am ready. Let''s go hunt the monsters."

 Chapter 276 Ambush

    ?

    In two hours, Raith and his army hadid waste to two times more monsters than a party of B ranks would in eight hours.

    A party of A ranks, depending on the gate they''re raiding but if it''s a B rank gate, the number of monsters carcasses that would be wasted on the ground would stretch into a hundred, perhaps barely. If it was an A-rank gate, things would be harder, but they still would have done close to fifty.

    For Raith''s soldiers, hundreds of Frost Centipedes wereying dead on the ground.

    It was not a superstition, Raith had a total of three hundred soldiers including the aerial squad, the wyverns.

    Their firepower made things so much easier. It was the best match-up for the cold attribute of the centipedes. They danced to the tune of ferry fire each time.

    Even Mok Jun-Seo was useless. He didn''t need to do anything, his help wasn''t needed. For once in his entire life he felt useless on a battlefield.

    "Hunter Raven, don''t they get tired?"

    "They survive by my energy, regenerate by my energy. They don''t get tired, when I run out of energy they won''t be able to regenerate."

    "I see... I heard they yed a big role in saving the people in Therut. The people address them as the soldiers of darkness."

    "Uh? Really?"

    Raith was surprised to hear that, he raised his upper lip in a mixture of disgust and unbelief.

    "Yes, really. You don''t know even your soldiers have a good reputation amongst the people of Therut."

    ''Those good for nothing. It was a bad call, a very bad one. Exposing my weakness to the people just like that.''

    Raith still didn''t know why, but he knew by instinct that it was a very bad decision to make. He could try to make a few excuses as to why it is bad.

    The people would know his secret.

    They might leave a substance that would tarnish the energy of the abyss.

    But deep down inside his mind, he knew this was not the real reason why he felt ufortable about them being here. He just didn''t want them in his stomach¨Cthat was a good way to put it.

    "Stop."

    Raith was getting more used to foresight, he kept jolting into future instances although it was at most three seconds and often apanied by a sensation crawling on his skin¨Cwhich was in instances where the monster was reasonably strong.

    So far it wasn''t anything his soldiers couldn''t deal with, there wasn''t one single scenario where he or Mok Jun-Seo needed to step in. The leaders weren''t there to coordinate them yet they were so careful and organized.

    Sometimes too organized.

    Raith wondered who gave them the idea of harvesting the monster carcasses, cores, and runestones. But he had the answer right in front of him.

    ''Should I just call them?''

    Thinking about Crimson''s uptightness, he considered calling them to the battlefield. But he wanted them to chill more.

    Raith was beginning to see them as important pieces, while they would easily take care of the situations and kill whatever foe he assigns to them. He needed to give the soldiers a chance to be soldiers too.

    So far he had neglected his soldiers and paid more attention to the leaders.

    And he realized that just a few minutes ago as he watched them y monsters. Their growth was slow but it was something.

    Raith inhaled deeply and gently exhaled.

    "Something ising this way."

    He said after jolting three seconds into the future anding back like it never happened. He had felt a massive tremor and with it huge footsteps.

    And three secondster a massive tremor began to shave the ground as if it was trying to shake them off the ground.

    While the soldiers fell into the rhythm of the ground shaking, Mok Jun-Seo grew ws and stabbed them into the ground. The trembling ground soon progressed into an earthquake and Raith seeing how much his soldiers were struggling had to disce them. Just the foot soldiers.

    The aerial squad was still active.

    He pocketed his hand, unaffected by the earthquakes, even when the ground tore through where he was standing. He simply leaped andnded softly on better ground.

    He had be extremely nimble, he wanted to me it on his speed Stat but it was more than what a Stat could aplish. The lightness of his body, the nimble feel at his fingertips and toe tips, each time he leaped he felt like he could almost fly. Only that he couldn''t.

    Even from Mok Jun-Seo''s vantage point, Raith was very amazing.

    ''He just gets cooler by the second''

    Mok Jun-Seo couldn''t get enough of him.

    The earthquake and trembles subsided and Mok Jun-Seo stood up slowly, heaving a sigh that signified ''finally''

    "The real thing is starting now."

    Raith''s posture became tensed, he removed his hands from his pocket and clenched his fist, more like he curved them a little for the handle of his sword to size in when needed.

    The second hand was tightly clenched into a fist, just below his chin, whether it was for a guard or an offensive punch pose, there was no way to know. Raith was not versed in boxing or any martial art, he just acted ording to instincts and experience.

    Seeing Raith''s posture, Mok Jun-Seo let out his full transformation...

    ¡ªRevealing the form of a man-lion. His upper body slowly grewrger and began to rip apart his clothes, even the thick cardigan stood no chance. His skin tone faded slowly and became brown, fade by fade. His dark hair changed color in the same sequence and overgrew, extending to his neck till hair consumed all that area, and by that time even his face had changed into that of a fiery lion.

    But in a way, an imprint of his real face could still be noted on the lion. It was like a lion that looked like Mok Jun-Seo.

    ''Wow...''

    Raith had never seen anything like that, it was intriguing to watch and he didn''t mind rewatching that.

    But they had a fearsome monster to face.

    Crackle!!

    The ground tore apart in an instant, this time even Raith didn''t see iting. It happened in no time as if it was not a foreteble havoc.

    Raith and Mok Jun-Seo were thrown into the air with no ground tond on. The entire ground tore apart into rocks and from the depth came a carnage of Frost that opened its mouth wide, manifesting a hysterical hunger to devour.

 Chapter 277 Advance

    ?

    The foresight didn''t respond in time for the first instance when the whole ground suddenly tore apart without warning but as for the hoor that came from the depth below them.

    Raith was expecting it.

    "I''ll be right back."

    He said as he grabbed the lion-man''srge mane.

    "Huh? Wha¨C

    Before Mok Jun-Seo could grasp what was happening, he was already rolling in the air, tossed away by Raith like some stray coin that belonged to the fountain.

    Bal manifested in his hands as he willingly got swallowed by the colossal Centipede.

    It was different from the rest in size. Which insinuated that it was probably their boss. Instead of a mandible, its mouth was asrge as a modern-day tunnel.

    The monster was barely out of the ground and it was so fat that its shadow blocked away the daylight from Mok Jun-Seo.

    Confident that it had done away with one, it slowly lowered its head towards Mok Jun-Seo who sprang up and got ready to attack or defend whichever the case may be¨Che exuded a murderous intent that was vivid in the magic energy that took the form of a brown mist emitting from his body like smoke.

    The monster retracted his head and with full force lunged. And although it tried its best, it couldn''t make it. Only its head did and it rolled to Mok Jun-Seo''s feet severed from the insides.

    The rest of the body fell on the remaining of the broken ice and Raith was found standing between the severed body and head, all drenched in blue blood and a ck sword in his hands.

    "This is disgusting?"

    He said picking a potion of the slimy irritating blood from his body, it was almost solid, like the blood was clotting on him, but instead of clotting, it got more slimy and became more like a gel.

    "What did you do?"

    Mok Jun-Seo was dazed.

    "I cut it up from within."

    Raith replied like it was not a big deal. But to cut from inside something of that size Raith needed an extremely long sword and very strong arms.

    Speaking of long swords... Mok Jun-Seo btedly caught a glimpse of the ck de shrinking back to its original size.

    ''Is that the sword that was reforged by Dong-Hyun?"

    He wondered as he witness the beautiful ck of the sword glinting white shades under the illumination of the daylight.

    "You are amazing."

    "It is nothing."

    From Mok Jun-Seo''s point of view, Raith was being very humble.

    But Raith meant it¨Cit was nothing.

    He said and faced north, the area they had initially been walking towards.

    "I know I said this before. But now I can feel it more clearly."

    "The strong and unknown energy?"

    Mok Jun-Seo replied, his voice even thickened, as one would expect from a lion-man. A tone thicker than his normal voice.

    "Yes."

    Raith dismissed his sword and stepped forward a few steps, passing Mok Jun-Seo who slowly watched from behind.

    Raith closed his eyes.

    The energy felt like it was calling unto him. More like a beckoning, and that was why Raith had chosen to go north. Unfortunately, it happened to be more popted with monsters.

    But it felt right, the number of monsters they encountered increased the farther north they went, although most of them were other variations of centipedes that Raith''s soldiers took care of easily. So far, this was the strongest one they met.

    And it died in one minute.

    The feeling was stronger than before. The pleading was clearer but it was still difficult to put the words.

    ''Something is wrong?''

    Raith had the notion but still count point out what it was, what exactly was this feeling that was beckoning within him to save. Save what? Or save whom?

    "Hunter Raven?"

    Mok Jun-Seo''s cautious tone pulled him out of the depth of his thoughts.

    He swung his head back and said sharply:

    "We will continue to go north. Is that okay?"

    "Definitely, if you say so."

    Mok Jun-Seo immediately sanctioned the idea.

    ¨C

    In thirty minutes, Mok Jun-Seo and Raith had begun to encounter other kinds of monsters.

    It was like the nearer they got to the source of the inconvenience that Raitj felt, the more guarded the way forward was. It made Raith damn sure that he was heading in the same direction.

    Roooooaaar!

    The Frost Ballisk cried one more time before Raith''s sword easily sliced off its head.

    Just as Raith was taking care of the monsters on this side. Mok Jun-Seo was doing the same thing on that side.

    While Raith moved swiftly with his sword cleaving through the monsters with ease, Mok Jun-Seo exhibited an impressive disy of strength against the basilisk, they were strong but thanks to their lower height, they were easier to deal with.

    Like the centipedes, they were also reptiles but looked more like an alligator although longer and taller, and with white skin, ice cones were ejected throughout their body. It was not known if they could shoot these ice cones or not but it was an adaptation trait that made it hard for them to be preyed upon from above.

    Not for a predator like Raith though. He spun into the air andnded on the monster with a crushing elbow hit, destroying the ice cones on its back along with its spinal cord. The monster was unable to get up and was inverted.

    He then picked it up and used it to smash the others nearing him. But the hit was not enough to kill them so before they could recover from the heat of that moment Ayo threw the monster over to Mok Jun-Seo and darted in their direction.

    Stuffing his sword into the mouth of one as it came at him with his mouth wide open. He twisted the sword and swung a horizontal arc, severing the ligament of the basilisk''s mouth, then he stabbed back into its head.

    When he was done, the other two had caught up with him, each from his sides, about to sp their razor teeth on his legs but before they could Raith jumped up andnded on both of them with enough force to crush their heads, sshing blue blood all over the ground.

    Pow!

    Pow!

    Pow!

    Each Mok Jun-Seo punch carried enough power to pulverize a hole into the monsters. It took only one hit for them to die and slowly Mok Jun-Seo and Raith were advancing towards the source of the cry.

 Chapter 278 The Horror

    ?

    The naked ck de bore a shimmering sound as it pierced into the sides of the Basilisk, raised it high up into the sky, and as it came down with more applied force. The body of the monster split into two.

    /huff /huff /huff

    While it was amazing to watch Raith from behind, Mok Jun-Seo was reaching his limit. There was an endless outpour to the numbers of the Basilisks and it was beginning to get tiring.

    The ice ground was covered with carcasses of them, if Mok Jun-Seo was to put a number to the monsters he had killed on his own alone, it''d be over a hundred. And Raith was much faster than he was.

    The whole ground was messed up with dead monsters, it wasn''t a spectacle to behold, it was a gruesome war ground.

    "I think I''ve reached my limit."

    Mok Jun-Seo was reluctant to speak at first, but he did anyways. There was no point in dragging the hunter down.

    "That is fine, yousted this long even though you are old. I''m amazed at you enough already."

    Raith spared him apliment.

    But Mok Jun-Seo found the former part of thepliment uneptable.

    "What do you mean old? I am young and kicking..."

    He protested as he slowly reverted to his original body. His lion face slowly returned to the usual Mok Jun-Seo''s. However, with that came a sudden rush of cold.

    Mok Jun-Seo''s clothes had been ripped when he transformed, his magic energy had dropped, and isn''t able to maintain the cold resistance anymore. With that came back the frostbite.

    He began to shiver.

    ''Poor guy...''

    Raith removed his jacket and offered it to him.

    "T-t-thank you so m-m-much."

    It was hard to control his dancing lips as he tried to collect the jacket which eventually wasn''t a fit because of hisrge body.

    He had no choice, it was far better than nothing. Not that it reduced the frostbite anyways.

    Raith then btedly remembered he had that.

    ''...Nah, I don''t want to give him my passive nullification skill. It is too precious to leave alone. Not like I have anything to gain for it in return.''

    He shook his head and turned a blind eye to Mok Jun-Seo''s state.

    ''Besides, he would still need his energy points to make it work.''

    Raith turned his gaze to the north, taking his mind off Mok Jun-Seo who was behind him.

    These were thest wave of Basilisk that poured in as they got closer to the north. Not only were there plenty but the cold wind was more intense.

    It was like a sharp gale and sometimes even cut Raith''s hard skin. Something was definitely beyond them, a spectacr view sat far ahead of him, downhill of the ground he was standing.

    It made him realize that all the while, they had been walking on a mountain or the ground had broken so deeply that it made this scenery look like he was descending a mountain.

    ''How were theying at us despite the slope of this ce? It must have been very hard to climb''

    Raith walked closer to the edge and looked down, the farther parts of the slope were dark, too dark for him to see from this distance even with [Darkvision].

    Mok Jun-Seo walked up to him, shivering.

    "Are you going down there?"

    Speaking and not smacking his lips against each other seemed more like a product of luck and he was sure he wasn''t going to have that same luck twice.

    "Yes. But that is not what intrigues me..."

    Raith responded, lifting his head to the sky.

    Mok Jun-Seo followed Raith''s gaze. It was so easy to miss that he had to keep his eyes on it for more minutes to get it.

    "I-i--ss-s t-t-hat not a tr-e-e-ssshh!"

    He ended with a sharp sneeze.

    In the sky embedded in the clouds was the figure of arge branch, its color was white and was perfectly blended with the sky, not to say the shades of cloud were blocking the entirety of the figure on different parts.

    It was an iplete picture but anyone could have made an easy guess that it was a tree. However, it made no sense for a tree to be that tall¨Cthat was what Raith first thought.

    ''Perhaps it is on top of a higher hill.''

    It made no sense, for a tree to be as tall as the sky.

    Raith looked back at his soldiers who were busy harvesting the carcasses of the monsters for him. After hearing them from Mok Jun-Seo, he was more determined to put them to good use and the runestone was stilling in handy.

    He now has two hundred and thirteen skill fragments. Compared to the number of monsters he had killed it was unfair. But the runestone kept giving shitty skills and some didn''t even drop any stones at all.

    "Kortopi"

    Right beside Raith, a ck smoke began to material from his feet, thickening and manifesting a humanoid shadow. Slender and without much design on his body, save his red eyes and the streaks that ran from them down his cheeks, to his jaws, and down to his legs.

    The former golem boss, now Kortopi, bowed to his master. Joyful of being called first but did not show it.

    "Jarvis..."

    "Yes, my liege?"

    Raith''s brow flinched. He doubted his ears as he watched Jarvis materialize next to Kortopi.

    ''He''s... different?''

    He had not gotten the time to catch up on his soldiers so there was no way he would have known. The entire thing happened when he was almost dying so that memory wasn''t one that could''ve stuck with him.

    Jarvis was different from the rest of them. The most fascinating fact was that instead of red streaks as usual, white streaks ran over his armored body like cracks. White clothes, white smoke hovering on his helmet instead of the usual redness.

    ''Why?''

    [Status]

    Death Knight Jarvis

    Level: 1/30

    Rank: Major

    There was no extra information but he was sure that something was different about Jarvis.

    "A lot happened while I was away huh"

    "Yes, my lord."

    So far, Jarvis''s voice was the thickest of all of them. It was cool and made Raith enjoy being served. It also reminded him of someone...

    ''I wonder who it is... he definitely looks like someone I''ve fought before.''

    Raith wondered for thest time, it was difficult to remember and it was nonsensical to keep thinking about it.

    "Crimson, Antares."

    "Yes, my King."

    "My lord"

    Their voice rang out of the dark smoke simultaneously as each of them took their ce behind Kortopi and Jarvis, trying to be as close to Raith as possible.

    "Fenrir..."

    A second passed after calling him but there was no response.

    "Fenrir has been asleep."

    "Asleep?"

    ''Was that why I could barely feel him.''

    Fenrir was Raith''s first death soldier, it wouldn''t be an understatement to say his favorite, hence it baffled him when Crimson said he is asleep. Why would Fenrir be asleep so much that he would hear his call?

    "Since reaching Therut, he has been inactive."

    Antares bowed his head as he made known to Raith. He made sure his gaze didn''t meet Raith''s and he was more silent than usual.

    "I see..."

    Raith brought his hand to his chin.

    ''I will checkter...''

    "Five of us will go down this hill, and destroy everything within it."

    "Master."

    "Noir?"

    Raith responded to Noir''s voice that sounded from within.

    "Don''t worry, I will call you when I need you..."

    "Yes, Master. But Master, I must warn you."

    "You must warn me? Why?"

    "I feel a strong pressure emanating from the depth of thatnd."

    "Yes, I do too... simr to what I felt when I once met you."

    "Master..."

    A cold silence followed Noir''s voice after he called unto Raith, he hesitated to say his next statement until Raith intervened.

    "Speak Noir."

    "This is much stronger than that. I cannot mistake this kind of energy at all. It belongs to their kind."

    "What kind... Noir?"

    Raith asked, with a little frown forming on his face. If Noir could be taking the words so heavily, he feared that he might be unto a much more terrifying horror than he had imagined.

    "Dragons."

 Chapter 279 The Ice Palace (1)

    ?

    Asking Mok Jun-Seo to stay back up, Ayo and his generals gently slide down the slope to the depth of the hill where the strange energy wasing from.

    ''I hope he will be fine...''

    Mok Jun-Seo wondered as he looked down as they went and before long had blended with the darker parts of the depth. Even with his beast eyes, he couldn''t see them.

    He stayed a few more seconds but the cold only got worse. There was a limit to which his magnificent body could take and he had to respect that limit. If he didn''t want to die then he should be on his way to the airport where he can receive urate treatment.

    That must have been Raith''s thought when he insisted that Mok Jun-Seo should stay. That or the fact that he was just going to get in the way.

    He looked for onest time and turned around, finding his way back to King George Airport.

    ¡ª

    The depth as Raith thought was darker than usual. It was a bit hard to see when he first got there but everything got better with time.

    [Darkvision] proficiency went up and received two level-ups as he strained his eyes to see through the darkness. It wasn''t an active skill but this proved to Raith that it was a skill that was likely to gain proficiency when used despite the difficulty.

    The depth was not just the depth of the supposed mountain, Raith looked around and what filled this ce were vines and trees¨C

    ''No...''

    He paused before concluding, took a step further, and touched the nearest supposed tree that was closest to him. Its structure didn''t look like a tree, it was too curly and notrge enough to be one, and other ones just like the one Raith was examining filled the depth. Each of them entertained each other with spacesrge enough for even a bulky man like Mok Jun-Seo to pass through.

    Raith had to take a few more looks at the rest before he came to a vivid realization.

    This was the roots of the colossal tree that he was seeing. It made sense if that was the case, that exined why they were so fat, almost could be equalized to a tree itself if not for their unconventional spiraling and sprawling.

    The tree''s roots were grander than any earthly tree, any tree that Raith has seen so far, they were like dregs of some ancient guardians.

    Raith looked up but even his eyes couldn''t capture how Marge the tree was. At what point did the root spread out, and how far did the root go?

    And most of all...

    ''What is this?''

    Raith was left contemting the source of this lucid energy he could feel. He felt it the first time he touched the root, it was almost like it was renewing his energy, his strength.

    There should be nothing capable of renewing his energy because he has an energy that can never be traced to a worldly source. Energy whose source is the abyss and the abyss alone.

    At least that was how Raith thought things to be.

    He furrowed his brows as he threaded deeper, slowly passing through the spaces between the roots, with very scrupulous steps.

    The four of them gently and silently followed him.

    As he stepped into the tree, it got darker but it also got more cold. At this point, he began to feel it.

    Insects glowing with blue light gathered around him and the death soldiers and fluttered around them. Although Crimson tried to shoo them away, they went for a while and came back as they went further, weaving their way through the intertwining roots.

    Raith followed the path and went deeper, the deeper he went the lower the slope was, and he was aware of it.

    He finally reached a point where he stopped.

    Firstly, unlike what he had thought, they had not encountered a single monster which was very strange. But if indeed there was a monster here as insinuated, it made sense as to why monsters were not here.

    ''They are all probably scared?''

    Raith scrunched up his gaze.

    ''It''d be a good idea not to jump to conclusions too.''

    He exhaled before walking towards the tunnel opening in front of him.

    Vines had sprawled all over the tunnel and very little opening was what was left of the entrance.

    He opened his hand to materialize Bal but stopped halfway and folded his palms back, like someone reluctant to collect something.

    "Master?"

    Crimson said with concern tainting his voice. Someone of his caliber could understand what Raith was feeling. Because he was equally feeling the purity of the energy surrounding the tree.

    The rest of them felt it too. But putting a smart meaning to it was something only three of them could do.

    Antares knew purely by instincts.

    Jarvis knew was smart enough to put the puzzles together, and so was Crimson.

    Kortopi however, was pretty clueless. He exchanged nces between the three of them, wondering what was wrong, and then finally ignored and looked at the magnificent back of his master.

    "I suppose it was you all along?"

    Raith''s voice was soft and full of sympathy. He gently touched the vines of the tree.

    "If you would allow me..."

    He hadn''t spoken his intention finish when the vines began to retreat and in a moment, the entrance to the cave tunnel was wide open before them.

    "So it was as I guessed... you are the one crying for help."

    It altogether was a strange urrence. Raith had never heard of a tree with life... life so vivid that it couldmunicate.

    This tree was different from every tree he had met, it wasn''t green but white, and its vines were white and pristine. It was charming such that Raith felt like cutting it would hurt.

    ''What am I doing, did I just speak to a tree?''

    Raith asked himself these questions, was he being delusional but he couldn''t put a word to what exactly he was feeling? He could understand the feelings of this tree purely by its energy.

    ''Argh, I''m crazy.''

    He sighed and walked into the towel.

    Crimson and the rest hurried up behind him, catching his pace as it got faster.

    As before, there was no single monster in the cave tunnel, except creeping insects that were either too scared toe at them or did not care at all. They did make whistling sounds that made the whole ce eerie.

    But eerie did not matter to four generals of the death army. They were the peak of eerieness.

    The air got more chilly as they went deeper and Raith was now beginning to receive warnings.

    [Natural effects nullification failed]

    [Cold nullification failed]

    [Natural effects nullification failed]

    [Cold nullification failed]

    [Natural effects nullification failed]

    [...]

    It went on and on like that like a bug. But it was only because it reactivated every time it failed. Passive skills were automatically activated. Moreso, this was a passive skill that was imbued in Raith''s UNDEFEATED COMMANDER KING body.

    When the requirement was met for the body to activate its nullification or resistance properties, it effortlessly did so. Even if it fails, it reactivates again, fails, and reactivates again.

    So the notifications would not stoping as long as Raith was still in this intense cold.

    But there was no way for even him to know that he was currently walking under a temperature of absolute zero. Even the edges of his death soldier smoky armor were freezing¨Calthough would unfreezeter but would still freeze up again and unfreeze and freeze and...

    They came to a stop as they reached the end of the tunnel. Carved into the rugged cave walls, was a breathtaking ice door.

    Its sheer size and designmanded attention and admiration from them. Even Raith who was often nonchnt about looks found this undeniably beautiful.

    ''Who the hell would build something like this?''

    He couldn''t help but wonder. Seeing a beautiful door such as this one only warrant for one''s thought of its maker.

    The door was a monumental b of ice, as though it had been hewn from the very essence of the frost-kissed mountain.

    Intricate patterns of Frost weave across the surface, forming an array of delicate,cy filigree that danced and sparkled in the ambient light that it generated.

    The door''s surface is adorned with more exquisite details¡ªfrozen tendrils that twist and curve like frozen vines, ornate snowkes that glimmer like stars caught in the ice, and translucent icicles that refract the surrounding colors into a myriad of hues.

    It was beautiful.

    Instead of a veil of admiration, what covered Raith''s face was that of horror and fear.

    [You have fallen under an intense state of fear]

    [Natural Effects Nullification Failed]

    [Abnormal Condition Nullification Failed]

 Chapter 280 Fear And Pain

    ?

    The creation of the cosmic wheel is still a mystery to even higher nes of existence.

    As much as many would like to say that the primordial heralded the beginning of everything. It was still well believed that the cosmic wheel had been in existence long before the first three primordials of origin were birthed from the universal ne''s core.

    If they were known to be the beginning of creation, the cosmic wheel is the drive of creation.

    Diverse creatures with power iprehensible have been birthed and were not even the result of the actions of primordial. Some with less intelligence than humans, and arge number of them with more intelligence than humans can ever have.

    Beings that were the pinnacle of their existence, objects of fear, the harbinger of chaos. They acted freely of their own ord and some even had the potential to rise against gods.

    Yet they are only ssified as beasts, mythical creatures, of this category were dragons.

    Although a dragon''s power is dependent on its race and its knowledge. They are limited to how much they know and for them, knowledge is power.

    This is not a mere statement. Literally, there were creatures that carried magnificent power in ratio to how much they know.

    That is why a dragon is often known to be travelers, traversing worlds and nes in search of knowledge. Nesting in a particr ce of their choosing, and roaming worlds over and over again toe back for their nest.

    The longer they live, the more they know... hence, the more powerful they be.

    In the presence of a creature like that, even though the space between them was separated by an impable door. Even the peak of human existence would cower in fear.

    Raith''s heart began to quicken, its rhythmic beat betraying the unease that had taken root within his chest.

    A single thought had ignited a spark of dread, and like tendrils of darkness, it spread through his being.

    His breaths came in shallow gasps as if the air itself had turned thick and suffocating.

    ''What is this? What is happening to me?''

    Raith beckoned on himself. But he couldn''t tell. He didn''t know what was wrong, he had just felt it for a moment, the strong energy that Noir warned him about, he felt it like a passing breeze and his body shook.

    A chilling shiver raced down his spine, each vertebrae was as if they were echoing the icy fingers of fear.

    His palms grew mmy, and he clenched them into a fist, trying to garner himself amidst the tumultuous sea of emotions and thoughts that surged in his mind questioning this strange feeling, this hotness in his chest, why his body was shaking, his leg won''t respond and move forward.

    Time itself seemed to slow, the seconds stretching into eternities.

    Finally, tracing his mind to the origin of how this all started, he muttered:

    "I-i-i-itt... s-s-strong..."

    His words were like they wouldn''t drop out of his mouth, even his voice seemed unwilling to be let out.

    Raith had never experienced this degree of fear. To feel like a weak, helpless human.

    "My liege..."

    Trying to sound as low as he could, his voice vibrated the air.

    But it did not cause Raith to snap out of it.

    They could vividly feel what he was feeling and among all of them, the only one strong enough to lift his steps closer to Raith under the intense pressure was Jarvis.

    Not Antares. Jarvis.

    He had no idea why but he was able to resist it. Although that came with a lot of pushing till he was able to move. And after moving, the pressure on the air still threatened him¨Cas if arge mass was going to fall on his head.

    White smoke slowly emanated from his ck body.

    Opening his hand, the darkness of his armor extended to his palm and extended out to form a wriggling figure which soon straightened out to form his greatsword.

    Struggling with the pressure while the others had been forced to their knees already. Jarvis pulled his hand back and stabbed the sword into Raith from behind.

    Raith shrieked as the sword plunged out through his chest. At first, what soared within him was anger, he turned his head with a fire-shot gaze.

    Jarvis however dropped the sword and fell to a genuflecting position.

    [You have been stabbed severely]

    [You are on the brink of death]

    It was the momentter that Raith noticed.

    With the edge of the greatsword still plunging out from his chest, he moved his head to the middle of his chest right beside the de.

    ''...I feel okay...''

    He looked down at the de even though he was bleeding down his chest. It was like the searing pain of the sword had taken his mind off the pressure for once and because of that, he couldn''t feel the fear.

    The fear he felt so strongly a moment ago, that he was struggling to breathe. He couldn''t feel anything anymore, what was the logic behind it? Was it because he was in pain?

    "Jarvis... what did you do?"

    Raith turned back to him fully.

    "Amidst the storm of fear, pain is the lighthouse that guides one''s focus away from the tempest and towards the strength within."

    His words resounded in Raith over and over again.

    After a minute, he looked down at him, "Stand up."

    "I havemitted a very devastating act. Please punish me my liege."

    "Don''t let me repeat myself."

    "Yes, my liege."

    He responded sharply and stood up.

    Raith turned towards the door, bringing the hilt of the sword towards Jarvis. For a moment it crossed his mind, the crumbling skeleton in the prison from which he collected its soul.

    It was the soul that he put in Jarvis after creating him a body.

    For the first time, he became curious about Jarvis'' origin.

    "Pull out the sword."

    "My l-l-lie...ge"

    His tone quaked. It was an easy decision for him to make in the first ce but it was the only way to break Raith out of the ocean of fear he was sinking in.

    Being asked to pull it out when Raith was standing right in front of him, conscious.

    Jarvis'' hand shivered as he brought them to the sword and held its hilt.

    "Pull it out."

    Closing his eyes work a wrinkle seen on the edge of both eyes embedded in his helmet.

    He drew the sword out in one go, sttering Raith''s blood all over the ce.

    He was going to live with this guilt for the rest of his life...

    I will work harder than everyone else...

    I will redeem myself...

    I will correct this...

    Even though he meant good and his means provided a solution even though they were daring. Jarvis couldn''t forgive himself.

    Raith fell to his knees, vomiting blood and feeling the ground between his knees with a pool of it.

    Raith''s eyes rolled down.

    ''...my blood...''

    This was not the first time he had seen human blood, to be particrly, his blood.

    He was used to seeing a maroon color, but right now, what he saw was cherry red blood, exactly the redness of a tomato.

    Plus his blood was shining, as it was reflecting some kind of illumination. But the cave they were in was very dark. There''s no illumination to reflect.

    In one minute as Raith slowly and painfully anticipated his death. He then saw something unusual.

 Chapter 281 Self Evaluation Before Disaster

    <h4>Chapter 281 Self Evaluation Before Disaster</h4>

    The cherry-red blood puddle beneath his knees instead of spreading began toe together to a single point. His blood?centered in between his knees and began to harden, it was like a clotting but more than a clotting.

    Before Raith''s eyes, his blood had be a crystal.

    A red crystal.

    ''What is this?''

    Those were thest words on his mind as his vision got deemed and he died.

    ¡ª

    He woke up instantly as usual, with the crystal still in front of him. It was a bit sad that he didn''t receive any level-ups or Stat from his death but he wasn''t disappointed since he wasn''t expecting it in the first ce.

    This crystal in front of him, however.

    He took it up and used the appraisal skill on it.

    [Blood Crystal Shard]

    > A low-grade crystal shard birthed from the crystal of creation itself. It can be used as a mineral, it has a heterogeneous nature.

    ''Wow...''

    Raith didn''t know what to call this. But at the very least he understood that his body had now be a house of minerals.

    Having blood that can clot into crystals didn''t reallye off as convenient for him, it made an irritated look escape his face.

    ''Imagine being kidnapped and turned into a mineral-supplying human...''

    Raith was halfway through his imagination before he realized that he was standing under the same pressure but wasn''t going through that same feeling of fear.

    That fear that made him feel like he was about to choke to death wasn''t there anymore.

    Was it because of the pain? Was that why it left him?

    He touched his chest for a while, felt the right heart beating, slide his hands slowly to the left side, and also felt it beating with the same ratio.

    Then he looked at the big door ahead of him, ignoring his generals who seemed to still be struggling under the pressure of the atmosphere.

    Antares however... seemed to be oveing it. He was pushing himself off his knees slowly. Although it was a. Eru tedious thing to do because the more one tried to resist, the harder the force of the pain.

    In a sudden frenzy, Antares shed himself in different parts, his hands were very fast, and nothing but gales of winds were seen in that split moment.

    When he dropped his hands, gaps were already on his body, although his body glowed grin and tried to restore the ces sliced off. His arm, a chunk from his shoulder, another chunk from his ribs, his chest shed arge X, and other areas.

    He lowered his head as his body slowly recovered.

    Seeing him trying like that kind of made Raith proud.

    The other two did the same thing and were freed from the atmosphere.

    ''If any other human meets themselves under this kind of pressuring fear, does that mean they can just get out of it by inflicting themselves with pain?"

    For one to be truly liberated from this kind of fear, they needed to inflict themselves with pain just as Raith thought but it wasn''t just that.

    He brought his hand to his chin as he thought more deeply about it.

    If anyone could just get out of the dragon''s pressure then perhaps they are not as strong.

    But Raith was about to find out just as strong they were. And he was about to understand that only a pain equal to that of death could liberate one from ''Dragon Fear''

    He moved closer and touched the door, it was cold and was already beginning to freeze his hand even though he didn''t touch it for more than a second.

    He tightened his fist¨C

    Took a leg back and swung back his fist to draw as much momentum as he could.

    ''The power of a punch does not start with the arm...

    ...ites down from the leg and runs through the hips...''

    Raith grimaced as he remembered Volmak''s words as he clenched his fist tighter.

    Volnak thought him a lot in a short time, but even till now he had never truly applied them. They have built up the foundation for his survivability but beyond that he was weak.

    ''I wonder how weak I would be if I didn''t have the power of death... or if I didn''t meet Thard-Harl.''

    Meeting other asuras had proven to him that his defeating Thard-Harl was pure luck.

    Should we talk about Egard-Haerl who was in a weakened state and he still couldn''t beat until he epted his darkness and merged with the abyss?

    Or Cor-Ellion whom he couldn''t put a scratch on no matter how much he tried.

    The game with Thard-Harl was rigged and it took meeting Cor-Ellion to realize it.

    As his train of thought slowly came back to the door in front of him. Raith felt an unusual hunger for growth.

    One that he didn''t have to die to get, something he could proudly call a result of his hard work. It was like he was thinking for the first time in twenty-two years.

    Sometimes his age puts him to shame. Because of his anti-social abilities and always silent demeanor, no one would know he wasn''t all that. He wasn''t wise, he wasn''t mature.

    A lot of times he even feared not measuring up to the standards of people.

    Even though the wisdom Stat had helped with his poor decision-making skills, Raith felt like he was far behindpared to other people of his age.

    ''...I mean look at Mok Jae-Hwa.''

    He is twenty-two and is already leading a guild?since he was eighteen.

    Raith at that age kept whining about not receiving love from his father.

    Finally, his thought drove him back to the present.

    ''I wonder why these things areing now...''

    He looked up at the door.

    "Are you just trying to distract me from opening you?"

    He smirked and opened his palm. Then he sped hard dispelling a circr torrent of wind merely by the power of his grip.

    And... he swung forward...

    -THUD!!!-

 Chapter 282 Ice Palace (2)

    <h4>Chapter 282 Ice Pce (2)</h4>

    The entire door trembled. From the point of contact,rge cracks ran through both doors.

    Raith''s fist had caused a webbed crack on the lower part of the door and caused the door to lose its rigidity.

    One more punch and it would be shattered to bits.

    "What the hell!"

    After trying to hold the biting pain for a few minutes, Raith cried out, holding his wrist and rigorously shaking the hand he had used to punch the door.

    Therge crack on the door seemed impressive but he had thought his punch was going to break a hole into it. Or even cause the door to shatter at once.

    His fist was smeared with blood that came together to crystallize on the edge of each finger. It almost looked like he was wearing red crystal knuckles.

    The pain did subside a little and he had to give the crystals a little pull before they fell on the floor. They were much smaller than the one before.

    ''Seems like the smaller the blood the smaller the crystal, therger the blood the bigger the crystal.''

    He bent down and picked the crystals.

    Then clenched his fist again.

    Antares stepped closer to him, lowering his head with his hands on his chest.

    "My king... allow me."

    He besieged Raith. Which was a very great idea.

    ''I have to start learning to use these guys rightly.''

    Raith thought as he retreated backward for Antares to go forward.

    ''Shit shit shit shit shit... I should have gone instead, what will Master think of me now? Wouldn''t he be disappointed, I have to show master that I can be depended on...''

    Behind, someone continued to suffer from overthinking.

    -whish-

    Antares revealed his razor-sharp ws that were almost a glinting ck. He leaned forward and darted at the door. And began to sh at it multiple times.

    Each sh generated more power, got faster and stronger and his hands became a blur as time passed. White smoke from the ice being shed over and over again began to spread around.

    With the door already weakened by Raith''s punch, Antares'' shes began to have effect after three minutes. The door began to creak and the crack began to spread even wider.

    "Step back Antares."

    At themand of his master, Antares took a big leap andnded back, behind Raith and just beside Crimson who was so distracted.

    The cracks continued to spread and the door began to rumble, causing tremors in the walls of the cave. Raith wondered for a second if the tree was going to be alright.

    ''This ce was beneath the tree, if it gets destroyed wouldn''t it affect the tree...''

    There was no answer for now but one thing was sure. Whatever was beyond this door, the tree needed to be liberated from it.

    Atst, the door began to break apart from the upper parts, it crumbled downpletely. The cloud of cold white dust spread even further and thicker, filling the whole cave.

    And a pile of ice debris filled the lower entrance. Raith had to climb over them to finally step into whatever this ce was.

    His eyes lit up.

    ''...what in the world is this ce?''

    It was a pce.

    An ice pce...

    Raith had never seen anything like it. Not even the pce of the Emperor of Pomeii was as morous as this.

    Frozen chandeliers hung from ceiling to ceiling in horizontal and vertical arrays, retracting light into a mesmerizing dance of blue hue to flicker across the icy floors. The hall was so wide that if a hundred people stood side by side with arms spread, they still wouldn''t fill it.

    borate sculptures of mythical creatures stood like silent sentinels waiting toe alive.

    Frozen pirs here and there stood between the ceiling and the ground, they spread everywhere far and wide. But because of how much they spread, it was easier to find the middle.

    From the center of the hall, was a blue carpet that ran down to the end of the hall, and right at that end, following the ten stairs up, stood a centerpiece.

    The ice throne exuded an air of regal elegance. Glistening icicles drape from its backrest, creating the aura befitting of an extremely powerful monarch, one that seems to be the sovereign of ice.

    And right there on the throne...

    ''Wait a minute?''

    Raith doubted what his eyes saw. He scrunched up his eyes ahead and looked again.

    From how far he was, he still could see it very well. A human was sitting on it.

    Or it could be a human-looking figure.

    But it had to be a human.

    "Hello!"

    Raith shouted. Which was very careless of him.

    Again, poor decision-making skills. But who would me him, the pce was so beautiful that it would make anyone forget why they were here.

    Even after shouting and the echo of his voice traveling far for a few more seconds, there was still no response.

    A deafening silence followed thest streams of echo.

    ''Ah, this is kind of awkward...''

    He arched one brow up and wondered what he should do in this case. The only way forward was moving forward.

    "Be careful master..."

    Noir''s voice resounded from the darkness within him. It caused him to raise his vignce and remember once again that this was supposed to be their of a dragon.

    He stepped forward with all the carefulness he could garner.

    -step-

    -step-

    -step-

    -step-

    It was distressing how only his steps interrupted the infinite silence of the pce, every step he took resounded far and wide with its echoes traveling beyond seconds.

    And after a few more steps, he was at the base of the ten stairs that led to the throne seat. And could now see the person sitting on it closely.

    Her skin was white and smooth like porcin. Her hair was equally white just like the snow. She had a small oval face with a pair ofrge blue horns protruding from her forehead.

    Her eyes were closed and she was resting her head on her head which were well rested on the arm of her throne seat.

    Her body was adorned withrge clothing, almost looking like the Eastern fantasy robe but with blue flowery linen and white edges, it covered her all through and seemed too big for her in fact. Only the arms that her head rested on could be seen.

    "Beautiful."

    Raith muttered.

 Chapter 283 The Ice Queen

    ?

    Slowly, her snowy eyes came open, with her blue icyshes glinting as they blink.

    Raith took a step back out of instinct. If there was any way to resolve this misunderstanding without having to fight this pretty youngdy, he would dly take that route.

    She was the most beautiful thing he had seen since he was born. It made his heart flutter, he never wanted to cross swords with her.

    ''Maybe we''ll be able to resolve this by talking.''

    He prepared his mind as thedy lifted her head and leaned into the backrest of the throne seat then put one leg over the other, causing her oversized gown to dance subtly. Even her minor gestures were enchanting.

    "Who are you?"

    Her voice was like the howling wind of snow, low and harsh but delightful to listen to. There was a little roughness to her tone but it only made her sound more unique.

    Raith bowed his head.

    Usually, he wouldn''t to anyone. But if it would put him on the good side of this ice queen, he didn''t mind.

    "My name is Raven Raith... I am here per the request of the tree."

    "The tree..." She paused for a moment, scrunching up her eyes and looking upwards, her diverted focus showed she was flipping through the pages of her memory...

    "Ah, the Faefern."

    The Faefern? Raith didn''t know what that meant but it wasn''t hard for him to guess that it would be rted to the tree topic they were currently on.

    Thedy''s brow creased together to a frown.

    "What about it?"

    Her change in demeanor threw Raith into a state of utter carefulness. It was evident mentioning the tree had prickled her peace.

    But he still had to say what he had to say. And hope there''s a way to resolve this issue without fighting.

    "The tree is suffering... it seems to be dying."

    "It is just whining."

    Raith didn''t expect an informal speech from her. Because of the way she had spoken before, she looked like the type that would demand formality and respect, he could even feel her voiceced with pride.

    But he was d she was talking, this seems to be getting better.

    "I think it is more...I can''t put it into words. But the tree ismunicating with me. And all I havee to do is find its source of suffering."

    -tap-

    -tap-

    She tapped the arm of her throne seat twice before speaking.

    "And what are you going to do?"

    A stiff tension filled the air between thedy and Raith, awaiting the answer of thetter.

    Raith at this point knew that his answer was going to decide how his rtionship with this beautiful youngdy was going to go moving forward.

    Now what was he going to do? He felt like he didn''t want to cross swords with thisdy. He didn''t want to fight her. Should he just turn back and ignore everything? Find another ce for the people of Therut to inhabit.

    Then he would be able to keep his rtionship with he and thedy on good terms. He could alwayse to Antarctica to visit her.

    Raith lowered his head.

    ''What is wrong with me?''

    Why was he hesitating? Was it really because she was too beautiful to be fought or because he was scared of what he felt outside the door? He didn''t ask but deep down he knew, thedy sitting in front of him was the dragon Noir was talking about.

    Raith smiled bitterly.

    "Under no circumstances, should we as beings with power deprive the less privileged of their freedom. Power is power because it is used to protect and im victory. Not to oppress and force weaklings to do our bidding. Power challenges the strong...not the weak."

    Thedy''s frown turned to a scowl, and her index finger began to slowly tap the arm of her chair.

    Raith''s bitter smile slowly faded as he lifted his head, What was remaining of his face was his usually crazed look, when he knew he was about to die in different ways even he had no idea of.

    But that was not the only thing that fueled his smirk this time around. He had changed, he had been asleep for three months, with his body going through different levels of changes in and out. Surely, there was no foe to test himself on than a dragon.

    ''Forget the beautifuldy? What more could I have asked for than a strong opponent.''

    Casting the regret away from his mind, Raith looked at thedy atop the throne.

    "I am here to destroy the source of this tree''s suffering..." He pointed his hand forward, "...you"

    The scowl remained on thedy''s face, his deration did not much on her facial expression. Instead, she cast a demeaning gaze on him and pointed one finger forward, resting her head back on one hand.

    Tss...

    Whoom!!

    She was surprised for a moment.

    "Uhh? He has good senses"

    Raith was already as far back as the center of the pce where the blue carpet had started.

    He slowly touched his neck with quaking eyes.

    ''I definitely felt my neck fall...''

    Raith''s foresight had activated and this time it was more vivid than before, he felt his neck slit and slide down, all his body tingled with fear, his pores rose and his legs moved ok their own. In one jump, he covered over 50m distance.

    "It is useless."

    She added another finger to the one she was already pointing forward.

    "Frost nova."

    -Shrrringgggh-

    A beam of ice shot out from her hand¨C

    Immediately Raith picked himself into the air. An encasing sphere of ice immediately grew out where he was standing, freezing to the thick and shattering.

    Raith thought that was the end but the ice beam shot upward after the ice sphere shattered. Btedly seeing this, he stepped on the pir very close to him and flipped backward through the air¨Csprawling himself away from the direction of the beam.

    At that point too, an ice sphere grew out and shattered. The beam shot at him again but by this time Raith had lost his momentum in the air and fell to the ground causing webbed crevices on the perfect icy floor.

    Before he could react and jump away, the beam caught his legs, and immediately an ice sphere encased him.

    And shattered, spilling his blood all over.

 Chapter 284 Butt Naked

    ?

    [You have died]

    [Level up]

    [Level up]

    [Level up]

    [You have gained 3 stat points]

    [You will be resurrected due to the title effect ''One who devours death]

    [You have the tendency to devour...]

    [Activating Passive Unique Skill ''DEVOURER'']

    Raith''s scattered blood turned into a mass of ck liquid-like tapes, and swam around the exploding sphere of ice, just in that split moment of explosion, the ck liquid hugged all the shattered ice and brought them back together.

    Absorbed everything and slowly formed a figure of a human standing, when the figure wasplete, the ck liquid slowly began to wash away to reveal Raith''s smooth renewed body.

    [Due to absorbed ice property]

    [UNDEFEATED COMMANDER KING BODY CONSTITUTION has been strengthened]

    [UNDEFEATED COMMANDER KING BODY CONSTITUTION has gained +1 Level]

    [Cold nullification has been upgraded to Absolute Zero Resistance]

    ''Wow? So this is possible?''

    Raith was happy to see the upgrade, more so, feel it. The subtle chill he had been feeling since he entered the pce waspletely gone.

    However, his happiness did notst for long. It was because there was something more that baffled him.

    ''Just three Level ups? I got killed by a dragon in one minute into the fight and I get just three level up for that?"

    If there is anything that Raith had learned with the way he Levels up is the fact that his first death always carries the highest level up.

    That means that his highest level up in this fight with the dragon was going to be three?!

    ''Hey hey hey, don''t y with me at all...''

    But the abyss did not respond to him. It was doing the thing again, the thing where it goes silent and withholds information from Raith.

    And Raith just hated this sort of thing.

    ''This is why you and I can''t get along...''

    Raith looked down... at his little man.

    "Ah, shit... I''m naked again."

    He always forgets this part of activating devourer. But it has also been so long since the skill was activated, that he had forgotten the need for an extra pair of pants.

    Now he would just have to fight the dragon naked.

    He closed his eyes.

    ''Pay no attention to yourself, pay no attention to yourself, pay no attention to yourself...''

    No matter how much he said it¨Cit was hard to not pay attention when thedy he was fighting was an extremely beautiful youngdy. One his heart fluttered for.

    "Disgusting..."

    From her throne seat which was a hundred meters far away from the broken door, she could see Raith''s nakedness. And her cold voice reverberated in the hall, shaming Raith even more.

    But what could he do about it?

    It wasn''t like he could cover his peepee and run out with his tail in between his legs to find pants.

    What is done is done, the fight is what matters now.

    ''But I seriously wouldn''t mind getting a pair of pants though.''

    Raith thought for thest time, he leaned to the front getting ready to blitz forward when an idea came to him.

    With the idea seeming like the best thing to do, the only problem was he needed time. The ice queen was definitely not gonna sit around and watch him do whatever.

    But if he should be able to pull it then, he would have nice clothes that can weave out anytime needed.

    There were a lot ofplexities to it so Raith decided to push the idea away for now. But he would make sure to make use of it once this battle was over, because of other future instances when devourer activates.

    Thwoom!

    Like a gunshot Raith''s feet hauled forward, cracking the icy floor with each step, and in no less than 2.4 seconds, he had covered a hundred meters and was already above thedy.

    His hands were wide open as if he was going to pull a massive momentum to throw a destructive punch. But he descended with a sh...

    A sh that did not only cut the shield that she deployed but also her throne seat was neatly and vertically cut in two. And slowly separated a secondter.

    Raith was sure she was still seated even when he brought Bal down on her. He had meant to cleave her in two from her head to the middle of her legs.

    ''I guess this is not going to be easy''

    He looked back at where the youngdy was standing. The indifferent scowl she had had dissipated and now she wore a very irritated re.

    Also having to stare at Raith''s ass from behind was far too disgusting for her.

    This was the height of shame, humiliation, impertinence, indecency.

    She could go on and on and call it all sorts of names deserving of what this situation is. She had lived for thousands of years and she had never been so embarrassed in her entire life.

    A human fighting her... naked.

    Not even concerned about the fact that Raith managed to cleave through her usually imprable shield in one go. All she wanted to do was get rid of that long thing that kept dangling before her eyes.

    Raith traced to where her eyes were staring and looked away with his cheek red hot and a shy smile.

    Why the fuck was he blushing?!!!!

    Thedy felt her insides burn with irritation. She just wanted to get rid of him!

    "Frozen Heart"

    She sped her hands together.

    And in that sequence of that gesture Raith cold run through his body. Everything within him.was freezing, from his blood to his organs to his lungs, he couldn''t even breathe properly and began to gasp.

    No matter how much he tried to force something out. His lungs were not functioning. And slowly his heart began to beat.

    Feeling the cold center around the left side of his chest, he quickly moved his hand towards that area and saw that his heart had stopped.

    By this time, his body was already turning white and frost was spreading all over his skin, even his face, his hair, his eyes.

    By now, Raith should be a frozen statue, waiting to be shattered.

    "Wow..."

 Chapter 285 Undying

    ?

    At first, his joints were a bit creaky and hard to move but as he repeatedly folded and unfolded his arms and legs it got better.

    It felt like his joints were getting ustomed to the freeze with each passing second.

    Thedy stood in front of Raith, dumbfounded.

    Raith had be iceman. Instead of dying from a frozen heart and frozen body. He had taken the property of ice and was still well and alive.

    Perhaps temporarily stronger than he was a second before now.

    "You are supposed to be dead... how?"

    Thedy''s voice quaked with shock as she pointed her thin white fingers at him.

    "Actually, that part is something even I am still discovering. But I guess we can say that I don''t run on the heart you destroyed."

    Her eyes narrowed.

    "Then I''m just going to destroy the heart you run on. Frozen Heart"

    She clenched her fist harder than before. Her crumbling facial expression informed him of her failure before the abyss did.

    [Heart of Creation is resistance to all kinds of magic]

    ''Oh, so that is it...''

    Raith chuckled proudly and lifted his gaze to her.

    "What are you?"

    Her voice was still shaking. She couldn''t believe what she was seeing.

    But the next second her dazed eyes came together to form a scowl.

    The air got tighter and heavier.

    And a massive pressure fell on the atmosphere. Raith''s generals who were watching behind fell to their knees and shivered at the might of the pressure but Raith couldn''t feel a thing.

    He needed to be alive to do that.

    But right now, it was safe to say Raith was a dead man whose body had been frozen to preserve him. However, the only reason he could maintain his consciousness was because of the heart of creation and his unique body did the magnificent job of adapting to its new state.

    Raith right could notprehend the pressure that hung over the atmosphere.

    ''Dragon Fear is not working... but it worked on him when he was outside the door.''

    Her scowl only worsened as she continued to see Raith defy her definition ofmon sense. She had never met a human like this.

    "Alright then... if you will let me."

    Raith stretched his hand sideways, materializing Bal out.

    "Let''s pick up from where we left off, yea?!"

    Devil sh

    A thin ck line was all that was left between Raith and the icedy, all in a split millisecond.

    Raith had drawn a powerful horizontal sh across thedy. But he clicked his tongue in irritation.

    And rolled his eyes down to his hand. As his gaze fell on the hand, a white glint circled his hand, and it fell and shattered to bits of ice. Leaving just Bal on the floor.

    Thedy, on the other hand, cleaned off the Crimson blood on her cheek with irritation,rge sharp frozen ws were revealed on her left hand.

    ''How the hell can she be so fast...''

    Raith''s mind wandered.

    He was sure he was way ahead of her, but as he intended to sift her neck in two, she somehow could read his attack and managed to avoid and cut his hand instead.

    He didn''t think she''d be so fast considering that she had been using ranged attacks so far.

    "Shatterpoint strike"

    -snap-

    With a snap of her fingers, Raith''s pressure points which were already frozen began to shatter from within. He tried to move but couldn''t.

    Thedy turned to him and walked closer, she put her hand on his head. Dipping her ws deep into his frozen skull. She tightened her grasp until the whole of his head crumbled.

    And his headless body crumbled to the ground shattering to lesser bits of ice.

    She red down with a discontentious gaze, wrinkles were forming beneath her blue eyes.

    It was as though she was curious as to what was going to happen and how it was going to happen, at the same time she wished he would just stay dead and not bother her any further.

    Her eyes stayed on the ground with broken ice. However...

    Raith''s sword plunged into her back and came out from her belly. Causing even more wrinkles to form around her eyes as she creased her brow and eyes together and slowly looked back, then all her body began to freeze into ice.

    Raith narrowed his eyes and was about to pull out when the ice exploded consuming him in it¡ªeverything was frozen, even the explosion itself froze, and inside of it was Raith...frozen.

    -snap-

    Sitting on the throne, she snapped her fingers and everything shattered.

    Again Raith died.

    Her eyes darted around to see where he woulde from this time around. No matter how much she looked she wasn''ting but she didn''t stop looking, Her senses were instantaneously honed to the brim but ten minutester she couldn''t still sense Raith or feel his presence anywhere.

    After casting onest nce around the ice pce, she sighed and leaned back, and closed her eyes, resting her hand on the arm of the chair and her head on her hand.

    Heavenly Destruction...

    Her eyes shot open in an instant. But it had started long before that...

    A dark and purple mass of energy swirled out of space razing the icy floors and effortlessly shattering the pirs as it hurtled toward her.

    Wham!

    Deploying a semi-transparent shield she blocked it.

    The mere presence of the energy''s force was causing disaster in her pce. Everything was being razed away at an ultrasonic rate and it was irritating. She had taken her time to carefully build this ce and yet some dumb human was messing it up.

    She frowned and opened her mouth.

    Immediately she did, it began to suck in all the energy. And when she was done, she let out a loud bump of gas through her mouth.

    "Uh?"

    His face went pale.

    "She swallowed it..."

    ''Hell yeah, she did...''

    [New Quest]

    Raith''s gaze lowered down.

    [You have met a vassal of the ruler of gluttony. Make her your vassal]

    - Quest sess: +10 rulership assimtion, ???

    - Quest failure: ¨C100 levels.

    "Hell no, you dare not!"

 Chapter 286 Airhead

    ?

    Raith stood in frozen for a while.

    First of all, thedy ate his attack, it made a lot of sense considering that the abyss brought the quest saying she was a vassal of the ruler of gluttony.

    ''Just how small am I?''

    Raith asked himself inwardly.

    These rulers are supposed to be humans and yet, one has a dragon as a vassal, another is a dragon hunter, another tamed a wyvern and made it so destructive, just by tearing the skin of another one, Han Lamar''s power gained unreasonable power.

    ''Am I ying down on how strong the power of a ruler can be?''

    Raith wondered. He had never truly considered the [Greed] part of his power something impressive. If there was anything impressive about it, it was the fact that he could still other''s skills but he had [Devourer] to fill in that role.

    So he had seriously been considering it to be a flop. But at the same time, he knew that even though [Devourer] and [Greed] sounded almost likely, they were different. [Devourer was more useful than [Greed].

    While [Greed] can only absorb skills, [Devourer] can absorb conditions and soul.

    Has he been looking down too much on the significance of the rulership?

    A dragon... vassal of a human.

    It was still unbelievable for Raith. He clenched his sword tightly anyway and didn''t take his eyes off the dragon who red at him from where she was.

    Raith held Bal to his front with both hands on its pummel and pushed one leg forward. Ready to lunge his next strike.

    "Infinite sh"

    Wham!

    Raith disappeared and appeared in front of thedy with a gust of wind. Her gaze however remained fixed, unmoved at first, then just as he brought the sword from below, intending to arc a sh across her chesy¨Cher eyes slowly went down, almost sinking into her lower lids.

    Herposure was so perfect, too perfect.

    Raith halted the strike midway and sent himself into the air,nding away from her. Back where he started.

    Arge webbed crack fell on the ground he was standing upon a second on her.

    It made him wonder.

    ''What in the hell is that?!''

    His eyes were wide open at her¨C

    ''Wait! She''s gone!''

    Before he could turn his eyes her force crunched him from his left, rupturing his skin. He was rolled away, wheeling into several pirs beforending on the ground and toppling to a stop.

    He tried to stand up but his left leg and hand were totally broken, his skin in that area was purplish and bleeding.

    He couldn''t stand up and had no choice but to crawl. He tried to crawl¨C

    But immediately cried out in pain as he felt his spinal bones cave in, as if the world fell on it.

    Thedy standing on him, pulled him by his hair and lifted his head causing an even more striking pain to sail through his body.

    "I suppose you do not die easily. I suppose there is a trick to it. How are you able to escape death every single time... it is impossible for one to escape death. I have lived a thousand years to know that."

    Her voice wasced with malice and had lost the gentleness they had from the beginning.

    Even her face had lost its smoothness and looked more like she was very stressed.

    She sped her hand around his ws and sped tighter until her frozen ws began to carve into his head, blood rolling down from each point. His eyes rolled out and sclera became red, and blood rolled down from his nose and his ears.

    His agonizing cry filled the hall until his voice became inaudible and a whileter, he died.

    She stepped away from his corpse and watched him closely, with a wrinkled face and a tired gaze.

    Her frown deepened with each passing minute until interrupted by a cough.

    /cough

    /cough

    The third cough splurts out blood on her palms.

    "Foolish human"

    She averted her gaze from Raith and was about to walk down her throne but stopped.

    The human she had just killed was standing behind her.

    "Impossible."

    She muttered with trembling eyes.

    "Yes, everyone makes that face when they realize... There is no trick to it. Death is my ally."

    The wrinkles on her face seem to grow with each passing moment, making her look more tired.

    Raith materialized Bal.

    "You are probably injured and fighting me in that state is devastating for you. So, why not allow me to offer a deal that will do both of us good."

    She red at him but blinked a secondter and sighed.

    "Speak pervert."

    "Of course... Wait! What?! Why would you call me a pervert?!"

    She rolled her eyes down and up. Nothing more needed to be said, he got the idea.

    "See, this is a condition, I can''t fully exin but it''s not like I go around fighting people naked."

    Her discontentious gaze was unchanging even with his exnation. Seeing that it wasn''t helping, he felt awkward and just went on to the main topic.

    "Anyway..." He cleared his throat and continued, "...leave this ce. I don''t know what you are doing but you can leave this ce and we both can forget you exist."

    [I see you are ready to lose a hundred levels and start from the beginning]

    ''Shut up, will you? Do you think a prideful existence like her will agree with a scamming deal like that?''

    [What do you n to do exactly? Do you even have a n?]

    ''...not really...''

    [Oh...damn]

    [You will lose a hundred levels]

    "Why will I agree to a foolish deal as such? And what gives you the gut to think you measly perverted human can offer me a deal."

    "Because I am a ruler."

    Thedy''s gaze went nk for a second, no expression of any sort could be read on her face. However, the next minute she let out a loud burst ofughter,ughing till she began to stumble, holding her stomach.

    Raith was put in a very awkward situation.

    ''What is funny? I really am a ruler...''

 Chapter 287 A Dragon

    ?

    Raith was troubled from within as he watched herughter settle. What was funny about this?

    Thedy with shuddering shoulders finally calmed down but even after she was done with herughter a small teasing smilested on her lips. It was enough to mislead and entrant that both of them were friends.

    Raith, however, found nothing funny. His usually friendly look was gone and he scowled at thedy.

    "What is funny?" He asked.

    "You called yourself a ruler. Human, do you even know what that word means?"

    "...?"

    Is it not the same term ruler he has been hearing ever since? Humans who have surpassed their limit and had gained the powers of the seven Sins are said to be chosen by the wheel of the cosmos itself.

    Was there anything else attached to the term? Or was it not what he had thought it to be?

    Raith ran by himself all the things he was sure he knew. Both were what he heard from Bm back then. He understood well that there was still a lot more he had not known but that doesn''tmean he didn''t at least grasp the true meaning of the term ''ruler''

    ''She''s just being extra because she submitted to a human.''

    It was an amusing spection, in fact, this hard to be it. Of course, it would hurt the dragon''s pride to see that a guy like him is a ruler.

    Raith rxed his furrowed brows and said with a light smile;

    "Well, it doesn''t matter whether you believe it. After submitting yourself to a human you must be devastated that this naked pervert in front of you is on the same level as your master."

    Raith chuckled afterwards.

    But her smile curved to an irritated frown.

    "Same level? Submitted?"

    Her face showed how irritated she was, she was casting a downward gaze at Raith and the corner of her lips was turned down. How was a filthy pervert like him supposed to understand? Hence, she resisted the urge to exin.

    "Go back to the hole you crawled back from."

    She said, turning away from him and walking towards her throne.

    "You see... I can''t really do that and I guess I will take you seriously from now on..."

    ''I have been keeping him in the storage and unconscious because he is iplete. Even back in Therut, I didn''t use him for a reason but I really should see how strong he is... since I invested a lot into him.''

    Raith stretched out his right hand.

    "Rise..."

    Dark smoke spread like a pool beneath him and began to cause the entire atmosphere to shiver.

    Crimson, Kortopi, Antares, and Jarvis who were bystanders shook with intense fear. Even they are usually not summoned like this.

    It was a deeper depth than they were used to.

    One that was far deeper than anything they hadprehended before now.

    "What is that...?"Crimson''s voice trembled.

    "Our liege is a being of endless possibilities and wonder. Questioning his abilities will run you mad."

    Jarvis stated as his white smoky eyes from the visor of his dark helmet glimmered at Raith with reverence.

    "My king truly is magnificent."

    The darkness as seen by the four of them was deeper than anything they had ever seen. Its ck hue was thick, as the shadows, unlike the usual red glint toplement the ck hue. This one was pitch ck.

    And from it came a hand. It was pulling itself out of the depth.

    "Meet.... Rogue. He''s still a work of progress but I want to see how much my guys and I can do against a dragon. Noir."

    The shadow behind beneath him resided and another one open, the usual one.

    It merged and manifested Noir, the dark wyvern asrge as a dragon itself.

    Noir had a very long neck, it made his head reach the chandeliers of the hall which were very high up. Hisrger wings spread across the ''now'' pirs and fighting in an enclosed space was not going to be easy.

    "Jarvis, Kortopi, Crimson, Antares. Step forward, we have a dragon to y."

    With a chorused response, they fling forward, standing behind Raith.

    The scene was serene. Pitch ck smokes continually came off their body, and dissipated into the atmosphere.

    Thedy stood frozen, staring at the entities before her, especially therge wyvern. Something about her demeanor had changed.

    "These are beings that should not be alive." She raised her chin... slowly, her skin began to reveal scales of sky-blue color.

    "A human that cannot die. Entities who are like the undead... I think I understand. You are a lich king, disguising to be a human."

    "Now that is the dumbest evaluation anyone has ever made of me. Never knew a dragon could be so dumb."

    Raith grinned. He brought out Bal and swirled the sword around his fingers with showoff.

    "Tear her apart"

    With hismand, all of them leaped forward, all at once, darting at her like ck mes unleashed from a heavenly arrow.

    But they were repelled by a devastating force, followed by a loud cry that slowly transitioned from the tiny rough voice of a human to the thick rumbling voice of a creature that slowly broke out of the human skin.

    Her eyes narrowed into gleaming orbs of the ocean''s calmness. A mighty snout extended from her face with her teeth lengthening into formidable fangs. Her porcin skin slowly transformed into a mosaic of icy blue that shimmered under the faint light that was being radiated in the ice pce.

    Her limbs extended into powerfullegs and arms, each ending with strong talons that could easily cleave through rocks like bread.

    Her wings were a colossal span of crystalline membranes that seemed to be trapping the cascading light, measuring an astonishing 20m from tip to tip. They easily broke through the close pirs.

    With a final roar that reverberated through the entire hall, arge ice dragon fully unleashed itself, with its head crashing into the chandeliers and ceilings.

    Noir''s gaze slowly and fearfully followed as the dragon''srge head rose. It was immense, standing 40 meters from the nose

    to the tip of its tail and towering height of 12 meters.

    Raith''s eyes rolled up.

    "It''s... a dragon."

 Chapter 288 Team Work

    ?

    The dragon was mighty. When Raith first entered the pce, he had tried to measure the distance between the floor and the ceiling, it was because of how massively tall the pirs were.

    But seeing the dragon''s head graze through the chandeliers and shatter everything made him realize how tall it was. And it also made him happy.

    ''Then this will be an easy fight''

    Raith said and leaned forward getting ready to fight.

    "Master, is there a n?"

    Jarvis asked that. And Raith was surprised to his core. None of his death soldiers have ever asked a question like that.

    He smirked and answered:

    "Looks like you are a different breed from the rest, yes there is a n. And the n is to break this ce and drive the dragon out."

    "Leave that to me and him..." Jarvis''s gaze fell on the silent hulking figure standing in front of them, muscled to the frame. But the body is pitch ck like the night itself.

    Jarvis sounded reassuring and it was what Raith had always wanted.

    "My king! I shall maul right through the monster and¨C

    "Shut up Ant"

    "Yes, My king."

    Antares seem to shrink with sadness.

    "Antares and I and Kortopi shall support you from behind."

    "Nice n Crimson," Raith said without looking at him.

    But he turned his face to the sad Antares and stuck his tongue out proudly who snarled at him silently.

    "Noir, help Rogue and Jarvis."

    "Yes, my lord."

    The wyvern bowed his head slightly, even though it was fearful just a minute ago, his voice was rigid and unquaking.

    Wham!

    Jarvis shifted to the front so swiftly that it was like he disappeared and appeared in the air. So did Rogue but his flight left a crack on the ground which meant if it was to bepared to Jarvis''s, it had more power.

    Raith watched proudly and the two of them soared into the air...

    ''Who would have ever thought I would have powerful minions like this''

    Raith was proud of himself and proud of them, although slightly felt pressured by their explosive strength and he watched them exchange deafening blows with the dragons.

    Especially, Jarvis, there was such arge difference between his strike now that he had upgraded to the next rank. It was amazing.

    Raith found himself evaluating his skills...

    ''Would I have been able to maneuver such strikes the way he did?''

    A lot more questions rose inside of him the more he watched them sift through the air, jumping from pir to pir, leaving cracks on each pir and in some cases shattering them to bit.

    He wondered if he was always making the right decision leaving fights to them when they were already so strong.

    ''...I shouldn''t be self-centered. They deserve a chance to grow too.'' He said inwardly and watched them, trying to get rid of every uneasiness he was feeling.

    -Thud!-

    The next, Jarvis was mmed into the ground causing a crater to carve out of the ground. Rogue also followed, butnded safely and shot right back into the air.

    He wielded two axes and was very handful with it. His strikes this time consisted of a spinning strike on the dragon''s neck. The strike was explosive and made the dragon stumble one step¨CShe rerouted her head and rammed right into Rogue sending him through several pirs.

    Jarvis appeared in her view with his greatsword and threatening white aura.

    -Wham!-

    -wham!!-

    -whish!!-

    Every strike went past the dragon with ease, Jarvis was sharp and swift but none of his attacksnded.

    Before the dragon''s talons could sh at him, he took a recess andnded safely on the ground, stabbing his sword into the ground to control hisnding force.

    By this time Rogue was gliding through the air right back at the dragon whose mouth was wide open towards Jarvis''s direction.

    Glowing molecules gathered around the tip of its mouth but before it could gather more¨CRogue with all its power smashed into a side of its head, disrupting whatever it was trying to do and causing it to stumble more than two steps.

    Seeing that opening Noir sped its razor teeth around the beast''s wings, biting hard and causing the dragon to let out a painful roar.

    Raith breezed into the air, twirling as he reached above Noir. With a spinning strike, his sword came down on the wing severing it to two and causing a more painful strike from the beast.

    It wanted to turn its attention to Raith but a mad ant appeared right in front of it, unlike the others, it could float.

    "Die"

    In a split second Antares drew several intercepting shes that covered the whole air and grazed across the dragon''s skin. It was minimal damage considering the power it out into that force.

    Antares snarled and went harder, bypassing the dragon''s gnash and stabbing his ws right into its nape where it couldn''t reach then he began to pull the strike while running down the dragon''s neck.

    Three horrible lines of blood elongated down the dragon''s neck as Antares went further but was intercepted by ice cones that suddenly grew out of the dragon''s body. Stabbing right through him.

    Raith not minding that Antares had been had, flung out of the dragon''sing forelimb, but that exposed him to its chest. With a spinning momentum, he shed at the chest but before his sword could cleave, the dragon blocked with its talons.

    A mighty force exploded and caused him to be sent crashing to the ground, he tumbled and hurtled back to his feet.

    -Thud!-

    -Thud-

    -Thud-

    All of themnded.

    "My liege, I am curious about something."

    "What is it?"

    "If the n was to make it leave this ce, was it the right call to sh one of its wings? My knowledge in this situation fails me."

    "See Jarvis, with what we did, it will realize that it can''t take on us in here."

    ''It was a spontaneous moment, I saw an opening and I took it...''

    Raith gulped, hoping his words did not disappoint the death soldier who was looking at him with so much respect. He had never cared about people''s views about him, he just always did what he wanted to do.

    But things were looking like they were about to change and somewhere within himself, he feared if he would be able to measure up to their high expectations of him.

    -whoooom!-

    The dragon''s leg slowly began to leave the ground, and with only one fluttering wing, it rose slowly into the air crashing right through the roof.

 Chapter 289 Honor Or Opprobrium

    ?

    The dragon soared into the air, and Raith and his soldiers flew outside the open-air pce.

    He had to scale up the mountain before reaching a higheryer where he could vividly feel the daylight.

    However, there was light in the pce. Raith concluded that it was some trick of the dragon because the depth of the tree''s roots was as dark as the night. It made no sense that the pce was bright.

    After scaling to the top of the mountain, he now had to shoot into the air to catch up to the dragon.

    The dragon shot a freezing breath that crashed him back to the floor, grazing him across the mountain surface and creating a remnant of ice cones throughout.

    Raith tried to get up but was heavily wounded. Ice had peeled off his skin in different areas. He stood up and saw a glide of ice cones from where he had crashed onto up till the point where the breath had grazed him.

    He looked up at the dragon that was barely bnced with one wing.

    ''Am I supposed to believe that thing is injured?''

    He grinned bitterly. A wounded dragon was giving him much hard time.

    ''I thought I had grown though...''

    Raith felt powerless once again. Like there''s just nothing he could do.

    Wham!

    Jarvis shot across the air like a sh and with a powerful twist his great sword smashed the dragon, generating a sonic ng that made the air tremble.

    The dragon lost bnce and hurtled down the air.

    Rogue image blurred past Raith, as he too went up into the air, and before the dragon could hit the ground, it buried a blow into her body, cracking the dragon''s icy scale.

    The dragon was sent the other way by his powerful punch, she rolled through the air like her weight was insignificant before the power of the two.

    Just when she was supposed to smash into the mountain, Crimson and Antares sped past her, each cleaving her strong scale from different sides.

    Noir''s cold breath shot into the air from the depth, As the wyvern rose higher into the air, his breath intensified, almost freezing the air.

    The dragon was warped in arge sphere of ice that fell back on the mountain.

    Raith stood agape in front of him. It was like a thousand words filled his mouth but known coulde out. All of themnded on the mountain and bowed on one knee.

    "My liege, your n was perfect."

    Jarvis stated.

    ''Not really, I was just lucky...''

    Raith wanted to say so, but he couldn''t. Honestly, he felt like a fraud. Taking credit for coincidence, all the feelings that filled him up were strange.

    ''This soplicated...''

    For Raith who was obsessed with getting stronger, it hurt his pride that his subordinates were far stronger than he was.

    He bowed his head.

    -Crack-

    "My liege... we await yourmand."

    Raith slowly looked at all of them.

    ''What exactly am I scared about...?''

    So what if they were stronger than him? They are loyal to him to a fault, they would not lift a finger if hemands it.

    -crack-

    -crack-

    His brow creased together as cracks continued to run across the ice boulder.

    ''So what if they are stronger than I am right now? I too will grow and catch up to them.''

    ''Tsk tsk... you are not weak?''

    ''Don''t try to console me...''

    ''Use that thing...''

    ''What thing?''

    Raith looked at Bal with confusion.

    The sword seemed to sigh at Raith''s nescience.

    [Sword skills]

    - Space rapt(UEX)

    - Gluttony(UEX)

    - ck lightning(EX)

    - Celestial Destroyer(UEX)

    - Demonic Beast Form(UEX) level 1

    "Demonic Beast form became level 1."

    Raith muttered as he red down at the pop-up before him.

    "I see, so..."

    -Crash!-

    The ice boulder crashed and scattered across, separating all of Raith''s soldiers and aiming directly for Raith. The dragon soared into the air with Raith sped in its talons.

    However...

    Swish

    The limb that was holding Raith was severed. Raith fell andnded on the floor with finesse. He was human at the same time he wasn''t human.

    The right side of his body was pitch ck, along with his face and the hand that was tightly clinging onto his sword. From his temple extended a ck burning horn.

    His entire aura had changed.

    This was Demonic Beast transformation level one.

    Along with the change was also an explosive increase in his strength. Raith probably thought he had seen it all when he punched a hole through the frost centipede''s hull.

    Whim

    He shot across the air almost faster than the air itself.

    His sword swiped an arc. A colossal sh of burning ck mes arced at the dragon from the opposite direction. But froze before it could reach.

    The dragon roared, her screeching voice piercing through the frozenndscape. With one wing beating the air, she dashed at Raith again.

    This time, with swiftness that belied his newfound strength he forward, Bal''s naked ck de gleaming for a moment as it shot ahead, alongside Raith.

    Raith''s image became a blur as he got closer to the dragon''s forelimb talons¨Cthe only one left. And in a single fluid movement, his de met it head-on.

    Kang!

    A repelling sound and vibration pushed his hand back and gave the dragon enough time to smash him away with her extra-long tail. Her strike propelled him into a chaotic tumble, rolling him against thendscape till he pulled himself up.

    In an explosion of speed, she billowed forward leaving a gust of wind behind her.

    Raith sprang out of the ce causing her to crash for nothing. He twirled in mid-air and his sword traced down a perfect arc that should cleave right through her second wing but it cut the snow instead.

    In an instant, the dragon''srge body was gone. Thedy stumbled backward coughing up blood along every step of the way.

    Raith was left in a momentary fog of confusion as he faced a dilemma of whether to pursue an injured opponent and subdue her or be honorable.

 Chapter 290 Slyvia

    <h4>Chapter 290 Slyvia</h4>

    Raith moved his leg and walked forward.

    "...you should have just left when I asked you to."

    Thedy was gritting her teeth with blood streaming down her jaw.

    "Despicable human. You think this is the end?"

    A resolve formed on her face. She stretched out her hand and summoned a Lance into it.

    ''Heheheeee... I''ve been waiting for this chance!''

    [Sword skill ''Gluttony'' has been automatically activated]

    ''What the...''

    The ck de Raith was holding stretched out into razor teeth and began to chomp off the Lance in the dragon''s hand. She was left with round eyes and shaking balls.

    "You vile being, how dare you"

    [Your sword ''Bal'' has temporarily gained new properties]

    The color of the sword slowly changed to the ocean blue.

    "Wow..."

    The dragon was also a witness to this. She knew by merely looking at it that it was a very powerful weapon. She was too internally injured to continue this fight.

    ''Darn it''

    She gritted her teeth inwardly, taking a short memory run to the mad dragon that almost killed her and forced her into this hiding.

    She bowed her head and suddenly became like a puppy, but still showed signs of struggle, like a shuddering shoulder.

    "I can''t leave..."

    "Huh?"

    Raith wanted her to speak louder but he heard her clearly.

    "I said! I can''t leave!!"

    She shouted right to his face with her brows tightly furrowed and welled-up eyes.

    "I need the tree''s energy to regenerate, I can''t afford to leave here! He will find me and kill me!!"

    "Eh? So you are just a crybaby who is running away from a bully?"

    A wry smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

    "You don''t know him, Of course, what do I expect from a lowly human."

    "Hey hey, watch how you talk now, that same lowly human is almost driving you to your death right now."

    A wicked chuckle escaped her lips, mingling with traces of weariness.

    "You think you can kill me?"

    Raith raised his chin.

    "You don''t grasp the predicament you are in... do you think, you can win against this?"

    At once a hazy ck fog spread across, covering Raith and her. Death soldiers began to materialize, even the wyverns. They surrounded her in an instant.

    "An inept master of death. What are you?"

    "I am... the Monarch of darkness..."

    The dragon sneered at him with irritation as he spoke with raised shoulders and a proud tone.

    "You are just a perverted human."

    "No no, can we just forget that part..."

    He replied sinking his face into his palm. He raised his headter and stared at her.

    "Join me, and I will help you recover, in fact, I promise to y this bully you are running from."

    Her eyes remained fixed on him for a few seconds, her features nk as she grappled with how to respond to his confident deration. Then, as if on cue,ughter poured out, unrestrained and vibrant.

    She held her stomach as theughter came to a stop.

    "You, kill Nyxalith? You are one hell of a funny human..."

    "I am a ruler, the ruler of Greed"

    "No way"

    She paused with her eyes fixed on Raith''s expression. After seeing no difference, she tilted her head.

    "Really?"

    "Yes."

    "How? How are you so weak?"

    Her words stabbed him right at his heart.

    "I''m new to this sort of thing. In fact, I don''t know anything about being a ruler. And I''ve also never met a ruler before, however, I''ve met their vassals such as you..."

    A puzzled expression yed across her features, her lips parting slightly as her eyes squinted as she was trying to make sense of histter sentence.

    "What do you mean?"

    Not finding rity, she asked.

    "You used a skill of gluttony back then in the pce, you are clearly a vassal of..."

    "Oh that"

    Her eyes glowed up and a small smile curled up her lips.

    "That was from my pastpanion. My rider. She died seven hundred years ago.".

    "And you still have her skill? I find that weird... after seven hundred wouldn''t there be another ruler of gluttony."

    "That doesn''t mean I will lose the skill I received from her. Oftentimes the skills of rulers are more susceptible to their personalities."

    Raith''s eyes glinted with revtion. Finally, some information.

    Thedy looked at Raith,

    "Are you really a ruler?"

    Her eyes narrowed so slightly with a sardonic flicker glinting within them.

    "What? Why are you looking at me like that? I am serious."

    "How are you so weak then."

    "I told you! I don''t know anything, no information!!"

    Raith was almost crying from the frustration of having to repeat the same thing.

    "Still..."

    "Stop! Stop okay?"

    Silence ensued between the two for a moment.

    "Still..."

    "Raith''s plea was met with a smirk, a faint but persistent glint of determination in thedy''s eyes.

    "Shut it. Do you want the deal or not?"

    Raith''s retort wasden with a hint of yfulness, a reminder that they were still engaged in a negotiation.

    "You do not have the power to defeat Nyx."

    She rubbed her slender fingers against her chin, her expression mischievous, a sense of intrigue radiating from her.

    "I guess if you are a ruler and seeing how youmand an army of the shadow of death, you have an impressive potential. Under tutge, you should be able to beat him."

    A smile began on her lips, a glimmer of anticipation that soon expanded into a full-blown expression of amusement.

    "Firstly, you have to do something."

    Thedy''s words were suggestive of?a challenge thaty beyond Raith''s immediate grasp.

    "Name me... you have that power, right? As a ruler, you have the power of naming. Give me a name, and I will ept your terms."

    "Just that?"

    Raith''s incredulity matched his hesitation, his mind working to unravel her intent.

    ''Foolish human, it is impossible to name a dragon; you will die from mana drain the moment you try it.''

    "Let''s see..."

    His gaze dropped to her, a beautiful small face, porcin skin, ocean eyes, white silky hair like the snow... what would be a name befitting of such a perfect ice dragon.

    "Sylvia."

    Her eyes widened, the profound impact of the name resonating with her.

    The dark fog they were surrounded by wavered and slowly dissipated, its hold weakening.

    Raith''s vision blurred, his head feeling unusually light.

    Too light.

    ''...shit, what is...''

    His world spun, tilting as if caught in a whirlpool, and before he could grasp what was wrong, he crumpled to the ground.

    [Congrattions]

    [You have achieved the unachievable]

 Chapter 291 Lucky Bastard

    <h4>Chapter 291 Lucky Bastard</h4>

    The concept of naming was exclusive, carrying both advantages and disadvantages. Humans were never meant to be capable of naming dragons.

    Yet, this human whom she had thought never would be able to¨Chad somehow managed to name her.

    "You caused this..."

    "You gave me no other choice. But look to the bright side, now you possess a name," a silky, soft voice emerged from behind her. She knelt there with Raith''s head resting on herp.

    The dragondy, Slyvia, sat cross-legged, hands folded. Trying to make sense of what had just transpired between a few hours ago. She was actually named by a human.

    Remarkably, nothing about her had changed. Unlike other creatures named by humans, who often transformed ording to their namer''s power, she remained the same.

    This absence of transformation indicated Raith''s exceptional strength. It meant he was far superior to her when it came to his mana. She nced back at him skeptically.

    "No way..."

    She vehemently rejected the notion, shaking her head.

    ''If he truly possessed that kind of power, he could have easily defeated me. I''ve barely lived for a thousand years.''

    She shook her head again, attempting to dislodge the idea that the perverted bastard of a human she had met hours ago was more powerful than her. However, the puzzle remained unresolved in her mind.

    "Hey, you insolent dryad."

    "Mind yournguage, Slyvia. Mind yournguage."

    Slyvia''s brows twitched as the dryad addressed her by name. An urge tosh out pulsed within her, demanding that thedy refrain from uttering her name. Strangely though, the name didn''t feel so bad.

    Perhaps having a name wasn''t as undesirable as she had thought. She had existed as a nameless dragon for centuries, as her previouspanioncked the strength to name her.

    "Don''t worry, my dear. One day, I''ll grow strong enough to gift you a beautiful name," her constant promise, once the ice dragon''s cherished dream. But the current of time had eroded that aspiration, life''s tribtions reshaping her priorities.

    "Why did you have to involve him?"

    "There was no other way to stop you, and he carried an air of distinction. I sensed it the moment he entered this ce."

    Thedy''s appearance echoed an elf''s with her pointed ears, though shorter. White hair framed her face, not as pure as Slyvia''s, and she wore a skillfully woven green dress made from leaves, which adorned her tanned skin.

    Slyvia frowned, averting her gaze.

    "I apologize; I didn''t realize the extent of my actions."

    "Feeding on my life force was a cruel act..."

    "Hah! I already said I''m sorry, alright?!"

    Slyvia erupted, springing to her feet before striding away with an air of arrogance.

    The dryad smiled, tenderly stroking Raith''s hair.

    After a while, gradually, Raith''s eyes fluttered open, his vision initially hazy.

    "Gentleman, you''re awake!"

    Her delight was palpable both in her eyes and her voice.

    Raith, previously enjoying the soft support of the thighs beneath his head, swiftly sat up upon hearing the unfamiliar voice.

    He looked around, no familiar faces, only an overwhelming weakness that threatened to engulf him from the insides. His death soldiers hadpletely returned because he was depleted of both cosmic energy and dark energy.

    It took everything he had to name that darn dragon. But his energy was already regenerating, that too at a quick rate.

    "Rest, gentleman. Your survival is a marvel."

    "What do you mean?"

    Raith queried, his gaze shifting toward thedy while his hand cradled his head.

    "You expended all your magical energy naming her..." She leaned closer to whisper, "...if I''m correct, you wield cosmic energy rather than magic."

    Raith leaned away, his reaction suggesting that such proximity wasn''t necessary formunication.

    "Yes..."

    ''You don''t need toe close to me to say that...''

    After scrutinizing her for a moment longer, he inquired, "Who are you?"

    She responded by pointing towards her back, where the colossal tree shrouded in clouds stood.

    "Ahh..."

    Her enthusiastic nod affirmed Raith''s realization.

    "Thank you for intervening. Slyvia was consuming my life force to heal her wound. Had she continued, I wouldn''t have survived another century."

    "I see..."

    Hearing her talk about not surviving another century made Raith question his decision to aid her.

    ''...so, it wasn''t even a pressing issue, and she was pleading as though it were.''

    "May I ask something?"

    The dryad''s gaze met Raith''s, her eyes unusually deep green,rger than usual, reflective of her forest-wide serenity.

    "Have youe seeking something? Millennia have passed since anyone ventured this far."

    "I''m searching for a home for my people."

    Raith''s statement kindled a spark in the dryad''s eyes, but it waned as swiftly as it appeared.

    "This environment isn''t exactly hospitable for humans."

    "I''m aware. That''s why I''m trying to find a solution. Are you the sole inhabitant here? And what are you?"

    "Very well, I''m a dryad, a spirit of the Faefern tree."

    "Oh..."

    ''So this is the Faefern she mentioned.''

    His gaze swiveled, remembering her presence btedly.

    "By any chance, are you looking for Slyvia?"

    "Yes,"

    "She''s been exploring; she hasn''t left herirs for two centuries. Fear not, formidable monsters can''t assail you now that Slyvia is your vassal. I heard you''re a ruler."

    "Ah, it worked!"

    Raith eximed, essing his messages.

    [Congrattions]

    [You''ve achieved the impossible]

    [You''ve named a dragon]

    [Naming ability upgraded]

    [Any entity you name can now evolve, gaining a unique skill]

    [Questpleted]

    [+10 assimtion rate gained]

    [Rulership Assimtion Rate: 10.00%]

    [New skill acquired]

    [You''ve secured your first vassal as a ruler of greed]

    [Your power grows stronger]

    ''If only I could''ve gained runestones had I managed to defeat her.''

    For a fleeting moment, Raith regretted his choice but then stood, epting it as it was.

    "Gentleman, may I know your name?"

    The dryad''s inquiry caught him off guard.

    "Raven Raith."

    Bashfully, she lowered her head, fingers entwined, as if struggling to express something.

    "Speak..."

    As though awaiting his permission, she raised her head with newfound energy.

    "Could you name me as well?"

    "Huh?"

    Raith was utterly perplexed.

    In just a single day, he had secured two vassals far more potent than any ruler could hope for.

 Chapter 292 Nightfall

    <h4>Chapter 292 Nightfall</h4>

    Beneath the cover of the night, the heavens underwent a wondrous transformation, painting the sky with an ethereal beauty.

    The usual tapestry of stars took a backseat to the vibrant dance of colors unfurling above the icyndscape¡ªthe mesmerizing aurora borealis.

    Ribbons of green, violet, and pink swirled like ephemeral spirits across the velvety expanse, casting an otherworldly glow upon the frozen terrain below.

    "Maria! My name is Maria!"

    The deration of the newly named dryad rang out exuberantly, a promation she couldn''t contain as she leaped joyfully across the mountainousndscape, almost as if bouncing on a celestial trampoline.

    Her boundless enthusiasm began to test Slyvia''s patience, who had just returned from hours of exploration.

    Slyvia''s gaze fell upon a mound of wood piled beside a brilliant blue me, a fire that zed above with arge b of meat skewered on a stick, its sides crisping and sizzling as she rotated the skewer in the heat.

    "Slyvia, and I am Maria!"

    The dryad, now named Maria, chimed in with contagious glee, her arms folded behind her back as she yfully observed Slyvia.

    Curious, Maria inquired, "Hm? What are you up to?"

    Slyvia''s eyes twinkled mischievously as she responded, "A little human trick I picked up during my time among them. I have a feeling our friend here is going to appreciate it."

    Maria''s gaze shifted toward Raith, who was still recumbent on the ground.

    A faint, wry smile crept across her face as she added, "You care for him quite deeply, don''t you?"

    Slyvia let out an exasperated sigh at Maria''s perceptive observation. "If only caring were that simple. The humans might all be in love with each other by now."

    "But aren''t they, in a way?" Maria mused, her eyes distant as she considered, "They protect each other, they fight for each other..."

    Slyvia interjected with a more somber tone, "And they also kill each other."

    Maria''s voice trailed off, and she settled herself by the fireside, her posture rxed. The mes'' warmth seemed to affect her in a way it didn''t most beings, given her intrinsic connection to nature.

    Slyvia turned her gaze back to the fire, the dancing mes reflecting in her sapphire eyes.

    "Have you always been here, alone?" she asked, her voice gentle.

    "Yes," Maria replied softly, folding her legs beneath her and wrapping her arms around them.

    Slyvia paused, uncertain of what to say next. After a few moments of silence, she changed the subject.

    "Meat?" she offered, holding out a portion she had torn off with her wed fingers.

    Maria shook her head, indicating herck of interest.

    "Right, you''re a spirit. Spirits don''t have appetites like this," Slyvia said with a wry smile, before devouring the meat herself.

    Silence stretched between them, only to be interrupted by a faint rustling.

    Both pairs of eyes turned toward the source of the sound, where Raith stirred from his extended slumber. This time, his rejuvenation had taken longer than when he named the dragon.

    As Raith woke, the pungent aroma of the roasted meat triggered a sneeze.

    "Lord Raven," Maria''s cheerful voice called out to him. Slyvia, on the other hand, remained silent, her brow furrowed.

    "Yourpanions searched for you. I had to fend off the monsters to prevent them from facing a foe they couldn''t handle," Slyvia stated matter-of-factly, her gaze locked onto the meat she was finishing.

    "You see, I told you! Now that Slyvia''s your vassal, you have one less thing to worry about,"

    Raith, still contending with a lingering headache. He was yet to recognized that the act of naming two potent beings like them was no small achievement. Oblivious to the immense power they were destined to wield, he was blissfully unaware of his newfound fortune.

    "The monsters you killed, where are they?"

    "Expecting a dragon to carry monster corpses?" Slyvia retorted, with mes of fiery frustrating burning in her eyes.

    "No, it''s just that... I''ll go there myself," Raith replied, almost sounding intimidated by her tone.

    "I''ll apany you," Maria volunteered eagerly.

    The prospect of their absence left her feeling a pang of loneliness. Having been alone in her icy pce for two centuries, she thought to herself.

    ''...it wouldn''t be a bad thing to be around them.''

    "Fine, I''ll take you there," Slyvia conceded, as she abandoned her unfinished meat.

    "Thank you," Maria gushed, her eyes sparkling with gratitude.

    They departed, leaving behind the remains of the fire and the partially consumed meat.

    Raith and Maria''s footsteps carved a path toward the western edge of the mountain, where a chilling sight awaited them¡ªa sprawlingndscape littered with monster corpses, a testament to Slyvia''s prowess.

    "Did only you do this?" Raith wondered aloud, his astonishment evident.

    A macabre scene unfolded before them, blue blood staining the snowy ground, heaps of monster carcasses in varying shapes and sizes.

    "Oh, Slyvia, you''ve certainly left your mark on these monsters," Mariamented with a mixture of irritation and disgust.

    "Rise..."

    The number he could manage to summon was half the number of his total army.

    Slyvia looked at their ethereal dark forms, she had seen it before but she still looked at them with awe.

    "Do the needful, bring me all the skill stones in those monsters. I will make sure to create the sun today."

    The death armies were a perfect blend into the night and they scaled down the mountain to the lond where the carcasses where. Each of them gliding effortlessly.

    Slyvia watched all of them obey Raith''smand, they began to plummet carcasses and cut them open with their weapons, bringing out their organs, runestones that were found in them and crystal cores.

    She watched and disgust filled her expression.

    "You are the lowest of the lowest. Even after they have died, you won''t allow them rest in peace."

    "What do you mean rest in peace..."

    ''If I had the chance to kill you, I probably will he savoring the runestone I harvested from your bellies by now.''

    Raith looked at her with eyes that betrayed his thoughts. Sje returned the gaze with a scowl.

    "What?"

    "Nothing... I wonder if letting you live is really the best choice for me."

    He said, mumbling theter part of his sentence. From that point until daybreak Slyvia willter go on to disturb him, daring him to repeat what he said so she can hear loEud and clear.

    But Raith refused all through. Thest thing he wanted was getting into a fight with a dragon.

 Chapter 293 Back To Korea

    <h4>Chapter 293 Back To Korea</h4>

    Mok Jun-Seo and some other guides from the airport came together to the point he had reached with Raith yesterday. After Raith did not make it back to the airport, he got worried and eventually had to go looking for Raith.

    But he didn''t expect what he met.

    "Hunter Raven?"

    He was shocked.

    Raith was seated with two supernatural beauties with a pile of runestones in between all of them.

    What is this situation? Mok Jun-Seo saw no sense in what he was seeing, first, he questioned how there could be any survivors in this environment. Then his mind led him to one possibility.

    It is possible that they were monsters. However, monsters who are able to transform into human body means that the monster would be very strong. He had met a lot of monsters but he still thought these two were stronger than all of thembined.

    Mok Jun-Seo had never doubted Raith''s incredible strength but if these two were stronger than all the boss monsters he had met, Raith couldn''t defeat both of them.

    Another thing that bothered him was that, even if Raith did defeat them, he wasn''t a tamer, they would forever remain hostile to him even after he had defeated them.

    Hence what was the true exnation of this scenery?

    "This is Maria."

    Maria waved her hand happily.

    "And this is Slyvia."

    She shrugged and didn''t bother looking their way.

    Mok Jun-Seo looked very confused, Maria''s long pointed ears, Slyvia''s horn. He exchanged nces between the two females and looked at Raith. His gaze begged for an exnation.

    "Slyvia is an ice dragon and Maria is the tree spirit of that tree over there."

    Now that the day was cool, and with few clouds, the colossal tree tugging into the sky could be seen clearly.

    ''A tree spirit, a dragon...''

    These were all terms Mok Jun-Seo only heard of. To be particr, the only thing he had heard of was a dragon. There was a time when a dragon gate emerged, it was just a single dragon and over a hundred S-rank hunters were lost, it was one of the greatest cmities that had befallen the earth.

    "A dragon?..." He muttered again, unable to wrap the idea in his head.

    This Caucasian-looking girl was a dragon.

    Slyvia angrily turned her gaze to his eyes causing him to flinch and take his eyes off her. For a moment he felt like he was going to die had he not done that.

    He cleared his throat and began to speak:

    "Hunter Raven, there is a need for us to return to Korea."

    "Did something happen?" Raith inquired raising his head while crushing one of the stones on the ground.

    He had been at it all night, he had gained and deleted several skills but he was still not near his goal. But he was close.

    He wanted to get it done before he left but Mok Jun-Seo was sounding like there was an emergency.

    "Yes, this concerns the people..."

    "What is it about them?" Raith asked without looking at him. He focused on the stones, picking another one after throwing away the crumbles of the one he just absorbed. The runeletter on the stone disappeared immediately after they were broken.

    "The awakening rate has skyrocketed... Mok Jae-Hwa said he can''t keep things under control anymore."

    "That guy... what a prick."

    ''He''s my son...'' Mok Jun-Seo wanted to say that but he reconsidered his choice, he didn''t want to say anything awkward so he just let it slide. Even he did not realize... he was beginning to fear Raith.

    "I guess we have to go then," Raith said and stood up.

    "Lord?" Maria wore a sorrowful expression, her head tilted in confusion. She knew he''d have to leave someday but not so soon.

    "I will be back..." Raith assured her.

    She wished she could go with him but it was impossible, a dryad was bound to their tree. She can''t go halfway around the world, she would automatically teleport back to where she ought to be.

    "I am going with you."

    Slyvia''s deration put her into an intense state of fear.

    "Slyvia, you are going too? You are going to leave your chamber?"

    "Yes, I''m going to leave my chamber" Slyvia responded with a harsh tone.

    "Stop that, She is going to be here all alone, the least you can do is be nice to her. And who said I will take you with me."

    "I am your tutor now, you have to do what I say." She replied to him with a stern look.

    "Tutor?"

    "I will be teaching you everything there is to know about magic and preparing you for your confrontation with Nyx."

    Raith remembered the agreement he had with her and stayed silent even though he wanted to fight for his master''s right over her.

    ''Once, I get a hang of this rulership thing. I''m sure I''ll do better''

    He patted Maria''s head.

    "I know you''ve been alone here for a long time. But don''t worry, that will change. Give me a few days, I''ll be right back and I''ll bring an entire settlement with me. I can also bring the human goodies if you want."

    Maria vigorously nodded her head, signaling to Raith how happy she''d be if he could do that.

    "Then, see youter," Raith said, patting her head onest time before walking to Mok Jun-Seo and the other two guides.

    "Make sure you watch the monsters and not allow them to reach my castle."

    Maria pouted and swung her face away, folding her arms as the dragon talked.

    Slyvia wanted to yank her face but she had to quickly meet up with Raith who was walking away. She didn''t trust him, he might go without her. She ignored the grumpy tree spirit and ran after Raith.

    ¡ª

    The ride back to Korea was as long as it wasing to Antarctica, and with an extra, annoying passenger, things were awfully irritating than when they wereing.

    However, the most amazing thing Raith was at least intrigued to see was the fact that Min-Ho and Slyvia got along so well. It was like watching his brother get along with his daughter.

    At first, he disced the thought of a thousand-year-old dragon being his daughter but the more he looked at them the more the situation seemed to ingrain itself in his head, she looked like his daughter. Not that he had any before he just couldn''t help but perceive her as his daughter.

    "Slyvia..."

    "What?"

    She replied with a grumpy tone.

    He wanted to smack her on the head for her tone but he contained himself.

    "Isn''t there a way to hide your horns?"

    "Why?"

    Still, with a grumpy tone, she asked. The ne finallynded.

    "I think what hyungnim means is that to hide unnecessary attention from yourself and preserve your beauty in a hidden form, you could try to hide your horns. Humanity can be quite nosy." Min-Ho intercepted, winking at Raith.

    "Oh, ah, I see you... You this human you exin things so well and you know how to talk to an elder. I like you." She said patting Min-Ho''s shoulder.

    She gave the samepliment every time Min-Ho sucked up to her, sometimes she would even ask Raith to learn from him.

    She touched her head and the horn vanished like it was never there, all that was being seen was a beautiful snow white. Her clothes were changed from the ancient robe she was putting on to a casual outfit.

    It was thanks to Min-Ho''s manner of speaking that she epted to change, if not Raith would have had to deal with another hassle.

    Their journey through the airport was nothing short of a big headache for the three of them.

    No one could put a stop to how much she wanted. She pointed at everything, ran at everything, and was amazed by everything.

    Everything she saw intrigued her, even the building itself.

    "Hmph! What a magnificent structure. Human! Buy this for me, I want to live in it."

    "Even if I have all the money in the world, it is impossible to buy you Incheon airport, you idiot."

    Her brows furrowed, "Did you just call me a vile name?"

    Raith looked away, he had said that part with a low voice so that she wouldn''t hear but her ears were too damn sharp.

    "A morous home is waiting for us. You are going to love it there ma''am" Mok Jun-Seo said, with an extremely nice tone. Even he was being careful of pissing off the dragondy.

    She red at them for a moment and then finally decided to go with them.

    Right that instant, Mok Jae-Hwa reached the airport with Min-Ho''s Mercedes.

    Slyvia''s eyes went around as a man in a navy blue suit came out of the car, his slick back hair and blue eyes were almost drawing her in like the ocean.

    Even as Mok Jae-Hwa drew nigh, she stood frozen, her mouth agape.

    "Father, Raven... Min-Ho? I have been wondering where you disappeared to."

    He didn''t expect that Min-Ho would go with them, he felt the guy wouldn''t be able to take the harsh climate, However, Min-Ho''s intermittent sneezes confirmed his suspicions.

    His eyes went to the snow-whitedy standing beside Min-Ho, gazing at him with her eyes opened.

    He looked at Raith who also looked at Slyvia.

    ''No way... don''t tell me she has a crush on this prick...''

    "Hello...?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa stretched forth his hand to greet her but her wide round face suddenly creased to a frown, causing Mok Jae-Hwa to hesitate.

    "You have the blessing of a dragon? Howe?"

 Chapter 294 Warm Welcome

    <h4>Chapter 294 Warm Wee</h4>

    Slyvia was silent after what she said to Mok Jae-Hwa, none of them understood what she meant. Raith tried to divulge more information from her but she tantly ignored him.

    At first, he thought she had a crush on him when they first met at the airport. But to suddenly mention something about a dragon''s blessing.

    He asked Mok Jae-Hwa if he had ever met a dragon before, but the response was no. At the time when the Dragon Gate was raided, he was a very young disaster-rank hunter with a promising future. He didn''t even know what one looked at.

    So what is this about? Raith''s mind was left tugging through the web of confusion, it worried him what Slyvia had said.

    A small crowd of people waited for them at the front gate as their car arrived, it was soothing to see that he was being expected somewhere but at the same time the feeling was ufortable. Raith missed the days when it used to be just him.

    It had not even been that long. It was just a year ago. It was a year ago he died from the ice troll and got his first death trial.

    A lot has changed in one year and he was now twenty-two. That age of his was one of the hardest things to integrate into his consciousness. Sometimes he couldn''t help but feel like he was aging backwards.

    ''...''

    If he hadpleted the thought and said it mentally, he felt like he would have betrayed himself. Instead, his eyes caught the passionate gaze of the people that waited for him.

    "Lord Raven."

    "Lord Raven..."

    They all muttered in turns as he got down from the car and walked into the temporary encampment.

    Most of the people that survived Therut were young, except for a few elves and mothers. Raith slowly observed them and tried not to make it obvious.

    He was trying his best to go along with this kind of thing but it was not getting easier by the day.

    After greeting a horde of people by the way, he finally entered the room. To meet with Mok Jae-Hwa who insisted that he should rest first but Raith was feeling too giddy to rest.

    "Tell me..."

    "Half of the popce have awakened their powers. Yesterday, some kids snuck out and caused a ruckus during their awakening, I was able to get them back from the police before the hunter association could find out about it. But I fear that things might get ugly when they find out."

    Mok Jun-Seo rubbed his beard.

    "Considering that son of a bitch is now the dog of the government and wants to have it out with me. Should the association get to know about this? They wille for us. This just means we have to speed up the whole process."

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s gaze turned to his father but drifted away as quickly as possible.

    "You have been looking at me like that since we came into this country. Is there something you want to tell me, you bastard?"

    ''What father calls their son a bastard?'' Raith shook his head at the absurd rtionship between these two... it was envious.

    With a sigh, Mok Jae-Hwa finally spoke:

    "Didn''t you hear about it, I thought you had..."

    "Hear what?" Mok Jun-Seo''s thick brows came together to form a frown.

    "Your master, Li Mingwu is dead."

    The news didn''te as a shock, but still, Mok Jun-Seo found it hard to maintain a calmposure. His eyes trembled and his hands began to follow in the same sequence.

    Raith immediately red at Mok Jae-Hwa who turned away in regret. He really should have thought twice before revealing the information.

    "I need to make a trip to America." Mok Jun-Seo said, he bowed his head slightly before Raith and excused himself.

    His sudden growth in etiquette before Raith who was not even as old as his son surprised Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "What happened in Antarctica?" He asked with a squinted gaze.

    "Nothing, we killed a bunch of monsters and had toe home because you couldn''t handle things here."

    "What do you mean, I just needed to inform you..."

    "Alright, alright. Right now there is something I have to do."

    "What?"

    Raith leaned forward, clutched his bands, and rested his jaw on them.

    "Can you get me the highest grade runestones, like five?"

    Raith''s request was odd. These were things he never asked for. He was skilled withbat, he had an arsenal of army that he couldmand. A summoner and a warrior. What would someone like that need skills for? Except they were summoner skills.

    "I don''t think there are any summoner skills in the market right now but I will check."

    "When did I say I need summoner skills? Just get me anything. I don''t care what it is."

    Mok Jae-Hwa shrugged at Raith''s reply, he thought he needed summoner skills and that was why his response was in that line. If Raith didn''t need summoner skills then what did he need the runestones for?

    Moreso, five. For hunters, there was a limit to how much skill they could have. Although there is no way to measure that limit. However, there is always that point that a hunter cannot absorb runestones anymore.

    A point where they have reached their limit. Mok Jae-Hwa found five high-grade runestones for Raith alone too troubling. It made him wonder about the extent of Raith''s power.

    "I will excuse myself then... one more question before I do leave."

    Mok Jae-Hwa sat back down just as he was about to stand up.

    "Yes?"

    "Who is thatdy?"

    Raith was growing tired of the same question even though he had only had to answer twice.

    "She''s a dragon. An ice dragon."

    "No way..." Mok Jae-Hwa chuckled at Raith, sometimes the guy has no sense of humor. He makes absurd jokes.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s chuckle shamefully came to a stop as he noticed the nkness on Raith''s face as he stared.

    "Wait. Are you serious? She''s a dragon."

    Raith nodded, "Yes she''s a dragon."

    "How in the world are you walking with a dragon." Mok Jae-Hwa mored, his hands following in certain gestures of how surprised he was.

    "Well, I met her in the cold continent and we fought and we made a peace treaty just before I could kill her."

    Raith sounded full of confidence but Mok Jae-Hwa didn''t believe Raith alone would have been able to kill a dragon. But there was a variable...variables, his armies.

    ''It might be possible if his entire army was involved.''

    Mok Jae-Hwa considered that and nodded his head slightly, still, it was hard to believe. With the premonition he had about dragons, he felt she would have been able to eradicate all of Raith''s army.

    He looked up, his eyes staying on Raith''s face for a few moments.

    "What?" Disturbed by the gaze. Raith sniveled, a hint of anger waning in his tone.

    "Nothing... I will excuse myself."

 Chapter 295 The Red Bully (1)

    <h4>Chapter 295 The Red Bully (1)</h4>

    "Yap!"

    With a light shout, Amber Rose shot forward like an arrow, brandishing her sword against the guy in front of her. Consecutive arcing shes came after that but they were all blocked effortlessly by this guy.

    On her left hand was a shield which she pushed forward to give the guy a heavy attack. Anything works, she just wanted to catch him off guard somehow.

    But even that too was a shameful failure as the guy hurled a kick onto the shield. She stumbled back and before she could recover, the guy was already in front of her, only the subtle wind could tell the magnificent tales of his speed.

    He yanked the sword off her hand and grabbed her neck with his second hand, swept her off her feet while he was on it, and added more force to his hand on her neck as she went down, mming her back against the floor.

    Amber Rose let out a groan and curled. She rolled away as the guy released her neck.

    "Next" His voice was like the beckoning of a destructive cry.

    Behind him was a queue of people, some well known, some haven''t been seen.

    The next person on the line frowned his face and clenched his fist.

    ''If I want to be helpful to Raith and keep my dignity of a big brother. I have to get stronger somehow''

    Curtis opened his palm and looked into it.

    ''This new power I have to learn how to control it...''

    He thought all hope was lost when he lost his dust in Therut. All of them thought it was the end for them. But recently their hopes were being rekindled. Curtis''s gaze burned with a newfound determination as he stepped forward.

    He looked over to Amber Rose who was getting up with her head bowed and gritting her teeth. Then his gaze returned to the guy standing in front of him.

    Amber Rose he knew was one of the strongest heroes of Therut. It wouldn''t be an understatement to say she was standing on the pinnacle of strength, she was even a hero of the justice archon. Her dust attributes were very impressive.

    But that wasn''t just it about her. Amber Rose''sbat ability was the reason why she was feared. She held a small shield to her left and a longsword to her right hand. With a resolve that could cut through the hardest of metal, she was unstoppable every time she plunged her sword forward.

    Even he was envious of her.

    Such a person lost in just one minute of engaging in battle with this guy.

    To be precise, it wouldn''t be appropriate to call him a guy. From Curtis''s point of view, he felt like this guy was younger based on appearance alone. But something tingled in their senses.

    He arrived yesterday, two days after Raith returned, and offered to assist with their training. But since he has been bullying them. He beats them up and does not give them lessons of words.

    All he says is:

    "That was how I learned... Kortopi and Jarvis beat me up several times until they couldn''t anymore."

    Who is Kortopi? Who is Jarvis?

    These were questions Curtis couldn''t answer. As much as he wanted to opt out of this reckless idea of getting beat up in the name of training, he couldn''t deny that this guy right here was strong and he felt like battling him would help.

    Absalom twirled his long red hair which he refused to cut this time and looked at the person in front of him with his chin raised.

    "You look familiar..." He slightly raised his chin as he observed Curtis.

    ''Pitch ck hair, eagle eyes, arching brows, oval jawline... white skin... naa..nah... no way''

    Every feature of Curtis betrayed Absalom''s whiff. Although there was a striking resemnce to a certain person when his overall picture was looked at, but focusing on the specific features the differences were just toorge.

    Absalom shook his head, ''Nope... I doubt that son of a bitch even has a brother

    "Come at me..." He said, returning his gaze to Curtis who carefully raised the sword in his hands.

    The pommel of the sword was long enough to amodate both of his arms. Curtis was a double-handed sword user and was very effective with it. He had tried his shot in single-handed swords, he did do well with it but he would still choose a double-handed sword any time.

    There were several cons to it. Its impressive weight, when controlled is a sure deep cutter, that same weight cane in handy when trying blocking, although it could also be a hindrance.

    That was why this all depended on how well one understood the sword. For someone like Curtis who grew up in a sword family. He understood very well the fundamentals of the sword.

    He tilted the point of the de forward a bit and lunged at Absalom.

    Abdalom''s red hair fluttered in the as he also took off, meeting Curtis''s sword with bare hands.

    With a single smash of Absalom''s fist, the sword shattered. Before Curtis could recover from his shock Absalom grabbed him and threw him over his head. But he managed tond on his feet, sliding back.

    Absalom grinned chining a side of his white teeth. His red eyes were sparkling with menace.

    "You are good." He sneered and darted off the next minute.

    Curtis was expecting him but still, it was too much to handle. From his vantage point, Absalom became a blur and pierced the wind, wounding across him in an instant.

    As Absalom''s punch drove into his stomach, he mmed his elbow on Absalom''s shoulders sending ripples of shock through his body.

    Absalom showed no signs of pain which surprised him. Another deadly uppercut came towards his jaw from beneath he stumbled back and retracted his head to dodge the punch but a swift kick met his head from the side.

    ''It was a trap?''

    His mind couldn''t find enough time to process thoughts and everything seemed to be in shambles. The next minute he lost Absalom who was clearly standing in front of him.

    Another punch crunched into his side and his face and sent him rattling through the ground. He rolled and finally came to a stop, wondering...

    ''What did he do? I lost him for a moment''

    If he had been able to follow Absalom''s movement maybe it wouldn''t been as hard to keep up.

    Curtis frowned and rebuked his prideful judgment. How sure was he that he would have been able to keep up with the movements even if he couldn''t see them?

    Absalom stood with his arms resting on his waist, he grinned as he watched the aspiring hunter stand back to his feet.

    "Oh, I''m so going to enjoy this."

 Chapter 296 The Red Bully (2)

    <h4>Chapter 296 The Red Bully (2)</h4>

    The gym hall was silent. Only the sound of Absalom and Curtis''s blows could be heard. Sometimes as Jr whistled through the air, many times as it battered his face and stomach.

    Absalom was far leading in hit points but Curtis refused to give up. Every time he got up, a wide smile spread across Absalom''s face. All he just wanted to do was break him.

    It reminded him of when they were training with Raith under Volmak, he would beat the shit out of Raith all in the name of training.

    Only toe to earth and discover that the bastard was a stronger hunter.

    After the fight in Therut, Absalom saw a lot of changes to his abilities. Although his skills were sealed back the moment he came to earth and he had to spend close to a month in the hospital, healing. The fight with the damned angel gave him a scope of experience that he never would have gotten somewhere.

    And his body had gotten better, his feet felt lighter and his speed had increased. For a vampire his size, his speed had always been what he was proud of.

    Each vampire when born is always blessed with a gift. Almost equal to origin skill of the demons. Both origin skill or gift, Absalom had known, all he knew was his cursed blood. It was one of the reasons why he was unepted by his brothers.

    His vampire brothers saw him as a failure, his Demon brothers saw him as a stain. He spent all of his life alone, at least until he met the stupid human and came to earth and also met several people.

    Absalom was particrly grateful to Kortopi for his growth. He would repeatedly ask Raith to summon the damn death soldier and fight over and over again. He would be defeated over and over again because Kortopi''s resilience was nothing like he had ever seen.

    His speed was crazy.

    He had seen other Raith''s soldiers fight (Although not the new ones such as Crimson, Antares, and Rogue). And he always says Kortopi has the best potential out of all of them.

    His mind trailed back to the present as Curtis lunged forward. Despite being distracted for a second or two, Absalom calmly stepped aside, letting Curtis sail past him. It was as if he had anticipated.

    "You move quite well for a human..." Absalommented, his voice dripping with mockery. A nasty smirk besmirched his face, "But you are still a novicepared to me."

    It was evident he juste here to bully them.

    Frustration and excitement coursed through Curtis''s veins at the same time. He wanted to win at all costs. Not because of his dignity or anything, for the past twenty-six years of his life, he had spent it hating on his brother because of his father''s wishes.

    Now that his father wasn''t here, he wanted to be a big brother to Raith. But how can he be a big brother to someone so strong, which is why he desired growth more than anything?

    His awakening two days ago was the greatest thing that could have ever happened to him but he couldn''t bring out the power after that. This was what this training was supposed to help him do.

    But the red-haired guy was enjoying this way too much to care about anything.

    With a swift turn, he faced Absalom.

    Absalom darted forward, Curtis countered with a feigned jab, hoping to deceive Absalom, but it was his greatest mistake in this battle.

    Absalom''s hand slipped right through his feign and grabbed his face, smashing it to the ground and dragging it forward on the floor. He picked him back up and raised him.

    Pow

    Pow

    Pow

    After three punches to the belly, Curtis was still trying to get away from Absalom''s grip but it was too hard.

    "Will you give up now, or we can keep going all day."

    Curtis did not say anything but held Absalom''s hand tightly and tried to break free from his grip on his face.

    His mind screamed with frustration, pain, and annoyance. He just wanted to beat the shit out of Absalom and prove to himself that he can be stronger than he ever was.

    But Absalom giggled at his effortless struggle.

    "You will not give up, then this will be even more enjoyable"

    Curtisnded a ncing blow on Absalom''s face but it had no effect, the power mustered in the punch was nothing.

    Grinning at the irritating effort, Absalom abandoned Curtis''s face before he fell on the ground, Absalom arced a ferocious kick to his midsection, sending him reeling backward over his head.

    The impact was brutal, Curtis gasped for breath while writhing in pain on the floor and vomiting blood.

    At this point Absalom should have known to stop but no. He closed the distance with a whirlwind of strikes and Curtis barely had time to parry the attacks. The sheer force of Absalom''s strike made chills run through his spine, it was as though he was brawling with the cold hands of death.

    Curtis''s mind raced, seeking an opening, a weakness to exploit. But Absalom''s movements were too fluid, too unpredictable. It was like trying to catch the wind.

    Absalom was fast, too fast, and his movement was hard to follow. Oftentimes he would just disappear from Curtis''s view and the next he would be seen was with a mad blow to his side or his face or gut. His punches also carried power, it was as if his organs were being pulverized from the inside but by a force from the outside.

    Curtis staggered back, there was nothing more he could do. He gritted his teeth in frustration, even if it was just one single blow. One blow that would change the whole game. He desperately desired it.

    Absalom breezed over to his front as usual and aimed a punch at his face. Desperation surged through?Curtis as he scrunched his eyes and mustered himself for ast effort.

    He sidestepped to allow Absalom''s punch to sail past him but btedly realized that Absalom had always found a way to predict him.

    And even now he was grinning as Curtis was sidestepping. Curtis suddenly shifted back to his initial portion, it was a fast movement that caught Absalom by surprise.

    Absalom tried to stop himself who had already executed his nextunch at Curtis towards the left where he had sidestepped but now he was back to the right which meant that Absalom was headed for space with Curtis in front of him.

    For a single moment, he waspletely fooled by Curtis. But that wasn''t just the end.

    Boww!!

    Even Curtis wasn''t expecting to see it again like this.

    As he pivoted his hand to corner a punch into Absalom''s side, a burst of blue mes lunged his hand forward turning it to a blur as he delivered a devastating blow to Absalom''s nk.

    For a fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still. The impact of Curtis''s blow reverberated through Absalom''s body, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

    Absalom staggering a few steps backward could still not wash away the surprise on his face. While Curtis looked at his burning hand with eyes of hope. Blue mes danced on them effortlessly.

    It was beautiful and did not hurt. It exploded with even more force when he awakened, burning the tent he was in. Compared to that time this time was little but he was happy. Now, he just had to figure out how¨C

    Wham!!

    Absalom''s blow pierced through the wind, and in an instant, they threatened to shatter Curtis''s head, his red eyes burned with a ferocious red me.

    A hair''s breadth away from destroying Curtis''s head, a hand caught Absalom''s punch.

 Chapter 297 Disagreement

    <h4>Chapter 297 Disagreement</h4>

    A frown creased on Raith''s face.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Aha! Raith! Aye! I got carried away for a moment."

    "That was pure bloodlust Absalom"

    "Come on, I said I got carried away. I never expected that a measly human would be able to pull one on me like that."

    Raith''s eyes glimmered with a subtle red aura on his red pupils alone.

    "That measly human is my brother, my elder brother."

    Absalom''s eyes widened, he looked at Curtis and looked back at Raith. It finally made sense why Curtis looked so familiar yet so unfamiliar.

    Both their hairs were pitch ck. Except that a few strands of Raith''s hair were white. Which was odd because those weren''t there thest time he saw Raith.

    "I had no idea he was your brother. I''m so sorry" Absalom apologized with s grin. He was trying to make the atmosphere light but it was all futile because Raith''s creased brows wouldn''t rx.

    "It''s fine Raith. I have learned a lot from the duel than I have in a lot of years, I''m sure this man only meant good."

    Raith turned his face to his brother and looked at Absalom who still had a cocky grin on his face, concurring with what his brother had said with an assertive nod.

    "No, you don''t know this guy. He''s a bully, there''s no way he would have meant good. He would have killed you if I didn''t step in, I''ve been in this position too."

    "Ahh, you still remember. Those were memories man." Absalom eximed tapping Raith''s shoulder, "Wow... did you grow taller, you didn''t used to be this tall."

    Raith ignored him and turned to his brother.

    "Are you okay? You should go to the infirmary and get yourself checked out."

    Curtis smiled, "Don''t worry, I will do that." He said with a smile, his eyes squinted as the smile curved up his lips.

    Raith watched his brother walk away with other guys, interacting with them as they all went out of the gym.

    He turned his gaze back to Absalom after they had left.

    "What are you doing here?"

    "Isn''t it time? I am tired of staying here. You are now strong, as I am. Shouldn''t we be running to get master now? Besides we now have Bm. Where is he by the way? I haven''t seen him since I came?"

    Raith folded his hand, "I don''t know where Bm is, he would be around or could be running an errand. As for going to hell...I was already thinking about it. But I have to do something first.

    "What could be more important than going back home."

    "Your home, not mine, Volmak is the only thing I care about in that ce."

    "Naah..." Absalom scowled at Raith, "I doubt you care about anything, even Volmak."

    "Watch your mouth."

    "Ever since we havee to earth. You have been very satisfied with everything here, I have been busting my ass every day trying to go back to save Volmak, you have been living life. You have been enjoying the fame and delight that came with being a catastrophe rank hunter."

    "And you did not get carried away too? You didn''t enjoy being a disaster-rank hunter? Or maybe you were just so unhappy that I am higher and stronger than you in this realm."

    Absalom scowled and refused to disappear, only getting more intense. He gritted his teeth behind his closed lips and clenched his fist hard.

    "You are a fool really. At this point, you think I am jealous of what you have? You know what? You can fuck off, I don''t need the help of a dumb cockroach saving my master." He turned away and walked out of the hall.

    ''Wow...did you just fight with your best friend, you are a dumbfuck''

    "Shut it, he''s not my best friend," Raith mumbled and looked away.

    Ring

    Rinnggg

    His phone rang, interrupting the deafening silence. Putting it to his ear automatically picked the call.

    "Jae-Hwa..." Raith''s ent in pronouncing Korean names still had an oddity to it but he had improvedpared to when he juste to Korea, plus he was already speaking some basic words of theirnguage.

    He could automatically understand of course thanks to the abyss auto trantion.

    "I just came back... where are you?"

    "Meet me in the gym."

    "Alright," He said and hung up the phone.

    A few minutester, he and Bm entered the hall. Bm was just like a human with red spiky hair and dark-skinned and red fiery eyes. His shark teeth were the only odd thing about him along with his unreasonable pride.

    He was quite proud for someone who couldn''t hold his own against an angel.

    He looked at Raith, observing his expression for a few seconds.

    ''Something must have happened.''

    He saw Absalom while he and Mok Jae-Hwa wereing to the gym. The look on the vampire''s face hinted to him that something had happened between the two of them. But he was too skeptical to ask.

    He hadn''t spent much time with Raith since agreeing to be his servant.

    ''Servant'' was too tant and demeaning for someone with his level of pride, so he would often say. He offered to be Raith''s ''subordinate''

    Bm dropped three boxes on the floor after Mok Jae-Hwa had dropped the two in his hands.

    "These are very expensive, I hope whatever you want to use them for makes any sense."

    "I want to use them for the Sun."

    "Sun?" Mok Jae-Hwa cocked his head, "Did you forget the part where I said ''must make sense''?"

    "That is what I want to use it for," Raith said and crouched, opening the first box.

    It was different from all the runestones he had been absorbing so far. It was like arge chump of ck rock with a purple glowing rune letter on it. The others were blue and weren''t even glowing.

    Raith sighed, and he closed his eyes. He resolved to himself that no matter how good the skills in them are, they are to be deleted.

    He opened his eyes and took the stone. The initial pressure he applied to it wasn''t enough to break it, he had instinctively applied the same amount of pressure he used to break the smaller ones.

    He put more force into his grasp and broke it.

    [Congrattions, you have gained a USR-ranked skill]

 Chapter 298 Brawl Out!

    <h4>Chapter 298 Brawl Out!</h4>

    [Combo Star(USR)]

    - Increases the damage ratio of attackbos, so far their uninterrupted.

    [Impasse(USR)]

    - An enchantment type skill that allows the user to increase their power in proportion to the damage received.

    - A time limited skill

    [Cmity(EX)]

    - A destructive skill that allows the user to control weather.

    [Discriminate(EX)]

    - Allows the user to be able to get a full information of opponent''s skills and weaknesses.

    [sh(SSR)]

    - A skill that allows the user to move at immense speed akin to teleportation.

    All the skills received as expected were top notch, especially [Cmity], [Discrimination] and [sh].

    Raith as he had thought was finding it hard to let go. These were very good skills that would be a game changer for him.

    He sighed, one part of him wanted to horde them to himself but he had spent all the money in his ount to get these. If he decided to horde them he would have to take from Nethend''s treasure to buy another one.

    Which he didn''t want to do.

    [Are you sure you want to delete the skill?]

    The question was as if the abyss was telling him, do you really want to delete such a good skill?

    But a man gotta do what a man gotta do.

    ''Yes...''

    [You have gained 200 skill fragments]

    A whooping two hundred!

    [You have gained 200 skill fragments]

    [You have gained 1000 skill fragments]

    ''What the fuck?!! One thousand skill fragments for an EX rank skill?!''

    [You have gained 1000 skill fragments]

    "Stop!"

    His sudden shout made Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm worried.

    "Are you okay?"

    "Are you okay, master?"

    They asked Simultaneously, each with different tone.

    "I''m fine... I''m fine..." Raith responded with a light cough and looked at the tab in front of him.

    [Do you want to halt the deletion of ''sh'']

    ''I already have more than what I need why bother deleting such a good skill''

    Raith closed that part of the tab and checked something else.

    [Skill fragments: 3145]

    [You have the required Fragment to create one-time skill copy sunlight]

    [Go to the designated location where you''d like to use this skill]

    Raith smiled.

    ''I have to go back to Antartica, but first I must test something out.''

    He shifted his gaze to Bm who was already worried at the way Raith''s eyes stayed on me.

    "Master?"

    A corner of Raith''s lips went up.

    "Let''s spar."

    "No way, I do not want to be disgraced by you for a second time. I refuse master."

    Bm genuflected immediately with his head on the ground.

    "So you would refuse your master''s order."

    "I apologize master!"

    "Don''t worry, it is just a simple friendly spar."

    Bm slowly raised his head and look at Raith, he was considering it.

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked at the two, especially Bm, ording to the story, Bm was the summoned demon that tried to propagate destruction in the world of Therut but was defeated by Raith.

    Even so, it was just to hard to believe such a being is a demon capable of destroying the world. Mok Jae-Hwa shook his head, he wondered when normal lost its description in his life.

    His life had turned upside down since he had met Raith. It was head wrecking but he looked forward to the fun and surprise of each day.

    It was the same for other members of Rain guild who had somehow be friends of everyone here. And everyone was super hyped up because Yujin was in her third trimester, they would be expecting Sung Min Jr anytime soon.

    "This will be simple?"

    "Yes" Raith nodded.

    Bm slowly stood up, he stepped back carefully, his eyes not leaving Raith for a moment.

    "You don''t need to use all your power, juste at me seriously."

    Bm was still skeptical, it was as if he wanted to confront a traumatic experience. He performed a deep inhale and exhale before getting in position.

    He simply stood upright with his arms raised a bit forward. Yet, he had deleted all the openings in his body.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes widened with surprise, of course he had a mental skill that allowed him to be able to analyze the movement of his opponent and execute his actions with the best possible route.

    It was where Raith''s [Multiple Cognitive Rosanance] evolved from.

    So, he was the very few people who could see just how skilled Bm was. Just by changing his pose, he had shifted awareness to all his opening and stood in such a way that he would be able to protect every area of his body within a calcted time frame.

    It was a magnificent thing.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes moved to Raith.

    Raith was full of openings, every area was opening. Mok Jae-Hwa was at first disappointed. He thought Raith had grown so much from his fight in Theru.

    ''How did he defeat Bm if he can''t even erase the weaknesses in his body?''

    [Switching to Auto Mode]

    [Focus Mode will be activated]

    [Do you want to grant Auto Mode ess over all your skills]

    ''Yes, especially Frost weaver''

    [ess granted]

    Raith had left the skill after discovering that it wasn''t a skill but an art. He received an art after defeating Noir but didn''t pay attention to it.

    He only saw the skill description when he wanted to delete it and could rte to what an art meant from fighting Egard-Hearl. He still did not have a full grasp of the full meaning of an art.

    But having something good felt nice.

    The two disappeared, leaving a subtle explosion of the air as they took off.

    As they came close to each other, Bm''s skin became darker and streaks like that of volcano began to tear open on his skin.

    Bm lunged rapid strikes at Raith, his arms exploding forward with incandescent fire. Raith blocked every attack, despite Bm''s hand being aze he did not dodge any and parried everything with a magnificent speed.

    Bm''s eyes shone with praises even though he was supposed to be focused on finding an opening. He couldn''t help by be wowed by Raith''s betterment.

    ''He''s able to catch my attacks effortlessly well.''

    Also, the way Raith''s eyes moved, in every direction it hand went, with the same rate of speed. It was as though Raith was in some moment.

    It brought his mind back to when Raith had faced him entering some state of focus.

    ''No, this isn''t that... his whole aura was different that time''

    Just as Bm proposed in his subconscious as he continually threw lighting fast punches at Raith. Raith''s aura when he entered the state of Samadhi waspletely different. This wasn''t what he felt that time.

    Whapp!!

    Swoosh!

    ''Wha¨C''

    Before his eyes could follow, Raith''s hands pped his chest. Following the wind st from the impact, Bm was propelled away, across hundred meters in an instance hitting his back against the sleek white wall and leaving a crack on it.

    "sh..."

    Before he could stand, Raith sped across the ground and was in front of him as he raised his head. His hand up in the air.

    Bm''s head followed Raith''s eyes that was in the air, his eyes widened.

    Ice weapons of different forms and shape had been created in the air and circled on him from above.

    "I¨C

    "Don''t you dare, this match is just getting started."

 Chapter 299 Brawl Out!!

    <h4>Chapter 299 Brawl Out!!</h4>

    Raith had stopped him before he could concede defeat.

    He dropped his hand, dissolving the ice weapon he had created into ordinary cold air.

    He looked at his hand which was cold and covered with frost.

    "I will not disappoint you, master." Bm dered with a more determined look.

    Whoom

    His body began to burn with mes, likewise his hair. His eyeballs thinned in as his lips spread wide across his face.

    Mok Jae-Hwa gulped.

    ''What is wrong with me... I totally underestimated Raven. I of all people should have none best''

    He gritted his teeth inwardly, he had been the first to discover Raith''s potential but he still couldn''t tell properly the extent of Raith''s strength.

    He had made his judgment of Raith''s skill by carefully analyzing after observing his stance. Besides his mental analysis skill had never been wrong.

    What he did not know was that someone who didn''t fear being hit or dying had no reason to put up his defenses.

    Raith was not down to the basics, but those were not the reasons why he didn''t have a Castle wall defense, it was because he didn''t see the need to. He needed to get beat and die to grow.

    Why would he then stop himself from dying?

    Mok Jae-Hwa had not understood this part about Raith.

    Bm shot forward propelled by fire that spiraled around him as he sailed through the air.

    Raith spun into the air, meeting Bm midair. A gigantic ice sword formed from the pommel out of thing ice and continued to the tip as Raith swung the sword, scraping the sleek wall of the gym and smashing Bm with the ice sword.

    The entire building shook as Bm exploded everything with his mes. Clouds of smoke scattered everywhere but Bm soon shot out of it unscathed. He aimed directly at Raith with a zing fist ahead of him.

    "sh"

    Raith disappeared from his view. He turned around midair but was toote.

    Raith dropped an elbow m on him from back, smashing him into the ground.

    ''He became even faster''

    It was impossible to follow Raith''s movement, for a demon such as him. If he couldn''t do it, no one would be able to.

    "Wow. Raith has be very strong." Mok Jae-Hwa mumbled beneath his lips.

    He was a witness to Raith''s crazy fight with the wyvern but then he had a lot of help from his death soldiers. Mok Jae-Hwa had not seen him fight alone like this, except in the footage with Turner and their duel together.

    Compared to those times, Raith was better.

    "We''ll stop here..."

    ''It''s a pretty useless skill''

    That was his evaluation of the frost weaver art. It didn''t feel different from using an ordinary skill. Why then did the asura ce so much difference between art and skill? Was he doing it wrong? Or is it a thing that is not just meant for him?

    "Yes, master." Bm felt maltreated, he wanted a chance tond a blow of his own. He was sure he would have had Raith if it wasn''t for his speed.

    Still, his response was genteel.

    ''sh on the other hand... now that is what I mean by a good skill''

    Raith grinned and nodded his head. He had been looking for a way to increase his speed without the dependence of stat. The movement skill infused in Bal, he could only use them while using Bal.

    He needed something of his own and this was it.

    ''I wonder how fast I''ll get when my stats go up''

    "Mok Jae-Hwa!" He called, turning to the frozen statue on the sidelines.

    "Y-y-yes!"

    Mok Jae-Hwa btedly responded as he broke free from his stagnancy caused by the shock of seeing Raith''s speed and power as he mmed Bm into the ground.

    "We will be leaving with the people..."

    "Leaving to where?" Mok Jae-Hwa asked, a tinge of concern in his tone.

    "To the cold continent. I am going to make it a favorable ce for the people to live and we are going to own it."

    "Ha..."

    What Raith said made no sense, but Mok Jae-Hwa was not going to make the mistake of misunderstanding Raith twice.

    "...okay then. But the cost for nes..."

    "Don''t worry about nes, I will talk to Slyvia."

    "Okay..."

    ''What will she do though? Does a dragon have money for nes?''

    Mok Jae-Hwa said internally, taking ast look around at the state of the gym from a few minutes of brawls between a human and a demon. Dents here and there scratched the wall.

    ''I have to get stronger...''

    Mok Jae-Hwa picked up his pace and met with Raith and Bm who were already at the entrance of the gym, going outside.

    ¡ª

    After a few minutes.

    Raith and Slyvia were seated opposite each other, Min Ho gently served the dragondy a cup of tea and left them to each other.

    Every other person had vacated the mini parlor for both of them.

    "Speak human, what do you want to see me for." She said with a majestic tone, putting one leg above the other.

    "It seems you have been enjoying your time here."

    "Hm! You have indeed built something great here. But you still have a long way to go. The people look promising, are they the ones you want to take to Antarctica?"

    "Yes." Raith nodded.

    "I told you, no one can survive in a weather such as that one."

    "Which is why I''m going to create a sun"

    The dragon paused, her hand slowly went back and dropped the cup of tea it was holding. The following second she burst into a loudughter pping her leg on the ground.

    Raith who found nothing funny kept a straight face.

    She took her timeughing and came to a stop slowly. Her faze fell on Raith''s straight face as she stoppedughing, seeing his face she realized:

    "Oh, you have finally run mad."

    "I have not run mad, it just annoys me that you think I can''t do it."

    Her eyes became serious as they narrowed.

    "You are serious?"

    "Why would I joke about something like that?"

    "Human..."

    "Raith"

    "Hell in no way I will say such a vile word. Don''t interrupt me..." She red at him and continued, "...you can''t create a sum. That is a pipe dream."

    "In case you don''t know, even my existence is a pipe dream. I am going to create a sun. However, I need you to do something for me."

    She folded her arms, "Do not ask absurd favors from me. What is it you want?"

    "Help me teleport the people to Antarctica."

 Chapter 300 Student Of Magic

    <h4>Chapter 300 Student Of Magic</h4>

    "I see you have finally gone crazy"

    "I know it is something you can do. I''m not too knowledgeable about magic but it should be possible right?"

    ''It is scary how he can think of something like that while he does not have much knowledge about magic.''

    Her eyes went out of focus for a while and went down. Then slowly came back to Raith.

    "It''s impossible."

    "No, it''s not."

    "It wouldn''t be if I am not wounded. But most of my mana right now is working on healing my wound. I might die if I attempt such a mass-scale teleportation."

    Raith rubbed his chin. He didn''t want to do this but it seems there is no other way to go about it.

    "Will you teach me then?"

    "Grovel human." A wide grin spread across her face and her pupils dted.

    ''Ah shit, I don''t want to do this. Apart from the fact that I hate magic, I don''t like that she gets to do anyhow she wants when I should be the master''

    Since using [Abyssal me] when fighting with the wyvern that became Noir and even now with the [frost weaver]. Raith didn''t feel these skills like he did when he used sword skills or ran so fast on his own two legs.

    Therefore the idea of learning magic has been very disgusting to him.

    "How long will it take?"

    "That depends on your intelligence."

    "Oh, if it''s about that, I am quite dumb, should I add one more person to the magic ss then."

    She frowned while folding her arms, "Do you take me for a dragon that goes around teaching magic? Do you know how precious of an opportunity this is? You can bring two more."

    "No, one is enough. Just teach me teleportation magic and pour the rest of your energy into teaching him everything you know."

    "Wait? What? You only want to learn teleportation magic. You can''t fight Nyx without knowing everything about magic!"

    She spread her hands apart as she stated her point.

    Raith looked at her and stood up.

    "I disagree."

    He said coldly and walked out of the room.

    A little whileter, someone walked inside. Slyvia''s eyes slowly shifted to the guy that entered. He was handsome and had pointed ears, a part of his hair was ck, and another part was white. His eyes were blue.

    He slowly went on one knee and bowed his head.

    "I am delighted to be in the presence of a dragon. We elves thought dragons to be myths and bedtime stories our elders told us. It is a pleasure to be taught by one"

    To Draear who was from Therut, stories about dragons, with bodies asrge as mountains, and wings that can cover the sky in one spread, were told as myth and fireside, bedtime stories. No one ever thought it to be real.

    When Raith told him his teacher was a dragon, he was first stricken with fear, that was the only being in whom his pride did not matter in front of because a creature like that was far above him in the hierarchy.

    All his spections were ording to the stories they were told growing up.

    "But I have a condition..."

    Slyvia''s brow arced up, a condition? She should be the one having a condition right now.

    ''This one has a lot of gut, doesn''t he?''

    "You will always be my second master. I already have a true master and nothing can change that."

    ''Would you look at that, he didn''t even wait for my consent to start talking.'' Her brows kept twitching, she felt like smashing his head against the floor.

    "Okay... and who is this your first master?"

    "Lord Raven."

    There it is!

    "Lord Raven again?!"

    Draear looked up with a frown as Slyvia yelled.

    "What? Are you going to beat me?" She red down at him.

    He lowered his head, "Please control your emotions. People are watching, You are supposed to be a loyal dragon that serves Lord Raven, a ragged behavior should not be seen with you"

    Her eyes began to shake.

    ''Is? Is? Is he talking to me?...''

    There was no lie in what he was saying but no one had dared to tantly speak to her like this. And she was to teach such a rude bastard lesson.

    Draear smirked silently.

    ''No one can take Lord Raven''s ce in my heart. Even if it is the strongest dragon in the whole world''

    Slyvia''s gaze rested on his resolute face for a few more minutes.

    ''I see, I see... it is evident what I need to do.''

    A wry smile crossed her face.

    ''This one is not the first student, I will break him. Yes! I will break you and remake you with magic!!''

    The smile on her face went wider and wider, almost bing a perverted grin.

    Draear looked up to her face.

    "I shall address you as second master."

    "Do whatever you want... when I''m done with you. You will grovel before me."

    "The only one I''m allowed to grovel before is Lord Raven."

    "Shut it! Get out!!" She screamed, throwing her empty cup of tea.

    He dodged it easily and hurried out of the room but stuck out his tongue at herst second before closing the door behind him.

    Slyvia grabbed the chair''s arms, gripping it tightly. Her shoulders were heaving and her face was red with anger.

    "How? How? How are they so respectful to him when he is just a perverted piece of shit, a vile existence!"

    She shouted, tearing the arms of the chair. Its foams flew around, slowly settling on the marble floor.

    ¡ª

    Slowly, the tides of time were taking a new turn. The death of one of the strongest unranked hunters shook the nations more than expected.

    A gate with a monster capable of defeating the great Li Mingwu. Even amongst the unranked, Li Mingwu was no joke. He would often say that none of them could touch his hair.

    For someone like that to be defeated by a gate boss monster.

    The tragic news brought a gathering that everyone always talked about but never wished to happen.

    The world always anticipated theing together of the unranked hunters. But in actuality, they never want it to happen because the only thing that can bring together the unranked hunters is if there should be a world-scale catastrophe that even Catastrophe-rank hunters cannot handle.

    And s, they gather.

 Chapter 301 Shattered Prides (1)

    <h4>Chapter 301 Shattered Prides (1)</h4>

    "I will start with the basics of magic."

    "Do we really have to go through all of that? All I want to learn is teleportation magic."

    Raith and Draear stood opposite Slyvia in the gym, the ruined gym. Slyvia was looking beautiful as usual. Her attire today was a workout set, sweatpants, and a tank top. There was nothing much to her front, it was t.

    She pressed her lips together to resist the vexation that continued to pulsate in her as Raith made suggestions of cutting corners in learning magic.

    "I can''t teach you how to use a spell when you don''t even know the basics of a spell. You don''t know what a magic form is, you don''t know what a spell is. You don''t know anything. So shut the fuck up and listen to me."

    ''This is why I didn''t want to do this. How am I supposed to regain my masterly dignity after this...''

    Raith scratched the back of his ear and sighed.

    "Fine."

    He agreed to save his face from more embarrassment, especially since Draear was here. Indeed, he didn''t want to ept Draear as a disciple but having such a cool guy call him master now and then added some sort of importance to him.

    Without even realizing it, Raith was already bing self-aware of himself. He usually didn''t used to care about what he was wearing but right now, he was in a white tracksuit. Zipped to the top.

    Slyvia extended her hands and opened her palms.

    "I will start with this."

    After speaking, silence ensued.

    Raith''s eyes stayed on her hands. No one talked. A minuteter Raith peeked at Draear with one eye.

    ''Such focus!''

    He quickly turned his eyes to the palm.

    Slowly, light particles gather on Slyvia''s hand.

    ''I see it!''

    His eyes widened and he was a hair''s breadth away from shouting that but swallowed the words right back in. He wasn''t about to lose dignity before his one and only disciple.

    "This is mana... it took this long to gather because this worldcks it."

    Slyvia started, looking at the light particles and lifting her gaze to the duo in front of her.

    "I discovered it when I first got to the airport. I don''t know what happened, the atmosphere of your world, except Antarctica is overwhelmed by some other form of energy. Although I can group this to be mana but it is not pure mana. I had to take a minute to purify it for this amount of mana toe out. Usually, by just stretching my hand, this whole ce should be swirling with mana particles. But there are no mana particles."

    "Or you are just ipetent," Raith muttered, pouting to the left.

    She ignored him and turned her gaze to Draear as she continued to exin.

    "But I have also discovered that whatever this energy you have in your world is. It also works with mana. I can''t guarantee the quality of the result but the same principles work for this energy."

    "Magic energy."

    "What?"

    She frowned as she faced Raith.

    "It''s what the humans here call the energy."

    Raithpleted his statement.

    "Whatever. There are two things that you must be able to do to be able tomand mana. The first one is sense mana, the second is manipte mana."

    It sounded just like [Mana Perception] and [Mana Maniption] which Raith deleted a few days ago in Antarctica.

    "There is a training you will have to undergo for you to be able to sense mana. Are you guys ready?"

    "How about you just exin it, I''m sure I will be able to get a hang of it."

    "You think magic is something so easy?" Slyvia scowled at him.

    She exhaled and continued her exnation.

    "Mana sensing can be made to sound easy because all it entails is being able to detect the mana in the air. On this earth, however, it is bound to be harder. We dragons are naturally gifted with mana sense. We don''t need to train for it. Humans however, have to train hard for it. Starting from within, you need to silence the noise inside you and close your eyes. Hear, feel, see with your eyes closed until you can sense mana."

    "Nope, thanks..."

    ''Creation''

    [You have activated attribute creation]

    ''Create skill''

    [Input skill info]

    ''Ability to sense all forms of energy''

    [Input skill name]

    ''High sensing''

    [Passive or Active?]

    ''Passive''

    [Calcting skill fragment needed to create skill ''High Sensing'']

    [700 skill fragments needed]

    [Avable Skill fragments: 3145/700]

    [Do you want to create skill ''High Sensing'']

    ''Yes, I''d also love to create another skill after that one''

    [Input skill info]

    ''Ability tomand energy''

    [Input skill name]

    ''High Execution''

    [Passive or Active?]

    ''Passive...''

    [It is impossible to make High Execution Passive]

    [Passive or Active?]

    ''Fine, Active''

    [Calcting skill fragment needed to create skill ''High Sensing'']

    [Skill fragments needed: 900]

    [Avable Skill fragments 2495/900]

    [Do you want to create skill ''High Execution'']

    ''Yes''

    [Skill High-Sensing has been created]

    [Skill High-Execution has been created]

    [Skill info]

    - High-Sensing(SSR)

    - Passive

    - your senses can detect all forms of energy no matter how far away they are.

    [Skill Info]

    - High Execution(USR)

    - Active

    - All energies listen to your will.

    Raith grinned and looked at Slyvia.

    "If you won''t submit to the process then I have no desire to teach you the teleportation magic you want to learn so badly."

    Raith ignored her and closed his eyes. He extended his hand.

    Although many do not know, all forms of energy can be found in the atmosphere, from mana to magic energy, to cosmic energy. They were all avable in the atmosphere but it took the sharpest of senses to detect them.

    For humans, it is impossible to sharpen one senses to such an extent. This is why those that are often found in this category are Supreme beings who have given themselves to strenuous training to use whatever form of energy it is they desire, mana, aura, cosmic energy, ether.

    Raith however, created a skill that they would have spent hundreds of years training for... all that in a single moment.

    [Using High Execution]

    After being able to tell them apart from each other by colors, Raith was able to pinpoint which was mana all while closing his eyes.

    As Slyvia had said, there was a need to see them using the mind''s eyes. Because if he were to open his eyes right now, he wasn''t sure if he would still be able to see them.

    Raith slowly opened his eyes as he was tempted by the thought. Unlike what he expected, he still could see the colors of the particles in the air. Red particles were major, there were some blue particles which were fewer than the white particles that were already few enough.

    The white particles began to gather around his hand, unlike before¨C they came in small quantities when Slyvia summoned them.

    But right now, the particles from around the encampment to the outsides, all of Seoul, white dust began to reveal themselves and flood towards the same angle. It was so visible that people began to take pictures of it.

    It was beautiful, yet was like some horde of white flies rushing towards somewhere. In a matter of minutes, the gym was swept by a throng of white particles that swirled in circles around Raith.

    Slyvia''s mouth fell open, despair wrote itself on her face and her eyeballs trembled.

    ''How is this even possible? He doesn''t even have a mana circle''

    Slyvia did tell them to activate mana sensing as a first step but it wasn''t even considered to be the first step. After activating mana sensing, they would now work towards activating a mana circle which would be easier because now they can sense mana.

    To activate the mana circle, she needed to open their circuit and consistently pass mana through it. The mana passed through it would then be used to form a circle around their heart. When the first circle is formed, the efficiency of the circuit increases and more channels are created. With the circuit serving as the membrane of mana within the body.

    The higher the number of circles the stronger the membrane and the person''s mana. That is why 9 circle mages are often considered to be sages. Not that anyone from this world would know that. They don''t have a mage.

    Raith didn''t have a mana circle, even now, she couldn''t sense any circle wrapped around his heart. Yet he ced a far more strongermand on mana than she could ever.

    Her shoulder shuddered with fear and excitement at the same time. She had overlooked it because of his perverted nature from the first time they met.

    ''I am marveled by his potential''

    She looked at him and remembered vividly that he was supposed to be a ruler. However, he does not know how to be one. Should he meet a ruler who can teach him, Raith was already dangerous enough. The sin of greed was one of the three strongest.

    Then he has an uncanny control over death, the ability to make armies of darkness.

    And now, an overwhelming affinity for mana? Being able to use mana without a magic circle.

    The universe does not know what ising for it.

 Chapter 302 Shattered Prides (2)

    <h4>Chapter 302 Shattered Prides (2)</h4>

    While Slyvia was lost in thoughts, Draear''s eyes shone with respect for Raith.

    ''He is amazing!''

    Raith disced the mana that gathered around and proudly looked at Slyvia.

    "Can you teach me teleportation magic now?''

    No doubt, he would be able to deal with it. If he could control such arge amount of mana without having a mana circle, Slyvia was sure he would be able to use a mass-scale teleportation spell better than she ever could. But it injured her pride to concede like this.

    "I...I..." She stuttered.

    "Raith!"

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s voice entered the hall, interrupting everything that was going on in the gym. He walked hastily with a ck envelope in his hands.

    He shed the envelope at Raith as he got closer.

    "You have been invited to the World Hunter Summit."

    Raith cocked his head, "What is that?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked at the other two people in the room.

    ''Right, none of them know what it means to be invited to the world hunter summit''

    It pained him that he didn''t get the reaction he was expecting because this was the biggest of big deals.

    No one wishes for it, however, there are situations where the hunterse together to hold a conference. It happened during the outbreak of a dragon gate. Some gates are said to exist and are called unranked gates. Gates that not even unranked hunters are capable of defeating.

    When such gates appear, after several lives are taken, the strongest hunters in the worlde together, including the strongest unranked hunters. Three of whom were remaining now.

    The meeting aims to form a party of hunters who are suitable to challenge the gate.

    Mok Jae-Hwa didn''t make it to thest time because Korea still had a lot of disaster hunters who were stronger than him. Plus he was just a rookie hunter then. However, not only did he get invited, but he also had someone from his guild who got invited. Yes, Raith.

    His face was brimming with delight.

    "I see. Can I turn it down?"

    His delight was short-lived.

    "Why? Why would you do such a thing!! This is the best meeting you will ever be invited to. You will have the opportunity to meet other hunters, you''ll be able to see how strong you are..."

    "I''m packed at the moment Mok Jae-Hwa. I have my hands full with trying to get the people to a safe ce. What do you mean by attending a summit at a time like this? I can send Bm, will that be okay."

    Mok Jae-Hwa was sorrowful, this was a very bad thing. He thought Raith would surely be happy to attend a meeting like this, after all, this was a guy who was obsessed with strong people. Right now, he seemed carefree, unbothered.

    "I guess it is not a bad idea to have Bm follow me..."

    He kept a calm face while saying that but it was a lie. He was excited at the thought of it. It was exhrating. Having a demon king apany him to the summit of hunters. His heart was filled with several thoughts, the endless routes of possibilities tugged his chest with excitement.

    "Fine, if you are okay with that then leave, this girl is just about to teach me teleportation magic."

    "Magic?"

    The subject sounded fictional to Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "Yes, magic..."

    "I guess, I would love to see it."

    The air suddenly became cold, and all of them were waiting for just one person.

    Slyvia was faced with a dilemma, she would have to ignore this puffing feeling in her chest and teach him anyway. She had thought she would be able to teach him a big lesson using this opportunity of him wanting to learn teleportation.

    "I... I guess, I would have to teach... the concept of..."

    "You know what, never mind. I think I have a hang of it already."

    ''Why have I been stressing myself all the while? I can just create the magic skill.''

    Raith shrugged and lowered his gaze.

    [Input Skill Info]

    ''Being able to move through different locations.''

    [Your description is insufficient]

    Raith rubbed his chin.

    There was so much he wasn''t thinking about. He looked into Slyvia''s eyes and doubted himself.

    ''Was I too impetuous?''

    He continued to look at her then shook his head.

    ''Nah, I''ll figure this out, if I had thought of using my creation attribute from the beginning then I would have been able to save my masterly dignity.''

    There again about the masterly dignity.

    ''To teleport from one location to another, both locations have to be in view. Then if I put in the description that the ability to move from one location to another within the scope of my imagination... it should work.''

    So, he thought.

    However...

    [Skill cannot be created at your level]

    [Nerfing skill description]

    Skill info: moving from one marked location to another.

    [Do you want to create skill ''Simple Teleportation'']

    Raith looked at the description he was giving. He didn''t like it but it didn''t sound bad.

    ''Does this mean I first have to go to Antarctica to mark the ce beforeing back?''

    He questioned himself, there was no provided answer but he could feel it in his gut that his suspicion was correct. Not wanting to sumb to asking Slyvia for help. He went ahead with it.

    [Calcting skill fragments needed]

    [1595/500]

    [Creating skill ''Simple Teleportation'']

    [Skill Info]

    - Simple Teleportation(S)

    - Active

    - ability to transfer anything from one marked location to another.

    He turned to Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "I have to go to Antarctica right now."

    "What? Why?"

    "I want to test something out." He said, casting onest carefree nce at Slyvia who was frowning at him.

    ''There''s no way he would get it. Teleportation is not something that can easily be gotten. I find it easy because I''m a dragon, for a human it would take at least five circles to be able to cast a teleportation spell.''

    Raith crouched and touched the floor. As he did, a magic circle appeared.

    He walked outside the gym. The next second, a blue light surged from the ground where the magic circle had appeared. The light faded to reveal Raith.

    And Slyvia''s pride shattered.

 Chapter 303 Entry (1)

    <h4>Chapter 303 Entry (1)</h4>

    It made no sense, she had traveled worlds. So, yes she could bashly say she had seen several prospects in humans. But being able to cast a spell without a magic circle, was an unexined bridge ofmon sense.

    Looking at Raith for a few more seconds, she sighed.

    "It seems I have underestimated you."

    "Yes, you have. There is a reason why I am your master after all."

    Raith responded with a light grin on one corner of his lips. He moved closer to her and gently hit her head with the side of his palm.

    "I''ll leave Draear in your hands."

    Smiling, he walked out. Mok Jae-Hwa caught right behind him.

    Draear''s eyes stayed on him till his figure disappeared, then he turned back to her.

    "Do you understand now why you will always be my second master? Lord Raven is so incredible."

    "Yes, sure suit yourself." She said but her eyes scrunched up as a wry smile formed on her face. ''I will make you suffer instead.''

    "Well, are you going to begin your training or what?!"

    ¡ª

    Raith immediately got ready to go to Antarctica. The moment he arrived there, he wouldn''t need toe back here to pick the people. He just needed to mark there with the magic circle, as he had done to this ce.

    He pped thest of his bags after strapping it up. Remembering when he had juste to Korea, he didn''t evene with a single pin, his clothes were in tatters. And today he is leaving with three big boxes.

    He looked outside the window of his room. Nothing but pure joy filled his heart. Although he was living in this country to start a new country with the people of Therut, Korea will always have a ce in his heart. And at least until this new country has been epted by other countries, he is still a Korean.

    Knock! Knock!

    The gentle knock on the door turned his head. He walked over to the door and opened it.

    In front of him was standing a red-eyed girl with blonde hair. She was dressed in track pants and a white tank top. She looked like she had just concluded a heinous exercise session, beads of sweat formed on several parts of her body, and some had dried.

    "My name is Amber Rose"

    She reintroduced herself. It was the right call from her side to not assume that Raith would recognize her. She made the mistake once already. And from that day, no, from the day in the ck market, up until this day. She had never been able to stop thinking about him.

    Maybe it was because of the guilt she felt after her response to him the moment she knew that he was a hero of the death archon, no, she was sure it was because of her guilt. But that guilt has driven her more than anything.

    She enjoyed the feeling of guilt, how it made her longed for him, with the excuse of wanting to apologize, she longed and looked for him every time. It gave her a sense of purpose for a brief while.

    But right now, that man she longed for was standing in front of her.

    Her mind was in shambles, she couldn''t seem to arrange her thoughts, She hade here to say a few things, and she had mustered up the best of herself after talking to Curtis. He let her know that Raith had changed, he had be apletely different person. Contrary to what he and his father thought the little maltreated boy would grow up to be.

    Her conversation with him had given her the courage to reach his door front. But words were noting out after her introduction.

    Raith raised his chin a bit, he was getting very confused at the silence after she introduced herself.

    Her waning voice followed after a minute passed:

    "I''m sorry..."

    Raith raised one brow and looked at her. He honestly could not remember why a blonde with scarlet eyes would be apologizing to him in front of his door.

    "For?"

    "You...you...know... the other time."

    ''What other time?''

    Even though he wanted to do away with this nuisance of a situation as soon as he could, he executed patience and didn''t show on his face one hint of irritation as she continued to act like a lost and confused street cat in front of him.

    "I understand, your apology is epted."

    He responded and closed the door.

    ''I''m not sure what she is apologizing for but that should settle it right?''

    He threw ast nce at the door before getting the rest of his stuff. It was going to be a long journey to Antarctica.

    ¡ª

    America.

    In the heart of a luxurious resort, nestled at the top of the highest floor was a suite, one that exuded exuberance at every corner.

    The parlor exuded an air of refined elegance, The soft, creamy walls seemed to cradle the room in their embrace, their texture hinting at untold stories of timeless gatherings.

    Ambient lighting, artfully concealed, cast a gentle glow that highlighted the intricately designed chairs. Upholstered in plush, muted tones, one the longest one opposite therge LED TV was seated a man, a familiar man with blonde low-cut hair, with an extremelyrge build.

    "Sir! The invitation came in!"

    Ady dressed in formality contrary to the man who was half naked with his broad chest andrge biceps fully on disy.

    "Ah, I see..."

    He didn''t sound particrly enthusiastic about it,pared to a particr person from Korea. But then, this was the second time he was attending. The first time was the dragon gate when it imed the lives of hundreds.

    But he wasn''t chosen on the main attack team and was only a backup team then, since he was a rookie catastrophe hunter then. However, since then, ten years have passed. Turner had changed from that rookie hunter to one of the best in the world, the pride of America.

    He collected the ck letter from her and tore it open with his hands.

    His eyes ran down the words. In a second or two, he was done.

    "Hey... I have a question..."

    His secretary adjusted her sses.

    "I suppose this is about him. Since he is Korea''s only catastrophe-ranked hunter. There''s no doubt, that the invitation would reach him too. No one would be foolish to turn down an invitation from the three strongest hunters in the world."

    "Right." A wide smile spread across his lips.

    "It seems we will be meeting soon..."

 Chapter 304 Entry (2)

    <h4>Chapter 304 Entry (2)</h4>

    After eighteen long hours, Raith''s ne finallynded on King George Ind.

    As usual, the workers on the ind walked up to him and his crew with overall jackets imbued with cold-resistant items, supposed to help them endure the temperature to a certain degree.

    But no amount of that jacket could be as good as Raith''s cold resistance.

    He sighed as he neglected them, the rest of his crew, however... Min Ho, Curtis, and Prince Andre.

    Thest person was suggested by Curtis. Since his brother''s death, Andre has been inactive in everything that has been going on. All he does is stay inside his tent, sleep, wake up, eat, and me himself for his brother''s friends.

    He had no friends, even back when Therut was alive, Andre''s friends were the knights whom they fought together and of all of them, only one remained. No matter how much he tried, he couldn''t get the little prince toe out of his tent. So he employed Curtis''s help.

    A new home for them was a good excuse to bring him out. He didn''t think it would work but when he mentioned to him they would be traveling with Raith. The young prince jacked up immediately.

    Raith didn''t know him up close, from his time of living in the Pomeii empire, he had seen him a few times here and there.

    "Lord Raven! Lord Raven!!"

    They were a hundred meters away from the airport when Maria appeared out of thin air and jumped on Raith.

    Which didn''t catch Raith by surprise. Somehow the scenario had triggered in his sight before it happened in real. He hugged her and gently took her off him.

    ''Did she grow?''

    Compared to thest time he saw her, she was taller and even more busty. Was she getting big in all the right ces now that her life force isn''t being stolen by any dragon?

    "This is Maria. Maria, this is Curtis, my brother, and Andre."

    "A, Lord Raven''s brother"

    She extended her hand and shook his hand vigorously. Turned to Andre...

    "What a sad soul..." Her tone quaked with sorrow as she shook his hand.

    He knew what she meant but wondered how she could sense that his soul was sad.

    "I need your help Maria."

    "Yes, Lord Raven!!"

    Her downed expression immediately switched up after hearing Raith.

    "I need a location that stands at the center of the entire continent."

    "Hmm..."

    Tilting her head left and right, she put her index finger on her lips and entered a deep moment of thought.

    "I guess I know a ce."

    "Can you take me there?"

    "The cold is at its highest at that point, it would be very dangerous for humans." She said, looking at the two of them.

    Raith followed her eyes and looked back.

    "Can you guys wait for us here? There are strong monsters here so please be careful."

    Curtis nodded and assured Raith that they would be fine. Looking at them for thest time, he and Maria walked away, fading into the distance beyond them.

    A few minutes had passed, and Curtis and Andre were still standing where they were. Min Ho, of course, was left back at the airport.

    "So, I am surprised to see the two of you going alone after all that has happened."

    "My father was to be med for a lot that happened between us. Both I won''t ce the me on him, the old man is dead anyways."

    "It''s quite a shock, how all the oldies of Therut decided to stay back and die with their beloved world."

    "It indeed is, but they would have only been a burden, they made the right decision."

    Curtis''s cold tone subtly prated the cold wind.

    "Hmph..."

    Andre scoffed before making his next statement.

    "Makes me envious. I don''t know if I would be able to ever forgive myself for my brother''s death. If only I had been a bit stronger, I would have been able to protect him."

    Curtis was caught in a dilemma. The one thing he isn''t good at is showing sympathy.

    "Sure... you would have. But you were not strong."

    "You don''t have to rub it on my face."

    "But you can be strong now, and protect a lot of people. Your subjects from Pomeii are here too. All those months you spent in your tent, were a shattered hope for them. Luckily they had a hero to turn to. Like it or not, you are their leader."

    He exhaled and added:

    "It is time for you to stop sulking..."

    Andre watched Curtis''s back as he walked away. He admired the words of the young man, more so, his back. Btedly realizing that Curtis was walking away, he picked his steps and caught up with him.

    "Did your brother not say there are dangerous monsters here?"

    "Exactly why we are going."

    ¡ª

    China.

    The airport hummed with anticipation as hunters from several parts of the world, and influential figures from around the globe arrived in a flurry of activity.

    Each delegation''s ne touched down in a synchronized ballet of international diplomacy, and the airport became a microcosm of diverse cultures and dignified arrivals.

    The Lufthansa aircraft taxied smoothly to a halt, and the German delegation, led by Kaiser, disembarked with characteristic precision.

    Impably dressed, the association hunters and officials walked with such elegance that reflected their country''s reputation for efficiency.

    While the German representatives of hunters were led by just Kaiser. Americans were divided into two, one led by Turner, and another led by an unfamous hunter.

    He had ck hair that flowed down to his shoulder, his eyes were dark and so was the lower part of his lips, almost looking like a grim reaper. He was dressed in a ck suit with a ck coat and a grey scarf around his neck. Taller and slender, he stood quite different from the rest of the association hunters who walked behind him.

    Delegations from different parts of the world began to arrive at the airport, Nigeria, France, Spain, the Vatican Union, Irnd, Find, and Ennd and many more graced the airport with their exuberant air.

    Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm stood, lost amidst the excellence these people exuded. They barely managed to get here by an economic ss.

 Chapter 305 Sphere Of Light (1)

    <h4>Chapter 305 Sphere Of Light (1)</h4>

    "Wow, so many people!"

    Bm''s eyes hovered around, as restless as the wind. Meanwhile, Mok Jae-Hwa calmly walked while dragging the luggage of both of them.

    This was not exactly a happy asion for him. In general, it was, but this part of arrival wasn''t exciting. The fact is that he is probably the poorest person in the airport right now.

    "Oh! Jae-Hwa-ssi! You were invited too!"

    ''Of course, she came! Damn!''

    Mok Jae-Hwa regretfully bit his lips before she came into his view. It was hunter Seong Nara. The second disaster ranked hunter of South Korea.

    Her skin was as pristine as ever, her blue eyes brimming with everything that consisted of the beautiful life, under those bright eyes were a vibrant and innocent smile. But Mok Jae-Hwa was no stranger to that deceitful smile. She wouldn''t hold back on insulting him when given the chance.

    Her eyes went down and suddenly became filled with pity.

    "I see, you have been through a lot..."

    ''What? What? What?''

    Mok Jae-Hwa stayed silent. Closing his eyes, he let out a small pretending smile.

    "Thank you."

    He just wished she would move on already. However, Bm''s arrogant voice stressed matter the more.

    "Huh, Jae-Hwa! There are lots and lots of strong humans here! I like that I came here, I have always underestimated the hu..."

    He stopped as his eyes fell on the blue-haireddy standing in front of Mok Jae-Hwa. Her gaze slightly turned to him as his widened.

    ''Such a heavenly beauty.''

    Bm wasn''t the kind to ept such a choice of words. ''Heavenly'' was an irritating phrase. But it is what it is, what stood in front of him demanded the most possible description. Even after using ''Heavenly'' He could feel his poetic sense slipping away. That is if he even had any to begin with.

    He fell to one knee and extended his dark arms.

    "Mydy, you are by far the most prettydy I have seen. I don''t know who you are but I would be delighted if you could provide me with your name and nationality."

    His usually arrogant tone was tinged with an honorific.

    Seong Nara stared, confused. She turned to Mok Jae-Hwa.

    ''Don''t look at me...?!''

    He turned his head away from her. Even though he was as confused as she was, this was a good way to make her embarrassed and get out.

    But who would have known that she loved the attention?

    She leaned downward, cing her hand on his.

    "My name is Seong Nara, I am Korea''s second disaster rank hunter. They call me the ice queen"

    As she responded, she used her slender fingers tob back the blue strands of hair over her ear. Each blink of her blue eyes drew Bm in, they were like the endless and vast seas.

    Now the poetry in him was waking up.

    "I have never seen eyes like yours. Calling you an angel does not befit you. You are the peak of all things bright and beautiful."

    "Oh my, you are so funny." She giggled lightly.

    He stood up, his eyes were still glued to hers even after standing to his feet.

    "You are handsome too. You have a beautiful skin."

    Dark skinned wasn''tmon in Korea after all. Bm shrugged,

    "What can I say? I must be unique to meet a genuine beauty like you."

    His eyes were seductively staring into her eyes even as he spoke.

    Silence ensued for a few minutes as all Bm could do was stare... the stares though... he was a natural!

    She couldn''t even maintain eye contact with the way he looked at her.

    Mok Jae-Hwa, however, was beginning to get irritated.

    "Bm, it is time for us to leave."

    "Ah, that''s right. My beautifuldy, I am so sorry, I would have to leave. But I hope we meet again. I would love to see how beautiful you look in another dress."

    He leaned low and kissed her hand.

    "But is there a rush though." She started and looked at Mok Jae-Hwa. "Judging by how you guys look. You probably need somewhere to stay. Do you even have enough to afford the offered amodation?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa grimaced. Now she was going to do the thing where she offered them help out of pity and made them stay together and when they got back to Korea she would never stop talking about it.

    "I''m sure we will be fi..."

    "I would be delighted! We even had to fly on an economy ss. I heard it was the lowest of lows a mighty man can fall to here on earth."

    She did find Bm''s Korean ent to be a bit off, the way he used his words too was unusual but it made him all the more appealing. The rogue look underneath his smile was especially exciting for her.

    Her eyes rested on him before she answered:

    "Then you don''t have to worry about anything. I have enough money to make sure you eat to your fill and arefortable throughout this journey."

    Mok Jae-Hwa wished he could drop dead at this moment.

    "Well then..." She looked at Mok Jae-Hwa and raised a corner of her lips, "Let''s go."

    However, she paused and looked around. Her eyes slowly glided to Mok Jae-Hwa who seemed to know what she had btedly realized. In fact, he had been expecting that it was the first question she would ask when they met.

    "Where is the catastrophe ranked hunter?"

    "He has a lot on his te, he couldn''t make it."

    Mok Jae-Hwa said, sighing. At the very least, he felt prideful whenever he was talking about Raith.

    "Ah, I see... to refuse the summit of hunters. He must be proud as hell now that he is a catastrophe-ranked hunter."

    She turned away from the two and led them forward but stopped. She didn''t evenplete the one step she had taken before she came to a stop. Behind her, was a pressure, a hot pressure, it wasn''t life-threatening but it was ufortable.

    She turned and saw Bm''s gaze aze with a subtle fire-y streak.

    "I would not allow you to speak of my master in such a manner."

 Chapter 306 Sphere Of Light (2)

    <h4>Chapter 306 Sphere Of Light (2)</h4>

    "I''m sorry, I didn''t know he was that important to you."

    She didn''t understand what was going on here, but throwing shades on the catastrophe-ranked hunter had caused the dark-skinned man to change his mood.

    With the stern face he wore right now, it was hard to believe he was that same guy who wasplimenting her minutes ago.

    A smile formed on his face.

    "I apologize if that scared you. I am quite sensitive when ites to matters about Lord Raven. I serve him and I won''t allow anyone to talk down on him."

    "No, it''s my fault." She replied with a sheepish chuckle.

    But this just got weird! Serve? Lord Raven? And that too from a man she was already considering to be a prospect. Surely, she was not about to fall for a man who served someone when he shouldpete with him, aiming to be better.

    The ice queen''s boyfriend had to be great in all properties.

    Her mind trailed down to the few moments she had met Raith. He fit into the description so perfectly.

    She bit her lower lips as she turned and escorted them away.

    ''I thought I would meet him today.''

    ¡ª

    Antarctica

    Curtis ran with full speed, across the expanse of snownd that separated Jim from the hulking creature like a gori. It was white and had scales instead of furs. Its eyes were like blue rubies sewn into the eye socket. Sabered teeth tucked out of its mouth.

    The monster roared, dashing at him. Smashing all four limbs on the ground.

    As Curtis approached it, the monsterunched both forelimbs at him.

    He easily rolled into the air andnded behind the monster. Before the monster could make a sharp turn, his sword slowed its back.

    He counted five steps back. The monster dashed at him, ignoring the blue blood that dripped from its back. Curtis went low, he ducked and thrust his sword from the monster''s abdomen.

    The monster stopped moving and fell to the ground. He pulled out the sword and swung it away, shing off the blue blood stains.

    "Wow..."

    Even without his dust, Curtis was doing far better than anyone could have.

    "I have only heard stories of the Degado swordsmanship. I heard it was amazing, the movements were a spectacle on their own. Then when mixed with the power of dust. It produces an overwhelming cour of power."

    "You praise it too highly. If anything, I have found a lot of ws to be with it. But I can teach you if you want."

    "Ah, no way. Isn''t it supposed to be a family heirloom?"

    "Really? Given the situation we are in now. In a new world, with all our lives on therut a lie?"

    He was right, everything they had built, histories, teachings, and lives that were supposed to be a stronghold for them in Therut. Everything was a lie. But still...

    Andre shrugged.

    "Still, won''t you start a new family here? What has happened in Therut has happened. We are about to start a new country, is that not why we are here with Lord Raven? And when we do, you will have a wife and have kids one day. The swordsmanship will be the only memory left of your father that you''d have to pass to your children."

    He spoke in a line of thought that Curtis had never considered. His words were wise and did not match his age.

    ''I heard the princes are put to a rigorous learning session with sages from all around the world. I guess it wasn''t just a rumor''

    Curtis smiled.

    "I guess you are right. I should cherish it. Perhaps also teach it to my brother."

    He looked into the distance as he spoke.

    "I think I would love to hunt a monster or two."

    Hearing that made Curtis d. Bringing Andre to Antarctica was a great idea after all.

    He moved closer to him and gave him his ck sword, one of the few memoirs of Theruts he still had with him.

    As Andre collected the sword, the first thing he did was check the weight. He bounced it a little, with little to no force so it wouldn''t jump out of his grip.

    He then grabbed the pommel of the sword which was long enough for two hands to fit. By the definition of ''earthly standards'' the best type of sword that it looked like was an Odachi.

    Butpared to an actual Odachi, this one had a long straight double-edged de.

    The duo began to walk forward in search of more monsters.

    "By the way sir Curtis."

    "Yes?"

    Curtis responded respectfully.

    "I heard some guys are beginning to awaken strange powers that are nothing unlike the power of dust."

    "Yes... It started with the kids and teenagers but even we adults have been experiencing it. Amber Rose awakened super strength and I awakened blue mes. Which I do not know how to control."

    Thest statement, he said looking into his hands.

    "I am actually forced to question something. If in Therut, our source of power were the archons. What then would be the source in this world."

    Curtis stopped for a moment and touched his chin. He had not even thought about this! What the hell is this guy?!

    "I don''t know, but whatever it is. It is far bigger than the archons. I for one witnessed how the archons were beaten onesidedly by strange creatures with white wings. Their presence was nothing short of deistic... There are things bigger than us. Things we do not know."

    He clenched his fist.

    "That is why I want to get stronger, stronger than I have ever been. I want to be able to have his back." Again, he looked into the distance ahead of them.

    On his face was a hint of longing and determination.

    "I see... I guess we havepany."

    Andre shifted his whole body to a stance. Tilting the sword forward with both his hands firmly gripping the handle of the sword, he tilted it forward and fixed his eyes and the gori-like monster with white scales.

    This one was a bit bigger than the one Curtis had just defeated. But Curtis had also defeated this kind a while back... two or three monsters before thisst one.

    Curtis ignited his hand with sparks of blue mes, getting ready to run in whatever the case might be. He wasn''t cing any expectations on the prince.

    After months of living in the sorrow of losing a loved one. It is expected that he would have gotten Rusty.

    But then...

 Chapter 307 Chains Of Glory

    <h4>Chapter 307 Chains Of Glory</h4>

    The monster scuttled toward him with all four limbsing through the snow in utter disorder. Settled snows were disturbed even further as Andre seared across thendscape in a swift clean movement, drawing a parab with the sword as he aimed for the neck.

    But it was the wrong ce to aim for.

    The sound bounced back, met by a metallic resistance on its neck.

    Although their skin may make it look like they were easy to kill. Frost Goris had an impregnable defense that gave them the privilege to go berserk without having to worry about their necks.

    Curtis''s eyes were widened.

    ''I didn''t know they had strong necks''

    There was no way he would ever know because he didn''t aim for the neck.

    Andre turned coincidence into opportunity. He twisted his torso to redirect his sword pattern as his whole body was pushed back by the stiff neck of the gori. He traced a simple arc down its arm.

    But the gori was way ahead of him. It swung its bare fist in the same direction. Hitting the sword with an even greater power. The de of his sword shattered right before his eyes.

    Before he could recover from the shock the gori''s second hand had crunched into his nk, sending him across thendscape to his left. He tumbled and rolled as hended on the ice far off.

    Curtis darted across seeing this, his hands adorned by a soaring cloak of blue mes.

    A resounding thud shimmered through his bones as his fist met the gori''s metaled-defense skin. The pain was stinging through his bone even as he pulled back his hand smearing the gori with mes all over its skin.

    The blue fire spread quickly like an arson and the gori was soon dancing in the snow. But it onlysted for a while.

    Curtis was still mm holding his hand in pain and Andreing back, recovering from the crushing throw when they saw what they saw. The monster''s skin was changing.

    It had a white-scaled skin that now became a blue-scaled skin, the only difference was that instead of fish-scaled, the scales were somewhat like intricate patterns of mes.

    The monster born anew stood gant before them.

    "What in the world is this?"

    Both of them questioned but with no answer to fill their mouths, they were left agape.

    ¡ª

    "So this is the center..."

    "And the highest point."

    Maria added in his stead.

    Raith looked towards the tree''s branch in the clouds. He could now see it a bit clearer now that he was standing on top of the highest mountain in the ice continent.

    The tree had blue leaves and white branches. Raith wondered if they were like that because of the weather or if that was just how she was. But looking at the green and white linen and green pieces of jewelry she was adorned by. He decided to opt for the former. It had to be the weather.

    He looked up into the sky. This was where another sun would sit. It will rise from the center and at night its bright light will transition into a soft blue light that is supposed to provide the people with a subtle heat.

    That was how Raith had readjusted the description of the skill after much thought was put into it. The moon still appeared at night, with the sun also acting as another moon, in other words, this ce was going to have two moons at night.

    He thought about it and couldn''t wait to see how it would turn out.

    Raith stretched his hand into the sky and began:

    "Create sunlight"

    As if in response, a faint glimmer emerged at his fingertips. It grew, a small spark of warmth and light. Raith''s eyes never left it as he willed it to expand.

    The sparks left his hands and swirled in the air. Swirling around each other, they create to form arge ball that soon began to rotate around each other at a tremendous rate.

    The speed of rotation increased and a pir of light suddenly extended from the rotation, one end hitting the ground, the other end piercing the sky.

    This pir wasrge, not only could it be seen from the airport. But even countries that were closer to the continent could see it. However, it was brief, so no one made a big deal about it. There''s always that nose poker though.

    The pir of light from below began to go up, and after a couple of seconds, the pir changed shape into arge found orb that hid within the clouds soaring higher into the sky.

    With every passing second, the glow intensified.

    It became a radiant ball of golden fire, pushing aside the cold of thend.

    Raith could feel warm air surround him. Now it was only a couple of hours before the entirendscape changed under the influence of the new sunlight.

    He looked up at the golden or shimmering in the clouds. Its size wasparable to the sun, it stood as far as the real sun usually would.

    Of course, there was no way for Raith to know he hadmitted a change in the universalws that guided the universe, that too on a sacred ne.

    In the vast darkness of space, Earth which was supposed to have only one natural satellite; the moon, now had two. With the other one twice the size of the.

    Luckily, no matter how much Raith tried recreating the sun. He couldn''t create the same burning power. If not, he would have destroyed the others, Earth involved, and even this universal ne they existed in.

    Raith looked around, a golden glow filled the entirend. It was like the setting of the sun, only that the time right now was 3.05 PM. When the sun is usually burning at its highest.

    The radiant golden glow that filled the sky and reflected on the snonds was beyond morous, it was enchanting. Raith was sure the people of Therut would be able to make a good country out of this vast ne.

    "Now, for the next part."

    He got ready.

    Raith''s preparation was cut short when he saw a sudden red explosion burst from a particr area.

 Chapter 308 What Are You?

    <h4>Chapter 308 What Are You?</h4>

    ''Shit this is nuts...''

    Raith had only heard of the differences in sses part from Mok Jae-Hwa, also from Mok Jun-Seo when he was the chairman of the association.

    From these hearings, however, he was able to deduce that some sses of hunters are considered to be highly rare. They are very rare and hard toe by. Mok Jun-Seo was one of these rare sses.

    Another one of them was Tamers.

    The ability to tame monsters and make them do one''s bidding.

    Raith gasped as he realized...Prince Andre had just awakened as a tamer.

    Moreso, he somehow managed to tame one monster right away. Talk about amazing.

    Andre jumped down the gori''s shoulder as it neared the brothers.

    "At first I didn''t get it. But I understand now what was the passion burning inside of me. Sir Curtis! Lord Raven! I think I might have a thing for monsters" He said vibrantly.

    Raith was so still contained in his shock that he didn''t know how to respond. Curtis, however, let out a soft scoff.

    "As befitting of the prince of Pomeii. I never expected less."

    Andre looked back at the tall frost gori.

    "Will it be okay for you to go and y? I will call you when I need you."

    Curtis and Raith were yet caught in the maze of another shock.

    ''I guess it is possible considering that even I canmunicate with my soldiers''

    But it was still uncanny to see it happen with real monsters, it made Raith kind of envious. His soldiers were nothing but good old ckies.

    The frost Gori, however, sat on the floor like a baby refusing candy.

    "Ah, he doesn''t want to go? Says he has no friends"

    He can even understand the gori''s emotions without it talking?! Raith finally began to get very envious. When his soldiers couldn''t talk, he had no way of understanding them. He could only guess based on the way they reacted. This was not cool.

    He sighed.

    ''Seriously, am I coveting what belongs to another man right now? I should learn to be content with what I have. Besides, I''m a lot stronger than he is.''

    "Brother, I will make a quick trip to Korea and bring the fight back."

    Raith crouched after saying to his brother. He touched the ground and closed his eyes.

    Tingggg!

    The tinkling of a tiny bell echoed into the air. A small magic circle appeared after that and emitted blue light.

    Raith stayed still, his hand on the floor and his eyes closed.

    ''Increase the output, this is a mass teleportation

    He didn''t need to be extra intelligent to know that he needed to put more power into it to mark a location that was supposed to teleport arge number of people.

    The glowing blue magic circle suddenly began to turn like a will and bring outplicated intricate circles that also began to rotate, giving birth to other circles with byzantine patterns of wheels and ancient engravings of magical runes that would need the greatest of mage to decipher.

    These runes were the systematicposition of every magic form, their origins as of now, were unknown to Raith, most especially the inhabitants of Earth. But at the very least he could tell they were theposition of the spell he was using.

    Raith opened his eyes to see an intricate interlock of magic circles spreading far and wide feeling over a mile of where they were standing.

    He also could see his cosmic energy draining at a tremendous rate.

    His face was dripping with cold sweat.

    ''Turns out it takes quite a lot to cast arge-scale magic like this one. She wasn''t kidding when she said she could die from usingrge-scale teleportation magic"

    And this was mere marking, he hadn''t even begun to use the teleportation magic itself.

    Raith gasped for air and fell to his back. Gazing into the golden sky. Clouds slowly danced around the new sunlight. Thefort he felt while looking at the sky was rewarding, even though he felt like he had lost his life energy.

    He figured something. He had always lost cosmic energy, always. In fact, sometimes, they would be depletedpletely, and yet he had never felt so tired. Which made him think that the problem was not that he was depleting his cosmic energy, the problem was rather that he was depleting the cosmic energy at a tremendous rate.

    "Lord Raven, are you okay?"

    Maria asked, tilting her head to the side after bending down towards Raith''s head.

    "If you want I can share some of my cosmic energy with you."

    Raith was shocked.

    "Cosmic energy? You have cosmic energy?"

    "Of course, I might be young but I am a world tree too."

    ''Dang! That was why I could perceive her so well.''

    This was the first time Raith was meeting another being with cosmic energy. He had previously been baffled with why he could sense the emotions of a tree so damn well, so this was the reason behind it. She had cosmic energy too.

    Raith sat up and faced her, crossing his legs.

    "I don''t know anything about cosmic energy, do you know anything about it."

    Maria looked at him, she tilted her head left then again...slowly... t...o the... right...

    "You seriously don''t know?"

    Her voice came with a hesitant tone.

    "No, I don''t."

    Raith shook his head, his eyes were bright and full of life, nothing mattered more to him than having this exined. It is one of the urence of his which he had not been able to exin why it happened to him.

    Maria closed her eyes and stretched her hand forward touching Raith''s chest.

    Within his chest a white light began to glow, right beside the white light, a ck light also glowed. The lights began to swirl and chase each other resembling the popr yin-yang symbol.

    The speed of the rotation increased and increased and just when it looked like something was about to happen, Maria hurriedly retracted her hand, panting.

    Raith opened his eyes and looked at her. She was sweating and still panting.

    "Maria, are you okay?"

    She didn''t respond to him and instead continued to breathe heavily with her eyes out of focus. She was clearly looking at Raith but her eyes seemed to be captured in a realm of realization, as if she was putting puzzles that wouldn''t fit.

    Her brows creased, now it was as if no matter how much she tried to fit the puzzles into each other, they just wouldn''t fit.

    "Lo...rd Raven... what in-n-n the world are you?"

    Raith sheepishly scratched his temple with an embarrassingugh. That was a weird question for him too.

    Besides, his brother and Prince Andre were standing behind him, they were witnesses to all that had just happened.

    He didn''t know what she saw for her to ask him such a question but he was willing to put it away for now. Asking now, he felt her answer might be something that would disturb the peace of mind of the duo behind him.

    He stood up dusting the snow off his pants.

    "I should get going. There will be a lot of people in the next ten, maybe twenty minutes."

    Maria''s scared face suddenly switched to a happy one. She jumped up with her hands in the air, so happy that people would begin to live in a ce like this.

    Raith smiled as he watched her.

    "I''ll be right back brother."

    He was enveloped by a blue light and vanished into thin air.

    ¡ª

    China.

    Coming to China made hunters realize that Li Mingwu stood as a pir far stronger than anyone ever knew. Especially to the Chinese people.

    He was a beacon of hope for everything, his presence kept everything in check, politics, the cooperate world, and even down to criminal rates. Since he was a man who could see everything he wanted to see, everyone lived with the consciousness that he was always looking.

    For the people of China, he was a god. A god they never thought they would lose.

    On a mountain stood arge monument that had his name boldly unscripted on it in Chinese characters. Below the monument were millions of flowers.

    Millions... that''s an understatement. The mountain was flooded with white flowers, to the right and left of the narrow stair that was carved out of the center of the mountain, flowers filed everywhere in arrays.

    A small boy stood at the end of the stairs, he was about to begin his journey to the mountain to offer his own condolences but he was dozing.

    Behind him stood a tall stern-faced man with a scar across his right eye to his cheek. He was the one holding the lily flower which they were to go andy on beneath the monument.

    "Lord Kizo"

    The tall guy carefully whispered. He waited a few more seconds before whispering again.

    "Lord Kizo."

    Even though he was standing, and had just started dozing, he was already in a deep sleep.

    This was not unusual, at the very least for the man that stood behind him. He was well familiar with how this twelve-year-old looming boy can be.

 Chapter 309 Unranked (1)

    <h4>Chapter 309 Unranked (1)</h4>

    "It''s fine..."

    "Is it really okay for us to babe morous breakfast like this...?"

    Seong Nara gritted her teeth within her closed lips, She wanted to bite his head off but that would make a very bad person. She seriously couldn''t put up with him. If not because she wanted to know more about the individual seated opposite her, gobbling steak with no manner of any sort.

    She really wouldn''t be putting up with Mok Jae-Hwa''s nonsensical presence if not for Bm.

    And how many times was she going to answer his question? Acting nervous around her, as though she was going to do something to him.

    No, no, Mok Jae-Hwa knew what he was doing. This wasn''t his first time being entangled with Seong Nara. No doubt, she was a very strong hunter. For the very fact, if not for his mental skills, he wasn''t sure he would be able to win a brutal confrontation with her.

    She was a force to be reckoned with.

    As if that wasn''t enough, she was very beautiful. There was this first impression that she registered with everyone who met her. Because of her cold and timid face, it is easy to think that Seong Nara is a charming cold angel who is too shy to talk to people.

    Mok Jae-Hwa could feel chills dance on the tip of his pores as he thought of how many people could be mistaken about this epitome of beauty. He too had been in that position before getting to realize that she was the worst.

    She wasn''t a bad person...no she wasn''t. But her pettiness knows no boundaries. Contrary to the genteel, charming face she always wore, she was a snake, and if not because Mok Jae-Hwa feared and respected her power, she would spit the word ''bitch'' straight up to her face.

    To think he dated someone like this.

    He shook his head again before finally resolving to eat the food in front of him. If savoring the taste of this delicacy thaty before him would help him not think of their past together, so why not?

    ''I''ll dly dig in''

    Burying the rest of his thoughts, he picked a fork and began to divide through the steak before him.

    The three of them were seated around acquered table with a crimson silk tablecloth. Mok Jae-Hwa was sitting beside Seong Nara and opposite her was Bm who was very busy at the moment.

    He had not had such a morous breakfast ever sinceing to this world. That was first, second was... Chinese food hit differently for him.

    The centerpiece of this sumptuous feast was a perfectly seared ribeye steak, glistening with juices and adorned with a fragrant sesame and soy ze.

    The steak, expertly cooked to medium-rare perfection, was a sight to behold. Its rich, marbled texture promised an unparalleled culinary experience.

    Beside the steak was an array of Chinese side dishes, each more enticing than thest. A te of golden-brown scallion pancakes, crisp on the outside and tender within,y nestled next to a bowl of fragrant congee topped with shredded ginger and crispy fried shallots. Steam rose from a bamboo steamer, revealing delicate dumplings filled with sulent pork and shrimp, waiting to be savored.

    After taking the first bite, it was like his appetite suddenly grewrger than he could control. He now understood while Bm was so focused on the food since he started. It wasn''t that the demon king had no etiquette... rather, this food was just too good. It really does hit differently.

    Seong Nara scoffed at him as she saw him beginning to eat without remorse, a couple of seconds into it.

    A few minutester, one of her guys in a ck suit hurried inside, trying his best not to run. He bent down and whispered something into her ear¨C

    ...whatever the guy whispered was very shocking because Seong Nara''s eyes widened after that.

    Making Mok Jae-Hwa take a little pause on his food. He looked at her, eyes inquiring what was wrong even though the guy seemed to still be talking.

    While he was worried about what could have thedy with an iced expression be so surprised, he was also very careful. If it was a personal business, he would not pry.

    Suddenly, Bm stopped and looked towards the door. They were seated in the courtyard of the hotel that was rented out by Seong Nara''s guild, the Dawnde guild.

    "Is everything okay?"

    With a mouthful of steak, Mok Jae-Hwa asked. He quickened his chewing and swallowed a secondter.

    Bm did not reply. His eyes were fixated at the door with a frown on his face.

    Mok Jae-Hwa had been with him for a few months. There are some things he had known about Bm, one of which was his crazy instincts to sense a strong person.

    Oftentimes he had gone out with Mok Jae-Hwa, Not only could Bm sense how strong a person is, but he also could be able to tell how much potential someone possessed.

    When everything was finally over, Mok Jae-Hwa was thinking of admitting him into Rain Guild, then he would use that outstanding sense of his to look for hunter recruits with amazing talents like Shin.

    That the guy was so focused meant he had sensed something again. This was what Mok Jae-Hwa thought looking at Bm slowly as the presence began to surface to his senses Also, he turned his head.

    The door to the courtyard opened and revealed a red-haired man in a ck suit. It would be an overstatement to refer to him as a man. His hair was shy, wavy, and rough. He wore a dark shade and a nice tailored three-piece ck suit, the waistcoat was white, and over his shoulder was a cloak.

    It was a clock with prints of cherry blossom flowers.

    His choice of dressing was definitely odd, the cloak on his shoulders made it so but no one on this seat cared. Not even Seong Nara who was currently frowning.

    Different things were probably running through the mind of the three of them but they all wore the same unamodating expression. Delicate lines of suspicion were drawn over their faces.

    "Hello?"

    He waved his hand, speaking in Chinese.

    For Bm, he could automatically understand, Seong Nara took Chinese sses as she was from a rich family. Mok Jae-Hwa however, pfft, just a few words from his father teaching him. But he didn''t seem to understand hello.

    ''What is this? Is he here to dere a fight? How can someone walk around throwing his energy around like that and just walk in here casually waving his hand''

    Mok Jae-Hwa being the only one who didn''t understand Chinese was left to think whatever. Although, his premises were very correct. Either this stranger had deliberately scattered around his energy to intimidate them which was working by the way... or he just was too nonchnt.

    Whichever it was, he had very well established the fact that he was strong.

    He removed his dark shade and sat on the empty seat of the table. His eyes scanned through the three of them before he asked.

    ''I heard an invitation was sent to the Korean catastrophe ranked hunter... is he sleeping?''

    Bm and Mok Jae-Hwa exchanged nces. But it was Seong Nara that responded.

    "This is the Dawnde''s amodation facility. I don''t know whi you are but I hope you understand that you are overstepping a mark here."

    Even as she spoke, caution could be felt waning itself around her tone. She was intimidated by his presence but did a good job in making it seem as though she wasn''t.

    The stranger smiled after she had spoken.

    "Calm down all of you. With all the res, I could die before I even get to try anything nasty. Besides, Ie in peace. I just want to see the Korean ace that everyone wouldn''t stop talking about."

    At this point, he began to speak English. That... Mok Jae-Hwa understood well.

    "Perhaps you should start by introducing yourself."

    Mok Jae-Hwa countered.

    "Ah! That''s right, forgive me, I didn''t introduce myself. I have an habit of doing. You see, I have this habit of thinking everyone recognizes me."

    He said, chuckling. But was met by a statuesque gaze from other corners. Their eyes said made known to him that nothing was funny.

    Sheepishly scratching his temple, he put a shameful end to his softughter.

    He folded his arms with a raised shoulder, closed his eyes and introduced himself with all puffiness.

    "Well, I am Bastien Fournier, from France..."

    He peeked at them with one opened eyes expecting them to have a bbergasted reaction. But they were indifferent, that brought a little bit of disappointment. As he was about to press further Seong Nara raised a brow.

    "No... way..."

    ''Finally, she gets it!''

    Mok Jae-Hwa turned to her,

    "What?"

    "No, way, it can''t be... that can''t be possible?"

    Her face became pale, it was as if she was going to enter a state of panic in the means to refute the reality that was vivid before her.

    "What is it?!"

    Desperate for an answer, Mok Jae-Hwa''s voice climbed higher.

    "That man...that man is one of the four ranked... Red Beast"

    Her voice trembled as she pointed to the red-haired dude in front of them.

 Chapter 310 Unranked (2)

    <h4>Chapter 310 Unranked (2)</h4>

    Unranked?

    The word was so unreal to Mok Jae-Hwa. In fact, now that it is being mentioned, the presence of the person before him seemed like a fairytale. It was because unranked were considered to be different from every other hunter.

    From the viewpoint of every other hunter, these people were gods. To sit so casually before one. No, this had to be a fairy tale.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s brows furrowed and his head slowly went down. It was a show of respect.

    Seong Nara''s tone changed.

    "I''m sorry, sir. We did not know that an unranked hunter would be at a ce like this."

    The person they were referring to clicked his tongue in irritation.

    ''I have seen this reaction over and over again and I hate it...''

    Being an unranked hunter, Bastien hated his fate. Unable to make any friends. He was considered an asset everywhere he went to. At first, he enjoyed the attention. But fame had destroyed him, he had learned a lot even though he wasn''t thirty yet.

    It wouldn''t be an understatement to say he had experienced his fair share of life. And now, he hade to hate his identity as an unranked hunter. It pushes people away from him.

    Just like now, they all changed the moment they realized he was the red Beast. The strongest beast-ss hunter in the world. They all changed... they all...

    Something was off...

    Bastien slowly turned his head to the left.

    ''This guy?...''

    Not giving a damn thing about what was going on, Bm was savoring and tearing the steak with his shark-like teeth.

    "Huh?"

    Bastien cocked his head a bit. This was the first time for him, it was shocking.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s head stayed low but he couldn''t help but dart nces at Bm, hoping that the demon would look his way and he would be able to give him any kind of warning that this man before them was an untenable monster.

    But Bm just kept eating, even when their eyes met, he would just keep eating and not pay any attention to Mok Jae-Hwa... as if all that was going on was none of their business.

    "I like you... Are you from around here? You don''t look Korean?"

    It was quite obvious because of the color of his skin. But Bm didn''t care. He paused, took a couple of seconds topletely swallow what was in his mouth then talked:

    "I am Bm, I am here as a representative of lord Raven. You will treat me as he should be treated"

    He still gave the steak on his te greedy nces even as he spoke.

    This, Bastien found to be very amusing. He wasn''t angry, if anything he was d to meet someone like this, someone who was indifferent to his identity, someone who didn''t care much. But he also knew there were two sses of these kinds of ''someone''

    The ss that has been living in some cave or something, the idea is, they have been so isted from society that they don''t know what is going on in the world. This Bastien didn''t believe to be possible or else the person was living in a cave, away from any inte or social environment. And wouldn''t that make such a person even more interesting?

    The second ss, however... was the type Bastien really got his hopes high for.

    Those that are too strong to care.

    ''Is he thisid back because my strength is an indifference to him or is he just dumb''

    Curling up the corner of his lips, Bastien observed him well then spoke:

    "I see, this Raven must be very busy. I will try to be understanding. But that old hag wouldn''t. She could fly over to Korea to bring his ass over if it irks her so much."

    Bm frowned.

    "You mean Ruan Zhaohui the flying empress."

    Mok Jae-Hwa spoke drawing Bastien''s attention away from Bm. It was a smart move so Bm''s irritated state wouldn''t annoy the hunter in any way. From mere stories alone Mok Jae-Hwa knew he couldn''t win against the hunter. He''d probably die with the first attack if the unranked hunter should get serious. Should he team up with Seong Nara... well, he couldn''t tell what the result would be, Seong Nara is a very powerful hunter, or huntress whichever suited her.

    If he was to add Bm to the equation. He was sure they would seize victory but it didn''t mean they were going to live after that. Currently, all the seven catastrophe-ranked hunters in the world are gathered here along with several more disaster-ranked ones. Then there is the unranked granny, Ruan Zhaohui the flying empress, and the other unranked hunter whose identity to most is unknown.

    Hell in no way they''d survive. Mok Jae-Hwa killed the thought of confrontation immediately.

    Bastien looked at them and moved his eyes back to Bm. As his eyes stayed on Bm, Mok Jae-Hwa could see red sparks in the center of his pupils.

    A couple of secondster he closed his eyes and lowered his head. His shoulder then began to shake, the shake got intense and he raised his head in a pool ofughter. With his arms folded, heughed quite hard beforeing to a stop.

    Afterwards, he looked at Bm again.

    "You are something eh? I have never had anyone block my beast instincts."

    Bm raised a brow.

    ''This bastard, he did try to use a weird skill on me.''

    In that ''couple of seconds silence'' Bm and Bastien had shared a?fierce unseen battle. With Bastien trying to intimidate Bm and take a look at his skills to cause him to know the extent of Bm''s strength.

    Which for Bm wasn''t a big deal, he could easily block off a mental attack like that one.

    With an unsessful attempt, Bastien was left with nothing but hisughter.

    ''I was right after all. He was thisidback because he is strong.''

    "I will warn you to call him if you can. Thatdy is known for her nasty temper. Even Li Mingwu used to fear her when she gets mad."

    He stood up and pocketed his hand.

    "Well, it''s quite a disappointment that I couldn''t meet him. But considering an interesting guy I found, I guess it wasn''t all that bad"

    He said then turned away, waving his hand at them as he walked through the door.

    Sigh!

    Mok Jae-Hwa and Seong Nara sank into their seats. They felt like they had just dropped a huge stone that they had been holding for hours, trying to stop it from crushing them. They heaved several heavy sighs before they started talking again.

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked at Bm.

    "Is it that you didn''t know or didn''t care?"

    Bm paused and dropped the steak. A bitter smile appeared on his face.

    "Now, that he said shit about Master, everything is not tasting good anymore."

    He looked at Mok Jae-Hwa and responded:

    "That human is strong but not strong enough to defeat me."

    "Ah..."

    "And definitely not strong enough to defeat master."

    "I see..." Mok Jae-Hwa nodded.

    If Bm was saying it, then it is true.

    "Why are you guys like this?" Seong Nara scoffed looking at the two of them with disgust.

    However, they returned her stare with even more disgust.

    "Seriously, I get that this hunter Raven is strong but this is the red Beast we are talking about. Jae-Hwa-ssi, you of all people should know better."

    She''s right, Bastien was no joke. The guy was a beast ss and the strongest so far, even with those slim hands, in his human state, he could easily pull out a tree from the ground. When he enters his beast mode, only he could raid an S-rank dungeon.

    This was not exaggerated news, they''ve seen this stuff over the news on the TV. So, why was Mok Jae-Hwa easily sumbing to the thought that a catastrophe-ranked hunter like Raven Raith would be able to defeat an unranked hunter, the red Beast for that matter?

    Seong Nara found them to be very childish in their heads, all because Raith was cool didn''t mean he could defeat everybody.

    Mok Jae-Hwa scoffed...

    ''She does not understand, so I can''t me her.''

    "Drop the topic. It''s fine. Anyway, we survived a meeting with one of the unranked hunters in the world. I feel like I need to write a book about this day"

    He inhaled and exhaled deeply as if he was breathing in the whole experience and breathing it out.

    "So what are you going to do about it."

    She crossed her fingers and exchanged nces between the two of them.

    Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm looked at each other and said simultaneously:

    "About what?"

    She pulled back in unbelief, her expression betraying the irritation in her as she realized she had just admitted a bunch of doofus into her amodation.

    "The unranked hunter gave you guys some advice. Shouldn''t you guys be calling Hunter Raven right now? Didn''t you hear what he said?"

    Bm stood up...

    "Since I can''t eat anymore. I would like to go sightseeing. I have heard amazing things about this ce."

    "Yes, that is right! There are quite a lot of things waiting to be seen by us. What do you Narassi, will you go with us?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa also got up, excitedly.

    Hunter Seong Nara sighed and sank her face into her palms.

    "Oh God, how can they be soid back..."

 Chapter 311 More than Enough

    <h4>Chapter 311 More than Enough</h4>

    Everyone was feeling special for this asion, upon Raith''s arrival they''ve all gathered at the center, all the tents that were put up for temporary shelter had been taken down. The ones that were in good shape were folded back. They would be needing it for a while in their new country after all.

    A blue light shimmered in front of Raith''s apartment.

    The people were all gathered at in the front, hence, the blue light was in between the people and Raith''s apartment. As the light faded, Raith walked out of it. He didn''t expect that they''d be ready when he got here.

    But nevertheless, he was impressed.

    Slyvia stepped out of the crowd and walked to his side putting her hands behind his back.

    "You don''t have to push yourself so hard... I will support you with a little bit of mana."

    She was trying to be helpful, with everyone gathered here like this, looking at Raith with glorious eyes. She couldn''t help but perceive the guy as amazing. The people so him as that, if she was to see him as anything besides that, she''d just be a straight up hater.

    It didn''t matter if she was a dragon. She had roamed around the people for a few days so she knew how much they respected him. They wouldn''t let anyone disrespect him before their eyes nor look down on him. Even if it was a dragon.

    Currently Mok Jae-Hwa was gone, the only person Raith had to help organize the people was Agent Jong-Su who also left the association after Chairman Mok Jun-Seo was reced. But he had capable guys who helped. Amber Rose, there was rhus guy who just awakened Tan, Shin from thr Rain guild, Draer of course with other elves, and a lot more others who were at the forefront of the crowd.

    Raith looked at all of them then inhaled and exhaled. He bent down and touched the ground.

    Immediately, a magic circle appeared on the ground, as it did back in Antarctica it began to spread under the feet of people until the the interlock ofplicated patterns had filled the whole ce.

    Then it slowly disappeared.

    An enormous blue light plunged put of the ground rising to the sky and all of them disappeared in an instant. All of them including Raith and Slyvia.

    It was a bit dizzy to endure but it happened all in an instant so it was manageable. Their view changed before they even knew it. The sky above them was golden and the slow they currently stepped on was already melting. Plus it was already getting dark.

    The people began to mutter as they looked around. Indeed it was a nice ce to begin.

    It was unbelievable that they could have all thisnd to themselves. They had never built from the beginning but they were not afraid of the idea, a lot of them were younglings the older ones were mothers, grandmother and a few elven elders that managed to didn''t decide to stay back with the destruction of the world like the humans did.

    Raith slowly stood up from his crouched state but was met by an intense dizziness, he stumbled back but was held by Slyvia before he could fall.

    "Master!"

    Maria shouted as she appeared out of thin air. Her sudden appearance startled the people and they were beginning to point hands.

    However...

    Draear couldn''t take his eyes off her. Not just that, his could feel his heart burn with an unlikely passion. Thedy before him, why was she making him feel like this.

    "Brother... who is thatdy."

    His younger brother asked, tightly holding his chest the boy was trying all he could to resist going down to his knee. Draear looked at him with a contorted confusion on his face.

    ''I''m not the only one.''

    He looked back, shooting his eyes to several other elves that were at the forefront of thr crowd. It was all the same thing. Although some.of them easily resisted the urge to go on their knees but they all were looking at this samedy that just appeared out of thin air.

    "Master are you okay?"

    Maria asked, oblivious of the states stares she was receiving.

    "I''m fine Maria.."

    ''...but I''m probably going to need a lot of rest''

    He stood upright and walked forward to address the people.

    "This is Antarctica, it will be our new home. Uh..."

    His eyes slide down as he didn''t know what to say... thinking for a few minutes he raised his head and continued:

    "Although, I have never done this before. We all have not been in this position before, but Therut was built somehow wasn''t it? I have faith in what we can do togerher."

    The people raised a hell of apud after hearing him speak.

    Even Slyvia was impressed.

    ''Such nobles words from a perverted human!''

    "We can start by setting up temporary camps for the night. Anyone that needs me can contact this guy here."

    Hazy ck smokes began to rise from the ground, it rose higher and manifested a dark soldier. It was Crimson.

    He bowed.

    "I am honored for the opportunity to guide the people."

    "No Crimson you are not guiding the people. You will just be here in case they need me. Don''t try to do anything funny."

    He dered, squeezing Crimson''s shoulder as he whispered to him.

    "Yes master."

    Crimson bowed his head in humility as Raith was swallowed by the same dark smokes that had spat him out.

    The people had already began to go about what needed to be done as Raith disappeared. Seeing Crimson for them was not an odd sight. These were soldiers that helped them escape Therur after all.

    It was a long process, their night was short after they had managed to put up their tents. Even with that it wad not enough. Some people were taken to as far as Saint George Airport to find shelter, while some that didn''t want to have to walk that far looked for clothes, sheets that could serve as cover to at least survive the subtle cold of the night.

    With the sun illuminating a gentle blue light at night, the sky was a different kind of beautiful, it was deep blue and the cold was not as it usually would be.

    Everything was different and many of them didn''t even know it.

    Part of the few that decided to use makeshift cover clothes were Curtis, Andre, Amber Rose and several others. Draear was not a part of that several others.

    He chose to go to Saint George Airport because he believed that the amodation there would be more conducive. He even had decided that he would be staying there until structures were raised.

    "He''s a weird guy..."

    "Considering that he''s an elf, I think it''s a pretty normal thing for them."

    Andre responded to Amber Rose who wasying with her eyes to the sky. Its deep blue hue reflected in her eyes.

    "Not all elves are like that Draear and his brother her just a piece of shit. I''m an elf too remember."

    Corian said.

    "Ah, right. I almost forget everytime."

    Amber Rose chuckled afterwards. Everyone''s soft chuckle also followed suit.

    Then silence ensued.

    Amber Rose turned her eyes to look at the red haired guyying next to her with his eyes closed.

    "Are you okay now?"

    Her voice was soft and almost like a whisper.

    Andre opened his eyes.

    "I don''t know really. But what I do know is that, I feel better."

    "I heard from Curtis, that you awakened a unique ss. Don''t think you will be stronger than me because of that."

    "Tch. We''ve always been inpetition and you have always won. This time, I will be taking all the wins, I will be stronger than you in this world."

    She chuckled and closed her eyes.

    "Yes, sure, let''s see you try."

    ¡ª

    China.

    The first meeting of the summit was to start, everything was in preparation. After yesterday was used to honor Li Mingwu''s passing, everyone gathered at the Hunter''s conference hall in Beijing.

    The meeting was to begin by 10AM. It is almost time and yet he was still sleeping.

    "Lord Rizo...Lord Rizo you can''t do this to me. Please wake up."

    His guardian was crying, with his stone cold face no one would ever think that such a man was capable of tears. But right now, he was kneeling beside Rizo''s bed, dragging the young boy and begging him to wake up with stupendous rears flowing down his face..

    No matter how much he tried the boy just wouldn''t get up. After giving his tribute to the dead hero. He came back home to sleep and has been sleeping since then.

    And as said, his guardian already knew this situation, thus wasn''t the first time he was crying either.

 Chapter 312 The New

    <h4>Chapter 312 The New</h4>

    Come morning, Raith sat on therge branches of the giant tree. Each branch seemed to be on an endless stride to the sky, they enveloped each other and at the end of each one of them, several other branches sprawled out with whitish-blue leaves around them.

    Spending the night in the embrace of the dryad was warm, contrary to what Raith thought it would be. It wasforting. He had a lot of things on his mind and had the entire night to sort the thoughts in his mind here and there.

    The most important thing that bugged his mind was the issue regarding Felfhiem. Deep inside him, Raith knew Absalom was right.

    He had be distracted.

    Carried away by several things, activities. It wasn''t like he was enjoying it all and didn''t want to go save Volmak. He owed Volmak his life, that man is suffering right now because he chose to protect him.

    Raith felt hurt that Absalom spoke like he didn''t care at all.

    But what hurt him more was the fact that most of what Absalom said was almost truthful. He was very carried away and scarily¡­ he was already gettingfortable.

    A subtle feeling to just forget about everything on that side was beginning to settle into his mind.

    He shook his head, shaking off the tiny colorful birds that had nestled on his head in just a few minutes of sitting up. He then stood up and looked around.

    The atmosphere around the tree had changed, not just the tree. Even the sky was filled with flocks of birds of their species. It wasn''t like thisst night.

    Raith felt a different kind of joy enter his heart as he admired how lively everything had be. He wondered after a few seconds¡­

    ''Was this how the creator of the world felt when he created everything?.''

    There was no answer to that question of his. Right now¡­ there were a lot more important things to worry about than how the creator of the world felt when he created the world.

    Raith took a step forward and dived into the depths of the tree. Hended on his feet, crouching a little to absorb the force of impact. Then he stood up and walked into the intertwined roots of the tree and soon reached the ice pce.

    He was shocked to see everything back to the way it was when he first entered. There were white goris like the one Andre managed to tame yesterday.

    Up front, at the end of the hall, heid his eyes on the person he hade to find. Slyvia was thoroughly cleaning the frozen throne seat.

    Raith''s step became reluctant, he struggled to believe what he was seeing. First of all, he wondered how the goris were here on cleaning duties. How the pirs were restored, the cracked floors back to one piece, but what bothered him more than all of this was why the mighty dragon was cleaning her throne seat. That too by herself.

    The scene was out of ce.

    "What is this? You''re cleaning."

    Slyvia stopped and looked behind her where the tall ck-haired, blue-red heterochromia-eyed guy was standing, looking at her with his eyes squinting to draw thin lines of suspicion on his face.

    "Ah! About that¡­ she does that all the time."

    Maria appeared out of thin air with her fingers raised. She turned to Raith, her eyes were literally dancing in glee. She looked exhausted but her voice was still full of vigor. Like she didn''t mind doing whatever she was doing for eternity.

    "Master, you''re awake!"

    She said, her lips curving from ear to ear. Her smile almost reflected the golden warmth of the new sun, it made her even more beautiful than she usually is.

    "Yes, I am awake¡­ why¡­ no, first what do you mean by she does that all the time?"

    Tugged by the urge to ask what the good asion was, why she was looking so happy, what she was doing that made her look so exhausted. But that would cut the flow of his thoughts, right now he was more concerned about Slyvia. Does she have a defect, like a personality defect or something?

    Seeing Raith''s concern, Maria responded lightheartedly. Waving her hand as if waving the concern off Raith''s face she said:

    "It''s really nothing. Ever since she started living here, she has done the cleaning by herself. Although she instructs the monsters once in a while a lot of times she does all the cleaning of herir herself."

    Now, that was very shocking to hear. She does have a personality defect. If not, why would a dragon be concerned about cleaning?

    Raith shook his head in pity.

    Catching a glimpse of that, Slyvia turned her head around in revolt.

    "What? Why did you do that?"

    Raith''s eyes sank into an even deeper well of pity, his brows drifting upwards.

    "Are you mad?! Why are you making that face at me?!!!" She screamed.

    Raith stayed silent, his eyes almost squirming out tears for her. She was a dragon a very powerful dragon, to think she would be one that would be obsessed with cleaning. Of all things, it had to be cleaned.

    Perhaps it was because he grew up as a nobleman''s son, Raith viewed cleaning andundry to be the lowest of the low, something that was meant for maids. He had never had to do his ownundry.

    When he was sent away from home, at some point, he had to learn how to do it. But it was only for a short while. Since reaching Korea, he had never doneundry or cleaned. Oh hell, he doesn''t even know what happens to his clothes after he pulls them.

    Slyvia red at him with scornful eyes. It was irritating to be looked down on by this pervert because of things she considered a hobby.

    It wasn''t her fault. This was one of the few things that reminded her of her longtime human friend. The ruler she served before meeting Raith.

    Not that she ever intended on telling or showing anyone that side of her. She dripped the clothes she was using to wipe the seat and angrily brisked past Raith.

    "Master!"

    Maria pouted her mouth and frowned at him.

    Raith, having no idea what went wrong lifted his hands a little and shrugged his shoulders. He truly had no idea what he had done wrong.

    It was a personality defect to him. What else do you call a dragon that cleans?

    With all the pride she has and the way she talks to him.

    ''Nah, it has to be''

    Raith nodded his head.

    Maria shook her head after looking at him for a couple of seconds. It''s not like she knew exactly what went wrong but she at the very least wasn''t as insensitive as he was.

    "By the way Maria, what happened? Why are you looking so tired."

    "I am helping the people gather wood."

    "Wood?"

    "Yes, I used my power to grow a forest of woods that can be used to build."

    "That is¡­"

    Raith was short of words. He smiled and patted her head.

    "Thank you"

    Maria''s smile grew wider with her face reddening and she responded:

    "Master, I have you to think. Thank you for choosing toe to this ce and not giving up on it. Because of you, this ce will be teeming with life again."

    "Again?"

    "Ah, forgive me, I should get my words right." Sheughed sheepishly as she spoke.

    "Alright master, I have to go."

    Then she disappeared.

    Raith was left with the goris that were making minor repairs here and there.

    ''I wonder if they will attack me?''

    No matter how much he bugged them from afar, they paid no attention to him and just continued to do whatever he was doing.

    Raith soon gave up and walked out of the pce, btedly remembering that he hade to see Slyvia about something.

    -sigh

    His shoulders heaved as he let out a sigh thinking about how he would have to start looking for her again.

    ''I should probably start by asking Draear.''

    ¡ª

    China.

    "There''s an emergency ma''am!"

    A man in a ck suit and shades ran inside therge room of an old woman who was just getting ready. She wore a ck suit with a turtle neck inner shirt, her hair was grey but packed to the back. Her face was filled with wrinkles on all sides but that didn''t stop her subtle beauty from being seen, a catalyst to this beauty was her violet eyes.

    She turned to the man that just entered.

    "What is wrong?"

    "He¡­ he¡­ he¡­ he¡­ won''t wake up!"

    He managed to speak despite being out of breath.

    "What do you mean? Are you talking about Rizo?!"

    The pitch of her voice slowly rose, as did her brows.

    "Yes ma''am. His personal assistant called. He had tried everything possible, but he won''t wake up."

    "Gilly."

    "Yes mama"

    Ady behind her responded. Even the man who entered didn''t notice her there until she responded to the woman''s gentle call.

    Was she never there or shecked presence?

    His eyes stayed on her for a few more seconds, she had a white sclera with no eyeballs. That was a weird person, was she blind?

    "Follow him and inspect what is going on. I have to appear at the summit before going anywhere. If that thing does not work. Then reach out to me."

    "Yes mama"

    She bowed her head slightly and worked forward, donned a ck Chinese V-necked dress. Her hair was ited which was unusual for ady of Chinese origin.

    Everything about her was strange but the man managed not to get distracted by his thoughts and quickly ran forward, leading her out of the woman''s suite.

    Any small mistake could cost him his life, thedy behind him after all was the infamous shadow of the flying Empress.

 Chapter 313 The World Summit (1)

    <h4>Chapter 313 The World Summit (1)</h4>

    The morning of the summit was expected to be rowdy. The streets of Beijing were filled with cars from all sides. The sound of horns polluted the air and deprived it of its usual peace.

    Yet, there was a serene atmosphere that settled on the scene as each car slowly proceeded forward and was navigated by the police. Everyone was obedient.

    Be it civilians or hunters, there was an uncanny maintenance of dignity.

    Suddenly everyone became mature.

    Come to think about it, seven disaster-ranked hunters are gathered. Some of them with very nasty personalities. Even reporters who would usually be reckless, gently gathered in front of the conference all, at the base of its wide magnificent stairs.

    As cars stopped they began to run forward pointing mics to the mouths of hunters that dropped from their cars. That would never change about them.

    Facing reporters is always bothersome for Mok Jae-Hwa, and it will be even more bothersome today because Raith didn''te. He didn''t expect them to not ask about Korea''s only catastrophe-ranked hunter.

    "I suppose Korea''s catastrophe-ranked hunter couldn''t make it huh?"

    He also didn''t expect the first person to ask to be Turner.

    "Hunter Turner."

    He bowed his head slightly. Forget about the ranks, Turner was older than him and even bigger. He might look like this and be arrogant like a child but he was in histe thirties.

    With his thick intimidating voice, he proceeded, walking closer to Mok Jae-Hwa who was in betweening down from his rented car and the approaching reporters. Thetter stopped the moment they saw Turner.

    "I had expected to see him. What is this? Did he choke on his breath and couldn''t make it?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa still does not understand what was the cause of the bad blood between Hunter Turner and Raith. To his knowledge, he had been on Raith''s tail since news about Raith clearing gates started going out.

    Still, it made no sense, every hunter cleared gates. Why was Raith''s case special?

    Thinking about it was beginning to give him head splitting headache. Besides, it''d be disrespectful of him to continue this train of thought in front of ''The Kn Turner''

    "I honestly have no idea what was going on in his mind but he sent a representative."

    Turner turned to the other door of the car, where a ck dude with red hair was standing.

    ''Not only did he decide that he wasn''t going to attend, he had the guts to send someone in his ce.''

    Turner''s shoulder began to shudder, and soon a raucousughter escaped his mouth.

    After a few seconds, he stopped and switched his demeanor as though he didn''t justugh like that just a second ago.

    "That old hag will go crazy today."

    He turned away shaking his head. Remnants of theughter from before reappeared on his face as he walked away ignoring both Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm.

    -sigh

    Mok Jae-Hwa exhaled, not only had he managed to escape any needless friction with Turner. Right now, as he was looking, the reporters who wereing for him had been stopped and told toe closer by Turner.

    He didn''t care about what the hunter was telling them, Mok Jae-Hwa was just happy he could escape this phase.

    He hurried forward with Bm.

    Bm however, was angry.

    ''He is strong, he is a very strong one for a human¡­ but how dare he¡­he¡­ he ignore me''

    Bm clenched his fist tightly trying his best to suppress all the fiendish energy that rose within him. A slight leak could give his identity away. They might not know he is a demon, but they would definitely know that he isn''t human.

    Right behind was another familiar hunter who called out to him as he got down from his car.

    Kaiser ran up the stairs. He and Mok Jae-Hwa had be friends over his little time of being in Korea after the incident. Besides, he was the only one in this world that probably knew an extent of Raith''s power. After all, he witnessed Raith''s battle with the demon king.

    He was also the one who gave Mok Jae-Hwa the gist in full. Mok Jae-Hwa had thought he was exaggerating when he kept trying to use figures here and there to describe how powerful Raith was at that time.

    Now, his mind was beginning to slowly realize Kaiser might not be lying.

    "Hunter Raven couldn''t make it?"

    "Yes"

    Compared to other hunters who kept asking. Kaiser seemed like he was saying it more than he was asking. As though he had expected that Raith wouldn''t make it.

    "Did you know he wouldn''t?"

    "Well, from my little time with him in Therut, he seems to be one hell of a cocky person. And he has the power to back his cockiness."

    "I see¡­"

    Mok Jae-Hwa smiled.

    "But what is this thing about the flying empress?"

    He asked.

    Kaiser stopped at the entrance and tucked his hand into the pocket of his brown coat.

    "Well, the olddy is known to be very thorough. She hates indiscipline and since she is the second strongest amongst all of them, she can be very bothersome and strict."

    Mok Jae-Hwa slightly frowned as he looked into the wide door beyond the array of colossal pirs that held the roof of the building against the ground.

    "Do you think she will go to Korea to bring him?"

    Kaiser looked at Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes before responding:

    "To be truthful, it is something she can do. But you don''t have to be worried about anything, it''s Hunter Raven we are talking about. Let''s go attend the summit. There''s an important moment ahead of us."

    He patted his shoulder and walked inside.

    Even after Kaiser''s words, Mok Jae-Hwa was worried.

    ''Should I make a call and ask him toe?''

    "Don''t worry yourself. I don''t understand why you have that dreadful expression on your face. I guess you don''t know him as much as you are supposed to."

    Of course, he could testify to how powerful Raith was but this is the unranked we are talking about. If the three of them were to gang up on Raith due to his arrogance, there''s no telling what will happen.

    Then again¡­ Mok Jae-Hwa''s mind remembered the wyvern''s battle, and how helpful his summoned soldiers were. Thinking about that time, he regained his confidence.

    He wasn''t sure what exactly might happen should they decide to confront Raith. But he was very sure Raith couldn''t die.

    ''I will not lose another guild member.''

    Mok Jae-Hwa walked forward into the sky-high building.

    ¡ª

    The car scribbled into its parking point in a drinking stride. The doors shot open and two individuals ran out, making their way to the hotel.

    It was a guy and a girl. All the guy had to do was sh his ID and the employees of the hotel backed down. The girl just followed closely behind no matter how fast the guy was, she was always behind him.

    At some point when he got into the elevator, he thought he had lost her, he didn''t remember her entering with him. But the moment he turned his head back, his body almost flew out of his clothes. He then calmed down and did a few seconds of breathing exercise before the elevator opened.

    Where it opened to was the penthouse of the hotel. They were weed by the scarred man.

    His greeting was short, he moved quickly and led thedy alone across the polished marble floor into the heavenly-furnished bedroom.

    The young boy was there on therge bed, wrapped in white sheets.

    "He''s too deep."

    A nce at him and she could tell. She turned and tapped the buds in her ear.

    Then she said a dozen secondster:

    "He''s in too deep."

    She turned back to the scarred man,

    "She''ll be here soon."

    "Alright¡­"

    He nodded and turned his gaze towards the young boy that was deeply asleep, his eyes were almost squirming.

    "I have a question."

    "I know what you are going to ask. You should already know."

    "I do know that he has a curse of sleep for the tremendous power he carries at a very young age. What I don''t know is his awakening. His ss? There has never been any record of him entering a gate."

    The scarred man sighed.

    "He doesn''t need to."

    Thedy narrowed her pupil-less eyes:

    "Sorry, what do you mean?"

    "Young lord Rizo can close and open a gate at will. Of course, he has enough strength to enter the gate and defeat the monsters. But he is always tired and is toozy, so he would just close the gate."

    "That makes no sense¡­ how?"

    "I don''t know too. What I do know is, that Lord Rizo is the strongest human in the world."

    "Hmm, you can''t be too sure¡­"

    Hearing the grating voice, the two of them bowed their head.

    "Ma''am"

    "Mama"

    "You never know, there might be someone out there, undiscovered who could be stronger than Rizz"

    She said as she stepped forward, walking towards the head of his bed, she leaned over him and ced four fingers on his head.

    "Nowe awake baby boy."

    His eyes shot open immediately.

 Chapter 314 The World Summit (2)

    <h4>Chapter 314 The World Summit (2)</h4>

    Rizo woke up with an indifferent expression on his face. He looked at the olddy in front of him and looked at his scarred-face assistant.

    Slowly, he hauled himself from the bed.

    "I''ll go get ready."

    With a drowsy voice, he said and made his way to the bathroom.

    "Not even a thank you, what a spoilt brat."

    She shook her head and looked back toward her left.

    "Then, I will leave him in your hands. Make sure he does not fall asleep again."

    She walked out after all. Jumping outside the window. The youngdy followed her steps.

    Theynded softly on a car and catapulted into the sky without leaving a dent on the car.

    "Mama, I don''t understand something."

    She softly called out while flying right beside Ruan Zhaohui.

    "What is it, Gilly?"

    "You said before that Soul Call is the strongest skill you have?"

    "Yes¡­"

    They descended and catapulted higher again before she continued.

    "Then why are you using it to wake him from his sleep? It disturbs me every time this happens. He might be the strongest hunter but you are the beacon of hope. You are a symbol of heroism. If it gets out that you use your strongest skill to wake someone from sleep¡­"

    She paused and gritted her teeth. Then she looked at Ruan Zhaohui''s hair which had be more grayish after she woke the young boy up.

    "...And you''re expending your life force using such a skill. It is a skill that can be used to summon souls from thend of the dead and yet it is being used to wake¡­"

    "I''ll stop you right there before you say something that you will regret."

    Gilly ate and swallowed her words.

    "I''m sorry ma."

    "There''s no need to apologize Gilly. It is not a bad thing that you are so concerned for me."

    They descended and catapulted again, this was thest time before they got to the conference hall.

    "...but that young boy, is humanity''s hope in all of this mess."

    Ruan Zhaohui''s words were still unclear to Gilly. What mess? Could there be a beacon of hope far stronger than the woman she looked up to?

    Battle ability was not everything, one''s wit to make decisions matters, intelligence in solving economic problems, and the smartness to keep greed in check.

    All these Ruan Zhaohui possessed. It was what made her the strongest and the most respected.

    She was never going to ept a young,zy, nonchnt, and disrespectful boy like Rizo as the hope of humanity. To her, it just didn''t make any sense.

    Theynded right in front of the building and walked in.

    High ceilings and spaciousyouts spread out before both their eyes, lending an aid of grandeur to the interior. Of course, for Ruan Zhaohui this was not her first time being in the facility, even though it was a new one.

    Gilly, however, found it to be inexplicably amazing. She continued to stare with her mouth agape and no perfect words to fit the magnificence of this structure that only Ruan Zhaohui had managed to erect within a month of taking up the project. The fact was, if it was any less amazing, Gilly would still have the same expression.

    However, it was beyond impressive:

    Rows offortable, well-upholstered seats were arranged in a semi-circr fashion, ensuring excellent sightlines for all attendees.

    The stage at the front was equipped with au courant audiovisual equipment, includingrge screens and podiums for speakers.

    The room was well-lit, with elegant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to create a warm and weing ambiance.

    The walls were adorned with national symbols of all the attending countries, historical portraits, and gs, instilling a sense of patriotism and importance.

    All this, Ruan Zhaohui had managed to do in just a month. Everyone who entered admitted it was an amazing work.

    However, no one would have expected less, considering that it was Ruan Zhaohui.

    With her walking to the podium in front, all attendees upied their respective seats and sat down.

    She put on her sses and looked around.

    "Before I begin, is there anyone who was invited but isn''t here?"

    Her voice resounded in the entire room, projected by the top-notch in-ceiling speakers.

    She had barely finished talking when Turner raised his hand.

    She exhaled softly, almost could recognize the trouble that always followed him. Then she called out to him:

    "Yes, Hunter Turner."

    "Hunter Raven Raith from Korea is absent. However, ma''am, what I find baffling is the fact that he dares to send a representative. Was he just clueless or is he too arrogant now that he is a catastrophe rank hunter? Regardless, I suggest that he should be disciplined and made to understand that when ites to the Union of Hunters, no one is allowed to do as they please."

    ''That bastard...''

    Mok Jae-Hwa gritted his teeth inwardly and clenched his fist.

    Thud!

    The door shot open as he concluded. It was so loud that everyone looked back.

    Red-haired hunter Bastien strolled in with his hands in his pocket, not minding the judgemental eyes that stayed glued to him.

    "Stubby sleeper is outside, dozing with every step."

    He said as he settled into his seat which was away from every other seat. The seat was separated by ranks and where he was sitting, there was only four seats, one he had upied.

    Ruan Zhaohui was standing, and Li Mingwu¡­ dead. And thest upant slowly walked into the room, dragging himself, he dozed and staggered at times but he made it eventually.

    Throughout the process, a perfect decorum dominated the room. No one dared to sneeze.

    Almost everyone felt the words rise to their throat, ''What did you say again about no is allowed to do as they please'' but no one could voice out the world.

    The unranked were feared. Even if the catastrophe came together to fight them, they believed they still wouldn''t win.

    It was because no one had seen Rizo inbat, and yet he is believed to be the strongest amongst all four unranked. Of course, Li Mingwu never agreed, that was seen as an issue of his pride, no elder would say tantly that they were defeated by a kid¡­ a kid the age of their grandson, maybe even great-grandson.

    Rizo wasn''t the type to talk to people or care about gazes. Thest meeting they held, he slept throughout. And was tasked with one thing:

    Close the gate if the hunters do not make it after a week

    But there was never a need to close the gate since they were able to defeat the dragon in one week.

    Several hunters suspected that the samemand this year is likely to be given to the sleeping hunter.

    Seeing that everyone''s gaze was returning to where it should be, Ruan Zhaohui continued:

    "I understand what you mean Hunter Turner. And I will personally see that this disciplinary action be executed. However, the matters on how hands are far more sensitive than for us to be discussing and worried about disciplinary measures for some hunter that didn''t make it."

    She inhaled and exhaled.

    "We are faced with a threat far greater than any we have ever seen."

    The room air slowly rises mumbles. Then slowly, descended again as she continued.

    "A gate far beyond our expectations has been recently found in California, America. And I believe it is not news anymore. We lost an important man while he was trying to confront this gate¡­

    ¡­ording, to the witnesses the gate when it was first raided was home to a phoenix. The phoenix was too strong so they had to retreat."

    She paused and inhaled¡­ looking around onest time, she continued:

    "Li Mingwu volunteered to help with the second raid based on his disciple''s plea. However, the gate changed. Monsters that used to be there weren''t anymore. And traces of the phoenix werepletely gone¡­

    ¡­what we suspect is that the boss monster of the gate was what killed the Phoenix."

    "Then we just have to go into the gate, kill the boss monster, and avenge Li Mingwu''s death!"

    His voice stood out in the silence in the room. The person who had dared to speak his opinion, interrupting Ruan Zhaohui was none other than Russia''s catastrophe-ranked hunter Mikhail Sobakov.

    Talk about balls, he''s got it the most. Perhaps it was because of his nationality or because he was just one hell of an uncultured and disrespectful hunter, even back then when the first world summit was held and now. He had made a habit out of interrupting Ruan Zhaohui.

    She sighed, this was not a time to raise issues and arguments, if not she would have sted a whole right through his mouth.

    Li Mingwu''s death in the gate has caused her to be more sensitive than she ever was. She was doing her best to keep all the anger that boiled within her locked.

    "I will have you sit hunter Mikhail. Do try not to interrupt me also."

    She tapped the microphone twice, causing the mic to screech then she continued again.

    "Firstly, I will have you all know that this time will be different from the dragon gate. If I am correct, this gate is unranked and might be stronger than the dragon gate."

    The entire room gasped and mumbles began to rise again.

    "Secondly, there will be only one group¡­ which will be led by Rizo."

 Chapter 315 The World Summit (3)

    ?

    A cold silence ensued in the room after this was said.

    Everyone looked at their faces and soon began to whisper to one another.

    To finally have Rizo at the forefront was what they had always wanted. Everyone in this room looked forward to seeing the so-called strongest hunter in action, so no one objected to the idea.

    Not even Bastien who sat leisurely with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed on the table.

    Rizo was fast asleep beside him, drooling.

    Bastien nced at him and sighed like he couldn''t help it, he folded his legs down and leaned towards the table, tapping the microphone before speaking;

    "Uhm, woman. Shouldn''t you talk to him about this first?"

    "Don''t worry, he owes me."

    He was left with nothing to say. He didn''t want the position for himself. Hell, he hated the spotlight. But this kid here hated it more than he did.

    Ruan Zhaohui looked around the room before she resumed talking.

    "The damage dealers will be, Sheister¡­"

    ''That damn bastard''

    Turner smacked his lips at the mention of the name. There was the one person who was the same rank as him and he couldn''t beat the shit out of.

    "...Turner¡­"

    He grinned as she called his name next. If not for Sheister, he should be the first.

    "...Yasmin, Mikhail, Kaiser, and Raven Raith."

    There were still two catastrophe-ranked hunters save Raith, however, both of them were more of support types than damage dealers.

    "Supporters would be; niyan, Ismael, Hussein, Elbert ke, Thomas Navarro, Carter, Poonam, Seong Nara, and Mok Jae-Hwa

    All of the mentioned supporters were disaster-ranked hunters except the two supporters who were catastrophe-ranked hunters. Poonam, a healer who can regenerate an amputated arm, and niyan who can give powerful buffs to hunters for as long as he is present with them.

    He was a crucial part of this raid.

    "The others that would be following them are¡­"

    She called a lot of names after that.

    As a few more minutes passed, the attendees engaged in formalities and paid tribute to Li Mingwu. With the atmosphere now somber and reflective, the summit eventually came to an end.

    Ruan Zhaohui entered her office, situated on the skyscraper''s highest floor with a breathtaking view. This was the headquarters of her guild, the world''s strongest and undisputedly ranked number 1 in China.

    She sank into her chair and rested her head, closing her eyes. As she opened it a couple of secondster her shadow was standing in front of her.

    "Gilly."

    "Yes, master."

    It appeared as though she knew Ruan Zhaohui was going to call her name. But she had worked for Ruan Zhaohui so much that she knew when to appear and when not to.

    "This hunter called Raven¡­ tell me about him."

    "Yes mama"

    She lowered her head and walked forward, picking up the smart tablet that was on Ruan Zhaohui''s table. She took a few seconds to do this and that on it before raising her head, slightly knitting her brows for a second.

    But it didn''t go past Ruan Zhaohui.

    "What is that?"

    Hesitant at first, she slowly responded:

    "I don''t know where to start¡­ but he created a sun?"

    "That is impossible. Give it to me."

    Ruan Zhaohui demanded, extending her hand to receive as Gilly stepped forward hurriedly.

    Immediately she saw the headline of the news, and a frown formed on her face.

    "Impossible. Antarctica? He created a sun in Antarctica."

    It had just happened a few hours ago, and yet it had made the headlines. The hunters had not noticed it because they were busy with the summit.

    But in those few hours, testament from all around Antarctica was making their way to the front page of every news outlet, stating the fact that they had seen what looked like a sun in Antarctica.

    Not only that, satellite sensors were picking up radiation from another source. Even though it had a degree of heat radiation that wasparable to the heat of the sun, it wasn''t harming the.

    It just sat there in space, directly looming over thendscape of Antarctica.

    It was circting the inte at a speedy rate.

    Ruan Zhaohui''s eyes continued to tremble. A person that is capable of creating a sun?!

    ''Is he that amazing?''

    She questioned herself inwardly, biting off her finger.

    Gilly stared worryly as she saw her mama bite off her nail. Ruan Zhaohui continually repeated the gesture.

    "Mother¡­"

    Gilly said softly, cing her hands over Ruan Zhaohui''s.

    "Ah¡­ my God."

    Ruan Zhaohui chuckled lightly and averted her gaze, not out of shame, but preupied with several thoughts.

    Of all the torrents of thoughts that filled her head. The only thing she continually pondered upon was the possibility of a new unranked hunter.

    ''Just how amazing is this Raven Raith guy?''

    She had heard few things about him when he fought with Turner and Li Mingwu had to intervene. And she remembered that Li Mingwu mentioned that he seemed very promising.

    And Li Mingwu was the kind of senile old man that rarely praises someone.

    She looked into him then but over time she got so busy with her guild that she didn''t have the time to pay extra attention to him.

    "Bring me everything you can find on him. And try to free up my schedule for tomorrow."

    "Mama?..."

    "Yes, Gilly. We will be making a trip to Antarctica."

    ¡ª

    "Wow. It''s all over the ce. Raven did it."

    Mok Jae-Hwa grinned as he read the news headline over and over again.

    "This is crazy!"

    "I know right."

    He responded to Seong Nara, staring at his phone and giggling.

    Rather, his casual response infuriated her more. How can he be so calm about this, someone just created a sun?! That should be something only God can do!

    ''Wait, does this mean Hunter Raven is a god?''

    Seong Nara''s eyes lost focus for a moment as she thought about it.

    They had forgotten to celebrate themselves for making it to the list of hunters that would be raiding the America gate alongside Rizo. And that was because news of a new sun in Antarctica was everywhere.

    "Jae-Hwa-ssi."

    "Yes?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa responded to her inquisitively gentle tone.

    As he turned his gaze to her, she asked:

    "Does this mean Hunter Raven is not a catastrophe-ranked hunter, or he was a catastrophe-ranked hunter but now he is stronger than he used to be."

    Mok Jae-Hwa was not shocked by her question but acted shocked, his eyes went this way and that way as if he was truly thinking about it.

    Since the fight with the wyvern and he had seen what Raith could do with those summoned soldiers of his, he had concluded that Raith was a hunter capable of growth. He also knew the reason why Raith stayed back at the gate was probably to turn the wyvern into his soldier.

    If that was the case then as long as his arsenal of summons grew, then Raith would grow stronger.

    But this did not exin the creation of a sun, or why Raith was a goodbatant despite being a summoner ss¨Cat least from his view.

    He was beginning to suspect that Raith''s true power was something else and it was probably that source that allowed him to be able to summon dark soldiers.

    Of course, all this he had never told anyone. And he also didn''t n on doing it.

    "Honestly, I can''t say¡­"

    His answer was kind of a letdown, she had expected one or two secrets to escape from him after bringing up the topic.

    She leaned back.

    "I think Hunter Raven will be an unranked soon. Do you know, Hunter Rizo, used to be a rank D hunter."

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes grew wide.

    "What do you mean?"

    "The records are all wiped clean now. But some time ago, I was doing volunteer work in Argentina. The ce happened to be where he spent his childhood. They said his growth was rapid. After entering a particr gate that imed the lives of many, he started changing, a monthter he was madly strong but became a big sleeper."

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes were still digesting the likely information he could feel in the story she just spilled, they were out of focus and gazing at the marble floor.

    "I am sure your hunter Raven is going to be an unranked. I should court him as fast as I can. What do you think my chances are? Do you know if he''s a virgin?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa finally looked up, looked at her with not subtle pity, shaking his head as he rose to his feet. He btedly noticed Bm''s absence and asked:

    "Where''s Bm?"

    "Oh, that one¡­ he said he needed to check something."

    "Check something? Check what?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa sounded frustrated. And Seong Nara could sense it.

    She frowned.

    "What is this? Don''t talk to me in that tone."

    "I''m sorry, but leaving Bm on his own is a very very bad idea."

    "What''s so bad about it? Isn''t he a grown man capable of taking care of himself?"

    "Ah? Man."

    Mok Jae-Hwa eximed with a troubled expression on his face.

    "Seriously, aren''t you overreacting?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa exhaled. There''s no way she would understand. She can''t.

    He stormed out hurriedly to search for him.

 Chapter 316 Unruly

    ?

    Through the summit, Bm had maintained his peace and silence not because he was careful of the humans that gathered around him.

    If anything, that was all the more reason to get reckless and start trouble. He had no doubt that his true form would be able to stir a lot of troubles and their souls would be a good nourishment to his fiendish energy¡ª that is, while fighting and killing them, he could gain more power to fight and kill more of them.

    If there isn''t that one that can singlehandedly subdue before he kills any of the hunters. He would be able to kill all of them gathered here.

    Of course, this was just hypothetically speaking. Using human souls to grow fiendish energy has be disgusting to the demons. They''d rather cultivate it by hard training or better still, kill one of their own.

    Besides, Bm was very sure he would pay for this with his life. If he harms one single human, something tells him Raith won''t hesitate to cut down his head.

    But what truly kept him concentrated¡­ or to say, what he concentrated on so much that he kissed all that was said was the sleeper.

    From the moment Rizo entered the magnanimous room, Bm had been fixated on him, the former didn''t care about the gaze.

    ''He feels familiar. I can''t be right. There is no way there is another one here on earth.''

    Bm tried to convince himself over and over again until the summit came to an end.

    The summit took over an hour, but to Bm, it seemed to end too quickly because he was so focused on something else that he lost track of the time flow of the real event he was here for.

    But what to do? This too was important.

    If he can get to the bottom of the ufortable feeling he was having. He was sure it would be of great use to his lord. Then Raith would truly be happy with him.

    And so he picked himself up and quickly followed the young boy, leaving arge distance between the two to avoid being spotted unnecessarily.

    When the young boy was admitted into a limousine car, he also grabbed a random bike and followed through. The bike was the only thing he was interested in learning. He wasn''t good at it and causedmotion here and there on the road, but he did manage until the limousine strangely pulled into a corner.

    Reluctant at first but what could go wrong? Bm decided to follow.

    And as expected, it was a trap.

    A one-eyed patched man in a ck suit was standing behind the Limousine with a sword suspended to his hips.

    As Bm''s bike approached, he unsheathed his sword and pointed it forward speaking with an effortlessly audible voice:

    "Stop the bike and identify yourself."

    His voice filled the deserted corner of the road and he didn''t seem to be straining his vocal cords. He spoke directly from his diaphragm, but what was more amazing was the power behind his tone.

    It was shaky but the shakiness created a rhythm rather than insinuating the fact that he being careful.

    By mere nce, Bm could tell this man had perfect control of his body down to tone. Starting from his breathing to the focus of his gaze, to his posture.

    His hand held forward was slightly curved at the elbow not to expend too much energy while stretching his de as the potential opponent in front of him drew nigh.

    Bm stopped the revving engine of the motorcycle, he slipped out the side stand with a swift kick of his leg as he came off it.

    Raising both hands he said:

    "I am not here to fight you."

    "You couldn''t even if you tried."

    Bm grinned wryly.

    "You''re wrong but let''s not dwell too much on that matter. I don''t want to get into trouble with my master. I just have a question for that kid."

    The man''s one eye narrowed.

    "How dare you?! Who are you calling ''that kid''?!"

    Violent cords formed on his forehead and temple as he gritted his teeth waiting for an answer. His next course of action was dependent on it. But he was very much boiling with a lot of rage.

    "It''s fine Peter"

    His eyes went round and his boiling rage evaporated sharply. He turned his head to see his young lord crouching in the car, not even he knew when Rizo reached there.

    Bm was looking at the young boy with intriguing eyes.

    ''I am sure of it! I am very sure of it!!''

    His eyes glinted with excitement.

    "You¡­" the boyzily looked at Bm. "...you''re not human¡­what are you?"

    His words took their timeing out, his voice was vigorless but it made Bm''s heart tremble. It was like he didn''t want to dy the response.

    ''Is this the charm of a ruler? I wonder which one he is¡­ should I just ask directly? No¡­ I probably shouldn''t, it could be dangerous¡­''

    That was what he said in his thoughts but¡­

    "You''re a ruler, right? I know it. Which ruler are you? I have met the ruler of pride, and I serve the ruler of greed. Is yours the gluttony? Envy? Lust? Or Sloth?"

    For the first since meeting him, the young boy''s expression changed, creasing up a brow, traces of vehement sparks of carefulness could be subtly seen, escaping almost unnoticed the next couple of seconds that were spent in the pressuring silence between them.

    "Who are you? How do you know about rulers?"

    ''Yes, I was right!''

    A corner of Bm''s lips went up.

    "Didn''t you hear, I serve one myself?"

    "Be Careful how you speak to Lord Rizo!"

    Peter. He yelled at Bm with a deep frown on his face.

    Bm responded with a scowl, it was short. His gaze shot over Peter''s shoulders returning to the ruler who was still crouching on top of the car as he spoke.

    "I have never heard of another ruler. All the known rulers have left this universe."

    Bm squinted his eyes.

    ''This guy? He has met the others before? He talks like he has.''

    "Then all the more reason you need to meet my ma¨C

    "I''m not interested. Now scram."

    He cut short Bm''s sentence, sending him off with azy wave of his hand and he disappeared leaving a disappearing blue light.

    Bm was shocked.

    Peter threw him onest crude nce and sheathed his sword like a master edo samurai. He walked away and entered the car.

    Bm watched as the distance between him and the car widened.

    ''Should I just kidnap him¡­. The rulers are quite powerful. It would arouse attention if a fight between the both of us was to break up. This city will not survive it.''

    He sighed, looking at the disappearing ass of the car onest time before giving up on the thought of chasing.

    He turned away.

    "Let me go and get some of that nice ice cream then."

 Chapter 317 Hunting Party

    ?

    The Coffee Cafe by the side of the road had a nice ambiance to it.

    Bm had seen them while going out to work with Mok Jae-Hwa but he had never tried sitting at a roadside Cafe. Now that he did.

    ''It feels nice.''

    He closed his eyes, breathing in the peaceful air with a ddening grandeur. Opening his eyes, he took another sip of the Americano in his hands with a lot of ice candy toppings.

    The table in front of him was for two, there was another ck thin chair opposite him. And looking over to the next table that drew a straight line away from him, he could see a male and female, both dressed in white shirts, jeans, and white sneakers sipping the same coffee.

    ''I wonder if they can''t afford to buy another one. Should I help?''

    His eyes lingered on them for a few seconds, pitying them before deciding to call on the waiter.

    As he was about to, someone else joined him.

    "Where the hell have you been?"

    Bm scowled.

    Mok Jae-Hwa from Bm''s expression immediately realized he had used ''hell'' for Bm. The demon king hated it when humans used a word used to depict a special part of his realm as a depravity word.

    "I''m sorry¡­"

    Mok Jae-Hwa apologized, observing Bm''s gaze.

    A couple of seconds of silence passed between the two. Bm finally opened his mouth looking behind Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "Those two, I was about to buy them one more coffee."

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked back, raising one brow unbelievably, he asked:

    "Why would you do that?"

    "Quite obvious. They are drinking only one, perhaps they can''t afford two."

    Mok Jae-Hwa spat out a belly full ofughter which he swallowed back in as his gaze fell on Bm''s nk expression.

    "Uhm¡­"

    He swallowed the spit as if he was digesting theughter so it wouldn''t spill out. He adjusted his suit and sat very well, ncing at Bm''s still nk face in between.

    "What was funny?"

    The demon finally asked with indifference ringing in his tone.

    Mok Jae-Hwa hesitant at first spoke:

    "Actually. They aren''t doing that because they don''t have enough money."

    "Uh? Are you stupid? Why else would they?"

    His expression transitioned from its nkness, an erupting spark of unbelief forming in his eyes.

    "From the way they are dressed. They are probably couples. Human couples have this thing they call dates, when they go on dates, they do all sorts of things together. We can just say, they are expressing love to each other."

    Now his face spat out pure irritation.

    "How then will they be satisfied from that one cup of coffee? Starving themselves just to show love. Humans are so nonsensical"

    Mok Jae-Hwa opened his mouth to exin further but closed them.

    ''I don''t think anything I say will make him see otherwise.''

    A small smile formed on Mok Jae-Hwa''s face.

    "Since we are done here. Can we go home now¡­ I miss Loati''s soup."

    The elven woman who was in charge of cooking evening meals at the encampment. He could miss morning or afternoon meals but that evening meal was a must for him. Maybe it was because of her beautiful blonde hair and pristine green eyes, her skin that was as white as the first snow of winter.

    Or maybe the soup was so special, they wereplex emotions that Bm detested having to navigate through. All he knew was that he enjoyed looking at her while savoring the spicy sweetness of the soup.

    "I will make a few calls and we can arrange our movement."

    Bm sank into the chair, lifeless.

    "Okay."

    Mok Jae-Hwa threw onest nce at him, wondering why his mood suddenly became dull before he picked up his phone to call the Uber that had brought him here.

    ¡ª

    Things were progressing on its own. Raith didn''t even need to do anything. Except for having his soldiers help out with construction works.

    The buildings were shabby and uneven, but it wasn''t bad for a start.

    Regardless of whether they were men or women, they were all working their butts off to build themselves a dwelling ce. After all not all of them would love to sleep in the cold.

    Especially Draear.

    He was currently on the roof of his own shabby house, hammering each nk to fill out the spaces on top, his fingers were swollen and taped, to show how much they had gone through in order to raise this rough-hewn.

    It stood small and unassuming, with deeply browned wooden nks from the trees that Maria had managed to grow out for them on a whim.

    Nestled far away from other rising rough-hewn, it seemed lonely from afar, sitting to the edge of thendscape that led them farther into the wide expanse of snow.

    Eventually, houses would reach that side too, but everyone was already building their houses, those that weren''t had marked out a foundation. And none had managed to make it close enough to his.

    Odd. Very Odd.

    His younger brother came with more nks. Making sure the makeshift woodendder was not going to fall, he picked three more nks and climbed up, dropping them beside Draear before going back down.

    Two men approached Draear''s almostpleted edifice.

    His brother Pagna turned to them with a scowl.

    "What do you vermin seek with us."

    "This guy."

    The tall huge guy of the duo said, giving Pagna a gentle knock on his head.

    Pagna reddened with embarrassment as pain danced around his scalp. He raised his head back with an unruly frown, shouting:

    "How dare you? Don''t you know¨C

    "Hey, we havee to talk to you about a hunting party."

    The huge guy. Thmi said. Completely ignoring the chirping boy.

    The person standing beside him just stood in silence and his hand crossed. He was an elf, a blonde elf but Thmi wasn''t.

    Draear paused and looked down. He dropped the makeshift hammer and slipped to the ground, fluid, hended on both feet.

    "Does lord Raven know about this party?"

    "Of course. The people need food. Lord Raven would personally be going with us into the deep parts of thend for our first hunt."

    Draear''s face lit up.

    "Are you serious?"

    "Why would I lie? That is what Sir Curtis said."

    Draear turned to his brother.

    "Pagna, I will be back soon. I will bring a lot of meat too."

    Even though he was a very proud and arrogant elf, it was still a shock how he managed to show utmost affection to two people.

    Thmi shook his head,

    ''I don''t understand why he just can''t be nice to everybody.''

    Waving at Pagna, Draear was led away by the duo.

    It was the same around, everyone was being gathered to form a hunting party that would be in charge of hunting.

    While Curtis was in charge of the hunting party. Maria herself was teaching the women and a few toughened old men about farming.

    Since there existed some of them who were farmers in Therut, it was a fast lesson. Right now, they were trying to figure out what to do about farming tools with Yujin sitting amidst them.

    Draear threw a nce towards the small horde of women that sat around a pregnant woman and the tree spirit standing.

    They reached the ground where the warriors were gathered.

    The snow had been packed to one side. The ground was pristine and free of any weeds or sand. A small makeshift was built before the crowd, on it stood Curtis who was with a paper and biro.

    There was a blonde-haired kid beside him and a red-haired guy.

    He was used to seeing them already.

    The blonde-haired kid he had heard a lot about. He is just two years older than his brother and yet he is one of the strongest hunters in Korea.

    There was another guy. But he wasn''t standing on the tform, he was sitting on a small makeshift stool that was situated to the corner where snows were piled up. He was also with a book. His focus was deep into the pages of the book he was holding.

    Draear was a bit disappointed because he thought he would meet Raith here but nheless. He joined the group of people.

 Chapter 318 Passion For More

    ?

    The rectangr area was filled with different colors of people. Although their outfits were tattered, not to the extent that they would be perceived as homeless. These were people who had not considered the goodness of clothes after all.

    However, these seemingly tattered outfits that were woven around their body in a way functioned tomemorate each person''s frame in such a way that it made them dignified. For example, Draear''s attire, spread from his shoulder, diagonally across his torso down to his side. Another tunic was tied around his waist. Then he wore ck tattered pants that didn''t go beyond his calf area.

    His legs were tied around with pieces of clothing instead of a shoe. Even though he wasn''t wearing shoes, other people had shoes on.

    Aftering back from Therut, the priority has been survival and food in order to keep their belle full. They''ve had to do what they can. Both in a dignified manner and a mpropos manner.

    "To be able to secure food for the people. We will be dividing ourselves into five groups. The people who will be leading the five groups are:

    Sir Shin. He will lead group one. Sir Yeon Woo, will lead group two. Myself and this man here will lead group three..."

    In front of the tform, to the ground was standing Min-Ho in shining silver armor. Completely out of ce with the blend of this gathering.

    Would make one wonder what he was looking for and how he got here.

    Curtis continued:

    "And thest group will be led by Lord Raven himself."

    Murmurs rose as he spoke that part. Of course, it was expected. That was why he had decided that people would be randomly selected. If it was to be asked of them to choose a group. Everyone would naturally drift toward group four. That was where their beloved hero was leading.

    Curtis looked at Andre and nodded.

    Andre came forward with a basket full of little papers and began to speak:

    "In this basket are papers with the numbers 1 to 4. Each person would step forward to pick. Whichever one you end up picking would be the group you will find yourself in."

    It was a perfect n. One that would obstruct unfairness. People prayed to be in Raith''s group but only a few made it. At the end of the selection, they were asked to separate into four groups.

    That is everyone that had the number one on their papers should move together. They all walked out of the crowd. Moving towards the eastern edge of the open ground they gathered in. The same thing happened with every other number.

    This, however, caused it to be known...

    People looked at group four and began to murmur.

    This was because only four people were in group four. While other groups had at least fourteen people.

    Of course, with Therut''s poption. Having about a hundred people in a group wouldn''t be too much of a deal. But this was a hunting party organized solely for hunting. While the others could focus their attention on areas that would give growth to themunity.

    For example, some men had been sent over to Tae Dong-Hyun to learn cksmithing and other crafts. They were over a hundred and were to stay fully under his tutge, till they were full-blown crafters.

    A lot of children were being sponsored to school by the sponsorship foundation owned by Min-Ho''s family.

    More and more like that. The people were branching out in different areas to one daye back to bring the best of growth and birth a new Therut.

    Hence, the elites of elites were selected for this hunt. Those that were avable here were what could be called. They would one day grow to be the Frontliners and generals of a powerful nation.

    Right now... was their starting point.

    Thwooob!

    A devastating striking sound suddenly soared through the sky, attracting all eyes to the open ground.

    From below, all that could be seen were sharp sparks that flew around as two individuals battled each other with a crude speed that seemed to threaten to very existence of the sky.

    Wham!

    In a single swing shot, one fell into the snow causing tremors to run across the ground. He stood up immediately with a nasty re on his face and plunged into the sky again.

    Awaiting him in the air was Slyvia dded in silvery ice armor, a Lance to one hand, a shield to another.

    As he approached, she darted forward producing a supersonic boom sound that reverberated through the air. Furthermore, the sh between both of them created a detrimental vibration in the air.

    Snowkes flowed down from the swinging impact of every one of her swings. Amazingly, Raith was managing to dodge them, making it seem easy from afar. He glided through her movements effortlessly, escaping every attack by the skin of his teeth.

    ''...he has even be faster than before...''

    Rudgen looked up and nothing but awe filled his eyes. He was the very few witnesses that saw the battle between Raith and Cor''Ellion happen. So he could tell how fast Raith had be.

    It makes no sense, at such a time. The Raith that he watched right now battling a dragon was different from the Raith from those few months ago. His growth was far from explosive. His movement was organized and calcted with no wasted motions.

    Every time he got thrown back by Slyvia. He came back with a destructive rebound. What was more amazing was thedy herself.

    She easily blocked Raith''s punches with her shield, and it would cause the air to resound with a thundering sound that shook their hearts.

    Watching a battle like this made them dream.

    Since they were already awakening different powers, a spark of hope began to dance in their eyes. Watching Raith battle a dragon on equal footing created a ze within their hearts.

    And undoubtedly it shined alike in every of their heart. More in some, like Draear, Curtis, and Amber Rose.

    Draear had long seen Raith''s might, from that day till now nothing but a pure passion to follow and be as Raith had always been in him.

    For Curtis, he feared if he would truly be given the opportunity to have his brother''s back. With this newfound awakening power, he finally felt like he could grow. He could strike to get better but watching Raith right now almost made all his hope die.

    But what would it be if he gave up?

    The corner of his lips curved up.

    "Keep giving me a hell of a challenge brother. I will catch up to you no doubt about that" He muttered.

    Amber Rose stared with eyes shaking.

    ''The line between us keeps getting wider... when will I be able to touch you...''

    Her eyes squinted, her eyeballs constantly following the two godly movements in the sky. And her heart was filled with nothing but the passion to one day stand next to him as an equal.

 Chapter 319 Growth (1)

    ?

    It was no debatable fact that Raith was stronger than he was a few months ago. He just kept growing and growing, although his match with the dragon looked like a losing match as he was the one who ended up being thrown down no matter how many times he rose.

    Slyvia''s armor was glittering with a heavenly aura, each movement of hers seemed as though they were piercing the air. The truth was that it was quite amazing that Raith was managing to keep up with her this far.

    Thwoom!

    As Raith took off from the floor again,ying asunder the pile of snow beneath his feet, he shot into the air like aunched rocket and collided with Slyvia before she could lunge her spear at him.

    With a grappling grip on her waist, he flew away with her at a tremendous speed. From below the two of them could be seen heading towards the sky, prating in and out of clouds.

    Slyvia tried hard to remove Raith''s tight grip on her waist while calling him:

    "You vermin!! Get your hands off me!!"

    Raith ignored her. He was just so interested in teaching this young dragon a lesson. That was the intent of this fight but now he was beginning to think that he was probably doing more than he could handle.

    If Slyvia was never injured, would he have been able to touch her at all? Even with all the injury she had, it took his death soldiers to bring her down. Fighting her might be a far-fetched call.

    But he didn''t mind.

    Even if he loses, he is going to challenge her again and again and again. Each time she challenges his authority he was just going to challenge her and beat the shit out of her.

    Well, he couldn''t exactly beat her. At least not yet.

    "Agghh!!!"

    Frustration roared through Slyvia''s mouth. She raised one hand in response to it and delved it into Raith''s back with a sickening, bone-crushing sound.

    Raith immediately splurged blood. His strength began to leave his body and he could no longer hold on to her with the level of strength he was using before.

    Losing his strength, he slumped down and fell through the skies, onto the earth, borating a mad crashing sound that sent everyoneing to him.

    [You have died]

    [You have died a friendly death]

    [You have gained +2 levels]

    [You have gained +4 stats]

    [Due to title effect ''one who devours death'']

    [...you will be resurrected]

    Raith opened his eyes and got up after the wound on his back closed up. By this time, the hunters who were gathered for grouping and waiting for him had already gathered around him.

    It was an awkward moment for him. He stood up from his own blood only to meet the gaze of people, looking at him in amusement and reference.

    "Our lord is so strong"

    These were probably the words their gaped mouths longed to say, but this moment threw them into a room of awe that none of them could find words to say.

    Before their eyes, Raith was just so amazing.

    However, Raith before his own eyes was too weak.

    ''I can''t continue to go like this. I already have so much to lose, people to protect. In a few days, I have to go to Felfhiem. I can''t go to Felfhiem as I am.''

    This was one of the reasons why the mission of Felfhiem has been dyed up until now. Raith truly with all his might wanted to rescue Volmak.

    However, he was scared. The way Volmak had painted these demons, he knew that they were on another levelpared to whatsoever he had been fighting before now. He thought about his meeting with Cor-Ellion and still couldn''t say which one was going to be stronger.

    Cor-Ellion was strong but it was not safe to say he was stronger than the demons. After all, Raith had never met the demons in Felfhiem.

    ''I need to get stronger''

    His consequent defeat in the hands of Slyvia was beginning to awaken in him a genuine desire for growth. Raith right now, felt like he could exchange anything for him to get stronger.

    And you know what the abyss responds so much to?

    The desire for growth.

    Ting!

    Raith saw it appear before his eyes.

    [A new trial has been awakened]

    Raith raised a brow.

    ''What is this? A trial has been awakened?''

    He paid more attention to the word awaken. It sounded different, very different. And the thought of a trial suddenlying brought a nauseous nostalgia to Raith.

    The trials have been no easy path but they are what have brought him to this point.

    If the abyss was bringing a new trial, he knew that it was in response to his desire to grow. And for the first time, Raith was going to embrace and relish this moment.

    ''Let''s see what you''ve got''

    [Trial of Truth]

    - This a trial that will lead you to an infallible truth about the world. When you reach this truth after proving your capabilities. You will evolve.

    "..."

    Raith waited for more. But that was it. That was everything the abyss had to offer about this new trial. He looked left and looked right, expecting to be transported into the abyss or something but a few secondster nothing happened.

    Raith felt disappointed. This was indeed a strange trial.

    Curtis came closer to him.

    "Raven"

    "Brother"

    He responded, averting his gaze away from the system and to his brother''s thin frame.

    "I have gathered the hunting team."

    "Ah, that''s right!"

    Before now, his brother and some others have informed him of the need for some structures to be put in ce and the foundation of that structure was the hunting party that would be created in these moments.

    Of course, their main goal was to provide food for the people. They would hunt at certain times, and in parties bring back the monster spoils for the people to make food and the entire town would feast.

    And while some groups would be in charge of hunting for food. Some others would be in charge of hunting for monster cores and some others would be in charge of hunting for the carcasses and it is still of great use as raw materials for severalpanies out there.

    Being a reliable source of raw material production was guaranteed to bring arge ie. As a small town, starting with a lot of money would help them grow faster. Plus they had a very meticulous person who was in charge of all these.

    Actually, she wasn''t here yet. But Min-Ho had told Raith earlier that his father was going to send someone who would manage his country''s finances and would also be the bridge of business between the two of them.

    Min-Ho''s father was a businessman after all. Upon hearing that Raith and his people moved to Antarctica. He had begun to establish a rtionship with Raith through his son.

    Raith had never met him. Even after bing a catastrophe-ranked hunter, he didn''t know Min-Ho''s father. Min-Ho described him as someone who was uninterested in the matters of the hunters, if there were any ties he had to them it was business.

    The man owned several conglomeratepanies and the one that prevailed so much was the Artek equipment. Using monster cores and carcasses as raw materials, Artek has managed to create the most brilliant and durable of equipment.

    What they had was not close to what Mok Jae-Hwa and Tae Dong-Hyun were preparing, but it was still the best in the market. In fact, they had been one of the fewpanies that really tried to get Dong-Hyun.

    But he refused them over and over again until they contracted a cksmith overseas.

    So, it wasn''t difficult for Raith to understand that Min-Ho''s father was in for the profit that he stood to gain. Also, by helping the city that way, he can be sure that there''ll be no betrayal since both parties have something to gain.

    But one way or the other, Raith still had this bother that there wasn''t all there was to it. But he let go of the thought, other things needed his attention and thoughts.

    Curtis looked at him for a response.

    "Do I..."

    "I know what you are going to say." Curtis interrupted and continued:

    "You need to lead them. It will serve as a great source of morale."

    Raith sighed.

    Barely by seeing him fight with Slyvia, a dragon, which was way out of his leg. They were so fired up.

    How much more when they see him destroying monsters in one blow? But leading them was just too much, Raith didn''t want to have to go.

    He shut his eyes tight for a moment then opened...

    "How about me do it like this."

    "How?"

    Curtis looked with curiosity dancing on his face. His brows tightened for the next couple of seconds.

    ck aura began to ooze from Raith''s body and filled the lower level, and the entire white ground was covered with a ck hue.

    "Jarvis"

    "Yes, my liege."

    His thick toneing ahead of him, Jarvis responded and materialized before Raith on a bow. On the helm of his helmet was the smokey white horsehair flowing endlessly like a pristine river of grace.

    "Crimson"

    "Yes, my lord!"

    His materialization was as hastened as his response. He was begging and waiting and hoping Raith would call him. After he was made to watch over the people he hadn''t gotten to see Raith as he wanted.

    Hence when Raith called, he responded with urgency.

    Raith initially wanted to call Antares, as he needed strong soldiers to lead the people. But he thought twice about calling Antares, he doubted if that one had the patience to lead. Which made a big result for Crimson.

    For Jarvis, he had an overwhelming trust that he would do the job well.

    He then turned to Curtis, who was frozen with fear.

    "You can use these two."

    Curtis had met these soldiers before but not up close like this. They were truly as terrifying as he felt them to be from afar. His heart shook, and his legs wanted to run but he mustered himself to respond to Raith:

    "Al-alright."

 Chapter 320 Growth (2)

    ?

    Now, that was done. Raith waved with a big smile and bid the people farewell.

    They all stood frozen before the two dark figures before them. Silence dominated the air for a few more seconds until Crimson broke it.

    His armor made a creaking sound as he turned around looking at the people and asked:

    "Who is the leader here?"

    They all looked at each other then Curtis btedly responded:

    "We wouldn''t use the term leader. But we do have a certain person designated over the team to lead every hunt."

    "I see."

    With a monotone, he said.

    "I will take charge of thr group my liege was supposed to lead."

    Jarvis dered facing Curtis who had no choice but to nod in response. Fact was, Jarvis presence was more terrifyingpared to Crimson''s.

    He was taller, the hue of his ck armor was thicker and not to say, the eerie white smokes that seeped out from underneath every slight opening of his armor. His cloak of white smoke, his helmet. Everything about him from head to toe was dignity in pure eeriness.

    "Wait, why will you take master''s team."

    "If you have an objection, you can speak to me with the sword."

    Crimson clicked his tongue in retreat.

    ''I hate him. I like him better when he could not talk.''

    Now that he could talk, Jarvis was bing more and more assertive. Towards Crimson, towards even Antares. The strongest between the two have not been decided or talked about. Antares'' skills and fighting prowess had dered him the strongest from the moment he got summoned.

    But with Jarvis new evolved form. He could pose a threat to that position. Antares didn''t seem concerned about it, he has been upied with getting stronger that he didn''t have the time to even care.

    Jarvis turned to Curtis.

    "Here."

    Curtis immediately pointed to the small number of people that gathered and watched with a mixture of fear and awe.

    The gathering naturally separated a path for him as he gantly approached the people who were behind.

    They were just four.

    He looked and each one of them, seeming to be gauging their abilities with his own eyes.

    "Okay. You all have the potential to be strong figures. Especially you and you."

    He pointed to a drowsy-face guy with green hair and thedy beside him¨CAmber Rose.

    "Watch as I lead you into battle. And know one thing, my liege is a thousand times more capable of the things I will show you. Ahh, it is a great privilege to be here in his stead."

    He raised his head, relishing the moment as he thanked Raith again.

    The four people gathered before him watched in excitement.

    Crimson from where he was watched with an envious re.

    In due time, they all set out into the nearest gate.

    Despite the fact, that monsters filled thend here and there, they still chose to go to a gate because Slyvia and Maria asked them never to hunt the monsters that are not in gate.

    The monsters that now lived on thend of Antarctica were result of the first set of gates to appear, after the gate break, they were released and over time had managed to evolve with thend.

    Although, the ones they would meet around the areas close to where they had settled down where easy peasy but should they delve deeper into thend.

    Maria warned them very well. Only the level of Mok Jae-Hwa can take care of monsters on that side and it would be had for even Mok Jae-Hwa alone to dispatch one monster.

    Slyvia also added, telling them that all the monsters they find outside the gate are a part of thend. If theye by one and their life is threatened, it is okay to kill them. But they should never go on a hunting spree with monsters outside the gate.

    And that instruction was seared well into their souls because she added with a murderous re:

    "If I hear anyint from the monsters, I''ll kill you all."

    No one would dare disobey an order of that level from a dragon.

    With that instruction ringing over and over again in their mind, they surveyed the gates around and made a n with it.

    The gates around them was over eighty and they had not even began to explore thend yet.

    ¡ª

    Just after the hunting parties entered the gates. Bm and Mok Jae-Hwa''s ne arrived at King George Airport. At that time, Raith was around the area.

    He looked up with his hand over his eyes to block the ray of sun as he watched the nend.

    ''That must be Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm''

    He wanted to do something but it can wait. There was something urgent he needed Mok Jae-Hwa to do for him so he decided to make haste to the airport.

    Even in the airports, the people of Therut were already mixing with the workers at the airport, they talked and converse, they were taught a lot.

    Magnificently speaking, it was a great sight for Mok Jae-Hwa. Wherever you find a man or woman in modern clothing, you find the people of therut there with them, most times in pair. They were so easy to identify because of their clothing.

    They were refugees after all.

    Mok Jae-Hwa smiled.

    ''Raith really did a good thing with these people.''

    Mok Jae-Hwa said in his thoughts. At first, he has been skeptical about giving his all to help these people, but eventually circumstances led him to be in that point where he had no choice but to just do it.

    Looking back at those times, he never regretted that he helped them.

    Heid his eyes on Raith who nonchntly walked into the airport with a white shirt and a ck pants that has been chipped here and there. It was obvious he was in a fight.

    And there was only one person Mok Jae-Hwa knew could put up a fight with Raith. So, he had his answers.

    Mok Jae-Hwa waved his hand like a baby and approached Raith with a smile but suddenly Raith''s gaze became stern. His eyes narrowed to a slit.

    And Mok Jae-Hwa stopped.

    ''What is this? Why is he...''

    "Yo?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa slowly, in dismay, he slowly turned his head back to look at the familiar vibrating voice, he was so sure he had heard the voice somewhere recently.

    What was more baffling was that, this ne. Only he and Bm had boarded this ne. Bm right now was behind him because he kept fooling around with the people. And Bm didn''t sound like this.

    Who on earth sneaked into the ne and followed them all the way to Antarctica. A fear apanied that question as Mok Jae-Hwa turned to realize who it was.

    "Bas... the red beast?"

    "Ah, no. I''d rather you call me Bastien than the red beast."

    He replied to Mok Jae-Hwa looking down at him and turned his gaze to Raith.

    "Nice to meet you. Hunter Raven Raith. Man, I was so curious when I heard a sun appeared in Antarctica, I just couldn''t ignore it, I had to follow them and see you."

    He said, looking at Raith from head to toe. He squinted his eyes, took a few steps back and whispered to Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "Are you sure this is hunter Raven?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa had not recovered from his shock, but he manage to nod a response, looking at Bastien with shaking eyeballs.

    In his mind, he just couldn''t stop thinking about how Bastien managed to follow them all the way to Antarctica without being noticed. Not by Bm, not by him.

    "Huh...? He finally decided to show himself."

    Bm said as he caught up with Mok Jae-Hwa.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes widened in more horror.

    "Wait, you knew he was with us?"

    "Yes. He was on top of the ne."

    "On top? For over ten hours?"

    Bm nodded with his hands in his pocket. He looked at Mok Jae-Hwa.

    "You are quite weak but you wouldn''t have been able to sense him even if you were stronger. He erased every ounce of his presence."

    "But you did."

    Mok Jae-Hwa responded, a slight frown forming on his face. Not towards Bm, perhaps slightly towards Bm for not telling him but more towards himself for not noticing.

    "Well, I''m a demon and you''re a lowly human."

    Bm grinned with delight.

    "I''m surprised. I didn''t expect this to be how Hunter Raven would be."

    Bastien said, looking at Raith from head to toe over and over again. As a matter of fact, Raith wasn''t even putting on any footwear.

    "I had expected... the renowned Hunter Raven, be more... perhaps noble."

    "Well, I like that I do not meet your expectations. You can kindly take your leave now."

    Raith''s reply was stern and tinged with a bit of hostility.

    "Oh oh, so straightforward. Don''t you know how to entertain a visitor."

    "Our doors are not opened to visitors for now. Take your leave."

    Again, the words resounded with more ratio of hostility than before.

    "Heuw, so saucy... I stood on a ne for twelve hours just toe see you and you asked me to just leave. Didn''t offer me food, not even some drinks. I love wine, I''d love to take red wine. I actually love red wine a lot, and don''t think it''s because they call me red Beast."

    Throughout his blurts, Raith kept a stern face.

    "Are you really going to be like this."

    Bastien''s mood changed.

    It was palpable, the change of the tension in the air could be felt immediately his smile was wiped off.

    "Oh no... those two are looking like they would have a go at it in the airport"

    Mok Jae-Hwa whispered to Bm.

    But Bm,ughing aloud, responded:

    "Why stop them! Let him see the strength of the one I serve!"

 Chapter 321 Growth (3)

    ?

    Tension stayed suspended in the air between the two of them. Nothing had happened yet, they were just staring at each other but it seemed like the two had already engaged in a destructive battle.

    A bead of sweat slipped down from Bastien''s temple, his lips trembled as it curved up.

    ''This guy is bad news...''

    Mok Jae-Hwa observing from the behind Bastien could not understand, he stared with no idea of what was happening right now. But with the delighted grin Bm had on his face, he could guess that something was happening perhaps he was just nit strong enough to see it, so he asked:

    "Hey Bm... I know I''m pretty weak so you tell me? What is going on between those two."

    Bm''s grin faded for a second as he shifted his gaze to Mok Jae-Hwa was a shocked expression. He had not expected Mok Jae-Hwa to present himself like that.

    "Hm, the reality is just beginning to dawn on you huh. Well, you see. Both of them have been in an engaging battle since the a minute ago."

    Mok Jae-Hwa raised a brow.

    "What do you mean? We are all standing here, I didn''t see them move."

    "It is called the battle of wits. Both of them are fighting each other with premonitions based on their judgment of each other. The ferocity of what they are currently conceiving in their mind is so strong that it is beginning to permeate into the surrounding and affect the air through the little energy seeping out of them."

    "Wow....this is..."

    Mok Jae-Hwa was short of words. He just left his mouth hanging in the air as he stood behind and watched the two of them stand across each other.

    The tension in the air grew thicker, Mok Jae-Hwa could literally feel his excitement like an ant crawl on his skin despite not seeing them engaging in any sort of battle.

    But he understood that his body recognized it. Just as Bm had said this was because of the energy that escaped their body. For a little amount of energy to carry such a heavy weight of pressure¡ªit made Mok Jae-Hwa wonder what was going to happen should they really start fighting.

    And then¡ª

    Wham!

    The two of them disappeared from sight, creating an instantaneous, humongous, spider-cracked dent on the floor due to the fall of the heavy pressure they released simultaneously as they engaged each other.

    It all happened in a second so Mok Jae-Hwa was surprised. He walked forward take a look at the cracked floor...

    "Holy shit, this will cost a lot to repair."

    His face was filled with dreary. Bm dashed at him, grab the cor of his clothes and flew out of the airport.

    The two were now suspended in midair. Their eyes stayed locked unto each other for a couple of seconds and suddenly¡ª

    Thwack!

    Both of them hurtled towards each other like a pair of titans on a collision course, it was as if gravity itself held its breath in order for them to meet in a seismic crash.

    Raith unleashed a barrage of punches that seemed to crack the very air around him, despite his slim frame his fist carried an heavy presence as they tore through the air. They were like sledgehammers, each strike sent shockwaves rippling through the air.

    Bastien however did not have a hard time¡ªhe met Raith''s sh with equal speed and power which exerted mode stress on the air. It was like the onught of the both of them was threatening to destroy the peace of space itself. They continued, their hands turning to a blur as they battered each other, not a punch could escape, they were tightly locked in a battle of punches until both of them at the same time retreated andnded on the ground.

    Immediately, the hurled towards each other and met again causing a cataclysmic sh that shattered the ground where they collided.

    Both of them were exuding raw power without holding back on each other. In the moment when Raith flew out, he had also distributed the rest of his stats because after the battle of wits where he tried all premonition of the route have attacks he could have used sessfully¡ª which he found none. He discovered that his opponent was strong and he wanted to have the upper hand on this one.

    Moreso, he couldn''t afford to die and resurrect. No one except Bm, knows about his power of death.

    Sparks flew as the both of them continued to batter each other with punches¡ªtheir feet locked into each other''s space, they tightly seized every space, and chance to destroy each other''s face but none of their punches could meet their faces. All was being stopped by another punch.

    With a loud fearsome tear of the air as both of them pulled a punch with far more power than they''ve been using, they were both thrown backward, rolling over the floor and skillfully manipting to their feet before they couldnd on their back.

    Raith''s eyes narrowed to slit. His red eyes began to exude a malevolent crimson aura.

    "Are you finally deciding to take this seriously?"

    For Bastien he knew. He might have underestimated Raith from their first meeting, but he wasn''t to be med. It was because of the way Raith presented himself, and the aura of his presence waspletely hidden. Even with his sharp senses, he couldn''t tell how strong Raith was by just looking.

    But the moment they began the battle of wits and Raith''s energy began to seep out slowly, the tension both their energies created in the air¨Cthis hinted him that his opponent was not going to be a cheap cake.

    Still for some reason, he wanted to see for himself. He was the type that hated going into needless battle since he believed himself to be the weakest awakening but he still wanted to see what this guy is capable of. Raith just created this unexinable interest in him.

    "I don''t understand. No one can ever fight with me on equal ground like this. Not even Turner or any of those catastrophe ranked hunters. It makes no sense that you are grouped under catastrophe. You should be the appearance of a fifth unranked hunter."

    Raith did not respond to him, his eyes just stayed narrowed with a frown. He red at his opponent with annoyance permeating from his eyes.

    "Do you want me to leave that badly?"

    Bastien said as he came closer to Raith. They now stood less than ten meters across each other.

    Raith did not respond to his question but he took it for a yes and asked again.

    "Why? Is it because my presence is threatening. Why would you have a sudden hatred for someone you have never met."

    Raith''s frown got tighter. He began to take slow steps till he arrived in front of Bastien. Since the red beast was a bit taller than he was, he lifted his head up slightly as he spoke to his face.

    "I don''t like what I feel from you. I don''t know what you have done. Who you are but your presence is very disgusting."

    "Ohh?"

    Bastien frowned.

    "I won''t take that insult from you."

    "Get out."

    Raith said to him, his brows still knitted together.

    Silence ensued between the two of them for a couple of seconds. Then Bastien let out a loud tired groan, scratching the back of his head.

    "This is really annoying. Can you really see it?"

    Raith''s face was full of scowl as Bastien rxed his posture, talking.

    "No one has ever been able to sense your presence you know. Not even that sleeping retard."

    Slowly, the air beside Bastien began to ripple and somehow came together to form a vaporizing figure of arge mosquito head.

    "I am quite shocked. Not even that demon could sense me. Somehow you managed to... this one is an extraordinary one."

    "I don''t care. I don''t want you to be here... that is all."

    "Calm down human. I am Beelzebub...and I need your help. Besides I don''t understand why you find me irritating when you harbor a demon yourself."

    Just then Bmnded beside Raith. He frowned immediately he saw the mosquito head formed by rippled air.

    "Master. It is a strong demon."

    "To be addressed as master by a greater demon. I find that to be very intriguing. I won''t pry any further into your matter but I need your help."

    Raith cocked his head.

    "Why should I help you?"

    Raith had no hostility towards demons. If anything he was getting fond of them, Bm was a demon, Volmak was a demon, Absalom is a half demon. But this one on particr just made him angry, as if it was etched I''m his bones to hate this demon.

    "Because I have something to offer. Something that would interest you. You are a ruler aren''t you?"

    Raith''s frown rxed a bit.

    "And so?"

    "Judging by how your visage as a ruler is not evident, you are probably still an iplete ruler."

    "Iplete?"

    "Yes. You have not fully assimted. After full assimtion, you will reach the requirements and the ruler seed will be etched on your soul. That is when you begin your path as a ruler. I can help you assimte quick and in fact add some specialty to your ruler seed... all in exchange for something little."

    It was an intriguing offer. Up until now, Raith''s assimtion has been 10%, and the only way it has been moving is by quests. The abyss was not saying anything. This was an opportunity he didn''t want to pass up, not when he has been yearning for growth before he heads for Felfhiem.

    "Something little? It better be something little."

    "Well, all I need is a material body."

 Chapter 322 Confrontation

    ?

    "You see when there was a master I served. He left to roam the human world and I followed him but he met a great disaster and his life came to an end at the hands of it. I tried to run home but got seriously injured by this being. In order to preserve myself from dying I jumped out of my material body and my soul became a wanderer.

    For redefinition of purpose and to help my master''s resurrection. I need to have a material body. And I need your help for that."

    "What gives you the impression that I can create a material body for you."

    Beelzebub giggled.

    "Don''t y with me. You created a sun."

    His counterargument said it all and made Raith speechless.

    "Well..."

    He wanted to speak but Beelzebub went ahead...

    "You don''t need to contemte. There is nothing to contemte. I know you have the capability to create for me a material body. I have been to the best of artisans and still none were able to create a body that can withstand my soul. My wits tell me that you are the one I''ve been searching for."

    Raith scratched his temple. A few secondster he sighed.

    "I''m not promising you but I will think about it. I still can''t trust you yet."

    Raith replied.

    Beelzebub chuckled eerily and looked at Bm.

    "Then, I''ll be expecting your reply. You can just talk to this guy here when you are ready."

    He said and seeped back into the aura seeping out of Bastien who was now unconscious with his head bowed. Immediately Beelzebub was gone he raised his head with arge smile on his face.

    "Is it settled? Am I wee to stay."

    "Go to your house."

    Raith responded sternly and turned away. The demon still disgusted him and he didn''t know why.

    ''Hmmmmmmmmmm''

    "What?"

    Raith muttered, replying to his sword, Bal who seemed to be so concerned about something.

    ''That demon is very familiar, I can''t put my thoughts around it.''

    ''Well, he did mention that he used to serve Baal.''

    Raith replied to Bal in his thoughts. Since they shared synchronized thoughts, it was as easy as thinking.

    ''Ah right... it''s some that I can''t remember my past. Fuck those cksmiths that reforged me.''

    ''You must have gone through a lot.''

    ''Don''t show mepassion. It''s irritating.''

    ''Should I just have you reforged again so you can suffer more?''

    ''Pfft. Look at you, go ahead and try. Do you think any cksmith can touch me now? I used that cksmith to fortify my defense. Anyone that dares to touch me would be trapped in an infinite illusion of fear and struggles.''

    "What do you think about helping him?"

    Raith''s gaze shifted to Bm who was on his left as they walked to the mainstay of the people which was still far away from the airport.

    "Well, I don''t know what to say. I can feel it in him. He seems to be a really powerful demon but he is not part of the 72 true demons of Felfhiem. I have never seen him. I have heard rumors of the servant of Baal. But I know little about it. As at when Baal existed at the top of the ranking of the true demons, I was nothing but a child."

    "72 true demons?"

    "Yes. Demons have a ranking, it is this ranking that is used to determine the sharing of power withinyers. While those at the higher part of the ranking exist and rule the higheryers, those at the lower part exist and rule the loweryers and some demons such as myself are just wanderers, going here and there without a territory."

    "I see... that is why you thought of using Therut for your territory."

    "That was very stupid of me."

    Bm said with a tamed tone, bowing his head away from Raith. Secondster he continued the main point of the conversation.

    "But I would advise that you ept the offer."

    Raith stopped walking and Bm continued.

    "I think he knows what he is saying. Your assimtion has been incredibly slow. The rulers'' authority is very easy to master and contagious because they are sinners. It can only be hard for a righteous person and you are not a righteous person. Sometimes it feels as though someone is deliberately slowing down the process."

    "You say it as if it is something that should automatically be moving."

    Raith said, chuckling as he looked at Bm.

    His chuckling demeanor was wiped off by Bm''s icy stare.

    "Wait. It is?"

    "Yes."

    Bm nodded and continued...

    "The rulers do not need a catalyst of events, assimtion with their sins easily happen and when they are fully assimted they grow a ruler seed within them when the seed blooms they enter a phase of evolution. The hardest part is blooming the seed. But after the seed is bloomed, the ruler ovees his or her limits and gains new skills and other stuff associated with evolution and then they start to carry the weight of their sin. For the ruler of the sloth, it is sleep an uncontrolled level of sleep. Which is one of the things I wanted to report to you."

    There were so many pieces of information to take in from what Bm said. If he was hearing correctly and thinking with the best of his faculties, wouldn''t it be just safe to say that the abyss has been dying his assimtion?

    "Bm..."

    "Yes, my lord?"

    "Is it possible for assimtion to fall back?"

    "No... assimtion is like merging with the sin. It makes no sense that it wouldn''t happen."

    Raith clenched his fist, his brows knitted into a sinister scowl. Streaks of red and ck danced in his irises.

    "I''ll be right back Bm."

    With a rigid tone, he spoke and disappeared, turning into a mass of ck liquid, and that dissipated into thin air.

    "Ah...He looked very angry. I hope everything is okay"

    Raith found himself in a space of darkness. This was the zone of darker than ck. Where he often retreated to before he was resurrected after being killed, being able to go there without dying was one of the perks he had also received upon waking up due to his new heart.

    Generally speaking, his grasp over his power had increased amazingly.

    "You know why I am here?"

    He said, with a deep frown. He was facing the thick mass of palpable darkness.

    Multiple voices sounded at once.

    [HOW BOLD OF YOU TO WANT TO CLAIM THAT TITLE FOR YOURSELF]

    [DID YOU FORGET?]

    [WE GAVE IT TO YOU]

    [WE WILL SEE TO YOUR GROWTH AS A RULER]

    Raith gritted his teeth and lowered his head a little as he spoke.

    "I thought that after a few hard times together. You guys and I have finallye to an agreement not to hide anything from each other. And yet here you are trying to put a leash on me."

    [BLAME IT ON YOURSELF FOR MERGING WITH THE CRYSTAL OF CREATION]

    [IT WAS NEVER OUR AGREEMENT]

    "It was a pure coincidence. It wasn''t as though it happened because I wanted it to!!"

    Raith yelled at them. He was heaving and fuming.

    "You know what. Do whatever suits you and I will do whatever suits me. If you im that you will take all the power you have given me because things that are out of your control are beginning to happen in my life then so be it. I didn''te this far just to be controlled by a primordial that is too scared to step outside and face his war."

    [WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!]

    "I don''t need to know anything. One thing you are forgetting seriously is that I am your vessel and I carry your essence within me. I might have been dumb until now but all the burdens and selfishness you carry, I can feel it too."

    This too was an effect of the new heart. Having a grasp of all of the abyss in general.

    All Raith probably needed to do was to sit down, meditate, and pivot himself through the load of information that filled his head.

    But even now, the abyss found his words to be a bluff. But it was very bothering that Raith''s body merged with the crystal of creation. It waspletely out of sync with whatever n the abyss was preparing.

    And although the abyss tried its best. Put Raith in a deep sleep and for months was actively reducing the effect of the crystal on Raith''s body and powers. It still wasn''t enough.

    But if it wasn''t the abyss, Raith would be a thousand times more stronger. The crystal was so strong that even the gods coveted it, of course, they had no way of knowing it was possible to fuse one''s body with it.

    No one had ever done it, factually, this was not a possible thing and something that happened to Raith out of pure coincidence.

    He now felt the abyss was being more of a burden than a blessing. The only thing he would probably regret was losing his death soldiers, he could also lose the power of death.

    Raith shivered at the thought of losing the power of death... he quickly put himself together and wore a frown. He couldn''t admit it.

    But for now, he would focus on the assimtion. He would help Beelzebub and work on his assimtion as a ruler, and that would be the start of his rebellion with the abyss.

    Whatever will happen will happen, something did happen.

 Chapter 323 Celestial Code Strikes Again

    ?

    Raith reappeared a few minutester.

    "Where are they?"

    Bm was standing on the spot he was when Raith disappeared before.

    "The guest? He went into the city."

    Bm responds rigidly, with respect and honor boldly written in the way heposed himself to Raith.

    "Let''s go to them."

    "Yes, my lord."

    As Bm and Raith walked into the city.

    "That is right, you were talking about something to report."

    "Yes, my lord. I met a ruler."

    Raith stopped. He spent a few seconds shocked and looked at Bm.

    "You mean right here on earth?"

    "Yes."

    Bm nodded.

    "He is one of the unranked hunters and from what I see, he is a ruler of sloth."

    "Wow... and you met him at the conference?"

    "Yes, my lord."

    Bm nodded. Saying my lord over and over was hard for him because of the pride but decided he was going to keep saying it so that he would deal with his heart to fully ept Raith as his one true master.

    A grin slit out of Raith''s face.

    "Now I have more reasons to do this assimtion as fast as I can."

    Pocketing his hands, he looked up...

    "Things sure are getting interesting."

    Then they continued their walk into the city.

    After getting to the city, Raith greeted a few people here and there. Without being asked, the people were already building a massive lodging towards the edge of the rows of their own. It was like a consummation of the rubbish they had been building so far but it wasn''t bad.

    The kids held Raith''s hand as he entered the encirclement, they showed him to the ce, and somehow nothing but a smile filled his face... perhaps it had to do more with the fact that it was the children that led him there.

    He had to bend a bit to enter inside because they had done a mismeasurement of the door but the inside was nice. It was spacious enough. There was a woody smell but that was understandable, in the center there was a long table with chairs to the left and right and one single chair at the edge of the chair.

    However at the chair sat a man with his legs crossed over the table, yfully eating blueberries that the vigers had spent their precious time picking and left for Raith to eat the moment he came into the room.

    Anger once again permeated his muscles. He sifted through the space and the next second he was on the table with his leg a hair''s breadth away from crushing Bastien''s face alongside the blueberry that was about to enter his mouth.

    Bastien stared nkly with eyes widened. He almost felt his heart drop out of his chest. As Raith retracted his leg, the chair''s leg shattered and he fell to the ground.

    Raith had urately managed to exert the pressure in his leg at the exact ce he wanted it to be exerted on even though there without the interference of the person closest to him, it was like trying to shoot aura to someone behind a wall without shattering the wall. In this case, however, the chair was the someone and Bastien was the wall.

    It was something Raith had just pulled instinctively by [Multiple Cognitive Resonance]

    "What do you think you are doing?"

    "Yai, Yai, my bad. I didn''t know this ce belonged to you. I just wanted to rest."

    Bastien said, picking himself up. He giggled shyly.

    "Summon that mosquito demon. I want to talk to him."

    "Urg ugh, Beelzebub is not a mosquito. But he is a demon that is capable of controlling insects but putting it as mosquito is a..."

    "Hello, young man."

    Bastien went silent and unconscious as Beelzebub went unconscious.

    "I have decided to help you. But it won''t be for free."

    "Of course. I am offering to help you with your assimtion."

    Beelzebub pointed out with a soft chuckle.

    "No not that."

    Even as he talked Raith wore a rigid expression, a remnant of the confrontation he had with the abyss a few minutes ago.

    "Then what else do you want?"

    Even though it was mosquito-faced, an expression of benign curiosity could be sensed on Beelzebub''s face.

    "It costs a lot to use the skill which I will use. You will be the one to source for the runestones I will use and they have to be the best of the best, like ten of them."

    "Uh... my friend here has a lot of money and connections, consider it done."

    ''Of course, I know that much... that is why I am proposing ten even though two might just be enough.''

    ''Looks like someone is having sense''

    ''Shut up Bal''

    "Then the next...you will tell me all you know about Baal"

    Beelzebub''spound eyes narrowed.

    "Why will I do that?"

    "Because I have a sword he used."

    ''Hey! I never agreed to being used in a cheap trick like this!!''

    Bal shouted as he materialized into Raith''s hand.

    "Aaghhh!!!"

    Beelzebub let out a cry as he saw the ck sword in Raith''s hand.

    "Truly magnificent! Magnificent! How can this be?"

    His visage was shivering and his eyes wrinkled with tears as he saw the sword.

    Raith had expected a reaction but this was too much of a reaction. Why was the demon crying because of a sword?

    "It''s just a sword..."

    "No!!"

    Beelzebub shouted at him. Raith almost took a step Back at the ferocity of the shout. But he immediately frowned and warned:

    "Keep your voice down."

    "Ah, I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m so sorry. But where did you get the sword? How were you able to attune to it? As far as I know, it should be impossible for any human to attune to it."

    "I got it in a random store and the attunement naturally happened the moment it took my blood. What is with the extra reaction? I thought this was supposed to be Baal''s sword, is it something more than that?"

    Beelzebub continued to shiver, wishing he had hands he could stretch out to caress the sword.

    After a dozen seconds of squealing a look at the sword, he looked at Raith.

    "This is more than a sword. It is not a sword in fact, this is an aspect of demon lord Baal."

    Raith''s eyes narrowed,

    "What do you mean?"

    "My master lord Baal, created a clone of his soul and used it to forge his sword."

    Raith''s brow knitted.

    ''It did say the sword was forged by Baal''s blood but nothing was said about its soul.''

    "So I guess Baal was a saucy, annoying, rude demon?"

    Beelzebub''s voice came out with an intimidating aura.

    "I won''t allow you to speak to my lord like that."

    But Raith was not intimidated one bit.

    "Whatever... this means that this sword is Baal. But it had lost its memories. So I need to know all about Baal."

    "I think what you should be kin on knowing right now is why you, a human can attune to a Demonic sword, that too one that carries the soul of the strongest demon lord."

    ''It could be because of the abyss. Because the abyss is the root of all demons and it''s inside of me... but I can''t tell him that the abyss is in me. I don''t want him to be a fanatic like Volmak.

    Raith looked at the ck sword in his hand, It turned out the bastard was more special than he thought. There were a lot of things he didn''t understand in the world. He was beginning to understand that he had onlye far in a very small fraction of the vast reality that existed.

    Raith felt excited and fearful for his future.

    "I have a question."

    "Is that going to be part of the payment n?"

    "Why did Baale to the human world? It is part of you telling me all you know about Baal."

    Beelzebub stayed silent for a few seconds. He then looked at Raith.

    "Lord Baal is an entity that I have spent seven thousand years trying to understand and yet I have no idea what he is doing, what he is thinking. At some point in his life, he started to do research on reincarnation. I don''t know why but he had a lot of time to spare so he was always studying one spell or the other.

    All of a sudden he said he was going to go to the human world, hence he relinquished his rank as the strongest demon. He came to the human world... however, we were tracked by an archangel..."

    "An archangel?"

    "Yes... he was the strongest archangel, a man of war. Gabriel."

    Raith frowned, the name itself suggested such elegance and power showoff that made his heart tremble. It was like that, Gabriel was so powerful that the ambiance of his power was felt every ce his name was mentioned.

    "Lord Baal should never lost at the hand of that angel. No matter how much I think about it... it still looks like he lost intentionally."

    Beelzebub looked like he was gritting his teeth.

    Raith felt pity watching him fight with the reality of his master''s loss.

    "You did mention that angel Gabriel was strong right?"

    Wham!

    [You have vited a high code of conduct]

    [You have died]

    [You have gained ten levels]

    [You have gained +10 cosmic reputation]

    Beelzebub''s eyes widened as he saw Raith splurge out blood from his mouth, nose, ear, and eyes and copse to the ground.

    "Crap! I forgot! I forgot humans still have that limitation!!"

    Beelzebub shook with despair.

    "Did I just ruin my only chance of getting a material body?"

 Chapter 324 Proposition (1)

    <h4>Chapter 324 Proposition (1)</h4>

    [Due to title one who devours death, you will be resurrected]

    Beelzebub was still deliberating on what to do when he saw Raith spring back to his feet as if what happened just now was not a big deal. He even said...

    "I''m sorry you had to see that."

    Beelzebub''s eyes were almost bulging out of their socket.

    "Wh-wha-what? You died just now"

    "I wouldn''t like to continue to dwell on that topic but it seemed that I died because I mentioned his name."

    ''I even gained cosmic reputation...for what?''

    "That makes a lot of sense. The name of Gabriel at the mouth of one that has never encountered him or even has a mental presentation of what he looks like is a high-level vition of the celestial code."

    "Well, I learned my lessons the hard way."

    On Beelzebub''s face, the way hispound eyes focused on Raith made it obvious that he was dying to know what just transpired here. In fact, he was already concocting different analogies in his head.

    He after all used to be one hell of a scientist, obsessed with insect experiments. One would be surprised at his arsenal of oddities.

    "I will ask you for more information about Bal from time to time but if you want to get your material body then prepare the runestones. And be fast, I have to depart in a few days."

    "Depart?"

    "Yes. To Felfhiem... I suppose you know where that is."

    Beelzebub''s eyes widened.

    "If you are going to Felfhiem, do you perhaps know how to open the gate?"

    Raith turned his face away.

    "Not really."

    Admitting that he did could have given his link to the abyss away, one can never be too careful and must be thorough with the lies.

    "Alright...I will get back to you."

    He said and sank back into the red-haired man.

    Bastien shot his head up with a wild grin.

    "The red beast is back!"

    He paused for a moment and began to respond like he was on a phone call.

    "Uhm..."

    "Eh, ehn?"

    "Ohh..."

    "I see..."

    "Wait what?!! Ten?!!! Do you want me to go bankrupt?!!"

    "Uh! Ugh!!"

    He then went silent after a few seconds. His face contorted into that of defeat, then he threw a nce at Raith.

    "You greedy man. I can''t believe you are about to get ten high-rank runestones for free. One alone cost three hundred thousand dors. And you want to get ten. Just know that if Ie here to crash because I''m broke you don''t have the right to send me away."

    Raith stayed silent and watched in irritation as Bastien made a fuss and walked out of his abode.

    Then a wide smile spread over his face changing the mood like wildfire.

    "I didn''t actually think it would work but maaaaaannnn!"

    ''I will be gaining ten runestones, at most I will use two to create a skill for him. Then I can use the rest to develop my own skills. High-rank skills, this is jackpot!''

    Suddenly, Raith could hear a noise. It was a loud noise of the wind heaving and beating against each other which caused an even greater spread of wind around, carrying snow and little things. Clearing the ground, that was to an advantage but it ruined the houses that were yet to beplete.

    Arge Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter slowly descended on the ground. The people of Therut gathered around it and watched from a distance, those that were currently avable were inexperienced hunters, mothers, and children.

    While some stared with discontent, some with curiosity, many with unweing res.

    ¡ªThis was finally beginning to feel like home, what do these people want with us again?

    Majority of their gazes vividly said this.

    Raith stepped forward, and Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm who were afar joined him as quickly as they could. Even Bastien was in the middle of the cloud, he was about to leave but had not left.

    "Yaii yaii, what is this woman doing here so early."

    He mumbled.

    Raith looked over to him.

    "Apanion of yours?"

    "I don''t know if apanion is the right word. But the womaning now is the fourth unranked hunter in the world. And she is probablying to dish out your punishment for not attending the World Hunters summit."

    Raith cocked his head.

    ''She''s gonna punish me because I refuse to attend a summit?''

    He turned his head to Mok Jae-Hwa who shrugged. Raith looked back at thedy who began to descend the helicopter.

    She was donned in a ck suit-styled shirt with pzzo pants, a thick ck coat hung over her shoulders. As she reached Raith''s front she removed her shades and sized him up before talking.

    "I have heard so many rumors about you. Nice to finally meet you, Hunter Raven Raith."

    She said with an outstretched hand waiting to be shaken.

    Raith stared into her grey eyes. Even with the wrinkles on her face, she was clear and pristine, beautiful with elegance, and exuding the purest energy Raith had evere across.

    Gently he shook her hand, they were soft and cold. Then she carved out an enchanting smile.

    "Nice to meet you too."

    Raith responded sheepishly. It was the calmest Mok Jae-Hwa had seen him when approaching someone. He usually didn''t always care about manners and ethics.

    "We have a lot to discuss. Can Ie into your abode?"

    She asked, more like a statement than a question and her head slightly tilted, peeking at the new and shabby lodging behind Raith.

    "Will you be able to manage, it might be too ugly a ce for a person of your caliber."

    "Eh?!!"

    Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm screamed simultaneously. Raith just spoke politely to this woman.

    ''Am I imagining things?!''

    "attends une minute! Talk? You want to talk to him?!"

    "Do you have a problem with that Bastien?"

    "non maman"

    He responded, looking away, whistling.

    She smiled at him with her eyes slightly closing.

    "Then..."

    Raith turned and walked into his new lodging. Gilly was about to enter too but got stopped by Ruan Zhaohui herself.

    "I''d like this meeting to be private."

    "Bu¨C

    Wanting to object but she stopped as she saw the genteel smile on Ruan Zhaohui''s face. She became collected and stepped back, guarding the entrance.

    Bastien winked at her but she returned it with a death re.

    The state of the room was pitiful, the chair at the edge was shattered and the windows were small, the wood was dark brown and made it quite difficult for light to prate, making the enclosure quite dark.

    She sat down and Raith settled opposite her.

    For a few seconds, the two of them stayed in silence, with a soft smile maintaining a level of coolness on Ruan Zhaohui''s face. Raith showed a little distress for a few seconds. It was ufortable to sit alone with this woman and try to act his best behavior.

    "You didn''t attend the hunters'' summit."

    "I had more important things to do."

    "Oh oh... it''s the hunter''s summit you know. It is a conference that is held because of the detrimental effect of gate outbreaks when they cannot be contained by the hunters of each country."

    "And yet a massive gate has destroyed cities in India and not one summit has been held. However, the moment a gate imed the life of one unranked. You all suddenly make a move... that to me is hypocrisy and it''s irritating. The best I could be polite is to send Bm to represent me. After me, he is the strongest around here."

    Ruan Zhaohui''s eyes lowered as if they were almost closing.

    "There exists a vast difference between the value of lives. Li Mingwu''s life was worth more than that of a billion ordinary people. He had saved billions of lives. A gate capable of killing him should be considered a rank 1 red danger and be treated with utmost urgency. As for the gate in India... they have refused the help of external hunters."

    "Because they are offering an astronomically insane ount. For a country that is already spending all of its money to minimize damage and take care of its citizens, aren''t the hunters being too selfish?"

    "You are well informed." She smiled and continued, "I can''t control what a special rank does, not even an S rank. The hunters'' decisions are dependent on themselves and the associations or guilds. But if you are that concerned, why are you not there yet?"

    She asked so gently with a soft smile but her words were like that of a snake, biting at Raith''s face.

    "I intend to, after now."

    "Uh oh? What do we do? You are a major part of our hunt in the gate in America."

    "Should I care...?"

    Raith frowned.

    "Besides, you''ll be the only one heading to that kind of gate. Are you sure you will be able toe back alive?"

    Raith couldn''t help butugh.

    "I''m sorry... it was quite funny."

    He apologized and wiped away whatever was left of theugh off his face.

    "I will be more than enough to hunt both the gate in America and that in India."

    "Quite the words, you speak there hunter... if you are so sure then I have a proposition for you"

    ''I have to gauge for myself if you really are an unranked hunter.''

 Chapter 325 Proposition (2)

    <h4>Chapter 325 Proposition (2)</h4>

    "A proposition?"

    Raith said with a frown. As said, her words were like that of a snake. With her grating voice, they were pleasant to the ear but focus on them too much and one would miss the cunningness behind each word spoken

    "Since you said... You are more than capable enough to challenge both gates. I was thinking of bringing before you an interesting offer."

    Raith''s brows slowly creased.

    "What is this proposition that you have?"

    "Defeat both dungeons alone."

    "And what do I stand to gain from that."

    "For free maybe? Since you are not a hypocritepared to the hunters who charge astronomical amounts for a suffering country like India"

    Raith felt her words bite his guts. He smiled before replying to her.

    "You bring to me a proposition, if the meaning of proposition has not changed then I suppose that you are the hypocrite here. Do you intend to work me to the bones for free in the name of some proposition?"

    Ruan Zhaohui chuckled.

    "I don''t expect a young man such as you to be so good with words."

    "I usually am a very stupid person but for some reason, I am working my best to match your wits."

    "I''ll take that as apliment."

    Raith nodded with no visible emotion on his face.

    "Establishing a country takes a lot more than you are ready to bear."

    Raith lifted his head to her face.

    "You probably don''t know but the UN will not allow you to freely possess Antarctica... except if you show them a difference in power."

    Raith squinted his eyes.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean, except you are an unranked hunter who defeated a gate that not even Li Mingwu could defeat and also went on to defeat a gate that has pestered India for five years. The entire UN will stop at nothing to get Antarctica back from you. I know you are probably thinking... let theme, you can take care of all of them but this isn''t about you. It''s about the people you wish to protect.

    At some point the people need to make a living outside Antarctica for the sake of individual growth and development of themunity, if you make an enemy of the United Nations, your people will not be safe outside Antarctica.

    But if you defeat both gates you will be proiming yourself to be the strongest hunter even amidst the unranked. You will be one of us, the fourth of us even stronger than Li Mingwu. It will be evident to them that you are not just a national resource but a worldwide resource. Anywhere you go will be feared and respected, all nations shall respect your people and your words.

    In addition, you need to establish rtionships with nations that would greatly contribute to the development of your economy."

    Raith''s brow came tighter. It was because he couldn''t resist the truth that was evident in what she had just said. But hunting two gates just seemed too much. He was sure of one, but two...on a go.

    "Plus I personally will reward you with runestones, the best ranks of weapons, and exclusive entry into all nations, you don''t even need to have a passport and I have an item that you won''t ignore."

    "An item I won''t ignore?"

    "Have you heard of Hiroshima?"

    "No... I am not vast in the knowledge of this world."

    "I see... Hiroshima was said to be a victim of an atomic bomb, but that was just a cover-up story because of the level of destruction that happened in that city."

    She paused and looked at Raith expecting a certain surprised expression but she found nothing. She continued her talk regardless... perhaps in hopes that the shock woulde soon.

    "But in reality. What happened there was a fight between two entities, ancient history from 1845 tells us that it was between a man and an angel, some say it was between a demon and an angel. The fight did not spare thend, it destroyed every single life that was around Hiroshima.

    After the fight was over, a part of the angel''s wing was torn off. That part has passed through years and remains the same, it has been worshipped, it has been hated, and even I am struck by its beauty and healing power."

    "And you will give such an item to me?"

    "Yes, I will... if you do manage to defeat two gates."

    Raith''s lips curved up.

    "You really do bring one hell of a proposition."

    "I know. I am quite thorough in my thoughts... I also consider your best interest."

    "Or you are just trying to see how strong I am."

    "And isn''t the prize for your disy worth it?"

    Raith smiled and lowered his head.

    "Because all you have said makes a lot of sense. I like the offer, add money too."

    She raised a brow,

    "I didn''t expect that you''d be the money type."

    Raith released a stomachughter, he even pped the table one or twice before he slowly stopped. Still chuckling he proceeded:

    "Look at all of this, you think I wouldn''t be the money type? I have personal goals too. I have cars I wanna drive and this entire ce cannot continue to run on the resources I have right now."

    "I see... it is interesting knowing you. How much do you want?"

    "Five hundred billion dors."

    A bead of sweat ran down her face from her temple.

    "You say what now?"

    "What is it too much?"

    "For one who ims to not be a hypocritepared to the hunters that change in quote..." She gestured an air quote, "Astronomical amounts, does five hundred billion dors seem less astronomical to you?"

    "Well, you are the one who wants to disy, I''m merely charging you for how much I''ll be entertaining you."

    "Ah, seriously..."

    She giggled. Short of words to say to him she went silent for a while then came back...

    "I''ll give you two hundred and fifty..."

    "Four hundred."

    "Three hundred and fifty..."

    ''For just wanting to confirm someone''s rank for the sake of bncing the prestige of the unranked and protection of the world, I am spending quite the money. You better be proud of me wherever you are Li Mingwu... you rotten old man''

    Raith paused, squinted his eyes, stared at Ruan Zhaohui for a couple of seconds, and smirked.

    "Okay fine. Nice doing business with you. Give me all necessary arrangements to enter the gate and get back to me in three days."

    Her eyes went round.

    "Three days?"

    "What? It is too small?"

    "No, it is perfectly fine"

    ''I thought he''d request a month of preparation but three days? Three days?!''

    "Okay then... I will do the necessary preparations and get back to you."

    Raith slightly lowered his head but looked towards the small door as noise rose again but this time it was noise of the people.

    "Is everything okay?"

    Ruan Zhaohui asked.

    But a smile formed on Raith''s face.

    "Some elites were designated as hunters to help hunt food for the people. They probably have arrived."

    Raith said, standing up. He guided Ruan Zhaohui outside the lodging. He was still gentle in the way he spoke to her and handled her.

    As they reached outside, the upstarting vige was filled with crowds of people, at the vige center was arge monster carcass, full of meat, the head was missing and separated from therge body.

    Apparently, the team led by Jarvis had encountered an anomalous boar, asrge as a mammoth. They were looking bruised and battered¨Cit was very easy to tell how much they struggled.

    Amber Rose especially was so ruined that are breastte had a webbed crack drawn right in the center. Her eyes looked heavy and void, she was barely standing and was being assisted by a dark-haired guy.

    Jarvis, full of elegance in white and ck smoke matched towards Raith, hanging his greatsword on his back. He bowed to one knee in front of Raith.

    "My liege, I havepleted the task youmitted onto my hands."

    "Ah, I can see that too. Well done Jarvis. You can hang around and return whenever you like."

    "Yes, my liege. I also brought the spoils of war to please your taste." Jarvis opened a ck smoky pouch. It was one of the things that were naturally added to him after his upgrade.

    Upon turning the pouch over, colorful crystals and runestones began to pour out of it. It took a few minutes for the outpouring to stop and it was like a mountain equal to Raith''s eyes. The kids could dive into it if they wanted.

    ''Just how many monsters did this guy kill... Jarvis has gotten strong.''

    The crowd awaited Raith''s response but stared hungrily at the beast that upied their middle.

    "I think these people are waiting for you."

    Ruan Zhaohui whispered to Raith.

    Then he looked at all of them¡ªthat was when it became obvious.

    "Could it be... that they want to feast?"

    Ruan Zhaohui smiled much.

    "I''m baffled that it took you this long to realize. You are quite slow-witted. You need to dere it a feast."

    Raith knew that much. But saying like her saying it pressured him to do it. He couldn''t escape from the role of leading the people even if he wanted to. Things like this he would love to avoid but he has alsoe to understand that some things he just has to do.

    He stepped forward and looked around. There were mumbles before but as soon as he stepped forward a deafening silence overwhelmed the air.

    "Here in front of us... lies arge boar, far meaty than anything I have ever seen!! Tonight! We feast!!"

    The crowds rose in cheers and scream as he dered while he squirmished back to where he wasing from.

    Ruan Zhaohui shook her head.

    "And you really n to lead a country?"

 Chapter 326 Preparations

    <h4>Chapter 326 Preparations</h4>

    Few hourster, the rest of the group that went on hunting for monster resources arrived and joined the dinner celebration, people chattered and kids yed here and there as arge pot wide enough to contain the carcass of the monster slices to different parts.

    Chefs could be seen standing on makeshift tforms to be able to reach the pot, stir and do other things. By night, the food was avable inrge potion. The first things they did was to bring the food to Raith''s front, everyone anxiously sat down as they waited for Raith to taste the food. The chefs anxiously waited in front of him.

    They had been very good chefs in Therut and had were the best there, but before Raith they doubted their skills and hoped that Raith would truly enjoy it.

    As Raith took the first bite of tenderized meat, it hit his buds so badly that he wanted to cry.

    "It''s good, sooooo good. Ten over ten!" He said giving them a thumbs up.

    The anxiety on the chefs disappeared and jumped happily, so did the rest of the people. They went on to dive into thr delicacy for the night.

    Beer was supplied, Raith had them use teleportation to get enough beer to go round for the adults. By dawn, the entire ce was filled with people who had passed out or where sleeping on the floor and different areas and corners of the pseudo town.

    The rising of the sun, cast a serene cantaloupe hue to thend.

    Raith and Ruan Zhaohui came out and Raith bowed his head slightly as she walked to her helicopter. She had decided to stay the night and had all the fun with them which was a very warm-hearted thing to do.

    Raith watched as her helicopter fluttered away. He inhaled and exhaled, the next time they would be meeting is when he is ready to challenge the gate in America.

    He looked around for Mok Jae-Hwa but it was quite hard to find the young man. Finally he saw him sleeping, curled up in the corner between two shabby houses.

    It then took another while to wake him.

    "Jae-Hwa..."

    "Yes..."

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s reply was sluggish.

    "Where is your father?"

    "Americ....ssshhuu!!" He sneezed.

    Raith shook his head and walked away. Mok Jun-Seo had left since he heard about Li Mingwu''s death and since then no one has heard anything from him. Now, that he would be going to fight the monster that killed his master, Raith wanted to inform Mok Jun Seo and promise him to have at the head of the monster.

    He went back into his lodge which for now had only one room apart from the main hall. He had to let Ruan Zhaohui use the room overnight so he didn''t get any sleep and instead decided to patrol the whole ce while everyone had recklessly slept off.

    Maria and Slyvia was there with him too. Of course Slyvia with her grumpy attitude ended up leaving a whileter and it was just he and Maria who for some reasons had a glowing skin, she had obviously be fresher.

    Was it because of the sun or because of atmosphere. It was both.

    Raith fell to the bed on his face and in a minute or two easily slept off.

    Later in thete afternoon he was woken up by an annoying presence.

    Raith stood up sluggishly but after a few seconds of booting, his eyes cleared.

    He looked up and saw Bastien.

    "What is this? Have you gotten it?"

    Bastien was with a frown, he was angry but he still responded pouting his mouth,

    "Yes, all ten stones have been secured."

    A bright smile invaded Raith''s face.

    ''I didn''t expect this to happen to early. But I guess it is no bad idea since I will be gaining more skills and he will even be helping me assimte with the greed sin. All the better, I will be prepared for the battle toe.''

    Raith walked outside. It waste in the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly and the snows on the ground had greatly reduced. Sound of hammering could be heard here and there as people were busy building this and that.

    In front of Raith''s lodge there was a table and chair, it was where he was made to sit yesterday when they wanted him to taste the food they made.

    Therge pot was missing, seems like they have taken it away to go wash or something. It''d be stupid to ask about such a thing.

    Raith sat down, as Bastien began to bring to arrange the boxes of runestones beside him.

    So many runestones to absorb, Raith looked at the pile of runestones that were in front of him. The one Jarvis had brought for him yesterday, even Crimson had also brought a lot of runestones.

    ''Should I absorb all? Or I should probably share some with the people who have awakened their skills''

    For now, he focused his attention on these ten runestones.

    He opened the first box and pick the runestone, clenching his fist around it.

    [Congrattions, you have gained an SSR ranked skill]

    [Congrattions, you have gained a USR ranked skill]

    [Congrattions, you have gained a USR ranked skill]

    [Congrattions, you have gained a gained a EX ranked skill]

    [Congrattions, you have gained a UR ranked skill]

    [Congrattions, you have gained a...

    It went on and on till Raith had absorbed all ten runestones. He then inhaled as he opened his status to see the skills he had gained.

    They were too good to let go.

    [Skills]

    - Deep Freeze(SSR): Freezes a target for an indefinite amount of time.

    - Weather Prediction(SR): ability to predict the weather condition up to weeks and months.

    - Paralyze(SR): able to paralyze a target upon contact when skill is activated.

    - Drain(SSR): able to drain and absorb a target''s energy with a touch.

    - Special Parallel Operation(UEX): no info

    - God Eye(EX): imbues the user''s sight with immense visual prowess.

    - Body Cloning(SSR): can create a clone of your body.

    - Observer''s Eye(SSR): a visual powers that enables user to vividly see all the energies in the air.

    - Nullify Magic(UR): nullify certain magic attacks.

    - Strengthen Body(USR): allows user to strengthen his body

    Raith rubbed his chin...

    "Delete weather prediction"

    [You have gained 100 skill fragments]

    Raith looked down the list of skills that spread out before his eyes. Apart from weather prediction, there was no other skill worth deleting. The rest of these skills look like they would be very useful in theingbat.

    He looked towards the runestones that were piled up.

    ''Should I just depend on those ones? But the skill fragments that wille from them wouldn''t be sufficient.''

    Raith sighed.

    If he really wanted to do this, then he had no choice but to use these skills. Besides, these piled up runestones were going to take forever to absorb.

    Crying internally, Raith started:

    "Delete strengthen body"

    [You have gained 200 skill fragments]

    "Delete observer''s eyes"

    [You have gained 200 skill fragments]

    [You have gained 200 skill fragments]

    ...

    Finally, Raith settled with three skills, he couldn''t bring himself to delete.

    [God''s eye]

    [Body Cloning]

    [Special Parallel Operation]

    He left God''s eyes because of how interesting it sounded. It was so obvious from the skull description that his visual prowess would increase tenfold should he begin to use the skill.

    As for Body Cloning, Raith was beginning to have an ideae up in his head. He might not even have to use all the skill fragments if necessary.

    "So...?"

    Raith attention went up to Bastien who was standing in front of him.

    "Give me a little time. There is something I want to do."

    He stood and went inside.

    "Use skill shadow creation"

    The system interface opened before his eyes.

    "But instead of using shadow as the property, I''d love to use another material"

    [Specify material]

    Raith closed his eyes, and his flesh separated into two, creating an exact mimic of his body.

    "Use this..."

    [Create body features]

    Raith scribbled a few things here and there and finished up.

    Then the system did its thing... after a few minutes. It was done.

    The body was first shrouded in darkness but as time went by the second, the darkness faded to reveal pitch ck straight hair that gently hung over a craggy face with bulging grey eyes, appealing in a menacing way.

    The body was tall but slimmer than Raith''s original body, he made some changes here and there including adding a scar across its face to prevent it from being as handsome as he is.

    "This is nice."

    Raith grinned, he was d this went the way he nned it too. Now, he could save all those gathered skill fragments for emergency times.

    He stepped our and called to Bastien.

    "It''s ready."

    "So quick?"

    Bastien was shocked but he followed Raith into his lodge and saw the body standing there.

    "Wow..." Bastien''s eyes went round as he looked at the body.

    It was flesh and blood, looking like an exact human.

    "How..." He mumbled but went to sleep as Beelzebub emerged.

    "Indeed, I was not wrong about you. Now let me take a look if it will be able to take my soul without shattering."

    As he spoke, he began topletely detach himself from Bastie''s body. Detaching himselfpletely, he shot into the new body.

 Chapter 327 The End Of The Beginning

    Chapter 327 The End Of The Beginning

    "Wow...it feels..."

    Beelzebub squeezed his fists, rxed them, and squeezed again. He stretched his hand and retracted, bent down and up. Made a few jumps, walked, jog on a spot.

    "Ah! It is working!! It is perfectly working!! I owe you a lot!"

    Beelzebub resounded with joy evident in his tone as he held Raith''s shoulders and shook him rigorously.

    "Stop! Stop!! stop!!!"

    Beelzebub took his hand off Raith and quickly apologized.

    "My bad, I was overtaken by the joy of being alive again."

    "Make sure you try your best not to touch me. I can kill off the body just with a snap of my finger."

    Raith lifted his hand in demonstration which allowed Beelzebub to quiet down.

    "Although that was not part of the bargain..."

    "How else was I to make sure that you wouldn''t betray me or you were not lying to me."

    Beelzebub sighed. "You are a thorough man."

    "Ah! Is that you?!" Bastien eximed as he opened his eyes.

    "Yes. Thank you very much for all those times. Thanks to you¨C

    Bastien hugged him halfway through his speech.

    "Man, I''m just happy you finally made it"

    ''It is weird to see a human have a cordial rtionship with a demon... well, I am not the one to judge others''

    Raith smiled.

    "If you are done with your greetings I''d like you to teach me how to fully assimte with my sin and be a true ruler."

    Beelzebub removed himself from Bastien''srge hug and moved towards Raith.

    "Of course. It is fine by you, can we go somece secluded."

    "Secluded? Why?"

    "Do not undermine the process. You will need to be as far away from everyone as you can so as not to corrupt the people."

    Raith tilted his head. He was still skeptical.

    "You don''t trust me, I understand but you have no reason to fear. You can just cut my life if you want to."

    "What if you are just trying to take something from me? You are a demon, demons are very nasty."

    "Yes. You are right, I am a demon but I do not see as to why I need to use an underhanded method to get things from you. Besides the presence of that sword changes a lot for me. In a thousand years of wandering this earth. This is the first time I havee across a link to my master''s. Every Fibre of my being is telling me to stick with you."

    Raith pushed his head back a little and wore an irritation on his face.

    After a while, he sighed and closed his eyes.

    "I don''t trust you but I don''t want to stay weak either. If there is a certain proportion of strength that I should be exhibiting as a ruler, I want to realize that proportion without being held back by anything or anyone."

    He slowly opened his eyes.

    "And that is why I will follow you. Because I believe that you have something valuable to offer to me."

    "I am not stupid enough to bite the back of my benefactor." Beelzebub made clear.

    Afterwards, both of them departed alone. Heading into the mountains which were already free from the snow¨Cwarm in fact, their greenness was beginning to outshine and pour around every area like a canopy.

    "Is this far enough?"

    After walking for an hour, Raith asked.

    They were very far away from the settlement. Beelzebub looked around, he could see the settlement like a tiny dot from his vantage point, they hade far, climbing up and down several mountains.

    But he was d throughout the journey. Not only was this body his style of physique, but it also had near-perfect stamina, its nimbleness he had no issue with. The rest he would fix as he continues to get ustomed to the body.

    He managed to take his mind off the excitement of this new body and focused on Raith.

    He inhaled deeply and began:

    "The things I want to tell you are told to me directly by my master the demon lord Baal. In the beginning, there was an entity called sin..."

    Raith showed signs of distrust that made Beelzebub pause.

    "The story is also a part of it. I bet you have never heard of the things I am about to say to you and you should be very ready because the celestial code will kick in a thousand times."

    Hearing Beelzebub say that, made Raith sit up and straighten his face. If Beelzebub was saying that the celestial code would obstruct the flow of this information several times then this is something serious.

    "Alright, I''m ready to speak."

    Beelzebub nodded after confirming Raith''s readiness.

    "Okay, there were three primordials that preceded the almighty creator. Light, Darkness, and Sin. Unlike the primordial Light and the primordial Darkness who had a fixated characteristic, Sin was unstable and was more like a younger brother to the two primordials.

    Because of the monstrous power that the primordial Sin possessed, the two primordials began to mentor and teach him in different ways and for different purposes. The primordial of light wanted to control him and contain him as he has an astonishing affinity towards evil. While the primordial of darkness wanted to...

    [You have died]

    [You will take longer than usual to resurrect]

    ''Oh God, I have been talking without paying attention. The code must have been crushing him from the insides all through.''

    Beelzebub thought in his head as he saw Raith copse to the floor with blood flowing out from his mouth, nose, and ear.

    But he has seen this scene before. He patiently waited for the unusual man to wake up.

    Meanwhile__

    "What do you mean, it will take longer than usual for me to resurrect?!!"

    [BE CAREFUL HUMAN, DO NOT WALK THIS PATH]

    Raith squinted his eyes, the multiple voices sounded like they were begging.

    A grin spread across his face. Was this it? This was all it took for them to break up, this was the reason why they wouldn''t share with him.

    From the moment Beelzebub began mentioning darkness, Raith had thought of the possibility that the primordial of darkness is the abyss. No, it wasn''t that he thought of the possibility¨Che was sure.

    This was the information he needed, with this he would be able to find what exactly it is that the abyss wants.

    But the problem was resurrection. If the abyss itself withholds his resurrection, then there is nothing he would be able to do.

    Raith frowned as an idea came to mind.

    "I suppose you are not ready to let me go right."

    [IF YOU WILL CONTINUE TO WALK IN DISOBEDIENCE, THIS PLACE SHALL BE YOUR GRAVE]

    Raith was not surprised. Darker than ck was a ce that didn''t have any use other than just holding him in between life and death. He could dy hising back to life with it. And now that very ce was going to be his grave.

    Raith smirked, "I was a big fool for trusting you." He said, even though he never truly trusted the abyss fully. He always knew that he was being used and knew that one day the abyss would flip or possibly betray him.

    After the abyss took over his body in Therut when he was confronting the archon, he had begun to fear greatly that the abyss might be aiming to make him reach the pinnacle of straight and hijack his body for itself.

    If that was the case then it wouldn''t be a bad idea to drop the abyss for good. Even though he might start from the beginning. Raith felt he could just run to some remote ce and live a mediocre life away from the rest of the world.

    But that was until his body got merged with the crystal of creation. Even now, Raith didn''t know the true extent of the new body and power he now possessed. And it wasn''t his fault, because the abyss had sealed everything.

    Unique skills, Ultimate skills, Origin skills, these were cosmological terminologies that Raith should have been used to by now. The true voice of the world that instructed selected few of their growth but the moment that voice came to Raith, it was blocked out by the abyss never to be heard of again.

    The abyss because of its own goal had been keeping Raith confined within a certain limitation since his growth was faster than it had foreseen.

    The potential that Raith possessed far surpassed what the abyss envisaged.

    And the moment Raith assimtes fully with the sin of greed, everything will be out of control. Raith would stop ying the abyss games and be conscious of the entire game field.

    Because the first thing such assimtion will do is... remove the limitations ced by the celestial code. The moment Raith bes a true ruler; the start of something even bigger. He would be able topletely nullify the celestial code.

    That is he would be separated from the group of those that the celestial code restricts from knowing certain things, should there now be an even greater level of celestial code, he would be able to nullify it.

    Because assimtion with the sin causes an evolution in the body.

 Chapter 328 Death

    Chapter 328 Death

    "Use attribute; creation"

    Silence ensued and nothing happened after Raith spoke. He pped his face in disappointment.

    "Of course, you are the one in charge of the attributes, all information execution has to pass through you."

    [...]

    [GIVE UP ON PURSUING MEANINGLESS THINGS]

    "Meaningless? Meaningless and you are stopping me from resurrecting right now?"

    Raith smiled and sat down with his legs crossed, he folded his arms and closed his eyes.

    "It''s fine. I am ready to die right here and right now. Let''s end it."

    Raith was serious with the things he said. It was very obvious now that the abyss wanted to use him. And it wasn''t going to give him the privilege of information, a lot of things had happened up to this point, and Raith was sure he had grown far stronger than he used to be.

    But he was still in the dark, he was in the dark about a lot of things. Has answers to nothing and the abyss wanted to keep it that way, this was getting boring for Raith.

    If the abyss would continue to withhold him due to certain reasons, then it is better off that he dies right here and right now.

    He did have a few regrets but he was sure that Mok Jae-Hwa and the rest would take care of everything.

    ''So this is where everythinges to an end uh'' He was currently in the process of steeling himself for his own death.

    Meanwhile_on the outside.

    Beelzebub stood with his hands behind his back, it''s been a few hours but Raith was not standing up. He bent down and took a closer look¨Chis eyes shot wider in shock.

    Raith''s body was beginning to go cold.

    He was about to re up and run to the town when he heard a sound.

    "Hey, bastard!"

    He paused and looked around.

    "I''m talking to you, I''m right here."

    He carefully traced the hoarse voice and finally, his eyes rated on the ck ring that was around one of Raith''s fingers.

    "The ring?" He mumbled, unsure.

    "I am Bal, the one this brat talked about"

    Immediately Beelzebub dropped to the ground and bowed.

    "My lord!!"

    "I am not sure what you mean but I need you to do something quick"

    "Anything my lord"

    Such was Beelzebub''s loyalty to Baal, that he would treat a mere sword created by his master with utmost respect as if he were rting to Baal himself.

    "Remove me from his finger."

    "Sir?"

    "Be quick! He is dying!!"

    Hearing that part, Beelzebub hurriedly drew out the ring from Raith''s fingers, Immediately Bal transformed into a ck sword and fell onto his hand.

    As if the weight of the world fell on him, Beelzebub could not bear the weight of the sword and fell to his knees cracking the ground.

    "I don''t have the time to exin to you but you have to stab his heart with the sword."

    "Sir?!"

    "Listen, there are two hearts in his body. One needs to die so that the other can thrive perfectly, which is why we will kill it."

    Beelzebub was still not understanding what Bal was saying, but the urgency in Bal''s tone informed him that he didn''t,, in fact, need to understand, he just needed to do as he was told.

    But how was he going to lift the sword, all of his body was paralyzed and heavy because the sword was resting on his hand. How is he supposed to carry such a sword?

    ''How is he able to do it...''

    The curiosity sprawled into his mind. That''s right, how was Raith able to bear the weight of the sword without feeling it? Beelzebub himself was a witness to the birth of this sword, he saw when Baalpleted and with the kind of person Baal was, he made it so that no one would be able to wield the sword except him.

    So how is Raith able to wield the sword?

    Beelzebub knitted his brows as he thought about it.

    ''He said he attuned with the sword after adding his blood.''

    A sword created by Baal''s blood can only ept Baal''s blood. This was a prominition but if it is true then it better exins the premonition he has been having since he saw Raith. That urge to stay with him.

    "Hey!!"

    Right! This was not the time to be distracted by the thoughts, Bal said Raith was dying. If Raith should die then there would be no way of confirming his suspicions. Which is why he must do this.

    "For the return of my master!!!"

    He screamed as he grabbed the handle of the sword and began to lift it, with shit-dropping groans. But the sword, like a burden of endless night, refused to move an inch.

    Bal itself wished that anyone was able to wield it because this was a desperate moment if they didn''t act fast Raith could end up being dead forever.

    As a matter of fact, he didn''t even know what it was he wanted to do, all he had was a just feeling that if Raith''s heart is crushed, something will happen.

    As Beelzebub continued to strain his muscles against the weight of time, his flesh began to give away...with a silent plea, tearing like fragile parchment with horrendous pain etched into a dance of agony on his skin.

    Each sinew''s struggle, each fiber''s strain, painted a portrait of Beelzebub''s determination to save Raith¡ª the hand of his new body was slowly tearing apart thanks to the crucible will of the sword. But even against such a mighty wall, Beelzebub showed astonishing courage and continued to pull...

    And the result of his efforts finally came. Inch by inch the sword began to rise, defying the limits of mortal guise¡ªwith ast breathe pull, Beelzebub raised it with all his might, it cost another summon of strength to push his leg forward and just allow the sword to fall on Raith''s heart.

    Immediately he dropped the sword on Raith''s chest, and he fell to the floor as if his back was breaking when he tried pushing his leg forward. He panted and continued to pant while lying there on the ground.

    ''Now what?''

    Bal himself wondered after confirming that Raith''s initial heart had been crushed.

    A second passed, two seconds, a dozen seconds, a couple of minutes... Beelzebub patiently waited, sitting humbly before the sword.

    Then after a while a pump was heard.

    Ba-dump

    Ba-dump

    Ba-dump

    From the new heart that was situated towards the right side of Raith''s chest. That''s right, the crystal heart began to pump blood into Raith''s body since the original heart stopped working.

    Meanwhile_

    Raith suddenly felt a throb in his chest. Even though he was in a physical medium between life and death, he began to vomit blood.

    [WHAT IS HAPPENING?!]

    The abyss wailed into the darkness as it saw Raith begin to die for real.

    Raith didn''t like this but the agony in the abyss tone was very satisfying.

    "This is so enjoyable for me. I guess you never thought that I would die that was why you were not freaked out before now."

    He coughed blood.

    "Well guess what dummy. I''m dying soon and you are back to square one with your ns of using people"

    He said, holding out his middle finger.

    Things began to get very slow, he could feel his senses dropping out. His body slowly became unresponsive...Raith was sure... this was the end for him.

    But suddenly, the entire backdrop transformed into an immacte canvas of purest white.

    This immacte canvas enveloped everything in a luminous white, as though the world had been cocooned in the embrace of untouched snow, radiating an ethereal purity that held both awe and wonder.

    Raith turned around and looked, all sides were the same, and endless sprawl of whiteness to and beyond the horizon.

    "Is this afterlife? Considering that I partnered with the devil, am I deserving of an afterlife?" He chuckled as he spoke to himself. His little mumblings echoed to the infinite ends of the white nes.

    "No, this is not afterlife."

    A thin voice almost like that of a female responded to him.

    Raith didn''t need to stress himself to look for the owner of the voice because, after the response, someone materialized in front of him.

    The person in front of him possessed a kind countenance framed by a square-jawed face. His eyes were a serene shade of ocean blue, holding a depth ofpassion that radiated warmth. A mop of chestnut hair, lightly tousled framed his forehead and cascaded down to his shoulders.

    His physique was neither imposing nor frail but carried an air of approachability. His demeanor in fact seems to be drawing others to him like a gentle breeze on a tranquil day.

    Raith raised a brow as he observed the gentle smile of the person in front of him. He was sure he had nevere across someone like this person before. But yet for some reason... he seems to be able to recognize the person so much.

    He stepped closer slowly to take a better look at the face, to confirm if he truly had seen the person.

    But no, he had never. And so how can he be so sure?

    His lips opened but closed back thanks to his hesitation. Weirdly, the man''s gentle smile seemed to be encouraging him to say the word that danced at the tip of his lips.

    In a final defiance of the struggle, Raith finally spoke...

    "Fel?"

 Chapter 329 Fel (1)

    Chapter 329 Fel (1)

    Even after calling out the name, the man smiled.

    "I didn''t think, the abyss would be able to get hold of a fine young man such as you."

    Raith''s mouth dropped in surprise. He spoke the name as a nudge but it hit him differently to realize that that he was standing in front of... in front of such a worthless bastard.

    Raith leaped from where he stood and pounced upon the genteel man, he began to batter him with punches while cursing at him and thanking him for making his life so miserable. No matter how much Fel begged there was no saving him from this miserable onught.

    Until when he shouted:

    "Please don''t kill me, I only came here to help you!!"

    The next punch that Raith was hurling towards him stopped mid-way.

    "Help me? How? I''m dead already."

    "Yes, you are. But I can still help you."

    Raith frowned.

    "Are you shitting me? How do you want to help me when I''m dead already? You better get to the point before I destroy that wipe away that handsomeness from your face with my punch."

    "Okay, okay, I''ll get to the point. The thing is, I nted something in the abyss before dying to help the next victim whoever it may be. This is not me, this is only a message."

    Raith''s brows rxed and he stood up. Fel also climbed to his feet gently and continued,

    "Firstly I''d like to ask you. What is the uniqueness that is given to you by the abyss?"

    "Death and failure. I can ovee death and gain sess by failing. Although I haven''t enjoyed much of thetter." Raith''s response was brief and straight to the point, with a scrutinizing gaze all over Fel as he spoke.

    "Timish! You are so unique, I have never heard of such uniqueness!"

    "What about you? Was it not the same for you?"

    "The same? No way. Our innate potential contributes more to the uniqueness we receive from the abyss. Which means for you my friend, you are very special!"

    Even as he spoke, he exuded that aura of purity and innocence¡ªit was beginning to make Raith doubt if this guy was capable of doing all those things that were said of him.

    "For me, my uniqueness is the ability to be anything. Of course, some conditions have to be met, I can even be a god, of course, some conditions have to be met."

    It suddenly clicked!

    Raith finally understood how he reigned as a demon andter became an archon again.

    "Are you human?"

    Raith asked.

    "Yes, only a human can serve as a host for the abyss. Since it is a parasitic rtionship, the abyss leeches of the human. Giving strength and power are all fonts to not make the human''s loss noticeable. I''m telling you, should you have walked another path you would have been much more greater than you are right now. The abyss ces a great limitation on our growth, itpletely restrains your potential from running amok while using you for its selfish goals."

    "Well, I just realized that a few minutes ago. Too sad, I died before I can finally be liberated from its tentacles of control." Raith''s countenance fell.

    "Yeah... too bad," Fel said after him, his facial expression reflecting Raith''s for a moment. Then his eyes shot open with a vibrant glow of happiness.

    "But fear not! It is why I have prepared this message"

    Raith looked at Fel, wiping away the remnant of his sadness.

    "What do you mean?"

    "It is impossible to totally break away from the control of the abyss. But it is possible to leverage yourself so highly that you will have equal control over yourself. You will be able to fight on equal grounds with the abyss."

    "Wow, you prepared something like that?!"

    "Yes! I did it secretly, the abyss did not even notice." He responded with a proud smirk.

    "Wow, you are amazing... that is what I would have said if I did not know of the awful things you have done."

    "Spare me, please... I had no choice. I had everything to lose should I go against the abyss."

    Raith let out a light scuff.

    "I can rte to that."

    "But I hope I will be able to pay for my mistakes with this... I have been doing some charity work here and there the moment I began to repent..."

    "Is that why you offered your life as the foundation of Therut?"

    "Yes... I had no choice, no matter how much I wanted to cling to life, it was the only way to hide the crystal from the abyss."

    "Ugh?!! Come again, you were hiding the crystal from the abyss not from the gods and celestials?"

    "Well, there was that too. But the true reason why I chose to die was to keep the abyss from using the crystal."

    "You went through all the stress to get the crystal for the abyss and then you died after getting it. What changed?"

    "You are quite insightful. I like you." Fel smiled and put his hand behind his back. "I discovered the abyss true goal, it was after stealing the crystal that I had my first meeting with a primordial."

    "You have met a primordial?!" Raith was shocked, to hear his predecessor had met a primordial gave him an immense boost of morale.

    "It is not as amazing as you think it to be, I can still feel the chills in my bones when I think of her cold stare. She was a no-nonsense primordial. But she opened my eyes."

    "She sounds like she''s going to be an amazing primordial" Raithplimented with a smile. He didn''t know why but Fel''s description of the primordial made him want to know more about her. But he was too focused to get distracted by that.

    "How did she open your eyes?"

    Fel''s face became stern the moment he asked.

    "Listen well my sessor."

    Raith gulped.

    Fel continued...

    "The abyss wants to destroy the world. To be exact, it wants to destroy the wheel of cosmology and be the wheel itself."

 Chapter 330 Fel (2)

    Chapter 330 Fel (2)

    The words as they came out of Fel''s mouth made Raith''s face frown in horror.

    "What did you say?©\

    Fel raised a finger as he continued to exin.

    "I don''t know if you know this already but the abyss is a primordial. To be precise, he is the primordial of darkness."

    "Ah, I guessed as much."

    "He lost his body and majority of his power when he tried to absorb the primordial of sin."

    This was in line with the same story that Beelzebub was telling him a few minutes ago before the celestial code kicked in.

    "Please tell me everything down to thest detail"

    "Of course. Make no worries for yourself. We have all day." He said with a grin and continued.

    "The primordial of sin was the greatest primordial, he was also the youngest of the three primordial of the beginning. However he was like a child, unsure of his path in the world, he held within him a very big potential to either be evil or to be good and so his two brothers began to tutor him with the intent to help him navigate his path.

    That was on the outside, on the inside, both of them had their motive for teaching him. The primordial of sin however began to enjoy the teaching of the primordial of light but also did not ignore the teaching of the primordial of darkness. It found a perfect for both teachings to exist.

    But the primordial darkness refuted that bnce. It didn''t want it to be bnced, it wanted it to run amok, be free, and wreak havoc. But that was not happening. And so the primordial of darkness got desperate and tried to absorb his brother.

    Which was harder than he thought it would be. But the primordial of darkness was also quite strong, to salvage itself and prevent itself from being absorbed into darkness, the primordial of sin divided itself into twelve parts based on the teachings of both of its brothers.

    Which waster known as the ruler''s authority. The seven deadly sins and the seven heavenly virtues."

    "But I thought the ruler''s authority is only the seven deadly sins."

    "That is because the seven heavenly virtues are chosen by the primordials themselves. Of course, only humans can inherit these authorities. But while the seven deadly sins are scattered around the nes of existence. The primordial of light was able to contain the seven heavenly virtues and selected humans to serve as rulers.

    You don''t get to see them in action, but they are crazy strong. No sh of the virtue rulers and sin rulers have ever been recorded but I don''t think any sin ruler is capable of defeating them. I mean, they are humans personally handpicked and trained by primordials."

    "So... back to the point."

    "Yes, back to the point. The separation caused a great injury to the primordial of darkness, caused him to fall from grace and identally birthed the fiends and demons?"

    "Oh? The fiends and demons were birthed by ident?"

    "Yes, the abyss is not powerful enough to create an entire strong race such as demons. It was all because of the primordial sin...that was how powerful it was. Moreso, the disaster stimted the materialization of several other primordials."

    "So in a way, we can say that catastrophe birthed the other primordials and demons."

    "And angels and gods... it was the beginning of everything."

    "Wow..." Raith covered his mouth.

    "In an attempt to return to its original state, the abyss began to gather all seven sins and along with the crystal of creation, the artifact said to be the only thing left of the almighty creator."

    "Well, how does the abyss wanting to return to its original form say that it is aiming to destroy the wheel of cosmology."

    "Because it is after the crystal. If there is anything capable of destroying the wheel of cosmology, it is the crystal. It is useless to the primordials... but it might be capable of destroying the wheel of cosmology. Since it is the remnant of the almighty creator."

    "Wow...that shady bastard. So, the abyss has been deceiving me since all this while. I swear I can''t wait to destroy it even if I have to destroy myself." Raith seethed.

    "Hey, now Danny danger. Calm down... don''t underestimate the abyss." Fel exhaled. "I underestimated the abyss and that is why I failed...I hope you don''t make the same mistake as I did. Immediately you make it out of here. Go to Elka ne of seastrom. Find Thard-Harl."

    "Wait, Thard-Harl? Thard-Harl is dead!" His face sunk low, "...I killed him."

    Fel chuckled lightly, he looked at Raith and tried to hold in the light but in the end, he couldn''t. He let out a huge burst ofughter.

    Raith was put in a very awkward situation.

    "Oh my head oh my head. Harl, can you hear this? He thinks he killed you. Looks like we did manage to deceive the abyss after all."

    Raith was now very confused, he frowned.

    "What do you mean deceive the abyss? What are you not telling me."

    "It will make more sense when you go to Elka ne"

    "Wait, how do I get to Elka ne?! I have never even been to anywhere apart from Felfhiem!"

    Fel scratched his head with a sheepish smile,

    "Well, I can''t exactly tell you how to... you have to figure out that one on your own. It''d take me years to start describing what gxy to branch or pass by. It''ll be faster when you discover there yourself."

    He stretched his hands, ced one on Raith''s shoulder, the other on his chest, then he closed his eyes... only for them to shoot open the next second.

    "Holy Timish! I can sense the crystal within you. I can also sense the sin of greed. Although itys dormant, either you don''t know how to assimte or the abyss is preventing you from assimting."

    "Both actually. And due to my fight with an asura named Cor-Ellion, I kinda merged with the crystal. I was in a loop of repeated death and it saved me by coincidence."

    Fel''s eyes grew wider and wider, he shook his head vigorously, refuting what Raith had just said.

    "No no no no my friend. There is no such thing as coincidence in a case like this. The crystal chose you! I am sure the almighty creator has started moving! Something huge ising! I can feel it in my bones. Man!! I feel so sad that I am not alive at a time like this but I''m d that my message was able to get through to you."

    Raith smiled as he saw the genuine happiness on the guy''s face.

    "I will do a memory-to-memory transnt on how to use your ruler''s authority and assimte with your sin. But mainly what I came here to do is to break away your uniqueness to the abyss. That tie is what the abyss has on you that binds you down to it, once I break it, you might or might not lose it. Are you okay with that?"

    Raith took a moment to think about the words said by Fel.

    To put this simply, the decision he made here would determine whether he will retain his ability to be able to resurrect after death.

 Chapter 331 Evolution

    Chapter 331 Evolution

    Raith was thrown into deep thoughts. Before now, his convictions stood strong as, thoughts like he was ready to die if it would sever his bond with the abyss and make it suffer for deceiving it, he didn''t care what happened to him as long as the abyss didn''t get what it wanted to permeate his mind.

    But now that it came to it, fear gripped his mind like a fearsome terror that had been subtly eating away his brain. He shook and stepped back absent-mindedly.

    Luckily for him, Fel here understood the intense fear that came with losing that bond. Both he and Raith and every one the abyss has always used has that same story. Hopeless in the world, rejected and ostracized by society, scorned and deemed useless by the entire world, almost to the extent that it creates an anguish in them, one so strong they wouldn''t mind covering the world in a sea of blood.

    But beneath those was a greater reality that a great potentialy within them, if not the abyss wouldn''t choose them. And for Raith, he was exceptionally impressive. To be able to ovee death was a tour de force, one that anyone is bound to easily get addicted to.

    If Raith should lose it, he was pretty much-losing everything. So Fel understood if he said no. But this was also a 50-50 thing. But he didn''t feel the need to borate on that part so it wouldn''t give Raith false up in any sort of disguise. If he would do this, Fel wanted it to be that he was ready to lose that very thing.

    After a few seconds of silence and looking at the hesitating Raith.

    "If you do not make the decision, you might die," Fel said with a sorry expression calmly sitting on his face.

    Raith lowered his head and pulled his brows together.

    ''What the hell am I hesitating for?! Do I want to submit myself to the will and n of the abyss all because I am scared of dying?!!''

    He clenched his fist tightly and ground his teeth.

    ''Raven Raith! You are better than this!! Make a decision!!''

    He forcibly spat out thest words btedly realizing he did, a wash of embarrassment covered his face and he looked away with a slight frown.

    "I admire you in fact. There is no need for you to feel angry or embarrassed with yourself. It is a very dreadful thing what the abyss does to us. It feeds us power and makes us think that this is the best we can have."

    Fel took a second to breathe and touched his forehead as he lowered his head and shook them with deep pity exuding from the subtle shake.

    "I have been all over the universes, I have met strong people, some I have befriended while some have beaten me like a baby. I too thought I had it best until I began to meet other races, the asuras, guardinals, and high elves. There is so much you don''t know. The abyss will only continue to prey on you and limit your potential while giving you power that it can control. It surrounds you with a concept for you to gain strength and lose it."

    The next few words came out with strong conviction and a calm face.

    "I say to you, my friend. Free yourself from the hold of the abyss."

    Fel walked closer and touched Raith''s shoulders.

    Bowing his head in respite, Raith bit his lips till blood slowly dropped. This obviously pained him, he didn''t know how he would channel the world after this, or what would happen to him. He''d probably have to get defensive skills now and be careful with the challenges he epts, would he be able to even defeat the gate he promised Ruan Zhaohui? A lot of thought ran amok in his head.

    But amidst it he raised his head, his sorrowful face transitioning to a pit of calmness, with a backdrop of grief and anguish.

    "Do it."

    Raith spoke the words, wishing he could eat them right back and have another way at this.

    Fel ced his hand on his chest, asking onest time:

    "Are you sure?"

    "Just do it"

    Raith spoke with haste, almost yelling in fact.

    He wanted it to be over already so that he wouldn''t change his mind and decide to stick with the abyss or say to Fel that he would find another way to do this. Because for real, he didn''t want to let go of the only thing that had made him who he is today.

    What was to be of him after now?

    Raith shut his eyes tightly and Fel''s hand seeped into his chest like his body was a mass of prable thick liquid. The guy chanted something as he slowly sank his hand deeper into Raith''s chest, the chants were not loud enough to be recognized by Raith. Even the ones he heard, he had never heard thenguage before.

    Raith''s eyes stayed shut while he expected something somehow to happen. Just when he was getting bored as he waited in the lonely darkness of his closed eyes.

    A mad pain struck him from his back, threatening to tear his entire body. sting his eyes open to let out a sickening scream Raith found the scenery before him changed. And the pain hadpletely disappeared before he could cry.

    "Huh?"

    Moreso, Fel was just a standing skeleton before him.

    Raith frowned as he turned his gaze to digest the endless dark sea that spread across his vision. The sky was so dark that it strangely the sea with the shadows of nothingness. One would literally think whaty beyond was pure dark space if not for the subtle ripples that formed every now and then. His feet up to ankle level were submerged in the dark water.

    With a slight movement backward, the skeletoned Fel crumbled to a pile of bones.

    Raith touched his face and all over his body.

    ''What happened to me? Am I still alive?''

    Thoughts rushed into his head while he tried to make sense of what was happening now.

    Weak in the legs, the moment he tried to walk, he fell to his knees, realizing that the water wasn''t even that deep, at least the part he was standing.

    Raith sat into the water and lifted his face to the dark sky, he couldn''t see anything... no clouds... no stars. The sky felt so empty and sad.

    "What am I supposed to do now?"

    He said to the sky.

    And then it urred to him.

    Fel said he was going to do a memory-to-memory transnt of how to assimte with the sin of greed. That he should do before the abyss takes away the sin of greed. After all, it was the abyss that gave it to him as a reward, there''s no telling what could happen.

    Raith repositioned himself, sitting his his legs crossed and back straight. He gently ced his hands on his leg to befortable then he closed his eyes and began.

    Meanwhile_

    Beelzebub watched as Bal continued to melt into Raith. It made no sense, the sword was merging with his body. Even Bal did not expect this to happen and had screamed the moment Raith''s crystalline blood began to absorb him into his body.

    But there was nothing Beelzebub could have done, his hand was still torn from pulling the sword the time before. He was certain that nothing he could have done would help.

    So he decided to stand there as moral support as Bal continually cursed Raith while the sinking sun created an enchanting orange backdrop cascading far and wide over the mountains.

    Raith''s body was suddenly covered by a cocoon of ck smoke that thickened to form a solid mass like a stone.

    Beelzebub''s eyes widened as he saw this.

    "Impossible... he is evolving?"

 Chapter 332 Assimilation

    Chapter 332 Assimtion

    Assimtion was a simple process, but it can also be said to beplex because it has more to do with the conviction of the individual.

    While assimtion will bring a ruler to the full realization of his authority, it will also bring him to the detrimental effect of his w which is a prize to pay.

    Assimtion simply means bing one with that sin in all forms and concepts, epting a change wherever it may be. As far as history goes, Assimtion has always caused rulers to change, the most humble bes a prideful existence that looks down on everyone, a hardworking young boy bes a veryzy kid who can''t help but sleep, a calm and peaceful young man bes one that can''t help but get angry.

    It was different for each of the rulers. When they ept the sin and let it take its root in them, a seed is formed. That seed must now be nurtured to grow after it ripens, something great happens... that we will get to see in the future.

    Raith in this dark sea was assimting with his sin. There wasn''t a fancy feel to it all he had to do was close his eyes and bring his focus to within himself. Enter his own soul core and find the sin of greed.

    Which was not easy because his soul core was full of nothing but darkness, so he walked and walked and walked in his soul core.

    It was a brief moment but inside his soul core where the flow of time was tremendously different from that of reality, Raith had spent seventy years finding the sin of greed.

    dly the concept of hunger and thirst wasn''t effectualized in the soul core, although that of tiredness was. So even though Raith did not feel the need to eat or drink anything for those seventy years, his legs gave out and he would stand again and they would give out again but he wouldn''t stop moving forward.

    There were times were the soles of his feet had rotten from walking so much, that he went on all fours and began to crawl. When his knees began to show the same effect, he stood back to his feet¨Cby then, they had healed to a certain degree.

    This was how he spent seventy years in just seventy minutes, looking for the sin of greed which he finally found, a ck me dancing in the air in between two towering mountains that looked like it was a single mountain cleaved apart by a mighty giant sword.

    Raith climbed up, he was a good climber thanks to the abyss. After he got to the top of the mountain, what was left was to jump onto the other part of the mountain, of course, he wouldn''t reach there, he would drop right into the middle which was where the me was.

    On the first trial, he tripped on a stone and slipped as he leaped. He didn''t make it to the middle before he started falling.

    Even after smashing his body against the stony ground with a sickening thud, he did not die, however, a crude pain soared around his body, threatening to tear it apart.

    Still with much endurance and conviction, he picked himself back up and climbed the mountain again. Careful this time as he leaped, he finally caught the me.

    This was when an insatiable greed gripped him.

    The sin offered tremendous power, with no trial of any sort. The effect of the w was already enough trial.

    Raith opened his eyes with a spark of ck mes burning in them. His red and ck heterochromia eyes slowly faded and became pitch ck, grim, and void of life, as if they were trapped in a fog of dead souls.

    "Aaargghh!!!"

    He let out a sharp deafening scream as the root of the sin began to spread in his core and form into a seed. ck veins could be seen crawling all over his face and even his skin as he raised his head to the sky, screaming in pain.

    Sparks of ck me with a little hue of white continually danced in his eyes and after a couple of seconds, he slumped to the ground, all his strength lost.

    Finally, for the second time, the voice of the world reached him. It was a majestic feminine voice that every race besides humans on earth and inhabitants of Theruts were used to.

    CONGRATULATIONS

    YOU HAVE FULLY ASSIMILATED WITH THE SIN OF GREED.

    Another message resounded in the mind of everyone who could hear the voice of the world.

    A NEW RULER HAS BEEN BIRTHED.

    While the voice of the world announced these things, it wasn''t obligated to give the details. The voice of the world is just a natural phenomenon of the wheel of cosmology that was in charge of the documentation of everyone''s skill and growth.

    Raith groaned and panted as he tried to stand up, it was beginning to take its root in him. Without dy, he began to feel a passion to dominate the world and have everything under his feet.

    But the feeling was short-lived.

    The voice of the world spoke again.

    DUE TO FULL ASSIMILATION...AN EVOLUTION WILL BEGIN.

    Another set of pain gripped Raith by his bones, this time. His bones broke and mended themselves. Raith cried and screamed till tears poured out of his eyes, he had to keep dealing with the pain of his bones twisting, his muscles tearing apart and reforming, his organ being punctured by the twisting and breaking borns but also self-repairing only to be damaged when the bone makes another crazy twist and breaks creating a sickening sound.

    After a long while it was done.

    Raithy in the pool of blood that slowly colored water (the area where hey) red.

    CONGRATULATIONS

    YOU HAVE EVOLVED TO A HIGH HUMAN

    DUE TO EVOLUTION, YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW ORIGIN SKILL

    Raith felt peace was upon his entire body like water, but at the back of his mind, he was cautiously on the outlook for whatever may be next now.

    After a few seconds, he sat up and looked into his palms.

    "Is my ties with the abyss severed?"

 Chapter 333 Omnisavant

    Chapter 333 Omnisavant

    "Open status..."

    Nothing happened after Raith spoke the words.

    "Summon shadow."

    Nothing happened still.

    It hit Raith btedly.

    "Fuckshit! Have I lost all that gold? Everything? If I''ve lost my string to the abyss that means I have all those gold I kept in the Nethend."

    Raith covered his face in realization, he was disappointed with himself. Something so bad had happened and he didn''t think of Jarvis, or Crimson, his loyal soldiers. All he could worry about himself was the gold.

    ''...fuck I have to get the gold.''

    It was too hard of a thing to give up on. That gold was enormous. With it, he could build a nation and still not be broke. And he had been saving it for when he goes to Felfhiem.

    He stood up, the regret on his face still lingering a few seconds more before he looked around in inquisition.

    ''Where is this ce anyway.''

    [Received. This is manifestation of the area surrounding your soul core]

    Raith was startled by the sudden talker. The voice sounded almost like the voice of the world, but sounded more silvery.

    "Huh? Sorry who are you again, I''ve been hearing your voice for a while now right."

    [Received. The voice you have been hearing before now is not mine. But the voice of the world]

    Raith raised a brow, he could vividly remember about the voice of the world because it was one of the few things Volmak had told him about. He had also discovered that every being apart from those in Therut and humans here could hear it.

    "So what are you... the abyss?"

    Cautiously, he asked. But this did not sound like the abyss, so he kind of already knew his answer.

    [Received. I am a skill evolution by merging all the Cognitive resonance and its subskills with special parallel operation and creation skill,Construct, giving rise to evolved skill Omniscient Savant]

    Raith scratched his cheek.

    "So, without the permission of the abyss, my skill was able to merge and evolve?"

    [Received. Yes, this was because you were going through a race evolution. In addition with your origin skill: Source. Everything was made possible]

    This voice was spitting things that Raith was very unfamiliar with.

    "I don''t understand what you are saying? Origin skill?"

    [Sigh]

    She sounded exasperated and began to exin to Raith.

    [When you merged with the crystal, you gained onemon skill, two unique skills, one ultimate skill and one origin skill]

    These are a breakdown of all your skills:

    - Origin Skills: Source

    - Ultimate Skills: GREED

    - Unique Skills: Omniscient Savant, Son Of Failure, God''s eyes.

    - Common skills: ze, Body Cloning.

    - Extra skills: nil.

    "Such simplicity... I like this. Is it possible for me to see my physical status?"

    [Received. I canpute your capabilities to number to their nearest uracy but I advise that we do not stick with this concept because your strength has definitely increased by leaps and bound but that is also dependent the skill you''re using and whom you''re fighting]

    "I see... do it anyways, I want to have an idea"

    - Strength: 200

    - Stamina: 300

    - Speed: 499

    - Wisdom: 199

    "It is not what I''m used to seeing."

    [...that is because I cut away the excess. You habe ovee the effect of the celestial code due to your evolution to high human. There is no need to depend on the intelligence stat which is meant to measure to what extent of information you can take]

    "Oh. Good judgment."

    Raith rubbed his cheek. It was still a bit awkward having a normal conversation with Omniscient Savant.

    "Omniscient Savant, I''d like to see my skills."

    [Confirmed]

    The voice responded and disyed Raith''s skills before his eyes in a visual form of a golden tab.

    "Son Of failure?"

    [Son Of Failure is a unique skill that unexinably stayed with you instead of returning to the abyss when it''s tie was cut off]

    "Ehh? So wherever. I go Failure just wants to keep following me?"

    He said with a letdown expression, sneering at the skill.

    [Do you want me to analyze skill or delete skill to create another skill]

    "No, I have a feeling that will be impossible. But can you do it?"

    [Yes. It is part of my abilities]

    "Abilities? What are your abilities?"

    [Here they are]

    - Omnicognition: Instantprehension of any piece of information. Ability to absorb and recall any knowledge, bing expert in any chosen field.

    - Temporal Acumen: Ability to seek through the pages of the skill archives and history stored by the voice of the world. Permission from the voice of the world is needed to use this action.

    - Multifaceted Analysis: Ability to dissectplex skills and understand their functionality.

    - Construct: When required conditions are met, skill creation and merging is possible.

    Raith was speechless. His mouth dropped as he heard Omniscient Savant read out her uses for him.

    "I don''t even know what to say... how?"

    [Received. My source is from the skill Special Parallel Operation. I have little to no information about myself prior to this time. And I believe I exist solely for your use]

    Raith closed his eyes, letting a calming smile escape his lips.

    "I do believe you. Even I can feel the changes in my body. I might have lost my control over death but I think I have gained far better. Wee to the team Omniscient Savant... no, I will call you Omnisavant."

    [...]

    Raith gave a gregarious smile before looking forward to the wide expanse of dark sea.

    "So you said this ce is the area surrounding my soul core. Why is it so dark?"

    [Beats me...]

    Raith could swear he heard sarcasm in her tone. But he ignored it, perhaps he was reading too much meaning into her words.

    "So, where is my soul core"

    [Received. The soul core is you in this realm. It can be manifested as you deem fit]

    "So, I can make this waters to be my soul core?"

    [Yes. Do you want to?]

    "Not necessarily? What is the use of this ce anywhere."

    [Received. Do you want me to analyze it?]

    "Yes please."

    [It will take a while. Do you want to return to the material world?]

    "Yes please"

    Raith in an instant felt the view before him warp into darkness.

    The first thing he heard as his consciousness began to wake was the voice of Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm who had found their way to the mountain where Raith and Beelzebub was.

    "Lord Raven!! Lord Raven!!!"

    "Raven Raith!!"

 Chapter 334 Freedom

    Chapter 334 Freedom

    It''s been a while Raith and Beelzebub had left for the mountains. Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm were not aware at that time. It was in thete afternoon, they had left earlier on to join the hunt that was being led by Crimson and Jarvis.

    However, during the hunt, something strange began to happen to Jarvis. The death soldier began to lose its vitality, slowly and up until the point where it could not walk again...

    ...and could barely talk.

    "...mas...ma...st...er"

    That was thest thing he said before his body dissipated into ck smoke and he disappeared. Because of this, Mok Jae-Hwa led an emergency exit from the gate they were hunting in. He was very worried that something dangerous might have happened to Raith. However, he also found his mind struggling to believe the possibility.

    Unfortunately, by the time he was out of the dungeon, Bm was out too... for the same reasons. The other hunting parties that were led by Curtis, Shin, and the rest seem not to be outside. There were no problems with them after all.

    Mok Jae-Hwa after confirming why Bm was outside and seeing that their reasons were the same, hastened to the settlement as fast as he could.

    After they got there, Bastien informed them that Raith had left with Beelzebub and they were alone somewhere.

    At once Bm began to fume with ferocity, streaks ofva slowly began to open and run across his body, his body boiled and was exuding thick steam.

    Eventually, they got to the mountain where Beelzebub was kneeling in front of a ck cocoon. Bmunched an attack immediately, throwing a bone-crushing fist at the demon as hended on the mountain.

    Beelzebub easily sidestepped and allowed his attack to slip through, hitting the cocoon.

    Bm''s face widened as he saw what happened the next second. That brutal attack that he was sure would st off Beelzebub''s arm in one go did not affect the cocoon. The moment his fire fist came in contact with the ck cocoon, the fire ran away.

    "My attack was nullified?"

    Bm had never encountered such before in his lifetime.

    It was from that point that Beelzebub began to exin to them. After his exnation was done, they waited but didn''t have to wait long.

    After a few minutes, the cocoon began to open and dry off as a leave does over an extended period. But in this case, all in a second¨Crevealing Raith''s restructured body, fresh and almost glistening. His ck hair had be silvery ck. It was ck but still managed to maintain some subtle menacing shine.

    The part where Bal had stabbed in his chest left a stab mark, the sword hadpletely gone and fused into his body.

    Beelzebub''s eyes trembled to believe the wonder even though they were firsthand witnesses to this. He had also exined that part to Bm and they easily believed. It made him wonder how much they had seen for them to easily believe all the things he had said.

    Not one did they doubt.

    After a few seconds of the cocoon drying off. Raurh slowly began to open his eyes. That was when Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm shouted.

    A lot had changed about Raith but what caught them instantly was his eyes. His eyes were deep as if they had seen the darkest of worlds, he carried a gaze that made Mok Jae-Hwa want to be very careful.

    ''His heterochromia is gone...''

    One of the features that made Raith an incredible beauty was gone. Mok Jae-Hwa didn''t like that but these new eyes weren''t bad, they made Raith look so fearsome just at the first nce.

    Raith stood up in silence and spread his hand, taking on the beautiful view of the night, the cold wind that pped his skin.

    He inhaled deeply and as he exhaled...

    "I''M FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"

    His scream tore the sky like a roaring thunder, filling everywhere and afar, close to the horizons resounded with echoes of his scream.

    That was necessary, even though this freedom came with a lot of change which included the fact that he would have to be very skeptical from now on when inbat. Anything could make him lose his life and when he dies, he dies.

    But still, there was this freedom that enraptured his soul and body as he spread his arms in the air.

    After enjoying the breeze till thest of his echo resounded afar, so distant that he almost could not hear it. He put down his hands and turned to Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm with a smile.

    They looked at him cautiously, Mok Jae-Hwa reluctantly asked:

    "What happened... are you...okay?"

    "Never better."

    Raith said, twirling his arm to rx his muscles. All his body was as responsive as they used to be. No. Even better.

    His movement was sharp, definitely faster than before.

    "I greet you. It seems you have fully assimted with the sin of greed."

    Beelzebub said, standing up and bowing his head.

    Raith looked at him, catching the underlying tone of respect that rode with his voice. If he recalled correctly, Beelzebub before now spoke freely. Not rudely but also not politely.

    Raith averted his gaze and discarded the thought. He didn''t care too much anyway.

    "Yes. It went even better than expected."

    "I ended up being of no use to you. How can I pay this incredible debt."

    "It is okay..." Raith looked at his torn, bleeding arms.

    ''Something must have happened...''

    [Confirmed. To save your life, the sword Bal stabbed right into your heart, this individual even though not qualified, you had to wield the sword for a second, which caused his hands to suffer quite the damage]

    ''I see... Bal stabbed me?!''

    He btedly got that part of Omnisavant''s report.

    [Yes. That was the reason why the message left by your predecessors was activated. It was left and the only means for it to activate was when the heart is crushed at the moment where the abyss is not in control]

    Raith''s eyes were lost in focus as he took a moment to listen to Omnisavant.

    ''And since I was in a rebellion with the abyss, it was not going to allow me to resurrect like usual, that was taken as a momentary loss of control over me. Then Bal stabbed into my heart, unlocking the second condition''

    [Yes]

    ''But I have only one heart now''

    Raith moved his hand towards the right side of his chest where his heart was beating.

    [It is irrelevant. That is the source, as far as your power goes you may decide to create six more hearts to your body. It is the power of the source]

    Raith remembered well the origin skill, she mentioned while listing out his skills. But it wasn''t worth mentioning at that time because there were other things on his mind.

    But now it was looking like there was more. As much as he wanted to know. Something else bothered him.

    ''How can I put this...''

    He mumbled and slowly raised his hand.

    The air around him seemed to hold its breath as from the tip of his middle finger outstretched, a bead of blood flowed out without making a tear on his skin. It darkened the moment it was out and in a blinding moment stretched out to form a ck sword.

    Raith frowned and closed his eyes.

    Several ck beads of blood came out of his body all before a second could make its tick¡ªthey all stretched into ck swords... not just ordinary ck swords, they were just as Bal both in efficiency and appearance.

 Chapter 335 Hot Spring (1)

    Chapter 335 Hot Spring (1)

    Mok Jae-Hwa, Bm, and Beelzebub held their breaths as tens of ck swords were suspended in the air with the tips of their des to the air.

    Raith was the most shocked of them all.

    [Due to the source. Bal has been absorbed]

    ''Wait? Absorbed?''

    [Yes. The abilities of the source are still under my analysis. But I deduce that the ego of the sword has been merged with yours. To put it a simple terms, it is like returning where it belonged]

    [However, your blood has taken the properties of the sword]

    [This is another ability of the source]

    [In addition, the sword will be imbued with attributes that are in your blood]

    - Damage power: infinite 1

    - Durability: Infinite 0

    - Attributes: poison, paralysis.

    - Skill: Space Rapt, Gluttony, ck Lightning, Celestial Destroyer, Demonic Beast form.

    [Due to gluttony skill, the sword can absorb other swords and grow stronger. When that happens the attribute of those swords absorbed will also be affected in your blood]

    ''...this gluttony. Isn''t it more associated with the seven deadly sins? How does Bal have it by the way?''

    [Confirmed. I have no answer to that but it is worth investing]

    ''I''ll be counting on you then.''

    Raith raised his chin and looked at the sky again, realizing they were deep into the night Raith asked:

    "How long have I been out?"

    Beelzebub counted on his fingers the number of hours and responded:

    "Four."

    "Alright. Let''s return."

    He said and together they began scaling down the mountain. Silence ensued all the while. None of the three of them were bold enough to ask Raith what exactly had happened to him. Not with his deep malignant gaze that made chills p their back.

    ¡ª

    "Lord Rizo!!"

    Rizo shivered with widened eyes. It was so sudden and it shocked his guardian, he had never caught an expression like this on the young boy.

    "Is everything alright?"

    His voice shook in hesitation as he asked.

    "Yes... for now..."

    Rizo''s voice had a striking resemnce to him, like that of a child, only hoarse and full of maturity.

    His face became calm the next minute.

    ''The appearance of a new ruler... announced by the voice of the world itself. That means, unlike me. He must be aplete one.''

    He said in his thoughts looking at the lines on his palm. Then he sighed and tucked his hand into the pockets of his shorts. As much as he wanted to be on his way and meet this new ruler, he couldn''t.

    First of all, he hated going out. Second, he was well aware of the existence of other worlds, there was the possibility that the ruler might not be from this world.

    The voice of the world was a singrity in the multiverse. No matter how diverse and multiple the word was, or their time flow. The voice of the world would be heard as one.

    Rizo looked to his guardian who had entered his room moments before he gasped out in surprise when the announcement came in.

    "Is there something you need?"

    He sounded polite but distant.

    "A message came in from Lady Ruan. She said you might not necessarily be leading the charge to the gate in America but you''ll be on standby as backup."

    "She changed her mind?"

    Rizo sounded a bit surprised but it was fleeting.

    "Alright then."

    His guardian bowed, dropping him ast worried look before he stepped out of his room.

    ¡ª

    Quickly, the promised day arrived like a thief in the night. For the past one day, Raith had been indoors conversing with Omnisavant to get familiar with all his skills.

    He had gotten a brief grip on what the ultimate skill GREED does to him. It was detrimental yet it was very powerful... he had also begun to feel an insatiable greed to have everything, most especially materialistic.

    Just like Omnisavant, it had a wide variety of uses that surprised Raith. Although he wasn''t too happy about the w. It made all the goodness of being a ruler feel numb.

    With the way things were looking, it looked like he would end up walking a very lonely road no matter how much he tried because his decisions, deftly guided by his w would undoubtedly affect his rtionship and moral standards.

    Raith had note to hold a tight grasp on how disheartening this can be but he was already getting the idea. Being a ruler didn''t seem to be as good as it was painted to be.

    He stood up from his bed, it was a new mattress that had been imported. The secretary aid that was sent by Min-Ho''s father has been helpful in several ways. In one day, several imports were arriving at King George Airport. The streets of the settlement were filled with cargo that was yet to be unpacked.

    While kids yed around it, adults just focused on building and there were personnel that came with the cargos. More were said to being on ship. But Raith was probably not going to be around to see them.

    He stepped out of his house and saw the changes that were happening, arge part was thanks to Min-Ho''s father. This is why Raith felt so bad. Those treasures...

    ''I will find them no matter what?''

    If he had to traverse the lengths and breadth of the entire world to find the abyss and get his golden temple back, he didn''t care. He would make sure he got that gold.

    "Master Raith."

    A youngdy walked to him and bowed her head.

    Raith had seen her a few times, she was the one that was in charge of linen, she used to be the daughter of a prominent tailor back in Pomeii Empire. Every noble had been to her mother for their dress.

    In her hand was an intricately designed ck box wrapped in silk. Behind her were two otherdies, their faces were not too familiar.

    "We have prepared a new outfit for you. We know that you will be setting out very soon."

    "Oh..."

    Raith looked down at the box she was holding.

    "Okay. Then should we hold to the hot spring?"

    Raith became confused.

    "Hot spring?"

    "Yes Master Raith, we are going to wash your back."

    "Wash my back?"

    From where did thate? Raith shook with despair as if these pretty youngdies were asking of him a dreadful thing to do.

    Still, they beckoned for his cooperation with a snakish smilefortably rubbing its skin on their faces. Raith found this situation to be utterly confusing and ufortable.

    "C¨Ccan I speak to Jae-Hwa? Maybe something is wrong?"

    He asked with a shaking voice, a foot retrieving itself to make a run for it the moment theyplied with his request.

    "No Lord Raven. This is something important that we must do."

    Thedy with silver hair, and a tush porcin face almost resembling that of a doll adorned with eyes the color of a sun that just never gives up. She pouted her mouth and waited for Raith''s response¡ªthat was what said, but she looked like she wasn''t going to take no for an answer.

    Raith sighed. He had never been in this situation before, he delved deeper into his mind for an answer when her voice came out, killing whatever excuse he could have birthed.

    "Besides, not once. We''ve never seen you take your bath not once."

    Raith realized at that point too. Baths weren''t his thing, not when he was so busy exploring thend or fighting with Slyvia.

    Both his body was not smelling... was it? Maybe the people were just so polite that they didn''t want to talk about it. He was their beloved hero after all. Who amongst them would wanna say? Our hero reeks!

    But these girls after a certain person had informed them of what to do, they had taken up the initiative to take matters into their own hands.

    "Since you are busy with a lot of things for our own sake, we will take matters of your personal hygiene into our own hands from now on."

    Thedy dered, pushing out her chest and softly pping her hand on it to confirm her reliability to Raith. Although due to that Raith couldn''t help but notice how desperately the two cuties on her chest tried to wiggle.

    ''Oh no! What did I just think about?!''

    He treated those defiling thoughts of his like a great sin. These were honorabledies who just wanted to help him wash up. But still... they washing his back? Was that not too much? Would the people not start talking that he is exploiting their females?

    Raith scratched his cheek.

    "I am worried about your husband."

    Immediately he spoke, a rain of surprise washed down on the youngdy''s face. The ones behind her chuckled, holding their mouths and trying not to letughs escape from it. Notwithstanding, Raith could still hear those soft chuckles.

    ''Did I say something wrong?''

 Chapter 336 Hot Spring (2)

    Chapter 336 Hot Spring (2)

    He looked at them nkly, but behind his emotionless expression was his re begging for an answer without having to ask.

    "Husbands? Lord Raven. Some youngdies have decided to not take any husband to serve you."

    Raith''s eyes went round. Now this was even worse than what he was thinking.

    Some of them decided not to take a husband for the sake of serving him. Where? When? How?

    Howe all of this happened and he didn''t know?

    Thedy looking at the surprise on his faceid with inquisition, exined further.

    "Lady Slyvia and Lady Maria created a squad ofdies who will be in charge of your protection. While Lady Slyvia is in charge of their training to be battle masters, Lady Maria has been teaching us how to effectively take care of a man"

    ''Mariaaaaa!! What has Maria been teaching you?! And it just sounded like Slyvia just needed someone to train so desperately she didn''t mind what she settled for''

    But still, two of theming together to do something like this was very rare. Especially with Slyvia''s personality, it must have been very hard.

    Raith sighed, he had no choice but to follow them.

    ''Since they set up a thing like this, I should at least honor their effort. I''ll go there and tell them to disband the whole group thing.''

    That was Raith''s n.

    On getting to the hot spring. It was nestled to the east of the main settlement, a few minutes of walk covering over a hundred and 150 kilometers. They passed through a forest of fat white trees blessed with numerous branches and leaves that transition between yellow, brown, and golden hue depending on the reflection of the sunlight. It was one of the several wonders of thisnd.

    Beyond the thick forest was the spring, erotic fog covered the whole ce, drowning it in a mouth-watering, throat-drying mystery. The kind that made one want to eat but not want to eat food, there are several things to eat in this life, Raith had been eating food all his life. Would he finall¨C

    Raith shook his head. Really, these thoughts.

    He was all things but never a pervert.

    ''Is this the effect of the sin of greed too?''

    He wondered as he slowly walked into the fog reaching inside it made things quite clear.

    The fog was actually the steam of the hot water. Raith looked up at the waterfall.

    ''Did Slyvia make it hot with magic?''

    He wondered, slowly bringing down his eyes to see the youngdies who were basking in the boiling river.

    Truth be told, the finest youngdies of the settlement were the ones to be found here. Each of them with distinct yetmonly beautiful faces, different yet simrly clean skin, and eyes so gentle but could instantly switch to piercing darkness when the life of their master was on the line¨Cit was what they were trained for after all.

    "Lord Raven."

    Maria rose from the waters not bothering to cover herself in any way. She was the purest at heart and always failed to consider several things, it was almost like she was intentionally provocative but she was just too free.

    Raith closed his eyes immediately she rose, he had helped not to see it but a glimpse of her little-sized breast failed not to escape his eyes.

    Even with them close, images of it still lingered.

    "Damn put on some clothes Maria!"

    He let out an earnest cry.

    She then looked down at herself in shock, thinking she had done something wrong. This youngdy didn''t think Raith would find it offensive that she wasn''t putting on anything, but she had done it, she wanted to pay her respects to Raith''s present and forgot that she was naked.

    "Pervert. Two perverts, you both her better suited for each other"

    Slyvia said with a dark frown, ring at Raith while the youngdy that came with Raith Hana by the way put a towel over Maria.

    They even now had a towel, several in fact, they also had other stuffing through and it was all thanks to Min-Ho''s father''s contribution.

    "Hai! You can open your eyes now Lord Raven. But you have to get used to this! Thesedies will be bathing you every day. You can''t close your eyes every time."

    ''She speaks like I''m a kid, I am not a kid Maria. I can have my own baths''

    Raith stared at all of them in silence. Letting out a frustrating low groan he asked:

    "Who is it that brought the idea of this?"

    Maria''s hand shot towards her back, to Slyvia who was resting on the rock of the hot spring.

    Raith raised a brow.

    "Slyvia?"

    "Wait what?! You bitch! What did you say I did?"

    Maria spoke like a cute doll.

    "Well, you were the one that came to me saying you had something very important to discuss..." She continued, sheepishly rubbing her fingers and pouting like a baby.

    "...and you said it would be a nice idea if we could put together a formidable team of girls who would personally look after Lord Raven."

    "Yes! But I didn''t mean like this?!!"

    She was beginning to get flustered. Raith stared at the two of them in disbelief.

    It was just so hard to believe that Slyvia would be a part of this. He had thought she had a profound hatred towards him since their first encounter wasn''t particr uhm...

    Fighting her naked was never his intent. He was just unprepared.

    Come to think of it, now that his ties to the abyss are cut, he doesn''t have the devourer skill anymore. That was some sort of a relief at the same time it wasn''t. But Raith tried to dead other thoughts of regret and focused solely on the good things the absence of the abyss would do to him.

    Seeing the judgemental eyes that Raith stared at her with even made her crazy more.

    "Don''t you dare think that this was my idea! Mariaaa!! What do you think you are doing?!"

    While Slyvia was incredibly furious, Maria giggled.

    Raith naturally figured that this was Maria''s thing. It didn''t look like something Slyvia would have thought of.

    "Master Raven... please get into the water."

    Hana said to him with a towel folded on her arms as she bowed.

    Raith looked at all of them as they rose from the water not minding the fact that they were naked and with all sizes of breasts. They bowed their head as they waited for Raith to step inside.

    Maria invited him in with a smile and Slyvia with a death re... as always.

 Chapter 337 Goodbyes

    Chapter 337 Goodbyes

    For a first-time experience. It wasn''t such a bad thing, except for the inconveniences of their boobs rubbing against his back and how tingly their touch can be sometimes.

    Raith had to admit that he enjoyed the bath. It was the first time he had taken a bath in days. His hair was worse, he had not washed the damn thing in months, maybe years in fact and they were already too rough and tangled.

    However, the youngdies washed his hair and every other area of his body. The delicate areas were taken care of by Hana and Maria... Raith most especially hated the way they teased him.

    "Oh, master. You are quite big down here."

    From a tree spirit. How did thingse to this?

    In cases like this Raith would just stay silent, void of answers. To be honest, he liked that he was being bathed but it came with too many inconveniences. And he thought to himself that this was going to be thest time.

    But Raith''s adventures with thesedies were just starting.

    After they were done. Hana presented Raith with a rob which he used to cover his body as he stepped out of the spring. She also donned a robe and released the scarf on her head to allow her silver hair to fall freely on her shoulders.

    Her golden eyes along with that small snakish smile that just wouldn''t fall off her face stuck to Raith''s back as he walked towards the wooden shelter that had been built to the west of the spring.

    It was in the style of a Japanese spa and that was how Slyvia demanded that it be built. Moreso, it was perfectpared to the shabby houses of the people of Therut.

    Shoji screens perfectly fit into the frame, sloping roofs that blended harmoniously with the niche. Moreso, the robe that Raith was putting on was actually a Yukata, a lightweight kimono¡ªbut because it was in white, it might not have been noted as one.

    Raith sat at the tform of the shelter, on a wooden floor.

    Hana reached his front with the box she was initially carrying. She dropped it next to him and untied the silk, opened the box, and brought out the clothes, all the while, her subtle smile still sitting gracefully on her lips.

    She brought out the clothes and looked at Raith.

    Raith looked at her back, dazed.

    "You want to dress me too?"

    "Yes, my lord. I will do everything for you. And this is a delicate dress that I prepared for you. It is my first work after my awakening and I imbued it with some abilities."

    "Wow... you have a skill like that?"

    "Yes, my lord."

    Raith impressed by the progress, nodded as he stood up. Almost everyone in the city has received an awakening and can now do one thing or the other, most especially the children.

    There was a time when Mok Jae-Hwa was even talking about sending them to a school of hunters in the United Kingdom but he didn''t pay much attention to what the guy was talking about. Well, naturally he wasn''t paying much attention to what was going on here.

    She began to wear the clothes on him, starting with his pants. Raith looked away in embarrassment but it was soon over.

    ''Am I supposed to get used to this?''

    He wondered as she continued. The rest were bearable and in a couple of minutes, she was done.

    Raith was now donned in a ck coat, meticulously crafted from rich, deep-toned fabrics. The coat boasts intricate patterns on the edge, resembling some mysterious magic runes. Its long sleeves enabled free and fluid movement as Raith tested them out by stretching forth his hand to see if they wouldn''t restrict his movement.

    He was pretty impressed.

    Beneath the resplendent coat was a fitted inner shirt that offered bothfort and functionality. The shirt was made of lightweight, breathable linen with a sheen that caught the light. The shirt''s neckline is delicately embellished with ornatecework and rose to cover his jaw.

    The boots provided and pants were nothing short of amazing. In a single moment, Raith''s look hadpletely changed from a nobody to a somebody, as he stood, he exuded an aura of majesty.

    Hana was proud of her work.

    "It''s a perfect fit!"

    She pped as Raith stood.

    "Yeah, I like it."

    He admired the outfit and looked at her.

    "Well done."

    Her eyes welled as she heard the words.

    ''I received apliment from the hero... mom, I wish you were alive to see this moment''

    It was a sad thing for her that her mom was not able to make it out of the building when it fell during the awakening of the archons.

    Luckily she was saved too and was a witness to the oundish performance Raith put forth in saving several people during the havoc.

    She personally was saved by Raith''s dead soldier who stayed over her while a chunk of stone fell from above, taking the whole damage while she made a run for it as fast as she could.

    Nothing but gratitude filled her heart since then and she has always looked at Raith with so much respect. When the offer came that a few girls who were ready to not take a husband to serve Raith should step out, she was the first to respond.

    She had searched for a way to get closer to him, to be of help to him and the chance finally came.

    Receiving a ''well-done'' from Raith... to her, there was no greater thing that could have happened. She was almost gasping for breath because of it.

    "Thank you so much! I am so d you said that!!"

    She shouted, bowing ny degrees.

    Almost shocked, Raith rposed himself, although he still thought her reaction to be excessive. He simply said thank you to her because he got to get such a good outfit without having to pay a dime.

    "Hey, don''t have the wrong idea about this... I am not doing this because I care about you or anything. But since you named both of us, our lives are tied to you. That is why I will train these before youe back. By the time youe back, they would be elite enough to have your backs."

    Slyvia said, blushing a little bit in between her speech but she ended it with a stern, confident look.

    Raith smirked satisfactorily.

    "Thank you... and you too Maria"

    "Yes, Lord Raven! We''ll be waiting for you"

    She replied with a vibrant glow.

    Raith afterwards walked away throwing one hand at them. They all looked at his dependable behind fade into the woods.

 Chapter 338 Departure

    Chapter 338 Departure

    "Are you sure you don''t need me to go with you? Or even Bm?"

    Raith closed his eyes. Mok Jae-Hwa had asked him this question like ten times in just three minutes and his answer had been the same.

    "No, there''s no need for that. I promised the olddy that I would do it, that is the content of our bargain... it wouldn''t be valid if I take someone along"

    "But she should understand. Something has happened to you since you made that bargain, I think you should take Bm at the very least."

    Raith lifted his gaze to look at Bm who patiently waited, his eyes begging for an eptance. Closing his eyes, Raith lowered his gaze and shook his head.

    "No can do."

    "But..."

    "A deal is a deal. Besides, she''ll be offering me a whooping amount of two hundred and fifty billion dors, I can''t pass up that opportunity because I am worried about my safety."

    Raith was very worried, more worried than Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm currently were because he knew that things wouldn''t be the same anymore.

    He didn''t know if he was as strong as used to be with the absence of his ability to be able to resurrect from death. Practically, all of his wins had been from the number of chances given to him by oveing death. Would it now be finally proven how much of a loser he is?

    A ball of fear was stuck somewhere in his chest and it was so scary to pay any attention to it. Raith felt like if he did, he just might run away from everything¡ªin as much as the thought of it was pleasing and didn''t feel bad. He definitely would love a new start somewhere else, leaving all these people to fend for themselves while he focuses on himself alone.

    But the money was too huge of a sum to pass up. The thought of abandoning the money stabbed his thoughts with a fearsome dagger that had been soaked into a pool of regret. No matter how better he thought of getting out of this situation, he just couldn''t get his mind off the money.

    ''All I care about is the money. I want to start building myself from scratch. I also need the angel wings she had promised me. Those will go a long way and I''m sure some other information would be there. After defeating the two gates, I will go to Felfhiem then afterward I will go in search of Thard-Harl.''

    He remembered Fel''sughter when he mentioned that he had killed Thard-Harl. The guy did not believe and said something about defeating the abyss.

    This went deep and Raith felt the need to investigate it further which is why he decided that he was going to follow Fel''s instruction for now. Of course, even while doing that he would only consider his own best interest... not even the world.

    Should ite down to it and the abyss is a tad away from destroying the universe, if saving the universe wasn''t going to bring an enjoyable gain to him, then he would just let it get destroyed and find a haven for himself.

    His thought pattern was odd to him and sudden but he felt liberated. Not giving too many fucks about anything made him feel lightweight.

    A heavy sound came from outside and that was how Raith knew his ride was here. Ruan Zhaohui''s helicopter.

    Raith stood up, followed by Mok Jae-Hwa and Bm he stepped out to meet the others.

    Curtis, Andre, Amber Rose, and the rest of them all stood outside and bowed their heads as Raith stepped out.

    Each of them had words that wished to leap out of their mouth but still managed to hold them together, staring at Raith with eyes that seemed to be worshipping a god.

    Curtis stepped forward and touched his brother''s shoulder.

    "Come back to us."

    "Of course, who do you think you are talking to? A weakling?"

    Raith chuckled, hitting his brother''s chest softly with his fist. Their height was almost equal with Curtis a little bit taller, but it was so hard to tell that one was a little bit older than one.

    Raith''s mom gave birth to him three years after Curtis'' mom died. They say she was a maid whom the master fell in love with all the while even before marrying Curtis''s mom. But the marriage with Curtis''s mom was an arranged marriage which was his first duty as a Duke.

    After she died, he ended up with his first love again and they birthed Raith.

    By that standard alone, Raith should have been his best child but that man abandoned him because he was talentless.

    It was now past to Raith though. The old man was dead anyway... but he still felt there was more to the story that his brother was hesitating to say.

    Perhaps this was not the best time to ask but since the thought took a quick stroll across his mind Raith''s face became slightly serious as he spoke:

    "I want to ask you something?"

    Noticing the austere expression on Raith''s face, Curtis asked cautiously:

    "Is everything alright?"

    Raith looked at the rest¨Chis words did not need toe out. His eyes alone were all they needed to know that he needed to have a private moment with his brother.

    Slowly, they withdrew, leaving Raith and his brother in the center.

    "I want to know something brother."

    Raith''s tone was undeid with some seriousness.

    "Alright."

    Curtis responded with the same energy.

    "There is something you are not telling me right? There is something. No matter how much I try to think about it, did Father really abandon me because I was talentless"

    Curtis sighed and lowered his head. After a few breaths he started to speak with a somber tone.

    "I am not sure of this whole thing. Father rarely talked to anyone after your mother died. But I was a witness to it... while you were younger, he would often stare at you with horror, a fear-stricken face... yes, he would look at you and call you a monster. Sometimes he would be so horrified that he would fall to the ground and piss his pants."

    Raith raised a brow.

    "That''s..."

    "Unbelievable right? I too wouldn''t have believed it if I was told. But I saw one instance and the maids naturally started spreading all sorts of rumors. Of course, all those rumors died down but Father got distant from you. He asked me to not teach you anything and would oftentimes teach you rubbish so you wouldn''t be able to learn the family''s sword style. But Raith do you know what you would still do with the rubbish you learned?"

    He looked into his brother''s eyes with a glinting smile.

    Curious, Raith inquired:

    "What? What did I do?"

    "Well, you would make a genuine and outstanding sword form out of the rubbish you were taught. But father would turn it down and call it rubbish. Nothing you did could please him, and your intelligence and brilliance naturally began to dwindle till you became quite the durd."

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm Thest part was unnecessary but Raith was grateful that Curtis said everything to him like this.

    ''When Fel said the abyss needed talented individuals, I was doubting his words... nothing is talented about me. Bur hearing this from him made me confirm... apart from the fact that I might have been a genius at my younger age. My father was scared of me for something. And if I knew that thing, I''d probably be able to understand why my power from the abyss was being able to ovee death.''

    This would unlock the beginning of a new journey for him. With the abyss gone from his life, his purpose and passion were redefined. To find out his identity was the least of them though.

    Raith lowered his head.

    "But you don''t need to worry about that. I love you and I know you are not a monster."

    Raith chuckled,

    "After seeing my strength I''m amazed you think so."

    He said with a jovial tone before bidding his brother farewell. He did the same to the others and walked closer to the helicopter where he was received by some special force who helped him into the helicopter and soon it took off.

    To the destination.

 Chapter 339 Assassins (1)

    <h4>Chapter 339 Assassins (1)</h4>

    After what felt like forever, Raith finally dropped on American soil. Thend, as the tales tell, was different. As much as it has been said to be a state considered to be the pinnacle of technology and talent, Raith couldn''t help but perceive it as a nation that is heading for damnation.

    It made him curious as to what the UK would be like.

    Raith was greeted by American agents from their hunter association. The man who received him and drove him to the hotel where he would be staying for the night was a very polite one.

    He didn''t utter a single word from the point of greeting Raith until the moment he showed him to his room which was on the topmost floor of a five-star hotel in California.

    The room was excellent and one of the best Raith had been in. Although in the course of these past few months and his days as a hunter, he had gone in and out of ces with more impressive settings.

    Most especially Min-Ho''s house. It was the best Raith had been in.

    Nevertheless, he settled in and made himself at home. Slept and woke up in the even¨Crather... he was woken by a knock.

    Raith managed to sluggishly get up and dragged himself to the door to answer whoever it was which he was certain was Ruan Zhaohui.

    ''It is high time she came.''

    [Received. A slight and almost unnoticeable killing intent has been noticed]

    Whatever was left of the sleep on Raith''s face quickly ran away turning his facial expression to a stern one.

    Raith frowned and opened the door regardless... but slowly...

    "Hello?"

    With an unweing tone, he greeted the two strangers who were in front of him. They both were dressed in ck and with a ck nose mask.

    "We are from..."

    Before the one talking could finish, with a lightning strike movement, the other one grabbed Raith''s hand.

    Raith was ready to strike by reflex but his hand stopped before he could throw it to his face.

    He frowned deeply.

    "What are you doing?"

    Raising an eyebrow at the guy, he asked.

    [Received. Analysisplete]

    [Confirmed. This individual uses an ability that blocks out skills for three minutes]

    ''I see... so my skills are blocked out for three minutes?''

    Raith with a striking grim face looked at the one holding his wrist.

    "What are you doing?"

    He said in English. His English needed a lot of work in between, not with his odd Korean ent already intertwining with it audibilizing quite the odd pronunciation.

    Without a response, a short dagger appeared in the hand of the other one and he lunged with voraciously to stab his chest.

    But Raith took a few steps back, effortlessly pulling the guy holding his hand with him. As the guy uncontrobly followed Raith inside, Raith rerouted his fist and delved a crushing blow into his stomach causing him to bite on his tongue and spit out blood.

    His grip on Raith''s wrist loosened as he sank to the floor holding his belly together. The blow must have hurt a lot.

    "I don''t need skills to defeat you lot"

    He mmed his foot on the head of the guy¨Cthe floor cracked and created a resounding crash as the guy''s head was smashed into the floor by his fist.

    The other one lunged at him without a hint of fear in his eyes, if anything, this one''s eyes shone with a deathly intense as he wielded the dagger, skillfully exchanging it between his hands as heunched strikes at Raith aiming to stab into different points at different times.

    Raith all through blocked with his hand stopping the guy''s wrist, not like he could block out a dagger with his hand after all. He clearly followed the uncanny and sharp movements of the guy, his eyes at first on his legs, then on the guy''s hand after an attack managed to run across his cheeks by a hair''s breadth.

    Raith had first stepped back to take a recess. Did he underestimate this guy, for a minute the two of them were locked in a tight exchange of skills and this guy managed to explore every possible opening that Raith had, with his fast movement, he wascking nothing, his skills were basic but impressive.

    If Raith was not as fast as he was he would have sustained several cuts by now. Fast as he was? That was an understatement... Raith knew he was faster, in fact, he hadn''t been stressing himself to block the guy''s attack, and this sh managed to escape because he was focused on something else.

    .c¦Ïm

    He was trying to absorb the guy''s movement so much that he lost his hand movement. Of course, Raith had that notion that every possible move, possible turn of the body, down to the hand could be predicted based on the movement of the leg.

    But this guy had quite the technique. He didn''t know that before but was beginning to suspect it.

    [Suggestion. Use God''s eyes]

    ''I can? I can do that. I thought you said all my skills had been blocked out''

    [You didn''t allow me to finish beforeing to that conclusion]

    Omnisavant seemed to be speaking with some hint of disappointment.

    [Only skills lower than Unique Skills have been affected]

    ''I see, is that so... alright activate my God eyes then.''

    [Received. God''s eyes activated]

    Immediately, Raith''s left eye changed from ck color to gold. The perception of his surroundings was very much the same... until movements began.

    The guy for a few seconds was silent, beneath his ck nose mask he was slowly panting, seeming to be catching his breath. It was just one or two minutes of intense battle and throughout his opponent was just blocking his attack but he felt so exhausted, that his muscles were biting excruciatingly beneath his skin.

    He looked down at his opponent that had passed out.

    ''Damnit! Did the skill block fail because he fainted? I thought the chairman said this guy is very useful.''

    He knitted his brows to Raith who slowly curled the corner of his lips.

    ''I''ve been wanting to test my abilities but I needed someone weak. Antarctica is filled with so many mad strong monsters... this is a good warm up''

    Normally, Raith would have ventured into the gates and had a beautiful time basking in the blood of monsters in by his hands but he didn''t do that this time.

    He was skeptical, what if a thunderous blow came from somewhere and he died before he knew it? Then he would be dead for real.

    He also thought of ways to refuse this expedition also, to call Ruan Zhaohui and tell her that he would give up on it and wouldn''t be able to do it due to some losses. But the thought of losing thatrge amount of money... especially since all his gold in the abyss was now inessible.

    Besides... if was going to be very powerful as the ruler of greed, he needed a lot of money. There was just no way he could refuse the offer despite his fear.

    His love for wealth and power outweighed his fear of death. If was a good thing about being the ruler of greed at the same time it was a very very bad thing.

    Raith smiled devilishly at the guy.

    "Come at me with all you''ve got"

 Chapter 340 Assassins (2)

    Chapter 340 Assassins (2)

    Doubts immediately overwhelmed his thoughts and were pretty evident in the way he hesitated when he usually would have lunged at Raith already. He was the fast one after all.

    Raith gave a second look and curled a corner of his lips.

    "If you don''te at me, then say wee to me?"

    Unlike his hesitant opponent, Raith charged forward with a punch that slipped past the assassin''s bted defense and wrenched into his stomach. He was sent flying as he was rammed by some incredulous mighty rock and mming his back against the wall, he slumped to the ground.

    Even his nose mask could not hold back the blood as he coughed and held his belly in pain. But he had no time to grieve, Raith''s presence manifested before him like an impregnable wall, it was hard not to notice that such a wall was moving closer to him, that too at an amazing speed.

    He managed to drive himself to the left, avoiding Raith''s darting kick by the skin of the teeth. The formidable metal door crunched to a point at the impact of his kick and was sent flying into the narrow hall.

    Raith paused for a moment and looked at his smoking feet.

    ''That was one hell of a kick.''

    [Notice. Your physical strength has increased by a considerable amount since you have now evolved to the race High Human]

    ''Oh? I did remember you saying the numeric representation of my skill wasn''t urate''

    [Indeed]

    The assassin''s eyes shook in horror at what he just witnessed. There''s no telling him, he wouldn''t have survived that kick.

    A bead of sweat broke out of his forehead, and in only a few seconds more were stagnated right there on his face, fear had gripped him so much that even his perspiration was so strangled by fear that they couldn''t help but shiver at a point.

    ''I should try to hold back my punch''

    He said in his thoughts, dtorily noticing the webbed dent carved into the beautiful marble floor when he crushed the guy''s head to the ground.

    He had been fighting with the same measure of strength he would often use to fight monsters, it had be his muscle pattern, save the fact that these guys were not monsters, he was now a high-human. A race above humanity, the limits that his human body ced on him which were already quite differentpared to other humans thanks to the abyss had now been removed.

    Of course, there still existed some limits but he had note anywhere near them right now.

    "Ay ay...we can do this the hard way or we can do this the simple way."

    "What''s the simple way?"

    Raith''s face went round. He wasn''t expecting the assassin to ask that question. It was as if he was waiting for him to give him an option.

    Raith brought his brows together to carve out a frown on his delicate face.

    "Wait, no. You don''t deserve a simple way. It was you guys who knocked on my door and attacked me, so why should you get a second chance? Actually, I should beat the crap out of you and make you tell me who sent you to me."

    The assassin''s face broke in horror.

    "It was him"

    He pointed to his partner who had passed out on the ground. Raith''s attention naturally sailed towards the guy he was pointing to.

    "He has most of the information about our contractor, I was merely meant to support him"

    ''I just need to buy a little time for it to be ready''

    In his eyes could be found careful stares of hope... the hope that Raith would bite the bait and continue to do that. He put more information forth to spice things up.

    "He has the ability to block out other''s awakening power and that is why he was sent here. This is a top-secret mission and I don''t even know anything about it..."

    ''...at the very least he would want to wait for him to wake up, I just need two minutes''

    His n seems to be working. Raith was lost in thought as he heard what the guy said, he froze for a moment and then a couple of secondster said:

    "That means, there is someone in this country, possibly high up who wants to prevent me from clearing the gate? Because why else would they send an assassin after me just the night I enter the country."

    ''Does Ruan Zhaohui even know about this?''

    Raith thought deeply about it and it still made no evident sense to him. Even if there was an existence of someone who didn''t want the gate to be defeated. What was the person''s reason?

    Why would anyone in their right mind not want a gate that imed the life of an unranked hunter to be defeated?

    Or should this be considered with more reasonable logic?

    Raith scratched his head, thinking that it was a headache. Since did he be the type of person that thinks?

    But a thing Raith has been able to deduct, at the very least in its simplest form is that something in this country is fishy.

    Was he nning to get to the bottom of it? Definitely not! But if it would jeopardize the peace of his mission then he just might get very pissed.

    This was Raith''s conclusion after his considerations. This means that he doesn''t have toplicate the matter by beating the shit out of the assassins.

    He can just let them go and ask them to report that they were able to escape luckily but could not defeat him.

    ''Who in their right minds sends two assassins to kill a catastrophe-ranked hunter''

    Then again, they had a trump card. Maybe for any other hunter or if Raith had not evolved, the guy''s ability to lock skills would have worked on Raith.

    Too sad they had to meet him just when he evolved. But no issue, he was ready to let them go.

    "So..."

    The assassin who had been silently suddenly fired himself at Raith with a knife tightly gripped by both his hands¨Cthe attack was short noticed and the assassin was sure it was a sessful attempt.

    ''Yes! I did it!'' Or so he thought.

    But Raith looked down at him with a strained frown.

    "You bastard. What do you think you are doing?"

    The guy slowly took his eyes to Raith''s stomach, where he was sure the knife stabbed into. His eyes widened... Raith had managed to block his stomach hence taking the stab to his palm and not to his stomach.

    ''How....''

    His thoughts shivered in unbelief.

    He was very sure he caught Raith off guard and that this was a sure hit.

    "What the hell were you expecting to aplish by stabbing my stomach with a military knife"

    The assassin frowned, a sudden confidence washed over his face and he slowly stood up.

    "It means nothing, whether it is your hand or your stomach it is still the same effect."

    Raith''s face became straight, the nasty demeaning look he had on his face was instantly wiped as a stinging pain struck his palm.

    His palm suddenly became so heavy that it fell to the ground, his veins became purple and began to erge his palm, taking it out of shape.

    "What did you do to me?!!"

    [Received. Do you want me to analyze the cause an¨C

    "Yes! Do you even need my permission for something like this?!"

    [Received. Analyzing internal threat]

    "It would have been much more interesting if I managed to stab it into your stomach. Imagine the form of your organs being reshaped due to mutated microorganisms. The sight of you crying and writhing in pain would have been something I would relish so much"

    "What?"

    "You are dying to know what is it right?"

    Raith stared at him angrily. His hand was on the ground, constantly undergoing an irritating reshaping and reforming, over and over again.

    The pain was excruciating and the stinging feeling was evidence that something was right there in his hands.

    [Source found]

    [The source of threat is a mutated organism. It survives by feeding on the red blood cells, meanwhile excreting a harmful microbial parasite that multiplies and infects an area within seconds. If left it would keep multiplying until the entire body bes a mass reshaped irritation]

    Raith became tense. A pearl of swear dropped down his face from his temple.

    "Ah, indeed. You got me. I''ve never been hard this way before. America sure is a different country."

    "Thank you for thepliment"

    At this moment, Raith learned that there is more to a battle than physical prowess, might, and battle experience. Until now, he had never met someone who could be so crafty and cunning with their skills.

    It challenged him in a different way.

    ''Damn! I wanna devour him!''

    Raith yearned to learn from him so much and wished he could adopt this craftiness in just an instance. It was amazing, very amazing. With this, he doesn''t have to be crafty about everything he does.

    "Alright then... so as long as I don''t allow it to spread, I''m safe"

    He bit off the flesh of his hand fiercely, with a crazy grin adorning his face. Blood flowed out and in a millisecond the blood transformed into a ck sword that Raith grabbed in the air and brought it down on his hand.

 Chapter 341 Quite Greedy (1)

    Chapter 341 Quite Greedy (1)

    The sword in Raith''s hand stopped a hyphen away from tearing his hand into two.

    Raith frowned and smirked as he noticed something. If he had not noticed it, he definitely would have lost his hand for nothing.

    Whatever the guy had managed to put into his hand seemed to be suffering more than he was suffering. The organism began to wriggle and the stinging pain that Raith felt stopped. It wriggled and wriggled until it fell out of Raith''s hand and on the floor.

    Raith''s hand disfigured was an irritation to even look at.

    But at least now it wasn''t heavy, Raith with a sigh, he straightened and raised his face to look at the assassin.

    The guy''s face was washed in horror, he shivered.

    ''This makes no sense, I have used this particr skill to kill several people. I can mutate and give any microorganism a mutated trait that I wish. Which is why I had that knife infested with as many microorganisms as possible, not one, not two. It makes no sense that his hand will suddenly reject them!''

    Raith raised his hand to the guy''s face.

    The disfigured hand was slowly finding its ce, the drops of blood that had been lost were returning, almost crystallized, they were returning into his wound.

    His eyes could not believe what they saw, he was thrown into further confusion. And although they begged for an exnation, Raith gave him none.

    "Surely you don''t expect that I will not beat the crap out of you for the shit you just pulled with me..."

    His voice waned as he replied:

    "Is there anything I can do?"

    Raith smiled.

    "Of course. There is always something you can do."

    Reluctant due to the sudden smile Raith wore on his face, the assassin asked anyway:

    "What is it... what can I do?"

    "It is simple. You have something I want."

    "What?"

    The assassin still showed evident signs of reluctance as he spoke back to Raith. The smile the hunter before him had was not friendly, it seemed very deadly.

    To him, Raith was exuding the aura of someone who was about to take away everything he ever considered dear. And still kill him too.

    "How much do you have in your ount?"

    The assassin raised a brow. This question was quite unexpected for him...

    "I have something around forty million, I guess?"

    He answered, a pearl of sweat breaking out on his cheek.

    Raith frowned and...

    p!!

    The assassin''s face was thrashed sideways by Raith''s horrifying, lightning-fast p. He spat blood before returning his reddened cheek.

    "If you still have the guts to be lying to me then you must not have realized the gravity of the situation you are in right now."

    The assassin''s brow knitted together to scowl at Raith. But even so, his eyes went low as Raith''s came down on his.

    "Look here young man, when ites to money and gold... especially gold. You cannot lie to me about it... why? Because your riches beckon to me, I can hear them in my mind, screaming in pain of being misused, they want to find their way to my pocket, to my hands, they want to be spent for my sake... and so like every other riches in the goddammit country has been calling my name since I stepped here...yours too have been since the moment you entered this ce."

    Raith was telling the truth, although his words do not do justice to the intense greed he felt right now. He felt like milking this man dry out of every penny he had. Every house, every resource, every single thing that could bring money. He felt like having it for himself.

    Raith had never been a greedy person and this was too much for him to handle, the desire was insatiable. He felt like if he lingered more than necessary, he would start begging from the man.

    Only in this case, he wouldn''t be begging, since he could take it as he wanted. He would forcibly take all that this assassin had and perhaps for the reasons of justification, he would say it was the prize they get to pay for daring to kill him.

    "...I...I...I have around six hundred..."

    Raith''s eyes widened.

    "Six hundred million?!"

    His voice scaled high out of surprise but quickly dropped as he realized it. The night was still deep and the sun was far from climbing up.

    "What else do you have? Any expensive wristwatches?

    Raith covered his mouth. That part of his speech was not something he had nned to say, he looked down at the guy who stared at him with disdain but was sharp enough to hide it and bow his head.

    ''Should a catastrophe-ranked hunter be asking for things like this? Shouldn''t his riches outmatch my own? I heard he''s from Korea... are things generally hard there?''

    Hismon sense was challenged. Numerous questions tugged his mind as he tried to find the reason why a catastrophe-ranked hunter would stoop so low.

    Raith frowned, hating himself for that minute he bent down and looked at the assassin.

    "I want you to transfer the whole money to me?"

    "Sorry, everything?"

    For a split second, his horrific expression of the situation he was in faded sharply and that of unbelief and irritation appeared on his face. It was only for a split second, that his face quickly returned to reflect the horror of his situation as he realized that indeed this bastard of a man intended to take everything he had for himself.

    Raith did not give him a reply, he stayed silent for a while. Fighting a war with his inner thoughts. It made no sense that he would take everything the man had.

    ''...At least have some morality.''

    But no matter how much he tried to convince himself not to take it all, the desire only grew. It was like he couldn''t take his mind off it. The thought of it troubled his mind every second...

    He had nothing to do with it before now, but now his mind continuously imagined the countless things he would be able to do with the money, even though they were not necessities.

    "I will take everything."

    He lowered his head to the guy and grabbed his hair.

 Chapter 342 Quite Greedy (2)

    Chapter 342 Quite Greedy (2)

    Raith''s gaze over him created a tension that made it seem like a boulder was going to crush on him the moment he looked up.

    He med and hated himself for bringing his phone along with him. Remembering that he had gotten a nudge not to take it with him to prevent it from getting damaged during the fight.

    It was not damage but this damage to his financial life would never be recovered from. It had taken him years of hardworking, hunting monsters relentless, and even though he was quite thevish spender, he had somehow managed to save six hundred million dors.

    His n was to go out of the country for vacation and enjoy himself a little, he also had to send a hundred million dors to his daughter, and with that, she would stop avoiding his calls, at least for a while.

    As he typed the amount on his ount down to thest digit, he watched all those nes fade into dust. He cried inwardly but dared not to make even the tiniest of sounds with Raith standing above him and tightly gripping his hair.

    After a while, he was done. He had transferred all the money in his ount as demanded by Raith.

    Raith smiled richly.

    "Alright. No need to make an issue out of this okay? You see. You tried to kill me right? So why am I looking like a bad person for collecting your money when you tried to rob me of my life."

    The assassin bowed and nodded.

    "Yes sir. I understand, I am very grateful that you decided to spare me because of this..."

    Raith raised a brow.

    "Who said I decided to spare you though?"

    "Sir?"

    The assassin widened his eyes.

    "What? I never mentioned such to you. Did I?"

    "No sir!" Be responded and bowed his head. Under his lips, he continued cautiously, "...I just thought that since..."

    "You thought that since I was collecting money from you it would be enough to spare you from the sin of trying to kill me?"

    "No sir..."

    "Then what exactly is it you were thinking? Do you think my life is worth six hundred million? I am a catastrophe-ranked hunter, let''s put aside that you decided to forget that fact and still attacked me. My life is worth much more than that of thousands of hunters don''t you think?"

    "Exactly sir." He responded humbly, with a bow.

    "And so, should six hundred million dors ever be enough prize to pay for daring to kill a catastrophe-ranked hunter?"

    "No sir! It is not, I have made a grave mistake! Please forgive me!!" He shouted, mming his head to the ground before Raith.

    ''I will endure this and beg for my life. If I should manage to get out of this situation, just watch how I''ll cause your downfall. I will ruin you before the public''

    Raith let out a pitiful sigh, he shook his head afterward. He released his grip on the ck sword and it immediately dissipated into ck dust and disappeared.

    He bent down and lifted the man''s face with a touch on his jaw.

    Lifting his face, Raith removed the mask covering the lower part of his face.

    "Hey! I would like to try something on you is that totally okay?"

    "Yes..." He mumbled, his voice shivering like intense cold had gripped his teeth.

    "Alright"

    Raith wore a fine smile as he nodded and touched the man''s face.

    [Notice. Do you want to use skill GREED, sub-skill: Greed Grasp]

    ''Yes''

    [All valuable items and life forms including the target''s life force would be transferred to you]

    In the next couple of seconds, Raith''s eyes shook as he saw what happened.

    He began to feel a torrent of energy seeping into his body, making him stronger, the feeling was vivid as if its strength itself was being wrapped around his muscles, modifying them even further than before.

    Beyond his hand, on the guy''s face was a slight golden glow shining and going dim at intervals¨Cuntil the man''s face began to dry off, his veins were ridden of blood and became torrid.

    As Raith removed his hand, the assassin''s body fell to the ground. His body which was full of flesh and blood a moment ago had be withered, almost decaying. His fine ck hair was white and scanty on his rotting head. He had lost his skin tone and was barely alive.

    He managed to speak but could not be heard, only letting out a low groan, his eyes almost lifeless found no strength to stay open and slowly went dim.

    Raith was overwhelmed with fear as he saw what he had just done with a sub-skill of his ultimate skill as a ruler.

    It made him wonder about the terrible things he would be able to do. Because [Greed] had a lot of subskills and he had not even begun to scratch the surface.

    This brought him to understand the true might of a ruler. To be able to steal a person''s properties and life force just with a touch has never been something he thought he would be capable of.

    ''I wonder what it is that was stolen? Cars? Houses?''

    Raith had a feeling it would not be any of these things. Omnisavant had strictly said items, but he was still very curious.

    ''Omnisavant.''

    [Yes?]

    ''The stolen items were are they?''

    It was burdening that he had to speak directly with his mind, for a moment Raith wished Omnisavant could just pick up his thought pattern and answer him based on it.

    [After analyzing the dark sea. I have been able to put it to proper use]

    ''Okay? So the stolen items are in the dark sea?''

    [Yes. Do you want to see myplete analysis of the dark sea?]

    Raith sensed the little jump in her tone, pointing that she was happy and excited about the results, so he answered her not making it obvious that he noticed how happy she sounded.

    ''Yes... tell me''

 Chapter 343 Headstrong

    Chapter 343 Headstrong

    [Due to the peculiarity of the attribute ''darker than ck'' and the continuous effect of death and resurrection on your soul]

    [Your soul has received an umon tenacity and a materialization has taken ce in its desperate attempt to carve out something like ''darker than ck'' after your ties were cut away from the abyss]

    [But this was not possible]

    [Hence it settled for less. Although I call it less, it is quite an amazing thing]

    [Your soul materialized a zone to resemble your attributes and reflect your personality, that is how the dark sea came to live. Although this materialization is utterly subjective to your will and manifestation]

    [This zone has certain attributes]

    [Apart from it being the area that holds the essence of your soul. It also can store physical items, it can umte a physical presence, and it can be anything you desire it to]

    [Much importantly, the more you absorb the soul of people the more your seed of greed grows stronger. And as your seed grows stronger, it gives more power to your soul. Hence, making your dark sea grow bigger and susceptible to more peculiarity]

    "Okay, quite interesting. So have I absorbed any soul?"

    [You just absorbed a soul]

    Raith''s eyes turned to the dead assassin on the ground.

    ''Now, what should I do about this?''

    [You can dump the body out through the window or you can...]

    "That''s fine, I think I''ll do just fine."

    [Hmph]

    "Did you scoff at me?"

    [...]

    Raith shook his head and returned to the worry of what to do about the mess these guys had created.

    He picked up the hotel line and dialed the management. A few seconds, a respondent sounded:

    "Hello, how may we help you?"

    The voice sounded extra careful, there was no way they wouldn''t know that the call wasing from the room of South Korea''s catastrophe-ranked hunter.

    "I was attacked by assassins. Although I have dealt with them myself. I need things to be cleaned up from here as soon as possible"

    "Ah! Yes sir!!"

    The feminine voice sounded shocked but responded affirmatively to Raith''s intimidating tone.

    Raith got off the phone and looked at the other guy who was still alive. He was sleeping... and had quite the gut to snow.

    Raith walked closer to him and observed his face pulling down his nose mask. Dark-skinned and quite the fine man.

    "Hey Omnisavant, is it possible for me to use Omnisavant and not kill the person? Can the skill be targeted into stealing his possessions alone?"

    [Then we can use sub-skill Lacerous Touch]

    [While Greed Grasp, aims at sucking away the vitality and materials of the target by a touch, Lacerous Touch aims to steal the target''s valuables by a touch. The more valuable an item is to the target, the more easier it will be stolen]

    ''Very convenient''

    Raith said and ced his hand on the snoring young man.

    "Use Lacerous Touch"

    [Activating Skill: Lacerous Touch]

    [Transferring valuables to the dark see]

    [1...2...4...4 ...100]

    [Transferplete]

    As Raith removed his hand, the security and workers of the hotel got the his room, first shocked to find the strong door out of ce.

    They came in bowing and began to inspect around. Raith could vividly see the horror on their faces as theyid their eyes on the decaying man. It was as if he had lived two hundred years, and his body couldn''t take it anymore. The young man tried to groan but no sound escaped his mouth.

    With enough carefulness, they were able to carry his body out of the room, along with the other one.

    ''He is probably not going tost until tomorrow''

    Raith sank into his seat and stared at the ceiling till he fell asleep.

    The next morning, he was woken up by Ruan Zhaohui''s soft footsteps. As she took her first step into the parlor, his eyes slowly came open.

    With elegance, she sat on the single chair adjacent to the three-seat sofa he had slept on...in a sitting position.

    "You seemfortable for someone that got attacked by assassins"

    Beside Ruan Zhaohui was a youngdy in a ck suit, she wore a deep frown and an unapproachable aura. She continuously scowled at Raith.

    Not that he cared.

    He leaned forward and stood up, stretched his muscles a bit.

    "What could I have done? Although I do find it insulting that America sent an ability blocker to me and thought it would be enough to deal with me. They seem to have been thoroughly prepared for this..."

    "What did you say now?"

    Ruan Zhaohui asked with a slight frown swimming out of her brows.

    "An ability blocker. The guy could block my skills. I''m pretty sure it would have worked on other than me"

    Her frown got intense as she lowered her head, she seemed to be lost in thought so much that it made the atmosphere silent and awkward.

    "Is something wrong?"

    Raith''s question brought her head back up.

    "The existence of an ability blocker as you mentioned has never happened. And if there was such a hunter, I should have known about it"

    "Does that mean they were hiding it from you?"

    Raith asked, not particrly concerned about further these implications that seem to worry Ruan Zhaohui.

    "It means they were hiding it from Li Mingwu."

    "Oh,"

    He nodded his head slightly. He had a very short understanding of who Li Mingwu was and what she was saying wasn''t adding up in his head. But further curiosity into the matter was going to rope him in somehow.

    ''I have not only taken one''s asset and vitality, I also stole the most valuable thing to one. The least I want is to get caught up in this matter. Let it just rest there. I should go check what it is I stole from that ability blockerter''

    Ruan Zhaohui''s inquisitive gaze stayed on him for a few more seconds. It was obvious what she expected was from the way she looked at him, and Raith was never going to give it to her.

    "You do not know the reason why they are hiding it from Li Mingwu."

    "And I don''t want to know"

    Raith added with a big smile.

    "How dare you speak like that to mother!"

    Gilly leaned forward, her hand towards the right side of her waist as if she was about to draw out a sword any moment from now. The odd thing was... there was no sword there.

    Of course, her action was stopped before she could pull the hand forward.

    "Stop it, Gilly"

    "Mother but he is¨C

    Seeing Ruan Zhaohui''s gentle smile, she shrank and bowed her head to Raith.

    "I apologize."

    Raith dismissed her apology with indifference and turned to Ruan Zhaohui who spoke.

    "I see you are trying very hard not to be caught up in matters of this world. But the moment you became a target in thisnd, I think you have been caught up in it."

    Raith frowned and asked:

    "What are you talking about?"

    Ruan Zhaohui let out a soft sigh before speaking.

    "I think Li Mingwu''s death was staged."

    "Okay, I think I will need to stop you right there. I don''t want to know anything about Li Min Min or whoever that is. I don''t want to know anything."

    "I heard you owe him."

    Raith raised a brow.

    "Owe who? Min min?"

    "Li Mingwu... he saved you in a showdown with Turner."

    Raith''s eyes rolled out of focus as he tried to recall his fight with Turner. Fortunately, it was one of the few memorable things in his life. He also could remember being attacked by Absalom before that time and he set the stage for Absalom and Kortopi to fight.

    His face became sunken for a second as he remembered Absalom but that second was all it took for the expression to fade into nothingness.

    Raith''s usual gaze, which exuded a gloomy confidence restructured its lines on his face, altogether surrounding him with a dark pressure that the heart could insitntictvely feel.

    "I think I remember now. An old man with an eye on his forehead."

    "Yes, that eye on his forehead is the eye of irvoyance. Although I''m not sure of all its abilities... it makes Li Mingwu capable of seeing everything."

    "Spare me the details, please. I don''t need to know anything."

    "If you are headstrong about it then I will say no more. But I don''t think you can be excluded from this. You are in it already."

    "Sure thank you."

    ''I have more shitbags to deal with than you all can ever know''

    "Then... are you in a good condition to raid a gate or would you like to rest one more day. Considering that you were attacked, I can spare you one more day to rest."

    "No. I''m fine but instead, we could do it like this."

    Raith paused to see her reaction, seeing that she was following him and didn''t have any kind of repulsive look on her face, he continued:

    "I will raid the gate, and you will increase my money."

 Chapter 344 Abandoned

    Chapter 344 Abandoned

    Suspicious of what he was getting at Ruan Zhaohui lowered her eyebrows, carving out a slight frown from her delicate face.

    "Increase your money?"

    "Yes. When we discussed this deal, you didn''t inform me about things like assassination attempts. Imagine, I just consumed my power trying to fight off that assassin, they were incredibly strong you know."

    Raith asserted his words to her with a straight face.

    Ruan Zhaohui kept her eyes on him for a few seconds, then she rolled them to the cracked floor and rolled back to Raith.

    "Assassination attempts on who?"

    Raith pulled his body back in a repulsive rebellion.

    "Who else? Me of course!"

    "Ah..."

    Ruan Zhaohui sighed. There was nothing to be done, she had somehow managed to put herself in a helpless situation.

    "Fine, how much do you want?"

    Behind her Gilly gritted her teeth as she sumbed to the hunter''s sly y.

    "Four hundred"

    Raith raised four fingers as he spoke.

    "What the hell?!"

    While Ruan Zhaohui''s eyes widened, Gilly wouldn''t have Raith''s arrogance, she yelled forward, gesturing her hands as though she wanted to pull out a sword again.

    Raith looked at her with a frown.

    "What? Do you want to attack me with..."

    "Gilly."

    At the sound of Ruan Zhaohui''s voice, she bit her lips and repositioned herself, standing like a statue with her head bowed.

    "I apologize on her behalf. I suppose you are not saying 400 million..."

    Raith raised a corner of his lips.

    "You get the gist. I like you, you are quick on the uptake."

    Smiling for a second, he said and then looked at her guard with an irritated frown.

    She red back at him, clenching her fists so hard that they would crush a rock.

    "So you want four hundred billion dors. Not even three hundred. One hundred and fifty billion for an assassination attempt."

    Raith leaned into his chair and spread his arms, closing his eyes as he replied:

    "Don''t me it on me, me it on the Americans who tried to kill me. You can extort the money from them somehow."

    "Still, Hunter Raith..."

    "Wait"

    Raith raised his hand cutting shut her speech.

    "This does not mean that you will get all the spoils and rewards from the gate right. I''m the one raiding the gate, so I get to keep those. R...ight?"

    He asked with a glowering face, almost innocent in all visible features but behind those delicate lines that drew out this facial expression was an intent that Ruan Zhaohui perceived as...

    ''I didn''t know he was this devious''

    She had to give it to him. Shepletely underestimated the hunter and didn''t think he would be such a greedy bastard.

    "No, if you will have all the spoil and rewards then I can''t give four hundred billion dors. I''m sorry but you''d have to settle for two hundred."

    Raith clicked his tongue in disappointment and scrutinized her one more time before speaking.

    "So, eighty-twenty?"

    "Fifty-fifty."

    Fifty Fifty was too much in fact, but let''s say he does not die andes back enough Ruan Zhaohui was sure that she would be gaining a lot more.

    Such an amount of money was a small price to pay. Actually, if he was truly devious, he would have extorted more from her. Because he was the only one in jeopardy here. This was a rank of the gate that is unknown, even an unranked hunter tried to raid it and did not make it alive, if he died she gets to keep all her money, and if he made it alive all he gets to receive was a four hundred billion dors which might notpensate for the hell he would go through in that gate.

    However, Raith was pretty dumb to begin with.

    Only after this raid did he begin to sharpen his senses.

    "Fine."

    He shot up.

    "Give me some time to go freshen up."

    He said and walked into his room, after his unhygienic nature being pointed out by Hana, he was getting mindful.

    Ruan Zhaohui watched for a few minutes, staring at the cracked floor with her eyes lost in the imagination of what amount of force would have been applied to dent the marble ground like that.

    Gilly stomped her knees to the ground, pulling Ruan Zhaohui''s eyes out of her imagination.

    "I''m sure if you give me the chance, I will be able to teach him a lesson. No one is allowed to speak to you in this manner. That man is a rude, ungrateful bastard. He doesn''t even realize you are doing him a favor!!"

    "Shut up Gilly."

    "I''m sorry mother."

    She bowed her head, biting her lower lips, to suppress the wave of anger that welled up in her.

    "What makes you so confident that you can beat him?"

    "I haven''t been able to gauge his strength..."

    She said with an expression drowned in shame but continued, her words finding retribution in the words she spoke:

    "...even so, that does not mean I will stay still while someone like that is insulting your mother."

    "Do your best to care for yourself, Gilly. That intolerance of yours might be the end of you one day."

    On a day not far from now, Ruan Zhaohui''s words came into y.

    "Yes, ma!"

    She ground her teeth and responded with an affirmative tone.

    ¡ª

    Eric woke up in a hospital, he was aggravated and tried to escape but his hand was cuffed to the frame of the hospital bed. And a man was standing before him with his hands in his pocket and a toothpick in his mouth.

    He had a ck eye patch over his left eye, his beard was rough and his face bony, withzy eyes that looked like they would close any moment.

    Despite the man''s look being one that seemed to be natural out of depression, he wore a nice grin. One that spelled trouble for Eric here.

    He immediately frowned as he raised his eyes to meet the man''s.

    "Eric Eric, did I not mention to you that I will be back"

    A smirk managed to creep to a corner of his lips.

    "Well, you are quite the persistent bastard. What difference would it make this time, you will just end up letting me go based on the chairman''s order anyway so why don''t you let me go right now? I don''t have time for this."

    "Ah of course. You don''t have time for this, since you dared to assassinate a catastrophe-ranked hunter."

    A frown creased out of his face.

    "I will speak no further, I want to speak to the chairman."

    The man before him smirked, he took out the toothpick and gestured, pointing it toward Eric.

    "The chairman? You, my friend, have been repudiated."

    Still frowning, even deeper, Eric asked:

    "What do you mean? Put me through the chairman."

    "In case you don''t know. The entire media knows that two assassins attacked the Korean catastrophe-ranked hunter. Only one made it out alive and that one happens to be rookie hunter Eric Moore. The public naturally demanded answers from Chairman Whitman since it is no news that you are an agent of the association... ah where is it again."

    He paused and rummaged his hand through his pocket, a couple of secondster he brought out his phone, taking another couple of seconds to find the video.

    "Ha, got it"

    He turned the screen of his phone to Eric who began to shiver a few minutes after the video began to y.

    "I can swear on everything I own that the association does not have anything to do with this incident. Agent Eric did whatever he did on his own ord. There were some rumors of his grudge against South Korea, but I never paid attention to it. I promise the masses that the association will personally investigate this matter and get to the bottom of this issue."

    Eric''s eyes trembled. He opened his mouth to talk but no words woulde out, his words fell short and broke into pieces before they even made it out.

    This was madness! This was a man he had lived his entire life for, everything he had done was as a result of instructions from Whitman.

    What did he mean by ''his own ord'' a rumor? What rumor?!! What discord does he have with Korea that he would attempt to kill their catastrophe-ranked hunter? What the hell was all this about?!

    ''No...no... no, I need to see the Chairman!''

    Eric''s re ignited with fire, a fire that the man in front of him immediately recognized as he opened his mouth to speak.

    "No can do."

    He spoke before Eric could.

    Eric frowned, "I need to see the chairman!!" He shouted.

    "No can do. I said it already didn''t I?"

    The guy slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked at Eric for a few seconds.

    "I know you have lived your entire life for Whitman. I pity you in fact and I have tried to save you from his schemes. But you trusted him far too much. To Whitman, everyone is a tool... you of all people should know that well by now."

    Eric lowered his head, gripping the sheet of the bed he was in.

    "Yes... I know..."

    His words came out, almost shattering like ss.

    "But there is one thing I am curious about... I hope you can at least say that."

    The man''s drowsy eyes slowly came alive, emanating one hell of a cold alluring stare.

    "Why did Whitman send you to kill South Korea''s Catastrophe ranked hunter?"

 Chapter 345 Brewing

    Chapter 345 Brewing

    Eric red at the detective, his eyes reflecting the waves of confusion that he felt, although he somehow managed to keep a stern face. This detective was too experienced to be deceived by it.

    He moved closer and ced one hand on Eric''s shoulder, speaking with a calm tone:

    "I have seen several victims like you. All of them are used by Whitman, and because of it, I have been at his tail for years. He was very secretive about you, I think you are special in a way that he can neverpensate for. And there is still time, I just need you to talk to me, let''s destroy Whitman together."

    A frown broke out of his face:

    "How am I supposed to know if you are telling the truth? What if that video is a fake?"

    The detective sighed.

    "I know that you will continue to be paranoid. Don''t worry, I am not in a rush, I think you just got into some messy shit and it''s a pity you don''t realize how dire your situation is."

    He brought out a cigarette and reced the toothpick with it, continuing:

    "I wish you a happy recovery, Eric. I''ll be here again"

    He walked out after that. Eric was left alone with his confusion and tormenting thoughts, afraid of what might befall him, scared that he truly might have been abandoned by the Chairman, unsure of what is to be of his future but amidst these frustrations that pested on his mind, a ray of hope glistened.

    A smile curled up on his face.

    ''Yes, I have that. I still have the two of them with me... I can still ce a negotiation''

    The chairman had put the two phoenixes in his possession after they managed to make it out of the gate while the humanoid monster was preupied with killing Li Mingwu.

    The chairman had specifically told him to make their existence a secret. Phoenixes were considered legendary creatures on the level of dragons. Although there was little to no information about them but one or two gates had opened in the past in which all the catastrophe-ranked hunters of that era had to gather to defeat just one pheonix.

    It remained written down in the pages of history, memories of the old ones of today. A mature Phoenix''s might could as well bepared to that of a dragon.

    However, little was known about these creatures on Earth, after all, they are just creatures that appear in a gate and are defeated before they can be studied. Whatever information hunters have managed to gather is always from a short encounter with these monsters.

    It wasn''t enough to vet how strong and important these creatures are to the essence of existence.

    The humans at this time knew too little about monsters.

    Eric shrugged, he had epted to train them regardless of all odds because they were cute. And it was going well, he was in fact getting addicted to them and was living with them in the same house.

    His eyes suddenly widened.

    ''What if the chairman has gone to my house?!''

    Knowing Chairman Whitman very well, Eric knew that there was no way he would willfully give him such a powerful creature. Apart from them being a great source of strength should they manage to be tamed. He could kill them and get their core, or get a very good runestone from killing them.

    Alec Whitman was not the type of person to do such insurmountable good.

    Eric attempted to stand up again but his hand was cuffed to the bed frame. He could only grit his teeth in curses and pray that Whitman should not go to his house.

    If he knew that this operation was going to be the end of him he would have moved them to a safer space, somewhere no one would be able to reach.

    ¡ª

    "Search everywhere"

    Agents in ck suits ran up and down a studio apartment dominated by ck hues. The whole ce was turned over and yet not a trace of the birds could be found.

    Whitman sat on a ck-colored sofa and gripped the arm with force reverberating with vexation.

    An agent came to his front, shivering like a cold sheep.

    "We found nothing, sir."

    It was weird enough that he was making them find a blue and red bird, telling him that they couldn''t find it infuriated him so much that they feared for their lives. Alec Whitman was well known for his temper tantrums, should anything not go his way, heads could fly.

    This particr agent was making sure to keep considerable distance between himself and the chairman. Of course, he couldn''t be too far away, that would cause more trouble for him. However, keeping that considerable distance will give him enough space to kowtow before the chairman manages to grab his head. Yes, he thought this thoroughly.

    Wham!

    The sofa''s arm crunched into pieces and scattered, leaving Whitman''s grip with nothing to hold. The agent immediately slumped to his knees and bowed his head. Shivering, his body was infested by a cold embrace of fear.

    "Fuck that bastard. You dare y me, Eric"

    He mumbled and stood up. Then, walked away.

    The agent slowly raised his head realizing that he managed to survive the moment.

    ''I should prepare my resignation letter, I can''t continue to suffer like this, scared that any day the chairman gets angry might be myst.''

    ¡ª

    After the detective left the hospital, he got in his jeep and made his way to his favorite coffee restaurant, it was a small establishment that was started by histe friend who was a hunter at that time.

    He had gotten married to a beautiful young woman and was getting ready to retire to live a happy life. But things don''t always go as people n them, especially if you have to risk your life every moment fighting unhuman creatures whose source of existence is unknown.

    They cane from anywhere, at any time, and rob you of your well-deserved happiness.

    As he walked into the Cafe, warm sunlight gently filtered throughce curtains, casting soft patterns of light and shadow.

    A few well-worn tables, polished with care, cradled mugs of steaming coffee spread over the left side of the cafe, while the right side was the wall, adorned with several posters of models and popr hunters, amongst one of them was a blonde-haired, guy with almond shaped eyes framed by a thin subtle arch of eyebrows.

    The detective stopped in between this particr poster and looked to his left. A man was upying a seat and staring holes into the poster but immediately he looked, the man raised his cup of coffee to gesture him a wee.

    He nodded and walked to the counter which was just a straight walk from the entrance.

    The youngdy with a gloomy beauty greeted him with a bright smile and said:

    "Your visitor has been waiting for you."

    "Ah, thank you, Helen"

    He looked at her with a slight touch of sympathy and erased it off his face before she raised her head.

    "Can I get atte?"

    "Sure. Go sit down, I''ll bring them right to you in a minute "

    Her voice was gentle and silky although they seemed void of life, even though she managed to put on a good smile for him.

    Forcing himself to ignore all that, he walked over to the table where the middle-aged man was.

    "Chairman Mok Jun Seo..."

    His pronunciation was a bit tacky but the person sitting in front of him didn''t mind. Besides, Mok Jun-Seo''s English wasn''t all that...

    "It is fine Lewis, so?"

    "It is hard to get information out of the guy. But things turned out well for us because your catastrophe-ranked hunter came to America"

    He said looking at Mok Jun-Seo. Then, he added:

    "Was it your n all along? If there is anything you are not telling me about, I''d appreciate it if you start speaking right now."

    Mok Jun-Seo smiled.

    "It was never my n, if anything I don''t want to get Hunter Raven involved in this matter. This is between Alec and I. Even I am curious about why he is in California."

    "I think it has something to do with the gate. Ruan Zhaohui stopped us from going to his quarters when we wanted to interrogate him."

    A few lines of wonder formed on Mok Jun-Seo''s face but they quickly faded, turning his expression somber.

    "If it is Ruan Zhaohui, then I believe he is in good hands. She''s verypetent."

    "Yea...."

    Silence ensued between both of them as the youngdy came with a tray with a cup of coffee and dropped it with her usual smile.

    Lewis nodded as she excused herself.

    While Mok Jun-Seo watched her till she reached her counter, he returned his gaze to the detective in front of him.

    "Is this his wife?"

    "Yes."

    "I see..."

    "Uh"

    The way he responded insisted that he didn''t want to talk about it. Releasing the subtle frown on his face, he asked:

    "How are you so sure it was Whitman that killed Li Mingwu."

    "Don''t be mistaken, Whitman does not have such strength... even with that Eric guy that can block out abilities, I doubt it would ever be possible to defeat my master. Which is why Whitman must have schemed this whole thing."

    "We have no way to prove that, if Eric does not talk no one would believe us that Li Mingwu''s death was Whitman''s n as he has done to several hunters. Including hunter Noe Hyeon-Jun"

    He looked back at the poster and returned to Mok Jun-Seo''s gaze.

    "Yes...and that is why I havee to put an end to his madness. I don''t know what he is nning but I have a very bad feeling about it. If he delicately took his time to take out Li Mingwu from the picture, then Alec is up to something that may threaten the bnce of the world. And that is why we must not lose this chance."

    The detective nodded with his eyebrows forming a delicate frown of determination.

 Chapter 346 Depressed Soul

    Chapter 346 Depressed Soul

    Raith entered the dark sea, just like thest time the ce was drab and cheerless. If this was supposed to be the manifestation of his soul area does this mean he was a naturally depressing person?

    ''I''m not a depressed person''

    Raith frowned at the idea. Then began to scrutinize the expanse ofnd that spread out before his eyes. The sky was dark, there was no moon or stars to adorn it with little light, and the ce seemed lost from the light, a veil of darkness that rejected every ray of light that dared to prate.

    It was an imprable darkness, taking the form of and.

    Raith walked forward, ps of sounds as his feet treaded on the ck water, he arrived at the center of the dark sea. He had not been able to do this before because of all the things that were happening to him but he could look expensively at what Omnisavant called his zone.

    ''All this is mine?''

    It felt different from when the abyss was the one in charge. Everything he received didn''t feel like his, although this dark sea was greatly owed to the abyss, he managed to get a thing or two from the separation and this was one of them. Who knew that being exposed to the abyss would cause his soul to adapt in such manners?

    ''Now, where are the treasures?''

    Raith turned around with visible glee in his eyes, checking every corner for where the treasures might be stuck...

    ''It''s pretty much cornerless''

    As he noted, it was just a wide waterscape, sure a few erected ck rocks here and there but there were nothing more than that.

    Disappointed he raised his head to the sky, that too gave him nofortation. The darkness that fell from it threatened to swallow him in whole.

    Raith lowered his head. Utterly disappointed.

    He slumped down, in an attempt to sitzily. But to his surprise, he slumped right into the water. Thendscape before him rolled over.

    He now found himself I''m a very familiar wilderness. One that he particrly did not like, not one bit.

    He frowned and muttered.

    "This ce"

    It was the same ce he had spent over seventy years in, so he had an awful memory of it.

    Just like the dark sea, the soul was covered by a sea of dark clouds that cast a thick ck veil over thend. Raith vividly remembered traversing this ce for moments that felt endless, and infinite.

    He shook his head, dismissing the gruesome memories that threatened him. Then looked around, he almost missed something.

    "No..."

    Raith looked around, even though he was positive that this was his soul, the very ce he had to find the seed of the sin of greed. The more he looked at it, the more it didn''t seem very much like it.

    The rocks which stood erect before on several parts of the cknd now seem to arching teeth, ready to close him up. Pointing their edges to themselves as though they were opposite sides of sedimentation ready to wage war against each other.

    Raith stood in between these arched mountains, thend was wide and as far as his eyes could see, the mountains were all arching towards each other.

    ''Omnisavant, do you know why it is like this?''

    [I''m not able to provide answers to that as of now]

    ''That means one day right''

    Receiving no response from her, Raith attempted to walk further but quickly turned his head as he heard a chirp.

    It was towards the corner of the mountain that arched over his head.

    ''Is there supposed to be any living thing here?''

    Curious, he went after the sound, reaching the area where the sound hade from, Raith''s eyebrows narrowed as he saw them.

    Two birds, wrapped around each other, shivering.

    "What is this?"

    [When you used Lacerous Grip and took the most priced possession of one of the assassins that attacked you, this was what was taken]

    "No way..." Raith said in irritation. Dismayed.

    [Yes way]

    "A red bird and a blue bird?"

    [Correct]

    "What the hell am I supposed to do with a red bird and a blue bird?!"

    Raith covered his face with both hands utterly disappointed at how worse his unlucky fate could get.

    Omnisavant stayed silent.

    After a few seconds of sulking, he looked down at the birds.

    "So this is the most priced possession of that guy. The guy that could block out skills? What a life..." He shook his head.

    "Well, what about the other one."

    [I believe the horde for treasures is beyond you]

    Raith looked forward, beyond the corner of the mountain was a cave with an entrance like the mouth of a beast, it was pitch dark but a faint radiance could be seen.

    Raith was about to move but had a second thought and stopped, he looked down at the birds and picked them. They showed little resistance but he ended up picking them up, roughly though.

    They endlessly chirped until he got to the cave where he dropped them.

    His eyes glistened as they came to realize what was causing the faint glow in the cave.

    "What the hell Savvy, what the hell?!!"

    A wide-spread smile shed his face. His eyes were sucked into the view before him, and the brilliant light of golden treasures radiated on his face.

    "No no no... this is heavenly!" He screamed, rushing forward.

    He leaped and jumped onto the piles of golden coins that rose in front of him.

    Slumping down, he picked one of the coins and bit it, feeling its toughness with his teeth. Btedly getting conscious of what he was doing he dropped the coin and stood up.

    "Ahem... this is quite amazing."

    [Yes it is]

    "Let''s go back"

    ''How the hell do I deal with this side effect''

    ¡ª

    In a few hours, Raith was ready for the raid. He was escorted out of the hotel by Ruan Zhaohui and her cohort of men in white suits, save she and Gilly who were dressed in ck.

    From the hotel till they got to the location of the gate, Raith didn''t utter a single word, and it was for two reasons.

    Number one, what would he discuss with an olddy, two; he would not have Ruan Zhaohui mention anything about Li Mingwu''s death and whatever may be going on in America. He was too busy to care.

 Chapter 347 Good Save

    Chapter 347 Good Save

    Raith stood in front of therge gate, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

    "What? How did ite to this?"

    His left eye took on a golden color, and he could see theposition of the gate, and its energy level, everything appeared to him in numbers.

    [Corrupted Gate]

    [Energy level: 999]

    [Monster poption: 2]

    [Gate area: 9,578 square meters]

    "I know, it''s size is enormous. I was like that when I first saw it too"

    "No,"

    Raith responded with a frown on his face and his tone a little somber.

    "What do you mean no?"

    Ruan Zhaohui looked at him, her face slightly tensed with concern.

    "It''s not the size," Raith continued, his gaze unyielding. "It''s the gate''s energy level. It''s overwhelmingly potent, strong enough to spawn armies of monsters capable of annihting an entire country. And yet, there are only two monsters inside?"

    Ruan Zhaohui squinted her eyes. "How do you know this, Hunter Raven?"

    Raith hesitated for a moment, realizing he had spoken without thinking. He opened his mouth to answer, "It''s... part of my skill. I can gauge the energy level of gates with my eyes and deduce these kinds of details."

    Is that what the faint glow in your left eye is for?" Ruan Zhaohui asked, having just noticed it when he turned towards her.

    "Y-yes"

    "Two monsters inside, as you mentioned? If there are only two, in contrast to what you said¡ªa gate meant to house thousands, capable of erasing an entire nation¡ªdoes that imply these two possess the power to single-handedly bring about the nation''s downfall?"

    Raith''s eyes widened as the implications sunk in.

    ''Hell, I didn''t think of it like that!''

    His forehead dampened with a sheen of sweat, he nodded in agreement.

    "I see. If you''refortable with it, I can arrange for apanion to join you. You don''t need to face this alone."

    ''And have you potentially cut into my earnings.''

    "No, the deal still stands. I gave my word, and I intend to keep it."

    "Your word?"

    Ruan Zhaohui looked puzzled.

    "A deal is a promise, isn''t it?" Raith replied, wearing a self-assured smile as he slid his hand into his coat pocket.

    "Very well, then," he announced, taking a step forward.

    As he neared the gate, he paused, tilting his head upward to admire the gate''s towering, circr frame.

    Then he entered.

    A few minutester Rizo arrived, he was to standby in case things went south.

    Raith entered the gate and met nothing but destruction. The once pristinendscape had been irrevocably altered as if nature itself had been ripped apart by some unimaginable force. Mountains that once stood tall and proud were now reduced to nothing more than gaping craters, their majesty forever lost.

    The ground beneath his feet was a patchwork of dented earth as if some colossal titan had yfully pressed its fingers into the terrain.

    The trees, once towering sentinels of thend, nowy strewn about, fallen like forgotten soldiers, their branches entangled. It was as if the very forest had borne witness to a violent upheaval, a cataclysmic event that had left the world forever scarred.

    As Raith ventured deeper into this destion, the air itself became heavy with the weight of the destruction, and an eerie silence hung in the atmosphere, broken only by the asional creak of fallen timber.

    He walked with God''s eyes actively analyzing every information of what he encountered. The difference between God''s eye analyzing and Omnisavant analyzing was that the information received was directly imputed into his brain, he sees and knows automatically.

    Of course in rare cases like a few moments outside the gate, numbers are disyed.

    But the analysis was child''s ypared to what Omnisavant or Savvy as Raith now called her, could do.

    But why use her for something like this when he can just use God''s eye? Moreover, using the skill would allow him to be more proficient with it, who knows what surprises the skill entails?

    ''I wonder if my skills can level up''

    [No, they can''t]

    [When skill proficiency increases, energy consumption decreases]

    ''So at what point do they level up?''

    [Skills tied to the source do not level up, under rare asions they may upgrade]

    ''This source? What is this source? Haven''t youpleted your analysis?''

    [No]

    ''Ah, fine. I hope you do. So I can find out what the hell this source is about

    THWOOOOM!

    Suddenly, an overwhelming force came crashing down upon Raith, ruthlessly reducing the ground to rubble within seconds. It birthed a cataclysmic explosion that enveloped thend, unleashing a deafening uproar throughout.

    The colossal impact unveiled a creature that hadnded precisely where Raith once stood. It stood there, bare-chested and bald, a distinct frown etched onto its face.

    "I missed?"

    The creature tilted its head, its widened eyes revealing tiny, pinpoint pupils nestled in their depths.

    Then it turned to its back, where a round golden ball had formed.

    The ball''s transformation was a deliberate, graceful act, unfurling like a blossoming flower as it dissolved into a shimmering liquid. Its golden essence flowed into the space just before the person it had previously encased.

    With a deft, almost anticipatory gesture, Raith closed his palm as the fluid gold surged towards it with breathtaking velocity. Then, in a fluid motion, he reopened his hand, revealing the astonishing result of this mystical alchemy¡ªa single, ruined gold coin.

    "Thanks for the save," he expressed, nonchntly flipping the coin into the air.

    "I''m still getting the hang of my skills as a ruler, but thanks for the assist, Savvy."

    [You''re wee]

    In the brief moments since the contact between Raith and the tumultuous force, Omnisavant had activated an art¡ªa skill known as [GOLD SHIELD], derived from the sin of GREED. It wove a portion of wealth into a formidable shield capable of absorbing and deflecting damage.

    Raith examined the rough and battered gold coin, a sigh escaping him. ''I''ve lost precious gold...''

    [Using ruler exclusive skill Thought eleration]

    Raith''s golden eye shone brighter as he widened them, feeling a rush of information pour into his head. Though it threatened to overwhelm his senses, his heightened thought patterns allowed him to sort and process the information rapidly, with guidance from Omnisavant.

    "Gate of Avarice"

    Golden ripples surged from the air surrounding Raith and the humanoid monster that stood confidently before him.

 Chapter 348 Regret

    Chapter 348 Regret

    Raith spread his arms as golden ripples widened and from all of them poured out weapons of golden hue, Immediately baptizing the point where the monster stood with tremendous velocity.

    A maddening sound reverberated across the air as the collision caused a massive tremor to run through the entirend.

    The entire ce was covered in a cloud of dust. Raith squinted his eyes, observing his opponent.

    His eyes suddenly went wide and he slid over to his side. The monster glided past him like a fired bullet, missing the timing it had delicately prepared to plunge its ws into his chest.

    Raith raised a knee and delved into the monster''s belly before it fully glided away, changing its course. The monster hurled upwards into the sky but once it was midair, it redirected itself and darted back at Raith who materialized a sword and the two met in a sparks flying collusion.

    For the next few seconds, Raitb was deftly locked in a sequence of blocking the monster''s attack¨Cwith its formidable strength, every blow felt like Raith was being hit by a sledgehammer. The sword in his arms vibrated upon every sessful block.

    Could one even call it a block? Because Raith''s wrist suffered damage. His palm quickly became sore and his muscles tensed.

    A few seconds passed into minutes and Raith could no longer take it. He had to give himself a little time to rest, but like his opponent would freely do that.

    The monster''s reaction speed was crazy, it was how Raith had not even been able to barge in a counterattack since their exchange began, his eyes were dedicatedly locked onto the monster''s super fast movement¡ªmaybe if not for [thoughts ration] he wouldn''t have been able to defend himself against the monster''s onught as he had done up to this minute.

    Raith gritted his teeth with frustration.

    ''Was I too cocky? Was I too hasty? I have definitely grown damnit!!''

    Raith with a shout let out a ring torrent of force that sted away his opponent. He was now heaving as several ck swords materialized without his blood.

    A dark aura surrounded him, it was familiar but at the same time wasn''t. The ck sword materialized within the ck smoke that subtly surged around him.

    He saw the swords and was shocked but he didn''t have the time toplement that state. His opponent darted at him with a blinding speed.

    Raith stretched out to grab one of the swords in haste but before he could, the swords moved¡ªtwo swords crossed over each other blocking while another two sailed at the monster at an even tremendous speed.

    The monsterunched a concussive punch that collided with the swords that came at him and shattered them.

    ''Impossible!'' Raith''s eyes widened.

    The monster with all fluidity smashed the two crossed swords in front of it, shattering them too and finally entering enough space to batter Raith with its punches.

    ''Aish, damnit!''

    Raith gritted his teeth and as the monster''s fist approached him, he opened his hand, a gold coin appearing in it, he threw the gold coin forward and ejected himself from the monster''s front.

    It was a simple coin.

    The monster did not bother to evade and instead attempted to swing it off with one hand, but the coin cleanly cleaved through the hand that was supposed to sweep it away.

    Raith stood.

    ''At this rate, I will use up all my wealth.''

    The skill of greed was quite a cunning one to deal with. It filled with him so much love and desire for materials and also equipped him with the ability to be able to take that wealth for himself. In that way, all of its subskills as to be used with that wealth as an intermediary.

    Raith could take any of his wealth and give it a property he wanted, he could either make it have the sharpest edge or make it be the heaviest object. The blunt sides of the coins mattered not, nor did their small size.

    But he loses the value of the treasure, it is an endless cycle.

    The monster stumbled forward, almost losing its bnce, its forearm was separated by the coin and blood splurged out of the amputated hand endlessly.

    "I underestimated you. You are the first human I have fought."

    ''What I''m the first human?''

    Raith raised a brow. From what the monster said, he could figure that this was not the monster that killed Li Mingwu.

    ''Then does that mean...''

    Raith realized he had be incredibly weak. There was no doubt about it.

    If he still had his ties to the abyss, he could have confidently said that this would be his victory no matter what. But the abyss was gone.

    Raith felt his leg shake.

    ''Did I make the right decision to leave the abyss...''

    Moreso, his death soldiers.

    ''What do I do? Is this the end... wait, no. I still have a lot of skills up my sleeves, my sword skills have grown considerably since I have been using Bal. My strength has also increased in folds. I can do this''

    "I hate that you are just staring at me. Are you pompous because you manage to have one arm of mine? If so.."

    Splurt!

    The hand was erected back instantly.

    "What?"

    He had little time toprehend anything. The monster appeared before him, its speed was as though it had disappeared and appeared.

    Raith opened his mouth in shock, he tried to bring his hands together to defend himself against the iing punch, but the monster was just too fast for even him.

    Its hand entered his defenses before they coulde together, wrenching into his stomach like a massive stone. Raith flew away crashing and tumbling on fallen trees.

    The monster looked at its hand.

    "I have expected that this one punch would shatter his body. Master did mention that the human he fought was quite formidable. Have I also met a formidable foe?"

    A grin spread across his face.

    "Yes! I like this!"

    Gleeing, he shed across the distance separating him and Raith.

    Raith wrapped himself with another ball of gold. The monster''s fist collided with it¡ªa tremendous force of impact was returned, shattering the monster''s hand.

    Raith immediately unraveled the ball and lunged himself with an image-tearing speed, materializing a sword in the air and aiming it at the monster''s chest.

    The monster caught the sword with one hand, grabbed Raith''s head with the other, and smashed it to the ground.

    He lifted his leg.

    "Begone worm"

 Chapter 349 The Art Of Battle (1)

    Chapter 349 The Art Of Battle (1)

    As the monster brought down its feet upon Raith, an eruption of mes exploded out of Raith''s body, causing the monster to immediately fly away.

    The monster grabbed the torn tunic that covered its lower body which was caught up with the mes and threw it away. Its body now naked exuded more manliness than before. From its broad shoulders to its broad chest, and fit, strong legs, its frame was honed to perfection, almost like a sculpted god.

    Its eyes gleamed with a soft radiance, its ck sclera gave the monster the visage of a chaobringer.

    Raith slowly flowed to his feet, carried by the mes that continued to swirl around his body.

    His eyespared to before were now red and ck. His heterochromia eyes seemed to have returned.

    The monster sensing the change in atmosphere grinned. It...he, tilted his head left and right making a sickening crack sound. Then he folded his fist and pushed one forward along with a leg and the other one just behind it.

    "Come human! I will teach you the real art of battle!"

    Raith''s eyes narrowed to a slit. He flew across to the monster, propelled by the wings of mes that surrounded him.

    The monster also darted at him and the two of them collided, creating another loud explosion of force wrapped with splinters of mes.

    Both of them were locked in another round of devilish exchange of attacks, Raith explored every area of battle he had picked on in the past few months, which helped him a lot.

    He could hold his own with the monster because of his experience. He had never learned to battle the proper way and had up to now, what had carried him was the power of death he had. Every strand of muscles beneath his skin has never forgotten the pain staked on every failure, every death, every attack he should have executed better.

    They have adapted to failure and are ever unchanging, Raith had over time ingrained in them the best battle art that one can ever gain. Of course, in order to fully disy the prowess lying dormant within them Raith had toe to a certain realization. But that was still far from him.

    Raith''s arms enveloped in mes lunged at the monster in a desperate attempt tond an attack. That desperate attempt however may have been a trapid on from the moment the second round of their tight-locked battle began.

    Raith''s hand was easily grabbed by the monk monster, he pulled Raith closer and dealt a blow to his belly. Normally, Raith would have been hurled away by the impact but the monster was holding his hand tightly, with enough strength to keep him from going anywhere.

    Raith spat out blood, experiencing a tormenting recoil squeezing his internals.

    The monster packed quite the punch. Grinning it grabbed Raith''s neck and began trying to force Raith''s arm out.

    But another ze of inferno emerged. This time with a gluttonous ferocity that threatened to consume him in his entirety. The monster abandoned Raith and quickly leaped away as far as it could.

    The mes continued to flutter almost as if he was adorned by a cloak of fire.

    ''I don''t know what this skill is but it has saved me twice now''

    Raith inhaled and exhaled, he had the space he needed for now.

    [...]

    ''Yes, I know...''

    The root of this struggle was because Raith had no proper idea of how to use his skills of [GREED]. The fool had thought it would naturallye to him.

    ''Will youe up next?''

    [If you permit me]

    Raith nodded.

    Immediately, both eyes gleamed a white hue and subsided.

    "You keep changing your face. I hope this time you bring me more excitement."

    Indifferent to the monster''s words, Omnisavant, now in control of Raith''s body disappeared. The monster''s eyes went round. He appeared behind the monster and materialized a sword. Of course, the monster was quick on the uptake and deflected it with bare hands sending sparks abroad.

    The most stumbled, falling behind two steps, it gathered itself and lunged forward Immediately, its hand outstretched in a ferocious bid to sever Raith''s torso.

    Omnisavant darted straight into his line of attack and ducked low just by the skin of the teeth, creating a sword and stabbing it into the monster''s outstretched hand. Creating another sword, he stabbed it into the monster''s exposed nk.

    "Tch"

    It missed a vital point. But two swords were now embedded in the monster''s body. He made a high jump andnded far off.

    ''Wow... you are fast, faster than I was''

    [Of course]

    ''How?''

    [Because I can maximize my movement by taking ount of every muscle movement in this body]

    [Through infinite analysis being run every second, I am constantly determining the number of ways I can best execute a movement and exploring the ideas]

    ''Oh, is that why you met his attack head-on and dodged thest moment? What if you had been a minutete, my face would have been gone for it''

    [I repeat, all my actions are based on urate analysis and calction]

    ''Do you think we can win a fight with this monster then?''

    [There are several factors to consider, the one I am particrly concerned about is that the monster has not begun to show its card. But yes, it is I can take it down]

    ''...what about the other one?''

    [If we are to meet another monster of this level of power after fighting this one, I can''t guarantee our survival based on the fact that we would have expended a lot of energy on this one, our body would be worn out, and in an extremely tired state]

    ''So winning will he had if we were to meet two of this kind of monster. Huh''

    [However... if the monster is stronger than you suspect]

    ''This ce could pretty much be our grave''

    [...]

    Raith''s face was kept straight throughout the entire conversation between him and Omnisavant.

    [What is your decision?]

    "What else, take this body and defeat this monster!"

    [Will you grant me ess to all your skills?]

    "Well, I havee to trust you so do what you will," Raith said with closed eyes and a smirk.

    The third round of their onught began with grounds trembling.

 Chapter 350 The Art Of Battle (2)

    Chapter 350 The Art Of Battle (2)

    Undoubtedly. There were many things to consider when fighting a monster, it wasmon sense that the monster should be studied, including its attack pattern, body structure, and most especially weak points. These were the normal ways to ascertain a sure win when hunting monsters, for these reasons were scouts avable.

    Raith on the other hand never learned the logical way to do things, always having to learn from his death. Until when was that going to continue? He wished he had learned it the logical way now that he couldn''t afford to die anymore.

    But what to do? What is lost is lost. All he just had to do now was pay attention to how Omnisavant effectively used his body to battle the monster.

    The monster''s strikes were fast, almost unseen as if they disintegrated before getting to him, but Omnisavant still managed to block the attacks. Even when her block was bted one time, a gold coin appeared out of thin air and formed an arc over her, absorbing and sending the monster''s attack impact back to him.

    Not wasting a second, she darted towards him like a knife, with its pointed edge patiently waiting to pierce through¨Cher speed tore through the air, defying the direction of the wind.

    Wrapping her hands with a clothe of me, she arced a punch from the side. The monk curled to one side, blocking her punch but the mes surged around him, threatening to burn him to a crisp.

    He flew out and rolled into the air, thennded away from Raith.

    ''Wow... these mes are something!''

    [ze originates from the abyss. While it has not taken the property of darkness, it is almost like an Amaterasu. A me that doesn''t stop burning until ashes]

    ''By that description, this guy should be long gone then''

    [I said almost]

    [It also exins why the monster is cautious of the mes]

    [Although I am more curious as to how it can know the properties of the me. Perhaps it is a monster that possesses an appraisal skill]

    ''This keeps getting more confusing. How did a monster like thise into existence?''

    [Beats me]

    Raith? Omnisavant frowned.

    The monster closed the distance with a sh, razing across thend with an overwhelming ferocity, Raith''s hand instinctively crossed over his chest to block the punch. But at thest minute the monster drew a grin and pulled his punch back, from beneath, he jabbed an uppercut into his belly, lodging him with an astounding into the air.

    Raith felt an agonizing pain shoot through his muscles, he spat out blood as he scaled into the air uncontrobly.

    Not sparing a second, the monster hauled itself, catching up to him before he could recover from the torment that unfurled within his stomach.

    Raith widened his eyes and forced a roll out of his body, spinning out of the direction of the monster. He crashed into a tree but that was bearablepared to receiving another one of that attack.

    The monster stayed afloat for a few minutes and turned its body to the fallen trees where Raith had crashed into.

    He folded his arms together and made a sign, stretching his index and middle fingers and folding the rest, while one of his hands with this sign was facing upwards, another was facing downward.

    "Ishmi...Shippeo!"

    Wrroiinggg!

    A golden line originating from its fist began to run throughout its body, giving him a glow that could be likened to that of a god. The monster even though a monster, looked majestic in this form.

    The line with a faint glow ran across his body, four different lines, tracing their straight path across his body and finally to his back where they all formed four different dots.

    The monster''s eyes suddenly became, shining with a blinding intensity. And at once, it disappeared. With an even greater speed than Raith had ever seen, it closed the distance again.

    Raith braced himself as the monster vanished from sight, his senses heightened by the anticipation of the impending attack.

    As the monster reappeared, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck. Raith barely had time to react. The monster''s fist drove into Raith''s chest, sending shockwaves of pain through his body. He gasped for air as he was lifted off his feet, and thrown backward with immense force.

    Raith crashed into a stand of trees, branches, and leaves breaking under the impact. Struggling to his feet, Omnisavant knew something was wrong. Yes, she had mentioned that the monster''s hidden cards were bothering her but she had never expected that the level of strength would be this wide.

    At that point, she knew she had toe up with a n, and fast. The monster''s newfound speed and power were unlike anything she ever predicted. That is the thing about monsters with a sense of self, they can never be predicted.

    ''Hey, Omnisavant...''

    [Yes?]

    ''I''ll take it from here.''

    [Bu©\

    Her voice seized as she noticed the serious Raith sounded with.

    [Okay]

    The golden glow and stiff expression attached to Raith''s face slowly faded as the AI relinquished control to him.

    Raith''s eyebrows creased to a frown.

    ''I have a n... I don''t know if it will work but I have been in several battles, I should be able to work a thing or two out''

    [Hmm...]

    [Focus on his movements. Try to anticipate his attacks, and remember his pattern]

    ''Yes ma''am''

    [I do not have a gender]

    ''But you do sound like ady''

    [...]

    Wiping blood from his lips, Raith frowned his brow tighter. Omnisavant was right, if he at least wanted to be able to survive the onught enough for a counterattack, he needed to keep his eyes on the monster''s movements and study its pattern, that was if it had any.

    The monster reappeared, streaking toward him with blinding speed. This time, Raith dodged to the side just before the punch connected, narrowly avoiding another bone-shattering blow.

    Seizing the opportunity, Raithunched a counterattack. He flowed through a series of precise strikes, aiming for the monster''s joints and weak spots. Bal materializingst minute whistled as it sliced through the air with the precision of a master swordsman, drawing sparks as it met the monster''s rapidly parrying limbs.

    The two of them were immediately locked in a flurry of steel, a metallic ng resounding through the air each time Raith''s sword met with the monster''s steel hands. Their movements got faster making it a spinning headache for anyone who''d dare to follow the sequence.

    Their attacks flushed in with a breakneck velocity, whizzing through the air. Raith was still able to keep up with the momentum, his eyes deftly locked onto the monster, his hands moving so fast he felt as though they now had minds of their own.

    The monster too did not lift its eyes off him, they stood on the same ground and continually battered each other with no attack slipping past one another.

    That was the case until Raith got creative.

    His two hands were tenaciously clenched to the sword, expending every ounce of his muscle with the way he moved, keeping his feet dug into the ground but all of a sudden released one hand, swiftly bringing it to the back, another sword materialized into it.

    With the second sword now in his grip, Raith''s movements became even more fluid and unpredictable. But that was not even the creativity that he had implored. The monster''s eyes widened as it noticed the mes that cloaked the second sword as they arced at him.

    Raith unleashed a torrent of mes from the second sword, creating a wall of fire that surged toward the monster. The intense heat and searing mes enveloped the creature, forcing it to stumble back in surprise.

    The monster attempted to shield itself with its arms, but the mes licked at its flesh, leaving scorch marks and sizzling sounds in their wake. He let out a pained roar as it struggled to withstand the fiery assault.

    Raith seized this opportunity, not wasting a moment. He pressed the attack, driving both swords forward with a renewed ferocity.

    The monster, still engulfed in mes, couldn''t effectively defend itself. The dual des sliced through the air, seeking the creature''s vulnerable spots.

    The monster''s movements became erratic as it tried to escape the mes and Raith''s relentless assault simultaneously. Its attacks grew uncoordinated, and it failed to mount an effective defense.

    ''Yes! This is it!!''

    Raith celebrated internally, he didn''t think he could pull it off. He had this hypothesis in his mind. Actually, from the beginning, Raith had been trying to figure out the monster''s pattern. He also thought that Omnisavant would have been able to do it better and inform him about it.

    But instead, she told him to watch out for it. With the level of intelligence, she ims and her ability, Raith felt that there was no way she wouldn''t have paid attention to the monster''s movement. If she had figured it out, she would have told him about it instead of asking him to pay attention to it.

    Hence this brought him to the conclusion:

    ''Instead of trying to study its attack pattern, why not scatter the whole thing''

    It was a wild idea. The foundation of every martial artist is their pattern, Raith might not have been one for a long time, but he did learn swordsmanship from his father and there were a few lessons that had stuck with him even until this day.

    So, he knew that the monster surely had an attack pattern, but it was difficult to find it because the monster didn''t repeat moves, it was difficult to find the kind of pattern he adopted, and even if he did find it, was he sure he would be able to urately predict the monster attacks or he would just be lured into the monster''s trap like it had happened before.

    That was after all the downside of focusing on one''s pattern¡ªit can be used to lure one into it. If the monster guessed that Raith was able to familiarize himself with his attack pattern, then he would have lured Raith in based on Raith''s own prediction and changed its attack pattern to further deal more unaffordable damages to him.

    These were Raith''s instances, and that was even if all this went the right way and he was able to find the pattern amidst the pending murderous intent that each attack of the monster exuded threatening to rip his body to shreds.

    So, he decided that he was going to disjoint the monster''s attack, and using that period, he wouldnd as much attack as he could.

 Chapter 351 The Art Of Battle (3)

    Chapter 351 The Art Of Battle (3)

    Raith''s unconventional approach had certainly thrown the monster off bnce. It struggled within the fiery inferno and Raith''s incessant assault.

    As Raith pressed the attack, desperation painted the monster''s eyes¨Cmes continuously danced around it with each of Raith''s attacks making it hard for the monster to defend itself effectively.

    It was a risky maneuver, but Raith was determined to keep the advantage he had gained. He continued to strike at the monster, shing with his dual swords, aiming for its exposed and vulnerable areas. The monster''s defensive efforts were in disarray as the mes surrounded it.

    [Keep it up, Raith!]

    Omnisavant''s voice echoed in his mind, filled with encouragement.

    [You''ve managed to disrupt its pattern, and now it''s struggling to adapt. Don''t give it a chance to regain control!]

    Raith nodded, his focus unwavering. His muscles ached, and sweat trickled down his forehead, but he couldn''t afford to falter now. The monster''s defenses were crumbling under the onught of fire and steel.

    The monster unleashed a wild, sweeping strike in an attempt to clear the mes around it. Raith narrowly evaded the attack, spinning gracefully to the side as he continued his assault.

    He recognized that this was a critical moment. The monster was struggling, but it was far from defeated. It could still regain control of the battle if Raith let up.

    So, he pressed his advantage, striking at the monster with a ferocity he had never felt before. mes swirled around him, and his dual swords moved as extensions of his very being. Each strike was precise, aimed to cripple the monster further.

    The monster however suddenly wore a deep frown, he gnashed his teeth and suddenly darted vertically into the sky, suspended in the air. The golden dots on the monster''s back began to radiate into arger circle that grew out into glowing hands, four of them.

    "Holy shit!"

    [This is what I feared]

    Two hands were already so much to deal with, now he had to deal with six?! It was already hard enough to keep the bastard creature cornered.

    ''My victory is dwindling''

    [Fear not, do your best in this round. I will make an urate analysis now that it has revealed its trump card]

    ''And what if it has another trump card''

    [What would you like to be written on your gravestone]

    ''Fuck you''

    Raith braced himself as the monsternded in front of him. Now with a heavenly aura, it walked towards Raith, the ground caving in with every step it took.

    ''Heavy''

    The atmosphere vibrated with intense pressure, Raith almost could not breathe under it.

    It was a daunting challenge but Raith clenched his hands more tightly to both his weapons, he stood with a stone-born determination, resisting the amount of pressure that fell on him, even his neck suffered, aching as though he had carried a massive burden for a long time.

    The monster was now dangerously close, and its six hands gave it a nightmarish appearance. But Raith was not intimidated. He had faced insurmountable odds before, and each time, he hade out stronger... through death though.

    The difference now was that he couldn''t afford to die. Not once!

    ''Hell, I will seize my victory by force''

    As the monster raised one of its glowing hands to strike, Raith moved with lightning speed, blocking the powerful blow with both of his swords. The impact sent shockwaves through his body, but he held his ground.

    [Now, find an opening in its defenses!]

    With Omnisavant''s guidance, Raith analyzed the monster''s movements using god''s eyes, looking for a weakness. The creature''s six hands may have given it greater offensive capabilities, but it also created vulnerabilities.

    Raith aimed his strikes with precision, seeking an opportunity to prate the monster''s guard.

    The battle quickly became a brutal test of endurance and skill. With each sh of swords against the monster''s multiple limbs, the very earth quivered beneath them. The pressure was immense, but Raith was determined to ovee it, a new kind of fire burned in his intense, focused gaze.

    They continued in this sequence for a few more minutes, battering each other but none of their attacks slipped through. The monster gritted its teeth, it was amazing and unexpected that Raith was able to stand his ground with his six limbs but he knew that his opponent must be going through hell for that to be made possible.

    What he did not expect however was this:

    Raith''s eyes went out of focus, his eyeballs disappeared and he entered it.

    The state of samadhi.

    It never should have been possible but his body was used to it. He had the body constitution of the undefeatedmander king after all. Those were one of the few things the abyss could not take away from him.

    As Raith entered a state of unparalleled concentration, something reurred to him.

    The prerequisite for being able to unlock sword intent was an optimal state of focus, there was a reason why Bal asked him to repeat the same strike time after time, it was to familiarize himself with the sword, and merge his limb with it through the numbing pain he felt. The thin line difference that existed at that point where his hands clenched the pommel of his sword had to disappear.

    Raith never realized this until now, Sword intent was more naturally urring. It takes master swordsmen years of rigorous training and self-discovery. It goes beyond mere technique, embodying the connection between the practitioner, their weapon, and the world around them. It is a fusion of skill, mindset, and purpose that allows the swordsman to transcend their limits and unleash incredible power.

    That means if one was ever going to realize it, there needed to be a point of utter tiredness. One that Raith was currently in.

    ''Why am I fighting?''

    Tiredness sank deep into his veins and Raith in an absent state of mind began to waver, what was his reason for going thus far? Why did he have to fight an abomination that could kill him, for what? What does he need to prove so badly?

    The abyss was gone, he needn''t do anything for another. He could leave a secluded life, collecting treasures with minimal risk.

    And yet.

    Why do you risk so much Raith?

    What are you fighting for?

    Raith''s determination began to waver, everything he had ever built began to crumble as he realized, he had never had a purpose to begin with.

    "No... you had one... but you forgot"

 Chapter 352 The Art Of Battle (4)

    <h4>Chapter 352 The Art Of Battle (4)</h4>

    "No... you had one... but you forgot"

    A low modted voice rang into the darkness that consumed his mind as his consciousness began to twinkle, like a candlelight about to be blown off by the heavy wind of darkness.

    ''I had one?''

    He did? There was never a time like that.

    A small crack suddenly appeared in the thick darkness that loomed over Raith''s mind and with that crack, the voice sounded again, this time with more rity:

    "My boy"

    Raith''s eyes slowly went dim, although his body managed to still respond, Omnisavant was handling that, her distant call of his name endlessly disappearing. She was quite adamant.

    "My boy"

    Again it sounded with an even better rity.

    Hearing the familiar voice, Raith''s eyes shot open.

    "Mother!!"

    He shouted himself to live.

    "Huh?"

    The monster paused for a moment.

    "Mother? Is that some human phrase of cry?"

    He tilted his head.

    [I''m d you''re back]

    Raith panted.

    ''I''m sorry... what happened to me?''

    [I think you just made an astounding growth in a matter of seconds]

    ''You sound happy or is it just me?''

    [...]

    [Take a look around you]

    Raith btedly retrieved his eyes and looked to his left and right.

    Swords began to materialize out of thin air, multiple swords of different kinds. They all started with the color ck but immediately began to take on distinct differences each unique to their own selves.

    ''What is happening?''

    [You have unlocked ''Sword Intent'']

    [Each sword you materialize is now imbued with your will, serving as a consciousness and self-awareness]

    [They have now be your will materialized in the form of swords]

    ''Yes... there was that thing I was doing with Bal''

    Raith''s expression went somber and he touched his chest.

    ''I''m sad he is not here to see this today''

    After his few seconds of silence, Raith raised his head to the monster who now looked back with palpable carefulness. His eyes kept hovering over each sword that wriggled in the air and taunted him.

    He gritted his teeth.

    "I''m sick and tired of you puny humans. You are weak creatures and yet you try so much!"

    Raith stood straight and stretched his muscles.

    ''My entire body feels numb, but for some reason, my mind feels different. I feel calm even though I have no idea how this might turn out''

    Raith moved his hand, materializing a sword from thin air, he didn''t even need to spill his blood. Immediately the sword was born, it stretched and took on the form of a katana. Of course, this was based on his intent.

    Raith grabbed the hilt of the sword and twirled it with a slight storm on his face.

    The fluid flow of his hand as he spun the sword was profound, it felt like he was swinging his own hand. He could not feel the point of connection between the hilt of his sword and his hand.

    "Now...e" Hemanded.

    On the word, the monster hauled itself at him, with a turbocharged velocity, reaching him in a jiffy¡ªthe two of them shed in a whirlwind of destruction, their strikes creating shockwaves that rent the environment asunder.

    Raith''s des moved as if they were part of a well-choreographed dance. The floating swords circled him, attacking the monster from various angles, parrying its blows, and striking back with precision and fury.

    Sword Intent allowed Raith to control this symphony of des effortlessly however, his mental focus was even more amazing, unbroken amidst the chaos. As the earth trembled and the monster''s six hands closed in, Raith''s mind was calm, yet alert.

    He analyzed the creature''s every movement, seeking the slightest opening while remaining acutely aware of his surroundings. The rustling leaves, the distant roar of a river, and the scent of the scorched earth, all registered in his senses.

    But it was his connection with the swords that truly set him apart. He didn''t just wield them; he became one with the des. They moved with precision and grace as if they were extensions of his limbs. Each swing was a seamless dance, guided by his unwavering purpose and unwavering focus.

    The environment suffered under the onught, with trees shattering and the ground cracking. The cataclysmic battle raged on, neither side giving an inch, as Raith and the monster became forces of nature in their own right.

    The monster''s six hands, once an overwhelming advantage, struggled to keep up with the symphony of des dancing around Raith.

    Each of Raith''s swords moved with precision and grace, guided by the newfound Sword Intent. They struck from various angles, parrying the monster''s blows with ease and striking back with unwavering uracy. The once chaotic battlefield now bore witness to an intricate and deadly dance.

    The monster, while powerful, couldn''t adapt to the precise movements of Raith''s des. Its six hands tried to intercept the attacks, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer number and dexterity of Raith''s swords. The monster''s frustration grew, and it roared in anger, its voice echoing through the battlefield.

    As the earth trembled under the force of their battle, Raith''s mental focus remained unwavering. He was calm, tracking every movement of the monster while being acutely aware of his surroundings. The world around him registered in his senses¡ªall pieces of the puzzle that helped him predict the monster''s next move.

    His connection with the swords allowed him to strike with unparalleled precision. He didn''t just wield them; he became one with the des, and they moved as if they were extensions of his limbs. Each swing was a seamless dance, guided by his unwavering purpose and unwavering focus.

    The environment continued to bear the brunt of their cataclysmic battle. Trees shattered, and the ground cracked under the intense pressure. The battlefield transformed into a chaotic maelstrom of power and destruction, as Raith and the monster battled fiercely for supremacy.

    The monstrous creature, initially confident in its power, now found itself on the defensive. It couldn''t keep up with Raith''s newfound abilities, and its attacks became increasingly erratic as frustration and desperation set in. The monster''s roars were drowned out by the whirlwind of steel and fury that surrounded it.

    This was just the beginning.

 Chapter 353 The Art Of Battle (5)

    Chapter 353 The Art Of Battle (5)

    Chapter 353

    It was an amazing sight to behold, amazingly gruesome. Raith was keeping up with a monster by sheer senses alone, without help from any externalities. Of course, with god''s eyes continually active, pieces of information sucked into his left eye at twinkling speeds, coupled with thoughts eleration, he instantaneously came to conclusions he would have reached in a few seconds.

    The scenery that unfurled between the two had be a terrain to the insanity of two monsters, it was unbelievable that this was a hunter hunting a monster. They seemed like two abominables battling to devour each other.

    Raith''s swords multiplied and flew around in a coordinated pattern, seemingly uncoordinated at first nce, but all that irregr pattern was to lure the monster into one moment of confusion, with two swords in Raith''s hands actively arching shes at the monster, and the swords attack from all side, the monster had a lot to be aware of.

    Although it didn''t seem to be struggling in any way. Six hands were more than enough for it to keep them deflected, plus even when they did get through his defense, the swords were deflected by his metallic skin, sending sparks afloat.

    Raith swung in from below, spinning his sword along with his body, aiming to separate the monster''s lower body from its upper as its six hands were preupied with the tens of swords even increasing in number.

    The monster without looking at him, raised its knee. Immediately, Raith forced his body to shoot backward, avoiding the knee jab that would have broken his head should he charge in thoughtless. In that momentary movement, he hurled his sword at the monster''s knee.

    He wasn''t expecting much from the sword, what he had just expected was that it would be deflected and that was supposed to earn him another few seconds to reroute his attack. Never in the world did Raith expect that the sword would wedge itself into the monster''s knee.

    Letting out a scream, that sent out an aura of destruction, shattering the numerous swords that relentlessly danced around it. The monster stumbled back, ck blood dripping from its knee with a ck de lodged into its knee, protruding from the other side.

    The monster groaned, grounding its teeth, it grabbed the sword and pulled it out, flinging the sword away, it spun into the embrace of the blue sky.

    Raith, shocked by what just happened found his eyes glimming with glee.

    ''So the bastard had a weakness after all.'' A smile curled out of his lips.

    [So it seems]

    [This makes a lot of things easier]

    ''It does right? I know right''

    Raith responded with a delightful tune to his internal dialogue or monologue.

    [It is time for us to use our Trump card]

    "Trump card? We had something like that!"

    [Yes, watch out!]

    Omnisavant monotonous voice saved him in the nick of time. The monster swatted at him leaving mirages of itself as it transversed across the damnedndscape in matters of millisecond, sping its grip at Raith, threatening to crush his face with an insurmountable force.

    Raith tilted his entire body to the ground, almost falling on his back, but he used the momentum to weaklyunch a kick at the monster. But that was a big mistake.

    The monster wrenched a blow into his leg, and Raith''s painful scream was preceded by a sickening crunch. There was no way he would have held the pain, he felt his bone shatter in his legs.

    His entire n was disembodied at that moment, he was mmed to the ground by the attack. He didn''t need to be told before realizing the kick was a bad call from him. He didn''t think it through.

    There was not enough time, there was no way he would have been able to put enough strength into the kick, apart from that, it left his legs vulnerable to destruction. Because he had no time to retrieve his legs. Moreso, he underestimated the speed of the monster.

    In the little time it would have taken Raith to helplessly fall to the ground the monstrous monk assised the fall, mming his palm viciously onto Raith''s chest, causing the impact of the fall to be even more tremendous, exploding a surge of debris around. Before Raith had the time to grieve the pain that shot through his entire body, the monstrosity grabbed his neck.

    His hands clenched tightly on Raith''s neck, he darted forward, hauling Raith along and terrifyingly scratching his back against the ground.

    Then he lifted Raith''s helpless body, a wide grin on his face.

    "You showed an impressive potential. For a minute, I thought I was going to lose to you. How unthinkable!!" He giggled wickedly, slowly tightening his grip around Raith''s neck.

    His face, however, came to a taciturn frown when he saw the expression on Raith''s face.

    "What is funny?" He asked.

    Raith still keeping a remnant of his downgradingughter, struggled to speak.

    "Why¡­ are you¡­ in such a hurry?''

    The monk''s brow furrowed. His experience with Raith within a few minutes of meeting him has informed him that he needn''t underestimate this young man. Raith has disyed a level of strength that even caused him to reveal the art of his extra hands. And still, he had not managed to get the upper ground.

    The only openings he could get were the ones that were left by the gap left by Raith''s inexperience in the meaning of battle art. Unlike himself who had been thoroughly taught the monastic way of battle, Raith does not have deep knowledge about fighting, and that greatly affected him, even though he amazingly made up for it with the astonishing experience he had gathered.

    But that was not enough against a monstrosity like this.

    "What more could you have up your sleeve? Why don''t you just give up and die." As the monster spoke, the rest of his hand began to move, folding into a punch, and they pulled back. All five hands were ready to by a horrible punch into Raith''s chest.

    [Are you sure about this?]

    ''What other choice do we have? As much as I''ll regret this. It seems to be the only way forward right now."

    [Alright]

    [Activating Greedbourne skill¡­]

    [Fortune Frenzy]

    [Your abilities will be temporarily enhanced based on your current wealth. When the value of your wealth reaches zero, the skill will end]

    Right at that instance, Raith began to feel an evident change in himself, the strange surge of power that rushed into his system was a perfect exnation. He could feel his muscles waxing even stronger.

    WHAM!

    The monster''s marauding blow reverberated with a vibration that rippled through the air, threatening to tear its fabrics.

    The blow was¡­perhaps enough to tear asunder any flesh. Because even though it only seemed to have happened once, the monster embedded five different punches, in a single one. Raith felt the pain batter his bones. Of course, now it was easier to deal with because it happened just when he had used an exclusive skill of GREED which he was so skeptical about from the beginning because he didn''t want to lose his wealth.

    The monster quickly withdrew its hand from Raith''s neck, jumping away the moment it saw that his opponent did not sustain any reasonable damage. Instead, his fabrics seem to have sustained the damage itself,no single tear couldbe seen on it.

    The monster wore a confused look as he investigated Raith''s body, baffled. That was the best of its punch.

    He was very right to be cautious but what more tricks does thisne human have?

    The monster gritted its teeth, its hand making several arcs as they all came together to take a prayer pose, each joined in two as if they were praying, a pair was raised, and the other pair was turned down.

    "I will destroy you in this ce today!!" The monster screamed and shed away, skimming through the air with its hands prepared to wreak a deadly severing attack.

    But Raith stood there, a nk stare at the monster, his eyes were void and focused on the monster as it came to him.

    Whish!

    Raith disappeared from where he was, like lightning, he zapped into the air, appearing above the monster, and mmed an elbow into it before it could react. The monster caught in bewilderment did not even get the chance to express shock before its body reeled into the ground, leaving a massive, webbed-cracked dent into the ground.

    Raith mmed his feet into the point where the monster had fallen, creating a violent breeze of debris that scattered in a circr pattern in that instance.

    The monster coughed out ck blood, a frown creased on his brows as he visibly struggled with pain. Raith''s power had grown significantly much.

    "Hell¡­have you been hiding your power all this while¡­?"

    Raith looked at his hand, raising an eyebrow.

    ''What? I can feel the strength leaving my body, don''t tell me that''s it''

    [I did not make this rule. It is the rule of GREED that you have, what did you expect]

    Raith had been so distracted that he forgot that he was dealing with a primordial evil, a personality of greed that was the first of its kind, it would rid him of every single valuable he possessed and demand that he shamelessly hunt for more.

    There was no time to waste, if this was what would happen, then he needed to finish this.

    He lowered his body and raised the monster with thest of his strength that was currently leaving his body.

    [You are using GREED GRASP on this target]

 Chapter 354 Failure

    Chapter 354 Failure

    The experience was not a lovely one. This was the second time he was absorbing life force, Raith could already tell this was something he would not be doing so damn well. It was pure torture.

    It was like hard liquid was forcing its way into his veins, every vein in his body hurt so much, like his blood was flowing backward, ckened, and swelled. And this time, it was even worsepared to before. In as much as he could steal the life force of both monsters and humans alike, perhaps there was something about stealing the life force of monsters.

    There had to be something because it didn''t hurt as much as this when he was stealing the assassin''s life force.

    He grimaced and ground his teeth to endure the prolonged pain, while the monster struggled endlessly to release itself from Raith''s hardened grip which was close to impossible. Raith''s strength was leaving rapidly, but the life force he was being supplied with not only blessed him with a longer life but more vigor.

    Soon the monster''s extra hands began to crack like sses, in a moment, one of them shattered, making it bear that they were created out of the art of energy manifestation.

    The monster''s struggle reduced after the first hand shattered, Raith knew its strength was probably diminishing. He was d this was going to go well. He didn''t think of fighting this way, in fact, he never wanted to. But if he was going to have a chance at defeating the other monster in this gate then he had no choice.

    He had to throw away the bit of humanity he had left in him.

    Raith gritted his teeth again, this time not because of the pain but because of how shameful this situation appeared to him. He was stealing the life force of a monster, it was not enjoyable but still, it was a great deal, he would get stronger and live longer.

    On a second thought:

    ''Why should I feel pity or ashamed? Weren''t they the ones that first invaded humans''

    His brows creased to a frown as he told himself for a fact. He stared mes into the pitiful monster''s eyes and tightened his grip on its head, almost as if he could shatter its skull in due moment.

    Raith spared no pity toward the monster even though it gasped and began to wriggle roughly. It took time but the changes were beginning to settle in: the monster''s skin was beginning to get dry... slow, but progressive.

    Suddenly a loud thunderp soared across the sky, darkening the entire ce in an instant.

    Raith couldn''t help but be distracted, he looked up without losing the strength of his grip. The clouds were bing more consumed in darkness and shadows were being thrown over the entirendscape.

    "What is this?" Raith muttered.

    [I suspect it is here]

    "The true master of the gate?"

    [Yes]

    Raith''s hands on the monster waxed stronger. If the gate master itself has decided to grace the stage with its presence then it acknowledges that Raith is a potential danger and that this guy here is going to die for real in his hands.

    With another round of thunderps, followed by a fast sh, the stone monk appeared in front of Raith. His body, made of stone, like a statue, he stood expressionless.

    He had a rosary over his neck and his hands were put behind his back. The empty stoney eyes red at Raith with indifference.

    ''So... this is the monster that killed Li Mingwu...''

    Raith could feel the overwhelming pressure the monster exuded, it threatened to throw him off his feet, made his head feel dizzy and even his heart throbbed with panic.

    The hand that was holding a sword trembled.

    He just stood there, like a statue, indifferent to whatever was happening, it didn''t even try to rescue the monster that was dying in Raith''s grip.

    It just looked at Raith nkly.

    ''Hey Omnisavant, can you run an appraisal on this guy here?''

    [Sure.]

    [...]

    [Appraisal attempt has been blocked by external influence]

    ''External influence. Not the monster itself?''

    [No, not the monster. An external influence]

    Raith''s eyes squinted.

    ''Hey, what does that mean? Someone else is interfering with this gate, this moment?''

    [This is a named monster... use godeyes]

    Raith''s eyes widened the moment he heard Omnisavant''s words. His left eye glowed gold for a second or so.

    [Name: Eruk]

    [Monster race: High Golem]

    Raith strained his eyes to see more but that was the best god eyes could do. He couldn''t bring out more information about the monster, instead glitches just stabbed his eye making him close it and shy away from his target for a second. That second, however.

    Wham!

    The monster twirled as it plunged a palm strike into Raith''s chest, the gale gently swirling around its fist.

    Raith was sted away by a terrifying speed, a sound that seemed to break the heaven soared out in that moment. It was as if a mighty pir came crashing down from the sky... to think such a sound was produced because a palm delved into someone''s belly.

    Raith immediately entered a seizure as he crashed into the clumps of fallen trees, his chest gasped over and over again, blood foamed in his mouth and his eyes were left wide open staring into the nothingness above him. His entire body shook uncontrobly, convulsing.

    Yet the monster had no iota of reluctance in its expression. In fact, it didn''t seem fazed as it disappeared and appeared above Raith, suspended in the air.

    m!

    It plummeted, causing a tremendous tremor to roll across the ground. Cracks ran like shes of light, threatening to carve out the entire ground.

    However, Raith''s body was sturdy enough to block the attack. In a desperate effort to protect itself, his body had shot out of that point,nding and rolling away, sooning to a stop after crashing against a tilting tree that was stopped from falling by the entanglements of vines that somehow managed to stand tall despite the damnation this ce looked like.

    He recovered his senses as his body crashed against the tree. A river of blood poured from his mouth as he tried to open it. His chest felt stuffy and hard, every attempt to breathe was a herculean task, like arge rock was ced right in the middle of his chest and he had to lift it with every respiration.

    Still, he frowned and slowly got up.

    ''I can''t die here...''

    That was the glimmer of hope that shone on his face as he picked himself sluggishly to his feet.

    Amazingly, his nice fabric was still intact. As a matter of fact, the clothes had done a great job absorbing a significant amount of the attack. Raith felt a major part of it bounce off, there was no way he would have survived that attack if not for the cloth.

    ''I guess I have to thank Hana again for this wonderful dress... should o make it out of this ce alive''

    He promised himself and quickly returned to his reality, or else he wanted to be caught off guard again.

    The taciturn stone monk was now looking over to his side, still within the wide crater that had even been created in the ground just a few seconds ago.

    It just looked nk. And then¡ª

    Whim!

    The bastard shed across the distance with a neckbreak speed. Raith''s eyes widened sharply in response and his body, like reflex naturally twisted itself out of the way, the stone monk''s wed hand, whizzed past his eyes as he twirled away, almost shattering theposite of the subtle wind itself.

    Raithnded on his feet but ran several steps backward, he flipped into the air and tried his best tond as far back as he could. But as he did, the monster reached his front again¨C

    ''How?!''

    Before Raith could garner himself, a palm strike from below, ventured onto his jaw. Raith wasunched into the air by this attack.

    The stone monk followed through, moving like a bolt of fast lightning, it appeared above Raith, and mmed another palm attack on his chest causing him to crash into the ground, creating an overwhelming impact that soared into the dark skies. Raith coughed out blood as hended.

    For a minute, he felt his ears go deaf, his entire senses went numb but made it quick.

    The monster began to slowly walk toward him.

    Raith quickly shot to his feet even though it was no easy task. It was taking all of himself to keep himself on his feet, and there was no debating if he was to receive one more strike from the monster. He was doomed to die.

    ''Shit shit shit shit...''

    Was this how it was going to end for him?

    ''Fuck it all, I thought being a ruler would make me so powerful. Why the hell am I still suffering so much?!!''

    He gritted his teeth in anger as the words urred to him. He had thought he''d be paramount and unbreakable the moment he became a ruler but what was this?

    He was being left at the mercy of a monster.

    Raith gritted his teeth.

    It was a hard thing to ept but this was the time toe to terms with it.

    ''No matter how much I try, I''m just a failure ain''t I?''

    Raith bowed his head, disgusted at himself. The stinging words of how his father would curse at him rang across his head, no matter how much he tried, he just couldn''t get it right.

    Did he get pompous after the abyss filled him with so much power and excitement? But now that all that was gone, only one reality stood before Raith.

    That of a failure, he was a failed hero through and through and would never be able to amount to the expectations of anyone. He was bound to bring disappointment and attract hatred from everyone, he would never be a good person, or acquire great strength to make a difference in the world.

    Because he was a failure.

    This reality dawned on Raith, but to his greatest surprise, it awakened his most inherent ability.

    [CONGRATULATIONS]

    [YOU HAVE UNLOCKED A CLASS]

    [YOU HAVE UNLOCKED A REVERIE-RATED CLASS]

    [YOU CAN NOW USE THE PLAYER STATUS]

 Chapter 355 Source

    Chapter 355 Source

    The stone monk''s steps drew slowly closer and Raith was sure he heard the monotonous voice again, that voice that was almost sounding like Omnisavant''s.

    Even if he wanted to doubt that he did, what were these tabs that stayed afloat before his eyes? He was used to it already thanks to the abyss. And with the announcement from the voice of the world, it stayed in front of his eyes.

    It had a simple design of a golden tablet with white runes, these weren''t English or Korean. But whatever it was Raith didn''t need to think about it to understand.

    The words just sort of yed out before his eyes.

    [YOU HAVE AWAKENED AS A PLAYER]

    Confused but with no time to react, Raith had to return to the reality of the death that slowly approached him.

    Still, the words lingered in his thoughts. Did he awaken as a yer?

    He had never heard of anything like it.

    ''Whatever it is let it give me the power to at least be able to survive this situation...''

    He wailed internally, his feet were beginning to slowly move back as the monstrosity before him drew nearer.

    [Received. I have gotten discovered it]

    ''Uh? Omnisavant!'' He rejoiced in his thoughts as he heard hee rigid voice, at least he wasn''t going to die alone.

    [yers, ording to the world records are a selected group of people who manage to awaken an inherent ss]

    [Every being born from the cosmos has a general ss that they are capable of awakening, upon awakening that ss is when they hear the first voice of the world and can summon the system]

    [But a smaller percentage are capable of awakening a stronger ss, one that defies logic. Every being has this ss but a very small percentage can reach it]

    [The few percentages that can reach it, are called yers]

    [Congrattions, you are the 107th yer]

    Raith''s eyes widened.

    ''Wait there are only one hundred and seven of them...! No¨C

    He sharply sprang out of where he was standing as his eyes fell on the stone monk again.

    ''Hey hey, what do you mean? One hundred and seven? What is the difference between these yers and hunters? And how many things will I be, am I not a ruler already?''

    [Being a ruler does not affect being a yer. A yer cannot be a ruler but a ruler can be a yer]

    ''I don''t understand you''

    [If you were a yer, it''d be impossible for you to amodate the seed of sin in your soul but you were not a yer. Your soul environment had ustomed itself to the seed of sin, hence nothing is changeable when you summoned your inherent ss]

    ''Omnisavant, all these story is good. But given our situation, how does this even help us?''

    [In order to properly execute yer information...Seeking permission to upgrade unique Omnisavant to ultimate skill Sage_m8de]

    [PERMISSION GRANTED]

    Raith was shocked, for a moment he didn''t understand what just happened. Omnisavant just asked for permission to upgrade herself and the voice of the world responded.

    Raith couldn''t help but think that there was a strange likelihood of these two. If he could put it into words he would say that Omnisavant seemed like the daughter of the voice of the world.

    [Upgrading unique skill Omnisavant]

    [Unique skill upgraded]

    [New ultimate skill Sage_m8de]

    Her voice was still the same, only that now a tinge of life had been added to her tone. She responded like an artificial intelligence that had managed toprehend history and develop emotions from the experiences it had umted from millions of ages.

    ''I have a question... Omni.. Sage? Which do I even call you''

    [It does not matter]

    ''It does to me, let''s just go with Sage. Have you always been able to do this... upgrade?''

    [Fight now, talkter]

    The stone monk darted towards Raith©\whose eyes shot out, almost escaping his socket, to his surprise, his leg flew off the tform before the stone monk couldnd on it.

    It was just like Raith had wanted, just as he had thought of fleeing from that point, Sage seems to have instantly executed the movement. It feels like both of them have finally managed to be one.

    A smile curled on the corner of his lips.

    [We are far from winning this war. Stay focused]

    ''Still, I think we will win''

    [What makes you so sure? After all, you are nothing but a failure]

    ''Ouch... you don''t need to rub it in my face. I was broken, I was on the verge of giving up, you have not been here with me, you don''t know how much of failure my eyes have seen''

    As the monster appeared Raith easily flew out of range and perched himself at the topmost branch of one of the standing trees with humongous branches. The tree itself was fat.

    The stone monk''s tart face suddenly changed, his lips downturned and a subtle line of frown appeared above his eyebrows as he slowly raised his head to get a good grasp of where Raith was standing.

    It plunged into the sky in a second leaving a wake of shattered grounds. The monster was now floating higher than Raith, looking down at him, its mouth slowly returning to its usual indifference.

    Raith made a little frown.

    ''This bastard...''

    Raith carved out an arc in the air with his hand, creating numerous ck swords from the thin air. He swung his hand forward and they all lunged at the monk.

    Pang!

    Ppang!Phang!!

    The monster with one hand moving like a mirage, blocked all the swords and sent them flying away.

    Raith easily picked them up with hand gestures, they wriggled wherever they were and regained themselves back in the air. Raith stretched out another hand, creating a few numbers of them. And with a throw of his hand, he plunged into the air before them, wanting to pierce the aging stones of their target.

    But it was to no avail, the stone monk was durable, and fast. His movement was adorned with fluid grace, no sword escaped its hand, even though they still managed to get back up and attack again. The monster didn''t also seem fazed by the fact that the swords wereing back again.

    If anything, he looked like he was enjoying it.

    And this caused Raith to be gued with some confusion.

    ''Hey hey hey, isn''t this getting too annoying... this bastard looks like he can do this all day''

    But that was not the case for Raith. Even though he had now realized to a certain level the essence of sword Intent and could manipte Bal without having to cut himself, the source of the sword manifestation was his heart, it is safe to say that Raith was expending a great deal of cosmic energy to control these swords.

    And he was getting tired from it. Controlling twenty of them at once was tasking. Very much than even Raith realized.

    [Notice. Your cosmic energy is very low]

    [Your Stamina is low]

    [Your movement will be slowed]

    ''Fuck! Did I outdo myself''

    [Yes...]

    It was just a few minutes of using the swords and he was already out of energy, his Stamina too was low.

    ''Damnit all, I''m just so fucking weak''

    [Activating ss skill ''Redo'']

    [All your Stamina will be recovered instantly]

    [All your energy will be recovered instantly]

    "Uh? What is this?"

    This was a benefit of the inherent ss he had managed to awaken a few minutes ago, even though he wasn''t feeling any visible change and was still feeling pretty much useless.

    His breath slowly returned to the usual calmness, and the stuffiness of his chest also simmered down. He was feeling betterpared to a few seconds ago and this was good.

    Raith looked up at the monster and smirked.

    ''How''d you like to continue''

    Before he could lunge himself into the air, the monster pointed its index finger forward with a crude smile on its stoned face.

    [Dodge!!]

    Sage_m8de shouted.

    "Dharma"

    Whizzz

    Barely making it in time, Raith was able to escape the invisible force that carved a crater into the massive tree. Arge chunk of the tree disappeared and disintegrated in a sh.

    Seeing the wide arc that rid the tree of arge part of its body, Raith''s heart shook with panic as hended on a roll and shot to his feet as fast as he could.

    ''Does it have skills?''

    [No. This is not skills]

    ''Then?''

    [This is arts]

    [This monster is capable of using arts]

    ''Ah!''

    Arts he knew a thing or two about from meeting with two different asura and it was not a good memory. Raith did not like his fight with the two of them at all. The first one wasted and he still almost lost his life, in the second one he was not able to sessfullynd a punch and was close to being sealed in a loop of time forever.

    ''This thing called arts is to my disadvantage''

    [You have arts too]

    [We should be able to raise our chance of winning this fight if you can master your arts in this battle]

    ''Eh? I have arts? Why is this the first time I am hearing of this?''

    [I told you I was still busy analyzing your Origin skill SOURCE]

    ''Yes you mentioned''

    [I have analyzed 40% of Origin skill SOURCE]

    [I have discovered the avability of art, and I have also discovered that you are not able to bring out the wicked potential of the sin of greed due to the Origin skill SOURCE]

 Chapter 356 Greed

    Chapter 356 Greed

    [Bnce]

    ''What is this?''

    Raith squinted his eyes at the runes that floated in front of him. This was what Sage had called his art. It was just a single word and he couldn''t understand much of the single word. How was this supposed to be an art?

    ''What am I supposed to do with this?''

    [Realize it]

    ''Uh?''

    [Arts are inherent, they are inborn,pared to skills where you can use them as you deem fit and their proficiency will increase, hence causing you to be able to utilize them more. Arts are different.

    Arts carry more power and essence of being because of their close bond to the trueness of its user''s form. Art is capable of exponential growth, it is of endless potentialpared to skill. That is why in every way, art will always outdo skill]

    [Art because of its peculiarity can only be achieved through years of training but the first step is realization. That moment where the essence of one''s art is realized. Realizing that essence is tied to your path and your true form, it is a ce where you can never lie to yourself]

    ''Isn''t this a bad time to do all that?''

    [I did mention that if you manage to do that it would significantly raise our chances. But I''m not particrly putting my hopes on you]

    "Moksha"

    Whom!!

    Following the thick voice that resounded through the dark clouds was a mighty storm that suddenly struck out from the middle of the distance that separated Raith and the stone monk. Spiraling out of space, the storm violently rose uprooting even fallen trees that were beginning to merge with the soil, everything was enveloped in a wicked gale, guided by the viciousness of the dark clouds.

    A disastrous cacophony was unleashed, the ground was being pulled out at a tremendous rate, and the storm razed the ground, heading for Raith.

    "What the fuck bro!"

    Raith leaped, flying onto one of the humongous trees that had been separated into two perhaps by the impact of the former fight in this ce. From that point, he leaped even higher, scaling into the sky to outrun the razing speed of the wind, but an even violent gale awaited him in the sky.

    And he willfully jumped into its embrace. The wind finally catching him began to condense in a circling pattern, trapping Raith in the middle of it.

    The grounds that were being uprooted were not an exception also, they were being carried viciously by the wicked storm and added to the encirclement. The stones andrge trunks intermittently smashed Raith''s head.

    He lost control of his body, no matter how much he tried to move, grab onto something or even materialize a sword, he couldn''t move an inch of his body not even his finger in the slightest.

    His entire movement had beenpletely restrained in the circling entrapment of wind he was caught in.

    The stone monk finally put his hands together in a prayer form and closed his eyes with a vicious smile.

    "Annika"

    The monk softly spoke but its voice rumbled like thunder.

    Purple lines of light like aurora, flooded the air and ran across the entrapment, all in different directions. As the monster clenched its hands together, they all began to change direction, folding into each other and weaving around the circle.

    He rubbed his palms against each other as if he was trying to crush something. The purple lines had now be some sort of beautiful purple threads weaved by the delicate hands of space itself.

    "Ignite"

    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

    A terrific explosion reverberated into the air, causing the entire gate to shake with a fierce and threatening tremor, even the air shook tremendously, the grounds were so much affected the cracks within them began to shatter.

    A cloud of smoke covered the area where the explosion was focused and everything suddenly became slowed.

    The stone monk had a satisfactory visage, slowly he put down his hands and held them behind his back. Turned back and began to float away like the work here was done.

    ...

    WHAM!!

    An outburst of pitch ck aura pierced into the darker sky, carrying a hue even darkerpared to the darkness that overwhelmed the clouds and the atmosphere. It was a sea of darkness adorned with sparkles like stars.

    And this aura violently pierced everything in a frenzy. The stone monk turned back to Raith, a deep frown etched on his face.

    It probably was saying ''For fuck sake'' Raith was quite the persistent bastard. Although Li Mingwu disyed far better battle prowess and was able to entertain the monster.

    But for some reason, the stone monk who took his time with Li Mingwu looks like he wants to end it quickly with Raith. Most of the time he had this stern expression on his face, he seemed to not be enjoying this fight.

    The monster stretched out its hand, spreading out all five fingers, and a deep frown on his face as he hoped Raith would die with this attack.

    "Jinsei"

    A massive outstretched palm of purple aura was replicated, shot directly at the explosion center where pitch ck aura was raging from. The hand gripped the area and clenched tightly, crushing everything¨Cas the monk moved its hands, so did the projected purple hand.

    The stone monk released its grip and returned his hand to his back, the projected hand disappeared like it was never there, leaving remnants of the rocks that had been peeled from the gale earlier on.

    Everything had been crushed to dust by the hand.

    The dark aura was slowly fading, losing its craziness and vigor.

    [You are using Ultimate Skill GREED]

    The dark aura that seemed to be fading away suddenly returned to life, stretching out like tentacles, they elongated and got attached to anything they could attack themselves to, the clouds, the fallen trees, the grounds, several thick ck aura-like tentacles with sea of star faintly glinting amidst its disturbing darkness were attached like webbed strings all over the ce.

    And a single man floating in the middle of it.

    A change seemed to have enveloped Raith. He didn''t have his usual jovial, ready-to-take-anything look. Instead, he stared with a dark indifference to what was happening around him.

    The stone monk''s rxed face now crashed to a tensed frown. He brought both his hands to the front and slowly clenched them¨Che was now beginning to re at Raith with an almost palpable boiling anger.

    Greed.

    The ck tentacles suddenly began to devour everything it was attached to... at a tremendous speed. The ground, the trees, and the cloud began to lose their color, in a matter of seconds, the colorful world became a grey world.

    [Domain Of GREED has been manifested]

    [Everything within this world will be consumed by you]

    Raith''s mind was nk, since the moment he decided to give himself to the seed of greed and let it take control even if it was for a little while, his mind went numb and he had no idea of what was happening, nor did he have control of what he was doing.

    Every ruler had their Domain. There are three things most important to a ruler: Authority, Error code, and Domain

    Authority was the sphere of their influence, Raith thought being a ruler meant a significant increase in hisbat ability, but that was a big misunderstanding. Rulers operated differentlypared to regr beings, they had authorities that could never be bent no matter who they were pitched against.

    There was a reason why they were called rulers after all.

    Error code was the systemical ability that enabled the ruler to be capable of bending the voice of the world''s influence to a certain extent. Now that extent can be reduced or increased based on the strength of the ruler''s error code and the seed of sin maturity.

    Domain granted the ruler a world where he is paramount, just like Domain of Darkness. It wouldn''t be too far-pitched to say that Domain of Darkness was a rip-off from a ruler''s Domain.

    However, to manifest Domain, rulers had to give themselves wholly to the seed of sin in them. Which was dangerous, it alwayses with detrimental effects... something that could ruin them was bound to happen if a ruler relied on a great deal of his power.

    Of course, each ruler''s response to this phenomenon is different. Rulers without any care for morality whatsoever, will dly ept the chaos their sins bring into their lives and be powerful curators of chaos and mess. While those who dearly hold onto morality and don''t want to lose themselves, like Raith... always have something huge to lose.

    The stone monk looked around, it was quite obvious to him that he was doomed. The frown that was etched on his face did not disappear, instead, it became more crude, and the monster wore an expression of the devil itself.

    He grabbed the rosary around his neck and pulled it out with force, the beards of the rosary scattered across the air but instead of following the natural will of gravity and falling to whatever ce, they began to float and circled the monk.

    The stone monk''s eyes became pitch ck with no eyeballs.

    He slowly lifted his index finger.

    "Way of the monastic tradition..."

 Chapter 357 Walking Dead

    Chapter 357 Walking Dead

    The air changed, everything happened so fast.

    Raith''s eyes were not that of an amateur, he had been able to so far follow even the quickest of movements, when the efficiency of God''s eye was added to it. He could practically depict a person movement a second or two before they entered that movement, Godeye absorbed that movement with keen details and transferred it to his brain.

    So when it came to predicting and following movement, Raith wasn''tcking in anyway. He was on point.

    But the monk''s pattern was too fast, before his eyes could tell what was happening, the monk was already in front of him. The world seemed to slow down from Raith''s vantage point as the monk with a purple aura oozing from his palm struck Raith''s chest, his arm leaving its mark and shooting out an expanse of wind that tore Raith''s durable fabric from the bank.

    Afterwards, Raith was hauled away like a catapulted stone, moving at a superspeed that he couldn''t have helped himself against. He went on to crash in and out of what was left of the mountains after the monk''s fight with Li Mingwu.

    Raith tumbled to the ground and vomited blood. He grabbed his chest and found it hard to breath for a few seconds but it got better with time.

    ''Ahh! Ahhhaa... what the hell was that?''

    [I think the monster is growing]

    ''Growing how?''

    [It is adjusting to the level of difficulty you bring to it]

    ''Sage, I didn''t even bring any difficulty, I''m not even difficult. At all!'' Raith refuted internally.

    [We have to find a way to defeat this thing]

    [We still have the Greed domain, we can do this]

    Raith stood back up with Sage''s words. He looked around, no signs of the monk.

    "Where the hell is he now?" Raith said under his lips while he darted his eyes left and right to find out.

    [Behind you!!]

    Raith felt chills run down his spine just as Sage warned, he ducked immediately not sure what wasing from him. His eyes widened with what he saw next.

    The mountainsndscape in front of him was horizontally shed, over five hundred meters wide, was separated hovering into the air.

    "Fuck!"

    Raith with a horrified expression looked back to look at the monk with its oozing purple aura palm.

    ''He shed mountains with just his palm?''

    Raith wanted to die of shock but there was no time¡ªhe gave as much space as he could, leaping away the moment he looked back. But the monk was too fast.

    It was right in front of him, pulling back its ram with palm pointed forward, he shot it right at Raith''s face. But Raith stabbed a sword into the hand. It was just a hair''s breadth away from stabbing into his widened eyes.

    Crimson blood began to drop from the monster''s hand which shocked Raith. It was a stone but his de had through.

    The monk disappeared and appeared afar, standing in the air. All the while, it''s eyes was closed¨Cslightly, it opened its eyes to look at the wound and blood overflowing from its hand.

    Then it raised its head to look at the dark skies. It then crouched in the air and as sprang up into the sky with a sound tearing speed.

    Raith squinted his eyes.

    ''What is this bastard trying to do now.''

    [He seems to have figured out the reason why it has lost tur durability of its skin]

    ''Huh? It did? Why did it lose it though?''

    [I can''t believe you didn''t figure that out. Even a monster figured it out]

    ''Don''t talk to me like that, this is the wrong time for that. Why did it loose its skin durability before it does something bad''

    [Your domain is sapping its away]

    ''Uh, so that was it? I guessed as much actually''

    [Yea, you sure did]

    ''Anyway what does it hope to aplish by flying so high?''

    [Destroy the domain from the top]

    [Since domains are like veils casted over an area. It may have figured that there would be a point where it limit rests]

    ''Sage, isn''t this thing too wise to be a monster, or are you giving it too much credit than it deserves''

    [We will find out the answer to your question in a few seconds¨C

    Tremble!!

    The whole ce vibrated with a loud thud.

    Raith raise one of his eyebrows.

    "I think you are right, if so what do we do?"

    [What else? This domain is the only reason you are able to bear this much of its onught. Should it be destroyed that''s a dead game for you]

    "Ahhh!!" Raith frustratingly scratched his head.

    He lowered his legs to gather momentum and shot into the air. Leaving a splinter of stones in his wake.

    Raith pierced through the wind at astonishing speed, almost like aunched missile.

    Passing a few clouds, he reached where the monk was. The monk was constantly burying heavy palm strike into the sky. On a first nce, it looked like just the sky but the moment the monk''s strike shook the air, a translucent veil could be seen for a second thereabout, then it would revert to the usual sky.

    Even with the constant striking, the domain was not budging a tiny bit. Made Raith proud..

    "What do you think a ruler''s domain is some stic you can just tear through?!" Raith shouted and flew towards the monster.

    Seeing himing, it''s attention shifted and it pointed one hand forward.

    "Ikmash!"

    With the monster''s loud shout, a force pulled Raith back. mming him back to the ground in a split second. Raith had no idea where it hade from, the distance he had flown to meet the monster wasparatively far, there''s no way he should have been mmed on the ground in the twinkle of an eye.

    The ground shattered into webbed splinters of stone and was elevated by the mming force. Raith''s back was assaulted by a tremendous riot of sharp pain, striking through every nerve.

    Blood sttered from his nose and mouth upon the impact, and even after, he wouldn''t stop vomiting, a puddle was almost being formed with the amount of blood he was losing.

    "Ah fuck..." Raith struggled to catch his breath. All his body hurt.

    ''I must say, I miss the times I had soldiers to back me up. I know it sucks to rely on others but damn I loved it a lot''

    Raith gritted his teeth in pain, he really would have to see this through all by himself. Moreso, he couldn''t afford to receive a serious injury.

    ''I hate this''

    The struggles were annoying. He had thought, he was going to sweep into this ce. Take the monster strong and defeat it then sweep out but right now he was struggling.

    Looking back at how he confidently talked to Ruan Zhaohui, he felt quite stupid.

    ''Damn, I''m getting every ounce of my money from thatdy'' He gritted his teeth once.

    Shoving the torment of pain that raided his back, Raith slowly stood up. He first stopped on his knee, his hand resting on it. He took a few breath and then slowly to his feet he stood.

    Then he looked up again.

    "What are the ranged skills we have to use?"

    [Do you want me to activate skill Avarice Torrent?]

    "Do"

    [Activating Skill: AVARICE TORRENT]

    In a moment, a golden aura sprawled over the air in front of Raith, and began to materialize into the ck sword Raith could manifest, all though they were all gold.

    ''All of them look like Bal? Why?''

    [Because you don''t have any more gold in your dark sea. Hence, your blood swords are being used as payment. You will lose a lot of blood in the activation for this skill]

    "Ah, alright damn. Just shoot it already."

    All the swords shot forward, carrying trails of golden light, they sky rumbled with metallic sounds as the torrent of sword surged with lightning speed and blinding lights, bashing their targets relentlessly and birthing an explosion in the air that painted the whole sky with chaos.

    The corner of Raith''s lips shivered as it curved up.

    ''That firepower is insane,'' he mused.

    Following the next second as Raith attempted to move, he got dizzy and almost fell but picked stopped by resting his hand on his knee and bending a little to get himself.

    [You have lost too much blood]

    [You cannot continue to use the swords. It will affect your Stamina]

    "I know right? But it isn''t like there is another way. I have a feeling that strike is not enough to deal fatal damage to the monk"

    Just as Raith spoke, arge crash was embedded into the ground a hundred and sixty meters ahead of him. He raised his head in high up.

    ''Did we get him''

    Clouds of dust gathered around the crash area, he couldn''t see anything yet so he strained his eyes more. Now, he could see a figure covered by the cloud of dust, it was standing up and walking out of the cloud.

    The pace slowly picked up and it began to run. It shed out of the cloud of dust, appearing by Raith''s side, twirling in the air andnding him a kick that hauled him away.

 Chapter 358 The Resolve To Move On

    Chapter 358 The Resolve To Move On

    Raith shifted his arms to the right as he btedly realized the monk had reached him. He knew that the defense would do little but still...

    Raith helplessly watched himself tumbled across the distance as he was whamed by the monk''s kick. He rolled, breaking rocks he collided with until he came to a stop on the ground.

    His face was very bruised and blood clots formed on different part of his face. It stung all over.

    [Are you fine?]

    ''You''re in me what do you think?''

    [You are in a bad state]

    ''Can I even win this?''

    [We must]

    Raith slumped to the ground as he tried to stand up. He rolled over, his face to the sky.

    ''Maybe it is time to ept what is Sage. Maybe my biggest problem was thinking I could be better without the darkness within me. Maybe, that darkness is a part of me?''

    [That darkness is one that adopted, it is not a part of you. It ridded you of everything that you could be]

    ''I thought by abandoning the abyss, I would begin to seek what is truly mine. My strength would be truly mine, my failures would truly carve my path and not some underhanded method a primordial uses to make me a stronger pawn. I thought wrong... was I naive? Was I foolish? Was I being delusional?''

    [...]

    Raith slowly released a sigh, he seemed to be going through excruciating pain even as he tried to let out that heavy breath.

    ''I feel like giving up...''

    [No, you can''t. I didn''te all the way here just for you to...]

    [Giving up isme. You want to make a change in your life without the help of a powerful primordial, surely you didn''t think it woulde easy]

    [A particr standard has been set by the power the primordial of darkness made you wield. It is quite understandable that no matter what level of strength you achieve as long as it is not up to that standard, you''d never be content. You''ll always feelme.]

    [But there is no shame in epting that you''re weak, the true shame is giving up, staying weak]

    [Together, we will forge you to be a stronger yer. Be a haven of power that will move the world through leaps and bounds]

    [And for that to happen you have to ept your state. And a resolution to move forward is something you must have]

    ''Your words sounds so nice...''

    [Acknowledged your struggle, start again, rise with the darkness, but not as its captive, but as the one who tamed it.]

    Serene silence ensued Raith''s consciousness after Sage said those words. His brows furrowed together. Despite the pain that stung his whole body, he clenched his hand, crushing the stone that entered his grasp.

    Then he stood up slowly, strained? Yes. But he stood up anyway.

    The monk all the while patiently waited for him to stand back up. That stoney face of it was already cracking. It showed the effect of Raith''s domain on it.

    "I probably won''t be able to move much. But still..."

    [We will fight yes?]

    "Oh sure we will"

    Raith leaned his upper body forward, materializing two swords into his back-stretched hand.

    Wham!

    A blur of motion. He zipped across the distance, arching his swords at the monk first from the left. The monk blocked. Then from the right, his movement was smooth and fluid.

    Even though the monk blocked perfectly Raith did not stop his onught, he pressed on, spinning and spurring sword shes at the monk. Each strike produced a deafening ng.

    What started as a smooth motion continued and in time transitioned into a deftly lock exchange of swords against fist, that created a cacophony of sparks.

    The monk''s movement was sharp, fast and almost unseen, each time bing a blur and those blur so swift almost blending with the air. Some even managed to slip past Raith defenses. Cutting a thin wound across his injured face and body.

    But Raith was still holding well still. He minded not the strikes that got past and immediately pushed for his to make it through. The monk''s stone body made that almost impossible but it wasn''t as durable as before.

    Cracks appeared on it. The wind whoozed and whirled around the two as the continued, their strikes were so fast that it was disappearing and appearing. They continued still¨Cwith the maddening onught, none of them seem like they were going to give up.

    Raith''s sword screamed through the air each time he arched it from behind, curving his strikes through uncanny directions and stubbornly seeking out a path to destroy the detestable enemy in front of him.

    His eyes were locked on the monk''s movement, from hand to leg to subtle shift in its body, even down to head movement. Raith let nothing pass by him and with godeyes¨Cit was bearably doable.

    Although at the cost of increased injurious as the monk pushed even harder, the number of strikes that pped Raith''s chest began to increase, each one threatened to throw him away but the farthest Raith would move was two steps backward.

    Immediately he wouldunch himself forward like an arrow let on chase loose and bring his sword down on the monster in the most idealistic way.

    It was not the best of sword path but Raith''s decision was purely guided by his experience from using all those sword strikes¨Cthat he now had no ess to because Bal was gone.

    Thinking about it made him even more angry. Raith lunged the sword on his to the monster''s head, as it blocked. Raith spun opposite directions into the air and hacked a sh down on the monster''s neck. All this before a second ticked.

    The monk stumbled three steps backward, the sword had managed to the stone around its neck area but didn''t go too deep. Blood dripped from where it stopped.

    The stone on the monk body began to crack and fall off, revealing the monster''s facial features.

    It was just like any man that Raith hade across. Oozing the presence of a dignified monk all over. It''s brown loose-fitting robe sitting modestly across its chest to his shoulder and back.

    The monster opened its eyes finally, ck sclera and purple eyeball gazed at Raith. Three pairs of ck dot on its bald head.

    The monk furrowed its brow, bringing out harsh lines of anger on its forehead.

    "He''s mad"

    [Even I can tell that much]

    [Things will probably get tougher from here]

    ''Ah, my body is paining me all over. Don''t you think that is the least I want to hear right now''

    [You have no choice]

    ''I''ll probably die from the small wounds all over my body before this monk monster kills me''

    [There is something to note also]

    Sensing the change in Sage''s voice. Ayo arched a brow.

    "What is it?"

    [This gate is being influenced]

    ''What exactly does that mean?''

    [To be exact, while analyzing the gate, I found a number of oddities]

    [Those oddities, I will save the details forter but they insinuate that someone has named this monster]

    Raith raised his head to the monk. As Sage had said, the part of the monk which was not visible before was now visible. And it wrote in runes:

    URUSH

    - Named Stone Golem.

    That was the only information about the monster he could see. He couldn''t even see the attack power or the defense power.

    "I suppose this speaks big trouble. Was the stone on its body masking its name or what?"

    [If I am to correct. The stone on its body was masking its power in total]

    [Like a covering preventing it from wilding out]

    "And now that its out?"

    [All Hell will let loose]

    "Just kill me..."

    Raith''s face downturned like he was going to cry any moment from now.

    [HOLD FAST. ITS COMING]

    WHAM!

    Sage''s warning had not even breathe when the monster whizzed to Raith''s front. Bulldozed a punch into his sr plexus, raising him up, it pulled another punch and rammed it into his chest causing him to lunge into the skypletely.

    Then flew higher than him in a second and mmed right back on him¡ªcrashing him into the ground.

    The monk cocked its head left and right and clenched its fist tightly. Then it bent down and grabbed Raith up by his hair.

    Raising him to its face...

    "It was you..."

    Raith was shocked, sure he didn''t hear it wrong. A voice just came out of the monk and its mouth did not open... to be exact, the voice came from it eyes.

    ''There''s a voiceing from its eyes?''

    The eyeballs on its left eye was different from that on its right. It had a pupil in form of a sigil, almost like a U but both pointed edge faced opposite directions and another linear stroke was crossed down the bottom line.

    [That is it. The link]

    "You were the one that killed my first toy. It was you"

 Chapter 359 Lord Of Fourth Hell

    Chapter 359 Lord Of Fourth Hell

    Raith jolted back as he confirmed what he saw. He shrieked and put more distance between the two of them, a bead of sweat trickled down his cheek as hended.

    ''What the hell was that?''

    [An external voice. The link]

    ''You''ve been going on with this link thing, what''s it supposed to mean?''

    [The influence that is causing an anomaly in this gate. Also, it could be the creature that named this monster]

    Raith grimaced. He was standing a little bit bent forward, having justnded so he stood back straight and clenched his sword tightly.

    The monster slowly walked forward.

    ''What does it mean, I killed its first toy?''

    [I have no idea, but that would mean a scenario like this have happened before. You have fought a named monster before]

    ''Yes I have. I fought Antares when he was an ant and...'' Raith''s eyes went round as he recalled.

    "No way... the green orc dungeon from a year ago. The one where I received a ss change!" He eximed, truly surprised.

    He couldn''t remember the fight to dotting details but he remembered very well that there was a fight like that. One that almost got him killed. Well, he literally died several times so... but let''s just say almost got him killed.

    Raith raised his chin.

    "I thought then that it was not making any sense. So you are the one that goes around naming monsters and changing gates. Who are you and what is your goal for doing this?"

    "Huhuhuhhh.... you dare?"

    As if the veil was abruptly taken from the sky, a massive light shone from above, blinding every into a scenery of white. Raith ced his hand over his eyes to shade his sight from the blinding light and looked up.

    It wasn''t just some kind of brightness. Magic missiles, filled every inch of the sky and were like a legion of fallinget. They created an obscene ruthlessness as they transverse the distance between the sky and the ground and buried themselves in a destructive dance of upheaval.

    "What the..."

    Raith watched all his surrounding exploding, he was unaffected, not because his enemy missed. But the des actively sliced the missiles into nothing, they exploded before reaching him. And to be precise, they made that decision on their own, hovering around him and protecting him from the onught.

    It''s been like that since attaining sword Intent. Although there was more to sword Intent than causing some bunch of swords to fight on their own.

    Raith what now was still naive with the knowledge.

    "Oh, so you have grown. Fine. I will let you speak to me since you could survive Missile Shower"

    The monk floated towards Raith and stopped, arms crossed behind its back. Its entire presence had changed, this wasn''t the monk and Raith''s sense sharply felt it, along with the urge to get away from whatever was now controlling the monk.

    "This skill will notst. I can''t be in this body for long because of the distance between the two worlds. You have limited time to ask your question."

    "Who are you?" His words preceeding with delicate measures.

    "Hmm... how do I answer that.."

    Raith was still not getting used to hearing a voicee from an eye but he stayed regardless. All his muscles were tensed and on the edge to act to any slight movement.

    "I am known as diverse names but I am not a narcissist, it''s a sore thing to begin to reveal to you all my mighty monikers. Lord of the pit, beater of a thousand mes. Terror of the mortal shore. General of the Infernal Horde. The Immtor. Enver of the mortal race. Wielder of the soul furnace, you may chose to call me whatever but I take no pride in this titles that people from different worlds have adopted. I am just a man that seeks to find and destroy Bael. And you... you..." His voice seethed, evident that he was trying his best to bite the vexation he felt.

    "...you just won''t stop messing with my n. Why?????"

    ''Bael again?''

    Furrows appeared on Raith''s brow as his face tightened into a scowl.

    "This Bael person. He is a demon right? And he is dead?"

    "Bael is not dead!!!" He shouted in defiance.

    "Bael cannot die. I know him. That sneaky bastard cannot die, I will be the one to kill him and im the sit of the first hell for myself."

    One of Raith''s eyebrows lifted slightly, wrinkling his forehead.

    "Okay, okay. I sense a lot of deep stuff here and I don''t want to get involve. But what I know is that Bael is dead, he was killed by an angel and I don''t think you should be obsessing over him."

    "You maggot. How dare you speak to me in such demeaning manner. I am the lord of the fourth realm."

    Raith slightly opened his mouth.

    ''Now it makes sense why a named monster is insanely strong. He is from Felfhiem. Fourth is quite far up''

    Raith lowered his head a little.

    "I pay my respect to you. I apologize, I spoke without realizing who you are... why are you so obsessed with Bael?"

    "Your words are like that of a snake. You seem clueless yet like the type that serves as a potential danger to my kind. And you have the smell of a demon on you. I assume you have been to Felfhiem before, that is why you know the fourth realm?"

    "I have been to Felfhiem before, I have not been to the fourth realm though."

    "Of course. There''s no way you cane here." The voice paused and continued: "His obsession with the humans annoys me and I want to eradicate every single one of them to pull him out from wherever he is"

    "Why?"

    "Because I hate him."

    "So what do you do to him when you pull him out?"

    "For a mortal, you sure are fearless."

    Raith smiled, lowering his head. He had a gentle countenance, he was almost like a different person.

    "I apologize if I irked you in any way."

    "No. I am enjoying this. Besides, I decided to give you audience... since you are strong. I will forgive you for defeating my first toy. I don''t have much time left, I can''t answer your question now but I can tell you. Bael is always scheming something. That demon has lived since the beginning of our existence, he has lived as many things and is unkible. I know he is somewhere preparing something..."

    "...so you want to discover his n before he hatches it?"

    "It goes beyond that. My time is up. I will leave you with a present should you defeat this monster I have created." The voice chimedstly as it faded away.

    At once, Raith disappeared and appeared afar off. But the monk appeared right after he did - its fist pistoned forward with blinding speed. Raith barely managed to twist aside, the blow meant to crush his skull instead pulverizing the wind.

    The monk pressed its advantage, raining down blows on Raith with machine-like precision. He parried what he could, flowing des shing desperately from all directions against the monk''s knuckles. But most blows slipped through, battering his body relentlessly.

    In a brief respite, Raith swept out with his leg, trying to topple the monk. It nimbly leapt over the strike and stomped down viciously where Raith''s knee had been.

    He howled as the joint hyperextended.

    Dragging his battered body away, Raith put some distance between them. But the monk easily closed the gap in two bounding steps, hands already zing with eldritch purple fire.

    Raith grabbed and crossed two des desperately, bracing for impact. The monk''s palms mmed into them like the fists of an angry god. The des shattered in Raith''s hands, returning to blood droplets that sttered around.

    But as they did, Raith straight forth his hand, materializing the droplets into extended des that plunged into the monk from all side.

    Taking unexpected damages, the monster growled and lurched with an intense viciousness. Throwing blurring punches at Raith - yet, Raith managed to keep up with all of its movements. Easily materializing swords from his bloodied body and swinging his arms in the rhythm of the monk''s flow.

    His eyes not battering away for a second, glued to every movement, darting all sides, following the monk''s hand movement like it was glued to.

    The battlefield echoed with the sh of des and the ominous growls of the monster. Despite his fatigue, Raith continued to dance with the monk, a deadly ballet of swords and fists.

    As the monk unleashed a barrage of strikes, Raith''s des flickered in and out of existence, parrying and countering with a fluidity that seemed almost supernatural.

    The air crackled with energy as their powers shed, creating a mesmerizing disy of ck and purple streaks.

    The monk pressed on with relentless determination. And Raith continued to match every blow with a precise and calcted response. The ground beneath them trembled with the force of their sh, and the very fabric of reality seemed to strain against the power they wielded.

    In a moment of respite, Raith stepped back, his breath ragged but his eyes still focused. The monk, undeterred, charged forward once more. Their movements became a blur, a dance of death that left onlookers breathless¨Cif there were any.

 Chapter 360 A Loser

    Chapter 360 A Loser

    There was no way forward, Raith couldn''t afford to ck one bit - the monk also didn''t seem to be getting faster or its punch pulling stronger force. To put it in a way, both of them seemed to have reach a grey line. They had touched their limit.

    Although the monk still had skills up it sleeves, so did Raith, a way to counter them. And the monk seems to havee to that understanding. Now, it was headstrong about pulverizing Raith''s with his punches. Every blow that Raith somehow managed to dodge was an evident of that - they pulverized the wind and made the air shake with a fearful roar.

    Raith dodged and weaved, lunged counter attacks at the slightest of chances he could get. But the monk was faster, swift and brief with its punches.

    Raith felt his his muscles giving in, throbbing with pain. He wanted to jump back, he thought about it. But he also knew, the moment he did... the monster would follow him faster than he can create a distance and that would be leaving himself wide open to itm

    Raith ignored his thoughts and got stubborn, swiping his sword diagonally upwards, the monster retracted its head to dodge. Raith swung it back down, followed with a swift spin with the left sword aimed to sh of the monk''s neck.

    Of course, he knew it wasn''t going to be sessful. He had just decided to put his all into this. Since he was fighting for dear life.

    He continued to press his advantage, slowly beginning to shift towards an active onught. The monk tried, lunged several attacks at Raith, he took every one of them on his des and didn''t take a moment of respite, he would lunge back a counter before even taking the next step, not caring if it was careless of him.

    The monster was fast and Raith was beginning to understand that in order to match that level of his speed, he had to stop thinking. He had Sage. If there was a way to connect his actions to her thoughts and save himself the 0.001 second it took to execute a thought, then maybe there would be a significant increase in his speed and then he might be able to match the monk''s speed.

    This was why Raith began a reckless fight. Not thinking and just fighting. The number of shes that his body incurred significantly increased, the monk was still very fast, and it was not totally possible for Raith to react purely on impulse.

    His body was trying but it was hard not to think. Sometimes when the monster''s bunches toote before he could block.

    ''Oh crap!'' Was enough of thought to make his body lose focus.

    To get to the level of speed he wanted, Raith needed to relinquish his thoughts in all totality. He needed to find a way to do it. This would probably have had more chances of sess had he tried it while he was training.

    But he never thought of it. There have never been a situation where he needed to think of it... and so, here he was trying to do the impossible with his life hanging on the line.

    Raith pulled himself back, and twirled as fast as he can tounched a dual arched strike in from the monk''s left. The monk smashed its fist into his ribcage before he could finish twirled, it grabbed his hair and mmed him to the ground and kicked him away.

    Raith''s body flung helplessly through the air. The monster got to it in a jiffy and buried its palm into his back. His body crashed into the ground with a lightning speed, disembowelling the ground its, broken shards of stone flew in all directions.

    The monk still did not relent, with its stone body gone it had increased the ratio of its ferocity snd sought to take care of Raith with urgency.

    Although that was so hard because he wouldn''t die. The monk wore a downturned expression and he dealt with Raith over and over again.

    Raith had managed to spurl away from the ground and avoid the purple ball of mes that buried the ground and caused an explosion that shrouded thend in a blinding purple light with the shades of darkness itself.

    Although he didn''te out of it unscathed, he still survived and his domain was still there. That was after all the reason why he could take this level of damage and still be fine.

    The domain of greed one way or the other reinforced his body. Although Raith wished he could discover more than just the body reinforcement it was doing.

    He ran as fast as he could, as the monk reached out for him with its leg floating above the ground. Raith''s body was almost tearing through the wind as he pushed his legs to their limit running away the monk''s fiery grip. Jumping over falling trees and avoiding standing ones, leaping over whatever obstacles pose to slow him down... the scenery itself be a blue of hues before his eyes.

    And yet the monk was persistently on his back. Unrelenting, eyes burning with viciousness, wickedly outstretched arm desperately trying to crush any of his part its grips.

    The pursuit caused a transcendental destruction, thend suffered the impacts of the blows that missed Raith. Sometimes, despite Raith''s desperate effort to avoid some obstacles, he would crash into rocks, sending splinters across every directions. Just before the monk further destroyed the ce he would be gone.

    But the pursuit wasn''ting to and - they became streaks of light, their body merging with the blurs of their surrounding as they perceived it. Raith was lost in an extreme struggle to prevent the monk from obliterating him in any way.

    And the wind howled violently his eyes, metallic scents filled his nose and sometimes his vision struggled to grasp what it was in front of him, his movement were fast than his eyes could cope.

    He was slowly getting faster, the distance between he and the monk growing wider. But sessfully outrunning the monk was no way out of this situation, he still needed to fight. Damn, he needed a breakthrough.

    With a fleeting thought, Raith tripped and tumbled over tremendously thrashing rocks as he went on a roll like spun coin.

    He came to a stop and the monknded in front of him, slowly raising its leg to dismantle head.

    Raith was face-to-the-ground and was just trying to get up with blood dripping from his nose, slimy like saliva. His face was bruised all over, blood streamed down from his forehead through one side of his face and down his jaw, staining his clothes.

    The monster mmed down its leg on his shoulder pushing him back to the ground. A slight tremor ran through the ground.

    Raith stayed pinned to thr ground, the monster''s heavy feet on his shoulder.

    Was this the end? Was it that no matter how much he tried he was nothing without the abyss? Was that really his reality? The words Sage had said was sweet but it was getting harder to hang on.

    The pain, Raith was subtly being tempted to give in. He was tired, he wanted to rest and some other side seem to be calling him to absolute ease. Moments like this are when one began to question what living has been for them so far.

    When a certain feeling to abandon it all and just gives in overwhelms them. The feeling is so kind and nice, it promises no stress and just beckons them to stop trying so much.

    Death has a cold embrace, for one who has been trapped in a fruitless effort, it can seem like rest but also it is robbing one of the time to see the results of one''s effort.

    Raith had never experienced ease. Even when power came from the abyss, he paid a dear price for it, dying every time. He died so much that he wasn''t scared of dying now.

    Maybe that was why the thought of it felt pleasing now.

    But really that was just the thought pattern of a loser. Yes, a loser.

    A weak minded person. A man who is not strong enough to give what it takes. He hade so far and yet he is going to give up? Give the abyss the choice of being right? That he can''t be anything without the abyss.

    Raith gritted his teeth. It sucked.

    "Damn it suckssss!!!" He shouted smashing his fist to the ground.

    A red and ck aura exploded from him rioting waves. The monk gave heed to its senses and jumped away in an instant.

    "Damnitttt! I want power goddamnnit!!! I want to be strong too!" Raith clenched his fist on the ground, grabbing the crumbles of rocked and crushing them as he tightened his fist.

    He was in agony, he was in pain, he was desperate. He didn''t want to die. He didn''t want to be weak. He didn''t want to struggle so much. He hated it. He hated this feeling. He hated it with all his gut.

    He wanted more!

    [You have met the conditions]

    [Son Of Failure will be activated]

    [You havepletely assimted with greed]

    [Your desire for more shall be the source of your strength]

    [Son Of Failure has been equipped has yer ss]

    [Skill ''Failure Forged'' has been created]

    [Skill ''Copy'' has been created]

    [Skill ''Retry'' has been created]

    [You have gained a god-tier ss]

    [You have gained +100 cosmic reputation]

 Chapter 361 A New Beginning

    Chapter 361 A New Beginning

    The atmosphere was shrouded with a dark blue flood, while it looked like the sky was at its darkest. It was also like the sea was looming above thisnd.

    Beneath this anomaly, were two men. One was walking, the other crawling.

    The one walking had dry, dark skin, his eyes were dark and gleamed eerily with a malicious sobriety, his look was distant, they spared no mercy to the man who crawled away from him.

    The distinguishing feature of this man apart from his dark skin was his pointed ears and his height. He wore a ck cloak that somehow mystified his presence, they were also ragged.

    A long silver de glinting and softly whistling against the wind was held by his right hand.

    He slowly walked closer to the man who tried to get away from him. That one had arge tail that danced about as he desperately tried to get away.

    He had wolf ears on his brown hair and his ws scratched the stoney ground as he persistently continued to crawl leaving a horrific trail of blood behind him. His side was cut open, his bowels almost spilling out, he was more or less dead and yet he still desired to live. Strongly.

    The man stabbed the sword into his leg, his movement was so swift you couldn''t even see when he moved his hand or got close to the crawling man.

    He twisted the sword, shrinking blood out of the man''s leg.

    He then paused, looking down before his eyes. His eyes widened immediately.

    "Ah... ah... finally, another one has appeared" A wide grin formed on his face as he spoke, excitement tinged with his powerful voice.

    He looked to the sky of sea and closed his eyes in a perverted satisfaction. Then his expression returned to normal a secondter and he looked down on the beastman he had stabbed to the ground.

    "I have found another prey. It was fun while itsted with you Era''el. After receiving a god-tier ss, I thought you at least would be able to end this suffering of me. But nah, you are nothing but a coward yourself. Be gone, you vermin"

    The beastman''s scream plunged high as the man''s sword wrenched his his organ producing a sickening sound as he twisted and plunged the sword deeper into the beastman''s back.

    ¡ª

    [You have met the conditions]

    [Son Of Failure will be activated]

    [You havepletely assimted with greed]

    [Your desire for more shall be the source of your strength]

    [Son Of Failure has been equipped has yer ss]

    [Skill ''Failure Forged'' has been created]

    [Skill ''Copy'' has been created]

    [Skill ''Retry'' has been created]

    [You have gained a god-tier ss]

    [You have gained +100 cosmic reputation]

    [Your failures will begin to count in an unusual way]

    [Stat ''Tenacity'' has been unlocked]

    [Stat ''Resilience'' has been unlocked]

    [Unique Concept ''LEVEL UP'' has been unlocked]

    [As a yer, you are also subjected to growth by gaining experience from kills]

    [The ratio of experience you gain is rtive to the level of strength of your kill]

    [Gaining levels will help you grow stronger and increase your physical abilities]

    [Error detected]

    [Error detected]

    [Error detected]

    [DUE TO THE SIN OF GREED ALL EXPERIENCES GAINED FROM KILLS WILL BE CONSUMED]

    "Hey hey hey hey"

    Raith wasn''t sure but it looked like something good had happened but before he could count his blessings something bad had urred to him again.

    "What is this? Sage, please say something"

    [...]

    [What makes yers special is their ability to level up]

    [But it seems you have been robbed of that very unique concept by GREED]

    [You are unable to level up]

    [You are forever stuck on level 1 as long as GREED will continue to consume your experience points needed to level up]

    "Ah!"

    Raith ground his teeth, evidently angry. He clenched his fist. It was one good thing then a bad thing. One good thing and a bad thing over and over again.

    He gets something good and then a very bad thing happens to him again.

    The monk still lingered afar as the malefic ck and red aura still hovered around Raith.

    "What is now going to happen? What is the point of everything that just happened?"

    [Well, you wouldn''t know until you move]

    [Let me show you]

    [yer Status]

    yer Name: Raven Raith

    yer True Name: Unknown

    yer ss: Son Of Failure (god-tier)

    yer Level: 1

    Health Points: 13,090/780

    Aura (ck): 3390/109

    Cosmic Energy (Red): 7000/2188

    GREED lv.1: 100/000

    Title: nil

    [Stats]

    Strength: 200              Speed: 499

    Stamina: 300             Endurance: 388

    Will: 101                      Wisdom: 199

    Tenacity: 1             Resilience: 1

    [Conditions]

    Heat resistance lv.max

    Cold resistance lv.max

    Poison resistance lv.max

    Failure Forged lv.1 (Unique)

    [Skills]

    Source lv.0 (Origin)

    Sage_M8de lv.1 (Ultimate)

    Copy lv.1 (Ultimate)

    God''s eyes lv.1 (Unique)

    Retry lv.1 (Unique)

    ze lv.1 (Common)

    A flood of information flooded into Raith''s head, and his eyes darted around. Was this what it meant to be a yer? Exactly how he was with the abyss, everything had been returned to the way it was with the abyss.

    "Hey? Are you sure this isn''t the abyss ying some games?"

    [No, the Voice Of The World has permitted me to oversee your yer profile]

    Raith arched a brow and looked down, inspecting his status closer.

    "Why?"

    [Because of the error. Because of the sin of GREED the voice cannot have a direct influence on you it could be detrimental to it]

    Raith covered his face with his hand, washing it down with a heavy sigh.

    "Sage, I don''t know if I should feel happy or feel very sad. Is umting with the sin of greed the best thing that could have happened to me or the worst?"

    [For now, I can''t say...]

    "Ah..."

    [But first we have to take care of that... and you have more Skills now, you are stronger than you were a few minutes ago]

    [Copy lv.1(Ultimate)]

    > An ultimate skill that enables you to copy a target skill. The skill can only be copied when yours fails tond a blow or you are inferior to the target.

    > Skill use costs 500 aura points or 1000 cosmic energy.

    [Failure Forged lv.1(Unique)]

    > You gain points upon every failure. The points can be converted into stats points.

    > More functions will be unlocked as proficiency with this skill progresses.

    [Retry lv.1(Unique)]

    > When this skill is activated, a time loop is created within the time flow of your recent failure. Your conscience and the target conscience are kept and the time loop will continue until you seed at doing that thing you failed at.

    > Skill use costs 1000 aura points or 2000 cosmic energy.

    Raith wasn''t sure how to take this but without his consent, a shocking smile crept to his lips. Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead, mixing with his clotted blood.

    He rxed his hand and twirled it to free his shoulders of the stiffness and pain that had gathered there. It did little work but that was enough for him to regain a little ease of lotion.

    He began walking, a violent red and blue aura spilling fury all around with each step he took. His left eyes subtly reverted color to red while his right eyes kept their deep ckness. Both eyes glowed and sparked with lightning streaks.

    "The game is about to change pal"

 Chapter 362 The Decisive Battle

    Chapter 362 The Decisive Battle

    With the energy that flowed around him, Raith recovered his vigor. His wounds still hurt, the pains around his muscles and some wrecked bone still persisted. Ultimately, he was feeling better than he was a second ago.

    To top it all, his cosmic energy and aura was recovering at a tremendous rate. He didn''t know what factor to attribute this to but it was not a new thing. It happened regrly when the abyss was in him.

    Raith took steady steps, walking one step after the other. The monk stayed where it was, eyes fixated on its target. Its arms trembled and palms were moist. But it didn''t bat an eye away from Raith.

    Even though. It still lost him.

    Raith narrowed the distance before a second counted and fixated a punch into the monk''s gut. It responded with the flow: coughing out a mouthful of blood and hurled away the next instant, tumbling a long roll away before finally bringing himself to a stop - dragging his hand on the ground.

    The monk rose to its feet tounch itself but Raith''s feet ferociously licked his face sending him on another journey. Raith wasted no time and moved almost immediately, bringing out a blood sword.

    He plunged it into the monster while it was on a free flight through the air. The monster changed caused and got mmed into the ground, pouring down a puddle of gore.

    Raithnded in front.

    "I feel stronger... I have not used any skill."

    [Your assimtion with GREED has reached an abnormal state]

    [Also the GREED domain is still up]

    "Wow..." Raith smirked.

    He pulled back his arm and began to nt punches into the monk''s face. Grabbing his bald head, Raith continually stamped the monster''s face with a brutal show of his fist, sttering trickles of blood in all directions.

    "Ahhh..." He pulled his hand away and shook it.

    Punching the monk was like punching a rock. Despite its stoney facade being done away with. Raith couldn''t believe its skin was this hard.

    "Damn bro..."

    He tried to clench his hand but freed it. His knuckles were pulled, the monk''s face was also roughened up, blood stained all over.

    Slowly, the monk rose to its feet.

    "You are not giving up. I like that"

    [Don''t be cocky]

    ''Please, let me have my moment. Right now, I feel like I can conquer the world''

    [Hm...]

    The monk suddenly took of breaking the ground. It stopped middair above Raith. Its eyes began to let out a white radiance. The monk raised both hand, curved down two arcs from both side and brought his palms together to a praying gesture.

    WHOOM

    The air began to vibrate, purple aura extended from the monk creating a vicious extension of him. Overshadowing the monk owas a gigantic aura of himself, in the same position and gesture.

    Raith watched from the ground. The monk now was hundred times bigger, colossal. But he wasn''t far from reach. In the middle of the aura extension, he floated. Controlling the extension from that area.

    It smashed its hand to the ground, destroying everything ©\ the ground screamed and shook in a fiery scare of wreckage. Rocks were shattered into splinters with that strike. But Raith was unscathed.

    He flew out of the cloud of rumbles andnded. The monk raised its leg and smashed into that point again. Raith did not quaver and shot into the sky as the monk''s colossal leg came upon him.

    But as he dodged the leg, the monk swiftly lunged a fist into him, creating a humongous tear in the sound barrier. Raith was sent reeling through the air snd cashing into a far mountain. One that had suffered from the impact of the monk''s fight with Li Mingwu, having been torn into two.

    [Criteria have been met to use skill ''COPY'']

    Raith grinned.

    "Okay then..."

    He shot up and into the sky.

    As he did, his wicked aura burst out, threatening to tear the atmosphere and shrouding it with a more vicious and intimidating presence.

    The monk''s eyes widened as it began to witness what was happening.

    Raith''s aura began to draw delicate lines, forming an extension of Raith himself, while Raith stayed in the center of this extension with a nasty smirk at his enemy.

    Lines of stress could be seen beneath the monk''s widened eyes. Its eyeballs shook with terror as it realized Raith had stolen its skill.

    Its eyebrows drew together, forming a deep furrow on its forehead. The monk grounded its teeth and shot at Raith with the colossal form of himself. Raith responded with the same move and the two colossal extensions were locked in a gigantic tug of war that their environment suffered for.

    The colossal extensions grappled with earth-shattering force, their limbs intertwined as they pushed against each other. Shockwaves pulsed outwards from their sh, obliterating thendscape around them. Jagged fissures split the ground, sending huge chunks of rock hurtling through the air.

    Raith grit his teeth, the veins on his temple bulging from exertion. He could feel the monk''s power pushing against his own. Their auras flickered and red wildly, tendrils of energyshing out as they vied for dominance.

    With a roar, Raith dug deep and poured more power into his extension. Its limbs bulged with new mass, muscles rippling. He slowly gained ground, forcing the monk''s extension backwards inch by inch. The monk''s eyes widened in disbelief as it found itself being overpowered.

    In desperation, the monk swung its colossal fist at Raith''s head. Raith barely managed to block the blow with his forearm. The impact resounded like a thunderp, momentarily deafening him. His arm went numb from the vibration.

    Capitalizing on Raith''s distraction, the monk twisted and delivered a spinning heel kick to his torso. Raith cried out as he was sent flying backwards, his extension dissipating around him. He crashed into a mountainside, pulverizing the rock face.

    The monk pursued relentlessly, its enormous fist descending like a meteor towards Raith''s prone form. At thest instant, Raith rolled aside, the monk''s fist smashing a crater where he had just been. The ground shuddered violently, nearly throwing Raith off his feet.

    Seeing the monk rear back for another punch, Raith sprang upwards. Shrouded by ck and red aura Raith easily pierced into the monk''s colossal form - his aura absorbing the purple extension of the monk as he delivered a rising uppercut to its jaw.

    The monk''s head snapped back with the force of the blow. Raith followed up with a barrage of punches to its torso, his fists little more than blurs as they hammered the monk''s body.

    Recovering quickly, the monk blocked thest punch and countered with a knee strike to Raith''s midsection.

    Spit flew from Raith''s mouth as the air was driven from his lungs. The monk then grabbed him in a chokehold, attempting to squeeze the life from him.

    Raith wed desperately at the monk''s arms, his vision dimming around the edges. In ast ditch effort, he focused his power and released a point-nk energy st as the monk''s extension waspletely absorbed by his aura. The monk howled as it was engulfed in the fiery detonation, its grip loosening enough for Raith to break free.

    Bothbatants dropped to the ravaged earth, chests heaving. The ground around them was a disaster zone, scattered with smoking craters and mountains reduced to rubble. The air hung thick with dust, reducing visibility to just a few meters.

    As the dust settled, Raith spotted the monk getting unsteadily to its feet. Grimacing in pain, Raith pushed himself up as well. They stared at each other across the devastation.

    Mustering thest of his strength, Raithunched himself at the monk in a headlong charge. The monk rushed to meet him, howling with bloodlust. They collided with earth-shattering force, the ground cracking beneath their feet.

    Locked in a grapple, they smashed through mountains and uprooted forests as they battled for position. Hills were pulverized to dust in their wake. The monk managed to get Raith in a headlock again, but he broke the hold with a back elbow to its face.

    Spinning rapidly, Raith delivered a spinning heel kick that caught the monk right in its torso wound from earlier. The monk crumpled from the agony, clutching its injury. Sensing his opportunity, Raith began pummeling the monk with punches and knees, targeting its wound mercilessly.

    The monk tried to mount some defense, but was clearly on itsst legs. Raith battered it relentlessly, his fists slick with the monk''s blood and ichor. With a final burst of power, he seized the monk''s head in his hands. The monk''s eyes widened in dawning horror and realization but it was toote.

    [Using GREED subskill ''Lacerous Grasp'']

    [All valuables and lifeforms belonging to the target will be transfered to you]

    "Ahhh!"

    Raith felt a sharp pain seep into his muscles as he began to absorb the monk''s life force. It didn''te with ease like he did with the assassins. Every vein hurt like his blood was flowing backwards.

    His veins ckened and formed rigid all over his body. The monk tried to resist but Raith''s grip on it was hard. The longer this persisted the weaker it began to feel.

    It''s dark skin began to give out color and became grey. It''s body thinned till only his bone was evident. Every organ had writhe, sucked of life.

    Raith detested the view of using LACEROUS GRASP. But he had no other choice. This was the only way to go about it. This was what he had been aiming for since the very beginning. Wear the monk out and absorb its life.

    [You have stolen the life force and valuable of a stronger target]

    [The gate is a valuable of the target, it and everything in it shall be merged with your dark sea]

    [You have killed a monster THE STONE monk]

    [You have gained 12,340 experience]

    [You have gained five levels]

    Raith suddenly felt a sharp pain throughout his body. His eyes glinted with red hunger and reddened.

    [GREED is hungry]

    [GREED has stolen all your experience]

    [GREED hasbeled up three times]

    [You have gained +30 Stat points]

    [You will gain +10 Stat points every time GREED levels up]

    [All GREED rted subskills have gained one level]

    [The stronger GREED bes the stronger the subskills be]

    [A new GREED subskill has been unlocked]

    [Skill Steal lv.1]

    > When skill is activated, you can steal target skill, however high level skills or skills engraved into the soul core cannot be stolen at this level of the skill.

    [Due to a specific function of the SOURCE two likely skills have been detected]

    [Using the SOURCE power, skills can be merged to create a better skill]

    [Do you want to merge ss skill ''Copy'' with Ruler skill ''Skill Steal'']

    [I advise you proceed with caution]

 Chapter 363 Thard - Harl

    Chapter 363 Thard - Harl

    CHAPTER 363

    [Using the SOURCE power, skills can be merged to create a better skill]

    [Do you want to merge ss skill ''Copy'' with Ruler skill ''Skill Steal'']

    [I advise you proceed with caution]

    "I''m quite baffled with yourst statement sage¡­"

    [I don''t know if anything that has to do with the source is a great idea. As it is an unknown and untapped power, I strongly advise that you put off anything rted to it]

    Raith caressed his thumb with his index finger for a couple of seconds.

    "Okay then. If you suggest that I should decline, I will decline it"

    [Really?]

    "Yes. What?"

    [I am shocked that you would]

    "Of course I will. I want to start leaning towards your advise."

    [Hmm]

    Raith smiled and looked forward to the expanse of destruction that their battle had caused. The trees were battered and splintered, grounds unearthed, mountains broken from heavy impacts. Everything was unlike he hade here before - even though it was already in so much destruction at that time.

    [You have received a gift from an individual]

    Raith had a rough idea who it was. He averted his gaze from the pitifulndscape and looked down to the series of panels that appeared.

    [You have gained a new eyes]

    [Demon Lord''s eyes]

    > You can see as far as 1km.

    > You can see the weakness of a person.

    > You can see a person''s three moves into the future.

    While the skill almost felt like God''s eye. Both had different functions. God''s eyes was mostly useful for appraisal, it could also see through stuff but it couldn''t see the weakness and definitely not the future. Raith worried if having this eye was a good thing.

    One from a god another from a demon. I hope this isn''t bad news. He clicked his tongue.

    To his right eyes was a faint golden glow and to his left was a red glow. Then both glow slowly faded, reverting to his ck and red heterochromia eyes. However, there was a sigil on his left eyes which was red, the same sigil that was on the monk when it spoke through the eyes.

    But Raith couldn''t see it.

    "I guess work here is done?"

    [Yes. The absorption of the gate shallmence]

    "Sorry. What? Absorption? What? Why?"

    [Because you used Lacerous Grasp to absorb the most precious thing to the monster. The gate will be absorbed]

    "Wow¡­ is that even supposed to be possible?"

    [Technically speaking. No]

    [But with your technicalities are pretty useless]

    Raith scratched his cheek with a shy smile, "I can''t help but feel like you''replimenting me"

    [Sigh]

    Sage let out an helpless sigh.

    [Commencing gate absorption¡­]

    rippppp

    Raith''s attention swung to the back where the ripping sound hade from. He quickly opened his hands, materializing his blood sword and gripping tightly, even though his fingers felt so numb.

    A pale, almost purple hands came out of the rip in space. It held the lower part of the tear and stretched it to widen its way out into the open.

    rippp

    The second hand made its debut as the tear widened, then a leg followed and the head sprawled out sneakily. Bringing itsst leg out of the rip, the figure finally stood upright and stretched - it proved how ufortable it was having to pass through¡­ it was like caving the squeeze one''s body through a hole.

    He raised his head to Raith.

    "Finally. I''ve found you."

    Raith arched a brow and slowly began to step back. Not that he wasn''t ready to engage this person but he had to give himself some recess¡­ this guy looked awfully familiar. And if it was who he is thinking it to be, this spelt trouble in capital letters for him. TROUBLE.

    "Don''t take another step."

    Raith''s feet paused. Involuntarily.

    His brows creased to a tense frown. I can''t move my legs.

    The moment the person in front of him spoke, Raith lost control of his legs. His legs did not respond no matter how much he tried to move them. He was frozen in that stance - one of his foot to the back and the other about to take off.

    "What did you do to me?" Raith asked with a deep grudge sounding from his tone.

    "I just used my art on you that''s all. Don''t worry, it isn''t permanent and there is a way to negate it. But seeing as you have no idea of all of that, I believe you probably don''t know. I find it so hard to believe you defeated a copy of me. I guess I went very easy on you."

    Hisst words confirmed Raith''s fear.

    Fel had mentioned it and left him in a lot of confusion but he hadn''t actually thought about it since then. He was preupied with this gate issues that he hadn''t even given thought to the things that he and Fel had spoken about.

    There is no way¡­ His eyes shook.

    A smug smile curled up the man''s pale face. His hair was blonde and his eyes were fierce, almost like that of a lion. He was quite hairy - his blonde hair was long and broad, extending everywhere around his shoulder and giving him that unparalleled alpha male presence - but more lionlike.

    "This can''t be right. You are alive? I am sure I killed you."

    The man sighed dropping his head in a disappointment.

    "I''m sure Fel told you. He and I made a deal and tried to deceive the abyss. It worked. The Thard - Harl you faced with the abyss wasn''t me. It was an aspect that Fel and I created to deceive the abyss. I don''t believe a weak being like you defeated it though. I even hear of your exploits from Fel, you killed Egard and even survived a battle with Cor -Ellion"

    "Well, it was no biggie. Actually, you see when I defeated this so caller aspect that you said you created. I was weak, but I had potential and stuff. That other one is it Egard now? Yea, Egard. That one I defeated him clean, although he said he was in a weakened state. But you know how everyone are, they just give these excuses when they get beat and as for Cor - Ellion" He paused and swallowed his spit.

    Thard - Harl who had been watching him with a bitter taste in his mouth raised his brow and curled a corner of his lips.

    "You met a strong man, didn''t you?"

    Raith frowned and looked away. After sucking the feeling of humiliation he felt at that time. He turned back to Thard - Harl.

    "What do you want? It''s not like we are friends on anything that you can just pop in through some hole in the space to greet me."

    "You have quite the disrespectful mouth. You must think you can stand your ground against me since you defeated a puppet. Hey by the way¡­ where are my equipments?"

    Raith raised a brow. "What equipments?"

    Thard - Harl frowned.

    "The ones the fake used against you. The only part I hated about our n was that I had to give up my equipments. Please tell me you have them."

    "No, why will I have them. I sold them."

    "You sold them?!!" Thard - Harl''s voice scaled up as his eyes widened.

    He reached for Raith''s cor and raised him up effortlessly.

    "You sold those equipments? The silver boots? The lion''s helm? The sharp razor ws too, you sold that too?"

    Raith struggled with releasing the asura''a firm grip on his clothes and kicked his legs like a tantruming baby.

    "Fuck I needed money what could I have done? And its not like I knew how to use them anyways."

    "You still don''t see how grave what you have done is? There should be no way you sold those equipments. You will find them for me, if you have to go through every dimension in this cosmos, I will make sure you find them."

    "Fuck why are you even dis¡­ urghh urrghhh," Raith struggled to keep talking as the asura grabbed his neck with the other hand.

    "Fine fine fine I''ll find them for you!" He shouted, tapping the asura''s hand with urgency for him to let go.

    Thard - Harl dropped him on the ground and turned to the ripped space - with dark squirming properties inside of it.

    "We move now."

    "Move?" Raith''s brow knitted together. His eyes narrowing.

    "Yes. I havee to take you. Did Fel not inform you?"

    "Eh? Take me for what?"

    Seeing the re on Raith''s face, Thard - Harl folded his arms.

    "You became a yer and even got a god-tier ss."

    "How did you know that." Raith''s frown refused to depart his face.

    "How else? When a person bes a yer or gains a god-tier achievement, there is always a general ranking to all yers. I had to tear my way through three dimension in order to reach you¡­ but thanks to announcement, I was able to find you."

    He looked at Raith and smiled.

    "You have great potential young man. But you are very rough on the edges. Don''t you want to know the ropes of being a yer. I can teach you that? Moreso, don''t you want to be able to fight the right way? Move your body the right way and find you lostrades?"

    "What? Is there a way to get them back?" Raith shot to his feet quickly.

    "Yes there is¡­ but you must be ready to listen to me."

    Raith clenched his fist and moved back¡­ What? When did he undo the skill. He looked down at his legs and returned his eyes to Thard - Harl.

    "I can''t leave. I have to go to Felfhiem to rescue my master. He was the only man that was kind to me. I can''t leave him."

    Thard - Harl suddenly burst out a mouthfulugh with his arms crossed over his chest.

    Theugh continued putting Raith in an ufortable ce.

    What''s funny about what I said?

    "Everything is funny about it."

    Raith''s rxed brow knitted again immediately. That''s right, this bastard could read my mind back then too.

    "Be careful there boy."

    Damnit, how am I suppose to even think?!

    "Of course, you are not supposed to ¨C

    "Shut up! Shut up okay?"

    Silence ensued between both of them for two seconds. Then Thard - Harl spoke.

    "You can''t go to hell. You''ll die. You seen to keep forgetting that you have lost the power the abyss gave you."

    "And so?"

    Thard - Harl looked around, especially at the corpse of the monk that lied away in a puddle of purple blood.

    "You struggled against a creature like this and you want to go to Felfhiem. What do you want to do in Felfhiem, dance?"

    "I want to defeat the demon lords" Raith said with vivid determination on his face.

    Thard - Harl could haveughed a second time but with the kind of expression he saw as Raith spoke. He tried not to disrespect the guy.

    But facts still stood:

    "If you go to Felfhiem like this, nothing but your death awaits you. Who is this man you want to help?"

    "Volmak."

    Thard - Harl rested his chin on his hand.

    "I find it quiteughable that you want to help Volmak. But then it''s been hundred of years since I saw him. He might have grown soft."

    "You know Volmak?"

    "Fel was once a king of Felfhiem you know¡­ and I was his close friend."

    "There seems to be a lot I am missing."

    "Yes and these a lot. You will know as youe with me. I want to train you and help you grow. Or else there is no way you''ll be able to face the abyss."

    "You are right¡­"

    Thinking back on how strong the abyss made him to be, Raith imagined if he was to fight his former self he''d probably get killed before killing that version of him at all.

    "Still¡­" He hesitated.

    Thard - Harl grabbed his head and flung him into the space rift.

 Chapter 364 The Death Call

    Chapter 364 The Death Call

    It''s been approximately seven hours since Raith entered the gate. Ruan Zhaohui had been standing on that spot since she entered.

    "Mo¡­ther¡­" Hesitantly Gilly pronounced yet again.

    It hadn''t done anything before and she sort of knew it wouldn''t still do a thing. When Ruan Zhaohui decides to do something, no one can stop her. And in everything she does, she always manages to outdo people, even when they are giving better shot at doing the same thing.

    She was a woman of Valor, the only one that could have pulled the hunters together after Li Mingwu''s harsh passing. Gilly looked at her with sparkling eyes.

    Her eyes gathered water, but shone with so much respect for the woman in front of her.

    She resumed her pose behind her. Having long decided:

    ''If mother is not going to move. Then I won''t''

    She had managed to stand alongside Ruan Zhaohui for close to seven hours with such steel conviction.

    Unlike someone who was sleeping.

    Ruan Zhaohui''s eyes narrowed. It was not noticed by any other person except her. However, moments after she noticed it. However, Rizo slowly opened his eyes from slumber.

    Sluggishly the young boy raised his head. Secondster the gate began to shrink.

    "Rizo!" Ruan Zhaohui who was paying attention to the gate all along caught on quick and called on to him.

    With a slight movement of one leg the boy moved with the wind, gently arriving beside Ruan Zhaohui unperturbed about the finesse he just disyed.

    He stretched out both his hand and gritted his teeth hard.

    Immediately the gate that was shrinking began to erge again.

    His teeth stayed gritted and with a frown he turned his gaze to Ruan Zhaohui.

    "What?"

    "He''s not inside." He said, with an appealing grating voice.

    "What?" Her eyes widened. "What about the monster?"

    Rizo shook his head. "No one is there." With a frown, he turned quickly to his gaze. His veins were beginning to bulge over his forehead and around his neck.

    "Even the monster?"

    "It''s not there!" He coughed out blood as he responded to her.

    Ruan Zhaohui''s brow drifted upwards. Seeing as he was struggling to keep the gate in ce so much, she had to make a choice. If she told him to let go¡­ that could mean she one way or the other allowed Raith to die.

    ''What if he''s in there? What if someone needs to go in¡­"

    Rizo began to bleed through his nose, he turned his neck sharply to Ruan Zhaohui.

    "What should I do?!"

    Ruan Zhaohui slightly opened her mouth but nothing came out. The young boy was struggling and her senses seem suspended in limbo. This was what she hated about being a leader.

    She bit her lower lips and dropped her head.

    "Let go¡­"

    Rizo Immediately dropped to the ground, falling on his knees and blood dripping from his nose and mouth. His eyes were red and almost bleeding too.

    Ruan watched the gate close in despair. She clenched her fist tightly, her whole arm shivering as she clenched harder, carving her fingers into her flesh.

    Blood dripped from her lips as she bit herself hard.

    ''Today, I killed a hunter who could have been one of the greatest.''

    Rizo stayed on the floor still coughing up blood but in reduced sequence. His scarred guard was now with him. Kneeling on one knee and softly patting his master''s back.

    Rizo with wrinkles formed below his face giving him a very sleepy expression turned to Ruan Zhaohui who stood like her statue with trembling arms.

    "It wasn''t¡­ your¡­ fault."

    She didn''t look like she was listening to anyone or anything and just stared nkly into the space that used to upy the malevolent gate.

    "Mother¡­" Gilly muttered with a bitter taste to her mouth. She of all people knew how heavily Ruan Zhaohui internally beats herself when a resource is lost. It was like that when Li Mingwu died - she med herself for not keeping a close rtionship with him.

    Now¡­ would she ever be able to recover from what had happened today.

    Ruan Zhaohui with a nk face walked away from the gate.

    "Take me to Whitman immediately."

    "Yes ma''am." Gilly responded immediately and ran ahead of Ruan Zhaohui to go prepare the ride. But turned back - realizing that Ruan Zhaohui had not meant with a car when she spoke.

    She had an habit of saying the word, even though she would eventually use ''that''

    Whooosh!

    Before Gilly could retrace her steps, Ruan Zhaohui shot into the air, leaving a webbed crack tile in her wake.

    "Oh shit. I messed up" she muttered as she watched her mother flew across the air like a military jet.

    ¡ª

    Whitman entered into his office. He loosened his tie with one hand, the stress he had to undergo trying to find the Phoenixes was almost suffocating, maybe loosening the tie almost deceived him to think the stress would be eased.

    His office was on thr highest floor of the American association building and was adorned by tinum ss that cannot be broken through. The ss has been proven through the test of withstanding the impact of a titanium hammer.

    Whitman settled his chair and closed his eyes, thinking what could have happened to the pheonixes. Where did it all go wrong.

    "Fuck it''s that darned Korea hunter!" He mmed his fist on the table.

    "Why did he have to go and ept challenge. He was never supposed to!"

    Whitman was particrly concerned because he had heard the news that the boy was going to go alone. Honestly, he first scoffed at the news and wasn''t worried about anything.

    But the more he began to hear of the Korean hunter''s achievement, the worried he began to get. If this guy happens to be stronger than Li Mingwu, he would defeat the monster and probably even find Li Mingwu''s body.

    And because of Ruan Zhaohui ability tomunicate with dead souls. Once Li Mingwu''s corpse was found, everything woulde to a tragic end. His ns¡­ the ns he had been working on for the past ten years.

    Everything would be futile, the numbers of lives he sacrificed would all be for nothing.

    No. He couldn''t have that. Something had to be done and so he sent Eric to nullify the Korean''s hunter ability and kill him.

    However, never did he think that his trump card''s ability wouldn''t work on Raith.

    And now he had to deal with the consequences.

    He gritted his teeth.

    "I''m fucking disappointed in that bastard!" He mmed his fist on the table again.

    He suddenly threw his face to the side - but it waste.

    Impact rang throughout the whole building as Ruan Zhaohui bulldoze her way into Whitman''s office, shattering the sses.

    Her brows were tightly knitted and her eyes narrowed.

    "Whitman!"

    She summoned him, heaving with fumes.

 Chapter 365 Training arc

    Chapter 365 Training arc

    Tension hung narrowly in the atmosphere between the two. The next few seconds was characterized by a deafening silence.

    Ruan Zhaohui''s brow corrugated, her eyes gleaming with a ghastly vehemence.

    Alec Whitman wore a subtle stare, firm and obviously warring her away.

    That moment of silence between the two was intense, like they had killed each other ten times over by just standing.

    Whitman''s gaze shifted from Ruan Zhaohui to the broken ss behind her back.

    "That cost me a fortune. You could have used the door you know?"

    Ruan Zhaohui shed ©\ reached him in front him in less than a second, the table sliced apart cleanly by her swift movement that Whitman''s eyes didn''t seeing.

    He frowned as her hand clutched his neck, she was biting her down on her teeth strongly such that it was evident in the pulsating muscles that could be seen on the base of her chin.

    Her grip on his neck tightened with each pulsing of her muscles.

    Whitman''s eyes narrowed, he red down at her, his eyes unwavering.

    She exhaled and released her hand.

    "It''s useless. Killing you isn''t worth it I swear."

    Whitman caressed the part of his neck that had been in her grip as she talked.

    "Know something Whitman. I am very reserved, calm and collected. I will try my best to prevent the unnecessary death of hunters and I will do even better when ites to preserving the lives of non-hunters."

    She shot a soul-piercing scowl at him.

    "This is thest time I will tolerate your schemes. I don''t know what you are nning. But I dare you Whitman, go further than this and you will see my wrath. If it will take me to burn all of America down to destroy you. I would do it unapologetically."

    She whizzed into the sky, breaking into the roof and leaving splintered stones in her wake.

    Whitman caressed his reddened neck, turning it like he was trying to loosen his tie - only that there was no tie. He wore a round-necked shirt and grey jacket.

    He craned his neck to look at the hole that had been left in his office, flimsy pirs of light falling on his floor.

    This was bing more of a trouble than he had thought it would be. He had to deal with Eric''s problem and that pest of a detective that just wouldn''t get off his back. And now Ruan Zhaohui was on his back.

    What informations did she have?

    Why was she so angry with him?

    Whitman wasn''t sure what to think but he knew very well that Ruan Zhaohui wasn''t the type to kill him or generally hunters anyhow. The world needs more resourceful hunters who would be very instrumental in battles toe. That was her line most time when she addressed the public.

    Losing someone has resourceful as Li Mingwu also would have hit her so badly that she could get blinded by her rage. Whitman understood that much.

    ''But the fact that she stopped means she does not have enough evidence.''

    Whitman rubbed his beards and pocketed his hands again. Looking at the supposedly unbreakable ss.

    "Still, I have to be wary of her. With Li Mingwu gone. I need three years¡­ all this just has to someway die down for three years¡­" a grin curled up his lips.

    Thinking of the greater exploit he was about to enter into gave him so much joy. It was all worth it. Yes it was.

    ¡ª

    The sky was white but something about it felt off. The air felt crispy and rough, there was a faintly intoxicating smell in the air.

    Raith rose to his feet and looked around him. It was an expanse of nothing. The ground was stony and edgy, it had even made him secure a few scratches on his skin as he fell and rolled due to Thard - Harl''s throw.

    Thend was obsolete and antiquated, as though thendscape were what was left of an apocalypse that must have swallowed a civilization.

    The grey clouds that suspiciously loomed above the destend gave an eerie and ufortable perception of thend.

    A momentter Thard - Harl appeared behind him.

    "Spacing out?"

    Raith was dragged out of his thoughts by the asura''s unpleasant voice. He frowned and turned.

    "What did you do? Where did you bring me to?" His tone was harsh. He was tempted to be rude but he held back. Unfortunately, memories with the asura were quite unpleasant even when it was his so-called clone.

    Raith had thought that if he had so much difficulty defeating that monster at that type with that power, how would he do with Thard - Harl? What were his powers? Were they the same with that so-called clone?

    Of course, he was sure Thard - Harl would have superior powers to the clone he fought.

    Anyway, it was all unpleasant. If anything he wanted to avoid staying with this guy for any longer than necessary.

    Thard - Harl gave him a scrutiny look and walked past him with his hands behind his back.

    "What are you doing?! Are you not going to answer me?!" Raith scowled at him.

    "I have told you young man. I brought you here to train you. This is my ce, this is where I have had to abode in for the past thousand years in order to stay away from the prying eyes of the celestials, primordials and demons."

    He continued further not ncing back to Raith even as he spoke.

    Raith picked his steps and walked up to him.

    "Train me? See, I appreciate the effort but I am the kind of person that particrly needs training. I will grow naturally as I continue to engage in battle."

    Thard - Harl stopped forcing Raith to alsoe to an abrupt stop behind him.

    "As you can see, I don''t really have an proper training of some sort and yet I was able to dispose that monster¡­"

    Thard - Harl''s hard gaze made his statement finish with an awkward tone. His face became tensed as he looked into the asura''s lifeless eyes - his pale skin further contributing to that feature.

    Thard - Harl carried an obtund air around him. But it wasn''t like that when Raith had met him just a few minute ago. Whatever this was, he just suddenly changed.

    Raith stayed silent as Thard - Harl also did for the next couple of minutes.

    Finally, he opened his mouth and said:

    "You will stay with me and train. Until when? I don''t know. ording to my promise to Fel and for my project, I will train you even if it has to be against your will."

    Raith gulped.

    The asura''s tone did not just sound with seriousness. Raith''s heart trembled as he spoke. Almost everything Raith had known in the past few minutes of knowing the asura felt like a lie with this air that suddenly came on him.

    Raith tried to frown¡­ he did. But he couldn''t speak against what the asura had said. He looked around the deste ne.

    ''Instead of trying to argue. I know what to do¡­''

    Raith raised a corner of his lips.

    "So¡­ we shall start with testing how far you havee."

    "Wait we are starting right now?"

    Raith with his brows raised and eyes widened emitting innocence.

    "Yes, we are¡­" The asura paused and continued, "I want you to fight me."

    "Uh?"

 Chapter 366 Feel Fear

    Chapter 366 Feel Fear

    "What do you mean fight? Why will I fight you?"

    Raith said, his voice bending with caution. He unintendedly took a step back as the asura was about to start talking.

    "Fear. I can smell you fear so well. It''s strong, it''s irritating, it disgust me¡­ feels my lungs with embers of withered tree, one that was supposed to survive harsh times, grow, spread it branches like wings and reign among the clouds. But withered."

    Raith paused, slowly gulped as his eyes stared on the asura''s golden eyes that pierced the deepest darkness of his soul with its glow.

    ''...that''s so much words.''

    But Raith understood where he was getting at. Was he scared of fighting Thard - Harl? Definitely. Every fiber of his being spoke of it. Even as Raith heard the asura say the word "fight" he had begun to sweat over his forehead.

    His throat had gone dehydrated, he swallowed nothing several times over and his palm was mmy, his feet was ready to spring away at the slightest of chances he could get.

    And all that the asura could clearly see.

    Raith stayed silent still, he clenched his fist. His breathe was raspy but he sought to find a calming point. He lowered his head and continually tried to steady his breathe with his hand clenched hard.

    After a few seconds, he was able to do so. He raised his head to the asura, his brows furrowing.

    "I am not scared of fighting you" Raith said.

    Thard - Harl raised a corner of his lips.

    "Fine then. Fight me."

    He outstretched his right arm to Raith has he demanded.

    Raith stayed still for a few seconds, the beads of sweat formed over his head had doubled, some were beginning to rund down his cheek.

    The grey atmosphere hung for a second between the two, it was nd - wasn''t heavy wasn''t light. It couldn''t be said that there was a palpable tension nor could it be said that there was a calmness of the sea that brought harmony to the wind.

    For that minute second, was a pseudo phase of non existence. Following that the grey stones beneath the feet of the two of them shattered into splinters as both of them shed.

    The bare force of Thard - Harl''s outstretched arm made Raith''s body tremble, his bones shook with vibration in that moment of impact. The moment the non-existence was cut by an impregnable force from both fighters. Only that one was far stronger.

    Raith''s body from head to toe ran with a cold chill as Thard - Harl pulled back his hand, he was mistaken to think he had enough time to counter before Thard - Harl would lunge forward the hand.

    But¡­

    His bone reverberated with a shrill wrenching sound as cracks like earthquake ran through from his metacarpal to his humerus.

    Raith''s hand hung low, dangling.

    ''What happened?''

    The collision of his fist with the asura''s had left his hand whimpering.

    But there was no time to think about that - because the blow the asura pulled back with the same speed, the wind howling at the riding momentum of his arms as he extended them and brushed against Raith''s cheek.

    For a moment, Raith was sure he heard a screeching sound. Everything went nk and he couldn''t tell if he was alive, barely alive or just dead.

    The screeching sound in his ear continued for more than a second then slowly whistled away from him.

    Raith''s swore he saw his hand ripple like water as he pulled them back the second time. His entire being was destabilized as he could nothing but wait in fearful expectation of the second blow.

    His wait was short.

    He flew across the expanse of stone, tumbled through the ground, shatteringrger stones beforeing to a helpless stop.

    His face was smeared with blood, as he vomited while flying or whether it was the scratches obtained from the sharp edges of the grey stones.

    He stood to the floor and let out a puddle of blood like his mouth was a faucet. He couldn''t bring himself to his feet, he stayed on all threes and tried to crawl away as he saw Thard - Harl walking closer to him.

    Seeing the frightening silhouette of his from the vantage of his blurry eyes, Raith gasped for breath. He urged himself to act but his hands had gone numb. One bones shattered within muscles. The other rippling and stiffening with the tremors of fear.

    Raith had never truly experienced what it meant to be fearful. Even when he did the trials of the abyss, and it seemed like he was going to die. There was a safe space in his mind that informed him that he couldn''t die.

    The only thing was that he couldn''t depend on that part of his mind, he had to struggle, he had to put in the effort and run away from real death so as not to get ustomed to it.

    But the mind was a tricky thing. It had quite the conniving way of getting adapted to things.

    Right now, Raith''s mind had neglected that thought, that safe space from death was clearly gone and there was nothing he could do.

    So, Raith''s mind bellowed with a level of fear he had never felt before¡­ and his body - which remembered a strong foe like Thard - Harl responded to it tremendously.

    Thard - Harl stopped in front of the shivering boy. He was like a sheep. One out in the cold, that had somehow managed to survive a turbulent ordeal and was now going to die from the scars it left.

    Thard - Harl folded his hands and shook his head with a bitter frown.

    "Stand up"

    Raith did not respond. He could have really died. He didn''t want to respond at all. He just lowered his head, holding his upper body with one hand. He bit his lips hard, regret, pain, fear all sorts of emotions flooded his minded and he couldn''t sort them out.

    His mind however, resounded with one thing over and over again as the scenario yed, he could have really died.

    The asura had ended him with just two punches. He could have died before he knew what was going on.

    "You could''ve died you know?"

    Raith was silent, he bit his lips harder. The asura could his his hand trembling.

    He refocused his gaze afterwards, a frown creased on his face as he addressed Raith.

    "You are weak. Very weak. And you have been made to think you are strong because of the world you live in. Listen Raven Raith, your world is the weakest amongst all the nes, as far as I know¡­ it is supposed to be non existential but a particr primordial has decided to favor its people."

    He crouched in front of Raith.

    "That favor will notst forever and Earth along with its people will copse. When that dayes, the heroes of earth will be deceived, they will think they can protect their world from the yers but they will fail utterly at it."

    Raith finally raised his head to look at Thard - Harl, his eyes were reddened and teary, his teeth had punctured wounds on his lips.

    "yers?"

    His voice still sounded with much of himself despite his state.

    "Yes. yers. People like you."

    "Why?"

    "The conversation is a long one and we cannot start with that. But if you don''t have the desire to get stronger, there''s nothing I can do for you. I believe you have something in you that has died if not there''s no reason why the abyss would choose you."

    His look to Raith told that he was getting to the intense part of his speech.

    "I am sure I can resurrect whatever it is. I can teach you everything aboutbat, its smartness, its cunningness, adaptability, vulnerabilities. I can teach you everything you need to know¡­ but you have to be ready to abandon all you have learnt so far, you should be ready to relearn."

    Raith''s teary face creased to a frown. He stared at Thard - Harl and lowered his gaze.

    "I''m not sure¡­"

    His voice was low and shaky.

 Chapter 367 Goals And Ambitions

    Chapter 367 Goals And Ambitions

    "What do you mean?"

    Thard - Harl drew a frown on his face. He had not expected that this young and arrogant yer was going to refuse even though he asked.

    Raith''s eyes stayed on the ground, a few seconds of silencey still between the two suspending what is toe with the ropes of what is now.

    Finally Raith broke the silence, his head down.

    "I don''t know if I deserve anything¡­ I don''t know anymore¡­ I -I don''t know if I should continue this struggle¡­"

    Raith looked up at Thard - Harl. His eyes were torn with sorrow, broken¡­ as if they had been staring all along into the mes that burnt their loved ones ¨C tears streamed down from his redden eyes.

    He clenched his chest. It was hard to breath. Incredibly hard.

    The frown on Thard - Harl''s face slowly rxed. This was unexpected. In all his prediction of Raith''s response, he never thought of this one.

    What had the youngd gone through for him to be suddenly broken? How much has he being holding inside while letting out a vibrant and heroic smile?

    ''I guess it was too much for even someone of his age. Fel did not have it easy too''

    From his memories, there were several times Fel would stay behind locked doors and cry before causing the deaths of thousands as intended by the abyss. Not once, not twice.

    Thard - Harl sighed and looked towards the horizon to his left.

    ''What have you made me done Fel?''

    A drop of sweat ran down his face as he looked back at Raith who cried like a baby, his shoulders shuddering and tears falling on the stone like drizzingly rain on a small blessed rock.

    Thard - Harl furled and unfurled his hand several times, torn between stretching them or speaking words. Perhaps he should just wait for the youngd to finish crying? He  didn''t know what to do.

    And so he stood there in awkward silence while Raith cried his heart out.

    A few momentster¡­

    "Hey¡­" He awkwardly uttered as he saw that Raith''s sobbing was reaching a falling rhythm.

    Raith still sobbing softly, innocently turned his face to the asura.

    "I am usually not good with this¡­ I don''t know the things you''ve been through. Your loses and wins. But I will pose a question here to youd. This fight, this war of worlds¡­ it may be everyone''s war and yet not yours."

    His gaze got intense, burning away the awkwardness that loomed over it before. He stared sternly at Raith.

    "Why do you fight? Why do you keep going despite thepses? Someone you want to protect? Something you want to aplish? Or are you just going with the flow."

    Raith was silent. Was it that he didn''t have an answer or just couldn''t because of the state he was- Thard - Harl didn''t know¡­ but anyways, he didn''t ask to get an answer. He was driving at something. And so he continued.

    "If you don''t have a goal, a drive. You will he tossed to and fro by the waves of the war that is toe. What is your story? What do you want to get from all of this? If you don''t have something as that, you will continue to fall short. You will suffer so much caught up in people''s battles¡­"

    Thard used his hand gestures as he spoke.

    "That is how simple the rules of the universe works. Purpose and ambition is the drive of power. Whether you want to obtain it or you have it¡­ if there is no purpose and ambition, power bes a useless tool at the hands of a fool. Worst¡­ it could cause ridiculous carnage."

    He ended with a deep lines of sobriety carved by his knitted brows.

    "What is your purpose? What is your ambition?"

    Raith''s eyes at this point had already ceased of letting tears flow. Although they grew distant as he dove into his thoughts.

    What had he been fighting for?

    Even after loosing the abyss, he was at peace, he could have stayed home? Was it greed? There were hundreds of other ways to fulfill his greed without endangering his life.

    Was it Fel''s request?

    It''d be futile to think about it, Raith was sure he never did anything for Fel''s request to defeat the abyss. If he had wanted to do it solely because of Fel, what was in it for him? Was the benefit not supposed to determine what length he would go to in the order of fulfillment.

    Raith frowned. It was hard to tell? At some time he lost something¡­

    ''...I was supposed to spend a few months to get stronger and go back to save Volmak. But I kept getting swept around with other activities.''

    It was almost as if the cause of saving Volmak grew distant and unimportant to him. Was that it? Was that where he lost it?

    "You don''t have to rush it. Retracing your steps is something you will do steadily as you spend your time with me. Come follow me."

    Thard - Harl turned his back on Raith and walked away.

    He staggeredly stood up and hurried towards the asura, holding his crippled hand with the other as he trudged with unsteady legs that were just recovering from the cramps of bending for quite the while.

    At first, no matter how far they walked, the terrain and scene was almost the same. In fact, Raith was almost beginning to think they were walking in circles. But just then he saw a straw hut nestled atop a hill.

    Calling it a hill was too much, it just happened to be several stones that had been segmented together over time as such formed arger one battered by strong anvils of time and forged into a hill of some sort.

    Although that did not change the grayness of thendscape.

    Raith looked at the straw hut. He turned his head to the back and also around him, shooting nces to as far as they could go.

    ''...hell¡­. This is going to be hell.''

    His definition of hell at this point was the fact that he would have to get used to seeing the awfully nd scenery everytime. Boredom was bound to sink into the deep sea of his soul.

    He worried if he was going to be okay.

    ''I hope my skin don''t grow pale and lifeless like his.''

    He kissed his gaze on the back of the asura as they neared the hill.

    Could thend have a part in Thard - Harl''s pale purple skin¡­?

    ''Well, the other asuras I fought weren''t exactly normal.''

    He ran through his memory in the few minutes of them walking up the hill. When the reached the top, Thard - Harl turned back, bringing him back to the now.

    "We are here¡­"

    He said and looked at Raith, his expression were sort of expectant.

    Raith drew a little frown. Unsure.

    ''... what does he want me to say?''

    "Okay?"

    "How''s it?"

    "How''s what?"

    Thard - Harl smiled.

    "Where you will be living."

    Raith looked beyond Thard - Harl.  He was asserting the hut to see whether there is something else he missed - seeing as Thard - Harl was asking for a remark. Then he btedly realised the way his statement went.

    "Wait. What do you mean you"

    "Yes you"

    Thard repeated, smiling.

    His smile was beginning to get edgy for Raith. They were irritating. A scowl creased on brows.

    "What do you mean? Is this not supposed to be your ce?"

    "No way!"

    Thard - Harl rose a shortughter, gesturing his hand at Raith in an helpless manner.

    "No no¡­ I built this ce for you quickly so you''d be able to settle there while you train."

    It was getting all the more confusing.

    "That is what I''m saying. Why can''t I stay where you are staying?"

    Raith uttered with his heterochromia eyes unsparingly on the asura.

    "No. That can''t happen. I don''t really enjoy thepany of others. I put your ce in the northern end of this ne, mine is on the eastern end. It will take you more than ten years to walk or run to the eastern end from the northern end"

 Chapter 368 Unmovable

    <h4>Chapter 368 Unmovable</h4>

    Raith stood aloof. His attention suspended in the distant between which Thard - Harl had traversed in less than a second. He just took a step and was gone.

    Would he spend ten years reaching his own ce?

    ''The thought there is wrong¡­'' Raith grimaced. ''This bastard¡­ did he just dump me?''

    It was a very unlikely feeling. As the hollow wind rustled softly against his clothes, Raith turned to his back to straw hut.

    Was he really going to be stuck here for the hell knows how long?

    He grimaced, mustering enough courage to go forward and enter the hut. He didn''t have any expectations for how the interior would be but he was left amazed.

    In contrast the the outward appearance, the inward appearance of the hut was eptable. The floor was stered with concrete. How could the asura have gone about that? Raith didn''t know.

    There was a wooden table, rough in making but sturdy. It stood against the wall just opposite the door where Raith was standing in front of. Then a chair was tucked into it.

    Adjacent his vantage point, was a makeshift bed. It was made of straw and the wood was ck¡­ Raith wasn''t sure what kind of wood this was.

    There was another table to the edge of the bed, tracing upward the wall where the table rested on was a window to give venttion to the room.

    There was another sofa chair but old and worn out. It sat nonchntly in the middle of the room. Beside it on the ground was an unusualmp. Nothing like Raith had seen, it was made out of the same ck wood of the bed. It was a thin rod that extended upward to hang a ssy orb.

    Raith wasn''t sure how themp was supposed toe on. He casually picked it up and dropped it on the small table beside the edge of his bed.

    "It''s dangerous in that area¡­" he muttered as he adjusted themp to sit well on the table. It was even more portable than he had thought it''d be.

    He looked around the house again.

    "Maybe this is not bad¡­"

    It exuded an antique air and was cozy, almost as if it walls had grown smaller since a few seconds ofing in here. At the same time, it felt strangelyfortable to have his own space.

    He had a table and chair, probably to study should the opportunity present itself. He had bed to sleep on, chair to sit casually on. All that was left was one thing.

    Raith inspected carefully again. But he couldn''t find anything like it. He stepped out and looked round the house¡­ there was nothing.

    Returning to the front of the hut, he stood with arms akimbo.

    "Where the hell is my kitchen?"

    Just then Thard - Harl appeared in front of him. This time was was holding some kind of ck metallic bangles? Were they bangles? Raith couldn''t tell.

    They were too rough and crude to be called bangles. And strangely they looked awfully heavily even though Thard - Harl exhibited no signs of straining to carry all four of them.

    The asura dropped the metal¡­ bangles in his hand. Raith''s eyes widened at what he saw.

    A cracked spread across the ground as they fell. Even some stones shattered and flew around.

    ''What the¡­ ?!! How heavy is it?''

    For it to have such effect on just falling on the ground. Did it weigh the entire world?

    Raith was still lost in amusement when Thard - Harl began speaking.

    "So how is it? Have you gotten used to your ce."

    Raith''s brow drew closer to each other.

    "There''s no kitchen."

    Thard - Harl tilted his head.

    "What is that?"

    "Kitchen! You don''t know kitchen?"

    Raith couldn''t believe it, he frowned deeper as he questioned, almost rudely. The asura just tilted its head the more and tilted back.

    "No, I don''t."

    Raith hung both his hand on his head.

    "How am I supposed to eat? Kitchen is where food is made!!"

    The asura''s face went round. A scroll and feathered pen appeared in his hand. He wrote something down with a scary focus and soon his writing tools disappeared.

    He then looked at Raith and extended his hand.

    "Bring your hand."

    Raith hesitant at first but the asura''s hand stayed outstretched to him. With a slight frown across his face, he assisted his crippled hand with the other and put it on Thard - Harl''s outstretched hand.

    Closing his eyes Thard - Harl began to murmur a chant, couple of secondster. A subtle green glow radiated all over Raith''s hand. Ease followed¡­ seeping into his bones and muscle painlessly. The next second, his hand was formidable again.

    He took his hand off the asura''s, clenching his fist and stretching his arm generally.

    "Wow. You healed me?"

    "Yes. I did. There''s no way you can wear this with broken hand."

    Thard - Harl announced, his words btedly getting to Raith who was celebrating his restored arm with a pleased smile.

    His attention was abruptly torn away from his hand to Thard - Harl''s face. His smile quickly fading to a despicable frown.

    His eyes exchanged nces between these bangles? and Thard - Harl.

    "Surely you must be joking."

    "And why exactly do I need to partake in needless humors as human do? Throughout your stay in this ne, you will he wearing these weight manacles. Each one of them weighs two thousand ton. Since you evolved to a high human¡­ you should be able to move a step or two after putting them on." The asura remarked with delight in his eyes.

    He bent down and picked the first one, nearing Raith who watched, stupefied as the asura wore the metallic bracelet to his right hand.

    Immediately it was locked, his hand dropped to the floor. It was as if the ligament that held his hand to his should was going to tear apart.

    He stayed on one knee, no matter how much he tried to lift the hand, the feeling only worsened.

    However, Thard - Harl didn''t seem to care, he went on to wear the next one and then another pairs to his legs. After he was done. Raith was glued to the ground, unable to move both his hand. His entire body felt like it wasn''t his.

    The asura smiled.

    "Your goal is to run from this ce to my ce in just one month. When you can sessfully do that¡­ the manacles can be taken off then."

    Raith grimaced, lifting his rude tone to the asura.

    "Didn''t you say it took ten years to run to your ce?"

    "The calction was based on my speed? It may take longer for you." He folded his hand, still keeping his smile. "I am excited to see how long it will take you."

    Pausing a while with his smile growing annoying to Raith.

    "Well then¡­" He turned to leave.

    "Please wait!"

    He turned back to Raith.

    "Is that all? All I just need to do is run?"

    "Of course not. I will be teaching youbats styles known only to the high ranks amongst the asuras."

    "Oh great!" Raith''s eyes brightened. "So, during those times, I''ll have these off?"

    Thard - Harl''s smile faded.

    "No you won''t. Training will begin in the next thirteen hours."

    He said and disappeared.

 Chapter 369 Weight Of The World

    <h4>Chapter 369 Weight Of The World</h4>

    Hours passed and Raith was trapped on his knee, unable to stand up. He tried a few times but it was futile, the tearing feeling that assaulted his shoulder made him give up too early before putting in the persistence effort.

    But as seconds ticked, the weight of the manacles began to bear down on his whole body. It''s imposing mass pressed down a burden impossible for him to bear.

    The once fluid movements in his body were now reduced to painful lumbering gait. His muscles strained and screamed in protest as if pleading for mercy from the unyielding force they werepelled to support.

    It was as though gravity itself conspired to beleaguer his soul. But if there was anything that Raith had gotten used to over thest eventful year.

    It was pain.

    Just as he had been trying. He tried again. The pain grew intense but he did not stop. The tearing feeling of his shoulder worrying his mind but he didn''t stop pulling himself. All he had to do was walk inside and sit on the ruined sofa.

    With mind tearing effort, Raith was able to bring himself up. Although his hand were stiff, frozen and he had no control over them. Slowly, he turned¡­ but it was an even more arduous task, not that he was gonna back out now that he had managed to stand.

    He couldn''t stand straight, his back was bent a little and his legs were shaking as he began with a step. He took another¡­ and another¡­ and it did not get any easier. Each tortoise step became a difficult battle with the rupturing pull of tonnage. But he moved.

    He looked back and the five steps he had taken felt like a thousand. Joy entered his heart and made it less heavy. He looked forward, a frown creasing on his dry face.

    ''Yes, I can definitely do it''

    His determination was impressive but nothing got any easier because of that. In this ce, Raith would begin to discover all shades of himself that had been buried since his childhood days.

    This new mes of determination that subtly ignited deep behind the shallowness of his heterochromia eyes was one of them¡­ although flimsy. For now.

    As Raith managed to reach the entrance of his hut, a crescendo of pain enveloped him, each step was torturously dragging his body into the depths of physical torment. He ground his teeth so hard and frowned so deeply but he didn''t stop.

    His ligaments now stretched beyond their limits. Tendons, taut as bowstrings, sending waves of excruciating pain through his limbs

    He entered the cozy hut, he could feel the gradual erosion of what was left of his strength, surrendering to the overwhelming weight of the bracelets. His legs were shaking like tremors. Unstoppable.

    He used the straw-intertwined wall of the hut as support, slowly taking shaky steps towards thefortable seat that was not too far anymore.

    ''Or should I justy on the bed?''

    He looked at the bed that was another four steps farther, if he was to calcte it with the steps from his current ce to the chair, that was like six steps altogether.

    Raithpleted the next step while his mind was busy, there was only one step remaining to the chair. Suddenly all his body began screaming with pain, it felt like all his muscles were negating the thought of going just a little bit further.

    He gave up on the thought of going to the bed and taking thest step, he tried his best to turn and slowly settle into the chair. He leaned backward, looking at the patched ceiling of his new abode.

    His entire body ached, flood of torture streaked across his muscle forcing him to ground his teeth hardly to endure.

    All that high endurance stat was not for nothing after all.

    ¡ª

    A few hourster Thard - Harl appeared in front of the house. Seeing that Raith was not there anymore, his brow rose but an impressed smile soon settled on his lips.

    "I suppose you are made of stuff after all"

    He said as he entered the hut. But the youngd was fast asleep snoring.

    A frown creased on Thard - Harl''s face.

    "He''s sleeping?"

    Thard - Harl''s face drew so much contradictions on them, he seemed confused, lost.

    ''Is there something about this boy that I do not know?''

    Thard walked closer to him, his hands crossed behind his back as he inspected the sleepingd.

    Walking back to his front, Thard - Harl stopped and chuckled unbelievably. A human was wearing these manacles and sleeping?

    His face was so baffled and fought to ept what he saw. Thard - Harl too at a time had been subjected to this kind of training. In fact almost all asura had. But theirs was not up to a ton.

    The moment the clocked ten years, a manacle of one thousand pounds was forged as bracelets worn on their wrists and anklets and for the next hundred years they were stuck with it.

    For the first few months of wearing the weight manacles, Thard - Harl even till now could not forget how sleepless his nights were, he screamed and cried because of the pain in his body, the muscles strains. Before his body began to get used to it.

    He smiled, ''There is something Fel is not telling me''

    It killed his pride that a human couldfortably sleep in with four weight manacle of two thousand pounds when he couldn''t sleep for months with just one thousand.

    "Tsk"

    Clicking his tongue, he turned away from the human¡­

    ''I should give him a little time to rest''

    ¡­and disappeared.

    ¡ª

    The people of Therut stood together, clustered with each other as the helicopter slowly descended to the center of their town.

    It had be more refined than before, houses were beingpleted, even the city Lord''s hall as they called it was being renovated into somethingrger.

    Moreso, there were construction workers that Min - Ho personally came with. All of them were working with the men, teaching them and walking together.

    But right now, everybody was gathered, awaiting the gant arrival of their city lord.

    As the n settled, the little-to-no snow that resided on the ground was ushered into the air by the swirling des. A fine leg came out of the helicopter, body so slender and smart.

    She wore a ck suit, pzzo pants and suit jacket, a white silky linen that revealed her skin, chest area to cor bone¡­ the rest was covered by her ck jacket.

    Ruan Zhaohui removed her sses and bowed in front of the people.

    The likes of Bm, Mok Jae-Hwa and Beelzebub made their way to the front of the ground. Behind them were the hunters that were seemingly being changed, face rougher than before, equipped with different makeshift armors and equipment.

    Most of all Amber Rose stared with delighting intensity. Just like her, everyone expected Raith toe out of the helicopter.

    But a couple of seconds had passed and nothing had happened¡­ just this woman bowing.

    Amber Rose frowned.

    It wasn''t just her¡­ the people in front seem to have the same fear.

    "Where is my lord?"

    Bm growled, mes could almost be seen sparking in his mouth.

    Ruan Zhaohui tightened her fist, she was very aware of the man speaking. Rizo had tried to stop her from going to Antarctica because there might be a being there stronger than her. And he mentioned that he is not human.

    Only that none of them knew, there wasn''t just one of beings like this, apart from Beelzebub who has refused to leave since. The dragon that dwelt in this ce should be what they should be scared of.

    How could she have known.

    "Hunter Raven managed to defeat the gate¡­"

    Her brows creased below.

    "Then what happened?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa asked, his voice radiating with subtle tremor.

    Min - Ho rummaged his way to the front just at that time.

    After a long pause, Ruan Zhaohui spoke, with shuddering voice.

    "He didn''t make it out¡­" She raised her head, tears streaming down her face as she beheld the contorted expressions of thousands of people.

    "Hunter Raven is dead¡­"

 Chapter 370 Slyvias Wrath

    Chapter 370 Slyvia''s Wrath

    "What do you mean Hunter Raven is dead? Hyungnim cannot be dead?" Min - Ho spoke shaking his head.

    A smile parted his lips but it soon grew bitter as Ruan Zhaohui''s expression became more somber. Min - Ho looked to his left where Mok Jae-Hwa stood, fist clenched and head bowed.

    "C''mon. What are you guys doing? Why are all of you suddenly acting like that?" His voice began to wane. He looked to his right and around. "Do you know hyungnim''s spirit? So what if the gate closed. My hyungnim is indomitable!"

    Murmurs slowly moved across the crowd as if his words were giving them some hope.

    Ruan Zhaohui slowly shook her head, her mouth was bitter with sorrow as she saw them reluctant to ept the truth. Swallowing her spit, she exined:

    "Hunter Rizo has the power to conjure gates, sometimes he can even feel them. ording to him¡­ the gate did not just close. It ceased to exist, it was consumed by nothing and made to disappear into nothing."

    Her voice continued to shake. She lowered her head in another respectful bow.

    "I am sorry, I couldn''t protect Hunter Raven. We might not be able to use the word death but whatever consumed the gate consumed both Hunter Raven and the monster he was fighting."

    Bm frowned.

    "That is absurd. My master will not sumb to death so easily. Do you know how many times I have killed him and yet he rose?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa looked at him.

    ''... his right. Only that¡­ Raith has lost the power of death.''

    Mok Jae-Hwa closed his eyes. Not knowing of how to handle this situation, he was the only one that Raith had talked to privately before leaving. Speaking of his fear of death.

    He could vividly recall Raith''s distant face, his lost eyes as he contemted if he would be able to face terror the way he used to now that he had lost the power of death.

    Mok Jae-Hwa was not well informed about how Raith''s power worked and didn''t bother asking. But that dawn, he knew that Raith had lost something very important and was scared because of it.

    And so he more than everyone suspected the news to be true. But he also knew of Raith''s indomitable spirit.

    Suddenly the road began to part from behind. Fewdies in the same pink kimono made it to the front, a white haired young girl with porcin skining out from their midst. She stood in front, her kimono was blue. The magnificent view of the blue sea imprinted on it.

    "What are you saying? What did I hear?"

    Slyvia stood arms akimbo, asking Ruan Zhaohui with a vicious scowl on her face. In fact, she seemed to be looking down on the woman with contempt.

    ''I have never seen her around. It''s subtle but the energy I feel from her is stronger than his'' she looked towards Bm. And brought her face back to Slyvia.

    Mok Jae-Hwa stepped forward, standing beside Slyvia. He was very cautious in the way he stood next to her. His hands were crossed in front and his back was almost bent, ready to bow anytime if need be.

    And Ruan Zhaohui observed all of this.

    ''Who is she?''

    "Lady Slyvia¡­ we cannot afford to¨C

    He stumbled back as Slyvia turned to him. Her face was overwhelmed with horror. Her blue eyes glinted with malicious sparks. Her canine teeth were little longer than usual. That gaze was meant to ward him off and nothing more.

    She turned back to Ruan Zhaohui.

    "You!"

    She began walking closer to the old woman, her kimono carefully fluttering in the cold air that was being emitted from her body.

    She stood a foot away from Ruan Zhaohui and looked up to her.

    "What did you say now?"

    Ruan Zhaohui attempted to open her mouth but couldn''t, her heart was gripped by something hard. She didn''t know why, cold air assaulted her insides and she began to shiver. Ruan Zhaohui lowered her head and looked at her shaking legs.

    ''What... is wrong with me?''

    She asked herself but could only trace her answer to one source.

    The young girl standing in front of her.

    Who is she?

    "I¡­ said¡­ what¡­ did¡­ you¡­ say¡­ NOW?!"

    A tempest of wind exploded forth from her as she shouted.

    Ruan Zhaohui shuddered and fell on her buttocks. She beared up with a distorted expression, her face grew pale, gripped by the cold tendrils of fear.

    She wanted to speak but she couldn''t. Not to say the mighty storm of wind that swirled around Slyvia. She subtly began to grow scales over her body. Her frame distorted and grewrger as if another ''thing'' was tearing out of her.

    Suddenly Ruan Zhaohui''s eyes widened, lines of exhaustion formed beneath her almost round eyes, her eyeballs thinned in and froze in fear.

    Something towered above her. It was a massive almost serpentine beast. Its neck long, curled downwards to her. It''s eyes exuding frigid ferocity. Dangerously calming.

    It''s panting breath was enough to freeze anything it came in contact with.

    Ruan Zhaohui shivered, her eyes shook, blood streaming down from her nose as she beheld the creature.

    Her mind jolted back to the raid she had participated in during her prime. The gate where a juvenile dragon spawned in. Memories of screams and cries, as herrade perished under the smelting mes of the ferocious beast - years past and she hasn''t stop dreaming about it.

    To think there was another creature like this.

    Her mind was almost shattering.

    Just who is Hunter Raven? Who is he to host a dragon? What has she gotten herself into.

    Ruan Zhaohui came prepared to die so far her death was going to console the people. Faced with a terror like this, hermon sense begged her to flee. But then it wasn''t like she could before a dragon.

    If she used her full power would she be able to? Would she be able to at least send a message to Rizo?

    "Stop Slyvia!"

    Green speckles shimmered in her front and formed a youngdy, pristine and beautiful, silver hair and green eyes. Her clothes woven from leaves and dry wood.

    She stood in between Ruan Zhaohui and the dragon.

    "Get out of my way you forest wench"

    Slyvia''s voice resounded with tremor permeating the air.

    "No! And who the hell do you think you are calling a wench?!!"

 Chapter 371 City Lord (Regent)

    Chapter 371 City Lord (Regent)

    "I will destroy both of you together!"

    Her thick and feminine tone made even the ground tremble.

    "You can try, but I have be stronger since Lord Raven named me."

    Maria responded with a kind expression to her tender face. She almost didn''t look like she was angry.

    "You¡­" the dragon gritted its razor-sharp teeth  for a couple of seconds then it began to shrink.

    Soon, the pressing atmosphere disappeared and everywhere was spacious for some reason.

    "What do you think you are doing protecting that maggot?" Slyvia folded her hand as she morphed to her human form, her kimono speedily weaving itself around her body with blue threads.

    "Thisdy has done nothing wrong."

    "What?"

    She gritted her teeth with a deep scowl at Maria.

    "She did nothing wrong? Are you crazy? Wasn''t she the one that coerced him into going to the gate?"

    Maria sighed. It was a useless hassle trying to argue with Slyvia and she of all people knew it.

    She brought her hand to her chest and closed her eyes. Emanating the aura of a holy saintess.

    "Feel it Slyvia, don''t be too rash to act. Lord Raven is not dead. He is just very far"

    Slyvia narrowed her eyes. After a few seconds of looking at the dryad queen, she closed her eyes reluctantly.

    ''...she''s right¡­ the link is still there but out of reach.''

    She slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze averting to the side.

    "Huh? S-l-y-v-i-a? What are you supposed to do now?" Maria demanded, her eyes were closed but an aura of serene brutality surrounded her.

    Slyvia nced and frowned as she stared at Ruan Zhaohui who was huffing¡­ and sweating profusely.

    "I''m sorry. I acted rashly." She shot her gaze to Maria, "There! Happy?!!" She uttered and walked away, some of thedies in kimono walking away with her.

    Maria turned to Ruan Zhaohui and helped her to her feet.

    "I''m very sorry about her actions. She is usually like that but she has a kind heart."

    Ruan Zhaohui stared nkly at the pristinedy in front of her. She didn''t know what she was but she was one hundred percent sure she wasn''t human too.

    ''What the hell is going on here? Who are you Hunter Raven?''

    "...And I will like you to continue to support us. Is that okay?"

    She had spaced out and btedly brought her attention to Maria.

    "Yes, yes¡­ yes. I will do whatever I can" She replied.

    "Thank you."

    Maria bowed slightly. Raising her head she continued:

    "You don''t have to worry about Lord Raven. He will find his way back to us. I am confident"

    She ced one hand on her chest and let out a calm smile.

    Ruan Zhaohui nodded slightly.

    Then Maria turned to the people and addressed them.

    "If there is one thing I am sure about, it is that our city lord is not dead. I can feel him in my heart."

    She closed her eyes and ced her hand on her chest again, smiling saintly.

    "He might be far away but be wille back. And I want us to make him proud when hees back. We will protect ourselves and stand together. In the mean time¡­ Lord Mok Jae-Hwa you will lead us till the city lordes back."

    "Uh? Me?"

    Mok Jae-Hwa was shocked. He pointed to himself looking back as if there was another Mok Jae-Hwa behind him.

    Shin smiled from the crowd. So did Chong - Yol who had recently arrived to join the hunting team after finishing a raid gig in Mysia.

    "Who else is worthy to lead us than you. You are our Lord''s friend andrade. You''ve been with him longer than you have."

    Someone is forgetting someone¡­

    Min - Ho cleared his throat attracting attention to himself.

    Maria smiled looking towards him.

    "Of course. Lord Min - Ho will assist you, he is after all the most important person to the lord."

    Min - Ho smiled proudly¡­

    ''She called me lord!''

    ¡­rioting in his head.

    The crowd cheered and murmurs rose from different angles but simmered down as Maria started to talk.

    "We don''t know when Lord Raven will be back. But we will build and protect ourselves. So when hees back he will be proud and d that he gave us a chance and a home."

    The people responded with affirmative determination.

    .

    "Yes!"

    "We will make our city lord proud!"

    "Yes"

    Maria nodded with a smile. She had managed to calm the people for now¡­ she looked towards the sky. Her face growing distant. How long before hees back? Will he even be able toe back?

    Even she didn''t know.

    ¡ª

    Raith staggered awake as arge bowl of water washed over his face, bathing and wetting his body.

    Thard - Harl dropped the bowl and stepped back.

    "I intended for our training to start since four hours ago. I decided to leave you since you were busy fighting a monster before now."

    Raith frowned and struggled to sit to move.

    "I''ve spared you enough time to sleep. Stand up. The training will begin" The asuramanded.

    Raith instinctively tried to stand up, forgetting the weight for a second. Btedly remembering¡­ but to his surprise it was bearable to stand.

    His movement was still hard and heavy butpared to before, it was hundred times better.

    He slowly stood and straightened his back, glee forming on his face. He lifted his hand a little, looking at his palm.

    "I can stand. I can carry the weight better"

    Thard - Harl frowned.

    ''As expected, something is different about him. Even an asura''s body takes three years to get ustomed to the weight of the manacle. How is his body adjusting after just thirteen hours?''

    "Ah! By the look on your face something tells me this should not be happening! Right?! I am correct! I know it!"

    He arched a brow and did not respond.

    "Follow me"

    He turned and headed out of the house. Raith walking like he had metallic legs began taking his steps one by one. They were slow but he didn''t care, it didn''t hurt as much as it did the first time.

    His muscles felt sore but the pain had reduces tremendously that he didn''t mind dealing with the soreness. He followed the asura and soon they were outside.

    Thard - Harl was looking at the grey skies when Raith reached behind him.

    "What''s so nice about this sky¡­ looking at it only makes one feel sad" He said as he also looked at the cloud.

    A bittersweet taste seeped into his mouth.

    "I miss everyone¡­" He muttered.

    "Seventeen minutes twenty-five seconds."

    "Huh?"

    "That is how long it took you to walk ten meters."

    Raith''s brow creased to a frown.

    "No way. You''re lying. Surely I can''t have taken that long."

    "Yes you did. I look forward to the day where you are able to walk ten meters in five seconds."

    "With this weight shackles? Damn man! How cruel can you be?!"

    "Open your mind to possibilities, put the effort." Thard - Harl informed him, gesturing to Raith with his index finger tapping his temple.

    "So what are you going to be teaching me?" Raith asked enthusiastically.

    "You are going to be learning how to squat."

 Chapter 372 Squatting, Really?

    Chapter 372 Squatting, Really?

    "What do you mean I''m going to squat. How is squatting supposed to be training?"

    Raith voiced with a disheveled tone. His gaze looking down on the asura  - though it was for a second.

    But Thard - Harl did not seem to care. He caressed his barren chin and brought his hand behind his back a momentter.

    "You don''t really have a choice. What I ask you to do is what you will do." He intoned.

    The two stared at each otherpetitively¡­ no, Raith seemed to be the one with all thepetitive stare. Thard - Harl just smirked at his foolish gut.

    Then he continued after a half minute:

    "I want you to stretch your two hands forward, make a ny degree with your knees like you are sitting on an invisible chair¡­"

    He was demonstrating it to Raith as he spoke, showing him what exactly he needed to do.

    "...then you rise back straight. Go down to the same stance and rise again."

    He smiled at Raith, looking excited as he concluded 5he demonstration.

    Raith grumbly lowered his legs, following the instructions of the asura. The first attempt, unexpectedly mmed him to the ground making a loud thud thanks to the weight of the manacles.

    Of course, it wasn''t going to be easy, he had to continually stand and squat while dealing with four thousand pounds. Not to say squatting tasked his leg muscles which were already being restrained by having to bear another four thousand thousand pounds.

    Plus he fell. It was going to be so hard standing up.

    While he struggled to his feet. The asura''s voice reached his ears.

    "I will be counting for you."

    He turned to leave but paused as Raith yelled his reply.

    "Wait! Counting what? How many squats do I have to do? A hundred?"

    The asura shook his head with a mischievous smile.

    "No, no. What I''m counting is not the squats."

    Raith titled his head with a slight frown.

    "Then?"

    "I will be counting the time. In around five hours I should be back."

    "Hell! You want me to keep squatting for five hours? That is logically impossible man!"

    Raith shouted, falling with another ''thud!'' to the ground.

    "Since when did you begin to follow logic? Even your very existence is not logical¡­"

    Raith frowned.

    "What the hell do you mean by that!"

    The asura disappeared before he could get an answer.

    "Speak to me! What the hell do you mean by that. You pale purple piece of crap!"

    Raith''s voice resounded in the deste expanse and its echoes returned to him. Afterwards absolute silence fell upon the atmosphere.

    The only thing left to do was to actually start the squat. And he so after struggling to get up, Raith finally began to squat. As expected it wasn''t easy.

    For the first few seconds of trying, he was unsteady, and fell quite a number of times which made it harder than it should have been - because he had to pick himself back up.

    But eventually his pace began to pick up, Raith was not able to keep tabs on the time but after the fourth fall, he stopped falling for a long time and only continued to squat as the asura had instructed him to.

    While he was doing so, a lot of things roamed his idle mind. In order to not have to deal with the harrowing pain of his muscles Raith had to constantly think about other things. Most especially he filled his mind with the people he had met in the past one year.

    All that had happened to him.

    He was just a nobody, sent away from his family¡­ who would have thought that twenty-one-years-old clueless, dumb guy would do so many things.

    Honestly, he hadn''t really given much thought to it. In fact when he thought about his achievement, he was sure to inform himself not to be pompous. He still had a long way to go. Especially when he thought about the things he was yet to meet. The other rulers?

    His journey suddenly felt like a child''s y when he thought about the big things.

    ''Maybe it is time I start concentrating on the things I have done and being grateful for them.''

    At the same time he had to be careful of not getting consumed in past achievements that he would be surpassed by others. Of course, he would never getfortable by achievements.

    ''But it really has been one hell of an arduous journey ugh?''

    He had met friends, a lot of them and made enemies most of which he killed or turned friends. Except this one¡­

    Raith grinned at the thought of meeting him again. God will so help the knighty bastard, he would have absorbed all the asura''s teaching and grown significantly inbat. It was fun to visualize the both of them fighting again.

    But the chances that they were ever going to meet again was a little over 0.1%. So, Raith was not quite expectant.

    What he truly wanted was what the abyss took away from him His gold¡­ and his army. Those were the reasons why he wanted to get stronger. He didn''t know how but he will get what is his back from the abyss.

    Maybe the soldiers were made by the power of the abyss'' darkness, trying to get them back was probably too greedy of him but he had too much use for the gold than to let it go.

    ''Nah¡­ I will hunt down the primordial bastard and take what is mine!''

    Also since he was free from the abyss, the celestial code didn''t work. Raith could now talk or hear about higher beings as much as he wanted to, anyhow he wanted to.

    Maybe the celestial code was just a scam that the abyss used to keep him from knowing too much in the first ce.

    "Damn Abyss"

    Raith spat more curses.

    At this point, he had lost count of how many squat he was doing. Also, his mind was drawn away from the thoughts that filled them - by the harrowing pain that only grew intensely, cramping every area of his legs.

    Raith gritted his teeth as it became unbearably hard to straighten himself from the current squat. He clenched his fist so tight that his veins were almost popping out. And pushed himself up again.

    The rest of the squats were nothing short of struggle and few minutes ofints - almost giving up in fact.

 Chapter 373 Tamed

    Chapter 373 Tamed

    It was even more torturous because there was no way to calcte the time. There was nothing here to tell how many hours had passed.

    Raith had learnt from school a way to tell the time with one''s shadow. But strangely his shadow was not cast on this strange ground.

    Raith arched a brow as he rewind his mind to that fact. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he tried to remember where he had left off with the squat count.

    That one was at least meant to maintain his sanity.

    ''7,899? Or is it 7,999? Is it even seven or eight or nine. I do know those three numbers are there. Maybe 9,789? Argh darn it all!''

    The next stand he refused to go back down.

    "How the hell is this supposed to be a training?!! All I''m doing is squating you goddamned asura! If you are punishing me for selling your weapons then just say so!"

    Raith shouted, echoes carrying the message of his voice to the horizon.

    ''Wait¡­ who ended up buying the weapon then. Since it was one of the people in Therut. They should be in Antarctica right? If my memory serves me right, it was ady that bought the boots.'' He scratched his head for a few minutes.

    ''But I can''t remember her face. And that guy that betrayed me. What''s his name again E? Elli? Tsk¡­''

    He gave up and stared around. There was nothing interesting to look at, nor was he particrly interested in taking a walk. Pfft, that was even if his leg would move from where it was.

    Raith looked down. Slowly and awkwardly lowering to a squat.

    ''Since there is nothing to do. I might as well just do this¡­''

    He clenched his teeth as the pain shot through his legs. Stood again¡­ squat again, biting his teeth again as the pain overwhelmed him.

    It was not getting easier by the second but Raith persistently continued. Even a number of times when he thought of giving up not that he couldn''t but in the end how would he get out of this expanse? Besides, he was unable to walk anyways so why bother?

    The asura would catch up to him and who knows what would happen.

    Raith had decided to respect him. There was no big deal in submitting to this training and getting stronger, only that it was incredibly hard.

    Incredibly hard was something he had built a high endurance for. Raith was not going to waver because of this. Although the harrowing pain increased, he didn''t stop.

    Instead Raith continued by pondering on Thard - Harl''s question. What was his goal and motivation?

    Before he did things blindly and mainly because the abyss asked him to. He didn''t have a clear vision of what he wanted for himself, even when his goal was to save Volmak, he lost sight of that and got swept away with the flow of things.

    So far so good. A few things he could say about himself was that hecked focus, hecked resolution for certain things, he had no principle, no discipline. He had been carried to this point by the tremendous luck of the abyss. And now, that luck has vanished.

    What was he to depend on? He had built no discipline, no resolution, the ability to foresee a goal and stick to it - he didn''t have that too.

    Suddenly, he realized how worst of a person he was all this while. Why couldn''t he have done this earlier¡­ this reflecting thing. He had never done it in his whole life.

    He is erratic, unstable, stupid and reckless.

    "Ohh ooh? You are still keeping at it?"

    Thard - Harl intoned as he appeared in front of him.

    Raith frowned instantly, but the next second rxed his brows.

    "Yes¡­ I am"

    His response sounded tamed. Thard - Harl was not expecting it. Not this quick.

    He stared for a couple of seconds. His stare was beginning to get ufortable to Raith who was now standing. But before he could voice out in protest, the asura smiled.

    "Honestly. I don''t believe in you."

    Raith couldn''t help the slight frown that creased on his face.

    "When Fel''''s message reached me a few years ago about a man that managed to escape the dark ws of the abyss¡­ I was surprised indeed but I don''t think there is any human humble enough to submit themselves to my training."

    He inhaled and exhaled then continued:

    "I don''t think the power to destroy the abyss is in the hands of a mortal. But Fel said there was something special about you. He could feel it. Then¡­ you became a yer."

    Thard - Harl moved closer to him.

    "When I looked into your eyes after you defeated that monster I saw nothing¡­ there was no mes of resolve. You looked like someone that was bound to destroy himself. Reckless and ignorant. But I made a promise to my friend"

    Raith''s frown deepened.

    "What are you getting at? Why don''t you just make your point alrea©\."

    Before he could end hisst word Thard - Harl brought a heavy p upon his face. His neck twisted and his body copsed before he knew what was happening.

    "Still rude¡­"

    Raith crawled up, barfing thick blood. The side of his eyes was bruised and purple. His ear rang involuntarily. For a few seconds he couldn''t hear what the asura was saying.

    "Congrattions. You just squatted for five months."

    Raith narrowed his eyes. Just as his ear was recovering, the asura''s words reached him.

    "F-five?"

    "Yes¡­ due to some reasons. There are some vast difference between the time flow of this ne and the time flow of other nes. This feature is also how I''ve been able to stay hidden from the other asuras."

    Raith slowly got up.

    "Fel chose to use the power of the red crystal to hide himself. I chose to use a dreadful horror. The difference between both of us is that he is smart and cunning, I am fearless and courageous."

    Raith did not understand what the asura was saying and for once in his life, he didn''t want to ask.

    That p just now had humbled him in all manner. He was stubborn in his gaze but he was very silent.

    Thard - Harl looked at him, evident that the youngd seem to not care about his stories.

    "I like the look in your eyes. You want to beat the shit out of me, don''t you? But before you can do that. You will first defeat the creature that dwells beneath thisnd."

    He pointed down as he uttered.

    "...the one responsible for tearing the flow of time from that of other nes."

 Chapter 374 Hopeless Man

    Chapter 374 Hopeless Man

    Raith''s training began without further ado. The squatting sessions he had for five hours were the easiest of his sessions.

    Thard - Harl did not go easy on him at all. Every time Raith had to carry out the monstrous asura''s absurd drills, his hatred grew and grew.

    But Raith had no choice, his stubbornness persisted sure but the few times he dared to bare his fang, he was one-sidedly beaten, thrashed, battered, smashed and crushed, several times over. Left alone a tiny step away from the deep ditch of death.

    The asura healed him once - when he broke his hand during their first battle. They''ve had several more battles after then and his bones had been crushed in even worse ways.

    Sometimes, he would have to pick himself up after hours of suffering and crying in pain. Then he would fix himself something to eat.

    His food at first was what he hated most about this ne but it soon grew to be what he looked forward to. Thend was deste and bald. As his body slowly adjusted to the weight of the bracelets, he began trek miles for something to eat.

    Time after time, he would go in different directions. Having to endure the mind-tearing torment of seeing the same scenery with every progressive step he took. It was as if he was walking in circles no matter what direction he decided to take. But since he wouldn''te across the hill where his hut stood until he turned back, he knew he wasn''t.

    No matter how far and wide Raith search, there was no living organism in this ne. Not a nt, not an animal, not even a micro organism, he was sure. The ne was void of any living thing.

    Finally, after his seventy-somethingth try. He came across a puddle of water. The water was unclean but he couldn''t remember thest time he had even seen water. His cheeks had grown thin.

    The bony structure of his face were bing prominent, his hair was messed up and white with dust. His eyes had be hollow.

    Eventually, he was able to drink water for the first time that day. Not to say, he had to trek miles every time he needed to drink water, at some point he built a makeshift water bottle with straws. The water was leaking a bit since he was not able topletely cover the holes on his first try and proved to eventually be a waste, so he threw it away.

    After depending on the water for a long time, the small puddle of water diminished, it was there that Raith saw a nt that seemed to have been thriving beneath it.

    The nt had purple petals and brown stems. Without thinking twice he consumed the whole thing, was intoxicated and almost died.

    He did survive and even increased the level of his poison resistance to poison immunity from frequent consumption - the nts effect on him grew less and less. And so he continued to live on the purple nt. The water puddle refilled itself and he would also drink from it.

    Some timester, he would soak the nt in the water, arge quantity of it. Then after the water had changed color, he would drink of it. Honestly, Raith had no idea what he was drinking, it was detestable at first but he quickly became fond of it.

    Now anytime he wanted to eat, he was d and looked forward to it.

    The purple nt meal was the best part of his time in this ne. Anytime Thard - Harl appeared. His sufferings began.

    His body had gotten very used to the weight bracelets. He almost didn''t feel the overwhelming mass of them and went about his day casually. They also didn''t hinder his training a lot of times.

    Things progressed slowly. With a lot of beating from Thard - Harl but surely progressive.

    With time he hade to respect Thard - Harl. Calling it respect was maybe far-fetched. It was born out of pure malice and fear of the asura''s strength.

    Raith hated him with every fiber of his being. But even now, he couldn''t do Thard - Harl any harm. Not even a single hit.

    That was how powerless Raith was at the moment. The drills he had been going through, he saw no use at first but over time that began to change¡­ it naturally also warranted more seriousness from him.

    The asura made him squat while running, he would make a pause every ten steps to squat once and take off again making sure he uses the same velocity he stopped at.

    It was an insane idea, it proved futile at the beginning. Raith failed wolfully and for every failure he received harsh smashing from the asura. Thard - Harl became merciless and ruthless towards him - even when he hissed disrespectfully, the asura would not hesitate to beat the shit out of him.

    Another time the asura would stand apart, surround Raith by massive stones that he controls psychically, the stones revolve around Raith, dash at him and he must jump over them each time while being mindful of the bracelets'' weight. Even after Thard - Harl disappeared, the stones would still moving on their own.

    Raith was subjected to this particrly training nonstop for as long as his mind could not keep up with. It was harder on him because this ne had neither day nor night. Everything was bright and still. No movement of time.

    Even till now Raith had no idea how the asura kept tabs on hours.

    He tried escaping during the drills, he either got smashed by a stone. So hard that his head would split open or there was an invisible barrier confining him to a particr space for so long that his legs would give out.

    After several trials, Raith gave up on the idea of running away. He became some sort of native to thisnd. Awfully adjusted to its environment. Even by looks he seemed to be an insignificant part of it, a nomad, migrating from one corner of its expanse to another.

    Another seemingly easy drill was ''the jumping devil'' Raith had called it that because he was deceived. All he had to do was jump.

    However, every time he jumped, the  surface of the ground either ran far away from his leg, or became too close. He had no idea how possible that was but he was sure it was also Thard - Harl''s doing.

    No matter how much he tried, it was impossible to get used to the distance changes every time he jumped. The one time he did managed to get used to them. The distance got farther away from him or got too close. His femur had been fractured several times from having to fall so deep without control.

    All those drills had be a daily thing.

    Daily?

    There was nothing else he would call it. Raith had made a calction by the sequence of how the asura appears.

    Whenever the Thard - Harl appeared. He started with the five hour squatting as he called it. In that five hours, Raith wouldplete 10,000 squats. At first.

    But the number increased in twofoldter. Then the asura appeared to give him a break. The seconds count Raith made between that break and the next time the asura would appear was five hundred. Of course, he failed the count several times and had to count the same number in five instances before he was sure and made it a rule.

    When the asura appeared afterwards, it was for the running and squatting drill. Since the asura never said how long he counted Raith wasn''t sure. But it was longer than the squatting session. That, he was sure about.

    Then the asura appeared to stop him and disappeared. The seconds count in between his next appearance was four hundred.

    After issuing the next drill which was the flying stone drills. The next break time count was two hundred. And thest drill¡­ the jumping devil drill.

    After the jumping devil the asura would not appear for a long time. That was when he usually had the time to walk over twenty miles to drink water and eat the purple nt then he would walk back to his hut another twenty mile.

    He lived like a lost man in a desert, dirty and hopeless.

    The next time the asura came back, he would start with the squat session again. Raith marked that the beginning of another day.

    Counting the days, apart from the times he lost count, Raith had been staying here for seven hundred and thirty-two days.

 Chapter 375 To Be A Player

    Chapter 375 To Be A yer

    Raith could vividly remember the first day he came here. What particrly made him stay  was because the vicious asura said he was going to teach him everything aboutbat.

    Over two years now, he had not taught not even a damn thing.

    Raith sat down, his finger crossed. His messed up hair and dirty face made his serious demeanor look like an expensive joke.

    This was it. He was not going to make the asura take advantage of him anymore.

    ''How does one even take these off?''

    He inspected around the weight manacles. There was no marking where it can be opened.

    ''How strange. I''ve had these on all these while and I''ve never thought of removing it.''

    Raith had gotten so used to the manacles that he sometimes forget they were there.

    As he was inspecting it, the asura appeared before him. Immediately, Raith shot up with a stern re.

    "What?"

    Thard - Harl grimaced.

    "Master. I greet you!"

    With the same speed he had used to swing up with, he grovelled at the feet of the asura.

    "Yes?"

    "You made a promise to teach me sir!"

    "And I haven''t?"

    The asura slowly dragged out the chair tucked beneath the table and sat on it. Today he was wearing a ck ancient eastern-styled attire. V - necked and a belt tying his waist. He also packed his hair to the back.

    He showed up looking different a lot of times. But these one caught Raith''s fancy because he remembered seeing it on TV a lot of times back in Korea.

    "You have sir! You have been imparting your knowledge in me. I have just been very¡­ anxious these days." His voice went low as he responded.

    "Hmmm¡­ why are you lying?"

    The asura looked into his eyes, arching a brow.

    ''This bastard. What the hell does he want? I should say the truth so you can smack the fuck out of me?''

    A cunning smile parted Thard - Harl''s lips.

    "You have changed since you came here. But you seem to never forget that I can read your mind"

    "Fuck"

    Raith said underneath his breath. He lowered his head and bit his lips.

    "I''m sorry."

    "You have be more docile and obedientpared to when you came here. I don''t care what fangs you bare at me. As long as you are not able to reveal them within the period of this teaching."

    He paused and looked at Raith with a hint of pity. Raith''s head was bowed so he did not see it.

    "I need you to be utterly obedient and submissive while I will be teaching you mybat style."

    "Yes sir." Raith retorted.

    "Then... I will start with a few exnations for you."

    He crossed a leg over the other as he began.

    "The crucial part of this training will he possible because you are a yer. Do you know what it means to be a yer?"

    "No¡­" Raith slightly shook his head.

    Thard - Harl pierced his harrowing gaze at him before continuing. It was as if he was desperately in search of any hint of rebellion in the youngd. So, he could beat the shit out of him.

    "To put it in all simplicity. To be a yer is to be a y thing for the primordials."

    He continued.

    "The concept of yers was a power system created by the six original primordials. Hexallodon: Crown of the Conqueror. Sytheail the Banished Spear. Unming one of Asgaroth, World Shaper, Sea Dweller, Chaos Of the Dawn and The Forsaken Star."

    Raith''s eyes widened.

    The asura sneered at his expression.

    "What is that?"

    "I''m sorry¡­ is that their names?"

    "Names? Primordials are not subjected to such servile concepts."

    "Then? Crown of the Conqueror is supposed to be like a title?"

    "More or less. What we know of the primordials are only messages that have been passed on by gods and higher races. As far as my knowledge is concerned no being lesser than an angel has ever feasted their eyes on even the silhouette of the least of them."

    "I see¡­ Apart from these seven primordials, are they other ones?"

    "There are two. The Abyss and Broken Moon."

    Raith''s eyes narrowed at the mention of the abyss.

    "For some reason Broken Moon sounds sad. If they were referred to ording to messages told of them by angels and gods, does this mean the two of them are sort of some bad egg. Although Forsaken Star does sound the same too."

    The asura''s gaze drifted off... more like they grew distant in thoughts.

    ''Don''t tell me he had never thought about it before?''

    "Anyways! The primordials were bored and decided to create a power system. When a being enters these power system there is a particr feature that is open to them. Very rare and is unlike anything anyone has ever seen¡­"

    He paused, adding tension to the air. Raith gulped in expectancy.

    "They can choose a sponsor."

    "A sponsor?"

    "God''s, arch - angels, even primordials can decide to be your sponsor. And when they do be your sponsor. They can bless you with powerful skills, arts or even reward you in ways that will break your physical limits. yers are ten times stronger than just anyone and that is why every being wants to be a yer."

    He stood up, crossing his hands behind his back.

    "But the prerequisites to being a yer are unknown. Which is why I will ask you." He slowly moved closer to Raith, his harrowing gaze aiming to unravel something.

    "...how did you be a yer?"

    "I am not sure about the details but I was at the verge of giving up and then I didn''t want to give up and then I almost died and somehow I became a yer in the process. Not like it did me any good afterwards though."

    The asura rubbed his desert chin. His eyes focused.

    "Hmmm¡­."

    After a while he returned his eyes to Raith.

    "yers are obliged to do two things. Receive quests or hunt for bounties. It is always a hassle receiving quests. Most yers just go ahead and hunt for bounties. There are also exclusive events like the yers Tournament and Unified Dimensional Rankings."

    They were all terms that sounded interesting to Raith''s ears but at the same time, a slight chill of fear crept into his heart.

    He had thought the rulers and other beings were what he had to be worried about all these while. Looks like yers are going to be more headache.

    Plus, the way this conversation was going. Raith subtly suspected where Thard - Harl was driving towards.

    "The yers Tournament is an event organized by the seven primordials. All yers across whatever dimension gather and engage in three stages of games, reaping several astonishing rewards. Thetter is a ranking event, where yers are consistently challenged. Once defeated they lose their ce on the ranking while the challenger gains the ce. Ites with a lot of pros and cons."

    "Okay sir?"

    The asura folded his arm.

    "And starting today¡­ you shall resume full time into the yermunity. I have our first bounty."

    He revealed an antique paper to Raith.

    ''Oh dammit!''

 Chapter 376 Slow Growth

    Chapter 376 Slow Growth

    "Do you have a problem with it?"

    "Can I?"

    Thard - Harl rolled the paper and tucked it into his belt. Raising his brows he enunciated:

    "Of course. I give the liberality for anyone to speak as far as they are willing and able to ept the consequences of their speech."

    A cracking sound came from his fist.

    "C''mon! How can you be so petty?! This is unfair. You are going to bring me into a strangemunity one I have no ns of bing a part of. It is not like I asked to be a yer?"

    Thard - Harl tilted his head left and right wrenching out another cracking sound.

    Raith''s gaping mouth made no sound. He swallowed his spit and just closed it. Nor did he think anything from this point.

    "So what are we doing?"

    The asura  smiled widely and brought out the paper again. He rolled it open and began reading out the details.

    "Sh¨¨pe Farngs. A three times offender. The bounty on him is 4,000 cowel coins."

    Raith arched a brow.

    "What is that? Cowel coins?"

    "It is the money that is epted across all dimensional. 4,000 is a lot. It''d be enough for you to live good for a while. And since we will be stepping out of this ce. You will get the chance to buy food. You ought to be in good shape for the days toe and have good clothes."

    He gave Raith an irritated and demeaning look, closing his nose.

    Raith frowned and looked at himself. He shook his head in pity but was delighted for once. After so long, he would finally leave this cursednd.

    He was a bit sad that be wouldn''t be going back home. But anything would do, just anything to get out of this damned ce.

    "I''m sorry but I have a question."

    Thard - Harl studied him before responding:

    "Ask"

    "Thebat you were supposed to teach me. I have not learnt anything likebat from you. All I have been doing is drills, I have learnt nothing about the martial arts of the asura and other arts."

    "Huh? What the hell do you think I''ve been teaching you."

    "Surely you jest."

    He said with a chuckle but immediately brought his hands to his mouth as he realized he had spoken rudely. Thard- Harl''s face allowed a deep scowl.

    "I''m so¨C

    He wasn''t given the chance toplete his apology. The asura''s hand lunged at him, parting the invisible air with its ferociousness.

    It whizzed past Raith''s head, blowing a little gale of wind across his ear.

    Thard - Harl raised his jaw and smirked slightly.

    ''...Huh? He missed?''

    Raith''s eyes widened in shock a secondter... as he realized the position of his head... It wasn''t that Thard - Harl missed. He dodged it?

    Thard - Harl was incredibly fast. Most times his movements would havended beforeing but just now he dodged it.

    Raith slowly straightened his head, eyes frozen in shock.

    "Did I just avoid your punch?"

    The asura allowed a small smile and turned around. He swirled his hand in a circr motion even though Raith''s bantering wouldn''t let his ear rest.

    "Did you see that?! I weaved your punch! I fucking did it. Funny part was that I didn''t even intentionally do it. It just sort of happened."

    Only when a swirming hole appeared, erging from a dot Did Raith stopped to ask.

    "What is that?"

    "It''s a gate way¡­ I''ve been studying on a way to leave this ce incognito. Using the properties of the space rip I used in getting to you. This is the result of that."

    Raith smirked.

    "I see. So, I''m not the only one that has been training huh."

    The asura looked at him with disgust and walked into the gate. Raith followed immediately his voice trailing behind.

    "Come on, drop the pride and talk to me! Where are we going to? Is it some sort of dimension? Which dimension? How many dimensions exist in this cosmos?"

    The asura answered to none. They trekked for a while in a scenery of inky darkness with a hint of purple swirling like worms on its wall.

    Soon, their visage changed.

    Before Raith''s eyes was a vast greenscape. Trees towered mightily. Their heights were very intimidating, even to the blue skies and clouds that streaked across the expanse like fishes swimming in oceans.

    "The clouds are moving?"

    At a very fast pace. It was a truly unusual sight. Raith couldn''t bring his head down for a while.

    Thard - Harl softly swung his hand at his back. Raith''s eyes narrowed and his hand caught the asura''s fraction of space away from hitting him.

    "Ah! I did it again"

    The asura frowned and grabbed Raith''s neck. A blur of motion that happened to fast to be blocked¡­ hell, it was unseen. The asura raised him. Gripping his hands tightly around his neck. He mmed him to the ground sending cracks reeling in several directions.

    Birds flooded the sky with chirps as the towering tree subtly shook in response to the tremor.

    The asura retreated his hands and dusted them. While Raith stayed on the ground trying to reach his back and squirming as the pain shot across his whole back.

    "Stand up!"

    He shot to his feet as the asura growled.

    "So where are we going sir?"

    Thard - Harl began to walk.

    "This is Heaur''Lth. Lost Land. This happened to be the ce that our hunt hails from. We are going to go around to ask the people about him."

    Raith hurried his step and was walking beside Thard - Harl before he inquired.

    "Are there humans here too? Like the ones on earth?"

    "There are humans in every dimension. This dimension holds a vast number of them also, they are weakpared to other races though."

    "Wow. What other races do they have."

    "Elves and Orcs."

    "Elves and Orcs? Orcs are not monsters here?"

    Thard - Harl stopped and turned to him. He also stopped and raised a brow carefully.

    "..."

    He looked like he wanted to say something but closed sighed and kept walking.

    Raith also followed with hints of curiosity slowly dissipating from his face.

    [Raven Raith]

    "Sage!!"

    Thard - Harl shot a gaze at him making him shut up and caution himself.

    ''Sage. You have left me to suffer alone?''

    [I did not leave you]

    [No matter how much i tried to call onto you. I was met by utter darkness. Something was blocking my voice from reaching you]

    ''What? Could it be him?''

    Raith looked at Thard - Harl''s broad back.

    [I doubt it. It was more powerful]

    ''...strange. I''m d to have you back.''

    [I suspect that my voice will cease to reach you the moment you enter that dimension again]

    ''I wonder what is wrong. I just thought you were not saying anything because there was nothing to say.''

    [Were you able to ess your soul sea?]

    Raith scratched his temple awkwardly.

    ''I didn''t actually try. I have been upied with so much misery that I forgot. Is there any changes to it?''

    [...]

    "We are here."

    Raith looked to the front.

    Both of them were currently standing in front of a wooden bridge.

    Raith was full of excitement. He looked forward to seeing people for the first time in his life.

 Chapter 377 The Hollow Depth

    Chapter 377 The Hollow Depth

    The footbridge sprawled over a hollow depth, oozing with eerie white smokes. Raith peered down the the depth before looking at the not-so-sturdy bridge.

    He swallowed and looked at Thard - Harl.

    "Uhm. So, we move?"

    The asura was silent. He stared to the front, his gaze rigid like a predator''s. After a couple of seconds he opened his mouth slightly.

    "There''s something in there¡­ and the distance of the bridge is more than enough for it to eat us."

    Speaking about eating¡­ what exactly is it? Raith arched a brow tentatively.

    "But you can kill it¡­ right?"

    "Of course."

    Peace sank into his heart as he heard Thard - Harl''s response. But less than a secondter.

    "...you will be fighting it"

    Raith frowned.

    ''Fuck''

    "This will be the first teaching ofbat."

    He clenched his jaw but spoke no words. After a few moments of swallowing all the curses that he could have spat. Raith traced his line of sight to the aloof asura.

    "But how exactly am I supposed to fight it?"

    He inquired.

    The asura pointed to the footbridge.

    "There¡­"

    Raith''s eyes followed where his hand was pointing to.

    "You want me to fight it on that bridge¡­ that bridge looks like something that can copse any moment and yet you want me to fight something on it. Let''s not even forget the fact that I don''t know what on earth I will be fighting. I can die in a snap¡­ this is something¡­"

    Noticing Thard - Harl''s face as his voice trailed off uncontrolled. He paused. And turned to the bridge. Materializing his blood into a sword as he went forward.

    "Hey stop."

    Raith paused and looked back. Thard - Harl walked closer to him and gave him a sword.

    It was a slim long sword, the handle was in and unknown runes carved around it. There was nothing worth extra attention on the sword apart from the fact that it''s de was blunt.

    Raith looked at the des and looked at Thard - Harl.

    "First lesson about fighting. It is not the de that cuts but your will. Now go."

    This is just the highest level of absurdity. Raith felt anger and sorrow itch his throat. This was really unfair, very very unfair.

    He marched forward slowly and forcefully.

    Carefully, he began to tread the wooden bridge. The bridge was made of nks tied together by strong ropes, the handle was also made of ropes making it almost weightless.

    Now, such a weightless thing had to deal with the 4 tons.

    A careless step forward, Raith''s leg easily plunged into the nk breaking it apart.

    The nk dropped into the eerie depth making no sound. That slight mishap almost made Raith''s heart jump out of his chest.

    Noting that he had to be mindful of his weight, he went forward more carefully now. Holding the ropes on both side as he walked like a baby. The bridge swayed like unsteady waves at every step he took forward.

    After a while, he reached the middle of the bridge. He looked back and saw how far he had transverse. Nodding at his achievement he continued forward, steadily.

    The asura stood still with his hands crossed behind his back, staring¡­ an uninterested expression sittingzily on his face.

    Raith moved steadily on the footbridge. He got to the middle and nothing was happening yet. Just to be sure, he peered down the vast cloud of  smoke. Even though the depth made chills pinch his skin, it seemed harmless¡­

    Raith shrugged and turned to his front. Darn it all, he was just going to make it to the end of the bridge and go.

    ''I pray the bastard does not wake up.''

    He assumed that whatever wasying down in the depth was probably fast asleep or did not care about what was happening on the surface. All he just had to do was tread carefully. He could make it to the end of the bridge without having to fight it.

    Yes.

    However, what happened next not even Raith expected.

    As he nced back to see what the asura was doing. Raith''s eyes suddenly froze and began to shudder.

    A massive stone hovered above the asura''s head. He was far but Raith was sure he saw it clearly- a wicked grin parting his face as the stone flew into the depth of white smoke.

    Raith''s eyes went round, his mouth was torn open but he couldn''t scream. He had no time for that.

    He shot his gaze to the end of the bridge and bounced forward, not caring if his steps were shattering the wooden nks bound by thick timbered ropes.

    His eyes deftly fixated on the endpoint of his goal. He spared no other attention to what was happening around him.

    There was utter silence, tempting him to calm his racing heart - nothing was gonna happen. But Raith didn''t want to take the chance. The end of the bridge suddenly seemed so far away as he desperately ran, breaking the bs of wood.

    Suddenly with a piercing screech, something curled into the sky. It came down the next instance, crashing upon the wooden bridge and severing it withughable ease.

    Raith was forced to struggle for his life before he could respond in shock. He held on tightly to the ropes as the bridge swung down, sperated into two distinct half.

    The worse part was¡­ his way forward was no more.

    Raith gritted his teeth and cursed the asura internally. Why bother disturbing the creature, if they could cross the bridge without having to disturb it.

    He burned with intense hate for the vicious asura.

    ''Even if it will be thest thing I do. I will kill you!''

    Raith swore as the swinging rope mmed him into the wall of the cliff, making him nk out for a brief moment.

    Raith forced his eyes opened bit down his teeth and twisted the rope on his hand, cing his legs on the wall to reduce the effect of the weight on the ropes themselves. They were made from timber so indeed they were quite strong but he doubted if they could hold on for long having to support a weight of 8,000 pounds.

    On the contrary, thanks to so much weight. It was characteristically easy to control the swinging momentum of the rope.

    Raith held on tightly as he looked at the white cloud thaty still. As if a massive tentacle had not just shot out of it. He frowned and inspected keenly.

    Opening his hand, a darkness like liquid materialized into his hand, weaving together like specks to form a worn out sword.

    Another feature of the dark sea was the fact that he could throw items in without having to enter it. He could also summon them outside¡­ there had never been an asion to use thefortable feature.

    But now that he did, there was no feeling of relish like he usually would have from trying things for the first time. Maybe it was because of the fear that loomed in his heart. Today could spell doom for him.

    He could die today and as far as he hase to know, this asura didn''t give a damn!

 Chapter 378 Falling For You

    Chapter 378 Falling For You

    Beyond the towering forest of intimidating trees, a backdrop of mountains cut across thendscape like colossal giants marching to the distant horizon.

    The air was pristine and strong up there. Yet on one of these mountains someone was climbing up. Stubbornly, withstanding the pulling strength of the wind.

    She wore a brawny armor with elegantlyrge pauldrons. Her breastte was colored green with intricate curling patterns, the pauldrons and tip of her armor however were bronze hued.

    A pouch filled with arrows was across her back. However, there was no bow around her¡­ at least visibly.

    Considering the weight of the armor and the tremendous violence of the wind, thedy shouldn''t have been able to make it to this height but she persistently crawled higher, grabbing on anything she could with strained groaning.

    Her skin was delicate, ady like her climbing such a colossal mountain waspletely out of ce. However, her eyes were rigid and unshaken. Her hands rough and scathed, so was her beautiful face.

    A deep gash had dried up on her forehead with clotted blood. Her face was bruised: the edge of her brow, her cheek and much more. Those injuries showed how hard it must have been for a doll like her to make it up here.

    The armoreddy obstinately climbed till she finally got to the top of the mountain.

    She rolled over to the top andid down with face to the sky, her chest heaving victoriously. She had done it.

    But that was not the end.

    A frown creased on her brows the next moment. She stood up and knelt on one knee, facing the vast scape beyond the mountain she wasing from.

    The youngdy moved her hands to her waist and flipped out a gold folded metal¡­thing? As she did, the golden metal unfurled into arge bow.

    She held the bow by its grip and nocked an arrow onto it, pulling the strings with herbat worn hands.

    Squinting her eyes, she took an acute aim. However, her eyes shot wide a secondter.

    ''This human! What does he think he''s doing?''

    ¡ª

    Raith''s eyes stayed fixed to the depth of white smoke. A fraction of secondter, the tentacle shot into the air, swiping around nothing before falling back into the depth.

    He didn''t see it the first time but he got a clear view of it this second time.

    Now¡­ the problem lies¡­

    ''How the fuck am I supposed to kill a monster with a tenracle so big?''

    Judging from the length and robustness of the tentacle, the monster would be quiterge. The fact that it was resting easily in a depth of eerie smoke as vast as this was another pointer to that. Raith was sure it would be one hell of an enormous monster.

    The tentacle, at least the one Raith had seen, was extremely long, twisting like a massive snake. It was bedecked in rough thorny growths and ended in leaf-shaped pads bearing rows of more sharp spikes.

    The spikes and powerful curling force of the tentacle were responsible for easily swatting away the bridge in one go.

    ''Think Raith think¡­ how can you vanquish a monster with so long tentacles.''

    Pausing a few minutes while cautiously tilting the majority of his weight to rest on the wall using his legs. On one hand, the timbered rope was curled on the other was his longsword.

    His eyes were deftly locked on the expanse beneath him. It has been a few minutes, the monster''s tentacles had not plunged into the air.

    Which meant¡­

    Before Raith coulde to his conclusion, something suddenly whizzed across his vision and got lost in the vast sea of smoke.

    He frowned and looked up.

    ''Looks like I''m not the only hunter here today.''

    Up there somewhere, some reckless daughter of the vige chief was also trying to put an end to this abomination that has gued her viges for several decades.

    Raith grinned. He didn''t mind the help but he also didn''t know if this was going to be helpful for him or ¡­

    Raith''s eyes widened.

    Two appendages thrust into the air, curling and swipping around.

    ''Now!''

    Raith pressed himself against the wall and kicked himself away. Net cracks spread on the wall of the cliff as he flew towards the tentacle withmendable speed.

    Arming his sword properly, Raith swung with mad ferocity as he approached and swung past.

    But to his surprise, it was like he was trying to sh apart a rock. He frowned as the rope swayed helplessly upwards. He still had another chance. When the rope begins to sway back, he will deal a stronger blow.

    Raith tightened his fist around the sword as the rope reached the tip of its oscition and started swaying back to its starting point.

    The tentacles at this point stood still, while one retreated slowly, the one that Raith had tried to sh was motionless. He fixed his focus on that one and extended his sword ready to slice the tentacle.

    Thank Goodness, the rope happened to now be swinging back closer to the tentacle than before. Raith steeled his heart dealing with the soreness of his shoulder ligaments as he held onto the rope and got closer to the motionless appendage. He threw his arm backward and propelled an arch as the rope swiftly took him across the monster''s extension.

    This time, Raith felt the tip of his sword graze its skin. Although it was shallow, purple liquid could be seen tracing the small thin line left after his sword shed with it.

    However, what happened next was to Raith''s shock.

    The retreating tentacle suddenly shot towards Raith before he even reached the wall of the cliff. Raith seeing the approaching madness curled upwards, difficulty carrying his entire weight. The tentacles swiped across, under his back, grazing his dirty clothes a little and mming its tone on the wall, shattering that point into splinters.

    Then it retreated in an instant.

    Raith with shocked eyeszily dropped his entire body. However, the rope snapped.

    At the same time another round of arrow flew into the leafy end of the other tentacle, the one that had received a shallow damage from his sword.

    Unfortunately, Raith had to watch this while falling into the depth.

 Chapter 379 Thoughtful

    Chapter 379 Thoughtful

    The youngdy in armor tightened her grip on the bow as she nocked another arrow with glee in her eyes. The first one was a waist but because of the reckless acts of the stranger, she had managed tond a lucky attack.

    Her brows furrowed with determination.

    It was a lucky shot but thanks to that shot she now knew where the weakness of that abominationy. It was the leaf-shaped pad.

    She narrowed her eyes to a slit. The visage of the scape narrowing to a point before her eyes. Her right eye glinted with a golden glow. Subtle and almost unseen.

    As she clenched her hand tightly on the nocked point of the arrow. Her veins thickened and were almost popping out. Seeming like the worms squirming beneath her fine skin.

    She pulled back the bowstrings with all her might. Her gaze locked with a powerful determination. In her eyes, she could clearly see the tentacle as it wiggled with frenzy. Her arrow was lunged into its fleshy pad and the monster seemed to be very mad about it.

    Not that she cared. She wanted tounch in another one in fact.

    Taking a tense breathe, she exhaled shot the arrow with a wind piercing intensity. The arrowhead led a great arc through the air, drawing a thin line and whistling. It lodged into the monster''s pad sttering violet liquid.

    The tentacles danced in another frenzy, as ifmenting for the pain it has been caused. Then what followed was an outright y of disaster. The tentacles abandoning allcency vegan to p around. Smashing the cliff edges of both side in ruinous melody.

    Thard - Harl who had been an observed flew back to avoid being hit by raging bs of stones.

    One more tentacles plunged out of the smoke and the three began to go crazy. Swinging, unpatternly through the air, whizzing and making the cliff suffer for its pain. Splinters of stones rained into the cloud of smoke.

    Beneath¡­

    Raith had somehow managed to survive the fall, he also had no idea that his body could be so durable. But what he felt now was no gratitude.

    It was a frightening pain, that made him feel as though he could die any minute from now.

    Due to the fall, Raith crashed the back of his head on the ground, as so his forehead was covered in blood, flowing down through his eyes and by the side of his face. His view was blurry and obstructed.

    Moreso, there was nothing spectacr to see. Everywhere was shrouded with white fog. Sitting up, Raith sluggishly wiped the blood of his head with the sleeve of his clothes.

    The precious fabric that was gifted to him had now be an a detestable piece of dirt.

    He looked around, alerted and sensitive to the slightest thing he could perceive of the monster. But he heard nothing.

    It was absolute silence¡­ maybe too silent.

    Considering that there was supposed to be a monstrous abomination dwelling at the bottom of the depth. He could not getfortable for anything. In fact, he got even more alerted.

    After a few minutes of sitting still to regain his head, he stood up and picked his unattractive de.

    His eyes turned grim and glimmered with sparks of unshaken carefulness. He began to walk forward, turning his head left and right as he walked through the fog. The flesh of his feet was scathed from walking on the stony ground - since, his boots had long ttened and became pretty useless while he was on the odd ne.

    Now, he had to walk bare-footed. Not that Raith cared, spending uncountable sequence of time had brought him to not care about a lot of things. Including how he looked. It was a normal thing.

    Only when privilege is given to some things will human have the gut to care more. When that privilege is taken away and they have to live their lives scrambling for the worst possible definition of food and finding joy in it. Even the finest of man would not care about his looks.

    Raith paused. The fog was getting thicker as he walked forward,pletely blocking out Raith''s vision forward. It was like a thick wall of white.

    Raith frowned slightly. Going forward was not sitting well with him. He had still not heard any sound since he started walking except his own breath. Not to say, this felt awfully familiar.

    ''Feels¡­ like when I''m walking on the ne of white stones.''

    Seeing the same scenery and that same feeling of walking in circles disturbed him. Of course, Raith was aware that he had to be careful. Was this something he was sensing due to having to live with that mind tearing trauma these past few days?....maybe months or years. He did not know.

    His mind could be ying a trick on him¡­ or as he is truly suspecting.

    This could be an illusion meant to keep the stranger away from reaching the abomination.

    Monsters with such kind of ability? If it was before, he would have denied the possibility despite suspecting it. But now he was in another dimension. One that harbors a different set of people who are also humans¡­ the reality of diverse dimensions was.a scary thought he didn''t want to delve into.

    Since the topic had been poised to him when first learning about the ruler that was a dragon hunter from Bm. Raith had been pushing that topic away from mind. Now, inevitably having to confront it. He was going to do it a thing at a time, taking everything with all simplicity and like a simpleton.

    So, the possibility of a monster having the power of illusion was very much possible. As far as the existence of another dimension is to.

    ''Everything is new, all new¡­ so, approach it like you know nothing at all''

    Raith sighed and began to step back.

    ''Now, let''s ess this situation¡­''

    If entire fog was an illusion, is it a physical illusion? Or mental illusion? Could it be that his body was somewhere unconscious and he was probably wandering around thinking he actually is wondering around.

    Raith squinted his eyes and shook his head. He doubted if that was the case, would he be able to think this deeply if that was the case and wouldn''t it be more usible for the monster to put him in an illusion he enjoys and is tempted not toe out of rather than this one?

    Moreso, that was probably going to insinuate that the monster he is dealing with is one of an extremely high level. But Raith doubted that. There were other reasons for his doubt.

    His body would probably have been crushed since and by now he should be dead.

    Which left him with the second option¡­?

 Chapter 380 Reflection

    <h4>Chapter 380 Reflection</h4>

    Raith scratched his head, feeling besides himself. Thinking so deeply was not something he was used to or preferred doing, except from a year ago when he had nothing but had to relish in the imaginations made avable to him by the novels he read, Han Lamar books and much more.

    Even though Raith prized himself as very intelligent, he didn''t presume to be so from the actions he took. Walking with the abyss had made him so much of a simpleton that he just took everything as it. What else to expect when you can always get a second chance.

    There was a memory of himself being like this, taking to note the dotting details of what people say, do, how they act and even trying to decipher the untold, unknown meaning behind those behaviors. It was an unpleasant memory¡­ it earned him his father''s hatred.

    He had several vivid recollections of how his father would p him for asking some questions. Or when he practiced the sword too hard, tried to make something extraordinary out of the moves he was being taught¡­ his father warned him not to be excellent.

    Told him not to be any meter above average and to stay dumb. For a young boy not less than ten-years-old, who had just lost his mother...that was the worst possible thing to hear.

    Desperately wanting his father to ept and love him, he stopped trying. And it became an habit.

    But now, when death lingered at the edge of every of his actions. It wasn''t an option, he just needed to survive. Raith found himself thinking again¡­

    He shook his head as he remembered his father''s word again. Now that he was old enough, those word sting bitterly and brood nothing but hatred for the man. But what use was the emotion, he was dead after all.

    ''...I''ll never forgive him.''

    Raith didn''t know why the man was so weary and scared of him. But there was no excuse that could make him overlook and forget the man''s actions. If he can get his soul, he would make it suffer until extinction.

    Gripping his hand on the sword, Raith raised his head. The wall of white smoke was more important. He pushed his hatred and resentment behind his mind and focused on what was in front of him.

    Since, he was now sure that the second option was the case. The illusion was not a metal one but physical. Which meant no matter how far he goes, he would only continue to walk deeper and deeper, traversing endlessly and bing a lost soul in search of the abomination but never to find it.

    Raith grimaced at the thought of it. He hadn''te this far to get lost. He extended his sword out.

    How then does he break free from this illusion? He wasn''t sure if it was going to work but his thinking faculty prompted a thought. It was the reason why Raith now swung his hand backward.

    ''Let''s hope I''m right about everything.''

    "Arrghhh"

    With a loud yell, Raith brought his de upon the wall of smoke, shing it apart like tofu. As the wall fell to his sound, the surrounding smoke suddenly dispatched from him. Disputing and disappearingpletely.

    Immediately, a fraction of secondter, a ear-itching screech tore across the entire expanse of the depth.

    The youngdy had nocked another arrow and was carefully taking an aim using her umon "focus-intensive" eyes. They suddenly widened as she saw something, she had not seen in all her years of trial.

    "What? The veil disappeared?"

    She muttered to herself. The sea of smoke that covered whatever was in the depth hadpletely disappeared and she could vividly for the first time after all these years, see the creature that has caused her so much agony.

    The thing was humongous as Raith had suspected. It was a strange looking creature with a bloated, oval shaped body stretching over eight feet wide, standing on four elephantine legs and had a disgusting rock-like hide. Two tentacles stood high, over nine feet long, extending out of the depth. There was one more tentacle, shorter than the other two, forming a vine-like stalk and ending with a jagged, irritating eye.

    The creature''s body contained a massive, dirty, fang-filled mouth, shaped like a crude gash through its center.

    And a human standing beneath it. Seeing the human face was hard, there was a limit to how far her special eyes could see.

    Her brows furrowed as she saw what unfolded next.

    A crude sh of tentacles and metal. The monster did not spare a second, retreated its tentacles and began to attack the human with its fanged pad, pping them forward like ropes. But the human withstood the attack. pping his sword against each attack. The power of his de alone sent each tentacle reeling back in the air.

    But the monster would immediately shoot them forward again, desperate to leave a savage slit on the human''s skin. From her point of view the exchange quickly ascended into a blurry exchange of movements. Sparks intermittently flew as the human and the tentacles battled for blood. The bloodthirsty tentacles, unrelenting but the human was in fact more impressive. His legs were buried in a single stance, the right side of his body pushed to the front and his hand literally disappearing before her eyes, sparks adorning the vicious grace of their onught.

    She frowned unbelievably¡­

    "Ama¡­ amazing¡­"

    It was almost hard to ept that a hopeless looking human could stand his ground against a monster that would have crushed her in one swipe. She wondered if she would have been able to withstand the tentacles like he was doing. Apart from the fact that she was an archer and arrow was her specialty.

    Who is he? Where does hee from? And why is he fighting the monster? Why is he helping her vige?

    A mind resonated with so many questions. They were going to stay unanswered¡­ for now. First she had to pray the human to survive and also help him from where she was.

    She straightened the arrow back and squinted her gaze, carefully scrutinizing for another attack. This time she was going to aim for the eye.

 Chapter 381 Terror Of The Depth

    <h4>Chapter 381 Terror Of The Depth </h4>

    ?Raith eyes widened with shock as the visage of the monster sprawled before his eyes. While he was jubnt that he was indeed right, he didn''t have the time to celebrate in it.

    The monster''s third tentacle squirmed around, suspiciously as if inspecting something. There was no eyes on the monster''s body, just its barbaric sets of sharp fangs, set unevenly in its mouth.

    Raith slowy began to step back. The best call of action in this situation was to give himself and "this thing" space. He needed it the most, in order to ess the situation he was in. Not the kind of call he would have made before.

    But Raith had to now respect death and act in ordance, shielding himself from it with every possible action.

    In the means of stepping back, a stupid stone suddenly crumbled beneath his feet, disrupting the perfect silence. The third tentacle turned to his direction.

    Raith''s eyes widened as he saw an eye perched at the end of the tentacle. He didn''t think twice and leapt away from where he was standing. Before he couldnd, the monstershed its tentacles at him so fast.

    Raith btedly used his blunt sword to block theshed out tentacle. Hitting with all the strength he could ''btedly'' gather. He could feel his muscle tremble under the strain of his sword as it shed with the strong fang outgrowth at the end of the tentacle.

    The monster took no time to recess. Almost immediately as the first tentacle reeled backward from Raith''s blocking impact, the other one exploded forward. pping and scraping the ground with a sickening sound as Raith dodged.

    He didn''t have enough time to gather his thoughts or himself. He haphazardly drew a forceful arc across the air to block the next attack. Almost immediately, he brought down the arc again to block another one.

    Again and again, his hand saw no rest. In order to minimize the strain on his body Raith pushed his right body forward, locking his legs sturdily to the ground, with a narrowed gaze, he continually blocked the persistent pping of the monster''s tentacles.

    The skirmish between the two of them became a visage of blurry patterns, intermittent sparks and violent gale.

    But Raith was sure he wouldn''tst long if the battle continued like this. He needed to find a way to make the monster change its pattern of attack. He needed to move closer to deal damage. He needed to¡­

    ''Ughhh¡­''

    Raith ground his teeth at the harrowing pain he felt in his shoulder ligaments as the speedy movement of his hand continued.

    Each block was resonating a force in his muscles, and with time it only grew worse.

    ''Strong, very strong''

    The sheer power of the tentacles against his sword exploded a violent gale of wind with every sh. If such a thing was tond a hit on him¡­ Raith was sure he would turn to smithereens.

    That left him no choice but to defend himself crazily. But that can''t continue. He needed some breakthrou¨C

    To his surprise, a whistling curve drew across the air and lodged an arrow into the monster''s¡­ before the arrow could make its mark. The third tentacle squirmed to the side, easily dodging.

    But that move, that was all Raith needed. He clenched his numbing hand tightly. That fraction of second, that slight and quick shift in focus of the abominable creature gave him all he had been asking for.

    Raith darted forward with a burst of speed. The tentacle lunged at him, lowering and scraping the ground. Raith twisted his body over the tentacle, dodging it by the skin of the teeth. As hended, he deflected away the next one and shot forward again to the main body of the creature.

    ''I don''t know who that was but thank you plenty''

    He lowered his body, drawing the line and momentum of his attack from below and unleashing a fine upward sh.

    But it turned out to be pretty useless.

    Stunned by the shock of his sh not effecting not even a thin line of injury on the monster''s skin. The tentacle swung in front the side and smashed him away, throwing him like a ragged down. Raith crashed into the base of the cliff, exploding shatters of stones.

    The ce was covered by a cloud of dust which slowly dissipated to reveal a ragged, bloodied human coughing up blood as he stood up from where he had beenunched into.

    He spat out blood and held his hip. Five crude gash had opened there, profusely shedding crimson liquid. Raith frowned, biting the pain as he pressed his hand against the wound. It wasn''t that bad thanks to his clothes.

    The hard fabric of his clothes had sustained more of the slicing damage but his flesh was also scraped along with it.

    "Fuck¡­"

    Raith cursed and lifted his sword looking at the monster that was now quite far away. The third tentacle was currently dealing with an onught of arrows.

    Raith looked up, activating his demon eye to see who was there. But the moment he tried to use it, his vision blurred and a punch crashed into his wound throwing him up. Another m smashed him to the ground. He coughed up blood as he struggled to see who it was even though he sought of already had an idea.

    "I told you, didn''t I? Don''t use your skills."

    The asura''s voice was like a nightmare, he dreaded it. He groaned in frustration and clenched his fist so tightly. Crying internally.

    ''Fuck, fuck, fuck¡­ I don''t care what it will take me. I will kill this bastard at all cost''

    Raith stayed on the ground for a while. Then slowly raised his head and the rest of his body to look at the asura.

    "I just wanted to see the person, I didn''t intend to use it¡­"

    "What advantage will seeing the person bring to you. Focus on your own goal."

    Thard - Harl cut his speech short with his response.

    Raith frowned and lowered his head.

    "I''m sorry."

    The asura''s eyes stayed on him for a few seconds, devoid of whatever emotion. He then looked toward the mountain then looked back at Raith. And disappeared.

    Reappearing on the mountain where the archer was.

    "Dear miss¡­ I''ll have you stop"

    Thedy shook in fear and btedly staggered to her butt.

    "You, h¡­h¡­o¡­how?!!"

    Thard - Harl picked up the bow that had fallen off her hand when she stumbled.

    "I''ll be seizing this"

    He disappeared.

 Chapter 382 Channeling Energy

    <h4>Chapter 382 Channeling Energy </h4>

    ?He appeared to Raith a minuteter with a bow in his hand. Smiling deviously.

    Raith stood cautiously, his eyes glued to the terror a few meters away from him. He was growing skeptical and a little fearful about attacking it.

    "There is something called Rehzune."

    "Rehzune?"

    Raith turned to the asura with a quizzical expression. His eyes showing a little bit of relief.

    "I''m sure you know right¡­ about energies."

    Raith nodded attentively.

    ''Is this it? Is it finally starting.''

    Ignoring his thoughts the asura continued.

    "Because of the unique bodyposition of celestials. There are different and unique ways of circting energy. A celestial body can only hold cosmic energy. There are also diverse difference to the limit to which each body can hold¡­ this fundamentally creates the difference in strength between asuras."

    He paused, and continued. It was almost unnoticeable but Raith caught a hint of resentment disappear from his face.

    "The angels are the most reverie when ites to their limits of cosmic energy. In fact, they seem to have no limit. Apart from that they also control a different kind of energy. One that only the best can ess."

    He looked at Raith.

    "Energy are to follow a pathway, due to the uniqueness of our body formations. In order to find the best possible flow of energy. An energy cirction technique was created. It''s called Rehzune."

    Raith''s heart leaped with joy. Finally, after so much waiting, he would begin to learn something.

    The asura continued:

    "You have a vast amount of energy in you. What makes it moreplicated is there there are two different kind of energy in your body. It''s a miracle that you have not experience a backflow which could eventually lead to a painful death."

    Raith shivered are the thought of it. A painful death caused by the backflow of energy¡­ maybe, his entire muscles would burst. Quickly, he deviated from the useless thought to listen to Thard - Harl.

    "...body. Your extraordinary body is probably the reason why you are still alive. But if you want to make use of your body to its best capacity. You must firstly learn how to channel your energy."

    Raith nodded obediently. With no shred of rebellion in his eyes. What he exuded was a terrifying submission of someone desperate to learn.

    "Channeling energy is nothing difficult. It just has to be done right¡­ one slight mistake and you can destroy your muscles and pathways. Once you do it the first way, it pretty much bes easy, the next thing you just have to master is consciously doing it even though you are busy with other stuff. When you make it an habit, you will fundamentally have energy running through your veins every moment."

    Raith''s eyes stayed glued to the asura, brimming with hope.

    "And what that does to you is augmentation. You are able to augment your body the right way. Apply precisely your energy into skill usage and even control cosmic energy as an extension of yourself."

    Concluding that part of his statement, he pointed to Raith''s chest with his index finger.

    "Rehzune is a reverse circr flow. The hard part of what you will be doing is in your joints. The heart for many creature serves as some sort of energy core, not that it is in literal terms. But the heart gathers more energy than other part of the body. Which is why it is the first point of withdrawal. What you are trying to do is not make your energy focused on just that one point. But evenly spread them throughout your body, for better use of it"

    Thard - Harl looked at him, curling his lips as he saw his firm attention. He turned his gaze to the monster that had been silent all the while, as if it was frozen - this also prompted Raith to look in that direction.

    ''...that''s right. Did he do something to it''

    He btedly realized the man in front of him can read his thoughts. But Thard - Harl showed no difference in his expression and just continued.

    "First of all you must feel the energy¡­"

    He suddenly stopped and scowled at Raith.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Sir?"

    Raith was honestly clueless as to what the asura meant by that. He wasn''t doing anything and was diligently listening.

    "I said, first of all you must feel the energy. What do you think you are doing not feeling the energy, you think I''m going to do this some other time?"

    ''Oooh!''

    "I''m sorry you mean we are going to start here, right now?"

    "Why else would I exin all these?"

    Thard - Harl responded with an arched brow.

    "I''m sorry, I just thought that with the monster here and¡­"

    "Close your eyes and feel your energy"

    Raith immediately did as the asuramanded him. Heightening his attention to follow the asura''s voice.

    "Feel the energy¡­ in feeling it, you must be able to hold it in your hands, there must be that almost palpable feeling of the energy within your reach."

    Raith frowned a little as he followed the asura''s voice. In attempt to hold the energy figuratively, he helpless dove further. Feeling as if he was falling into a pitch ck ditch.

    Suddenly he shot his eyes open, sweating all over his face.

    The asura frowned.

    "This is weird. You are weird. What are you made of?"

    Raith leaned on his knee and was preupied with relieving himself from the choking feeling in his heart. A dozen secondster he looked into the asura''s eyes.

    Judging from what Thard - Harl said. He didn''t need to exin anymore what he saw and how odd it was.

    "You know something don''t you? Everything was dark, it¡­ it was like I shrouded in aplete utter darkness."

    Thard - Harl crossed his hands behind his back, looking at Raith indifferently.

    "Your case is different. As far as I know, you are the first ruler to be a yer. It should never have been possible in the first ce because the primordial are wary of them. Especially the seven deadly sins."

    Raith''s face was washed in fright.

    "So what will happen now? I can''t channel my energy?"

    "Channel whatever it is you saw. I''m pretty sure you have a vast pool of cosmic energy in you but from what I can see¡­ it''s different, corrupted. But whatever must have made it so must be from you. Channel whatever it is you see¡­"

    He concluded and waited.

    Raith looking at expectation dance on the asura''s face finally closed his eyes and ced on hand on his chest. The asura had never taught him so, he just wanted to be sure he was guiding himself through a path in the vast sea of darkness.

    And so Raith started a second time.

 Chapter 383 Vessel Of Complications

    <h4>Chapter 383 Vessel Of Complications </h4>

    ?After the abyss left, what remained of him was a vast empty sea of darkness.

    The dark sea. Although it seemed incredible but Raith had suspected that this was a soulscape manifestation of the abyss effect.

    The thing they say that when you stare into the abyss, it states back at you. Being associated with the abyss surely must have affected him in a way. The dark sea seemed too good to be true. That was how he thought of the whole situation from beginning.

    An expanse where he could retrieve into and store item both physical and non-physical. Did the abyss leave him a very nice parting gift. No. He doubted that darned thing would ever be so nice. But along the way, he was tempted to believe that perhaps somehow, he had managed to steal something from the abyss.

    But was still pessimistic about it even so...

    Raith kinda looked forward to the day the dark sea was going to be a mess or an hindrance for him. Not that he expected that to happen so soon and in this way. He clearly suspected that when he met the abyss, it would be an hindrance then.

    That was what he thought.

    Currently, Raith was encroached by a vast wall of impregnable darkness. Floating amidst its thick veil, not even the slightest hint of light could be seen in it.

    Raith was lost in the darkness of the soul.

    He grimaced and turned around. There was no way further. No matter how deep into himself he was trying to tap, he couldn''t break free from this shrouding darkness.

    He tried harder, determined not to give up just because it would not work. On the outside, his eyes were shut, frowning with astonishing determination. The signs of how strenuous he was having it was drawn over his face.

    On the inside, he dove deeper, the feeling was like trying to swim in a sea of quicksand - only that this was in reverse, quicksand normally would pull one down. But thus quicksand of darkness pulled him, as if it was enthusiastic about expelling him, it was actually.

    There was something it didn''t want Raith to reach, so as Raith pushed deeper, the expelling force only grew stronger. And in resisting it, be needed every bit of muscle power he could get.

    A line suddenly split through him. Raith shuddered, his eyes widened in shock, he was sure something passed through him, splitting his body in equal half. But he was certainly fine.

    However, something had heavily changed.

    Raith looked around him. The pitch darkness was partly no more. To the right side of his body was a vast veil of white and to his left was ck.

    It was like light and darkness was struggling to find a bnce in him. He began to feel unsettling, like being torn apart in a tug of war between two colossal entities. These things were bigger than him for sure and he didn''t know what they were.

    Raith held himself together. Clenching his chest as he tried to endure the pain and make sense of what was currently happening to him. But the pain only worsened by the second.

    He gritted his teeth strongly, a secondter, he lowered his head and a strained groan escaped his mouth. He was trying all possible best within his power to keep that groan from getting out. But he just couldn''t help it.

    His body felt like it was being split apart.

    ''Think, think, think¡­ what the fuck is happening''

    It was a sad realization, that his body almost didn''t feel like his.

    Being a vessel to the abyss has opened Raith''s body to several more corruption than he even knew. He was doomed for destruction the moment the abyss was ejected somehow by Fel. It was a primordial after all.

    However, Raith did not know this. What he did know was that the dark sea was not supposed to be there¡­ simply because it wasn''t there before he met the abyss.

    Being a ruler does not mean the ability to manifest a soulscape. Raith didn''t think so.

    One side of him was light, on the other side was darkness.

    Is it strange that he had been able to wield three different types of energy up until now. Normally, other people were subjected to one, it was either this or that, not this and that. Even Volmak, who was the only person Raith knew to have mastered aura, didn''t use it as much.

    He found a way to channel his fiendish energy and make it serve the same purpose as aura would. Of course, that came with years of meditation and energy refining. It was inconceivable for humans. However, Volmak was almost immortal, he is a fiend after all.

    Raith on the other hand, could control cosmic energy, easily control aura and a strangest one¡­ dark energy.

    He had naturally thought that it belonged to the abyss. Moreso, since it served an important purpose of being a medium through which he summoned his army of death.

    ''Darn it''

    Raith gritted his teeth harder. The harrowing pain was growing intense and piercing his muscles, getting harder to endure.

    He needed to find a solution as soon as he can.

    Why? Why? Why? Why?

    ''Why wouldn''t this goddamned abyss just leave me the fuck alone??!!''

    This was clearly a corruption the abyss had infected him with.

    That was the case for the darkness but what about the light? what is this light? Is this light supposed to serve as a solution?

    Turning his head to look at the enormous background of white was almost impossible, all his body had grown stiff and unwilling.

    Raith took in the visage of the ne background for a few minutes. It was a pr opposite of the darkness, a ce that undoubtedly offered tranquility. The darkness on the other hand¡­

    Straining himself harder again, Raith looked to the other side. His head was marked with pulsating veins, eyes reddened and slowly giving out. Sweat poured from all over his face like he was bathed in rain.

    Somehow, Raith seem to understand one little fact.

    The light was not a solution.

    The light seemed even more of a scary ally than the darkness. It felt strange and distant, maybe because he wasn''t used to it or there could be another deeper reason.

    Cosmic energy was the purest of energy after ether. Having a body that can store arge percentage of it, maybe that was the reason for this white ne.

    No.

    Something was not adding up. That was not the case. Raith couldn''t piece the puzzle together but he was sure this wasn''t the case¡­ darn he didn''t even know anymore.

    ''...what the fuck am I?''

    It was high time, he started asking himself these questions about his identity... why was everything about him soplicated?

    Raith grimaced and thought of something.

    ''...maybe all this will be okay if I start with the dark sea?''

    Raith closed his eyes. Attempting to dive deeper into the depth while enduring the force onest time. As he opened his eyes the vast dark water, still and peaceful came in view.

    Slowly, Raith exhaled. The pain had tremendously reduced but it wasn''tpletely gone.

    On the still surface of the water Raith could see the two Phoenix birds ying with each other, pecking each other''s feathers. As soon as they saw him, they quickly ran behind a rock to hide themselves, shaking nervously.

    ''...looks like they are still wary of me.''

    It would take more than a while for these creatures to probably fully ept him considering how eventful their lives have been. But he didn''t care for now, he needed to do something about this ce.

    "Sage"

    [I''ve been expecting you]

 Chapter 384 The Seed Of Greed

    <h4>Chapter 384 The Seed Of Greed </h4>

    ?[I have been conducting a lot of researches based on your past rtionship with the abyss]

    [I must say, you are one hell of an oddball]

    Her monotonous voice sounded a bit lively than usual.

    "Eh? Why did you say that."

    [Just as you suspected. The dark sea was a corruption left by the abyss]

    [After I finished my analysis. I came to this conclusion]

    A slight frown creased on Raith''s face as sage''s monotonous voice continued.

    [The dark sea must be destroyed]

    [However, if not done right this could cause overwhelming damages to your soul]

    [If care is not taken. Perhaps you could die]

    "So what do you think I should do in order to increase the chances of this not failing"

    [Our best shot is using the error code of greed]

    "That? Isn''t it something that was just supposed to help me negate the influence of the abyss to a certain extent¡­ now that I remember it didn''t do shit. It was all a lie. That darned abyss"

    [The error code can be used to interfere with fundamentalws of nature. The degree of interference however is based on one''s authority of sin. Also your sphere of influence is greatly determined by the sin you rule]

    "Oh oh¡­ this is sounding interesting"

    Raith rubbed his chin as he acknowledged.

    "So, in order to break this ce I have to use the error code."

    He raised his head.

    "You probably know what my next question is¡­"

    [The error code should be the easiest thing for a ruler to use. Don''t ask me that!]

    Raith almost felt offended by her response. She sounded irritated of some sort. Letting out a helpless sigh, he straightened and took in the still expanse.

    "What about them?"

    He intoned, looking at the red and blue birds that were nervously peeking at him from behind the rock.

    [They will be fine¡­]

    [...whatever it is that will happen. I think it is important that they be part of it]

    Raith sighed and closed his eyes. He stretched one hand forward and opened them slowly.

    His eyes glimmered with an ethereal glow. On the surface of his eyeballs an error code was written sinctly.

    Following that, from behind him, a flood of white tore into the veil of the darkness, shrouding everything in a subtle glow. The water gently reflected the tear in its dark skies. At first that was what it looked like.

    A minuteter, arge tsunami suddenly rose in protest of the impending destruction. It stretched into the sky, almost colluding with it and rolled forward like a colossal wheel of demolition.

    Raith was taken aback, his eyes frozen before the overwhelming visage of turmoil approoaching him. Was this the reason why Sage had mentioned that it could destroy my soul?

    The walls of ckness here and there began to shudder, losing its thickness and rippling like properties of water.

    Raith frowned and clenched his fist. For the first time he could feel it like he was feeling his eyes, his hand, his legs. He could vividly touch the power of greed.

    It made him want to have everything for himself, it made him want to destroy this ne leaving not a trace of the tremendous power it emitted to escape.

    Raith grinned widely.

    "I recognize it. Bastard abyss¡­ bet you never knew that I would get to this point"

    Raith stretched forth his two arms, was he was trying to stop theing waves of liquidated destruction with his bare hands?

    The glow on his eyes began to get brighter by every fraction of second. Raith''s focus was scary, his eyes did not shake¡­ despite the fact that the wave of water rolled towards him like a wraith that has been driven into the very core of madness and fear.

    As the waves closed in on him, Raith suddenly wed his hand. He plunged it into the water and pulled it out half a second after. The raging wave froze and dissolved.

    Flood of ethereal light easily bathed everywhere, submerging Raith''s soul in a radiant glow of change. Slowly, Raith''s soul began to reveal its true form.

    But Raith was not focused on what was happening around him. He slowly opened his hand with a deep frowned. He had managed to pluck something out of the waves¡­

    ¡­it was... ck ...and oval?

    Raith had a suspicion of what it was. It looked exactly like the seed of greed, but far darker andrger.

    "This bastard nted its seed in me?"

    The abyss never nned on leaving him alone. If Raith had not discovered the seed and continued to foster the dark sea, without his knowledge the seed would have been growing, using his own strength as a means. Then it would sprout and the abyss would return.

    Maybe with an even stronger influence than before.

    The thought of it made him shudder. This primordial is the worst. Seriously, he was going to kill it, he would not rest until he did. With how much he had suffered? Nah, I''m not letting that bastard off the hook. Now, that he had vanquished the seed of the abyss¡­

    "What do I do with it¡­"

    Raith suddenly heard a slurping sound.

    He squinted his eyes for a couple of seconds, staying silent to be sure he heard right.

    The sound came again¡­ from behind him. Raith hopped to the front in a scare, hands folded to a fist and ready to pummel a blow into what it was.

    To his surprise¡­ it didn''t seem harmful.

    This thing in front of him. Strangely, this was the first time both of them were meeting but he knew it so well. On the first nce, he undoubtedly knew what it was.

    It was a small mass of darkness two red hollow glow burning in its center. For one, it seemed unstable but alive. Another thing Raith noticed was a set fine white teeth and tongue, both feature very humanlike.

    His eyes was calmly focused on the mass of darkness.

    Raith cautiously looked at the mass of darkness. The thing''s attention was undoubtedly fixed on what was in his hand. It was voraciously staring at it while floating.

    "Greed?"

    It''s burning red eyes shifted course, so did its whole body. They were now looking at Raith.

    ''Damn¡­ it actually is greed. What is the seed doing here, why is it like this?''

    This was the seed he spent so much effort trying nt in his soul. The seed of greed. Because of what it was, there was an explicit familiarity between the two of them.

    Did it finally sprout? Come to think of it... while he was expunging the dark see, it rather felt like he was feeding it to something else.

    Did the seed gain enough growth energy from the expunged darkness¡­ and now it''s hungry for more?

    Raith looked at the thing in his hand. He didn''t have a use for it anyway. He stretched it forward and ¡­.

    The mass of darkness swiped it off his hand immediately, gulping it down its cloudy mouth. Strange, it didn''t fall off.

    ''Where did it go?'' Raith wondered, looking under the thing.

    Greed let off a satisfying belge as it digested the ck seed. A secondter the mass of darkness began to shiver, the red hollow ze that served as its eyes dimmed and was almost giving out.

    But slowly, its cloudy body thinking into a glossy darkness witn white stripes running over it. It''s eyes was now red with a definite form like ruby. It''s teeth even whiter and tongue maroon.

    "....okay¡­ what is happening here?"

 Chapter 385 Vessel Of Balance

    <h4>Chapter 385 Vessel Of Bnce </h4>

    ?"What are you?"

    Raith asked, looking at the solid darkness that floated in front of him. Its eyes were gentle and cute, dangerously innocent.

    The thing glided closer to Raith with a wide grin parting its mouth.

    Raith wasn''t sure what to think of this new development. A friend or a foe, he couldn''t tell yet. But one thing he was sure about was, this thing here¡­ is¡­ or was the seed of greed he suffered so much to nt in his soul.

    ''So it shouldn''t be harmful right?''

    But there was a reason Raith knew he should have his guard up. And that reason was none other than the fact tha¡­

    He paused and btedly took to note, his surroundings.

    "What the hell?"

    Raith''s eyes widened with shock. This ce had be a ne on its own. A soul ne?

    The sky was vast and seamless, a crimson star bathing everything in a red ethereal glow, the surface he was standing on was smooth like paved road, but it bore a reflection of him and the sky. The ce was shrouded in darkness undoubtedly.

    But much of it retreated into the distant horizons and edges because of the crimson star hanging above.

    Raith looked up, he knew what that is. He knew what this is. The borders encroached in darkness, the ground like ne of water, reflecting the crimson star and its star that sat like a lonely goddess.

    The darkness in him, the light which wasn''t a light as he had thought but was rather an illumination cast forth by something he didn''t know yet¡­ and¡­

    Raith looked up.

    ''...the source.''

    It was a really beautiful ce.

    Everything in him had taken a form and settled down. The slight pain of being torn apart too was gone. Raith felt himself again¡­ no¡­ himself was not what he was feeling. He felt way better than he had ever felt ever since he could remember.

    Three different mystical things took root in his soul, settled and were growing in the vessel of his body. He had no idea what they were but he felt very peaceful.

    Maybe now he would be able to channel his energy.

    He closed his eyes and left his soul ne. Opening his eyes to reality.

    Thard - Harl''s lips curled upwards.

    "Took you so long fool"

    Raith slowly looked at his hand.

    "I''m brimming with power."

    Not just that¡­ the pouring blood from his wound was bing crystalline, the pain was reduced and the crystal seemed to be merging his flesh. It felt very good and not so good at the same time.

    Raith''s eyes glowed up regardless. Would it be safe to say he had somehow gained some kind of healing powers.

    "Now, that you have sessfully channeled your energy. You should be able to do better with your attacks. Just like how you have made your energy reach every area of your body, you can also extend it to your sword and attack with it."

    The asura snapped his fingers and disappeared.

    ''What does he mean? I haven''t even channeled yet¡­"

    Raith''s body was filled with so much power because darkness, light and the power of the red crystal had found bnce in him. Naturally reinforcing his body ten times better than before.

    Now, he could take off one of those three energies and¡­

    Raith paused the process just as he was about to start. He felt like that was not what he was supposed to do. The role he yed in the essence of these three entities of power was bnce. So what did it speak of him, if he takes of one and not the other.

    Currently, each entity had taken a role, a prerogative in his soul. Raith as the vessel also needed to do the same. Bnce.

    ''...maybe, just maybe¡­ what I should do is merge the three energies?''

    However, that was not doable now. Not when this monster here had been freed from its frozen state.

    ''What did he do¡­ did he freeze time¡­''

    Raith wondered as he prepared himself for the onught of the monster.

    It was currently turning around, trying to face him. And as it did¡­ it shot forward, causing the whole depth to shudder with tremors.

    The monster rushed at Raith with its elephantine legs, heavily carrying its tremendous weight. As it closed the distance, itsrge mouth opened wide, raking the ground and sucking it in with an invisible force.

    Raith lowered his leg, pushing his weight down. He shot into the sky and rolled over the monster as he began to descend. The monster''s tentacles followed Raith''s. Lashing at the air.

    But Raith''s movement had be sharper, less savagery and more refined. He easily battered away the tentacles witj his sword, no matter how many times theyshed towards him, the result was the same. His speed was like weaving lightning and each crashing let out a thunderous roar.

    The force of his blocks were now even stronger, as the tentacle stubbornly strike at him, very few meters away fromnding on the monster. Raith spun his sword, shing the tentacles with a coiling impact that made it go stiff for a second.

    He held his sword high up and as hended on the monster, with all his might, he plunged the sword into the monster''s¡­ it broke?

    Raith''s eyes widened in shock. The sword did not make it into the monster''s skin, instead it broke.

    Raith was pped away by the monster''s tentacles and flew into the wall of the cliff. The whole ce shuddered with a mighty quaking.

    The monster turned to where Raith had crashed into and plunged its tentacles in that direction, it''s pad end, widening with a vicious screech.

    It crashed into the wall creating clouds of dust. Raith flew out of the cloud andnded on the ground, almost falling to his knee. He picked himself up and darted towards the monster, its second tentacles descended on him like an heavenly whip.

    Raith jumped away. It smashed the floor, sending splinters of stones. The other one had its fangs stuck in the stone it had ferociouslyshed at I''m hopes to shred Raith''s skin.

    So, the monster was stuck with only one tentacle to use. Raith ran and slid under the the tentacles as it swiped toward him, he rolled and bounced to his feet not reducing his speed of motion one bit¡­ all those drills were helpful after all.

    He clenched his fist tightly and as he got so close to the monster''s forelimb¡­ then smashed it.

 Chapter 386 Tough Fight (1)

    <h4>Chapter 386 Tough Fight (1) </h4>

    ?Feeling a devastating tremor travel through his muscles, Raith retracted his hand then, crashed another punch into the monster''s leg.

    A of crack appeared on its stonelike skin. It really was like punching a stone wall, the monster''s body was protect by a powerful scale of stone that made it imprable to every attack.

    With an endless spring of energy formidifying his body, Raith was now beyond your average strong guy, ording to the otherworldly standards.

    ''It''s working!''

    Seeing the of cracks, Raith grimaced with an even scarier determination, contracting his fist and bashing another thunderpping blow that finally broke apart the monster''s skin.

    Finally, he twirled the broken sword and plunged it into the cracked space. Purple ichor poured out like spring.

    Raith immediately, dislodged the attack, and pummeled it again. He did it multiple times deepening the wound on the monster''s leg. Each time the gigantic abomination, let out a babyish screech,shing its tentacles around in frenzy. Even though it had managed to remove the one that was hooked, it was weaker than the other.

    Raith paid no attention the disaster that was happening around him as the monster smashed its tentacles around the cliff. He allowed lightning strikes run amok. Punching faster and harder by each sesecond.

    The stone cracked, and broke into pieces evenrger than the former. Raith without wasting a second used the broken sword to tear across a sh. He twirled the sword in his hand. Then brought it back down.

    He gripped harder, pushing his hand back. The air seemed to part as the edge of the broken sword whizzed through it and sank into the monster''s leg, bathed in a downpour of purple ichor. Raith pushed harder, until it was reach the hilt.

    It was sad that the sword had broken if not, better damage would have been done. But thanks to the de''s noble sacrifice, this crazy idea urred to him.

    His knuckle was peeled, his hand was trembling. But he didn''t mind. Moreso, the crystallization of his blood made everything bearable. It was much betterpared to when he fought Slyvia.

    Pushing the fond memories of hispanions away, Raith flew with mad speed. Trying to reach the hindlimb as it was farther.

    Before he could however, the monster suddenly ejected a storm of white smoke. In a second, the entire depth was covered by white smokes.

    And Raith found himself trapped in an impregnable wall of them. The bastard had managed to trap him in the center of its illusionary attack.

    Raith looked at his hand.

    ''Darn, this one is broken''

    What was the assurance that the same attack was even going to work twice. He couldn''t be too sure. There was more possibility that the first one was sessful because it caught the monster off guard.

    The smoke illusion must be some kind of defense mechanism the monster uses to protect or hid itself.

    Raith narrowed his eyes, cautiously looking around him.

    ''What if it decided to use it as an attack¡­''

    Hiding itself within the vast sea of smoke and being unseen, surely the monster would be able to easily attack and vanquish its prey.

    ''Wait¡­''

    Raith grimaced.

    ''Maybe, this was not a defence mechanism at all¡­''

    How could he have missed it. Not that the monster wanted to hide itself from anyone, what if the purpose the sea of smoke served was to cause to be some kind of deception, a trap for the monster to easily kill its prey.

    Hard skin, tentacles with thorn pads,rge fangs, and illusion smoke. Its features were defined for a specific pattern of attack. Long ranged. And even if it''s prey does manage to get close to it, the abomination could eject smoke and lost its prey in a sea of illusion, then kill them.

    But judging by how long this is taking. Raith was guessing¡­ either the monster was taking its time to get its prey, or it couldn''t it.

    It was a thick, unseeable wall after all.

    And the monster had only one eyes.

    Raith peered at the dagger in his hands then sighed.

    Defeating a monster on this scale was outrageous¡­ really. ''What is this darned asura thinking''

    Raith nced back with a callous frown. Then reorganized his attention a minuteter.

    "This is pretty simple"

    He was going to do it. Fuck what the asura thinks he was going to use at least one of his skill to bring this thing down.

    He powered his knee pouring strength into his lower body. Then he jumped.

    He plunged out of the sea of smoke and rolled into the air, clenching his fist as he began a descent. The winds howled into his ear as he went on a free fall.

    Raith narrowed his eyes, the red one glinting with a subtle red ethereal glow but before the demon eyes could activate. Blood burst out of his eyes making him go blind in that moment.

    The monster''s tentacle stretched out with a wind tearing speed and wrapped around Raith''s leg. It''s thorn biting dip into his legs.

    Then it brought him down. mmed him heavily to the ground. The whole ce shuddered under the impact of the smash, thunderous crashing sound traveled across thendscape, towards the mountains.

    The archerdy watched with gritted teeth. Her eyes stayed squinted all these while, she watched the entire battle unfold with her focus eye.

    Hatred angrily rose in her as she watched the strange man tood and do totally nothing. She had earlier thought he came to collect her bow because he was going to use it. But he isn''t doing anything with it.

    Something caught her attention however, the same moment when the tentacles of the monster captured Raith''s leg.

    The ma raised his hand to his mouth and coughed. The rest was too far for her to see.

    Meanwhile, Thard - Harl moved his hand away from his mouth and stared at his palm with aplex gloomy expression on his face.

    ''Blocking out this kid''s ability is suddenly exerting more toll on me. Just how strong is he from channeling his energy.''

    He brought out a napkin and wiped the purple blood away from his palm.

    ''Fel¡­ I wonder what the hell it is we are brooding.''

 Chapter 387 Tough Fight (2)

    <h4>Chapter 387 Tough Fight (2) </h4>

    ?Free falling was the least he had to worry about. The abominable creature shot its tentacle and captured his legs with its fanged pads. It swung him up and smashed him on the ground again. Flipped him over to the other side and smashed again.

    With each smash, Raith felt his senses give out. Tremors ran across his muscles to his head, shaking his brain in fact. He clearly passed out for two or three seconds each time and was unable to do anything.

    Thard - Harl on the other hand watched him get beaten mercilessly. With a nk frown hinged on his face.

    ''I hope you are enjoying this bastard. I hope you are seeing this and you are ugh¡­!!''

    "Uwerghk!!"

    His thoughts got interrupted as the monster mmed him again ¨C He sponged out a liquid mass of crimson as the monster mmed him to the ground. His whole body shuddered and toppled under the force of its power.

    Not to say of the piercing pain, diving like arrows through his muscles, soon even his thigh and every nerve in his body was beginning to hurt as much. Yet, Raith gritted his teeth, his endurance for pain was to be respected. He bit on his teeth like he was biting hard metal. Trying to stay woke and sane from the pain.

    The monster was relentless, furious obviously. The speed of its tentacles suddenly increased and smashed Raith without rest. mming to this side of the ground then to that side and to this side again.

    It was a very disturbing scene, and that Raith was still struggling and forcing himself out every uncontroble attempt at fainting was almost synonymous to a miracle.

    He jacked himself off the the powerful grip of unconsciousness. Bent down and circled his hands around the tentacles. It was very ufortable and hard to maintain a position like considering that the tentacle was currently whoozing through the air to smash him on the ground again.

    And as it did, Raith yelped but bit his teeth down immediately. The pain was more intense this time because his hack was curved. He felt like his cords had been vited.

    As the tentacle took up again. Raith did not miss the timing, he narrowed his arms, choking the tentacles within it.

    A screech soared into the air and the appendage suddenly became stiff and stopped midair. Raith grinned and put more power to his arms, cramping therge gellum with more strength.

    The monster continued to scream, filling the atmosphere with a deafening sound of metal scraping against another metal.

    Despite its pitiful cry, Raith did not stop. The second wounded tentacle finally began to move.

    ''...just a little more¡­ almo¡­st there!''

    The tentacle encircled within Raith''s arms burst, it''s vessels spitting out purple blood. Raith felt the tentacles fang reduce its pressure on his leg.

    He contracted his hand then reamed it into the appendage, tearing it out on one side.

    The tentacle fell helplessly, loosing it grip on Raith.

    Thedy that watched from the mountain was filled with so much awe, her eyes widened and glimmered with a dangerous likening.

    Raith was falling though. She had to do something, she thought and frowned a secondter.

    The youngdy took a few steps back and leaped away from the mountain with all the speed she could currently gather. She began loosing her armor as she floated in the air.

    As she did, her underclothe was armless, and on her forearm a webbed tattoo could be seen stretching towards her elbow, it was the same for the other hand too.

    The youngdy''s eyes shone with a pink light and something began to ster off her skin. It stretched out like a webbed transparent wing and was soon pping, turning to a blur.

    Thedy turned into a ray of pink light and dove down, catching Raith in her arms just before he could touch the floor.

    Raith was initially ready to twist his body in thest effort to absorb the shock of thending. There was nothing that could have happened, he was not going to die from that kind ofnding besides now, he had the blood crystallization property of the [source].

    Thedy caught him just when he was about to twist, so it was quite an awkward position, his back and butt facing her face. His hands extended and ready to take thending first.

    Now he was frozen in a position like that¡­ in her arms. She gentlynded and as she tried to get bnce, she had underestimated the weight of the human she wanted to help.

    In fact, that she had managed to even carry him was owed to the weightless property of her wing. When in the air, she looses her weight, anything she touches also loses their weight.

    However, the moment her feet touches the ground? The skill would stop functioning. She stumbled to the ground and Raith fell on her.

    Immediately, he shot to his feet. Clouding his embarrassment with seriousness, he turned to the monster.

    "Thank you but this battle is far from over."

    He howled and turned to the monster. With one tentacle almost ineffect and onepletely dead, it was left with no more choice but to use the only thing it knew had most.

    The monster''s third tentacle turned to them and at that moment it began to run forward. However, a little meters to the front, it forelimbs expelled more river of blood and the monster came crumbling on its belly.

    Raith grinned, ''don''t you dare underestimate me! You piece of crap''

    Raith had gone for its legs for a reason. Even though he wasn''t able toplete deal with all four legs.

    The monster had an overall stone coated body. Should it decide to use that body with its crushing weight, that would drive Raith to a corner.

    Initially he had wanted to immobilize itpletely and prevent the vile abomination from using its body as power. But Raith failed at it.

    But that worked out for the best anyways. The abomination was currently unable to walk. It''s weight was too much for only the hindlimb to bear.

    Not wasting further seconds, Raith took off, ran fast and limbed over the monster''s back.

    He clenched his fist and began a rain of pummeling.

 Chapter 388 Victory Alas

    <h4>Chapter 388 Victory s </h4>

    ?Raith was damped in purple blood as he came put of the monster body.

    After pummeling the monster with his blows, creating a hole that could size him. He forced his entire body into the creature''s internals and began to break through everything. That was only when the creature met its end.

    As he brought himself outpletely, a fountain of purple blood splurged out of the hole he came out from.

    Raith was holding something in his hand, it was a violet orb.

    He jumped down the body while looking at it. The ground cracked. Raith oblivious to it, lifted his gaze to thedy.

    ''She must be the archer.''

    "Ah¡­ah¡­ you got a purple monster core¡­"

    She gestured shyly to his hands.

    "Monster core? Oh. Right this is that?"

    The youngdy stared at him nkly for a second, ''what is it with this guy¡­ he seems¡­'' she brought back her trailing eyes and stered a sweet smile on her face. Not that it moved Raith in any way.

    "Thank you for your help¡­"

    As Raith appreciated the youngdy, Thard - Harlnded softly on the ground. Thedy threw a scowl at him immediately.

    "You! How can you be so wicked? Surely you have it within you to end that monster far easier than anyone could have. But what did you do?! Absolutely nothing."

    With a puffed face she red for a couple of minutes scrutinized his hand then aggressively collected her folded vow.

    Raith drew a nd expression between her and Thard as the youngdy nagged at the asura. He wanted tough but wouldn''t have dared. A lot about him might have settled and the path forward seemingly looking easier but hell, he was still far from being able tond a blow on the asura.

    ''Let''s be careful¡­''

    "Young man. Thank you so much for helping my vige. I will make sure you are rewarded nicely."

    The youngdy turned to him, her sweet smile precariously making its way back.

    "Huh? There''s a reward?"

    He looked at thedy, shocked. Then he pierced Thard - Harl with a scowl and said:

    "Were you going to take the reward without telling me about it?"

    "I am sure he would. He seemed like a dubious person." Thedy replied, staring daggers at Thard - Harl.

    Raith turned away and covered his mouth with one hand smiling shortly and turning like all was fine. He bit in the remnant of the smile as he bit his lips.

    The youngdy''s eyes became somber as they slowly glided down the bloodied warrior before her eyes. He was like a war general, one unexpectedly triumphant in the most vile of manners.

    She had never witnessed anyone fight like Raith did, the persistence and tenacity.

    ''Maybe if it''s him¡­''

    A strange and wild thought entered her mind. Almost weaving lines of worry on her face but she switchedst second, wiping whatever that was off her face and covered with a cast of concerned eyes.

    "Young warrior¡­ you have incurred so much injuries. Please permit me to first take you to the physician. He will tend to your wound."

    Finally being conscious of the wounds and streaming blood on both his legs, Raith smiled. As much as he wanted to take her on the offer, there were more pressing matters. Besides, the blood crystallization will do its thing, even now his blood was slowly turning solid.

    "Please don''t concern yourself with that. But, you mentioned something about huh¡­ rewards?"

    Raith scratched the back of his head, trying not to seem too forward.

    "Ah! Of course. A warrior like you will be concerned about that. The Deep Dweller is a creature that has gued our vige for over five decades now."

    "Deep Dweller?"

    "Yes. The monster you just killed is a deep dweller, they are notmon but they are known to dwell in deep ces that''s why they were named deep dwellers. This particr one is a juvenile and has been feeding off our vige soil."

    Raith loured slightly, squinting his eyes.

    "Wait what do you mean by that?"

    "Oh, if you don''t know that then you must be a foreigner he...heee¡­ well, they are soilivorous in nature. They feed on the properties of soil by burrowing the depth with their tentacles."

    Raith looked around now that the whole ce was clear. He could now see holes that had been reamed through the ground. Everything made sense now.

    So he spent so much effort trying to kill a creature that can''t even kill him, that too a juvenile? Wait, couldn''t he have just even passed without disturbing it. Thard - Harl had clearly said, "it will eat us up before we cross the bridge" or something like that.

    ''...that bastard again''

    Raith btedly paused his thought but to his surprise, the asura didn''t give any expression. He just red at the youngdy without saying anything yet.

    "Alright then. Let us go to the vige. I will inform the vige chief of what you have done and you shall be rewarded."

    Raith beamed. ''Sure sure, reward is nice'' the sound of it made him so fulfilled.

    He turned to Thard - Harl.

    "It''s okay right? To go¡­"

    "We are going there anyways."

    The asura''s response was short and precise. Then he jumped out of the depth.

    The youngdy stared at him in a refuting manner and then smiled at Raith.

    "Young warrior. You can follow me. If you need help, I can carry you." She uttered, pointing to her back.

    Her transparent wings peeled out of her skin like a tattoo given the breath of life. It began to p and became a blur a couple of secondster. Slowly, her leg was lifted up the ground. Raith watched her withdraw higher.

    Then he jumped. His legs were seriously injured so he had to leap a number of times and climb but the cliff was not that high, in a dozen minutes he was on the surface. The youngdy was waiting for him there.

    And Thard - Harl¡­ Raith looked around. He seemed to have wandered away. ''What is wrong with him''

    "Let''s go." The youngdy implored gleefully.

    "Huh¡­" Raith nodded, still searching if Thard - Harl had trailed off somewhere else.

    The two began walking towards the towering forest on the other side of the bridge.

    "What are you going to do with that warrior?"

    Raith looked at the youngdy and looked at where her eyes were quizzically staring at.

    "Oh this? I don''t know?"

    "Oh. I see."

    She replied with a sunken expression. ''Does he not want to talk to me¡­ his replies to me are too short. I''d like to talk to him though''

    She kept walking with her face down.

    [It can be absorbed. For a yer, absorbing a monster core will increase their levels]

    "It will?"

    "Sir?" Her face rose with radiance and haste, her eyes full of enthusiasm.

    "I''m sorry¡­" Raith apologized shyly and went silent.

    The youngdy pouted and turned to her front, they were silent throughout the rest of the journey. To her, it felt like Raith was in his head, totally lost in something as both of them walked together.

    There was just so much that had happened in less than forty minutes. Now, he was caught up in his head thinking about all that stuff.

    He especially couldn''t wait to settle somewhere private, they were a couple of things he was supposed to do starting with absorbing this monster core to gain levels.

 Chapter 389 The Reward

    <h4>Chapter 389 The Reward </h4>

    ?Nestled between gently sloping emerald hills sat a charming vige. Verdant fields checkered thendscape, some lying fallow while others bore neat rows of sprouting crops that swayedzily in the soft breeze.

    Scattered haphazardly across this countryside were the vige''s quaint cottages, no two exactly alike. Their paneled tin roofs glinted like jewels under the afternoon sun, cascading waves of crimson, azure, and other shimmering colors. Sturdy concrete walls bore witness to decades past.

    Though the cottages were uniform in basic shape and size, each one bore slight variations that spoke to the character of its upants - one abode had a third narrow window tucked under the eaves to amodate their beloved potted herbs while another''s door was but a stoop to better suit their tired bones.

    Some boasted exterior staircases of up to four mossy stone steps that weed guests to the heavy oaken doors snuggled within, whereas others opened straight from the dirt paths threading through the vige.

    Behind each homey gardened patches cross-hatched with stone pathways overlooking the fields beyond, daily trodden from back door to soil and home again at dusk.

    Far in the distance atop a gently rising knoll sat thergest and stateliest cottage of all - home to vige chief.

    Its sage-colored walls and burgundy shingled roofmanded the best views of the surroundingnds. His dwelling was essible by a winding cobblestone thoroughfare that cut narrowly between the lower vige homes before rising to meet his small courtyard garden, which was always alive with sweetly perfumed blossoms from the surrounding woonds.

    Currently, Raith was walking on this cobblestone path, a few meters away from her garden. He had passed the main vige. He had to say, this ce is enviable livelypared to several other ces, especially in Therut.

    It''s an understatement for it to be called a vige. The people lived well, most of them of course were not currently in. The youngdy had informed him that each viger had a portion of the field where they cultivate. After cultivating for a season which was the period of three months.

    Harvests are coted together and Hektor some charismatic young man Raith had an encounter with¡­

    Raith shook his head at the silly guy as he remembered again.

    Quite strange how such a guy was trusted and in charge of transporting the vigers harvest to the capital where it is sold and hees back with the money which is then shared equally amongst the vigers regardless of the effort input.

    Raith on his opinion found that part of to be very faulty, first of all, a very suspicious, perfectly fine and too handsome young man like Hektor was overseeing the trade?

    ''...there''s nothing you can tell me. That guy is a swindler.''

    Now, to make matters worse ¨C the profits are shared evenly regardless of effort input. Although thedy had mentioned that thezy are greatly punished, from Raith''s point or view, this does not justify that act enough.

    But it wasn''t his business, he was just going to sweep in, collect his rewards, make investigations about his bounty, whose name he had forgotten by the way and sweep right out.

    As they reached the pathway between the garden leading to the chief''s door. Raith turned back onest time. There was still no signs of Thard - Harl.

    He had been looking around throughout their journey to the hill, the asura was nowhere to be found and Raith was starting to get worried.

    ''...not that I care. It''s just that if something happens to him, how am I supposed to get stronger? Or get home?''

    Raith hade to understand the role of the asura in his life and after seeing himself today battling a monster, Raith was beginning to feel the overwhelming passion to get better.

    "Father can be quite insensitive and harsh to stranger. But you are different, you defeated the deep dweller for us." The youngdy said to him.

    He didn''t ask and didn''t care if some egotistical and antique vige chief was going not going to be nice to him. Just the rewards¡­ yeah, the rewards was all that matter. That reward was not just for killing the deep dweller. It was also topensate for the sufferings and the days spent in that cursed ne.

    Thedy on the other hand lowered her head, blushing a little.

    Raith scratched his cheek, feeling uneasy with thedy''s body movement. This was not the first, second or third time it was happening throughout their journey.

    A normal person should have suspected long what this girl was onto but Raith, as clueless as ever, genuinely thought she was probably not feeling too well. Therefore it made him uneasy that she still decided to walk slowly with him and talked to him, about the customs of the vige despite the distress she was in.

    He watched her walk forward, her hips swaying gently before his eyes. He could see the tattoo on her back more clearly, although a major part was covered by her green linen which hung between her scap. The webbed tattoo was inly expressed on her shoulders, upper back and arm.

    ''...I wonder what she is¡­ she can''t be human with that wing¡­ maybe a fairy?''

    Raith scoffed silently while thedy knocked the door. A fairy was a far - fetched idea, what is this a fantasynd? Besides fairies from the story he read were much more smaller.

    The door opened and youngdy turned to him with her everly bright smile.

    "Come on young warrior. Father has invited us in"

    ''Father? Hm.. so she''s the vige chief daughter. No wonder, she knew everyone.''

    He gently followed her into the state-of-art cottage, as far as the definition of state-of-art goes in this area.

    The floors of the cottage gleamed with smooth wooden tilesid centuries past, worn gentle by the generations who walked them. Woven rugs scattered vibrant warmth across the chilly stone. Sconces of wrought iron curled and twisted like vines up the pirs, each cradling a glowing orb that gave radiance to the dark room as Raith and thedy entered.

    On a reading chair surrounded by bookshelves carved into the walls, sat an astute elderly man, his shoulder was broad and his shape in general was almost rectangle. Round sses with golden rim slid slowly down his nose, his eyeballs sank downward, trying to peer into the sses to create a clear visage of the human standing.

    After an awkward couple of seconds. The man dropped the book he was holding and stood up.

    His height was not much different from when he was sitting, plus his back was bent. He slowly walked towarde the youngdy and looked up with a slight¡­ disturbing frown.

    "You went to fight it again?"

    His voice was rough, and wrinkled like his skin, weathered by time and almost breaking. His aura however was genteel and calming.

    But Raith for some reason had all his senses high up.

    "Father! We did it this time. The Deep dweller is dead!" The girl acimed. But it seemed to not having any effect on the man.

    "Yes. I saw."

    Every fell in gauche silence. Like three secondste, the man looked past thedy, his squinty eyes harrowing every of Raith''s being.

    Raith felt like he was being turned out from the insides. The man was obviously not using anything like skill or whatnot. If that was the case, Sage would have alerted him. By looking at him alone, Raith could tell¡­

    This was the kind of eyes that came from an immense amount of profundity, one born out of untold experiences.

    The fact that it made him ufortable still stood though. And following a few seconds, Raith returned the gesture with a piercing gaze of his own. His two color eyes, burning with a fervor of keen scrutiny.

    The atmosphere crackled, almost being ignited by mes of impending doom. It was so evident that even thedy could feel it. Before she could talk though¡­ the man carved a senile smile on his face.

    "It is indeed nice to meet you young man. For a minute, I thought that you were a hero but it seems you are not."

    Raith narrowed his eyes at man''s remark.

    ''Didn''t he mean it the other way round?''

    Besides that, the whole ce changed just because of a little smile. Everywhere was shrouded in sparks of uncertainty, Raith was in fact thinking he might have to fight the man should he try any nonsense. Because he was in no mood for nonsense.

    All he looked forward to was the gift. Maybe they were going to give him some food, and money. He was interested more in the money aspect. It would be more befitting, since he would still be going to his training ground after hunting his bounty.

    "Comee¡­ let us settle."

    He said that but was walked forward, past Raith and back into the garden. The old man picked a cane beside the door outside, funnily Raith didn''t notice when he was entering, or maybe he just didn''t pay attention to it.

    The man gently supported his crumbling body with the cane and walked towards the garden on his left. There was a pathway to guard their feet to a small tea altar.

    "Here, have you seat." He uttered, clicking his cane on the mounded seat opposite him.

    Raith sit down but the youngdy was standing.

    He looked at her.

    "I can give a little space for both of us to manage."

    "No, young warrior it is fine. This is how I should be." She replied with a closed-eyes smile.

    Somehow, something about thar reply was bothersome to Raith even as the man started talking.

    "Young man. I praise your valor and spirit. It is very rare, to see a man with a generous heart such as yours."

    ''What is it with the politeness, just a minute ago he looked like he could skin me alive.''

    The man continued however:

    "The deep dweller is a creature that has gued our vige for many years. Eating away the nutrients of our soil and reducing out yields. I am sure you would havee by barrennds with ck soil before reaching the vige¡­"

    Indeed, Raith hade across a vast cknd, he didn''t need to think twice to conclude¡­ that was obviously the effect of the deep dweller eating away their soil.

    "...to bring an end to such creature is a noble act. We the vige of Mutata are indebted to you¡­" the man slowly bowed his head.

    Raith tried his best to be humble, also bowing his head shyly but deep inside he thought.

    ''Hey now¡­ what do you mean indebted¡­ what''s with the bow.''

    The chief carried on as he returned his head.

    "Even though we shall be rewarding you greatly for your act. We will still be indebted to you, the vige will be indebted in you. The heart of Mutata is farming. Here we cultivate rare food resources that are sold for expensive amounts in the capital. To save our soil is to save our soul¡­"

    ''Can this man just move to the reward part already.''

    "...because of that we would like reward you with the greatest thing we have."

    A small smile appeared on Raith''s face, he lowered his head in order to not make it obvious.

    The vige chief looked at thedy standing with somber eyes.

    "Theta." His voice was a little sunken.

    "Yes father." She responded, bowing on one knee.

    The man faced Raith again.

    "We will be living the guardian fairy of our vige in your hands."

    Raith arched a brow¡­ ''What the fuck?''

 Chapter 390 The Golden One

    <h4>Chapter 390 The Golden One </h4>

    ?Raith drew a deadpan expression, looking at both without a hint of emotion in his eyes. After a few seconds, he restructed his expression and raised a brow.

    "Sorry for what? Leave her with me? Why?"

    The old man¡­ now looking more like silly and nonsensical to Raithpared to the former sagacity, replied Raith with breathing spaces in his speech.

    "Young warrior¡­ this is the greatest service¡­ we could receive. How can we pay such debt¡­ we can only hope that you marry our guardian fairy¡­ and be the vige head someday."

    "Wo wo wo wo. Hey now, slow down there old ma!"

    Even though he didn''t initially intend to drive his words in that manner, Raith couldn''t help it. What was thus man going on about marriage¡­ about bing the vige head. From where to where? What the hell was going on here? Raith was dumbfounded.

    "I''m sorry, I am not going to marry your daugh¡­ fairy guardian? Fuck I don''t care whatever she is. I am not going to marry her nor will I be your vige head."

    The man''s eyes widened, he suddenly fell to the floor, his head mming the ground.

    "Young warrior. Do you want the wrath of the gods to be upon us¡­ all debts must he paid equally. Please take this reward and free us from the impending doom that could destroy us!"

    ''...eh?''

    Raith''s mouthed tore agape. It was getting harder toprehend what was happening here.

    "What do you mean wrath of the gods?" He asked, his brows furrowed with confusion.

    "We have three gods who are constantly overseeing this area, although they work in a cycle but there are some constantly maintained principles that do not change regardless of the one that is one the broken throne." Theta, thedy kneeling beside him responded.

    Raith''s eyes narrowed. ''Thisdy is spewing some things I can''t even understand''

    Oblivious to his thoughts, Theta continued.

    "The zero rule of debt is one of the most held rule of the region. In fact it is the one principles that holds every other thing together. One must not take what is not his, what is deserving of one should be what they get. These two fundamental principles have maintained a principle around our region. You are a warrior that saved our soil¡­" Theta closed her eyes, she lingered before continuing:

    "We cannot atone enough for the good you have done for us. And if you want to do us a good, it is necessary that you ept this reward or else it will incur the wrath of the broken throne. Even the gods cannot disobey it."

    Raith''s face ttened out, seemingly relieved of its frown. But a cautious and serious expression stayed on his face.

    "I don''t understand what is going on¡­ however, I think I might first need to understand what is this thing about the broken throne. That even gods are subjected to its will."

    "The broken throne is am ancient artifact. How long it dates, we have no idea, it has been in this region and is what is keeping us protected. It is so precious that even three gods were assigned to protect it in and out of seasons."

    Raith rubbed his scruffy jaw, squinting his eyes a little. An ancient artifact that is being protected by three gods? This was a lot ofplications, several things seemed to be tied to whatever culture these people were tied with.

    He couldn''t boast of a great intuition, especially since he could boast of mental skills anymore - save Sage_m8de. But there was one thing he had a substantial amount of intuition for. It was danger. Before he was willing to walk into it knowing very much that it could only make him stronger as it can''t kill him.

    But now¡­ hearing gods, ancient artifact. All those things sounded very dangerous, and he didn''t want to know about it. First series of trouble came from knowing more than one should.

    Gathering his words, Raith raised his head to Theta and to the elderly man who was still bowing. He decided that it was useless trying to make the man stand so he faced Theta alone.

    "Alright. It''s fine, I understand what this it. Since it has turned out like this, let''s forget about the reward. Instead there is a reason¡­"

    "No! Young warrior no!"

    ''Ah ah?'' Raith arched his brow, looking at the man with subtle contempt now filling his face.

    "What do you want me to do? I can''t marry the youngdy and just have decided to be kind!" Raith controlled the rising tempo of his voice, almost shouting at the man.

    The vige chief however did not seem to care.

    "The greatest act of kindness you can ever do us is to ept our reward and marry the guardian fairy, and be the vige chief."

    ''Oh hell, now where is Thard - Harl.''

    As if he was waiting for it all along. The asura appeared behind him with an indifferent expression.

    "Oh God! Where have you been?!"

    For the first time in his life, Raith was actually d to see Thard - Harl around. He flung up from his seat gave the asura a friendly hug, pulling his body back, he looked at Thard - Harl.

    "Let''s go now."

    The indifferent expression on Thard - Harl''s face creased into a frown.

    "Go where?" He inquired.

    "Where else¡­ to find our prey."

    Thard - Harl gave him a disgusted stare.

    "Young warrior! Please save us."

    Thard - Harl lowered his head to the elderly man on the floor, a secondter a scowl entered his face and he pierced deadly gaze into Raith''s eyes.

    "What have you done?"

    "What do you mean what have I done. I didn''t do anything!"

    Raith replied with a bit of rage. This entire situation was so strange to him too so why was the asura ring at him like he hadmitted a taboo.

    Thedy, Theta¡­ had a slight frown on her face since the presence of the asura. She looked at Raith onest time, holding back some emotions before she finally spoke.

    "I''m sorry to trouble you like this. But this is the culture that we have always upheld. Because I didn''t want to live my life serving anyone that was why I took it upon myself to kill the depth dweller myself. But I was not enough¡­"

    She bit her lips, lowering her head before she continued.

    "It is why I have to swallow my pride and ask that you ept my father''s reward and be the vige chief of Mutata."

    "Ughh?" Thard - Harl''s voice came almost like a low growl.

    "Be the vige chief?"

    Raith leaned closer to Thard - Harl and whispered to his ears.

    "Apparently, these people have gods watching over them and they must never owe debts or else the gods will descend and punish them for it. Thisw has formidified the foundation of their belief and has even permeated every of their lifestyle."

    Thard - Harl folded his arms, tapping one finger on his elbow. Silence drowned the tension for a few minutes then¡­

    "Has this ever happened before?"

    Theta looked up to the asura, her face still visible with vicious contempt, however slightly.

    "What do you mean?" She questioned.

    "Has there ever been a case like this one where these things you call gods actually came down to punish you all."

    "Celestial one. The Setzu vige suffered a fate of destruction for their ignorance. There is nothing left of that ce but ruins and sands of blood." The old man exined, shoulder trembling.

    The fear he exuded as he spoke made his words heavy and could be felt in the tone of his voice.

    "You should know best¡­ you are an existence not too far from the deluge of these beings."

    Thard - Harl frowned a little bit, meanwhile, Raith wore a dour expression.

    "You seem quite insightful old man." Thard - Harl intoned, turning to the man.

    "Not every day does one see a tall human with a very pale skin such as yours. With that extraordinary energy hovering around you, it is an undisputable fact, you are an asura."

    Theta''s eyes widened, her head quickly fell with humility and respite. ''He was an asura all along? No wonder he was so rude and arrogant.''

    "I guess being a fairy makes you think you have the guts to insult me?"

    She shivered and lowered her second knee, kissing her head to the ground and bowing properly.

    "I am so sorry. Forgive me celestial one."

    This was the first time Raith was seeing how Thard - Harl was being received by other people. He looked at the asura who smirked at him proudly. He was clearly enjoying it, especially since Raith who had no awe for him was currently standing right here.

    These people seem to be knowledgeable about Celestials and gods and other things such as artifacts. However, both in Therut and Earth, there is nothing of such. Compared to these people, it''s like humans there are kept in a total blindness.

    Thard - Harl mentioned something about they being protected. Was that the case? What is going on¡­ why are the humans on earth in so much darkness about the truth of the world and its creation.

    ''...maybe it''s just some primordial''s yground?''

    There''s no saying that can''t be possible, after all these primordial''s created a power system just to have fun. Raith gritted his teeth thinking about it. The more his thought dove deeper the more angrier he seemed to be.

    But he couldn''t afford to be careless, one thing he has to understand first of all is that everything could be wrong. He had gotten to a juncture where he does not even know which is which anymore.

    If that is the case, he just needed to keep his eyes on one thing for now and stop his mind from being all over the situation and expanding it more than necessary.

    Thard - Harl crossed his hands behind his back and raised one leg on the wooden stool Raith had been sitting earlier.

    Raith scowled at his feet as the asura questioned the vige chief."

    "Have any of my kind ever been here?"

    "Yes¡­" He responded.

    "Who¡­"

    The elderly man hesitated for a seconds, peering into their faces. Then he finally talked:

    "The golden one."

 Chapter 391 Unknowing

    <h4>Chapter 391 Unknowing </h4>

    ?"Wait, did I hear right? A golden asura?"

    Raith lowered his brow, slight tension and fury building up in his eyes.

    The old man respond immediately:

    "Yes. The golden asura. He is the one referred to as one of the upper echelons¡­ he once came here a while to use the broken throne artifact"

    ''Again! Again with this broken throne¡­''

    While thought like that, what the man said made Thard - Harl react. His eyes widened and narrowed a secondter.

    "The artifact that Lessarect found. That thing is here?"

    Raith turned to Thard - Harl, a little surprise look on his face. Definitely, the asura also knew about this broken throne. Moreso, he just gave a name.

    ''Lessarect¡­''

    For some reason, the name was confusing to think about. Of course this was the first time he was hearing about it¡­ but how could he put it. Barely muttering those words in his mind made him not want to, he was sort of tired of thinking about her.

    The strangest thing was¡­ it felt like a lost emotion.

    Raith touched his chest, trying to figure out for himself if he''s in one piece. That name?...

    He shook his head slightly and warded the temptation away. He didn''t want to get too soaked in this matter to begin with. He just wants to get stronger and if that would mean obeying every single order given to him by this ruthless asura.

    For now, he had no other choice than to do so.

    Raith looked at the two conversing men and found his way back into their talk. Although he had lost a lot of information while he was distracted for a second or two.

    Right now, Thard - Harl just robbed his barren chin.

    "If the broken throne is here¡­ it makes sense as to why a worthless pig like Farngs is a wanted criminal."

    Raith widened his eyes casually and arched a brow.

    "So you knew about this guy."

    Thard - Harl read with his hands beneath his chin¡­

    "If this guy is somehow entwined with the broken thrones it will make sense why he has four thousand cowel coins on him despite being an amateur."

    "You are seriously not going to say anything about what I said."

    "Hmmm¡­ if that is the case. Then this might turn out to be more troublesome than I thought. Old man" He shifted his gaze to the elderly man who responded with all valiancy.

    "Get this young man a room to stay for the night. Whatever it is about bing the vige chief, it can wait until we are done with our business here."

    "Hey hey¡­ don''t just go around dictating for me like that."

    Raith uttered but became utterly quite as soon as Thard - Harl pierced him with a cold stare.

    "What?..."

    "You know this man we are hunting, you don''t think I deserve to know that." Raith weighed in with a frown.

    Standing up, Thard - Harl raised his chin.

    "And what right do you think you have to deserve any information from me. Don''t forget stupid human. As far as our rtionship goes. I am your master."

    Hepleted and disappeared.

    Raith stood there, disjointed and seething, his teeth gritting.

    A couple of secondster, the vige chief stood up but he still kept his head lowered before Raith.

    "It is so much honor to have you in our ce. As the celestial onr has said, we shall pend the matters of your reward and provide a ce for you to stay the night. If you don''t mind, Theta can stay with you to make sure you getfortable with her."

    The youngdy lowered a nod as her father chimed.

    "No no thanks. I will be perfectly fine. Alo¡­ne." Raith confuted. He looked at Theta who was now standing also, she looked to the other side with reddened cheeks as she noticed Raith''s eyes gliding down her body¡­the delicate tattoo on her smooth skin, her curves and uh¡­ no¡­ should he just ept it?

    Raith shook his head and focused all his faculties on the old man.

    "Shall I have the room please?"

    "Yes." He turned to thedy, "Theta, show him to the Vige Inn. And you should know this already but he should be given special treatment." The vige chief alluded, his eyes expressing a subtle gloom as he looked at his daughter.

    "Yes father."

    She replied with a submissive bow and turned to Raith.

    "Follow me warrior."

    Raith blew out a light sigh as thedy turned. Now, he had to deal with her backside and amodating all sorts of thoughts.

    What is this? He didn''t remember being this licentious with his thoughts. Could it be that he had been living an hermit for so long, now it was beginning to affect him.

    Well, it was not like he had done anything with any girl. He was twenty-two years old and still pretty much a virgin. A big one.

    They treaded back the narrow path that took them up the hill, descending into the vige and making two turns before they came upon argely decorated inn.

    Compared to other cottages, it wasrger and had two storeys, in fact seemingly more pretty than that of the vige chief''s. The higher floor held windows which each had their balcony, some were decorated with flowers vase while some were dirty.

    The lower floor however¡­ Raith could hear chatters and the throat itching smell of hell knows what!

    He pinched his nose together immediately.

    "What the fuck is that?" He mumbled out of his nose.

    "Oh, that must be Hev wine." Theta provided an answer with a jolly face.

    "What? This sickening smell is a wine? How do they even get used to it?"

    He pinched his nose even tighter, interchanging his gaze between the inn and Theta.

    She smiled, "It''s like that for anyone that has never tasted it but once you do it bes a very sweet and healthy drink. It was made from the abdominal fluid of a certain insect-type monster called Hevel fly and the nectar of Lave rose, which is very deadly to every other living organism except the hevel fly."

    She continued, her boisterous smile widening and her hands dancing around her words.

    "The Fly has a fluid that neutralizes the effect of the flower''s nectar but that fluid I''d toxic to other beings. So the fluid was mixed with the nectar and a naturalization came to y, with some fermentation process, it became a healthy alcohol but smells very bad. However¡­"

    "It''s fine." Raith stopped her. "That''s enough. I think I get the whole point."

    She pouted her mouth with a cute frown and mumbled, "the bad smell goes away after you drink it for the first time."

    "Can I just settle?"

    "Yes. Follow me."

    With a giddy demeanor, she entered the inn.

 Chapter 392 Crude Inn

    <h4>Chapter 392 Crude Inn </h4>

    ?Immediately Theta entered the first floor of the Inn which was a bar filled with men - her name bustled from here and there.

    "Our strong protector!"

    "Our cute fairy"

    "Theta, consider my marriage!"

    "Dang, I can''t just get used to that ass¡­"

    They said a lot of other nasty and good things that showed their individual standing on the girl''s matter. Whether it was genuine care or perverted one¡­ perhaps some just wanted to be the vige chief.

    But all through the chorused greetings, Theta forced a smile to everyone and answered without contempt. Raith also noticed that none of this drunk men dared to overstep their mark.

    Something like touching her or smacking her ass¡­ no, they all bowed respectfully regardless of the expressions on their faces.

    ''Maybe she is their guardian¡­''

    Him however¡­ People shot fierce gaze at him, some unharmful some filled with killing intent, there was even a particr guy that shed a kitchen knife at him and frowned so deeply that Raith had to gulp and look away.

    But Theta did not take long so Raith didn''t have to deal with more of these nonsense. A few minutes, she came to meet him, handing him a bronze key with silver ted holder.

    "I''ll show you to your room." She said to Raith and led him to the door adjacent the bartender section. Gazes of contempt filled their backs as they walked into the door and closed it.

    Immediately the drunkards gathered around and began to plot all sorts, discuss all sorts of possibilities as jobless men would.

    After climbing the stairs, Raith and Theta arrived at a door in a narrow hall. The doors were adjacent each other and the air in the passageway was sort of gloomy.

    "Am I the only one staying here?" He asked with a raised brow.

    She forced out a smile, her eyes shut and heads tilted.

    "These ce is for special guests alone¡­"

    Raith''s gaze lingered on her then he looked at the other room doors.

    ''Let''s hope nothing nasty happens.''

    Letting off her straining smile, she walked forward and inserted another key. Raith frowned.

    "You have a key?"

    "There''s double of every key¡­" She replied, this time her smile was provoking. "Besides, your room would be dirty. I suppose it will need cleaning."

    Raith couldn''t disagree with that part. As much as he wanted her to not hang around too much, he had never done house chores and a dirty ce will be very ufortable.

    Theta seeing his agreeing face opened the door and entered. They were first assaulted by a choky smell of wood. Theta closed her nose and waved her hand like a fan to ward off the cloud of dust. While Raith casually stepped back.

    The room was dark and even more gloomy. The mattress was a situated close to the edge of the wall, it''s longer length resting on the windowless part of the wall and the shorter length resting towards the windowed wall.

    The window was shut and directly beneath it was a random chair without table. Opposite the bed was a two sectioned wardrobe. That was all the big room was.

    These scantiness however provided a wide range of space on the wooden floor.

    Theta pushed out the window and forced it open. The darkness of the room was sharply illuminated by the bright rays of the light that came from the moving sky.

    "Hmm better¡­"

    She said and closed her eyes, putting out a hand like she wanted to receive something. The gesture aas quite off-putting to Raith until a secondter when he saw what was happening.

    His brows furrowed. Her tattoo lines began to glitter with different colors and rainbow colored speckles began to fill the room, bathing everything in a warm delicate glow.

    As the speckles fell on the floor, the dust disappeared, and the wooden floor was already glistening. Several other parts of the room followed suit.

    The walls, the bed, the wardrobe. In two dozen seconds, the room was sparkling clean.

    "Wow¡­" Raith''s eyes maintained a round shape, reflecting the glitters in its pupil.

    He looked at Theta, his jaws slightly dropping.

    "What are you?"

    Theta''s lips curled up beautifully. "I am a fairy¡­ thest of my kind."

    Raith watched at the ethereal glow of her tattoo slowly went dimmed then his eyes came to hers.

    "What is your worth?"

    His eyes squinted as he queried.

    Theta became a little bit confused, "I''m not sure what you mean¡­?"

    Her question was left fading into silence, Raith shook his head and then muttered:

    "Nevermind."

    Her focus stayed on his for a while, she still couldn''t make sense of what he meant so she discarded it, getting into the next matter.

    "So, as for food, I will get speak to thedy downstairs about it. And I can also help you cook something from home?"

    She cocked her head to the right, a slinky grin wearing thin on her face.

    "I would rather you do not?"

    "Is that a question or an answer¡­" She cocked her head to the left.

    "Don''t."

    "Then I cane visit youter."

    "Please don''t. If you don''t mind, I want to be alone."

    "Yes warrior. Ah¡­" She made a paused, a captivating smile curling up her lips. "Can I know your name. It will be rude to keep calling my future husband warrior."

    Raith breathed out heavily and beheld her face, his heart almost shifting towards her smile. He almost felt like something of his was about to storm out of his control, immediately he frowned.

    "My name is Raith. Raven Raith."

    "Okay Warrior Raith. I am Thetatherene, queen of the fairies. I''ll see youter." She leaned towards the window and raised one leg its frame, her skirt growing tight and slipping upwards. Her thighs were revealing¡­

    "What are you doing?"

    Raith stared down at the appealing legs and looked at her face.

    "Ah, don''t mind me. It is always embarrassing around those guys. So excuse me Raith."

    She gave another of captivating smile plus a wink and flew out, fidgeting through the air until she gained stability and flew away.

    Raith watched for a few seconds. He closed the window afterwards and looked around the sparkling room.

    Then he sat down on the chair, brought out the purple orb.

    "She said they usually absorb this¡­ shall we see what happens when I do?"

 Chapter 393 Artifacts

    <h4>Chapter 393 Artifacts </h4>

    ?Raith sat still with the orb in his hands. He first tried to feel the soul essence that was inside the monster core. Then he started to absorb it.

    Absorbing it was not hard. It was like in him was a mighty ma, all that the essence needed was a little guidance and it started pouring into him. Since, he was unable to level up due to the sin of greed influence, maybe this was the only way to gain straight.

    Although whatever would happen from absorbing a monster''s core is supposed toe as a shock to him because he had never done it before.

    A few seconds passed, he could vividly feel the essence flowing into him. But then¡­

    [Greed has absorbed high grade monster essence]

    [Greed has absorbed high grade monster essence]

    [Greed has absorbed high grade monster essence]

    ¡­

    The message continued like that until the orb in Raith''s hand lost its violet color and shattered to dust.

    Raith lowered his head. He fisted his hand and clenched tremblingly.

    ''Damn greed damn damn damn damn!''

    He released his tight grip and slowly exhaled.

    Then he summoned the letters that disyed his yer profile.

    yer Name: Raven Raith

    Health Points: 13,090/12,109

    yer True Name: B¡­''..l

    yer ss: Son Of Failure (reverie-tier)

    yer Level: 1

    GREED lv.1: 10/100

    [Cosmic energy], [Dark energy], [Source energy], [Aura]

    Raith glowered. ''A purple monster essence should be equal to a level ten dungeon in Therut right? That should be around the highest level gate on earth and all it gained from it is just ten points?! Sage exined to me the part that said it will take the experience points gotten from killing monsters!!"

    [Because of the peculiarity of your ss, you can''t gain experience point from killing monsters]

    ''Oh well, great just great. The abyss did this and now you are doing it too. It is well, you all just wound me, kill me however you like.''

    Raith frowned and looked down the rest of the profile.

    The energies he could wield¡­ [source energy] did not used to be there. Indeed, dispersing the soul sea must have caused this. Also, there were no numerical representations on the energies which used to be there. That part bothered him so he asked Sage.

    [Your body has merged with the energies. It is safe to say that you are at that point where you are bing one with these energies. Giving them a numerical representation is useless]

    ''You sure go ahead and term things however you like.''

    Raith lingered for a while, studying the energies section. Something about it awed him at the same time there was unease within him.

    ''So let me get this straight. You are saying I can perfectly wield all of this energy without the need for them to replenish?''

    [I said ''bing one with¡­'' not ''one with'' This is still an iplete stage you should choose to use one of the energies. There''s no telling what can happen from constantly switching between all four]

    ''I see. Then that provides me with the answer I need.''

    [What answers?]

    ''Don''t worry.''

    Raith studied further, lowering his eyes to the other sections.

    > Conditions

    Heat resistance lv.max, Cold resistance lv.max, Poison resistance lv.max, Failure Forged lv.1

    > Skills

    [Source] lv.0, [Sage_M8de] lv.1, [Copy] lv.1, [God''s eyes] lv.1, [Retry] lv.1, [ze] lv.1

    Everything seemed more aligned and neat than it used to be.

    ''I suppose even you have been busy?''

    [I have been constantly analyzing ways to be a better assistant]

    ''I''m proud of you¡­''

    Raith smiled delightfully. So far so good, except GREED, he was pretty content with what he was seeing.

    Suddenly he remembered.

    "Stats! I didn''t see my stats" He voiced out.

    [Your stats are currently sealed]

    "What do you mean?"

    [Because of the weight artifacts you are wearing, it is impossible to assess the physical stats you have gained so far.]

    Raith lifted his hands and inspected his wrist. ''Hm? So these are artifacts too?'' Shifting his eyes to the front, he asked internally, ''Sage, do you know about artifacts?''

    [Yes. Do you want an exnation]

    Raith hesitated for a few seconds then he responded.

    "Sure."

    [Artifacts are ancient objects that encapstes the power of their first time]

    Raith narrowed his eyes.

    "That makes no sense. If that was the case then every single object in this world that has been used by powerful beings would be an artifact. Even Bal would be an artifact."

    [...]

    Raith''s eyes widened a secondter, realization dawning on him.

    "Bal was an artifact?"

    [What births the will of an artifact is how strong the resentment or will of their first master was. Of course, such master has to be enormously strong]

    [No matter how strong the will or resentment of the weak is, it can only remain will ot resentment. It can never give birth to something extraordinary.] [What birthes the extraordinary is power]

    "Nice speech Sage¡­" Raith maintained a frown. The more he thought about it the more he felt wistful about it.

    He had an artifact in his hands all these while?

    "What are so great about these things though?" He queried, his frown deepening with lines of frustration.

    [There are three grade of artifacts: LEGEND, AVANT and REVERIE]

    ''Sounds like my ss rated¡­ something?''

    [An AVANT grade is capable of destroying an entire city from a single use. Although method and prerequisites for use is dependent on the artifact itself. LEGEND grade artifacts are those one such as the sword that is now merged with your [source heart] powerful and unpredictable in a lot of ways]

    Sage''s monotonous voice went low, paused, then picked up.

    [However, REVERIE grade artifacts cannot be made sense of. The red crystal which has now formed a source in your heart is an example of such]

    Raith''s eyes popped forward. He jerked to his feet, feeling his chills crawl on his skin.

    "The red crystal is a REVERIE grade artifact?"

    [Yes]

    "Wooooh¡­." He went dazed for the next few seconds. Then he asked again after regaining himself.

    "Does this mean there are other REVERIE grade artifacts?"

    [Yes]

    [As a matter of fact, I strongly suspect that the broken throne is a REVERIE grade artifact]

 Chapter 394 The Merging

    <h4>Chapter 394 The Merging </h4>

    ?The fact that there is another artifact like the red crystal humbled Raith a lot. Surely, he had felt like the most powerful one way or the other. [The Source] was what brought him to life, released him from the shackles of Cor - Ellion''s time loop and was subtly feeding him strength.

    He had not even be able to grasp0.1% of what it consisted and could do but Raith was already filled with so much expectation anytime he thought about it.

    He felt like, only time will tell, as long as he had a crystal that was linked to the first primordial, something that even primordials covet then he would eventually be distinguished from the rest of the world.

    However, all that was on a table with unbnced leg. Fear slowly crept into Raith''s mundane heart. To think that one of those REVERIE grade artifact could be something he would get entangled with very soon.

    Raith frowned. There were so many things tied to this mission. What if the primordials discover that he is with the red crystal? Or what if that broken throne is able to do something to take the red crystal away from him.

    After all, Sage had said nothing can be said about them, those particr grade cannot beprehended in a sense. And he sorta understood that, he was merged with one himself.

    So, nothing is impossible¡­ and he had not even began to scratch the surface of what [The Source] can do.

    He slowly touched his right side heart¡­ the extraordinary heart. Raith closed his eyes and mutter.

    "Maybe it is time to start daring some things." His eyes glowered with resolve. "I can''t afford to stay in this mediocrity anymore. If my safety is being challenged then I have to push myself out of my shell."

    With those words of determination, Raith lifted his legs and sat crossed them. Hefortably put his hands on his knee and closed his eyes, transitioning to his soul ne.

    The reflecting water, the retreating darkness at the edges of the ne - towards the horizon, and the crimson star. Everything was just as he had left it. The crimson glow from the star however, seemed to have grown more gentle and beauty, before it was a harsh red but now it seemed warm and casting a twilight-like radiance in the whole ce.

    On the surface of the water, the two birds were running after each other. This time, when Raith entered, they paused to look at him and continued their y like he didn''t juste.

    ''Are they growingfortable of me? Or less aware of me?''

    And then Greed. The solid mist of darkness was just floating on a point, piercing Raith with a nasty grin. It was ufortable.

    Raith looked away and sat cross-legged on the reflecting surface. He was here for something after all.

    He had been proposing the idea that the different energies he has in himself are probably not meant to be used interchangeably. Sage had advised him not to use them interchangeably and just focus on using one till more can be said about the others.

    With so much power within his vessels, Raith wondered if that was really the thing to do¡­

    Since he tried channeling his energies, he had been getting this nudging. If he is the vessel, one that connotes bnce to the diversity of energies that toiled inside of him.

    Then as a vessel shouldn''t he be doing something to make them coexist together. Raith frowned¡­ no, coexisting was not the word.

    He closed his eyes and clutched his fingers into each other.

    ''...they need to be one.''

    It was a wild idea, cocky in fact when he put to the thought an extraordinary element like the source. That alone far outshines others, although the light which he had no idea why he could contain also spoke of great might. The dark power, malicious and menacing but definitely a reckonable power.

    Raith let out a sigh and began.

    Right now he was in the ne, where the vivid representation of these entities rested. But it was only a representation - something that showed him their state within him. The real thing was inside and so if he wanted to merge them together, the work had to start from inside.

    Raith stayed focused, not moving a single part of his body, for the next few hours he was frozen, looking like the statue of a monastic master on the very edge of enlightenment.

    The birds lifted their heads to look at him, tilted left and tilted right. They came nearer and lowered their legs, sitting gently beside him.

    Meanwhile Greed watched from afar, a deadpan expression on his face.

    After a few more hours, Raith''s brow finally twitched. A couple of secondster, they furrowed and drew tight lines on his forehead. Stones of sweat formed all over his head and after a few more minutes, they began to trickle down.

    Inside him was a raging storm, trying to merge three different entities into a single one didn''t exactlye as easy as he thought it would. Each one was like a liquid storm, the darkness was like a formidable flood threatening to swallow his entire being in whole¡ª the light however, even though it served only as a reflection, it was blinding and was like a veil of Luminous that refused to be undone.

    It was strong and no matter how much this veil collided with the liquid storm of darkness, it didn''te down, nor did the darkness retreat. Raith''s body shook with terror and was on the edge of breaking.

    The sweats on his body increased. As it was happening in the soul ne, so it was in reality. Raith''s shirt was dampened with sweat. And even more poured down from his body, his face grew pale and the frown on his face showed the struggles within him.

    His body was trembling and he was barely holding it together, parts of him were begging to tear apart, the moment he yielded to it that was a certain failure.

    Although he didn''t know how long he was supposed to hold out for, he didn''t know if they would even be able to ept each other to be one.

    Raith tightened his eyes bit down on his lips to hold on stronger.

    He endured for another few more hours, before the radiance of the source began to permeate both the storm of darkness and veil of light. Within them was a crimson ethereal glow that seemed to be turning them from inside out.

    At that moment, Raith understood something.

    [The Source] was never supposed to be on the level of this two. Perhaps that thing is a mediator, a force that pulls other forces together. It was incredibly powerful and seems like the only entity endearing enough to attempt to merge light and darkness.

    "Raven¡­ Raith¡­"

    Raith''s frown deepened as he heard the silky voice, it''s been an awful while he heard it but he was sure, it was familiar and undoubtedly.

    ''Mother?''

 Chapter 395 It Worked!

    <h4>Chapter 395 It Worked! </h4>

    ?As it is well known. Raith grew up in a wealthy house. His father was a Duke, his body was a beautiful white-haireddy. Her origins were quite unknown, if there was one thing that Raith could very much recollect it was the fact that she was called a foreigner.

    At that time, he was too small to pay attention any more details than this. His mother and his elder brother''s mother were different. The duke''s first wife had died from an incurable andtely discovered disease. He was heartbroken and soul broken.

    However, this maid who was a foreigner paid extra attention to him, walked him through the road of healing and before after a year, the energetic man was already in love again.

    What the both of them had was genuine and near perfect. However, after giving birth to her child - Raith. The woman''s body slowly began to break. And finally when he was four years old, his mother passed away.

    He would never fail to recognize the tenderness in the way he calls her. She had personally given him that name, Raven Raith. When she calls it¡­ it''s so different from when others do.

    In her voice, his name carried a different tone, a different pronunciation. One that no one could ever mimic. Not even illusions.

    Undoubtedly, this was his mother!

    ''...but how?''

    "Mother?" Raith called out again¡­ shakily.

    "Raven Raith. My son"

    Glowing white hands touched his cheek and white glowing head with glittering gold eyes kissed head.

    "My son¡­" her voice started to shake as she called a second time. Her eyes were tightly shut and she was caressing his cheek.

    Raith on the other hand, was overwhelmed with a strange emotion. He didn''t exactly know how to feel, clearly this did not look human, it didn''t look like his mother. But the touch felt the same, the tone felt the same, even the gesture!

    The way she would carress his cheek and kiss his forehead with hers. He felt like he was four again.

    This is his mother undoubtedly, so why did she not look like her at all?!

    "My son. Our time is short. You have touched the river of light in you. From this moment you will seize to remain the same."

    "Mother¡­ is it really you? Please I''m¡­ I''m confused."

    As she retreated her head and touched his cheek, her eyes gleamed with a bitter smile.

    "Your life is in peril. I have brought you into a dangerous ce, and now they all want you for themselves. But I had no choice. You had sacrificed so much for me¡­ I had to give you another chance. I''m sorry. My son. I really am."

    With those words, her hands began to fade. Seeing this she hastened the rest of her words:

    "Raven Raith, my son. Go to the sanctum of Ireus. My time is short. H..el¡­p m¡­"

    Her voice faded with her body. A stream of tears rolled down Raith''s face. He slowly lifted his hands and warmly touched both his cheek, trying to feel her touch.

    Then he curled to his knee with his shoulders trembling.

    "It''s been so long¡­" he mumbled roughly, sobbing and sniffing. He was like that for a couple more seconds before his brows furrowed.

    Herst breaking words resounded in his ears like echoes. He didn''t hear it wrong.

    ''My mother needs my help''

    There are many ways in which this could go wrong, someone might be setting a trap, it might be an illusion that someone dangerous was using on him. But all those spections seemed very fake to Raith. He was convinced that was his mother.

    She didn''t look like her¡­ Apart from the looks, everything else was her. Which meant something was gravely wrong. His mother should be dead right? But she asked him to go to some sanctum to help her?

    Raith nodded his head, ''Something is definitely wrong''

    Arge storm suddenly exploded inside of him. Raith shuddered uncontrobly, his whole body was put under an unstoppable drive of tremors. And soon, cracks began to appear on his skin.

    This wasn''t just happening in the soul ne, his body in reality was also going through the same thing. He was like a vase that was about to be broken apart by some powerful force.

    At that point, the pain return, more unbearable then before, it caused Raith to shoot open his eyes and let out an insane cry. He hugged himself tightly, as if he was trying to keep the breaking parts together.

    But the pain only grew worse, it was like organs were being forcefully removed from each other. As if his muscles was being stretched out by something insanely powerful. The pain shot through every part of him and he couldn''t even contain it anymore.

    He fell to the floor, stretching and curling his body with terrible groans. It was sickening and disturbing to the ear. He was in a lot of pain that even the birds looked at him with worry. Greed''s expression was now a scowl that seemed too arrogant to show its worries.

    Raith clutched his body and cried so hard, everything was falling apart. Whatever this thing was, his body is tearing apart because of it. What¡­ what¡­.what should he do?

    ''Think Raith think¡­''

    He tried to click on the little bit of sanity he had left. Trying his best to think in a situation like this was an herculean task. His mind was tearing apart, his vision was getting blurry but he just wanted to get away from this pain at all cost. He gritted his teeth and tried so much to think of what he had not done¡­ what he had never done¡­

    What had he missed¡­ what had he never considered¡­

    ''Fuck¡­ why does it hurt so much!!!''

    A wild savage groan suddenly escape his mouth as the cracks gotrger and a bright white shine began to force itself out of the little crack points. But the pain grew intense¡­ until he could no longer bare with it and passed out.

    Even in his unconscious state, his body continued to break. Raith''s body was lifted up by an invisible force. The white shining light managed to pierce through and covered him from head to toe in white hue.

    In aying position, his body floated higher, bathed in ethereal white glow, not even a single feature from his body or clothes could be seen ¨C even in reality.

    It was a spectacle¡­ almost like the rebirth of a powerful god. Slowly his body went down and dropped to the ground. The light faded and his entire body features began to draw out of the light themselves.

    Everything was as it is¡­ except for his hair. His skin had also grown pale, not as pale but slightly pale¡­ although the lustrous white hue of his light made it nearly imperceptible.

    The birds seeing that he was fine again, slowly walked closer to him, the tilted their head left and right looking at him while Greed hovered above him.

    Suddenly one of the perked Raith''s hand. But nothing happened. It repeated it two more times, nothing happened. Suddenly the blue bird garnered all its strength, pushed its head backward andnded one powerful peck.

    However, it was sent reeling backward. Falling on its head, blue feather fluttering in the hair and gently sitting on the reflecting surface of the water.

    Suddenly a slight frown creased Greed''s face. It turned around to take in the scenery, having just btedly noticed the change. The red burning star, the darkness, everything was gone.

    Everything had changed.

    Instead of a crimson sky what now covered the soul ne was a clear blue sky¡­ in fact, it looked like the sea was in the sky and the watery floor they stood on was the sky. Their reflections were now clearer. But what the ruby eyes of the monster stayed on was the two round stars that sat in the middle of the ne.

    One pure white, the other pure ck. Them a thin red thread connecting the two.

    The obscene mass of darkness stared back at Raith who was now slowly waking up.

    Raith held his head as he stood to his butt with a slight groan.

    ''...crap. I thought I was going to die''

    Hebed his hand through his hair and noticed. The texture had changed. Normally, his hair used to be so tangled that it''d be very difficult to easilye through the strands. But now it had happened with ease. Not to say the texture.

    But Raith quickly dismissed the thoughts. Instead he focused on the letters that Sage was showing him. They were unbelievable!

    [Congrattions]

    [THE UNDEFEATED COMMANDER KING BODY CONSTITUTION HAS ENTERED PHASE 2]

    ''Wow.''

    Raith had never thought the [undefeatedmander body constitution] would ever gain another phase. Because it had never left phase 1.

    Funnily, he didn''t even think he still had it after the abyss left.

    Raith chuckled a bit. So there were things the abyss couldn''t take away from him.

    The former phase provided him with maximum resistance to all effects, Raith was very curious what the phase 2 would give him. But that curiosity can wait, because he was more curious about this:

    [Congrattions]

    [You have achieved the unachievable]

    [You have merged entities from three different origins]

    [A new energy has been created]

    [FORCE]

    A smile curled up Raith''s lips as he looked at it, slowly the smile rose to a giggle, the giggle soared higher and became a loudugh that filled his soul ne.

    "It worked. It actually worked!"

 Chapter 396 Reap Rewards

    <h4>Chapter 396 Reap Rewards </h4>

    ?[Force]: After much struggles, battles of control, each entity has finally found bnce in your soul. The red threads of [the source] tether together all. Regardless of the differences in origin and storms that maye, this bond can never be broken.

    [Energy arts]: [Colorless], [Variant], [Light Borne], [Dark Borne], [Crimson Star]

    "Okay¡­"

    Raith grinned as he saw the new sets of letters. The description was nice but the energy had its own arts? Not just one, not two but five! A whole five! That was just like having five arts.

    ''Oohuu''

    Skills were given by the system, either it be the voice of the world, or the abyss. Something however that could never be given was arts.

    Arts were inherent, they were tied to your very soul. The proficiency of a skill got better the more it is used, and when the proficiency rises, the skill bes more powerful and explosive. But arts are a different story, no matter how much you use them, it takes a connection to the soul and a trigger of epiphany to enter into another stage of that same art.

    Evolve it to something fearsome and powerful. Some skills have more destructive power than arts and vice versa. But Raith had seen what an art could do¡­ he had desired it every since.

    To have one tied to his energy was a rare and unexinable urrence. He was happy. Now, for the next part¡­

    Raith lowered his eyes and continued with the letters. This time he needed to see the description of each art.

    [Colorless]: Your energy is formless and colorless, however when ites in contact with any energy type, with you consent it can take on the appearance and properties of the energy, making your presence be as that of the owner of that energy.

    Raith squinted his eyes with a visible glee.

    ''So, if I can copy the appearance and properties of an asura and have a presence equal to it? Hmm, tricky''

    Several wild ideas ran through his mind.

    [Variant]: All energy form originates from cosmic energy but your energy is different, as so, it can never be subjected to the principles and concepts of the cosmic construction.

    Raith''s mouth fell open, he covered it with his hand. [Colorless was good but this had the potential to be the best arts. Which meant that as long as [force] is in effect, he wouldn''t be subjected to things like gravity¡­ and other principles of this world.

    ''What other things though¡­''

    Gravity was all Raith could think of now but he was sure there was more.

    ''Well, we''ll think about thatter.''

    He lowered his eyes:

    [Light Borne]: You are an element of light. You have a light that reflects only the truth.

    ''That''s all? Now that''s some bit of confusion.''

    Raith scratched his head and moved to the next letters.

    [Dark Borne]: In you is a vast sea of darkness, seeking to consume all.

    "Tch¡­ same thing"

    He moved his eyes to thestpact of letters:

    [Crimson Star]: A star birthed from the river of primeval war has be your heart. Constantly, it keeps your body together and seeks the path to a new beginning.

    Raith rubbed his jaw. Keeping his body together must be the crystallization thing of the red crystal heart but what is ''seeks the path to a new beginning'' supposed to mean?

    Raith lowered his head in disappointment. But the joy of the previous two far outweighed the disappointment he felt. And he knew they too had something special, maybe even more special and deadly than the other two. He just hasn''t figured it out yet.

    Raith smiled as he swiped away the letters and sought to inspect the one he had been dying on one side.

    [THE UNDEFEATED KING COMMANDER BODY constitution]

    [Phase 1]: Your body has been remodeled by darkness and you have been given the unique body constitution of the undefeated king, the harbinger of chaos and destruction. Due to this unique body, you have gained:

    [Abnormal Condition Nullification], [Electricity Resistance], [Holy/Demonic attack Resistance], [Paralysis Resistance], [Poison Resistance], [Natural Effects Nullification]

    [Phase 2]: You have discovered a new phase of the body constitution of the undefeated king of Un. He practiced a body formation method that made his body exceedingly tough and unbreakable.

    [Constitution Arts]: [Unbreakable], [Rebound]

    Raith ced his hands above his head, his mouth dropping.

    Another art again?

    Perhaps, he is not as unlucky as he thought he was. Yes, the cosmos has decided to smile on him after a long time.

    [Unbreakable]: You can materialize a part of your skin into a tungsten surface. In this state, that part can never be broken, although all other areas will be slightly more vulnerable than usual.

    [Rebound]: Your body repels threatening attacks. This effect cannot work on extremely powerful opponents.

    "Great. This is great." Raith said, rubbing his chin.

    "Sage, I guess in order to use my skills and arts¡­ I now extend this new energy called force right?"

    [Affirmative]

    "Hmmm¡­" He made a proud smile before continuing, "...so¡­"

    [Due to the effect of soul force, skills and arts will receive explosive boost aspared to when used ordinarily before]

    "Ah ah¡­ as expected. You are already getting to know me more and more." Raith nodded with satisfying smile on his face.

    "I just wanted to get that part straight out. So, can I know the numeric representation of¡­"

    [Because soul force is one, it replenishes as fast as possible. Of course, overuse can leave you in a dire state and it would take a few minutes of rest to replenish at least 30% of your soul force]

    "...you keep calling this thing soul force"

    [Since it is a force and is directly tied to your soul]

    "Hmmmmmmm! Nice nice, I didn''t know you had it in you too"

    Sage sighed, disappointed. After a while, her voice came up:

    [You have done well]

    A big grin cut Raith''s face apart.

    "I know right. It was not easy!"

    He boosted, looking down at the two birds that curled warmly close to his legs, and were almost sleeping.

    ''Oh? I didn''t expect them to be friendly quote quickly''

    He slowly rubbed the birds'' head.

    ''I should give you both a name.''

    He pointed to the red one, "You will be Red," then to the blue one, "and you will be Blue."

    [You have named the red Phoenix "Red"]

    [You have named the blue Phoenix "Blue"]

    [Due to the changes in your soul, all entities tied to your soul core by names will evolve and gain specific art(s)]

    [Red is evolving¡­]

    [Blue is evolving¡­]

 Chapter 397 Stronger

    <h4>Chapter 397 Stronger </h4>

    ?The icyndscape stretched as far as the eye could see, a expanse of glimmering white broken only by jagged, frozen peaks.

    Nestled amongst the frigid terrain was - a city arising. Towering cranes swung through the crisp air, hoisting steel beams and panels of ss to the skeletons of skyscrapers in progress. Though unfinished, the sheer scale of the buildings-to-be was staggering, destined to dominate the skyline whenpleted.

    Surrounding the construction hub was awn of emerald grass, impossibly vibrant against the greyscale backdrop of concrete and steel. The lively blue of the grass matched the cloudless sky overhead. Scattered throughout the lush grass were frosted fountains, their waters sparkling as they caught the bright sunlight.

    The people milling about wore modern attire, with sleek lines and fabrics suited to the arctic climate. There was a sense of progress and innovation about them as they went about their days in this vision of the future. The asional vehicle puttered by - a handful of cars, trucks and motorbikes that seemed dwarfed by the towering feats of architecture taking shape around them.

    Workers marched along the unfinished wide roads between construction sites, even as bulldozers and cement mixers continued to expand the transportation infrastructure.

    Amongst them they were several people who could be recognized, some had changed, either added weight or became taller, or grown beards and mustache. A familiar figure, tall with wide shoulders, kind blue eyes and a smile permanently nted to his faced even as he talked with the construction worker with arge paper in his hands.

    His distinguishing change was his mustache. His beards was scruffy and would amount to something very soon.

    "Yes sir. We shall take to note the changes." The construction worker replied with a respectful bow.

    The man bid his hand into his pocket, turned back and looked up, his eyes narrowing with hints of concern.

    "Hmmm¡­ worrying about it won''t do anything you know?" A cold crispy voice came from behind him.

    The man turned around, "I''m sorry Shin-Hye. It''s just that I''m scared."

    Thedy with a pale skin wrapped her hands around his waist. Her touch was cold, as if there was no drop of blood in her body. Some parts were too pale and looked like they would rot anytime soon, her lips was out if color, her eyes deep and hollow. Even with all that, there was a zombified beauty that she exuded - a kind of beauty that has this man head over heels for her.

    "We will figure out a way. Trust in Lady Maria. She is actively looking for something to do." She uttered and looked up.

    Then she looked back to his face and continued:

    "The Hunt Force just came back. They have finally been able to clear the northwest area. We can expand the city."

    "Wow¡­ that''s some great news. The monsters in that area gave us a lot of hard times. If not for Bm, Bastien and Billy many of us wouldn''t have survived thest time we went."

    "Funny how all their names start with B" Shin-Hye chuckled.

    Both of them slowly began to walk forward, talking.

    Shin-Hye lingered for a while then a smile crept up her lips.

    "I think Hunter Raven would be proud of you."

    Mok Jae-Hwa frowned slightly. "I don''t know about that babe. If Hunter Raven was the one in the position, I''m sure the town would have developed farther than this. I''m not the best leaders and I have made too many mistakes of trusting people I shouldn''t."

    He paused and looked around, "and many people have also left."

    "You can''t help them guy. That''s how people are. See even if Raith the figure who saved them was to be the one leading them all these while, you think people won''t lose faith in him, and decide to go fend for themselves."

    She chuckled sarcastically, "Not even when they are awakening with incredible powers and are hearing of the benefits that hunters enjoy. But still some have stayed, they still believe in you. Draear, Amber Rose, Dous, Dimitri, Shanky, Leonhart, Andre, Curtis. Damn their so many of them I''m our Hunt Force."

    She paused, looking at Jae-Hwa''s face before continuing, "All these guys are hunters that have grown over the past few years, each of them can bepared to a disaster rank or catastrophe rank with the might they now possess. Yet they all respect your leadership and never for once undermine your decisions."

    She moved her to his shoulders, warmly staring into his eyes, "Don''t look at the things that didn''t work out. Look at the great things you''ve managed to pull together."

    Suddenly two pir of lights exploded into the air, shooting through the clouds.

    Both of their eyes widened and without wasting time, they ran towards the light. On getting there people had surrounded the entire ce. Mok Jae-Hwa and Shin-Hye squeezed their way to the front to see what was going on. The two sources of light were different so they first had to go to the one closest to them.

    Mok Jae-Hwa''s eyes shook.

    ''...what in the world?''

    Slyvia was wrapped in a blinding radiance, her whole body was floating helplessly in the pir of light and a few secondster, she dropped and the pir of light slowly faded. As it did with her, so it did in the other location.

    Mok Jae-Hwa frowned his face slightly, stepping out of the crowd to go closer but someone appeared in front of him, her eyes were closed and a genteel expression settled on her face but she gave the vibe of an insane ughtered.

    She wore a revealing pink kimono, specially styled for their kinds. It was something worthy of a female ninja if to be put in a way. Her thighs were revealed, so was her cleavage and arms, but a purple scarf was wrapped around her neck.

    "I''m just concerned Hana."

    "It is fine. We''ll take it from here."

    Severaldies appeared behind her. The crowd slowly began to pull back as they saw them. Mok Jae-Hwa looked over to Slyvia for a few seconds then he sighed and pulled back.

    The other location was the same thing, but they were little crowds there as it was farther and deeper into the forest. Maria was surrounded by thedies in pink and threedies that gave off the same vibe as she usually did.

    Their clothes were made with green leaves and their ornaments were carved put from woods and vines. They stood beside her with a worried expression.

    Currently she was recovering from whatever just happened, breathing hard. But strangely, a wide smile was on her face ¨C

    which worried them.

    Just a few minutes ago she was groaning like she was going to die. However now she was smiling.

    "Lady Maria¡­" one of the dryads with ck wavy hair and nted eyes called softly. She lingered for a second and asked: "are you okay?"

    Maria didn''t stop panting for a while but she calmed herself and lifted her eyes gleefully.

    "My Master¡­ Lord¡­ Lord Raven¡­ he''s alive. He is alive and he is even getting stronger!"

 Chapter 398 White Haired Fella

    <h4>Chapter 398 White Haired Fe </h4>

    ?In a deste canyon, a sudden mass of darkness suddenly burst out, the mass of darkness wasrge enough to shroud the whole canyon in shadows of its malicious presence. IL

    The darkness roared loudly with a piercing sound, one that shook the entirendscape, it rolled and rolled in and out of each other. As if it was fighting hard to free itself from something.

    The surrounding was infected and affected by this turmoil, stones ckened and some of them couldn''t withstand the force and shattered.

    The ck mass only continued the struggle to escape from itself, rolling forward and smashing rock into splinters. The area trembled, it was a great deal that no human was currently present in this ce.

    Whatever thend was, it was abandoned and to put it in a strange way¡­

    The canyon stretched out like a colossal wound shed into the barren earth, revealing its shatteredyers. Jagged cliffs loomed on either side, not the smooth weathered stone of ages past, but ruptured and fragmented as if some cataclysmic force had pummeled it from within and without.

    Great craters pockmarked the ground, their massive contours weathering into rugged hills splitting the terrain. Bouldersrge as houses littered the canyon floor, evidence of the pulverizing impacts that bore these scars into thend.

    Nothing green dared dwell here; no birdsong or animal tracks marked the absolute stillness. Only the asional hiss of wind through cracks in the stone and now a violent cry of darkness pummeling itself in and out of the rocks.

    The symmetry of ovepping craters was unnatural, it suggested what hellish bombardment could have wracked thisnd. Giants? Maybe something more but definitely colossal.

    Suddenly five pirs of darkness shot into the gloomy sky. And continue to shimmer for the next few minutes bathing everything in absolute darkness. Then the pir of darkness suddenly curled and scattered into different ces, causing the grey light that once reigned in the ce to return.

    ¡ª

    Raith watched with awe as the light that covered the two phoenixes began to slowly fade, revealing their beautiful feathers.

    They seemed to have grown slightly bigger, the red phoenix now had a scattered few of blue feathers and the blue of red. They seemed different but not so different. Their feathered tail was longer, each of them had grown a small crown-like tuft on their heads. Their eyes shimmered with a multicolor glow as they both stared at Raith.

    "Amazing¡­"

    Raith smirked. He looked down at the new sets of letters that began to appear in front of him.

    [Slyvia has received a unique art]

    [Maria has received a unique art]

    [Jarvis has received a unique art]

    [Antares has received a unique art]

    [Fenrir has received a unique art]

    [Kortopi has received a unique art]

    [Crimson has received a unique art]

    [Noir has received a unique art]

    [Rogue has received a unique art]

    As anxious as he was to see what arts each and everyone of then had received, he decided to put it all to rest and return to his room.

    ''Still¡­ who would have thought that my generals are still somewhere¡­ alive.''

    He had thought the abyss would have killed them or made them its own someway. Actually, it''s more baffling that it hasn''t¡­ or maybe it couldn''t.

    Raith smiled.

    ''Anyway, this means there''s hope, I can find them all again.''

    He tapped his bed andid down to sleep but a few more minutes bright rays began to prate the window, distracting his eyes.

    In sudden realization Raith shot up and looked towards the window.

    The melodious chirping of birds, the nging of metal somewhere far away, the low mutterings of passersby and intermittent shouting here and there.

    It was morning already?!

    It wasn''t even night when he dove into his soul sea. And it''s already morning? Did he use over ten hours trying to merge the energies.

    Raith felt drained and fell to his butt.

    ''Hell no¡­''

    "What are you doing?"

    The asura appeared, a secondter a frown lowered his brows.

    "What have you done to yourself?"

    Raith turned and looked up at Thard - Harl.

    "Myself how?"

    ''Can he feel the change?''

    He spected while looking at the asura, hiding behind his face whatever hint could point to his big change. But there was probably a big chance that the asura would have noticed. He wasn''t an asura for nothing.

    Thard - Harl made a disgusted expression, pointing at him.

    "What did you do to your hair¡­ foolish human do you think it will make you look noble?"

    "My hair?" Raith hurried touch his hair but couldn''t feel anything to freak him out or make him disgusted like Thard - Harl currently was. He did a change in texture though, he noticed it before and was being reminded of it again as he touched his hair. Rolling his eyes up, Raith tried to really see¡­ and he did.

    He could slightly and blurily see the edges of his hair just above his brows and they were white.

    "How strange?"

    Raith closed one of the window doors and looked at himself through its mirror ss.

    His eyes grew wide and shook.

    "What in the world happened to me?"

    His hair had be white overnight. His skin pale. He didn''t look lifeless instead he looked calm, harmless and timid but there was something about the look in his eyes. Something ferocious, something murderous.

    His red and ck eyes set another pair of difference in his look. If one would even say, Raith had kind of gotten handsome. Before his hair was thick and all tangled together, now it was thinner, frizzy, greasy, curling into each other and parting to reveal his forehead. The edges ended just above his eyes.

    He touched his cheek bone and his jaw. Turned right and turned left.

    "Undoubtedly¡­ I''ve be more handsome." Then he quit the mirror ss and turned to Thard - Harl. "Ah¡­ I see, I understand why this may be a problem to you. You feel intimidated don''t you?"

    The asura looked at him with disdain for a second then his expression became nk as he started:

    "We must leave now. I have discovered traces of our hunt."

    "Wow¡­ but if you don''t mind. I''ve not eaten anything. Can we get something to eat before we start moving?"

    The asura frowned and was about to talk when a knock sounded.

    Both of them looked to the door and Raith went to open it.

    Theta lowered head, bowing slightly with a food tray covered with thin fabric in her hands.

    Raith looked down and delightfully invited her in.

    "Father insisted that I bring you breakfast." Her face drew taut for a few seconds as she stared at the slight change in Raith''s appearance.

    "Warrior Raven. Did something happen overnight?"

    "It''s fine¡­ I dyed my hair before¡­" Raith replied with a polite smile.

    "Oh. You look way better this way."

    "Thank you"

    As Raith replied, Theta threw a scowl at the asura and turned back to him with a sweet smile.

    "I brought you breakfast. I personally made it."

 Chapter 399 Venture

    <h4>Chapter 399 Venture </h4>

    ?Theta stayed until Raith had finished the food he brought for her. The excuse she gave was that she needed to stay in order to return the tes. But she just stayed and wouldn''t peel her eyes off the youngd while he ate. At some point he almost choke on the porridge because of her unwavering stare.

    In a few minutes Raith was done with his food. Even though he had something good in his stomach after a long while, he had a forlorn expression on his face.

    He sighed, ''I really wish I can catch a little sleep''

    But the asura had insisted that they move immediately. He couldn''t even exactly tell him what he was up to all night. Raith had deducted that there is a high chance that the asura does not know of any other thing that has happened to him except from the physical changes.

    Which means, he''d love to keep [force] a secret, so he would have a trump card when fighting Thard - Harl one day. Raith gleamed at the thought of wiping that nasty grin off his face, then walked closer to him in haste.

    "So, are you nning to teach me anything today?"

    Thard - Harl with a frown on his face nced at him and continued without answering a word.

    ¡ª

    A few minutester, they had gone deeper into the vige and even left the premises of the vige, they were now in the enormous forest that parted the Mutata vige from the next vige. It was also the same road that lead to the ce they call capital.

    But that was not where Thard - Harl and Raith were going. They were walking in the middle of the forest. No matter how much Raith tried to ask the asura for information, he received no answer.

    In fact, he was begin to boil inside. Wondering how long he wouldst before he bests the shit out of this guy. Of course, he was immediately careful with his thoughts. But either Thard - Harl wasn''t paying attention, decided not to react or didn''t hear at all.

    Actually, Raith had been pondering on the asura''s ability for a while now and he thinks it''s very possible that there is a rule to how the asura is able to hear thoughts.

    That was a matter for another day. Figuring it out will help him during their battle though so Raith was low-key on the lookout.

    Finally, the asura came to a stop in front of a bamboo siege wall.

    Raith looked up at the tall walls. The bamboo sticks were very tall, it would have taken someone very tall and powerful to aid with building this thing. Usually a wall of this height should be made of stone¡­ but it was of bamboo.

    Like the sticks had been uprooted from the ground and rooted into the soil at this point without any changes made to it. The tops however, were trimmed together and in the middle of the wall was a siege tower, also made of bamboo sticks.

    "State your name!" A voice rang out from the tower in the middle of the stick wall.

    Raith leaned closer to Thard - Harl and whispered:

    "What the hell are we doing here?"

    The asura raised his chin a little, observing the man in the tower, then gave Raith a response without looking at him.

    "The people say Farngs joined this organization before leaving the vige."

    Raith raised a brow and sized up the ce with a demeaning stare.

    "This is an organization¡­ perhaps for bandits?"

    Thard - Harl looked at him with no emotion whatsoever and turned to his face to the front. "I guess we''ll find out."

    "Are you deaf?! I said identify yourself!!" The man shouted, these time he nocked an arrow and drew it. Ready to shoot at any slight movement.

    "Do you think we should enter peacefully or something?"

    "I don''t really care how you do it."

    Raith stared at the asura with contempt. He calmed himself the next second and walked forward with his hands in the air.

    ''This should signify that I don''t mean any harm right?''

    But immediately Raith stepped forward with his hands in the air, an arrow blew past his ear, whistling into it.

    Raith''s eyes froze, then he looked up slowly and clenched his teeth.

    ''You darn bastards. And here I was trying to be nice!!''

    He bolted and streaked forward. As he arrived in front of the bamboo wall and swung his hand back ¨C his fist hardened and practically became stoned, as if it had been petrified.

    Raith plunged a terrific blow into the wall, exploding the clusters of bamboo sticks. Following it, everywhere trembled, even the tower where that man stood lost bnce for a second.

    Arge hole had been haphazardly plummeted into the wall, with ragged bamboo sticks hanging in between it.

    Raith squinted his eyes.

    ''I was trying to hold back¡­ I guess I held back too much?''

    The petrification on his fist slowly faded till it was back to his pale skin. Normally, that blow should have injured his knuckle but currently his hand was clean.

    Unfortunately, the [Unbreakable] effect didn''t necessarily add to offense but it made his hand strong enough for defense and to break through other defense. Raith wondered what would happen if he used it with [force].

    It''ll probably be explosive. But he couldn''t afford to bring it out now. Not when Thard - Harl was behind him.

    Raith took steady steps back as he began to hear numerous footsteps. Men began to align themselves on the other side of the wall.

    "I repeat! Identify yourself!" The man shouted once again, aiming his arrow downward at Raith.

    "What the hell?!! Didn''t I try doing that?!! When you shot me?!"

    The man in the tower looked at the person behind him with a confused expression.

    "What''s he saying?" That one said to him.

    "I don''t understand but clearly he is speaking. But he seems to be speaking anothernguage. What should we do?" The man responded.

    "Hm¡­" the other man rubbed his chin as he thought of an answer.

    Raith looked up, the man had been silent since he spoke, he also noticed he had withdrawn the arrow.

    The man came back pointing his arrow at Raith. But this time Raith felt like he wasn''t going to shoot.

    Slowly, the bamboo wall Raith was standing in front of slowly began to creak and open.

    ''Oh? So, this part is the gate huh''

 Chapter 400 Breach Of Communication

    <h4>Chapter 400 Breach Of Communication </h4>

    ?As the door opened a row of men in armors made with hides of different kinds stood in front, all of them armed with diverse weapons, spears, different kinds of des, hammers, and shields.

    They all had this rugged face, dirty and rough. Like a set of men that had seen better days. Now all that seemed to be left of them was ''tough times don''tst, only tough people do''. They looked like old stories and worn out warriors. But one thing they still had inmon was that deadly look.

    That alone made them almost fearsome.

    Raith entered slowly¡­ with caution. He bowed at them and spoke:

    "Please I mean no one harm. May I speak with your leader?"

    Even after speaking, the people continued to look at him with rage, gritting their teeth and readying their weapons.

    Raith raised a brow, ''do they not understand me?''

    Thard - Harl walked to him and touched his shoulder, "these people speak anothernguage."

    That was the first time Raith took note of it. As far as he could tell, the onlynguage he had ever learnt and was actually able to speak was Therutese, Korean and English. However, he had been able tomunicate perfectly well with Thard - Harl, even with the vigers.

    ''Why am I just noticing this now?'' Raith made a slight frown.

    There''s hell in no chance that Thard - Harl has been speaking English or Korean to him all this while.

    [There''s an auto trantion effect]

    [You can perfectly understand selectivenguage and speak them]

    ''Uh¡­ so I guess whatever it is that these people speak is not part of thesenguages?''

    [Affirmative]

    Raith watched Thard - Harl step forward and began to address the people in some tongue twistingnguage. After a couple of minutes, the asura turned to him.

    "They have agreed to let us in but they are very wary of you."

    Raith grimaced, "Wary of me? If there''s anyone they should be wary of it should be you!"

    "Tch. Seems like you frown that corny mouth of yours since we left the nes. You need another beating don''t you."

    "Oh my oh my, my big brother. Don''t mind this your disciple, he is just too¡­ you know how he can be." Raith curled up a bootlicking grin.

    Irrespective, the asura spoke with a frigid expression:

    "They say they will have to guard you heavily. But don''t worry, it is only until we make whatever findings that we want to about Farngs."

    ''They want to lock me up? Somehow I''m convinced that he told them to do it¡­'' Raith stared at the asura a few seconds, then he looked at the men who were still on standby.

    He brought his eyes back to Thard - Harl and asked.

    "What is it with this ce? Why are we even here?"

    "I mentioned to you. The guy stayed here before eventually going away from this ce. If there''s anyone who can better tell us about this guy. It''s them."

    Raith nodded his head. Looking at the crowd of men, he sighed and turned to Thard - Harl.

    "I don''t particrly amodate the idea of being watched or locked, whatever the case maybe but I suggest that I have no choice but to trust you on this one."

    The asura replied him with an indifferent gaze.

    "Are you ready?" He inquired.

    "Let''s go¡­" Raith stepped forward and paused.

    Immediately, the men brought ropes and tied them around him. He patiently watched them tie his limbs and body tightly.

    A secondter, someone struck him hard with the pommel of his sword. Before Raith could react¡­ he passed out straight up.

    A wide grin formed on Thard - Harl''s face as he watched them carry him away.

    ¡ª

    Raith''s eyes slowly came open ¨C it was met by a pitch ck darkness somewhere that knew couldn''t tell apart anything. To add to the headache, he was hanging with his head downwards.

    After a few minutes, he started to feel heavy in the head, like most of his blood has flowed to the point and it was overloading. His eyes were slowly adjusting to darkness and he could see a little bit, that was not a feature that was avable to everyone, just a person of his on kind.

    Thest time his eyes deftly adjusted to the darkness was when the abyss was still with him. He never thought he''d be able to do that again.

    Raith could tell this ce apart now. It was some sort of cave. Byt a very deep one. He didn''t know how the people had managed to pull it off but the rope hanging him was attached to the ceiling of the cave.

    The depth beyond him was far. There''s no telling what could be in that ce. Raith thought of freeing himself but he thought of how many way things could go wrong.

    Instead his focused on living the moment.

    ''That damned asura''

    Raith was sure Thard - Harl would have put them up to this. He definitely has something to do with it.

    "I''ve been lost for a while as to how to teach you this."

    Thard - Harl''s voice resounded in the darkness, its echo lingering a little more than necessary.

    Raith frowned slightly as he heard, "So this is what it is. Training? You could have just told me."

    "And ruin the surprise I have nned? No thank you. What I want to teach you is the fundamental of footworks or as the asuras will usually call it. Neofut."

    His voice paused and continued:

    "Neofut is a philosophy and a style. It''s a debatable believe system that all things start from the foot. It is adopted into the art of growth. A baby from a young age, feet level, then growing up and up until the head level very big. It''s a believe system that strongly debates the idea that all things is connected to the feet level"

    ''That''s just messed up as hell''

    "I didn''t ask for your opinion"

    "Crap. I apologize."

    Thard - Harl lingered and continued:

    "The belief system formed the fundamental of martial art for asuras. If you can get your feet right, you can get every thing right. I will be falling down every soon¡­ I assure you this depth is very far. But you mustnd on your feet, they''ll probably break but yea that is what you must do. Land on your feet even if it breaks."

 Chapter 401 Neofut

    <h4>Chapter 401 Neofut </h4>

    ?Silence reigned for a few minutes. Raith did not say anything to what the asura had just spilled. Then after another few minutes, he finally spoke.

    "That''s nonsense, that''s just absolute nonsense. Jumping is not the issue. You want me to jump into a darkness where I have no idea what the hell is there."

    Thard - Harl cracked his neck, tilting his head left then right.

    Raith didn''t mind intimidating gesture. Raith was at this juncture where he felt,

    ''Let him just do whatever he wants. I don''t even care any more. If he will kill me, he could as well just do it anyway. There''s no way I will jump into that thing''

    He frowned looking at the deep darkness. He couldn''t still see it, his sight adapted well with darkness but he couldn''t tell how deep the ditch he was hanging towards was.

    ''Fuck, he just goes ahead and do whatever he likes. First, he made a pile of good for nothing bros kidnap me and tie me up. Now he''s saying shit like I have to jump down?''

    The unambiguous disobedient he felt could vividly be seen on offensive face if the darkness was a little bit brighter.

    Suddenly, Raith felt his entire weight pulled down slightly. More like the rope couldn''t bear it any more and he was on the verge of tear offpletely, dropping forward a little.

    "Hey hey hey¡­ this is not in any way. Didn''t wee here to find a criminal? Why am I the one being treated like a criminal?!" Raith shouted, his tone carrying urgency and a little hint of fear.

    "You asked to be trained. I want to teach you the fundamentals of Neofut. But it won''t work unless you defeat yourself."

    And there goes the garbage the asura was bound to spill. ''Defeat yourself''? Damn man, what had he been trying to do all this while?!

    "Every single day, hour? Or years goddamn who knows, it has been me defeating myself bro. You don''t know anything! What do you know when you seem to be enjoying this so much!!"

    "Oh trust me well, I am enjoying it." The asura intoned with a creepy smile. Not that Raith could see it.

    The rope slightly dropped lower again. At this point, he was on the verge of breaking away.

    "I particrly chose to go after this bounty because of the creature that dwells in this cave. There is another bounty on it. Of course, this bounty was submitted by some random god who needed its core. But it''s a perfect creature to train you with."

    Raith narrowed his eyes.

    ''Damn me! So there is something there after all''

    The asura continued:

    "It''s extremely rare, maybe one of the very two that are left in the whole cosmos."

    "Yea thanks, am I supposed to feel a little relieved from that." Raith remarked rudely.

    "Whatever happens to you does not matter anyway."

    The asura paused, hesitated and went on:

    "The creature is called Dreadsoul. A very unique and sought after creature, you''d be doing yourself a lot of good not to underestimate it. If you don''t survive in the first few seconds of meeting it. That might be the end of your journey."

    The rope snapped as the asura stopped talking. And before Raith could even gather his thoughts, he was already pummeling downwards into the darkness.

    However, what happened next was not something he expected.

    "The Neofut consists of several footworks. All of them are interwoven into each other and theyplete themselves. Firstly you must learn that it is important to have your leg in the right ces, even when it seems like you have been left helpless and in the control of gravity, never lose the power of your legs."

    Raith looked to his side, Thard - Harl was clearly not falling with him, so why could he hear his voice so clearly.

    "I believe you will find it easier to control your legs, all these days of endless drills are for moments like this. Ignore every other struggle in your body and focus on your legs. You are intelligent, you figure out the rest."

    Raith frowned slightly. He hated to admit it, but the asura was damn right. He was very intelligent.

    Although, the exnations Thard - Harl gave were vague, very vague but Raith had a guess, he had an idea what this is.

    Thard - Harl speaks of a concept that insists that all things start from the feet, below, small, it was all to insinuate one thing ¡ªwhich was one of the stupidest thing Raith had ever heard or perhaps thought of in a very long while.

    He almost wasn''t sure this was it. But no, it had to be it. There was something about this spection of his that felt right from Thard - Harl''s exnation. He didn''t know how to better put it.

    Intuition maybe?

    ''Think with the feet.''

    It was dumb and unthinkable but that Thard - Harl implied that he submitted himself to the impulses of his feet. Now, does the feet even have an impulse. Naturally no!

    But his legs had gone through months, perhaps years of ceaseless drills. In order words, Thard - Harl knew what he was doing with those drills. If Raith would be learning the martial arts of the asura, his body needed to honed to a point of self awareness.

    And currently, all Raith needed to do was awakened that self awareness. With all the training he had done, what would happen if he decided to push the weight of bnce onto his legs.

    Both literally and figuratively.

    That is he is shifting all weight whatsoever downwards, which was a pretty tricky thing to do but in that manner he is also putting down all responsibility of saving this body from the brain and tasking it to the feet. Quite dumb.

    But for a body that had gone through ceaseless training, this act was bound to awaken the highest point of reflex that one can touch.

    Raith shut his eyes tight and stopped thinking about falling on the floor and shattering his head against the ground. Instead he moved all senses whatsoever to his feet, paying attention to that ce alone.

    With his senses sharpened from a better body, it was a bit hard to focus on just one thing, the dumbest of thing. The wildness and how wrong his idea could be gued him for a few seconds but Raith kept his focus intact.

    He emptied his mind and for once freed himself from any thoughts whatsoever, whether good or bad. Even though he was falling down and could die a momentter, he tried not to care at all.

    Falling asleep slowly.

 Chapter 402 The Horror Darkness Brings

    <h4>Chapter 402 The Horror Darkness Brings </h4>

    ?Finding himself within the warm confines offort while his life was in peril was truly remarkable but very dangerous. But Raith tried not to think about all the things that could go wrong, neither did he give thought to the things that could go right.

    He just fell.

    And left the moment of it.

    It qasnt arguable that reflexes are activated with the senses are preupied and the body is left with no choice but to assume to position of protection even if it is for 0.01 second. Until the senses detect that thing.

    And the funny thing about reflexes is¡­ they can be prettyte to the asion.

    Raith''s head was a tad away from smashing the ground. His legs widened and swirled, swinging him in a spur of wind, using the wind blow, Raith''s body twisted in an insane manner, bringing his to a quick roll andnding his feet on the ground.

    It all happened so fast that Raith couldn''t even tell what he had done.

    But he survived the fall. And he did it so well. All the shock was absorbed into his legs and released at the same moment, causing the ground to crack a little bit.

    "Good. Now you have had the basic. You are pretty much set for the real Neofut."

    Raith frowned¡­ not because of what Thard - Harl has said. But just now, he saw¡­ felt something move in the darkness. He didn''t have a special affinity for darkness, not anymore at the very least, but those times of being one with it had sort of rubbed on his skin, leaving him with a little bit of sensitivity.

    "Neofut is a piece of legwork that profits in one form. No matter how many asuras use it. It only works for you when you use it for you. It''s a footwork where you find your reflection in. Failure to do that. You are as good as dead."

    Thard - Harl''s voice sounded amidst the darkness. For Raith, it was like pure torment. Moreso, he couldn''t even give a hundred percent attention to what Thard - Harl was saying.

    He was sure he saw something move through the darkness a second time while Thard - Harl was talking.

    Raith frowned and held fast.

    ''No need to be afraid. I am different now''

    But he also couldn''t rely on a strength he didn''t want to show the wicked asura unless he had gotten to that moment where they would fight to death.

    And the ominous presence that surrounded Raith in this dark depth was very ufortable. Raith might need to give everything he can pull if he wanted to survive the encounter with whatever was in this depth.

    Wham!

    At once, it shot forward like an ordinary mass of darkness, shooting past him. But harvesting a line of blood from his cheek.

    It would have gone for more if Raith didn''t sidestep at thest minute. Before he could turn back to behold the monster, it had merged with the darkness and gone.

    Raith did not loose his alertness. He continued to observe keenly, turning around every moment to observe where the darkness could strike from.

    Whish!

    This time it came from behind. He was toote to see iting but his body reacted almost on its own, spinning in a blur and meeting the ck de with metallic bracelets he was wearing.

    A sharp ng soared through the depths. For the first time in a less than two minutes of encounter, Raith was finally able to see his enemy''s face.

    It didn''t have a face.

    The body was a smoky mass of darkness, humanoid by all means and was rounded by tapes like a mummy.

    Raith had peered straight into its eyes the moment they collided. He saw nothing but deep darkness. As he eximed, his enemy retreated into the darkness, dissipating into it.

    Raith remained alert, his senses primed for another attack from the shadowy figure. He strained his eyes peering into the darkness, but could discern no movement.

    Suddenly, he sensed a shift in the air currents behind him.

    He spun quickly, lifting his arm (blood sword forming out of it) just in time to block another sh from the wraith''s shadowy de.

    Sparks flew as metal shed against metal, and Raith countered with a swift kick aimed at where he guessed its torso to be.

    His foot passed straight through the creature''s smoky form, throwing him off bnce.

    Before he could recover, the wraith surged forward, raking at him with its free w. Raith barely dodged the attack, the razor sharp talons leaving thin trails of blood across his cheek.

    Hissing in pain, he leapt backwards to open some distance.

    The creature blended perfectly with the darkness, giving no indication of its next move.

    Raith closed his eyes, relying instead on his other senses - the subtle discement of air that signaled its rapid movements, the scrape of w against stone seconds before it struck.

    He bent backwards as the wraith''s de whistled past his throat, missing by a hair''s breadth.

    In the same motion, he mmed his palm upwards, a focused st of small swords exploded from his hand.

    They struck the creature''s center mass, and this time it let out an angry, inhuman shriek, the first sound Raith had heard it make.

    Pressing his momentary advantage, Raith charged forward with a flurry of punches and kicks, each strike apanied by bursts of energy from his hands and feet.

    The des tore chunks from the wraith''s shadowy form, but did not seem to slow its attacks.

    Its movements were blindingly fast, ws and de finding gaps in Raith''s defenses and leaving behind deep, bloody furrows.

    Panting, Raith examined his wounds. Long shes crossed his torso, blood dripping freely down his body.

    Gritting his teeth against the pain, he tore strips of cloth from his clothing to bind the deepest gashes.

    It would have to do for now. He had survived the first trial, but the challenges ahead would likely prove even more deadly.

    After catching his breath, Raith continued to explore the lightless realm he found himself in.

    The eldritch darkness seemed to absorb even the sound of his footsteps. Warily, he sent out pulses of aura at regr intervals to scan his surroundings, trying to find the cunning wraith.

    The subtle sensory aura he sent out was enough to not notify the asura unnecessarily and the only thing it served was to observe any movement in the darkness. Which he couldn''t find.

    Until a secondter. A sharp sh passed where his aura reached. Immediately, Raith turned and shed after it.

    It was hard seeing in the darkness but relying on his senses was enough. They had even gotten awfully better since his new self emerged.

    The shadow suddenly stopped and Raith was quick to note it. He stopped, standing ten meters apart from the brooding darkness.

    The dark humanoid beast, cracked its neck and expressed a crooked grin that revealed its pure white set of teeth.

    "You bastard!"

    Obviously, it was teasing Raith!

    "Maybe it was time I got serious with you¡­"

    Remembering the things the asura had been bbing since, Raith stood a stance. This time he stood differently.

 Chapter 403 Dark Forged

    <h4>Chapter 403 Dark Forged </h4>

    ?CHAPTER 403

    Raith settled into a fighting stance, weight bnced evenly on the balls of his feet, knees bent and loose.

    He wasn''t sure what he was doing. But strangely enough the moment he took the first form ording to what Thard - Harl had said, something kind of yed out in his head.

    He began going through the a set of flowing forms. He was sure Thard-Harl had never demonstrated them to him. But yet, they were ying out in his head, the movements as they revealed in his head seemed like they were to attune the body''s energy and prime the muscles for rapid reaction.

    If that was the case, perhaps it was the best style for him.

    Thard - Harl had mentioned that neofut was very different for each individual. When you master the footwork it takes root in your soul and only moves ording the the limit of your potential.

    Which means, one asura could be using Neofut and have insane and a surmountable amount of strength and yet another wouldn''t even be able toe close, while using the same leg work.

    As a matter of fact this was the same footwork that Cor - Ellion had learned as a kid. It was what formed the fundamental of his bizarre speed.

    As the deceptively delicate looking steps and turns continued to y out in his head, the shadowy figure emerged from the charged at him.

    Raith immediately increased his pace, ying out the first form ording to how it came to him. It was not easy, not even near the picture he had in his head.

    But this way it was very easy for him to lurch forward a series of kicks to meet the shadow head on as it met him.

    Moving his legs wereparatively easy the moment he started the first form, slightly pushing his legs into a shoulder wodth position and lowerint them to follow ordingly.

    His legs twirled in the air in a series of motion of blurs.

    However, the shadow matched him perfectly, an uncanny reflection anticipating every kick he threw.

    Raith fell back on his feet, frowning in concentration.

    ''What just happened¡­''

    He wasn''t mistaken, the monster had just reflect the same move he did. Moreso, it didn''t even use the form before throwing the same series of kicks.

    Raith felt defiled.

    "This bastard¡­."

    Raith moved again, this time trying harder to birth thr movement as they were in his head. His battle-honed body and senses proved to be quote useful for once.

    If not how would he have been able to birth such a style without being instructed and shown. There was still a mystery tied to why the moves were ying out in his head. Raith heavily suspected the asura for that.

    Even though what he was doing was nowhere near perfect. Raith was on a good start and it was thanks to his umted experience.

    This battle styles he had used from before, the sword forms. They all seemed useless when he thought about it. But right now, all those experiences were what came together to give him amendable sense ofprehension and action.

    Integrating the evasive Neofut footwork intobination attacks, through the first and second forms, Raith used the circting momentum to flow from strikes to counters.

    Again the shadow duplicated his efforts, gliding from postures of attack to defense and back again with preternatural grace.

    Raith paused again, shocked.

    The creature red at him with a wide grin. All its animalistic traits from before waspletely gone. For some reason it seemed like a refined being. Specially woven for Raith to fight.

    But for Raith this was utterly disgusting, each of those forms were so hard to exhibit. He felt his breath almost cut short as he used two forms in a row and yet this brooding darkness managed to mirror exactly what he had done without using the forms.

    Raith was very disgusted. Not to say, the impact power his punches packed could not be overlooked. Raith had defended but his arm bone was fractured.

    He had also sustained little cuts from letting some attacks slip past his defense.

    Raith frowned and pressed harder. He was going to do this until the damned monster could not copy him anymore.

    Raith gritted his teeth, forcing his protesting body back into the basic Neofut forms.

    Simple shoulder-width stance, weight centered. Step and turn, let the momentum flow through torso and legs. His injured arm screamed in protest but he pushed through, picking up speed again.

    The shadow being matched him move for move, gliding eerily from posture to posture.

    Raith started mixing in punches and kicks, experimenting with breaking the forms tounch attacks mid-motion and resuming the footwork patterns.

    The shadow replied in kind without hesitation, powerful dark limbs hammering just as quickly into Raith''s guard.

    As the exchanges continued, Raith gradually came to realize what made the Neofut forms so exceptionally versatile and reactive.

    By keeping the body''s weight always ready to shift while in motion, one could react instantly to an opponent''s moves. The constant motion also kept the muscles warm and energized for powerful bursts of speed and strength.

    Watching his shadow opponent effortlessly mirror techniques he had only begun learning showed Raith how much farther he still had to go.

    This creature moved with the easy intuitiveness of one who had long ago mastered the style.

    Circling slowly, Raith continued practicing the Neofut steps, now also closely observing the shadow''s wless exhibitions.

    Where he struggled, it flowed smoothly. As he began incorporating its refinements into his own movements, he could feel the forms clicking into ce, transitions bing more intuitive.

    As they fought crudely, Raith focusing fully on the shadow''s teachings, their fights morphed into a kind of moving meditation.

    Strike, evade, counterattack, reposition in one harmonious sequence of motion.

    Raith''s awareness expanded as his body automatically adjusted bnce and weight distribution in response to the shadow''s attacks.

    In those moments of pure reaction, he could perceive openings take shape as if in slow motion.

    Their sparring almost took on the feel of a graceful, lethal dance under the shadow''s guidance.

    Raith replicated ever moreplex Neofutbinations, now not merely following but extrapting the principles that opened up more chances to even invent his own variants.

    Raith then¡­ suddenly noticed something. A wide grin spread across his lips as the realization opened up to his mind like the dawning of the day.

    This creature had already mastered the very basics of Neofut to an instinctual level. However, it had never shown the foundational forms themselves.

 Chapter 404 The bridge of mastery

    <h4>Chapter 404 The bridge of mastery</h4>

    ?The realization struck Raith - this creature had already mastered the very basics of Neofut to an instinctual level, though it had never shown the foundational forms themselves.

    It simply operated on the fundamental principles that the steps and motions ingrained.

    It was like a light of salvation had invaded Raith''s mind. Raith covered his face, lowering his head with a soft giggling.

    ''Ifplexity confused it, unpredictability threw it off, perhaps simplicity could likewise fail it.''

    To simply put it. The monster perhaps could not follow the simplicity of the form. Neofut was a technique learned by asuras.

    Raith didn''t know what exactly this creature was but the fact that it could even mirror the technique to thisrge extent ced it on a different stage from all the monsters he had faced even when he had the abyss.

    The form cannot be copied. As to why? Raith guessed because of its simplicity. The figure was an entity that mirroredplexity.

    It was the same thing with the easy jabs that Raith threw in between theplex ones. Itpletely overlooked them and responded with something even moreplex.

    Those moves inspired Raith maybe that was why he was so confused and didn''t immediately notice this w.

    The shadow lunged at him, oblivious of his thoughts.

    Harnessing the momentum of a turn, Raithunched a basic front kick - but rather than withdraw, he threw all his strength into pushing forward off his nted foot, converting it into a powerful side kick.

    The shadow reacted a fraction slow, taking the blow against its torso rather than deflecting it.

    Raith pressed the opening, crashing a hook punch across its head. It staggered, form blurring at the edges.

    Emboldened, Raith unleashed a barrage of simple direct attacks - chops, elbows, knee strikes. Without theplexity of forms, the shadow could not anticipate and counter every blow.

    Raith poured on the pressure, wearing at the creature''s defenses.

    In a calcted gamble, he broke off his assault, using the moment of surprise to entuate his next turn, putting his full weight into the pivot.

    As expected, the shadow instantly seized the opening, ws scything in.

    Raith rode the centrifugal force, corkscrewing his body out of the lethal path of those talons whileshing out his foot.

    His heel smashed full force into the side of the shadow being''s head with all the torque of his spinning motion behind it.

    "FORMLESS STRIKE!"

    Raith screamed. ''Take that you byatch!''

    The devastating blow caved in the shadow''s face, sending it flying backwards to crash in an indistinct heap.

    Raithnded in a low crouch, ready to finish his enemy. But the dark figure simply melted away, dissolving into the ckness.

    "Uh?"

    Tension worn over his face and he frowned. This is what it does. Just goes back to the darkness anytime Raith is winning.

    ''Give me a break¡­''

    Raith sighed and stumbled a few steps back to take a rest. It was a temptation he couldn''t afford to fall into.

    He knew the shadow wraith was lurking in the darkness and coulde back out anytime.

    He would appreciate it if the monster would juste out and fight him on the go so they can end this as soon as possible.

    But he had to be thankful too¡­ he looked at his arms.

    His body was battered, with blood and wire sweat. But he was improving. He had never felt this rapid change in his body ever before.

    Moreso, it wasn''t some reward dashed by the abyss. This was from his own sheer effort. His muscles begged to be allowed some rest, all his back ached as some sort of protest in every of his attempt to move.

    Raith sank into a fighting stance, biting in all the pain. His eyes peering warily into the darkness. His recent insight still rang in his mind - simplicity overplexity. Unpredictability over rigid forms.

    He sensed it moments before the attack came - a ripple of disturbance in the shadowy void.

    He pivoted aside as a spear of darknessnced through the space he had upied.

    His enemy had returned for round two. Raith centered his breathing and cleared his mind, ready to adapt to whatever came next.

    The shadow surged from the dark in a new style, movements economical and precise.

    It was like a snake''s form, all rapid coiling strikes from unexpected angles. He gave ground, turning aside venomous jabs with narrow twists of his body.

    A heel kick slipped through his guard, numbing his shoulder.

    Before Raith could mount a counteroffensive, the creature''s style changed again, shifting to fitful, drifting motions that suddenly exploded into whirling tornado kicks.

    One such kick smashed into Raith''s guard, the force driving him back a step. It was then he realized¡­ two different fighting styles on a go?

    Raith''s brow furrowed. He had never actually given a deep thought to it. This was a monster that had been living in this dark depths for how long. Maybe decades? Or millions of decades.

    Switching between two different style wasn''t something an ordinary monster would have been able to do. Since it was a copy monster, one that took joy in mirroring very technical and umon techniques over simplicity.

    There were chances that this sort of monster would have met more warriors. If it had met more warriors than even Raith had.

    That meant it could have an arsenal of styles that even Raith could probably not think of.

    Now, these styles¡­ because of the monster''s copying nature would be umon,plex and difficult to deal with.

    Raith sighed, his breath broke apart with air tremors of fear. The monster smelled it immediately. Grinning at Raith as it got ready, lowering itself in a stance, spreading legs apart.

    Raith slowly understood what he was in for. Would his neofut be able to stand against the arsenal of fighting styles that thus copy monster had to offer?

    A frown creased on his brows. Forget neofut, if he can''t survive, he would die. But if he can, he would be incredibly strong. He would have mastered neofut to an impressive extent.

    This chance gave him two options and to choose anyone he needed resolve.

    To die he needed resolve. To live he needed an even stronger resolve. Because he''d have to outsmart this monster that has survived for millions of decades.

    Now was that even possible for a mundane person like him¡­ without using his skills?

 Chapter 405 Dark Borne

    Chapter 405 Dark Borne

    ??Grimly, Raith rose to meet the challenge.

    "I can''t give in now, can I?" He said to the monster, not caring if it actually understood him.

    "If you will be giving me such an arduous task. It only makes sense that I match the energy right." He cracked his neck bone and other joints around his body.

    "I thought of using [force] that way you probably wouldn''t even be able tond an attack on me. But nah, I want to be stronger, so I want to do this without all those extras."

    A colorless aura seeped out of his body, immediately, a red light appeared and slowly became red mes bing ck as they consumed every injury on his body and disappeared.

    Raith''s body was as good as new. Although there were tears in his clothes, his skin was as white as when he had walked into the ce. Raith nced up, hoping that Thard - Harl had not noticed.

    Raith grinned and finally got ready. "Let''s go at it. I will match everything, every style you throw my way!"

    The monster with a deep frown etched on its ckness face, lunged at Raith, throwing strikes at him. Sliding back from a flurry of jagged-edge strikes, he riposted with a low sweep followed by an uppercut.

    His fist nced off the wraith''s chin. For all its skill, it seemed surprised by such a basic counter. Raith allowed himself a thin smile before mods were hammering at him again, relentless as ocean waves.

    The exchange quickly devolved into a chaotic melee as the shadow figure ripped through a dizzying array of fighting styles.

    It attacked Raith from every angle with precise stabs, unpredictable swaying charges, swooping joint locks and brutal nerve strikes.

    Raith abandoned structured reaction, instead giving himself over to raw intuition - twist, duck, counterstrike in the instant of each attack''sunch.

    He drew deeply on his own vast fighting experience - fencing footwork, brawling instincts, dirty tricks.

    Against the onught of a hundred battle arts, his approach was no art at all but adaptable, unbridledbat.

    He took blows trying to find holes in the creature''s defenses between style shifts. A broken rib here, bloodied knuckles there.

    But Raith was slowly getting a feel for its transitions. As it flowed from strikes too simr to a previous moveset, Raith wouldunch into counterbinations it had already shown reaction for, causing vital dys in its responses.

    Yet even exhaustion seemed not to slow the shadow warrior.

    Its depths of skill were unfathomable. Meanwhile Raith bled from a dozen wounds, movements increasingly leaden as the nightmare duel stretched into hours.

    He had to turn the tide or be swallowed by the dark tide.

    In a sh of insight, Raith recalled the very roots of Neofut as Thard - Harl had first described them - a style embracing all styles, able to absorb and redirect any iing force.

    Had he been too focused on forms while the core truth was encoded deeper.

    Flow with the opponent''s momentum... redirect it rather than oppose directly...

    Raith stopped resisting the strikes raining down. He twisted and turned, rode their force rather than shing against it.

    Flipping away from a crushing stomp, he converted his moving evasion into a scything elbow blow from an unexpected angle.

    Adapt.

    Flow.

    Redirect.

    Like a stalk of grass bending away from the storm rather than trying to stand rigid against winds that would snap it in moments.

    Gradually, Raith moved less and less on his own initiative, instead allowing his enemy''s movements to dictate his responses.

    He became a leaf drifting on the raging currents ofbat, utilizing them rather than fighting.

    Flitting ever out of reach, turning the shadow warrior''s own offense against it.

    In fleeting instances between exchanges Raith perceived something at his core - stillness.

    As if the external chaos of battle could not touch this innermost seat of awareness. Though his body spun and struck like a dervish, some space within remained mysteriously at peace.

    The shadow warriorunched another blisteringbination - now Integrating Raith''s own counter moves, so recently turned against it.

    But before conscious thought could take hold, Raith''s body was already in motion, unraveling movements guided by wordless intuition.

    Like a man stepping smoothly around obstacles while lost in idle daydreams, Raith nimbly flowed past the attacks without interrupting his own inner quietude.

    Another petal on the raging storm winds, effortlessly where others would have strained.

    Raith''s foe paused its assault, wavering, as if uncertain what to make of this untouchable opponent drifting gracefully through its most ruthless techniques like smoke.

    Sensing the opening, Raithpleted his spin and drove his fingers tipped with aura into seven vital points across the creature''s torso in rapid session.

    It let out an ear-piercing shriek as the focused impacts tore massive damage through its coalesced form.

    Dropping low as itshed out in reflexive retaliation, Raith exploded upwards from his crouch, howling fury fused with profound calm.

    His uppercut hammered through the shadows, scattering them into nothingness... for now.

    Breathing heavily as silence reigned once more Raith analyzed his ragged state with detached rity. Compared to before, the blood cut on his body had reduced.

    ''I''m improving'' They were signs for him.

    He had crossed some threshold during the nightmarish battle -nded upon the insight that was Neofut''s deepest foundation.

    Settling into a bnced ready stance, Raith closed his eyes, feeling the way his frame would unfold smoothly in response to any disturbance with minimal effort.

    Though shattered in ces, his body had be a vessel to channel rather than oppose external forces. He nodded to himself.

    He was ready for the next time the vile creature would being.

    There was scarcely time to prepare before the shadows charged again, now revealing a huge, indistinct shape rather than a roughly humanoid configuration.

    Massive bs of muscle rippled under a coarse hide as the agglomerated bulk shifted with deceptive speed to rush Raith.

    He flipped up and over the creature as it passed beneath him like a runaway battering ram. It skidded to an eventual halt, bellowing in rage.

    Clearly brute force had served it sufficiently thus far against previous victims. Raith almost pitied what itcked¡­ finesse. But there was no room for distraction in this limitless war of attrition.

    He flitted around the monster - for it could no longer be called an adept battle master - letting it wear itself down trying to smash or grapple with his evasive form.

    When gaps in its offense appeared he darted in to deliver merciless precision strikes only to dance nimbly out of range once more.

    Like a ho stinging a maddened bull, Raith became an incarnate of concentration and quick movement.  Even exhausted, battered and running on fumes, some well of rity seemed ever replenished each time he drew from it.

    Inevitably, openings widened in proportion to the hulking beast''s mounting frustration as it failed tond a single blow.

    Raith slipped past a w swipe and nted his leading foot, his entire body uncoiling with the force of apressed spring instantly released.

    "COILED STRIKE!" He screamed.

    His heel smashed up under the chin of that massive nightmare head. He felt the crunch of fracturing vertebrae shockwave up his leg.

    The shadow creature''s head whipped back at an unnatural angle... yet still it stood. Raith swore he could see the murderous hatred smoldering in its eerie white eyes.

    Not daring to hesitate, Raith chained more flexible indirect kicks to strike at odd angles, keeping his opponent turning and unable to fix on a target even as ossifying weariness threatened to lock his own joints.

    Just a little more... he had to push beyond all limits. He dare not surrender here in this pit where even death might not offer respite.

    Drawing on those strange depths of tranquility underlying the violence, Raith inhaled andunched another devastating technique - this one his own devising, melding the condensed force and flexibility of his hard-won personal style.

    His foot described a deceptively trailing crescent, suddenly morphing with explosive torque into a piston-like side kick that caught the creature full in the torso with the sound of crumpling iron.

    Raith felt its sternum cave in like soggy wood.  Simultaneously, he was thinking of a perfect name for it. But couldn''t dwell too much inside his head.

    Howling soundlessly, the battered figure toppled with dreamlike slowness to smash face-first against the dark stones. Ity motionless in a spreading pool of ck ichor.

    Raith watched for long, tense moments, wary of some other diabolical form emerging from the murk. But the battle seemed done... for now at least.

    Nearly doubled over in pain and exhaustion, Raith stumbled away from that unmoving mountain of flesh.

    His own reserves neared empty. Raith focused on slowing his heaving breaths, regaining equilibrium between each gasping inhale and long exhale. Like circling back to the bnced foundation points of Neofut''s teachings.

    Having witnessed but a fraction of this shadow''s dangers, he understood there would likely be no respite.

    But he had unlocked something ineffable about the way of adaptability, absorption, responsiveness. Each demanding trial only honed his reactions beyond what rigid forms and techniques could provide.

    Dark shapes already encroached at the edge of his vision, stalking nearer... but Raith''s expression was only more stern.

    He had found his center here in this endless night. No matter the terror, he would turn its energy as his own.

    Sinking into a deceptively casual stance, leading legzily extended, Raith raised one hand in subtle beckoning challenge.

    Slowly his energy began to release, let out an ethereal but colorless glow that shrouded him like an invisible cloak. The darkness that loomed beneath the corpse of the monster looked like it was searching for where to go.

    With Raith''s [soul force] extending towards it. The darkness quickly turned to him and slowly began to crawl towards Raith. Upon first contact, the whole shadows raced into him.

    Not just of the monster. The darkness in total began to seep into his body.

    [Dark Borne is in effect]

    [All darkness will be consumed]

    [All darkness will find a home in you and will be converted into shadow force]

    [You have gained shadow force]

    [You have gained shadow force]

    [You have gained shadow force]

    [Calcting all shadow force gained]

    [...]

    [...]

    [Lost souls have been found]

    [Lost souls of millenia have been found]

    [Lost souls will be converted into shadow force]

    [A strange lost soul has been found]

    [You have gained +1,971 shadow force]

    Raith narrowed his eyes. This was very very new.

    Shadow force? Luminous force? Raith could rte them to one thing. Soul force!

    And seeing what just happened, Raith sort of understood what [Light Borne] and [Dark Borne] did. If [Dark Borne] consumed all darkness, does that mean [Light Borne] consumed light?

    ''Nah¡­ I doubt that is how it works.''

    The description of [Dark Borne] did mention that he is a vast sea of darkness, seeking to consume all. But [Light Borne] said he is an element of light. He has a light that only reflects the truth.

    Thinking about it now, only ached his head. He had gone through so much and it feels like it had only been a minute.

    But Raith was aware that so much time had passed. He frowned and sat slowly on the ground.

    As he sat down, he saw somethingying down amidst the decaying carcass of the shadow creature.

    A pitch ck orb. Raith recognized it immediately.

    He slowly and painfully picked himself, crawling over to the ce to pick the ck object.

    [You have gained a monster core]

    [Do you want to absorb]

    Raith paused for a few minutes. He looked up where the asura should be then looked at the ck core in his hands.

    ''...what could a god need this thing for?''

    "Sage, what is the grade of this core."

    [This core is of the "b¨ºte noire" grade. Which is the highest grade of a monster''s core]

    [Within earth standards, this core is a monster that can be found level 29 dungeon]

    Raith cocked his head. ''What do you mean level 20¡­ there''s no level 20 dungeon''

    [The calction is based on multiplying the difficulty of the monk golem dungeon a ten more times]

    Raith eyes widened but creased back in the next second.

    "No way¡­ I almost died several times when fighting the golem monk."

    [...]

    Sage kept a few minutes of silence.

    Then the realization slowly hit Raith, he looked at his wrist and ankles. The manacles were still on¡­ he totally forgot about them.

    [You have grown considerablypared to when you fought the monk golem. I think the you now will easilyy waste to the monk golem]

    "Wow¡­ I defeated a strong monster like that?"

    [Yes]

    Raith''s eyes was filled with so much glee. While he was preupied with his achievement. A ck mass of darkness seeped out of his skin.

    His hand slowly transitioned to a ck mass. The orb he was holding sank into it and it reverted back to normal immediately.

    [Greed has consumed an extremely high grade monster essence]

    "What?!!"

 Chapter 406 Strangely...

    Chapter 406 Strangely...

    ??[Greed has consumed an extremely high grade monster essence]

    "What?!!"

    Raith jumped up! Forgetting for a minute that his bone was a wreck. He lowered the next moment, holding his back due to the ache.

    "What the hell did you do?!" Trying not to shout, Raith covered his mouth at thest minute.

    Having dispelled the entire darkness in the area, the ce was now clearer than it used to be. There was nothing spectacr about the view, just dark rocks filling everywhere. It was a cave.

    Because of the disappearance of the morbid darkness, the echo of his voice could be easily heard¡­ if there was anyone up there of course.

    Raith immediately entered his soul. His vision transitioned in less than a second and a beautiful ne unfurled before his eyes.

    Red and Blue could not be found around. Perhaps they were somewhere resting after ying around.

    Now onto the reason why he was here. Raith''s eyes shot to the mass of darkness that stared suspended in the air.

    But something was different about it this time around. It was unstable¡­

    Raith narrowed his gaze.

    "What''s happening?" He inquired.

    [Due to the high grade of the material, GREED is undergoing some anomalies trying to absorb it. This might require GREED to change its features in some certain way or ultimately cause some changes in its features]

    Raith raised a brow. ''Taking that core affected it that much?''

    The ball of darkness was rippling around its edges, it was like thousands of other darkness were trying to yank free from it.

    But it continued to keep them within itself as result of that struggled there was now this unstability and chaotic disturbance that rapidly distorted it in shape.

    Raith who hade here to nag at the thing didn''t know what to say or do. It looked like it was suffering.

    Raith sighed and elected himself from the ne. Opening his eyes back to the familiar darkness he looked up and looked at where the corpse of the dreadsoul would have been if it didn''t get absorbed by [Dark Borne]

    "...what in the world am I supposed to tell that damned Asura" Raith muttered to himself, bringing his hand to his face and shaking his head.

    While he was in the midst of that, a low growl escaped his stomach.

    ''I thought I had breakfast not too long ago¡­'' He looked up. It was time to proceed out of this ce.

    Thard - Harl was right in his approach. This turned out to be the best training Raith could have received.

    Because of his encounter with the dreadsoul, he had mastered¡­ he felt he had mastered Neofut form to a very good credibility.

    Of course, there was probably more he needed to do but Raith was sure he was onto a good start. Another thing that wouldn''t leave his mind was the fact that he killed a very strong monster.

    Thard - Harl did not tell him how strong the monster was, the damned asura just told him not to underestimate the monster and he tried not to.

    But he didn''t actually think it would be a monster with the highest grade on a multidimensional standard. Raith was impressed with himself.

    Even though he felt like majority of this victory was owed to the fact that the monster had faced a lot foes in its years of being here.

    ''I wonder if I''ll be able to defeat the other one too¡­''

    Raith remembered Thard - Harl mentioned about it being the only two in the entire cosmos¨C which meant all even the multidimensional included.

    Raith entertained the idea of actually hunting it and killing it. Especially since the asura would be so mad about the core.

    He looked up. Crouching slowly, his leg cracked into the ground and shot into the air. Raith flew in a straight vertical path andnded on a side of the rock.

    He discharged from that side. Rocks breaking into splinters as his feet traced a free air towards the opposite part. Then onto the next and the next, then he finally came out of the depth andnded outside.

    As his bare feetnded, the ground cracked and trembled, a young man jacking up immediately. His helmet was toorge for his head and dangled around a few times before covering his facepletely.

    He lifted the bucket helmet to look at who just arrived. Then his eyes widened.

    "He is back! He survived! The man survived!!" He shouted and made a run for it. Heading towards the cave''s iron gate and unlocking it shakingly, with haste.

    As he did, he ran outside the cave shouting the same thing. This time, strangely enough. Raith could understand him clearly.

    [The difference innguage has been sorted out]

    "As expected of you Sage. What about them, will they be able to understand me?"

    [Yes. The auto trantion affects both hearing and talking]

    "Hmm, impressive"

    Raith nodded slowly as he walked towards the opened gate.

    ''Why was this guy shouting though¡­'' he wondered for a moment as he walked out of the gate.

    Light seared into his eyes as he stepped out. The cave was shrouded in so much darkness that not even a ray of light could prate.

    Raith had strangely adapted to that darkness over time and had no idea how much he had missed the light.

    His eyes protested immediately as the light endlessly bathed him. Raith shut his eyes and turned away for few minutes.

    He was still outside the cave when arge number of men came running towards him, wearing heavy and ragged leather armors. Some had different pieces matched together, even metal of some parts.

    Overall, their bandit nature could easily be seen on their appearance. Raith had to let go of his eyes and squinted his face as his sight slowly got used to the light.

    The numbers of the approaching bandits was no big deal to him. They were the one that had put him here right?

    ''I should be able to finish all of them¡­'' with his current state it would be a bit difficult but he could easily solved that issue by using [Crimson Star] to heal himself.

    And use his force to activate his body arts.

    But he''d rather take delight and pleasure obliterating them with bare hands. He grinned as they came closer.

    They all stopped in front of him, fear and ecstasy intertwining on their faces. All of them suddenly mmed their knees to the ground and shouted.

    "Great one!!"

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